Boardroom Bully: An Enemies-to-Lovers Dark Romance Read online

  He had finally unleashed the bitch.

  17

  Rebecca

  After taking the pain medication that the doctor gave me to get me through the next few days, I laid there in bed and enjoyed my high.

  I laughed while the popcorn ceiling gave way to characters in their own little cartoon that I read like a fucking book. There was a bunny rabbit hopping around with an elephant and the elephant was trying so hard not to squish the little bunny.

  Then, he stepped right on top of him.

  “Damn it, JoJo,” I grumbled to myself.

  I rolled over and looked at my shattered work phone and wondered if I needed to tell him about it. Maybe I could take it to a shop and get it fixed. I mean, the screen was cracked, sure. The back was cracked, yeah. And a bit of the side had flown off when it connected with the wall. But, other than that, it functioned just fine.

  For another day, maybe.

  I rolled onto my back again and closed my eyes. The entire world tilted around me while my body felt as if it were floating away on clouds. Now, I understood why my sister dabbled in the drug scene when we were younger.

  Because holy fuck, I felt amazing.

  “Not a worry in the woooooorld,” I sang out.

  And apparently I found it so funny that I started laughing.

  Then, JoJo popped to the forefront of my mind. I felt his hand wrapping around my throat again, only this time I was just high enough to enjoy it. I fumbled around trying to open the top drawer of my bedside table and eventually pulled out my little magic wand. And as I pulled my shirt up, revealing my bare pussy beneath the covers, I turned on my toy.

  Before I allowed the vision to overtake me.

  “You wanna be a pretty little girl for me?”

  I whimpered as he shoved me to my knees. “Yes, sir. Please. All I want to be is good.”

  He gripped my hair. “Then, open wide, sweet girl.”

  He stuffed my mouth full of his cock and I gagged. Spit dribbled down my chin as he forced his dick all the way down my throat and I pressed my hands into his thighs. I curled my nails into his skin, leaving crescent marks behind as I tried to reorient my breathing.

  And as he held my head there, he waited for me to adjust.

  “Shit, such a good girl for me. Such a fucking hard worker. Of course, I’d reward you. I’m not the devil, you know.”

  The second his precum touched my tongue, I lost myself in him. I slid my hands up his bare thighs and hollowed out my cheeks, sucking him in deeply as he pulled back out. He slammed back down my throat once more, fucking my face relentlessly as tears charged down my cheeks.

  But the pain made my head swirl, and the sounds of his growling made my clit ache for his tongue.

  “That’s it, Becca. Holy fuck. Damn it, you suck better than your sister. Who knew?”

  I moaned around his dick. “Yes, Daddy. Yes, I do.”

  He tugged my mouth away from his cock. “What the fuck did you say?”

  He slapped my face softly before I relaxed between his legs.

  “I said, ‘yes, Daddy. Yes, I do.’”

  He forced my gaze to meet his. “Daddy, huh?”

  My tongue slid out of my mouth, eager to taste him again. And when that cheeky little grin crossed his face, I knew it was game on once more. He stuffed my throat full of his cock once more and I groaned and moaned with his growls. He tasted divine, but the feeling of his skin sliding against my own while he commanded my every move overwhelmed me.

  “Daddy. Daddy. Holy fuck, please.”

  He slapped my cheek again. “Who the fuck said you could talk with your mouth full, you desperate little whore?”

  I nodded as I kept sucking and I felt him approaching his end. His dick grew thicker against my cheeks, filling what felt like my entire mouth before he shoved my head all the way into his lap. My nose buried itself in the tight curls of his groin. He growled and grunted, rutting against my face as I opened my stomach for him.

  And as I murmured his new name over and over again, he spilled into my body.

  “Fucking hell, Becca. That’s the stuff.”

  “Oh, God, Daddy. Please. JoJo, just a bit more. Oh, fuck. Right there. Right there, Daddy. Yes!”

