His Every Desire (Contemporary Romance Box Set)

by Alexis Winter

  “Were you a player too?” I ask.

  She rolls her eyes. “I wouldn’t call me a player. I mean, players play people to get what they want. I was a straight-up THOT,” she jokes with a laugh.

  We finish up our bottle of wine as the sun starts to set. Finally, when the temperature drops, we head inside to start on dinner.

  “Hey, is it cool if I stay the night and ride in with you guys in the morning? I’ve had a little too much to drink to drive all the way back to Mom’s.”

  Maddie smiles and nods. “Of course, Val. You know you’re always welcome. I mean, what are all these bedrooms for anyway?”

  “Thanks,” I say with a smile as I continue tossing the salad—the only thing I know how to do when it comes to cooking.

  When I wake up in the morning, I realize that I did not come prepared. I came over to hang out with Mads. Since she and Bennet have gotten married, we’ve grown close. She’s more like a sister that’s my best friend than a sister-in-law.

  I rush across the hall and knock on their bedroom door. Seconds later, Maddie is opening the door, hair and makeup done, but she’s still in her fluffy white robe. “Good morning,” she says around a smile.

  I lean against the door jam. “So, I’m totally irresponsible, and I don’t have anything to wear to work.” I offer up an awkward smile.

  She laughs and rolls her eyes. “Come on,” she says, turning and walking across the room to her closet. She opens the door and we walk into what she calls a closet—I think it’s more of a room that holds nothing but clothes. There are racks and racks of clothes, endless drawers, and shelving that holds her shoes and purses. In the center of the room is a circular seating area, and against the far wall is a lit-up vanity.

  “Wow, can we say swanky?”

  She turns to me with a smile. “I know. Trust me: this wasn’t my doing. This is all your brother.”

  “What did I do?” Bennet walks into the closet, hair wet and slicked back from his shower.

  “Designed this closet,” Maddie answers.

  “I didn’t design it; I just let a woman do it while telling her money was no object.” He smiles and gives Maddie a quick kiss. “Good morning,” he says against her lips before pulling away and grabbing his shoes off the rack. He leaves us alone once again.

  Maddie has this dreamy look on her face, and while I think it’s utterly disgusting that my brother makes her look that way, I also find it sweet. I can only hope that I’m as happy as her one day.

  “Help yourself,” she says, taking something down for herself and moving out of the closet.

  I walk through and end up choosing a black pencil skirt that ends just below my knee, a light pink shirt that has ruffled short sleeves, and a pair of black pumps. I stand back and look myself over in the mirror.

  Everything fits to perfection and hugs my curves nicely. I sit at the vanity and pull my long, dark hair into a bun, with a few strands hanging down to frame my face. I don’t want to use any of her makeup, so I rush back into my room to dig things out of the bottom of my purse. Luckily, I find a tube of lipstick and mascara. What more does a girl need?

  I’m walking down the stairs the moment they’re gathering up their things to leave for the office.

  “Are you ready for your first day, Val?” Bennet asks, pulling on his jacket.

  I roll my eyes. “No, I’m comparing Callan in his office to the devil sitting on his fiery throne in hell,” I joke.

  “It can’t be that bad, Val,” Maddie says, opening the door and motioning for me to walk ahead of her. “Try having a positive attitude about it. Maybe if Callan sees that you’re taking the job seriously, so will he. He could be completely different at work.”

  “I guess,” I agree, walking across the porch to the G-Wagon.

  The drive to the office isn’t a fast one with morning traffic, but it doesn’t take nearly long enough for my liking. All too soon, we’re pulling into the garage. We all climb out of the car and head toward the elevators. Bennet quickly kisses Maddie and turns to me.

  “I’ll take you up to his office.”

  I nod and cross my arms, feeling like a child that’s being delivered to the principal's office. I follow behind him as he takes me to the fifth floor and through a set of double doors.

  “Callan, look who’s here for her first day of work,” Bennet says.

