Lucas: The Hunter Brothers Series (7 page)

“What
am I going to do, Chas?” I asked, my voice reflecting the sickening panic that
was rippling through my stomach.

“First
thing on Monday you explain that Mr Turnbull said there was a small change to
your contract, so you just signed it with no idea that it was not as
inconsequential as you thought. Then you need to tell them that you haven’t
screwed your boss or anyone else for five years,” she said calmly.

“That’s
none of their business. I have no intention of telling the Hunter brothers
about my sex life, or lack of it, and there is absolutely no way I ever want
them to find out about Dexter. Lucas Hunter is one judgemental bastard and I’m
not giving him any more ammunition, Sis,” I said, sighing deeply. “I should
just quit.”

Chas
was immediately in my face. “You will not fucking quit. Be smart here. If they
ask you to do nothing, do it and rub their smug faces in it. Make them fire you
and get the fifty grand. I mean it, Jess, you sit there with your feet up on
your desk reading gossip magazines if that’s what it takes, and tell Melody to
go and fuck herself if she even glances in your direction. You need to get
tough here, it sounds like those Hunter brothers are,” she said firmly and didn’t
I know it.

“I
just want to do my job, Chas. I don’t want any of this shit,” I said as the
tears threatened again, just as the kitchen door edged open ever so slightly.

 
“Come in Dexter,” Chas smiled as he came to
hug me.

“Why are you crying, Mummy?”
He gazed up at me, genuine concern etched on every feature of his five year old
face.

“Onions,”
I said, pointing at the worktop and picking him up. It was the standard
explanation for mine and Chas’s tearful kitchen moments, which were thankfully
less frequent than they used to be and he was still at the age where he bought
it.

“Come
on Dex, let’s play castles.”

“You
need to quit that fairytale crap and play something else,” Chas scalded.

“Aunty
Chas said ‘crap’, Mummy,” Dex gasped as I glared at her.

“Naughty
me,” she winked at him, giggling as he giggled back.

“No
princesses today though, Dex, we need to be slaying dragons,” I said, looking
back at Chas.

“Indeed
you do.”

CHAPTER 5

Considering
the events of the day, the evening was surprisingly pleasant as me and Dex
slayed imaginary dragons in a mythical land where everything sparkled and the
good guys always won. We ate, bathed and cuddled on the couch and by the time I
read him a story and put him to bed I was exhausted, falling asleep in the
lounge in front of a film with a glass of wine still in my hand.

Chas
was shaking me as I woke with a giant grin on her face. “How was your night?” I
asked, still coming round and wondering why the hell she looked so excited. Her
eyes were blazing as she bounced onto the couch next to me and I wondered which
unobtainable gazillionaire she’d managed to land tonight.

“Before
you go mental, you’ve got to hear me out,” she said quickly. Oh God, there was
nothing guaranteed to pull me out of my semi sleeping state more than Chas pre-warning
me not to go mental. She poured herself a wine as I took a swig of mine and sat
back staring at her.

“So
this is how it went down...” she said, taking a deep breath as I took another
glug of wine. I was not going to like this one bit.

“Tonight
was really classy, a big house in the middle of Kensington, you know the ones.
There were about a hundred or so people and I’d miscalculated and really over
staffed us, so there were lots of opportunities for breaks and stuff. Anyway,
I’m standing on the patio outside, grabbing some air when this really cute guy
comes out and lights a cigar, leaning on the balustrade in front of me and
strikes up a conversation....” I was eyeing her intently.

“When
I say cute, Jess, I mean really hot. I knew just to look at him that he ticked
all my boxes. He was gorgeous, obviously loaded, no ring...”

“Unobtainable,”
I laughed.

“Absolutely
bang on. He asked my name and I was dressed the part, so I wasn’t sure if he
knew I was working or a guest, but anyway I told him my name and he took my
hand and kissed my knuckles like they do in the old films. I couldn’t believe
it. So I smiled at him and asked his name and do you know what the next words
out of his mouth were?”

