His jaw clenched, and his lips twitched. He was frustrated, but he liked it.
Two steps away.
“I don’t crawl for anyone, Mr. Black.”
One step away.
“But I’ll gladly kneel for you.”
I stood right in front of him and slowly fell to my knees, holding his gaze until my butt rested against my heels. Only then did I finally drop my gaze.
“Good girl.”
His praise sent shivers down my spine to between my legs.
“Look at me.” He nodded his approval when I followed his order before continuing. “I’m going to explain a few things, and you will listen until I finish. Understood?”
“Yes.” His brow raised slowly. “Yes, sir.”
“I’ve spent the past twenty-four hours preparing papers with my lawyer and then taking a little visit to Phillip.”
My mouth opened to ask one of the million questions that simple statement brought forth, but he held up his hand as if already prepared for my interruption. As difficult as it was, I snapped my jaw shut and forced myself to sit still, waiting for his explanation.
“After some digging, Phillip had been a shady business manager from the start—a resentful one. When I found out he was, in fact, not out of town as he claimed with you, I went to give him a little visit. These,” he said, holding the stack of papers up, “are the signed papers necessary for him to cede all control over any connection with your father’s business. Of course, there are more formalities and such to finalize it all, but the bottom line is that The Berkshire is yours.”
He paused as if giving me room to speak, but I couldn’t begin to form words. The thing I’d spent years trying to prepare for and accomplish, the goal that began to feel impossible with each rebuttal from Phillip, was being laid at my feet. I was speechless.
“As for the other companies Alec owned, I have a proposal for you.”
“Okay,” I whispered.
“I’d like to offer a merger of our shipping companies. And before you answer, I need you to know that no matter what you decide, I want this. In case that wasn’t clear, I want us. I want you. And not because of this business proposition. I want you because you are a fire bringing heat into a life I hadn’t realized was so cold. I want you because you were right. I was scared of letting someone in and being left again. I was scared of letting you in, and then ten years down the line, when I’m an old man, and you’re just digging into life, you realize I don’t fit it anymore. But even if that happens, Rose, you’re worth it. Even if I get to have you for ten years, I’ll take it.”
Each confession squeezed my lungs, or maybe my heart grew until everything tightened until it almost burst. I didn’t care. Everything warmed and swelled so big. I wanted it to swallow me whole and never let me go. I wanted to get lost in this feeling. I wanted to get lost in it with him.
“Yes.” I managed to work the word past the lump in my throat.
“Really?”
“Yes.” Fire pricked at the backs of my eyes, and I blinked to keep from crying. “Yes to it all.”
“Good.” The word was too simple compared to his smile that grew just as big as mine. I was just about to climb back to my feet and dive into his arms when he cleared his throat and shook his head. “Two more things.”
Done with the conversation, I scowled and earned a reprimanding tsk from him.
“One,” he started. His excited smile from moments before shifted back to the devious one that started all this. “I never got to taste your pussy, and I’d like to fix that now.”
My body reacted in line with his. The fast rush of emotion settled into a thick warmth. My nipples pebbled at the thought of his rough mouth between my thighs, and I almost begged him to take me to my office so he could. “Yes, sir,” I said instead, remembering what he liked.
“Good. Now, lie back and pull your skirt to your hips. Then give me your panties and spread your legs.”
My eyes pulled wide, and I glanced behind me to the door that led to the lobby. What if people were still lingering? When I looked back to Corbin, he stared with pursed lips and an impatient stare.
With a deep breath, I complied, laying back at an angle that if anyone came in, my pussy would be covered by my bunched-up skirt. I pressed my back against the cool tile and lifted my hips, dragging my lace panties down my thighs. Taking my time, I pinched my legs together, basking in the way his stare tracked every move before quickly shooting back to my core, eager to see it all.