  But I don’t pay any attention as I look around his office. The floor is made of shiny black stone, and it’s so clean that I can see my white underwear reflecting off it from under my skirt. I pull my legs closer together and look around the office, not wanting to draw Callan’s attention to where I’m staring. In the far corner, there’s a smaller desk—I’m assuming mine—a seating area with black leather couches, and a glass table between them. There’s your typical drink cart, because who doesn’t drink alcohol at work, and finally, his massive desk at the head of the room.

  I turn in a circle, taking it all in until I’m looking at his smug face. His blond hair is styled nicely. It’s not short, but not exactly long either. His blue eyes look me up and down as his lips turn up into a smile.

  “This? This is Valerie? Little Valerie?” he asks, walking closer.

  “Yeah, she’s grown up quite a bit,” Bennet says. “Anyway, take it easy on her, will ya?”

  “Of course,” Callan agrees as Bennet walks out, leaving us alone.

  “How ya been, Val?” Callan asks, crossing his arms over his chest and smiling wide.

  I roll my eyes and force a smile onto my face. “Great. And yourself?”

  He shrugs, smile never fading. “Better now that I have you here to torture.” He spins around and heads over to the little desk in the corner. “This is all yours.”

  “Gee, thanks,” I mumble, walking closer and setting my purse down on the top. “What exactly will I be doing?”

  “You know, your basic assistant stuff. Fetching my coffee and lunch, filing papers for me, answering the phone, and taking messages. Nothing crazy.”

  “Great.” I slide between the desk and my chair and sit down, looking up at him. I don’t know what it is, but just looking at his face makes me angry. He’s like a walking Ken doll. He has the perfect blond hair, blue eyes, tan, muscular body. And he’s a total playboy. God, just knowing that I have to spend eight hours a day with him has me breaking out in hives. I start scratching my arm.

  “Still doing that, huh?” He looks down on me with disgust.

  “What?” I ask, locking my eyes on his, a little offended.

  He uses his right hand to scratch his left arm—making fun of me. “You should get that checked out by a doctor. After all these years, you’d think you’d have some special medication by now.”

  “I only do it when I’m around you. But I do have that dog allergy, so…”

  He fakes a laugh and points at me. “Still just as funny as always.”

  2

  Callan

  I give Val a list of emails that need to be written up and sent and leave my office. I walk into Bennet’s office without being announced, and he looks up at me. His face is slack, and his head is slightly tilted to the side. He knows what’s coming.

  “I’m not sure about this, man,” I say, pouring a drink and sitting down across from him.

  “Why? What’d she do?” he breathes out, sounding bored and slightly annoyed.

  “She’s just…” I start. “She,” I try again. “I…” I shake my head.

  “So, nothing?” he asks, holding one of his hands palm up.

  “No, not nothing. She’s mouthy and offensive. She called me a dog,” I say, standing up to pace while drinking my beverage.

  He laughs. “She what?”

  I stop and turn to face him. “She’s going to town on her arm, then when I asked what her deal was, she said she has a dog allergy.”

  Bennet busts out laughing as he shakes his head. “She doesn’t have a dog allergy,” he says around his laughs.

  “Great. I’m not a dog
!” I point out, only making him laugh harder.

  “Well, maybe she’s just allergic to you.” He shrugs and stands up. “Either way, you’re both adults and have to learn how to work together. Got it?” he asks, placing his hand on my shoulder and leading me toward the door.

  “Yeah, but isn’t there someplace else you could put her? I can go without an assistant,” I offer.

  He pushes me through the door. “Nope, sorry.” Without another word, he closes the doors between us.

  Fuck. I should never have agreed to this. When he said his sister could fill the spot, I was just relieved that I wouldn’t have to answer my own phone anymore. I didn’t think about having to work with her. She’s been a pain in my ass since I was nine. She would always run and tell on Bennet and me for every little thing. To this day, I can hear her high-pitched squeal cutting through me. Just thinking about it causes my ears to ring from the memory.

