Claimed By An Alpha

by Scarlett Avery

  My only saving grace is the fact my cousin Trish taught me how to drink. Without her simple yet astute formula, I would have probably ended up a blubbering drunk by now. As long as I keep the ratio right—one eight-ounce glass of water for every two drinks—I can avoid making a complete fool out of myself. Thanks, cousin. I’m still grinning to myself as I step into my hotel room, but I don’t linger in my festive mode for too long. I can’t, because Max’s frame is filling the hallway—his very tense frame.

  As I focus on his face—the hard lines, the frowning eyebrows, the tight jaw, and those hazel eyes heavy with disapproval—I’m quickly reminded of what I must look like after a night of wild partying with my three accomplices. Oh, shit. He doesn’t look happy. I can practically feel Max’s irritation boiling off him despite the fact the room is air-conditioned. I instinctively smooth my dress and comb my fingers through my hair, trying to look semi-decent. I open my mouth, but he precedes me.

  “Where the hell have you been all night?” His eyes are cold, his jaw rigid, and I’m suddenly aware of how furious he is right now.

  I defuse his question by looking past him to spot Deidra. “Where is my roommate?”

  “Candy, perhaps you didn’t hear me. I asked you a very specific question and I’m expecting a very specific answer.” He narrows his eyes in such a menacing way I take a step back. Just in case I needed it, I’m fully sober now.

  “What’s it to you? Weren’t you busy doing the lambada with Bruna?”

  Max’s eyebrows drop in an intimidating way as he squints at me. He doesn’t have to say one word. It’s clear he’s pissed off. My temporary victory is short-lived, his eyes piercing my brave front and erasing my smug smile. This would be a lot easier if he didn’t look so delicious.

  “Frankly, I’m surprised to see you here. I expected you to be lying next to the Brazilian model’s curvaceous body after a few hours of wild fornication,” I continue, determined to ignore his dangerous stare. I refuse to use the word “sex” because that’s what I’ve shared with him so far. I want to use a word so crude it can’t possibly be associated with any of our sensual interludes.

  “What the fuck are you talking about?”

  I guess that last part hit a nerve. Good.

  He must think because I’m so much younger than he is, I’m a complete idiot to the ways of the world. It was so blatant how much she wanted him and I’m pretty certain very few men escape Bruna’s claws.

  “Oh, please don’t take me for a fool. I saw it with my own two eyes. You were eating her up like a beggar wolfs down a hot meal with your arms wrapped around her waist.”

  “Did you get any help in concocting this far-fetched story or did you make it all up by yourself?”

  His words sting so badly, I nearly bring up my hand to my cheek to soften the blow.

  “Listen, Max, I get it. You’re a very rich and eligible bachelor. It’s normal women trip all over themselves to be noticed by you. Let’s face it, it’s not as if what we have is much more than…” Even though I know exactly what we share, I’m unable to say it aloud. I’m unwilling to put the words out there because I fear once I do, our mind-blowing sexual escapade may never amount to much more.

  I turn on my heel and grab the door handle, ready to storm out of the room and escape this unbearable tension, but his strong hand slams the door shut. I’m trapped.

  “You’re not going anywhere until we talk. Now turn around and please face me.”

  I obey without any objections. My God, he’s so pissed off. I’m sure there is no other man who can command attention the way Max does, especially when he’s this upset. I glance up at him from underneath my lashes, connecting briefly with his stormy eyes before dropping my gaze and allowing myself to take in his casual yet outrageously panty-melting outfit. I guess he must have jumped out of his smoking-hot three-piece suit in favor of his form-fitting black tee shirt and these thigh-hugging dark jeans.

  “I don’t have anything more to say to you, Max.” It’s best if I keep in mind how he was all over Bruna on the dance floor instead of salivating all over his good looks.

  He stares at me and then inhales, and his anger disappears. “Good. I’ll do the talking and you can listen. When I’m done you can decide if you want to walk away or not.” He steps into me, flattening my body against the door and letting me know he’s about to rip the hell out of me for leaving his VIP party early without telling him. I gasp as he presses his lips to my forehead. “I’ve been trying to reach you for the past five hours and you’ve been avoiding my calls and my text messages. Why would you ignore me like this without knowing the full story?”

