The hawthorne brothers a.., p.32
The Hawthorne Brothers: A Complete Billionaire Romance Collection, page 32
Instead, today, she’s more hostile than ever, which is a pity because she looks so hot in her red dress. Each time our eyes have met, she’s either rolled her eyes or glared at me. Once, she even cursed under her breath. And not the ‘I’m screwed’ kind of curse but the ‘I don’t deserve this’ kind, which makes me think I’ve done something to offend her.
At this meeting, she’s been nothing but rude. She tried to interrupt me or contradict me at least a dozen times during the first few minutes. Then she just stopped listening whenever I talked and didn’t even bother to hide it. Obviously, she’s mad at me. Everyone in the room can see it. The question is: Why?
What did I do?
I decide to ask her after the meeting. As her boss, I can’t tolerate this kind of behavior. As someone waiting for her to make up her mind whether she hates me or wants me, I’m concerned. Either way, I have to know the reason for her tantrum.
As soon as the meeting is over, Violet tries to leave ahead of the rest of the people in the room. I stop her before she reaches the door.
“Ms. Cleary?”
Her shoulders sink as she stops in her tracks.
“You and I still have a few things to discuss.”
“Fine,” she mutters.
She stomps back to the table and drops into the chair furthest away from mine, closest to the door. She crosses her arms beneath her breasts. Her lips are glued into a pout. Somehow, she reminds me of a kid who hasn’t been allowed to leave the dinner table to go play because she hasn’t finished her vegetables.
I wait for the other people who were at the meeting to leave the conference room. Then I close the door and lock it. I don’t plan on letting Violet out until I get to the bottom of this newfound resentment, and I don’t want anyone to interrupt us while I’m interrogating her.
I lean against the long table, leaving an empty chair between Violet and me to give her some space. I grip the edge and clear my throat.
“Is this PMS or something else?”
“PMS,” Violet answers.
Yeah right.
“Liar,” I scoff.
“Excuse me? Did you just call me a—?”
“Liar,” I repeat as I look at her. “We both know something’s going on with you.”
Her eyes throw daggers at me. “Yes. You would know, wouldn’t you?”
I wish I did. Then we wouldn’t be having this conversation, which I have a feeling is about to turn into a fight.
“Actually, I don’t,” I confess. “I know you’re pissed at me about something, but—”
“Pissed?” Violet interrupts me. “If a man missed his train to work, he’d be pissed. If a student left his homework at home, he’d be pissed. This is more than that.”
“Fine. Enraged. Infuriated. Homicidal. That doesn’t change the fact that I don’t know why.”
Violet’s eyebrows go up. “Excuse me?”
I put a hand on my hip as I turn to face her. “What did I do, Violet?”
For a moment, she just looks at me. Then she claps her hands above her head.
“And the Oscar goes to… Asher Hawthorne, ladies and gentlemen!”
My eyebrows furrow. “You think I’m acting?”
She puts down her hands and looks at me.
“You really don’t know, do you?”
“No.”
Violet purses her lips and shakes her head.
“Tell me,” I urge her.
“She didn’t tell you? She thought I was too insignificant for her to talk to you about, didn’t she?”
She?
“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” I tell her.
“Right. Because you have too many women that you can’t keep track of them all. Maybe you should have your own app made just for that.”
Now I don’t know what she’s talking about.
“Anyway, it’s not them I’m mad at. They all probably just got tricked. They got seduced, had dirty things whispered in their ears and were promised all sorts of stuff…”
“I never promised them anything.”
“They got fooled into thinking sex with you was the best thing that could happen to them, that it was something they wanted, needed.” Violet shakes her head. “Well, you can’t fool me.”
So she’s decided not to sleep with me. Pity. I was hoping she’d go the other way. Still, I respect her decision.
I let out a breath. “If you didn’t want to have sex with me, you could have just said so in the first place. There’s no need for all this drama…”
“Drama?” Violet stands up and slams her hands on the table. “You think I’m just trying to put on a show for you?”
