Page 21 of Big Burly Foreman

A little digging into the Berkleys by some powerful friends of mine turned up a wealth of information, none of it shocking in the least. All his stories about backpacking through Southeast Asia were lies, but that is not even the most scandalous thing about him.

I would find the whole thing amusing if Ashley’s fingernails weren’t digging into my arm and threatening to tear at the skin. She moves nervously beside me, and my attention shifts back on her to find her watching her father warily.

“Dad . . .”

“Be quiet, Ashley Blackwell!” Mrs. Blackwell scolds. “I cannot believe you would disgrace our family like this!”

“Disgrace our family? How is any of this a disgrace?”

“Y-you . . . Sweet Lord, I can’t even say it,” the woman spits, turning her cold eyes to me. “You animal, you defiled my precious daughter!”

“Careful,” I grit, unwilling to engage the woman, but I am not going to let her insult what Ashley and I share.

“You savage, you can’t threaten me in my own home! Donald, did you hear that?”

“Enough!” Mr. Blackwell yells, speaking for the first time, his hard eyes on me when he continues. “I want you to pack your things in the next five minutes, and if I see you anywhere near my daughter, I’ll make sure you never work again.”

I raise a single brow at his words, but the woman clutching onto me for dear life is not as calm as I am.

“What! Dad, you can’t do that!” she rages, tearing up. “If he leaves, then I will too.”

“Ashley!”

“No, Dad, you cannot kick Logan out and expect me to stay. If he goes, I go.”

“You will do no such thing!”

“Watch me!”

Fuck!

She’s so fucking hot, standing up to her parents like she isn’t shaking in her boots. Perhaps this is not the best place and time to get hard, but my cock thickens in my jeans despite having been inside her less than half an hour ago.

It’s like that with Ashley; I will never not want her, and even now, surrounded by angry people, all I want is to be inside of her. I long to kiss her lips, trail my hands over her thighs, slip my finger between her wet folds, and watch her come apart in my arms. I want to kick everyone out, lay her flat on her father’s desk, and fuck her until she’s screaming my name.

I snap out of my fog long enough to grab her hand before she can storm out of the office, but someone else has stepped in her path to stop her as well.

I push Ashley behind me and step between Joseph and everyone else. His eyes darken when he notices the move, and a smirk forms on his lips.

“Do you really think this family will accept you?” he sneers, running his hand over his short blond hair. “A mere farmhand? You have nothing to offer them.”

I don’t care to be accepted by anyone but Ashley, and I have no intention of explaining myself to him or anyone else in the room. Ashley and I are adults and need no one’s approval to be together. Their blessing would mean a lot to Ashley, but that’s the extent of it. Still, I can’t let this asshole get away with the lies he’s told.

“You’re a fraud,” I say, watching with satisfaction as his smirk drops and his face turns sheet white.

Ah, he didn’t think anyone would find out. His family did a good job hiding their criminal past, but nothing is ever truly buried. Not when I know people who can unearth it.

“What did you say?” he rages, storming toward me, but it’s laughable to think this kid would even imagine he has an eighth of a chance against me. I easily shove him back and send him crashing into a table, where he knocks into an expensive-looking vase. We all watch in anticipation as it sways before finally dropping and crashing to the floor.

“You broke my great-grandma’s precious vase!” Mrs. Blackwell shrieks hysterically before letting out another scream as she turns to Joseph, who is holding a sharp piece of the broken vase and pointing it at us.

“Put that down,” I say, my voice dangerously low. “It’s your choice to leave this place conscious or not. One thing is for sure, you’re not getting Ashley or her family’s money. If you want to use someone to get your family out of debt, it’s not going to be her.”

“Shut up!”

“I was suspicious about you. All those lies about backpacking through Asia, when the reality is you and your family are con artists, claiming to have a tech empire to worm your way in with the wealthy elite, only to con some naïve heiress into marrying you so you can steal her family’s money. How many times have you been married, Joseph? Was it three? No, five. Hell, I’m not sure that your last divorce has even been finalized yet.”

Joseph charges, his eyes glowing with anger when he swings the vase shard at me, but I am ready for him. I dodge to the side, and his attack misses, which only infuriates him further. He tries again, and this time, I reach out and grab his wrist, twisting it sharply. He cries out in pain and drops the shard to the floor. I use my other hand to grab his elbow and apply pressure where he tries to pull away, but I am too strong for him.

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