"Don't worry, Miss Ashcraft," he grinds out as he straightens up and brushes his hands down his T-shirt. "I won't be f.u.c.king anything up because I'll be too busy talking to Maxi about your living room condom stash."

I narrow my eyes on Lex as he spins away and moves down the brick walkway in his leather boots. I take a deep breath and follow after.

I'm in the bathroom on my knees, holding my own hair back and trying not to throw up. Holy. c.r.a.p. Clams and freaking avocado do not go together, no matter what Maggie thinks. Follow that up with some tofu and baked fish? It's a recipe for disaster.

I groan and sit back. Nothing's coming up. Maybe it's not the food after all? Maybe it's the weirdness Lex and I experienced in the backyard that's getting to me? Or the fact that Maxi told him how I like to m.a.s.t.u.r.b.a.t.e on my couch and that I prefer to cover my d.i.l.d.os with condoms for easier cleaning. It could've been all of the above.

I stand up and dig through my purse, grabbing a handful of mints and shoving them into my mouth as I stare in the mirror and lean over, curling my fingers around the countertop.

Green eyes and a severe frown stare back at me. I feel unsettled somehow, like bringing Lex here was a really stupid idea. Of course this wasn't going to drive him away. He's too f.u.c.king stubborn. I should just order his a.s.s away again and see if that works. If anything, involving Lex with my family, letting him weave himself into my day to day is a horrible, terrible thing. I had s.e.x with the guy on Monday, spent the night at his house, and then spent the rest of the week avoiding him, so I didn't have to deal with any awkwardness. Well, lo and behold, here it is, that weirdness I was so carefully side stepping. Like, are we friends now? f.u.c.k buddies? What the h.e.l.l is this?

I groan and scrub my right hand through my hair, leaning back and turning to face the bathroom door, putting my back against the wall behind me. s.e.x with Lex was good. I'll even go so far as to say it was great. I lick my lips and imagine his bare c.o.c.k inside of me. I haven't done it bareback like that since I was seventeen with my first boyfriend. It felt so good. I wouldn't mind one more taste, just one more. Maybe on the night of the symphony? I agreed to go if he came here. He held up his end of the bargain, so I'm obligated on my end. That'll be our last time though, definitely.

"Olivia?" It's Lex outside the door, voice low and tinted with just the slightest hint of alcohol. "Your mothers wanted me to make sure you were still alive?" I close my eyes and let the sound of his voice sink into my blood, flow through my body like a drug. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little wet downstairs. How long do we have to stay at this party to be polite? I wonder and then immediately feel annoyed at Lex, at Craig, at Maxi. What am I going to do with Lex after this? Drop him off at home? Take him all the way back to the financial district to get his car? Make him take a taxi?

"Still alive and kickin'," I respond, listening for further sounds of him beyond the door. I feel like I've just been smacked upside the head with the h.o.r.n.y stick, drawing my hand down between my thighs for a quick taste, my finger brushing across my jeans while I bite my lip and try not to moan. A quick flick of the bathroom switch starts the fan and gives me a little bit of privacy.

Masturbating in my brother's girlfriend's bathroom is probably not the smartest idea that's ever come into creation inside my head, but I do it anyway, fueled by that stupid kiss in the backyard and a raging libido that promises if it doesn't get some now, it'll get some later. I can't risk getting caught up with Lex tonight. If that kiss was any indication of his mood, I'm in deep s.h.i.t.

I unzip my jeans and lean over the counter, rubbing my c.l.i.t in circles, attempting to appease the lady parts in quick order, so I can get out of here and rejoin the group and the conversation about affordable, efficient public transportation in the United States. As fascinating as that subject is, it's going to have to wait until the fire in my body calms down a little.

As I touch myself, I glance up at the bathroom mirror and feel a flush of frustration slide over my features. My cheeks respond by getting a little redder, my pupils dilate, my breathing comes more quickly.

"c.r.a.p." I feel like a teenage boy as I tear off my jeans and turn the water on the sink to its highest setting to block any noise I might make. Yes, Maggie does have a sign that says Water Conversation is More Important than Ever taped to the side of the mirror, but I think if she knew the circ.u.mstances surrounding my current situation, she'd understand. If she'd just had a weird, confusing kiss with her boss in the backyard, she'd be in here pressing her pink b.u.t.ton, too.

