Boss Rules

by Victoria Quinn

I didn’t have to invite her over for dinner or spend time with her. With the others, we just had sex, and then they left. There was no meal or wine. I didn’t notice how differently I was behaving until she pointed it out. “I’m not sure, honestly. With the other women I’ve been with, I don’t ask them to dinner or really talk to them much. It’s just right down to business.”

  “So Titan is the only relationship you’ve ever had?”

  “I guess…” I drank my wine, feeling guilty for telling the lie.

  “And the others were just…what we are?”

  “I was never monogamous with any of them. They were just fun ways to spend my time. They liked my power and wealth, and they liked the things I did to them. Some of them were open to threesomes. Some were even open to four. I wouldn’t compare those experiences to anything we have.”

  “Because we’re only seeing each other?”

  “Yeah. And because I actually like you.”

  “What do you like about me?”

  “Everything,” I said with a laugh. “You’re the coolest woman I’ve ever met.”

  “Really?” she asked with a smile. “I’ve always thoughts scientists were labeled as uncool.”

  “Only uncool people say that.”

  She chuckled then cut into her steak. “Wow, this is good.”

  “My favorite place.”

  “I’ll remember that. I’ll pick you up a steak if I want to butter you up.”

  “You could save yourself the trip and just get on your knees instead.”

  She was about to take a bite of her food, but she narrowed her eyes on my face instead. “I thought the best way to a man was through food.”

  “I’m more of a sex kinda guy.”

  “I’ll remember that.”

  “What about you?” I asked. “Sex or food?”

  “Depends.”

  “On?”

  “The guy. If it were sex with you or food, I’d pick sex. If it were sex with another guy…I’d probably pick food.”

  I stopped eating because this woman amazed me. She complimented me so many ways I could hardly believe it. It was like she was doing it on purpose…only she wasn’t. “You’re amazing.”

  “Amazing?” she asked.

  “You know how to make me feel good.”

  Her cheeks slightly filled with color. “Just being honest…”

  We returned to eating our meal, our chatter dying down after the last thing she said. The biggest thing we had in common was our work together, but ironically, I didn’t think about it when we were together. Work was the last thing on my mind. I was far more interested in the woman than the partnership.

  When we were finished, we left our plates on the table.

  “Need help with the dishes?” she asked.

  “No. The maid will take care of it.”

  “When does the maid come?”

  “In the morning when I’m at work.”

  “Now, that makes sense. I thought it was strange your apartment was so clean.”

  “Hey.” My hands moved to her hips, and I gave her a slight tickle. “Don’t be like that, baby.”

  “Baby?” she asked, her stomach tightening against my fingertips.

  “Yeah.” It was the first time I’d ever called a woman that, but I liked it. I liked giving her a possessive nickname, a name no one else called her. It made me feel closer to her, made it seem like she was mine even if she wasn’t. “Is that okay?”

  Her hands moved up my chest, and she rose on her tiptoes so she could look at me better. Her eyes trained on my lips, asking for a kiss without actually saying the words. Her fingertips dug into my t-shirt, like she wanted to yank it over my head. She rubbed her nose against mine but didn’t lean in for the embrace. “Kiss me.”

  “I’ll take that as a yes…”

  “Then don’t make me beg any longer.”

  I don’t know how it happened, but we ended up on the rug in front of my gas fireplace in the living room. With my arms pinned behind her knees as I held all my weight on top of her, I fucked her into the floor.

  “Fuck…” The sight of her tits, her slender waistline, and the sexy expressions she made as I pleased her made this feel more like a wet dream than reality. It was too good to be true. My cock could feel the cream her pussy made for me, the slickness of arousal. I’d already fucked her twice, but now my cock was buried inside her for the third time that night. “Your pussy…Jesus.” I was hot and sticky because of the sweat, but that didn’t slow me down. I pushed through my own come and felt it drip down my balls. I kept giving it to her, but her tiny pussy couldn’t take all of it, not when I was ramming my big cock inside her.

