by Marie Skye
“I told you never to walk away from me.” I felt myself nod. I fucking nodded.
We just stared at each other, and I spotted the slight grin at the corner of his mouth. The mouth I wanted on me again. His eyes trailed me up and down slowly. He unbuttoned his coat and slid it around me. “I like your dress, but I’ll kill anyone who looks at you. My car is this way.” He placed his hand on the small of my back and guided me toward the car.
The ride was silent. Thirty minutes later, we pulled up to my apartment. I wanted to say something. I wanted him to say something. I unbuttoned his coat, took it off, and thanked him for the ride.
Before I could get out, he grabbed my arm. “I’ll see you later.”
My eyes locked with his. I loved his eyes. I still didn’t know his name. Maybe that was a good thing. “I doubt it,” I whispered before getting out of the car and not looking back.
That night, I lay in bed staring up at the ceiling. He kissed me. Well, wasn’t he an interesting son of a bitch.
I spent all day Sunday working my waitress job at the café, but I was distracted. I couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss. This guy completely warped my mind. I couldn’t get him out of my head.
“Did you get that, ma'am?”
I jumped. “Oh, yes. I’m sorry. You said a cup of blackberry tea?” I started to write on my notepad.
“Um… no, I said black coffee.”
“Right.” I scribbled out my note. “I’m sorry, black coffee. I’ll bring that right out. Was there anything else?”
“Just the coffee and the chocolate croissant please.”
When the hell did she say chocolate croissant?
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll bring that right away.” I gave her a smile before collecting her menu and walking away.
“Hey, Emms. You okay?” I looked at Caleb. “Yes, just tired I guess. I’m sorry.” He considered my response with a worried look in his eyes.
“Here.” He gestured to a seat nearby. “Why don’t you take a break? I don’t think you’ve sat since you got here, and by law, you do get a break, so please sit. And I won’t take no for an answer.”
I smiled at Caleb. He really was a good guy. He reminded me a bit of Tyler, always fussing over me. I wondered how Tyler was.
“So, Emms, I was thinking. You know my friend Jake and how he’s into filmmaking and stuff?”
Curious, I nodded.
“Well, you know that film festival in a few weeks? He gave me a couple of passes that basically let you see any film you wanted, so, um… I was wondering if you wanted to go. With me. That is, if you don’t already have plans.”
I watched the water beads on my glass for a minute. “Caleb, that sounds fun. I would like to go.”
He smiled. “Okay then. It’s a date. I’ll… um, I’ll give you more information closer to the day.”
“That’ll be nice.” This was me trying. I never saw Caleb as being anything other than a friend, but he was really nice and sweet. So who knew?
But he wasn’t my mystery man with the permanent angry face. That was who my mind drifted to.
Monday morning. I spent the rest of Sunday thinking about her and that kiss. I drove past her apartment so many times, and even walked up to the door, hoping maybe to run into her. Of course, I didn’t have a fucking reason for being in the area. I just knew one thing: I wanted her. I finally pulled the car over and yanked out my cock. I was so hard from thinking about her. I jerked off six times that day. All thinking of her. She was possessing me, and didn’t even know it.
I knew our meeting was at 10:00 a.m. I looked at my watch: 7:35 a.m. Okay, so I was a little early.
“Good morning, Mr. Mandrake. Is there anything you need before your morning meeting?”
Yeah, a certain girl. “No, Glenda. I’m fine. Thank you,” I answered without turning to her. I felt like a fucking pubescent high school boy.
“Very good. There’s also a call from HR on line one for you as well.”
I put the phone on speaker.
“Mandrake.”
“Good morning, Mr. Mandrake. This is Helen Peterson from human resources.”
“Good morning, Helen. I’m hoping you have some valuable information for me.”
“Yes, sir. Your request to have an Emmalin Ross hired on is doable. She’s only hired at Walters and Reed a few times a week. However, she has a contract with them for employment through the end of the month.”
