Boss Woman: Boss #4

by Victoria Quinn

  “What can I do for you?” I asked as I looked back at my computer screen. My glass doors allowed my assistants to look inside my office. I had nothing hide and didn’t need privacy. Jessica could see when I was on the phone so, she knew not to bother me with a message. Once the phone was on the receiver, she made her move. Made the day a lot more productive.

  “It’s time for that conversation.” He rested his ankle on the opposite knee and took up most of the chair, his sculpted physique blocking most of the chair from view. His navy blue suit was a great complement to his tanned skin and dark hair. But then again, he could wear an orange suit and still look impeccable.

  “What conversation?”

  He cocked his head slightly to the side. “You know what conversation I’m talking about.”

  It was a conversation I didn’t want to have at all, let alone in my office. “Not during business hours.”

  “I’m just as busy as you, and I managed to squeeze it into my schedule.” He winked. “You’re a priority.”

  “Well, you aren’t a priority of mine.”

  He grinned. “Until the lights are out and the sun is gone…”

  I turned back to my computer, refusing to let him see the effect he had on me.

  “So, I’ve been thinking a lot about it. I’d like to reopen our previous arrangement.”

  My eyes turned back to him because I couldn’t pretend to be interested in my emails anymore.

  When he had my attention, his eyes narrowed. “We both know the sex is going to keep happening. Let’s not waste time denying it. Well, you shouldn’t waste time denying it. But I’d like to have ground rules so we know exactly where the other stands. In your gut, you know I didn’t do any of the things I’m accused of. Your brain can’t reconcile with your heart, and that’s fine with me. I’ll be patient because you’re worth waiting for. So this arrangement will do for now.”

  What I wanted to embark on was a longstanding arrangement with Hunt. Lots of good sex without the romance. It was easier that way. If we returned to that, I could have all the fun without the risk. “How will this work?”

  “We take turns. Neither one of us is permanently in charge.”

  “And how will we decide that?”

  He tapped his fingers against the wood of the armrest. “We’ll know at the time. There are times when you want to be fucked out of your mind. There are times when I enjoy being slapped around…we’ll play it by ear.”

  The rules would be far less rigid now. It wasn’t how I preferred to operate. “I’m in control at all times. After all, you did betray me.”

  He shook his head slightly. “It’s an even divide of power. Or no arrangement at all. Those are my terms.”

  “What makes you think you get to have terms at all?” I challenged.

  He narrowed his dark eyes on my face. “Because I’ve been nothing but loyal to you since the day we met. You’ll see it…eventually.”

  I doubted I would ever get any concrete proof. Even now, I still wasn’t sure what to think. Hunt was a smart man. It would be easy for him to manipulate me now that he knew me so well. But my heart ached so deeply for him. If I weren’t so in love with him, I’d turn my back so hard. The only reason I was interested in this arrangement was because I knew I couldn’t walk away from him—not yet.

  “Equal share of power,” he said. “Do you agree?”

  I knew Hunt wasn’t wearing a poker face. He wouldn’t compromise on his end of the bargain. “Yes.”

  “Good. We’re monogamous. We’re equals. And this arrangement has no deadline.”

  “Fine.”

  “Excellent.” He stood up and buttoned the front of his suit, never taking his eyes off me. “You know I didn’t do it, Titan.”

  I held his gaze and didn’t blink.

  He lowered his hands to his sides and stared at me with the same intensity. “Ignore the so-called facts. Go with your gut. When has your gut ever been wrong?”

  “Once.” And it was the biggest mistake I’d ever made. It nearly cost me my life. It could have put Thorn in prison for murder. It cost me years of heartbreak and stress. “And I still regret it to this day.”

  “I’m not going to be a regret, Titan.” He spoke with the same tone and forcefulness, but he seemed softer. His eyes lost their rigid coldness, and he gave me an affectionate look he only showed when we were alone together. “You know I love you. You know I would never hurt you. Everything is stacked up against me, but that doesn’t mean anything.”

  “The evidence is pretty damning.”

  “But my word means more. I’ll do everything I can to exonerate myself. But if I can’t, you need to believe me. You need to trust me.”

  “I don’t think I can…”

  “Yes, you can. Why am I in your bed every night?”

  I refused to look away even though I didn’t want to hold the contact any longer.

  “If you believed I did any of those things, you wouldn’t let me touch you. But you tell me you love me while I’m buried between your legs every night. You kiss me like I’m the only man you’ve ever loved.”

  I blinked first, troubled by what he said.

  He leaned forward and rested his hands on the desk, casting a shadow across the entire room. “You believe me. I know you do. You just don’t know it yet.”

  * * *

  The elevator beeped before the doors opened.

  Now that Hunt and I had started our new arrangement, I wasn’t sure if he was the one stopping by or Thorn. It could be either man.

  But it was Thorn. He was in a t-shirt and jeans, telling me that he’d hit the gym then showered before he stopped by. He didn’t make public appearances dressed in anything but his finest attire. Only behind closed doors and with trusted friends did he drop his suit and adopt his casualness. “Hey.”

  I was sitting on the couch with my laptop resting on my thighs. “Hey.”

