“So I’m meeting him alone?”
“Well, yes. I’m assuming alone. He didn’t mention anyone else being there,” Ken says, laughing. “His office is on the top floor.”
“Thanks.”
“Good luck,” Ken says with an encouraging smile.
At a quarter to six, the building slowly grows quieter as employees trickle out to head home. It’s only Monday, but I’m ready for the weekend to be here already. I pack my belongings and clean up my cubicle. Ken’s desk is empty. The only thing on it is a cup of coffee from this morning. Apparently, he’s M.I.A. because I haven’t seen him since I got back from picking up Nicholas’s suit from the dry cleaners.
As I head to my meeting with Nicholas, I spot Stefan waiting by the reception desk. He’s wearing a tuxedo and sporting a fresh haircut. Nicholas must’ve come out more like his mother because Stefan’s hair, aside from the grey, is dark brown.
“Rebecca, working late?” he asks as I stop to say hello.
“I have a few things to do before heading home and I need to check in with Nicholas.”
“I know I haven’t had a chance to check in with you, but how are you liking things?” The only word that pops into my head is bizarre. Stefan smiles, noticing my hesitation.
“This is a great opportunity, Rebecca. I know my son can be a challenge, but he’s a good person. He’s just lost his way.”
“Why did you want me?” I ask.
“I need someone with a good head on their shoulders. It takes a lot of confidence and a little bit of courage to just pick up and move across the country when you’ve lived in LA your whole life. I also think it takes those same two qualities to deal with this job.”
“There was nothing left for me back there.”
He smiles. “Well, I’m hoping you’ll make New York your new home.”
It has to be, because I can’t go back to the sad little life I had back in Los Angeles. I spent most of my days crying over Miles and the relationship that I had so much invested in.
I smile. “I feel at home here.”
“You’re a strong young lady, Rebecca,” he says warmly. “You remind me of my son, Alex. He was very spirited like you.” Was? I knew about Nicholas’s sister Emily because Ken had mentioned that she swings by the office sometimes, but he never said anything about Nicholas having a brother.
“Did something happen to him?” I ask.
Stefan smiles sadly. “He passed away in an accident.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s good to remember him. I never understood why Nicholas wanted to bury his memory. As if him dying wasn’t enough of a loss.”
I can’t help but think of my parents in Los Angeles. I don’t know what I’d do without them. I never had any siblings but I always thought having a sister would be kind of cool.
“Well, I better get going. I’m meeting an investor for dinner,” he says, checking his watch.
“Goodnight, Mr. StoneHaven.”
“Goodnight, Rebecca.”
The top level of the building is guarded with an access code. A code that you have to type into the keypad and then have your fingerprint scanned. Each time I make my way up here, it still surprises me that the machine recognizes my fingerprint. I feel like a secret agent on my way to my secret hiding place. The elevator doors usher open, revealing a large office the size of a conference room. My nipples involuntarily pucker as I step out of the elevator. As much as I hate to admit it, I’m not sure if it’s from the cold temperature of the room, or the thought of seeing him again. I’m going with option A.
This isn’t my first time being up here, but it feels like it. I don’t think I’ve ever stood here long enough to admire my surroundings. The office is decorated with what seems like furnishings for an apartment: a sofa, a bookcase, a desk, and picture frames. Each frame holds photos of Nicholas, a younger girl, and another handsome blond who I can only assume is Alex. There are even a few of Tristan Knight, Nicholas’s best friend who I met at Riptide. I walk over to the bookcase centered in the middle of the room. There has to be more than a thousand books here. I trail my fingers over the top row of books and find myself a bit surprised to see so many classic novels – everything from David Copperfield to Sherlock Holmes. Nicholas doesn’t strike me as the type to be a voracious reader, despite his father’s company.
I turn to find Nicholas watching me from his desk.
“Ms. Gellar, I’m glad to see you here.” I sense a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “There’s something I would like you to do.”
“Of course, anything.”
“The company has our annual gala coming up in January. I need you to submit the insurance documents for the venue, mail the final check payment, and confirm with their event coordinator for the 30th of January. We were going to have it on the 31st but I’m leaving for France that day. Which reminds me. I need you to book my flight.”
“Where is the venue?”
“It’s the Museum of Natural History.”
“Oh. I’m sure that will be incredible.”
“It’s one of the biggest events for our company. Please make sure to confirm for the 30th. I can’t miss this trip.”
“I need to speak with you about the upcoming Lit For Kids event next week.”
“What about it?” he asks, sounding irritated.
“Well I went ahead and accepted the invitation. I saw that you were free that night and they called asking for your presence.” More like begging.
“Ms. Gellar, I would prefer if you didn’t accept invitations without directly asking me first.”
