At the CEO's Pleasure

by Yahrah St. John

  He’d never anticipated becoming so taken with her that he’d whisk her off to paradise and make love to her day and night. Or that he would feel a deep yearning to commit to her in some form or fashion.

  No one could have foreseen it.

  Or could he have? If he’d just dealt with the insatiable lust he’d had for her back then, maybe it would have fizzled out and they’d have gone their separate ways. Now it was complicated because he knew what it was he’d been missing out on all these years. Now Stewart Investments needed her—or rather, he needed her—and he’d do anything to keep her.

  With renewed purpose, he strode to his library door and took the stairs two at a time until he reached the second floor, where Maya’s room was located. The door was ajar and he watched from the doorway as she unpacked her suitcase. Surely, this must mean she’d decided to stay? His heart began thundering in his chest, but Ayden refused to analyze what it might mean. “Knock. Knock.”

  Maya whirled around on her heel to face him. She was holding a sexy little teddy that she’d worn for him in Jamaica, though it hadn’t stayed on her long. “Come in.”

  Ayden smiled as he came toward her, only stopping when he was in her personal space. Maya stepped backward, dropping the teddy, and he advanced. He loved this dance between them. It was a sort of foreplay he would never get tired of. “You’re unpacking.”

  “No, I was just getting out something to wear for tonight...”

  He grinned. “Oh really? Well, what do you say you leave that teddy here and come to my room? Because you won’t really need it for what I have planned.” He circled his arm around her waist and led her out of the room.

  “What about dinner?”

  “I’ll have dinner sent up.”

  * * *

  Maya felt oddly out of sorts Monday morning as she went through her usual routine of getting Ayden’s calendar settled for the week. Could it be because her sinfully sexy boss and the best lover she’d ever had in her life had kept her up half the night doing wicked things to her? Although she hadn’t agreed to move in with him, she had enjoyed the last few nights at Ayden’s with unadulterated relish. She even had the whisker burns on her thighs to prove it. Maya blushed. She knew she was expected to jump back into work even after a week and multiple nights spent in Ayden’s arms.

  He didn’t seem to have any problem getting back into the swing of things. She glanced at his door, which had been closed for most of the morning. Ayden had one meeting after another with department heads after their vacation. Eventually the door opened and he emerged. He was wearing a charcoal suit that made him look every bit as powerful as he was. Several other men departed after him.

  “Maya, can you come into my office?” He went back inside.

  She picked up her tablet and followed him. Ayden was standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows staring out over Austin.

  “Close the door.”

  She did as instructed and when he spun around to face her there was only one thing she saw in his stare. Red-hot desire. She swallowed.

  “Come here.” He breathed his command.

  Maya battled with herself—her pride demanding that she deny him. He’d already gotten his way by having her stay at his house. She couldn’t give him everything. But her own lust for him won out.

  She stepped toward him until she was close enough for him to grasp her waist and pull her against him. She arched her neck and glanced up into those eyes she always got lost in. He lifted his hand and curved it around her neck, bringing her face closer to his. Then he bent his head to kiss her until she softened against him. She felt powerless and gave in to the passion he aroused. His lips were firm and sure and took everything. When they broke the kiss, their breathing was shallow and unsteady.

  “I’ve been dying to do that all morning,” Ayden said. “I’ve been in those damn meetings thinking of nothing but kissing you.” He stroked her already swollen lips with his thumb.

  “We can’t do this here.” Maya tried pulling away, but Ayden wouldn’t let her go.

  “You’re right. I’m sorry. I should have been more discreet.”

  She let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you. I don’t want everyone to know we’re an item.” She glanced behind her at the door. “They’ll think I got this job back because we’re sleeping together.”

  “But you and I know that not’s true. You’re back as my EA because you’re the best.”

  “Even better than Caroline?” she asked with a smirk.

  His dark eyes stared back at her. “You know the answer to that.”

  “Good, because this assistant needs to leave early today. My mother is trying a new treatment and I’d like to be there.” When they’d been in Jamaica, she’d shared her mother’s condition with Ayden.

  “Of course. You didn’t even need to ask. I wish I had been there when my mom was ill. Take whatever time you need. I’ll see you back at the house later?”

  She nodded. “Thank you.”

  He kissed her on the forehead and released her.

  After finishing up some last-minute items for Ayden, Maya drove to the cancer center where her mother would be getting her treatments. When she arrived, she found Sophia, Raven and Thomas sitting in the waiting room. They all rose when she approached.

  “Maya, I’m so glad you could come,” Raven said. “Mama, aren’t you happy Maya’s here?” Her sister looked up at her and smiled for the first time in a long time.

  “You told her about my condition?” Her mother turned to Raven. “I thought you had it covered?”

  “Of course, I told her. She had a right to know,” Raven responded. “It can’t all be me mom, you have another daughter.”

  “I didn’t want Maya burdened especially starting her new job. Or should I say her old job.” Her mother attempted a laugh, which turned into a coughing fit that required Thomas to help her into a nearby chair.

