Chapter 10
CHAPTER 10
S ebastian
My God.
I was as aroused as I’d ever been in my life.
Perhaps there was something to be said when a beautiful woman was dropped into your arms. But the woman who now had her hands planted on my chest, her ass in my lap wasn’t just any girl. Yes, she was stunning, so much so my cock had felt a continuous ache for several days, including when she’d stood in my office defying me.
No, this girl was danger wrapped up in a seductive velvet blanket. The barbarian inside of me wanted to unwrap her like the perfect Christmas gift, enjoying her luscious body all over again. The other part remained irritated at myself for such a lack of judgment.
She was sitting squarely on my dick, which was hard as a rock.
My hunger was off the charts, my mind shifting into filthy notions that could bring a sexual harassment lawsuit. At that moment, my gut told me it would be worth every difficulty faced.
“Are you okay, Ms. Taylor?” I gripped Kacey’s arms, keeping her from falling in between my legs. My brother shot me a look of amusement. He was enjoying the hell out of this.
The bastard.
“I’m… I’m fine.” She pushed away, her eyes reflecting the horror of what had just occurred. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt you, Mr. Winfield.”
“You didn’t.” So we were playing that game. She wanted no one to know of our… connection. I allowed myself to gaze down the length of her. She was dressed in a tight mini skirt with a top that accentuated her luscious breasts. I’d condemned myself for thinking about her in an inappropriate way at the office, but this was after hours. Enjoying the view wasn’t forbidden.
At least not in my rule book.
She brushed her hands down her skirt before tangling her fingers in her long hair. I could tell she was nervous around me. When she threw my brother a wary look, I cleared my throat. “Steven, this is my new assistant, Kacey Taylor. Kacey, this is my brother. Also known as a pain in my ass.”
“Financial analyst,” she corrected as she’d done with me several times. Her continued defiance only made me want her that much more.
“Forgive my brother. He’s more like a caveman. It’s nice to meet you, Kacey. Be careful working with my brother. He’s a bit of a ball buster.” Steven winked.
“And I’m Stephanie Wise.” The girl stuck her hand out to my brother first, her eyes concentrating on him.
Meanwhile, Kacey acted bored, but I could sense she was annoyed with the situation.
“Very nice to meet you, Stephanie,” Steven said. I’ll be damned if he didn’t bring her hand to his lips.
“Well, a true gentleman.”
“Don’t bet on it,” Kacey whispered, but I caught it.
Kacey stuck out her hand in front of her friend, gripping my brother’s firmly. “So I’ve heard from just about everyone, but I assure you, I’m quite capable of handling him. I’m sorry for the interruption, gentlemen. Please, do enjoy the rest of your evening.”
She pivoted on her heels, leaving abruptly, and that caveman my brother had mentioned burst to the surface, allowing me to feel the same hunger I’d experienced when seeing her in the hotel bar.
“That was interesting,” Steven said, laughing at me as he lifted his drink. “Stephanie is one hot mama.”
“Why interesting?”
“You tell me. It’s obvious the two of you have chemistry. Or maybe a little history? And that girl had fuck-me eyes. But I could definitely go for taking Stephanie out for a spin. How about we do a double date?”
“Over my dead body.”
“That could be arranged.”
I grunted my response before bringing my glass to my lips. The whiskey had a smoky taste, the slight burn on the back of my throat exactly what I needed. Still, I almost detected a lingering taste of her on my tongue. What I wouldn’t like to do with that tongue at this point. “She said she hates me with her venomous eyes, which is perfectly fine. She’s already a thorn in my side. And don’t be so melodramatic.”
I’d been shocked when she’d stood up for the girl who’d tossed coffee on me. She had great nerve.
“I call them like I see them,” he chortled just before a spark went off in his eyes. “Hold on. Taylor. Why do I know that name?”
I swirled the liquid in the glass, trying to determine the best way to answer that. My brother had an uncanny ability to see through every lie I told. “Because she’s Daniel Taylor’s daughter.”
“Oh,” he said then glanced toward where they’d gone. “Oh! Did her dad ask you to hire her?”
“Not exactly.”
“Uh-oh. Why do I feel like there’s a story here?”
“Because there is.”
Steven leaned forward, his eyes opening wide after only a few seconds. “Oh, my God. Please do not tell me you slept with that girl.”
Saying no wasn’t going to make the situation any easier. “Yeah, I did. Trust me. I didn’t know who she was at the time.”
“And you hired her after you found out?”
“My human resources manager hired her under Drake’s direction.”
He coughed on his drink and was forced to use his cocktail napkin. “I always knew the gods had it out for you. Are you actually going to continue working with her?”
“Why wouldn’t I? She has excellent qualifications.”
“As an assistant or as a financial analyst?” He was more amused than before.
