Once Upon A Beast: A Billionaire Fairytale

by KB Winters

  A waiter returned with a bottle of wine, insisting it was on the house to welcome him back, and Zachary, or Zach, as he insisted I call him, shrugged and the waiter cracked it open, and after Zach tasted it, the waiter poured me a generous glass.

  “Are you sure this is okay?” I let the words hang in the air between us, and he half-grinned at me.

  “Just tell me when you’ve had enough.” He lifted his glass to tap against mine. Glinting in the candlelight, his eyes warmed me from across the table, and something inside me gave in. I didn’t want to fight this attraction any more.

  The meal was divine, but my stomach was too wrapped up in knots to relax and enjoy the food. Instead, I knocked back quite a bit of the free wine that came with the meal, enough that I didn’t notice when the conversation slipped from business into something a little less professional, our hometowns, our friends, our favorite books. He was attentive, smart and cultured, and shit, I was letting myself forget he was my boss.

  When it came time for the bill, he insisted on paying again. While we waited, he let his knee brush against mine underneath the table. A jolt of electricity passed along my nerve endings. A little tipsy now, I watched his hand around the wine glass. Wondering what would those fingers would feel like somewhere else.

  I should have gone home. If I left, I could pass the night off as trying to make a depressed guy feel comfortable being out again, doing my job as his client and adviser. But, of course, I didn’t.

  “You know, there’s this club I used to go to all the time,” he said a little wistfully. “A couple of streets away from here.”

  “There are no clubs around here,” I pointed out. He flashed another grin.

  “There are if you know where to look.” Soon enough, he led me down a winding back alley to a nondescript door I would’ve walked straight past. A bouncer saw him coming, stepped aside, and swept us in. Once again, I entered a world I didn’t recognize.

  The place was gorgeous, with soft lighting, dark wood, a small band playing sultry jazz a few feet from the entrance like something out of an old gangster movie. Zach looked down at me, cocked an eyebrow, and held out his hand. “Dance?”

  I wasn’t sure whether he was kidding, but before I could stop myself, I slid my hand into his. When our skin connected, it was like passing an open wire across my body, a shock but in the best possible way. He pulled me against his chest, the wine getting the better of both of us, and I breathed in the scent of his aftershave, closed my eyes, and lost myself to the back-and-forth sway of our bodies pressing close. I was in heaven, and it had nothing to do with the wine and everything to do with the gorgeous man holding me tight.

  We danced till the song ended, and I stepped away from him, but his arm was still tight around my waist, pulling me back in. I couldn’t resist him. Shit. Shit.

  “Finished already?” he asked. I shook my head, letting him press me against him. He murmured in my ear, his breath hot on my skin.

  “When you’re tired of dancing, just tell me,” he reminded me, and I felt his light stubble brush against my forehead as we danced. I wasn’t sure how long we stayed swaying together, long enough to feel that the entire night was stretching out to fit us, like we were the only thing that mattered.

  “It’s getting late,” he pointed out after a few more dances.

  “It is,” I agreed, but my heart was beating too fast, my brain too awake for me to be anything close to done with this night.

  “My car is back at the office. Give me a minute.” His voice was velvet, settling around my shoulders, enveloping me.

  “Okay.” I looked up into his eyes, wondering what he was thinking and then he brushed his lips ever so lightly against my forehead.

  “I’ll be right back.” He stepped away, leaving me glued to the spot and wondering how the hell I was going to get myself away from this man. I didn’t want to, but this was wrong, so wrong. He was my client, recovering from major depression, and I was supposed to help him navigate his business, not fuck him. Or think about fucking him. He returned before I could talk myself out of going further.

  “I have a car waiting outside.” He offered his arm, and I took it, enjoying the strength of his muscles beneath his blazer. We stepped out, and I blinked a couple of times at what I saw waiting for us.

  “Is that a limo?” My eyes widened and he shrugged.

  “Yep.” he answered.

  “I can’t let you pay for this.” I shook my head, but he held up a hand.

