Chapter Four
AS THEend of the workday drew near, Asher was glad he’d suggested not waiting to schedule their next date until the weekend. He was even more glad Zach agreed to schedule their date for Wednesday. Asher claimed it was to avoid the weekend crowds at the ice skating rink in Rockefeller Center, but the truth was he didn’t think he could hold out an entire week, especially since they had agreed to behave like nothing had changed while at work. Any whiff of a shift in their relationship would attract the attention of the firm’s gossip grapevine, and they both wanted to be certain the relationship had the potential to last before that happened.
So Asher had to watch Zach walking around with his big brown eyes and tight ass and somehownotgrope him or drag him off to the nearest empty room with a lock on the door.
Asher found it harder than he thought it would be. He’d been content with his one-and-done rotation of escorts, and he’d never met anyone who made him want more than a single night—until Zach. Now he wanted to slide his arm around Zach’s waist, to kiss him, to leave love marks all over his body. He’d even indulged in postsex cuddling. Zach had insisted on it, but Asher discovered he liked lounging in bed with Zach in his arms while he enjoyed the afterglow.
Now it was Wednesday, and Asher had grown increasingly restless as the day progressed. He could barely concentrate on his case files without being distracted by memories of how responsive Zach was as he writhed beneath Asher, and the soft, needy noises he made. Normally, Asher could go a couple of weeks—sometimes longer, when he was especially busy—without hiring an escort, but now he felt like four days without Zach was too long to be endured.
For the first time in longer than he could remember, he planned to leave the office at five o’clock—and he was looking forward to it. He even delegated some tasks to a paralegal as he wrapped up his day, ready for Zach to arrive so they could go to the rink. He snapped his head up eagerly when someone knocked on his door, hoping it was Zach, but instead, he saw Shelley poking her head in.
“It’s that time of year again, boss!” she said gaily. It wasn’t as if Asher couldn’t have guessed, considering she was wearing a Santa hat, earrings shaped like dreidels—with blinking lights, no less—and a sweater decorated with Kwanzaa candles. She held up a bright blue-and-silver bag and shook it. “Ready to select your lucky recipient for the secret gift exchange?”
Asher wasn’t big on the holiday season, but he did enjoy the Caldwell and Monroe holiday party. The secret gift exchange was fun, and the food was always excellent. Normally he was fine with a random draw for the gift exchange, but this year, he wanted to buy only for one person.
“Has anyone drawn Zach Richardson yet?” he asked.
Shelley’s eyebrows shot up, but she shook her head, setting the dreidels spinning on their wires. “No, not yet.”
“Okay, then I want to ‘draw’ his name,” Asher said. “He got interrupted on a date to bring me some documents on a Friday night, and I want to give him something nice to make up for it.”
That was the truth, and he hoped the explanation would stave off any rumors starting up, since Shelley was known to be the foundation of the grapevine.
“That makes sense.” Shelley gave him a conspiratorial smile. “Consider it done, and I won’t tell a soul.”
“Excellent.” Asher smiled warmly at her, trusting her discretion. She might be the epicenter of the office rumor mill, but she did know how to be discreet when she needed to be. “Thanks, Shelley. I appreciate it.”
“Anytime, boss! Happy holidays!” With a wide smile, she waved and withdrew.
Asher glanced at the clock on his desk and saw that it was getting close to five o’clock. Zach would be showing up any time now, and Asher gave up all pretense of trying to get anything else done. He shut down his computer and sat as his desk until images of Zach bent over it, red-faced and moaning, flooded his mind, and he couldn’t sit still any longer. He got up and paced the confines of his office, waiting for Zach to arrive.
At five minutes after the hour, Zach stopped in the doorway, his face flushed, overcoat draped over his arm and a small case in his hand. “Sorry I’m late,” he said breathlessly. “I was finishing a brief for tomorrow.”
“Get in and close the door,” Asher growled as he stalked toward Zach. If his fantasies had been stoking his hunger all day, they were nothing compared to what the reality was doing.
Eyes wide, Zach stepped inside and shut the door. “Is something wrong?”
Asher reached around Zach and locked the door, and then he pushed Zach against it, aligning their bodies so perfectly that it made him groan with pleasure.
“Yes, there’s something wrong. I’ve been thinking about you all damned day, and I haven’t been able to do anything about it until now.” He stared at Zach, wanting so much—wantingeverything—that he didn’t know where to begin, and finally, he swooped in to claim Zach’s mouth in a deep, hungry kiss.
Zach dropped his case and coat to the floor and wrapped his arms around Asher’s shoulders. He didn’t hesitate to part his lips, kissing Asher back with a soft, needy moan. The response was everything Asher wanted, and it only fueled his need for more. He couldn’t imagine trying to get through their date with his sanity intact if they didn’t take the edge off.
“I need to bend you over my desk and fuck you right now,” he said as he gazed into Zach’s deep brown eyes, his voice low and husky with desire. “No foreplay, no seduction, just yanking your pants down and fucking you senseless. If you don’t want that, say so.”
“I want it,” Zach said, his voice ragged. He shivered, and Asher could feel Zach’s cock hardening where they were pressed together. “Ineedit.”
Asher kissed Zach again, quick and hard, and then grabbed him and turned so he could walk Zach to the desk. Once there, he kept steady eye contact with Zach, letting Zach see his need as he slid his hands down Zach’s body to his belt. He unfastened the belt, then the fly of Zach’s pants, and he hooked his fingers in the waistbands of both Zach’s pants and underwear so he could yank both garments down at one time.
“Bend over,” he ordered, pointing at the desk, and then he went to retrieve a condom and a travel-size bottle of lube he’d tucked in his bag along with a change of clothes.
Zach did as Asher instructed, bending over the desk and glancing back at Asher over one shoulder. His face was flushed, and he watched Asher with a hungry gaze. “Like this?”
The sight of Zach posing, eager and waiting for him, was almost Asher’s undoing, and his fingers shook as he dropped the condom and lube on the desk and unfastened his own pants.
“Perfect,” he murmured, unable to tear his gaze away from Zach’s round, firm ass. He reached out and caressed one taut cheek, then gave it a sharp smack.
Zach rocked back against Asher’s hand. “Asher, please… I need you so much!”
