Confessions of a Bad Boy CEO

by Cathryn Fox

  I take in her curves, prominent even in my unflattering shirt. I never expected my privacy to be broken by such a beautiful woman, one with a body a guy could sink his fingers into, not to mention his teeth. She gazes at me over the rim of her cup as she takes a drink, and I don’t miss the way she’s checking me out. Although something tells me she’s far too innocent for a guy like me, wouldn’t understand the rules that sex is for sex only, or that I have no desire for a relationship. Still, that doesn’t stop me from fantasizing about all the ways we can pass the time and ride out the storm.

  “Coffee is good,” she says, pulling my attention back.

  “You shouldn’t have been out on the roads,” I say, and she frowns, those lush lips of hers turning downward, and all I can do is envision is her on her knees, her mouth wide open as I feed her my thickening cock. Christ, get it together, Will. I’ve never lacked the company of the opposite sex before, but lately I’ve been working too hard. This trip to my cabin was about fishing and relaxing, yet the open laptop on my kitchen counter tells another story. The doctor straight up told me if I didn’t find a way to unwind, find a hobby, some sort of extracurricular activity to take my mind off work, I was going to have a heart attack before my thirtieth birthday next month.

  Damned if this woman isn’t filling my mind with other extracurricular activities.

  “I know,” she says quietly, and stands. My gaze moves to her legs as she walks to the fire and holds her hands out. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  Something inside me softens at the vulnerability in her tone. “You still cold?”

  “I’m okay,” she says, but from the way she’s hugging herself, I get she just doesn’t want to be a bother.

  I grab a blanket from the end of the sofa, and close the distance between us. I drape it over her shoulders and her entire body stiffens. “Oh, thank you,” she says quietly.

  “I need to take a look at your head,” I say and slowly guide her back to the sofa.

  “Are you a doctor?”

  “No,” I say and redirect with, “You said you were trying to visit your parents.”

  She nods but then winces, and I examine her pupils to determine if she has a concussion. I might not be a in the medical field like my youngest sister Cara, but I had my share of fights on the playground and am aware of trauma when I see it. Plus, I used to help Cara study and picked up a thing or two. My other sister Randi is an architect, and I learned a lot about design from her. She’s also headstrong and bossy, and I learned a lot about negotiation because of her. I look over Holly’s eyes, but see no signs of a concussion. Still, I want her to take it easy; an accident is scary and can bring on shock.

  “Easy. No sudden movements.” I fix the blanket around her and open my first aid kit. “Did they know you were coming?”

  “Yes.”

  “They’ll be worried then?”

  She nibbles her bottom lip. “I’m afraid so.”

  I fish my phone from my back pocket and hand it to her. “You’d better call them.”

  Her eyes widen. “You have service?” I nod and she says, “Thank God. I tried my phone but I couldn’t get a signal. I’d hate for them to go out in this weather in search of me.”

  Something inside my chest pinches, right around the vicinity of my heart. It’s nice that she has parents who worry about her. Hell, my father left when I was young, and my mother gave zero shits about her three kids. As the oldest, the responsibility of my younger siblings fell on me, and there were times we had to eat cereal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Long ago I vowed to make something of myself, to give my sisters everything they ever needed. What do I get in return? The two of them nagging me on a daily basis, asking when I’m going to settle down and get married.

  I’m not.

  Ever.

  Women want me for one of two things. What I have in my bank account or what I have between my legs. That’s fine. I accept that, just like they accept I’m not about to give them any more than that. An invitation to my bed is that only. It does not come with a morning after, deep conversations, or long Sunday walks on the beach.

  She punches in her parents’ number as I pour two pills into my hand and hold them out for her to take. “For the pain,” I say. She holds onto them as I fill a cotton ball with antiseptic.

  “Mom,” she says, and gives a relieved breath. I dab at her forehead and listen to the one-sided conversation “I’m fine. Really. No, tell Dad to stay put.” A pause and then. “A deer ran out in front of me, and I went into the ditch.” Another pause. “No really, I’m fine. I’m at a…friend’s house.” She nods a few times, even though her parents can’t see her. “His name is Will…ah…Will…” Her questioning eyes go to mine.

  “Carson,” I say quietly.

  “Will Carson. He lives just down the road from you. I’m sure you must know him.” She shakes the pills in her hand as I finish cleaning her forehead. “Of course I’m safe.” Her gaze flashes to mine and I nod to reassure her, but then I take that minute to see things from her eyes. Christ, I wouldn’t want either of my sisters to be rescued by some guy who isolates himself in the woods, and has been doing nothing but thinking inappropriate thoughts upon first meeting.

  “Can I have that for a second?” I say, and flatten my hand. She hesitantly hands me back my phone. “What’s your mother’s name?”

  “Lucy.” She eyes me, curiosity backlighting her baby blues.

  I snap a picture of myself, send it to her mother, and put the phone to my ear. “Hi Lucy. I just sent you a picture to ease your worries. Holly is safe, and I’ll keep her that way until the storm is over.”

  “Oh my, well thank you, Will,” Lucy says, her voice a bit distant, like she’s holding the phone away to examine the picture.

