by Diana Nixon
“Prove them wrong. You’ve got everything you need to do it.” She gave me another smile, then kept walking down the long hall. Most of the walls were made of glass, and I could see everything that was happening inside the rooms. Except for the meeting room and Mr. Cohen’s office. Well of course, he needed a place ‘to enjoy’ his weaknesses.
My fists clenched. The more I thought about how much I hated Leonel, the less I could control the words that flew out of my mouth. I wanted to scream and tell everyone how much of a bastard he was. But I couldn’t let my emotions ruin everything.
“I’m going to take a few weeks off,” Molly said when we returned to the waiting room. “My mother is in the hospital now; she needs me more than Leo does. Besides, he won’t be alone. You’ll stay here with him. I’m sure you two will make a great team.”
Like hell we will. “Of course. What shall I know about his schedule and his clients?”
“Everything you need to know you will find in my computer. Leo makes his schedule on his own. He loves being in control of everything. All you need to do is to make sure he doesn’t mess it up. So, technically, you will be in control of everything, but let him think it’s vice versa. Playing a big boss is one of his favorite things to do.”
“I bet.” I said, too late realizing my comment was inappropriate.
Thank God, Molly was busy trying to find a spare key to the waiting room, and she didn’t hear what I said.
“Remember to leave him notes about the most important things he needs to do before another meeting.” She gave me a pack of small multicolored papers. “Use the red ones for something urgent. Leo hates being unprepared. His clients are usually scheduled one per hour. Make sure he doesn’t put two names for the same time. It happened a few times, and Leo was pissed.”
“Wasn’t he the one who made those mistakes?”
“Yes, but I’m here to not let it happen. And so are you now.”
“I see.”
“You need to be the boss in the shadows, as Brian once called me. Leo is smart, but sometimes even he needs a second opinion on certain things, and another pair of hands to take care of everything he does at work.”
“Okay.” I took a deep breath. “Hope he likes me.”
Molly smiled. “I’m sure he will.”
Maybe I was imagining things, but I didn’t want her to think I was after him. “I mean I hope he likes having me as his assistant.” Shit, I felt my cheeks turn pink.
“He won’t have a choice but to like you, Olivia. For the next couple of weeks or maybe even longer, you will be his only help.”
Next second, the door behind me opened, and someone walked in.
“I need coffee,” a male voice said. “Make it strong, Molly. My brain needs more caffeine.”
Even without looking at the owner of the voice, I knew it belonged to Leonel.
My nervousness hit the roof. I was so scared to turn around and look at him. What if Winter lied to me and he did know she had a sister? There was a resemblance between us, but with a five-year age difference, it wasn’t obvious.
“Your next meeting starts in twenty,” Molly said to her boss.
“Okay.”
“Oh, and… Meet Olivia Lambert. She’s gonna be your new assistant and a temporary secretary while I’m gone.”
I mentally wished myself good luck. Grow some balls, Liv. You can do this!
I turned around and gave Mr. Cohen my best smile. “Nice to meet you, sir.”
One of his eyebrows rose in an imperious manner. I suddenly felt too small and too stupid to stand against him.
His dark-brown eyes slowly moved from me to Molly, and he said in a cold voice, “I didn’t know I needed an assistant.” Everything about him screamed power, starting from the way he acted to the way he was dressed. There wasn’t a single wrinkle on his carefully ironeв light-blue shirt and a dark-gray suit. I wondered if he kept an iron somewhere in his office and a maid in a closet to ‘polish’ him every time he was about to walk out of the room.
Molly spoke to him in a mother-like manner, “Who else do you think is gonna make you coffee when I’m not here to take care of it?” It looked like they were good friends, because there wasn’t a hint of fear in her voice. No doubt, she never hesitated before talking up to him.
His gaze, that was the exact copy of Bella’s, was on me again. He gave my carefully chosen outfit a long, precise look, as if trying to decide if I followed the local dress code and looked good enough to work for him. He pursed his lips for a moment. What the hell does that mean? But it didn’t look like he was going to explain his behavior. He turned around and went to his office without saying another word. I felt like my presence was unwelcome and unnecessary.
When he was no longer there to try my nerves, I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God, he was gone. I felt like a fish in his presence - dumb and gasping for air. I never felt so insecure in my entire life. Damn it.
“Don’t let him do this to you girl.”
I turned to the sound of Molly’s whisper.
“What?”
“If he feels your weakness, he’ll swallow you alive.”
Ugh…
“Did I really look that stupid?”
“No, but I swear I could feel how scared you were to meet him. Don’t let him think you are not brave enough to stand him. Leo likes challenges. Better be one for him, then give up without a fight.”
“I’ll remember it.”
“Good. Now give him what he wants - coffee - strong and with two spoons of sugar.” She gave me a small silver tray with a porcelain cup on it.
I took it with my shaking hands and went to Leonel’s office.
“Don’t you know how to knock?” He barked at me. His eyes were glued to the screen of his laptop, but I still felt like he was watching my every step.
Maybe that’s why I didn’t see the floor under my feet.
