Page 47 of Sinister Devotion

"Ah, the cause of our turmoil and reconciliation," Charleston smiles leisurely at Edward.

"I think it's time for you to leave, Mr. Blackwell," Edward says.

"No, I'm not finished talking to my son. He's not anything but your boss. His loyalty is to me. Now you can leave," Charleston replies.

"Edward, please, give me a second. I'm fine." I assure him and turn to Charleston. "I won't let you do this to me. Get out of my office. I'm not running."

"They'll kill me, Julian. Just take the money. I already have a campaign management team being assembled. Hold onto them until I appoint the treasurer. We deposit the money and then pay a marketing firm to create ads that will never run. You don't have to win, Julian, I just need you to run."

"Who are they?" I ask, because the only person this asshole is going to lose his life to is me.

He waves his fingers in a circle, like he's making it all up. "Julian, you know the kind of people that move around this city. I crossed the wrong ones."

"What did you do?" I ask him.

He shrugs with his eyes tipping upward and to the left. "Uh, you know how I get. Someone didn't like the way I sent their merchandise back to them. She didn't need that many stitches, but the cast was a bit of an overkill."

I nearly choke at his word choice. However, the dishonesty in his tone rings like a fire alarm. He's not telling the truth. The story he's telling is believable for the piece of shit that he is, but for once, it's not ringing true.

I have no desire to sit here while Charleston lies to me in order to manipulate me. "Get the fuck out. You said you were getting help.” I stop and drag a hand down my face. “You know what. I don't care. I don't want to know. Get the fuck out of my office and my life. I don't owe you anything."

"You owe this life to me! Nuvola was the brainchild you crafted on MY campaign. Mine! My contacts got you your first contracts. You owe EVERYTHING to me," he fumes, shoving himself out of the chair, forcing it to fall on its side. "If I die because you won't do this, I'll make sure every secret I have on you, your mother, your uncle, your sadistic bodyguard, that sniveling prostitute of a woman you call your Chief Financial Officer, and even that tight little piece of pussy you have in Claire, everyone will be exposed. You can survive the fallout, but will they? Are you willing to put her in danger?"

Charleston puts the envelope on my desk, grunts as he bends over to pick up the chair to right it and walks out of the office just as Claire returns to her desk.

21

CLAIRE

For the first time since I've known him, Charleston walks by me without referring to me as a pastry or making me generally uncomfortable. The stillness amongst the people working in the cubicles, coupled with their silence, makes me wonder what happened while I sat in the accounting department. Edward stands outside of Julian's closed door. He reaches for the knob, but then stops and walks away.

I don't know what Charleston did, but I'm certain I need to be the one to clean up the trail of chaos he's leaving behind. After knocking softly against Julian's office door, I hear the harshness in his voice.

"Come in."

My heart thumps against my chest as I enter and close the door behind me. Julian's standing in front of the windows, his arm pressing above his head like a pillow to rest his forehead against it. The pink hue of his skin shows the redness of his anger fading away. I don't hesitate, going to him, ready to wrap my arms around him, but I have something else in mind.

One hand reaches up to stroke the side of his face, and the other reaches down, grabbing his crotch. The shock of my touch breaks through his anger. He offers me half a grin and a chaste kiss.

"What did he do to make you angry?" The words come out so soft, it barely sounds like I'm speaking.

Julian rests his forehead against mine. "Exist."

A stunted chuckle, and timid smile encourage him to follow me as I lead him to his chair. After Julian sits, I kneel in front of him, his eyes follow my every motion. My hands unbutton his slacks, pull the zipper down and grip the waist. The subtle squeak of his chair's cushion breaks the silence when he lifts up for me to slide his boxers down.

My only goal is to relax him, to make him remember that even on his worst days, I'll be here to make him feel better. His member is soft until I grab it. My hand moves slowly back and forth, a catalyst to his erection, and I psych myself up to ensure I don't nick him again.

The smooth head of his cock entering my mouth draws a moan out of Julian. He leaves his hands on the armrest while I get comfortable with his growing erection in my mouth. I wrap my lips around the head, sucking gently and using my tongue to inch down toward the base.

The more he moans, the better I feel about this moment. I want my mouth to be the only mouth he thinks about when he pictures his dick being sucked. There's a level of confidence growing inside of me, knowing that Julian Blackwell wants me, he comes for me, only wants his cock inside of me.

Every lick, lap, and suck over his weighty inches gets me excited and wet for him. I want to feel him inside of me, but I don't want to be selfish in this moment. I want to finish what I start. Well, I want him to finish in my mouth.

My head bobs up and down, with my lips covering my teeth to avoid my last issue performing for Julian.

"Fuck Claire, come here," he commands, disrupting my plan to have him come down my throat.

Julian pulls my face toward him, kissing me as he hastily undoes my pants and slips them down. I pull one leg out to straddle above his crotch. Julian lets out a sigh of relief when I sit on his cock. He slides in to the hilt with me facing him and his hands guiding my body.

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