Teasing The Boss (13 page)

And he didn’t deny her. His mouth closed over one taut peak while his free hand teased the other. The electric heat shot right to her core, and she flinched as the sensations flooded her body. She moved against him as her body directed her in the primal rhythm she was craving.

He moved his mouth to the other breast, never giving her a chance to come down. His one hand remained twisted in her hair, keeping her firmly in place for his torture, while his other hand traveled over her stomach and lower still, creeping into the waistband of her panties. His fingers ran over the sensitive lips before he teased the bundle of nerves with his thumb.

Grace gripped onto his shirt and rested her head on his shoulder as the bolt of pleasure coursed through her legs, arms, and right back to where his fingers were torturing her. He slid a finger inside her, her warm channel already wet for him. As he slid two fingers in, she moved against his hand. But he didn’t need her guidance. He knew exactly where and when to touch her. In seconds, she was coming on top of him. Once again, she lost all control while he sat fully clothed beneath her.

“Not fair,” she breathed as she floated down from the climax.

Simon slowly withdrew from her, and she shivered at the friction. “I’d like to know what part of that wasn’t fair.”

Grace leaned back and worked at the buttons of his shirt. “For one, you’re still dressed. I’d say that puts me at quite the disadvantage.” She tried to sound cool and collected, but it was hard with her heart still pounding in her chest and her core still begging for more.

“We can fix that,” said Simon.

He sounded as cool as could be, but she could feel his erection jump every time it even got close to her wet heat. This was it. The one place he’d let himself go. She could work with this.

She pushed the shirt over his broad shoulders and stared at his chest. She’d seen it briefly in Mark’s house, but now she got a chance to truly appreciate him. The man was amazing. His chest was sculpted to perfection, one more example of his rigid discipline. The hard lines were peppered with light hair the same red color as on his head.

Unable to resist, she reached out a hand. As soon as her palm rested over his heart, he caught his breath, and a small smile curved her mouth. Encouraged by his reaction, she moved her hand slowly downward, appreciating the hard planes of his sculpted abs.

When she reached his belt buckle, she looked up and met his gaze. Keeping eye contact, she pulled the belt open and pulled it through the loops, one by one.

“Fuck, Grace,” he muttered as he abruptly pushed her off him. She landed on her back on the bed, staring up at him, as he pulled his pants and boxers down in one swift move. Just like that, he was naked before her. His erection jutted out straight toward her. Her mouth watered, but before she could reach out to touch him again, he crawled over her. His hips rested against hers as he covered her mouth with his. Simon’s kiss was soft and passionate all at the same time. Hands ran up and down her body so fast that she felt as though she was being touched all over.

He laid kisses to her jaw, collarbone, and shoulder. At the same time, he hooked his fingers in her panties. She lifted her hips, willing to do anything possible to get him inside her faster.

He had to lean away to pull the delicate lace down her legs and off her ankles. As he came back down, he set a hand on each knee and spread her wide as he came to rest between her legs.

The very tip of him rested at her entrance and she momentarily forgot how to breathe.

“Are you on the Pill?” he asked in a husky voice.

She blinked. The question pulled her out of her thrall. “Yes.”

He gave a quick nod, and then pushed into her in one long, powerful thrust.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, the intense shot of pleasure so vivid that she could’ve sworn she saw stars.

But then he moved and she couldn’t think anymore. All she could do was hold on as the thrusts came faster and faster. She moved to meet each one, and he drove her closer to the edge.

When he leaned down to kiss her again, they both came together. She threw her head back, eyes squeezed shut, until the only thing that existed was the pleasure that ran through her veins.

He gripped her tighter as he shuddered his release; his fingers pressed into the flesh of her hips.

Afterwards, the room was quiet except for the ragged sounds of their breathing. Grace was content to lay in the quiet with Simon on top of her like a rather uncomfortable, but extremely warm, blanket.

She looked up at the ceiling and tried to figure out what to say. What to think.
Great job, buddy
? Ugh. She wasn’t normally this awkward after sex, but she’d always been rather prudish with her lovers. She’d only ever been with established boyfriends after multiple dates.

