Taking Control: A Billionaire Boss Romance (Playboys of New York Book 4)

by JA Low

  “I think I’ve got it from here, EJ,” she dismisses me. “I think I’ve taken about all the embarrassment one person can take for the night.”

  “Stell, you have nothing to be embarrassed about,” I try to tell her.

  “My boss has seen my boobs, my panties, and who the hell knows what else. I think I’ve taken enough hits, thanks.” As soon as she says the word ‘hit,’ we both burst out laughing.

  “I think I’m the one that took the literal hit.” I give her a megawatt smile.

  “Fine. Go.” She waves me off.

  “Fine.” Rolling my eyes, I say, “Call me if you need anything, and I mean anything.” I’m being a little flirty, and I know it.

  “EJ,” she squeals and throws her panties at me. The black lace hits my chest, and I grab hold of them.

  “Oh, thanks. A memento of our time together. Perfect. Well, sleep tight,” I tell her as I head to the door.

  “EJ,” Stella screams again. “Bring my underwear back here right now.”

  “Nope.” Shaking my head, I give her another huge grin as I close the door to her bedroom with a chuckle, and I hear a slew of curses behind me.

  9

  Stella

  I hurl every curse word I can muster at the closed bedroom door EJ just left through. I think I’m in shock.

  What the hell just happened? EJ’s checked me out, fell and split his eye open, and then there was the stealing of my underwear. I’m so confused by his actions all of a sudden.

  Slowly, I get dressed and roll into bed. I pull up the comforter, and moments later, I’m out from exhaustion.

  “Where are you taking me?” I ask EJ as we hurtle through the Las Vegas desert in his car.

  “I’m taking you away from Dan. He doesn’t deserve you, Stella. No one can love you as much as I do. Give me a chance. Give us a chance.” He reaches over and kisses my hand. Goosebumps lace my skin at the touch of his lips.

  “Do you have any idea how long I have waited for you to see me as something more than your assistant?” I ask him as butterflies take flight in my stomach.

  “I know, Stell. I’m a blind fool. You have been right there under my nose all this time, and I’ve been too stupid to realize.” He gives me a heated grin. “I promise you I’m going to make up for all our wasted time. I love you, Stella. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

  I can’t believe he’s finally seeing me as the one he loves just like I love him. I don’t think I could be any happier than I am at this moment.

  “I love you, EJ,” I confess, squeezing his hand in mine.

  “I love you, too, Stella.”

  Then everything goes black.

  When I open my eyes again, the car is a crumpled mess.

  EJ is slumped over the steering wheel, blood dripping down his face.

  “EJ. EJ.” I shake him, but he doesn’t move. “Please wake up,” I scream through my tears. The car begins to fill with blood until I’m unable to breathe and begin to drown.

  “Stella. Stella.” Someone is shaking me. “Stella, wake up. You’re having a nightmare.” My eyes open, and the room is dark. I gasp for air a couple of times and realize I’m not drowning. “You’re safe. I’ve got you.” EJ has wrapped his strong arms around me and is holding me tightly. He’s reassuring me that I’m safe.

  I bury my face into his hard chest while his warmth seeps through me.

  He’s not dead.

  “Stells, you okay?” I shake my head against his chest. “You’re safe. I’ve got you.” He places a couple of chaste kisses against my head. “Want to talk about it?”

  “We were in a car crash. I couldn’t get you to respond. Then the car filled with blood, and I drowned,” I say through hiccups and tears.

  “I’m safe. You’re safe. It was just a dream,” he tells me over and over again while rocking me in his arms. “I’m not leaving you anytime soon, okay?”

  I look up into his handsome face as his thumb rubs the tears away from my cheeks.

  “You can’t get rid of me that easily.” He gives me a solemn smile.

  “I can’t lose you, EJ,” I confess.

  “You won’t. I promise.” He leans forward and kisses my cheek ever so gently, lighting my skin on fire. I suck in a deep breath as my body becomes alive. Goosebumps trail up and down my skin as his lips move from one cheek to the other. EJ’s strong hands grip my face. Our eyes meet, and everything shifts between us.

