I don't know what to expect when I return to work, but I feel electric. I spent the weekend reliving our quick but intense kiss. Over, and over, and over.
There's no more hiding. Our desires are out.
When I enter the office, Lex is already on his computer, as always, but my eyes are quickly drawn to an unfamiliar form in the corner of the room. There's a desk set up there with a computer on it. My own computer is still very operational next to Lex's. What is that for? I'm about to ask when someone arrives behind me.
"Hey, Andy," Brian very enthusiastically says. He passes by me, his bag hanging on his shoulder, and sits at the newly added desk.
"Hi... Brian." Confused, I look at Lex, not understanding why he would set Brian here with us.
His expression is stern as he looks at me before returning to his work. Is my colleague here out of necessity, or is it to ensure things remain unheated between us? Is Brian some sort of insurance?
I need to know. Lex has to explain this abrupt change, or else I'll dwell on it endlessly. "Why is Brian here?" I ask once I'm at my desk.
"It's Brian this morning, but the others will take turns working here, depending on the tasks needing to be done. It's either that or we'll never finish on time," he adds, finally meeting my eyes. I decide to believe his answer is honest. We're far from being done, and it makes sense we have to do everything we can to finish by Wednesday. Our kiss doesn't have to be the reason for it.
Having someone else only highlights how silent Lex and I usually are. It's nice to work with the guys again, even though it's one at a time. Brian helps on Monday morning. Then Mason is here in the afternoon. Having them nearby is undeniably helping. Tuesday, it's Steven and then Joseph. The closer we are to D-day, the more intense the pressure gets.
With every hour that passes, I grow more confident we won't make it. The one thing actually ready for the demonstration is the double phone holder, which was 3D printed after a few prototypes were built. But as Kevin said, it's still an excellent opportunity to boost the app's progress. I can't wait for this whole thing to be over with, so things can go back to a semblance of normalness.
On Wednesday, I'm delighted to hear that Oliver will spend the afternoon with us. Even if I see him less and less as a romantic interest, he's still a dear friend, and I miss goofing around with him.
Most of the afternoon is spent testing the app's latest version and trying to correct some remaining errors. Oli and I are settled on the coffee table in Lex's office, with the proper configuration and our testing phones. We're both signing without nail polish and trying to edit the code as we go. Although it's terrible for our self-esteem work-wise—as the app isn't correctly catching what we sign—it quickly turns out to be a fun endeavor.
We've been doing this for about thirty minutes now, but the amusement isn't fading off.
The recognition tool struggles, so the sentence-formulating algorithm barely has anything to work its magic.
"Milk boy is in my garden?" I ask, confused.
"That's what it says?" Oli turns the device to read it himself. "That's hilarious. I meant, 'my milkshake brings all the boys to the yard.'"
I can't help but giggle at the absurd translation. "Oli, you know your classics."
"What do you mean? I just happen to do a mean raspberry milkshake, and I invite the neighborhood kids to have some whenever I make it."
With an unquenchable laugh, I shake my head. I really missed his humor. It's my turn to sign, and I follow his little game.
"Done," I say once I'm done signing. He reads it with attention, and a smile stretches his lips.
"That's too easy.' there's vomit on his shirt already, mom's spaghetti.'"
"What did it write exactly?" I ask, twisting it to see for myself. "There's spaghetti vomit on Mom." I snicker and return the phones to their proper positions. A few quotes from classics of rap later, we decide to do some actual work.
Oli's with me the whole afternoon, and if we bother Lex with our antics, he doesn't let it show. In no time, the end of the workday arrives. Oliver leaves at five-thirty while I stay, waiting for the last calculations to be over. We have officially accepted that the app isn't the one we'll show during the convention. Thanks to Lex's foresight, Brian and Steven are ready to present their work. Although the failure hurts a little, I see it as a win. This past week was worth an entire month of work, at least.
