In Bed with the Devil: A Billionaire Second Chance Romance

by Tia Siren

“For obvious reasons,” Drusilla said, rolling her heavily mascaraed eyes at that. She sat up straighter then to wave at a group of people near the bar. “Excuse me, Bastian. There are a few of my coworkers over there. I’ll be right back to join you for the rest of our evening together and the future”—she reached beneath the table to squeeze my thigh—“activities that you have planned for us.”

  “All sorts of activities,” I said, running an appreciative gaze along her busty chest. They were obviously fake, but I wasn’t going to be too picky tonight. I needed something.

  Drusilla smirked at me as she slithered out of the private booth we were seated at. She walked confidently over to the table a few feet away to address the crowd gathered around there.

  I sat back in my seat to take in the bar with boredom. In truth, I didn’t like loud music and bars that much. I preferred taking my activities elsewhere because of the tabloids that made their money trying to fabricate scandalous stories about me. Most of the time, I didn’t care what people wrote about me in the gossip sites and papers, but the flashes of cameras that followed me were annoying as fuck. Billionaire. Semi-young. Unattached. The only reason they followed me around was because they wanted juicy gossip about me, true or not.

  My eyes swiveled around the dimly lit room and back to the stage when the band kicked off again. I froze in surprise when I saw the last person I expected to be there, front row and center—Joanna Lind. Speaking of scandal…

  I took in the tight black yoga pants she had paired with a pair of teetering heels with an inward groan. It hugged her toned body perfectly, and when she twisted around to shimmy alongside her coworker, Sabrina, I glimpsed the deep cut of her shirt that teased her perfect, round breasts. Her blond hair was free and straight tonight as it shifted around her shoulders while she danced along to the band and the crowd around her.

  “Damn,” I muttered, smoothing a hand through my hair. All those fantasies about Joanna came flooding back to me right then and there. It wasn’t Drusilla I was interested in taking back to my penthouse tonight. It was Joanna.

  Indecision weighed on me while I watched Joanna dance with a carefree smile spread across her pretty lips. There was no harm in going up to speak to her. We could talk outside of work, and I had meant what I’d said to her two days ago about talking to me about anything she needed to get off her chest. I heard rumors around the office about that piece-of-shit boyfriend of hers that sometimes called the landline obsessively to check if she was at work. I wanted to know what was going on in her life that made her never want to leave my office some days. No one liked to work as much as Joanna did. My entire life was built upon work, but even so, I liked to clock out at the end of the day to go home and relax. Not her, though.

  I glanced over at Drusilla, who was tied up in a conversation with her coworkers. Saying hello to my own employee wouldn’t hurt. I downed the rest of my whiskey before heading through the crowd in the direction of Joanna and Sabrina. Neither one of them noticed me until Joanna glanced over to find me standing alongside them with a grin tugging at my lips. Surprise filled Joanna’s eyes as she twisted all the way around to look at me full on. Which was a mistake, given that her white shirt dipped down the valley of her breasts. A part me hoped that the liquid and firm flesh would slip out for just a small peek.

  “Fancy seeing you both here!” I shouted over the music.

  “No kidding,” Joanna shouted back, tucking a strand of hair bashfully behind her ear. “You didn’t strike me as the type of guy to enjoy bands and clubs.”

  “I have an investment here in this place. I get free tickets all the time.” I glanced over at Sabrina, who was watching the both of us curiously. “Care for some drinks on me?”

  Joanna glanced over at Sabrina, who shrugged her shoulders. They followed me back into the VIP lounge, and I gladly slid into the booth next to Joanna with Sabrina sitting across from us. I motioned for the bartender to return and take their order. An awkward silence fell upon the table as Joanna’s eyes skirted over me nervously.

  “So,” I said, once they had ordered their drinks, “I didn’t expect to see my employees out and about tonight here in Salt Lake.”

  “I practically had to beg Jo to come out,” Sabrina said, rolling her eyes. “You know, she never goes out. She needs to have some fun in her life.”

  “It’s not really my thing to come to places like this,” Joanna replied defensively. “I’ve always been a stay-at-home type of girl. You know that.”

