Besides, it wouldn’t hurt Tammy if she never found out.
Yes, I knew I was a selfish bastard, but that had been my brand for over twenty years. Being a prick had gotten me this far in life, and it was bound to get me more of what I wanted in the future. Right now, what I desired was one Selena Cole, and I was going to have her too.
For the first day or so, I’d let her have space. Becky, one of Swagger’s top editors, was nominally her boss. However, I’d arranged for something special today. Even if she were an intern, serving a slot intended for coffee runs and other assistant work no one usually wanted, I’d pulled strings to get her a front row seat covering a Vera Wang dress show. It would be a great start to her bylines as a fashion writer but, of course, she’d have to be appropriately dressed for the part.
That was what my personal assistant, Gina, was supposed to be doing. I took the elevator down a few floors and snaked my way through Swagger’s offices until I came to the samples room. We received a lot of additional merchandise and test items in the hopes we’d be written up. Beside the samples’ area was a set of dressing rooms set aside for when one of the staff had to write an evaluation of a product and try it on for themselves first.
It wasn’t exactly filled with free giveaway items now. Oh no. I’d called in a personal favor from Vera and had a collection of her newest line sent over. If I was going to take Selena tonight to the show, then the intern needed to look the part. Besides, I knew how to get any woman to open up to me. She hadn’t come by my office or tried to speak to me since the interview. I knew I was worming myself into her good graces at least somewhat, or she never would have taken the job. But I still had to get through all those good girl defenses, and I intended to do that right now.
As I strode into the room, Gina glanced up at me. “Boss, what are you doing here? I thought you had work to do to prep for the Orbit merger.”
“Even I need a break sometimes, Gina.”
She frowned. “Since when?”
“Since I decided that life is too short, and I’ve been ignoring some of the needs of Swagger lately. Now, how’s Miss Cole doing trying on her outfits? Were they sufficient to her needs for the runway show tonight?”
“She’s trying them on now so yes, they seem to work,” Gina said, regarding me with a probing glance.
I straightened my shoulders and stood taller. “That’s good then. You can leave us now.”
She eyed the corner where the small cubicles were arranged like any fitting room store in a mall. “Do I want to know?”
“I pay you to be discreet so you can guess, but you never have to know.”
She snorted but headed to the door. “You’re right; it’s better if I don’t.”
“That plausible deniability is a wonderful thing,” I conceded.
When Gina was gone, I made my way over to the fitting space furthest to the right of the three set up. It was the only one with drawn curtains; ones that tended to move as Selena shifted behind them. I slid in behind the curtains. She was only in her underwear, a dark lace bra and panties set that already had my dick hard and blood rushing anywhere that wasn’t my brain. When I stepped through, she jumped back, pinning herself against the mirror.
“What are you doing in here, Mr. Duncan?”
I grinned; a slow, controlled gesture—the same look I gave CEOs in the boardroom before I bought out their companies. Before I owned them utterly.
“It’s Brandon. I think we don’t need to rely on formality between us, do we?”
Selena looked up at me, her hazel eyes sparking with fury. “Mr… Brandon, fine, whatever. You need to get out of here. I’m not even dressed.”
I shrugged but didn’t budge. “If you ask me, you’re far too dressed for my taste.”
“I’ve only got my underwear on!” She surged forward, but I grabbed one of her wrists loosely between my fingers. “Let go.”
“I don’t want to, and you know you don’t either. Ever since that kiss, Selena, you’re all I can think about, and I know you must feel the same. I can fucking well bet on it because if you had any other feelings—wanted anything else—you’d have told HR you weren’t interested, given me the sign you wanted me to fuck right off, but you haven’t.”
She clenched her jaw yet it still took her a while to speak. “I don’t want to hurt Tammy.”
With my free hand, I pushed her dark bob back from her cheeks. “You didn’t say you didn’t want this.”
