by S. J. Maylee
The gofer came in, dropped a short stack of mail in the outgoing bin, and walked out. He walked over and fingered through it, some bills and a couple contracts. The edge of their typical contract envelope stuck out at an odd angle.
“Damn it.” He’d talked to the new secretary about this before. He’d promised his Human Resource manager to start giving people second chances. That was a promise he’d rescind immediately. The envelope wasn’t even sealed. He needed to cut her loose and maybe the HR manager too. Second chances had never been his thing and if it had cost him Nadia, there would be hell to pay.
He’d never wanted to send contracts in the first place. The line items of euphemisms were degrading. The process was the brain child of his attorney and tax account who were determined to keep his business profitable after he changed directions when Brooke was murdered. They said the contracts legitimized his business. At the time, he’d lost his drive for financial success, but their ideas had kept his business growing.
He stood straight while an idea formed like a sinker in his gut. Nadia must have looked inside an envelope and read one of the contracts. Since he’d given her that damn clue the first time they’d had lunch together, she probably thought he was a murderer.
“Not literal statements. I really am blind when it comes to her.”
He thought back to yesterday and what contracts were sent out. Only one came to mind, the Windthrop job. He’d agreed to help Mr. Windthrop buy the farm. Ethan sighed and shook his head. At least he didn’t have to handle the actual sale of the farm.
Ethan only used his specialized training on folks who had overstayed their welcome. Mrs. Windthrop’s abusive rat bastard of a husband needed to exit this world and before her latest bruises healed. She shouldn’t have to worry about getting hit again or if the day had finally come when he’d follow through on his repeated threat and kill her.
What to do about Nadia, the one question on constant rotation in his thoughts. She might have been irresponsible to look at the contract, but at least she wasn’t sharing what she learned with her friends.
He knew immediately he wouldn’t discuss the situation with his team or the guys. Surely they’d advise she be removed from his life and that he just couldn’t do. They’d only be following his pattern. He clutched his hands into tight fists. Confidentiality was serious business in his line of work and loose ends didn’t work out for anyone. It was better to cut the cord and start fresh.
He forced his fingers through his hair and hung his head.
He needed to confront Nadia, but all his usual tactics wouldn’t end the way he wanted. The punishment did need to fit the crime. When it came to Nadia, all he could think of was pleasure.
First, he’d needed her to answer for her mounting bad choices and then he’d decide what to do with her once and for all.
Chapter Seven
The groovy beats had her swaying her hips from the moment she walked into the club. She’d found the elusive distraction.
Sitting at home and thinking about her decision and getting nowhere hadn’t done her any good. Apparently, the thought of walking away from Ethan, even with the knowledge of what was in his contracts, was incomprehensible. A shiver worked its way up her spine. Letting herself fall any further in love seemed like a good way to exit this life early.
Her friends were right. She needed a night of getting loose and connecting with her inner gypsy.
Her head whipped around. She could have sworn she’d seen Ethan across the dance floor.
“Just great.” Wanting to stop thinking about Ethan and actually doing it were two different things. The heavy weight of disappointment pulled her shoulders down. She couldn’t walk away from him, but he’d never be hers. Their lives were too different.
Ethan wouldn’t come to a place like this, not on this side of town, not with this dingy crowd and the ripe smell of cheap beer. This wasn’t his scene. Besides, he was probably out killing someone or worse, hanging with Mrs. Rich Boobs.
“Nadia, you’re sick.” She pinched her eyes closed and shook her head. Tonight, she’d let it all go.
Thankfully, the DJ picked that moment to play one of her favorites. She hadn’t spotted her friends yet, but she wasn’t waiting any longer. She danced her way forward, a shimmy in her shoulders, enjoying the bump and grind of the crowd, until she spotted a jerk watching her and rubbing his crotch at the same time.
“Hey, sexy, with all those curves, you can’t walk around me like that. I’ve got no brakes.”
“Keep your hands to yourself, buddy.” She kept moving and didn’t stop until she’d put plenty of space between them. A shiver ran up her spine. All day she had a feeling she was being followed, but every time she turned around she couldn’t find anyone. She worried maybe this ass would find a way to sneak up on her and it tore her from the purpose of the evening.
She shook the tension from her body and tried to force out the world except for the rhythmic music surrounding her. The song vibrated like a wave up and down her body and reminded her why she’d come out tonight. She stepped to the right, to the left, and let her head fall back. With her arms raised to the roof, she twisted her wrists around and arched her back, swaying into the movement.
A warm body came up behind her and a strong arm wrapped around her middle, pulling her back a step. She turned and swung her arm, intending to wallop the scum.
“Hey now.” Ethan caught her wrist and turned her around, pinning her arms around her middle and pulled her ass to press against his cock.
She tripped over her own feet as her body temperature shot up. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you.”
“Sure, right now you do. What are you doing here?” She pulled her arms free and reached back, intending to push him away. A rush of need swirled around her as she touched his thighs. She should be pulling herself free.
“I’ve been looking for you.” He grabbed hold of her hips.
