by Sylvia Banks
Of course I was a twenty-nine year old virgin—to my mother. Imagining my mother’s “where did I go wrong…” and father’s “look what you’ve done to your mother…” was enough to scare any child into submission. Even me.
I wished I could hear what they were saying but the matter didn’t involve me. I typed along, finished the data entry and check emails. I had a new project and some files to reorganize in Barbara’s department.
“Fabiola?”
I squeaked and turned to see Ellis standing with his arms crossed over his chest. “Yes?”
“May I see you in my office?”
“Um, sure.” Things would wait. Ellis didn’t look pleased. Crap, did I file something wrong? I left my cubicle and followed the HR head to the lower level. He was acting tense and it made me wonder if he was freaking out about the other day. Maybe I should say something to him? No, I’d wait. This could be unrelated.
When we got to his office, Ellis sat in his chair behind his desk. His space was the complete opposite of his brothers. Where Warren decorated with cold steel and open windows Ellis was all wood panels and brass trim. Interesting contrast between Ellis’ warm but dark workspace and Warren’s bright and cold office. Each workspace suited the respective brother perfectly.
I took the seat in front of his desk and waited. Ellis assumed a position of a weeping angel. He wasn’t really crying, but he was rubbing his eyes with the meaty part of his palm.
“Are you all right?” I said. “If this has anything to do with the other night, please don’t worry.”
He lifted his face and pinned me with a stare. The family resemblance was uncanny. Ellis had turned into Warren in a flash-bang. They possessed the same expression, the same icy glare, the same poker face. “Fabiola, there is something you’re not telling me.”
I was going to crap my pants. With Warren I was used to getting these kinds of dirty looks, but Ellis? On the HR head the evil eye was ever so much more freighting.
“I don’t think so,” I said.
“That wasn’t a question,” he said. “I already know.”
I put on a plastic smile. “What do you mean?” What the hell was this? I hadn’t done anything wrong. Unless you counted sleeping with both my bosses. Hell I was the one being blackmailed.
ElIis threw his hands up in the air. “I’m between a rock and a hard place and you’re not helping.”
Scooting my chair back I said, “Okay, we can forget the other night, it didn’t happen. I won’t tell a soul.”
“Too late, Fabiola.”
Too late for what? Did he know?
“I didn’t think you’d be the kind of person to really go through on a dare,” he said.
Wait. A dare? There was only one person who dared me. I covered my mouth and said, “Bouncy loudmouth?”
Blackmailed By The Billionaire Brothers
Vol. 3
Chapter 10
“You’re Bouncy Loudmouth?” I said. I had to be sure. If he was, then I’d confessed everything to him already. That meant I’d slept with the same guy who triple dog dared me without knowing who he was.
Ellis’s grim smile gave me no comfort. “Afraid so.”
Oh no. That also meant he knew about Warren’s blackmail. Remembering the conversations I’d had with Bouncy I tried to remember what I’d said. Hell, he knew a lot of things, the blackmail, my dreams, and I knew about his commitment issues.
“This is all rather freaky,” I said. Knowing that much about my boss was cause for an automatic mind scrub. Well, perhaps not the part about seeing both my bosses naked. Half naked. Whatever.
Ellis set his elbows on his desk and dropped his head in his hands. “This is a Human Resources nightmare.”
Really, I didn’t think it was so bad. Ellis was really taking our sleeping together too hard. “I promise, I won’t say anything.”
He jerked his head up and looked at me dumbfounded. “Fabiola…”
My poor boss was speechless. He looked so upset and I wasn’t sure how to console him. Finally, Ellis got himself together and said, “Please, he’s my brother. I will find a way to fix this.”
Confused I raised my eyebrows. “Fix having sex?”
“You have every right to go to the police, but I’ll reason with him.”
I held my hands up. “Okay, whoa, that’s quite rash don’t you think?”
Ellis pounded on his desk. “What’s rash is a CEO forcing his assistant to fulfill his own personal fantasy.”
