Craving My Ruthless Ceo novel Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Roman’s POV

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I sat down in one of the leather chairs near the dressing rooms and pulled out my iPad. I opened the Beaumont Luxury Fashion Campaign Proposal

Dimitri Zetrov, my best friend, was introducing me to the CEO of the Maison Beaumont family, old French money behind a three–generation luxury brand already famous across Europe. Now they wanted to go global, and that was where I came in.

My company was the best in the country, the one to take a brand and put it everywhere, from New York to every major city worldwide. This lunch was just a warm–up, a chance to align before the real partnership. By the end, it would be clear why I was the only person they could work with.

But Anna’s face pushed into my mind again. The look in her eyes in the car. She thought I was being an asshole. She had no idea of the real truth, that I couldn’t stand watching her bury herself under all that fabric.

She wasn’t a plain assistant I could ignore. She was beautiful, with a body 1 had already felt pressed against me earlier. I knew exactly what she kept hidden under those loose clothes.

And that stirred a possessive pull I hadn’t seen coming. I wanted to drag her out of that shell and make her see the woman I had tasted, the woman who kissed me like she wanted to burn through me, who pushed back, who met me with heat she pretended she didn’t have.

Whether she fought it or not, I planned to show her every part of the woman she kept trying to hide.

Fifteen minutes later, Valentina came out with a smile so wide it practically announced victory. “I believe we’ve found the perfect outfit.”

She stepped aside like she was unveiling art. The staff lined up behind her, waiting.

Then Anna walked out.

Her eyes stayed glued to the floor. She would not look up.

Fuck

The dress was deep emerald green, bringing out the color of her eyes. It hugged her curves without being overtly sexual. The neckline was elegant, revealing just the right amount of cleavage, showing enough skin to make my cock twitch. The hemline hit just above her knee. Black heels made her legs look endless.

Her hair was pulled back in a sleek style, she wore little to no makeup. But what was there made her natural beauty impossible to ignore.

She looked breathtaking, and uncomfortable.

She tugged at the dress, looking down at herself like she did not recognize who was wearing it. “This is too much.” She pulled at the fabric again. “It’s too expensive, I can’t…”

I stood and walked over.

I lifted her chin with two fingers, forcing her to meet my eyes.

Her breath hitched. Those beautiful eyes went wide.

“You look perfect.” My voice came out lower and rougher than I meant.

Her lips parted slightly. She blinked up at me.

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15:49 Fri, Jan 23 DGG.

Chapter 21

I forced myself to let go and turned to Valentina before doing anything I would regret.

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“We’ll take it. And three more similar outfits for the week. Have them delivered to my house by the end of the day.”

“Of course, Mr. Blackwood”

Anna opened her mouth. I gave her a look. She closed it again.

“We’re late.”

I placed my hand on the small of her back. The dress dipped low enough for me to feel her warm skin. I guided her toward. the exit.

“The car is waiting.”

As we stepped outside. I felt her trembling under my palm. Anger, fear, embarrassment. I could not tell which,

We got into the car. Marcus closed the door behind us.

Anna moved to the far end of the backseat, hugging herself.

“You didn’t have to humiliate me like that.”

Heat rushed through my veins. Not anger. Guilt, maybe. I couldn’t sit with it, so I shoved it down.

“I did not humiliate you. I dressed you appropriately for the position you have had for months now. This is a business lunch with one of the wealthiest families in Europe. Do you understand what that means?”

“It means you think I’m not good enough as I am.”

“That’s not…” I stopped. Took a breath. “Anna, we are meeting the Beaumont family today. They own one of the most prestigious luxury fashion brands in the world. They are used to runway models, designers, people who understand presentation. If you walk in there looking like you just rolled out of bed…”

“I didn’t roll out of bed. I dressed professionally…”

“You dressed like you were ashamed of yourself.”

Her mouth snapped shut and her cheeks flushed.

“This isn’t personal, Anna. It’s business. A quarter–million–dollar deal is on the line. My reputation is on the line. And whether you like it or not, you represent my standards now.”

“Standards,” she echoed, bitterness heavy in her voice. “Those clothes cost more than I make in three months. How is that a standard I’m supposed to maintain?”

“Leave that to me. Besides, if you look around the office, no one dresses like you. I only tolerated it from you.”

“Tolerated?” Her voice jumped.

“For months I have tolerated you dressing like you were hiding from the world. Not anymore. So stop fighting me on this and accept your new reality. You work for me. You must look the part. Especially today.”

She bit her lip. Her fingers dug into her arms where she hugged herself. I could see her holding back whatever she wanted to throw at me. Trying to swallow it.

Then she blurted. “You called me a stray.”

Fuck

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15:49 Fri, Jan 23 GG.

Chapter 21

I had said that.

I turned to her. She kept her eyes forward. Her face tightened, like looking at me would make it worse.

“Anna….”

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“It’s fine” Her voice was not fine. She sounded hurt. “I know me like you, Mr. Blackwood. You think women like me are beneath you Just another expense you can throw money at to make us fit your image.”

My hands curled into fists.

Men like me?

She was comparing me to every bastard who had bruised her confidence. Every man who had used her or dismissed her. And the idea that she thought she was beneath me, when it was the exact opposite, when I could not stop replaying the feel of her body pressed against mine. when I had spent half the night rewriting her contract because I could not get her out of my head, made anger punch through me.

I reached over, grabbed her arm, and pulled her across the seat.

She gasped as she hit my chest.

“I assure you. Anna Winters,” 1 held her there, her eyes huge, her breath shaking against me. “You have never met a man like me. So do not compare me to the boys you have known.”

She opened her mouth, then closed it again. Her lips stayed parted. Her breathing came fast and shallow, brushing my jaw.

I felt control slipping again. Looking at her innocent face. The shock in her eyes. Those lips.

I tilted my head and leaned closer, tempted to kiss her again.

Dammit.

“We have arrived, Mr. Blackwood.”

Marcus’s voice cut through the fog in my head.

I shook my head and turned my gaze out the window. The car had stopped in front of a familiar upscale Italian restaurant. I had closed more deals here than I could count.

Anna pushed against my chest, hard. Like she had been jolted awake, and she regretted the moment entirely.

My chest tightened as she slid to the far end of the seat, brushing her hair back with trembling fingers, adjusting her dress over and over again.

Marcus opened her door. She practically jumped out.

I reached over and grabbed her hand before she could walk away.

She turned. Her eyes were wide, wild, innocent in a way that made me want to drown in them.

I got myself under control.

“During the lunch meeting…” I refused to let go of her hand. “You will follow my lead. Observe and take notes. Speak only when spoken to. The Beaumont family is old money, traditional formal. Dimitri Zetrov will be there. He is my best friend and he is putting his reputation on the line by introducing me tenhem. Do not challenge me. Do you understand?”

Her voice dripped with sarcasm. “Yes, sir. 1 am at your complete and utter mercy.”

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15:49 Fri, Jan 23 GG •

Chapter 21

I watched her roll her eyes as she turned away.

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A dark desire stirred in me. To punish her. To bend her over my knee and make her regret that attitude. To show her exactly what being at my mercy really meant.