Resisting the Billionaire (19 page)

Jake’s office was closed
again, but this time I squared my shoulders and marched up to the door. I
knocked sharply.

“Come in.”

I walked in and saw Jake, Troy,
and Jason sitting together at the conference table poring over sheets of paper.

“Morning, Cora.” Troy was the
only one to greet me.

Jake just stared at me
quietly, his face blank.

Jason eyed me suspiciously.
“Jake, she shouldn’t be here.”

I put my hands on my hips and
glared at my boss slash boyfriend slash love of my life. “Jake Weston, you
better not try to keep me from clearing my name. This is my reputation on the
line.”

His face transformed. The
hard lines around his mouth disappeared as his lips pulled up. His eyes were warm
pools as he held out his hand to me.

I walked over, gladly
gripping his hand tightly. A calm settled over me as soon as I felt his touch.
Everything was going to be okay.

I turned to Jason. “I don’t
care what evidence you think you have, but I didn’t do it! So I want to know
what you have on me.”

He looked like he was about
to argue when Jake put his hand up and said, “Enough. I told you it couldn’t be
Cora. Show her what we have. Maybe she could help. She’s probably got more
figured out than we have.”

“I agree with Jake. Cora
would never do this,” Troy chimed in.

I smiled at him in
appreciation of his stalwart support.

I squeezed Jake’s hand.
Yesterday, while staring at my neat handwriting, I knew I had to have faith in
him.
In us.
Because his faith in me had been
unwavering from the very beginning.

“Fine.” Jason didn’t look
happy about it, but he couldn’t flout Jake’s order.

Troy moved over and let me have his seat.

“First, you have an email going out to Lakeshore Industries
last month.” He placed the printout in front of me.

“It was a cover letter for a job application.” Feeling
Jake’s fingers tense, I turned to him and explained. “You were making me crazy
and I thought it was easier if I found another job.” His darkening face clued
me in that he was not pleased. “If it makes you feel better, I probably
wouldn’t have left. But it’s a moot point because they never contacted me.”
Looking back at Jason, I said, “Next.”

“There was an email to
Bauen
which
went out from your account a few weeks after you started to work on this floor.
While there was nothing overtly incriminating in the email, it’s highly
suspect. Why would you have emailed a rival firm?” Jason demanded.

I held out my hand, palm facing upward. “Let me see the
email. I don’t remember emailing them, but I send out hundreds of emails a day.”

Jason laid another printout in front of me.

I scanned it and said decisively, “I didn’t write that.” A
wave of anger washed over me. “Somebody is setting me up.”

Jason scoffed. “It came from your computer. Unless someone
has your login, it’s yours.”

“Tell us why it couldn’t be your email,” Troy requested.

My finger pointed to the signature. “Because I never end my
emails with ‘Yours Truly.’ I only use ‘Best Regards.’ And I’d never craft an
email like this. It’s full of spelling errors.”

Jake leaned forward, his eyes bright. “She’s right. Her
emails are always impeccable.”

“That could be a pre-arranged code,” Jason insisted
stubbornly.

Frowning, I picked up the paper to study it. Something about
it kept nagging me. Then my eyes landed on the date and time.

Jake must have been watching me closely because he asked
urgently, “What did you find, baby?”

Nobody seemed to have noticed the endearment except me.

“I couldn’t have written it because I wasn’t in the office
at this time.” I turned to Jake excitedly. “It was sent on March thirtieth in
the afternoon. That was the day Marcus had a fight and you and I had to leave
the office early.”

Realization dawned in his eyes. “Fuck, then someone must
have come into your office and sent it from your computer.”

“But I am very conscientious about logging off my computer
when I leave my desk. I don’t know how they could have gotten my password.”

Jake’s
face hardened
. “There are
ways to bypass everything. Jason, pull up the video footage for anyone entering
this office after two-thirty on the thirtieth. I think you’ll find your perpetrator.”

Troy grinned. “That asshole is going down!”

Jason looked contrite as he stood up and gathered the
papers. “Sorry, Cora. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.”

Feeling magnanimous now that I had cleared my name, I
inclined my head. “The evidence all pointed to me. Only someone who truly knew
me would have stood by me.” I turned to smile at Jake.

He tightened his grip on my hand. I could tell he was
impatient to get me alone.

Troy muttered under his breath, “Ugh… you two make me sick.
Sick with jealousy.”

“I’ll let you know as soon as I find the footage from
building security,” Jason said as he opened the door and almost ran over Alana.

“Alana!” I stood up. “Is there something you need?”

