Chapter 6

Zoe did not know how it happened but suddenly she was running down the hallway towards the elevator. She had never felt so physically torn before. She was torn between succumbing to her aching desire for him and the regret she felt from how far she had already let it go. She was torn between wanting and dignity. So when he whispered softly in her ear the very words that had melted her the night before, she bolted.

She pushed past him and ran at full speed through the front door. She did not stop until she hit the elevator button. She pressed the button until the bell rang and the door opened. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her head was spinning as she got in the elevator. She turned to lean on the back wall and waited for the doors to close.

She could see him, standing in the hallway, eyes locked on her and for once his face gave some indication of what he was thinking. As their eyes met she could see confusion in his. She sighed in relief as the doors closed and the image of him was gone.

This could ruin her. Yet again she had let him drive her to a place that could ruin her professional life, her career. Not that she had a passion for property management, but it was a steady job that provided her with a nice place to live and enough money to support her art. She caught her breath in the ride down the elevator and tried to shake his eyes from her memory.

25 flights later and the elevator bell rang as the doors opened to the lobby. There stood graceful, gorgeous Maria talking coolly on the phone. She beamed her gorgeous smile to Zoe and mouthed the words “I’ll be right in.” As Zoe feebly smiled back and walked into the Main Office, where once again Cheryl was ready to pounce.

“What did she say?” Cheryl looked as though she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown as she ran up to Zoe and begged for an answer.

“I think he is going to take it. His assistant said she would be right in to do all the paperwork.” Zoe turned to the safety of her desk, hoping to hide in paperwork to avoid any more conversation with Cheryl about David Moore. She froze at the site of the most elaborate bouquet of two-dozen pink roses on her desk.

“Zoe!” Cheryl squealed with delight, “I could kiss you! You have no idea how huge this will be for us!” Cheryl was right, she did not understand all the fuss surrounded David Moore renting the penthouse. Their property had two Penthouse apartments and one had been rented for years, the other had just been made available three days ago and the phone had been ringing off the hook since then with clients demanding to see it. What was so important about David Moore renting this apartment? Wasn’t he just another rich 30-something with too much time and money on his hands? To Zoe, the clientele here were all the same; overly rich, overly arrogant, and too young to have earned the money themselves. But at that moment her mind was no longer on the pretentious clientele, it was on the mystery of the pink roses.

As Zoe walked slowly to her seat behind her desk she stared at the roses in bewilderment. As she sat down, she looked to Cheryl for answers.

“Oh! The roses! You, my dear, have been keeping secrets!” Zoe panicked, of course she had been keeping secrets. How could she tell her boss about the way David had held her steady over him, making her ache for him more and more as he slowly brought her down thrusting himself deep inside her. Steady, slow, and deep, making every part of her pulse with pleasure.

And there he was, walking in the office with Maria, looking as cold and stone faced as ever. Cheryl did not see them enter and continued; “I did not know you were going to the opening of V tonight. And who, exactly, is Matt Allen? Why am I only hearing about him now?”

Zoe was not sure if she should be relieved that Cheryl knew nothing about her and David or mortified that Cheryl was airing her personal business in front of David and Maria. Her only option was to take control of the situation; she turned to Maria and David, “Ready to start the paperwork?” Maria smiled sweetly but David glared at her, his usually cold face now burning with anger. He whispered something to Maria as she nodded in understanding.

“I have to be going, Maria will take care of things from here. Thank you.” David stated briskly and walked out of the office. Maria sat down in front of Zoe’s desk and beamed her soft gorgeous smile, “Let’s get David all moved in, shall we?”

Chapter 5

Zoe had always brought her staff coffee and pastries on Friday so it meant getting to the office early to set everything up. She was hoping to beat Cheryl to the office so she would have time to settle in before the interrogation began but as she fumbled to unlock the doors to the main office she could see all the lights were already on. As soon as their eyes met, Cheryl pounced.

"Tell me everything." Cheryl said coming out of her office to follow Zoe to the break room. Zoe had her arms filled with pastry boxes and a travel box of Starbucks coffee but Cheryl ignored Zoe's struggle and began demanding details.

