Eloise

Reaching the large open room, the silence is unsettling. The lights are dimmed, and I can see Nicolas' and Jake's rooms are darkened. Behind Rhett's door, a light beckons me closer.

I suppose as the man who landed himself the CEO position, he'd spend countless nights late at the office.

Pausing behind the door, I take in a breath to prepare myself for whatever conversation we're going to have here. After all, I know this man doesn't plan on downing six cupcakes by his lonesome. Even if he's in the mood to feed a craving, I'm smarter than that.

Knocking lightly, he beckons me to come in with one solid command.

Rhett is sitting behind his desk, his brows furrowed and his mouth curled. Jacket hanging on a hook against the wall, a beige button-up covers his chest. His tie is long gone, probably hanging with his jacket. Two buttons from the top are undone, hinting at the hint of hair beneath. With his sleeves rolled up his forearms, dark hair scatters across his arms.

This is the first time I've seen him so dressed down, and I have to admit, it's not a bad look for him. No, not one bit. Without realizing it, I'm soaking in all the details like a sponge. If I'm not careful, I'm going to stain the carpet below with some drool.

If this man wasn't such a grouch, I'd expect him to be taken off the market. There's no ring on his finger, or any pictures of family on his desk. He's as single as Nicolas. Something tells me he's not the type to fool around like Jake, either.

With a pen in hand, he scratches what I assume to be his signature on multiple forms. His eyes never lift, not even when I reach the edge of his desk.

"Thought you closed shop two hours ago." He flips a page over and scans the words. "You kept me waiting."

Sounding disappointed, I bite my tongue to think before I speak. I don't want to screw this up before I give him his order.

"You wanted fresh, so I had to let them cool off." Making an effort not to complain about having to go out of my way to make them to his liking, I gently set the box down on the corner of his desk.

He's in a bad mood. Maybe now isn't a good time to start interrogating him. He doesn't look like he's in the mood to have any sort of conversation. Is he impatient from waiting? He might've wanted to leave by now.

"Please excuse me. I won't want to keep you any longer." Not when he looks like he wants to squeeze something.

As I turn, I hear the clink of his pen getting set down. "Stay."

One word is all it takes to make me grow stiff. From the tone of his voice, it's like I'm being ordered like a dog. My stomach flips and I don't know if I should feel offended or not.

"I did make quite the list of what I wanted. Call me curious, but I can't help but wonder how good you are at following orders."

Oh, this man knows how to push buttons. If he thinks I can't handle a few demands, then why even bother wasting my time? He could've insulted me quicker by coming down and saying such nonsense to my face.

Just like that, he's hooked me. Through agitation alone, Rhett has made my feet heavier and my consideration go out the window. We've both had to stay over. If he can be annoyed, then so can I.

"I've had far more complex orders in my time." Slow and steady, I try my damned hardest to keep my face straight. The only thing keeping me from expressing my annoyance is the fact that this man is at the top.

I've had issues with my temper in the past. Seeing as I ruined my reputation because of the inability to stop and think, messing up again isn't impossible. Already feeling the heat of anger flickering up my throat, I keep my attention elsewhere.

He moves to stand, circling the desk to look inside the box. Remaining close, I have to stand stiff to fight the urge to take a step back. I will not show weakness in front of this man.

"You and I have not gotten along since the very beginning." Mumbling his thoughts, he picks up one of the cupcakes. Peering closely, his nose wrinkles. "I asked Lucy for the sweetest combination and she did not hold back."

I watch him pluck the cherry off from the top by the stem before consuming it. He sighs as he chews. Disposing the stem inside the box, he turns to face me.

There's something about the way he's looking at me, it's unsettling. For a brisk second, I cave. I meet his gaze and shiver as a chill rolls down my spine.

"I wanted to use this moment to get to know each other a bit better. I'm harmless, Miss Tanner." Taking one more step in my direction, he cradles the cupcake. He's yet to taste one. Despite getting six of them, a bit of an overkill, all of his attention is pointed in my direction.

"Eloise is fine," I say slowly as I tilt my chin up at him as he reaches me.

With a counter between us, I never realized how tall Rhett was. His height only adds to his threatening features. Having to strain my neck to look up at this man, to look into those eyes, makes this exchange problematic.

I should listen to this small little voice in the back of my head demanding I make a run for it. Run and never look back.

Instead, my feet remain concreted against the carpet. I'm a freaking statue under his gaze. Not because I'm afraid of him but afraid of the effect he has over me.

