Billionaire Erotic Romance Boxed Set: 7 Steamy Full-Length Novels (145 page)

What the fuck was she thinking? Vance punched the intercom button. “Emma, get Miss Bell on the line immediately.”

“Yes, sir.” Emma's tone made it clear that she was still pissed at him.

Vance leaned back, trying to regain some semblance of calm before Courtney arrived. If he was going to pursue a dominant role in her life, she could never see him frazzled like this. A part of him was already disturbed that she'd managed to rattle him this much. Then again, she wasn't like any other woman he'd ever pursued. She was the end goal. Always had been.

“Mr. Forster.” Emma's voice came back over the intercom. “Miss Bell went home about fifteen minutes ago.” The unspoken accusation dripped from every syllable.

“Thank you, Emma.” Vance thought about it and then added, “Cancel my dinner reservations at
La Mia Rosa
tonight.” He barely heard her reply as he turned his chair towards the massive windows that made up his back wall. The sky was a soft gray with clouds darkening in the distance. Their color made his heart constrict as he imagined Courtney's eyes, that same shade of dark gray, filled with tears.

“Shit.” He stood, shoving his chair back against the desk. He strode over to the windows, peering out over the skyline but seeing none of it. When he'd pictured finally beginning his relationship with Courtney, he'd been calm and smooth, seducing her with his words and caresses. After he'd made first contact, he could carefully cultivate his control over her, drop hints and innuendos designed to make her uncomfortable with desire. Bit by bit, she'd start doing things that he wanted, falling under his spell without realizing it. Only after he was certain that she wouldn’t refuse him, they would finally consummate their relationship. He'd had the entire process outlined, approximately three weeks from beginning to consummation, and now it was crumbling after just over twenty-four hours.

Of the thousands of times he'd run through various scenarios, not a single one had looked anything like this, and he didn't know what to do. Common sense told him that he should just let it go. What he'd done could get him fired, if not arrested and sued. Courtney's drunken email was bad, but nothing like feeling her up in his office during a review. If she was embarrassed enough to resign rather than angry enough to sue, it might be best if he just accepted it.

He turned away from the window. He didn't want to accept it. Not only would it be wrong for him to let her resign for something that he'd provoked, but he didn't want her to leave. Having a relationship with a subordinate wasn't entirely ethical, but he'd wanted Courtney before she'd come to work at Asgard. And he'd never force her into something she didn't want. But, wasn't that what he was doing? He growled in frustration. Had he done anything to imply that she'd lose her job if she didn't respond to his attentions? Had he misread the signals yesterday?

As he paced the length of his office, Vance ran through the prior day's events, searching for any indication that he'd pushed too hard.

“
Are things too hard for you, Ms. Bell?” He stressed the word intentionally, all too aware of his erection threatening to make itself known.

When her jaw snapped shut, he had to suppress a grin. He straightened and circled around behind her, choosing his words carefully. “You did well your first two years here. Maybe all you need is some discipline.”

He was thankful she couldn't see the expression that he knew crossed his face. There were so many ways he wanted to discipline her. He had to touch her. Before he could second guess himself, he ran his finger over the back of her neck, the heat from her skin blazing through him.

“
Mr. Forster.”

He smirked when his name came out as a squeak. It was time to see just how obedient she was going to be.

“
Mr. Forster...”

He cut her off. “Stand up.”

When she questioned him, he stepped in front of her, blood rushing straight to his cock. “Why? Because you need someone to keep you in line, to provide discipline. Don't you?” He gave her a second to think it over, letting his eyes show everything he wanted to do to her. “Now, stand up.”

She did, and he permitted himself the luxury of his gaze running over her, taking the time to appreciate the moment. He'd been waiting so long for this, he wanted to savor the first time she obeyed him, the first time he was able to look at her this closely and not have to hide what he was doing. “Very nice.” But it wasn't enough. He wanted to see more of her. “Take off your jacket.” When she started, he knew what she was thinking and amended his prior statement, letting his tone soften. “Just the jacket.”

