Geek Girl's Romance: Love in the Workplace Read online

  Her editor had been living in London for quite some time before moving to the United States to work at Lord Publications so she probably should have been willing to give him a pass on his pretentious-sounding lingo, but for some reason, she hadn’t. Maybe his ability to halfway assimilate to the local vernacular while still maintaining the foreign terms and phrases gnawed at her. Still feeling a little ashamed, her tummy fluttered. Ugh…I’m way too excited about finally having something in common with him.

  Watching Nathan Fillion’s and Adam Baldwin’s antics on TV had gotten her juices flowing. She considered slipping her hand down her pajamas and having a little solo fun but a new comment from Holden sent a jolt of excitement to her core.

  Apparently, her clicking Like under his comment had encouraged him to leave another: I think War Stories is my favorite episode. How about you?

  She typed: I think my favorites are Ariel and Objects in Space. This was a teaser. She wanted to see how fast he would respond. If it was within a couple of minutes, she was going to do something that might alter the trajectory of her day.

  Almost immediately, Holden liked her comment and replied: The show was before its time. It deserved more than just one season. At least we got the movie.

  She squealed, flopping back on her back as she kicked her feet in the air. Throwing caution to the wind, she clicked the private message icon and wrote: Come watch with me. I’m all alone and you know the way.

  The return message took a little longer than Mary Allison had expected. She was beginning to think he was going to decline but ten minutes later he answered: Give me forty-five minutes. See you soon.

  Biting her bottom lip, her heart fluttering, she considered the implications of what she had in mind. She wasn’t just inviting her editor over to watch TV. Mary Allison wanted sex, even though deep inside she knew sleeping with a co-worker was almost always a mistake. She was rarely so impulsive but Holden had surprised her, piqued her interest in a way she simply couldn’t ignore. Plus, she was horny. Her face flushed, and her heart pounded up into her head.

  She jumped up before she gathered the empty takeout cartons. After she threw them away, she headed to her bathroom to freshen up. She had to shower, dress, and get rid of her glasses! For the most part, she was a jeans-and-t-shirt kind of girl but today she planned to wear yoga pants to show off her backside. Pairing the workout gear with a casual but form-fitting tank top helped her look as if she hadn’t tried too hard. Considering how many times Holden had dropped by to check her work status and found her in gym clothes, jeans, or denim overalls, he would undoubtedly find it odd if she dressed up on a Saturday afternoon. To finish her look, she added a little mascara and a tawny-colored lipstick.

  As expected of a stickler for deadlines, Holden knocked on her door on the dot of the forty-five-minute mark. She debated calling out for him to come in but decided she didn’t want to seem too eager.

  After schlepping to the entrance and checking the peephole, she opened the door. Mary Allison’s eyes widened as she noticed the change in Holden’s appearance. Normally he was stiff, and all-business but today he wore casual but well-fitting jeans and a teal-blue, long-sleeved, thermal t-shirt that hugged his torso in the most appealing way. Her stomach stirred with nervous energy.

  “Please come in.” She stepped away from the door and let him enter.

  “Thanks.” He headed toward the living room.

  “Can I get you anything?” She couldn’t take her eyes off of him.

  “I’m good.” Holden held up the can of soda he had been drinking.

  “Well let’s hurry. Ariel is getting ready to come on now.” She sat down and then patted the cushion next to her to coax him to come closer.

  Her gaze roamed his body from head to toe, appreciating his new, approachable look. She’d always assumed he was in his late thirties but Holden appeared much younger in casual clothing and without his hair slicked back with gel. When he glanced her way, Mary Allison realized she had been caught staring at him but didn’t shy away.

  A pink blush colored his cheeks. He glanced in the other direction and took a sip of his cola. “Thanks for inviting me over.” He peered back over at her briefly synching their lines of vision and then touched his nose. “What? Is there something on my face?”

  She tensed her muscles attempting to take more control as a giddy excitement poured out from her core to her limbs. “Sorry, it’s just…oh, you aren’t wearing your glasses.” She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “That’s the biggest difference.” Until that moment, she had never even noticed his long eyelashes.

