Cassandra can’t catch a wink of sleep—not that night, or the ones that follow.
She and Alex seem to be installed in Emilio’s bedroom, but he is sleeping somewhere else. She doesn’t know how to feel about that. Relieved, she tells herself.
It’s now five days since she moved into Emilio’s penthouse, and they’re still waiting on the DNA results.
Emilio has agreed that she should return to work tomorrow, regardless of the results. That’s a relief, because being stuck in this penthouse is driving her crazy.
It also means Emilio isn’t going to fire her over that top-secret file she took home overnight.
He has it now. José brought it from her apartment that first night of her stay. Whatever is inside, it can’t be good news. After Emilio read it in his office, he came out looking like a thundercloud. She hasn’t dared to ask him anything about it.
It’s top-secret, after all.
But there’s a silver lining to this whole mess—Alex’s fever has finally broken, and he’s back to his usual self.
Late in the afternoon, Cassandra’s phone rings. It’s Gwen, her former roommate, checking in about her new job. Gwen was the one who sent Cassandra’s resume to Rodriguez International in the first place, so she has a right to be interested.
“Yeah, it’s good. Everyone’s nice, and I’m having a good time.” Cassandra hates lying to Gwen, but what else can she say? That her boss’s boss is her baby’s father, and he just found out, and she might be jobless soon?
“That’s great. Keep me posted.”
“I will. Take care.”
A few minutes later, Emilio walks in and heads straight to the guest bedroom where he sleeps. Cassandra hasn’t seen much of him these past few days. She knows he’s waiting for the DNA results before deciding his next move.
All she wants is to keep her baby.
If she loses her job and her apartment, so be it. She’ll start over. But if she loses Alex—ah, if she loses Alex, there will be no starting over. Ever.
Sleep eludes her again that night.
***
The next morning, Cassandra gets up early and takes a taxi, carrying Alex in his car seat. She’s wearing a gray dress that hits just above her knees, cinched at the waist with a black belt and black heels. Her hair is neatly tied up in a chignon.
~Dress the way you want to feel. Professional. In control.~
She drops Alex off at his usual daycare, leaving his car seat there. Somehow, she manages to head off nosy questions from Mrs. Williams about Emilio.
After kissing Alex goodbye, she hurries to her apartment. She needs to water her spider plants and pick up a few things. But when she puts her key in the door, it doesn’t turn.
She heads straight to the superintendent’s office. “Something weird is going on with my key, Andy,” she tells him. “Can you help me get in?”
Andy rubs his face. “I’m sorry,” he says. “We changed the lock on that apartment yesterday. New owner’s orders.”
“New owner—?”
“The building has been bought out by Rodriguez International—you know, the bank.”
She feels faint. “So…what? Everybody has to leave?”
Andy shakes his head slowly. “Not everybody.”
~No. This can’t be happening.~ “Let me guess. Just—me?”
“Your apartment’s lease has been suspended. I’m sorry, Cassandra. Nothing I can to about it.”
Cassandra storms out of the building, tears nearly blinding her. Arrogant bastard. How dare he try to control every part of her life?
When she arrives at the bank, she’s met by a swarm of reporters. They start snapping pictures and hurling questions at her, but she can’t make out a word they’re saying. She pushes past them and heads inside.
In the lobby, eight men in black suits and earpieces are standing around. One of them approaches her briskly. ~What on earth is happening?~
“Identification, ma’am.”
Cassandra quickly hands him her ID card, then rushes to the elevator. She runs into Jake and asks him what’s going on.
“Your guess is as good as mine, Cass.”
When she gets to her floor, she’s surprised to see someone else sitting at her receptionist’s desk. ~They must’ve hired a temp.~ To confirm, she knocks softly on Mr. Smith’s office door.
When she walks in, Mr. Smith looks taken aback. “Ms. Miller, I didn’t expect you to come back.”
She frowns. “I don’t understand, Mr. Smith. Why would you think that?”
“Well, Mr. Rodriguez hired someone else for your position. He said you had new plans for the future? I was disappointed to hear that, but I wish you all the best in your next venture.”
Cassandra feels like she’s been punched in the gut. ~New plans. Who does Emiliano Rodriguez think he is? What gives him the right to fire me without a good reason? How dare he?~
She rushes out of Mr. Smith’s office and takes the elevator to the top floor. She won’t take this lying down. First her apartment, now her job… If she doesn’t watch out, her baby will be next.
Cassandra’s heels ~click~ against the marble tiles with each step she takes. “Mr. Rodriguez,” she tells his secretary, trying to keep her voice steady.
“Mr. Rodriguez is unavailable. Can I take a message?”
“Where is he?”
“Conference room.”
Without a second thought, Cassandra heads for the conference room and barges in.
“We had—” Her voice trails off when she sees a group of men in suits sitting around a long, glass table.
