by Jagger Cole
“I—please,” I whisper. “I can’t do games like this.”
“I have no interest in games,” he hisses in reply. “Only winning.”
“You want to win me?”
“Yes,” he says plainly.
“That feels like just another game.”
He grins slowly. “It’s not, I can promise you. As I said, you destroy my defenses, Julia. You break my walls and you make me break my own rules I’ve set for myself.”
“What, wait until the second day to seduce the secretary?” I mutter sarcastically.
Evan smirks. “No. And that wasn’t me seducing you.”
“Oh, wasn’t it?”
His grin widens across his chiseled face and his gorgeous lips. “You’ll know when I’m seducing you,” Evan growls, and I tremble heatedly.
“I liked kissing you,” he adds. “A lot.”
I blush, and I can feel a heat creeping through me. There are warning sirens going off in my head, but I ignore them, just like I ignore reason that tells me to stay away from a man like Evan Danforth who could swallow me whole.
“I—I liked kissing you, too,” I whisper.
“But now we’re at a crossroads,”
“Which is?”
“I want you,” he growls, deep enough to make me tremble and gasp quietly. “But I want your help. I need your help, in fighting this war.”
I smile thinly. “It sounds like you want to have your cake and eat it too—” I blush quickly at the double meaning as the words leave my lips. Evan catches it and grins.
“That I do,” he growls. Heat simmers inside of me, and his eyes scorch across my skin. “I’m leaving now,” he growls, stepping close to me.
My breath quickens, as does my pulse. “Why?” I whisper.
“Because if I don’t, I’m going to taste your lips again, and I won’t stop this time until I’ve tasted all of you.”
It takes all of my control not to gasp out loud. He’s toying with me, but damnit, I like him toying with me like this. Even though I know I should run for the hills when it comes to a man like Evan Danforth.
“Tomorrow, I need you at your desk.”
“And if I don’t come?” I throw back with a little sass.
“You’ll come.” I blush, and his hungry grin says it all. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” His gaze moves across my tiny studio to the outfit I wore today, draped across my bed. “I’ll send my personal shopper over tonight with some options for you.”
I frown. “I don’t need your handouts.”
“Then I’ll take it out of your, what was it, your obscene salary?”
I smile, but then bite it back. “And what then? What happens if we…”
“We won’t,” Evan says coolly. “The office will be a no-fly zone. Nothing inappropriate, you have my word.”
“Really?” I say dryly.
“Well, unless…” Evan smiles cooly. “Unless you don’t think you can control yourself.”
I blush, worrying my lip and rolling my eyes. “If I don’t show up to work?” I say quietly.
“Then I might have to come find you.”
My blush deepens, and I can feel a heat building deep inside of me. “Creepy much?” I tease. It’s me trying to cover my own dirty thoughts and heated face.
“I want what I want, Julia,” Evan growls.
So do I, I think to myself.
He turns, looks back at me with one last scorching flick of his blue eyes, and then he’s gone.
7
Evan
“Come on in, hoss.”
I roll my eyes. But I grin at my friend Sam. “Should I pull up a stool at the old saloon and cool my dogs off, partner?” I drawl in a pretty lame cowboy voice. “Or is it a high-noon reckoning with the Sheriff!?”
Sam glares at me, and I grin. “Good to see you, buddy,” I chuckle.
“You keep making fun of me like that and I might not be so welcomingly the next time you need a shoulder to cry on.”
“Hilarious,” I mutter.
Sam grins. “You need a tissue?”
I need a scotch. Ten of them, and six fat lines of Columbian marching powder. But then I think to Elise’s words. I don’t “need” that, I “want” that. And I am in control of what I want. Well aside from Julia Summers, apparently.