As she did what he said, he stepped behind her once more, not wanting her to see the pure lust in his eyes, or the bulge in his pants. He clenched his hands, fighting the urge to demand more, to tell her to strip for him. He wanted to see what lay beneath those garments, the pale flesh that had haunted him for years. He took a breath, regaining control. “Hands on the desk.”

He watched her body tense and, for a terrible moment, he thought she would refuse, ending all of his plans. Then she did it, bending forward slightly so the fabric of her skirt molded to the curve of her ass. He hadn't intended to touch her, but he found he couldn't stop himself, he had to do it. If she rejected him, he'd never have the chance, and he had to know what it felt like to have his hands on her body, even through a layer of clothes. He gripped her waist, biting back the moan that wanted to come out. When she didn't protest, he leaned forward, letting her feel him against her so his intentions would be obvious. He wanted no misunderstandings between them. She didn't move, didn't ask him to stop. He ran his hands up her ribcage, barely daring to believe that she was letting him do this, and then he was holding her breasts and he thought he'd come right there in his pants. Only the realization that he needed to continue with her kept him sane.

“
You need someone to take a firmer hand with you, Ms. Bell. Punish you when you're out of line. Make sure you're living up to your potential.”

When she shifted against him, he forced a laugh and took a step back. He didn't want to lose the contact with her body, but he really didn't want to walk around with damp underwear and pants for the rest of the day, and one more press of her ass against him and he wouldn't have an option. The groan of frustration she made was still almost too much, and his words came out a bit more harshly than he'd intended. “I think you need to learn the value of patience, Ms. Bell.”

Vance returned to his chair just like he'd done yesterday. Then, it had been as much to hide his erection and get Courtney out of his office as quickly as possible so he could dart into his bathroom to take care of his not-so-little problem. Today, it was because he just couldn't pace anymore. Nothing in his memory told him that he'd misread her. It hadn't been his imagination or wishful thinking. She'd wanted him.

Doubts and affirmations chased after each other throughout the rest of the day. Just when he thought he'd refocused and could finally get some work done, something would catch his eye and it would start all over again. It was three o'clock before he realized that he'd missed lunch, but he wasn't hungry. He forced himself to grab a handful of peanuts from a jar in his desk, but he barely tasted them. When five o'clock finally arrived, he bolted from his chair.

“See you tomorrow, Emma.” He ignored the open-mouthed stare his assistant shot his way as he hurried past her. In all the years they'd worked together, he'd never left before her and certainly never left on time. He had a brief moment to consider what she'd read into it before he decided that he didn't care. He had to see her.

Twenty minutes later, he was still sitting in front of her apartment building, arguing with himself. He knew which one was hers, could see the pale yellow curtains she'd hung. He desperately wanted to go up there, apologize for what he'd done and beg her to forgive him. Or maybe he wanted to go there to demand she keep the list of promises she so foolishly made. But he knew that neither option was the smart one. He should just leave and let nature take its course. Then the curtains twitched aside, and he caught a glimpse of her pale face and he knew he couldn't just leave. He still didn't know if he wanted her to forgive him or obey him, but he knew he had to find out.

Vance took a deep breath and climbed out of his car. When he buzzed at the door, she didn't respond but let him in. A faint hope bloomed in his chest. She hadn't told him to fuck off, so there was still a chance to salvage whatever this could be. He paused at her door, far more nervous than he'd ever been before. Suddenly, he realized that he didn't know what to say.

When the door opened, he improvised. “Hi.”

Part Two

She nearly passed out when he buzzed to come in. Why in the world had he shown up? Wasn't it enough that she'd humiliated herself with that email? Did he think he had to come fire her in person? For a moment, she considered not letting him in, but she knew that would just make it worse.

When she opened the door, she couldn't quite stop her heart from skipping a beat. Tousled blue-black hair that looked like he'd spent all day running his fingers through it. Arctic blue eyes that somehow managed to be cold and hot at the same time. Tall, lean frame that she knew was far more defined than his well-fitted suits revealed. She waited for him to speak first. After the day she'd had, there was no way she was going to initiate the conversation.

