Gianni
What’s taking Caterina so long to get home from work?
I know it’s irrational. One physical encounter, and now I feel like she owes me an explanation for everything. I’m being ridiculous.
The past few days have pushed my self-control to its limits. The constant push-and-pull, the battle between wanting her desperately and wanting what’s best for her, has created unbearable tension between us. It’s maddening to know how easily I can influence her, and I’m fighting not to give in to the urge to have her right there on the kitchen counter whenever we cross paths.
Every moment I resist only makes her occupy more of my thoughts. She’s all I can think about.
Today was her first day at her new job, but there’s no reason for her to stay late. It takes half an hour to get from town at this time of night, yet the beat-up Corolla she drives is still missing.
And I’m ready to rip some fucking heads off.
“Roger!” My bark brings him from his smaller office across the hall in record time. “How many overdue accounts are still on the books?”
He frowns, tablet in hand. “I don’t know off the top of my head.” His finger flies over the screen.
“Go find out. I want a list of names by the end of the day.” Because I want an excuse to hurt somebody. I’m ready to crawl out of my skin, and cracking skulls always does the trick of calming me down. Grinding my molars, the question lingers. What’s taking her so long?
Has she met somebody? Did some douchebag kid offer to take her out and give her the lowdown on office politics? Once Roger’s on his way across the hall, I blow out a shaky breath and stare at the security feed on my screen like it will somehow bring her home. I need her home. I’m obsessed. Why am I so obsessed? Fuck, this is only her first day on the job. I don’t know how I’m supposed to get through this torture every single day.
My gaze lands on the cell sitting on the desk. I could text her and tell her to come home. She always responds well to being told what to do. Why am I torturing myself?
Relief floods me when headlights sweep across the courtyard. I hate how weak I am for this girl. I hate how everything suddenly seems better, brighter, sweeter now that she’s where she belongs.
Still, I pick up my phone.
Me: Report to my office immediately. We have some things to discuss.
I won’t make it the rest of the night without touching her and breathing her sweet scent into my lungs. The hours spent apart are like a knife to the chest, and that only makes me want her more. She is the only thing that can ease the pain.
I pour myself a drink while waiting and enjoy the first sip of scotch, letting it warm me from the inside out. It isn’t long before soft footsteps ring out down the hall. She might as well be running, and all because of a text. Only we know the truth. That it’s me she belongs to, that she’s rushing to. Nobody else.
Rounding the doorway, her perfectly pouty mouth pops open like she’s about to ask a question. I hold a finger to my lips, and she snaps it shut. So eager to do as she’s told. My cock hardens.
“Close the door and lock it,” I order.
She twists the lock into place while I return to my desk and place my glass on the surface.
“Come here now,” I murmur, and as she joins me, I take in her simple black dress and sweater. She’s covered from tits to knees, so I can’t accuse her of tempting a lowlife intern with her body.
Her gaze fills with apprehension. She does not know my irritability has to do with my desire for her and the fact that she was gone for so long. “What’s wrong?” she finally whispers as she sets her purse down. “Is Tatiana okay?”
I wish she wouldn’t bring her up at a time like this. “What took you so long to get home?”
Her eyelids flutter. “There was traffic.”
“So you weren’t hanging out with your coworkers?” Before she can take a breath, my hand is skimming halfway up her dress. “Or flirting with some intern who only wishes he could do this to you?”
The sweetest sigh falls from her lips, and she presses against the desk when her legs go weak. Power fills every cell in my body. This is what my touch does to her. She’s melting like butter in a hot pan. Only I can do this to her. Nobody else, and I won’t let her forget it.
I work the fabric up around her waist before setting her on the edge of the desk, then I move between her thighs. Fuck, she is so beautiful and ready for me. I move her white panties to the side with my fingers and am greeted with a flood of arousal. She’s drenched, her bare pussy glistening. The juices coat her lips, and my mouth waters. I trace the seam of her pretty pussy, wanting to taste her. I need to touch her. I’m fucking gone for this woman.
“Have you been thinking about giving this pussy to anybody else?” I whisper, savoring her gasp when I slide a finger deep inside her silky heat. Her cunt grips it, greedy for more.
“No.” She sighs.
Such a fucking pretty pussy. I can’t help it. I add a second finger, stretching her tight channel. Her helpless moans are like music washing over me. She fights to hold them back, her lips pressing together to hide her pleasure.
“None of those little boys in the office?”
“Never.” Her head falls back, and her chest heaves. “Never.”
“You’re fucking right. Because this belongs to me. You belong to me.” Her pussy is dripping, her arousal coating my hand.
“Yes. I do.” I’m not sure if she knows what she’s saying. She’s too deep in what she’s feeling. It’s her pussy doing the talking.
It doesn’t mean she’s wrong. She’s mine.
Her pussy rocks to meet my strokes. “Oh… Gianni…”
“Shh.” Leaning over her, I press my palm to her mouth while I continue to finger-fuck her with the other. “You don’t want anybody to know our little secret, do you?”
Giving her head a light shake, her eyes bulge a moment before they roll back. All I can do is smile. She’s under my complete control. I know what she needs. She needs a man to dominate her. Nothing gets her wetter than being told what to do and how to do it. She seems to like it best when I take away her choices and force her to accept what I’m offering. She fucking loves it. No wonder she’s always been drawn to me.
The way I’ve been drawn to her.
“Come on my fingers,” I whisper, running my tongue over the sensitive flesh below her ear. “Get them good and wet so I can lick them clean.”
She lets out a pitiful whimper, jerking her hips faster. Chasing her high, working herself closer and closer to the edge. I can feel her tightening around me, and I wish like hell my cock was inside of her right now, getting ready to feel her explode.
