27. Asher
ASHER
I’m a selfish man. I know that. But knowing that doesn’t stop me.
I should let Ella sleep. She’s exhausted from the long weekend, and yet I can’t help myself.
I roll my beautiful sleeping beauty onto her back and gently tug the covers down, exposing her tanned legs in her silky purple sleeping shorts.
Those will have to go. Same with her panties.
Ella murmurs in her sleep as I slip her shorts and panties off, then brush my nose up the inside of her thigh and across her center.
The scent of her pussy drives me mad, and any pretense I had of drawing this out evaporates as the need to feast on her barrels through me. She’s my favorite morning meal.
I slip my tongue up her center, groaning at the taste of her.
Then like an animal, I wrap my arms around her thighs and spread her wide for me, feeling the need to be between her thighs like I need my next breath.
I suck her clit into my mouth and then work my way down until my tongue is inside her, exactly where it wants to be.
“Asher?” Ella mumbles, her voice husky with sleep.
I don’t answer her. I keep to my task of making sure she wakes up to a blissful orgasm. Even if she doesn’t need to wake for another hour.
Ella’s hips move lightly, but with every second she wakes further, and every second she feels me eating her like she’s my last meal, her movements grow until she’s grinding against my face with her fingers laced in my hair.
“Asher,” she moans, her voice clearer now.
That’s right, baby. Wake with my name on your lips and my head between your legs.
I’m ready the second her orgasm hits her. As soon as she rides it out, my cock is freed, and I plunge it into her like a dying man.
“Good morning to you, too,” Ella says breathlessly, rocking her hips to meet my thrusts.
“I couldn’t help myself,” I say, reaching down to tear her silky pajama top off her head. “It seems I can never help myself when it comes to you.”
I lean down to kiss my way up her sternum, pausing at the pendant resting between her breasts.
I haven’t let her take it off except to shower since I put it on her Saturday night.
And I can’t help but want to fuck her constantly while she wears nothing but my pendant and my ring.
It’s my new favorite obsession, and one I’m not ready to give up any time soon.
But it’s Tuesday, we’ll be back in the office today, and we’ll be forced to leave our bubble we lived in for the holiday weekend.
I couldn’t drag myself out of bed for my early morning meeting and face the reality of the weekend being over—not without one more taste, one more hit from my favorite addiction.
“You can wake me up like this anytime, Mr. Langford,” Ella says, breathlessly.
“I’ll hold you to that, Ms. Hale.”
That promise is solidified in my mind as another orgasm hits her and I feel the euphoria of her pulsing around my cock. It spurs on my orgasm, and I come, pumping inside her. There is no better way to start my day, and I plan to wake her up just like this every day that I can, for forever.
I step into my office an hour later, already missing Ella.
I’m both excited for and simultaneously dreading this stupid meeting I had to leave her side early for.
I already presented most of this information to the board, but now Emily has our official numbers, so it’s time to force the board back in line, once and for all.
Just as I’m about to leave my office and head to the meeting, Sterling calls.
“What’s the word?” I ask, in answer. He’s back in London, but he’s still working on his pet projects for me.
“It’s begun. Just little dips here and there. But it should be promising with time.”
He’s speaking of his sabotage of TDC Oil’s finances.
To be safe, he’s speaking in vague, loose terms, but he’s letting me know he’s successfully hacked into TDC’s systems and has begun sifting, stealing, and rearranging their money to cause chaos.
The money he steals is stored in black offshore accounts that are almost impossible to trace.
When we’re done, we’ll donate that money to charities, but in the meantime, I’ll enjoy watching TDC start to crumble.
“But that’s not the only reason I’m calling. I’ve found them, finally.”
Greenspan. He’s found a mole on the inside.
“You should take care of it today.”
“We have a board meeting in five minutes.”
“I’m aware, and I’ll be attending through video. I just texted Matthew to see if he can clear your afternoon because after the meeting . . . you may have something more important to do.”
“Done. Text Margret to clear Declan’s afternoon as well. I think I’d like to spend some quality time with my little brother today.”
“You got it.”
