Captivated By You (Twisted Love #1)

by Wanitta Praks

  “I’m fine,” she said, which relieved me greatly.

  “Here, let me help you with them,” I offered, picking up the papers.

  She smiled and accepted my offer.

  As I was about to gather them into a pile, one document caught my attention. It was the research materials used for the presentation on Papa’s joint venture with Devereux.

  “Are you taking these to Josh?” I asked, realizing it might be Josh’s since he was the one who presented the proposal.

  “No, to Julian,” she said, smiling.

  “Oh,” I replied, surprised. It was Josh’s presentation, so why was this woman taking this research material to Julian?

  “I just came to collect these from Josh’s office, that’s all. Julian wanted them back.”

  “Back?” I couldn’t understand where this was going.

  When she saw the look on my face, she explained. “These notes belonged to Julian. Josh was just borrowing them for the presentation.”

  “Oh,” I said again. I was beginning to understand what was happening. One brother does the research while the other one does the presentation. Yet they don’t get along.

  “Thank you for helping me out.” The woman tucked the files under her chin, then walked off. I couldn’t bear seeing her carry so many files, so I offered to help carry them to her office.

  “My name is Kimberly by the way,” I told her.

  “Ah, so you’re the new girl,” she exclaimed. It seemed like everyone really did think I was the new intern here. “Everyone here has been talking about you. Saying you’re a beautiful thing.”

  “Thank you for the compliment.”

  “My name is Melissa. I work with Julian.”

  We arrived at her desk, which was outside Julian’s office. I didn’t follow Melissa in. I sat outside and watched her work instead. From the way she worked, I assumed she was Julian’s secretary.

  “Are you here to learn from me today?” she asked when I didn’t go back to where I came from.

  “Yes, I was assigned to work here.” I made up a lie.

  “That’s good. Come sit beside me. I’ll teach you how to do things.”

  Sitting beside her, I watched the way she worked, and I had to admit she made one hell of a secretary. In the duration I was there, she was running backward and forward, in and out between her small desk and Julian’s office, with files up to her ears, while the phone was constantly ringing off the hook.

  Melissa was on her last trip when the phone rang again. I looked up at her, signaling the phone was ringing, but she just told me to it pick up. I did as requested.

  “Hello, welcome to Devereux Enterprise. You’re speaking with Kimberly. How may I help you?”

  “Hi, this is Karen from Mannings Construction. My boss, Mr. Phillips, would like to speak with Mr. Julian Devereux regarding the construction plan for the land development in Surfers Paradise. Could you please connect me through?”

  “Yes, sure.” I connected the phone. “Mr. Devereux, phone call from Mannings Construction.”

  Julian’s sexy voice rang into my ear immediately and made my knees shake.

  “Kimberly—”

  I put the phone down. I didn’t want to hear his voice. It would just remind me how much I wanted him. And how stupid and immature I acted. I should stop behaving like a brat. It wasn’t Julian’s fault he treated me like that. He was just a gentleman, respecting me, that’s all. What more could I ask from a guy? He was hardworking, conscientious, and very attentive to me. Perfect boyfriend material. I had to go and apologize to him.

  I got up just as Melissa came in looking for another file. When she said she needed to deliver this file to Julian urgently, I offered to go instead.

  Melissa happily took my suggestion, sinking into her seat in exhaustion.

  She was only in her mid-thirties, as she’d told me when we started chatting, but with blond wispy hair that looked like it hadn’t seen a salon since the turn of the century, her whole appearance made her seem decades older.

  Melissa really was hardworking. If she were to resign from here, Papa would have no qualms in hiring her.

  I sneaked a look at the files when I took them to Julian. Information on building consent and land development in Surfers Paradise were attached, along with the plans.

  I walked with the file in hand and stood in front of Julian’s door. There was just his name and a title that read General Manager.

  I wondered what department he was under. Since he was the eldest son of Beau, I was surprised his title was only General Manager.

