Off the Cuff
Page 3
Why did it have to be him?
He ignored my question and continued on. “You are mine now. You work beneath me, and I’m going to hold you there until I’m satisfied,” he said with a smirk, his voice smooth and confident.
His words combined with the way he was looking at me flipped a switch I hadn’t felt in a while, and heat flooded my face.
The prickle only grew under his scrutiny. The navy blue suit he was wearing only made his eyes pop more, especially with the added bright blue cuff links.
His face had been clean shaven the day before, but today there was a light sheen of scruff. It did nothing to detract from how handsome he was, and I really needed something to detract from that.
What the hell?
“I’m your boss now. You will listen to me and do as I say.” His eyes never left mine, and I swallowed hard. “Your future is in my hands.”
I clenched my jaw, pissed that he’d gotten the upper hand. His attitude irked me, and I knew I was going to have to leave friendly Roe at the door in order to deal with the ass in front of me.
“Where is your assistant?” I asked in an attempt to gain back some of the ground I’d lost. He wasn’t going to walk all over me.
His mouth turned down. “My assistant decided a baby was more important than her job, and she’s out.”
I thanked the heavens for that cold splash of water, because with one sentence I was miraculously cured from whatever had a hold of me.
“You’re pissy because she’s on maternity leave?” I asked for clarification.
“For nine more weeks,” he grumbled.
I had trouble with my patience and my tongue. “The woman has to heal and bond with her new baby,” I said, unable to hold back all the anger in my tone.
Another thing that didn’t go unnoticed by the man, and his brow quirked at me. He called me feisty, and I was going to show him just how feisty I could be.
“She could have made it three weeks and you wouldn’t be standing in front of me.”
My eyes widened as his words hit close to home. I’d only had three weeks with Kinsey when I first took her in, and I knew it was not enough time. “Wow, and I wasn’t sure I could dislike you more.”
“I don’t care whether or not you like me—you’re mine until she returns, so go do your job.”
“And what is that, exactly?”
“First is to stop glaring at me.”
A harsh laugh left me. “That’s going to be a hard one.”
His eyes narrowed, but otherwise he ignored me. “Your job is to make mine run smoothly. And you will start that by answering the phone by the second ring and refilling my coffee when my cup is empty. There is a binder sitting on your desk filled with all the information you need. Since you are already familiar with the company and the programs, there is no learning curve there. Get it right.”
Yesterday he had called me incompetent, and today he demonstrated that time hadn’t improved his perception of me. I knew it wouldn’t matter if it had been twenty-four hours, days, or months, it wouldn’t change. Thane Carthwright was a complete jackass.
A jackass who believed I was inept and unqualified for any job.
The decision upon me now was whether I would continue to feed that belief, or was I going to knock him on his fucking ass?
Maybe I could accomplish both.
“Yes, sir,” I ground out and turned to leave.
“Oh, and by the way, you’ll need to wear a blazer.”
I stopped and swirled back around. “Why?”
“Because the position requires it.”
“Does that mean if I don’t, you’ll fire me from this position and I’ll go back to my real job?”
His jaw ticked and his lips formed a thin line. “No.”
“Are you going to buy me these blazers?” I asked.
“No.”
I smiled at him. “Then no, I’m not going to wear one.” I spun back around and continued my path out the door.
I sighed as I gave the desk a look of disgust, then sat down and opened the binder.
Surely, I was in hell.
It didn’t take long before his phone began to ring, but I didn’t pay much attention to it. I was still reading the extremely boring binder. It circumvented itself so many times, it was no wonder the temps didn’t work out. I was having trouble deciphering it, and I’d worked for the company for years.
“Pick up the phone!” Carthwright yelled.
I huffed in annoyance before picking up the receiver. “Carthwright’s office.”
“Oh, hi, is Crystal there?” a female voice asked. She sounded a bit older, so I had a feeling it wasn’t some strumpet. He probably had a dozen of those in the wings.
“She’s out for a while. Can I help you?”
“Sorry, yes, I’m calling for Thane.”
“Hold, please.”
“Who is it?” Carthwright asked from behind me, making me jump.
I glared up at him. “Some woman.”
“Some woman?” His jaw ticked. “First, you need to answer the phone by the second ring. Second, you say ‘Thane Carthwright’s office, how may I help you?’ Third, you find out who is on the phone before sending it back to me.”
I gave him the fakest smile I could muster. “Yes, sir.” Then rolled my eyes.
We glared at each other for more than a minute before he grumbled something and walked away.
My reprieve from his attitude didn’t last but a few pages of the binder when he retaliated.
Copies, coffee, filing, arranging his schedule, getting his lunch. It was midafternoon when I had two seconds to even log on to my laptop to check my company email.
The first was an email that set my blood to boil.
To: Pierce, Roe
From: Carthwright, Thane
Subject: Duties
Miss Pierce,
Perhaps my directions were not clear, so I have wasted my valuable time and spelled them out for you. Please show me you are more competent with following directions than you are with superior interaction.
