She nodded. “I’ll get started on it right away.”
He sat back in his chair. The silence stretched between them, and she wasn’t sure if he was waiting for her to say something else.
“What time are you supposed to come into work, Addison?” he asked finally.
“Eight o’clock.”
“And what time did you get in today?”
Panic surged inside of her. “A few minutes after eight.”
“I called you at a few minutes after eight, and you weren’t at your desk.”
“It might have been ten or so minutes after. I had a rough morning,” she said.
She grabbed at one corner of the folder and twisted it nervously.
“Why? What happened?”
“I’d rather not get into it,” she said. “It’s personal.”
He nodded. “I understand that things come up. But now that the website is in trouble, things are going to be tightening up around here. Everyone is going to be expected to be here on time, and work a full eight hour day. Do you understand that, Addison?”
She nodded.
“Good.” He smiled at her, then sighed. “Unfortunately, there are consequences for when people don’t follow the rules.”
She frowned. “What kind of consequences?” Her heart was pounding so fast in her chest she was certain that Nathan could hear it.
“Consequences for bad behavior.”
The way he was looking at her, like he was waiting to pounce, was making her feel hot all over.
“I assure you it won’t happen again,” she tried.
“I believe you. But we have to do something about this morning, now don’t we?”
“I don’t – ”
“Come here, Addison,” he said gruffly.
She swallowed. “What?”
“Come here.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know what you – ”
“Come over here, behind my desk with me.”
A sliver of fear slid up her spine. There was obviously something off about what he was asking her to do, and her logical side told her to run out of the room. But the other side of her was so suddenly and inexplicably turned on she could hardly take it.
The way he was talking to her – his voice so commanding, his gaze so penetrating – had caused her pulse to quicken, her stomach to fill with butterflies, and her skin to break out in goose bumps.
“Nathan,” she said. “I don’t --- I mean, I don’t think we should be … ” She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t want to be presumptuous. What if he just wanted to show her something on the computer?
“Addison,” he said again. This time his tone was even firmer, and tinged with a tiny current of anger. “Come here.”
She hesitated for a second more, then finally got up and walked over to him.
He turned his chair around so that he was facing her. His eyes slid up her body, taking in her legs, her hips, her breasts. “I think you wore that skirt for me,” he said, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
She shook her head. She hadn’t worn it for him. Had she? She’d wanted to look sexier, yes, but that was because she wanted to seem like she would be good at her new job. And he’s your boss, a voice whispered, so of course you wanted to impress him.
“You didn’t?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
The mood in the office had completely changed. A moment ago, it had been mostly professional, with just a current of sexual tension simmering below the surface.
Now that tension had taken over, permeating everything, from the way he was looking at her to the huskiness of his voice.
“Unbutton your shirt, Addison,” Nathan said. She was so shocked, that for a moment, she thought he must be joking. But there was no hint of humor in his voice. In fact, he sounded almost angry.
“What? I don’t – ”
“Unbutton. Your. Shirt.”
Her mind screamed at her to stop, screamed that this was wrong and that her boss shouldn’t be talking to her like this. But his eyes were on hers, and she suddenly wanted to so badly to please him that before she even knew what she was doing, she’d begun to unbutton her blouse.
Her fingers trembled. It took what seemed like forever for her to finish slipping the buttons through the holes. When she was finished, she stood there, her shirt completely open. She’d worn a black lace bra this morning, one of the few pieces of nice lingerie that she had.
“Very sexy,” Nathan said. He reached out and flicked her shirt to the side, then ran his index finger slowly along the top of her bra.
Her face flamed.
He sat back in his chair, his dark blue eyes taking her in. “Pull down the cups of your bra so that I can see your breasts.”
This time there was no hesitation. She felt as if she were under his spell. The cups of her bra came down, her breasts popping out over the top. Her nipples instantly hardened under his gaze.
“Do you see that chair over there?” Nathan pointed to an office chair that was sitting in the corner.
Addison nodded.
“Bring it over here.”
She wheeled it over.
“Good girl.” He nodded as if she’d passed some kind of test. “Now I want you to pull your panties down.”
This time, she hesitated. Something that felt like a warning crept up her spine, causing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up. Even so, she reached up under her skirt and pulled down her panties. When they reached her ankles, she stepped out of them and stood there, waiting for her next direction.
“Sit in the chair, Addison.”
She sat. She was completely wet between her legs now, and terrified he was going to notice. Some instinct told her that if he knew how horny this was making her, he would prolong the agony.
“Do you understand that there are consequences to your actions, Addison?”
She nodded.
“And do you understand that since you were late today, you will need to be appropriately punished?”
She nodded.
“Sit down and put your legs up on the arms of the chair.”
It took a moment for the words to sink in. And then she realized what Nathan meant. He wanted her to hook a leg around each chair arm, so that her legs would be spread and she would be completely exposed to him. And, consequently, to anyone else who happened to come into his office.