I stare at the tablet in front of me as I scroll through my work e-mail. Each morning there’s at least fifty new messages that need my attention. For every dent I make, three more e-mails follow. It’s like trying to put out a fire by randomly sprinkling water on it. It does shit. I’m happy that Rebecca has exceeded my expectations by at least organizing this monstrous thing. She’s labeled everything into folders, but it still requires some attention. I don’t know why my last assistant, Wendy, had such a hard time trying to figure out a filter process, but I guess I can’t judge her too harshly. I didn’t exactly hire her because she was good with computers. I hired her because she was good with her mouth. Speaking of mouths…
My mind instantly wanders to the look Rebecca had when her eyes drifted toward the bulge in my pants on her first day on the job. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t already pictured Gellar’s lips wrapped around my cock. Those lips. They’re similar to the top half of a heart. Perfectly molded into two sultry plumps just waiting to be bitten and teased into submission. If only Rebecca didn’t drive me bonkers with her fiery spirit. I can’t believe she’d accepted the invitation to the event for Lit For Kids. While I wholeheartedly support the charity and their mission, I don’t even want to think about how hard it’s going to be to be around people who used to know my brother. It’s grueling enough just having to deal with the people at work.
But now, I have no choice. I can’t back out of the event. It would be rude and it wouldn’t look well for the company. I think father would say the positive publicity from the event would help counterbalance some of the recent negativity. People want to know that businesses still care about people. That’s a legacy I can say I proudly want to be a part of.
An e-mail notification pops up at the top of my inbox, pulling me from my distracted thoughts. I cringe at the sight of the name of Katherine Brown, Executive Director at Lit For Kids. I haven’t spoken to her in years. Every year she tries to convince me to attend their donor appreciation event. Most of the time I don’t even reply to her e-mails or her invites through the mail, so I’m surprised it took her this long to send me a message. In fact, I haven’t received any phone calls from her since Rebecca accepted the invite. Perhaps my she-devil of an assistant figured out that taking messages might help her keep her job.
To: Nicholas F. StoneHaven
From: Katherine Brown
; Reply: Thank you
Nick,
I’m so happy to hear that you’ll be attending our event. We’ve reserved a front table for you and any guests you may like to bring. It’ll be nice to see you after so long. It’s really been too many years.
Love,
Katherine
It has been too many years, and yet the pain of losing Alex is still fresh. I’m starting to think that this night might be easier with some company than flying solo. Maybe I should ask Tristan to go with me. I haven’t talked to him much because he’s been so busy with planning the opening of his art exhibit. I pull out my phone and dial his number. To my surprise, he picks up on the first ring.
“Tristan speaking.”
“Hey, it’s Nick. I was calling to see if you have plans for next Thursday? I’m attending a charity event and I need a wingman.” In the background of the call, I hear what sounds like general noise from a city street.
“Are you asking me on a date, Mr. StoneHaven?” he asks, mocking me.
“No, asshole, I’m asking you to do me a favor.”
“You know I would do anything for you, but I have plans next Thursday.”
“Plans? Doing what?” It takes Tristan a moment to answer. I check my phone to see if he’s hung up, but his name still flashes at the top of my screen. That’s weird.
“Hello?” I ask.
“Sorry, I, uh, well I’m going out…”
“Out? Like on a date?” I ask, confused.
“Yes.”
“So, who is she?” I ask curiously. Tristan usually doesn’t hold information back. He doesn’t shove his conquests in my face, but I know he gets his fair share of beautiful women. And I’ve seen the way women look at him.
“It’s complicated, and probably a conversation for another time. I’m sorry I can’t go with you. Let’s have drinks soon.” And with that Tristan hangs up, leaving me confused as fuck. What is he hiding? I re-dial Tristan’s number, but this time it goes straight to voicemail. Alright…well, I guess that means I’m going to this event alone. Alison would probably love to go with me, but I have absolutely no desire to entertain her all evening.
My office phone rings and Rebecca’s name flashes on the line. Gellar. She’s the one who got me into this mess. She should be the one attending the event with me. After all, she’s my assistant, and I think it’s only fair to make her go with me since she didn’t even bother to ask if I wanted to attend it. Just as I’m about to pick up the line, it stops flashing. I switch to line 2 and call Mary at the front desk. She answers in her usual amused voice.
“How can I help you, Mr. StoneHaven?”
“Mary, I need a dress.”
“A dress, sir?” I can almost picture the confusion on her face.
“Yes, it’s for Ms. Gellar. She will be accompanying me to the appreciation event for Lit For Kids. Can you please contact Melanie Cole from Madison’s and ask her to bring some dresses over?”
“Of course, should I pull Ms. Gellar’s measurements from her HR folder?”
“Yes.” Thank god, I completely forgot about finding the right dress size. Rebecca’s curvier than most of the women I’ve ever dated….god, those curves. I never thought of myself as an ass man, but I can’t stop thinking about how good hers felt in my grip. Mary clears her throat pulling me back from my fantasy. Shit. I didn’t even realize she was still on the line.
“Is there a certain color or colors you would like Melanie to send?” Mary asks.
“Red.” I smile, picturing Rebecca in a deep red dress. The color fits her personality so well. I don’t doubt that it would look just as good on her.
I shouldn’t be surprised to find Nicholas waiting at my desk the following Thursday, but I am. It’s late in the afternoon, and most of the office has gone home for the holiday with the exception of the cleaning staff and me. I practically drop the pile of documents in my hand at the sight of him sitting casually in my chair. Doesn’t he have anything better to do? I suppress a moan as he half smiles at my nervous reaction. It takes me a moment to realize he’s dressed in the black tuxedo I picked up from the dry cleaners earlier this week.