"Did he say anything about the price? The apartment? The furniture? You did tell him that we could provide it with different furniture or no furniture, right? Did you show him the spa? The Sauna? The Bill- "

"Cheryl," Zoe interrupted her incessant questioning, "I will tell you everything once my hands are free. Let me just set up the coffee and I will be right in your office, I promise." Cheryl, caught off guard, nodded and walked back to her office as quickly as she had pounced.

Zoe had rehearsed her story about 100 times last night and another 100 this morning. She was not going to lie, she was just going to omit the details of how he had managed to get her wet without even touching her. She was going to forget to include the part where she screamed in ecstasy as he thrusted deep inside her. Zoe closed her eyes and shook her head, the regret she felt continued to shake her to the very core. She could hear voices in the main office, she checked herself in the mirror to make sure she looked exactly as Cheryl had instructed and walked out to see her boss.

In the main office she saw Cheryl talking with a gorgeous woman in a crisp, pressed white button up blouse and a tight black knee length pencil skirt with black high heels. She had long thick straight brown hair, dark eyeliner that accented her green eyes, and bright red lips. She looked like a Victoria Secrets model with the large perky breasts barely contained by her button up blouse and long tan, toned legs. She carried a black patent leather Filofax and an iPhone.

"Zoe! This is Maria, she is Mr. Moore's assistant." Cheryl was trying to hide her panic by overcompensating with enthusiasm. Zoe reached out to shake Maria's hand and was relieved when Maria took her hand with a warm smile.

"Mr. Moore was very impressed with what he saw last night. He just needs me to make sure that what he likes and what he needs are in alignment." Maria spoke with a cool grace. "He has sent me to check measurements and look at it more critically."

"Of course, it would be my pleasure to show you around." Zoe couldn't believe it. He liked the apartment. He hadn't even seen the whole place, they had barely made it through three rooms before she lost herself to him.

The elevator ride with Maria was much more pleasant than the rides Zoe had taken with her boss. Maria asked questions and listened to Zoe as she explained the amenities and features of the community.

As the elevator bell rang and the doors opened to the 25th floor, Zoe led Maria down the hallway and opened the doors just as she had the night before but this time instead of feeling David's pull, Maria made the penthouse feel light, cool, and calm.

"He is right, it is a gorgeous view. Do you mind if I take measurements?" Maria asked.

"Feel free to take as many as you need, let me know if you have any questions." Zoe stood at the island in the kitchen with her back to the door. She looked out across the living area to the same view she had seen the night before. It was amazing how different everything looked in the daylight. She still couldn't believe the night before had happened, the intimacy she had felt with him was unlike anything she had known. Every time she thought of him she could almost feel him standing behind her again. She could not forget the powerful pull she felt from him, even before they had touched. Thinking of it now made her breath quicken and she could feel her pulse increase as a longing stirred deep inside her.

"Good morning, Zoe." Even at a whisper his voice echoed deep inside. She could feel his voice in her bones. Her breath hitched as she realized he was really there, the electricity between them was palpable. Even when he stood a few inches away it felt as if they were connected again.

She turned to face him and met his eyes. They were cold today as they met hers and some how that made her want him more. His hair was perfectly messy again, and his dark gray suit draped his body in way that showed he toned form underneath. He stood above her, looking down into her eyes as if he were trying to read her without giving any hint of what he was thinking on his own face.

"Good morning, Mr. Moore." Zoe said unevenly. "Maria just went into the Master Bedroom to take measurements if you were looking for her." Zoe felt like she couldn't breathe, she couldn't look away from him but the more she looked at him the more she ached for him. She felt foolish for everything that had happened the night before and she felt more foolish now for letting the feelings of desire rise in her again. She needed something to break the silence before he pulled her in again.

"I did not know Matt Allen was seeing anyone." He said softly, without flinching, without looking away or batting an eye.

"Matt Allen?" Zoe was caught off guard by the statement. All of her focus was on not wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him passionately. She did not have room in her mind for names that made no sense.

"The man you were sharing margaritas with at Rodrigo's? Or do you make it a habit to entice strange men?" His tone remained unchanged as the insult slid from his soft inviting lips. Before she could defend herself David's attention shifted to Maria as she entered the room.

