The Tycoon's Revenge(15)

“As you know Henry, we’re cutting many of the employees here. There’s always a lot of turnover when a company is taken over. You have a few minutes to tell me what it is you do here and defend your job,” Derek said in his coldest voice.

He could feel Jasmine glaring holes through him. He knew he was being even more cruel than normal but he instantly disliked the man.

“What Derek meant to say is we’re reviewing all the files of the employees and know you’re a valuable member of the team. Can you talk about your work?” she said, far nicer than he had.

Derek wanted to shout at her, that wasn’t what I meant at all but then he’d sound like a child throwing a tantrum. He sat down in his chair and pointed his cold eyes directly at Henry, who was either clueless to his aggression, or just pretending not to notice.

Henry started talking about his position in the Marketing department. He listed his projects and the various things he currently had in the works. He laid out things he had wanted to implement for months but had been ignored. Derek was getting in a worse mood, when he found that the man really knew what he was talking about and would actually make a strong asset to the company.

He placed his portfolio on the desk and Derek glanced through the organized notes. David had been holding Henry back and he figured the only reason Henry had stuck around was to be near Jasmine, because his talents were being wasted. As much as he wanted to throw the man out, he needed to have a cool head first.

He’d never once let a woman get between him and the bottom line and Henry could definitely help add to the bottom line. He never showed the man any of the thoughts going through his mind but he stood up to thank him for coming in and then sent him away. “We will let you know our decision by tomorrow,” he said, reverting to the corporation we, instead of I.

As soon as Henry left the room, Jasmine turned on him. She stalked towards him and there was fire in her eyes. He was unbelievably aroused by the picture she made. “How dare you act like a horses ass, you pompous, corporate drone!” she shouted at him.

She was less than a foot away, as she stared him down, with anger pouring off of her. He’d seen her angry before but he expected steam to start coming out of her ears at any moment. His own anger was rising to the surface. How dare she talk to him like that?

He pressed the button down on his phone. “I want zero interruptions into this room. I don’t care if the place is on fire,” he growled into the intercom.

“Yes sir,” came the reply and then the connection went dead.

He started stalking towards her. She seemed to realize her predicament, because she began to retreat fast. Her temper evaporated, as her eyes rounded. He must have looked a little more frightening than he thought but his cool had left and his anger was boiling over.

She was the one who left him because he was poor. She was the one who thought she was still miss high and mighty. She kept trying to rub in his face he’d been replaced by her boyfriend. He couldn’t even think, he was so mad.

He backed her up until her legs hit the table. She stood pressed up against the hard surface. There was no escape. Her breath quickened, making her breasts rise and fall faster against his chest. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips were swollen from her nervously chewing on them.

Her eyes were still rounded in fear. If it had only been fear, he may have been able to pull out of his anger but he also saw some excitement in their depths. She still wanted him but she was fighting herself, as much as she was fighting him. He needed her now!

He felt a low growl rumble from his throat. He closed the small gap between them, crushing his lips onto hers. He grabbed her neck to pull her closer, pushing his tongue against her lips, demanding entrance.

She reached her hand up to push him away but instead she ended up gripping his shirt. She couldn’t stop her own body’s betrayal. She was on fire as his lips turned from almost abusive to seductive. He accessed her mouth and then tangled his tongue with hers.

She could feel the heat pooling in her core as he deepened the kiss and pulled her so close to him she didn’t know where her body ended and his began. Her hands slipped up behind his neck and she found herself pulling him closer.

He groaned, as she tangled her tongue with his. She couldn’t get close enough. She pressed her aching core against his arousal and was surprised to find out the groan she heard was her own voice.

He suddenly grabbed her hips and sat her on the table, moving so he could fit between her thighs. Her silky skirt slid out of the way and then he was pulling her forward. The table was the perfect height, so he fit against her in the most intimate way possible. He ground his erection against her core, needing the clothing to be out of the way.