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  Glancing up at me, she widens her doe eyes and utters the most painfully innocent sentence I’ve ever heard, almost making me come on the spot.

  “Will you teach me?”

  “Fuck,” I growl, slowing my movements and forcing myself not to thrust in between her plush lips. “Yes, princess. I’ll teach you.”

  Gently, I tangle my fingers in her silky hair, guiding her movements. She gags with the first few slow thrusts, acclimating to the sensation, but I feel her relax her jaw around me as I whisper comforts and instructions to her. Within a few minutes, the head of my cock is hitting the back of her throat with each thrust. I moan at the heat pooling in my groin, and Ryan does something unexpected, reaching up to cup my balls.

  “Fuck, Ryan!” I try to pull out, to give her a warning, but she loops her arms around my thighs, pulling me closer and devouring me, sucking hard. My cum squirts down her hot throat, stream after stream for what feels like forever, each one eliciting a new and earth-shattering shudder from my body.

  When it finally stops, she sucks me one last time, being sure to get every drop before she stands, wiping her lips and gazing up at me expectedly.

  “Fucking hell, Ryan.” I tuck myself back into my pants, pulling her into a feverish kiss.

  “When we get home, I’m going to make you come until you pass out.” I inform her, gripping her hand and leading us to the car.

  Chapter 13

  Ryan

  The car ride is surprisingly light, given the night’s previous moods. Julian wraps his strong arms around me, and we gaze through the windows, observing the passersby together.

  “I think you’ll need to come on every one of my work trips from here on out.” He observes, interrupting my people watching.

  I laugh, nudging him. “I don’t know that I can really count this as a work trip.”

  He smirks, retorting, “well, you are getting paid to be here.”

  Oh god, I realize. He’s right. “Wait, wait, wait. That didn’t come out right.” He backtracks at the sudden horror flashing across my face.

  “What I meant was, it’s very much a work trip. You’re doing company research.”

  “Research?” I repeat, questioning him. An uneasy feeling creeps into my stomach at the newfound anticipation in his voice.

  “Oh yes, research. You see, Miss Blake. As of a week ago, I am the new owner of Yorkstone International Publishing.”

  I feel the blood drain from my face as I register his words. He bought a publishing house. For me?

  “I don't understand,” I say quietly, almost afraid to hear his explanation.

  “It’s a good investment, besides, Price Industries could use a bit more culture – don’t you think?”

  “Julian.” I chastise, unsure of where to even begin. “Please tell me you did not buy a publishing house just for me.”

  “Okay. I did not buy a publishing house just for you.” He smirks, unable to help himself.

  Pinching the bridge of my nose, I sigh deeply, unsure of what to do with him.

  “Why would you do that for me? That must have cost— “

  “Nothing, compared to you.” He cuts me off, finishing my sentence.

  “I-I don't know what to say.” I stutter over my shock, tears pooling in my eyes, spilling over as a broad smile spreads across my lips.

  “You don’t have to say anything. There are no strings attached, I’m not expecting anything from you.” I nod at him, though he didn’t need to clarify. I know he wouldn’t do that.

  “So, if you’d still like me to fire you, I’m finally agreeing. But only if you agree to work in my new company. I was thinking maybe Fiction Editor? You can have an offi—“

  I cut off his ramble with a kiss, gripping the sides of his face and pulling him closer to me.

  * * *

  Julian runs a lazy fingertip up my spine, staring at me intently. The almost-morning light is intruding through the window of my hotel room, illuminating his soft features in shades of blue and gray and dyeing his eyes an ocean-turquoise color that I could happily drown in.

  “What are you thinking?” I prompt him, wishing I could crack open his complicated skull and read his thoughts.

  “There’s something you should know.” His tone is serious – more serious than I’ve ever heard him. I tense, sitting up on my elbows, brows furrowed in a question. “I’m not going to endorse your father. I never had any intention to.”

  My eyes glide back and forth across the air in front of my face, narrowing as I try to read between the lines of his words. “Okay… Then why did you agree to take me on as your assistant?” I question him.

