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Maddox Vested 22
“Rebecca is bright. I think she’d be good to work with in the office.”“Reid was strangely quiet,” Bentley mused. “He usually jumps right into our meetings.”Aiden chuckled. “What was with his behavior today? He was like a cat on a hot tin roof, all jumpy and edgy.”“I think Becca had something to do with that.”Bentley frowned. “Is that going to be an issue? Them working together?”“No. Reid will be fine,” I assured him. “He was a bit off his game at first, but he settled in. He needs to stop pulling these all-nighters.”“And get some new clothes. He looked like he rolled out of a trash can today.”“Ease up, Bent. I’ll take him shopping. To their credit, I don’t think they gave it another thought. Once he started talking about what he was bringing to the project, and all the things he handles here, they didn’t care what he was wearing.” Aiden defended Reid.Bentley raked a hand through his hair. “Make sure he wears his suit at dinner.”“Yes.”“Okay then, fine. Can you at least get hi
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Richard tugged on his hair. “I got to know Becca personally. My wife, Katy, met her at the office, and they grew close. She became part of my family. She’s shared holidays with us, babysat my kids. Katy has been her sounding board about guys.” He lifted one shoulder with a smirk. “I’ve scared a couple of them off myself. She’s more than a coworker. I hate to lose her, so does Katy, but we want her happy.”Graham spoke. “When your request came to us, her hand was up before I had even finished telling the group about what you were looking for. As much as we hate to lose her, we thought this was the best of both worlds. She’ll still be part of our team, but she’ll be in a place where she is happier.” He shrugged. “We knew we would lose her eventually. She had always been open about wanting to be in a bigger city, so this seemed like the right fit.”He met my gaze. “My company and staff are family to me. Normally, Richard would come by himself to do a presentation.” He grinned as he clapp
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Our eyes locked and held, and I saw a glimmer of my own desire reflected at me.So I did it anyway. I bent down, ignoring the fact that our friends were watching, and I kissed her. I held her tight to my body and claimed her in front of everyone.When I drew back, her eyes were shocked and her lips swollen.“What was that for?”“Because you wanted me to.”She rolled her eyes, but she didn’t deny it.I crooked my arm. “Shall we?”She reached up, wiping my lips. “I don’t think you need the gloss.”I captured her hand, kissing her delicate fingertips. I tried not to smirk as we went past our shocked group.I failed.By the time Richard, Graham, and Becca arrived, we had been seated and ordered wine. The last one to join us was Reid. I tried not to laugh at the look of delight when he saw the one empty seat was beside Becca. He wore his suit, a white shirt, with a wildly patterned tie.He worked the table, shaking hands and kissing the girls. When he reached Becca, he bent over her hand,
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“She looked . . .” I shook my head and laughed self-consciously.“What? She looked what?”“Like someone I knew at university. Impossible, probably.”“Someone you were close to?”I swallowed heavily. “No. Just a girl. No one special. I’m sure I was mistaken.”I clicked my seat belt into place and pulled the car out into traffic. “Let’s go home.”Luckily, she dropped the subject. “Mine or yours?”I made a fast decision. “Yours.”“Okay.”Dee’s hair shimmered in the moonlight that streamed in the windows. She arched, bending so far backward, her hair brushed my legs. She moaned low in her throat, her muscles constricting around me.“Oh God, Maddox. You feel so good.”I gripped her hips, thrusting up hard. I was desperate to feel, to lose myself in her. I tried to focus on her sounds, the way she looked riding me. Her breasts were full, nipples glistening and red from my mouth. Her neck and collarbones bore patches of pink from my scruff where I licked and nipped at her skin. Her pussy was
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MaddoxI SPENT THE night prowling my condo, the oblivion of sleep eluding me. I was in the office early, desperate to lose myself in work. Anything to stop the barrage of thoughts and squelch the sense of dread in my stomach remembering her words.We should talk.I had nothing to discuss with her. I never wanted to see her again.I went through the motions all day. I showed Becca and Richard the apartment. She was pleased with the unit, especially when I promised fresh paint and refinished floors prior to her arrival. The kitchen and bath had been updated a couple of years prior, and it was in great shape. As she looked around, I leaned on the counter in the kitchen, unable to keep my fingers from drumming restlessly on the edge.“You okay, Maddox?” Richard asked, concerned. “You look tired today.”I waved my hand, keeping my face impassive. “No, I’m fine.”“If you say so.”Becca came into the kitchen, interrupting us. “I think this will do for me. It’s smaller than what I’m used to i
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I hoped his gut was wrong this time, but with Aiden, it rarely was.I glanced at my phone and picked it up, overwhelmed with the need to call Dee. Her voice always helped steady me, and her calm demeanor would be welcome.Except, what could I say to her?A ghost from my past had shown up and I didn’t know what to expect? For all I knew, it meant nothing. Jill could simply be messing with my mind. She had done it previously—many times. I could be making something out of nothing.I tossed the phone onto my desk and rubbed at my face in frustration.I had my own gut feeling in regard to this. And it wasn’t a good one.By Tuesday, I began to relax. There were no other phone calls, no unexpected visitors, and nothing came in the mail. I convinced myself that Jill had seen me, and just to be a bitch, tried my old number, heard my voice and left me a message.This morning, I asked Sandy to have my home line disconnected. She frowned in displeasure when I asked her politely not to divulge my
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I looked at her hand that was fisting my coat, the red nails like talons gripping the fabric. Grimacing with distaste, I pried her hand off my coat, resisting the urge to wipe off the feel of her skin on the fabric.“Don’t touch me.”“That’s not what you used to say.”Anger began to replace the anxiety, and I crossed my arms.“What are you doing here, and more importantly, what the fuck do you want?”She smirked and tossed her hair. It was darker than I remembered, almost black under the streetlights. She was dressed for an evening on the town, her high heels making her almost my height. Her makeup was heavy, her lips a crimson slash in her face.I’d found her beautiful once. Now I saw the ugliness she hid from the world.“I’m working here for the next while. Imagine my surprise when I saw you in a restaurant, laughing and enjoying yourself with all your rich friends. I checked you out, Maddox. You’ve done well for yourself.”I barked out a laugh. “Your opinion of what I have or have
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She tapped her chin with a dark smile. “I want a house in a place of my choosing. And five hundred grand.” She ate another olive. “To start.”She drained her martini and slid off her seat. “Once we agree to that, we’ll figure out a yearly fee. I don’t want to work anymore, and I want to enjoy life.”I barked a laugh. “I think you have me confused with a billionaire. I’m not rolling in it.”“I think you can afford me.”I called her bluff. “Why would I do that?”“I may not be a star, Maddox, but I know a lot of reporters. They’d be happy to run the story I tell them about us.” She pushed the pictures in my direction. “About you.”“It would be a lie.”She laughed, the sound sending a shudder down my spine. “Not according to the pictures I have.”She reached over and arranged the pictures into a neat pile, sliding them into the envelope. She laid a business card on top, tapping it with her red talon. “I’m staying in a hotel. I move around a lot, so I don’t have a place. This is my email a
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