  I walk back into my office, and she looks up. “You got a rather disgusting phone call from Abby.”

  “What did she want?” I ask, sitting behind my desk.

  “Do you want me to read you the message?” she asks, one brow lifted.

  I nod. “Go on.” I smile, happy to make her comply with my wishes.

  She shakes her head once, picks up a notepad, and begins reading. “Callan, I had such a wonderful time with you last night. I can barely walk today! I had no idea you were packing that deadly weapon between your legs. Anyway, call me the next time you’re in the mood for a good, dirty fuck.” She smiles.

  My mouth is hanging open. “She said that to you?”

  “Nope. I got it off your voicemail.” She smiles and drops the notepad back onto her desk with a thump.

  “My private voicemail?” I ask, feeling around my pocket for my cell phone.

  She holds my phone up and shakes it. “You need to pick a better password. I mean, your birthday?”

  I stand and walk over to her, grabbing the phone from her grip.

  “That’s the first thing everyone tries.”

  I slide the phone into my pocket as I walk back to my desk. “I’m just surprised that you care enough to remember my birthday.” I smile, thinking I got her.

  “How could I forget? You always make such a big deal out of your birthday parties. Every year, it's like you’re a teenage girl planning your MTV Sweet Sixteen.”

  Just the sound of her voice gets under my skin. “Alright, how about we don’t talk, huh? Work for you?” I ask. I can hear the strain in my voice from trying not to yell at her. I hope she can too, so she’ll stop pushing my buttons.

  She closes her mouth and then uses her hand to lock it. Then, she tosses away the key. I scoff and roll my eyes but turn to my computer to get some work done.

  Noon rolls around, and I write down my lunch order. I walk over to her desk and drop it in front of her. She looks up at me with a scowl.

  “Feel free to add something for yourself too,” I tell her, turning around and going back to my desk.

  She doesn’t say anything but she gathers her things and leaves the office.

  “Finally, a few moments to myself,” I mumble, kicking my feet up on my desk and pulling out my phone to scroll through my messages.

  I find one from Melinda: I’m free tonight. Call me.

  I exit the message and go to the next from Ashley: I’m single. Want to celebrate with me?

  I laugh and shake my head. The next is from Madison: Hey, I’m back in town. This weekend only. Let’s hook up!

  I clear all the messages and drop my phone onto my desk, wondering which one of them I should call tonight. Ashely is by far the hottest and dirtiest, but Madison is limited to this weekend. I think if I play this right, I can nail all three of them this weekend.

  I pick up my phone and send Madison a quick text: I get out of the office at 5. I’ll pick you up at 7? I hit send.

  I reply to Ashely next: I’m busy tonight. Raincheck for tomorrow?

  Finally, I text Melinda: I’m swamped this weekend, babe. Will Sunday work?

  Happy with my quick thinking, I hit the button to turn the screen off and place it on my desk. The door to the office opens, and Val comes walking in with two bags. She holds one out, but before I can take it from her, she lets go, dropping it onto my desk. I frown at her, and that causes her to smile.

  My phone starts going off.

  Melinda: Sunday will be perfect.

  Ashely: Saturday night’s fine with me.

  Madison: See ya tonight.

  Val looks down at my phone and sees the three messages from three different women. She scrunches up her nose and makes this ugh noise before turning around and sitting at her desk to eat.

  She doesn’t say anything, and I don’t either. I open my bag and pull out my food. I open my burger and take a big bite. I got way too wasted last night and skipped breakfast today. I need to put some food in my stomach to absorb some of that acid that’s been making me sick all day. At first, everything is fine, but then the taste of mayo hits me. I gag and spit it out into the trash.

  Val looks up at me with alarm.

  “I wrote no mayo,” I state flatly.

  She shrugs. “Well, maybe if you didn’t have the penmanship of a stressed-out doctor, I would’ve been able to read that.”

  “What else could it possibly say?” I ask, tossing the burger into the trash.