  Sexual tension enters the room.

  Our eyes stay locked on each other as if mesmerized.

  There is a pull between us that I’m unable to stop as we both move toward each other. Closing the distance slowly, and as if neither one of us have control over our bodies, EJ’s lips meet mine, and blinding heat fills my body.

  My mouth opens on its own accord for him, as if I have has been waiting for this moment for eternity. The first swipe of his tongue against mine pulls a deep-seated groan from me. EJ pushes his body against mine, and I feel his hardness against my own softness. I’m lost in the darkness and heat of this kiss.

  A kiss that should not be happening.

  It’s as if I’m having some out-of-body experience—a spectator in this scenario.

  EJ’s hand moves from my cheek to my breast, and I cover his large hand while he palms my breast. White-hot heat pools between my legs—something I’ve never experienced before. His nimble fingers find my hardening nipples through the sheer fabric, and he rolls them.

  Oh my…

  My back arches greedily into his touch.

  EJ continues until I’m a squirming mess under him.

  “You have no idea how long I have wanted to kiss you, Stella,” EJ confesses as his lips move to my neck, his teeth sinking into the tender flesh there.

  What the hell am I doing?

  “Stop, EJ. Stop! Get off me.” I push at his hard body while my chest heaves. My lips are swollen from his searing kisses. “I’m not a cheater, EJ. I told you that. I told you…” I hiccup on my emotions.

  “I thought…” He rakes his hand through his hair, looking utterly confused. “I thought you wanted it. Wanted me.”

  “No. I don’t. Why would I?”

  EJ’s face falls. I’ve wounded him with that last barb.

  “I’m so sorry I read the signs wrong, Stells. Truly, I am.” EJ moves away from me as quickly as he can. “I didn’t mean to take advantage of you during your time of need. That was selfish of me.”

  Damn! Now, I feel like a real bitch.

  “I kissed you back.” Biting my lip. “I—”

  EJ shakes his head, effectively cutting me off. “You were vulnerable and seeking comfort… that was all.” And with those words, he walks out of my room, and I dissolve into one big mess.

  What the hell have I done?

  I couldn’t get back to sleep after what happened last night. I watch as the night sky turns from inky black to gray to orange, and the light begins to stream through the window. I turn and grab my phone to check the time, and it’s 6:34 a.m. My eyes are puffy from all the tears I shed during the night.

  What did I do?

  My hand touches my lips.

  Why did I kiss EJ?

  “Fuck,” I say out loud and then thump my fist against the bed. How am I ever going to look at EJ, or even Dan for that matter, in the eye again? How did EJ light my body on fire like that so quickly?

  When Dan kisses me, my body doesn’t respond in that way.

  Shaking my wayward thoughts from my head, I will not think about EJ and his luscious lips, or his strong hands, or how he bites my lips, or remember the way he touched my nipples. Never in my life did I think I could almost come from the rough handling of my nipples.

  This isn’t fair.

  Years…

  For years I’ve waited for him to see me as something more.

  “You have no idea how long I have wanted to kiss you, Stella.” EJ’s declaration spins on loop in my mind.

  What the hell does that m
ean?

  My bladder makes itself known. So, I sit up and contemplate how on earth I’m going to get from this bed to the bathroom without having to call out to EJ for help. After last night, there is no way in hell I will be asking for his help again. I throw off the covers and swing my legs over the edge. I need crutches or something to lean on, so I don’t put any weight on my injured leg.

  Looking around the room, trying to think of something that might work, it’s then I see a baseball bat. Yes, I’ll use that. I grab the wooden bat and slowly place my weight on my leg by taking a couple of tentative steps. My leg hurts, but I think I might be able to bear it. I shuffle again and again until I get into some kind of rhythm.

  I can do this.

  Shuffling a little bit more, I finally make it and crash down against the toilet seat, which will probably leave a bruise.