  “Already done.” He grinned at me wickedly. “You can get the next one.”

  He opened the door and helped me slip into the back seat, leaning forward to give the driver an address. Were we heading all the way back to his mansion or did he have a place somewhere in the city? My car was still at the office, too.

  “I know it’s late, but I thought we could have a nightcap,” he explained, “I have an apartment here in town.”

  I agreed, and then we were alone. The leather seat was luxuriously soft, but I could hardly enjoy the decadent surroundings when my breath was coming fast and my body was tense and I was so . . . so aware of his presence.

  Suddenly, he was next to me, touching me. His arm snaked around my shoulders, and his gaze softened into mine. My breath hitched and my heart beat double time. This couldn’t be happening. I’d only met this man the day before, and so much should have kept him from me, and yet . . . his mouth lowered to mine.

  As soon as our lips touched, my mind went blank and I melted into the kiss. He slipped a hand behind my head and pulled me close, the quietest moan passing from his mouth to mine and setting off fire and heat deep inside me. I kissed him back, losing myself to him as the car drove on, toward his apartment and the promise of what the night would bring.

  Chapter 7

  Zach

  The way she’d met my advances move-for-move had taken me by surprise, but I wasn’t complaining.

  Oh, no. When we slipped into the elevator up to my penthouse apartment, my cock grew hard in my pants. Fuck, I wanted her. I needed her. The day had gone perfectly, and now I had her back at my apartment, the two of us tipsy on wine and desire that had grown since I’d spotted her in the office that morning.

  “I’ve wanted you,” I brushed my lips along her neck and breathed the words into her ear, making sure she heard each one, “since you first walked into my house yesterday morning.”

  “Ah,” she moaned, sliding her hands around to pull my head close against her. I loved the way she touched me, with a mix of confidence and desperate, hungry desire. It was more intoxicating than the wine. I unlocked the front door and pushed it open, and we tumbled into the penthouse.

  I caught her in my arms and twirled her around to lift her onto the counter between the kitchen and living room. I wanted her so fucking bad and she seemed to feel the same way. I kissed her hard, the romantic mood shifting into pure naked desire for her undeniably feminine body.

  I dropped to my knees, grasping her legs and pushing them apart. She let out a cry, lifting herself slightly from the counter and looking down at me with a flash of excitement in her eyes. She ran her fingers through my hair as I pushed her skirt back and leaned in to kiss her through her panties. She smelled good, sweet and inviting, and she shivered as my lips found her pussy for the first time. Just you wait, baby.

  I hooked my fingers in the waistband of her panties and pulled them down slowly, enjoying the view of her squirming back and forth, grazing her teeth across her lip and moaning as she watched me inch her underwear down over her thighs, her shoes and onto the floor. She crossed her legs, playing shy at first, but I quickly pushed them apart and paused to take in her mouthwatering pussy, a neat triangle of pubic hair pointing down, already glistening with her juices. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and dove in.

  “Oh, fuck!” she cried out, her hands grabbing on my hair. I flattened my tongue against her clit, coaxing more out of her and getting it. She let out a long moan, and I began to lick her slo
wly up and down. Fuck, she tasted good. I buried my face in between her legs, hungry for more. I grasped her ass, pulling her in close against my face, enjoying the way her thighs tightened around my head to let me know she enjoyed it.

  My hands roamed upward, and she caught them, slipping them beneath her shirt and onto her breasts. I massaged her, pinching her nipples between my fingers and rolling them lightly back and forth until they were hard and sensitive. I let my tongue trace downward and slipped the tip inside of her ever so slightly, drawing a long, shuddering moan from between her lips. I loved how expressive she was, loved how she wasn’t afraid to take control when she wanted to. My cock throbbed between my legs, and I reached down, unzipped my pants, and took it in my hand to find a little relief. I was rock-hard already, but I wasn’t done with her yet. I wanted her begging before I fucked her.

