by Nella Tyler
And thank god for that, because if I hadn’t secured this job, I might have fled the city. It’s a vast city with great culture, but more importantly, great opportunities for recent college grads, but the weather was atrocious and I was beyond tired of the rain. Additionally, if Fred hadn’t taken a chance on me, I never would have experienced the night prior, and that’s an experience my life would forever be better for.
Maybe that’s an exaggeration. Maybe it’s not.
Fred himself is more than a little different from Caleb, in both looks and managerial style. He was shorter, a little stockier, and a little rougher around the edges in that he always seemed to be stressed out. Compared to Caleb’s never wavering cool confidence, it was undeniable that they were two different beasts. Fred’s hair was darker, a stark shade of black, and his eyes burned with green emptiness.
Then there was Tara, a tax accountant who at times was lazy and disloyal, and at others, the exact opposite. It really just depended on what kind of mood she was in on any given day. I hoped that it was a good day.
And then Lance. Sweet, beautiful, gorgeous, intelligent, wise Lance.
Vomit. Lance was the type of man you’d pass on the street and follow him with your eyes. He was able to captivate you from a distance as a perfect stranger. But the second he opened his mouth, all that went out the window. There were whispers that he was only where he was at within the company because of the blood he shared with Caleb, but in my opinion, he more than proved his worth to M&D. As an accountant, I was in the loop when it came to the finances of the company, and it was only because of his excellent advertising acumen that M&D became as successful as it was, though that’s not something I’d ever say in the presence of Caleb, assuming I’d ever be in his presence again.
So yeah, Lance was a brilliant man who did a brilliant job with his work, but he was an asshole, and in that regard, nothing else mattered. He was an elitist snob who climbed to the top of the ladder and then suspended all common decency to those he perceived were beneath him.
I was certainly beneath him and he made sure I knew it in our daily interactions. I wasn’t interested in hearing what he had to say as he approached me. I knew whatever he had to say would just sour my mood and I wasn’t in the mood for my mood to be soured.
I groaned to myself as they closed in on me in my cubicle. Lance stood in front of me while the other two leaned against the wall beside him. “What’s up?”
Lance dropped his eyes to take measure of me. When he was done with his evaluation, he sneered at me. “Have you checked the dress code recently?”
I knew the dress code like the back of my hand, though it was never enforced by anyone. So my skirt was two inches shorter than code. It was hardly a deviation from the everyday wear all the other women.
Lance had a particular way of making the most accomplished of people feel as if they were two feet tall. That was his life goal, I suppose: to always place himself on a high horse.
It took everything I had to not roll my eyes and throat punch him, which was a vivid fantasy of mine. Still, I knew that I was climbing my way up the corporate ladder from within the company and I couldn’t afford to do anything stupid—anything more stupid than what I had already done anyways.
“I apologize,” I said sheepishly, but it was all an act. “Is my hem too short?”
“You’d know that were the case if you’d ever read the rulebook.”
I couldn’t help but to think that his sudden resentment somehow connected back to the previous night. I hadn’t remembered seeing him around the anniversary party, but I’m sure he was there somewhere, lurking around in the background. It wasn’t a family secret that there was tension between the two brothers. It wouldn’t have surprised me if his resentment was an act of jealousy.
“I’ll make it my duty to go home and brush up on the dress code,” I said and swiveled nervously in my chair. “I promise.”
“Thank you.” He eyed me for a moment more. “The reason we’re here is that we’re working on an exciting new project, and we need a low-level accountant to help with the numbers.”
I would have taken any opportunity available to advance both my career and my standing from within the company, but something about the way he referred to me as a low-level accountant irritated me.
“I’d love to assist,” I said, not even waiting for a formal invitation to be said. Even if I despised Lance, I wasn’t going to say no to a potential opportunity, especially if it meant I could escape the cubicle during the work day. “I’m a little busy right now closing down this account with A-Core, but I’ll be finished with it sometime towards the end of next week. So, I could maybe assist after that.”
“Awesome.” Fred clapped his hands together with excitement and wagged his finger at me. “You’re going to do great on this project. I just know it.”
“That won’t work,” Lance snapped and eyed Fred and then me. “This project required upfront dedication and immediacy. There are others who are willing to go the extra mile.”
That vivid imagery I saw earlier returned with a flash as I imagined my hands around his throat. “I’m sure I can find some time,” I said with a forced smile.
“We’ll have our first meeting on Monday,” he said before walking away, carrying the weight of his heavy ego upon his shoulders. “Don’t be late,” he called out as he made his way down the hall.
Tara quickly followed suit but Fred stayed behind. He cocked his head with a gentle smirk. “You’re going to kick ass.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I should get back to work so I can finish this closing before the weekend is over.”
“I’m looking forward to working closer with you.” He took a step back, preparing to leave. “I’ve heard great things from your peers. Who knows, there might be some promotions in the near future.”
