Behind the Mahogany Desk

Seeing her watching him he grinned, "I hope you paid for this with your company card, since this is a business dinner and you of course have the authority to make the company pay for it," he laughed, "Okay now I can say that I definitely know the Chinese food here is better than any of the other cities I've visited."

"I don't think I can remember the last time I've eaten this much," she chuckled, "Warm food at least. It seems like every time I've sat down to eat these past few weeks everything's been cold by the time I remembered it," she said raising her glass to meet his. "And yes this was a business dinner, my first time using the card, I'm glad it worked," she laughed.

They picked up the empty cartons, stacking them back in the empty box, while still sitting on the floor. Moving she groaned softly, turning she stretched her legs out under the table to his side.

"The cramp coming back?" he asked reaching down to run his hand over her calf again.

She nodded, biting her lip behind her glass feeling the warmth of his hand running along her leg, "Just a little. It's gotten tight and it's threatening to go to sleep," she wiggled her toes and ankles, feeling the slight pins and needles as they started waking up.

Caleb reached for his blazer, pulling a thin wooden tipped cigar from the pocket he looked at her, "Do you mind?" he asked, "A perfect ending to a wonderful meal," he said when she smiled, reaching for the ash tray beside the chair, placing it on the table between them.

She filled each of their glasses with the remainder of the wine, laughing when she realized they'd finished the bottle. She sipped her wine watching him beneath lowered eyes, he'd unbuttoned the top three buttons of his shirt opening the collar as he leaned his head back slightly, enjoying the thin sweet cigar. She noticed when he'd pushed his sleeves up, both forearms were tattooed, she wondered if it was just cuffs around the forearms or if it went further up his arms.

Seeing her gaze on his arms he pulled his sleeves back down meeting her eyes when he did, "I'm sorry I forgot not everyone's as accepting of some of the things I've chosen to do," he said quietly rolling the cuffs down to button them.

Reaching her hand across the table, almost touching his hand she meet his dark brown eyes, "I don't mind, please don't," she said softly, grinning "actually I was wondering if it's just a cuff around your forearm or if it went further up your arms," she said with a blush. She looked down at her wine glass when he set the cigar in the ashtray before folding back the cuffs of his shirt, pushing both sleeves up forcing them up tightly over his elbows before stretching his arms out for her to see.

Caleb watched her expression when she leaned forward, gently running her hands over his inked arms, "It goes up both arms and across my shoulders," he said quietly allowing her to turn his arms as she looked at the tattoos tracing them with her finger.

"Amazing," she said in a whispered tone, "The detail's phenomenal," she looked up, her fingers moving along the inside of his elbow, seeing he was watching her intently she felt her hands quiver slightly. "I don't understand how people couldn't help but be fascinated by something that's so artist and intricate," she smiled, sitting back, his hand sliding along her forearm like it had the calf of her leg.

Taking the cigar from the ashtray he leaned back again, "Not what you'd expect to find on a 'corporate' man as most people are fond of calling me," he said with a chuckle remembering that she'd called him that when she was asking if he was a masher or not, "I've never been one of the typical fit into a mold men as you can tell, but it's also not something I tend to advertise," he explained.

Mikhaila looked around her office fighting the urge to laugh when she saw everything in it seemed to conform to exactly what would be expected in the office of the head of marketing professional. Seeing her actions he looked around, having already memorized everything in her office while he was standing at the door watching her unknowingly.

"You've done nothing out of the ordinary," he said with a wicked laugh, "Give it some time for the position to be normal, an everyday thing for you and then without even knowing it you'll start making this yours and not a duplicate of 'Business man's décor office of the year'," he winked at her, "But I'm wondering if you'll ever be anything but absolutely perfectly put together during the conference calls," he laughed at the expression on her face.

"Yes I've noticed," he said with a evil grin, "Make up prefect, clothes looking as if they'd just been pressed even though we've all had been putting in long hard hours getting these campaigns off the ground and out to the public, then sitting around praying that we've done everything that we can to make it a success," he said standing up, walking around the table, offering her his hand so she could get up.

