by Michele Hauf
“How did you accomplish so much with no support at all?”
He shrugged. “I worked,” he said. “All the time. When I wasn’t working, I was in school. By the time I hit twenty-two, I had three sideline businesses—commercial coffee service, accounting for small businesses and micro storage—when I started working for a firm that helped companies streamline and downsize when necessary. I worked my way to the top of that firm and they offered me a VP position. I passed and started my own company. My three sideline ventures exploded, demand for my services shot through the roof. I still lived like a poor foster kid and invested my money. All of a sudden I had more money than I knew what to do with.”
“What a story,” she said. “Talk about self-made. Has it been a total blur?”
He nodded. “A lot of it. The first time I celebrated Christmas in a long time was two years ago on my brother’s yacht. My brother from Atlanta came down for the day.”
“How was that?” she asked.
“Pathetic,” he said, shaking his head. “It might as well have been a funeral. Until we started drinking and playing pool.”
She chuckled. “Sounds interesting. Who won the game?”
“I did, of course. The two of them got way too sloshed. Rafe is always trying to do a rematch. I beat him almost every time.”
Emma sighed and sat silently.
“What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking at least you made a start at getting your family back together,” she said. “And at least you have each other. That’s more than a lot of people have. Nobody has a perfect life.”
“Except for maybe Alex Megalos and Max De Luca,” he said, his resentment rising suddenly.
“Neither of them has had a perfect life. Alex’s father disowned him when he joined the company. And Max’s father nearly ruined the company. On top of that, Max had to deal with his half brother. He was involved in criminal activity. Max’s marriage didn’t start out on the best foot, either.” She stopped suddenly as if she realized she’d revealed far too much. “Of course, it’s all better now and Max is a wonderful father.”
Damien digested the information, filing each detail away for study at a later time. Emma may have just given him the key he needed to finish Max De Luca. He felt Emma give a little shiver. “Cold? I think it’s time for me to take you back inside and warm you up.”
Dressed in shorts and a tank top over her bikini, Emma accepted Damien’s brother’s hand as she boarded the yacht. She felt Damien just behind her.
“I’m Rafe. Welcome to my humble home at sea,” he said and Emma saw the resemblance between brothers. Dark hair and dark eyes. At first glance, Rafe seemed to have a lighter air about him.
“Emma Weatherfield,” she said. “I’m Damien’s assistant at Megalos-De Luca. Thank you for inviting us.”
She turned her attention to the large gleaming boat. Thankful that her expression was hidden by her sunglasses, Emma tried not to gawk.
Damien gave a rough chuckle. “Humble home? You wouldn’t know humble if it jumped up and bit you.”
“Nice to see you, too,” Rafe said, shaking his brother’s hand.
“It’s generous of you to invite us on such short notice.”
“It’s not as if I had a choice. My brother is a dictator at heart. But it’s my pleasure. If you should decide you’d like a change in environment, I’m certain I could use a woman with your talents in my organization.”
“Don’t start, Rafe,” Damien said in a low voice with inlaid steel.
“I’m much more fun than he is,” Rafe grumbled. “Let me show you around.”
Rafe instructed one of the staff to get their drinks, then led them on a tour of the yacht, the upper level, below deck which included bedrooms, a well-equipped kitchen, an elegant but comfortable living area with a large-screen TV, and last, but not least, a game room with a pool table.
“I’m always trying to get your boss to come down and take some time off, shoot some pool, but he’s married to the job,” Rafe said.
“He just can’t stand it that I beat him last time,” Damien said.
“You’re afraid of a rematch,” Rafe goaded him.
“You always did have a vivid imagination,” Damien said.
Rafe laughed. “Come on. Let’s take this lady for a ride.”
Out to sea they went. Damien made sure Emma sat in a perfect chair so she could enjoy the sun sparkling on the turquoise waters. A waiter or staff member, she wasn’t sure which, made sure she was never without a drink. Damien sat with her for a while, then excused himself to chat with Rafe.
Suffering from a lack of sleep from her previous active night, Emma dozed. When she woke up, she immediately looked for Damien, but he wasn’t close by. Rising from her lounge chair, she went in search of Damien and overheard him talking with his brother.
“How did you wind up with an assistant who looks like that?” Rafe asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe De Luca was hoping to distract me.”
“The man obviously doesn’t know you,” Rafe said.
“She’s different,” Damien admitted.
“I haven’t heard you say that about a woman before,” Rafe said.
“It doesn’t matter,” Damien said. “Her first loyalty is to MD.”
“And her loyalty should be to you instead?” Rafe asked. “When you’re not paying her salary and her entire future is tied up with MD.”
“When you put it that way…”
“Yeah?”
“When you put it that way, it seems difficult for her to possibly choose to be loyal to me.”
“Do you think De Luca has any idea who you are?” Rafe asked.
“He’s too busy covering his own interests to see me as anything other than the person who is taking some control of his company away from him.”
