Chapter 19

Aubrey

“I feel like I just picked you up here the other day,” Dad says as he pulls into the airport parking lot.              

“Don’t sound so sad, Dad. I am only going to be gone for two nights. I meet with the director and the foreman tomorrow and then fly out the next day,” I say as I pat his hand.

“I thought Nate said that Wolf was going too.”

“He is.”

“I don’t mind driving you anywhere but how come you didn’t drive with him? Or are you taking different flights?”

“We are on the same flight.” I leave it at that. “Thanks for driving me, Dad.” I give him a quick hug and jump out of the truck with my carry-on and purse. “Safe drive home.”

“Safe flight, text me when you get there.”

“Of course!”

Getting through security was quicker than normal so I stop at a coffee shop for an iced coffee and a muffin before I take the short walk to the gate. There is still another thirty minutes before I have to board the plane, so I set my bags down and watch the planes coming and going on the tarmac. I love watching everyone bustle around getting everything ready for a safe flight and loading luggage. I am distracted enough that I don’t notice Wolf approaching behind me.

“I thought I told you we were traveling together.” I refocus my attention to his reflection in the window. He is pissed.

“We are traveling together. We are on the same flight.”

“Don’t be a brat, Aubrey. You’ll make my palm twitchy. You knew I planned on picking you up at Jim’s. You purposely left early.”

I turn around and look him straight in the eye. “I never agreed to you picking me up and driving with you to Portland. I thought I was clear when I said you don’t control me.” I see a tick in his jaw as he leans into me.

“You will know when I am controlling you, love, and you will like it.” My heart is pounding in my chest. Love? Jesus, this man.

I walk around him and sit down next to my bags, pull out my phone and ignore him as best as I can. I expect him to sit next to me but instead, he goes to the desk and speaks to the flight attendant there. I distract myself by texting Lola.

Me: ​LOLA! I can’t wait to see you tomorrow! We still on for dinner?

Lola: ​YES GRRL! 7, right? I hope you don’t mind but Mr. H is going to come too. Is that, OK?

Me: ​7 is perfect! And yes! I want to meet this hot guy that stole your attention!

Lola: ​Speaking of a hot guy, he just got here! I gotta run! Safe flight!

Me: ​Thanks! Have a good night!

​When I look up from my phone, Wolf is walking back with two things in his hand. “Is that my ticket? How did you, where did you get it?” I start looking in my purse for my ticket, which isn’t there anymore. That bastard went in my purse and took my ticket!

He smirks and passes it to me.

“You weren’t assigned next to me. Now you are, in first class.”

I purposely checked in earlier this morning so I could make sure I booked a seat away from him. My way of making it clear to Wolf that I will not be pushed around. I am about to yell at him, but I remember where I am and this is not the place to make a scene. I take my ticket and look at the change, first-class.

Wolf, apparently satisfied that I am not fighting back right now, finally sits down and seems to relax. Whatever this connection between us is, it’s affecting him just as much as it is me.

“Thanks for the upgrade, this will be my first time flying first-class,” I confess. Wolf looks at me curiously. “What?” I ask.

He considers what I said for a moment and then finally asks, “You didn’t fly first class with Derek?” My ex’s name coming from Wolf’s mouth sounds so foreign.

“No, I always paid for my flights home. I could only afford economy.”

Wolf furrows his brow and grits his teeth. “Wait. Wait. Let me get this straight, you flew economy, but Derek flew …?”

“First-class.”

Wolf stands up and starts pacing. “Fuck, Aubrey. Wasn’t that a red flag right there? I should have punched him out when I met him. What a fucking dick!”

“I’m sorry? Since when are my relationships any of your business? I thought I was clear on that before. You have an issue with boundaries with your employees, you know that right?” I stand up as I am making my point. Wolf turns around and strides right back to me.

“You know damn well that we are more than that,” he growls. The vibrations go through my whole body, and I am frozen for a moment. Looking into his eyes I see his anger and desire behind them, or are they mirroring what I feel? The realization hits me, he is right. We are more, but am I ready for this?

