The Executive – Chapter 16

Chapter 16

EPOV

What the hell am I doing? Did the words ‘I love you’ almost slip out of my mouth just now? Was it a Freudian slip because I’m not even sure if what I am feeling for Sookie is love. Sure, she is beautiful and intelligent, makes me feel like I am going to spontaneously combust from the slightest touch, compels me to protect and care for her, and I want her with me 24/7. Shit…I’m in love with Sookie Stackhouse.

Ok, I can admit it to myself but I’m not sure it would be wise to tell her yet. She has had too much to deal with already and seems so skittish that she may just bolt if I proclaimed my feelings for her. I need to protect my heart too. I’m not sure how she feels about me and I don’t think her rejection of my affections would sit too well with me. Nope, for now, these feelings are my secret.

She smiled at me when I told her, thank you, but I noticed her expression changed. It didn’t seem like she was upset with what happened but she now appeared guarded. I hate that she feels the need to guard herself from me. Doesn’t she know that I would never hurt her?

“We better get inside,” she said hastily grabbing her purse.

“What are your plans for this evening?” I asked, hoping whatever they were, I was included in them.

“There is so much work to be done on my presentation. I’m sure I will be working late tonight and tomorrow night just to get it all done,” she said and sighed, blowing a piece of hair off of her face.

“Where were you planning on staying tonight?” I asked hesitantly because from what I was beginning to learn about Sookie, I figured I wouldn’t like her answer.

She sat up straighter and held her head high as she replied, “I’ll be staying at the condo.”

Yep, I knew I wouldn’t like her answer. “Are you sure? I really want you with me where I know you will be safe,” I explained.

“Eric,” she huffed, “I appreciate your concern, but my life has to carry on like normal. I can’t start relying on you to make me feel safe.”

“Why can’t you, Sookie?” I argued, “What is so bad about leaning on me right now? I’m here for you.”

“You just said it Eric,” she replied loudly, “Right now, as in here in Las Vegas. What happens when I go home? I’ll be alone, taking care of myself again. I need to begin feeling safe by myself now, not later.”

I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration. There was nothing left to debate because it all came down to the fact that she was correct. She would eventually go home to California. I guess my heart was wearing blinders when it let me fall in love with a woman who would end up leaving, and there wasn’t anything I could do to stop it from happening.

SPOV

“We really need to get inside,” I told him, opening my door before he could see the tears that filled my eyes.

“You go,” he replied quietly, “I forgot about an errand I need to run. If anyone asks, I’ll be back in a little while.”

“Ok,” I mumbled, shutting the car door and walked away.

I had been gone a while and I should’ve gone straight upstairs and gotten to work, but I couldn’t. Tears were falling from my eyes. My chest and neck were red and splotchy. I needed a few minutes alone to get myself together before I faced any of my co-workers.

Not wanting to risk running into anyone I knew, I went to the bathroom on the main floor instead of the fifth floor where Sophie Anne’s was located. I breathed a sigh of relief when I found the room empty. Walking to the last stall, I locked the door behind me, leaned against the wall, and had a good cry.

I hate that I cry so much but Gran always told me that crying got the hurt out. She said that holding in tears makes the hurt ferment and if I let that happen, when the tears finally came out, it wouldn’t be a pretty sight. So, I’ve always taken her advice and let the tears fall when they want.

What really pisses me off is that I don’t even know what is making me the most upset. You would think it would be everything that has happened with Bill, and reliving it as I made my statement to the police. Sure, that is a large part of it, but I was also upset thinking about what I just told Eric.

How did I overlook it before? No matter how much I like Eric or how safe he makes me feel, I would be going back home in a couple of months. He was like an enigma who came into my life and made it impossible to ignore his presence. I was eager to find out what else he could do with his mouth, and what it would feel like to have him buried inside me. He was indeed a mystery, and I wanted to find out what it was about him that made me want to wake up in his arms for the rest of my life.

I could see myself falling for him so easily and it scared the shit out of me. There was a battle going on in my mind. The self-preservation side, wanting to protect me from further heart ache, was warring against the romantic side, which wanted to say ‘the hell with it’ and let loose, enjoying the company of a gorgeous man for as long as it lasts. I’m not sure falling for someone when it will undoubtedly lead to heartbreak is what they mean when they say, ‘what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’.

Once I finished crying, I freshened up, fixed my makeup, and headed upstairs to work on my presentation. It took some groveling, but I finally convinced the receptionist, a young red head, named Jessica, and a woman from accounting, named Maria Star, to help with the project.

