“Downstairs, learning the ropes from my assistant, Cashmere. I feel bad for stealing her from you, but the girl is insatiable and signed a non-disclosure agreement, giving me full rein to take advantage of her particular skill set. Although, that sweet, spicy thang over at the coffee shop has caught my eye.”
“Back off. Zoey is off-limits to you. Get me?”
“Whoa, I was mentioning her assistant, the feisty one with the tattoos and sexy piercings. I swear she walked right out of a pin-up magazine, and I aim to get acquainted. Bro, you look wiped. Maybe you should head home, shower, take a day off, and chill.”
“How did she seem when you went in?”
“Who? The hot owner? Tired, a bit flustered, maybe, distracted, kept watching the clock and conversing with the group of older gentlemen who took up the seats closest to her.”
“Shit, I have meetings all morning. I don’t have time to go home. Have the new assistant, what’s her name?”
“Josie.”
“Have Josie bring up my things. Thank god, I keep a spare suit here. I have to grab a shower. And have Josie send two dozen white roses to Zoey for my absence this morning, with a note that says thinking of you, sorry I couldn’t make it to grab my coffee this morning. And, brother, leave Marie, her assistant alone, I don’t need another complication while trying to get to know Zoey on a deeper level.”
“You ole’ horn dog, didn’t think you had it in you. A bit too late to stay away, I’m afraid.” Lysandro clapped him on the back. “I already got Marie’s digits and established the first contact. It’s in the bag.”
“You know you’re only trying to get into her pants to give Ma a heart attack. She’s old school.”
“I may be selfish but, she’s so damn hot. If I could I’d hire her to be my assistant and give you Josie, just to have her close to me, I would. Somehow I don’t think your Zoey would let her go without a fight, and an angry woman in high heels is a hazard I want no part of. And brother, Ma isn’t that old school anymore. I dare say she’d be fine with Marie’s body enhancement.”
Khristos chuckled.“ Yeah, maybe, but back to Zoey. I love her in her heels. She has the sexiest black ones with bows, they’re my favorite.”
Lesandros burst out in peals of laughter. “You are stuck on this girl. Plan on wearing her shoes too?”
“If you hadn’t brought me coffee, I’d break your ass in half right here. Don’t forget who’s the older bro.”
Lesandros rolled his eyes and flexed. “Don’t forget who’s ripped, here. While you slave away here, I delegate what needs to be done and hit the gym every day. So, what’s Dareia think of Zoey?”
“Not sure. It’s more of what does Zoey think, and right now she sees Dareia as a competitive threat.” Khristos stepped into his bathroom with his coffee, leaving his brother on the other side.
“You always did like doing shit the hard way. How do you plan on having the girl and disassociating her business from our sister’s, since you own the building?”
He heard his brother’s question and turned on the shower, since he had no answer to give. Once Zoey found out he’d omitted the fact that he owned the building, and the woman she saw as a threat was in fact his sister, he knew all hell would break loose. The woman who gave him sunshine could also bring on a severe rainstorm. The mess he’d brought on might have cost him the thing he wanted most before really having it.
Washing away the exhaustion with a quick shower did little to appease his inner turmoil. A loud clattering in his office garnered his attention. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he pushed open the door and stepped out, expecting his brother. A young brunette struggled to gather the items she’d knocked from his desk. He looked at the cluttered mess and the shocked woman’s look when she noticed him. A deep flush stole across her face as she gaped open-mouthed.
“Can I help you?” He didn’t mean to scare her, yet she jumped nearly out of her skin. She looked down then back up.
“I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to knock your things over. I broke my heel. Promise to have this cleaned up right away.” She stumbled over herself, falling back.
In long strides he crossed the room, grasping her before she tumbled and hurt herself by bringing the rest of the contents of his desktop down on her fool head. Women and their insane need to wear the highest heels possible—it was a freak accident waiting to happen. “Josie, I take it.” His towel slipped free, giving her a way too close and personal view of his junk. He swore under his breath and scooped it up, wrapping himself back up as he stood, bringing her up with him. Her face came into direct contact with his dick.