  He went to the kitchen and helped himself to a glass of water. “Got any dinner?”

  “Leftovers are in the fridge.”

  He riffled around in the background, popped a plate in the microwave, and then took a seat at the kitchen table. He had his own butler to cook for him, but he raided my fridge several times a week.

  I joined him at the table with my own glass of water.

  Thorn scooped the food into his mouth with his fork, his eyes on his plate.

  “Skip lunch today?”

  “I had a lot of meetings, and they only had muffins. Can’t eat that shit.”

  “You can indulge once in a while.”

  “You’re one to talk.”

  I hardly ate anything so I could continue to fit into my dresses and skirts. Once I hit thirty, my metabolism had slowed down. I had to eat even less just to keep my waistline the same. “How was work?”

  “Good. I’m expanding the business and opening a new plant in the Midwest. In a small town with lots of land. It’ll give jobs to the population, so it’ll be easy to get all the permits. How was France?”

  “Beautiful, like always.”

  “We should go for our honeymoon.”

  The mention of our marriage made me think of Hunt, who wasn’t going to let me go without a fight. “Maybe. Kind of a high-profile place.”

  “That’s the point.” He scooped another bite into his mouth. “How was the conference? Did Hunt give you any trouble?”

  Normally, I would tell Thorn exactly what happened with Hunt, that I weakened and took him to bed every night. But now, I didn’t want to mention it. I should have stayed strong and said no. “No…he didn’t give me any trouble. The presentation went well. Networked with Kyle Livingston. Saw a few other people there.”

  Thorn lifted his head and turned his expression on me. He narrowed his eyes and focused on me, reading my look like words on a page. He knew me better than anyone, and he picked up on the subtle changes in my tone and mood. “You aren’t telling me something.”

  I held his gaze and considered my nex
t move. I couldn’t lie to him. We never did that to each other, and I didn’t want to start now. He would judge me for what I did, reprimand me for being stupid, but I had to suffer the consequences. I made bad decisions. As my partner in life, it was his job to tell me the things I didn’t want to hear. “One thing led to another…and I slept with Hunt.”

  Thorn leaned back into his chair, his broad shoulders straight and muscular. His expression didn’t change, and his eyes didn’t turn hostile. He continued to look at me with cloudy eyes, his thoughts unclear.

  I waited for the judgment.

  “Why?”

  “It just happened. He kissed me, and I didn’t stop it…you know how it goes.”

  “It just happened one time?”

  “Uh…no.”

  His eyes narrowed.

  “Every night we were there.”

  Thorn set down his fork and sighed. “Titan, what are you doing?”

  “I wasn’t thinking. I know he’s accused of doing—”

  “He’s guilty of doing terrible things.”

  “I know. But I just…can’t stop the way I feel about him. I know it’s stupid and I know it’s a mistake, but I can’t help it. I fell so hard for him, and I can’t keep my hands to myself. When he kisses me, I grow weak. When he tells me he loves me, I love hearing it. I know it’s pathetic…”

  Thorn sighed and looked down at the table. “I understand, Titan. It’s not pathetic.”

  I couldn’t stop the surprise from stretching across my face.

  “But you need to be stronger than that. We have direct evidence that he’s a liar. First, it was leaking the story to the newspapers. Then it was photographs of him and that woman in the club.”

  “But he released that story about him and his father so people would stop talking about it. And it worked.”

  “Maybe the reporter was never supposed to give up his name. And when he did, Hunt had to fix it.”

  “Maybe…”

  Thorn eyed me, his sympathetic expression gone. “Titan, you need to be careful. You worked very hard to get here. It would be a shame to throw all that away for one man you can’t trust.”

  His words sank into my heart and brought me back to reality. The pragmatic executive inside of me knew he was right. I was gambling more than I could afford to lose.

  “I thought Hunt was the perfect match for you. But now, there’s red flags all over the place. We can’t ignore that. I always respect whatever decision you make. If you don’t want to marry me, it’s not a big deal. I’ll be disappointed, but I’ll get over it. So this isn’t about me. It’s about you. I know you don’t need a man to protect you, but I want to protect you. You’ve been through enough as it is. I don’t want to watch you repeat those terrible mistakes. I don’t want you to start over for a third time.”

  I nodded in agreement. “You’re right…”

  “Every decision can easily be simplified. If he were a business deal, would you take it?”

  There were too many unknown variables. I wouldn’t put millions of dollars on the table for a deal this unpredictable. I’d turn my back and find something else to invest in. “No…”

  “Then you have your answer.”

  I rested my elbows on the table and slowly dragged my hands down my face. My fingertips moved to my temples, and I gently massaged them even though I didn’t have a migraine. My eyes took in the glow of the city, feeling Thorn stare at me with his protective gaze. I was grateful I had him in my life. This was exactly what I wanted, to have someone I could trust implicitly. How could I ever take a chance on Hunt when I had someone incredible sitting right beside me? We would never have passion or romance, but we would have something so much stronger. “I love you…” Thorn was my family, the only stability I ever truly had.

  Thorn moved his hand across the table and rested his fingertips against my elbow. “I know.”

