THE PLAYBOY'S VIRGIN (Complete Set)

by Mia Carson

  As she mulled over his proposal, his eyes flitted across her face again, the soft curves in the low lighting behind him, the piercings he hadn’t noticed on her right ear. This was the Belle he wanted to see every day at his office. She was a hard woman, which was just what he needed. Someone to put him in his place when he stepped out of line. If Tim hadn’t come clean and said he could be just as arrogant as she’d said, he would’ve ignored her words completely.

  No one else was willing to stand up to their boss. No one except her.

  “Deal,” she said and squeezed his hand tighter. “But if you don’t hold up your end, I’m quitting and you’ll never see me again.” She whispered the last part, and her blue eyes shimmered with confused attraction.

  Greyson knew just how she felt and smiled. Instead of leaning down to brush his lips across hers, he said, “Perfect.”

  “Good, that’s good,” she whispered and pulled her hand from his. “I need to find my friend and get home. I have to work in the morning. Here’s your jacket,” she said and tossed it at him.

  “Work?” he asked, but she was already back inside and had quickly disappeared into the crowd of party-goers on the dance floor. “What is she talking about?” He held the leather tightly in his hands then brought it up to his face. Apples and cinnamon hit him hard and he cursed. She was going to be trouble.

  He slipped his jacket on and headed back inside. A hand fell on his arm, and he turned, hoping it was Belle, but it was the blonde from the bar.

  “Hey, I was wondering where you ran off to,” she said and leaned in close enough to kiss him. “Care to dance with me?”

  “I have to go,” he said gently and pulled away from her. “Sorry, doll, maybe next time.”

  She pouted but let him go. He was near the front door when another pair of hands snaked over his shoulders and gripped his jacket hard, forcing him to turn. “Greyson, you haven’t called me,” Aiden, one of his usual weekend women, crooned as she leaned in to kiss him, but he pulled back. “I’ve missed you. Haven’t you missed me?”

  He eyed her clingy blue dress that barely covered anything vital and coughed. “I have, but I'm just not feeling it tonight. Maybe next weekend, alright?”

  She narrowed one eye at him and pursed her lips. “You’ve never turned me down before.”

  “An off night,” he said. “I’ll call you soon, promise.”

  “You'd better,” she called after him, but he didn’t turn back around. He stalked to his Mustang, Belle’s scent surrounding him, and wondered what it was about the woman that got under his skin so easily.

  One week and she had managed to force him to apologize for being an ass. What would happen when she was there a month? He slid behind the wheel and revved the engine, wondering if either of them would be able to handle whatever happened next.

  Chapter 3

  Belle somehow survived the weekend, working the gallery on both days with Carrie and finishing her homework late Sunday night. Monday, she dragged her butt into the office, worried she would get the stink eye from everyone there, but they whistled when she walked in and cheered for her.

  Tim laughed as he approached her. “Oh, man, you’re a lot better for this place than I thought.”

  “Why’s everyone so happy?” she asked, confused.

  “You put him in his place, that’s why. I think you’re going to be really good for him,” he said, and with another smile, he walked away whistling, leaving Belle to hurry to her desk.

  Sitting by her mouse was a steaming cup of coffee. She set her bag down and glanced around, but Greyson wasn’t anywhere close by. She smiled, remembering Friday night at the bar, and cupped the warm mug in her hands. She’d been sure that night he was going to kiss her, and she’d been tempted to do the same, but all the old fears rose up and she’d run off before anything could happen. After all, he was her boss again. She wasn’t going to risk this job a second time by getting involved with him.

  Carrie, of course, had been no help at all. When Belle told her what happened, she had asked why the hell she hadn’t gone home with Greyson. Now, waiting at the office for him to arrive, she wondered what would’ve happened if she had kissed him. Would he have asked her to go home with him? She pictured those large, strong hands on her hips, drawing her in close for a kiss. She closed her eyes and imagined his lips pressed against hers, hungry for her touch. It wasn’t hard to imagine him leading her back to a candlelit bedroom and his massive four poster bed. She couldn’t picture him in anything else.