“No, but do you need a fucking shirt?” I arch one brow at my very fit, but very shirtless friend. He just laughs and waves me in, and I step into Sam’s absolutely enormous Soho loft. I blink in surprise. There’s a huge party of sorts going on—or maybe there was a party going on. Currently, there’s at least twenty people here—mostly gorgeous women—and most in some form of undress sprawling on couches and window seats. Some groups are drinking, a few by the window are smoking a joint, and all the while, Sam’s go-to of Johnny Cash plays over the sound system.
Sam frowns. “Let me clear this rabble out.”
“Nah, its fine, you’re having a party.”
He shrugs. “Not really. I had a party last night; these are just the…”
“Sam,” a feminine voice coos from behind him. “You coming back?”
I glance past the big Texan to the topless brunette draped over the couch, with her blonde almost-twin equally as tits-out next to her. I chuckle. “Sam, I really can come back later.”
“Please stay,” he groans. “These girls are having a harder time hearing the word no than Harvey Weinstein.”
I cringe. “Jesus, man.”
“Sorry, that was the crass in me,” he chuckles.
“No, go entertain, I can leave.”
“Stay,” he frowns. “Evan I can just kick ‘em all out. I know you don’t need to be around—”
“I’m in control, Sam. Honestly. The drinking won’t bother me.”
Someone across the loft sniffs loudly—the unmistakable sound of cocaine going up a nose. Sam raises a brow in concern, but I smile. “I’m fine, really.”
“Come on, we can talk in my office.”
Sam turns, barefoot and shirtless wearing nothing but jeans and a Stetson hat, and I follow him through his huge perma-party loft. Sam and I go way back. When I first sold my algorithm, he was one of my first investors. He was newly rich, wild, and maybe a little reckless. But he took a bet on me, and I’m forever grateful for it.
The big cowboy was really just that: a cowboy from the middle of nowhere Texas, until someone had the brilliant idea of teaching him about investing. Shit, it was like giving a paintbrush to Picasso. Or a nuke to a monkey, depending on who you ask. Since then, he’s made a damn mint for himself.
The partying is really just part of his image. I mean the guy parties, but he’s not a rockstar. He just likes having people around him. I also happen to know that in spite of his wild lifestyle and reputation, Sam is pretty particular about the women he actually takes to bed. So even though he’s got half of a Victoria’s Secret runway show out there basically begging for it, I’m betting he slept alone last night. One-night stands aren’t his thing.
We step into his huge office, decorated to look like a saloon or the fucking Alamo, of course. You can take the cowboy out of Texas, but…
“You want anything?” He reaches into a fridge behind his desk and pulls out some sparkling water. “Or I got some Dublin’s Cream Pop.” I grin as he holds up a bottle of the cream soda he claims he was raised on down in Texas.
“Little early for me, thanks,” I joke.
“Suit yourself.” Sam pull out a beer and cracks it. I shake my head.
“Not too early for you, I guess.”
He shrugs. “I had a bit much last night. This is the hair of the dog.” He frowns. “Listen, I heard about Petrov, and the FTC.”
“Yeah, fun fucking week.”
“Heard you got a new secretary, too.”
“You did?” I say in surprise.
“Word travels fast on Wall Street, buddy. So who’d you poach her from?”
“No one.”
“Please,” he chuckles.
>
“No, I really didn’t. She’s new to assisting.”
Sam sips his beer slowly, looking at me curiously. “Interesting.”
“She’s also gorgeous,” I mutter.
Sam’s mouth splits into a grin. “Uh oh, hoss.”
“And I’m…” I scowl. “I’m having a hard time.”
“That ain’t like you.”
“Tell me about it,” I groan. “I need her, she’s good.”
“But you also need her,” he grins. “Got a picture?”
“Not a chance,” I snap possessively.
My friend laughs. “You know that was a test, right?”
“I’ll pass on any tests right now,” I mutter.
“No, I mean it was, and you did pass. So she’s not just a thing.”
“No, but… it’s not a thing at all.”
“You break that celibacy of yours?”
I frown. “No.”
“Well alright then.”
“But I did kiss her.”