Emma’s mind whirled from the exchange between the brothers. So Damien knew she was loyal to Max. Yet, he’d made love to her. He’d held her on the balcony and she still thought he may have somehow been behind that Tesla Roadster. Yet, he’d been determined that she didn’t know it was him. Confusion twisted through her. Why?
Damien glanced up and caught her gaze. “Emma, too much sun? Or did you get bored?”
She hesitated a second, unable to read his expression hidden by his dark sunglasses. “It’s too beautiful to be bored.”
“No seasickness?” Rafe asked.
She shook her head.
He smiled and the sun glinted on his wavy hair and white teeth, making him look like a movie star. She wasn’t affected in the least.
“Good sailor. Good sign,” he said.
“In what way?” she asked.
“A woman who can handle rough waters is a keeper,” he said. “Are you sure I can’t talk you into working for me?”
“Rafe,” Damien said in a warning tone.
Rafe lifted his hands. “Can’t blame a guy for trying.”
“Once,” Damien said. “That makes twice. More than enough.”
“Cranky SOB,” Rafe muttered and headed down below.
“You’re a little hard on him,” Emma said.
Damien slid his arm around her back and led her to the railing. “Rafe is one of those people that pushes as far as you let him.”
“Even as a kid?” she asked, enjoying the warmth and weight of his arm around her.
“Even as a kid,” he said, a smile playing on his lips. “He told wild stories to get out of trouble. He was the charmer, so he did okay with his foster parents. He only went through two before they stuck with him. They weren’t wealthy, but they helped him through college. He wheeled and dealed and got into this business. Not too shabby,” he said.
“No. He likes having you around, though, doesn’t he?”
Damien nodded. “Yeah. For all his charm, he feels things more deeply than you’d expect. When my father died and my mother put us up for foster care, we were all just a little too old to blend in. We couldn’t help wanting to go back.”<
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“What about your brother in Georgia?”
“He’s an overachiever, too,” Damien said. “He feels guilty because he was the one who was supposed to have been riding that train with my dad. Survivor’s guilt. Sucks. He drowns it in work.”
“I see a common thread,” she said.
Damien shot her a sideways glance. “I’m taking time off,” he said. “I’m here, not doing the report, not doing assessments, with you.”
His gaze shook her down to her bones. “Rough assignment, isn’t it?”
His mouth slid into a sexy grin and he cupped her jaw, drawing her toward him. He slid his mouth over hers in a kiss that made her feel far dizzier than the motion of the ocean ever had. “When did you get to be so ornery?”
Good question, she thought, as she felt her knees turn to water and her mind to mud.
Emma gave into temptation and shared the rest of the time in South Beach with Damien in his suite. Every minute seemed to sparkle, so how could she possibly have any complaints about the resort?
She reviewed the resort with Damien on the return flight. “I’m trying to find something to criticize,” she said. “Was it just me or was everything perfect?”
He met her gaze. “We’re expected to prepare a report despite the fact that someone was obviously told that we were coming.”
Emma felt a sliver of guilt. “Were the beds too soft? Too hard?”
“You sound like Goldilocks,” he said with a chuckle.
“Okay, the food,” she said. “What was wrong with the food?”
“Nothing,” he said. “Breakfast was served promptly. Food was hot and prepared to order.”
“Beach service?” she asked.
“Fine. Not too intrusive,” he said, his gaze falling over her and making her warm.
Emma cleared her throat. “So, our recommendation is to buy.”
He shook his head. “Our report is that the resort is extremely well-run under current management.”
“Any recommendations?” she asked.
“Unfortunately, since the staff was obviously alerted to our presence, I can’t offer any. Can you?”
Emma felt another stab of guilt at his question. “I guess you’re right.”
“I usually am,” he said in a low voice that was far more resigned than cynical.
After they returned to the office, Emma struggled with her feelings for Damien. Behind their locked and closed doors, it was easy for him to come up beside her and stroke her hair. Sometimes he would call her into his office and would simply kiss her. This morning a dozen blush roses mixed with blue forget-me-not flowers arrived for her. No card, but she knew he’d sent them.
“Let me take you to dinner tonight. You’ve worked hard. I’d like to reward you. I need another hour to wrap things up. Does that work for you?”
The way he looked at her made her heart skip over itself. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea for us to be seen in public. We don’t want to give people the wrong idea,” she said.
“Tell me. What’s the wrong idea?” he asked, lifting her hand and sliding his mouth over the inside of her wrist.
It was all she could do not to press herself against him. “What’s happened between us,” she said.
“Happening,” he corrected. “It’s not over.”
“It’s temporary,” she said. “I’ll be here after you leave.”
“And you don’t want people to know you’ve been fraternizing with the hatchet man,” he said, his gaze never leaving her face.
She pulled her hand away. “If you’re asking if I’m concerned about my reputation, the answer is yes. Like I said, you won’t be staying. I will.”
“I could offer you another option,” he said.
“What?”
“You could come to work for me. I take care of my people. Ask my employees.”
“The same way you’ve taken care of me?” she asked.
His jaw hardened. “No. I already told you there’s something between you and me neither of us wants to pass up. I don’t know why you continue to fight our relationship.”
