Beauty and the Boss, page 23
really upset. We both feel bad that we didn’t tell you.”
“I’m glad we get to stay, no matter what.”
“Let’s see where we get to sleep for the next few days.”
There was only one bedroom, from what she could see, but
they’d shared before so she didn’t mind, yet she couldn’t
stop thinking about what kind of relationship Ellis had with
Brandi Parrish. It was obviously close enough that she’d
introduced Brandi to Sawyer, but she wasn’t sure why Ellis
had done that.
“Hey, Ellis,” she heard Sawyer practically scream from
the other room.
“Hey, yourself. You doing okay after all the excitement?”
Ellis had her arms around Sawyer and seemed both
comfortable and thrilled.
“We’ll survive,” she said as she leaned against the door
frame to the bedroom. “How’d it go?”
“Let’s eat first, and then we’ll talk about business.” Ellis
held up a large bag with Asian lettering on it. “I got all your
favorites.”
They sat in the small kitchen and shared the feast Ellis
had ordered, and she wanted to relive the night for the rest
of her life. It was the first time she’d felt like a part of a
family since she’d left her parents’ place. Ellis’s way with
Sawyer was certainly special, and special was the kind of
rarity she was attracted to.
“Are you going to be okay out here?” Ellis asked as
Sawyer got comfortable on the sofa hours later.
“Thank you for the way you are with her,” Charlotte said
when Ellis closed the bedroom door.
“I’m sorry I had to treat you like shit today,” Ellis said as
she came over and took the shirt she was folding out of her
hands. They’d had to leave so quickly everything in her bag
was in one big wad.
“This is an interesting place to bring us. Though I don’t
think it’s Sawyer’s first time.” She knew the words were
lame, but she couldn’t help herself.
“Brandi’s a friend I trust, and she’s discreet. It’s a trait
she has to possess in the kind of business she’s in. You
won’t be found here, and neither will I, and right now we
need to disappear for a little while.”
“Okay.” She stretched the word out. She couldn’t ask
what she really wanted to know, but she almost didn’t want
to know with Ellis smiling at her the way she was.
“I can see your brain working overtime,” Ellis said,
tapping gently on her temple. “There’s only one way to put
this, so I hope you believe me. I’m not going to sugarcoat it
by lying about all the women before you, but right now,
right here, it’s only you and me. That’s not something I’ve
ever said to anyone. Right now and going forward, it’s only
you and me. That’s a promise I intend to keep.”
She couldn’t hold her curiosity back any longer. “And
Brandi Parrish?”
“Brandi isn’t anyone you ever have to worry about—not
anymore. Does that kind of answer your question? I’d like to
leave behind everything that belongs in the past. You can
trust me not to hurt you by being stupid.”
“Yes, trust me. I don’t need the grisly details.” She
stepped into Ellis’s arms and sighed when Ellis hugged her.
“Today was hard, so please tell me this is almost over.”
“Actually, I heard from Bill after you left, and Kyle
reneged on your deal before Bill could finalize the
paperwork. We knew he had time to change his mind, and
he did what we expected.”
“Yeah, but he’d never give up that easily, so hopefully Bill
will find another way.”
Ellis bent a little at the waist and picked her up and laid
her on the bed. “Bill thinks Kyle will either try to call you and
engage a lot, or he’ll clam up. If he calls, Bill wants you to
ignore him for now.”
“That should be easy.” When Ellis joined her, she moved
and straddled Ellis at the waist. “You, on the other hand, I
don’t want to ignore, especially right now. I need you to kiss
me and erase this afternoon from my head.”
“You know all that was an act, right? When we’re done
with all this, you can help me make it up to Ruby, but for
this to work I had to keep him and everyone else in the
dark. It’ll have to be that way until I find my leak.”
“I’ll be happy to, but let’s talk about something other
than work.” She put her hands on the sides of Ellis’s head
and leaned down and kissed her. Their first night together
seemed like an eternity ago, and she was ready to replicate
it.
“What would you like to talk about?” Ellis winked at her,
so she straightened up and stripped her shirt off, liking the
way Ellis’s eyes stayed on her.
“I think it’ll be better if we don’t talk at all.” She reached
back and undid her bra and dropped it on the floor. Her
nipples hardened when Ellis sat up and kissed her like she
was hungry after seeing her half naked. “I need your hands
on me.”
“Good, because I need to touch you,” Ellis said, her
hands sliding up her sides to cup her breasts. When Ellis
squeezed, her hips bucked forward. “Is it okay with Sawyer
right outside?”
