I'm waiting outside Connie's office, tapping my foot and thinking a million thoughts a minute. What we did last night has left me ravenous in a way I haven't ever had to deal with in my life. Normally, if I want something, I have it. Period. But not this time. With Connie I could have her for days on end and still walk away feeling deprived. All I want to do is fuck her till she can't begin to fathom anything but me. However, I am cognizant of the fact that she is not happy with me right now, which makes it difficult to do those things to her.

I think I'm obsessed. I'm addicted. Every move she makes makes my cock painfully hard. The need to talk to her, look into her eyes, hell, tell her I'm sorry– and I never tell anyone I'm sorry– is fucking all encompassing. It makes me sick.

I remembered we have a meeting later today with the entire advertisement team. I figured it would be best to meet her in her office, with all the windows and door open so everyone will see that we are having a normal work related conversation. Ever since the rumors about us have started, I haven't spoken to Lapis at all, which is fine by me. She's probably mad at me. She's been awfully quiet lately which freaks me out a little. Lapis loves to gossip but this little story might hit too close to Homeworld for her taste. People are bound to whisper when she walks by since all those fucking idiots think we are a couple.

I'm so deep in my thoughts that it takes me a second to hear the clicking of heels coming closer. I look up and my chest beings to burn. Connie Maheswaren is walking towards me in a delicious, silky red dress that is far from modest. There's slits on the sides showing off parts of her I've seldom seen and it makes my heart pound in my throat. It strokes and kisses her body in all the right places and everyone including me is staring.

I have to have her again.

"Steven," she gives me a side glance and walks past me into her office. "What a surprise."

"Not a pleasant one, I assume?" I arch a brow, feeling a little testy having her in front of me looking perfect while I feel a mess. I slept like shit last night. Woke up late and haven't had anything to eat. I'm grumpy. Sexually frustrated.

And the cause of it all is standing before me, looking perfectly composed like she got all the sleep in the world.

"Depends on how you look at it." She seems confused and breathless at the same time and her hand almost wanders to the hickey I gave her, but quickly returns her hand to her side.

But I notice. I put that mark on her, and the urge to do it again is strong. Too strong.

"I'm willing to forgive and forget if you are," I offer.

Connie stares at me so long I start to feel my stomach warm with anxiety. "Why don't you close the door and have a seat?"

I close the door and stand behind the chair knowing damn well my pants are too tight at the moment to sit comfortably.

"We have a meeting scheduled at three, right?"

"We do, yes. That's why I wanted to speak with you. I wanted to make sure you were still okay with it."

"Okay with what?" She glances up at me, her delicate brows furrowed. Now that we're completely alone and I can study her unabashedly, I see the faint circles beneath her eyes, the weary way she's looking at me. She's tired, too.

Maybe last night's fiasco affected her as strongly as it affected me. The thought makes the corner of my mouth twitch in a momentary grin.

"Okay that I lead the meeting. If you're not comfortable with me being there..." I don't finish the sentence, anxious to see what she says. I don't want her to cast me off. I don't want her to tell me that it's a good idea.

"I'm not a teenager, Steven. I can separate my feelings from my business." She purses her lips and gives me an irritated look.

"Good," I say. "The team is excited to show you what they've come up with."

Her lips curl up just slightly and I can't help but return the tentative smile. The air in the room is getting thicker the longer I stare at her, waiting for her to say something else. Wanting to linger. Wanting to prolong my time with her.

This woman turns me into an idiot every time I'm in her presence. And I don't like it.

"Steven." She murmurs my name, the sound of her voice sending a shock of lust through my veins. I take a step toward her desk, wishing we were back in my office because at least there, no one can see us. I'd give anything to throw her on top of that desk, shove her skirt up past her hips, rip her panties off, and fuck her. Hard. "I ... I hate what happened last night." Now that I've stepped from behind the chair, her eyes travel down to the apparent tent in my pants. Her cheeks flush and fuck my greedy cock for pulsing at the sight.

I shake my head, shake out the lust-ridden thoughts. "What exactly are you referring to? What we did in the closet?"

"No." She tilts her head to the side and clears her throat. This woman is so shy and proper even after everything we've done together. It's so fucking cute it almost irritates me.

"The fight between me and Dumbass McGee, then," I say.

She gives me a look. A look that says I should have known better than to say that, and she's right. But she doesn't say a word, thank Christ. She's not my mama. Not that I know what it's like to have a mother in my life...

