ROMANCE: Bear Naked Seduction (Billionaire Bear Trio Book 1) (29 page)

Chapter 2

It was almost nine when Athena finally finished up with the paperwork she had started on earlier the previous day. A smile played on her lips as she got up and slowly made her way to Mason’s office. She took a long deep breath and gently knocked on his door. She was not even surprised that he had been working this late. She was used to seeing him working late for the last month she had been working at Alexander, Fleming & Associates.

“Come in,” she heard him call from inside.

“Hey, hope I am not interrupting or anything,” she said as she poked her head through the doorway.

“Hey, Athena…come in,” Mason said as he looked up. “I didn’t know you were still here?” Mason asked as he looked at Athena. “You work harder and longer than the people I actually pay to be here.”

“I was working on the Fielder depositions. It took a bit longer than I thought,” she said as she leaned against the doorpost. “Can I come in?” she asked and Mason nodded.

“Sure.”

“So, this is the big finish as I call it. All the paperwork you might need for the Fielder deposition and the paperwork needed for the Vasquez and Daniels merger dissolution.” She placed the files down on his desk. “It’s a good thing that we stalled on the merger because as it turns out Phillip Daniels has been embezzling from the company for years.”

Mason opened the file and looked through it. She could tell by the way he had an eyebrow raised over the other that he was impressed.

“You did this?” he asked and she nodded. “How come no one else caught this?”

“In everyone else’s defense, it wasn’t easy to catch. The money was hidden in shell companies under more shell companies…” she shrugged. “It was really well hidden.”

“Wow, Athena….” Mason smiled and nodded. “This is amazing.”

“Thank you. That means a lot coming from you, Mr. Alexander,” she said and he smiled.

“Whoa, Mr. Alexander?” he asked and she nodded. “Athena, it’s just us here.” I mean, I saw you go to high school and college.”

“Yes, and I have to maintain professionalism before I call you out by your first name at the next meeting,” she said smiling.

“Yeah, I guess,” he said in a soft voice.

“So, unless you have anything else for me, maybe I should turn in,” she said and he shrugged.

“I don’t normally do this but I am going to do it anyway.”

She shook her head.

“Do what?” she asked.

“Have you eaten yet?” She shook her head. 

“No, I was going to pass by a pizzeria or a KFC on my way home,” she said and he shook his head.

“Both tasty but terrible ideas.” He shut down his computer and pushed his chair back. “I have a better idea. Get your stuff,” he said as he put on his jacket and she shook her head.

“Wait, what?” she asked as he walked towards her.

“Get your stuff. I am taking you for dinner,” he said as he led her to the door. “I mean, I haven’t eaten anything either and I obviously need to reward you for saving my client and putting more money in my pocket.”

“Mason…you really don’t have to,” she said as she looked at him.

“Actually, I really do. End of discussion,” he said as he held the door open for her.

“But my car…” she started as she looked at him.

“I can get someone to get it to your place. Right now, if you want,” he said. She took a minute before she shrugged.

“Fine,” she said in a soft voice.

“Great. We’ll take my car,” he said.

“You mean we’ll take the car being driven by your driver outside?” she asked and he smiled at her.

“I thought that was obvious.”

                                                                      *****

Athena had always known that Mason had good taste but it was not until that evening did she realize just how good his taste really was. He had taken her to Luca Jean, one of the most popular spots in town that only a select few managed to get into. It was not just a five star spot, but also impossible to get a reservation there. After a long day, an ale braised beef short rib accompanied by a thousand dollar cabernet sauvignon was exactly what she needed.

Dinner took longer than she expected and even though she already knew that he was an interesting man, she was finding herself getting more and more interested in him as the time went by. By the time they were done, it was almost eleven. Her heart was racing as she drove in the back of his town car. She was surrounded by his scent, his expensive intoxicating scent. She guessed that it was probably Bvlgari…she could tell that much since that was also her father’s brand. She looked at him as the town car approached her apartment building.

“Thanks for dinner,” she said in a low voice. “It’s not every day I get to sample the finer restaurants in life especially since…you know.”

