by Bella Rose
Maxim hurriedly tucked his sore cock back into his pants and attempted to zip up with hands that shook with anger. He had never felt so violated in his life. It was a horrible experience for an alpha male like himself. Why did people always assume that alpha personalities reveled in moments like this? Maxim did not appreciate being touched without permission. He did not consider every pussy to be a potential bedmate. And he did not appreciate a woman who did not know the meaning of the word no.
“You’re fired,” he snarled in Russian. Then he realized his mistake and repeated the word in English. “Get your things and get out of my building. Never return. Do not ask for a reference, and never contact us again.”
The crazy bitch stood up and smiled at him. Smiled. “Oh I don’t think you want to do that, Mr. Sokolov.” Her lip curled and a look of triumph spread across her face. “Do you really want to cry rape? Do you think it would hold up against my word if I claim that you told me I had to suck you off to keep my job?”
Cold fury left Maxim nearly blind with rage. “Get. Out. Of. My. Office.”
“As you wish.” She blew him a kiss and sashayed out of his sight.
Maxim put his hands on his desktop and leaned into the contact. He felt his arms stretch and his breathing begin to slow. This was not enough. Fury poured through his body and he felt in danger of murdering something or someone. The next person to piss him off was going to rue the day they’d been born. That was not the cold logical way to do business. This was going to require something a little different.
He stalked out of his office and headed toward the back stairwell. All three flights of stairs passed beneath his shoes with methodical preciseness that helped to bring him back under control. He needed air. He needed it now. He needed to get away from this stifling environment.
Finally he burst onto the rooftop access of the building and took a deep breath. Yes. This was better. He headed for the covered area he’d had built to his personal specifications. There was a heavy bag hanging there along with some other weight equipment. It was his own personal rooftop space and he longed for the solitude that a few minutes of pounding the bag could give him.
***
Landry frowned as she heard a series of grunts and growls that made it sound as though someone were fighting up on the roof. She turned in a slow circle until she could pinpoint the direction the noises were coming from.
Moving slowly, she inched her way across the roof until she spotted a covered area that actually looked a bit like a patio. There was an intricate wood structure stained a beautiful red color. Detailed latticework and molding made it almost a work of art. It covered a fascinating floor that appeared to be made of dull gray pebbled surface mats. They seemed to be built into a tile section of the rooftop floor.
But what really caught her attention was the man pounding mercilessly on a heavy bag hanging from a metal arm apparatus. The bag looked to be twice her size and probably weighed a ton. The man had stripped off his shirt though he still wore his tailored slacks. His feet were bare and there was sweat dripping down between the blades of his glorious shoulders. He looked like an ad. Or maybe he was a vengeful god. Some kind of software deity that hung out on the roof waiting to pummel developers that got snarky with management.
The ridiculously fanciful thoughts caused her to giggle. She slapped her hands over her mouth. She hadn’t meant to draw the man’s attention. Then he swung around and she gaped in shock.
Maxim?
Oh yes. It was most definitely Maxim. And that quite explained the incredible body. Now she could see the tangled dark hair hanging around his face and the dark brooding gaze that made her shiver in such a delicious way.
“What are you doing here?” he demanded in a clipped voice.
She pursed her lips. It was on the tip of her tongue to demand why he cared since he’d had his cock shoved down Taylor’s throat less than thirty minutes ago. But something in his expression stopped her cold. He looked pissed. Or hurt. Or maybe he just looked confused and that was why she could not get a read on him at all. He did not look like a guy who had enjoyed a blowjob from a woman.
“I needed some air,” she finally explained. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you. I didn’t realize there was anything up here. I just—I guess I came up here to get away from—well everything for a minute.” She could not very well tell him that seeing his little interlude with Taylor had set her off like a firecracker now, could she?
“I understand.” His voice carried far more of a Russian accent to it than she’d ever heard before. It struck her as odd. Then he gestured to the bag. “I come up here when I’m so angry I’m afraid I will accidentally rip the head off of one of my employees.”
***
Maxim realized that he sounded like a complete caveman when he spoke in such a way, but it was an honest answer. Somehow he got the impression that something had happened to make Landry feel exactly as he did. She looked worn out somehow.
He gestured her closer. “Would you like to hit the bag? It might help to siphon off some of that frustration.”
“What makes you think I’m frustrated?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Call it an educated guess.”
“Because of all the crap that has happened since I started working here. Right?” Her tone was bitter. How could he blame her? Each day had been a new lesson in Taylor Pearson’s ill-tempered attempts to assert her nonexistent authority.
“Come here.” He gestured again. This time she walked closer.
Soon he caught just a hint of her warm womanly scent. His mouth started to water and he felt his groin stir once again. He had the wry thought that he was glad his cock wasn’t broken after the incident with Taylor. Perhaps men needed to have more compassion for women when it came to such things. It had certainly been an eye opener for him.
“What’s wrong?” she asked softly. Before he could answer, she reached up and touched his jaw. “I’ve never seen you look so tense.”
He caught her hand and pressed it to his face. Closing his eyes, he savored even this minimal contact. How could one tiny touch soothe him so thoroughly? “Sometimes I am reminded that I only think I have it all under control,” he told her softly.