"You said some things that made me more upset than if you had just been fighting."

"Nothing that wasn't true," I reassure her firmly. "He was using you to get ahead."

Connie visibly flinches, her eyes narrowing as she stares at me. I shouldn't have said that. "No shit. I'm referring to you saying that you're using me too."

"You'd be stupid to not have known, Connie." I almost facepalm as soon as it comes out of my mouth. This is the same shit that ended with me leaving my home in the first place, because I can't keep my fucking mouth shut when it counts.

Not only did I call her stupid, but I told her straight up that I'm using her. Her eyes are burning into me and I know that I have royally pissed her off to no end.

Dammit.

"See you at three, Mr. Universe."

Dammit dammit dammit!!!

I leave her office like I just got fired, which in a way, I kinda have. Just not from my real job.

No one says a word to me and I stop in front of the elevators, pushing the down button as I wait impatiently. I'm watching the numbers light up above the doors, tapping my foot yet again, hoping like hell I don't run into Johnson since he seems to always be lurking around, when I hear Lapis' sultry voice.

"You're quite popular these days, huh, Mr. Universe?" Her saying my name the way Connie just did hits a nerve and my skin starts to burn with rage.

"You think people don't know about you and Fuckface?" The elevator doors open and she follows me inside much to my chagrin.

"Oh I know they know. But at least I'm doing it cleanly. Meanwhile you fuck that prude in a closet and then argue with my fucktoy at a party over her. It makes both of you look quite silly."

"Who told you?" I say through gritted teeth.

"Kevin, my dear." Her voice holds a trace of amusement and she traces a finger over my bare skin.

"I hate that fucker," I mutter as I yank my arm out of her touch.

"You'd better be careful with that kingly glow, my Diamond. You'll blow our cover."

I feel like I'm gonna fucking vomit, because I can't seem to get myself under control. I haven't lost it this bad in months and now if the elevator doors open, I'm fucked.

"Kevin's got quite the length, you know. He's so desperate he's almost submissive. Quite willing to do whatever I ask of him," she fans herself and I glow brighter. I keep my mouth shut, trying to focus my mind on returning to normal.

Lapis hates it when I'm quiet.

She slams her fist into the emergency stop button and slugs me in the shoulder.

"Ow, what the fuck is wrong with you?"

"What on this dingy planet is wrong with you?! You're going to ruin everything you fucking idiot." She bares her teeth at me and runs her hands through her hair in frustration. She's keeping her composure better than me, but I can tell she's beginning to lose it when the back of her blazer starts dripping with water. "You can't even begin to imagine the strings I had to pull to keep the her father from hearing about it!"

I'm confused. What does Doug Mahaswaren have to do with any of this? "What are you talking about?"

She wraps her fingers tight around the lapels of my jacket and glares at me, her expression full of menace. "I'm doing everything to keep the old man happy and trying to make him realize how valuable of an asset I am to this company. All while you're out fucking around with his daughter— in public, I might remind you– and getting in fights with the very man you want to replace. Did fooling around with Connie Maheswaren turn you full-on human, or what?"

I push her off me, smoothing out the wrinkles her hands left in my jacket. "You have no idea what happened between us last night. The fucker says things to get a reaction out of me. In case you didn't remember, I'm stronger than every one of the Diamonds, and half human. So sue me, I reacted. But let me tell you something, Lapis Lazulli," I take a step toward her and let my human form grow into my Diamond half. The elevator reflects my light so intensely that Lapis has to squint up at me. "If you ever try to grab me like that shit you just tried again, I'll shatter you in front of this entire company, and burn it down with your shards inside."

She rolls her eyes and throws her hands up into the air. "It's not my fault you need to learn some control. Haven't I taught you anything these last few years?"

Lapis thinks she's the one who made me successful, when she couldn't be more wrong. I put in the work, I made my way up the corporate ladder, I surpassed all my coworkers in precision and quality. She may have brought the luck, but I brought the hustle. I earned this shit myself.

I sigh and my glow fades. "Listen." I grab hold of her shoulders and give her a gentle shake. "You know as well as I do that Kevin hates me. He hates me as much as I hate him. When he says something, I react. I can't help it."

"Well, learn to control it," she says with a little huff, her eyes softening the slightest bit. "I know I don't help matters, saying such things to you. Like how good in bed he is."

