The Billion Dollar Contract: The Executive Collection

by Cynthia Dane

  “Why did you do that? Don’t want kids?”

  Ethan flattened his jacket against his chest and sucked in his cheeks. “Let’s just say that a few years ago I realized what kind of situation I could easily be put into. I wanted to have control over that. You know me. I like to control.”

  The word purred out of his throat. Jasmine lost the smarmy look on her face as that sound burrowed into her body. “Of course. So no kids then?”

  “Maybe I’ll adopt one day.” Hastily Ethan downed his wine, but did not move to refill his glass again. “Or who knows. Maybe I’ll fall in love with a woman who has kids already.”

  It was the first time Jasmine heard him talk about love like that. Even through the surface, most would have taken that sentence as sarcasm, Jasmine could tell from the way he avoided looking at her that he was thinking real thoughts. From the heart? That was something she couldn’t decide. “Either one of those would be good. I’m sure you could give any child a wonderful childhood.”

  “Money doesn’t buy a great childhood.” That was all he was going to say about that. “Now it’s my turn. I get to ask you something, and you have to answer truthfully.”

  “All right.” Jasmine had to prepare herself. Who knew what this man would ask her?

  He leaned in, that no good twinkle back in his eye. “Tell me your biggest sexual fantasy.”

  Okay, so Jasmine wasn’t quite prepared for that. “I beg your pardon?”

  “Come on. We’ve been playing with my fantasies since this whole charade started. I’d like to hear what yours are now. Maybe I’ll get some ideas.”

  “Why, it’s almost like you’re taking my pleasure into account. What a man!”

  “Hmph. Deflecting, I see. Common tactic in the business world. But I’ll get an answer out of you sometime before the end of the night. Like right now.”

  Jasmine shifted in her seat, as if it were catching on fire and she wasn’t sure if she sat on a bed of coals. “I don’t really have one.”

  “Nonsense. Everyone has one. What, think it’s too kinky? Too vanilla? I won’t judge. I’m the last person in the world who should be judging that.”

  Still, Jasmine wasn’t comfortable blurting out anything. Probably because she didn’t have an answer at the forefront of her mind. Of course she had fantasies. She had to have something to get off to when she was by herself. But they weren’t anything special. Perhaps they were too vanilla. Ethan Cole was probably the type of man who was offended by vanilla. Didn’t matter if he said that he wouldn’t judge. He totally would.

  “I’m not into anything special in particular. Just give it to me good.”

  At first Jasmine interpreted the silence as Ethan judging her. She had gathered over the weeks that he was a very judgmental man, even if he kept his opinions to himself. I mean, if he’s going to be judgmental, he might as well keep them to himself, right? Without any more wine to drink, Jasmine reached for a glass of water and used it to wet her lips.

  “I’m not sure I would say that that’s a good enough answer. But I’ll let it slide for now. Maybe you come up with something better later. Maybe… when you are inspired?”

  Jasmine didn’t respond. He could say whatever he wanted right now.

  But he didn’t say anything. In his true fashion, Ethan took her hand, kissed it, gained her attention, and drew her in to a heavy kiss around the corner of the table.

  For the briefest moment Jasmine deluded herself that this was a genuine kiss of passion. That the man on the other side of this kiss was in love with her, wanted to share his affections with her, and wanted to bring her some joy on her Valentine’s Day. But the grown-up part of her knew that it was a ruse. Even though she was okay with it in practice, in her heart she was a little hurt. It didn’t matter that this man was paying her three million dollars. He didn’t really love her. And on Valentine’s Day, that really sucked.

  “Come on.” Ethan leaned out of the kiss, released her hand, and tucked something into his front pocket. “Let’s get out of here.”

  He was the type of man who didn’t have to pay for his meal. It went straight to his tab. Some accountant somewhere was going to pay on his behalf, and he would never see a dent in his bank account. Jasmine would laugh, but Ethan was picking up his strides and expecting her to follow. They went to his limousine out front, which was already waiting as if the driver had mind-reading capabilities. So that’s what he was doing in his pocket. Probably pushing a button to summon the driver. Rich people.

  Ethan opened the door for her, but didn’t say anything after he shut it behind her and got in on the other side of the limousine. The car pulled away, and within a few minutes they were already at his penthouse building. So that’s how it is. A part of her wished that they could have gone to his mansion in the hills. But the penthouse was nice, if a bit sterile.

  She was offered another alcoholic drink but declined. Ethan poured himself a swig of bourbon, removing his jacket and tossing it over the back of the couch. Jasmine didn’t know what he wanted her to do, so she stood in the middle of the penthouse, staring at the pictures of flowers and remembering when this man first took her. It should have aroused her, but she was nervous for reasons she didn’t understand.

  A sigh escaped Ethan’s lips as he sat on the couch with his glass. He patted the space beside him; Jasmine went to sit on the very edge of the couch.

  “Happy Valentine’s Day,” he said. “Thanks for spending it with me.”

