Power: Power Series #1

by Victoria Woods

  Any memory of the soreness from earlier disappeared as arousal took over. I backed up into his frame, feeling his hard cock press into my skin. He alternated kisses and bites down my neck and shoulder.

  I turned my face back to find his lips and was met with a hungry welcome. Our tongues caressed each other as I ground into his hand.

  “Hold onto me,” he groaned in my ear. He spun me around to face him. Suddenly, he lifted me off the floor and pressed me against the shower wall. I wrapped my legs around his hips, hooking my ankles together behind him. My arms wrapped around the back of his neck tightly.

  He invaded me, penetrating me with his fullness. I moaned with pleasure. I didn’t think I could ever get used to his size. He pounded into me, my ass pressing into the wall behind me. I couldn’t tell if it was the steam or lust that clouded my vision.

  His teeth latched onto my neck, biting so hard that I would have marks tomorrow. His marks. The idea of the world seeing his marks of ownership turned me on even more.

  I felt my pussy grow slicker with every pump he administered. Waves of heat coursed through my belly. I couldn’t hold on anymore. Pleasure overtook my body, reverberating through my core. His pace quickened and his cock stiffened even more before he found his release.

  Pressed to the wall, I unhooked my legs and let them fall with the weight of gravity to the floor. They felt like jelly. I had to hold on to his shoulders for support.

  I found his beautiful eyes with mine. They were usually fixed with a stern expression, but now only gentleness reflected in them. I got lost in this softer side of him.

  We rinsed off under the now cool water and dried off with fluffy oversized towels. Back in his bedroom, Shyam slipped on a pair of boxers.

  I wasn’t sure what would happen next. I wanted to spend the night with him, but I thought maybe it was more appropriate to head home. I knew we had shared something special this evening, but I didn’t want to assume what we had done was anything more. I picked up my panties from the floor and slid them on.

  I moved to slide on my jeans, when Shyam interrupted me. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “Getting dressed. I can call an Uber to drop me home,” I replied.

  He opened his top dresser drawer and pulled out one of his t-shirts and tossed it to me. “Put this on.”

  I dropped my jeans and pulled the oversized shirt over my head.

  He pulled back the sheets. “Get in.”

  He wanted me to stay. I tried to contain my excitement as I slid into bed next to him.

  Inwardly, I was smiling because he probably didn’t view this as a booty call either. He tucked me into his body, so his front cradled my back. His heavy arm anchored me down to the bed. I relaxed into his warm hold and felt his breathing even out behind me. Not too long after, I was lulled into a deep sleep too.

  XVI. Amelia

  I woke the next morning to sunlight shining through the windows. I rolled over to push myself up to sit. My head pounded. Fuck. Why did I drink so much last night? I’d been asking myself that question a lot lately.

  I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, and my surroundings came into focus. This wasn’t my apartment.

  Memories of last night flooded my brain. The bar. Drinks. Some annoying guy trying to get into my pants. A very sexy guy actually getting into my pants.

  I looked down and saw the huge t-shirt I was wearing, with just panties underneath. I had sex with Shyam! It wasn’t a dream.

  The bed was empty. I looked to the nightstand for the time and found two tablets and a glass of water next to the bed. Pain relievers. I gulped them down with desperation.

  The scent of bacon lured me out of the bedroom. I hadn’t eaten dinner last night, and my stomach grumbled to remind me of it. I was sure my hair was a damn mess and I had morning breath, but I was too hungry to care.

  I followed my nose downstairs to the kitchen. Shyam stood in front of the stove in a t-shirt and low-slung jeans that hugged his tight ass. He turned to look at me.

  “Hungry?” he asked, scooping eggs onto a plate.

  My belly let out another loud growl. I grabbed my midsection to quiet the noise. “I skipped dinner last night,” I replied.

  He grinned at my defensiveness.

  He set the plates on the kitchen island, which was ready with cutlery and cloth napkins—one plate with scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast and another with egg whites and spinach.

  I pulled out a barstool in front of the one with the bacon. “I call dibs on this one!”

  “Good, because that one’s for you.” He placed a piping-hot cup of coffee in front of me and a protein shake in front of his plate.

  I helped myself to an ample helping of sugar and cream from the glass serving tray. Everything he did oozed class. It constantly surprised me that a drug lord could be so well-mannered.

  I cupped my coffee mug with my hands to absorb its warmth. “That’s the most boring breakfast I’ve ever seen.”

  He smirked. “How else do you think I get those abs that you love so much?”

  I blushed hard, reliving last night. His abs really were so cut. I wanted to run my tongue along them now, just to get a taste.

  I cleared my throat to change the subject. “I never have time for breakfast. I’m always rushing out of the door in the morning.”

  “How come?” he asked, taking a bite of his omelet.

