Kade Read online

  "You're so big. Be careful with me." She let out a teasing giggle, and I smiled.

  "Not a chance." I pulled her up as my dick hit home. With one hand tangled in her hair, and the other sliding around her stomach to play with her pussy, I was in heaven.

  "Where have you been all my life, good girl?" I flicked her clit and sucked the warm skin of her neck into my mouth.

  "Waiting for you." She pulled forward and bounced back, fucking me in long, slow strokes.

  "That's it. Faster. Faster." I cried out as I lost my load in my hand and all over my stomach. I wasn't sure if the woman in my dreams was anything like the snooty chick I'd met the day before, but I was sure as hell looking forward to finding out.

  * * *

  "Morning, boss." Ron walked into my office a few hours later. He chuckled as I stood.

  "What?" I glanced down, realizing that he was laughing at my suit. "I thought black was the color around here." Regardless if I had agreed, I'd taken Skylar's advice and dressed in something more morose for my second day.

  "I see your new PR Director got to you yesterday." He sat down in the seat in front of me, moving to the edge and clasping his hands. The joy on his aging face was contagious. "Black is what she says for board meetings, but any other time, and you're being stuffy."

  "Well, shit." I unbuttoned my jacket and took it off. "I can't win around here." I chuckled and sat down as well. "What can I do for you, Ron?"

  "Nothing at all. I'll stop by often over the next month to make sure you're doing good. Your father was one of my closest friends. He talked about you all the time, Kade."

  "He did?" I couldn't help but be surprised. Dad rarely talked about the business or any of his employees at home. After meeting all of the people that stopped by the previous day with condolences, it was apparent that my father loved the company a lot, and the company loved him.

  "Absolutely." Ron leaned back. "And don't worry about Skylar. She's a great lady, just very picky, and your father was somewhat of a father to her too. She's really upset about the old man being gone. Unfortunately, she's going to hold you to a high standard, but if you survive her, she'll make you a better man. She did that for your dad."

  "Nice." I clasped my hands and tried not to appear too eager. "What's her story? How long has she been working with the firm?"

  "Three years. She did some freelance PR work before this, but she comes from a modeling background." He smirked. "She could still be doing it, but she's ready to be seen for her talent, not her pretty face." He gave me a look. "Her words, of course, not mine. She's brilliant for sure. I can understand why she wanted to switch careers."

  My eyes widened. "That's why I felt like I'd seen her somewhere before. I kept telling myself I hadn't." I ran my fingers by my lips as I tried like hell to access where I'd seen her in particular. Magazine? TV?

  "Calvin Klein ad. That one about five years ago, maybe? Girl in the white bikini with long brown hair. Young, breathtakingly beautiful and coming up out of the water in an infinity pool that looked like it sat on the edge of the world."

  "What?" I knew that commercial. I'd get a hard-on every time the damn thing aired. Not that I'd tell Ron that shit. "I just saw that a few months ago."

  "Yeah, I know for the most part that advertisers use new models and such, but she made such a splash back then, that they're still using her old content."

  "Wow. She's a beautiful woman."

  He snorted. "Don't tell her that, son. Stick to the business side of things, and you'll be good."

  "Really? I'm pretty good with women, usually."

  "Not this one." He stood and rolled his shoulders. "I think Rachel was wanting to get me out of here quickly so she could go over your calendar for the day. I'll get out of your hair. You know where to find me."

  "No, actually, I don't." I smiled.

  "Right." His chuckle was deep and reminded me of a Santa Claus figure. "I'm one floor down in the corner office. Drop in anytime."

  "I will. Thanks." I turned to my computer and read through a few emails before Rachel popped in to tell me the rather eventful day I had planned.

  She shrugged as if she wasn't the one that loaded up my calendar. "So first up—Skylar in ten minutes in the boardroom. She wants to go over a few things PR related."

  I lifted an eyebrow. "Anything in particular I should know?"

  "Other than wear black on board meeting day and no other time?" She laughed and shook her head. "No."