  “Morning, Belle,” Greyson said and tapped her desk.

  Belle fumbled in her chair and nearly spilled her coffee. Her cheeks burning, she glanced up at his curious smirk. “Morning, boss,” she replied and cleared her throat, shoving her X-rated fantasies aside. “How was your weekend?”

  “I was about to ask you,” he said and motioned for her to follow him. “You have bags under your eyes.”

  She touched them and frowned. “I had work,” she said. “Thanks for pointing out how horrible I look this morning.”

  He sat down behind his desk, his brow furrowed. “I never said you looked bad,” he said gently, and she perked up at the change of tone. “I was wondering why you’re still working another job if you work here.”

  “I have to pay the bills,” she shrugged, and when he tugged at his beard, she sighed. “It’s fine, really. I just didn’t sleep much. I had some last-minute assignments for a class. All online means extra work.”

  “You do this often?” he asked.

  “Do what?” she replied and sat down in front of his desk. She tucked her hair behind her right ear, and he smirked when his gaze shifted to the piercings in her ear. She used to take them out for work, but after he saw them Friday night, she had decided he really didn’t mind so much.

  “Spread yourself too thin? You’re too young to be rundown like this.”

  She bristled at the too young comment but smiled again and straightened. “I’m fine. It's nothing I haven’t dealt with before. So, what’s the new plan?”

  The way he eyed her said he didn’t believe her, but he let it drop, though the promise in his eyes said this conversation wouldn’t be the last one about her working too much. “This morning, I’m going to have you take care of your usual tasks for me. After lunch, you’ll hop over and shadow Tim for the rest of the day unless there’s some emergency and I need your wonderful assistant skills.”

  Belle grinned and hopped up from her chair, eager to get started. He chuckled behind her, and she shot a look over her shoulder. “Do I amuse you?” she asked.

  He leaned forward and folded those hands she had fantasized about all weekend. “Not amuse. Intrigue would be a better word. One of these days, Belle, I want to actually get to know my new employee.”

  “Intern,” she corrected. “Just an intern for now, remember?”

  “For now,” he repeated with a nod, and she left his office to get to work.

  Excitement flooded her. She was finally going to see the team in action as they moved through the process of working out the latest kinks of the MMO. It was going to be a hectic week. The gallery she worked at on the weekends had a new show coming in, and she was in charge of setting it up every evening this week and then working the opening party on Saturday. She tried not to think of the assignments piling up in her classes, nor how little time she was going to have to work on her own projects, but that was the cost of making it through.

  The road had been long and anything but simple, but Belle was determined to make something of herself. The talent was there, and she knew she had the drive. If working with Tim was what gave her that extra boost she needed, she would put everything she had to on hold—including sleep—if it meant succeeding.

  As she answered the e-mails for Greyson and checked on the status of several documents being prepared for him to look over, her mind drifted again to Friday night. From what Tim had said, it sounded as if Greyson did not apologize to anyone lightly. He even stepped in
and took care of that creep for her—not that she couldn’t take care of herself, but it had been quite chivalrous. Carrie had nearly swooned when she told her that part of the story, but all it did was make Belle wonder who the real Greyson was. He’d been at the bar alone. She was curious, since he was so popular, why he wasn’t with someone.

  “Hey,” Kelly said and sat down on the other side of Belle’s desk. “I hear Friday night was interesting.”

  Belle’s fingers froze on the keyboard. “How did you hear?” she asked quietly.

  “He told me to expect you back this morning after the episode on Friday,” she told her, grinning.

  Belle sat back in her chair and tugged at her ear. “Sorry about that. I’ve always had a bit of a temper, and he just pushed too far.”

  Kelly cackled loudly and patted Belle’s hand. “Oh, sweetie, we’re all impressed. Don’t worry. Between you and me, he’s needed a swift kick in the ass for months now. Four assistants in one month? That’s a little ridiculous, even for him.”

