My Bossy Protector: A Best Friend’s Brother Romance

by Charlize Starr

  His eyes glittered and he continued to smile as he drew my dress down, inch by inch, until my strapless bra was revealed to him. He didn’t stop at that. The dress went further down until it was at my knees and then down by my ankles. I was in nothing but my bra and panties and he was still fully dressed. My breath was caught in my throat.

  He stepped back to look at me. “Gorgeous,” he grunted, more to himself than to me.

  “I’ve never done this before . . . ” I murmured, too shy to meet his eyes. He looked up at me with a renewed fire in his gaze, and I caught what he was thinking. “No . . . I mean, I’ve been with other guys. But only guys I was dating,” I clarified and he smirked.

  “You’re that type of girl,” he said in a deep voice and nodded his head. “We can fix that!” he exclaimed and lunged at me, grabbing me by my waist and pulling me to himself.

  He was kissing me again, pressing me up against his body. I could feel the warmth of his body through his clothes. His fingers traveled down my front, brushing over my bare belly until he’d found that spot between my legs.

  I gasped while he kissed me, his mouth wide open over mine. I could taste the whiskey on his breath. His fingers were making me uncontrollably wet. He was the one who had all the power, and I felt like a puppet in his hands.

  I pulled away from him for breath, craning my neck backward. His tongue was on my neck, leaving a blazing wet trail on my skin. His fingers stroked me between my legs and I could feel my pussy throbbing. I knew he could feel it too. My clit swelling up, my juices soaking up my panties. He was doing this to me, and I had no control over myself.

  His fingers rubbed and stroked me through my panties and I moaned. I wanted to feel his cock, see it, experience what it would feel like to have him inside me. He was right. It was strangely thrilling to do this with someone I didn’t know – whose name I didn’t know either.

  His fingers were seeking out the hottest spot in my core, slowly tugging away at my panties. I knew what he was going to do next. I was gasping for air. I couldn’t wait for that moment when he’d touch me. When I’d feel the roughness of his thick fingers in my folds.

  “See? There’s a first time for everything,” he said and slowly he started slipping my panties down my legs. His fingers were on my back, unhooking my bra and my breasts swung into his view. There was nowhere to hide. I was well and truly naked before him. He could see every freckle on my body, the color of my pebbled pink nipples.

  His face darkened and he narrowed his eyes at me. “Feeling lucky yet?” he asked with a smirk tugging the corner of his lips.

  Those words had an instant effect on me. Suddenly, he’d snapped me out of the trance I’d found myself in. He was the most arrogant man I’d ever met and I was just about to sleep with him!

  He reached for my breasts but I quickly stepped away from him. What was I doing? I was about to have sex with a complete stranger. With a man who thought he was doing me a favor by coming home with me! He was so sure of himself, so confident that he was going to make me feel good . . . that I was embarrassed.

  “What’s the matter?” he asked, taking a step towards me again. I shook my head.

  “You have to leave!” I shouted, raising my voice at him and covering my exposed breasts with my hands.

  A smile started spreading across his face.

  “You’re just a bundle of surprises, aren’t you?” he said.

  ***

  I couldn’t look at him anymore. I rushed to pick my clothes off the floor, while he stood some distance away — fully clothed. I was embarrassed and feeling guilty.

  “Are you serious?” I heard him say as I slipped on my undergarments.

  “Yes, totally serious. This was a mistake. You have to go!” I was determined. He still hadn’t budged. It was like he couldn’t believe that a woman had actually refused to have sex with him.

  He was good at this game of seduction. That much I had to hand to him. He was really good! He almost had me convinced that sleeping with him was a good thing. He had the looks, the body, and presumably the money to get what he wanted. This man seemed like someone who wasn’t accustomed to being turned away.

  “You’re making a mistake,” he grumbled as I pulled my dress back up.

  I knew my hair was a mess and my lipstick must have been all smudged from the vigorous kissing, but I didn’t care anymore. I was relieved I’d caught myself in time. “I was making a mistake by nearly sleeping with you. Now I’m not,” I stated and crossed my arms over my breasts.

