God, I Hate That Man Read online

  “To not lose anything else.”

  “Be more specific, Ashley. Right now, in this moment, what would help you sort this mess out?”

  “An assistant who’s qualified and can take over someone else’s mess and sift through it without dropping any balls.” She smiles at me, a weary smile. “A unicorn in other words.”

  “Well, I don’t have a unicorn as such but I do have a team of assistants. I’ll call Tyson and see which would be the best placed to work in the charity sector and you can borrow them for a month or two until you find someone, or have them train a new person.”

  She shakes her head.

  I raise an eyebrow. Surely, she’s not too proud to borrow a member of my staff if it means keeping her charity afloat?

  “I appreciate the offer Finn, really I do, but the charity can’t afford to pay the kind of salary a company like yours pays, and no one is going to come and work for me for less money.”

  I see the problem and I know exactly how to deal with it in a way she won’t see as me taking pity on her. “Oh, no you don’t. I see what you’re doing and it’s not going to happen.”

  “Huh?”

  “Trying to get them off my payroll and onto yours so you can keep them? I don’t think so, Ashley. It’s a loan of a member of staff, nothing more than that,” I tell her. “I’ll be paying their salary and while they will be at your beck and call for the time you need them, there’s a two-month limit on that.” I pause and shake my head. “I can’t believe I made a nice gesture and you saw an opportunity to poach someone from my staff.”

  “That’s not what I meant,” she corrects.

  “A likely story,” I reply. “Now, do you want me to make the call on my terms or not?”

  She nods slowly.

  I stand up and start to head to my office to make the call.

  As I cross the room, Ashley calls out from behind me, “Finn?”

  I turn back.

  She smiles at me. “I know what you’re doing… and why you’re doing it. Thank you.”

  I smile back at her, afraid that if I confirm what she’s thinking, she’ll change her mind. I go to my office and call Tyson. I explain to him what I need and he recommends Andrea, a young and ambitious team member who came to us from a nonprofit company which she left when she saw there was no path for betterment there for her. I tell Tyson to call her and have her meet Ashley at her office at eight in the morning, and to make it clear to Andrea that this is a personal favor to me and not a demotion, or a way of getting her out of the back door.

  Tyson texts me within five minutes, saying it’s all sorted and Andrea will be there.

  I go back to the living room.

  Ashley looks up as I walk towards her.

  I shake my head, my face grave. “I’m sorry Ashley. We won’t be able to give you a unicorn.”

  Her face drops.

  “But…” I pause dramatically, “…we will however be giving you Andrea, a professional assistant with experience working in the nonprofit sector.”

  “Oh, you bastard,” Ashley breathes with a grin.

  I laugh. “I think the words you’re looking for are thank you, but whatever.”

  “Seriously, you almost gave me heart failure there. But yes, thank you. You have no idea what this means to me, Finn.”

  I sit back down beside her and smile at her. “It’s my pleasure. Now, what else do you need?”

  “Nothing,” she says, smiling again. “Really, that’s just taken a huge weight off my mind. When will I meet her?”

  “She’s meeting you at your office at eight o’clock tomorrow morning. After that, you can set her hours to suit you both.”

  “That’s good,” Ashley chimes, staring off into the distance for a moment. “That’ll give me enough time to go over everything with her and get her set up before I have to meet your mom for a dress fitting.”

  “About that…” I start.

  “Oh, God what now? Finn I can’t cope with anything else changing right now,” she grumbles.

  “It’s nothing. My mom just asked me to remind you about it, that’s all.”

  Now isn’t the time to talk about the new will. If she hears the words “the wedding’s off” she’s actually going to hear the words “the deal is off” right now. And in the frazzled state she’s in, I’d never get her to hear me when I tell her that I’m still going to be donating the money as we discussed it. She isn’t the one who broke the deal and her charity shouldn’t suffer because of it. Hell, I’m actually happy to be giving her this money. My grandpa’s moment of nostalgia has already caused enough upheaval as it is.