She'd stiffened slightly wondering if people from the different branch offices thought she was 'to perfect' as he seemed to? Taking her wine she walked toward the window looking out of the city, enjoying that it had slowed down slightly due not only to the hour but the weather.

Feeling him walk up, stopping beside her she continued looking out the window ignoring him as she began second guessing many of the choices she'd made. Her outer image of being so put together was her way of getting people to look at her work and not judge her by her looks, her age or her gender. For as non-discriminating as the work force was supposed to be she also knew how false that claim was. During her internships and part time jobs while going to college she knew she'd gotten some positions not on her credentials but on her looks and the ideas some of her employers had about her, only to find how wrong they'd been.

Turning quickly to ask him why he'd suggested her for the position if he apparently thought she was superficial, she didn't realize how close he was standing. Bumping into him she couldn't help but laugh at his gasp when her wine spilled down the front of his shirt.

"I'm sorry," she said between giggles, "I'd no idea you were so close," she explained watching him hold the soaked material from his skin. "I hope you can add your laundry to your expense account since this was a business meeting?" she asked him with a gleam in her eye.

Shaking his head he laughed, holding the now cold fabric from his chest, "I'm not sure but I do know it's a lucky thing that I have my suitcase out in the lobby so I can change into something not quite as cold or damp," he grinned unbuttoning his shirt.

"Let me go get it, while you get out of that shirt and we can rinse it in the bathroom so it doesn't stain," she said over her shoulder when she walked across the office and out the door.

Caleb watched her walk away. This was far from what he thought meeting her would be like. He'd been following her work and had been watching her progress since she'd started moving up in the company. He'd expected the perfectly maintained and mannered young woman he'd gotten use to seeing during the conference calls, little did he know he'd find such warmth burning so close to the surface. Taking his shirt off he walked into the bathroom to rinse the wine from it while waiting for her to bring his suitcase.

Stepping back into the office and not seeing him, she suddenly felt very alone in the closed office, out of instinct she closed the office door behind her as if securing herself inside what was her space. Setting the suitcase beside the desk she looked up just as he walked out of the bathroom, wearing only his slacks and socks, rubbing a towel over his chest where he'd rinsed the wine from his body. Her mouth went dry, her eyes moving over the well defined muscles of his chest and tattooed arms.

"Here's your suitcase," she said, dropping her eyes before walking to the windows.

Hearing the suitcase open she looked back, watching while he pulled another shirt out, the muscles of his back moving beneath the skin, rippling with each movement making the tattoo across his shoulder seem to come to life. His waist was narrow and trim making his shoulder seem broader. His hair just brushed his shoulders, longer than normal yet not what someone would call to long. Remembering the touch of his hand on her calf, then on her arm she wondered how his back would feel beneath her hands. She dropped her eyes turning quickly just as he turned toward her, shrugging into the clean shirt.

The interest in her eyes was unmistakable when he'd walked out of the bathroom, as he was getting the clean shirt he could feel her eyes moving over his back. Turning back and seeing her turn so quickly, he knew he hadn't imagined it. Rolling the sleeves up, not having buttoned the shirt yet he walked over to the table, picking up his wine glass and stepping over to the window beside her.

"Since your wine's gone, we can share mine," he said quietly as her eyes lifted to meet his, "That's only if we drink it and neither of us wears this glass," he said with a wink making her blush.

Seeing her embarrassment he laughed, "You know I've wanted to do something, and ask you something from the first time I saw you," he chuckled. Reaching up he pulled one of the spiraled sticks from her hair, loosening the twist of hair, "What Chinese restaurant did you steal these from?" he asked tugging the second one from her hair allowing it to spill over her shoulders and down her back in honey blonde waves.

Brushing her hand through her hair she couldn't help but laugh at him calling them chop sticks. Looking up at him the laugh silenced quickly seeing his expression as he looked at her, his eyes moving over her face and down the length of her hair where it had fallen to her waist.

