by Lisa Lace
“There is no turning back now,” he growled. “You are mine.”
He pressed into her and heard a yelp escape her. Grabbing himself, he leaned back and moved just right. When he pushed forward, he felt her open for him as he inched his way inside her. Her body stiffened. She held her breath and pushed back against him as he penetrated her.
When he was fully inside, he stopped and froze, feeling Mia’s muscles constrict around him. He enjoyed her body, her perfect ass, the way it moved and wiggled with her growing arousal. He pulled out, taking his time and pushed back in even slower, holding himself there until she grunted and tightened the muscles of her body again. Each time he pulled out, he pushed back inside her with aggression and a little more thrust. His stomach tightened with his own arousal building strong and heavy. He grabbed her hips and sped up as he thrust into her over and over again. She pushed back each time, panting and moving against the ties that held her there.
He was there, so close, teetering on the edge of orgasm. He pulled out, flipped her back over, pulled the blinds off her eyes, and opened her legs. He fell on top of her and entered her again, his eyes affixed to hers, his arms bracing his weight above her as he moved back and forth. He imprisoned her head with his arms and kissed her hard, his tongue penetrating her mouth as he fucked her hard and slow. He moaned in a low tone, causing his vibration to affect her. She grabbed the ties and pulled down, holding her breath as her body stiffened. Her body jerked, and her back arched as her essence gripped him and soaked him. She yelled, her breath catching in her throat as her body shook with orgasm. He slammed into her once more, his body stiffening and pulsating.
He clutched her to him and shuddered as he released. He buried his face into her neck, kissing her skin, his hands caressing her body beneath him. He rolled to the side, still caressing her skin with his fingertips as they lay there, gasping for breath and coming down from the euphoric high they had just encountered. He reached up and untied her hands, allowing her to break free.
“What the hell was that?” She rolled toward him, catching her breath.
“Was it not to your satisfaction?” he teased.
“Are you kidding me?” She fell flat on the bed and shook her head. “I have never in my life felt anything like that. I think I love you.”
Let’s see what you say after our meeting tomorrow, he thought. “Mia, I need to talk to you about something.”
“No.” She jumped off the bed, leaning on the side, her legs moving like rubber bands. “What did you do to me?” She reached out and held the side as she tried to steady herself.
He smiled at her and inched himself to the edge of the bed. “Seriously, can I talk to you?”
“Eddie, you may have just given me the most amazing sexual experience of my entire life.” She reached down and picked her clothes up. “Now, I know you have this big secret that will more than likely come out to me very soon, but I want to savor this for the night. You promised me that. One special night before anything else happens? Remember?”
“Yes.”
“Then please, just give me that. It’s not even midnight.”
“Okay, you win.”
“Thank you. I’m going to use the bathroom.” She walked out of the bedroom, her beautiful ass moving perfectly with each step she took. He was mesmerized.
“Oh, Mia. There’s a bathroom off my bedroom.”
But she didn’t return. When she left the bedroom, he had no idea he wouldn’t see her again that night. When she left the room, she had thrown her clothes back on and snuck out. He tried calling her a few times, but each time her phone went to her voicemail.
“Damn it, Mia.”
The next morning at the office, Edward tried working with Claire on the final paperwork before the big meeting, but his mind was turning. He sat at his desk and stared into space, Mia heavily on his mind. He needed to help her, help pick her company back up, and he knew how to do it.
“I need to hack back in and ease up on the security wall I put on their backup.” He typed away at the keyboard. “They break the security wall, put their own company back on the network, and they’ll think they did it. I need more time. Maybe I can cancel the meeting, do a conference call and make this work over the phone.” He looked up at Claire, hoping for approval.
“You know that won’t work. If you want to stop the takeover from happening, you have the power to do so. You are the controller now. You have more pull than anyone. It will take some doing, but you can make it happen.”
“Buy me some time.”
“Sure.” She started to turn away, but stopped and walked back to Edward’s desk. “What else is it? What else is bothering you?”
“I need to make this right.”
“And you will.”
“Right now, Mia thinks Edward Donovan is another version of Reese Donovan, who wants to take her company down and destroy it.”
“Only you can fix that.”
“How? As soon as she sees me, she’s going to hate me. Who knows if she will even give me the chance to explain myself? I should have told her. I tried to tell her.”
“I know you will make the right choice, Edward. I’ll let you finish preparing.” She walked out of his office, leaving him with his guilt and fear of the worst. A moment later, Jack entered and leaned against the doorway, his arms crossed.
“How long have you been listening in?” Edward asked, not shifting his eyes from his computer.
“Long enough to know you are in a predicament.”
“What do you want?”
“I can help you.”
“How so?”
“Let me go in your place.”
“Place of what?” He gave Jack a look of confusion.
“Let me go to the meeting in your place.”
“And why would I do that?”
“I’m your brother. It’s what families do in crisis situations. I know your situation, and I can help.”
“Yeah, bullshit. The only one you want to help is yourself.”
