Chapter One: Star

"We've done three internal audits this year. A fourth one is just a waste of time."

There is a general intake of breaths across the impossibly large central office. Senior executives are seated on stuffed high chairs behind the thirty feet long glass conference table and their gazes snap to one another. No doubt, they're shocked at my pompousness but not nearly as much as the fact that he is allowing it.

Seated at the head of the table, the pinnacle of our firm and chairman of the meeting glares at me. The aura emanating from him is unmatched and I tremble all over.

"What do you suggest then, Miss Griffin?" One of the executives calls out from across me, "An external audit? Have a bunch of outsiders playing detective in our business?" He snorts like he has just made a joke.

I turn back to him. The boss. He has to listen to me.

"It's the only way," At least I pregnate my words with some deference, "Someone within the company is leaking our ideas to our competitors and we've got to fish them out."

His gaze is a firm, hard glint of brown eyes that turn to a caramel color when they catch the light. His hands are clasped together, long fingers drumming against his knuckles as he thinks.

Another executive clears their throat and says, "That's a very bad idea..."

He trails off when a hand is lifted. For the first time since we got here, the boss speaks, "You seem really comfortable throwing out that accusation."

And although my heart feels like it's going to burst out of my throat, I roll my eyes and hold his gaze.

"We've had more audits this year than appraisals," I remind him, "I'm not the only suspicious person here, Neal."

A muscle in his temple twitches at the sound of his name. There is a moment of silence, a moment where tension peaks between us both. I refuse to look at anything other than his chocolate irises glittering with irritation.

When my confidence starts to dip, when I start to feel lightheaded from the heaviness in the air, he breaks the silence.

"Alright. I'll make a few calls," then he turns his head, taking the weight of his eyes off me and making me sigh in relief. "But right now, I'm going to ask everyone to continue acting like everything is normal. Don't bother tidying up the records. If there really is someone selling us out, by next week, we'll know."

And with that, the meeting ends.

The next few minutes are blur of mundane activities. As I stack files to take back to my desk, I feel eyes burning into the side of my head. Looking up, I catch the narrow eyed gazes of some of the executives, as I'd expected. They're whispering to each other, no doubt judging me for my sharp mouthed display earlier.

I can just imagine the words.

"But she's just a secretary..."

"Butting into important matters she knows nothing about..."

"She should focus on sending emails and filing paperwork..."

And the one question that nobody dares say aloud but I know they're secretly wondering.

"Why on earth does Neal indulge her?"

*

My back slams into the hard wooden table with enough force to knock the wind out of me. I gasp but it swallowed up in an open mouthed kiss. My gut quivers as butterflies swarm deliciously in them and my toes curl with pleasure.

"Why on earth does Neal indulge her?"

Maybe it has to do with the fact that he sees me as more than just a secretary. More than just someone to file his paperwork. He values me professionally and otherwise.

"You were so brilliant earlier," he whispers against my lips, "It took every bit of restraint to stop myself from bending you over the table in front of everyone."

To further drive home his point, he presses his crotch against me and I feel the rock hard bulge of his erection.

"The more aggressive you became, the harder I got," he groans, practically mauling my side of my face, "You never fail to impress me, Star."

My eyes flutter shut as Neal trails kisses all over my face and down to my neck. A heady mixture of pride and affection floods my chest at his compliment and I bask in it.

If only the others could see us now. Enemies in the boardroom but outside of it? Neal licks the sensitive crook of my neck, making me giggle.

He raises himself on his hands, looking down at me. Like every part of the building, his office is crisp and well lit, providing a stark backdrop that accentuates the frames and angles of his face.

Neal Ward the most attractive man I've ever laid my eyes on. Tan skinned, with a headful of dark blond curls that are perpetually tousled, a divinely sculpted face and a toned body most men would kill for.

It doesn't help that he's worth billions of dollars and currently London's most eligible bachelor.

