My Boss' Best Friend Page 6

  Jared turned to Jane. “Ms. Cooper.”

  She automatically straightened, hearing her CEO speak to her.

  “Let me take you home.”

  And that was unmistakably a CEO ordering his employee.

  Jane bit her lip.

  Christian’s gaze narrowed at his friend. “That’s unexpectedly underhanded of you.”

  “I didn’t get to where I am by playing nice,” Jared retorted, “and neither did you.”

  Christian’s arm tightened around Jane. “Don’t let him intimidate you, pet. He’s not really going to fire you.”

  “But if he does,” Jane muttered under her breath.

  “Trust me.”

  She gulped.

  AMC’s CEO stared at her. “What is it to be, Ms. Cooper?”

  Her lips parted, but the words just wouldn’t come. It was so embarrassing to actually pick a name.

  Christian was amused when Jane started unconsciously moving backward until she was hiding behind his back like a child trying to escape from a sermon.

  And then he heard her mumble, “I’d rather not put you through more trouble—-”

  Christian stiffened. Fuck. What if she thought she was taking him away from work and so she had ended up choosing his friend?

  “—-sir.”

  The last word was practically inaudible, but both men heard it and understood.

  Christian reached for Jane’s hand behind his, and as soon as her fingers twined with his, he squeezed her hand tightly, his heart still hammering against his chest.

  Fuck.

  That had been a major fucking scare.

  He looked at Jared. “She’s mine for the night.”

  Jared acknowledged his words with a cock of his head. “True.” He stepped towards his limousine then paused before entering, saying, “But remember that she’s mine for the day.”

  “Wanker,” Christian muttered as AMC’s CEO was driven away.

  Jane choked back a laugh. “I thought you were friends.”

  Christian glanced down at her, surprised. “We are.”

  “B-but you just called him a wanker,” she protested.

  “So?” They started walking towards the parking lot.

  “And you seemed like you were on the verge of a fistfight the entire dinner.”

  “That’s normal between us,” Christian dismissed as he opened the car door for her. Sliding behind the wheel, he told her, “It’s no big deal, pet. Don’t worry your head about it.”

  Seeing that Christian did mean every word, she said slowly, “I don’t think I want to be friends with you guys. It’s too complicated—-ah!”

  Christian had suddenly pulled her towards him, his mouth conquering hers with hungry intent.

  Her arms wrapped around him, and she kissed him back just as hungrily, her toes curling hard inside her shoes.

  “Let’s stop fucking talking about him,” Christian muttered against her lips.

  His accent had become so much crisper and thicker with each word, and the sound had her senses reeling.

  Did he know how sexy his accent was? Did he?

  “I don’t even want you to think about another man.” He bit her lip hard. “Do you hear me?”

  She could only moan.

  “And you made me think for one second that you’d choose him.” His mouth moved down. “I won’t forgive you for that.” He sucked on her neck, and Jane whimpered, her fingers gripping his hair tightly.

  When he lifted his head, his eyes burned with sexual need, and her throat dried.

  “Christian,” she whispered achingly.

  He groaned. “Fuck.”

  And then he was unzipping his pants, and when Jane realized what he was doing, she heard herself whisper, “Let me.”

  She didn’t know where she found the courage to say such words, didn’t know how she could actually keep her hands from shaking too hard to complete the task, but she did.

  Jane unzipped him and pulled his cock out. It was fully erect, jutting proudly and throbbing powerfully between her fingers.

  “Just now,” Christian rasped. “Touch me.” His fingers wrapped over hers and he began teaching her how to stroke him. “It’s your fucking punishment, for making me jealous.”

  His hand released hers, and she began stroking him on her own.

  Punishment, he had said, but this...this felt more like a reward.

  His cock was incredibly responsive, and Jane’s body tightened at the thought that she could make a man like Christian Ravenhearst feel this way.

