by Evie Monroe
I understood a good workout got the blood flowing everywhere, but was it absolutely necessary to use the goddamn gym floor as a pickup spot? Had these people never heard of clubs or, better yet, the anonymity of the never-ending variety of dating apps out there?
More than enough women in the greater Portland area were down for a vigorous fuck without the tedious pickup process. I would’ve imparted that wisdom to the personal trainer in question, but I couldn’t be bothered.
I wasn’t that guy. I was alone in the gym for a reason, as I always was. I wanted it that way. I had no desire to be the guy who laughed and chatted and flirted in the gym. Or anywhere else for that matter. Solitude fitted me like a glove.
Not that I didn’t understand their desire to connect. I wanted that stuff as well. Where Mia got on my last fucking nerve like everyone else, she was a beautiful woman to look at. Her body screamed, ‘fuck me’ and yet, I knew better. No playing with the help. It wasn’t right.
The treadmill beeped, and I jogged through the cool down period. One of my newest artists crooned in my ears. I diverted my attention from the would-be threesome and effectively shut the world out as I finished my routine.
An hour later, the elevator doors slid open to my office. People hurried away from one another, busying themselves with God knew what as they pretended they hadn’t been wasting valuable company time before I’d arrived.
I knew I wasn’t well liked in the office. I scared the shit out of some of my employees. It didn’t bother me in the least. Being respected and being liked wasn’t the same thing. I needed my people to respect me, not to love me. They were more efficient that way, more pliable.
Instead of turning to my office, I headed to Mia’s cubicle. The woman had a golden touch, and it didn’t hurt that she was easy on the eyes. I was pretty sure that was why half of her clients had signed with us. The other half recognized her undeniable talent. I’d fucked her a few different ways, a few different times—all in the confines of my head. I couldn’t help but wonder if she were a moaner. Or did she scream? Did she come without effort, or would I have to beat her g-spot with vigor to get her sweet little slit to tighten up and douse me with her sweet juices? My cock twitched in my slacks, begging for the opportunity to find out.
Mia’s eyebrows shot up in surprise when I stopped next to her cubicle. She pulled her earphones out and straightened up in one fluid movement. “What can I do for you, Hudson?”
Lots of things. Let’s start with a blowjob.
“I need you to look over these contracts. They’re new clients we’re adding to our roster, and I need to know what we’re potentially signing up for.” My eyes appraised from her freshly polished toes peeking out of her pumps to the top of her head. She was impossibly beautiful up close. I wondered if she was seeing someone. Fucking him? I bet she had a tight velvety pussy.
Her jaw tightened. “When do you need these by?” Mia asked, gritting her teeth.
I shrugged. “Close of business tomorrow, at the very latest. Thanks, Mia.”
Her navy-blue eyes flared. She was less than thrilled with the extra work. And the timeline. But it wasn’t like she’d say no.
She regarded me with widened eyes and nodded slowly. “Sure, Hudson. I’m not sure when I’ll get time to get into this, but I’ll make it happen within the next few days. I have all those renewals on my plate right now, but I’ll get to this the first chance I get.”
Not. Good. Enough. She was one of my best, and I needed this done immediately. “Tomorrow will be just fine.”
I didn’t wait for an answer. I spun on my heel and left her fuming in my wake. Not my problem. She’d get it done. That was all that mattered.
A familiar head of graying hair was visible in my office.
Fucking Jenny.
I couldn’t exactly keep Henry Carson out since he’d funded this whole enterprise years ago, but Jenny had strict instructions to keep any visitors in her seating area until I gave her the okay to let them in. Knowing Henry, he’d simply shrugged past her. Given he was the co-founder of the label, she wouldn’t refuse him. Even at the risk of not following my explicit instructions.
My sense of people had yet to disappoint me, and I had the distinct feeling Jenny wanted to fuck me. Then, either marry me or hang around long enough for me to recognize her musical talents.
