“I have to work tonight and tomorrow. I’m pulling a double.” I cross my arms over my chest.
“I’d say you don’t need your job anymore, but I like my balls tucked safely between my legs. Clearly, moving in here tonight is off the table.” Dom’s smirk does little to calm my frazzled nerves.
“Since we’re on that, I can’t move in tonight or tomorrow, but I’m off work on Monday. I’ll pack my things. Deal with my landlord. The last thing I want is for you to go through my panties or nightstand drawer to pack my life away into boxes while I’m gone.” My eyes narrow at him.
“Going through your nightstand drawer, Cory?” His dark eyebrow quirks upward. The professional, calculating businessman vanishes within a millisecond, replacing him with a man looking at a woman who’s thoroughly amused and aroused. Pure unadulterated want consumes his face, darkening his eyes until they’re nearly black. “Now you’re giving me ideas. What exactly are you hiding in there that you’re so worried I’ll find?”
“None of your business. Which reminds me, what exactly are the sleeping arrangements in this massive place?” Never mind the blush I feel creeping up my neck, I refuse to look away first.
“There’s only one arrangement. You’ll be in my bed. Day in and day out.” His eyes drop to my lips, he sucks in a sharp breath, and just as I’m about to open my mouth to protest, his expression softens. “Sex isn’t on the table. Not yet at least.” His last statement hangs heavily in the air between us, like a promise. “I’m leaving that entirely up you. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, to anyone who might come into thisapartment, we’re a new couple, honeymoon phase and all. We share a bed.”
“Fine.” I swallow roughly, my heart hammering in my chest. The thought of sleeping next to his large, imposing form every single night without touching is going to be a form of torture I didn’t anticipate. “What about our friends? What do we say to them? They don’t know about my financial state.”
“And they won’t.” Dom’s voice is form. “You won’t tell them about any of this, and truthfully, they don’t need to know about the debt or that the facility is bleeding you dry. We’ll play this up. You can’t tell your friends, and I won’t tell mine, not that they haven’t seen the way I look at you. The fewer people know, the better. It protects you, it protects me, and it keeps the press out of our business. Any other questions?” He’s got it all figured out. I should have known. A man like him doesn’t come unprepared.
“Only about a dozen.” Mostly how I’m supposed to act, look, and succeed as a billionaire’s wife, but looking at his sleek watch, I realize what it is. “I can’t think of all of them now. My brain is fried, plus I need to get back to my place and get ready for work.” I stand up, smoothing my shirt into place, and look for my purse only to realize it’s on the ground near the elevator. “I meant what I said, Dom. You are not packing my things. That includes a team of whoever you can pay to do the heavy lifting.”
“You’re stubborn.” He moves with me, tucking his hands into his suit pants’ pockets.
“I’m independent, there’s a difference,” I correct. “Monday, I’ll pack everything. As for tonight, I won’t be home until late anyways. It’ll do you good to have to wait a bit.” I step closer to the handsome man who has my emotions in a tailspin. A playful smirk touches my lips and a surge of confidence overrides my anxiety. My hand touches his chest, and I close the distance between us until I can smell his expensive cologne and uniquely male scent. “Be a good boy and wait.”
“I’m many things, Cory. A good boy isn’t one of them.” Dom’s reaction is instantaneous. Before I can pull my hand back, his captures mine, pulling my flush against his body. I’m given a reminder who I’m dealing with, not just with his words, but with his body. I can feel him, all of him. His cock lies thick and heavy between us, the layers of clothing doing nothing to conceal exactly how big he is. Another time, when I’m far more brazen, I’d do something I wouldn’t usually dream of, like cup him and feel just how big he is.
He slants his mouth over mine, this time not to seal a contract. It’s a punishment and promise all wrapped into one delicious package. It’s a searing, deep kiss, stealing the oxygen right out of my lungs. His tongue parts my lips effortlessly, tasting me with a fierceness that makes my knees week. I find myself gripping his firm, solid shoulders in order to stay upright.
“See you Monday, wife,” Dom murmurs when he releases me, stepping back with a dark, satisfied smile. He brushes his lower lip with the pad of his thumb, and as much as I want to give him a smart remark, I don’t. I stay silent, turning on my heel, scooping my purse off the floor near the elevator, and practically bolting out of the penthouse. I’m really going to have to up my game if I’m going to be living with the walking, talking wet dream in a tailored suit.
