Climbing out of the bed, she wrapped her arms around Mark, with Lila in the middle blowing raspberries.
“Thank you.” She kissed Mark. “I couldn’t have done any of this without you.”
She was the luckiest woman or, at least, in her eyes.
Continue the Brookfield series with Bare Necessities
About Lacey Wolfe
Lacey Wolfe has always had a passion for words, whether it’s getting lost in a book or writing her own. From the time she was a child she would slip away to write short stories about people she knew and fantasies she wished would happen. It has always been her dream to be a published author and with her two children now of school age, she finally has the time to work on making her dream come true.
Lacey lives in Georgia with her husband, son and daughter, their six cats and one black lab who rules the house.
Come find Lacey online!
Website:
http://www.laceywolfe.com
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https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLaceyWolfe
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Amazon
Other Brookfield Books
Contemporary Romances
Bed, Breakfast, and You (Free!)
Bare Necessities
Not Just Friends
Growing Love
Keys To Her Heart
Contemporary Romance by Lacey Wolfe
Bidding Wars
It Must Be Fate
Wanted: Wife
Arranged Love
Hypnotized
Erotic Romance Books by Lacey Wolfe
Amber’s Muse
Tempting The Manny
Bound By Pleasure
Arranged Love
The Naked Truth
Hot Bods Series
Fool Me Once
More Than Useful
Accidental Love
Opposites Attract
Skyler Tower
Khelsey Jackson
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, duplicated, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the author’s prior written consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
Text Copyright © 2014
All rights reserved by Khelsey Jackson
This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this novel are fictitious and are products of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual events, or locales or persons, living or dead are entirely coincidental.
Edited by MaryAnn Litton
Cover by Khelsey Jackson for JacksonHardy
Dedication
To my incredible husband, thank you for being my rock. I love you more than words can describe.
Acknowledgements
First I want to thank Kim Carmichael for helping with my first self-published book. Thank you to my husband and sister for pushing me when I needed it. Thank you to Lisa Renee Jones and Cynthia Eden for supporting me and helping me. Thank you to SJ Davis for giving me my confidence in my writing career. Thank you to the fans that bought Skyler Tower. Now a HUGE thank you to MaryAnn Litton aka MA Book Review to turning Skyler into what it is.
Chapter One
Evangeline Skyler always got what she wanted, and since she was the CEO of Sky Tech – a computer company she built from scratch – it had made her a very wealthy woman. She took pride in her work because she was the only woman to do what she had done.
Her driver, Axel Roberts, parked her BMW at the curb and she grabbed her sunglasses to place on her eyes. She had her long brown hair pulled back in a tight bun and she reached for her black Hermes purse, waiting for Axel to open her door for her. When he did she smiled at him as he helped her out. He had been with her for the past five years and had become a close friend.
“Have a great day Ms. Skyler,” he said and smiled at her. She never allowed herself to notice how attractive he was until now. His ash-blonde hair was cut short and aquamarine blue eyes that were surrounded by thick, dark black eyelashes. His chiseled cheekbones and square face made her swoon. He caught her by the arm and his worried eyes stared down at her.
She pulled herself up and away from him. Feeling embarrassed, she had no clue what in the world was wrong with her; she had never acted that way before. “I should have eaten this morning,” she muttered halfheartedly, hoping he’d believe the lie. She did eat, but he didn’t know that. “Thank you,” Evangeline offered with a nod, and turned right around to her building.
Skyler Tower was her baby; she was the one that built the little company from the ground up and now she had just over one-thousand employees working for her. After strolling into the front door, she was greeted by the security guard, Mike, who had been working for her since she opened the doors five years ago.
“Hey, Mike. How are your daughters?” He had two teenage girls and a wife who passed away almost a year ago.
Mike grinned. “They are hanging in there. I wanted to thank you for my bonus.”
Evangeline felt herself blush, but gave him her best innocent look. “If you got a bonus it was because you earned it.”
She winked at him as she made her way to the elevator. A hand appeared in the closing doors and a man in a light gray suit walked into the small space. She glanced at him and his dark, beautiful angular face was strikingly handsome. His raven black hair was slicked back to show off his handsome face and his deep chocolate eyes were on her. She felt her body heat up because he was taking her in too.
“Can you press thirty for me?” he said in a thick sexy Italian accent. She bit her lip, forcing her eyes away from him, and to the numbers in front of her. She had to slide her card and realized she was so distracted by him.
Evangeline was never the one to be shy and bashful, but the dominance rolling off of him caused her to lose her train of thought. “You didn’t press your floor number,” he murmured.
Trying to pull herself together, Evangeline glanced at him over her shoulder and said, “I am on the top floor.”