Oh. Right. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I was kind of having fun with the blackmail thing. The way Ellis was talking about it made it sound like I was in terror. Call me a crazy red-head but I enjoyed the attention. Warren didn’t need a porn video starring yours truly to have sex with me. I wasn’t seeing anyone so all was good in my mind. But Ellis had a white knight complex. What I had to say next might shatter his concept about me.
“Did you ever think that maybe it wasn’t just his personal fantasy?” I said.
Again I rendered Ellis speechless.
The door opened and closed. I turned around and saw the dark glare of Warren. The two brothers locked their eyes in a heated staring contest.
“Ms. Renzi,” Warren said. He wasn’t looking at me, but at the HR head. “Would you please excuse us, I have to talk to Ellis.”
Ellis stood up. “No Ms. Renzi, stay. This matter concerns you.”
Oh crap. I was getting in between two brothers. I might be a horrible person to say this, but normally this situation might be a little hot if they were fighting over my love. But this was about principles, which was way hotter. Still, the uncomfortable feeling in the room made it enough for me to want to leave.
“Ms. Renzi, please leave.” Warren said.
“No, Fabiola, stay,” Ellis said.
Hey, this isn’t a Fabiola tug-o-war. Warren narrowed his eyes at his brother and the mood turned more violent. If I did leave they might kill each other. I thought of another reason why Ellis wanted me here. He needed a witness. Or maybe he knew they wouldn’t go overboard if someone was with them. And by overboard, I mean fist to cuffs.
“If it’s about me, I’d like to stay,” I said.
Warren directed those piercing eyes at me. It took all my crazy irrationality to stand in place. I wanted to run. I didn’t not want to see a real fight between the two but I had two things on my side. First, I was a woman and these guys were the type to tone it down because I was in the room, or at least I hoped they were. Second, men were both fascinated and terrified of natural red heads. I could use this conception to my advantage.
“So what’ll it be?” I said with an air of confidence I didn’t feel.
Ellis leaned on his knuckles and said, “Ms. Renzi, I was thinking of giving you a generous severance package after disposing of any incriminating evidence that holds you here.”
What was he saying? Was I fired? “Holds me here?”
“Yes,” Ellis said. “I assume that after certain circumstances, you’d rather not see either one of us again.”
“Ah, I actually like my job.” The words were out of my mouth before I could think. I’d only said it to try and diffuse the situation.
Warren flashed a look of confusion and covered it by facing back to his brother.
Ellis still addressed me indirectly. “That might cause problems.”
“If she wants to stay, why shouldn’t she?” Warren made a fist so tight it popped his knuckles.
“It would cause problems.” Ellis gritted his teeth.
“I don’t see a problem.” Warren’s neck muscles tensed. “She doesn’t see a problem. The only one that has problems is you.”
Were they talking about the same thing? Maybe I wasn’t involved in this conversation after all.
“You plan to continue?” Ellis raised his voice. “Are you insane?”
Warren smiled with an evil grin. “She said herself, she likes her job.”
That made my cheeks warm.
>
“You always do this.” Ellis leaned forward. “You always put the company in jeopardy.”
“You don’t get results from being safe.” Warren said.
“Some risks aren’t worth it.”
Wait, what was Ellis saying? I stepped forward and said, “Are you calling me worthless?”
Both men stepped back. Ellis’s face turned a different shade of red. “After what you’ve been through why don’t you want to run screaming from this place?”
“Why do you want me leave so badly?” I said.
Ellis threw his hands in the air. “You are being blackmailed, are you not?”
“Well, yeah,” I said. Sort of. When said like that, he really made it sound like the worst thing in the world ever. He clearly never slept under my mother’s roof. “But he’s not actually making me do anything I wouldn’t do.”
Ellis made a choking sound and said, “And if he does? Wouldn’t you go to the police? It’s my duty to tell you that blackmail is a federal offense. You could put Warren in jail for this.” He turned to Warren and said, “What the hell were you thinking?”
