The Boss (Billionaires of Club Tempest #1)

by Sloane Hunter

  “What can I get you, sir?” the bartender asked even though the man before me was holding some golden-dark liquid already in his hand.

  “What will it be?” he asked me and his voice was as smooth as whiskey and twice as sweet.

  What would it be? You. Inside me. Now.

  Instead, I heard myself say, “Beer. Whatever’s on draft.”

  “We have twenty-five beers on draft, Miss,” the bartender said. “All the name brands in addition to some imported labels and local microbreweries.”

  I wished he would just go pour me something. I couldn’t begin to imagine what thousand-year-old, twenty-bottles-ever-made Scotch this man was drinking. I didn’t want to look like a country bumpkin in front of this rich, sophisticated city boy. But on the other hand, I’d broken myself in two trying to be the girl Troy wanted. I’d moved here to be myself and I’d be damned if I let some stranger judge me.

  “Miller Lite,” I said.

  The bartender nodded and disappeared, leaving me and the man alone in the crowded room.

  “Miller, huh?” he asked. A slight smile played at his lips, curling one side up into a cocked grin.

  I shrugged and leaned back against the bar, resting my elbows on the wood. “I like what I like,” I said. “I suppose that’s the most expensive bottle on the shelf?”

  He followed my gaze to his drink. The smile deepened. “Oh, no. This is from my own collection.”

  My eyebrows raised involuntarily. “You bring your own liquor to bars?” I laughed. “Where I’m from that would be considered high maintenance.”

  He shrugged. “I like what I like.” His free hand found the bar and rested against my arm. The implication was obvious and for a moment I questioned moving forward. Was I ready for this? I’d just broken up with my fiance yesterday. But what had Alice said? Fucking some random was the best thing for getting over a breakup? Of all the ways to truly sever any lingering ties between me and Troy, this had to be about the best way to go. I felt my body lean into his touch. Yep, I was going with it. There was no way I could pass this chance up.

  “What’s your name?” the man asked.

  The bartender brought my beer and I took it from the counter, sipped it, and said, “Beck. And you?”

  “Sam,” he said. “Where are you from, Beck?”

  “Kentucky,” I said. “You’ve never heard of the town.”

  “You sure about that?”

  “Gainesville,” I said.

  He paused and shook his head. “Never heard of it. I assume it’s country?”

  “As country as you can get,” I replied. “But I don’t live there anymore. I just moved here.”

  “Ah,” he said. “A transplant. And how new are you exactly, Beck from Gainesville?” He’d gotten closer to me without me even noticing he was moving. Somehow his hand had gone from my elbow to my back, my form fitting into the crook of his arm like he was made to wrap around me.

  “Very new,” I murmured. He was deceptively muscular under that suit. I could feels the cords of his arms through the light fabric. I was tired of talking. What I wanted to do was brush that stray piece of hair off his forehead and then maybe see what his mouth felt like against mine. Inside, my brain was listing off all the typical warnings, like a news station host. Murder statistics and the danger of the city and how Ted Bundy had been charismatic too. But I ignored it. This was exactly what I needed to get over Troy. It was obvious that this tall stranger wanted me and I wanted him too, in that disposable way you could get away with in the city and never in a million years could in a small town.

  As utterly gorgeous as this man before me was, I knew there was no future here. He oozed wealth in an all-to familiar way. He was much more polished than Troy was, but the same rules applied. Troy had been King of Gainesville and this Sam might as well have the Big Apple in his pocket, his to take out and polish whenever he’d like or just to take a bite of and throw away. I was not going to be with another man who couldn’t be held accountable. But I could use him for one night, just as he wanted to use me.

  “It’s pretty crowded in here,” I heard a girl with my voice say.

  The handsome face cracked into a smile. “I’ll call a car,” he said.

  I nodded. “I’m going to tell my friends I’m leaving.” I pulled away from him reluctantly and pushed through the crowd, looking for Alice. I found her against the wall, making out with Daniel.

