The Promotion (Contemporary Reverse Harem 3)

This might have been our first date, but I had to have this man inside me or I was going to lose my mind. To hell with respectability. It would seem I didn’t have any, anyway.

“Yeah, baby,” he said, leading me to the bed. He reached for his trousers on the floor and after rummaging through a pocket, produced one that he tore open and rolled down his hard length in one smooth movement.

He lay me back on the bed and reached to unhook my bra. He slid my panties off after I kicked my shoes aside, and we were both naked together for the first time after being friends for years. Something about it was so precious, I found I had a lump in my throat, which I quickly swallowed away. I could be mushy later.

He looked over my nakedness, slightly shaking his head like he couldn’t believe what he saw. He parted my legs and climbed up on the bed between them.

“Are you ready for me, beautiful?” he asked.

Oh, hell, yeah.

I couldn’t speak, so I just nodded. He was so striking in the dim room, which was lit only by the glow of the city lights. I could make out shapes and angles, but the details were indistinct. It all added to my exhilaration.

He hovered over me, the warmth of his body whispering across my skin. He got closer, so close that he pressed against my dripping core and lay his forehead against mine in such an intimate gesture, I wished he could just swallow me. Swallow me whole.

I felt myself open as he pushed, entering me a scant inch. I drew my breath, and he pushed further. I couldn’t help but roll my head back and forth in ecstasy and in anticipation of more.

Oh, my god, I was with Cato. Cato, my darling, sweet work friend. And now, lover.

His mouth landed on the side of my neck while he held himself up with one hand, the other kneading my breast as he drove himself inside me, deeply, all the way.

I screamed. I couldn’t help it.

He pumped me fast, sliding in and out like lush silk. I was immediately in heaven. The sensitive nerve endings in my core drove lightning through my entire body, where it exploded out of my every pore.

His lips brushed mine one more time before his moans filled the bedroom. I felt like all of Manhattan could hear us coming, and I didn’t care. I wanted everyone to know how our coming together was complete and total magic. I was awestruck. This was a man I’d get to see every day. Well, at least Monday through Friday.

Chapter 16

Von

“Stanley! Get in the car!” I yelled to my black lab. Out of all the dogs I had, this one was just out of his puppy stage, and for some reason, was taking longer than usual to train. I worked with the little bugger day in and day out, and he was still the naughtiest dog I’d ever had.

I rotated which dog I took to work every day, and the ones left at home were taken out by the dog walker. It really boosted their socialization to come to the office and be around people and other animals, although they were kept out of the examination area—I couldn’t have them catching anything from other sick animals.

Stanley finally tore himself away from whatever stinky thing he was smelling and hopped into the backseat of the car when I started the engine. He was sm

art enough to know that meant his ride was leaving, and if he wanted dinner and a warm place to sleep, that he’d better get with the program.

So he clearly wasn’t dumb. Just hard-headed.

All day I’d been looking forward to my dinner that night with Maizy. In fact, I’d been looking forward to it since the day she’d come in with her kooky sister and rat named Cher. Beautiful, together women were hard as hell to come by, and I didn’t want to let this one slip through my fingers if I had anything to say about it.

I got home and put Stanley out on the terrace to play with the other dogs. That way, they’d be out of the way while I was making dinner. I wanted to put on a nice spread—tasty, but not too fancy—so I planned to make the spaghetti and meatballs dinner my mom had taught me. It was pretty much always a crowd pleaser.

I knew she’d like my apartment, too. When my parents had passed away, they left me a small chunk of change, which I’d turned into a down payment on a pretty nice New York apartment. It wasn’t a palace by any stretch of the imagination, but it had two levels with access to a huge rooftop terrace. Not bad for a vet from Smalltown, USA. My only regret was that my parents had not lived to see it, nor how successful my vet practice had become.

The only thing missing in my life? A nice woman to share it with.

Sure, there were tons of women in New York. And I had plenty of dates. Just not very many who I wanted to see a second time. And even fewer who I wanted to see a third or fourth time. Actually, there were pretty much none who I wanted to see a fourth time, now that I thought about it. I don’t think I’d had a fourth date with the same woman since I’d been in veterinary school.

Maizy was different, though. I mean, of course I didn’t know her very well. Actually, I didn’t know her at all, if I were to be honest about it. But the minute I saw her, something jolted me. I know it’s totally cliché, but it truly was like someone was standing behind me, pushing me toward her. Like maybe my mom or dad were watching and wanted to let me know not to let this one slip through my fingers. Something similar had happened to me before, mostly just when I saw a hot girl whom I wouldn’t have minded seeing naked. But I wanted way more than that with Maizy. Her sexy braininess grabbed me and hadn’t let go since I’d first seen her.

How is it that a girl like that is even single?

Or was she single? She’d agreed to have dinner with me at my place. You didn’t do that if you had a boyfriend. Right?

My sauce was on the stove, bubbling gently, when she rang and I buzzed her in. I popped open a nice Chianti Classico and poured two glasses while I waited for her to come up in the elevator.