Claimed by the Billionaire: Lust #2 (5 page)

I was helping Greg with
homework the next night when my phone started going off rapidly. I glanced over
at it. All I saw were five new texts from Winter. I could only imagine what
they were about. I unlocked my phone and read them quickly. Just a lot of
terrible name calling. She couldn’t do anything about it. I took a screen cap
and sent them to Bradley, just to be safe. He texted me back almost instantly.

Sorry about that. You
should block her number. She won’t stop. Trust me.

Great, I thought dryly,
as I blocked her number. I turned my attention back to Greg, trying to help him
with his homework. At the same time, I thought about Winter, Bradley and I. I’m
sure she was frothing at the mouth right now. Bradley told me this morning that
their lawyers were meeting up and he was going to turn over the recording. She
must have just gotten a call from them.

What happens now? I
texted him back.

She either grants the
divorce nice and easy or I take her to court for trying to hire someone to spy
on me.

For some reason, I
wondered if it was going to be that easy.

I got my answer the
next morning when I stepped into the office and Winter was there. Her hair was
messy and her clothes were baggy — not the fashion forward look I was so used
to seeing. She was even wearing flats. Bradley was gripping his phone in one
hand, his other hand up as if warding her off.

“You need to leave.” He
was saying.

Winter turned to look
at me as I walked in and I wished I could be anywhere else at that moment,
“You!” She shouted.

“Serena, get in my
office.” Bradley said.

Winter turned back
around to him, “Are you trying to protect her?” She looked back at me, “Stay
right there so I can pummel your head in!”

“No, I’m okay.” I said,
trying to walk past her with as much distance as possible.

Winter reached out and
grabbed my hand, yanking on it, pulling me inches from her face, “You bitch,”
She said, “I will end you, do you know that? Whatever he paid you — it isn’t
what you could have gotten from me. You made an enemy out of me —“

“Winter,” Bradley said,
grabbing her arm and tugging her away from me, “You need to go. Now. Or I’ll
call the police.”

“Fuck you!” She yelled
at him, yanking her arm away.

I glanced down at my
own arm, which had deep indentations from her fake nails and stung a bit.
Winter was looking at me again and before I could walk away, she spat in my
face.

I gasped. I heard her
marching off but I was so disgusted that I couldn’t move. Bradley was there
instantly, wiping my face off with his handkerchief.

“Oh my god, Serena, I
am so sorry.” He said and kept repeating his apology as he wiped her spit off
my face.

“It’s not your fault.”
I mumbled.

“It is. I should have
never gotten you involved. It was foolish of me.”

“Listen,” I said,
throwing caution to the wind, maybe because I was covered in Winter’s spit,
“What is going on with us?”

“What do you mean?”

“We’ve been ‘supposed
to discuss’ this for what feels like decades now. Your ex-wife just spit on me.
I deserve to know. Not later, not at dinner, not in a week. I want to talk
now.”

The phone rang on my
desk but I didn’t move to answer it. I kept my gaze on Bradley’s.

“You’re right.” He
replied.

“I need to know how you
feel about me. You said in Vegas that you didn’t feel as though you knew me.
That we may have just had a physical attraction to one another.”

“Yes, I did say that.”
He said slowly.

“Is it the same now?”

Bradley paused and
shook his head, “No.”

I pressed on, “So what
is it then?”

“I really like you,
Serena. The two of us…we had something since we first met. I know you felt it
too. It was nothing I had felt before from anyone. It was…it was amazing. And
being with you physically is amazing,” He grasped my hand and squeezed it,
“You’re right. We should try us being together.”

My heart swopped and
for a second it was as though my words got caught in my throat, “Really?” I
managed to let out.

“Absolutely.”

And he leaned forward
and kissed me gently. My legs felt as though they were turning to jelly but I
relished the feeling.

As he moved away from
me, I said, “But what about this?” I motioned to the office, “I still
technically work for you. And I need to still make enough for my son to be well
taken care of. I don’t know if you’re aware but this job pays amazingly well.”
I said with a laugh.

Bradley laughed too and
then his brow creased in thought, “I don’t want to make you leave your job…”

“But how can we truly
be a couple if I work for you?” I finished the thought for him.

He nodded, “Let me see
if I can find you another job?”

“That would be
perfect.”

He leaned in and kissed
me again, making my legs buckle. Everything was falling into place, I thought
almost deliriously, I couldn’t believe how happy I was.

That weekend, Cathy
came to the park with Greg and me. Cathy didn’t have any kids of her own due to
her own infertility issues. But I knew she wanted them and was considering
adoption. I watched the way her eyes danced around the playground, seeing the
happy children and wanting one of her own. Greg was climbing over the monkey
bars. He had already skinned his knee and the neon colored band aid reflected
in the sunlight.

“So,” Cathy said,
breaking her trance and taking a sip of her iced coffee, “You going to tell me
what has you in such a good mood?”