“Fuck, your pussy is so tight. My cock is envious of my fingers right now.” I work my fingers faster and harder, rubbing that sweet spot and scissoring the digits.
“Boss?”
Fuck. My heart lurches in my chest, and I go still. Roger, of all the fucking times. My fingers are still inside her, gripped by her clenching muscles. She was so close.
“Yeah?” I grunt.
The knob rattles. “What’s going on? I have those names you wanted.”
“Can it wait?” I croak. Caterina’s gone still, her orgasm forgotten. She’s too busy staring up at me, looking to me for direction. The fear of being caught shines in her eyes.
“You said you needed these names by the end of the day. Now it’s okay to wait? Are you sure you’re okay?” He tries the knob again.Fucking bastard. He’s not going to stop until he sees me.
“Under the desk, quick,” I whisper, backing away while wiping my fingers on my pants. I’m pissed I didn’t get to lick them clean like I wanted.
“What?” she whispers, but I’m already shoving her beneath the desk. After hesitating a second, she crawls on her hands and knees until she’s disappeared. I toss the purse after her. There’s no evidence she was ever here.
Meanwhile, Roger hasn’t given up. The doorknob continues to jingle. “I will kick this fucking door down.”
“For fuck’s sake, give me a minute!” Once she’s set, I cross the room and unlock the door, but leave it closed. “Jesus Christ, give a man the chance to get his shit together before you break the door down.”
“You don’t normally lock the door.”
I sink into my chair, then ease it partly underneath the desk. There’s more than enough room for both my legs and Caterina. She squeezes between them, sitting like an angel.
Is she thinking what I’m thinking? My cock thickens again after only just going soft. She’s shown me a side of her I didn’t know existed. How far can I make her go?
Roger’s eyes dart around the room before he comes to a stop in front of me. “Everything okay?”
“What’s with the concern? I needed a little privacy. Privacy that you invaded, by the way.”
“Understood.” Though he looks unconvinced. “I’ve been going through the accounts like you asked.”
My molars grind together at the touch of small hands on my thighs. She can read my mind, after all. “And?” I grit out as her hands creep higher. There I was, thinking she was a good girl. My little bird likes to play dirty.
“And you were right. There are more than a few that need settling.” He passes me the file. “Printed are the names and balances.”
“Overdue?” I can’t concentrate on numbers when soft hands are stroking my inner thighs, teasing my growing bulge. This little minx.
“These are the guys we gave a warning to last month. I think we should pay them another visit and collect what we can.”
I glance up from the names and addresses. Roger’s stone-faced, the way he should be. This isn’t the first time we’ve had this conversation. But it is the first time we’ve had it with Caterina hiding under my desk, playing with my cock. She rubs her palm over my dick, and blinding pleasure zings through me. I can hardly breathe for wanting her mouth on me.
“Possibly,” I grunt. “We can decide on that later.”
“Later?” His brows furrow. “We’re talking about a lot of money. Two of them, we already gave extensions. They knew what they were doing when they borrowed—”
“Enough!” I growl, my voice booming. Caterina’s touch freezes while Roger’s head snaps back. “Since when do you tell me how to manage my business? Thank you for bringing me the info I requested. That is your job. It is not your job to tell me how to handle things after that point.”
“Pardon me if I’m overstepping, but any other day you would usually be halfway to the car, ready to blow some brains out if they didn’t pay up.”
Caterina’s hands settle like lead on my legs. She hasn’t moved. Motherfucker. I’ve spent years doing everything in my power to keep Tatiana out of this.
She’s not a stupid girl—far from it—but I believe she’s in the dark on the finer points of what I do. That’s blown to shit now that Caterina has heard what Roger said. My chest tightens, and my vision goes hazy. I’m going to lose my shit if this conversation continues.
“We’ll need to talk about this later,” I mutter, glaring at him. I’ve always been able to rely on him to know when it’s the best time and place to discuss these things and to pick up on when I’m not in the fucking mood to talk. I’m surprised he would choose this very moment to let me down.
As if intuition has finally hit him, he mumbles, “Fair enough. Let me know what you decide, and I’ll be ready.”
I give him a tight nod and watch as he walks out of the room.
I back the chair away from the desk, staring at the wall across from me. “You can come out now,” I mutter, careful to keep my voice low. She wouldn’t flip her shit over this. I need to believe she’s got too much sense.
She’s in no hurry to crawl out. I bet she’s afraid of me. Who could blame her? There are lesser men that I’ve made piss their pants. And after what she just heard, I’m positive her view of me has changed.
My gut goes tight once understanding settles in my bones. She keeps her gaze on the floor, leaving her hair hanging in front of her face like a curtain. By the time she gets to her feet, she’s trembling.
“I…”
When she doesn’t continue, my resolve hardens. This, whatever we’re doing, is a mistake. Not only for myself, but for her as well. I can’t drag her into my darkness. I can’t taint her. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to her because of me. Protecting Tatiana is hard enough.
“Well, now you know.” I lean back in the chair, folding my arms across my chest. “You know the monster staring at you, the one who just had his fingers deep inside your pussy.”
She winces and folds her arms across her stomach. “But you don’t actually do stuff like that, right? You just get mad and threaten people until they give you what you want?”
I almost laugh but bite it back. So fucking naive. I can’t believe she thinks all I do is threaten people. “Who do you think I am?”
For the first time, she glances at me through the curtain of hair hanging alongside her face. “What?”
Sometimes you have to rip the Band-Aid off. It’s time she faces the facts and sees me as the man everyone else sees me as. The man I am. Maybe then she’ll run far enough away that I can’t touch her.