  I tapped her on the shoulder and she surfaced.

  “Where have you been?” she asked. “I was just about to go looking for you.”

  “Sorry,” I said. “I met someone. I think I’m going to go with him.”

  Alice frowned. “Really? Does he look safe?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “I’ll text you the address. Don’t worry. He’s just a rich guy.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about,” Alice said. “Do you want me to meet him? Check him out for you?”

  I shook my head, already walking away. “No, don’t worry. He’s already outside. I’m going to go.”

  She still looked reluctant, but Daniel whispered something into her ear and she grinned, pressing against him further. “Okay, but text me!”

  I turned and gave her a thumbs up. My feet were driving me completely because my brain was starting to have second thoughts. I’d never had a one-night stand before. It was scary and a little exciting. I left my mostly-full beer on the bar. A clear head was good.

  I walked outside into the hot summer night where Sam stood alone. He turned as the door opened and I was struck again by his intense sexuality. He looked like he’d just strolled off the set of a photoshoot for cologne with his dark good looks and piercing blue eyes. The anxiety melted away. I wanted to do this. I couldn’t ask for a better story for my first night in the city.

  “I’m not far from here.” Sam’s low voice melted over my ears. There was a car waiting at the curb, a black SUV with tinted windows, but I couldn’t wait any longer. I grabbed his tie and pulled him down to kiss me.

  The moment his lips touched mine, he was in control. His large hands gripped my arms and pulled me closer as his tongue invaded my mouth, twisting and dominating. I pressed against him, letting him take over as he mashed his lips against mine. He smelled amazing, like hickory and cinnamon with a slight hint of musky sweat from the crowded bar.

  He broke away, leaving me craving more. “Let’s go,” he said with a hitch in his voice. The way he looked at me, I half-expected him to pull me into a dark corner on the street and have me right there. There was a hunger in his eyes that I felt in my soul.

  The driver of the sedan got out and opened the door for us. He was in a uniform and I realized that Sam might be richer than I had anticipated. Or maybe that was par for the course in New York. My mind didn’t linger long on it though because the moment we got inside, he had me pressed against the opposite door, his tongue in my mouth, his hands exploring the length of my body. I groaned into his mouth when one of them found my breast and reached down myself, palming an impressive length through his pants.

  He grunted at the contact and pressed against me harder, his body enveloping mine. I started to unzip his suit pants even as my subconscious questioned whether I really wanted to bang this guy in the back a of car with a driver on the other side of the divider. I found that I didn’t really care. I wanted him now and if that meant back here on these black leather seats then that was going to be how it happened.

  As it turned out, we didn’t have to. Just as I’d worked his zipper down enough to slip my hand through, the car came to a stop. We couldn’t have gone further than a couple blocks.

  Sam pulled back just enough to say, “This is it.” I looked out the window. We were outside an apartment building that rose sixty stories into the sky. The driver opened the door and Sam got out, offering his hand to help me out. We walked arm-in-arm through the lobby, past a doorman who didn’t acknowledge either of us, and into an elevator. Sam pressed the number fifty-seven and th
en had me against the wall again, his tongue twisting with mine, greedily taking every inch of me as his.

  The door opened and we practically fell into the hall. He pulled away and led me halfway down the hall, unlocked a door in a fluid motion, and dragged me inside. I barely got the chance to look at the apartment before he was on me again. We stumble-walked, kissing, running hands over curves and muscles, feeling and feeding on every inch of the other’s body until we were in a room with a bed. He gave me one last kiss and as he did so, one of his hands reached around and pulled the zipper of my dress all the way down. The motion was smooth and practiced, professional. Sam broke away and pulled his coat off, then started on his shirt as I got the rest of my dress off.

  I couldn’t help but suppress a gasp when his torso was bared. The lighting was dim, but bright enough to showcase his incredible abs that somehow managed to be both thick and lean at the same time. The man had zero body fat and you could see every ripple on his stomach, leading down to a delicious V that pointed to the real prize below his dark gray suit pants.

