The Rich List Series: Contemporary Romance Box Set (Millionaire, Billionaire, CEO)

by Hunter, Talia

  “What is it with Bruce? I got a strange vibe from him this morning when I started going through things with you.”

  “Oh, he just thinks anyone without a penis doesn’t belong in the workplace.” She kept her tone light, not wanting to sound bitter.

  Marcus nodded, his expression thoughtful. Hopefully he was having second thoughts about promoting a sexist, bigoted jerk to the top job in Sydney. She was tempted to tell him about all the complaints she’d made to the HR department in New York, but it wouldn’t be professional to keep bad-mouthing her competition. Surely Marcus could see it would be a mistake to let him run the office?

  Angel changed the subject. “Anyway, you mentioned that you want the board to approve some things?”

  “We need to diversify our property portfolio. We’re too heavily invested in offices in each of the city centers, and we have to spread our risk now, before the office market drops any further.”

  “Makes sense. A few outer Sydney suburbs have been bucking the trend, and the industrial sector is overdue for a lift in value.”

  “There are all kinds of opportunities if we’re open to them. But the board doesn’t trust me yet, and they’re being overly cautious about changing our strategy. At the next board meeting, I have to make them see reason. If they don’t let me diversify and the market for office space keeps diving…” His jaw tightened. “The shareholders will look for someone to blame, and it’ll be my head on the line.”

  “Let me know if I can help. I’m a numbers ninja.” She bit her lip, realizing how it sounded for a property manager to be implying she might be better at that kind of thing than the CEO. “Well, you saw my spreadsheets. It’s kind of my thing.”

  “I might take you up on that.”

  His smile warmed her to her core. He was too perfect. How come a smart, successful man like him wasn’t already taken? Or maybe he was. He wasn’t wearing a ring, but that didn’t mean anything. Perhaps he was cheating on someone in New York?

  “So, do you date much?” She kept her tone casual.

  He shook his head. “I don’t date.”

  “Never?”

  “I’m not the relationship type. What we did last night is as far as I’m willing to go.”

  She felt her face heat at the reminder and fought to keep her embarrassment from showing. “Why?”

  He gave a tight, distant smile that told her the subject was off limits, and sipped his water.

  “Well, it sounds like we have more in common than I realized,” she said.

  “You don’t date much either?”

  “Are you kidding? When my mother named me Angel, she made sure I couldn’t actually go out without being subjected to the cheesiest pick up lines ever.” She grimaced. “Besides, being tied down isn’t part of my plan.” He was so easy to talk to, she didn’t feel self-conscious mentioning the blueprint she’d made for her life. Most people wouldn’t understand her ambition, but Marcus was CEO of an international property company and he was only in his early thirties.

  “Your plan?”

  “I won’t get to where I want to be without being focused. My career comes first. Plenty of time for a guy in my life once I’ve got the other things I want.”

  He nodded, but before he could comment, the waiter appeared with their meals. The steaming cannelloni looked delicious and smelled even better. Angel had been in too much of a rush this morning to eat much breakfast and she was starving. She dug in with relish, then realized he’d put his fork down and was watching her with one side of his mouth quirked up.

  She swallowed her mouthful. “What?”

  “You look like you’re enjoying it.”

  Hmm. She could choose to take offense, seeing as she was probably more rounded than the women he usually went out with. But she was fairly sure he hadn’t meant it as a subtle dig. Besides, it was time she stopped letting Bruce or anyone else make her feel bad about her curves. Never again.

  “I won’t apologize for eating.”

  He looked startled. “Of course not. Why would you?”

  Thank goodness. His remark had been innocent. “It’s good, don’t you think?” She nodded at his half-finished meal, but instead of picking up his fork again, he reached over and ran one finger lightly over the back of her hand.

  “You’re hungry for good food and hungry to get to the top of your career. What else are you hungry for, Angel?”

  Warmth sizzled through her. She’d meant to keep their lunch all business, make sure he knew it was going to be strictly professional between them from now on. But how could she when her body responded to him so strongly?

