"What, he can kiss Jane at midnight but I can't get a kiss at all?!" I'm more than annoyed right now.
"No, Frankie, I told him we made out. After midnight."
I punch Emerson in the shoulder. "You and your big mouth!"
"You weren't complaining last night," he rubs his shoulder where I hit him.
I glare at him. "Stop that."
"Why didn't you say anything? I thought everything was cleared up?"
I groan and stomp my foot. I know I'm acting childish but so is Michael, running away from conflict like that. "I would have told him eventually. Or, I don't know, maybe it is none of his business anyway. Fuck. Is he waiting for you?"
Emerson nods, "Yeah. Sorry Frankie. I really am. I'm gonna go catch up with him."
"Sure. See you later."
"Do you want me to wait for you?"
"No, go ahead. Happy New Year."
He leaves the room and I begin to cry. I sniffle as I shove my toiletries into my bag. Why wouldn't Michael give me the opportunity to explain? How would he expect me to feel seeing him kiss the long lost love of his life? And in his very own words, he has no claim over me! He's being a complete ass-wipe.
I defiantly brush my tears away and take a deep breath. I snatch up my bag and my dress and decide to wait for Rae and Carl in the lobby.
*****
Later that evening, I convinced Carl to let me borrow his rental car. He made me promise Raegan wouldn't find out. I didn't want to leave tomorrow without saying goodbye to one of my best friends.
I drove to The West End House feeling confident and in charge. I would storm in there and demand he listen to me. Because I can't bare the thought of Michael hating me. My confidence wavered as soon as I stepped foot in the restaurant. The hostess tonight is a gorgeous young woman with raven black hair braided loosely to the side. I begin to wonder if she's kissed Michael too.
I ask her if Michael is in and she gives me a strange look before excusing herself to find him. I take a look around as I slip out of my coat and see there's a nice sized crowd tonight. It seems most patrons are enjoying coffee and dessert since it's nearing closing time.
Michael emerges from the kitchen, the hostess trailing behind him.
"Hi," he says. That's it. Void of all emotion.
"Hi. Can we talk?"
He glances down at his watch and then turns to the hostess. "Go ahead and close up as soon as the last customer leaves, then you can go home."
She gives him a polite smile and nods.
Next Michael faces me again. "Follow me to the office."
I feel like a scolded school girl being sent to the principal. I follow behind him, snaking through the tables of the dining room, passing the kitchen, and down the hallway. He unlocks the office door and holds it open for me.
"What can I do for you?" He asks as he closes the door for privacy.
"Michael, stop. You know why I'm here. Can I please explain?"
He circles around me and the desk, taking a seat and leans back, hands behind his head, legs extended and crossed at the ankles. I follow his lead and seat myself in front of his desk after placing my coat on the coat rack by the door.
"The whole thing with Emerson," I start off, "well, it shouldn't have happened. Whether or not you and I are or were a thing, or whatever, he's your best friend and it was wrong of us to be kissing for any reason other than a New Year's Eve kiss."
Michael purses his lips but stays silent. This bothers me. Am I really the one who should be on trial here? None of it would have happened had he kissed me instead like he said he would.
"Do you honestly have nothing to say?" I cross my arms and lean back into my own seat. Two can play this childish game.
"I want to know why."
Ah, he speaks.
"Why?"
He sits up and leans his elbows on the desk. Now this feels like an interview. "Yes. Why Emerson?"
No matter how many times I practiced this speech in my head on the way over, I didn't feel prepared to express my feelings in words. "I think you know why."
"My memory isn't what it once was, Bean. Enlighten me."
Smug prick.
"When you kissed Jane, I felt betrayed. Maybe I'm emotionally unstable, but seeing you again, being back here and being with you," I sigh. My words aren't forming right. "The only person who has never disappointed me... let me down."
Michael's eyes finally look away and I drop my head, looking at my hands in my lap.
"So you ran off with Emerson, for what? Revenge?"
