Mr. Big Shot: An Enemies To Lovers Romance (Kinda Cocky Book 1) Page 14

  “I appreciate that so much. Thank you.” I grinned and gave him a little wave.

  “You try to have a good day.”

  “You, too.”

  I watched the kind older man walk out the door before I dragged myself out of bed. The sun was just beginning to crest the waves, and the scent of coffee teased me awake. I poured myself a large mug and walked over to the sliding glass doors. But as I reached to open it, the reflection of the silver tray on the table caught my eye. There was a rose on the tray. A beautiful, vibrant pink rose with a note attached to it.

  “Huh?”

  I turned around and abandoned my coffee on the edge of the table, reached for the rose and opened up the note, wondering what in the hell was going on. It was a serious note. I had to unravel it, since it was attached to the damn stem. After figuring out how the thing undid, I braced myself for something sweet.

  But, all I got were a list of demands from an overbearing asshole.

  Karina,

  I hope you slept well. Today, I’ll need you done with your work by noon sharp. I’ve got meetings all morning, but I’ll be back right at that time. So, I need you to push back the meeting at two today, to tomorrow morning. No later than nine. I also need you to call the office back home and talk to Brenden. He’ll know why you’re calling, and he’ll tell you what you have to do. Also, there’s something wrong with my schedule. I can’t add anything to my calendar, and I need that cleared up quickly. I also need one of my suits dry-cleaned, it’s lying out on my porch. Feel free to walk over and pick it up when you can. Attached to the hanger is the address of a dry cleaning service I looked up last night. Double-check it to make sure it’s a reputable place, then drop it off.

  And be back at your bungalow by no later than 12 PM.

  Zane

  I felt myself vibrating with anger. I looked over at the digital clock that already read six-thirty. What the fuck was wrong with that man? He wanted me to get an entire day’s worth of work done in half the time!?

  I tossed the entire flower into the trash bin before picking up my coffee again.

  “Good morning to me,” I sighed.

  I did however, enjoy what little bit of the sunrise was afforded to me. Then, I abandoned all hope of breakfast and started throwing clothes on. Rushing over to his place, I picked the suit up off the porch swing. The damn thing looked like it was covered in spilled drinks, and the smell of booze made me wrinkle my nose. Great. Just grand. He could go out and have some fun with whatever bimbos he found for himself while I was passing out at six every night because he was running me down to the nub.

  I wanted to slap him in his face.

  I rushed around all morning, rehearsing the speech I wanted to give him. I wasn’t his work mule. I wasn’t just his personal assistant. I was also his fucking secretary. That meant I needed to be in those meetings with him instead of running the petty errands he felt he was too good to do.

  I should’ve never taken the job.

  I drew in deep breaths as I did everything he asked in the note. I called Brenden after dropping off the suit at the dry cleaners, but not before vetting the owners in the process. Brenden gave me a laundry list of questions that needed to be answered, so I walked my happy ass into a little island-side coffee shop and sat down to make some phone calls. I jotted down notes on my laptop to send to Zane’s email, and with two hours in my morning to go, I still had half a day’s worth of work to accomplish.

  How I actually got it done, I would never know.

  But, when I got back to my bungalow right at noon, I almost blew through the roof.

  “Is he kidding with this shit!?” I exclaimed.

  In my room was a box. And in that box on my bed was the cutest little sundress, wide-brimmed hat, and bikini that I’d ever seen. It wasn't a gift, though. It came with a note. A demanding note, just like that morning’s note. Again, attached to another rose.

  Karina,

  Put this on and meet me at the dock. It's right outside of that little beach shack where we had drinks our first night here. See you soon.

  Zane

  I gripped the rose and threw it at the wall, watching the petals splatter everywhere. I drew in deep breaths as I closed my eyes, trying to settle my anger. The only thing we could possibly be doing was entertaining business guests. So, I had to put on my best face, my best smile, and that skimpy little outfit. Zane would hear it from me, though.

  I wasn’t his eye candy to parade around in front of his fat-ass colleagues.

