Beauty and the Boss

by MINK

  “Errands to run!” I shout as I close the door quickly behind me.

  “I’ve got to get ready for the gala. You behave,” I tell Mr. Grumpy Pants as I head down the hall. “Wait. Be bad,” I amend as I hop onto the elevator.

  Mr. Baxter comes bolting out of his office as the door closes. I give him a wave goodbye, but I don’t smile. That’ll teach him.

  Before the elevator can even move, my phone starts blowing up.

  Mr. Baxter: Get back here.

  Me: Nope. I have to get all dolled up. Keep an eye on Mr. Grumpy Pants. His suit should be coming today.

  Mr. Baxter: He’s coming with us?

  Me: No. Don’t be silly. I just don’t want him to feel left out.

  Wait until he sees what that suit cost him. I won’t sit down for a week. That thought brings a smile to my face for the first time today.

  Mr. Baxter: Get back here.

  Me: Nope.

  I take a stroll down to the bakery and get something to eat to pass the time. I was going to ignore him all morning until I had to head out for my appointments, but I knew I wouldn’t last. I couldn't stop myself from looking in his office. The only way I could keep up the cold shoulder routine was to be out of the office. If he gets those hands on me, I’ll be bent over his desk asking for everything he was offering.

  As I get my nails done and hair styled, he sends me text after text telling me my ass is going to be red. That I won’t sit down for a week. I don’t think he knows this isn't helping his case. I enjoy all these things even if I’m mad at him.

  I break when he sends me a text of Mr. Grumpy Pants who is sitting on his desk. I can see part of Liam’s steak cut up for him on a small plate. What has me smiling from ear to ear is Mr. Grumpy Pants is wearing his little suit and looking extra smug. I can’t believe he let Liam put it on him. Actually, I can. Mr. Grumpy Pants probably acted like Mr. Baxter was there to serve him.

  Mr. Baxter: Worth every penny.

  That cat suit cost two grand. It was by some high end designer. It had to be expedited and let out in a few places. Not that I’d ever let Mr. Grumpy Pants know that. He looks good chubby.

  Mr. Baxter: Come back here. I need you.

  I break at that last part. ‘I need you’ gets me more than anything.

  “Are we almost done?” I ask the sweet spa lady Julie. She’s been in charge of my pampering this afternoon. She spins the chair around and I get a look at myself.

  “Wow.” I know it’s me but I look so different.

  “You’re glowing,” Julie says. I am. “So I think we’re done then.”

  “Thank you.” I stand, giving her a hug before I text Mr. Baxter.

  Me: On my way.

  I keep my text short and to the point because I really want to text that I need him, too.

  15

  Liam

  She’s been testing me all day. I know why. I left early this morning to start my usual routine. Gym, shave, shower, work. I thought it would clear my head to do what I always do. Instead, I obsessed over my sunshine. She occupied every moment, and she still does. How has she gone from an enemy’s daughter to someone I think about constantly in the space of a week? I don’t know, but that’s exactly what’s happened.

  Mr. Grumpy Pants swats a pen off my desk, then jumps down to continue his assault.

  Where is she? She should be back by now. Worry creeps down my spine, but then I hear the familiar click of her heels on the floor outside my office.

  Everything in me heats as my doors swing open and she prances inside.

  “Stop!” I stand, and the force of my word sends Mr. Grumpy Pants hurrying out the closing door.

  “Is something wrong?” She blinks, her fingers lacing together as she watches me approach.

  “Definitely.” I circle her, taking in her smooth skin, loose curls, and the pink stain on her lips. She’s a wet dream come to life, her curves in desperate need of my hands.

  “What? Is it my hair? I couldn’t tell if she used too much of the curling thing to get--”

  “Shh.” I stop in front of her, my mouth watering. “You’ve truly messed up this time, Miss Lavine.”

  “Sunshine,” she corrects.

  I walk to her back and grip her hips, yanking her against me.

