by Ivy Banks
From room to room she wandered, peeking into the seemingly infinite rooms of the three-story penthouse.
Marcus Hanover owned the entire twenty-fifth, twenty-sixth, and twenty-seventh floors of the building and the penthouse wanted for absolutely nothing. Amelia had so far encountered four full bathrooms, two powder rooms, a games room, a library, a study, a solarium and two back terraces, one with an enclosed pool which looked to have a retractable roof. There was a hot tub, gym, sauna, and theater room.
By the time Amelia stumbled upon the elevators leading from one floor to the next, she wasn’t sure if she was disgusted or impressed with the insurmountable luxury. She was dizzy and overwhelmed and wanted to go home, but she could not find her fiancé anywhere.
The only place she had not checked were the bedrooms, but she could not imagine why Dan would have gone there. Still, she had been through the vast apartment twice without success.
Slowly, she made her way up to the second floor toward the back of the penthouse, cautiously opening doors.
As she had suspected, most of the rooms were dark and unoccupied, but as she tentatively opened another door, she froze in her tracks.
In the bed atop someone she could not see was Dan, naked and grunting as he thrust his hips wildly against the body of another. Amelia could not move, watching the scene in horrified shock until Dan’s head suddenly jerked up as if he could feel her staring at him.
“Amy!” he gasped, falling to the side and yanking a sheet over himself to cover his nakedness. Another face appeared and Amelia’s eyes almost bulged from their sockets as she registered what was happening.
Dan had been having sex with a man.
Unable to breathe, Amelia clawed to close the door as she ran backward into the hall. As the bedroom door slammed behind her, she whirled directly into Marcus Hanover.
Chapter 2
“What happened?” he asked immediately sensing her distress.
She choked and stared at him, unable to form words. Her knees abruptly buckled underneath her and she let out the faintest whimper as she went down.
Marcus caught her before she fell, scooping her into his muscular arms and heading swiftly toward the end of the hall. Kicking open the double doors to the master suite, he placed her in the front room on a comfortable settee and quickly shut the doors to the corridor as Dan appeared, looking for her.
“Are you all right?” Marcus asked the trembling girl, striding toward her.
She feebly managed to shake her head. It was a lie, but even in a daze, she wasn’t beyond politeness.
Am I all right? Will I ever be all right again?
“I see you have discovered your fiancé’s proclivities,” he said easily.
Amelia stared up at him, her crystalline eyes reflecting the numbness she was feeling. “You knew about this?” she managed.
Amelia sat on the plush red settee, and Marcus sat himself next to her, brushing away a stray strand of coffee-colored hair from her waxen face.
“This is New York, my dear. It is hardly shocking news to learn that one of my employees is a gay man.”
“He is not gay!” she shouted, tears filling her eyes. “Is he?”
Marcus shrugged his broad shoulders and rested his hand on her arm, his intense hazel eyes blazing with attraction.
“It is certainly no reflection on you if he is. Many men are still ashamed to come forth with their sexuality, even in this day and age. I imagine that his sexual preferences would not be well received in Helena, would they?”
Amelia shook her head, her mind awhirl with confusion and sadness.
It all made sense suddenly, Dan’s urge to leave Montana, the times he had disappeared for hours without explanation, their lack of real intimacy.
She looked over at the powerful CEO, finally allowing their gazes to lock, and he seemed to read her troubles.
“It’s a shame that a woman as beautiful as you wasted your time chasing after a man with no understanding of how to appreciate you,” Marcus sighed.
She stared as he moved in, his lips grazing her cheek. A tingle of pleasure coursed through her and she felt goosebumps sprinkle her skin.
“Do not let this experience cloud you. Never lose that guileless innocence or that fire you possess,” he whispered, his hands now finding themselves on her knees.
Amelia’s ego was trampled by what she had witnessed, and this sexy, authoritative man was saying all the right things. She knew that he was taking advantage of her situation, but at the moment, she didn’t really care. After what she had witnessed, she needed someone to make her feel like a woman.
She did not object as his palms gently spread her legs apart, his breath still hot in her ear.
“I could tell there was something special about you from the moment I saw you downstairs,” Marcus told her, his nose inhaling her subtle perfume as his fingers trailed their way up the smooth skin of her thighs.
His lips touched her neck and suddenly a haze overcame Amelia as she closed her eyes. She could feel nothing except the intensity of Marcus’s burning touch.
A wave of heat flushed between her legs, greeting Marcus’s fingertips which had pushed her cotton panties aside.
“You are so beautiful,” he murmured and Amelia was floating somewhere between the sofa and the ceiling, watching as his head lowered over her windpipe, nipping gently against her fair skin. His kisses became rougher as his touch became urgent, stroking in and out of her slippery center.
His head traveled lower, across her breasts and toward her widely spread legs. He paused to stare up at her, his green and golden flecked eyes glowing with passion before plunging his face into her middle.
Amelia had never felt such pleasure, her body gushed as he continued to use his fingers to manipulate her. In seconds, she was climaxing, her fingers curled against the fabric of the settee, her back arching to meet his eager mouth.
