Craving My Ruthless Ceo novel Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Roman’s POV

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I leaned back in my chair, fingers clasped together, as I watched her struggle to pull herself together. Her glasses slipped down her nose, her hands fumbled with her bag, and her breaths came uneven, like she was trying to hold the entire world in place.

“Miss Winters My voice dropped into the tone the entire building feared, the tone that made people straighten their spines and rethink their choices.

“You know I have no tolerance for lateness. And this meeting was meant to be your chance to prove yourself.”

“I know, I am so sorry. She was rambling again, back to her usual nerdy, talkative self. “I guess I had a lot to drink last night. I woke up late and I did not hear my alarm.”

“We were at the same party. Miss Winters” My interruption cut through her excuses like a blade. “I arrived at work at seven in the morning. Meanwhile, my assistant was nowhere to be found with the report she was supposed to submit over thirty minutes ago.

I paused. “And I am sure you have not…”

Her chin lifted at that, small yet defiant. “No. Actually.”

The shift caught me off guard. She always managed to do that in the strangest, most inconvenient ways.

“I finished it before the party.” She dug into her bag frantically, her hair falling into her face as she searched. “Here.”

She pulled out her iPad, tapped quickly, and held it up. “It has already been sent to your email.”

I opened my inbox, clicking on her message. My eyes moved over the document.

She had organized the report perfectly, detailed and thorough. Better than even Gretchen, the best assistant I had ever had. And she had done it hours before the party. Hours before showing up looking like a woman no one could ignore.

How she managed that balance was beyond me. I was impressed, but I could not let her see that.

I kept my expression neutral.

“You might have finished it,” I said, forcing my tone back into cold authority, “but the deal was that you arrive at nine. Or…”

“I know I was not here by nine.” Her voice cut across mine, a spark lighting where her nerves had been moments ago. “But you, of all people, understand why I could not get here on time.

“Can I?”

“Yes.” Her chin lifted again. “All I am asking for is…”

I chuckled, unable to stop the memory that flashed through my mind, her in the backseat of my car, dress pushed up around her thighs, head tipped back as I…

Stop

I forced the memory away, but not before my body reacted. Not before I heard the breathless sounds she had made when I touched her in ways that still had me waking up hard this morning.

If I was being honest with myself, which I rarely was when it came to Anna Winters, she deserved a day off. She deserved more than she even knew how to ask for.

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15:47 Fri, Jan 23 GG •

Chapter 11

But I was not going to give it to her.

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Roman Blackwood did not make exceptions. Not even for women who tasted like vanilla and strawberries and made sounds that would haunt me for the rest of my life.

“What exactly are you asking for, Miss Winters?”

“That you let this lateness slide.” Her shoulders lifted, trying to look confident even though her trembling hands betrayed her. “It will not happen again.”

“Excuses. That is all I get from you.” I leaned back in my chair, fighting the urge to let my eyes drift down to where that hideous dress still could not hide the curves I had mapped with my hands last night. “Let it slide again?”

I allowed a slow pause to settle between us, pretending to consider her request.

“I will allow it on one condition.” I nudged the folder across the polished mahogany toward her. “That you sign this.”

“What is it?”

Her voice softened, uncertain. I did not respond. I simply watched the way her throat moved as she swallowed. Watched her hand, the same hand that had touched me last night, tremble slightly as she reached for the folder.

Do not think about that. Do not think about how those fingers felt against your skin.

She opened it. Her eyes moved across the page, and I tracked every small shift in her expression. Confusion at first, then shock.

She read aloud, her voice shaky.

“Employee is prohibited from discussing or disclosing any events from the night of….”

Her breath caught. “With any staff, media, or third party, in exchange for the provided compensation.”

There it was. Shock turned into hurt, then betrayal.

“Who do you think you are?” Her eyes locked on mine, burning with anger. “Offering to pay me for last night. Like I am some, some whore.”

The hurt in her voice pierced the walls I had built around myself I hated the idea that she would blame herself or feel degraded. The contract should not make her feel that way. I could not let her see the vulnerability that stirred inside me.

She is not a whore. Not even close. But she needs to understand how the world works.

“On the contrary, Miss Winters. I am offering protection.” I laced my fingers together. “Mostly from yourself. Young women like you get emotional over things that do not matter. You replay moments and invent fantasies. This ensures we both move forward without complications.”

“Things that do not matter?” Her voice cracked, and I hated the sound of it. “How could you say that? How could you reduce what happened between us to this?”

She held up the NDA like it was dirty, and the raw pain in her eyes made my chest tighten. For a moment, I almost caved.

No. Do not weaken. This is exactly why she needs it.

“What we shared?” I let out a cold laugh that sounded harsher than I intended. “Come on, Anna. We did not share anything. We were two consenting adults on the brink of having sex, and if I remember correctly, I stopped us from making a big mistake.”

Pain flashed through her eyes and her eyes welled up.

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15:47 Fri, Jan 23 DGG.

Chapter 11

Good Let her hurt now. Better than destroying her later.

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So you think having sex with me would be a mistake?” Her voice was barely audible, each word strained with devastation.

I wanted to stand, to cross the room, to tell her that was not what I meant, that she was far from a mistake.

Stop. This is necessary.

“Having sex with anyone who works for me breaks my rules.” I kept my tone firm. “That would be the mistake. Not you. The

situation.

We both knew that was a lie.

She stood frozen. Her face had gone pale, the pain in her eyes almost unbearable.

My gaze lingered on her face longer than it should have, taking every ounce of the hurt I had caused.

You are my assistant and I am the CEO. That is all we can ever be. Sign the document, take the compensation, and we both move forward.”