*****
Lauret reluctantly followed Jacob through the marbled foyer and up the stairs. They walked through the first-floor corridor in silence. She always tried to keep her distance, even though it seemed like he was purposefully walking slowly to keep pace with her. They stopped in front of a closed door. Jacob pushed it open and held it in place for Lauret to enter. The room was strikingly gorgeous, more luxurious than any room she had ever stayed in before.
Thick lace curtains on the windows, a wooly bottle-green carpet on the floor and a large king-sized bed with a mattress that looked more inviting to Lauret than any bed had before. Or perhaps, she was just very tired. Her bags had been placed on the ottoman at the end of the bed and Lauret turned around to face him. He was standing at the door, leaning against the frame, smiling at her.
“Do you like your room?” He asked in a gruff, low voice. She tried to smile back at him, even though she could feel his physical presence. Though the room was large and he hadn’t really entered it, she felt claustrophobic and stuffy in it, because he was so close-by.
“I like it a lot. Thank you.” She said and looked away from his stare, embarrassed.
“This room hasn’t been lived in much. It’s always been reserved for my PA, but none of them have stayed long enough to actually make use of it.” Jacob said. He had slowly walked into the room and was now examining the long oval mirror on the side of the closets. He wasn’t looking at himself in the mirror, but was looking at Lauret through the reflection. His hands were dug deep into his pockets, his dark curls were fashionably brushed back and he still smelt great. Lauret had no trouble imagining why Esmerelda was in love with him, and had been for so long.
She didn’t know how to answer the question, or respond to the statement that he had just made. So she simply stood quietly, trying to boldly look back at him through the mirror’s reflection.
“I hope you’re able to cope. I like you Lauret, I have a feeling we’ll work well together.” He said, while his eyes bore into her being. His words, however, jerked her back to reality and reminded her of what the real purpose of being here was. She nodded her head vigorously.
“I’m going to try my best Mr. Goodwin. I want to stay and learn from you.” She said, in a quiet voice. He suddenly whipped around to face her directly and took a few steps towards her.
“I assume you know how gorgeous you are.” He said in the same quiet voice. He was standing very close to her now and was looking at her fiercely. Lauret could feel her cheeks burning, her palms growing sweaty. She wanted to throw her arms around his neck, nibble his ear and whisper to him just what she thought of him. That is how bold and brazen she would have been only a few months ago. She would have gotten what she wanted. But where had that led her to? Only to men taking advantage of the situation and leaving her heartbroken and alone. Jacob Goodwin was the poster-child of those kind of men. He would lose no opportunity to do exactly that.
“Thank you for the compliment Mr. Goodwin.” She said, trying her best to maintain a steady voice, even though she could feel her throat quivering. He let out a sudden short laugh and ran his hands through his hair.
“It seems like Martin is playing some sort of practical joke on me by hiring you as my PA. To test my patience and see how long I can go without being distracted by you.” He said, while still looking at her. Lauret straightened her neck and tightened her lips. It was a struggle to maintain her composure, but she wasn’t going to lose the opportunity to enhance her career. She wasn’t prepared to climb the ladder this way.
“I’ve come here as your personal assistant Mr. Goodwin. I’d appreciate it if you treated me that way.” She said and hoped that she sounded convincing. Jacob took a few more steps towards her, but Lauret kept her ground, she didn’t back away. They were mere inches apart now and were both staring directly into each other's eyes. She wasn’t sure how much longer she would be able to maintain her poise.
“You’re a feisty one aren’t you. I’m in your room, complimenting you on your body, and you’re standing there reminding me of professional etiquette. You have no idea how badly I want to just throw you on that bed there and…” His voice trailed off into thought. Lauret could barely keep her head up, let alone continue looking at him directly. The whole time that she was in his house, ever since she first saw him by the pool, all she had thought about was how good he would look in bed, how much she wanted to touch his bare chest and how badly she wanted his lips on hers. Now that he was expressing those very thoughts, she wanted him to stop saying it, to stop making it difficult for her to control her urges. She wanted those exact same things, but he was her Boss.
“I want to be good at my job Mr. Goodwin. I can’t do that if I’m such a distraction for you.” She said after a few seconds after she had managed to partially calm down her racing heart. He mumbled something under his breath and quickly turned away from her. He hurried towards the door, leaving her standing in the middle of the room as before. Just before he left, he turned to look at her again.
“Make sure you’re prepared for the quiz by day after morning.” He said in a curt, almost angry voice and shut the door behind him with a bang. Lauret let out a huge sigh, like she had been holding her breath for this long. She had not anticipated this job being so difficult, for all the wrong reasons.
Lauret slept comfortably in her bedroom that night, even though she didn’t sleep well because of all the racing thoughts in her head. The next day she was ready by eight and back in Jacob’s study by nine after a quick breakfast in the kitchen with Martin. She had instructed Martin to bring in her lunch and later her dinner, while she spent the whole day in that room, surrounded again by all of Jacob Goodwin’s client files. Martin had informed her that Jacob himself was going to spend the whole day meeting with clients and potential clients so she could have the office all to herself.