  "That would have been helpful this morning."

  "True, but I'm not picking out your clothes, Sir. I didn't do that for Geo, and I'm not doing it for you." She turned and walked out with a pep in her step. I liked the woman. It was hard not to.

  Standing, I took a mental inventory of what I had in the closet there at the office. A blue jacket and a tie. That wouldn't match my black slacks, but wearing the black jacket was sure to draw negative attention.

  "Fuck it," I muttered and put on the blue jacket. I made my way down to the boardroom, nodding and speaking politely to people as they greeted me. A nervous rumble started in my stomach, but I pushed it down.

  It was my company. Period. I'd just given Hawke the advice a month before to go into the damn company and own it. He didn't have to make a shit ton of changes, but it was his to do what he wanted.

  And he had. Sort of.

  "Morning, Sir." Skylar stood by the window, her hand on her shapely hip. The light pink silk top she wore hugged her breasts and accentuated how creamy her skin was. The look on her face was a complete turnoff, but the rest of her? Shit... I was going to end up with a boner that I couldn't hide.

  "Skylar." I sat down in the chair closest to me as a means to hide my arousal.

  She gave me an odd look and walked down from the other side of the room to sit across from me. "We need to work through a few things. We have a press conference on Friday to announce your new position to the public, and a few of our large clients want to meet directly with you. That's going to be important for all of us. You're the new face of the company, and these big industry giants are going to want to shift confidence from your father to you."

  No pressure. My boner dropped like a sock puppet without a hand to hold it up.

  "Wow. I don't think I realized that I would have to meet so many new people." I held my head up, working hard to remain confident. If my father thought I could do this job and take this company into the future — then I could.

  "Well, sorry?" She offered a weak smile and pulled out a pad of paper. "Stand up for me please?"

  "Beg your pardon?" I asked and pressed my forearms to the table.

  "Kade. I'm in charge of your appearance, external and internal. You're wearing black pants and a blue jacket. Your tie doesn't match, and your hair has too much gel in it. You're a very handsome man, but you have to start looking the part for this to work. Stand up."

  I pushed back and stood up. The girl getting fucked from behind in my dreams was much more attractive than this bossy girl across from me. "Want me to turn around? Shake my ass a little too?"

  "No need for your sarcasm." She pulled out a pair of glasses and put them on.

  The boner woke up. The bitch looked like a naughty librarian. Fuck my life.

  "I'll get some new clothes. It's been crazy since Dad passed."

  "A month ago?" She glanced up but kept writing.

  "Yes. A month ago." I narrowed my eyes and let my voice drop. "I'm good with you helping with my persona, but remember who's in charge here. It's not you."

  She stood, tore a sheet of paper out and handed it to me. "You're right. You're in charge. Get yourself some matching clothes. Take your girlfriend or wife with you."

  I took the paper and watched her walk toward the door. "I don't have a woman in my life."

  "That's surprising." She stopped at the door as I called out to her.

  "Skylar."

  "Sir?" She turned around. The red stain on her cheeks and budded nipples poking out of her shirt le
t me know that I wasn't the only one hot and bothered. Interesting.

  "Seeing that I don't have a woman in my life and that you wouldn't be too thrilled with Rachel's choices of men’s clothing, you're going to help me."

  "No, I'm not." Her voice faltered just a tad. It was all I needed.

  "It wasn't a request. Two this afternoon. Be in my office." I turned and sat down, ignoring the tight sigh that left her as she walked out of the room.

  The smile on my face was out of character but felt so damn good.

  Score one for me.

  6

  Skylar

  "Impossible," I muttered under my breath and turned a corner, letting out a yelp as I smacked into Ron. "Oh. I'm so sorry."

  "Hey, no problem." He tilted his head to the side. "Meeting with Kade not go well?"

  "I don't know." I nodded toward the elevator. "Walk with me?"

  "My pleasure." He turned and walked to the elevator as I spilled my guts on how impossible it was to work with a guy in his twenties.

