Pencil Me In (Cubicle Thunder Book 1) Read online

  I’m a dumbass, I can’t say no to the big man. He’s my fucking boss and my one way ticket to my next promotion. I’d be an idiot to refuse his request. I’m not a kiss-ass by any means, but when duty calls I have to be ready and willing. Making eye contact, I notice his less than impressed expression as he watches me intently awaiting a response as I ramble to no one but myself.

  “Palmer, I don’t have much time here. Can you do what I’ve asked?”

  “Err, yes of course,” I respond. Instantly remembering that my crotch is soaked in coffee, I glance down to my pants. His eyes follow mine as a grumbling sound pulls from his chest.

  “Never mind, I can see you have more important matters to attend to. I will find someone else to handle my request,” he retorts while moving to step away.

  “No!” I shout. “I am perfectly capable of doing this. I just spilled a bit of coffee. I’m on it, no worries here Taylor,” I respond while holding my breath.

  “Good, I appreciate it. But first clean yourself up. Image is everything to this firm and I expect you to uphold our pristine reputation with a new staff member.”

  With a nod of his head, he pats me on the shoulder and walks away allowing me to release the air I held pent up in my lungs. Jesus Christ, that was brutal. The man is intimidating to deal with on a regular basis and having him ask a favor when I’m not on my top game was a bit unsettling.

  Snap out of your shit Palmer, you are not a pansy ass. Go fix yourself and show Taylor how responsible and trustworthy you can be.

  Standing tall, I move through the remainder of the office and exit the hallway leading to the lobby. Felicia, the receptionist spots me heading in her direction, her hand smacking her forehead as her eyes scan the wet stain on my pants.

  “Good grief, what is with you young folk today? Everyone seems to be a bit of a mess. Young man, go clean yourself up before Mr. Shire sees you,” she says attempting to shoo me away with her hand gestures.

  Giving her a scowl response, I step up to her desk.

  “Felicia don’t start. I just ran into him and it wasn’t the most comfortable of situations. I’ll get myself cleaned up, but I wanted to let you know that a new employee will be coming in and Taylor wants me to show her the ropes.”

  “Ohh!” she cheers in delight while her small hands begin to clap with excitement. “That is so exciting Palmer. I know big things are coming your way. Mr. Shire knows it too, just be patient young man,” her pride boosting from the expression on her face.

  “Yeah, yeah. I’m not holding my breath on that one Felicia. Do me a favor, if the new person comes while I’m in the restroom just have her sit out here and wait, I won’t be long.” I watch as she continues to smile and nods her head before I turn and move toward the restroom.

  As I approach the entrance, my attention is pulled to the woman’s door as it loudly shuts behind a gorgeous blonde. My brain refuses to process an appropriate thought, my eyes moving on their own accord down her sexy as hell body. She has curves that are out of this world. Her tits are squeezed ever so perfectly behind her shirt and the way the material of her skirt stretches against her hips...I think I may be in love. I ball my hands into fist, resisting the urge I feel to touch her. The pull is so intense, it’s almost impossible to refrain from reaching out to her, pushing her up against the cool, marble walls and assaulting her with my mouth. God I bet she tastes as amazing as she smells. The thoughts of taking her here and now are insane…shit I need to get laid, how long has it been? Damn if I have to think about it, it has been too long. By the time I realize that I am indeed starting at her, the sound of her clearing her throat registers pulling me out of my sexual fantasy.

  “Umm, if you’re quite finished mauling me over with your eyes I’ll need you to get out of my way,” she responds.

  I’m in a trance, I can’t help but stare at those perky red lips and imagine them…shit no, not now. My hands quickly move to my growing erection as I feel the damp fabric begin to strain. Her eyes catch sight of my rapid movements. To say I’m embarrassed is an understatement. Not only is she witnessing my cock growing before her eyes, I can tell she’s spotted the stain now fully soaked through my pants.

  “Err, yeah sorry. I’ll get out of your way now,” I state moving to the side and tumbling into the men’s room.

