by Lexi Blake
It was a completely fair exchange.
He kissed her cheek. “I’ll be right back.”
She smiled up at him and sighed, settling down in the sheets. “I’ll be here.”
Flynn got up and made his way to the bathroom, taking care of the condom. He stretched, his body loose and relaxed. Fuck, but this was what he needed. He hadn’t felt this good in forever.
He caught sight of himself in the mirror. Sure enough, she’d left little marks on his biceps where she’d held on to him.
He was lying to her.
Damn it. There it was. The guilt. It washed away the good stuff and he was left with the knowledge that they weren’t settled. Not really. Either she was lying to him or he was lying to her. It was a wall between them and he didn’t want it there.
So go back out there and talk to her. Settle it now. It’s easy as pie. Get back into bed with her and talk about it there.
And if she walked out because her game was up, he would know it hadn’t been real at all.
Anything was better than this terrible purgatory he found himself in. One minute he was in paradise, happy and sated, and the next there was a damn wall between them.
It was a wall he could tear down very quickly.
He strode back out, ready to have it out with her.
She was asleep, turned on her side, the moonlight making her look like an innocent goddess.
He slid in beside her and she rolled into his arms.
Tomorrow would be soon enough. He settled down and found himself falling asleep, dreaming of her.
* * * *
Amy looked around Flynn’s kitchen, hoping he had some coffee. She never did well without a good jolt of caffeine.
Luckily, he had a lovely setup. It was a single cup coffee maker with a wide assortment of flavors. His whole condo looked to be meticulously kept. Like a five-star hotel.
Who the hell was her training Master?
She knew Mitch had money, but this was beyond what Mitch could afford. How was Mitch’s brother so much more wealthy than he was? The condo itself had to be worth twenty million. It seemed awfully nice for a man who wrote code for a living.
She started the process that would bring her a hazelnut flavored coffee and looked around the kitchen.
Everything was top of the line and looked like it had never been used before.
It reminded her a little too much of the mansion where she’d grown up. There had been a staff dedicated to ensuring the place looked like a museum. If Amy had put down a cup, it was swiftly taken away even if she’d only had a sip. She’d never felt at home there. Not that it had been her home. It had been the place where she was shipped when school wasn’t in session. Mostly for the summers. She could count the times she’d been allowed to go home for Thanksgiving and spring break on one hand.
But summers were different. Summers after she’d turned twelve had been about learning to work for Slaten Industries. Summers had been spent with the workers there, getting to know them, growing to care about them.
Was she going to fail them?
She thrust that thought out of her head. She was still in her Master’s home. There was no place for it here.
Once the coffee was ready, she picked it up and held it in her hands, letting the aroma waft over her.
She was deliciously sore. And totally curious.
Flynn hadn’t said much about his past beyond the fact that he had a couple of brothers and wasn’t close to his parents.
Where had all this wealth come from?
She wandered to the living room and thought about slipping back into bed with him, but the clock told the tale. She needed to be in the office in an hour and that man liked to take his time. She hadn’t had the heart to wake him. He’d been wrapped around her and she’d spent long moments studying his face in the early morning light.
He was beautiful and yet masculine at the same time. Lovely and still somewhat fierce.
She stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling glass windows and stared out at the slightly foggy Dallas morning. The city was starting to come to life around her.
She never did this, never stood and watched the sunrise. Perhaps that was because her view was of a parking lot.
The truth of the matter was she’d put everything she had in buying as much of her own stock as she could. Moving the corporate offices to Dallas had been expensive and she’d had to fight the board to do it. She’d thought at the time that it would be a new beginning, a way to get far from her father and his machinations.
She’d been wrong. He’d simply followed her and sat buzzing in the ears of her board members, whispering about how they’d made more money when he was the head, how she’d screwed everything up and profits were down.
Profits were down because Glendale kept stealing their clients. Yes, the move had been costly, but it would more than pay for itself in what they gained from lower taxes and the incentives the city had given them.
She just needed time. In two years, she would have Slaten back on top. It was all in her plan. All she needed to do was survive two years and she would be in a position where no one would question her place as CEO.
Time. She grimaced. She wasn’t going to be on time for work today. Not unless she was willing to wake her sleeping lover and she wasn’t. He’d been so kind to her, taking care of her, making love to her. She didn’t want to repay that kindness by forcing him to conform to her insanely early hours. Most mornings she went into the office before the sun was up. There was no one there with the exception of the security officer, but by now her assistant would be on her way. She likely would worry if Amy wasn’t already there, sitting at her desk.
She should get dressed and call a cab, but she didn’t want the morning to end. Surely being an hour or two late once in her damn life wouldn’t kill her. Staying in and fixing her Master some breakfast seemed like the proper way to repay him for all the care he’d shown her.
Maybe they could take another shower together before he took her back to her place and she had to get ready for the day.
But her assistant would worry and that could get the office gossiping. The last thing she needed was a rumor that she was sick or slacking off. She needed to explain to Val that she would be a few hours late and to deflect everyone by saying she had to deal with her car issues.
