Command, Possess and Claim: The Collection

by Opal Carew

  “You really think she thought you were alone?”

  He couldn’t help grinning at the thought that Melanie might have thought he’d been masturbating in front of the window. But Jessica had been making sounds, and Melanie would definitely have heard them.

  “No. But there’s no way she could tell it was you.”

  “What are you going to say to her about it?”

  He smiled. “Absolutely nothing. And she won’t ask.”

  * * *

  Jessica sat on the couch in Dane’s office while he walked outside to send Melanie on an errand. How he could face her only moments after her catching him having sex in his office, she didn’t know. But then Dane was used to being in control and no one questioning him. Especially his staff.

  A moment later, he reappeared.

  “The coast is clear,” he said.

  She stood up and smoothed her skirt, then walked to the door. She peered out to ensure no one, let alone Melanie, was outside the office, then she strode quickly to her office. Even before she sat down, her cell phone beeped. She pulled it from her pocket as she sat down and checked the display.

  I could really use a coffee. Want to join me in the lobby?—Melanie

  Jessica drew in a deep breath, then typed in her response.

  Sure. Be right down.—Jessica

  She collected her purse from the drawer and walked to the elevator. Melanie was waiting for her in the lobby. It was a warm day today, so they didn’t need their coats.

  She forced her mouth into a smile and waved as she walked toward her friend. “You decided to enjoy the sunshine?”

  Melanie just nodded. “I can use the fresh air. Starbucks okay?”

  “Sure.” She followed Melanie out the glass door and they strolled two blocks down to the Starbucks they often went to in the afternoon.

  Once they bought their coffees, they sat down at a table by the window. Jessica’s stomach clenched. She wasn’t sure what to say or, worse, what Melanie was going to say. Did Melanie know she was the woman in Dane’s office? Would she confront her about it?

  Melanie stared at her coffee cup, and the anxiety on her face made Jessica realize that Melanie was just as uncomfortable about this as she was.

  “Um … is something up?” Jessica asked, finally breaking the silence.

  Melanie glanced at her, then back to her cup, nodding.

  She waited, but the silence continued.

  “Do you want to tell me about it?”

  “Yes, but … no.”

  “No?” Jessica’s nerves frayed. Oh, damn, she must know.

  “I mean … I shouldn’t.”

  Shouldn’t?

  “Why not?”

  “It’s … about Mr. Ranier.”

  A wave of relief washed through her.

  “And someone else,” Melanie continued.

  She tensed. “Who?”

  Melanie shook her head. “I don’t know. All I know is, I walked into his office…” She clenched her hands into fists. “Oh, damn, I really shouldn’t tell you. He trusts me. But … you are his assistant. You should know what you might be walking into.”

  “Please, just tell me. I promise it won’t go any further.”

  Melanie nodded. “Okay.” She drew in a deep breath. “He had that meeting with Mr. Lane from Human Resources.” She glanced at Jessica as if for reassurance that she should continue.

  “Yes.”

  “Well, Mr. Lane left Mr. Rainer’s office after about fifteen minutes and said he needed to reschedule the meeting. He said that Mr. Ranier was feeling sick. After he left, I texted Mr. Ranier to see if he needed anything, but he didn’t answer.” She leaned forward. “He always responds, so I got worried. What if he was really sick? What if he’d passed out or something? I knew he was in there alone—at least, I thought he was—so I broke his most basic rule and walked into his office.” She stared at Jessica with haunted eyes. “I was just concerned about him.”

  “And he wasn’t in there alone after all?”

  “That’s right. He was with a woman and…” She leaned in closer and lowered her voice. “They were doing it.”

  Jessica bit her lower lip. “Oh, my God. Did you see who it was?”

  Melanie shook her head. “No, all I saw was a little of her backside, but I’m sure it’s someone who works at the company.”

  Relief surged through her.

  “You poor thing. That must have been really embarrassing.”

