Authors: Karyn Lawrence
It probably only made her more desirable to him when she said he couldn’t have her. Nothing was off limits to him.
Her suit in place, she put on the red heels. She wouldn’t let him ruin them for her. She’d take back as much as she could from him, including these bizarre feelings she wanted to go away.
The drive to the brewery was short and anxiety-inducing. The impressive front building had an old-world, classic Bavarian exterior, with a large lawn sloping up to the grand front entrance. The Osterhägen logo in the top corner was quietly elegant. Markus drove past the first building to the more generic offices beside the massive brewery and pointed to a glass door.
“Your appointment,
Frau
Hayward.”
Inside the office lobby, a practical-looking woman in her fifties waited by the receptionist counter with a stack of paperwork in one arm. “Kara Hayward?”
Kara nodded and extended a hand out to the woman.
“My name is Diana Heineburr. You can put your items at your desk, and then I’ll give you the tour. It’s this way.”
Wait, what?
“I’m sorry, did you say ‘your desk’?”
“Yes, project managers usually have their own office, but we’re scrambling to find the space for you right now. It’s temporary, is that going to be a problem?”
It was a thousand degrees in the room. Diana looked surprised when she turned a corner and realized Kara wasn’t following her.
“That bastard,” Kara muttered under her breath. “Excuse me, I was under the impression that this was an interview. Is that not the case?”
“No, you already had an interview with…” Diana searched the paperwork, “Oh.”
“With Shawn Fucking Dunn.”
The woman glanced around horrified, checking to see if anyone had heard that. Everything went red and silent as the rage overtook Kara.
Breathe. Calm down.
When she opened her eyes, Diana was staring at her like she had two heads.
“Where is he?”
“Who? The CEO?”
Kara would never be able to get to him if this place was anything like her company, but she had a major advantage. “I’m sorry, but I need to see the head of security right away.”
A half-hour later she stepped off the elevator and marched forward to a glass door. Beyond it sat a half wall and a desk, with a young, elegant man perched behind it. Shawn’s assistant was male? And behind him, another set of glass doors, leading into an enormous office decorated with blacks and grays.
As soon as she was through the first set of doors, she realized there were more glass offices to the left and right of Shawn’s, probably other upper-management. That hadn’t really figured into the plan forming in her head. She charged right past the assistant, who hadn’t made it out of his seat until she put a sweaty hand on Shawn’s office door. She yanked it open.
-8-
Kara kept her breathing steady. The formidable black desk may have been the focal point of the CEO’s office, but it was the wall of glass behind him that was most impressive. It had a view of the entire expanse of the brewery floor and its copper-colored vats. She ignored the protests of the assistant following her and stalked toward Shawn until she was standing dead center of the room. Shawn’s head drew up at the commotion and locked eyes with her, and those eyes widened with recognition. He dismissed his assistant instantly.
Shawn was wearing a similar cut of suit from yesterday but with a red tie. How fitting. It matched her shoes and her fury perfectly. For the first time, he didn’t look pleased to see her. His face was cold. Professional. This was his business, the apex of his empire, and he didn’t like her arriving unexpectedly.
“I’m at work. I understand you’re upset, but we’ll have to discuss this later.” He returned his attention to the computer screen.
This was a new version, Corporate Shawn. It didn’t faze her in the slightest. She kept it even and controlled so he wouldn’t have her removed. “This will only take a minute. Is there somewhere we can talk in private?”
He didn’t say anything. A hand moved and the glass on the three walls frosted in an instant, leaving only the balcony over-looking the brewery clear.
“I have a meeting in fifteen minutes.”
“They can’t see us?” she asked, glancing out the clear glass.
“No, that one is mirrored.” He gave her an impatient look. “What is it?”
Fantastic.
He’d left her completely off balance, and the time had come for her to return the favor. She stripped off her suit jacket and tossed it on one of the empty chairs in front of his desk. Her shaky but determined hands clutched the hem of her shirt and lifted it up over her head, exposing her black lace bra. Technically his, but it was on her body.
He was on his feet in an instant, confused, like he was going to stop her.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Even Corporate Shawn had a filthy mouth.
“Sit down!” she commanded. She undid the zipper and stepped out of the skirt, so she was all lingerie and red high heels. It was cold in the spacious office yet warm under his gaze. She awarded him a smug smile when he sank back onto the massive leather chair, too bewildered to do otherwise. He thought he could control her? Think again. All the power in this room was hers.
She took a few calculated steps around the desk until it was between them no more and he could see the red shoes that he liked. She would have thought being scantily clad would have made her shy, but instead it made her bold.
“Why are you out of breath,
Herr
Dunn?” She used the sultriest voice she had.
“Kara, I have to be at that meeting.” The rich brown eyes ringed with caramel begged her, and she relished it, savored his discomfort. She was going to make it much worse for him. Her hands fell on the armrests of his chair and she leaned over him, letting his eyes linger over her breasts as she folded one leg and then another, kneeling between his knees. Even in this position, she was still in complete control.
He made a halfhearted attempt to push her hands away when they were on his belt.
“So go to your meeting,” she said, casually. “No one’s stopping you.”
“Oh, fuck,” he groaned when she freed him from his pants, and he was immediately hard in her hands. Harder still when she touched her lips to him.
“I can be late.” His voice was tight and quick.
She would have smiled, but instead she slid him into her mouth as far as she could take him. His skin was soft yet hard as a diamond. She began to move slowly, causing German to spill from his mouth. She had no idea what he was saying, but it wasn’t angry.