  Belle let out a breath of relief. “Good. I thought I was in trouble.”

  “Nope. We’re all rooting for you now. He told me the terms of your return,” she said and motioned Belle closer. “Don’t hesitate to hold up your end.”

  “No problems there, don’t worry,” she said, and her eyes caught the coffee mug. “Did you leave coffee for me this morning?”

  “No, not me,” Kelly said and her grin softened. “But I think I know who did.”

  Belle swiveled her chair around when Kelly peered behind her and grinned when Greyson glanced away from his monitor and saw them both staring at him. He frowned, but his lips twitched in a smile before Belle faced front again.

  “You’re going to be good for him, I can tell, but just be careful. He’s quite the man, so I’ve heard.”

  “What?” Belle spat out and laughed nervously. “Oh no, nothing like that. No, he’s my boss, and I’m just the intern.”

  “You think he would’ve said what he did if he didn’t like you?”

  “He can’t,” she whispered. “I can’t… There’s no way.”

  “I'm just saying. You’re more his type than the usual women he sees,” she said with a sigh. “It would be nice to see him with a real woman for a change, someone who can handle him. Someone like you.”

  “Wait, you’re the head of HR. Why are you telling me this? Isn’t it against company policy?”

  Kelly shrugged and stood. “What I can’t see, I can’t write up,” she announced. “Besides, it’s his company. If he wants something that bad, he’ll find a way to get it.” She winked and wandered over to the legal area, leaving Belle to stare open-mouthed at her keyboard.

  Greyson was attractive, there was no question there. She’d spent enough hours thinking about him, but her experience with men was nothing. She’d had one kiss—half a kiss really—a long time ago, and there’d been no attempt since. There was always too much going on in her life between work and school to make time for a relationship. Greyson’s eyes had danced across her body at the bar Friday night, and when he’d handed over his jacket, Belle wanted to melt into his masculine scent of cedar and firewood. It clung to her most of the weekend, and she wasn’t ashamed to say she waited until the last possible moment to shower so she wouldn’t lose the scent of him.

  “God, what is wrong with me?” she muttered and shook her head. “This is not happening, can’t happen. You will ruin this chance, so stop it.”

  “Enjoying talking to yourself?” Greyson asked from behind her, and she jumped, smacking her knees on her desk. “Sorry, didn’t meant to interrupt you and yourself.”

  She shot him a glare and continued typing the e-mails. “I was reading something out loud.”

  “Sure you were. Can I get you a refill? I’m heading that way.”

  Her fingers froze, and she shifted to lean back in her chair and eye him curiously. “What’s this? The mighty CEO is offering to fetch his lackey coffee? Are you feeling alright? Do you have a fever? Hallucinations maybe?”

  “Listen, smart-ass, do you want coffee or not?” he asked roughly and bent down so they were at eye-level.

  She sucked in a breath and cursed when his scent overwhelmed her. His dark chocolate eyes searched hers, and she fumbled for words. They were so close, all she had to do was let her chair straighten and his lips would be against hers.

  “Belle?” he whispered her name, and her stomach clenched because his voice was so hoarse.

  “Yeah, coffee would be… would be great,” she said and reached for her mug.

  He took it but didn’t move away. Her hand stretched up, ready to tug on his beard and bring him closer, but she stopped herself at the last second. He saw her hand and smirked.

  “I’ll be right back,” he told her and stalked away, giving her a nice view of his perfectly shaped ass.

  “Get it together,” she muttered to herself and ran her hands through her hair. “He’s off-limits and way out of your league. Your job is more important, so keep your hands to yourself and focus.”

  But when Greyson returned a few minutes later and set her coffee down with a smoldering gaze, taking in her clingy black sweater and lingering on her bare shoulder, a shiver shot down her spine and want pooled low in her belly.

  This is going to be impossible, she thought and hunkered down in her chair. I’m so screwed.

