First Impressions: The Fix Up Part 14

"No, I don't mean stop, stop-I just mean..." She licked her lips, then shot a pointed look at his crotch. "It's my turn."

"What?"

"You've already had your mouth on me. I want to have my mouth on you."

He opened his mouth to say something clever and witty, but all that came out was "Ungh."

But that didn't seem to deter her, and she slid out of her chair to kneel in front of him. Ben was still too dumbstruck to say anything, so he pressed his lips to hers and kissed her hard and deep. She slid her hands up his back, anchoring them on each of his shoulders as she drew her body tight against him. When he broke the kiss, she was breathing heavy.

"Stand up," she ordered. "I want to suck you."

Jesus Christ. Was there any phrase in the entire English language with more power to bring a grown man to his knees?

But that wasn't the position she needed him in, so Ben got to his feet, a little shaky and not entirely certain he should be doing this. "Are you sure-"

"Yes," she said. "I know what I said earlier, and I know I might regret this later, but honest to G.o.d, if I don't have you in my mouth in the next thirty seconds, I'm going to scream."

"Not the way I want to make you scream," he said, then groaned as she grabbed hold of his belt and began to unfasten it. Her hands were deft and sure, not fumbling at all with the buckle the way he might have done if he'd tried to perform any tasks requiring dexterity. It was all he could do to keep himself upright as she pulled down his zipper, then hooked her fingers under the elastic of his boxer briefs.

She tugged them down, and Ben felt his c.o.c.k spring free, hard and throbbing and mere inches from her face. He started to make some inane wisecrack, but then her lips closed around him and he forgot how to form words.

"G.o.d, Holly," he growled as she drew him into her mouth. Her lips were warm and soft, and her tongue felt like it was everywhere at once. She sucked him deeper, the gentle suction leaving Ben dizzy. She swirled her tongue around him, taking her time, keeping the pressure constant as she drew back again.

She reached up and slid her hand around the base of his c.o.c.k, making it an extension of her mouth as she pulled him in again, sucking harder this time. He watched her ease back, sliding him all the way out of her mouth.

She looked up at him, her eyes sparking with heat. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised you've got the d.i.c.k to match the hands," she said, grinning as she took him into her mouth again.

Ben gave a strangled gasp and slid his fingers into her hair. He was gripping the conference table with the other hand, pretty sure he'd fall down if he didn't have something to hang on to. Holly sucked him in again, the pressure intensifying both in her mouth and in his brain. She felt so good, her mouth warm and wet and inviting, her tongue gliding over him like heated velvet.

He was getting dizzier now as her fingers tightened around the base of his shaft and she began to move faster, quickening her pace. The suction was so intense, Ben nearly pa.s.sed out, and he could feel her tongue flicking over the head of his c.o.c.k.

"Holly," he choked out. "I'm close. You should stop if you don't want-"

"Yes," she said as she sucked him deeper, squeezing his shaft with her fingers. Her eyes were closed, lashes resting soft against her cheeks as her dark hair fell over her shoulders.

Ben felt the first spasm grip him and he groaned, hoping like h.e.l.l they were the only ones in the building. Her eyes flew open, those pale orbs locking with his as the pleasure knocked him back on his heels. His fingers tangled in her hair as the next wave hit him, then another and another and another until he was mindless and spent and so full of pleasure he couldn't see straight. He let his eyes close as Holly slowed to a gentle rhythm.

When he finally opened his eyes, she was grinning up at him. "Well," she said, wiping the back of her hand against the corner of her mouth. "I'd say you aced your first round of public speaking cla.s.s. Well done."

"Jesus Christ." Ben shook his head, then unwound his fingers from her hair and held out his palm. She placed her hand in his, and he lifted her to her feet so he could cradle her against his body. "That was f.u.c.king amazing."

"Tsk-tsk," she said, squeezing him tight as she breathed against the front of his s.h.i.+rt. "No cursing in a presentation. The audience will find you cra.s.s and unimaginative."

"f.u.c.k the audience."

Holly grinned. "You kinda just did."

Lucky for Ben, the real audience was every bit as receptive as Holly had been, though perhaps not in quite the same way.

"Great job, Ben," said the Kleinberger CEO as he made his way out of the boardroom on Friday afternoon. "You really killed it in there."

