Billionaire Erotic Romance Boxed Set: 7 Steamy Full-Length Novels (103 page)

But I knew I had to force those thoughts out of my head as I descended the staircase. Oscar was waiting for me by the front door. “Ready, Miss Dove?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

It was about a half hour drive from the mansion to the Lotus Gallery in San Francisco. Oscar gave me a “thumbs up” sign, a funny gesture coming from someone who looked like an early 1900s butler, but it seemed to calm me down. I gave him a reassuring smile and entered the building.

Marissa’s secretary led me to a large office, mostly empty except for a desktop computer on a spacious desk, and a bookshelf on one wall. I walked over to the window and was greeted by the San Francisco skyline as well as the bay beyond it. I was awestruck by the buildings, rising and falling like mountains against the cloudless sky. I was reveling in the beauty of the view when Marissa came in.

“I take it you’re going to like where you work?” she asked.

I quickly turned around and saw that she was smiling amiably at me. Unable to contain my excitement and put at ease by her casual attire, a far cry from the gown she was wearing when I met her, I gave her a smile in return. “Just a few months ago I’d never thought I’d be standing here. Thank you so much for this opportunity.”

“Victor has told me great things about you.” She walked over to my desk and placed a stack of papers and a binder on top of it. “Your first job should be pretty simple. I just want you to look through these portfolios and pick out some of your favorites. We’re deciding which ones to showcase in the gallery in the upcoming weeks. There are also some artists I want you to pick out for a few national magazine covers.”

National magazines? No wonder the paparazzi were all over me when Victor mentioned that I worked for the gallery.

“Let me know if you need any help.”

“Thanks, Marissa.” Victor had said good things about me? What kind of things? But I quickly forgot about Marissa’s comment as I began shuffling through the paperwork, looking at portfolio after portfolio of outstanding artists. They were all amazing, how was I ever going to decide?

Fifteen minutes later, I was standing over my desk; papers sprawled across the surface as I continued to consider the different artists. The door opened suddenly. Thinking it was Marissa, I started talking about a particular artist who held my interest, but I stopped as I heard the snapping sound of the door locking. I glanced up and saw Victor standing there. He was wearing his usual work attire: a fitted suit with a black tie. His hair was half-heartedly styled back away from his face, and the cool expression on his face caused me to suck in a breath of air. How the heck did he do it?

“Victor, why—I mean what are you doing here?” I stuttered. My legs seemed to lose their function at the sight of him, and I had to sit down in my chair. “Is everything okay?”

“I’m a huge sponsor of this place, I thought I’d come see how things were running,” he said suggestively as he loosened his tie. I dropped my papers on my desk as he came towards me.

“
Now
?” I whispered, a smile forming on my lips before I could even think twice about showing my excitement. Damn it. I could ignore the thought of him all I wanted but once he was in the same room with me, my body seemed to enjoy betraying my mind.

“Yes, now. You didn’t sleep in my room last night. I’m going to lose my mind if we wait til the end of the day,” he said as he started unbuttoning my blouse. He slipped the fabric off my shoulders and tossed it to the ground. He continued with my bra, unhooking it in a matter of seconds.

He massaged my breasts with both hands, and I gasped at his touch. My nipples immediately hardened into small, perky beads as he caressed my desperate, aching skin.

I brushed my hand against his pants, where his erection pressed firmly against the fabric, waiting for me, wanting me. I helped him out by unbuckling his belt and unzipping his pants. I pushed everything down to the floor in hurried anticipation. His hard cock was standing straight up for me, shrouded partly by the hem of his white shirt and suit jacket.

“I should really be working right now,” I murmured as my body grew into full heat. He stepped out of his pants, and I couldn’t tear my eyes from him as he moved closer to me.

“You think I care, Dove?” His voice was raspy as I reached out and touched his stiff cock. I caressed it needily with my hands.

“Take off your shoes,” he commanded.

