Chapter 18
KARA
I hooked the clasp closed on the sexy black bra Shawn had unknowingly bought me, letting it give me some satisfaction. A matching bra and underwear made me feel pulled together, like I could channel some man-eating runway model.
Shawn Fucking Dunn. He’d walked out on me last night, after feeling me up in front of the entire restaurant, leaving my head spinning. He wanted me. Not just sexually but everything, and I wanted him, too.
There was no denying him, and I no longer wanted to deny him.
What was wrong with me?
God, just thinking about his kiss flooded me with heat. How could I want more, when half of what he said was pure manipulation? Why did I like this?
It probably only made me more desirable to him when I said he couldn’t have me. Nothing was off limits to him.
My suit in place, I put on the red heels. I wouldn’t let him ruin them for me. I’d take back as much as I could from him, including these bizarre feelings I wanted to go away.
The drive to the brewery was short and anxiety-inducing.
The impressive front building had an old-world, classic Bavarian exterior, with a large lawn sloping up to the grand front entrance.
The Osterh?gen logo in the top corner was quietly elegant.
Markus drove past the first building to the more generic offices beside the massive brewery and pointed to a glass door.
“Your appointment, Frau Hayward.”
Inside the office lobby, a practical-looking woman in her fifties waited by the receptionist counter with a stack of paperwork in one arm. “Kara Hayward?”
I nodded and extended a hand toward the woman.
She shook it quickly and began to move, encouraging me to walk beside her. “My name is Diana Heineburr. You can put your things at your desk, and then I’ll give you the tour. It’s this way.”
I hesitated. “I’m sorry, did you say ‘your desk’?”
“Yes, project managers usually have their own office, but we’re scrambling to find a space for you right now. It’s temporary. Is that going to be a problem?”
It was a thousand degrees in the room. She looked surprised when she turned a corner and realized I wasn’t following her.
“That bastard,” I muttered. “Forgive me. I was under the impression this was an interview. Is that not the case?”
“No, you already had an interview with . . .” She searched the paperwork. “Oh.”
“With Shawn Fucking Dunn.”
She glanced around nervously, checking to see if anyone else had heard me. Everything went red and silent as rage threatened to overtake me.
Breathe. Calm down.
When I opened my eyes, Diana was staring at me like I had two heads.
“Where is he?” I demanded.
“Who? The CEO?”
Normally, I’d never be able to get to him, but I had a major advantage. “No, Jason Dunn. I need to speak with him right away.”
A half-hour later I stepped off the elevator and marched toward a set of glass doors. Beyond them sat a half wall and a desk with a young, elegant man perched behind it. This had to be Shawn’s assistant.
There was another set of glass doors behind the man that led into an enormous office decorated with blacks and grays.
I grasped the cold chrome handle and pulled the main door open, and when I glanced left to right, I noticed there were other offices on either side of Shawn’s, probably the rest of upper management. That hadn’t really figured into the plan forming in my head.
But I was a problem solver. I’d figure it out. I charged past the assistant, who hadn’t made it out of his seat until I put a sweaty hand on Shawn’s office door and yanked it open.
I kept my breathing steady as my gaze swept the space and took it all in.
The formidable black desk, or the man seated behind it, might have been the focal point, but it was the wall of glass beyond that I found the most impressive. It had a view of the entire brewery floor and its copper-colored vats.
I ignored the protests of the assistant following me and stalked toward Shawn until I was standing dead center of the room.
His head drew up at the commotion and locked eyes with me, and those eyes widened with recognition. He dismissed his assistant instantly.
Shawn was wearing a similar cut of suit from yesterday but with a red tie. How fitting. It matched my shoes and my fury perfectly.
For the first time, he didn’t look pleased to see me. His face was cold. Professional. This was his business, the apex of his empire, and he did not enjoy how I’d surprised him.
His eyebrows tugged together. “How?”
He was asking how I’d made it past security and onto the private elevator. I tried to mimic the arrogant smile he sometimes gave me. “I’m not sure if you’re aware, but my brother-in-law is the head of security.”
He scowled momentarily, before his cold professional demeanor snapped back in place. “I understand you’re upset, but we’ll have to discuss this later. I’m working.”