  “I go to bed late,” I replied between nibbles of bacon. “I like coding through the night. I get my best work done after midnight.” I didn’t have the best diet. I pretty much just ate whatever I could find in my fridge or order as takeout from a nearby restaurant.

  “That must be a developer quirk,” he said.

  “Quirk?” I asked.

  “When Jai was in high school, he used to stay up until dawn coding because he loved it so much,” he said as he wiped his mouth with his napkin.

  “I guess we’re all night owls.” There was nothing like programming at night. The rest of the world was asleep, so there were no interruptions while I worked. I felt that I could think clearer in the night. If it weren’t for work, I would probably stay up all night to code for fun and sleep all day.

  I stared at his healthy breakfast. “Are you a vegetarian?” I asked.

  “What makes you think that?”

  “Aren’t a lot of people from India vegetarian?” I’d had a few Indian friends in college who were strict vegetarians, so I was aware that it was common for the culture.

  “Most are. The ones that do eat meat don’t eat beef or pork. Well, in your case, bacon.” He winked at me.

  “Why do you have it in your fridge, then?” I was genuinely curious and extremely glad that he had bacon in his fridge.

  “I used to be vegetarian when I lived in India. But the minute Jai and I moved here, we decided it was more fun to sin after tasting our first bacon burgers.”

  I giggled. I couldn’t imagine Shyam scarfing down a bacon burger like a hungry college kid. He seemed too proper to eat one.

  “I’m guessing no bacon burgers now?” I motioned at his abs with my chin. Those weren’t the abs of a man who lived off burgers.

  “We went overboard when we first cheated on our vegetarianism, but they’re not so great for you.” He made an uncomfortable face in mockery as he smoothed his hands down his torso.

  This was the first time we had engaged in light-hearted conversation. Our relationship, whatever it was, had changed. He was opening up to me more, and I subsequently felt less shy around him. I enjoyed this dynamic, since I had only ever experienced Shyam’s intensity. His exterior still intimidated me, but now his eyes glowed with a lightness that made him more approachable.

  Shyam finished his food and cleared his plate into the sink. I continued to enjoy my breakfast.

  He turned around and leaned against the sink, with his hands gripping either side of it. “Tell me more about this letter of recommendation you want from me.”

  I took a long sip of my coffee
to collect my memories of what I had demanded last night. I wasn’t sure how to negotiate the letter I wanted in exchange for helping him. Hearing about how Tarun had raped and murdered his mother made me yearn to help, but I still wanted something in return for risking my career by engaging in illegal activities. Essentially, the Sethi brothers were using me for something they needed, and I would use them right back.

  Swallowing my coffee in a large gulp, I started, “Um. I never expected to work for a company engaged in—uh—illegal activities. Since the job you offered comes with risks, I think I deserve—uh—further compensation.” That totally didn’t come out as confident as I’d wanted it to.

  He didn’t laugh at me or put me down. Instead, he studied my face. “And you aren’t asking for more money instead? Why a letter?” he asked, perplexed, as he crossed his arms.

  I let out a big sigh and laid all my cards on the table. “Because I’m a woman in the tech industry, and it’s really hard to climb the ladder because I’m not a man.”

  I felt like a manipulative person for demanding this, especially considering the reason why he was tracking Tarun. But I had to think about myself, too. Women in the workforce had been getting the short end of the stick for way too long, and the tech industry was no exception.

  “And if you had a letter of recommendation from Sethi Tech, you could rise to the top,” he said as those hazel eyes remained glued to me.

  I nodded, hoping he wouldn’t make fun of my ambition. Powerful men like him probably thought it was “cute” or “precious” when a woman showed drive and determination in her career.

  He walked around the island to meet me. I turned my body to face him. Tipping my chin up with his finger so he could look me in my eyes, he said, “You don’t need a letter of recommendation from me or anyone. You are brilliant and you deserve a senior position in any company. But if it’s what you want, I will give it to you.”

  His confidence in me warmed me to my core. I struggled with having confidence in myself, but here was this man who believed in me and wanted me to succeed.

  “Thank you,” I said quietly.

  He lowered his lips and gave me a gentle kiss on the side of my mouth. “You’re welcome, jaan. Shall I give you a lift home?”

  “Yes, please.” I smiled.

  XVII. Amelia

  I resumed my position at Sethi Tech, despite the fact it had nothing to do with any of the details listed in my “official” job description. Most of my time was spent in the basement lab, formatting altered photos of an eighteen-year-old Tarun. I worked on creating as many possible images as I could to reflect how he would look today if someone captured a photo of him.

  Today was an exception, and I was happy to be back in my office to take a breather from being alone in a secluded room.

  Tracking Tarun had proved to be as difficult as Shyam had promised. It really was like the man didn’t exist. No hits existed for any of the cloaked photo possibilities I had generated. I had even considered that he could be wearing prosthetics, but the possibilities were endless.