"Amazing," he said in almost a whisper, "I would've never known how long it was or how many different colors of honey, gold and blonde there was if I'd never done that," he said, his hands brushing over the shiny waves lying over her shoulder.

"Even with these small curls escaping along the sides," he said wrapping his finger around the thin tendrils that always escaped and fell around her face, "Never could've guessed you hid all this from view. Always so perfect, so put together as if intentional, when it's nothing but you being you I see now." He smiled softly seeing her watching him while his hand ran gently over her hair.

Mikhaila felt her pulse beating faster along her throat just inches from his hand as it tugged gently at the curls of her hair, she wondered if he was able to see it or even feel it as close as his hand was. Feeling her body wanting to respond to the closeness of his she tried to change her train of thought to the figures she'd been running over in her head the past week as a distraction, but she was failing miserably when she felt her nipples hardening against the silk chemise she wore instead of a bra with the white silk blouse. Closing her eyes she fought to think of figures, meetings, and chaos in the office anything but the tall handsome man standing just inches from her, the 'corporate' man sent to make sure she was handling the office professionally and correctly, she reminded herself.

He didn't have to touch her throat where her pulse pounded to feel the change in her body. He could not only feel it he could see it and almost taste it in the air surrounding the two of them. Sensing it he felt his body harden again as it had done while he'd watched her from the door earlier.

Placing his glass in her hand, his fingers closing over hers, he lifted it taking a drink watching her as her eyes opened at the contact and watched their hands together raised the glass to his lips. Seeing her teeth catch her bottom lip while watching him he fought the urge to pull her against him and capture those lips beneath his. Lifting the glass again only this time to her lips his eyes met hers as she sipped the cool wine, knowing that seconds before his lips had been in the same place.

Moving his hand from the glass he reached for the silk ties at the collar of her shirt, sliding his hands down the material to the ends before slowly twisting his hands around it pulling her toward him, his eyes never leaving hers waiting for her response. Seeing her sigh, her eyes dropping to his mouth, he leaned down capturing those rose glossed lips beneath his own.

Kissing her gently gauging her reaction and her desire he raked his teeth over her lips before kissing her deeply, his tongue dancing along hers when she leaned into him deepening the kiss. Dropping his hands from the silk, one hand took the wine glass from her, the other slipping around her back pulling her sharply against his body.

Lifting her hand to his arm she felt the warmth through the fabric of his shirt. Turning her head slightly she almost groaned feeling his lips moving over hers harder, deepening the kiss even more as she felt him lean slightly setting the glass on the window sill before reaching up and pushing his hand deep into her hair, cradling the back of her head while he captured her mouth completely, demanding her response.

Caleb growled deep in his throat when he felt one hand touch his side before slipping beneath his shirt before resting at his waist. Lifting one foot to the window sill, he dropped his hand to the swell of her ass covered by the soft wool of her shirt, pulling her between his thighs, holding her hips tightly against his now hard cock. Feeling her lean into him he fought to not rip her clothes from her so he could do nothing more than just look at her until he'd gotten his fill. He doubted he wouldn't be able to look at her with out touching her, wanting to taste her before thrusting deep inside her body.

Mikhaila was overwhelmed with all of the sensations assaulting her at once, the heat of his touch, the burning and nipping of his lips and flicking tongue that caressed her own. The hand pulling her tightly against him and the feeling of his hard cock nestled between them. Sighing against his mouth she tilted her head back further, leaning fully against him running her hand around his side to the muscles of his back, dropping the other hand from his arm to rake her nails lightly down his exposed chest to his waistband.

He felt the change in tides instantly, no longer did she hold back, but now she was possibly the aggressor. Pulling his head back he looked at her, lips swollen slightly from the kiss, a twinkle burning in her eyes as they reflected the fragmented light for the streets and city below.

"Are you sure?" he asked, almost holding his breath for her answer.