  I decide to tell her tomorrow evening when she has Andrea all settled in and working her magic, when she’s a little less stressed. She’ll understand why I chose to wait a day and she’ll be so relieved that she doesn’t have to marry me, she won’t care too much about waiting an extra day to find out about it.

  Ashley is rubbing at that spot on her neck again, the one that seems to tense up.

  I already know whenever she gets herself stressed out like this, she does the same thing. “Here, let me,” I say, reaching up and rubbing the knot.

  I didn’t think it through before I said it, but Ashley accepts my touch without complaint. She’s either so stressed out she just wants this knot gone any way she can get it to happen, or like me, she knows where this will end up and she’s inviting it. But now I know what I know, can I still go through with that?

  Sure, I can, I tell myself. It’ll be the perfect way for us to say goodbye. And it’s not like the sex is in anyway part of the deal. It’s something I think Ashley would still want to do even if she knew we don’t have to get married anymore. Especially, since she thinks weddings are unnecessary. Who knows, knowing this would probably turn her on even more. Still, I’m cautious, barely touching her, just moving the tips of my fingers over the knot.

  Ashley turns to the side and leans back slightly, giving me easier access.

  I realize she’s felt the fact I am barely touching her, and put it down to the awkward angle. I begin to massage her more deeply, and sure enough, within moments, she’s moaning and my cock is hard.

  I know she feels it at the base of her spine. She’s sitting between my legs, her ass pressed against it. There’s no way she cannot be feeling it. She doesn’t comment though and I keep massaging her, trying to ignore the way I feel inside, like I just want to fuck her all night long.

  She starts to unbutton her pajama top and I push my hands inside of it, moving them over the tops of her shoulders. I start to move my hands lower and soon, I’m massaging the top of her breasts.

  Ashley sighs, a contented sigh that tells me she’s thoroughly enjoying this.

  I lean forward and kiss her neck and she moans again, leaning her body back against mine. I run my tongue down her neck and over the top of her shoulder, my hands now massaging her breasts fully. I can feel her nipples rubbing against my palms, hardening at my touch. The skin around them is puckered with goose bumps.

  I kiss back up along her neck and suck her ear lobe into my mouth.

  She gasps, but this time, it’s not with pleasure then she springs away from me.

  For a horrible second, I think I’ve somehow hurt her.

  She begins to gather up her files, doing it so fast that loose papers flutter from some of them.

  I automatically start to help her. “Are you all right?” I ask. “Did I hurt you?”

  “I’m fine. And no, you didn’t. I just… I just have to get these files put away,” she mutters as she jumps to her feet. She holds her hand out for the papers I’m holding.

  I debate holding them hostage until she tells me what’s wrong, but I decide against it and just give them to her. She’s not going to want to open up to me if she feels like I’m forcing her to talk to me.

  Then she rushes out of the living room, not even looking back.

  I hear her bedroom door closing and rub my hand over my own neck. I close
my eyes for a moment. I don’t know what the hell went wrong there, but it wasn’t anything to do with her needing to start collecting up those files.

  I stand up and move towards the hallway. I’m not going to push this. If Ashley doesn’t want to have sex with me, then all she has to do is say so, but I’m not going to let her run off like that without talking to me, not when something is clearly bothering her.

  I don’t bother knocking on her door. Something tells me she wouldn’t respond if I did, and it’s not like she’s been gone long enough to be naked or anything. I step into the room.

  Ashley is perched on the end of the bed and she glares at me when I come in.

  “Ashley, what’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” she says.

  “Well, you need to tell your face nothing is wrong, because if looks could kill, I’d be dead right now.”

  She shrugs and turns her head to look out of the window.

  Dammit, this woman is frustrating. “Look, clearly there is something wrong and if you don’t want anything to happen between us, then fine, it won’t. But I’m not a damned mind reader Ashley, and if something is bothering you, then you need to tell me what it is.”

  “Why do I need to tell you what it is? It’s not like we’re married yet and you can order me around.”