  “It’s easier to wear glasses for work, but I use contacts when I’m away from home on my days off.” He shrugged. “Do I look weird?”

  She shook her head, absently reaching over to touch his hair. Without the gel, long strands fell around his ears, framing his face, and their hue was closer to a dark blond than their usual hazelnut appearance. “I like your casual hair. I’m really glad I invited you.”

  She watched Holden’s cheeks redden again before she reclined back against the seat and returned her attention to the TV screen. For the first time, she felt as if he might be attracted to her, but she wasn’t going to dive straight in and fuck him. She wanted to work up to it first and let him think the sex was his idea.

  Holden sniffed. “It always smells so nice in here.”

  “Really?”

  “What type of air freshener or carpet stuff do you use?”

  She looked off to the side, trying to remember if she had ever used a rug deodorizer. She had a can of fresh linen-scented Lysol in the master bathroom and a courtesy can of some type of generic, dollar store air freshener in the hallway bathroom. She occasionally burned candles but only if she was having friends over for a party. She wasn’t much for cleaning up by herself.

  “Whatever Maid to Clean uses.” Her lips curved upward as she shrugged.

  “Oh, you use a maid service. That explains a lot.” Holden leaned his back against the couch.

  “Say what?” She scowled, feeling as if she might have been insulted.

  “Um, nothing really, it’s just a lot of other artists I deal with... Well, going over to work with them isn’t nearly as nice as coming to see you.” He ran a hand through his hair before settling his palm on his neck.

  She nodded. The show was coming back on and she didn’t want to miss watching Jayne and Simon team up to escape the dudes in blue gloves. She sat with her right leg bent and curled under her left, and as the two watched the episode in silence, Holden’s knee brushed up against hers. The first couple of times their limbs made contact, he had jerked his leg back as if Mary Allison was on fire but by the third incident, he kept his leg still, allowing the subtle touching to continue, making her pulse react.

  As she squirmed to position a throw pillow behind her back, Mary Allison’s shoulder rubbed against Holden’s arm. To her disappointment, he moved, but she soon realized he had turned to help her adjust the cushion. When their eyes locked, she nodded at the shy smile he displayed. He immediately turned away which Mary Allison would have found discouraging if he hadn’t taken the opportunity to lay his arm along the back of the seat. She hoped he would take the connection a step further and put his arm around her shoulder, but even if he didn’t, the new position still amped up the level of incidental contact a notch.

  While enjoying the marathon, Mary Allison and Holden only spoke briefly during commercials. Most of their conversations had been about the show but they also discussed a few of their other science fiction favorites. “I never would have pegged you as a fan.”

  He laughed. “I guess the genre has always held my imagination. I was raised by a since mother and spent a lot of time alone as a kid or with babysitters. A young teen with purple hair and a love for Radiohead was willing to watch me for practically free as long as she got to control the television—she had four brothers who only wanted to watch football—what you would call soccer. She turned me onto the ol
d-school Whoniverse at a young age but I think I prefer the new series.”

  “Oh my God, yes! David Tennant was the best doctor ever, closely followed by Tom Baker.” Their eyes locked during the nerdy conversation and her heart skipped a beat.

  The next couple of commercial breaks were used to refill drinks or run to the bathroom, and during the opening credits of the next episode, Mary Allison had gotten up to bring out a bowl of chips in case Holden wanted to snack on something. Each time, they settled right back into their prior positions and resumed the casual touching.

  Mary Allison unfolded the blanket next to her. Her old house’s poor insulation hadn’t kept the autumn air at bay, so there was a slight draft. Holden chuckled when he realized the throw was made to look like a Tardis. This time Mary Allison was the one who blushed. She couldn’t deny being a total geek when it came to this area of her life. When she sat down and draped the blanket over her legs, she held the end up to invite Holden to join her underneath.

  “It’s a bit chilly.” Mary Allison bit down on her bottom lip and held her breath as she waited for his response.

