“Wow, Griffin,” she breathes, shaking her head while turning her back to me. “I can’t believe you would think that of me. It’s already bad enough that I am considered your fucking mistress. I mean, no one knows but me and you, but me knowing is hard enough to bear. I—I hate what I am to you.” She chokes on her words. “I wanted to ask this before—before we slept together. Before anything happened between us because I knew this was what you would think—that I am fooling you into this.”
I push out of my seat, following her to the window. I can feel her rage, her anger filling the atmosphere. “Angelina, I didn’t mean to upset you. But I had to ask. I mean, all I can think is why else would you be here instead of Scott? He can handle himself.”
“Yes, he can,” she says impatiently, “but Scott doesn’t work the way I do. He isn’t persistent. He’s not capable of landing deals as well as I can. He stumbles. He stutters. Honestly, he’s a fucking idiot sometimes when it comes to this.”
I wrap my arms around her middle, locking my fingers on top of her belly. My chin relaxes on her shoulder and, as several seconds pass by, she eases up, her body no longer vibrating with frustration. Turning my head, I kiss the crook of her neck, and she sighs and moans, eyes fluttering before closing.
“I didn’t mean to offend you, Angel. I really didn’t.”
“I know. I understand why you asked.” She spins in my arms. “Griffin, I… I really wanted this with you. I know it was fast and it wasn’t supposed to happen, but when I want someone, I want someone. Is that bad? Its not every day that I come across a businessman as… great looking as you. That’s not bad, right?”
“Not at all,” I murmur, chuckling.
Her lips press forming a faint, slim smile. “Just… think about it. Take your time to consider it. If you have any questions, or don’t trust something, just ask me. I wrote up the contract with my lawyer so feel free to ask me whatever you want. I would be a fool to try and bamboozle Griffin Boyd,” she teases.
“I don’t need to ask anything. I trust you, Angelina.”
Her face lights up. “Do you really?” Her arms lock around the back of my neck, a fuller smile now present.
I study her face. The last person I would want to let down right now is her. I came running here last night because I didn’t want her angry with me or thinking I bailed on her. I refused to let it to happen.
Last night, I put Angelina first, and that alone tells me one hundred things, the main ones being that I do like her, that I do trust her, and that I want so much more out of us.
“Percentages remain the same?” I ask.
She nods. “Yes.”
“We won’t have any issues with Scott about it?”
“None at all. I will talk to him. Though he hates admitting it, he knows I’m the smarter of us two.” Her lips twist, before she says, “And you don’t have to add our name to Boyd Enterprises, but we would love to be a main benefactor for the company. The same respect, same connections. Stuff like that?”
“Yes, of course. Whatever I am working on I will discuss with you.” She starts to grin, but I hold up a finger, “But only you, Angelina.”
“Yes,” she whispers. “Yes. Of course. Whatever you want, Griffin.”
“Always whatever I want?” I trace the same lifted finger across her bottom lip.
“Always,” she murmurs, finally able to grin fully.
I fight a smile, clutching her chin in my hand. I tilt her head up, and my lips come down on hers. She sighs, and then releases a breathy moan, and my arm hooks around her waist.
I drop my other, both hands sliding down and around to the small of her back. They continue south, and stop right on top of her plump ass.
I squeeze her cheeks in my hands, and she giggles behind our kiss as I start to turn rock hard in my pants.
I’ve just met Angelina, yes, but I do trust her… believe it or not. There aren’t many people that can open me up like she can. Not many of them can get answers out of me without actually trying.
She’s such a natural, kind-spirited, and absolutely sexy woman. Why she would be foolish enough to waste her time fucking the likes of me still astounds me.
She deserves better…
But I’m not letting her go, and if signing this contract means we get to work together for the years to come then, yes, I will sign it. That way, even if she decides to quit on me, I will still have some sort of hold on her.
I will still have her at my side, at my table, and in my office. She won’t be able to turn away because she loves working. She’s passionate about what she does, and I can count on her to show up just for that.
She will be mine, whether she gives up on me or not.
The only negative is I won’t be able to tell Jenkins.
If he finds out our money is being split with a third party, he’ll kill me.
This secret will remain with us, and after I fuck my beautiful angel raw on this table top, I will make her promise me that much.
That this is between us. That no one outside of Boyd and Clarke will know of the business we now, technically, share.
Fuck, this is new. I don’t share. Ever.
But, for Angelina Clark, I would share with her the world if it were all mine.
TWENTY
Angelina
* * *
“I’ll sign it tonight,” Griffin says, halfway out the door.
I’m tying my hair up in a bun after having my roots practically yanked out by his gruff hands. I nod, and he plants a swift kiss on my cheek and then my lips. I return it, giving it all the enthusiasm I can.
But when he’s long gone and the door is shut behind me, I can’t help but feel an abundance of guilt and shame. This isn’t me…I shouldn’t have done that. But it’s too late now.
I can’t take it back.
I have to go through with this.
I care about Griffin, and I know he cares about me, but when it comes to my life, I care about my family and mine more.