Together they danced back and forth and her prickle of desire skyrocketed to addiction. She was losing her mind. Her heart beat everywhere, from her ears all the way down to her pussy. Their bodies intertwined and their hips stayed locked together as they explored with their hands. She explored his hard thighs, remembering how good they’d been together.
She wanted to stop time. Since the first day when she caught a glimpse of him, she’d dreamed of capturing his attention. Now that she knew his touch, and possibly one of his many secrets, she didn’t know what she wanted. He was a hard, warm wall molded to her and she knew then she’d never get enough of him.
“You’ve been a naughty girl, Nadia.” He rocked his hard body against her. “You don’t look sick to me.”
Her pussy warmed and she forgot all about the crowd around them. She undulated against him and pushed out her breasts, daring him to touch her further. He took the invitation and his hand came up and ruthlessly pushed her breast higher. A sting ran from her nipple straight to her core. She didn’t care if anyone watched. The idea even turned her on.
“Are you going to punish me?” A trickle of fear and want ran through her.
“I have several things planned for you, but first you need to decide if you’ll come the easy or the hard way.” He pushed higher on her breast and his thumb scraped over her nipple which now poked against her thin top.
“I’m not sure.” She turned around, faced him. “How do you want me to come?”
His lips turned up at the corner. “Make it the hard way. I dare ya.”
She took a step back. “Fine, come and get me.” She made it three more steps before he picked her up, swung her over his shoulder, and smacked her ass. “Ouch! Why must you keep doing that?”
“Because I can.” He headed toward the back of the club.
“We aren’t leaving?”
He didn’t say a thing. He just smacked her ass again. They kept moving through the crowd, down a hall next to a big door. He set her on her feet and pushed her to the wall.
He pressed up against her an
d she lost herself in his ever-changing eye color. The hall was dark enough that she couldn’t see any of the gold tones or the green. All she saw was varying shades of darkness and him watching her. She should have felt trapped, but she’d never felt safer. It was in that moment she realized she was losing her common sense and it was time to shake off this stupor his presence seemed to put her in.
“You know, I’m surprised to see you here tonight. Where’s Mrs. Big—I mean Mrs. Windthrop?”
“You sound jealous.”
“And you’re evading the question.”
He claimed her wrists, and pulled them above her head. Her breasts pushed out and attracted his attention, sending power through her veins.
“You seem distracted. Am I tempting you?”
“Fuck, Nadia. You’ve been on my mind since I left you.”
“You left me in the middle of the night, naked and alone.”
“I tried to stay away, but, honey, you’re the worst kind of distraction. When I’m hard for you, I can’t think of much else.” With one hand holding both of her wrists, his other hand explored her body.
“Hell, Ethan, how am I supposed to respond to that?”
“You can tell me why you skipped out on work today. I have to say, you don’t appear sick to me.” He seized her throat. His fingers wrapped back to her nape and his thumb caressed her jaw. His eye’s darkened further as he looked her over. “In fact, you look good enough to eat.”
She rocked her pelvis back, fighting the wanton desire she couldn’t eliminate. She shook her head back and forth and tried to pull her hands down. “I wasn’t a distraction today.”
“Ah, you are jealous.” He pushed her wrists firmly into the wall. His free hand dragged down the side of her breast and then made a direct shot under her short skirt to her pussy.
Their gazes locked and her breathing increased. She struggled to remember her spot in their conversation. “You’ve made no commitments to me. So, that’s ridiculous.”
“Now who’s evading the question? Would it make you feel better to know I’ve been thinking about your hot pussy all day?” The heel of his hand abraded her clit. “I spent the day trying not to think about you and ended up trying to figure out a way forward for us because I can’t seem to give you up.”
“You still want me?” She was sure he could feel the wetness weeping from her pussy, but she didn’t care. She couldn’t get enough of being at his mercy. Clearly it would become one of her reoccurring masturbation themes. She’d never look at her beautiful bracelet the same way again.
“I should have known, once I touched you, I wouldn’t be able to let you go.” He continued to scrape the heel of his hand back and forth against her clit. “It doesn’t seem to matter who I’m talking to, I keep thinking of you.”
“I thought I recognized that smile.” Bliss spread like wild fire through her body.
“You were watching me.”
“Maybe.”
“That explains a few things. I shouldn’t have left like that this morning.”
The rest of the day flashed before her eyes. She needed to remember the man in control of her body at the moment and the owner of all her wet dreams, could very possibly be a killer.
Right now, he was probably pumping her for information. This could all be a trick. She closed her eyes against the thought. She wanted his words to be true. What would he do to her once he knew what she knew? A trickle of fear froze the need building inside.
The door next to them opened and a big man stepped inside.
“Your car is ready and waiting, sir.”
“Thank you.” He pulled his hand from her pussy, dragged her behind him, and out the door.
“Nice catch, sir,” said another large man holding the door to a black town car. All his cars looked similar, but there was always something different. It seemed ridiculous, but she was certain she’d never seen the same car twice.
“Thank you.” He turned to Nadia. “Get in.”