When she swirled her tongue over the ridge, he moaned and threaded a hand into her hair. Not to rule her, but to guide and encourage. His fingers traced down her neck and she felt the elastic band of her bra go slack. It slipped down to her elbows and she let it fall to the floor, too focused on what she was doing.
His breathing quickened to match her pace when she went faster. She had to gauge his reaction carefully because she was intent on bringing him right to the edge. He enjoyed getting her body to respond to him when she didn’t want it. Now she would return the favor. She wanted him as insane with need as he made her.
It wouldn’t be long now. She shifted angles and he moaned again, a desperate cry followed by a hiss when she skimmed her teeth over him. It was subtle, but she could feel him tremble. He was aching for her.
“You’re going to make me come,” he said through clenched teeth.
She snatched the bra up with a hand, pulled herself to her feet and again leaned over him, her face only a breath away from his, where she could smell his aftershave. She let her words echo what he’d said when he’d pinned her to that hotel room wall. “I want this to be fair.”
Her mind hummed with satisfaction as she stepped back from the chair, leaving him disoriented and unfulfilled. Her traitor body, though, was less pleased. It ached with need for his touch and his kiss.
But, oh, how she had misjudged him. It was like he was waiting for this. Plus, he was a giant, which meant he had long arms and she was not out of his reach. He hooked one around her waist and pulled her so she fell sideways on his lap, his damp flesh against her bare thigh. The lacy bra was yanked from her hands and thrown across the room.
“Careful, you paid a lot for that,” she said, struggling to escape, but his lips were on her neck, hot and urgent. The desire to leave his embrace flagged considerably as he sucked on a sensitive spot below her ear.
“I did? The panties, too? Stand up so I can evaluate my purchase.”
She complied, thinking she could run, but a firm hand grabbed each hip, holding her in place. His hooded gaze wandered over her curves, scorching her. Her skin was on fire yet covered with goose bumps.
Long fingers hooked under the waistband of the panties and tore them down her legs, and then he pressed her back against the desk so he could pull them past the red heels.
“What are you doing?” she demanded. He tucked the panties into the interior pocket of his suit, giving her a wicked smile.
“Taking what’s mine.”
When had she lost control? His hand caressed her between her legs and every nerve in her body sizzled with his touch. “Shawn —”
But he twisted her so she had her back to him, and pulled her down on his lap, his hardness pressing against her.
“Put your hands on the armrests,” he said, and she obeyed. How could she not? The plan was to leave him unsatisfied, but she’d known this was a risk. If honest, a part of her had hoped this was where her teasing might lead. He had one hand on her thighs, urging them apart so he could guide himself inside.
“Only so it’s fair,” he whispered, and eased up into her.
It was so much at this angle and she tried to raise herself off of him. It was futile. He knew exactly what he was doing, how to be patient so she could grow accustomed to his size. How to move to make it pleasurable and then how to move so she would crave more. Faster, and deeper.
She was letting him fuck her again. In his office chair, no less, his throne of power. She was naked except for the red heels. Damn him. She’d never wear them again.
Except, maybe, for him.
“Is this what you came here for?” he asked, pushing himself deeper inside. She made a choked sound of pleasure. Tension built in her core, winding tighter and tighter with his every move.
“Do you want me to stop?”
No, she didn’t. She shook her head. The heat spreading through her body had scorched away her ability to speak. The connection to him was overwhelming.
His German words filled her ears. His e-mail dinged on the computer. Then his mobile chimed a half-second later. He didn’t seem to care. His strong, long-fingered hands roamed over her body, the skin of his palms caressing her, asking her to arch back into him. So he could turn her head to his and fill her mouth with his tongue. The slide of his skin inside hers, combined with his touch, was her undoing and her legs shook uncontrollably.
“Ssh,” he said, when her moans became audible. “We don’t want them to know you’re fucking your new boss.”
She was out of breath, out of her mind. Filled with desire and lingering anger. “I’m not taking the job.”
“I need you here, in my city.”
His city? Like he owned the whole goddamn city? His office phone rang, but he ignored it. He was thrusting into her hard now, pushing her closer and closer, making all other thought impossible. His fingers were everywhere — her hips, her breasts, in her mouth. She trembled and reveled in his touch.
“I’m going to come.” Her warning came on a gasp. He kissed her intensely, not understanding she was about to scream. If he wasn’t touching her, maybe she had a hope of staying quiet.
Then he plunged into her again.
“I’ll be loud.”
His hand slid up her throat and covered her mouth. His breath was loud in her ear, fluttering her hair. He was close too; she could sense it. Listening to the effect she had on him was intoxicating.
Then he feathered a kiss into the side of her neck and that sent her falling over the cliff into a sea of black, wave after wave of pleasure crashing into her. Her orgasm set off his, sending another wave of ecstasy through her body as he jerked, leaving them both struggling for air. His hand fell away from her mouth. What was that odd stab of pain by her shoulder? She turned to look at him.
“Are you all right?” He kissed the indentation on her skin there. He’d sunk his teeth into her back, just below her shoulder, probably to quiet his own orgasm.
She nodded, too overwhelmed to speak.
She rose off of him slowly, her legs burning from the exertion, the rest of her tingling and numb as she sat on his lap. His mouth claimed hers and kissed her with so much passion it made her heart stop.
Naked in his arms with the soft fabric of his suit against her skin, she didn’t want to leave. Not ever. What had he done to her? Her hands cupped his face, her thumbs brushing over the stubble forming on his cheekbones. He held her, pressing her into his embrace. Tenderness from him? It was too much. Her emotions were spiraling terribly out of hand, and she’d have to put a stop to them, but right now there was nowhere else she’d rather be. Which, of course, meant his phone rang.