BWWM Interracial Romance 1: Professional Relations (4 page)

“Bradley,” she said, glancing at herself in the mirror for confidence. “I know you’re bullying me because you don’t think I deserve this position, and you think you know everything about the job. I’m not an easy target—and I’m going to insist that you cut that shit out, because it’s not getting anything accomplished.” Regina didn’t know if she would actually have the guts to say something so direct to her coworker, but she knew she had to try to be as explicit as possible in her dealings with him. She wondered what would happen if Bradley decided to go to Talitha with some complaint about her work. From years of working with the company, Regina knew that Bradley had a certain amount of clout with the higher-ups. He could, conceivably, go over even Talitha’s head.

Regina reminded herself that she was doing very good work; Talitha wouldn’t have put her on the big project if she didn’t have confidence in Regina’s ability to pull it off. Regina also knew that she tended to underestimate her own abilities, a lingering effect of her husband’s constant shouting and the bruises he’d left on her body. There was just so much that she had to do to get back to normal.

At times, Regina wondered if she would ever be her “old self.” It was frustrating for her to know that she had allowed another person to change her so much. The woman who had entered into the relationship with her ex-husband had been confident, assertive, on fire with determination to be the best and to achieve. Her husband hadn’t been abusive to her at first; it had started slowly, as Regina knew it tended to. He started by being jealous of her time, insisting that she should come home from work exactly at the end of the day, instead of staying late to get ahead. He made his displeasure known if Regina ever even glanced at another man, telling her that it was disrespectful to him—and what did she think she was going to do with the other man anyway?

Gradually, the tension had mounted. Richard had made more and more demands on Regina; ordering her time on the weekends, insisting on her getting chores done in a certain way, in a certain order.

The first time that he hit her, Regina had been shocked and appalled. She had called the police, fired up with indignation; Richard had spent the night in jail before bailing himself out and then coming to their home with an armful of roses. After every major upheaval, every big fight—just when Regina was certain she couldn’t tolerate any more—Richard always had a gift for her and an apology for his behavior that he tinged with the suggestion that if she had been better behaved, it never would have happened.

Regina fell into bed on Sunday night, remembering the lessons she had learned from her ex-husband: she had to stand up for herself, had to believe in the fact that she had earned her position, that she had the skills and expertise and intelligence to do her job. She wondered how quickly she could get around to confronting Bradley and asserting herself.

Regina had decided that she would wait for the appropriate opening to have it out with Bradley and she was not long at a loss for inspiration. Within minutes of arriving in the office on Monday morning, she ran into him—almost literally—and he muttered a comment about how she should watch where she was going.

Later, at the weekly status meeting, Bradley argued with her over whether or not her team would be able to finish a particular project on time. “I’m not sure what you think you have to prove,” he said to her, “But if you don’t finish the project it’ll get shifted onto one of us—and I can tell you that with the Alistair-Pole-Richards assignment, my team is just about full up.”

Regina knew that the time for the confrontation she needed to have with Bradley was not during the team meeting. “I don’t have anything to prove,” she said as calmly as she could. “I just know that my team is nearing completion, and barring any new objectives in the assignment, they’ll be able to finish it in advance.” She set her jaw, staring at Bradley until he shrugged, subsiding.

Their responsibilities didn’t bring them together and alone until Wednesday, when Regina and Bradley had to stay late to work on their first report for the representatives from Alistair-Pole-Richards. She had put together the questionnaires that would be used in the market research phase for three of the products—the most urgent—as well as the first demos for design and site development. Regina was printing the reports to review with Bradley when he called her office.

“I’ve got the conference room,” he told her brusquely when she picked up. “Let’s make this quick. Get down here.”

Regina opened her mouth to protest the demanding tone, but she heard the click and dial tone signaling that he had hung up. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves and conquer her frustration, Regina collected her paperwork and left her office.

Walking through the open floor, Regina was struck by how eerie it was without people milling around; it was thirty minutes after the work day had officially ended, and Regina couldn’t quite suppress a shiver at the way the lights seemed to flicker slightly overhead, her muffled steps echoing along cubicle walls as she walked. She knew that the building’s janitorial staff was probably somewhere—though she didn’t know where. She had stayed late once or twice before in her first weeks, but she had stayed in her own office, playing music and focusing so completely on her work that she hadn’t really taken in the slightly creepy quality of the deserted office even when she had left for the night.

Regina didn’t bother knocking on the door to the conference room; instead she opened it and stepped in, closing it behind her. Even if the office was chillingly silent, she didn’t want to be interrupted on the off-chance that the janitorial staff came in and started making noise. Bradley was seated at the far end of the table, arms crossed over his chest, a look of hauteur on his features. Regina’s instinct to fear men who were bigger than she was overcome by her resentment of the way that Bradley had addressed her. “Look,” she said, setting down her notebooks and binders of material. “You and I need to have a talk.”

