Forever with Me Read online

  “Okay, but no funny business!” I joke.

  Putting his hand on the small of my back, he leads me past his assistant’s desk and rounds the corner. I can feel all the eyes on us and I realize this is the first time I have been to his office since our time apart. Since he works from home on occasion, apart from Cole’s assistant, whom I’ve met, this is the first time I’ve been with the extended team. I nestle a little closer to him, uncaring at my display of affection. Cole leans down and kisses the top of my head, wrapping his arm tighter around my waist.

  As we near the elevator bank, I see one of the security detail nod at Cole and hold the door open for me. I turn to Cole for a final kiss, but he pulls me back after my peck saying, “What was the name of the person who recommended you? Johnson? Sam?”

  “Yes, Sam Johnson. Now that I think of it, maybe it was my folks. I was talking to my mom about it the other day and she said something about asking Richard if he knew anyone at the company, but I told her not to do that.”

  “Let’s be real, your mother isn’t a rule follower,” he laughs.

  “No truer words,” I agree, giving him another kiss and walk into the elevator. Cole stands still, raking his eyes over my body and licks his lips until the doors completely close.

  “Foster, how’s Alex?”

  “Same, but good, she had a response today, she squeezed my hand, all of two minutes ago. I was literally picking up the phone to call Mia when you called.”

  “Holy hell! This is amazing, I will call Mia the minute we get off the phone,” I hesitate, not wanting to ruin the mood. God knows my friend could use some relief.

  “What’s with the hesitating. Spit it out, Cole. I know you didn’t call randomly. Stop walking on eggshells. We are brothers. What’s going on?” Leave it to Foster to cut right through the BS.

  “We have a… what I think is a problem. Mia interviewed today and was hired on the spot. I don’t doubt my wife is amazing and capable, but it was a highly sought out position and in a very competitive department. Every new and old graduate wants to work for Simmons Advertising and especially in that PR department. They have a great team. I have even tried recruiting some of them. The bizarre part is that an executive named Sam Johnson, sent a memo strongly encouraging hiring Mia. He heads marketing, that’s what is so bizarre. Something isn’t sitting right with me. Can we have the guys look into it and especially keep a close eye on my bride while she is in that building.”

  “You don’t have to ask twice, I don’t like it either. Consider it handled.”

  “Thanks, brother. Listen, I’m happy for you. It’s a small step in the right direction. Let me know if you need anything.”

  “Will do and thanks. Don’t forget to call Mia, if you don’t tell her, she will kill you.”

  I know he’s right!

  “See ya.” I hang up and immediately call Mia.

  Telling Mia was quite possibly one of the best parts of my day. I couldn’t make out anything she said as she screamed and began to cry, with the exception of the ‘Thank you and the I love yous.’ We made plans to meet a little later so she could stop by the hospital and talk to Foster. Honestly, I had so much on my plate at work, that I was happy to oblige, and this would give me some time to make some calls regarding our new friend Sam.

  I called Richard’s office and was patched right through to him.

  “Cole, what do I owe the pleasure?”

  “Hello Richard. This may seem odd, but I was hoping you could tell me about a man named Sam Johnson, works head of marketing at Simmons Advertising.”

  He repeats the name over and over and I can tell he is trying to connect a memory to the name.

  “Sorry, Parker, but I don’t know him, I can’t seem to place the name. Did he drop my name?”

  “No, it’s nothing, It’s my mistake. I thought you were acquaintances. That’s all. Richard, I’m sorry, but I have a meeting. Thanks for the info.”

  “Not a problem, have a good one.” With that we end our phone call. For the slightest of seconds, I consider calling Sam Johnson’s office and asking him what his motive is, but I know Mia would disapprove and it would put us back where I definitely do not want us to be. A little digging would be fine, her safety is my utmost priority and I won’t listen to anyone about the methods I choose to keep my love safe and sound. God help this Sam guy if he has any worrisome plans for my wife. I’m not to be tested.

  I pick up my landline and ask for our marketing department, the line rings twice before I hear my department answer, “Mr. Parker, hello, how can I help you?”

