Page 12 of Serena (Shattered Queens #1)

Is there a kink for watching the woman you're obsessed with at work? Because fuck, I can watch this woman all day. Over the last couple of weeks, that’s all I find myself doing.

To the point where I have to lock myself in my office to get any work done, or I’ll make up excuses to walk around aimlessly.

I can’t stop myself. Any chance I have to “join” meetings, I do, just to be near her. My cousin calls me pathetic. Screw him.

Not only is Serena intelligent, but she’s charismatic. She has a way of drawing you in, and for someone who deals with numbers every day, that's a jarring task, but she makes it look effortless. There’s something else; it’s like she’s purposely closing herself off from others.

Always with her hair down, which is her signature look.

She loves her pencil skirts and blazers, and those heels—not too high, but still sexy.

The thought of bending her over my desk with her brown hair wrapped around my hand…

lifting up that skirt…her panties…damn it, now I’m hard. I shift in my seat.

“What do you think, Mr. Kayde?” Jacob from accounting asks. I glance at Serena, who’s trying to hide a smile. She must have noticed that I stopped paying attention.

I turn the question back to him. “What do you think?” He agrees with everything she is presenting.

As he should—she knows what she’s doing.

Plus, Jacob is on my shit list. I noticed how he looked at her a couple of weeks ago.

How he tries to impose himself on her. She doesn’t take it.

That’s my girl. He won’t be here long, but for now, I moved him a couple of floors down, along with other men who I’ve caught staring at her.

He’s lucky I didn’t fire him or gouge his eye out with his own pen.

After the meeting, I have no choice but to stay seated. Why? Because of my hard dick. Because Serena is still in the room and, like a creep, I look at her every chance I can. Images of me fucking her on the conference table, her straddling me, her…Jesus Christ, get it together, Ian.

“Are you all right, Mr. Kayde?” she asks as she’s grabbing her things.

“Yes, that was an impressive presentation, and you can call me Ian. You're very passionate about numbers,” I tease.

“I’m passionate about what I do.”

My eyes wander to her lips. Those full lips…those lips around my co—.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, have a good day, Mr. Kayde.”

“Call me Ian. And actually, do you have time for a quick meeting?” What am I doing? I quickly come up with an excuse. “It’s regarding some potential property investments.” I mean, I was thinking about buying another company.

“Now?”

“Yes, is that a problem?”

“I just need to grab lunch.”

“Perfect, I’ll join you.” I can see her hesitation.

“How do you feel about Mexican?" she asks.

“I’m obsessed with it.” She missed the meaning behind the comment, but I smile to myself.

“Great, let me ask Claudia if she wants anything. There's a place around the corner.”

We arrive at the Mexican restaurant that’s a block away from the office. It’s small, but we beat the rush hour traffic. We order, and I take a seat across from her. I could look at her every moment of every day.

“So, tell me about the properties you’re interested in.”

Straight to business. “Well, I may expand Kayde Investments; I’m thinking about the northeast part of the country, Maine or New Hampshire." I smile internally because Gabe is going to lose his shit when he sees this report.

“I can work with the team to look at market trends, costs, and get a full scope for you.” Shit. If anything, I just added a whole new project.

“Give me a week, and I’ll have numbers for you.”

“A week? That’s fast; take your time. This is just an idea.”

She confidently informs me, “It’s my job, and I don’t mind.

” Now I really feel like an asshole for adding more work to her already busy schedule.

The waitress drops off our food, and Serena thanks her in Spanish.

“Muchas gracias, Dona Alma.” Along with something else. She’s so sexy when she speaks Spanish.

“Do you speak Spanish often?” I ask.

“I try to, mostly with Yuri. My parents speak English and Spanish, but we don’t talk often. My grandmother would make me read a book in Spanish. She didn’t want me to stop speaking the language. She passed my freshman year of college, but I still read a book. So, back to business.”

And I know that’s all I'm getting from her. We finish our lunch and make it back to the office in silence. All I can think about is ways to inject myself into her life.

My attempt to get into Serena's orbit starts with her friends. I reached out and invited my old friend Elias to dinner. Why tonight? Because I found out through my close monitoring and stalking of Serena that she, Yuri, and Theo are going to a concert tonight.

“It’s been a while,” Elias says to me from across the table.

“I agree, we need to do this more often. Or does your husband keep a tight leash on you?”

There’s a twinkle in his eye, and he gives me a mischievous smile. “It may be the other way around.”

“Is he working an event tonight? I figure the contract we have would allow for him to be home more.”

“It does. Thanks, by the way, but I know you well enough that there are always strings attached.”

“No strings. Just doing my friend a favor.”

“You don’t just do favors, Ian, even for those you consider friends.”

I smile and move on because he’s right. Nothing in life is free.

“And don’t worry about Theo not making it. There is nothing more frustrating than bringing a chef to a new restaurant—the ‘constructive feedback’ can be anything but. At least I get to enjoy my steak without him criticizing the garnish or mashed potato consistency.”

I notice the way he talks about his husband, the way he smiles every time he says his name. I’ve never felt what others consider love, but I’ve known Elias long enough to know that this is the happiest he’s ever been.

“Never would I have imagined that you’d be the first to settle down. The way you slept around. The closest thing you got to a monogamous relationship was sleeping with the same person twice.”

“Fuck off, Ian. Rumor in society circles is that you’re engaged? Who has the great misfortune?”

“Well, the rumor mill is wrong. Not engaged, but definitely off the market.”

“Oh, who’s the unlucky girl?” If he only knew.

“I’ve been wanting to ask you. Serena Nerva, your new Vice President of Finance—she’s a friend of mine. How is she doing?”

“Why do you ask?” Already irritated that he’s even bringing her up.

“I’m just checking in on my friend. Plus, I consider her family.”