  “Yeah,” Holden took the edge closest to him and tugging the blanket over his lap.

  His warmth soon enveloped her under the shared cover, making Mary Allison feel cozy. Having him so close also increased the ache between her legs, facilitating the need to step up the action.

  Mary Allison had seen the series they were watching so many times that she knew the lineup by heart. Holden’s favorite episode had just concluded and the next two episodes weren’t in her top five favorites, so she would be willing to miss them in exchange for a sultry romp. It was time to give Holden a little push and see if he was interested in her or if he actually came all the way over to her place to watch TV. Without a word, she leaned into him, resting her body against his side and tucking herself underneath his strong, muscular arm. Now the ball was in his court and Mary Allison hoped he would take it and run.

  Holden didn’t miss a beat, quickly moving his arm to hold her securely in place. He even turned his head and nuzzled into her hair. “Well what do you know?” A short pause punctuated his cryptic comment before he added, “It was you all along. Every damn time I came here that scent drew me in, and it was you. You smell delicious.”

  Mary Allison wasn’t often speechless but Holden had caught her off guard. She wondered if the crazy feeling in her chest was her heart thumping, but as soon as the man next to her rested his head against hers and gave her a little peck on the side of her forehead, she had confirmation. Her knees quivered and her heart swelled—what was a tiny kiss like that was supposed to mean? Such a gesture wasn’t very sexual but it certainly wasn’t professional either. She sat still and waited but Holden didn’t move in to kiss her again.

  About the time that Jubel Early was uttering the famous last line of the series, Mary Allison’s tummy was turning in knots and a pins and needles lifting of hair on her arms had her bucking to enter the runway. Holden hadn’t loosened his grip on her but being stuck in a holding pattern was worse than being flat out rejected. If he had said he wasn’t interested, she could have started an argument, kicked him out, and taken care of business herself. Now she was pressed against his hard body like glue, with his body heat mingling with hers as his chaste touches drove her wild and turned the damp area between her legs into a tingling, throbbing torture chamber.

  Mary Allison moved to stand up, but Holden held her in place, tightened his hold on her as he put his free hand on her knee. Her jaw dropped, and at that particular moment, the thing she was most thankful for in the whole wide world was form-fitting yoga pants and their ability to act as a conduit for pleasurable, tactile warmth. Mary Allison relaxed, allowing her body to melt into his.

  “You mustn’t get up. The movie is starting,” Holden admonished while still working her leg from knee to mid-thigh.

  Mary Allison’s lips parted. She struggled to think of something cute or clever to retort but only managed, “Uh-huh.” Everywhere he touched her tingled, and her heart pounded all the way up into her ears. This is crazy!

  Until a few hours ago, she never dreamed she had a chance with Holden, and now he was less than an inch away, touching her and sending her hot and bothered libido into shock. She invited him over with sex in mind, but she hadn’t expected him to tell her how good she smelled or to be so easy to talk to when they weren’t focusing on work. She had imagined watching some TV, jumping the guy, and enjoying the one-time shot, consequences be damned. The idea of her fantasy giving way to reality seemed too good to be true.

  Mary Allison hadn’t dated since she broke up with her ex nearly nine months ago, so naturally, she wanted to quench her thirst, but her body quivered and her rationality faded as Holden’s slipped his palm over the leg. As her stomach turned somersaults, Holden boldly slid his hand farther up her thigh.

  Warmth filled Mary Allison’s loins as Holden’s touch lingered in the curve where her thigh met her pelvis, caressing her over the thin, black fabric covering her flesh and teasing the crevice created by the joining of her body parts. After realizing she had been holding her breath, she blew a long puff of air from her nose. Like a dream come true, Holden’s fingers fluttered over the triangle of cloth covering the rapidly dampening juncture between her legs. She whimpered as he applied some pressure against the soft, hidden folds, palming the area back and forth. She shook and shivered beneath his touch.

