Resisting the Billionaire (11 page)

When I arrived early for work, there was a strange man sitting
at my desk, working on my computer.

“Excuse me, may I help you?” I asked sternly, frowning at
him.

Light blue eyes in a narrow face looked up in surprise. “Oh,
sorry. You must be Cora. I’m Jason Hughes.” He stood up and offered his hand.
His handshake was firm and confident.

“That doesn’t explain why you’re at my computer.”

His light brown hair fell into his eyes, reminding me of
Marcus. “Oh. I’m just checking on the firewalls on your computer.”

I lowered my voice. “Ah… does this have something to do with
the leak?”

He looked taken aback that I would know about the security breach,
but he didn’t answer my question. He sat back down and started saving files on
a flash drive.

“Am I a suspect?” I asked, aghast.

“I’m just checking your firewalls,” he insisted adamantly.

“Right,” I said sarcastically. “That explains why you’re
saving all my files and probably checking my browser history. Just so you know,
porn at work isn’t my thing. You might find too many videos of kittens playing
with balls of yarn. No wait… there might be some food porn.”

He snorted with laughter before he caught himself.

“Cora, why don’t you come into my office while Jason does
his thing?”

I looked over to see my boss leaning against the doorjamb
with his arms crossed over his chest. His suit was dark gray with subtle black
stripes and fit him to perfection, emphasizing the strong lines of his body. His
blue shirt made his eyes look electric. I stared at his mouth, noticing that
lower lip was slightly fuller than his upper. Recalling the feel of his lips
moving on mine, I swallowed with difficulty.

The smirk forming on his mouth let me know that I had been
gawking at him like a schoolgirl. I growled at myself and jerked my gaze away.
“Let me grab your calendar.”

“There’s no need. I had to make some changes to the schedule
before you came in.” He stepped aside to let me pass and closed the door.

To my surprise, Jake dived right into work and dictated a
memo for the next meeting of the board of directors. I told myself I wasn’t
disappointed he was all business.
This
was what I wanted
, I assured myself.

A knock on the door interrupted us.

“Come in.”

Jason stuck his head in the door, “All done. Cora was the
last of the computers on this floor.”

“Thanks, Jason. Let me know if you find any issues.”

“Will do.” Jason looked over at me with a small smile. “Nice
to meet you, Cora.”

I smiled warmly. “You, too.”

Jason closed the door. I turned back to Jake and was taken
aback by his dark expression. “Jake, are you okay?”

“Do you have to flirt with every male in your vicinity?” His
eyes were narrowed in anger.

Stunned, I could only make a gurgling sound at the back of
my throat. I jumped to my feet and put my hands on my waist. “You have
got
to be kidding me! What the hell is
wrong with you, Jake Weston? I can’t even be friendly with someone without you
accusing me of being a bimbo? First it was with your brother. Then it was with
Dale Richards. Now it’s with your own head of cyber security! I’m glad you
think so highly of me! Next you’ll accuse me of sleeping with the security
guard.” I forcefully threw the memo pad and pen onto his desk. His baseless
accusation pushed me over the edge. “That’s it. I quit!”

If I hadn’t been so incensed, I would have laughed at the
sequence of emotions that marched over his face: surprise, shame, remorse, and
dismay at my last statement. But fury was riding me hard. I pivoted on my heels
and stomped to the door. Just as I turned the doorknob, two large hands slammed
into the wood, preventing me from opening the door.

“I’m sorry, Cora,” his raspy voice whispered into my ear.

“Let me go, Jake. I’m no longer your employee. I can’t work
for someone who thinks I’m a manipulative nympho.”

He grasped my arms and spun me around to face him. His face
was etched with contrition. “I’m sorry, baby. I was….”

When he hesitated, I supplied, “Unfair? Obtuse? Idiotic?”

He grimaced. “I was going to say jealous, but I’ll accept
all three if you won’t quit.”

His answer set me back on my heels and I searched his face
for the truth. “What? Why would you be jealous?” I couldn’t imagine why this
man would be jealous of anyone. If anything, he left a trail of envious men and
salivating women wherever he went.

Red spots flagged on his slashing cheeks. “Because you seem
so at ease in their company! You smile and laugh with Troy, but you argue with
me. You go out to lunch with him, but you only have lunch with me when we work.”