“What do you mean?”

“Are you still playing
dumb again?”

I stalled, “Playing
dumb about what?”

“You are terrible at
this, truly, Serena.”

I lowered my voice and
leaned over to her as though we were schoolgirls, “I’ll need you to be a little
more specific.”

“You and your boss, Mr.
Gable. Spill it.”

I couldn’t hold back
any longer so I started from the beginning. Her eyes were as wide as saucers
when we finished.

“Are you kidding me?”
She exclaimed after I finished, glee all over her features.

“You gotta be quiet!” I
said, trying to shush her.

Cathy kept laughing,
“Oh my god, Serena! This is crazy. I can’t believe it.”

I knew I was blushing
but I couldn’t help it, “Cathy, I really like him. This is the first time since
my husband passed away that I feel like this. It’s really important that we
keep this on the down low.”

“Who am I going to
tell?” She said, waving her hand, “So, how is he in bed?”

I sputtered, “You say
it so casually! We’re at a playground!”

“So what? The kids
aren’t listening. Pretty sure that one over there is eating his own boogers.”
Cathy pointed to a four year old near a slide, going to town.

I laughed, “It’s good.
It’s more than good, Cathy, it is explosive. Just him touching me is enough to
send electric shocks all over my body. I can’t get over how amazing he feels.”

“Sounds like you got it
bad, girl.” She replied, sipping on her coffee.

“I guess so.”

Cathy nudged me,
“What’s with the hesitation?”

I paused, unsure if I
should speak my innermost thoughts out loud. Cathy was my best friend but I
still feared being judged.

I cleared my throat and
then said, “What if this is just a rebound for me?”

“What do you mean?”

“After…being widowed.
What if I don’t really like him? I just think I do because I’m not use to being
alone?”

The thought had struck
me late last night as I drifted off to sleep. Who hadn’t heard of rebound
relationships? What if I was throwing a job away and risking myself and someone
else because I thought I really liked this guy?

Once the thought was in
my head, I couldn’t get rid of it. It was as though it rattled around in my
head like a bunch of marbles, clanking and rolling in my brain. Maybe I was
over thinking things, which was something I excelled at. But it could be that
this was real — and what if I kept thinking like this and it psyched me out
completely? Was it too late to turn back?

Cathy peered at me, “I
don’t think so, Serena.”

“Why not?”

“I’ve known you a long
time. I’ve seen you when you thought guys were hot, even when you were married
and didn’t want to admit you were checking them out. I’ve seen how much you
loved your husband and how completely ruined you were when he passed away. The
way you’ve been attempting to hide how you feel about your boss for weeks now
was so clearly obvious to me that it was hard to keep quiet. Hey, do you think
they’d let me smoke here?”

I rolled my eyes,
“Cathy, it’s a playground.”

She waved her hand,
“Fine, fine. Anyway, Serena, your feelings are valid and so are your concerns.
But if you back away from this…I just don’t want you ten years down the line
when Greg is nearing his twenty-first birthday and you’ve bought your tenth cat
because you’re alone to wonder man, what if I had gone after my hot boss?”

In spite of the
seriousness of the subject, I laughed, “I guess so.”

“You have to do what
you have to do for yourself. You put Greg first and that’s amazing — that’s
what mothers are supposed to do. But make sure you leave time for yourself
too.”

I smiled at her,
feeling a bit better. I looked back at Greg who was pretending to be a pirate
in front of a giant wooden ship replica that the playground had put up last
summer. If it wouldn’t have embarrassed him, I would have gone over at that
moment and hugged him with all my might. But I knew he’d scrunch up his face
and be annoyed with me so I held back. I realized he’d only be getting older
and that would result in having to back off more and more. The thought saddened
me and I put it out of my mind.

“How about lunch?” I
said to Cathy.

I went in to the office
Monday morning with slight trepidation that Winter would be there, ready to
brawl in the office. But it was quiet and she wasn’t there. Bradley’s office
door was open a crack and I could hear him typing away. Relieved that Winter
wasn’t there, I peeked my head into his office.

“Good morning.” I said.

He looked up from his
computer screen and smiled, “Hey, Serena.”

“No Winter this
morning?” I joked.

Bradley shook his head,
“No. I heard she was meeting with her lawyer this morning so we should be safe
till this afternoon.”

I laughed a little and
stepped inside, “I brought you a coffee.”

“Oh, thanks.” He
replied as I walked over to his desk and placed it next to his hand.

“How was your weekend?”

“I tried to lay low,”
Bradley said, “I didn’t feel like dealing with anyone this weekend. Stayed in.
What about you?"

“Took Greg to the
playground. We went out for lunch and to the movies too. It was nice.”

He smiled, “You look
pretty today.”

In spite of myself, I
blushed, which caused him to laugh, “You look nice too.” I said.

“Listen, I was
wondering if you’d be able to get a sitter for Greg sometime this week and we
could go out for dinner.”