“No”
I said urgently, shaking my head.

“Charlie
Hunter. I nearly fucking died, Sis,” she said as my face turned white and I was
nearly dying now.

“Oh
no, oh God, Chas, what did you do?”I asked quickly, both desperate and
terrified to hear the rest of this tale.

“I
didn’t know what to do for a second, which is unlike me. I thought I’d play it
cool because he was really handsome. You missed that bit out of
your story
by the way, Jess,” she said
as I laughed. “I can’t believe I’ve never come across him before, I would
definitely have noticed,” she said as her eyes glazed over and I suspected she
was getting sidetracked.

“Go
on, Chas,” I urged.

 
“I asked who he was at the party with, which
of course he loved because he thought I was coming onto him. I assure you I
would have been under different circumstances. Anyway, he said ‘my brother’. So
I said ‘who, the dickwad?’”

 
I couldn’t help the small giggle that burst
forth, urging her with my eyes to go on.

“Then
he said, ‘please don’t tell me you’re one of Tyler’s groupies’ and laughed as I
asked him who Tyler was. He explained that Tyler was his brother who’s in a
band and that when most people refer to his ‘dickwad brother’; they’re usually
talking about Tyler. Apparently he’s a bit of a player. So I said, ‘no I meant
the other one’. He looked really puzzled for a moment and asked if I meant
Roman. I said ‘no’. I’ve never even heard of Roman Hunter and you can imagine
that by this point it was all getting pretty confusing,” she laughed as I
nodded.

“Then
I asked him just how many dickwad brothers he had and teased that Christmas
must be a lot of fun at his place. Eventually, I told him I meant Lucas. He was
really shocked and said, ‘I’ve never heard anyone call Lucas a dickwad before’
and that most people wouldn’t dare; or words to that effect. I told him ‘I’m
not most people and that total shithead might be a more appropriate description’
and that the way he was treating you was an absolute disgrace. He started
laughing and I didn’t know why, until I turned around and saw Lucas standing
behind us. He wasn’t laughing and neither was I,” she said as the colour
drained from my face again.

“What
did you do?” I asked quickly as my heart hammered in sheer panic.

“What
do you think I did? I laid into Lucas Hunter big time. I told him Turnbull gave
you that job because you deserved a break in life, and if he thought you’d shag
your boss to get ahead, he had no idea of the kind of person you are. I said he
should get to know you before casting his ill considered aspersions at you, and
should be thoroughly ashamed of
himself
for hurting
you so badly that you’d come home sobbing and inconsolable. I made it clear
that you didn’t even know about the contract and had spent all week wondering
why the hell everyone was being so damn cruel,” she finished, taking a huge
deep breath as I stared at her mutely.

“I
also told him that if he thought you’d quit, he should think again and then I
told Charlie it was nice to meet him because I didn’t want to burn that bridge.
I gave him my condolences that he appeared to have three dickwad brothers
before I carried on waitressing.”

Holy
fuck knuckles.

“What
did Lucas say?” I asked, noticing that she’d omitted his reaction from her
whole story which didn’t bode well.

“Nothing,
but he wasn’t happy. He just stood there with his mouth set in this stern line,
gazing down at me. It’s a shame because he’s really hot in a broody, menacing
kind of way. He watched me walk away and then before I left he grabbed me,
pulling me back onto the patio again. He’s one of those intense people who just
drags
the truth from you. He was looking at me so
intently and he asked how you were,” she said and I could tell he’d intimidated
her a little too, which was really unusual.

“What
did you tell him, Chas?” I asked, still flooded with a strange sense of panic.

“The truth.
He looked
genuinely upset, Sis, really remorseful. Not in a ‘shit, I’m about to get sued’
way, but like he really cared about you. I don’t know; it was weird. Anyway, he
asked me to tell you he was sorry,” she smiled and I knew that wasn’t the end of
it.

“What
did you say?” I asked.

“I
said ‘tell her yourself.’”

“Oh
God, Chas, you have made this about a zillion times worse,” I sighed but she
wasn’t having it. I knew she wouldn’t.