Warren folded his arms. “I believe you made the whole thing possible. What the hell were you thinking? Or are you jealous? Were you going to make her your girlfriend?”
Wow. Warren went straight for the gut.
“Maybe I crossed a line but you…” Ellis pointed at his brother. “…you have committed a crime.”
“Only if I get caught.” Warren said.
The vibes in the room turned ruthless. Before I knew it, both brothers launched into a screaming match. Their words crashed against each other to the point that I couldn’t understand anything either one of them said. Warren walked forward and Ellis came around his desk until their faces were about an inch apart. I’d been forgotten. Watching them closely, I considered their body language. At the moment they held themselves back. A whole bunch of bark and no bite. Good. It didn’t look like they’d beat each other up. Men were big on posturing. The screaming in each other’s faces wouldn’t escalate. I’d seen mom and dad do this hundreds of times. Nothing to see here. Instead of being witness to past family history, I decided to walk out.
I could still hear their muffled argument as I shut the door and walked down the hall.
Chapter 11
After sitting at my desk for an hour, I thought of all the things I should have said. Ellis said something about a severance package. I was too swept away in trying to calm things between the two that I didn’t even think about what that would mean.
I hadn’t called my cousin Phil yet, but my chance as a baker was here. A severance package would’ve help me get moved back home and started on my chosen journey. I’m such an idiot. But, I hadn’t thought about it since…last night.
Why?
Because Warren screwed me mindless. Ellis hadn’t been bad, in fact he’d probably be the better boyfriend in the long run, but Warren’s passion would overcome any obstacle. Well, almost any obstacle. He did have an ex-wife. It made me curious about Warren in a way. The dark brooding types hit my soft spot. It was the mysterious factor.
Unwilling to look closer into my forgetfulness about calling Phil I picked up my cell phone and flipped through my contacts. I found my cousin’s phone number and sighed. This sudden hesitation was irritating. That my annoyance didn’t stem from mother was a surprise. Sure moving back home would have my mom ungraciously happy but I’d be leaving Warren. Damn him. I pressed send on my phone. It rang twice before Phil picked up.
“Hello?” My cousin’s thick accent came over the line.
“Hi, Phil! It’s Fabiola Renzi,” I said. Impossible to believe, but there was more than one Fabiola in the family so I always made sure distant relatives knew which Fabulous they were speaking to.
“Fab! So good to hear from ya!” Phil said. “Ya sista told ya?”
“Yep,” I said. Then I let Phil take another fifteen minutes to explain what I already knew. From his explanation, he wanted someone to take over the rent payments and the equipment so he didn’t have to worry about the headaches that came with closing a store. He was willing to help me for three months until the lease for the place was up.
“Phil, your offer is very tempting, can I think about it for a few days? I promise, I’ll give you an answer by the end of the week.”
“Take ya time, sweetheart, you’s got a few months ta decide.” Phil said. “But don’t take too long.”
I said my goodbyes and hung up the phone. This really was an opportunity and before I would’ve taken it whole-heartedly. But before I left, this mess with Warren and Ellis needed to be cleared up.
“Fabiola.”
I squeaked and turned in my chair. Warren stood in my cubicle.
“My office,” he said. Warren then turned around and walked away.
Should I bring a pad and pen, or cuffs and restraints? Ah well, it didn’t matter. This was a perfect opportunity to explain to him about the bakery. I checked to see if anyone noticed me going into his office and slipped inside.
“Lock the door,” Warren said.
As I thought, Warren needed a little relief from his frustrations. I turned the bolt and strut to the chair opposite of the CEO. Walking as tantalizing as possible with three inch heels on I took my time sitting, using every curve of my body to provoke a response.
Warren scrutinized my every move. “From everything you’ve said, it seems you want to stay.”
Green eyes, half beseeching, half demand burned up my panties. “Not if it’s in accounting,” I teased. Phil said I had a few weeks to make my decision so why not have a little fun before I left?
