I rolled my eyes. “Thanks for sharing.”
“I’ll have to share for the both of us since you aren’t sharing shit anymore.”
I drank my scotch to cover up my silence.
“And that’s how I know Titan is damn special to you.”
“Why?”
“Because you actually respect her.”
* * *
I walked through the open doors into her penthouse, my bag over my shoulder. She was there to greet me, in just a t-shirt and her panties. Her hair was loose around her shoulders, and she wore light makeup, showing off her natural features. She smiled so big when she looked at me.
Fuck, my knees were weak.
She moved into my chest, wrapped her arms around my neck, and kissed me like she’d been missing me all day. Her look wasn’t cold like it was in the office. She didn’t wear that professional exterior she showed to everyone else. Her hardness faded, Titan disappearing and only Tatum remaining behind.
Tatum.
She moved her mouth with mine, her lips still stretched into a smile.
My hand moved into her hair, and I felt the warmth in my chest, my hands finally on the woman I’d been thinking about all day. My bag fell off my shoulder and hit the floor, but the sound didn’t disturb either one of us. I smiled as I kissed her, unable to wipe the smirk off my lips. I’d never forget that moment, the way she looked at me when I walked through the door.
I wished she’d look at me like that every day.
She hiked her leg around my hip, and I grabbed the back of her thigh and held it there. My fingers dug into her toned flesh, gripping her tighter. My tongue entered her mouth, and I tugged on her hair gently.
She breathed into my mouth, her small teeth gently nibbling on my bottom lip.
I didn’t interrupt our kiss as I picked her up and held her against my chest. One leg was already wrapped around me, so she hooked the other around my waist, her ankles locking together. I walked past the floor-to-ceiling window and headed to her bedroom.
We fell together on the bed, and I pulled her panties down. My jeans and shoes were kicked away, and she yanked my boxers off my muscular ass so I could get the rest away. She didn’t bother with my shirt, and I didn’t bother with hers either.
I slid inside her, and together, we took a deep breath.
Damn, it was heaven.
I held my weight on one arm so I could dig my hand into the back of her hair. I got a tight grip on the strands and rocked inside her, sliding my enormous dick into her ever-tight pussy. I’d been sleeping with her for months now, and that little channel never loosened.
I breathed against her mouth and enjoyed her touch. Her nails started at the nape of my neck and slowly dragged over my body until she reached the small of my back. She breathed harder and deeper, her petite body grinding against mine so she could get more of me. “Diesel…”
Somehow, I found that sexier than Boss Man. I didn’t correct her because I didn’t need to hear it. My spine tightened, and my dick hardened inside her. She called me by a name very few people had permission to use. But this woman had the privilege because she’d earned it. “Tatum.”
Her hands moved to my ass, and she gripped the muscle, pulling me deep inside her even though I could barely fit my length as it was. “Yes…I’m almost there.”
I’d only started, and she was already shaking underneath me.
I ground against her harder, my pelvic bone rubbing against her clit.
“Oh…” Her hands lifted my shirt, and she gripped my muscular torso, her nails starting to dig.
I kissed her before she came, giving her my hot kisses and sensual touches. I danced my tongue with hers before I pulled her bottom lip into my mouth. “Come, baby.”
She writhed underneath me, panting and screaming. Her nails made new scratches, and she squeezed my hips with her thighs and pulled me harder into her, needing all of my length as she constricted around me. “Diesel…yes.”
I came inside her in the same moment, dropping all of my seed inside, filling her until there wasn’t any space left. My favorite thing in the world was to fuck this woman, to give her all of my desire so it could sit inside her all night. I loved running my empire and reaping the rewards of the seeds I had sowed. But this was so much better.
She closed her eyes and rolled her head back, pulling me flush against her. “I love your come…”
“I love giving it to you.” I tasted the sweat off her lips as I kissed her. My lips moved to her neck and her shoulders, kissing her harder than I had earlier. I sprinkled kisses along her collarbone, blanketing her in my worship.
Would she really want to walk away from this when our arrangement was over? Would she find anyone who could rock her world the way I could? Would she find this kind of passion, this kind of desire?
She opened her eyes and looked at me, her gaze heavy with satisfaction and exhaustion. Her hands migrated into my hair, and she felt the strands as she gently ground against me, feeling my cock soften inside her. “I want you again.”
“Baby, you know I’m not done with you.”
* * *
I stood behind her in the shower and rubbed the body wash into her back, touching her delicate shoulder blades, the long road of her back, and the deep curve in her spine. She was a petite woman, and I didn’t realize it until I looked at her like this—completely naked.
In her dresses and heels, she seemed to be six feet tall. With her intimidating gaze, she felt bigger, stronger, more powerful. But in reality, this was all she was. Five feet something. I grabbed her arms and pressed a kiss to the back of her neck, tasting the remains of her shampoo.
She stilled at my touch, tilting her head forward so I could have more of her.