None of which was happening. Most of my assistants wanted one or the other when they started working for me. Then, they quit when they realized I wasn’t interested in either. She was a pretty decent assistant in the meantime though.
I didn’t fuck where I worked, and I didn’t sign mediocre talent to my label who could barely carry a tune. And the idea of marriage? That was fucking laughable. Jenny was shit out of luck.
My lips curled into a smile as I entered my office. Unannounced as it was, a visit from the old man wasn’t entirely unwelcome. It was simply something I had to tolerate, and then, he’d leave me alone for the next few weeks.
“Henry,” I said. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Henry slapped my back in an overly familiar gesture. It still made my skin crawl, even though he greeted me that way every time I saw him. I made few indulgences for few people.
I indulged Henry’s unexpected visits and back slaps for the sake of efficiency. No need to prolong our meetings more than necessary. He would say whatever he needed to and leave me to run our company. My company.
I fixed the grin to my face and motioned for him to take the seat he’d already been occupying.
“I’ve been contacted by some concerned parties.” His lips pressed together. “Word on the floor is that you’ve fired another one?”
I gauged his reaction. He didn’t seem pissed, exactly. Not that I would ‘ve given a shit if he was. He seemed more worried. Why he would be, I had no idea. He trusted me to make the tough decisions, and he never second guessed me. I’d never given him a reason to. “Word on the floor is correct.”
“Apparently, the young woman was one of our best assistants.” He leaned back in his seat, comfortable with me in a way very few people were. Understandable really, given our history, but it annoyed the living hell out of me nevertheless.
“That’s debatable. She nearly cost us four million dollars on a new contract. I had to call in some serious favors to get the deal back on track.” I lifted my chin at him, silently daring him to challenge me.
He wouldn’t. He had no idea what I did all day, only that he cashed million dollar checks on a fairly regular basis and I was the one who made it happen.
“Even so, Hudson. Was firing her the only option? She’s a bright young woman by all accounts. Perhaps we could have simply repurposed her? Especially since her mother had taken ill.”
That was exactly why I made most of the decisions. Henry was weak. Too compassionate. Too empathetic. “Yes, her mother was ill, but she left without making the necessary arrangements, nearly costing us a huge client because she was incapable of following simple procedure.”
He considered my answer. “We can’t get careless with our employees. The lawyers don’t think we’ll have any problems with this one, but all it takes is one. Please bear that in mind when you face the next challenge.”
My jaw clenched. I knew what I was doing. I didn’t need a fucking babysitter. “I know the law, Henry. I don’t arbitrarily fire people. The woman fucked up. She had to go. That’s the end of it.”
Henry stayed silent, observing me with sharp cold eyes. The years had been kind to him, but the wrinkles on his forehead and lines around his eyes were deeper. More pronounced than they’d been when those same eyes had set with determination and promised me the capital to start BC Records.
He’d taken a chance on me. I would never take that for granted, but I didn’t appreciate him getting in my face about the way I chose to run my company.
“Very well. The other matter we need to discuss is Mr. Maxwell’s resignation. Have you started interviewing candidates to replace him yet? It
’s vital the transition goes smoothly.”
“I have not, nor do I intend to. I will take over his duties myself. I’m not going to pay someone else what we pay Maxwell when I’m perfectly capable of doing his job myself.”
Henry sighed. “You can’t take on more work, Hudson. You practically live here as it is. I worry about you.”
“I assure you, Henry, you have nothing to be worried about. I will take care of it. I always do, don’t I?”
He rose gracefully from his seat, fastening the button on his gray morning suit. Clearly, he’d said his piece. “That you do, son. I don’t know what we’d do without you.”
I took the hand he extended to me and gave it a firm shake. “Good thing you’ll never have to find out.”
***
Henry appeared at my door once again the following afternoon, his face ashen and his eyes tight with worry.
I stiffened. Henry didn’t rattle easily, despite his compassion and empathy. Something was very wrong.
