he’d feel Shea long after he was gone. He lost all sense of place and time, becoming a mass of swirling-hot pleasure.
“Shea, fuck, oh, oh fuck.”
Crying out, Jake clawed at the bed as his climax hit, splintering him apart. His cock sent streams of come over Shea’s grasping hand. Shea nipped his neck, the sting only adding to the incredible pleasure wrenched from his sensitized body.
“That’s it. You feel me?”
Shea sucked and nipped wherever his mouth and teeth touched Jake’s skin. Overstimulated and losing control, Jake grabbed hold of a pillow and buried his face in it as Shea drove into him hard, sending him deep into the bed.
“Fuck, oh fuck me.” Body vibrating, his hands twisting the sheets, he screamed as Shea thrust deep. Sweating and trembling, Jake collapsed, unable to move.
Shea’s cock swelled and he came, resting his body over Jake’s. His lips played a lazy wet path around Jake’s neck.
“Mmm. That was pretty damn amazing.” He sighed, and Shea slid out, got rid of the condom, then came back to bed. Jake rolled to his side to face Shea, and they held each other. Words weren’t always necessary. Sometimes a touch was all that was needed.
And Jake needed Shea’s touch.
“What time’s your flight again?” Shea kissed his cheek, and Jake already felt the pain of loss, knowing the next time he’d fall asleep, he’d be alone.
“Noon. I’d better get to sleep.”
“You’re not leaving here tonight.” Shea’s arms tightened around him.
“Is that an order?” Jake snuggled closer. “And I didn’t plan on it. I packed up everything but my toothbrush before dinner.”
“Good. Now get a little shut-eye, ’cause once isn’t gonna be enough for me. You’re gonna need your strength.” He closed his eyes, and Jake gazed into his face.
He would need all the strength in the world to leave Shea behind.
* * *
Monday morning found Jake sitting at his desk with a pile of correspondence to go through, hundreds of emails to read, and a calendar filled with meetings. And what was he doing? Looking at pictures of Stacey riding the pony with Shea holding the lead rope. Since he’d returned home, he and Shea had agreed to video chats every day, first with Stacey, then a more private one for the two of them later in the evening.
They were busy making plans and deciding how to move forward. Together. He’d already made an appointment with his financial advisor.
A knock at the door dragged him away from his phone screen.
“Come in.”
Keisha stuck her head inside, her eyes wide. “It’s Mr. Clarke.”
Well, that’s never a good sign.
“Bring him in.”
The heavyset CEO strode into his office. “Jake, glad you’re back.”
“Thanks, Robert. Please sit.”
He waited until Clarke fit himself into the chair in front of the desk before sitting himself. “What can I do for you?”
“I assume you’ve been brought up to speed on the Sterling issue.”
“Yes. Has anyone heard from Rebecca?”
Clarke’s face darkened. “Oh, yes. She, through her lawyer, of course, has presented us with a list of demands.”
Jake raised his brows. “A list? For us? What does she want?”
“Aside from a lump sum settlement of five hundred K to forestall a sexual-harassment suit? A written admission that our firm failed to protect her and was negligent in our anti-harassment policies.”
Jake narrowed his eyes. “You realize that if we do that, it’s not only tantamount to the company admitting guilt, but that I was negligent and derelict in my duties. And you know damn well I was not.”
“Precision can’t afford a lawsuit, Jake. Especially not one so messy and ugly. We need to schedule a war-room meeting on how to handle it.”
“Oh?” War-room meetings were used specifically for strategizing internal shake-ups. “Should I be concerned?”
He’d expected Clarke to brush him off with an “of course not.” But that didn’t come.
“You’ve been with the company for over ten years. But maybe all the upheaval in your personal life took your focus off your work here.”
A red haze fell over his eyes. “Are you kidding me? You’re blaming the fact that Sterling couldn’t keep it in his pants on me?”
“Our policies need to be stronger and more effective, and we need to convey them to the employees better than we have been.” Without meeting his eyes, Clarke extricated himself from the chair. “I’ll see you at two o’clock.” He closed the door behind him.
That was some next-level bullshit Clarke was being fed by someone. Jake did yearly training for employees and a separate session for managers. He sent out monthly emails