Get Closer by Alyssa Turner
Chapter 4
Chloe
I arrived at the corporate headquarters of Hunter Railways and strode through the doors toward reception. “Hello,” I greeted the woman sitting at the information booth in the middle of the building along with several security guards.
She smiled up at me, leaning forward. “And how can I help you?”
“I’m here from Richter and Associates for the nine a.m. presentation.”
“Ah yes!” she said, typing at the keyboard. “Chloe Pierce?”
“That’s me.”
She stood up. “Right this way.”
I followed her up to the twenty-sixth floor into a conference room lined with glass on one side and a window overlooking the city on the other. Their offices certainly appeared modern. I hoped their views on long-term profit growth were just as fresh.
“You’re quite early, Ms. Pierce,” the receptionist said, pushing in chairs as she walked into the room. I followed her towards the smartboard, switching it on and waiting with bated breath. I never understood why, but sometimes technology made me unreasonably nervous. What if it suddenly stopped working?
“Forgive me,” I said, opening my laptop bag, and bringing out a large folder filled with fliers. “I’m a bit OCD.”
“Well, I’ll leave you to it then.”
I pulled my physical presentation booklets from the enormous briefcase I was sort of married to at this point. No matter what, I was always prepared for technology setbacks. “Can I bring you anything, Ms. Pierce?” The receptionist asked, waiting in the entrance to the conference room.
I lifted my head. “A giant coffee with two creams should do it, thank you.”
The receptionist nodded, and she went in search of my sustenance. I continued setting up my PowerPoint presentation, trying not to think about Martell. He’d be in this room in less than forty-five minutes. You can keep your tongue in your mouth for long enough to wrap up this merger, can’t you, Chloe? Could I last through the meeting? Oh God, I really needed to get a grip.
I sighed, moving around the big conference table and placing the booklets in front of each chair. I might even consult with Martell again if Hunter Railways was happy with my work. It would be stupid and irresponsible, short-sighted and completely risky. And I didn’t need that kind of baggage in the workplace.
But he was so hot, with those smoldering brown eyes that hinted at an endless invitation no sane person would refuse, that strong jawline squaring off at his chin, and lord help me…those dimples. What could be sexier than those dimples? Maybe his lips, so full and soft, making me a believer that less is definitely not more in that area. He was big too; muscled and brawny as if he used to play football. He could probably pick me up like a sack of potatoes and slam me down on the bed.
Now, that was a thought.
I sighed, running my hands through my hair. I shouldn’t be thinking about this right now. Especially before a big presentation. The last thing I needed to be thinking about was Martell and his sexy body pinning me to a bed. I just thought…maybe…it had been so long since I’d felt the kind of panty-melting attraction I had for Russel, I could finally try to make time for someone in my life.
Although the long-distance thing is what ruined Russel and me before we even got started. It’s not like Martell lived any closer to Chicago. Why did I always go for these sorts of men? Men I could see myself with if it weren’t for the fact they lived thousands of miles away.
Oh Russel. I should have called him more, even though the phone calls were no substitute for the real thing. For someone I hooked up with once, I thought about him a lot. Then all that time went by, voicemails, missed calls, awkward texts late at night when I finally finished up some research. We never had a chance. Who was the last person to call? Was it me? I hope it wasn’t him and I just never called him back. God, it would really suck if he hated me now. That would break my heart. Groaning, I shook my head, my arms, my shoulders, anything to wake myself up from those daydreams. I needed to focus.
The door opened and I straightened, smiling politely and waiting for everyone to file inside and take a seat. Martell gave me a nod and a wink. I wiggled my fingers at him and then tucked my hands neatly behind me, rooting my heels to the floor to keep from shifting back and forth.
My heart stalled when Russel—my Russel, waltzed right in. He was dressed in an immaculate suit that he wore with as much sex appeal as the tight skater tee I met him in.
I blinked. My mouth must have been gaping open, because someone cleared their throat and I had to force myself to close it quickly.
He looked equally surprised, with those wide hazel eyes meeting mine. He rubbed them before meeting my gaze again. Yep, it’s me, I wanted to tell him, but we were in the middle of conference room B with all eyes on our suspended animation.
