Chapter 1

[MADDOX] 

“You are fired!”

I could not break this news in simpler words than these, and I wasn’t reveling in the way she was ready to break down right in front of me, either. When someone did that, didn’t you feel a surge of guilt come at you from all sides, seeking to smother, strangle, and wreck you until you gave up or gave in?

Yeah, that one. Nope. I didn’t feel that.

“Oh, come on, Ms. Williams, we both knew this day was coming. Your probation period expired months ago, and you haven’t met a single target. No sale. No job.” I said it casually. I could hear the crackles of domineering power in my voice and didn’t have to estimate what it might be for Genevieve Williams, twenty-five, to be on the receiving end of.

However, before Genevieve could respond legitimately on how and why she may still be a benefit to my firm, the door to my office cabin burst wide open, and a man in a crisp black suit came inside with all the authority in the world.

The authority I did not remember giving to anyone.

“Josh!” I greeted. “What a delight,” I said, a sickly professional smile on my face. The way Josh returned the sarcastic gesture with a slight roll of his eyes, I was quite sure the irony was not lost on him.

“Of course, my dear,” he responded, his own sardonic tone trying to force an eye roll out of me, but I focused on fixing him with a glare instead. “I deeply apologize for the interference. That was very impolite of me. Ms. Williams?” He turned to face the woman and opened his arm to show her the door.

“Margo will be exceptionally helpful in explaining the rest of the things. Maddox and I wish you the best of luck in the future. Now, if you please excuse us, we have something really important to discuss.”

I watched Genevieve bow her head with a brief hesitation on her footing, but she did as she was told, making her way out.

“Also, would you mind closing the door on your way, please? Thank you.” Josh added with a small, kind smile.

Genevieve, who appeared almost on the edge of turning on the waterworks, mumbled something that at least I couldn’t hear.

“You’re a beast!” I smiled gently, collapsing into the cosy office chair, swinging my head and focusing my sight on the sole guy now seated across the desk. “So, to what do I owe this wonderful pleasure?”

Josh pursed his lips and dribbled his fingers against the handrest. Not saying a word, only watching with playfulness in his gaze. As if silently asking me to guess. I found his silence a little mysterious, wouldn’t lie, it gave a solid kick to my curiosity. I also felt the need to ask again, but I never asked twice. Old habits die hard and shit. So, I waited, leaning in my chair, eyes hardening towards him.

“We got the land!” he announced. Finally.

At first, his words confused me because of the apparent lack of reference. But gradually, as what he said settled in, everything made sense. I’m pretty sure my eyes swelled out. “Did we?”

We’d had our eye on the property Josh was talking about for quite some time. It felt like a decade had gone since our company had tried to persuade the owners to sell the property. To us, of course. To be honest, it wasn’t much land, maybe a thousand square yards. A small fish in the sea. However, it was situated in the prime location of the avenue project that my firm had been working on for the last six years.

The problem was that the owners were extremely difficult to persuade. I heard they turned down all of our wonderful offers, slamming doors in my employees’ faces. This never-ending conflict between the owners and my company felt like a thorn in my flesh. Bothersome. I was not willing to give up the project. It wasn’t an option to see all of our efforts drown in vain just because a stubborn woman couldn’t pull her head out of her ass.

I chose to entrust the project to Josh. To get this mess cleaned up as quickly as possible before I lost my mind and handled it myself. He was a family friend as well as the primary stakeholder of the sibling firm to the one I was operating.

Josh drew in closer, a triumphant grin on his face, like fairy lights on Christmas Eve. “Didn’t I just say that?” I lost my balls when he winked at me.

“Josh! This is the finest news we’ve had in months. “How did that happen?” But then my stomach fell and I slumped back into my chair. I looked around cautiously. “Wait—how did it happen? “The last time I checked…”

“The last time is the past now, Maddox. This is our present. Can you imagine? We’ve never been so close to our Dream Millennium?”

“I know. It’s just… it feels so unrealistic.”

“Seems like it’s time to fix that,” he murmured, drooping backwards, contemplative. “How about we throw a party? This scoop necessitates one.” His eyes glowed with zeal.

“Well, now that you mention me, I do have a free weekend to spare.” I grinned.

“Perfect!” he said, his voice tinged with delight. “The decision has been made. This weekend, we’re celebrating and getting drunk until one of us can’t count to five.”

“Cheers!”

———

“Oh my goodness, yeah!” the woman groaned as I fucked her from behind. “Harder, harder!”

She was on all fours on the bed, her body trembling slightly from the effort. Her long, blonde hair was strewn across her back, and her hands were clenched in tight fists on the sheets.

I pounded into her, feeling the sweat drip down my brow. My breathing was heavy, and my heart was pounding, but I didn’t slow down, and I didn’t stop. Instead, I slammed my hips against hers, thrusting harder and faster until the whole room was filled with the sound of skin slapping against skin.

“I’m gonna come,” she gasped, her voice strained. “I’m gonna come.”

I could feel my own orgasm building, and I knew it was only a matter of time before I reached the point of no return.

“Fuck!” she screamed as her entire body began to shake, and I felt her pussy clenching around my cock.

I closed my eyes, losing myself in the sensation of her body shuddering beneath me, and then, with one final thrust, I exploded inside her, crying out in ecstasy.

I pulled out, my heart pounding and my body shaking. The woman collapsed onto the bed, and I sank down beside her, completely spent.

“That was incredible,” she murmured, turning to look at me with lust-filled eyes.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Now that the deed was done, I saw no point of being polite and faking my feelings. “Yeah, whatever,” I said dismissively, rolling out of bed.

