Filthy Dirty Alpha

by Grace Morgan

  Stepping out of the shower, I braced myself for the shock of cold air. I took a perfectly fluffed black towel from the stack that sat on the counter, wrapping it around my damp body. My skin was shiny and pink from the hot water, and my cheeks were flushed. Whatever Burke had paid for that shower—and I was certain it had been a lot—had been totally worth it.

  I turned, ready to go into the bedroom and dress, when the bathroom door opened and Burke walked in.

  “What are you doing?” I shrieked. He jumped, startled, and then pulled the ear buds out of his ears; he’d been out running. I must have just missed him heading out when I arrived back in the apartment earlier.

  Instead of apologizing, though, a slow smile crept over his face as he took in my dripping hair and bare shoulders and legs. “You should have waited for me to strip down, Lola. I’d like being there to see it.”

  I was trying my hardest to maintain an air of righteous indignation, but it was getting more and more difficult as I looked at him. He was shirtless, and sweat beaded his broad, tanned shoulders, dripping down in crooked paths as it skirted around the defined muscles of his abs. His torso tapered to the sharply carved ridges just above the waistband of his shorts, drawing my eyes straight down…

  “Believe me, when I want to strip for you you’ll know it.” Shit. Probably not the best choice to convince him I was here for professional purposes. I just couldn’t focus with him standing there in front of me.

  “Oh really?” His eyes roamed over my body, making no attempt to be subtle as they lingered on the tops of my breasts, visible over the edge of the towel.

  Trying to salvage my dignity, I ignored the question. “I talked to some of your employees today,” I said, trying to maintain eye contact rather than stare at the trail of dark hair that was leading down toward what I knew was an impressively large cock

  “Did you? And did you learn anything?” The tone of his voice led me to believe that he already knew the answer.

  “You’ve trained them well,” I admitted. “I didn’t learn much about Hope’s disappearance that wasn’t already in the papers.

  “Much?” At that, his cool demeanor slipped for just a moment to reveal genuine surprise. “So you did find something out?”

  “I did.” I stood up a little taller, pleased that I’d rattled him. “Ryan and Marcus mentioned that there’d been several instances of her arguing with partners about how far to take scenes.”

  “Did they remember who?” he asked. My suspicions instantly came flooding back.

  “No,” I said carefully. “But I’m hoping to be able to check the security footage.” I watched his face, but it remained impassive.

  “Not quite the dramatic revelation you were hoping for, then.”

  “I’m not done yet. I think there’s plenty more for me to find.” I took a step closer to him, knowing that I was treading on dangerous ground. “Public records say you pay your taxes. From everything else I can gather, you seem to run a clean business. But I still get the feeling that you’re hiding something from me. And I’m going to figure out what it is.”

  “Is that so?” Burke took a step toward me as well, closing the distance between us to a matter of inches. I could smell the slick, clean sweat on his skin, and a pang of lust shot through my body, setting every nerve-ending tingling.

  “It is,” I whispered. His face was so close to mine that I could see the flecks of hazel scattered in his dark blue irises. I couldn’t help but remember last night, the confident way his fingers worked my clit. I’d been moments from release. He held my gaze, and my knees weakened. I didn’t think that ever actually happened, but somehow Burke had done it to me. His jaw was lined with light, golden stubble I was dying to reach out and touch. It made him look softer, somehow. Less polished.

  “I don’t know if I’ve ever met anyone who likes a challenge as much as I do.” As he spoke, he reached out and hooked his finger into the top of my towel, tugging on it gently. I drew in a sharp breath. “I never knew it would make me want you so badly.”

  I relented, loosening my grip on the towel, and it fell to the floor. Then we were pressed together, kissing desperately and hungrily, his hands running over my body, exploring. His lips were warm and soft, and tasted faintly salty from his run. I wrapped my arms around him, and the muscles of his back bunched and rippled under my hands. Suddenly a hot, stinging sensation spread across my ass. He’d spanked me. But instead of feeling offended or turned-off, the unexpected flare of heat was exciting. I tensed, my skin electric and hyper-sensitive, waiting for the next touch.

  Reaching down, Burke brushed his fingers over my pussy. I was already wet and desperate for him to stroke me, and I moaned, needing more. He kissed me harder as he teased me, pressing against the sensitive nerves and dancing his tongue against mine. Holy hell, this man knew what he was doing.

  Suddenly he pulled back.

  “Please,” I said, my voice raspy with lust. “Please don’t stop.”

  “I don’t want to.”

  Wrapping his arms around my waist, he lifted me up onto the counter and spread my legs. He bent his head, kissing my neck as he slipped a finger inside of me. I tightened instinctively around him, biting my lip to stop the cry of pleasure from escaping. With his other hand, he reached for the waistband of his shorts, about to pull them down and free the his huge, perfect erection—I hadn’t gotten a good look at it last night, and holy fucking hell, he’d win first place for best cock ever, if there was such an award. Neatly groomed, long, thick, and impossibly perfect. I wanted it in my hands, my mouth, my body.

  “Burke? You in there, man?”

  We both froze, and Burke slumped against me, his head resting on my shoulder.