I drop my jeans to the floor and kick them aside, fully intending on getting a finger or two where the sun don't shine when Lex's voice interrupts me again.

"The conversation's shifted to us," Lex purrs, the sound of his voice making me bite my lower lip as I try to arrange some sort of quickie spot on the floor. This is the stupidest thing you have ever done. Mark my words, Olivia Olsen Ashcraft, you will regret this. "Everyone wants to know how we met," Lex continues, his voice soft with wine and c.r.a.ppy handcrafted beer. He must've had a lot during dinner. I know I did; it was practically necessary to slog through the meal itself. But I guess I just did't recognize how much. Not that he sounds drunk or anything, just relaxed. Back to that strange state he was in after we had our dalliance in the parking garage.

"Tell them you a.s.saulted me in the lunch room. Now go away." I strip off my panties and let them drop to the floor I am not letting these ones get drenched and then have to sit in them all evening. Then I start to kneel down, praying I can make this quick enough that n.o.body will notice my absence when the door starts to open.

Oops.

The door is unlocked.

"ErmiG.o.d." I stand up and lunge at the door but not before Lex sees and his steel gray eyes go wide in surprise. He opens his mouth to speak when I get caught on my panties and trip, slamming into his chest (thankfully within the confines of the bathroom and not in view of the people laughing in the living room). I jerk away from him, his fingertips like fire on my upper arms and reach down, s.n.a.t.c.hing my panties from my ankle.

"Olivia," he begins, but I shove the panties in his mouth before he get another word out, dragging him into the bathroom and slamming the door behind him. This time, I really do lock it.

"Quiet," I murmur, embarra.s.sed, turned on, feeling pretty dang stupid. Lex's pupils have dilated with desire and the bulge in his jeans says he doesn't think my ridiculous stunt is as silly as I do. I look around the room in a panic and try to figure out how to salvage this situation. Lex takes a step closer to me, biting down on the black lace of my panties, his white teeth brilliant against the silky dark fabric. I may or may not drool a little, but since I'm an intelligent, modern women, I take the only logical route to resolving this situation I've gotten myself into. "Just ... keep your mouth shut and f.u.c.k me," I whisper, leaping up to sit on the edge of the counter. It puts my short statured a.s.s at just about the right height for Lex.

With a growl that's barely audible behind my silken drawers, Lex steps between my bare legs, a f.u.c.king sight in his stupid T-shirt and jeans. I tear the b.u.t.ton open for him, drawing down the zipper and discovering ... that he chose not to wear underwear.

To say I'm stoked would be an understatement.

"Mr. Lyndon!" I say, shocked that this uptight little a.s.shole actually has the guts to go commando in a pair of formfitting jeans. I wrap my legs around his feminist T-shirt and pull Lex close, putting my hands around his neck, kissing his lower lip and enjoy the angry noises he's making behind the panties I jammed down his throat. "Who knew you were such a daredevil?" I whisper, trying to keep my voice down as Lex's c.o.c.k pressing against my opening. With a clenching of muscles and some encouragement from me, Lex thrusts inside, forcing me to bite his lip to keep from crying out. He grunts in pain and pleasure, hands finding my hips, pulling me closer to him as I spread my legs wide and let my boss f.u.c.k the s.h.i.t out of me on my brother's girlfriend's bathroom sink.

The gyrating motion on his hips churns me up inside, practically forces me to kiss his jaw and lips, taste his neck, tangle my fingers in his hair. My a.s.s cheeks are caught on the edge of the countertop, our pelvises grinding together, the roughness of his pubic hair against my soft thighs a ma.s.sive turn on for me. I'd take that secret to my grave though, so don't bother sharing.

"Olivia, where's Lex?" Maxi raps on the door with her knuckles. "We sent him to find you and he disappeared?" She pauses, and I squeeze my thighs tight enough to convince Lex to quick humping. G.o.dd.a.m.n it. "Are you guys having s.e.x in there?" As I try to think up a response suitable to the situation, Maxi makes up her own mind. "Okay, he's fine. They're having s.e.x in the bathroom." I hear Maxi's footsteps wandering back down the hallway and close my eyes on the tail end of a groan.