Next thing I knew - one of my heels got hold on a carpet and I tripped. The tray flew out of my hands - there was no way in fucking hell I would catch it - and landed on the wooden floor next to Leonel’s chair. And the cup - right on his pants.
Shit.
He jumped from his chair and looked down at the nasty spot a little over his knees.
Oops.
“If you thought that scalding my balls with a steaming coffee would help you keep your job, you were wrong, Miss Lambert.”
Damn it, I’m screwed.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Cohen. I’ll clean your pants right away.”
“With your tongue?”
I thought I misheard him, because he couldn’t be that rude to me. Or could he?
“What did you say?” I finally dared to meet his furious stare.
“If you wanted me to take off my pants for you, Olivia, you didn’t need to spill anything on them. Though now I’m dying to see you cleaning them.” A meaningful smirk touched his full lips.
WHAT. A. JERK.
I readjusted my black pencil dress and made the calmest face I could muster at that moment. “Do you have another pair of pants in the office? I’m sure you do, considering how much you hate being unprepared.”
“You are right - I hate being unprepared, as well as wearing wet pants. But everything has a bright side, right? And considering you are here to assist me - in everything I need your assistance with - you wouldn’t mind helping me get changed. Would you?”
I tried to hear something funny in his words, but there was nothing humorous in them.
“You are not being serious, are you?” A nervous laugh escaped my throat.
“I’m dead serious, Olivia. If you want to work for me, you need to remember a few rules. The first one is - I’m the boss here and you need to do everything I tell you to do.”
“What if I refuse to obey?”
One of the corners of his lips lifted in a self-assured grin. “I don’t take ‘no’ for an answer. Which means disobedience is not welcome here, as well as stubborn assistants. So it’s up to you
what to choose - to be a good girl or lose your job.”
I clenched my teeth, trying really hard to not tell him everything I thought about him and his stupid rules. I really needed another cup of steaming coffee now - to hit the very part of his lower body the first one missed.
Wordlessly, I turned to the closet I noticed when entering the office a few minutes ago and went to check on its contents. I was right after all - it was full of clean shirts, pants, jackets and ties of all colors and shades. I took a pair of dark-gray pants and went back to where Leonel was standing.
“Take off your pants.”
The look in his eyes told me he wasn’t going to make it easier for me. “Have you heard me?” He said in a low voice. “I want you to do it for me.”
Son of a bitch.
“As you wish.” I stepped closer, with my heart racing in my chest. He was testing my limits, and I bet he was sure I would step back and run away, too scared to stay and prove to him I wasn’t the coward he obviously thought I was.
With my eyes locked with his, I reached for his belt and undid it. A smart-ass smirk on his face made me want to slap him, but it was too early to go for it.
Our faces were almost on the same level now, all thanks to my heels, and I could feel his breath touch my cheek.
I took my time unzipping his pants, doing my best to not send him to hell. He turned out to be an even bigger pig than I expected.
When my palms slipped inside his pants and touched his ass through his boxers, his sly smile grew wider. I pushed his pants down and let them land at his feet.
“Satisfied?” I asked quietly. His dark-brown eyes became almost black and slowly slipped down to my lips.
“Not even close.”
One of the corners of my lips lifted up in a sardonical smirk and I stepped back. “Your next client will be here any second. You don’t want to greet him like this, do you?” I pointed to his black boxers. “Besides…” I paused and intentionally let my gaze linger on his underwear a little longer. “Next time you want me to take off your pants, better have something really impressive under them to go for it.”
Chapter 2
I stormed out of Leonel’s office and slammed the door shut behind me. “Asshole.”
“I’m glad you liked him too,” Molly said. There wasn’t a hint of a smile on her face.
“Too?”
“Well, he obviously liked you. And now I can see it’s mutual.”
“How do you know he liked me?”
“I know quite a few things about Leonel to know when he likes someone.”
“If you are right, he has a very special manner to demonstrate it.”
Just now, she showed me a ghost of a smile. “You’ll get used to this. Honestly, he’s not as bad as he wants to seem. He’s just… A little lonely I would say.”
I laughed. “Lonely? Right.”
“No, I mean it. There’s no one in his life he trusts enough to let them close to him. Except for his parents, of course. But they are his family. And he needs someone who would tell him he’s better than this. Someone who would support him and believe in him.”
I was surprised to hear Molly’s words. They went against everything I thought about Leonel. Then again, I didn’t know much about him, except for a few well-known facts that Google told me this morning when I did a quick research on him. I didn’t have time to read the files I bought from Madison, but I was going to do it first thing in the evening when I was back at home.
You should have secrets, Mr. Cohen. The more I know about you, the easier it will be for me to kick your ass.
***
Leo
“I don’t need an assistant, Molly. I told you many times - I don’t have time to teach them what to do.”
“You don’t need to teach her anything. Olivia is smart enough to learn everything on her own. Besides, she has a diploma in law, and unlike your previous assistants - outer beauty is not her only advantage.”
“She’s a pain in the ass. Beautiful no doubt, but too complicated. I don’t have time for her attitude.”
“Which means she’s exactly what you need.”
