“Good to meet you Lilly, I’m glad he’s finally found someone to help out, we are really short staffedat the moment. Welcome aboard the madhouse that tough guy here runs,” Pete said and pointed his thumb in the direction of Elijah.
“Thanks, Pete, I look forward to working with you, are you here tomorrow?” Lilly asked him.
“I’ll be here. I can show you the ropes,” Pete replied as he walked out the door and closed it behind him.
“I need to get back to Angie, I’m sure she is wondering where I’ve disappeared to,” Lilly told Elijah as she stepped further away from him and towards the door.
She knew that look he was wearing and if she weren’t too careful, he would have her dress off in minutes. If she was going to have sex with him, she didn’t want it to be on the desk in a messy office. Feeling for the door handle behind her, she twisted the brass knob and walked forward with the door in her hand.
“Are you running away from me Lilly?” Elijah asked tilting his head to the side as he walked towards her.
Taking her free hand in his, he lifted it and kissed her palm, circling the centre with the tip of his tongue. Lilly closed her eyes halfway and relished the sensual touch of the tip of his tongue.
“No,” she breathed out. “I’m not running away, I like you Elijah.”
“Good, because I like you too,” Elijah confessed. “If I don’t speak to you later in the bar, I’ll see you here tomorrow at ten in the morning.”
Wrapping her in his arms again, Elijah kissed her deeply, grabbing her bottom in his hands. He pulled her flush with his body, pressed his hips against her belly, telling her how much he desired her. Lilly hungrily kissed him back and matched the slow rhythm of her hips against his. After a few minutes, kissing Lilly broke away, out of breath.
“I’m going before I take my dress off and demand you make me come with your tongue,” Lilly said and turned on her heel and disappeared down the hall and out of the door they came through twenty minutes earlier.
Elijah stood there opened mouthed at her declaration. He wanted to run after her and do exactly as she suggested. Instead, he closed the door and bounced his head repeatedly against the door. He wanted her desperately and needed to sort out his feelings about fucking his staff. He had a golden rule that he didn’t mix business and pleasure, he never had but Lilly was an exception.
Chapter Ten
Lilly rushed down the hallway before she changed her mind. Her body was alive with lust. She desperately wanted to stop the throbbing between her legs but resisted the urge to go back.
Opening the door to the main bar, the light and sound stunned her for a second. She didn’t realise how quiet the corridor and office were in comparison. Her next move was to find Angie in the mêlée of people. Scanning the crowd, she searched for the familiar jet black hair, it was like a homing beacon to Lilly. Finally spotting her friend in the corner talking to two handsome men, she pushed through the crowd to join them.
Her progress was halted every few steps by exuberant groups telling and listening to their ringleader’s stories. Eventually, after dodging bodies, she reached her destination and smiled at Angie’s beaming face as she caught her eye.
“Here she is,” Angie said, slinging a casual arm over her shoulder. “Simon, Steve, this is Lilly,” Angie said as Lillyshook both their hands and kissed their cheek at the same time.
Lilly breathed in their overpowering aftershave and suppressed a cough, it was too much and she instantly disliked the pair of them. Looking at Angie, Lilly gave the universal best friend look to say, what were you thinking? Angie answered with a quick glance that showed her agreement of her assessment.
“It is great to meet you both. Can I steal Angie away for a few minutes, and we’ll come and find you later?” Lilly said to the two men, and she grabbed Angie’s hand, gently pulling her away into the crowd. The men tried to protest and pleaded with Lilly to stay, but she laughed, shrugged and stepped away. Lilly manoeuvred them to a quiet corner so that she could talk to her friend. There was a free table which they grabbed and they sat in the booth seat.
“So, Lilly, what did you and McHottie get up to? You looked all flushed and fresh from sex,” Angie gushed as she took a large gulp from her wine glass.
“We didn’t do anything,” Lilly declared a little too innocently.
“You’re talking bollocks Lilly, it’s written all over your face. Look at your lips, swollen from being kissed.”
“Oh hush, we just kissed that was all. What were you thinking with those two awful men?”
“I had to amuse myself while you were getting down and dirty with McHottie, even if they were deathly dull.”
“I’m going to get a drink from the bar. It looks like you already need another,” Lilly said as she watched Angie finish her glass of wine.
She watched Angie grin and put her glass on the table. Even though it was her idea to come out and get drunk, Lilly was no longer in the mood. Elijah’s kiss has soberedher mind. She had finished her career she had dedicated so much of her life to. To become a bartender, the panic started to set in and she needed some fresh air. The bar had become stifling both in noise and heat. She bolted from the booth and pushed her way through the crowd to the front door.
Lilly gained momentum as she progressed through the busy bar, gaining frowns as she bumped elbows and spilt drinks. Bursting through the doors into the fresh air, Lilly took in a lung full of air and rested her hands on her knees. The doorman asked her if she was ok. Nodding that she was, Lilly slowly stood vertically. Taking deep breaths she smiled at the concerned man and walked a short way down the pavement to the end of the wall where the premises ended.
Leaning her back against the wall, Lilly knocked her head against the stone bricks, getting a grip of her emotions. She had done the most challenging part, leaving her job and now she needed to embrace the next stage.
“Are you ok love?” A man’s voice said.
Lilly opened her eyes and focussed on the man standing in front of her. She smelt his aftershave and knew it was either Simon or Steve.