Now boarding Flight 3347. First Class passengers.

Our moment is over.

We board the flight and Wolf makes sure I get the window seat. First-class seats are huge and recline back much farther than they do in economy. I can’t believe that every time Derek and I flew home I was missing out on this. I always saw it as a way for me to pay my way and not leech off him. I should have.

The flight attendant gives me a glass of champagne but Wolf declines. Once we are in the air, we are handed a small package with a pillow, blanket, and sleep mask. It isn’t an overnight flight but it’s late in the evening. Still frustrated with Wolf, I put the mask on and pretend to sleep. I roll in my seat so that I am laying on my right side and I feel the blanket start to slip. Before I have a chance to fix it, Wolf pulls the blanket up to cover me and rests his hand on my hip. The warmth coming through the blanket and heating me, all of me, up.

We arrive in Chicago just before eleven. While Wolf is getting our rental car, I text Dad to let him know I arrived safely and then pull out the itinerary Winnie sent me yesterday. The hotel we have booked is probably about a twenty-minute drive south of the airport and I am looking forward to a hot shower and getting some rest.

After being next to him on a flight, where he made sure that some part of his body was always touching mine, I am wound up like a cork ready to pop. I feel like an addict, waiting for the next score of Wolf contact. If I don’t deal with the withdrawal symptoms soon, the aching parts of my body will fight off the last bit of control I have, and I’ll jump on his lap right in the rental car. Could I masturbate in a public bathroom before we leave, just to take the edge off? Ugh, no. Gross. I can’t believe that thought even crossed my mind. What is happening to me?

When I look up at the rental car, I see it isn’t a standard rental. Wolf hired a car service, with a driver. He motions for me to come, and the driver takes my carry-on and places it in the trunk. Wolf holds the door and motions for me to get in, with him climbing in behind me.

“What is the matter?” he says very softly as he places his hand on my thigh.

“I am just surprised that you hired a car service rather than a rental.”

He smiles back at me.

“Parking in Chicago is a nightmare. This is easier for me.”

“Have you spent a lot of time in Chicago?”

“I have. Before I moved to Styre Cove I worked with a company that was based out of Seattle but had an office in Chicago. I managed to make a lot of business contacts over the years, and I have family here. I usually come to Chicago a few times a year. Well, I used to.”

“Oh yeah, you know my old director at Scout & Murphy, Grant.”

“I did know him, we are no longer acquainted,” he said roughly as he turns his head to look forward. They must have had a falling out.

“I haven’t seen him since I left a few years ago. To be honest, he kind of gave me the creeps.”

“Grant is a piece of shit, Aubrey. I am glad that you got out of there when you did.”

“What happened with Grant?”

“Bad business practices.”

“Like what?”

“It doesn’t matter now. Let it go.”

“Wolf, tell me.”

“You don’t listen, do you?” His hand goes higher on my thigh.

“I think we established that already. Tell me.”

“Women were only promoted if they did what he wanted.”

“What are you talking about?”

“If you wanted a promotion, you would have had to fuck him.”

“What the fuck? That is disgusting! How do you know this?”

He removes his hand from my leg and straightens his jacket. “He was reported and blacklisted. No one in the city will hire him now.” I feel pity for Grant for about two seconds. I remember how it felt being blacklisted by Rory, but Grant deserves it, so fuck that guy.

The driver pulls over and Wolf opens the door to get out, offering his hand to steady me. Once we are on the curb, I see we are in a residential neighborhood with no hotel in sight. “Where are we?” I ask as the driver passes me my bag. Wolf doesn’t answer right away but instead tips the driver and gives him instructions to pick us up at ten-thirty tomorrow.

Wolf turns to look at me and says, “I have a condo in this building that I use when I visit. We will be staying here.”

“There is no way I am staying at your house, Wolf. This is unprofessional!” He puts his hand on my lower back and urges me toward the front door.