Grace didn’t even know what Simon was to her. Her consultant? Her fake boyfriend? He’d shown interest in her, but that didn’t mean he wanted anything more than sex. And for the life of her, she was much too relaxed and content to bring up the relationship talk at the moment.

“I should probably finish packing,” she finally said.

He shifted and took a bit of his weight off her. “You don’t want to go for round two?” he asked with a cocky grin.

She smiled up at him. “That was round two for me,” she reminded him. “Besides, you think you could go again so soon?” She raised a brow as she waited for his answer.

“I sure as hell wouldn’t mind trying.” He leaned in for a kiss.

His lips touched hers in the lightest caress. She let her eyes drift closed, but he moved away. “We really should get going, though.”

She didn’t even bother trying to hide her irritation. “You’re such a tease,” she said as he rolled off her.

He stood and looked down at her. “What can I say? I was taught to always leave them wanting more.”

Simon sat across from Victoria Green and tried his best to keep a somber look on his face. It should’ve been easy. Victoria was between a rock and a hard place, and it was his job to make sure she succeeded.

Yet somehow all he could think of was the car ride back from the Hamptons with Grace and Princess. They’d talked the entire way back, and not once about DuFord.

She’d sung along to some of the atrocious number one hits of the moment, but instead of irritating him, he couldn’t help but be charmed by her constant smile and the way her hair blew around her face.

But that was yesterday, and now he had to focus on his client. “Are you sure he’s not going to get better?”

Victoria shrugged a slim shoulder. “The doctors said there’s a chance. I don’t know. This entire thing is bullshit. What is the point of putting a person in a coma on purpose? Oh, we think your life is in danger so we’re going to take you to the brink of death.”

“I’m sure the doctors put him in the medically induced coma for a reason. Probably because they expect him to get better. They didn’t just throw their hands up and let nature take over, you know?” Simon hoped he was making the slightest bit of sense. He was the last person who should give medical advice. He decided it would be best to switch subjects. “Has Terry been causing any trouble?”

“You mean more than he has in the past? Not yet. I only knew he was here because I ran into him in the hospital. It was the first time I’d seen him since Dad gave me control of the company.”

Simon’s thumb beat out a rhythm on the desk in front of him. “Are you sure he’s not here to pay his final respects?”

She ran a hand through her long brown hair and it fell perfectly back into place. For Victoria Green, image was everything. As the young CEO of a corporation in a male-dominated industry, she always worked to maintain her pitch-perfect image. The last thing she needed was a jealous brother running around.

“There’s a chance. A thin, thin, tiny, tiny chance. I hate to be that cynical person who says people don’t change, but Terry can’t change. He was a brat as a kid, he was a brat who almost ran this company into the ground as a CEO, and now he’s an unemployed brat. I can’t help but think that him being here is nothing but bad news.”

“I know a few private investigators. I’ll give them a call and we can probably have eyes on Terry by tomorrow, if that will make you feel better.”

She tightened her lips as she stared across the table at him. “That’s a good idea,” she finally said.

“Is something else bothering you?” He didn’t want to be her personal therapist, but if he was going to save her company, he needed to be kept informed.

She took a deep breath. “My father had a vision when he ran this company. He always imagined himself handing the reins over to his son, just as his father did for him.”

“But he didn’t give them to Terry. He gave them to you.”

She met his eyes over the desk. “I don’t know if his will reflects that.”

“Your father is a smart man. His will isn’t likely something he’d forget.”

“My father is a brilliant, arrogant man. I wouldn’t be surprised if he expected to live forever. Either way, he owns all of the shares. If he left everything to Terry, I’m out of here.”

Simon rubbed his chin. Victoria had a point. Richard Green was arrogant. He had good reason to be, considering how successful he’d been. The heart attack had been so sudden, it was possible that he’d never updated his will to give Victoria controlling interest.