  “I’m pretty sure this isn’t the Victorian times and even if it were, I can’t even imagine ordering you, of all people around,” I joke, trying to lighten the mood.

  It doesn’t work. Ashley just keeps staring at the window.

  I sigh loudly. “Well, if I’ve upset you somehow, I’m sorry. But we both know the apology would be a little more genuine if I knew what I was actually apologizing for.”

  Ashley finally turns to look at me. She doesn’t look angry. She looks resigned, like she knows she has to say this, but she really doesn’t want to. “Fine, I’ll tell you. Things between us, they got a little complicated, didn’t they? And that’s not what either of us wanted. I’m not blaming you Finn, and you don’t owe me an apology. This is my issue not yours, so I’ll find a way to get over it. We talked and we both agreed we could see whomever we wanted to, and that’s okay. I’m not angry. But I don’t want to be just another one of your women.”

  “I don’t understand.” I’m genuinely confused as to what the hell she’s talking about. She’s making it sound like I’m suddenly fucking half of the women in the city or something.

  “I thought I was okay with this being meaningless sex between us, but I’m not. I can’t cope with the thought of you fucking her and then coming home and fucking me. I’m sorry if you think that makes me petty, but that’s the way it’s got to be. Do you understand?”

  “I understand the sentiment, but I’ve got no idea where this is coming from, or who this ‘her’ you’re talking about is.”

  “Janette, of course,” Ashley spits.

  I move to the bed and sit down beside Ashley. She stiffens slightly but she doesn’t move away and I take that as a good sign. “Where did this come from? Because I’m not sleeping with Janette. Hell, I haven’t properly dated anyone in years. Work just got in the way of all of that stuff. I never met anyone special enough for me to leave the office early for, and as you can imagine, any girl I did try to date got pretty pissed off about me cancelling on them for work stuff all the time. So in the end, I just stopped bothering. I’ve had a few one night stands, but the last one was months before I met you,” I admit honestly.

  “And you expect me to believe that?” Ashley asks quietly.

  “Honestly Ashley, I don’t much care one way or the other. It’s the truth and you can choose to believe it or you can choose to be a cynic and assume the worst of me. I’m not going to beg you to believe me, because as you say, our deal didn’t prohibit me from doing what I wanted with other women so I have no reason to lie to you, or beg you to believe me.”

  Ashley goes quiet for a moment while she thinks this through. “I want to believe you, Finn. But it’s kind of hard after yesterday. Girls don’t lose their earrings in cars unless they’ve been fucking in them,” she remarked.

  “Nice way of putting it.” I grin. “And you’re right. Janette did lose her earring while fucking in the car, but it wasn’t me she was fucking. She’s Lester’s wife.”

  “Who is Lester?” Ashley asks.

  “One of my drivers,” I explain. “She came for the earring herself because Lester refused to ask me. He assumed he would be fired when I worked out how Janette lost an earring in the backseat of my car.”

  “Why didn’t he just get it himself and not involve you at all?” Ashley asked.

  “Because I had already found it. I knew it must be hers, but he refused to admit it was Janette’s. I was waiting for him to own up. I rate honestly very highly in my staff. I had it in the office safe, so I took her back to the office and gave it to her.”

  “You were gone so long though,” Ashley points out.

  “Yeah, I wasn’t finished working. Next time I need to work late, I’ll be sure to ask your permission,” I point out, getting a little tired of having to explain myself.

  “God, I’m sorry, Finn. I’m such an idiot,” Ashley said, shaking her head. “I should just have talked to you about it. Or better yet, just minded my own damn business.”

  “Let’s face it, I didn’t exactly handle Alan any better than you handled Lester’s wife,” I admit.

  She laughs softly. “I guess we’re both much too stubborn to just actually ask the hard questions.”

  “Or maybe we were both afraid of the answers.”

  “You know, for a guy who doesn’t date, you seem to have all of the right answers,” she remarks softly.

  “I don’t cook, but I still know when a burger tastes good,” I point out.