The fact was Kacey was highly qualified for the job. Her boss was none too thrilled she was leaving. I’d had an hour-long conversation about her and it was apparent she’d done a lion’s share of work at his company, including locating a source of embezzlement within his firm. Yet he’d sensed a story hiding under the glowing review. She’d left for a reason she didn’t want to talk about. Everyone had secrets, some uglier than others.
“I was right in hiring her.”
He grinned as if I’d been caught in a lie. “Not bad on the eyes either. Huh? Are you planning on indulging in the forbidden during her tenure?”
“Not a chance in hell. Daniel would kill me.” I knew he would.
“I’d kill you if I was her dad.” He laughed and shook his head. “She’s a hottie though.”
“Don’t you dare try and lay a finger on her.” I was a little more adamant than I should have been, and my brother caught it. We’d always been close, enough so I’d wanted him to enter into business with me, but he wasn’t keen on keeping a strong work ethic. He was a playboy, a true trust fund baby, while I’d invested both my time and money into the company.
“You like this girl. I can tell. Don’t you dare lie to me.”
I snorted and looked the other way. One drink wasn’t going to be enough tonight. That was easy to tell. “She’s my employee. Nothing more. Plus, I told her she must follow my rules at all times.”
“Right. If I remember correctly, your rules are difficult to follow and a little out of the ordinary. As in kinky as fuck.”
My brother knew me too well. We’d gone to kink clubs together over the years. “Not like that.”
“One thing I know about you. When you set your sights on something or someone, you go after it and never lose.”
“Yeah, well, she’s not a prize.” She was very much a prize. “End of subject. I can’t touch her.”
“O-kay. If you can convince yourself.”
“So why exactly did you ask me out for a drink?” While I was close with my younger brother, we weren’t exactly drinking buddies. We had entirely different sets of priorities.
“Our father called and had me drop by the house.”
I narrowed my eyes. Our father wasn’t the warmest of men and abhorred the way Steven had ruined his life. Our father’s words, not mine. “Why? Changing his will?”
He laughed, but the sound was bitter. “I have no doubt about that.”
“What did he want? Let me guess, a favor.”
“Yep. He’s worried about you. He mentioned you’re working too hard. All work and no play kind of thing.”
“Dad is only worried I’ll smear our good name through the mud. I work a lot. So what?”
“So how is business in the airplane field anyway?”
My glare was harsh. “It’s more than just airplanes. It’s living the luxury lifestyle.”
“Yeah. Yeah. Whatever. You should know about that. Is something going on inside the company? I ask because you look more stressed than normal.”
My brother was many things including being a terrible liar.
“And because dear ole Dad mentioned something. Right?”
“He might have,” Steven said, trying his best to act like it wasn’t any big deal. My father had never wanted me to go into the aeronautical business even though it was all I could talk about as a kid. I’d built a hundred or more airplane models, reading every aviation book. I’d studied engineering hoping to be an aeronautical engineer.
I learned quickly I wasn’t cut out for that kind of thing, almost flunking out of the program. That’s when I’d switched to a double major in business administration with a heavy emphasis on accounting and marketing.
Almost the exact path Kacey had been on.
Chuckling, I motioned for the bartender. I’d been right about the drink. “Of course he did. We’re losing business and honestly, I don’t know why the clients are walking away. Yes, we had some production issues left over from a few years ago, but they’ve been cleared up at this point. Every project has run smoothly yet profits are down, clients attempting to renegotiate contracts and one asshole determined not to honor his. I don’t know what to make of it. Unless our main competitor is using extortion to take away our business. That’s entirely possible.”
I thought about my conversation with Francis. He’d seemed nervous as if someone was breathing down his neck. Maybe a quick trip to New York could prove helpful on two fronts.
The thought brought another wave of desire. I could use Kacey’s help. Maybe even take her advice about being nice.
“Have you talked to Drake about it?”
“Endlessly. We’ve gone over numbers, boosted our marketing campaigns, and now we have a couple trips to try and bolster the sense of teamwork.”
Steven rubbed his jaw. “Any money stolen?”
“Not that I can find.”
“Trade secrets?”
“That could be possible. But there are only a few top executives who have access to our plans.”
“Then you know what they say, brother. When things are going south within a company, it usually starts from the top down. I’d go after your competitor with both barrels.”
“Yeah, maybe I’ll do that. Why haven’t you come to work for me?”
“You know why. I’d never work for you, bro. With you? Maybe, but not now. I just think you need to delve deeper into what’s going on.”
Steven had always been a free spirit. He was doing his best to throw away his trust money on parties and chicks. He was so damn intelligent that even I was ready to chastise him for wasting his life.
“What are you getting at?” I polished off my drink, slamming the glass down with a hard thud. I’d honestly been thinking the same thing, but was eager to have my brother’s take on it. The guy was brilliant, just incapable of utilizing his God-given talent.
