Bailey stood outside Aidn’s office door. The small, historic downtown street looked like a picture out of a magazine. All the old storefronts had been restored and new businesses had moved in, revitalizing the old Southern town. She wondered if she should knock or just walk right in. It was near closing time for most all the businesses, but his car was still parked outside on the street.
She hadn’t even figured out what she was going to say yet, but knew she needed to figure it out before people started to stare and ask questions. When she opened the door, a little bell jingled and she stopped, cringing.
Looking around, she saw no secretary, and heard no noise from anywhere inside the large space. Straight back from the front entrance were a few rooms and a light on in the one at the far end of the hall.
With hesitant steps, Bailey made her way to the back of the building. Aidn was sitting at a large, dark wood desk bent over some papers. In the corner behind the office door was a television turned on to a reality show that she never had the patience to watch.
Drawing in a deep breath, she let it out slowly. “Hi, Aidn.”
To say that he was surprised was an understatement and she had to bite back the smile that threatened the show. His pencil dropped from his hand and his eyes widened.
“Bailey. Hi.”
His mouth split into the most handsome grin and the warmth that flooded his gaze nearly broke her as he stood and started to walk toward her. Damn man.
“You left. Why?”
“What?” He stopped in the middle of the room.
“That’s all I want to know. Why did you leave?”
“Wow. I… Come in and sit down.”
Aidn gestured to the chairs in front of his desk, but Bailey stayed rooted to the spot in the doorway and gave a shake of her head. If she went anywhere near him, she’d melt. She was weak where he was concerned and her resolve was faltering fast. She wanted to be tossed across his desk and fucked. She wanted to drop to her knees and unzip his pants and suck his cock into her mouth until he came down her throat. She wanted his kisses, his hands on her, his need, his hunger, and his control. She wanted everything she could never have from him, and so she would settle for what she could get…an explanation.
“I really do just want to know why you left. Then I’ll leave and we don’t have to meet again. I’m sure that’s what you thought, too, though, right? That if you left, you’d not have to see me again.” He looked uncomfortable as she talked. That wasn’t her purpose, but she was glad nonetheless that he was not exactly feeling good about it.
“That’s not it at all. I just…I got scared. There? Happy?”
He shoved his hands in the pockets of his tailored dress pants and sighed. She couldn’t start to feel bad about showing up when he’d obviously never expected her to. She had to remain strong, get what she came for, and then run like hell.
“No, not really. I don’t see you as the getting scared type. You asked me to fuck you, the least you could have done was say good-bye when you were done.”
“Not a little bitter, are we?”
She wasn’t a violent person, but Bailey wondered what the punishment would be if she just hauled off and knocked the smirk right off his gorgeous face. Instead, she closed her eyes and counted to ten, then counted to ten again. When she opened them, he was standing right there, his chest just inches from hers and she had to grab the doorframe to keep from falling over backwards.
He reached up and stroked her cheek with such tenderness she wanted to cry. Coming to see him was a really big mistake. Why didn’t she just call him? Why didn’t she send him an email or something? Not that he’d answer or reply, but still…why did she think she just had to see him?
“Look, I don’t have a reason that’s going to sound right or sound intelligent or even sound grown-up. I don’t have an answer that’s going to satisfy you. I just left.”
“You’re right, that doesn’t satisfy me. It’s nothing but crap, Aidn. You saying you were scared sounded better. Why can’t a man just say he’s done and he’s leaving?”
“Come on now, Bailey. You’re making a bit of a generalization, don’t you think?”
“No, I don’t. You did it. It’s been done before, too, to me. I just want to understand why, what I’m doing wrong.”
“I don’t know how to make you understand that you did nothing wrong. It’s me.”
Bailey laughed. She couldn’t help it. She laughed right in his face. “The old ‘it’s me not you’ argument. Right.”
Aidn grabbed her arm and pulled her tight against him, and backed up into the office enough so that he could close the door behind them. She tried to wrench her arm free, but he wouldn’t let go and before she could catch her breath, he had her pinned against the wood of the door. He held her in place until she ceased to struggle. She couldn’t fight his hold on her, physical or emotional. Shit.
“Now, I don’t know what kind of men, dominant or otherwise you’re used to, but I won’t tolerate this behavior. We fucked, Bailey, for hours one afternoon and it was damned good, but you really don’t have cause to be here demanding a reason why I left when we were done. And I won’t be lumped in with the losers that you found yourself hooked up with before me.”
She started to speak, but his lips swallowed anything that she might have been about to say. His tongue invaded her mouth and his hands pressed her shoulders into the door, his fingers digging into her. She was lost in the kiss, in the pressure of his body against hers, in the realization that his hard cock was pressed against her, urging her to spread her legs a little more.
He lifted his head and looked down at her. “Now, you get to be the one that leaves. And believe me, Bailey, it’s better this way.”
Please enjoy the snippets from the following authors…and go enjoy your weekend!
Emma Petersen
TJ Michaels
Ashley Ladd
McKenna Jeffries
Shelli Stevens
Eliza Gayle
Mari Carr
Elisabeth Naughton
Juliana Stone
Lauren Dane
Shelley Munro
Taige Crenshaw
~lissa