  She stroked him slowly at first, taking her time to make sure that every inch of him felt her touch. And when Christian’s breathing became ragged and even she couldn’t wait, she stroked him faster, her fingers tightening around his cock.

  “Yes,” Christian hissed.

  She stroked him as fast as she could, and when she saw his burning gaze settle on her chest, she realized that her breasts were jiggling with every stroke of her hand.

  He suddenly moved forward, drawing one fabric-covered nipple into her mouth, sucking hard, and she gasped. Her fingers moved faster, squeezing, and when he sucked even harder on her nipple, she reached for his balls, cupping them—-

  Christian jerked.

  And then he was coming, his teeth biting down on her nipple, and she screamed even as she continued rubbing his cock, wanting everything out.

  Her “punishment” resumed when they made it back to his place, but only as far as the couch, which he had flung her on just before kneeling down, impatiently tearing her skirt and panties out of the way.

  And then he was fucking her with his tongue.

  She threw her legs over his shoulders just as his hands delved under her ass, squeezing the cheeks hard before lifting her up.

  His mouth moved to her clit, and when he sucked on it hard, she shattered easily, screaming, and he lifted her even higher, her butt in the air, her legs pounding his back while she held on to his head, feeling like her world was being torn apart——

  And she never wanted it to end.

  After, she lay on top of him, her body reduced into a limbless heap of exhaustion.

  He stroked her hair all the while, the movement...tender.

  But she didn’t think she could – or should – tell him that.

  “Jane.”

  His British accent was so damn evident at that moment, her pussy actually quivered at the sound.

  He felt it of course, and Christian chuckled. “Does that mean you’re ready, pet?”

  “Please, no,” Jane begged. If he made her come again so soon, she didn’t think she’d be able to walk tomorrow.

  “Alright.” His hand on her hair stilled. “But you know what I intended to say, don’t you?”

  Ah. She gave a tiny nod against his chest.

  “And?”

  “It’s just too fast,” she whispered.

  “Is it?” His hand resumed stroking her hair. “Or could it be you think it’s safer if you wait for a declaration of love?” Christian tipped her chin up. “It’s not that I can’t or don’t want to love you, pet. And I know you’re smart enough to know that.”

  Yes. She was. But what her brain knew, her heart didn’t always understand.

  “I wish I had some kind of traumatic story to share with you, so you’d understand that I have this psychological problem that prevents me from falling in love. But the truth is – I’m as normal as they go. Before my work took over my life, I had a pretty ordinary family – I was an only child, but my parents were great, and I grew up loved and disciplined.”

  Just like her, Jane realized. But the difference was that Christian hadn’t let it hold him back. He hadn’t let his so-called ordinary upbringing hinder him from forging on, from bringing his work to life. He had taken risks. He had made things happen rather than wait for them. And he had done so because he had believed that his work was worth it.

  So what about her, she wondered. She loved her job, but it wasn’t an end-all be-all t
he way it was for Christian.

  What had she always wanted?

  What had she always dreamt?

  Christian suddenly cupped her cheeks. “Marry me, Jane.”

  She heard herself say, “Okay.”

  And as soon as the words slipped out, she could feel her soul drifting towards its unnamed destiny—-

  She still wasn’t certain what it was that she wanted, but marrying Christian felt like a step in the right direction.

  Chapter Seven

  Electro Trade Show

  AMC Booth

  Jane was still pinching herself every other minute or so, and every time she did the huge diamond winking on her finger would catch rays of light and proceed to blind the people around her.

  Thankfully, there weren’t that many yet. First days of trade shows were typically closed to the public and reserved only for VIP guests, and the Electro Trade Show was no different.

  “Can you get the display to start playing our video?” Sandy called out from the other end of the booth.

  “On it!” Jane had to raise her voice a little to make sure she was heard. AMC having the largest booth in the trade show was something to be proud of, but on the other hand, her throat was starting to hurt from all the yelling.

