You’re Mine (Crave and Claimed #6)

Chapter Eight

George knew Anna-Beth was nervous. He’d been working on several other emails and projects as she looked through the stack of ideas presented to his company since he put out the silent call.

He’d been discreet as he didn’t want other large firms to know what he was doing. By the time they were aware, and hoped to copy, he wanted to be so strong, no one could rival them.

Every now and then, he glanced over to see that she’d placed the files into three different groups. She was dressed in one of her signature dresses, she’d already toed off her sneakers, and her feet were underneath her ass on his sofa.

Last night, he’d spent most of it making love and fucking her. He needed to get her out from under his skin, and the only way to do that was to fuck it right out. At least, that was his theory.

He didn’t like the guilt crashing over him at the thought of what her brother and parents were doing. They didn’t understand her, and he hated that they’d put this seed of doubt in her mind and made it impossible for her to believe in herself. That made him hate them even more.

George didn’t recall ever having a care for anyone else, but there was something about Anna-Beth. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but she made him want to care. When he tried to think of her marrying someone else, or at the very least being forced to marry someone else, he felt angry. There was no way he could allow those thoughts to fester.

Anna-Beth finished with the files and he was about to ask her, when she picked up one of the piles and started to read through them.

She didn’t stop for lunch, and by three, he was ready to break, but then she got to her feet and stretched. “I’m done.”

George got up from behind his desk. “Why three piles?”

“Simple, these are definite ‘no’s. Some of them, are just … no good, others are actually using other people’s technology but calling it their own. These are the ‘yes’ pile, because some of their ideas are incredible. And this is where I would need to see and talk to them.”

“Why?”

“Their proposals are good, but not great, so now it’s about getting to know the person behind it.” She nibbled her lip and then he watched as she seemed to withdraw into herself. “I mean, for you to look at. You don’t have to believe me. This is just what I would do and I don’t know anything.”

He banded an arm around her waist and pulled her in close. To silence her, he kissed her hard, tracing his tongue across her bottom lip. “Stop with the doubt.”

“George, what if I mess this up? What if I get it all wrong?”

Staring into her eyes, he didn’t know why but his gut was telling him there was no way she could mess this up.

“How about I put the call to the first person on the ‘maybe’ pile, and we have them come in today?”

“Today?”

“Yes, and then maybe you’d stop doubting yourself so much.”

There went the nibbling lip again. He reached out and cupped her cheek, using his thumb to pull her lip from between her teeth. “Stop being so nervous. There is only going to be one way for us to find out, and it’s not going to be by standing here worrying about it. So far, we’ve not invested anything other than your time this morning and this afternoon. If you were back at my home, you’d be cooking dinner or dusting. What do you say?”

She took a deep breath, but he still saw the nerves. “You’re right. Of course, you’re right. I don’t even know why I am so worried.” She forced a laugh, and he kissed the top of her head.

He moved to his desk and put the call through to his assistant to set up the meeting, from the name on the first file. A quick glance down and he frowned, seeing it was a food truck.

“A food truck?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“A lot of people love great food, and if they are as good as they claim, then I have no doubt it could be successful.”

George kept the smile on his lips, but he had his doubts. The food truck, for him, would have been on the “no” pile. This was not a good way to start.

His assistant came back less then ten minutes later and said they would be arriving in twenty minutes. He got her to organize the conference room.

Anna-Beth was nervous, and if he was being honest, so was he. This was probably not a good idea. He was starting to see what her parents and brother saw, and maybe Anna-Beth was right.

“Do you want to see the others I thought might be good ideas?” she asked.

“After we deal with this one.”

He saw her shoulders slump.

Anna-Beth pulled out of his arms, and George walked back to his desk. He couldn’t help but keep glancing up at her as she worked on her cell phone.

He didn’t know how he could be so wrong about this. She’d shown an eye for talent, and while she’d been looking through the files, he’d done his research. Every single company she invested in was doing exceedingly well. She was a silent partner.

The twenty-minute wait was over way too fast, and George walked with Anna-Beth into the conference room, and the smells were incredible. He wasn’t expecting the men to turn up with food, even though it was a food truck idea.

Introductions were made, and he watched Anna-Beth talk, and then it came to the testing of the food. George was going to decline, but he watched as Anna-Beth started to taste.