“It’s just a place I use when I am in the city for business, it’s not my home. Let’s just get inside and get some rest. If you still want to go to a hotel in the morning, then we will do that.”

Wolf leads me to the second floor, unlocks the door, and ushers me inside. The condo is beautiful with hardwood floors, a decent-sized kitchen, and a combined living and dining space that opens out onto a huge balcony. “This is nice,” I say.

“Thanks, let me show you where you will be sleeping.” There is a door off the living room that leads to a bedroom with an ensuite bathroom. “You’ll sleep in here.”

“This is huge, I would love to see how big the master is if the guest room is this big,” I say as I look around.

“This is the master.”

“This is the master? Wolf, I am not sleeping in the same bed as you.” He walks up to me and wraps his arms around me.

“Not tonight, but soon, Aubrey. Once you admit your feelings to yourself and stop fighting us. Just like I have.” He bends down and kisses my forehead. “Good night.” And he walks out.

“Where are you going to sleep?” I call out to him.

He pokes his head back into the room. “The couch. Goodnight, Aubrey.”

“Goodnight.”

Am I fighting us? Or am I just cautiously falling into a relationship with my insanely hot infuriating boss? I brush my teeth and start digging in my bag for my pajamas. Damn it! I only brought my sleep tank top, the matching bottoms are not in my bag. Too tired to care, I crawl into bed with the tank top and my panties. My head hits the pillow, but sleep evades me. Wolf’s words keep coming back to me. Am I ready to admit that this is what I want? What I can admit to myself is that my desire to leave this bed, straddle him and ride his cock until dawn is insanely overwhelming. My hand slides down my stomach and under my panties. I picture Wolf underneath me while I thrust my hips forward, circling my clit toward climax. My breathing gets louder, and I hear a moan and realize it’s coming from me. I flip over and bury my face into the pillow as I come. Fuck. I hope he didn’t hear that!

*  *  *

I wake up to the sound of the shower running. Sitting up, I rub my eyes and look around, wondering where I am. I hear the shower turn off and a moment later the bathroom door opens and Wolf steps out with a towel around his neck. His body is still wet, beads of water cover his broad shoulders and chest. My eyes follow a few water droplets as they slip down his muscular torso and hit those delicious V muscles and… Oh. My. God. I would avert my eyes if I had control of them. Wolf is completely naked, and he is standing at attention. I have seen a few cocks over the years, but holy hell, I have never seen one as thick as his.

“Good morning, love. I hope I didn’t wake you up,” he says, not embarrassed that he is out in the open. I am still in shock and awe of his fit body and that penis… Jesus! “My eyes are up here, Aubrey.” I look up at his face and see a grin from ear to ear.

I flush completely, my face burning with embarrassment and maybe, no, definitely arousal. He chuckles and walks toward me, as he tosses the towel on the bed. He gently pulls back the sheet and sees that I am just in my panties. He takes a deep breath and then places his hand on my chest, pushing me down to lie flat again.

He leans over and whispers in my ear, “You’ve seen what you do to me. Now it’s my turn.” His eyes follow his hand moving down my body, in between my breasts, along my belly, and then rests just above the waistband of my panties. He looks at me again and waits for an objection. He isn’t getting one from me today. Overnight, my brain and heart must have had a conversation without me because I know that this is what I want. He smiles and continues to watch himself.

His fingers dance along the elastic for a moment and then his hand slips underneath. I gasp as he begins to explore along the top of my slit. He traces a tight circle around my clit and dips his fingers lower. There is a hitch in his breath, and he closes his eyes for a brief moment. He then slowly removes his hand and turns to look at me again. He brings his hand up toward our faces, only a few inches apart now, and I see his fingers glisten.

“I could smell you from over there. You did not disappoint.” Then he does something I would never imagine; he puts his fingers in his mouth and tastes me. He closes his eyes and hums. “Mmhmm. Good girl.” Then he grabs his towel and walks out of the room calling back to me, “Get a shower. Breakfast will be ready in fifteen minutes.”