The Geek Tycoon Read online

  So he gave up all pretense of control. He stumbled out of his clothes and grabbed the box of condoms only to spill all six on the floor. Scooping one up, he called on his dexterity with a joystick to rip it open and roll it on while he fought the urge to come.

  “This won’t be pretty,” he choked out as he crawled into bed and moved over her.

  “Don’t care.” Her eyes glittered and her breathing was as fast as his.

  “That’s good.” He sought her entrance and pushed deep with a groan of relief.

  Gripping his butt, she held him still and gazed up at him as she gulped for air. “No, this is good. You . . . right . . . here.”

  He totally agreed but he was incapable of saying so. If he died this very second that would be okay with him. Well, maybe not, especially when she tightened her core muscles and turned loose of his glutes so he could move. Hell, no, he didn’t want to die. He wanted to live forever so he could make love to her again and again and . . . sweet heaven he was coming and coming hard.

  By some miracle, so was she. Her spasms massaged his happy cock and her jubilant cries mingled with his gasps of pleasure. He’d fantasized this a thousand times. Never thought it would happen. Now he knew. Best. Moment. Ever.

  * * *

  Later, after he’d disposed of the condom and slipped back in bed with her, she rolled to her side and gazed into his eyes. “Since seventh grade?”

  Now he wished he’d fudged his answer so he wouldn’t seem so pathetic. “It’s not like I’ve obsessed about you constantly since then.”

  “I should hope not.” She bracketed his face with her hands. “I’ve been such a dummy.”

  “I don’t see it that way.” Sliding his arm around her waist, he drew her close and his cock stirred. “You had your crowd and I had mine. I always thought you were right where you belonged.”

  She brushed her thumbs over his cheekbones. “Maybe I was. But I’ve changed my perspective. I don’t care whether I’m hanging with the cool crowd anymore. I like being around you and the other guys way better.”

  “That’s nice to hear, but you’ll always be cool, Charlotte. You can’t help it.”

  Her brow furrowed. “Is that a problem?”

  “Not for me.” He stroked her silky back. “I’m in bed with the prom queen. It’s what every geek dreams of.”

  She went very still. “So now you can check that off your list?”

  “God, no!” Damn, he’d screwed up the pillow talk. “Let me say it again. No, and hell no. I don’t have a list, but even if I did, you wouldn’t be on it. I never expected this to happen. Not in my wildest dreams.”

  “I find that so hard to believe. When you hired me I’d finalized my divorce from Aaron, so didn’t it ever cross your mind that you and I might –”

  “Nope.”

  “Why not?”

  “I figured you’d find a new and improved version of Aaron.”

  “And instead I developed a huge crush on my boss.”

  “Who knew?”

  “Not you, obviously.” Reaching between them, she began fondling his very interested cock. “But the secret’s out.”

  Once she put her hands on him he couldn’t think at all. Vaguely he realized they needed to talk about how to deal with this new development once they left the privacy of her townhouse, but he’d lost all desire to hold a conversation. Instead he wanted to hold Charlotte.

  Or, to be more precise, he wanted to hold her, kiss her, and make use of another condom. She seemed okay with that and this time he had the luxury of drawing out the process. He took it slow and easy, pausing every once in a while to lean down and nibble on her mouth, her throat and the delicate shell of her ear.

  Her sighs and moans told him she was having a pretty good time. When at last he picked up the pace and began loving her with more vigorous thrusts, she seemed to be having an excellent time. Panting and slick with sweat, they managed another simultaneous orgasm that echoed off the walls of her bedroom.

  After he’d recovered the use of his brain cells and had staggered into her bathroom to dispose of the condom, he realized they needed fortification if they planned to keep this up. Wrapping a towel around his hips, he went downstairs to fetch cookies and his glasses.

  He’d put on his glasses and was in the midst of stacking some cookies on a plate when he heard her coming down the stairs. “Charlotte?”

  “I’m moving the party to the living room.”

  “Okay.” Her house, her rules.

  “Did you fix my electronics?”

  “Yes.” He walked into the living room with the plate of cookies and found her arranging her comforter on the sofa.

  She’d also put on a silky black robe. “Took you about five minutes to hook up the system, didn’t it?”

  “Well, I –”

  “Tell the truth, Mr. Bainbridge.”

  “Yes, but –”

  “Don’t worry.” She flashed him a brilliant smile. “You don’t have to spare my feelings. I’m blissed out on great sex so my lack of technical skills doesn’t matter to me at the moment. Besides, that’s what got you over here.”

  “Good point.”

  “But if everything’s ready to go, don’t you think we should test it out?”

  “Um, sure.” He’d hoped for more time in her cozy bedroom but if she wanted to see if the entertainment system worked, then he’d go along with that. “Got something you want to watch?”

  “Yeah, it’s a foreign film I’ve been hearing about.”

  “Okay.” He would have preferred something along the superhero line, but she had the right to pick the movie to test her equipment. He set the plate of cookies on the coffee table as she picked up the two remotes.

  “I hereby launch this entertainment system!” She clicked the first remote and the screen blinked on. “Yay, it works! Thank you, Tony!”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Come sit down.” She patted a spot beside her. “I think you’ll like this movie.”

