Having meetings with your boss is nerve wracking enough, but when your boss is the knee-weakening, heart stopping Claire Dearing, meetings seem almost impossible to get through. I have had feelings for her since the moment I saw her, but what would a successful, gorgeous woman like her, want to do with me? I was a lost soul who, after my time with the Navy, somehow ended up on a dinosaur infested island run by the eighth richest man in the world.
Mr. Masrani was technically my boss, but he rarely ever visited the island, unless it was an emergency, so next in charge was Claire. She came to the Velociraptor paddock often enough for surprise reviews and safety examinations, but recently, she has been here more frequently than usual. I thought it had something to do with inGen trying to take my raptors and use them for insane field tests and eventually as weapons. It wasn't until Barry brought it to my attention, via a poorly timed joke full of sexual innuendos, that I even really thought that she could be visiting more because of me.
I flirt with Claire more than the average man should, meaning I have been shot down just as many times. I'll start with a really cheesy pick up line that I know will let me see her smile as she tells me to, "Have a nice day, Mr. Grady." Then I watch her hips sway as she makes her way to her expensive car and drive off, leaving all the guys to make fun of me for the rest of the day. I was going to make sure that today's meeting was different though. I am going to be a gentleman and charm her pants off!
The second I heard the tires of her SUV shift the gravel of the lot, I turned around and blocked the sun from my eyes, making sure it was her before I made any moves to go greet her. She got out of her car and stood by it, almost waiting for me to come to her. I grabbed a small hand towel and a bottle of water before making my way over, wiping the sweat off of my forehead and the back of my neck while I inspected her outfit choice. Claire was wearing a cream colored pencil skirt that clung to all of the right places and a matching blouse that looked like it had one too many buttons undone. I nearly chocked on my water when I looked up and met her eyes and saw that she was examining me the same way I was just doing. Maybe Barry was right, maybe she was really into me. I put the lid on my water and stuck my hand out for her to shake.
"Dearing," I started, "What can I help you with today, m'lady." I smiled at her and she just shook her head, laughing to herself quietly and staring at my outstretched hand.
"Well, Mr. Grady, I have some information to go over with you. Is there anywhere more... private we could go?" She scoped out the area around us and noticed just how many people worked with the raptors.
"Follow me." I turned quick on my heels and took another swig of water from my bottle, downing it and dropping it in a recycling bin nearby. Making my way to my office, I turned around a couple of times to make sure she was still there, trying not to overthink what was happening.
"What is so secretive that none of my men can hear?" I asked without turning around, hoping she wouldn't sense my nervousness.
"Well, Mr. Masrani wanted me to do another evaluation on you, to see if you are showing your full potential. He's afraid that you wouldn't be up for another challenge if one was thrown your way." She seemed to be just as nervous as me and when I turned quickly to take a peek at her once more, I swear I saw her adjusting her breasts to make them look perkier. I could've died right then and there. Was the Claire Dearing trying to seduce me?
I open my office door and held it for her so she could walk in first, hopefully making her feel more comfortable. As she walked in, she examined my office, looking at all of the pictures on my desk while picking up a raptor stuffed animal my mom sent me when she heard about my new job. Claire smiled at it before putting it back and finally sitting down in the chair across from my own. She looked back at me standing in the doorway and smiled timidly at me before clearing her throat and nodding her head towards my chair.
"Are you going to join me Mr. Grady or should I just start without you?" She asked, her voice laced with seduction; my voice on the other hand, got stuck in my throat. I shut the door behind me, pausing for a second, wondering if I should lock it too. Not wanting to scare her away, I left the door unlocked and sat behind my desk, hands folded atop it, staring at Claire's face again.
"What does Masrani not think I can handle? Barry and I deal with four, carnivorous, meat-eating dinosaurs every single day. What more could this man possibly want to throw at me?" I asked, actually sort of upset for a moment. I understood he needed to make money and my raptors were not bringing in any, but Hoskins was enough. I didn't need more than one person telling me how to do my job.
"Well, Mr. Grady," she started, making me scoff.
"Owen." I said, making eye contact with her.
"Owen," she started again, licking her lip quickly and then softly biting it, "I may have told a little white lie." She crossed her legs, squeezing them a little tighter than normal and exhaling deeply.
"Oh yeah, Dearing is lying now? I guess the good eventually does go bad." I joked, trying to lighten the mood. She stood up from her chair and looked around again.
"You can call me Claire, Owen. I may be above you, but I've always hated such professional titles, they make me feel so old." She chuckled and picked up a picture frame from one of my filing cabinets. "When was this taken?" She asked, turning the picture around so I could see it. I was 20 years old in the picture, on a fishing boat with my brother and one of our friends. After a very slow start to our fishing trip, I had caught two largemouth bass and so had my brother, so we snapped a picture to remember the moment. It always made me smile because I rarely see my family anymore.
"About 7 years ago, my brother and I took a fishing trip." She put the picture back and kept walking. Making a comment on how I wasn't wearing a shirt before picking up another one and quizzing me on it. I smiled to myself and answered her questions with ease. She finally sat back in her chair and looked at me again, in silence, waiting for me to say something.