  Would it be so wrong to let herself enjoy it? After all, the damage was already done. She couldn’t exactly rewind time and take back what she’d done last night. And when he looked at her like that, she couldn’t remember why she’d even wanted to.

  She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “I have no intention of living a boring, conventional life. I have big plans and big dreams.”

  He leaned forward as well, almost close enough to kiss. Over the rich aroma of the food, she caught a hint of his cologne—the same scent that had kept her aroused all morning. Pushing her plate away, she licked her lips, wanting to taste him. Yearning for him to kiss her like he had last night.

  “You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met, Angel.”

  “That’s a good thing, right?”

  “Do you need to ask?” His eyes traced the shape of her lips as though he was imagining kissing her. Heat pumped through her veins. “Can’t you tell how much you turn me on?”

  She swallowed. Suddenly she wasn’t hungry anymore – not for cannelloni. Instead she had a throbbing need between her legs. Even the fact she hadn’t finished outlining her plan for what she’d change if she became General Manager wasn’t enough to dampen it.

  “Let’s go back to my hotel,” he said.

  The suggestion sent a thrill of anticipation through her. But she couldn’t just blow off work for the afternoon, not even if she was with the CEO. “If I don’t go back to the office, Bruce will want to know where I am.” He might only be the acting General Manager, but Bruce liked to assert his authority by controlling her every movement.

  Without taking his eyes off hers, Marcus picked up his phone and dialed. “Bruce? Yes, it’s Marcus. I’m going to spend the afternoon looking at more properties. Angel’s offered to show me around the ones she manages.” He paused. “I’m flying back on Sunday, but I’ll meet you in the office tomorrow morning to finish up with the figures.” Another pause. “That’s right. Let’s make it nine o’clock, and we’ll keep it informal. All that’s left is to go over the budget for the coming year. It won’t take more than a couple of hours.”

  He was still planning to talk budgets with Bruce. Bad sign. “Wouldn’t you rather go over the figures with me?” she asked when he hung up. “Numbers are my super power.”

  “Angel, I’ve already told you I can’t give you the General Manager’s job.”

  So she hadn’t convinced him yet. That didn’t mean she wouldn’t. Maybe they should stay here so she could tell him her vision for Cross Corporation’s Sydney Branch. But the way he made her ache for him was too much of a distraction. She couldn’t think straight when he looked at her with desire so clear in his eyes.

  He leaned forward and gently stroked a strand of hair back from her face, tucking it behind her ear. “Shall we go?”

  Angel closed her eyes a moment, waging a silent war with herself. A war she didn’t want to admit had been lost as soon as his breath had caressed her skin. There’ll be time afterward to convince him. “Yes,” she murmured.

  Her heart beat faster the closer they got to his hotel, and its speed had nothing to do with the brisk pace of their walking. When they got inside the elevator, he caught her around the waist and kissed her. The surge of wanting that pulsed through her as his tongue claimed hers made her glad he was supporting her. When the elevator doors opened on the top floor, he took her h
and. “Come on.” They walked quickly down the hall to his room, and she smiled when she saw his hard-on was leading the way, pushing out the front of his pants.

  He unlocked his door and swept her inside. She barely had time to glance around and notice how luxurious his suite was before he was kissing her again, his mouth hungry. He unzipped her skirt and it fell to the floor. There was an office desk near the entrance and he pushed aside the telephone and some stationery before lifting her to sit on it.

  What was it with him and desks? Mind you, his suite was so enormous, the bedroom was probably a long way to go. And she definitely wouldn’t complain about a repeat of last night’s desk session.

  He moved between her thighs, kissing her neck and running his hands over her breasts. Tugging at the buttons on his shirt, she felt one fly off. Oops.

  “Sorry, you lost a button.”

  He drew back and shot her a half-smiling look, then ripped his shirt right open. The rest of the buttons flew in all directions.

  She laughed. “Guess that fixes that.” Shame about your very nice Armani shirt biting the dust. But damn, you’ve got a nice chest. And what were those muscles called that ran downward in a V shape from his abs and disappeared into his pants? She loved those muscles. They pointed towards a trail she wanted to follow.

