I Know What's Real: A Contemporary Online Romance Page 5

  “We’re only doing this so we know it’s done right. We still don’t think it’s a good idea. But, you are a grown woman- supposedly,” Steve says with a wry smile as I spin the chair again in celebration.

  Chapter 12

  “Come in,” I growl in response to the knock at the door. It has been an interminable day. I’m about five short minutes from walking out for the day, and I really don’t want to talk to whoever is at the door. I remind myself that it isn’t their fault that Kinsey dropped off the radar. I rein in my edgy temper and try to paste a pleasant look on my face.

  A scruffy looking messenger walks in, and I am instantly far more irritated than I should be. Why didn’t he just leave it with my assistant? I glance out the open door and see that Ashley has already abandoned her post for the day. I sigh and accept that this is just one of those days.

  “Where do you need me to sign?” I ask impatiently.

  “Are you Alec,” the kid asks looking at his package.

  That makes me look harder at him. Requesting me specifically isn’t unusual, but by my first name only is. “Yeah, I’m Alec. Who is that from?”

  “I don’t know, man. I just picked it up and was told to make sure I delivered specifically it to Alec at Arrow Industries. I’ve been looking all over this place for you. The guy gave me a huge tip otherwise I would have just left it at the front desk.” The messenger shifts the pack on his back and shuffles his feet, clearly wanting to drop and run.

  “What guy?” This is getting weirder by the second.

  “Here’s your package, man. Mission accomplished.” The kid drops a padded manila envelope on my desk, spins on his heel, and is gone before I ask anything else.

  I look at the clock. Its quitting time and I am beyond over this day. Whatever it is, it can wait for tomorrow. I shut everything down, ready to join the throng of people exiting for the day. On impulse, I grab the envelope and slip inside my jacket pocket, my curiosity unable to let it ride until tomorrow.

  The gym helps erase some of the edges of tension I have been rubbing myself raw against all day. The unsettled feeling returns as I try to relax on the couch and unwind after checking my email for the millionth time today. Kinsey’s silence is driving me mad, though I refuse to email again. The ball is in her court. She just needs some time to think about things. I repeat the same things I have been telling myself all day, and they continue to fail to settle my soul. In search of a diversion, I fish out the envelope from the messenger.

  There is no note, just a jump drive. Wondering at the bizarre presentation, I slide it into the port. There is a single file on the drive. With increasing curiosity that almost eclipses my unease about Kinsey, I click on it.

  A silhouette of a naked woman with gentle curves fills the screen. She is standing in front of a softly glowing window with a hand up to push aside the gauzy curtain. Her shape is mouthwatering. I stare and the pieces start to fall into place. This is Kinsey.

  I quickly advance to the next picture. The curve of her bare neck and freckled shoulder with tendrils of dark, auburn hair trailing down beckons me. Her face is turned away, denying me what I so desperately want to see. It doesn’t stop me from wanting to drop kisses down her creamy skin.

  Another click brings up the next erotic image. Her body is clear to see as she stands by the window again. This time, the soft light illuminates her skin and the soft negligee that floats around her. A cascade of thick hair hides her averted face. She’s more beautiful than I dreamed.

  I continue through the file. Kinsey on her knees; Kinsey in bed; Kinsey sitting in a straight-backed chair, legs open and inviting. Image after image, flawlessly done, slide by showcasing her body from every angle. Not one ever reveals her face. My body burns, cock at the ready and hands itching with the need to touch her.

  The last picture jerks me from the fantasies playing in my mind. 14 Blakely Drive is written at the bottom of a picture of a townhouse with its door standing wide open. I have my answer.

  Chapter 13

  I look at the clock. It is exactly two minutes since I last looked at it. I blow out my breath and tell myself to relax. Evening has fallen and has brought the dark with it. I’ve been waiting for Alec for hours and am beginning to worry. I remind myself that he might not have even received the pictures. We had cut it close to get them to the office before the end of the day. The messenger might not have been able to find him by just a first name. A dozen things could have gone wrong. Just because he isn’t here doesn’t mean that he isn’t interested.

  I try to go back to the book I am pretending to read as a distraction. I’ve been working on the same page for about ten minutes and really have no idea of anything I’ve read in the last hour. It had seemed like such a romantic, storybook thing to do- sending the pictures as an invitation. Now, I’m beginning to think that it was a silly notion from my overactive imagination. Sitting here, waiting with candles burning, clad in the sheer negligee from earlier today with my front door standing slightly ajar, I’m beginning to feel ridiculous. Life isn’t a romance novel. This whole thing with Alec is too much of a head game. I need to get off this ride before it ends in the inevitable, heart-wrenching wreck that these things always end in.

  Even as I think it, I hate to give up on the dream. This is the most exciting thing I’ve done in forever, and I don’t want it to be over yet. I decide to give it 30 more minutes. If he isn’t here by then, I’m pulling on my sweats and diving into the peanut butter jar. Getting stood up after all of this effort definitely deserves peanut butter straight from the jar.

