Table of Contents
1. My Stepbrother’s Plaything
2. Stephanie & Washington, An MOB Romance
3. Marly and Rick, an MOB Romance
4. Fausto and the Nolan Brothers, A Mail Order Bride Romance
5. Michaela and Raya, an MOB Romance
6. Emily’s Desire
7. The Alpha Lion's Playmate
8. The Auctioned Lion Dom
9. Stuffed and Creamed by the Billionaire Alpha Werebear
10. The Billionaire Rancher's Unexpected Baby
11. Stephanie’s Unexpected Baby
12. Conceived at her Bachelorette Party
13. Mail Order Lies
14. Bridgette, Maggie and Jack, A Babysitter Romance
15. QUINCY, A Bad Boy MC Romance
16. RUTHLESS, Sons of Silence
17. Protector, Immortal Rebels MC
18. Examining Her Purity, a Medical Romance
19. Exposed by the Doctor & Her Nurse, a Medical Ménage Romance
20. Dr. Dale Takes Laura’s Innocence
21. Undressed by Dr. Ryan
22. Too Tight for the Doctor
23. Humiliated at the Doctor’s Office
1. My Stepbrother’s Plaything
By: Annie Valentine
My Stepbrother’s Plaything
© Annie Valentine, 2016 – All rights reserved
Published by Steamy Reads4U
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events are purely coincidental. This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.
This book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please return it to the seller and purchase a copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.
Warning
This book contains graphic content intended for readers 18+ years old.
If you are under 18 years old, or are not comfortable with adult content, please close this book now.
CHAPTER ONE
Christina Bradford’s low heels clicked on the linoleum as she moved curiously down the hall like a wide-eyed kid in a candy factory. Her escort from the lobby, a woman whose name and title she’d already forgotten, was busy pointing out different areas and different individuals without actually introducing her.
Christina tried her best to look serious and professional, but her heart was beating a thousand miles per minute.
This was Pearl Magazine, after all: one of the top fashion and lifestyle magazines in the city. Pearl ran a variety of stories targeting women of all ages. And as an intern, she would get to work with columnists, designers, editors, and marketing experts.
This internship was a dream come true. She wanted to write. She wanted to design. But more than anything, before this internship was over, she wanted to have her own column.
Her escort led her into a small office where a pleasant looking young man wearing a fitted blue suit and stylish red bowtie sat fiddling with his iPhone. When he saw them standing at the door he tossed the phone on the desk and smiled.
“Hi, Phyllis, is this out new intern?”
“Yes, sir, she’s the new intern for Mr. Jones on the third floor. She’s already completed her paperwork, so Jane from HR asked that I bring her to you.”
“Fantastic,” he said, rubbing his hands together. He came around the desk and shook Christina’s hand. “Josh Morrison. I’m in charge of our intern program. Nice to meet you.”
Christina snapped out of her daydream and reached out to shake Morrison’s hand. His eyes lingered a bit too long on her face, and she could tell that his curiosity wasn’t strictly professional. But that was okay. She knew that it would take some work to show that there was actually some intelligence underneath the pretty wrapping.
She’d hit puberty the summer before high school. Not only did she finally grow into her long legs, but at twenty-three, she’d also blossomed in other areas as well.
Her long blonde hair, baby blue eyes, and naturally creamy skin were more of a curse than a blessing sometimes, though her mother said she would thank her lucky stars for them once she learned to use them to her advantage. Few people took her seriously, and she felt like she had to work extra hard in life just to have her voice heard.
If Josh Morrison was impressed by her firm handshake or her constant eye contact, he didn’t let on. He gave her a brief smile before heading down the hall. Christina could almost hear what he was thinking. Another cute blonde college girl hoping to be discovered in the fashion world.
She sighed and fell in behind him. She was getting ready to graduate college with a 4.0 GPA, and she’d earned this internship, beating out over fifty other applicants, so the HR lady said.
She’d be damned if she didn’t leave this job without at least one job offer within the company.
“Okay, here we go,” Morrison said he led her into the elevator. “The editorial and marketing departments have the entire third floor. Jones should be waiting for you. Any questions so far?”
“No. I’m just trying to take it all in right now,” Christina said honestly. “I’m sure I’ll have tons of questions once I get started.”
He gave her a sympathetic smile. “It’s a big company, and most of our interns always feel a little lost when they get started. That’s normal.”
Christina nodded and bit her lip nervously when the elevator doors opened. The third floor was an open space of dark wood set against white walls and white linoleum. Instead of individual desks or tiny cubicles, one piece of custom desktop curved and flowed throughout the room to provide a connected working space for everyone. It was more a work of art than furniture.
“Oh my gosh, this is amazing,” she gushed.