  He dropped the remains of his shirt on the floor, then went for her blouse.

  “I’ve been waiting for this,” he said. “Not that the bra you wore yesterday wasn’t incredibly sexy, but I’ve spent all day imagining you naked.” Impatient with the buttons, he lifted her arms to tug her blouse off over her head. Then he unclasped her bra and drew it off.

  When he gazed at her she swallowed, fighting the urge to cover herself. Last night she’d kept her bra on. But today with the curtains open and sun streaming in, there was no hiding the facts. Without support her breasts hung lower than she’d like. No doubt he was used to skinny women with small, polite tah-tahs that were no more than a handful each, and nipples that pointed coyly at the ceiling. Hers were as subtle as battering rams.

  “Beautiful,” he murmured. He teased her nipples between thumb and forefinger, and stroked the round fullness of her breasts. The man was a mind reader. He knew what she wanted to hear and, oh yes, he knew exactly how to touch her.

  Then he tugged her panties off and stepped back. “Open your legs. I want to taste you.”

  When she obeyed, he dropped to his knees. The first touch of his tongue on her sex sent an electric shock jolting through her and she jerked back.

  He lifted his head. “Okay?”

  “Yes. Sorry. Just a bit sensitive.”

  He moved in back in, but much slower this time, kissing the skin of her inner thighs and blowing his warm breath across her until she squirmed on the desk, frantic for more. She opened her legs wide and fisted her hands in his hair to pull his mouth against her.

  His tongue grazed over her, then lapped more urgently. Ohmigod. She felt ready to explode in his mouth. Would he think there was something wrong with her if she orgasmed too quickly?

  She tried pushing his head away, but her grip was weak, and his licking too insistent. Then her climax was surging through her and she couldn’t think of anything else for what felt like a very long time.

  He gently sucked the moisture from her as the sensation faded, then stood up. “I’ll get a condom.”

  She sagged weakly against the wall behind her, watching him stride off. Why did he still have his trousers on, when she was sitting spread-eagled on his desk, stark-freaking-naked? That was hardly fair. But she felt too good to move. To wrung out to even close her legs. Silly to be self-conscious when he’s just had his face between my thighs, anyway. Let him look.

  But when he came out of the bathroom, she straightened her back. The one thing she wouldn’t let him see was the way her breasts sagged and her belly stuck out when she was slumped over. No way. Not when his own stomach was hard with muscle.

  “Now, where were we?” He moved between her legs, unbuttoning his trousers and pushing them down.

  “We were definitely here,” she murmured, taking hold of his shaft and sliding her hand up and down to watch his expression of pleasure.

  He ripped open the condom, and she held out one hand for it. “Let me.”

  She unrolled it over him slowly, taking her time to prolong the anticipation of what was to come. His shaft jerked under her touch as though it had a life of its own and was getting impatient.

  Finally it was on, and he took control again, moving her hand aside so he could position himself and push into her.

  The sensation forced a groan of pleasure from her, and she dug her fingers into his waist. When he thrust into her again, she found herself pulling him, encouraging him. Not that he needed urging. His breath was hot, gusting against her ear, and he lifted her thighs to deepen his angle.

  There was something hard under her butt. She shifted and heard a loud dial tone, then the sound of a phone dialing.

  Marcus hesitated. “What’s that?” A moment later he answered his own question. “Shit. The telephone.” Without pulling out of her, he tugged her forward a little, away from it. “You must have hit the redial button.”

  “Hello? Marcus?”

  Her eyes widened and she stared at Marcus in horror at the hated voice booming out from under her naked butt. “It’s Bruce,” she whispered. “On speaker phone.”

  Instead of pulling out of her like she expected, Marcus thrust into her again, and she couldn’t bite back her cry of pleasure.

  “Marcus? Are you there?”

  “Hang up,” he murmured, pushing into her again.

  She scrambled blindly behind her, searching for a button that would disconnect the call. Where was it? Marcus wasn’t pausing in his strokes, and she could hardly think with the feeling of ecstasy building inside her again.