  “God fucking damn it, Carter,” he muttered. “I’m about to shower. What the fuck do you need?” he yelled.

  And just like that, the spell was broken.

  I wiggled off the counter, and as soon as my feet touched the floor, I grabbed the towel and wrapped it around me. My inability to control myself was getting embarrassing; I’d never experienced anything like it before. I was always the one who was three steps ahead, the deliberate one. But being around him made me reckless. And reckless was something I couldn’t afford to be when I was trying to save not only my job, but potentially someone’s life.

  I realized that Burke had somehow managed to send Carter away, and was now looking at me. My cheeks reddened as I stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

  “I…ah…I should get dressed,” I said.

  “If you must.” Burke stood aside to let me pass, and it was the first time I’d sensed discomfort from him.

  Out in the bedroom, I dressed quickly as I heard the shower turn back on. Burke was in there, naked, water running down his body…

  I didn’t know how much longer I was going to be able to hold out. Or if I even wanted to.

  * * *

  “What do you mean, you haven’t had sex with him yet?” Lainey demanded. “What the hell have you been doing for the last five days?”

  I had taken a long lunch to catch up with her, happy to have a break from staring at the blank computer screen in my office. Starting the story was feeling more and more impossible, especially with how little solid information I had about Hope.

  I shrugged, looking down at my veggie burger to avoid her gaze. “I don’t know, interviewing people…”

  “Interviewing people? That’s it?” She narrowed her eyes at me. “You’re lying. Something happened.”

  The little butterflies that popped up in my stomach whenever I thought too hard about what was going on with Burke reappeared, and I tried to quell them by taking another bite of my burger. “I mean, some stuff happened.” I tried to say it casually, as though it wasn’t a big deal, but Lainey wasn’t fooled.

  “I knew it! You promised me details! Has he tied you up yet? Have you been paddled?” Lainey leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, “Does he make you call him ‘master?’”


  Laughing despite myself, I shook my head. “No, none of those things. We’ve just watched the kinky stuff so far.”

  Lainey looked disappointed, but still hopeful. “So how was it? What did you see?”

  I described what had happened at the club on my first night there: the two women in the impact play room, the kinky twist on the job interview fantasy. She listened with wide eyes, completely ignoring her own food, until I got to the part about me and Burke on the couch.

  “And you didn’t have sex?” she demanded. “Why? What are you so worried about?”

  “I don’t know!” I said, exasperated. I had been turning it over and over in my head for the last few days: I was living with him—even if only temporarily, and he’d made it clear that he wanted me. There was no way for me to deny that I wanted him either. But something in the back of my mind still nagged at me, and I was afraid of what I’d find if I brought it out into the light.

  “Where are you sleeping? I thought he only had one bed.”

  I sighed. “Well he slept on the couch the first night, but since then we’ve been sharing the bed. Platonically,” I added before she could say more. What I didn’t mention was waking up in the middle of the night, somehow having migrated over to his side of the bed, and feeling his warm chest against my back, his arm thrown over my waist. But he was always gone before I woke up in the morning, and we never talked about it.

  “Is it the kinky stuff? Are you that worried about it?”

  “No, that’s not it. That’s more…intriguing than I had expected.”

  I looked down at the table. My cheeks heated, and I was certain Lainey was staring at me.

  “Then what’s the problem? I know it’s not Burke. Every time you mention him, your eyes get all unfocused and you stop listening to me.” She giggled, reveling in how embarrassed I was.

  I had always been very straightforward about my emotions, because I’d always been in control of them. But Burke pushed me dangerously close to the edge. Developing feelings for Burke, the cocky, dominant man who could have been involved in Hope’s disappearance, should not be an option. But it was starting to feel like an all-too-real possibility.

  When I didn’t offer up anything further, Lainey sighed. “Look, Lola, if you think you might actually, you know, like Burke, then there’s nothing wrong with that either.” She grabbed my hands and looked me in the eye. “It’s been a really long time since I’ve seen you excited about someone. It’s a good thing.”

  I pulled back, panic rising in my chest. “I don’t have feelings for him. I hardly know him yet, and I’m there to do a job—you know that. The only reason I’m even staying with him is because it was the only way to get access to the other employees. I mean—” my voice was growing louder than I intended, but I was having a hard time calming myself down, “—for all I know, Burke could be involved in this girl’s disappearance. So I don’t have feelings for him, okay? I don’t. Any interest is completely professional. I’m sorry if that isn’t as exciting as you want it to be.”

  Lainey sat back in her chair, and I could see that I’d gone too far. I didn’t even know where that outburst had come from; she was my best friend, and she just wanted to encourage something that, from her perspective, seemed like a no-brainer: have lots of hot, kinky sex with a handsome man while getting to potentially help out a girl and save my own career. It just didn’t feel that simple to me.

  “I’m sorry,” I said to her, my heart breaking a little when I saw that her blue eyes were watery with unshed tears. She smiled at me tightly, trying to blink them back. “I’m just worried about a lot of things right now, and the investigation isn’t going as well as I was hoping it would. I know you think there’s something going on between me and Burke, but there really isn’t. And I need to keep it that way, because this investigation is way more important.”

