Chapter 8: Chapter 8

SHAY

^TUESDAY, MAY 24^

Standing in the lobby, Shay nervously fiddled with her fingers as she waited.

“Chill. Everything will go well,” Dario said, attempting to calm her nerves.

She just nodded her head and watched the receptionist type away on her little laptop.

~Bzzz bzzz.~

Checking her phone, she read the message quickly.

Ethan Ramsay

I’ll pick you around 4:30, if you’re done earlier let me know. They’ll love you. 😊

Smiling, she tucked her phone back into her bag. Ever since their date, Ethan had been texting and calling her more often.

Granted, their date only happened less than thirty-six hours ago, but she’d been surprised to get a text from him as soon he got home.

They’d scheduled their second date for today, though technically it was a do-over for the first, and she was looking forward to it.

“Miss Haze?” a voice called.

Shay looked up to see a woman in an all-pink suit, with her hair in a neat bun, smiling at her.

“You must be Miss Lin,” Shay said, holding out her hand as she walked toward the woman.

“Yes. Call me Lin,” the woman said as she shook Shay’s hand. “Our team is expecting you.”

Lin turned to lead the way, and Shay signaled for Dario and Karen to follow them.

Walking down the long hall, her heels clicking on the tiles, Shay noticed the designers were huddled in one corner and the social media team were in another—it was obvious where their stations were.

They approached a room, and Shay peeked in as the doors opened wider and saw a group of people busy at work. She followed Lin in.

“Hey, everyone, this is Shay Haze. She’ll be working with you guys today.” Lin introduced everyone, and with a huge smile on her face, Shay nodded and waved around the room.

“Hey,” she greeted before turning to her team. “This is Dario and Karen, my photographer and my assistant.”

As soon as she took an empty seat, their in-house designers started presenting their ideas.

They spent hours going through the designs, brainstorming together and working out their plans. Shay barely had time to think about anything else, focusing solely on the project.

They went through the materials, picking out a few different ones, mixing and matching the product, and Shay enjoyed the entire process even more than she thought she would.

Growing up she’d expected to follow in her father’s footsteps and become a doctor—she never would’ve guessed she’d end up in this industry.

“Are you happy with the product?” Lin asked as she stared at the drawings and the samples Shay had picked out.

“I like it a lot, but will your team approve?” she said, her eyes skimming over the board.

Noticing shuffling noises, she looked up and realized that most of the designers had left the room. Lifting her head a little more, she stared at the clock on the wall.

4:45 p.m.

Eyes widening, she grabbed her phone from her bag and checked her messages.

Ethan Ramsay

I haven’t heard from you. I’m just down the street, call me once you’re done and I’ll come and get you. See you soon baby.

“I’ll be meeting them in a bit, and we’ll go over the designs,” Lin explained. “I’ll be able to get the sample out for you by this Friday. Once everything is confirmed, we’ll start on production.”

Dario asked Lin a question, and Shay’s mind wandered off, thinking about her date. She felt butterflies in her belly as her excitement grew. She was looking forward to spending some more time with Ethan.

She hovered her finger over the message for a second longer before typing her message and sending it off.

Shay

I should be done in fifteen minutes. See you soon 😊

After tucking her phone away, she felt it vibrate against her bag, but she chose not to pay any attention to it. Focusing on the task at hand, she listened to Dario and Lin’s conversation.

She’d invited Dario to this meeting because he was such a huge part of her life, and she knew he had her best interests at heart and wanted to do right by her brand.

Karen had been taking notes the entire meeting, plus getting them drinks and food. But Shay had been too excited and nervous to eat and had only had tea the entire day.

As she’d predicted, the meeting went on for another few minutes before officially ending. She thanked Lin and the team for their time and packed up her things.

She was excited to see the prototype in a few days. She’d never done something on such a large scale in such a short amount of time.

If she was honest with herself, she was nervous about the outcome. Nervous that the public wouldn’t buy her collaboration. She knew her fears were unfounded, but her anxiety caused her to overthink.

“Where do you want to eat?” Dario asked when the three of them stepped out of the building.

Shay spotted a familiar black bike, and her smile widened. Her eyes connected with Ethan’s, and she gave him a small wave, feeling like a foolish schoolgirl.

“I have a date actually,” she said as she turned around and walked backward toward Ethan.

Dario’s facial expression changed before he gave a curt nod. “I didn’t know you were open to dating.”

She’d known Dario would react this way; in fact, she hadn’t expected anything less. He’d openly expressed interest, but it wasn’t like he’d been waiting for her.

He went on dates and spoke to girls, so she knew he wouldn’t treat her differently now.

Chuckling, she walked to Dario and planted a long kiss on his cheek. She felt his hand cup her back before he let her go and smiled.

“I’ll talk to you later, D,” she said before waving goodbye to Karen.

Ethan had been holding her helmet while he watched her exchange with Dario and Karen, and he was frowning as Shay approached him and grabbed the helmet out of his hands.

“Do you want to meet my friends?” she asked.

“Sure,” he replied.

She turned around to look for them, only to realize that they’d walked the other way. Shrugging her shoulders, she turned back to Ethan, giving him a look before placing the helmet on her head.

“Some other time then,” he said.