  He’d seen me naked, he knew how wet my pussy was . . . still was. He knew the most intimate parts of my body and I didn’t even know his name. What was I thinking? Did I really think that I was going to wake up the next morning and be okay with this?

  He smirked and rubbed the back of his head with one hand. There was a boyish look on his face when he smiled like that and I could feel myself weakening again. Would it be so wrong to sleep with him? How often did I encounter a sexy guy like him? He was definitely one of a kind, but so wrong for me!

  “Suit yourself,” he said and breathed in deeply.

  I held my ground, glaring at him down my nose. I was afraid it would be difficult to get rid of him. The truth was that I didn’t know anything about him. He could have been aggressive; he could have been a lunatic . . . But as far as I could see, he wasn’t any of those things. He was just an arrogant rich guy who was used to having his way.

  “Can I ask, is this because I didn’t tell you my name?” He was walking to my front door when he stopped in his tracks.

  I gulped and shook my head. “Maybe . . . Not really. I just don’t do this kind of thing. Sorry for leading you on. But I just can’t go through with it,” I replied, looking away from him embarrassedly.

  “It’s okay. I’ll let you off the hook for wasting my time. Although, if you really listened to your body, you would know that you should have let me fuck you tonight,” he said. Before I could reply to him, he was out of the door.

  I was finally alone in my apartment and I could breathe again!

  What did he know about my body? How did he know what I needed? I ran to my window and looked down to see him crossing the street. He had thrust his hands into the pockets of his pants. He didn’t look up at me. It was like he’d forgotten me already. That was how insignificant I was to him.

  I sank down to the floor, reaching for my purse. I didn’t know what I was feeling. A mixture of emotions. Relief that I’d dodged a bullet. Regret that I’d turned away a night of breathless sex with a hot stranger. The shock that I’d even thought I could go through with it! This was not who I was. I was not a one-night-stand kind of girl. I wasn’t the kind of person who could sleep with a stranger and just forget. I knew there were changes I needed to make in my life, but this wasn’t the way to begin.

  My phone was flooded with messages from Clara and Suzy, both of whom seemed to be worried about me. They were still at the bar and I texted them to come over. I’d just about washed my face and removed my smudged makeup when they were knocking on my door.

  “What happened? Are you okay?” They hugged me and I put on a smile.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I couldn’t go through with it. I stopped it from happening,” I told them and they followed me to the couch.

  “Who was he?” Suzy asked.

  “Just a guy I met at the bar when I was waiting for you guys,” I replied, trying not to picture his face. Heaven knows he was handsome! Probably the sexiest man I’d ever kissed. He would have been the hottest guy I ever had sex with if I’d gone through with it.

  “And what happened? Why’d you change your mind?” Clara squeezed up beside me on the couch and I hugged her.

  “I didn’t want to do it. I knew that if I slept with him, I wouldn’t be able to let him go. I’d regret it in the morning. Plus, he seemed like an arrogant womanizer. He didn’t want anything except sex from me. He refused to tell me his name!” I explained.

  “Good riddance, then. I
hate guys like that – ones who think all they have to do is sleep with us and we’ll get over it!” Suzy added.

  “What do they want, though? Men like that? I find it so hard to believe that they don’t want love . . . that they’re not looking for something too,” I said, thinking about the man and his charming boyish smile. What was he looking for in his life?

  “Who knows what they want! They don’t want commitment, that’s for sure. It’s like they’re allergic to it. Forget him, Aria. Be glad that you got rid of him in time,” Clara said and I agreed with her.

  I didn’t need good sex to feel good. I had a new job to go to on Monday!

  Chapter 3 - Aria

  By Monday, I’d tried to put Friday night’s incident on the back burner and just carry on. I was grateful I had friends like Clara and Suzy to remind me that I didn’t need to feel so embarrassed. What were the chances I would ever bump into that guy again? If I never saw him again, it would all be as good as forgotten.