  He sincerely doubted it. To begin with, it had subtitles. He was so not into subtitles. And nothing seemed to be happening. A man and a woman stood talking in a room and he didn’t bother reading the words on the screen because there was no action.

  But he sat down and she scooted over next to him. They each grabbed a cookie from the plate and at least that part was to his liking. Having her silk-clad body nestled against him didn’t suck, either.

  Then the couple in the movie began kissing and before long they’d started taking off their clothes. Charlotte reached for another cookie and snuggled closer as the actors began to caress each other. The combination of Charlotte’s warm body pressed against his, the taste of cookies and the action on the screen had a predictable effect.

  As his cock grew hard, he cleared his throat. “Is this a porn movie?”

  “No, it’s art.” She finished her cookie and let her hand rest on his thigh.

  “I can’t tell the difference.”

  “The lighting’s more subtle.”

  “If you say so.” He took a slow breath. “Just curious, but did you happen to bring down –”

  “This?” She pulled a condom from her bathrobe pocket. “Are you in the market?”

  He forced himself not to snatch it out of her hand. “That depends.” His body grew hot and his pulse quickened. “Are you satisfied that your electronics are working properly?”

  “Very satisfied regarding that issue. However, there’s another issue in which I’m not quite satisfied. Perhaps you could –”

  “Oh, yeah, I certainly could.” He urged her down to the sofa cushions and made short work of the tie holding her robe closed. Tossing aside the towel he’d wrapped around his hips, he slipped on the condom she’d given him and joined her on the sofa. “But you might miss some of the movie.”

  She smiled. “The movie was actually designed to get you hot.”

  “FYI, when you’re around, I don’t need a movie to get me hot.”


  “I’ll be sure to remember that.”

  “And this.” Parting her thighs, he eased into her warmth. The back of the sofa interfered with his movements, but he wasn’t about to complain. As the couple on the screen drew closer to mutual satisfaction, so did he and Charlotte.

  He’d never made love to a soundtrack that included the intimacy of sex, although he could understand the appeal. He wouldn’t want another couple in the room but when they were trapped in a movie on the flat screen that was okay.

  More than okay. Within minutes he’d abandoned himself to the slightly kinky experience of having sex with a woman while listening to another man and woman do the same. Their heavy breathing and moans of pleasure fueled his own and he forgot they were actors on a sound stage. He’d never been to an orgy, never intended to go to one, but it might be a little bit like this.

  Charlotte seemed to like it, too. She urged him on with language he’d never thought she’d use. So he gave it right back to her, laughing and cussing as their wild lovemaking stripped away his inhibitions. They almost fell off the sofa, but when they started to slide he grabbed the back cushion and held on as he came, and she came, and the world glittered like never before.

  As they lay there panting, she started to giggle. “Next time –“ She gasped for breath. “We start on the floor!”

  “Yeah.” He couldn’t stop smiling. “That almost got ugly.”

  “But you saved us.” Still laughing, she combed his hair back from his damp forehead. “My hero.”

  His heart squeezed. She was teasing, but she’d hit a tender spot. There was nothing he’d rather be.

  Chapter Six

  Charlotte had always suspected that Tony was a wild man underneath his cautious nerd persona. His Maserati was a clue and she’d seen glimpses of uninhibited behavior when he was younger. She’d suggested the sexy movie on purpose and wow, had he come through like a champ.

  The movie had another hour to go so they spread the comforter on the carpet and continued to enjoy each other. Just when she thought she couldn’t possibly come again, he’d proved her wrong. But eventually exhaustion set in. Drawing the edges of the comforter over their sated bodies, they slept.

  When she woke in the light of early morning, she was disoriented at first, especially because she was alone inside the protective warmth of the comforter.

  “Good morning.”

  She rolled in the direction of Tony’s voice and found him sitting on the sofa, dressed but disheveled, his hands clasped loosely between his knees as he gazed down at her with undisguised tenderness. He wore his glasses but he was unshaven and she’d never seen him that way. The dark bristles gave him a rakish air that fit the memories she had of their night together.

  No matter what happened next, and she had no idea what that would be, she’d never look at Tony the same way again. She stayed snuggled under the comforter because she couldn’t pull off rakish. Her hair was likely a tangled mess and guaranteed her mascara was smudged. She probably looked like a deranged raccoon. “Good morning to you, too.”

  “I hate to say this, but I have to leave. We’re both due in the office in an hour.”

  “Yikes!” Forgetting modesty, she sat up and threw off the comforter.

  “Now I really hate to leave.”

  She absorbed the heat of his gaze and desire flowed through her, strong and fierce. “We could call in sick.”

  “That would be one way to handle it.”

  “Not the responsible adult way, though.”

  He sighed. “No. Which means we’ll go into the office.”

  “Right.”

  “And we need to be on the same page.”

  “You mean what we say or don’t say to the others?”

  “Yeah.”

  She wished they could transport themselves to a desert island where they didn’t have to worry about that issue and could explore this new development in private. “I guess we should talk about that.”