"You should go home. Get some rest for tomorrow," Lex declares after a while.
"The results might come in any time now. I'm good."
"Seriously, you've done enough. Go home. There's no need for us both to stay late," he insists. I'm too tired to argue with him, and I desperately need a shower and my bed.
Leaving my computer on, I gather my things, getting ready to go. He stands up at the same time I do, and I give him a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry this was all for nothing."
"It wasn't a complete waste of time," he says. Something about the way he looks at me leads me to believe he means me, us. But then he adds, "The app will certainly be ready by Thanksgiving now, and we'll be able to prospect for investors."
It stings, but that's on me for being so foolish. "When we return, you'll finally get back downstairs," he adds bluntly.
The ache under my ribs intensifies, as well as an overwhelming sense of confusion. Why does it have to be this way with him? One step forward, two steps back? He kissed me, and now he's rejecting me. He goes from hot to cold all the time, and I can't keep up with his mood swings.
"Where did that come from?" I ask, trying to conceal my hurt feelings.
"It will be better this way." The topic definitely shifted, and we aren't talking about work anymore. "Whatever this is," he says, his hand going back and forth between us, "this chemistry...it won't lead to anything good. I don't do relationships, Andrea. And you don't seem like someone who does what I do."
I don't know exactly what he means, but I still feel insulted. What am I? Laura from Little House on the Prairie? I'm not some pure and naive girl unable to make her own choices.
"How do you know what I do or not?" I ask, holding my frame straight with my chin up.
"I spent the afternoon watching you interact with Oliver. That's what you do. Cute relationships with someone who shares your interests."
Is that resentment in his voice? Is he jealous of Oliver? The afternoon was friendly and nothing more—I made sure of that. Did Lex imagine something that wasn't there between my ginger colleague and me?
"I don't want Oli," I boldly state. His gaze darkens, and I know I got to him.
"I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression, but I'm not interested in you, Andrea," he says bluntly. I might have believed him, but he isn't a very good liar. Out of pride, I refuse to let him do this, so I step closer. "You're going to be hurt, no matter what, so I'm putting a stop to it before it goes any further."
The fact that I was hurt moments ago proves he's right. Even if all I want for now is cataclysmic sex, my needs will evolve until I'm in way too deep. But who knows? Maybe I'll be great at this no-strings-attached thing. Maybe I'll ace it and get out of it unharmed.
The urge to prove myself floods me. I have to show him he's wrong about me. And anyhow, we both know what happens when we try not to fuck each other. We fail miserably.
"We'll have to make the hurt worth it, then," I declare, taking him by surprise. Before he can react, I'm bringing his face to mine because this is what we both want.
Despite my best attempt at sweeping Lex off his feet, he isn't reacting as I hoped. He isn't holding or ravishing me, but he isn't pushing me away either, so I take it as a good sign.
Persevering, I press my body against his. When his hands come to rest on my hips, I lasciviously lick the sealed line of his lips. It always works when he does that to me. To my great relief, a low groan rolls in his throat.
But then, he rips his lips away from mine to growl, "Andrea, it isn't a good idea."
"I think it's a brilliant idea."
The taste of his skin is addictive as I trace a line of heated kisses down his neck. A vein's pulsing there, so I lick it. He swallows uneasily when I kiss his Adam's apple, making it bob under my lips, and can't help but smile. I mirror my ministrations on the other side of his neck, coming back up, and rip another groan from him when I nibble on his earlobe.
He's getting hard against my lower stomach, so I'm doing something right, but not right enough. I let go of his ear so I can whisper in it,
"I can't stop thinking about that night."
His hands slide from my hips to my lower back, and he presses me harder against him, making me feel that he wants this too. My insides clench at the blunt contact, and a veil of lust clouds my thoughts. I move back to meet his eyes, and the want in them traps my breath in my lungs.