  This was a new start, and I was determined to make a good impression on my first day. I’d gone shopping with the girls over the weekend. I bought myself a new pencil skirt and a silk blouse. I was wearing high heels and new makeup, too. I’d done everything I could to prepare myself with confidence. Mrs. Rafferty had told me that Mr. Sole was a difficult boss, but she’d also told me that I could handle him. I was going to do just that.

  I arrived early at the office and introduced myself to the receptionist. She was a girl my age – maybe a little older – named Rebecca, and she said she would be happy to show me up to Mr. Sole’s office. He was already at work.

  “Have they told you about him?” Rebecca asked as she walked with me to the elevator.

  “Mrs. Rafferty, who interviewed me, warned me that he can be difficult and demanding,” I replied and Rebecca rolled her eyes.

  “I guess those are some ways to describe him,” she said and we stepped in together.

  “What are the others?” I asked and Rebecca sighed.

  “Well, just remember that there is more to him than meets the eye. It’s not all green eyes and handsome smile with him,” she told me and I looked at her confusedly.

  “Why? What’s wrong with him?” I persisted as the elevator pinged on the top floor and the doors slid open.

  “I don’t want to scare you on your first day or give you the wrong impression. I guess you’ll see for yourself.”

  Rebecca led me to the door at the end of the swanky office floor. I walked behind her, keeping my head down. Everybody seemed to be hard at work, their serious faces on. This office was definitely much different from the other places I’d worked at, which were usually more easygoing.

  Rebecca reached the door, which had his name emblazoned on the front: Michael Sole, CEO. She knocked on the door and then popped her head inside.“Sir, the new girl is here to start,” I heard her say while I stood behind her with my hands clasped. Mrs. Rafferty had warned me already, but Rebecca’s words made me nervous. I didn’t know what to expect. Was he just a difficult boss, like Mrs. Rafferty said? . . . Or was he two-faced and unpredictable like Rebecca was hinting?

  Rebecca swung the door wide open and turned to me. “He’ll see you now. Best of luck,” she whispered before she quickly walked away.

  I cleared my throat and smoothed the front of my skirt before I stepped in through the door.

  “Good morning, Mr. Sole.” I added a chirpiness to my voice, accompanying it with a happy grin.

  The office was a neat minimalist space, very modern with a glass wall behind the desk. The desk was large, and behind it sat a man who was hunched over a file. He looked up, and before I even met his eyes, I recognized him.

  Startled, I took a step back. It was him! It was the guy from Friday night. The one who’d undressed me and had his fingers between my legs. I nearly choked on the shock.

  He met my eyes now, dropping the file from his hands, a wide smile spreading on his face. “You’re the new girl?” he asked, sitting far back in his luxurious leather chair.

  I was horrified to see him again. To see him in daylight. The shock of finding out that he was my new boss was arresting my system. I couldn’t move and I couldn’t say a word.

  “Now you know my name,” he continued, while I remained frozen to the spot.

  “Y-yes, Mr. Sole,” I managed to reply.

  He was still smiling – wider than he had that night. He was finding this amusing. This was all some kind of joke to him while I was melting into a puddle in my shoes!

  “Come here. Don’t be scared. I won’t try and pull down your panties again,” he said and laughed.

  I gritted my teeth, gulped, and lifted my chin up in the air. This was bad. This was very bad. I had two options. I could either turn around right then and run. Or I could go forward, make the best of a bad situation, and move on with the job. The first option was tempting. It would be so easy to just run away. The old Aria would have done it in a heartbeat.

  “Aria Lawson.” I stepped forward with my hand stretched to him.

  “And that’s your name,” he said, his voice low and husky. I could see it in his eyes: he was picturing me naked. He had seen everything there was to see about me. He didn’t need to imagine anything. “It’s a small world, isn’t it?” he continued and I kept my chin up.

  “Sir, I’m here as your secretary. Here to do my job. I would prefer it if we didn’t discuss our past encounter,” I said firmly. I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to speak this way to my boss, but I had no other choice. The only way I could continue working at this office would be if we moved on from the ‘incident.’

