MY WORLD WAS SHIFTING, morphing, and ramping up. I found myself enjoying the hell out of it too. I wanted to tempt fate and push destiny to the point where I could say I had lived even if death was closer for me than for others. I hoped every day it wouldn’t be, but I chose not to remind myself that it might.
I stashed the vitamins and pills far, far away in the back of a cupboard and opted to forget it all.
My mother’s number still popped up on my phone. She called more and more in the next few days, but I was dancing with the devil.
Jett Stonewood.
The day after our desk liaison, I dressed in a risqué, cobalt dress with a plunging neckline. The color reminded me of Jett’s eyes right before he took me. He took me that day too. Over and over again.
He came home with me that night and we escaped into our own reality together, far away from the world.
The next night, he tried to drag me to his place, but I wasn’t ready to invade his personal space. My eyes were already filled with stars, my mind with irrational hopes, and my core chanted his praises. I had him over and over again, and he worked me just like he said he would. I was overwhelmed with what I felt was love, and he took care of me as assiduously as he did his company. Quite possibly the most ruthless businessman in the world, he didn’t disappoint me.
Our Friday at the office proved to be less than productive work wise. I revised a response to the FDA that Bob had written up for Levvetor. One ingredient wasn’t meeting the FDA’s standards, and Levvetor’s competitors were roaring from behind the FDA’s title. We needed to focus.
“Thanksgiving is only a week away. I mentioned to my family that you might join us for dinner. And what about your family, Vicky? We should give things another try,” Steven whined from his side of our corner. The man had tried to make up for his stupid actions.
I didn’t look up from my computer. “Vick, Steven. Vick.”
He nodded. “Fine. What do you say?”
“Honestly, I’m not worried about the holiday right now, Steven. The CEO of Levvetor will be meeting with us in a couple days and we haven’t resolved things with the FDA.”
“Leave that to the chemists. They can figure out an alternative.”
My teeth ground together, holding in my response. Maybe I couldn’t work this closely with him. I thought we were friends, that we could move on from the train wreck that was the beginning of our relationship, but I found him more and more aggravating.
“If the chemists could find an alternative, they would have.”
He sighed. “So, I really screwed up my chances with you.”
I glanced over to see a stricken man, and he looked too damn miserable to deny him a minute of attention. “We wouldn’t have worked either way.”
“Really? I thought we were looking pretty good.”
“I was pretending to be happy when I wasn’t.”
“Huh,” He replied, his face turning pensive.
“You’re a great guy. And, honestly, Josie always brings you your coffee first.” His eyes shot up. “Just saying.”
“I’ve been wondering,” he murmured, a small smile on his face.
I laughed at how happy he looked. “She’s so pretty too.”
The man preened at being given a go-ahead. I almost rolled my eyes at how easy it was to change his mind.
“Ms. Blakely.” The darkness in his voice had me jumping. My Phantom stood behind me with a scowl on his face. “Can I see you in my office?”
I peered up at him, trying to decipher his expression, but he shuttered the emotions I’d been able to read so well the past few days. “Uh, sure. Let me just finish up this memo.”
“I’d appreciate you coming now,” he ground out and then stalked off.
“Pfft. Boss is being a little bit of an ass today, huh?” I said to Steven, trying to lighten the situation, but he’d ducked behind his computer as if he wanted nothing to do with my getting in trouble.
Of course he didn’t. The man still kissed up to the Stonewoods every chance he got.
The frills of my red skirt swayed as I made my way to Jett’s office. The black polka dots matched my black silk blouse as I waltzed in there. “Can I help you, Oh, Mighty One?”
“Really?” he quipped, one dark eyebrow raised. “You referring to me as your God now, Pix? Because I can be that for you. I’ll rain heaven and hell down on you every day if you want.”
I tried my best to roll my eyes, but he’d twisted up my stomach and caused the ache between my legs to start. His drive to all of a sudden be the man in my life excited me.
My nipples tightened and my muscles automatically strained toward him. He looked like a god, standing there with the sun cascading in through the windows to illuminate him from behind. His dark hair had grown out a bit, and I knew his five-o’clock shadow would leave beard burns on my skin when he kissed me. I resisted shivering in front of him. “What do you want, Jett?”
“We need to discuss the fifth section of the HR handbook.”
I racked my brain for what section that was. Normally, I would have known off the top of my head; I prided myself on recalling legal regulations. But I was too busy salivating and panting over him in those damn blue slacks to remember a thing. He had draped his suit jacket over his desk chair. His sleeves had been rolled up to show his muscular forearms and the Rolex he always wore.