  I stood up, picked her up again and set her down on the edge of my couch. To my surprise, she spun around and bent over so her ass pointed in my direction, arching her back to give me the most delicious view of her backside and her pussy. She glanced at me over her shoulder and offered me a playful grin. I didn’t need telling twice. I watched as she wriggled her ass back and forth in front of me while I stripped my clothes off, wanting her more than I ever imagined.

  Fuck, she was hot. And, she knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to ask for it. I’d expected her to be a little harder to get, the kind of woman who’d be a little more shy about her true desires.

  I pulled a condom from the pocket of my pants, tore it open and rolled it down my length. She let out something between a squeal and a sigh when I eased into her, her body sinking into the couch and relaxing as though this was all she’d been able to think about all day long.

  I pushed all the way inside her, stroking across her upturned ass and her bare back, taking her in, enjoying the feel of her beneath my fingers. How could one woman be so powerfully sexy? I had been with a bunch of women over the years, had sex in ways that would make most people’s heads spin, but this was something entirely and profoundly different. This was hot in ways I’d never experienced before, the build-up, the circumstances, the knowledge there were probably rules against this in the company handbook.

  Who would’ve thought it would build and peak with her velvet cunt swallowing my cock whole?

  I slapped her ass and she cried out my name, begging me for more. I slapped it again, two more times, moving harder into her pussy, and then reached around to find her clit. I needed to feel that hard little nub grow with excitement, so I slid it between two fingers and rubbed gently. The sounds coming from her were so damn sexy. I wanted to come, but I held back. I needed this night to last forever.

  Her clit engorged more and more with each thrust. Fucking her was so primal and animalistic, I hooked my other hand into her hair to pull her head back so I could kiss her. She moaned against my lips, and I held her tight and steady, slowing my thrusts so I could savor the look on her face. Her eyes had practically rolled back into her head, her face etched with pure pleasure, and I wondered briefly if it had been as long for her as it had for me.

  I held her like that for a few more minutes, but this wasn’t everything I wanted. I needed to see her face, to watch her expression contort and her mouth open to gasp in air as she edged closer and closer to climax. I pulled out of her, drawing a half-formed protest from between her lips, and turned her around. Kissing her once more, I grabbed her ass, hitching her up so her legs were wrapped around me, and carried her in the direction of the bedroom.

  Laying her down carefully on the bed, I pulled off the rest of our clothes so we were blissfully naked. And then, grabbing one leg and draping it over my shoulder for maximum penetration, I entered her.

  “Oh my God.” she moaned, reaching up to wrap her arms around me, grazing her nails along my shoulders and down my spine. Fuck, she felt good like this, hot and tight. I slowed down, enjoying it, brushing her hair away from her face so I could watch her. The voyeuristic streak in me loved the way she reacted to every thrust, the way her lips parted as though to let out a cry she couldn’t quite put into words yet. She lifted her hips and hooked her ankles together behind my back, pulling me in deeper until her pussy tightened around my cock. She was close, and I wanted nothing more than to see her come.

  Over and over again.

  I moved long and slow and deep into her, keeping the pace steady, and watched as her jaw tightened and her eyelids fluttered and finally, she let out a growl and tipped over the edge toward orgasm. Her mouth formed an almost perfect O. Her eyes squeezed shut, and she dug her nails hard into my back. Then, she found her voice, and the cries trickling out of her mouth seemed to echo around the room and envelop us both as the orgasm shuddered through her body, her pussy clenching around my cock. I’d have the time to revel in my triumph, but seeing her like this set me on fire. My cock twitched inside her, and I pushed inside her to the hilt as I came, reverberations of pleasure racing across my body, every muscle tensing and then releasing as though it was what I had been waiting for all day.

  I enjoyed the flutter of her aftershocks before slowly withdrawing, and she reached over to kiss me, covering my face with soft pecks that seemed grateful as much as they were romantic.

  “Oh, fuck. That was amazing,” she breathed against my face, and I grinned. I realized the night was finally catching up on me. Drawing her into my arms, I closed my eyes, and before I knew it, sleep had caught up with both of us.