  Did he even want me here?

  “’Encounter.’ That the word you’re going with?” he asked and then broke into a laugh.

  Chapter 4 - Michael

  I could see the horror on her face as she stood there before me. While she was horrified, I could do very little to control the smile that was spreading on my face. How was it that the universe always worked in my favor?

  She was the only girl who had ever turned me down, and just moments before I could possess her, no less. No girl had ever been able to resist me, not once I decided that I was going to have her.

  That Friday night, it was Aria on my radar. I’d caught sight of her the moment I walked into that bar. Tight, short black dress and endlessly long legs. Her red curls were like a red flag, waving in the air, calling out to me. I was drawn to her like a moth to the flame.

  I enjoyed the chase, but I liked to keep it short. It had worked with Aria, or so I thought. When she led me to her apartment, I knew that I was going to have a great night. She had a petite slender body and the perfect cushiony lips. I’d already scanned her. I knew her breasts would be the perfect fit for my hands. I couldn’t wait to have her.

  Then, she’d pushed me away. Just when I’d stripped her of all her clothes, just moments away from feeling the softness of her core on my fingers, on my mouth . . . she had changed her mind.

  I wasn’t the kind of guy to force himself on a woman, so I walked away. But there was no denying it: I was furious that I couldn’t have her. I called up a girl I used to sleep with, and she was only too happy to oblige. I had to find some way of letting out that energy which Aria had built inside me.

  And now, as luck would have it, she was standing in my office, looking at me like she’d seen a ghost.

  “You want me to forget about what happened?” I asked, teasing her.

  Her cheeks were flushed. She was glowing under the pressure of the scrutiny. I could see that her muscles were tensed up. She’d barely moved since she had extended her hand to me. “Yes, please. I would be grateful if you did,” she replied in a fake-firm voice.

  She was in different attire, but it was the same body. She was still sexy as hell: tight skirt, a buttery-smooth silver blouse that stretched over her breasts. She’d pinned her fiery curls up in a neat bun at the back of her head and some stray strands escaped and framed her face. She was too s
exy to be a secretary. It would be such a waste!

  “You mean that you want me to forget how you kicked me out of your apartment?” I asked, arching my brows. I was teasing her, trying to push her to her limits and see how she would react.

  “I’m sorry about that, Mr. Sole. I wasn’t sure of what I wanted. I guess I had too much to drink,” she replied, keeping her voice even. I had to admit, she knew how to keep it professional, regardless of the circumstances.

  “You had one drink. I was counting,” I retorted and stood up from my chair. She was following me with her eyes, tracking my every move. I could sense that she wanted me to stay away. She hoped that I wouldn’t go near her.

  “Well, isn’t it for the best that nothing happened between us? Since we’ll be working together now. If you still want me to work here, that is,” she replied and I stopped in my tracks, just a foot away from her.

  I was smiling and she was not. “Of course, Aria. You’re going nowhere now that I have you here in my lair,” I continued. I saw her gulp, drank in the way her delicate little throat moved. I had to do everything I could to keep my hands to myself, to not reach for her and unbutton that blouse. I was desperate to see her pale smooth breasts spill out of her bra again – see the look of desire in her eyes as I rubbed my fingers on her folds.

  “Mr. Sole, I . . . ” she began to say and I stopped her.

  “I know what you’re going to say. You want me to stop talking that way. We’re working together, you’re my employee . . . blah blah blah,” I said. Aria clamped her mouth shut and stared back at me.

  For a moment, I considered the idea of just firing her on the spot. Maybe that would have been the reasonable thing to do. I could see how nervous she was. I wasn’t even sure if she’d be able to do a good job. She looked like a delicate little thing. A girl who would crack under the pressure of my demands. I needed a strong-willed, hard-working secretary. The only thing I could see that set Aria apart was that she was absolutely delicious to look at.

  “Go back down to Rebecca and she’ll help you set up your desk. Then meet Silvia on the third floor. She’ll take you through a list of your duties,” I instructed her.