Billionaire Erotic Romance Boxed Set: 7 Steamy Full-Length Novels (3 page)

“I needed a fighter! I needed someone as strong as I was! I needed someone with the balls to stand up for me!” I cough up mountains of anger and frustration on him as he continues to hold and press against me, kissing any part of me that isn’t fighting back. He leans in my ear.

“I know exactly what you need,” he says and turns me quickly, bending me over the desk. His hand holding my back and his kiss still warm on my lips, he folds me like paper. I feel the pressure of his body behind me. He lifts my skirt and pushes it up on my back, pushing me harder against the desk. “This is what you need.”

“Mark…” I say as I stretch my arms forward to grab the front of his desk. His briefcase falls with a crash as I feel him pushing against me again.

“This is what you need,” he leans over whispering, his hot breath in my ear, his body pressing against me as he pulls down my panties and reaches between my trembling legs. The wetness of my desire is unmistakable. Still in my ear, he says, “This is what you want.”

“Yes,” I whisper softly, almost hoping he doesn’t hear me, but I feel his fingers probing me, finding their way inside.

“Is this what you want?” he asks. I hear his zipper going down with one hand as the weight of him still firmly presses me against the hard wood. His hips are already starting a motion against me. I am lost to the moment.

“Yes!” I scream. “God help me, yes!”

He enters me quickly, his cock splitting my opening and pushing its way through my body. My head drops down on the desk as his rough thrusts begin pushing deep into me, smacking me with his power, his strength. My narrow long-neglected passage comes alive around his shaft, gripping and pulsing as he thrusts over and over. I can’t tell if he’s taking me or punishing me or just loving me but the rough sensations sweep me along the surge of his lust.

Grabbing my hips, he thrusts into me like a man possessed, each thrust pushing my breath out in loud bursts as he growls through gritted teeth.

The buildup of energy, the sensation of my clit being pushed and rubbed by his thrusts against the hard desk, his cock pounding me again and again to the rhythm of his control—filling my body and soul—is too much. My back arches and I buck underneath him. I clamp my mouth shut, unwilling to allow him to hear the pleasure I’m getting from his merciless cock, but the spasms of my body surge against his shaft. He slams into me with several halting hard jerks then moans loudly as his semen floods my raw insides.

Mark pauses long enough to catch his breath, then withdraws, leaving me sore, filled and stunned. The moment passes in silence with only our ragged breaths providing a clue to our presence. He pats me on the rear gently and pushes a Kleenex box toward me as I hear his zipper go back up. Propelling myself up on weak arms, I return to an upright position. He looks out the window as I lean down to pull my panties back in place.

I stand before his desk like a paddled schoolgirl. The glorious feelings of afterglow fill me with such peace and ground me into the reality of the moment. I am content just to stare at him and feel his phantom presence in my core.

“I…um…I…” I can’t talk. I don’t know how to respond, and the endorphin rush in my head is making any decision impossible.

Finally, he looks up and speaks in a clear, crisp detached tone.

“Listen to me Julia. There are things at stake here that you don’t understand. I don’t even understand all of it yet. I can’t promise you that I’ll be able to help you, but I’ll promise to try. What I need from you is trust. You can’t just operate like a lone wolf if you want me to help you.” He continued through his panting. “I will look into the files to see what Blake has planned for Lynx, and if there’s anything that can be done about it.”

Stunned, speechless, I turn to walk toward the door. With each step, my raw and stretched body reminds me of what just took place. I’m amazed that I can walk at all.

“And Julia,” Mark calls sternly from his desk.

“Yes?” I turn and force myself to look at his face.

“I did fight for you. Otherwise we would’ve had this conversation six months ago.”

I look at his eyes, creased with lines of fatigue. For the first time, I notice a streak of grey in his hair that I had never seen before.

“One more thing. Don’t try to contact me here again, if I’m to help you, we can’t be seen together. I can’t tell you more than that for now, but the answers will come soon. Understand?”

“Yes, Mark,” I say softly, as if an odd spell has changed my entire demeanor. He smiles reassuringly then turns to pick his work off the floor.