  “It was. That’s why I needed to get out of the office. I’m not even sure how to face him.” Her hands clenched into fists, her pink-polished nails digging into her flesh. “Oh, damn, I wish I hadn’t walked into his office. He’s going to be so angry about that.” She stared at Jessica. “Do you think he’ll fire me?”

  “Oh, no, Melanie. I’m sure he won’t. Don’t you think he’s just as embarrassed as you are?”

  She stared at Jessica in amazement. “Really? You’ve met the man. Do you actually think he’s even capable of embarrassment?” She shook her head, toying with the plastic lid on her coffee. “No, moments later he walked out calm as you please and sent me on an errand, no doubt so he could sneak the slut out of his office.”

  Jessica’s stomach clenched. “Is it really fair to call her a slut?”

  Melanie’s head jerked up and her eyes narrowed. Then they widened.

  “Oh, my God, it wasn’t you, was it?”

  Jessica’s gaze jerked away from her friend’s. Oh, damn. Why couldn’t she have kept her mouth shut?

  “Was it?” her friend prodded.

  No matter how much she wished otherwise, she couldn’t lie to Melanie. But she couldn’t say the words either. She just gazed at her friend with a guilty expression.

  “Oh, Jessica. That’s a really bad idea.”

  “I know. You already told me what you think of office liaisons.” She couldn’t bring herself to say office romances because that’s not what she and Dane had.

  “But Mr. Ranier? Oh, Jessica.”

  “Melanie, look, it’s not the same as with you and Rafe. I’m not in love with him. And I made it clear that I don’t want anything more than a physical relationship.”

  Melanie shook her head. “I can’t believe he would go along with this. Having sex with someone who works for him. It’s such a bad idea.”

  She wrapped her hands around her coffee cup. “Well, I didn’t work with him the first time we did it.”

  Melanie jerked her head to stare at Jessica with wide eyes. “What?”

  “You remember he gave me a ride when I came here for the job fair?”

  “Don’t tell me you had sex in his limo?”

  “No, we wound up having dinner together that night and we hit it off. That led to us going to my room together.” She shrugged. “I’d never had a one-night stand before, but I was really attracted to him.”

  “So it must have been a total shock when you found out he was your boss.”

  She remembered those heart-pounding, stomach-fluttering moments when she’d first walked into her new boss’ office only to see Dane sitting there.

  “The biggest shock of my life. I almost walked away.”

  “Your instincts were right on, but,”—Melanie bit her lip—“I’m glad you didn’t turn down the job.” She shook her head. “So this has been going on since you got here?”

  “No.” She really didn’t want Melanie to think that. “When I told him I couldn’t work for him … because, you see, I was worried he’d hired me because of the sex, you know?”—and she didn’t want Melanie to think that was true—“he said he really wanted me to work here and that we could keep a business-only relationship if that’s what I wanted.”

  The look of disappointment in Melanie’s eyes faded a little. “I hope you’re not worried that you don’t deserve this job, or that you were hired for the wrong reason. You are exceptionally qualified for this position, and you’re doing an excellent job.”

  “Thank you. That means a lot t
o me.”

  “Obviously the agreement between you fell apart.” A grin spread across Melanie’s face. “So he was that good that you barely lasted a couple of weeks?”

  “Well, he does excel at everything he does.”

  Melanie laughed. It started out as a chuckle, but quickly grew into full-blown laughter. “I can’t believe that was your butt I saw in there. And with Mr. Ranier! So awkward!”

  Jessica couldn’t help laughing herself. “Well if anyone was going to walk in on us and see my butt, I’m glad it was you. And you don’t have to worry about Dane … I mean Mr. Ranier … talking to you about coming into his office. When I asked him about it, he said he wasn’t going to say anything.”

  Melanie smiled. “Well, I guess there are some advantages to being a friend of the boss’ girlfriend.”

  “No, not his girlfriend. I don’t want a romantic relationship. It’s just a physical thing between us.” It made her uncomfortable admitting that out loud to someone.

  “Well, you’re a grown woman and you can make your own decisions. I just hope you know what you’re doing.”