CHAPTER NINE
dom
Jesus. I run my fingers through my hair while sitting at my desk. I’ve been in meetings all day, putting out fires over the phone, not to mention all the shit I handled over the weekend. The only time I didn’t work was to hit the gym in my building, eat something to keep me going, sleep, and stop by the hospital to see Cory.
After the weekend and today, dealing with a billionaire trust-fund kid whose daddy handed them a logistics empire, which the guy was running straight into the ground, was the final drop. I’d come up with a plan he didn’t like at first, but an hour into the meeting and with a hell of a lot less patience, I told him to take it or leave it. He left, throwing what could only be called a temper tantrum. The fucker will come back, and when he does, it’ll cost him.
The last thing I want to focus on is work. The only thing I care about is the clock, and my watch glares back at me. I should have taken it off hours ago. Time is moving at a snail’s pace, mocking me with how many hours are left before I can get my hands and eyes on Cory.
“At least something is finally going right today,” I mutter when my cell phone buzzes against the wood desk. My irritationslowly dissipates when the screen flashes Cory’s name.I swipe accept on the screen, bring the device to my ear, and lean back in my leather chair.
“Cory.” The way I’m becoming addicted to this woman might become a problem.
“Hey.” Her voice comes through the line a little breathlessly mixed with a slight strain. It cuts through the residual nightmare of the day. “I’m sorry to interrupt.”
“Believe me, you’re not interrupting.” The absolute truth of the matter is, it’s been two days since she’s been in my penthouse. Two long, agonizing days since I’ve had her taste on my tongue. I’d managed to steal a brief hour with her yesterday. Tracking her down at the hospital had been a nightmare of epic proportions that meant calling Miller, asking him to do some fast tracking and finding her walking down the hall toward the cafeteria. My hands were laden with a large coffee and a to-go bag with a sandwich and cupcake. I watched her eat sitting in a booth, and while I wanted nothing more than to have another taste of her to hold me over, I knew her place of employment wasn’t the time or the place. Instead, I pressed a kiss to her forehead when it was time for her to return to work.
“So, I, umm, have a small confession,” she draws me out of my thoughts, sounding nervous.
“Yes, and what is it?” I ask, thinking about the one she spewed the day she signed the contracts and blurted about me not packing her nightstand drawer. I’d been tempted to call in another favor to Miller, one that involved picking a lock.
“There was a bit of a small snafu with my landlord. He was being a nightmare of an asshole about me breaking the lease early, went as far as threatening to sue me for the remainder of my months as well as for damages where there are none. I knew withholding my deposit would be a given, but bringing up thelitigation issue seemed a bit excessive when I told him I’d pay for the remainder of my lease.”
“Do I need to pay him a visit, with my legal team?” My jaw tightens, teeth grinding. Taking my anger out on a man being a dick seems like a good way to exert the pent-up energy that’s further building inside me.
“No, actually.” Her voice goes faint. A sheepish laugh echoes in my ear. “I kind of handled it, or rather your name handled it. I might have let it slip that you were my boyfriend. I didn’t say fiancé or husband because, well, there’s no ring, and I know we have to build our relationship up. But once I told him that if he wanted to tie me up in court, he’d be dealing with Dominic Mercer’s entire legal department. He changed his tune rather quickly. I just, um... hope I didn’t overstep.” Christ, hearing her use my name to protect herself has my chest tightening and my cock throbbing, hardening instantly, making me want her in front of me right now.
“Cory.” My voice drops, thick and laced with heat I don’t bother to hide. “You can use my name anytime you want. Wear it out, it belongs to you now.” It’s full of innuendo, and I’d much rather her scream my name while I have my head buried between her thighs.
“Right, well…” She clears her throat after a brief silence. Fuck. Now I’m imagining her doing a hell of a lot more with her mouth. I can practically see a flush creep up her neck. “In that case, I’m officially ready for your hired hands to do the heavy lifting. I’ve got the whole place packed to the gills with boxes. I’ve donated the bulk of my furniture to the women’s shelter. They’ll be picking it up within the hour. I only need your people to load my personal stuff. Oh, I am keeping one piece of furniture. It’s not your style, but I’m not budging. My reading chair goes where I go, even if it’s a bit faded and not aesthetically pleasing. It comes or I don’t.” There she goes using that wordagain. My brain goes haywire, thinking about finally witnessing her in the throes of an orgasm while I feed her my cock inside her wet cunt.