I smiled as he turned around and left. Once I was alone again, with just me, my work, and my thoughts, I felt the weight of my work bearing down on me for perhaps the first time in a long time. I was already struggling with my workload, and then to have another project dropped into my lap unexpectedly, it just about killed my spirit.
As I sat there, I thought about Lance and Tara. No one in the office, that I knew of, could exactly stand either of them, but oftentimes they seemed to be as thick as thieves. I guessed it was because unlikable peopled tended to be drawn together subconsciously because everyone else was pushing them away.
Normally, I would think differently about talking shit about someone, even if the shit talking happened solely in my head, but the two of them were royal assholes.
I made a promise to myself to push any negative thoughts to the backburner and focus on work. In the same regard, I promised myself that I’d stop letting Caleb monopolize my thoughts.
That was much harder than I ever could have imagined.
Chapter 9
Caleb
Looking back, it’s easy to see that I really lucked into my job. Sure, it was my brilliant idea that sparked an empire with my best friend in our college dorm. It’s also true that we worked our asses off to change the app game like nobody before us. Still, I’m not the best listener, and that’s a quality that’s beyond necessary in the business world.
A client was in front of me for a good hour and I couldn’t recall eighty percent of what he had said. I zoned in and out of the conversation, only listening when figures were brought up, something to the tune of a two-million-dollar contract. That’s when I perked up and began to pay more active attention to the conversation.
And then I zoned out again. It wasn’t my fault that my mind was elsewhere, thinking about that girl from accounting and the way she made me feel, and the way she made my cock feel. It was impossible to think of anything else that wasn’t the thought of that tight pussy between her smooth legs.
Finally, the client, an aging man with gray hair but a great vision, called an end to the meeting, satisfied with what we could offer. In the end, though, it was an
acquisition that would benefit M&D more than himself. If I was being honest, while he was boring, he had the mind and the drive to become as or more successful than I was. That’s not something I was interested in telling him though. The last thing I needed was more brutal competition in an industry that was a modern-day gold rush.
Once the client exited my office and I was alone, I wasted no time climbing to my feet and rushing out of the office. There were things I needed to attend to, things that couldn’t wait any longer. I had spent the entire day thinking about her, and thinking about what would happen the next time the two of us had some alone time.
I was hoping to run into Lindsay, but ran into Laura instead. I went looking for one sexy ass woman, only to end up face to face with another. As sexy as she was though, and as much as she titillated me with her short skirts and voluptuous breasts, she wasn’t the one I was interested in, not at that particular moment anyway. I had fought to resist the urges I felt building up within me for as long as she was my secretary, so I figured I could push away any more thoughts of indecency for a little longer.
“You’re looking rather spry for a Friday afternoon,” Laura said as she stopped to talk to me. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you look ravishing.”
My eyes dipped to her breasts and then back to meet her at face level. My eyes then shifted to either side, making sure nobody was within listening range. It’s not that I was going to say something particularly offensive, but the possibility that I could was certainly there. “I feel like there are rules about what I’m allowed to say in return.”
“Really now?” She puckered her lips and arched a brow. “Maybe we could continue this conversation over a drink tonight?”
My mind went into overdrive. Something had changed with her since I had seen her earlier in the morning. There was always some sexual tension between us, but it almost always seemed to be one sided. Now, it seemed she was playing the game and I couldn’t figure out what her intentions were, and if she had these same intentions all along, then why voice them all of a sudden?
None of the ifs, buts, and whys mattered though because I had a one track mind, and the only track I was on was the Lindsay track and I was content to stay there as long as it took me to reach my final destination. In this scenario, the final destination was getting into Lindsay’s pants once more and tapping that sweet, sweet, porcelain ass.
“I’m really busy these next few days,” I said, and the words came out more like denying her advances than I had intended. Might as well nail that hammer into the wall to get my point across. “Maybe next weekend,” I said, if only to keep her wanting me to feed my ego. Yeah, I was a devious monster, but it got me where I was so I saw no point in becoming somebody else.
“I would love that.” She nodded with enthusiasm, but I could see the disappointment in her eyes. It just about damn killed me to disappoint someone I had eyes on for such a long period of time, but that was the affect Lindsay had on me. For better or worse, I was whipped by her pussy and I needed my fix.
Over Laura’s shoulder, I spotted Lindsay—finally—walking towards one of only a few private meeting rooms on the floor.
“I just, uh…” I stuttered to Laura. “I just remembered I had a meeting.”
“Really?” She arched her brow. “I don’t remember seeing another meeting on the schedule for today.”
“Yeah.” I waved my hand at her and shook my head. “It’s a last-minute type of thing. I’m running late so I should go.”
“Yeah.” She nodded with a forced smile.
I didn’t respond, instead opting to chase Lindsay towards the meeting room. Closer and closer, I paced toward her with the speed of a champion speed walker, only to be cut off by Lance.
