Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Colin Bridgerton stared at the computer in front of him on his mahogany desk with a frown. His left hand found its way to his curly chestnut locks as his right scrolled through the 50-plus page document he was attempting to make sense of. He was so consumed with the work before him he barely registered the knock at his office door. He grunted an acquiescence when a second knock came slightly louder than the first but he didn’t look up as the door opened. 

“Oh Dear,” a familiar voice said, “You do not look ready for our usual Friday lunch date.”

“Pen!” Colin’s head snapped up at the words and saw his fiancée standing on the other side of the room. She was dressed in jean shorts and a soft pink blouse that accentuated her full figure. She wasn’t wearing much makeup and clearly had come straight from her home office. He was, as usual, struck dumb by the sheer loveliness of her. Even more than her appearance, the look of love and care on her face sent a burst of warmth through him. He stood immediately from his desk, heedless of how disheveled he looked with his loosened tie and his wrinkled shirt. “I am so sorry,” he professed anxiously, “I lost track of time.” She let out a little laugh and came towards him. It was a testament to his level of stress and distraction that he only then saw and smelled the paper bag she held in her hand. 

“It’s okay,” she assured him, “I figured you would be swamped with stuff for the meeting on Monday and brought lunch to you.” She set the bag on the desk as he stepped around it to pull her into a tight embrace. She wrapped her arms around his waist as he breathed her in. Colin pulled away from her just enough to plant a gentle kiss on her lips. 

“Do you know you are the most wonderful woman alive?” he asked her with complete sincerity. Penelope laughed again, and the sound was even more beautiful the second time. 

“Don’t let your mother hear you say that,” the redhead gently admonished. “Besides, you don’t even know what I ordered.” She nodded towards the bag. 

“Doesn’t matter,” he told her, letting go only long enough to grab their lunch and guide her to a low table that sat near the window surrounded by plush couches. He sunk into the leather seat nearest them and settled her onto his lap. She smiled and leaned forward to begin pulling out the food. 

“How was your day,” she asked, as she handed him a container of pad thai.

“Fine until I started reviewing the report we need for the merger meeting on Monday,” he sighed. Pen frowned. 

“Something need correcting?” she asked.

“All of it,” Colin replied exasperated. “I genuinely do not understand how all of the corrections I put in last time went unaddressed but other things I didn’t touch got completely changed.”

“Who was responsible for getting the edits corrected?” she asked curiously. 

“Marina,” he replied through a mouth full of noodles. Penelope’s eyebrows furrowed. 

“I see,” she said in an even tone. Colin immediately wrapped an arm around her waist. He knew she didn’t like the assistant. If he were honest he wasn’t a huge fan of the woman either if for no other reason than she made his Pen uncomfortable. 

Marina came to work at The Bridgerton Group shortly after Penelope and he had started dating. Technically Marina was the administrative assistant for the entire department, but she continually referred to herself as Colin’s secretary. He would have been annoyed by it if he spent any mental energy on her. The fact was, he had hardly noticed the woman or her behavior toward him until  Penelope had tearfully confessed that she hated watching Marina constantly flirt with Colin.

It had been a special type of agony seeing his beautiful Pen express frustration at herself for being jealous. She had explained that she was endeavoring to be more honest with him about her feelings and Colin had understood immediately. Ever since then he had done his level best to limit his private interactions with Marina, but they did work together which made complete separation impossible. So, when the familiar shadow fell over Penelope’s face at the sound of Marina’s name he immediately went into comfort mode. Pulling his fiancée against his chest, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head as one hand rested on her hip and the other moved to wrap around her shoulders. 

“Hey,” he said soothingly, “I love you.”

“I know,” she replied, mouth muffled by his button down. He could tell she was trying to keep the emotion out of her voice, “I love you, and I trust you. You know that right?”

“Of course,” he agreed with a firm nod against her hair. “You don’t have to rationalize your discomfort, my love. Especially about this.” 

“I just,” she sighed, pulling back to look up at him, “I know it sounds so stupid but I can’t help but think she did that on purpose.” Colin blinked down at her.

“Why would she intentionally be bad at her job?” he asked. He didn’t outright discount the theory. If he had learned anything from having four sisters and seeing the dynamic within Penelope’s own female dominated family it was that, most of the time, he had absolutely no idea what was going on in the heads of the women around him. 

“Well,” Penelope said thoughtfully, “If it were me and I had a massive crush on you,”

“Which you definitely don’t,” he assured her. She smiled a little. 

“Exactly, no crushes here,” she replied, “but IF I had a crush on you and I got to spend time with you at work, I would try to extend that time, maybe mess up a document or two so we had to stay late to fix it. If there was a deadline, we might even have to work the weekend together.” Colin stared at her open mouthed. Everything she said made sense, he just never would have thought to do any of it. 

“Let me be very clear, Pen,” he said looking at her reverently. “If you pulled that off it would be sexy as hell. Anyone else does it and it’s creepy as fuck.” She shrugged halfheartedly.

“The line between flirtatious and uncomfortable is pretty much always determined by attraction,” she said lightly. Colin frowned at the statement and was still pondering the depth of so few words when she continued speaking, “I might be totally off base. And if so I owe her a sincere apology, but my money says Marina will offer to stay late and help fix the problem when you confront her about it.” Colin’s frown deepened. If that was what Marina thought was going to happen she was dead wrong. 

“Well,” he said firmly, “She’s about to be sorely disappointed. I am spending this weekend with my beautiful fiancée, in our apartment, having pancakes for dinner and catching up on the new season of Rings of Power.” Penelope groaned. 

“Col, I love you, and I love Lord of the Rings but the second season of that show is absurdly boring and has more tropes than the romance section of a library.” Colin ignored her perfectly valid critique in favor of sealing his lips over hers. She sighed softly against his mouth and he had just begun to deepen the kiss when she pulled back. He groaned and put his head against her shoulder. 

“Come back,” he moaned. She just shook her head. 

“Everytime we start something like this in your office we get interrupted,” Penelope pointed out. “Beside’s from the sounds of it you have a lot of work to do.”

“It truly is remarkable how she always manages the timin-” before Colin even finished his sentence the door to his office swung open and Marina breezed in with a stack of empty folders.