  Autumn had been lost in me since we started. She’d come around my cock more times than she ever had before, and her warm hands continued to claw at me. I knew she cut through the skin because my sweat burned when it seeped into the wounds. She’d be sore tomorrow morning, but right now, all she felt was the pleasure I gave her.

  She ran her hands up my chest then gripped my shoulders as her hair stretched out behind her on the rug. Her cheeks were pink, and her eyes were brighter than the northern lights. Her tits shook with my thrusts, and her nipples remained hard for the entire duration. I could feel her pussy constrict around my dick every time she came.

  Fuck, this was the best sex I’d ever had.

  And she just lay there. That’s how sexy she was.

  “I never want to stop fucking you…”

  Her hand gripped the back of my neck, and she pulled my mouth to hers for a kiss. “Then don’t.”

  I felt her breath enter my mouth along with her words. My cock twitched inside her, slathered in my own come and hers. I wanted to keep going, but when this woman told me to never stop fucking her, I couldn’t control my load.

  I came inside her for the third time that night, pumping my seed deep inside her tight pussy. I groaned as the satisfaction trickled up my spine. My balls tightened toward my body and gave me an extra rush of goodness. “So fucking good…”

  She rubbed her hand up my chest and to my neck, the same look of satisfaction in her eyes.

  I grabbed her hand and turned it to expose her wrist. I pressed a kiss against the sensitive skin, my eyes connected with hers. I’d never been with a woman who made me feel this good. No threesome or foursome compared to having my dick inside this woman. There wasn’t necessarily anything special about the sex, but there was something special about her. “I want to keep going, but I need a break this time…”

  “You’re worth the wait.” She sat up and kissed my chest, running her tongue along my sweat and catching the drops.

  My hand fisted her hair as I cradled her head toward me. “Sleep over.”

  “Tonight?” she asked.

  “Yeah.” I didn’t invite women to spend the night with me, but I knew I would start my day off right with some morning sex. “I didn’t ask. I’m telling you that you’re spending the night.”

  “Not sure why you think I respond well to orders.”

  “You don’t.” I tilted her head back and looked into her eyes. “But you respond to me.”

  I knew it was the right answer when a soft smile stretched across her face. “I have to warn you, I snore.”

  “Don’t care.”

  “And I hog the blankets.”

  “I’m usually too hot anyway.”

  “And I may unexpectedly ride you in the middle of the night.”

  I grinned. “Even better.” I was still inside her, but my dick had softened throughout our exchange. I could feel my warm come surround me because I was still buried deep inside her. I leaned down and kissed her, enjoying the taste of her lips in front of the quiet fireplace. My hand dug into her hair, and I felt the rush of excitement when she agreed to stay with me.

  I’d have her all night.

  The intercom on my elevator beeped. Then Titan spoke. “Hey, Diesel and I are coming up. Is that okay?”

  My lips stopped in mid-kiss as disa
ppointment rushed through me. It was the first time Titan was out of the house, and while that excited me, she couldn’t have picked a worse time.

  Autumn pulled her lips away, her face full of surprise at the sound of Titan’s voice.

  Ugh, I hated Titan right now.

  I pulled out of Autumn quickly and walked to the elevator with my dick still wet. I pressed my hand to the button and tried not to sound like a complete dick. “Hey, guys. What’s up?”

  “We have some great news we wanted to share with you,” Titan said. “We’re coming up.”

  “Whoa, hold on.” I watched Autumn climb to her feet and pull on her clothes. I didn’t want her to hide somewhere like a dirty secret, but I also didn’t want to tell Titan to leave because she probably had something important to say. “Just give me a second, alright? The place is a mess.”

  “Since when did you start caring?” Titan asked with a laugh.

  “Just hold on.” I left the intercom and walked up to Autumn. “I would just tell them to leave, but they wouldn’t stop by unless it was important. I haven’t seen Titan leave her place in over a month, so this is probably big.”

  “That’s okay,” she said. “I understand.”

  I thought she was taking this surprisingly well. “Well, just wait in my bedroom until they leave. I’ll try to get them out fast.”