“Well, this is not something I expected to find.”
The new voice swept over him, full of angst and, dare he think, jealousy? The thought brought a smile to his face. “Iliahtida.”
“Don’t you Sunshine, me. You were naked with her, and you haven’t even been naked with me yet. Yet, your thingy hit her in the face.”
“My thingy? Iliahtida, it’s called a dick or a cock, and it didn’t hit her. My towel slipped as I reached to keep her from tumbling. Her shoe is broken. Look at the mess she made of my work.” He growled in exasperation.
“To think, I climbed all these stairs to bring you this piece of baklava, I made by drizzling my chocolate and spice mix, just for you to have a piece of Greece this morning.”
The scatterbrained assistant edged away from him, her face still fully red. “Mr. Trakis, sir. Your suit is hanging up in your closet. I’ll um, leave you two alone. Ring me when you’re ready for me to clean up the mess. I’m sorry, again, and it kinda tapped my face, but don’t worry, we can pretend it never happened. Like, never, ever, speak of it again. Don’t even tell your brother, my boss, that it happened. Please. I’d be mortified, and he’d never stop teasing me relentlessly about it. You were only trying to help keep me from breaking my ankle. No harm, no foul. ” Head down, she ambled past the angry woman, limping along with her broken heel.
“I’ll be leaving, myself.” Zoey sighed, dropped the box of goodies on his monsoon of a desk.
“Zoey, don’t go. Let me dry off and get dressed. Then we can discuss ‘my thingy’.” He dropped the towel from his body, but kept it in his hand as he crossed over to his closet for his pressed suit. He moved slowly to give her a direct view of his cock and watched the byplay of jealousy, arousal, and need flashing across her expressive face, before he turned his back on her to dry his body and get dressed, sans boxer briefs.
A smile crossed his face.
“Not funny.”
How could she tell he smiled when he wasn’t facing her?
The telltale signs of her heels clickity-clacking down the hall didn’t greet his ears after her curt tone. The sound of her uneasy breathing filled the dead air behind him. After shrugging into dress socks and shoes, he turned to face her, buttoning up his dress shirt while facing off with her closed-off expression. Someone had done a number on her, and he wanted blood for it. While she silently stood by, he began dealing with the destruction, placing things in their proper place. Scooping up his files, he dropped them on his desk and then took a seat. She had to speak again at some point, he figured, so he bided his time, while doing up his top button, donning his tie, and smoothing it into place.
“It’s crooked.” Zoey sauntered over to him with that sway of hips designed to make him lose his ever-loving mind. With a tsk, she undid his favorite tie and went about fixing it. Khristos placed his hands over her shaky ones to halt her. She loomed over him with her sexy-as-all-get-out heels on, and knew it. He wrapped a hand around her waist. “I’m sorry you had to see that unfortunate happenstance. Trust me, the only woman I want to get naked with, is you. Deep down you have to admit, it’s hilarious that shit like that even happens.”
“Hmph. My mama didn’t suffer no fools.”
“Really? You want to categorize me in some lump sum pile of assholes? It seems to me, you fail to realize I’m drawn to women with curves and pretty, brown skin
, dark brown eyes, and sass. But if you really think I orchestrated that train wreck to take place to hurt your feelings after ruthlessly pursuing you for weeks, then don’t let the door hit you on your way out.” He gave one last lingering pass over her luscious ass and dropped his hand in his lap. She dropped his tie from her grasp and sucked in a deep breath. In all reality, he hoped dropping the ball of what to do or not do in her hands didn’t backfire.
“I have meetings starting in five minutes, which is why I had to take a shower here, after waking up right here a little under an hour ago. No time to run home, no time for my favorite trip for coffee, just to see your pretty face.” He glanced at his watch. “You have five minutes to decide where you categorize me.”
“Mr. Trakis. You cannot order me around like I’m one of your employees on your time. We’re not even a couple, and this is ridiculous. I didn’t do anything but walk into a compromising situation.”