She looked ghastly. Her hair was disheveled and her face was
as white as a sheet. “I think I know who is selling the information to our
competitors. And I inadvertently helped him.”

My legs lost their strength and I plopped back in my chair.

“I can’t believe it was Tom,” Jake said. “He started with the
company when my dad was the CEO.”

I looked up at his face. It was etched in sorrow and
disappointment. I kissed his jaw. “He made his own decisions, Jake. He had the
choice of asking for help, but he didn’t.”

Alana’s confession still seemed fantastical. She and Tom
Wexler had started dating after his divorce. What she didn’t realize was he was
using her to get information on the comings and goings of the executive floor.
He had gotten into a lot of debt from his recent drug habit and needed money. He
was very good about hiding his addiction because nobody knew, including Alana.

On the day she saw Jake escort me out of the building, she
had complained to Tom about my unprofessionalism. He had commiserated with her
and then pretended that I had forgotten to send him urgent information for a
bid. Against her better judgment, Alana agreed to let him go into my office to
check if the information was lying around. She never knew he had logged into my
computer and stolen the information.

Triumphant from his success, Tom became more careless with
his habit. She suspected he doing something illegal when he started spending
money indiscriminately. After observing him closely, she realized he was an
addict and begged him to seek help. He refused. When I caught her crying in the
bathroom, she had just ended their relationship.

Her suspicions about Tom solidified when she found out we
lost the bid to Lakeshore. She put two and two together and realized she had to
say something.

Jason downloaded all of Tom’s files while the manager was
out at lunch. It didn’t take much digging to uncover the truth because Tom
didn’t even try to cover his tracks. There were multiple email exchanges with
the executives at both
Bauen
and Lakeshore. Jason
suspected he was confident nobody would look into his files when he set me up
as the fall guy.

We called the police and they were waiting to arrest Tom
when he came back into his office. He refused to talk, except to ask for his
lawyer, but there was plenty of evidence to convict him.

Jason pulled up the video footage and Tom was caught on tape
rifling through my desk. I felt so violated when I saw the clip. To our shock,
Tom had my login, which indicated there was an accomplice in Jason’s office. The
head of cyber security was livid when he realized the implication. I had no
doubt there would be a thorough investigation into all of his staff.

Jake was torn about what to do with Alana since she did
violate company policy, but I was able to convince him to let her off with a
warning. She did do the right thing in the end.

“I’m sorry, Jake. I know it must hurt to know one of your
senior staff would betray you.” I hugged him in sympathy.

He looked down at me and the sadness left his face. Flipping
us until I was sprawled on top of him, he gave me a sweet kiss. His body was
hard and hot beneath me.

We were in his apartment. After our harrowing day, we didn’t
want to be apart. Marcus was in one of the guest bedrooms. My brother seemed to
take it in stride when I told him we were staying over at Jake’s for a few days.
He matter-of-factly packed up a bag and was ready to go when Jake picked us up.

“As long as I have you, none of that matters.”

“Jake, I don’t like it when you shut me out. It broke my
heart when you wouldn’t talk to me and tried to hide it from me.”

He rubbed our noses together. “I’m sorry, baby. I wanted to
protect you. Jason was demanding we interrogate you. The board was fucking
nuts. I didn’t want any of the ugliness to touch you.” He smiled slowly. “Have
I told you how fucking amazing you were walking into my office demanding you
have a part in our investigation? I’m so glad you didn’t think I suspected you.”

I hesitated a beat too long and he reared back. “Only for a
little while,” I tried to defend myself. “Then I remembered what you said about
having faith in us.”

“I’m glad you reached the right conclusion, but I think I
need to show you again who you belong to.” His tone was hard and stern. His
hands stroked along my sides and grabbed onto my soft bottom. His fingers
kneaded into my flesh.

“Jake,” I moaned. My sex clenched at the promise in his
voice. I was still wet from our last bout.

“I want to fuck your ass, baby. I want to own every part of
you.”

I shuddered, my body heating at his words. I kissed him and
spread my thighs, silently giving him my consent. Nothing felt wrong with Jake.
My body and heart belonged to him completely.

He flipped me onto my front. I placed my forehead onto my
folded hands and knelt with my ass on my heels.

“Stay, like this baby.” He moved behind me. His fingers caressed
my crevice and I gasped.

“Your behind is a work of art, baby.” He continued to burrow
deeper until his two thumbs grazed my puckered hole.

I never realized how sensitive it was until Jake started to
rub my rosebud. I started to wiggle my hips when he smacked my bottom. “Hold
still!”

“
Ahhh
!” I screeched as the blood
rushed to my cheek.