She hesitated for a second, but got in. She might be able to beat one of these guys out of the alley, but not all three.
“Take us to the office.”
“Will do, sir.” The man closed the door, shutting her inside the small space with Ethan.
They sat looking at each other. He looked like a lion readying to attack. She couldn’t tell if the attack would hold pleasure for her or certain death.
“Are you going to kill me?” Honesty was the only option now. Their games were over. Part of her still didn’t believe he could be a killer. She wanted him to laugh at her question and prove her instantly wrong.
“Should I?” His expression froze, giving nothing away.
“No.”
“I am thinking about firing you though.”
“Oh.” She looked down. She’d deserve it for the flirting and fucking, but she’d crossed a line yesterday when she looked at the contract. Skipping out on work today only added to the pile of misconduct.
“I see you agree.”
“I can see why you might be thinking about it.” He couldn’t possibly know she’d read the contract. Maybe she could get out of this mess and get things back to normal. At least then she could still see him each day. Now that she knew his touch, she had to try.
“I think in the least you deserve to be punished.”
She looked up, hoping to see a spark of amusement, and was greeted with his dark, unwavering stare. “How?”
“I have a few ideas. Let’s get back to the office and then we can talk about it.” He pulled out his phone, ending their conversation. “Aidan, hi. I’m glad I caught you. Remember the favor you owe me?” His hearty chuckle didn’t make her feel any better. “Yep, meet me at my office. Help me with something and I’ll consider your debt paid. Wait in the lobby by my office.” He shut his phone a moment later and his gaze fell back on her.
“I have plans for you, Nadia.”
“Am I going to like your plans?”
“Maybe.”
Chapter Eight
“Why are you in such a rush?” She stumbled and tugged on his hand in an attempt to slow him down.
He turned to her and took a step into her space. “Why are you so slow?” He dragged a finger down her cheek. “Come on, we’re almost there.” He took hold of her hand and pulled her forward, down the hall and to his office.
She took a tight grip on the door frame. “What are you going to do to me?”
“Do you want the whole office to hear?”
She looked down the empty hall.
“The only place I’ll mute and hide you from the cameras is in my office.”
“That’s hardly encouraging.” She tightened her hold on the door frame and tried to pull herself free from his grip.
“Nadia.” The slow tumble of her name made her forget her concerns.
Just because she’d done something dishonest didn’t mean she should believe he meant her harm. Her Ethan couldn’t be a murderer. She’d just let her imagination run wild.
After letting go of the door, he pulled her into the room, leading her to one of his guest chairs. He pushed a couple of buttons on his phone and then threw it to the couch. “Before I punish you, I want to make sure you understand what you’ve done.”
“Punish, don’t be ridiculous. I’m sorry I skipped work today. Really.”
“I know that’s not all you’ve done.” When her head tilted, he raised his finger. “Let’s examine the evidence.” He walked around his desk, picked up an open envelope, and showed it to her. He had her resignation letter.
“How did you get that?” She tugged at the neck line of her top. “Why did you read it?”
“Well, let’s see.” He walked around and stopped in front of her. “It was addressed to me. I usually read mail addressed to me, but I’m thinking you follow a different set of rules.”
She looked away and twisted her hands in her lap.
“You looked at Mrs. Windthrop’s contract.”
“I did.”
“I’m confused. Was it addressed to you?”
“No.”
He walked closer to her, tapped under her jaw, and raised her gaze to his. “Don’t you think you should be punished for this behavior?”
“I’m sorry for reading it, but I just …”
“You were sore with me because I’m not the guy you thought I was.” He walked backward and leaned against his desk. His damn sexy confidence messed with her thoughts.
“I am sore, but that’s a different conversation.” She pushed herself to the edge of the chair. “The truth is I don’t know who you are.”
“You should know enough about me by now to know you should stay away.”
“You think you’ve been giving me reasons to stay away from you?”
“You should stay away from me, if you value your life.”
“Are you going to kill me?” She shifted her weight in her seat.
“No, I won’t be killing you. To answer your next question, I will be killing Mr. Windthrop.”
She stumbled out of her chair and stepped further away from him. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” If he replied, she couldn’t hear it. White noise swam around her like a swarm of bees forcing her to the edge of a cliff.
He grasped her hand and yanked her back to him. Her hands landed on his chest. She pushed against him and he didn’t budge. He ran the pad of his thumb along her bottom lip and she trembled.
“Don’t.”
“You’re one giant temptation.” He swiped the tip of his nose across hers. “The more I know, the more I taste, the more I want you.” His lips hovered just over hers. “I’ve frightened you and should be allowing you to run from me, but I can’t. I can’t let you go.”
“Why me?”
“Your beautiful sharp eyes don’t miss a thing.” He pushed her hair from her face. “I enjoy myself when I’m with you, which is a precious thing in my business. You’re also fucking gorgeous.” He grabbed her ass with both hands and then set her a step back from him. “I can’t seem to help myself. I may enjoy the way you call me out on my bad behavior and you’re not afraid to make fun of me. Well, normally you’re not afraid. Am I terrifying you?”