She invited me to kiss her, so I wrapped my arm around her chest and pulled her tighter into me. I kissed her shoulders, her collarbone, and her neck. My arms were twice as big as hers, my hands covering most of her body because they were so much larger than her petite frame. I wasn’t hard because my body needed a break, but my mind was just as attracted to her as ever before.
And I just liked touching her.
She turned around and looked up at me, the playfulness in her eyes. “You’re one hell of a kisser.”
“Only when I kiss you.”
We rinsed off then dried ourselves with towels. We didn’t have dinner that night because neither one of us thought twice about it. We got into bed once we were done, Titan wearing the t-shirt I came over in. I put on my boxers then settled into her large bed, the large window showing the city outside.
The line drawn in the center of the bed was now nonexistent. She was either on my side, or I was on her side. I pulled her into me just the way I liked, with her leg wrapped around my waist. My face was pressed close to hers, close enough that I could feel her breath fall on my face when she breathed.
Now all of this was routine.
It was time for sleep. I had to wake up early in the morning and head to the gym before work. She was up at the same time as me, usually working on her computer while she had her morning coffee. Work was something we never needed to explain to each other. We were both passionate about everything we worked toward, and we both understood our businesses were our legacy.
I watched her heavy eyes fight the wave of sleep that took over. She was tired from her long day, tired from all the sex, and her body was betraying her. But somehow, she felt the urge and stayed awake.
A small smile formed on my lips while I watched her. “Can I ask you something, baby?”
“You always ask me things.”
“Then can I ask another?”
“Sure,” she whispered.
“Your publishing house…why won’t you sell it?” Whatever her reason was, it wasn’t a business one. It had some personal significance to her. It was a dying business, publishing going in such a different direction that no one had expected.
The sleepiness immediately left her eyes. “I hope you aren’t
still trying to buy it.”
I chuckled. “No. I’ve learned it’s not smart to do business against Tatum Titan, but rather, with her.”
“Good answer,” she said with a small smile.
I waited for the real answer.
“My father was a poet. He wrote short stories too. While he was putting food on the table, he tried to sell his work to publishers. He always dreamed he could make a living as a writer, so he could spend more time with me at home. That never happened for him…so I made sure his work got published.”
I stared at her in disbelief, seeing the soft side of this endearing woman. She was emotional, affectionate, and deeply loyal. She never forgot those she loved, and she spent her life honoring them. The world had labeled her as a cold-hearted businesswoman, but she was so much more than that. She was compassionate, sweet, and painfully beautiful.
She turned over and opened her nightstand drawer. She pulled out a small book, no thicker than a hundred pages. She turned back to me and showed me the cover. It was a plain blue cover with ocean waves in the background. The name at the bottom read T. Titan.
“T. Titan?” I whispered. “Your father?”
“Tom Titan,” she explained. “The first letter is an initial because that’s how he labeled all of his poems. I just assumed that’s how he would have wanted it.”
I took the book from her and flipped to a random page. Italicized words were printed, long poems about the pain of life as well as the beauty in it. I was dense when it came to poetry, but it wasn’t hard to see the quality. In just a few pages, I felt like I knew the man who had made such an impression on the woman beside me, the woman who grew into the most powerful woman in the world. “He’d be so proud of you, Tatum…”
“I know,” she whispered. “And I hope he’s looking down right now…seeing all the people who bought his book.”
“How does it sell?”
“Pretty well, actually. But then again…I publish very few other poetry collections. He doesn’t have much competition on my shelves.”
“Even if there were, these are the clear winners.”
“Thanks. My dad was a great writer. Sometimes they were difficult to read…when he talked about the constant struggle for money, losing my mom, raising a little girl on his own…being diagnosed with cancer. His entire life is chronicled in this book. After he died, I got to know him a new way.”
“Did you find this after he passed away?”
“No. I knew he was a writer when I was growing up. After I became a successful businesswoman, I decided to do something with it. No publishing house was interested in poetry, said it didn’t make money. So I bought a publishing house and published it myself.”
I admired her dedication. “You finished his life’s work…but you’re also his life’s work.”
“I wish he was still here. I miss him every day.”
“I miss my mom too.”
A thin film of moisture coated her eyes, but she blinked it away, making it disappear altogether. She grabbed the book and returned it to the nightstand. “It’s nice that you understand…but I wish you didn’t understand.”
“I know.”
She cuddled into me again, her arm resting around my waist.
“Thanks for telling me.”
“Of course…”
My lips brushed against her forehead, and my fingers felt her soft hair. Her smell enveloped me, hugging me like a soft blanket. I was more used to her mattress than my own now. The rare times I slept alone were the nights I slept the worst. Now I was used to having her beside me every single day.
I didn’t want to imagine my life when she was gone.
* * *
We had breakfast at the table together, sipping coffee and eating egg whites with greens. Most of the time, I didn’t see her eat anything in the morning. She seemed to skip lunch too. And then she hardly touched her food at dinner.
