Tom expected Charlotte to go all out in ordering room service, but she instead selected a simple turkey club from the menu. A shy, girlish smile appeared on her face when she asked, "Do you mind if I also get a piece of lemon cake?"

He couldn't help but return her smile. This was the Charlotte he was used to, accommodating and deferential. "Order whatever you want, sweetheart."

After deciding on the same meal that Charlotte had chosen, he added a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc to the order. 

Once they were sitting at the table, both of them wearing plush robes provided by the hotel, Charlotte dug into her sandwich. Though Tom was almost famished by that point, he spent a little time lingering over a glass of wine. 

When Charlotte noticed him watching her, she froze, the sandwich lifted halfway to her mouth. "What is it?" 

"Nothing," he hurried to assure her. "I just realized we've never had a meal together until now."

"Yes, we have," she said matter-of-factly. "It was right after I was hired on as your assistant. You suggested we go to a café for lunch so we could get better acquainted." She frowned at the food she'd been enjoying just moments earlier. "I was so nervous, I could barely eat the salad I'd ordered, and you spent most of the meal responding to texts and emails."

Tom released a sigh before downing the rest of his wine in a few swallows. "I've been a shitty boss."

 Flashing a sly grin, she said, "I guess I've paid you back for it."

"You think?" He raised his eyebrows, causing her to laugh. "Seriously, though, you're well aware of my plans for the future." He figured she couldn't have been surprised to discover he wanted to be CEO. "What are your plans, Charlotte?"

For the first time, she took a sip of the wine he'd poured her. "Honestly? I'm not thinking past tonight."

His amusement suddenly evaporated. Of all the answers she could have given, he wasn't expecting that one. "You have no plans for your career? But you're so young, with your whole life ahead of you."

Chewing thoughtfully, she shrugged. "Not all of us are meant to be ball-busting executives. I'm fine with staying in the background."

"You shouldn't sell yourself short." Tom had no idea why he was arguing with her, and over something that didn't concern him. Why the hell should her lack of ambition bother him? Yet he couldn't let the matter drop. "You're extremely intelligent, and when it comes to getting what you want, you're certainly driven."

Behind her glasses, her blue eyes narrowed. "Are you offering to be my mentor, Tom?"

Fuck no! he almost exclaimed before wisely stopping himself. Still, he couldn't resist a small dig. "You're the one leading me around on a leash right now. I doubt you'd ever consider me a mentor."

"Oh, but I do." Having eaten quickly, she was almost finished with her sandwich. "I've learned plenty from you. For example, I now understand how ruthless someone must be to get ahead at our company. Hell, it's probably that way at every company." Pushing her plate away, she turned her attention to the wine. 

Her words, so casually uttered, rekindled the low-burning flame of fury deep within Tom's belly. "I don't think you're in any position to judge me," he said in a dangerously quiet voice.

If Charlotte noticed his darkening mood, she didn't let on. Instead, she alternated between bites of moist lemon cake and sips of Sauvignon Blanc. "I'm not judging you," she finally said. "If anything, I have a grudging admiration for how cold-blooded you can be." Nodding toward the cake, she added, "This is so good. You should try yours."

Tom finished his sandwich in brooding silence. As he watched Charlotte relish the rest of her meal, his resentment only grew. The little cunt had blackmailed him into being here with her tonight, and she had the fucking nerve to call him ruthless?

Pouring himself more wine, he left the cake untouched. He sensed Charlotte studying him, yet he wouldn't give her the satisfaction of acknowledging her scrutiny.

Finally, she climbed to her feet and circled around the table. While covering that short distance, she loosened the sash on her robe, letting it fall open. Tom allowed her to take the glass from his hand and set it next to his plate. 

"Push your chair back," she ordered quietly, reminding him of the evening before in his office.

Reluctantly, he did as Charlotte said. Leaning forward, she opened his robe as well, then eased onto his lap. Despite his anger, he took pleasure in the feel of her warm skin pressed against his.

"Don't sulk," she said while twisting around to retrieve the lemon cake. He expected her to eat it as she sat on his lap, but she lifted a forkful to his lips.

It was no use arguing, Tom realized. When he opened his mouth, she fed him the dessert, which practically melted on his tongue. 

"Good, huh?" Charlotte said with a knowing smile.

Tom merely nodded. As she continued feeding him, he found that this act was almost as intimate as sex. Though it made him feel weirdly submissive, it also turned him on for reasons he didn't understand.

Waiting for him to swallow a mouthful, Charlotte asked, "How often did you think of Victoria when we were fucking?"

"Oh, for God's sake, Charlotte." When Tom started to lift her from his lap, she quickly returned the cake to the table and wrapped her arms around him.

"It's a fair question," she insisted. "Can you blame me for being curious as to how I compare?"

