Strictly Business (Mixing Business With Pleasure Series Book 1)

by Ace Gray

  My breath caught when I picked up the single original picture. It was of me in the pool this morning.

  What the…?

  Everything in me seized except for my timid fingers—they reached out for the piece of lined paper that edged out of the manila envelope. My instinct was screaming; my stomach bottomed out and my hand trembled.

  “Kate, is everything alright?” Gemma sat watching the myriad of emotions cross my face.

  “Get one of them in here. Now.”

  Gemma turned on her heel but froze mid-step when I yelled, “Wait! What did the courier look like?”

  “Young, blonde, curvy thing.” My heart dropped. “She was shorter.” It kept dropping. “And she wasn’t in uniform.”

  Ally!

  The ghastly white I turned propelled Gemma to her phone, frantically dialing extensions. Slowly, I turned back to the paper I was holding. My hands were shaking hard enough that I couldn’t force them still and the paper rattled against itself. My shoulders hiked up enough that they grazed my dangling earrings. I unfolded it and took a deep breath.

  I will make you pay.

  I was going to throw up. Jaime burst in the door as the paper fluttered to the desk and I sprinted to my bathroom. Gemma followed me as she shouted to Jaime. He started shifting through the pile of papers on my desk, the shuffling echoed in my head like boulders crashing in a cave. The sound was nauseating. He called Trevor just before I lost it. Gemma rubbed my back and shouted things through the open door to Jaime.

  My office door slammed and it reverberated through the room; Trevor passed my line of sight with his hand on his holster as he paced through the office. Furious yelling ping-ponged off the glass in the large room. Finally, finding some strength, I pushed myself up and wobbled as I walked to the couch. Gemma’s hands fluttered around me, her voice low and soothing. I dropped to the cushion before placing my head between my knees.

  “How did she get past Colton?” I asked. “Twice?”

  “We don’t know,” Trevor replied, enraged.

  “Kate, can I get you anything?” Gemma was shaking ever so slightly.

  “Sparkling water, please. And someone should call Bryant.” I closed my eyes and leaned back. I felt nauseous again.

  “I already did,” Jaime answered. “He should be here shortly.”

  We all cringed, knowing the torrent of anger that would inevitably accompany him. The room went silent until Jaime started making more phone calls. I should have been listening, but I couldn’t bring myself to focus. She’d been following my every move, and then inside Vesper. Even with my security detail, I wasn’t safe. All the times I’d been irritated with Nick I’d been oh-so wrong. I’d been the ridiculous one.

  “Goddamn it, Jaime, let me in there now!”

  A violent banging accompanied the unearthly roar. Jaime’s head lowered as he hurried toward the door. I could breathe again knowing Nick was here, but I couldn’t bring myself to move. He burst into the room, almost splintering the door, and shouted.

  “Where is she?”

  Once he spotted me he rushed over and crouched between my knees. He reached his hands up to cradle my chin and slowly traced the lines of my face, almost like he had to convince himself I was really there.

  “What the fuck am I paying you people for? She was here? In the building with Kate? Let me see the package.” He ripped it out of Jaime’s waiting hand.

  “Kate, are you OK?”

  He was still shouting; anger visibly radiated from his body. As warranted as it was, I was scared of the volatile ball in front of me. He flipped through the photos, which was making me sick all over again. When he got through the note he set everything on the floor next to him. Eventually he calmed down and gazed up at me.

  “Sweets, answer me.”

  “No,” I whispered. “I’m not OK.”

  He stood and barked, “Everyone out! Now! This time try and do your jobs. Keep Ally out of this goddamned office!”

  When he finished yelling he pulled me up from the couch and wrapped his arms around me; my knees buckled. I would have hit the floor if he hadn’t held me.

  “Jesus, Kate, I’ve never seen you like this.” He lowered me back to the couch. “This is all my fault.”

  I couldn’t find my voice to argue with him; everything just balled and got stuck in my throat. My hand stayed clutched tightly to his suit jacket.

