Page 23 of No Strings Attached
His eagerness has me losing myself in him all over again, my hand tightening on his waist as I drink him in. I press my thighs together as the heat running through me builds, the need to please my mates growing with every taste of Jamie’s lips. If we’re not careful, I may very well fuck myself on Jamie’s knot for relief.
My desk phone buzzes, interrupting the moment, as my assistant’s voice crackles through. “Mrs. Monroe, there’s a Warren Hart here to see you.”
I sigh, my jaw tightening, and glance at Jamie. “Send him up,” I push out. Jamie climbs off my lap, his grin fading, and moves to the couches in front of my desk.
I grab the contract Warren’s been trying to amend for weeks and join Jamie on the couch, settling beside him. It takes a few deep breaths to keep my emotions from racingbecause regardless of what I feel about this Alpha, I need to be professional—unlike he was.Game time,I tell myself as I harden my expression and stand the moment the door opens. My assistant nods toward us as Warren enters before closing the door behind him.
I extend my hand for a formal greeting, which Warren takes, before we both take a seat, Warren sitting directly across from me, already dismissing Jamie’s presence in this business relationship.I hate it.
I raise an eyebrow, my hostility barely contained. “So,” I start, “we’re having this meeting because you would like to amend the contract that, might I remind you, you signed.”
Warren chuckles, straightening his jacket, unfazed by my rude tone. “Mrs. Monroe, might we have this meeting a little more privately?” he suggests, his eyes flicking to Jamie and then back to me.
I narrow my gaze, my irritation spiking. “Mr. Hart, unless you have some perfect reason to change the contract, I’m not sure why you came all the way out here. And if you continue to disrespect my husband and our company, I’ll have to see you out regardless. The way I see it, you have two options. Either honor the contract, or we can dissolve it and go our separate ways.”
Warren’s smile tightens, his fingers drumming on the armrest. “Now, Ms. Monroe—”
“It’sMrs. Monroe,” I cut in, my eyes locked on his.
He sighs and leans back, his smile returning but colder now. “Olivia, we both know my demands weren’t that difficult to incorporate. A little more set time, longer hours during shooting, and the use of my own employees to fund the three commercials to advertise your next movie. That’s all I’m asking.”
I throw the original contract onto the table. “I get what you’re asking,” I tell him, my growl barely contained, “but I haven’tvetted any of what you’re proposing. That could take weeks, weeks we don’t have.”
Warren reaches into his jacket pocket and produces a similarly looking file to mine before flicking it onto the coffee table. “It’s a good thing I brought everything with me. I have files on the three employees I want working on this.”
Even if I said yes, we would need our lawyers here to ensure that everything in this newer contract met our standards. I cross my arms over my chest, my jaw pulling tight at his dismissive attitude. “It’s still going to take time.Nature’s Beastcomes out in two weeks. We’re already cutting it close on these extra advertisements that I already paid for.”
Warren waves a hand, his smile unwavering. “I get it, and I’m not asking for any money back.”
It’s always about the money.Always.
“I’ll have to look through these,” I say, “but I’m not agreeing to longer hours and more set time. We stay within the same working hours as everyone else. I will not be overworking any one of my employees or anyone who chooses to work with us.”
Warren’s smile tightens, frustration flashing in his eyes. He leans forward, his fingers tapping the file. “At least look who I’ve picked out,” he says, flipping open the folder to reveal three photos.
My breath catches as I see Elias’ face staring back at me, his intense green eyes and orange-red hair framing a forced smile. Warren’s voice drips with smug satisfaction. “I had different ones yesterday, but I just acquired the most beautiful specimens after taking on Hallis Films.”
Jamie stiffens beside me, his hands clenching in his lap. “Your employees aren’tspecimens,” he pushes out, his face twisted up in disgust. “They’re humans.”
Warren snorts, his gaze flicking to Jamie with disdain. “Wonderful, the soft one talks, does he?”
I nearly launch myself over the coffee table but Jamie grabs the side of my blouse and tugs, reminding me to keep it professional. One deep breath later, I respond to Warren’s taunts. “I’ll look at the files, but I’ll warn you to change how you talk about your employees. It’s gross.”
Warren chuckles, a low, deep sound that grates on my already fraying nerves. “I can do what I want. They’re contracted to do as I say.”
I fold my arms across my chest, unable to hold back. “Is that right? Are they also contracted to just let you assault them in exchange for whatever kind of salary you might be paying?”
His eyes darken, his smile twisting into something colder. “I was wondering what he told you after he slipped off into the night with you,” he smirks, his tongue darting out to lick his upper lip. “Oh, I keep an eye on my specimens. Tristan doesn’t know, but I watched him all night and wondered what lies he might be telling you.”
“Elias didn’t need to lie to me,” I throw back at him. “I could see the shock he was experiencing from a mile away. You touched him without his consent, and that doesn’t sit right with me.”
Warren lets out a low, menacing growl as he slams his hand down on the coffee table between us, the sound echoing in my office. However, I don’t flinch, moving on instinct as I grab the closest thing to me from the stand beside me. The cool metal in my hand makes me smile, the letter opener from our second anniversary now stabbed into the table between Warren’s fingers.
He freezes, his eyes wide with shock as he stares at how close the metal is from his flesh, Jamie’s shriek tearing through the room. My husband slaps both hands over his mouth as I lean forward, pushing an extra ounce of vitriol into my voice. “Don’t you dare try to disrespect me in this place, inourhome,” I tellhim. “You know what? I’ve thought about it. I’ll agree to your amendments to the contract, for the new employees, but only because that makes me their boss for the next two weeks.”
Jamie
I don’t like the tension between them, my heart pounding as I watch Olivia face off with Warren Hart. His smug smile and sharp cologne fill the room, making my skin crawl. Olivia’s berry scent is just as sharp, her anger barely contained, the letter opener still stuck in the coffee table between them.
