“I do.”
“No, not really. You think I’m other guys who have screwed you over and tossed you aside like trash. You want to believe I’m better, but you don’t yet. You think I’m weak like them. Maybe bad too.”
“I’m scared.”
“Of what?” he asked then his lips sucked at my earlobe.
“What if you are messing with me and videotape this?” I said, panicking at the thought of every evil thing a guy pulled against a chick.
“If I hurt you, I’ll lose you and I need you more than anything else,” he whispered then added, “Oh, and your dad would have me killed slowly.”
The tie feeling too tight around my wrists, I struggled against the panic rising in my chest. Nick’s lips and hands explored, focusing their tenderness on my boobs. Trying to calm down, I focused on the heat of his tongue on my skin.
“So beautiful,” he said softly. A moment later, I felt him spread my thighs. “Do I love you, Bailey?”
“Yes,” I mumbled, pulling at the tie. “Can you let me loose now?”
“Not until you come.”
“I don’t think I can.”
“What do you see?” he asked as his hot breathe teased my pussy.
“I can’t see, remember?”
“In your mind, you’re seeing what’s happening. What do you see? Are you picturing me looking at your sweet pussy? Can you see me spreading you open and tasting you?”
Before I opened my mouth to reply, I felt his tongue. Imagining Nick tasting me, I relaxed. I knew and trusted him. He had his moments of weakness when I needed to be in charge. My man wasn’t weak though and I could trust him to care for me.
Nick kissed my clit then sucked slow and steady until I was too busy crying out to care about my restrained wrists. He loved me and I was safe. For the first time ever, I really let go during sex and I never came so hard.
Chapter Thirty Six ~ Nick
Sporting a black eye, Dylan met me in the front of Cooper’s office. I looked up at where guys were redoing the roof before returning my gaze to my new boss.
“As much as I appreciate this chance,” I said, “I don’t want you giving me a job just to make Cooper happy.”
“Cooper’s happiness isn’t really my concern. The guy’s rich and powerful. I’m sure his happiness is pretty much a done deal.”
I smirked. “Yeah, but you really need me to work for you, right?”
Dylan nodded. “I had a guy who helped me manage projects, but my dad bought him off to work somewhere else. Now it’s just me. I trust my guys to do their bests, but that doesn’t mean their bests are good enough, you know? Someone needs to check on them and deal with issues that come up.”
“I’ve never done any of that before.”
“Cooper said you’re a smart guy. My crews are full of guys who saw you fight too. They’ll treat you with respect in a way another new guy might not get.”
I sized up Dylan then grinned. “Sorry for the shiner.”
“Those fuckers were going to kill you. Not even on purpose. They just had idiot written all over them.”
“How did you happen to be at the college?”
Dylan shrugged. “Was driving by and saw the commotion. Good thing I was curious.”
I knew Dylan was lying. Not because I was especially smart, but he was just that bad a liar. Considering he saved my ass, I wasn’t pushing him for details.
After talking hours and job assignments, we stood on the sidewalk while waiting for Bailey and Cooper. Like most people, we were slaves to the Johansson siblings’ whims.
Bailey’s whine found me before she appeared with a disinterested Cooper.
“I want my own office,” she said, staring up at her brother who only had eyes for his phone. “I need my own office. I’ll be running stuff and I’ll need a workplace. A place with desks and file cabinets and shit. Are you listening to me?”
Cooper didn’t react as he typed on the phone. Bailey glanced at me and frowned. I knew she was about to pull out the full whine.
“Dammit! I need to be treated with respect. I have skills, idiot, and I can take them elsewhere. Let you handle all the bills and manage shit. Yeah, let you do more work. Is that what you want? You with law school and a new wife and soon a baby. Do you want to do my job? Well, do you?”
Her last few words were so high pitched that I suspected a dog would howl at the sound of them, yet Cooper never showed the least bit of reaction. Defeated, Bailey replaced the whine with a pout. In that moment, Cooper grinned and looked at her.
“Oh, Bailey, I forgot you were there.”
“Asshole,” she sneered.
Laughing, he leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “As long as your office is nowhere near mine, I’m onboard with the idea.”
“You’re still an asshole,” Bailey said, leaning against him and smiling. “You’re lucky Tucker is my only other choice or you’d be my least favorite brother.”
“How would I survive that?” he asked then looked at us.
“We good?”