“I do want this.” Her voice hit a husky tenor when she spoke. “You’re not wrong. I’ve thought about this since the interview. Fuck, I’ve dreamed about it. But I can’t hurt Tammy, and I won’t.”
Leaning down, I kissed her again. She tasted of mint and smelled of strawberries. My cock was harder than fucking rock and tenting up my slacks. My dick knew what it wanted, and I wasn’t one to object, not with how delicious she tasted, how appealing she smelled. How everything about her made me crave her like a damn drug.
She responded, her tongue deep in my mouth, massaging my own. Her tiny body was pressed against mine until my cock dug into her belly, even under the fabric of my slacks. She moaned, and then yanked her head back.
“I can’t do this. I don’t… I can’t hurt Tammy, no matter what.”
“But we both want this. We can keep it quiet. No one ever has to know.”
She narrowed her eyes at me, the fire rising in them like a wild cat. She slapped my cheek with her free hand. It stung, but I ignored the way her hand bit into the flesh of my cheek. “I can’t.”
I grabbed her other wrist and, tilting forward, whispered into her ear, “You want me. You took my offer. I want you.” I ground my hips against hers to make my point. “We don’t have to worry about anyone finding out. We’ll be furtive. Be a big secret—whatever spares Tammy and keeps your first internship spotless. I promise. Tiger, come on. What do you have to lose?”
She stilled but swallowed hard. I could see some of the fire was drained out of her gaze; some of that anger and frustration. “I don’t know what I want. I know this isn’t right.”
“But it can feel so good,” I promised. “Don’t you want to at least have a taste of what you’re giving up? How can you make up your mind, if you don’t feel everything I’m offering?”
Selena bit her lower lip and regarded me, her eyes roving over every inch of my face. “I don’t know.”
“Then we can strike a deal, Tiger. Let me give you a real taste of what you want. If you don’t like what happens between us, fine. You can walk away. I won’t say anything, won’t look you up again. But after I make you come, leave you screaming my name… If you still like it, then we explore everything between us. That seems like a fair deal, Tiger, doesn’t it?”
She licked her lips again and leaned against the mirror. “It does sound tempting.”
I dropped both her wrists and chuckled. “It sounds more than that. I’m offering you the keys to the kingdom, and you know that. All I want, Selena, is permission to fuck you rotten. Isn’t that what you really want? I can see you crossing one leg over the other while you stand as if you can keep your clit from pounding out for me. You know you fucking well can’t, so let me make you come, baby. It’ll be the smartest choice you’ll ever make.”
And if we keep it from my daughter, it’ll have absolutely no repercussions. It’ll be perfect.
Selena nodded. “Alright, but if I tell you we’re done after this, you have to respect that.”
“Tiger, I know that once you have a taste, you’ll be on your knees for me anytime I damn well ask,” I said. It probably came out a bit like a threat; maybe it was. I could make any woman cream herself, and with someone as delectable as Selena, as my tiger, I wouldn’t be happy until I had her screaming my name.
Gathering in close to her, I slipped off her bra. Her breasts were fucking fantastic—perfectly rounded but not fake or too large in a wannabe porn star way. I’d had far too many women in New York who’d Frankensteined themselves with Boto
x and other treatments. My hands found their way to her soft tits, and I moaned my pleasure as I caressed them. No saline here; completely perfect and completely hers. They were glorious.
“You’re a fucking revelation, Tiger. Do you realize that?”
Her breath was harsh and ragged. I wasn’t sure, with my hands working over her, if she could even think, let alone talk. Not that I cared. Her gasps of pleasure made my cock harden to a level I didn’t know possible. I was going to make her orgasm, and then I’d get her to pleasure me; give me everything I’d ever wanted.
I moved my right hand lower and skimmed over her belly button, then onwards to the top of her hips. I traced a hand over the soft curls that poked out under the hem of her tiny, lacy panties. Then I yanked hard against the waist band. The panties snapped, and I grinned at my success.