“Mr. Sweet, I don’t think …”
“You don’t think what?” His gaze was cool, almost amused. He was sitting behind that big desk, watching her, his hands folded in front of him.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Yes, well, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be late to work when I’m paying you to be here at eight o’clock. All of my other employees somehow figured out a way to be here on time.”
Anger flared inside of her. She couldn’t possibly be the only person who had been late this morning. He was taking advantage of her. He obviously thought he could do whatever he wanted to her because… because why? Because he thought she was young and stupid and would do anything to keep her job? And because she’d played right into it by unbuttoning her shirt and showing him her breasts. Her whole body flushed with embarrassment.
“No,” Addison said, shaking her head. Her voice was trembling. “No. I’m not doing it.”
“Very well.” He shook his head, sighing. “Then I’ll have to go through the proper channels.”
“What proper channels?”
“HR, whatever.” Nathan turned back to his papers, swiveling his chair away from her. “You’ll be written up of course, but it shouldn’t be a big deal unless you’re late again.”
He waved his hand, dismissing her.
His nonchalance cut like a knife to her heart. She was standing here, her breasts out, her panties off. Shame burned through her, and her anger intensified. He thought he could just use her like this, just demand things he wanted and then dismiss her. She hated him. She hated him so much she c
ould hardly speak.
She reached down, picked up her panties and stepped back into them. She pulled her bra down, covering herself.
Nathan’s attention was back on his computer.
She allowed herself one last look at him while she buttoned her shirt. And then she walked out of his office.
Chapter Three
The afternoon was torture. Addison tried to work on her article, but after what had happened, there was no way she could concentrate. She just sat there at her desk, watching the minutes tick by and waiting to be called down to HR and fired. By the time five o’clock rolled around, she’d never been more grateful to see the end of a work day.
Even dealing with Mr. Gold and his demands for the rent money would be better than this.
“Hey,” Tia said, appearing at her desk. She was wearing a pair of tight, dark-wash skinny jeans and a hot pink peasant top that dipped down over one shoulder.
Technically she wasn’t supposed to be wearing something so casual to the office, but Tia got away with it since she wrote the fashion column. If anyone ever questioned her outfits, she just said she was ‘researching new trends.’ “We’re all going to go hit up this new bar in Soho,” she said now. “You wanna come?”
“Who’s we all?” Addison asked.
Tia shrugged. “Me.”
Addison laughed. She thought about it. She didn’t necessarily want to go – she loved Tia, but the last time they’d gone out together, Tia had gotten completely drunk and started yelling and screaming at the tourists on Fifth Avenue, telling them to take their rich snobby asses home. Addison had ended up having to take her home and put her to bed.
On the other hand, it would be nice to have a distraction from what had happened in Nathan Sweet’s office today. Not to mention being out for the night would keep her away from Mr. Gold.
“Okay,” Addison said, shouldering her purse. “Sounds like a plan.”
***
Tia’s boyfriend had just gotten a bartending job at Circle, a new restaurant that had just opened up in Soho. Normally, there would be no way the two girls could afford such a swanky place, but according to Tia, her boyfriend would take care of everything.
“He can get us in, get us drinks, food, whatever,” Tia promised as they walked out of the office and Tia hit the button for the elevator.
“Sounds good.” Addison wasn’t usually into things like nice restaurants or fancy meals – she didn’t really get the point. The food at those places was always overpriced and not nearly as good as you’d think. They’d bring you these tiny plates filled with things you’d never even heard of, like duck’s eggs or foie gras pancakes.
“You okay?” Tia asked as the elevator descended. “You seem a little out of it.”
“No, I’m fine,” Addison said. She forced herself to paste a smile on her face.
As promised, when they got to the restaurant, they were immediately shown to a booth in the back.
“Order whatever you want,” Tia said, like it didn’t matter. “Mario’s going to take care of it.”
She waved to the bartender, a muscled guy with a shock of curly dark hair. He waved back and gave them both a big grin.
“I’m getting prime rib,” Tia declared, snapping the menu shut.
“That sounds good,” Addison said.
The girls ordered wine and chatted about work. Halfway through their first glass, Tia leaned in close and gave Addison a wicked smile.
“So,” she said, “how did your meeting go with the new boss?”
Addison almost choked on her wine. “It was fine,” she said. So fine that you unbuttoned your shirt and took your panties off.
“Did you know he’s only thirty?” Tia cocked her head, thinking about it.
“Something about being thirty is hot. It’s, like, old enough to be older, but not so old that you’re like ewww. You know?”
“Yeah.” Addison’s cheeks suddenly felt flushed, and she wasn’t sure if it was because of the wine or all this talk about Nathan Sweet.
“Well, well, well,” Tia said, a delighted look on her face. “Speak of the devil.”
Addison turned to follow her gaze. Walking through the door of Circle was Nathan Sweet. He was wearing the same suit he’d had on earlier, a perfectly tailored charcoal gray that set off his blue eyes. He was flanked on either side by two men who looked as ridiculously put together as he did.
The girls watched as Nathan slid smoothly up to the maitre d’, and was shown directly to a table in the V.I.P. section.