  What does he mean by full story? The entire room saw the bitch kiss him. End of story. “She was all over you and you did nothing to push her away. You even allowed her to crush her lips against yours in front of everyone.” I spit out these words through clenched teeth.

  “Had you stuck around for a few more minutes, you would have seen Deidra come to my rescue.”

  “Why would Deidre need to rescue a grown man like you from a woman?”

  “I couldn’t push Bruna away from me under the scrutiny of over twenty-five of the top media outlets in the country and a dozen international reporters without raising suspicion. I wasn’t going to make it easy for the press to spin this stupid incident into something it wasn’t. Deidra rounded up a couple of handsome men who were more than happy to cut in and continue dancing with Bruna, making it possible for me to exit the dance floor without ruffling any feathers.”

  “So what? You were able to get away for a few minutes. From what I understand, Bruna doesn’t take no for an answer. When she has her sights set on a man, he inevitably succumbs to her charms.”

  “Bruna’s reputation precedes her. It’s a very well-known fact in the industry she’s willing to do anything to advance her career. From what I hear, her sister is also a handful. I guess we were lucky because we only had to deal with one diva on the set today,” he says, looking away for an instant. “Both Deidra and I hesitated in booking Bruna, but it’s hard to ignore her popularity and her legion of adoring fans. On her Facebook page alone she has over seventeen thousand fans from around the world and most of those are women we want to reach, not to mention she’s a heck of a lot easier to book than megastar supermodel Ashley Graham. I was willing to make the sacrifice of forcing our crew to deal with a diva because she’s worth it and I knew I’d rarely cross her path.”

  I turn my head and look at him sideways, still trying to size him up. Is he telling me the truth or is he lying to me? “You could be blowing smoke up my ass.” I defiantly cross my arms over my chest to create some sort of a barrier between us.

  “Honey, why would I waste my time blowing smoke up your behind when I could fuck your ass instead?” Holy shit. I didn’t see that coming. “What was the last thing I told you when I called you at the party?”

  I’m still so intoxicated by his dirty talk, it’s impossible for me to think straight. I search his eyes for an answer, but his raised eyebrows greet me.

  “I don’t remember. A lot has happened tonight,” I murmur, regretting I’ve allowed Bruna and my blinding jealousy to allow me to forget parts of our chat.

  “I guess you weren’t paying attention… unless my words meant nothing to you.” Oh, God. What did he say that was so important? I rack my brain trying to replay our conversation in my head, but I’m afraid it’s been too long of an evening to recall our brief exchange. “I told you tonight I’d only have eyes for you and I meant it. I know what we share started out in a kinky fashion on the forty-first floor of a luxurious New York hotel, but in time I’ve found myself impatiently looking forward to seeing you again. Heck, most days, I’d start my mental countdown after lunch.” Seriously? “I was hoping we could have slipped out of the party early so I could have whisked you up to my penthouse suite. I would have been able to confess to you behind closed doors how I want much more than what we’ve shared so far.”

 
; Did he say he wants more?

  “Max, none of this is making sense to me. I know you haven’t made any commitment to me and we’re seeing each other casually, and I’m okay with that.” I’m babbling aloud, afraid my decision to leave the party early might have caused him to reconsider what we share.

  “I was hoping we might be able to change things.”

  “Change what?”

  “Since we’re both single… I was thinking we might want to share something less casual.” He grins from ear to ear and I melt inside. Oh my God, is he saying what I think he’s saying? “Neither of us is seeing anyone else and we’re a pretty incredible match in the bedroom, or at the back of an SUV, and I thoroughly enjoy your company.” We both laugh. “Candy, if we make things a little bit more official, we’d avoid having to sneak around when we’re out in public, don’t you think?” I’m so tongue-tied, I can only nod in agreement. After a few seconds of pure bliss the impact of his words hit me and I flash back to the conversation we shared earlier.