  Leaning up against the men’s room wall, I slap my hand to my forehead.

  Holy shit! Next time I wish for excitement in my work day, I’ll rethink what it is that I’m actually wishing for…fuck me!

  Chapter Three

  Judi

  Unbelievable…what in the hell was that guy thinking?

  Glancing over my shoulder as I walk away, I ensure he is most definitely not following close behind as I catch my breath. Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy mother of all that is holy, shit! For a hot minute I stop in my tracks. Steering my eyes around the vast lobby space, I inhale a large gulp of air through my lips as my chest expands. Looking down, the material stretched across my breasts is so tight it appears as if a button is going to pop.

  Oy vey! A mental image flashes through my mind as I quickly close my eyes. The button pops off and flies through the air. It hits the tall marble pillar, ricocheting off the hard surface and like a bullet, hits the receptionist square in the eye. Screaming she jumps from her seat and runs off through a closed door. Excellent Judi, that would warrant me Employee of the Mouth without a doubt. Gasping, my hand flies up to my mouth to silence the sound as my eyes bolt wide open. I need a moment, a second to gather my thoughts. Good Lord woman…focus. Exhaling my breath, I run my fingertips down the length of my skirt taking a few steps forward. I can’t think let alone focus on walking fast enough toward the receptionist.

  Don’t fall, Judi. Please don’t trip and fall.

  This day started with one hell of a bang, I can say that for certain. Thankfully I’m somewhat put back together, err…I mean at least I’m no longer soaking wet. Umm, well…that would be a lie. I’m no longer wet from the downpour of rain; as for my lady bits, that’s another story which has my mind reeling. How in the hell did that man affect me so much? The look on his face when I walked out of the restroom was extremely inappropriate, not to mention he got a hard on right in front of me. This is absolutely insane, I have to be dreaming. Weird stuff happens, but this is beginning to become a bit much. My heart is beating rapidly against my chest, my nipples so hard they’re poking through the sheer fabric of my blouse like razor blades.

  What is seriously wrong with me?

  Who does that?

  Why am I completely turned on right now?

  Mentally checking myself, I run the tips of my fingers against my now dry hair that is up in a tight bun. I’m a bit shocked to say the least. I mean, who reacts like that to a woman he’s never met? And how is it that I’m experiencing the same pull, desire or need to seriously undress him and examine that hard on face to face.

  Focus Judi, you are at work…the first day of your new job. You are not supposed to imagine fucking a man outside of a restroom. Down girl, down.

  Trying to compose the throbbing sensation I’m feeling between my legs, I look toward the receptionist and pay close attention to each step as I slowly approach her desk. I begin to count each stride hoping to remove the look of shock plastered across his face as he scurried into the men’s room…but I can’t. His dark hair which was cut short, his deep chocolate brown eyes and those lips that formed the perfect smirk. It was the expression on his face that could only lead me to believe the thoughts that were rushing through his mind were as sexual and full of lust as mine.

  Weirdos! We are both a bunch of sick and twisted individuals.

  I mean I’ve met men who caught my attention, we felt an instant attraction, but just now…that was damn right crazy. It had to have been out of character for him too, right? Who the hell gets an erection seeing a woman coming out of the restroom? That’s totally gross. What if I had been taking a shit in there or tossing up my breakfast? How attr
active would I have been to him then? It’s just wrong and totally random. Stuff like this doesn’t happen every day and it’s not like I’ll have to see him again.

  Biting down onto my lower lip, I pause my rambling thoughts for a second. I sorta kinda want to see him again. Maybe, and I do mean maybe, if I bump into him again I’ll build up the courage to be less of a bitch and actually introduce myself. Who the hell am I kidding; I’m beyond interested in knowing more about that man. I have to find a way to see him again and not outside of the God damned bathroom.

  “Ugh,” I moan releasing a burst of air from between pieced lips.

  “You look much better,” her tone pulls me away from my thoughts as my eyes meet hers. “You can take a seat in the waiting area and someone will be with you momentarily,” she continues with a smile.