"I've been dreaming of you, Lex. I wake up panting, trembling, and wet. So fucking wet..." I tilt my head to the side, my lips parted, ready to administer the final blow. "Do you ever dream of me?" My hand slithers between us, down the plane of his torso, and I mold it over the hardness of his erection. "Do you wake up hard, aching to be inside me?"
He bends slowly, stopping only when his lips are grazing against mine, his warm breath mixing with my own. "You have no fucking idea."
This time, he doesn't resist and lowers to take possession of my mouth. Our tongues dart out simultaneously, and I can't hold back a moan at the electrifying sensation. My knees are already growing weak under the intensity of our embrace. We kiss, standing in the middle of his office, the magnitude of it ever-growing. I can't get enough of this man, and he feels the same way about me.
Only the sounds of our ragged breaths and the wet noises of our kiss break the silence surrounding us. He's hungrily devouring me while his hands move up and down on my body, greedily wanting to touch every accessible part of me. Because I want the same thing, my hand slips underneath his T-shirt to graze the rippled muscles of his stomach, my palm teased by the thin line of hair that runs up to his torso. When both his hands knead the soft mounds of my ass, lifting me up on his impressive erection, I get impossibly wet.
Oh, we aren't just kissing. We're going to fuck again.
"Let's go to your place," I suggest as he kisses the slope of my neck, getting a husky moan out of me. I shiver when he licks the spot where my throat meets my shoulder right before gently biting it.
"I'm not waiting another ten minutes for this."
I wrap my legs around his hips when he lifts me, and a wave of pure, unaltered lust roams through my frame when my intimacy settles against his hardened dick. My tongue is shoved into his mouth as he carries me across the room, kissing him with ardor.
Once the door is locked, he kneels in front of the couch before laying me down on it, his massive body pressing me into the cushioned seat. I marvel at the rigid muscles of his back that I can feel under the thin layer of his shirt. I pull on the stretchy fabric, and he lets go of our kiss to remove it, dumping it on the floor behind him. Within half a second, he's already back on me, reuniting our lips.
His hands move down my ribcage, waist, and hips before coming back up, lifting my own top—an oversized red sweater with "Bazinga!" written in yellow letters. He pushes it up until my bra is revealed. I observe him back with hooded eyes for a moment, and then he pushes my bra up as well. To make things simpler, I help him remove it, along with my sweater.
Once my small mounds are freed, he frames each with a hand, his eyes dark with hunger. When I'm lying down like this, they become practically nonexistent, flattening on my chest and giving my upper body a boyish look. But he doesn't seem to mind, given how he intently fondles them. He pinches both my nipples, sending an electric jolt all the way to my clit, which makes me moan and press myself on his crotch.
A trembling breath welcomes his next enterprise as he takes one of my brown tips into his mouth. He bites on it, just enough to make me cry with pleasure and pain, and then smoothens the attack with a soft lick. After a thorough treatment of my left breast that leaves me panting and begging, he moves on to the right one and gives it the same torturous ministrations.
I'm so turned on that I suspect I'm drenching my jeans as well as my underwear. His licks, bites, and kisses bring me a ridiculous amount of pleasure. I can't help but grind against him, rubbing my aching intimacy against his hard length. It's all too much, and I'm about to come right there from him just teasing my nipples. But I don't want to find my release like this. I want him to be buried deep inside of me when it happens.
"Fuck me... Please," I breathe out.
My lustful demand gets him to groan, and he pulls on my pebbled nipple between his teeth one last time before straightening up. He's quick to lower my jeans, throwing my Vans shoes behind him with his shirt.
"No themed socks today?" he teases when he sees my plain white ones.
"No. I relocated my funny socks to the bottom of my drawer."
He let out a small laugh. "A shame; I was eager to discover the flavor of the day."
"I'll keep it in mind for the future."
That is, if there's a future. I hope this second time means our sexual escapades will become a recurring thing, but until we talk about it, I genuinely have no idea what the future holds for our illicit affair.
