Hudson (7 page)

Brie closed the door and he watched her step up on the
sidewalk.  She shoved her hands in her jacket pockets and walked calmly down
the street. 

“Sir?  Shall I follow?”

Hudson smiled.  “Not this time, Leonard.  Let’s get to the
office.”  With a last look at Gabriella’s rapidly disappearing ass, he took out
his phone and started his day.

Gabriella could not get away from Hudson Winters fast
enough. 

She wasn’t sure what the hell was wrong with her but she
knew he made her nervous on a primal level as a woman.  As someone used to
ruling his universe, he’d take and take as his due until a woman had nothing
left to give.  Being a person who gave generously would only further handicap
her with a man like him. 

Not that he’d be looking for more than a casual fuck anyway.

She needed to keep her head down and work on growing her
life in New York.  Wasting time contemplating a man way out of her league would
just throw her off her plans. 

Brie focused on work and starting fresh. 

Over the next weeks, she finished training on the
housekeeping tasks that fell to her and cross trained by request in other positions
just in case someone called out.  There was nothing worse than covering for an
employee and not knowing what they hell they
did
from day to day.

If she did happen to catch a glimpse of Hudson coming or
going, she made herself scarce.  Something about him fascinated her; something
she didn’t like or need.

While still on graveyard, she often ended her shift when a
woman with jet-black hair exited the private elevator to Hudson’s penthouse. 
Carlo called her Miss Natalia.  It was obvious she’d spent the night with him
and the woman looked pleased with herself. 

She was pretty in a way that Brie could never be no matter
how much she worked out.  Tall, slender, and cosmopolitan. 

Once she switched to her new hours, her shift started before
Natalia left and finished before Hudson returned from his office. 

As a result, months went by without seeing him or his
lover.  She concentrated on putting them out of her mind. 

Brie didn’t realize she was never far from either of the
friends’ minds and few things could have surprised her more.

Hudson stared through the window but saw nothing. 

The location – and the view – was rated one of ten best in
Manhattan.  He hadn’t been able to convince the owner to sell so he’d rented
and refurbished the top floors for his corporation.  During the height of the
recession, many of the other floors emptied as companies went under and he took
over those floors as well.

He was preparing to make the owner another offer. 

After all, if Winters Enterprises vacated, all that lovely rent
money would disappear instantly.  Hudson was well aware that the man was barely
holding on to several of his properties.  He’d spread himself too thin.  The
taxes and city codes were about to crush him.

Many in the business world called him vicious when in
reality he was an opportunist.  He treated people fairly, if not exactly
sociably. 

The chances that the owner would take the deal at this stage
were high.  His other properties were substantially mortgaged and the millions
he’d clear from the sale would keep everything else in his life afloat. 

It was a win-win. 

The door to his office was open but there was no sound to
distract him.  The only employees on this floor were his assistant and the
analysts. 

Lola was his first employee back in college.  As a
struggling single mother, she’d barely been surviving.  He met her at the
college bookstore trying to buy the books she needed to finish her last year of
classes. 

A couple of years older than Hudson, Lola was broke,
exhausted, and losing hope. 

He paid for her books and made her a job offer over coffee
an hour later.  He moved her into his building and set up a little office she
used to run his business remotely. 

Camille fell in love with Lola and her little girl.  His
mother watched her during the day so the young mother could work and go to
school. 

At first, they exchanged room and board for the duties she
completed with grateful professionalism from day one.  Nothing made him happier
than the day he was able to give her a steady salary.

When she received her degree a year before Hudson graduated,
she chose to stay with him. 

Indispensable, she made more than the ten department vice
presidents he employed.  Only Natalia knew him better.

They’d never had a sexual relationship.  Lola’s daughter was
the result of trying to deny her sexuality.  The biological father disappeared
when she told him she was pregnant. 

Hudson insisted on sending Donna to college and she was
almost finished with her finance degree from Michigan State.  She was another
child he often forgot was not his own.  When she returned to Manhattan, her offer
with his company was waiting.

The analysts on this floor were quiet, studious types who
focused all their energy on research.  It was their job to find him new places
to invest his money and grow it.  If they came to him with an acquisition and
he ultimately purchased it, they received a substantial bonus. 

It had been Lola’s idea to hire people for such positions. 

“There are so many moving parts, Hudson.  Charities, struggling
businesses, new entrepreneurs, and you’ll never find all of them on your own. 
Give them parameters and you can pick and choose from what they find.”

It was one of the smartest business decisions he’d ever made. 