“Don’t shoot the messenger. How well do you know and trust that partner of yours?”
A snort left my throat. “Well enough to know he’s capable of anything, but I trust him. Why?”
“Have you confronted him about your suspicions with regard to the competition?”
“Not yet. I need proof. If the employees or our competition know there’s any strife within or company, our stocks will take a tumble.”
“Understood.”
Steven really was a terrible liar, although he had a point. I couldn’t rest on my laurels. Not when billions were at stake.
“Let me guess what this is really about. He asked you to convince me into working side by side.”
Steven shrugged. “Yeah. He even offered me a significant incentive. The house in Aspen.”
I laughed. My kid brother adored the house, not because of the foundation or well-designed A-frame, but because of the snow bunnies he’d met and fucked during family vacations. How many times had I covered for him when he’d snuck out of the house? “Did you agree?”
“I’m thinking about it.” He rolled his eyes. “We’d kill each other in six months. I know better than to come work for a tyrant.”
“Why does everyone think of me as a tyrant?”
“Because you are. You are the most hardheaded man I know and you demand perfection.”
“Okay, fine. Whatever. What did you tell Pops?”
“That I’d check on you. What was I supposed to say to the man?”
“How about no?”
“Um-hmm. I have a thought you probably won’t like. The timing of Kacey just appearing on your doorstep is interesting. Don’t you think?” He had one eyebrow lifted.
“What are you thinking, that she’s a ringer?”
“Stranger things have occurred in shady business deals. You did say Drake insisted you have an assistant.”
Yes, he had. “I hadn’t thought of it that way.” I sat back, mulling over the idea. Was it even possible she was being used, or worse, that she was employed by someone, possibly Drake, to try to bring me to my knees?
“Maybe you should. If Drake knows you the way I do, then he learned your weaknesses long ago. If he’s as ruthless as you are, he stored them away and will use them to his benefit. Your big mistake is that you didn’t do the same with him.”
Snorting, I looked everywhere but directly at my brother. Because he was partially right. “I know what makes Drake tick.”
“Perhaps he has the upper hand right now. Whatever the case, if you decide to fuck the lovely Ms. Taylor again, keep it on the downlow. You know what I mean.”
“I get it, but I’m not fucking her.”
“In that case, maybe that’s where Kacey can come in handy.”
“Keep going.”
“Well, she’s new and she’ll be involved in training. Right? You can use her to your advantage, learning at the same time if she’s dirty coming in or not. Have her spend some time with Drake. See how he handles it and if he’s up front with sharing information. If she’s analyzing the books, give her access to emails. See if she determines your current clients are being poached. My guess is you might be able to lead her in the right direction and she’ll run with it. She certainly seems to have your number. Make her report to you every day. Trust me, with your tenacious and grumpy ass attitude, you’ll break her quickly.” He laughed and lifted his glass in time to finish it as the bartender was placing two fresh ones in front of us.
“Very funny. And I’m not grumpy.” But he had a point. With a fresh pair of eyes and her level of determination, she could quite possibly turn out to be a damn good ringer for me instead of whoever was attempting a hostile takeover. Now, if she was dirty, I’d enjoy every moment of disciplining her. That would mean spending even longer hours together than I’d originally had planned.
Which also wasn’t a good idea all the way around. However… I could certainly use it to my advantage. I was a bastard after all. My thoughts drifted momentarily to the painting that had arrived earlier in the day. The crate was waiting to be opened, placed in front of the fireplace. I’d stared at it for a long time before turning away.
The reminder of such an incredible night was the last thing I needed.
“I can see your hesitation and I know why, but women have a way of seeing through all the bullshit. As long as you can keep your dick in your pants, maybe you’ll find what you’re looking for.”
“I could kick your ass.”
“But you know I’m right.” He grinned and we sat quietly for a full minute. “You should have seen your smile when Kacey fell into your arms. Good to see and it’s been a very long time.”
“Yeah, well, I had my reasons.”
“How is your ex-wife doing? Still threatening to cut your dick off?”
Ashley had been nothing but difficult since I’d told her I wanted a divorce. We’d grown apart and I had a feeling she’d been having an affair. Not that I could blame her with the long hours I’d worked for years. However, she was doing her best to make my life miserable. We were never meant to be together in the first place.
I’d caved to my father’s wishes, which had been the last straw. Never again.
“I haven’t heard from her in a couple weeks.” Thank God for small favors.
“She’s a troublemaker. I predict her wrath isn’t finished yet.”
“Maybe not, but I’m through with playing games. Time to get busy.”
“Or perhaps time to slide between the sheets with your new forbidden employee.”
While my brother’s laugh filtered all throughout the bar, my thoughts continuously drifted to Kacey.
And all the dark, kinky, and filthy things I wanted to do to her.
Correction. That I would do.