I’d have to say something about it eventually.
She used her tablet at the table, already dressed and ready to walk into the office like a bombshell. She wore stilettos as tall as skyscrapers and a skirt so tight it lifted her perfect nectarine even further. She was a perfect ten wrapped up in executive clothing.
Instead of focusing on my emails, I kept looking at her.
She didn’t look up from her tablet. “What?”
“I can look at all I want. That’s what.”
“But you must get tired of looking at this same face.”
“Never.”
She smiled before she set the device aside. She took one last drink of her coffee before she left the table and grabbed her purse. It was black and shiny, Connor Suede’s logo discreetly printed on the side of the bag.
Piece of shit.
I picked up on her not so subtle hint and grabbed my satchel from the door. I was dressed in my suit and tie, ready for another day at the office.
She walked to the elevator doors and hit the button. “I’ll follow after you.”
We didn’t go down in the elevator at the same time anymore. Titan considered it to be too suspicious. “I’ll see you later.” My arm circled her waist, and I leaned in and gave her a kiss goodbye. It was short and right to the point, but it was still a nice way to start my day. I walked into the elevator and rode it to the bottom.
A few other people stepped out of the other elevators and exited through the lobby, all executives heading off to work. The doorman opened the door for me, and I stepped onto the sidewalk.
And spotted Bruce Carol getting into the back seat of a blacked-out car.
That was the second time I’d seen him near Titan’s building.
Was that a coincidence? Or not a coincidence? Before I drew more attention to myself, I got into the back seat of my car, and my driver took off. I wasn’t planning on mentioning the first time I saw Bruce to Titan, but now that I’d seen him a second time, I’d have to say something.
Hopefully, it was nothing but my paranoia.
My driver stopped at the stoplight, and the red light seemed to drag on forever. I didn’t have to worry about being late to the office because I was the one who made the rules, but I didn’t like wasting time either.
I looked out the window and noticed a little bookstore on the corner.
“Circle the block and pick me up at this corner.” I got out of the back seat, walked into the store, and browsed the poetry aisle until I found what I was looking for.
T. Titan.
I grabbed the hardback and opened the dustjacket. There was a small biography about T. Titan, and the picture was an image of him with a little girl in his lap. With dark hair in pigtails, she looked to be about five years old. He was smiling down at her, his glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. I could see some similarities between them, especially their eyes. They were identical.
I had my mom’s eyes too.
I went to the register and bought it.
6
Titan
I was at work when Connor Suede gave me a call.
“Titan, how are you?” He spoke with a heavy, deep voice, his power radiating over the line. He wasn’t only a fashion designer, but an astute businessman. He didn’t just build a gorgeous line of clothes that men and women enjoyed. He also built an empire based entirely on his name.
“I’m well. How about you, Connor?”
“It’s a beautiful day in New York City. And only beautiful things will happen on a day like this.”
I was used to these strange philosophical lines he spat out. Sometimes they were extraordinary, and sometimes I wasn’t sure what they meant at all. “I’m sure you’re right.”
“I was hoping we could do that shoot this afternoon—if you can make room in your schedule.”
“I can make that happen. But should I do anything special with my hair? Get it cut?”
“Don’t worry about that, Titan. My team will take care of it. Let’s say we meet at three. We can get dinner afterward to discuss.”
“
Sounds good.”
“My driver will pick you up. We’re going to my warehouse in Brooklyn.”
“Alright.”
We hung up, and I went back to work. I’d only gotten through two phone calls with my regional managers in France when Hunt called me. He didn’t call my work line anymore, going straight to my cell phone.
“Diesel.” It felt strange calling him by Hunt anymore. When I thought of that last name, I thought of Vincent Hunt—capitalist douchebag. I thought of his estranged brother Jax, who hadn’t been a brother to him at all. Hunt shared their last name, but he certainly gave it a new definition.
“Tatum.” He didn’t call me by my last name anymore either. Now it was always my first name when we were alone together. “You haven’t come by Stratosphere today. Thought we could have lunch together in my office.”
I knew exactly what lunch meant. “We need to remain professional at work.”
“Unfortunately for you, I’m the one who gets to decide that.”
That was true—but only for a few more weeks. “I have a lot to do here today. Could you handle the meeting this afternoon?”
“No problem.”
“I’m leaving at three for my photo shoot with Connor.”
Silence was impossible to hear, but Diesel’s silence was loud. It was rough and thick, just like his voice. “I thought we talked about that.”
“Yes, I remember.” He made his feelings about Connor perfectly clear. He was jealous, and the last thing he wanted was for me to spend more time with him. “But this is a good move for my businesses—as well as yours.”
“My businesses are doing just fine.”
“But Stratosphere could use the push. That commercial with Brett was a success.”
“But Brett isn’t a douchebag.”
“Connor isn’t a douchebag either. I slept with him because he was handsome, charming, and respectful. I still think those things.”
Diesel didn’t like that answer. His silence made that clear.
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