“I’m sorry. What section is that?”
“The code of conduct section as it seems you’re flirting with Stevie out there and fucking me in here.”
“Excuse me?” I blinked once, twice. My drool at his appearance dried up while I recovered from the blatant insult. “Are you kidding me?”
“No.” He used his hip to shove off the desk and walked behind it so it stood between us. Then he sat down in his big leather chair and languidly curled his large hands around the armrests. “Although our handbook doesn’t condemn fraternization within the company, we frown upon it.”
“Well, you … I … good to know, Jett,” I sputtered.
“Do you want the handbook to review?” He opened a drawer and slapped a file onto his dark, enormous desk.
“I don’t need to review anything,” I hissed.
“Are you sure? There are concerns.”
“Oh, well, if the concern is about me fucking my boss on his desk, you can rest assured, I’m fully capable of not fucking him again.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You know that’s a lie.”
The menace behind his blue eyes I knew well. I’d shot the same sentiment his way the past few days each time Gloria had stood next to him, even though she’d been nothing but nice to me.
That actually made it worse. She was beautiful, kind, and operated like a perfect assistant under Jett.
I ground my teeth just thinking about it. “I’m not lying. I don’t need you between my legs. Especially if your handbook frowns upon it.”
He ran his tongue over his teeth and sucked on them as if sharpening the retort that he was about to make. His hand moved to the privacy button and instantly, I was wet. He stalked toward me and grabbed my neck with one large hand, getting a good hold on me. “If my handbook flat-out denied you of it, I’d still be there because it’s where I belong. And you damn well know it.”
“Then stop talking about it and prove it.”
He shoved me up against the doorway. “You and having me prove shit. You know I don’t have to prove a damn thing.”
“If you say so.”
He grunted and then dropped to his knees, sliding his hands under my skirt. “You drive me insane every time you look at him, Pix.”
“Who? Steven?”
“Stop calling him that. No one on God’s green earth calls him that. Stevie”—he emphasized the name he knew was patronizing—“doesn’t deserve your attention.”
His hand skimmed up to my panties. He growled when he realized how wet I was.
“You know you were the one who arranged for us to sit across from each other.”
“Colossal mistake,” he murmured. Then he breathed me in and I shuddered at the brush of his exhalation. He looked up at me and those azure eyes held me captive. He looked like he belonged to me, kneeling before me, hands up my skirt, and an expression of need across his face. “We aren’t fucking around anymore, Victory Blakely.”
I searched his gaze, trying to understand his words, but he raised my skirt higher and moved my panties to the side. Then, his mouth was on me and I forgot everything else. Jett Stonewood was truly a god, and heaven and hell were his lips and tongue working me to orgasm.
I gripped his brown hair, trying desperately not to yell his name. I let him consume me and swirled into an oblivion of ecstasy. He pushed me over the edge when his fingers glided fluidly into me.
“Damn. You taste sweet everywhere,” he murmured more to himself than me as I tried to steady myself and open my eyes.
He picked me up, not at all ready to be done with me. My legs wrapped around him like they belonged there. After the week we’d had, they practically did. He kissed me and I tasted myself on him, mixed with his own flavor. That was better than anything I’d tasted in a long time.
“This is definitely condemned in the workplace,” I said as I unbuttoned his pants and grabbed him. I steered him into me and moaned.
“Good thing I’m the boss, Pix.”
I rode him hard, back against the door.
Our muscles tightened together, our eyes glazed over together, and we fell over the edge together. It was the edge of the unknown, and I didn’t know if we’d ever reach the ground. If we did, would the ground be jagged rocks or a pillow of clouds?
A woman’s voice sounded overhead. “Gloria has set up a meeting for you in fifteen minutes. Make sure you arrive with your clothes on.”
Jett winced as my eyes bulged. “What the hell was that?” I blurted out as I shoved my blouse back into my skirt.
“Jax’s stupid new app, Alice. She’s some sort of artificial intelligence and we’re beta-ing her right now.”
“Well, she’s a little bitchy, no?”
“She’s intuitive,” he chuckled. “I don’t need to show up to the meeting with my dick hanging out.”
“Hopefully our CEO can figure that out without a snippy app telling him,” I retorted.
He laughed harder, and I giggled.
“At this rate, woman, I’m not sure I can figure out shit with you working so close to me. I’m walking around with a semi hard-on all damn day. Help a guy out, and wear something a little less appealing.”
The picture he painted had me in hysterics, and I waved at him to stop.