  He pauses for a moment, contemplating his answer, and I worry that he can feel my erratic heartbeat from our close proximity. It’s speeding like I’ve snorted some form of stimulant, but really, it’s the prospect of finally getting some answers that’s sending electricity through my veins. I don’t speak – don’t dare push him. Instead, I wait patiently, nothing to fill the suspended silence but my own heartbeat in my ears. The moment seems to drag on for hours, but then, he finally speaks.

  “Because you needed to get out from under him. I saw an opportunity to help, and I wanted to.” I nod, but don’t respond, waiting for him to continue. “I’ve been watching you for years, Ryan. Reading every thought, you weren’t permitted to say out loud, cringing with every stifling sentence I watched him speak to you. Your father knew, you know. How I feel about you. I’ve caught him watching me while I watch you. He wanted my endorsement, so he bartered his own fucking daughter to get it.” Julian practically spits the last sentence.

  I wish I was still at a point where the sentiment would phase me, but in truth, it doesn’t make me feel anything but familiarity. Of course he’d bartered me; that’s what I am to him, a chess piece to be pushed around to the most beneficial spot on the board.

  “I’m glad he did it.” I mutter, glancing up to catch Julian’s forest green eyes. “If he hadn’t, this never would have happened.”

  His expression softens with my admission, and he leans down to press a soft kiss against my lips. I welcome it, entangling myself in his warm limbs.

  “You’re right.” I disconnect from him, “he’s crooked and immoral. You’re right not to endorse him.”

  Julian nods, his eyes glistening in thanks, a worry that I hadn’t noticed before now, visibly dissipating. He resumes the kiss, deepening it. I submit to him, glad for the last few moments of bliss before he has to get up to get ready for the day.

  Chapter 14

  Ryan

  “Do we have to leave?” I call out to Julian in a mock sing-song voice as I struggle to pack all of my new clothes into my carry-on bag.

  I can hear his full and easy laugh from behind the half-closed bathroom door, and I smile softly at the light sound; so different from what I’ve heard from him in the past. He emerges from the doorway, hands still preoccupied with the slate-gray tie at his neck, walking towards me with a smile.

  “Trust me, if it were up to me,” the zip of my suitcase punctuates his sentence as he closes it for me, “we’d be here forever.”

  Gripping the sides of my face, he kisses me gingerly before retreating back into the bathroom to grab his suit-jacket.

  We’ve been here nearly a week, and while Julian has been occupied with meetings and presentations, he’s sent me on every tourist excursion one could possibly think of – and when those ran out, he moved to shopping trips, and food tours. I’ve eaten so many plates of fish and chips that I don’t think any of my new clothes will fit me anyway.

  Since Julian confessed his feelings, and his true motives with my father, his mood has been lighter; airy, even. It’s like he’s been carrying some unseen weight on his shoulders all this time, and now he’s finally shed it. I’m happy for him, but I can’t help this sinking feeling in my stomach that I’ve picked it up.

  Being with him is easy when I’m half a world away from my parents. We can go to dinner, and kiss b
eneath the streetlights on the sidewalk, basking in the London rain, without a care in the world. I can spend the night in his hotel room, and there won’t be a doorman lurking somewhere with a camera, waiting to tell my father everything he saw. Sure, Waldorf Industries has some operations in London, but my father’s influence here is nothing compared to Julian’s, and nothing compared to what it is in New York. I’ve considered moving abroad more than once but, for all her flaws, I could never leave my mother.

  “What’s wrong?”

  I jump a little, not having heard Julian come back into the room. Glancing up, I offer him a small smile. He’s so close that I can feel his body heat rolling over me in waves, soothing the stress-induced goosebumps along my exposed arms. His oak eyes are filled with concern, prodding me to answer the hanging question.

  I open my mouth to speak, to voice all the concerns that I’ve been pushing off so as not to burst our London-shaped bubble, but instead the only thing that flows from my lips is a deep and frustrated sigh. My fingers twitch at the matte zipper of my suitcase as I wrack my brain for a suitable response.

