Against the Rules Read online

  Contents

  Summary

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Epilogue

  Also by Ella Goode

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  Lucia needs a job and when she hears the prestigious O’Hare corporation is hiring, she throws herself into securing a position as the CEO’s personal assistant. She’s one of three, but she’s determined to stand out.

  Running a multinational corporation requires good help and strict office protocols. Finn O’Hare has a reputation for making money and closing deals. One look at Lucia and Finn’s empire is at risk because she’s the one woman who is against the rules.

  Chapter 1

  Finn

  “I am not in the market for a woman,” I tell myself. This is a business dinner with the chairman of the O’Hare Foundation Trust, and we are here to talk about serious things such as this year’s recipients of the grant. But as Rydell drones on about this cause and that, I can’t take my eyes off a stunning brunette leaning against the balcony railing, a wine glass in her hand, staring moodily into the ocean.

  She doesn’t look like she belongs at Hastings, a restaurant so exclusive that there’s no signage outside. You either know where the place is or you don’t get in. Every other person is decked out in designer gear, and not the kind you can buy in the department store but the custom made things that go straight from the runway into some celebrity or socialite’s closet. She’s wearing a plain black skirt and a black lace top that’s fraying around the edges. The heels of her shoes have little gouges in the leather and some of the gold plating on the links of the chain purse dangling off her shoulder has worn away. Also, she’s rounder than most of the women here who abide by the theorem that you cannot be too rich or too thin. A clothes hanger she is not and I like that look—a lot.

  “I also think that the dog fighting circuit should be given five million,” Rydell says.

  “Sure,” I reply absently. Her curves are part of her sex appeal, which she has in buckets. In fact, if I could bottle that up, I’d be able to sell it for millions. Her ass is the perfect size and shape for my palms. I wonder how hard the blow would be if I went over and cupped her ass. Any blow might be worth it. “Draw up the papers, Rydell. I’ll sign them tomorrow. By the way, I guess I have a new assistant. Name is Lucia Sanchez. Leave the papers with her.”

  I reach over to the table next to me and grab their bottle of red wine.

  “What the hell?” squawks the man. “That’s our Screaming Eagle Cab.”

  “Sounds delicious.” I reach inside and pull out my wallet. “Reimburse yourself.”

  “Give me that.” Rydell snatches the wallet away. “How much is the wine?”

  I leave the financial advisor to work out the gritty details while I make the acquaintance of my future wife. I might not be in the market but the only way you get wealthy in this world is taking risks when others won’t.

  Halfway to my destination, a familiar figure steps in front of me.

  “Finn, my goodness, it’s been a while.” A scarlet finger flicks my tie and then scrapes down the center of my chest.

  “I saw you yesterday on a billboard in LA.” Almost all of her. She’s more covered up tonight than she was in the ad. Talia’s the latest model for a famous jeans company. In the ad, she was sprawled across a dude’s lap, nude except for a couple of triangles of cloth over her breasts. The male model’s hand was across her crotch. I couldn’t figure out if she was selling jeans or something else.

  “That’s not what I mean and you know it.” She moves in closer. “I’m free this week. Maybe we can get together.”

  “I have commitments.” My girl turns away from the ocean and scans the crowd, her gaze falling on Talia and me.

  “But, Finn, I’m not always available.” She flicks her hair over one shoulder and then draws a hand down her chest in what I think is supposed to be an erotic move. Talia’s the daughter of my mom’s best friend, so I can’t exactly tell the woman to move because she’ll rat me out and then I’ll have to listen to a lecture by my mom about how I need to be more open to relationships and shit like that. But maybe this time I’ll be in one and I can finally fulfill my mother’s wish to be a grandmother.

  “Talia, you’re a nice girl, but it’s never going to work out between us. I’m not interested.”

  Her face screws up. “Your dick must be dead then because there isn’t a man alive that wouldn’t want me.”

  I don’t really care what Talia thinks of my dick. “Sure. Go with that.”

  “I mean, yesterday, I had two actors blowing up my phone. They were practically fighting to see who could take me out.”

  My girl starts to move toward the exit.

  “You should definitely pick one of them. Take them out and I’ll pay for your date.” I jerk my thumb over my shoulder. “Rydell is over there. Just tell him how much you want and he’ll write you a check.”

  I take off. Behind me, I hear Talia yell, “you can’t buy me! I’m too expensive for you.”

  Heads turn in my direction, but I don’t have the attention of the one I want. She moves swiftly, dropping her glass off at an empty table before stopping in front of the elevators. A waiter bends over in front of me and I have to move him. On the way to the exit, I grab two wine glasses off another table, ignoring the angry exclamations and reach the elevator right before the doors slide open.

  “After you.” I gesture toward the waiting car.

  “You left quite a mess behind you,” she observes as the doors are closing. I catch a glimpse of Rydell, Talia, and the customers whose wine glasses I stole. They’re all standing, pointing, and shouting. “That must be a really good bottle of wine you stole.”

