Boardroom Sins

Brett snorted. They’d changed the terms only on the DI contract. “I assure you, that was a coincidence,” he lied.

She rolled her eyes, rightfully not believing him. “You just did it because you were pissed that we outbid you on the sale of that factory in Reno. Am I right?”

“I guess we’ll never know.” Brett shrugged. That was the exact event that had started the series of events that had led them to this conversation. He and Alex had been working to acquire an abandoned factory and warehouse in Reno to turn it into a high-end condo development. But at the eleventh hour, Daniels International had swooped in and taken it.

He looked over her shoulder and quickly saw his friends in the middle of their own conversations, but all their eyes were trained on him and his interaction with Rebecca. Ignoring them, Brett gave Rebecca all his attention. He plucked a champagne flute from the tray of a passing waiter and handed it to her. “We can rehash this all night, but let’s talk. How does it feel to be back in town?”

Rebecca sipped from the glass and eyed him suspiciously over the rim. “It was a little strange at first. It was a challenge, but the transition to CEO has been smooth.”

“Seriously, though, I was sorry to hear about your father. He was a good man.”

“Thank you.” She sipped her champagne again, her eyes not breaking contact with his. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had so fully captured his attention. His eyes dropped to her mouth and the drop of champagne that clung to her top lip when she lowered her glass, and he somehow resisted the urge to lean in and sweep it up with his tongue.

Distracted by his desire, Brett barely heard the words she was saying as he looked her up and down. He could see the near-imperceptible changes in her demeanor, like the way she straightened under his scrutiny, the way her pupils dilated slightly as she spoke to him and the way her lips parted as she swiped her tongue over them. He grinned at her. Brett knew women, and Rebecca didn’t have to say the words out loud. Her body language told him everything that he needed to know—she wanted him, too. Maybe as much as he wanted her—to once again bury himself deep inside her, momentarily revisiting the heat and passion they’d experienced before.

He stepped closer to her, touching his fingertips to the swell of her hip before spreading his hand over her, cupping her waist. “You know, I don’t want to talk business. Why don’t we go outside?” he asked, his voice lowered. He tilted his head in the direction of the door leading to the terrace. “We can really catch up.”

She paused for a moment, hesitating, and he thought she would refuse—because, really, what could they possibly have to catch up on? But instead, she nodded. “Sure.”

He slid his hand to her lower back, just above the rise of her ass, and escorted her through the double doors that led to the terrace, and he was pleased and surprised to find that they were alone out there. They walked to a far corner, and she leaned on the concrete railing, looking out at the view afforded by the mayor’s mansion. He stood next to her and leaned on the railing, as well. He turned his head and watched her. Whatever was going on in Rebecca’s mind made her eyebrows furrow. Maybe it matched his own turmoil, but he was confident that he could move past it. But can she?

She was quiet for a moment before she spoke. “I really missed it here.” Her whisper was wistful and vulnerable. And the moment felt more real than any he ever remembered them sharing. Well, most of them. There had been the one or two nights in college when they’d almost hit on something more... He watched her as she looked across the desert to the lights of the city. They both knew the mountains were just on the horizon, completely obscured by the darkness. “New York was nice, bustling, and winter was kind of fun for the first few years. But for a city that claims to never sleep, it doesn’t have quite the same insomnia as Vegas.”

Brett moved closer to her. “Maybe Vegas missed you, too,” he said, looking out at the horizon. “There’s nowhere else in the world like this. Las Vegans can’t expect to just settle anywhere else. There’s something about the desert, the energy, just trying to survive in such a harsh landscape...” He trailed off and she turned her head and looked at him. They were again quiet in the moment they’d created. They were again, for a short time, just kids in their twenties, with their lives ahead of them, constantly at odds with each other but managing to somehow find some moments of levity that bookended hot sex, before they went back to hating each other. Before starting the cycle over again. Rebecca always gave as good as she got and, standing next to her now, Brett realized that no matter what had happened between them or how crazy they made each other, he’d missed that about her.