Tia shook her head. “Wow,” she said. “Can you imagine? They probably didn’t even have a reservation.”
“Probably not,” Addison agreed. She took a sip of water. Her heart was beating fast. Shame and humiliation overcame her as she thought of what she’d done in Mr.
Sweet’s office today. At least he hadn’t gotten her to do everything he wanted. But still.
It was little consolation.
When the food came, Addison forced herself to pick at her steak. She was distracted by the fact that Nathan was in the restaurant. His proximity was making her nervous. She wondered what it would be like to go on a date with him, if he was the type to hold open doors and order for you. Probably.
“You’re hardly eating,” Tia accused.
“Yes, I am!” Addison forced herself to take another bite. The steak was cooked to a perfect medium and seasoned just the right amount. The meat melted in her mouth, but she couldn’t enjoy it. Her whole body felt like it was wired with electricity.
“So what are you working on?” Tia asked.
“What do you mean?”
“For the website.” Tia speared her last piece of steak and popped it into her mouth. “Did he liked your undressing idea?”
“We decided on something else.”
“What?”
“The top ten sex positions you’ve never heard of.”
Tia laughed. “Right.”
“We did!”
“You’re going to be writing about sex positions?” She laughed even harder.
“That’s hilarious!”
Addison tried not to be offended.
“What’s hilarious?” a male voice asked behind them. For a moment, Addison’s heart sped up. Nathan.
But it wasn’t Nathan. It was Tia’s boyfriend, Mario.
“Addison’s going to be writing about sex positions,” Tia said.
Addison rolled her eyes. “You could at least introduce me first, Tia. Now I’m going to be known as the sex girl.”
“Nothing wrong with that,” Mario said, grinning. He pulled up a chair and sat down at their table. “What are you guys drinking?” He looked at the glasses of wine and shook his head. “We can do better than that.”
A few minutes later, a waiter brought over a bottle of champagne. His name was Tyler, he was a friend of Mario’s, and he was about to finish his shift for the night.
“We should all hang out later,” he said, smiling at Addison.
She looked back at him. He was cute, she decided. Probably around twenty-five, with blonde hair and green eyes. He had a nice, easy smile and broad shoulders. But she was exhausted and stressed from the day, and the glass of wine she’d had was already starting to make her feel sleepy.
She started to shake her head and tell him that she really needed to get home when she happened to glance toward the bar. Moving through the crowd was Nathan Sweet.
He was alone this time, with no sign of the friends he’d come in with.
He leaned against the bar with one arm, in a casual gesture that was so sexy Addison’s breath caught in her chest. And then, their eyes locked across the room. The moment felt like it lasted forever, but in reality, was probably only a couple of seconds.
Before she could figure out what to do or how to feel, Nathan looked away. Like he had no idea who she was. Like he hadn’t been with her in his office earlier, demanding that she take her clothes off.
Shame and hurt burned through her body.
<
br /> And before she knew what she was doing, she was turning back to Tyler. “I’d love to hang out later,” she said, returning his smile.
***
An hour and two glasses of champagne later, Addison was feeling loose and free.
Tyler had been telling her about the band he was in, and Addison scooted her chair closer so she could hear him better over the din of the crowded restaurant.
“Our sound is kind of like the Beatles,” he was saying. Addison didn’t know much about music, but she thought that was kind of arrogant. How could you sound like the Beatles? The Beatles were one of a kind. It was like saying the book you were writing was like Harry Potter.
“That sounds great,” she lied.
“You should come hear us play sometime. Shouldn’t she, Mario?”
Mario was on the other side of the table, with Tia in his lap. “Shouldn’t she what?” he asked.
“Come and hear us play.”
“You’re in the band, too?” Addison asked Mario.
“Yeah, if you call being in a band sitting around and smoking pot while you pretend to write songs,” Tia said. Her arms were wrapped around Mario’s neck, and she leaned into him, closing her eyes.
“That’s not true,” Mario protested. “We practice. We’re good.”
“You should come hear us play sometime,” Tyler said again. He’d moved his chair even closer to Addison’s, and now his leg was pushed up against hers.
“Yeah,” she said noncommittally. The initial buzz from the champagne was beginning to wear off, and now she was starting feel cranky. She was getting anxious again, thinking about what was going to happen at work tomorrow. Would she get called to Mr. Sweet’s office? Would he ignore her? Would she get fired for rebuffing him?
She knew trying to fire her would be illegal. But what could she really do? Get a lawyer? She didn’t have money for a lawyer. And besides, what would she say? “Mr.
Sweet asked me to unbutton my shirt and take off my panties, so I did. And then when I refused to sit spread-eagle in his chair he fired me.”
It almost made her laugh out loud. Besides, he hadn’t coerced her into doing anything. She’d wanted to do it. In fact, she was shocked to realize, if she had the chance to go back, she would have spread her legs over the chair, would have stayed there all afternoon if he’d wanted her to.
Sweet Jealousy (EPISODE 1) Page 2