  “We should, but we don’t have much time.” He paused. “We could just decide not to say anything.”

  “You mean act like nothing’s changed?”

  “It’s an option.”

  “I’m not sure it’s a viable option. You’ve known your friends a long time. I think they’ll figure out something’s different.”

  “Do you want to go public?” He sounded surprised.

  “It’s okay with me.”

  “Really?”

  “Sure.” She tried to read his expression but couldn’t. “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “You could be worried about what people might think if they find out you’re sleeping with the boss.”

  “I’m not. Anyone whose opinion I value knows we’ve been friends for years. It’s a non-issue.”

  “This could be a momentary slip you’d rather not tell the world about.” Tension was etched in his face.

  Ah, now she got it. He didn’t trust that she actually wanted more than a one-night stand. “I don’t consider it a momentary slip.”

  Some of the tension eased from his expression. “Are you sure? Last night just sort of . . . happened, and I was prepared for that to be the end of it. I mean, you satisfied your curiosity, and –”

  “Oh, Tony.” To heck with what she looked like. Getting up from the floor, she came over and sat next to him. “Last night wasn’t about satisfying my curiosity.” She laid a hand on his thigh.

  “It wasn’t?”

  “Okay, maybe a little.” She smiled at him and rubbed his thigh. Her touch got him hot and she liked watching his eyes darken. “I’d never seen you naked. That was a treat.”

  “But I’m not a jock.”

  “I don’t want a jock. I want a friend and a lover. I can’t make any guarantees at this point, but I think we’re off to a great start. You’ve seen what a disaster I am first thing in the morning and you’re not running for the hills.”

  “A disaster?” He stared at her in disbelief. “What are you talking about? You’re beautiful!”

  If she hadn’t been in love with him before, she was now. “Thank you.”

  “I mean it. You’re all mussed and rosy and all I can think of is dragging you back down on that comforter and using another condom. Maybe we should call in sick. We could say we shared a meal and both came down with food poisoning.”

  “No, that’s a terrible idea. It’s not the way to begin if we intend to tell everyone we’re seeing each other.”

  He ran his fingers through his hair. “That’s just it. I don’t want to tell them.”

  “You don’t?” Now it was her turn to worry about his intentions. “Why not?”

  He looked into her eyes. “This will sound dorky, but then, I’m a dork. I’ve imagined making love to you for years and now, against all odds, we’ve spent an incredible night together. It was special.”

  “Yes, it was.”

  “I’m not ready to share it with anyone else.”

  That was reason enough for her, at least for the time being. “Okay.” She cupped his bristly face. “We’ll keep it a secret for now.”

  He rested his hands on her shoulders. “The fact is, I still can’t believe any of this is real.”

  “It’s real.” She leaned forward and kissed him. “I promise.”

  * * *

  The next three days in the office were a challenge as Charlotte struggled to act as if she wasn’t having amazing sex every night with her boss. She couldn’t tell if Rylan and Frazer noticed anything different about the dynamic, but she caught Dulcie, the receptionist, giving her curious glances. No doubt Dulcie had caught Charlotte gazing at Tony’s ass when he walked down the hall.

  She’d tried not to do things like that. Really she had. But she’d loved every minute of their private time together and was more than ready to let the rest of the staff know they were a couple, especially Blake Pearson. Besides Dulcie, he was the only one who seemed to sense that something was different. He didn’t exactly leer at her, but he came close a few times.<
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  If given a choice she would have avoided him completely but she felt obligated to keep an eye on him. She didn’t want another incident with Miranda, and Dulcie could also be a target. No woman was safe with a lecherous guy like Blake around.

  The weekend gave her a blessed reprieve from Blake and trying to disguise the fact she was sexually involved with Tony. They spent Saturday night at Tony’s penthouse apartment, but despite the luxurious surroundings he confessed to liking her townhouse better. She had to agree it was cozier, so they returned there first thing Sunday morning.

  He helped her cook brunch and they made slow, sweet love all afternoon. That night he suggested hiring a car to take them to dinner at a restaurant about twenty miles away. Then they could have wine and not worry about drinking and driving.

  He tipped the maître d’ and they were tucked into a secluded corner of the restaurant. Although she liked the intimate setup, it reminded her that their relationship was still a secret. The food was excellent but plenty of good restaurants existed closer to home so he might have chosen this one because they wouldn’t run into anyone they knew.

  She understood his impulse to prolong their privacy, though, and she vowed to be patient. The shadowy corner where they sat combined with a second glass of wine made her feel mellow and sexy. While they talked she slipped off her shoe and caressed his ankle with her bare toes.

  He smiled at her. “Is that a signal that I need to text our driver?”

  “Maybe.” She finished off her wine. “Unless you want to meet me in the bathroom.”

  He blinked. “The bathroom?”

  “It’s supposed to be exciting.”

  He looked relieved. “So you’ve never actually done it.”

  “No, I’m teasing you. Having sex in a public restroom isn’t my idea of a great fantasy.”

  “What is?”

  “Oh, that’s easy. Sex with you in the office elevator. “

  He swallowed. “No kidding?”