  It was my turn to push him backwards. He fell lightly on the bed as I got between his knees, slowly finishing the job I started in the car and unzipping his pants until his black silk boxers lay before me, straining with the length I could already see clearly in my mind’s eye. I pulled the boxers down and his dick popped to attention. I stared down at it, thick and veined with a slight curve. It was twice as big as Troy’s and I couldn’t wait to feel the comparison inside me. I’d long suspected I wasn’t being properly filled and tonight I would test that hypothesis.

  But first… I looked up at him, looked at that smirking, handsome face as he panted slightly. The muscles across his chest and arms were taut as he waited for that first contact with my mouth. The sight was unbelievably erotic and I yearned to make it last. But then he wrapped one of his large hands through my hair and guided me lower. The way he took control had me soaking. I took him into my mouth and tasted his musk, salty and sweet, expensive. I stroked his pulsing length with one hand as I suckled on his head. He groaned, low in his throat and thrust against my lips as I tried to go deeper, my other hands finding his large balls and working them in my hand.

  “Shit, Beck,” he said as I sucked him. He was as hard as velvet covered steel, and I wouldn’t let up. But then he pulled me up, off him. I was sad to see it go, but then I realized that meant it was only a matter of moments before he was inside me.

  “I’m on birth control,” I whispered.

  “I got tested last week,” he replied.

  With that covered, he pulled me onto the bed so that I was flat on my back, his blue eyes staring down at me with the exact same intensity as he had through the door in the bar. He leaned down and kissed me as I felt his hand positioning his dick at my entrance, rubbing it against the folds as he tested my capacity. I widened my legs and ground up against him, feeling the tip tease me. I needed this now, before I exploded.

  He sank inside me and I gasped as he stretched me, full, so full. I’d never taken anything so large before, but I was up for the challenge. He pushed deeper and deeper and I couldn’t believe he still had more to give. My hands raked his broad back, grasping at muscle as I ground myself against him until he was buried all the way inside.

  He paused there for a moment and I froze too, feeling the heat inside me. Then he began to move, rocking back and forth, opening me up slowly at first and then faster and faster. He kissed me again, pressing me against the bed as he dominated me from both ends. All I could do was try to hang on. His hand found my right breast and teased and rubbed the rock-hard nipple. His other found my clit and rubbed, hard, against the sensitive nub. That was it, that was all I needed. I came, explosively, against him just as he sunk all the way inside me. I squeezed my walls around him and he came heavily inside me. He ground and rutted against me for an encapsulated eternity until we were both completely spent.

  He pulled out and rolled over, lying flat on his back beside me.

  “That was good,” I murmured. I waited for a response, but none came. I looked over and saw that he’d fallen asleep.

  * * *

  My alarm woke me up just four hours later. It buzzed lightly on Sam’s bedside table, and I silenced it quickly. He didn’t even stir. It was like our sex last night had put him in a coma. I didn’t blame him. As much as I’d been eager for a round two, I had been exhausted too and fell asleep almost as fast beside him.

  I stood and grabbed my dress, looked for my wallet and shoes. I went into the bathroom and examined myself in the mirror. I definitely looked like a walk of shame. I considered showering, but then realized that anyone I saw outside would never see me again. Just like Sam would never see me again. I felt a twinge of regret, but then shook it off. I couldn’t latch on to the first guy I met in the city. This was just a one-night stand. Nothing more.

  I wrote him a quick note and then left. As I rode down the elevator, I realized Alice had been right. I’d just had the best sex of my life and I was ready to move on. Troy seemed like a distant memory belonging to a past life. And my new life was just beginning. I had to hurry back to Alice’s and get ready for my new job.