I flicked my heels to the corner of the room and shimmied out of my work pants. Victor got on his knees and pulled down my panties with his teeth before burying his face into my pussy. I had to hold onto his shoulders to keep my legs from buckling underneath me as his tongue flicked in and out of me teasingly.

He got up from his knees and pushed me backward so that I was sitting on the windowsill, the backdrop of San Francisco right behind me. My bare back was there for the city to see, although I was almost certain the windows were tinted enough so that no one could actually see in.

Victor spread my legs apart with his hands and blew softly into me. I stifled my moan so that my co-workers in neighboring offices wouldn’t hear. He pulled off his shoes and socks so that I was left admiring his sculpted thighs and calves, cut as smooth and strong as stone. His cock was ready for me and already glistening at the tip even before he entered my body. My back was pressed firmly against the window, and I felt a moment of panic, thinking that the window would burst and I would fall down below to my death. That fear only lingered for a split second, disappearing as soon as I felt him fill my pussy, his thick cock pushing against my walls. He thrust into my body with all his strength, and this time I let out a loud cry as I wrapped my legs around him and pushed my hips out so that he could drive deeper.

“If I remember correctly,” he grunted as he glided into me, “this is part of your job.”

“How could I forget?” I gripped the ledge until my knuckles had turned white, feeling my orgasm building in every part of me.

As he moved his pelvis against my clit, the sexual tension I felt that morning boiled inside me, and I leaned forward to tear off his shirt and jacket. I clawed at Victor’s back as I let him fuck me hard, feeling myself tremble as my pussy tightened before exploding into a series of blissful convulsions. Tears streamed down my face as my orgasm released the pent up need inside of me, and I writhed against him in ecstasy.

Afterwards, we were lying on the floor, still naked and wrapped in one another’s embrace. My head rested on his hard chest as I trailed my fingertips up and down his bare hips and thighs. “I would’ve expected Marissa to come check on me,” I said. “I’m surprised she hasn’t come knocking.”

“I told her to not come by your office for a while,” he said, a glint of humor in his eyes. “She knows me well enough to not ask questions.”

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know if she knew what was going on in here. As much as I enjoyed Victor’s visit, I hoped it hadn’t compromised my job. I pressed my face against his chest, feeling the steady rise and fall of his breathing.

“I received word from your doctor about the MRI.”

I lifted my head to look at him. “Really? What did he say?”

“It looks like you suffered from extensive head trauma at some point long ago and your brain didn’t heal properly. He said that you can come in for further evaluations, but it could be possible that you’re the only one capable of regaining your memories.”

I thought about my options for a moment. Did I even want to know about my past at this point, now that I was establishing a new life? If I had been offered that chance while I was still suffering in the streets then perhaps I would have accepted it. But things had taken a turn for the better and I wasn’t sure I wanted anything to get in the way of that.

“No, I don’t think I want to go back to him. I don’t think my past is important to me anymore. My future is what matters now, here working in this office, and being with you.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” I said and reached for my top. “That is, if I’m still working in this office tomorrow. I need to get back to work!”

Victor stood up, his chiseled body calling to me even after such a satisfying release but I turned from him, quickly pulling on my clothes.

“Well,” he said once he had his clothes back on. “I see things are running just fine here.” He gave me a devious smile and left the office, giving me a moment to compose myself before returning to the pictures on my desk.

Marissa knocked on the door a few minutes later and slowly opened it. I brushed my hands casually over my hair to smooth down any wild ends as she stepped in. “I’m just checking in on you, in case you need anything. How’s your work going?” If she had any idea what went on behind closed doors, she did well to mask it. I silently thanked her for that.

“I’ve picked out a few of my favorites.” I pulled a thick portfolio from the haphazard collection of pictures on my desk. “Their styles are distinct in nature, but I also think that the similar color schemes could look good if we were to set up their exhibits next to each other.”

Marissa looked down at the portfolio I handed to her. “Oh wow, very good. I was actually thinking the same thing when I looked through these earlier.” She looked up and gave me a smile. “I think you’re going to fit right in, Dove.”

