Ruthless Read online

  “I’m good.” A smile tugs on the corner of her full lips. “I’m way past good.”

  “Good.” Leaning forward, I take her mouth for a soft kiss.

  “I told her I was spending the night with you.” Her chest moves on a sigh. “She won’t tell anyone. Our secret is safe with her.”

  I don’t want this to be a secret. I hate that it has to be, but I need the job and she does too.

  “Is it time for dessert now?” Her eyes shine blue against the dim light from the lamp in the corner.

  “I’m ready for dessert anytime.” I pat my lap, tugging on the waistband of the black silk pajama bottoms I put on before I left my bedroom. “Let me kiss you and then I’ll eat you.”

  The lures a laugh from her. “I meant whatever is in that pink box you brought home with you.”

  Ah, yes. The surprise for her taste buds.

  There’s no way in hell anything can taste better than her, but I’m still all for feeding her cake.

  I push to my feet and cross the room. Scooping up the box, I turn to face her. The sight before me pulls all the air from my lungs.

  Her hair is a mess, her make up is smudged, and my dress shirt dwarfs her, but she looks radiant. I want time to stop at this moment. I want her to stay in place forever.

  Bouncing up to her knees, she points at me. “I think I’m going to love whatever is inside that box.”

  I think I’m in love with you.

  The words I’ve never spoken to a woman play on my tongue, but I chase them away with a grin. “Get ready to have the best cupcakes in Brooklyn, beautiful.”

  Clapping her hands, she laughs. “They may be the best in Brooklyn, but they can’t compete with the cupcakes from Sweet Bluebells on the Upper West Side. Remind me to take you there one day.”

  I’ll never remind her. I’ll never set foot in that part of the city again. My sister may have forgiven me for what happened there nineteen years ago, but I’ll never forgive myself.

  ***

  After finishing off a red velvet cupcake, Bella eyes me. “I admit they’re good, but they’re not the best I’ve ever had.”

  Am I? I don’t need the reassurance, but I want to know that what we shared tonight was special. Sex is just sex to me. It’s always been until now. What I experienced with Isabella was beyond the chase for an orgasm. Watching her come and being inside her consumed me.

  I took one bite of a chocolate cupcake and reached my limit. I much prefer the ricotta cheesecake her grandmother made. A slice of that was my breakfast this morning.

  “Your sister seems nice.” She edges her bare leg over mine.

  I grab hold of it, squeezing the flesh of her thigh. “Felicity is the best.”

  Her finger starts work on that thumbnail again. It’s bare. Any trace of polish has long since disappeared. “Is your other sister like her?”

  Her curiosity is feeding this. I don’t want to shut her out, so I keep the conversation moving forward. “Felicity and Beatrice are the same in some ways, but very different in others.”

  “Felicity and Beatrice,” she says their names as if she’s testing how it will sound on her tongue. “And Henrietta.”

  “My sisters,” I affirm with a nod.

  “Not to pry,” she starts before she shifts her ass so she’s closer to me. “But it seemed like you were relived when Felicity told you that you could see Beatrice.”

  Grabbing her hand, I take her thumb between my teeth and nip on it.

  “Ouch.” She tries to tug her hand from mine, but I hold tight. “What was that for?”

  “You are prying.” I lean forward to kiss her mouth. “Don’t preface anything with words you don’t mean, Bella. If you have a question, ask me outright. I’ll do the same with you.”

  Understanding washes over her expression. “What happened between you and your sisters?”

  “I fucked up,” I answer honestly, tugging her closer to me so I can wrap my arm around her. “I was in New York visiting my dad when I was a teenager. I was watching over Beatrice one day. There was an accident. I was exiled back to Chicago. I didn’t see my sisters again until I moved here.”

  “An accident? She was hurt?” I hear the concern in her tone. “If you saw her today she must be fine, right?”

  “Better than fine.” I smile. “She’s thriving. Happier than I could have imagined she’d be.”

