Daisy
in the telltale red vest of the catering staff waltzed by, Daisy snatched a tall flute of champagne from her tray. She nursed the drink close to her chest, ready to down it in one fell swoop if she weren’t in polite company.
Daisy couldn’t go too far without finding a pair of eyes or several staring at her. When she noticed them, the attention scurried away; some were bashful about getting caught, and others were fearful, like they had attracted the notice of the apex predator.
Then again, she stood out as a splash of vibrant green among the crowd.
That September evening, she trotted out a customized dress. Emerald green made a loud statement, especially when paired with a sleek silhouette and an open back with twin strings of pearls hanging over the bare skin. The pearls clacked against her body whenever she moved, attracting attention her way.
Harrison suggested everyone come in style to celebrate Hidden Oasis' legacy. Daisy couldn’t deny his wish. However, everyone else’s attention made her wish she had.
Since her argument with Jensen, Daisy shut the world out. Beyond handling her duties, she went home and left no room for anyone. Although her mom and Dex voiced their concerns, they witnessed her rebuilding her old walls brick by brick.
She hadn’t asked around while waiting for the other shoe to drop. At any moment, her career might implode in a spectacular crash and burn whenever Jensen decided he was tired of her presence around the office. Not even the two of them fooling around could save her from that trainwreck.
Even then, the eyes of her coworkers watching her could know all about her past, and her fiercest glower couldn’t fend off their silent judgment.
The champagne on Daisy’s tongue dragged her from the hopeless thoughts swirling around, replacing the fearful haze with a lighter, more reckless one. She moved the flute away from her lips, confronted by the lipstick smeared onto the rim and the golden liquid halfway gone.
Nothing short of expensive whiskey would soothe her jagged edges if she needed to flirt, charm, and entertain the audience at that evening's events. Yet, the open bar wouldn’t start until after the first hour of mingling.
The crowd in The Ballroom chattered in small clusters—all dressed to the nines—while Daisy set herself adrift among them. She sifted through the gaps, squeezing past people and offering polite smiles to those who acknowledged her. She never stayed long enough to be roped into conversation.
At least everyone else seemed thrilled to be present at the annual autumn fundraiser, Funding the Oasis, ready to enjoy the hors d'oeuvres and watch as investors poured funds into the company's developing projects. Her projects.
Daisy headed for the back of the room, content to sulk in the corner until the people she needed to perform for arrived, but before she reached the back wall, a hush fell over the space.
Her gaze darted toward the podium at the front, seeing Harrison stepping onto the stage. His wife, Eileen, clung to his arm, radiating warmth in navy blue and moissanite jewelry.
Harrison stared at her so lovingly that it almost caused Daisy's ribs to ache. He looked at Eileen like she was Helen of Troy and that each second they shared the same air promised a devotion befitting her. He kissed her softly before approaching the microphone, keeping his wife close.
"Good evening, everyone. Thank you for coming to the annual Funding the Oasis gala." Harrison smiled, receiving applause that followed everything he said. "I want to take this moment to admire how good everyone looks before I open the doors to our guests. Wow, this could be the Met Gala instead of a corporate shindig."
Laughter accompanied the smattering of applause the second time, filling The Ballroom with an energy not unlike the champagne in Daisy's hand. She raised the flute to her lips and downed the rest against her better judgment.
An effervescent, bubbling sensation slid down her throat as Harrison continued his remarks, smiling wide. "One last and hopefully short announcement before we get the party started. My son, Jensen, will announce his policy proposal for your consideration."
Jensen’s name inspired something sharp and cutting in Daisy’s chest, causing the champagne flute to nearly slip through her fingers. Of course, he chose a better time to speak than her, holding an already amiable crowd for his proposal.
Daisy set her empty champagne onto a tray passing her and watched as Jensen jogged up to the stage. In a sleek, pitch-black suit, Jensen channeled the image of a CEO in spades. Even the black bow tie he added to his suit made him suave instead of dorky.
Shit, he looked good.
Like Daisy had, Jensen carried a leather portfolio tucked under his arm, probably with a prepared speech. Somewhere in the crowd, a noisy shutter of a camera or two went off while Jensen ran his hand over his gelled hair.