“Miss Gray.” He shoved her patronizing tone back down her throat with cold detachment. “In my building, in my office, during working hours, you are on my time. Make a decision before I make one for us.”
Her face flushed, and a veritable storm brewed in her lovely, brown eyes. “Enjoy your treat. I’m going back to work where my customers appreciate me, and don’t snap at me. I do not like this side of you, Mr. Trakis and you can take it to the bank that I won’t be climbing any more stairs to see you anytime soon.”
A slow chuckle left his mouth. “I almost forgot to dish out your punishment for disobeying. What was my order about you climbing those stairs?”
“I wasn’t paying attention.” Zoey shrugged and crossed her arms over her breasts.
“I think I said I’d spank that sexy ass. Might as well get it over with now. Lay over my lap.”
“Like hell.” She snapped back at him.
Khristos stood from his chair, strode over to his door and engaged the lock. She fidgeted as he returned, to tower over her. “I think you wanted to provoke me just now, why else bring up walking up the stairs if you weren’t intrigued about the feel of my hand striking the firm globes of your ass,” he whispered in her ear. “Lean over my desk and you will find out how good it feels to be spanked.”
How he loved a good argument to bring out the beast, to allow him to show the lovely contradiction in front of him what she so desperately needed. The war of decisions weighed heavily on her. He expected her to run, not to lean over his mahogany desk and present her luscious ass in sexy boy shorts.
Khristos lifted up her polka dot dress, peeling the barrier down to glimpse and ghost his fingers over her bare skin, drooling over the sight before him. His dick lurched in his pants from her reaction to his feather-light touch. Her legs trembled slightly, in anticipation, a bit of unease of the unknown, tensing now and then as he smoothed his palm over the firm half-globes, gripping the dip where her ass met thick as sin thighs. “So sexy.” He withdrew his touch and delivered a stinging crack across her satin smooth skin.
Faint sobs tumbled from her luscious mouth, but a torrent gushed between her legs, gifting him with the scent of her intense arousal. He rubbed the burn away, and delivered the same staccato blow to her other side, then dipped his finger into her dripping cunt. Whimpers turned him on. She pressed back against him, searching for more.
Aiming to please, he gave her alternating slaps, then bent over and nipped the reddened expanse of skin with his teeth, just grazing the sensitive area. His hand still worked inside her to bring her off. “Come for me, now,” he ordered in her ear on a guttural rasp, his fingers shoved up in her. Zoey crumbled, and he pressed his free arm over her waist to keep her from sliding to the floor while he wrestled the orgasm from her body, working her through the aftershocks, flicking her clit to bring her over the edge again. When he was done, he slid his digits from her soaking wet core, pulled her underwear back up, and smoothed down her dress. “Don’t you dare move an inch.” He rounded the desk to peer down at her. “Look at me.”
Zoey obeyed.
Khristos licked his fingers. “Thank you for the baklava. I will make sure to enjoy it almost as much as the taste of you. I think we’re clear on the issue of you walking up twenty-three flights of stairs, unless you’d like to test me again.”
“I don’t know. I mean no.”
He quirked a brow at her confused response.
“We’re good. I’m good. I need to get back to work, and you have meetings,” she stammered as she pushed herself off his desk, latching her gaze on him.
Khristos smiled. “Good. We’ve survived our first of probably many arguments. Enjoy your day, I’ll pick you up tonight for dinner at seven. Wear something sexy and behave.” He leaned over and kissed her breathless. She didn’t slap him or shove him away, she melted for him, into him; breathed him in as he breathed her in. When she reached to reciprocate, he stalled her hand and kissed her fingertips one by one. “There’s time for that later, Iliahtida.” He tunneled his fingers through her hair, breathing in her scent.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered in his ear, her hands still roving over his body.
“Know this, I’m not a man who plays games, Iliahtida. I adore you, and would never intentionally hurt your feelings. I don’t know who hurt you before, but I’m not him. Now, I really have to get going, so I need you to go before I cancel another day of important meetings. My restraint suffers when you’re near.” He kissed her nape. “Think of me every time you sit down, Sunshine.”
