The Beauty and the CEO Read online

  “Yep,” Zoe yelled over her shoulder, “looks that way to me.” She attempted to kick the door to the bathroom closed with the heel of her bare foot and out of the corner of her eye saw a lightning-like bolt darting toward her.

  “Good, because I’m done talking, too.”

  Will came up behind Zoe and wrapped his arms around her waist. She had just enough time to spin around, face him and open her mouth to protest. Will braced her backside and dipped her. His mouth descended on hers and Zoe loved every moment of it. Will’s left hand slid down the length of her dress and lowered the zipper, exposing her to his touch. His fingers were like feathers, tickling and caressing every inch of her. Zoe’s right leg curled up and wrapped around his waist. She moaned against him.

  Not breaking the kiss, Will lifted Zoe in his arms and brought her over to her bed. The soft mattress absorbed their weight. Will’s magical mouth made love to hers. His hands played with skin, toyed with her nipples and rolled one between his thumb and forefinger. Juices of flat-out desire flowed through her veins.

  “W—” Zoe tried to say his name when he broke the kiss, but when she pulled her head back he pressed his finger against her lips. She waited with anticipation as he moved down her body. He left a trail of sensual kisses behind her ear, neck and throat, and between her breasts. Her nipples throbbed in anticipation of the warmth of his mouth. She closed her eyes tight as she grew dizzy. Humidity hung in the air, but when Will’s tongue circled her nipples, she realized how cool her flesh was. She hadn’t known just how much she needed him.

  Will set another trail of kisses down the curve of her belly. Warm air filtered through her black panties, and when his fingers breached the material Zoe’s hips bucked forward. Zoe discovered he had at some point moved his finger from her mouth when he used both hands to slide her panties over her hips. Using his thumbs, he gently caressed the tender skin of her upper thigh. Zoe opened her legs wider for him to touch. She throbbed for him.

  Will leaned forward, and as Zoe inhaled deeply, he satiated her craving for his touch by delving his tongue into the folds of her lips. Zoe gasped silently and stared upward, where their shadows danced on the ceiling. Heat lightning flashed outside the bay windows. Her toes curled. Will’s tongue licked up and down, sucking and devouring. He sank his forefinger into her wet flesh, and she quivered and wantonly moved her legs over his broad shoulders. Each time she moaned, he pressed further with his ministrations. A wave of what Zoe expected to be the first of many orgasms came.

  Another bolt of heat lightning flashed against Will’s face. He grinned smugly and shrugged out of his shirt. Zoe didn’t dare speak. She licked her lips in eagerness and scrambled to her knees. The palms of her hands itched, wanting to touch him again. Will stood, unbuttoned his trousers and shrugged out of them and his briefs at the same time. His arousal was evident, with the massive erection pointing toward her as he rolled a clear condom over it. Zoe reached her hand to take him but he gently pushed her hand away.

  “Will?” she cried, her brows fusing together.

  “You had your chance to talk, Zoe.” Will inched closer to her. “You’ve told me all the reasons why we shouldn’t be together and now I’m going to show you why we need to be together.”

  In the darkness Will reached for the back of her thigh and, in one swift swoop, landed her flat on her back. In the process, Zoe wrapped her legs around Will’s waist. Will’s thick shaft pressed into her with ease. They both gasped when he fully filled her. A switch went off between the two of them. Their mouths clicked together and they found their perfect rhythm. Zoe’s head swam with dizziness. This was so right. So perfect. She moaned and arched her hips. Will pumped deeper. Even though she was on her back, the sensation of free-falling washed over her. Zoe clung to Will’s back, and he rolled over and positioned her on top of him.

  With her knees supporting her weight, Zoe rocked back and forth, grinding her body against his. She set the tempo to a ballroom foxtrot—quick, quick, slow. Will groaned and eased himself up so she sat in his lap. He feasted on her breasts and Zoe wrapped her arms around his neck again. Sweat drizzled between their bodies. Will nibbled her chin and licked her collarbone. His hands tightened their grip on her body, skin against skin, and guided the rhythm as he drove into her. Zoe bounced and called out his name. At one point, Zoe tossed her head back in the throes of another spectacular orgasm and noticed the rain coming down outside. Water poured against the glass as Zoe melted onto Will. He crisscrossed his arms across her back and pulled her down by the shoulders, then rolled with her, so her back was against the mattress.