"So what are you lying about and why are you so curious about what's in my office? Is Masrani doing an inspection here soon too?" I joked. She stayed quiet for a moment before she opened her mouth to speak.
"Masrani didn't send me here." Claire started, a pink color flushing across her cheeks as she looked down at her hands. If I had any doubt before, she was here for me for sure. She opened her mouth to speak again, but when nothing came out, I started instead.
"So you came voluntarily just to check out shirtless pictures of me in my office?" I teased. "That isn't like you Claire." She looked back up at me and stood, walking around the desk and pulling my chair out slightly to help me take the hint. I swiveled it until she was standing right in front of me, making room for her to stand between my legs if she wanted to. I looked up and noticed just how nervous she really was, sensing that she didn't do this often, which made my heart skip a beat.
"You don't have to be shy, Claire." I told her as I reached for her hand. She pulled back slightly, before realizing what she did, gasping and grabbing my waiting hand. I chuckled and pulled her a little closer between my spread legs, testing just how far she'd let me go. The blush had left her face at this point and she was shyly smiling to herself.
"I came because I have feelings for you and I don't know what to do about them. I've tried avoiding you, but that led to dreams and thoughts and needs..." She trailed off and stepped even closer, finally closing the gap between the two of us, moving her other hand to rest on my shoulder. Thank god I was sitting, because if I wasn't, I'm pretty positive I would've collapsed. Claire Dearing just basically told me she wanted me and I really wanted her too.
"You don't have to be embarrassed around me. Judge free zone." I told her, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear and standing up so I didn't feel so powerless. "I have feelings for you too. I have for quite a while actually. You've just rejected me so many times that this," I gestured between the two of us, "never seemed like an actual possibility." I told her, moving my hands to her waist and pulling her in a little bit closer. Her hands met behind my neck and locked together, softly playing with my shaggy hair at the base of my neck that was in desperate need of a cut.
"Stop biting that lip, it's driving me crazy." I told her honestly, leaning in closer, trying not to make any sudden movements.
"Make me." Claire teased before my lips smacked onto hers. I pulled her closer to me so our bodies were now touching and she was making short, moaning noises against my mouth every time my fingers dug into her hips. I lifted her gently and sat her on my desk, so I didn't have to bend down as far to kiss her. She bit my bottom lip and pulled it gently before taking a moment and just examining my face. I stopped and took in her appearance as well. Her hair was a bit disheveled from my hands running through it and her lip stick was smudged from our previous actions. Her legs wrapped around my thighs and pulled me in closer, probably feeling vulnerable from me staring at her. I snickered, pecked her on the nose and smiled down at her.
"Should you lock the door?" She asked me, fingers still playing with the hair at the nape of my neck. I wanted to take this further, I really did, but I wanted to do this the right way.
"Go out with me." It wasn't a question. I didn't mean for it to come out so forceful and demanding, but I wasn't really sure how I got here. She looked taken aback by my statement, but she didn't smack me, or storm off, so I guess that was a pretty good sign.
"What if I'm just using you for your body," She teased, leaning in once to kiss my neck, making me audibly gulp and exhale, trying to calm myself down.
"Then I guess I should just lock the door and tell everyone in the paddock to go home for the day." I joked right back, making her laugh that laugh that made my knees weak. She unwrapped her legs from around my waist and let her hands fall to my chest. She brushed her fingers delicately down my body until they rested at my belt buckle. I gulped again and placed my hands softly on hers, knowing for sure that she must have felt the obvious protuberance that hadn't been there a couple minutes ago.
"A date sounds nice, Owen. Where are you taking me?" She asked. I released a breath I had no clue I was holding and leaned in to peck her lips once more.
"I'm making you dinner. Tomorrow night. My house." I had no clue when I decided this, but she seemed pleased with the information she was given. She nodded her head, told me she'd be there around 7 pm and hopped off of my desk.
After straightening out her wardrobe, she gave me one last kiss, teasing me a bit more, letting me nibble her bottom lip before stepping back and patting my chest once more. She started to make her way to the door, with me close on her heels. I opened the door and waited for her to make a move. Claire stepped into the hallway and turned once more to look at me before she made any sign of leaving.
"I'll see you tomorrow then?" She asked, almost shy again. I just answered with a nod and another kiss on the lips; I could kiss her forever and never get tired of it. "Enjoy your cold shower," she whispered in my ear before practically skipping towards her car. I chuckled to myself, but internally groaned at the truth behind her taunting. I was turned on and honestly have no clue how I controlled myself so much.
I walked out of the offices and towards Barry who was just finishing up feeding the raptors. He smirked at me and asked me how the meeting had gone. I told him some lie about how inGen was upset with our lack of improvement and how we really needed to step up our game. Barry laughed at me when he finally came close enough to take in my appearance.
"Nice lipstick, bud" he teased me, making me wipe my lips with the back of my hand before I heard him cackle like a hyena. "Not on your lips, Owen, your neck." He pointed at my neck and I could feel the blush form on my face as I turned quickly to find the nearest bathroom. I was never going to live this down, but it was worth it.