  I knocked on Julian’s door, heart almost beating out of my chest. He answered with his deep baritone, which didn’t help my nerves one bit. My legs were like jelly, and I realized I hadn’t the guts to apologize to him in person. I’d text him instead.

  Walking with my face down, I placed the file on his desk and was about to leave when Julian grabbed my hand and swung me with such force the wind was almost knocked out of my lungs. He yanked my head towards his and slammed his mouth to mine, attacking me with such ferocity my knees buckled. Julian lifted me to sit on his desk, all without removing his lips from mine.

  We both kissed each other until we were drunk. He was as intoxicated as I was. In fact, we were both stupidly crazy for each other, hands tugging on each other’s clothes and mouths attacking every bit of exposed skin. Until—

  “Ohhh Jesus, this isn’t part of the plan,” Julian muttered, pulling away from me.

  “What plan?” I asked, looking at him through a misted hood of lust. I could see he was trying to fight his desire for me, but his eyes proved otherwise. I pulled him in again and rested my head on his shoulder. “You didn’t plan for all this to happen, did you? To fall under my spell. To fall in love with me.”

  “Kimberly,” he puffed out, almost out of energy. He rested his chin on my head, bringing my body close to his. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” he repeatedly said. “I’m sorry if I made you mad. I’m sorry for not apologizing earlier. I’m sorry for bringing you here and making you wait for me. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sor—”

  “Stop!” I pressed my finger to his lips. “It’s I who should be sorry. I was immature. I wanted you to take initiative and kiss me when you think it’s appropriate. I don’t want to have to give you permission to do something like kissing me. I love it when you kiss me. I could never get mad with the way you kiss me. That’s why I got mad when you asked.”

  “From now on, I’ll take the initiative.” He kissed my hair and hugged me closer. In a soothing voice, he asked, “Are you happy, Kimberly, being with me?”

  I looked up into those stormy grey eyes of his, a mixture of love and elation pouring out of me.

  “Happy as a newborn lamb.” I grinned and hugged him again, listening to the sound of his erratic heartbeat in his chest.

  “I just have to go to father’s meeting first and then we’ll be on our way to SeaWorld. Would you like to join the meeting too?”

  I smiled at that question. “Only if you sit beside me.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  In the meeting, I sat next to Julian, holding his hand under the table while the presentation took place. Josh, who came in late, was so surprised to see me that throughout the meeting, he couldn’t stop giving his brother death glares. When he caught my eyes, he sent me a jealous look. I didn’t care and only smirked at him in return. I held on to Julian’s hand tighter. He squeezed back as reassurance.

  “Now regarding the building consent on our planned site in Surfers Paradise, have you got the documents, Josh?”

  Huh? I turned to Julian. He didn’t say anything.

  “Yes. I’ve also spoken to Mr. Phillip from Mannings Construction.”

  What? But… but… Wasn’t it Julian who just got off the phone with a Mr. Phillip from Mannings Construction? I was the one who put that call through. What was going on here?

  Josh’s voice drifted off. I didn’t listen to him. My mind was in turmoil.
<
br />   What was up with these brothers? Firstly, all the research was done by Julian, but Josh ended up doing the presentation.

  And now this.

  Josh outlined all the plans that were in the document I had passed on to Julian. Every single word. Every single design. He repeated them all.

  After Josh finished Julian’s report, all the board members congratulated him. Not Julian, but Josh.

  “That’s why you’re the Managing Director,” they all chorused. They gave Julian a pitied look.

  I didn’t understand what was going on, but from what I could conclude, Josh stole Julian’s work and was claiming it as his own.

  I needed to talk to Julian about this. Pronto!

  ***

  “What is the meaning of this?” I jabbed Julian in the chest, pushing him into a corner when we were both back in his office.

  “What are you referring to?” Confusion clouded his eyes.

  Why is he acting innocent right now?

  “You know what I mean, Julian. The data. The research. They were all done by you. Don’t think I didn’t know. I crashed into Melissa and those documents flew out of her hands. I saw them.”

