And that was what annoyed her the most. That she couldn’t control him. It wouldn’t work this time, and that killed her.
Maggie spoke with Andrew quietly, so Benjamin finally glanced away and gave his mother his full attention. “Oh, I heard every word. You wanted me to settle down. I did. I found a woman who makes me happy, and now you want me to leave her and find someone that doesn’t. Does that sum it up?”
“Happy?” She let out a dainty snort. “What a silly, fleeting concept.”
“I used to think so, too. But then I met her.” Maggie glanced over and gave him a small smile. He smiled back. “And I saw how wrong I was.”
“You’re actually serious,” she said, horror tingeing her voice. “About this…this…woman?”
“Dead serious.” He tugged on his jacket sleeves so they hit at the same exact spot on his wrists. “Funny how life works, huh? Right when you decided you’d had enough of me being single, I met her, and fell in love. It all just kind of works out.”
She made a small sound. “She is not acceptable. You need to marry someone of good breeding. Someone like Elizabeth. Someone who can bring something to the table besides her skills in the bedroom.”
“Don’t talk about her like that,” he snapped, fighting the urge to tell his mother to piss off—and stay the hell out of his life. He watched Maggie charm his brother and sister-in-law, and forced a calm breath. “I’m not with her because of anything she gives me. I’m with her because she makes me happy. And because I adore her.”
“Even if that’s true, what can she possibly offer you in return?”
“Herself. Just herself.” He uncurled his fists. “Turns out that’s all I need. Now, if you’ll excuse me?”
His mother stepped in front of him, cutting Maggie off from his line of sight. “Don’t be a fool. Settling down with a woman like her is as good as not settling down at all. I didn’t fight as hard as I did, for as long as I did, to keep your inheritance intact, only to watch you squander it away on a gold digger. Pick someone with an appropriate background, or I’ll do everything in my power to unseat you as CEO. And I swear to God, I will win.”
What had happened to her to make her so bitter? So jaded? He’d asked her once, but she had looked down her nose at him, huffed, and said, life. “Andrew doesn’t even want my job. He told me so.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and forced a calm expression. “Your threats are empty, Mother. You have no play to make here, so I’m calling your bluff. The truth is, I just don’t believe you anymore.”
“Why do you think Andrew was with me last night, then, if he’s not ‘interested’?” She laughed. “You foolish boy. I had the highest paid members of the board, their wives, and your brother over for dinner last night—while you were playing house with that woman.”
His gut clenched tight, making him feel sick to his stomach. “What?”
“The motion has already begun. I’d hoped to knock some sense into you, but if you insist on this foolhardy plan to marry someone without a penny to her name…you’ll be finished. Ruined.” She crossed her arms. “And you’ll have no one to blame but yourself.”
He stepped back, unable to believe she’d actually initiated the no confidence vote against him. Her own son. “Why do you hate me so much?”
“I told you I was willing to do what needs to be done to protect the things I care about the most,” she said, ignoring his question. “I refuse to watch you ruin the company to which I dedicated my whole life, because you found a woman who makes you happy.”
The things she cared about. He, obviously, was not one of them.
“Why is being happy so damn bad? Actually, never mind.” He laughed, an angry, bitter noise. His mother wasn’t just upset with him, or disappointed in him for his failure. No, she hated him. Actually hated him. “What kind of mother are you?”
She lifted her chin. “The kind who will stop at nothing to win. What kind of son are you? Oh, dear. We already know the answer to that, don’t we? You’re a wastrel and a scoundrel who is too busy to come to his dying father’s bedside.”
That stung like a bitch, and the all too familiar cloak of guilt suffocated him, choking the breath out of his lungs. “Wow. Guess the gloves are off now.”
“They’ve been off,” she admitted, smoothing her short brown hair. “You’ve just never noticed before.”
