His Brother's Wife

by Michelle Love

  I felt the afternoon fly by, and then I was leaving to catch a cab. I was starving, and relieved that the date included dinner plans, as the car weaved through the constant traffic of Boston. I rushed into a full apartment and ran to my room to put the only black dress that I had on over my other clothes before I fixed my face in the tiny bathroom mirror. I slipped on the heels that I’d worn to the interview and walked out into the living room as the other girls sat on couches and giggled. It looked like a club night to me.

  “Elisa, you look so pretty! Are you going out?” One asked, as I smiled and nodded while taking water from the fridge.

  “Date,” I said simply, as they looked at each other with wide eyes. I was not known for dating at all, and I knew that it came as a shock to them. I glanced at the stove clock to see that it was almost time and sipped the water slowly. How I needed out of this place! There was a knock at the thin door, and someone rushed to answer it as I opened my mouth to protest. It was no use, though, so I just made my way over, pulling on my jacket at the same time.

  I could see all of the girls looking at Devin as he asked for me before their gazes turned to me. I could see the questions in their eyes as I pushed forward to smile at him.

  “Do you live with all of them?” Devin asked, as he led me from the building with a careful look around.

  “God, no. There are a lot of friends around on Friday and Saturday nights.” I felt him take my hand as he led me to a fancy car a few feet away. Devin opened the door for me, and I inhaled the scent of leather as he walked around to his side. “I prefer to get out, myself. It’s too small in there, even with just the residents.”

  “You’re not close to them, are you?” Devin asked, as he started the engine and I paused to listen. It was so quiet compared to Mom’s car.

  “It’s just a situation to save a little money,” I affirmed, as he frowned in the light from the street.

  “Isn’t a dorm a better option?” Devin asked, as I took a moment to answer the most common question in my life.

  “This I a cheaper option, until I get a job. It’s not so bad, since I’m at the office now most of the time. I just sleep and study there, and it’s decent.” I had practiced the response over and over, and it sounded confident and natural to my ears now.

  “It could be in a better area,” Devin grumbled, as I smiled at him.

  “That’s why I’m glad my roomies are sleeping with some of the guys from school that live there,” I said, as he laughed.

  “But not you?” Devin asked, as I shook my head.

  “No, not me.” I told him, looking forward to seeing where we were going. I was pleased when he pulled up to one of the best restaurants in the city and walked around to open my door before he handed the keys to a young man standing on the curb.

  We went inside to find a crowd, and Devin led me right to the hostess stand to tell her his name. We were led to a table in the corner, where Devin checked to see if I liked wine, ordering us a bottle when I nodded.

  I learned more about him over the meal, as Devin confirmed that he came from money and had a comfortable ride at school. He was the opposite of me. Once he asked me about myself, and I opened up about Mom and what our lives entailed, I saw the sympathy cross his face. I hated that, but he reached across the table and took my hand. “I’m sorry, Elisa. I can see why you’ve come so far.”

  “Have I?” I asked, as I stared at him.

  “Yes, you have. You’re in one of the best schools in the country, and you got the coveted internship, Elisa. You’re at the top, and you won’t live in that apartment forever,” Devin explained, as I frowned and looked into his eyes. “You have me on your side now, as well.”

  “Okay,” I said shyly, as I released my hand to take a bite of the salmon with a smile.

  We ended the meal a couple hours after arrival. He took my hand, and we walked down the street, past some shops, as I looked in and laughed at his jokes. This was fun, even if it wasn’t the heat that Damon made me feel. I could work with this.

  He turned at the corner, and I found myself surrounded by apartment buildings as I looked at him. “Where are we?” I asked, as he ran his free hand through his hair and smiled at me.

  “That’s my building,” Devin nodded towards a brownstone, and I looked ahead to see a building on the corner. He wanted me to go there, meaning he wanted to kiss me again. Devin might want to do more. I licked my lips and let him lead the way, as I tried to figure out if this was what I wanted. He was a good guy who treated me well, so far, at least. Devin was trying to understand who I was, despite our differences. He deserved a chance.

  We were walking up the steps when we heard a car stop and someone clearing their throat. I looked first to see Damon watching us from his vehicle as Devin frowned. “I hope you’re treating my intern with respect,” Damon told him from the window, as I could see Devin try to place him.

  “Your intern? Yeah, of course. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Devin waited for Damon to reply, but the window rolled up, and the car drove away. “What the hell was that?” Devin asked as he looked at me.

  “No idea. He must recognize us from the office,” I replied casually, even though every nerve ending in my body was alert and awake. “Didn’t we interview with him?”

  “Yeah, he did look familiar. That’s so weird,” Devin said, as he looked at me. “Let’s go, Elisa.”

  I followed him up the stairs, letting my head turn to look for Damon’s car. What was he doing here?

  Damon

  I swore off women that were too close to my personal life. I’d already seen Natalie a few times in the building and had researched gyms in the city, just to avoid her. I just didn’t feel like being an asshole to her every time I saw her. She didn’t do anything wrong, but I could see the look in her eyes that told me she thought that she ha. This is why I kept it to the club, to those rooms where I knew I would never see the girls outside of. I’d degrade them and fuck them sometimes, never having to make small talk or buy them a drink.

