My Flower (A Dirty Boss Romance Book 3) Read online

  My Flower

  A Dirty Boss Romance

  C.M. Steele

  Copyrighted © 2022

  All Rights Reserved

  No part of this book may be reproduced, copied or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without written expressed permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is purely coincidental.

  Cover design: Cormar Covers

  The use of actors, artists, movies, TV shows and song titles/lyrics throughout this book are done so for storytelling purposes and should in no way be seen as advertisement. Trademark names are used in an editorial fashion with no intention of infringement of the respective owner’s trademark.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or if it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it to the seller and please purchase your own copy.

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Epilogue

  Mr. Hardwick will deal with his new assistant as he sees fit.

  She wasn’t his to begin with, but knowing she wasn’t in his reach had been too much. Now that he had her just feet away, how could he make her his without sending her running to human resources?

  A hint of attraction is all he needed to claim what had been on his mind from the moment she called out his name and took away his pain.

  My Flower is the 3rd standalone in A Dirty Boss Romance Series.

  Chapter One

  Lincoln

  The sound of Davis’s voice drones on while my headache builds around my temples. With my head throbbing, I should have rescheduled the meeting, but I’d rather get it over with.

  The ideas for the latest marketing campaign are reasonable and have potential; however, something is missing from his plan. He pauses his long-winded speech to dig through his enormous pile of documents.

  Although it’s a pleasant break from his speech, I’m pressed for time, and I can’t be delayed. “Is something wrong, Mr. Davis?”

  “No, Mr. Hardwick. It seems my assistant didn’t put in one of the documents.” He continues fumbling with the papers, only adding to the noise and annoyance, driving me insane. Understanding how easily an assistant can ruin a project, I will give him the benefit of the doubt; however, this meeting is at an end.

  “Mr. Davis. I’m afraid I don’t have time to wait for the projections. Do you have that information in your notes?”

  He looks up from his splayed-out mess on my conference room table, and the color leaves his face. “I’m afraid I don’t.” Yes, I have fired people for ineffectiveness before, but he’s the marketing director, and it would be hard to replace him over a missing document. His assistant, though, is altogether another exception. However, I’ll let it go, seeing as he’s the one who will be dealing with her.

  “Well then, please have your absentminded assistant bring it up directly after lunch. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a call to take in twenty minutes that I need to prepare for. This meeting is at an end.” I close my leather portfolio and stand without waiting for a rebuttal.

  “Yes, Mr. Hardwick,” he stammers, gathering his things. His two mindless employees that sat in on the meeting don’t say a word as they look at their boss while he flounders and sinks.

  Normally, I’d just have the document brought up immediately, and the problem solved, but my head hurts too damn much to tolerate incompetence today. After having to fire another useless assistant, I’m forced to handle everything on my own, turning my mood sour.

  I step out of the conference room and walk straight to my office, not bothering to see them out because I don’t have time for it. My schedule is already swamped, as always. Sliding off my suit jacket, I place it over my chair and sit down before I dig out the new prescription from the doctor. Hopefully, it works because my mood isn’t improving as I look through my calendar on my desk.

  My next meeting runs a lot smoother, even though my head hasn’t quite eased up. After the call, I drafted the agreement for my client in North Carolina. Checking the time, I noticed it was time for lunch, so I heated the special meal I had my chef prepare for today. It’s not a bad dish, but I’m a grown man at six-foot fucking four and two hundred ten pounds. This lunch is only enough to feed a five-foot-nothing ninety-pound vegan ballerina watching her figure.

  I get back to work and forget about my empty stomach because there’s a lot to get done before I’ll get out of the office. Next on my to-do list is the stack of documents my former assistant screwed up before I fired her. Without a doubt, she did it on purpose. As she was led off the floor by security, she said I was an asshole to work for and that I needed a lesson in manners.

  She’s the one who needed a lesson in telling time. It wasn’t difficult or some type of science because technology made it easy for everyone to read a digital clock. Hell, they hardly made clocks with hands anymore. College educated, but she couldn’t get to work before nine every day when we started at eight—and I was considered the asshole.

  An hour later and my head’s still aching, so I take another migraine pill with a bottle of water, hoping that the throbbing pain will subside, but it’s not looking good. The numbers and words on the page are starting to float around, driving me into madness. My thoughts go to my father, who passed away when he was in his thirties from a heart attack. Maybe I’m working my way into an early grave.

  With a deep breath, I close my eyes and lean my head against the tall back of my leather chair. The silence eases the tension in my head, and I doze off in my seat.

  “Mr. Hardwick,” a soft voice wakes me from my sleep, and I jolt straight up in my seat, ignoring the flash of pain in my temple. A woman I’ve never met before stands with one hand mid-air, about to knock again on my open office door frame. She’s small, barely five-foot-two blonde with a slender body, a rounded face, and bright blue eyes. Anxiousness screams from her body as she teeters from one foot to the other. Her eyes are expressive as she waits for my reply, but my brain is still trying to process her presence.