He laughed. “Supposedly the design inspires creativity, though some of the old guard in the editorial and marketing departments would probably argue the fact. We actually hired a hotshot interior designers a couple of years ago to revamp the space,” he made air quotes with his fingers, “for maximum creativity. I’m not sure it worked. I like personally like a little privacy, but I’m not a creative.”
“Does everyone sit out in the open?” she asked, looking around. There were probably a few dozen people milling around the space, some sitting at computers, some in groups in front of whiteboards, some passing a football back and forth; in a creative manner, of course.
Morrison shook his head. “Not everyone. The managers have offices.” He shook his head as they passed the football game. “Most of them have outgrown this kind of stuff.”
She followed him through the space until they came to a corner office. Morrison gestured at a woman stationed at the desk in front of the office door. “Maria, this is Christina, Mr. Jones’ new intern.”
The woman eyed them both and bit her lip nervously. “But Mr. Jones’ new intern started yesterday,” the woman said, offering them confused smile.
Morrison frowned. “What?”
“The new intern started yesterday.” She pointed at a young lady standing with a group half way across the room. “Anna Corelli, that’s her there.”
Morrison rubbed his chin and made a face that caused Christina to hold her breath. Wa
s her internship ending before it had even begun? “I’m not sure how that happened, since I’m supposed to be in charge of the intern program.”
Morrison saw the concerned look on Christina’s face. He picked up the phone on the woman’s desk and punched in a number. He turned his back and spoke quietly for a minute, then hung up the phone and smiled.
“OK, so, it looks like there’s been of a bit of a mix-up,” he said with an embarrassed sigh. “HR accidently hired two interns for this position.”
Christina felt her heart sink. She bit her lip to force back the tears. She said, “Oh, OK, I understand.”
Morrison waved his hands at her. “Don’t worry, this was our mistake. You’re not out of a position. You’re just going to be working with another group.”
“Will I still be able be involved in the editorial process?” she asked anxiously. The whole internship would be a bust if she were moved to a different department that had nothing to do with career path.
“Yes, you’ll just be working with a different creative group. Follow me.”
He smiled tightly at her and moved across the floor. Anxiety curled in her belly as she hurried to keep up. Maybe these high heels weren’t such a good idea after all.
Across the room, he stopped at another station manned by a slender red head with a big smile. Morrison said, “Beth, this is Christina Bradford, our new intern. I was hoping she could work with Mr. Powers’ team for the summer.”
Christina frowned. She knew the name Powers well… No way, couldn’t be…
The red head rose from behind the desk and stuck out her hand. “Christina, I’m Desiree, Mr. Powers’ assistant. I’m afraid we weren’t expecting you due to the mix-up. Give me just a moment and let me see if Mr. Powers can see you now.”
“That won’t be necessary, Desiree,” a familiar voice said as the door behind her opened. Even before she turned around, Christina made the connection between the voice and the name.
Mr. Powers.
Lucas Powers.
She turned slowly to stare at him. She’d seen him only sporadically over the past six years, and because of school she hadn’t seen him at all in the past year, but nothing about him had changed.
Lucas still had the angular chin and high cheekbones. Those dark chocolate eyes were just as she remembered, and these days he was sporting some well-manicured stubble across his chin. It looked good on him. Who was she kidding: everything looked good on Lucas Powers; especially her.
Those sensual lips played out into a tight smile when they finally made eye contact. She tried desperately to push away the memories of her nights with him.
She didn’t want to think about that muscular figure that hid under his suit or the way her skin had tingled at his touch. She’d been just a teenager. Things were different now.
Desperately, she prayed that he would keep things professional. If he treated her like a seventeen year old, she knew she would just die.
“Miss Bradford,” he said softly as he stuck out her hand. “Welcome to Pearl Magazine.”
She sighed softly in relief, and he smiled as though he knew exactly what was going on.
“Mr. Powers,” she said in her most professional voice.
The internship was just for six weeks. She could handle that. She could pretend that her new boss wasn’t her stepbrother.
And that she hadn’t lusted after him for six years.
CHAPTER TWO
Lucas did his best to hide his true feelings. His whole world stopped two minutes ago when the email from HR came informing him that an intern had been assigned to him at the last minute.
That was fine with him. He could use all the help he could get and this one sounded like a winner. The intern was a senior at the local university, top of her class in design and marketing. He had been thoroughly impressed by her resume until his eyes landed on her name.
He’d nearly fallen off his chair. Christina Bradford. Six years ago they met for the first time. She was the beautiful teenage daughter of his father’s new bride, Shelby.
Christina was seventeen, spoiled, careless, and the wet dream of every teenage boy. And apparently, a few twenty-two-year-olds as well… He’d been ridiculously embarrassed by his body’s reaction to the nubile teenager and tried to ignore her at all cost. In the six years of their parents’ marriage, he’d seen her only a few times each year. Holidays. Birthdays. One funeral.