  My entire body exploded as my back arched. My toes curled so tightly that my calves began to cramp before my back fell against my mattress. I shivered and trembled; quaked and quivered. I’d never felt myself fall so out of control before.

  And yet, as the toy slipped from my hand and my eyes slowly opened, I felt weightlessness rush over my muscles.

  For once, the weight of the world didn’t seem to sit on my chest.

  “That’s the stuff,” I whispered.

  I thought about sending JoJo a message. As I laid there, I thought about explaining how I felt toward him. How confusing it all was and how all I needed was his guidance and his understanding while we worked through it. Maybe if I talked to him instead of icing him out the way my sister did back in high school, he might respond better to it.

  Or maybe I could send him a picture of my soaked toy and let him put the pieces together.

  “I’m such a bad girl,” I said as giggles fell from my lips.

  I reached for my personal phone and scrolled through my contacts until I came to his number. I even went so far as I open up a message so I could take a picture of my naked body with my wet toy propped against my exposed thigh.

  But the voice in my head saved me, like always.

  You’re high on pills because he hurt you. Put the phone down.

  “Shit,” I hissed.

  I dropped my comforter back on top of my body and closed the blank message. Then, I opened up the app store on my cell and downloaded the first dating app I could find. I didn’t want to deal with JoJo and his mood swings. Even if we did hit it off, I didn’t want to deal with his anger. I got enough of that from my father. I also didn’t want to deal with his selfishness, because my sister forced us to deal with it enough as it was. The more I thought about it, too, more I found that he had all of the toxic traits I had grown up with in my own family.

  Which only threw fuel onto the flames.

  I mean, why stop at the dating app? Why not simply search for a better job? I’d only been at this job for a month and a half, but there were plenty of private accounting positions available in the Los Angeles area. Some of which paid more and offered more than JoJo had offered for the position he hired me to do.

  I rolled over onto my stomach and quickly updated my resume before applying to a few positions.

  I’m doing the right thing. I have to get away from him, not get closer.

  As much as I wanted to keep working for him, I simply couldn’t. If it was going to bring about the kind of shit I had already endured, then it wasn’t worth it. No job was. I put in four resumes before I flipped back over to the dating app and I started punching in my information. I’d never downloaded one before, so it was all new to me, but swiping left and right for who I liked and who I didn’t seemed easy enough.

  So, I rolled back over and tucked myself beneath the covers as I started swiping.

  “Ah, nose is too big. Oh, his arms are nice. Yes, please, I’m all about a man in a suit. Ick, an outside kind of person. No, thanks.”

  The pain medication started to wear off and I felt pain pulsing my tongue. I took a break from swiping and looked at the clock before I heaved myself upright. I was due for another pill, but I had to take it with food. Otherwise, I’d be puking my guts up all night.

  And after ordering some soup and rice from the Chinese place up the road, a thought crossed my mind.

  What if I could tame him?

  I hated myself for even thinking it, but it was possible, right? I’d come across some rough men in my day, especially with where I grew up, but it seemed that if the right woman came along the hardest heart could soften. And I was worth something like that, right? I was good. I had a great set of morals. I had a hearty work ethic and goals for my li
fe. I wanted a house on the beach and children to chase after. I wanted a career that allowed me time with my family as well as afforded me the ability to get away if I needed to. And I was worthy of that. I was deserving of the life I wanted.

  But was it possible to soften JoJo’s soul?

  If I don’t stick around, I’ll never know.

  “Come on, be stronger than this,” I murmured.

  The pain in my tongue reminded me of the bullshit he had already forced me to partake in, but it wasn’t as if it were intentional. In fact, I wasn’t so sure that he knew I’d been hurt. That ink came tumbling down so quickly and all he did was stand up to get out of the way. It hadn’t been quite the distraction I’d been looking for, but it worked.

  However, was he really responsible for my injuries?

  Yes, because he took advantage of you.

