Not Quite Enough Yet

Marie slid out from beneath the desk and rose to her feet, smoothing her skirt like she could smooth the moment back into something innocent. She tried to keep her expression neutral — confident, not smug — but she knew she wasn’t entirely succeeding.

“Mr. Jenkins,” she said lightly, catching her breath before it could betray her, “can we agree that this earns me status as a fully recognized member of the EU delegation? At least during official sessions and public appearances.”

A small smile touched her lips.

“And privately,” she added, “we can always revisit negotiations.”

Instead of answering, Jenkins stood.

He didn’t even bother fixing his pants.

Marie’s eyes flicked downward before she could stop herself, and the sight caught her off guard. After everything she’d just done, he was still hard.

Seriously?

For a man his age, she hadn’t expected that.

He came around the desk slowly, completely unconcerned with the fact that she could still see the evidence of what had just happened. There was something deliberate about it. Not vulgar. Demonstrative.

“As you know, Miss Lehnert,” he said calmly, “every negotiation is built on reciprocity.”

He stopped directly in front of her.

“So let me demonstrate what you should expect from me.” His eyes locked onto hers. “Then you can decide whether this arrangement interests you.”

Marie frowned slightly.

She had an idea where this was headed. That didn’t mean she knew how she felt about it.

Before she could answer, his hand closed around her upper arm.

“On the desk.”

The command came easily to him. Too easily.

And to her own irritation, she obeyed before she fully processed that she’d made the choice.

A second later she was kneeling on the polished surface of his desk, her skirt pushed high enough that modesty was no longer really part of the equation. Unease curled low in her stomach as she glanced back over her shoulder.

Jenkins stood behind her, his erection unmistakably aimed at her.

Do you actually want this?

The answer came faster than she expected.

No.

Yes.

Maybe it wasn't a question anymore, but had long since been settled.

Because this wasn’t about attraction.

It was about leverage. Access. Survival.

If she walked away now, everything she’d fought for in America would collapse before it had even begun. Every compromise, every humiliation, every risk — meaningless.

Back in Brussels or Berlin, she would’ve reported a man like him without hesitation. Probably kicked him first, filed paperwork second.

But this wasn’t Brussels.

Here, Jenkins operated inside a system built to protect men like him.

And the truly unsettling part wasn’t his power.

It was realizing how completely everyone else had adapted to it.

Even her.

A quick office hookup with the right man? Honestly, she could imagine worse things.

What unsettled her was the imbalance. The fact that Jenkins could push boundaries without fear, while she was **** to calculate consequences for every breath she took.

She hated that dynamic.

Hated how aware of it she was.

Her thoughts snapped apart the instant she felt him against her. His circumcised glans touched her labia.

A shiver ran sharply down her spine.

Anticipating what was to come, she exhaled sharply.

But he didn’t penetrate her. Not yet.

Instead—

His hard cock slid past her pussy and pressed against her butt hole.