Billionaire Romance Boxed Set (9 Book Bundle) (120 page)

That all mostly went according to plans, except when
Solomon entered his own office. Before I could hurry past him,
apologizing for intruding and telling him my excuse, he grabbed my forearm and
pulled me back in. Closing the door behind him, he pushed the button on
the knob to lock it, then hauled me to his couch.

“You, again,” he said, smiling.
“To what do I owe this wonderful surprise?”

I murmured my answer, the words coming out in a
garbled mess of nonsense.

“What?” he asked. “Speak
up. Calm down.”

I repeated myself. “I’m sorry, Mr.
Royce. I must have had the wrong room.”

“What were you looking for?” he asked.

“The weekly reports,” I muttered.
“Joel Newgood asked me to get them for him.”

“Did he?”

“Yes. I thought he said they’d be on your
desk, and since you weren’t here I figured it wouldn’t be any trouble if I just
grabbed them, but…”

“Joel Newgood went on vacation yesterday,”
Solomon said. “He won’t be back for two weeks.”

I stared at Solomon blankly. Was he serious, or
trying to catch me in a lie? The look on his face seemed deadly serious,
but I really had no way to tell. Either way, I didn’t belong here.
I could deny it, continue on with my false excuse, and dig myself deeper, or…

Or what? I had no other options.

“I’ve been thinking about you,” Solomon
said. “The other day, on the couch. Do you remember,
Jessika?”

I gulped and nodded. “Yes, sir.”

He squeezed my arm in his fingers, leaving thin red
marks, then threw me onto the couch. “I’d like to re-enact that
little scene, if you don’t mind. I wasn’t entirely satisfied with your
work performance then, and I think you owe me something.”

I stammered. “I-I, no, it’s… I don’t feel
comfortable with that.”

“Why are you really here?” he asked.

“I was trying to do my job,” I said,
sticking with some general excuse. Joel Newgood or not, I still looked
like I worked here.

“You realize, Jessika, that everyone’s left for
the day. Almost everyone, that is. Mr. Landseer decided to allow a
rare early leave from work to celebrate an especially sweet
accomplishment. Landseer Enterprises has just made a deal with another
company that’s previously been very reluctant to work with us. The future
is looking bright.”

“No one told me,” I whimpered. Trying
to escape his seething gaze, I pressed myself against the back of the cool
leather couch.

“That’s funny. First, no one told you that
Joel Newgood went on vacation, and next no one told you that you could’ve left
the office a bit over an hour ago? That’s quite a coincidence, don’t you
think?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know. I’m
sorry.”

“I think you wanted to be here for some other
reason. I think you saw something you liked when you were my assistant
the other day, and you decided to wait until the other office workers left so
you could sneak in and grab it. Was it the perfume? Sweet, isn’t
it? Unfortunately I’ve already given it away. To my lover.”

I remembered now. Of course I knew of the
perfume, the citrusy smelling one with a hint of vanilla and something else,
but I realized now that I knew it from two places. Solomon’s office, yes,
but then I’d smelled it on Beatrice that night, too. When she wore it, it
must have settled and mixed with her natural scent, giving it a slightly
different aroma. Still, I should have recognized it!

If I did, if… What? There was nothing I could
do.

“I,” Solomon said, “have a wonderful
idea. Let’s forget all about this. I don’t want to get you into
trouble, you know. I’m sure we can come up with a better solution, one
that works in both of our favors.”

“Yes.” I nodded fast. “Yes,
let’s do that.”

And then he was on me. His mouth latched onto
mine and he pressed himself atop me on the couch. Caught off guard, I
stared at him in shock. Only when he’d managed to undo half of the
buttons on my blouse did I regain some of my composure.

“Solomon!” I said through his kisses.
“What are you…?”

“Quiet, whore,” he said. “That’s
what you’re going to be if you don’t want me to expose you as a thief and have
you fired on the spot. Just stay quiet and enjoy this, or I will
completely ruin any chance you have at working for Landseer Enterprises in the
future. Not just that, but I have contacts in many places. Please
don’t make me do that to you.”