He took a step closer, anger rising inside of him like an unstoppable tidal wave. “I’ve done nothing but try to make this company my life. To try to make up for not being there. I’ve never wavered from doing my best for the company, and I am one hundred percent committed to the success of my father’s life work, even if I didn’t…” He shook his head slowly. “I was practically a kid when he died. You can’t hold that against me for the rest of my life.”
Maggie wrapped up her talk with Andrew, shook hands with Sarah, and made her way over to him, smiling and waving. He lifted a hand in reply.
“I can, and I will.” His mother noticed and stepped closer, lowering her voice, but not answering his question. “You have until Monday night to lose the girl. If you don’t, I’ll move forward on my motion. Enjoy the show.”
She walked over to Andrew, completely ignored Maggie as she passed, then smiled and hugged her favorite son. Anger, pain, and shock rocked him hard. His mother was always threatening shit, but this was the first time she’d actually gone so far as to get things moving, or actually given him a deadline to do her bidding…or pay the price.
He had to lose Maggie, or risk losing his job.
If she had enough votes—it could happen. He could lose his rightful position as head of Gale Incorporated. And all because…what? He hadn’t picked a socialite to marry. Because he made a mistake years ago, while he’d still been in college?
No. There had to be more to the story. Some reason that people besides his mother were prepared to kick him out. What was he missing?
“Everything okay over here?” Maggie asked, stopping in front of him. She cocked her head. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Not a ghost, exactly.” He said, still staring at his mother. She stared right back at him, looking way too pleased with herself. “It’s nothing.”
Now wasn’t the time to talk to her about this. He needed to think. To figure out his next move. If it came down to his job or her…he’d be forced to make a choice. But first he wanted to understand why.
“It obviously isn’t nothing. You’re upset.” Maggie followed his line of sight. “What did she say to you?”
“Just the usual.” He squared his shoulders and got his shit together. He was showing his mother that she’d gotten to him, and he couldn’t afford to do that right now. Holding his hand out for hers, he asked, “Ready to go in?”
“Ah, there it is again,” she said softly, without moving.
“There what is?”
“The beast.” She bit the corner of her lip. “You don’t have to talk to me if you don’t want to, and I won’t pressure you to tell me what she said, but it’s okay to be upset. You can let me see it. Let me in.”
His heart twisted, and he stepped closer to her. Smoothing her hair out of her face, he shook his head. “You said you couldn’t read me.”
“I guess I’m a little better at it.” She rested her hands on his chest and stared up at him, her gray eyes matching the stormy sky above them. “Tell me the truth. Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” He covered her hands with his and squeezed. “I’ll be fine.”
“Still want to go in?”
He glanced over her head. His mother watched them closely, her shrewd stare not wavering in the slightest. She was even better than he was at hiding his emotions. If he left now, she’d see that she’d rattled him. He refused to give her that satisfaction.
“Yes. Let’s go see the show. I’ve heard it’s excellent.”
She nodded once, not pressuring for more. As they headed for the doors, she asked, “Want me to go say ‘whore’ to her, so you c
an watch her faint from the vulgar language from her son’s even more vulgar fiancée?”
He blinked down at her. The mental image of Andrew flailing at his mother’s side, fanning her cheeks like a good little son, and everyone else running around like chickens with their heads chopped off, played out in his mind. “I—” He chuckled and then broke into laughter fully, cutting off midsentence. And there was no stopping it once it started.
When he tried, he only laughed harder.
Jesus, what was wrong with him?
When the ostentatious woman in front of him shot him an incredulous look, he clutched his stomach and kept going even though it hurt, and he couldn’t stop. Nothing short of a punch to the face would make him, and even then, he probably wouldn’t quit.
By the time he’d regained control, Maggie had joined him, her musical laughter mixing with his. His mother no longer looked quite so unaffected. She seemed pissed.
“Darling,” he said, swiping his hands across his face. “You’re killing me.”
She smiled, her face lighting up. “It worked.”
“What worked?”
“I made you laugh.” She blew her bangs out of her face with a short puff of breath. “That’s all I wanted.”