They all stare at her like she’s lost her mind. But she doesn’t care; her only concern right now is the man at the head of the table, looking dashing in his three-piece charcoal-gray suit.
Emilio stands up, not breaking eye contact with Cassandra. “Gentlemen, if you’ll excuse me,” he says.
He grabs her arm and leads her back to his office, shutting the door behind them. He presses a button on his desk, and the shutters on his windows close. Cassandra gulps, feeling like she’s trapped in a cage with a tiger ready to devour her.
As Emilio slowly approaches her, Cassandra stands her ground. She’s wearing heels today, but he still towers over her.
“We had an agreement. I stayed at your penthouse like you asked, but you said I could keep my job. So why am I hearing that I’m jobless?”
Cassandra is so angry she can barely breathe, but Emilio remains silent. ~What’s his problem?~
“Emilio, I’m talking to you!” she yells. “You can’t do this. I need this job.”
“Are you done? I have an important meeting to get back to.”
“What?” she squeaks. “Were you even listening to me?”
“We’ll talk about this later.” He turns to leave, but she blocks his path.
“You’re not going anywhere until you tell me why you fired me—~and~ why you bought my apartment building and kicked me out. Where am I supposed to live? I need my job; I have bills to pay and a son to take care of. Emilio, please, I’m begging you: don’t do this to me.”
Cassandra’s voice breaks. ~Why, why, why?~ She’s on the verge of tears, and he doesn’t seem to care. ~If I lose this job, I’ll be homeless.~
~What am I saying? I’m already homeless because of him.~
Cassandra’s teeth sink into her lower lip, trying to keep it from quivering. Emilio groans in response. His hand curls around her neck, pulling her roughly against him. A soft gasp slips from her lips as his other hand traces a path up her spine.
She locks eyes with Emilio, and the look in his eyes takes her by surprise. He wants her. He really wants her.
Her pulse quickens at the base of her neck as his head slowly lowers toward hers. She tells herself to step back, but her stubborn feet won’t budge. Then his lips are on hers.
The kiss isn’t tender or soft. Emilio claims her mouth, taking everything Cassandra has to offer. She fights him for a moment, but then she melts into him, returning his kiss. His tongue pushes deeper into her mouth, and she moans, pressing her lower body against him to feel his hardness.
Cassandra’s nipples harden against her bra, and her hands find their way into Emilio’s hair. She can feel the heat building between her thighs; she craves more than just a kiss.
When Cassie’s mad, her chest rises and falls in a way that draws attention to her breasts. It makes her even more enticing.
Her dress clings to her slim waist, highlighting her stunning curves, and her heels make her legs look endless. Any man would stumble over his own feet imagining what’s hidden between those legs.
Sure, Emiliano remembers their agreement—she would come back to her job at the bank today—but everything is different now.
He’s spent the last four nights dreaming of her. Waking up sweaty with his silk sheets tangled around his legs and his cock hard. Taking cold showers in the middle of the night just to cool his heated body.
He can’t recall ever needing a cold shower because of a woman.
Everything has changed because he has to have her, even if it’s just for one night. He has to quench this desire for her so he can get back to his normal life. He needs to sleep with her soon, and that can’t happen if she is an employee of his company.
He almost laughs. It’s against the rules. The rules he insists on.
He would have told her this morning, but she was gone before he got up.
Cassie is saying something, but all Emiliano can focus on is her lips as she bites them. The next thing he knows, he’s kissing her, and she’s kissing him back.
Emiliano cups Cassie’s ass and grinds his hips into her so she can feel how hard he really is. Her fingers tighten in his hair, and he deepens the kiss while lifting her up and carrying her to the couch. He lays her down and lies on top of her, never breaking the kiss.
Never before has a simple kiss set his body on fire like this.
Emiliano slowly moves his hand up her thighs, savoring the way Cassie trembles under his touch. Her dress rides up a bit, giving him better access, and his finger traces the edge of her thong. He presses his hips into her, right where she’s aching, and a gasp escapes her lips. She squirms beneath him.
Then Emiliano touches her hot pussy, and Cassie cries out. He can tell that she’s on the edge just from his hand on her.
“So hot and ready for me,” Emiliano groans against her swollen lips, sliding a finger inside of her.
Cassie’s eyes widen, and he can feel her wetness, can almost ~taste~ her arousal. He slips a second finger inside her, and her nails dig into his back. His thumb strokes her clit, and her head falls back as she surrenders to the pleasure of his touch.
She looks so beautiful with her dazed eyes and swollen lips.
After a few minutes, Cassie comes hard with Emiliano’s fingers still inside her. He holds her as her small, delicate body shakes with the orgasm. He should be inside her now. His erection is painful.
His intercom buzzes, and his secretary’s voice fills the room.
“They’re still waiting for you, Mr. Rodriguez.”
Emiliano gently pulls his fingers out of Cassie and stands up. He extends his other hand to her, but she ignores it and gets up on her own.