Lex releases his hold on my hip and pulls the panties from his mouth.

"Spend the night with me again," he whispers, brushing my hair back, changing his tune from a.s.shole boss to possible love interest so quick that my head spins.

"What's your angle?" I whisper back fiercely, knowing there very well could be a cadre of busybodies outside this door. With Lex buried inside of me, however, I seem to have trouble giving a s.h.i.t. d.a.m.n you for being better than my wand attachment, I think as I shift and he groans. I s.n.a.t.c.h the panties back from Lex's hand and push them back into his mouth before he can answer that question. Whatever Lex's angle is, I'm sure I don't want to know. If he talks, he'll just mess this up. "Keep going," I whisper fiercely, putting enough heat into my voice that he knows this isn't a suggestion it's an order. "And hurry."

I close my eyes and let the sensations of Lex's body overwhelm me. The firm press of his muscles, the strength in his grip, the casual relaxed quality of his clothing the sharp contrast between this Lex and the one I always see at the office is astounding.

I lean into him, pressing my mouth to his throat, tasting the sweat on his skin. His c.o.c.k feels so much warmer without a condom not sure if I'm imagining that or not, but it doesn't matter. His thrusts scald me, boiling my blood, dragging an o.r.g.a.s.m tearing through my stomach and out my mouth as I gasp and bite Lex hard on his firm shoulder, squeezing him tight while he finishes. As if I didn't feel enough like a teenage boy as it was, I came before the billionaire boss.

"d.a.m.n it."

Lex groans and then uses his tongue to push the panties back out of his mouth. They tumble in a wet silken ball down my chest and then bounce off, right into the toilet bowl. Fantastic.

"This was an unexpected surprise," Lex purrs, and I find my body clenching tight at the sound, forcing him to grit his teeth as his d.i.c.k takes a warm, little hug from yours truly. I can feel ... wetness down below, but thankfully, I'm prepared. Not because of Lex but just because I wanted to, I bought a 'quickie kit' at the drug store the other day. If you've never heard of it, take note now because this is important. It's a kit that comes with a condom, a pair of wet wipes, a tiny bottle of lubricant and one of hand sanitizer, and a plastic bag to store it in/dispose of the evidence.

Looks like I'm going to need it.

Only ... it would've been a little easier if Lex had worn the condom. I cough into my hand out of nervousness and Lex grunts again as I make a little involuntary tightening down below. I glance back at his face to find that he's staring at me. It sucks to make eye contact with your boss after he's just ... you know, come inside of you. Makes this awkward, but I refuse to look away, not even when his lips split into a grin.

"Finding you in here ... pants-less. I hesitate to even ask what you were up to."

"Lex," I say, pushing at his chest with my palms. "Be quiet." He refuses to move and I wrinkle my lip at him. "You know, I might not be the best dominatrix in the world, but you freaking suck at being submissive. Get out of me and move," I growl out. Fortunately for him, he does. I hop off the counter and put out an arm to brace myself. My legs are a little shaky and the down there portion of Olivia Olsen Ashcraft isn't exactly responding to threats.

I grab my quickie kit from my purse and make a circle with my finger to get Lex to turn around. The wet wipe comes in handy before I toss it in the toilet and drag on my jeans. The lace panties are still floating in the water, so I wrinkle my nose, pinch them up in my fingers and toss them into the plastic bag.

"You can turn around now," I tell Lex, shutting off the facet and flushing the toilet. He glances over his shoulder at me with a smirk as I reach out and hand him a wet wipe. He looks at it like he's not sure what to do with it.

I sigh.

"To clean your d.i.c.k off."

"Clean my ... " His voice trails off as he turns around and gives me a strange look. I sigh and gesture in irritation.

"Yeah, you know, for the juices." Lex keeps staring at me and I roll my eyes, shoving the wipe back in my purse and picking it up off the ground next to the toilet. His pants are already zipped up anyway. If he wants to walk around like that, then that's his problem. I try to brush past him, but he reaches out and grabs my bicep with his fingers, but not roughly, not aggressively, just ... gently. The gesture gives me the chills.

