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To my readers, thank you for loving books and reading and romance and smut as much as you do. Your passion is what fuels mine!
“I like you, Delilah. A lot. But things have changed, and I just don’t feel as if we’re in a position to progress our relationship.”
I see how hard you work, Delilah, and I know how driven you are. But even though we’re working side by side every day, our relationship hasn’t moved forward the way I wanted it to.” “Is it because we haven’t had sex yet?” I say in a low voice that wobbles only a little. “Because when I told you I wanted to wait, you said you were okay with that.”
Tears sting the backs of my eyes. “It’s nice to know you’re not emotionally invested enough to be bothered about our breakup.”
The newly purchased teal lingerie I’m wearing under my best little-black-dress suddenly binds uncomfortably around my meticulously de-fluffed body. Tonight would have been the night I finally stopped overthinking things, but there’s not a chance in the world I’ll admit that to Paul now.
The bartender bites back a grin and pours for me. “You want me to set up a tab?” I’m about to tell him what a great idea that is when a smooth, deep voice comes from next to me. “Not if she’s here on her own.”
“I’m going to guess the reason for your sudden need for hard alcohol is a man. Probably a man who’s recently broken your heart. And if I can tell that, so can every other man in here. Which means one more whiskey and every asshole that’s watching you right now will try to pick you up—particularly looking like that.”
“Don’t tell me you’re really interested in my sob story.” “Normally I wouldn’t be. But I need a distraction right now. And you’re it.” She turns to face me fully, those expressive eyes filling with what looks like sympathy. “I’m sorry. We’ve been talking about me. Is everything okay with you?”
“Tell me what this asshole did to make you contemplate having quick, dirty revenge sex with someone tonight.”
I just don’t like how I feel right now. I don’t like thinking it was something I did wrong. That I should have tried harder. That if I’d just . . .” She trails off, then takes another sip of water.
“I’m thinking you should go for downright filthy revenge sex that lasts for hours. And I think I should be the one you do it with.”
“I . . . um . . . I actually haven’t done this before.” “I think it’s pretty obvious that going home with a man you’ve just met at a bar isn’t typical for you.” I lower my voice. “No. I mean, I haven’t done . . . it . . . before. At all.” A crease forms between his brows. “I’m a virgin,” I hiss when he fails to respond.
What the fuck is wrong with me? Instead, I give in to a different urge, taking her mouth in another kiss, our tongues twining together, her moans vibrating against my lips.
I stare at the ceiling and try to catch my breath. It’s a damn lucky thing I’ll never see her again after tonight, because sex that good would be all-too easy to get addicted to.
My gaze reaches the far end and all my muscles lock up, the air freezing in my lungs as I jerk to a halt. A pair of cold blue eyes stare back at me. Eyes that were seared into my brain only a month ago. It can’t be him. It can’t.
I can’t believe this is happening. How is it possible that I slept with the King Group’s chief of operations and didn’t know it?
“Sustainability is Delilah’s area of expertise. She’s a—” “Is that so?” Cole says. I shift uncomfortably in my seat as he looks down at his notepad before leveling me with an inscrutable look. “Can you explain your thinking with some of these choices, Delilah? Making those kinds of customizations for each build will add significant cost to the project.”
“Interesting.” He leans back in his chair, his gaze locked on mine. “Keep going. I want you to convince me.”
I don’t miss the emphasis he puts on the word, and I almost choke, remembering how I’d asked him to convince me that night at the bar.
As we walk to the door, Paul’s hand brushes my lower back, and he leans down to whisper in my ear. “That bastard is impossible to read. I have no idea how that went.”
I have a horrible feeling that the incredible night I shared with him a month ago is about to bite me in the ass.
And if she’s harboring any delusions that I’ll invite her back into my bed, she’ll soon discover how wrong she is.
Her brows hike skyward and her mouth drops open. “Are you saying you lost your virginity to Cole King? One of the King Group Kings? Billionaire and basically your new boss?”
He steps right into my personal space, lowering his head until his face hovers just above mine. “So let me make sure I’m clear on this. Now that you’re back with Paul, you have no more need of me?”
I want to put as much distance between me and Cole as I can.
With any luck, that’s the last time I’ll ever need to get up close and personal with Cole King.
