Page 13 of In Charge

Chapter 7

Maya

L’Atelier was anotherone of those exclusive, overpriced restaurants that only the wealthy could afford. I’d only eaten here on two other occasions, and both times were with Mr. Pennington. The food had been great, but I wasn’t sure it was worth the price. The first time Mr. Pennington had treated me to lunch was when he promoted me to senior VP and fully accepted me as a long-term partner in this business. With that promotion, I could afford to eat there whenever I liked, but I didn’t see the need to spend this much money on a meal. The second time he treated me to lunch here was when he announced Robbie was going to work with me. That had not been my favorite lunch date.

The hostess led us to a table with a bottle of champagne waiting. Mr. Pennington was going all out. This lunch would easily run a thousand dollars or more.

The waiter poured our glasses as we took our seats. “Salads will be out momentarily,” he said before walking away. No menus, no spouting out the specials. That meant Mr. Pennington decided on our meals for us.

“Shall we toast?” Robbie held his glass up and smiled.

Damn him and his smile. That smile of his washed over me like a wave of seduction. I wanted to resist him—to go back in time and refuse to have a drink with him the previous night. I can’t believe I kissed him, and for, like, two hours. It had been the sexiest two hours of my life. I’d kissed plenty of men before, but kissing Robbie had felt like the first time. I did the only thing I could and lifted my glass.

“Here’s to many more successful deals and celebratory drinks.”

I choked on my air and almost dropped my glass. Some of my champagne splashed onto my hand and ran down my arm. Oh, my God. It was like he read my mind. The warmth in my cheeks was all I needed to feel to know I was blushing. I was a fumbling fool. Attempting to hide my embarrassment, I gulped down water and cleared my throat. What was wrong with me? It didn’t matter how attracted I’d been to a man before; I always maintained my composure. But not with Robbie. All I wanted to do was straddle him where he sat and feel him move inside me.

“Are you okay?” Robbie stood beside me patting my back. The heat from his hand warmed my entire body, and an ache settled between my legs.

“Oh, my goodness, yes.” I shrugged to force his hand off my back. If he didn’t move away from me soon, we’d never be allowed to enter L’Atelier again. To distract myself, I took another drink of water. “I just have a frog in my throat. It caught me off guard.”

“Are you sure?” Robbie looked down at me with concern. “Your eyes are red and tearing up.”

“Yes, I’m... I’m sure.” I needed him to step away or I was going to lose all control. I coughed a few times and downed the last of my water. “I just choked on my air, that’s all.”

Shock ran through me when Robbie took my hand and tugged. “Let’s get you cleaned up. You spilled your champagne down your dress.”

“Oh, shit.” I’d been so distracted by Robbie; I hadn’t noticed it had spilled that far. This was one of my favorite dresses, and I didn’t want it ruined.

When we reached the restroom, he held the door open and waved me in with a devilish smile on his face. The restrooms at L’Atelier were small individual rooms, not a community restroom with multiple stalls. If I entered that room with him, we’d be alone. Did I want that?

Yes, I did.

I leaned in close to his ear and whispered. “Are you going to join me?”

“If you’ll let me.” I smiled and stepped inside. He followed me, clicking the lock in place after he shut the door. Our eyes locked and this small room suddenly felt so much smaller.

“Robbie.” My voice was low, and my breathing increased. He was so close, too close. My eyes locked with his and I suddenly forgot how to breathe. Damn if those eyes of his didn’t look like they were about to devour me. I sucked in my bottom lip with a deep breath and bit down. He stepped toward me, and I prepared myself to be taken into his arms, but he stopped and reached around me instead. His head hovered at my shoulder, and it took every bit of control I could muster when his breath brushed across my neck.

“May I clean your dress,” he whispered in my ear.

“Yes.” The word came out through ragged breaths. He stepped back with a towel in his hand and a grin on his face. He dropped to his knees and started wiping the champagne stain with the towel.

Between the coughing fit I just had and the closeness of his hands to my lady parts, I could hardly breathe.

He finished wiping up the champaign on my dress, then slowly stood, brushing the tips of his fingers along my hip, waist, and around the curve of my chest. His hand rested on the edge of my chin and his lips brushed across mine. Despite my attempt to quiet myself, a moan escaped my lips. I tried to throttle back the dizziness threatening to knock my legs out from under me, but I failed and leaned into him. The anticipation of this kiss was more intense, more needy, more demanding than what we shared last night. He accepted my kiss and forced my lips open with his tongue, and I devoured the hint of champagne that lingered in his mouth.

His strong hands grabbed onto my ass and squeezed me against him. And when the strain of his cock pressed against my thigh ... Oh, shit. No matter how much I yelled at myself to stop, there was no stopping my roaming hands. Down his arms, his firm ass, and then between his legs. Oh, my God, he’s huge. The size of his bulge sent a new spiral of ecstasy through me, and all I could think about was getting his cock inside me.

He broke his lips away and grabbed hold of my hand, pinning it to my side. His lips seared a path across my cheek and found my ear. The heat his kisses sent through me melted away the last bit of control I had. Nibbling on my earlobe, he whispered, “Do you want to fuck me, Maya?”

“Oh, God, yes.” The words rolled right out without hesitation. Fuck control. I no longer cared if he knew how much I wanted him. My insides were on fire, and the only thing that could put it out was his cock inside me.

He pulled back, and the heat of his gaze burned through me. I tugged him forward, but he resisted me. A wicked grin spread across his face. His gaze raked down my body and back again, his eyes settling on my lips.

“Damn, Maya. You’re sexy as hell.” His mouth crushed into mine with a savage intensity that knocked the breath out of me.

I needed to feel him now. Scrambling for the button on his pants, I just about had it undone when he stopped me.

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