  “Watching me, were you?” I’m delighted. This is going to be so easy. By the time we reach the first floor, I’ll have proposed and we’ll be making wedding plans on the drive back to my house where I will make love to her for the first of many times. I’d rub my hands together but they’re full.

  “It was hard not to. You stole wine from a table, insulted a famous supermodel, bumped into a waiter who spilled pasta all over an actor—“ she ticks each sin on her fingers—“and you swiped two wine glasses.”

  “All I’m hearing is that you couldn’t keep your eyes off of me, which is the same. You’re gorgeous and I’m taking you home with me tonight.”

  I don’t see the blow coming. For the record, she hits hard.

  Chapter 2

  Lucia

  “You smacked him?” My cousin B.J. asks with a shocked expression. I snag a grape off the meat and cheese board she brought home tonight. It is one of the few perks of her current job. With our financial situation being what it is, neither of us are complaining.

  “Twice.” I don’t know what came over me. I’ve never hit someone in my whole life. I've never considered myself a violent person before and now I’ve gone and hit someone two times. Not just anyone either. He’s kind of sort of my new boss. Though I’m pretty sure he doesn't know that yet. There’s a high possibility that he may have been drunk. That would be the only explanation of why he acted the way he did tonight. My only hope is that he doesn’t remember but I don’t thin
k I’m that lucky.

  That’s what I get for going to that stuffy place anyway. I’d been hesitant to begin with, feeling out of place with all of those beautiful, rich people. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me. They didn’t outwardly gawk because that would be rude and they didn’t want me to know they looked down on me, but I could tell they were all thinking it. I should have left sooner and none of this would have happened. I’d only popped in to see B.J. As stuffy as the place was, they had killer food and she often sneaks us some.

  “Wait. You smacked him twice?” She bursts into laughter. “Don’t say anything else, I’m opening the wine for this.” She pops up from the sofa heading into our small, eat-in kitchen to grab a wine opener.

  “I left a bottle on the table. No box wine for us tonight.” Not only did I hit my new boss, I also stole the bottle of wine he was carrying. One that I’m sure costs more than I make in a month.

  “Hey, I like box wine.”

  “Me too, but we might as well drink the fancy shit I snagged from Finn after I smacked him.”

  “Twice. You forgot to say twice.” She comes back into the living room with the bottle and two mismatched wine glasses. “Now. How did you end up smacking your new boss twice?”

  I groan at the word boss.

  I give her a rundown of what he’d done and said. “He thought I was just going to fall into his bed.” I roll my eyes. This was a major let down. I’d been pumped to work for Finn O’Hare. He’s made a name for himself in the investment world. I was shocked when I got one of his prized personal assistant positions. He has three. Can you believe that? I don’t know why someone needs three personal assistants, but I’d been more than happy to snag one of the spots. No one had to ask me twice.

  “The first smack I think shocked us both. Then he grabbed my wrist.”

  “He grabbed you!” B.J. starts to get up. I did hit the man.

  “Yeah, and then kissed my palm. Said I could hurt myself and that I shouldn’t do it. So when he let go I did it again to prove I can hit him all day and be just fine.”

  “This is wonderful.” B.J. is now laughing so hard that tears have arrived. “I can’t wait for your first day.” I didn’t think it was possible for her to laugh harder, but I was wrong.

  “Stop.” I say the words but her laugh is a bit infectious and I can’t help but smile. “What are the odds that my new boss would be there tonight? I mean really!”

  “Pretty high, actually. You know the type of people that come in and out of there.” I don’t know them, but I know of them. Two very different things. B.J. is the host and handles all the booking and strange requests that come in without blinking an eye.

  “He’s going to fire me.”

  “Maybe, but you’ll find another job.” She says it as though finding a job is the easiest thing. Especially one that pays this well. It took me three months to land this one and my bank account is now hurting.

  “I’m guessing I can get on where you work?”

  “It’s frowned upon to hit customers.”

  “Well, damn. What has the world come to?” I pick up my glass, taking a healthy sip. It really is good. I better enjoy it while I can because it looks like it’s only going to be wine in a box for the foreseeable future while I’m unemployed.

  “He might not fire you. We could dye your hair or something. He’ll never know it’s you.” I reach up to touch my hair that has never been subjected to dye in its life.

  “I’ll pass.” I think I’m more disappointed in finding out what Finn is really like. “I didn't think he'd be one of those pompous assholes who thinks they can buy anything they want and that you'll spread your legs because they have money.”

  “Oh, honey. They all are that way. Trust me, I know.” She would. She is surrounded by them every day. It’s worse when you have a name like B.J. and look as stunning as she does. I throw back the rest of my wine.