  “Not like I had much choice,” Jasmine mumbled. “I mean, I should be thanking you for choosing to spend it with me. You could’ve gone on a date with any woman in the world probably. Instead you chose the woman you’re paying to give you blowjobs after lunch.”

  “What can I say? I’m a man who likes the familiar, after he has something familiar to cling to.”

  “You mean there isn’t any woman you would’ve rather spent today with?”

  “There is nothing wrong with you.”

  It was almost romantic. Too romantic. Having just wished for more romance only an hour before, Jasmine couldn’t stand it creeping up her skin now. “Want a blowjob?”

  A surprised scoff blew past Ethan’s lips. “No thanks. Not that you don’t give great ones, but I was thinking of something else tonight.”

  “Oh?” Of course Jasmine knew that they would probably have sex. But she wasn’t sure what to expect, especially now that they were back here. “Dare I ask?”

  The glass went on the coffee table in front of the couch. Ethan’s other hand took Jasmine’s again, and soon enough she was drawn into his embrace, strong, alert, and full of unanticipated life as he pushed her against the couch and placed his lips upon hers.

  At least they were getting right to it. Jasmine wasn’t sure how much longer she could stand Ethan pretending at romance with her. It wasn’t like she bought any of it for a minute…

  Ethan pulled away from her and sat up. Jasmine remained lying on the couch, confused but not put off. “What’s wrong? Decided you want that blowjob after all?”

  “No.” Ethan stood up, one hand on his face while the other rubbed the bottom of his back. “Let’s go to the bedroom.”

  Definitely no romance now. Shrugging, Jasmine stood and smoothed out her purple dress. Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she followed Ethan into the bedroom, not missing the fact that he was shutting off the lights in the living area. Am I staying the night? She was about to ask when she saw the newspaper on the dresser. It was the financial section, opened to a picture of the Jackson-Cole building, and featuring headshots of both Jackson and Cole. Ethan looked coolly into the camera, while Jackson grinned like a schoolboy about to get into trouble. Jasmine shivered.

  “Now I should be asking you what’s wrong.” Ethan shut and latched the bedroom door.

  “Nothing.”

  He put his hands on her shoulders and looked over one of them. “Jackson?”

  Jasmine couldn’t hold
it in. “You’re not going to make me sleep with him, are you?”

  Those hands loosened their grip. “Sleep with him? Why would I ask you to do that?”

  “Don’t know. Maybe it’s because he keeps leering at me. He’s one lip lick away from getting a smack. Plus you two seem like the buddy type who would be into that sort of thing.”

  Ethan did not hesitate to correct these assertions. “I have no intention of asking such a thing. That’s just how he is. I’ll talk to him if he’s bothering you that much. Besides, it’s in the contract. Nobody else. I wouldn’t bring in a third or ask you to go to someone else without going over it with you first.”

  “How chivalrous.”

  Both of his arms wrapped around her torso. “Haven’t you figured it out? You’re mine.”

  He growled into her ear, asserting himself in a way that was almost comical. Yet it rippled through Jasmine’s body, making her stomach tingle and her hands ball into excited fists. She hadn’t felt much of anything when he kissed her on the couch. Now she felt something. If Ethan kept this up, she would be putty between his fingers.

  “Only my body. Is that enough for you?” She knew that he would say yes.

  But he didn’t. “Honestly, just the body isn’t any fun. Well, maybe the first time. But I would probably surprise you if I told you that I actually like it when my partner is having fun.”

  “You say that, but you just spent the past two weeks driving me crazy in your office.”

  “How so?”

  “All that cock sucking and I only got something in return twice? Please, Ethan, it’s not some great honor that gets me off. Well, not just that anyway.”

  He squeezed her tighter, his arms like a warm, protective shell around her. One of his hands groped her breast, and something hard – Gee, what it could be? – bumped into the top of her ass. “My apologies. I’ll do my part to make sure you’re getting what’s coming. What was it again? Good and hard?”

  “I don’t recall saying anything about hard. I just said give it to me good.”

  Those arms unwrapped from her, much to Jasmine’s chagrin. “In due time. How about we start with something else?” His fingers hooked beneath her chin, tilting her head back until his lips grazed hers again. “There are things I’ve been fantasizing about doing to you. With you.”

  “You? Fantasizing about me?” Jasmine almost didn’t believe it.

  Ethan pinched her nose and turned away. “It may surprise you, but I fantasize about things being good and hard just as much as anyone else. Just perhaps in a different context. Now,” he reached his hand back and grazed her cheek with his knuckles, “what say you get on my bed?”

  Although she turned into mush inside, Jasmine knew better than to let it show. “Depends. Do I get my share of the fun? Cock sucking not included.”

  “We’ll see.”

  So that’s a yes. Jasmine could easily live with that. Her eyes never leaving his, she strolled to the bed, removing her coat and letting it fall to the floor. The chill over her bare arms was almost pleasurable.

  But not as pleasurable as what Ethan did to her that night.