  “Good.” Her eyes shine bright. “Your dad should have taken a minute to calm down. There’s nothing a kid can do that deserves a punishment like that.”

  She’s wrong. I deserved what was handed to me. I let too many people down that day.

  Fortunately, for me, I’ve been given a second chance to prove I’m a better man now than I was when I was fifteen-year-old kid.

  “What should we do now?” Her eyebrows dance. “Do you have any ideas?”

  I yank her onto my lap, pulling a scream from her. Another follows when I rip open the front of my dress shirt, sending buttons scattering around us.

  “You just ruined your shirt,” she points out looking down at her naked body.

  “It was worth it.” I cup her tits in my hands. “I haven’t had a taste of these yet.”

  Lowering my mouth to her right breast, I swirl my tongue over her hard nipple. “Give me an hour or two to savor every inch of your body and then we’ll decide what’s next on the agenda.”

  Chapter 42

  Bella

  I open my apartment door to find two faces staring right at me.

  “It’s not even eight a.m.,” I point out with a tap of my finger over the face of my watch. “What are you doing up, and why are you even here?”

  “I have an early call time for a photo shoot,” Gina answers first.

  “I’m her stylist for the day,” Max adds. “That and I had the most amazing date last night. I had to tell someone, and you were missing in action.”

  I look at my sister. I’m surprised that she didn’t call Max to give him all the details of my overnighter at Barrett’s apartment.

  “I told him you were doing your boss.” Gina throws her hands up in mock frustration. “He only wanted to talk about himself and the hottie that he met at the launch party we went to.”

  “You met someone there?” I drop my purse on the couch. “What’s he like?”

  “Prince Charming,” Max swoons. “Seriously, Bella, he looks like every picture of Prince Charming I’ve ever seen.”

  “Every cartoon drawing you mean.” Gina taps him on the shoulder.

  “Whatever.” Gus swats her hand away. “He’s a doctor. He’s smart and funny. He’s a good guy.”

  I smile. “I’m happy for you.”

  Taking me in his arms, he gives me a full bear hug. “I’m happier for you. You broke your dry spell.”

  “You didn’t just say that.” I push back to stab a finger into the middle of his chest.

  Adjusting the collar of the green polo he’s wearing, he laughs. “Don’t deny it. You look like you were fucked into next week.”

  Gina’s head pops up. She gives me the once-over. “You do, Bella. You look good.”

  Wiping a hand over my forehead, I sigh. “I have to shower and get ready for work.”

  “Mr. Hot Stuff couldn’t cut you a bit of slack after you rocked his world?” Max pushes my hair behind my ear. “It was good? He was good to you?”

  “So good.” I wink.

  “I knew I liked him.” Turning his attention back to my sister, he reaches for her purse. “We’re on a tight schedule, Gina. We need to leave now if we’re going to make it across town for nine.”

  “You’ll call me later?” Gina moves to give me a hug. “I left a recipe for a tuna noodle bowl on the island. If you’re feeling creative one night, maybe we can cook together and talk about your boss.”

  “I’ll cook it for you soon.” I pat her cheek. “Go knock the socks off of whoever is taking your picture today.”

  Leaning in, she whispers in my ear, “I’m not an ex
pert, but I think you’re in love, Bella.”

  Laughing softly, I whisper back, “I think you’re mistaking great sex for love.”

  Pulling back just enough to look at my face, she keeps her voice lowered. “I’m not. Trust your heart.”

  Stunned, I watch her and my best friend walk out, leaving me with a million questions about what I’m feeling for Barrett and what that means for my future.

  ***

  Nothing can break the bubble of a good sex hangover quite like walking into the middle of a heated conversation between your boss and one of your co-workers.

  Dropping my coffee cup on my desk, I move toward the open door of Barrett’s office.

  He’s face-to-face with Sonny Barusso, one of the executives who head up the IT department. Sonny has been with Garent Industries as long as it’s been in existence. Word around the office is that he grew up next door to Ivan on Long Island.