  Every time that I saw Elisa in the building, I felt weak. I wanted to break all of my rules for her, even though I knew that it was wrong. I didn’t speak to her when we’d pass in the lobby, but I felt her looking at me. I saw her with the other intern, and it made my jealousy rise as they’d leave together. She’d smile and laugh, but there wasn’t the intensity in her eyes that I saw when she looked at me. I wanted to kill him when I saw them walking into a brownstone together one evening, his hand on her back as he helped her up the steps.

  I focused on a new gym. I would not stop working out because I needed to release everything inside of me and keep myself in top form. I needed to have control, especially when I was losing it with each sighting of Elisa.

  I researched her as well. She was a top student at her school, and she lived in a part of town that was not safe for her, in my opinion. I realized that they were student apartments, once I dug deeper, and assumed that she had a few roommates, but what were a group of girls going to do against someone that wanted into their lives? I wouldn’t entertain the idea of a man living with her, since I considered her mine somewhere in my dark mind.

  I went to the club a few times over the next week, when I had time after work. I watched as girls sucked me off, let me smack their asses with whatever device I wished, and fucked me in any position that I wanted. It felt good to walk away afterward and just go home, but it didn’t get my intern off of my mind. I think it made it worse, in some ways.

  I found a new gym, a very elite one that cost a mint to join. I was assured that it was a place where I’d be left alone upon inquiry, since I was only there for one thing. I didn’t need women trying to pick me up and interrupting one of the most critical parts of my day. I started a new route for my jog to make sure I went there every morning, which wasn’t difficult since I wasn’t far. The members all seemed to be ignorant of the world, with earbuds in, listening to whatever was playing on their phones. I liked it, and I stuck to
the same schedule that I did before, keeping a close eye on my form.

  It was a month into the internship when I got an idea. Since it was driving me crazy not being around Elisa, why not make her my personal intern? I handled a lot of company business and could use an assistant to keep up. Brent had been telling me that for years now. She was a great addition to the team, and I had heard nothing but good things about her.

  I called Brent into my office toward the middle of the week. He came in with coffee and circles under his eyes as he took a seat, and I eyed him carefully. “What’s with you?” I asked, as he shrugged and set his coffee on the table.

  “I was out late last night. New girl and she’s younger. She has a ton of energy,” Brent chuckled and looked at me across the desk. “You should really date once in a while, boss.”

  “I prefer to keep my life simple,” I responded, as he shrugged. “So, I wanted to run something by you.”

  “What’s that?” Brent asked, as I rehearsed my delivery in my head again.

  “Things have been piling up around here for me, and I’ve noticed how well Miss Moore is doing with your team,” I began, as his eyes darkened.

  “Tell me you’re not going to make her your secretary, Damon. She’s at the top of her class, doing what she loves for me right now.” He stared at me as I leaned back in my chair. I was prepared for this.

  “I am not suggesting that at all. I merely thought that she could help me one day a week, just to clean things up. I believe that your team is the best and could spare an extra pair of hands. I’ve looked at the numbers.” I looked at Brent as he seemed to think it over.

  “Hire an assistant,” Brent challenged me, as I rolled my eyes.

  “I don’t want someone around all of the time, Brent. Just a hand during the week with all this shit on my desk. I haven’t been checking in around the building lately, because of all of this busy work.” I was embellishing things a bit, since it wasn’t that bad. I just wanted to be alone with Elisa and get to know her better. Perhaps I wanted to find something wrong with her, so I’d get over her. I wasn’t even sure at this point. “You know that you can spare her.”

  “I suppose, but you’ve never been all that interested in the interns before this. What gives?” Brent looked at me with a frown on his face.

  I mentioned the new client and some of the upcoming meetings that I had and his eyes widened. “I need someone on this, just to keep up with appointments, research and things like that. We’re growing, buddy. There’s going to be money in it for everyone before you know it.”

  Brent left excited and promised to send Elisa in to discuss the idea with me later in the day. I grinned as he closed the door, letting my mind fill with ideas about her, none of which had to do with work. I’d play the game while I tried to get inside of her head and see what she was made of. I wanted to know her desires and try to see if I could make them come true, and I stroked my cock under my desk.

  I checked my upcoming appointments and worked my schedule around them, jotting down reservations that needed to be made and notes for meetings with my managers. Admittedly, I did need an assistant, but not just anybody would do. I needed her, at my desk, so I could see her and smell her. I longed to taste her again, and I stood after a while, walking over to the window after an hour of sitting.

  I went for coffee after that, needing to loosen my muscles and perk up. My floor was quiet, with business being conducted with clients behind closed doors, as opposed to teams working out in the open. I thought back to the days when I was down there, just watching and learning, when this was Kenneth’s job. It was exciting and hands on, but I was excellent at what I did for the company. I was in the right place and earning a lot of money.

  I made coffee in the machine and stirred in just a bit of cream and sugar. I wasn’t much into coffee, at least not when I wasn’t thinking too hard about something. My rigorous schedule of early mornings and exercise made me sleep well once I was in bed, though, lately, I’d been thinking about Elisa.

