“Why didn’t you say anything, Riss? You’re wearing my ring, my collar. We share a company and you have a company of your own now. Why on earth would you not feel you could talk to me about this?”
Marissa bit her lip. When he put it like that, it sounded pretty ridiculous that she wouldn’t go to him with her feelings.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. It just seemed like you were so adamant about getting the new company up and running and all of your company asserts rearranged so we were sharing them before you wanted to get married so I just stayed quiet.”
Lance cleared his throat and dragged a hand through his hair. Something he did when he was wrestling with a decision.
“You staying quiet combined with me being a complete idiot caused us problems five years ago, kitten. We have to stop letting that be the case. Do I need to force you to talk to me?”
“Force me? How?” Marissa asked.
He chuckled. “You really think I’ll tell you?”
She huffed. “Rude.”
“Hey,” he sat on the bed next to her. “I’m not trying to get on your case, but I do need a little help here, baby. What am I supposed to do in this situation? My inclination is to create some protocols and punish you when you break them, so you learn to talk to me. I don’t know what the therapist would say about that, but that’s where my head goes as a Dom.”
Marissa sighed and said, “OK. I’ll do my very best to talk to you more about these things. Yes. I want a Christmas wedding, but I also don’t want to wait a year to get married, so we don’t have to do a Christmas wedding. There is no way to pull it off in time.”
Lance nodded and said. “OK. Then let’s talk about setting a date. I think we could pull off Christmas if you really want it, though.”
Marissa shook her head. “Mom and Daph are planning some cross country road trip. There’s no way to get them there on time. Besides, the gossip rags are going to want some huge affair. You are Chicago’s most sought after bachelor after all.”
Lance rolled his eyes. He’d always hated the way the Chicago press fawned over him.
“You really think I give a damn what the gossip magazines want? They’re just going to make up preposterous stories, anyway.”
“Yeah. Like, I’m pregnant and that’s why we got married so fast.” Marissa shuddered. The idea of carrying a baby was absolutely nightmarish to her. She’d heard too many labor horror stories, and kids were sticky and gross and spilled juice on electronics. The memory of a five-year-old at a family holiday gathering spilling juice on her expensive laptop made her cringe even more.
“I think we should get through the Christmas season and then we’ll announce we’re getting married in February or something like that. Let’s plan to spend the next couple of weeks talking about the type of wedding you want. I would rather just head to the courthouse and then whisk you off to a remote island somewhere. But I know having your family there will be important.”
Marissa sighed. He was kind of sexy when he went into problem-solving mode. Well… more sexy than he already was. The man was a god.
“Can we talk about this later? I was promised sex and I think I want that now,” she said.
Lance flashed her a wicked grin, and said, “We can. But if you don’t start talking to me like you’re supposed to, I’m going to increase the time between your orgasms until you learn to open up.”
Marrissa grimaced. He’d made her go a week before. Would he really keep her from coming for longer? Because with Lance, no orgasms didn’t mean no stimulation. He would work her into a frenzy and then stop just before she reached the edge. And if she was really in trouble, he would spend his day texting her dirty messages all day and then make her suck his cock when they got home but refuse to touch her pussy.
“I’ll talk, I’ll talk. I promise,” she said, holding up her hands in mock defeat.
“Good girl. Now come here and let me hold you.”
They fell into bed together and for a little while, Marissa forgot about all things Christmas and weddings and annoying assistants named Jill.
4
Tuesday, December 11th
Marissa
“I need to know exactly what we’re going to get access to if we bring them into the fold. If I don’t like what I hear, I’m not interested.”
Marissa sat at her desk in her new corner office and spoke with one of the people helping her negotiate the deal to bring an existing web app under her brand.
“I can set up another lunch.”
Marissa was tired of lunches and wine and being the polished CEO. She wanted to roll up her sleeves and get back into the work she loved the most. That’s why she’d employed a team of negotiators to handle this side of the business for her.
“I think I would rather have them come here this time. And make it clear what I want and what I’m not willing to accept. If they can’t do that, then cut the talks and we’ll move on to finding another app to partner with. Make sure they know who else we’re looking at.”
The woman stood and straightened her skirt. “You got it, boss. I’ll put it on your calendar when it’s set up.”
Just then, her new assistant Cameron stuck his head in the door. “Lance is here, and he’s scowling at the candy. Should I send him in?”
Marissa laughed. “Yes, please.”
“Stop glaring at my candy,” she said as he stepped into her office.
“It looks like a goddamn candy factory exploded in your reception area.”
Marissa shrugged. “It’s festive, and it gives the development team a reason to get up and walk away from their desks every once in a while. Not to mention I like candy canes.”
She’d contracted with a local candy store to set up a candy bar with jelly beans, gummy bears, some chocolate, and some candy canes, the fruity ones, none of that peppermint stuff. She’d never understood how peppermint became the flavor of Christmas.
“Did you need something or did you just come to make faces at the candy?”
Lance shoved a hand into his pocket. “I was on my way down for a quick meeting at the coffee shop around the corner. Wanted to see if you were free.”
She shook her head. “I’ve got another meeting in ten minutes myself. I’m good for a kiss, though.”
Lance grinned and rounded her desk to drop a tender kiss on her lips.
Two hours later, Marissa was done with her meetings and ready to dive into her screens and code for the rest of the day when her assistant opened her door again.
“Um, boss. I thought you and Lance were taking the Friday before Christmas off for a trip.”
She frowned. “We are. What’s going on?”
She waved the man into the room. “Jill from upstairs just put a dinner on your calendar for Friday night with a Nathan Griffin.”
“Fuck.” This was a dinner she and Lance had been trying to land for weeks, but Jill knew the weekend before Christmas was off limits.
She pulled out her phone to call Lance who was three floors up working in his own office.
“I’ll take care of it, Cameron. Thank you,” she said while she waited for an answer.