  Jessica smiled sadly at her new friend. “I hope so too.”

  * * *

  Jessica glanced at Melanie’s empty desk as she walked toward Dane’s open door. She must be off on an errand. She slipped into Dane’s office, carrying a stack of folders. Dane was at a late lunch, and she wanted to ensure that he had all the information he needed to review for this afternoon.

  She set the folders on his desk, and then turned to the wooden filing cabinet behind it. She was sure she’d seen some useful background material on the electric car battery design in there last week. She crouched down to open the bottom drawer and started scanning through it.

  “Hello, excuse me, miss.”

  Her heart stopped cold at the familiar male voice. She glanced around and almost toppled over at the sight of Storm standing in the doorway, big as life. But instead of wearing faded jeans and a T-shirt, he wore a tailored suit, and his normally spiky hairstyle was combed down smooth.

  Her heart thundered in her chest as she stood up. “What are you doing here?”

  Oh, God, how had he found out where she worked?

  “Jess?” He strode across the large office and before she could react, he’d pulled her into his arms. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

  She knew she should pull away, but the feel of his strong, familiar arms around her numbed her wits. It felt so good.

  His lips found hers and she melted against him.

  She couldn’t believe she was in Storm’s arms again. She’d missed him so much.

  Longed for him.

  Been so lonely without him.

  But, damn it, the bastard had walked out on her without a word of remorse.

  She pressed her hands against his chest and pushed until he eased away. He gazed down at her, his sky blue eyes glittering with happiness.

  “Why are you here?” she demanded.

  “I was hoping to find you. I can’t believe my luck finding you so quickly. What are you doing here?”

  “I work for Ranier Industries. I’m Mr. Ranier’s personal assistant.”

  He smiled. “You’re kidding.” Then his smile faded. “But you don’t know…”

  His words trailed off.

  “Know what?”

  He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter right now. All that matters is that I found you.” He captured her lips again and her heart stammered as a turmoil of emotions swirled through her.

  She wanted to be happy he was here, to believe that they could rebuild what they’d lost … but she couldn’t. He’d caused her too much pain. How could she trust him again?

  And what about her relationship with Dane? She didn’t want it to end for something that might fizzle out the first time Storm decided he didn’t want to be tied down again.

  She pushed on his chest. He released her lips, but his arms stayed firm around her.

  “Let me go,” she said with gritted teeth.

  “I suggest you do what the lady requests.”

  Her gaze shot to the doorway where Dane stood, his arms crossed. She blanched. Just what she needed. Her boss—and lover—catching her in his office in a clinch with her old flame.

  Storm’s arms loosened around her and he turned around.

  “Hello, Dane.”

  Dane’s gaze jerked to Storm’s face and his eyes widened in surprise.

  “Rafe?”

  A numbness crawled through Jessica as she heard the name Dane called Storm, but she couldn’t quite conceive of what it meant. She glanced from one man to the other.

  The embarrassment and concern at having been caught in Storm’s arms was replaced by shock as a shiver raced down her spine.

  It couldn’t be.

  She’d been mistaken when she’d thought Dane was Storm the first time she’d seen him. But now seeing them side-by-side … She sucked in a breath. Their features were indeed similar, especially with Storm dressed as he was in an expensive suit with his dark hair combed back.

  Astonishment coiled through her. “Oh, my God,” she murmured.

  With eyes wide in astonishment, she turned to Storm.

  “You’re Rafe Ranier!”

  True Lies

  As Jessica fled the office, the elevator doors opened. She raced toward them, her heart pounding, trying not to look at Melanie as Melanie exited the elevator.

  “Jessica?”

  But she just continued into the small space and jabbed the Close button, hoping to escape Melanie and her inevitable questions, but Melanie turned and slipped back onto the elevator before the doors closed.

  Jessica swiped an errant tear from her eye, hoping her friend didn’t notice. Was it a tear of anger? Pain? Or just a result of her heightened emotions after getting such a shock?