  I’m sure it’s nerve-wracking when your boss calls you unexpectedly. I’m sure my call adds to those nerves, one hundred percent.

  “Well, I was hoping you could help me. I would like some background on another marketing head and I know we have worked alongside the marketing team at Simmons a few times with some projects. What can you tell me about Sam Johnson, you can speak freely? I’m not replacing you, Barnes.”

  I inadvertently hear his sigh of relief as he responds, “Well sir, from what I hear she is a great leader, capable and has an incredible work ethic. From personal experience, she was easy to work with, very collaborative. She always has fantastic ideas.”

  “Great, thanks, Barnes. Oh, and great insight on the tower project. I like the road we are taking on that.”

  “Thank you, sir”, With that, I end my call. What the fuck. He is a she. Who is this lady? I text Foster what I know and I get a singular response.

  Interesting

  I respond:

  Mia thinks it’s weird too.

  Something is off, I can feel it.

  Cole and I stayed wrapped up in each other the entire weekend, the only time we came up for air was to visit Alex. I knew that he was having a hard time with the idea of sharing me with my new job, but I share him, so he will have to deal! Still, it broke my heart a little. He was so sweet about it on Monday morning after giving me two supersonic orgasms, he made me breakfast and drove me into my first day.

  “All right, Dad, thanks for the lift,” the sarcasm rolling off my tongue, his smile makes me laugh as I get out of the car.

  “Ha! Give Papa a kiss,” he waggles my eyebrows.

  “Oh my God! You are disgusting,” I laugh, leaning across the seat and kissing his lips. “Are you picking me up as well?“ As soon as I say it, I realize that I want him to.

  “Of course, we have dinner plans and my agent is taking us to see a listing. We can’t stay at the hotel forever.”

  I smile at him, because he always just knows what I need. I could never go back and feel safe again, although I loved our place.

  My first day flies by, orientation is insane and learning the whereabouts of everything is a task in itself, but everyone is helpful and welcoming. My office is shared with three other junior PR members. Each of us had our own laptops, but we congregate around a huge white table that is the work area. There is a wired phone line in the middle of the table and whoever is closest answers and puts the phone on speaker, so we were always kept abreast of what’s happening. The energy is kinetic and I love it.

  We are currently working on selling the idea of a luxury tower, in a neighborhood that is trying to resist gentrification. I have a lot of ideas for the other side, but not a bunch for our side. Since I’m lacking ideas for my first day, I choose to listen. Cole told me that he always appreciated the employees that really tried to listen and become collaborative rather than show off and try to create a spectacle on their first day, so I figure my silence may be welcome.

  By the end, I am exhausted. My day was long and my mind is reeling from all of the information, but I couldn’t wait to run downstairs and tell Cole everything. As I walk out, one of the other junior associates named Jules, calls out to me.

  “Hey, so how was your first day?”

  “Amazing! I think I’m going to love it here!”

  “Yay! Why don’t you join us after work on Friday, a bunch of us get dri
nks at the bar across the way. You can get to know the team better.”

  “That sounds awesome. Thanks, Jules.”

  “And hey, everyone brings their boyfriends or husbands too. So, if you have one of those, feel free!” she smiles laughingly.

  “Thanks, I will. See you tomorrow.”

  “Totally. Don’t forget the department meeting in the a.m. too. They start cruelly on time, but they always have treats!”

  “Thanks, see you tomorrow,” I wave, heading for the elevators with a real spring in my step.

  The elevator ride is excruciating, it feels like we stop at every single floor before we find the bottom. I almost push past everyone to get out quickly. I feel like I’m having withdrawals from Cole, absence has seriously made my heart grow fonder. When I push out the doors, I see Cole leaning against the car in his light grey suit, jacket open, his white shirt gleams behind his dark black tie. He looks like an ad for Christ sakes, every woman walking out of the building can’t help but gawk, but it doesn’t matter, I can’t even feel jealous, because those shades are pointed right at me. Uncrossing his arms, he pushes off the car and closes the distance between us. He wraps one arm around my waist and picks me up, kissing me. I put both my palms on his face, enjoying the moment. Setting me down on the ground, he opens the door of the car, allowing me to brush past him and get in.