By seven in the evening, when Martin came in to check on her again, Lauret was sitting on one of the leather armchairs, with a stack of files on her lap.
“How’s it coming along?” Martin asked her, she was startled a little by his voice.
“Not too badly. I’m nearly done studying all the client files. Hopefully, I’ll be ready to leave the room in another hour or so.” She tried to smile at him, but she didn’t really have the energy.
“You’ve been doing very well. I haven’t met another PA as dedicated to learning the client files as you. Some of them left on the very first day, after going through just a dozen of these files. Mr. Goodwin is very strict on maintaining detailed records of his clients. He believes that is the best way to provide quality service. To know his clients inside out.” Martin pulled up a chair close to Lauret and sat down.
“Isn’t all the information entered into a computer filing system anyway? I’m not complaining but I was wondering what the point is, to all of this.” She let out a sigh as she said it, and Martin laughed a little.
“Of course, there’s a computer system for all this information. This is just a test of endurance, my dear Lauret. Mr. Goodwin wants to see how hard you’re willing to work, how late you’re willing to stay up to ensure victory and how well you’re able to retain information. He wants to set the tone for the job from the very first day, give you a taste of what is to come. If you’re not built for these first few days, then he can’t trust you to remain a faithful and reliable PA to him for the difficult months to come.” Martin spoke in a neutral tone, although Lauret could see that he respected Jacob Goodwin. Martin seemed to be in as much awe of him, as everyone else was of him, including herself.
*****
The next morning, Lauret got up early, stepped in the ensuite shower and was ready and styling her hair into a tight bun by nine. Martin had informed her that Jacob would be waiting to meet with her by nine thirty and she wanted to be prepared well ahead of time. She tugged at her straight blonde strands till she was able to hold them and tighten them into place and dig in the pins that would keep her hair firm and inta
ct for the day. For the meeting she had chosen the black formal pencil skirt she had carried for the job. Her personal wardrobe wasn’t ready yet and she wondered if Martin had been instructed by Jacob to hold on to that till the success of their meeting this morning was determined.
A navy-blue silk blouse was tucked in at the waist and she slipped into her pair of black low-heeled pumps. A quick coat of nude lipstick was the only makeup she put on, and dabbed a few drops of a floral perfume on to her wrists and behind her ears.
At a quarter past nine Lauret shut the bedroom door gently behind her and climbed down the stairs towards Jacob’s study. She wasn’t sure what to expect, although she tried to be as confident as she could about her research.
Outside his office door, she waited quietly, staring up at the wall clock to make sure that she didn’t knock on his door too early or late. Just as the clock struck nine-thirty, she knocked softly on his door.
“Come in.” His voice boomed out and Lauret nervously turned the doorknob and gave the door a gentle push.
Jacob was sitting behind his desk, on the chair that Lauret had carefully avoided during all the time that she spent in the room by herself.
“Good morning Mr. Goodwin.” She said and closed the door behind her. She hadn’t walked towards him yet, and she could feel his eyes on her.
“Good morning Lauret. Have a seat please.” He said gruffly and steepled his fingers, his elbows on the desk. She walked over to the armchair facing him on the other side of the desk and slowly sat down. She had never felt this nervous before, not for any exam or an interview. The way he looked also threw her off. He was dressed as formally as always. Even though he was sitting at his own desk, in his home office at nine-thirty in the morning; he was wearing an ivory-white formal shirt and a plum red tie. His dark curls were as usual brushed back neatly away from his face. His sparkling blue eyes were alert and keenly focused on her and she could smell his fresh morning-shower scent. He had never been more attractive, and she had never been more floored by an older man.
“So are you ready?” He asked casually. Like the conversation from the previous night in her bedroom had never even taken place. Lauret smiled widely and nodded her head.
“Yes, I am.” She said, trying to sound confident.
“What can you tell me about Mr. Carver?” He asked, without losing a heartbeat, giving her no time to breathe easy or relax. The speed of his question threw her a little and Lauret was aware of looking startled. She froze for a few seconds, and what made it worse was the slight grin on Jacob’s face. He appeared to have expected it, expected her to fall short and not be prepared enough.
“I know you acquired him as a client in 2013, December 2013. When he wanted you to help him sell his property in Palm Beach.” Lauret said quietly. Although this was not the way she wanted to answer his questions, she had wanted to be more precise and full of information, but she was at least glad that she remembered who Mr. Carver was.
“And why is he still my client?” Jacob asked, displaying no signs of being pleased with Lauret’s answer.
“Because you’re now looking for a new property for him. In Hawaii.” She said, relaxing her shoulders a bit.
“Are we bidding on anything for him yet?” He asked her, again without giving her a moment to relax.
“No. He is currently in the middle of a messy divorce and he’s put a hold on acquiring new property till the end of the divorce case.” Lauret had grown a little calm by now. She was sure she knew all the answers to his questions now and it made her more confident.
“What is Mr. Carver’s first name?” He asked suddenly and she could see the smile lingering on his face again. With every correct answer that Lauret gave him, he charged her with a different question. But now that he believed he had stumped her, he was finally glad. The question did baffle her, she couldn’t remember his first name. She had tried to learn the client information alphabetically, by their last names, and in the process hadn’t paid much attention to the first names.