“Rebecca, can I have a word?” Nicholas asks, adjusting his tie slightly. I can’t help but wonder if I make Nicholas just as nervous as he makes me. He stands, giving me room to squeeze by, so I can set my stack of papers down. Whether it’s intended or not I’m not sure, but he only moves enough so that our bodies slightly touch when I pass him. I catch the slightest hint of honey and mint on him. Damn him, he always smells so good.
“Sure, I was just making copies of the financial documents that you asked for,” I reply, handing him the second set of copies.
“I need to ask you for a favor.”
A favor? “Okay,” I say, hesitating. This already doesn’t sound good.
“I need a date to a charity event I’m attending tonight.”
“A date?” I gulp. “Where’s Alison?”
“She’s out of town.”
“I really don’t think that’s a good idea. I’m pretty sure if you went alone, the world wouldn’t end,” I say, crossing my arms.
“Gellar…,” Nicholas says in a challenging tone.
“Are you really asking?” I say, exasperated.
“No." he says smirking. “I just thought it would be polite if I tried to first.”
“The word ’try’ seems to be a foreign concept for you.” I roll my eyes at him, trying my best to emphasize my annoyance.
“I’ll pick you up at 6:00 p.m. Dinner starts at seven,” he says, as he turns to leave.
“And if I refuse?”
“I’ll drag you, even if it’s kicking and screaming.”
“Aren’t you going to ask for my address?” I ask, annoyed.
“No. I know where you live,” he says with a devilish grin. I shiver at the streak of desire coursing through me. Nicholas knows where I live? Somehow that seems like a very, very bad thing. Knowledge is power and Nicholas seems to know a lot about me.
“I don’t have anything to wear,” I confess.
“I took care of that. Just go home and get dressed,” he says, giving me a once over. “No more excuses, Ms. Gellar.”
I don’t have a good explanation as to why I asked Rebecca to come with me tonight. No, that’s a lie. I need a distraction. I haven’t been to this event in five years. Every year the executive director, Katherine Brown, sends me an invitation to come, but I never show and I never accept. If Rebecca hadn’t accepted the invite this year, I wouldn’t be here. I didn’t really need a date. And while the thing I said about Alison isn’t a complete lie, she’s not technically out of town. She’s just gone for the weekend to check out venues in the country for our wedding. She’s called me at least five times within the last few hours to tell me about a winery she saw on her way there. It’s probably not a good idea if we get married in a place where I can consume massive amounts of alcohol. But I’ll definitely need it.
“Good evening, Mr. StoneHaven.” I turn to find Mary packing away her purse and carrying out the trash from behind the reception desk.
“Mary, you do know we have janitors who do that?” I ask.
“Why have someone else do something that I can do myself?” she says brightly. “Are you headed out to the donor appreciation event for Lit For Kids?”
“Yes, I’m stopping to pick up Rebecca and then I’m off.”
“Your brother Alex would be proud of you.”
I flinch at the mention of his name. Has it really been five years since his death? It seems like just yesterday. “Thank you, Mary.”
From my pained expression I know Mary sees it’s better not to bring up Alex again. I’ve been giving to their organization since my brother Alex passed away. He was the good son and the best brother Emily or I could ask for. Lit For Kids was one of his favorite nonprofits. They promote literacy at schools and they have afterschool programs for children who need help learning how to read. It’s a natural fit for our compan
y and I happily give to it in his memory. Alex was always putting others before himself. He didn’t know how to be any other way.
“Mary, can you do me one favor before you leave for the night?”
“Of course,” she says, half-smiling.
“Please call and let Rebecca know I’m on my way.”
“Done.”
“Thank you. Have a wonderful night.”
“And you, sir.”
“I am not wearing that dress.”
“Why not?” Carol asks, grinning.
“I have never worn a dress like that.”
“There’s a first time for everything,” she says with way too much enthusiasm.
The dress that Nicholas purchased, which I would hardly call a dress, has a deep neckline that drops and stops just below my breasts. I don’t think I can properly wear a bra with it. In fact, I can’t imagine how anyone could wear anything underneath. The fabric is thin and colored a deep satin red. It’s formed and fitted like a halter-top, flowing all the way down to my feet and splitting slightly above the knee. It’s beautiful, sexy, and seductive, but it’s not a dress I would ever wear near my boss.
On top of all of this, it’s snowing. I’m going to freeze my lady parts off. I reach inside the black satin bag that the dress came packaged in and find a matching shawl. At least he’s being somewhat considerate.
“This is what he wants me to wear for a kids’ charity event?”
“How old are these kids?” Carol asks, grinning.
“I’m pretty sure not old enough to see my boobs flailing about.” I turn to see Carol silently laughing at me.
“You’re having way too much fun watching me.”
“Sorry, it’s like watching a fly try and get out of spider’s web.”
“I hope you’re not implying I’m the fly in this situation,” I say, raising my eyebrow at her.
Bound to You: Volume 2 Page 3