I look towards my phone on the table. The screen flashes, and I go towards it, spotting Jackie’s name. Jackie, my half-sister. The one not even Scott knows about. Mom doesn’t know her either. But Dad did, of course.
He used to take me to dinner to see her. He let me meet her lots of times, her mom too. He told me personally that he could trust me not to say anything and since I liked Jackie so much, I promised I never would. It was like me and Dad’s tiny little secret.
He’d cheated, but I’d heard about Mom’s affairs as well. I guess I couldn’t blame either of them… or myself for that matter.
There’s no wonder I love sex so much. I give into most of my desires without many regrets at all. I love risks. Being with Griffin is a huge risk, but it’s one that I have to take.
Because if I don’t, it means risking losing Jackie.
It means letting Dad down.
And I can’t let him down, nor can I lose her. Not yet. I love her, probably a bit more than Scott as a sibling. It’s much easier to be around her. She’s kind and accepting. Sweet and generous. We are only two years apart, she younger than me. We can relate about a lot of things.
I haven’t seen her in weeks. I’m sure she misses me because I miss her like crazy. Luckily, she has her boyfriend David, but as soon as this thing with Griffin is sealed tight, I will be on my way to hang with her for a whole weekend.
I grab the phone, but I end up not answering. I absentmindedly stare at it. I need to think. I need to digest this pill of guilt. Jackie wouldn’t approve of this, which is why I have yet to tell her. She hates lying. She has a good heart. I wish I could say the same for myself.
Griffin is going home with that contract and I know he’s not going to read through its entirety. I know because, as he mentioned, he trusts me, and since he knows I created the contract, he’s going to skim through it, sign it, and then hand it back to me with the need of a quickie.
But just in case he does get to read it all, I’m going to distract him
with emails. I’m going to get him to really, really trust me.
Me, Angelina Clark, the terrible, no-good liar.
The backstabber.
The slut that tricks men like Griffin Boyd into contracts.
My phone buzzes again after several minutes pass.
I stand and walk towards it.
Scott.
I pick up immediately and answer with a faint voice.
“Angelina?”
“Yeah?”
“You alone?”
“Yes.”
“Is it done?”
I shut my eyes briefly, gripping the phone tighter in my hand. My eyes feel hot, my palms now clammy, and with the biggest brick of disappointment sitting at the pit of my stomach, I answer, “Yes, Scott. It’s almost done. He’s going to sign it tonight.”
“Really? That was faster than I thought, but that’s good.” He sighs, as if relief is truly flooding him as much as my remorse. “This is good, Angelina. You did great. He trusts you?”
“I assume so.”
“Figures. I knew he’d trust you more than he would me. There’s always something to get a man to crack. My stunning sister, of course. Good thing he never met you before. When are you flying back in?”
“A few days after he signs. If I leave as soon as he signs it, it’ll look too suspicious on my part. I have to keep hanging with him, opening him up. I have to distract him from the contract until we get it filed and finalize with Lexi.”
“Right. Okay. Well, when you get here come right to my place. We have a lot to discuss, sis.” He pauses and I remain silent. Apparently my silence deafens him because he speaks up again. “You are still… in on this right… sis?” I want to shout no! I feel horrible. Disgusting. But then Scott continues talking, and I feel even worse, but I know he’s kind of right. “Ang, it’s because of the people he works for that Dad is gone. I’ve told you this over and over again. Don’t get your emotions involved. You did what you had to do, and now we are set. Once he signs that contract I will handle the rest. You won’t even have to see him again if you don’t want to, and there won’t be anything he can do about it.”
“I know, Scott.”
“Good… so cheer up!” He forces a laugh.
And I do the same, dropping my head in the process. “I’ll let you know when I’ve landed.”
“Okay. Remember, you’re doing the right thing here. The bastard has what we should have because of his stupid father-in-law. Nothing personal against Boyd, but we have to get to the root of it all and you know what that is. We are done letting people walk all over us. The Clarks are taking back what’s rightfully theirs.”
“Right,” I breathe, nodding, but I can’t fight the plummeting in my stomach, the heavy knots forming. Scott says goodbye and I hang up, slowly dropping my phone as I stare ahead through the window for, I’m certain, the fourth time today.
He is right. Dad would probably still be here if it weren’t for Steven Jenkins. He never would have panicked or stressed. He never would have endured that stroke.
He was a hard working man, but shit went haywire and his stress levels doubled. His blood pressure spiked after what Jenkins did to him.
But, now that we’ll have Griffin wrapped around our finger, we will be on top again. We will be winning again.
Like Scott said, it’s nothing personal against Griffin. I know he will hate me when he finds out the truth... but he won’t find out too soon, I hope.
If it does happen sooner rather than later, I won’t show my face anymore. Scott will do all the work and transfer everything to me. I’ll stay in New Mexico and handle what I can.
Griffin… he’ll expect me, but I won’t come, no matter how hard it will be not to… and soon I will get over it. If Scott can’t make it, we’ll send someone else. We’ll hire someone, and Neil can finally go in peace like he always wanted.
It’s all worked out.
All of what Griffin owns—all that he has worked so hard for—will soon be ours, and he doesn’t even know it yet.
