“Hey you. It’s been a while.”
I whipped around. My heart stupidly leapt at the thought of Alexander waiting for me. Tragically it believed he must still care and if he still cared then there was hope.
Easily ripped, flimsy, delicate, stupid hope.
“Hey.” Internally I winced at the lameness of my reply. Hay was for horses and dumbasses. Or women named Sophia. “How are you?”
“Good.” Alexander came forward, hands in pockets and tiny smile firmly in place. “You’re looking well.”
“You too.”
“Thank you.”
I stood my ground. Desire itched. I suffered the familiar pulses demanding I close the distance between us.
No way was I going to listen to that side of me.
Aware of his piercing ebony gaze, I chose my next words carefully, making sure I communicated the appropriate tone for our respective positions. It was a tricky thing but I managed. “It was a great meeting.”
“Really? Which part?”
My belly fluttered. I had the sense he was mocking my attempt to pretend we weren’t anything more than two people engaging in corporate pleasantries. “I couldn’t choose one at the moment. Suffice it to say I’m excited to work on implementing the changes in reporting and upgrading our report manager.”
I was proud of myself for saying all the right, impersonal things. Maybe I’d survive this with my dignity and walls in tact.
“Have lunch with me.”
“Pardon?”
Alexander glanced at his watch. “I’m starving. Let’s grab something quick and greasy.”
Excitement pooled. He had waited for me and now he was talking to me, acknowledging me as someone he wanted to spend his time with. I remembered precious moments like this all the way back to high school.
“Sophia, help me carry these supplies up to Ms. Rider’s room.”
…
“Hey, Sophia, sit down with me and watch the game.”
…
“I’m hungry. Let’s go by Home Econ and get some pie, Sophia.”
Alexander would toss out his wishes and I would lunge, balance, and stretch to make every one of them possible. Even now my mind had already gone down a list of places he might like, dismissing several in favor for those that served pie.
My ridiculously tender lip suffered a quick bite, betraying my nervousness and shattering my impersonal facade. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“You’re you and I’m me.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Although his expression remained bland, Alexander’s gaze snapped with impatience.
What the hell do you think it means? bounced on my tongue, wanting to spring out. Courage deserted me. I fell back on a safer excuse. “I’m sure Mark wouldn’t approve.”
Alexander leaned over me, gaze kept trained on the wall far above my head, and murmured in my ear, “I wouldn’t be so worried about what Mark thinks. I own this place now or haven’t you heard?”
He was still high-handed, bossy, and arrogant as ever.
“Sophia, there you are!” Connie called out before she fully rounded the corner. Reaching us, she smiled apologetically to Alexander before turning to face me. “I’m so sorry to interrupt but Mark asked me to tell you to come by his office ASAP.”
“Sure thing.” I wondered what Connie thought of seeing Alexander standing closer than conservative etiquette deemed appropriate. If she thought anything odd, Connie kept it hidden beneath her pleasant expression. She touched my shoulder briefly, nodded respectfully to Alexander, and then strode down the hall, creamy pink heels contrasting beautifully against her gray pant suit.
I appreciated Connie’s interruption in a way someone surely appreciated having her punishment dismissed. If I felt at all irritated it was simply a case of nerves catching up to me. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Sure. Keeping telling yourself that.
“Lunch. Twenty minutes. Don’t keep me waiting.” Alexander strolled off, hands still in pockets, and proud head held high.
My mouth dropped open. “I can’t make it—”
“Downstairs. Twenty minutes.”
“I’m not going.”
“You will.”
“No—”
“Yes. Nineteen and a half minutes.”
I turned on my heel, inwardly fuming at Alexander’s colossal arrogance. I wasn’t going and that was final. It didn’t matter how much nostalgia poked, whined, and screamed. I wasn’t going to travel back down that moonless, rutted road. I wasn’t that same girl anymore.
I wasn’t. I really, really wasn’t. And if I still was, well, too bad. I may be crazy but I wasn’t that crazy. I’d living the past eight to nine years proving that very well.
Alexander and I weren’t a good mix. Period.
Mind made up, I soon slipped into Mark’s office. He waved me towards a seat. I sat and waited; content to stare out the window while he finished up his call. Mark wrapped it up quickly, issuing several friendly “Gotcha!” and “No problem!” before disconnecting.
Just as I was going to ask him what he needed, Mark cocked a thick blond brow and barked, “What’s going on with Draven?”
My own slim eyebrow raised in question.
“That was him on the phone. He told me he had an appointment with you in fifteen. So again, what’s going on with Draven?”
“Is that why you had Connie tell me to come here?”
“No.”
My temper flared beneath his presumptuous prodding. “What are you really asking Mark?”
“Why’s he meeting you for lunch? You’re just the Controller.”
Just the Controller my ass! Who the hell juggled money around when there wasn’t any to juggle? Who the fuck managed to get a line of credit so we could cover payroll? Who the hell was in the trenches when our staff was cut by three-quarters?
“You wanna rephrase that, Mark? Quickly?”
He tapped his calloused fingers against the desk. Tap. Tap. Tap. “No offense. You know what I mean.”
