Plush The Prequel: A Billionaire Romance (3 page)

I knew that no one would blame me if things went belly up, and that I had more money in investments and savings accounts than I would ever be able to spend in this lifetime, but it was bigger than just my reputation or money. This business had been everything to my dad, and while we were very different people, I wanted nothing more than to honor his memory and get things back on track.

Besides, golf had never really been my game. And chasing pussy—well, I managed to do that, as well.

A flicker of the girl from the night before flashed through my mind but I shoved it aside, the group waiting expectantly for me to begin the morning meeting.

Two hours later, all tasks had been distributed and I felt like everything was on track, at least for the day. After the meeting, I went back to my office to comb through some sales data for the cosmetics branch, Plush. It was a high end line of beauty products and fragrances. It had grown in popularity over the past few years and the new fragrance was set to launch later in the month. I was crunching numbers and pitching a silent prayer out that it would be enough to get me the capital I needed to keep the other branches afloat for a few more months.

“Mr. Brighton?”

I looked up to see it was Kimberly at the door.

“Yes?”

She entered the room and closed the door behind her. For the first time, I noticed that she was wearing a button-up shirt and that somewhere along the line, several buttons had been undone. She was displaying an impressive amount of cleavage as she approached my desk.

“Is there anything I can do…for you?” she asked, her voice low and slow. “I noticed you’ve been pretty stressed lately. I’m available if you need some help unwinding.”

Her brazen attempt at seduction would probably work on a lot of guys, but her approach was all wrong for my tastes. I was not attracted to women who threw themselves at me. I had to be the one in pursuit. In control from the very beginning.

I knew it had probably taken a lot of guts for her to come at me in such a bold way, and I didn’t want to humiliate her.

“An iced tea would be refreshing,” I said, keeping my voice monotone, as if I didn’t register what she was trying to do.

Her face fell at my request, but she quickly rebounded and leaned over my desk, her breasts nearly popping out of her blouse. I could see the black lace edge of her bra and felt a ripple of arousal building. She licked her lips. “Are you sure that’s all you need?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Her face shifted and her cheeks turned a brilliant shade of pink.

I turned my gaze away from her, back to my computer. And I heard her leave, shutting the door slightly harder than required as she left.

I winced at the sound.

Kimberly had been with the company for some time, working up from the front desk reception position to being the main assistant to the CEO. She had an impressive work history within Brighton Enterprises and I hoped that she would let today’s embarrassment pass and not let it impact her work.

Because the last thing I wanted to do was carve out the time to hire and train a new assistant.

The rest of the afternoon passed without too many snags. I was about to pack up and go home for the evening when my cell phone rang. It was Jessie. I mentally debated whether or not to answer, but I knew that Jessie was a very persistent person and eventually she would wear me down.

Better to get it over with.

“Hello, this is Cooper,” I answered.

“Cooper, what the fuck?”

Well, that was one hell of a greeting.

“Hello, Jessie,” I said, sinking back into my chair.

“Samantha told me what happened last night. How you fucked her and then gave her the brush-off. That was a really shitty thing to do, Cooper! Especially knowing that she is my cousin!” Jessie railed.

“Jessie, what happened last night was between two consenting adults,” I said. In the back of my mind, I knew she had a point. I probably should have picked a different girl.

“I guess it’s true then, huh?”

“What is?”

“You’re really the douche that people say you are,” she answered. “I know we’re not that close, but I have to say I thought you were better than that. You know, I’ve actually defended you to people before! Boy, don’t I look like an idiot now. Everyone’s probably been laughing at me behind my back. They probably think I’m another one of your blind conquests!”

My heart rate quickened and I struggled to keep my voice even. “Come on, Jessie. Opulence isn’t exactly the type of place you meet your soul mate. It’s an adult playground. I didn’t realize there would be strings attached. What was your cousin expecting? Happily ever after?”

Jessie scoffed. “No, Cooper.
Samantha
, that’s her name, by the way. She wasn’t picking out wedding dresses or something, but I don’t think she signed up for a get in, get off, and get out kind of thing either.”

