THE PLAYBOY'S VIRGIN (Complete Set)

by Mia Carson

  He picked up the phone and called Kelly again. “Yes, sir?” she asked, and he could almost see her curious expression.

  “Does Belle have a full class schedule?”

  There was a pause and a shuffle of papers. “Hmm, I can’t say yes or no to that, but I’d assume so. It’s her last semester, why?”

  His frown deepened. “No reason. Kelly?”

  “Boss man?”

  “Don’t tell her I asked,” he said and hung up just as Belle walked back into his office. “If you can’t stay late, let me know. I can make other arrangements.”

  “It’s all taken care of,” she stated and clapped her hands together. “So, when do we start?”

  “Tonight if possible. The sooner we get started, the sooner we might be able to get this finished,” he said. “You’re sure you can do this?”

  She nodded, and her smile widened. “Not an issue. I’ll get my stuff from Tim and come back here.”

  She turned, but he called her back. “Why don’t you call in some take-out for dinner? Did you eat lunch today?” he asked, noticing how pale she looked. Her eyes widened, and she glanced away guiltily. “Order takeout. We’ll eat while we work.”

  Belle tugged at her pierced ear and left his office. He watched her go, admiring the view as he always did, but worry nagged at him. Usually, he didn’t pay that much attention to anyone else’s habits in his office, being too busy with everything on his plate, but with Belle keeping him on track, his mind was able to pick up on the little things. He thought about last week and realized he hadn’t seen her eat during the day. Ever. He knew she took an hour lunch like everyone else, but he usually left the office for his lunch, ate with one of the other guys, or went out.

  He scratched his beard, wondering if he should push it, but decided against it for now. At least he was able to change her wage. Maybe after this week, she’d see she didn’t need her other job.

  Why do you care so much?

  He dated plenty of women, even spent weekends with them, but it was always a quick in and out, no emotional attachments and no promises. He wasn’t that type of guy, not anymore, unless Belle was around. Then something inside of him warmed, was pulled to her. She was beautiful and strong, but he sensed the stubbornness in her, the same he had. After their spat on Friday, he knew she had a temper too, hidden beneath the tough exterior. This week of staying late at the office was going to be his chance to get under her skin, just as she did to him.

  “What makes you tick?” he mused quietly as he watched her stride back to her desk and finish the rest of the day’s work. He smirked and rocked back in his office chair. She’d challenged him on Friday, and he was going to accept her challenge and find a way to make Belle his.

  ***

  Belle sagged against the wall of the gallery room Wednesday night, nursing a cup of coffee. She glanced at clock on the far wall and groaned. Two in the morning. She had to be back at the office by seven thirty.

  “So much for getting some sleep,” she muttered to the empty room.

  Her plan had been to go back to the dorm, sleep for a few hours, and catch the bus to work, but she was stuck at the gallery unless she wanted to risk walking back to campus. The buses stopped running at midnight. She looked at the walls and the artwork she’d managed to hang up and label so far. Her boss, Greg, told her he trusted her enough to handle the set up overnight if she had to, as long as everything was ready by Saturday.

  Most of the artwork was taken care of, and with only two more nights to go, she knew she’d get it done. As long as she didn’t plan on sleeping at all or getting any of her homework done. Part of her was happy about spending so much time alone with Greyson. He’d accidentally brushed his hand against hers last night, and before she left, he’d sidled as close as he could as they leaned over his desk together. She closed her eyes, thinking of his perfect mouth and the firm feel of his body beside hers.

  Her mind ran rampant with dreams of what would happen if she gave into his flirting, but another voice told her to be careful. He was still her boss, and if anything happened between them, it might not end well.

  What felt like a few minutes later, her cell phone went off shrilly and she jerked upright, cursing at the spilled coffee on her jeans. She fumbled for her cell and squinted at the time. It didn’t click right away, but when it did, her stomach dropped.

  “Shit! I’m late, I’m going to be so damn late!”