She said that again just to piss me off. I refuse to let her get to me. "You're a bit of a bitch to say things like that, yes," I say, keeping my tone light. Like I'm teasing her. I'm still pissed, but I don't want to deal with her when she's angry. "Bit of a bitch" is an understatement.

Complete and total 100% miserable bitch is more like it.

A little smile curls her lips and relief settles within me. She fell for it. I've got her. I know I do. "You're such a bastard." she playfully shoves at my shoulder and I fake stumbling back.

"I know. Someday, we'll be the ones ruling this company, not them," I remind her, hoping like hell she doesn't notice how hollow my words sound. Because... I don't mean it. Not anymore. I don't want to rule Crystal Clear with Lapis by my side.

If I get the chance, I want to rule this company on my own.

Her eyes flicker and she looks away from me. "Of course, darling." She looks at me once more, her smile as fake as my earlier words. "The two of us together. Sounds perfect."

She's lying. There's another plan in the works and I'm not a part of it.

No problem. I'm ready to cut her out of my plan, too.

The three o'clock meeting with my team and Connie goes relatively smoothly, considering she's quietly furious with me and I'm keeping my distance. Her sister Stevonnie sits in on the meeting, which saves my ass because she's the perfect buffer between us. She approves of every single one of my ideas, much to Connie's disgust.

Of course, Connie is an adult like she stated earlier and doesn't let her anger at me get in the way of approving or disapproving any of my ideas. Besides, this is just a pitch meeting. There's no set in stone ideas yet. But Stevonnie agrees with everything I say and it only makes Connie's blood boil more. I'm not complaining though, at least her anger isn't directed at me anymore.

"I thought we were going with burgundy," Stevonnie says, causing Connie to look up from her iPad. She was typing away, making notes and doing her best to avoid making eye contact with me.

"What do you mean, going with burgundy?" Connie asks, pursing her lips in a painfully cute expression.

I don't know where I learned that word, because I certainly never learned it from my bum father or the matriarchs I had for aunts. My whole life I was worked to death with little to no reward or thanks. We took over entire planets, wiped out races, fought each others' wars. I've shattered countless gems and hurt even more. I was doing as I was told, terrified to go against orders in fear of having my gem taken from me again. I was a coward.

But then one day I snapped. My aunts rubbed me the wrong way the last time. I don't even remember what it was that finally did it for me. Was it another cruel punishment? Was it another act of villainy for no good reason? I don't know. All I know was that I destroyed the entire planet of Homeworld and never looked back. I shattered my own aunts and keep them in a safe behind a picture of my piece of shit mom.

No, nothing in my life was definitely not what I would call cute or worse, adorable.

Cute was never even a part of my vocabulary until I started to focus on Connie.

"She's referring to when we were talking about your lips in the meeting a week and a half ago," I add, causing Connie to turn her attention to me, her gaze sharp. "Rather your lip gloss. Ravenous Raspberry, remember?"

"Right." She nods slowly and points toward an image I'd brought her at our what-seems-like-forever-ago dinner. "I prefer these colors." She runs her finger over the picture of the gem in the bubble. I knew she'd go for that one, somehow.

"The pastel rainbow?" I ask, making a mental note of it. Not a surprise. She's been drawn to that image from the beginning.

"Yes." She nods and tugs the image toward her so she can study it closely. "It's so distinct. And if we make the box glossy..."

"Then you'll get your glossy perfection?" I ask with a smile.

"That's too close to Prism," Stevonnie adds, making us both look at her. "What? It's true," she says directly to Connie. "Rainbow is their iconic color."

"Original rainbow, not pastel. " I say. "And the rainbow isn't iridescent either. I'd say it's far enough away."

"It's still rainbow though," Connie murmurs. She bites her bottom lip and frowns in what's clearly disappointment and indecision.

I can't stand it. I hate hearing her sad or disappointed. I'm a sucker for her. A fucking sucker, when I vowed at a too-young age that I would never be a sucker for any woman. Fuck. Fuck. When did this happen?

"How about the three from this picture? It's three distinctly different colors." I suggest. "And it'll look fantastic with a velvety Ravenous Raspberry background. "

Connie turns toward me, her eyes meeting mine, dark brown and fathomless. For the first time during this meeting she looks pleased. "That's perfect. You're right. Let's go with white, yellow and blue with the background of burgundy." She casts her gaze around the table, her smile growing. "What do you all think?"