I think I can’t take this much longer.
Violet puts her hand on her chest. “You hurt me, Asher. Again. See. This is why I don’t go near you. Because every time I do, each time I give you just a slight opening, you stick a spear into my heart.”
“Again, I don’t understand what you mean. I didn’t do anything. You’re the one who’s rejecting me. You’re the one who just crushed my hopes after raising them.”
“Really? I broke your heart? That’s not possible. You don’t have one.”
“Neither do you,” I tell her.
She wants to be brutally honest? Fine. I’ll be honest with her. And brutal.
Violet points a finger at me. “Don’t you dare put me in the same boat as you. You… you’re a monster.”
I cross my arms over my chest and grin. “Is that the best you can do?”
“You’re a man-whore,” she tells me next.
Ah. More insulting.
“And you’re a cocktease,” I tell her. “And a drama queen.”
She sneers. “You’re a man-child.”
“Surely I can’t be a child and a whore at the same time.”
“You’re everything vile.”
“Now that’s just vague.”
“You tell a woman you want to have sex with her so she shaves and goes to your apartment in freshly bought lingerie only to have another woman who looks like a cross between a Victoria’s Secret model and Aquaman’s wife open the door and slam it in her face.”
That’s specific. Is that what happened? Violet came to my apartment and saw another woman there? I think I know exactly who.
Hold on. Violet came to my apartment. That means…
“What are you grinning for?” she asks me. “It’s creepy.”
I keep doing it anyway. “Now I know what you’re talking about.”
She gives me a puzzled look. “What?”
She thought she knew what was going on, but she doesn’t. I do. The tables have turned.
“I finally understand everything,” I tell her. “You don’t.”
“Excuse me?”
“The woman you saw at my apartment, the woman you thought I was sleeping with—her name is Roxanne Garcia.”
“I don’t care who she is.”
“She’s my house manager,” I inform her anyway because she has to know. “That means she hires the people who clean and maintain my apartment and makes sure they do their jobs. She makes sure my laundry’s done, the linens are changed, the pantry is stocked…”
“I know what a house manager is,” Violet cuts me off.
And judging from the blush on her cheeks, she’s aware that she misunderstood the whole situation. Yup. She’s been spending the whole day getting mad at me for no reason. I think she owes me an apology.
I don’t hear one. Instead, she sinks into her chair, puts her elbows on the table and mumbles, “House manager.”
“Yes. House manager.”
I rest my arm on the back of the empty chair next to the one she’s sitting on as I move closer to her.
“She’s had the job for about two years now. The one before her was an older woman. Jane. I fired her when I caught her sleeping with the plumber in my bed.”
Violet doesn’t seem to be listening. She takes a few strands of her hair and presses them between her nose and her lips as she stares blankly at the table. Then she lets them go as she turns her head to meet my gaze.
“House manager?”
“Yes. I swear I’ve never slept with her.” I look into her blue eyes as I lean on the edge of the table. “And I haven’t slept with anyone since the last time you showed up in front of my apartment.”
Something flickers in her eyes. Surprise? Joy?
That disappears as they narrow. “And you think I’d believe you?”
“You should,” I tell her. “Because I’m telling you the truth.”
“So what? I’m just supposed to take off my clothes and have sex with you now?” she asks.
“Sounds good.”
Violet snorts. “Sorry but I don’t sleep with men who have house managers.”
Oh. She’s back to insulting me? Yet I can tell that unlike earlier, there isn’t any venom in her words this time.
I hold her gaze as I lean forward. “Stuck-up.”
“Man-child.”
“Drama queen.”
“Pompous ass.”
I lower my face so that it’s almost level with hers. “You shaved.”
She pauses a moment before answering. “I shaved.”
Which means she wants to have sex with me. And so do I. Right now.
