Naughty Takeover: An Enemies to Lovers Romance (Boardroom Games Book 3) Read online

  “Don’t bother. I’ll have a copy of both binders sent directly to you and they won’t be handed over unless you’re there to sign for them directly. If you’re still interested in helping out, then I prefer to deal with you directly.” Before his assistant decided to go all Fatal Attraction on me.

  “Fine, that’s probably for the best.” He glanced down at his expensive watch and then up at the chalkboard menu above the register. “Do you have time to meet now?”

  “No. I have other stops I need to make before picking up the cake samples to take over to Poppy.”

  He frowned again, unhappy with this news. “I thought we were both doing that.”

  “You want to drive across town to pick up cake samples, drive them back to Poppy’s, go over the notes from the baker, and help her make a decision?”

  He grinned. “I do. Thanks for asking, Talia.” He let my name roll of his tongue like he was a Spaniard or something. It was sexy, and he damn well knew it. I crossed my legs under the table to stave off the ache his presence often caused.

  “You can’t be serious.”

  He smiled and leaned back, casual as you please as he flung one arm along the back of the booth. “I can, and I am. Pick me up in front of the office?”

  “Follow me to my car, or have your assistant set up a ride for you.” With any luck she’d send him to her apartment and I could finish my day in peace.

  “If you’re that impatient to get me alone, let’s go.” He grabbed the other half of my sandwich just as I started to wrap up for later.

  “Hey, that’s my food!”

  He shrugged. “Now it’s mine.”

  I glared again at his entitled ass, so much like Frederico it made me physical ill. Desperate to get away, I left Lukas sitting inside the deli while I left a tip for the pink haired girl and stormed out, walking as fast as my fabulous stilettos would carry me to get as far away from the man as possible.

  “Jackass.”

  “You forgot me, Talia!” His footsteps sounded behind me, and I knew when I was beat. For now. “Why’d you leave?”

  I could hear the smile in his voice, I turned and I pointed at him. “Stop talking. Just stop talking. Right. Now.” Maybe if he was silent for the next few hours I’d make it through this without an arrest for murder.

  To his credit, Lukas didn’t speak. But the spectacle he made while trying not to laugh was making me second guess my stance on the color orange.

  Lukas

  I was getting to Talia.

  She would never admit it, but I could see the truth of it in the way her eyes flared with unbanked desire, the way her mouth parted ever so slightly when I stood too close. And my personal favorite, that delicate slip of skin at her throat that fluttered like a butterfly’s wing in my presence. It could just be annoyance, but always the optimist, I like to think it was desire.

  That’s why I was standing in the doorway to her office, watching her in a teal dress that clung to her hips and ass. It was a thing of beauty, round and heart-shaped. Just a bit more than a handful, her ass was pure perfection. Even though the dress stopped just above her knee, it looked as sinful as if she were naked. And then it happened. The moment she realized she wasn’t alone and froze with her ass aimed right at me, such a blissful few seconds.

  But when she straightened up and turned, there was a war within me. Do I let my eyes drop down to her amazing tits that looked like a solid D cup, which is what my dick wanted, or do I keep my gaze trained on her face, so I could see that flash of lust and happiness when she saw me? It was a no brainer, my brain overrode my cock, reveling in that flash of emotion before it quickly disappeared from her sweet face.

  “Hey Talia.”

  “Lukas. What are you doing here?”

  Not exactly a warm welcome, but I was tough. “I’m here because we have plans.”

  Her auburn brows furrowed, and I lasered in on three little freckles on the bridge of her nose in the shape of a triangle. “No, we don’t.”

  She took a step back when I moved forward, but my hands landed on her shoulders before she could get too far away and slid down her arms until her hands were inside mine. “Do you trust me?”

  “Not in the least,” she laughed lightly, but she was shit at hiding her emotions, and I could see excitement shining in her eyes.

  “Okay fine.” I rolled my eyes, ignoring the disappointment kicking my gut at her answer. “Don’t trust me, just come with me, and know that I won’t let any harm come to you.”