  “I’m going to sit with you, but you’re going to have to let go.”

  His words were so soft and tender, my hand relaxed on its own. He pulled me onto his lap and slowly stroked his fingers across my entire body.

  “I didn’t know,” I finally managed. “I thought you were overreacting this whole time. I’m sorry.” My voice broke. “It’s my fault.”

  “Shhhhh, it’s not your fault. I’ll find out how she got in here, and I’ll make sure it never happens again.” He shoved his nose into my hair and nuzzled against me.

  After what seemed like forever, I pulled myself together. For the most part anyhow.

  “I want to go home, Nick.”

  He nodded and gently stood me on my feet. I took a deep breath and finally looked into his eyes. They stayed dark; he was being sweet despite being angry as hell. I let my arms snake around his neck.

  “Thank you for being here. I know you had important things to do today.”

  He squeezed me tightly. Too tightly.

  “Nothing’s more important than you.”

  I let my arms fall and he moved to grab my coat and bag. Icy rage settled back into his features once outside my office, particularly when he laid eyes on Jaime. In the elevator my shoulders quickly climbed back up to my ears. I bit my lip which trembled ever so slightly underneath my teeth. My chest tightened and it made my hammering heart uncomfortable. Even though Ally hadn’t hurt me today, she’d succeeded in getting into my head. I damn near jumped when Elena asked me a question in the lobby. Her words didn’t even register.

  I mustered a, “Can we discuss this tomorrow?”

  She looked at me funny and I vaguely recall Bryant making apologies. He hurried me to the waiting car, and I couldn’t help feeling queasy as I watched the blur of people roll by. Was she somewhere close, watching, right now?

  The cool glass against my forehead soothed my aching temples. I caught Nick’s worried look in the window right before I closed my eyes. The whole situation made me bone tired. When the car stopped, I couldn’t bring myself to open my eyes.

  29.

  “I’d really like to get you upstairs. You OK to walk or should I carry you?” Nick had let me sit in silence for quite some time at the curb.

  I took a deep breath and pried my eyes open; my eyelids were excruciatingly heavy. I could only manage a slow nod. Bryant understood and opened the back door. Just like before, he ushered me far too quickly to the front door and up the elevator. The movement was torturous, and with only five floors left, my knees buckled and I crumbled.

  “Shit.” He rushed to me “Kate?”

  The elevator doors opened just as Nick crouched over me. Jaime was already in the apartment and he too rushed to my side when he saw me on the floor.

  “I’ll be OK.”

  I tried to move but couldn’t. This was surreal. She was right there—so close she could have hurt me. Judging by her note, she very much wanted to. Nick scooped me into his arms, walked straight to the bathroom, and set me on the counter. He left me just long enough to start warm water cascading into the tub.

  He turned back and grazed his hands all the way down my legs before both my heels thunked to the floor. He pulled me down and kept a firm hold as he carefully undressed me. There was no urgency, ripping, or tearing; he handled every button gently. When I was naked in his arms he picked me back up and carried me to the tub. The water was hot but soothed my aching bones.

  “Are you really going to be alright?”

  He hovered over me as my hands skimmed across the water. I let out a very deep breath, one I hadn’t
even realized I was holding.

  “I’m better now that we’re home,” I answered.

  Blue attempted to filter into his eyes, but the color didn’t stay. I hated seeing him so worried.

  “I really will be fine,” I whispered as I closed my eyes. “Are you leaving?”

  My chest tightened at the thought of being without him, but I was slowly unwinding. I slid down deep into the tub and rested my head on the edge.

  “No, but I have business to attend to.” He kissed my forehead and left the room.

  I sat in silence with my thoughts. The longer I relaxed in the tub, the more I stopped wondering where Ally was and what she was doing. I knew for damn sure she wasn’t in this apartment. I also knew I couldn’t let her scare me again. I was tougher than this.

  After a while voices carried from outside the bedroom; they were pinging off the massive windows. Bryant was shouting, and I could only imagine Jaime and Trevor’s faces as they took his reprimands. Now that I’d thawed a little, I wished I’d found words to defend them.