Bradley raised an eyebrow and Regina swallowed against the adrenaline surge she felt, the lump that was forming in her throat. “I don’t know why it is that you have apparently decided to pick on me, but I’m not the kind of person who will tolerate it. Either you need to learn how to deal with me, or you need to go to Talitha and tell her you’re too much of an asshole to work with me.”

Bradley snorted. “What are you going to do if I don’t?” he asked her, smiling slightly.

Regina scowled. “I’m going to keep working, and if you keep trying to push me aside, then I will take it upon myself to go to Talitha.”

Bradley shrugged. “She won’t take me off the project. My team is essential to it.”

Regina smirked. “You really think so? I could get this project done with my team alone if I really wanted to. You think you’re hot shit? I was promoted for a reason. How long have you been in this same position? Wouldn’t you think that if you were so good, you’d have been at Talitha’s level by now?”

Bradley’s eyes narrowed. “There are a lot of reasons why I am not at Talitha’s level, but none of them have anything to do with my skills.”

Regina shrugged. “So prove it to me—show me you’re a better project manager than I am, instead of cutting me off every time we have to work on something.” Regina sat down, trying to still the hammering of her heart.

Bradley made a sound like a suppressed growl and stood, kicking the chair away from him. Regina bit her lip to stifle the startled yelp that rose to her throat, looking up from her papers to see Bradley staring at her, his bright eyes darkening.

“I
am
a better project manager than you are,” he said lowly.

Regina forced her hands to remain steady, even though she felt her whole body trembling. “Then put up or shut up. You’re the one who wanted to make this fast.” Regina felt the tension in her body; in spite of the instinctive fear she felt at the confrontation, she couldn’t deny that the way that Bradley looked—fired up, indignant—was bizarrely attractive.

He stalked around the table to where she sat. “I can’t exactly see your work when you’re halfway across the room,” he said, his voice strained with impatience. He hovered over her, and Regina caught the scent of his cologne; it was woody and green, with musk running underneath, an intoxicating clean smell that distracted her. Bradley leaned forward and rested his hand next to hers, and Regina was struck by how different their respective skins looked so close together.

Almost against her will, she felt herself getting turned on. She couldn’t deny that Bradley was attractive—she might despise him, might find him the most annoying man she had ever met, but she knew that part of her frustration was the feeling that it would be remarkably easy to let herself be seduced by him.

“What’s this?” he asked, pointing at one of the graphs that Regina had prepared.

“It’s a chart showing preliminary research into market need,” she replied, hearing the breathlessness in her own voice.

Bradley looked at her sharply, catching something in the way she spoke. “It’s good,” he said begrudgingly. “You might have some skills after all.”

Regina’s sense of indignation at the backhanded compliment rose to almost conquer her growing lust. She stood, covering the fact that her legs were unsteady beneath her by gripping the table. “I am every bit as skilled as you are,” she told him angrily. “I don’t know why you’ve got such a damned problem with me, but I am tired of the backhanded compliments, and the stupid looks, and the way you constantly dismiss me. I thought I told you I won’t tolerate it.” She felt her body shaking with anger and fear.

The next moment startled Regina completely. Bradley leaned in and brushed his lips against hers, and Regina was in such a state of shock that she couldn’t react for a long moment. When she realized what was happening—when her mind put together the implausible fact that Bradley was kissing her—she broke away from him, stepping back and raising her hand to slap him. “What the hell do you think I am?” she shouted. She had, more than once in her career, dealt with perverts who thought that because she was a woman—and a woman of color—that she was easy pickings. It had made her husband’s insistence that she was a slut that much harder to shake; she had spent years wondering what it was about her that made some men try to make a pass.

“I think you’re a gorgeous and talented designer,” Bradley replied. “You stupid woman—don’t you know you’re ridiculously beautiful? I’ve been acting like an idiot, I know, but I couldn’t… can’t… deal with how distracting you are.” He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. “I wanted to keep you away from me because whenever you’re in the room I can’t pay attention to anything.”

Regina sat down heavily, her knees giving out as the force of Bradley’s words hit her.

“I didn’t want to work with you because I’m afraid of my own ability to get anything done when I work with you.”

Regina tried to suppress the violent upheaval of emotions she felt. “How on God’s green earth is it my fault if you can’t focus on your work when I’m around?” she asked him, confused and frustrated—and unbearably turned on.

Bradley took another deep breath, and Regina realized he was working hard to calm himself. “It’s not your fault. It’s my fault. I’m sorry, Regina.” His blue eyed gaze fastened on her face. “I shouldn’t have kissed you. Not without asking if you wanted it. I haven’t been attracted to a woman since… for a long time.”

Regina saw the pain in his eyes when he admitted the last, and her anger began to dissolve. She stood once more, her knees like jelly and her heart pounding. “I didn’t actually say that I didn’t want it,” she said softly.

