Hold On

Without a word, we exit the office and head across the parking lot, where the morning sun is warming the air.

Marshall’s eyes are wild, his hair messier than when I met him the other times, a dark shadow of growth on his jaw, and he looks more like a backwoods mountain man than the millionaire businessman he appeared to be yesterday.

“Wait.” I pull my arm back, and he stops and looks at me with an intensity that hits me low in my gut. “What is going on? Why are you here?”

He takes a deep breath and furrows his brow, impatience in his face, and he looks tired. “You took off last night before I could get back to you. I called that piece of shit in there early this morning to make sure you were still going to come today, and if not, I wanted your contact info. He said he couldn’t give me that but wanted to know why I needed your number and if there was a problem. I told him yes, only because I thought it would motivate him to give me what I wanted. He said he would meet with you early this morning before you were scheduled to come to the house and get back to me. That wasn’t enough. I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t wait, so I drove over here. The door was open, so I came in. Then I saw him trying to kiss you—”

He stops, jaw muscles tightening, and there’s a vein in his forehead that looks like it’s ready to pop.

“Yes, and now I don’t have a job,” I snap back, trying to control my breathing because being this close to him has me coming undone.

“You don’t need a job.”

“Really? That’s a dumb thing to say.”

“I’m hiring you. Full-time. To take care of Buddha.”

I chuckle, still not sure if I’m dreaming or I’ve bumped my head and this is all just a hallucination.

“Really? To take care of Buddha? Sure.” I release on a sarcastic laugh and he gives me a puzzled look. “I’m not going to be a notch in your belt. You clearly have women who think they have dibs on you, and I’m not into sharing.”

“What are you talking about?”

“How many women show up at four in the morning saying they’ve been looking for you? That you’re not answering your phone…”

“Jesus, that was my sister. Half-sister, really—” He shakes his head, putting his hands on my shoulders. “That doesn’t matter. She’s involved with my venture capital fund. It’s a long story, I walked out on a business meeting yesterday because I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I jumped on a plane and flew back because of you. I’ve never done anything like that before—everyone thought I’d lost my mind. They were about to send out the cavalry to find me. I guess Dorothy is the cavalry.”

I pull my lips to the side. I don’t know why, but I believe him.

The only thing is, I think I’m the one losing my mind.

Seven

Marshall

“LET’S MAKE A DEAL.” I do what I can to keep my voice steady and civil, though everything about her turns me into a caveman.

I swear I catch the scent of fear from her, and I want her to know I will never cause her a moment of pain. Or allow anyone else to do so. And a part of that means that I’m in control. That’s the way it has to be.

She narrows her eyes. “Why do I need to make a deal with you?”

Of all the deals I’ve made in my career, I’ve never been nervous.

Until now.

“Because I came home last night and found you naked in my bed. My sheets soaked in your cum. I think you know that’s not exactly legal. Besides, what just happened in there…” I jerk my head toward the building we exited a minute ago. “You owe me.”

I’m playing it hard, harder than I’d like with this sweet treasure, but my gut tells me this has to be the way for now. She needs this push. I’ll show her a softness I didn’t know I had very soon, but first, I need to secure what’s mine in whatever way necessary.

“What do you want?” She brushes her hair over her shoulder and crosses her arms, jutting one of her magnificent full hips to the side and making my cock twitch in the process.

What I want is to bury my face in her hair, grip her body with my fingers and make her beg me for what I know she wants.

“Two things. First, you accept my offer of employment. Full-time, taking care of Buddha. I’ll pay you well, of that you can be sure, benefits whatever you need.”

“That’s stupid. He doesn’t need me full-time.”

But I do. “He may not need you full-time, but it will be good for him. Don’t you want what’s good for him?”