“It’s just so complicated.”
“It doesn’t need to be. I want you, and I believe you want me.”
She couldn’t deny it, but she said nothing.
“I’m ordering dinner for two from Allister’s and having it delivered to the office.”
She gasped. Allister’s was one of the finest restaurants in town. “That’s ridiculous. Delivery alone will cost the earth.”
“Hope you like champagne,” he said with an infuriating hint of a grin just before he entered his office and closed the door behind him.
11
Emma’s moan of satisfaction immediately made him hard. Even though the source of her pleasure at the moment was chocolate hazelnut mousse, he could easily recall hearing that same sound when they’d shared his bed. Taking a sip of Dom Pérignon, he watched from below the rim of his flute. The more time he spent with her, the more he wanted from her. He wanted more than her sexual acquiescence; he wanted her affection, her trust, her loyalty. The strength of his desire surprised him.
“Hated the dessert, did you?” he asked, in a mock-serious tone.
She tossed him an accusing look. “How could I possibly turn down a meal from Allister’s? With that mousse.” She sighed. “I heard all kinds of terrifying things about your reputation, but nothing about how—” She broke off, frowning.
“About how?” he prompted.
“About how seductive you could be.”
“That’s because this is my first time at seduction. I don’t have a lot of practice,” he said, but she knew better.
“Right,” she said in disbelief. “You clearly have no experience.”
“Well,” he said, pouring the last of the champagne into her glass. “The truth is I’ve never seduced a coworker. Too messy. But something about you…”
Her heart turned over. “You flatter me.”
“No,” he said and clicked his flute of champagne against hers. “I’m just telling the truth. So are you going to put me out of my misery and come over here and kiss me?”
Emma felt a rush of heat. “You don’t look at all miserable.”
“But I am,” he said. “And you can save me from it.”
It was such a ridiculous notion that she could save such a powerful man as Damien from anything. But his tie was askew and his gaze said I want you. He always invited, and she found his invitations completely irresistible.
Rising from her chair, she went to him and bent over, pressing her mouth against his. He pulled her into his lap and she couldn’t muster a protest.
His arms felt wonderful. His mouth made her forget the rest of the world. She could almost believe that she meant something special to him. Almost…
He took his time kissing her, exploring her mouth, making her feel taken and powerful at the same time. How could that be?
Her temperature rose and she wanted more. She tugged at the buttons of his shirt and pulled at his tie. He made her blouse dissolve and soon enough her breasts were bare. He pulled her over his hard masculinity and thrust inside her.
Emma gasped. He groaned in pleasure and began to coach her to rise and fall in a rhythm that made her sweat with need. Straddling him, she felt her nether regions clench around him.
Sliding his fingers through her hair, he brought her lips to his as he thrust inside her. Her climax began in fits and starts. She didn’t think she could stand the sensations, but he kept on thrusting and she flew over the top. Seconds later, he followed, clenching her bottom, taking her mouth at the same time he took the rest of her, mind, body and, heaven help her, soul.
Breaths, minutes, centuries later, he held her against his chest, his heart beating against hers. “You leave first,” he whispered. “I don’t want people to gossip about you. If we leave together, they will. I’ll follow you back to your apartment to make sure you arrive safely.”
Still caught in the otherworld of
their passion, Emma struggled to absorb his words. “Leave?” she echoed, lifting her head to meet his gaze.
He rubbed his finger over her lips and swore. “I want you again.”
What Emma wanted was to stay in his arms all night. Longer if possible. She took a deep breath to gather her wits. “Leave,” she said again.
“You first,” he said. “I’ll follow.”
Reluctantly, she stood, separating herself from him. Her knees dipped in protest, but he caught her. “Okay?” he asked.
“Getting there,” she said, but her mind was still muddy from passion. She grabbed her clothes and pulled them on. He did the same.
He looked into her eyes. “Do you need me to drive you home?”
She shook her head. “I’ll be okay.”
He paused a long moment. “I would rather you come back to my condo,” he said.
She shook her head again. “Not a good idea.”
He pulled her to him and took her mouth in a long, possessive kiss that rocked her world. Pulling away, he rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip. “You look like you’ve been thoroughly kissed.”
She licked her lips, her tongue glancing his finger.
He swore under his breath.
“I have been thoroughly kissed,” she whispered. “I should go.”
He swore again.
“G’night.”
Damien watched her leave, feeling a craving that went far beyond his groin, down to his bones. He couldn’t remember wanting a woman this much. He’d thought the weekend in South Beach would ease his ache, but it had only made it worse. He wanted her and was determined to have her.
As she walked out of Megalos-De Luca headquarters, Emma felt like a sexual goddess. And a tramp. This was insane, she thought as she got into her Tesla Roadster and started the engine. It couldn’t continue.
She took a deep breath and checked her rearview mirror, catching sight of her disheveled hair and swollen mouth. She had that just-got-out-of-bed look. Covering her eyes for a few seconds, she tried to gather her wits. She had gone totally over the edge with Damien.