No sooner had she expelled her orgasm did Marcus grab her up from her spot, a shaking puddle in the aftermath. In five steps, his long legs had delivered her into the master bedroom, dropping her unceremoniously onto the California king bed, face down.
Before Amelia could straighten herself, Marcus had spread her cheeks from behind, once more delving his face into her. He licked her from back to front, enlivening the parts of her that had never thought to be touched. Amelia’s legs buckled and when he finally straightened, positioning himself at her sweet, moist entrance, she was in no state to argue.
Not that she wanted to argue. She anticipated the thick, hard member entering her, but she did not expect it to fill her so dramatically.
Crying out as he seemed to touch every part of her insides, she tensed against him. Marcus embraced her tiny waist with a muscular forearm, driving himself into her slowly, but fully, as if savoring her gasps.
“You are so tight,” he growled in ecstasy, his movements increasing as he drove into her. His words only increased her desire and she raised herself to encourage him to go faster, to push deeper.
Grunting, Marcus yanked her upward so the two were parallel. Amelia could feel the CEO’s shaft like a steel rod inside her, growing hotter and harder as he reached his spilling point.
“Cum for me again,” he ordered her and Amelia would have been powerless to stop herself even if she had wanted to.
A flood exploded from her, joining the streams of juice emitting from Marcus’ member.
Moaning softly, Marcus lowered her to the soft mattress, his body still pressed against hers. The two were a pile of sweet euphoria as they caught their breath.
He finally spoke, staring at her with yearning. “I hope you don’t regret that,” he told her. “I just wanted you to know that you are a very sensual and desirable woman and you will always have a place with me if you want it.”
Suddenly, Dan’s betrayal did not seem so difficult to process as she lay spent and in the arms of such an important man.
He wants me, she thought, eyeing him. She did not question
why, but she instinctually knew that she would be able to overcome the hurt she had experienced at the hands of her fiancé.
Maybe I will even stay in New York for awhile, she thought unexpectedly.
He continued to study her face and Amelia thought she read hope in his expression. She shook her head at the strange thoughts. Something about staring into Marcus’ handsome face was placing her into a dissociative state.
What are you talking about? A one-night stand with a billionaire does not mean anything! He only slept with you out of pity. You will go home, pack up your belongings and return to Montana. Tomorrow.
Yet as she held his scrutinizing gaze, Amelia had the feeling that she was going nowhere other than where Marcus Hanover asked.
Chapter 3
In hindsight, Marcus had no idea what had possessed him to approach the timid looking brunette standing off in the corner. Perhaps it was the fact that she seemed so ill-at-ease at his birthday party, or maybe it was that she appeared to be exactly the opposite of every woman he’d had the misfortune of speaking with that day.
She is not swimming in diamonds and not carrying herself with the pompous arrogance that I’m use to. I might actually enjoy a conversation with her, Marcus thought excitedly, but his hopes were not incredibly high. He could not remember the last time he had enjoyed speaking to any woman.
Whatever the reason, Marcus found himself circling the young woman like a shark. To his surprise and mild annoyance, she did not even notice his approach.
She must be the first woman in the history of time not to notice me when I am nearby. Perhaps her intelligence isn’t what I had hoped it was, Marcus thought with irritation. He did not want to admit that his ego was hurt by the apparent slight.
It was not until he spoke that she finally met his eyes. He expected the typical look of adulation to overcome her face, the same one every woman gave him when he flirted with them.
To his shock, he saw none of that. If anything, the slight girl seemed bothered by his presence.
Could she be annoyed by me? Marcus asked himself. It seemed impossible that any woman could find him anything other than charming. After all, he was a billionaire, extremely good looking, and was charming to top it off. Beyond that, he had not needed much else, but this fair country girl did not seem remotely impressed by Marcus.
She’s just playing a game. She’s being coy, Marcus reasoned, but something told him that she was sincerely irked by his presence.
Who is this girl? He looked around the room for her friends or her date. The usual suspects were flittering about and he did not see anyone who claimed the out-of-place brunette.
By the time Marcus had discovered who she belonged to, he knew that he had to have her.
It was not simply that she was unmoved by his wealth and status; there was something more which was drawing him close, keeping him watching her throughout the night. It had been inevitable that he would be there when Dan’s true identity was revealed; Marcus had made sure of it.
As he ran his fingertips along the soft skin of her spine, he relished Amelia’s soft moan.
Gently, he nuzzled her neck, reluctant to wake her from sleep as he inhaled the sweetness of her skin.
Never before had he been so consumed by another woman and as his lips travelled along the curve of her shoulder, he knew inherently that there was a connection beyond anything he had ever known.
She had not left his side since the day following the party and it had been Marcus to make the call, knowing that he would not rest until Amelia lay at his side every night for the rest of his days.
His mouth touched the smooth skin of her back, curling himself into her as his hands cupped her breasts. Marcus could not get enough of her and he knew she was the one he had been seeking his entire life.
Amelia stirred slightly, sighing as her lids fluttered open.
