Please Me Daddy (Gracie) novel Chapter 31

**Across Distant Skies Lies Hope Waiting To Be Found by Kade Rowan Flint**

Could his cock really silence me?

**Grace**

“How about we have sex, Miss Grace?”

I nearly choked on my own saliva. My hand instinctively flew to my mouth as I coughed, desperately trying to comprehend the words that had just escaped his lips.

Sex? Like, actual sex?

Was this some sort of twisted test? A figment of my imagination? Just moments ago, I had thought I had hit rock bottom when I blurted out something utterly foolish, especially after he confirmed I was indeed the woman from that infamous night. I had thought I couldn’t possibly sink any lower. But here I was, teetering on the edge of another abyss.

“You must be joking,” I managed to whisper, my voice shaky. I looked up at him, my eyes wide with disbelief. “I-I think you must’ve made a mistake…”

His brow arched, a mischievous glint in his eye.

Oh no.

That look again.

“Is that really what you believe?” he asked, his tone casual, almost teasing. “Do you genuinely think I make mistakes?”

I fell silent, because deep down, I knew he probably never did make mistakes. Especially not the kind that involved asking a woman to sleep with him.

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. “Then… w-why?”

He tilted his head slightly, his voice as calm as if we were merely discussing the weather. “What other reason could I possibly have for asking a woman to share my bed, if I wasn’t attracted to her, and if I didn’t want her there?”

I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came out.

A-attracted to me? Me?

The man who effortlessly made seasoned executives stammer, the one whom half the country feared to breathe near, the man who looked like he had stepped straight out of a mythology book, was somehow attracted to me?

No. No, no, no.

I had to be losing my mind. Why on earth would someone like him find me appealing when countless women would give anything to have him in their beds?

What was he really planning?

“I think this might be some sort of punishment,” I mumbled before I could stop myself. “That’s what this is, isn’t it? You’re trying to punish me in some twisted way.”

His eyebrows shot up, clearly taken aback. “Punishment?”

“Please, just hit me, lock me up, report me—whatever it is you want. This has to be some kind of psychological game for what I said earlier. And for lying to you, for being a complete idiot. I sincerely apologize. So—”

My words died in my throat when, without warning, his arm encircled my waist, pulling me flush against him. I gasped at the sudden intimacy, feeling the hard length of him pressing against my thigh.

My mind went blank. That was—

Oh God.

I couldn’t even finish that thought.

My hands rested lightly against his chest, yet I didn’t push him away. He tilted my chin up with two fingers, compelling me to meet those mesmerizing, dangerous hazel eyes.

There was no softness in those depths now. They were darker, filled with a ravenous hunger.

“You really do speak your mind freely, don’t you?” he murmured, his voice low and gravelly. “Makes me wonder if you need something substantial to quiet you. And trust me, you’re tempting me to find out.”

I wasn’t naïve. I understood precisely what he meant. My gaze dropped to the hard bulge pressing against his pants.

The thought I desperately wanted to banish crept in regardless.

Shut me up… with that? Could his cock really silence me? Did I even want it to?

He locked eyes with me again, but this time, his gaze flickered to my lips for a fleeting moment, then he sighed and finally stepped back.

A breath I hadn’t realized I was holding escaped my lungs.

He raked a hand through his hair, stepping back to lean against the edge of his desk. His eyes remained fixed on me, trailing down the length of my body as if he were committing every detail to memory.

It should have made me feel uncomfortable, but instead, it left me feeling exposed.

He looked maddeningly attractive, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, the top buttons of his shirt undone, his hair tousled just enough to be alluring.

“As I mentioned,” he said, his tone shifting back to business, “I’d like to propose a deal with you. If you agree to spend the night with me, I assure you that we will both walk away satisfied. If you’re not interested, you have every right to decline. Should you choose to say no, I’ll return you to your post, and I won’t bother you again.”

I stood there, utterly stunned. This was not the response I had anticipated. He was genuinely going to drop the issue?

“You have three days to consider it.”

I swallowed hard. “I’m so confused. Why would you want to make this kind of deal with me?”

“You don’t need to understand my motivations,” he replied, his tone dismissive. “People don’t usually grasp my reasoning anyway. You’d only be wasting your time trying. What matters are the terms of my offer.”

My hand flew to my chest in an attempt to steady my racing heart.

The woman froze, her eyes locking onto mine, then darting to Apollo, and finally back to me.

Then her gaze dropped.

Her eyes scanned my clothes as if she possessed X-ray vision. My cheeks flamed instantly. She saw it. Somehow, she knew what had just transpired between us. It was as if it was written all over me, wasn’t it?

Her eyes widened in shock.

“Oh my God!” she gasped. “Am I seeing things right now?”

I felt heat crawl up my neck, flushing deeper. “I-I have to go, sir,” I stammered, avoiding Apollo’s gaze. “I’ll make sure to get those things done.”

I turned to flee toward the door, desperate for an escape, but then a hand caught mine.

“Wait,” the woman said. “Who are you? You’re a new face.”

I opened my mouth, panic rising within me. “Um… I’m…”

“Let her go, Genesis,” Apollo interjected smoothly.

Genesis?

Genesis Brown? The Vice President of the company?

The woman turned back with a playful grin, then slowly removed her nose mask.

In three words, she was stunning.

She had warm brown skin, sharp cheekbones, eyes that sparkled with mischief, and a knowing smile that suggested she had already read my entire diary and was just waiting for the right moment to tease me about it.

“Awwwn, you’re no fun,” she pouted at Apollo before releasing my hand. Then she leaned in slightly and winked at me. “I’ll find you later, beautiful.”

I managed an awkward smile, unsure of how to respond.

I cast one last glance at Apollo; he was still watching me, his expression unreadable.

I didn’t linger any longer. I turned, opened the door, and stepped out. As it clicked shut behind me, I leaned against it, pressing my back to the wood. My chest rose and fell rapidly as I stared down the empty hallway.

So, essentially, I had seventy-two hours to figure out how to prevent myself from sleeping with my boss.