I look up at Vaughn, my heart racing as I watch him pant for breath. His cum is sticky on my chest and stomach, but I don’t care. I love the look on his face when he comes. There’s nothing like it, that feeling of power -- blotting out Ashcroft, Brent... Everything but me and him, right here.
I may be on my knees, but I’m the one driving him out of his mind.
“Dammit, Keely.” He shakes his head, grabbing hold of the desk for balance. “How the fuck do you do this to me?”
“I just follow your orders, sir,” I reply with a grin. I get to my feet, a delicious ache between my naked thighs, my breasts hanging ripe and tender. God, it turns me on like crazy getting him off.
“I don’t even need to ask if you’re ready.” Vaughn smirks, his controlled facade returning. “I bet you’ll come screaming the minute I sink into that tight little cunt.”
God yes.
“Come here.” He beckons me, a wicked smile on his face. I take an eager step towards him, then I catch sight of the clock on the wall. Eight fifteen. Shit.
“I have to shower,” I tell him, panicked. “And be ready for dinner.”
Vaughn licks his lips. “Who says we can’t do both?”
He strides towards the bathroom, yanking me after him. It’s another huge space, all white marble and a massive walk-in shower -- more than big enough for two.
Vaughn runs the water, and strips off the rest of his clothes. Lord, he’s already hard again, jutting up in a thick rod against his stomach.
He pushes me inside, back against the wall. My pulse kicks.
“Hands above your head,” he murmurs, reaching for a bottle of shower gel. “Let’s get you cleaned up, you dirty girl.”
I shudder as Vaughn’s hands massage me, soaping up my breasts and circling my nipples until they’re tight and aching. He touches me everywhere, delving between my legs to wash my slick entrance, roving between my crack.
I’m wound so tight I swear I could shatter at the smallest pressure.
“I want to fuck you for hours,” Vaughn smirks, “But that’s going to wait. Right now, you have ten seconds.”
What?
Vaughn slides his hands around my ass and lifts, wrapping my legs around his waist. His cock nudges my clit, and I moan.
“Ten seconds, baby, that’s all.” He teases, pressing again, sinking just an inch inside me.
Fuck, that feels good.
“So you better come for me right now, or you don’t come at all.” Vaughn hold my jaw with one hand, his eyes glittering with challenge. “Think you’re up to the challenge, baby?”
I nod, my heart racing.
“Ten,” Vaughn pounds into me, so hard I slam back against the shower wall. Oh Jesus, he’s so big, so fucking big, splitting me open with his thick, hungry cock. But I don’t have time to feel him before he withdraws, then pistons into me again.
“Nine, eight, seven...” he murmurs in my ear with every thrust.
He sounds teasing, but I know he means it, I realize. Shit, if I don’t come right now, he’ll stop, he’ll leave me like this.
I arch up, thrusting to meet his next stroke.
Pinching my nipple, Vaughn gives me a wicked grin. “You’re running out of time, baby.”
I answer with a moan.
Six, five…
Vaughn drives deeper, grinding his hips into me, making my clit explode with friction.
“Four,” Vaughn bends his head, closing his mouth around my nipple. “Three,” He bites down, sending a shudder of delicious pain through my body as his cock plunges into me again.
Oh God, I’m so close.
“Two...”
Just as I think I’m not going to make it in time, I grind down on him, trying to take every inch of his magnificent dick, thrusting to get find that sweet-spot, the bundle of nerves high inside my walls only he can reach. My breasts bounce, he sucks my nipple harder.
Yes. Yes. Fuck!
One.
Vaughn plunges into me again, hurtling me closer, closer, and then he’s pulling out. No! I clench around him, trapping him inside me, desperately gyrating on his cock, over and over until the pressure against my clit is too much and I shatter apart with a scream.
Vaughn sets me down on my shaking legs and withdraws. He catches his breath, then swears under his breath.
Shit, I realize. No condom.
“I’m on the pill,” I tell him quickly. “And I’m clean.” I pause. “What about you--”
“I’m clean,” Vaughn replies, before I can finish.
Relief crashes through me. “So it’s OK.”
Vaughn pauses, looking at me with an agonized expression on his face. He cups my face, surprisingly tender. “It’s not OK,” he says, leaning his forehead against mine. “God, Keely, you don’t even know.”
Before I can ask what he means, he pulls away. The gentle look is gone, replaced with his familiar control. “You better dry off,” he tells me. “We’re due downstairs right now.”
I dress in double-quick time. Brent said it was just casual, so I pull on a plain skirt and top, and tie my damp hair back in a twisted bun. But when Vaughn and I head downstairs and into the lounge area, I find Brent waiting with a roomful of strangers.
I stop dead in the doorway.
“There they are,” Brent gives me a victorious smile. “We’ve been waiting. I thought I told you eight o’clock.”
“No,” I stammer, “You said--”
But Brent interrupts, turning to the guests. “Keely, I’d like you to meet Chad Hargroves, Alistair Carson, and Dick Whitford.” Brent points to them in turn, oozing charm. “They represent hedge funds that hold major stakes in Ashcroft Industries.”
What? Oh crap.
“A pleasure to meet you.” The men shake my hand. They’re a blur of identical suits and middle-aged paunch, and expensive haircuts, and I struggle to remember who’s who.