  "They're so damn immature." I pressed my back against the wall of the elevator and ran my fingers down my face. "And I know this isn't a conversation for us to have, but Ron... I feel like he's hitting on me or waiting for me to hit on him."

  He smiled. "Well, if I'm honest," he paused, "it's alright that I be honest, right?"

  "Of course. You got me this job. You're like family to me." I let out a sad sigh. "Geo was like family."

  "And Kade will be too, kiddo. He's new to this."

  The door opened, and we walked out onto my floor. I took a deep breath. "I know, I just hate it."

  "Is Kade being inappropriate with you?"

  I turned to face my friend. "No! Not at all. I didn't mean it like that. It's—how do I explain this?"

  "I can try?" he offered.

  "Please? I feel like a bratty bitch trying."

  "I don't mind being bratty or a bitch."

  I snorted and laughed. "You're neither, so help me through this."

  "It's like you go to a bar and sit down, hoping to meet someone. You glance to your right and then to your left and notice that everyone is normal, but you're not." He paused and I nodded, not entirely following, but wanting to. "And then a handsome, young fellow sits down. You know he's your type, and you're both in a league of your own, so the game begins. He throws out confidence, and you spit sarcasm and poorly constructed wit."

  "You don't like my humor?" I feigned a frown, which got him chuckling.

  "It's fantastic, but I think the issue isn't the two of you, it's the attraction that unfortunately might be between you."

  "Nope. I feel nothing, and I just met the guy."

  "I know that, but you love Geo and this company. You want the best for us, but Kade is that best, Skylar. He's not going anywhere. It was Geo's wish that he run this after his death, and the boy is here to stay. You're going to have to embrace that and push the bar scene out of your head. It's not healthy right now."

  "I didn't come up with the stupid bar scene." I pushed at his chest playfully.

  A few colleagues walked by and gave us a strange look. It hadn't occurred to me that the Chief Operating Officer wasn't seen as playful and sweet-hearted. I knew a different Ron than most did, I supposed.

  "You get my point. Help the guy. He's our new boss, and I've known that this day was going to come for a long time." His expression grew sad, taking my spirit on a downward spiral with his frown. "I just didn't think it would be this fast."

  "Me either." I lifted my fingers and pressed them to my eyes. "Alright. I'll stop measuring dicks with Kade and try and be helpful."

  "I'm going to walk away now." He smiled, squeezed my shoulder and turned, walking back to the elevator.

  He was right, but that didn't change the level of confusion raging through me. I was willing to work on being more helpful, but it wasn't going to happen overnight.

  * * *

  "Please let me go? Please? I have the afternoon off. I'll beg. I'll do your dishes for a week. Fuck, I'll clean out your car." Krissy's voice filled up my ear as I stood outside of the building at two, waiting for Kade to grab his car.

  "Dude, this is work related. He's not going to be good with bringing some random chick along."

  "I'm not random." She sounded half-hurt. Good effort if nothing else. "I'm your sister from another Mister. Come on, Sky. I want to see this guy."

  I let out a sigh and walked toward his car. The wind picked up and blew my skirt up. I yelped, dropped the phone and pressed my hands down to keep from having my panties show. "Shit."

  "Hey. I'll get that." He jogged up from the running car and grabbed the phone. "No worries. Come on. It didn't show anything."

  "Thanks?" I barked and walked behind him as quickly as I could. I had no doubt that my phone was cracked. It wasn't until I was seated in his brand-new Mercedes that I heard Krissy yelling. I took the phone from him and tried to hide my embarrassment. "I'm not asking."

  "What happened?" Her concern was palatable.

  "Dropped the phone."

  Kade butted in. "Asking what?"

  "My best friend, Krissy wants to go with us shopping. She loves clothes and is beyond good at fashion."

  Krissy's voice lifted, the poor girl unaware that Kade could hear her. "Please? Pretty, pretty, please?"

  "Sure. She can come." He pulled out and headed toward the mall.