As far as apologies went, that was good as I was going to get. I sighed, frustrated to get entangled in a tug-of-war between my past and my present. “Look, we went to school together. That’s all. He probably wants to be polite and catch up on old friends.”
The pinched set of Mark’s mouth loosened. “That’s it?”
“Yes, that’s it.” I resisted the urge to shake my head at Mark’s territorial tendencies. “Now what did you need?”
He held up one hand. “It can wait.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.”
“It must’ve been pretty important for you to send Connie.”
“Hell, no! I just wanted to go over the meeting and get your feedback on how it went.”
I relaxed and crossed my legs. “It went well. The troops are excited again. There’s hope now…the very thing we’ve all needed. Between the layoffs and the ones left migrating to more stable companies, it’s been brutal.”
“I know. We were running the blade for too long.” Mark slapped the desk. It rattled the silver Newton’s Cradle toy I had gotten him last Christmas. “Damn but it feels good to think about the future. Now that Draven will be the acting CEO until he finds us a suitable replacement, I can focus on doing just my job.”
“Tell me about it.” We laughed, wry humor tempered by longstanding fatigue. “I think I’ll finally be able to sleep without waking up in the middle of the night.”
“Sleep? What’s that?”
I chuckled again before eyeing the wall clock. Minutes expired while I contemplated an insurrection against my baser fixations. Mark and I chatted, conversation circling around subjects like weekend plans before zeroing back onto MLM.
Two minutes left. Alexander, I’m not going to hop at your command. I’m really, really not.
No. I’m not.
No. I can’t.
Shit!
I shot to my feet. �
�Mark, I gotta go.”
“Oh, that’s right.” He waved me off. “It wouldn’t do to keep the new boss waiting. Pass on anything pertinent, will you?” His sharp gaze held mine to press the importance of the statement.
“Sure thing.”
“Sophia?”
“Yeah?” Mark regarded me another moment, keen stare sweeping across mine. I got the distinct impression he was looking for something secret and vulnerable to discover. I fortified my walls with a lopsided grin. “What is it?”
Good luck scaling me, Mark. You were never going to get in.
As if he heeded my silent challenge, he shook his head and waved me off. “Nothing. Enjoy yourself.”
“Will do.”
I left his office and swung by mine. Picking up my purse, coat, phone, and keys, I glanced out of the window, trying to see if I’d spot Alexander waiting outside seven floors down.
You’re really not going to do this, are you?
Hell, yes I was. Why? Because I still couldn’t resist the lure of Alexander Monroe Draven II.
Fuck, fuck, fuckity, fuck, fuck, fuck!
My cell rang. I answered it with a crisp, “Sophia Carter.”
“You’re not going to make it.”
I closed the door behind me and strode down the hall in a rapid clip. “How did you get this number?”
“I’m paying for it. Remember?”
My teeth ground against one another. “Don’t say it like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like I’m your kept woman.” Alexander’s laughter dissolved my pique. His humor made me feel warm and happy. “Stop laughing!” My tone bordered on flirtatious. I wanted to bite my tongue.
“Oh, girl. ‘Kept woman?’ That is hilarious. What’s next? Are you going to accuse me of being improper for seeing you without a chaperone?”
“Hush.” I nodded to passing coworkers and reached the receptionist. “I’m off to lunch, Gloria.”
“Have a good one, Ms. Carter.”
“Thanks. I will.” I entered the empty elevator with an emphatic “I said stop laughing!”
“Not a chance.”
I leaned against the wall, sleek phone pressed tightly to my ear, and admitted, “I was afraid to see you today.”
“I can’t imagine why.”
“I’m pretty sure you can.”
Alexander soft voice seduced confidence. “Tell me.”
“I’ve never—”
The doors opened and with it the outside world intruded. I nodded politely to the older, sharply dressed gentleman getting in. I resumed a ruler-against-the-back posture. What was I doing talking to him like that, like we were friends or closer? Obviously my mind sneakily tried to continue down its downward spiral.
“Sophia?”
Stony-faced and staring blindly at the lights flashing above the doors, I answered him brusquely. “I’m still here. What parking deck are you in?”
“I’ll wait for you at the entrance.”
“No, I’ll come to you.”
Alexander sighed, obviously irritated with my obstinacy. “I already told you what I was going to do, Sophia. No need to argue about it. See you in a few seconds.” He ended the call, leaving me to pocket my cell phone without another word.
The elevator doors opened, freeing me to my upcoming fate. I nodded again to my companion, warmly thanking him for the courtly gesture indicating I should depart first. I strode across the marble lobby, keeping my eyes fixed on the bank of revolving doors.
I’d need to curate my words with Alexander in order to keep my most important truths to myself.
I’ve never forgotten you. I’ve never stopped loving you. I’ve never gotten over you.
I slipped into the circular exit, unable to keep from contrasting it against my present circumstances. If I wasn’t careful I was bound to find myself walking in circles, trapped and unable to stop from repeating the same damned mistakes.
The same mistakes being I’d be too attached to Alexander, too insecure of his feelings for me, and so furious because no matter how much I loved him, I wouldn’t be able to overcome the sins of my mother and his father.