  “Thank you, I feel…better and much drier,” I respond with a nervous quiver to my voice. “This wasn’t at all how I planned on making my first impression.” I respond returning a smile.

  “Don’t be nervous dear, the members of the firm and the employees are quite understanding. Besides most of our leadership board and upper management are in a meeting right now. Your secret of being late is safe with me,” she retorts while placing her hand on mine in a comforting gesture.

  Is she for real? She just met me and already wants to cover the errors of my tardiness up like it never happened.

  “I can’t thank you enough; really I appreciate everything you’re doing for me this morning. I can promise you none of this will happen again. Next time I will bring an umbrella as a precaution,” I say with sarcasm oozing from my words.

  A loud laugh escapes her as she moves her hand from mine and flashes yet another smile.

  “You will fit in just fine here young lady. Now please have a seat and relax for a few minutes. I have a call I must make to schedule lunch for today’s meeting.”

  “Yes of course,” I acknowledge before turning on my heels and moving to the awaiting chairs.

  As I sit down, I begin to look around the vast area of the lobby. The space is large, the walls covered with tinted glass, the floors shining in pristine marble. Everything about this building screams success. I’d be lying if I didn’t think I hit the jackpot with this career move. However, I’m still slightly out of sorts, my nerves to actually meet my boss and coworkers making my palms sweat. A few moments tick by and I gaze down to my watch. It’s well after nine o’clock and I can’t help but feel anxious that I’m late on my first day. I can only hope that things get better from here on out, how much worse can they actually get?

  The sound of voices mumbling behind me coerces me to turn in their direction. The man from earlier is speaking to the receptionist with his back facing me. My eyes begin to linger over his backside, moving up to his broad shoulders and the nape of his neck. The look on his face from a few minutes ago replays through my mind. The moment was not ordinary in the least and yes it did seem a bit off, but right now I can’t help but continue to feel enamored by his presence. As I stare, he turns to face me causing me to quickly steer my sights away from him as he walks over in my direction.

  Oh shit, he’s walking toward me, he’s coming closer. Deep breathes Judi, in through the nose and out through the mouth. Oh my God I feel like I’m going to hurl. Shit, don’t hurl, God damnit woman pull yourself together.

  As he approaches his tall stance towers over me as I sit in the chair beneath him. Looking up to him through my long lashes, our eyes remain locked and for an instant I can’t utter a word as his hand extends out to mine. My tongue darts out to lick my dry lips and I catch him swallowing hard. He too is feeling the same physical attraction as I am, he’s reacting to me just as I am to him. I’m not quite sure what is taking place right now, but I feel the need to clench my thighs together to release the pressure building from within.

  Seconds, minutes…shit I don’t know how long we stay like this. His brown eyes are drawing me in, the man who I want to dry hump in this exact moment is mentally abandoning me from any form of thought or expression.

  What in the hell is going on?

  Finally I snap out of my stupor, pull my thoughts together and regain full composure of myself before moving to stand beside him. Taking his hand in mine, his palm is large as he cradles my hand in his while firmly squeezing it. His lips begin to move, yet he’s once again pulled me into a trance with his mere touch. I still can’t register anything outside of the look in his eyes.

  “Judi,” I hear him call out.

  Shit, how long has he been saying my name?

  The way it sounds coming from his throat and how it rolls off the tip of his tongue, I’m unable to process an appropriate response. All I can think about is his lips moving all over my body. I can only imagine the things this man can do with that tongue. My imagination runs wild with the thoughts of him slowly tearing off my clothing, laying me down on the tile floor and tasting me as he pleasures me until I scream out his name…wow, I don’t even know his name. I can’t believe what is happening to me right now.

  Snap out of it Judi, pull yourself together. This is not the club, you are not out on a date…this is work and holy shit, this could be your boss.

  Fear of my reaction to him hits me hard and I regain all focus on the situation that is taking place between us.

