****
Dylan Cross took the stairs to his executive office on the fourth floor. He ran the first couple of flights in sheer joy at having met Chrissie. That was more than fucking. I like her a lot.
He went into his private bathroom and took a shower. He stored clean clothes in the cupboard, so twenty minutes later he emerged fresh, and ready for his business trip in one of the suits at his disposal.
Dylan packed a laptop and tablet into his briefcase, shut down his desktop computer, and called his assistant to say he was leaving.
“Mr. Cross, Jacob Handley wants a word before you leave. Will you call into his office?”
Dylan said he would, wondering what the head of security wanted.
He left his office for the second floor to call in on Jacob.
When he knocked and opened the head of security’s office door a surprise greeted him. His father, the company owner, otherwise known as Mr. Starburst, Martha Cooper, head of human resources, and Jacob sat around his desk. They all three turned to look at Dylan.
He closed the door behind him and gave them a questioning look.
“What’s going on?”
His dad spoke. “What’s going on is that we have a video of you screwing the new member of the creative team. Well, was to be new member.” He paused for breath. “Martha’s not emailed yet, so don’t look so crestfallen. We wanted to talk to you first. Jacob brought the video to my attention, naturally. You understand this, don’t you Dylan? What if this gets out? What if she tells someone? I don’t want a, anyone thinking they get jobs here by screwing the CEO, b, the existing members of the team who were overlooked for this promotion telling everyone she got the job because she screwed you, c, your professionalism coming into question after only six weeks when I fought the board for your early advancement to CEO. Get it, son?” He counted a, b, and c off on his fingers.
Dylan’s wave of worry wasn’t for himself. It was for Chrissie and the fact she might not get the job he knew she desperately wanted. She was perfect for the job. The company would be enhanced by her work. “I get it. Let her have the job. She’s the best we’ve had apply. Her creative ideas are outstanding, aren’t they, Martha?” He appealed to the woman who he knew was as impressed with Chrissie’s abilities as he was.
She took a deep breath. Let it out in a sigh. “I’d love her to have the job. It’s up to your father, Dylan.”
Dylan looked at his dad. “What do you want me to do? I can’t undo the act. Destroy the tape. Hell, I didn’t even know we had cameras in the elevators. Are they in the restrooms too?” He couldn’t help the sneer creeping out. He felt a cold anger that Jacob had seen lovely, gentle, Chrissie having sex with him.
As if reading his mind, Jacob spoke. “I didn’t watch anything more than the first two minutes after things got heated. I checked the camera’s stream periodically to make sure you guys were okay, but when I realized what was going on I didn’t look any more. The tape’s part of the security file. Sorry, Dylan.”
Dylan winced. “Does that mean the tape can’t be destroyed?”
His dad cut in. “It will be, but you’ve got a choice. Don’t go near her again. We give her the job. You ignore her. She’ll think you’re just a player. If you can’t keep away from her, she doesn’t get the job.”
Dylan’s stomach ached at the realization he couldn’t see Chrissie again. He silently debated telling them to fuck off, throw his briefcase full of work on the table, and walk. Then he thought about his job. He enjoyed it. He’d worked hard since graduating from college and even before that, he’d given a lot to the family firm. He took a moment to reflect. He’d agree right now, so that Chrissie could have her job, then he’d fix it somehow. He’d tell her the story. They’d fight this bullshit together.
“Okay. She’s too valuable to let go. We could wrap up that million dollar advertising deal with Parkers Pies in a snap if she was on board, and there’s the dog food people still hanging out for a campaign that’s not ‘run of the mill’ as they put it.” He stopped short of promising he wouldn’t see her.
They didn’t notice.
His dad picked up the digital video tape in front of him on the desk and threw it to Dylan.
Dylan caught it.
Martha stood up. “That’s settled then. We’ll forget it ever happened.” She left the room.
Dylan’s father looked at Jacob.
Jacob nodded. “The computer file’s already deleted, Jack. Not a word will pass my lips, as you know.”
Dylan stood.
