“Well, here’s the problem.” He leans forward, his elbows on the table. “If we constantly dance around the what-ifs, the might-have-beens, this chemistry between us, it’s going to be distracting in the office. And I can’t have distractions.”
My heart stutters at his words, even as I try to keep a level head. “You want me as a fuck buddy.”
I glance around the posh restaurant. This is hardly the place for such a scandalous conversation.
His eyes darken, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I wouldn’t be so crass as to call it that.”
“But it is, right? Let’s call aspade a spade.”
“Does it matter what we call it? You want me just as much as I want you.”
“But there is a power imbalance,” I point out, trying to maintain some semblance of control.
“Yes.” He pauses. “This comes down to whether you trust me. I don’t exploit power imbalances. And I wouldn’t propose this to a woman I didn’t see as my equal.”
I think my brain has short-circuited. To hear Liam sees me as an equal . . . That might be the nicest thing he’s ever said to me, and he’s not even trying to be nice.
“We carry a lot of stress in our jobs,” he says. “We work like maniacs. You might not be a CEO but I’m fully aware of what you do for the company. And you can say all you want but I know a big part of you likes the high-pressure environment. You know how people like me manage our stress levels? Sex. I’ve been using sex to release stress for years now. And I think that you should do the same.”
I stare at him, my mind reeling, my heart pounding.
Could I really do this? Separate sex from emotion? Keep things purely physical between us without catching feelings?
“If you say no, no hard feelings. We continue our business relationship as normal. This exists solely on our mutual willingness,” Liam says quietly. “I may be an egotistical prick in your eyes, but I would never stoop to exploiting a woman for sex.”
I swallow hard. “And if I say yes?”
His gaze darkens, his voice dropping to a low, rough rumble that sends shivers racing down my spine and straight to my clit. “You come home with me tonight. And I fuck you in every room of my apartment. But if we are going to fuck, if we are going to do this, we’re exclusive. I don’t share.”
I nearly choke on my tongue, my eyes widening as I try to process the filthiness of his words. “How many rooms do you have?”
He smirks. “Eleven.”
CHAPTER 29
Gemma
There’s a war raginginside me and it’s not pretty.
My thirsty body is all for saying yes and letting Liam destroy me in the best possible way, yet again. Because apparently, I haven’t learned my lesson from the last time.
But my brain knows better tonight. And it’s not just about him being my boss.
If I’m being completely honest with myself, if I dig into the darkest, most hidden parts of my heart, I’ve had a crush on him since the moment I joined Ashbury Thornton. Yes, it was hidden under layers of anger, but it was still there. Took me weeks or maybe even months to look him straight in the eyes without stuttering.
And all this time I say it’s because I hate him. But I know it’s more than that. Even when he’s being a jerk to me, even when he’s made me want to rant and throw things, I’ve always been affected by him in this crazy, intense way.
And ever since we’ve slept together, he’s been on my mind nonstop. I can’t think straight. And this has to stop.
So despite every fiber of my being screaming “YES PLEASE,” I’m not going to let Liam ruin me in eleven different ways inside ofhis multimillion-pound fuck palace that I happen to know comes with a swimming pool.
Even though I’d love every second of it. Even though I know he can make me come so hard, I’d be screaming, begging for more, more, more. Even though I’d probably walk like John fucking Wayne for a week after, bow-legged from the sheer size and ferocity of his cock.
“I can’t,” I say, clenching my thighs together to ease the ache that’s building there.
I’m going back to my two-bedroom flat in Putney, with its modest bathtub and distinct lack of sexual debauchery.
I’m doing the right thing. I’m putting my career before cock, like the strong, independent woman I am.