“You.” He yanked her into his arms and pulled her into his arms. She gasped, resting her hands on his chest. “You’re amazing. You know that, right?”
She shrugged and scrunched her nose up adorably. “I may have heard that a few times last night…”
“And you’ll hear it again.” He kissed her jaw. “And again.” Her nose this time. “And again.” He kissed her fully on the lips, and she clung to him.
By the time he pulled back, they were both out of breath.
She smiled up at him. This. Right here. This was what he wanted. And come what may, he’d fight to keep her and his job, too. He didn’t want to lose her yet.
Hell, that wasn’t true. He didn’t want to lose her period. Ever. So whatever it took, no matter the cost—well, he guessed he was more like his mother than either one of them suspected.
He would win.
Chapter Fourteen
The second they entered Benjamin’s apartment, he pulled Maggie into his arms and kissed her. He’d already excused William and sent him off, so they were finally alone. After watching the musical with him, her recent choices made perfect sense. All throughout the show, the words the characters sang had echoed pretty much every feeling and conversation they’d had about taking chances on one another, and not being afraid to leap blindly into something that could possibly be everything.
Toward the end, during an emotional song about learning to live without the one you loved, he had glanced over at her, seen the tears streaming down her face, and caught her hand in his. And he hadn’t let go of her for the rest of the musical. It was as if that entire score had been written for her, to teach her a lesson.
And she’d listened.
God, had she listened.
She had a feeling he had, too. He was oddly silent on the way home, as well as throughout dinner at The Monkey Bar, and now he kissed her with an abandon that was unparalleled. As if she was about to slip out of his hands. She felt it, too.
The desperation.
It was real, tangible, and as unavoidable as it was unwanted.
He pressed her back against the door of his apartment, slid his hand up her dress and skimmed his fingers between her thighs. His knuckles brushed against her core, and she groaned, her stomach twisting into a tight knot at his barely-there caress. She undid the buttons of his shirt with shaking fingers, as he cupped her, pressing his palm against her.
The second she had the last button undone; she shoved his jacket and shirt off in one swoop. They hit the floor, and he stepped closer, towering over her as he trapped her between the door and his chest. He tasted like wine and smelled like woodsy cologne. And felt like paradise.
She dragged her hands over his crisp chest hair and hard muscles. His tongue dueled with hers, and the unyielding urgency she felt inside engulfed her. He seemed to sense her need, because he picked her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck.
When he rubbed his hard length against her, she almost came. He groaned and undid his pants, not breaking off the kiss even for a second even as they hit the floor.
Twisting her head away, she gulped in a deep breath. He didn’t waste any time putting his mouth to use elsewhere. He bit down on her shoulder, and sucked on it gently. “Benjamin. Yes. Now. Please.”
He grunted and shoved her panties aside with two fingers. He ran them along her slit, slowly, torturously. “All I’ve been able to think about all damn day was getting you home, lifting this dress, and fucking you so hard you wouldn’t be able to walk straight for the rest of the night. I need you, darling. I need you now.”
Slipping his hands under her butt, he tilted her hips forward and drove into her with one thrust. She screamed and let loose a few curses.
He froze. “Shit, are you—?”
“I’m fine, and I’m on the pill. Have been for years.” She smacked his arm. It was so hard it hurt her knuckles, but she was past caring about that. “Don’t you dare stop. Do it again. Harder.”
Letting out a sexy chuckle, he buried his face in her neck and thrust inside her again. “How about that? Hard, fast, rough?”
“Yes.” She dug her nails in so deep they drew blood, but he didn’t seem to care. Instead, he moved his hips even faster. And she—exploded. “Benjamin.”
He moved inside her relentlessly, not giving her time to catch her breath or come down from the orgasm he’d already given her. She lost track of how many times she hit him, or cried out, or came. All that mattered, and all she was aware of, was that she needed this man in her life more than she cared to admit.
