Chapter 1

Bastian

I grinned down at the iPad while I scanned the offer I’d received in my email. A young startup company had a killer app that had a lot of potential. They just needed an investor to help them get going, so they came to me. Half a million dollars was pocket change to me, but in exchange, they were willing to give me fifty percent of the company. It was a great deal and a great fucking way to start my Wednesday morning—a high-end payday with a company that was going to make me even richer.

I typed out a crisp reply to them before sending the document off again. I made a mental note to tell Roger, once he was back in after his sick days, that we needed to set up a conference call with this company. It was a pain in the ass not having my assistant here to help, but I hated the idea of someone full of shitty germs sitting at the desk right outside my door. The last thing I wanted to deal with was being sick.

I did everything possible to make sure I didn’t get sick. I took a shit-ton of Vitamin C every day. I ran every morning, even out in cold, wintry days like this one. I ran my health and life the way I ran my business—strict and orderly with little time for bullshit.

“Mr. Burke?”

I glanced over at the phone on my desk when Joanna Lind’s pleasant voice filled my office through the intercom. She had a timid voice when it came to directly dealing with me. Not that I minded her shyness. It had been a bit of a turn-on since the day I hired her to help out with the front office, but also to help Roger when he was out sick. She made a nice addition to the office. She worked hard, and everyone loved her.

And I certainly didn’t mind those killer fucking curves of hers.

“Yes,” I said coolly. “What is it?”

“Ashton Wilkes is here to see you for your ten-thirty meeting,” Joanna said. “Would you like me to send him in now?”

I was partially tempted to say no. Ashton had called two days ago with a proposition that he believed I would be interested in, but I didn’t know what exactly he wanted to get me involved in. After being friends with him for a few years, he trusted me to handle whatever he had in mind. I wasn’t even sure if billionaires like ourselves had real friends, though. When it came to money, it changed people’s moral compasses. I was guilty of it myself sometimes—not that I was proud of it.

“Let him in,” I said and turned my iPad off. “If you can move my eleven o’clock meeting to another time, that would be great, Joanna.”

“Of course, sir. Right away.”

So prompt and submissive. It made my mind wander in directions that weren’t appropriate.

The doors to my office opened a minute later. Ashton strolled in and deposited himself in the chair across from me, unbuttoning the front of his suit jacket in the process. He flashed a grin that showed just how excited he was.

“I assume there’s a reason why you needed to see me,” I said, sitting back in my chair. I arched an eyebrow at him. “Correct? I have a busy schedule to keep up with over here.”

Ashton waved his hand airily. “Of course,” he said. “I didn’t come here to see your pleasant face this morning. I have an acquisition you might be interested in.”

“What is it?” I asked, my interest piqued.

“A fashion conglomerate based right here in Salt Lake,” Ashton said. “The CEO, a woman, just upped and quit after a shitty quarter, and the company is in utter chaos right now. I’m pretty sure it can be picked up cheap.”

I caught on to the hint then. Scrubbing a hand across my stubbled jaw, I stared across my desk at Ashton with a frown. Female CEO. Fashion conglomerate. That sounded vaguely familiar to me.

“What’s the name of the business?” I asked.

“Jacob’s Fashion is the name,” Ashton said. “It’s been all over the news for the past two days since the CEO, Donna Jacobs, fled the country. Went to South America or some shit like that.” He paused to give me a long and hard look. “You seem to know her judging from that sour look on your face.”

Up until a month ago, I had known Donna Jacob’s very well inside the bedroom. The woman knew how to fuck hard. She knew the definition of being discreet, too, which was an added bonus. Her tricks in bed had grown old for me, though. The relationship, as casual as it was, fizzled out on its own. We both stopped calling each other, which was a small relief for me because I hated clinginess. Donna had her own business to run, so pining after a casual fling wasn’t high on her priority list.

I cleared my throat. “Yeah, I know her.”

“In a business sense? Or in a personal sense?”

“Both,” I replied and bit my tongue in aggravation when Ashton sighed. “Don’t even start the lecture. Donna and I had an agreement a month ago that whatever happened in the bedroom remained there. She didn’t give a flying fuck, and neither did I.”

“When is this going to stop, though?” Ashton asked. “I’ve been your friend for a long time now, Bastian. The crazy one-night stands have to stop eventually.”

“Do they?” I asked, leaning back in my chair. “I’m fine with the way things are. I’m not married anymore. I can have fun outside my work, believe it or not.”

“I don’t think you’re having any sort of fun. I think you’re trying to lick your wounds after what happened with Sierra.”

My ex-wife’s name awoke a tingling anger inside me. Sierra had pulled the shades down over my eyes years ago when we’d met through a mutual friend in investments. I had fallen in love with her too quickly. That had been my first critical mistake in a list of even more critical and fucked-up ones. I had let good sex blind me in other areas of my life—including my bank accounts and wallet, which Sierra gladly took advantage of until I cut her off.

