“That’s what she said,” Mia said in a low voice.“I’m going to address this tomorrow. If I have to fire every single employee, I’ll do it. I refuse to have people I can’t trust working for me.”Mia closed her eyes. This was the last thing she wanted to happen. All she wanted was for Gabe to be aware so he could be more careful. Maybe even consider not housing personal, damning information in his office.And then Gabe’s hand closed around hers, squeezing reassuringly. “You don’t have to worry, Mia. You said they had no knowledge of your presence in the bathroom. She won’t know you told me. She’ll think one of her officemates betrayed her.”“It still doesn’t bring me any comfort knowing I’m responsible for someone losing their job,” she said quietly.“You’re too softhearted, Mia. If she betrayed me in such a fashion, she doesn’t deserve to work under me. I don’t tolerate disloyalty of any kind.”Mia supposed that was true, but she wished it wasn’t her who’d had to tell Gabe.The car pul
The others laughed.“Smart man, Gabe. Always a hardass in business. But hey, to the victor goes the spoils, eh?” Trenton said.“Exactly,” Gabe replied. “She’s a valuable asset and one I have no intention of allowing to slip through my fingers.”Mia’s face bloomed with color but the pleasure in her eyes was well worth Gabe’s making the effort to ensure he made it clear he valued Mia as an employee.“If you’ll excuse me and Mia, I see a few other people I need to say hello to,” Gabe said smoothly.He cupped her elbow and steered her away from the group, and started across the room to get them both a drink when he came to a complete stop, his gaze riveted on the doorway. He uttered a curse beneath his breath, but Mia heard it, and she glanced up, her brows furrowed. Then she followed his gaze to the door and grimaced.His father had just entered the room, a gorgeous, much younger blonde wrapped securely around his arm. Damn it. What was his father doing here? Why hadn’t he let Gabe know
After collecting her toiletries, she hurried back past Caroline and blew her a kiss.“Text me and let me know you’re still alive or I’ll assume he’s killed you and I’ll start looking for the body,” Caroline said.Mia waved over her shoulder and let herself out of the apartment, hurrying toward the elevator. When the doors opened, Gabe was standing a few feet away, his jaw bulging and a look of fury in his eyes.He stalked toward her, not giving her any time to advance on her own. He was one big ball of pissed-off alpha male, and he was coming right at her.She took one step off the elevator and his hand closed around hers, yanking her past the alarmed-looking doorman toward the entrance to the apartment building. Mia managed a reassuring smile at the doorman, not wanting him to call the cops, before she turned her attention back to Gabe. His grasp was tight and uncompromising, and his anger rolled in hot waves from his body.What the hell did he have to be so pissed off about? It wasn
“Please, Gabe,” she said huskily, hating the desperation in her voice. “Please fuck me. End this please.”“Good things happen when you obey me. Remember that, Mia. Remember that the next time you think to take off without so much as a word to me.”He leaned over, threading his hands through her hair. He gripped her head, then let his hands slide down to her shoulders where he dragged her back to meet his forceful thrusts. He pounded into her, setting a relentless pace that blinded her to everything else but him, his cock driving in and out of her.She had no idea what she cried out. Stop. Don’t stop. She was begging. Hoarsely pleading. Tears streamed down her face as she bowed her back completely off the bed.And then Gabe was there, surrounding her, his arms gathering her close. He murmured soft, soothing words to her. Stroked her hair as he pulsed wetly into her body.“Shhh, Mia darling. It’s okay. It’s okay now. I’ve got you. Let me take care of you.”She was utterly wasted and bew
She put her hand on his chest, the gesture infinitely soothing. He liked her touching him. God help him, but he wasn’t sure he’d ever get enough. He’d take and take from Mia until there was nothing left. Until she became a Lisa and could endure it no longer. He never wanted another woman to feel as Lisa had evidently felt. It was far better to take his pleasure and move on. The very thing he accused Lisa and his father of. Maybe he was no better than they were after all.“Not everyone will betray you, Gabe,” she said quietly. “There are many who are loyal to you. You can’t control everything. You can’t control how someone feels about you. Or what makes them tick. You can only control how you react, how you act, how you think and feel.”“You’re amazingly wise for someone as young as you are,” he said wryly. “Why do I just feel like I’ve been schooled by someone fourteen years younger than me?”She leaned over, surprising him with her kiss. Her lips lingered over his, warm and so damn s
She sighed. “I just wondered. I mean, about the ‘other men’ thing. Is that a for-sure thing or is that a just-in-case thing?”The very last thing he wanted to talk about—or imagine—when he was balls deep inside her and she was naked and sated in his arms, was another man touching her.But there was also curiosity in her gaze. Not fear. Just genuine question. Almost as if she were wondering about it…“How do you feel about that?” he asked bluntly. “Does it turn you on? The idea of another man touching you while I watch?”She started to move her gaze from his.“Eyes,” he commanded. “You look at me while we’re having this conversation.”Her gaze flickered back and he could see the flush on her face.Then she licked her lips and he could feel her nervousness, her hesitation.“Okay, yes, I admit, I do wonder about it. I mean I can’t tell you if it’s something I’d like or not, but I do think about it. I know that Jace and Ash…”Gabe winced. “I don’t really want to hear about Jace and Ash no
“What’s going on is Gabe offered me a job. I’m working as his personal assistant. And you’ve been gone, and this isn’t the sort of thing I’d simply tell you on the phone.”“Why the hell not?”She rolled her eyes. “Because you’d react just like you are now and you’d be on the first flight home determined to figure it all out.”“When did this happen?” he asked bluntly.She lifted her shoulder in a shrug. “About the time you and Ash left for California. I saw Gabe at the grand opening. He told me to come into his office. Voila. Here I am.”“Just like that,” he said skeptically.His eyes narrowed and he studied her intently as if trying to peel back her skin and see inside her head.“Gabe was right. Working at La Patisserie was a waste of my education and all the money you spent sending me to college. I was comfortable and maybe a little scared to bust into the real world. This job gives me an opportunity to get my feet wet.”Jace’s expression softened. “If you wanted a job, why didn’t yo
It was like having two cocks at once, and never in her wildest fantasies had she even gone there.The blunt head of his dick pressed against her opening made smaller by the plug. He pushed, forcing his way inside her body.“Touch yourself,” he said in a strained voice. “Use your fingers, Mia. Make it easier for me to take you. I want this to be good for you. I don’t want to hurt you.”She reached down, sliding her fingers over her clit. God, it felt so good.“That’s it,” he purred. “You’re taking me, baby. Keep touching yourself. Make it feel good.”He pressed in halfway and then lunged forward, forcing himself the rest of the way in. She nearly came up off the desk and the cry lodged in her throat. She had to take her hand away because she nearly orgasmed on the spot. And she wanted this to last. She wanted to enjoy every second.It was down and dirty, a race to completion. He fucked her long and hard, riding her in a relentless, forceful rhythm that had her gasping with every breath