Swiping his finger against the cupcake, buttercream coats his fingertip. Some of the chocolate shavings have fallen toward the floor, but neither of us takes a moment to notice the mess. Instead, our eyes are locked in place.

"I would like you to try this frosting, Eloise." With a challenging tone, he uses my name against me. There's something about the tone of his voice that makes my knees feel like they're going weak.

"Why?" I rasp as my heart picks up in speed. Now this was not something I was expecting. Eyeing the cream on his finger, I swallow thickly. Up close, I can see the small hairs on his knuckles. There's a small curl to the digit, silently beckoning me to take a step toward him.

My mouth waters shamefully as my eyes burn from forgetting to blink.

"I heard a rumor and I wanted to see if there's any truth to it." He doesn't move, his eyes trained on my mouth. "Call me curious."

Fucking Nicolas. I'm going to kill him. How much did he reveal, and why to Rhett out of all people? If this man knows, I can bet Jake does as well.

Rhett is patient and stubborn. He's also challenging me with the lift of his brow.

"I think you've simply fooled them." He puts one less inch between us. "I won't be fooled as easily." He's suddenly so close, his presence suffocating. "Prove me wrong, Eloise." He purrs my name, taunting me with it. "Or, are you scared?"

I am scared. Scared of all this attention I'm getting and what damage it does to me.

"What if I don't want to?" I ask, my voice soft. "What then?"

What if I keep denying these sensations?

"Then I'll have my answer."

His answer to what?

Blinking, I try to accept that this is happening. Entertaining his request is not going to be a good idea. There's only one direction this will head.

I shouldn't. Not with this man. Jake and Nicolas are already plaguing my mind. I don't know if I have any room left for Rhett.

"Well?" Looking like he's in no race to step back and claim this is only a part of the test, I see the frown on his lips. Up close, I can see the shift of his eyes. Gone is the cool tone of the blue, replaced with burning heat. Underneath his scowl, there's a hunger lying beneath. One that's been left alone for far too long.

Just like that, I realize I am the biggest problem here.

I can't tell myself no. Even when something is bad for me, I consume it nonetheless.

"Do you get off on people doing what they're told?" Grabbing his hand, I keep hold of his challenging gaze. Bringing his finger close to my mouth, I watch the way his pupils dilate. With my pulse shooting up to my throat, I don't just lick the frosting off of his fingertip.

I suck the large digit into my mouth.

Jaw flexing, he twitches against my tongue. Chest rumbling, he takes another step closer. Making sure not to leave any space between our bodies, he doesn't know the definition of personal space. Guiding my body with his own toward the edge of his desk, he pulls his finger out of my mouth with a pop and grazes my wet lips.

"Someone finding arousal in tasting desserts is a bit outrageous, don't you think?" He hums softly, his chest vibrating. "You have no room to question what gets me off, Miss Tanner."

My skin feels hot beneath my clothes. Wearing too many layers here, I fight the urge to claw at my outfit.

"Nicolas has a big mouth." Licking the leftover glaze on my lips, I work on steadying my breath. "But he isn't a liar. It's the truth."

No one wants to admit their weaknesses, especially to someone who considers themselves so powerful.

At the start of a smirk forming on his lips, I'm left in awe. Even if I'm merely amusing him, it feels rewarding to know I'm the one who can lift this man's frown at times.

With a gasp, he plants me on the edge of his desk. Right between a cup of pens and a bottle of hand sanitizer.

"Five more of these left. It would be a shame to waste them." Crowding himself between my knees, his hands press against the desk at my sides with a thump. "What do you think we should do with them?"

Does he really want an answer to his question? I'm afraid of opening my mouth. Especially when the truth may roll out.

I don't want to eat them. Rather, I wouldn't mind getting the same treatment for myself. Rather than on my finger, I want Rhett's mouth, his tongue, everywhere.

"It would be a waste to not enjoy a few of them." Tearing my eyes away from him, I take in the box I brought up. Grabbing a cupcake, I pluck off the cherry and lift my gaze once more.

With such intensity and such expectation, Rhett watches as I consume the cherry. He steps closer to the desk, parting my knees further apart with his hips. With a held breath, I press the cupcake against my throat, leaving nothing but a white smear of stickiness against my skin. Like I'm a canvas, I drag the ruined cupcake up my chin and across my lips.

Licking my lips, I hum as the sweet flavor leaves me unraveling.

I swear I hear this man growl in satisfaction. Growl!

For a man who doesn't want to believe that I have this problem with sweets, he's doing nothing but encouraging me. What a terrible influence.