“No
I haven’t. From where I’m standing, it couldn’t have got any worse. They wanted
you out and they needed to know the truth. Now they do and I think you’ll get
an apology,” she shrugged defiantly as I took myself off to bed, wondering if
she might be half right.

CHAPTER 6

After
a weekend spent replaying Chas’s conversation endlessly in my head, a sixth
birthday party that felt like it had broken my eardrums, a spot of shopping and
teaching Dex to tie his laces, it was time to face the music.

I
got myself ready on Monday morning, hugging him tightly and waking Chas for the
school run and my stomach was churning. A big part of me wanted to quit because
it seemed like the easiest option, but Chas was right. I had to sit tight and
see how this panned out. If they wanted rid of me, they could fire me with the
most amazing pay off that Mr Turnbull had written into my contract. I bet that
had raised a few eyebrows in the now chaotic HR Department.

He
wasn’t in. Melody was though and as she opened her mouth to speak, I wondered
if Chas was right and things had improved already. I didn’t think it for long.

“Did
you remove a recording machine from my desk on Friday?” she snapped.

“Yes,
I did the minutes for the meeting. I thought I’d do you a favour,” I smiled.

“Don’t
do it again,” she spat coldly as I sighed, returning to my desk and pulling out
a trashy gossip magazine, putting my feet up and snacking on a brunch bar.
Melody was staring at me wide eyed and stunned. I didn’t take Chas’s advice and
tell her to ‘go and fuck herself’. I just smiled and returned my gaze to the
magazine, thumbing slowly through the pages.

Charlie
came into the office at half past ten to see if Lucas was around, smirking as
he saw me with my feet on the desk, reading my magazine, when an idea popped
into my head. I was probably way off, but it was worth a shot. All I wanted was
some work to do.

“Can
I speak to you privately, Mr Hunter?” I asked, pulling my legs down from the
desk and smiling up at him as he smiled back, gesturing me into Lucas’s empty
office as I took a seat opposite him. I found it much easier to talk to
Charlie. “I heard the tape on Friday,” I started as he nodded.

“Yes,
your sister let me know,” he smirked. I ignored the comment.

“You
said that you were looking for a company to organise an event to showcase the
apartment build and I wondered if you’d let me put some ideas together. I have
a lot of experience in events and it will give me something to do while
evidently I cannot be trusted to do anything else,” I smiled with the most
innocent face I could conjure. He was watching me closely and his eyes were
twinkling with humour.

“You’ll
need to see if the other Mr Hunter can spare you,” he said, a small smile tickling
the side of his mouth. “And to avoid confusion, please call me Charlie. We have
a number of agencies pitching their ideas to us next week. You can do the same
if Lucas agrees.”

“Thank
you, Charlie, and please call me Jess,” I smiled, returning to my desk and
firing up my computer. I didn’t have anything else to do, so I made a
start.
 

It
was Monday afternoon before I saw Lucas again and he asked me into his office
politely as he walked in, which earned me a stern look from Melody. That girl
was skating on very thin ice. He gestured for me to sit, taking the seat
opposite and my heart was pounding like it always did around him. I wasn’t sure
what he wanted, but for once he was smiling and I forced a small smile back.

“I
want to apologise, Jessica, it appears that I’ve made an inaccurate assumption
about you,” he said as I gazed into those beautiful eyes that looked so sincere
I knew already I’d forgiven him. “I jumped to conclusions without gathering the
facts.”

 
I nodded mutely, still gazing and allowing him
to continue. “Your contract is extremely unusual and I’ve been informed that
you didn’t know about it, which I don’t understand because you’ve signed it,”
he said, clearly waiting for an explanation.

“I
read the first one of course, Sir, but Mr Turnbull told me that HR had
incorrectly calculated my holidays and that he’d amended it. I trusted him and
didn’t think I needed to read it again, so I signed it straightaway and gave it
back,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. “He didn’t give me my own copy. That
usually comes straight from HR in the internal mail when they’ve processed it.
I called them for a copy when you didn’t make me redundant because I thought it
was odd. It hasn’t come through yet and I get the impression they’ve been kind
of busy,” I said as he nodded slowly.