I press my palm against Violet’s cheek and place my lips on hers. I apply just a slight amount of pressure at first, just enough for me to feel our lips touching. Then I push harder, smearing her lipstick. I part my lips and let just the tip of my tongue out to taste it as it runs across her upper lip. Then I take her lower lip and suck on it gently.
Violet’s hand goes over mine. For a moment, I stop, afraid that she might pull my hand away, slap me and walk off. Instead, she strokes my hand as her lips press firmly against mine. My heart leaps. My cock throbs.
I continue to kiss her, and more passionately. Now that I know Violet wants this, I’m not holding back. Over and over, our lips collide in perfect synchronization. My hand slides to her jaw, hers to my shoulder.
She clutches my shoulder as she gets out of her chair to stand in front of me. I straighten up, grip her hip and plant a long kiss on her lips. When she parts them, I push my tongue inside her mouth. She trembles. Her arm goes around me.
She caresses my back as my tongue caresses hers. My hand travels up and down the side of her dress. When my fingers brush against the curve of her breast, she moans. The sound sends ripples of heat beneath my skin all the way to my crotch.
I don’t find a zipper on the side of her dress so I search for it on the back. I find it. As I pull it down, Violet pulls my shirt out of my pants and starts to unbutton it from the bottom. She manages to undo just three before I take over. She steps back to slip out of her dress and her shoes. I discard my shirt and my tie.
I start to unfasten my belt but Violet wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me. My fingers fumble as I kiss her back, worse when she rubs her breasts against my bare chest. Even through the lace, I can feel her pert nipples poking my skin, and it causes my cock to poke the front of my boxers. I nearly groan.
Come on.
Eventually, I manage to get my belt free of its buckle. I pop the button of my pants and pull the zipper down just to give my erection a bit of breathing room. Then I focus all my attention on Violet.
I grip her hips and perch her on the edge of the table. My fingers wade through her sea of curls as I kiss her. Then I pull her head back gently so I can plant my lips on her neck. My other hand cups her breast through her bra.
I rub her nipple through the lace and she gasps. Her nails dig into the back of my shoulder. I unhook her bra and she takes it off. I trap one of her nipples between my lips and give it a playful twist. She moans.
I circle her nipple with the tip of my tongue as I slip my hand past the garter of her panties. The first thing I realize is that she has indeed shaved, which sends a buzz through my veins. The second thing is that she’s wet. Soaking wet. My cock swells.
She’s even wetter inside, I learn as I push my finger in. And warmer. And fucking tight. Is she a virgin? I thought she said she wasn’t. At any rate, I can barely slip one finger in, so I don’t try another. I tease her nub instead.
Violet’s arms fall off my shoulders as she lets out a soft cry. She leans back on them, trembling, gasping as I continue to tease her. Her hips jerk. Eventually, her upper body falls on top of the table, her arms limp at her sides.
Surrender. This is what I’ve been waiting for.
My heart pounds in my chest as I conquer her mouth. My tongue pins hers down as two of my fingers try to enter her. This time, they slide in with ease. I move them in a scissoring motion to stretch her and then push in deeply. Violet pulls her mouth away from mine and gasps.
She closes her eyes and turns her head to the side so I lick her ear as I bury my fingers in her heat. My cock complains in my boxers. I continue to ignore it and begin to move my fingers. When Violet’s hips start to move to meet my thrusts, I know she’s ready.
And I definitely am.
I pull her underwear off as fast as I can. Then I pull my boxers down to free my stiff, aching cock. I take the condom out from my wallet and slip the rubber sheath over my cock. Afterwards, I position the tip right next to her shaved, glistening wet pussy lips. I rub it against her for a few seconds before gripping her thigh and pushing it in. I hear another loud gasp in response.
The passage is still tight but my cock manages to slip inside Violet’s body inch by inch. Halfway in, I shift my gaze to her face. Her eyes are still closed, squeezed shut now. Her whole face looks flushed, her features tense. Her lips are parted but no sounds escape.
I don’t ever want to forget this look on Violet’s face as I enter her.