  “How was your day, beautiful?” he smiles down as I pass by, making me feel a bit shy.

  “Torture. Can we just be independently wealthy and stay home all day long together?” I giggle.

  Leaning down, Cole gets close to my ear and whispers, “We are that wealthy and yes, we can if you choose.”

  I know we have money, I’m not stupid, but sometimes I forget that he is as wealthy as he is and his company is not a small business that one day we hope to sell so we can retire. I also forget it’s half mine, honestly, I couldn’t care less. I like working and so does he, but I could use a weekend away since we keep getting interrupted by tragedy.

  “Shut up, neither of us would last more than a minute if we had all day to do nothing.” I laugh, looking out of the window at the envious faces.

  “Oh, I could think of plenty to occupy our days,” resting his hand on my thigh, his fingers squeeze into my skin.

  Looking over at him, I wonder for a minute what it would be like to just be. He and I living a jet-set life with no ties anywhere. As quickly as the thought enters, I dismiss it, that isn’t who we are. I love my friends and family. I love having ties and responsibilities and mostly I love watching him be king of the castle. I wouldn’t trade our life for anything.

  Cole takes me to the first listing and I hate it, but then again so does he, too modern and sterile feeling. Two more after that, equally hated, then we make a pit stop for hot dogs and push on to the last listing. Pulling down the tree-lined street of brownstones, I become super excited. Ever since I was little, I have wanted to live on a street like this. My family was more of a building with concierge, rather than a brownstone crew. I can’t even hide my excitement as we pull up in front of a gorgeous white façade with a large red door. I’m literally in heaven!

  “My girl is happy?”

  “Your girl is very happy,” I squeal, doing a little wiggle dance in my seat.

  Cole laughs as his door opens and he walks around to open my door.

  Not only is the house perfect, but it has outdoor space. Cole sits and talks details with the agent as I tour the house alone again, imagining all the things I will do to each room. Our home. I’m standing in the master bath admiring the enormity of the space when Cole walks in, running his hands down my shoulders.

  “Congratulations Mrs. Parker.”

  “What! They already accepted our offer?”

  “Of course, I made them a solid offer. This time tomorrow, you can grab the keys.”

  “Oh my god!” I yell, turning and jumping into his arms.

  “How about we christen our new bathroom?” Cole taunts as he lifts me onto the counter.

  “Mm, but wait. What about the agent? I’m not sure she would appreciate waiting for us downstairs.” I giggle as I put my hands on his chest, just to feel him up a bit.

  “She’s gone, we can lock it up when we leave. It’s just us Mia, unless you don’t want me to make you come right now?” Smirking as he already knows the answer to his question.

  I crash my mouth into his, letting my body answer him. Cole runs his hands through my hair, gathering it up at my nape and pulls my head back making room for him to devour my neck. Everything in my body lights up like a damn Christmas tree, I couldn’t tear myself from him if I wanted to. All he has to do is touch me and I lose all control over my own body. I can feel my panties are already soaked and all I want are his hands on me. I reach down, feeling like a crazed animal and pull his hand up my skirt.

  “Do you want my fingers inside of that pretty little cunt, is that what you want? Do you want to ride my fingers until you can’t take anymore?”

  I lose all sense of myself when he speaks to me like this, dirty and raw. It’s what I feel inside, dirty and raw, in the best possible way. I want him everywhere, all over me, I can’t get enough. I can feel my body writhing as he whispers dirty things in my ear.

  “Fuck me, Cole, just fuck me. I need it, please.”

  Without hesitation, he pushes my dress up to my waist, spreads my legs open and pulls my lace panties aside, thrusting two fingers into me, creating friction on my clit and making it sting just enough.

  “Oh fuck, yes!” I scream and arch back into the mirror.

  “Look at me, Mia,” he growls.