  “Yes sorry, I’m Judi,” I apologize shaking my head in disbelief at my actions. “It’s been a crazy morning and I’m just a bit out of it,” I continue grasping his hand and firmly shaking it in return.

  “Not to worry. I’m Palmer, one of the senior member of Half Staff Consulting. Mr. Shire had a sudden engagement he needed to attend and asked me to show you around. I do hope that is okay with you,” he remarks with a questionable smirk. “Either way, this is your first day so I’ll be sure the rest of the team gives you a pass. That way we can start fresh with judgments tomorrow,” he remarks with a wink and a smile.

  Good lord almighty! Did he just wink at me and smile?

  Oh my…

  Relax, Judi. It’s time to calm your tits before your panties combust or you leave a puddle on the floor.

  Chapter Four

  Palmer

  The way she’s looking at me right now has my mind reeling with thoughts I should definitely not be having at work. I need to remain focused and not allow the physical attraction I feel for her to override my senses.

  Fuck me, too late.

  It’s her first day. I know she won’t be going anywhere anytime soon…at least I hope she won’t. I’ve never had a workplace fling, in fact it’s something I steered myself away from. They never work and someone always winds up leaving because of the awkwardness. I’ve seen it happen one too many times and I’d rather not put myself in that type of a predicament.

  I’ve been single, well single as in nothing more than a few dates and one night stands for the past two years. I can’t say that I wouldn’t want to see where something like this could go, but there’s too much at stake. As much as I want to react more to the situation we are in, I also know that I have a job to do here. There’s a time and place for something like this and now is not the time or the place.

  Sliding my hand from hers, I gesture for her to follow me through the lobby and into the administrative area. Without turning to see her, I can feel her warmth and presence close behind. The smell of her perfume wafts over us as I resist the urge to look back at her. As we approach the consulting area of the firm, I lead us toward her cubicle directing her to take a seat while I gather the necessary items she’ll need to get situated.

  As she sits down, her eyes roam over my body. I feel the urge to take her into the back stairwell and devour every inch of her. This woman is doing things to my libido I can’t seem to control. I need to walk away, clear my thoughts and focus on something else other than her. Quickly removing myself from her immediate space, I need a breather. She’s taking over my thoughts and I can’t have that. Instead of focusing on her, I move back to my own cubicle wher
e I see Wendy and Ben talking amongst themselves. Their conversation quiets as I come close, both of them steering their attention onto me.

  “Looks like you’ve cleaned yourself up there buddy,” Wendy quips while glancing down at the crotch of my pants.

  “I did and thank you for noticing,” I reply with a smirk.

  “Oh please, you and your dick are nothing I need on my radar Romeo. I have my sights set on a much larger prize, if you catch my drift,” she confidently states with a flirtatious wink.

  “Sure thing sweet cheeks, whatever helps you sleep at night,” I say sliding into my chair and moving the mouse to fire up my computer screen.

  “You two are something else,” Ben chimes in. “I swear with the lack of appropriate conversations in this place one could think there was an orgy planned for later this evening.

  “Come on now Ben, you know that is so untrue. Besides you and wifey over there have had your share of HR inappropriate conversations at the water cooler. Don’t deny it. I’ve heard some of them,” Wendy giggles.

  Glancing over the cubicle wall, I see Ben’s cheeks begin to flush. Wendy does have a point. Even though we are all grown adults and have had to sit through the gruesome hours of sexual harassment training, this place is pretty damn lenient. We all seem to get along just fine and the daily banter that fills the dull voids in time help us each to get through the work day. Working as many hours as we do, there’s no doubt we can easily get on each other’s nerves but for the most part we handle one another like a large dysfunctional family.

  “As much as I’d love to shoot the shit with the two of you all day, I actually have some work to get done,” I remark before reaching for my coffee mug. “But not before I get a refill. Either of you want anything?” I ask moving to stand from my chair.

  “Nope,” Wendy sings while making a popping sound with her lips. “I’m good to go and need to get some work done myself. Are we still on for lunch today?” She asks.