Chapter 3

It’s noon and I’m still sitting at the kitchen table, which is covered in paperwork. Old mail, notes, and the documents Kenneth Allen gave me the day I was fired all sit in front of me in one intimidating lump. Normally I can focus and get things done, but I’m so distracted by my feelings about Mark and what we did that I can’t really think at all.

Did that really happen? I shift positions in my chair and the soreness winds throughout my lower body reminding me that Mark Stone fucking me over his office desk was all too real, indeed.

How on earth did I even get in that position? Did I want it? Did I need it? Most importantly, no matter what I think about my wants and needs, what does Mark think about me? I go into his office screaming like a madwoman and end up gripping the edge of his desk begging him to take me. I needed his help and respect, and now I’m not sure I have either.

That’s not really fair though. I mean, that kind of dance takes two. How unfair is it of him to take advantage of my clearly unhinged state and toss me over the desk? Why wasn’t he looking out for my company in the first place? I’m mad at Mark, and I’m mad at me. We somehow managed to take a bad situation and make it worse. Anger isn’t a bad thing; it’s fuel and it propels me to do something with the stack of crap in front of me besides stare at it.

Grabbing a cup of strong coffee, I move out of my haze and sort the mail from the rest of the pile. Nothing too interesting: a few bills, some sale flyers and a copy of Inc. Magazine for business owners. Guess I have to cancel my subscription to that. Then I see one of the bills is marked “Glenvale Cancer Treatment Center.” That’s not good. I rip the envelope open to confront one the many facts of my situation I had not wanted to face.

An outrageous sum for chemotherapy and care for the past two weeks is due by Friday. I have this payment and maybe two or three more, then I’m out of money. Dad isn’t responding to anything they were doing for him at Mercy General and his Medicare cap is getting close. They wanted to put him on “comfort care” and let the cancer run its course. Mark helped me find Glenvale. It’s an experimental cancer treatment center that offers drug trials and in-patient treatment but isn’t covered under insurance. So, I’ve been footing the bill. The scary part is, I’m not sure how much longer I can keep this up without a job.

The phone rings.

“Julia Sharp,” I answer with my usual business voice. Just because I’m unemployed doesn’t mean I have to sound like a pauper, particularly to the scheduler from the Sunrise Yoga.

“Julia, it’s Janice. I’m at the yoga place.”

“I can’t come to yoga right now, Janice. I’ve got things on my mind, if you haven’t noticed.” My tone with her is crisp and snide. I guess I can’t blame her for continuing to work at Lynx, but it would have been a comforting gesture if my good friend would’ve stood up for me and left.

“I don’t care about yoga. It’s the only safe place to call you from.”

“What?”

“Kenneth All-Slime and Blake the Snake are in the office all the time. I can’t call you from there, and I’m kind of afraid to use my cell. Everyone is really tense.”

“Well, that’s what you get when you decide to stay in the gutter with the rats,” I say without compassion. Does she really think I should feel sorry for her? It’s my life that’s a mess.

Janice gives me an annoyed sigh. “I just wanted to let you know I got it out of the office before they found it. When you’re ready for it, it’s secure.”

“You’ve got what?”

“The story, of course. That’s what all this is about isn’t it?”

“I don’t know what it’s about, to tell you the truth. But keep the story safe. And, thanks Janice.”

A hot bath, a glass of Merlot, and some nice music is the best medicine I can afford right now. While some folks use those things to relax, I’m using them just to keep myself going. I’ve got to find a way to get my head around what’s happening. I admit I’ve had my eye on Mark Stone for some time, imagining what a joint venture with him would be like in the boardroom and in the bedroom. But right now I’m as far from the boardroom as I could possibly get, and while I’ve certainly been on the receiving end of his attention, it’s not like he’s inviting me to the bedroom.

The wine takes the edge off, and I realize he’s right. I am afraid to ask for help, and I don’t like giving in. I do put on an act and try to bully people into my way. It’s the only way I know to get ahead in the publishing game. There’s no room for the weak. Valerie James is just as ruthless and cutthroat as I am. She just does it with a smile. Somehow that’s worse.

