Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
TEDDIE
"And this is my office." Hel showed me through the door and into the room.
A desk faced the space, angled toward the door. No one could enter without being seen immediately.
Shelves took up one wall. A window took up another. To the side of the room was a table and four leather bucket chairs. Most of it was what I would have expected, except one noticeable difference.
“I would have thought you'd have a view of the ocean." I peered through the glass at the view of Saltgrave Cove. I could make out the college campus from here, and the industrial area that contained furniture stores and places to buy paint. A rotating sign which advertised used cars.
"I figured it would be ostentatious," Hel said with a shrug. He seemed to be watching for my reaction. Did he really care what I thought of his office?
"Plenty of guys like being ostentatious," I remarked. "Isn't it expected of the average CEO?”
Didn't the E stand for ego? If it did, I didn't know what the C or the O stood for. Okay, I had some ideas for the C word.
"That sounds like a good reason not to do it," he said without inflection. "I've never been inclined to be like everyone else." Once again, he was watching me for my reaction.
"I noticed," I said. “Is that why you get along with Fade and Oak? Because they’re both…unique?”
That was an understatement. They both seemed to go out of their way to be different.
If I described anyone else that way, it would be a compliment, but in their cases, not so much.
Especially Fade fucking Mitchell. He wasn't trying to be different, he was trying to be antagonistic. Looking for ways he could piss me off. Wanting to get a rise out of me for shits and giggles. Playing with me like I was a mouse and he was a cat. With any luck, he’d choke on me if he tried to play too hard.
I shouldn't use him and choke in the same sentence.
It led me to wonder how it would feel to have his hand around my throat.
Squeezing while he drove his cock into me.
A cock, I was determined, would never see my pussy, much less be inside her.
No, the asshole could amuse himself with his own hand.
I had no doubt he'd gotten himself off after I came in the media room.
Literally getting off on pushing my buttons.
Prick.
"Did I hear my name?" Fade stepped into the office, a tablet in his hands.
Tattooed wrists peeking out from the sleeves of his suit.
No one should look that good in a suit. Wasn't there a law against it or something?
If there wasn't, there should be. The punishment?
Don't think about spanking. Don't think about…
Too late.
Both of these men were like something out of a dark romance novel. Lyra would have called them BookTok villains. If they put on masks right now, I'd be absolutely fucked.
I cleared my throat.
"You were imagining it," I told him. “Why would we say your name? It might summon you." I've seen that episode of Supernatural. If I said his name three times, I'd be possessed forever. Or something like that.
I glanced over toward Hel. Now I was watching for his reaction.
He seemed slightly irritated to see the other man.
During the whole tour he’d told me the names of the staff we passed but hadn't stopped long enough to speak to any of them.
Now I thought about it, he'd moved faster past the men than any of the women.
If I didn't know better, I'd think he assumed I was possessed already. By him.
"Why wouldn't you say my name?" Fade asked, leaning against the door. “Right, of course. Why say it when you can scream it?"
"He has a high opinion of himself, doesn't he?" I asked directing the question to Hel.
"Not without reason," Hel said. Of course he'd take Fade’s side. I suppose I would have taken Lyra's side too. Still, that gave me a spike of irritation. I didn't want these men ganging up on me. They were dangerous enough as it was.
“Thanks, boss." Fade smirked at me. "I have to say I'm surprised. I thought you would have been fucking on his desk by now."
"Is that why you're here?" I asked. "You were hoping to catch a glimpse?"
"Catch a glimpse, join in… " Fade shrugged. "I'm flexible. We could ask Oak to come up and join us. Why not? You have three holes and we have a cock each."
"Only one each?" I said disbelieving. "I could have sworn you had more than one. You're cocky enough."
Fade tipped his head back and laughed. "You're cute. I only have one, but mine is big enough for three or four." He rolled his hips, pushing his groin forward provocatively.
I had to force myself not to stare.
"I don't know, but I think doing things like that is considered inappropriate for a workplace,” I said dryly. "Maybe I should report you to your boss." I slid my gaze toward Hel.
"Good luck with that," Fade said sarcastically. "Hel doesn't care what I do. Besides, I'm valuable to Egger security."
"I'm starting to see why you don't have an oceanside office,” I said to Hel. "He has it, doesn't he? He needs it for the open window, because there's no way his ego would fit inside the building otherwise."
Hel chuckled. "She has you there." He turned his dark-eyed gazed towards his friend.
"Don't humor her, " Fade said, his smile not faltering. "She'll be insulting you next."
"So far, he hasn't given me much reason to insult him," I said.
“’So’ and ‘far’ being the key words there," Fade said. "You haven't started to know the real Helmut Egger. You have no idea what he's capable of."
That was likely true, but I wasn't going to give him any points for being right, not if I could help it. Unless it was the pointy end of a pin to pop the bubble of his massive ego. Although, that might make a mess all over the floor. I didn't need to add carpet cleaning to my tally.
"Did you need to speak to the boss about anything?" I asked. "I can leave you two alone if you like?"
I let just enough suggestiveness leak into my tone to hint that they might be the ones fucking on the desk.