  She hadn’t returned to the dorms and had no time to hurry back, shower and change, then make it to the office on time. Maybe Greyson wouldn’t notice, but his careful brown gaze always watched her. He would notice she wore the same damn clothes, and she cursed again. There was nothing for it, so she gathered her things, locked the gallery, and booked it to the bus station.

  As she sat on the bus, ignoring the people pressed around her and the noise, another alarm went off on her cell. She threw her head back against the seat. She had a project due tonight at midnight. And she had to work at the gallery. And she had to stay late to help Greyson.

  Every day, she told herself she had no limits, that she would do whatever she had to do to make her life successful. Today, with her body exhausted and her eyes barely staying open on the bus ride, she realized she was dangerously close to reaching that limit. She rubbed her face, trying to wake herself up, and sucked in a deep breath.

  You can do this. You are strong, independent, and you’re not going to fail, not now.

  The bus emptied at her stop, and she reached her desk a few minutes later. She'd arrived earlier than 7:30, and the office was mostly empty. At least she wasn’t late, but she wore her clothes from yesterday, her hair was a mess, and when she went to the bathroom, she groaned at the heavy bags under her eyes. She used her fingers and did her best to fix her hair, cursing its frizziness, and splashed water on her face.

  Once she made it to the break room for some coffee, a few more people wandered in and the office picked up its usual morning hum of work. Keys tapped, the legal team did their typical morning hacky sack game, and Kelly’s cheerful voice reached her ears, wishing every one good morning and announcing she brought doughnuts. Belle plopped down in her chair, logged in, and intended to get a head start on Greyson’s emails, but her head throbbed from lack of sleep. She closed her eyes for a second, just to rest her eyes. Just a few seconds…

  “Belle?” a deep voice growled as a heavy hand landed on her arm.

  She jumped with a yelp and ran into Greyson’s hard-planed chest.

  “Whoa, where’s the fire?” he teased, his hands gripping her shoulders gently to steady her on her feet. His eyes narrowed, and his jaw clenched. “You look terrible. Were you up all night?”

  She rubbed her eyes and opened them again. He eyed her worriedly. His hands hadn’t left her shoulders either. “I… uh, I had some work to finish up. I slept for a few hours.”

  “How many is a few?”

  She twirled one of the rings on her fingers and avoided his gaze. “Enough.”

  “Belle, look at me,” he growled.

  The last thing she wanted was a lecture from someone on how she lived her life, but the anger and worry mixed in his tone drew her to him.

  “How many hours did you sleep?”

  “Three… maybe. I fell asleep on the floor,” she admitted, kicking herself mentally for oversharing.

  “On the floor where?” he asked, his hands tightening on her shoulders.

  “My other job. I have to get something set up by this weekend—but I’m fine, really. Just need a gallon of coffee, and I’ll be good. Honest.”

  His sigh said he didn’t believe her, but he let her go and she sat down. “If you need a rest, take one of the hammocks in the office and nap.”

  “No, I’m fine,” she insisted, annoyed, and went back to work.

  He stayed by her desk, his arms crossed over his broad chest, breathing so heavily out of his nose that she heard it and it grated on her nerves. After five minutes, she turned to glar
e at him, and he finally held up his hands and backed away to his office.

  Once she was alone again, she hunkered down in her chair and covered her face with her hands, confused by his actions. What was he doing to her? Why did he care so damn much? She saw the curiosity in his eyes, the urge to push with her and see how far he could get, but Belle was not in the business of opening up to anyone. It only led to pain. Carrie was lucky she knew about Belle’s past, or at least some of it. Spending so much time with Greyson was getting dangerous and clouding her usual judgment against people and men in general.

  “Belle, ready to work?” Tim asked, drawing her out of her thoughts.

  She lifted her head and shoved her hair back. “Yes, think I’m good. What are you guys working on today?”

  “Oh, you’re going to love this,” he said with a laugh.