“I
see. Charlie tells me you want to pitch some ideas for the Waterside event,” he
said as I smiled.

“Yes,
if you can spare me,” I replied as he started to laugh. I had never heard Lucas
Hunter laugh and the sound was so lovely I couldn’t help the small giggle that
burst forth, knowing that it probably wasn’t apt. I had never heard it from
Melody.

He
gestured for me to leave, calling me as I walked away.

“Will
the waitresses be wearing hot pants, Jessica?” he grinned as I rolled my eyes.

 
“Definitely not, Sir,” I laughed, a warm
shiver running through me as I thought I heard him mutter ‘what a shame’ under
his breath, although I couldn’t be certain. I made my way back to my desk
altogether happier. Chas was right, things were looking up.

By
Friday I had all my ideas in place. I’d spoken to Chas and met with Patrick as
I’d be using the services of Elite if they went with my vision. I’d visited the
area where the apartments were being built and I thought my event was novel and
unusual. I’d asked Charlie for the budget and came in well within it, and as I
put the final touches to my presentation I was really proud of it.

I
wasn’t used to presenting and that would be the hard bit I thought, especially
in front of Lucas Hunter. The man unnerved me, intimidated me and set my heart
pounding in equal measure. I’d practiced every night in front of my audience of
one, but he was five and totally biased. I would try this weekend on Chas.
She’d be honest and not pull any punches, but she wouldn’t hit me with those eyes
that would have me swooning and salivating, and that was the thing that worried
me the most. I’d just have to look at Charlie.

In
a way I wished he hadn’t delivered such a sincere apology. That way, my libido
would be damper than the proverbial squib. But he had, and put himself right
back in the fantasy running. There was no escaping the fact that he was my boss
and nothing was ever going to happen between us, but it didn’t stop me thinking
about it. I could tell myself I didn’t want to feel those lips on mine over and
over again, but there was one major drawback in lying to yourself; you knew you
were lying.

It
was after six by the time I’d finished. Melody had left without saying goodbye
as usual and Lucas wasn’t around. I wanted to see where I’d be pitching. I’d be
up against agencies and even if they didn’t go for my idea, I needed to be
slick. They’d already questioned my ability enough. I had one shot to impress
them and the last thing I wanted was to bumble around with my memory stick,
trying to work out the equipment. I’d heard Melody on the phone telling the
events people to come to the office, so we’d be in here somewhere.

I
pushed the door to his office open quietly and tiptoed across the floor. I’d
only ever seen the part where his desk was, but there was a whole other area at
the back of the office. I rounded the corner behind his desk. Bingo.

The
table was smaller than the boardroom, but almost an exact replica that would
seat eight to ten people comfortably, and there was a giant plasma screen on
the wall that I assumed I’d be presenting from. He’d be here and Charlie, but I
wasn’t sure who else. It all looked pretty straightforward until I spied the
coffee machine I’d seen maintenance come to install.

What
if they wanted coffee? Would I be expected to make it? I was his PA and it was
definitely a possibility. The last thing I needed around Lucas Hunter was
another drinks debacle and I decided to fire it up. A bit of practice couldn’t
hurt I thought, putting my bag on the counter.

Oh
God, it was one of those things you get in upmarket coffee shops, sleek with
several spouts and extremely bloody complicated. I pulled a cup from the
adjacent rack, placing it in the middle of the machine and pressed ‘Latte’.

Before
I could stop it and move the cup to the correct spout, black coffee and white
froth spattered all over me and the floor, soaking through my blouse as I tried
to pull it away from my burning skin, hopping around in my heels and spreading
the mess at my feet. Bollocks. I managed to catch a third of it and start
again. At least I knew where the coffee came from now I thought, putting a new cup
under the spout and pressing ‘Espresso’.

