Page 16 of His to Cherish (Club Wyld #5)

OLIVER

“ T his is a shit show,” I mutter, running my hands through my hair. I glare at my PR guy. “Why in the hell didn’t we know this was coming?”

He shifts in his seat at my boardroom table, clearly uncomfortable. It’s his job to make me and the company look good in the press. And today’s hit piece most definitely does not make me look good.

“We figured Zenith Corp would try to get dirt on you as the buyout approaches,” he says. “We just didn’t realize there was, uh, this obvious an opportunity for them to make you look bad.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “What are you saying, Brian?”

Gretchen, my VP, shoots me a glare. She looks nearly as pissed as I feel about this development. And I can’t really blame her. We have a shit ton of money on the line in this buyout. The last thing we need is to give the board at Zenith a reason to back out.

“He’s saying that you put yourself—and the company—at risk with your lifestyle,” she says. “Frequenting sex clubs? Come on Oliver, how did you think that was going to work out for you?”

“My personal life is none of your goddamn business.”

She leans across the table. “It is when it affects my business.”

I point at the embossed seal of our logo in the middle of the heavy oak table.

“Who’s fucking name do you see in that logo?

” I bark. “I’m pretty sure it’s not yours.

” I turn to the others, my top team members gathered in this room to try and address this mess.

“Anyone else have anything to say about my personal life?”

No one says a word for a long moment.

“We need to talk about damage control,” the PR guy eventually offers.

“Agreed,” one of his team members says. “I think the first step is combatting the story that Club Wyld is, um, unsavory.” He turns to his colleague. “Isn’t it owned by the Wyld Inc. guys? Should we be spreading that info?”

“They are bigger names,” he says thoughtfully. “Maybe turning the spotlight on them would deflect some attention.”

“We’re not selling out the guys at Wyld Inc.,” I say firmly.

Gretchen rolls her eyes. “You’re just worried they’ll cancel your membership.”

I’ve had about enough of her prudish judgement but losing my shit on her isn’t going to help anything.

“I want alternate suggestions,” I say to the PR team. “Because we’re not starting a war with the biggest tech company on the planet.”

“We could focus on your image,” the CFO suggests. “Give the press a different narrative.”

“That’s not bad,” the PR guy says. “The world needs to see you out and about. Convince the press you’re in a committed relationship.”

“Preferably with someone suitable,” Gretchen cuts in.

The head PR guy is nodding thoughtfully. “Someone with an unblemished reputation. A sweet looking girl with no skeletons in her closet.” He turns to his associate. “Who do we know that might work?”

Gretchen is watching me with an appraising look I don’t like. “What about someone you already know? Someone you’ve been photographed with before?”

She doesn’t need to say her name for me to know who she’s thinking about. Lilly. I’ve been trying not to let myself think about her. It fucking hurts too bad.

“Don’t even say it,” I warn, but Gretchen is already turning to the PR guys.

“His best friend fits the bill perfectly. She’s a mousey, goody-two-shoes type.”

“God damn it, Gretchen,” I growl, anger rising in my chest.

“And she’s been photographed with him before,” she goes on. “If we can get her to say they’ve been seeing each other for years, we can fight back on this source’s claims.”

“And the press will be more likely to buy it because they’ve seen her on his arm.”

The CFO is nodding. “I like it.”

“It certainly seems like our best option,” someone else agrees.

“We need to run a background check on this girl first,” the PR guy says, already pulling on his phone. “Deep character vetting. We don’t need any more surprises. What’s her name? Laura?”

I slam my hands down on the table, unable to hear another word. “We’re not fucking using Lilly to cover my ass,” I shout. “Think of something else.”

“Be reasonable, Oliver,” Gretchen says. “It’s our best shot of getting out of this.”

“How about we figure out who the fuck sold the story and discredit them?” I shoot back. “They’re the fucking problem here.” Not me. And certainly not Lilly.

“We’re already working on that,” the PR guy says gently. “But this is a big problem, Oliver. We’re going to need to attack if from multiple angles if we want to make it go away.”