Sam grins lecherously. “Where?”
“Chill out. In my office.”
“Damn boy that sounds like a lawsuit.” He’s having way too much fun with this whole thing.
“It’s not like that.”
“It’s like that if she paints it like that.”
“Well, she won’t. Trust me.”
Sam sits back in his chair and sips his beer. “You’re playing loose here, Evan. And you don’t play loose, ever.”
“I know, I know,” I growl.
“So she’s fucking you up it seems.”
“Immensely.” I reach for the stupid cream soda on his desk and twist the cap off. Sam raises a little toast to me with his beer.
“Look, if you need to distance yourself, just send her to me, I could use—”
“Not a fucking chance,” I snarl furiously, lunging to my feet. Friend or not, another man has just tried to lay a claim to Julia. And the evolutionary animal response in me is to destroy. But I calm myself and take a breath.
“I don’t mean I’m going to ‘take’ her, Evan, Jesus,” Sam chuckles. “Relax. I mean you could have her work for me, even for the same salary you’ve got her at.”
“I’m paying her ten-grand a week.”
Sam chokes on his beer and looks at me spluttering. “Fuck me, Evan,” he laughs. “You understand you can’t buy women, right?”
“Very funny. And she’s not coming to work for you.”
“So are you firing her? I mean it sounds like her being there is going to twist you up, and you can’t afford to be twisted right now.”
“I’m not,” I grunt. “I need her, honestly.”
“Then you better make peace with that desire of yours.”
I slug back my soda. “Any advice?”
“Yeah, but it starts with a W and ends in ‘hiskey.’ But that’s a no go, obviously.”
“Obviously.”
“You could mediate.”
I roll my eyes. “Thanks, Sam, this is all very helpful,” I muter dryly.
He laughs. “I’m serious, man. You know how I stay away from fucking every single woman that looks my way?”
“Actually,” I frown. “I am curious.”
“Love yourself.” He spreads his arms and grins. “That’s my secret. I learned to love myself, so I don’t need to debase myself with women who only want my wallet or my dick.”
I sigh. “And how exactly do you do that.”
Sam grins and takes a sip of beer. He sits back in his chair. “Jerk off. A lot.”
8
Julia
I can’t believe I’m doing this again. But, here I am. I do look professional as hell though, I’ll say that. Evan’s personal shopper dropped by my apartment two hours after he left, and she brought me probably fifty thousand dollars in top-line office wear.
She also brought gowns, beach skirts, cute tops, and shoes for every occasion. And shockingly, she also brought boxes and boxes of very expensive, classy lingerie. All of it paid for by Evan, and all of it fitting me exactly.
I decide not to think about all that, especially the lingerie, when I step into the huge lobby of Danforth Acquisitions.
Kelly, the receptionist, smiles as she recognizes me. I smile back, and then I almost fall over myself as I slam into the unmoving turnstile next to the big welcome desk.
“Oh, sorry, you just swipe your badge over the sensor to get in!”
“I don’t think…” I frown. “I think I left mine here?”
She smiles. “No big deal!” She presses a button, and the turnstile unlocks for me.
“Thanks,” I say shyly, second-guessing why I’m here for the hundredth time. I take the gold elevator with one button all the way to the top and step out into the luxurious reception area. Evan’s door is closed, and I take a seat at my desk.
“Okay, you can do this,” I whisper to myself. The list of the daily tasks is already open on my screen, with a few already checked off by Evan. So, I get to work instantly. Like he said, we’re at war. But that was before he kissed me, and before he sent heat exploding through me. That was also before I was up late thinking about him and his hands on me last night…
I’m shaken from my dirty thoughts by the buzz of the intercom from Evan’s office. “Um, yeah?” I croak when I answer it. Evan just chuckles in that deep, velvet tone.
“What?” I worry my lip.
“Nothing, I just like how informal you are.”
“Well do you want me to say ‘yes, sir’?”