He continued unbuttoning my shirt while I tried to slap
his hands away. Forceful and with no regard for me or my thoughts, he
grabbed my hands in one arm and thrust them over my head, pinning them to the
wall behind his office couch. With his free hand, he yanked open my
blouse and admired my bra-covered breasts.

“Nice,” he said. “I wish you were
more cooperative. I’d like to take off the rest of your clothes, but I’m
afraid you’re just going to do or say something unnecessary.”

“Please,” I said. “You can’t
do…”

Before I could say more, he spread my legs open and
jammed his hand between my thighs. I sputtered and coughed, surprised at
the suddenness of it. Without a care in the world, Solomon pulled aside
my panties and palmed my bare, hot sex.

“Mmm,” he said. “You’re so
warm. Not wet, yet, but I’ll fix that. You’ll get into the mood
very fast.”

He moved his hand and I tried to scream, but before I
could he shoved me onto the couch. Disoriented, I blinked away my
surprise and tried to recompose myself. Before I could, he heaved himself
on top of me and pinned me to the couch, covering my mouth with his hand.

“Don’t scream,” he said. “Just
accept this. You know you want it. I felt your heat and your
passion. You’re struggling, but that’s all a part of the game, isn’t
it?”

I only saw his eyes, his face, up close and blocking
my view of everything else. What I heard frightened me, though. A
zipper, his, coming undone. He ostensibly fumbled with his pants,
unbuttoning them and pulling out his cock. He pulled my thighs apart,
ready to drive himself into me, and…

“Ahem!” someone said from the doorway.

Solomon panicked and jumped to his feet, up and away
from me, off of me. He stood at attention and looked to the figure
standing in his office doorway, calmly replacing his shaft inside his pants and
zipping them up.

Asher Landseer. It was Asher. I blinked
away tears, ashamed at myself, and hurried to button up my blouse. Asher
stared at me, frowning, looking so very disappointed.

“I see you’ve found my assistant,” Asher
said. “Thank you, Solomon. I wasn’t sure where she’d gone off
to.”

“Your assistant?” Solomon asked, brow
furrowed. “She said she was helping Joel Newgood.”

“She must have been confused. I told her to
go to Joel’s office.”

“For what?” Solomon asked, suspicious.

“The weekly reports? What else would she go
there for?”

Solomon cursed under his breath and stomped his foot
on the carpet. “This isn’t what it looks like, Asher. I
thought she was off the clock. She was coming on to me rather
strong.”

“She does that,” Asher said. “She
doesn’t mean to, though. We’re working on it. Right, Jessika?”

I staggered to my feet and nodded, nearly in
tears. “Yes, I’m sorry. I was mistaken. I’m so, so
sorry. I didn’t mean to do it.”

Solomon brushed it off, scoffing. “I don’t
care, really. Just tell her to keep her hormones in check next
time.”

Asher nodded. “Of course. Sorry for
the inconvenience.”

With that, as I stumbled towards the door, towards
Asher, he grabbed me. Asher pulled me out of Solomon’s office, glaring
and gritting his teeth. We left without closing the door, and a moment
later I heard it slam shut. Looking down the hallway while Asher dragged
me along, I saw Solomon walking the other way, away from us.

“My fucking God,” Asher said, barely above a
whisper. “You. Are. Seriously… My fucking
God!”

“I’m so sorry,” I said, sobbing. Tears
streamed down my face. “I’m so sorry, Asher. I’m so
sorry.”

I lost track of my sense of self. It felt like
we walked through Landseer Tower forever. This is where I started, and
this is where I would always be. There was no more or no less than this,
ever.

Halfway through walking, turning over his shoulder to
see if anyone could see us, Asher paused. I cried harder, unsure what
else to do. Asher ignored it, ignored me, and picked me up.
Cradling me in his arms like some child, he carried me the rest of the way to
his office.