From her spot toward the back, Daisy noticed the subtle scan of his eyes over the room. She waited for him to speak or flip open his prepared remarks. Instead, his eyes landed on her.
Under Jensen’s rapt attention, Daisy tried to avert her gaze to the nearby wall, but she couldn’t. She stood still, trapped by Jensen’s eyes, which flickered softly over her dress, pinning her down. From his place on the podium, he undressed her with his eyes as if the crowd weren’t there.
What had gotten into him?
Jensen's hands opened the leather portfolio but didn't take his eyes off Daisy. “Good evening, all. I won't monopolize your time while the night is still young. I've spent the last few weeks considering how to improve our company beyond its already stellar benefits. But it was the ambitious vision of one of our own who gave me the breakthrough I needed.”
A few murmurs rolled off the crowd, buzzing around the curiosity in the air.
“Our company prides itself on inclusivity, but our healthcare policy hardly adheres to that promise. Our coverage is limited to certain pre-existing conditions and not much else. Additionally, who we invite into the fold doesn’t represent how diverse the family situation of our workers might be,” Jensen said, still holding Daisy captive with his eyes. He spoke to her—not the crowd—and she felt every word. "This is why I emailed out a seventy-five-page restructuring of our current healthcare coverage to encompass conditions like pregnancy, diabetes, asthma, and others while expanding the policy for family dependents such as parents or siblings."
Daisy swore she stopped breathing, her heart going silent, but she could not look away from Jensen. And, from the soft furrow of his brows and the gentle gleam in his eyes, he knew it, too.
Dex flashed in Daisy’s mind. How many years had she petitioned for additional medical coverage for him, only to be shot down by jaded businessmen with no clue about the cost of medicine on a paycheck-to-paycheck family?
Her throat bobbed when applause erupted from the crowd, raining praise and appreciation onto Jensen. Despite having every reason to soak it in, Jensen gave her one last once-over before excusing himself from the stage.
Daisy couldn’t decipher the tightness tumbling around her stomach. Left with more questions than answers, the urge to drink flared back up like a bad itch.
She spun around, searching for more champagne, only to come face-to-face with Delaney. The dark red of her silken sheath dress barely rivaled by the flush angrily overtaking her face. Daisy might've attributed the redness to a bad blush job if not for the harsh scrunch of her brows.
"Daisy, just the girl I was looking for," Delaney said, tone snappy like a child who lost their toy privileges.
“Delaney,” Daisy greeted, flicking her eyes over her. "Where's your date? I know he's lurking around here somewhere. You should watch him closely in case he decides to sneak off with another girl. Work parties are his weakness."
Daisy knew Delaney accompanied Easton, hearing all about it from Miranda during that morning's elevator ride. The whole encounter happened suddenly, the words falling from poor Miranda like well-timed word vomit while Daisy suffered through it.
“I saw how Jensen was looking at you while he spoke tonight—” Delaney hissed, voice pitching a little too loud.
Daisy hesitated when some of her coworkers glanced at them, but the doors opening for the evening’s guests diverted their attention away from her and Delaney; they didn’t need an audience for this.
Daisy scoffed, pretending not to know what she meant. She set her hands on her hips, and her brow quirked. "Like what?"
“Like there was no one else in the room. Don’t play dumb blonde with me.”
"You're delusional."
“I know something’s going on!” Delaney shouted when Daisy stepped away from her. “Since when have you two been so friendly?”
The sheer absurdity of the moment put Daisy's thoughts on pause. Did Delaney seriously think she had any sway over Jensen or her? Hadn’t she already done enough to insert herself into Daisy’s personal life for no damn reason other than her selfishness?
A bitter laugh escaped Daisy as she sauntered closer, getting in Delaney’s face. “You lost the right to be concerned with my business when I caught you screwing my boyfriend. Regardless of how you feel about me, Jensen doesn’t need to cater to your feelings anymore and can associate with whomever he wants. So, why don’t you march those overpriced monstrosities you call heels to anywhere else in the damn room.”
