The Billionaire's Touch(6)

“Vance,” the whisper fell from her lips as her grip on him tightened until it was almost painful.

“Courtney,” he was unable to stop from uttering her name when he came, shuddering as he spilled over his hand.

The door to the bathroom creaked open and Vance's eyes snapped open. He straightened, reaching for the toilet paper to wipe himself off as footsteps traveled to the urinals. He tucked himself back into his pants, wincing as the sensitive skin rasped across his zipper. Noise at the sink indicated that the other man had finished. Vance picked up his laptop, took a deep breath and stepped out of the stalls to wash his hands. After a quick once over to ensure his suit was pristine, his blue-black hair stylishly tousled, he headed back to his office.

Before he reached his door, his assistant stopped him, several Post-Its in her hand and a strange expression on her face. Emma Berry had been with him for six years and was one of the few people not afraid to speak her mind, a quality he usually appreciated. At the moment, he was reconsidering. She glared up at him. “I don't know what you did, but you need to call this girl back.”



As he shut his door behind him, he skimmed the notes. Even though he'd been expecting it, the sight of Courtney's name made his stomach clench.

“Courtney Bell called to talk to you. I told her you were in a meeting. She wants you to call her back.”



“Courtney Bell called again to see if you were back from your meeting.”



“Courtney called again and she sounded upset. What the hell did you do?”



“She called again. I think she was crying. Fix it, douche bag.”



Vance sank into his chair, dropping the notes on his desk. He ran his hands through his hair. What had he done? This wasn't what he wanted. Not with Courtney. Had he gone too far? His computer dinged, alerting him to a new email. Desperate for any distraction, he opened it... and instantly wished he hadn't.

“Mr. Forster, as I have yet to hear back regarding my inappropriate email, I feel that I can safely assume that my employment at Asgard Corporation will be ending soon. I will take responsibility for what I did and will be handing in my resignation tomorrow. I just can't face it today. I'm truly sorry.”



What the f*ck was she thinking? Vance punched the intercom button. “Emma, get Miss Bell on the line immediately.”



“Yes, sir.” Emma's tone made it clear that she was still pissed at him.

Vance leaned back, trying to regain some semblance of calm before Courtney arrived. If he was going to pursue a dominant role in her life, she could never see him frazzled like this. A part of him was already disturbed that she'd managed to rattle him this much. Then again, she wasn't like any other woman he'd ever pursued. She was the end goal. Always had been.

“Mr. Forster.” Emma's voice came back over the intercom. “Miss Bell went home about fifteen minutes ago.” The unspoken accusation dripped from every syllable.

“Thank you, Emma.” Vance thought about it and then added, “Cancel my dinner reservations at La Mia Rosa tonight.” He barely heard her reply as he turned his chair towards the massive windows that made up his back wall. The sky was a soft gray with clouds darkening in the distance. Their color made his heart constrict as he imagined Courtney's eyes, that same shade of dark gray, filled with tears.

“Shit.” He stood, shoving his chair back against the desk. He strode over to the windows, peering out over the skyline but seeing none of it. When he'd pictured finally beginning his relationship with Courtney, he'd been calm and smooth, seducing her with his words and caresses. After he'd made first contact, he could carefully cultivate his control over her, drop hints and innuendos designed to make her uncomfortable with desire. Bit by bit, she'd start doing things that he wanted, falling under his spell without realizing it. Only after he was certain that she wouldn’t refuse him, they would finally consummate their relationship. He'd had the entire process outlined, approximately three weeks from beginning to consummation, and now it was crumbling after just over twenty-four hours.

Of the thousands of times he'd run through various scenarios, not a single one had looked anything like this, and he didn't know what to do. Common sense told him that he should just let it go. What he'd done could get him fired, if not arrested and sued. Courtney's drunken email was bad, but nothing like feeling her up in his office during a review. If she was embarrassed enough to resign rather than angry enough to sue, it might be best if he just accepted it.

He turned away from the window. He didn't want to accept it. Not only would it be wrong for him to let her resign for something that he'd provoked, but he didn't want her to leave. Having a relationship with a subordinate wasn't entirely ethical, but he'd wanted Courtney before she'd come to work at Asgard. And he'd never force her into something she didn't want. But, wasn't that what he was doing? He growled in frustration. Had he done anything to imply that she'd lose her job if she didn't respond to his attentions? Had he misread the signals yesterday?

As he paced the length of his office, Vance ran through the prior day's events, searching for any indication that he'd pushed too hard.

“Are things too hard for you, Ms. Bell?” He stressed the word intentionally, all too aware of his erection threatening to make itself known.