Indecent Proposal: A Reverse Harem Romance

by J.C. Valentine

  The sex was hard and fast and completely earth-shattering. As Conner pounded into her, Sabrina had no choice but to let herself go and get taken under by the pleasure he wrought on her body. He was a machine, bracing himself on the couch so he wouldn’t crush her, his brows pinched in concentration as he fought his way toward a powerful climax. And she knew it would be because she was on her way toward one herself, and the buildup was enough to scare her.

  As the pressure grew below, the tingling down her spine intensifying and her blood racing in her ears, her breath as choppy as an ocean in a storm, she had the passing thought that this was how people died during sex: a heart attack brought on by fantastic sex.

  If that was the way she was meant to leave this world, she would gladly accept it.

  “Yes, right there, Conner,” she hissed, her body tightening up as her orgasm overtook her. She embedded her nails in his shoulders without apology, her inner muscles clamping down around his cock. Conner shuddered and groaned then gave two last hard thrusts, spilling his cum inside her.

  Driving a knee into the couch, his shoulders sagged as he fought to catch his breath. Beneath him, Sabrina fixed her blouse and tidied her hair, then waited for him to gather himself.

  “That was…” He trailed off, but she knew what he meant.

  “Wow,” she finished for him.

  “Yeah…” There was a…not quite awkward silence that followed, and then Conner abruptly pushed to his feet and made some final adjustments to his clothes. In a matter of a few hand motions, he looked just as put together as he had when he’d walked through the door. “I have to go.”

  “It’s late,” Sabrina heard herself reply, although her mind was whirling with ridiculous thoughts of Stay a little longer and Please don’t go. She didn’t know where they were coming from and she didn’t dare give them a voice.

  Extending a hand, Conner waited for her to take it then pulled her up to stand. He took a moment to absorb her there before him, her entire appearance in disarray thanks to his eager hands and zealous lovemaking, and then he said, “We’ll see you in the office later.”

  Sabrina didn’t confirm or deny. She just watched him walk out the door, appreciating the view and trying her level best not to freak out over what they’d just done.

  “Meow.”

  Turning, Sabrina spotted Binx as he jumped up onto the back of the sofa, giving her a judgmental look.

  She brushed her hand through the air. “Oh, mind your own business.”

  If the cat was right, and she’d made a mistake, she’d deal with it later, if the need arose. Otherwise, as far as she was concerned, tonight never happened.

  Chapter Four

  Ignoring the elephant in the room was easier said than done. The moment the Hargreaves stepped off the elevator, Sabrina could swear she felt the earth shift. Of course, that was just her mind overexaggerating things, but she was hyperaware of them. Specifically, Conner. She was actively trying to erase all thought of him from her head, but every time she walked past him or one of his brothers and they gave her that knowing smile or flirty little wink, there it was again, in all its high-definition, sweaty, naked glory.

  Conner was inescapable, and what’s more, she couldn’t stop entertaining the question of whether or not his brothers would be just as exciting. They certainly were just as sexy, in their own unique way. Knowing they were attracted to her only incited more of those naughty, forbidden thoughts. For the hundredth time, she gave herself a mental slap, reminding herself that she had no business fornicating with her employees. Especially not ones directly related to the man who practically invented the business world. Many considered him a king, and while she merely saw him as a man who had aged out and turned the helm over to her, she still harbored respect for the man and what he’d accomplished in his lifetime.

  Fucking his sons would be a slap in the face and create sour grapes within her company. Again, as a woman, the last thing she needed was to gain a reputation for sexual misconduct. Not that men didn’t do it all the time; they just didn’t get the same treatment for stepping out of line.

  “Shawna,” Sabrina snapped over the intercom, her finger depressing the button so hard, the tip blanched white, “bring me my coffee.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “And push my ten-thirty to eleven.” She sighed, rubbing her forehead. She had a headache the size of Texas, and it was only getting bigger.

  “Will do.” Shawna paused. “Is there anything else I can bring you?”

  Just then, there was a knock on her office door, and Sabrina glanced up, the throbbing in her temples momentarily causing confusion. How could Shawna already be there when she still had her on speaker? But then the door opened without her permission and Sabrina’s sour mood tanked further.

  Glaring at her visitor, Sabrina said, “Yeah, a couple of aspirin.” Conner cocked an eyebrow, and she revised, “Make that the whole bottle.”

  He entered her personal space without invitation, as many men tended to do, in her experience. As if the thing between their legs granted them special authority. He inspected her office as he approached, looking handsome in his two-piece suit and tie. While she didn’t understand the new fashion trend to wear pants as tight as humanly possible, tapered all the way to the ankle and making their feet appear as big as a yacht, Sabrina appreciated the sleek and sophisticated look on him. Especially the way it accented and cradled his ample package.

  “Bad day already?” he asked when she disconnected the speaker on the phone.

  “It’s Tuesday,” she stated. The tone in her voice implicated that he was only adding to the suckage.

  Nodding, he finished his perusal of her space and came around to her desk, standing in front of it and staring down at her. “Do you want to talk about what’s bothering you?”