I shoot my eyes back up to him, my mouth open in disgust at his accusation. "No! I was upset, that's all. Why am I on trial here? You kissed Jane!" I find myself sitting on the edge of my seat now.
"Where were you?!" He shoots back.
"Looking for you! You should have been looking for me!"
"Come on Frankie. Tell me the whole story." His voice is loud and angry but I'm not backing down. "Did you and Emerson have sex?"
Appalled he would even ask me that, I stand, my chair falling back, crashing loudly to the floor.
"No! Emerson and I did not have sex! I've ever only had sex with one person my entire life and that person is YOU, Michael!"
My fury is embarrassing and I can feel tears beginning to form. That's not something I ever planned on admitting. In fact, I'm a little embarrassed by it considering I have dated a few guys and even had a fiancé since my first time with Michael. I exhale all the breath I've been holding in and turn to leave, grabbing my coat. I'd hoped to leave on a good note. But looks like it'll be a sour one instead. So be it.
I grasp the doorknob and pull it open. Michael's hand slams it closed from behind me and locks it. Grabbing me by the upper arm, he jerks me around and pushes me against the door, facing him. He presses his forehead to mine, gently. Our hearts are pounding with adrenaline.
"I'm so sorry, Frankie. Please believe me. I wanted to kiss you. I looked for you, you know I did. It was midnight and, and, I just kissed her because it's tradition. I shouldn't have. Midnight or not, that kiss was meant for you."
He cups my face and I feel the rush of what's coming. The warmth of his breath across my lips makes them thirst for his. I tilt my chin up and his thumb skirts across my lower lip. His eyes close and so do mine. Finally, his mouth is on mine and it's the softest kiss I've ever experienced in my life. It's almost like he's afraid of hurting me.
I want more. I need it. I let my coat fall to the floor and I hold onto his back and press him even closer to me. Kissing him back harder, he groans. His hands move to my neck, his thumbs caressing my jawline. I've never wanted him more than I do right now. My hands slip down his back and come back around to his front. I find his belt and begin to undo it, completely blind with kissing. Michael pulls back for air, gasping and looks down at my busy hands, then back to my eyes.
With his belt undone, I yank it hard until it slips out of his slacks and toss it to the ground. Michael steps back and I step forward, crashing my mouth against his again. I undo the button and zipper of his slacks and keep pushing him back until the desk pins him between the two of us. He can do nothing but sit against it, which is exactly what I want.
I kiss him gently now, slowly lowering his slacks to the floor and then pull back. Fuck me. Zero underwear. My lucky day.
"Frankie," he interjects as I drop to my knees.
I ignore him and take his gorgeous erection in my hand. It always surprises me how wonderfully warm and silky he is. He gasps and throws his head back when my lips meet the tip. I lick and suck, delighting in the sounds he makes. I keep my rhythm steady, bobbing back and forth, occasionally pulling off for a deep breath. I can't keep myself in control enough to breathe steadily through my nose. I just want to devour him, now that I finally have my chance.
"Fuck, Frankie, stop," Michael pushes me away by the shoulders and helps me stand.
He grabs me by the waist and we both turn until I am the one pinned. He lifts me and seats me on the edge of the desk, stepping in between my legs which instantaneously open for him. One hand holds my bottom in place, pressing me forward for him to grind against. The other grasps the hair at my nape, pulling gently to reveal my neck to him. He nips my skin, kissing after each nip to soothe the pain.
My arousal seeps through my panties and if he keeps grinding himself against me the way he is, soon enough he will feel it through my leggings.
Hands gripping the edge of the desk, I focus on his mouth against my skin. Chills spread throughout me and goosebumps form, causing me to giggle and moan at the same time.
Michael releases my hair and brings his hands to my sweater dress. I shift on the desk to help him bring it up over my bottom and pull it off of me completely. I love the way my long hair falls across my naked back. It grazes my skin just below the clasp of my bra, which Michael is now working on. He explores my mouth with his tongue as his expert fingers undo the clasp. He doesn't fumble once. Like I said; expert.
