Romance: Her Alpha Read online

  I laugh at her unfiltered mouth. It’s kind of what I’ve always liked about Anna. She’s like two women in one. She can be sweet, sensitive and very caring. Yet also sassy, conceited and so blunt that you end up damn well respecting her for it.

  Not enough women are like Anna. Not enough have that perfect balance of soft and hard.

  I know she’ll make one hell of a great mom one day. Strict at times, but highly affectionate too. Like I said, she’s a perfect equilibrium.

  Once I regain my composure, I clear my throat and say the next thing on my mind. “Anna… I don’t want you to take this the wrong way but… perhaps, just when meeting clients, suit pants might be more appropriate.” The moment I finish saying it, I know it was a mistake.

  A big mistake.

  Anan stops mid-sip of her champagne, her eyes sharpening on me, smoldering. And by smoldering, I don’t mean in a sexy way.

  “I beg your pardon?” The venom practically hisses off her teeth.

  I down the rest of my Don Perignon and prepare myself for the onslaught. What the hell did I say that for anyway? Sure her pencil skirts are tight, but it’s not like they’re too short for company standards.

  Yet every guy walking down the street can’t help but stare at her, including me.

  I don’t want that. I don’t want anyone else looking at her.

  I want her for myself.

  Shit… I did not just think that.

  “What I mean is, you have a smoking hot body… which tends to turn the heads of… well, most guys. All I’m suggesting is that you tone it down a little on the skirts.”

  Oh, man. I may as well just ask her to slap me again and be done with it. What the hell is wrong with me?

  When the champagne hits my face, I’m not in the least bit surprised.

  “Fuck you, Lucas,” she shouts, standing up in the tub. Her slim, wet thighs tower over me, tempting me to slide my hand in-between them. “And I thought Gerard Winston was a bigot!”

  Making sure to give me a decent splash before she gets out, Anna storms off in the direction of her bedroom. “This situation is clearly not going to work out,” she adds over her shoulder before she disappears and I hear her door slam shut.

  Scowling at myself, I refill my glass, neck it, and then top it up again. My cock aches in my swimming trunks. It needs a release. So badly.

  I think this whole “seducing Anna again” ship just sailed. After that idiotic comment, there’s no way she’ll be swayed by me. I’ve disrespected her and her right to be a woman. But I swear that wasn’t my intention. I guess this thing I have for her is only getting worse.

  Face it, Lucas. You like her. Like really like her.

  Thinking back to my eighteen-year-old horndog self, I know how to get rid of it – those lovey-dovey feelings for Anna Monroe.

  Now, it’s just a question of who I want to cure me.

  Holly?

  Kelsey?

  Or that vixen redhead who gives the best BJs on the strip?

  Yes… Monique.

  Chapter 11

  Anna

  Scrunching my fingers into the pillow, I bash it against the bed head. And repeat for a few minutes.

  After about ten full-throttled grunts, my anger over what Lucas just said in the hot tub diminishes somewhat.

  What an asshole!

  What a prick!

  Who the hell does he think he is telling me how I should dress?!

  I wear knee-length pencil skirts for crying out loud! And yes, they might be tight, but it’s a pencil skirt. That’s the design.

  Honestly, I thought he had potential. I thought perhaps he did have a soul underneath that suave, Armani suit. But no, not Lucas Hartz. He just has to play the same dickhead card over and over, like he always has.

  When I realize that sitting on my bed and overthinking it won’t help, I jump in the shower. Soon the warm water helps me to relax. The pressure of the wide, free-flowing showerhead is the best I’ve ever experienced. Which is not really unexpected given where I am - in a penthouse at Caesar’s Palace.

  Of course, it’s going to be divine. Hell, everything in here is.

  From this all marble ensuite to the state-of-the-art technology interspersed through the rooms…

  From the jetted hot tub in the main bathroom to the wet bar…

  From the separate media room to the spacious dining room, and opulent dark wooden furnishings…

  Oh, I could rave on and on about the luxuriousness of this stunning penthouse. I really should just live it all up while I have the chance.