  “Nope.” She got to work, pretending to set her focus there when in reality, all of her attention was on the man hovering over her. How was she supposed to concentrate when she could still feel his hands on her, feel the heat of his skin and the power of his body on top of hers. Feel him thrusting inside of her, hear his every labored breath in her ear? And he was wearing the same cologne he had on last night, which only made the memories starker.

  Ignoring the feel of his eyes on her, she kept at her “work” while he continued on. “Well, if you change your mind—”

  “I won’t.”

  “My brothers and I are here for you,” he finished with a smile in his voice. “At any rate, I’m not here to harass you. I need the papers for the Stockman account, as well as the schedule for the week’s meetings.”

  “Shawna will make sure to give you the files you need. Why do you need the schedule?” she asked the more pertinent question, as she always attended meetings alone, ever since taking over the running of the business.

  “Because I, and possibly my brothers, will be attending them with you.”

  Sabrina dropped her pen on the paper she’d been pretend writing on and pierced him with narrowed eyed. “Since when?” she scoffed.

  “Since we became partners, partner.”

  Heat crawled up her neck, setting the little hairs on end. “That wasn’t part of the deal. I’m your boss, not your partner. That’s what happens in a merger.”

  “Actually, the very definition of a merger is to merge,” Conner countered. “As we have a stake in how well this company performs, and we each have a strong mind for business matters, our working together can only be beneficial.”

  Sabrina opened her mouth to argue, to refuse him outright, but he turned heel and headed for the door, cutting her off in the process. “Never mind, I’m sure Shawna can provide that too. I’ll let you get back to work. Hope that headache gets better.”

  The door closed on his words, leaving Sabrina sitting there, slack-jawed and angry. The nerve! Conner and, by association, his brothers, had just barreled right over her. If they thought she was just going to play nice and roll over, allowing them to shove her aside in
her own business, they had another thing coming. She’d see to it they were all on the first flight back to the UK!

  ***

  “I just got notice that there was a substantial charge made to the corporate account this morning. You’re planning to leave the country?” Sabrina’s father questioned.

  He’d called during her lunch hour, interrupting a very fine and soothing cup of java during the only time of the day when she could catch an ounce of peace, away from the dredges of work. Sabrina was always happy to hear from her father, but not when she knew he was going to pitch a fit and question her authority. He might not be present in the office physically, but he maintained an annoying habit of inserting himself virtually on a regular basis.

  “Not me, Daddy. I’ve arranged for the Hargreaves to return home. It’s just not working out having them here.”

  “Why not?” His tone took a distinctive turn that didn’t bode well for her. Hell, she already knew he was going to object to her decision, and she was prepared for the fight.

  “Because they think they’re going to run the show, when they have nothing to run it with. They’re trying to take over, Daddy. I won’t allow it.”

  “Sweetheart,” he said in that placating tone he always used when he’d decided she was being hormonal, “I know you think you can do it all alone, but running a business is a twenty-four-six job.”

  “Which I’ve already proven I can handle. I don’t need them butting in and trying to tell me how to do it.”

  “I think you’re overreacting. The Hargreaves are a very business-savvy family with deep roots in Wall Street and the business in general. They have a lot to offer. You could learn from them.”

  “Learn what exactly? How to lose your business?” Sabrina laughed sardonically. “Daddy, we absorbed their company because they were tanking. What am I supposed to learn from them, how to fail?”

  “You could start by being more humble,” he barked, catching her off-guard. He rarely raised his voice, so when he did, she shut right up. “Businesses fail, Sabrina. That’s the nature of it. It takes more than just hard work and dedication to make one a success, and the Hargreaves have had more than their share of successes. To judge them impotent from one near-miss would be a mistake, and one that I won’t see repeat itself.”

  “I didn’t mean it like that,” she told him, scrambling like a child who’d been cowed to redeem herself.

  “Yes, you did. Sabrina Marie, I expect you to shelve whatever prejudices you have against those men and make nice. I expect you to try to work together and learn from each other, whatever it takes. Do you hear me?”

  “Yes, Daddy,” she agreed reluctantly, his chastisement weighing on her chest.

  “We’re a family business. They’re a family business. So we’re family now. I don’t want to hear any more of this nonsense about sending anyone back to their country.”

  “Yes, Daddy.”

  “Now, I want you to cancel those tickets and use that money to send them welcome baskets. I want the Hargreaves feeling like we’ve opened our arms to them. Remember, Sabrina, we’re a small business in comparison. We can’t afford to make enemies of some of the most powerful players. We may be helping them out in this instance, but it’s going to pay off for us tenfold, as long as you learn to humble yourself. Work together, learn from one another, and we’ll all benefit.”

  “Yes, Daddy.” After issuing heartfelt good-byes, Sabrina sat like a lump, staring sullenly into her cup of cooling java. She hated when he was right. She hated even more that her father echoed Conner.

  Sipping at her coffee, Sabrina resigned herself to the idea of having to spend more time with Conner and his brothers. She’d made a big mistake sleeping with Conner. A mistake that had lasting repercussions. Now she had to try to figure out how they were going to work together, while ignoring the elephant in the room: she’d had sex with Conner, and if the looks she kept getting from his brothers were any indication, they were waiting for their chance too.