“Perhaps in another setting,” he growls.
I tremble, blushing. “Well, I’m here.”
“Good. I need a coffee.” I roll my eyes, and he chuckles deeply again. “I’m taking your cue, Julia,” he growls. “Since it’s your job description, and if work will be a neutral zone for us.”
I smile. “Evan, it’s fine. I’ll get it.”
“Thank you.”
A few minutes later, I step into his office with the latte. This time, I manage to set it on his desk and not spill it all over him. But that doesn’t stop him from watching me warily with a grin when I walk over to him.
“Do I need rain jacket?”
“Very funny,” I smile with a blush. Evan stands suddenly, and I gasp.
“About yesterday…”
“It’s fine,” I whisper.
“I’m not apologizing, Julia,” he growls. “I’d never apologize for kissing you.” Heat singes my face. His hands move to my hips, and I gasp gently as his fingers tighten on me. “I want you, and I don’t plan on hiding that or pretending otherwise,” he groans. “I don’t plan on putting it out of my mind or trying to fight it. I want all of you. All for myself.”
I blush deeply. “Who talks like that?” I whisper.
“Me,” he grunts. “When it concerns you. But for the sake of our working relationship and because I need you, and for the sake of this company and all of its employees besides the two of us, let’s get to work.”
I nod. “Yeah, of course.” Somehow, I find the strength to move away from him and cross the huge office back to the door. I pause there and turn to him, one hand on the doorframe. “I’ll try not to spill anything on you,” I joke.
“I’ll try not to kiss you,” he growls, making me blush again when his eyes burn into mine. “But I can’t promise shit.”
I close the door with a tremble of heat.
Hours later, and we’re doing well in the war. I’ve set up meetings with a dozen CEOs of some of his investment companies. I’ve even arranged a sit-down with members of the FTC and Evan and his legal team.
Between that, I’m calming investors who call after hearing the news, or passing them on to Evan if they need a… rougher touch, to be calmed. I think about his “rough touch,” and I tremble. Heat floods through me, but I push it aside. No, I can’t sit here and think lusty, but secret, thoughts about my hot boss.
But try as I might, the desire for Evan Danforth just won’t go away. The heat in my co
re won’t either.
Finally, after being kept away from him for hours by the door between us, I need to go see him. I’ve “needed,” or at least “wanted” to go see him for the entire day. But this time it’s actually because of business. I need him to sign off on a bunch of filings, so I collect them and quickly throw open the door to his office. I bustle right in as I’m shuffling the papers, and I gasp as I suddenly collide right into him.
The papers in my hand go flying up in the air and come down again in a slow-motion flurry. My heart thumps in my chest, and I actually fall into him. But Evan catches me firmly, his hands tight on my waist.
I gasp and look up into his eyes. His face is dark and brooding, and I blush at the flicker of desire in his eyes. He groans, and I gasp again when he spins me. He pushes me back, until my ass is against his desk, and his body is pinning me there.
“Julia…” he groans.
“Evan,” I moan. God, I want this. I know it’s horrible and that it could destroy this amazing job opportunity. But his lips are like a beacon, daring me to crash onto the rocks. His hand slides to the small of my back, and my pulse quickens.
“There will be a time,” he growls dangerously.
“For?”
“For placing this pretty ass on a desk, spreading your legs, and tasting every fucking inch of you, beautiful,” he grunts.
I go red, and my pulse hammers inside my heart.
“But not now. It can’t be now,” he groans tightly, surging against me. “Though I want it to be.”
“Right, right…” I gasp. “Professional. We need to be professional,” I whisper hoarsely. I pull away from him, and his jaw ticks.
“Professional,” he grunts. “But after work, I don’t plan on being professional anymore. I don’t plan on holding back.”
I swallow, blushing. “Tonight?”
“Yes.”
“And if I say no?”
“Don’t say no,” he smirks. “And you won’t anyways.”