I lie there, wearing only my underwear while he gets naked too. It's like a little show just for me, and I revel in his perfection, sensing myself growing wetter with every inch of skin he unveils.
I'm so affected by his magnetism that it takes a moment for my brain to process what I just saw. "Why do you have a condom in your back pocket?"
He doesn't answer right away, embarrassed—an unusual sight coming from him. "I wanted to be prepared, in case..."
"You expected this to happen?"
"Not expected, no. It was...just in case."
And he pretended he wasn't into me...
Once the protection is on, he grasps my hips and bends to lay a kiss on my cotton-covered intimacy, right on my demanding clit. The hunger of the gesture has me shivering from head to toe. Then he pulls my panties down my legs, revealing my intimate folds. When his eyes settle on my dripping slit, he smirks with pride and cockiness.
"Andrea, how are you always so wet for me?" Without any warning, he shoves his middle finger inside me, making me arch with a moan. Fuck, it feels so good. He pumps it in and out, bending it so it rubs on my front wall, knowing precisely what he's doing. I cry when he adds another finger.
"Come for me, Andrea. Come on my finger, so I can fuck you properly."
Given his impressive size, I understand why he wants to do it that way. I consider arguing, but I can already sense my orgasm building up. Especially when he arranges his hand so his thumb rubs on my clit. With his other hand, he plays with my nipples, adding to the delight.
Absolutely helpless, I'm a victim of the pleasure he's inflicting. It's growing so quickly that it's almost unbearable. The drenched sounds of his fingers fucking me hard and fast are almost embarrassing, but they're covered by my moans and whimpers. Before I can even understand what's happening to me, I come apart with a confused cry, crawling up to escape the overwhelming stimulation of Lex's digits. Mercilessly, his hand follows me to push my orgasm further, making me quiver and tremble.
"Aah, Lex..." I whimper, hoping he'll stop his torturous ministrations.
When he finally removes his hand, the relief is short-lived, as the round head of his cock takes its position on my clenching opening.
He pushes himself inside of me with a careful yet firm thrust. I press against the couch's armrest, and when he's planted to the hilt, I wonder if there is a better sensation in this world. Despite the orgasm, some discomfort lingers, but the ridiculous amount of pleasure makes it barely noticeable.
"I can't wait until I've fucked you enough to mold you to my cock," he says with a low voice. His hands travel up from my parted knees, finding their place at my waist, circling it.
"Shall we count how many times I can make you come before I do?" he suggests.
My eyes widen. I'm tempted to refuse, knowing perfectly well I'm no match for his stamina. But some combative part of me is curious. Bodly, I look up to meet his eyes, and after a moment of us studying each other, I nod.
He shakes his head, a ghost of a smile lingering on his mouth, and pulls out slowly before thrusting back with a deep shove. My confidence already wavers as I involuntarily moan, the whole thing being way too delectable. He does it again and again, and I quickly lose my ability to think. Adding to the physical fulfillment of being so perfectly filled and having the base of his shaft hit my clit with each thrust, I'm also overwhelmed by the meaning of the moment.
I'm having sex with Lex again. He's right there, all magnificent and intense. His hands are still on my hips, and he pulls me in with each thrust, the muscles of his arms and upper torso flexing for my greatest delight. His abs also contract each time he moves forward, making me salivate with need. He's so fucking attractive.
Keeping one hand against the armrest to make sure I won't slide up, I lose control of my body. My hips are now moving in harmony with his, my fingers digging into the solid muscles of his arm, my back arching of its own will... It is all so fucking good.
"Are you going to come for me already?" he rasps.
Something inside me rebels at the thought. I don't want to be such a lightweight, but I can't help how intense it all is. I stubbornly shake my head and close my eyes, to focus on not orgasming. It hasn't even been five minutes, for fuck's sake.