  She bursts out laughing and I join her. Her laugh is infectious and I know for sure now that I am in real trouble here. I explained myself because I wanted Ashley to know I didn’t sleep with anyone else. Because I wanted her to know, she’s become special to me. “Listen, Ashley,” I say when our laughter dies down.

  She turns to face me, seeming to sense what I’m about to say is serious.

  “I know we agreed not to complicate this, but it seems like it’s a little late for that. If you don’t want me to touch you anymore, I get it, and I swear I won’t. I’ll find a way to think of you as a friend and nothing more, but I want to be with you. I like the complications.” I smile at her.

  She smiles back.

  “I guess what I’m trying to say is… I don’t want to stop whatever it is we’ve started here. And—” I don’t get a chance to finish because Ashley’s mouth is suddenly on mine. She kisses me and I kiss her back, our arms going around each other.

  “And…?” She prompts, pulling back from my kiss for a moment, a twinkle in her eyes.

  “And… oh, who cares. I just really want to kiss you again.”

  “I’m agreeable to that,” she beams as she leans closer to me again.

  I kiss her, pushing my tongue into her mouth, tasting her lips, her teeth, her tongue. As I kiss her, I start to open the buttons on her pajama top. I get them open and push her top down her arms, my hands skimming over her back then down her sides before coming around to the front of her body and massaging her breasts. I want to feel every inch of her skin, taste every part of it.

  Ashley tugs at my shirt and I take my hands off her breasts and my mouth off her lips, long enough for her to rip my shirt off then throw it to the ground. We come back together, our mouths seeking each other out. I stand, pulling her up with me and her hands go to my jeans, opening them and pushing them down. She comes back for my boxer shorts and pushes them down too. I kick my shoes off and follow them with my jeans and boxers and then I step back from Ashley.

  “Tonight is all about you,” I say, my voice husky.

  She reaches out for me, but I sidestep her grasping arms and grab her. I push her gently onto the bed. She lands on her bottom and I motion for her t
o scoot backwards. She does as I direct her. I lean down and grasp her pajama bottoms by the ankles. She lifts her ass and I yank them off her. She’s not wearing any underwear and I feel heat flood me at the sight of her laying there naked, open, and mine for the taking.

  I want to pounce on her and enter her, but I hold myself back. Tonight is all about her and I meant it. I want to make her come before I enter her. I crawl onto the bed and lift Ashley’s right leg. I kiss her ankle and then make my way up her calf, moving slowly up her lower leg in a trail of kisses. I move my mouth gently over her knee, running my tongue up her thigh, stopping when I get to her pussy. I take a deep breath, breathing in the sweet scent of Ashley’s pussy. I pick up her left leg and kiss my way up that one too.

  I lick over her inner thighs, and see goosebumps rush over the surface of her skin. Then I push her legs wide apart and stare down at all that beauty. All that lovely, wet flesh. All mine. I move closer to her and run my tongue over the outside of her pink lips until she’s begging me to move to her clit, to end the teasing touches. I smile to myself as I kiss along her quivering flesh, until finally, I give her what she wants and begin to lap at her clit.

  She moans beneath me as I suck her clit into my mouth, pressing it against the ridges on the top of my mouth. Her moans become longer when I gently vibrate my tongue, making rippling motions over her clit. Finally, I release my hold on her and begin to lick her gently.

  I push two fingers into her pussy, finding her g-spot. I work it in time with my tongue. I up my pace, licking her harder and harder… within moments, she’s coming hard. Her pussy squirting liquid into my mouth and running down my chin to the duvet as her eyes roll back in her head, her whole body tenses as she drops over the edge of the abyss of pleasure.

  I pull my fingers out of her pussy and lick down her slit. I lick around the edge of her pussy. She moans with an almost pained sound as I thrust my tongue inside of her while my fingers continue to work her clit, hard and fast. Within seconds, she’s coming again... and again, I greedily drink up her juices, relishing the taste of her on my tongue.

  I keep working her until her moans trail off to gasping breaths, until her legs have come up and wrapped themselves around my shoulders as her hands become like claws at her sides.