  She sucked in a breath, and her raspberry lips curled up into a smile. “I can do that.”

  Thank fuck. “Come on then.” I stood by the door, and when she was ready, kept my hand at her back until we were in my midnight metallic blue Porsche 918 Spyder.

  “Of course you have this car,” she muttered as she slid into the passenger seat.

  I kept quiet until we were on the road. “What do you mean?”

  “You’re a cliché, Lukas.”

  “Please call me Luke.”

  “You’re a cliché, Luke. Rich, gorgeous playboy with the fancy sports car. Makes me wonder if you’re compensating for something.” I laughed and reached for her wrist. “What are you doing?”

  “Letting you decide for yourself if I’m compensating.” Her whole body tensed, but my hold was light, and one gentle pull from her separated us.

  “Not necessary,” she said, relaxing into the seat. “So, where are we going?” But I held her off with questions about wedding details, because I wanted this to be a surprise.

  “We’re almost there.” By the time we arrived at our destination, Talia was anxious. Restless. She jumped out of the car and began to stretch, making my mouth water as her ass came into view again. I adjusted my pants before she noticed.

  We were an hour outside the city, the air was fresh and dewy, and I knew the moment Talia spotted the church. “It’s gorgeous!” She grabbed at my arm, looking up at me with a wide-eyed smile that hit me right in the cock. “Look at those stained glass windows,” she pointed as I pulled her along, towards the entrance. “Oh my!” She ran up ahead and ran her hands along the thick wooden doors with the oversized steel handles. “Wow, just wow!”

  I caught up to her, and pushed the doors open with a flourish as though I’d done something great.

  “Go on in, you know you want to.”

  She hesitated for one second and then dashed in, taking in all the details carved into the wooden pews, the imagery in the blue, red and yellow stained glass windows. The sun sent in thick shards of light, giving the pulpit an unusual glow.

  “How did you find this beauty?”

  “Someone I know mentioned it was available.” She didn’t need to know that I’d put out feelers for wedding locations even among my former bedmates. I didn’t owe Talia an explanation, but I felt like I did, and that irked me. I stood by the door watching her take in the view, walking down the back hall to check out the other details.

  “A bridal suite!” Yeah, I’d done a good job. The smile she wore when she came back was evidence of that. “It’s perfect. I took a thousand photos, but I know Poppy will love it.” She stepped outside and looked at me. “Do you think it would be too much to ask people to drive to another location for the reception after driving all the way out here for the wedding? Maybe we could charter a bus or something.”

  “Stop right there. No one is showing up to my brother’s wedding in a fucking bus.”

  “Snob.”

  I rolled my eyes. It might be true, but I was also right. “This is a friends and family event, no networking, or media, or any of that bullshit. The church won’t fit more than a hundred, maybe one hundred and fifty people, so if we need to, we can get a fleet of limos, but we might not have to.”

  I loved that shocked look on her face, when her plump lips formed a sexy little ‘o’. I imagined she’d wear that same expression the moment she came undone around my cock. I would have loved to look at her longer, but we had a long walk ahead
, and I didn’t think her fuck-me heels would manage in the dewy grass, so I scooped her up into my arms.

  “What in God’s name are you doing?!”

  “Pay attention, Talia. And don’t swear, we’re in front of a church.” I whispered in her ear, nipping it and enjoying the shiver that rolled up her body. My body practically vibrated from having her lush curves in my arms. Her squirming wasn’t making things better, but I was a fit, and soon we were at our next location. I set her down, so we were face to face. “Okay, keep an open mind, and let me know what you think.”

  She turned and sucked in a breath while I held mine, waiting for her to say something cutting, something guaranteed to put me in my place.

  “It’s perfect.” Her smile was satisfied, and I finally exhaled. “We have a lot to do to get it ready, but it’s doable. Totally doable. This is…so great, Luke.”

  That smile right there, it made me feel ten feet fucking tall. For once. “See, I’m not totally useless.”

  She frowned. “I never said you were.”

  That was true, she was never that openly rude. “You didn’t have to,” I grumbled and headed back to the car.

