“Sure,” is the only response I get, but it’s enough. At the very least she’s not afraid for me to meet her best friend. I’ll take it.

***

When Adeline’s friend calls her cell phone for directions while we’re reviewing inventory numbers for fixtures at the site, I’m nervous. It’s like I’m getting ready to be interviewed. It’s ridiculous, but I have this incredible fear her best friend could make or break Adeline’s opinion of me, and it terrifies me. As I walk Adeline to meet her, I pull her into a side hallway and into my arms. I can’t understand what it is that has me so frightened, but this is a part of her life I know nothing about. I want to know every part of her life. I want to be a part of everything in her life, and I have no control, no grasp over this particular relationship. It’s ridiculous! I may have learned a good deal about Adeline over the past many weeks, but I’ve barely scratched the surface. I want to be fully engrained in her life. I’m ready for that, and yet it terrifies me. That’s not me. It’s not how I live my life. But suddenly, it’s exactly what I want, everything I want, from her.

I capture her lips with mine. They’re warm, and though moments before her path was laid to the curb in front of the building, she’s easily derailed by my mouth. I claim her taste until I can’t legitimately make a case for kissing her any longer before finally letting her go and returning her to her path. I take her hand, and she stills for only a moment before walking on. As we exit the building, I glimpse what must be her best friend standing by a lovely yet boring-looking economy-type car. She smiles at the mere sight of Adeline, and I have a swift flash of appreciation for this woman whom I know nothing about. She obviously cares about Adeline; the expression on her face makes this clear, and I like her for it.

When we approach, and without missing a beat, the best friend holds her hand out to me and speaks. “You must be Jordan. I’m Kelli. It’s good to meet you.”

My ego trills in excitement at her words. She has indeed heard about me. Thank God. But looking to Adeline, her wide-open and embarrassed eyes regard the dear Kelli. But Kelli returns her gaze with her own cool, knowing expression. I’m struggling just to keep the shit-eating grin from my face.

When Kelli speaks next it takes every ounce of my will power not to respond in exactly the way I want to respond. “Would you like to join us for lunch, Jordan?”

“Maybe next time.” My eyes flash to Adeline’s just to catch her expression falter as she matches my heated eyes. “You ladies have a good lunch.” And then to Adeline I continue, “I’ll see you back here in a while. Have fun.” And then rather than humping her leg, I lean to her mouth while Kelli watches. It’s just one sweet kiss, but it serves its purpose. Adeline blushes, Kelli’s mouth drops open before a smile flashes across her expression, and I turn, walking away without a second look. I want to look. I want to stare. I want to take it all back and go with them, but I feign calm and cool. I’m neither.


Chapter 13

Kell is relentless. She’ll give me no peace whatsoever on the Jordan front, and I do my best-friend duty and fill in the details. Every last detail, graphically explained. She can handle it; in fact, she’s eating it up. She thinks he’s gorgeous, just a bit terrifying, but smitten. I think she’s lost her mind, but I still like the idea of him being as passionate as me. I want him to desire me in the unrelenting pathetic way I do him, but it’s decidedly hard to imagine. I still struggle to dress myself in a way that falls in line with the dress of Foster’s. I live in a dilapidated, old apartment. My plumbing leaked on his precious, perfect feet, and his strong, beautiful hands dirtied themselves on the muck of my sink trap.

It’s hard to feel anything but inept with this man. And yet, though I’m not sure why or how, he wants me to be just as assured and confident as he. He relishes my success, and I love him for it. I can’t possibly love him after so little time together, and yet I do. He’s given strength and assurance at a time when I, by virtue of the newness of everything around me, had none. He fights for me, even though he doesn’t owe it to me, and I’ve given him no reason to think I deserve his attention, but it means the world to me.

When I return to the Market Street location, I’m surprised to find the drywall is going in on the model condo. It wasn’t expected until the next week, and being ahead of schedule is unusual in the industry, but who’s complaining? Jordan is already busy talking with the crew foreman who came to oversee the installation.

After fifteen minutes of feeling underfoot, I’m approached by Jordan, who has been speaking with the workmen. He never once looked out of place while I’ve been tripped over three times already. He takes my elbow and pulls me from the room and down the hallway to what will eventually become the bedroom. The room has been framed out, but only partially drywalled, and while we are alone in this part of the house, we certainly aren’t truly alone. At any moment one of the workmen could round the corner from the kitchen to the hallway and have a direct view of the majority of the bedroom’s interior.

One look to Jordan’s eyes makes it clear he’s not the least bit concerned with our privacy. Instead of thinking of such trivial things as discretion, he pushes me against the exposed brick wall. The location along the wall only affords the smallest measure of shelter from the open hallway wall, but it will do little to truly hide us from any would-be nosy workmen. The sounds of the occasional hammer, saw, and items being shuffled about are the only consolation I have the workmen are truly disposed at the moment.

He reaches his hands to the hem of my skirt, and as he starts inching it up my thighs, my body quivers. He moves quickly to work my skirt to my waist, and then pulling my underwear down and letting them drop to my ankles, he holds my hand as I step out of them. He grabs a condom out of his pocket, and dropping his pants to his ankles in one swift movement, he rolls the condom over his already rigid and erect length before moving his forearms to the inside of my thighs and lifting me to rest my back against the wall. He pushes his groin toward my exposed and ready sex and uses his erection to nudge at my entry, but he makes no further move to enter me.