Cool air rushed out and caressed my face, bringing much needed relief to my flushed cheeks. My eyelids drifted down for a bit, shutting out the concrete vista, and letting the bustling world slow to a crawl.
I don’t have to be so scared of this. Maybe this is the way it’s supposed to be. We’ll meet, reminisce, and then I can finally move on. Isn’t that really what I should want? Closure. Peace. Happiness.
“You’re late! What are we going to do about that, Ms. Carter?”
The world found its speed again. I opened my eyes, overwhelmed not by the living river of people flowing by, but the brilliance of Alexander’s liquid gaze. His smile taunted and teased, easily plucking the strings of my resolution loose.
Alexander was right. I was late. I was late in realizing a sad, simple fact—I had already been caught.
And there was nothing I could do about it except dangle on the hook.
3
Present Day and Time
“Come here.”
I rationalized my defiance. I didn’t have to obey Alexander. In this setting, he didn’t have the right to command me to do anything much less expect me to actually do it.
Alexander watched me; large body swiveled in profile, elbow resting on the smooth, wooden surface and forearm straight and rigid like a post. The snowy white shirt could be mistaken for the traditional symbol for surrender.
I knew it for what it was. So did Alexander.
I was the moth to his flame. Forever flying near, doing my best not to burn but destined to do it anyways. I was that weak, you see?
A killing-soft smile landed at the corners of his lips. He waited, patient and watchful.
Where was he going with this? What was he trying to prove that he hadn’t already proved a million times before? There was only one way to find out.
“Fine.” I walked over to him, fixated on the beacon of his arm. Chin up and defiance oozing with every rigid step until I stood at his knee. “Happy now?” I snapped, doing little to be gracious over my capitulation.
“Not by a long shot, baby.” Alexander appraised me, doing nothing to disguise it. “I never cared for your anger before. I saw it as something to be eliminated and subdued. Now I know the great potential it has for us both.”
Warmth drizzled, softening my insolence. My belly clenched. My nipples tightened to twin points, vividly remembering the hot tug of Alexander’s lips. The urge to cross my arms and cover my chest tangled with the urge to rip off my shirt.
Push, pull, want, deny. Seductive madness could only lie this way.
“Sophia, I want you to do something for me.”
I coughed, trying to disguise my body’s response as an aberration. “Yes?”
“I want you to sit down.”
“Okay.” I turned to find the nearest chair.
“Stop.” Alexander waited silently until I looked back at him, eyebrow raised quizzically. “Not there.”
“Then where?”
Alexander pointed to the floor. I followed his finger, seeing his polished, leather shoes and the empty space before them.
I shook my head and backed away. “On the floor?”
“Yes. I want you on the floor, kneeling at my feet.”
I reached out to steady myself. My fingertips dug into the side of the desk. “You want me at your feet.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Alexander tilted his head. “Because it would please me.”
Jesus fucking Christ!
Violent lust ricocheted through my body, instantly piercing my core. I tightened my thighs, finding perverse, thrilling pleasure in the idea of obeying him. My mind whirled into overdrive, looking for any reason to drown out the instinct demanding I obey.
“Are you serious, Alexander? You’re not joking with me?”
He stared me down, mouth t
ight and eyes blazing with implacable domination. “On your knees. Now.”
My knees buckled. Still keeping hold of the desk, I sank down, down, down, until my legs folded beneath me. My heart hammered, beating so hard against my chest I wasn’t sure if I wanted to scream in fear or delight.
“Breathe, Sophia.”
“I…I…am.” Fear gripped me strong. My panicked gaze jumped around. I couldn’t believe what I had done. Worse, how come it felt so right?
Alexander’s warm hand cupped my chin. “You’re doing beautifully, Sophia. Look at me. I said look at me. Now just breathe for me. In and out. That’s it. Good girl.”
I patterned my breathing after his. Lost in his black gaze, I watched the world fall away. Nothing existed but him.
“You’re doing beautifully. Feeling better, are we?”
I drew in a long, shaky breath. “Yes.”
“Good.” Alexander stroked my dark hair, tilting my head forward so he could gather the length into a ponytail.
“What are you doing?”
“Hush.” He tightened his fingers to use my hair as a leash. Alexander tugged my head back hard. “I’m not going to mince words here, Sophia. I want you. I want you with me like this.”
“On my knees?” I couldn’t help injecting a bit of sarcasm in my voice to minimize just how helpless I felt.
“Get serious fast, girl, or you’ll feel my belt on your ass faster than you can blink.”
My eyes widened. I could hear my voice shaking as I unequivocally stated, “You’re not going to hit me.”
“Care to make a wager?”
Tears suddenly pricked my eyes. I blinked them back quickly, clenching my jaw to make a flamboyant lie of my vulnerability. Alexander had never hit me before. The fact he would even suggest it hurt more than I could put into words.
This is what he’s become now? Someone who would abuse me?
“Don’t misunderstand the situation, Sophia. I’m not talking about how Mr. Doughtry hit Mrs. Doughtry.”
“Then what?” I spat, feeling betrayed and disillusioned. “Because it sounds pretty much like the same damned thing.”
Mad for the Billionaire Page 3
