My Best Friend's Uncle is a Savage

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Half an hour later, wearing nothing but a thin towel that barely covered my upper thighs, I strolled into Sienna's room.

I held up two sets of plus-size sheer lace lingerie. Which one of these works better with my new low-cut red dress? I need to absolutely nail the interviewer tomorrow.

Sienna didn't react. She just sat there, completely frozen.

Then, a deep, dangerously smooth male voice resonated from the glowing screen of her phone. "The black one."

Chapter 1

Tomorrow is my big interview at Zenith Innovations. To prep, I dragged Sienna to the mall to hunt down the perfect red dress.

Red is my lucky color. My finals, my thesis defense, the day I kicked my trash ex, Hunter, to the curbI wore a red dress for all of them.

"Oh my god, Cora, you're an absolute lifesaver," Sienna said. "If my uncle wasn't a cold-blooded workaholic, I swear I would have shoved you into his bed ages ago."

A cold-blooded workaholic? Girl, you are severely misunderstanding your uncle. My mind immediately flooded with heavily censored, R-rated flashbacks.

Outwardly, I forced a cool smile. "Sienna, your uncle is way too old for me. You know I like them young and energetic."

Sienna nodded in dead seriousness. "True."

I let out a breath. At least that conversation was over. I rent a two-bedroom apartment. I take one room, and Sienna takes the other. Usually, I have the place entirely to myself. But tonight, to hide from her controlling, absurdly powerful uncle, she forcibly took over my apartment.

That man is the ultimate nightmare of the Wall Street venture capital worldand a secret I absolutely cannot mention to anyone.

The second we got in, Sienna made a beeline for her room and face-planted onto her massive bed.

"I'm hitting the shower, Sienna," I called out. "By the way, I think that red dress might be a little sheer. I'll try it on again later, and you can help me pick what to wear underneath."

"Got it!"

Half an hour later, wearing nothing but a thin towel that barely covered my upper thighs, I strolled into her room holding two sets of plus-size sheer lace lingerie. "Sienna, look. Which one works better underneath?"

Sienna didn't react for a long time.

As I looked up, a deep, resonant male voice drifted over. "The black one."

A phone sat dead center on Sienna's bed, the camera angled perfectly to capture my current state.

Oh my god!

"What? What is it?"

Sienna was sitting there with a face mask on. She looked at my long, exposed legs, then at the glowing phone screen on the bed, and sucked in a sharp breath.

"Holy shit," she blurted out, lunging forward like she'd been electrocuted to kill the video call. "Cora," she gasped. "I was just hanging out, and my uncle suddenly FaceTimed me, so I answered. I didn't expect Thank god you don't have a habit of walking around completely naked."

This girl is going to be the death of me. Remembering Gideon's burning gaze and that dangerously low voice, a rush of heat scorched my cheeks.

Sienna pointed at the pieces in my hand, then grabbed the black one and held it up to my face. "The black one definitely looks better."

I stared at her, utterly speechless.

Back in my room, the second I locked the door, my phone screen suddenly lit up. An encrypted message popped up, practically dripping with suffocating dominance.

Chapter 2

[If you want to know if it looks good, just ask me directly.]

Shameless bastard. It wasn't like I bought it for him. Pressing my palms against my burning cheeks, I buried myself under the covers. The memories played out in my head like a high-definition movie, frame by frame, until I finally blacked out into sleep.

The next morning, I woke up before the alarm even went off. I slipped into that fiery red dress, put on a sharp, killer makeup look, and marched straight out the door in my highest heels.

Zenith Innovations was the absolute titan of the city's tech industry. As a computer science grad, getting a foot in their door was the ultimate flex, and I was no exception.

When I arrived, the waiting room was already packed with applicants. The tension was suffocating. I clutched my resume, found a quiet corner, and the moment I sat down, I caught the hushed whispers of the people next to me.

"I heard the big boss is actually here today. Word is he's picking someone straight out of this batch to take back to headquarters."

