The Billionaire’s Tenacious Boss (The Maxfield Brothers Series Book 1) (13 page)

“And you are going to bail on your family because your ego is bruised?” she asked softly. Another question hung unspoken in her mind. Would he bail on her too?

“I don’t know how to get past this,” he said with a sigh. “I don’t know how to stop him.”

“But you’ll try?” she asked as she held her breath. “You’re not going to run now, are you?”

He didn’t say anything as he moved up and pressed his lips to hers. She wanted to push him, to find out where his head was, but he was already hard again. And now the man knew how to distract her. Soon the only coherent thought in her head was that she wanted more.

She needed more. And she knew he did too.

If they weren’t going to find a resolution by talking, at least they could chase their demons another way. Shifting so she was lying on top of him, she sat up, straddling his hips as he watched her. His eyes were conveying a mix of emotions that she couldn’t quite identify but the obvious press of his erection beneath her told her that he was ready for her.

Her own body was ready for him as she rocked her hips back and forth enjoying the sensation of his rapidly tightening skin against her slit. Lifting one leg, she wrapped her hand around his erection and guided it toward her waiting folds. She slowly sank down on top of him, her body easily handling his size, not stopping until he was deeply seated inside her.

Angie’s fingers trembled where they sat on his chest while her body became accustomed to him at this angle. Giving him a wicked grin, she lifted her hips and began drawing her body up as slow as she could manage before crashing back down against him.

She knew she wouldn’t be able to keep it up for long, her legs were already shaking but she loved the look on his face as her muscles pulsated around him with each turn. Tightening her stomach, she rotated her hips in a figure eight, digging her fingers into his chest as he rubbed against her more sensitive spots.

With a groan, he grabbed her hips, speeding her movements up as she leaned back, the movement causing him to bump against both her clit and her g-spot. What felt like tremors turned into shakes as pleasure worked its way through her body.

“That’s it,” she crooned. “Oh, Stephen, that’s it.”

Sitting up suddenly, Stephen held her on his lap while she shifted her legs, planting her feet on the mattress. Digging in with her heels, she bounced up and down on top of him, his grip on her hips controlling the increasing pace as her moans grew louder.

“I can’t hold out much longer,” he warned. Reaching between them, he pinched at her clit causing her to cry out, her orgasm rushing through her as he came with a roar.

Hugging her tightly, they stayed in that same position until her body stopped clenching wildly around him.

S
tephen emptied
the bottle of bourbon into his glass and stared at the white wall. He’d been in the hotel for a week trying to decide what he was going to do. Angie had stayed a few nights with him, and it had been enough to temper his anger. His nights with her were explosive, but when it was over, he felt a sense of loss. She still didn’t seem to want anything more from him.

Duncan didn’t call him. Gabe and Nathan didn’t call him. There were no emails or text messages. He had no doubt that if he returned to the company’s offices, he’d be escorted off the premises by security.

Even worse, he didn’t even want to deal with his own company. The two managers he’d hired were beyond frustrated. He could hear it in their voicemails, but Stephen was burnt out. He couldn’t think straight, and he certainly couldn’t strategize.

But he did take one phone call.

“Hey buddy,” he slurred a little when he saw Ben’s photo pop up on his screen.

“Nice to know that you’ll answer the phone for someone,” Suzanne said in a frosty tone.

Stephen rolled his eyes. “Put Ben on the phone,” he said.

“Ben’s in school, Stephen. It’s a Wednesday for God’s sake. Are you drunk? It’s two in the afternoon!”

He was a little drunk. Bleary-eyed, he glanced at the clock. “What do you want, Suzanne?” he asked, attempting to fight off his exhaustion and depression. He’d forgotten how grating her voice could be when she was irritated. He wondered if the bourbon was really all gone.

“What do you mean, what do I want? You were supposed to take Ben this weekend. I must have called you twenty times. I was beginning to think something had happened to you until I finally called Nathan. What the hell is wrong with you?”

Shit. He was supposed to take Ben this weekend. He immediately sat the glass on the tabletop and rubbed his eyes. “I’m sorry, Suzanne. I must have lost track of time,” he admitted. But it was no excuse, and they both knew it.

“We agreed the courts did not need to get involved with how we handled arrangements over Ben so long as we could both agree on things. And because it’s not like you to stand Ben up, I’m going to let this slide. But he was devastated, Stephen,” she said sadly.

“Really? Because when I do have him, all he does is play video games.”

“He had a basketball game this weekend. He wanted you to be there for it,” Suzanne chided gently. “Nathan told me what’s going on. Stephen, you have to let it go.”

“Let what go?” Stephen snapped. “The fact that Duncan is trying to destroy his own company or the fact that I can’t do anything about it?”