“Oops,” she said in a breathy voice, “sorry am I interrupting something? I just wanted to make sure we had everything ready for the meeting on Monday.” She looked straight at her boss, hardly giving Penelope a passing glance and Colin felt his hackles rise even as Penelope gracefully slid off of his lap. The picture of cool indifference at the interruption. “I hope the documents looked okay,” she simpered expectantly. 

“No actually,” he replied, allowing the irritation he felt earlier to color his tone. He could feel Penelope’s gaze on him. He rarely let his frustration show but he was over being polite and charming Colin Bridgerton, especially where Marina was concerned. He didn’t look up at the lovely woman who had been in his lap only a few minutes ago but instead kept his piercing gaze on the shrew in front of him, “In fact, in looking at the document I don’t think you made a single one of my requested edits.”

“Oh, no, Colin, I-” she began.

“Mister Bridgerton,” he corrected her coldly. She had the good sense to look put out at that. 

“Mister Bridgerton,” she amended. “I am so sorry about that. I saved the original notes you sent and I’d be happy to make those edits this afternoon. I’ll stay late tonight to make it right.” 

Colin did glance at Penelope then. She simply raised her eyebrows in an expression that spoke volumes. 

“That’s not necessary,” he said firmly. “I’ll make the edits myself and come in tomorrow to finish things up.” 

“I’ll be here at 7:00 am sharp!” Marina chirped.

“You don’t work on Saturdays,” he pointed out.

“I won’t clock in,” she offered with that same smile, “Won’t cost you a dime.” Colin had to grudgingly admire her sheer stubbornness even as her tone of voice drove him steadily closer to an outburst. Penelope snorted quietly beside him. 

“I’m not worried about the money,” he snipped. “This is a multibillion dollar company. A company that is not in the business of paying employees overtime because they are not capable of their work during their assigned hours.” Marina paled a little at that, and Colin continued. “You’ve proven you are not responsible enough for a project this important. You’re off the team. I don’t want to see you at the meeting on Monday. Instead, start compiling the accounts for the Fife acquisition next month. It’ll probably take you that long to get the documents together, anyway.” 

Colin stood up. He turned towards Penelope in obvious dismissal but Marina apparently needed to get in the last word.
“But what about the portfolios?” she asked; a little desperation finally entering her voice. “You can’t possibly put all that together by yourself.” He didn’t even spare her a glance, instead wrapping his arms around the beautiful redhead in front of him. 

“What do you say, Pen?” he asked with a smirk, “Can you pause wedding planning for one day and help me get this meeting set up?” Penelope grinned. 

“Of course,” she said immediately. He lifted the hand with her engagement ring on it to his lips.  

“But she doesn’t even work here,” Marina pointed out, tone growing even more frantic. 

“No,” Colin said bluntly, glaring briefly at the secretary. “But in a few months time she’ll officially be a Bridgerton and it’s our name on top of all the stationary.” He turned back to Penelope who was absolutely beaming. “You can go now,” he said as he continued to play with the lovely fingers of Penelope’s left hand. He only barely registered the door closing as he looked into the astounding blue eyes of his love.

“That was a little harsh, Colin,” she said but her voice held no real critique. 

“That was perfectly fair,” he answered, pulling her closer so he could switch his attention to her neck. “She didn’t do her job and she’s on thin ice for it. Not to mention that I have told her a thousand times that she needs to knock on the damn door before coming in.”

“Does she interrupt you that often?” Pen asked a little breathlessly. 

“Only when you’re here,” he said, sucking on the place where her neck and shoulder met. She let out a little moan and then pulled away from him reluctantly. 

“I have to go,” she said even as he held her tightly. 

“Why?” he groaned, raising his head from her petal soft skin to look at her with pleading eyes. 

“Because,” she answered leaning up to whisper in his ear, “you have work to do and I just got inspired for a particularly filthy scene in my novel.”  

***

Colin did, in fact, work late. Luckily he had kept a copy of his most recent suggested edits on the report they needed. It was easy, if time consuming, to go in and make the corrections. He knew exactly where to find the information that needed to be plugged in and managed to hit print on the 200 page document before midnight. Thank God he had a very neatly labeled filing system. 

Colin was actually a very organized person, something that left his entire family in a state of abject shock. Actually, pretty much everything about the way he worked surprised his family. After his first year at the company his brother’s drunkenly admitted that the siblings had a betting pool on how long he would last at Bridgerton Group before quitting and jet setting across the world again. At first, Colin had been furious with their lack of faith in him. Now he just found it funny. Especially since the one member of the family who thought he would stay past a year was Fran. He didn’t mind his quiet unassuming younger sister getting the several thousand dollar pot. She’d promptly donated it to a music program anyway. Besides, he couldn’t really blame his siblings for their doubts. A corporate job was a pretty severe shift from his previous lifestyle.

 After spending his twenties traveling, Colin had entered his thirties ready to settle down, stay in one place, and build a life with someone. That someone, of course, was Penelope. He hadn’t even realized she was the one he wanted to be with until he returned for her twenty eighth birthday party to find a handsome biologist at her side. Watching her flash a dazzling smile at a random guy sent an arrow straight through Colin’s gut. While his love for Penelope had built gradually over the years they had been friends, the realization that he was so close to losing her completely hit him like a bolt of lightning. The very next week he had taken a job at the Bridgerton Group in their international relations department and moved home. 

It turned out the biologist was off on an arctic expedition the next month and Pen wasn’t particularly invested in the relationship anyway. Colin did not hesitate. He had already wasted years of his life not seeing what was in front of him, he would be damned if he waited another day. It took a full six months for him to convince her his feelings were genuine, neither a flight of fancy or some sort of quarter life crisis. Eventually she agreed to a date, and one date turned into two, into four. He moved in with her after 3 months and proposed 3 months after that. He would have eloped as soon as the registry office was open the next morning but she insisted they not do that to his mother. So, they had spent the last few months planning a wedding and settling even further into their life together. 

It was a pretty spectacular life, if he did say so himself. Not only did he love Penelope and their shared existence. He actually liked his job, alot. Working with different companies and people across the world was exciting. It also put the skills he had learned over the course of his younger days to good use. He was exceptionally charming, confidently spoke five languages, and had been exposed to enough cultures that he could pick up on social cues and taboos very easily. 

