Chapter 5
Lucas
Ilean back in my chair, giving my suit a once-over to check that everything looks presentable. It was not my intention to fuck the new escort that fast, and certainly not while fully clothed in a six-thousand-dollar suit.
But then, I didn’t realize how beautiful she was until she walked in.
Jesus, those eyes. Needy, innocent, and captivating. Whoever taught her to perfect that look deserves a raise; it pushed every button I have and then some.
I picture her on her knees in front of me while I’m on a call, sucking me off while I negotiate million-dollar deals. My cock twitches.
I check my schedule, irritated to see that due to the merger meetings coming up, I barely have any gaps in my day. Certainly no time for another quick fuck before I have to bury myself in contracts.
I wasn’t kidding about the furniture either. I want to have her ride me on every surface in this office.
I clear my throat, running a hand over my tie, berating myself for the direction of my thoughts. I’m forty next year and fantasizing about her like an eighteen-year-old.
Get a grip, Lucas.
I review my calendar again. I have a thousand documents to review before next week, and I haven’t even started on them—legal is gonna have my ass.
Grimacing, I note the time of the in-person reviews I have this afternoon. One is here in Manhattan, the other on the opposite side of the city. I’ll have to take the chopper to get to Barnes Enterprises in time.
I’m not looking forward to that meeting; the CEO is a pain in the fucking ass, and I’m still pissed off as I recall our last encounter.
Rude doesn’t even begin to describe the man.
Opening my laptop, I notice I have an email from him waiting in my inbox, and I click on it. I shake my head, trying to get rid of the intoxicating buzz of sex so I can clear my mind and focus.
But what a way to start the morning.
I skim the email, jaw tightening with irritation. Even after countless discussions where I have painstakingly explained we won’t be able to retain all of his staff after the merger, he’s still demanding impossible severance terms that I can’t agree to.
If Barnes won’t compromise on some of his requests, he’s going to drive his company off a cliff. Ever since this merger was floated, I’ve had a gut feeling it’s the right move. It’ll make me millions of dollars once it’s complete, but I won’t be backed into a corner. Not by anyone.
I close the email, running a hand through my hair as I rise, walking to the hidden closet in the wall, and pressing the concealed panel to open it.
Pulling out a fresh shirt, I drop my jacket over the chair and change, making myself presentable again.
I pull out my cell phone, walk to the enormous glass windows behind my desk, and take the remote from my pocket. At the click of a button, the glass changes from opaque to see-through, and New York City appears in front of me. I inhale deeply as I dial.
“Sterling House, how may I help you?”
“Hi, this is Lucas Crawford. I’d like to speak to Pippa Grooman, please,” I say, as there’s a rustling over the line, a click, and then I hear Pippa’s silken tones through the phone.
“Hi, Mr. Crawford. How has your morning been?”
“Excellent, thank you. She’s hired. Send over the bonus, too. Things got a little heated.”
“I’m delighted to hear it. Is Miss Brooks to your liking, then?”
I stare out at the skyline, imagining how I want to fuck her against the window with the whole city watching.
“Exactly to my liking.”
“Wonderful. If you have any problems, don’t hesitate to call me.”
“Thank you. I will.”
I hang up, lowering the phone and staring out at the city, my thumb stroking over the screen.
My gaze lowers to the cabs and cars far below me. I feel the rippling thrill of danger as I look down at the long drop beneath, my bare toes touching the glass.
I pocket the phone and return to my desk. There are three white folders on it, with the emails and paperwork for the day printed out. I’m a stickler for a hard copy, but I know it drives Beatrice up the wall.
I pick one up, open it, and scan through the latest finance report from Barnes’s CFO, but struggle to concentrate. I’m still lost in that hot little body bent over my desk.
I frown, leaning back in my chair and staring at the door, wondering if I’m making a stupid mistake with this.
A lot of men would judge what I’m doing, paying for sex, and using women for that alone. Lord knows I understand the benefits of a real partnership. Love, marriage—the whole bit. But I tried a real relationship, and it was a monumental disaster.
My nails dig painfully into my palm. I’ve had my heart steamrollered by a woman before, ripped right out of my chest, and speared like a peach on her stiletto heel.
Isn’t this a better way to do it?
Not only do we both know what we’re getting into, but there is nothing complicated about the time I spend with Miss Brooks.
We fuck, she leaves. That’s far simpler than all the games Megan and I played before she found someone better. Years of my life wasted on her, when she always had one foot out the door, waiting for a better offer.
My anger rises at the image of her hateful, tear-stained face explaining how she’d fallen out of love with me, that she ‘hoped I would one day be happy’.
I slam the folder shut, glancing at the door. Maybe I do have time for one more fuck before I leave today.
No. I’m not an animal. I should give the poor girl time to settle in before introducing her to my endless libido.
Sterling House is exactly what I need. No strings, no mess, no fuss, and sex whenever I want it during office hours.
I’ve always liked sex a little too much for one man, and with Amelia Brooks, I can see myself liking it a lot.
I’ve never fucked anyone as tight as she is, hugging my dick like a fucking vice.
I shift in my chair, looking at the spot on my desk where she bent over for me—that glorious blonde hair in a sexy braid over her shoulder, and those full, perfect lips moaning for me.
I imagine stuffing my dick between them, and I frown down at the semi I’m sporting. I have a meeting in less than ten minutes, and I can’t arrive with a hard-on.
This merger had better be worth it.
If Franklin Barnes doesn’t back down today, I’m going to have to seriously consider abandoning the whole venture, and it’s already cost me thousands of dollars in legal fees.
I have two options: either I acquiesce and cripple myself with employment contracts I can’t honor, or we find a compromise.
The problem is that every conversation I’ve had with the guy has been tinged with fury. He doesn’t want to sell; he’s being forced to, and that makes me the evil billionaire coming to fuck up his legacy.
He seems to have missed the part where I save over sixty percent of his workforce from redundancy.
I sigh, rising from my desk and checking the time.
Picking up my phone, I feel a smirk spread over my face as I dial Amelia’s extension.
She might be an escort, but she’s also here to do a job, and I wonder whether she’ll be as useless as the last girl they sent.
Fiona was an enthusiastic fuck, but she didn’t want to do any office work alongside her other duties.
The sex hadn’t been good enough to keep her on for more than a week.
Can’t say the same for the new kid on the block.
“Mr. Crawford’s office.”
“Miss Brooks, can you contact my pilot, please? I’m going to need to fly to my four o’clock this afternoon, and Ray won’t have that on his schedule.”
I wait, expecting uncertainty or hesitation from her, but instead, the response is instant.
“Of course. I’ll call him now. Is there anything else?”
“No. Thank you.” I hang up, a smile spreading over my face.
Anything else. God, the things I want to do to that woman.
I like Amelia already, and I can’t wait to make her a part of my morning routine. Every. Fucking. Day.