  14

  “Take off your shoes. Lovely. Sit right there, looking at me. You know, you had it easy up until now. Can you believe this is the first time I’ve had you back to my place since you started working for me? That’s slow even for me. I’ve been driving myself crazy thinking about you. Not just your body, although I’m quite entranced with it. I like your fire. Your personality. I appreciate having you around. I would appreciate you even more right now if you would lift your skirt a little. There. Stop there. Shit, you’re driving me crazy, do you know that? I have all these plans for you, and yet all I can think about is shoving you down, spreading those legs, and fucking you until the world turns dark.”

  Jasmine kept herself propped up on the bed with her elbows. Still not much of a romantic. Romance had long gone out of the window anyway. At this point all Jasmine cared about was the very thing Ethan just mentioned. But this pacing back and forth in front of the bed was getting them nowhere.

  His necktie came flying off with a single downward tug. Rarely did Ethan let himself look so disheveled. He looked at Jasmine with wild eyes, sizing her up.

  “Close your eyes.”

  She obeyed, but only because she didn’t want to see the tie whiz by her eyes and slap her somehow. From zero to kinky in five seconds. But the smack never came. Thank God, because Jasmine was not into that.

  Instead she felt the tie wrap snugly around her head, tying in her hair and pressing against her eyes. When she opened them, all she saw was black silk and a sliver of light at the bottom. Sensory deprivation it was then.

  “Be a good girl.” Ethan kissed her throat, his hand trailing up her arm and then grabbing her breast again. This time, his fingers pressed beneath her dress and warmed her skin. Go farther south, I dare you. Jasmine’s breasts strained against her bra. She didn’t know if it was because it was ill-fitting or because she wanted out of that damned thing and beneath Ethan’s body. “A good girl who tells me what she wants.”

  More shivers coursed through Jasmine’s body as she struggled for words. “I want whatever you’re giving.”

  “No, no, you have to be more specific than that.” Ethan snatched his hand out, but his mouth remained near her ear. His breath pounded into it, exciting her and inciting him. “Tell me.”

  I want you to get inside me, jerk. Jasmine could see it – feel it – now. Her, Ethan, this bed pounding against the wall as he pounded her. They could do any position he wanted, although in Jasmine’s fantasy she saw herself pinned beneath him, his body consuming hers as they neither made love nor blindly fucked. Yet she also thought of that first night, and the first orgasm he almost gave her. “I liked it when you went down on me. You should do that more often.”

  The bed rocked as Ethan moved around. Jasmine had no idea what he was doing since she couldn’t see – not until he clasped his hands around her arms, lifted them up along with her torso, and strapped her wrists together with a soft rope. Oh my God. Jasmine had never been bound before. Not even constricted outside of a man pinning her somewhere. Fuck me. Ethan wrapped his large hand around the back of her neck and heaved a hot, biting breath into her ear. She whimpered.

  “Finally we’re getting somewhere.”

  At first he was gentle in the way he touched her shoulders, her arms, and then her hands as they came together behind her back. But then Ethan yanked on her zipper, tearing against the fine threads of her expensive designer dress… that he paid for, although that was beside the point.

  “Remind me, is this the dress you bought two of?”

  The moment Jasmine nodded was the moment half her dress tore away from her body. “Ah!” His hands were on her, ripping her clothes, and bruising the softest parts of her flesh as this wore on. Jasmine went from being fully clothed to half naked as Ethan tore apart the dress, letting it flutter into her lap, hang from her shoulders, and expose her stomach and chest with nothing but a lacy bra to impede things.

  He ripped that too, right at the hooks in the back.

  “It looked good on you.” His words disappeared into her ear as he kissed it, licked it, even moaned into it as he pressed his groin against her back. Jasmine groaned, her boss’s hands on her breasts – both this time, yanking away the last of the cotton and lace until both of her nipples were trapped between his fingers. I’m not supposed to like this. He was tying her up, tearing her clothes off, and God knew what else… she wanted to know. She wanted him to tell her what was going on and why she would like it. Jasmine cried in obedience as Ethan dug his fingers into her naked thighs and yanked on her underwear. With a heavy rip they came clear from her body. “Open up.”

  He had her pulled into his lap, her hand between her legs as she fought to widen them. Her toes gripped the edge of the bed as her ass ground into Ethan’s groin. Good to know that he was still hard as ever.
If they were in his office she would have her mouth on his cock by now, sucking him off until he couldn’t take anymore. And not getting anything in return. Ethan was making up for that now by pressing his fingers against her slit and making her whimper one more time.

  “Fuck, you’re so wet.” His breath was still hot, this time on her throat as he sucked her skin there. “I hope you know that.”

  Jasmine could tell – feel it come out of her the longer this went on. Her body craved him just like it did every time. Three times before. Once in this very bed, where they had more room and he had more regard for her pleasure than just bending her over his desk and pounding into her. “It’s because of you.” She didn’t know why those words fell from her lips, especially since they sounded so… desperate. Like she wanted him to be impressed that her body readied for him at that moment.