The image of the two men with their suit jackets on, pants down, Fade leaning over the desk while Hel fucked him from behind, with everything he had, was hot enough to make me ruin my panties if I thought about it too much.
Which of course, I was. Could they put on masks and let me watch?
"Where would be the fun in that?" Fade asked slowly.
"Teddie is right," Hel said. “Was there something you wanted?" He looked like he'd reached the end of his patience with Fade’s presence in his office.
Fade’s smile slipped. "I have the quarterly figures for you, boss. I figured you'd want to take a look at them before they're signed off on." He strode over to the desk and placed the tablet beside a cup full of Egger Security pens.
"Thank you." Hel gave him a curt nod. "I'll look them over when I'm finished here."
"Don't take too long," Fade drawled. "I have a few issues to discuss with you about our expenses." He gave me a last look before he turned and strode out of the office leaving the door open behind him.
"He's good at what he does." Hel seemed to be trying to convince himself of that.
"He must be, or you wouldn't put up with him and his attitude," I said flatly.
I regarded Hel for a moment. "You would still put up with his attitude, wouldn't you? Because he's a friend." He was more than a friend. Even if they weren't fucking they were close. You didn't grow up with someone and not have their back no matter what. They were more like brothers than buddies.
Hel sat on the edge of his desk and toyed with his watch. "He puts up with me and my attitude. It goes both ways. It always has."
"And now you're putting up with mine," I said carefully. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm not always the easiest person to get along with."
"I've never walked away from a challenge," he said. "Especially one as beautiful as you."
He pushed himself up off his desk and walked over to me, taking each step slowly and carefully as though he thought I'd run away if he moved too fast. Raising his hand, he brushed the side of my cheek.
"I'm not beautiful," I said in a whisper.
I should turn and walk out the door now because his touch was threatening to set my body on fire. After what Fade did last night, I wasn't sure if I could trust them, or myself.
I wasn't okay with that. If I couldn't trust myself, it could be a problem. And if I couldn't trust the men I was living with for the next few months?
"I'm not letting you go," he said softly. "You're beautiful and you're mine. I've said before I'm a patient man and I am, but I won't let you walk out of my life. Not now that you're in it."
"Do I have any say in this?" I asked, trying to ignore the way my heart raced.
This wasn't about fucking them or not fucking them. This was about the possibility of catching feelings. I had absolutely no intention of letting that happen. We had a year. After that, I walked away. No looking back. No thinking about them. Nothing.
I’d go back to living my life and they'd go back to living theirs. Fade could find someone else to antagonize. Oak could try to inflict his health and fitness regime on another woman.
Hel could… I don't know. Save some other woman's fathers’ businesses.
"Some," he said simply. "You can choose to accept it now or later."
What sort of choice was that?
"What if I choose not to accept it?” I asked.
He blinked slowly. "You will." He seemed certain. Of course he was. He didn’t become the CEO of a big security company without being confident, but he was almost as cocky as Fade.
"But what if I don't?" I insisted. "You're not going to renege on the contract are you?" If he decided not to give over the rest of the money… My fathers and I would have to work out something, but I didn't want to waste a year of my life for nothing.
Hel drew his hand back and stared at me. "Have I given you any reason to believe I'm not a man of my word?"
I gave the question some serious consideration before I responded.
"No," I said finally. “No, you haven’t, but that doesn't mean you are."
"I never make promises I can't keep," he said. "So I make this promise to you right now. No matter what happens over the next few months, I will fulfill my end of the contract. You will get your money. Understand?"
His voice was deep, gravely. As intense as his eyes. Leaving no room for argument.
Did he speak to his employees that way? If he did, they probably bent over backwards to do whatever he asked them to do. How could anyone say no to him?
I was a little bit turned on. Okay, I was turned on as fuck, but I’d only admit to a little bit. It was safer that way.
Fade had a big ego, but so did Hel. I could see that now. More clearly than before. He absolutely expected to get his way in everything. Did people try to tell him no?
If I had any sense at all, I'd be turned off. I'd turn and walk out that door right now, and never look back.
Unfortunately for me, I wasn’t turned off, nor did I run. Apparently, I was a masochist deep down. Who knew?
"Yeah, I get it," I said. "You intend to follow through."
"I will follow through," he said. “If I don't, you can sue me. No lawyer in the country could lose with the contract we signed. Not unless you breach it first."
"Which I'm not going to do," I said.
Even if I had to put up with Fade Mitchell and his stupid games, I'd see this thing through to the end.
Even if there wasn't a crap ton of money at stake, there was pride.
Teddie Ward wasn't a quitter and never had been.
For that alone, I'd stay. The desire to get Fade back for what he did? That was an added bonus.
"Of course you're not," Hel said.
I was starting to get the impression he knew me better than he should have.
As if he'd peeled back my skin and looked underneath.
As though somehow he'd been watching me for a long time and learning all about me.
The idea gave me the heebie-jeebies. I'd already accused Oak of being a stalker.
Should I be more wary of Helmut Egger as well?
"I should let you get to work," I said, stepping away from him.
He glanced at his watch and adjusted it, before giving a single brief nod. "Be at home when I get there." He offered no explanation.
He walked around behind his desk, lowered himself into his leather chair, opened his laptop and redirected his focus from me to it.