  I try and lift my head, but my senses are on overload. Raising my head, I open my eyes to meet Cole’s and his look pushes my insides to quicken. Gasping as my orgasm gets closer and closer, all I can see is Cole and that fucking look, the look of a man possessed by want and ownership. Want for my body and ownership of my soul. He fingers me harder and harder until I grip his shoulders and scream out my ecstasy, shuddering at the power of my orgasm. Cole drops down, sucking my tender nub into his mouth through the lace. He grips my ass pulling me forward to devour me. The sensation is overwhelming and conquering. I scream out as wave after wave hits me.

  “That’s it, baby, give it to me. Yes, Mia,” Cole hums against my clit.

  This is how I will die, and I’ve never been so sated. As my breathing begins to slow, Cole gently kisses the inside of my thighs and grips my waist to help me down from the counter. I slide down his body and when we come eye to eye, he kisses me, letting me taste my own bliss. The kiss is slow and deliberate.

  Setting my feet on the floor, he takes a step back, slowly undoing his belt, “Turn around, bend over, hands on the counter.” His voice is like velvet and the tension in his jaw alone is enough to make me want to drop to my knees.

  I do exactly as he commands and I feel him come up behind me and rub the side of my ass as he slowly inches my dress up again. He pulls my dress around my waist and leaves me exposed as he gently pulls down my panties. Staying squatted on the floor, he runs his hands up my legs, kissing the backs of my thighs and placing his last kiss on my backside.

  “Hold on tight, baby. I can’t be gentle.”

  “Don’t be,” is all I can whisper out before he rams into me, forcing my hands to push against the mirror. Looking into the mirror, my voyeurism is met with matching intrigue as Cole watches me come undone. He thrusts harder and harder into me, as his face stretches into a wicked grin.

  “You are so fucking sexy, Mia. Watching you need more, want more, is making my cock harder than I thought it could get.”

  I spread my legs wider, wanting to be filled with all he has to give me. Cole grips my hips and I know I will have bruises on my hips tomorrow. Moving one hand up to my shoulder, he holds me in place as he pounds himself into me until I feel the tension building again.

  “Oh fuck, Cole, I’m coming. Yes! Oh God!”

  “Come with me,” he growls as he grinds
his cock into me with enough pressure to make me scream out my orgasm.

  “Cole! Yes!”

  Cole growls in response, hunching over my back and gripping my body with intensity as he releases his hot seed inside of me.

  We stay frozen in the moment until he interrupts our leveled breath with, “Well, sweetheart, I think we christened the fuck out of this bathroom.” I laugh, only to jump from the smack landed on my ass. “Sorry, I can’t resist,” he winks.

  We clean up and walk back downstairs, lost in each other and in our joint happiness over our new home. I feel like I’m living in a dream and just like that, the fear comes creeping back. Where the hell is that other shoe, because I know it’s bound to drop any minute.

  When my alarm beeps in the morning, I reach to hit snooze, but Cole nuzzles my neck, nipping at my earlobe.

  “Come on, sleeping beauty, didn’t you say you had a meeting this morning? It may not be the right time to start saying ‘screw off’ to whole department meetings.” I feel him smiling against my cheek.

  “Ha, aren’t you funny. Fuck me, I don’t want to get up!” I pretend to cry hoping to gain sympathy.

  Before I know it, Cole straddles my body, holding my arms above my head. “Your wish is my command!”

  “Quit!” I giggle and try to wriggle free without success. “Seriously, I have to get ready as you so sweetly pointed out.”

  Letting go of my hands, Cole leans down and kisses my lips and looks at me with the cutest pouty face ever.

  “Oh my God, you are not trying to make me feel bad now! You can put those puppy dog eyes and that lip away, it’s not working.” Leaning in, he starts kissing my cheeks and my neck. “Ugh! Cole, I’m not falling for this. Ahh, yes, right there. I mean, what the hell? Goddammit, I QUIT! Fuck ‘em!”

  Cole bursts out laughing and rolls off of me, setting me free. “Go, woman, before I change my mind.”

  Once I’m dressed and ready to head out, I peek out the bedroom door and see Cole sitting in the living room, barefoot and shirtless, reading the paper. I’m going to need a full tank of resolve to combat this damn man. I walk out, grabbing my bag and a banana, calling out a goodbye as I rush toward the door to make my great escape.