  Ohmigod, could Bruce have recognized my voice when I cried out?

  “Marcus, we’ve got a very bad line. I can’t hear you.” Bruce paused, then chuckled. “Weird thing is, the interference on the line sounds like heavy breathing. Can you hear me? Want me to call you back?”

  Marcus’s mouth went to her breast and he sucked her nipple to a hard point. She bit her lip, fighting not to make any noise.

  “Marcus?”

  Thank heavens, her hand landed on the phone. Now she just had to find the right button. Somehow.

  “Okay, mate. I’ll call you back.” Bruce hung up and the sound of the disconnect tone was suddenly loud.

  Angel pulled her hand back up so she could dig her fingers into Marcus’s shoulder. Too bad about the sound. She was coming, ready or not.

  Marcus followed her a moment later, his groans mingling with hers.

  As her heart slowed and her breathing went back to normal, the phone’s annoying beeping seemed to get louder. Was Bruce trying to dial Marcus’s suite? She had a sudden image of Bruce’s puzzled frown as he got a busy signal. He was probably wondering why his boss had called from his hotel suite when they were supposed to be out looking at properties. Oh crap. Hopefully he didn’t figure it out.

  Marcus kissed her. “Would you see if you can stop that noise?” he asked.

  “Sure.” She swiveled around so she could see the phone. Instead of hanging up, she turned the speaker off, then hit the Do Not Disturb button. Last thing she wanted was for Bruce to actually get through.

  Marcus crossed to the bathroom to get rid of the condom and his cellphone started ringing faintly, muffled under his discarded clothes. Bruce, no doubt. It was quiet enough that Marcus probably couldn’t hear it, and without giving herself time to think better of it, she quickly felt for his phone and pulled it free. Yup, Bruce. She silenced the volume. Could she figure out a way to block his calls completely?

  He’s coming back. She stuffed the phone back in Marcus’s pants, pretending she was picking up her bra and panties as Marcus emerged from the bathroom. He smiled, and her heart slowed its guilty thudding. He hadn’t see
n her and she’d managed to mute his phone, if nothing else. If only she could get rid of Bruce from the rest of her life that easily.

  Marcus reached for his pants and pulled them on. She hesitated, unsure whether to follow his lead. Did he want her to leave? No, she had to stay. She had to convince him to give her the job before he went back to New York, and he was leaving the day after tomorrow.

  Besides, she wasn’t about to shag and run. He may not be interested in sharing anything but sex, but that wasn’t her style. Dammit, she liked him. He was interesting, and smart, and incredibly hot. She wasn’t going to run off and pretend what they’d just done didn’t mean anything.

  “Feel like a drink?” she suggested, fastening her bra.

  “I need to check in with Laura.”

  Who’s Laura? She opened her mouth to ask, then remembered his ‘off limits’ expression when he’d said he didn’t date, and shut it again. Maybe she really didn’t mean a thing to him, and he’d just been scratching an itch.

  He finished buttoning his pants, then checked his watch and shrugged. “Actually, because this is a flying visit my schedule is fairly light. Why don’t you grab us some drinks from the kitchen, while I make a couple of calls?”

  She felt a slow smile start in her belly and work its way up to her lips. “Okay.” She tugged on her panties and walked towards the kitchen. A full-sized kitchen in a hotel room? Crazy. “What do you feel like?”

  “Just a soda.”

  The only hotels she’d ever stayed in had either a tiny fridge tucked into a cupboard, or nothing at all. This one had an enormous double fridge-freezer. And when she opened it, the array of items inside made her blink. “Wow,” she muttered under her breath. “I could totally move in.”

  “What’s that?”

  She turned with a giant magnum of champagne and held it up in both hands. “Sure you only want a soda? Or shall we fill the bath with this and splash around in it?”

  He grinned. He wore just his trousers, and with his muscled physique silhouetted against the window, he looked like a boxer headed for the ring. Only instead of boxing gloves, he had his cellphone in one hand and an electronic tablet in the other. If only Business Weekly could see him now. He’d make the cover for sure.