Murmurs of approval abound, and we call the end of the meeting within a couple of moments. She's smart, knowing that once a decision is made, everyone stops listening. Stevonnie sneaks out of the room in a blur, complaining of a debriefing she's got to go to, and my team empties the conference room one by one, all of them eagerly talking among themselves, plotting and planning the next stage of packaging.

All the while I remain in the background leaning against the wall, my hands stuffed in my pockets. I vacated my chair the moment Connie ended the meeting, hoping she wouldn't notice that we were left alone in the room together until it was too late.

"I feel you lurking behind me," she says, amusement lacing her tone. "Don't think I don't know you're there, Steven." She turns to face me, her hands resting on her hips. I let my gaze rove over her, taking her in from the top of her head to the tips of her toes... which I can't see since they're encased in sexy-as-hell shoes.

"You're mad at me." I don't bother asking because I already know the truth. I meet her eyes and try my best to look like a nice guy. "I planned on treading lightly where you're concerned."

She ignores my comments. "The meeting went well, don't you think?"

"All that matters is that you're pleased." When she raises her eyebrows, I add, "It's your name that's going on the box, after all. This is your line, Connie. What you say goes."

"I liked your white, yellow and blue idea. That was one of the pictures that wormed its way into my heart."

"Don't forget the color of your lips."

A little smile plays at the corners of them. "Stevonnie was driving me crazy."

I know," I say with an answering almost-smile.

"She couldn't stop agreeing with you. I was tempted to tell her to grow a spine and come up with her own opinion."

"She did it to piss you off." I shrug when she gapes at me. "Don't bother denying it— you know it's true."

Connie laughs, the sound soft and sweet in the otherwise quiet of the large room. "People rarely pay attention to the sisterly dynamics between us. I figure most people aren't aware when we're trying to get at each other."

"Oh, I could tell." Mostly because I pride myself on my people-reading skills. That, and Lapis and I have engaged in similar behavior while at work in the past. She's the only person I've ever felt close to... though I'm starting to feel that way about Connie.

The realization stuns me.

"Well, you're very perceptive," Connie says, unaware that she's just rocked my world.

I clear my throat and focus on her. "She knows about us, I presume?"

Her cheeks color, and the urge to touch her makes me clench my fingers into a tight fist so I won't. I can't move too fast again. She's like a wounded animal that'll run at first sight of me coming for her. I can't risk it. "It feels like everyone knows about us," she says quietly. "After your little fight with Kevin last night."

"I doubt everyone knows." I'm such an idiot for letting that asshole get to me. Only a select few saw us arguing last night, but still. "Does that bother you? I know you wanted to keep it secret."

"I did. I still do. It looks ... bad, that I've fallen out of Kevin's arms and into yours."

That we're compared to each other makes me want to kill him. At the very least beat the shit out of him. "You haven't necessarily fallen into my arms," I tell her, trying to make light of what's happening between us. "It's no one's business, what we're doing together."

"True."

"And it's all speculation."

"With the exception of you describing to Kevin exactly what you did to me in that closet," she says dryly.

That's right. I did. Don't regret it, either. "Something else will happen in the next day or two to divert their attention. They'll find someone new to talk about," I reassure her. "Don't worry about it."

"I'm not." She studies me, her gaze dropping to my chest as she takes a deep breath. "It made me angry, what you said earlier. That Kevin was using me."

"I know." I'm not going to pretend I'm unaware of her moods. She's like an open book. And a terrible liar.

The complete opposite of me.

"And for whatever reason, it... hurt when you said you were using me, too." Theres a sad, deep pain in her voice for a moment. Then she rolls her eyes and waves a hand, as if dismissing what she just said. "I know it's stupid. We've said from the get-go that we were using each other. You offered yourself up to me. You wanted to do this to make Kevin mad and I suppose you've done just that, so I'm guessing now that you're... through with me."

The disappointment in her voice, that's written all over her, is palpable. "I suppose," I agree, causing her to inhale sharply. Great, I've stunned her. But I'm doing it on purpose. Hoping to turn this into exactly what I envisioned.

"Alright," she says with that defiant little tilt of her chin. "At least I know where I stand with you."

I push away from the wall and take a step toward her, my gaze intent on her face. "Do you, Connie?"

She blinks at me in confusion. "W-what?"

"So where do you stand with me?" I'm toying with her again. Trying to confuse her. It's so easy that I can't help myself. I like watching her panic.

"What happened between us is... done." She's disappointed by the idea but trying not to show it. I want to make her squirm though.