“I argue with you because you’re an ass. And I went out to
lunch with Troy once,” I pointed out.

“And you came back looking like you were best friends,” he
countered.

“And I went because he dragged me out of here!”

“Then you were so taken with Dale Richards at the
DataPoynt
meeting. You were willing to go to bat for his
company.”

“Jake, I was going to bat for his employees who would be out
of jobs!”

His gaze drilled into mine. “His employees?”

I huffed in exasperation. “Yes, those poor people who would
be out of jobs because you refused to help them!”

Groaning, he buried his face in my hair. “FUCK! Cora, you’re
making me crazy!”

I gasped in indignation. “
I’m
making you crazy? Ha!”

His chuckle vibrated against me. He lifted his head. “You
know, I wouldn’t be such a jealous bastard if you’d agree to date me.
Exclusively.”

I tried to scowl, but my laugh ruined it. “Your logic is
convoluted and asinine.”

He moved his body imperceptibly closer to me, his chest
grazing against my breasts and his hard thighs bracketing my legs. My nipples
hardened and heat flooded my sex.

I gasped and pressed my back against the door, trying to
create space between us. He immediately eliminated the gap, shifting his weight
so that he pinned me against the door. His hips pushed against my lower body,
not hiding his arousal from me. I could already feel the fog stealing into my
mind.

“Jake, we agreed this was a bad idea.” My voice was
thready
and weak.

“
You
said this was
a bad idea. I didn’t.” He nuzzled his nose into the sensitive spot below my ear.

I swore I didn’t mean to tilt my head, but before I knew it,
his lips were skimming along the length of my neck and a breathy whimper
escaped my lips. Feeling drugged, my eyes dropped to half-mast. His tongue
peeked out to flick at my skin, leaving hot spots as he trailed his lips to the
point where my neck met the slope of my shoulder. One of his hands left the
door and caressed my clavicle through the thin silk of my blouse. It slowly slid
down to cup my breast, his fingers subtly kneading my soft flesh. I gasped as
my nipple tightened painfully. His other hand clasped onto the curve of my hips
and the incredible heat of his palm seared through the layers of my clothes, scalding
my skin.

Opening his mouth, he let his hot breath heat my skin before
licking it with the flat of his tongue. Then he blew lightly on the wet patch.
I shivered as goose bumps formed on my skin.

My fingers formed into claws against the wooden door. I felt
like every molecule in my body was melting. “Jake.”

His name emerged as a moan and it seemed to set him off. He
jerked his head up and captured my lips, tongue plunging deep into my mouth.
His left hand gripped the back of my head to hold me immobile for his
plundering. The taste of him was addictive and I welcomed the invasion, angling
my head to get a tighter seal on his mouth. My hands clutched onto his biceps.
I was intensely aware of his erection throbbing against my pelvis.

A rough hand skimmed under my skirt, grazing the inside of
my inner thigh.

My eyes popped open in alarm and I made a vague sound of surprise.
Jake broke the kiss and looked down at me, his eyes viridian. Without breaking
eye contact, he moved his hand higher. Each inch was a slow seduction and I
felt powerless to stop him.

He reached the edge of my panties and his fingers grazed the
lace trim. “Fuck, baby. You feel so hot.”

Whatever I was going to say was lost in the heat of his
mouth. He swallowed my gasp as his fingers slid underneath the damp panel. The
pads of his fingers ran through my slick folds, barely teasing the entrance to
my pussy.
Back and forth.
Back and
forth.

My hips pulsed, seeking a deeper contact. He answered by
sliding the tips of two fingers into my channel. My feminine muscles closed
tightly over the digits as they sunk in halfway.

Desperate for air, I broke away, my breaths coming out in uneven
pants. My vision glazed over, all my concentration focused on the thick fingers
between my shaking thighs. The only thing that kept me standing was his hard
bulk pressing me against the door.

“Your pussy is so wet and tight. I knew you’d feel amazing.
I can’t wait until you’re wrapped around my cock.” He pulled out an inch and
pushed in two.

The mewl that came out of my mouth was needy and hungry.
“Jake, please!” Pride was subsumed under the clamoring in my body for
satisfaction.

