It was high up but I could try to get up there and go through. The file cabinet was there so I would just lower myself on to that.
Before the thought even processed properly in my mind I was on the move. The biggest thing in my mind is the image of my new boss reading over my letter. The fear and scare of that will make me do anything. I just hope that the letter is still in the in tray and he hasn’t read it. there’s no time to think.
I grabbed one of those leather chairs, stand on it and reach for the window. It was just big enough for me to get a grip and pull myself up.
I knew this was bordering crazy, I knew it. And I might possibly go crazy after this when my senses returned to me but I had to see if the letter was in the in-tray.
I pulled in a deep breath as I hoisted myself up and managed to secure myself in between the window. All I needed to do now was turn somehow and lower myself to the cabinet.
“Well, well, if it isn’t Ask Paige,” said a smooth rich voice startling me.
The fright made me jump and I lost my grip. Before I knew it I was falling. I screamed and thought of the damage I would do to myself when I hit the ground.
But I didn’t reach.
Instead of hitting the ground, I was caught by two very strong and sturdy arms.
I yelped again and attempted to speak but my voice faded away as I found myself staring into striking blue eyes that pierced through me and captured my gaze.
The color was blue like the Caribbean Sea. I remembered how mesmerized I was by the color of the sea when I went to the Dominican Republic with Paul.
That was the kind of mesmerization I felt now. Except that I was mesmerized by this man who looks like he just stepped off the cover of GQ magazine. I can’t remember a time in my life when I’ve felt so consumed by the look of anyone that I was at a loss for words. And, he captivates me even more the longer I stare.
The sharp angles on his face are so perfectly aligned that he looked sculptured, and his high exotic cheekbones are enhanced by what I’d call rock star sideburns because this guy has actually taken time to have his designed into sharp edges where it tapers off. His black spiky hair has also been cut into a neat style with the top longish to carry off the spikes and the sides are short, faded almost.
A neatly cut chin strip is in the center of the cleft in his chin.
I’m fully aware that I’m just staring at this guy, and I’m in his arms, and I have no idea who he is.
“Who are you?” I asked finding my voice. I probably should have said thanks for catching me but my eagerness to see who this man was got the better of me.
“Oh, that’s right. We haven’t formally met because you keep avoiding me.”
I opened my mouth to protest because I didn’t do things like that. Then I remembered that there is one person here who I do that to.
I felt my cheeks burn as heat rushed to them, and I knew I was totally blushing.
This can’t be my new boss. My Colonel Sanders wearing a robe could not look like this.
“Jason Dempsey at your service, and by the way I got your letter.”
Shit! No way.
This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be. Damn it.
Why did I write that letter? Why oh, why did I do these things to myself?
The smile he gave me is smug and arrogant. The laugh that seemed to resonate from deep within was strong and masculine.
All at my expense.
I felt the blood drain from me, and I wished for a black hole to open up and swallow me whole.
But it didn’t. I was still there, frozen in shock in Jason Dempsey’s arms.
3
Jason
Okay.
This was definitely not the way I imagined meeting the elusive Paige St. James.
Ask Paige.
I would admit that I got the impression that she was gutsy, and her attempts to completely avoid me over the last nearly three weeks gave me a good indication of what this relationship of ours was going to be like.
Seeing her gorgeous ass practically on display for me as she hoisted herself up to the window on the door made all the thoughts I had for today’s agenda wilt away.
However, I supposed my mind was hardly there this morning after reading her letter to me.
I laughed as she squirmed out of my arms and tried to straighten up her clothes.
“You weren’t supposed to get that letter.” She said trying not to stutter. Her beautiful face was now completely red.
“But it had my name on it.” I smiled at her.
I liked the previous look she gave me. I got looks like that a lot, and I can’t help but take pride in it. Especially when the woman looking at me is sexy as hell.
Women are my weakness, and I’m a goner when my interest peaks and attraction sparks.
Like it is now.
“I…” her voice fades away, and I wonder what she thinks she can say to me.
“You think I need to get laid, or possibly a sex marathon.” I stared at her pointedly waiting for an answer.
Her large green eyes dilate and the long, thick lashes that surrounded them cast a shadow on her red face.
“No. I mean. Oh God this is so embarrassing.” Her hands flew up to her cheeks.
“I’ll bet. You haven’t even met me properly yet and you already want to jump my bones.” I knew that would embarrass her further and I was right.
Her face actually looked like it’s on fire, and I have to really try hard not to laugh.
“What?” her eyes grew wider. “No, I just said that it wasn’t meant to get to you. It was a joke.”
“But yet I’ve seen stuff like this in your column.” I had seen it. I understood her modern edge and I was probably hypocritical in suggesting she brought more warmth to the table but it was how I felt.
Just for this. The advice column. If she insisted on being the kind of woman who could rock my world in the bedroom, I wouldn’t argue against that.