I never lost my touch.
She yipped when she realized what I’d done. “You ruined them! What am I supposed to do now?”
“Don’t wear them. They’re overrated anyway.”
Her hazel eyes widened with anxiety. “I wore a skirt today. I’ll be wearing a dress to Vera Wang’s show.”
My hand eased the scraps of fabric off her hips, and the remains of her panties fell to the floor when she opened up her legs up just enough to let them. That’s what I wanted; access to that wet, hot little pussy that was just for me.
I slid my hand between her pussy lips, and then I groaned when her sweet juices flowed over my hand. “You’re wet for me, Tiger. You need me, and you know it.”
“You haven’t proven anything yet,” Selena snapped back.
That was what I craved in her, what I liked already. So many women in the city knew who I was, fell at my feet easily because of my bank balance. I rarely got pushback. I’d seen that fire in her at the interview, tasted it on her lips, and now I wanted more of it.
“I plan to change that, Selena,” I said, stretching out every syllable of her name, caressing them with my voice. “Now, spread them.”
She did as she was commanded, giving my hand enough room to work. My other kneaded and played with her breasts. But I loved feeling the heat of her pussy lips against my hand, loved parting them so I could finger her clit. She moaned the second I came into contact with her most sensitive spot, and I knew that I could play her like a damn Stradivarius. It would be so easy to make her come.
But I wanted her to yearn for me; beg me never to stop.
Reluctantly, I moved my hand away from her breasts. There would be time to savor and play with her tits later. Now, now I had to prove everything I’d been saying, and it was a two-hand job. With my thumb, I pressed hard against her clit and started rubbing it hard, clockwise. I gathered my forefinger and middle on my other hand and plunged them both into her pussy. They weren’t as big as my cock—she’d find that out later—but combined they provided a nice way to fuck her senseless with my hand. To give her the release we both craved. I pumped my hand harder, and she arched her back, then wrapped one leg up and around me.
“Don’t stop!”
I didn’t fucking intend to. I plunged deeper, as if I were aiming to plunder all of her, and pushed inside as her juices coated my hand. I’d rarely had a pussy so wet and ready for me. It made me want to do so many bad things to her, in every damn position I could think of. She moaned and bucked her hips against me, urging me faster. I complied. She came soon, her tight inner muscles clenching around deliciously as she spasmed in my grasp.
She shuddered as she screamed my name before finally collapsing in my arms. My cock was still so hard it was painful, but I’d made her happy; given her the pleasure I’d set out to. My own reward and ecstasy could come later.
I could wait.
“So, Tiger,” I said, my cocky grin already spreading. “Can I take it that you liked that?”
She blinked half-lidded eyes up at me; clearly, the lust was getting to her. I was almost surprised when she was able to speak at all. “Brandon?”
“Hmm?”
“You win.”
I grinned wider. “I always do, Tiger. I always do.”
Chapter Five
Selena
My thoughts were a whirlwind. Last night had been the best night of my life. I’d never felt like I had in the dressing room, never felt the way that Brandon had made me feel. Shit, I was already thinking about him as Brandon. God, maybe I was even thinking about him as mine. That was nuts. I couldn’t afford that. I should have said “no” after he was done, broken it off, but I’d never felt that happy before, that free. After the way Kevin had destroyed my self-esteem, shredded anything that could be left of my self-image, someone wanted me.
Someone amazing and rugged and sexy wanted me.
Someone who was also my best friend’s father starred in my nightly fantasy and had gotten me off with a flick of his wrists.
I was so totally fucked.
But at least part of that was in a good way.
Sighing, I slipped out of bed and shimmied into my favorite dark pencil skirt and a violet silk top. I was hoping it was early enough that Tammy wouldn’t be up yet. Maybe I’d be lucky and be able to sneak out before she even noticed me. I’d grab a bagel, ease out, and Tammy would be none the wiser. Honestly, the thought of trying to face her after what I’d done with Brandon just last night made me blush. And tongue-tied. Not to mention I was convinced that I couldn’t lie to her if my life depended on it.