“Go on. You know what to do.” His voice is quiet and husky in his arousal. His breath hitches as my fingers close around his length. I guide the head of his cock to my wetness, and once in position he pushes slowly and smoothly into my body. He’s pinning me to the wall with his groin, and as he starts to stroke in and out of my body, I watch his eyes. They’re dark, and the continuous furrow and release of his brow tells me he’s already struggling to control his movements. But he does restrain his release as he continues to pound into my body, and then leaning to my ear he whispers in a quiet voice, “Did you tell your friend how much you enjoy fucking me? Hmm? Does she know what I do to your body?

I can barely mutter the word “yes” as he continues to thrust and pull from me over and over and over. His words send electricity to my core, and I’m panting and wanting to scream my release desperately. As my orgasm takes over me completely, and I fail to restrain the cry, he takes my mouth with his own, stifling my cries.

Leaning to my ear once more, he mutters as his own release consumes him. “Oh God, Adeline. You feel so incredible.” He’s grunting, fighting to control his voice, and as his orgasm tears through his body and his moan escapes loudly from his mouth, I cover his mouth with my palm. His cries and the hitching release of his breath are on the palm of my hand as his eyes hold mine desperately, and as his head sinks to my shoulder I finally release his mouth as he fights to slow his breathing. He buries his head against my neck as he continues to pin me to the wall with his groin. He’s still hard and buried inside my body. He’s holding me to the wall, and it isn’t until many long seconds have passed and his body has relaxed once again that he sets me gently on my feet, leaning to kiss me once more.

Jordan bends swiftly to his pants abandoned at his ankles and pulls them up. He straightens his clothes, but as I reach for the hem of my skirt bunched at my waist, he stops me with his hand, pulling the hem right back where it started. Kneeling in front of me once more, he lifts one of my knees to sling over his shoulder, and his fingers part my slick, wet folds. When he’s exposed my tight and sensitized nub of nerves, he leans his mouth to me and takes a very slow lick of my sex. He stops over my clitoris and teases and tortures me, but just as quickly as he found my most favorite bundle of nerves, he runs his tongue to my entry, thrusting it gently within me. His mouth soothes the stretched and sore flesh he so harshly invaded only minutes before, and it isn’t until he’s tasted every ounce of skin there that he returns to pleasuring my clitoris.

I come again, clenching my fists to stifle the sound that begs to escape from my throat, and as soon as his mouth has left my body, he stands swiftly and plunges his tongue into my mouth, sharing my aroused taste with me. His lips pull at mine, and I match his vigorous and desperate need with my mouth. When his lips pull from mine, he pulls me into his arms and strokes my back, tracing all over the contour of my shape. He works the hem of my skirt back where it belongs at my knees, and once finished with my clothes he clutches and grips my bottom through the fabric of my skirt.

When he pulls us both back to the kitchen to the crew still busily working on the drywall, Jordan looks as cools as can be. I, on the other hand, swear my face is flushed bright red, my clothes must be in disarray, and God only knows what my hair must look like. Jordan steals glances at me regularly with a subtle smirk passing his lips whenever our eyes meet. He looks as amazing as always, and no one is the wiser for our little indiscretion.

As the workers finish up, Jordan and I walk them to the door, but rather than following them out, we stay. As soon as they are out of sight, Jordan pulls me back within the condo and into his arms for another long and slow kiss. When he releases my lips, I sink to the floor in front of him, intent on returning the favor he so willingly gave me earlier, and as I pull his cock from his pants and he feels my first touch, his body sinks to the wall behind him. I suck and I pull him within my mouth, and as I do his hand moves to my hair. His fingers twist, pull, and grip as his body becomes lost in desire. When he comes, he empties his seed within my mouth, and I taste his warm saltiness on my tongue as it is released in spasms. Looking to his eyes, I find them closed as the last of his orgasm moves through his body. He’s panting, and when I stand in front of him he pulls my body to his, and my head drops to his chest as he calms.

It’s late at this point, most people have left Foster’s for the night, and there is no reason to return to the office. As I relax into his arms and hope for more of him tonight, he makes my day when he says, “Let me take you to dinner.”

As though I’m going to refuse that offer. I nod, and after we lock up we head down in the elevator. Jordan’s car is parked at the curb, and as we approach and I reach for the passenger door handle, his hand clutches my hip and pulls me to face him. His jaw clenches once before he leans to my mouth and kisses me gently. I never tire of his mouth, the one thing he withheld from me the first time we were together but that he has shared openly with me since. His lips are needy, and his body closes in against mine, pushing me against the car door. His arousal, already hard with renewed desire, is against my stomach, and the heat between my legs is searing me to my core. I can’t get enough of this man, and for all intents and purposes he can’t get enough of me either.

He gives my body no space, not that I want space from him, as he continues to grind against me. I’m starting to envision the hood of his car again, and though it’s broad daylight on Market Street, I’m not sure it would stop this man.

Dinner is fading to the background of my mind as Jordan’s lips claim mine, but then we hear it. It’s a voice we both know well, and it startles and terrifies me in an instant.

***

“Well, well, well. Nice to see the two of you getting along so good. Though I have to admit, she hardly seems your type, Jordan. Don’t you usually go for the vain, easy sluts? Or perhaps she is a slut…”