Rebecca shook her head, breaking them from the moment. “So, what do you want to talk about?” she asked, not looking at him but still facing the darkened horizon, her arms folded in front of her on the stone partition that separated the rest of the mayor’s garden.

“I lied. I don’t really want to talk,” he told her, shifting closer to her, and their arms touched. Through his suit jacket, he could feel her heat.

Her laugh was humorless. “Just perfect.” She shook her head. “I should have known. I didn’t come out here for a quick hookup, you know.”

“Well, if you don’t want to hook up, what is it you want to talk about?”

“I don’t think I’m quite done talking about business.”

Surprise drew Brett’s head back. “Oh, really?”

She faced him full on—not many people stared him down like she was doing. “Yeah, you and I have had some dealings recently.”

“Yeah. Just a bit of fun back and forth.”

“Well, it’s over. Starting right now.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, I’m running DI now, and I can tell you that I have a lot on my plate now and zero time for all the dick-measuring power struggles that have been going on between our two companies. I’ve got more important things to concentrate on than you. Let’s just agree to end this now. Let me run my company, and you can run yours.”

If Brett hadn’t been so stunned, he would have thrown back his head in laughter. He couldn’t remember the last time anyone had spoken to him like that. No, he could. It was definitely more than five years ago, in his last interactions with Rebecca. She might think they were done. But he wasn’t done with her. Not by a long shot.

Even though he had plans for her businesswise, that would come tomorrow. He still had to contend with the rush of desire that tore through him, ratcheting up his heartbeat and hardening his cock. “That’s probably enough about business,” he said, his voice lowered, as he turned to face her. “Are you here alone tonight?” He looked back to the door that led inside. They were still the only people on the terrace. Nobody through that open door paid them any mind as the gentle notes of music were carried outside on the air.

“It’s a little late for that question, isn’t it?”

Brett grinned. It really didn’t matter to him if she’d attended the party with another man or even if she was seeing anyone. He could tell that he had her. He inched closer and felt a surge of triumph when she didn’t move away. It would be so easy to pull her into his embrace, to hold her, kiss her, just like old times. He wanted to feel her skin against his lips, under his fingers. He wanted no more than to be buried deeply inside her, fucking her until she clawed his back and screamed out his name... Shit, he needed to pull it together. He had more to consider here than just sex. Even if he did seduce her tonight, he had to keep a clear head or risk losing everything. And Brett didn’t lose. Ever.

“Well, I just want to know that your attention is focused solely on me and not anyone else,” he murmured, leaning even closer.

“And you’re wondering if I have a boyfriend?”

He shook his head. “If you did have a boyfriend, I know you wouldn’t be out here with me.” He grinned again. “And even if you did, you wouldn’t remember him after tonight anyway.”

* * *

Rebecca blinked quickly, before she guffawed loudly, putting a palm on his chest to push him away. “You are so full of it.” Incredulity made way for wanting as she involuntarily curled her fingers over the well-formed muscles of his chest. He might be wearing several layers of clothing between their skin touching, but she knew that he certainly didn’t skimp on the workouts. He smiled at her, knowing. His straight white teeth and the devilish glint in his eye made her fingers twitch, eager to keep exploring, but she pulled back.

Years in corporate America had taught Rebecca how to keep her cool in high-pressure situations with important men and women, but Brett shook her. Sure, she put on a good show, trying to seem unaffected, but she’d seriously underestimated the impact of Brett Collins in the flesh. Everything about him, his essence, his energy, surrounded her completely. He was standing too close, and she could feel him, smell him, almost taste him. The spicy scent of his cologne was intoxicating. She looked back at the city skyline, taking a deep, cleansing breath to steady herself. It didn’t work, and she cautioned a look at him. He was still leaning his elbow on the railing, facing her, watching her. His mood was impossible to read.

“I’m not here with anyone,” she assured him.

“Good.”

“How about you?” she asked, nodding in the direction of the party. “Any of those pretty young things in there belong on your arm?”

He shrugged coolly. “With the exception of some women I see casually, I’m officially unattached. If there was time to build a relationship, I haven’t found anyone I would want to do it with.” She nodded. There was no doubt that he fooled around with women, a man like Brett, but it didn’t matter. She had no ownership over him or whatever he did with his dick.