At least when everything was so new and fresh, the best idea would be to stay away from things. If I could.
Unfortunately, fate was not on my side.
In fact, it was being more playful than usual because when I slipped into the kitchen, my roommate was sitting at the table already dressed and her mother, Melanie Stewart, who had tried but failed to get me to call her “Mel” in the past, was flipping pancakes over the stove.
“Hey,” I said, and I hoped that my voice wasn’t cracking; that I wasn’t as obvious as I felt.
“You’re up early,” Tammy said.
“I wanted to get an early start on some layouts.” I blinked between her and Melanie. “What about you guys? Do you and Mrs. Stewart have plans?”
“I swear, Selena, you can call me Mel,” her mom said again for about the billionth time.
I sighed. “I’m sorry. You can take the girl out of West Virginia, but you can’t take the West Virginia out of the girl. I feel like it’s hard enough to stop saying ‘ma’am’ or ‘sir’ up here in NYC. I can’t just call my mom’s friend ‘Mel.’ It’d be too weird.”
Melanie shrugged and straightened her perfectly coiffed golden ponytail behind her shoulders. “Well, whenever you want to, I’m cool with it. I want to be that fun mom.”
Tammy giggled. “You are. Fun moms take you for Sak’s shopping sprees.”
“Ooh, that explains it,” I said.
“What?” Tammy asked, crossing her arms over her chest, acting mock offended. “I could be up before seven a.m.”
“Not if a sale or a threat at gun point isn’t involved.”
“That’s completely not true. Mom, tell her she’s wrong,” Tammy replied.
Mrs. Stewart chuckled. “I am going to take the fifth on that one. I had to bribe you with pancakes to get you to consent to be up early this morning.”
“I thought you wanted to be the fun mom?” Tammy pointed out.
Mrs. Stewart sighed. Then she turned off the burner and moved the pancakes all to a stack on one plate. “I feel like even if I did every irresponsible thing I could think of, from dragging you to every concert, theme park, and fashion show on three continents, then I’d still be the more boring parent next to your dad.”
I was glad I hadn’t drunk any of the juice laid out on the table yet. If I’d been sipping anything, I would have coughed it back out once Brandon was mentioned. Oh shit. It wasn’t like anyone knew what was going on, except possibly his secretary, Gina. Nothing was yet, exactly. We’d had an intimate moment and a fun time at the fashion show. Aft
er the dressing room, we hadn’t had sex or even done anything afterward. For all I knew, he’d be willing to throw me back to the sharks. I liked the way he made me feel, but I knew all about Brandon Duncan’s reputation. Who didn’t? I knew I was likely to end up as discarded as Tammy’s mom.
Another reason I should have said no last night. Another reason to cut and run.
“You’re not boring,” I said, finally finding my voice. “You’re great.”
Tammy nodded. “Like when you let me borrow your black Am Ex today? Totally gonna be a blast.”
Her mom nodded and set the plate before us. I grabbed a few pancakes; I might as well eat something before the work day started. My stomach was already gnawing at itself; running around as an intern took a lot of energy.
Besides, a traitorous voice in the back of my head said. If Brandon wants anything else today, then you’ll need all the strength you can get.
I shook my head and tried to make sure I didn’t let any more of those thoughts bubble to the surface. The last thing I wanted was to let my secret come out.
“Besides,” I offered, trying to cut my pieces up as fast as possible. “You’re great to be around.”
“I guess, girls, I’m just being paranoid. I heard that your father has a new girlfriend. One of the people who went to the Swagger part for Vera Wang said he had some girl half his age on his arm.”
“Which,” Tammy said, her tone clipped, “is why you married Bert in the first place. Dad’s just gonna be Dad. I love you both. It’s just he’s going to try and pretend he’s not fifty for about the rest of his life.”
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