His father stood too, and came around the desk. He slapped Dylan on the arm, winced visibly after encountering Dylan’s hard bicep, and grinned as if nothing had taken place there.
“Off to see the board of the hotel chain, Dylan?”
Dylan nodded. “Yeah, I’m staying overnight. I’ll call into the office when I’m back tomorrow evening. We’ve got the contract. I’m just doing PR.” He turned on his heel, picked up the briefcase he’d rested against the chair and stalked from the office.
On the way down to the ground floor, he considered the situation. Dad’s old school. The board’s stuffy. This isn’t a big deal. He’d given in to the request so that Chrissie could have the job she so deserved.
As he walked across the car park to his car in its reserved spot, he pictured Chrissie’s pretty face, and then the junction of her thighs when she’d tucked her skirt up. He could almost feel her kiss on his lips. His cock jerked when he thought about how she’d wrapped her legs around his waist. I’m not giving her up, that’s for sure.
He turned around and walked resolutely back to his dad’s office.
Jack Cross looked up with a surprised expression when Dylan charged back into the room.
“Fuck this, Dad. I’ll give it a week, so that you can see how talented Chrissie Forbes is and then I’m seeing her again. If you don’t like it, you can find a new CEO. You can’t punish her for what I did.”
His dad snorted. “It takes two.”
“That’s my offer. I want an answer now. Do you agree to my terms?”
Suddenly his dad burst out laughing. “Unless Martha or Jacob tells someone, you’ve got the tape. It’s looking more and more like a moot point. You know me though, Son, I wouldn’t be where I am unless I got a bit brutal now and then.”
Dylan gave his father an intense look. “I will walk if a, she doesn’t get the job, b, you fire her before seeing how talented she is, and c, you ever try to stop me seeing her after the week is up.” Dylan counted off a, b, and c on his fingers, purposely emulating his father.
Jack Cross grinned.
Dylan turned and left the office.
As he went back down to his car, he wondered if he should call Chrissie and tell her what was happening, and then as he sat in the drivers’ seat he realized that would spoil everything for her. Let her be happy and excited, as she deserves. She won that job fair and square. I’ll just have to hope she doesn’t hate me when the week is up.
Chapter Three
Chrissie showered and changed before she checked her emails. She intended going into her temp job for the last hour of the day, to pick up her phone, tidy the desk if necessary, and on the way home drop into the dry cleaners, with the ticket this time. She smiled. Things hadn’t turned out so bad, not when she’d met Dylan. I wonder what his job is. Is he in human resources? I can’t recall Martha Cooper telling me. She booted her computer and logged into her email.
There it was, the email with an offer for the job. A huge smile spread across her face. She read the email again and opened the attached contract to check the conditions and salary. She read that twice and then, still smiling, she replied. She would take the job. She put her electronic signature on the contract and sent that back to Martha Cooper too.
Chrissie thought about the list of names in the ‘about us’ creative team staff information. Dylan wasn’t in it. He’s unforgettable, so dishy, so sexy, and so lovely. Chrissie sighed in pleasure thinking about h
is hard body, the way he’d picked her up, his kiss. She closed her eyes and pictured his face. She stopped daydreaming when her pussy drenched her fresh panties.
She emailed her agency, and then she called them on her landline.
“Hi, Patricia, I got the job. Yes, they offered already. I want to start as soon as I can. They’ve asked for next Tuesday. I’ll make tomorrow my last day. I’ve emailed you too, so that you have a written notice. Thank you. Bye.” She smiled as Patricia congratulated her.
****
The weekend flew by and although Chrissie waited to hear from Dylan, because she wanted to shop and be completely ready to start her new job, she didn’t start fretting about him until Monday. That morning she woke up early and wished she were starting her new job then, rather than the next day. She did all the chores she could think of, but by midday, she could think of nothing else but Dylan. She asked herself a few times why he hadn’t called. She made a cup of coffee and sat in her tiny garden. The sun warmed her shoulders, but she felt cold. He’d fucked her in the elevator because she’d practically begged for it and that’s that. A one-night-stand, well daytime stand, but, she sighed, that’s probably it.