“The door?” he asked, patient and
kind. I reached out and fumbled with it, barely managing to open
it. Asher kicked it the rest of the way open, then kicked it shut with
the heel of his foot after he scooped me inside. Setting me on the floor,
he began pacing back and forth.

“You’re so reckless!” he yelled.
“Why would you do that? What were you thinking? With Solomon
Royce, no less? I don’t even understand!”
“I didn’t flirt with him,” I said, shoving aside my tears with the
sleeves of my blouse. “I swear, I didn’t! I didn’t want to do
that, Asher. I promise. He… he was forcing me. He was
trying to blackmail me. I…”

“Shh,” Asher said. He pulled me into
his arms. “Shh, I know. Jeremy told me. I came to get
you. The door was locked. You shouldn’t do that. I don’t know
what I would have done if something happened to you.”

I dove into him, pressing my face into his
chest. I twisted my head around and listened to his heartbeat; a minor
comfort while I drenched his shirt with my tears. “I’m so
sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

“I love you,” he said without warning.
“Jessika, I love you. I know I shouldn’t. This is so
strange. But, I do. I don’t want anything to happen to you.
You can’t do something like that again. I don’t care what the reason
is. Please, promise me.”

“I promise,” I said. “I’m
sorry. I… I love you, Asher.”

When I said this, something changed. I don’t
know if it was mental, physical, or another feeling entirely, but I felt
better, like I’d suddenly become a better person. I was still worried,
nervous, and scared after what had happened in Solomon Royce’s office, but I
wasn’t sure if any of that mattered. I didn’t think it did as long as I
was here with Asher.

He held me in his arms, squeezed me tight and embraced
everything I was. I needed more, though.

My hands reached for the buttons of his shirt and I
undid them one by one. Asher watched me while I worked fastidiously,
quiet and contemplative. Once I finished undoing all of his buttons, I
pressed my cheek against the warmth of his chest and leaned against him.
Just like that. Forever.

Asher urged my chin up with the barest touch from his
fingertips. I looked at him, relished his touch and his gaze, wanting all
of it. I needed it to forget, to become who I was and who I should
be. I wasn’t a whore, or some meek secretary, or a plaything for the
likes of Solomon Royce.

I was Jessika. Strong, determined, maybe a
little unsure with some confidence issues, but I was me and Asher understood
and accepted that.

Gently, like a true lover, he pressed his lips to
mine. I opened my mouth slightly, feeling the light warmth of his breath
passing over my lips and tickling my tongue. I couldn’t stand it for
long, though. I wanted him—desperately needed him—so badly, and I think
he needed me, too.

We kissed, a frantic, awkward affair. I
struggled to pull his shirt off, slipping it over his arms, while he refused to
let go of the buttons of my shirt until he’d undone every single one. In
a pause, some transcendent moment of love, we watched each other as we pulled
off our shirts. The hesitation only lasted for a moment more after that.

Asher grabbed me, pulled me towards him. I went
willingly, holding onto him. My fingernails pressed into his back and I
rubbed my chest against his abs, feeling my nipples harden and tingle beneath
the fabric of my bra. Not for long, though, as Asher, like some wild beast,
nearly ripped my bra in two before figuring out the latch in the back and
removing it. Bared for him to see, and him alone, I languished in his
desire.

He coaxed me away, pushing gently so he could admire
me. Shy and reserved, I stood there, letting him openly ogle my
breasts. Should I remove my skirt? I didn’t know, wasn’t sure, but
I decided to go for it. I unzipped the back, blushing, coy, and shimmied
out of it.

“You’re so beautiful,” Asher said.

He stepped towards me, looming above me, like I was a
passerby on the street and he was the embodiment of Landseer Tower
itself. Then he knelt down in front of me and I was the tall one now.

“Asher?” I was about to ask, but he stopped
me before I finished. Not with a word or a shush, but with his lips on my
sensitive nipple. He took my pleasure nub in his mouth and circled around
it with his tongue, teasing and tempting me. I gasped at the wet heat of
his lips on my bare flesh and my arms circled behind his head instinctively.