  After swiping on a bit of makeup, I changed my clothes. And after fluttering my hair past my shoulders, I reached for my purse, refusing to haul that damn laptop down to the dock. He could bite me, for all I cared. I slipped my bare feet into flip flops and made my way out the back door, with the smell of sad, warm fruit following me outside.

  Tomorrow, I’m actually eating breakfast. No matter what he says.

  I hurried through the yard and made my way to the beach. Sweat trickled down the nape of my neck as I set my sights on the dock off in the distance. Great. Just grand. I felt it gathering around my thighs, too. I’d be a sweating nightmare by the time I got to Zane and his buddies. What a great look from his piece of--.

  “Ahoy, matey!”

  Zane’s voice hit my ears, and I paused.

  “Zane!?” I called out.

  He held out his arms at the end of the dock. “Ready for our adventure?”

  I looked around but didn’t see anyone else. “Where are your friends?”

  “My what!?”

  “Your business friends, Zane!”

  “I can’t hear you!”

  I groaned as I started walking toward him. “Where are the people we’re entertaining?”

  He looked confused. “I’m not following.”

  “Come on, Zane. You had me rushing around all day, and then you bought me an outfit. I can only assume it’s because we’re entertaining some of your business people today.”

  His face fell. “Well, no. That’s not quite what we’re doing.”

  I blinked. “Then, what are we doing?”

  “That’s what you thought we were doing?”

  “Working? Yes. Because that’s what we came here to do.”

  He sighed. “Well, then consider this afternoon an apology from me. Care to come aboard? I’ve got beer, wine, and a few things to make something called a Pineapple Doozy.”

  “A what?” I looked toward the boat to see what he was talking about.

  “It’s a doozy of a drink, apparently.”

  I scrunched my eyes and scowled. “Apparently?”

  “Yeah.”

  “So, you've never had it?”

  “Nope.”

  “But, you want to make it for me,” I pointed out with my hand on my hip.

  “Well, uh, in hindsight, I didn't think that through. But! Welcome aboard anyway!”

  He plastered on that beautiful smile of his, and I studied his ensemble. He certainly didn’t seem like he was dressed for a business outing. His floral swimsuit came just above his knees, and his white linen shirt was unbuttoned, except for the bottom two buttons. He clutched a beer bottle in his hand, and the smell of steak carried itself through the wind. When I turned my head toward the scent, my jaw dropped open.

  There was a spread of finger foods on a table on the boat.

  “Is this for us?” I asked.

  Zane held out his hand. “Come aboard with me.”

  “Zane, is this for us?”

  He nodded. “Yes. It is. Come on, Karina. Let’s have some fun while we’re here.”

  I didn’t know what the hell had gotten into him, but I took his hand anyway. I could use some fun after he worked me up so badly and in all the wrong ways. He clung to me as he helped me onto the deck, and the boat felt very sturdy beneath my feet.

  Then, he hopped on himself and untied us from the dock. I had no idea what was happening, but yet again, I followed those dreamy eyes wherever they went.

&nb
sp; 22

  Zane

  Karina sipped her champagne. “It’s beautiful out here.”

  I nodded. “And peaceful.”

  “And the food was spectacular. I mean, it was just--.”

  “Perfect?”

  I looked over at Karina and saw her staring up at me with those big doe eyes of hers.

  “Yes. It was perfect,” she said softly.

  The boat soft rocked as the anchor kept us from drifting too far out into the ocean. The smooth rocking reminded me of a dance I once attended in high school. The first time I had ever asked a girl out on a date, in fact. The soft swaying reminded me of a song, and the tune of that song started buzzing up my throat.

  Then, a thought occurred to me.

  “Will you dance with me?” I asked.

  Karina gave me a sideways smile. “What?”

  I placed my drink down before plucking her glass from her fingertips.

  “Dance with me,” I said.

  When I held out my hand she smiled and took it. I twirled her around and pulled her close, wrapping my free arm around her back. She felt like heaven wrapped in silk. A picture-perfect version of the life I once saw myself having. I smiled down at her as her head rested against my chest. Her ear, settling against my heartbeat.