I stroke her cheek and she opens her eyes halfway. Pleasure swims in her sapphire eyes. My breath catches.
I don’t ever want to forget this look, either.
I lean over and kiss her. My lips remain on hers as I continue to enter her slowly. When I can’t go any further, I pause. I pull my mouth away and stare at her face as I start to jerk my hips.
Violet places her hands on my shoulders. I move faster and her nails dig into my skin. Her eyes close. Her mouth gapes open as she gasps for air in between soft cries.
I grip her hips and give one hard thrust. My cock fills her to the hilt and she lets out a sharp cry as she wraps her arms around me. I find it hard to move with her clinging to me so I lift her upper body and pull her hips against me. Her legs wrap around my waist.
I continue moving, savoring the friction between our bodies. It’s better than I ever imagined, so good I know I won’t be able to last much longer. Judging from the sounds Violet is making and the way she’s clinging to me, neither can she.
I grab her feet from behind me and put her heels in my hands. I rock her body back and forth on my cock so I can bring her over the edge first. Sure enough, she starts to tremble. Her body arches as she throws her head back and lets out a cry.
“Fuck!”
As she starts to tighten around me, I grip her hips once more and thrust my cock inside her. I only manage a few thrusts before my balls start to feel hot and heavy and my muscles start to coil. I clench my jaw and let out a few grunts as I bury myself deep inside her and release all of my pent-up desire.
I wait until she’s milked me of every drop and I’ve regained enough air in my lungs. Then I pull out. I leave Violet for a minute to dispose of the used condom in the trashcan, making sure it’s buried under scraps of paper. When I turn towards her again, she’s sitting in a chair, putting her panties back on.
Why is it that I find even that sexy?
I fasten my belt as I watch her put on her bra and then her dress. She seems to be having a hard time with the zipper so I help her.
“Thanks,” she mumbles.
I realize it’s the first thing she’s said in the past several minutes—well, not counting the curse that escaped her lips when she reached the climax of pleasure. I feel like I should say something, too. But what? I normally don’t have conversations after sex. I just put on my clothes and leave.
Before I can say a word, Violet leaves the room without so much as a backward glance. I frown.
I’m glad we had sex. I’m glad Violet didn’t run away in the middle of it. And yet, for some reason, I don’t feel as satisfied as I normally do, which is strange because I did enjoy every second of it.
I run my fingers through my hair and scratch the nape of my neck.
What the hell is wrong with me?
Chapter Fourteen
Violet
I can’t believe I did everything wrong.
I had a plan for the first time I had sex with Asher. I was going to be in lingerie, fresh from a shower. We were going to do it in his apartment. Afterwards, I was going to tell him that it was never happening again, that it didn’t mean anything and that the two of us should move on and try not to be a pain in each other’s asses any longer.
Instead, I made a grave mistake in assuming his house manager was his lover—seriously, what was I thinking?—we had sex in the conference room at the office—unbelievable—and then worst of all, I forgot to talk to Asher afterwards to clear things up.
Actually, I didn’t forget to. While I was putting my clothes back on, I felt like I had to say something to fill the awkward silence. I knew I was supposed to say something. What I forgot was what I was supposed to say. I just couldn’t remember any of it. Maybe it was because I was tired. Maybe it was because I was shocked that I just had sex in a conference room. Or maybe it was because my head was still spinning from that sex, that fucking amazing sex that I’d dreamed of for years. At any rate, my mind went blank, or more accurately, stayed blank—because let’s face it, my coherent thought processes turned off way before that—so I didn’t get to say anything.
Now that I’m home in my apartment and I’ve had a shower and dinner, my mind is clear. I remember what I wanted to say and I realize I still have to say it. I have to wrap things up neatly. Years ago, Asher and I didn’t have any closure. We just went out and then we didn’t go home together and we just stopped talking to each other. Maybe that’s why I haven’t completely been able to get over him. This time, we have to talk. I have to tell him that it’s over.