“Well, then I apologize that I didn’t make my intentions clearer,” I said. I raked a hand through my hair, trying to figure out how to get out of the conversation as quickly as possible.

“Cooper, she’s a really nice girl. You didn’t even give her a chance,” Jessie said, her voice sharp and disapproving.

“I’m sure she is, Jessie, but that’s not really what I’m looking for right now.”

“Obviously.” She paused, and the silence crackled between us over the phone line. “I would say take care of yourself, but clearly you’re already doing that. Goodbye, Cooper.”

With that, she hung up. I clicked off my side of the call and dropped the phone back into my pocket. Losing Jessie as an acquaintance wasn’t much of a loss, but her words still stung.

I didn’t like her accusations and I really didn’t like her comment about what people were saying about me. I’d known for awhile that I was gathering a particular reputation, but I hadn’t realized it was so hostile.

I grabbed my jacket off the back of my chair and left the office. There was no way I was going to be able to focus on a bunch of jumbled spreadsheets now.

Chapter Four

By the time I got to the underground garage and started my car, I realized I didn’t want to go home. It would be too quiet and I didn’t want to be left alone with my thoughts and self-loathing. If I hadn’t fucked things up with Jessie’s cousin, I might have actually been tempted to call her. Apart from her moment of clinging at the end, she had been the perfect type of fling. She had done what I wanted, without question, and she was hot.

“Man, Brighton, just fucking things up left, right, and center, huh?” I cursed myself as I sped out of the garage and merged onto the street. I thought about going back to the Opulence club. I’d seen all kinds of kinky things inside the dresser. I remembered the girls there and knew I could get any of them that I wanted. But, something about the experience had left a sour taste in my mouth. I wanted something quieter tonight, not so flashy and over the top.

And I wanted a good drink, not some fluffy cocktail.

My mind made up, I cruised on auto-pilot to my favorite bar. It was a few blocks away from my office and had a pretty killer happy hour. Lots of women gathered there after work and on a Friday, it was bound to be even better than normal. I pulled up along the curb and got out, handing my keys to the valet before going inside. There was soft music playing in the background, and a more laid back atmosphere that instantly made me feel more relaxed. I sat at the bar and ordered a double scotch, on the rocks.

As I sipped at my drink, I pushed the confrontation with Jessie out of my mind. From my seat at the end of the bar, I could see the entire room and watched as people entered and exited. When I started working on my second drink, a woman came through the doors that caught my attention. She was tall, curvy, and wearing a dress that screamed, “Fuck me.”

She scanned the room, like she was looking for someone…or something. When her eyes landed on me, her eyebrows raised slightly. I smiled at her and looked down at the empty seat next to me. She smiled and turned away, going back to searching the room. I kept staring, and after a few minutes, she seemed to abandon the hunt and came over to the bar next to me.

Her skin was a deep olive tone. Her dark hair and dark eyes were set off perfectly by the short, deep blue dress that was clinging to her generous curves.

“A vodka cranberry with lime,” she told the bartender.

I stared at her ass.

“So, what’s your deal?” she asked, turning her attention back to me. “Were you just gonna sit there and eye fuck me all night long? Or actually come over and say hello?”

I nearly spit out my drink. She laughed at my reaction. It was rare that anyone caught me off guard like that. By the way her eyes were dancing—I could tell it had played out just as she had wanted it to.

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“Very original,” she said. “I’m Evie.”

“Cooper,” I said.

“Cute.”

“Thanks,” I said, smiling as she rolled her eyes. “So, who are you looking for?”

She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye as she took a sip of her drink. “Fuck it,” she said, more to herself than me. “I was supposed to meet a date here, but it looks like he’s a no-show. Well, either that or he looks significantly different than his profile pictures led me to believe.”

“His loss.” I shrugged. “Sit with me.”

She considered the bar stool. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea in this dress.”

“Oh, I think it’s an excellent idea,” I growled, low enough that she was the only one who could hear me.