"That's nothing new. They always pluck a few top-tier candidates for the main office every year."

"Oh, really? Good to know."

I let their chatter wash over me. I applied for R&D. That was my entire focus. I hadn't given a single thought to the big boss or the corporate headquarters.

Half an hour later, the interviews officially kicked off. A guy who looked like an assistant started calling names and leading people out.

A sudden spike of adrenaline hit my bloodstream. This was my first real, high-stakes corporate interview.

Then, they called my name.

I gripped my folder and followed the assistant down the hall to the conference room.

I stepped inside and froze.

Sitting dead center was a man radiating pure, suffocating authority.

"Cora."

His voice was a dark, magnetic rumble. My heart slammed against my ribs.

Nudged by the other interviewers, I took the seat directly across from him and launched into my rehearsed pitch. I kept my eyes pinned on the other executives, but I could feel his heavy, predatory gaze tracking my every move.

That absolute bastard. No wonder he sent me that text last night.

After my intro, the panel threw a barrage of technical questions at me. I fired back flawlessly, hitting every mark.

Gideon sat at the far end of the long table, his bespoke suit perfectly wrapping around his powerfully built frame. He hadn't said another word, yet those wolf-like eyes brazenly devoured the sight of my red dress. His long, knuckle-defined fingers idly stroked the photograph on my resume. The exact spot his thumb pressed down on was my lips.

Heat flared at the tips of my ears.

God.

The tension was absolute torture. We had been together for almost six months, and every single time he smirked like that, I ended up absolutely wrecked.

The conference room plunged into a suffocating silence. With Gideon keeping his mouth shut, the other executives didn't dare breathe a word, their eyes darting nervously between him and me.

I knew exactly what he was doing.

The arrogant jerk. If anyone had the right to be pissed off right now, it was me. He knew I was interviewing at Zenith, yet he conveniently left out the part where he owned the damn place.

Oh, hell no.

My spine snapped straight. The hesitation in my eyes vanished, and I locked stares with him, challenging him directly.

Gideon stood up, his massive shadow instantly swallowing me whole. Ignoring the terrified, awestruck stares of the executives, he closed the distance between us. He leaned in, the sheer force of his presence crushing the oxygen out of my lungs, and dropped his voice to a dark, private murmur.

"Move into my private floor tomorrow. You're hired."

Did I just sleep my way to the top?!

Chapter 3

My phone buzzed in my bag, and I didn't even need to look to know which bastard it was.

The second I stepped out of the Zenith Innovations building, I spotted that overly familiar, obnoxiously massive black SUV parked right across the street. So much for keeping a low profile.

I tried to play blind and keep walking, but the relentless vibration against my hip made it impossible. I scanned the street left and right. Once I was sure the coast was clear, I scurried over to the SUV like a thief in broad daylight, yanked the heavy door open, and practically dove inside.

Only to slam face-first into a wall of custom tailoring and a dangerously handsome, ice-cold face.

Shit. Big mistake. I was trapped halfway in, stuck in a humiliating, hunched-over position.

I glared at him. "Move over."

The man didn't twitch a single muscle.

Fine. Have it your way. I pressed my lips into a hard line and tried to back out to take the other door, mentally cursing myself for whatever temporary insanity led me to get involved with him in the first place. This was exactly what I got for letting my hormones make my life choices.

The moment my foot shifted backward, Gideon's massive hand shot out. The heavy car door slammed shut with a definitive click. Caught off guard, I tumbled straight onto the floorboards, my back plastered against the tinted glass.

"Gideon, what the hell is your problem?" The panic in my voice stripped away any remaining professional filter.

Gideon let out a low, magnetic laugh. "Just helping you get the door, Cora."

If he didn't possess such an illegally perfect face, I would have punched him right in the jaw.

"Thanks," I ground out through clenched teeth. I brushed invisible dust off my hands, scrambled up, and tried to squeeze past his long legs to reach the empty seat on the other side.