  “Not a problem.”

  Something chimes in the background, like a stove timer going off. “My my, don’t you sound like a lovely young man.” Lovely young man? Now there’s a name I’ve never been called before. “Holly can use more of those in her life.”

  As I think about that, and consider the kind of men Holly might have had in her life, the old car she’s driving, with all her goods stuffed into the back seat, a picture of her life begins to form. I hand the phone back to her, and don’t miss the way Holly is looking at me, like I have two heads—but that she just might trust me.

  She tosses the pills into her mouth, washes them down with coffee and puts the phone back to her ear. “Mom?” Her eyes never leave mine as she speaks. “No, he’s not my boyfriend.” A beat and then, “Yes, I supposed if you like that type.” I can’t help but smirk, and Holly rolls her eyes at me. “Okay, yes, I will. What? No, no. I can get my own car fixed.” She exhales a frustrated breath. “I know, Mom. Seriously. I can.” She rolls her eyes at me again, but it’s easy to see how much she appreciates the parental concern. “I’m an adult. As soon as the storm dies down and I get my car to a garage, I’ll call you. I’m just not sure how long that’s going to take.”

  With that, she ends the call and hands my phone back. I shove it into my pocket.

  “Thanks. They feel better now.”

  “Good.”

  Her head angles, and I brush her damp hair away to finish cleaning the wound. “I thought you guys might know each other, but they said they don’t recognize you or your name.”

  “I keep to myself.” She opens her mouth, but I cut her off and ask, “What was your big hurry to see them today?”

  She crinkles her nose, and I recap the antiseptic and put it back inside the first aid kit. “I’m moving back home,” she says, and I nod, having put that together earlier. “I haven’t seen them in months.” She shrugs her shoulders, but her body is tight. “I was going to stay in the city, but I thought I could make it to their place before the storm got really bad.”

  “You have a place in the city?”

  “Not yet. I was going to stay at a hotel just outside the city, until I find an apartment.”

  �
�Where outside the city?

  “Why all the questions?”

  “We have to do something to pass the time, don’t we?”

  “I suppose. In Newtown.”

  “Hmm…”

  “What?” she asked.

  “That’s not a great area.”

  “Yeah, I know but…”

  She doesn’t finish the sentence, doesn’t have to for me to understand she’s strapped for cash, and her only belongings are likely the ones she was able to stuff in her car.

  “You have work lined up?” I have no idea what this woman does, and I consider openings at my firm. She looks like she could use a break.

  “Yes, I start my new job next Monday.”

  Which is probably a good thing. I have a no fraternizing rule at the office, and it’s best not to put temptation under my nose. “I’m afraid you’re not going to make a very good impression.”

  Her eyes go big. “Why not?” She points to her head. “The lump?”

  “No, because this storm isn’t dying down anytime soon, and trees are down everywhere. It will take clean-up crews days before they clear the roads, and you’ll be lucky to make it back to the city mid-week.”

  “Damn.” She worries her bottom lip with her teeth.

  “What?”

  “I need this job.”

  “I’m sure your boss will understand.” I wave my hand toward the window. “The circumstances and all.”

  Her stomach makes a sound as she takes another sip of coffee. “I hear he’s an ogre,” she says, and that makes me laugh because my employees have called me that a time or two. I run a tight ship.

  “You must be hungry.”

  She evades her eyes, like she’s embarrassed by that, and I can’t help but think how adorable she looks. I’ve never met a woman who hated to ask things of me. “I’m fine.”

  “Well, I’m not.” I rub my stomach. “I was going to heat up some seafood chowder.” I stand and she lifts her chin. “Food allergies?”

  “No, actually that sounds great.” She glances into the kitchen, and makes a move to push herself up from the sofa. “Can I help?”

  I put my hand on her shoulder, and as I pin her in to keep her seated, she sucks in a fast breath. “No,” I say that one word coming out with a little more force than necessary. I remove my hand, shove it into my pocket. “You need to rest. I don’t think you have a concussion, but you could go into shock.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah.”

  Conceding, she folds her hands on her lap, and sinks back into the cushions. Would she succumb to my commands as easily in the bedroom, let me have my way with her?

  “Well, thank you for helping me.” Dark lashes fall slowly over big blue eyes and my dick pulses. You’d think I’d never seen a beautiful woman before. But Holly isn’t just any ordinary woman. It only took me seconds to realize that. She’s sweet and unassuming, doesn’t like to ask for anything, and has an innocent quality about her that really draws me in. “Do you…live here?” she asks.

  As soon as the question leaves her mouth, I realize she has no idea who I am. No idea that I’m Will Samuel Carson of WSC Associates, a guy who graduated top of his class at McGill University, started his own business and landed on Forbes’ top 30 under 30. Most who know me fear me, but this woman, well, she’s completely oblivious to my true identity and everything inside me wants to keep it that way. I’ll probably never set eyes on her again once I get her car fixed, so what more does she need to know? Why can’t we just be two strangers, enjoying each other’s company as a storm brews outside, and let whatever might happen…happen. Yeah, she might be unaware as to who I am, but I’m fully aware of how her body reacted to my touch when I pinned her to the sofa.