  The excitement she usually felt when learning something new was dulled today, but she followed Tim across the office and did her best to look ready to go, though all she thought about was Greyson’s hot hands on her and her bed. Maybe both together.

  Chapter 5

  Belle gathered her wavy hair back into a ponytail and draped it over her shoulder as she shuffled through the proposal papers again, double checking the terms a final time before they called it a night. Greyson was all too aware of how many times her eyes danced to the clock on his desk, and her lips thinned with every passing hour.

  “I'm calling it,” he said finally when she did it again, and her face paled.

  “What? No, we’re almost done,” she argued.

  He shook his head and pushed back from his desk, stretching his arms over his head. When she watched his body and her lips curled in a smile and a flicker of want passed through her eyes, he smirked. She wanted him, just as much as he wanted her, but no matter how many ways he flirted with her this week, she held back.

  “We can finish tomorrow,” he assured her and took the papers from her hands, holding them as he did so. Her face softened, and she nibbled her lip before giving herself a small shake and pulled away. “You need to get some sleep.”

  “Can’t,” she mumbled. “I have to get to my other job, and then I have to finish a project for school tonight. If I don’t, I lose half my grade for the class and it will all go to shit.”

  Greyson wasn’t sure what happened. One second, she vented to him and her face scrunched up in annoyance, and the next, tears shone in her eyes and she sniffed hard, turning away from him. Her shoulders shook, and Greyson froze, not knowing what to do. He was not used to dealing with tears. For a minute, he just stood there and watched her fall apart in his office, then his chest tightened and before he realized what he was doing, he was behind her, turning her around, and drew her into his arms.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, words muffled against his chest.

  “You look like you need a hug,” he replied, and she laughed. He rested his chin on her head and closed his eyes. This was right, and he did not want to let her go. He waited for her to push back and try to leave, but she remained curled against his chest as the tears flowed down her cheeks. “Why are you doing this to yourself?”

  “I don’t have a choice,” she said and sniffed hard, wiping her face on her hands. She tilted her head back, and it pained him to see her so rundown. “I have to work this job, and I have to finish school. If I fail now, everything I worked for… it’s nothing.”

  He scowled. “That does not mean you should forget to take care of yourself.”

  Belle shook her head and tried to push out of his arms. “I don’t need the lecture. You know nothing about me.”

  “I know that for you to work so hard, you’re either trying to prove yourself to someone or you came from a really hard life,” he stated and she paused. “I know you have a temper that rivals mine, and I know you’re stubborn as hell.”

  “You’ve known me two weeks,” she whispered. “You can’t know that.”

  “I pay attention more than you think,” he said and let his arms fall away slowly. Without her, he was cold and his arms desperately wanted to hold her again. “Quit your other job.”

  Her eyes widened, and she shook her head so hard her hair came loose. “I can’t. I’ve worked there for years, and there’s a gallery opening this weekend and—no offense—but this is only an internship. It doesn’t pay enough.”

  “What about family? Can’t they help you out?”

  “I… uh, don’t have any family,” she mumbled and shoved her hands in her back pockets. “I’m an orphan.”

  Greyson wanted to hit himself for digging into her life. “Sorry, you never said anything about your family. I shouldn’t have assumed.”

  “Not that you ever asked,” she snapped. She sighed and dug the toe of her boot into the floor. “Sorry, I’m stressed and tired, and it’s going to be days before I get any sleep.”

  He wanted her paycheck to be a surprise, but seeing her in such distress, he blurted, “You are an official employee of this company. You’ll get your first full paycheck next week. Please quit your other job. I really don’t want you dropping dead from exhaustion in my office—it'd be a mess for legal.”

  “I can’t,” she said slowly. “Wait, you made me an employee? Already?”

  He lifted one hefty shoulder. “If you make enough here, you can quit your other job. This one is demanding enough, and you have a full class schedule, right?”