Zoey nodded, her arousal-flushed face imprinting in his memory, as she slipped out of his office with a wave. He’d allow her to regroup and gather her thoughts. Tonight at dinner, he’d broach the subject of their relationship.
Chapter Four
“I feel it necessary, as both your best friend and employee, to tell you when you’re acting stupid. And you’re way beyond that right now. In fact, I don’t even know who this new you is…” Marie planted a hip on the counter, carrying a tray of fresh white mocha and raspberry frosted cupcakes.
“You weren’t there, to see what went down,” Zoey hissed. “His thang hit the poor girl’s face. I mean, like right near her mouth. I don’t know which of us were more shocked. Them or me?”
“You didn’t even give the poor man a chance. I called it, when I said you wouldn’t let him get his wick dipped. You’ve completely shut him out, and now our place looks like a cross between a floral shop and chocolate-covered fruit stand. It’s been a full week. You like him a lot, and you’re scared he might wreck your perfectly planned-out future. You’re a list maker. We’ve spent many nights together, and I’ve heard you making them in your sleep.”
Zoey popped a triple chocolate death truffle in her mouth and moaned in ecstasy. She closed her eyes and opened them to see if her insufferable best friend had left her in peace. Not at all. The chick didn’t budge an inch. “Okay, so maybe you’re right. But it’s not like I can just randomly call up and say maybe…just maybe, I overreacted. That would’ve worked ten flower deliveries ago, I doubt it would do much now. He’s only sending an arrangement once a day now, and his calls are less frequent.”
“Here’s a novel idea. Don’t duck out of the front when you see him stroll his fine ass in this shop to get his coffee. Take your lady balls out of your vagina, serve the man with a smile, and whisper, ‘I’m sorry’.”
“Or, you can serve him and I can watch from afar. Safer that way.”
“Gah. Okay, you know what? While you waste away in spinsterhood, I’m going after his hot brother, and I don’t want to hear a peep from you. Why don’t you just go ahead and ruin the chance of us being actual sisters, dating the hottest brothers in existence. Did I mention baby brother is fine as sin?”
“Don’t tell me you have the double wedding planned out already, Marie.”
“I will neither confirm or deny my new subscription to Bride’s magazine and surfing the net for the top places to get married.”
“Really? You didn’t…where?” Zoey covered her mouth i
n silent outrage, “Here?” she hissed. “In the shop? Do you know what kind of health code violation that is?”
“Don’t worry. We did the nasty away from any and all cooking areas, this time. There’s plenty of wall space.”
Marie didn’t even have the decency to look repentant. Zoey bet she’d do it over and over again if she had the chance. “I haven’t even—”
“You could if—”
“Don’t you dare finish that statement.” Zoey grabbed the tray of cupcakes from Marie, stormed into the front room, and began placing each in their designated place. The previous day, she had hidden herself away like a coward, when Khristos came in the building. Thankfully, he didn’t have her number, so he couldn’t contact her after work hours.
Across the street, she saw the doors at the Greek Bakery open. Dareia lifted her blinds and although Zoey hated to admit it, the smells of the competition made her stomach grumble. Deciding to do some recon, she grabbed her cup of coffee and a cream cheese Danish dipped in her chocolate and took a seat just out of sight. In the background, Marie bickered about her stubbornness while setting up the daily product on shelves.
A sleek, black car pulled up and parked. She watched as the man she couldn’t get out of her mind stepped out and headed inside. Dariea’s face sported a massive smile, and she jumped up and wrapped her arms around Khristos. Jealousy surged through Zoey. She took a bite of her Danish and sipped on her coffee while watching their body language.
“Marie,” Zoey whispered loudly, as if he’d hear her calling for her backup and look in her direction.
“What? And why are you whispering? We’re not open yet, and there are no customers.”
“Look at him over there with the enemy. She hugged him, and it was an ‘I’ve known you forever’ type of hug.
Indulgence Page 4