  After all, this is probably the last business trip I’ll ever take. I don’t see how I can continue to work under Lucas given our choppy relationship. The bickering is too much and the chemistry way too intense for me to keep resisting him.

  No matter how much I want to be repelled by him, my basic sexual and emotional instincts have other ideas.

  As a coping mechanism, I decide to stay locked up in my room for the rest of the night. Tomorrow we’re heading back to New York on the eight-thirty a.m. flight, which leaves me exactly twelve hours to stay away from Lucas.

  Opening my door slightly, I edge out an ear and listen for any sounds.

  Nope. Nothing.

  Dead silence.

  I guess Lucas must have gone out. Probably to gamble and try to seduce another pretty but foolish girl, no doubt. Well, he better not bring her back here. The last thing I want to hear right now is Lucas scoring another glorious touchdown to mark on his bedpost.

  When I reach the stainless steel kitchenette, I haul open the minibar and take out the small bottles of both white and red wine, as well as the gin and tonic.

  From the bench goodies, I grab some salted peanuts, a bag of chips and a chocolate bar - perfect movie accompaniments.

  Yes… I know. I scream “total girl” at the moment. But hey I’m still in love with a total dick, who is now my boss, and now I’m going to have to quit my job because of him.

  Therefore, I think I deserve to get tipsy and veg out on the sofa with an in-house movie.

  After deciding to risk Lucas coming home before midnight, I plonk down on the neutral-toned sofa that’s worthy of royalty and flick through my options on the TV. I feel like something classic. Something with empowering women.

  Gone With The Wind… too serious.

  South Pacific… too sad.

  Calamity Jane… now you’re talking!

  It never ceases to amaze me; every time I watch this movie, I end up loving it more and more. The characters. The strong, confident Calamity. The songs. The love rectangle between her, Wild Bill Hickok, Katie, and Danny…

  It’s hands down my favorite movie of all time.

  When the scene in which Calamity and Wild Bill hook up comes on, my otherwise happy, buzzing self does a 180. The feisty heroine and equally tempered hero are now locked in a tight embrace.

  And my secret love’s, no secret, anymore…

  Before I know it, just hearing that damn song, opens up the floodgates.

  Memories of Lucas and me pour through my mind: us going for it in the back of the Beamer; deliberately ignoring each other afterward at school; reading about his love life in the papers; seeing him from afar at the office while I still worked under his uncle; him teasing and flirting with me at my dad’s house; the kiss on the beach; my hand on his cock as we stood in the doorway; and the witty, lascivious banter we can’t help but bounce off each other…

  Whoever came up with the words, Love is a Battlefield, weren’t joking.

  Just to make myself feel even shittier, I conjure up my recent breakup with Jake. So we were only dating for three months, but man had he been a charmer. He told me that the moment our mutual friend, Nikki, introduced me, he knew I was his type. Whatever that meant.

  “Has anyone ever told you you’re a dead ringer for a young Elizabeth Taylor?” Jake said right before he snuck in a quick kiss. And right in front of all our friends who were sitting at the table with
us.

  Against my better judgment, I’d gone home with him and not only did he turn out to be great in the sack, but also a well-played Prince Charming. The morning after, when I was ready to dash off and rule it out as nothing more than a one-night-stand, Jake insisted I call in sick to work while he made me, from scratch, strawberry pancakes and freshly squeezed orange juice.

  I mean who does that? Seriously?

  A guy with a motive, that’s who.

  Three months later, when I make the difficult yet liberating decision to let my guard down by telling him I was falling in love with him - due to all the cooked dinners, the romantic dates (like making scones and going to fancy degustation nights together), meeting his family, and us generally having knockout sex - the asshole in him finally came out.

  “You’re a great girl, Anna. The perfect package. You have the looks, the body, and the personality. A real trifecta. But… things just aren’t hitting that one hundred percent mark. And if things aren’t at one hundred percent then I can’t carry on with the relationship.”