  “Whoa, what?” After she flicked her hair back, she stared at me with fiery green eyes. “You want me to hide?”

  “If she sees you here, she’s going to know what we were doing.”

  “And does it matter if she does?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Are you embarrassed by me or something?”

  “Are you kidding me?” I countered. “Look at you. Hell no, I’m not embarrassed.”

  “Then why is this a secret? You didn’t tell her we were seeing each other?”

  “No. I thought that would be unprofessional.”

  “How so?” she asked. “You used to sleep with Titan. Why can’t you sleep with me? You’re only helping her temporarily.”

  “I thought you wouldn’t want me to tell her,” I argued. “A gentleman doesn’t blab about his conquests to people.”

  “But I thought she was your friend?”

  “Of course she is.” This was turning into a nightmare, and the time was ticking. “She told me not to get involved with you since she’s doing business with you. She told me that after I was already seeing you…so now I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to drop this bomb on her right this second.”

  “Why would she tell you not to see me?”

  “Conflict of interest, I guess.”

  “So you told her you wanted to see me?”

  Titan spoke through the intercom again. “Thorn? Everything alright?”

  Autumn continued to stare at me suspiciously.

  “Can we finish this conversation after they leave?” I asked. “I’m not happy about this and I feel like an ass, but I don’t know what else to do. Cut me some slack.”

  She pulled on her shoes then snatched her clutch off the table. Then she walked down the hallway and entered my bedroom.

  Fuck, my perfect night was ruined.

  I pulled on my clothes then hit the button. “Come up.” I dragged my hands down my face and tried to fight the migraine that started behind my eyes. The last thing I wanted to do was push Autumn away. I wanted to share my bed with her and enjoy her tomorrow morning. If Titan and Diesel weren’t family to me, I would tell them to get lost.

  The elevator doors opened a moment later, and they stepped inside.

  Titan was in great shape. She was dressed nicely, she was smiling, and her hand was held in Diesel’s.

  “It’s nice to be outside again, huh?” I asked with a laugh.

  “It’s nice to get out of the house,” Titan said. “I haven’t felt fresh air in so long.”

  “And it’s nice of you to let her get out of the house.” I shook Diesel’s hand.

  “I think it’s time.” The second he dropped my hand, he returned it around her waist.

  “We hope we aren’t interrupting anything,” Titan said.

  “No, don’t worry about it.” I hoped they wouldn’t notice the empty dishes on the kitchen table or pick up on the obvious odor of sex from the living room. I didn’t invite them to the couches because I was trying to keep them away from the opposite side of the penthouse. I didn’t want Autumn to overhear something she shouldn’t. “So, do you have any big news?”

  “Yes,” Titan said. “We’re finally getting married.”

  “Yeah?” I asked. “When?”

  “It’s kinda short notice but…next weekend.”

  “That’s not bad,” I said. “You know I’ll be there. Where?”

  “Thailand,” Diesel answered. “It’s a far trip, but we’re only inviting about a dozen people.”

  “Oh, I love Thailand. You know I’m down for that.” It was a beautiful country with gorgeous beaches. I’d been there a few times. “I’m excited for you guys. This has been a long time coming, and now it’s finally happening.”

  “We’re very excited about it.” Titan shared an affectionate look with Diesel.

  Diesel mirrored her gaze. “Thank you for encouraging her to take my last name. Best gift she could have ever given me.”

  “I didn’t have to do much convincing.” I slid my hands into the pockets of my jeans. “She’d always wanted it. I just had to make her realize how much.”

  “Thank you anyway,” Diesel said. “I’m counting down the days until I can call her Mrs. Hunt.” When he turned his gaze on her, he rubbed his nose against hers.

  It reminded me of Autumn for some reason. “Thanks for stopping by to tell me in person. I’ll hunt for my swim trunks after you leave.”

  “There’s one other thing.” Titan stepped away from Diesel and came toward me, and judging by the affection in her eyes, she had something to ask me. Her look was full of emotion before she even said anything. “Thorn…you know what I’m going to ask you.”