  I did it.

  I feel triumphant.

  I do my business and wash my hands. Grabbing the bat again, I shuffle my way out of the bathroom. As I reach the bed, my bedroom door flies open, and a panicked looking EJ is there.

  “What the hell are you doing?” he questions. He’s wearing low-slung, gray pajama pants that don’t leave anything to your imagination, especially as he isn’t wearing any underwear. His bronzed six-pack chest is on display, every corded muscle tensed. His brown hair is a disheveled mess, and a five o’clock shadow sits across his square jaw. He looks good for so early in the morning.

  I’m in so much trouble.

  10

  EJ

  What the hell was I thinking kissing Stella like that? I heard her screaming my name out in the middle of the night, and I went to comfort her. The next thing I knew, I was kissing her. My brain must have short-circuited or something because I practically blacked out from the ecstasy of being able to touch her, feeling her soft body underneath mine and her pert nipples begging for more. I don’t think I’m ever going to forget the sounds she made as my fingers plucked them.

  The flush of the toilet in my apartment gains my attention. What the hell? She better not be trying to move without my help. I jump out of bed and rush across the hall to her. Rounding the corner, I see her stumbling with a fricking baseball bat.

  “What the hell are you doing?” My voice raises in worry.

  “I was just using the bathroom. Is that okay?” She gives me a snarky tone.

  “No. It’s not.” Is she trying to make me lose my shit? “You could have fallen. You should have called me. I would have helped you.”

  “After last night, the last thing I want is for something else to happen.” She can’t look at me as she speaks the words.

  “Do you feel uncomfortable around me now?” I ask with concern that I’ve fucked everything up.

  She shakes her head, indicating no.

  “Do you want to talk about what happened last night?”

  “Nope,” she answers quickly—too quickly. “As far as I’m concerned, nothing happened.”

  That hurts. It must show on my face because her look softens.

  “I’m embarrassed, EJ. It shouldn’t have happened. How the hell am I going to face Dan?”

  “Fuck Dan,” I mumble under my breath.

  “What’s your problem with him?” she asks.

  “He’s not right for you,” I tell her honestly.

  “Why? Because he’s a stripper?” she questions.

  “No. I think he’s using you.” Dan is an opportunist, of that much I am certain.

  “Using me? I’m not rich like you, EJ,” Stells shouts.

  “You’re successful, though. What is his plan for the future? Or is stripping going to be his career? Are you and he going to live the suburban life in Jersey for the rest of your lives?”

  “For your information, he is saving to open a gym. He’s finishing off his PT studies, and…” She continues to rattle off all her reasons why she’s defending him.

  “Has he asked you to invest in his business?”

  She falls silent for a couple of beats.

  That fucker has. I knew it! I know he’s a slime ball.

  “He hasn’t asked me for money,” she hisses.

  “But you’ve helped him?”

  “Of course. Dan’s my boyfriend. My partner. I don’t expect New York’s playboy to understand the concept of a loving, monogamous relationship.”

  “Hardly think your relationship is monogamous after last night.” I throw back the kiss in her face.

  “Get out,” she screams. “Get out of my room.” As angry tears well in her eyes but nothing falls down her cheeks, I know I have gone too far.

  Fuck, I’m an idiot.

  “Stella,” my voice softens.

  She shakes her head, and I know she doesn’t want to listen to me.

  “Stell. Please. I’m sorry… that last comment was below the belt. I wasn’t trying to start anything. I’m simply worried about you. That’s all.”

  She looks up at me, and I can see so much anger behind her eyes, which is directly squared at me.

  “You are happy for me to go through your multi-million-dollar contracts. You trust me to guide you in the right direction for your business. But you’re saying I can’t do that for Dan because you disapprove of him?”

  “I trust you with my life, Stella,” I reply. “And yes, you should be able to give your partner free advice and help them follow their dreams. But I’m worried that once Dan’s found his dreams, it won’t include you.” My words have taken her aback. I can tell by her wide eyes and her open mouth.