  “I mean, I could’ve just said ‘no.’ That’s on me.”

  He’s your boss. He should’ve never put you there in the first place.

  “Maybe that’s his way of flirting. Maggie always talked about how aggressive he was.”

  And you think that’s a good thing? Maybe he got cheated on because she wanted someone with a softer touch.

  “I don’t want a softer touch.”

  You just want to be injured and used.

  “Shut up,” I groaned.

  At the root of it all was this crap that neither Maggie nor he were talking about. Whatever actually happened between them in high school had stunted them both, and they both deserved better. They were carcasses of the people they had once been. Angry, empty carcasses that had allowed something to eat away at them. They had given their power over to a memory that ate them alive every second they continued to breathe. And as I laid there, turning everything around in my head, I almost felt sorry for them.

  “How miserable their lives must be,” I whispered.

  A knock at the door pulled me out of bed and I slid my robe around me. I thanked the delivery woman for my food and locked my door before I dragged my ass over to the couch. Chinese, my favorite soda, and a Star Trek marathon on Netflix. It didn’t get any better than that.

  And just before I took my pain medication, I resolved myself to a solution.

  I’m going to stay and figure out what the hell happened. Then, and only then, can all of us be allowed to heal.

  Because even though I didn’t want to be, I had been dragged into a memory that didn’t include me. JoJo took one look at me, saw my sister, and probably set himself out for revenge. And I couldn’t blame him. If I had held onto that kind of anger for so long then I probably would stop at nothing to try and rid myself of the weight that so obviously sat on his and my sister’s shoulders.

  Which meant I had to find a way to get one of them to talk to me.

  So we could all move on with our lives, for fuck’s sake.

  18

  Rebecca

  “Good Lord,” I murmured as I flopped into my car.

  Today had been all but barbaric. As always, JoJo kept riding my ass on stupid shit and allowing that old, deflated bag of an accountant to keep blowing smoke up my ass. I leaned my head back and cranked the engine, trying to get some air circulation as I cooled down my sweating body. I hadn’t been sleeping. Eating had now become a chore. And every time my phone rang, personal or professional, my gut turned itself inside out with anxiety.

  This job would kill me before JoJo could.

  Nonetheless, I reached into my purse and pulled out a bottle of Vitamin Water. I cracked it open and chugged it down, relishing the sweet, tantalizing taste of the pomegranate strawberry water. The cold helped to cool me down while the silence of the parking garage gave way to a clearer mind.

  And even though it was only my lunch break, it felt good to pull away from my desk.

  “Hey! You!”

  I jumped at the sound of his voice and spilled water all over myself.

  “Tommy?” I asked as I looked around.

  I peered out my window and saw him charging my car. “Get out.”

  He tried to rip my door open, but I quickly locked my car doors. “What in the world? Tommy? What are you doing--?”

  He slammed his fists against my window. “Open this fucking car and talk to me like a human being!”

  My eyes widened. “Then start acting like one.”

  His face grew red with anger. “You’re the reason I lost my job, you stupid cunt.”

  I nodded slowly. “That’s fine if you believe that.”

  He snarled. “If you hadn’t tricked me into thinking you were single in the first fucking place, I’d still have my job. I never go after taken women. Ever!”

  I furrowed my brow. “But I’m not taken. I haven’t been in years.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “I know you’re sleeping with Mr. Ryker. He all but confirmed it.”

  “I mean, that’s how it looks on the outside, sure. But--.”

  “Don’t you “but” me you fat fuck! Get the hell out of this car and talk to me like a man!”

  I shrugged. “I’m not a man, though. So, no.”

  He vibrated with fury. “Get the fuck out of your car or I’m calling the police.”

  I snickered. “And tell them what? That you charged up to my car, you called me names, and now you’re two ticks shy from threatening my life at a place where you no longer work? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were stalking me.”

  He scoffed. “Only pretty women get stalked. You’re just a beached whale. I gave you the courtesy of trying things out with you. I have options, you know. I didn’t have to look your way!”