“Hey, brother.” He jumped into my path with a look of scorn. “So, I was talking to mom.”
“Really?” I asked without particular care in getting a response out of him. “How is the good life south of the border?”
“Great.” He smiled broadly. “How is your father on the golf circuit.”
“Well, he’s earning his own living, so I think he’s doing quite well for himself, considering…”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he barked at me. “I don’t have time for this.”
“Interesting considering you’re the one that started it,” I pointed out, to which he didn’t have a ready-made excuse.
“I wanted to talk more about the ads,” he said, switching gears in an instant from one topic I didn’t care about to another topic I really didn’t give a shit about.
“You know what, I’m just going to tell you what I really think.”
He cocked his head with a hint of confusion. “Isn’t that what you always do anyways?”
“I think it’s an idea that could be successful if handled well,” I said, not able to believe the words coming out of my lips, but I was able to admit the idea had merit. I just didn’t trust the man at the head of the project. “The problem is that I think you’ll fuck it up.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from you, which is why I wanted to approach you about being on the project.”
“I’m really busy,” I said and repeated the same line for emphasis. “I’m really busy, Lance.”
“I want this project to be a success because I think it’ll help our bottom dollar substantially, but I also understand you’re hesitant about the entire affair. In that regard, I want to bring you onto the project so it’ll come out exactly how my little brother wants.”
He was such an asshole for pulling the family card, but also an idiot for expecting it to work on me. “Who’s on the project already?”
“Myself, Fred, Tara, Sarah, Jackson, Lewis, and Lindsay. You might not know her, but she’s a junior accountant on the—”
“Fine,” I said. “I’m on board.”
“Really?” He arched his brow with confusion, but if he didn’t want me to say yes, then why the hell did he ask me in the same place. Was it to satisfy his ego? It had to be.
“I’m all in.”
“Good.” He nodded and reached his hand out to shake mine. His shake was firm, almost too firm, like he was trying to hurt me, but he must have forgotten I was forged of steel. “The first meeting will Monday morning at nine sharp.”
“I’ll be there,” I said and shot him a pointed finger as I finally got back to work chasing after Lindsay.
I had seen her disappear into the same meeting room the project team was supposed to convene the following Monday and made my way towards the room with haste. The only reason I had agreed to be a part of Lance’s stupid project was to get closer to her. To spend more time with her. The more time we spent together meant there were going to be more opportunities to get in her pants, to strip her naked and have my way with her. I figured during the span of the project I could take her for a few more spins, and then it would be time to move on to somebody else…
Someone like Laura.
At times, I thought Lindsay was different. Other times I had my mind made up that she was just like every other woman in the world, that she was a gold digger. It was hard for me to see a woman as anything else, no matter how much my head or heart was telling me otherwise.
I craned my head over my shoulder to ensure nobody watched me as I slipped into the meeting room and closed the door behind me. Lindsay pivoted on her foot to face me as she slipped her phone onto her purse.
“What are you doing in here?” I inquired.
“I was just talking to my mother,” she said, her voice low and her cheeks flushing red.
“Right.” I nodded and lapped my tongue over my bottom lip as one hand fell to the hem of my shirt. A grin hitched across my lips. She stood before me motionless, completely caught off guard and with no idea what was about to happen next. I reached behind me and twisted the lock on the door and pulled the shades to a close. When I turned back around, my grin was wider and more sinister. I was going to get what I wanted, because I knew it was the exact
same thing she wanted too. “I want a repeat of last night…”
She swallowed a nervous lump in her throat and straightened herself out. Her gaze twisted to the locked door behind me. “Here?”
“Right… fucking… here.”
Chapter 10
Lindsay
Is he being serious, I thought to myself. There’s no way he’s being serious. “Here?” I questioned again, perhaps even more nervous than before. It’s not that I didn’t want it. I wanted it more than I could have ever imagined, but at the same time, I wasn’t nearly as certain that I wanted it there of all places.
“Right fucking here,” he repeated with the same exact tone, but perhaps just a little bit deeper. He took another step towards me and I shifted backwards until my ass ran into the edge of the conference table behind me. “We don’t have a lot of time, Lindsay.”
“Then maybe we shouldn’t.”
“Nonsense.” He bit into his lower lip as he continued to approach me torturously slow. With each measured step, my nerves tangled even more until I reached the point where I might as well have been standing in a pool of quicksand. He shook his wrist and checked the time on the golden watch that adorned his flesh. “By my count, we have less than ten minutes, so we should probably get this show on the road.”
“O… okay,” I stuttered and swallowed a nervous lump in my throat. “What do you want—”
Before I could finish, his body was pressed against mine. He was warm, no hot, hotter than the sun. He was so sure of himself, so damn cocky, but that was part of his charm for some inexplicable reason. I think it was because he had his life put together that I could put up with all the bullshit that came with him, all that damn baggage.