"Spend the night with me, Olivia."

"Why?" I ask, waving my hand like I don't give a s.h.i.t. The problem that's becoming quite obvious now is that I do. "Did you order me a cat o' nine tails to beat you with?" I make a faux whipping motion with my hand, complete with sound effect. Lex purses his lips at me, and I take a moment to drink the anger in.

"Olivia," he grinds out between his perfect crowns. My att.i.tude is bothering him, but that's too d.a.m.n bad. If he doesn't have the b.a.l.l.s to jus say what he wants outright then I'm not interested. I glance back at Lex. My body has a mental blueprint pulled up, reminding me where each part of his body touched mine. It's distracting, to say the least.

"Olivia, what? Olivia, come over, why?" I turn to Lex and put my hands on either side of his beautiful face. "I'm not signing your contract, so if that's what you had in mind, forget it. And look, we just f.u.c.ked. So there's that. What else do you want from me?"

"Nothing," he growls out, pulling away from me and storming out the bathroom door before I get a chance to do it first.

"I'm not sure what was worse: the dinner or the dessert," Olivia says, trying to clear the air as we sit in dark silence in her Lexus. My arms are crossed over my chest and my eyes are closed. I'm not even sure what to think at this point. She drops a bomb on me in the bathroom, telling me I want a partner and then disappearing before I get a chance to ask her what she meant by that. Then she kisses me in the backyard and then she has the audacity to rope me into her orbit in the bathroom, shoving her panties down my throat, spreading her legs and letting me f.u.c.k her against the countertop.

I grit my teeth as Olivia pokes my arm and then sighs when I don't respond.

"Fine. Be that way," she says as she hits Jackson Street and pulls up in front of my house. "I was just trying to make conversation." I open the door and look over at her, the engine still running, her green eyes devoid of any emotion. I'm not sure what to make of that expression. "I guess I'll see you on Monday then?" she asks, attempting to smile at me.

"Are you going to ignore me again?" I ask, raising an eyebrow, letting the cool evening air drift in through my open door. Olivia sighs and shuts off the car, taking off her seat belt and turning to look at me. Orange street lamps highlight her beautiful face, drawing my thumb to her lips. As soon as the whorls of my fingertip make contact with her mouth, she pulls back and narrows her eyes on me.

"I already explained that to you, Lex," she says and I growl under my breath. A partner. Olivia thinks I want a partner. What would make sense then would be to choose Lara Caliper, make a business decision and ensure a steady partnership that would be bound with ties heavier than love money, business, legalities, a sense of mutual understanding of what her are both after and why.

But then, I don't think that's what Olivia meant.

"What is this?" I ask her, reaching down to grab the bag with my clothes in it. "Between us? Is it nothing? Should I cancel our date to the symphony?" Olivia shakes her head, red hair floating around her face as she groans and puts the heels of her hands to her forehead.

"No, Lex. I said if you went to this dinner thing, that I'd go to the symphony with you."

"But why?" I press, trying to squeeze some emotion other than frustration out of her. Even rage would be preferable at this point. I still haven't the slightest clue what I'm doing, but I want to talk it out. She refuses to acknowledge that. "What's the point? You seem to have made it abundantly clear that you're not interested."

"Lex, stop," she says, sounding tired, pulling her hands away from her face to look at me.

"Hey, man, you got a dollar?" some guy asks from outside the vehicle. I glare at him and Olivia laughs at me, digging into her purse and pa.s.sing over a small wad of singles. I toss them at the man and he disappears with a smile and a tip of his hat.

"Got to love San Francisco," she says with a much more affectionate lilt to her voice than when she's referring to me.

"Olivia, please stay the night with me. I can promise that you won't regret it."

"How can you, Lex? How can you make that promise? Your motives were pretty clear from the start, and so were mine."

I find myself getting frustrated, maybe even unreasonably so since she's right, but I can't help it. I want to order her into my house, command that she stay with me, smile at me, fall asleep in my arms, f.u.c.k me. But that's not what I wanted. I didn't want somebody to fall in line, and now I'm getting my wish granted.