"Do you want it to be done?" Every step I take toward her, she steps backward, until her butt hits the edge of the conference table and I have her trapped. I'm all she can see, all she can reach out and touch besides the table, which is cold and hard beneath her ass. And here I am, cold and hard and standing in front of her. Not much difference, really.

"I don't..." She clears her throat and looks off to the side. "What do you want?"

"I asked first." Reaching out, I give in to my urges and touch her face. Drift my fingers across her cheek, along her jaw, pressing my thumb into her chin. She parts her lips, a shuddery breath escaping her, and I'm tempted to lean in and kiss her.

But I don't.

"You confuse me," she whispers. "I-I don't like you very much sometimes."

Oof. "That's completely fair."

"But you so much as look at me, acknowledge me, and I feel like I could burst into flames. You place your hands on me..." She closes her eyes as I trace her lower lip with my index finger, then her upper lip. She has the most perfect lips I've ever seen, ever touched, ever tasted. "I want you to keep doing it," she confesses softly.

"Keep doing what?" I step in between her legs and press my body to hers, slipping my arm around her waist. I shouldn't do this. I need to show some restraint. The constant back-and-forth between us is confusing. Both to her and to me.

Fuck.

"Touching me. I want to feel your hands on my skin." She tilts her head back when I bend over her and nuzzle her throat. "You breathe on me and I feel like I might combust."

"Like this?" I say just before I exhale along her neck. The whimper that escapes her makes my dick twitch and I chuckle, loving every moment. I wield power over this woman and it's a heady feeling. With Lapis, sex always felt like a battle. With other women, it felt like me using their bodies for my selfish pleasure, and then I'd discard them like yesterday's trash.

But with Connie, it feels better. Like I want to use and keep and possess and mark and fuck until I can't see straight. She consumes me. Confuses me. Exhilarates me.

I hate it.

I want more of it. More of her.

Fuck.

She settles her hands on my shoulders as if she needs to hold on for fear she'll slip to the floor, her fingers gripping me tight. "Just like that," she whispers as she tilts her head to the side, giving me better access.

"Is that all you want?" I brush my nose against her neck, along her ear. She's wearing her hair down, the long, curly wisps tickling my face, and I breathe deep the scent of her shampoo, soaking it in. "Or do you want more?"

"More," she says without hesitation. "So much more." Her voice is raw with need.

"We've hardly done anything," I tell her, which is the truth.

"I know." I can hear the grief in her voice. "But we can't do anything right now. Anyone could find us."

"I doubt that." I kiss her, just behind her ear, letting my lips linger before I dart out my tongue to lick at her skin. A shiver moves through her and she tightens her fingers around my shoulders.

"I'd give anything to have you sprawled naked on that table," I whisper. "Your legs spread wide open so I can see just how wet you are for me."

"Oh God." She swallows so hard I hear it, and then her hands are scrambling, shoving my suit jacket off my shoulders, down my arms, so I shake it off my arms and let it drop to the floor. "I want to see you."

I haven't stood naked in front of this woman yet and when I do, she's in for a big surprise. But I'm not going to strip completely now. I'm not going to take that big of a risk. "Not yet," I tell her, stepping away from her eager hands. "Have patience."

She adjusts herself so she's sitting on the edge of the conference table, pushing the chairs on either side of her away before she braces her hands on the edge of the marble tabletop. The lusty glow in her eyes is unmistakable, and I wonder if she gets as overcome as I do every time we're in each other's presence.

I'm going to guess by the way she's behaving that's a yes.

Crossing her legs, the skirt of her dress rides up, offering me a tantalizing glimpse of her slender thighs. She notices where my gaze drops and she hikes up her skirt farther, practically to her hips.

"What are you doing?" I ask amusedly.

"Offering myself to you," she answers with no shame. She is definitely acting like a woman possessed and I fucking love it. "You said you wanted to get me naked on the table..."

"Connie." The stern note in my voice makes her pause in her movements, her eyes going wide. "I'm not going to fuck you for the first time in this room, on that table."

She looks downright disappointed, my newfound little hussy. "But..."

"I'd love to see you naked on the table, most definitely," I continue, cutting her off. "But I want to watch."

"Watch while I what?" she asks eagerly.

"Touch yourself."

IS IT TOO LATE NOW TO SAY SORRY????

IM SO SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT!!! But if you think about it, it was a shorter hiatus than the OG SU storyline, so you'll be fine.

Enjoy Juanifans!!!

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