  “Well, yeah, but—”

  “No, no buts,” he said firmly.

  She pushed her tongue behind her lips, and he waited for her to argue with him, but she thanked him quietly instead. “Fine, but I have to get through the opening for the gallery. I can’t leave my boss hanging.”

  He grabbed his leather jacket off the back of his chair and told her to grab her things. “Well, let’s go then.”

  “What do you mean we?”

  “Get your stuff,” he repeated and stalked to the elevator. “If you’re going to insist on overworking yourself, I’m not going to let you do it alone. You helped me, now I’m going to help you.”

  She followed quickly, slipping into her jacket as he took her bag and dashed into the elevator with it when the doors opened. “Greyson!”

  “Let’s go. You don’t have all night,” he said with a deep laugh, and she jumped in just as the doors closed, running right into his arms. He laughed as her face lit up. She stayed against his body until they reached the garage level.

  Greyson wanted an explanation for the attraction to this woman, but nothing came to mind and he didn’t care. He leaned down to kiss her, and at the last second, she panicked and turned so he only kissed her cheek. The contact sent a shock through his body anyway, and by the way she shivered in his arms, she felt it, too.

  “We should… uh, we should go,” she said and pushed the elevator door back when it started to close.

  He led her to his Mustang and laughed to himself. She was definitely going to be harder to crack than he thought, but he had all night with her and planned to take advantage of it. She wanted him, and one way or another, she’d succumb to his charm.

  They reached the gallery, and she unlocked the door to let them in.

  “So you tell me what to do, I’ll do it,” he said, “and you can work on your project.” He handed over her bag with her laptop, shrugged out of his jacket, and grinned. “What’re your orders, boss?”

  Her crooked grin twisted his gut as she took her jacket off and tossed it aside. “If you mess this up in any way, I will kick your ass from here to the east coast.”

  He held up three fingers. “Scout’s honor, I won’t.”

  She picked up a stack of papers nearby and held them out to him. “Let’s get this done, then.”

  ***

  When Greyson took Belle’s bag at the office, she had no idea what he was planning, but two hours later, with the gallery set-up nearly finished, she enjoyed seeing a different side to this rough man. She never cried in front of anyone, never broke down. Now, all she
wanted was for Greyson to hold her again and maybe kiss her. She stood at the desk and glanced up as Greyson whistled, working his way around the gallery.

  “These are impressive,” he said, examining a few sketches on the far back wall.

  “Thanks,” she said.

  He glanced at her curiously. “Are these yours?”

  “Some of them. The show this weekend is for students,” she told him proudly. “This is the first time my work’s being shown.”

  “And you’re still worried about not making it?” he asked. “If I’d seen these, I would’ve hired you on the spot. Your detailing is insane—better even than mine when I started out.”

  “Oh, really?” she smirked. “You’re willing to admit that?”

  As he walked back across the gallery floor—the dim lights making him look more like a predator stalking its prey—he nodded. “I know I have an arrogant side, and I’m sorry you had to see that.”

  “Earlier, you said I reminded you of yourself,” she said quietly, swallowing hard as butterflies fluttered around her stomach when he didn’t stop his approach. “What made you so hard?”

  He paused for a second but kept walking until he was only a foot away. When he licked his lips and breathed out through his nose, she worried she’d pushed too far with him and he would tell her to back off, but it was only fair. He knew she was an orphan. She wanted to know what made him act like such a hard-ass.

  “I spent years trying to prove myself to a dad who was never happy with the path his son took,” he admitted and leaned his hip against the desk. “He was into banking, and I wanted to mess around with computers.”

  “What does he think now that you’re successful?”

  Greyson lowered his head and laughed bitterly. “He died before I launched my first game. The night before he died, he was in the hospital, but I was too busy… too damn busy to go say goodbye. We’d gotten in a fight, and I swore I’d never talk to him again. I kept my word.” He bit the words out, and Belle reached out to rest her hand on his arm, sensing his pain.