Bradley looked at her, staring for a long moment before he began to lean in once more. Regina didn’t move as he brushed his lips against hers once more, deepening the kiss gradually. His hands came to rest at her waist, and Regina felt the heat of his body through her clothes. She was trembling not with fear but instead with desire, wrapping her arms around Bradley’s shoulders to anchor her against the weakness of her body. Bradley pressed her body against his, holding her tightly as his hands began to move along her curves. Regina moaned softly, arching into his touch as Bradley cupped her breasts through her clothes, moving down to her hips the next moment.

He lifted her up onto the conference room table and slipped between her legs in a whisper of fabric. Regina was overwhelmed—she shouldn’t let this continue, but the lust pounding in her veins wouldn’t let her put a stop to it.

Bradley broke away from the kiss, looking at her with concern. “If you don’t want this, tell me,” he said, his hands pausing in their explorations. “I don’t want this to be me taking advantage of a coworker.”

Regina laughed lowly. “Take all the advantage you want,” she replied.

Bradley’s face lit up with a smile—the first genuine, pleasant smile that Regina had ever seen on him—and he chuckled, leaning in to kiss along her neck. Regina tilted her head back, moaning softly as the brush of Bradley’s lips sent thrills of sensation through her body, traveling directly to her already-slick sex. She gasped as Bradley’s teeth grazed her skin, nipping at the sensitive spot just above her collar bones before he moved back up to her lips. His fingers found the bottom of her blouse, tucked into her pants, and tugged it free, quickly moving to unbutton it.

Regina’s hands shifted from Bradley’s shoulders, finding the lapels of his blazer and pulling them apart. Bradley shrugged out of the garment, returning to the process of getting rid of Regina’s shirt, fumbling slightly in his haste. Regina started at the top of his shirt; quickly freeing each button as Bradley kissed her hungrily, pushing his hips up against hers. She could feel the evidence of his desire, the hard ridge of his erection straining at his fitted trousers, pressing up against her. She was surprised at the fact that she felt such intense attraction to him—that she was so incredibly turned on so quickly. Regina would never have thought that she would experience lust again in her life; certainly not so soon, and certainly not with a man like Bradley.

Bradley guided her shirt away from her body, letting it fall to the table behind her as he cupped her breasts through the lacy fabric of her bra, bringing them up to his lips. Regina’s nipples hardened as Bradley’s lips traced over her skin, his hot breath giving her goose bumps and his attentions making her moan. She barely managed to finish unbuttoning his shirt, tugging it off of him and casting it aside with no concern as to where it landed. Bradley reached around to her back and his fingers found the clasp of her bra, fumbling for a moment before he managed to get it unhooked. He slipped it off of her, putting it aside more carefully than her shirt before reaching around to give her breasts a careful squeeze. He broke away from her lips, looking down at her exposed skin. Regina glanced down, feeling self-conscious, and saw the delicious contrast of his pale skin against her darker skin, like a swirl of cream dropping into coffee.

Bradley rolled her nipples between his fingers, twisting and tugging on them lightly, sending electric jolts through Regina’s body that made her squirm. “God, woman,” he said, his voice tense with desire. “These are gorgeous.” Regina felt herself blushing, but had no opportunity to react to the unexpected compliment before Bradley brought one of her breasts up to his lips, taking her nipple into his mouth to suck and lick. Regina moaned out, forgetting completely the fact that they were in the office, that the walls, while well-insulated, were not sound proof. Somehow the inappropriateness of what they were doing only made it all the more arousing.

Regina ran her fingers through Bradley’s hair as he switched from one nipple to the other, lingering at each for long moments. She was getting wetter and wetter by the moment, her hands dancing across his shoulders, along his strong back, feeling the muscles that tensed, the velvety texture of his skin. She was surprised at how soft his hair was against her fingers, at how much pleasure he was giving her with lips and tongue and even occasional grazing of his teeth against her sensitive skin. He abandoned her breasts and moved back up to her lips, kissing her hungrily as his hands moved downward to the front of her pants.

He quickly unbuttoned and unzipped her fly, lifting her up off of the table to pull the fabric down, and Regina responded in kind, her fingers brushing across the hard ridge at the front of his trousers before she moved up to the waistband. Bradley got her pants off first, and caressed her through her panties, making Regina shake with need. Regina was startled when Bradley broke away from the kiss to take her in, his gaze moving from her face to her breasts and down to her hips, a faint smile curving his lips. “You are exactly the kind of woman that I would have supposed would wear matching underwear,” he told her, glancing back up at her face as his fingers played at her slick folds. Regina squirmed, her whole body electric, on fire from how turned on she was. She pushed her hips down into his touch, tingles racing through her nerves as Bradley stroked her through the thin, wet fabric. “Oh, you’re so hot and wet, Regina,” Bradley murmured, brushing his lips along her jaw.