I let them know that we wouldn’t be using explicit lingerie. We just needed them to model a few items in a couple different poses and I would put together a mock catalog for presentation purposes only. Throwing in an all expense paid girl’s night out with me, Pam, and Amelia, was the incentive needed to get them to agree. Which wasn’t a problem since I figured the photo shoot would be a bonding moment for all of us.

Pam and Amelia had already selected a wide variety of both our hard and soft line products to be used in the shoot. I was surprised to see how enthused Pam was about the whole thing. She seemed more excited about it than I did.

We worked for the next two hours picking out which items we wanted to use. I was thanking the waxing gods that I was prepared when it came time to be fitted for the outfits I would pose in.

“Oh hell no, Pam,” I shouted from behind the silk screen divider where I was changing outfits. She had tried sneaking in a few riskier pieces and while I caved on a couple of them, I wasn’t about to be photographed in a jeweled thong that barely covered my lady parts, no matter how pretty it was or how much I wouldn’t mind owning one.

Pulling on an ivory silk robe from our soft line, I was still tying the belt around my waist as I stepped from behind the divider with the tiny scrap of beaded material in my hand. “You can take this back. I’m not about to show my kitty cat to everyone at Sophie Anne’s,” I vented before looking up to see Pam standing next to some one who wasn’t in the room two minutes before.

I stood frozen in place, unsure of what to say as Pam sauntered my way. “Sookie dear, are you sure? These are some of our best sellers,” she smirked and took the garment from my grasp.

The blonde Adonis began walking toward me, his long gait sexy and his gaze predatory. “What are you doing back here naked?” Eric asked, almost hissing his question.

He sounded jealous and it pissed me off. What or rather, who, did he think I was back here doing? “First of all, I’m not naked. I have a robe on,” I replied heatedly, “Secondly; I’m working on something for my presentation. Do you have a problem with that?”

He ran a large hand through his thick locks and blew out a frustrated sigh. “I’m not having this discussion here,” he said as his eyes darted to Pam, who was standing a few feet away with a shit eating grin, twirling the thong on her finger.

I shot her my most menacing glare which she rolled her eyes at. “Come on,” I said, grabbing his hand, pulling him behind the divider where we would have some semblance of privacy. “Now, what do you want?” I asked him, leaning against a table with my arms across my chest.

His gaze darkened, eyes filled with heat. He closed the few feet between us, pulling me to his chest. Large hands cupped my ass, massaging the flesh beneath the thin silk barrier the robe provided. “I think you know exactly what I want,” he replied, his voice low and heavy with desire, “What about you, Sookie? What do you want?”

How was I supposed to answer? My mind wanted to shout, ‘We’re at work and I want your hands off of me.’ Unfortunately for my mind, my body decided to answer before I could speak up. Words weren’t needed to convey a response. My nipples tightened, my heart raced, my breathing became shallow, and my arms stretched up allowing my hands to fist in his hair. A moan when I pulled his lips down to mine was the only vocalization needed.

There wasn’t anything sweet or romantic about our kiss. It was hot and wet, frenzied, and shouting our mutual needs and desires. His firm lips claimed mine as his tongue branding my mouth, telling me with no uncertainty, that I was his and his alone. It was a thought that scared me and turned me on, all at the same time.

He pulled me tighter, pressing the proof of his arousal against my stomach. I tried to hold back but a small moan escaped my lips, causing a growl from deep in his chest to vibrate against mine.

Hearing such a primal response from him had my body trembling and I knew if we didn’t stop now, I would let him have his way with me, with a fabric divider as the only thing separating us from the rest of the world. That world being work at the moment.

My fingers released his hair and I slid my hands to his chest, pressing against his massive frame until he reluctantly broke our kiss. We were both worked up, our breathing labored and hearts racing. His eyes locked on mine and I watched as desire turned to regret.

He leaned down, resting his forehead against mine and whispered breathily, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…”

I shushed him, refusing to let him take all of the blame for our actions. “I’m not sorry and I can’t apologize for wanting you. We just need to learn better control for when we are at work.”

He leaned back smiling and replied, “Yes ma’am.”

I couldn’t help but smile back. The man just had that effect on me. “Now, what did you need to see me about before we got, um, distracted?” I asked.

“Ah, yes,” he said, remembering he did search me out for a reason. “I was leaving for the day, and since you insist on staying at the condo, I picked something up for you.”