“Where is Ella?” Emily asks as I take a seat next to her in the smaller board room.
“I made sure Matthew didn’t inform her of this meeting.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m tired of seeing her belittled by the board and sitting in their crosshairs. She is the one who has saved my ass, and I can’t stand watching anymore vitriol hurled her way. I’m fucking over it.”
“You really do care for her, don’t you?”
I nod. “I do.”
I probably shouldn’t admit that to one of my employees, but I don’t know how to stop myself anymore.
It’s all hit me this weekend; I’m over the charade.
I’m over the PR stunts. I’m over the back and forth.
I just want Ella. I want to start a life with her, and the first step toward that is to get the board out of my way.
Then I can fully focus on TDC, Yegor, and Sergei and remove the threat they pose.
But most of all, I’m done denying my feelings.
As soon as everyone is seated, Emily stands and begins her presentation.
“It’s been two months since Mr. Langford and Ms. Hale began their relationship, and I now have some clear numbers to present.
“Press attention associated with Mr. Langford or Langford Holdings has been predominantly positive at a seventy-two percent positivity rate, as opposed to forty percent, which was Mr. Langford’s pre-relationship average.
Both Mr. Asher and Mr. Sterling Langford report the acquisition of Lennox Rose Group as being greatly helped by Ms. Hale’s agreement to become a brand ambassador for their luxury companies, and overall public support of the union between Mr. Langford and Ms. Hale has a sixty-four percent approval rating.
“The influx of press since the beginning of the relationship has driven up engagement on all social media platforms, as well as traditional news outlets, podcasts, and various other entertainment vehicles. All these avenues have practically exploded, with a four hundred percent increase from that of this same time last year. This has resulted in a significant increase in revenue for Langford Holdings as well as for its subsidiaries, particularly those directly marketed by Ms. Hale in her London tour, as well as Vericom in their smartwatch launch. Many of these subsidiaries’ revenue is up anywhere from twenty-five to sixty percent, depending on the company and their products.
“All in all, the union of Mr. Langford and Ms. Hale has had an incredibly strong impact on Langford Holdings and Mr. Langford himself, and all objectives of the union have been achieved in only two months’ time, even allowing for a few instances of bad press.
We project this positive impact to continue to improve in the future.
We do expect a plateau at some point, but we also predict that increasing the levels of the relationship to an engagement would continue to create strong and positive press, generate revenue, and all in all greatly benefit Langford Holdings. ”
Fucking hell. I’ve never thought of my relationship status in such clinical terms. Who knew it had a sixty-four percent approval rating? How did Emily’s team even quantify that? I don’t even know what the fuck to do with that information. Not that I care; it’s not what matters anymore.
“Thank you, Emily,” I say, excusing her. The faces of some board members are far from happy, and I can’t fathom why since Emily’s report was nothing but fantastic news. Whatever beef they have with this report, I want to listen to it head on and I’ll circle back to Emily later.
“Why all the glum faces?” Declan asks the members of the board as soon as Emily leaves.
It’s like he’s reading my mind. “You all threatened and forced Asher into this, and he’s exceeded every expectation—no, not just exceeded them—he’s obliterated them, just like he always does.
With all the money this little arrangement has made you, you should all be crying tears of joy, and yet all I see are unhappy faces. I am at a loss to understand why.”
“While we can all appreciate the increase in revenue,” Janet says, picking her words carefully—something I’ve never seen her do, “I do wonder if it’s too much. If Asher and Ella are now overshadowing everything else.”
“Overshadowing what?” I snap.
“Langford Holdings for one, along with our subsidiaries and the other board members and their endeavors.”
“What are you talking about?”
She clears her throat. “Well, there’s only so much press coverage to go around. I couldn’t get any press for my daughter’s engagement this weekend because all any outlet was talking about was you and Ms. Hale.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. You were one of the staunchest supporters of this, Janet, and now you’re mad because your daughter didn’t get her fifteen minutes of fame?”
Alan, who sits next to Janet, gives her a pat on the back and nods for her to continue. One of her faithful lap dogs offering support. These fucking clowns.