Claiming Julia

Claiming Julia

Copyright ©
June
201
2
,
Charisma Knight

Cover art by
Mina Carter
©
June 2012

Amira Press

Charlotte, NC 28227

www.amirapress.com

ISBN:
978-1-937394-52-3

No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared by any electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to printing, file sharing, and e-mail, without prior written permission from Amira Press.

Chapter One

The doorbell rang just as Julia added the finishing touches to her updo. Excited, she took one last look in the mirror before walking into the living room to answer the door. She smiled as she opened it.

“Good evening.” Angus stood there, holding a perfect bouquet of roses along with a box of her favorite chocolates. “For you, my dear.” He was a sight to behold, and the expensive Armani suit he sported looked good on him.

Her heart fluttered in anticipation as she observed the flawless masculine face that could have graced the cover of
GQ
magazine. Tonight he’d tied his armpit-length hair in a leather band, which gave him a different look
.

She beckoned him in and accepted the gifts most graciously. “You shouldn’t have,” she said with a spark of excitement in her voice as the man leaned down and gently kissed her for what seemed like an eternity. Julia’s knees knocked as a large hand brushed a cheekbone with tenderness, as though she were a delicate piece of artwork.

He tore himself away from her to admire the beautiful black chiffon dress that hugged her generous curves. “Absolutely exquisite,” he said breathlessly as his eyes slowly took in every inch of her body. “And yes—I should have. “You deserve that and so much more,” he assured her.

Julia smiled before sauntering out to the kitchen in search of a vase. “I’ll simply die if these were to wilt, you know. Please, make yourself comfortable, baby.” Although he’d told her not to, she quickly found an old crystal vase, filled it with water, and plopped the roses in.

Angus sat on the couch and glanced at his watch. “Take your time, beautiful. We have reservations and more than enough time to get to Chez Joey.”

With a smile, she returned and placed the roses in the middle of the coffee table. “There.” After a few minutes of fussing over them, she beamed proudly. “These make for a lovely centerpiece.”

“Aye.” Angus nodded in agreement before extending his hand. “Come, lass,” he said while patting his lap in invitation.

She wanted to come, she thought to herself, but preferred Angus to make the first move.

Julia swallowed hard before sitting her plush derriere on his large lap. She sighed as he drew her in for another kiss. Angus’
s
grasp tightened around her body before his hands began to explore her, as though it was the first time he’d touched her.

She felt his large hands slide from her lower back to the nape of her neck and rest there before playing with the thick, kinky coils of her hair.

Closing his eyes, he inhaled her fragrance. “Intoxicating,” he moaned. “You always smell so damned good.” He opened his eyes and smiled seductively. “You smell good enough to eat.” Playfully he bit her lips before slipping his tongue inside her mouth to meet with hers.

Julia melted when he released a husky growl before delivering soft, moist kisses along the column of her neck. “Oh, please, don’t you ever stop kissing me like that,” she begged. She loved the tenderness and admiration he had to offer.

“There’s more kisses where that comes from,” he assured her before kissing her on both cheeks and resting his forehead against hers. “I’ll gladly spend forever kissing you wherever you’d like.” His eyes were filled with promise and passion. “Are you sure you want to go out tonight, my love?”

“I was looking forward to going out.” Angus’
s
fingers crept down to her ankles, and back up the inner side of her leg until his hand rested just beneath her garter, not far from her pussy. The man couldn’t seem to keep his hands off her, and she loved every minute of it. “However, the thought of spending the evening here with you is more enticing.”

“I must admit, I am hungry as well, although not for food.” He squeezed her thigh and continued speaking in that seductive baritone voice just before turning her around so that she was facing away from him. “I’m not sure as to how long I would be able to maintain my composure at the dinner table, so perhaps it is best we stay in?”

Julia was quite sure she’d just creamed her panties as his cock pressed hard against her ass. In response she pressed herself against his steel as fingers entwined themselves in her thick hair.