  Why weren’t you with her? How the hell did she get in? How has she been this close all along? What the fuck have I been paying you for? Nick’s voiced boomed without an answer.

  I sank under the water to drown out the sound, making my anguished bones weightless. When I broke the surface, they were still at it. I reached for the sound system next to me and looked through the albums listed, settling on Banks.

  My toe crept up to the faucet and I used it to add more hot water. I took a few deep breaths, watching the ripples radiate out from my chest. I sank back under the water to drink in the calm. When I broke the surface and pushed my hair out of my eyes, footsteps beat in time with the music.

  Nick settled against the bathroom counter; his eyes bored into me. I shifted so I could stare back; my arms folded on the edge of the tub and my chin rested against my forearm. I finally managed to smile. That was the only signal he needed. He let his jacket fall from his shoulders and pulled his tie from his collar. When he started unbuttoning his shirt, my smile grew.

  Even in the warm water, my nipples hardened and goosebumps covered my body. I drank in the show as he peeled out of his clothing. When his perfectly sculpted arms and chest were revealed, I couldn’t help the MMMmmm that escaped my lips.

  “You’re feeling better,” he smirked.

  “I feel safe here, with you.” I shrugged in response.

  He finished undressing, and I noticed he was already slightly hard. In that moment, he was all I wanted. Him and everything he symbolized—being alive and adored. I wanted him cocooned around me and buried deep inside me. I stood to make room for him, and I could tell he appreciated the sight of my wet, naked body when his dick stiffened and and his eyes flashed. He stepped in and pulled me into a firm, unrelenting kiss, gripping my arms to hold me in place. I wanted to snake my hands around him, but he wouldn’t let me budge. I tried to press my body into his but he wouldn’t allow that, either.

  It wasn’t until my lips were stinging that he shifted. He moved into the water and pulled me down to follow. I straddled him and he pulled me against his chest. We continued our kisses while the water lapped quietly around us. He reached for my hips and I gasped when he pulled me unapologetically onto his shaft. He pressed me down hard, and I moaned in pleasure. I snaked my arms around his neck, flattening my body to his.

  He controlled our momentum and didn’t seem to mind when water splashed out of the tub. He kissed my chest and shoulders while keeping a slow, steady pace, pressing me down deeply every time. I whimpered, feeling him thrust inside me as his arms wove around me tighter and tighter.

  My head rolled back as I started to build. He picked up pace ever so slightly but kept hitting the end of me. I wouldn’t last much longer, and when he gritted his teeth and growled, I knew he wasn’t far off, either. He pulled my hips harder on the next thrust and I came. I whimpered out his name, panting toward the ceiling. The ripples of my orgasm rolled up and down his hard cock; a sensation he loved. As if on cue he followed, his orgasm spilling into me.

  He growled and it set his chest rumbling against mine. He kept his hands tight on my hips while I leaned my forehead to his. We basked in the quiet, breathless moment.

  “I’m not going to Hong Kong,” he murmured.

  Part of me wanted to hold him tighter and thank him, but part of me had already decided we couldn’t let her win.

  “You have to go.” I pulled back to look into his eyes. “I want you here, of course, especially after today, but business is important. You wouldn’t have scheduled this trip otherwise.”

  “How many times do I have to tell you that you are much more important than the company?” He added a little snarl to his otherwise soft voice.

  I let my hands wander through his hair. “I believe you, but it’s important to have balance. You’ll resent me if I take you away from Bryant Venture Group.”

  “Never.”

  “At some point, you will.” I arched my eyebrows for emphasis.

  He looked away from me. “I don’t know if I can trust anyone. How did Trevor and Colton screw up so massively this morning?”

  I traced soothing circles on his skin as I massaged his neck. “You would know better than me, but I have a feeling they’ll do everything in their power not to let it happen again. I trust them. You should too. We’ll file the police reports tomorrow.”