Arrange my schedule. This means that there needs to be breaks for lunch at noon and breathing room between meetings. My day needs to flow with ease.
Coffee. All day my cup needs to be filled.
Answer the phone in two rings, and, to remind you, you will say “Thane Carthwright’s office, how may I help you?” Then, make sure to find out who is on the line and notify me so that I may accept or reject the call.
Get my lunch. I will email you my order so that you can place it and then pick it up. I expect to have my meal at noon every day.
Any and all miscellaneous functions I require—copies, filing, etc.
If any of this is unclear or if you have any questions, come to me.
Thane Carthwright
President of Acquisitions
Donovan Trading and Investment
Superior, my ass. Maybe he was my temporary supervisor, but he was not superior.
Anger rolled through me and before I knew it, I’d accidentally torn a sheet from the binder into shreds. Crap.
I knew I should have paid closer attention in the break room, but he should have as well. I’d apologized and I was still being punished for it.
The subject of the next email in the list had me smiling.
To: Pierce, Roe
From: Arnold, Donte
Subject: In the arms of Hades
Persephone,
I’ll pray for you.
Still here, awaiting the return of spring. Awaiting the end of your imprisonment.
Stay strong.
Donte Arnold
Marketing Associate
Donovan Trading and Investment
I couldn’t help but laugh, something I desperately needed. Immediately I responded, thankful for the moment that wasn’t filled with animosity and annoyance.
To: Arnold, Donte
From: Pierce, Roe
Subject: Darkness envelops
Do
nte,
The blackness that holds me knows no end. Freedom from the cold gaze of Hades cannot arrive soon enough.
P.S. He’s good looking. Maybe we can put him in some of the promotional materials or the commercial.
P.P.S. Thanks, I needed that levity.
Roe Pierce
Marketing Associate
Donovan Trading and Investment
It was only a moment before another email popped up on my screen.
To: Pierce, Roe
From: Arnold, Donte
Subject: Re: Darkness envelops
I got you, dog.
Donte Arnold
Marketing Associate
Donovan Trading and Investment
“Something amusing?” a voice called from behind me.
I had to bite my tongue from saying, “Your face,” because that was beneath me and childish and completely untrue. It burned me with how untrue it was.
My reaction to his face? That tingling between my thighs every time he scowled at me? I wished that was amusing instead of incredibly hot and frustrating.
“What do you need?” I asked, failing to hide my annoyance as well as that stupid tingling he was creating.
His gaze slowly moved down my body, then back up. I was leaned back in the chair, one leg crossed over the other.
By his perusal, I expected more than the static disinterest when our eyes met. Guess he didn’t like what he saw. Oh, well.
“I emailed you a contract. I need fifteen copies made, collated and stapled.”
“Of course,” I said with a grimace.
It didn’t take long, especially when you knew how the big machine worked and knew the pathway to it. The beast did it all, and all I had to do was send the file and select how I wanted it printed.
Did Crystal know that? Or did she use it as a buffer from his arrogant ass?
Then again, there was the age-old saying—never let them know how long it really takes, because they’ll want it done in half that time.
Maybe it wasn’t age old, but I’d heard it from my friends who were assistants.
If I could still call them friends. I think I was the one cut from the group when Pete and I split.
I was able to go through my email and read more from the binder of doom before half an hour passed and I walked over to the copy room that held the beast.
“Hi, Sam,” I said as I stepped in.
Sam was the go-to guy for any printing needs. He was a young guy, maybe twenty, shy, but he seemed to love what he did. There were a few guys I’d caught in the office teasing him about his autism, and I went all mama bear on them. Sam was sweet and was great at his job. Some assholes just liked to put people down to make their fragile egos feel better.
“Oh, hey, Roe,” he replied as he stood. He walked over to a stack of papers, his brow scrunched. “What are you doing over at Thane Carthwright’s office?”
A sigh left me. “Serving time.”
He turned back to me, his features twisted in concern. “What?”
I shook my head. “His assistant is out and he needed someone from inside the company. I was the lucky pick.”
He smiled and nodded. “You are the best pick.” He held out my stack, not catching my sarcasm. “All done.”
“Thank you so much,” I said with a smile. “Have a good day.”
He waved at me on my way out. “Bye, Roe.”
I gave my desk a longing look and whimper, waving at some of my cube mates as I walked back to Carthwright’s office.
He wasn’t on the phone when I got back and I headed straight in.
“Your copies,” I said, placing them on his desk.
He barely spared me a glance. “I need you to shred those. There was a mistake. You’ll need to redo it with the updated file I sent you. Then you need to go pick up my dry cleaning from downstairs.”
His dry cleaning? Was he serious?
I blew out a steadying breath before I said something really bad for my career. “I need to ask you something.”
