Page 137 of Heat & Deceit
“I’m not going to lie to you. My parents are in a lot of trouble. They were stealing from the company. On top of that, they treated you all horribly.” I scan the room, meeting gazes as I continue. “This company produces some of the best medicine on the market, but it’s gone astray. We should be here to help people, not rob them blind with our prices.”
A few people nod.
“I’m not my parents.” I let that sink in. “Some of you know I was fired for stealing, but I wasn’t taking drugs for my own use. I was doing what I could to give people medicine at affordable prices.” And even then, I only helped a handful. “We have the opportunity to do something amazing, but I can’t do it alone.” I glance at the people responsible for formulating the medicine. “I need your help.”
“What about your pay?” a disgruntled beta asks. “How do we know you’re not going to come in and do what your parents did?”
A few in the crowd murmur their own agreements or concerns.
“I won’t be taking a salary.”
“Bullshit,” the beta snaps. “Don’t lie to us.”
I narrow my gaze on him, trying to remember they’ve been mistreated and underpaid for years. “I don’t need the money from the company, and if we’re going to cut prices for our retailers, we’ll need to use the money the executives made to pay you all a fair wage.”
Sparks of interest ripple through the room.
“I won’t be able to offer you top-dollar pay, but I promise to be fair.” I shrug. “At least, that’s the plan. If you can trust me and stay to help me get this place settled, I’ll sign new wage agreements this week.” I glance around again. Some are still giving me skeptical glares, but there are some who appear to be considering the offer.
“I’d like to start making these changes right away, so I’ll need your decisions by the end of the day. I need people who believe in the mission. If you have doubts or would rather quit, you’ll be given a decent severance.”
The best I can do now is wait and hope others share my vision.
If not, we’ll have to rebuild the company and start over.
Thirty-Six
NOVA
“Thanks for everything,” Ly tells the security company employee before snapping the door closed in his face.
I launch myself at him, horny and needy after hours of edging, and he catches me with ease, strong hands grasping my ass. Nibbling at his lower lip, I grind against his muscled torso. He growls into my mouth and dominates me with his tongue. The next thing I know, I’m pressed against the front door, and Lycus drops me. My feet hit the ground, and in the next second, Lycus rips off my shorts. I gasp and fumble with his pants, moaning when his fingers thrust inside of my slick-coated core.
“No,” I snap. “Knot.”
He smirks against my mouth and tugs my lip between his teeth, pressing on my clit and stealing my next breath. In the chaos, I get his zipper down and push my hand inside, finding he’s gone commando, to grip his thick cock. I squeeze him in warning.
“Knot. Me.”
He tsks and kisses his way down my throat. “So impatient, Rain.”
“Ly,” I moan his name as he curls his fingers inside of me.
The bastard drops to his knees and spreads me, running the flat of his tongue over my cunt and humming in approval at the taste. I dive my fingers into his hair and buck against his mouth. Wrapping his hands behind me, he grabs two handfuls of ass and lets me grind against him. I pull at his strands while his tongue flicks and fucks, and his mouth sucks and bites until my head drops back and his name tumbles from my lips on a half-whimpered cry. Releasing his hair, I grasp the door behind me as tingles race over every inch of my body, chased by heat and a flood of endorphins. For a moment, there’s nothing but sweet oblivion.
The head of his cock presses into me as he drops his arms to either side of my head, bracing himself against the door. “Look at me when I take you.”
And I do. His eyes trace every feature of my face, memorizing the moment before he thrusts in and my mouth drops open. As I grab his shoulders, he hooks one leg under his arm and pulls out, slamming into me again. He hits so deep, I can practically feel him nudging my top wall. The door rattles as he thrusts into me, rough and untamed, eyes set on me.
“Yes, yes, oh shit, yes.” Curses tumble from my lips, spurring him to go harder, faster until his knot blooms, stretching me beyond comprehension, filling me up until we’re one moving, writhing, fucking beautiful mess of slick and cum and sweat. An incoherent sound slips out of me, and Lycus purrs in approval.
“I knew it would be like this,” he says, catching my lips with his and tongue fucking my mouth for a few seconds as his hips thrust again and again, pulsing cock coaxing another orgasm from me as his cum pours into me. “I knew you’d fall apart around me.” His kisses feather down my jaw and throat.
“Ly,” I rasp, grasping the hair at the back of his head, forcing him to look at me. “Make me yours.” For some reason, that feels safer than begging him to bite me.
A dark, pleased laugh tumbles out of him. “Oh, Rain. You were mine the minute you started arguing with me.” His mouth drops to my shoulder, right next to where Javi claimed me, and he bites into my skin. There’s a sharp pinch of pain, but his hand slips between our bodies, and he caresses my clit. My walls clamp down around his length, milking him for all he’s worth as his bond consumes me.
Together, we cry out, ravaged by another orgasm. His lips press over his mark, then capture mine, swallowing every moan, whimper, and gasp, taking what belongs to him.