  Chapter 4

  All day, Greyson was distracted by Belle. Every time she stood up, he pictured her in that black slinky dress. He pictured taking it off of her slowly, watching the desire in her eyes flare to life as he caressed her body and finally kissed her. There’d been so many women since his one and only real relationship, and he feared he’d never feel that spark of warmth in his chest again. Until Belle walked into his life.

  He sat at his desk, staring at the ceiling, and ran his fingers over his palm, remembering how firm and warm, how soft, her hand was in his. He wanted to hold it again and not let go.

  “Grey? We have a problem,” Bob from legal said as he walked in.

  “Bob, haven’t we talked about this? No problems for legal after noon,” Greyson said and sat up to glance at the clock on his desk. “It’s four.”

  “I know, but this one can’t wait. It’s about the new partnership.”

  Greyson groaned and held out his hand for the file. “They declined the entire deal? I thought we had an agreement? The new figures looked fine to me.”

  “I guess something got lost in translation,” Bob said, exasperated. “I don’t know how it happened, but they said if we don’t get it fixed and sent out by Friday at midnight, they’re turning to our competitor.”

  “That’s not going to happen. Damn it, we’ve been working on this deal for months,” he snapped and stood abruptly. He glanced out the glass walls of his office and spotted Belle busy at work beside Tim. Every few minutes, Greyson would look her way and smile at the light in her eyes while she concentrated. The last thing he wanted to do was pull her away from what he'd promised, but he needed her. “Tell Belle I need to see her ASAP.”

  “You think you can fix it?”

  “Did they send over their specifications again?” he asked and Bob nodded. “I’ll make it work, even if I have to get on a plane and fly out there myself.”

  “If you need help with it, I can stay,” Bob said, but Greyson was already shaking his head.

  “Your wife just had a baby. She needs you more than I do with your brood of brats running around,” he teased.

  Bob nodded in appreciation. “I’ll let Belle know you need her. Sorry, boss man.”

  “No, not your fault. Shit happens, and it’s my job to fix it,” he muttered and sat down heavily. A few minutes later, Belle walked into his office, and he cringed, knowing she was going to hold this against him. “We have an emergency.”

  Her face fell, and she gripped the chair in front of her. “What happened?”

  “Our merger with another gaming company that will let us ex
pand and bring in more jobs is about to fall through. I have until Friday at midnight to fix it, and I’m going to need your help drafting a new one,” he explained. “It’s going to mean staying late every day.”

  It was as if the air went out of her body. She sank into the chair and stared blankly at the floor. “How late?” she asked so quietly he almost didn’t hear.

  “Few hours at least. We have to tear it apart and start from scratch. It took a month to do the first one,” he stated. “You alright?”

  “Yeah, yeah that’s fine. I just need to make a call.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I’ll be back in a few.”

  Greyson sat back in his chair, tapping his fingers on the files and wondering why staying late would upset her until he remembered her saying she worked another job. When she started talking to someone on the phone at her desk, he picked up his and called Kelly in HR.

  “Hey,” he said when she answered. “How is Belle paid?”

  “She’s getting a stipend. Why?”

  “Change her to hourly,” he ordered.

  “You sure?” she asked. “She’s still just an intern. We never did that for any of the others.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure. We’re going to be working on a new proposal for the deal about to fall through, and I’m going to need her here late. Want to make sure she’s compensated for her time,” he grumbled, and when Kelly whispered something under her breath, Greyson straightened. “What was that?”

  “Nothing at all, sir,” she chirped happily. “I’ll make the change tonight. Starting hourly pay or higher?”

  “Starting should be fine. Thanks, Kelly,” he said and hung up.

  That would be a nice surprise for her, at least. He hoped if this was going to be too much, she would tell him, but the bags under her eyes that morning told him something else about this woman. She was more like him than he’d originally thought. A hard worker, someone who didn’t quit and didn’t let herself rest. He blew out a heavy breath through his nose. Maybe this week, he’d find a way to convince her to slow down and take it easy before she wore herself out.