Except she also had phone issues. Like she no longer had a working one. Damn.
She turned and looked for a landline. She did know the number to get to Val’s desk.
So why hadn’t she called Val last night when she couldn’t remember Bridget’s number? That would have been the smart play. Val would have immediately called her sister and then Will would have shown up to take care of things. Instead, she hadn’t even had a single thought of calling the office. She’d immediately turned to a man she’d only known for a week, as though she’d been waiting for something to happen so she could throw herself in his arms like one of Bridget’s heroines.
She wandered back into the kitchen. No landline there. It looked like Flynn had joined the cellular revolution. If he had a landline it was for his Internet or security reasons. She had zero idea where his cell phone was.
But he had two computers sitting on a desk in what looked like his office space. The condo had a wide open floor plan, with only the kitchen, bedrooms, and bathrooms clearly delineated. The rest of the space was one large great room. In the back, close to the windows, there was a modern-looking desk with not one but two computers sitting on top. One was a laptop and the other a desktop. Both were plugged into massive screens.
Amy set her coffee mug down and approached the desk. Val read all her e-mail, even ones from strange addresses. She would send her assistant a quick note and then take the morning off. She’d seen some eggs in the fridge. She would poke around and try to find some toast or something to make pancakes out of. Then when she’d fed him, she could try to seduce him again. By the time she had to deal with her job, she would be relaxed and happy.
/> She sat down at his desk, in his big comfy chair. This was where he worked. She could picture him here, his hair tied back and eyes serious on the computer screen.
Excuse me, Mr. Flynn. You called for me?
Yes, I did, Amy. As my assistant, it’s your job to always ensure that the boss is satisfied. Your work earlier today wasn’t satisfactory. Those files were out of order. I’m going to have to spank you. Turn around and pull down your panties and then we’ll talk about your job performance.
Yes, she could see that whole scenario playing out right here. He would spank her and make her get on her knees and suck his cock and then, oh, then he would lift her up and make her ride him right on this chair.
Maybe she would wake him up. With sex. That was a nice way to wake up. Maybe she would crawl back in bed with him and cuddle up, and when he finally woke, she would be right there, willing and ready to take care of her Master’s every desire.
But not until she’d informed Val that she wasn’t coming in. She touched the keys on the keyboard in front of her. It was attached to the mega tower that sat on the floor. She didn’t know a ton about computers themselves even though she worked for a company that supplied services directly targeting computer and information systems. Her degree was in management. She had lovely IT guys to handle the technical end of things, and her job was to give them the best work environment, benefits, and pay she possibly could.
But she did know that Flynn’s system was way more complex than her own. It looked like that sucker was attached to various hard drives. It was odd since most people would use thumb drives to back up, or the mysterious Cloud.
Flynn was old school. She liked it.
The screen came up but there was no screensaver. Just a flat black background and a request for a password. Even the font looked a little intimidating.
So she wouldn’t be using this computer to e-mail.
“Would you like to tell me what you’re doing?”
She damn near fell out of her seat. Amy gasped and then laughed a little as she saw Flynn standing in the hallway wearing nothing but his sweatpants. The man was way too yummy, but he’d scared her half to death. “Sorry. I wasn’t expecting that.”
“No, I suppose you weren’t.”
That was when she realized how narrow his eyes were, how his muscles seemed rigid.
She stood up. Apparently the man didn’t like anyone sitting at his desk. “I’m sorry. I was trying to e-mail work. I thought I would go in a little late. I don’t have my phone and I couldn’t find a landline to call from so I decided to e-mail.”
“I thought you couldn’t possibly miss work. That’s what you said last night.” His voice was arctic cold.
She nearly shivered at the way he was looking at her. There was no happy lover in his gaze this morning. “A few hours won’t hurt. I’m sorry. I should have asked you if I could use your system. I didn’t think it would be a big deal.”
He stared for a moment and she wished she was wearing more than his thin T-shirt. She felt exposed and she hated that.
“You should get dressed. I’ll take you to your place and then to work,” he said with finality.
“I thought we could have breakfast.”
“I don’t eat breakfast,” he replied. “But I’ll stop somewhere along the way if you need to. I have an early meeting. We should get going.”
She hated how vulnerable she felt, but he was important. A choice was laid out in front of her. She could do what he asked and protect herself or she could try to figure him out. “What did I do?”
His jaw tightened and then he took a deep breath, as though forcing himself to relax. “I have sensitive material on that system. I don’t let other people use it. You wouldn’t have been able to send an e-mail out. It’s not connected to the Internet.”
She wasn’t sure if she should try to hug him or go and get dressed. He seemed slightly softer than he had before, but he’d been so cold for a second. “I didn’t know that. I don’t know a lot about computers. I can type on one and use the software, but I’m crappy at fixing them. I assume everyone has Wi-Fi. Obviously I won’t bother it again. I’ll get a new phone today.”