  Her scream let us both know she'd heard him. I told her where to meet us and dropped the call. An awkward silence fell between us, and neither of us broke it. Luckily, Kade reached up and turned the music on. One of my favorite bands played, and fuck me if I couldn't keep from tapping my foot.

  He pulled up to valet at the mall and stopped. A quick smile at me that had my heart fluttering, and he was out and standing in front of the car.

  "Alright," I said, trying to get back to being completely professional. "Let's get you three suits, two shirts, a new pair of shoes and —"

  "Undies?" He winked and held the door for me.

  I almost swallowed my tongue. "Um, no, but that's on you if you need some."

  He chuckled. "Was that a joke from the ice princess?"

  "Really?" I gave him a look and didn't get much more of a response out. Krissy walked up and extended her hand.

  "Hi. I'm Krissy, Sky's best friend."

  "Sky?" He glanced over at me and lifted his perfect eyebrow. He had to have them done, and yet they weren't metro at all, just well groomed. I almost worried about my own staring at his.

  "Skylar. Come on. I have a meeting at four. Let's get this show on the road."

  Kade didn't move as I walked off. His voice rang out. "Nice to meet you, Krissy. Is Sky always this tense?"

  Krissy giggled. "No, but you're new to her, and she's really not a fan of people in general."

  "Can't say I blame her," he responded.

  "I'm right here!" I hollered over my shoulder and ducked into a suit shop. I worked with the salesman to pull a few different items. Kade was rather compliant in getting into the dressing room and taking the items I picked out.

  "This looks nice." He lifted up and spoke just over the top of the dressing room door.

  "We want to see," Krissy said, her voice high and way too excited. Scary enough, she sounded like I felt.

  "Yeah, sure." He walked out with a midnight blue suit on, the slacks hugging him perfectly, and the jacket fitting like a charm.

  "Kade. Where is the shirt you're supposed to wear under the jacket?" I tried not to let my eyes bulge out of my head. His chest and stomach looked like they were carved by the gods. A dark brown trail of hair lead into the top of his slacks, and my eyes moved down to the thick lump behind his zipper.

  Fuck me.

  My hands and toes tingled, and it felt like someone had sucked all the air from the room. What the hell?

  "I know, but my father always said you start with just the slacks and jacket." He opened the jacket farther and turned around slowly. "You like it?"
<
br />   "Shit. I love it." Krissy leaned forward in her seated position and pressed her elbows to her knees. "You look great."

  "Get in there and put on the shirt," I growled and turned to find the salesman. I ordered a few more ties be brought up. We didn't need them, but my heart was racing so fast that I needed something to do before I passed the hell out.

  "Holy shit," Krissy said with a girly look on her face. "Did you see some of the scars on him?"

  "Yes. He's a god under those clothes. Thanks a lot for reminding me." I ran my fingers through my hair, pulling some of my braid loose. "He's going to be the death of me."

  "Hey. The scars." She cupped my face. "What's the deal?"

  "No clue, but I don't want to know."

  "What? Why?" She asked as her smile turned to a frown. I seemed to have the impact on people lately.

  "Because I'm already imagining us fucking the night away. Knowing anything at all about him isn't going to help my objectivity."

  "I don't know what that is, but I want to know everything."

  "Ladies?" Kade's voice was sexy and almost playful. "These fit better?" He turned around with nothing but the slacks on. His ass was perfect, his back muscles tight and beautiful.

  "Do that again, and I'm leaving," I warned him.

  "Come on, Sky." He turned around and put his hands on his hips.

  Fuck me. I could so fall in love with an asshole like him. I pointed to the dressing room.

  "They're perfect. Now, get in there and try on the full suit. No more showing off your skin. This is work hours." I narrowed my eyes, trying to remain stern. The pool of wetness between my legs demanded it of me. I had to keep him at arm’s length.

  "Is this you asking me out later tonight?" He winked and chuckled as he walked back into the dressing room.

  I called after him. "I hate you more now."

  "No. No, you don't."

  A growl left my lips. He was right. I so didn't hate him. Unfortunately.