  I nudged Joanna in the arm. Her bare skin felt warm and hot against the fabric of my shirt. I tried to ignore the fact that my cock twitched in response to sitting so close to her.

  “You were enjoying yourself out there,” I said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so carefree since you started working for me.”

  “That’s because it’s been a long time since her boyfriend has let her get out of the house,” Sabrina said. She ignored the dirty look that Joanna sent in her direction, but I couldn’t agree more with her about it. “I’m just being honest, Jo. He’s a fucking prick. He doesn’t let you have any fun. He threw a damn fit over you coming tonight even though he’s working. What kind of boyfriend does that?”

  “We don’t need to talk about that right now,” Joanna said quietly. “Let’s just drop it.”

  The center of Joanna’s cheeks burned as she looked down at the tabletop. I reached over to place a hand on her forearm, squeezing there to gain her attention.

  “I meant what I said earlier,” I said. “If there is anything going on and you need help, don’t hesitate to talk to me.”

  A small smile tugged at Joanna’s lips. “You’re my boss. I don’t think that open-door policy applies outside the workplace.”

  “I’d make an exception for you,” I said, nudging her again. “Anytime. Any day.”

  “Thank you, but—”

  “Excuse me.” I looked up at the sound of Drusilla’s voice. She stood in front of the table with her hand on her hip, gazing down at Joanna with narrowed eyes. “You’re in my seat, darling.”

  “Oh,” Joanna said, and she immediately slid away from me to make room. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize someone else was sitting here.”

  “His date is,” Drusilla said as she took her place next to me. She slithered up close to me and placed a hand on my upper thigh. “I’m Drusilla James. I’m sorry that I don’t know your names.”

  I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at the theatrics. Sure, I’d leave with Joanna in a heartbeat if she asked me to go home with her, but she had a boyfriend to go home to at the end of the night. Even if he sounded like a prick from what Sabrina said and my other interactions with him.

  “I’m Joanna Lind. This is Sabrina Sanchez. We work for Bastian. I mean, Mr. Burke.”

  “That’s so nice of you to invite your employees over for drinks,” Drusilla said in a sugary voice that instantly grated on my nerves. “I’m sorry to say that the VIP lounge is only for VIP tickets.”

  “Of course. We want to see the band close anyway. It was good to see you, Mr. Burke.”

  Joanna nodded as she nudged Sabrina out of her seat. She didn’t spare me another glance as the both of them quickly left the table in the direction of the band. I kept my eyes glued to the curve of Joanna’s lower back as she followed Sabrina through the crowd.

  “It’s rude to check out other women when you’re on a date with someone.”

  I looked back over at Drusilla as her lips thinned at me. “I didn’t say this was a date, to be fair. Just a casual thing like we’ve had before.”

  “You shouldn’t stoop to lusting after women like her,” she continued on, reaching up to rub at my dick through my pants. “How about we get out of here? I’ll make sure you’ll want to come back for more again.”

  I doubted that, but given my interaction with Joanna in her revealing outfit, I needed something to give me a good release. Drusilla’s skills in bed were good enough for that. I glanced through the crowd of danc
ing people around the stage one last time before I took Drusilla’s hand to exit the club. Tonight, even if it was fucked up of me, I’d be imagining Joanna squirming beneath me in pleasure. I just hoped that it would make interacting with Joanna in the future easier, because I had a gut feeling she needed help.

  Chapter 4

  Joanna

  “Remind me to thank you for convincing me to come out here,” I shouted over the music to Sabrina while we made our way back to the stage. “I needed it. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” she shouted back and touched me on the elbow lightly. “Just one question though, Jo.”

  “What is it?”

  Sabrina paused on the outskirts of the writhing crowd in front of the stage. She gave me a long and hard look before asking, “Is there something going on between you and Bastian Burke?”

  The question made me squirm uncomfortably because my heart was still racing from our encounter. I didn’t know how to answer that, besides that it was harmless flirting. Bastian Burke would never be interested in a woman like me. He had wealth, power, and status in society. He could have any woman he wanted, including the woman who had practically draped herself over Bastian the moment she realized Sabrina and I were seated in her booth.