Slowly, Rebecca looked Brett up and down, his body hard and lean under his tailored suit. Her mind raced, and she cursed her hormones as she lost the ability to focus on anything but the unbridled memories she held of him. Her skin flushed, she could feel the slow rise of heat as it spread from her chest to her cheeks, and she blinked rapidly, clearing the erotic snapshots that flashed behind her eyes. She looked away from him briefly, and when she glanced back, he was watching her with a heated expression that told her he knew what she’d been thinking and was possibly running through his own slideshow of memories.

They grew quiet as they watched each other. Just looking at the man made Rebecca want to do awful, naughty, irresponsible things, despite her better judgment, and for just a moment, she let herself simply enjoy being in his company. Her guard just momentarily lowered. Her heart fluttered in her chest, unsteady. And despite every part of her mind, her heart, that told her to stay away, she stepped closer, bringing the tips of her breasts near enough to graze his chest. The movement sent a sizzle of electricity throughout her body, and she jumped back a little in reaction. He must have noticed it, too, because when she looked up at him, his eyes were narrowed, and one side of his mouth ticked upward in a seductive, lopsided grin. Without saying anything, he reached out and grasped both of her hips with his large hands, drawing her near.

“Brett,” she whispered, her breath hitched in her throat. She ignored rational thought as her desire and nerve endings screamed at her to acquiesce, and she finally listened to what her body was saying, leaning into him. Before she knew it, she’d raised her face upward, just inches from his.

“Yeah?” He moved closer, his large hands spreading over the small of her back, and at a torturously slow speed, they moved lower and lower, causing a gasp to escape her parted lips.

“Don’t,” she pleaded, half-hearted, as he squeezed her ass, his fingers digging into her flesh. She tried to push him away, but every part of her body craved the attention of those fingers.

“Don’t what?” he whispered. One hand released her behind and then took her hand. He brought her wrist to his lips, kissing her sensitized skin. She didn’t answer. She couldn’t. The words wouldn’t form in her brain. “Don’t what?” he asked, prodding before extending his tongue, dragging it over the electrified nerve endings of her inner arm.

Rebecca closed her eyes in surrender, unable to fight him. “Don’t stop.”

CHAPTER TWO

REBECCA’S WHISPERED PLEA was all Brett needed.

In one corner of his mind, he knew that they were still in public, but he was only faintly tuned in to the sounds of the party over his pounding heart and her shuddered breaths. Even though they were alone on the terrace, he knew that at any moment anyone could come join them outside and catch whatever moment he and Rebecca were caught in.

But it didn’t matter to him, and he leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. It was a soft touch at first, his lips just grazed against hers, but it wasn’t enough. He went back for more. Her lips parted under his, and he brought his hands to her face, cupping her, holding her to him. It had been years since he’d last kissed her, but everything about it was familiar.

Her taste and the way she felt underneath his hands and lips felt right, and despite that, his brain pleaded with his body to remember that she was still the same woman who’d fought him tooth and nail these past months, used underhanded tricks to win five years before in grad school. But that didn’t concern him now. Because she felt too goddamn good.

Rebecca whimpered into his mouth and tilted her head to the side, angling herself so that he could deepen the kiss. And he did. His tongue delved into her mouth and found hers, stroking, driving against one another. She raised her arms and wrapped them around his neck, drawing him closer. His cock thickened, and he felt it grinding painfully against the zipper of his pants. He had to use every ounce of his control to not yank them down and take her against the wall.

But he didn’t pull away.

Instead he lowered his hand, releasing the grip he’d held on her gorgeous ass, and skimmed his palm down her outer thigh. He clutched her leg and raised it until she wrapped it around him. The skirt of her dress wasn’t tight, and the looser material allowed him access to the smooth skin of her inner thigh as he let his hands drift upward toward the hem of her skirt. Soon, his fingers were underneath, fingering the lace of her panties.

“Brett, we can’t do this here,” she breathed. Those might have been her words, but she leaned into him, grasping his forearm, pulling him closer, thrusting desperately against his hand.