“What is it?” I asked. He clicked the door to my office shut and leaned against it, taking a deep breath and letting his eyes close momentarily.
I braced myself for the hit I knew was coming in my direction as soon as Henry had composed himself.
“Anderson just called,” he started.
The news was unsettling all on its own. Anderson was one of the senior partners at the law firm that handled all of our business. Anderson usually dealt with me directly. If he’d called Henry, something was definitely wrong.
“The Department of Homeland Security contacted him. Hudson, they think you’re here illegally. Someone ratted you out.” My blood froze in my veins. My stomach dropped and twisted in a way that made me feel sick.
“They’re on their way here now to come talk to you.” Henry’s shoulders sagged, and he sank into the couch in the corner.
His words hit me harder than I cared to admit, but I set my jaw in determination and jutted my chin into the air. “Let them come. I’ll take care of it.”
“This is serious, Hudson. I trust you, and I’m not going to get in your business, but if you get in to some kind of trouble—deported—or lose your right to work here, I’m going to have to take you off the business. At least until the dust settles.” His eyes pleaded with me not to let that happen.
“Thank you for coming to warn me in person.” My tone was deceptively cool, calm even. I gave no outward sign of the storm raging in my gut. “I will deal with them, I have no intention of getting into any kind of trouble.”
Henry visibly relaxed. Apparently, my confident demeanor had set his mind at ease.
“Very well. I’ll leave the matter in your capable hands. If there is anything I can do to assist, you will call?” It wasn’t truly a question.
“Of course. Thank you again.” We shook hands, and Henry left, leaving me to watch his retreating back, my fists clenched in my pockets.
Two men in cheap, ill-fitting suits stepped off the elevator car that Henry stepped into. My stomach twisted again.
That was faster than I expected. My eyes followed them as they approached the reception desk. My mind raced. They’d caught me completely off guard.
I knew two things for sure as they strode with purpose to my office. I was not going back to Santo Via Island, to my useless family and shithole of a childhood home. And I was definitely not giving up my fucking company.
Chapter 3
Mia
Why is it that I’m always stuck being one of the last ones out of the office?
All around me, my co-workers packed up for the day. I, on the other hand, still had to put the finishing touches on the contracts Hudson had dumped in my lap.
The ones he insisted get finished by close of business tomorrow. He didn’t care I had a whole heap of paperwork to review. A heap he was fully aware of, given the fact it all came from him. I sighed and rubbed my tired eyes.
“Bye, Mia. See you tomorrow.”
I looked up from my computer screen to wave goodbye to Clive, the guy who occupied the cubicle next to mine. I silently cursed him for being able to go home already.
I stared longingly at the elevator Clive stepped into. Two men in dark suits at the reception desk caught my attention. I’d never seen either one of them before.
Great. It’s probably just more work for me to do. I nearly groaned out loud.
The receptionist motioned toward Hudson’s office, and the men headed in that direction. Hudson frosted the glass walls of his office. I couldn’t remember the last time he’d done that. Something serious must be going on.
As interesting as that was, I had to get back to work if I was ever going to get to the long bubble bath I’d planned for tonight. I popped the buds of my earphones in and got busy with nailing down the nitty gritty details of the contracts Hudson needed from me.
When I was finally done, the men in the suits still hadn’t emerged from Hudson’s office. Everyone else had cleared out. I was the only one left in the open plan office we’d aptly named “The Fishbowl.”
I hit the print button with more force than was required at the realization I was again the very last one left. I collected the paperwork from the print tray and pushed off the printer to deliver the contracts to Hudson’s desk.
I rapped my knuckles lightly on his door. I wasn’t looking forward to interrupting a second meeting of his in as many days, but I didn’t have much of a choice. He’d been insistent about the importance of these contracts, and I wasn’t going to take the chance of leaving it on Jenny’s desk.
“Yeah?” Hudson’s smooth voice called from inside his office.
I sucked in a deep breath and forced a bright smile on my face as I stepped inside.