  The next morning, I knew something was wrong before I opened my eyes.

  Jessibelle was gone.

  I looked around the room, glancing by the front door and noticed her shoes were gone. I tried to make sense of the feelings hurtling through me, anger, disappointment, surprise. Why hadn’t she stayed, and where had she gone? Despite the hangover threatening, I sat up and brushed the sleep from my eyes. The memories of last night were all too fresh in my brain, taunting me, teasing me, and I headed to the bathroom to shower and try to wash what was left of her memory.

  Chapter 8

  Jessibelle

  What. The. Fuck.

  It was all I could think as I stood in the shower, warm water cascading down over my body as I tried to make sense of what had just happened with Zach at his apartment.

  If you’d told me I’d coax the elusive Zach Rose out of his distant castle and convince him to come to the office, I would’ve been beyond elated. But then I had to go and sleep with him, and now I was back to figuring out why I thought that was a good idea.

  He was so damn charming. That’s what it was. I’d fallen for the way he looked at me, the way he touched me. He’d probably slept with thousands of women over the years, and if there was one thing he clearly knew how to do, it was turn on the charm and have women falling at his feet. I couldn’t blame myself. It was practically his second job, after all.

  I headed to work with a new sense of resolve. If I ran into him I’d keep things professional. Leave everything that had happened firmly behind us. I mean, not that he was likely to wander into the little cubicle the legal department had set up for me again. My heart sank at the thought. Maybe he’d only come in the day before with the hopes of getting me into bed. It had nothing to do with my killer negotiation skills or the plans I’d laid out for him. And I fell for it. Hook, line and sinker.

  I’d dated Aston for months before I even considered going to bed with him. I’d barely even met Mr. Rose and within twenty-four hours—bam! There I was with my ass in the air and my legs spread wide open ready to take him like a freight train. And that kiss! Fuck! I came so hard I saw stars.

  I let out a long sigh. I couldn’t do this anymore. I hadn’t been at my job for very long, and I’d already hooked up with a client–which I was pretty sure was poor form, even if it wasn’t against the rules. I hoped he didn’t share our little sexcapade with anyone else. I needed my job—and my stepdad would kill me if he found out.

  I took my seat at my desk, raked my fingers through my h
air, and ignored the glances I was getting from the people around me. Yes, I looked like shit. Yes, I was hungover from a wild night. Yes, I showered and changed. No, I hadn’t slept.

  Did that answer all of their questions?

  I was a representative here of the company my stepfather was a partner in, and I knew I’d be hearing from him if my blasé appearance filtered back to his office. Hopefully, the fact I’d gotten Zach—Mr. Rose—off his ass and into the office would be enough to absolve me of anything too questionable.

  I started coming up with a timeline for the plan I’d outlined to Mr. Rose the day before. That was the best I could do for him now, focus on my job and pretend last night never happened. Even if I couldn’t get the memory of the way he felt inside me out of my head. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, glancing around. Could people read it on my face like I had a big thought bubble floating above my head? I clenched my thighs. Every time I thought of Zach, I could feel the wetness on my silk panties. I hoped I didn’t leave a wet spot in my chair. Shit. I needed to get my mind back into my work.

  I wasn’t sure how much time had passed before I lifted my head from my computer screen but when I did, it was for a damn good reason. Mr. Rose walked through the doors, and my heart practically ground to a halt in my chest. He caught my eye and strolled with certainty over to my desk.

  “Hi,” He greeted me casually, as though nothing had happened the night before. I frowned. Did I imagine it for some reason? The dinner, the drinks, the dancing, the fucking over his couch as the booze loosened my inhibitions and drove me out of my mind with desire for him?

  “Hi,” I managed in return, getting to my feet. “Are you here to discuss—?”

  “Yeah, I want to go over the strategy you laid out yesterday,” he nodded seriously. “I really want to lock in a timeline for this. Do you have a minute to go through it with me?”