This Man (This Man 1)

‘Sam’s here. He brought some of your stuff from Kate’s. ’ He grabs my hand, pulling me towards The Manor. Sam brought my stuff? That was very forward thinking of him. Oh, please tell me that Kate packed it. The thought of Sam’s cheeky grin as he ploughs through my underwear drawer has me blushing on the spot.

Jesse leads me up the steps, through the doors into the entrance hall. It sounds busy tonight, with laughter and chatter coming from the restaurant and bar. We bypass both, heading straight for Jesse’s office. I’m relieved. Avoiding a certain acid tongued pout is top of my list of things to achieve this evening.

As we pass through the summer room, a few groups of people are gathered, relaxing on the plush sofas, drinks in hand. I’m not ignorant to the fact that all conversation halts as soon as they spot us. The men raise their drinks, and the women smooth their hair, straighten their backs and plaster ridiculous smiles on their faces. The smiles soon disappear when they direct their stares on me, fully clad in leather, being pulled behind him. I feel scrutinised. I’m placing my bets that The Manor is not every female’s preference simply because of the luxurious accommodation and surroundings.

‘Good evening. ’ Jesse nods as we pass swiftly.

A chorus of greetings flood my ears, all of the men acknowledging me with a smile or a nod, but all of the women throwing suspicious glares. I feel like public enemy number one. What’s their problem?

‘Jesse,’ I hear Big John’s low rumble up ahead. I drag my eyes from the crowd of angry women, giving me the once over, to find John coming out of Jesse’s office. He nods at me, and I find myself nodding back. What role does he play here? He looks like the mafia personified.

‘Any problems?’ Jesse asks, leading me into his office.

John follows and shuts the door behind him. ‘Small issue in the communal room, now resolved. ’ His deep voice is monotone. ‘Someone got a bit excited. ’

I frown, looking at Jesse. What’s a communal room? I see Jesse mildly shake his head at John before flicking cautious eyes to me.

‘S’all good, I’ll be in the surveillance suite. ’ He turns and leaves.

‘What’s a communal room?’ I can’t keep the interest from my tone. I’ve never heard of such a thing.

He yanks me towards him by the collar of my leather jacket and removes my bag, taking my mouth possessively, completely distracting me from my question. ‘I like you in leather,’ he muses as he unzips the jacket, pushing it down my arms slowly and chucking it on the sofa. ‘But I love you in lace. ’ He undoes the zipper of the leather trousers as he circles my nose with his. ‘Always in lace,’

I watch his hands work the fastener, my pulse quickening. ‘I thought you have work to do. ’ I whisper.

He picks me up, walks me o

ver to his big desk and places me on the edge. Both boots are removed and tossed on the sofa before he bends down, braces his hands on the edge and leans forward so our faces are close.

His green pools of lust are penetrating me. ‘It can wait. ’ He snakes his arm around my waist and lowers me to the desk surface. ‘You drive me crazy, lady. ’ he says, reaching down and unbuttoning my white shirt as he stands between my open thighs.

‘You drive me crazy. ’ I breathe, arching my back when his hot touch skims my breast bone.

He smiles darkly at me. ‘So, we’re made for each other. ’ He yanks the cups of my bra down, running his thumbs over my nipples, sparking endless shots of pleasure throughout me.

Our eyes connect and lock. ‘Probably,’ I agree. I really want to be made for him.

‘Oh, there’s no probably about it. ’ He hooks his forearm under my waist and pulls me up from the desk, resting his mouth on my throat. Circling his tongue, he works his way up my jaw bone. I lace my fingers through his soft hair and exhale a contented lung full of air. Perfect. We’re making friends.

The office door flies open, and Jesse yanks me into his chest protectively, and probably to conceal me too.

‘Oh, sorry. ’

‘For fucks sake, Sarah! Knock!’ he yells. I’m secretly delighted at the tone he’s taken with her. I might be half naked and sprawled across his desk, but Jesse is concealing me just fine. He doesn’t let me go as he shifts slightly so he can land Sarah with a filthy look. I catch a glimpse of her in the doorway. She’s wearing a red dress to match her lips, her sour face as plain as the obvious boob job.

‘Finally got her in leather then?’ she says on a sly smile, turning on her heels and leaving. The door shuts with a loud bang, and Jesse rolls his eyes in frustration. I don’t think I’ve ever disliked someone so much.

‘What did she mean?’ I ask, feeling like I’m the butt of a private joke.

‘Nothing, ignore her. She’s trying to be funny. ’ he grumbles. His mood has changed dramatically.

Well, I don’t find her remotely funny, but his short, abrupt answer makes me think twice about pushing it. Damn, I want him to finish what he started.

I’m lifted from the desk and placed me on my feet. Pulling the cups of my bra back over my breasts, he starts to button up my shirt and peel the leathers down my legs. I’m going to look like a crumpled mess. He fetches my bag from the floor, putting my pumps at my feet for me to step into. I start tucking my shirt in, trying to make myself more presentable, and watch as Jesse takes a seat in his huge, brown leather, swivel chair. He’s gone quiet. Resting his elbows on the arms and letting his fingertips meet in front of his lips, he watches me thoughtfully as I finish sorting myself out.

‘What?’ I ask. He looks deep in thought. What’s he thinking about?

‘Nothing. Are you hungry?’