“Chloe,” Kyle Hunter said. “Please begin. We’re all eager to hear your thoughts.”
Words left me. All my points I went over suddenly disappeared from my puny little brain like dust in the wind. Freight company…what freight company? Why was I consulting about them? I looked down at my notes, but suddenly I had become illiterate.
My head popped up and I was staring at Russel again. I fanned myself with my portfolio, chuckling awkwardly at the curious stares watching me.
“I’m sorry,” I laughed, sounding way too high pitched. “Is it a little hot in here? Maybe we can open a—”
“We are waiting, Ms. Pierce,” the CFO said. I recognized Robert Thornhill from his corporate headshot. He was scowling at me with such a condescending look, as if I were a mosquito that dared to bite him.
Oh, if only I were a mosquito.
“So…well,” I stuttered, clicking through my PowerPoint. I had a plan. What was it again? “So you all had me consult on this small freight company.” Oh, God, what the hell was I saying? I sounded like a complete idiot. “And, well—”
“Why don’t we let Jared start with telling us about his marketing campaign and I can meet with Ms. Pierce in private,” Russel said, standing up casually. “I’m sure we don’t all need to be present for her to discuss the nitty-gritty details.” He nodded to me slowly. “She can do a wrap up once I’ve had a chance to take a closer look at her report.”
Kyle glanced back and forth between me and Russel. “See if you can squeeze it into my calendar, otherwise you’ll have to give me a full briefing tomorrow.”
Russel smiled, looking way too cheerful for the dire situation I was in. “Absolutely, sir.”
I passed by Russel as he held the conference room door open and thought I would burst into tears. I was good at my job. I had prepped myself for this moment with hours of research. I knew what I was doing. One look at Russel and he did a hard reset on my brain.
Ugh. I could have died right then.
He looked down at me in the hall as we walked in silence. I gazed back at him, and his lips twitched into a handsome smile before giving me a wink.
I took a deep breath and counted to ten. “You can do this, Chloe,” I muttered to myself as I stared back at Russel’s name on his office door. There it was in thin white font on a black placard. Russel Darden VP of Operations, Northeast Region. “How did I not know you worked here?” I whispered.
“Website has been going under an overhaul since I transferred here for my promotion. I don’t think it’s been updated in a year.”
“Lucky me.”
We stepped into his office and he closed the door, stopping abruptly to touch my arm.
“Hey, are you alright?”
I sighed. “I’m fine. I just— I was—” I took a deep breath. “I didn’t expect to see you here. Especially after all these years.”
He crossed his arms and leaned against his desk. “I know, it’s crazy.” He winced. “I meant to call you,” he said, pressing his lips together. “There were so many times I wanted to call you, but—” He sighed. “I’m sorry how things fell off. I didn’t mean—”
“No!” I reached out to him, grabbing his hand. His fingers laced with mine, pulling me closer like a reflex. “It’s not your fault,” I said quickly, feeling the solid weight of his gaze, those hazel eyes soaking me with his earnestness. “I was also busy. It’s not just you.” I patted his hand and quickly pulled away. I needed to put some distance between us, before I did anything even more idiotic. “I guess we rushed into things. I don’t think it was ever made to last.”
His smile waned a bit before turning towards his desk. “Why don’t we put the past in the past.” He gestured towards the seat across from him. “Would you like to present your analysis now? I’m all ears. I’m sure you did an amazing job on it.”
“Thank you.”
I opened my bag and took out all my folders. I tapped on one for a moment, before standing and moving towards him. “This would be better on your wide-screen monitor. Do you mind?” I asked, reaching for his mouse.
Russel raised his hands, rolling his chair to the side. “Not at all.”
I took over his computer, bringing my PowerPoint presentation up, thankful for at least being smart to have emailed it to myself. I went over each slide thoroughly, highlighting the important areas, my discoveries, and conclusions. Springdale was doing quite well and it would be stupid to overlook them.
When I stopped, I looked down. Russel was watching me. He was so close and he smelled so good. Did he use a body soap formulated to make women go stupid in the head? I glanced down at his mouth, remembering how good it felt on my body.
