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Chapter 5

MARK

For the rest of the night I hide out in my office. I’m afraid that if I don’t, I’ll be tempted to literally put her over my knee.

What the hell was she thinking going off with some guy like that?

The bathrooms are relatively close to the bar but with all the noise in here, there is no way I would have heard if she screamed or needed help. That guy could have done anything to her and I wouldn’t have been able to get to her in time.

Does she seriously not realize how dangerous that was?

The thought makes my blood boil so I turn to the laptop on my desk and try to focus on the numbers on this invoice. I have way too much shit to do right now to be distracted by a reckless woman who clearly doesn’t understand how vulnerable she is. People are counting on me to keep this place up and running. I need to focus.

But after five minutes of staring at the same row of numbers, I push away from my desk with a growl.

This is why I don’t get involved with anyone. That feeling, that grating terror I’d felt when Tyler told me he saw her disappear with “some guy”, is way too much emotion for someone like me to deal with. The overwhelming urge to hunt this guy down and pound him is exactly the lunacy I’m trying to avoid. This is the last thing I need in my life right now.

Jessi is the last thing I need in my life right now.

I stand up and shut the lid of the laptop. There’s no point pretending I’m getting any work done in here. At least if I go back to the bar, I can do something with my hands instead of thinking about putting my fist in that guy’s face.

Jessi turns around when I come behind the bar. The room suddenly seems so quiet. With everything going on, I didn’t think things through. Since Nell isn’t here, we’re completely alone.

“You can take off now,” I mutter before I get busy wiping down the bar.

Jessi either didn’t hear me or she’s pretending because she starts putting the chairs on the tables. I clench my jaw as I watch her swift movements. It’s clear she’s determined to see this through, and I can’t decide if arguing about it is worth it. Maybe if we just focus on the work, we can get it done and go home.

There is a cold shower waiting for me.

While she handles cleaning the floors, I finish wiping down the bar, organize the liquor bottles and close out the till. The routine tasks serve as a distraction, focusing my attention on anything but the way her hips sway in that dress. I close my eyes.

When I open them again, Jessi stands right in front of me.

“I’m sorry about earlier,” she whispers.

I try to take a step back but the bar is right behind me. This is definitely not a conversation we need to have in the middle of the night when there’s no one around to referee.

“The girls had just been listening to me b/tch about being stood up again. They kept telling me to just ask out the next cute guy who came in the bar. You know, to just have some fun for once.”

“Fun? That guy could have been anyone. He could have hurt you, Jessi!” The words explode out in a rush, like my brain is trying to get its point across before I can rein myself in.

“I know. It was such a bad idea. So stupid. Especially when the guy I really want is ….”

Jessi looks up at me with wide, vulnerable eyes and I feel something inside me shift. There’s a sudden electricity in the air that seems to draw us closer together, despite the fact that I should be stepping back and putting some distance between us.

“The guy you really want,” I repeat, my heart suddenly beating insanely fast.

“You,” she says softly. “It’s always been you, Mark.”

My heart pounds as the words sink in. I can barely hear myself think over the sudden buzzing inside my head. Before I can even form the words to respond, she stands on tiptoe and presses her lips against mine.

It’s like all the air is knocked out of me. I can’t believe what’s happening right now, but I don’t want it to stop. Her lips are soft and warm against mine, and I feel a jolt of electricity shoot through my body. Time stands still as I tilt my head and kiss her the way I’ve always imagined, biting on her bottom lip until her taste is imprinted on my brain.

I can’t believe I’ve been so blind to her feelings all this time, but it’s probably a good thing since I don’t know that I could have kept my hands to myself otherwise. Eventually, we pull away from each other, our breaths coming in ragged gasps.

Jessi places her hands directly in the center of my chest. “I know this is a bad idea. Or that you’re going to say we can’t because we work together. Or that we’ll regret it later. But Mark, I want this. I want you.”

Her words ignite something inside that scares me. Because she’s right. I was going to say all those things. But I don’t give a single f – -k about any of that compared to Jessi telling me she wants me.

“I want you too,” I admit.

Her fingers tangle in the hair at the nape of my neck as she pulls me down roughly for another kiss. Without hesitation, I scoop her up into my arms and carry her into my office, setting her carefully on the edge of my desk.

Frantic, our hands race over every inch of skin, as she tugs at my shirt. Pulling back slightly, I yank it roughly over my head. Her eyes trace over all the tattoos on my chest with pure feminine appreciation.

“God, you are so ripped. I knew you would be.”

She leans forward and her lips latch on to my chest, her little tongue swirling over each hard point. I hiss at the intense feeling, my fingers tightening in her hair so hard that I know it has to hurt. Then, I feel her hands on the button of my pants, deftly undoing it, followed by the zipper.