  “You’re worried about your father.” Julian runs a soft fingertip up the outside of my arm, eliciting a new wave of goosebumps for an entirely different reason than before. I lean my head against his hard chest, smiling despite my anxiety. I’ve never had anyone know me well enough to read my thoughts. He returns the embrace with the same gentle softness he held in his words.

  “I don’t want you to think I don’t want this, because I do.” I start, prefacing my worries with as much a confession of feelings as I can manage. Julian’s lips quirk at one side, a ghost of his signature smirk lingering at my words. It’s the same mischievous smile that painted his full lips a few nights ago, standing under the city-dulled stars…

  “This is incredible; how did you manage this?” I turn to Julian with an untamed grin, standing in a thicket of deep red roses. Under the night sky they look almost black, with just the smallest hint of blood-red undertones. The kind of color that you could never capture in a picture.

  We’re standing alone in the center of Queen Mary’s Rose Garden in Regents Park. I know for a fact that this part of the park is closed off to visitors at sunset. I squint my eyes to get a clarified glimpse of him in the glow of the string-lights that line the trees around us. He is magnetic.

  “I’m well connected,” Julian quips, his gaze rolling over me in shockwaves of pride and adoration. “Do you like it?”

  I giggle at the gratuitous question, somewhat surprised at the yearning in his voice. He wants me to like his surprise. Laughing freely now, I release his hand, twirling in the kaleidoscopic maze of winter-bloomed flowers, arms outstretched despite the cool weather.

  “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen! I love it! I—“ I pause mid-spin, unsure of whatever words were about to tumble out of my mouth. The smile that previously strained my cheeks in the cool air begins to droop as I cut through the dark to meet Julian’s gaze, knots suddenly forming deep in my stomach. When my eyes finally find him, he is smiling. One corner of his mouth is quirked to the side, lacking its usual condescending quality. His eyes are engulfing me in satisfied flames, burning hotter with each long stride he takes, closing the gap between us to capture me in a hard, shallow kiss.

  When he finally releases me, his voice comes out in a low whisper. “Take as long as you need, Ryan. Me too.”

  “But?” Julian prompts me to continue, yanking me from my warm memory of the other night and placing me back into our tense reality. The elegant smile has vanished from his lips, a thin worried frown taking its place.

  “But I’m worried about what will happen if my father finds out.” I finish my sentence with more ease than I expected, the heavy weight on my chest dulling slightly as I share the worry with him. Julian nods in understanding, running the back of his finger along my cheekbone.

  “We don’t have to tell him if you don’t want to. I can have my security team establish some protocols to maintain our privacy – only using service entrances when we go out, sneaking us in and out of our buildings, anything we need.” Julian begins to ramble off various plans, his voice fading into background noise as I contemplate life in secret. Swallowing hard, I shudder under the newly added weight of the bleak prospect.

  “Let’s just take it slow, okay?” I interrupt him, “We’ll see what the first few days are like. Maybe it won’t be that hard.”

  He nods at me, grabbing our bags without a second thought. I wish I had been so convincing with myself. In truth, I don’t see a way out of this. I can’t tell my father. He may have bartered me as eye candy for Julian, but this he wouldn’t be okay with. On the other hand, I can’t lose Julian.

  Following him out the door, I sigh, resigning to push the thought securely to the back of my head until we land.

  Chapter 15

  Julian

  We’ve been in the air for about four hours now, and Ryan’s barely spoken a word. Every few moments she flashes me a small and unconvincing smile from her seat next to mine, worried about what I’ll think if she shares her growing anxieties as we approach American airspace. In truth, she’s a dreadful liar. That isn’t what I would have expected, considering the strictness of her upbringing and the many lies I’ve already seen her spout to her parents. I have a budding suspicion that it’s the new prospect of lying to someone she has feelings for that's throwing her off her usually skilled game.