  She squeals as I whisper in her ear, “You forgot to forward the calls. Again.”

  “Oh no.” She presses her round ass to my cock, moving her hips subtly. “That’s a big mistake.”

  “You came here for discipline.” I grip her ass, squeezing and kneading.

  “Yes,” she breathes.

  “And you ran out without properly saying goodbye. Did you think I’d forget about that?” I walk her forward until she’s at my desk.

  “I had things to, um, to do, and so I had to go--”

  I push her down, then yank her skirt up. “No panties,” I grit out.

  “My gown for the gala requires no panties, Mr. Baxter.” She says it in a reasonable tone, but the breathiness gives her away. “I want to look good for you.”

  “You always look perfect for me, Sunshine.” I unbuckle my belt, free my cock, and push into her hot, wet cunt.

  Her moan cuts through any other thoughts I might have had, and I pull back and push so hard that my heavy desk moves across the wood floor.

  “This is what you need to be a good employee.” I fuck her hard, pinning her to the desk as I give her every inch of me. “You want to be good, right?”

  “Yes, Mr. Baxter.” She turns to look at me, her eyes wide as I pound into her.

  “I’ll fuck all the bad out of you, sunshine.” I slap her ass as she moans. “And fuck the good in.”

  Gripping her hips, I yank her back onto me, the slapping sounds of skin on skin loud in my cavernous office.

  Reaching around to her clit, I strum it, press my fingertip to it and rub in a harsh, quick circle. She jerks against me, her pussy tightening as I give her exactly what she needs. When she comes, I let go, filling her tight cunt with all I have as her walls greedily squeeze it from me. I keep stroking her until she’s limp on my desk, her pink ass in the air, my cock still inside her. Staring down, I commit this to memory, the way she looks when I’ve fucked her raw.

  I pull out, head to my washroom, and come back with some tissue. After cleaning her, I smooth her skirt back down.

  She stands and turns to me, her eyes bright, her lipstick barely smudged. I wipe it with my finger, then say fuck it and take her mouth. She grips the lapels of my suit coat as I hold her close, caressing her tongue with mine. We kiss for long minutes, my need for her growing instead of being fulfilled. Will I ever stop wanting her?

  Pulling back, she takes a breath and says, “I wasn’t going to do that.”

  “Do what?” I cup her cheek.

  “Take my punishment.”

  “But you need it, sunshine. And you need me to give it to you.” I kiss her again, and she melts for me.

  “Wait.” She presses against my chest. “You left this morning.” Her mouth goes stern.

  “Yes.” I slide my hands to her ass and squeeze.

  “Why?”

  “I needed to get my morning routine going, and you were snoring so sweetly, I didn’t want to wake you.” All true. I leave out the part where I tried to think our relationship through rationally, but utterly failed.

  She narrows her eyes. “I don’t snore.”

  “Mr. Grumpy Pants and I say differently.” Does she have any clue how adorable she is when she’s trying to be hard?

  “Don’t do that.”

  “What?”

  “Leave.”

  When her eyes water, I can feel my last bit of resistance break away. I’d do anything to keep sad tears from her cheeks. She is my sunshine, and she deserves to be happy.

  “I won’t leave again.”

  Her mouth turns up in that million-megawatt smile, and my heart beats smoothly again. “Promise?”

  “I promise. If you want me in the morning, I
’m there.” I kiss the tip of her nose. “But I warn you, Miss Lavine, I’m particularly desirous in the morning, and there is simply no way I can deny my needs when it comes to you.”

  “I accept those terms.” She gets on her tiptoes and kisses the tip of my nose, which draws a laugh from me.

  “Good.” I step back. “The gala is starting soon. I need to get changed, as do you. My driver is waiting out front for you.”

  Her gaze falls a little.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s just.” She tangles her fingers together. “It’s just that, well, I don’t know what you know about my dad, but he can be very … controlling.”

  I’m well aware of that, given how he used and left my mother. But I let her go on.

