Eternally Seduced(38)

"I was having trouble adjusting to having a normal life again and your  mom's assignment gave me a place to start. Plus, it came with a job here  at Kastein. I always wanted to see how it was like to work for someone  who didn't carry a gun, but I also wanted to make sure the company I was  working for was clean as a whistle."

His last words made me frown. "Clean, like, you want something with, umm, an environmentally friendly program?"

He shook his head. "Clean like they don't do any shady deals. And Kastein Inc. was one of the few that made it to my list."

"Oh." I looked at him admiringly. "That's, like, wow. You're such a nice guy."

"Not at all. I just didn't want to be put in a position where I'd have to kill my boss."         

     



 

"I see." But I didn't really and I had a feeling I wasn't the right  person to know him that well. All I knew was that there was more to  Drake Morrison than what met the eye.

"Are you scared of me now?"

Drake's face was expressionless, but I had a feeling it took a lot for  him to ask that. On impulse, I reached out to pat his arm  –  just twice,  though, because doing so felt incredibly awkward. "No. I know you're a  good man, Drake, so … thanks. Thank you for looking after me."

"It was the best job I had---have."

His eyes gleamed in a way that had me say warningly, "Drake."

He laughed. "All right, I won't put you in an awkward position with him  –   for now. But I need to be honest, I'll probably  –  deliberately  –  yank  his chain once in a while."

I groaned. "Drake."

He sobered. "It's a way to make sure he doesn't take you for granted."

Okay, this time I had to sigh his name out since I was honestly touched. "Drake."

"Am I interrupting something?"

Shit.

This was the one instance I sort of hoped I wasn't hearing that  Dutch-accented voice. Swallowing, I looked up, almost shivering at how  Constantijin's eyes had turned into silvery ice.

Drake answered easily, "No, sir. In fact, I was just leaving." He stood up. "It was nice talking to you, Yanna."

"Uh, same." My eyes darted between the two of them. I totally didn't  know who I should be looking at. Should it be Drake because it was the  polite thing to do or at Constantijin because he was my boyfriend and he  might think I was flirting behind his back?

Drake winked at me before drawling out, "I just have to say you look very sexy today, Yanna. 33A, right?"

God, I hated that man now  –  it was official. It didn't matter if he was  the army's best sniper. I was so sniping him the moment I survived my  confrontation with Constantijin  –  who was glaring down at me, a muscle  ticking in his jaw.

"Office. Now."

Glenda's gaze was curious as Constantijin dragged me past her table  without a word. "Hi," I whispered just before Constantijin pulled me  inside his office and slammed the door shut.

He exploded immediately, "Why the fuck does he know the size of your breasts?"

If I wasn't too worried about what he was thinking, I would have felt  insulted at how he didn't even have second thoughts believing my breasts  were that small. "It's not what you think---"

"Why do you spend so much fucking time with that boy, Yanna?"

"It didn't start out that way---"

"I swear to God Yanna, do you want to kill me with jealousy every time?"

I blinked, unable to believe he was being so open with his feelings.

He raked a hand through his hair. "I know he's a fucking angel if you  compare him to me! I know he probably has a fucking nice-boy background  compared to mine. He's not a bastard, with an unknown scumbag for a  father and a mother who didn't have a choice but to sell---"

Eyes tearing up, I threw myself in his arms, taking him by surprise. I  hugged Constantijin as tightly as I could. "You don't and will never  have a reason to be jealous of me, no matter what situation you find me  in. You're the best man for me."

Yet he remained stiff in his arms, his unwillingness to believe in me palpable.

I tiptoed to kiss his lips. Looking into his eyes, I whispered,  "Constantijin, I mean it. You're the only one I want. I don't care about  your past  –  I think it's wonderful, beautiful, how your mother did  everything to keep you alive."

He said slowly, "Most people won't see it the way you do, Yanna. They  think my mother is trash because of what she used to do for a living."  His voice became fierce. "But she grew up poor, she never had a chance  to go to school, and my father  –  whoever he is  –  raped her."

When he stopped speaking, his breathing was harsh, and I could only cry  and kiss him again, wishing there was something else I could do to take  away his pain.

"She did the only thing she thought she could do and I don't blame her  for it. But she never … she never did it with married men. She never---"

I placed a trembling finger on his lips. "Constantijin, you never have  to defend her to me." Giving him a shaky teasing smile, I said, "If  anything, you have to stop me from punching everyone who tries to insult  her in front of me." My voice became woeful. "I never did get to  properly say sorry for that. It wasn't the good impression---"

Constantijin took my chin almost roughly, angling my face so he could  kiss me deeply. The passion in his kiss made my toes curl and all I  could do was lean towards him and kiss him back.

"It was the best impression, sweetheart. I never thought I'd find a woman who would do that for my mother."

I reddened at the rare look of humbled gratitude on Constantijin's face. "It was nothing," I mumbled.

"It was everything. My mother's past is an open secret in the world I  live in, Yanna  –  something everyone could only talk about behind our  backs but not one of them had the courage to bring it out in the open.  But even so, we all knew."

And it had probably been Marge responsible for controlling the angry  reactions of her family. In a way, I understood why. There was really  nothing you could do to keep people from talking about you if they  wanted to.

Constantijin suddenly frowned. "Don't think you're off the hook about the boy, though."

But his words lacked heat, and I knew he wasn't as furious as he had  been earlier. "Drake was---is---a bodyguard my mother hired to look  after me."

"What the hell?"

Nodding, I continued, "My mom's the, umm, super protective sort. She  pulled some strings, I think, to make sure Drake got one of the rare  vacancies in your company."

"I checked his background," he said broodingly. "He was a perfect fit."

"He's ex-Army, too."

"That fucking boy?"

Giggling again, I wagged a finger in warning. "Careful. That fucking boy can easily outshoot you if he knows what you call him."

Constantijin's voice chilled. "He might outshoot me, but not the entire  army I can hire to shoot him if he dares make another move on you."

I made a face. "You're such a sore loser. Can't you let another person win?"

Hauling me back into his arms, he muttered, "Never. Not where you're concerned."

Okay, that had me biting my lip very hard because he was making it so difficult for me not to tell him how much I loved him.

His hand suddenly went under my skirt, his fingers stroking my sex.

I yelped. "Constantijin?"

"Does it still hurt? I know I fucked you too hard." He scowled. "You should not have begged me so after that one time---"

"I DID NOT BEG." It would have sounded more convincing if I wasn't  undulating around his fingers, though. God, I wanted him so badly now.

He smirked.

I glared, but even though I wanted to move away, I couldn't. His touch  was addictive, and this early I knew I'd never get enough of it.

"The next time we fuck, Yanna … "

"What?" I asked breathlessly.

He slowly pulled his fingers away and I could only watch in fascination  as he licked them dry. "Everyone will know who you belong to and who has  the only right to fuck you."





Lesson #6




When your billionaire lets the world know you are his,

It is the end of his agony and the start of yours.



"Oh, dear." George looked at my rumpled clothes knowingly the moment I got back to our office.

Trying not to appear as flustered as I felt, I demanded, "What?"

Before he could answer, a beeping sound blared out from the speakers of  the P.A. system, which meant we were about to hear a company-wide  announcement.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. This is your CEO Constantijin  Kastein. I would like to personally extend an invitation for all my  employees to join me after work at the cafeteria. As a part of Kastein,  Incorporated, I consider each and every one of you a valuable member of  my family."

I had a really, really bad feeling about this.

"It would be my honor if you permit me to introduce the woman in my life to all of you first."