  I’ve been mulling over my thoughts, trying to find a way to ease her fears without spooking her too much. Lacing my fingers through hers, I lightly squeeze her soft hand, grabbing her attention. Head on it is, I suppose.

  “I know you’re scared, but I’m here no matter what you decide to do.”

  Ryan visibly relaxes with the simple platitude. I meant every word. Her brows raise in almost tears as she quietly thanks me for the sentiment. My chest constricts at the sight.

  “Hey, we’ll figure it out, okay?” Tilting her chin with my fingers, I plant a soft peck on her lips, pulling back to study her brimming eyes.

  “I know we will, it’s just…” She trails off. I silently curse the gods that I can’t read her beautiful mind, and am instead waiting, at her mercy. But I do – wait. And after several long moments, she opens her mouth to speak again. “He has a way of getting to people.”

  I clench my jaw in understanding. That’s what she’s afraid of? That somehow, for some reason, her father will get to me, and I’ll leave her? I bite my lip in an effort not to laugh at the ridiculousness of worry.

  “Ryan,” I start, my voice coming out with a small huff of laughter, eliciting a glare from her beautiful doe eyes. “There isn’t a single fucking thing in this whole damn world that could tear me away from you, alright? Least of all your father.”

  Ryan eyes me for a moment, gauging the sincerity of my words. I’d be offended at the sentiment if I didn’t know her father. A smarter man might be afraid. A lesser man surely would be.

  I could best Christian Blake on my worst day just for the fun of it. Now, with Ryan hanging in the balance, Christian is the one that should be afraid.

  I don’t voice that particular thought to Ryan, instead focusing on whisking her away from this particular subject.

  “Okay.” She settles quietly. Despite the brevity of her response, I know it is genuine. Her honey-coated voice is back to its usual tone, lacking the worry that's been addling it since we woke this morning.

  “Okay,” I smirk, mimicking her words. “Now, we only have about four hours of airtime left, and I have some ideas about how we can fill them. Unless, of course, you want to keep worrying some more?”

  Ryan smothers my last words with a kiss, catching me off guard. She giggles lightly against my lips, the vibrations of the magnificent sound tickling me as I pull her closer, reaching to unbuckle her seatbelt.

  “Wait!” Pulling away from me, Ryan reaches across me, her fingers padding at the buttons on my armrest until she finds the on
e she’s looking for. With a light press, the Do Not Disturb light appears on the screen in front of me in bright red font. No one will bother us until we turn it off; one of the many perks of owning the plane.

  I reach out, gripping under Ryan’s arms, not allowing her to retreat from her reach across my seat, but instead lifting her onto my unbuckled lap. The padded seats are spacious enough to allow room for her legs to nestle beside mine as she kneels above my lap, granting me generous room to slip one hand between them to pull her skirt high on her soft thighs.

  Ryan reclines the seat a few inches, just enough to lean forward into her hips as she grinds into me deviously, the friction eliciting a low moan from deep in her throat. I curse into her mouth as my grip settles at the junction of her thigh, unencumbered. She isn’t wearing anything under the skirt. I groan at the realization, wishing I’d taken advantage sooner.

  I shift in my seat, pulling away from Ryan’s slow and torturous reach to press my body into the back of the leather cushions, ignoring her whimpers. Taking advantage of the few inches of access I granted myself, I snake my hand between her thighs, swiping two fingers along her soaking wet slit. I don’t have to look down to know that my pants are likely ruined.

  Whimpers and moans fill my ears as I continue my attentions, teasing her, slowly, not allowing myself to dip into her warmth just yet. Taking me off guard, Ryan captures me in a slow and desperate kiss. I can practically taste her pleases. I unbutton my slacks with a quick flick of my wrist, freeing myself from the constraining fabric, not bothering to push them down.

  “Oh,” she whimpers as I run my hard tip across her slit, coating myself in her juices. The sound of her struggled and needy whimpers drives me crazy, tempting me to sit here and tease her for hours, just to elicit the sweet noises from her lips. Maybe next time, but now, in this moment, I’m confident we’ll both explode with need if I don’t oblige her.