  “Whenever I can,” I say.

  She stands, and walks to the window. “It’s very quaint. I guess I’d be here as much as I could be too.” A fine shiver goes through her and she stifles a yawn.

  “Why don’t you have a warm shower while I heat up your chowder?”

  She turns back to me and offers a sweet smile that strokes my dick. “That sounds like a good idea.”

  “Leave the door cracked, okay?” I nod toward the bathroom. “Just in case you need me.”

  “What would I need you for?”

  Oh, I don’t know, maybe to wash your back, bring you to orgasmic pleasure with my finger, my mouth…my cock.

  “You had a car accident, Holly. The body can go into shock after that kind of trauma. If you feel weak or lightheaded, you might need help.”

  “True. Okay…” She makes move to leave, then hesitates. “Wait, uh, how do you even turn the nozzle on?”

  I laugh at that. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

  She glances up at the loft as we head to the bathroom. “After you eat, I’ll settle you into the bed.”

  “It looks like you only have one, and I’m not going to take it on you,” she says. “I’ve been enough trouble as it is.”

  Trouble? Yeah, this woman is definitely trouble. Something tells me if I ever get one taste, I might want more.

  “Are you always so stubborn?”

  “Yes,” she says.

  “Just so you know, I excel at negotiations, and always get my way.” She opens her mouth to counter, but I hold my hand up to stop her. “You need to rest. Shock, remember?”

  When we reach the bathroom, she plants one hand on her curvy hip and my flannel shirt rises higher on her thighs. “Wait, is a person going into shock supposed to sleep or be kept awake?”

  “Doctors are always changing their mind on things, aren’t they?”

  She gives an unladylike snort that somehow manages to turn me on even more. “That’s true.”

  I reach into the shower, turn the nozzle and adjust the sprays. “You have a rain shower,” I say and point upward. “These taps here turn on the body spray and foot spray, which comes out here and here,” I say and point to the nozzles lining the wall.

  “Got it.”

  “Towels are in here,” I say and open the cabinet. “And if you need me, I’m only a call away.”

  I step into the main room, and leave her door cracked. The sound of her climbing under the spray reaches my ears, and I’m about to head to the kitchen—and work not to fantasize about me in there with her—when I hear my name on her lips.

  3

  Holly

  What the hell am I doing?

  Here I thought I was insane for driving in the hurricane, but compared to what I’m about to do right now, well, let’s just say I’m beginning to question my decision-making abilities.

  “Yeah,” Will’s voice comes from the opening in the door. “You need something?”

  Do I need something? Oh, yeah, I definitely need something, but do I really have it in me to ask? I’ve always been a rule follower, a good girl, but just once, just this one time, I want to break the rules, do something naughty, something completely out of character…something just for me.

  I run my hand over the glass shower door, clear the steam away. When I catch sight of him in the doorway, my entire body heats up, and it has nothing to do with the hot water spilling over me. There’s no denying the sexual tension between us. I caught the heat in his eyes when he put his hand on my body, and held me down. Cripes, I nearly went up in a burst of flames at his forcefulness. I honestly have no idea what he does for a living, or why he isolates himself in this cabin, but everything about him screams take charge, and dammit, maybe I want that. I’ve been responsible my whole life, have done everything on my own, even took on the responsibility of my ex when he went back to school. Maybe just this once, I don’t want to be accountable for my actions, and instead let someone else take charge of things…of my pleasure.

  Do it all ready.

  “Holly, are you okay?” he asks, real concern in his voice as my door inches open.

  “I’m actually a bit lightheaded.” Not a lie. Every nerve in my body is alive, on fire, and it’s making my head a little
woozy.

  “Shit,” he says. “Let me help you.” My shower door slides open and the growl that rips from his throat when he finds me standing there naked sends a new kind of thrill through me. I do love it when a man likes my curves. Before I even realized what’s happening, he’s in the shower with me, fully clothed, his arms around my body, holding me upright.

  “I’ve got you,” he says.

  “You’re getting all wet.” He’s not the only one. I’m wet, deep between my legs.

  “Maybe this shower wasn’t a good idea after all. Let’s get you out of here.” He begins to back up, an air of authority about him as he takes care of me. Will he be so powerful and assured in the bedroom?

  God, I hope so.

  “Wait,” I say fast, when he’s about to exit the shower. Needing to make it perfectly clear that I’m okay, and why I really called him to me, I say, “The shower was a good idea. I needed to get cleaned up after landing in the ditch. I just felt a little dizzy, but now that you’re in here, maybe you could hold me while I wash.” I take in the tension in his shoulders, and lightly rub my thumb over his taut muscles. Trying for sexy, I add. “Then again, maybe scrubbing myself clean might be pushing it too much, you know, after that kind of trauma.”

  His nostrils flare and the black in his eyes bleed into the brown. “Are you asking me to wash you, Holly?”

  “Only if you don’t mind. I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that I don’t like to put anyone out.”

  But oh, how I’m going to put out for him.