He kissed her cheek and nibbled her earlobes while playing with the bouncy curls of her hair. “I’ll leave the decision up to you. We’ll do whatever it is you want,” he admitted. “Your happiness is mine.”

Julia closed her eyes, relishing in Angus’
s
passionate kisses. She moaned as he ravished her mouth, invading hers with his tongue. She sighed heavily as a strong vibration developed in his chest and his tongue developed a different texture to it. Then he growled. Quickly she opened her eyes and was greeted by a sight that almost stopped her heart. Although she screamed, no sound came out of her mouth. The creature grinned an evil grin as she tried releasing herself from its grasp.

“What’s the matter, Julia,” the beast asked in a raspy voice. “You taste good, so good. As a matter of fact, you taste good enough to eat!”

* * * *

Her heart racing, Julia jerked upright, thankful to be awake from the fantasy-turned-nightmare. Her twenty-minute break was over now, and it was time to get back to work.

It was unusual for her to power-nap during her breaks; however, for some insane reason, she was sleepier than usual. Apparently, playing the role of superwoman was finally taking its toll on her, as were her dreams of her boss.

She stretched and popped a breath mint in her mouth as she made her way from the small guest office and back to her cubicle. It had been far too long since Julia had experienced romance in her life, and for some inexplicable reason, she believed she could savor a romantic interlude with McNamara. Or could she? Apparently her dreams told her she could.

She shuddered at the memory of the horrible-looking scaly thingy she’d been kissing in her dream. Thank God she’d awakened, and she hadn’t even set her alarm clock on the phone. Her dreams seemed so real these days.

Every so often she allowed herself to think what it would be like to be Angus’
s
lover. True, he was her boss, but for some reason she felt a strong connection between them. He was a magnet that continued to pull her close to him.

He could also be a tyrant, hence the hideous, evil beasts he morphed into whenever she dreamed of him. Just last night, she was forced to change her plans so she could work on a proposal for one of his most valued clients. She’d wanted to go out with a few of her girlfriends, but, nope, she was at Angus’
s
disposal. At least, that’s how he made her feel. It was no mystery to her that the man sought to dominate her in every way.

In her dreams, he was a pussycat, placing her upon a pedestal, and saying romantic things that made her swoon—at least before he changed. In her dreams, he worshipped the very ground on which she walked and was romantic, like a fantasy man straight from the movies.
Ha!
In reality, McNamara was far from any fantasy man. She shivered again as she recalled the face and tried shrugging it off.

Julia Jones was no pushover. Everyone had boundaries. Although she found Angus irresistible, she was determined to always remain in control. Even though he ruffled her feathers, she never would give him the satisfaction of going off on him or letting him know just how much he got under her skin.

She had a knack for speaking her mind in a classy way, usually leaving Angus simmering. She could see it in his eyes, and she loved it. She loved butting heads with the man, maybe even more so than her job itself. She made a career of getting beneath Angus McNamara’s skin, but in a way that she couldn’t be labeled unprofessional and brute-like.

Sometimes she thought she saw him staring at her with such intensity, she believed he’d jump her bones on the spot. She had to think twice about that one, though. No, perhaps it was just her wanton imagination. She didn’t want to confuse fantasy with reality and never pursued him. In her mind, throwing herself at her boss would be slutty and professionally unacceptable.

Of course he’d never want anything to do with her. Angus McNamara went after the women with tiny waists from the itty-bitty-titty committee. Pretty hot and tempting, Julia did manage to maintain a firm frame thanks to partaking in Tae Bo and Zumba several times a week. If McNamara didn’t like her because she was plus-sized, oh well. Julia refused to change for any man who didn’t accept her the way she was.

“Julia!” Silence fell across the entire office, and Bjorn’s door immediately slammed shut. When the vice president closed his door, that was a sure sign boss man was heading for a mental meltdown.

Angus’
s
bellowing made her jerk upright, which snatched her back into her work. She looked up just in time to see him standing in the doorway of his office.

His face was beet
red, and his chest heaved so hard, she thought he’d have a heart attack.

“We need to talk, now!”