  “You can go straight to hell.” Sonny pushes a finger into Barrett’s chest. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Barrett’s hand fists at his side. “You’re leaving today. You’ve been terminated.”

  Terminated? He fired Sonny?

  Taking a step into the office, I look at my boss. “What’s going on?”

  The question is enough to shift Barrett’s focus from Sonny to me. He shoots me a look that is meant to shut me up. “This doesn’t concern you, Isabella. Close the door on your way out.”

  He can’t understand what he’s doing or the implications it will carry once Ivan finds out what’s going on. Firing one of his closest friends may be grounds enough for Barrett to be the next one on the chopping block.

  “If I could just have one moment in private, sir.” I tack that on to the end to appease Barrett. I don’t want him to think that I’m undermining his position.

  He throws a hand in the air with a finger pointed at the door. “Out now.”

  It stings more than it should. It has nothing to do with the fact that Duke never ordered me around. What I’m feeling is based on what happened between Barrett and me last night. I can’t expect the tenderness and passion we shared to take root in the office, but I did anticipate that he’d at least listen to what I had to say. I only wanted a minute to explain who Sonny is to Ivan.

  Turning on my heel, I slam the door on my way out. I bypass my desk and head straight for the elevator. It’s not my place to clue Mr. Garent into what Barrett is up to, but Greer in Human Resources will surely want to step in and defuse the situation.

  If she doesn’t, there will be hell to pay when Ivan gets back to New York. Regardless of what just happened in his office, I don’t want Barrett to lose his job over this.

  Punching a finger into the elevator call button, I release a heavy exhale. I need to learn how to separate business from pleasure because in his bed I’m Barrett’s equal, but here, in the office, I still have to follow his direction and his orders regardless of how screwed up I think they are.

  Chapter 43

  Barrett

  I wait patiently for my executive assistant to return from her journey two floors down to the Human Resources Department. The new head of HR gave me a heads-up that Isabella is there pleading for not only Sonny’s job but Greer Delacorte’s too.

  Their careers at Garent are over. Ironically, I had to fire them for the same reason I fired Daphne Clegg. If you skim from the company coffers, you’ll end up with nothing.

  The auditor I hired to look over Garent Industries’ books stumbled on a gold mine, or more specifically, an empty gold mine.

  The scheme was foolproof under Duke’s watch.

  Daphne hired contractors who don’t exist. Greer set up all the paperwork before forwarding that mess of lies to Sonny. His role was to take care of the technical side of payments. All the money was funneled into an offshore account that Daphne managed under a phony corporation she’d set up more than five years ago. That’s when their scam first launched.

  I shut it down. That trio of fools had close ties to Ivan so I had to let them go with the understanding that if they leave quietly they won’t face criminal charges.

  That was Ivan’s call. I reached out after showing Daphne the door. Ivan’s fine with eating the lost revenue. He’s a better man than me.

  The punishment should fit the crime. I know that first-hand. I’ve been paying my dues since I was fifteen-years-old. The time lost with my sisters was only part of the retribution. The guilt I’ll carry until the day I die is my life sentence.

  I perk when I hear Bella’s heels on the polished concrete floor. She took the stairs. I’ve been waiting for the elevator to return since I watched the doors close with Sonny Barusso inside.

  “Barrett?” she calls my name before she comes into view. “Are you here?”

  “In here.” I rise from my chair, buttoning my suit jacket.

  She rounds the corner into my office. Dressed in a pink short-sleeve sweater and a black leather skirt, she looks incredible. Her hair is tied back in a messy bun. She’s the perfect combination of business and casual.

  She stops mid-step when she notices me approaching her. I stand tall, letting her drink in the sight of me in a navy suit with a light blue shirt and tie.

  “Hi.” A smile plays on her lips.

  “Hi, yourself.” I dive a hand into the pocket of my pants to adjust my erection.