“I have a large interest in this deal as well. You can’t shut me out.”
“Things have changed, Jack! I’ll take care of it myself.”
“You don’t have the right to take care of it yourself.”
“And you do? I don’t want you there!” He stood up and clenched his hands. “Stop making this difficult for me.”
“Just because you’re fucking her doesn’t mean you have the authority to throw all of our hard work out the window!”
“How dare you! Get out!”
“I won’t let you sabotage this!” Jack stood his ground until Edward started walking around his desk. “I won’t.” He pointed at him and walked out.
Edward took a deep breath and tried to put his head back into what needed to be done. He needed to give MWSA back to them, figure out how to save it, keep his brother and any other vultures from fighting him to take it down, and prepare himself for his meeting with Mia as Edward Donovan. Would she understand, or would she throw him out and never give him a chance? He thought back on the night before and prayed that it was enough to keep her mind open.
He opened his email and hesitated.
Mia—
Our interests in your company have changed. Even though we still want to invest, we no longer want to take it from you. I will explain during our meeting later this afternoon.
See you then,
Edward Donovan
He hit the send button and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes and hoping for the best.
“Do you want some support at the meeting?”
He smiled before opening his eyes. Claire stood in the doorway with a sympathetic look on her face. “It looks like you could use a little.”
“You know I can never turn a good woman down.”
Mia
Mia sat at her desk, her mind clouded with Eddie and how he’d turned her entire life upside down. She had so many questions about him and who he really was. What was his big secret? W
hy could he not tell her? Why the special night before she found out? She picked her phone up and scrolled to the unknown number left when he’d contacted her. She pressed the call button and listened to an automated message telling her the call couldn’t go through. Would she even hear from him again? It was a hell of a move for a player. A perfect one-night stand, leaving her reeling for more.
“The perfect booty call,” she scoffed.
She looked at her phone and then at the email icon on her computer. Perhaps he’d sent a missive there.
Several intercompany messages, a few invoices to be approved, and one from Donovan Technologies. She grimaced. She opened it and scanned it only partially attentive to its contents.
“…interests in your company have changed. …still want to invest… no longer want to take it from you. I will explain during our meeting later this afternoon. Nice try, Donovan. I’m not letting my guard down for one minute with you.” Her skepticism overrode her ability to keep an open mind. She had too many bad dealings with the Donovan family to let them try to sweet talk her out of anything. “I need to see it in writing, you son-of-a-bitch.”
“Talking to yourself again?” Holding two cups of coffee, Steven walked into her office.
“You caught me. Just mentally preparing myself for this meeting.”
“Swearing at the bad guys won’t help. I’ve tried.”
“Thanks.”
“I have some good news in this time of bleak uncertainty.”
“What is that? I could use some good news.”
“I was able to get a hold of the last backup.”
“You were? And the database?”
“Back up and running one hundred percent.”
“You’re a mastermind! Thank you! That is good news.”
“Actually, it was sheer luck. I did exactly what I’ve been trying since we lost it all, and this time, it worked. It was all right there in front of me. I can’t even explain it.”
“As long as we have it back; that’s all I care about right now. We’ll work on increasing security after this meeting.”
“If we have a company to secure, you mean?”
“Yeah.”
Steven set a coffee in front of her and sat down. His eyes shifted away from her as she looked up at him.
“Thanks for the coffee.” She raised it slightly in the air. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” He swirled his coffee around in the cup, keeping an eye on it.
“You sure?”
“Why do you ask?”
“You have something you want to say to me, but you aren’t sure how to say it.”
“Am I that transparent?”
“Steven, I’ve known you almost my whole life. What gives?”
“I’m worried about the company. That’s all. About you. I know how much this means to you.”
“I know. Me too. It’s not an easy feeling knowing we have no other choice but to rely on people who want to destroy what we have built.”
“Maybe we can talk to him. Edward is not his father, and I’ve heard rumors that he actually has a heart.”
“He did send me an email, but I can’t trust that. If this takeover goes through and they’re successful, it could mean the end of our company.”
“Let’s see how the meeting goes.”
“Okay, okay,” she continued as if trying to convince herself. “Maybe if we show them that we’re on the right path, they will understand and give us some time.”
“I have a good feeling about this, Mia. Stay hopeful.”
“You are feeling awfully positive. What do you know that I don’t?”
“Positive attitudes are what get you through life. Come on.” He stood and took a deep breath. “Are you ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
She kept her eye on him, knowing that he was hiding something from her. With her guard up as far as it could go and a strong mind ready for an argument, she followed Steven out and into the large conference room on the top floor of the building. Three of her team were already waiting inside.
She picked up her phone and looked at the clock for the fifth time since she sat down next to Steven at the large table.
“Calm down.” He put his hand on hers and squeezed slightly. “They will be here.”
“Maybe it’s a good thing if they don’t show.” She looked around the bland room and sighed. “This room needs color. I think we should change the look. What do you think? Yeah. That is if we still have the room.” She lowered her head somberly.