Smiling she looked at him wondering what his expression would be if she said no. Almost laughing at the thought she stepped back slightly, looking at him while running both hands up his chest to his shoulders under his shirt, dropping her eyes to follow the path her hands were taking she hoped he mistook the lost eye contact for shyness. Her thumbs stroked along his collar bones, her fingers teasing along the sides of his neck and shoulders. Wrapping her hands in the cotton fabric of his shirt, she looked back at him meeting his eyes before tightening her hold on the shirt, pulling sharply until his lips almost touched hers, flickers of laughter dancing in his eyes.

"And what pray tell Mr. Corporate man would make you think otherwise?" she asked leaning forward biting his lower lip gently, pushing his shirt from his shoulders and down his arms, stopping where his elbows bent.

Caleb almost laughed at her choice of words, moving his hands as far as he could, he slipped them along the buttons of her blouse before coming to rest along the ties of the open neckline.

"Well Mikhaila I just wanted to make sure that you wouldn't be to upset over a few ripped buttons," he said pulling the fabric apart sharply, popping the buttons and pulling the shirt from the waist band of her skirt. Seeing the sparks of passion and amusement in her eyes he pushed the fabric off her shoulders and down her arms to her elbows as she'd done his, their arms now semi-trapped in the material, held by the other. Dropping his foot from the window sill he stepped forward pushing his knee between hers before slowly raising his leg again her leg draped over the top of his, the fabric of her skirt riding higher along her thighs exposing the lace tops of her stockings.

Looking over her boldly, he nodded in appreciation, "It would seem my dear you're a bundle of surprises once you take those chop sticks from your hair," he chuckled. His eyes dropped to the lace panel of the matching white chemise she wore under the blouse, "Not much to stand in my way I'd say," he said softly moving his arms forward pushing hers behind her back, capturing her throat under his lips and nipping teeth, "Not much at all," he said against the skin of her throat.

She ran her nails gently down his forearms before dropping her hands behind her allowing the ruined blouse to fall from her hands to her feet, then pushing his arms back dragging his shirt off of his hands, tossing it on the chair behind him. She almost groaned when his unrestrained hands slipped along the waist band of her skirt to the hook and zipper in the center of the back.

Pushing the zipper to the bottom, he gathered the thin wool fabric in his hands bunching it up, his finger tips feeling slick satin panties covering the firm cheeks of her ass. Gritting his teeth he stepped back, moving his leg, allowing her leg to slide back to the floor. Moving his hands along the waistband to the sides of her skirt he watched as he let go and it caressed the curves of her hips and thighs before silently sliding down to puddle around her ankles.

His eyes touched her body, traveling up along the long length of stocking encased legs to the simple lace band that circled each thigh. She wore a pair of satin panties riding very low, just barely reaching the trim hip bones. Her belly button peeked out from beneath the white silk chemise with the sheer lace panel running along the bodice, down the very center to the tiny hem. Lifting one arm he twisted her arm gently encouraging her to turn, so he could view all that she offered.

She glanced over her shoulder at him while his eyes traveled up the length of leg to the tight curve of her ass exposed beneath the white satin covering her ass like a second skin, her hair brushing the thin waist band as it cascaded down her back in thick waves. Seeing the heat building in not only his eyes but feeling it as he visually touched and caressed her, she felt the wetness soaking the snug fitting satin. Silently she wished his hands were following the path of his eyes.

He turned her around until she faced him, his eyes moving over the firm breasts, the hard nipples straining against the sheer lace. His mouth almost watered when he dropped his head, nipping each nipple sharply making her gasp then groan when he sucked them into his mouth. Looking up he met her eyes, seeing the challenge in them, he grinned knowing this was going to be a learning experience for each of them, learning to take as well as give.

Wrapping his arm around her he pulled her tightly against his body, trapping her mouth in a deep ravaging kiss, his tongue diving into her mouth capturing her very breath with the intensity, his teeth raking across her lips before leaning back, making her lean toward him to maintain the contact.

Lifting her he turned, her back toward the window, hearing her giggle when she felt the coolness of the glass near her skin as he lifted her, allowed her to gain her footing on the window sill before loosening his hold on her waist.

"It seems a shame to not share the jewel I've unwrapped with the world and those with enough insight to look up from time to time," he said with a chuckle pushing her back against the cold glass.