"So?" He asked cooly, stepping towards Maria and acting as if Zoe had never existed.

"It's perfect and the view truly is the best in the city. You would be an idiot not to take it." Maria said in her soft, calm voice that almost sounded like a gentle waterfall. She beamed a gorgeous smile at David and Zoe watched as his eyes smiled back at her, and yet his face stayed perfectly still.

"Zoe, I'll handle all the logistics and paperwork for Mr. Moore. I just need to make a few phone calls and I'll meet you back in the office." Maria collected her things and moved towards the door. David's face dropped back to stone, cold, and unreadable. "Mr. Moore." She nodded to him as she walked past him and out the door leaving Zoe and David in the penthouse alone again.

David stared at Zoe. The aching for him almost felt as though it was turning into a fear of him as he stood silently, waiting, and watching. She wanted him desperately but in the morning after it all happened it had become clear what a mistake she had made, and how it had to never happen again. As she silently begged for this moment alone with him to end, he stepped closer. She felt her knees weaken and she could feel how much she wanted him, she was wet with wanting for him.

"Do you have any other questions?" Zoe whispered. Her heart pounding in her chest as she fought every urge she had. He stepped closer and leaned in so his mouth almost touched her ear. She hoped he could not see that she was shaking.

And softly, so quiet that she almost could not hear it, he whispered with heartbreaking desire, "What's next?"

Chapter 3

And just like that, they were in the elevator riding down to the lobby in complete silence. Zoe did not know what to say when it was all over. He smoothly cleaned up and got dressed again, looking as though nothing had happened. She had frantically remembered that security would be walking the units any minute and she would be out of a job if they had any idea what just happened. He stood, watching her fumble through getting dressed, but he never said a word.

If he wasn't going to say anything, neither was Zoe. She had never been in a situation like this before and probably never would be again so it was best to just pretend nothing had happened. The elevator ride was the longest of her life. 25 floors to the bottom and she had never been so relieved to hear the ring of the bell indicating they were on the first floor.

She stepped out of the elevator and stopped. From here, he could go back to his car and she could go back to her office. There was no way he was going to rent the penthouse and there was no way she could make it through the usual sales spiel that happened at the end of these tours. So she stopped and turned to look at him, anxiously waiting to see what he would do.

He looked just like he did when she first saw him in her office: calm, serious, all business. He looked down to meet her eyes and Zoe felt it again, the ache for him, the longing.

"Thank you for the tour." He said and then he turned and walked towards the parking garage as if everything was completely normal, as if nothing had happened. She watched him walk through the glass doors to the parking garage, not that she expected him to turn around or say anything else. She just watched in disbelief that anything that had happened in the last thirty minutes was real.

She shook her head and turned towards her office. As she sat down to finish the data entry for all the clients she saw that day, panic set in. She didn't know his name. She didn't get a number. Cheryl, her boss, would be expecting to see his information in the computer system first thing in the morning.

"Shit." Zoe said to herself, shaking her head in frustration. He was long gone by now and this was the sort of rookie mistake that got people fired. What had she been thinking? Everything she had just done was wrong. She had sex with a stranger in the penthouse apartment. But she had never felt so alive. Nothing had ever felt like when he was inside her.

"Stop it." She said to herself, grabbing her cell phone to check if the girls were still at happy hour, she needed a drink. If she was going to get fired tomorrow she might as well have a few whiskeys tonight.

5 missed calls. 

15 missed texts. 

She scrolled through quickly to find the normal "Stop working! Come get a drink!" texts from the girls but of the missed texts and calls 10 of them were from her boss, Cheryl.

Cheryl:  David Moore is on his way to see the Penthouse RIGHT NOW. Check yourself in the mirror and call me as soon as he leaves. He is the biggest client we have ever had and if he rents here we will become the new "IT" property so make sure you are dressed to impress and call me!
Cheryl: Call me as soon as he walks out the door! I need to know how it went!
Cheryl: Corporate knows he is on his way, I need a report ASAP.
Cheryl: Call me.
Cheryl: You better not be calling me because he is signing paperwork. Call me as soon as he is gone! 

Zoe picked up the office phone and called Cheryl while entering the much needed name into the computer system: David Moore.

