Boss Woman

by Victoria Quinn

  I wanted to choke him to death. “Look at her like that again, and see what happens.”

  Marshall looked at me again, but he wore a smile like he thought I was joking.

  “Not kidding.” I rose from the seat and turned to the hostess stand. Titan was standing there in a baby-blue sundress and brown sandals. Her long hair was in big curls, and she’d done her makeup just the way I liked. She looked like she belonged on my yacht, sailing the Mediterranean with me while we fucked and drank under the sun.

  Her eyes turned to me, and like always, they softened slightly. The movement was hardly noticeable, and unless someone knew what it meant, they wouldn’t understand it. It was a look she only gave to me—because she was still head over heels for me.

  Like I was for her.

  I walked up to her and circled my arm around her waist. I leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

  She stilled at the affection, knowing it wasn’t a meaningless greeting between associates. It was a possessive touch, one that I was doing just for Marshall to see. He thought she was seeing Thorn, but that didn’t change anything.

  She was my girl.

  And I didn’t let anyone look at my girl like that.

  She pulled away, slight color coming into her cheeks. She tried to brush off the tingling sensation I knew she was feeling deep inside her chest, but she couldn’t. I read her expression as easily as an open book.

  “Would you like to join us?” I stepped back and nodded to the table.

  “Sure.” She righted herself the second I stopped touching her, changing back into Tatum Titan. She hardened her gaze, straightened her spine, and turned into the tallest person on the patio. “Who’s your friend?”

  “Marshall Tucker.” He had a handsome face with a ripped physique. Not to mention, he had money. But I wasn’t threatened by him. If she had slept with him, Marshall probably wouldn’t have checked her out so vigorously. And it’s not like he had a chance with now—not while I was living and breathing.

  “Never met him.”

  We returned to the table, and I made the introductions. “Titan, this is my friend, Marshall Tucker.”

  He smiled as he grabbed her hand, gripping her wrist and holding it for a little too long. “It’s nice to meet you. I feel like I already know you.”

  “You too. I’m familiar with your work. I have a policy with your life insurance group.”

  He winked. “Smart girl.”

  We sat down, and I ordered Titan an Old Fashioned.

  Titan flashed me a glare, probably annoyed that I ordered for her when she was perfectly capable of doing it herself. But she didn’t voice her annoyance when Marshall was so close.

  “I didn’t know you guys knew each other so well,” Marshall said. “I’ve never heard you talk about her.”

  “We didn’t become associates until recently.” That was the only explanation I would give him.

  “You seem close.” Marshall’s comment was purely friendly, but he didn’t understand the kind of impact it had on both of us. “I’ve never seen Hunt pull out a chair for anyone or order a drink for someone, not even when we were partying with those two models in Laguna Hills.”

  If Titan was jealous, she hid it. She didn’t have any reaction at all, putting on a brave face and pretending his words meant nothing to her. She was an expert at deceiving people—except me. I couldn’t be fooled. “I’ve taught him some manners since we started working together.”

  Marshall chuckled.

  “No,” I said. “I just actually like you, Titan.”

  She didn’t hide her reaction as well that time, covering up her expression by taking a drink.

  “You don’t like me?” Marshall teased. “You never pull out the chair for me.”

  “Turn into a lady, and I might,” I countered.

  Marshall chuckled again. “You straightened him out, Titan. He’s like a completely different man since the last time I saw him.”

  My eyes shifted to her face. “That’s because I am.”

  She held my gaze a brief second longer than she should, and that was a dead giveaway that she understood my intention perfectly. She turned away and looked at Marshall as she drank from her glass.

  Marshall pivoted his body slightly toward her, far more interested in her than he was in me. I’d given him a firm warning that he shouldn’t mess with Titan, and I hoped he took me seriously. Friends or not, I’d beat the shit out of him for giving her anything but his respect. “How do you like working with someone? You usually fly solo, right?”

