Chapter 11
CHAPTER 11
ANA
H e’s here. He didn’t need to announce it either. It’s as if a demon is sitting on my shoulder. James Warner and oxygen mean the same to my body and when he’s around, it’s as if I can’t breathe unless he provides the air. I ignore him to prevent the blush creeping across my features, a written declaration of how much this man affects me.
I don’t want him to. Last night was meant to put paid to that, but even as he prowls to his seat out of my line of vision, I’m aware of every single move he takes.
He makes no announcement, no form of greeting and just rasps, “Who wants to start?”
We all look to our immediate boss who is overrun with self importance as he opens the meeting.
“Sir, my team has worked extremely hard over the past week and the donations logged are at a new high for the month. The fundraiser Adele Kenricky hosted brought in an extra one million dollars from a–” He glances at his notes. “Arman Romanov.”
At the sound of my brother’s name, I do everything I can not to react and the appreciative murmurs around me tell me how unusual that is. I stare at David as if I find him fascinating, but inside my attention is focused on one man and the thoughts in my head have nothing to do with business.
David carries on and says pompously, “I would also like to welcome Annabelle Starling to the department.”
I glance up in shock as applause breaks out around me and Eric nudges me, causing me to smile. Of all the people in the office, he is the only one I genuinely like because he is fun and doesn’t suck up to David, who believes his shit doesn’t stink.
Before I can say anything, James says irritably, “Can somebody please explain why Parker Monroe withdrew his funding and we are five hundred thousand dollars adrift for the next quarter?”
David looks as if he is chewing a wasp and from what Eric told me, he is right to be worried. Evidently, David made a mistake by not giving credit to Parker Monroe on the company’s website. This is important because Parker Monroe’s company relies on the association with a child’s charity for invaluable advertising.
This led to Kidzwear missing out on being listed as a major sponsor on the website, media campaign, and television ads for the entire financial year, which meant they couldn’t incorporate it into their advertising. Parker got angry and pulled his funding because, in his own words, it didn’t bring him any benefit.
James is staring at David, who tucks his finger under his collar and lifts it away from his sweaty neck and stutters, “An unfortunate oversight. I have apologized to Parker Monroe personally and reprimanded the person responsible.”
James snaps, “Who was it?”
David says snakily, “Rachel, who must have been hormonal at the time given she was about to give birth. I’m certain Ana wouldn’t make the same mistake, at least I hope she doesn’t.”
I glare at David because what the actual fuck? He is seriously blaming a woman who isn’t here to defend herself and for being pregnant, for Christ’s sake.
A hush falls over the room and as I open my mouth to deliver the real reason Parker withdrew his funding, that incidentally had everything to do with David, James says roughly, “Get out.”
I stare at him in shock along with everyone else in the room and David stutters, “I’m sorry–”
“I said, get out and clear your desk.”
He stares at David as if he wishes he was wielding a knife right now and would be happy to aim it straight at his head.
David pales and says weakly, “I don’t–”
“I will not employ managers who blame their own mistakes on people who don’t have a voice to defend themselves. You–” He jabs his finger at David, “Were the person who signed this off, nobody else and if you were doing your job in the first place, you would have picked up on the fact that one of our most valued donors was missing from the list. This is your fault, David. Nobody else’s and a man who blames his tools rather than the man wielding them cuts off his own head. Get out. You have ten minutes to clear your desk before security escorts you out personally.”
There is silence in the room as David leaves, shaking with anger as he slams the door behind him.
Then James says with an angry frown, “Let that be a lesson to you all. Own up to your mistakes, or even better, don’t make any. Now get back to work. Meeting over.”
I swear it’s as if the aircraft crashed and we have one minute to get out as everyone scrambles to their feet and heads to the exit and I almost make it before a tense, “Not you, Miss Starling. Stay right where you are.”
I catch Eric’s sympathetic smile before the door closes behind him and before I can speak, James says roughly, “We have unfinished business.”
I turn and the expression on his face heats my blood and scrambles my mind because James is staring at me as if he wants to consume me whole.
“I–” My mouth dries and I can’t form words because my entire body is melting into a puddle of desire under his lustful gaze.
“You’re ignoring me.” He says slowly, and I shrug.
“This is business. I thought we agreed. ”
“We did.” He stands and I swear my pulse races along with my libido as he advances closer.