“Mia, don’t do this.”
“Do what? What are we doing, Steven? Jesus, we built this up, fought through an economic depression and fierce competition, then made it through so much other shit, and this is where we’re left? Sitting here, hoping for some stranger to have a change of heart and help us out?” She scoffed. “Who are we kidding?”
“Stop it. We’ve gotten through worse. Give this a chance.”
“I’m tired of chances.”
Steven’s phone buzzed, and he got up. “They’re here.” He walked out of the room. Mia took a big breath, looked up and silently prayed for this to work out
A few minutes later, Steven walked back in, escorting Edward and Claire behind him.
“Mia? This is Edward Donovan and Claire Mulcahey.”
She looked up and saw him. “Eddie? What are you doing here?”
When the connection was made, she felt something seize her chest, squeezing it so hard, she couldn’t take another breath. Within one very strong moment, all her questions were answered without a single word being said. She knew his big secret. She knew why he couldn’t tell her. She knew why he’d created the special night with her.
He stood in front of her, watching her, waiting for her to respond.
She smiled, looking away from him as she stood up from the table. “Oh, my God.” She laughed, turning toward him. “I get it.” She sounded nothing like she did when she was making love to him. Her voice was stronger, condescending. “Very good business move, Mr. Donovan.”
“Mia? I don’t understand what you mean.”
She stepped away from the table, her eyes glued to him. With a quick motion, she reached up and slapped his face, her body trembling. The room was deadly silent.
“Were you that afraid of taking my company? Was our time together all out of sympathy?”
“Mia, don’t do this.” Steven stepped toward them.
“Don’t.” She held her hand up to stop him before looking back at Edward. “Or are you so vindictive and disgusting that you had to emotionally tear me down too?”
“Mia,” he leaned in and whispered to her, “don’t do this. Don’t embarrass yourself. I sent you the email. Did you not get it?”
“I got it. But it isn’t me who’ll be embarrassed when this is all over with. I thought you didn’t play games, Eddie?”
“Eddie?” Claire looked surprised. “No one has called you that since you were a child.”
“I guess he never grew up.” Mia knew she needed to clamp down on her retorts, but she was angry, and she felt threatened. “He still likes to play games, don’t you?”
“The email was meant for you to read, not just receive it. Let’s start the meeting.” His eyes shifted nervously around the room. “I’ll explain everything.”
“I don’t really have much choice, do I?” Her face felt hot, and it took all she had not to walk out.
“No, Mia.” His tone was sharp and dominant. “You don’t.”
She felt the familiar tightness in her stomach, much like the feeling she’d experienced when he blindfolded her in his hotel room.
“If you will please have a seat,” he pulled her chair out and waited for her to sit down, “we can get this started.”
She held her chin up and sat down, allowing him to push it back in for her. He leaned in, and his whisper caused a shiver down her back. “I promise you’ll be happy with my decisions.”
Mia didn’t know how to
react. She was furious at him for manipulating her and the situation. She fumed at herself for allowing him to cause the feelings she had for him. With the mere tone of his words, he was able to somehow manipulate her actions. Although she had a strong desire to submit to him, whether it be direct or indirect, her eyes stayed glued to his face as he made his way around the table to the other side. It was bad enough that Reese Donovan had it out for her and her company. Now that she was sleeping with the enemy, it made everything so much worse.
“Thank you for having us,” he began. He nodded at each member around the table as he spoke. “First off, I want to tell you all that my father’s passing was very sudden and a shock to us all.”
“I’m sorry for your loss, Mr. Donovan.” Steven was always kind, no matter the situation.
“Thank you.”
“Yes,” Mia chirped. “Very sorry, Mr. Donovan.” She unwittingly sounded condescending but was happy with it in the end. She needed to let Edward know she wasn’t going to be pushed around or taken advantage of, despite his supposed intentions for her company.
“Thank you, Miss Walker.”
His eyes penetrated hers, not wavering until she began to feel the awkwardness grow between them. She glanced at the others and awkwardly looked down at the table.
“Please continue,” Steven said, trying to be Mia’s savior. “I think we’re all in agreement when I say we would all like to get this over with.”
“Yes, of course.”
Mia caught Edward watching when Steven reached over and squeezed her hand. Maybe she played a little more into it when she took his hand in hers, but it gave her a sense of satisfaction seeing Edward squirm a little. He unbuttoned his suit coat, tossed the sides back, sat down, and awkwardly adjusted his tie.
“I’m sure you are all aware of the takeover my father had started through Merge Inc. for MWSA Cosmetics.” Edward shifted his look from one to the other as he unveiled his new ideas. “Claire and I have put a lot of thought into what our intentions are, and we no longer want to buy MWSA and resell it in pieces.”
“Then what are you going to do?” Mia felt uneasy. “You have quite a role in what happens to my company.” She knew her entire future was in his hands. She just hoped she still had a leg to stand on with him. “You know we need investments to survive. Your father made sure that was not going to happen by sabotaging every opportunity we were given.”