  Titan knew the question was reserved for her. “Hunt brings a lot to the table. I couldn’t ask for a better partner with more experience. He’s more familiar with the industry, so it’s great to have him on board.”

  “Really?” he asked. “I’m surprised you need him at all.”

  “I think there’s always more to learn,” she said coolly.

  “You flatter me,” I said.

  “And you?” Marshall asked me. “How do you like it?”

  “She’s Tatum Titan,” I said simply. “Couldn’t ask for anyone better.”

  The corner of her mouth rose in a smile. “You flatter me.”

  I instinctively wanted to reach out my hand and rest it on top of hers, but I wasn’t allowed to do such a thing in public. I was forced to restrain myself, to keep up the pretense that I only cared about what was in her brain, not between her legs.

  In reality, I cared about both.

  “Thorn isn’t jealous, is he?” Marshall asked.

  “Why should he be?” Titan asked. “He works with businesswomen all the time, and I never bat an eye over it.”

  “Well, none of them is you,” he said with a grin. “And Hunt is a pretty good-looking guy.”

  I was getting tired of these sexually motivated statements. “Marshall.”

  His eyes flicked to me.

  “What did we just talk about?”

  His smile slowly fell when he realized I was dead serious.

  Titan’s eyes shifted back and forth between us as she held her glass in her hand.

  I held his stare and refused to blink, overriding him as much as possible.

  He was the first to turn away and cover up his scowl with his drink.

  Titan picked up on the tension, but she dissipated it effortlessly. “I saw that your company is doing really well in the market right now. Your dividends are pretty impressive.”

  Once Marshall was flattered by a genius like Tatum Titan, he switched gears. “Thanks. My team does a lot of research into real estate…” Once he was on the topic of business, he stuck to it—like glue.

  * * *

  We entered the conference and mingled with a few associates. I stuck to Titan’s side because I wanted to be there—not because I felt obligated. People were obviously talking about our respective stories that had been splashed across the media, but the longer they saw us together as a united front, the more it would give them something appropriate to talk about.

  Now Titan was in her pencil skirt and tight blouse, wearing sky-high heels like they were slippers. She grabbed a pamphlet off a table and browsed through it.

  I stood beside her, looking at the schedule over her shoulder. We weren’t giving our presentation until tomorrow, so we got to enjoy the work everyone else was doing. These conferences provided great opportunities for networking. I wasn’t looking for more relationships, but if I did a favor for someone, they usually did me a favor somewhere down the road.

  And sometimes it paid off.

  She didn’t turn her eyes to me, browsing the schedule. “I don’t need you to stick up for me like that, Hunt.”

  My gaze shifted to her profile, seeing her long eyelashes peek out and curl toward the ceiling. They were thick and black, her makeup usually heavy around the eyes. It gave her a distinct look of feminine perfection as well as sexy authority. She hypnotized with her lustrous look. I wondered if she was aware of the effect she had on people. “I know.”
/>
  “Then don’t do it.” She turned the page over and looked at the other side.

  “It’s a bad habit.”

  “When did it become a habit?” she asked quietly.

  My hand moved to her waist, the touch still somewhat professional. “You know when it became a habit.” My lips were close to her ear, almost close enough to brush my lips across the skin. “I know Marshall. That guy only has one thing on his mind. I see the way he looks at you, and I don’t like it.”

  “Get used to it,” she said. “There’s nothing you can do about it. Men will look. It’s not a crime.”

  “It is a crime when you belong to me.”

  She turned her face up and looked at me, that flash of provoked irritation bright in her eyes. But underneath that expression was that fire I saw last night, that burning desire for as much of my cock as she could take. “Hunt.”

  “We both know what’s going to happen later tonight. So let’s stop pretending.” My hand squeezed her waist gently before I dropped it and stepped away. She probably still held the furious look in her eyes, but there was nothing she could do about it.

  She knew I was right.