And now she’d be working under him for the next six weeks.
With him -- not under him, dammit! God, he couldn’t be thinking of her under him. He cleared his throat and extended a hand.
“Why don’t you step into my office, Miss Bradford, and we’ll discuss just what you’re hoping to get out of this internship.”
There was a shock in her eyes as she moved stiffly into his office. He gave Morrison and the secretary a smile, then closed his door softly.
“Thanks for that,” he said with a long sigh. “I don’t want our past relationship to affect your internship here. Your time here will look great on a resume.”
“I appreciate that,” she said, looking around the office rather than into his eyes. “I thought you worked for Martin Media.”
He perched on his desk and studied her. She’d truly blossomed in the past few years. Gone was the fresh face of innocence. What stood before him now, carefully dressed in a professional suit, was an intelligent young woman eager to make an impression on the world.
And yet he still couldn’t help but wonder how she’d react if he slid his fingers under her dress.
“Martin Media wasn’t quite what I had in mind for career. They overwork their writers and designers and take all the credit,” Lucas said with a frown. “Pearl believes in growth and teamwork. I made the switch two years ago. I thought you knew. I mentioned it at Thanksgiving.”
She flushed. “I must have forgotten.”
“If I recall, you were obsessed with someone named Trent or Dent or Dick,” he said thoughtfully, mocking her. “You were devastated that he couldn’t come to dinner with you, as I recall.”
“Devastated is an overstatement,” she muttered.
“There was some crying involved,” he said, smiling at the memory.
“Okay, that is not how a new boss is supposed to act,” she snapped. “Weren’t we supposed to talk about what I want out of an internship?”
“Still bossy and spoiled,” he said under his breath.
“Excuse me?” she said, perfect eyebrows raised.
“Never mind.” He flashed the golden smile that first drew her to him. He motioned toward a chair in front of the desk and waited for her to sit.
He said, “So let’s talk. Pearl seems like an interesting choice for a design major. Most of our interns are writers.”
Christina shrugged. “I’m a big fan of the magazine. I thought I could get some advertising, layout, design, and marketing experience here. I’m also interested in the editorial side. I do write, you know.”
“So in other words, you don’t know what you want.”
“Don’t be a dick, Lucas,” she snapped.
“You mean, don’t be a dick, Mr. Powers.”
She resisted the urge to smile. She was not going to give him the satisfaction of besting her. She shrugged and said, “I just want to do a lot of things. Is that so bad?”
He gave her a serious look and shook his head, though he was grinning like the Cheshire Cat on the inside. Her outburst excited him; that flash of anger turning her crystal blue eyes dark and stormy.
He was less than a foot from her, sitting on the edge of the desk with his arms folded over his chest. He said, “No, it’s not bad at all. You’re young, and it’s good that you want to keep your options open. This internship might actually help you figure things out. We can split your time between editorial, marketing, and design, if you like.”
Her beautiful face beamed. Before he knew it, she was out of the chair and throwing her hands around his neck. He immediately put up his hand
s as she slid her body over him. Her curves pressed against him in all the right places, and desire licked at his skin as he struggled to keep from touching her. This was ridiculous. How was he still harboring such a strong lust for her when he hadn’t even seen her in a year?
“Christina, you can’t do that. I’m your boss,” he said, putting his hands on her shoulders to push her back. He nervously looked toward the door. “They don’t condone that sort of thing here.”
She stepped back quickly and covered her flushing cheeks with her hands. “Right, I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me.”
“It’s OK, I know you’re excited… I mean… Shit, you know what I mean.”
She knew exactly what he meant… and he was right. She was excited in more ways than one. She could feel the wet spot in her panties as she sat back down.
He blew out his breath and stepped around the desk to put some space between them. If she kept pulling tricks like this, this internship wouldn’t last long at all. Reaching into his desk, he pulled out his envelope.
“Okay, unfortunately, most interns just get coffee and run errands. But if you keep your eyes peeled, you’ll probably learn a few things. Impress me, and I’ll make sure you get to do a bit more than just dull gopher work.”
“Thank you, Mr. Powers… Sir.”
She gave him the look that always brought a twinge to his groin.
He handed the packet to her. “This is a new employee packet. It includes the employee handbook. Read it over tonight; particularly the part about employee fraternization.”
“Okay.” She reached out and grabbed it. “Now what?”
He nodded to the empty white coffee cup with the Pearl logo on the side. “Now, you get me some coffee.”
He waited for her to argue, but she got to her feet with a smile and gave him a mock salute. “I’m going to be the best intern you’ve ever had, Lucas. I promise. I’ve grown up. I won’t let you down.”
“You need to call me Mr. Powers while we’re at work,” he said, picking up a pen and scribbling it on the desk pad. “And I’m sure you’re going to do great.”
Romance: My Stepbrother's Plaything Page 1