Before I can think of making a bigger mess, he's grabbing my chin. As heat coils around in my stomach, I stop thinking.

Thinking does nothing but make this interaction complicated. The truth is undeniable. I want this man.

When he swoops down to steal a sugary kiss, I don't complain. Instead, I freaking melt.

The poor cupcake takes a tumble from my hold as I'm moving my grip to his neck. Pulling him closer, I welcome the force of his tongue with open arms. Getting a bit of frosting on his neck is purely accidental, but now I want to lick it off later.

When he grabs my hips and pulls me closer to the edge of the desk, I feel his arousal digging into my inner thigh. Turns out, he does get turned on by being bossy. If not in general, he's affected by giving me orders.

I'll do whatever this man wants if it means getting he'll be the one to take care of this throbbing.

As my sex clenches by even the lightest of brushes, I'm undoing the buttons of my shirt through jerky motions. Feeling hot beneath the fabric, my clothes are only getting in the way. Rhett must agree because he's helping shove the shirt off my shoulders. Soon, it joins the cupcake on the floor.

Something else clatters to the floor as I'm pressed flat against his desk. When my hips jerk, Rhett does well with holding me down.

Towering over my body, he licks at my chin and sucks at my throat. Groaning lowly, he bites the hollow part of my throat. Once he's pulling back and licking at my lips, I realize there's no backtracking.

I'm in. I'm so fucking in. I will paint my body in frosting if it means he'll lick me all over.

He's undoing my pants, urging me to lift my hips. His words come out rough, desperate. To think I'm seeing all sorts of new sides of this man today. In a matter of seconds, I'm left naked against his desk. All while he's fully clothed.

What a turn on.

My heart races as I watch him pick up another cupcake. He eats the cherry, sighing in satisfaction.

"Has Nicolas ever licked this cunt clean after sprinkling some sugar down here?" He presses the cupcake against my twitching stomach and slowly glides it downward. Not patient enough to wait for an answer, I jerk when he grazes my arousal with the dessert.

"We've never…" Struggling to find words, my insides burn. "This is new."

Back then, we'd played around with some whipped cream, but that was on bare skin. I've never put food anywhere near my pussy. Now I understand why. I can feel the buttercream melting from the heat, dripping and mixing with my juices.

Rhett's eyes ignite at my words. It's almost like he enjoys taking a first here. Leaning over me, the heat of his breath brushes my stomach.

Slowly, he licks my stomach clean. As his tongue lips lower, a whimper falls past my lips.

I can't think, my ability went out the window the moment I tasted the frosting on his finger.

Messing up his ruly state by burying my fingers in his hair, my hips jerk when he reaches my arousal. Not the one to beat around the bush, he buries his tongue deep.

From the heat of my body, I'm sure most of the frosting has melted and stained his desk. Rhett either hasn't noticed or doesn't care. He's too busy gripping my hips. My moans fuel him to keep moving. He's beyond licking me clean now.

Lifting, his mouth is twisted in a harsher frown. The hunger in his gaze has only grown, hardly sated.

After all that time watching from afar, maybe he's hitting his breaking point. I know I won't be able to go another day without noticing him on the other side of the lobby without feeling a throb between my legs.

"You're soaked." Pushing my thighs apart, he props my feet on the edge of the desk as some sort of display. Feeling so exposed, his frown deepens as he takes me in.

A hiss leaves my lips as he ruins another cupcake. Toes curling, my body arches against the surface.

"I never thought a man in your shoes would ever get on his knees," I murmur as I watch him do exactly that to get more comfortable. It's like he plans on staying between my legs for a while.

Does he think I'll last that long?

"I'm not a man who will waste a delicious meal when offered one." His palms press against my thighs as he spreads me further apart. While my hips ache in protest, I try my hardest to keep my legs apart to encourage him to continue.

Thank goodness everyone has gone home. Unable to keep quiet, my moans fill his office as he licks my pussy clean. Despite claiming he's not the sort to enjoy sweets, he makes damned sure not to waste any on my skin. The way he purposely avoids my clit, he's doing nothing but torturing me.

Losing count of how many times his name flows from my lips, I'm left in a daze when he gets back to his feet.

I want more. So much more.

Wound up tight, there's only one thing that'll make me unravel. This ache is terrible, I need it taken care of.

"Fuck me," I plead. There's no sugar-coating my demand. The only way to douse this flame is with the hardened curve hiding behind his zipper.