  I’d felt a sharp paper cut on my heart.

  Bastard.

  Despite being brutally honest with me, I knew how he rolled. He’d told me before how his relationships never go beyond a few months. And how he’d ended things with lots of great girls for reasons he didn’t even know.

  He was dater, not a stayer. And I was his latest victim.

  He kept my heart in a jar for as long as he could and then when I pushed for our relationship to go to the next level, he cowered. He was too afraid to change his little routine of loving them and then leaving them.

  Jake was a prick.

  He treated me even worse than Lucas did. At least, Lucas didn’t string me along for months with his endless supply of wit and charm. Oh yes, in comparison to Jake, Lucas did the noble thing.

  He broke my heart quick.

  Curling up into the fetus position, I decide to let myself cry. Most of the time, I pride myself on being a resilient, independent, hard-working woman who doesn’t take shit from anyone. But tonight, just tonight, it’s time to let the wall down.

  I allow myself ten minutes to let it all out.

  Ten minutes and then it’s back to toughening up and listening to my head rather than my heart and raging libido.

  Ten minutes, Anna. No more, no less.

  Chapter 12

  Lucas

  When I knock on her door, the déjà vu hits me like a tidal wave - the smoky smell of the corridor, the dim, flickering lights, and the general foreboding vibe you get when you enter a place like this.

  Having said that, Monique is the best damn red light I’ve ever walked into. And although she makes enough to get a better dive than this, she chooses to stay.

  “All my clients come here. If it ain’t broke why fix it?” I recall her saying the last time I was here. That was four years ago now – a gambling trip some buddies and me did.

  Wow, how times flies…

  Monique opens the door with a sultry smile. The top of her black silk kimono shows a hint of her best assets – a perfect set of double Ds.

  “Well hello there, Mr. Big Apple. I heard whispers you were back in town,” she says, running her tongue over her bright red lips. “It’s been a while.”

  I lean on the doorsill with my hands still in my pockets. “Too long, gorgeous. Got some spare time tonight?”

  She chuckles and walks back into the apartment, leaving the door open.

  “For you honey, always,” she calls back.

  I hesitate before I step over the threshold, thoughts of Anna creeping into my conscience.

  It’s not like she’s your girlfriend, Lucas, and you’re cheating on her. You’re a man. You have needs. End of story.

  Listening to my inner voice, I shut the door and follow Monique to the sofa. Trailing behind her is her the scent of a strong and exotic cheap perfume. It plays with my olfactory senses, taking me back to when I was nineteen and drilling into her, over and over again.

  “So,” she states, lighting up a cigarette. “What’s new? I must say you look different from the last time we met, and I didn’t think you could get any more handsome. You’re getting me all juiced up just looking at you.”

  Her promiscuous tongue makes my cock convulse. As long as she keeps that talk up, Anna will be pushed further and further from my mind.

  “I’m the director of the company now,” I tell her, edging a little closer.

  “Is that so?” She takes a long drag and blows the smoke out towards me. “Mr. head honcho, huh? Good for you.”

  She stubs out the cigarette and moves towards me. Even though she’s a hooker, it’s clear that she wants me. I know sex eyes when I see them.

  She places her hands on my shirt and gives my pecs a good squeeze. “Hmm and you’ve bulked up. That’s a bonus.”

  When she rips open my shirt and starts to trail those flaming lips from my neck down to my trouser line, I wait for my cock to itch again. But even when she yanks off my belt and has me in her mouth, it doesn’t feel right.

  Seeing those red locks moving back and forth as she sucks me off should be turning me on. Hell, I should be moaning and demanding her to suck faster.

  But… I feel… nothing.

  My cock is barely erect.

  Anna.

  Letting out a frustrated sigh, I pull out of Monique’s mouth and take a step back.

  “Is something wrong?” she asks, wiping the spit off her lips. She looks disappointed. Those shining azure eyes have gone cold.