Lex takes it as a challenge, his rhythm intensifying and his thumb teasing my swollen clit, rubbing it with just the right pressure. As much as I try to hold back, the double assault of his thumb and shaft is too much for me to resist. My legs twitch on each side of him, and my eyes whip open.
"Aah, fuck!" I cry out as I tilt over the edge. Anticipating that I'll shake uncontrollably, he pins me firmly on the couch's seat, never stopping his maddening thrusts.
My pleasure explodes as I desperately moan his name, my back arching until only my ass and the back of my head are left on the cushion. Waves after waves of intense ecstasy make my body tremble, my cries filling the empty office. He's still ramming into me, expertly dragging out my climax, but at least he slowed down, showing mercy to some extent. It takes forever for bliss to settle down, and by the end of it, I'm feeling weak and helpless. My nails are planted into his forearm, and I'm glad they aren't long or sharp. One by one, I lift my fingers to release him, revealing small crescent-shaped dents.
Lex is now unmoving, seemingly very proud of himself. "That's one."
I welcome him when he bends to kiss me, feeling grateful and amorous. After having him angled away from me, it's nice to have our naked torsos flushed together. Lex moves his leg to rest it on the couch, bent under mine, and the change of angle pushes him deeper.
After a few more seconds of intense make-out, he thrusts again. He starts gently, and I appreciate that. It doesn't last long, though, and I soon need more air, so I break our kiss.
"I can feel you clench around me already," he says, his impossibly low voice inches from my ear. "Tell me you're not about to come again so soon."
He's provoking me, but I'm pretty competitive, and I don't want to let him win so easily again. I catch hold of his balls, gently fondling them.
This earns me a harsher shove and a disapproving grunt, which makes me smile. So, I can push his buttons too. Before I can take it further, he grips my wrist and forces my hand over my head, giving me a warning glance. Playful and committed to teaching him a lesson, I dismiss it and send my other hand down. To my great disappointment, he intercepts it right away.
There's something incredibly primal to being restrained like this, his large hand holding both my wrist above my head. The objective I gave myself almost slips my mind, as I want nothing more than for him to fuck me like that.
"What will you do now?" he asks, rolling his hips sinuously to make me feel helpless.
I have another card up my sleeve, so I give him a rebellious smile. Not parting with it, I clamp around him as hard as I can.
"Ah, fuck," he mutters, his hips jerking.
Victorious, I playfully bite his chin. "What is it? Are you scared you'll lose this one?" My voice is so sultry that I barely recognize it.
"You seem pretty confident for someone who already came twice in barely five minutes."
"If you're so sure of yourself, just keep fucking me, Alexander."
A spark of amusement dances in his eyes before he settles more firmly over me. Then, he resumes fucking me, and I clench.
"You're so fucking tight already. It feels fucking insane when you do that." I take it as proof I'm doing something right and clench harder. Pride swells in my chest at his low curse. "I'm going to relentlessly fuck you for hours one day, Andrea, and you'll only have yourself to blame for it."
There it is... The confirmation that there'll be more of this. Like me, he accepted that we'll reiterate in the future.
It becomes clear I'm winning when he sends a hand between my legs to rub on my clitoris. It's so good that it becomes hard to maintain my focus and keep clenching around him. Given how hectic his shoves are getting, though, I won't have to keep doing it for long.
The slapping of our bodies becomes louder, just like my moans and his ragged breathing. I get to a point of absolute acuity, hearing everything, feeling it all, the building tension in my lower belly, his thumb relentlessly rubbing my sensitive crease, my nipples being teased by the hair on his torso... This time, I'll come even harder than before.
"Kiss me," I beg, offering my mouth to him, my hands still stuck under his firm grip.
Lex releases me to capture my jaw and keep me in place while he savagely takes possession of what I'm shamelessly offering. Crying in his mouth, I move my hands down and place them over his firm bottom, avidly pulling him harder onto me.