  “Jessica, what’s wrong?”

  Her tight throat and clenched jaw ached. She shook her head, wishing Melanie hadn’t decided to follow her.

  “Did something happen between you and Mr. Ranier?”

  Mr. Ranier. Mr. Rafe Ranier.

  “You could say that.”

  “Oh, Jessica, I was worried this would happen.”

  Jessica’s head jerked toward Melanie. “You did?” But how could Melanie have known about …

  “Having an affair with your boss is bound to cause complications,” Melanie continued.

  Jessica met her friend’s concerned gaze. Of course she’d naturally think it had something to do with Dane and their sexual relationship.

  “This isn’t about Dane and me.”

  Confusion washed across Melanie’s face. “But you said—”

  She shook her head. “This is about Storm.”

  “The guy who broke your heart?”

  Jessica nodded. “He’s here.”

  “In Philadelphia?”

  “Here in the building. He walked in while I was in Dane’s office organizing the folders he’ll need this afternoon.”

  Melanie frowned. “But why would your ex-boyfriend walk into Mr. Ranier’s office? How did he know you were here?”

  “That’s the thing. He didn’t. You see—”

  She stopped cold. As she’d been gazing into Melanie’s wide green eyes, she suddenly remembered that Melanie had told Jessica that she was in love with her old boss, and …

  Oh, God, how could she tell Melanie that Rafe, the man she loved, was in love with Jessica?

  Luckily, she was saved by the bell as the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened.

  “Melanie, I’m going home. I’ll take a sick day, or a day without pay. I don’t care. I just have to get out of here.”

  At that, she fled the elevator, leaving a confused Melanie behind.

  * * *

  Dane crossed his arms and stared at his brother. He was thrilled to have him back and had all kinds of questions storming through his brain, but that was tempered by one overriding issue.

  “How do I justify not sluggi
ng you for manhandling my assistant?”

  “I wasn’t manhandling her.”

  “I come in here and find her in your arms and then she runs out of here, clearly upset.”

  It wasn’t like Rafe to treat a woman with disrespect, and definitely not to hit on one of their employees, let alone aggressively try to seduce her. But his brother had been gone for almost a year. Dane had no idea how he might have changed.

  “Jess and I know each other. Over the past year, I spent eight months in a town called Bakersfield. I met her there and we dated.”

  Understanding smacked Dane in the face.

  “You were the guitarist with the leather jacket and the motorcycle?”

  Rafe’s eyebrows arched. “She told you about me?”

  Dane tipped his head. “Yeah, well, you did break her heart.”

  Damn it. His brother was in love with the woman Dane was having a rampant affair with. And she used to be in love with him. And maybe she still was.

  But Rafe had walked away, hurting her deeply.

  Just like he’d done to Dane.

  Rafe dropped into a chair. “I know. It was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.”

  “That’s saying a lot, given you walked away from this kind of success to be a rock musician.”

  “Damn it, Dane. You sound just like Dad.”

  Dane sighed. “Right. Sorry.”

  What the hell was he doing? Rafe had come back, giving Dane the chance to mend their relationship and move forward. He had to keep a tight rein on his words.

  “Mr. Ranier?” Melanie walked into the office and Dane realized Jessica had left the door open when she’d fled. “I wanted to tell you—”

  Her eyes widened as her gaze shot to Rafe.

  “Mr. Ranier, you’re back.”

  Rafe smiled, revealing the straight, white teeth their father had paid thousands in orthodontia to ensure. “Melanie, you used to call me Rafe.”

  Although the employees all called Dane Mr. Ranier, since he liked to keep a level of discipline in the office, Rafe had the staff that worked closest with him call him by his first name. It did make things simpler when they were in a meeting with Melanie, so she wasn’t calling them both Mr. Ranier.

  She nodded. “Rafe,” she said quietly.

  The softness in her eyes when she gazed at Rafe hit Dane in the gut. How could the man look at her and not realize she had feelings for him? Sometimes his brother could be an idiot.