  “Are you hurt anywhere?” he asked, gently feeling for any damage.

  I dashed his hands off. “Don’t change the subject. It was only a small collision. And stop touching me. You’re making me hot and bothered. And back to our current subject. Why didn’t you say anything during that meeting?”

  “Josh deserves to be recognized for his work.”

  “Julian, it’s your work. He’s only reaping the fruit you sow. He stole those reports from you.”

  “He didn’t steal them from me. I gave them to him.”

  “Why? It’s your hard work. Why would you give it to him? You deserve to be recognized. Did you see the way those board members looked at you? They pity you. They think you’re incapable.”

  “Kimberly, please, can we not talk about this?”

  “I’m trying to help here. But it’s you who’s not helping yourself. Don’t you have any pride?”

  “Pride doesn’t cut it,” he shouted at me. Then, realizing his mistake, he slumped into his chair in defeat. He looked up at me through his glasses, his voice so painful it hurt me too. “He’s my brother, Kimberly. Father has already chosen him to be the son to inherit the business. Why do I have to compete with him?”

  “I’m not asking you to compete with him.” I stepped up to Julian and hugged him from behind. “I’m asking you to show your strength and skills to the board so they can judge for themselves who should be given credit. It’s unfair you worked so hard, yet someone else took credit for your work. I’m not saying this because I like you. Even if I didn’t know you, I would still try to help you. I don’t like seeing people stepped on. It’s unjustifiable.”

  I massaged his shoulder to help relieve his stress. He pulled me down to sit on his lap, burying his head between my breasts, and hugged me for the longest time. I patted his head, soothing whatever pain was in his heart. I loved this man. For three whole years, I’d dreamt about him. I wanted to see him happy. To see him gain recognition for the work he produced. I didn’t know what Josh did or said to him that turned Julian into this kind of person, but I didn’t want to see him suppressed and upset any longer.

  “Julian—” I started.

  “Please, Kimberly.” He stopped me. “Let’s not talk about this. I want to take you to SeaWorld. We’ve only got the afternoon. I want to spend time with you before you go back home.”

  The word home struck me like a knife in my heart. In a week’s time, I would have to leave Brisbane and head back home to Papa in Auckland. I didn’t want to think about this. I just wanted to spend time with Julian. Every single second spent with him would be the most precious moments of my life.

  “I don’t want to go to SeaWorld.” I rocked my body on his lap, searching for that hunger in his eyes.

  “Then where do you want to go?” Julian’s voice came out strained, a simmering hunger emerging from those steel-grey eyes of his.

  I was pleased. This was what I wanted.

  I wound my arms around his neck, looking straight into his eyes. Slowly, I whispered into his ear, “I want you to take me to your house. I want you to fuck me until your glasses fog up. I want you to fuck me like crazy until I’m too tired to think about all this other mess. Can you do that for me?”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  “Julian, how far is your house?” I asked, eyes transfixed on the passing scenery.

  Houses were decorated on either side of the road. It was so hard to differentiate which suburbs or cities we entered into, unlike New Zealand where our cities were divided by the massive farmlands in between.

  “I don’t live in a house. I live in an apartment overlooking Mermaid Bay.”

  “How long before we get there?”

  “Not too long.”

  “How long to be exact?”

  “Oh, just five minutes away.”

  “Good. Hold on tight to the steering wheel, then.”

  “What do you mean hold on to the—Jesus Christ!” Julian blared. He looked at me with a shocked face, then at my hand, which was busy feeling his crotch.

  “Kimberly, what are you doing?” he hissed.

  I knew he hated it when I touched him in the past, but our days were limited. I wanted to touch him, to make him come just by having my fingers on him.

  “Kimberly, take your hand away,” he warned.

  I didn’t listen. I continued to stroke him until I could feel his cock swelling up inside his pants.

  “Shit! Shit! Shit!”