She didn’t want to say what was on her mind. She was all done recounting the wrongs that her mother had done to her. The arranged engagement, getting her on a forced diet so that she could attain the ‘ideal’ weight and even cutting her out, financially.

“You know, when I first heard that you stood up to Martha, I couldn’t help but wonder, how exactly does a twenty-five-year-old intend to make it in a world without her parents when all she’s known is….” His voice trailed off.

“Pampering?” she asked and he nodded.

“Yeah,” he said, smiling.

“Let’s just say I kept a nest egg handy,” she said.

“I would love to know more about that,” Mason said as the car came up to a stop.

“It’s a long story,” she said and he shrugged.

“I have time,” he said, smiling.

“It is almost midnight and we have an early morning, remember?” she asked and he shrugged.

“I’m the boss. I can go in late,” he said. “Plus it’s not like I have court tomorrow or anything.”

“The merger dissolution?” Athena asked. “Which actually happens at nine-thirty in the morning?”

“Oh please. That will be over in minutes once we disclose the fact that Daniels has been embezzling funds. Plus, I am not even the one handling it. I have better things to do with my weekends.” She smiled and shrugged.

“The weekend hasn’t even started yet. It’s still Thursday,” she said.

“Well, my weekends have been known to start a whole lot earlier than usual,” he said. “Trust me when I say that the only thing harder would be taking candy from a baby.”

Athena’s smile turned into a laugh as she looked at him.

“Well, thanks for dinner Mr. Alexander,” she said and he put up a finger. “Okay, Mason.”

He nodded and winked at her.

“That’s more like it,” he said.

“It’s now or never,”
she thought as she looked at him.

She gently leaned over and for a second that almost seemed like an hour, lingered before she kissed his cheek. She was slowly pulling away when he suddenly held the side of her cheek. She could still smell the fermented grape of the wine in his breath as he looked into her eyes in the dim light. She knew almost too well what was going through his mind at that moment and she had never wanted anything more than what he was thinking. He gently brought his head down and she closed her eyes when he suddenly claimed her lips with his own. She responded by holding the back of his neck, gently taking his lower lip in between her own, slowly massaging it as she felt his tongue on hers.

“Damn it,” he said in a soft voice when he finally pulled away. “I’m sorry…I’m so sorry.”

He was rubbing his temple as he spoke and she shook her head.

“Don’t be…I wanted it to happen,” she said in a whisper.

“No, I took advantage of you,” he said, shaking his head.

“No you didn’t,” she said in a soft voice. “I have….” She started before he took her hand in his.

“Let me just walk you to your door and pretend that just didn’t happen,” he said in a soft voice as he opened the door and got out before she could get a chance to say anything. He walked round to her side of the door and opened it. By that time, Athena was tongue-tied. She wanted to tell him that she had wanted him to do that as much as he had. She wanted to throw herself in his arms again but she seemed to be rooted to the spot.

“My car,” she said in a soft voice as she looked at her Jeep parked in front of Mason’s town car.

“I told you I would have someone to bring it back to your place,” he said as he gently slipped an arm around her waist. He walked her up the steps and into her building. They were both quiet as they made their way to the building elevator.

“Here we are,” she said in a soft voice when they got to her door. “Are you sure you don’t want to come in?” she asked and he shook his head.

“Honestly, I don’t trust myself to be around you right now,” Mason said smiling.

“Well, thanks for dinner. And for bringing my car home,” she said as she looked at him.

“Any time, Athena,” Mason said.

Chapter 3

When she woke up the next morning, Athena felt like she had been dreaming. She was still not sure that she actually kissed Mason the previous night but the fact that her car was outside her building was proof enough given that she was not the one who drove it home. She looked at her reflection in the mirror as she put on her black printed wrap around dress. She took a long deep breath as she looked at her reflection. Even though she had lost weight and dropped down two sizes, she was still a plus size woman and there was not a single day that she didn’t miss being smaller. Being attractive. But thanks to Mackenzie’s tight eight hours a week schedule at the gym, she had managed to cut weight and no longer had to wear clothes that were big at the top to hide her flabby stomach. She had been spotting the perfectly flat stomach for eight months now and so far she liked what she saw.