  Will covered her mouth with his. Zoe mewed against him. She didn’t know where she wanted to touch him next. Her fingers splayed on his chest. Will lifted his head, offered a lopsided grin, then pulled her hands over her head and pushed against the headboard. Balancing himself on his elbows, Will stared into her eyes and made love to her visually and physically. He looked as if he was taking in an art piece. She felt exquisite and desired.

  A tear threatened at the corner of her eye. She might have cried if another orgasm hadn’t taken over. Will’s body sped up and shivered as they climaxed at the same time. Any bit of doubt she may have had over the two of them being together was washed away.

  Chapter 10

  Like the rain, the power of the storm between Zoe and Will subsided. At the crack of dawn Will rose from his well-earned slumber. Zoe lay on her side facing him. Her hands were folded in a prayer position beneath her cheek. The only thing missing was a halo over her cute, messy bed head. She looked like an angel. Will smiled when her long lashes fluttered against her cheekbones.

  Last night had been incredible. His heart filled with something unfamiliar. He never wanted this moment to end. Zoe belonged with him. Somehow he needed to figure things out. Since watching Zoe with the prom girls and hearing her explanation about appropriate makeup, Will’s vehemence about her being over-the-top had subsided.

  “Young William,” a feminine voice called out.

  If Will wasn’t mistaken, it sounded a lot like his sister Eva. She was the one who called him that. Will guessed from sound of the knock that she was at his door. This also meant her twin was somewhere close. This was the last thing he needed.

  “Let me do it. Jerraud taught me a few tricks with locks.”

  So Dana was here, as well. Naked, Will slid out of the bed and trotted back through the bathroom. He locked his side for privacy and sanity.

  “You and your husband have problems,” Eva said.

  “What? We have hobbies.”

  Will grabbed a pair of red ballers and slipped them on before he opened the door. Dana, on her knees, caught her balance before hitting the floor. Eva, however, tripped over her sister.

  “Is spying on your brother one of them?” Will asked. He leaned over to help Eva to her feet. Though she was older by a few years, she was still a foot shorter than he was.

  “Will,” Eva and Dana chorused.

  “Eva wanted to see the pageant.” Dana brushed her hands together. “I wanted to see Sasha Foxx again. It’s been a while since we walked down the runway together.”

  “Whatever. I came partially for the pageant,” Eva said, rolling her eyes. “My other reason is to figure out what’s going on between you and Zoe Baldwin.”

  The mention of her name made his heart jump. Will knew he wanted Zoe to be a part of his life for a while. He just wasn’t sure he wanted his family to know yet. Clearly Dana already discussed Zoe with Eva. It was only a matter of time before whatever story Dana came up with would spread to the family. “She’s in her room.”

  “And you know this how?” asked Eva. She sauntered into the room, her head turning as she snooped in every direction. “Where were you last night?”

  “I thought there was a formal dinner,” Dana added.

  Here came the inquisit
ion. “There was,” Will answered.

  “Where’s your suit?” Eva asked, opening the closet. “It’s not on the floor and you never pick up after yourself.”

  Will trotted to the closet and closed the doors before Eva discovered it missing. “What exactly are you two doing in Southwood?”

  “We wanted to watch the pageant,” the girls chorused. Their sound came out in sync, with Eva beside him with her hand still jiggling the closet handle and Dana on the other side inspecting his made-up bed.

  Damn. Will leaned against the closed closet and watched the twins spy. Thank God he hadn’t brought Zoe in here last night. Thinking of her put a smile to his face. To be sure he didn’t act on his thought, Will swiped his hand down his face. He needed to shave. Hell, he needed to shower. Along with the long list of things Will needed to do, he needed to figure out what the twins were up to. They glanced nervously back and forth at each other.