  “I’m going to go in there and pretend it never happened. Introduce myself like it’s the first time we’ve ever met. Maybe he’ll think it wasn’t me. The restaurant was dark.”

  “The elevator isn't.”

  “Right but still. He’d had a few glasses of something. I’m sure of it.”

  “If anyone can pull it off it’s you.” I wish I had the confidence she has in me. I have to make this work. There is no other option. Not only could my new boss fire me, but I’m sure he can get me blackballed too. I’d have to move to the other side of the world and even then he probably has reach there too. Sadly, he probably has the capability to buy anything he wants. But that doesn’t include me.

  Chapter 3

  Finn

  My dream’s a good one. She’s straddling me with her ass in my face. I’m eating out her pussy as she sucks my dick into the back of her throat. When I’m close to blowing, I pull her mouth off and slide her cunt down until she can mount me. I watch my cock shuttle in and out of her channel while her ass cheeks jiggle. I slap one round bit of flesh before grabbing her hips and holding her while I thrust inside her slick, tight heat. She moans and my eyeballs roll to the back of my head. This is good shit. Real good shit. Fuck me, baby. Use my cock.

  She climaxes, her cream coating my shaft and then my thighs. My own orgasm seizes me. A gallon of cum shoots into her pussy, and from the way her toes curl and her head throws back, the force of my ejaculation has set her off.

  Before I can make her come again, though, my alarm jolts me from my slumber. It’s time to get up. With a sigh, I roll out of bed. The sheets are a mess. I haven’t had a wet dream since I was ten or eleven. I huff out a small, chagrined laugh and make my way to the bathroom.

  A quick shower and shave later and I’m ready for my butler slash houseman slash savior of my home life, Timothy.

  “You must have a good takeover planned,” he comments as he folds a square of silk into my breast pocket.

  “Why do you say that?” I ask. “The blue tie was a good choice with the suit,” I add.

  “Thank you and I make mention because you were whistling. You do not whistle unless you’re about to make an acquisition. Is it the sporting goods company?”

  “Damn, Timothy, can’t a man whistle for the hell of whistling?”

  He doesn’t give me a reply but instead brushes some imaginary lint off my chest and steps away. “Will you be eating at home tonight or out?”

  A brief vision of a pink pussy dangling above my face flashes in front of me. “Hopefully eating at home, Timothy, but I’ll take care of it myself,” I add hastily as he was about to make a note to have the chef prepare something. Tim’s idea of a good dinner tonight is probably steak. I’m hoping for something sweeter.

  On the way to my office, I check out my face in the rearview mirror. My cheek still stings but I’m not certain if it’s the memory of getting slapped or if she actually bruised me. I’m hoping it’s the first one because otherwise her little hand has to hurt. First thing on my agenda is to get the guest list, find out her name, and send her a little care package. Jewelry always soothed all my mother’s pains so second item on my agenda will be to call Tiffany’s. Something gold and sparkly should help ease the pain in her hand.

  The head admin, Monica, greets me at the elevator.

  “You’re in a good mood,” she observes. “Your meeting with Rydell must’ve gone well. Are we taking over the sporting goods company?” she asks as the car rises swiftly.

  “Am I whistling again?”

  “Humming, actually. It’s the hum you give off when a deal is imminent.”

  “I didn’t realize I had a tell.”

  “Not during the negotiations,” she assures me. “Only after.”

  “That’s only slightly reassuring.” The doors open and I step off. Monica hurries to keep up.

  “No one who isn’t close to you would know this. It’s not like you hum loudly. So are we? Taking over the company?”

  My phone rings before I can answer. It’s Rydell. “Are you calling to tell me my portfolio ha
s crashed or doubled?”

  “Neither. I hear you’re in a good mood today. Decided on buying into that fund I recommended last night?”

  “You know why I’m in a good mood and it has nothing to do with the fund.”

  “She slapped you. Twice.”

  “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

  “I didn’t know you were into that kind of thing.”

  “We learn new things about ourselves daily. And, yes, buy into the fund.”

  “Will do and try not to get yourself slapped again.”

  “I can’t make any promises.”

  I hang up and turn to my assistant. “The party last night—I need the names of everyone in attendance. Also, get a personal jeweler from Tiffany’s on the phone. I have a purchase to make.”

  She jots everything down and doesn’t ask any unnecessary questions. Monica’s a good assistant.

  “You have a new employee meet and greet,” she says as we walk into the outer sanctum leading into my office. There are twelve employees lined up. We go down the row of the new hires, all decked out in varying shades of dark blue and black. I shake hands and welcome them to our company, making an effort to remember everyone’s name by repeating them in my head. I have a good handle on it until the end when my last new hire sends all my thoughts to the wind.

  My prey from last night stands in front of me with her hair tied back and her curves hidden under a suit that makes her look like a gray rectangle. Her eyes are shielded by a pair of thick glasses in some kind of low-rent Clark Kent disguise.