She sat up, watching me with a hurt expression. “Are you serious?”

“As a heart attack,” I replied, pulling on my clothes.

She continued staring at me, her expression a mixture of anger and disbelief. “So, what? You’re just going to leave?”

I glanced over at her and shrugged. “You’re welcome to stay. The room is paid for. I’m sure you’ll find something to do.”

Without waiting for a response, I grabbed my shoes and walked out the door.

I stood in the hallway for a moment, taking a deep breath. My mind was reeling from what had just happened. The sex had been good, but the emotional connection had been lacking.

It had been the same for a while. I could fuck women all day long, but it never really fulfilled me. Something was missing, and I didn’t know what it was.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. I was a successful businessman, a billionaire even. I had the world at my fingertips, but sometimes it felt like there was a gaping hole in my chest, a void that nothing could fill.

I shook my head, pushing those thoughts away. There was no point in dwelling on them. I had a business to run, and I needed to focus on that.

The phone rang.

I answered. It was Josh. “I can’t believe you ditched me to fuck a random girl,” he sang from the other end, music blasting in the background. I laughed at his antics.

“Quit complaining. You’re not my girlfriend. I’ll be there in a minute.” I hung up after letting him know, took another deep breath, and headed downstairs to the party.

Josh had thrown the party at one of the clubs he owned. And I have to admit, he nailed it in keeping things to my liking. I’m not a fan of overloaded parties; the disorder makes me feel uneasy and creepy. That was probably the reason I was satisfied to see only a few chosen invitees, especially Victoria’s models, with one of whom I had a quickie.

My phone rang again, snapping me out of my thoughts. I wondered if it was Josh again. Maybe it was his turn to ditch me this time. But the home number flashing on the screen made me furrow my brows.

“I won’t be home for dinner, Paul, if that’s what you called to ask,” I said before my butler, Paul, could say anything.

There was a brief silence on the other end before Paul finally cleared his throat.

“Well, never mind,” he grumbled gently. “But, sir, I called to ask something different. Someone is waiting for you at the door. She claims that it is really urgent. Can you tell me what you want me to say to her?”

“Tell her I’m busy. Or that I’m dead, whatever works.” I snapped before ending the call and exhaling the building irritation in my system. I was not too fond of it when people disturbed me for nothing, especially when it seemed convenient for them. There was a certain protocol for everything in my life, and Paul, out of all the people I trusted, should have known better than not to take that protocol seriously.

The music and the chatter were loud. Everyone seemed to be having fun. And yet, for some reason, I felt a strange unease, like something was about to happen.

I spotted Josh talking to a group of people, his smile bright and his laughter booming.

“Oh no, is that the face of a party pooper?”

From a little clump of dancing people nearby, a familiar voice rang out. And surely, before long, Josh could be seen grinning, making his way with a girl by his side. I recognized the girl effortlessly. She was the twin sister of Josh. Jade Marvel, dressed up to the nines. I did my best to cool down and normalize my mounting temper, easing in a dazzling smirk and gaze alight with spunky warmth.

“No way. That, I believe, is…” Jade’s gaze appeared to appreciate me in quiet, her delectable lips moving in perfect harmony with the exquisite twinkle in her blue eyes. “…the face of someone unbeatable, undefeatable, and insatiable.”

Damn, the way she let those words leave her lips, I couldn’t help but imagine her tongue wrapped around a certain part of my body until I came at least three times, and she licked and swallowed all of me.

“Josh,” I said to her brother, raising a cheeky brow. “How come your sister knows more about me than you? Is she a true fashion designer? Or is it merely a front to disguise her actual job?”

Josh opened his mouth to say something, but Jade beat him to it.

“Really? And what would that be?” she asked curiously, smirking.

“Stalking me?” I quipped.

“Oh, shut up!” she smacked my arm, laughing even harder with her eyes. “We all know how much of a narcissist you are, no need to prove it all the time,” she teasingly grinned before turning to gaze up at her brother, who seemed a little puzzled, trying to figure out what was going on here.

I simply shrugged.

Jade looped her slim arm through Josh’s, swaying her head. “That’s what Stellar Magazine has to say about your company’s recent ventures in the market. You guys are really coming out of your head. Good job!” Her words appeared to satisfy Josh before he gave a nod and chuckled.

“For a second, I thought…well, never mind. Why is your glass still full?” he pointed at the champagne I hadn’t yet finished. “Come on, dude, no one is supposed to stay sober. It’s a huge night. Let’s party, shall we?”

We all agreed and cheered before heading to the bar and taking shots one by one. Time became a haze in the background as the night became darker and darker. People began to leave or pass out on the couches nearby. Josh quickly bid his own farewell, tottering up to one of the bedrooms upstairs with one of the invited models. I laughed gently, my back to the counter.

It was just me and Jade now, with a few other folks tripping here and there. I could feel her smouldering gaze softening on me.

She walked up to where I was, her heels clicking against the glossy floor, and trailed a lovely finger down my muscular chest to grab my attention.

I turned to face her, a flash of hunger flashing in my eyes.

“So, what’s the plan?” She asked seductively, tilting her head to the side and exposing her long neck. I wanted to suck that fucking neck and leave marks all over. Wouldn’t she want that?

“Only for the night?” I drew her closer by wrapping my arm around her little waist. Lips are inches apart. She smelt like fresh flowers and other nice things. “I can’t think of anything now that you’re here. Why? Do you have anything in mind?”

Her lips curled in a seductive smile. “Come on, I have an early meeting tomorrow. It’s almost dawn,” she wriggled free of my clutches, pulling me with her.

Happily, my legs followed.