  I walked back to my office and stepped inside, loosening my tie after I set the cup down on the desk. There was a tap at the door, and I called out for the person to come in, having left it cracked.

  Elisa stepped inside, dressed in a flowered pencil skirt that clung to her curves and a button up gray blouse that grabbed one of the colors. She looked beautiful as she tossed her hair back and bit her lip, making me hard all over again. “You wanted to see me, sir?”

  That word sent all of the blood rushing to my groin, as I sank down into my chair to hide what she was doing to me.

  Part 3

  Elisa

  I was so nervous as I walked towards Damon’s door. My hands were shaking, and I could feel the sweat pooling in my hair as I mentally tried to pull myself together. I didn’t know what he needed—just that Brent asked me to stop by his office on a break.

  What could it be? Was I going to be let go? I couldn’t be. As hard as it was to be close to him, I needed this job for a secure future for my family. I hadn’t done anything too wrong, apart from trying to distance myself, like he seemed to want me to do…like it seemed was best. What was I doing here?

  I noticed that the door was cracked when I approached it, and I took a long, deep breath before knocking. Here goes nothing. He told me to enter, and I pushed the door gently and stepped inside.

  This room was huge and featured a large cherry wood desk and a wall of windows. The view looked to be incredible, but I was distracted by the man walking across the hardwood floor to the desk. Damon was dressed in his daily black slacks, but missing the suit jacket. He tie hung around his neck, and I couldn’t help but stare at him.. I watched as his eyes widened before he dropped into his seat and took a deep breath.

  I nervously shuffled for a moment and cleared my throat. “You wanted to see me, sir?” The order of things was confusing to me, as my head swam and I tried to focus.

  “Yes, I did. Please, have a seat,”

  Damn.

  The desk was neat, apart from a few papers spread out and I suspected that he liked order in his life. The whole office was that way, and I took a slow look around as I sat down and licked my lips. I noticed that he was quiet and looked back at him to see what he was doing.

  Damon was staring at me, and I tossed my hair nervously as his eyes narrowed. If he was going to let me go, he needed to just do it. He needed to get it over with and let me leave as I cried, not knowing that to do. I knew that was dramatic, but it felt real to me in that moment. “Sir, if you could just…” I let my voice drift off as he blinked at me and I blushed. “I’m sorry. Take your time.”

  “Damon. It’s Damon. Don’t call me sir,” he muttered, as he tensed behind the desk. “I called you up here after a conversation I had with your manager, Brent. I spoke to all of the managers, as I regularly do, to check progress.” I felt my heart drop. Brent didn’t appreciate my hard work, and I was going to be let go. I tried to figure out what I had done as I stared at the wall past Damon. “I like to see how the interns are coming along, and Brent had nothing to say but affirmatory things about you, Miss Moore.”

  I was shocked at his sentence but focused on the use of my name. “It’s Elisa,” I reminded him, as he stared at me. “That’s good to hear. Thank you.” I waited, more curious than before.

  “I am a stubborn man and don’t ask for help enough. If I do, the person has to be the best, and it’s come to a place in this company where I need a little assistance. I am meeting with more clients than ever, famous and high-paying clients who need my full attention, as Elkus Manfredi continues to grow. It is because of this that I asked about the interns who were most recently hired, Elisa.” He made my name sound painful to say as he spoke. “I did not have in mind a full-time assistant, but just someone on a semi-daily basis to help out with appointments, phone calls, and emails. I need help with the tasks that take up the time that I could be using to promote the company. That is where you come in.”

 
I looked at him, not understanding what he was getting at.

  “I would like you to assist me, Elisa. I like what I’ve seen, and I trust Brent implicitly in his review of your work.”

  “What about the team?” I asked worriedly, as he took a breath and leaned back with a tired smile.

  “You’ll be working primarily with them. I’ll need you for a little time during the week, but I understand what your internship entails. I know that you want to be part of a team later in your career, and I’d never interpose with that. I just need a little help, and I think you’re right for the role.”

  “I’m flattered,” I said, though shocked was more the word I would use. This had never been a thought in my mind, and I blinked as I watched him trace his tie with his hand, lost in the movement.

  “There are perks to the job. I am going to be logging the hours that you work for me and pay you the going rate for an assistant, since it is a separate entity from the internship. You’ll also be receiving an iPad that you can take home with you at night, a new cellular phone so that I can contact you, and access to this office and the programs that you’ll be using both on your iPad as well as my computer. I trust that you can keep company business to yourself, seeing as you’ll be getting a much deeper look at things, though I’ll have something for you to sign, if you accept my offer.”

  A paid job? I knew that it wasn’t full-time, but it was something to put away, to help my mom. It was too much to think about, and I opened my mouth before closing it again. I wondered how I could work with him, given that my underwear was already dampening, just from sitting here. I needed to move past what happened with us, and this might not be a great idea, particularly since he had said that he wanted distance from me at some point. This was a great opportunity, as well as a chance to stay on with the company. “Wow, that’s a lot to think about. I…I think I’d like to do that. I’ll take you up on your offer.”