"Not with Olivia downstairs," he hissed, taking a step closer despite his protests.
"But with her and the entire executive team right below us," Amanda purred, leaning back on her hands, "wouldn't it be so much more exciting?"
She reached under her skirt, hooking her fingers into the lace of her panties. She shimmied them down her legs, kicking them aside until they landed on the rug. "Relax. I peeked into the kitchen before coming upstairs. She is preparing a large spread of elaborate treats. It will take her a long while."
Amanda lifted her legs onto the mattress, opening herself up to him. She ran her hands over her own slick wetness, her eyes turning dark and demanding. "Come eat your favorite dessert."
James tried to reason with himself. He tried to summon the logic that this was a terrible idea, a reckless risk that could cost him everything he had built. But the visceral sight of her waiting for him overrode every rational thought in his brain. The primal, animalistic need shattered his pristine corporate mask. Before he could stop himself, he was dropping to his knees onthe rug in front of her. He parted her folds and leaned in, dragging his tongue right over her sensitive center.
Amanda let out a loud, breathless moan, her fingers tangling in the sheets.
He reached around her hip, landing a hard, stinging slap on her bare ass. "Keep your voice down," he ordered, the authority vibrating in his chest.
"Yes, sir," she whimpered, her hips bucking upward to meet his mouth.
James went back to devouring her, plunging his tongue deep and sucking hard. He was obsessed with the sweet, intoxicating taste of her. The heat radiating from her skin fueled his frantic pace. Amanda’s hands found his hair, gripping the dark strands and tugging forcefully.
"Please," she begged, her voice ragged and breathless. "Fuck me, James. Right now."
"We don't have time for this," he murmured against her wet skin.
Her grip in his hair tightened, forcing him to look up at her desperate face. "Make it happen."
James looked at her flushed pussy, taking in the sight of her small, flawlessly shaved and pink center glistening for him. The reckless thrill took over, a rush of pure dopamine. He thought,Fuck it. If the world is going to explode, let it explode while I am buried inside this perfect, tight little pussy.
He sprang up from the floor, his hands moving frantically to unbuckle his leather belt and yank down the zipper of his trousers. He shoved his pants down his thighs, gripped her hips with bruising force, and drove himself deep inside her in one brutal, unyielding thrust.
Amanda let out a muffled scream into her fist as her body accommodated his size. The room filled with the wet, harshsounds of their bodies slapping together. He grabbed her thighs, pulling her closer to the edge of the mattress as he hammered into her relentlessly. The friction was agonizingly good, burning through his remaining self-control.
"Look at how you take me," he grunted, his pace turning more punishing. The sweat beaded on his forehead, his muscles straining with every thrust. "I love this hot, tight pussy. I can't go a single day without fucking you."
Amanda gasped, her fingernails biting deep into his shoulders, leaving crescent-moon marks on his skin. "That is how it will be soon. Fucking me every day, whenever you want me."
The filthy promise of having her constantly, of owning her, drove him over the edge. He thrust harder, leaning over her and sinking his teeth into her breast right through her silk blouse, leaving a damp, dark mark on the material. She tasted like salt and expensive perfume. The agonizing friction built to an unbearable peak in his groin. He slammed into her one final time as she cried out into his shoulder, her inner muscles clamping down tightly around his length. He let go, groaning gutturally as he emptied his climax deep inside her in rushing, intense waves.
He collapsed against her chest, his lungs burning as he struggled to catch his breath. He pressed a harsh kiss to her damp neck, inhaling her scent. "I love you."
She smiled, her chest heaving as she ran her hands down his sweaty back. "Love you more, Mr. VP."
James pulled back, a triumphant smirk on his face. He kissed her mouth, tasting his own sweat on her skin. "I need to clean up and go back down. I will give you a head start to mingle."
He adjusted his clothes, leaving her sprawled on the bed as he walked into the master bathroom. He turned on the faucet, chuckling under his breath at the sheer audacity of what they had just pulled off. He looked at his reflection in the mirror, splashing cold water on his flushed face, genuinely convinced that his life was flawless.
Chapter 2
Olivia
The brass key turned in the lock of the front door of Sweet Briar just before dawn. Olivia pushed the glass door open, stepping into the cool, shadowed interior of the bakery. Exhaustion ached in her joints, a lingering reminder of the elaborate dinner she had hosted the previous night. She dropped her purse on the nearest chair and rubbed her temples, trying to gather the energy required to start another workday.
Despite the physical fatigue, a persistent thread of thought kept pulling her back to the hours after their guests had left. James had seemed lighter than he had been in months. As she gathered the empty wine glasses, he had wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, his chin resting on her shoulder. He had thanked her for the incredible dinner, his voice filled with genuine contentment.
"I have a good feeling, Liv," he had murmured against her neck. "Things are only going to get better from here."
Hearing those words had sparked a fragile joy in her chest. For the first time in what felt like a very long time, she allowed herself to believe they were finally finding their way back to each other. The distance that had grown between them was shrinking. She had hurried through the kitchen cleanup, loading the dishwasher with record speed, and went upstairs to their bedroom.
James was sitting on the edge of the mattress, scrolling through his phone. She had stopped in the doorway, offering a soft smile. "I am going to take a quick shower," she told him. "I will be right back."
She had taken her time in the bathroom. After the hot water washed away the stress of entertaining, she slipped into a black lace nightgown she knew he loved. She applied a touch of the vanilla and jasmine perfume he had been buying for her for years, the specific scent he always proudly claimed he could recognize anywhere. She had opened the bathroom door feeling vulnerable, beautiful, and full of anticipation.