  “There’s more you’re not telling me,” he said.

  “And there’s something you’re not telling us,” Dana said, changing the subject. His sisters were nosy, but this nosy? “Like, who have you been with, Will?”

  Avoidance? Will scratched the top of his head. “What’s going on with the company?”

  “Nothing.” Dana shrugged her shoulders. “The whole board came into Southwood.”

  “What?” Will did a double take. The idea of his cousins, all the cousins, being there did not sit right with him. He got that RC provided the makeup. Did they make a personal trip just to deliver the goods?

  “They’re just here. No big deal. Don’t worry about it.” Eva pushed Will by the shoulder. Easy for her to say. Eva stood on her tiptoes and took a whiff of air. As Will dodged one sister by sidestepping her, the other came up behind him and inhaled. “You smell like you’ve been using our products.”

  “What’s going on, Will?” Dana asked. “Why are you so jumpy?”

  “I’m jumpy because you started banging on my door at the crack of dawn,” said Will. “Where’s the rest of the group? I know y’all don’t travel too far without them.” He waited a moment to hear the sound of destruction from his nieces and nephews.

  “This is a business trip,” they said again in unison, and giggled at themselves.

  “The anti-cousins were, uh,” Eva began, “not too happy when they learned from Marcus that Zoe Baldwin was here as the beauty consultant.”

  “Great,” Will mumbled. “Which ones are here?”

  “Dixon, Katie, Brandon and Charles.” Eva used her fingers to tick off the names. “And Cora came.”

  “Cora’s neutral,” Will said. One of the youngest of the Ravens, Cora was too busy living her life as a college student to helm a corporation.

  “She didn’t think it was fair that one interviewee got special treatment.”

  Irritation consumed Will. His knuckles cracked as he made a fist. This would be worse for Zoe now if she did get the position. Knowing Will and Zoe had spent time here together might bug Cora enough to side with the anti-cousins.

  “I don’t get why they’re so quick to make a decision on the position if they are ready to call it quits. Something doesn’t add up.”

  “Your guess is as good as mine,” Dana sighed. “But you know we have your back in whatever decision you make.”

  “Well, if you ladies don’t mind, I need to get dressed.”

  Dana was the first to roll her eyes. “Whatever. We used to change your diapers when you were little.”

  Eva punched him in the arm. “Don’t be so modest.”

  “I’m grown now,” Will clarified and puffed out his chest. “Let the record show, you two forced me to play house with you when I was walking and out of diapers.”

  There was a laundry list of things Will wanted to say to prove to his sisters he was a grown man but Dana’s phone rang.

  “No,” Dana sighed. “We’re up in his room. No, he’s awake.”

  For a moment Will wondered who his sister was on the phone with, but he heard Donovan’s distinct deep voice on the other end of the call. “Get out of his room so he can get ready.”

  “Fine, whatever,” Dana huffed.

  The next time he went out with his brother, Will was buying for the night. He strolled over to the bedroom door and yanked it open. “Tell Donovan I owe him.”

  The girls began to leave, but not before Eva sized him up. “We’re not done here, mister.”

  And somehow Will knew they weren’t. Once the girls left, Will pressed his ear against the door to make sure his nosy sisters’ voices traveled down the stairs. The first thing he needed to do was make sure Zoe was okay and, hopefully, still asleep. He pulled open the bathroom door and found Zoe leaning against the double sink with her arms folded. Long, dark strands of hair spilled over her shoulders. A yellow-and-white polka-dot towel was wrapped around her succulent brown body. Jealous of the terrycloth material, Will forgot what he wanted to say.

  “So,” Zoe sighed with a grin. “You wore diapers longer than the average child, huh?”

  “You heard that?” Will bit his bottom lip to keep from cursing and quite possibly blushing over this revealed secret.

  “Just the most important part.” Zoe giggled. “I bet you were a cute kid. I can’t wait to see pictures of you when you were younger. Did they dress you up, too?”

  “My sisters are crazy.”

  “They sound like fun,” Zoe said, “and concerned.”