  Things were only looking up from here.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Sam

  The first thing I heard in the morning was a rather irritating rapping. In that half-state between sleep and consciousness, I worried that someone was knocking on my skull, asking to be let in to see my most private thoughts and dreams. Then reality burst through and I recognized the out-of-time rhythm of pigeons on the sill, pecking at the glass. I reached a hand up and thumped the window until they flew away.

  Nasty ass rat bastards. The irritation shifted to a mild satisfaction as I remembered last night. The moment I’d seen Beck through the doorway, I’d stood up and left the room without saying goodbye to the other Knights.

  I pictured Beck standing at the bar. Her red dress didn’t fit her quite right. Not in a way that most anyone would notice, but just enough that I knew she hadn’t gotten it tailored. Probably bought it off the rack, or had it gifted to her. Had she ever had clothing created just for her? I doubted it. At the time, I could already picture what it would look like on the floor of my bedroom.

  I could already picture what she’d feel like clenched around me.

  I’d been right on both accounts, a verified soothsayer. But now, as I nestled into the mattress, I had to prepare myself for the always unfortunate morning after, where I had to break it to my hapless nighttime partner that this was a one-time deal, no question about it. No, I didn’t want to go get coffee and no, I couldn’t care less where your band will be performing on Friday. The problem with bringing random girls home was that they always wanted to stick around, especially once they saw how nice my apartment was. I couldn’t even imagine how they’d react if I brought them to my real penthouse instead of to this half-way home that I used primarily for hookups.

  I shifted in bed and turned on my side. Well, time to get this over with. My digital clock said eight and I had to get into the office by nine to get started on dealing with what Tom was calling “a big issue on the new acquisition”. He’d texted me those words last night, but I hadn’t responded. “Big issues” could always be solved the next morning, usually before my second cup of coffee. But if I wanted to save Tom the few extra gray hairs, I shouldn’t keep him waiting much longer.

  I sat up and turned to Beck. The bed was empty next to me.

  Huh. Strange. Had she gotten up to use the bathroom and not awakened me? I touched the mattress under the blankets and found it cool. Maybe she was in the kitchen making me breakfast. Now that would be a good start to the day. I got out of bed and rummaged in my closet for a suit before going into the bathroom. I showered quickly, just enough to wash the liquor and sex out of my pores before dressing. By then it was fast approaching eight thirty and I really needed to get going.

  “Beck?” I called out from the bedroom. There was no answer. I
n fact, the apartment did seem rather quiet. I walked out into the living room and peered into the kitchen. No sign of the girl or that she had ever been there. Huh.

  Then I noticed a sheet torn from a pad of yellow legal paper with scrawling letters across it.

  Really good time last night, Sam. Thanks.

  That was it. I turned the paper over, half expecting a P.S. or a phone number or… something. I thought back to Beck, our conversation last night at the bar. She’d ordered cheap, basic beer without a quiver in her voice. Not an ounce of pretension there. She’d initiated that we go back to my place. Those little details hadn’t really stood out in my mind up until this point, replaced in favor of the way she’d worked me dry. Up until this little note, Beck had been one of the many girls I’d met, brought home, and then cut free. But here she was, the one to cut me free and I wasn’t used to that at all.

  I shoved aside the twinge of annoyance. This was what I wanted, wasn’t it? Now I could go to work without having to break her heart. She wasn’t unhappy. She wasn’t pleading to just hang around until I got back from work later. She was gone and that was fine.

  I shut the door a little too hard on my way out.

  * * *

  My office was further downtown, and it took about thirty minutes for my driver to drop me in front of the building. The Callahan Company occupied the top eight floors of a high rise in the Financial District. I liked having a view of the city. With the help of binoculars, I could see most of the buildings we had under construction from my office. It was my way of keeping an eye on things literally, even as my people updated me on the specifics through briefings and reports. I took a moment on the sidewalk to look up at the column of steel and glass reflecting the morning light. I’d come a long way since I was a kid, flipping a house in Jersey. I’d made it this far — nothing was out of my reach. Nothing.