Page 5 of My Cruel Billionaire

“Don’t you think you were a little harsh, Mr. Wallace?” Ted asked.

“A little harsh?” Michael snorted derisively. “Please. If I wanted to be a little harsh, I’d call you out for the fact that Pointwoods stock has dropped like a safe thrown off the Empire State Building.”

Ted closed his mouth, but Michael was not done.

“If I wanted to be a little bit harsh, I would send you to the unemployment line along with Maurice. If I wanted to be a little bit harsh, I’d do a lot of things.”

“Mr. Wallace, please,” said Phil Rogers, manager of… you know, I don’t even remember what company Rogers managed. “You’re upsetting everyone and disrupting this meeting.”

“Upsetting everyone?” Michael blinked. “Oh, I had no idea. I’m sorry, Phillip.”

Phillip looked cautiously optimistic.

“You are?”

I was frankly flabbergasted as well. I’d never, ever, EVER heard Michael apologize for anything.

“Yes,” Michael said in a soft, pleasant voice. “I’m sorry that I’ve been so lax with you that you think you can call me out at MY meeting in MY building about MY companies.”

Phillip closed his mouth and tried to look small.

“Let’s be perfectly clear,” Michael snapped, gathering us all in with his gaze. “We’re here to make money. Period. I’m here to make sure that all of you are doing just that. Period. I’m not here to make you feel better about yourselves, or to hold hands and sing kumbaya. I’m your boss, not a preschool teacher. You want validation? Do your fucking jobs and do them well. I validate with money.”

He gestured at Darla Crane, the manager of a tech startup Michael had recently acquired.

“Just ask Darla. She got her stock shares up consistently over the last six months, and I just gave her a six-figure bonus on top of her already generous salary. Be like Darla, Phillip. Know your role and shut your mouth until you have something relevant to say.”

“Yes, sir,” Phillip said, shrinking even more into himself. I felt really bad for him.

On the other hand, when Michael was being forceful and dominant, it kind of turned me on. At that point, we’d been having an affair for months. We never talked about it, but it felt like it was going somewhere.

The longer the meeting went, the more antsy I got. That was because I had some massive news for Michael. Something that would bring us even closer together.

But I knew Michael and how he conducted himself and his business. I knew he wouldn’t be receptive to what I had to say until after all the work stuff for the day was over. I really wanted him to listen to what I had to say with no distractions.

But if I’m being honest with myself, I was excited for another reason altogether. You see, Michael and I had a kind of ritual that took place after his meetings. He would get himself all angry and worked up, yelling and sometimes throwing things around (though thankfully never at any people. For all of his bluster he wasn’t a violent man).

Then, after the meeting was over, he would look over at me and say “Jenna, I need you to hang out for a bit. There are some things we need to take care of.”

That was his way of saying he was going to ravish me right there on the meeting room table. It helped calm his nerves after the meetings. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to complain. Michael was a good deal older than me, and, well, he knew things that made me think he was a sex wizard.

As the last manager slunk out of the meeting with their tail tucked firmly between their legs, Michael glanced over at me.

“Jenna, thank you for hanging out for a bit longer. There’s something I need to go over with you.”

“Of course, Mr. Wallace,” I said sweetly. But not too sweetly. Our affair was a secret as far as I knew… but I was sure that after I told him my big news, it probably wouldn’t be a secret any longer.

The door to the room closed with a firm click, and he stalked over to where I sat in my chair. Standing behind me, his hands smoothed my hair. His soft palm caressed my cheek. A gasp and a shiver went through me. My heart started beating faster. I turned my face into his palm and kissed it. I couldn’t help myself.

I suckled on his fingers while his other hand busied itself with undoing my blouse. Every button that came undone increased my excitement that much more. As the fabric split in a V, it revealed the lace demi cup bra I wore underneath.

“Where did you get this?” he asked, clearly intrigued. His hand caressed my semi-exposed breast, palm stroking the nipple. I closed my eyes and tilted my head back. His touch felt amazing.

“You bought this for me, along with the matching G-string.”

“Oh right. I have good taste.”

I chuckled, but it soon turned into a moan as he dropped his mouth onto my neck. His lips and tongue teased the sensitive flesh there. I felt his teeth bite down for just a moment as his fingers pinched my exposed nipples.

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