  I took a seat in one of the back rows and waited for the presentation to begin. A group of guys in the fitness space had an app that would revolutionize the industry. I’d heard about them, and I was curious to learn everything I could about the topic. I never attended the seminars I was already well-acquainted with. I only went to the ones I knew nothing about—so I could learn something.

  Marshall dropped into the seat beside me. “What the hell was that about?”

  I rested my ankle on the opposite knee and glanced at my watch, seeing we had a few minutes before we began.

  “Hunt, you can hear me.”

  “I know. I’m just ignoring you.”

  “What’s your deal? Why are you a dick when Titan comes into the picture?”

  “I don’t like you talking about her like that. I told you that already.”

  “I didn’t say anything about her.”

  “Don’t play stupid with me.” I turned my expression on him, cold and dark. “You eye-fucked the shit out of her.”

  “Well, look at her.”

  My hand tightened into a fist.

  Marshall caught the movement and raised both eyebrows. “Hunt, what’s the deal? I’ve never heard you defend someone’s honor before. I distinctly remember two women fighting to give you head in the hotel room in Beverly Hills.”

  That was a long time ago. “She’s important to me. She’s obviously not interested in you, so treat her with some respect.”

  “What makes you think she’s not interested?”

  I’d never punched someone during a conference. Maybe today would be my first time. “Because she’s not, Marshall. She’s with Thorn.” I hated saying that out loud, the lie that the world had been tricked to believe.

  “I never see them together, so who knows how serious they are.”

  “They’re both devoted to their work. Nothing wrong with that.” I turned back to the front.

  He rested his arm over the back of the chair. “You know what I think?”

  I ignored the sneer on his face.

  “I think you have a thing for her.”

  I didn’t deny it because I didn’t want to do that anymore. Titan wanted me to lie to the world, but I was tired of it. She pretended I meant nothing to her, and I pretended she was just a business associate that didn’t turn my head every time she walked in a room. Not only was I attracted to her, but I admired her for the incredible woman that she was. I was tired of hiding my awe, my obvious affection for her. “Maybe I do.”

  Marshall’s eyes narrowed, and a grin stretched across his face. “You have expensive taste.”

  “Classy taste.”

  “If I’d known you called dibs on her, I wouldn’t have been such an ass.”

  “You shouldn’t be an ass anyway.”

  “Duly noted,” he said with a smile. “What are you going to do about Thorn?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Are you going to tell her?”

  “No. I’m sure she knows.”

  “Yeah,” he said. “You do make it obvious. So what are you going to do?”

  “I don’t know. Nothing I can do.”

  “You think she’s in love with Thorn?” he asked. “Sometimes I think it’s just a glorified business arrangement. When I see them touch in public, it doesn’t seem genuine.” Marshall wasn’t a billionaire by being an idiot.

  “I don’t know what to think. But I respect her relationship.”

  “If you say so.”

  The presentation started, so we fell silent and looked to the front of the room.

  * * *

  Titan was chitchatting with one of the members of the board directors of the biggest retailer in the world, Climax. They sold edgy clothes, shoes, and accessories. Titan had invaded the beauty cosmetics industry. In fact, she owned all of it. It’s where most of her wealth came from. She didn’t just make good decisions regarding her product, she was a brilliant marketer. She made women realize they needed her products just as much as they needed food and water.

  A damn genius.

  She held her glass of champagne as she smiled and listened to his words. The bubbles were rising to the surface, and every few seconds, she took a drink. The gleam from the liquor shone in her eyes, and I wondered if I would taste it later tonight.

  Marshall came up to me and nudged me in the side. “Guess what?”

  “What?” My eyes stayed on Titan.

  “I met a few models this afternoon. They’re from Milan, but they’re staying in France for a spa getaway. Trust me when I say they can destroy a runway.”

  If we were having a bragging contest, there was one woman I’d love to boast about. “Have fun.”

