The Seduction 3 (8 page)

She wasn’t ready.

You fucked it up good
this time.

Then the door swings
open and Keely hurries inside. She’s breathless, checking behind
her in the hall like she’s worried she’s being followed.

“Where have you
been?” I demand, relief crashing through me. So she’s not halfway
back to LA by now.

“Just, upstairs.”
Keely checks outside again, before quietly closing the door. She
comes to sit on the edge of the bed, and pulls out a file she’s had
hidden in her robe. “I was looking through the attics for
information about Ashcroft, and you won’t believe what I found.”

She passes me the file.
I flip it open and freeze.

A photo of my father
with mom, my brother and me.

“Where did you get
this?” I snap my eyes back up. Does she know my secret? What’s
going on?

“In boxes of
Ashcroft’s stuff. Look, it’s my mom.”

Keely points to another
photo in the file, of a young woman. I let out a sigh of relief.
Shit, that was close.

Then I turn the photo
over and see the writing on the back. “What the hell is this?”

“I don’t know, but
it’s serious.” Keely curls her legs up under her. “I always
thought mom ran away because Ashcroft broke her heart. That he didn’t
want me, or something like that. But what if he broke things off to
protect her -- from whoever was sending those threatening letters?”

I grip the file hard.
My heart is suddenly pounding like a fucking jackhammer in my chest.

“What else did you
find?” I demand in a low voice, trying to keep it together.

“Just those photos,
and some love letters from Ashcroft to my mom. What do you think they
mean?”

“I don’t know,” I
answer slowly, looking through the bundle again. This time, I see
another photo of my dad.

There’s a bullseye
drawn on his face.

My blood runs cold. I
remember that day, out in our front yard. Dad had just bought home a
cool remote-controlled airplane for me, and we spent hours out there,
playing together.

Back before I lost him.
Before Ashcroft destroyed him -- or so I thought.

“I don’t know who
that is,” Keely speaks up, watching me. “He was in the family
albums too, maybe an old friend? I might try and track him down.
Maybe he knows something about what happened back then.”

“He’s dead.”

I answer without
thinking. Keely looks confused. I quickly cover. “I mean, he’s
probably gone by now, right? Ashcroft kicked it already.”

“That’s different,
the cancer got him. This guy looks in his forties there, so he must
be about seventy now. That’s not too old.” Keely sighs. “But I
don’t even know his name.”

Good.

I tuck the photo away
when she’s not looking. “Come here.” I gesture, shoving the
file aside as if its contents haven’t just turned my world upside
down. “You look stressed. And I’ve got something that can take
care of that.”

Try nine inches of hard
cock. If anything can make me forget about this bombshell, sinking
deep into her wet pussy will, but Keely snuggles up against me with a
yawn. “Too tired,” she whispers, already drifting off. “You
mind if we just sleep?”

I exhale. “Sure
thing, baby.”

She’s out like a
light in seconds, her warm curves wrapped around me. I stare at the
ceiling, my body wired tight, my dick hard and hungry for her.

What the fuck is going
on?

I always thought it was
so simple. Ashcroft screwed my dad out of the company. My dad
couldn’t take the shame and disappointment, so he put a shotgun in
his mouth and pulled the trigger.

For twenty-two years
I’ve hated Charles Ashcroft, and blamed him for my father’s
death. Twenty-two years of white-hot resentment. Twenty-two fucking
years determined to make him pay.

But now...

I pull out the photo
and stare at it in the dark. The target is scrawled in harsh black
marker, crystal clear.

I’m watching.

If Ashcroft sent away
Keely’s mom to protect her, what if he did the same to my dad: shut
him out of the company so this mystery blackmailer wouldn’t take
his revenge?

My head thunders with
questions, too fucking loud.

Everything I thought I
knew is spinning out of control, and the center of the storm is
laying right here beside me.

Keely.

She’s breaking
through my defenses, chipping away at my stone cold heart. And now
she’s unraveling the only thing I thought I was sure of in the
world.

What the fuck do I do
now?

KEELY

The rest of the week
passes in a blur. It’s like I’m living a double life. My nights
are filled with Vaughn, exploring every boundary and pushing every
limit until I’m begging for more. Then, when day breaks, I’m
plunged into my new life as CEO: meetings in the city every day,
doing my rounds of Ashcroft Industries until I’ve met with every
department head in the company.