“Yes, sir.” Dazed and confused, along with having sopping
-
wet panties, she wondered what in blazes could be wrong now. Gathering her composure, she rose, careful not to look at him.

The man was fine as hell. He had mesmerizing emerald eyes and thick red hair raining past his shoulders. In the past, she’d contemplated accidentally on purpose brushing up against that muscular body, perhaps even squeezing that delectable ass of his.
Hell, no.
That wouldn’t be right.

Gritting her teeth in preparation of what was to come, Julia grabbed her day planner and notebook, held her head up high, and followed him into his domain—his office. As she walked she wondered why the hell she put up with his nasty, arrogant, and abusive temper. She smiled triumphantly. Because she loved the challenge! Fortunately, the pay compensated for the crap she dealt with. While many companies were laying workers off because of the harrowing economic times, Draguun Incorporated provided job security for all their employees. Not to mention she had one hell of a retirement package, health benefits, and a rocking 401K plan. Finally, she’d gotten her foot in the door of an awesome company as a junior ad executive.

Suddenly, a thought filled her with dread. Perhaps he’d found fault with the document she had created the night before. Julia had poured her blood, sweat, and tears into that proposal. She gritted her teeth at the thought of him rejecting it, rejecting her. He had had a meeting with one of his clients earlier this morning, and they didn’t look too happy when they’d left the office.

The green-eyed god paced back and forth in front of his desk before running his fingers through his hair several times. Seemingly in a trance, he knocked on the black lacquer desk in order to ease that fiery temper of his, she knew. It was an annoying habit of his whenever his nerves were rattled. Eventually, his face returned to the fair tone she was accustomed to.

His eyes bore through her chocolate browns as he crossed his arms across his massive chest. “You should know my client wasn’t very happy with that proposal you created. When my clients aren’t happy, I’m not happy.” His voice was barely a whisper. He gave her a stern look before exhaling. “What should we do about this dilemma?”

“Perhaps I can rewrite it for you if it wasn’t to their liking.”

“A simple rewrite won’t suffice,” Angus snapped.

A buzzing sensation sliced through her core, and she shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she fought for control over her body. What the hell was wrong with her? All of a sudden something seemed to come over her, and it became hard to concentrate. The buzzing sound in her head continued to grow louder. Was she going mad? She could feel his burning gaze upon her as she fought to maintain her professionalism and handle the invading force that was bearing down upon her like a ton of bricks.

“I’ll work through my lunch.”

“No, perhaps not. This is one of my best clients, and he’s not happy.”

Her eyes were immediately drawn to his. Something danced in the seductive emerald pools, and she could have sworn flames appeared in them. The expression on his face was almost unnerving, and she discovered it would be her undoing if she didn’t focus on the task at hand. It only took a few seconds for her to recall his words.

“Honestly, sir, how many ways can we write an ad for adult diapers?”

Her breath hitched when she thought she saw smoke spewing from his nose.

“Dammit, Julia! Their sales are low! That means our ad sucks and we’re not doing our freaking jobs! We need to entice the public into spending more money on this product!”

Julia swallowed hard, and her heart was beating so loudly she thought it was connected to her skull. Her face flushed with heat, and her body burned with a fever she could not explain as she tried shaking off the slew of emotions rising from within.

Angus shook his head and waved his hand at her. “I’m frustrated, Julia, and there’s not much time for us to continue this conversation. Go on, just leave all the ad work to me and have Lydia order my lunch. I’m hungry. Please bring it in as soon as it gets here.”

“Just for the record, Angus, there’s nothing wrong with my ad. I went over it with a fine-toothed comb. You know I’ve written ads that have boosted our clients’ sales in the past.”

“Then tell me, what went wrong with this one? Apparently there were some loose ends you neglected to tie up, and the client noticed.” He rocked back and forth in the black chair with a questioning gaze. “I’ve seen the quality of your work in the past, and you have proven yourself to me. I want to promote you, but I cannot afford any other mistakes of this nature.” He paused for a few moments; she suspected it was to see how she’d react. “Do I give you too much work?”