He stared at her as if he was figuring something out, and then his deep chocolate eyes went wide. “You’re Evangeline Skyler.” She loved the way her name sounded with his accent.
She was used to people being surprised by her, she wasn’t what you thought of when you heard CEO of a computer company. She had long, dark brown hair and light blue eyes. Normally, she would get mistaken for a model or an actress, but never that she was a CEO of the top computer company.
“I am,” she replied with pride in her voice.
“Well, Ms. Skyler I am here to interview you for The Times.” That was right, she remembered someone calling her office for months asking for an interview with her. She ignored all the calls and the emails. She liked her privacy, and being in a newspaper wouldn’t keep her life so private.
Evangeline stood a little straighter and slowly turned around. “I wasn’t aware that I had agreed to an interview.”
His alluring lips lifted into a seductive smile. “You haven’t … yet.”
Arching her eyebrows, she studied him and watched him lick his lips. She couldn’t comprehend why she didn’t want to turn him down. There was something about him that was calling to her. “You have ten minutes before I have to go to a meeting,” she stated as he grinned at her.
She was so happy when the doors opened revealing her floor. The once carpeted office now gleamed with white marble and all the wood was black walnut. A well-known artist had also painted the walls with beautiful scenery.
“This office is beautiful just like the woman who runs it,” his Italian accent said from behind her; she smiled. She was used to taking complements, except there was something about the way he said it that made her turn around to face him. She wasn’t the only one that was beautiful; he was breath taking.
&nb
sp; “Thank you. I put a lot of my heart and soul in my building and business.” He took a step towards her and she had to remind herself to step back. She didn’t like to show any weakness when she was at work, and for some reason he was hers.
“What’s your name?”
He smiled down at her, revealing dimples in his cheeks when he answered, “Angelo Giovanni.”
When he talked it made her think of things, and she didn’t like where her mind was taking her. She didn’t do relationships, she had sex nothing more. The last relationship she was in was when she was nineteen, and when it left her heart broken she vowed to never fall in love again. So far that was working for her, but there was something about Angelo that made her want to break that vow. Another thing she made sure of, was to be the one in charge and he radiated control.
She placed her hand in front of him and his smile widened. “Mr. Giovanni,” she said and when he put his hand in hers she sucked in her breath. Instantly, her pulse raced and her panties dampened.
“Ms. Skyler, I am honored.” He took her hand and slowly brought it to his luscious lips, keeping his chocolate eyes on hers.
She mentally had to shake herself because they were standing in the lobby of her office where many people were working. “Follow me,” she commanded as she tore her hand from his grip, heading toward her corner office.
Her office was different than the rest of the floor with dark marble covering the floor along with the large desk that sat in the middle of the room. The walls had wallpaper with a silver elegant design. She waited for him to enter and closed the door behind him. She had a well-known painting from Vincent van Gogh hanging behind her desk. It was her pride and joy.
“I was wrong before, this is what suits you.” He slowly turned to face her and grinned. This man was dangerous, but she wanted him.
“Thank you I pay a lot of money to get what I want,” she said as she made her way to sit behind her desk, needing distance between them.
“You seem to often get what you want.”
She kept her face blank of emotions because her personal life was just that…personal. “I thought you were interviewing me, Mr. Giovanni.”
Smiling, he reached in his pocket to pull out a small notepad and a pen. “If that is what you want,” he remarked, opening up the little black note book so he could write something down. “You are only thirty years old, how did you become so successful?”
Evangeline was used to people asking her that. “I knew what I wanted and went for it with everything I had.”
He stared at her for a second before writing her answer down. “If you could do one thing differently what would it be?”
She lifted her eyebrows because that wasn’t your typical interview question. “I wouldn’t do anything differently; everything I have done was for a reason.” She did miss one thing, but fulfilled it with sex, not love.
Angelo narrowed his eyes. “There is nothing you would change in your life? An old lover you wouldn’t want back in your life or maybe a different career path?”
“What I have is what I always wanted. I knew when I was younger I wanted to be my own woman and that I didn’t need a man to make me successful.” She had read articles on her being called heartless, but she wasn’t…she was cautious.
“Why are you still single?” he asked.
Skyler licked her lips and lifted an eyebrow. “That is personal, Mr. Giovanni.” His face showed his amusement, except he quickly covered it up with his hand, rubbing his jaw line thoughtfully.
Closing his notebook, Angelo sat it on her desk and leaned forward. “I want to kiss you,” he said in a thicker accent than before. It made her tremor thinking about what that voice could do to her.
He stood up and walked towards her. She didn’t know if she was going to stop him or rip off her clothes. When he moved around her desk, she allowed her gaze to follow his every step toward her. Angelo stopped beside her and she had to tilt her head to match his deep chocolate eyes.