  “No. If the police get involved, the press will get involved. If they find out the real reason she’s after you, or about me trying to acquire Vesper, it won’t be good for either of us. It would drag the gritty details out for everyone to see. Not to mention the police are horribly ineffective. I’ve seen that first hand. It will probably take them more time to get a restraining order than it will for my people to simply enforce one.”

  Nick was being ridiculous. The police had never failed me. They weren’t the bearers of great news, but I had enough distance at this point that I didn’t blame them.

  He read my face like a book. “Do you not trust me?”

  “Of course I trust you, Bryant.” My intuition still screeched this should be reported and investigated, even if it was a slow process. But I relented—it wasn’t worth the fight. “Don’t be so dramatic.” I rolled my eyes.

  “Did you just roll your eyes at me?”

  “You know you deserved it.” I was happy to be playful after the day I’d had.

  “I think you deserve a spanking.”

  I laughed at his words. He stood, lifted me along with him, and stepped out of the tub. He grabbed a fluffy towel and quickly dried my body and hair, then did the same. I kept smiling at him until he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. I swatted his bare butt, and he returned the favor.

  “You don’t get to spank me.”

  He smacked me again as if to drive home the point. It stung on my almost faded bruises a little more than was comfortable.

  “I’m always in control, remember?” He chuckled.

  “How could I forget?”

  He unceremoniously plopped me down on the bed and crawled on after me. He kissed my leg as he worked his way along my body.

  “If anything ever happened to this leg…” He continued higher. “Or this one…” He shifted to the other side. “Or your bellybutton…” He moved to my breast and rolled my nipple in his expert mouth. “Or these perfect breasts…” He breathed deep and shifted to the other and pulled again. “Nothing can ever happen to them because they cover your precious heart.”

  With that he took my mouth and kissed me deeply. His heavy body pressed mine into the bed; I relished the feeling as our limbs wound slowly around each other. I couldn’t think of anything but his strong kisses on my lips and body. I cried out in frustration when they stopped. I opened my eyes to see him rock back onto his heels.

  “Will you give me something to think about while I’m in Hong Kong?”

  I was relieved he’d decided to go. In hindsight, my freeze up this afternoon was a
huge overreaction. I smiled and shook my head, aroused by his request.

  Nick moved over to his special drawer and pulled out a black velvet bag. My eyes lit up with anticipation. He opened the drawstrings and pulled out a glass dildo. It was clear except for small blue threads weaving throughout the inside. It had a slight curve in the middle, and one end was thicker while the other had a mushroomed tip followed by another bulb. So many toys were cheap, pink plastic. This was not. It was classy, if you could call a dildo as such. My heart hammered in my chest.

  “This is for you,” he growled as he placed the glass in my hand. “The only rule is eyes on me.”

  The smooth weight was heavy in my hand, but I was surprised it didn’t quiver like my insides.

  “You don’t want to be inside me?”

  “For now I’d prefer to watch your whole body writhe with pleasure.”

  His voice was so seductive; I was wet simply because of his reply. Undoubtedly, the glass would glide easily in and out. He was on his knees in front of me and his eyes burned with anticipation.

  Nick took my ankles and pushed them up toward my butt. He spread them wide then leaned down and kissed me right below my belly button. When he sat back on his heels he’d collected himself, seeming coolly detached from what was laying in front of him. I swallowed hard and shifted the glass between my thighs. Only his cock showed his desire. I pressed the tip into me and gasped at the cool temperature. The feel of the polished rod sliding in was delectable and I closed my eyes.

  “Look at me,” he barked.

  My eyes flew open and back to his as the glass hit the end of me. I started moving in and out; my back arched involuntarily off the bed. The glass bulbs rolled and rubbed against my most sensitive spots. I moaned while my eyes fluttered shut then whipped back open, remembering his rule.

  I twisted the toy and the new angle added a delectable sensation that had my knees knocking together. Nick grabbed them and pushed them back wide. The growl he let loose told me he was enjoying this as much as I was. I picked up pace, working myself toward release.