Her conviction that he wasn’t going to call depressed her. All the excitement about her new job suddenly disappeared. She didn’t eat much for dinner and she went to bed early with a book.
The next morning she felt better. The job is just right. The salary is great. She might never run into Dylan. She hoped she wouldn’t because that would hurt. She took a deep breath, got ready, and set off.
****
For the first three days of her new job, Chrissie got her wish. She saw nothing of Dylan and everything was perfect, except for a little tug at her heart every so often when she let herself relive his kiss, or touch. She was incredibly busy so that wasn’t often during the day. Only nighttime gave her chance to remember his blue gaze and his strong arms.
Chrissie loved her job. She had a reserved parking spot in the car parking lot, with her name painted on the ground. She had her own office. People were friendly. Already she’d met and pitched to a client who was notoriously picky, according to the rest of the creative team. The client was impressed and Friday would be decision day. Everyone thought Chrissie would have won the advertising contract for the firm.
Friday morning, about nine-thirty, the internal phone rang on Chrissie’s desk. She expected the secretary to announce a call from the dog food company, but she was told the CEO wanted to see her.
“Miss Forbes, the CEO wants you in his office as soon as possible.” Ivy’s tone suggested Chrissie hurry.
Chrissie didn’t even know where to go. It could be the fourth floor. Martha Cooper gave her a quick tour, Tuesday morning, but left out the fourth floor, with a wave at the stairs saying, ‘you’ve been up there already’. She stopped the secretary ending the call. “Sorry, can you tell me where the CEO’s office is?”
The secretary confirmed Chrissie’s guess.
Chrissie took the stairs to the fourth floor. She walked down the corridor to the executive office. Next door was a small office with the door wide open. Chrissie was about to pass, when a voice called, “Can I help you?”
Chrissie stopped and smiled at the woman who sat behind a desk and looked at her over black framed glasses.
“The CEO asked for me.”
The woman frowned. “Mr. Cross asked for you? Who are you?”
A shiver went down Chrissie’s spine as she heard the name. Is the CEO Dylan Cross? Maybe there are two people with the name, Cross. It’s a popular enough name.
“Chrissie Forbes.” Her voice betrayed her confusion.
The woman, who must be the CEO’s assistant, looked at her computer screen. “You’re not on any list. I’ll call through just to make sure.” She picked up the handset and pressed a button. “Mr. Cross, there’s a Chrissie Forbes, here to see you. Okay.”
She replaced the handset. “Go in.”
Chrissie hesitated for a few seconds. She held her hand up to knock and enter the CEO’s office when it opened.
Dylan Cross stood there looking gorgeous. His suit pants rode low on his slender hips. His shirt stretched across his muscular chest. His tie loosened slightly and his glossy, dark hair perfectly tousled, just to add to the picture of sex personified.
He opened the door wider for her to pass. “Come in, Miss Forbes.”
Chrissie went into the room with her heart pounding so loudly she wondered if he would hear it. Her mouth suddenly dry, she stopped in front of Dylan’s desk waiting to be told what was going on. Her thoughts swirled. So that’s it, he’s the CEO. Probably has sex with anyone he wants, especially with his looks. This is why he hasn’t called me…he said he would to string me along…shut me up…
Dylan came up behind her. She could feel him there. Not touching, but so close, the hairs at the nape of her neck stood on end. Despite the fact that she felt a mix of anger and sadness, her thighs clenched at his nearness.
“I’m sorry, Chrissie, I couldn’t call, and now I can’t stand another minute without seeing you, holding you.” His voice flowed past her ear like silken thread. He put his hands on her shoulders, and kissed her cheek.
If he expected her to lean back onto his muscled chest, turn in the circle of his arms and kiss him, he was mistaken. She froze ramrod straight, her arms by her side. Chrissie felt the echoes of his kiss on her cheek stream down to her nipples so that they stood up, the treacherous little…
“Turn around.”