Chapter Nineteen

“How are you feeling about tonight?” Victor asked as I arranged and rearranged prints of the pieces for that night’s exhibit on the dining room table. It had been two weeks since I began my job at Lotus and Marissa had already asked me to help curate a new show in the city. I’d changed the layout for the exhibit twice since she’d brought me onto the project and there I was, on the day of the show, reconsidering it for the third time.

“Does this look right to you?” I asked, ignoring his question in fear that I might unravel if I acknowledged the pressure I was feeling. Although Marissa had been nothing but supportive of my ideas for the exhibit, I was still determined to impress her. I hadn’t had anything that was truly my own since I met Victor; I appreciated everything he’d done for me but it felt good to be doing something for myself.

“I thought it looked right the first time. And then the second time,” he joked.

“I don’t know, I think these—”

“Dove.”

I felt him plant himself behind me and settle his hands on my hips, spinning me around so that we were facing one another. “I think you need to relax.” I couldn’t help but feel a sense of calm resonate through me as he leaned in and took my chin in his hand. Despite all the work I had left to do, I couldn’t pull myself away from his touch. He drew his face near mine, our lips brushing briefly before he pulled away, distracting me with the tease. I bit my lip in restrained agitation and stood on my tiptoes in an attempt to lure him back to me.

“Do you want me to kiss you?” he asked in a low growl.

“Yes,” I breathed as I stared longingly at his lips. His mouth met mine with greedy desperation, our lips parting as our tongues slid over one another. I ran my hands through his hair, gripping it in my fists as he pushed me up against the table and began untucking my shirt from my jeans. I felt that familiar warmth begin to gather between my legs and leaned back onto the tabletop behind me. But as my hands hit the prints I had been arranging all morning I felt a surge of anxiety pulse through me and quickly turned from Victor, refusing to let myself become distracted for too long.

“You certainly know how to clear a girl’s head.” I untangled myself from him and began to tuck my shirt back into my jeans. “But this will have to wait. I need to have this figured out by two and then head to the gallery.”

He sighed with frustration as he smoothed back his hair, forcing a tight-lipped smile onto his face. “I should be getting to work, too.” He kissed my forehead. “I’ll see you at the show tonight, and then after. You know I hate to be kept waiting.”

He headed for the foyer, adjusting his pants as he went, and I couldn’t help but laugh. Although I felt slightly guilty for snubbing him, I knew that I would make up for it later. Since I had gotten the job at Lotus, I had been spending more time away from the mansion, and from him. I could tell it bothered him and, although he had the power to keep me at home under his watch, he didn’t say anything about it. As I fixed my disheveled clothing, I found myself questioning the necessity of my contract with Victor—I wasn’t his maid anymore, and he definitely didn’t need any piece of paper to convince me to get in bed with him. From the day I had met him, I seemed to lose any and all will power at his hands, and the only thing that rivaled him for my attention was my work, but that was certainly no real threat.

Why were we still doing this? Part of me worried that if I backed out of the contract now that sense of distance that Victor had worked so hard to maintain only a few weeks ago might come creeping back, maybe permanently. But another part of me thought we were past that. The end of the three month contract period was coming up and I would have to make a decision soon.

The sound of Victor’s footsteps on the stairs pulled me from my thoughts. I quickly refocused on the prints and began organizing them into their possible layouts.

My makeout session with Victor seemed to do the trick—ten minutes later I had settled on a final arrangement for the exhibit. I was quickly packing up my things before the doubt could have a chance to settle in again when I heard the doorbell ring. Did Victor forget he had a meeting? Or maybe he was trying to get me away from my work again. I rushed to the front door, hoping it was only a delivery man, and opened it to find a young man just a few inches taller than me with honey-blonde hair cropped short to his head. It was as though I were standing in front of some alternate universe mirror. We were staring at each other with the same dark eyes flecked with gold, except his were red with unshed tears.

“W-who are you?” I asked as my knees began shaking and I had to lean against the doorframe for support. My body seemed to be aware of something that my mind couldn’t register.