  My cock springs to life under my desk, beating against the dual layers of my boxers and slacks, testing their tensile strength. The headache that’s been beating on my brain all day fades with every passing second as my blood flow travels south. My hands firmly grip the armrests as I hold myself back in my seat.

  “Who are you?” I growl, sounding harsher than I intended, needing to know the name of my future wife.

  She flinches slightly, stepping just outside of the doorway, backing away from me into the lobby area. Fuck, I take a deep breath and school my expression, hoping to ease the coiled tension through my muscular frame.

  She clears her throat and then answers, “I’m Lacey Flowers. Lawrence… I mean, Mr. Davis asked me to drop these documents off to you directly.”

  Lawrence? My brow quirks up, but I don’t say a
word as a large ball of jealousy grows in the pit of my stomach. Who the fuck does he think he is, getting close to her like that? She belongs to me. I take a deep breath, realizing I don’t even know her, and this is ludicrous. Having had a terrible woman who abandoned me for a mother, I know beauty isn’t everything. Still, I’m drawn to her.

  I summon her with my hand to come forward. She pauses and then enters my office with a quickened pace, holding out the file folder that had been hiding her figure from me. So this is the assistant who didn’t include the missing document this morning. Checking my watch, I see that it’s after four, well after lunch, when I told him to have this brought up.

  “Is this the missing document?”

  “Yes, Mr. Hardwick.” I take it from her, and she turns on her heels, attempting to leave me so freaking soon, which immediately sends me out of my chair.

  “Hold on,” I snapped. Damn it. I’m mentally chastising myself to calm down because I’m letting my pounding head and heart control my temper.

  “Sorry,” she apologizes quickly as she does an about-face. Her round eyes meet mine, surprised that I’m standing. Lacey’s fingers clasp together in front of her as she waits for my next directive with unease. To settle her nerves, I sit back down.

  I read through the file, although I frankly can’t process what it says because my brain is too focused on the shape of her hips and how my hands would dwarf her slight frame. “This is fine. How long have you been working for Davis, Ms. Flowers?” I question, wanting to know how long she’s been hiding from me in my own company.

  “Six months.” She’s been in my building for six months, and I’ve never met this beautiful creature. What cruel world is this? I’ve gone without this perfection in my daily life while she has been floors away.

  “Okay, so you’re not new here. Do you care to explain why this document wasn’t brought up earlier, as I had requested?”

  Her cheeks redden, which only makes me wonder what the rest of her looks like with a pink hue of flush when I’m balls deep in her. “Lawrence told me after we returned from lunch.”

  “After you two went to lunch together?” The question comes out full of suspicion, which she grasps immediately.

  She shakes her head. “Not just us. We had a staff lunch meeting.”

  I nod, trying not to show how pissed off I am. I subtly check her finger for a ring, and it’s bare, so that’s a great start. It’s one less obstacle in my way, although I have several others, including these infuriating migraines. “You may go—and close the door when you leave.”

  “Yes, Mr. Hardwick.” Still, as the words leave her pretty, plump lips, thoughts of bending her over my desk and giving her my cock while play in my head.

  I correct her. “It’s Lincoln.”

  Lacey nods, acknowledging my request, but she doesn’t repeat it for my ears before leaving my office. I want to hear my name off her lips and I will one day.

  As requested, she closes the door behind her, which I immediately regret because I can’t see her walk away. Rushing to my security cameras linked to my computer, I turn on my floor lobby; greedily, I watch her waiting for the elevator.

  She runs her hand over her chest as if trying to calm her heart. Fuck, baby, I feel it too.

  Although, like most of the employees that work for me, I probably scared Lacey instead of arousing her. Especially when she had to deliver the missing information from this morning’s meeting hours later than I expected. Everyone fears the big, bad Mr. Hardwick, who doesn’t give a fuck about feelings when it comes to business.

  That has all changed.

  My day just turned completely around. Lacey Flowers will be mine soon. Although my headache lingers, my need to for release outweighs the slight pain.

  My hand goes straight to my zipper, and I pull the metal tab down, groaning as I give my cock room to grow. I squeeze my thick meat to relieve the pressure, which thankfully helps for a moment until I consider finding a reason to see her again. Deciding it’s best to just get it over with. I bring the file folder to my nose and then stroke my length with my other hand. Her berry scent remains on the manilla file like a little gift to me. Every slow glide of my hand up and down my shaft, I picture her on her knees apologizing for making a mistake. Her cute pouty lips wrapped around my dick send me over the edge and I come all over my hand desk. Fuck. I grab some facial tissues and clean up the mess. Thankfully, my paperwork didn’t get a splash of nut juice meant only for Lacey.

  “Lacey Flowers. Lacey. My little flower,” I groan, getting hard up again. Shaking off the insane lust, I enter my private bathroom and clean up so I can get back to business. Still, the second I’m in my leather seat, my mind is back on her.

