***---Garret---***
"Why am I in Cabo?" She asked, standing there in my shirt, hair mussed, thighs bare.
Christ.
"Because Paula from HR believes anything I tell her." I leaned back against the headboard, smirking. "Two weeks. Paid vacation. Out-of-office email already sent. Everyone thinks you're sipping margaritas in Cabo while you're here, where you belong."
Her brows shot up. "You faked my vacation?"
I shrugged. "I covered you. HR would've been crawling all over your sudden absence. This way, you're mine. Clean. Untouchable."
Her lips parted, ready to argue. I cut her off. "Shower with me."
She hesitated, then nodded.
Steam curled around us as I pulled her under the spray. She closed her eyes as water slicked her hair back, pale skin glowing under the heat. I couldn't stop myself. My hands were on her shoulders, sliding down her arms, across her breasts, her ribs, every inch of her body I now owned.
"You don't have to…" She began.
"Yes. I do." My thumb traced the dip of her hip, the soft patch between her thighs. "Every part of you is mine to touch. To clean. To worship."
Her breath caught.
I turned her, pinned her against the tile. My cock was hard and throbbing against her stomach. My hand tangled in her wet hair. "On your knees. And open your mouth."
She did. Christ, she did.
I slid past her lips, groaning as the heat wrapped around me. Her tongue flicked, tentative, then bolder. Her eyes lifted to mine. My head slammed back against the glass.
"Sweet girl." I rasped, my hips rocking forward. "Take me deeper."
Her throat clenched as she swallowed me down. Her nails bit into my thighs, bracing. I thrust slow and firm, fucking her mouth with a control I didn't actually feel.
Five years of restraint shattered in the steam.
"Five years." I forced out, jaw tight. "That's how long it's been."
Her eyes widened. I kept going, words spilling with every thrust.
"Five years since I let anyone close. She was older. Gorgeous. Sharp as a blade. Said she loved me." My grip tightened in her hair, hips rolling deeper. "All lies. She wanted the company. My family's name. She tried to gut Bannen Media while I was stupid enough to sleep next to her."
Harper gagged once, then steadied, taking me down farther, her throat squeezing me so tight I saw stars. My voice broke.
"I caught her before she finished the job." I growled, shoving deeper. "But not before she fucked me over. I swore…never again. No woman in my bed. No woman in my head. Not until you."
Her eyes watered, spit and steam slicking her chin. Her nails raked my thighs, and the sight of her on her knees nearly broke me. Her mouth stretched around me, throat taking me whole while I confessed what I hadn't told anyone.
My hips snapped harder. My cock shoved deep until her nose brushed my skin.
"You." I hissed, losing it. "You're the only one I've let in, Harper. In my head. In my bed. In five goddamn years…only you."
I came hard, spilling down her throat with a ragged groan. My hand shook in her hair as she swallowed every drop. She stayed there, eyes locked on mine, throat working until I was wrung dry.
When I finally pulled back, she gasped, lips swollen, spit glistening on her chin. I pulled her up and kissed her, filthy and reverent at once, tasting myself on her mouth.
"You're mine now." I hissed against her lips. "No one else. Ever."
—***---***---***---
We dried off. She wore one of my shirts. She looked perfect, perched on a stool in my kitchen while I cracked eggs into a pan.
"You cook?" She asked, skeptical.
"I control." I shrugged, flipping the omelet. "Work. Food. You."
She laughed, shaky but real. I set the plate in front of her and leaned against the counter, arms crossed, watching her eat. She rolled her eyes but ate every bite.
When she finished, I slid the leather folder onto the counter.
She groaned. "Seriously? Already?"
"Always."
I flipped to the pages I'd written in my own hand.
You'll tell me when you need soft instead of hard.
You'll wear red when I ask.
You'll use my name here.
I won't touch you at the office unless you want me to.
"Rules that aren't rules. Guardrails."
She narrowed her eyes, but picked up the pen. For a long moment she tapped it against the counter. Then she bent, writing in neat strokes.
She slid the folder back to me, the ink of her additions still wet.
I keep my apartment. Chloe keeps her key.
No work talk in the bedroom.
If I say stop, it stops. No pushback. Ever.
"Non-negotiable." She glared at me, chin tilted like she'd just dared me to cross her.
My chest clenched. I nodded. "Done."
Her eyes narrowed. "You're not supposed to agree that fast."
"You're not supposed to own me back." I shot back.
Her mouth curved. "Maybe I already do."
Fuck. She did.
She tapped the pen against the counter, mischief sparking in her eyes now that the panic had dulled. "Okay, if we're adding rules, I want one more. Date nights."
My brows lifted. "Date nights?"
"Yeah." She grinned, wicked and sweet all at once. "If you're going to make me sign a sex contract, the least you can do is wine and dine me like a normal human being once in a while. No velvet masks. No leather folders. Just…dinner. Movies. A walk. Something that doesn't end with me on your kitchen counter."
I smirked. "Why can't it end with you on my kitchen counter?"
She swatted my arm with the pen. "Because sometimes I'd like to keep my pants on long enough to finish dessert."
I leaned closer, voice low. "That's optimistic, Harper."
She rolled her eyes but scribbled it down anyway. Mandatory date nights twice a month. Pants optional.
I laughed, the sound foreign in my own mouth.
She tapped the pen again. "And one more. You cook at least once a week. Not just eggs. Real food. Dinner. Something with sides."
I tilted my head. "You're negotiating meal prep into a sex contract?"
"Absolutely. If I'm getting railed into next week on the regular, the least I deserve is a decent lasagna."
My cock twitched at the way she said railed. My grin spread. "Fine. I'll feed you until you're ruined for anyone else's cooking."
"Already ruined." She muttered, pushing the folder back.
I closed it and laid my hand over hers, pinning it to the counter. "You realize all of this means you're not going anywhere, right?"
Her eyes met mine, steady. "I realize you're crazy enough to make HR believe I'm in Cabo, so yeah. I'm not exactly under any illusions."
I bent, brushing my mouth against her ear. "Good. Because you're mine. And it's in writing."
She shivered, but didn't pull away.