No way.
However for this magazine I noticed in my research that there was a whole class of readers she wasn’t attracting.
The shy women. The women who didn’t believe in shaking up with the next guy if they just got dumped by someone they’d loved their whole lives.
The look of annoyance that crossed her face was exactly what I expected from our first meeting.
“So, I’m guessing that your attempt to break in my office and get this letter of yours was a blessing in disguise, right?” I chuckled when she actually looked furious.
“I wasn’t breaking in,” she protested.
“Oh so I suppose you were just showing off that sweet ass of yours then. That was a blessing too.”
She gasped. “You are so out of line.”
“No sweet thing, just stating the obvious. Anyhow, we do need to talk about your column. How about today at three?”
“No,” She shook her head. “I’m busy.”
“Four then.” I offered knowing I wouldn’t win.
“No. We don’t need to talk about my column. It’s fine.” She folded her arms under her breasts which I couldn’t help but look at, as the tension she places on her arms makes her cleavage stand out.
I’m already imagining what sort of wild fun we could have before my brain can process it, but I brought my attraction down a notch so I could set up this business date.
“Feedback, is a tool that can be helpful. You won’t accept feedback?”
“You think I have no heart. That is not feedback. That is a criticism of me. You don’t know me.”
“You like how I look, that’s my ticket in.” I replied smugly.
The look on her face made me laugh this time. Appalled, wasn’t a strong enough word to describe her expression.
My grandma used to say flabbergasted. That’s how I’d describe Ask Paige’s expression as she glowered at me.
I’d have to call my grandma at some point and let her know I understood what the word meant now.
Paige shoo
k her head and walks around me, ready to leave me to my laughter.
“See you at four sweet thing.” I called out before she could reach the door, to which she turned and scowled at me.
I got the feeling I was going to be in for a very interesting time here at Portrait magazine.
It may turn out to be my best acquisition yet.
Paige
What an asshole.
God, I didn’t think I’d ever met a more arrogant man, and I bet that arrogance resonated from the fact that he knew he was good looking.
Why did all the good looking ones think they needed to behave like Neanderthals.
I sighed and rested my head against the back of my door as I closed it.
Okay maybe not all the good looking ones were like that.
Paul was handsome. I liked how he looked too, but I felt guilty that I never looked at him the way I did Mr. Jason Dempsey.
And, I felt bad for my other reactions too. The heat I felt when he teased me.
Maybe it was loneliness.
I didn’t know my life was one where I got from one day to the next on a whim. I did the best I could to make each day count.
And today I was working from home. There was no way I was going to any damn meeting with that man to discuss my column.
He’d get the shock of his life at four when he’d see that I’d gone.
There was one person I had to call though.
Bernice’s phone nearly rang out to the voicemail again. I was about to hang up when she answered.
“Paige.”
“Bernice you are a terrible friend. You left me at work to sleep when I went to the damn mail room to cheer you up. Do you have any idea what I’ve been through in the last few hours?” I screamed down the phone.
It was my embarrassment and frustration coming out. I couldn’t help it.
To my surprise I heard her giggling and then there was a man’s voice in the background saying, “come back to bed.”
“I will, give me a minute. This is my best friend.” Bernice said. Her voice sounds faded like she’d moved the phone away from her ear.
“Bernice, who is that?”
“Paige. I took your advice.”
“What advice?” I didn’t know what she meant.
“I found the hottest guy and made sure he saw me. We’re at the Four Seasons.” As she spoke the memory of what I’d said came rushing back in my mind, and I bit the inside of my lip. I wouldn’t have given her that advice if I wasn’t drunk. Thinking clearly now I would have just stuck with what I’d said first about her doing better than Tom, and simply forgetting him. But all that other stuff I said was definitely an Ask Paige response. It was juicy and absolutely what I would have told my readers if someone wrote in.
Bernice giggled again. “I won’t be at work today.” Her voice came across the line and then faded again.
“Bernice.” I panicked because I didn’t know if she was safe. She couldn’t just go to some random place and pick up some guy. But she did because I told her to.
“Paige I have to go.”
She hung up before I could respond. The line simply went dead.
I was left open mouthed and in more shock than what I’d gone through with his majesty, Jason Dempsey.
I couldn’t believe Bernice actually took my advice.
I closed my eyes, sighed and moved over to the sofa where I sat and gazed out the window.
Damn it. What a messed up day.
I had Jason on my back and poor Bernice was off with some guy at the Four Seasons.
I sighed feeling the frustration and stood up.
I needed that bath. A long hot bath where I could soak.
I was going to push aside all the craziness for today and tackle it tomorrow. I suspected I would have Jason to deal with first thing and I would need my energy for that.
4
Jason
I knew she wouldn’t turn up.
Or rather I knew she would leave.
