5. Lucian
5
LUCIAN
“ S o I come in from lunch, and I find her in Dad’s office, going over my head with this stupid idea for a fucking retreat. Because, I don’t know, we all have to be one big, happy family or some horseshit.” I slammed my glass on the bar after emptying it. “Another, right here!” I shouted to the bartender, who nodded his acknowledgment.
The bar was as busy as usual on a Friday night, which was a shame since I was not in the mood to be patient. What little patience I possessed on a good day had dissolved hours ago.
“Ooh, a corporate retreat.” My cousin, Colton Black, winced like he was in pain because that was the effect corporate retreats had on people. Even I knew that, and I’d hardly been part of the corporate world for more than a handful of weeks.
“I have good news for you.” Dad’s broad smile did nothing to ease the dread that had settled in my bones the second I received his call demanding I come down for a last-minute meeting. How many times had he called me down to his office when there was good news to share? Never. That was how many.
“I can hardly wait to hear it.” I didn’t bother hiding my disinterest as I flopped into a chair before scrubbing my hands over my face, groaning at the way my head pounded. Of all mornings for him to pull his shit, he would choose the morning after a friend from college threw a divorce party. We had closed down the bar, then the after-hours club we’d moved on to.
Once I lowered my hands, I found Dad scowling. “If you’re feeling under the weather, you should’ve told me so.”
“I told you I wasn’t feeling up to this, and you refused to listen.” I barely stifled a yawn for the sake of ending the argument and getting this over with. “I had a long night. Don’t take it personally.”
“At your age, your long nights should be the result of burning the midnight oil. Building something for yourself.”
To think, I dragged my ass out of bed for this, being forced to listen to the same hypocritical song I’d heard so many times. “Can we not do that today? I don’t want to hear it. Why did you need me to come in?”
The second his eyes narrowed, I would’ve sworn a noose tightened around my neck. “Since you seem disinterested in working toward something of your own, I’m naming you Vice-President of our growing digital division now that we’re absorbing the employees from Jones Media.”
And I thought I felt like hell before. A fist closed around my suddenly icy stomach and squeezed until cold sweat coated the back of my neck. “You’re what?” I managed to choke out.
He sighed like the very act of explaining himself was beneath him. “You majored in communications and minored in business administration, yet I haven’t seen you do a thing with your education in the past three years. I’m giving you the chance to prove all that tuition money wasn’t wasted.”
Like he couldn’t afford it. More hypocrisy. My blood started to boil, and I gritted my teeth to contain myself. No wonder he didn’t want to have this conversation somewhere private rather than here at the office. The asshole probably wanted witnesses.
How the fuck was I supposed to know how to run anything? “I don’t want this,” I warned. When was he going to laugh and tell me this was a prank? Why wasn’t he laughing? Sitting behind a desk, wearing a suit, playing nice for the sake of politics, talk about a fucking nightmare. I wanted nothing to do with it.
And he fucking knew that. Hell, I had never made it a secret.
“Remind me when I asked if you want it or not.” He pushed the chair away from the desk and stood, glaring at me with the morning sun streaming in behind him. “You’re taking this position, and you’re going to make something out of yourself. One day, I won’t be here to run things. It’s well past time for you to claim your birthright and learn what it will take to continue the family legacy.”
Miles Young was the newest member of our group. He had come to town to take down his wicked stepfather, Magnus Miller, and was surprised to find the man wasn’t so wicked after all.
Having not been raised around the rest of us, meaning he didn’t know Dad as well as the others, he could maintain a more positive outlook. “Your dad wants to do what’s best for the entire company. And the girl probably wants to make her coworkers feel more comfortable so everybody can work together,” he pointed out. “Culture shock is a real thing.”
“You seem to have blended in pretty well here in the States,” Noah Goldsmith reminded him, referring back to Miles’ life in London before moving out here.
“Yeah, but this was hardly my first trip overseas. I came out here for business many times prior to making the final move. I was a fish out of water during those early visits. It was rather pathetic.” He snickered, raising his glass. “Of course, I worked my ass off to pretend I felt comfortable.”