More than she would’ve ever thought possible.
Pulling out of her, he set her on her feet and spun her so she faced the door. She flattened her palms on the cool steel, gasping as he ran his hands down the curve of her hip, and across her upper thigh. He grabbed it, his fingers brushing against her core.
“So damn pretty.” Seizing her butt, he tilted her hips backward and kicked her legs apart. “So fucking mine.”
She swallowed a moan. “Yes, I’m yours. And you’re mine.”
Fisting her hair, he pressed against her, his front glued to every inch of her back. His other hand splayed across her bare stomach, holding her exactly where he wanted her. “Damn right I am. Don’t you ever doubt that. I’m all yours—happily and willingly.”
His tender words were at odds with his dominant hold on her, but somehow that only made it all the more intimate. His fingers curled over the front of her core, pressing against her clit as he thrust them inside her. She bit her lip to hold back her moan. “Me too. I swear it.”
The second the words came out of her mouth, she was flat against he door and he slammed inside of her again. She screamed, and the pleasure of the new angle blinded her momentarily. She scrambled for something to hold on to, but couldn’t find anything. As if he sensed her need, he wrapped her in his embrace, one fist still in her hair, and thrust into her again.
Tension spiraled inside her, building higher and higher, until she was sure it would tear her in half. “I’m gonna…I…”
“Me too. Fuck, me too.”
His uneven breath grew faster, more frantic, and so did his hips. The faster he moved, the higher she went, until she came again. And this time, when the world exploded around her, he was with her the whole way. He stiffened behind her, a guttural groan escaping him. “Maggie,” he said, long and low, drawn out like a sigh.
She dropped her head against the door, struggling to recover her balance when all she wanted to do was collapse into bed with him and never move again.
He broke the silence first. “I’m serious about what I said earlier.”
“Which part?” she asked, peeking over her shoulder at him. She couldn’t see his face,
because it was buried in her neck. “You’ll have to be more specific.”
“I have no doubts.” His hold on her hair loosened, and he dropped a kiss on her bare back. “You make me…happy. I didn’t think I knew what that was, or if it was even a real thing, until you. But now I do, and I don’t want to let go of it. I don’t want to let go of you.”
Her heart fluttered in her chest. There he went again, trying to steal it. If she wasn’t careful, she’d let him. “You make me happy, too. And in case you haven’t noticed, I’m still holding onto your hand with both of mine. I don’t want to let go either.”
Without another word, he swept her into his arms. It wasn’t until he held her close that she realized she hadn’t even taken her purse off her shoulder. All of that insanely amazing sex had taken place without her removing an article of clothing. A giggle bubbled out of her.
Though he kept walking, he frowned down at her. “What’s so funny?”
“I’m still wearing my purse.” She held it up. “I didn’t even take off my purse.”
His lips twitched, and she burst into laughter. Shaking his head, he kicked his bedroom door open and laid her on his bed, a huge smile on his face. “The things you find funny…”
That only made her laugh even harder.
By the time she had herself under control, he’d put on a pair of sweats and walked into his closet. “I got you something. Don’t be mad.”
She swiped her hands across her wet cheeks and watched him, her heart picking up speed. “What did you do?”
“I saw this, and I couldn’t help but think it would be perfect for the party at the Met on the twenty-third.” He came out carrying a big pink box. “You usually pick your outfits, and I know you don’t like me spending money on you, but I couldn’t resist this one.”
She reached out and took the box, her arms feeling weak and shaky. He bought her a dress? How very…prince-like of him. “Is it black?”
“No.” He snorted. “Never.”
Smiling, she played with the pink bow for a second before undoing the knot. The second she lifted the lid off the box, she gasped. The most beautiful midnight blue dress she’d ever seen stared back at her. It was satin, and had intricate beading that looked like it was straight off an A-lister’s back on the red carpet. “Oh my God. It’s beautiful.”
Beauty and the Boss (Modern Fairytales) Page 14