  What had she gotten herself into?

  Chapter Five

  She refused to apologize for the plane tickets. At least not vocally. As far as Sabrina was concerned, the fruit basket said it all: I don’t like you. I wish you weren’t here, but I have to suffer your presence. On the outside, some may think it’s a nice gesture, but those who’d been in her shoes understood the real message behind it. A fruit basket was the ultimate “fuck you” of baskets.

  Judging by the smirks and darting eyes, she was confident the message was received. The problem was that none of the Hargreaves men seemed to give a crap. Hell, William was making a point to chomp on one of the bright-red apples, and Oliver was wearing the smallest of smiles, as if he was getting a real kick out of it.

  Conner was…just Conner. Self-assured in that strong, silent way of his. He merely thanked her for the gift as they boarded the elevator and rode it down to the waiting car that was now carrying them to the restaurant where they would be meeting with her client.

  Was she peeved that they were tagging along? You bet your ass. Sabrina didn’t work this hard for this long just to have a couple of men come riding in to try and steal her thunder from under her. She resented her father in a way for forcing them on her. Had she known that it would end up like this, she would have fought against the merger.

  Yes, she knew the numbers made perfect sense. Absorbing the Hargreaves’ company was a good move on their part, and it stood to give them ample financial gains in the long-term, but she couldn’t help asking herself at what cost? To her, that is. Which was why she didn’t put up a big fight with her father. Sabrina’s motives were purely selfish, and as a professional, she had to keep her personal feelings out of it.

  She cast Oliver, William, and finally Conner a look that felt somewhat scolding, like when a mother is preparing her wild children for public. “Mr. Thomas is a longtime client and friend of the family. I’ll do the talking, and I prefer the three of you to take notes.”

  “So you want us to be silent partners,” William observed.

  “Exactly.” This was her show, and she ran it. She prayed the look she cast each of them got her point across. No interference.

  “That seems a little one-sided, doesn’t it, Oliver?” William asked, casting his eaten apple into the passenger side door’s cup holder.

  “Seems like we’re wasting our time with this meeting.” Oliver wasn’t much for words, but Sabrina had a feeling that when he did speak, it was important.

  The curious thing was that, hearing his words and meeting those stern, focused eyes of his had her questioning her stance on all of this. Was she being too stubborn? Too harsh? She already knew she was allowing her personal feelings to influence her decisions today, and especially where they were concerned. The problem was, she was mad at herself for making such a big mistake sleeping with Conner.

  Worse, she was mad at herself for wanting more. And not just from him. Her eyes kept catching on William and Oliver, on their tightly-honed bodies, their handsome features, their strength of character, and worse, she liked the way they looked at her: like they were hungry for lunch and she was the only thing on the menu.

  The weakness in her was appalling, and she was actively fighting against it. She just wasn’t so sure she’d win.

  Conner spoke up, playing the role of the voice of reason. “It’s different from what we’re used to, but we’re coming on board. Being a new face—actually, three—it’s better for Sabrina to take the lead until all of our clients are familiar and comfortable with the change.”

  Oliver and William looked to Conner, considered his words, and in their own way, accepted them.

  “You’re probably right,” William conceded. “I hate when you’re right.”

  “I always am. You should be used to it by now,” Conner teased, and Sabrina imagined a world in which the three men were boys, with Conner at the helm, directing them on what to do and how to behave. To her, he struck her as the most responsible, level-headed
one.

  Oliver made a noise under his breath that sounded almost like a scoff.

  “Getting sick, Ollie? You should get that checked,” Conner told him.

  Oliver cast him a sidelong look from his window seat. Sabrina expected a snappy comeback, but that was it, just a look. She found herself amused. Even if he didn’t speak a word, he still somehow managed to say a lot. In that one look, she could see the brotherly teasing, the cocky rebuttal that ached to be given voice, and the affection he had for his sibling. These three had a bond. A tight one at that. No wonder they came as a package deal.

  In a way, she admired them. Being an only child came with moments of profound loneliness, especially when she was a kid. No one to talk to, to hold her secrets. No one to complain about her parents with, someone who could laugh and understand in equal measure. It had always been just her—and the occasional fair-weather friend. At least she had Janet now. The other ladies she called friends were merely acquaintances, women she met up with from time to time when they could all swing it, but their connection was superficial at best. Janet was the only one she truly connected with on a personal level, despite them being polar opposites. She was tried and true, and the only person in her life who never cast judgment on her. She could tell her anything—anything—and know she would be received with only love and acceptance.

  The car rolled to a stop along the curb in front of the retro-chic restaurant located in the center of downtown. Not far from the office, it was still a hell of a drive when caught in evening traffic. It’d taken them almost thirty minutes for what should have been no more than ten just to navigate through the congestion. But in their line of work—and the size of the heels on her feet—it wouldn’t do to show up on foot. Status was a symbol highly prized among the top tiers of the business world. She and her colleagues had to project exactly the right image to keep the machine well-oiled.