  Her pale skin turned a warm pink as she stared straight forward at the television, vaguely aware she had been watching a movie but with her mind unable to wrap around any conceivable plot. She’d been too engrossed in what Holden was doing to her. His touch made her mind hazy. He used his middle finger, pressing downward, burrowing into the narrow crevice created by her two plump, fleshy lips and stroking her toward absolute delight.

  The man’s dominant finger settled on her clit and nudged before swirling around over the throbbing button. Her breath caught in her throat before she pushed the air out on a groan. Mews and purrs followed even as she struggled to suppress the sounds escaping from her mouth. Holden’s talented touch had her squirming as her heart quicken. Forced out of her senses, she yearned for him to snatch down her pants so she could get some skin-on-skin action.

  Under the blanket, Mary Allison moved her left leg to spread her thighs, sending Holden an unspoken invitation. She turned and pressed her forehead against his shoulder and he took the hint, inching his hand up to her waistband. His nimble fingers breached the elastic and slid down over her wet folds.

  Holden repeated his teasing actions over her bare skin, drawing a loud moan from her lips. Impressed by his skill, Mary Allison rewarded him by murmuring his name while his touch sent a tingling quiver throughout her body. She had never noticed how large and smooth his hands were until they worked her flesh the way a gifted sculptor worked clay.

  Leaving no virgin territory, he spread out to cover more flesh while testing every centimeter for sensitivity and lovingly showering attention anywhere his gentle touch had elicited a moan or tremble. Before ever slipping a finger inside her, Holden had a small area of her pants drenched with proof of her arousal. He ruled over the pulsating nub above Mary Allison’s opening with his middle finger, exerting absolute authority over her desires. He applied light pressure and wagged the digit back and forth and up and down before working in a circular motion, clockwise at first, and then in the opposite direction. She writhed, responding to the sweet torture but when Holden finally breached Mary Allison’s entrance, the combination of relief and elation was nothing short of the Fourth of July inside her pussy.

  A sexual dry spell had tightened her entrance but Holden had her so wet, he effortlessly breached her warm opening and began stroking her insides. Mary Allison’s diaphragm contracted sharply as he tilted his finger and nudged around in a frantic search, no doubt wondering if she was one of the lucky ladies with a highly responsive G-spot. Within a few seconds, she offered him the answer, jolting a
nd squealing as his long, stiff finger struck sensual gold. Mary Allison closed her eyes and bit down on her bottom lip as a second finger scooted inside of her and began to thrust while the original digit continued to lavish attention on her sweet spot. As a third finger joined the dance, she writhed uncontrollably while Holden’s thumb upped the titillation, dancing the tango across her aching button of arousal at an almost hypnotic tempo.

  An unsettling loss of control made Mary Allison feel as if some unseen force had taken over her will. Her body’s inclination was to open up like a flower, blooming passionately, but her sense of reason beckoned her to be prudent. Allowing Holden to take her in hand completely would leave her too vulnerable. Besides, she wanted to make him lose his own wits.

  Mimicking his actions from earlier, Mary Allison placed her hand on his knee and slid her palm upward until it rested on the growing bulge beneath the zipper of his jeans. The sudden contact caused him to buck. While rubbing his dick over his pants, she elicited Holden’s first groan. Hearing the sound made a jolt of excitement radiate from her core out to her limbs. Even as she explored his body, she panted, enthralled as his focused endeavors reached maximum velocity, causing her to lose focus. While her insides pumped passion’s nectar and her clit swelled with unbridled lust, her pussy twitched and her heart thumped, shaking her like the loud bass from a car stereo turned up to full blast. She opened her mouth, letting out a shrill cry followed by a series of whines and whimpers while Holden applied some extra pressure and sent her to the edge. Her folds drowning in warmth, her sweet spot exploded with bliss, awakening a ravenous beast sleeping beneath her still exterior. Her climax roared deep in the pit of her belly, bursting forth to attack any semblance of modesty or self-control, chewing and clawing its way from her core to every muscle in her body and rushing forth in a rabid, shaking fury as she clamped down on Holden’s fingers and cried out. As she released his probing digits, he slid them out of her, but the effects lingered on, making her too shaky to move from her perch for a few moments.