His pupils dilate as he watches me intensely. My cheeks flame as I fight the urge to bury my face in my hands. Instead, I bite my lip and whisper, "What?"

His sinful lips curl to the side as he smirks, "I want to do so many things to you but it's only a matter of time before someone comes banging down my door."

Skillfully, his long fingers begin undoing the buttons on my shirt. I wonder whether he can feel the thump thump of my heart underneath my ribcage.

"I wish we didn't care about anyone seeing us," I blurt out with all honesty. I immediately regret it because he stops moving and runs his eyes all over my face, scrutinizing.

After a moment of silence, he sighs, "We don't know how they would react and that places us in a blind spot." He resumes fiddling with my buttons, "We can't afford to be careless."

My chest sinks.

"But you're their employer," I want to say, "Your personal life is none of their business."

We've had this discussion before and it only yielded more arguments. So I shove the heaviness into a void deep inside me and force myself to smile.

"I love you," I say, right before a lewd moan bursts from my mouth. Somehow, Neal managed to take off my shirt and bra at the same time and he's latched onto a pert nipple.

My back arches off the table as he rolls my nipple in his mouth. Arousal floods the region between my thighs and my toes curl tightly.

Every remnant of gloomy thoughts fade as pleasure becomes the blood in my veins, the very air I breathe. His lack of reply to my confession doesn't escape my notice but I've learned not to worry about it. His actions are enough.

When my squirming becomes too much, he holds me down with one hand and moves to the other nipple, repeating the same maddening motions.

"Neal!" I whimper, kicking out my legs impatiently. "Baby I need you, please."

My cheeks burn at how desperate I sound but I don't care. Not when I'm about to burst with need.

Neal's hands caress every inch of my body and soon, his lips follow. I pant when he kisses up and down my thighs, bunching my skirt up at my waist. A moment later, he sucks in a sharp breath.

"Neal?" I gasp, heart plummeting at the thought of something going wrong. When I look down, I see him staring wide eyed at my tiny lace underwear.

Slowly, he drags his eyes to mine, eyebrows raised.

"What?" I giggle between ragged breaths, "I knew the meeting was going to be hectic and we'd need to let off some steam after."

He grins seductively, "Naughty girl," and flicks the thin material to the side. I gasp when air hits my exposed pussy, the sound becoming strangled when the heat of his mouth follows in a split second.

The world turns to mush as wave after wave of euphoria crests within me. Neal savors my taste like a starving man, lapping up my juices until there is nothing left.

"Shh," he coos as he straightens again but this time, he takes off his office shirt and unzips his pants.

I'm confused as to why he's shushing me but then I notice the rawness in my throat for the first time. I must have been screaming.

My dazed eyes focus on Neal as he retrieves a condom from his drawer and sheaths himself. His arms and chest muscles ripple, reminding me of the power, the virility he possesses.

When he lifts his eyes back to me, my legs are spread for him. His smile is pleased, like a cat with a year's worth of milk laid out in front of him.

"You know how to make me happy," he whispers as he grabs my legs and wraps them around his waist.

"I love you," I whisper for the second time as I tremble all over in anticipation of his engorged cock ramming into me. Neal smirks as he hoists his hips, ready to charge like a bull.

He does the opposite.

He sinks into me, slow and steady, stretching my walls and filling me up until I can't breathe. Wide eyed and gasping, my hands fly up, needing desperately to hold on to something.

Neal grabs my wandering hands, pinning them to the table above my head. His eyes are wild with lust as he thrusts in and out of me. Moans of all frequencies filter from me; high and sharp, low and soft. He fucks me hard, wringing the most intense kinds of pleasure from me. And whenever climax swells like an angry wave, his hips reduce their pace, drawing out the sensations.

His lips cover mine, muffling my cries as he toys with my body like it's his personal playground.

Because it is.

To the rest of the world, we might be a little more than strangers. But in moments like this, I am his just as much as he is mine.