  “I thought it said no Mayo—like Cinco de Mayo. I looked at the board and saw they didn’t even have a Cinco de Mayo burger.” She rolls her eyes.

  I shake my head and bring my hands to my head, rubbing my temples. “I swear, you were put on this planet to give me a brain aneurism.” I grab my jacket and leave the office. From now on, I’ll be getting my own lunch.

  The rest of the day passes in about the same fashion. I ask her to do something, she does it completely wrong on purpose, and then I get angry. I wish to God I could fire her. But I have a feeling she’d just run back to big brother’s office on the top floor and complain about how I’m giving her demeaning jobs.

  As five o’clock rolls around, I couldn’t be happier. I run by the house, shower, shave, and dress for my date. I’m pulling up to her hotel at seven on the dot. I pull out my phone and send her a quick text, telling her I’m outside, and drop my phone into my lap. While I’m waiting, it rings, and I answer.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, man,” Bennet says. “How’d it go today?”

  I scoff. “How do you think it went today?”

  He lets out a nervous laugh. “Well, I just wanted to call and say thanks. I know she can be hard to handle, but she needs this job. I figured if you could make it past the first day, she would be safe.”

  My eyes roll on their own. I want to tell him that I’m done. I want to say fuck it and she’s fired, but something inside of me stops the words before they can leave my lips. “No problem,” I say instead.

  “I’ll let ya get back to whatever you were doing. But, Callan, I’m serious. Thanks. I don’t know what else to do with her.”

  I laugh. “Now that I believe. See ya later.” I hang up the phone just as Madison opens the door and slides inside. Looking over at her gets me excited. Her long, blonde hair is straight, hanging to her ass. She’s wearing a short skirt and her top ends above her belly button, and it doesn’t even start until half her tits are hanging out.

  “Hey, babe,” she says, leaning over and giving me a kiss while her hand cups my groin.

  I smile as she pulls away. “Are you ready for an adventure?” I ask, shifting into drive.

  “Always.”

  We make it to the club, and it’s already in full swing. We’re shown to the VIP area, and we sit at the bar, looking over the menu. She sips a fruity cocktail, and I opt for some Jameson, straight up.

  While I’m reading over the menu, my hand is traveling up and down her thigh. Every time I get to the top, she opens her legs wider, hoping I move in. But I feel playful tonight. I feel like a chase. If all I wanted w
as a quick fuck, I could’ve gone up to her hotel room and been out in ten minutes. There would be no point to even taking her out. No, tonight I feel like flirting, driving her wild just to drive myself crazy. Maybe I’ll even look to add someone to our little arrangement. I know she won’t object. I’ve done many freaky things with this girl. I know a threesome with a random stranger isn’t off the table.

  She sucks down her drink at lightning speed, and she doesn’t hesitate to order another. We both grab another round, then move to the center of the floor to dance while we wait for our food. She wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me closer, so close I can tell the drink she had was watermelon flavored and I haven’t even kissed her yet. Her brown eyes look up, locking on mine, and she wets her bottom lip.

  “What are we doing here, Callan?”

  I shrug as I place one hand on her hip and begin grinding against her. “What do you mean?”

  She smiles and looks at me from beneath her lashes like she’s playing shy—something she’s not. “We don’t do this. We meet up, fuck, and go our separate ways. You know I’m not looking to settle down,” she says around a smile.

  I laugh loudly. “You’re not the only one not looking to settle down. Why don’t you look around the club and find someone you want to invite home with us?”

  Her smile widens. “Okay,” she whispers, pulling away and leaving the VIP section.

  With her gone, I go back to the bar and sit down. Jimmy, the bartender, pours me another drink and shakes his head with a laugh. “I don’t know how you do it, man.”

  I smirk. “Do what?”

  “End up with all these different hotties every night.”

  I throw my drink back and set it down. Again, he refills it. “If you have enough money, or make it look like you do, you can get away with anything,” I tell him, tipping my glass in his direction.

  3

  Valerie