  The sound of a soft knock on the door and footsteps on the hardwood floor of the entryway vanquishes my doubts. He’s here, or at least I hope it is him. It would be embarrassing if it’s Mrs. Nolan from next door checking to see why my door is open. I stash my tablet, fluff my hair and sit on the end of the bed. I wait with my hands curled into tight fists in my lap to stop their shaking.

  Every footstep coming up the candlelit stairs makes me jump. Tremendous energy pulses through me as the excitement, stress, and tension of the day culminates. My whole body trembles with anticipation. I force a deep breath and stare into the dark corners of the room.

  “Kinsey.” A rush of longing and desire courses through me at the sound of his voice. My back snaps straight, and I let out the breath I was holding in a sigh. My name on his lips is an erotic caress.

  I cut my eyes to the doorway. He stands, silhouetted in the dim light. I can see a general outline of powerful shoulders and a strong, tall body. His face is entirely in shadow. I don’t move. I don’t speak. I just wait with my heart hammering in my ears.

  Alec makes no move to come into the room. Standing in the doorway, he stares at me, though it is too dark for him to see me clearly.

  “Lay back, Kinsey. I want to watch you.”

  I bite my lip and stare at the shadow figure. I want him to come in. I want more than a phantom.

  “Kinsey.” He says in a half groan but doesn’t move.

  The hunger in his tone undoes me. He sounds like a man on the edge of control and that sends a thrum of excitement through me. With echoes of last night in my head, I ease back on the bed and relax my legs open.

  I don’t move until he says, “Listen to my voice.” Just like last night, my body trembles with excitement at those words. I let my eyes drift close and my hands begin to move over my skin. “That’s right, baby. You are so beautiful. Touch yourself. Show me what you want my hands to do.”

  His voice keeps up a gentle litany. I let his words wash over me. Though his feet haven’t moved, I feel him wrapping around me. His voice carries me higher as my excitement builds. A husky edge creeps into his voice as a moan of pleasure escapes my lips. Heat and excitement wash over me as his voice pushes me toward the edge of climax. I feel it building as my body draws tight into my center. Suddenly my body tenses and that delicious release rolls through me. His name escapes me in a moan as waves of bliss crash through me like breakers agains
t the rocks along the shore.

  I let my mind drift as my body melts into that deep relaxation that can only be found on the other side of orgasm. I hear Alec move into the room. I lazily raise my head in time to catch the briefest glimpse of his naked backside before he blows out the candles. The room plunges into darkness.

  Chapter 14

  I know that if I cross the threshold into her room, I can never take it back. The anonymous component in this thing has heightened every interaction. If I reveal myself to her and her to me, that will be gone forever. Her pictures float in my mind. Every curve of her delicious body was displayed for me, but she could still walk past me on the street and I wouldn’t know her.

  From my vantage point in the doorway, her face is a vague mask of shifting shadows. I can see the outline of her body and her hands as they dance for me. I don’t stroke myself as I watch her, though my body throbs with desire. I am completely mesmerized by the erotic vision before me. She climaxes with an amazing intensity. I find myself leaning in toward her with my hands reaching for her. I know that the time for watching is over.

  Darkness is my mask as I lower my body over hers. The silk of the negligee is smooth and cool against my skin even as her body burns beneath it. My mouth finds hers and as our lips meet for the first time, my mind reels with the simple pleasure of it. She kisses with a fiery passion, her tongue dancing with mine. Her body strains below mine, demanding more. My body answers with a raging fury of desire.

  Dragging my mouth away, I impatiently begin to pull at the negligee. I’m desperate for her skin against mine. I rock back on my heels, kneeling between her legs. “Take it off,” I demand, afraid that if I try to remove it that I would rip it to shreds in my need for her. I feel her moving for a moment before she reaches up and pulls me down to her.

  A satisfied growl of contentment rumbles from me as her bare skin meets mine. I feel her breasts pressing against my chest. My hard dick slides along the sleek skin of her thighs. My hands bury themselves in her hair as my mouth lowers to hers again. Her arms come around me, sliding over my back and shoulders. Her legs wrap around me, pulling me closer.

  Kinsey’s sigh blows softly against my skin when my mouth finds her neck. “Please, Alec. I want you.” She opens her legs wider and rocks her hips up against me. My cock throbs and all thoughts of going slow and savoring each moment are gone with that little movement. My mouth finds hers as I slide steadily inside her. She moans against my mouth and rocks her hips to take me as deeply as she can. I flex forward, rooting myself in her heat.

  My mouth travels down her throat and chest to claim a nipple. Her nails rake lightly down my back when I close my lips firmly and suck. My hips begin to move, driven by need.

  “Kinsey. God, you feel so good,” I murmur against her neck as I drive into her harder and harder with each stroke. I push up so I can look down at her as I move faster. I can see dim outlines of her as she moves in time with me. Her hands move over my face lightly skimming across my features like a blind woman mapping a face. Her fingers caress my close-cropped beard, and her thumb traces my lower lip. I catch it in my teeth and hold it a beat before letting it go.