Freed from their constraints, Michael takes advantage of my breasts, cupping one with a firm hand and sucking and licking the other. I let my boots drop from my feet and rake my fingers through his auburn locks and sigh. I'm not ready to go home. As I breathe in, my breath catches, causing me to shudder. Michael notices and pulls away.
"Love?" He stands at his full height, hovering over me, lifting my chin to meet his gaze. "What's wrong?"
"I leave in the morning," I say softly.
Michael frowns, brushing the side of my face with his knuckles. "Do you have to?"
I giggle and take his hand, holding it in mine against my chest. "If I want to still have a job, yes."
"Just one more week? We can fly back to the U.S. together. I'll get on a connecting flight to LAX at O'Hare."
Kissing his hand, I smile. No one has ever asked me to stay before. "I really can't, as much as I want to."
Michael lifts his hand with mine and drapes my arm behind his neck. "Then let this be our goodbye." He kisses me deeply, leaning into me until I'm forced to lie down on his desk completely, my legs hanging off the edge.
He then proceeds to pepper me with kisses starting from my lips, trailing down my neck, across my breasts and my stomach. My breathing gets heavier the further down he goes. He slips his fingers into the band of my leggings and pulls them, and my panties, down and off, one leg at a time. Michael's hands return to my thighs and he caresses them gently as he separates them further, breathing in the scent of my arousal. He kisses around my sex, his nose dragging across my skin with each movement.
I cover my face with my hands to brace for impact. But god, nothing can prepare me for this. His tongue flattens against my folds and pushes it's way in, like he's slowly licking an envelope to seal. I suck in air through my teeth, silently begging my hips to stay put because I don't want to miss a blessed thing from that talented mouth of his. He sucks on the swollen bundle of nerves eliciting an inaudible string of curse words from me. As he sucks, he slowly inserts two fingers. I bite down on my lip.
"So fucking wet," he mutters against me, his voice deeper than usual. That turns me on even more. I prop myself up on my elbows to watch. He looks up and stares straight into my eyes as he continues to eat me out. I feel him smile against me and I smile back.
Wrapping his arms under and around my thighs, he holds me steady and presses his tongue hard against my clit, moving back and forth. When he delves his tongue into me again, I start to feel limp. I drop back down and enjoy the steady climb to the top of my imminent release.
Sensing I'm close, damn him, Michael pulls away and I whimper. "I want us to come together," he explains when I glare at him.
I'm okay with that. I sit back up and Michael kicks off his shoes and socks and pushes his pants all the way off before shoving our belongings away from us with his foot. He moves me even closer to the edge of the desk; much closer that I'm sure I'll fall off if he doesn't hold onto me. But he does, he anchors one of my legs over his arm until it's practically over his shoulder. He presses his mouth to mine again and we kiss hard and with a want I don't think I've ever felt before.
I feel him against me and I can feel him gently guide himself until all he needs to do is thrust. Finally, he holds onto my leg and the back of my neck, forcing my eyes to his, and pushes his hips forward. My eyelids flutter from the lovely but torturous rhythm he adopts. We kiss and he begins to pick up speed. Releasing my neck, he brings his thumb to my clit and rubs small circles over it. The delicious warmth of a rising orgasm begins to make my toes curl.
"Fuck, Michael, don't stop," I beg him.
He watches with hooded eyes and continues to stroke me as he pumps himself vigorously in and out.
"You should see yourself, Frankie. Your cheeks are flushed and your lips are so plump. God, you're gorgeous," he gently grabs me by the neck again and brings my lips to his.
I moan against his mouth. His words have become my undoing. My knees begin to shake and I feel myself clench around him as he, himself, finds release. We lean against each other in a tight embrace. I bury my face into his neck and swallow back a cry.
I really do not want to go home. I feel like I'm already there.