Clara Meadow is a woman of focus and absolute dedication. She doesn't have time for romance or anything that has to do with either love or the lack thereof. So when a marriage proposal arrives from the new chairman of the company, the only way she can stay the CEO and not have to give up on everything she had worked so hard for, she does what any sensible businesswoman would do: she accepts the proposal and makes it clear that it's strictly a business arrangement. But what happens when Mr Chairman isn't ready to settle for just a business partnership and decides he wants to make the marriage real? What happens when he is determined to make her his forever and not stop until she belongs to him in every way imaginable?
Chapter 1 Walk of Shame
Clara Meadow woke up from the start, her head hurt from how much she had drunk last night, and her body hurt from all the other things she had done.
It was an unusual state for her, but the previous day had been the worst day of her life, so a little drink to take the edge off had seemed appropriate.
A glance at the clock made her groan in pain. It was late. Too late.
She tried to stand up, but her body felt like lead and she fell back down on the bed, the jolt sending waves of pain through her body. She should not have drunk that much. It was a mistake. A huge mistake on her part.
"I am the biggest idiot in the world," Clara said, then closed her eyes.
She tried to remember what had happened.
It was all a bit hazy. But she knew what had happened.
There had been a meeting with the board of directors. And they had decided to replace her as the CEO of the company.
She had worked her ass off for Malcolm & Sons. She had been the youngest person ever hired by the company, and she had been the youngest person ever to have made the cut to be a CEO. It was a prestigious position, and it was her dream job.
But now they wanted to get rid of her. They had said it was because they were worried about her mental health. But Clara was pretty sure they were just tired of seeing a woman at the top.
They wanted a man.
"You can't go on like this. You need help," her assistant had said, looking at her with genuine concern.
But the problem wasn't that Clara had been overworking herself. It was that she hadn't been working enough.
Dammit, she had only just turned thirty. That was way too young to be retired. She was perfectly fine. It was not like she was sick or something.
And now here she was, lying on her bed, completely hungover, unable to get up, because the alcohol had taken a toll on her.
The truth was that, while she had been trying to prove that she was just as good as everyone else, she had ended up proving that she was not good enough. She was a failure.
"Stop groaning!" A deep voice emerged from too close to Clara's ear, and she opened her eyes, suddenly too alert for her own good.
Her heartbeat picked up and worst-case scenarios started to play in her mind.
Had she brought someone home last night?
She looked at her side just in time to catch a man folding an arm over his eyes, trying to block the sun.
And just like that, Clara wasn't sure if she was still dreaming or awake.
There was one hell of a man lying next to her, and he was gorgeous.
He was tall and muscular, with the kind of body you only got from hard work, not from the gym. His face was chiseled, his jaw was sharp, and his lips were full. He had a strong nose, which made him look even more masculine than he already did.
His eyes...well, she couldn't exactly see his eyes because he was trying to hide from the sun, but she could imagine them being just as beautiful as the rest of him.
Clara instantly sat up, only just realizing that she was too naked under the sheets.
She frowned. "What the hell?"
Shit. There was no way she had slept with this guy. She wouldn't be that stupid. She looked down at her naked body, trying to remember what had happened.
And then, everything came back to her in a flash.
The board meeting. The decision to fire her. The club. The booze. The mindless flirting. And then...he drove her to her penthouse apartment because apparently she was too wasted to do it herself. And then...
"Dammit!" She cursed under her breath, never taking her eyes off the man.
Well, for one she couldn't exactly. He was too hot. Too naked. And too much of a distraction.
She scowled. Tossing the sheets off her, she looked around the room, scanning for clothes and undergarments that she remembered peeling one by one as she led this stranger inside her sanctuary.
The thought made her feel utterly dumb for bringing a stranger home, but also a little warm at all the right places, knowing what they had done for most of the night.
There was no doubt in her mind that she had enjoyed the sex, that he was insanely good. So good, she could barely remember who was on top and who was on the bottom, and who was doing what to who.
But now, it was time to think about her next move.
She shook her head and grabbed the first article of clothing she could find: her robe. She wrapped it around herself, and then circled the queen-sized bed, finally standing over the man who seemed to be having the best sleep of his life.
"Wake up!" She nudged him. "Hey, wake up!"