  I sipped the rest of my water. “Okay.”

  He kicked my car so hard that it rocked on its chassis. I thanked my stars that I wasn’t outside to deal with his tantrum and tirade, but I was frightened to my core. All I wanted was for people to leave me alone. How hard was that?

  Then, the look on his face changed.

  “Tommy? Whatever you’re thinking…”

  He chuckled. “I know exactly how to get you out of that car.”

  I blinked. “Just leave me alone! How hard is that, you idiot motherfucker!?”

  He sprinted back to his car and I looked over at the elevator. It wasn’t too far away, and if I could get into it, I’d be safe. So, I gathered my things, unlocked my car, and started sprinting as quickly as I could toward the metal doors.

  But being a bigger girl didn’t do me any favors, and before I reached the doors, I felt someone shove me from behind.

  Before I went soaring into the cement wall off to the side.

  “There we go,” he growled as he stood in front of me, “now you can talk to me like a person.”

  I shook my head. “You’ve got this all wrong, Tommy. I swear I’m not sleeping with Mr. Ryker. It would never happen. He’s not my type.”

  His hand gripped my arm and he tugged me toward him. “I don’t believe you, you lying bitch.”

  “Get off me! Stop!”

  I tried to pull away from him, but he simply slammed me back into the wall. I gasped for air, trying to get my bearings as the world tilted around me. I felt his leg pressed between mine. He pinned my hand over my head before gathering my other wrist. And the second he rendered me immobile, I knew what was about to happen.

  I knew I’d never be able to come back from this.

  “Please,” I said through my wheezing, “please, just let me go.”

  He barked with laughter. “Too little, too late.”

  Then, from out of nowhere, Tommy crumpled and fell to the ground as he howled in pain.

  “Fucking bullshit meetings,” I grumbled to myself.

  Normally, I took my lunch breaks in the conference room, which had the perfect view from the office. A little bit of city life, a little bit of beach life, and a window for me to crack open so I could smell the fresh salted air blowing in from the ocean. It was my peaceful place, but as of eight-thirty this morning it had been taken up with a needless, pointles
s board meeting that didn’t need to happen.

  So, I charged down to my car to take my lunch in peace.

  “Just leave me alone! How hard is that, you idiot motherfucker!?”

  I whipped my head up at the sound of Becca’s voice and saw a shadowed figure rushing up the parking garage ramp. I furrowed my brow as I looked around, trying to figure out where the hell she was. She couldn’t have been the figure I had just seen. They were running much too quickly for her stature.

  But, when I saw her get out of her car and make a break for the elevator, I continued on my way.

  After all, she looked like she had it handled.

  I walked over to my car and popped the trunk. I tossed my briefcase into the back, ready to drive my ass to my favorite fast-food place so I could eat a greasy burger without someone judging me for it. My mouth salivated at the idea.

  Then, I heard Becca’s voice again, only this time it was louder than ever.

  “Get off me! Stop!”

  I peered over my shoulder and saw a scene unfolding that had me shivering with anger so badly that I grabbed the golf club laying at the bottom of the trunk of my Audi convertible. My vision dripped with red as some man pinned her arms above her head and moved so closely to her that I knew his pelvis was pressed up against hers. The idea made me vibrate with anger. No one was allowed to lay a finger on her.

  No one except me.

  “Please,” I heard her say as I approached the man from behind, “please, just let me go.”

  And it wasn’t until he laughed that I realized who it was. “Too little, too late.”

  You’re done for, you stupid son of a bitch.

  I cocked my hips and swung the golf club like a fucking baseball bat. It connected right with the groove of Tommy’s lower back and I watched him crumple to the ground like the little bitch he had become. I raised the club over my head and slammed it against his knee, listening as he cried out in pain.

  “No! Stop! Mommy, please!”

  I chuckled. “You better call out for her, because she’s the only one that can save you now.”