“Excellent. Thank you.”
“No problem, sir. Is there anything else I can do for you today?”
“Yes, book yourself an appointment at the spa and take the rest of the day off. That’s an order, Helen. I’ll authorize it.” I hung up before she could protest.
I stared up at the building in front of me with the massive monogrammed M on the glass door, and then I glanced back at my phone, making sure I had the correct address. Why on earth would a place like this need my services? How the hell did they even manage to hear about me? Mandrake Enterprises was something else. They were exclusively known for their five-star hotels, casinos, and spas, in addition to so much more. I heard celebrities fought for an endorsement with Mandrake Enterprises, although I was more impressed by the huge amount of charity work they’d partaken in.
The people going in and out of the building were dressed in pristine attire. My eyes drifted down to my simple black skirt. This had to be some joke. Taking a deep breath, I walked in. After security, I headed for the receptionist.
“Good morning. How can I help you?” She had a pleasant smile, although she looked way too happy to be at her job. I tried not to smirk. What the hell did she have for breakfast?
“Good morning. I have a meeting at 10:00 a.m. with a Mr…” I looked at my phone. “Well, it just says G.M.” I shrugged.
Her eyes lit up. Clearly she knew something I didn’t. “Your name?”
“Emmalin Ross.” She checked her computer then smiled.
“Thank you, Ms. Ross. It looks like your meeting is on the thirty-third floor. Take the black elevator to your right. Press floor thirty, and then enter in this card pin code. It will take you to the additional floors.” She handed me a small card about half the size of a credit card. I must’ve had a look of confusion on my face.
“Welcome to Mandrake Tower Headquarters.”
Smiling, I took the card and started for the elevators. Next to the black elevator were regular stainless steel elevators. People got on and off those ones, but no one seemed to go to the other. I shrugged and pressed the button for the black elevator.
Upon entering, I took note of the black and cream tufted leather walls. It was weird; it had almost a serene effect. I pressed for floor thirty and then entered in the key card. The number changed from thirty to floor thirty-three. That was a nice, odd number. I smiled since odd numbers were my thing. Tilting my head back, I enjoyed the ride.
The lobby contained a huge desk. I briefly hesitated before taking a breath and continuing forward.
“Good morning, Ms. Ross,” a woman standing in the room said. “Were there any problems arriving?”
Hmm, so she knows me. “No, not at all. Thank you.”
“I’m Glenda. Can I get you anything before your meeting?” I shook my head. “If you’ll make yourself comfortable in this office, he’ll be here in just a moment. His previous meeting was running a little late.” With that, she exited the room and left me alone.
Holy fucking shit. This was an office? I gazed at the huge mahogany desk sitting in center before my eyes drifted to all the art on the walls, as well as movie frames. Whoever’s office this was had a thing for cars. I noticed off in the corner were a set of golf clubs, along with an impressive miniature golf setup. The entire back wall was a security team’s dream. There had to be at least twenty small screens that showed what was going on in each hotel. Wow. Talk about impressive.
“Merci de prendre le temps de vous aider. Nous savons comment votre précieux temps est, Mr. Mandrake.”
Thank you for taking the time to help. We know how valuable your time is, Mr. Mandrake.
“J'ai le plaisir. Si il y a autre chose dont vous avez besoin n'hésitez pas à être en contact. Bonne nuit. Au revoir.”
I’m pleased. If there’s anything you need don’t hesitate to be in touch. Good night.
After hanging up the phone, I glanced around the room, dismissing everyone. I glanced at my phone, which notified me of who entered and left the thirty-third floor. She was here. Smiling, I got up a bit too eagerly.
I finally made it to my office and stood outside the door. Just taking her in. I felt a bit stalkerish, but it was my office. She appeared nervous. With a deep breath, I walked in, shutting the door quietly behind me. She hadn’t noticed me yet, so I took the moment to study her. Almost as if I wanted to absorb her. I cleared my throat, and she jumped. Our eyes locked and we just stared at each other for a bit before I spoke.