“We’re not using Lilly,” I growl. God, it hurts to even say her name right now. It was only a few hours ago that I left her sleepy and sated in my bed. How in the hell did it all go to shit so quickly?

I can handle losing out on the purchase of Zenith. Losing Lilly? That might just destroy me.

“What if she volunteers?” Gretchen asks, her eyes on something behind me. I spin around and see Lilly on the other side of the glass conference room walls. My heart immediately sinks. She’s pale, her eyes wide and red-rimmed. Shit. Has she been crying?

“I’ll be back,” I tell the others. Gretchen starts to complain but I ignore her. Lilly is the only thing I care about right now.

“Follow me,” I tell her as I march out of the conference room. She blinks a few times then scurries after me when I don’t so much as pause. I wait until we’re in my office with the door shut before I finally turn to her.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers, not meeting my eyes. “I shouldn’t have come. I was just so?—”

I silence her by taking her into my arms. She remains stiff for a moment, which I fucking hate. But then she relaxes, melting into me in that way that’s become so familiar to me. Not just in the last few days, either. Lilly has always responded to me like this.

I’ve been taking care of you for a lot longer than you’ve been calling me Daddy, babygirl, I think, squeezing her harder. And I’m not going to stop now.

“You’re the only face I want to see right now,” I tell her, then take her shoulders and look down into her blue eyes. “But you shouldn’t have come.”

Her face clouds with sadness. “They think I did it.”

I blink at her. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

She points back in the direction of the conference room. “Your team. The lawyers and PR people.” She closes her eyes. “I could see the way they were all looking at me through the glass.”

“Lilly—”

“I swear I didn’t,” she cuts in, looking frantic.

“I swear , Ollie. I would never sell you out. There’s not enough money in the world to make me betray you like that.

” She blinks away tears and my heart clenches.

I fucking hate seeing her upset. I’ve never been able to stand it.

“I swear on my grandmother’s grave, Ollie. It wasn’t me.”

“Hang on. Are you saying…do you think I believe you’re the source?”

She nods, tears spilling over to slide down her cheeks. “I saw that article. It said your new girlfriend. And we just…the timing is…” she shakes her head, crying harder. “But I swear, Ollie, I didn’t. I couldn’t.”

“Of course you couldn’t,” I bark, anger rising. “You actually think I would believe that?”

She shrugs, not meeting my eyes, as tears continue to run down her face.

I want to wipe those tears away, the desire to soothe and take care of her an integral part of my soul at this point.

But I’m too pissed off to even try. I might enjoy spanking this girl’s ass, but I would never, ever touch her when I’m truly angry.

“Listen to me, Lilly Henson,” I growl, my fists clenching uselessly at my side.

“I know you. Better than anyone else in this world knows you.” I lean in close, needing her to understand this.

“You’re mine . I know every fucking thought in your head, babygirl.

I know your fucking soul. You think I would ever believe you capable of betraying me? ”

Her mouth drops open. “I…I just…”

I can’t stand another second without my hands on her so I reach forward and cup her cheeks. “Lilly. Don’t you understand, sweetheart?” I look deep into those beautiful blue eyes. “I love you. I have for a long, long time.”

More tears spill down her cheeks and I use my thumbs to wipe them away. “You do?”

“Of course I do.”

She stares at me for a long time, studying my face. “But you seemed so angry to see me here,” she finally whispers.

I shake my head. “I was angry. But only because I don’t want you caught up in this shit.” I close my eyes. “God, Lilly. When I saw that fucking article today, the first thing I thought was that I was going to lose you.”

She gasps. “Why would you think that?”

“Because I’m fucked up, sweetheart,” I grit out, my stomach clenching as the truth spills out. “Everything that article says is true. Most people in this world would see the things I do as beyond fucked up. Perverted.” I shake my head. “The last thing I want is for you to be caught up in all that.”

“Hey,” she says, her voice suddenly much firmer. She places her hands on my forearms, squeezing gently. “You’re not fucked up. Don’t say that.”

“Baby—”

“No,” she says fiercely, her eyes flashing. “You’re not. Because if you’re fucked up, that means I am, too.”