“Let the girl have her retreat.” Evan Anderson could afford to be dismissive. He had always known what he wanted to do with his future—one of the most driven people I’ve ever met. Valentina made a good match when I looked at it that way. She was just as driven and determined to do exactly what she wanted with her life. Neither of them had ever had to fight to be taken seriously after years of screwing around.
“Sure, she gets her retreat,” I grumbled. “Next thing I know, she’s got my job.”
Colton grunted as if he understood. “So that’s what’s really getting to you? You have to know you’re not in any actual jeopardy.” He nudged me when I wouldn’t look his way, too busy watching the bartender pour me another whiskey. “You know that, right?”
“I didn’t even think you wanted the job,” Evan pointed out. “You always said the last thing you wanted was to end up sitting behind a desk like your dad does.”
“Does that mean sitting back and letting her walk all over me? She’s not going to steal this position,” I vowed, taking a gulp of fresh whiskey and relishing the burning sensation spreading through my chest.
Something about the looks they shared told me I wasn’t getting through. “What?” I demanded, scowling at them.
“Has she told you she wants your job?” Colton asked, leaning forward so I could see him past the bodies of our friends as we sat in a row along the polished bar.
“Oh, right,” I replied, scoffing while the rest of them snickered. “That’s something that happens. As if she would walk up to me and announce it.”
“I guess I’m asking because you seem so damn sure that’s what she’s in this for.” He lifted a shoulder while the others nodded.
“You don’t think it’s a little too much of a coincidence? We hooked up at the wedding. Then my company purchased hers.”
“All of a sudden, it’s his company,” Evan joked. His laughter was cut short by my glare. “Sorry. Trying to keep things light.”
“Nobody asked you to,” I snapped. This was all wrong. They didn’t need to put up with me acting like a fucking lunatic over this. I knew damn well I would’ve busted their balls if the positions were reversed.
But the positions were not reversed. Only I understood what it meant to doubt something I thought was a sure thing. The worst part? Deep down inside, in a place I didn’t reveal to anyone, I asked myself which sure thing I was doubtful of. My position with the company or her. Did she want me for myself after the wedding, or was it all an act?
Insecurity was not something I was familiar with, and I hated her for introducing me to it. I hated myself even more for being so fucking weak. I didn’t do weakness.
“I say fuck her again,” Colton advised with a sage nod. “Make her remember what brought you two together. She’ll cave.”
They weren’t getting it, none of them, probably because I couldn’t find a way to express myself clearly. “I don’t need her to cave. I need her to get out of my way,” I reminded them.
“Why?” Noah laughed. “You said it yourself. Redundancies. You should be more worried about proving you know your shit better than she knows hers. That’s the only way you’re going to win whatever this is the two of you have going on. Make it so she is totally forgotten and unnecessary.”
“That’s the way,” Miles agreed. “Instead of trying to make her look bad, make yourself look better.”
Evan snickered. “Or you could do something to sabotage the retreat,” he suggested, chuckling. “Throw her off her game.”
“Just when I think we’ve left playground bullshit behind, he comes up with an idea like that.” Noah gave him a friendly shove, which Evan returned.
“I’m just fucking around,” Evan insisted, laughing. “Obviously, you know better than to do something like that.”
Did I?
I made a big deal of laughing it off the way everybody else did, though my thoughts were another story. Was there a way I could interfere? Nothing extreme, and definitely nothing that would point back at me.
As we were parting ways, Colton pulled me aside. “Listen. You have nothing to worry about. Learn what you can from this girl, okay? Your dad is like mine, and he wants the company to be in good hands. He won’t drop you to keep her on the payroll. Trust me.”
Trust him. Easy to say.
It was Noah’s advice that bounced around inside my skull as I stepped out of the bar and into a muggy night. The sidewalks were cramped, and the air reeked of cologne, perfume, and sweat, but not much of it registered on my awareness as I cut through the crowd and climbed into the back seat of my town car. I didn’t normally use my driver on an average Friday night, but I’d expected to be blackout drunk by the time we wrapped things up. Unlike my friends, I didn’t consider a last-minute Uber a viable option.
I was entirely too sober by the time I settled in against the supple leather. “Where to?” the driver asked from behind the wheel.