“Are you sure? Won’t
people see us?”

“Business dinner, we
can tell them, if anyone cares enough to ask.”

“Sure. Let me find out
which night and we can plan from there.”

Bradley stood up and
moved close to me, kissing my cheek, “That sounds perfect,” He paused and then
spoke again, “I missed you this weekend.”

My heart thrilled at
his words, “I missed you too.”

Bradley leaned down and
kissed me on the lips this time, slowly, gently and then more passionately. A
low hum of energy went up and down my spine — the same feeling I always got
whenever Bradley touched me. His fingers were pressed against the small of my
back and he pressed a little harder, having me fall against his body. My
breasts pressed against his chest as he kissed me deeper now, with tongue. His
hands glided down over to my ass which he started squeezing. My whole body felt
as though it was on fire. I was craving him again, needing his touch. One of
his hands moved away from my bottom and up to my breasts, squeezing them
through my shirt and bra. It sent shivers up and down my body and made me moan.

“Do you like that?” He
mumbled in a whisper in my ear.

I nodded.

“Let me hear you say
it.” He whispered.

His commanding tone
made my head melt and I found myself pressing against him, “I like it. I like
it.”

He kissed me hungrily
now, his hands moving up to the buttons on my shirt, undoing them slowly,
painfully, one by one. I wished he could hurry. I needed to feel his hands on
me. I knew he was dragging it out, teasing me and the thought made me
frustrated as well as heightening my pleasure. Finally, he undid the last
button. His hands went to my breasts and I sighed, contented. He pressed me
against the side of his desk as his hands moved along my breasts, tugging them
out of my bra. The cool air in the office hit my skin. The cold air and
Bradley’s warm touch made my entire body quiver. He kissed down my neck and
along my shoulders, slowly moving towards my breasts. Bradley took a nipple in
his mouth and sucked and I rolled my head back in pleasure.

“Bradley…” I sighed.

I had missed him more
than I had realized. The weekend without seeing him or feeling his touch had
felt long and empty. Now that his mouth were on my breasts and his hands on my
body, I could relax. Bradley pushed me back so I was laying on the desk. Just
like in my fantasy, I thought with a wicked thrill. He moved my skirt up around
my waist.

“Why even wear
underwear now?” Bradley murmured as he yanked my panties off.

He slid a finger up and
down my wetness, teasing me painfully. I moved my hips, trying to get him in
me.

“Please…” I begged.

Bradley smiled and I
heard him unzip his pants.  I could feel his manhood now pressing against
my entrance. He was large and I was tight so it took some time for him to enter
me. But when he did, I arched my back. It felt as though every inch of me was
alive and vibrating against him. This is my fantasy, I thought again, in a
daze. As he started to move in me, I moved back, moaning in pleasure. 
Bradley was mumbling my name as his hands gripped my waist.

“Yes, yes…” I moaned,
pumping against him as much as I could.

I felt as though I was
being taken over. My body was warm, sweat beading on my brow as I thrust
against him. My breasts were out in the open and my skirt bunched up around my
legs. Bradley still had his shirt on but his pants were around his ankles as he
moved in me, mumbling my name. My hair had come out of the bun I had worked on
so hard this morning, spilling out over the desk. All I wanted was him —

“I knew it!” A voice
rang out, triumphant, pleased and excited.

As if in slow motion, I
turned my head. Winter was in the doorway of the office. I had left the door
opened a crack when I had come in to give him his coffee. We had been too loud
to even hear the elevator come up. She was smiling, a twisted smile, as though
she knew all the secrets of the world. Bradley leapt away from me, trying to
tug his pants up while I covered myself up as best as I could, tugging my bra
up and trying to yank my skirt up. The whole time Winter just stood there, smiling.

“What are you doing
here?” Bradley stammered.

“I knew it. I kept
thinking why she wouldn’t agree to help me out. Why she ran to you. There could
only be one reason. She was a slut.” Winter said the last word so slowly with
so much venom it was as though she had stabbed me.

“How did you get up
here?” Bradley demanded.

“I walked,” She replied
dryly, “I’m going to bury the both of you now, do you understand? Mr. Bradley —
the billionaire who is fucking his assistant, paying her to be his personal
slut.”

“You need to get out.”
I hissed through clenched teeth.

Winter laughed, “Rich
coming from the person naked on her boss’s desk like a cheap tramp.”

“Winter,” Bradley
growled, “You need to leave now.”

Winter smiled again,
“I’ll go. Only because now I have so much to do that I simply have to stay on
schedule,” She turned on her long high heels, glancing back at us with disdain,
“I can forgive you, Bradley, if you come back to me. I know you were tempted.”

Neither Bradley nor I
answered. She stalked out, swaying her hips, humming a song. I looked at
Bradley who looked back at me. How could we have been so careless? I saw all
our plans go up in smoke before my eyes.