Finally relaxed, I mull my options. I’ve got a lawyer looking for a loophole in the original Sandstone Ventures contract, but he’s already said it looks airtight. I do get a chance to file a rejoinder, but I don’t even know what grounds I could file under. I have Mark’s mysterious plan, which I can’t even fathom–let alone count on. Finally, I have the Wall Street article Janice managed to save from Blake. I don’t know what to do with any of these but there has to be a way. The phone jars me out of my focused state.

“Julia Sharp,” I say, hoping it’s not Janice again calling me from the laundromat or Burger King.

“It’s Mark,” he says with that deep beautiful voice. I can see him in my mind’s eye and my body begins tingling in response to the very sound of him.

“What do you want?” I say far too rudely for my own good.

“Meet me at the fourth level of the parking deck at Monroe and Seventh Street around nine o’clock tonight. Come alone.”

“Do you want me to wear a cloak and carry a dagger?” I respond sarcastically. Mark just hangs up the phone leaving my attempt at humor hanging in the air like a bitter pill. Part of me thinks I should nip this in the bud right now and stand him up. That will back him off. Yet another part of me that resides noticeably lower in my body, wants to meet him and see what he can do.

I arrive about ten minutes to nine, and I’m the only car parked on this level. Mark pulls up in an Escalade at nine on the dot. He’s such a careful and exacting man. He gets out of the driver’s seat, opens the passenger side back door, and walks around to the driver’s side, getting in the back. I look around, and climb in the back.

“Close the door, genius,” Mark says with a smile. “You’re not very good at this sneaky stuff.”

“Before Sandstone Ventures came along, I didn’t have to be,” I retort as I pull the door closed. What is it about him that makes me want to rebel and obey all at the same time?

“Where’s Jose?” I ask. I had never seen Mark driving himself before.

“At this point, it’s better if no one knows that we’re meeting.”

“Even Jose? I thought you trusted him.” The older man always had a smile and a joke for me whenever he drove us to visit Glenvale.

Mark’s silent look is answer enough to that question.

Mark turns on the map light in the back. It’s a surprisingly roomy vehicle for a single man to drive around in. Maybe it’s his mobile office. He reaches into the door side pocket and pulls out a folder with copies of the same documents Kenneth Allen gave me.

“Have you read these?”

“Yes,” I reply, unwilling to admit I can’t make heads or tails out of most of them.

“Then you know what the problem is, right?” Mark speaks in a clearly controlled focused manner. It’s hard to sound professional in the back seat of an SUV in an empty parking garage, but he pulls it off nicely.

“I know I lost my company, and it’s a problem,” I respond petulantly, and then remember he doesn’t have to help me at all. “Honestly, I really don’t know much about what they say. It’s all legalese to me.”

“They say you have thirty more days, four weeks, to save your company.”

“Thirty days?”

“That’s how long you have to file a rejoinder. About four weeks. If you don’t find a reason to file, or don’t file on time, Lynx Magazine’s assets, talent, stories and resources all become the property of Ladies World.”

“What do I need to file?”

“You need evidence that you were wrongfully put out of the company because of corruption, personal gain, or by an inappropriate system, and you want the matter legally reviewed. If you have evidence, a judge can stop the merger to Ladies World. But you need real proof, not just theories and venom.”

“I don’t have it. Do you?”

“No, but I have a plan. It’s going to take almost all thirty days, and it’s risky for me, but I think I might be able to find something you can use to file. However, I’m going to need your help and I’m going to need you to trust me.”

“I must trust you, I’m here aren’t I?”

“I mean you need to trust me with more than a passing glance. You need to trust me body and soul, to give your whole self to me and rely on me to do what’s right.”

“Here we go again with a lecture on what I need. Can you please stop being my life coach and just help me save my job?” I’m shocked by this turn of events, and this talk about my body makes me edgy and wet all at the same time.

“I have a proposal for you. Are you ready to listen with an open mind, or should I wait a few more days while the clock ticks down on Lynx?”

His face is passive, calm, waiting. I consider throwing another casual snide comment at him, to drive a barb into him, to spur him to drop his cool exterior just for a second. I want to see the real Mark again, the human one, the one that can feel pain. The Mark that had been in the office. The caged animal just underneath the surface that had grabbed my hips, bent me over and used me like an object. That Mark had been frightening, but even more terrifying is how much I want to see that part of him again.