“Why not?” he growled.

“We’re in public,” she said. “As if that would stop you,” she whispered with a sly grin.

“As if it would stop either of us,” he agreed. “You never shied away from the risk of being caught before,” he reminded her with a cocked eyebrow. Rebecca had had quite the exhibitionist streak, and he wondered if she still did.

Her gasp was his answer and reward when he pushed her panties aside and touched the bare lips of her pussy. Her legs parted farther, obediently, and his fingers delved between her wet folds, circling her clit several times.

Rebecca inhaled sharply as her head rolled back and her eyes drifted shut. Brett kissed her lips to silence her, blocking her body with his own, to keep her from the eyes of anyone who might come onto the terrace. Grasping her thigh, he pulled it higher, holding her so that she was open to him. Her eyes widened and found his when he thrust a finger inside her, and he relished the lustful sounds that emanated from her throat. With two fingers moving in and out of her, the heel of his hand made contact with her clit with every thrust. From the way her body quivered before him, he knew that she was just hanging on to the edge. He kept a steady pace, and when she tightened and clenched her muscles around him, she cried out into his mouth.

When she quieted, he pulled his mouth away but drew her closer to him. “You always look so beautiful when you come,” he whispered against her ear. “Your breath is shallow, your cheeks are flushed and your pupils are so dilated, I can barely see how beautifully blue they are.” Where the hell had that come from?

She sighed, and he released his hold on her leg, letting her foot drop back to the floor. “Oh, my God, Brett.” She sighed.

“Let’s get out of here.” Fingering her on a terrace during a party hosted by the mayor was one thing, but there was still so much more he wanted to do with Rebecca Daniels, to her. “We can go back to my place,” he suggested hopefully, his lips just a whisper away from hers. He pressed them together for a second. Kissing her felt too damn good.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she told him.

“It definitely isn’t.” He grinned. “But let’s do it anyway.”

Rebecca’s laugh was more heavy exhalation than humor, and he watched the storm as it progressed over her blue eyes. They had darkened significantly with desire, and the flush that colored her cheeks and her chest showed him that she was just as affected as he was. They heard laughter from the doorway leading into the house. Brett looked over his shoulder and saw that two men and a woman had just joined them outside. The trio barely gave them a second glance.

“I should go,” she said, finding her own footing without his support. He pulled the front of his jacket over the bulge of his cock, disappointed, but he noted with satisfaction her wobbly stance. She turned away from him.

“Wait,” he called.

“Yeah?”

He withdrew his wallet from the inside pocket of his jacket and took out a card. “Here,” he said. “Take this.”

“What is it?”

“If we’re done talking business, come by some night.”

“Di Terrestres?”

“Yeah, it’s my club. The address is on there, and my cell number is on the back. I’ll show you around. Soon.”

Her lips twitched as she looked down at the card. She said nothing before she slid it into the pocket of her dress, and she walked away from him.

“It was nice seeing you, Becca,” he called to her.

She stopped and turned. “Rebecca,” she corrected him. “And you, too, Brett,” she said, turning and walking away from him. “But don’t forget. Don’t come after DI anymore. I don’t have time for games.”

Brett took a deep breath and watched her walk away. He hadn’t meant for any of that to happen. But he hadn’t been able to control himself. He’d completely lost his mind. Apparently, all he had to do to forget business and their previous hostility was touch her and he became that same twenty-two-year-old who’d been hopelessly infatuated with her. His only hope was that she was just as shaken as he was...

He was going to have to learn to control himself if he was going to be anywhere near Rebecca Daniels again. How could he hook up with her on Saturday and go into work Monday clearheaded enough to deal with the fact he had to replace an executive VP thanks to her?

No. This would never do. He had to act now.

When Rebecca was completely out of sight, he nodded in recognition to the people who’d joined them on the terrace and headed back inside to the party. He saw his friends, who’d again found each other and taken their place in a small exclusive huddle near the bar. Alex, Rafael, Gabe and Alana watched him approach. They said nothing, but their raised eyebrows spoke volumes even as they each, almost simultaneously, raised their glasses to their lips to hide their smirks. He ordered another soda water from the bar and turned back to them.