If I were going to make Ivy look obsolete, I had to outsmart her. That meant bringing home the files and analytics reports I left on my desk before heading to the bar. “The office,” I decided. The last thing I felt like doing over the weekend or, frankly, ever, was analyzing reports.
Desperate times called for desperate measures, such as taking the elevator up to the top floor once we arrived. There was something almost eerie about the profound quiet once the doors opened onto an empty reception desk. It wasn’t silence, exactly. The low hum of vacuums and rustling of waste baskets prevented that. Still, it was a far cry from the usual noise audible during the workday.
I laughed off the impulse to walk quietly, slowly, like this was some sacred space I didn’t want to disturb. Too many of my thoughts lately were childish ones like that. I had to move past the way Ivy set my teeth on the edge. Colton was right, even if his big cousin bullshit tended to get on my nerves. We weren’t kids anymore. I didn’t look at him adoringly just because he was a few years older than me.
Once I rounded the corner past the bank of elevators, I stopped short at the sight of a familiar blonde head. She had to be kidding, right? A check of my watch confirmed it was well past eight o’clock and on a Friday, no less. Who the hell stuck around this late on a Friday night?
She cradled the phone receiver between her ear and her shoulder and was so absorbed in her conversation that she didn’t notice my slow approach. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t make it over tonight. I know. I’m trying.” She spoke loudly enough that I heard her plainly, and her obvious strain shone through. This wasn’t a side of her she had ever revealed during our interactions. “Remember what I told you. Everything hinges on this. It’s important to both of us.”
Something hot and bitter raced through me when she said it. Did she have a boyfriend? And why would it matter if she did? Why was there a burning sensation in my chest now that I’d heard her speak those words?
She caught me out of the corner of her eye, and all at once, a change came over her. Her posture improved, and her tone brightened. “I’ll give you a call in the morning, all right? I love you.”
I love you…
What the fuck was it about her that turned me into this unrecognizable version of myself? There I stood, biting my tongue when the impulse to ask who she was talking to almost became reality.
“Good evening,” she murmured once she’d set the receiver in its cradle. “I didn’t expect to see you again until Monday.”
“Sorry to disappoint you, Poison,” I offered, making her frown. Sure, let her pretend to take the high ground. Let her pretend she had no idea why I would have animosity against her. “I left something in my office.”
Why did she have to stare at me that way? With those big, shining eyes that tried to convince me it would be a good idea to make things right with her somehow. To start from scratch and work as a team.
I knew damn well where that would get me. Out on my ass, a confirmed loser who couldn’t hack it in a company run by his father. No, thanks. This was the enemy. She didn’t need or deserve my empathy.
“Don’t let me stop you,” she finally muttered, her eyes shifting to the right and landing on my office door. “I’m sure you have better things to do than hang out here.”
“You don’t?” Just go, you fucking idiot. Why would I do things the smart way?
One of her delicate brows arched. “Sure, but I have a ton to do between getting ready for Monday’s meeting and prepping for the retreat.”
“Don’t blame anybody but yourself for that one.”
“I’m not interested in blaming anybody for anything. I was glad my idea was approved. That’s all that matters.”
“Of course,” I offered with a smirk. “Because you’re so altruistic.”
“Wow. I have to admit, I’m impressed. That’s a pretty big word.” She leaned back in her chair and folded her arms, and I’d be damned if some perverse part of me didn’t warm in anticipation. I wanted a fight. I craved it. What the hell did that say about me?
“Last I checked, you like when I use big things, Poison. Words, my hands, other parts of my anatomy…” I trailed off, grinning when she blushed to the roots of her hair.
“Could you not be so unprofessional?” she hissed. “We both know that was then, and this is now. You don’t have to throw it in my face.”
“What are you so afraid of?” I challenged, egged on by the way her shoulders crept up around her ears. “We’re alone. You don’t have to pretend.”
“Who’s pretending?” She pushed back from the desk, wearing the irritating smile she put on at moments like this. “I’m not interested in rehashing the past. What matters is the work I’m doing now, which was going well until you showed up. Now you’ve completely destroyed my flow, so I’m going to go home and continue there.”
“Are you sure you aren’t in a hurry to meet your boyfriend?” I nodded to the phone on her desk. “Let me guess. He doesn’t like you working late.”