  “It’s not you,” I say with an apologetic smile, pulling my pants and trousers back up. “I thought coming here would help distract me from something.”

  Monique sighs and stands up. “I see,” she says, walking back over to the cigarette packet sitting on the coffee table in front of the sofa.

  She takes out another smoke and lights it. After another deep drag, she dares to ask me the question, “Who is she?”

  Damn. How do women know this stuff? It’s like they have a sixth sense about the whole guy/girl dynamic.

  “What gave me away?”

  “What didn’t?” she sneers. “First you show up out of the blue. Then you hesitate to come in. Yes – I have eyes in the back of my head. Then you don’t even react when I’m all over you. That kind of behavior gives the game away.”

  Just hearing her say it, makes it hit home all over again.

  This thing with Anna. It’s not just lust. It can’t be. Because if it were then why did I just turn down a blow job? And not just any ordinary one either.

  Monique has tricks that ordinary women could only dream of being able to use on their lovers. And the BJ wasn’t even the main event. Let’s just say that the swing in her bedroom is not for decorative purposes.

  This seduction game with my PA has backfired on me.

  Big time.

  I’m not the one who’s gotten under Anna’s skin at all.

  She’s the one who’s gotten under mine.

  Chapter 13

  Anna

  When I hear the door smack shut, I fling my eyes open and lift my head up off the sofa.

  Crap. I must have dozed off before the movie finished.

  Peering up at the clock on the wall, I see that it’s after two. Typical. I knew Lucas would stay out late. And now I’m going to be forced to acknowledge him as I walk back to my bedroom.

  Sucking in a breath, I rise from the sofa and instantly lock eyes with him.

  “Oh, sorry, Anna. I didn’t realize you were out here,” he says, his voice soft and steady.

  Hmm, and I thought he’d come back drunk for sure. Well, at least, he’s alone. Otherwise, this encounter would’ve been awkward as all hell.

  “I was just heading to bed,” I quickly say, making a b-line for my room.

  Before I’ve even made it halfway, Lucas calls out to me, “Please, can you hang back a minute?”

  Somewhat stunned and still half sleepy, I swing back around to face
him. “Why? What is it?”

  He gives a sheepish smile, something very rare for Lucas, and motions to the sofa. “Can we sit and talk. I’d like to apologize for earlier.”

  If it weren’t for how genuine he sounds I’d tell him to shove his apology right up his ass. But he appears crestfallen and apprehensive.

  Something must have happened when he was out tonight.

  Despite the late hour, I humor him and resume my seat on the sofa. “Okay, go ahead.”

  He paces the room for a minute, apparently still anxious, and bites a fingernail.

  Finally, a minute or so later, he sits down next to me.

  “This is hard for me to say,” he begins, staring into my eyes. The usual hordes of butterflies return in my stomach, and despite all my efforts, those pools of mulled brown are just too damn dreamy.

  No matter how much I half hate the guy.

  “But I need to come clean,” he continues. “I brought you to Vegas under false presences. I wanted to seduce you again. Another ignorant point I had to prove to myself.”

  “Excuse me?! You did wh-” I go to say but he urges me to listen to the rest of it before I unload on him.

  “I was wrong, Anna. And in more ways than one.” He pauses and takes a deep breath in.

  I have to say this is all pretty confusing, but I’m interested in where it’s going. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was about to make a declaration of love.

  Ha – as if that would ever happen.

  He gives a light cough and speaks. “Not only was I wrong to try and seduce you again, but I was also wrong to think that it was just about lust.” He takes my hand and runs his fingers over mine.

  Okay… this is not helping my creaming panties one iota.

  “I’m sorry,” I interrupt, throwing him a confused look. “I don’t understand what’s going on here. What do you mean it’s not just about lust?”

  “Do I really need to answer that question, Anna?” He leans in closer, his eyes honing in on my lips. “Deep down, I think you must know the effect you have on me.”