  “Nothing is going on. Why would you ask that?”

  “Because the both of you were flirting with one another,” Sabrina said. “I saw it. That woman with Bastian saw it, too. She was totally threatened by it.”

  I waved a hand at her. “It was nothing, Sabrina. You’re reading too much into it.”

  “You aren’t reading enough into it.”

  “I’m not here to talk about my love life anyway,” I said and started in the direction of the band. “You were the one who asked me to come out here against my boyfriend’s wishes. So just drop it.”

  Sabrina shrugged her shoulders as she followed me back to the front part of the crowd where only a few ticket members were allowed to go. The bass of the music thumped through the core of me while I let myself slip into that blissful trance of being carefree for a few minutes. I didn’t have to worry about Sid or anything else. I could just dance to the music without worrying about a thing.

  My eyes slid over to where Bastian sat with Drusilla all over him in the booth. A stab of jealousy went through me. Not that I blamed the woman who had made it clear that he was hers tonight. I was used to seeing Bastian in his nice suits and ties. Tonight, though, he was wearing a pair of gray pants and a black button-up shirt that had felt soft beneath my fingers. It was sexy to see a more laid-back appearance of Bastian.

  I didn’t want to think more about the encounter, but it kept replaying in my head while Sabrina and I danced together. It wasn’t until an hour later, when the band announced they were taking a break, that I managed to go back to the bar to order a glass of water to combat all the sweat I had poured out while dancing alongside Sabrina. The entire night felt like a surreal and pleasant blur. Especially since running into Bastian, even though he was obviously on a date with an older woman who didn’t want us around at all.

  Jealousy smoldered in my chest as I reached into my purse to pull out a couple dollar bills to hand over to the bartender. It shouldn’t matter what my boss did outside the workplace, but it mattered to me. I didn’t like the idea of him going home to that woman who clearly was into him for only two reasons—money and his dick.

  I had heard the rumors around work about Bastian Burke’s skills in bed. They kept women coming back to him even though he didn’t want a committed relationship. Getting involved, or even letting myself feel like I could get involved, was a critical mistake. I had Sid to think about, too.

  I stopped digging through my purse when my fingers brushed against my buzzing phone. The pleasant haze in my head faded away as I slowly pulled out my phone to gaze down at the screen right as a phone call from Sid went to voicemail. Again.

  “Shit,” I muttered, scrolling through the fifteen missed calls and the various text messages, all demanding me to call him back. “Great. Just fucking dandy.”

  A phone call or a text message wouldn’t calm Sid’s temper. So, I shoved my phone back into my purse before swiping up the water and heading into the crowd, where Sabrina was still dancing. I tapped her on the shoulder to motion for her to follow me out into the club’s lobby where it was a bit quieter and not so crowded.

  “What is going on?” Sabrina asked, reading the distress on my face. “What is it?”

  “I have to go,” I said. “I just wanted to let you know before I took off. I’m calling an Uber. I need to get back home.”

  Sabrina crossed her arms with a sigh. “You mean Sid is blowing up your phone as usual?”

  “Don’t worry about me,” I said and pecked a kiss on her cheek with a forced smile. “I’ll be fine. I just need to get home because we have plans early tomorrow morning.”

  I didn’t know why I felt the need to lie to her about it, but it was embarrassing to admit she was right.

  “I’ll come with you,” Sabrina said.

  “You stay to hear the band.” I nodded encouragingly. “There are some good-looking men in there who were eyeing you up. Stay here. Have a good time.”

  Sabrina hesitated for a moment, her expression somber. “If you’re sure, Jo. I don’t want you to leave if Sid’s in a mood.”

  I waved her concerns away even though my heart was pounding furiously in my chest. I knew what type of mood he was in, and it was going to be a long night of having to calm him down. It had taken a full two days of me pleading and promising certain things to get him to accept this concert tonight.

  “I’ll be fine,” I said. “I have an Uber coming to pick me up.”

  “Call me this weekend to let me know that you’re okay.”