"We're not having this conversation."  

Ducking her head, she swept her tongue over his pursed lips. "You taste sweet," she whispered.

Eventually, Tom yielded. The moment he opened his mouth, she claimed it with her own. In spite of himself, he cupped her breasts, fondling her hard nipples. As her excitement grew, she rocked in his lap, her hips moving with an unexpected grace.

"Do you want me again?" she whispered. 

"Yes." His rapidly hardening cock made it clear he was telling the truth.

Charlotte reached between them to stroke him. Her light caress drew a moan from his throat. "You were so careful with me before. So gentle. And I loved that, but..." The kiss she gave him was hard and demanding, a sharp contrast to her touch. "I have a feeling you'd like nothing more than to pound my pussy."

Tom sucked in a breath. Without thinking, he gave her nipples a pinch. "I don't want to hurt you," he said, the protest halfhearted. Maybe he did want to give it to her hard, just as she'd demanded; just as she tried to goad him into doing by delivering a painful bite to his shoulder.

"Oh, I think you do," she said. Again, he had the ridiculous suspicion that she could read his mind. "Maybe you don't want to admit that. After all, you're not a brutal man, are you?" Her fingers continued their fondling until his dick throbbed. But it wasn't only her touch exciting him; it was her words. "I want you to fuck the shit out of me, Tom."

In response, he claimed her lips in a bruising kiss, which she eagerly returned. Their tongues moved as if at war with each other, and this time, it was Tom who nipped at Charlotte's bottom lip. 

Still, he hesitated. It was a risk, giving in to his baser desires. He couldn't afford to lose control with this woman.

Sensing his uncertainty, Charlotte lowered her mouth to his neck. She was greedy, suckling at his flesh. "Does Victoria beg for your cock?" she taunted. "Or are you the one on your knees, pleading for scraps?"

"Charlotte." He growled her name. 

"Fuck me the way you want to fuck her," his assistant went on. "The way she won't let you."

"You don't know a goddamn thing!" Seizing Charlotte, he rose from the chair, with her still clinging to him. She kept her face buried in his neck until he reached the bed and tossed her upon it. 

Giving her no chance to sit up, Tom flipped her onto her stomach, positioning her so that her feet were planted on the floor and she was bent over the bed's edge. She had time only to remove her glasses before he roughly stripped her of the robe, leaving her naked. Once he'd removed his own robe, he spread her legs even farther apart.

"Why the fuck do you have to keep pushing me?" he demanded through clenched teeth.

He brought his cock to her entrance. In the back of his mind, a warning blared: Get a goddamn condom!

As Charlotte's flesh yielded, she whimpered, "Fuck me!"

He slid inside with a powerful thrust, and they both groaned from the exquisite pleasure of him claiming her. Fucking her with a condom was incredible, Tom told himself, but taking her bare? That hot, wet pussy was so tight around him!

As he lingered deep within her, basking in the sensation, she lifted her head. "Don't lose your nerve now, Tom."

It was as if his fingers had their own will, for they snaked through her hair. Tom pushed her head down against the bed. Her face was turned to the side, enabling her to breathe and also giving him a view of her profile. That triumphant smile of hers never wavered.

With his other hand, he gripped her waist. Holding her fast, he slammed into her, again and again. The force of his rutting made her cries catch in her throat until they sounded like sobs.

"Is this what you want?" he panted, his body slapping against hers. 

"Yes!" Charlotte choked out. "Oh, my God, you feel so big inside me!" 

Tom saw her wince, but instead of slowing down, he withdrew almost all the way and then drove himself in deep again. When his cockhead grazed her cervix, she let out a guttural moan. 

"Take my pussy!" Her fingers clawed at the bedsheet. "Own it!"

Leaning forward, Tom placed his hands on her shoulders in order to yank her toward him. Wild with the need to punish her, and with the need to come, he delivered a bite to her shoulder. The pain made her quake, a sign of her approaching climax.

"You're mine now. Do you understand?" His voice was unfamiliar even to his own ears.

Charlotte readily nodded. When Tom resumed his hard fucking, her face twisted in beautiful agony. "I'm gonna come!"

He was covered in sweat, a fire of arousal burning under his skin. His hips moved with a desperate rhythm, for he was dangerously close to his own release.

A cry escaped his lips at the feel of Charlotte's pussy contracting around him. It was all he could do not to erupt inside her at that moment, but he somehow withstood her muscles constricting over and over, as if her body was hellbent on getting his seed.

Reluctantly, Tom pulled out. Charlotte whined but didn't protest. Instead, she lay on the bed, limp and quivering while he jerked his cock. His grunts sounded feral, and when he finally came all over her lower back and ass, he had to fight back a roar. 

