I’m not expecting to see him the following day – I never see him at work. We met in secret after work, and I doubt that Ms. Greaves is aware that I had even met him. But I want to see him, and I wish that he would break the rules and call me into his office.
But he doesn’t.
Late Tuesday night, he does send me a text:
* * *
Still at the office. Swamped with work. Can’t wait until Friday!
* * *
My heart jumps into my chest. I write a million text messages before sending one.
* * *
I’m home. Don’t work too hard. Can’t wait until Friday, either.
I’m home. You work too hard.
You work too hard. Can’t wait until Friday! I really want to see you.
I want to see you. Kiss you. Fuck you.
* * *
Don’t work too hard! Looking forward to Friday.
* * *
The following day, he texts: Hope you’re having a good day. Friday is only two days away!
* * *
This time I don’t debate too long: You too. Can’t wait.
* * *
Short and sweet. Perhaps, too short. But it’s enough to keep him wanting more. At least, I hope so.
On Thursday, Ms. Greaves has a lot of expense reports for me to do – not just Mr. Wild’s, but other people’s as well. They keep me busy through the morning and into the afternoon. I’m actually glad for the extra work and put all of my efforts into it. I need something to take my mind off tomorrow.
“You’re working quite hard today, Ms. York,” she says with a smile.
I am caught off guard. I didn’t actually know that she ever noticed how hard I worked or didn’t work. Suddenly, a pang of guilt and horror come over me. Shit. Maybe she also knows that I hadn’t been working that hard earlier!
“Thank you,” I mumble.
“It’s good. Everyone here has been swamped with work recently. I’m glad that you’re pulling your weight. Your efforts aren’t unnoticed.”
No, she is just being nice. Genuinely nice. It is so unusual that I don’t really know how to respond.
“What do you mean everyone? Why has there been so much more work recently?” I ask.
She stares at me, and her mouth falls open. “Oh, I’m sorry, I completely forgot. You’re quite new here.”
I nod.
“Well, I thought you knew, but I guess not. You’re just the assistant.”
That hurts my feelings, but I need to know what she is talking about.
“Wild International is in the middle of going public. Berkshire Brothers, the investment bank, is taking it public and if everything goes well then Mr. Wild is going to be a very, very rich man. Not to mention powerful as well.”
I’ve heard the phrase ‘going public’; it is something many companies do. But I’m not entirely sure what it means.
“You do know what going public means, right?”
“Yes, of course.” I nod confidently.
Thankfully, she explains anyway. “Wild International is currently a private company, but if the deal goes through then it will be available on the stock exchange. Anyone can buy shares in it. It’s a good way to go for some companies. Ours included.”
I nod.
“As you can imagine, Mr. Wild is under a lot of pressure as a result of all this.”
“Yes, it must be tough.”
And then she seems to have forgotten that I am here. “So I have no idea why the hell he’s got it in his head to go away this Friday. There’s so much to do. I just hope his personal life doesn’t interfere with this company’s future.”
I’m nodding along until I realize that she is talking about me. Me! I am his personal life. I am the person he is going away with this weekend. And I didn’t even know we were going away. I thought we were just going on a date.
“Oh, Christ. I’m sorry!” Ms. Greaves suddenly remembers whom she is talking to. “That’s none of your business. It’s not even any of my business. Forget that I said anything. Please. And go back to work.”
I go back to my desk. I am both excited and scared. I pick my phone and start texting. My hands are shaking, and I have a hard time spelling everything correctly. The damn autocorrect keeps correcting to words that I don’t mean to say.
* * *
Are we going away this weekend? I thought we were just going on a date.
* * *
I wait for his reply. I thought he would reply right away. But nothing comes. I don’t hear from him for the rest of the day. I don’t know what to do. Did I text something wrong? Did I do something wrong? I start drowning in doubts.
On Friday morning, I make an executive decision. I am taking back control of my life. I am no longer going to be a sad little teenage girl spending all her time checking her phone to see if her boyfriend called. He’s not even my boyfriend! He is my boss. My lying sack of shit boss!
Whatever takes place or does not take place tonight is out of my hands. I promised him that I would go on a date with him, and that is what I am going to do. Nothing more, nothing less. He doesn’t owe me texts, so I’m not going to expect any more texts from him.
No, I can’t control him, nor do I want to really. What I can control is my reaction. What I choose to do. And what I choose to do, starting with right now, is not sit around waiting.
In the precise moment I make this decision, my phone vibrates.
* * *
Just wanted to confirm our date tonight. Meet me on the roof at 5:30 pm.
* * *
I gasp. Before I get the chance to ask him about my previous messages, he texts again.
* * *
Sorry, I didn’t text yesterday. I dropped my phone in the bathtub, so I just got this one. To tell you the truth, it was kind of nice being disconnected for once. The only thing that sucked was not texting with you.
* * *
Goosebumps dance up my arms.
* * *
I gotta go. Big meeting. See you at 5:30. On the ROOF.
