Page 7 of Forbidden Billionaire (Titans #7)

Chapter Five

Xavier

“Mr. Blackwell. Uhm.” My lead attorney clears his throat. Not the first time he’s been at a loss for words. “I have to say your request is highly unusual.”

The elevator glides up the spine of my building, smooth as silk, but my heart is a damn hammer behind my ribs. Hargrove’s slightly edgy voice scratches in my ear.

I’d expected the call when I sent over the order to write Seraphina’s contract.

“The HR team received your request, and it was passed along to me. I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that her demands are, well, unprecedented for someone acting in the role of an assistant.”

That’s actually bullshit, despite the way I’d reacted to her this morning. A good executive assistant is worth everything Seraphina asked for, and more. And she’s going to be damn good.

Annoyed, I shift my grip on the phone, my thumb tapping against the brushed steel panel. “Unprecedented?” My voice comes out low, calm. The kind of calm that makes grown men sweat.

“Yes, sir,” Hargrove stammers. “Eighty thousand, immediate full benefits, a six-month severance clause, clothing allowance, car, travel allowance, a credit card? For a”—he clears his throat again before proceeding cautiously—“person you previously employed.”

My jaw flexes. As if I needed to be reminded of that detail.

“She’s listed as ineligible for rehire, Mr. Blackwell.”

“Change it.”

“But, sir?—”

“Seraphina Hollis will not just be an assistant.” I’m half hard just from saying her name. Goddamn her for that. “She’s going to be the reason we’ll claw past this Lockhart mess with our bones intact. She’s an asset. A weapon.”

Hargrove sighs, probably wishing he’d gone into medicine instead of law. “Of course, Mr. Blackwell. And, ah. No touching?”

I expected pushback on that. “Unless she asks.”

“You have to admit that’s not something we’ve ever addressed before. It’s covered in the employee manual under?—”

“I’ve read it.”

“Of course, sir. But the board?—”

“Will thank me and praise me for making my best decision in years. This is final, Hargrove. Get the contract done, get it bulletproof, and send it to her the second it hits your desk. I’d better hear that it’s sent before ten a.m.” There’s thick silence.

I’d demanded a miracle at this time of the morning.

“Anything else, sir?”

For a moment, I think about it. “Get her an apartment.”

“A…?”

He’s stammering again, and I imagine his face is flushed red. I’ve pushed a lot in the last few years. But even for me, this is a lot. “You heard me. Executive apartment. Furnished. Close to the office.”

“Do you have any idea how much that will?—”

Done with the conversation, I stab the icon to end the call.

If he doesn’t do what I say, he too will be listed as ineligible for rehire.

As I drop my phone into my pocket, I catch my reflection. My tie is slightly askew, and my jaw is locked tight enough to crack. All this because of a woman who continually and gleefully defies me.

The doors glide open with a polite chime, and the blast of over-conditioned air hits me as I stride down the hallway to my fortress.

Inside, glass shines and ambition hums around me. And yet?—

The reception desk is empty.

The last couple of days, a temp has been sitting there, shifting nervously, hoping to please me.

But there’s only one woman I want in that position.

I picture Seraphina perched on the edge of the chair with her smart mouth and defiant chin. I want the whole place to smell of a swirl of vanilla and rebellion.

Her absence is an insult. An empty fucking chair where she should be sitting—waiting for me to ruin her, build her up, and ruin her again.

Instead, my little rebel is out there somewhere, cleaning goddamn rooms at the Uptown when she should be here with me.

My shoes click against the marble as I stalk inside my office, the glass walls reflecting my frustration right back at me. The skyline seems to mock me. I want to believe I run an empire, and yet, even with all the power available at my fingertips, I can’t control Seraphina.

There’s no way I’ll get anything done, despite the dozens of calls and emails demanding my attention.

Instead, I walk to the coffee maker that’s hidden in a small ante room, along with the copier, supplies, a microwave, and a fridge that someone is supposed to keep stocked with cold beverages for visitors.

As always, the piece of shit machine miserly drips caffeine like it’s dying of neglect, spitting weak, burned liquid into the pot. I’m not incompetent in the kitchen. But this damn machine is useless.

Much like I am this morning.

After she fled yesterday, I’d been restless, replaying every single moment. The shock of finding her there, the desire to punish, the need to conquer.

Her sweet whimpers when I spanked her almost undid me.

I settled for giving her a single orgasm, but my body had demanded much more. I wanted to fill her, possess her. Fuck her hard. Never let her go.