"Did he rent it?" Cheryl didn't even let the phone ring once before answering.

"He did not." Zoe said as calmly and professionally as she could. Panic rising in her that some how Cheryl would know from the sound of her voice that she had not exactly shown him the apartment but instead had the best sex of her life with him.

"Why not?" Cheryl practically yelled it into the phone. "Dammit, Zoe! As soon as I got the call I should have driven over and shown him the place myself!"

"He didn't have a lot of time, he seemed very rushed." Zoe lied. She couldn't exactly say that he was more interested in entering her than in entering a lease agreement.

"I'm sorry to snap. I am sure you did great. There are just a lot of people watching him and waiting to see where he moves in this neighborhood. Corporate has not stopped calling or texting me as soon as they found out he was there. Finish up the paperwork and head home. We will talk about this more in the morning." Zoe felt a flood of relief at the words "in the morning." She had time to make a plan and find a way out of this with her job and dignity intact.

"Thank you, Cheryl. Have a great night." Zoe almost sighed the words and then set the office phone down. She finished adding the name David Moore to the list of clients for the day and texted the girls as she grabbed her things to walk out the door.

Happy Hour Group Text: Ladies, I am on my way & I need Whiskey NOW!

Chapter 2

Zoe tried to catch her thoughts up with everything she was feeling as the words he said made her drunk with lust. She had never done anything remotely close to this in her entire life. No night of passion or one night stand had ever felt anything near this. But they hadn't actually touched yet. Layers of clothing separated them and she knew nothing about this impeccably well dressed man who had said so little and been so arrogant. And yet, she had never felt an aching want like this. She had never wanted someone inside her like this. She had never felt desire like this. 

She stood up and turned around to face him. He moved his hands away and she took a step back to keep space between them. He did not move, he just watched her. They stood in silence, the only sound was their breathing. Her rushed panting, his quick quiet breaths. She looked him over, from his head to his toes and saw that he truly wasn't moving. He had stood straight up when she turned around and just lifted his hands from her hips and they were still there, hovering in air just above where her hips had been. The only thing that moved were his eyes because they were following hers. 

She met his gaze again, his face giving nothing away as she searched it for answers. She looked away. 

"What's Next?" He said so softly she almost thought it was a memory but when she met his gaze she saw that his face had softened, he almost looked concerned. And that was her tipping point. 

With eyes locked, she pushed him back on to the bed and hitched her skirt up as he sat back so she could straddle him. He firmly grabbed her hips and she straddled her legs around him. She could feel him underneath his pants, thick, hard and she could swear she could feel his aching. He reached in his pocket and gave her a condom. She reached down and undid his pants as he lifted her by the hips to move her panties out of the way. He held her there just above him as she pulled his pants down and saw him for the first time. He watched her face as he lowered her onto him. He watched her face as she gasped at him entering her. 

Zoe had never felt anything like it. He was so deep inside her, so hard and thick that he made all of her ache with pleasure. She could barely breath as he lifted her up again and brought her down slowly. She had had every intention of riding him and taking control of the situation but she was lost to him when he was inside her. She let his strong arms lift her and bring her back down slowly. She could feel herself dripping on him, she could feel him pounding inside her, she could feel ache and lust and pleasure through every part of her as he slowly began to move her faster, deeper, and harder. 

And he just watched her. He watched as she threw her head back and moaned in ecstasy. He watched her as she arched her back in pleasure. He watched as she could barely control herself as waves of pleasure brought her closure and closure to orgasm. 

She ran her fingers through his hair and tilted her head back, trying to catch her breath, knowing she was moments from losing herself to him. And he lifted her one last time and brought her down so deep and hard she lost herself in him screaming in pleasure as he grabbed her waist, rolled her onto her back and thrusting again harder and deeper while kissing her neck. She screamed again as her pleasure impossibly increased and yet he was pulling back again, kissing her neck, and entering her hard, deep, and impossibly strong. She was blinded with pleasure, every part of her on fire with it, as he moaned in ecstasy on top of her, filling her completely.   