“I’m going to have to buy a new computer,” I gasp.

She reaches in my jeans and wraps her hot little hand around me. “Why is that?”

I shove everything on the desk to the floor. My laptop hits the ground with a crash.

“System failure.”

Her soft laugh barely registers as she drops to the floor in front of me and takes the tip into her mouth. She can’t handle all of it, but what she’s doing still feels amazing.

Then she hums and my mind fractures with pleasure as the vibrations rocket straight from her throat down my shaft.

“Jessi!” I groan again, my head falling back in ecstasy.

Lifting her face away with a wet pop, she glances up at me with eager eyes. “If it tastes this good, I can’t wait to see how it feels.”

Her bold words send a lick of fire straight down my spine. A woman who knows what she wants is the biggest turn on in the world. And if she keeps talking to me like that while looking up at me with those big brown eyes, I’m not sure I’ll survive this.

Without another word, I grip her hips and flip her around so she’s facing away from me. She moans as she pushes back against me, feeling me pressing right up against her sweet spot. I push her forward so she’s bending over the surface of my now clean desk.

She shivers as I push up the fabric of her dress. The sight of the black string bisecting her round cheeks is almost enough to make me come on the spot. But I manage to hold it together long enough to get protection on. Then I pull that little string down until she can step out of it.

“Mark. I’m dying,” she moans.

“That’s what you get for making me wait so long.”

Her chuckles turn into a moan as my tongue traces a path down the line of her spine. I spread her cheeks so I have the perfect view of the delectable little treat waiting for me to take a taste. She’s so pink and perfect, her folds glistening. My mouth waters as I watch her internal muscles clench in anticipation. I squat down so I have a better angle and feather little kisses all over until she shivers. The moan she makes when I hold her open for my tongue makes my c – – k twitch, like he can’t wait until it’s his turn to take a taste of heaven.

“Mark. Oh my god,” she wails as I lick and kiss her from behind, my eyes almost rolling into the back of my head at the first heady taste.

God, she’s perfect, all sugar and spice. It’s like she was tailor made to be exactly what gets me hard and also exactly what I should never touch.

I flatten my tongue and use it to rub her little button with deep pressure. Before long she’s letting out a soft little sigh with every swipe until suddenly she screams and contracts around my tongue.

I can’t wait to feel that from the inside.

“Still with me?”

She moans in response, so I take that as a yes. Her release only made her wetter which is perfect because she’s going to need it to take all of me. I grip myself firmly, dipping just the tip into her tight, wet heat.

“Mark?” She sounds nervous now.

“Shh, it’s okay. I’ve got you. Nice and easy.”

Every time I rock forward, I give her a little more until she’s taking the first four inches with ease. She’s so damn tight and it’s a struggle not to bury myself to the hilt but I would never want to hurt her. Still, I almost cheer when our hips finally meet.

“Christ, you’re so tight it’s killing me.”

She giggles a little at that and the motion makes her clench around me. Her laughter stops when I pull out and then go hard, tunneling through her tight passage in one stroke. Her hands splay out across the desk in front of her and she starts to move against me, matching my rhythm, the force of my movements pushing her forward with each impact.

“Mark. I need,” she suddenly cries out.

“What, baby? What do you need?”

“More. I need more. It feels so good. You’re so deep.” She whispers that last part reverently and it makes me feel a sudden dark possessiveness.

I don’t want anyone else touching her. She’s mine. I am the only one who can give her what she needs.

“You need more of this baby?” I lean over her back, the angle forcing me deeper. Tentatively I wrap one hand around her neck, just a light pressure there but she clenches around me with a helpless little sob that only drives my desire higher. When I squeeze gently, she cries out as she comes again, her internal muscles going crazy, squeezing me so hard that I almost black out.

As she shudders in my arms, I kiss the back of her neck, suddenly ravenous for the taste of her. She’s so hot that I feel like I’m burning alive. I push up on my toes to change the angle and Jessi whimpers again, bucking backwards against me. That is all it takes to set me off. I pound into her until the whole world shatters and I empty all my rage, frustration and emotion with a roar that can probably be heard from the street outside.

Finally spent, I collapse against Jessi’s back, reaching up to put my hand over hers. When she curls her fingers trustingly around mine, I’ve never felt more torn.

Jessi was right.

This was a bad idea.

– – – –

xoxo,

minx

– – > Continue to Chapter 6

 

< – – Go Back to Chapter 3

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Chapter 4

MARK

An hour later, I emerge from my office and whistle through my teeth. The crowd seems to have multiplied several times over in the short time I was gone. Ty is at one end of the bar, frantically mixing drinks. Several people cluster together with the impatient expressions that indicate they’ve been waiting for awhile.