It was just a hunch, but one that panned out. I went to her office anyway to check, finding it exactly the same as every other time I’d tried to see her.
Empty.
I’d arranged a total of five meetings with this woman in my super busy schedule. Each time she’d been called away, or was running some errand. Today I knew for sure that she was avoiding me.
That meant I had to up my tactics.
I laughed to myself at the horrified look she’d give me if I did something like turn up at her house. The thought had occurred to me last week to do that, but I knew that would be completely inappropriate, even for me.
I pushed the barriers. That was how I’d gotten to where I was today. By pushing and stepping outside my comfort zone to the point where it no longer existed.
I also knew when to reign in my emotions and desire for success.
I was one of the first people to meet with Elizabeth to discuss the sale of Portrait.
She was offering far too low a cost for such a prestigious magazine.
There was one thing she didn’t tell everyone when she announced the sale of the place. But she told me, maybe because she knew if I bought it I’d keep the dream alive that she had when she first set up shop.
Unknown to everyone Elizabeth had been suffering from depression for years. She’d tried to hold it together for the magazine and all that she’d put into it but it ended up affecting her, and her family.
What she wanted was someone who wasn’t going to take advantage of the cheap offer she placed on the place. She wanted someone who could put their heart and soul into working here. Just like she had.
I could do that. I wanted to anyway, for the time that I was here.
I was leaving for Hong Kong in six months to start a new business venture. It was my thing. I’d take over existing companies that were suffering and make them better. I worked predominately with magazines because they tended to need help the most, but in the past I’d worked with property developers and wealth management companies. All fell into this category I classified as the abyss. They’d get sucked into what the company specialized in, and forget to pay attention to what the company was actually doing. By doing so they ended up spending unnecessary money in areas that they didn’t need to. That meant in times of market fluctuation, or the recession they were screwed and didn’t have anything to fall back on.
Usually I’d work alongside these companies and help them to have a more stable footing, but sometimes I bought. Like I did with Portrait.
Aside from the interest I had in the opportunity the place had, the location was perfect.
I was originally from San Francisco and there was a chance I would settle here. Just not yet, or maybe not in the near future.
I had too much zest in me to settle just yet and there were ideas pouring out of my head for all the things I wanted to do.
That’s why when Elizabeth told me she wanted a hundred thousand for the place I seized the opportunity but I didn’t buy the place for that cheap rate. I gave her a million dollars because I knew that was what it was worth.
I knew a sale of desperation when I saw one and that is exactly what she was. Desperate. Desperate to hand over the magazine to the right person, offered it cheap to attract people who may have wanted the opportunity but couldn’t afford what it was really worth, and most of all desperate for preservation.
When she handed over the company to me I gave her something she hoped for. Peace of mind.
As for me, my plans were to set the place up to be solid. There were very few things wrong here, which was great. All they needed was someone to fill Elizabeth’s shoes. My research showed me that she was a great leader, one who inspired people.
The general vibe I got about the people here confirmed that.
Except with Miss Paige.
I felt that she’d been given too much free reign over her content. I was surprised to see that there was no control over what she put out each week and the woman basically did what she wanted,
and said what she wanted. It made the magazine millions but that wasn’t the point. Why make millions when it could be billions? With just a little more quality and sensitivity.
She was talented, and knew how to handle herself. I liked that. I liked it too that she didn’t care who I was.
Paige seemed stuck in her own ways and was definitely the kind of no nonsense woman that mesmerized me.
I finished up for the day and headed over to San Francisco bay to meet my friend Hunter. We went way back, and I caught up with him every time I came back to visit my family.
It had been just over eight months since we saw each other.
Hunter was a business man too. He ran an adventure experience business that suited his adrenaline junkie personality perfectly.
As I pulled up in his driveway I saw him coming out of his garage. Inside the garage I could see that he was working on an old racing car and I wondered what he was up to. Back when we were teens he used to race cars a lot, and bikes.
It got him in a lot of trouble, and he ended up in juvie a few times.
He came from a broken home where his dad abandoned him and his mom when he was twelve.
I’d come from a home where my parents loved each other and were happy in their marriage. It would be forty five years in the summer. I was the youngest of three. I had two brothers who were one and two years older than me. I was thirty six but they treated me like the baby.
It was annoying sometimes but when I made acquisitions like Portrait.
Our family business was wealth management. My dad and my brothers ran the company, but I decided to fly solo six years ago. I’d shocked them all when I made my first million, and my income only went up every year after that.
“Dude, look at your car. What the hell. I can race that with ease.” Hunter beamed on seeing me. He ran his fingers through his thick beard, large brown eyes looking over my Lamborghini with keen fascination as I got out.
“You can have it when I go.” I smiled and moved over to him for our usual solid handshake.
“You’d give me a Lami?” he chuckled.
Seduction in a Suit: An Office Romance Collection Page 107