"I loved the insight into all the engineering innovations you've got going here at Langley," the CFO added. "I was fascinated by the details of stimulated emissions."

"Thanks," Ben said, his brain flas.h.i.+ng on an image of Holly writhing at the conference table. "We did a lot of hands-on work with that."

"Yeah," Ben's dad said, clapping him on the shoulder hard enough to knock him sideways if he hadn't been braced for it, but he was, and his dad's hand seemed to bounce off his shoulder. "Too bad you forgot to mention the fact that we can put a copper finish on that tank so it matches their other equipment."

"I didn't forget, Dad, I just chose not to use it. My presentation, my bullet points."

"Well I say you did an outstanding job." Kleinberger's VP of cost a.n.a.lysis smiled at him. "You'll have our decision soon."

The executive team filed out of the room one by one, chattering amongst themselves as they went. The instant the door closed behind the last three-piece suit, Lyle turned to Ben.

"That wasn't too bad, boy."

"Thanks," Ben said. It wasn't the most enthusiastic praise he'd ever received, though it might have been the best he'd gotten from his dad. How many chess trophies had been brought home, or academic scholars.h.i.+ps had he won without his dad uttering a single word of approval?

"Won't do you much good when it's time to run the company," his dad had said so often that Ben stopped bringing home awards from the science fair.

Now, his father was staring at him with something that almost looked like approval. "You want to go grab a drink and celebrate?" Lyle asked.

Ben hesitated. He almost said no, but something about his father's expression told him this was one of those rare opportunities for father/son bonding that he shouldn't pa.s.s up. "Sure. Just let me shut down my office. Want to meet across the street at Bailey's in ten minutes?"

"I'll grab a booth at the back."

Ben nodded and hustled back to his office, pulling his phone out of his pocket as he went. He set it on his desk and went through the motions of shutting down his computer, grabbing his jacket, waiting impatiently for his phone to power on.

He hadn't talked to Holly all week, not since she'd walked him to the door after the mother of all speech coaching sessions.

"Thanks for coming by, Ben," she'd said as she hesitated at the front door of First Impressions, all business once they had their clothes back on. Her hair had even been tucked back up in its neat little bun, and Ben had ached to undo it again. "I hope the speech coaching was helpful."

"Helpful doesn't even begin to describe what just happened in there."

She'd smiled and blushed and looked down at her hands. "I guess I got a little carried away."

"You can get carried away anytime with me."

She'd sighed and looked up at him again, her expression troubled. "Look, Ben-"

"I know, I know-you're going to tell me you don't normally do this and that it can't happen again?"

"Right. Something like that." She bit her lip. "I've just got a lot going on in my life right now. I really need to focus on my career and revenue and-well, business."

"Business," Ben repeated. "We're on the same page there. At the moment, I need to be eating, sleeping, and dreaming of nothing but business."

A dark light had flashed in Holly's eyes, but Ben wasn't sure what to make of it. He was still trying to think of something to say when she'd taken a step back from him.

"Let's just do our best to keep it professional, Ben. It feels like things are sorta even now, right?"

"Even?"

"You know. What happened at your place and then just now-"

"You make it sound like a business merger instead of the best d.a.m.n b.l.o.w.j.o.b of my life."

She'd laughed, giving him a playful swat as she stepped away. "Call me if you need any more public speaking tips between now and Friday. I'm sure you'll do great."

They were the last words she'd spoken to him, at least for now. He'd done his best not to call her, not even for a last-minute pep talk before the presentation.

But now that the presentation was over, surely it was okay to at least let her know? She was still his PR consultant, after all. There was no reason not to contact her.

He picked up his phone and typed out a quick text message.

Presentation went great. Thanks for all the tips! Couldn't have done it without you.

Then he shrugged into his jacket and jogged to the elevator, not wanting to keep his dad waiting.

By the time he sat down at the table, Lyle was already halfway through his gla.s.s of Laphroig. Ben slid into the booth across from him, not sure whether to be annoyed or grateful his dad had ordered one for him, too.

"Cheers, boy!" Lyle said as he held up his gla.s.s. "Let's hope the Kleinberger team makes the right decision."