“Size sixteen is not so bad,”
she thought as she secured the side button on her waist. She smiled as she looked at her reflection. She would have normally been okay with the outfit she had on but somehow, she could not help but wonder if she was appropriate. The dress she had on showed off her perfect curves and generous cleavage. She had chosen to straighten her hair out rather than rock her natural curls. She walked to her bed and sat on the edge and she put on a pair of nude colored stilettos and took her purse before she walked to the front door. It was still early, it was not even six yet but she just had to get to the office. It was not like she could sleep anyway, not after what had happened the previous night. She kept on wondering what would have happened if only Mason had agreed to come into her apartment.

By the time she got to the office, it was just a half hour past six. She put her purse and coffee on her desk before she took off her jacket. She had just sat down when saw Mason walking towards her.

“Mr. Alexander?” she said looking up. She was as surprised as ever as she stood up. Her boss usually came in at around nine or ten but somehow he was there much earlier than expected.

“I thought we were on first name basis already,” he said and she shook her head.

“A habit I don’t want to encourage,” she said as she pushed her dark hair back. “I would have got some coffee for you but I didn’t know you were going to be here this early.”

“I had no idea you were going to be here this early, either,” Mason said looking at her. “I thought everything about the deposition today was already in place.”

“It was. It is but I am an intern and apart from you I am still serving four other lawyers in this firm,” she said smiling.

“I know but six-thirty?” he asked and she shrugged.

“I am usually here around seven-thirty or something but,” she looked into his eyes. “I couldn’t sleep.”

Mason smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, that,” he said and she nodded.

“Yeah, that.” He turned around and looked at his office. “Maybe we should talk about it? Or something?” she asked and he nodded.

“Yes, I think we should,” he said as he gestured at the office door. She walked into his office and he closed the door behind him before walking over to his desk. She always felt a little small in his larger than life office. It could have been the size of her entire apartment as far as she was concerned…maybe even bigger.

He looked at her standing next to his desk and as if he could read her mind, he closed the blinds and locked the door.

“You locked the door,” she said in a whisper.

“I feel the need to,” he said as he began walking towards her. She leaned on the desk as he slowly walked towards her. She thought that he looked especially great in the black slim suit and burgundy shirt. Most men his age would not have been caught dead in a slim suit mostly because they didn’t have the body for it but his case was different. “Last night…I shouldn’t have done what I did,” he started and she shook her head.

“This is not what I want to talk about. I don’t want you to apologize for anything,” she said and he shrugged.

“You and I both know that I was wrong,” he said. He was slowly getting closer and closer to her. She could feel her heart beating harder and faster in her chest. “You are my friend’s daughter. I have known you since you were a little girl…hell, you could be my little girl.”

Athena shook her head and rolled her eyes.

“I really wish you wouldn’t do that, Mason,” she said, feeling a little angry.

“Great, we are back to first name basis, huh?” he asked. “And what is this you don’t want me to do?”

“Act like you are trying to protect me because I am a kid while we both know I am not,” she said. “I mean for Pete’s sake your last wife was younger than I am.”

“Well, she was not my best friend’s daughter,” he said and she shrugged.

“Out there, when my father is busy running his political campaigns and everything, I used to be Athena Wright but the minute I walked out of that would be sorry case that was my apparent engagement I became my own person. Just Athena.” She slowly brought her hand to her waist and undid the pin that held her dress together. “The Athena that you and I both know you want.” She gently parted the two sides of her dress and Mason ran his eyes down her almost naked body.

“Athena please…don’t do this,” he said as he looked at her. It was like he could not bring himself to look into her eyes. His eyes were fixated on her cleavage. “I can’t…” he started before she took a step forward getting herself right in front of him. She gently slipped a hand behind her neck and kissed him softly. It was a light feathery little kiss but it struck every single neuron in her body and his too. “Why did you do that?” he asked in a whisper when she pulled away.