I can’t imagine how betrayed he’ll feel, but my family is more important. Jackie is sick, and I need money to keep her healthy. Jackie comes first. Fulfilling Dad’s wishes, making him smile up in heaven. That is the goal.
He lost everything because of Jenkins, and we’re snatching that shit right back and shoving it right in his fucking face like the pile of shit he is. The greedy bastard will probably have his own stroke, die right when the news is delivered.
But let me not get ahead of myself. First, we need Griffin Boyd’s signature because Griffin is Jenkins’s sole proprietor. In a way, without Boyd, Jenkins is nothing. He would be broke without him. We looked into it. We know.
Once that’s done, everything will be set in motion. Everything will be much better… well, everything outside of our new partnership with Boyd, that is.
I’m not sure how he will take it, and I truly don’t expect him to understand.
I’m generally a good person. I have never betrayed anyone in my entire life, but I’m glad I didn’t get in deeper with him. I’m glad we aren’t months in, to the point where I would have no choice but to feel something for him.
But even if we were, this would still have to be done.
I would feel worse than I do now, but either way it would be too late to take it back. I guess that’s how this business works. If you don’t fight hard enough, you won’t win.
TWENTY ONE
Colette
* * *
He’s still not home. It’s four in the afternoon and he’s still not here.
I’m getting way too worked up, so much that I end up calling my guy. He answers with a smoothness in his voice. His voice always reminds me of chocolate. Dark, sinful, and sweet. His voice is a sin, really.
“Have you heard from Griffin?” I ask him.
“Give me one second,” he says, and then I hear shuffling.
I sigh impatiently as I pace my study, staring at the depressing painting I created last night due to my annoyance with the Potters.
When he is finally clear, it takes me by total surprise when he says, “Griffin is here. In my office. We’re going for lunch in about thirty minutes.”
I frown at the floor. “What?” I spit. “Why is he with you? Why didn’t he come home?”
He’s quiet on his end for several seconds. “I don’t know. Why? Was he supposed to?”
“No—well, I don’t know. He said he was going to work to do something but I called and his assistant said he didn’t come into work.” I pinch the bridge of my nose, a thickness swelling in my chest. “Is he… is he wearing fresh clothes? Does he smell sweet, like a woman has been around?”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa… are you implying that he may have been sleeping around on you?” I don’t answer, but he speaks up again. “Look, Colette,” he sighs into the phone. “I know Griffin is a bastard. I know you deserve someone better than him, but what I also know is that he would never cheat on you. He’d be a fool to do something like that—especially with the hold your family has on him. He owes you… for life. And I’m not just saying that. That’s basically what the contract says.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know.” I groan, plopping down on the arm of my recliner.
“But to answer your questions, no he doesn’t smell sweet. He’s dressed clean, like he’s been at work.”
“Yeah… only, I’m sure he hasn’t.” I look at my painting again, the lonely child above the abstract blue clouds.
The child reminds me of Bradley. I swallow hard, marching for my door and storming out to get to my bedroom.
“Just calm down,” he coos to me. “Take a few deep breaths. Griffin will be home soon. I’m sure.” He’s quiet for a moment. I hear some chattering in the background. He must be in the hallway. “I miss you, Colette. You owe me some explaining about the other morning.”
“What is there to explain?” I snap, but only because I’m not in the mood to talk about us. Something is up with Griffin,
and whether he wants to help me or not, I’m going to find out.
“Well… the way you just ran out. Made me seem like I did something wrong.” His voice is hesitant now. That’s another one of his downfalls. He loses his backbone so quickly when I snap on him.
“I told you I had things to do. Look, keep an eye on Griffin, will you? Tell me if he seems… I don’t know… too chipper or something?”
“Yeah,” he responds dryly. “I’ll do that.” And then he hangs up, and normally it would bug me, but not this time.
This time I don’t care. I sit in the bedroom for a while, listening to the clock ticking on the east wall, the minutes rolling by.
I am wasting my time on this. I should just go back to my study and pretend nothing is happening. I should act like I don’t care what the hell is keeping Griffin away from home.
But who am I fooling?
I spring off the bed, power walking down the hallway and meeting at the large, polished mahogany door. The door that is the only thing keeping me out of Griffin’s office.
It’s normally locked because he hates when Arianna cleans and organizes things that he’ll need later but can’t find right away, but when I jiggle the handle, it’s not.
I look around, hearing Arianna downstairs vacuuming the living room. She’s busy, and Griffin is away. I’m sure he won’t be home for another few hours. Nothing is stopping me.
I sneak in, shutting the door behind me quietly and staring ahead at his large black desk. His Mac sits on top of the desk, unoccupied. Unused. He hasn’t used it in a while.
Tired of stalling, I walk towards the desk and wiggle the mouse, tapping the keyboard, and to my complete surprise, it’s not shut off. It’s unlocked. I slip into the chair behind the desk, clicking through his files first.
Maybe there is something big with work. Something holding him up, like a big deal or stock exchange. Hell, I don’t know how this stuff works.
Most of what I see is business stuff, shit that I don’t really care about. Like the annual fall banquet that I will be forced to attend.
Sudden Desires Page 15