  “But what if the press catches us together? I thought you were so concerned right before the party started?”

  “Other than Deidra and your friends, no one knew we were seeing each other then, but if everyone knows, the press won’t have as much leverage to twist things in their favor to sell more papers or to get more hits to their websites.”

  “Now I understand why you were being so protective earlier.”

  “Exactly. I didn’t want you to get hurt,” he says caressing my cheek. “There’s only one question burning my lips now that I’ve shared how I feel about you.”

  “Which one?” I smile.

  “I hope when you accepted your position at Sassy magazine, you didn’t have to sign any contracts precluding you from becoming a client’s girlfriend.”

  No way. This can’t be happening to me.

  My heart is beating so fast I can nearly see it jump out of my chest. I open and close my mouth a few times before attempting to speak.

  “Did you… Are you saying…” I’m so shell-shocked, I can’t string a coherent sentence together to let him know how utterly happy I am.

  My sudden joy turns to worry when I soak in his last words. Oh, no. Is there a clause preventing me from dating clients? I know we can’t technically date colleagues, but our employee contracts have done little to stop a string of office hookups amongst both gay and straight co-workers.

  “What? No feisty repartee?” He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me against him tighter. Harder. The moment our bodies collide, I feel his desire for me. “It’s been a fight for me all night––between being mad as hell at you and wanting to fuck you so badly my cock aches.”

  I bite my lower lip, unable to contain my smile. I can’t believe I had it so wrong about him and Bruna.

  “Max, do you really mean what you said?” I’m impressed I have the presence of mind to ask this question considering how intoxicated I still am by his words.

  “Which part do you want me to repeat? The part about having a hard-on all night long or the part about us making what we share more official?”

  “You’re really asking me what I think you’re asking?” I press, still trying to make sense of it all. “Maybe I misunderstood. I’d hate to jump to conclusions and make a fool out of myself.”

  “Since you keep asking me questions and you haven’t said yes to becoming my girlfriend, I’m starting to think this whole confession was a bad idea.”

  “Oh, no, you don’t, mister. You can’t drop such a bomb on a girl and not expect her to be bewildered. I didn’t see this coming at all. I thought we were casually fucking each other and…” I really never imagined he wanted so much more from me. Although I dreamed of this and even confessed my desires to Devin a few days ago before leaving New York, I never wanted to rock the boat by blurting out my feelings for him. “I thought I was the only one who had started to…” Even now standing in front of him, I am unable to say the words aloud. God, if this is a dream, do not wake me up.

  “Is it not obvious, Candy? I’ve been smitten by you for weeks now, but I was waiting for the right moment to share my feelings with you. Why do you think I’ve been making so many excuses to see you nearly every night since we met at the Bymark Hotel? I thought tonight was perfect to declare my intentions, but I didn’t foresee Bruna’s little attempt at capturing everyone’s attention as the incident that would unravel my best-laid plans.” His hand on my cheek warms my skin and keeps me from turning away from him. His eyes penetrate me, gaze deep inside me. I’m so overtaken right now, I’m sure he can feel me trembling.

  “I think I’ve fallen for you since the first night you invited me to your home… but I didn’t think it could ever be mutual.”

  “Shhh,” he whispers, dropping two fingers against my lips to silence me. “Now you know it is.” He smiles before dropping a soft kiss on my lips.

  “I do.” I grab him closer to answer his kiss. The passion burning inside me threatens to consume me whole. He wants me as much as I want him.

  “I’m glad we’re on the same page, but I can’t possibly let you get away with what you’ve done to me tonight. You had me worried out of my mind. Your phone was off all night and there was no way for Deidra or I to reach you. We had no idea where you were or if you were alone.” What have I done? “Luckily, Deidra texted me a couple minutes before you walked through the door when she finally received a reply from Giovanna, who confirmed you had been out on the town partying with her, the CNN reporter and Josephine.”