She’d surprised me. I’m mostly convinced that our original encounter and what happened between us was a coincidence. The shock and horror on her face when I suggested otherwise was believable enough that a part of me—a tiny part—actually feels bad about accusing her.
Afterward, I’d stared at my reflection in the mirror and told myself I needed to get past this. I vowed to put Delilah out of my mind. She’s my employee and nothing else.
I follow Paul to the elevator. Everyone else has already gone down, so we wait together for its return. “What was that?” he hisses. “You should have raised your proposal with me before presenting it to Cole.”
I’ve never cared about taking a woman’s virginity, but there’s something about Paul believing he’s the first man to have her that sets my teeth on edge. Some primal urge to make sure every other man knows she was mine before she was anyone else’s.
I ask, “So how are things with Paul?” Her eyes widen. “Paul? Um, they’re fine.” “No problem working on the project together?” She hesitates, probably wondering where I’m going with this. “We’ve worked together before.” I take a step forward. “And does he always treat you that way?”
Or maybe it’s because I’m an asshole and I recognize a kindred spirit when I see one. And there’s no doubt in my mind that Paul’s an asshole. After all, he’s broken up with her once already—which I should probably thank him for—then come crawling back.
“Accurate. Except for the being afraid part. Replace that with not being interested in, and you’ve got it.” “Right,” she mutters. “Well, lucky me to be one of the many, then.” She pivots as if she’s about to leave. “More memorable than most,” I say,
“I should have waited. If I’d known who I was spending the night with, I would have realized what a big mistake I was making. Now at least I’ve got a man who takes care of my needs and has an interest in me as a person.”
“You don’t think he deserves to know that the man sitting across the table from him is the man who took his girlfriend’s virginity?”
“That a month ago, you were screaming my name as you came on my cock? Tell me, Delilah, when you look at me, do you remember my mouth between your legs? Do you touch yourself and think about how you did it for me that night?”
“So next time you and your boyfriend are sitting across the table from me, you’ll know I’m remembering your sweet pussy wrapped around my dick and I’ll know you’re remembering my fingers and tongue in you, and how hard I made you scream. You might be with Paul, but I have no doubt you’ll be thinking about me the next time you fuck yourself with your fingers.”
“He doesn’t really strike me as the type to do that kind of thing. Which makes me think you’ve gotten under his skin.” I sip my cocktail. “I doubt it. I’m pretty sure he dislikes me as much as I dislike him.”
Turns out Alex was right. We soon have a bunch of guys dancing around us. And she’s right about something else, too. When I imagine a pair of icy blue eyes looking down from above, I smile and sway my hips even harder. After all, pretending never hurt anyone.
When she doesn’t say anything, her friend steps in. “You’re the new boss, I presume?”
“That night we spent together might not have meant anything to you, but . . . it did to me. I was happy that you were the one I had my first time with. I thought I was lucky to have been with someone who made it so good for me. And then . . . then we met again and you accused me of trying to use you, and you ruined it all. You made me regret something that I’d held close to my heart.”
Irritation rips through my veins, and I step back. “If you want to be willfully blind, that’s your choice. It’s nothing to me. As you said, I’ve got better things to do than care about whether my employees are being taken advantage of by their boyfriends. Crystal has already told me she’s more than happy to bounce on my dick for the rest of the night. I think I’ll take her up on her offer. Have a good night, Delilah. I hope you enjoy the club.”
“I told you. I don’t appreciate people messing with my projects, and if Paul is messing with you, he’s messing with my project.”
He moves closer again. “You know you deserve a better man than him,” he says. I square my shoulders and raise my chin. “I know.” “You would never have been happy with him in the long run.”
Cole grips my chin between his thumb and forefinger. “You would never have been satisfied with him.”
His thumb drags over my lower lip. “Did he make you come like I did, Delilah?” The rasp in his voice causes my nipples to pebble.
“Why do you want that from me? You have your choice of women. Why risk our professional relationship for this?”
“Just think. By now, Paul will be up here, right outside this door. He’ll be sitting out there waiting patiently for me while I’m making you come. If that isn’t revenge, I don’t know what is.”
I won’t let her get away with that, though. “We seem to be making a habit of revenge.”
“It won’t happen again,” she says. “I don’t want anything to do with Paul anymore. Not outside of work, anyway.”