Inquiries for financial assistance were never answered. 
Instead, they went into a file and the validity of every claim was
investigated.  It weeded out the “get rich quick” types from those willing to work
their ass off to make their dream a reality. 

The confidentiality agreements kept his name from being
mentioned.  If the world at large knew he jumpstarted artists, musicians, and
wholesale paid for college degrees all over the country, he’d be flooded with
far more requests than his staff could handle. 

The floor below was filled with accountants and lawyers. 
The one below that was general administration.  His staff rarely saw him
personally. 

Building security knew Natalia and company employees knew
better than to question her presence in his life.  She often stopped by to
visit or take him to lunch. 

When she gave a low whistle, Hudson turned to see her
looking chic in a pale gray pantsuit as she leaned against his doorframe. 

Her smile was gentle.  “You were deep in thought.  I didn’t
want to startle you.”  She set her purse on the chair across from his desk then
came around.  She moved smoothly, confidently in charcoal gray suede heels. 

A small frown appeared between her eyes.  “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

She laid her hand on his cheek.  “Not true.  You look
jumbled up.  Tell me.”

His fingers reached up to circle her slender wrist and he
tugged her into his lap.  It was comforting to have her there as his arms
wrapped around her waist.  He rested his forehead against her temple and
breathed in her delicate perfume. 

“Something is wrong with me.”  She stiffened sharply and he
glanced up to look at her face.  Stark terror was written on her features.  “Not
physically
.  I’m sorry.  I’m healthy as a horse.” 

She exhaled and he hugged her tight. 

“What do you mean something’s
wrong
?  Try not to give
me a heart attack this time.”

Not smiling simply wasn’t an option.  He smoothed her hair
away from her cheek.  “The relief isn’t lasting as long as it used to.  I
get…anxious…more quickly.  I
need
all the fucking time and it distracts
me in every other area.”

Natalia moved her arm around Hudson’s shoulders and played
with the hair at the nape of his neck as she considered his words.  For a
moment, she was distracted by the softness that was always so unexpected on a
man the world viewed as anything but soft. 

“Sexually, you mean?”  He nodded.  “It wasn’t so bad
before?”  Closing his eyes, he shook his head slowly.  “You think this makes
you abnormal or something?”

Hudson grimaced painfully.

“You think there’s something wrong with you because you need
sex more often?”

“I cannot
concentrate
.  That isn’t normal.”

She grinned.  “Name one thing about either of us that’s
normal
,
Hudson.”  He gave her a sharp chuckle and she held his face in her palms.  “You
have a lot of weight on your shoulders.  Your daily life is hectic and millions
of dollars move in and out of your businesses in minutes.  I can’t imagine the
stress you must be under all the time.”

With a shrug, he responded, “I’ve always been busy.  Stress
doesn’t factor into it.”

“You’ve never had much time to enjoy your success.  Maybe
that’s the problem.  You work seven days a week.  You travel all the time but
not for pleasure.  Even on vacation with your family, or me you work almost
constantly.”  She gave him a delicate shrug of her own.  “If you can’t enjoy
it, what’s the point?”

“You think…I need to slow down?”

“I think you need to ask yourself why you’re still pushing
so damn hard.”  Slipping her hands along his jaw, she kissed him gently. 

As she leaned back, she tugged his lower lip with her
teeth.  “I also think if you need more sex, you
get
more sex.  It’s not
as if
that’s
a hardship…for either of us.  I’m willing as I’ve
always
been willing, Hudson.”

Hudson’s hands tightened on her and he took her mouth destructively. 
Only when her heart was pounding and her breathing rapid did he break the
kiss. 

She stared at him and wondered for the hundredth time why
women didn’t throw themselves at him.  He was such a good-looking man.  Right
now, his good looks were ramped up a notch with the aggressive sexuality that
blazed from him.

His black eyes lowered to take in the flush over her chest
before returning to stare at her.  He petted her hip and over her thigh. 

“Lock the door.  Undress.  Everything.  Even the shoes.”

Without a word, she stood and moved to close and lock the
door to his office.  She turned and began removing her clothing piece by
piece.  She laid each item over the couch in his sitting area.

It was important not to rush.  He enjoyed watching her
slowly reveal herself to him. 

He sat in his chair with his chin between his thumb and
forefinger.  He traced his finger back and forth over the fullness of his lower
lip and she felt the overwhelming desire to kiss him again. 

When she was fully naked, she stood with her shoulders back
and waited.

“Come here.”

In her bare feet, she walked to him.  As she came around the
edge, he stood and pushed the few papers aside before simply staring down at
her. 

Natalia was unaccustomed to being barefoot with him.  She
felt smaller, more vulnerable.  Her heart rate sped up and he noticed. 

