Chapter 10
I walked down the hall, ignoring the stares coming from the offices to the left and right. The trench coat was out of place in the warm summer weather, but the frigid AC made me instinctively tighten the belt. I stopped at the end of the hall and rapped my knuckles on the wood.
“Come in,” Leonard barked.
With a smile plastered on my face, I pushed inside.
“What?” the CEO demanded, not looking up from his computer screen.
The lock clicking into place made him sit up straighter. His gaze snapped to me, and those black eyes widened.
“I believe you ordered lunch in today,” I said, hoping I sounded sultry and not silly. While I wasn’t a virgin, I wasn’t a sex goddess either.
“What did I order?” Leonard closed the lid on his laptop and pushed his chair back slightly.
Crossing the distance, I unknotted the belt. The coat fell open and the cold air instantly hardened my bare nipples.
“Something delicious, I see,” he mused, rubbing his chin.
Good. He was playing along. I stopped in front of his desk. “Where are we eating?”
He patted his lap. “Here, little author.”
With slow, pointed steps, I moved into his grasp.
“I think I want you to eat first,” Leonard said, the challenge clear in his voice. He didn’t believe I would do it. Other girls balked at the prospect of using their mouths.
I had been one of them, but now the right person was here. I wanted to devour him. I craved the idea of having that power over him.
Heat simmered bright black in his gaze as he watched me. I dropped to my knees and reached for his belt.
The air in his office seemed to grow thick with tension as I worked at his belt. Leonard’s breath hitched when my fingers brushed against him through the fabric of his pants. His hand came down to cradle my cheek, tilting my face up to meet his gaze.
I freed him from his confines, relishing his sharp intake of breath as I wrapped my fingers around him. The power I felt in that moment was intoxicating—this man who commanded boardrooms and bought companies was at my mercy.
“Anna,” he groaned as I lowered my head, taking him into my mouth.
He was smooth against my tongue, and I swallowed his length. In and out, suctioning tight, I claimed his pleasure. Between my legs, the nerves tingled in anticipation. I lost myself in the taste of him, in the sounds he made, in the way his muscles tensed beneath my touch.
His hands tangled in my hair, guiding but not forcing as I established a rhythm. The soft sounds of pleasure he made spurred me on, making me bolder. I looked up through my lashes, wanting to see his face as I pleasured him.
Leonard’s expression was one of pure intensity—jaw tight, eyes hooded but focused entirely on me. The control he usually maintained was slipping, and knowing I was the cause sent a thrill through me.
“Enough,” he growled suddenly, pulling me up. In one fluid motion, he cleared a space on his desk. “My turn.”
He pushed the coat from my shoulders, leaving me completely bare on the cool surface of his desk. His hands roamed my body with reverent hunger, tracing every curve as if memorizing them.
“Beautiful,” he murmured, slipping his fingers between my legs.
I gasped at the contact. A pleasure rushed to meet him. His breathing was ragged, his eyes hooded with desire. With a swift movement, he lifted me onto his desk.
“I need to be inside you,” he whispered.
His mouth found my breast, tongue circling my nipple while his hand slid between my legs. I gasped, arching into his touch as he explored me with knowing fingers.
“Already so wet for me,” he murmured against my skin.
I clutched at his shoulders, unable to form coherent thoughts as he worked me toward the edge. Just when I thought I couldn't take anymore, he withdrew his hand.
“Condom,” I managed to say.
Leonard reached into his desk drawer, extracting a foil packet. As he rolled it on, I took in the sight of him—his crisp white shirt still buttoned but rumpled.
His pristine suit contrasted with his state of arousal, and I found it utterly erotic—this powerful man disheveled because of me. He positioned himself between my legs, eyes locked with mine as he entered me with one smooth thrust.
I gasped, my back arching as he filled me completely. The edge of the desk pressed against my thighs as he established a rhythm, each movement deliberate and controlled despite the passion burning in his eyes.
“You’re mine,” he growled, his hands gripping my hips.
“Yes,” I breathed, not caring at that moment about anything beyond the connection between us.
The pendant he’d given me bounced against my collarbone with each thrust, a reminder of the growing bond between us—a bond that went far beyond my original intentions.
Leonard’s pace quickened, his control slipping as pleasure built between us. I wrapped my legs around his waist and held him close. The rhythm intensified. His hands gripped my hips with bruising force, anchoring me to the desk as he drove into me. The sound of our breathing, heavy and desperate, filled the office.
“Look at me,” he commanded, and I obeyed, meeting his gaze.
Something passed between us in that moment—something beyond physical pleasure, beyond the game I’d started. I reached up to touch his face, my thumb tracing his bottom lip as he continued to move within me.
“Leonard,” I gasped as the tension built inside me, threatening to break.
“Let go for me,” he urged, his voice rough with need.
I shattered in his arms, pleasure washing over me in overwhelming waves. He followed moments later. His powerful frame tensing as he groaned my name against my neck. For several heartbeats, we remained locked together, our breathing ragged in the quiet office.
Leonard pressed his forehead against mine, a small smile playing at his lips. “That was an excellent lunch.”
A laugh bubbled up from my chest, breaking the intensity of the moment. He carefully separated us, helping me down from the desk with surprising tenderness. As I gathered my coat, I felt his eyes on me.
“You're wearing it again,” he observed, his finger brushing the golden book pendant. “Do you only wear it when you come over?”
“Actually, I haven’t taken it off,” I admitted, the word carrying more weight than I intended. Four weeks, four beautiful weeks, and I’d worn it the whole time.
Something shifted in his expression—a softening, a vulnerability I hadn’t seen before.
“I want the world to know you’re mine,” he whispered, leaning down to taste my pulse.
He had to feel how wildly it beat, but it wasn’t from the intensity of the orgasm. This was it. We were in a good spot. But the future—
“There’s things we need to talk about,” I gulped.
Leonard pulled back and studied me. “I’m listening.”
Right there, the openness I saw in his expression, it hit me. I could lose Leonard. One wrong move and this was over.
Suddenly, it wasn’t about sticking it to my parents. It was all the secrets I kept. How would he react when he learned who and what I was? I didn’t want him to run.
“I’m scared,” I whispered.
“Anna,” he murmured. His lips pressed gently against mine. “There’s nothing you can say that will make me feel differently.”
I wish that were true. “I can’t do this right now, not like this.”
To emphasize, I tightened my legs around his waist.
“I have a meeting, but then we can go anywhere you want.” He smoothed my hair back. “Navy Pier? Five o’clock?”
I nodded. I had hours to figure out the right words.