Sofia worked her hand inside her panties and ran a finger over her clit.
Images of Cade flitted through her mind.And the one that took form was the over-the-knee spanking he’d given her, teasing her, smacking her.The touch had blazed, and yet it had been so incredibly sexy.
Pretending he was directing her motions, she moved her hand faster, plunging a finger inside her pussy, then another.She jerked her hips, then smacked her pussy hard.The sting took her to even greater heights, and it was enough to push her toward an orgasm, but not enough to shove her over the edge.
She slapped herself three times, then twisted both of her nipples.
The slight pain combined with the image of him in her mind and she dug her heels into the mattress before she called out his name and careened into an orgasm.
When the aftershocks retreated, she tried to steady her breathing.But she ended up turning onto her side and hiccupping soft tears from the loneliness, for what never was, for what would never be.
* * * *
“Hey, boss?”Vivian knocked on Sofia’s door frame and poked her head inside without waiting for an invitation.“Someone to see you.”
She exhaled.Ever since Tyrone had started soliciting bids for the expanded warehouse, the site had been filled with salespeople, engineers, contractors.It reminded her of Encore’s earliest days.But it turned out she’d remembered the good parts, the thrill of breaking ground, the satisfaction of watching progress happen, the shared bottle of champagne at the end of the journey.
Last week, her mother had joked that it was much like childbirth.
“Okay,” she said.“Send him in.”
“Uhm…” Vivian did a little jerk with her head.
“What?”She scowled, feeling silly that she couldn’t figure out what Vivian was trying to convey.
Then Cade was there, his broad shoulders filling the doorway, his presence vaporizing oxygen from the room.
She stood.“Thank you, Vivian.”Sofia wasn’t even sure if she’d been coherent.
“I’ll, ah, be in the break room?”
“Thanks.”
Vivian was the only person who knew the story about Cade, how deeply Sofia cared, how devastated she was.Still, he was their biggest client, and she had an obligation to be civil.
“Excuse me,” Vivian said with a nervous smile.
Cade moved aside for Vivian.When she was gone, he stepped in and closed the door and the blinds.
“Cade,” she said.Sitting would give him the advantage, but her legs wouldn’t support her any longer.“Is there a problem?”
“There is.”
She reached for a pen and threaded it through her fingers.Anything to keep them from betraying her nerves.
“Me.”
“I’m sorry?”
Without an invitation, he sat.
“I thought if I was the best at something, maybe my dad would spend more time with me.”
“Cade.”
“No.Listen.”
She nodded, not wanting to hear the ache in his voice.