Delaney’s face leaped from flushed to pale, opening her mouth to yell when a hand grasped her shoulder. Easton appeared at her side, bug-eyed and chest heaving like he sprinted through the crowd to find her.
“Delaney, let’s go,” he remarked, refusing to meet Daisy’s eyes. Her gaze swept over his suit, searching for any sign of infidelity. Men like Easton never stopped with one.
Delaney gasped, pushing back against his chest. “I’m not done!”
But Easton didn’t back down, flashing a scowl at his girlfriend. “I said let’s go.”
“Easton!” Delaney snapped as Easton dragged her away from Daisy, beelining for the other side of the room. Their conversation nosedived straight into tension and sharp hand gestures.
Daisy leaned back, content to watch the lovers' heated quarrel while snagging another thing of champagne. Oh, how the mighty have already fallen.
Sauntering through the crowd much looser than at the start of the night, Daisy only had one thing to say. She loved champagne.
After a second drink and some hors d'oeuvres, Daisy managed to take the edge off. That, and the number of compliments on her dress from other women and some men throughout the night fueled an upturn in her mood.
“Excuse me?” a voice beside her brought Daisy’s attention to a man she didn’t recognize as she approached the open bar. “I swear I’ve seen you before.”
“I don’t think we’ve met,” Daisy hummed. She raked her eyes over the man, dressed in a fine Italian suit. He loomed over her, easily six-two, and flashed perfect pearly whites from his thin smile. He gave the All-American vibe with his blond hair and square jawline, ripped straight from the runway.
The man wasn’t deterred, beaming from ear to ear. "Huh, must've been in my dreams then. I'm Brooks Holloway."
He held his hand to Daisy, still smiling, so a chuckle escaped her. Apparently, Brooks didn’t know the meaning of subtle when it came to flirting. He wasn’t her usual type, but Daisy would allow it for the night. If someone wanted to give her attention, she wouldn’t brush them off because someone else had her tied up in knots.
“Daisy Riggs,” she replied, shaking Brooks’ hand. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Holloway. I hope you’re enjoying the evening.”
“Oh, I am. Especially because I have the hottest woman in the entire room’s undivided attention.”
“Hmm, you’re big on flattery. Is there something I can do for you?”
"Actually, yes. How about you and I schedule a lunch sometime? I'm in the tech business, but I am looking to diversify my investments." Brooks fished out a business card and slid it into Daisy's hand. "It has my number in case you're desperate to reach me."
"'A word of advice?' Daisy mused but laid heavy on the playful lilt of her voice. “'Me and desperate are never in the same sentence.'” She slotted the business card between her fingers, but someone plucked it out of her hand in the blink of an eye.
Daisy’s head snapped to her left, greeted by a familiar pair of stormy blue eyes and the dark suit haunting the back of her thoughts.
Jensen examined the card for a second before sliding it into his pocket. His expression straddled the line between disinterested and annoyed, but he aimed for Brooks instead of Daisy. "Thank you for your interest in Hidden Oasis. If you have any questions about becoming a client or investor, I'll happily speak with you further."
“I’m sorry, you are?” Brooks glanced at Jensen in confusion but looked at Daisy as if he wanted her to shoo Jensen away.
"Jensen Ramsey and I need to borrow Daisy for a moment," Jensen said with a tone equally calm and dismissive. Brooks gave Daisy one lingering look before he took the hint, leaving.
Jensen stepped into the spot where Brooks stood in front of her, forcing Daisy to meet his eyes. His face shifted into that softened expression he wore at the podium. “We should go to our office.”
“Yeah, that would be best,” Daisy agreed. She fell in step with him, striding for the double doors. The fundraiser raged on without them as they caught an empty elevator up several floors.
Neither Jensen nor Daisy spoke while the elevator ascended from The Ballroom, silence filling the cramped space. Daisy hadn’t been alone with Jensen since their argument all those weeks ago.
Yet the wounds bled as good as new; she didn’t trust herself around him.
When the elevator doors chimed, Jensen stepped out first and reached a hand toward her. Daisy stepped out on her own, watching how his hand dropped to his side.