  “I want to believe him so much…sometimes I think I do.” I never laid my feelings out on the table like this. Thorn was the only person I could open up to. Hunt was the second. He cracked me open like a clam and completely exposed me—and I allowed him to.

  “I know.”

  “But you’re right. I can’t.”

  “Too risky.”

  “He told me he wanted to pick up our previous arrangement. I agreed.”

  Thorn pulled his hand away and stared at me until I met his gaze. “What if he tells everyone about the two of you?”

  “He would have done it already.”

  “You think?”

  “Why not tell the world about that in addition to the story he already leaked?”

  Thorn didn’t have an answer to that.

  “Besides, he signed my NDA.”

  Thorn nodded.

  “And whether I keep sleeping with him or not, he already has enough evidence to put me on blast. So it really doesn’t make a difference.”

  “That’s true. But sleeping with him could cloud your judgment.”

  “Not if it’s just sex. And if I don’t do this…I know it’s going to happen anyway. At least this way, the relationship is controlled. There are rules. It keeps a physical relationship separate from an emotional one.”

  “I suppose. Once we’re engaged, there’s no going back. So that could protect you as well.”

  “Yeah…”

  Thorn eyed me with his crystal blue eyes, which were soft and gentle. It was an expression he didn’t show to anyone else but me. To the rest of the world, he was a cold and powerful businessman. He didn’t have emotions. All he cared about was power, control, and money. But when it was just the two of us, he showed a different side. He was gentle, sweet, compassionate…and so much more. “Then you still want to marry me?”

  I nodded.

  “You need to give me a better answer than that.”

  “I do.”

  His cool eyes burned into my skin. He watched my reaction, spotting my hesitation. “You’re sure? Because you don’t have to.”

  “No, I want to. It’s the best decision.”

  “Is it?” he asked. “Because you could wait and fall in love with someone else.”

  Like that would ever happen. “No. Hunt is the last mistake I’ll ever make. Romance doesn’t work. It’s painful and complicated. I want what we have. I want trust, friendship, stability…that’s real love.”

  The intensity of his gaze lightened. “I agree. Just wanted to make sure you did too.”

  I nodded.

  “Then I’ll start preparing.”

  9

  Hunt

  The elevator slowly came to a stop then the doors opened.

  I didn’t tell Titan I was coming over. I didn’t need to tell her a damn thing. I could have her when I wanted her—and she could have me whenever she pleased.

  I stepped inside and saw her on the couch, folders and documents scattered on the table in front of her while her laptop remained on her thighs. Instead of a glass of whiskey, there was a glass of ice water on the sofa table.

  Maybe she took my warning to heart.

  Her green eyes were on me, and her lack of surprise suggested she’d anticipated my face before the doors even opened. She didn’t rise to her feet or greet me with a hello. Sometimes she projected a cold exterior, but that was part of her business persona. I knew something was different now. Something was on her mind.

  I’d worn a black blazer over my V-neck t-shirt, so I hung it up by the door. Her eyes immediately went to my shoulders, her favorite feature of mine. It was her favorite place to grip me whether she was on top or being plowed into the mattress.

  I sat on the couch beside her and pulled the laptop off her lap. To protect her privacy, I closed it so she wouldn’t wonder if I was looking at whatever she was working on. We used to have a solid foundation of trust, but now that was lost.

  I missed it.

  I missed the way she used to look at me—like I was the last person in the world who would ever hurt her. Now she stared at me with su
spicion, second-guessing everything I said. No mask she wore was thick enough to hide the love in her eyes, but I wished there was more. I wished there was trust, friendship, and unflinching loyalty. “What is it?” I leaned back against the couch and turned my head toward her, smelling her perfume and hair shampoo mixed together. She was still in her pencil skirt and blouse, her heels sitting on the floor next to the other couch. Her hair was in loose curls, soft enough for me to run my fingers through.

  She crossed her legs and straightened her posture, like this was a meeting between two partners, not two lovers.

  “Don’t do that.”

  She turned her cold expression on me. “Excuse me?”

  “Don’t put on a front. I want Tatum, not Titan.”

  “You don’t get Tatum anymore. You’ll never see her again. She’s long gone.”

  The simple words drilled a hole right through my heart, hitting me in the sternum and fracturing the rest of my bones. Titan was a powerful woman with impressive looks and powerful intelligence. But Tatum was beautiful, compassionate, soft…and so much more. I wanted that woman—the woman I’d fallen in love with.

  “You aren’t to barge in here like that again. If you want to see me, you notify me first.”

  “Since when did we start this?”

  “Now.” She stared at me with a hard gaze.

  “I don’t reciprocate that. You can stop by my place whenever you damn well please, Titan. I have nothing to hide.”

  “Nor do I. But don’t invade my space again.”

  When we last spoke, she was cold like this—but not so hard. Something had happened since I last saw her. Something influenced her to push me away like this. And I suspected I knew exactly who that was something was.

  “I know this arrangement means something different to you than it does to me.”

  No.

  “To me, it’s just sex between two people. It’s an exchange of fantasies. It’s private and quiet. We don’t talk about it with anyone else.”