  I hated that I let Talia’s words get to me. It’s not like I expected her to fawn all over me just because other women did—all other women did—but I was charming and handsome, with the cherry of being rich on top. Besides all that, I knew Talia wanted me too. Maybe it was pride or ego, or maybe I needed to just move on.

  I would, too. As soon as I fucked her and got her out of my system.

  “Okay, what’s going on Luke? All of a sudden I have the ability to hurt your feelings?”

  I snorted, angry and simmering. “Don’t flatter yourself sweetheart.”

  “Good,” she spat at me. “Then stop acting like a baby. We have a lot of work to do, and it’d go a lot faster if you weren’t sulking the entire time.”

  I should have been pissed off, at least offended by her harsh words. But I wasn’t. I was amused and impressed. I was turned on. “Just because you don’t like me Talia, doesn’t make me a bad person.”

  “I don’t think you’re a bad person, and I don’t dislike you either.”

  “I call bullshit. You go out of your way to let me know what you think, and that’s fine, you don’t have to like me. Just don’t disrespect me.”

  I realized being an asshole wouldn’t get me what I wanted. To part those creamy thighs, I would have to pursue her. I hadn’t chased after a woman in a long time, but the challenge might be nice.

  “I wasn’t trying to, but I’m sorry Luke. You act like nothing can get to you, so I guess I just assume it’s true.”

  “Have dinner with me.”

  “What? No. That’s not a good idea.” She shook her head and continued to mumble about what a bad idea it was, trying to convince herself more than me. “A very bad idea.”

  I smiled. She was nervous. Good. “It’s a great idea. We can eat while we work. We have a lot to accomplish over the next few months and it’ll be easier to get it done if we do it more than one hour at a time.”

  “And how do you propose we spend five hours working at a table at some exclusive restaurant downtown?”

  I grinned. “You’re right. I’ll make us dinner at my place.” She opened her mouth, and a strangled sound came out that made me chuckle. “Can’t think of a good reason to say no?”

  “No, dammit.”

  I laughed outright that time, not even giving a damn when she smacked my chest or pinched my arm.

  “Good. I’ll see you at six.”

  Talia

  What the hell was I thinking, letting Luke con me into coming to his place for dinner?

  It was the spider issuing an invitation to the fly, who was then stupid enough to accept it under the guise of work. I was sure we would get work done, just as I was sure that he’d have my panties on the floor, and his cock buried deep inside me before I set foot outside his apartment again. Even knowing he had an ulterior motive, my desire to get ahead on my work made me willing to chance it. Or so I told myself.

  I was pathetic.

  But I was here, and I needed to prove to myself that I had more willpower than lust, if only to myself. So, I smiled at the nice doorman when he walked me to the elevator and pressed a few buttons to take me to Luke’s floor. I used the ride up to give my appearance a final check in the mirrored doors. I’d gone casual in a green wrap dress with golden flats.

  Just to make sure he knew, that I knew, that this was not a date.

  The doors opened and Lukas was right there, acting like a pod person. He was nice and charming. Sweet, even.

  “Talia you look…stunning.” His eyes were sincere and with the gold flecks more prominent, he never looked more like a big cat on the prowl. “As always.”

  “Thanks, Luke. What’s all this?”

  Because the place did not feel like a home where two people would be working most of the night. Nope, it looked like the stage was set for romance. The flames of several candles flickered, adding a hint of ambiance to an already dimly lit space. Low seductive music streamed from somewhere, and he’d changed into a pair of dark jeans and a blue shirt that did amazing things for his eyes. And his chest. And arms. But what really got to me, was his bare feet and the apron. He looked at home in the kitchen.

  He made a delicious picture. Things were going badly for my resolve already.

  “This is dinner. As promised.” He flashed that panty melting smile that somehow still had a boyish charm about it, and I felt myself crumble a bit more.

  “Smells good. Which door is the chef hiding behind?”

  He smiled again, this time it was a tad sheepish. “I’m right here, every sexy inch of me.”

