I’d dealt with a lot of shit in my life. My mom, my dad, those were things I didn’t even like to think about. The collect calls kept coming and I wasn’t be able to ignore them for much longer. I’d put in hard work into everything I did, to make sure I got the results I wanted It didn’t always happen the first time, but I made it happen. And I went after what I wanted with vigor. I did’t let anything stand in my way.

I didn’t think I’d ever wanted anything in my life more than I wanted to kiss Rachel. Not even the mergers I’d been working on for the past year gave me as much satisfaction as I had when I had her face in my hands, my lips inches from hers. The way her lips part when she’s surprised. The small, little noises she made when she’s just about to come, before the moaning started. I wanted to drink those sounds from her lips as I slid myself into her.

I don’t think I’ve ever had to do anything harder than getting up from my knees in front of Rachel and not sliding myself into her. It was sheer force of will that held me back from covering her and slamming into her until we both passed out into blissful oblivion. That same will told me I needed to leave. It showed me I wasn’t in control of this situation. She was in control and she didn’t even know it. That was why I made the rules. Why I needed her to know that I wasn’t going to bend to her will. She was going to bend to mine.

I didn’t even make it to my apartment. I took myself in my hand back in the room upstairs, sitting on the bed. The sheets still smelled like her. She’d left her mask behind and I stared at it as I came so hard, I shouted into the silent air of the room. It took everything in me to not pull her back through the doorway downstairs, throw her over my shoulder, and fuck her within an inch of her life. But I needed to play it cool. I needed to ensure that I was getting everything I needed from her.

I wasn’t going to let her use me for the information she needed without having my fun too.

Maybe staying up until five in the morning on a work night wasn’t the best idea. I stumbled out of bed after what amounted to about a forty-five-minute nap and was sure to make as much noise as possible getting my morning coffee, but just my luck, Dahlia slept like the dead and didn’t have to go into the shop until late. Lucky bitch.

The day dragged on and I swore I hit my head on my desk as least twice before lunch. During my lunch break, I laid on the floor in one of the vacant offices and locked the door.

Killian: Don’t forget…

I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. I just closed my eyes and dreamt of exactly what I wanted him to do to me. When I woke up, I was at least able to keep my eyes open. Then the realization set in for what I was going to be doing this evening. Every time I saw Rhys I got that sour gut feeling. I’d shake it off and keep working. I was helping. I was definitely helping. Not just trying to get my rocks off with a man so absolutely delicious that I wanted to peel his clothes off with my teeth, who was going to rip my life apart. It had nothing to do with that.

“Rachel, I need you to get the reports ready for the hospital dedications and schools this week.”

“Right away, Mr. Thayer.” I brought up the files. He gave me the look. “I mean, Rhys.” He was giving away over three million dollars this week. And this was a slow week. He’d kicked everything into high gear once the board challenges came up. His donations in the millions that month were looking to be in the tens of millions for next month. He went through all the paperwork and financials, personally. All the people he helped would be in jeopardy if Killian got his way.

“Thanks Rachel, you’re a lifesaver,” he said, smiling at me. I dropped the folders off on his desk, the pit in my stomach growing bigger.

As I waited for five o’clock to roll around, every email, every meeting was like torture. I left the office the minute my phone blared five o’clock, something I never did, and hurried to the apartment to get ready. Shower. Shave. I even threw on some perfume. I showed up outside of Ace’s five minutes before eight. When I turned up to the front desk, though, they didn’t show me to the changing rooms. They escorted me upstairs. Right to his doorstep. The security guard opened the door to the room and I peeked around. No one was here. A small ball of sadness hit me and I glanced back at the security guard, who’d just closed the door behind him. Leaving me inside.

I didn’t have a mask. I didn’t have a band wrapped around my wrist, but I felt just as naked as the first time I’d showed up there. I stood there, fidgeting with my clothes, until I saw the notecard tented on the bed. I traced the masculine writing with my finger. ‘Rachel’. I flipped it open and there was one word scrawled inside. Strip.

I hesitated. This was a point of no return. I was sure I could open that door, head back downstairs, never come back, and that would be the end of it. But I didn’t want it to end. I sucked in a deep breath. I dropped my bag onto the chair in the corner before sliding my way out of my clothes. I folded them neatly and put them on the chair. Okay, now I really felt naked. I debated whether or not to keep my underwear and bra on.

I finally settled on taking my bra off, but leaving my panties on. I put my glasses on the table beside the bed before deciding to put them back on. He’d seen me with my glasses, it wasn’t like I was trying to seduce him. I was standing naked in the middle of his private room of a sex club. I wasn’t exactly being coy. Then came the decision of where to sit. On the other leather chair in the corner, on the bed, standing. I bounced from place to place until I heard the door handle turn. I prayed it was Killian entering the room. I placed my arm over my breasts and held my breath as the door opened.

