Sleeping with My Dad's Rival

"We can't be lovers. We're friends at best." Brooks leaned back against the leather sofa, rejecting me without a shred of hesitation. I stared at his arrogant yet captivating face.

I stepped forward, planting my hands on the cushions on either side of his thighs, and leaned in close to whisper in his ear. "As a friend, can I get a kiss?" A faint flush crept up his ears. "I guess that's not totally off the table." I nodded.

But as his overwhelming, hormoneheavy presence closed the gap, my nerve shattered.

I slapped my hands flat against his solid chest to stop him, blindly pointing at the clutter next to us to cover the slight tremor in my voice. "I mean… clean up this desk.

It's a total disaster." Chapter 1 The moment I met Brooks, I decided to make my move. First step: show up at his company every single day.

For the sake of love, I deliberately missed a step in my threeinch heels. I fell straight into his arms, landing squarely on his solid thighs.

Brooks leaned back in his chair, exuding an untouchable chill. A lazy smirk touched his lips. "What, playing rough this time?" Our eyes locked. I was still sitting on his lap.

Through the fabric of his custom suit, I could feel the tight flex of his leg muscles, along with a distinct hardness that sent heat rushing to my cheeks.

Brooks just watched me, his face an unreadable mask. I practically had "I want you" stamped across my forehead these past few days. He definitely saw right through me.

My face burned. I scrambled off him and bolted. I could already picture the mocking sneer on his face, watching an idiot clumsily throw herself at him. But I didn't give up.

The humiliation only fueled my drive. I kept finding excuses to show up at his office. That was until I tagged along with my dad to a banquet.

I caught him in a standoff with Brooks. My dad had his chin tipped up, blatantly dismissing the man in front of him. "You won the bid again.

Your methods are… certainly something to admire." "What, are you jealous?" Brooks shot back. "We'll see about that.

With a personality like yours, I don't know what poor girl will be unlucky enough to marry you." I knew my dad and Brooks were business rivals.

I just didn't expect the hostility to be this thick in private. The conversation kept going.

Brooks let out a low, amused chuckle. "Yeah, she'd be pretty unlucky." He leaned casually against the doorframe of the VIP room, his tone careless. "By the way, your daughter has been purring around me like a little kitten lately.

I'm not sure if she's a corporate spy you planted, or if you're on the verge of bankruptcy and want to use me as your personal ATM by having me call you fatherinlaw." Now I understood why my dad hated Brooks.

The man looked lazy on the surface, but underneath, he was arrogant, ruthless, and had a filthy mouth. I stood frozen around the corner, a cold chill settling over my chest.

Sure enough, my dad cornered me that night. "Sloane! When did you go blind?

That guy is bad news." I picked at my cuticles. "Dad, you don't even know him." "If you go near him again, I'll end him myself!" "…" I couldn't wrap my head around it.

I threw myself at him, and he thought I was a corporate spy? I had to clear things up. I finally caught Brooks stepping out of a business dinner. It was undeniable.

The man practically oozed raw appeal. His tie hung loose, highlighting the sharp, clean lines of his jaw. He looked dangerous.

I decided to just lay it all out. "My dad didn't send me to you.

You've got it all wrong." "And?" I clenched my jaw. "You know exactly what I mean!" Brooks let out a low, dismissive laugh, looking at me like I was a toddler throwing a tantrum.

His dark eyes swept over me. "What exactly do you like about me?" That choked me up. I stood there for a solid minute before forcing out a few words. "You're… hot." "I know that.

What else?" The absolute ego on this guy! Even if it was true.

Brooks spun an unlit cigarette between his fingers, looking bored but surprisingly patient. "Little girl, we're not a match.

With that naive streak of yours, anyone else would have swallowed you whole by now.

If you want to stay in my circle of protection, we're better off just being friends." I was a vain little girl. Having a hot, billionaire guy friend?

That definitely had its own appeal.

Chapter 2 "But," I pushed back, "we could at least try getting to know each other before you write me off." Brooks paused, clicking his tongue against his teeth. "Sure.