I gave Molly a doubtful look. She knew me so well; at times I wondered if she could read my mind. Because in most cases, she answered the question even before I got a chance to ask it.
But not today.
“What did she do to win your approval?” I asked her.
“What did she do to not win yours?” She retorted.
“She spilled coffee on my pants.”
“Not a big deal. You have enough pants in the closet to dress the entire firm and some more.”
“She could have burned my skin. Thank God, the coffee wasn’t that hot.”
Molly gave me another document to sign and smiled. “I’ll tell her to never spill anything on you again.”
“Yes, please. And if you really want her to be here while you are gone, I’ll give her a trial period. One month. Hope you’ll be back by the time it ends.”
“I can’t promise anything.” She turned and walked to the door.
“Molly?”
“Yes, sir?”
I rolled my eyes. “You never call me sir. Stop it. What I wanted to say was - I really need you here. And I’m gonna miss you.”
Her face softened. “Likewise.” Of all the women that had ever crossed the threshold of my office, Molly was the only one I trusted not just with my documents and coffee, but also with my life. She was not just my secretary, but a true friend I could always rely on.
Which couldn't be said about Miss Lambert, of course. I still had no idea why I let her stay.
But more than that, I couldn’t believe Molly had chosen her, of all the candidates, to assist me. Or maybe she wanted to punish me for something, because working with Miss Olivia, side by side, looked like nothing but a curse.
She was beautiful in a unique way. There was no silicone on her face or in her tits - trust my practiced eye - but she still looked like a sweet dessert I wouldn't mind having for lunch.
Not that I was going to do it of course.
Apart from beauty, she had a temper and brains - which was an explosive combination.
For the first time ever I wondered if I was capable of standing all of the above for a whole month. Women rarely surprised me. Or maybe I intentionally chose those of a predictable type. Because like I said - I hated complicated.
I didn’t know anything about Olivia, though one thing I knew for sure - eating away at her nerves would be pure pleasure, considering she would never let me eat her instead.
I smiled, recalling the way she looked at me when taking off my pants. She looked like a kitten who was too scared of me, but at the same time - brave enough to demonstrate her determination. I liked it.
Maybe the upcoming month won’t be that bad after all.
I pressed a speakerphone button on my phone and said, “Miss Lambert, in my office. Now!”
It took her almost five minutes to show up.
“Why so long?” I rose from my chair and fastened a button on my jacket.
“Molly told me to print a few files for you. But the printer we have in the waiting room died and I had to go to the other floor to print them.” She put a folder with the printed files on my desk and waited.
I could hardly hold back my smile watching her. She still looked a little nervous, even though she tried her best to hide it.
“Please, take a seat. I want you to make a few notes about the things you need to do today.”
She nodded and looked at my desk. “Can I borrow one of your pencils?”
“Of course. Here comes rule number two - always be ready to make notes. There will be plenty of them, ‘cause I always forget something, and you need to remember it for me.”
She sat down at my desk and wrote in her notebook, “Be ready for everything.” She underlined the last word with two thick lines.
“My point exactly,” I said, looking down at what she had written. “Now, you pr
omised to clean my pants, remember? Take them to the laundry.”
In her notebook she wrote, “Clean the mess I made.”
I smiled and stayed behind her, watching every letter she wrote in her beautiful handwriting. Someone once told me that people with a beautiful handwriting had an impossible temper. Now I knew it was true.
“Next,” I said. “I need to be in court tomorrow. Tell my driver to be here by eleven in the morning.”
Her note said, “Polish the car by 11 AM.”
My smile grew wider. I leaned down, resting my palm on the desk, right next to her notebook. “Nice addition to my request. Are you going to polish it yourself?”
“If you wish, sir,” she said without looking at me.
“I would gladly watch you do it.”
Her lips moved in a small smile. “From what I have heard from you today, you would gladly watch me do many things… And none of them has anything to do with my work.”
“It’s because every time I look at you, I can think about anything but work.” I leaned a little closer to her neck and took a deep intake breath.
“Mmm…I love the smell of your...anger.”
She swallowed, but pretended she didn’t hear my comment. “Anything else you’d like me to write down, sir?”
“Um… Yes.” I stood behind her again, with my arms crossed on my chest. “My father will be here tomorrow, at three in the afternoon. I should be back from court by then. And I will definitely be hungry. Order us something to eat.”
“Feed the devil,” she wrote. “Any preferences?”
“No, I eat everything that comes to my plate. Unless…” I whispered into her ear, “You’d like to be my snack.”
“I’ll pass. Don’t want to poison you on my second day at work.”
I chuckled. “I knew you were made of poison the second I saw you in the waiting room.”
The moment I stepped into the room and saw Olivia’s tight as hell dress, I knew I was in trouble. She was in great shape, and even though the dress looked very decent, it showed just enough to make me want it off her. And when she turned around, something inside my soon-to-be-wet pants moved. Her face turned out to be a nice addition to her shape. Big gray eyes, that shone with silver, were framed with dark long lashes; she had full lips to kiss them senseless, and a cute soft pink blush on her cheeks that gave away a little more than she wanted to demonstrate with her brave greeting. Her dark blond hair was made in a high ponytail.