Chapter 1

She was an hour into overtime trying to finish a client file so she could meet the girls at happy hour. Her feet were killing her from a full day of giving tours of the penthouse in three inch heels. Her boss had told her that she had to dress to impress and that had meant trading in her signature flared skirt and flats for a skin tight pencil skirt and high heels. After the last client left she had let her red hair down from the severe up-do her boss had requested and let it fall in big messy curls as she worked on data entry. Under her desk she had removed her heels, her blazer rested over the back of her chair, and she didn't even notice that the top button on her blouse had come undone when she heard him clear his throat.

Startled, she looked up and all she saw was business. A sharp, clearly custom, business suit and tie draped perfectly over his tall frame. Dark perfectly messy brown hair made a sharp contrast to his blue eyes and his 5 o'clock shadow made him look rugged. Zoe knew his type and hated men like him, overly aware of how handsome and powerful they are. Overly aware of how rich they are.

"I'm here to see the penthouse. Cheryl said there would be someone here to give me a tour." He said with blunt agitation.

"Of course, I'm so sorry.' Zoe fumbled over papers as she stood and reached out her hand to shake his, ready to introduce herself. "I'm Zoe. Would you like a - " He did not take her hand.

"I would like to see the penthouse. Now." Zoe made her way around the desk and held the door open for him but all he did was stare at her. All he did was stare at her feet. When she realized what he was staring at she was mortified, her face turning as red as her hair as she went back to her desk to put on her heels. His face didn't flinch. There was no way she was going to make this sale.

With heels on, she led him to the elevator and attempted to make sales person small talk. He barely responded, Zoe wondered if he was even breathing at times because nothing changed in his demeanor through all the "What brings you to the area? The penthouse is 10,000 square feet and has views of the entire valley, mountains, and even out to the ocean! Our olympic size saltwater pool is the envy of every high rise in the area."

She was thankful when the bell rang, the doors opened, and she was able to lead the way to the front door. As she opened the door for him and gestured for him to enter she saw his eyes run over her body slowly, thoughtfully, and it stirred something deep inside her. "Feel free to have a look around." She said as she walked towards the open kitchen and took in the view from the kitchen, over the lavishly furnished living area, to the floor to ceiling windows with their view of Orange County twinkling in the moonlight.

When she looked towards him again she saw he was staring at her, not the apartment. "I would prefer you show me around." And for the first time, she saw the faintest hint of a smile cross his face.

"Of course, please follow me." She led him to the living room area and stood looking out the window ready to explain the view as he came up right behind her, so close she could feel his breath on her neck. Her knees weakened and her heart rate increased as she pointed out the different landmarks visible from this high up.

"Lovely." He said. He wasn't touching her, but it felt like he was. It felt as intimate as you could be with a person. "What's Next?" He whispered in her ear.

She led him down the hallway to the first guest room, a large white bed sat in the center of the room looking out at the floor to ceiling windows. She walked in and stood at the foot of the bed, she was almost frightened to turn around and look towards him so she kept staring out the window as she described the features of the room. "This guest room is one of three in the penthouse..." before she could continue on he was there again, right behind her, somehow closer than before but still not touching her. She could feel her panties get damp and she had trouble catching her breathe. "What's next?" He purred into her ear, she could almost feel his words on her skin.

She led him down the hallway to the master bedroom. Her legs were shaking, she wondered if he could see how unsteady she was on her feet. She wondered if he noticed. When she entered the room she went straight to the window, and stood staring out again over the never ending view of lights from the city below. He came up behind her, just as he had before, so close that nothing had ever felt so intimate and yet, he did not touch her. She was aching for him, panties wet, and she could not even remember what she was supposed to say about this bedroom or the apartment or the high rise. She could barely breath, she was so overcome with desire and what had he done? Just stood there.

"What's next?" This time it melted her and she melted back, right into him. He was strong and did not flinch or move as she leaned back into his tall, muscular frame. She could feel herself dripping down her legs with want. He simple took one hand to move her big red curls behind her ear and leaned his head in so close as he whispered the faintest "What's next?"

She moaned as her head tilted back and her round firm ass pressed up against him. That's when she felt it, she felt his desire for her strong, thick, and hard. He moved his hands to her hips and pulled her into him so she could feel it even more. She bent at the waist and laid her hands on the glass in front of her. He bent forward to meet his lips to her ear and growled "What's next?"