This was a new version, Corporate Shawn. It didn’t faze me in the slightest. I kept it even and controlled so he wouldn’t have me removed. “This will only take a minute. Is there somewhere we can talk in private?”
He didn’t say anything. His hand moved to click a remote, and the glass on the three walls frosted in an instant, leaving only the balcony overlooking the brewery clear.
“I have a meeting in fifteen minutes.”
“They can’t see us?” I asked, glancing out the clear glass.
“No, that one is mirrored.” He gave me an impatient look. “What is it?”
Fantastic.
He’d left me completely off balance, and the time had come for me to return the favor. I stripped off my suit jacket and tossed it on one of the empty chairs in front of his desk. My shaky but determined hands clutched the hem of my shirt and lifted it up over my head, exposing my black lace bra.
Technically his, but it was on my body.
He was on his feet in an instant, confused, wanting to stop me.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Panic swept across Corporate Shawn’s face.
“Sit down!” I commanded.
I undid the zipper and stepped out of the skirt, so I was all lingerie and red high heels. It was cold in the spacious office yet warm under his gaze. A smug smile burned across my lips when he sank back onto the massive leather chair, too bewildered to do otherwise.
He thought he could control me? Think again. All the power in this room was mine.
I took a few calculated steps around the desk until it was between us no more and he could see the red shoes he liked. I would have thought being scantily clad would have made me shy, but instead it made me bold.
“Why are you out of breath, Herr Dunn?” I used the sultriest voice I had.
“Kara, I have to be at that meeting.” The rich brown eyes ringed with caramel begged me, and I relished it, savoring his discomfort. I was going to make it much worse for him.
My hands fell on the armrests of his chair and I leaned over, letting his gaze linger on my breasts that threatened to spill out of the lace. His breathing was hurried, uneven, and I could see his pulse pounding in his neck.
I folded one leg, then another, and knelt between his knees. Even in this position, I was still in complete control.
He made a half-hearted attempt to push my hands away when I reached for his belt.
“So go to your meeting,” I said casually. “No one’s stopping you.”
He was too conflicted to move, allowing me to undo his buckle and unzip his pants. He didn’t try to resist when I grasped the waistband of his underwear and tugged the front down, exposing him.
“Oh, fuck,” he groaned as I closed my fist around his already half-hard dick. I tightened my grip and stroked, and one pump was all it took for him to jerk to full attention.
He grew harder still when I leaned in and swiped my tongue across his tip.
“I can be late.” His voice was tight and quick.
I would have smiled, but instead I parted my lips and slid him into my mouth as far as I could take him. His skin was soft, yet he was hard as steel beneath. I ringed my fingers at the base, holding him steady, and began to move. I bobbed my head, making him wetter with my saliva on each pass.
It caused German to spill from his lips. I had no idea what he was saying, but it wasn’t angry.
It was impossible not to imagine what we’d look like if his assistant were to walk in right now. Me wearing a barely-there black bra and panties, along with my scarlet shoes, while I was on my knees and servicing the almost entirely dressed CEO.
When I swirled my tongue over the ridge of his dick, he moaned and threaded a hand into my hair.
Not to rule me, but to guide and encourage.
His fingers traced down my neck, and I felt the elastic band of my bra go slack.
It slipped down to my elbows, and I let it fall to the floor, too focused on what I was doing.
But going down on him wasn’t without its side effects. Heat pooled inside my body, making a muscle deep between my legs clench. I tried not to think about it or the desire this act created.
His breathing quickened to match my pace when I went faster. I had to gauge his reaction carefully because I was intent on bringing him right to the edge. He enjoyed getting my body to respond to him when I didn’t want it to. Now I’d return the favor. I wanted him as insane with need as he made me.
It wouldn’t be long now.
I shifted angles, and he moaned again, a desperate cry followed by a hiss when I skimmed my teeth over him. It was subtle, but I could feel him tremble.
“You’re going to make me come,” he warned through clenched teeth.
I snatched the bra up, pulled myself to my feet and again leaned over him, my bare breasts dangling in his face. I let my words echo what he’d said when he’d pinned me to that hotel room wall. “I want this to be fair.”
My mind hummed with satisfaction as I stepped back, leaving him disoriented and unfulfilled. My traitor body, though, was less pleased. It ached with need for his touch and his kiss.