“Great job, Chloe.” He smiled and as he rolled his chair closer to me, his knuckles brushed against my thigh. “I’ll pass on the information. You’re very…thorough with your work.”
We were both frozen then, like paper dolls who needed someone else to tell them what to do.
“I’ve missed you,” he said finally.
“Me too. Right now I can't think of one good reason why we stopped calling each other.” Then a thought occurred to me. “Did you get a girlfriend?” I jumped back. “Are you married?”
Russel laughed. “Not even close. Married to my job, maybe. I’ve been accused of that.”
“Guilty.” I raised my hand and laughed too. It was a nervous little chirp that didn’t even sound like me.
He reached his hand out, linking his index finger with mine and drawing me back in. “You look amazing.”
I touched his clean-shaven face, remembering the light beard he used to sport. “And you look like this suit was made for you.”
“It was made for me,” he said. “But sometimes I miss my ripped jeans.”
I bit my lip. “What else do you miss?”
He slid his hand up my thigh and then used one finger to trace a line down to my knee and back again. “I’ve already said that I miss you. But I’ve come to realize that words are cheap.”
I leaned against the desk, facing him with my legs falling apart as if they had a mind of their own. His breath hitched and his gaze dipped down to stare at my lace underwear. “Why didn’t we try harder?” I asked, my voice sounding far away. He pulled his chair closer to me, but I put out my foot, my heel digging into his chest.
His hands stroked up and down my leg, removing my shoe and dropping it on the ground next to him. I kicked off the other one and he grabbed my wrists. I slid into his lap, straddling his hips. His hard cock pressed against my panties. His hands blazed a trail up my thighs before cupping my ass, grinding me against him.
I bit back a moan, leaning forward, my hands on either side of his face, gripping the back of his chair. A part of me was shocked I wasn’t stopping him. The door wasn’t locked. Anyone could come in, but Russel had that effect on me, made me want to throw caution to the wind, and just ignore everything else for a few precious moments.
I needed this. It had been too long, and Russel…well, Russel was definitely a treat I could allow myself to taste…again. I brushed my lips against his once, twice, and then smiled as he released a tortured groan. His lips lunged for mine, trying to capture me, but I dodged. He tried once more, but I pressed a long, solitary finger against his mouth.
“We need to keep quiet.”
“You can try,” he breathed, his lips capturing mine. Then he pressed his hand between us and his fingers tugged on the band of my thong.
I let a soft moan fall free from my lips when his fingers reached underneath and dipped inside to slide against my pussy. I was already so damned wet for him. I felt him nudge my clit with his knuckles and I tossed back my head. His mouth sucked at my neck, and then his teeth grazed against my collarbone as a finger pushed deep inside me. I raked my nails through his hair, grinding against his fingers.
His hungry mouth kissed a path down my neck. With his other hand, he pulled at my blouse as his tongue meandered lower and dipped behind the fabric. Pressed by sudden urgency, I fumbled with the rest of the buttons while he thrust his fingers inside me again and again. He took hold of my breast and then his thumb, stealthy and conspiring, circled around my clit and I gasped at the unbelievably delicious sensations.
The lace of my bra was in the fucking way. I pulled the whole thing down, allowing my breasts to spill forward. Russel took one in his mouth, sucking on my nipple, as his hand worked its magic on my pussy. I was so…so close to coming.
That was when the door slammed shut.
I jumped, yanking around while also pushing Russel’s face away from my breasts. I gasped, practically swallowed my tongue, pulling my blouse closed as I saw who stood in the entrance. The buttons were a struggle and I fastened them in the wrong holes, but at least I was covered. A few firm shifts and I pushed my breasts back in place while hopping on one foot, searching for my stiletto.
Russel stared, mouth agape, at his scowling visitor standing in the doorway. He straightened his clothes and chuckled awkwardly before glancing at me. “Martell,” he coughed, standing and putting a hand on the small of my back. “Sorry, did you knock?”
Martell didn’t say anything. I offered him a small, sheepish smile, but he couldn’t even look at me. Great. Not only does he think I’m inept, he probably thinks I’m a slut. Just great.
This day was getting worse by the hour.