  I swallow hard, my throat dry as sandpaper. Oh, shit. “When I saw you with Bruna tonight, I figured I didn’t have a chance in hell. She’s a model and I’m not. She’s Brazilian and I’m not. She stops traffic and I don’t. Why wouldn’t you fall for her? I couldn’t stand watching the two of you anymore, so I asked Giovanna, Josephine and Brian to join me to paint the town red, because standing there made me feel helpless. I figured if I could escape, I wouldn’t have to know more than I needed to.”

  “Earlier today inside the SUV you promised you trusted me implicitly. What changed?”

  “I… well…” I mumble, riddled with guilt. My insecurities prompted me to act like a hothead. I wasn’t even thinking straight. I could already picture Bruna fucking Max’s brains out. I only had one thought in mind—get the hell out before I get hurt.

  “You storming out like you did is like saying you don’t trust me.” His voice roughens. “Turn around.”

  “Wh-what? Why?”

  “As I said earlier, you had me worried sick and there’s no way I can allow you to get away with that.”

  “But what are you…”

  “Turn. Around. Now.” His voice is so domineering and so certain, it strips away my ability to think along with my willpower to argue back. Slowly, I do as I’m told. Without warning, he grabs my hands and places them over my head, pressing them against the door.

  “Don’t move,” he growls.

  When his hands glide down my body, a gush of arousal runs through me. He angles his body to the side and pins my wrists together, preventing me from moving. Although generous, the entrance to my hotel room feels like a tiny closet right now, with both of us filling the space. I open my hands and flatten them against the door, hoping he plans on fucking me from behind with my clothes still on. When he lifts the skirt of my dress with his free hand, a cold breeze from the air conditioner brushes across my exposed bottom and I wiggle my ass in anticipation. Yeah, take me.

  “Hmmm. Nice lingerie selection and good call on matching your underwear with the color of your dress. The emerald-green satin and the black lace aren’t helping my hard-on. It’s a good thing I can easily replace these or else your saucy collection would cost me a fortune.” He wraps my panties around his fingers and pulls the fabric apart.

  Jesus, I love it when he’s such a tyrant. I close my eyes and lick my lips, readying myself, but instead of his cock, I jerk forward the second the first slap hits my cheeks. What the fuck? He
’s spanking me? No way.

  “Max, have you lost your marbles?” I squeal.

  Slap.

  “For the love of God. I’m not a child,” I protest.

  Slap. The third slap hits across my right buttock and stings like crazy.

  “Ouch!”

  He pauses. “This will be far more enjoyable if you relax,” he says, as if I haven’t even spoken, as if he hasn’t noticed me struggling to escape.

  Slap. Slap. Slap.

  “Damn you.”

  “The boys you’ve fucked in the past never spanked you? It’s a real turn-on for me, especially when I’m pissed off.”

  “No. No one’s ever slapped my ass.”

  “Twentysomethings have so much to learn about satisfying a woman,” he hisses into my ear.

  Slap. Slap. Slap.

  Oh, Lord. I really screwed up.

  He strokes my bottom gently, temporarily relieving the pain from the assault.

  “I don’t think I like this game, Max. I much prefer the butt plug.”

  “You think I’m playing? Did you know Manuel and I circled the hotel and the adjacent streets in the SUV for ninety minutes looking for you? Deidra had her own search party frantically trying to retrace your steps. The funny thing is, no one in the hotel remembered seeing you slip out.”

  Ah. The group of Japanese tourists. “We walked out as a bus parked in front of the hotel and a sea of Japanese tourists mobbed the lobby. I guess it was the perfect getaway since it became so chaotic no one seemed to care about us. Even the bellboys and doorman were busy at work taking care of the new guests.”

  He went looking for me? I never imagined he’d be so concerned. My mind was haunted by one thought––avoid pain and humiliation at all cost. I can’t believe I acted like such a brat. My anger withers and dies, and my resistance with it.

  “Max, I’m sorry,” I whisper when I come face to face with how my selfish actions have affected others. “Please… I’m sorry. I’ll apologize to Deidra first thing in the morning.”