His job provided for himself and Penelope and offered them independence from both the Bridgerton and the Featheringtons. He and Penelope were adamant they would not depend on either family’s money for their day to day needs. Colin was well aware his family connections enabled him to get his job but at least he got a paycheck for working instead of interest on investments made before he was even born. He made enough money that Pen could write without worrying about making rent. They both wanted children and Penelope had expressed a strong desire to stay home when their kids were young. His salary, such as it was, allowed for that to be a real possibility.

These factors and many more made it possible for him to fall in love with his work and do it well. Even on nights like this when he found himself at the office long after everyone, including Anthony, had left. It helped that throughout the afternoon and evening Penelope sent him little excerpts from her latest chapter. None of which were exactly office appropriate. Apparently, she was writing a rather steamy encounter between her main characters that took place in an executive office. By the time Colin made his way to the carpark beneath the building his mind was full to bursting with images of tight pencil skirts barely covering milky white thighs and fiery curls splayed across a dark wood desk. Her teasing was clearly winding him up for a very eventful evening.

It was nearly midnight when he got home. The sight that met him when he unlocked the door to their apartment was far more adorable than it was sexy. Penelope was curled up on the couch, a blanket draped lazily over her lap with a book on the table in front of her. She was fast asleep. He quietly made his way into the living room and squatted in front of her. 

“Penelope,” he murmured softly, tucking a loose curl behind her ear. “Pen?” She stirred slightly before blinking her eyes open. 

“Colin?” she asked blearily, “What time is it?”

“Far past your bedtime,” he answered, gently removing her reading glasses from her face and setting them beside her book. She scrunched her nose at him in the cutest way.  

“But,” she muttered, “We were going to have sex.” He chuckled at her bluntness. She was clearly far beyond exhausted if she was being so transparent. 

“It’s okay,” he assured her, reaching out to wrap his arms around her. 

“But I sent you all those messages,” she argued, “I wound us both up.”

“I know,” he said, kissing her nose gently, “But it’s late and we’re both exhausted.” She opened her mouth to argue some more but he put a finger over it. “Besides,” he continued, “if I’m not mistaken most of those messages will be a lot easier to recreate at an actual office rather than here in the apartment.” Penelope blushed and his suspicions that she wanted to hook up at his work were confirmed. “Which we will absolutely be able to do tomorrow. That is, if you’re still up for helping me get ready for Monday.” 

“Of course,” she replied automatically. He smiled. 

“Good, then let’s go to bed.” 

Before she could say another word he had scooped her up and stood. Her arms automatically wrapped around his neck and she settled her head against his chest. Colin felt her breathing even out before they reached the bedroom. He took an extra moment to kiss her forehead and hold her close before laying her on the bed and covering her with the quilt. Even in sleep she was reluctant to let go of him. Groaning when he pulled away. He chuckled quietly as he managed to untangle himself from her arms long enough to lay down beside her. She immediately wrapped herself around his arm. He pressed his lips to the crown of her head one last time before succumbing to the exhaustion of the day.

Chapter Text

The next morning Colin coaxed Penelope out of bed with the promise of a latte and pancakes, knowing full well she’d be as angry as a wet cat if he left her to sleep in while he went to the office without her. She wanted to help, she just needed some time to wake up. So, he made his way to the coffee shop down the street and returned home to make extra special Penelope Pancakes while she “hatched.” The term they used for the time it took her to move from technically awake and in their bed to fully cognizant and ready to leave the house. 

Twenty minutes later they were sitting in his car, music on and steaming cups of coffee in hand. Colin glanced at the woman beside him. Her hair was in a high pony revealing her porcelain shoulders and the elegant curve of her neck. She was wearing a sundress with a sweetheart neckline and barely there straps that served to emphasize the generous curve of her cleavage. He gripped the steering wheel particularly hard to ground himself as his blood rushed south. How in heaven’s name had he managed to convince this siren to marry him? 

Colin returned his attention to the road. Which was good because they had just hit city center traffic. He was so focused on weaving between cars that, by the time he parked, his raging erection had calmed to a slightly distracting hardness. The massive pile of papers waiting on his desk that needed to be organized and bound provided further distraction. In fact, Colin managed to keep his dick in his pants for three whole hours. Up until the moment he found Penelope in the conference room laying out folders and straightening cups of pens. She was so short that she had to bend practically in half to reach the center of the table. Colin watched from his place at the entrance to the room as the hem of her sundress rode up, and up, and up. When the soft cotton crested her deliciously round ass cheeks, he expected to see the fabric of her underwear. Instead he was met with the sight of her bare, glistening, pussy. 

“Jesus Christ,” he swore. Penelope turned, surprised to see him. Her mouth curved into a sensuous smirk when she registered what he must have just witnessed. 

“Actually, my name is Penelope,” she said cheekily. Colin was across the room in three strides, his hands gripping her hips and pulling them against his body roughly. 

“And you, Penelope,” he said in a low rasp, “will be the death of me.” 

“Oh?” the redhead asked with mock innocence. He slid his hands up her waist. One stopped at her breast and squeezed the plush flesh there while the other moved up to cradle her cheek. He sealed their lips together before she could say another word. She opened for him immediately and the kiss became a thing of passion and hunger. Colin pressed her against the edge of the sturdy oak table, as he moved his mouth down her neck, kissing and nipping at her silky smooth skin. “Wait,” she murmured as he began to ruck up her dress. “Aren’t there cameras in this room?” 

“I’ll have Greg delete the footage,” he said bluntly. “But only after I save a copy to my phone.” She shook her head and let out a little giggle. He took that as a good sign and returned his attention to her chest. But a moment later she was pulling back yet again. 

“Colin,” she began breathlessly. 

“Pen,” he moaned, “I do not think it is physically possible for me to wait for us to get home.” She giggled, placing her hands on his cheeks and directing him to look up at her face from his position at the top of her breasts. 

“Oh,” she said quite seriously, “Absolutely not, I wouldn’t make it to the parking lot. I just want to know which of these horrendously overpriced seats is yours?”

“What?” he asked, desperately trying to piece together what she was getting at. She raised a single eyebrow at him. 