  “And he came to visit me yesterday to warn me.”

  “Warn you?” If he’s threatened her, I’ll--

  “About you.”

  “Me?” I take her hands.

  “Yes. He said you’re only trying to use me to get to him.”

  “Oh.” I swallow my denial, because it would be a lie. When I hired her, yes, that was the plan. But then things changed. Now I’ve realized that she is so much more than a means to an end. I feel things I’ve never felt, and I want to make her happy. But if I tell her the truth, will she bolt? I can’t stand the thought of it, so I only say, “I’ll admit that I need you, sunshine. That I think about you all the time and can’t seem to breathe unless you’re here or I know you’re safe and happy. But I’m not using you.” Not now, anyway. I had intended to bring up the fact that she’s part owner of his business, that she could sell it to me if she urged a proxy fight--which wouldn’t be difficult, given her father’s mismanagement of the company. But my revenge isn’t so important now, not when I’ve found the one person who soothes my primal soul with nothing more than a smile.

  “That’s what I thought.” She lets out a long sigh and seems to nod to herself.

  I kiss her again, gently brushing my lips against hers. “Go, sunshine. I’ll be by to pick you up in an hour.”

  “All right.” She beams and turns to go.

  When she’s at my door, I add, “And make sure you don’t wear panties. We wouldn’t want to ruin the look of your gown.”

  She giggles, then scoops up Mr. Grumpy Pants, the two of them the cutest pair I’ve ever seen. “Yes, Mr. Baxter.”

  I would correct her to call me Liam, but I rather like the formality, especially when I’m so deep inside her she can’t seem to get any other words out.

  16

  Georgia

  “Why is everyone staring at us?” I ask.

  Liam has me tucked tightly into his side. A server that’s holding a tray full of hors d’oeuvres passes by us, and I snag a shrimp, popping it into my mouth. Mr. Grumpy Pants would have enjoyed this. Well, he would have loved the food but not the people so much. The place is filled with elites in fancy attire. It’s one of the reasons I usually turn down the invitation. I don’t enjoy rubbing elbows with these people, because most of them are like my father.

  “They're not staring at us.” He shifts, moving us more off to the side. “They’re staring at you, sunshine. This dress was made for a curvy body like yours. Perfection.” He runs his gaze down the low neckline of my emerald green dress.

  I beam at him. I love when he uses my nickname. Who am I kidding? I love to correct him when he doesn't, too.

  “Georgia, you total doll.” Kurt strides up, his eyes on me.

  “Take a walk.” Liam almost growls the words.

  Kurt laughs. “Point taken. That dress is perfect on you, though. You’re welcome.” He turns and takes the arm of a handsome man.

  “Is that his--”

  “Kurt is bi,” Liam explains. “He actually has a decent following for his drag persona. The boyfriend part is fine. It’s when he’s making eyes at you that I want to gut him.”

  I laugh. “He was just trying to be nice. I suppose I should have figured something was up when he knew all the sales ladies at the dress shop and the exact sort of gown I needed.”

  Bradley walks by, a grin on his face and a blonde on his arm. “Lookin’ good, you two.”

  Liam smirks in his direction.

  “I do look pretty good, if I do say so myself,” I chime in. I’m delighted to be here with Liam, no more of the dread that I’d been feeling about the gala earlier in the week. Maybe because after everything that’s happened between us, this really does feel as though it’s our first real date. I don’t even care that I’m probably going to run into my father tonight. I’m enjoying myself and placing my bets on getting Liam to dance later. Right now the dance floor is still empty. People always wait for the first person to dance and then they join in.

  “You don’t look pretty good, you look captivating and way too alluring.” His hold on me grows tighter. “They aren’t used to seeing me with anyone.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.” I giggle against him, resting my head on his chest. I love that even in heels, he still looms over me.

  “I know.” His fingers graze down my back.

  I look up to glare at him. Okay, I know I’m clingy, but you don’t have to throw it in my face.