“The fact that you can’t control everything!” she yelled back. “You started Maxfield Construction because you were done with Duncan Enterprises. And sure, although it may not have a nationwide reputation but you’re doing well, Stephen. You’re holding your own, but now you’re going to lose it all because of Duncan. Pull yourself together and make a decision about what you want to do next. But don’t wallow in alcohol and self-pity.”

She was right, of course. He was going to have to decide what to do next. “Can I see Ben next weekend?”

“No. He has a camping trip with some friends from school next weekend. Maybe we can schedule something after that. But Stephen, you’ve got to pull yourself together.”

Suzanne hung up the phone, and Stephen frowned. Everybody wanted him to be proactive and do something. And normally he felt so in control of everything. His days were always planned out, and he knew exactly what was going to happen. But coming back to Duncan Enterprises made him feel like a teenager again. He was drowning under the weight of Duncan’s dictatorship, and being crushed by the expectations of Nathan and Gabe.

And, if he were being completely honest, by his own expectations as well.

Then there was Angie. She seemed to want nothing more from him than a few tumbles in the sheets. That upset him most of all.

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts, and he stumbled across the room and opened the door.

“Oh good. It’s you,” he said. “Shouldn’t you be at work? Helping Duncan run the business into the ground?” He couldn’t resist the jibe as Gabe shouldered his way into the room.

“Drunk,” he said as he surveyed the hotel room, and the tone of disgust in his voice said it all. “Great. Just perfect.”

“Not drunk,” Stephen snapped. “Buzzed. And what do you care? It’s not like I’m drunk at the company or at home.”

“One little setback and you empty out a bottle. I really expected more from you.”

Stephen snorted. “You’re kidding me, right? You asked me to come here and help you, and when I do, you side with Duncan.”

“Of course I sided with Duncan,” Gabe said as he whirled around with fire in his eyes. “I’ve put my life into the company, and I’m not about to get fired.”

“So instead you’d rather see the company burn?” Stephen demanded, his temper flaring. “That makes perfect sense.”

“I knew what Duncan was doing, you idiot. I’ve been trying to put the brakes on it for over a year, but I haven’t gotten anywhere. You’ve done more in a month than I’ve done in six months, and that’s why I bought you here. I’m trying to keep things afloat. I needed you to figure out why Duncan was doing it. But at the first spat, you fucking bailed,” Gabe yelled.

Stephen stopped and stared at him. “You knew? You knew this whole time what Duncan was doing? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t think you’d care,” Gabe said finally. “You’ve spent this whole time running from the company. I figured you’d throw a party for yourself if I told you that he was jumping ship. But if you were here, and you saw all the people that would be affected by Duncan’s action, that you’d help.”

“I tried to help,” Stephen protested.

“If by helping you mean that you secured one job and successfully got into the pants of the Senior VP, then sure. You were loads of help,” Gabe said as he rolled his eyes.

“Easy,” Stephen snarled. “She is not part of this.”

“Oh, but she is,” Gabe chuckled. “She’s very much a part of this. And for all I know, she’s helping Duncan. And every time you share your plans as pillow talk, she tells Duncan, and he finds a way to maneuver around us. For God’s sake Stephen, open your eyes. How do you think Duncan has known your every move?”

“She wouldn’t. That company is as important to her as it is to you. Maybe even more so,” Stephen snapped.

“The company? Or Duncan?” Gabe said snidely.

Without a second thought, Stephen took a swing and clocked Gabe squarely in the jaw. Gabe stumbled and straightened with a smile on his face. “Good to know you still care about something,” he said as he worked his jaw back and forth. “You want to prove me wrong? Stop drinking and get back to work.”

He pushed past Stephen and slammed the door behind him.

“Son of a bitch,” Stephen said softly. Trust Gabe to be the one to pull him out of his stupor.

Stephen knew exactly what he wanted. And he wasn’t going to get it at the bottom of a bottle. And he certainly wasn’t going to get it without a fight.

Glancing at the clock, he ran his hand over his chin. He would need a cup of coffee. A shower. And a shave. Then he had somewhere to be.

* * *

A
ngie took
a deep breath and rang the doorbell. The housekeeper let her in, and she marched straight to Duncan’s office. Stephen’s words had been ringing in her ears for days now, but she hadn’t had the courage to face Duncan. Instead, she’d been trying to figure out what the hell Duncan was doing. She had pored over the paperwork and then she spoke to Garret.

In the end, she realized that it didn’t matter what Duncan was doing or why he was doing it. It only mattered that he stopped.

“Is this why you made me VP?” she asked as she stood in the doorway. “So you could blame someone else when you drove your company into the ground?”