  As she switched the display and played the pre-loaded video, she caught sight of her finger—-

  The diamond on her engagement ring winked at Jane, as if saying mockingly, You go, girl.

  Jane almost made a face. Everyone had been a little bit too enthusiastic about her engagement, the news of which had spread like wildfire from AMC’s lobby all the way to the executive floor, thanks to her boss Vince.

  As it turned out, Vince was an obsessed H player, and when he learned the reason behind her resignation, his mood had swung from disappointment to ecstasy. Jane, in his exact words, was “H royalty” by virtue of her connection to its developer, and other obsessed H players working at AMC seemingly shared the sentiment. Before Jane realized what was happening, people she only knew by name and people she hadn’t even seen because they were so high up in AMC’s hierarchy were dropping by her cubicle, offering Jane congratulations and gawking at her like – well – H royalty. It was as if merely talking to Jane took them one step closer to discovering all the game’s secrets.

  If only they knew, Jane thought, discomfited. Christian had never talked to her about the “third party,” and to be honest, she was too afraid and insecure to ask why. If he said he believed she wasn’t smart enough to understand the nature of his work, she might just kill him.

  A well-dressed couple drifted towards AMC’s booth, and Jane shoved all thoughts of her newfound popularity to the side. It was time to work, and since Vince had been nice enough to reduce the required one-month notice to a mere week, the least she could do was work her ass off on her remaining days.

  Stepping forward, Jane greeted the couple with a warm smile before seguing to a brief but concise spiel about her company’s latest offerings – digital news subscription, event management apps, advertising opportunities.

  “Some of our partners include...” Jane rattled off a couple of well-known businesses, knowing full well – and not caring – that she was totally name-dropping. That was what P.R. was all about, after all.

  “If you have any questions,” Jane ended, “feel free to approach me.”

  The man smiled hesitantly. “Actually, I do have one, but it’s not...”

  Jane was concerned. “You can ask me anything.” Had bad news of any kind about AMC broken out without her getting wind of it?

  The woman blurted out, “Are you Jane Cooper, the fiancée of Christian Ravenhearst?”

  Oh. At her cautious nod, the couple grinned at each other like they had hit the jackpot. Surreal, Jane couldn’t help but think, despite knowing it was the understatement of the year. And it really was, especially for someone who used to think that the world wouldn’t even blink if she had dropped dead for no reason.

  “I’m just fangirling right now,” the woman blubbered, eyes shining with excitement. “I feel like I’m talking to Christian Ravenhearst himself. I saw the announcement on the newspaper, you know, and then when I saw your name listed on the booth, I was wondering – could it be her? Could I be so lucky?”

  As soon as the couple left, Jane quickly searched for her name on any news article, and the results that popped up had her gaping. Why hadn’t Christian told her he was going to—-

  “Oh, Jane, there you are.”

  Jane’s stomach sank. Was it too late to pretend she hadn’t heard anything? Could she still escape—-

  The news anchor came into view, her beautiful face marred by her carnivorous-looking smile.

  Shit.

  “I almost didn’t see you.”

  Shit again. Did Merry always have to make Jane feel like she was a few inches short of being visible?

  “I saw the engagement in the newspaper.” Merry’s lips curled in its best attempt at a smile.

  “Oh? Uh? Thanks?” It was hard to be coherent, with Merry staring at Jane like she was something to be chewed into pieces – for the sake of chewing.

  Another woman approached the news anchor then, and Jane almost did a double take. Wow. It was like seeing Merry’s doppelganger, never mind if the other woman had wavy auburn hair and icy gray eyes.

  It was all in the aura, Jane thought. These two acted like it was the world’s privilege to give them a Disney moment or two.

  “Is this her?” The woman was sneering at Jane.

  Jane blinked. What did I do?

  Merry looked like she was enjoying herself, drawling throatily, “Jane, darling, I don’t think you’ve met Elizannie yet?”

  Elizannie? Really? That made for a rather complicated name, like parents vomiting on the names Eliza and Anne until the two were one unidentifiable mess.