"Cheers," Ben echoed, and picked up his own gla.s.s. He clinked it against his father's, then took a sip of the smoky brew. G.o.d, he'd probably never get used to it. For his father's sake, he wanted to like it, but he couldn't help but think he'd rather swill drain cleaner.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, and Ben put his hand on it.

Holly.

His stupid pulse started to gallop, but Ben left his phone where it was. He wasn't going to be that guy who checked messages while having a conversation with someone else. He owed his dad some undivided attention for at least the time it took to down a gla.s.s of Laphroig.

Ben looked down at his gla.s.s and scowled. It could be a while.

"Gotta love a good Irish whiskey," Lyle said. "This is the fifteen-year, of course."

Ben nodded and looked up at his dad. "Of course."

"Sure as h.e.l.l wish they'd get the eighteen-year-old stuff here, or even the twenty-five, but at least it's not the ten."

"Thank G.o.d for small blessings."

He took another sip, relieved this one went down a little easier. He wondered if this was how normal fathers and sons interacted. Ben had no idea. His mom had died when he was at the age most boys were getting their driver's license. Instead, Ben had been heading off to college. He thought he'd been well past the age when he urgently needed a mother's snuggles or homemade cookies, but he'd craved those things anyway.

Lyle hadn't been up for any of that, save the stiff, one-armed hug he'd given at the funeral.

"Buck up, boy," Lyle had told him. "It's just you and me, now."

And it had been, for half of Ben's life.

Ben took another sip of whiskey and looked at his father across the table. "So do you think we'll get the Kleinberger deal?"

Lyle's eyes lit up the way they always did when anyone brought up business deals. "Yeah, I think we stand a good chance."

"And you think the presentation went well?"

Okay, fine, he was fis.h.i.+ng. Was it so wrong to want approval from his father? Lyle leaned back against his seat and swirled the smoky liquid in his gla.s.s, staring down at it like it held the meaning of life. "It was good. 'Course, there's something missing."

"From the presentation? I covered all the bases. I thought the cost a.n.a.lysis was thorough without being overwhelming, and the-"

"No, not all that mumbo jumbo. I'm talking about you as the CEO."

"What about me?"

"Folks want to see a CEO with a little more charisma. A guy who can get out there and golf with the boys, then charm all the ladies at the company party."

Ben raised an eyebrow at his father and gripped his gla.s.s a little tighter. "Are you suggesting I hire professional escorts to pose as purveyors of my charms?"

"Oh, don't get all p.i.s.sy. I'm talking your personal life. In the business world, folks like to follow the lead of a man all the women want. Now's the time for you to play the field a little, really show the ladies what you've got."

"I see," Ben said tightly. "And that's the secret to your success?"

"I have the advantage of being a widower. That's even better."

"Being widowed is a business a.s.set?"

"Sure. It shows I'm grounded enough to get married and have a family in the first place, but not tied down by having to spend time with them."

Ben frowned down at his drink, more than a little annoyed to be lumped together with his dead mother as a professional advantage. Spending time with him or with Ben's mom had never been a priority for Lyle, not even when Judy was sick as a dog with the chemo.

Part of Ben still blamed his dad for all of that. For the sadness in his mom's eyes as she sat lonely and waiting for Lyle to come home from a business trip. For the science fairs Lyle never attended because he was off flirting with secretaries. For the missed chance at early diagnosis of the cancer that claimed Judy's life.

For all of it and then some.

But h.e.l.l, at least his dad was trying to connect with him on some level now. Maybe that's what mattered. Maybe learning something from his father was his best shot at becoming the sort of CEO he needed to be to take the company to the next level.

Ben swirled the liquid in his gla.s.s, relieved to see there was a lot less of it now than there had been. "If we get the Kleinberger deal, the company would be well-positioned for a potential merger of-"

"How serious are you about that Honey girl?" Lyle asked, snapping his fingers. "The one you brought to the event."

"Holly?"

"Yeah, that's the one. Take her, for instance."

"Take her where?"

Lyle ignored him. "She's a pretty girl, but not someone you're planning to have a relations.h.i.+p with, right?"

Ben stared at his father, not sure if he was more annoyed by the old man's line of questioning, or by the fact that Holly had made it clear she had no interest in a relations.h.i.+p with him.

Why did that bother him so much?