“Wow. When you’re off, you’re off by a mile.” Instead of explaining what that meant, she laughed softly, pulling her leather shoulder bag from the deep drawer under her desk.
I tried not to ogle her ass when she bent over, but I wasn’t successful. She was right there, in front of me, practically begging to be touched in the tight skirt, molding itself to her curves. And I knew just how she liked it, whether she pretended otherwise or not.
“So you weren’t sitting here asking some guy to understand why you couldn’t meet up tonight? I know what I heard.”
“What you overheard,” she amended, rolling her eyes. “And, of course, that’s where your mind went because you probably never had to split your time between work and a sick relative. I was talking to my mother,” she explained in an almost ominously quiet voice. “She’s been in a nursing home for the past eight months after having a stroke. She needs nursing care much more than anything I could provide on my own, and I’m all she has in the world. I was supposed to visit tonight, but I got too caught up in what I was working on to make it during visiting hours.” She pulled back her shoulders and lifted her chin, giving me a superior stare. “Is there anything else you would like to know, or can I go now?”
Fuck me. I could count on one hand the number of times I had felt so intensely like a dick. “I wasn’t aware of that,” I admitted. My opinion of her softened a little before I could help it. What would it be like, balancing a job like hers with a sick parent and nobody else to fall back on?
“No shit,” she muttered, rolling her eyes. “I’m just saying, maybe you shouldn’t make assumptions, Lucian.”
“Oh? I thought I was Mr. Diamond.”
“During working hours,” she snapped back, then glanced at her phone. “And we are well beyond working hours. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I would like to get home.”
I must not have moved fast enough for her. She brushed against me on her way around the desk and wobbled a little as if I knocked her off balance. Without thinking, I reached out and took her arm, the breath catching in my throat when a chill ran through me.
She looked down at my hand and then met my gaze. Fuck, why did it have to be this way? Everything came rushing back in full color. Her moans echoed in my ears, and the memory of her ambrosial sweetness danced across my tongue. I didn’t know women like her existed in real life until the night we spent together. A night I would gladly have relived even now.
To hell with right and wrong. To hell with my pride. I wanted to have this woman again and couldn’t pretend otherwise.
“Lucian,” she warned, eyes darting back and forth. “There are people here. This isn’t right.” Her words held no conviction, and the desire burning behind her beautiful orbs told me she wanted this just as much as me.
“What isn’t?” I pulled her closer, soaking in her warmth after being without it for so goddamn long. Hating who she was didn’t seem to make a difference when it came to loving the way her pussy gripped my cock.
“This. You know what I mean.” So what was with the soft gasp when I backed her against her desk? When I lowered my head, inhaling the vanilla citrusy scent of her perfume. She shivered but didn’t resist.
The cleaning staff was on the other side of the floor. I could barely hear the vacuums from back here. Nobody saw me brush my lips over the seashell curve of her ear. “You are much too tense, Poison. Let me help you with that. You know how good it is when I do.”
“Which is it?” Her breath was hot against my neck before her lips grazed my scruff-covered jaw. “You want me, or you hate me? It can’t go both ways.”
“Who says?” I looked her in the eye, barely able to breathe, when I found the same deep, blazing passion that had haunted my dreams for weeks. My dick was hard as steel, and every instinct demanded I take her to my office and bend her over the desk.
“Me.” Blazing passion turned to something sharp and cold before she gave her arm a yank, freeing it from my grip. “You need to make up your mind.”
This time, I didn’t bother trying to stop her. She wanted to go? She could be my guest. If anything, she did me a favor. A few drinks, and I’d fuck damn near anything, apparently. Including the woman working her ass off to unseat me. No one could convince me otherwise. How could I have lost sight of that?
Oh, right. I was horny as hell, and she was the most memorable fuck of my life. My dick was still painfully hard as I watched her walk away, swinging her hips with every quick step. Eager to get home and work on her presentation at a meeting I was supposed to lead. But not so eager that she glanced back at me, her cheeks tinged pink. Our eyes collided before she snapped her head back round.
I had a long weekend ahead of me, but the work would pay off when I crushed this meeting and Ivy’s hopes along with it. Sick mom or not, she needed to learn once and for all who she was up against.