“I see you’ve arrived safely.” I smiled.
Her eyes darted around the room before she stood up. She looked pissed.
“What are you doing here?” she whispered angrily.
I allowed my gaze to travel the length of her. I liked her feisty. I took a few steps toward her. “What do you mean?”
She took a step back. “What do you mean, ‘what do I mean?’ Are you stalking me?”
I raised my eyebrow. “You’re the one in my office.” She took another step back, realization settling in. I stepped closer to my desk.
“You work here?”
I shrugged. “Work here. Owner. CEO. We don’t need to go into labels.”
Her mouth gaped open. “Wait, you’re Grayson Mandrake? The Grayson Mandrake? Oh, my God. How did I not know that? Does this have anything to do with the other night?”
Getting straight to the point. I liked that. I inched closer to her. I was so close to her I could smell her shampoo. Before I could answer, she abruptly turned away.
“I have to go.” She moved so quickly, I barely had time to reach under my desk to flip the switch that locked the door. She reached it and realized it was locked. Whirling around, she faced me, her eyes shooting daggers.
“Are you kidding me right now?”
I unbuttoned my blazer before sitting. “We have a meeting, Ms. Ross.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Oh, I am.” I gestured toward the chair. “Sit.”
She stood at the door, arms crossed.
“You know, I really hate repeating myself. I’m not above putting you over my shoulder if that’s what it takes, and we both know how much I would enjoy that.” I looked at her with a raised eyebrow. She scowled, rolled her eyes, and slowly marched over to the chair and sat.
“Surely I’m not that bad to be around, am I?”
Her eyes finally met mine. “You lied to me.”
“I’ve never lied to you.”
“You didn’t think to tell me that you were the person I was meeting with when you dropped me off?”
“I did.”
She rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I’m pretty sure I would’ve remembered you saying, ‘Hey, I arranged a meeting with you.'”
“What I said was, ‘See you later.’ It’s later.”
“Semantics.” Now she sounded exasperated, and I fucking loved it. Her getting all rowdy like this had my dick getting hard. “You never told me your name.”
“You didn’t ask.”
She threw her hands up. “Are you going to have a callous remark for everything I say?”
I leaned back in my chair. “It depends. You’re making it mighty easy for me.”
She glanced at her watch. “I don’t have time for this. I have work to get to, so if you’ll excuse me.” She started to get up.
“Walters and Reed, right?”
She looked at me wearily. “Is that any of your business?”
“Actually, yes. You have a lot of talent, Emmalin.” I placed a file on my desk. “Not only are your accounting skills incredible, but you seem to have a knack for marketing. You worked with Mark Delaware. Mark has been a thorn in my side for years, and I always stayed one step ahead of him easily. Until three months ago, when we were both after an account. Now, I knew there was no way in hell Mark could afford this account. He would bankrupt himself getting it, so I knew I had him, and I underbid. Imagine my surprise when he outbid me and had the money. After pulling up his financial accounts, it was discovered there were lots of errors in his financial portfolios. Errors discovered by you.”
“So? I was only doing my job,” she answered petulantly and crossed her arms.
I stepped around the desk and leaned against the front. “Exactly. You did something everyone either overlooked or simply didn’t give a fuck about. You worked for Mark three times a week, two hours each time for a month. You earned a four-hundred-dollar paycheck for redoing financial accounts that showed he had an extra six million dollars lying around. All that and you only took home four hundred dollars.”
“I don’t need the play-by-play. I was there. What I don’t understand is why I’m here. What do you want?”