  And because I’m terrified.

  Lainey smiled a little, wiping her eyes quickly. “I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean to pressure you, or to bring up any bad blood. It’s just fun for me to see you excited about something. Even if it’s work, and not being thrown around by a devastatingly handsome man.” She sighed dramatically.

  I laughed and leaned over to hug her. Maybe Lainey was right. Maybe I needed to let myself have some fun. After all, there was no reason that being tied up in a mystery meant that I couldn’t be tied up elsewhere, right?

  * * *

  When I got home that night—how quickly I had come to think of Burke’s apartment as my home—I stopped by the security offices again, hoping to get some more information. Marcus was in there alone, watching the monitors, which were all but motionless; people wouldn’t start arriving for at least another few hours. When I entered, he quickly shoved his book under a pile of papers on the desk. I smiled at him to let him know I wouldn’t be telling his bosses.

  “So Marcus, I was wondering if you’d be able to do me a favor.”

  He tensed instantly. Burke must have really done a number on his employees. None of them wanted to give me any more than surface level information about anything.

  “It’s not a big deal,” I assured him. “I was just hoping to see the security camera footage from the night Hope got into the argument about being tied up. I mean, if we can figure out who the guy was, maybe we can get a lead on her disappearance. You do want to help get her back safely, right?” I put a hand on his shoulder. “This could be a huge lead.”

  Marcus shook his head. “I’ll try, Lola, but that’s a ton of footage to look though. We have thirty cameras on that floor alone, and after a week, all the tapes get archived. I don’t even know what day that happened.”

  I gave his shoulder a quick squeeze of encouragement. “Of course, I know it’s a big task. But if you just have a few spare minutes during your shifts, it would be such a big favor to me.” I gave him what I hoped was a dazzling smile. “Let me know if you find anything, okay?”

  He agreed, but I could tell by the tone of his voice that he wasn’t excited by the idea.

  In the elevator on the way to the top floor, my stomach gave the same little flip it always did. I pretended it was just from the sudden shift in gravity. Nothing at all to do with the handsome, frustrating, sexy man that was just behind the door. Nope. Not a thing.

  I closed my eyes and took a breath to steady myself. Then I went in.

  All that preparation had been for nothing, because the moment I saw him leaning against the window overlooking the river, his collar unbuttoned and his hair ruffled, sipping amber liquor from a glass that was beaded with condensation, all thoughts of professionalism disappeared. All I could see was the way his bottom lip pressed against the glass, how when he turned, the fabric of his pants pulled just tightly enough for me to see the faint outline of his large cock.

  “Lola? Can I help you with something?” There was a hint of laughter in his voice, as though he knew exactly what had just been going through my mind.

  “Just wondering what exactly you told your staff to make them so unwilling to help me,” I said, straightening my shoulders as I tossed my bag onto the couch.

  Burke scoffed. “You know damn well that I told them to help you with whatever you needed.”

  “I don’t think that’s quite what you said,” I replied, feeling a bit reckless. “I’m willing to bet it was more along the lines of, tell her just enough to make her go away.” He raised his eyebrows and took another sip of his drink. “And don’t think that I haven’t noticed how uncomfortable Marcus gets when I ask him about that security camera footage. If you’re hiding something here, I’m going to find out about it. With or without your help.”

  He turned toward me, and I noticed again how broad and muscular his chest was. Whereas before he had looked amused by my boldness, his expression had taken a more serious edge. His dark blue eyes locked onto mine, and I couldn’t look away, my pulse quickening and my breathing shallow.

  “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you this. Not a single
goddamn person here had anything to do with that girl’s disappearance. So you can look through those tapes until the fucking cows come home, but you’re not going to find anything.” He downed the rest of his drink in one swallow. “Maybe your time would be better spent looking into actual leads, like—“ He cut himself off abruptly.

  “Like what?” I asked, stepping forward. “What were you about to say?”

  “Nothing,” Burke said sharply. “Just an actual lead, rather than some mystery man that a couple of security guards think they remember.”

  He strode out of the room, not even glancing at me as he came within inches of where I stood. A moment later, I heard the bedroom door slam. Jesus. I went over to the bar and poured myself a drink. I felt like I deserved it.

  As I sipped the strong booze, I couldn’t help thinking that almost as interesting as the revelation that Burke might have a lead for me was the fact that I’d been able to crack his seemingly impermeable façade. Maybe he wasn’t so mysterious after all. Maybe I just needed a plan.

  Okay, Burke, I said to myself. You may be dying to get me to open up, but I won’t be the only one...

  Chapter 7

  Burke

  And I’m going to find out about it. With or without your help.

  My feet pounded on the hot pavement as those words drummed over and over again through my head. Who the hell did she think she was, talking to me like that? I was letting her stay in my club, allowing her to ask questions. Fine, maybe I had told my staff to keep their mouths shut, but she didn’t know that. Not for certain, anyway. I was even letting her sleep in my bed, no strings attached. Even though it fucking killed me every time she snuggled up to me in her sleep, her body soft and every curve visible through her clingy nightgowns. Every morning I had to make sure I got up and out before she woke up. I didn’t know if I’d be able to control myself otherwise.