"Well, I’m your friend, and you don’t check up on me.” I appreciate that he checks on her, but that doesn't mean that I should like it. I know it's ludicrous, but it carries merit. There was a time when Serena would have been his type.

“She’s doing fantastic; she’s very smart and knows her stuff, giving everyone there a run for their money. Pun intended.”

He smiles, like a proud, what? Boyfriend? Brother?

Jesus. He’s married.

I pause and continue. “Always in control of the situation. Has she always been like that?”

“Why are you so interested in Serena?”

“Just curious about her. I want to know I can trust her with my company.”

“Well, your father hired her. Doesn’t that answer your question?”

Hmmmm. “Correct.”

“Listen, Ian, Serena is smart and very capable of doing her job. She was hired for a reason. Anybody would be lucky to have her working for them. As far as being in control, yes, Serena is in control when it comes to her career.”

I’ve watched Serena long enough to know that she is anything but in control. The version she presents to others is a facade. She is teetering over the edge, and I’m going to be the one to catch her. Not Elias, not anyone else, me.

Elias may seem harmless, but make no mistake, he is a shark.

He is a predator, only we don’t hunt the same prey.

I don’t care if he knows about me and Serena.

Protector or friend, he won’t get in my way.

We move on, updating each other on family and businesses.

His phone rings, and when he looks at the screen, the smile on his face is automatic.

He takes the call from someone who I can guarantee is Theo.

I pull out my phone and go to my fake social media account.

I pull up Theo’s page and see there are pictures from tonight that he posted.

There is a picture of the three of them at the beginning of the concert—her beautiful smile.

I’ve only seen her smile like that once before.

The second picture is of them holding their bottled alcoholic drinks, which look like vodka.

The other pictures are blurry, as if taken while dancing.

I go back to the one of Serena smiling, zoom in, and screenshot it.

My shit-eating grin is on full display as Elias walks back to the table.

“Is everything all right?” I ask.

“Yes, but I need your help. That was actually Serena who called me on Theo’s phone.”

I stand up straighter, tensing.

“Is sh…are they all right?” I’m not sure if he caught that, but if he did, he doesn’t acknowledge it.

“Her phone died, but apparently my sister and husband are very drunk. I sent the car to pick them up, but I need a ride to Yuri’s to pick up Theo and take Serena home.”

I pull out a couple of hundred-dollar bills, dropping them on the table. “Let’s go.”

Thirty minutes later, we’re parked on the curbside outside Yuri’s apartment building, waiting.

The driver had to help Serena load Yuri and Theo into the car, so it took a while.

We see a black-tinted SUV pull up and park behind us.

Henry, the driver, looks exasperated as he gets out and opens the door.

This is definitely a sight to see. Theo spills out of the car, drunk and hair disheveled, and grabs on to Elias’s hand.

After him, Yuri jumps out of the SUV, and I catch her before she face-plants onto the concrete sidewalk.

She’s wearing a tiny, pink, sequined halter-top dress that leaves nothing to the imagination.

Elias is able to grab her arm and pull her toward him.

I can hear giggles coming from the back seat.

“Shit, where is my purse? I need to get my keys,” Yuri slurs.

“I have your purse,” Serena shouts, making her way to the open door.

Apparently, it’s the only one they can crawl out from.

I hold my hand out for her to grab; she doesn’t notice it’s me, but the instant her hand is on mine, I feel my body temperature rise.

She tries to pull away, but I grasp on to it tighter.

Pulling her up toward me, her heels catch on the sidewalk, and she stumbles.

Both her hands grab on to my shoulders, her chest bumping into mine.

Instinctively, mine go to her waist; I hold her tight so she doesn't lose her balance. I inhale and smell her scent. Roses. My new favorite smell. She looks up, finally seeing that it’s me.

Her eyes go wide, but she doesn’t move. When I smile, she pulls away, trying to compose herself, but I see the pink in her cheeks.

She is flustered, and I can’t wait to do it again.

I’m taking her all in. I don’t try to hide my irritation when I see what she wore tonight.

The smallest black shorts, red heels that I’m sure would’ve caused her to sprain her ankle had I not caught her in time, and a red lace top, but those red-tinted lips.

She might as well have worn lingerie; her curves are on display for everyone to see.

What I wouldn’t give to push her against the car, tear that off her, and…

“How much did you drink tonight?” Elias asks the drunk trio, interrupting the image.

“Well,” Theo starts. “We kept announcing that it was my birthday, so I kept getting free drinks.” Yuri can’t stop giggling, barely managing to stand up.

“Look at what you’re wearing.” Attention goes to the birthday boy’s outfit. The shirt in question reads, “It’s my birthday. Buy me a drink.”

“Yup, that’s not including all the drinking we did in the VIP room. There was a huge selection of booze.” Serena looks at her friends and laughs. Then she glances at Elias. “They had a lot of selections for me, too, so we took advantage of that. Plus, the dancing helped us sober up.”

“But we drank more!” Yuri shouts.

Elias rolls his eyes. “Yuri, is Xander home?” Pouting, she shakes her head. He’s irritated and doesn’t even try to hide it. I’m protective of my sister, so I understand his frustration with his incompetent future brother-in-law.

“He’s visiting his brother for the weekend,” she explains.

With a deep sigh. “Let’s go, you’re heading home with us.

Ian, would you be able to take Serena home?

” Before I can respond, Little Ms. Red Heels informs us that she can take a taxi.

Before I can oppose this, her protector, Elias, interrupts.

“Serena, I would prefer you didn’t go in a random car with a stranger at this time of night alone. ” Then the cavalry chimes in, agreeing.

I suppress a smirk.

“Well, Mr. Kayde is a stranger,” she sasses.

“Ian, my name is Ian,” I remind her.