He pulled my flesh apart and pumped two fingers into my
pussy. I lost all my breath as he finger fucked me. He whispered sexy things
into my ears, but I couldn’t register a single word. My cries crew louder and
louder and I was thankful Marcus was on the other side of the huge penthouse.

Jakes fingers curled and the exquisite sensation shoved me
over. I bit into my hand when I climaxed, my sheath clenching on his fingers.

When my cries stopped, Jake pressed a wet fingertip to my
back entrance and pushed.

“Jake,” I groaned. The invasion felt strange and foreign.
But also intimate and sexy because it was Jake.

“
Sh
…just relax for me baby. I’m a
lot bigger than my finger.”

Following his instructions, I consciously relaxed my muscles
and he pressed all the way in to his knuckles. He was infinitely patient as he
glided in and out of me.
In and out.
When I had
loosened around his digit, two fingers probed at me.

I moaned as I stretched to accommodate him.

“You’re doing so well, baby. Your ass looks perfect. I can’t
wait until my dick is in this tight hole.” He accompanied his words with slow
thrusts of his fingers.
 
It was
driving me out of my mind.

“Jake, please!”

“Tell me what you need, baby.”

“You! I need you!”

“I need you, too, Cora. I need you so damn much,” he said
fiercely into my ear.

I felt something cool squirt onto me and then the incredible
heat of his cock touched me. I whimpered at the unrelenting pressure as he
started to tunnel into my ass. “Jake, you’re too big.” A twinge of pain shot
through me.

He stopped. “No, I’m not. Remember you’re made for me. You
feel perfect baby. Just breathe with me.” He inhaled and exhaled. I did the
same. Slowly, our breathing synced. Then on
an exhale
,
he pressed deeper and I clenched.

One of his hands snaked to my front. His fingers dipped into
my pussy and I shook as both of my holes were penetrated. “Oh God!” My back
arched, sending his cock deeper.

“Oh my GOD!” I screamed as his hands and cock started to
move in concert. Deeper and deeper, he pushed until I felt his pelvis press
against my butt cheeks. His fingers were embedded in my vagina. I felt utterly
possessed as he filled every empty place in my body and soul.

“So full. So full,” I muttered.

“I’m going to mark every part of you, baby.” With those
words, he bit into my shoulder and started to move his hips. It hurt at first,
but I was soon overwhelmed by the forbidden pleasure growing in my anal passage.
My own hips were gyrating against him, drawing out hoarse groans.

One hand held my hips steady, but the other was constantly
moving. Twisting my nipples. Plucking my engorged clit. Pushing into my pussy,
making Jake’s cock seem impossibly huge in my anus. I didn’t even notice the
sting of his teeth as he bit harder.

“Jake! Please, faster.”

His thrusts increased in intensity, his groin slapping
against my backside. He let go of my shoulder and laved the sting. His fingers
circled my swollen clit. “Come. Come now, baby.”

At his harsh command, my body shattered. I shook
uncontrollably. My cries rang in my head as every muscle seized in pleasure.

I heard his shout behind me and then a black veil came
across my eyes. I let the eye of the storm consume me, dragging me into its
rapturous darkness.

“Baby, wake up.” Kisses peppered my face.

My eyes fluttered open to see Jake’s concerned face. He
sighed in relief.

“What happened?” My voice sounded weak.

“You blacked out from your orgasm.” There was an unmistakable
note of cockiness in his voice.

I closed my eyes, too tired to deal with his smugness. I whined
in protest when I felt him pick me up.

“Shower, then sleep, baby.” He kissed me.

I was too tired to argue. He cleaned both of us without any
help from me. If he didn’t prop me up, I would have melted into a puddle and
slipped down the drain. He hastily dried us and then took me back to his bed,
tucking me into his side.

“I love you, baby.”

I looked into his beautiful aquamarine eyes. “I love you,
too. More than you could imagine.”

He kissed my lips and smiled. “I doubt it, baby.”

I wanted to disagree, but my eyes were already drooping
closed.

The next morning, I woke up and rubbed my eyes. I frowned
when I noticed something foreign on my finger.

I gaped at the monster cushion cut diamond on my left hand.
It must have been at least eight carats and was so shiny
,
it blinded me
.

“
Eeep
.”

“I hope that’s a yes.”

I was speechless as I met Jake’s eyes.
Was that nervousness I saw?

My heart overflowed with love.

“Will you marry me, Cora
Branton
,
and make me the happiest man in the world?”

There could only be one answer.

“YES! YES!” I screamed and threw myself at him. “I love
you!”

“I love you more.” He tumbled me onto my back and kissed me
tenderly.