Despite Brent’s
scorn, I’m managing to stay on top of everything. Cam guides me
through each day. He’s been a lifesaver, but even though he says no
question is too dumb, I still feel like an idiot making him translate
all the business-speak into plain English.

“You’re doing
great,” he reassures me, after a meeting about transportation
targets that couldn’t be more confusing if the whole thing had been
spoken in Swahili.

“I wish,” I try and
balance the huge binder of information on top of all my other
folders. “How’s the share price doing?”

Cam gives an easy
smile. “Creeping back up. It’ll take its time, but Wall Street is
watching. It knows we’re holding strong even without Ashcroft at
the helm.”

“You worked for him a
while, didn’t you?” I ask, walking back towards his office. I try
and smile and nod at all the assistants and secretaries as I pass. I
know from my days as a paralegal how shitty work can be if the boss
doesn’t treat you like a human being.

“Ten years,” Cam
replies. He’s clean-shaven and dressed in a designer suit: always
professional in the office. “I joined the company right out of
college in the mailroom, and worked my way up.”

We enter his corner
office, and I take the chance to put my files down. I pull a photo
from my pocket, one of Ashcroft’s mysterious friend -- without the
bullseye target. I’ve been looking in old company brochures and
photographs any chance I get, but I’m still coming up blank.

“Do you know who this
is?” I ask, showing it to Cam.

He takes the photo. I
think I see a flicker of recognition on his face, but he shakes his
head. “No, sorry.”

“He was a friend of
Ashcroft’s,” I add, hoping to jog his memory. “Back maybe
twenty or thirty years ago.”

“Before my time,”
Cam laughs. “Or are you saying I’m an old man?”

“No,” I say. “I
just thought maybe you would have seen something. If Ashcroft
mentioned him at all.” I pause. “He didn’t say anything about
me, did he? I can’t believe he would just put me in the will and
not discuss it with anyone.”

“Ashcroft was
secretive like that.” Cam shrugs. “He had his own way of doing
things.”

“But you were his
second in command,” I argue.

Cam gives me a
regretful smile. “That just meant he gave me orders and I followed
them. I mean, I kept things running around here, especially towards
the end,” he adds, “But Ashcroft was the one at the wheel.”

I sigh. Everywhere I
turn, I find more dead ends and secrets.

I shake off the past,
and check my never-ending to-do list. “Did you hear back from the
event planner?” I ask, remembering. With the gala set for tonight,
I’m worried something will go wrong at the last minute. “I had
questions about the--”

Cam hold up his hand,
cutting me off. “I told you, they have it all under control.”

“But this is a big
event,” I protest. “The biggest! You said it yourself, everyone’s
watching.”

“And that’s why you
need to delegate,” Cam counters. “Leave the details to the
professionals. Your job is to network and let everyone meet the new
boss.”

I take a breath. He’s
right. It’s not my responsibility to check the caterers are dressed
in white, or if the valet stand got permits from the city. For the
first time in my career, I’m going to be the one enjoying the party
while other people handle the work.

“I’ll let you get
back to work,” I say, preparing to leave.

“Where are you
going?” Cam stops me. “This is your office now.”

“What?” I gape at
him. “I don’t understand.”

He chuckles. “You’re
CEO now, you need a space to work out of. And I was only ever keeping
the seat warm here for you. My real office is just down the hall.
I’ll see you tonight?”

“See you later,” I
reply weakly.

He winks, and then
closes the door behind him, leaving me alone in my office.

Mine?

I look around, amazed.
It’s huge, the size of my whole crappy apartment back in LA. Sleek
furniture, expensive rugs. And the view...

I go to the windows,
breathing in the sight of New York stretched beneath me. I feel on
top of the world here, and for the first time, I realize:

I don’t want to lose
this now. Whatever the secrets behind my inheritance, I’m already
invested. In this company, these people. Ashcroft entrusted their
fates to me for a reason, and I don’t want to let him down. Not
with Brent and his scheming threatening to tear the whole company
apart.

My intercom buzzes.
“Miss Fawes?”