“Sir.” I inject some force into my words in a futile attempt to put him off his obvious desire to reach me because then God only knows what will happen.
“I like it when you call me, sir.”
He is so close his aftershave makes my heart pant and I hitch my breath and say breathily, “James, this–”
“This what, Miss Starling?”
He is so close there are mere millimeters between us and as his hand snakes around my waist, he pulls me close against his rigid body and without any warning he attacks—hard.
His kiss is like a lightning strike. It catches you unaware and devastates before it fades. Any argument I was thinking of dispels on a burst of longing and a quickening of breath that he catches as his. His hand grips the back of my head and pulls me in deeper, his tongue twisting with mine as he captures any words that he doesn’t want to hear right now.
I am immobile and completely controlled by him and it is so freaking hot I can’t prevent the moan from escaping into the mouth currently occupying mine.
The heat building between us is intense, and he pulls me closer, his hand splaying out on my back meaning I am powerless to move. I am trapped against a wall of muscle and yet if I had the choice, I wouldn’t change a thing.
From the moment he walked into the room, I wanted this. Wanted him and as he pushes me forward, my back hits the hard edge of the huge boardroom table.
His mouth tears from mine and bites down sharply on my neck, causing me to gasp as a mixture of pain and longing fights within me.
I gasp, “We can’t–”
His hand pushes under my blouse and connects with my heated skin and I groan as he twists my nipple, a burst of pain followed shortly by longing.
He tightly grabs my hips, repositioning me onto the table and thrusting forward, causing me to slightly lose balance. My skirt is pulled up high on my thighs while his hard cock pulsates against my eager pussy. I can’t deny I wasn’t picturing this exact scene when he walked into the room and my senses are scrambled as he pushes me back, my hands reaching behind me to steady myself as his hands drift lower.
“James!” I attempt to stop whatever is happening here out of common decency but he says nothing at all, just plays me like a familiar instrument, one he is practiced in and excels at. He knows every move to make, every touch, every kiss to excite me and as he pushes me back on the table, he lifts my skirt and rips my panties aside.
“You’re so wet, my little slut.”
Fuck! He’s not wrong there and by the way, where did this man come from? He’s possessed. Rough talking and downright dirty and it is everything I dream about when I lie in my princess tower dreaming of a man like him .
He forces my legs wide and licks a trail up my throbbing pussy and I shiver with how risky this is. Anyone could come in here because, to my knowledge, he never locked the door and if they did, they would find the boss’s head deep between my thighs, eating me out while I mewl like a kitten who’s lost its mother.
My fingers tangle in his hair as he sucks my clit, his middle fingers plunging inside me and then out, pumping fast and heavy. My body arches toward him, ignoring the fact this is wrong on every level, and wet heat gushes onto his tongue as he takes his pleasure from pushing me to the limit.
White lights flash before my eyes as he transports me from the boardroom to that place in my mind where miracles are shaped. Nothing can touch me here; nothing exists but pleasure and as I climb the mountain, one push is all it will take to shove me over the edge.
I’m only vaguely aware when he moves away from my sodden pussy and then he is hard against me. He thrusts in fast and his enormous length fills me to the hilt and I groan as he pushes up hard and deep, leaving me no room to move.
He grips my ponytail and fucks me harder, faster and rougher, my ass sliding along the polished wood.
I have never been so possessed, so full, and so desired. It’s as if he is staking his claim, marking his spot, and if he pissed all over me when he finished, I wouldn’t be shocked.
As my clit drags against his shaft and his balls slap against my thighs, I reach that edge and dive off head first, screaming my release into his mouth that captures my sound and adds it to his feral roar.
He pulls out just in time as ropes of thick cum paint my stomach and thighs, dripping and merging with my own release. A war paint if you like, a statement and a signing of a contract because what happened just now was exactly that. He took, he conquered, and he left me a hot mess because as soon as he is finishes he pulls away and grunts, “Fuck, I needed that.”
I should feel used—abused even. He didn’t ask, he took. He treated me as if I had no choice and rather than being appalled by that, I loved every minute of it. It was exactly what I wanted—needed, even.
How does he know what I’m ashamed to admit to myself? Anastasia Romanov, daughter of a billionaire, ice maiden, astute businesswoman, ice queen if you like, craves to be dominated, taken and used. It’s an escape, a release, and a freedom nobody has ever given me before.
Until now.
Until him.