I leaned in close. “You. I haven’t stopped thinking about how much I want you since the first time I saw you. I haven’t stopped thinking about that mouth of yours since I kissed you.” I grabbed her chin. “And I can’t stop thinking about all the other places I want my mouth on, and how right now, at this very moment, I want nothing more than to spread you out on my desk and fuck you. Hard. Tell me, Emmalin, how loud do you think you’ll call my name when I make you come all over me?” She gasped. “Breathe,” I whispered against her lips before backing away, as painful as that was.
“I also think you would make a great asset to my team. You’re smart and a hard worker. I could use someone like you.” My eyes traveled the length of her body before I slid into my seat on the other side of my desk and pushed a folder her way. “I’m prepared to offer you a very competitive salary for your services.”
She held my gaze before finally reaching for the folder and opening it.
“Mr. Mandrake—”
“Grayson, please. Call me Grayson.”
“Grayson, I take it this offer comes with health benefits?”
I studied her. Most people would question the salary, or might begin to negotiate the figures in front of them, or try to get a company car out of it, or whatever else they could, but she asked about health benefits. In fact, I purposely low-balled her salary, just to argue with her, because she was feisty as hell and it turned me on. I knew she was worth more than what I had on that paper.
“Mandrake Enterprises offers one of the most comprehensive health insurance plans. It’s paid for 100 percent by the company.” She nodded. After a few seconds, she closed it and stood up.
“Okay, Grayson. Thank you for the offer. I’ll be in touch.” She made her way to the door and stood there for a few seconds before turning toward me. “Is our meeting adjourned?”
“I’ve bought your remaining contract with Walters and Reed.”
She paused. “Can you even do that?”
“I can if I just bought Walters and Reed.”
Her face fell. “Why would you do that?”
“To prove a point.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning you’re mine.” Pause. “It also means the remainder of your contract will be finished working with me that is until you officially accept my job offer.”
“And you’re so sure that I will?” I walked around my desk and stood directly in front of her. She gasped as I pulled her in to me. My gaze traveled down her lips to her neck, where I wanted to suck. She subtly lifted her head. It was slight, but I knew it was her invitation. It was the only answer I needed. I leaned in to her ear. “As sure as you coming on my tongue? Absolutely.” I took a slight step back. “We have a meeting in twenty; I expect you to be there regarding the new businesses emerging in Florida. We’ll pick this conversation up later.”
I was nervous the entire meeti
ng. Not only could I not stop fidgeting, but I was sure I looked like a complete scatterbrained klutz in front of everyone. I was sitting among people who knew what they were talking about. They had years of experience. I had whatever I picked up on from search engines. It wasn’t till I spilled my second glass of water that I excused myself. What a fool I was. I didn’t belong here. This wasn’t my world. It would never be my world.
I was preparing my things to go when Grayson walked in and slammed the door. He looked pissed. Hell, he had every right to be. I embarrassed him in front of everyone.
“I’ll just get my things and go.” I spoke quietly, still not able to look at him. I could feel his eyes staring at me.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
I glanced up at him. “I’m sorry. I’m not normally this nervous. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
“Do you honestly think I give a fuck what anyone in that room thinks? You keep leaving. Tell me, Ms. Ross, is this a habit of yours to keep walking away from me?”
I looked down at my feet, trying to figure out where he was going with this.
“Look at me when I speak to you.” My eyes shot up. “You do not walk away from me. Ever. Is that understood? Because I don’t like repeating myself, and I do believe we’ve had this discussion before.”
“I wouldn’t call it a discussion, Mr. Mandrake, more like you telling me what to do, which is not something I accept well.” He closed the space between us, and I could practically breathe him in.
“I find you challenging, Ms. Ross, and I very much so welcome a challenge.”
Before I could think of a witty response, he had me up against the wall, his mouth crashing against mine. My hands went to his hair, pulling him closer. He kissed down my neck as his hands came up to grab my breasts. I let out a moan, wanting to feel him more. I was startled at a knock at the door and pushed him away from me, quickly trying to compose myself, embarrassed by the charade.
“What!” he shouted to the person on the other side of the door.