“I’m serious, Pix. I can’t go to another meeting arranging myself.”
“Oh my God.” I wiped tears from my eyes. “How are you funny all of a sudden?”
“I’m always funny. I just don’t share it out loud,” he admitted, somewhat sadly.
I sobered a little and asked, “Why? Funny Jett is likeable.”
He stared at me staring at him. “People need a boss.”
“An approachable one. I told Steven today—”
“That reminds me.” He rubbed one hand over my cheek before he sauntered toward a hidden speaker. “Alice, tell Gloria to move Stevie’s desk.”
“What?” I exclaimed and then yelled up to the woman in the ceiling. “No, Alice. Do not.”
Alice replied, “Done.”
“Alice!” I yelled. “What happened to sisters over misters!”
“She only listens to the person she’s programmed for,” Jett chuckled.
“Why did you do that?” My hands went to my hips.
“I’m not interested in watching you stare at your ex and flirt with him all day.”
“You were willing to stare at us after you fucked me in Hawaii.”
“I wasn’t under the impression we would be continuing our relationship at that time.”
“So, what was your impression at that time? You just really wanted us on your team, right in front of your face?”
“Honestly?” he asked as if I wouldn’t want to hear his answer.
I nodded, waiting for the blow I knew he was about to deliver.
“I liked making you squirm and dismantling your little vision of a perfect life.”
“That’s really messed up, Jett.”
“Admittedly, I still enjoy it. You’re cute always, but when you’re pissed, you’re a brilliant flame of red and black or whatever the hell color you’re wearing that day.” He paused. “Or when you feel like that world is crumbling.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to block out the flutter in my stomach. Jett didn’t know that most of the time my world was crumbling or that I was chasing time, fighting the clock, living around the possibility that I might not get a clean bill of health the next time I went to the doctor.
“What are you thinking?” he whispered.
“Nothing,” I replied way too fast and then changed the subject back to what was important. “Moving Steven is ridiculous.”
“Probably. But I need to maintain my productivity level, and I can’t do that if I’m glaring at you laughing at his shitty jokes.”
“Are you jealous?”
“I’m territorial.” He shrugged and sat down behind the desk I was starting to realize he used as a barrier between us.
“Do I get to be territorial?” I asked. “Because I know for a fact you and Gloria have a relationship.”
He harrumphed and avoided eye contact by having his blue eyes on those paperweights. “Had. Past tense. And she’s the best assistant I’ve ever had.”
“That’s fine. I’m not asking you to do anything about it. I just don’t think you need to do anything about Steven either.”
“Stop calling him that.”
“Okay. Don’t move him and I will.”
I saw him physically mashing his teeth together. “He doesn’t contribute anything to the team.”
“He’s sort of the guy that everyone likes to think they are doing better than though, right?”
He squinted at me and then chuckled. “I mean, I guess.”
“Let him stay, Jett.”
He sighed. “Don’t laugh at his jokes.”
“Done.” I smiled at his petty jealousy. Truth was I felt the same. “Can I ask you not to ever look at Gloria again too?”
“I barely look at anyone and you know it.”
That was probably true. Jett had a tendency to be doing something on his laptop or his phone while he worked with you. He just worked constantly, and we accepted that as his employees.
“I still imagine that you might be.”
“You imagine fantastical shit all day but you decide to worry about the negatives with me?”
“You bring that out in people.” I shrugged.
He smiled and then licked his lips. “I’m becoming possessive of you, Pix. I’m not admitting that lightly. It isn’t a joke anymore. Like I said before, not fucking around. Don’t sleep with other men. I mean that.”
“Same goes for you then. I’m my own person, and if I find you doing something you shouldn’t, I will buzz through the men in this city just to prove to you I’m the most desired woman out there that you can’t have.”
“That’s mature,” he growled.
“I’m not claiming to be mature at all.”
He dragged his eyes up and down my body. “I don’t want to do anything with anyone else right now, anyway. All I want is you screaming my name and laughing only at my jokes.”
I smiled. “I wasn’t laughing at Steve’s joke, by the way.” I emphasized the name. It was my compromise to his demands.
“What was funny then?”
“We were agreeing that Josie seemed like a good match for him.”
“Josie?” he questioned.
“Yup.” I started backing out of his office. “He’s totally into her. Not me.”
“Everyone’s into you, woman. Tone down your likeability.”
“Never going to happen, boss. Never ever.”
I spun around fast to hide my giant smile. Jett and I were getting somewhere, and I couldn’t help but wonder if somewhere could be the ending I wanted it to be.
