“What’s going on is Gabe offered me a job. I’m working as his personal assistant. And you’ve been gone, and this isn’t the sort of thing I’d simply tell you on the phone.”

“Why the hell not?”

She rolled her eyes. “Because you’d react just like you are now and you’d be on the first flight home determined to figure it all out.”

“When did this happen?” he asked bluntly.

She lifted her shoulder in a shrug. “About the time you and Ash left for California. I saw Gabe at the grand opening. He told me to come into his office. Voila. Here I am.”

“Just like that,” he said skeptically.

His eyes narrowed and he studied her intently as if trying to peel back her skin and see inside her head.

“Gabe was right. Working at La Patisserie was a waste of my education and all the money you spent sending me to college. I was comfortable and maybe a little scared to bust into the real world. This job gives me an opportunity to get my feet wet.”

Jace’s expression softened. “If you wanted a job, why didn’t you come to me? You have to know I would have taken care of you.”

She chose her words carefully, because she didn’t want to seem ungrateful. She dearly loved Jace. He’d sacrificed a lot for her and still managed to build a successful empire, all while dealing with a much younger sister.

“I wanted to do this on my own,” she said quietly. “I know you would have given me a job. And maybe it’s no different that Gabe has hired me. I’m sure everyone will say the same as if you’d done the hiring. That I’m Jace Crestwell’s little sister and this is nepotism at its finest. Besides, I couldn’t work for you and you know it.” She grinned mischievously at him. “We’d kill each other after a day.”

Jace chuckled. “Okay maybe. But only because you’re so hardheaded.”

She shook her head. “I’m not stubborn. My way is just better.”

“It’s nice to see you by the way, baby girl. I missed you in California.”

“Which is why you’re still buying me dinner tomorrow night,” she said cheekily.

He grimaced. “Can we do it the next night? Ash and I have this thing. Part of the reason we’re back early. Investor dinner. Boring as hell. Lots of ass kissing.”

“Okay, that’s a date,” she said. “And you’re not getting out of it.”

“Bet your ass. It’s a date. After work, run home and change if you want and I’ll pick you up at your apartment.”

Then he frowned.

“How are you getting to and from work anyway?”

She was careful to make her voice casual, like it was perfectly normal for Gabe to provide transportation for her. “Gabe sends a car for me and has it bring me home.”

She conveniently left off the part about them leaving work together most of the time and of her spending the nights at Gabe’s apartment. Now that Jace was back, they were going to be forced to be a great deal more circumspect. He’d flip out if he knew what went on behind closed doors between her and Gabe.

Jace nodded. “Okay good. Don’t want you walking or taking the subway.” He checked his watch and then angled his gaze at her. “Do you know what time Gabe is due back? Where the hell is he for that matter? I thought his calendar was clear today.”

“He, uh, left with his dad. Not sure when he’s getting back, or if.”

Jace grimaced. “Say no more. That’s a fucked-up situation.”

And Jace didn’t even know the half of it.

He reached over and tousled her hair. “I’ll let you get back to work. Gabe’s a hardass to work for. I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into. Maybe we should have put you to work for Ash. He has a huge soft spot for you.”

She laughed. “I’ll be fine. Stop worrying. Don’t you and Ash have someone else to pester?”

“Yeah, investors,” Jace muttered. “Take care, baby girl. I’ll look forward to our dinner. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

As soon as he left Gabe’s office, she sagged in relief. Her pulse was beating a mile a minute and she leaned forward, putting her face in her hands. That had gone better than expected.

• • •

When Gabe got out of the car at his office building, he hadn’t taken three steps toward the entrance when Jace came out, a deep frown on his face. It was obvious that he’d evidently been waiting on Gabe. Shit. He wasn’t supposed to be back until tomorrow. He hoped to hell Mia had handled things well between her and Jace. But judging by the look on his friend’s face, whatever it was she’d said or how she’d explained the situation hadn’t satisfied him.

“We need to talk,” Jace said curtly when Gabe drew abreast of him.

“Okay,” Gabe said calmly. “What’s up? Problems in California?”

“Don’t play dumb with me. It just pisses me off. You know good and damn well why I met you out here.”

“Mia,” Gabe said with a sigh.

“No shit. What the hell is going on, Gabe? Any reason you didn’t tell me of your plan to hire my little sister?”

“I’m not having this conversation with you on the street,” Gabe bit out.

“My office will do,” Jace said.

Gabe nodded and the two men reentered the building and got on the elevator. There were several others in with them and they remained silent as they rode up to their floor. When they got off, Gabe followed Jace into his office just down the hall from his own.

Jace shut the door behind him and then paced to the window before turning to stare at Gabe. “Well?”

“I don’t understand what you’re pissed about,” Gabe said mildly. “I told you I saw her at the grand opening. She was looking for you. I danced with her, we talked, I told her to get her ass into my office the next morning, and then I sent her home in a car.”

“You could have filled me in on those developments. Hell, I saw you the same morning you told Mia to come into your office.”

Gabe nodded. “But I had no idea how she’d respond to my offer. No sense getting you worked up if she refused. I don’t need your permission to hire a personal assistant.”

Jace’s expression darkened. “No, but you damn well need my permission where it concerns Mia. She’s mine, Gabe. All I have left. The only family I have left and I’ll protect her with my dying breath. She’s not in your league.”

“Oh for God’s sake. I’m not some heartless bastard who’s going to skin her alive. I’ve watched her grow up too, Jace. I’m not going to be mean to her.”