“I know you Bridgertons each have assigned seat for the meeting on Monday. Based, I’m sure, on maximizing intimidation for some people and comfort for others.” Colin blinked up at her. She was right of course. Daphne and Anthony had spent a solid hour determining exactly where every member of the assembly would be placed around the table.  

“There,” he said, nodding towards a chair directly beside Daphne’s seat to the right of Anthony at the head of the table. Penelope smirked and hooked her fingers in the waist of his jeans, tugging him towards the indicated place. 

“Excellent,” she replied in a silky voice. Once they reached the chair she turned him around and began to undo his belt buckle. 

“Why do I feel like you’re scheming in a way that would match any of my siblings?” Colin asked. 

“Because I am,” she answered plainly. “And trust me, we’ll both enjoy what I have plotted.”

“Do I get to know what this plan is?” he inquired as she finished loosening his belt and began to work the button at the top of his pants. She leaned up and kissed him. Nipping his lower lip as she pulled away and he felt his cock twitch against the denim of his pants. 

“First,” she said in the same low sultry voice, “I am going to get these off of you. Then you are going to sit your incredibly sexy ass in that chair. Finally, I will get on my knees,” Colin swallowed as her voice dropped lower, “So you can fuck my mouth until you come so hard I choke on it.” Colin coughed harshly; desperate to maintain some decorum.

“That sounds amazing,” he croaked, “but what exactly do you get out of that?”

“Besides your dick?” she asked. Colin managed to blush just slightly.

“Besides that.”

Penelope pushed herself up on her toes to whisper breathily in his ear. “I get to spend all day Monday knowing you are sitting in that exact chair, unable to think of anything beside me, at your waist, sucking you off with my tight wet mouth.” 

Colin’s eyes went wide as her words sunk in. She pressed against his chest lightly and he was about to drop into the seat behind him when a thought occurred to him. He looked down at his love, her lips kiss swollen, cheeks flushed with want and nipples peaked through the thin fabric of her dress. The sight of her in such a state made up his mind for him. He grabbed her hips and swiftly turned them so that his back was to the table and she was standing in front of his chair. 

“I have a better idea,” he said as he pushed her down onto the plush leather and sank to his knees before her. She gaped at him. 

“Better than you coming in my mouth?” 

“Yes,” he smirked, running his hands down her arms and carefully guiding her palms to grip the arm rests beneath their fingers. He turned his attention to her thighs, revealing her perfect moon pale skin inch by inch as he bunched her skirt around her waist.“The only thing hotter than the image of you getting me off beneath this table, is the memory of devouring you on the very same chair I find myself sitting in.” She shuddered. Either at his words or the burst of artificially cooled air that hit her womanhood as he pulled her legs open, uncovering her slick lips. Colin began to kiss up her silky smooth skin towards her core. She moaned, and tangled her fingers in his hair. He pulled back and resettled them back on the chair. “No,” he scolded her gently, “When I sit here on Monday, I want to see the indents of your nails in the leather, hear the echoes of your screams, feel the warmth of your bare ass.” 

“Fuck, Colin,” she cried out as he descended on her cunt, licking a long stripe between her lips before she she could fully process his words. He let out a feral noise of pleasure when he found her absolutely dripping. 

His mind filled with a thousand things to say about that discovery but he couldn’t bear to remove his mouth from her long enough to speak. Instead, he kept his attention on her. He teased her opening with his tongue before slipping in a finger. Her whole body shook as he began to pump in and out of her. 

“More,” she moaned, “Please more,” He obliged her immediately. Unable to deny her even the most basic request. He moved up slightly to suck her clit into his mouth as a second finger entered her and then a third. She made an incoherent sound of pleasure as she jolted forward, one hand coming to tangle in his hair. He didn’t care though, not as her fingers gripped his chestnut curls almost painfully and she canted her hips up against his mouth. He moaned as a fresh wave of her arousal drenched his face and She shuddered at the vibrations that moved through her sensitive pearl. “Colin,” she gasped, “Oh Colin I’m going to-” A keen of ecstasy interrupted her words and he felt her walls clench around his fingers. She rode his hand with abandon as he continued to work her with his mouth. After an indeterminate amount of time she fell forward over his head, cradling him in her arms as he ceased his attentions on her womanhood. He adjusted slightly so he could plant a sloppy kiss on her cheek. She mumbled something incoherent. 

“What was that?” he asked as he helped her sit back. 

“I love you,” she repeated, eyes still glazed with pleasure. He smiled.  

“And I love you,” he replied before pressing their lips together. To his surprise her fingers immediately gripped his cheeks and she deepened the kiss hungrily. It was all Colin needed to know that she was ready for more. He stood up, dragging her along with him and spun her around roughly. She had finished once but if her writing was anything to go by there was plenty more she wanted to do before they returned home. He pressed his aching cock against her now clothed ass. “Feel that?” he murmured as her head fell back against his chest.

“Yes,” she gasped. 

“Do you want that, Penelope?” 

“Yes,” she gasped, “please.” He chuckled at how much her voice had shifted from alluring to complaint with just one orgasm.

“So polite,” he murmured against the flushed skin of her forehead. “Don’t be shy, my love,” he encouraged her, “Tell me exactly what you want.” 

“I want your cock,” she said immediately, “I- in me, right now.” 

“No,” he teased as a hand came up to squeeze her breast, teasing her nipple through the thin cotton fabric. “No, you don’t just want my cock. You want me to bend you over this table and fuck you senseless.” He felt her nod fervently. “That’s right,” he said as he pulled the top of her dress down roughly, exposing her breasts to his waiting fingers. “You’ve been thinking about it for days, haven’t you? Spent all week imagining all the ways I can take you here at work?” 

“How did you know that?” she asked breathlessly. 

“Pen,” he replied confidently, “You never let me see any of your writing unless it’s been edited at least twice. There’s no way you wrote and reworked everything you sent me yesterday in one afternoon. Even for you, the most accomplished writer I know, that would be impossible.” She sucked in a surprised breath. “Obviously, you’ve been working on that chapter for a while, at least a week, maybe more. And I am only too happy to test out exactly how realistic your scenarios are.” 

“Fuck I love you,” Penelope said as she tilted her head up and tugged him by the hair towards her waiting mouth. She kissed him wildly and he returned the gesture with equal passion but pulled away after only a moment.    

