Damien

MY FATHER TAUGHT me many life lessons, one of them about taking what I want.

If I see something I want, I take it. No questions. I don't need a reason or a moral justification to lull me to sleep at night. All I need is the comforting fact that it's mine and no one else's.

Just like the brunette standing in my personal meeting room, staring at me with the most intriguing anger. She doesn't realize it yet, but she's mine. The moment I saw her up against that window in the hotel with hunger and determination flashing behind her eyes, I knew she was my next taking.

I want more than a one-night stand. I want her on her knees every night, batting her eyelashes and puckering her lips for me. I want to own all her moans, all her orgasms. And the thought of her under the touch of another man, especially my brother's, makes my skin boil.

Call me obsessive and controlling, but it's the reason I started a multi- billion-dollar business using nothing but my brain and the power of negotiation.

I won't pretend my last name didn't help. It did. But my business doesn't wear the Bass name like the rest of the businesses in my family's tech conglomerate. Innovex Microchips is its own entity, founded on outside investors, I vetted myself and paid back in excess. I didn't take a single drop of my father's money.

I strategically hand-pick each of my employees, like my head of human resources, Angelo, who's been here since the beginning. Sitting in a leather chair in front of my desk, he wears a serious yet inviting expression.

Hannah sits next to him, seeming to snap out of her daze before her angered aura dampens.

Offering her my hand, I fight my smug look that's threatening to surface. "Miss Lockwood, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Her hand fits perfectly in mine, soft and supple. "And you, Mr. Bass." My name comes out on a clip.

We shake for a moment too long, staring into each other's eyes, hers swirling with a complicated concoction of anger, lust and confusion. The friction in the air is so thick I could reach out my hand and grab it.

My gaze falls, zeroing in on the way she's biting her lower lip, the same way she did last night. She must realize what she's doing, because her lip plops back out, before she lets go of my hand.

Then she sits, her heels making her knees slightly higher than her waist, accentuating her slender legs. I take a seat behind my desk, closing my laptop.

Angelo clears his throat. "I went ahead and skipped the vetting process, as she was already here for another interview. I thought it best for you two to meet now and get any questions out of the way."

"I have a question." Hannah crosses her legs, craning her neck towards me. "A few, actually."

Excitement curls in my chest. There's that look again. My cock hardens against my pants. Luckily, my desk hides it from their viewing.

"I'm listening." My voice comes out silkier than intended.

When she came into my office, I expected her to be shocked, unable to speak. What a surprise it must be to find out that, not only am I her ex's brother, but also her future employer. But here she is, with fire in her eyes, ready to question me.

"When did this position open?"

"Today."

"Really?" Her tone is sweet, but there's no missing the hint of malice

underlining her seemingly innocent words. "Yes, really."

"And what would I be doing?"

She's testing me. Interesting.

From her records, she applied for a client relations assistant manager job, a far cry from being my brother's personal assistant. Such a waste of time it must've been, given he does short of nothing at Bass Mobile.

“Attend meetings, take notes, manage my calendar, that kind of stuff." She sits up straighter with an intriguing seriousness.

That got her attention. What kind of bullshit did my brother have her

doing? I won't lie to myself. I know what I really want from her. But I'm not about to damage her career and growth, not when her body tells me she's eager to learn.

And when I'm so willing to teach her...

"Would you like that?"

"Yes," she answers quickly.

A grin curves over my mouth. It seems my relation to my brother isn't a

problem.

Wetting her lips, she uncrosses her legs, shooting heat straight to my groin. At this angle, I have an opportune view of her panties tucked inside her skirt. Red and lacy.

My grip on my armrest tightens, before Angelo chimes in, "The position is newly formed as well. I want to assure you no one was let go or left recently."

"Of course." Hannah nods. "Do you not have other assistants?" "I do, but this job would be more... on-call."

"Does that include in-house assistance?"

Fuck... She gets it.

I imagine her in my apartment, desperate and needy for me. Her eyes plead for an answer, and my boxers suddenly feel suffocating around my hips.

"Yes," I say. This was easier than I thought. "I know you're qualified, given your recent employment. I'd hire you right now. Are you interested?"

She stands and smiles at me, the light hitting her figure in such a way it could bring me to my knees. I prepare to dismiss Angelo and cancel my next appointment the moment she accepts my offer, only so I can have my way with her, preferably ass-up on my—

"No," she says sweetly.

Wait, what? My hard-on vanishes. Hold on—

I open my mouth to protest, but she whips around and walks a tight line

all the way across and out of the room. The last thing I see is the back of her tall heel kicking the door shut.