He stirred, grunting from the back of his throat, his eyes still covered.
"Come on," she poked him with her manicured finger. "Get up and get dressed."
He finally opened his eyes and Clara felt her heart skip a beat. They were hazel, with a hint of green. And they were the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen.
Damn, the one man she chose to screw after all these years had to be drop-dead gorgeous, didn't he?
"Five minutes," he grunted.
"No, five minutes won't do. You have to go now. I don't do walk of shames."
"It's not a walk of shame if I'm not ashamed," he pointed out. Smug bastard. "And you definitely weren't ashamed when you were screaming my name last night."
She scowled at him, straightening up and crossing her arms over her chest. "No. I didn't? I don't even know your name."
"It's not like you introduced yourself either." He smirked, looking at her up and down.
Clara blushed, suddenly very aware of how exposed she was.
Even though her robe covered all the essentials, it was a thin piece of material that did little to hide the curves of her body. She could tell he was appreciating the view, and it was making her feel hot and bothered.
"Look, I don't care what your name is. We had a good time last night, and now it's over. I don't do relationships, and I don't do anything beyond a one-night stand. So, you need to get up, and you need to get out. And I am not going to ask you again."
He chuckled. "You are very bossy in the morning, aren't you?" He sat up finally, giving her more of a view of his sculpted chest and those damn big shoulders. "I think I like it."
Clara stared at him, completely speechless. She was usually very good at getting rid of people, but this man was different.
For one, he was hot enough to make her want to jump his bones right there and then. And secondly, he seemed to be completely immune to her usual tactics.
But it simply wouldn't do. No matter how good-looking he was, and no matter how much wetness was gathering between her legs just thinking about his hands and mouth on her, she needed to get rid of him. She could not afford to be distracted, not now, when her career was in jeopardy.
She had things to do, places to be and people to impress. She had no time to deal with some man who could not take no for an answer.
"Are you done?" She rolled her eyes and stepped away, showing him the door. "Please leave. There's the door. Feel free to use it."
He looked at the door, then looked at her, and then finally stood up.
Clara's eyes widened as she took in his full naked glory. His legs were long, and they were perfectly shaped, like he spent all his time running or something. And his dick...it was big. Bigger than any she had ever seen. Even after having it inside her for most of the night, she was still shocked at its sheer size and girth.
"Like what you see?" He asked, standing directly in front of her, giving her an even better view.
"I have seen better," she lied, trying to act unaffected by his nakedness.
He went for his boxers first, chuckling softly. "That's not what you said last night."
"I was drunk," she huffed, not wanting to drag this conversation anymore. Mostly because she was the one losing, and Clara didn't like losing. Especially not to some guy. "Are you done yet?"
"Not even close." He slipped his boxers on and then reached for his pants. He put them on with a grace that shouldn't have been possible for someone his size. Then, he put on his shirt and went for his shoes.
Clara watched him silently, wondering why every second with him felt like a slow crawl. He was just so sexy. And the way he moved. It was like he was doing a strip tease in reverse.
It was maddening.
And hot.
When he finally had everything back on, she sighed in relief. She followed him to the door, opening it for him.
He stepped out without saying a word. But before he left, he turned to her and gave her the sexiest morning smile she had ever seen.
"What?" She asked.
"I have a feeling this isn't the last time you're going to see of me."
She laughed. "Yeah, keep dreaming. I never go for seconds."
"Is that so? Again, not something you told me last night. You said you would do anything I wanted if I did that thing with my tongue again."
Her face burned with embarrassment. She had been really drunk last night, and she was starting to remember the details.
"Just get out!" Without waiting for a reply, she slammed the door shut.
But there was no mistaking the sound of his laughter as he walked away.
Clara shook her head and sighed. This had been the most bizarre morning she had had in a very long time. She usually wasn't that reckless. She rarely slept with people she didn't know. And she never brought strangers home. But there had been something about this guy. Something that had drawn her to him.
Maybe it was the way he had been looking at her, or maybe it was just the fact that he was hot and he was there, but she had given into her baser instincts and she had slept with him.
Now, as she sat on her bed, trying to make sense of what had just happened, she knew that she needed to get her shit together. She needed to forget about the stranger and focus on what really mattered: her job.
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