Tears of satisfaction run down my temple as I orgasm, involuntarily twitching away from him. He holds me there while my climax overtakes my body. I get a few more of his thrusts before a throaty moan escapes his mouth to end in mine. I'm too absorbed by the devastating waves of ecstasy to celebrate that he's coming as well.
We're still like this long after the last shivers ran through our overheated frames, his weight gradually increasing on me, our bodies still joined. After a few minutes, though, I need oxygen.
"Lex, I can't breathe," I complain, my voice still hoarse.
He doesn't say anything but maneuvers me effortlessly, dislodging his semi-hard dick from within me. He uses the opportunity to get rid of the condom and throws it next to us on the floor. Within a few seconds, he's the one lying on the couch, and I'm sprawled on top of him, exhausted. The touch of his fingers on my back startles me. But when he draws mindless patterns there with a gentle touch, I let the faint shivers it ignites soothe me. With my cheek on his chest, I can hear his heart. The strong and regular sound of it lulls me into a relaxed state.
"You cheated," he says.
"You never mentioned any rules."
He grunts and presses me tighter against him. "It wasn't very fair play of you."
"It was survival instinct." That makes him chuckle.
Then he wriggles under me, trying to find a better position. "This couch is awful."
"You didn't know?" He shakes his head. "Well, now you're aware," I conclude with a sleepy voice, kissing his torso. When he shakes underneath me, I understand he's silently laughing. "What?"
"You promised you wouldn't undress in this office again."
It's my turn to giggle softly. "You did the undressing, so it wasn't my fault this time."
His fingers come to rest under my chin, gently inviting me to tilt up. When I do, he lays a soft, tender kiss on my lips. "Come on. You'll be in your bed in half an hour."
I resist the urge to tell him I'll only go to bed if he is in it too. We have a plane to catch tomorrow morning, and we have things to prepare before that.
Ignoring the aching sensation in my intimacy, I stand on wobbly legs. From my venture point, I gorge on the view he offers, his perfect body lying on the designer couch, his dick almost completely hard again. I want to explore every inch of his skin with my tongue.
Damn, that booty is going to get many of my calls...
"Like what you see?" he asks arrogantly.
"Meh..." I say with a shrug, even though I like what I'm seeing. A lot.
Twenty-five minutes later, after getting dressed and leaving the empty Kelex floor, Lex parks half a block away from my building.
"Will you be alright?" I ask.
"Yes, don't worry. I have the wacky playlist to keep me awake."
"I would offer to come up and take a quick nap, but I don't think it would involve any of us actually sleeping," I say. His pupils dilate as his jaw clenches. He apparently enjoys the idea.
Despite the lightness between us, leaving things with so many lingering questions doesn't feel right. "Lex?"
"Hmm?"
"What are we doing?" The question surprises him, the crease between his brows deepening. "I mean, it's pretty obvious we're amazing at this sex thing. And I'm definitely keen to do more of it. But is it a thing now? Are we, like, sex buddies, or whatever it's called?"
When he finally answers, the tension in my shoulders has grown uncomfortable. "I'm not opposed to it. It seems I can't stay away from you anyway. But the situation is delicate, so we should take a moment to establish some ground rules. I doubt we'll find the time during the convention, but we can work on that when we get back."
"Okay, I'm good with that. Anyhow, I'll see you tomorrow at the airport. Also, Lex?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you."
"For the sex or for driving you home?"
I laugh, appreciating his bluntness for once. "For both, I guess. And for the kiss too."
"Which ki—" He doesn't even have the time to finish his sentence as I trap his mouth under a hungry kiss. It's as intense as it is short, and I move back, licking my lips with hunger.
"One of those days, we're going to fuck in your car," I promise. "In the meantime, sleep tight."
Before he can tempt me—even though I'm the one teasing him—I exit the car, clutching my bag in front of me. I close the door behind me, bend to give him a wink, and walk to my building, a dreamy smile on my face.