“Hands on the table, Featherington,” he ordered and she complied immediately. His cock hardened even further at her obedience. One of his favorite things about their relationship was the way they shifted so easily between roles in sex and other parts of their life. Five minutes ago he was putty in her hands, now he was the one leading things. “Good girl,” he murmured as he stepped back just far enough to undo his pants. He saw her shudder at the sound of his jeans opening and he pulled his aching member out of his boxers. He stroked himself as he stepped forward, using one knee to widen her stance, before he grabbed the hem of her dress and pulled it over her ass. Fuck she was beautiful. He smacked the smooth skin there with one hand before roughly pulling her back by the hips. She gasped as he ran his cockhead through her still drenched folds a few times. He placed a hand on her back and pressed her into the table, causing her butt to shift a little higher and grabbed her cheeks, spreading her wide for him. “God I love this ass, the way it frames your pretty pink cunt is just divine.” She whined as his words permeated the haze of lust that surely filled her mind. “Ready?” he asked as he notched himself at her opening. She nodded frantically. “Good.” 

Then he sheathed himself inside of her in one single motion. She cried out, scrambling to hold onto the smoothly polished wood beneath her. He didn’t give her a chance to find purchase insead taking her hard and fast. She moaned as he pistoned his hips. He felt the glorious tightening of her walls around him almost immediately. 

“So soon, my dear?” he asked as he reached around to pull her up against him so he could fondle her breasts and pinch her nipples. 

“Like you said,” she managed to gasp out between sounds of pleasure, “I’ve been waiting all week for this.” 

“Hmm,” he said, dropping a hand to her clit, “pretty sure if you’re capable of speaking I’m not doing my job correctly.” She practically screamed as his fingers circled her most sensitive nub roughly.

Colin pressed her back down, his body coming over her own as he slid her hands up and up until her fingers curled over the opposite edge of the table. It was a stretch, her torso didn’t quite cover the length of the sturdy piece of furniture. So, he gripped her hips and settled them onto the polished wood. Next he lifted her legs one at a time, bending them in such a way that her thighs remained flat on the polished surface and her cunt opened even more. He sank further into her, pressing her clit into the wood and she groaned as her muscles stretched.

“That’s it, baby,” he murmured, “Take me so well, so deep, feel me fill every fucking inch of you. Gonna cover this whole damn table in you, your scent, the slick dripping out of your cunt, the fucking outline of your tits.” She moaned, pressing back against him. “It’ll be all I think about during that damn meeting. I’m going to need to get myself off in a bathroom at least twice before we even start, Pen. And when the paperwork is all signed and the hands have been shaken; I’m going to come straight home and fuck you so hard you can’t stand the next day.” 

“Please,” she cried out, “Please, yes!” 

“That’s what you want right?” he asked breathlessly. He could feel his cock tightening with a pending orgasm but it didn’t stop his rambling. “You want me to be so completely distracted with thoughts of you during the meeting that I lose my fucking mind?” 

“Yes,” she repeated, “I want that. I want you to be going as crazy as me when you’re here and I’m at home aching for you.” 

“Oh my dear, sweet Penelope,” he muttered desperately trying to keep his release at bay until she came, “I am always, always aching for you.” The words seemed to do something to her, as if the knowledge of his desire made the feeling of him filling her twice as satisfying, because suddenly her walls were clenching around his cock and her knuckles were white where they gripped the edge of the table. She screamed his name and Colin followed her off of the cliff of ecstasy. 

When Colin’s mind returned to his body a few minutes later he realized they were still slumped over the table. He immediately, but gently, slipped out of her and made quick work of putting himself away before gathering her in his arms. Pen curled into his chest as he settled into the chair behind them, carefully righting her clothes so she wouldn’t feel exposed. “How are you feeling?” He murmured quietly into her ear. She looked up at him with an expression of blissed out pleasure. 

“So good,” she replied in a content voice. “You?”

“Amazing,” he said, nuzzling her nose with his own. “I am the luckiest man alive.”

“And I am the luckiest woman,” she replied with a sweet smile before turning her head into his chest and taking a deep breath. 

Colin thought for sure Penelope would fall asleep in his arms. He wasn’t complaining. The chairs were ridiculously expensive and thus absurdly comfortable. He would happily sit in one for hours if it meant he got to hold her like this. However, after less than ten minutes she pulled away from him and stretched. 

“We should finish up here and head home,” she said softly. “Your siblings are expecting us for trivia later.” Colin groaned. He didn’t mind hanging out with his family most of the time but tonight he just wanted to stay in, order curry, and hold his beautiful fiancée. 

“Can we beg off of trivia?” he asked, widening his eyes in a way he knew she was weak to. She frowned. 

“We already said we’d go,” she pointed out. 

“Yes,” he replied, “But that was before we had to work all day doing this nonsense.” He waved a hand at the folders in front of him. 

“Well that was Marina’s fault, not theirs,” she pointed out. 

“Yeah, but first of all, I still really want to stay home no matter whose fault it is. Second, if I tell them the truth maybe Anthony will fire her before I have to. You know how seriously he takes Trivia night.” 

“Colin,” she admonished halfheartedly, “That is someone’s livelihood you’re talking about.” 

“If she was that worried about keeping her job she wouldn’t purposefully interrupt us after I have given her multiple warnings. Nor would she sabotage major projects to spend the weekends with me.” He gave Penelope a pointed look. She opened her mouth to argue but nothing was forthcoming. “Exactly,” he continued. “Besides, chances are Anthony will just transfer her to a different department.” 

“That’s true,” the woman in his lap agreed. 

“Which will make me much more productive and the company overall more successful and my department more financially solvent,” he insisted. 

“I guess,” she agreed.

“So really, missing out on trivia tonight is the economical thing to do,” he concluded. She shook her head. But, Colin could see the small smile on her lips and pressed his advantage. “We can get your favorite kabobs,” he said with an eyebrow wiggle. She narrowed her eyes at him. 

“Two orders plus garlic naan?” 

“Absolutely.” 

“Deal,” she said, holding out her hand for him to shake. He ignored it in order to seal their agreement with a kiss. He felt her smile against his lips and he somehow knew this would not be the last time she was on his lap that day. 

Chapter Text

PF: How goes the meeting? 

CB: Tedious AF

CB: Wait, how did you get a username on the interoffice communications network?