Her dark eyes locked on mine and she smiled, almost like she was about to take a dare. She steadied herself with one hand on the bar and lifted up into the chair, quick to cross her legs, but it didn’t matter. The dress had ridden up even higher on her caramel colored thighs and I was gone.

I ordered another drink for her and we spent the next hour discussing her would-have-been date and decided it was best that he didn’t show.

Two hours later, I was crushed up against her as we fell through the door to her apartment. Our lips and tongues were tangled together and I was so stiff that it hurt. We had spent the past hours in a delicate dance and I’d thoroughly enjoyed the slow flame of the seduction.

But not nearly as much as I was going to enjoy what was going to happen next.

As soon as her door was shut behind us, I slid my hands down her back, latching on the zipper of her too-tight dress and unzipped it. Once loose, I pulled it up the rest of her body and over her head. She stood before me in her heels, and deep purple bra and panties that had a black lace overlay. Her breasts were spilling out of the top of the bra and I ran my fingers along the dark circles peeking above the top. She shuddered and I smiled.

This was going to be fun.

I unhooked the bra and watched as her perfect tits fell out of the satin cups. I held them in my hands and ran my thumbs along her tight nipples.

“Cooper,” she whimpered. Her eyes were closed as she surrendered to my exploration. I traced every inch with my fingers and then my tongue. I sucked at the tender flesh, listening to her moan. My cock was throbbing, desperately straining against the restriction of my pants.

My hand slid down her stomach, grazing every curve, before dipping into the top of her satin panties. She shuddered under my touch and when my fingers slipped into her, I groaned at how wet she was.

“Fuck,” I said.

She smiled at me. She grabbed my tie and pulled me to the back of the apartment and into her small bedroom. The lights were off, but the moonlight spilling in from the open window gave enough light to see her silhouette, and something about it got me even more excited.

She tugged at my tie and I quickly untied it.

“Do you trust me?” I asked her, holding up the tie.

She sucked at her bottom lip, considering my question. After a beat, she nodded and smiled.

“Turn around.”

She turned and I tied the tie around her face, like a blindfold.

“Lay down on the bed,” I said, leading her to the edge of the mattress.

“Are you gonna rob me?” She laughed.

I smacked her ass playfully and she lowered onto the bed and lay back against the pillows. I stripped off my clothes. I spread her legs and kissed my way from her breasts to just below her navel. She shivered as my lips trailed lower, and lower. I spread her lips with my fingers and breathed in her scent. She was soaking wet already. I blew on her skin and she shuddered.

“Cooper…please,” she whispered.

I smiled and then sucked her tiny little bud into my mouth. She jolted and I had to grip her hips to keep her still as I worked at her, teasing and tasting every inch of her. She was panting as her anticipation built and I knew she was getting close. I slid a finger inside of her and felt her walls gripping me desperately. I fingered her slowly, taking my time, building her to an almost painful point, just on the edge.

“Yes!” she cried out. “Keep going.”

Her hips were straining under my firm hands and her back was arched against the bed as she awaited the sweet release I was promising her.

“Not yet,” I said. I pulled my lips away and kissed a trail down her inner thigh instead.

She groaned and her body sagged back to the bed. “That was mean,” she whined.

I smiled and continued to kiss and suck above her pussy, just below her navel. Her hands dug into my shoulders and she tried to push herself back to get my lips where she wanted them. I pushed harder on her hips to pin her to the bed and she released another frustrated groan.

“Trust me,” I said before nipping her thigh with my teeth. “I’ll get you there, and it will be like nothing you’ve ever had before.”

She whimpered and I slid a finger back inside her. Her whimper changed to a moan instantly as I began fingering her slowly. I sucked her clit again, harder this time, and her fingertips pressed into my skin. Her nails were short, but sharp against my skin. The pain mixed with my arousal and sent a jolt of heat straight to my throbbing cock.

I licked and sucked at her sensitive skin and thrust my fingers deep into her, fingering the soft place against her walls.