Chapter 3
NICK
Running a business isn’t easy, but it does have its perks. One of them is watching my pretty little analyst work any time of the day I want.
Never have I taken an interest in the women in my building. There’s something about her… and fuck if I don’t want to be dangerous for her.
Leaning back in the plush black leather rolling chair in my office, I lift the crystal glass of whiskey to my lips.
Money has always been able to buy me anything.
Connections, cars, my home, and the lavishly decorated office I’m currently sitting in.
Though, I will admit the sleek black and white modern look to it isn’t entirely my taste. It’s my mother’s.
The one thing money hasn’t been able to buy me is her.
At least not yet.
Staring at the large computer screen in front of me, Riley maneuvers around her desk collecting her things before flicking off the lights by her cubicle.
She’s smart; that much I knew the moment I met her.
What I haven’t figured out yet is why she has allowed herself all these years to hide behind her work.
I switch the feed to the hallway while pulling my phone out of my pocket, drinking in the sight of her in that delectable pencil skirt as she waits for the elevator, expanding the footage to take up my entire computer screen.
It took every ounce of my self-control not to bend her over my desk when she came into my office earlier.
She’s a pretty little thing, even prettier when she’s flushed from embarrassment and nerves as she pretends like she’s not staring at me.
Never have I let a woman consume my mind like she has, which has only made this game I’m playing that much more interesting.
Nick: Hello there, Miss Morgan. Did you miss me?
I send it just as she steps into the elevator. Pulling up the camera there, I zoom in on her face just to catch her expression as she reads it. A smirk steals across my lips as the blush I love so much rushes over her cheeks, an excited smile playing on her lips.
Since the masquerade gala, I’ve been drowning in work, overseeing charity donations from the fundraising part of the event and hopping from phone call to phone call with potential new business associates.
The product launch of the new logistic software itself has been wildly successful, exceeding our projections largely in thanks to the social media marketing we invested in for it.
Who knew Riley’s friend Taylor could be so good at her job? The reason I invited her was to make sure Riley was her plus one to the Gala. Riley looked absolutely ravishing in that green dress.
It was a win-win in my book.
As thrilled as I am with how it’s going, I haven’t had a second to breathe, much less text Riley, since that night. It isn’t that I didn’t want to. I could have texted her late at night, but I’ve been conflicted by my obsession with her. She’s like a drug I want to break but can’t.
Watching the three bubbles on our text light up sends a jolt of excitement through me. That’s right, princess. Entertain me.
Riley: Hi! I wasn’t sure you were going to text me again, haha.
She avoids the question of missing me, but I see it plainly in the way she bites at her lip and immediately locks her phone before pressing it to her chest that she’s nervous about the interaction.
She’s so fucking adorable.
I want to ruin her.
Nick: Don’t worry that pretty head. I’ve just been busy with work. Haven’t stopped thinking about you.
It’s saccharine sweet, but I’ve already decided I want Riley for more than a night.
Since the day she walked into my office the first time I saw her, I knew.
The way she stumbled, dropping all the files she was carrying on the floor—that was when she intrigued me.
She kept apologizing with tear-filled eyes, but as soon as she said, "Yes, sir…
" my attention was locked in, thrilled by the idea of hearing her say it again.
There was something about those big eyes looking up at me from the floor where she kneeled that made my cock hard. I couldn’t stop thinking about those beautiful pouty lips wrapped around my cock as I ran my fingers through her hair.
If I could get away with locking both of us in my bedroom, I’d do it in a heartbeat.
Right now, I’ll focus on reeling her in.
I have no doubt she’ll fall right into my arms when the time comes.
I just have to approach her differently than my usual conquests.
I can rush things with her. Not that I want to. Playing with her is so much better.
She reads the text before the elevator doors slide open, so I switch over to the lobby cameras, watching the sway of her hips as she exits.
When she waves goodbye to the overnight security guard before heading toward the parking garage, I don’t miss the way he watches her leave like she’s a meals-on-wheels and he’s starving for a bite.