But Gideon deliberately shifted his powerful thighs. As I scrambled over, my entire upper body ended up plastered against his chest. Even through the thin red fabric of my dress, the sheer, scorching heat of his body burned right into my skin.

"The dress is stunning," he murmured, his breath hot against my collarbone. "Shame you picked the wrong thing to wear underneath."

I shot him a deadly glare. "Where exactly are you looking, Gideon?"

Gideon's eyes darkened completely. His rough, massive hand shot up, gripping the back of my neck and yanking me flush against him.

My heart hammered violently against my ribs.

Right before those dangerously tempting lips could drop another filthy remark, I grabbed a fistful of his silk tie and slammed my palm hard over his mouth. "Shut up. Not another word."

Seriously, what was wrong with this man? For a terrifying corporate apex predator, he lost every ounce of his cold restraint the second we were alone. He was pure, unadulterated trouble.

But I severely underestimated the sheer depravity of this corporate savage. He didn't pull back. Instead, he parted his lips. His hot, wet tongue deliberately and heavily dragged right across the center of my palm, his sharp canines even grazing the sensitive edge of my skin.

Oh my god. He knew exactly what he was doing, fully exploiting the fact that I wouldn't dare pull my hand away and let him talk with the driver sitting right up front.

I narrowed my eyes, practically shooting lasers into his skull.

Gideon finally relented, shifting his long legs just enough to let me slide into the seat. But before I could pull away, his massive hands clamped down on mine, locking my fingers entirely within his inescapable grip.

I gave up fighting it. It was just holding hands. Let him have his moment.

Halfway through the ride, I stared at the blurring neon lights of the high-end shopping district outside the window. I frowned. "Where exactly are we going?"

"Taking you shopping."

I wanted to scream. I wanted a full refund on the untouchable, ice-cold billionaire I thought I met six months ago. But arguing with Gideon was a losing game.

He dragged me straight into the luxury plaza, his strides aggressive and entirely focused. He didn't slow down until we hit a dead stop in front of a very specific boutique.

Chapter 4

I looked up. My brain buzzed with a sudden rush of realization. I instantly understood what Gideon meant by taking me shopping.

Men. Especially a man like Gideon. Beneath that untouchable tailored exterior beat the heart of an absolute savage.

I stared at the flawless sharp cut of his jawline. My mind flashed back to the very first time we met.

It was my sophomore year of college. Sienna and I had survived freshman year together and become practically inseparable. One day she dragged me back to her family's estate. I watched her sneak through her own front door like a burglar. It made zero sense.

Then she whispered that her uncle was home. He was the one person in the world who terrified her. Cold. Authoritative. Capable of making you shake with a single glance. That was her description. I immediately pictured some balding middle-aged tyrant.

We barely kicked off our shoes in the foyer when a towering powerfully built figure stepped into the hallway. I instantly mentally apologized for my ignorance.

Sienna's uncle was on a completely different level. He was older than us. But he radiated an intimidating aggressive wealth and maturity that completely outclassed every college boy I knew. He was a masterpiece.

I took one look and forced my eyes away. It didn't matter how dangerous he looked. I had a boyfriend.

"Uncle Gideon," Sienna greeted. Her voice was completely stripped of its usual volume.

He threw me a freezing indifferent glance. He gave a low hum of acknowledgment and walked past.

As his broad shoulders brushed by I felt a heavy physical weight press against me. It was his gaze. I frowned and turned around. He was already walking away.

Sienna was right. The man was terrifying.

That was my first encounter with Gideon. It was like dropping a rock into a dead-silent lake. A quick ripple and then nothing.

I never expected our second meeting to happen so fast. Or for it to happen when I was at absolute rock bottom.

My boyfriend and I made it official sophomore year. Hunter chased me for a solid year. He claimed he saw me in a red dress at the freshman mixer and fell instantly. He treated me like a queen and did absolutely everything a perfect boyfriend was supposed to do.