  Yeah, I did. “And you know what my answer is going to be.”

  “You’ll give me away?” she asked. “There’s no one else I want more.”

  The media wouldn’t be able to comprehend why we would do such a thing. Would I really give away my ex-fiancée to her new lover? It didn’t sound plausible. But I knew this was important to her because our relationship was so much deeper than anyone realized. “I’d be honored.”

  “Thank you.” She moved into my chest and hugged me. “You’re the closest thing to family that I have.”

  “I know.” I held her back. “You’re my family too.”

  She stayed there for a while, holding me longer than she ever had before.

  When Diesel watched us, there was a hint of jealousy there. I was the last man he should be jealous of, considering she backed out of marrying me. The love between us was purely familial. Just because it wasn’t romantic didn’t mean it wasn’t deep.

  She pulled away and regarded me with the same emotional eyes. “You’ve always been so good to me. Even when I broke our arrangement because I fell in love, you still came back to me.”

  I hoped Autumn didn’t hear that. “It’ll always be you and me. The only difference now is we also have Diesel…so there’s three of us.”

  “Yeah…we’re a family. You’ve been my best friend for ten years. And I know we’ll be best friends forever.”

  I didn’t say anything because I was scared to egg her on. I needed to tell Autumn the truth, but I wanted to be the one to tell her. And I needed to talk to Titan about it first. “Of course.”

  She moved back to Diesel. “I’m going to get my dress tomorrow. You want to come along and help me out?”

  Dress shopping wasn’t my thing, but I couldn’t say no. “Sure.”

  “Make sure she picks out a good once,” Diesel said. “The more skin, the better.”

  “I’ll try,” I said with a chuckle.

  They said their
goodbyes and then left my penthouse. When the elevator doors were closed and they were finally gone, I headed to my bedroom and hoped I’d find Autumn in a better mood than when I left her.

  When I saw her face, I realized my wish hadn’t come true.

  “She wants you to give her away?” she asked incredulously.

  I knew this was going to be bad. “Her father passed away when she was young.”

  “I know that, but I think that’s strange… You don’t?” She cocked an eyebrow.

  No, she was right. It was strange. “I—”

  “I wondered if she was still in love with you, and then when I heard that, it makes me think she must be… I can’t think of any other explanation for that.”

  She was so far off she was in an entirely different galaxy.

  “I’ve always admired Titan because of the smart and savvy businesswoman she is. She wouldn’t be where she is today unless she was a genius. But all of this confuses me. She either still has feelings for you, or she’s totally insensitive by asking you to give her away. I mean, that’s just rude. To even expect you to be at the wedding…is cold.”

  Now that Titan’s image was taking a hit, I couldn’t let this go on any longer. I didn’t want Autumn to question her business relationship with Titan. If she pulled out of the deal, it would hurt Titan considerably. “We need to talk…” I sat on the edge on the edge of my bed and patted the seat beside me.

  She eyed it warily before she sat. “What is it, Thorn?”

  “What I’m about to say is going to confuse you…but I’m telling the truth. I don’t want you thinking Titan is some kind of emotional psychopath, so I need to come clean. But I really hope you keep this between us.”

  “Okay…” She crossed her legs on the bed and rested her hands in her lap.

  Something in my chest told me I could trust Autumn. She wouldn’t betray Titan’s secret to the world. It would hurt Titan as well as me. We’d look like the biggest liars on the planet. “Titan and I never had a real relationship. She and I have been friends for over a decade now, and she’d come to the realization that she didn’t want to have a relationship with anyone. I didn’t either. But she wanted to have a family, as did I. So we thought we would get married and have a family. Our relationship wouldn’t be based on romance. It was an arrangement based on trust, loyalty, and honesty. She would be free to have her physical relationships, and I would have mine. But at the end of the day, we were committed to each other. I’d love her and protect her like any husband should, but I would never be in love with her.” I stared across the room at the floor-to-ceiling windows that showed the city. Looking at Autumn’s face didn’t seem appealing, not when I dropped this heavy truth on her.