This
one sprayed out from a different nozzle, burning me again and completely
ruining the pale pink fabric as it spread slowly across the front of my chest.
Christ, the thing was a minefield. I just had to hope they didn’t want coffee I
thought, freezing as I heard the door to the office open and the sound of low muffled
voices.

 
Oh shit, he was going to go nuts. He’d want to
know what the hell I was doing snooping around his office and why there was
coffee all over his PA and his pristine floor. I did the only thing I could
think of, pulling open a nearby door and ducking inside, praying he wouldn’t be
long and that he would never know about my breaking and entering. Well,
strictly speaking it was only entering.

I
pulled the door to, in order to conceal myself the best I could. I couldn’t
risk closing it completely. I was only around the corner and he’d hear it. He
was with a woman; the clicking of her heels echoing loudly on the floor as she
walked to his desk. Did the man never go home?

I
heard him mutter ‘what the fuck’ really quietly as he made his way past the
coffee machine, the quiet opening of a cupboard and the chinking of ice in a
glass and liquid being decanted. I was breathing as quietly as I could but I
wouldn’t have been surprised if he could hear my heart pounding from there. I
certainly could, oh Holy Shit. I was sweating through my coffee covered blouse
as I heard the footsteps pause momentarily right outside the door, holding my
breath as he walked back to his desk, before letting it all out in a huge
silent sigh of relief.

I
was hiding in my boss’s bathroom, blood pulsing through my ears, unable to
breathe when I suddenly remembered I’d left my bag outside and my pounding
heart stopped beating altogether. I was already running late and Chas would be
working tonight and wondering where the hell I was. Oh God, ‘please don’t call
me, please don’t call me’ I muttered internally over and over again until I
heard his low voice after a long pause.

“I’ve
told you before not to bother me at the office,” he said, sounding pretty
annoyed. “This is not how this works, Morgan. I thought I’d made myself clear.”
Oh shit, this sounded personal....could this get any worse?

“I
intend to spank you for your disobedience,” he continued and I slapped my hands
over my mouth to quiet the gasp that escaped before I could stop it as my eyes
shot wide open and I slid down the wall to crouch on the bathroom floor. Oh
God, why hadn’t I let him know I was here? In hindsight, that would have been a
much better option. The woman was silent as he continued.

“Now
you need to get ready for your punishment....” Oh God, he wasn’t going to do it
NOW, HERE.....oh shit....

My
heart was racing so fast it was practically vibrating, tense muscles clenching
as I tried to stay as silent as I could. Should I stay? Should I go out and
make my presence known? I couldn’t sit here while Lucas Hunter spanked some
stranger. Oh Holy fuck. I’d been in scrapes before, sticky situations and
mortifying moments, but nothing like this. There was absolutely no protocol
here and my brain was in turmoil.

 
“You will wait at the club until I am ready
and if you accept your punishment like a good girl, then I may decide to fuck
you. Would you like me to fuck you Morgan?” he asked.

“Yes,
Sir,” the woman said softly.

“Be
naked, kneeling and waiting for me,” he said, the low deep growl like an order,
reverberating down my spine as my skin shivered in response.

“Yes,
Sir,” she said again, her voice barely above a whisper.

“You
may leave now,” he said firmly, dismissing her abruptly and his words were
going round and round in my head. What the hell was going on? I was freaked, I
was fearful and I was afraid of being caught, but when he’d said those words it
wasn’t only my heart that had been pounding. His smooth voice dripped with sex
and I was stunned to realise that they’d turned me on, really turned me on. I
didn’t know if it was my heightened senses, I was clinically insane or if this is
what came from five years of no sex?

Oh
Lord, the visual of Lucas Hunter spanking and then fucking someone, me, erupted
gloriously in my head. I’d only ever seen the outline of
those
gorgeous abs through his soaking white shirt on the night of the record company
party, but it was enough. I could imagine the rest.

I
heard the office door close, then footsteps and the chinking of ice again. Oh
God, he wasn’t leaving. Why wasn’t he leaving?