  She doesn’t notice. She’s scraping her bare thumbnail with all the might she has.

  “Close the door,” I direct her with a hand in the air.

  She kicks it shut with her stiletto. It slams, pulling a laugh from me.

  Her hands drop to her hips. “What’s so funny? You’re ruining people’s lives, and you’re laughing. It’s as if you don’t have a care in the world.”

  I wish to fuck that was true.

  “They ruined their own lives, Bella.” I lean against my desk, crossing my legs at the ankles. “They have no one to blame for their downfall but themselves.”

  She stares at me for a few seconds. “That makes no sense.”

  It doesn’t to her because she’s not aware of all the facts. Ivan asked me to keep this quiet. He went so far as to tell me pointedly not to share this with Bella. His exact words were, “Isabella needs to be out of the loop on this. Her bleeding heart won’t be able to handle the news that not everyone at Garent is a saint.”

  I’m about to prove the man wrong.

  “Sonny and Greer were stealing from Garent. Daphne was the ringleader.”

  Weighing my words, she steps closer. “For real?”

  I nod. “For real.”

  “You caught them?” Her eyes bore into mine. “You’re the one who caught them?”

  I could show her the details. Letting her see the hard facts wouldn’t hurt, but that’s not what she’s asking for. She wants reassurance from me that I’m confident that they screwed Garent over.

  “I hired an auditor to run over the books. She noticed the discrepancies. I took it from there.”

  Swallowing hard, she moves closer to me. “You were right to fire them.”

  I don’t expect an apology from her. She was defending her co-workers. To her, they were a team. The reality is that the three of them were looking out for themselves at the expense of everyone else.

  “Garent Industries needed a housecleaning.” I straighten my tie. “I’m the man for the job.”

  “So you do housecleaning?” She tilts her head. “May I request a session?”

  I fucking love the playfulness. “It depends on how you’ll be paying.”

  “With this.” Her fingers run over her bottom lip. “I can give you a deposit now.”

  I’ve never been sucked off at the office before.

  Her eyes are glued to my hands as I undo my belt before I unbutton my pants and lower the zipper. “Lock the door and get on your knees.”

  She handles that with deft ease, kicking off her heels and lowering herself to the floor in front of me.

  Her hand dives in my
pants. When she wraps her fingers around my already erect penis I groan.

  “You’re going to love this,” she purrs.

  Fuck.

  I lean both hands back on the desk and watch as Bella tugs my boxer briefs down and circles the head of my cock with her sinfully red lips.

  Chapter 44

  Bella

  My hand is wrapped around the root of his thick cock. My tongue is slowly driving Barrett crazy.

  Every curse word in English has left his lips and a few in a language I don’t recognize.

  I know he’s getting close. I can sense it in the way his hands are clawing at my hair. The bun I worked so hard on this morning was torn apart by his fingers as he set the pace.

  “Jesus, Bella. I’m going to come.”

  A loud knock behind me sets me back on my heels.

  His dick bobs in front of me. Swollen and stiff, it’s wet from my eager mouth. I gaze up into his face. It’s twisted in a combination of frustration and anger.

  He grips the back of my head, pushing me closer to his cock. “Don’t stop. They’ll go away.”

  Before I can take him in my mouth again, another series of raps sounds through his office.

  “For fuck’s sake.” He closes his eyes. “Go away.”

  He doesn’t say it loud enough for anyone but me to hear it.

  “Barrett?” A man’s voice charges through the air just as the locked doorknob rattles. “Open this door. I need to see you now.”

  Darting up to my feet, I stare into his face. “Who is that?”

  I know it’s not Ivan. I’d recognize his voice anywhere. It can’t be someone who works here because women outnumber men by at least five times at Garent, and I know every male voice with my eyes closed.

  “It’s your father.” The man on the other side of the door unknowingly answers my question. “We need to talk now. Let me in.”

  “Oh my God.” I whip around to grab my shoes. “Your dad is here.”