“Stand up,” he ordered. Evangeline narrowed her eyes at his show of dominance.
“Kneel,” she said with a challenge in her voice. She thought he would laugh at her or demand her to do as he said. She knew when she was staring at another dominant. Sitting a little taller, she kept her eyes on his, never wavering.
Leisurely, he dropped to one knee in front of her and she licked her lips knowing what was coming. She didn’t move. Evangeline waited for his lips to capture hers; steadily, he leaned forward and kissed her neck. His scorching mouth hovered above hers and his eyes seemed to burn though her. She couldn’t take it anymore. She wanted his lips on hers so she seized his tie and pulled him to her. Their lips molded together and her eyes fluttered closed. His tongue licked her bottom lip seeking permission. Opening her mouth, Evangeline moaned when his sinful tongue found hers. Her hands traveled up to his raven black hair and she tangled her fingers to hold him to her.
His arms snaked around to her back and she knew she wanted him. It had been six months since she had taken a lover to her bed and that was the longest she had gone since she lost her virginity. He tore his mouth from her and she groaned.
“I want you,” he said, saying the words she was terrified to say. “But I won’t take you here in your office.” She frowned at him because that wasn’t what she wanted to hear, she wanted him naked and inside her.
“You confuse me,” she confessed and he stood up. Her eyes went to the large bulge in the front of his pants causing her mouth to go dry.
Angelo placed his hand in front of her and she took it. He smiled down at her illuminating his dimples again. “I am not the type of guy that fucks someone in an office. I want to take my time with you and I couldn’t here.” He took the hand he was still holding and placed it on his bulge. “I want you, but I also want to do this right.”
She narrowed her eyes because what he wanted she didn’t want to give. “I don’t do relationships, I like to have sex and that is it. My life is too demanding for anything more than simple sex.”
“Well then I guess I have to woo you,” he murmured, removing her hand from the front of his pants, bringing it to his lips. When he kissed her knuckles he kept his chocolate eyes on hers. “Let me treat you to dinner.”
She moved away from him because she couldn’t think straight when he was touching her. “That sounds like a date.”
“Because I am asking you on a date.” He grinned at her and she felt things she hadn’t in a while. She wanted to wake up in his arms in the morning; she wanted his handsome face to be the first thing she saw.
“I don’t know,” Evangeline responded hesitantly. Angelo moved back to her cutting her off, and when he kissed her hard she forgot the reasons for saying no. When he pulled away she was the one to smile. “Fine. You have one night so make it worth it.”
He laughed and hugged her tightly. “If you are there then I know it will be worth it.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a white business card. “This has my personal cell phone number on it, I will leave the when up to you.” Quickly, he kissed her cheek, handed her the card and turned around to walk out the door.
She was left standing in her office breathing as if she just finished running five miles.
Chapter Two
Four hours later Evangeline was staring at the white business card in her hand. He had been on her mind all day and she knew if they did what they both wanted to do it would end one of two ways. One way would be with one hot passionate night or they would go down with a sinking ship. She did like how he left the date in her hands so that she would have to be the one to call him.
She reached for the phone on her desk and dialed the number before she decided against the chance of a passion filled night. The phone rang three times before she heard, “Hello,” in a thick accent that made her catch her breath. She hit the speaker button on her phone and sat the receiver down.
“Meet me at the Top the World restaurant in one hour.” She said and bit her bottom lip.
A warm chuckle filled the room. “You do like to be in charge, but I will take you anyway I can get you. I will see you in one hour then. Good bye Evangeline.” After he hung up she gawked at the phone. He would take her anyway he could get her. She wondered if he was planning on this happening. She grabbed her purse and as she made her way off of her building she wasn’t surprise to see Axel waiting for her in front of the building. He was leaning against the car with his dark sunglasses on, but she knew his eyes were on her.
He wasn’t just her driver when needed he was her bodyguard. “Ms. Skyler,” he said and opened the back door for her.
She smiled at him and he removed his sunglasses. “Thank you Axel, how was your day?”
“Mine was great as always, I have coffee in the car for you.” He smiled down at her and helped her into the car.
When he got in he started the car and slowly pulled away from the building; she took a sip from the coffee he left her. She studied his side profile and wondered to herself why she never noticed him before. He had been her driver for five years now, but she never saw him as more as that. He knew her better than anyone else in her life. He knew how she liked her coffee and always remembered her birthday. He was a phone call away if she needed him, but she had never seen him as more as her employee.
“Axel, can I ask you a personal question?” He didn’t put his sunglasses back on when he got in the car so his aquamarine blue eyes met hers in the mirror and he slightly nodded. “Why are you still single? You are tremendously handsome and generous.” In the mirror she saw a smile tugging at the corner of his full lips.
What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 3) Page 163