"Motives can change," I grind out and she blinks at me like she's surprised to hear that. I sigh and scrub my hand through my hair. The night is cloudy with fog, but there's still a twinkling of stars up above. It'd be the perfect night to show Olivia the rooftop deck. If I could her into the d.a.m.n house. "At least come in and talk with me. Have a cup of coffee." She just stares back at me, refusing to give any emotion. What kind of woman is this? In fact, her silence and refusal to discuss the matter makes me feel like I'm the woman. It's p.i.s.sing me off. And exciting me. My usual pattern with Olivia Ashcraft apparently. "I happen to have a princess cake in my refrigerator from Victoria Pastry Company."

This strikes a nerve.

"You just happen to have a princess cake in your fridge? After I believe I let slip during poker night that my most favorite f.u.c.king dessert in the whole entire world is princess cake? And from one of the best local bakeries San Francisco has to offer? This is all a coincidence?"

I feel my anger ripped clean away from me as I climb out the door with a smirk on my face, one that I try to hide from Olivia. I close the door behind me and move up the steps towards my house, unlocking the leaded gla.s.s door and stepping back.

Olivia isn't there.

I hear an engine start and glance back down at the street with a frustration, almost a depression taking hold of me. I glance back, but find that it's not Olivia leaving, just a neighbor of mine. The woman in question is actually picking herself up off the concrete, cursing the cracks in the sidewalk as she recovers from another of her epic falls. When she brushes past me and into my house, she glares.

The lights are all off, but it's warm inside, laying a comforting sense of home over my shoulders as I lock the front doors and follow Olivia into the kitchen, turning on lights as I go. She sets her purse down and immediately moves over to my refrigerator, opening the doors and withdrawing the promised cake. Olivia sets it on the counter, still glaring at me, and opens up the box, staring down at the small, round cake with a twitching mouth.

"You also promised me coffee?"

I let a smile take hold of my lips and lift up a cabinet door, sliding it along the metal track and revealing a hidden coffeemaker.

"I a.s.sume French roast is okay with you?" I ask, glancing over my shoulder at the green cake with the pink rose and Olivia's suspicious glare. She crosses her arms over her chest.

"You really were listening during that freaking poker game, weren't you?" I shrug, but the truth is, I was. I heard everything Olivia had to say and, miraculously, managed to remember a substantial portion of it. The coffee, I already had, and the cake, I made sure to pick up yesterday, just in case she showed up. It was a weird gesture for me, one that I'm still figuring out.

"I was," I tell her, getting out two white coffee mugs and setting them down on the kitchen island. Olivia and I stare at each other again before she turns away and searches the kitchen until she finds my knife collection, selecting one for the cake and setting it on the marble countertop.

"Why?" she asks which is a perfectly legitimate question. The real answer to that is, I don't know. I start the coffee and turn around to look at Olivia, standing in my kitchen looking uncomfortable, to say the least. That's not what I want here. I've been making people uncomfortable my entire life.

"I don't know," I admit freely, holding up my hands and letting them fall to my sides. I feel like a different man in the jeans and T-shirt it's not an outfit I would ever choose nor do I often get a chance to wear anything like this. But I think I like the man that it makes. He's different than the boss with his bright ties and dark suited perfection. I feel like I can think more clearly this way. Whether that's true or not is yet to be seen, but the illusion is there.

"Lex, let's just cut to the chase, okay? I'm an intelligent person and so are you. Why are we standing here with a princess cake and a freshly brewed pot of coffee? What's the end game?" She lifts up a hand before I can speak. "I'm a big girl, and I'm independent. I'm not looking for a man to come in and sweep me off my feet. A relationship was not something I was in the market far."

As usual, Olivia goes straight for the throat.

"But what if it was something you found?" I ask, leaning back against the counter and crossing my boots at the ankles. Olivia follows the motion with her gaze and then flicks her green eyes back up to mine.

"Is that really what you want, Lex?"