  “Bonjour,” the woman said coolly.

  Oh. French. How properly intimidating. She gave the two a dutiful smile. “Bonjour, Elz.”

  The Frenchwoman scowled. “It’s Elizannie.”

  But I don’t want to say it, Jane protested silently. It sounded stupid. But since Merry’s friend was still scowling, she reluctantly added another syllable, hoping it would be sufficient. “Bonjour, Eli—-”

  Still scowling.

  “Zan—-”

  Really scowling now.

  “Nie,” Jane finished glumly. Gah. That tasted horrible on her tongue.

  The other woman finally deigned to smile.

  Oh, goody, Jane thought. She was being rewarded.

  “It’s so nice to see women like you two so civilized,” Merry enthused. Seeing Jane blink, she elaborated with vindictive pleasure, “Elizannie used to date Christian. They’ve known each other since their university days.”

  Jane struggled to hide her surprise. “I see.”

  “Georgette must be overjoyed,” the Frenchwoman murmured.

  “I...suppose?” Who was Georgette?

  Elizannie’s icy gray eyes went wide with incredulity. “Do you mean to say you haven’t met Christian’s mother?”

  Shit. Why hadn’t she ever thought to ask the name of Christian’s mother?

  “It’s been a whirlwind thing,” Jane said lamely.

  “Évidemment,” the Frenchwoman purred.

  “Évidemment.” Jane threw the words back without thinking, hoping she could purr like a cat, but instead she ended up croaking like a frog.

  The two women laughed as they walked away.

  Shit. What the hell had she said anyway? Jane stared hard at the wall.

  Head, meet wall.

  Just as she started making good on her introduction, her head leaning towards the wall, she heard a voice murmur lazily behind her, “Good morning, Jane.”

  Jane whirled around in surprise and saw AMC’s CEO partially hidden behind the row of digital boards, leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets.

  How long had he been standing there, Jane wondered anxiously.


  Straightening, Jared commented, “That was quite an amusing showdown.”

  And with that, her question was answered.

  “Good morning, Mr. Westland,” Jane said glumly.

  “Jared, please.”

  She opened her mouth to protest.

  “Or I could always make a company-wide announcement about certain skills you have...”

  She said right away, “What do you think of our booth, Jared?”

  “I’d rather you tell me what you think of Elizannie—-” Jared broke off, his lips twitching at Jane’s side-eye. “What?”

  “Seriously?”

  “Seriously what?”

  “Seriously that name doesn’t make you choke?” she blurted out. “It’s like chocolate cake laced with, I don’t know, olive oil? They’re great separately, but not together.”

  “I see.” Jared did his best to suppress his amusement. “I’m afraid I’ve never, err, thought of it that way—-” He saw disappointment flicker in Jane’s eyes and added hastily, “But you do have a point.”

  Jane brightened. “I knoooooow.”

  Jared turned his back to Jane then, ostensibly to study the videos playing on the digital display but really, it was just his way of making sure he didn’t start laughing. When he had himself sufficiently under control, he faced her again, saying, “Have coffee with me.”

  Since Christian’s friend was using his CEO voice, Jane said, “Of course, sir. I saw a rather nice vendo close by. I’ve heard the others say it makes a mean cup of cappuccino.” She smiled politely. “Shall we, sir?”

  Touché, Ms. Cooper. Jared smiled, not at all bothered that Jane had found a way to avoid spending time with him privately. It only spoke of her loyalty, which wasn’t bad at all, and made her a challenge, which he thrived on.

  “Lead the way, Jane,” he told her, deliberately injecting a note of huskiness to her name. He was summarily remunerated with Jane’s flustered look.

  On their way to the vendo, the CEO asked her once more about her little tête-à-tête with Christian’s ex, and Jane made a face, admitting ruefully, “She made me feel properly awful over how little I know about Christian’s background.”

  “Are you saying you’ve not talked about his family once?”