  I smirked. “Your vocabulary has broadened greatly since you met me, Julian.”

  “Kimberly, I warned you. Stop this instant.” I could tell he was getting angry, but I didn’t give up.

  “Make me.” I challenged him.

  Julian swerved his car around the corner so fast it flung me back in my seat. He stopped, unbuckled his seatbelt, and flew at me, tearing at my clothes without reservation until I was naked. Removing his belt, he tied my hands together and pinned me against the seat, then unzipped his pants and thrust his engorged cock into me in less than five seconds flat. I was so full of him I couldn’t even breathe.

  “Julian…” I tried to placate him, but he didn’t listen. He was like a beast gone wild. He pulled at my hair, smashing his lips onto mine, teeth biting at my delicate skin, and tongue sliding to the back of my throat.

  “Julian…” I panted when he released my lips. “Slow down.”

  But he didn’t slow down. He continued to pump into me, thrust after thrust, faster and faster, until that dry friction between us ignited into flames. Soon, my cries of complaint turned into moans of sweet yearning, wanting him to pump into me faster, wanting him to pump into me longer until I burst into flames and climaxed.

  I thought it was finished when his cock pulled out, but it was hard again, engorged to the point it was spearing into my stomach.

  “Julian,” I heaved, out of breath. “It’s hard again.” I looked at that cock and wondered why it still hadn’t gone soft.

  Julian didn’t reply, but dragged me out of the car, using his jacket to cover my nakedness. As soon as he got us safe into the elevator, he pinned me to the wall and thrust into me again, pumping and pounding into me until I climaxed again.

  I lost count of how many orgasms I had. My mind was in a swirl. One minute I was in the car, and the next I was backed up against the wall of his apartment, one leg supported by his arm and the other foot on the floor. Then he resumed pounding into me again.

  I was so exhausted I fell, but Julian caught me in time. He didn’t disconnect from me. Instead, he carried me, my legs wrapped around his hips, his cock still buried deep inside me, until we reached the couch. Once there, he spread my legs wide and thrust some more.

  We went on for what seemed like hours and hours. My knees hurt from being on all fours when he thrust into me from behind. My back hu
rt when he bent me over backwards, elevating only my legs to get better access to my core. His love juice poured out of me like water. I was wasted, completely exhausted. When my last orgasm hit me, I collapsed and lost consciousness.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  I woke up to pain radiating throughout my body, especially the lower region. It was now approaching evening. The orange sun glowed into the room, making the atmosphere warm and cozy. The air tasted of sweat and a musty scent of sex.

  I sat up and glanced around myself for the first time.

  There were condoms everywhere. Chairs were over overturned and cushions scattered all over the floor.

  God, how many times did we do it?

  I glanced at Julian, who was sleeping beside me, sweat still glistening on his chest.

  When did he take off his clothes? All the times we had sex, he’d always taken off only his pants. Never his shirt.

  I looked at Julian’s sleeping face. Then something peculiar finally struck me. He looked nothing like Josh. Julian had black hair, whereas Josh was blond, just like Beau and Fiona. Julian had a strong jawline, reminiscent of men in the Scottish clan, fierce, brave men who fought for their land and protected their women, unlike Josh’s rounded features.

  Was he really Josh’s brother?

  A subtle cry made me turn to Julian again. He was shaking his head, thrashing it violently to the sides. He had a frown on his forehead; his breathing was shallow and erratic. His fists were clenched tight.

  Why did he look so troubled in his sleep? Was he having a nightmare?

  I leaned over and kissed his frown away, hugging him close to me until his breathing slowed and a calm expression washed over his face. Julian’s black hair was matted to his forehead, sweat still beading there. I tugged the few strands to the side and watched him sleep peacefully again.

  What had gotten into him last night? Why did he behave like a raving lunatic? Not that I was complaining. The sex was amazing. I did ask for him to fuck me like crazy until I forgot all about that morning’s events, but it would have been nice if he’d told me in advance, before fucking out my brains.