"You yourself seemed quite confident that it was today," I remind her and she sighs, looking up at the ceiling in a gesture that reminds me of her mother, the blonde one, Carol. The coffeemaker beeps at me, and I tear my gaze away from Olivia to grab the pot. "Besides," I begin as I turn around and pour two generous cups, all without spilling a single drop, "you said it yourself, you're an adult. So what if this is just a fling? We can't enjoy one another's company for awhile?"

"I have no problem with a fling, Lex, but I feel this is becoming something else. It's making me nervous, especially on your end." I grit my teeth. I haven't the slightest idea what I've done to make her think that, but who cares? She's obviously gotten it into her head that I'm some brat looking for a little wife to bring home to the family. That's hardly the case.

"So you're saying, that even if I were interested in dating you which I am most certainly not that you don't know how to date? That you're incapable of it?" I growl this out and s.n.a.t.c.h a sugar bowl, shoving it roughly across the surface of the countertop.

Olivia ignores it and throws a scowl my way, one that I'm not prepared for. The intensity between us heats up quickly, doesn't it? She tugs down her blue T-shirt, runs her fingers through her hair and sniffs at me.

"I am so capable of dating that it would make your head spin, Lex." She nods her chin at the cabinet behind me. "Now, how about some whiskey for my coffee? I have a feeling that if I spend another second with you, I'm going to need it."

I get the alcohol out and add a generous helping to my mug before it pa.s.sing it over to her, taking the cup in both hands and leaning back against the gray cabinets behind me. I saw the way Olivia a.s.sessed my body in this outfit. She finds it irresistible.

She takes the whiskey bottle in her hand, but doesn't remove her eyes from my face.

"Maybe you're so stuck on not dating, on being independent, that you've become afraid of actually giving it a try?"

"Says the man with the how did you phrase it the hordes of 'soppy kitty cats' pa.s.sing through your doors? I think you're so good at using women and tossing them aside when you're done that you couldn't date somebody if your life depended on it."

"Straight from the horse's mouth," I snarl back at her, taking a ma.s.sive swig of coffee. It burns going down, but I refuse to let her see that. Olivia mimics my gesture and then grabs the sharp knife in her other hand, stabbing it into the princess cake with a ferocity that makes my blood heat and my c.o.c.k thicken.

"What's dating anyway? f.u.c.king somebody exclusively?" She pauses and a small smile quirks her gorgeous mouth. It's round and pink, soft, free of makeup. I want to press my mouth against it, lay Olivia down in my bed and f.u.c.k her until she falls asleep with her head on my chest. My fingers twitch at my sides. "Unless you're part of Craig and Co. Anyway, exclusive s.e.x, dates, hang out sessions. That's it, right? What's the point? To see if you want to commit to each other? Share long, silent looks like the moms do." Olivia freezes, her eyes locked on mine. I stare back at her.

Long, silent looks she says.

"Looks that communicate without words," she grinds out, grabbing a handful of her hair with a groan and sinking to the hardwood floor with her cup of coffee and a chunk of cake stuck on the end of the knife. "No!" She takes another swig of her coffee and lifts the knife to her mouth, nibbling a bit of cake with a fairly obvious change to her expression. It must, indeed, be good princess. I stare at Olivia, sitting in the middle of my kitchen floor, like n.o.body else I've ever soon, so uncouth, so strange, so incredibly s.e.xy.

I decide that although Lex in the designer suit might not sit on his floor, Lex in the feminist T-shirt would. I sink down next to her and she gives me another look, holding out the knife for my inspection.

"Take a piece of cake." She gestures at me with the blade. "Trust me, you're gonna need it." I force myself out of my comfort zone for the umpteenth time that day and pick a piece off with my fingers, staring down at it for a moment before putting it between my lips. Olivia watches me as I taste the cake, getting hint of custard and raspberry jam in my miniscule bite.

I stretch my legs out and lean back on one arm, using the other to lift my coffee to my mouth.

"We're dating, aren't we?" Olivia asks quietly, and I nod. Somehow this snuck up on both of us. We take quiet sips of our coffee. Hmm. "This would be like, our third date or something then?"

"Fourth if you count our initial dinner at Frances, poker night at your place, you staying the night here on Monday, and now." I smile at her and she frowns back at me. "Plus all of our wonderful witty repartee in between." Olivia snorts.