“No, sir,” Julia snapped. She flinched. Perhaps she’d bitten off more than she could chew in her efforts to prove herself.

“I’ll rewrite everything myself. Let’s chalk this up as a temporary setback.”

“Sure thing.” With a heated sigh of relief, she turned on her heel and started to exit his office.

“Also have Lydia brew a fresh pot of coffee, please.”

“Sure!” she said, before retreating for the door. She could feel his searing gaze on her, but she no longer cared.

It suddenly dawned on her that she had been burning the candle at both ends for far too long. Between taking on extra responsibilities at Draguun and working hard on obtaining a bachelor’s degree, she’d felt forced to forego sleep on some evenings and eat poorly at times, both of which developed into horrible habits. Julia gritted her teeth in frustration. What she needed to do was slow the hell down and take things in stride.

It had been only a few minutes after she’d settled in at her desk and was about to contact Lydia when Angus’
s
office door opened and he stormed out to stand at the entrance of her cubicle. Suddenly, her emotions shifted at the mere vision of him while becoming increasingly wet.

“Has Lydia ordered my lunch yet?”

Narrow green eyes appeared to change color as he sneered at her.

“I was just calling her,” she quipped.

“Hopefully, some time this year, maybe?” He cocked a brow, and a small frown broke through his stern exterior before he turned on his heel and walked away.

“Bastard!” she mumbled beneath her breath. Angus was really pressing his luck.

It was obvious he was toying with her. Aggression stirred deep within her, and she was quickly losing the battle. Perhaps it was from lack of sleep? Sure, she’d use that excuse in her defense.

Before she could dial, he’d returned to her cubicle
,
and the shift in the atmosphere was noticeable. Heat surged between them, and for one split second his form wavered. She knew he was no ordinary man.
Damn!
Sleep deprivation sure could give someone a powerful imagination, but this was taking the cake!

“Did you say something?”

She looked him straight in the eye and smiled. “No, I didn’t. You must be hearing things.”

He cocked a brow. “You aren’t moving fast enough!”

Julia swallowed hard, wondering why he simply couldn’t ask Lydia to order lunch himself. What the hell? Was his hand broken? Surely he could pick up the phone and call her himself. Oh, yeah. Perhaps send a quick e-mail? She was struggling on the inside but fighting to remain cool, calm, and collected on the outside. “Moving as fast as I can.”

“Hurry it along, please,” he said with a snort before returning to his office and slamming the door shut.

Julia’s chest heaved as she sat staring at the door while a mixture of lust and anger continued to build within her.

“Lydia Riley.”

“Lydia, please place a lunch order at Asean Cuisine for Angus.”

“Sure thing.”

“Just drop it off at my desk, and I’ll take it in to him. Thank you so much.”

“No worries, Julia.”

She closed her eyes and snatched a few quick breaths, in an attempt to relax herself. She thought she’d had it under control, but the man was seriously working her last nerve today. Or maybe she was plucking his nerves to no end? She supposed it worked both ways.

In twenty minutes or less, Chaney the delivery guy was at the front desk. Quickly Lydia dropped off the large brown bag to Julia, and in no time, she went into his office.

“It’s about time,” he growled in a husky voice before leaning back in his large
black
leather
chair. “A man could starve around here.”

Trying to maintain her composure, Julia exhaled several times as she approached his desk. For some unknown reason, his temper and the tone of his voice aroused her. She suddenly wished this day would be over, but she had a long way to go.

“I don’t control the delivery man, or the traffic. I’m sure he brought your food here as quickly as he possibly could.” She’d really wanted to let him have it, in more ways than one, but she continued exuding the cool and vibrant aura she was known for in the office.

“Do you have something to say, Julia? I thought you said something earlier, when I came out.” Angus sat forward and stroked his chin while he frowned. “I believe you called me a bastard?” He again leaned back into the
large black
leather
chair. He looked her squarely in the face. “Do you really think I’m a bastard?”