Page 91 of Beautiful Beast

Before I met Belle, when I was out of the country on missions, my housekeeper took care of them because not a day can go by when they aren’t in my home.

Belle and I have been texting back and forth throughout the day, and the girl is even more determined than she is sexy.

She didn’t say that she loves me again – a confession that both terrified me and made my heart race – because she knows when to push an issue and when to back off.

But she also didn’t give me an option about whether or not to see her tonight. She made it clear that she was coming over whether I liked it or not. Even when I try to push her away, she won’t accept it and just keeps persisting.

Spirited doesn’t even begin to describe her.

And she wants me at all costs.

When someone understands your mind and accepts all the broken parts, it’s a whole different level of intimacy that is so much deeper than sex.

It’s fucking magical.

I’m on a conference call when the door to the apartment opens, and the telltale click of Buster’s nails on the marble floor greets me.

“How long is it going to take to ramp up?” I demand, spinning around in my chair to watch Belle walk toward me.

She’s holding the roses that Enrique must have left in the foyer, and there’s something about the sight – Belle, my angel on earth, connected to Mom, my angel in heaven – that absolutely destroys me.

The project manager is stuttering about an unacceptable timeline in my headset while my gaze locks on Belle switching out the old roses and replacing them with the new ones.

Her movements are steady and careful. She knows this ritual is important to me, and even though she doesn’t know why, she respects it without questioning me.

Like always.

I don’t deserve this girl.

“During our last update, you presented different dates. Those were the ones I signed off on. You’re jeopardizing the entire venture. Calvin, why aren’t you working with your team to meet deadlines?” I ask the project manager’s boss.

Well, his boss’ boss’ boss.

But he needs to be on the ball and in the know if he wants to keep his job.

And now Calvin is talking circles around the issues, telling me about dependencies they clearly missed in the initial scope and didn’t account for in their contingency planning.

Belle takes a few tentative steps closer to me, and I nod to let her know that she’s welcome in my bubble. She’s the only one who is.

Standing behind me, she massages the tension out of my neck and shoulders, her cool fingers like magic on my heated skin.

“I don’t care about excuses,” I interrupt. “What are you going to do, Calvin? What actions are you going to specifically take to meet the timeline?”

Belle’s curious hands drift down my chest and land on my lap, dancing over my cock while she kisses the side of my neck. I hit the mute button and pull her onto my lap so I can kiss her lips, soaking in the scent and feel of her.

“You’re so tense,” she whispers against my earlobe. When she takes it between her teeth, an ache starts in my core as my cock stirs.

“I’m working with incompetent idiots. I should fire them all.”

“Let me help you unwind,” she says, her voice a throaty promise.

My hands clench into fists, gripping the arm rests of the chair so hard they ache. “I’m still firing them.”

She laughs. “Oh, Mr. Townsend, you can be such a prick.”

“Fine. You can make me come first, and then I’ll decide. Maybe a better mood will benefit them.”

I unmute the phone and interrupt again, even though I wasn’t remotely listening. “I want a new plan in my inbox first thing tomorrow. If you miss some of the milestones, fine. But don’t miss the drop date. Understand?”

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