Guns and Royalties

Beau

Waking up, she was first hit by a wave of disorientation and a pleasant sense of exhaustion. Then, she felt the soreness and the wetness between her thighs.

They’d spent the entire morning in bed, and it had left her drained. The man was a machine.

She was relieved to find herself alone. She needed some time to herself.

And she needed to think. Badly.

Carefully, she moved to the edge of the bed. From their previous encounters, she’d learned that a warm bath was the best remedy for the discomfort she was feeling.

She wrapped the satin blanket around her and, on shaky legs, made her way to the spacious bathroom.

Looking around, her lips twisted with unease.

He must have brought his previous lovers here. Now, she was one of them.

Screw it. She was going to enjoy this while it lasted.

She let out a deep sigh of relief as she sank into the warm water.

The scent of the bath salts soothed her. She closed her eyes, content for the moment.

“That’s what I want to hear night and day, detka,” his deep, sensual voice broke the silence.

She cursed under her breath. So much for peace and quiet. He was here, invading her personal space.

She looked up to find him leaning against the closed door. His gray-green eyes were filled with desire.

“Nope. Not happening again, Dominic. I’m too sore and hungry. And I have to work.”

He chuckled, a dark sound that sent a shiver down her spine. Damn him!

He dropped some shopping bags on the floor and, without breaking eye contact, pushed off the door frame and sauntered over to her.

He looked so sexy in his business suit, moving with the grace of a panther stalking its prey.

She drew in a sharp breath as his rough fingers traced the top of her slick breasts.

“Beautiful,” he murmured. “But we’ll continue this tonight. I need to feed you. I’ll wait in my office, angel.”

He kissed her forehead, bowed, and left, leaving her hot and bothered.

Arg! Damn him. The peaceful atmosphere was ruined.

She washed her body methodically, annoyed at the goosebumps on her skin.

This can’t keep happening.

One look, one touch from him, and her body would come alive.

Giving him that much power over her was foolish.

She dried off with a fluffy towel and looked around the elegant bathroom.

Her eyes landed on the expensive-looking bags on the floor. Her pride stung.

What the hell!

So he thought that after sleeping with her a few times and making her his latest conquest, he was obligated to shower her with gifts?

Beau was shocked and furious.

She admitted she was hopelessly attracted to him and was looking forward to an affair.

But on her own terms. Not his.

I’ll be the one to walk away when it’s over.

His gifts were a one-time thing only since she didn’t have anything else to wear and she wasn’t about to cut off her nose to spite her face.

The next time he flaunted his wealth in front of her, she’d shove it where the sun didn’t shine.

See if she didn’t!

Jesus! A top and skirt for $3,000? And a pair of Manolos?

She had a shoe collection, but she’d bought them herself. She never went overboard.

Beau continued to rummage through the bags when it finally hit her. Where the hell were the underwear?

Thankfully, the top had cups sewn into it, or her breasts would be visible through the fine muslin.

She cursed Dominic’s perverted tendencies.

Muttering curses under her breath, she began to dress. Her stomach growled, reminding her she’d skipped lunch.

Again, his fault.

She resigned herself to face him, get it over with, and start working. That was the main reason she was here.

She found him engrossed in some documents, signing whatever was in front of him.

She cleared her throat.

The way he looked at her when he turned his attention to her—it was damning.

Her mouth went dry and she was at a loss for words.

In an instant, he was beside her. He led her to the conference table filled with food. Her stomach rumbled.

Instead of letting her sit in the chair to his left, he sat her on his lap. She squirmed. This was not good.

“Detka, sit still. I want to feed you. I can’t do that if you’re grinding on me.”

His hot breath tickled her neck. She gritted her teeth to stop herself from reacting.

“I wasn’t trying to grind on you, Dominic. I was trying to get up.”

He chuckled. Why did he find her anger amusing?

She rolled her eyes. Whatever. She’d be gone in a few hours.

“Open your mouth, moya lyubov.”

Damn him and his Russian endearments.

She opened her mouth and he fed her a piece of delicious steak, steamed vegetables, and mashed potatoes.

He made sure she tasted a little bit of everything on the table until she couldn’t eat anymore.

“I’m full.”

He hummed in response, then kissed her forehead, clearly pleased with her state.

“You didn’t eat,” she pointed out.

“I ate while you were sleeping. We’ll eat together at dinner.”