  That was the damn truth. He was a walking, talking wet dream. “You look nice too, Luke.”

  He scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Take off your clothes. Have a seat and I’ll get you a drink.”

  “My clothes?”

  He turned innocently. “Isn’t your coat technically an item of clothing?”

  “You’re a real smart ass, aren’t you?” We both knew he was, and Luke only shrugged in return, like the troublemaker he was. I hung up my coat and set my purse down, taking a seat at the tall stool in the breakfast nook. It was close enough that we could talk, but far enough that I wouldn’t get hit with any flying bits of food. “This kitchen is great.”

  “I love it. When I got this place, we gutted the whole kitchen and turned it into this. Six burners, two ovens, a warming oven and a baking station.”

  “You cook a lot?”

  He shrugged. “Not as much as I would like to, but I like to cook. Blake made sure we learnt the basics, and since he pretty much raised us, that meant I did a lot of the cooking.”

  Something new I hadn’t known about the Sayers family. “I’ll have a-,”

  “Martini,” he cut me off and set a chilled cocktail glass in front of me with two olives and, if I wasn’t mistaken a hint of brine.

  “Perfect,” I told him after a long, icy sip. “Thanks, Luke.”

  “My pleasure.” The words, I was sure, held a double meaning.

  When he brought out dinner, duck stir fry with fried noodles and the most delicious spicy ginger sauce I’d ever tasted, I was rethinking my stance on sleeping with Luke Sayers.

  “Damn Luke, this is fantastic. I want to find a flaw, because let’s face it, your ego doesn’t need it, but it’s very good.”

  He beamed a proud smile across the table. “Thank you, Talia. I’m happy you’re satisfied. For now.”

  I pressed my heels into the floor to stop the shiver that threatened at his sensual words, his sexy tone. “Let’s hope dessert doesn’t disappoint.”

  “Not a chance.”

  I was surprised Luke had easily set aside the flirting so we could get a few tasks accomplished. Well, he set aside the flirting as much as a man like him was capable of, but we got plenty done where NAC was concerned, including a new logo that combined b
oth company’s logos, a new font and wording for the sponsorship signs that would be placed strategically so we could get the most marketing for our bucks.

  “I’m stuffed.” Something else I would never admit to a guy, not because I was afraid he might not like me, but because I never let relationships get even that serious. We talk, we fuck and we say goodbye. But Lukas wasn’t just any guy, he was a man who would be in my life for the foreseeable future, which meant I could say whatever I liked.

  “Not yet, but I can help with that.”

  “Oh god,” I groaned at his lines, maybe because they were getting to me, or because he was so relentless, but probably a little of both.

  “That’s a good start to what you’ll be saying.” He stood with a confident air that I found less and less unattractive the more he did it. “Let’s have a nightcap and then I’ll walk you to your car.”

  “I drove, no nightcaps for me. But I’ll take another slice of that tart if you’re offering.”

  “Or we could have it as a middle of the night snack?”

  “Maybe another time,” I said before my brain could stop me, and his eyes gleamed. I knew I was doomed. “I mean, not a good idea.”

  “I heard what you really meant Talia, and to prove it, I’m going to walk you to your car.” I gathered my belongings and stood beside him as the elevator doors opened. We both stepped inside and at first the car was silent.

  At first.

  Then Luke turned to me and used his height advantage to back me into the corner, cupping one side of my face and shoving his hands into my hair with his other hand.

  “Talia.”

  “Luke,” I said, breathing in the martini he’d had with dinner, and the sweet fruitiness of dessert. When his lips touched mine, none of my earlier reservations seemed to matter one bit. His lips were firm and soft, but his kiss was skilled, a practiced seduction that I was powerless against.

  It had been too long since my last lover, and even that was on Luke. He had me so disjointed, so desperate not to fall into old traps that I’d shut down altogether. And now his touch, his kiss was about ninety seconds from my first non-self-induced orgasm in months. But I couldn’t let that happen, my ego wouldn’t allow it, so I let my hands take over, using his big, muscular body as my own personal playground.