14
Three executives who have been waiting patiently in the lobby for close to half an hour stand up. The double doors with murky glass, which holds on to both light and secrets, open and Gatsby comes out.
His impeccable suit hugs his body in all the right places, showcasing his powerful thighs and broad shoulders. He is wearing a bright blue silk tie, which brings out his eyes. I watch him give each of the men a firm handshake and flash his beautiful smile. He invites them through the double doors and waits for them to go inside. Right before he disappears, Gatsby gives me a brief nod, and his platinum cufflinks catch the sunlight, blinding me.
I have never seen him emerge from his office and, as I sit there at my desk, staring at the computer screen, I wonder if I had imagined it.
“Ms. York, please put away the tea set,” Ms. Greaves says, walking past my desk. Her voice breaks through my trance, and I realize that I wasn’t dreaming.
The three men in expensive suits were all tall, poised, flirtatious and had one of those British accents that make all American girls panties melt away. Ms. Greaves always makes sure that all of Gatsby’s – er, Mr. Wild’s – visitors are comfortable and calls ahead to their assistants to find out what kind of drinks and snacks they prefer. These men were served the highest quality loose leaf Darjeeling tea she could find along with an assortment of miniature pastries.
They drank all the tea but left the pastries untouched. This is a common occurrence. At first, I thought it was rude, but then Ms. Greaves explained that the visitors often left the food untouched because they didn’t want to get their suits dirty or have crumbs on their hands. What’s more important is to have it out for them in case they do want something.
* * *
It’s five o’clock in the evening, so I make my way to the bathroom and look at myself in the mirror. In the morning, I didn’t know whether we were still going on our date, and now I have no idea why I am supposed
to meet him on the roof. But I still wish that I wore some sort of clothes that were more date appropriate. Not that the pencil skirt with a pale pink satin blouse and Maggie Mae’s stilettos aren’t sexy, this outfit just feels like work. It had Ms. Greaves all over it.
But I don’t really have a choice. I have no idea what is happening or what Gatsby has planned, so I have no way to dress for it properly. I wash out my mouth, reapply the lipstick, and touch up my eye makeup. I flip my head upside down and toss my hair, giving it some volume and life. I look back in the mirror. Not bad, not bad at all, I say to myself.
There’s only one elevator that goes all the way to the roof, so I decide to take the stairs instead. I have no idea why we have to go to the roof. My overactive imagination takes over, and a million different thoughts run through my head. What is there even to do up there? Does he really want to take me on a date on the roof? Maybe he has set up a table, and we are going to have dinner up there. Could be cool.
I push on the metal portion of the door and the exit sign above my head flashes. The unforgiving sunlight hits me like a ton of bricks, and for a moment, I go blind. My sunglasses are in my purse, so I block some of the sun with my hand. And then I see it.
A helicopter.
I stop in my tracks, staring at it. I have never been so close to a helicopter before. Is this the LAPD? Is there some sort emergency? Am I on the right roof?
“Hey, Annabelle,” I hear Gatsby’s muffled voice. He is standing right next to me, but I can barely hear him. The helicopter’s propeller is so loud that I can only make out his words by reading his luscious lips.
Gatsby takes my hand. He is wearing the same suit. Again, his cufflinks send the sun’s rays into my eyes. But this time, they are so close to me; I can make out the details. They are an elegant square design, studded with little diamonds.
“C’mon, let’s go,” he screams in my ear, but I barely hear a word. I just let him lead me up to the helicopter and help me inside.
* * *
The helicopter takes off, and the complicated and convoluted city of Los Angeles descends away from us. We fly higher and higher up, near the clouds it feels like we aren’t just above the traffic but also above all the other petty problems of everyday life.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see,” Gatsby says. His mouth forms into a mischievous little smile. I look around the inside of the helicopter. I don’t see a suitcase. So probably not far.
The helicopter lands at an airport that I’ve never been to before. It’s small and relatively empty. Gatsby helps me out of the helicopter. Continuing to hold my hand, he leads me across the runway.
“Where are we?” I ask.
“Burbank Airport.” I didn’t even know there was an airport in Burbank.
“It’s a private airport,” he explains.
Gatsby leads me up the stairs to a luxurious white plane. It’s unlike any other plane I have ever been on. It only has a handful of seats, and all are facing each other as if this isn’t a plane at all but a coffee shop. The space smells of lavender, and a tall, gorgeous woman only a few years older than I greets us at the door.
“Welcome, Mr. Wild. Ms. York.” she nods. “My name’s Stacey, please let me know if there’s anything you need.”
I sit down in a large recliner seat with a little table in the middle of the plane. Stacey closes the door of the plane as soon as we get on, and we start moving down the runway. There are no announcements or annoying safety precaution instructions.
We don’t even have to buckle in. We take off, and Stacey comes around with the menu. Gatsby orders a whiskey, and I order a Bloody Mary. Stacey comes back a few minutes later with a delightful Bloody Mary.