Chrissie ignored his request. She closed her eyes as he stepped in front of her. He moved so close that his fresh aftershave, like spruce and pine, and making love in a forest, assailed her.
“Open your eyes. Look at me.”
Chrissie felt tears gather. Don’t cry. Every nerve in her body tingled at Dylan’s voice. Her stomach clenched. Her pussy drenched her panties. She was a mix of emotions. She opened her eyes.
He’d perched on the edge of his desk right in front of her, his arms folded, his legs apart.
She couldn’t help it as her eyes strayed to his groin. She flicked her gaze away.
“You’re angry with me. I thought you would be. The thing is, Chrissie, I was warned off you, by the owner of the company. I could have cost you your job, that’s why I didn’t call.”
Chrissie stared at him. Her gaze traced the planes of his face, the perfect for kissing mouth, the trace of stubble on his jaw, the sexy blue eyes that looked at her now intently. Is that a look of persuasion? Maybe he’s not seduced anyone this week and thinks I’ll fall at his feet again?
Chrissie was in pain. She didn’t know it until right then, but she’d invested deep emotion in him during the elevator sex. He’d touched her heart as well as her body. Perhaps it’s because he got me through being trapped in there. I can’t let myself feel more for him now.
Dylan reached out a hand and traced a finger down her cheek.
Chrissie jerked away from him.
He frowned, a look of pain in his blue eyes. “Chrissie.” He held out his arms.
The temptation to go into them was enormous…be hugged close, be kissed…be fooled…screamed in her brain.
“Do you really expect me to believe that a man like you, a CEO, could be warned off a woman? You used me for sex and now you’re probably bored, it’s Friday, you think, oh, I’ll get little pushover Chrissie in here for a…”
Dylan shook his head and cut her off. “It’s nothing like that. Let me explain.”
Chrissie stepped back a pace. “We’re not in the elevator now. I’m not terrified. You can’t take advantage.”
She turned and ran. She fumbled with the door handle, got out, but suddenly mindful of the personal assistant in her office, she closed the door and walked quietly away. She’d gone a few steps when Dylan’s door opened and he stalked out.
He caught her, outside the assistant’s office. “Miss Forbes, get back in my office. I haven’t finished with you yet.” His voice a
nd look were so powerful, Chrissie halted with shock.
She cast a sidelong glance at the assistant, who studiously stared down at something on her desk. Cassie’s professionalism rose. He’s the CEO. He could fire me.
She passed him and walked in through the open door of his office.
Dylan followed close behind her.
She heard the door close as she stared resolutely ahead at the huge window behind his desk. Then he picked her up. “Uh…” A little sound of amazement forced from her.
He carried her toward another half open door.
Shock stopped her from fighting.
Dylan kicked the door fully open and strode through.
Dismay filled Chrissie at the way her body betrayed her, molded to his chest, hands sliding around his shoulders. Her heart hammered. His masculinity surrounded her along with his arms and her pussy throbbed, wetting her panties over again. She wanted him so badly.
He put her down and closed the door behind them.
Chrissie looked around. They were in a bathroom. She tried to breathe normally.
Dylan’s eyes were dark as he turned to face her. He looked dangerous and so sexy her legs went like jelly.
He crushed her to his body, a hand under her ass, to bring her lower stomach hard against his erection. An arm around her, his hand circling the nape of her neck, fingers in her hair, he kissed her.
She felt devastated by his kiss.
His lips, soft, firm, lingering, his teeth, grazing her bottom lip, nibbling her top lip, tongue touching hers, sliding, searching.
He groaned as he drew back from the kiss.
“Don’t you dare run when I let go. Listen to what I have to tell you. I could take you now. Drag that pretty skirt around your waist, shred your panties, and fuck you with my fingers until you begged for my cock pounding in you. You know you want me. I can feel your nipples like pebbles against my chest through your shirt. You kissed me back hungrily. I bet you’re drenched between your legs. I missed you so much this week. I couldn’t think straight when I passed your office. I stood alongside your car last evening desperate to hear your voice, until I came to my senses, and left.”
Executive Assistant Page 19