His chest swells with each heavy breath as he quickly undoes his belt. Hearing the leather snap and the buckle clash against his knuckles, all I need to do is listen to hear this man's desperation.

He wants me. Through his broody facade, and all the displeased looks he sends my way, he wants me.

Cursing under his breath, he rejoins me in a matter of seconds. I don't even have enough time to see what his cock looks like before he's pushing forward.

A gasp leaves my lips as he slides in deep with one solid thrust.

Grabbing my chin, his mouth is on mine. Swallowing down my next moan, a familiar sweetness hits my tongue. Mixed with the tangy flavor of my juices, it's a delicious mixture I could never recreate.

Rhett is a man who takes what he wants. I've never been with a man who doesn't think twice in the moment. Each time his hips jerk forward, I'm reminded of the fact. Snapping forward, I clench around him with each solid thrust.

His tongue had brought me close to coming more times than I can count. Already so sensitive, it shouldn't be a surprise that the tension coiling in my stomach is ready to snap. From the way his cock is pressing against all of my sweet spots, I'm a freaking goner.

"You are lethal." His breath brushes the hollow part of my throat. "Absolutely dangerous."

I take his words as a compliment as I smile effortlessly. It's funny, coming from this man.

"I remember you calling me a distraction as well." Forcing a laugh, a whimper follows soon after.

Grunting in agreement, his onslaught on my body continues. He's panting, his thrusts growing uneven.

Hugging him closer to my chest, my nails sink into the fabric of his shirt. If we were in a more romantic setting and he wasn't wearing his normal work uniform, this man would have scratches down the length of his back.

Clutching for dear life, my walls tighten around his cock. I'm reaching my peak. Not sure how many thrusts I can take, my walls tighten around him in a deathly squeeze.

He grunts against my throat, his hips pumping until he thrusts deeper, pressing my body further against the desk as liquid heat floods my core.

Both panting, the next minute is shared as we stare at each other.

Telling myself that this is real and not some scene taken from a heated fantasy, I wait for reality to come crashing down.

Struggling to focus on anything but the tingling between my legs, I know it'll hit me sooner or later. Why ruin the moment?

He gently sets my legs down and my thighs brush wet wood. I don't want to imagine how much of a mess we've made on this expensive-looking desk. If I were to ruin it, I'm sure it would take a while to replace.

Sighing in satisfaction, I work my way into a sitting position. My body aches, especially in my hip area. Funny enough, it's a good sort of ache. I don't mind one bit. Though, I'll be sore in the morning, creating a challenge while working.

This ache will stick with me for the rest of the night and will change the way I look at this man from now on. Instead of dreading any time he's near, I'll have to fight not to think about what happened here.

As my body comes down from this high, the harsh reality hits me all at once. There it is. The brush of regret, the fear of what's to come.

What about my feelings when it comes to Jake and Nicolas? What will they think if they hear of what I've done?

I'm crossing all sorts of lines with the last man I thought I'd ever sleep with. I've lost all control. With how much I want, it's too late to pull back.

Rhett Landersan is meant to be untouchable, and for good reason too. Everything is going to become more complicated.

With a list of reasons to regret what I've done, why am I not wishing this hadn't happened?

Looking like he doesn't realize the crisis here, he tucks himself away and moves to clean up the mess we've made. Tossing the small box of ruined cupcakes into the trash can, he hands me a few tissues to clean myself up.

We made one hell of a mess.

Once I'm standing on my noodle legs, I'm not even sure what to say. I don't know about him, but I was not expecting this. I struggle to pick up my shirt.

"Eloise."

With such a serious tone, it's hard not to laugh. I don't have time to reply, not when he's suddenly in front of me. Stealing another kiss from my bruised lips, he snakes a possessive arm around my body. Palming my ass, I lean into him.

"You will deliver another half-dozen tomorrow." His order soaks into the top of my head. "Understand?"

Choking on a laugh, I groan when he squeezes my cheek roughly. My body is throbbing with heat, aching for more. Even after coming, there's always the ache. Like a piece is missing.

"The last time I checked, you didn't like sweets." In defiance, I put a foot between us without stumbling.

"I simply haven't found a flavor I liked until this moment." Excusing himself with a scoff, he returns to his desk. Running a hand down his face, his eyes remain pointed. "Tomorrow."

Oh boy.

Even with the complications, I'm nodding my head.

"Yes, sir."

When Rhett smirks, my insides quiver. At this point, I'm going to need to be carried out of his office.

What in the hell did I get myself into?