  When will I see her again? There’s no way I’m going to wait another six months. Hell, I don’t know how I’ll make it another day.

  Once I get myself under control, I fix my pants and then start digging into her background to learn all I can about my beautiful flower. It would be too obvious to contact HR, and yet, I do it with the guise that I’m interested in finding a replacement, which is bullshit. They send her file to my email, and I open it to learn all I can about my future wife before she starts working for me. She’s twenty-two with a degree in Business Management and she lives in the city. Her emergency contacts are two women listed as friends. Interesting? What happened to her family?

  Fuck, my balls ache as I picture her bent over my desk, calling out my name while I drill her from behind. Unable to resist, I pull out my cock and stroke the thick girth until I’m nutting to thoughts of getting my hands on Lacey Flowers for the second time in an hour. I’ve lost it.

  After I clean myself up in my office bathroom, I call down to HR. “Hello Martina, please have Ms. Flowers transferred to my office by Monday.”

  “Sir, I’m sure there are other candidates.”

  “Send her up. End of story,” I bark out at the woman who has never given me a hard time about any of the replacements. Does she have something against me hiring Lacey?

  “Yes, sir. I’ll have her ready to start on Monday, but what about Mr. Davis?”

  “He has several lackeys that I’m almost tempted to figure out what they do and if they’re also wasting my money. They can take over for Ms. Flowers until the time he finds a suitable replacement.”

  “Yes, Mr. Hardwick.”

  “Good.” I end the call and try to calm myself down, and then it hits me. I’m putting her in my path every single day, and what if she resists my charms? What charms? Damn it. My head starts to pound again, so I go back to thinking of her sprawled out before me, ready to let me feast on her soft skin. And that instantly lessens the pain.

  Chapter Two

  Lacey

  Checking the clock, I’m running late on my first day in my new position. “This isn’t good. Where the hell are my keys?” Panic sets in, and then I remember I tossed them in my purse. With a good two-minute dig through that overfilled mess, I snag them. In a rush to the door, I’m not watching where I’m walking and nearly trip when my sweet cat comes between my legs. “Not now, Max. I have to go to work.” I finally move away from him and rush out the front door. Now I need the roller brush, which I thankfully keep a spare in my bag for moments like this.

  My phone goes off, and it’s a message from Casey. I’ve just seen a pic of your boss. The man is fine as hell. Lucky as hell. Have him bend you over his desk or yours.

  I call her back as I rush down the street while power walking over to the train station. “Hey, girl. I’m running late, and yes, he’s fine as hell, and we had a brief if not tense introduction which only added to the desire. The man in the flesh is twice as desirable.”

  “See, then be a good little assistant and maybe he’ll reward you with his dick.”

  “You have lost it, but I love you, girl.”

  “Love you too. You got this.” My besties, Casey and Marilyn, have always been supportive, and I’m sure I’ll have a message from Marilyn soon, wishin
g me luck.

  “Thanks. I’ve got to go.”

  “Don’t drool in front of the boss unless he likes that kind of thing.” We both fight the giggles because someone woke up on the right side of raunchy today.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll behave.” It’s not like I would ever make a fool of myself over a man. I never have, and I never will. Although, I’m not sure if Mr. Hardwick is the exception.

  At twenty-two, I’m too busy trying to be independent and out of my parents’ clutches to give in to some boy. My parents were super strict about me staying away from the opposite sex. So much so that I was homeschooled and then finally went to an all-girls high school.

  When I’d gone to college, they were upset that I didn’t pick a strictly female program. Until last year, I had no idea why they were like that, but it’s not because they didn’t want me to sleep around. They didn’t want to risk me falling in love and having kids.

  As if I’d ever fall in love with anyone. I’d been to college and met several guys who were considered swoon-worthy, at least until they spoke. None ever truly enticed me enough to say more than hello or banal civilities. Hell, I never went on a date. It’s pathetic, but at least I met my besties, and we’re all single together. When it comes to kids, I totally want them when I met the right man, but so far, I’ve only met boys.

  Now, Lincoln J. Hardwick isn’t a boy. From every image of him online, he’s all man. In fact, that’s the reason I woke up late. I tossed and turned all night, thinking about my first encounter. My dreams went from fear and nervousness to pure, unadulterated lust. I woke up covered in sweat, and thoughts of my boss were vividly imprinted on my brain. When I woke up, it took a few minutes to gather myself and realize that I had missed my first two alarms.

  Every picture of him online shows a handsome scowl. It’s insanely confusing how hot the man could be, yet he screams unapproachable. He’s like a wild animal, so attractive yet dangerous.

  He’s never photographed with a woman by his side, but it’s easy to see the women on the periphery that are staring at his pure masculine sex appeal. Six-foot-four, broad shoulders, muscles pressed firmly against his expensive suit. I couldn’t forget when he stood up and caught me by surprise. The manliness just pours off him, reminding me of Henry Cavill, powerful and sexy.