Page 36 of Audacity

‘Is that a fact? I’m as shocked as fuck.’

That gets him a laugh. ‘Think of it as an icebreaker.’

‘And then some.’

‘Now that we’ve fooled around in your office, it’s game on. Just remember, you can do what you like to me, whenever you like.I want this.I want to be your little whore. That’s what I signed up for, remember?’

He frowns. I suspect words likewhoremake him uncomfortable when he’s not in the throes of orgasm. No matter. We’ll get him comfortable. Meanwhile, he’s looking at my mouth like a starving man.

‘If it’s game on, may I kiss you?’

It’s sweet that he asks, after everything we’ve just done. ‘You may.’

His lips and tongue are supple, the touch of his hands proprietary, and he tastes like me. Nowthat’sa turn on. How many women does this guy have to fend off every time he walks into a club or a bar, or even out of this room?

I bet he’s inundated, and he’s wearingmypussyall over this sexy face of his.

If that isn’t a win for a Monday morning, I don’t know what is.

CHAPTER 16

Athena

After Gabriel has fed me excellent coffee and I’ve borrowed his en suite bathroom to fix my hair and makeup and change my thong, he takes me for a tour.

This family office has two primary functions, as I understand it: managing the substantial and mainly urban land-based estate underpinning the Sullivans’ astonishing wealth, and managing the family’s other investments across all asset classes like any other private investment firm.

The business, therefore, is divided down the middle, the staff split between estate management and wealth management functions.

‘Is there a philanthropic arm?’ I ask Gabriel as we turn out of our little enclave and down the art-adorned corridor onto the main floor, so generic it could be any bank or consultancy firm. Heads turn as we approach. Also generic is the buzz of energy—or perhaps nerves—that always arises when the CEO shows his face on the floor.

‘Those efforts still operate under the umbrellas of their divisions. There’s an urgent need to extract them and establish a formal foundation, but it’s been on the back burner as I try to getto grips with everything. I’m hoping we can breathe some new life into it. We’re having a meeting about it next week, in fact.’

It makes sense. I know he’s been overwhelmed. I nod. ‘Of course.’

He stops by one of the first cubicles, where a fair-haired man a couple of years older than me is sitting, and slaps the back of his chair heartily.

‘And this is George. My PA, my saviour.’

The PA-EA relationship can be a little fraught sometimes if boundaries aren’t clearly drawn. It will help, of course, that my desk is next to Gabriel’s office and George’s is out here, although I’m sure that positioning has more to do with my being here to covertly fuck the boss than anything else.

George gets to his feet, and we shake. ‘Thank Christ you’ve arrived. I’ve been counting down the days.’

‘I hired George as soon as I came on board,’ Gabriel tells me. ‘He wiped the floor with poor Gladys. But he’s right. We’ve all been counting down the days.’

He smiles at me, his smile laced with the memory of us shoving our sex organs into each other’s mouths just now. I catch a glimpse of George’s stricken expression and instantly understand two things. He has a definite thing for Gabriel, and Gabriel, God bless him, is utterly oblivious. George can hopefully be an ally for me, as long as he can control whatever jealousy might arise over my presence. Meanwhile, he’s managed to school his features and is now looking me over appreciatively.

‘That dress is fabulous. Etro, perchance?’

I shoot him a genuine smile. ‘Bingo.’

‘God, that’s impressive,’ Gabriel says, scanning my dress in bewilderment. ‘I’ve never heard of them. Um—can I assume you two will sit down for coffee at some point and hash out your working relationship? I think it makes sense.’

‘Definitely,’ I say. That’s a priority. I may also have to take George under my wing and ensure he doesn’t work himself to the bone for his delicious, oblivious boss. His demeanour haseager puppywritten all over it, and something tells me service is his love language.

Coffee agreed, we move on. This floor is the estate management floor, and I’m encouraged to see a pretty equal balance of men and women. I assume Gabriel inherited the majority of employees from his father’s tenure here. There are some definite characters.

The Finance Director, Old Jim, strikes me as a probable crony of Sullivan Senior. His real name is James Flanagan, he’s a Dubliner, and he’s sixty if he’s a day. He has the bulbous nose and reddened face of a seasoned whiskey drinker, but I bet he’s sharp as a tack. I could do without the lascivious look he gives me, though. Revolting.

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