He said it casually. There was no point in arguing.

“Well, thank you for the lunch, boss.”

Beau’s mood improved after eating. She couldn’t help but smile at his scowl.

She leaned in to give him a soft kiss of thanks, but he deepened it, leaving them both wanting more.

“I have work, Dominic,” she murmured.

“Later, then. Don’t overwork yourself, detka. I mean it.”

He looked so authoritative, it was irritating.

So why did she always give in?

“Ok. I’ll try to.” She pecked his lips once more.

“I’ll take you to your office before I’m tempted to take you again.”

He said it so casually, she knew he’d do it in a heartbeat.

She rolled her eyes. “You’re insatiable,” she said, annoyed by his blatant possessiveness.

“Only for you, my detka.”

Sure.

***

Holy shit! This was a mess.

She was a sucker for a good challenge, and this one was shaping up to be worth her while. An hour deep into the books and the right stats were still playing hard to get.

Numbers should have patterns, connections, especially when names and big bucks were in the mix.

Alright. She decided to kick things off in 2008 and put her own formula to the test.

First, the total revenue for 2008, then 2009, and then 2010...

Next up, the expenses...

It was a strange process, but that’s where the thrill came in. The reports were like intricate puzzles and mazes, but she was a pro at cracking them.

Knowing what she was hunting for, she dove into income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements.

Holy shit! This was genius.

It was like finding a needle in a haystack. No wonder Daniel had come up empty-handed.

Two hours ticked by and the fun was starting to wear thin. She was knee-deep in the 2014 statement of account when the answer hit her square in the face.

Sneaky bastards.

The headache she was nursing was the size of Texas.

Beau tapped her fingers on her desk, her brows knitted together as she studied the numbers she’d scribbled all over the whiteboard.

Her eyes were filled with calculations.

To anyone else, it would look like a jumble of equations and formulas.

But she knew better. She’d finally scratched the surface.

She was looking at four more days of data analysis. But now she had a big problem on her hands.

How to break the news to Dominic without giving him a heart attack.

The partial amount...damn! It was astronomical. The culprits were greedy.

“Sonofabitch!” Her curse echoed off the office walls. She was about to slam her forehead onto her desk when a large hand stopped her.

“What’s going on, detka?” Dominic asked, worry in his voice.

She looked up at him. “Headache.” Her eyes were dull and squinting behind her glasses. “Please don’t let anyone into my office. I’m not finished, and I don’t want anyone accidentally messing with my notes.”

He nodded, a scowl on his handsome face. Something was clearly bothering him.

Groaning from her pounding headache, she tugged at her hair.

He let out a curse in Russian, then pulled her over to a nearby sofa.

She leaned into him, giving him all her weight. He didn’t seem to mind; he started massaging her temples.

Oh God! He was good at this. She let out a moan, grateful for his efforts to ease her pain.

“If I tell you not to overwork yourself, you better listen. Wait till I get you in bed later, I’m gonna spank your ass red!”

He whispered hotly in her ear, making her squirm in his lap. This was becoming a habit.

“Tired, babe. I need to go home and sleep. We can fuck some more before I work tomorrow.” She was starting to feel sleepy.

“That’s not happening. And the correct word is WE. We are going home, then we are going to sleep. We will fuck some more when we wake up. I’m not letting you out of my sight, moya lyubov,” he murmured, his voice soothing in deference to her headache.

But there was no mistaking the determination in his tone.

She didn’t argue. It was pointless. For now. And she didn’t have the energy.

“Don’t you want to know the numbers?”

She yawned. He held her tighter. Her head rested on his broad shoulders. He was comfortable and he smelled so fresh.

“It’s just money. You’re more important.”

She didn’t have a response to that. Nope. She refused to think about what it meant.

I’m not gonna take his words to heart. It’s just his dick talking.

“I’ve gone through 2008 to 2014. It’s not 200, Dom. It’s 500 million Euros.”

His skilled massage didn’t miss a beat. Her words started to blur together and she knew she couldn’t fight off her exhaustion much longer.

Dominic was a handful. Overbearing. Arrogant. Presumptuous. A threat to her peace of mind.

He deserved it if she fell asleep on him.

Beau fought back another yawn. She’d never been this tired before.

Just a quick nap. She’d wake up for dinner, then head home.

Later.