I blink.

The door rattles on its hinges, and Angelo's eyes are wide like saucers as his hand covers his mouth.

"Stay here," I growl, bursting from my chair. After discovering her half- way down the hall, I'm hot on her trail when she stops suddenly, whipping her head around.

"You like making a scene in front of my head of HR?" My voice is low and laced with annoyance.

"I'm not here to be your little errand girl who can get you off," she counters with ten times the wrath. "I've already tried that, you know, with your brother? Thanks for telling me, by the way. So mature. You're a lot alike."

"We're nothing alike." Hot rage bubbles in my gut. "So what? He's my brother. You wanted a night with a stranger, and that's what you got. I could've been anyone."

She doesn't respond.

"Don't act all innocent, Hannah. I know what last night was for you." Before I know it, her ear tickles my lips, a familiar lilac perfume sousing my senses. "An awakening."

Her face pales.

"For me too," I whisper. "We can help each other. I'm giving us the opportunity to experience it again... and again."

Doe eyes flutter to meet mine. Yes, like that. She glances at my lips. Hand yourself over. Leaning in, her lips are so close to mine I can feel the tickle of her breath. Entangle yourself in my web. My eyelids fall, preparing to taste her wet tongue—

"Fuck. You."

My eyes shoot open, only to watch her racing down the hall, her laughter echoing off the walls.

"Hannah!" I bark, chasing after her.

My next appointment swings his suit-clad body into my view, and I stop dead in my tracks. He gives her a confused look as she darts past him. Trying to appear natural, I wave an apology to him, as if I wasn't about to hunt down a girl in my hall, who’s laughing like a maniac.

Fuck you—Fuck you? I can't believe she said that. Not only to my face, but in my face. Inches away. I don't know if I should be pissed or turned on. While I contemplate my reaction and usher my bewildered appointment

through my door, a single thought burns a hole through the back of my consciousness.

That won't be the last time I see Hannah Lockwood.

JOHN PULLS UP to the curb in front of my apartment building. I thank him before entering through the doors, my phone buzzing in my pocket.

Harrison: I'm here. Same spot.

Taking the elevator to the basement, I soon pass by empty cars. Automatic lights flicker on in response before a black Cadillac sedan comes into view, parked in the corner with no headlights.

I hop into the front seat, already knowing the man I'll see when I turn my head. A wise face with a receding hairline meets my sight. Harrison Thornton prefers to meet in private for such sensitive occasions.

"The board needs an answer." He skips the small talk, like always, which I respect. It's something we have in common when it comes to business. "Have you given any more thought to our proposition?"

The driver's side window cracks, the smoke of his lit cigar escaping out the slit. He hands me another, the smooth texture sliding between my two fingers.

"Yes, I have." I lean into his lighter, sucking in my first puff. As I settle back into the leather seats, the tobacco floats straight to my brain, making me feel light. "And I agree it's the best course of action, if we are to expand further into the tech industry."

Harrison has been on my board of directors and a big investor since my company's infancy. In fact, he's a major investor in countless successful businesses scattered across New York. I've always admired him for his straightforwardness, particularly his ruthless business maneuvers.

"Good. The board extends their gratitude." The motion lights in the garage go dark, the car's interior glow the only thing illuminating his coarse features. "There's no length you won't go, no line you haven't crossed, to see the furthering success of Innovex. I've been around long enough to know that's why you'll always stay on top. You're a rare breed."

My gut sings to his words, and a familiar, dark hunger nips at my insides. Ruthless as he may be, not Harrison nor my entire board could force my hand to do anything. I'm the majority shareholder.

I hold all the power.

He continues, "It's a significant but necessary sacrifice. But, as you know, this type of thing will only be temporary."

I take a long drag, letting the heat simmer deep in my chest. "Of course, as it should be." The smoke bellows from my lips. "What's our time frame?"

"Several promising companies are set to go to market in about two months. It would need to be before that."

"Soon, then." My mind races with urgency. "I'd wager it's not the first time you've been on a board that's requested such an arrangement?"

"Correct. I've recommended and orchestrated it myself multiple times." "So, it can appear believable in such a short time?"

"Yes, if done correctly." His eyes bury themselves in mine, searching for

information he won't find. "I'll have my guys on it tomorrow, unless you already have a candidate in mind?"

Stifling a smug smile, I adjust my cufflinks to appear disinterested. "I do, actually. She interviewed at Innovex today."