Grabbing a hold on his shoulder, Shay stepped on the metal piece and swung her other leg over the bike. After adjusting herself, she wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Where are we going?” she asked, feeling his warm body against hers.

“Somewhere not sexual at all,” he chuckled.

Feeling the bike come to life, she took a deep breath and braced herself as he started the ride.

When the bike tilted, Shay relaxed and allowed herself to go along with it. She enjoyed the feeling more than she ever thought she would—the rush, the excitement coursing through her veins as the bike sped up.

Feeling water drops, Shay looked up. It was starting to rain! Laughing, she threw her head back as the rain got even heavier.

Her clothes were getting soaking wet as they sped through the rain, so she snuggled closer to Ethan, needing to feel his warmth.

“Do you want to just go back to your place?” he yelled over the rain.

“Yeah, sure!” she answered. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed the feeling. It was indescribable, and she wasn’t ready for it to end yet.

The rain became even heavier as Ethan navigated through traffic, but before long they arrived at her basement parking garage.

Now in a dry area, she started to notice the chill on her skin. Even under all the fabric she had on, she could feel her nipples hardening. Goosebumps spread over her body, and she started shivering.

Ethan parked his bike in the lot, and Shay quickly got off and passed her helmet to him. When she glanced down at her wet clothes, she realized her beige blouse was see-through. Blushing, she looked up.

Ethan was staring at her.

She laughed and shook her head. “Let’s get up to my place and maybe see what’s in my pantry,” she suggested.

Nodding his head, he allowed her to lead him to the elevator.

After pressing the button to her floor, Shay leaned on the elevator wall as their clothes dripped with water. They looked at each other and smiled, and Ethan moved closer.

Unable to contain herself, she burst out in laughter and so did he. But when he put his hands around her waist and lowered his head, the laughter stopped.

Shay’s breath hitched, and she stared into his eyes—she recognized the darkness, the lust. Tilting her head up, she licked her lower lip. His eyes dropped to her mouth.

~Ding!~

The elevator stopped, and the doors opened. She instantly pushed him away and exited onto her floor. Ethan followed closely behind, so she picked up her pace until she reached her door.

As she quickly unlocked it, she could almost hear her heart beating.

Leaving the front door open, she peeled off her jacket and removed her shoes. She needed to get out of these wet clothes, and she knew he needed to as well.

The door clicked shut behind her, and she turned around. Their eyes connected for a brief moment before she dropped her jacket to the floor and stepped forward.

He instantly did the same, his hands snaking around her back as hers went behind his neck, pulling him to her as she stood on the tips of her toes, smashing her lips against his.

Even though it was their first kiss, their lips moved in sync, as if they’d done it a million times before. His tongue grazed her bottom lip, and she gladly opened her mouth wider so he could slip his tongue in.

Their tongues danced, fighting for dominance as his hands raked her back, stopping at the top of her butt. She smiled against his lips. He was respectful and she appreciated that. In fact, it turned her on even more.

She pushed him away, panting, trying to catch her breath. She watched his chest heave, her lips curling into a smirk. She was glad she had the same effect on him that he did on her.

Reaching out, she fumbled with his buttons, trying to get his shirt off him as he reached for the hem of her blouse and pulled it over her head. She pushed his shirt aside, revealing his broad shoulders.

Stepping back, she began to unbuckle his belt, but his hands stopped her.

He cupped her cheek gently. “Baby,” he groaned.

“Ethan,” she whispered.

“I need to know when to stop. I need to know your boundaries,” he said, bending down and kissing her neck.

Feeling his lips on her skin excited her more than she cared to admit. Biting her lip to hold back a moan, Shay tilted her head to give him more access.

His fingertips gently scratched her back, and her eyes rolled back as she let out an involuntary sigh.

Shay reached backward and unclasped her bra. Pushing Ethan away just a little, she held her bra in place as she walked away from him. She knew he was watching her, so she put an extra sway in her hips.

Dropping her bra on the floor, she looked back and gave him a seductive smirk. Using her hands to cover her nipples, she led him toward her room.

“~Fuck~,” she heard him say under his breath, then she yelped as she felt herself being whisked off the ground.

He carried her over to the kitchen island and placed her on the edge, her legs on either side of him, his hands on the outside of her thighs. He stared at her with eyes filled with lust.

Her hands were still covering her nipples, but her skirt had ridden up to her waist, giving him a full view of her wet thong.

“I don’t know how other guys resist you—I’m hard as fuck,” he breathed.

Smiling sweetly at him, she dropped her hands. His eyes instantly dropped to her bare breasts.

He squeezed her thighs as he stared at her chest, his breathing labored. He wanted more and so did she.

Although she wouldn’t sleep with him, she trusted him enough to let him see her almost naked.

“Do you like what you see, baby?” she teased, biting her lower lip.

He nodded and took a step back, attending to his belt as she’d tried to do earlier, then dropped his wet pants to the floor, leaving him in his black boxers. There was a noticeable strain in his boxers, a large tent indeed.

Gulping as her eyes traveled down his body, he gripped his hard member in his hand.

“Baby,” he called softly.

Moaning in response, she could feel a tinge of pain in between her thighs. She ached for some relief, and she knew he felt the same.

“Do you want to touch it?” he asked, and when she nodded her head, he took a step closer.