  Maya immediately rushed to her side, kneeling in front of her. “Are you okay?”

  “Why are you all hovering over me?” Sophia huffed, coughing again into a handkerchief she pulled out of her purse.

  “Because we care,” Raven said from beside her. “We all do.” She glanced in Maya’s direction. “And it’s about time you know how much.”

  Her mother frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “It means Maya has been helping pay for your treatments since she returned to Austin. They were too expensive for us to manage with a new baby, and we needed her assistance.”

  Tears sprang to Maya’s eyes. She couldn’t believe Raven was taking up for her when she never had in the past.

  “So you’re paying for my continued therapy?” her mother asked, staring at Maya.

  “Yes, Mom. I am.” Maya wiped away a tear with the back of her hand. “Is that a problem? Or would you rather your favorite daughter and son-in-law continue to struggle?”

  “Of course not,” Sophia stammered, with tears in her eyes. “I just never thought you cared.”

  Maya rolled her eyes upward and prayed for strength. She couldn’t stand on the sidelines while cancer ravaged her mother. And the monetary assistance wouldn’t help only her mother—it was about healing herself. She truly needed to let go of the past. “You’re my mother. And although we don’t see eye to eye and never have, I do care. I love you.”

  Tears filled her mother’s eyes. “Thank you. I know I may not deserve it, but I’m glad you’re here.” She squeezed Maya’s hand back.

  “Good, because you have both your daughters here to support you.” Maya glanced over at Raven, who gave her a reassuring smile. They were a long way from reconciliation, but they’d get there. And for the first time in years, Maya was open to it.

  A nurse appeared several moments later to take her mother away for the treatment. When they advised that one person could come with her, Maya fully expected Sophia to
ask for Raven, but she looked at Maya.

  “Would you come with me?”

  Maya rose to her feet. “Yes, Mama. I will.”

  Fourteen

  Ayden prowled around his enormous house, glancing at his Rolex every few minutes. It was after eight o’clock and he hadn’t heard from Maya. He knew she’d gone to be by her mother’s side, but that had been hours ago. She hadn’t called or texted and it was driving him crazy. She didn’t answer to him after hours, but the least she could have done was let him know everything was all right.

  Eventually, after working through the evening, he flopped on the couch and made himself comfortable by turning on the television and flipping through the channels. He never watched TV; it was just noise. Even though he knew his staff was down the hall, he felt lonely without Maya. His voracious hunger for her was not subsiding; he wanted her more than ever. He loved the way she stood her ground, telling him off when she didn’t agree with him. Or the way she found joy in the simple things in life like playing dominos or drinking a Red Stripe.

  He’d tried to ignore his feelings for Maya, but they kept resurfacing. She was smart and funny and beautiful, with her sexy, tight body. He recalled how she’d looked in a bikini with her skin sun-kissed from the Jamaica sun. He was craving her something fierce and he knew she felt the same, but she was erecting barriers between them. She hadn’t agreed to permanently move in with him and had kept her short-term rental. Why was she holding on to it? Was her coming to San Antonio only temporary? It brought a pang to his chest to think of her leaving him. It reminded him of the loss he’d felt when his mother had moved him away from his father, from the only place Ayden had known as home, into a sad one-bedroom apartment. He didn’t want to lose Maya. She made him feel alive. Ayden felt like he could do anything when he was with her, like he was worthy. But, more importantly, he’d never been this content or this relaxed with another woman.

  He drew a deep, ragged breath. Ayden couldn’t remember the last time he’d been truly happy like he’d been these last couple of weeks with Maya. Before her, he’d worked around the clock, stopping only to eat, work out or have the occasional dinner with any number of nameless, faceless women, then leave their beds in the middle of the night. None of them had held a candle to Maya. He stayed with Maya every night. He looked forward to drawing her close and spooning with her. And when he did, it was the best sleep of his life.

  Eventually, he retired to the master bedroom to shower and get ready for bed. He’d changed into black silk pajama bottoms when he heard Maya’s car pull into the driveway. He waited for the click of her heels on the marble floor as she climbed the stairs. Her steps were silent on the plush carpet in the hallway, but he finally sensed her outside his room. Was she trying to decide if she should come in? He hopped off the bed and padded barefoot to her room. “Maya?”

  She jumped. “You—you startled me.”

  “I’m sorry.” His gaze swept over her face as he looked for signs of distress. Her eyes were glassy. “Is everything okay? “

  She looked downward and when she lifted her head back up, he could see tears staining her cheeks. It made him feel as useless as a rag doll to see her so upset. “Maya, Maya.” He pulled her to him, grasping the sides of her face to make her look at him. “Did something happen today?”

  She shook her head. “No, it’s just...” Hiccupping, she tried to speak through her crying. “I can’t...” Her voice trailed off, and she leaned into him and began softly sobbing.

  “It’s okay.” He held her firmly, desperate to give some of his strength to her. “I’m here for you.”

  When she finally quieted, she spoke softly. “The treatment they’re giving Mom is aggressive. Very aggressive. But it’s the only way they can try to rid her of the cancer. It didn’t seem real when I found out, but today... There was no denying that my mother could die.”