  “That concern is called being nosy.” Will reached out and stuck his finger into the crease in Zoe’s towel. He tugged but she stood her ground.

  Zoe shook her head. She pulled away and Will issued a silent prayer that the towel would fall. He didn’t think he’d ever get tired of seeing her body. The curves. The softness. The wetness.

  “In less than thirty-six hours...” Zoe began.

  “We’ll be on our first date?” Will dropped his hand and stroked his face again, remembering he needed to shave. “Or are we going for round six tonight?”

  “I believe we made it to round seven,” Zoe said with a wink. “I see why you have this TOP tattoo.” Soft fingers brushed against the space above his heart.

  “That’s my fraternity.”

  Her perfect lips formed an O.

  “Didn’t you pledge anything in college?” There was something about the striped tube socks Zoe wore that gave him the image of her in a pledge line.

  More of Zoe’s hair spilled over her shoulders when she shook her head. “Did you forget I was a nerd?”

  A nerd was the furthest thing from his mind.

  “Well, I was. There weren’t too many sorority girls asking me to join or any frat guys banging on my door to date me. The Greek life didn’t work out for me.”

  The only person who was going to bang on her door from here on out was going to be him. He couldn’t wait to see what her place looked like. Did she have the same kind of posters on her walls as she did in her childhood bedroom? “I’m looking forward to our date tonight.”

  “Tonight?” Zoe perked up.

  “We can have our first date when we return to Miami,” Will clarified. “And perhaps tonight I’ll keep better track of how many times you climax.”

  “But then again, if tonight is our first date, I ought to behave. I wouldn’t want you to get the wrong impression of me.”

  “You’ve already made an impression, baby.”

  Zoe stepped up and gave him a kiss on his chin. The soft feel of her tongue and nibble of her teeth fueled his erection. “I’ll impress you more this afternoon.”

  “Speaking of this afternoon,” Will groaned, “I am afraid my brothers are here, as well.”

  “A family affair?”

  “Well, we are sponsoring all the makeup.” Will lifted the lavender jar of lotion and
opened the top. Slowly he dipped his finger into the creamy white center and pulled out a dollop on his finger, then swiped it across her bare shoulder. “Which means the only products you can use are Ravens.”

  “I can make that work.” Zoe leaned her head to the side and kissed his thumb.

  “And it should mean the only products on you should be Ravens.”

  Zoe dropped the towel. “What about putting a Ravens body part in me?”

  And who was he to say no?

  * * *

  After a quick tryst in the shower, Zoe kissed Will goodbye and headed next door to the pageant. There was a nice-sized building off to the side of the hotel that was home to small concerts. Today it held fifty girls, all aiming to win the crown of Miss Southwood. Parents and children, fans and talent scouts already filled the seats. Children in fluffy dresses practiced their dance moves in the hallway and aisles. Older teens fiddled with their cell phones as they stood around in line, waiting for hair and makeup.

  Zoe waved to her new friends, the production crew. Her feet barely hit the ground on her way to the beauty room. She and Will had plans for tonight. Zoe pushed the job out of her mind for now. Their future held nothing but excitement.

  “Hey, Zoe,” Lily exclaimed. “We’re stuck over here.” She waved a metallic fingernail file with a cream-colored handle in the air to catch Zoe’s attention.

  All the nail accessories and products at Lily’s station bore the signature cream, gold and lavender colors of Ravens Cosmetics, but the dozens of bottles were filled with various bright colors, stemming from the brightest of pinks and neon blues, to the soft classic pale pink and even to a black. It was refreshing to see Ravens stepping to the plate to meet their competitors.

  “Swanky digs you’ve got here,” Zoe said with a low whistle. Ravens Cosmetics had gone all out to make sure their name was seen.

  Lily nodded her head in agreement. “As is y’all’s.”

  “Y’all’s?”

  “Sorry,” Lily blushed. Zoe loved the shade of red on her cheeks. She clearly did not need any makeup. “I’ve been in Southwood too long. I meant you guys have a nice setup over there.”