  The warmth of her body was more comforting than the heat of the setting sun.

  “This is nice,” Karina cooed.

  I settled my chin against the top of her head. “Very nice, yes. The sunset looks good on you.”

  She giggled. “You’re so hot and cold, aren’t you?”

  I swallowed hard. “I’m sorry about that.”

  “Nothing to be sorry about. Just something to be aware of. You could give someone whiplash with your mood swings.”

  “Well, why don’t I try apologizing anyway?”

  She peeked up at me. “And how do you suppose you’ll do that?”

  I stopped swaying us side to side and crooked my finger beneath her chin. I tilted her face up to mine, letting my eyes dance between hers. There wasn’t a thing about that woman that wasn’t beautiful. There wasn’t a damn thing about Karina that wasn’t as breathtaking as Hawaii with a setting sun.

  And I wanted more of her.

  “May I kiss you?” I murmured.

  She snickered. “Do you really ever have to ask me?”

  I captured her lips as my groin jumped to attention. I was already hard for her. Already leaking for her. I needed her more than ever in so many ways. But for the moment, my arms cloaked her back. She fisted my shirt, pulling me closer as her tongue dueled in a battle for dominance with my own. I gripped her ass cheeks and picked her up against me.

  I walked us down into the cabin of the boat.

  We fell to the mattress as the soft rocking girded our movements. Clothes were shed, and sweet nothings were exchanged as my lips traveled the length of her body. I kissed her shoulder. Her breasts. The dip of her waist and around her belly button. I let my tongue travel along the insides of her thighs as well as her pussy lips until she rolled her hips in ecstasy.

  “Yes, Zane. Oh, you’re so good at this.”

  I needed more, though.

  I needed all of her.

  I felt her trembling as she approached her end. Then I opened my eyes and gazed up, watching her tits pucker for me. Her back arched. Her toes curled, and her thighs were clamping around my cheeks. And just when I thought she was about to fall over the edge, I rushed up her body.

  I swallowed her groans of frustration with my own mouth.

  Effortlessly, I penetrated her, feeling her walls fluttering tightly around me as I planted my hands into the mattress. Her nails raked down my skin, leaving marks in their wake that burned with searing passion. I thrust against her beautiful body, feeling her jump and hearing her gasp. I sucked on patches of skin against her neck. I lost myself in the moans and whimpers that fell from her full, pillowy lips. She was heaven, and I was home, and I never wanted that moment to end.

  “Oh, Zane.”

  I growled. “Karina. Shit. You feel so… so amazing.”

  “Harder. Harder, please. I need you, Zane. I need all of you.”

  Her words filled me with gasoline before she doused me in fire. Her nails dug into my muscles as I pounded against her, the sounds of skin slapping skin, filling the small cabin around us. She felt like velvet and silk. Her tones were like warm chocolate being poured over a strawberry. I captured her lips, letting my tongue fill her mouth as my balls pulled up into my body.

  Then, I felt it.

  I felt her legs lock around me.

  “Mhm. Mhm. Mhm. Mhm. Mmmm, god.”

  I sank myself into her one last time and felt her walls pulling me closer -- pulling me deeper into her as they milked me for all I had. She collapsed against the mattress, quivering and shaking as my body pulled taut. Threads of arousal spilled from the tip of my cock, coating her as she panted for air. And as I collapsed against her, our bodies covered in one another’s sweat, I softly kissed her shoulder.

  Our hearts beat together as one.

  “Karina?” I murmured.

  She mindlessly kissed my cheek. “Yeah?”

  “Will you stay with me tonight?”

  She paused. “On the boat?”

  I chuckled breathlessly. “No.”

  I lifted myself up and looked deeply into her eyes. “Will you stay with me in my bungalow tonight?”

  She cupped my cheeks. “I’d love nothing more, Zane. Truly.”