She stared at him, waiting for him to speak. Jensen wanted the space to talk, not her. She said nothing as Jensen swallowed but held her gaze. "Daisy, I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what?" The words flew out of her, and Daisy clapped a hand over her mouth. Her knee-jerk urge to snap back at Jensen moved faster than her rationality ever could.
However, Jensen stayed calm and unwavering.
"I'm sorry for overstepping and digging into your personnel files. I'm sorry for accusing you of the awful things I said. I'm sorry for believing Delaney and using my weakness as an excuse." Jensen reached for her hand again, and that time, Daisy allowed him to take it. "I know nice words won't smooth over my stupidity, but I hope my proposal is a good first step in me doing better by you."
"So, you did it for me?" asked Daisy. She almost cringed at how desperate and vulnerable she sounded, with hope tinging her voice.
Jensen nodded. "No matter how long it takes, I will ensure that policy gets its votes. The ideas are yours, so I call it the Riggs Amendment." His mouth twitched into the ghost of a smile, a tad bashful but wholly honest.
From how fast her thoughts crashed, Daisy thought she might keel over and throw up. Her hand gripped Jensen’s tighter.
“An apology would’ve been fine.”
“Maybe, but I don’t think ‘fine’ is enough.”
“Yeah, but I would’ve investigated the rumor if I was in your shoes. If someone promised me an advantage to secure the CEO position, part of me would consider it. I appreciate your apology. But it’s water under the bridge, so you don’t have to pretend to care.”
“It’s not pretend, Daisy. I read every single proposal you wrote to the Board. If I had known they shut you down so many times before, I would’ve backed you up.” Jensen’s hand squeezed hers while guiding her away from the elevators.
"I learned long ago that the world isn't filled with people I can rely on. So, I pick and choose who to trust," Daisy replied, walking down the glass hallway. Her fingers knotted with Jensen’s while the lights flipped on in their wake. “Honestly, this is the second nicest thing a Ramsey has done for me.”
“My dad’s still first?”
“Yeah.”
“I need to up my game. The old man will never let me hear the end of it.”
Jensen and Daisy caught each other’s gaze, bursting into laughter. Jensen grabbed the door to his office, escorting Daisy in. She let go of him before trailing over to his neat desk.
Daisy leaned against the desk as Jensen took to his chair, admiring the peacefulness overtaking his once nervous eyes. She sighed, “I have a brother. His name is Dexter, but everyone calls him Dex. When he was four, the doctors diagnosed him with Type 1 Diabetes.”
“How old were you?” Jensen asked.
"Fourteen. My mom already worked two jobs, and we were barely scraping by on bills. Medication and hospital bills would've wiped us out. I got a job immediately, but holding onto those jobs became difficult," Daisy mumbled, forcing herself to meet his eyes.
She wanted Jensen to know she was telling the truth. Unlike what the past might suggest, she wasn’t some royal fuck-up; she left that version of herself when Harrison gave her a second chance.
“What about your dad?”
Daisy shook her head. That man deserved to stay a footnote in her history. “It’s just my mom, Dex, and I. My mom talked about getting a third job, but I knew she couldn’t take another one without everything falling apart. So, I started shoplifting. It was wrong, but going hungry wouldn't keep Dex healthy or my mom going. I mostly took food or things I could resell for cash to pay off our debts until I got caught. The charges on the file were from a prior incident before your dad took pity on me.”
“I’m so sorry.” Jensen’s hands froze, unable to tear his gaze away from hers. He looked startled, lips parted breathlessly when the apology came out. Remorse weighed those three words heavier than Daisy had ever heard them before.
“I figured since you know about the record, you should know the whole story. I did bad things, yes. But I did it out of love.” Daisy shrugged.
The softness of Jensen’s eyes startled Daisy, observing him as he climbed out of his chair and took her hands with his. His thumb stroked along the back of her palm and said, "And it's a secret I'll keep. No one else knows, and they won't."
“Jensen,” Daisy breathed.
He smiled faintly. “What’s one more secret between rivals?”
A watery laugh escaped her. “If you tell anyone this, I’ll deny it, but I almost missed your annoying face. Work without your antics isn’t as enjoyable.”