“Yes!” I lunge to
hit the button.

“Your next meeting is
here. Shall I send them in?”

“Yes, please.” I
settle back in the executive desk chair and reach for my tablet, but
when the doors open, it’s Vaughn who strides into the room.

“Hey!” I leap up,
happy to see him. “I thought we were meeting at the gala tonight.”

“I had some things to
take care of in the city.” Vaughn meets me with a kiss.

“Like what?” I ask
curiously.

“Things.” His reply
is blunt. As usual. I don’t know what he’s been doing while I’m
at the office all day, and when I ask, he shuts me down.

Now, he pre-empts any
more questions by placing a hand against my chest and slowly pushing
me backwards until I hit the edge of my desk.

“Nice office, Miss
Fawes,” he murmurs with a wicked glint in his eyes.

My pulse kicks. “My
next meeting arrives soon,” I tell him, but he’s already lifting
me to sit on the edge of the desk, spreading my thighs wider.

“Then they’ll enjoy
the show.”

He yanks my panties
aside and drags his thumb across my clit. I moan, clutching his
shoulders to stay upright. Vaughn strokes again, whispering in my
ear.

“I’ve been thinking
about fucking you all day long.” He sinks a finger deep into my
wetness, and I shudder at the touch. “See how wet you are, baby?
You’ve been wanting me too.”

“Yes,” I whisper.
God, I want him all the time, with a craving that scares and
exhilarates me all in one.

“Tell me how.”
Vaughn thrusts another finger inside me, pulsing slowly as his thumb
rubs around my clit. His eyes are locked on mine, and Lord, I’m
already panting, twisting, hurtling higher. “Tell me every dirty
thing you want me to do to your body. Say it out loud.”

“I want you there,”
I whisper, feeling his fingers plunge deeper, curling up inside me. I
thrust against him, needing the friction on my clit. “Inside me.”

“I already am,”
Vaughn smirks. “You’ll have to do better than that.” He starts
to withdraw his fingers, and I whimper from the motion.

“Your cock,” I
gasp. “I need your cock inside me.”

“Better,” Vaughn
murmurs, circling my clit again, his fingers slick. “How do you
want me, baby. Driving slow?”

“No.” I shudder
again, climbing. “I want you hard. Slamming into me, so deep I
scream.”

Vaughn growls, pulsing
faster inside me. “That’s right, baby. You like it rough.”

I whimper in agreement.
God, the power this man has over me. How he takes me to heaven and
back.

“I want you to tie me
up again,” I whisper, flushing red at the memory. “Hold me down
and fuck me until I can’t move, can’t speak.”

Vaughn’s eyes are
wilder now, glazed with lust. “You won’t be screaming with my
cock shoved down your throat,” he pants, thrusting his fingers
deeper, stretching me open. “You like it on your knees, don’t
you? Choking on my dick, cum gushing down your throat.”

“Yes,” I gasp,
closer now. “Yes, I want it all.”

“Everywhere,. Vaughn
rubs up against my G-spot, God, pleasure crashing through me in
waves. “You want my cock drilling into you, your clenching pussy,
that wet little mouth. But you want me back there most of all.”

I shudder at the truth
of it, but he won’t let me look away. “You want me fucking your
tight, virgin asshole, don’t you baby? You want me to stretch you
wide open and pound deep until you lose control. That show the other
night was just a taste. I’ve got so much more to give you. And
you’ll take it all, tonight.”

Tonight?

I shatter with shock,
biting down on his shoulder to keep from crying out.

Vaughn chuckles,
slipping his fingers out of me. “I thought you’d like that,” he
murmurs, tugging my skirt down. “And I mean it, baby. You’re
going to feel me tear that ass up inside, every single inch.”

My breath catches, half
panic and half with lust. Feeling that vibrator inside me was intense
enough. I don’t think I can handle much more.

“Vaughn,” I gulp.
He cuts me off with a commanding look.

“You’ve got your
dress picked for tonight?”

I nod, confused.

“Don’t wear any
panties,” he says. “I want you wet and ready for me.”

“But--”

“Don’t. Talk.
Back.” Vaughn quells my protest with a hungry look that turns my
stomach in flips. God, he’s sexy when he’s ordering me around.