Hudson’s eyes met mine. His cool, icy blue irises radiated power and intensity. They captured me in a way that had my breath catching in my lungs. I’d been working for him for three years, and so far, I’d managed to suppress the physical effects he had on me successfully. But he’d never looked at me quite like this.
Of course, suppressing any effects had become much easier once I learned what a complete asshole he was, but every now and then, my sex-starved body sat up and took notice. Just like it did now.
He was a striking man, after all, and I was merely human.
Short, inky black hair framed a beautiful face. His bone structure would make even the most successful male model jealous. A blade of a nose and full lips. Those piercing eyes seemed to see straight into your soul. Dark, arrogantly slashed eyebrows. He was beyond hot. He was downright gorgeous.
Even though I’d never seen him in anything less than a three-piece suit, the way in which the luxurious material stretched over his broad shoulders and hung off of his tall frame betrayed what was sure to be an incredibly ripped body under all those clothes. Rumor had it he spent at least two hours a day working out.
Every woman he’d ever met would’ve had a physical reaction to his savage beauty. I was no exception. My cheeks flushed.
A slow, sexy smirk spread on his face. I’d never seen that before, either. It was a good thing he didn’t break it out too often. It would’ve been a devastating effect on the female species. My lady parts clenched of their own accord.
“Ah, here’s my wife now,” he crooned, rising gracefully from the couch in the sitting area of his office when I entered.
What the hell? I ignored the comment and ordered my body to get a grip on itself. He was probably in the middle of telling a joke or something. That was the only explanation that came to mind, even if I’d never heard him joke in my life.
I set the contracts down carefully on his desk, ensuring they made a neat pile just the way he liked it. “I apologize for the interruption. Here are those contracts you needed.”
“Thank you. And you’re never interrupting.” His voice was low and far closer to my ear than it had ever been before. I hadn’t even noticed that he’d moved. He stood so close to me I could feel the heat of his body radiating against my back.
His scent permeated my senses. He smelled sinfully good. Unmistakably masculine. A woodsy scent with seductively spicy undertones.
Against my wishes, my heartbeat quickened. I reminded my body that he was an ass, and even if he wasn’t, he was completely unattainable. He was so far out of my league, we weren’t even playing the same sport. He was also my boss. I turned to leave, finding myself standing dangerously close to his chest.
His sure fingers gently encircled my wrist and pulled me against his rock-hard frame. A strong arm wrapped around my waist.
Oh, my. A shiver ran up my spine. I’d never been more confused in my life. What the hell was he doing?
He lowered his head to mine and pressed his lips to my forehead in a quick kiss. It would probably seem familiar to any onlooker, even though I’d never so much as touched the man. Three years and my fingertips had never even brushed his.
Yet, there I was, wrapped in his firm embrace, being kissed in a manner that implied intimacy between us. It was completely beyond comprehension.
Hudson placed his palm on my lower back and guided me to the couch. We settled in, and he pulled me close to him, draping an arm casually over my shoulders. His fingers sought out a lock of my loose hair, and he played with it absentmindedly like he’d done it a thousand times before.
I pinched my leg. Whatever alternate universe I stepped into when I’d crossed the threshold to his office didn’t disappear.
“Mrs. Blake, it’s nice to meet you.” One of the suits extended a hand to me, and I shook it numbly.
Mrs. Blake? My mind whirled. Then I spotted the tag hanging around his neck, partially obscured by his jacket. Suddenly, the events of the past minute or so made perfect sense, and the world came into sharp focus.
“United States Citizenship and Immigration Services,” the tag read.
“Nice to meet you too,” I muttered, wondering what the hell Hudson was getting me into.
He grinned down at me with an adorable soppy expression on his face, as if we were sharing a private moment he’d been waiting all his life for. His voice was low and commanding when he spoke again. “Future Mrs. Blake. We got engaged a few weeks ago, but I don’t intend to wait more than a few more to finally make an honest woman out of my Mia.”