“The string of broken hearts behind you is long, my friend,” Ashton said, sighing. “I admire you for what you’ve done with your life, but don’t you think it’s time to settle back down again?”

“No,” I said shortly. “I don’t think it is.”

The idea of marriage sent a cold shudder through me. I had been a romantic type of guy before Sierra. The kind of guy who believed marriage was for life. My alimony checks were living proof that marriages could turn into World War III in the blink of an eye. It was too fucking painful to even think about all of it anymore. I did my best to erase the memories by either slipping in between some woman’s legs for just a few minutes of unadulterated pleasure or having a few drinks in the privacy of my home office.

“I’ve been talking to Jennifer about a few things,” Ashton continued, playing with the wedding band on his finger. “There is a woman at her office who—”

I held up a hand to interrupt Ashton’s offer. “No offense, Ashton, but I’m not in the mood to be set up. I’m perfectly fine with how things are in my life, and a blind date sounds like absolute torture.”

Ashton’s phone chimed in his pocket. He pulled it out to glance at the number before slipping it back into his coat.

“Just an offer,” he said. “I know how bad things got with Sierra, so I just thought—”

“I’m perfectly fine with how things are in my life,” I snapped and grabbed my iPad pointedly to power it back on. “Anything else, Ashton? I have a lot of work to do.”

“Right, of course. Just consider it.” Ashton rose from the chair and strode across my office to open my office doors. “I’ll make sure to forward everything to you about the Jacob’s Fashion business. Major money. You won’t be disappointed.”

I didn’t bother with a reply. Bitterness festered in me as I shut down the iPad, tossing it carelessly into the chair across from my desk. Why the fuck does everyone have to bring Sierra into my conversations and my life? She doesn’t want to be in it, and I don’t want her in it.

A gentle knock on my office doors brought my gaze upward to Joanna Lind, who was standing nervously in the doorway of my office. Lust spiraled through me as I took in the curves of her hips through that black pencil skirt she wore. I fucking loved a woman in a pencil skirt. It was the perfect combination of classy and sexy. It covered everything but still showed off every line of a woman’s body.

Her ample breasts were noticeable, too, through the tight purple sweater that clung to her in all the right places. Joanna was a wet dream walking around my office. It took all my strength to keep myself from swooping down on her like many of the men in my office wanted to. If there were any relationships in my company, they were kept quiet and private. Which was the way I wanted it to be.

“I’m sorry,” she said, holding a few files close to her chest. Her blue eyes skirted my face nervously. “I, um, needed to give these to you. Roger said it was important to give you these documents today.”

“When did Roger call you?” I asked, frowning. “I thought he was out sick with something in his throat.”

Joanna’s eyes focused on the carpeted floor. “He emailed me instructions this morning, sir. I hope that’s all right. He didn’t want me to miss anything today that would upset you.”

That timid voice. I had no idea where Joanna had picked up that shyness. It was a strange turn-on even though I normally adored the alpha females who could fuck, leave, and never call me again. Those were my type of women. Until Joanna. I took in her fair blonde hair that was curled about her pretty, pale face full of nerves. A shudder went up my spine, but I forced myself not to show any signs of a reaction. I kept my face set in a stony expression, a skill I’d mastered from years of dealing with business meetings. There were three things that I liked to keep private: my income, my business, and my love life.

I straightened up in my chair to scoot closer to my desk. Not to look more authoritative, but because I could feel my cock hardening at the memory of the fantasy I’d had the other night with Joanna as the star. I nodded sharply for her to come deposit the files on my desk. The smell of vanilla filled my nose briefly as she stood close to me and waited while I went over the papers.

An awkward silence hung in my office. The heater clicked on to combat the chilly winter day outside. Joanna smoothed her hands over the front of her sweater while she waited for me to sign the papers. I glanced through the documents quickly, scribbled my name on the dotted line, and then handed them back over to Joanna, who swept them up promptly.

“I’ll file these right away,” she said softly. “Thank you.”

She turned to walk out of my office without waiting for a reply. It gave me the opportunity to take in her perfectly rounded ass before the doors closed behind her. I let out a pained groan. Sitting back in my chair, I gazed up at the ceiling of my office while frustration lanced through me. Touching the females in my office had never been on my mind before Joanna. I kept my work and personal life completely separate, but all of that had changed when Joanna came into my office looking for a job.

I shook my head in disgust at myself. My libido was ugly sometimes. As long as it was satisfied, it didn’t care who it went after or how complicated it could make my life. It would drive me crazy in the meantime, having Joanna so close to me, if I didn’t find a release somewhere. I needed to find someone who would be willing to release this tension in me, because I didn’t dare touch Joanna. She was too innocent, and I couldn’t bear the thought of inflicting that type of heartbreak on her.