  “So.”

  That’s the only response she has for me?

  “You deserve more than being someone’s steppingstone,” I tell her.

  “What am I to you, then?”

  Now I’m on the back foot. “What does that mean?”

  “The only difference between Dan and you is that you’re paying me to help you reach your dreams?”

  “I don’t understand how this is turning into an argument about dreams?” I run my hand through my hair in frustration.

  “You started it with your hatred of Dan,” she yells at me.

  “Fine,” I yell back at her. “From here on out, I won’t interfere with your relationship ever again.”

  “Good. Because I never asked for your input anyway.” It’s breaking my heart that I’m hurting her like this.

  “I was just trying to help,” I tell her, feeling defeated.

  “Well, you’re not.” Stella glares at me, and if looks could kill, I would be stone-cold dead right about now.

  “Okay, then.” Letting out a sigh, I continue, “I’m going to go get us some breakfast and give you some time to chill out.”

  “Me. Me, chill out,” she yells back.

  I’ve never seen Stella so angry before and never with me. The next thing I know, there’s a thump against my back. What the hell? Turning around, I see Stella’s phone is on the floor. Her chest is heaving, and even she looks shocked by her actions. I bend down to retrieve her phone and walk out of the room.

  How the hell did that go so pear-shaped so quickly?

  What the hell was I thinking bringing up Dan. Did you expect that she would dump him after last night? Maybe. Just a little. What a fucking fool.

  I busy myself in the kitchen, making blueberry pancakes with maple bacon for Stella—her favorite. I’ve also sent out for her coffee. I need to smooth things over. The dynamics of our relationship has changed. There is something between us, something she denies herself because of Douchebag Dan and some perceived loyalty to him. I bet he hasn’t been faithful to her. He’s probably off fucking around with all the stripper groupies that follow his show. He doesn’t deserve Stella.

  And you do? Well, no.

  That thought stops me in my tracks.

  Noah and Logan’s words come back to me. “If you’re not ready to commit, then leave Stella alone.”

  Am I ready to commit to something with Stella? I mean, I would be taking a significant risk.

  O
ne—she’s my employee.

  Two—she’s my sister’s best friend.

  Three—she’s my friend too.

  Four—I would miss the hell out of her if she weren’t in my life.

  I’m saved by the bell from my raging thoughts.

  The doorman knocks, I answer, and he hands me my coffee order. I place the cups on the kitchen table, along with the mountain of pancakes and bacon I’ve cooked. I’ve squeezed fresh orange juice into two glasses. I grab Stella’s phone, which she threw at me—yeah, not going to lie, that shocked the shit out of me—and I head back to her room. Tentatively, I poke my head around the corner and find Stella curled up in a ball crying.

  Holy hell! Did I break Stella?

  11

  Stella

  “Stell?” EJ rushes toward me. I’m utterly embarrassed over my breakdown this morning. Also my leg is paining like a bitch and I’m feeling sorry for myself.

  I look up at him with bloodshot, puffy eyes. “I’m sorry, EJ.” I sniffle. He wraps his arms around me tightly. “I threw my phone at you.”

  “I know.” EJ raises a brow and then bursts out laughing, and I begin to start laughing too. “I’ve never seen you so angry.”

  “I’ve never been so angry,” I add.

  EJ smiles. “Look, I’m sorry about last night,” he apologizes. “I shouldn’t have done it. I shouldn’t have put you into that position.”

  “I kissed you back.” Unable to look at his face as I say the words, EJ reaches out, his finger rests under my chin and he lifts it.

  “You never have to apologize for kissing me.”

  My cheeks warm from the heat of my embarrassment at his statement.

  “It can’t happen again,” I remind him.

  “I know,” he agrees as his hand falls away from my chin. “This whole situation is a little strange, and it’s going to take a while for us to get used to it. Just put last night down to teething problems.”

  EJ is taking it well, thankfully.

  “Thanks.”