“Because you did it last night and I liked it,” she whispered back. “And I have wanted to do that since that time I first saw you at my dad’s party when I was in college.”

“In all fairness you had seen me before,” he said and she shrugged.

“I know but it was different when I was in college,” she said, still whispering.

“Athena this…you and I, you know that it can’t…” he started as he held her against him.

“Stop talking, Mason. Just shut up and kiss me,” she said before she pulled him close and kissed him gently. This time he did not hold back. He pulled her even closer and held her tightly against his body. His hands were roaming all over her body, feeling every curve in his hands. She undid the single button on his jacket and pushed the jacket off his shoulders before she went ahead to loosen his tie and undo his short buttons. She was breathing into his mouth and he into hers, as they kissed and caressed. He lifted her and placed her on the edge of his desk and pulled away for a short minute so she could undo his other buttons. She pushed his shirt off his shoulders and barely had enough time to marvel at his body before he claimed her lips again. This time, it was his turn to push her dress off her shoulders as he stood in between her knees. He gently pulled her hair to one side of her neck and began kissing her neck. She moaned softly as he ran his tongue down her neck to her shoulder where he began nibbling on her shoulder. He slowly slipped a hand behind her back and undid her bra clasp in one move. She gasped when she felt her breasts suddenly free, hanging loosely on her chest. He pulled away and looked at her breasts. Athena could tell by the way he was breathing and by how hard his cock felt pressing hard against her thigh that he was excited, thoroughly aroused even. He gently lowered his head and took one of her nipples in his mouth. He was giving the other breast equal attention from his flicking fingertips and she had thrown her head back moaning softly as he sucked and licked her. Her nipple responded almost immediately, hardening in his mouth and in between his fingers. She was breathing hard as she tightened her grip on the edge of the desk. It had been a long time since she had been intimate but even then, she could tell that Mason Alexander was definitely well versed when it came to handling a woman’s body. She breathed a small sigh of relief when he released her nipple only to take in her other one.

When he finally pulled away, she was breathing hard. He looked at her for a short minute before he carried her over to the couch that lined one wall. He laid her down and ran his hands down the sides of her body until he got to her panties. She raised her hips allowing him to pull her panties down. She looked at him as he put his hands on her hips and slowly moved them lower and lower until he put his hands on her knees and parted them. She leaned back as he began to slowly caress her sensitive inside thigh. He lowered his head and began kissing her gently, slowly working his way up her leg. She instinctively spread her legs and he suddenly engulfed her pussy with his mouth. She was squirming on the couch as he kissed her and licked her, tasting her salty core. She dug her nails into the couch as he dipped his tongue into her wet salty depths until she just couldn’t take it anymore. He pulled away and quickly got out of his pants before he got on top of her. She was looking right into his eyes as he positioned himself at her opening. She took a long deep breath as he began working himself into her. She gasped and threw her head back as he continued pushing himself into her depths.

“Oh…fuck…” she whispered as he began working himself in and out of her. With every thrust she could feel herself being stretched out. It was almost too hard to handle his girth and length after a long period of not having any kind of male intimate contact. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he began moving harder and faster in and out of her. She was moaning and panting as he fucked her. She was actually surprised that he had so much stamina. He was literally fucking her as if he was a youngster. He was not slowing down and was not showing any signs of doing so any time soon. If anything, he was going harder into her than ever. His movements were almost mechanical, with every thrust ending in him slamming himself against her hard. The more he slammed against her, the closer she got to her climax. She wanted to scream as he went on fucking her harder and harder still. It did not take long before she felt her legs shaking and her walls tightening against his cock. She tightened her grip around her shoulders even more and cried out as she felt herself climaxing. Suddenly, he was fucking her harder and deeper than ever, and he was grunting a little too loudly. She buried her head in his shoulder and moaned as he climaxed, emptying into her.

“Fuck…Athena!” he cried out as his cock slipped out of her.

“I can’t tell you how long I have waited for that,” she said in a soft voice.

At the moment, she couldn’t tell but he wanted to talk. He wanted to tell her that he had been holding himself back for the longest time when it came to her but he was too exhausted to say anything.