He pushes deeper, until my nose hits his belt, and the only thing I can taste is him—salt, sweat, and soap.
I clench my thighs, the humiliation so total that I could die right here and be grateful for it.
He pets my head. Not gently, but not cruelly, either. "Good girl," he whispers, then returns to grilling someone on the call about European labor laws.
When I try to pull away for air, he pins me there, holding me down on his cock until my vision turns black at the edges. Only when I'm on the verge of passing out, clawing at his thighs with desperation, does he let me up for breath.
I choke on it, nearly sobbing.
Above the desk, his board argues over control shares. Asher's voice turns cold. I feel the tension building in his body—the same tension I see in the conference.
I suck him harder, wanting to see him break, even a little. He doesn't. If anything, he doubles down, pulling me against him while he negotiates the future of his own company.
He comes down my throat just as he finishes browbeating the board into agreeing to the merger, his voice steady as steel. He doesn't shudder or moan. He doesn't give a single indication of what's happening below the desk.
"Thank you, gentlemen. I'll expect your signatures by end of day," he says, stroking my cheek.
He log off the meeting, then leans back, breathing slow and deep.
"Do you understand what just happened?" he asks, tucking himself away as he helps me out from beneath the desk, his hands gentle.
"Yeah," I say, my voice hoarse. "You used me like your trained whore."
He laughs, wiping a tear from my cheek. "No, princess. I used you to remind myself that I can control any variable. That nothing—not even my own distractions—can stop me from taking what I want."
He tilts my chin up, forcing me to meet his gaze.
"This is how you project power," he says. "In the boardroom, and everywhere else." He eyes me levelly, his expression inscrutable. "If you don't believe you're in control and can take what you want, no one else will either. It's an important lesson, especially if you want to run your own company."
I gape at him, stunned. "How do you…?"
"I know you, Brielle. I know what makes you tick. I know how you think. I know what you want and what you hate. You thought I wouldn't figure out why you asked for five million?"He snorts, like the thought is ludicrous. "The only thing I haven't figured out is why."
I consider lying, just to keep him guessing. "So I have something you can't take," I say instead. "If I own the company, it's mine. You don't get to waltz in and rip it out from beneath me. I know you, too, Asher. I know that, as much as you hate me, you fucking love keeping me chained beside you. You love controlling my life. This time, you don't get to do that."
"You really think owning a company will free you?" His smirk grows. "You aren't nearly that naïve, princess. If I let you go, it won't be because you used my money to build your own little empire. It'll be because I decided to let you go. But we both know that isn't really what you want. You fucking love being chained beside me, almost as much as you loved having my cock down your throat while the whole board pretended not to hear you choking on it."
He turns to his phone, dismissing me.
I should hate him for that, for treating me like a fucking toy meant to serve him. I should run.
But all I want is to see what he'll make me do next because he's right, damn him. I did love having him in my mouth while he was talking to his board.
Fucking hell.
He's ruining me.
I wake in the middle of the night to the pressure of Asher's body pinning mine to the bed, his chest fused to my back, his hand tangled in my hair. He's already inside me, fucking me deep and slow.
I consider fighting, or at least feigning outrage, but the sensation is so good it borders on holy. I can't bring myself to pretend I don't love it.
I keep my eyes closed and pretend to be asleep, but my body betrays me instantly. My thighs part to give him better access, and my back arches, my hips tipping up for him.
He groans, so soft I feel it more than hear it, the vibration running through my chest.
He bites my shoulder, not quite breaking the skin. "You can keep faking, princess," he whispers, "but I know you're awake this time."
This time?