“Oh, so I add spice to your life? You might as well tell me that you want to kiss me,” Jensen teased, his smile widening in undeniable amusement.
Daisy rolled her eyes, pushing Jensen back with a gentle hand. He rocked on his heels, playing along, so she hummed, “And why’s that?”
“Because I’ve been thinking about kissing you since I saw you in the crowd, wearing this dress,” Jensen replied, not missing a beat. His eyes searched her face, circling around her lips. Oh fuck.
Daisy’s breath hitched, but any coherent response died when Jensen's hands slid up her hips. A shiver slithered down her spine when he stepped closer, lips parted in invitation.
And Daisy? She caved.
Their lips collided as weeks of tension unraveled from the skillful brush of Jensen's tongue against hers. The kiss screamed to be let out, clawing at the walls. Jensen kissed her like a plea for mercy, and Daisy's response was his sweetest damnation.
They could be caught then and there, but neither slowed to worry about such things.
Jensen’s hands squeezed her hips tight before he lifted Daisy onto his desk, seating her right at the edge. Between their hungry mouths, he panted out, “As much as I want this dress on the floor, we don’t have time.”
"Push it up, but be careful," Daisy gasped, head tipping back when Jensen's mouth wandered down the column of her neck. "It's a custom."
“I could buy you a new one, but you’d kill me.”
“Yes, I would.”
"Lift your hips, and let me do the rest."
Daisy obeyed his request, lifting her hips to his breathy countdown. Jensen’s hands pushed the silken emerald fabric of her dress above her hips to reveal the thin panties underneath. She should’ve left them at home.
Jensen dropped his hands from the puddle of fabric pooling around Daisy’s waist, eyes fixated on her thighs. Wordlessly, he grabbed the elastic of her panties and slid them off her thighs without any assistance.
Daisy watched as Jensen shoved them into his pocket like a souvenir, bending her legs wide open and pressing his mouth right above her clit. She moaned, gripping the edge of Jensen’s desk for support, spread out across it,
“Jensen, you—” Daisy’s eyes rolled when Jensen’s mouth wrapped around her clit. He sucked hard and kept his eyes on her while eating her out. Jensen sat in his office chair like he intended to do paperwork, wholly focused on running his tongue against her entrance. “Fuck me.”
A rumbling hum against her pussy sent a shockwave of pleasure to crash over Daisy as her head rolled back. Her fingers threaded through his hair; she raked her nails down his scalp, eliciting a moan from him. Jensen always made the prettiest noises.
Jensen’s tongue lapped at her like he wanted to make up for lost time. Although Daisy’s eyes fluttered close, she heard all of Jensen’s moans and the clattering of his belt over the sloppy noises from him eating her out.
She cracked her eyes open long enough to see Jensen’s pants puddled around his mid-thigh and one hand stroking his erect cock. But his mouth stayed buried into her pussy, sliding his tongue through her arousal with hums.
Daisy’s thighs shook from the sight of Jensen debased before her, but his tongue helped her along. He pulled his lips back for a second but moved up to Daisy’s clit, eyes sparkling in mischief.
As his lips sucked her clit, the hand not occupied by his cock slid a single finger into her. Daisy gasped, bucking her hips wildly while she tightened her grip on his hair.
“Jensen. Oh god." Daisy couldn't bring herself to admit how close she was because of his tongue and its eager hunger alone, but the sensation of a finger stretching her pussy open and thrusting into her at a much faster pace than his tongue accelerated the arousal mounting in her stomach.
It was all too much. Jensen overwhelmed her senses until the brink of orgasm, there to catch her when she fell.
Jensen added a second finger, not slowing down his pace. His fingers, tongue, and the greedy look in his eyes pushed Daisy straight over the edge. She hit her climax with a broken cry of his name, riding out her finish on Jensen’s fingers.
He nudged her through the euphoria enveloping her, snapping the tension throughout her body like a rubber band. The ripples of exhaustion followed in hot pursuit while Jensen’s fingers continued to thrust.
Jensen’s head pulled back, gasping for air and showing the smear of slick and spit glistening on his chin. He grinned, “You should see your face right now, Your Highness.”
“Don’t make fun of me,” Daisy panted.