Anger boils through me as I send a text to Penny from HR. If he thinks that he can look at her like that without consequence, he’s sadly mistaken. She’s mine. She just doesn’t realize it yet.
The moment she disappears through the door to the garage, I internally cringe. I don’t have cameras with a good view in that part of the garage, something I’m currently working to correct. The only thing I can do is load the camera angle that lets me see her car leave and wait impatiently.
Nick: What have you been up to since I saw you, gorgeous?
I chuckle under my breath at my own little joke—it’s been seconds since I saw her, but I want to know her every move. Texting her and watching her over the cameras isn’t enough; I want a direct line into her brain.
Riley: I don’t know if I’d consider myself gorgeous right now. I look a mess. Lol. As for what I’ve been up to… I’ve been busy with work.
She isn’t lying there. She has been a very busy little bunny. Something I enjoy watching on a daily basis.
Nick: Working on anything interesting?
Riley: Not really. The product launch went well, so I’ve been up to my nose in spreadsheets. Lots to analyze so I can get my boss accurate projections. How was your day?
Nick: My day is better now that I’m talking to you.
She doesn’t read that text immediately. I glance up just in time to see her sedan pull out of the garage.
“Such a good girl as always. She won’t even text and drive,” I hum under my breath before closing out the security feed.
It’ll take her twenty minutes or so to get home, maybe fifteen since it’s after six. Traffic should be light at this time of day, which leaves me to my own devices for a bit. It’s easy to let my eyes slip closed and fall into my own imagination.
She gave me plenty to imagine when she came up to drop those files off earlier.
Riley’s office attire is never anything short of professional—blouses that show little more than her collarbones and throat, pencil skirts that hug her curves without being obscene, and tiny heels that give her a bit of a boost but still leave her looking up at me from behind those wire-rimmed glasses.
It’s so hard to restrain myself when she walks into my office smelling like tangerines and looking so corruptible.
I want to pull apart her prim and proper exterior and expose every filthy fantasy she doesn’t even know she has.
As much as I’m enjoying the game of texting her, reeling her in slow and steady while she’s still unaware of who was behind the mask at that Halloween party and at the gala is taking it’s toll on me. I’m not a patient man. When I want something, I take it.
Easing her into things will be absolute torture, but it’s going to be worth it.
The ringing of my phone pulls me from my thoughts of Riley. Annoyance fills me as my mother’s name lights up across the screen. As much as I wish it had been Riley calling, it’s probably for the best. At least for now.
My voice might just give away who I am before the game really gets going.
Letting out a low groan, I put the phone on speaker so I’ll be able to see when Riley texts me back. “Ma, it’s getting late. Everything alright?”
“Am I not allowed to call my son unless something’s wrong?” she asks, sharp but teasing.
A heavy sigh escapes me as I run my fingers through my hair. “No, you can call anytime you want, Ma. You just usually don’t call this late in the evening. I thought something might be wrong.”
“Everything’s fine, Nicky. I just wanted to know if you’re coming for Sunday dinner.”
Dammit, I forgot it was Friday. I’ve been so wrapped up in work and thinking about Riley that I forgot to come up with a reasonable excuse.
“Your brothers would be glad to see you for once, you know,” she needles.
I resist the urge to remind her that my younger brother Marcus works for me and thereby sees me most days.
And Bruno, the oldest of us, would certainly be happy to see me, but only so he can pester me all night about leaving Marcus to run the company so I can come back to focus on the… family business again.
I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. “I’ll try to make it.”
We both know that means I won’t be there.
It isn’t that I don’t want to see her. I love my mother. I just don’t have time to get wrapped up in whatever family bullshit Bruno has on his plate. No matter how much he fucks up in life, Ma has a way of babying him. When did it become the middle child's responsibility to keep shit together?
My phone dings as my mother makes a disappointed little noise, but she doesn’t push.
Riley: Sorry, I was driving home. I’m glad I could make your day better, though. How was your day? Anything interesting happen?
I grin at her message, but part of me is jealous that she’s saying that to a man that isn’t me. Or well, technically it isn’t supposed to be me.
“I read about that new investment app you launched last weekend. It looks like it’s doing well.”