Her low laugh made his belly tighten with desire. “Come on now, Maxim,” she said huskily. “If it was all under your control, there would be no spice in life.”
“Leave it to you to poke holes in my theories,” he teased.
She stroked his jawline until the tips of her fingers rested against his lower lip. “Maybe you need to stop worrying about it.”
Chapter Thirteen
Landry was going to hell. Fast. In fact, she should be turning around and walking back into the building. She had no business being this close to Maxim, or touching him, or thinking about having sex with him. She was out of her mind! Human resources had just investigated her because of this exact situation. There had been no wrongdoing before, but now she was sliding down a slippery slope she would never claw her way back up. Plus, there was that thing with Taylor and the blowjob. Except Maxim wasn’t acting like a guy who had just gotten a blowjob. What if things weren’t what they seemed to be?
She gently brushed Maxim’s lower lip with her fingertips. It was so soft. How could this part right here feel like silk when the other parts of him were like steel? It was such a fascinating contrast. She felt herself rising on her toes. She couldn’t hold back any longer. And when her lips finally touched his she let out a sigh of relief. It had been so long. At least it felt that way.
The kiss turned carnal in an instant. Maxim wasn’t a passive man. He slid his arms around her body and pulled her hard against his bare chest. Her breasts smashed against his abdomen and she soon found herself stretched full length against his body with his tongue inside her mouth.
She moaned as he slid his tongue alongside hers. The friction and heat were unbearable. She wanted him so badly that she could hardly keep from squirming. Her panties were already soaked and her body was roaring to l
ife as hormones surged through her veins to remind her exactly what this man could do to her body when he wanted to.
Landry pressed her thighs together as she wound her arms around Maxim’s neck and tangled her fingers in his hair. She wanted him so damn bad that she didn’t even care that it could be the end of her job. Her clit throbbed as blood rushed to her groin. Her nipples plumped and the way they rubbed against Maxim’s chest wasn’t helping matters. She whimpered as her arousal became acute.
He gently pulled away from the kiss, nipping her bottom lip as he did. “What do you need, baby?” he whispered. “What can I do for you?”
“I need you so bad,” she whispered. Squeezing her eyes closed, she tried to calm her breathing. “My body is on fire.”
“Yes you are.” His voice was low. The erotic sound of it made her gut tighten even more. There was a low pulling below her belly that nearly took her to her knees.
Maxim put one arm beneath her legs and the other behind her back. He lifted her into his arms as though she weighed no more than a feather. Her arms went automatically around his neck, and she could not help but wonder if there was anyone else in the world who would make her feel so dainty and feminine and cherished.
***
Maxim was not a fool. There was no way in hell he should be touching this woman. Just as there was no way in hell that he could keep his hands off her either. She was his personal brand of temptation and he was powerless to resist.
He carried her to a lounge chair that had been set beneath the pergola. He sometimes sat here to work on nice days when he needed the breeze to help him think. Now he would never again look at it without seeing Landry stretched out on top of the soft taupe cushion.
Her legs were bare. He put his hands beneath her long skirt and settled his palms on the insides of her thighs. The satisfaction that wound its way through his body at the mere touch was staggering.
“I’ve been thinking about this for days,” he told her.
The tip of her pink tongue snaked out to wet her lips. “Thinking about what?”
“Your thighs.”
“Really?” Her brows knit together as if she had a difficult time believing him. “Why?”
“Because the skin here is so soft.” He stroked her to make his point. She moaned and shivered at the contact. “Are you wet for me?”
“Yes.”
She was so unashamed and honest. He could not resist her. Pushing her skirt out of the way, he straddled her. “I need you, Landry. I cannot wait. I have no patience for foreplay or coaxing. I’m going to put my cock inside you and fuck you until we both come. Do you understand?”
“Please,” she begged.
It was as if her words unleashed something primal inside him. He fumbled with his zipper and withdrew his cock. There was still a stinging red mark from Taylor’s teeth. He ignored it. If there was discomfort, perhaps he deserved it as penance for his stupidity. Otherwise the pleasure of being inside Landry was going to leave him unable to think of anything else.
She raised her knees and pulled her skirt up toward her waist. He reached up and snagged her panties. Dragging them down her legs, he caught a whiff of her delectable scent. Even the smell of her made him hot. He groaned and pulled them off. It was awkward and not at all polished as he usually was. He didn’t care.
His cock was hard. He was so ready he thought he might burst as soon as he got inside her. The space on the chair was tight, but they made it work. He slid between her legs and pulled one of her knees over his shoulder. She gasped when he entered her. There was no slow penetration this time. He slammed his cock so deep inside her that he felt the end of her channel kiss the tip of his shaft. It was sheer heaven.
“Fuck!” he ground out. “So good.”
He moved inside her. Long strokes left him gasping for more and short strokes made her grab on to his shoulders and scratch his skin with her nails. She was moving with him. Her hips rolled and pushed against him. She undulated and tightened around him. And when he felt her about to come he knew that he could last no longer.