***

In twenty-seven years, Courtney Bell had never been so thoroughly mortified. When she'd read the attachment she'd emailed to her boss – the CEO of the company where she was among the lowest on the totem pole – she'd been so sure she'd be fired the second she walked in the door. When no one said anything to her, she'd immediately opened her email, expecting something, anything, from Vance Forster, the flirtatious CEO in question. Maybe a summons to his office.

Her stomach tightened at the thought of the latter, and she felt a pleasurable warmth in her belly. A squirming, nervous warmth, but pleasurable nonetheless. What would he do to her if he called her up? With a rush of heat to her cheeks, she remembered what she'd written in her “assignment.” Obedience to whatever Vance told her to do. No panties and only thigh-high stockings. Spanking with myriad objects. Fucking her.

Oh shit. Hadn't she said something about letting him fuck her ass if she'd been really bad? And just how bad was “really”?

She'd been drunk. Courtney took a deep breath, slowly letting it out. He couldn't really hold her to all of that, could he? Courtney stood suddenly, needing to be alone. Ignoring the puzzled expressions of her co-workers, she hurried to the restroom.

The water was cool on her fevered skin. She splashed it again, desperate to dissipate the flush that had appeared. She smoothed down her ash blond hair. The face that looked at her in the mirror was one she barely recognized. Her dark gray eyes were wild, her normally pale skin nearly translucent with the exception of two high spots of color on her cheeks.

She had to call him. She couldn't sit around all day, just waiting for Vance to do something. She'd go nuts. Decision made, she returned to her desk and picked up the phone, dialing before she could change her mind.

“Vance Forster's office.” The professional but pleasant voice of his assistant came over the line.

“Hi, this is Courtney Bell from Business Development. May I speak to Mr. Forster please?”

“And what is this in regards to?”

Courtney silently swore. She hadn't thought what reason to give. Might as well stick with as close to the truth as she could. “I need to discuss an assignment he gave me yesterday.”

“Mr. Forster's in a meeting right now. I'll have him call you back when he gets in.”

Courtney hung up the phone feeling even more frustrated than before. As the minutes passed, her uneasiness grew. Why hadn't she told the assistant that the matter was urgent? She was dialing before she realized what she was doing, and then she was stammering her way through a lie about how this assignment could cost her her job. Which wasn't entirely untruthful when she thought about it.

When she hung up this time, Courtney found herself feeling worse rather than better. She tried working, desperate to distract herself, but every sentence she read turned into something else.

“
I'd like to take you up on that offer to fuck your ass.”

“
Would you please strip and bend over the desk so I can spank you.”

“
Your completely inappropriate email shows that you have no place here at Asgard.”

“You started it,” Courtney muttered, ignoring the glance the woman in the next cubicle gave her. “Stupid sexy abs.”

“Uh, Courtney?” Ellen Richmond was a sweet, middle-aged mother of three and, despite their differences in age, was Courtney's closest friend at the office. “Is everything okay?”

“Fine, Ellen,” Courtney tried to force her tone to be normal. Based on Ellen's expression, Courtney sounded as strained to her friend's ears as she did to her own. “How did Tyler do on his math test?”

If there was one way to distract a mother, it was to ask about her kids. Courtney tried to pay attention, she really did. After all, she'd been there for Ellen through the past few months as the youngest of her boys struggled with the multiplication tables. But once Ellen started in on how Tyler's teacher wanted him to receive 'professional' tutoring, Courtney just couldn't keep her focus. Vance's words kept ringing in her ears.

“
Maybe all you need is some discipline.”

That one sentence was all it had taken to flip that switch inside her, the one she never wanted to acknowledge. The one that liked the way Vance had sounded when he'd told her to stand. The part of her that longed for that relinquishment of control.

“Courtney, what's going on?” Ellen's hand on Courtney's arm drew the younger woman back from her thoughts. “And don't say nothing. I know you too well for that.”