  “But she’s not going to,” Ayden murmured in her ear. “Because of you, she’s getting the best treatment available.”

  “I know that, but it’s still so scary. I—I could lose her. And even though we haven’t been close, I’ve always known she was there. And if something happens to her, I’ll be all alone because I don’t think Raven and I can ever go back to being sisters again, not after her betrayal.”

  Without hesitation, Ayden said, “You won’t be alone, Maya. You’ll always have me.”

  As soon as he said the words, he wished he could take them back.

  He wanted them to be true because he cared deeply for Maya, but he couldn’t guarantee her that their relationship would always be like this.

  He didn’t do commitments because there was too great a risk of getting hurt.

  Had he just doomed their relationship by telling his first white lie?

  * * *

  You’ll always have me.

  Ayden’s words kept replaying in Maya’s head the next day even though she tried to keep her mind on work. Ayden had left hours ago, leaving her to her own devices and thus giving her plenty of time to recount last night. After making love, she’d slept in his embrace as he held her, unable to sleep because his words were in her head like a nursery rhyme she could never forget. She knew he didn’t mean them. Couldn’t possibly. She didn’t have a future with Ayden. She’d been living in an alternate yet blissful universe while ignoring the obvious.

  Ayden was an attractive, wealthy man whose interests lay in making money. But it was inevitable that Ayden would return to his former ways. She had to look on their time as the precious gift that it was. He’d made her feel beautiful, sensual and desirable, and she would always be grateful. She would remember their time in Jamaica fondly. The time they’d shared, however, had an expiration date.

  Maya was steeling herself for that moment when Ayden would want her to go back to being only his trusted assistant instead of his lover. When he looked to her to make appointments and spreadsheets rather than being desperate for their next kiss or lovemaking session. When she’d have to go back to her boring life in which no other man would ever measure up to Ayden. She knew that when that time came, she’d leave again. There was no way she could see him day in and day out after the time they’d shared. Except this time, she wouldn’t go far. Her mother needed her.

  She’d started over once. She could do it again. She just didn’t want to. She’d set aside most of her sign-on bonus to help with her mother’s treatments. There was some left over in her savings, and with her new salary and generous stock options, she could make it until she found a new position.

  “I’m back.” Ayden startled her as he strode toward her desk.

  “How was your meeting?”

  “Successful. I convinced Kincaid to bring his portfolio over to Stewart Investments.” He grinned from ear to ear. “It was a big day for me.”

  “That’s wonderful, Ayden.” She was happy he’d finally landed the elusive client.

  “I want to celebrate. What do you say we take off early for a night out on the town?”

  Her eyes fixed on his beautiful face and her heart began galloping in her chest. “Why, Ayden, are you asking me out on a date?”

  He smiled wolfishly. “Well, ma’am, it appears I am.” He rubbed the perpetual five-o’clock shadow on his chin. “Would you like to accompany me to dinner?”

  Ayden’s infectious mood was catching and Maya felt herself getting excited. “I would love to.”

  An hour later, Maya was staring back at her reflection in a dressing-room mirror. Rather than navigate the Austin traffic during the middle of rush hour, Ayden had driven her to a stylish boutique where he’d given her her own Pretty Woman experience complete with a designer dress purchased right off the rack. Maya had balked at such an outrageous gesture. She had plenty of dresses back at the house, but Ayden wasn’t taking her back home. The saleswoman had been happy to assist when he’d pulled out his platinum credit card and told h
er price was no object.

  Now Maya was in a teal halter dress that clung to her slender curves and did wonders for her complexion. She’d touched up her makeup with subtle eye shadow, mascara and lipstick she carried with her. The clerk had insisted she add shoes and a bag, so Maya was ready for the night with a clutch and beaded sandals with straps that wrapped her delicate ankles.

  Ayden was waiting for her at the curb, having stepped out to take a phone call earlier while she got dressed. “You look stunning.” He whistled as she approached the Bentley.

  “You should know. You paid an outrageous sum for this dress.”

  “I wanted you to not only look good, but feel good.”

  His words put a smile on her face. “I feel like a million bucks.”

  “Good.” He opened the passenger door and pulled her inside. “Get in.”

  Ayden took Maya to a popular restaurant known for its wealthy clientele. It was the first time they were going out in public as a couple. Since they’d become lovers, they hadn’t been seen by anyone other than the housekeeping staff at the villa in Jamaica and his estate.

  Did this mean Ayden might want more from her than a short-lived affair?

  Maya didn’t want to be hopeful, but it was hard not to read between the lines when he was going out of his way to impress her. First with the couture dress and designer shoes, and now with a fine dining experience. Upon arrival, he showered her with the most expensive bottle of champagne and treated her to the finest meal she’d had in a long time. Each plate was a tiny work of art created by a master chef. Maya felt like she was floating, weightless, carried away on a tidal wave. She knew what was happening. She was falling deeper and deeper in love with Ayden.