Page 50 of Texting the CEO's Obsession
My ringtone pierces the air, shrill and obnoxious.
I’ve never hated a sound more.
I push up with a curse, swiping my phone off my nightstand with every intention of turning it off and throwing it into the hallway. Irritation flashes through me when I see my assistant’s name lighting up the screen. She only calls me outside of work hours if it’s an emergency, which means I need to answer it.
Goddamnit.
“What?” I bite out, not bothering to hide my annoyance at the interruption.
It’s fucking nine in the morning on a weekend; I’d be annoyed to get a call even if Riley wasn’t splayed out half naked in my bed.
“Good morning, Mr. D’Amico,” Julie says, not at all phased by the acid in my tone. “You’re needed at the office today.”
I grunt in frustration, shooting Riley an apologetic look over my shoulder before pushing up off the bed and stalking toward my walk-in closet.
“For fucking what?” I snap even as I pull a freshly dry-cleaned suit down from the hanger. “Can Marcus not handle it?”
“Marcus doesn’t have clearance for all personnel files, sir.” Her tone is blunt and to-the-point, as always, her usually waspish nature toned down by whatever I can hear her typing while she talks. “Several employee and client files were tampered with late yesterday evening while no one was in the office. Several IT employees are looking for any evidence of a security breach, but you’ll need to come in to cross-reference the more sensitive internal data yourself.”
Times like these, I wish I wasn’t such a hardass about doing things myself. It’s not that I don’t trust Marcus, but he’s my baby brother. I’m in charge of the company, and while he holds a position of importance, the whole point of him working with me instead of with Bruno is for him tonotwork himself to death.
Sure, Bruno’s line of work would put him closer toactualdeath, whereas getting called in on the weekends only runs the risk of burning out, but the point stands.
“I’ll be there in twenty,” I grunt, hanging up on her before she can say anything else.
Quickly pulling on a suit, I send up a silent thanks to my housekeeper for keeping all of my work suits ready to go on short notice. I’m really not in the mood to put together somethingappropriate, but I’m not about to let my assistant see me in the sweats I fell asleep in.
That sight is for Riley alone.
I step out of the closet, tugging my tie into a Windsor knot, only to find Riley sitting up, holding the blanket up to her chest in a lazy attempt at modesty. It’s far too cute for my sanity, and I have to fight the urge to ravish her again.
The soft smile on her face widens as I make my way back over to her, reaching out to cup her cheek as I brush my thumb across her lips.
“You have to go in to work?” she asks quietly, tipping her face into my hand as she gazes up at me.
God, she has too much sway over me if just a look is enough to make me consider ignoring whatever fiasco awaits me at the office.
“I’d brush it off if I could.” I smile apologetically, but the look in her eyes tells me she understands. “Stay as long as you want, Princess. It’s still early, and I had you up late. I’m sure you need some rest.”
She grins up at me, her cheeks going that addictive shade of pink at my thinly veiled teasing.
“Go to work,” she says with fond laughter.
I lean down with a matching grin, pulling her into one more kiss before I leave. She tastes like sleep and warmth, like shebelongshere, and my gut tightens at the thought of kissing her goodbye every morning.
If I can wrap up whatever the hell is going on at the office quickly enough, maybe she’ll still be here when I get back.
The fantasy of coming home to her still warm and comfortable in my bed, waiting for me, is enough to have my hands wandering along with my mind. It’s not until she whines against my lips that I realize my fingers are teasing at the hem of her panties, and I bite back a snarl as I pull back.
“You’re too tempting for your own good,” I tell her, but I can’t resist pressing a kiss to her forehead once more before turning and walking out the door.
If I’m not careful, this woman’s going to be the death of me.
I get a text from Riley while I’m driving to the office, but I don’t check it until I’m in the elevator on the way up to the top floor. If she sent me anything remotely sweet, I’d have turned right back around and crawled back into bed with her.
Riley: I can’t fall back asleep without you :(
Riley: I should really get back home anyway; someone’s been keeping me from finishing my chores all week lol. Plus I didn’t bring a toothbrush.