A few minutes went by in silence and Jacob sat back in his chair, his eyes still narrowed down on her. Lauret was growing desperate, she didn’t want to fail on such a minor question, not when she knew everything there was to know about Mr. Carver otherwise.
“Are you giving up?” He asked her with a short laugh. Lauret threw him a nervous look and shook her head.
“No. I just need some more time. I know his first name, of course, it’s escaped me this moment but I’ll remember it.” She said, her fingers nervously intertwining each other on her lap.
“We won’t have time for you to think in meetings and important client acquisitions when I need you to supply me with quick information.” He said and suddenly stood up from behind the desk.
Lauret stood up as well and bit down on her lip. She wasn’t sure what was happening, was he going to fire her?
“Please Mr. Goodwin, I apologize. I thought I was well prepared. If you give me another hour, I’ll brush up on everything and return for another shot at this.” Lauret could hear herself begging, she was aware of how pathetic she must sound to him, but she couldn’t help it. She wanted to keep this job so badly, and also, she couldn’t bear to think that she would have to leave the job and never see him again.
His laugh shocked her. She clamped down her mouth, surprised at his cruel reaction.
“Please relax Lauret. You have passed the test. I just wanted to let you know that you have to do an even better job next time. But for now, you’ve prepared well enough.” He said and held out his hand towards her. She was still in a daze by all the things that had just happened and she gingerly reached out for his hand. His handshake was firm and strong and the sudden touch of his warm skin, the way her small hand looked in his large tanned ones; the whole moment made her belly flip and she could feel her knees going weak. No man had had such a strong physical effect on her, just with one touch. She knew that it was probably a bad idea to continue with this job, especially when he seemed to be wanting the same thing as well, or did. But now it was too late, she had passed the test and he was shaking her hand.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity Mr. Goodwin. I will try my best to not disappoint you.” She said. He smiled, let her hand go and walked around his desk and close to her. Again, his body was a mere inch away from hers, and again she had to struggle with herself to not move away from him.
“I hope you know what this job means Lauret. This is a twenty-four-seven job for you. Wherever I go, you go. We will be spending a lot of time together and sharing each others’ space. Do you think you’re ready for this?” He asked her. Lauret’s voice was caught in her throat. The correct answer would have been, no, she wasn’t ready for this. She couldn’t possibly spend the rest of her professional life cowering from him, and dreaming about him at night alone in bed. But she only nodded her head in silence.
“Well, I’m not.” He said, with a certain anger in his voice. Before she could react, he had lunged forward and caught her by the neck and pulled her close to himself. His lips were on her before she could pull away, and once that had happened she lost all self-control. They were kissing wildly, their hands exploring each others bodies. She couldn’t pretend anymore, that she didn’t want him. He was making her fantasy come true.
*****
Jacob’s hands were on Lauret’s breasts, while hers were pressed against his chest; when they heard the sharp knock on the door. Lauret pulled away from him with a jerk, but he grabbed her waist and held her tightly to himself.
“Who is it?” He shouted out, his face still close to hers. She couldn’t believe what had just happened, and her heart was beating fast against his chest.
“It’s me Jacob darling. Do you have a minute?” Esmerelda’s voice swept into the room as she pushed the door open. Lauret was still in Jacob’s arms, and she tried to wriggle free. Esmerelda had walked in, her small leather tote swung from the crook of her folded elbow as she froze in the spot at the door. She looked like she
had been slapped hard.
“Jacob!” She screeched and Lauret could feel the grip of his fingers ease away from her waist. She moved away from him and her fingers darted to her hair, to make sure that she didn’t look like an absolute mess.
“Ezzy, Good morning. What are you doing here?” Jacob didn’t sound as cheerful as his greeting should have sounded. Instead, he sounded annoyed and displeased with her presence.
“What are you doing?” She screeched again and this time came forward towards him. She wasn’t looking at Lauret anymore.
“Having a private moment. I wish you respected boundaries a little.” Jacob moved back behind his desk and hovered over his chair. Esmerelda had walked over to him and pulled her dark glasses off her face.
“I can’t believe it Jacob. I can’t believe you would do this. I knew from the moment I saw her that she would throw herself at you. And you fell for it” She yelled at him, completely ignoring Lauret. Even though Lauret felt a pang of anger and an urge to defend herself against Esmerelda’s vicious remark, she kept quiet. She wanted to see how Jacob would handle the situation.
“It’s not your place to pass judgments on people I associate with Ezzy. I would like it if you left us alone now.” Jacob tried to avoid looking at either of the women and sat down on his chair.
“All these years, you’ve kept me hanging and now you start canoodling with your PA. Is this how desperate you’ve become?” Esmerelda spat out the words, standing over Jacob who had now started typing something on his computer.
“I didn’t expect you to remain hanging Ezzy. Especially not now that you’re a married woman. I made it abundantly clear to you several years ago, that I wasn’t interested in being romantically involved with you.” He said and slowly looked up to face her. Lauret could feel the tension in the room. She still stood on the other side of the desk, but she could feel the rage emanating from Esmerelda.
Sucker for the Boss Page 2