“What?” he asked them.

They all played clueless for a moment, not answering until Alex finally broke. “Okay, what the hell was that?”

Brett shrugged. “What was what?”

Alex rolled his eyes. “Don’t play stupid with us. What were you doing with Rebecca Daniels?”

“Nothing. We were talking. Just catching up.”

“Just catching up with her tongue down your throat?” Alana countered.

“What did you see?” Brett narrowed his eyes.

Alana’s widened. “What did you do?”

Brett took in the amused but concerned faces of his friends. “It was nothing. But something came to me. I’ve got an idea.” He turned to Alex. “You know how we were talking about taking Collins/Fischer to the next level?”

Alex eyed him, his stance wary. “Yeah, what do you have in mind?”

“We’re going to be number one. And we’re going to do that by dismantling the competition.”

“Okay... How?”

“A takeover. I want us to buy out Daniels International.” He let it sink in, aware of the curious and cautious way his friends eyed him.

“What?” Alex asked him.

“What aren’t you getting here? They’re a real estate development firm,” Brett said. “So is Collins/Fischer. We’ll initiate a takeover. Buy them out. When we’re successful in taking them out, we’ll move on to the next one, then the next one, until we’re the only game in town.”

None of his friends looked convinced. They were silent until Alana spoke up first. “Why?” she asked.

He thought about his answer. He’d been looking for a project, the next business move. He’d always been in this for the long game—to be the only real estate firm in town. He’d been at battle with Daniels International for months, and the company’s profits had been declining for years, partly because of stiff competition from Collins/Fischer. Why not start there? It was a logical procession. But he would be lying if he didn’t admit that there was more to it. His lips pulled downward in a frown, and he let the flames of animosity fuel him. “Now’s the time,” he started. “We’re on the verge of being on top of this city. And isn’t that what we want? Our goal has always been to run this bitch,” he reminded them. “A buyout. We’ll get as many shares as we can.” He looked at Gabe, an equal business partner in The Brotherhood’s operations but also the group’s lawyer. “Think we can get the paperwork by Monday morning?”

Brett hadn’t even finished his sentence before Gabe had his phone in his hands, most likely writing a message to his assistant to start the work. “By 9:00 a.m.,” he promised before looking up.

Alex also had his phone out, clearly engaged in getting a takeover bid in order for Monday. He and Alex had worked together, known each other long enough to trust each other fully. All Alex needed was to know Brett thought it was a good idea, a good move for the business, and he was on board. Only Alana eyed him skeptically.

“What?” he asked her.

“What’s going on with you?”

“Nothing. We’re just planning what’s next for the businesses.”

“But it’s Rebecca,” Alana reminded him. “She was my friend in college, and I spent as much time with her as I did you. You guys have this weird history. I know how you are together.”

“How we were together,” Brett corrected. “And Rebecca was nothing more than a hookup.” When she eyed him skeptically, he amended his statement. “A hookup nemesis?”

“Who is this person?” Gabe asked, putting his phone back in his pocket. He hadn’t gone to the same college as they had, having attended Harvard Law, and he hadn’t heard the story. “Old girlfriend?”

“No,” Brett said, definitive.

“She was in our undergrad and MBA programs,” Alana explained. “She’s so smart and just as stubborn as Brett, so you know they zeroed in on each other. They rivaled each other to be top of the class in every course. They competed for the best grades and for awards, but despite all the fighting and scornful looks, they hooked up all the time. I don’t quite know how it happened, though.”

Brett sighed. He knew that Alana and Rebecca had been friends, but he didn’t realize that she’d been privy to all of the dirty details. Well, not all of them, apparently—she didn’t know how it’d all started. One late night in the library before finals, they’d fought over the last private study room in the business library. But the fight hadn’t lasted long before they’d agreed to share it. It had been only a matter of time before he had her lying on the small table of a study room, with his palm over her mouth to keep her from screaming out into the silence of the library, visible to anyone who walked by through the small window in the door.