40. Lorelei

40

LORELEI

N o sooner had Kian given me the dates and location for his upcoming business trip than I was dismissed from his office. Nothing more was said about my refusal to accept his proposal, nor did he discuss the reason why he canceled our date.

It's fine. I understand well enough that he found a better option. There was a twisted part of me that wanted to see if he was going to be brazen enough to sit on the other side of his desk and lie to my face.

He has to know that there are pictures of him and Tia online. Surely, he doesn't think I'm stupid enough not to have looked…or maybe he does.

That thought possibly hurts more than the fact he chose a hot actress over me in the first place.

Only minutes after I returned to my desk, Kian emerged from his office and announced that he was going to be out for the rest of the day and not to bother him unless it was urgent.

That wasn't exactly a big ask, since he was the last person on the planet that I wanted to talk to.

Mellissa also left soon after to accompany King in some meetings. I had no idea if they were the same meetings that were keeping Kian busy, and I didn't care to ask. Instead, I made the most of the peace and focused on all the things I needed to do.

The day sped by faster than I was expecting, and all too soon I left the building with a little more excitement than I entered with this morning.

I still second-guessed my trip in the elevator, but while I might have had an extra skip in my step after spending hours without being hounded by my boss, I wasn't embarking on the epic trek that would have been taking the stairs.

The sun was shining and the warmth of the fall air instantly wrapped around me like a blanket. And that was just the start of my day turning around.

"Lori," a familiar voice calls, and when I turn around, I find Cory running toward me with a wide smile on his face. "Surprise," he says, animatedly handing me a gorgeous bunch of flowers.

"Aw," I say, dropping my nose into the pretty blooms and sucking in a deep breath of sweetness. "What are these for?"

Cory shrugs. "A little birdy told me that you might need a pick-me-up."

"Tatum," I growl darkly, making him laugh.

"She was meant to come, but she's stuck in a meeting, so lucky you, you get me all to yourself."

A genuine smile spreads across my face.

"Sounds perfect to me. What's the plan then?"

He rolls his eyes dramatically. "Cocktails, obviously."

"It's a Monday night, Cor."

"So? Haven't you heard Mondays are the new Fridays?"

"I thought Thursdays were the new Fridays," I tease.

"Ugh, you are so last year." He laughs, threading his arm through mine and spinning me around in the direction of our favorite Mexican restaurant.

"Miss Lori?" a deep voice calls. "Do you need a ride?"

"No, thank you, Jamie. Why don't you go home and enjoy your evening?" The temptation to invite him out for a drink burns through me. I'm sure Kian would have something to say about that. But I manage to refrain. He's a good egg. I don't want to get him in more trouble than I'm sure I already have.

"I'm not off the clock for a few hours yet."

"I'm sure the boss can cope getting a cab," I point out.

"Oh man, I'd love to see a Callahan hailing a cab on the sidewalk," Cory says loud enough for Jamie to hear.

He laughs, although he covers it quickly in his attempt to be professional.

"It's okay," I assure him. "I won't tell anyone. Thank you, for Friday night, by the way. I really appreciate everything you did."

Cory looks between us with a confused frown on his face.

"Anytime, Miss Lori."

"Aww, my hero." I swear he flushes from head to toe the second those words roll off my tongue.

"Sounds interesting," Cory muses, discreetly tugging me away from Kian's driver.

"Have a good evening, Jamie. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

He chuckles as we walk away, and I'm pretty sure I hear him say, "I wouldn't dare."

"So, what did Jamie, the hot driver, do?" Cory asks the second we're out of earshot.

I let out a heavy sigh as I prepare to tell the story again. It's not the story itself that bothers me, but the fact that I have to talk about Kian.

"I got stuck in the lift in my building. Jamie and Kian had to rescue me."

"Oh. My. God. Tell me that was only the start of your night."

"Christ," I mutter. "Yes, Cory, it was only the beginning. After rescuing me, both my boss and his driver took me into my apartment and fucked me six ways to Sunday all freaking night."

"Could you say that again but with less sarcasm so that I can at least pretend to believe it?"

"You're a nightmare."

"Sounds like a dream, if you ask me."

"Please don't dream about my boss," I complain.

"Oh, come on. Your boss is one of the hottest men on earth. I don't believe for a second that you haven't had some kind of filthy dream about him."