Instinctively, I jump in and start taking orders. The next ten minutes are hectic as I make drinks as fast as I can while simultaneously searching the crowd for Jessi. Where the hell is she? She was supposed to be out here helping Ty.

When there’s finally a break in the madness, I walk down to the other end of the bar.

Ty glances over his shoulder as I approach. “Hey boss.”

“Hey. Where’s Jessi? Did Nell need help with the tables or something?”

He shrugs as he arranges the drinks he just made on a tray. “Not sure. She left a little while ago,” he says, his words coming out in a rush over the ruckus of the bar. “She was talking to some guy.”

His words hit me like a sucker punch. My gut clenches, jealousy surging hot and quick. “A guy? What guy?”

Ty takes a step back. He nods his head in the direction of a rowdy group near the front of the bar. “I don’t know. He came in with that group.”

Most of the men are wearing suits and I recognize a few of them. They’re regulars from a company located nearby. My panic recedes marginally but something still doesn’t seem right. Jessi wouldn’t just leave the bar with a guy, would she? She’s always been friendly with the customers, a bit too friendly if you ask me, but she wouldn’t just ditch Ty and leave him to deal with this rush.

“Okay, I’ll go see where she went.” I force a smile hoping it looks less feral than I feel.

I go back into my office first to calm down. Walking around looking like I’m ready to fight isn’t the best strategy in the middle of a bar. I’m supposed to be the peacekeeper, so I take a few deep breaths before emerging into the hallway near the bathrooms. Nell is walking by when I come out.

“Hey, have you seen Jessi? She’s supposed to be helping Ty at the bar.”

She bites her lip. “Oh. Um, I’m not sure. I can help if you want.”

“No, it’s okay. I’ve got it covered.”

“Excuse me. Sorry!”

We both move back so a customer can walk by. Brown skinned and curvy, she has a long black braid that sparks my memory. She’s with the office group that tips so well. The same group that “the guy” is from.

Maybe she knows where he is. But I don’t even know which guy Jessi left with. Ty wasn’t exactly descriptive. I probably should at least ask him what the guy looked like before I start interrogating customers.

“Okay, if you see Jessi let her know that she needs to get back behind the bar. Ty is swamped.”

Nell nods. “You got it, boss.”

My eyes narrow slightly. Despite being the boss, I am under no impression that I’m actually in charge around here. The waitresses give me shit all the time and hardly anyone treats me like a typical boss. She’s being awfully accommodating which can only mean one thing.

She’s hiding something.

Shaking my head, I go back up front and start taking orders on one end of the bar again. I’ll wait until there’s a break in the rush before I can ask Ty anything else. But after five minutes, there’s no lull and I realize I can’t wait. I wave to Nell over the crowd. She can help out while I look for Jessi. Maybe they stepped outside to talk and lost track of time.

Nell comes behind the bar. “I’ve got this.”

“Great. Thank you. I just need to find Jessi and then you can leave. I know your shift ends soon.”

Her eyes flick toward the hallway that leads to the bathrooms. Hmm. That’s where I found her when she was acting so weird.

The bathrooms.

Jessi wouldn’t take a customer into the bathrooms, would she?

None of this makes any sense. She’s never done anything like this before. My stomach drops as I get a sudden image of Jessi at the mercy of some faceless guy. If she screamed for help, there’s a chance no one would hear since it’s loud in here.

And they’ve been gone a long time.

My face must look as frantic as I feel because no one gets in my way as I push through the crowd toward the bathrooms. Just as I enter the dim hallway, Jessi appears with a tall, dark haired guy trailing behind her. Relief floods my veins at the sight of her followed immediately by rage when I see what the guy looks like.

Is this  the kind of guy she likes? One who looks like a useless pretty boy?

He has that carefully manicured look, as if he’s expecting someone to take his picture at any moment. You know the type of guys I’m talking about. The ones with the perfect hair who look like they just fell out of a shampoo commercial.

“Jessica? Where the f – – k have you been? It’s crazy out here!”

She rolls her eyes. “Seriously, Mark? It’s been like ninety seconds. Calm down.”

The guy behind her winces which makes me smile. I guess pretty boy didn’t last very long, did he?

He also doesn’t seem too worried about her welfare because he just mumbles something and walks off, without even a spare glance back at Jessi.

She sighs. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to leave Ty for so long. That’s on me.”

“Nell is covering right now but she has to leave soon. I need you to cover the bar.”

She doesn’t meet my eyes as she walks past.

– – – –

xoxo,

minx

– – > Continue to Chapter 5