PF: Sir, half of your siblings like me better than you. I had one of these before you did. 

CB: Understood. 

PF: So, the meeting… 

CB: Why did I choose to work in an office again?

PF: So you could fuck me on a very expensive desk.

CB: I could do that at Aubrey Hall!

PF: Yeah but Aubrey Hall doesn’t have the high def cameras that the Bridgerton Group does. 

PF: I know for a fact you watched that footage from Saturday when I was at book club Sunday night.

CB: I won’t deny it. It was fucking hot when we did it and nearly as hot to watch later…

PF: Who knew you were such an exhibitionist?

CB: I’m not really. I’m more of a Penelope-ist. 

PF: Which means?

CB: I’m into anything that involves you, especially naked you.

PF: I didn’t know I could be someone’s kink. 

CB: Kink is an understatement. A better word would be obsession or fixation. I literally never stop thinking about you, again, especially naked you.

PF: lol even when you’re in boring ass work meetings on a Monday morning?

CB: Especially then. I mean this meeting would be a lot more interesting if we didn’t all know that Anthony was going to bully them with absurd terms before sweet sensible Daphne swoops in with more reasonable ones that are just as advantageous to The Bridgerton Group but feel like less of a blow to the other guys because it comes from her. 

PF: I would feel bad for them if it weren’t for the blatant sexism. 

CB: Right? They assume because she’s a woman she must be the most kind and gentle of us. 

PF: They have clearly never seen her play Pall Mall!

CB: Or any competitive game. She is the most ruthless Bridgerton by far, especially since Anthony married Kate and went soft. 

PF: I don’t think anyone would describe Anthony as soft. At least not anyone who didn’t grow up with him. He still comes off as a hardass outside the family. 

CB: I don’t know how I feel about you talking about my brother’s ass…

PF: Oh hush. You know the only ass I want is yours. 

CB: The same for you, my love. 

PF: Yeah… I kind of got that impression when you bent me over the table. What was the exact word you used to describe how my ass frames my cunt?

CB: Divine. 

PF: That’s what it was!

CB: As if you don’t remember…

PF: ;) You caught me. I do remember. I just wanted you to have to think about exactly what you did to me a mere six inches from where you’re currently sitting. 

CB: You will be the death of me. 

PF: Oh but what a glorious death it will be…

CB: You’re not wrong. 

PF: Just think of it,

CB: I am trying my best not to.

PF: My thighs wrapped around your head, my cunt soaked with need for you, my hands in your hair; nails scratching just the way you like. 

CB: Penelope, I beg of you. I am in public. 

PF: I’d make those little whimpering sounds you like so much. With every swipe of your tongue I’d grow wetter and wind tighter. 

CB: Pen…

PF: Tell me, are my nail indents still in the arms of the chair? Can you see where I dripped on the leather? Did someone wipe down the table on Sunday or can you see the places where my nipples left little round marks on the polished wood?

CB: Benedict is looking at me funny.

PF: Maybe I should ask him about this.

CB: At least then he’d know why I am using my laptop to cover my raging erection. 

PF: Oh?

PF: Is this conversation getting you all hot and bothered?

CB: You know the answer to that. 

PF: Well, the good news is you only have thirty minutes left before lunch. 

CB: Yes, thirty minutes until I can drive home and sink my cock so deep into you, that whimpers will be the last thing coming out of your mouth. 

PF: What if I told you that you didn’t have to go all the way home?

CB: Excuse me?

PF: What if I was in your office right now. Wearing even less than I was on Saturday. 

CB: If you are joking with me right now I will lose my fucking mind, Pen. 

PF: No jokes. Just one horny fiancée who got a hell of a glare from Marina when she used the key you gave her to slip into this big, empty office. 

CB: ffs, where does she get off glaring at you?
PF: She’s jealous. It happens. I’m the one who gets to ride you as hard as I want in exactly 27 minutes. 

CB: True. 

PF: Just make sure to lock the door when you come in. 

CB: What if I didn’t? 

PF:????

CB: That was in one of the scenes you wrote wasn’t it? The bitchy coworker catches the main couple fucking on his desk?

PF: I mean yeah but this is your job… She’s your employee…

CB: An employee I have sent literally dozens of email reminders about not coming into my office without knocking first. 

CB: I mean, I totally understand if it’s weird and you want the security of privacy. Just know that I don’t give a fuck if she walks in on us. Not because I want anyone to see us together but because it would serve her right for being so shitty to you. AND then maybe she’d finally get it through her head that I have zero interest in her. 

PF: [starts typing and stops]

CB: Pen?

CB: I’m sorry. I made this weird. 

CB: Let’s just forget I said anything. 

PF: No, Col, that’s not it. 

PF: I was just trying to find the right way to tell you what you said is really fucking hot. 

CB: Oh. 

CB: Well, take your time finding the exact right words. You are a writer after all. 

PF: You are such a little shit sometimes. 

CB: But I’m your little shit. 

PF: Ugh. Never say that again. 

CB: Let me fuck you with the door unlocked and I won’t. 

PF: Okay, but only because the thought that we might get caught is really turning me on. That, and the fact that I know there isn’t another person in this building who would enter your office without knocking. 

CB: Correct. Especially, if I mention that we’re having lunch. I’ll even tell Marina we aren’t to be disturbed.  

PF: Perfect. 

CB: Fuck, Daphne is glaring at me. I gtg. 

PF: Most ruthless Bridgerton indeed. 

PF: See you in 16 minutes. 

Chapter Text

Penelope reread her text exchange with Colin as she lay on the couch in his office. The plush leather cradled her as she rubbed her legs together in anticipation. She was on her back, legs crossed at the knee with one foot up in the air. She wore the inky louboutin heels Colin had gotten her for Valentine’s last year, knowing full well he found them sexy as hell. The rest of her was clad in only a suit coat. Colin’s suit coat to be precise. Buttons strained at her bust while the bottom hem hung just above her knees when she stood. She had taken the morning off of work and pampered herself luxuriously before slipping into an outfit that had her feeling sexy as hell. 

She had smirked at Marina when she pulled the key to Colin’s office from a chain around her neck and opened the door with practiced ease. Marina had scowled right back but it didn’t bother Penelope one bit. Not anymore. She knew she didn’t have anything to worry about where Marina was concerned. Colin’s clear dismissal of her on Friday was only one of the many times Colin had been clear about his intentions with her. She trusted him with all her heart. 