Drained dry, he stared down at the mess he'd made. An unsettling thought slithered through his mind then: he'd just dominated Charlotte physically, but she was still the one controlling him. 

Again, he wiped her clean with a warm cloth. She moaned from his attention, a smile resting on her lips. When he was finished and drew her into his arms, she welcomed his kiss. 

"That was perfect," she said, her gaze dreamy. 

Slipping from his embrace, she headed toward the bathroom, her steps unhurried. Tom watched her disappear from sight. Instead of closing the door, she left it open, and he could easily hear the young woman relieving herself. 

Again, this intimacy she pressed upon him. Even as his face reddened, he slowly approached the doorway. 

Charlotte sat on the toilet, looking as though she was still trying to recover. Catching a glimpse of him, she lifted her head. "I'm going to feel that fuck for days."

Tom folded his arms over his chest, suddenly uncomfortable. Yet he didn't retreat to give her privacy, and she didn't order him away. As he watched her wipe between her thighs, his cock twitched.

Charlotte stood and flushed the toilet, then washed her hands. Examining her reflection in the mirror, she laughed. "I'm a mess!" 

Unable to stop himself, he murmured, "You're beautiful."

And she was in that moment, with her hair tousled and her cheeks sporting a deep blush. 

Though Charlotte merely rolled her eyes, he sensed her pleasure in hearing the compliment. How different things might have been between them, Tom thought, if he'd only taken the time to say a kind word to her every once in a while.

"The bathroom's all yours," she said. Her hand grazed his dick as she moved past him. "Time to get ready for bed."

He stared after her, furtively admiring her naked body. Was she really finished with him? Or was this a temporary reprieve? 

Whatever her motive, Tom was glad for the chance to rest. If she'd demanded it, he could have easily fucked her again, but he wanted to be in far better control of his emotions next time. All evening, she'd managed to keep him off balance; he wasn't used to second-guessing himself. Once Charlotte fell asleep, he could give more thought to everything they'd said and done in the last few hours. After weighing his successes and failures, he would be better prepared for what his assistant might have in store for him. 

Tom didn't take long in the bathroom, and when he was finished, he found Charlotte standing in the dark, staring out at the city lights. She was still and quiet until he approached and rested his hands on her shoulders. 

"How are you feeling?" he whispered.

Charlotte leaned back against him. "Like I've had the best fuck of my life."

He couldn't help but laugh low and soft. Circling his arms around her, he said, "Remember, you have your whole life ahead of you. I'm sure you'll attract plenty of talented lovers."

She released one of her pensive sighs. "Yeah, but they won't be you."

When she stirred in his embrace, he let her go. Patiently, he waited for her to grab her bag and disappear into the bathroom. This time, she closed the door.

Finally alone, Tom turned on the lamp and opened the bedside table drawer. Their phones were still there, still powered down. The fact that he was being ridiculously paranoid didn't stop him from closely inspecting both devices. Yes, his was protected with a new passcode, and yes, he'd left her alone only a short time while he was in the bathroom. But he'd learned the danger of underestimating Charlotte.

Tom was waiting in bed when she reemerged several minutes later. As she drew closer, he noticed her face was now free of make-up, and the tangles had been brushed from her hair. His gaze settled on her breasts, and her hard nipples in particular, while she turned off the light. 

Lifting the covers, she slipped into bed beside him. He felt her warm palm glide over his chest. 

"Kiss me," she demanded.

As Tom obeyed her order, his body responded. After what they'd done in the span of a single evening, Charlotte was all wrapped up with sex in his mind. The rational part of his brain understood she remained an enemy, yet that didn't stop his cock from hardening. 

Charlotte explored his mouth with her tongue. A faint moan escaped her throat, and her hips began rocking of their own volition. 

He was surprised when she broke the kiss and murmured, "Good night, Tom."  

Watching her curl up on her side, with her back to him, he realized this was indeed a reprieve, and one he'd do well to appreciate. Though she kept a small distance between them, Tom closed it, drawing her into his arms. In response, she nestled against him, seeming completely relaxed.

While holding her, he stared into the darkness. Already, he was thinking of Monday morning. How would Charlotte act toward him once they were back in the office? He needed to anticipate all possible scenarios. 

In doing so, he refused to ask himself what he knew were the most important questions of all: could he pretend none of this had ever happened? Would he be able to forgive Charlotte once he was certain he'd earned her silence?  

Every time he thought of the way she'd manipulated him, his fury revived itself, the way a gust of wind fed a flame. And every time he remembered the taste of her pussy, and the pleasure of being inside her, his cock throbbed with resurrected need.

While listening to the sound of Charlotte's quiet breathing, Tom assured himself he could manage his conflicting impulses. He'd do whatever was necessary to get David's job and keep Victoria safe.

And keep his underhanded assistant happy.