  “Because I’m not letting go.” He smirks before dropping a kiss on my lips. Actually, if I think back on it, he’s sort of the one that’s clingy. I mean, he wouldn’t even let me call out of work for one day. If I’m not where he thinks I should be, he comes for me. It’s adorable. Ha. Liam Baxter adorable. And all mine.

  We socialize for a bit, with Liam introducing me to everyone that comes over to us. A lot of people come up to him, wanting him to listen to whatever it is that they’re trying to pitch. My mouth drops open in shock when he refers to me as his girlfriend. He politely tells them that he’s trying to enjoy our date night and that business will have to wait until he’s back in the office. His response has me smiling so big I wonder if my face might crack. This is my first real date, and I can’t help but be excited.

  “It better be thoughts of me that has that lovely smile on your face,” Liam softly whispers in my ear before he nips it. I turn, giving him my mouth as I rub my backside against him. He gives me a quick kiss. “Making me hard in a room full of people has to be against the rules. You know what happens when you break the rules, sunshine.”

  I wiggle against him one last time to make sure he knows that I’m definitely breaking them, and it isn’t an accident.

  “Can we dance yet?” I peek up at him. “I don’t think I’ve ever danced with a man before,” I admit.

  He doesn’t even hesitate before he’s ushering me to the dance floor, which takes me by surprise.

  Etta James’ At Last plays in the background as we step onto the floor. Liam pulls me close to his body and leads me around the dance floor with the same command he shows in the bedroom. Our bodies fit perfectly together. Neither of us say a word, because they’re not needed. I get lost in the moment and in him. My mind wanders, thinking of us doing this very thing at our wedding. My thoughts of our future together are interrupted when someone clears their throat. The moment we were having slips away as my eyes meet my father’s.

  He’s not alone. I’m not surprised to see Mike with him. My father was always trying to pair us up. They would both talk as though we were a foregone conclusion. Mike was always nice enough, but pushy, and I’d never felt anything towards him. I’d thought he’d given up on this whole dating idea. I haven't heard from him in a while but, then again, I kind of send all of his stuff to spam. I also blocked his calls and texts. I’d tried to gently tell him it would never work, but he kept pushing. I didn't have it in me to be outright rude so I went with avoidance. Clearly, I can’t do that now since he’s standing in front of me.

  “Can I cut in?” my father asks. My politeness has me wanting to say yes. Thank God for Liam.

  “No,” he answers, leaning down and kissing me right in front of my father. “She’s mine now.”

  Happiness lights me u
p from top to bottom.

  “Did you tell him about Mike?” My father looks at me, the familiar disapproval wrinkling along his forehead.

  “Mike can fuck off. He’s blocked for a reason,” Liam fires back.

  “Yeah.” I nod. Wait. How does Liam know I’ve blocked the guy? Mike stands there saying nothing. No, he won’t speak when my father is around unless it’s to kiss his butt or answer a question. He really would have made my father happy if he’d had someone like him for a son. Too bad he is stuck with me.

  “He’s using you,” my father says again to me like a broken record.

  “No, he’s not. He needs me.” I want to say that Liam loves me, but I don’t. As much as I love him saying that he needs me, love would be more. It would be everything.

  “He needs you so that you’ll marry him and try and take my company,” my father barks. People turn to look our way.

  “What are you talking about? I don’t have any control over your company.” My father is full of it, like usual.

  He opens his mouth to say more, then closes it with a snap. But the wrinkles on his forehead deepen even more.

  “But you do have control, sunshine. Your grandmother left you part of the business. It’s yours, too,” Liam says.

  “Nana?” I shake my head. “She left me a small trust.”

  “That wasn't all,” Liam continues; he seems to have all the answers. “I think Duncan told you about the trust so you wouldn't ask about anything else. She left you her portion of the company.”

  “And this fucker is trying to fool you into caring for him so he can get his hands on it,” my father shouts.