I don't look over when his curious stare burns the side of my face.

"Oh my god, you have. Tell me everything."

"I need at least three margs for this conversation."

"Lucky for you, that's exactly what is about to happen."

I stumble through my front door—after Cory insists on riding the elevator up to my floor with me so I don't have to navigate the stairs—way later than I should and after one too many cocktails for a Monday night. But fuck it.

My boss is an asshole who casts me aside for hot actresses. Who cares if I turn up a little late in the morning with a sore head?

Certainly not me. Kian Callahan can kiss my ass.

With my front door securely locked, I kick my heels off and crash into my bedroom, mentally listing all the things I need to do. Take makeup off. Put hair up. Shower. Pass out.

I manage to successfully get through my to-do list until the point of passing out, because I make the mistake of pulling my cell from my purse and checking my messages.

I have two. One that infuriates me on sight and another that stirs some excitement.

I go for Ryder's first.

Ryde my dick: If I were to call you an Uber, would you come and ride me, baby?

Heat pools between my thighs.

Fuck. His offer is so freaking tempting right about now.

Leaving him on read for a bit as I come up with my response, I open Kian's message.

Boss: Has everything been booked?

"Rude asshole. What's wrong with ‘Hi, Lori, have you had a good day? Sorry I haven't been in touch; meetings have been crazy. Or even, sorry I've been MIA, Tia's pussy is just that good.' Argh," I cry as I jump into bed and shove my legs under the sheets.

No matter how good Ryder's offer is, I am not going out.

I am not.

I am not.

As I sit there fuming at the audacity of my boss, I type out message after message that I'm not brave enough to send. Even while I'm on the wrong side of tipsy, I second-guess each of them.

In the end, I return to Ryder and let him down gently.

He isn't happy about it, but unless he's going to get his own ass in an Uber and turn up here, he's going to have to suck it up.

Ryde my dick: If you're not going to get your sweet ass over here, at least give me something good to jerk off to.

Lori: Pig.

Ryde my dick: You love it. Don't even try to tell me that you're not wet, knowing that I'm here stroking my hard cock thinking of you.

Lori: I can neither confirm nor deny.

I chuckle, picturing him rolling his eyes at my attempt to avoid answering the question.

Ryde my dick: I know you are. I bet you're touching yourself right now, too. No need to be shy, baby.

He follows that up with a photo that proves just how unshy he is.

"Good lord," I mutter, staring a little too intently at the way he holds his dick.

My pussy throbs, I can't lie. It's been way too long since I saw some action that wasn't of the sexting variety with Ryder.

I could message and demand he come over. But unlike all the times in the past, it feels wrong.

He's good, and I know I'll get what I need. But having him here, in my bed, touching my body, just feels wrong.

I hate to admit it, but he's not the one I want.

He won't kiss me the way I was kissed on Saturday. His touch won't burn the way it did then.

Ryde my dick: Come on, baby. Let me see those beautiful tits.

Honestly, he's probably already got hundreds of photographs of them saved in his camera roll from over the years. He should probably go back and look at some of the earlier ones, they'll be a little perkier than they are now.

Throwing the covers off, I push myself to my feet, swaying a little as I do.

My watch buzzes on my wrist, but I ignore it, knowing it'll be Ryder trying to convince me to get down and dirty with him.

Grabbing my phone, I open the message before immediately tapping the camera icon.

Pushing my tits together just so, I snap the perfect picture before hitting send.

Deciding that it's best to end it there, I put my cell on airplane mode and plug it into the charger on my nightstand.

After righting my top, I slip back into bed, but as much as I might want to drift off, my body is burning and my heart is racing.

Thoughts of Ryder staring at that photo and jerking off morph in my head to someone else doing the same.

Unable to stop myself, my hand slides down my stomach and slips inside my sleep shorts and panties.

Ryder is right, I am wet. But it's not for him.

It's for a man who shouldn't feature in my thoughts, let alone my filthy fantasies.

In my head, we're back in the gym, but when I press my hands against his chest, it's not to push him away. Instead, I slide them up, curl them around his shoulders, and pull him closer. And we don't stop.

I come with his name on my lips like a plea, my cheeks heating with both arousal and embarrassment.

After cleaning myself up, I crawl back into bed with shame still burning through me. I can't lie though, I do feel more relaxed after the release. Although, it still could have been better…