I gave him a questioning look and he picked up a small bag that I hadn’t noticed before, from where he had tossed it on the table. “I’ll sleep better knowing you have some sort of self defense weapon,” he said as he held out his hand. In his palm was something encased in leather and attached to a keychain. “It’s pepper spray. I know it isn’t much, but if something were to happen, using it will give you a chance to run for safety.”

I’m not sure what I was expecting from him, but it wasn’t pepper spray. “Is this what you picked up on your errand?” I asked, because I didn’t know what else to say at the moment.

“Yes,” he replied, “I wish you would reconsider and stay with me, but I’m not going to force you.”

“Thank you, Eric,” I said as I stretched to my tip toes for a kiss, “Thank you for everything.”

He placed a hand on the side of my face and stroked my cheek with his thumb. “You’re welcome. I would do anything for you, Sookie.”

We didn’t speak for a few minutes while he held me in a gentle embrace. I finally broke the silence. He needed to go home for the day, and I needed to get back to work. “I will check in with you in the morning, but the rest of my day will be spent back here so I can work on my presentation,” I informed him, “Also, if you don’t mind, I would appreciate it if you stayed away. I want everything to be a surprise on Friday.”

“Hmm,” he replied, not appearing pleased with my request, “I don’t like it, but I promise not to ruin the surprise of your presentation.”

“Thanks,” I said with a peck on his cheek, “Now, you go home and relax. I still have a ton of work to do.”

He huffed, “Fine, see you tomorrow,” sulking as he walked away.

I giggled at him pouting as I changed into the next outfit. Peeking my head out, I saw him finishing up a hushed conversation with Pam before he left.

I spent the rest of my evening confirming which outfits would be used for the photo shoot and working on the layout for the presentation. By the time I got to the condo, I barely had time to consider being afraid before falling into bed for some much needed sleep.

*****

The excitement of working on my presentation made it easy to drag myself out of bed and into work. As promised, Eric made himself scarce after our morning meeting. My stomach was in knots thinking about the photo shoot, but I swallowed my pride and tried to relax. I couldn’t let the other ladies who volunteered to help out see that I was nervous. They were doing me a huge favor and I didn’t want our combined nerves to send them running for the hills.

“Sookie Stackhouse, I would like you to meet, Claudine Crane,” Pam said, introducing me to the supermodel, whose face and body I was already well aware of.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Crane. I can’t begin to thank you enough for offering to be our photographer today,” I said, gushing with thanks and in awe of her beauty. She truly was stunning, tall, long dark brown hair, with sparkling brown eyes to match.

“Please, call me Claudine,” she smiled warmly as she shook my hand. “I’m just as thankful for this experience. This shoot will do wonders for my portfolio.”

We got to work once all of the introductions were made. It was decided that the other two ladies would go first so they could get back to their other responsibilities. Lafayette did a wonderful job setting up a large section of the design area. He also made sure we had plenty of props and backgrounds to use as well.

It took a little while for the ladies being photographed to loosen up, but with the help of Claudine, who seemed to be a master at getting people to feel comfortable with her, eventually, everyone was laughing and enjoying themselves. I was blown away with the quality of the photos and the beauty of the women posing for them. Claudine’s portfolio may make her an amateur in some people’s minds, but not in mine. All she needed was some exposure and I was confident her ranking would quickly skyrocket to professional.

We decided to take a break for lunch after the other ladies headed back to their offices. I had a hard time eating, knowing my turn in front of the lens was coming up next. “Tell me again why I let you talk me into this,” I said nervously, while Pam and Amelia worked, making sure all the ties and clasps were done up perfectly on the pink and black corset I was wearing.

“Don’t be so nervous, Sookie. You look beautiful,” Amelia told me with a smile.

Pam didn’t comment. I think she was still upset with me for not allowing her to adjust ‘the girls’ when she offered.

“You can say that again,” I heard a deep voice say from somewhere behind me.

I whirled around to see who the voice belonged to and I was met with the sight of a mountain of a man. “Sookie, I wanted to bring my brother in to pose for some of the photos with you, but he wasn’t available,” Claudine said, turning my attention to her. “So, I called a friend of mine. Sookie Stackhouse, I would like you to meet my friend and fellow model, John Quinn.”

The giant, handsome man with his shiny bald head, violet eyes, and over-the-top well muscled body, grinned at me with a mouthful of sparkling white teeth. “Nice to meet ya, Babe.”

TBC