Trying to shove away thoughts of her, I nearly killed myself in the hotel’s state-of-the-art fitness center. Then I’d sweated my balls off in the infrared sauna before jumping into the cold plunge.

And still, she haunted and tantalized.

The fear that I wouldn’t see her again filled me with anguish, but the idea of what I’d do to her when she was back in my life drove me. Not even the frigid water plunge was enough to keep my throbbing erection at bay.

Back in the penthouse, I’d hit the shower and masturbated. Once. Then twice.

I’d been unable to sleep, so I’d poured a Bonds whiskey and paced for hours, trying to come up with ways to ensure she couldn’t get away. Being my housekeeper wouldn’t be enough. After all, I’ll be moving back home once the vultures find another carcass to pick over.

And I came up with the perfect plan. Make her a proposition she couldn’t refuse.

The contract I was prepared to offer had to be enough. But the truth was, I’d have given her any damn thing she asked for.

Why I was willing to break my own rules, I have no idea.

Liar.

I’d wanted her when she was my intern.

Since then, I’ve gone through women with no regard.

And it’s probably why I’d reacted so out of character and brutally fired her when she challenged me at that board meeting.

I’d thought we were on the same page, and when she stood and began to talk, I’d been gutted. And I behaved irrationally.

Even at the time, I’d known it.

But after everything in my past—my mother, my father’s constant warnings—Seraphina’s betrayal had hit me hard.

And I made her pay the price.

Now? God, I ache to make things right.

But more than she will ever know, I fucking paid a price too. Loneliness. Emptiness. Being more of an asshole than I already was.

I’ve lost friends and supporters.

And I deserve every bit of it.

If I hadn’t been a world class prick? Who knows?

But this morning, I’d kissed her. And having her in my arms was like being pulled back from the edge.

Then came her outrageous demand that there be no touching.

But I’m determined there will be a workaround.

I won’t be satisfied until she’s beneath me, screaming my name, wearing my handprint on her curvy ass, sucking my dick, crying out as I deny her orgasm again and again, edging her, forcing her to hold back until I give her one that devastates her.

My motions clipped but controlled, I fill my cup. Then I slam the carafe back into its cradle with more force than I need to, making the glass rattle. Even this will get fixed.

She’ll stand here tomorrow morning, soft lips parted as she tastes the first sip, and she’ll tell me exactly what I’ve done wrong—with the coffee. Maybe with everything.

My cock twitches at that thought. She’s mine. Sooner or later, she’ll choke on that truth and beg me for more.

The bitter coffee scalds my tongue. Good. Maybe pain will chase her taste out of my mouth.

Annoyed by the quiet in the office suite, I stride to my desk and drop into my chair.

Moments later, the door clicks open.

Finally.

I look up, waiting, anticipating.

Seraphina? Being obedient?

Heels are sharp and staccato.

Then Celeste appears. Fuck it to hell . I’ve already gone a round with legal and one with Seraphina. Now my day has gone from bad to worse. “News travels fast.” Of course. Rafe. Asshole.

She barrels in, voice like a blade honed just for me. “Xavier.” She slaps her hands on my desk and leans in. “What the hell are you thinking?”

I lean back.

“Do you have any idea how much you’re paying me?”

“Since the deposit was six figures, I think I do.”

“I’m not a fucking miracle worker.”

In an easy shrug, I lift one shoulder. “I hired you because you are.”

“What the hell are you thinking in signing that girl?”

I correct her. “Seraphina Hollis.” She’s not that girl.

“She burned you down once. Your board is already questioning your judgment, and you’re giving them even more ammunition.”

“She didn’t burn me.” My palms circling my cup, I lean forward. “She exposed what I missed.”

Every bit as resolved as I am, Celeste meets my eyes. “She’s a maid.”

“Housekeeper.”

She waves away my correction. “Who I presume you were alone with in your penthouse last night?”

Maybe she got that information from Rafe too. Or maybe from her vast reach of other resources.

Since the fact is easy to confirm, I settle for tipping my head to one side.

“She’s going to work for you under duress.”

The woman is shrewd. “Ms. Hollis will be well compensated for her talents.”

“Dear fucking God, Xavier.” She’s ice cold, and she makes billionaires tremble. “You slept with her.”

“No.” I shake my head. Not that I hadn’t been tempted.

“Splitting hairs. Something happened between the two of you. And with your reputation, I can only guess.”

I take a drink of the tragically awful coffee.

“To my knowledge, before yesterday afternoon, you hadn’t seen Ms. Hollis since you fired her. Loudly and publicly.”

“Not my finest moment.”

“And the next morning, you have your legal team working on an employment contract.”