Warren rolled his chair away from his desk and pointed in front of him. “Stand here.”
I smirked, rose to my feet, smoothed my skirt and prowled around the desk. Confident about the situation, I moved his laptop aside and sat on his desk with my legs crossed like a pin-up girl. I rested one shoe on his chair.
“Do you have anyone you need to call?” I said, my red hair falling in front of my left side. I tilted my face so I could see his lusciousness with both eyes.
An evil glint sparkled in his expression. A delicious hint of things to come. His hand skimmed over my calf, tickling and seductive. That feather-light touch burned stripes on my skin and sent a ripple up my body. “Did you mean what you said, about liking your job?” He said.
I couldn’t help but smile back. “Yeah.”
Inside I knew I’d have to tell him that I’d be leaving but I couldn’t bring myself to ruining the mood. Warren was looking up into my eyes with an unguarded expression. I’d never seen this look before. It was almost as good as watching him cum.
“Again, Ms. Renzi, you need some discipline. I believe I told you to stand not sit.” His thumb stroked over my thigh.
“So demanding,” I said.
His fingers glided up and down my leg provocatively laid in front of him. Our eyes connected at a soul level. I started to understand his brisk, abrupt front. Underneath the pretense of being honest yet aloof, Warren was a sensitive man. He could be easily hurt. He’d proved it last night from my meaningless words. Now all I had to do was convince him my words were as honest as he pretended to be. But men communicated differently from women—which was why I was going to tell him with my body.
I reached a hand out to his face and cupped his cheek. He’d have none of it. Warren turned and kissed my wrist, circling his hand around my arm and pulling it down. All the while stroking under my calf with those feather light touches.
Chills ran all the way up my spine as though his fingers continued through like an electric current. I wasn’t wearing nylons and my freshly shaved legs made each playful stroke that much more sensitive. But if he wasn’t going to let me touch him, then I’d have to play by other means.
“So, if I have to do what you say, then tell me what to do.” I wrapped my legs around the back of his chair and pulled him in, just enough so I could scoot off the desk and onto his l
ap. The position wasn’t comfortable. My legs were up in the air with me trying to do the splits. My hips jutted forward so I could straddle Warren in his executive chair but the self-satisfied expression on his face was worth the strain.
“Why should I bother, when you don’t listen to my commands?” His hands washed over my body and pulled my pencil skirt up. Fingers probed my underwear.
“Do you like those?” Anticipating this very situation while dressing this morning I’d worn my best red lace panties. Though he wasn’t looking where he was touching his caress captured my senses as much as those beautiful green eyes searching my face.
“I like red.” His severe expression turned into acute hunger. How could I have missed the frenzy behind the intensity in his eyes? If I were a betting woman, I’d put all my money on this being the first time Warren had sex since his ex-wife. And who knows how long it’d really been since then.
But his fingers were gentle. The demanding beast within wasn’t one of uncontrollable hunger, more like a Cheshire cat playing with his food, trying to find the sweet spots. Warren swiped a knuckle over my lace covered labia. The rough material grated on my skin but the pressure of his touch sent my arousal to overdrive.
“I think I like these,” Warren said as he grazed my panties again. His fingers wrapped me in need and shrouded my whole body just from touching this small part of me. My arms wrapped around his neck and I let my head fall back, offering him my whole body.
“You’re not the most obedient, but you do let me have my way,” he said. His words were a stroking caress as his breath tickled my neck.
What could I say? My will was weak when it came to pleasure.
Warren shifted, lifting my hips up and zipped his pants down. I grabbed the back of the chair as he shifted me up and pulled out his cock. He was more impatient than I thought. He didn’t even try taking off my panties and just pulled them aside. I didn’t mind. He’d been waiting. So had I. He guided the tip of his cock against the length of my lower lips, waiting for his entry. But he didn’t push into my opening. Warren teased my soaking wet passage awaiting him.