Even as he said it, guilt flooded him. He was so going to hell. Burn in hell. For an eternity.

“Just make sure you don’t hurt her,” Jace said in a carefully controlled voice. “And I mean in any way, Gabe. You keep your hands off her. You respect her absolutely. Don’t ever cross the line with her. You’ll answer to me if you do.”

Gabe swallowed back the surge of anger at Jace’s threat. He couldn’t blame Jace for protecting Mia. In his place he’d be doing the same. But it irritated him that Jace had so little faith in him that he thought he’d destroy an innocent.

But wasn’t that what he was doing? Using her for his own pleasure? Uncaring of anything but the fact he possessed her?

“Understood,” he said through clenched teeth. “Now if we’re done, I have work to get to.”

“Ash and I have an early dinner tonight. Business thing. We’ll wrap up early, though. Want to meet for drinks after?” Jace asked casually.

It was a peace offering. After the dressing-down, Jace was attempting to smooth it over. Let Gabe know that things were cool. Fuck. Gabe had plans with Mia. Nice dinner. And fucking was definitely on the agenda.

Hell. But he didn’t want to fuck things up with Jace and Ash either. If he was going to pull this off he had to find a very delicate balance between keeping his time with Mia secret and also not withdrawing from Jace and Ash.

“Make it later. Nineish,” Gabe said, already working it out in his head how to handle it with Mia.

Jace nodded. “Works for me. I’ll let Ash know.”

Chapter nineteen

Mia looked up when Gabe entered the office and a flutter began deep in her belly when he locked the door behind him. She knew what that meant. She regarded him cautiously as he stalked toward her, his eyes glittering with lust—and need.

“Gabe…” she began. “Jace is here. I mean he’s back early.”

He never paused. He hauled her out of her chair and propelled her toward his own desk.

“Neither Jace nor Ash will disturb me when my door is closed. They’re busy making plans for their business dinner tonight.”

The sentences were clipped, as if he didn’t like having to explain himself. Well fine, but she wasn’t going to be blindsided by her brother trying to get through the door when Gabe was doing God knew what to her behind that locked door. Jace and Ash were both used to having unfettered access to Gabe’s office. She had no idea how he was going to continue their office debauchery with her brother lurking.

He reached underneath her skirt and his hand froze when he encountered panties. Damn it. She’d forgotten. She hadn’t even given it any thought. Putting on panties was second nature. Who actually gave thought to not wearing them? She’d been tired from Gabe’s ceaseless demands the night before, and it had slipped her mind to leave the underwear off.

“Take them off,” he demanded. “The skirt too, and then bend your ass over my desk. I told you what would happen, Mia.”

Oh shit. Her ass was still sore from the previous night and now he planned to spank her again?

Reluctantly, she tugged down her underwear, letting them fall to the floor. Then she slipped her skirt off, leaving her naked from the waist down. With a sigh, she leaned forward on his desk.

“Lower,” he ordered. “Lay your cheek on the wood and perch that ass in the air for me.”

Closing her eyes, she complied, wondering for the hundredth time if she’d lost her fucking mind.

To her utter shock, his fingers slipped between her ass cheeks, well lubricated as he pressed against her anal opening. His fingers left and then returned with more lubricant as he gently worked the opening.

“Gabe!” she gasped.

“Shhh,” he reprimanded. “Not a word. I have a plug I’m putting in your ass. You’ll wear it for the rest of the day, and before you go home, you’ll come to me so I can remove it. Tomorrow morning when you come into work, the very first thing you will do is present that pretty ass for me so I can put it back in. You’ll wear it the entire time you’re at work and only remove it at the end of the day. Each day I’ll go up a size until I’m satisfied that you can take my dick in your ass.”

He followed his words with the blunt end of the plug, pressing against her tight ring.

“Relax and breathe out, Mia,” he said. “Don’t make it harder than it needs to be.”

Easy for him to say. No one was bending him over shoving foreign objects up his ass.

Still, she sucked in her breath, let it out and tried to relax as best she could. As soon as she did, he shoved inward with one firm push. She gasped as she was instantly assailed by a burning sense of fullness. She squirmed and wiggled, but all she got was a smack on her ass for her efforts. And God that smack was overwhelming because it jarred the plug.

She heard him walk away. The sound of an opening cabinet. Then he was back again, his footsteps close. Her breath caught in her throat when she felt the tip of…leather?…slide across her ass in a sensual glide.

Then fire exploded over her ass and she yelped, bucking upward.

“Back down,” he ordered sharply. “Stay put, Mia. You take your punishment like a good girl and you’ll be rewarded.”

She squeezed her eyes shut and whimpered when he landed another blow with the crop. It had to be a crop. It snapped and felt like a belt, but it was small and didn’t cover much of her ass at one time.

A low moan escaped as he peppered her ass. The plug was making her insane. Stretched around it, the sting of the swats. It was turning her on and that infuriated her. She was so wet it would be a miracle if she weren’t dripping.

He paused a moment and then tugged lightly at the plug, pulling it barely out of her body before sending it back inside. She couldn’t remain still. It was driving her insane. She burned. She itched. It was like being on fire with no relief.

She braced herself for another swat but it never came. She heard the rasp of a zipper as it was being undone. Then rough hands on her legs, turning her over so her back was flush against the desk. Her legs hung over the edge and he gathered them, looping them over his arms as he positioned himself between her legs.

Oh my God. He was going to fuck her with that plug up her ass.