While I closed my eyes, I dissolved into him. I let him take me, every single piece of me. Then, I blissfully surrendered in his arms.

When Max moved away from me, my feet touched the ground and I watched him come all over me. I didn’t mind; I wanted to feel every part of him. The water quickly washed him away, and then Max held me tightly as our chests rapidly rose and fell together.

“That was amazing, Jenna.” His breath was heavy in my ears.

I was thinking the same thing. Too exhausted to stand on my own two feet, too breathless to speak, I nodded in agreement as I continued to hold onto him. Then a thought crossed my mind. Max didn’t use a condom. In the heat of the moment, I didn’t care, nor did I remind him. I wasn’t on the pill, but from my calculations, I was pretty sure it would be okay—there shouldn’t be a risk of an accidental pregnancy.

9

“WELCOME TO MY DEPARTMENT,” Matthew’s smile beamed as he embraced me warmly. Wearing a dark gray suit and tie, he looked very sharp and serious. This was the first time I had ever seen him dressed for work.

Looking past him, I saw that all eyes stared as they approached me with a welcoming smile.

“Everyone, this is Jeanella Mefferd. Jenna, this is Pamela, Stephen, Mandy, and….” He said them so quickly, I couldn’t remember their names as I shook many hands. After the introductions, they all got back to work.

This room was huge. It was nothing like an ordinary office. There were several white boards attached to the back wall, covered with layouts of articles and pictures of models. In the center was a huge circular table. I assumed it was for our meeting.

“This is your desk.” Matthew led me to the desk next to his.

Both were cherry wood, rectangular, and bigger than the other employees’. Hmmm, I didn’t want to be treated differently. I hadn’t earned that right yet. Running my finger across the table, not a single scratch marked it. I wondered if it was new. Knowing Max, it must have been. With a computer and all the office necessities on top, my stomach tingled at the thought of being where I’d always wanted to be, working right at the heart of a fashion magazine. I couldn’t help the feeling of joy that filled up my heart beyond what I could ever imagine.

“Jenna.” Matthew broke me out of my daze, swinging his rolling chair toward me. “I’ve sent you some pictures and articles I need you to format for me. Please don’t hesitate to ask for my help. I know Max started training you, but he hasn’t taught you everything you need to know. After my morning meeting, I’ll show you other layouts, and where you can check for references. We all have a specific job to do in this department, but you can ask anyone for help.”

“Sure, thanks, Matthew,” I replied, placing my workbag down on the floor and sitting down on my plush, leather seat. Turning on the computer, I could not wait to get to work.

“I’m going to take it easy on you for couple of weeks so you can get the hang of things, okay?”

“Thanks,” I smiled, watching him turn to his desk with a nod. Then I clicked the email to open. The first email I saw was from Max.

Hello, Ms. Mefferd,

Hope you have a fantastic day. Matthew will take good care of you and make sure you’re comfortable. Don’t let him boss you around. I won’t be having lunch with you today, but I’m still good for dinner. I’ve invited Matthew and Becky to join us. I hope that’s okay. See you tonight. Always thinking of you. TKLS

Yours,

Max

Yours? This was the first time he’d written that, and I loved it. Reading TKLS made me smile, recalling what it meant—touching, kissing, licking, and sucking. The words triggered the memories of us in the shower and Max under the running water. Remembering how sexy he looked, I was about to have an orgasm just from the thought of him. I was at work, I reminded myself. Breaking away from thoughts of Max, I checked Matthew’s email and got right down to business.

JENNA OFFERED TO PICK me up from home since the restaurant was close to our apartment. Max wanted to celebrate Jenna’s promotion. I thought that was so sweet of him. When he’d called me on my cell phone, my heart pounded out of my chest. I thought something had happened to her; but after he explained, my heart quickly settled, though the pounding still lingered longer than I wanted it to.

I’m not sure what was wrong with me lately. Perhaps it was reading all those manuscripts where something bad always happened when it was just starting to look good, or maybe it was the thought of almost losing my best friend, again. I just needed some time to get myself together.

When we walked in, the place was already packed. Since Jenna wore a casual dress, I changed out of my jeans and sweater as well. Almost tripping from my heels, my eyes were glued to the floor to see what I had stepped on. I hadn’t noticed Max standing in front of us until I peered up again.

“Hey, Max,” I cheered. He was wearing his work attire, suit and tie. He must have come here straight from the office.

“Becky,” he greeted, giving me a hug. Then he placed his arms around Jenna and kissed her forehead as they proceeded to the table.

I took off my coat, placed it around my chair, and sat next to Jenna. After we got our drinks, we talked about my job. Like Matthew, Max was curious as well.

Just as I finished explaining it all, Max waved. Looking in the direction of his line of vision, my stomach knotted so tightly, I was just about to choke on the beer I was drinking. With a cool, relaxed stride, Matthew came toward us as the women he passed checked him out. The dim lights above kissed the side of his face, exposing his flawless, gorgeous skin and glowing over parts of his body. I was melting as my heart throbbed with heated passion that I could not control. No amount of oxygen was enough to satisfy me. His presence always sucked the air out of my lungs.