I didn't know if it would be that simple to go an hour without thinking about my father's precarious situation, my dumb cousin's criminal blunder or my job prospects—but if any man could make me forget my troubles, it was Yuri.
* * *
Later that night, Yuri sat at his desk and finished up the last of his nightly correspondence. He'd been reading through the day's reports while enjoying a drink and the light notes of Scheherazade over the office's sound system.
Across the office, Lena lounged on the sofa and quietly tapped away at her laptop. She'd already had her evening bath and had changed into a tiny pair of striped shorts and a tank top. Though he'd wanted to join her in that bath, work had beckoned him. As much as he wanted to blow it off to spend an evening enjoying her supple curves and pleasured sighs, there were hundreds of employees who depended on him to maintain focus.
Soon, he promised himself, and picked up the next stack of paperwork that needed his attention.
The folder Anna had dropped by the house caught his eye. He shifted aside the geology reports from the newly proposed mine and picked up the folder. Inside, he found a thick stack of papers and a cover sheet with Lena's personal details and a quick synopsis of the contents of the dossier.
Feeling suddenly uncomfortable, he glanced at her but she remained none the wiser. His heartbeat kicked up a few notches as he quickly perused the file. She had a clean credit report and surprisingly high balances in her checking and savings accounts. He had a good idea of the salary she'd earned at the PR firm so he now understood just how frugal she truly was.
Her father's photographs from his driver's license and passport didn't show the hardened criminal he'd expected but a tall, lean, clean-cut Latino man in his fifties who could have easily passed as a white-collar type. The rap sheet attached to an older mug shot wasn't nearly as long as others he'd seen. Joe Cruz had nothing on Ivan or Nikolai.
"Yuri?"
He slammed the folder shut. Hoping he didn't look as guilty as he felt, he met her questioning gaze. "Yes?"
"What do you know about crisis management firms?"
Setting aside the folder, he chuckled softly. "That if I had one on retainer I wouldn't be dealing with this pipeline bullshit. Why do you ask?"
She closed her laptop and put it on the cushion next to her. "Ty Weston called me earlier, before you came home."
"Oh? And what did Houston's biggest mouth want?"
"To talk to me about going into business with him."
Yuri blinked a few times before his brain processed what she'd said. "You go into business with that gossip columnist?" He laughed harshly and put his metaphorical foot down. "I absolutely forbid it."
Now she was the one laughing and rolling her eyes. "Oh please. Like that works with me!"
"It does with Erin whenever Ivan says it," he grumbled.
"Well, I'm not Erin and I don't find the alpha caveman thing as hot as she does."
Ignoring her remark, he asked, "Why in the world would you want to go into business with a man who has a reputation like Ty Weston?"
She snorted. "Did you really just ask me that? You the billionaire playboy infamous for his high-profile, love 'em and leave 'em romances? You with an inner circle of friends that includes two felons and mob connections?"
He held up his hand. "All right. Point taken."
"Look," she rose from the couch and came toward his desk, "I haven't agreed to anything. We're meeting for lunch tomorrow to discuss his idea."
Walking around his desk, she leaned back against it and exposed those sexy legs of hers to his approving gaze. Running his hand down her thigh, he asked, "And what exactly is his idea?"
"He made the point that what I seem to do best is rescue businesses in trouble. Tai and Chuy's restaurants, Benny's bakery, 716, the restaurants and two clubs I worked with when I first started interning at the firm." She ticked off the locations on her fingers. "It's like my whole career has been built around that one area of expertise."
"That explains why you felt stagnant and bored in your old position." He let his fingertips drift down the smooth curve of her knee. "You only find excitement in being challenged and once the businesses are doing well your work is done. What does Ty plan to bring to the table?"
"I'm damn good at working social networks but Ty understands how scandals and crises play out in the media in ways I never will."
"Because he exploits them and uses them to for link bait to increase his page hits and drive advertising dollars into his bank account," Yuri retorted with some disgust.
Her eyes brightened. "I'm surprised you know the term link bait."
He dragged his fingers along the inside of her thigh, creeping right up to the first touch of cloth before stopping. "When I first became aware of you, I got to know you via your social media platform. You actually had a post that first day I started following you making fun of link baiting."
"Really?" She seemed oddly touched. "I can't believe you've been paying attention to me that long."
"I couldn't help myself. From the first moment you came into my view, I couldn't think of anyone else."
"Not even Tanya?"
He smiled at her catty tone and lifted her tank top a few inches, baring the sloping pane of her belly. "Tanya Who?"
She smacked his arm. "Nice save."
"Hardly," he whispered and leaned forward to press his lips to her naked skin. "I intend to have you here. On my desk," he added, in case she had any doubts. "Every time I sit here to wade through reports from my staff, I want to be inundated with the memories of you riding my cock."
As he snaked his hand under her shirt to cup her breast, she reached down and plucked an expertly hidden condom from the waistband of her shorts. With a mischievous grin, she tossed it onto his desk. "Take me."
He nipped at her navel. "I love a girl who is always prepared."
Giggling, she raked her fingers through his hair. The sensation of her short nails scratching at his scalp sent a tingling shiver down his spine. His cock throbbed to life. The memory of her soft lips wrapped around his cock last night made his balls ache and his groin tighten.
"You make me crazy." He grasped the waistband of her shorts and dragged them down her hips. She wore no panties and he appreciated it immensely. Dotting kisses alone her soft skin, he whispered, "I keep telling myself to go slow, to make love to you gently and take my time, but then I see you like this and I lose control."
Gripping his hair, she widened her stance and offered him access to the place he most wanted to visit. "I like it when you lose control. I like the way you make me feel."
Sliding to his knees, Yuri shoved his chair out of the way and nuzzled his face between her thighs. "Right now, I plan to make you feel very, very good."
He pushed her shorts all the way down her legs so she could kick them off. The moment the restricting fabric was out of his way, he grasped her thighs and shoved them apart. With one long lick, he swiped the seam of her sex. She inhaled sharply and then mewled like a kitten when his tongue probed her folds and found her clit.