She had a lot more time now that she wouldn’t be staying.
“Good. If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know,” he said, his voice turning excruciatingly polite. “There’s a nice bakery next door to this building. Maybe we can grab a Danish for you.”
She wasn’t sure why, but he seemed to want to get rid of her. Maybe he didn’t do the whole cuddly morning after thing. It hurt. It was a real, honest to god kick in the gut, but it wasn’t like she’d asked him for a ring or anything. She’d gone into this casually, looking for some friendship with other women like her and the occasional nice night with a man like him.
So why had he given her so much more?
She gave him her brightest smile, the one she plastered on her face when she dealt with her board or difficult clients. Women in business didn’t get to show their anger or their misery. It was always about the smile. “I’m fine. I’ll grab a protein bar at my place. I should head in to the office. And I’ll grab a cab. It’s not a big deal. I’m going to get dressed. Thanks for last night. It was wonderful.”
Amy started to move past him, willing herself to keep that fucking smile on her face.
He reached out and grabbed her arm. “I’m not used to people touching that system. In my business, someone is always out to steal the latest code.”
Message received. Don’t touch his shit. “Not a problem. Like I said, I’ll have my phone back in a few hours. I promise, I know where the line is now. It was an innocent mistake and I wish you would stop looking at me like I tried to commit some sort of crime. I was trying to send an e-mail, Flynn. That’s all.”
“I’ve been burned before,” he replied quietly. “Several times.”
She softened slightly. She did understand corporate spying. Her father had practically been the CIA. It was why she hadn’t gone after Glendale the way she should. She knew the sins her dad had committed against them. She didn’t understand them entirely or why her father had hated Glendale in particular, but she knew the Adlers had been burned more than once by her father’s deep belief in corporate espionage. “I’m sorry to hear that. I really wasn’t trying to hurt you. I don’t even know what you do. I don’t have a reason to take something from you.”
He stared down at her and for a moment she thought he was going to argue. Then he dragged her close and his mouth was on hers. He kissed her like a starving man, his tongue plunging deep.
He needed. She could feel it. She wasn’t sure what it was he was asking her for, but she felt his bone-deep need. It poured off him, and everything that was soft and warm inside her responded. That affectionate part of herself bent to his will. She’d shoved it down for so very long. Her love and affection weren’t needed in her father’s world. It had been something to hide away and toss out because it had been useless.
Flynn needed it and she was determined to give it to him.
“Don’t go,” he said against her lips. “Stay with me.”
It was all she’d wanted to do in the first place. “Yes.”
He picked her up, hauling her high against his chest, but when she thought he would move back to the bedroom, he strode toward his desk. He sat down with her in his lap and flipped open his laptop. The screen was suddenly on, but she was thinking far more about the thick erection pressed against her backside.
“Type. Be fast. I don’t want to wait,” he growled against her ear.
He’d pulled up his e-mail and moved the cursor to where she would put in a name. His hands moved under her shirt, reaching up to cup her breasts as he licked and nipped at her ear.
How was she supposed to type when her whole body was busy responding to him? “Flynn, I’m going to make a mess of this.”
“Type or I’ll explain to your boss that you’re far too busy pleasing your Master to come in to work today.
” He rolled her nipples, tweaking them enough to let her know he meant business.
That would go over so well. She quickly managed to type the words she needed to because her focus wasn’t on that page. She clicked and it was sent.
“Good.” He stood again, showing absolutely no sign of strain. “The rest of the morning is mine.”
She held on and let her Master whisk her away.
Chapter Five
“I want you to run every test you possibly can on that machine.” Flynn stared at the woman sitting at his desk, trying to let her know just how serious this was because she often didn’t take a damn thing seriously with the exception of her own work. “Don’t leave anything out. I want to know every single thing that was done to it.”
Chelsea Weston frowned his way. “Would an ultrasound help? Do you think it got pregnant by another system? You know they get a little crazy during puberty.”
She was brilliant but she could get sarcastic at times. Most of the time, really.
A chuckle came from the other side of the room. “Darling, you know Flynn has the equivalent of a chastity belt on that particular system. I scarcely think it’s been unfaithful.”
Of course her husband tended to indulge her.
Simon and Chelsea Weston owned the other half of the penthouse floor. They shared the outdoor space on the top of the building. He’d been surprised to find their half was kept in a lovely, peaceful garden where Chelsea did daily yoga. He’d heard rumors that Mrs. Weston had been seriously injured at one point, but he couldn’t tell. Yes, she had some scars, but she was healthy and graceful, a fact she attributed often to her husband. They were an odd couple. He was a very British man who was rarely seen in anything but an impeccable suit. He’d heard stories from his brother that Weston had once been MI6, which meant he’d kind of been James Bond before he’d joined the McKay-Taggart team. Chelsea was Charlotte Taggart’s sister and he was fairly certain she either worked for the CIA or some kind of government agency because some creepy dudes in black suits were always coming in and out of the building and they always visited her.