  “I will. I promise.”

  Sabrina hugged me tightly before heading back into the club. I stepped out into the chilly night, buttoning up my coat in the process to fend off the cold air. Cars were lined up along the sidewalk as I waited for the Uber to come around the corner like the map on my phone said it was about to. The squeal of tires startled me as a car pulled up to the curb in front of me.

  My heart sank to the pit of my stomach as cold fear filtered through me. Sid, still dressed in his black attire from doing sting operations all night, hopped out of the unmarked car. Fury raged in his eyes as he strode up to where I stood, motionless with fear, on the sidewalk.

  “Where the fuck have you been?” Sid demanded. “I’ve been trying to call you for the past two hours, Joanna! Are you ignoring me because you’re having too much of a good time in there with your friend?”

  “I’m not ignoring—”

  Sid grabbed ahold of my arm. “You’re ignoring me. I know you are. Whenever you hang out with that Sabrina, you act like you don’t even have a boyfriend at home waiting for you.”

  “That’s not what it is,” I said, squirming against his tight grip on my arm. Tears filled my eyes as Sid’s fingers tightened even more. “Stop, Sid. You’re making a scene, and you’re hurting me.”

  “Oh, am I?” His lip curled up in contempt. “Does this hurt, too?”

  His fingers pinched down hard on the corner of my elbow. I yelped in pain while struggling to break free of Sid’s iron grasp, but it was futile to fight him. Sid had spent the last five years of his life training to fight and to protect himself. Muscles bulged off him as he pulled me in the direction of the unmarked car.

  “Hey!”

  Sid and I stopped short in surprise at the voice yelling at us from across the street. My heart leapt into my throat when I saw Bastian approaching from the other side of the street with cold and glittering eyes. His date, Drusilla, was nowhere in sight. Sid’s fingers didn’t loosen from around my elbow. I shot Bastian a warning glance, but he didn’t pay attention to me. His eyes were focused on Sid, who eyed him with contempt.

  “Get your fucking hands off her,” Bastian said icily. “You’re hurting her. I heard her tell you to stop.
”

  Sid laughed darkly. “Yeah, and who the fuck are you, man?”

  “I’m Bastian Burke. I’m Joanna’s boss.”

  My eyes slipped closed in despair at that. Sid glanced at me harshly. This would result in another argument later. Now that Sid had gotten a view of how good looking my boss was, he would probably want me to quit.

  “This isn’t any of your business,” Sid said. “All right, boss man? Maybe you should move along now.”

  He tugged me in the direction of the car again. A turmoil of emotions filled me when I opened my eyes to find that Bastian was staring directly at me, trying to see if I was okay. Numbness washed over me, along with embarrassment. This was the last thing I wanted Bastian Burke to know about my life.

  “She happens to be my business,” Bastian remarked smoothly. “If something happens to her—”

  “What the fuck did you say?” Sid snapped, letting go of my arm. “Did you just tell me that she is your business? She ain’t your girlfriend, man.”

  Bastian arched an eyebrow. “You’re the only thing standing in the way and preventing that.”

  “Sid,” I started, grabbing ahold of the back of his jacket. “Come on, don’t do this. You’re making a scene. You’re on the—”

  Sid pushed me away. I stumbled into the car, and he started in Bastian’s direction. Bastian was the image of utter calm. He didn’t even step back in fear when Sid pushed at his chest. Bastian’s arm cocked back swiftly and he swung at Sid. The sound of bones slamming into the corner of Sid’s jaw filled the entire street. I held a hand over my mouth in horror as onlookers paused as well to take in the fight. Sid stumbled for a second, then straightened quickly, pulling out his service pistol and aiming it directly between Bastian’s eyes.

  Screams filled the night. I distantly heard myself cry out as well. Bastian stood stock-still with the barrel of Sid’s gun pointed at him. There wasn’t any fear in his eyes, though. They were narrowed in loathing at the man standing in front of him.

  The passenger door to the unmarked car opened quickly. It was Sid’s partner, Joe Hernandez. He came around the front of the car and glanced nervously at the crowd gathered outside on the club.