  Kinsey pulls me toward her, and I fall into her embrace willingly. I continue to move inside her, lost in the ecstasy of her. Her hands clamp on my ass and pull me into her harder with each thrust. Her hips grind hard against me, making me moan and thrust harder. Her whispered pleas are unintelligible but her body’s message is deafening. We move together as heat blazes to an inferno between us. She is impossibly tight around me as her back draws tight and her nails dig into my shoulders. Moaning my name, she quakes around me as I feel myself following her into the abyss of pleasure. My moans mingle with hers and she swallows them with hungry kisses even as her body continues to rock with pleasure. I pour myself into her while my mouth devours hers. The moment spins on and on as our bodies complete each other.

  Finally, the climax releases us and we slide languorously down the other side. I pull her to my chest as I roll off her. Our hands stay in constant motion as we explore each other, learning, memorizing every curve and plane.

  “You are amazing,” I whisper to her, meaning it. She is the most sensual, erotic woman I have ever been with.

  “It doesn’t seem real,” Kinsey replies before she kisses me in a searing embrace. She could start a fire with those lips. “I was afraid you wouldn’t come.” She admits with her face buried in the side of my neck. My hand closes over hers with a squeeze.

  “I was afraid you disappeared,” I whisper into her hair and realize how painful that would be. Caution alarms in my head, reminding me that I don’t even know her. The thought is lost in the warmth of her in my arms. I know I need to go. If I stay, reality will set in and this perfect dream will end. I can’t seem to muster the energy or desire to leave.

  I relax and hold her, amazed at how easy the silence is between us. Shouldn’t it be awkward to be in bed with a complete stranger? She is snuggled into my side with an arm draped over my chest, drawing circles on my skin. She feels completely natural, a perfect fit.

  It’s time to go before it gets weird- before she wants to turn on the lights. I don’t want to analyze why I’m holding on to my anonymity so fiercely, though it probably has a lot to do with the fact that I’m her new boss, and she doesn’t even know it. It probably has everything to do with the fact that this can’t last once that fact is exposed. It is never good business to date an employee.

  I shift gently away from her. She doesn’t cling, thankfully. I stand and lean down to kiss her, hot and hard, pouring every ounce of desire I have for her into it. Her arms come around me as she rises to her knees to press her body hard against mine. The thoughts of leaving quickly evaporate as her passion answers mine. I fall back into bed, unable, unwilling, to fight the pull of her. As she rolls on top of me, straddling my hips, I realize I’m in far too deep to simply leave.

  Chapter 15

  He leaves me just before dawn starts to creep in through the curtains with a kiss and a promise to email later. I slide exhausted into sleep. I swear it is only a minute later before I am silencing the screeching alarm. Actually, it’s 120 minutes later, but who’s counting? Who cares? I would sacrifice sleep forever to have nights like last night.

  I swing my feet around and rub at my face. I feel like a wrung-out dishrag. My legs are as solid as half-melted ice cream and I can barely summon the energy to turn on the shower. I emerge about 10 minutes later feeling only marginally better. Coming out of the bathroom, I freeze, smelling coffee and hearing someone moving around downstairs. My first thought is Alec, but then I hear voices and realize that Steve and Stephan have come to make sure that I am still alive.

  The promise of coffee and breakfast supports me as I make my way downstairs. The guys are sitting on the couch, working through a bag of pastries from the bakery. I groan as I flop into the chair opposite them and accept the large cup of coffee Stephan hands me.

  “Wow. I guess it was quite a night,” Stephan says with a wink. “Tell us all about it.” He is sitting on the edge of the couch, practically bouncing up and down in anticipation. Steve rolls his eyes and shoves a Bavarian cream Danish towards me.

  “Let her wake up,” he growls. He isn’t exactly chipper at this time of the morning either. “Was it everything you hoped it would be?” he asks with a gentle inquiry and holds my eyes with his.

  I can’t hold back the smile that blooms on my face. “Oh so much more,” I practically gush and then start giggling because I sound just like the silly girls we always make fun of.

  “Well, then I won’t have to kill him. Give him some details before he explodes. He’s been driving me nuts,” Steve says jerking his head at Stephan and settling back into the cushions of the couch. As long as I am happy, that is all he needs to know.

  I sign in to work about 30 minutes late after finally getting the guys off the couch. Stephan had flat out refused to leave until he had peppered me with questions. The
y were both shocked that I still hadn’t seen Alec’s face and had offered all kinds of outlandish theories as to why. I listened and laughed with them. I have my own theory. It’s the same reason I was in no hurry to reveal my own face. There is freedom in the mask of anonymity. I don’t share my theory. I honestly don’t think they would understand.

  My stomach gives a happy flip when I see an email waiting for me in both my inboxes. Worried about my tardiness, I click on the work one first.

  Good morning, Kinsey,

  I trust that this morning finds you feeling better. I do hope that you were able to get enough rest to recover and return to work. As it is 15 minutes after your start time and I haven’t heard anything to contradict this, I am assuming you will be in the office today. Here is a request from marketing and don’t forget that they need the job fair pamphlet by the end of the day.

  I believe it is important to recognize outstanding performances when they occur. Your work is top notch and appreciated. The way you are able to elicit a reaction is truly remarkable. I am so pleased you are on my team.