His eyes burned through to the marrow of my bones.
“Baby–”

Knock. Knock. Knock.

We both froze.

“Jake, are you in there? I’ve been waiting with Halpern for
five minutes!”

At the sound of Troy’s voice, I tensed.

 
Jake’s forehead
hit against the door with a loud thump. His breathing was a ragged as mine. “I’ll
be there in a few minutes. Cora and I need to finish up a memo.”

“Alright. Hurry up!”

Jake turned his head and whispered into my ear. “I’m sorry
to leave you hanging baby, but I need to go.” He carefully pulled his fingers
out of me and I moaned at the loss of fullness.

The skin on his face pulled taut. His gaze held mine as he
lifted his fingers into view. I flushed at the evidence of my arousal
glistening on the tips. He slowly brought them to his mouth and sucked on my
wetness.

An involuntary groan rose from the back of my throat at the
erotic sight of him tasting me.

“Hmm… you taste sweet, just as I imagined.” His eyes
darkened. “Fuck! I’ll never get my cock to behave in time for the meeting.”

My gaze dropped and my mouth went dry. His erection was a
hard column distending the placket of his pants.

Abruptly, Jake spun away from me, his back stiff. “Baby, I
need you to leave this office. One more
look
like that
from you and I won’t give a damn about any meeting. I’d have you on the ground
with my cock in your pussy in ten seconds flat.”

What look?

“Jake…” My brain was still fuzzy and I didn’t know what to
do. My body urged me to stay.

“Baby, please. Go!”

I jumped, startled by the plea in his voice. My hand
scrabbled for the doorknob and finally latched on. Without saying another word,
I scampered out of the room and walked briskly to the bathroom. With every
step, I was aware of how wet my folds were. My body was still throbbing in
protest at being denied relief.

The VP of Marketing, Marcia Goldstein, gave me a funny look
as she passed me in the hallway.

I lowered my head, letting my thick hair hide my red face,
and ducked quickly into the bathroom. One look in the mirror and I knew why I
got the strange look. There was no hiding my kiss-swollen lips and too bright
eyes. The apples of my cheeks were
fuschia
pink. My
nipples were visible beads through my blouse. I squeezed my eyes closed in
shame.

How did he turn me
into this sex-crazed woman I didn’t recognize?
When he threatened to take
me on the floor, a part of me had screamed, “Yes! Take me now!”

My only consolation was that Jake was just as affected. A
small giggle escaped me as I remembered him begging me to leave. “At least I
know he knows the word please,” I told my reflection.

The door to one of the stalls opened, startling me. I thought
the bathroom was empty and was glad I didn’t say anything revealing.

A red-eyed Alana emerged and she stopped short at the sight
of me. She walked to the sink and averted her gaze.

I tried not to gape at her appearance. This was not the
polished, haughty woman I was used to. To anyone on the streets, she would
still look every inch the professional career woman, but I noticed the subtle
differences. Her makeup failed to hide her pasty complexion. Her hair was
slightly tousled– not in the deliberate sexy style some women wore, but
in the I-forgot-to-comb-that-one-patch way. Her clothes were infinitesimally
askew. But most telling of all were her eyes. She had recently had a good cry.

Hoping I wouldn’t regret it, I tentatively asked, “Are you
okay, Alana?”

Staring down at her sudsy hands, she muttered, “Why would
you care?”

I stifled my sigh of exasperation and spoke with restrained
patience. “I’m not your enemy, Alana. I know you don’t like me and I don’t know
why, but you look like you could use a friend right now. If you need to talk to
someone...”

She made an obnoxious scoffing sound.

I almost gave up, but there was a wounded look in her eyes
that pushed me to try one more time. “Sometimes it helps to talk over your
problems with someone who isn’t personally involved.”

She grabbed a paper towel to dry her hands and turned to me,
her expression suspicious. “Why are you being so nice to me?” Her tone was
belligerent.

I lost it. “At this moment, I honestly don’t know! Because
you’re a total bitch!”

Both of us were shocked into silence by my outburst, but
then Alana did the most unexpected thing. She threw back her head and laughed.
Not the small, tittering laugh I’d heard from her when she flirted with some of
the male executives, but a full-bodied, mouth-wide-open guffaw.