  “Don’t be stupid,” he said. “You’re coming along. They’re in my suite upstairs. They’re already liquored up and ready to go.”

  Titan finished her conversation with the man before her eyes found me. She walked across the room, her posture perfect and her fingertips gripping the stem of the glass. She couldn’t have picked a worse time to join us.

  “I’m gonna pass, Marshall. But thanks for the invite.”

  “Did you hear what I said?” he asked incredulously. “They’re models.”

  “I’ve been with lots of models. So what?” I turned back to Titan, who now wore a guarded expression. She’d walked in at the wrong time, and judging from her discomfort, she knew about it.

  “Yes. I remember those two women taking turns sucking you off,” he said. “But wouldn’t you want to repeat that?” He didn’t seem to notice Titan was standing there because he was too absorbed in this conversation about getting laid. Now his eyes shifted her way, but he didn’t appear embarrassed that she’d heard it.

  Titan knew what kind of man I was before she came along. That didn’t mean I wanted her to know the specifics of my glamorous sex life. It was redundant and boring. The sparks didn’t really ignite until she walked into my life.

  Until Tatum Titan entered my bed.

  Titan took a long drink of her champagne, trying to cover up the burn in her cheeks.

  “Marshall,” I said firmly. “You can handle them on your own.” I patted him on the shoulder.

  “I don’t like this version of Hunt.” He patted my arm back a little harder, clearly annoyed with my decision. “I’ll be in my suite if you change your mind.” He nodded to Titan before he walked away.

  Now it was just her and me.

  Thinking about that joint blow job I received last year.

  I looked into her eyes and saw her look into mine. She couldn’t hide her jealousy as much as she tried. I could see it—deep down inside. When she heard about me kissing that woman in the club, she’d worn the exact same expression. She took another drink to compose herself, doing her best to appear indifferent to the news she just heard. “You’re free to do what you w
ant, Hunt.”

  “And I’m doing exactly what I want.”

  “No, you aren’t. You hooked up with that woman last week, and now you have a team of women wanting to take turns giving you a blow job. Don’t let me stop you.” She kept her voice steady as if she weren’t mad, but there was no mistaking the hurt in her expression.

  She was jealous. Furiously jealous. I liked it enough to smile, but I stopped my lip from curling. “You aren’t stopping me. You know I wasn’t with that woman.”

  “I know you said you weren’t with her…but that doesn’t mean anything.”

  “I’m not a liar, Titan.”

  She looked away. “Maybe you are. Maybe you aren’t.”

  “You don’t want me to go upstairs. I don’t want to go upstairs either. So let’s just go back to your room and do what we really want.” My hands were in my pockets, but I leaned in close to her, our proximity inappropriate for two platonic friends.

  She finished her glass and swallowed hard, stalling her answer. “The only thing I want to do is get away from you.”

  “Really?” I challenged. “So you couldn’t care less if I joined Marshall.”

  She looked me right in the eye, her gaze steady. “Not in the least.” She did her best to appear sincere, but it wasn’t enough.

  I didn’t believe her. “Then I’ll go.”

  She pressed her lips tightly together. “Fine.”

  “Fine.” I met her hard look with my own before I turned my back on her. I walked out of the lobby and directly into the elevator. When I turned around and looked at her, she had her back turned to me, her arms crossed over her chest.

  I stared at her until the doors closed.

  * * *

  I sat on the couch and helped myself to the whiskey and ice cubes. I poured a drink and enjoyed it as I looked at the view outside. There wasn’t much to see because the sun was gone, but the lights along the walkway were beautiful. The sailboats in the harbor weren’t visible, but as soon as morning arrived, they would be bobbing on the ocean.

  The keycard machine in the door lit up, and the knob turned as Titan stepped inside. I’d known she would retreat to her room within ten minutes after our conversation was over. She kicked off her heels, tossed her clutch aside, and judging from the way she jerked, she was angry as she moved through the suite.