  Jai and Shyam had found basic information about him, like his name, age, and schooling information, but those were all things that could be found without using highly developed tracking software. I needed to find out something more substantial than breadcrumbs of information.

  My search had become personal. I couldn’t imagine the anguish that Shyam must have suffered when his mother was so brutally killed. I had seen the pain in his eyes when he’d shared his burden with me. It had to have been hard for a man as guarded as he was to let down his walls. He still kept up his hard shell around me, especially at the office, but I had witnessed the cracks. I still felt special that he had chosen to share any of his past with me, and I would do anything I could to help him get revenge.

  After that night at his house, we hadn’t had sex again. I saw him at the office, but he was mostly in boss mode, though his approach with me was softer than before. He didn’t hesitate to issue commands when it came to the search, but every so often, he’d caress my cheek or pull me in for a soft kiss to ease the blow of his demands. The heat of our chemistry took over after those small bits of affection, which led to lots of making out and over-the-clothing groping. We were always interrupted, with Shyam leaving to put out more fires from Tarun sabotaging his business.

  The damage to his business had put a strain on him, and he seemed worried, though he tried to hide it under his composed front. I could tell that it was wearing him down.

  I still didn’t know what we were, but our relationship had changed. I cared a lot about Shyam, and I was pretty sure he cared about me. He had even started sending a car to my apartment to take me to work and back home. I had argued with him about it because I preferred to walk but had ultimately given in because he was too stubborn to change his mind. I guess it came in handy, since it had been cold and rainy most days lately.

  I was brainstorming about possible new search parameters when my phone buzzed. Hey, bitch! Where have you been all my life?

  I texted back. Hey, Nat! At work.

  New job? Or old job with Mr. Sexy, I mean, Mr. Sethi? :-p

  Very funny! How’s Rob?

  Who? She went through guys so quickly that it didn’t surprise me that she had forgotten the bar-guy’s name.

  That guy you left the bar with!

  Ohhh. He was OK. Too quick in bed. I ended up ordering pizza after he left and watched some Netflix. Typical Nat. Love ’em and leave ’em.

  Her sex-life moved too fast for me to follow. Even if Rob had been a good lay, she would have moved on by now. She liked being non-committal, with no one to answer to.

  I continued typing. Better luck next time!

  Maybe. Where’d you wander off to that night?

  Shyam picked me up.

  What?!?!?!?! And I’m just finding out?! Did you bone?

  I smiled, remembering his kisses and his touch. I don’t kiss and tell.

  That means YES! You naughty girl! How was it? Did he tie you up and do dirty shit to you?

  What?! No to tying up. I didn’t want to go into details about how Shyam had fucked me relentlessly until I was sore. That was my memory to enjoy. And I did enjoy it, in the privacy of my home, under the sheets, when I was alone.

  So, YES to dirty shit? She wasn’t going to let this go.

  Define “dirty shit”.

  YASSSSSS! He’s treating you good, though? She was always a big sister looking out for me.

  You don’t need to worry about anything. I was sure that this relationship meant something to Shyam too.

  You know I can’t help it. You decided to stay at the company? Make sure you look out for yourself, first and foremost.

  Always. Love you.

  Love you, too. Dinner soon? I need details!

  Yes, please!

  “Texting on the job?” Jai said as he leaned against my door frame, looking in at me. I didn’t know how long he had been there spying on me.

  Startled, I immediately locked my phone screen and dropped it. It landed with a clatter on my desk.

  “Careful, before the bosses have you written up for that,” he teased.

  His frame was slightly shorter than Shyam’s yet still lean, but his boyish smile always hinted at mischief. I imagined that the ladies threw themselves at him. He was the more approachable Sethi brother.

  I knew he was joking, so I went along with it. “Are you going to make Jessica from HR lecture me for four more hours?”

  He chuckled and closed my office door, then plopped down into the chair facing my desk and crossed one ankle over his knee. “Any progress on the search?”

  I released a big sigh and slouched in my chair. I assumed by now Jai knew that Shyam had confided in me the real reason they needed data-tracking apps.

  “I feel you on that,” he said to console me.

  “I just don’t understand how a person can be completely invisible today. Everyone has some sort of personal data or current photo
stored somewhere. It’s like he lives under a rock.”

  “I wouldn’t be surprised if he did, literally. He went into hiding recently, but even before, that he had been elusive when it came to data. Trust me. We’ve been at this for years, and we’re just as stumped as you are.”

  “You said he had a brother. Did you find any data on him? Maybe we can find something that connects them. Any photos of him?” If there were any photos of his brother, then I was sure we could use them to find a hit. Siblings often shared a similar facial feature or two, so it was possible that the software could pick up on those similarities.