With his light hair reflecting in the low light, I let out my breath, happy it was him. Tingling energy flowed through me as I thought about what he might have in store for me. He closed the door behind him and walked to the chair, setting his own bag down.

“I said, strip, sweetheart,” he said, crossing the room to me. “That doesn’t include panties.” Coming face to face with me, he slid his hands along my hips and the electricity of his touch traveled all the way to my toes. Killian ran his hands under the waistband of my panties, and slid them down over my ass until they pooled at my feet. His hands explored my stomach and along my back. My breath came out in small stuttered breaths until he tipped my chin up with his fingers.

“If you want to ask your questions, you’re going to have to be a better listener,” he said, running his thumb along my lips. My tongue darted out all on its own and licked the tip of his finger. His pupils dilated, I could see it, even in the low light of the room. The bright blue, giving way to blackness as he growled and rested his hand on my shoulder. My knees went weak and then I was sinking. Sinking to the plush carpet. My hands resting against his hard thighs under his suit pants.

I stopped myself from reaching for his belt buckle. He took his time. The anticipation of seeing his cock nearly overwhelmed me. My mouth watered as he unzipped his pants and took it out, stroking himself.

I’m not a spy. I’m not trained in espionage. But this was all for the job, right? Helping so many people. At least that’s what I told myself as I was on my knees, in front of Killian, who stroked his cock in my face. I wasn’t quite sure if I’d be able to fit all of him in my mouth, but I was prepared to try. My mouth watered thinking about what it would feel like as I swirled my tongue around the head and stroked my hands up and down his shaft.

His fingers slid into my hair and a shiver traveled down my spine. I glanced up at him, and my glasses slid down the tip of my nose. I reached up to take them off.

“Leave them on,” he said, pushing my glasses back up my nose. “Now, start,” he growled. It sent a tremor down my spine and without thinking, I leaned into him and his grip in my hair tightened as I put my first tentative touches on his shaft. His cock pulsed in my hand and I jumped. “I don’t have all day, sweetheart,” he said. I breathed him in. It was an undeniably heady masculine scent. Without a second thought I wrapped my lips around his cock and took him in as far as I could go. It was a heady feeling having my lips wrapped around him, trying to give him pleasure like he’d given me.

“Fuck,” he spat out as I hollowed my lips to suck him in deeper. His hand tightened in my hair, a little too much and my teeth nipped him. He cried out and I glanced up at him.

“Fuck,” he roared, his eyes wide, as he came in my mouth. I don’t know who was more shocked, him or me. Rope after rope shot in my mouth and I swallowed his salty essence as his knees dipped. I felt a heady sense of power having unmanned Killian Thorne, and I hadn’t even used my hands. I hadn’t given head very often, and most of the times I had were a pain in the ass, well the jaw. But with Killian, I wanted to do this every day. I wanted to stand up, pumping my arms overhead, and do a dick-tory dance.

He slowly pulled my head away from him, shuddering as his cock popped out of my mouth. I stared up at him and he stared down at me. I couldn’t read whatever the hell was going through his mind, but he almost looked pissed. I shrank back a little bit when he reached for me, pulling me from my knees.

“Up. Up. Get up. Let’s go,” he said, grabbing my clothes from the chair and shoving them into my arms. He tucked himself back into his pants, and I hastily threw my clothes back on as he stood impatiently at the door waiting. Was he kicking me out again? This wasn’t how I thought the evening would go. My triumph at how things went no longer felt so triumphant. Maybe he was embarrassed that he came so quickly? That wasn’t my fault. I barely knew what I was doing.

“What? Why? I thought we were going to—” I said, stumbling to keep up. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I’d been looking forward to sleeping with him. Everything about him screamed it would be the ride of my life.

“Not here,” he growled, grabbing me by the arm and pulling me out of the room. Moments later, we burst out into the parking garage and he maneuvered us over to his car, quickly opening the door, and tucking me inside before going around to the other side. His hands gripped the steering wheel as we pulled out into night traffic. Oncoming headlights flashed over his face, his jaw ticking as we drove to wherever he was taking me. It was another test. I prayed he wasn’t going to try to fuck me in a public park or something like that. Or maybe… I squeezed my thighs together as I ran that scenario through my mind. The breeze on my bare skin as he ran his hands over me, anyone able to walk by.

He caught my eye and held my gaze, splitting his attention between me and the road.

“What naughty thing are you thinking about, sweetheart? Wondering where I’m going to take you to fuck you?” My pussy throbbed and I could feel my wetness soaking through my panties. There would definitely be a wet spot left on his seat when I got up. My face heated as I thought about how to hide it.

“And now you’re turning all red. Just what is going on in that filthy little mind of yours?”