  My lips fell to hers as her arms wrapped around my body. I held me against her as my cock stayed sheathed within her warmth. I’d never met anyone like her in my entire life. I’d never met someone so beautiful and so loving and so caring and so willing to forgive past mistakes.

  Well, I’d met one other woman like that.

  And I hoped, for both of our sakes, that things didn’t end like that again.

  One Week Later

  “Way to go!” Karina exclaimed.

  She high-fived me, and it actually hurt my palm a bit.

  “Holy shit. Where did you learn to give high-fives like that?” I asked.

  She giggled. “Have to shake your hand out now?”

  “Not for nothing, but my palm tingled a bit.”

  “Only a bit?”

  I looked down at her, and she winked up at me.

  “Okay, maybe more than a bit,” I said.

  “My father would say that means you don’t work enough with your hands.”

  “Well, my rebuttal to that would be ‘why use my hands when I can use my brain?’.”

  “I don’t know if you just called my father stupid, or everyone that works with their hands stupid.”

  I paused. “In hindsight, I’m not sure what I did there, either.”

  She barked with laughter. “Hey, at least you can admit it.”

  “And now that the meeting’s over, we have the rest of the day to ourselves.”

  “Yeah, it’s only been a week in the making. Though, thanks for the heads up that you’re not going to kill me with work today. I might actually be able to take a decent shower now.”

  I quirked an eyebrow. “Do I hear my employee complaining about her job?”

  “Nope. You hear your employee complaining about you.”

  “Noted,” I said with a smirk.

  “So. When are we heading back again?”

  I drew in a deep breath. “Well, normally we’d head back tomorrow. But, as you can tell, we didn’t quite get through everything we needed to with that meeting. So, we’ll be here for another few days.”

  “That’s code for ‘book us out another week,’ right?”

  I winked at her. “Now you’re catching on.”

  “In that case, got any plans for dinner?”

  “Karina Rosehill. Are you asking your boss out on a date? Because I’m pretty sure that’s frowned upon.”

  “Says the boss who has woken me up with his tongue every night.”

  I wrapped
my arm around her. “And I don’t hear you complaining about it one bit.”

  She giggled. “So, what are your plans for dinner?”

  “Well, I was going to ask this very luscious woman if she wanted to try out a new place for dinner that was suggested to me.”

  “What? Who is she? I’ll beat her ass.”

  I laughed. “Meet me at our bar around seven? And we can go from there?”

  She kissed my cheek. “Sounds like a plan, handsome.”

  We got back to our bungalows and parted ways for the day, and I couldn't help how I felt. If that was what cloud nine felt like, then I surely never wanted to come down. I slipped into my room. Drawing in a deep breath, I walked over to the minibar and treated myself to a beer before I sat down at the table by the sliding glass door. Then I unbuttoned my suit coat and loosened my tie, sliding my shoes off before I crossed my leg over my knee as I gazed out over the water. The place was heavenly, and I was thankful we’d be able to stay here another week.

  Maybe we should just have one room, though.

  I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, and I pulled it out. I set my beer down as I ran through all the emails that could wait and asinine picture messages from Brenden. But, there was one thing that stood out. One thing that stopped me in my tracks and ripped me back to reality.

  Oh, no.

  “Zane? It’s--it’s me. I’m--I’m so sorry for calling. I-I-I--I just--.”

  Hearing her sobs made my heart ache and filled me with guilt I couldn't explain.

  “I just miss her so much, you know? I miss my sister. And it still hurts. And my parents won’t pick up the phone to talk, and I didn’t know who else to call, and I’m sorry. I’m just--I’m so sorry.”

  My lip quivered as the message continued.

  “You remember how much she loved her place in Hawaii? Oh, she’d always go on and on about it. Do you still go there? I hope you do. I know she’d want you to.”

  I set the phone down and put the voice message on speaker as I pulled out my laptop.

  “I’m sitting here having her favorite, you know. Orange juice with a spritz of champagne and a cherry at the bottom. I still don’t know how she drank this sugar-laced thing. But I have one every Saturday morning for her.”