Maybe I just got used to the relentless attention. Maybe there was a split second where I actually believed he was a man I could rely on. So I said yes.

My parents loved each other their entire lives. I grew up thinking love meant loyalty until the end.

Hunter taught me a brutal lesson. We were barely three months into the relationship before he cheated.

The day I caught him he had his hands all over some girl in a tiny slip dress. They were swallowing each other's faces.

The girl actually spotted me first. She tapped his back to stop him.

I still remember his exact words. "Cora, we've been together for three months. You won't even let me hold your hand. I'm not your boyfriend. I'm just an errand boy who grabs food and saves seats for you and Sienna."

I didn't say a single word.

Chapter 5

I froze. It never even crossed my mind that he viewed our entire relationship as a transaction. Looking at the half-naked girl pressed against his chest, the reality hit me. I finally understood exactly what he wanted. And there was no way in hell I was giving it to him.

I gave him one last dead-eyed look, turned on my heel, and walked away.

But his fragile ego couldn't handle the silence. He actually screamed after me, his voice cracking. "Cora, with your prudish, stuck-up attitude, who else is going to want you? I was just playing with you!"

I didn't even break my stride. The best way to deal with a rabid dog biting you is to find a bigger, meaner beast to rip its throat out.

Of course, I wasn't calling Gideon a beast right then. That particular realization came much later.

Even though I knew Hunter was a piece of trash, a sharp, suffocating pressure still clamped down on my chest. I never treated him like an errand boy. I was actually planning to bring him home to meet my parents after finals. I took us seriously.

A deafening crack split the sky. Thunder.

I stood there like an idiot, staring up as jagged lightning tore across the dark clouds, followed by another explosive rumble.

Right on cue, my phone buzzed. It was Sienna. She said it was going to pour and demanded I bring her a massive order of extra-spicy loaded fries to her dorm. Fine.

By the time I grabbed her greasy takeout and started the trek back to campus, the sky absolutely opened up. A torrential downpour hit the pavement.

Holding a soggy paper bag, I couldn't find a single awning to hide under. It completely validated the theory that when your life goes to hell, you're guaranteed to trip on flat ground.

I tried to sprint back. I wasn't watching my feet. My shoe caught the edge of a massive, water-filled pothole.

The fries went flying. I hit the concrete hard.

The street was empty. The rain was freezing. The thunder was deafening. I gave up. I sat right there in the freezing mud and sobbed, my lungs heaving.

Right in the middle of my pathetic breakdown, the heavy rain suddenly stopped hitting my head. A pair of immaculate, handcrafted leather shoes stepped into my line of sight. Raindrops splattered across the polished surface.

I wiped the stinging rain from my eyes and looked up. Through my blurred vision, a striking, impossibly sharp face came into focus.

Sienna's uncle?!

My brain short-circuited. Sienna and I were best friends. If I saw her terrifying uncle, I was supposed to greet him. My dad raised me to have manners, even in the middle of a mental breakdown.

"Hi Uncle Gideon," I choked out, my voice thick and trembling.

The very next second, the umbrella shifted. An absolute sheet of freezing rain instantly slammed directly into my upturned face. What the hell? This man was pure evil.

After a long, agonizing standoff, the umbrella tilted back, throwing me into the dry shadows once again.

"Done crying?" he drawled, his voice a dark, slow rumble.

It was crazy. In that split second, the heavy, suffocating pain in my chest completely vanished. Instead, a wave of sheer humiliation burned up my neck. I was literally crying in a muddy street like a soap opera extra, and this terrifying billionaire had a front-row seat.

I tried to stand up, but my heel twisted sharply in the flooded pothole. Right as I was about to crash pathetically back into the muddy water, a massively powerful arm clamped around my waist like an iron vice. He lifted me entirely off the ground, slamming me hard into a broad chest radiating expensive cologne and sheer masculine heat.

It was an overwhelming, absolute display of crushing physical power.

Chapter 6