“What time is it?” she purred, turning her slender neck to peer at him, but Marcus kept her firmly in place, his hands slipping between her silken thighs.
He did not answer as his fingertips began to manipulate the damp button. Instantly, she melted against him, gasping softly.
“Marcus,” she whispered. “What are we doing here?”
His digits moved faster as a short gush of warmth flowed against his hand. Inserting a single finger into her, he pressed his mouth into her ear.
“We are finding one another at long last,” he replied, spreading her legs and entering from behind, his hand still pressing against her.
She cried out at the unexpected thrust and Marcus gripped her waist, filling her fully.
And in that moment, Marcus knew that he was never going to let her go.
THE END
Billionaire Boss’ Obsession
Standing up to the boss never felt so good…
Royal Vampire Kingdom Prologue
Many eons ago, the first vampire came into existence when a great warrior named Atticus was given the gift of immortality from an almighty warlock. But with the gift of eternal life came great responsibility. As Atticus developed a thirst for blood, he knew he had to leverage his powers wisely.
Over time, immortality became lonely, and Atticus embarked on a quest to form his own family. Choosing his “children” based on strength of character, fortitude and the ability to navigate an ever changing world for millennia upon millennia, Atticus created a clan that would be able to rule over all other vampires, creating order and hierarchy among them.
The Vampire King gave sixteen worthy humans the gift of everlasting life. The chosen soon became the fifteen princes and sole princess of the vampire world. Together they became the Hanover family.
From these original sixteen individuals, all vampires in the world were created. Though vampires now cover the Earth as rampantly as man and beast, the original Hanover clan remains the most powerful among them.
This is the love story of Augustus Hanover.
Chapter 1
Tara sat down at her desk, once again disparaged by her boss, Pamela. Her new job wasn’t what she thought it would be. Working for Hanover Technologies—one of the top tech firms in New York City—seemed like the perfect place for Tara to start her career after graduating from college with honors.
Although she applied for a marketing manager position, she was offered a job as a junior assistant to the firm’s owner, Mr. Augustus Hanover. Although her title sounded somewhat important, it wasn’t. She reported to Mr. Hanover’s executive assistant, Pamela.
The interview process was simple, and completely unexpected. She never met Mr. Hanover or Pamela, but the vice president of human resources hired her on the spot, without asking her any pertinent questions, saying she’d be perfect for the junior assistant job. It was a good thing she never met Pamela ahead of time, because her boss had already proved to be jealous of Tara on multiple occasions.
Tara was twenty-three years old and had graduated college a year early. She modeled throughout college to pay her tuition, but had never thought of that as a long-term career. She was smart and wanted to use her brain to climb her way up the corporate ladder.
Pamela made her regret her decision, and she constantly wished she would have relied on modeling to pay her bills until she landed a marketing position like she originally wanted.
Pamela relentlessly made rude comments to Tara, constantly trying to leverage the power she had over her younger counterpart. “Your shirt is too tight. You aren’t going to get far in this company looking like that,” was but one of her many thoughtful greetings in the morning. Though the criticism Pamela used most often was, “Beauty will only get you so far, Tara. You need to use your brain if you’re ever going to succeed.”
During her first week of employment, Pamela only gave Tara menial tasks, such as getting coffee or making copies. One day, Tara got up the courage to prepare a report on market trends. She gave the presentation to Pamela, hoping that she would pass it along to Mr. Hanover. Tara never received any feedback from Pamela or Mr
. Hanover, but suddenly she was being tasked with to-do lists that were well above her pay grade.
Tara happily obliged. She wanted to advance in the company, and she was confident in her ability to prove herself if given the chance.
As she sat at her desk this particular morning, feeling especially underappreciated, she searched through the company’s shared drive for her market trends report. She needed information from the report for a current project.
After searching for documents with her name turned up zero results, she tried one last tactic. Finally, she found the report, but Pamela had put her own name on it. This led Tara to spend the entire morning searching for other projects that Pamela put her name on instead of giving Tara proper credit for the work.
Tara couldn’t believe it. No wonder she wasn’t getting any feedback, Pamela had been taking all of the credit for every single project, document, and presentation that Tara completed. Puffing up her chest in disbelief, Tara continued to open document after document in continued shock.
Finally, she gave up looking, not wanting to fuel her anger, but then saw a spreadsheet named ‘company expenditures’. Being curious, Tara opened the spreadsheet to view its contents. The spreadsheet revealed that Pamela had been charging meals, clothes, and trips to the company. But the most shocking part was that large chunks of money were being transferred to an unknown offshore bank account. If everything added up correctly, Pamela had stolen tens of millions of dollars from Augustus Hanover.
Without thinking, Tara wrote her resignation letter. She didn’t need this drama. She signed the letter and got ready to drop it with the human resources department, but something stopped her. First, she needed to approach Mr. Hanover and let him know what Pamela had done. It was the right thing to do, but it certainly wouldn’t be easy. Since she’d started at the company, Pamela had done her best to keep Tara away from the CEO.