“If he left it to Terry, there’s not much we can do. The best ways to fight a will are to declare the person who wrote it mentally incapable, prove the will was written under undue influence, or prove fraud. None of those would apply to Terry.”

“You’re my consultant, West. Consult me. What the hell am I supposed to do?”

He thought for a moment. “Keep up your image. Make sure you keep it together, and if Terry tries to goad you in any way, don’t give in. The company is the most important thing right now.”

“Keep up a strong image? That’s what I do all the time anyway. What the hell difference does it make now?”

“There’s a side of this you haven’t considered yet,” pointed out Simon.

Victoria raised her brows. “What side?”

“That idea that Richard did change his will and Terry will contest it.”

She frowned. “He can’t prove any of the things you just listed off.”

“Maybe not, but if he really wants Green’s back, he’s going to claim undue influence.”

“Like hell he is!” she shouted. She clenched her jaw, apparently realizing how loud she’d been. “How could he prove that?” she asked, quieter this time.

“By getting someone to lie. I’m sure you have a few enemies in the company, but most people here like you. So try to be extra friendly for the time being.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in her chair. “You want me to sit back and smile while Terry tries to worm his way back into my office?”

“I’m saying be careful. We don’t know what Terry wants. He could be here to say goodbye. We don’t know.”

Victoria grimaced. “I hate not knowing. I can’t do nothing, though.” Her eyes suddenly lit up. “Your girlfriend! She’s a party planner, right?”

Simon stiffened. “She’s an event coordinator,” he corrected. “What does she have to do with anything?”

“We want the employees to like me? We’ll throw them a party they’ll never forget. They can dress up, we’ll serve prime rib, get some swanky entertainment. Boom.”

“That’s not going to fix your problem,” insisted Simon. “Some people might like you more, but that won’t stop Terry from playing dirty. He can blackmail and bribe anyone to say what he wants them to say.”

Victoria stood from behind the desk. “You think I don’t know that? I can’t twiddle my thumbs, hoping Terry’s a changed man. If we’re wrong, oh well, the staff gets a great party and I am out some money. But if I’m right, at least it’s
something
.”

Simon glared up at her, trying to think of anything to calm her down. But she was right. Throwing a last-minute appreciation party for her employees wouldn’t hurt her case. And it might be something new and exciting to keep her mind off the legal drama.

And the emotional trauma of possibly losing a parent. Victoria was careful to keep her emotions guarded, but Simon had seen her with Richard a few times. They’d always had genuine affection for each other. Even her desire to get control of the company was out of love for her father.

Terry had almost run the place into the ground during his two years at the helm. Not only did she put her blood, sweat, and tears into the company, but it was her family legacy.

“I’ll talk to Grace and see if she can help.” A smile tugged at Victoria’s mouth. “No promises, though. I’ll have to check with her schedule.”

~~~~~

“She wants what when?” shouted Grace from the couch. The man was insane.

Simon took a deep breath and repeated himself. “I said that I’d like you to coordinate an appreciation event for three hundred people in two weeks.”

She stared blankly at him. “You’re out of your mind. I can’t do that! Do you have any idea how many moving parts go into an event of that size? How many vendors, caterers, and reception halls I have to deal with…reception halls! How are we going to find a place decent enough with such short notice?” Princess, apparently disapproving of Grace’s yelling, got up from her dog bed and retreated into the bedroom.

Simon set a hand on her leg. “Relax, okay. If you have to say no, you can. I promised Victoria I’d ask you, though.”

Grace’s brows drew together as she stared at him. “You like her?” Simon drew back a bit and she quickly clarified, “Not
like
like. But you think she’s a decent person?”

“Oh. I suppose. She’s been put in a rough spot and, technically, it’s my job to pull her out of tight spots. She doesn’t need to go through all this trouble, but it will make her feel better. And since it’s such short notice, I’m sure you can charge an inconvenience fee.”

Grace snorted. “I thought you were supposed to be saving her money.”

“I am. But this isn’t going to break the bank. I’m more of the guy who makes sure the revenue streams are working the way they should and determines whether the company should expand into different markets.” He sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.