“Oh, I wasn’t making fun.” Jensen’s fingers began to thrust a little faster, having slowed when Daisy’s orgasm completed. “If you keep looking so pretty, I might do it again.”
"Please," the moan escaped Daisy, mouth dropped open at his boldness. Jensen didn’t hesitate, bringing his mouth back to her clit and sucking hard. His two fingers rocked her shit when he nearly pulled them out, only to push them back in. Sensitive from her first orgasm, Daisy’s thoughts unraveled.
Her hips shallowly rocked for more friction. When Jensen shook his head roughly, pleasure spiked in her chest. She might finish again, embarrassingly fast.
Daisy gripped Jensen’s hair tighter as her arousal grew, mounting and mounting until her second climax was about to hit. But then, he stopped.
Daisy pulled his head away from her clit, gasping, “Jensen, what the fuck?”
"I want you to come on my cock," Jensen replied, almost purring against her inner thigh as he laid a kiss along her hipbone. He smeared his slick-covered fingers against Daisy's thigh before he stood. “C’mere.”
Jensen’s hands gently flipped her over, now bending her over his desk. Daisy faced the hallway with her hands flat against his desk. Jensen propped one of her knees against the edge.
“Do you have a—”
“A condom? Yeah. I stocked a few in the desk.”
Daisy heard a drawer open, but her attention faltered when Jensen’s hand cheekily squeezed her ass. He leaned in close, mouth grazing the shell of her ear.
“Imagine if someone walked in on us right now,” Jensen murmured while rubbing the head of his cock against Daisy. Her sensitive pussy ached from the friction, knowing she’d fall apart when he pounded into her. “They’d see how fucking gorgeous you look while taking my cock.”
Jensen pushed in, followed by Daisy's pleasured cries. He groaned a quiet murmur of Daisy's name against her neck while he made her take every inch until bottoming out. Jensen's hands grabbed her right hip, helping keep her leg propped up on the desk. The other held her close as he thrust into her.
The slap of skin filled the room, interjected by moaning and panting from both Jensen and Daisy. Their bodies moved in sync while he fucked her from behind. Bent over his desk, Daisy braced herself, already on the verge of orgasming.
“Jensen,” Daisy warned, sounding more like a whimper than a threat.
"It's okay. Be as loud as you want. Tell me how good it feels," Jensen praised her. The sensation of his words shot straight to her head. "I sit in this office every day, seeing you across from me. Sometimes, your outfit choice has me rock-hard for hours on end. My favorite is when you wear one of those pencil skirts because of how it clings to your thighs. On those days, I sneak off to the bathroom and jerk off if we don’t have plans to meet.”
Daisy’s fingers tightened against the desk, envisioning Jensen locked up in some bathroom stall with his cock in his hand. She imagined the muffled moans and panting of her name while he tried to stay quiet.
Daisy cried out after a rougher thrust. Her head lolled backward as one of Jensen’s hands slipped up her chest. When his fingers lightly collared around her neck, his thrusts became wild and rough. Jensen pulled her close, molding his body against Daisy’s.
Fuck if this was part of his apology, she’d let him use her like this.
Jensen continued to pound into her like she belonged to him. Daisy’s nails scraped against the desk when her second orgasm crashed into her, unraveling in Jensen’s arms. Her balance wobbled, struggling to stay upright while he held her close.
“There we go, Your Highness. I’ve got you. You’re good,” Jensen’s voice pitched while his hips stuttered, pressing a quiet groan into her neck. Daisy weakly panted as something hot and slick ran down her thigh.
“I think that was the best one yet,” Daisy laughed breathlessly as Jensen pulled out. His arms lightly turned her around and helped her off his desk. “We should head back.”
“We should,” Jensen agreed, but neither made a move to leave.
Daisy raked her eyes over him, lips tugging into a smirk a second before pushing him into his chair. Jensen let out a quiet "oomph," staring up at her with unbridled arousal flashing among the stormy blue. "But I don't want to leave.”
Jensen’s hands grabbed her hips. He guided her to straddle his lap, chest heaving but smirking wolfishly. “Then, take your throne. I’m all yours.”