We hook up, things get ugly, we break up, and then I wait for you to blow up my phone with hundreds of unhinged texts at 2 AM before I have my assistant deal with you?" His tone dripped with mockery.

My defenses crumbled.

The heat rushed straight to my face, burning my cheeks. "I wouldn't text you!" I snapped, my nails digging into my palms. "And for the record, I don't even like you that much!

You're just… unbelievable!" "…" I spun around, desperate to escape. Brooks's brows pulled together.

He shot out a hand, hooked his fingers into the hood of my jacket, and yanked me right back. "Unbelievable how?

Weren't you the one practically throwing yourself into my lap at my office? Can't handle the consequences of your own actions?" "I can handle them just fine!

You're clearly no saint yourself. With a mouth like that, who knows how many girls you've dragged through the mud." "Don't pin that on me.

You're just as quick to throw out baseless accusations as your father." Desperate to salvage a shred of my dignity, I ground my teeth. "Whoever ends up marrying you is going to have a miserable life!" Brooks let out a dry laugh, the corner of his mouth lifting into a smirk that was impossible to read. "You never know.

If I actually end up a bachelor for life, maybe you can step up and be my miserable little wife, Sloane." I wanted to rip that smirk right off his face.

But under that teasing, predatory stare, the tips of my ears burned bright red. For a while after that, his name just sat in my messages, untouched. I didn't reach out.

Thankfully, Ruby set me up with a few guys to chat with, giving me a welcome distraction.

But let me tell you, there is a specific kind of agony in talking to ten different men and only thinking about one.

Like an idiot, my mind kept drifting back to the smirk on Brooks's face that night. Things kept piling up.

One of the guys I was talking to randomly confessed his feelings and asked me out for latenight drinks. I stared at the screen, my mind emptying out. But then, a thought clicked.

It was the perfect excuse to message Brooks. I fired off a screenshot of the guy's text, casually asking for his advice. He replied: [Have you met him?

How long have you been talking?] [No. Three days.] [Block him.] A tiny spark of hope flared in my chest. [Why?] Silence. Time dragged on until my eyelids grew heavy.

A soft buzz jerked me awake. I immediately tapped the screen. It was a voice memo.

Brooks's voice was low, laced with background street noise. "Little girl, while you're sitting around agonizing over this, the guy probably already has a hotel room booked." I refused to give up.

I wanted to pry something, anything, out of him. I typed back: [He's actually really sweet to me.] The response was almost instant. [Then go throw yourself at him.

Why are you bothering me?] My chest tightened, a sour ache spreading through my ribs. The reality hit me cold and hard: Brooks genuinely didn't care about me.

I stared at the wall for half an hour, dead silent. My screen lit up with another notification from him. Brooks: [Did you block him yet?] I dragged in a sharp breath.

I typed back a single word: [Okay.] Then, I hit Brooks's profile and blocked him instead. Chapter 3 I decided to kill this foolish crush right then and there.

But you really shouldn't make decisions in the middle of the night. By the next morning, regret was already clawing at my chest.

I'd put on this whole onewoman show, and Brooks probably hadn't even noticed I blocked him. It was over. I forced myself to stop hoping, even if a sour ache settled in my stomach.

I figured that was the end of our contact. To shake off the heartbreak, I went out with Ruby, partying until the early hours.

My mom passed away years ago, my dad was out of town on a business trip, and the housekeeper had taken the week off.

I stood on my porch, staring blankly at the dead battery indicator on my smart lock. It was pouring rain.

I couldn't get a ride to a hotel, Ruby was dead to the world, and every call went straight to voicemail. I gripped my phone, gritted my teeth, and unblocked Brooks. I hit call.

It was past midnight. The man answered with the gravelly, rough voice of someone just woken up, and he was not pleased. "Who is this?" He was doing it on purpose.

Knowing I was in the wrong, I muttered, "It's me." "Oh, Sloane. Didn't you block me? Decided to try and reel me back in?" It sounded like he’d been stewing over this for days.

And since when was I trying to reel him in