Hudson rarely missed anything.

Large hands wrapped around her waist and lifted her to the
surface.  The glass over the wood was cool on her ass.  She’d likely be
thankful for that by the time he was done. 

“Kiss me first.” 

The whispered words were out of her mouth before she knew
she intended to say them.  Both of them were surprised at the request. 

“You never ask for
anything
.  Why have I never
noticed that before now?” 

It wasn’t a question she knew the answer to so she kept her
silence. 

The warmth of his palms as he cupped her face sank to the
bone.  He stepped between her legs and dropped his mouth over hers. 

The kiss lasted a long time and when he broke it, he changed
his mind and kissed her again. 

Pulling back, he stared into her eyes.  Raking his
fingertips through her hair, he said, “I forget your hair is naturally blond.” 
His smile was warm.  “I haven’t seen it in more than twenty years.”

“Hudson?”

“Yes?”

“I…”  Her mind went sideways and the thought that floated to
the surface for a moment drifted away.  She raked her hands down his chest; the
crisp dress shirt was warm from the heat of his body.  She met his eyes. 

“Let me relieve your stress.  I don’t like you questioning
your mental state.  Not when it’s so easy to make it better.”

“Lie back.” 

The command surprised her but she schooled her expression
and lowered to the surface of his desk.  His hand splayed over her torso as he
lifted her leg behind the knee and placed her heel on the edge.  He repeated
the position with her other leg.

“Keep your heels there.” 

He nudged her forward until her ass touched the back of her
ankles.  Slight pressure on the inside of each leg pushed them wide.  She was
fully open to him. 

“Beautiful.  Are you alright?”

Thankful for yoga, she nodded. 

He walked around behind her and took her in from another
angle. 

“Stay just like that.”

On the other side of the desk, he sat in his chair.  Natalia
heard him pick up the phone.  A few seconds later, she mentally smiled while
she listened to him finalize a joint venture with Spencer Bishop the Third for
charity. 

The young billionaire recently married.  His wife Shania
lost her mother to cancer and she used a considerable portion of his fortune to
fund research. 

They were one of those adorable couples she liked to watch
sometimes but didn’t understand in the slightest.  Happy, in love, with stars
in their eyes.  Both of them were lovely if rather…little and they took
philanthropy seriously. 

Hudson’s hand stroked over her stomach and down to the bare
folds of her pussy.  It took all her control to hold back the moan.  Nothing
was able to stop the full-body tremor. 

He didn’t pause in his conversation. 

“I agree.  Put me down for another quarter million.  I like
what she’s doing at the foundation, Bishop.  I’m glad she’s so involved.” 

Two fingers raked through her slit and the muscles in her
thighs flexed. 

“That rich bastard needs to ante up.  No, I’ll call him.  We
have a deal on the table.”  He circled the entrance of her pussy, gathering
moisture to slick over her clit.  “Sounds good.  I’ll bring Natalia.  My
regards to Mrs. Bishop.”

The call disconnected but Hudson still didn’t speak.  A
moment later, she heard him tell a woman he wanted to speak to Harper Delkin. 

He leaned forward and dragged his tongue over her.  She
pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes.  Realizing she moved without
permission, she returned them to the desk and stared at the ceiling, willing
her body to calm.

“Delkin.  Just spoke with Bishop.  Hmm.  I don’t
care
. 
Put up at least a hundred.” 

Hudson listened for almost a minute and spent the time
licking her pussy.  His palm stroked her inner thigh as if to soothe her. 

“We’re about to sign the contract for the hotel chain.  Are
you nickel and diming me right now, Delkin?  You stand to make millions on that
deal.” 

As the other man’s voice rose, Hudson’s mouth returned to
sucking and licking her.  Natalia was so turned on by the oddity of this little
visit that she was struggling to hold back her climax.  He fucked into her body
then nibbled her outer lips with his teeth. 

Two fingers drove deep as he resumed his conversation.  There
was no change in the tone or volume of his voice. 

“Don’t be a stingy fuck.  Call Bishop and make the
donation.  Do it now.” 

He turned his hand and curled his fingers upward to hit the
oh-so-sensitive spot behind her clit as he sucked the little bundle of nerves
between his lips. 

Natalia lost control of her orgasm. 

Hudson stroked her through it and planted open-mouthed
kisses all over her without making a sound.  Only when her tremors eased did he
pull back. 

“Get it done.  I’ll see you next month in Seattle to sign
the contracts.  You know Bishop has his hands in just about every industry in
New York.  The cause is a good one.  You won’t regret it.  Hmm.  I will.”