The question did something to her, and she opened her
eyes and peered into Ellis’s. Ellis’s open expression showed
that she was truly serious about her concern, and it killed
any doubt she had about giving Ellis her heart. This didn’t
seem like a game to Ellis in the least, and she understood
that her daughter was important to her.
“Try not to scream, but thank you for asking.” She buried
her fingers in Ellis’s hair and kissed her.
Ellis seemed to slow down and become gentle, but
tonight she wanted more than that. “Touch me like you want
me,” she said, pressing closer.
She only let go when Ellis started taking stuff off before
reaching for the buttons on her jeans. Once Ellis had them
undone, she didn’t wait for Charlotte to get them off before
putting her hand between her legs.
“You’re so wet,” Ellis said as her fingers slid along her
wetness, then stopped on her clit, and Charlotte was ready
to beg for Ellis to make her come. She bit down on Ellis’s
shoulder and wanted to yell when Ellis chuckled.
“Not the time to tease.” Her voice sounded two octaves
higher to her own ears, but she couldn’t help it.
“I’m not teasing you,” Ellis said softly, moving her fingers
just enough to make her crave an orgasm. “I don’t have a
lot of room in here, so if you want it, take it.”
“I—” She didn’t know how to finish her thought, and she
didn’t think she could be what Ellis was used to. She really
didn’t have the experience, and she considered stopping
before she embarrassed herself. Ellis put her other hand on
the small of her back and held her in place.
“Look at me,” Ellis said after she kissed her. “You’re safe
with me, so forget about everything and everyone else and
remember that this is only about us. It makes me happy that
you want me this much.” Ellis moved her hand again and
ratcheted up her need. “I want you just as much, so do what
makes you feel good. There’s nothing wrong with taking
what you want and need.”
Ellis moved her fingers as much as her jeans and
underwear allowed her, but it wasn’t enough, so with her
eyes locked on Ellis’s, she decided to take Ellis’s advice.
She started to move her hips with her hands on Ellis’s
shoulders, and for the first time in her life she felt not only
beautiful but wanted. It was like what she needed was as
important to Ellis as it was to her. Ellis was so different from
Kyle, and she wanted to finally put that chapter to rest. It
was easy as she clung to Ellis and quickened her pace, and
since Ellis had pinched her nipple, the pressure was driving
her crazy.
The desire was starting to build, and Ellis didn’t let up
kissing her when she started to moan. She couldn’t control
herself anymore, and her movements got jerky, but she
wanted more, and if she didn’t get it she felt like she’d
fracture.
“I need you to go inside,” she said, surprised by how
desperate she sounded. “Please, baby.”
Ellis took her hand back and laid her down so she could
take her jeans off. This time, though, Ellis put her mouth on
her, and when her hips shot off the bed, Ellis buried her
fingers inside. The rush of feeling made her completely
come alive, but it all then seemed to concentrate in her
groin. They both stopped when she exhaled loudly, then
moaned softly.
“You okay?” Ellis asked, looking up at her.
She grabbed the top of Ellis’s head and pulled her
forward. “No more talking.”
Thankfully Ellis got the message and sucked her clit
against her tongue, and it was almost too much. She
screamed into the pillow she’d put over her head as the
orgasm washed through her like a tsunami. Ellis slammed
her fingers deep and sucked her until she tugged her head
up by the ears.
“I surrender, you win.”
“I believe I am the winner here.” Ellis moved up and lay
flat on her back so she could hold her. “Even though
everything else in my life is a pile of crap right now, I got
the girl. You may not believe me, but that balances it all
out.”
“It’s what made today excruciating when I faced my
boss. Here, you’re mine, but I know you still have a business
to run.”
“Today was hard for me because I didn’t want us to get to
the point that I’m at right now with practically everyone I
know. Someone is evidently working with Jennifer and
Dalton to crush me, and the lack of trust in my circle is what
hurts the most.”
“I can’t imagine why anyone would do this to you, but I
meant what I told you before. All I want from you is you.
That’s what’s in my heart.” She sat up and undid Ellis’s
pants, moving between her legs to get them off. “No matter
what, you’re all I want.”
Charlotte pulled Ellis’s pants off, followed by her
underwear. The expression of embarrassed uncertainty on
Charlotte’s face was finally gone, replaced by the kind of
hunger she’d hoped would eventually materialize. Brandi’s
place was familiar, since that afternoon hadn’t been that
long ago, but the ache in her chest when she looked at
Charlotte was as foreign to her as Greek. She remembered
thinking how beautiful Brandi was, but no one in her past
compared to Charlotte.
“You’re making me nuts, you know that?”