“Maxim!” she cried out, her voice breaking over his name.
He growled and snarled as he thrust as deeply as he dared. Convulsing, he closed his eyes and poured his seed into her welcoming body. Heaven. It was utter and complete heaven and he never wanted anything else.
***
Landry decided that the biggest problem with screwing a coworker was the part where she had to go back to her desk as though nothing at all had happened. She couldn’t sit staring into space contemplating the fact that the earth had moved while she had sex with Maxim. She had to straighten her clothes, smooth back her hair, and pretend that nothing had changed.
Yeah right.
It was impossible not to be acutely aware of Dinah sitting less than two feet away, muttering to herself as she poked at her computer screen with the mouse pad. Landry was bursting with the need to tell somebody. Yet opening her mouth would be tantamount to ending her career before it had really started.
She put her face in her hands and sighed. No matter how amazing the sex was with Maxim, it could not happen again. It couldn’t! It was dangerous to them both. God only knew what Taylor would do if she found out any of that information.
“Are you all right?”
Landry turned in her seat and realized that Dinah had spun around in her chair and was now staring at Landry with a very speculative expression on her face. Landry swallowed back her nervousness and shrugged. “I’m fine. I’m just—you know—worried about everything.”
“I can see why.” Dinah seemed to consider the events of the last few days. “Taylor has really been on a rampage. I don’t know what her problem is with you. It seems really ridiculous.”
“It does,” Landry agreed. “Although I think the main problem she has is that she really, really wants to have a relationship with Max—I mean Mr. Sokolov.”
“I think that’s definitely true.” Dinah cocked her head to one side curiously. “Where did you go before? You were supposed to be dropping something off at the front desk to be mailed and then you just disappeared.”
Hmm. It was really none of Landry’s business, but she was still dying of curiosity when it came to the little scene she’d witnessed in Maxim’s office with Taylor on her knees. Maybe Dinah knew something she wasn’t telling.
“After I mailed the envelope, I walked back past Mr. Sokolov’s office,” Landry said carefully. “Taylor was in there with him.”
“Oh?”
“On her knees.”
“Holy shit!” Dinah breathed. She leaned forward in her chair. “Do you think they’re having an affair?”
Shit. Landry hadn’t meant to start a rumor. She realized now that this whole thing had been ill advised. Now it was time for damage control. “I got the impression from the look of horror on Mr. Sokolov’s face that the attention was not welcome, if you know what I mean.”
“Oh my God,” Dinah crowed. “Taylor tried to force herself on Mr. Sokolov!”
***
Maxim could hardly stand to be in his office after what had happened with Taylor only a short time before. The entire space felt tainted. He stared moodily into space and wondered what to do with the woman. It was so ironic. The employee he was actually sleeping with had gone to great lengths to make sure that their relationship remained clandestine and that she received no benefit from the association.
In direct contrast, the employee he would not have touched with a ten-foot pole was claiming foul and trying to blackmail him into keeping her employed. Not only was Taylor trying to force him into a physical relationship with her, she was using the threat of retribution to keep her job. He wanted her gone. In fact, she needed to be put in her place. He just wasn’t certain how to go about it. But she was Taylor Pearson. She’d been employed here for over a year. A tiger didn’t change his stripes. Perhaps she had done other things that were punishable offences.
Maxim pushed the intercom button on his phone.<
br />
“Danvers here.”
“Come to my office,” Maxim suggested. “We need to have a chat about a certain employee.”
It took poor Danvers only a few minutes to come huffing and puffing into Maxim’s office. The round little man was looking a little worse for wear. “What? What happened now?” he stammered.
“Nothing yet,” Maxim assured him. “At least nothing that I’m aware of.”
“What are you talking about?” Danvers looked confused.
Maxim decided to be blunt. “Taylor Pearson is a problem.”
“Excuse me?” Danvers pursed his lips and pulled a notebook out of his inside suit pocket. He got a pen ready and then looked expectantly at Maxim. “How so?”
“Earlier today she came in here to my office and attempted fellatio,” Maxim said flatly. It actually made him cringe to say that out loud.
Danvers’s bushy eyebrows went up. Way up. “Excuse me? Was there anything in your behavior or conversation that might have led up to that?”
“Absolutely not.” Of course that wasn’t exactly true. Maxim cleared his throat. “I was in here by myself. I happened to be thinking about something particularly pleasant.”
“And?” Danvers pressed.
Maxim wondered if the little man was getting off on this, but decided Danvers just wasn’t the type. “I happened to have an erection, but in order for Ms. Pearson to have noticed this, she had to be lingering in my doorway for a while.”
“Understood.”
“Then she came in and she proceeded to say inappropriate things about what she’d like to do to me—sexually—and then she dropped right to her knees and attempted to actually do those things.”
“I’m assuming that my status as your HR director is why you sound so—pardon the pun—stiff about this.”
“Yes.” Maxim grimaced. “Trust me. There was nothing stiff about me when Taylor was attempting to force contact.”
“And when you confronted her?” Danvers pressed. He was scribbling in his notebook.
“She threatened to cry rape.”
“Shit.”