The slumped shoulders changed and he saw the smile in her eyes, that sparkle he’d seen when she was talking about the companies she had helped.

He decided to try, and with one taste he was blown away. The traveling food truck had so many ideas for all through the year, from special menu ideas to seasonal, and they had even set up a social media presence.

Before long, he listened to Anna-Beth, and then he was irritated with himself for having a moment of doubt about her.

His initial assessment was right. Anna-Beth thought outside the box. She saw talent where others didn’t. He wouldn’t have even considered this an investment, and yet, listening to them all talk, he saw the value of it.

****

Anna-Beth knew George regretted his decision to allow her to go through his files. She wouldn’t tell a soul, even if he did fire her, not that he’d hired her.

The two men, father and son, had been working on this idea, but the biggest problem was they didn’t have the initial start-up to purchase a van. Anna-Beth knew, if George told them no, she’d give them the money before they had even left. She wouldn’t be able to give them George’s company name, but she’d help them any way she could. The food was amazing, and their ideas refreshing as well as exciting. They knew in a constant change of market, they needed to keep up-to-date. By constantly changing their menus and bringing back old staples, they would be a huge hit.

She could see people getting excited at the prospect of them hitting their city or town. They were not interested in just serving cities, but going urban, and she loved that idea.

Much to Anna-Beth’s surprise, George offered them a contract, as well as the funds to get up and running. He even asked them to consider when they could get started. The excitement in the room was humming, and they shook hands with the agreement to come back tomorrow to start talking contracts.

George took her hand and walked her back to his office. She let go and spun around. “Oh, my, did you see the looks on their faces? They are so happy.”

He flicked the lock on the door and turned back toward her.

“George?”

He advanced toward her, and then reached out, cupping her face, and tilting her head back.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“I’m confused. Are you not going to help them?”

“Oh, I am going to help them, but I am sorry for doubting you.”

She smiled. “I knew you were doubting me. See, now you know how my parents and brother feel.”

He shook his head. “They don’t have any right to feel that way, just as I don’t.” He kissed her lips. “I was right, Anna-Beth, you do see talent in places others do not. That is a gift.”

“I see possibilities.”

“And others only look at the large market line. The big bucks. You have this way of seeing past that.”

“I guess not following in my parents’ footsteps has helped. Where Malcolm was raised by my parents, they gave me to nannies.”

He kissed her again, and she didn’t want to talk about her parents or brother, instead, she just wanted to be in George’s arms. He walked her back and she followed his lead, until her butt hit the edge of the desk.

She let out a gasp as he suddenly lifted her and pushed her dress up at the same time. She wore panties, but that didn’t stop her from feeling the cold of his wooden desk against her ass.

“Have I told you how much I love that you wear dresses?” he asked, putting a hand straight over her pussy.

She closed her eyes, as she felt him grip the gusset of her panties, and then tug. The flimsy fabric was no match for his strength as he tore it from her body. He pressed his palm against her pussy, sliding two fingers through her slit. Grazing across her clit, he made her moan his name before moving down. He pressed two fingers inside her, then pulled up, going back in deep, right to the knuckle.

“You’re so wet and so tight.”

“Please,” she said.

“Do you want my cock?”

“Yes.”

“You’ll get it, but first, you’re going to have to come all over my fingers.” He pushed two fingers inside her, and then his thumb pressed against her clit.

She cried out as he began to tease her while fucking her with his fingers. She closed her eyes.

“No, look at me.” George stopped touching her, and she opened her eyes. The moment she stared into his, he began to play with her clit once again. The temptation to close her eyes and get lost in the sensation was so strong, but she controlled herself. She didn’t have much choice because she loved what he was doing and didn’t want him to stop.

It didn’t take long, just several strokes of his thumb, and her peak was already building. She expected George to tease her some more, but he threw her over the edge into an orgasm that surprised her.

She couldn’t believe she had just had her release on top of his desk. Before her orgasm had even subsided, George began to fill her. She’d been so lost in her orgasm she hadn’t heard him open his pants, but the moment his cock started to thrust inside her, she knew she was in Heaven.

“Fuck, you feel good.”

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him she loved him, but she held back, refusing to tell him. The last thing she wanted to do was spoil what they had. Anna-Beth knew it wasn’t going to. Reality would set in, and George would move on.