Charlotte ran only her nails very gently up her leg from
her feet to right above her knees. “Do you want me to
stop?” Charlotte’s smile as well as her tone was playful.
“Never, and you should know that no matter what, you’re
all I want too. I’m beginning to sound like some schmaltzy
greeting card, but I want you in my life.”
Charlotte lay on top of her and kissed her. The sensation
of Charlotte’s skin on hers made her want to forget work
and everything until she’d memorized every inch of her. She
started to move and reverse their positions, but Charlotte
held her down.
“Not yet.” Charlotte captured her hands above her head.
“I want you inside me again, but I want to touch you. Will
you let me?” Charlotte went back to kneeling between her
legs and used only her thumb to stroke her clit until she was
sure it was harder than her teeth. If Charlotte pressed with
the same pressure, she’d come because she was so ready,
but she wanted to hang on for Charlotte.
“I want to taste you,” Charlotte said, and she almost
cried from the possibility.
“God, yes.”
Charlotte used her flat tongue at first, then only the tip,
but throughout she wasn’t as gentle as she had been, and
she put her hands on the back of Charlotte’s head to keep
her in place. All she could feel and think about was the
building orgasm that rushed through her almost too fast,
and she tried to slow down, but she couldn’t. She didn’t
have that kind of control when it came to Charlotte, and she
came so hard she thought she’d lose consciousness. When
that all-consuming want had burnt through her, leaving her
spent, she ended up crying. It was her turn to be
embarrassed, and she covered her face with her hand.
“Are you okay?” Charlotte asked, moving quickly to lie
over her again.
“Actually, I don’t think so,” she said, taking a deep breath
to stop the tears, but that didn’t work.
“Did I hurt you?” Charlotte asked, sounding crushed.
“What I mean is, I never realized I wasn’t okay until you
came along and gave me what I didn’t know I was missing.
I’m crying because it feels so good to finally have it.”
“I can’t believe you even noticed me, much less want me
like this.”
She took a deep breath and put her arms around
Charlotte, rolling them over so she could gaze down at her
while holding her. “Babe, you’ve got to have some idea of
what a special woman you are. Someone would have to be
blind not to notice you. I’m many things, but blind isn’t one
of them.”
“There have been some who were only interested in the
looks aspect, and the sex, but if I was going to hold out for
the fantasy, I want it all.”
“You’re beautiful, there’s no denying that, but you’re
more than that to me. I never committed because everyone
I’ve ever been with has been about the shallowest of
connections. Sex is good, but it’s only one aspect of a
relationship. With you, I want everything, and I’m willing to
give you that in return.”
“Does that mean you don’t mind that Sawyer comes as
part of the package? Sawyer and the multitude of problems
I seem to have these days. Maybe you should reconsider
before you get dragged down with me.”
“Remember what I said about honesty earlier?” Charlotte
nodded. “Then let me be honest and say I’m glad Sawyer
comes with you. That’s a settled thing, so you don’t have to
worry about it. The rest I’ll tell you as soon as I set up the
end to all this. I’d tell you now, but I don’t want to jinx it.”
“Can you give me a hint?”
“You’ll be the first to know, trust me.” She methodically
ran her fingers up and down Charlotte’s back.
“Can we get back to work, or did what I had to do ruin
that too?”
“We’re working tomorrow, and we’ll start with improving
your pillow talk,” she said and laughed. “But remember that
I asked you to do that little act for a good reason. I totally
expected what happened, but the thing I don’t get is why
tell me about stealing this bible too. I mean, they sent the
proof of their theft really quickly.”
“I guess they think kicking you while you’re down is a
good way to knock you completely out.”
“That’s one way to look at it,” she said, stopping her
hand for a moment. “We’ve got an early morning, so do you
want me to go? I can stay in the house if you want me to.”
“You must be nuts if you think I’m letting you stay in a
house full of beautiful women who are all technically
available, especially to someone with your bank account,”
Charlotte said, making air quotes. “No. I’ve got you all to
myself, and I’m perfectly happy with that. You’ll be happy to
know that I want you for your body and not your money.”
“You’ve got nothing to worry about, and I brought my
pajamas just in case. You’ll have other stuff to worry about if
I stay.”
Charlotte lifted her hands so she could reach up and
comb her hair back. “What do you mean?”
“That I might have a problem keeping my hands to
myself.”
“My problem will be if you do.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
It was still dark and quiet when Charlotte woke up to find
Ellis still flat on her back fast asleep. The garden lights were
bright enough for her to study Ellis’s profile, and it was then
that she admitted to herself that if she had a wish, it’d be to