“This is amazing,” I say, taking a sip.
“Well, all the tomatoes are organic and local. I like supporting local farmers. They work really hard.”
I smile at him. Who is this man? I have underestimated him so much. Here I am thinking that he is just some self-obsessed millionaire playboy who doesn’t give a shit about how hard other people worked for their paltry salaries. But he is really surprising me. He gives big tips, he is generous, and he seems to really care.
For dinner, Gatsby orders Tuscan vegetarian soup and an assortment of sushi. I have an open-faced salmon sandwich with avocado.
After devouring my delicious food, I turn to Gatsby and ask the question that has been gnawing at me for some time now.
“Why are we taking a plane on our date?”
“Because it would take too long to drive.” He cracks a smile. He is a smart-ass, one of his most annoying yet endearing qualities.
“I know.” I roll my eyes. “But if I remember correctly, I said yes to a date, not a trip.”
“I am taking you on a date. It’s just that this place happens to be a little too far from LA, and this is the quickest way to get there. You can leave anytime you want, but I wouldn’t recommend it.”
He is toying with me, and he knows it.
“Oh yeah, and why is that?”
“Because I know you’ll love it.”
15
Now, I know he is wrong. But his confidence is disarming. “What makes you think so? You don’t know the first thing about me.”
“I may not know much about you, yet,” Gatsby says. His lips pause a bit on the word ‘yet’, as if they are massaging the word. “But I do know one thing. Maybe one of the most important things about you.”
I stare him down. I challenge him to tell me what it is that he thinks is the most important thing about me.
“You’re not just a regular girl, Annabelle. You’re quite special. Regular girls don’t go hiking for five days in the wilderness. Alone.”
I want to say maybe they do if something really bad has happened. If they really need to clear their heads. If it’s the only place in the world where they can be somewhere else. But I don’t.
“No matter what caused you to do that,” he says, as if he’s able to read my mind. “But ordinary girls don’t go into the wilderness unless they really love it there. Unless it gives them solace and hope and life. So what I know about you is that you love the wild.”
I give up my stare and look away. He’s right, of course. I do love nature. I love its beauty and its life. I love the animals, the trees, the bugs, and the earth.
And the thing that I love most about it is that it lacks people. People and their complications. There is no traffic, no cars, no waiting around. There is just you and the world how it is meant to be.
“Okay, yes, I like the wild,” I say.
“Well, that’s how I know that you don’t want to cut this date short. If you like the wild, you’ll love this place.”
I nod and give him the benefit of the doubt.
“Besides, this place isn’t just for you. It’s also for me. I like the wild too. And with everything that has been going on at the office, I needed some time away. Sometime somewhere else. In nature.”
“Because of the company going public?”
“Yes, the IPO process has been a big pain.”
I want to offer words of encouragement, but nothing comes to mind except, “I heard that it will make you a very rich man.”
This time, it’s he who rolls his eyes.
“I’m already a very rich man.” He shrugs. “To tell you the truth, I didn’t really want to get into all of this in the first place. It was my brothers’ idea. And it’s my father’s company, so I’m trying to keep the peace.”
I had no idea any of this was going on. But then again, I hardly know anything about him in the first place. Gatsby stops talking and looks away. I want to push him for more information, but I feel like he needs space.
We sit in silence for a while, the airplane cruising through the air barely making a ripple. There is a familiar sound coming from the surround sound. And then I realize that it is Adele’s song Rolling in the Deep without the words. Just the instrumental part. An instrumental version of My Immort
al takes over after that.
I cross my legs in the seat and close my eyes. This is the most comfortable place, and not just for an airplane. We might as well have been in a luxurious hotel room. The flight is so smooth that the water in my teacup barely moves.
“The air here is different somehow, right?” I ask. “It doesn’t feel like typical airplane air.”
Gatsby shrugs. I stick my tongue out and taste it. “Most of the air on planes is dry, sort of lacking in moisture. But here, it’s different. Humidified maybe.”
Lost in my thoughts, I look at Gatsby and am caught off guard by the strange look on his face. His eyebrows are furrowed, and his lips part in a small smile.
“What?” I ask.
“What are you doing to me?” he demands.
I blush. I’m honestly not flirting. I’m just tasting the air.
“Come here,” he says, tapping his hand on his leg. The sternness in his voice turns me on, and I obey.
“Am I supposed to be out of my seat like this? I don’t think the FAA would approve.”
“This is my plane, and if I say it’s okay, it’s okay.”
My knees grow weak, and I melt into his lap. I want him to pull my hair back and kiss me forcefully, but he just moves my hair off my shoulders and lightly kisses my neck. This small erotic gesture drives me wild, and I lean toward him and kiss him on the mouth. I bury my hands in his hair and tilt his head up to mine. His hands remain at his sides, but his lips kiss mine, and his large cock swells beneath me.
Auctioned to Him_The Contract Page 38