He looked impossibly old and tired behind his desk. And when he raised his eyes to meet hers, he actually looked sad. “Been talking to my son, have you?”

“I spoke to Garret myself,” she said coldly. “I didn’t jump into action the minute he gave the word.”

“You jump on more than words when it comes to him.”

Angie bristled. “How dare you!”

Duncan immediately put his hands up. “I’m sorry. What you do in your own time is your own business. It’s not my place to interfere.”

“You invited his kid and ex-wife down for a visit. You think it’s your God-given right to interfere!” Angie pointed out. She walked across the office, her heels clicking against the wood, and sat down. “But that’s not why I’m here. Duncan, what are you doing?”

“Doing?” he said with raised eyebrows.

“Answer the question,” she snapped. “You are deliberately sabotaging your own company. Why?”

“What I do with my own company is none of your business,” he said. “If you want to quit before things get bad, then by all means, do so.”

“Is this why you picked me over Gabe? You didn’t want your son to suffer the direct consequences of your actions?” she asked bitterly. “I’m such a fool. I thought you believed I was qualified for this position. That I had earned it. But you were protecting Gabe.”

“I promoted you before all this,” Duncan said with a wave of his hand. “I chose you over Gabe because you were impressive. Gabe is good. He’s good because I taught him everything he knows. But you? You came out of nowhere. You earned your promotion from scraping the dirt off the floor.”

Angie was dumbfounded. In all the time she had worked for him, Duncan had never given her a compliment. “Well,” she said as she cleared her throat and tried to focus her thoughts. “Thank you. And if I’m that good, then I guess I have to stop you. Duncan, what are you doing?”

“I’m tired, Angie,” Duncan said simply.

“When you’re tired, you retire. You turn the reins over to someone else. You don’t destroy your company.” She shook her head and stared at him. “What else is going on with you?”

She heard the front door open and whipped her head around. “Gabe? Care to join me and talk some sense into your father?”

“So he’s Gabe now? You certainly are friendly with this family,” Duncan grumbled.

Angie folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at him. “Careful, Duncan Maxfield. You’re pissing me off. Tell me the truth. Now.”

Duncan chuckled and sat back. “Spitfire now, are you? I always knew you had it in you. I don’t have to tell you anything, Ms. Angela Lopez. This is my company, and I will run it as I see fit. And if that means that I want to destroy it, then I will.”

She saw red. “And the lives of the thousands of employees that work for you? When you’re done, where will they go? How will they support their families? And your son? Gabe? How will he cope knowing that he was at the top of a dying company?”

“I’m doing this for them!” Duncan thundered. “This company has ruined my life!”

Angie moved back and stared at him. “This company is your life.”

“Yes,” he said softly. “It was. I’ve had three heart attacks, Angie. Three. The next one will no doubt be my last. And what do I have to show for all those years of devotion? My wife is dead. She died loved but neglected. My three sons can’t stand the sight of me, and my friends are little more than rodents hoping that I’ll give them a boost in life. This company is all I have left. And it’s a reminder of how I lead my life. Of how I destroyed my life.”

Her heart pounded wildly. Duncan had never looked so small and so lost. His eyes glazed over as he seemed to fall into his memories.

“Duncan,” she said quietly.

“She was the love of my life, and she would have given her life for me,” Duncan said with a smile. “And when she gave me three sons, I thought my life was complete. But then Duncan Enterprises took over. I didn’t want to be loved. I wanted to be admired and feared. I threw everything I had into being that, and somewhere along the way, I lost all that love. My wife died begging my sons not to give up on me. That should have been my clue. But I was so dim. And now here I am.”

“And your three sons are under one roof with a common goal, Duncan. They’re trying to stop you. If there was ever a sign to pay attention to, this would be it,” Angie persisted as she tried to bring him back into the present. “Your sons don’t agree on anything, but they’re united on this.”

“It’s too late,” he said, shaking his head. “But it’s nice to see them. It’s nice to see them working together.”

“Your company is part of your family. If you break one, you’ll break the other. You will lose everything.” She would lose everything, too. “Look at Stephen. He’s trying so hard. What will he become if he fails?”

“If he succeeds, he’ll become like me. I already see it in him. His family gets less and less of his time and energy. He puts everything into his company, and now he’s putting everything into this company. And I don’t want to see that happen. I won’t watch my eldest become me. I’ve done a lot of harm to this family, and if it’s the last thing I do, I’ll make sure that none of them turns into me.” He spun around in his chair. “Go away, Ms. Lopez. And don’t be so concerned. If you stay with me, I promise that you’ll have whatever job you want when I’m through.”