To be honest, Penelope didn’t often mind people flirting with Colin. Especially because they usually had no idea Penelope existed. Her fiancé was an attractive and charming guy. He was also almost always early to social events while she consistently ran five to ten minutes late. It wasn’t uncommon for her to walk into a restaurant and see someone sidling up to him at the bar where he was waiting for her. They would bat their eyelashes and make conversation which he was too polite to shut down. Most had the decency to back off when Pen arrived. Particularly, when Colin wrapped his arms around her waist, pulled her back against his chest and introduced her as his fiancée. However, there were some that didn’t back off; ones who looked down on Pen with a mix of disbelief and condescension and kept on flirting with him right in front of her. Those girls could go fuck themselves. They certainly wouldn’t be fucking Colin anytime soon. 

Penelope never doubted Colin’s commitment to her. He was neither ignorant nor dismissive of how those situations affected her. In fact, when women refused to back off Colin became even more affectionate; pulling Pen closer, rubbing his hands over her stomach and sides, kissing her neck and nibbling her ear until the women got the hint and left. He made sure to check in on Penelope afterwards too. Which is why it so rarely upset her when other women tried anything with him. Except with Marina. There was just something about the woman, maybe it was her proximity to Colin on a daily basis or the fact that she continued to push long after it became clear Penelope was here to stay. 

Pen wondered idly if it was even possible to put Marina off; including Colin’s suggestion that they not lock the door during lunch. She knew he would turn the key the minute he came inside if she asked him to and Penelope considered if that’s what she wanted. Was it weird that Marina catching them excited her? Was this some sort of twisted game with Colin as a prize? Would Pen spend the entire time being anxious about Marina walking in and just end up giving the woman more power? 

Penelope never worried about other women when she was with Colin like that. She certainly hadn’t given his secretary a moment of her mental energy when they were fucking in the conference room on Saturday. Pen examined her feelings, parsing out different thoughts and emotions. What excited her about the door being unlocked wasn’t Marina herself but the idea that there was so little separating them from discovery. There was a delicious and exciting thrill in the possibility of getting caught being thoroughly pleasured by her hot as hell fiancé. The thought had her rubbing her legs together as a wave of arousal swept through her. She felt a wetness gather and moaned.

All thoughts of Marina disappeared from her mind as Penelope checked the antique clock on the bookshelf behind the desk. It read 12:03. The meeting was running late and Penelope could only imagine how frustrated her fiancé was becoming. She considered sending him a picture of her breasts bursting out of the top of his coat but before she could open the camera on her phone she heard muffled voices beyond the door. 

“I have a lunch appointment with Pen,” Colin said clearly. “I do not want to be interrupted.” 

Then the rich wood door was swinging open and Colin entered. He shut the thick wood firmly behind him, leaned back, and took her. His gaze devoured her hungrily as she looked at him from her position on the couch. His bright blue eyes traced her body from the curls coming loose from her updo to the red soles of her designer shoes. 

“Fuck,” was all Colin said as he reached up to loosen his tie and strode across the room towards her. Penelope smirked and held up her hand. 

“Stop,” she commanded bluntly. Colin froze. She noted with a thrill of pleasure that he was panting and she could see the glorious bulge in his slacks. Penelope took her time standing, planting her hands on the glass table in front of her and propelling her torso up as she rose to her feet. She slowly made her way around the piece of furniture and began to saunter towards him. His eyes followed her every movement, intent in each step she took, until she was standing directly in front of him. He looked down at her but not nearly as much as usual with her heels. 

Penelope resisted the urge to pull him into a heated kiss. Instead, she slid her hands leisurely up his stomach and chest, knocking his coat off of his shoulders with practiced ease. She saw his hands twitch as if to grab her but she subtly shook her head. He froze, remaining where he was as she wrapped one manicured hand around his tie and slipped her finger into the space between the knot and his throat. She licked her lips before abruptly pulling him towards by the silky fabric. 

Colin steadied himself on her hips as their lips crashed together. She slid her free hand into the hair at the nape of his neck and tugged him even closer. He nipped her bottom lip with his teeth hungrily and she opened for him, allowing his tongue to tangle with her own.  She relished the flavors that filled her mouth and nose; coffee and the muffins they ordered for morning meetings mixed with the barest hint of his toothpaste and of course the utterly intoxicating ambrosia that was Colin. He groaned into her mouth and she grinned against his lips. 

His grip on her waist tightened as they separated just far enough to catch their breath. She opened her eyes to find him staring at her with unabashed lust and desire. He was putty in her hands and she loved it. She stepped away from him, fingers still wrapped around the tie and tugged him back towards the desk. His hands moved down to her thighs as if to lift her onto the mahogany wood but she turned him forcefully around before he could get a good grip. She deftly maneuvered them to the opposite side of the massive piece of furniture and shoved him down into his chair none too gently. He was forced to let her go as she stepped back and began to work the buttons on her jacket free. 

“Undo your belt,” she commanded, nodding towards his lap. He complied immediately and she felt a fresh wave of need hit her as he unzipped his pants and slid his boxers down, revealing his hard and leaking cock. His hand automatically gripped the base and began to move up and down. Penelope reached forward and grabbed his wrist; stilling his motions. He moaned in frustration. “Patience,” she purred as she used her free hand to undo the last button holding the coat closed over her front. 

The absurdly expensive fabric fell away, revealing her already peaked nipples and soaking wet center. She did not completely shed the coat but kept it on as Colin muttered another curse that she ignored in favor of straddling him. Luckily his chair was large enough that her knees could settle on either side of his hips without sliding off of the seat. She gripped his hair and tugged his head back, tilting it up to look up at her while her other hand began to guide his member towards her entrance. She swiped the tip through her drenched folds a few times. 

“Pen,” he murmured, sounding like a man starved.  

“Feel that?” she asked him, astounded at the confidence and surety in her voice. He nodded, eyes wide with anticipation and lust. “That’s all for you, sweetheart.” The term of endearment felt filthy coming to her when she was nearly naked on his lap in his office with nothing to stop anyone from coming in besides a shut door. 