“We’re sorry for your loss,” Chad adds in a Southern drawl. “But as you can imagine, we have concerns about the change in leadership at the head of the company.”
Brent interrupts. “I suggested we all get together for dinner, so they can talk to you face-to-face. I’m sure once you tell them your plans for the company, they’ll be reassured.”
I stare in panic. My plans for the company? I haven’t even had a chance to read the full list of Ashcroft subsidiaries, let alone grasp the basic business facts. How am I supposed to reassure them about anything?
Then I catch Brent’s smug grin and it all becomes clear. This was his plan, to ambush me with important investors and leave me looking like a fool.
Bastard.
“So tell us, Keely,” one of the men, Dick, I think, looks at me expectantly. “How do you propose we maintain the market share for the coming quarter?”
“Will you consider moving labor overseas?” Alistair adds. “I’m hoping you’ll be more open to the prospect than your father was. We’re failing to compete with emerging markets on every level.”
My head spins. “I...” I start, uselessly.
Then I feel a calming hand on my arm. “Gentlemen,” Vaughn speaks up, sounding amused. “It’s a little early for the Spanish Inquisition. My daddy told me never to talk business without a drink in my hand.”
The men chuckle. “Your father had the right idea,” Chad agrees. “How about it, Brent?”
“Of course.” Brent forces a smile. “Albert!”
They turn to order drinks. Vaughn bends his head to whisper in my ear. “Relax,” he orders me.
“But what can I tell them?” I whisper back, still panicked.
“Just keep up the small-talk, and remind them that the management structure is still unchanged. They want to know there’s a steady hand at the wheel, that’s all.”
I take a deep breath, steeling myself as another staff member comes out to whisper in Brent’s ear.
“Dinner is served,” he announces. “Keely, after you.”
I meet his stare with an even look, then walk calmly to the main doors. He thinks he can play games with me, he’s got another thing coming.
“Oh, Keely?” his voice comes, laughing. “Other door.”
This is going to be a long night.
We take our seats for dinner in the huge dining hall. Ceiling-high blue silk curtains sweep to the polished wooden floors, and the marble slab of a dining table could seat twenty people, easy. Staff serve the appetizers, a fancy salad arranged on huge plates with drizzles of sauce. It looks delicious, but my stomach is tied up in knots.
I look around, trying to get a grip on my nerves. Brent is at the head of the table, with his siblings on either side. Riley lounges back, looking relaxed, but Isabelle has a bored, haughty expression on her face. She sips champagne, looking gorgeous and polished with her hair swept back and a pair of diamond earrings dangling over a chic silk dress.
I knew I should have dressed up.
I’ve been seated way down the other end of the table, with Vaughn on my right side, and one of the investors across from me. I pick at my salad, not even taking a single bite before Brent speaks up.
“So, now that we’ve all got some booze in our glasses, it’s time to hear from you, Keely.” He folds his hands, looking stern. “I should tell you, we’re considering a takeover bid for Ashcroft Industries. Hopefully you’ll be able to convince these gentlemen why they should put their faith, and millions of dollars, in your leadership.”
“I’ve got to say, we’re worried,” Chad agrees. “Ashcroft was the life and soul of the company, and now he’s gone, we’re all having doubts about the future. What can you tell us to put our minds at ease?”
I brace myself. “Nothing.”
He stares, shocked. The other men put down their forks. “Nothing?”
“Yet,” I add firmly. “I’m going to be honest with you. I could sit here and tell you I’ve got a handle on things, but that would be a lie. It’s been a few days since the will was verified, and we all know Ashcroft Industries is a sprawling corporation. It’s going to take me time to meet with everyone and figure out the lay of the land. But you can rest assured, I’m not going to make any snap decisions.”
Chad looks thoughtful. “I appreciate your honesty, little lady.”
“Honesty doesn’t change the fact that Keely has no background in business,” Brent interrupts. “I hate to admit it, but I don’t want to mislead any of you. She didn’t go to Harvard and Wharton like me,” he adds with a smug laugh.
“I may not have a fancy MBA, but neither did Ashcroft when he built this company,” I shoot back. “Look, I inherited the title of CEO and the majority shares, but I’m not the company -- the workers are. From the management all the way down to shop floor workers, they’re the ones who have made Ashcroft Industries into the company it is today, and they’re all still there.”
I look around the table, making eye contact with all the investors. “I can’t stop you from pulling your investments and bolting right now, but it would be a mistake. Give me a chance to show you that the company is in good hands. Ashcroft is gone, but he left behind a strong legacy -- which I will do everything to protect.”
I direct my last comment towards Brent with a glare. He can try to intimidate me and manipulate the investors, but I just got here, and I won’t leave without a fight.
The investors share a look, then Chad clears his throat, breaking into a smile. “That’s just what we were hoping to hear. We’re in no hurry to make any rush judgments, so you get settled in, and we’ll talk about this more. Welcome to the company, Keely.”
He raises his glass, and the others follow in a toast.
I let out a sigh of relief. Vaughn squeezes my hand under the table, giving me a smile. I did it. It’s not over by a long shot, but at least I’ve bought myself some time.