Bull: A Steamy Billionaire Romance Novel (6 page)

7:57, 7:58, 7:59

All eyes were on me to make the
first move.  The tension at the desks around me was thick but I didn’t let it
get to me.  They could all be nervous for me because I was too out of it to
notice.  The words of my presentation circled my head, spinning me into a sort
of high that would feed me until the end of that presentation.

8:00

I stood up and walked toward
the board room upstairs, and I could feel the piercing gazes of everyone I left
behind.

The hallway was dim in the
stairwell and I was enchanted in my dizziness by the echo of my heels against
the walls.  I walked to the sound of my heart thudding in my chest.  When I
reached the main hall to the board room I could feel my heart swelling with
anticipation until I thought it might burst.  I even had the thought that I
might die from this.

I reached the board room door,
turned the handle, and pulled it open to find a room of eager young men sitting
around a long oval table.  Behind them was a window that ran from floor to
ceiling, framing the most spectacular view of the city.  I was lost for a
moment before a man’s voice snapped me out of it.

“Vanessa Banks?”  I looked to
my left to see a tall, handsome man with his eyes locked on me.  I immediately
guess it was Ethan Sloane and proceeded to the front of the room.

I could feel the heat of their
eyes on me, their expectations.  I used the fear and dread to my advantage.  I
used the passion to keep them hanging on my every word.  Even on no sleep, I
managed to keep everything in order, and give a brilliant performance.  I
didn’t know what the hell I was doing but they seemed to be buying it.

I watched Ethan as I spoke, and
he seemed to be taking it all in, including my body.  I caught him looking at
my tits a few times and my ass when I’d bend over for another worksheet.  Each
time I’d glance back at him, he’d send me a smile with a nod of approval.

If he wasn’t the most powerful
CEO in the city, I might have felt more uncomfortable, but I could feel an
excitement build at the thought of being one of Ethan’s many lays.  What a
story that would be!

I wrapped up my presentation
with a few questions from the board members and I passed with flying colors. 
When I was finished, they all stood up and shook my hand, commending me on the
great work my team was doing.  They really seemed to believe in this project
and I felt higher than ever.

When all the board members
left, it was just me and Ethan.  I started to pack up my things when he moved
closer to me.  He was far enough away that he wouldn’t look suspicious to any
passersby, but he was close enough that I could feel the heat off his body.

“That was a great presentation
you did there, Ms. Banks,” he said.

“Oh, it’s Mrs.”  I could’ve
kicked myself for saying that.

“Oh, you’re married, then?”  He
sounded disappointed but not defeated.

“Yes I am, happily so,” I
replied, avoiding eye contact.

“Well if you ever need some
more excitement in your life, here’s my number,” and he slipped me his business
card face down with his cell number written on the back.

I lifted my head to see his
eyes, and my attraction for him took a nosedive.  Sure he might have been a
rich CEO, but the slimy look on his face made my stomach churn.  I forced a
chuckle like I learned to do at home and said, “Will do,” and he finally left.

Standing there alone in the
board room, I turned to face the window behind me.  I felt strong and powerful
and almost disappointed that the meeting was over.

---

At lunch I visited the
cafeteria just to brag to Sasha about getting the CEO’s personal number.  I
probably shouldn’t have but I couldn’t help myself.  Even if that look on his
face disgusted me, it was a pretty impressive feat to have landed his number.

“Oh that’s wild!” she
exclaimed, her eyes lighting up as she pressed me for more details.

“It was nice to finally get a
look at him that’s for sure,” I mentioned after wrapping up my story.

“So was he attractive up
close?  I’ve only ever seen him far away,” she asked.

“He was attractive but a little
slimy.  Though I guess you would have to be as a CEO of a company this big.” 
Sasha nodded, still in amazement.

Feeling confident in my
intellect
and
my looks, I headed back to my desk with a grin spread from
cheek to cheek.  The others must have noticed because no one bothered to ask me
how the presentation went.  They just tossed a silent thumbs up to me as I
walked past. 

As usual, once returning to my
desk I checked my email and was shocked to see something from Mr. Sloane
already. 
He must really be into me
, I thought, but when I opened it up
I was horrified.

Mrs. Banks,

I’m thoroughly disappointed in
the presentation you gave today.  I expected so much more of you and this
project and I have to say it needs some serious revisions.  You have two days
to come up with a more compelling solution.  Come to my office Friday morning
for a one on one review.

E.M. Sloane

My blood boiled. 
How could
he send this!
  I gave a presentation that impressed every member of that
board and he even had the nerve to hit on me after.  I quickly took out the
business card with his number on it with the mind to tear it to shreds, but
when I saw the name on the front I went cold.

Jason Roberts

That wasn’t Ethan who hit on
me.  I wasn’t even sure which one of them members he was.  Come to think of it,
they all introduced themselves and none of them admitted to being the
mysterious CEO.  Was he even at the meeting?  How could he have known how it
went if he didn’t even show?