“God Damn,” he murmured, unable to resist sliding his hands up her thighs and beneath the black silk lining of his coat. “I am the luckiest bastard in the world.” She grinned and leaned forward to kiss him roughly as his hands began to knead her breasts. 

“Yeah,” she said after a moment of ravenous kissing. “You are.” She sank down on him just as the last word ghosted over her lips and he breathed in sharply. The gasp turned into a groan as she immediately pushed herself up and off of him before dropping again. He gripped her breasts harder, pinching her nipples as she began to ride him hard. She threw her head back as he filled her over and over again, stretching her deliciously even though they had just had sex last night. He was always opening her like this, always filling her so completely she thought she would burst. Her own fluids leaked out of her as they fucked, soaking his lap and drenching the curls at her sex.

As things became wetter and sloppier, Pen leaned down to kiss him once before tugging his head to her breast. She watched him latch onto her nipple immediately. The sensation of his tongue and teeth sent a thrum of pleasure straight to her clit. She tried to be quiet. She really did. But she couldn’t help the little wimpers that escaped her when he gripped her hips tighter and began to piston his hips up into her. 

Penelope threw her head back and gave herself over the sensations coursing through her body; heat in her belly, throbbing in her cunt, a wave of pleasure everytime Colin’s cockhead hit her g-spot, the balance of sharp and soothing his mouth was bringing to her tits, the solid grip of his hand on her ass as he pulled her down onto him with increasing ferocity. Pen felt Colin’s other hand snake to her front and move towards her clit. She was so absorbed in the passions they were sharing that she didn’t even hear the door open. What she did hear was Marina’s voice. 

“Mister Bridgerton, I know you said not to disturb you but I have- oh my god!” The shrill sound of the woman witnessing her boss getting ridden roughly at his desk cut through the air. Penelope forgot the hysterical shriek before it even fully registered with her because at that exact moment Colin’s finger pressed on the bundle of nerves at her apex and she shattered. Her entire body seized around him as she let out a nearly inhuman sound of pleasure. Colin grunted as her walls clenched around his cock, milking him so hard he came with her name on his lips. 

Distantly Penelope heard the door click shut again, but she didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was the way Colin was holding her through the final ripples of pleasure that rocked her body and the deep peace that settled in her heart in the wake of their intimacies. She fell against him as her muscles weakened, giving herself over fully to the warm cocoon of his chest. Colin kissed her forehead softly as he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. 

 They remained in contented silence for untold minutes as they regained their bearings. Eventually, Penelope noticed the dig of his zipper into her ass and the slight ache in her thighs from the strain of stretching around his thighs for so long. She opened her eyes as the sensations pulled her from a blissful, post orgasmic state of mind. She took in the sight of Colin’s office, early afternoon light illuminating dust swirling in the space. She blinked a few times and gasped, suddenly recalling the sound of Marina’s yelp when she had caught them. Penelope had been far too occupied with her impending orgasm to pay much attention but she did know Marina had come in. 

“Colin,” Penelope said, pulling away from him abruptly.. 

“Five more minutes,” he mumbled as he tried to tug her back against his chest, clearly still wrapped in the bliss of their encounter. She resisted him but he only leaned forward and began to pepper her neck and chest with open mouthed kisses.

“Colin,” she repeated more firmly. “Marina.”

“What about her?” He said between small nips and kitten licks.

“She came in,” Penelope reminded him. He shrugged nonchalantly. 

“So what?” He replied. His hands roamed up her sides to palm her breasts lightly. He got like this after sex sometimes; touchy and hungry for more without even registering what he was doing. 

“So what?” She repeated blankly. Colin finally seemed to come back to himself fully. He pulled away so he could take her in. 

“Sorry,” he amended. “I imagine that was pretty uncomfortable for you.” 

“Actually,” she replied rather sheepishly. “It wasn’t.” And it was true. It hadn’t been uncomfortable at the time. In fact, she’d barely noticed. Now however, she found herself distinctly anxious. Mostly, she was worried about the fall out. “I’m just afraid she’s going to head straight to HR.” Colin cupped her cheek with his hand gently, his eyes full of appreciation and love.

“I really don’t think that will be an issue,” he assured her, “What would she say? ‘my boss explicitly told me not to interrupt him and when I did he was having very consensual sex with his fiancée?’” 

“Fair point,” she conceded.

“Not to mention that between me being pretty much fully dressed and you wearing this delightful coat she wasn’t even exposed to any nudity. How could she even be sure we were having sex?”

“I think the sounds we were making were pretty good indicators we weren’t working on your portfolio.” Colin smirked at her response and his eyes immediately darkened. Penelope bit her lip, certain he was remembering exactly what noises had slipped from her lips. His hands once again slid over her skin, this time one found its way to her lower back while the other gripped her neck and pulled her into a deep kiss. When she finally allowed herself to kiss him back as thoroughly as she wished he began to press her against his already hardening cock. She moaned and then pulled away. He immediately turned his attention to her neck and chest as she wound her fingers into his chestnut locks. She felt her core tighten as he dipped lower and lower.

“Please tell me that you don’t have to finish that meeting this afternoon,” she nearly begged. 

“Nope,” he said against the flushed skin at her collarbone. “In fact, Anthony insists I take the afternoon off to make up for working extra this weekend.” 

“Lucky you,” she purred before separating from him too quickly for him to react. She was a full foot away with her coat half buttoned before he seemed to realize what was happening. 

“Penelope,” he said plaintively as he reached for her. “Come back.” She shook her head and gave him a flirtatious smile.

“Now now,” she said, picking up her purse and phone from the table. “I am pretty sure if we don’t leave right now we will be stuck in this office the rest of the afternoon.” 

“Would that be a bad thing?” He asked but he stood up and began to put himself back together enough for the short walk to the car park. She turned back to wink at him, her hand already on the handle of the door.

“Trust me,” she said confidently, “what I have planned for us is best done far from your coworkers, in a bed, preferably our bed in our very soundproof apartment.” 

Colin simply groaned as he came close enough to tangle their hands together. He opened the door to his office with flourish and led them out. Neither one gave Marina so much as a passing glance as they made their way towards the elevators. They were too intent on each other to notice her quietly updating her CV and reading through job postings. Hopefully in her next position she would remember to knock first.