I shake my head. “You only did any of this shit because I corrupted you?—”

She bursts out into a giggle. “Oh my God, Ollie. Listen to yourself.” She arches an eyebrow. “I know you’re into age play, but I’m not actually a child, you know. I’m perfectly capable of owning my sexuality.”

I bark out a laugh. “I know you are.”

She shakes her head. “I’m not sure you do. Honestly, I wasn’t sure myself until today.” She takes in a shuddering breath. “I spent the morning wondering if I might have just gone along with all of that stuff because it was you.”

My stomach drops at the very thought. It’s the thing I’ve been afraid of all along, the thing that kept me from ever taking a chance with her before. The idea that I might have somehow pressured Lilly into something she didn’t really want. “Baby?—”

“I didn’t really understand it until the drive over here,” she continues. “That’s when I started to get pissed.” Her gaze is filled with fire as she looks up at me. “Fuck anyone who says what we do together is wrong. It’s not wrong. It’s us. You and me. I wouldn’t want us to be any other way.”

I have to kiss her. It’s a physical need at this point, like breathing.

When I press my lips against hers, she immediately opens her mouth for me, and I groan, completely overcome with the rightness of this moment.

I love this woman. More than anything else in the world.

Let some bitter assholes who don’t want to be bought out spread whatever shit they want in the press.

How the hell could any of that matter when I have her?

“I need you, Lilly,” I murmur against her lips, sliding my hands down from her face, over her elegant neck, down her sides.

I grip her hips, pulling her into me, letting her feel how she affects my body.

All she has to do is be in the same room as me and I get hard.

But her standing here, so fierce and insistent, pledging herself to me, to our life? It fucking kills me.

“I need you, too.”

I pull back, even though it hurts to stop kissing her, because I need her to understand. “I want you in all the ways I had you this weekend,” I tell her. “I want all the naughty, dirty pieces of you.”

She moans against my mouth and I want nothing more than to hike her up onto my desk and have my wicked way with her. But I force myself to continue.

“But if you decided it wasn’t what you wanted, if you feel like it’s too much for you?—”

“It’s not,” she starts but I silence her with a soft kiss.

“Just listen, baby. This is important.” I wait until she nods before I go on. “I don’t need all that shit. I really don’t. What I can’t live without is you.”

“Oliver,” she breathes.

“I mean it, Lilly. You and me. That’s what’s important.” I shake my head. “I’m such an idiot for not seeing it sooner. I should have made you mine ages ago. I was just nervous about exposing you to all my shit. But none of that matters. What I need is you.”

“I need you, too,” she tells me, eyes filled with fire. “I need all your sweetness. I need your protectiveness, even when it drives me crazy.” She winks at me, then her face grows serious, the fire in her eyes darkening in intensity. “And I need all the rest of it, too. I need my Daddy.”

I want to roar in triumph, want to pin her to the wall and take her right now. Hell, I want to drag her back to that conference room and have her right on the table, in front of the whole damn company. I need everyone to know that this woman is mine, body and soul.

And just when I think the world can’t get any more perfect, she presses a kiss to my mouth and whispers four words. “I love you, Ollie.”

I take her mouth in mine, plundering, owning, needing to possess every inch of her. “Come on,” I growl, when I manage to pull myself away. The breathless, needy look on her face almost changes my mind. “I’m taking you home.”

Her eyes widen. “You can’t leave. The company is in crisis mode right now?—”

“I don’t give a shit. I pay a shit ton of people a shit ton of money to handle these problems for me.” I grind against her. “But you’re the only one who can take care of this problem, baby.”

She grins, eyes sparkling with mischief. “Then by all means, take me home,” she says. “I need to make my Daddy feel better.”

“Holy fuck, Lilly,” I groan, grinding even harder. “You better watch yourself or I’ll be fucking you right here on the floor.”

She takes my hand, ignoring my groan when she exits my embrace and starts to pull me to the door.

“Promises, promises,” she murmurs, voice filled with laughter.

It’s the best damn sound I’ve ever heard.

And I’m going to do whatever it takes to make her sound just like that for the rest of our lives.