“What?” He still didn’t even bother to look up at me, further irritating me.
“All this crap because I spilled coffee on you?” I asked.
He leaned back in his chair, his eyes finally on me. “If that was all, I wouldn’t have bothered. I’m not a monster, but I get what I want.”
“And what do you want?” I asked as I placed my hands on the top of his desk.
His gaze moved down my body, then back up. It was a subtle move, but I noticed, and unfortunately so did every inch of my skin as it lit up.
“To teach you some respect for your superiors.”
“Oh, I have respect, but little for you.”
His gaze hardened. “You don’t even know me.”
“You’ve shown me well enough the kind of man you are.”
I took the stack of now useless papers on his desk and tossed them up into the air. They rained all around us as we continued our stare down. I had my hands flat on his desk, leaning toward him. He stood and leaned over as well, his posture mimicking my own, and our faces ended up only a foot apart.
“This is going to be fun, I see,” he said, one corner of his mouth lifting into a smirk.
“Ha! And here I thought you were smart.”
A delicious scent hit me when I breathed in. We hadn’t been that close since I’d spilled coffee on him. Spice, with a hint of grapefruit and musk. I breathed deeper, nearly moaning at how good it was. My word, the man smelled divine. I couldn’t imagine how damaging being closer would be.
My triumph and elation were marred by the heat that was spreading through my body. A little uptick of his lips, and I knew he caught me.
He straightened, and again I was aware of how he towered over me.
I bet he could easily pick me up and—
No.
I had to silence that line of thinking. It had been creeping into my thoughts all day, and his cologne only made it worse. Made him more enticing.
He was just so hot, though, and it’d been well over a year since anyone had touched me. A hate fuck sounded like a really good idea.
Get out all my pent-up anger and frustration, free me from having to think, and just feel. Lose control for an hour and be Roe again.
Up against the wall. One hand lightly choking me, the other squeezing my ass while his hips drilled into me.
“Are you listening to me?”
Huh? I blinked and focused on him again.
Fuck. Me. I’d gotten completely lost in a fantasy with the arrogant devil and ignored him.
“Should I be?” I asked, trying to cover my mistake.
“Did you just space out?” he asked.
“Yes.” No sense in lying. I was certain it was obvious my mind had wandered.
His brow furrowed and he cocked his head. “Are you on something?”
I shook my head. Only high on your hotness.
Stop, Roe. Stop before you do or say something you will regret.
“Just working through a fantasy.”
“A fantasy?” That perked him up, and a devilish smile crept onto his features. “Care to share with the class?”
“It involves you and a roll of duct tape across that mouth of yours.”
“Am I naked?”
“Sounds about right.”
A satisfied groan resonated from deep in his chest. “Then the most important question in this fantasy of yours—are you naked?”
Heat flooded my face, and I blinked at him. I looked away, unable to take his scrutinizing stare.
“Interesting.”
With one word, my jaw clenched and I glared up at him. “Fuck off. I don’t want anything from you. Who knows what diseases you’ve got.”
My behavior was a bit childish, but he unnerved me and I lost the ability to think, degrading me to tactless banter.
“None. Clean bill of health just last month. Can you say the same?” he asked, smirking at me.
Heat flooded my face again and I was pr
obably the same shade as the tomato on the salad I had for lunch. That fantasy was trying to rear its ugly, disgusting…perverted, hot, panty-wetting self again at the thought of him bare inside me.
Where the hell did that come from? I’d only ever had sex with condoms, but there was something about knowing he was clean and that I was on birth control that set something off inside me.
“You don’t need to know anything about my health or sexual activity, but don’t worry your pretty little head—the only thing I tested positive for is a burning hatred for you.”
The only reaction I received to my spitting comment was his tongue wetting his lips. He knew he had affected me in a way I hadn’t wanted or expected.
“Were you thinking about being naked with me? Thinking about my cock?”
“Arrogant ass,” I grumbled before turning and stomping away.
“Miss Pierce, are you forgetting something?” His tone was light, but still held that edge of authority and assholishness.
“Pick it up yourself.”
There was no way I could continue to be that close to him.
Now that was a fun sparring match, I thought as I watched her ass sway with each step.
A groan left me as I sat, the head of my hard cock brushing against the fabric of my slacks. Our encounter had a different effect on me than it did the day before.
She made my blood boil then, but I didn’t understand what that meant until just now.
Miss Pierce.
Roe.
“This situation is your own damn fault,” I said, trying to calm myself before I did something rash.
She was beautiful and full of fire. Small, but feisty, with perfectly plump, kissable lips that I couldn’t help but imagine wrapped around my cock, her small hand unable to fully encircle my shaft, forcing her to use both hands.
Expressive hazel eyes that captured me. I was completely enraptured by her and turned on in ways I hadn’t been in years.
Luckily, it seemed I wasn’t the only one struggling. The way her face flushed and she looked away told me she was just as attracted to me.