I was embarrassed and furious. 
How could I have thought a powerful CEO would have been interested in me, a
nervous, bookish programmer?  I could feel my ego crashing to the floor,
bringing all of my confidence with it.

Then I came back to the task at
hand.  I was going to be reviewed one on one with him Friday morning.  I could
potentially lose my job over this if he ended up being as crazy and eccentric
as the rumors I heard about him.  I had to prepare.  I had to learn more.

Immediately I found Sasha’s
office to gather more information.  I reluctantly confessed that he wasn’t the
man who hit on me after my presentation, and that he was displeased with a
performance he didn’t even see me give.

“Maybe he was recording it or
something,” she suggested.  The idea of him watching me without knowing it
really freaked me out.

“God I hope not,” I said.  “So
what do you think I could expect from him?  Has anyone else survived this kind
of meeting before?”

“Hmm, I can’t say I know anyone
who has been reviewed by him before like this,” she said.  “Definitely not
after just giving some board presentation.  You must have really affected him.”

“Great,” I said.

“I wouldn’t worry about it. 
Apparently he switches off like a light.  That’s what he did with his wife
anyway.  He’ll probably love you by the time Friday rolls around.”

“What do you mean, with his
wife?”  I was more than curious about his personal life.

“Oh you haven’t heard?” she
gasped at my ignorance.  “His wife was murdered a few years ago and he was the
main suspect.” 

My jaw dropped to the floor. 
“How did he get off?” I asked, puzzled.

“Well you know the rich types;
they get away with anything it seems.”  Sasha nodded approvingly at her own
conclusion.  All of this information was making my head spin.  Was I really
about to have a one on one meeting with a mysterious CEO that secretly watched
my presentation and possibly killed his own wife?  The adrenaline pulsing
through my veins reminded me of my nightmares about the bull, and I suddenly
wished that nightmares were my only problem.

6

That night at dinner I was so
nervous I dropped a dish on the kitchen floor.  My hands just wouldn’t stop
shaking. 

“Ness, why don’t you take a
seat, I’ll do the dishes,” said Jared.  I hesitated but eventually let him take
over.  I had told Jared all about the presentation and the email over dinner,
but I left out the part about his wife.  As far as Jared knew, I was far more
nervous than I should be, and maybe he was right.  I mean obviously Mr. Sloane
isn’t going to murder me in his company’s office.  But I suppose not having a
face to match these rumors made it all the worse for my imagination.  I just
kept picturing the bull.

Jared tried making love to me
several times over the past week but I couldn’t get myself in the mood. 
Between the stress of the presentation and obsessing over Ethan Sloane, I could
hardly feel my own body.  I felt incredibly guilty for not being there for
Jared and even considered leaving my position at the company.  I couldn’t let
my personal life be affected so much by my work, even if it did give me a
euphoric sense of purpose.

The fear and the drive were
what pushed me to do my best, though, and I knew it deep down.  I was a great
worker because I took direction well and I aimed to please.  Succeeding was an
addiction for me and failure was just a temporary obstacle to overcome, and so
was this review with Ethan.  I was terrified but preparing for a brutal beating
and possibly losing my job.  If I was fired, I’d at least have my life back,
even if it meant sacrificing what really made me happy.

---

It was Thursday and I had yet
to make any revisions to my analysis.  I was too focused on Ethan’s wife.  Why
had I never heard about it before?  I decided to take some time to research
what I was getting myself into.

During my lunch hour I headed
to an empty break room with my laptop.  I didn’t bother bringing any food since
I planned to be glued to the screen and my keyboard the whole time.  I brought
up a search engine and started looking through old news articles on Ethan
Sloane.

The results were filled with
articles on his company and his role as CEO.  Some praised his adventurous
business tactics, others scorned his manipulative ways, but both agreed that he
was an exceptional decision maker and brilliant at turning a profit.

I saw photos of him shaking the
hands of important men.  He was husky and firm.  His body looked ripped but
still large.  His face was incredibly handsome and his hair perfectly
disheveled.  At least now I had an idea of what he looked like, and it wasn’t
the appearance of a killer.

The hour was coming to a close
and I still didn’t see any news on the murder. 
Maybe he was good at
covering it all up
, I considered and decided to give up.  Just when I was
about to close the browser, a blog caught my attention:

The Murder of Elizabeth Sloane

You may agree with the courts
and excuse Ethan Sloane of his murder charge, but let me remind you of a few
facts:

1.)
  
 He was
caught by his maid standing over his wife’s body with a gun in his hand.

2.)
 
The gun
had his fingerprints all over it.

3.)
 
He
tried cleaning up the blood with a kitchen rag

4.)
 
He was
hysterical when caught, yet showed no remorse during the court proceedings.

5.)
  
There
are still no other suspects.

I didn’t immediately trust the
source, but I stored these details about the case in the back of my mind.  So
far all I’ve heard about Ethan Sloane is he’s erratic, mysterious, and damn
good at business.  I let the case against his wife rest while I figured out how
to rework my presentation.  I had less than 24 hours to go.