“You’re one hell of a personal assistant, Neela.”
“I’m a pushover. I shouldn’t be caving for you when you call for these crazy night things.”
“I for one like it when you cave for my demands.”
“Get your mind out of the gutter,” she snapped.
Jack didn’t hear any anger in her tone and smiled. This woman challenged him on so many levels. Damn good at her job, kept him honest and didn’t allow him to get away with anything. Even Toby had noticed a difference in him, smiling more and being more affable. Or so the man said.
Jack rolled his eyes and shifted, swerving around the two cars in front of him. He didn’t want to give his partner any credence to that statement but even he would have to have been deaf and dumb to not notice how he’d mellowed since Neela had become his personal assistant.
It’s not like she’d set out to change him either. There were just differences in his attitude because he knew she frowned upon some things. And the thing he hated was seeing any disappointment in her eyes.
At his place, they strode in side by side and made their way up to his penthouse suite. He held the door for her and allowed her seductive scent of wild orchids and night jasmine to play along his senses.
And just like that, his desire for food had been replaced by a much more primal hunger. Kicking the door shut behind him, he reached for her with a growl, spinning her back into his arms and claiming her mouth in a punishing kiss. Her body was stiff for the barest of seconds before she folded into him, purring as she curved around him, welcoming him into her body.
Neela stared at her godchildren as they sat across from her at the table.
They watched her back with the same intensity she did them. The room was silent aside from the soft strands of the Disney medley that played in the background. No one moved, and the tension grew.
The jangle of her spoon falling from her nose to land on the table broke the silence like a rubber band snapping. The girls instantly whooped and hollered as their spoons fell.
“We won, we won!” they chanted together.
“Rigged,” she laughed. “This game is rigged.”
They bounced off their chairs and danced around her and the table, continuing with their chanting. Two adorable little faces popped up beside her.
“Nope. You picked the spoons.”
“Minor detail.” She ruffled Mikayla’s head then MacKenzye’s. Neela called them Mik and Mac. She loved these girls like they were her own flesh and blood.
“Are you staying for a while now, Neela?”
“In what regard, Mac?” She reached over the table and picked up the spoons. This game was over, she’d not won once in the ten times it had been played.
“You went to Africa last month. Are you going on any more trips?”
“Not coming up, because I believe it’s someone’s birthday soon.” Neela rubbed her chin. “I think it may be mine but I don’t remember asking for a princess cake, so perhaps I’m mistaken on this.”
They squealed and jumped on her lap. Giving an overly dramatic grunt, Neela slid her arms around them.
“I’ll be here for your birthday, girls. Promise.”
“Good.”
“Just out of curiosity, are you sure you don’t want a pie?” A teasing grin lifted her lips. “They’re so much faster for me to make. I could like cherry.”
“Neela!” they whined.
“Guess that’s a no then.” With a kiss to each of their cheeks, she refilled their drinks and made more popcorn. This was their game night. They did this when Paulson had a date.
Neela ensured the popcorn and snacks were properly prepared and in their correct spot. Then she grabbed the remaining few games the girls hadn’t yet brought to the table.
Mik and Mac were lining up the musical playlist for the night and she geared herself for a night of Disney music. While not her favorite, for this night she would happily put up with it.
“Are we ready then?” She popped a few pieces of popcorn in her mouth.
Mac bounced in, her glossy black hair in two tight braids, with twin aqua ribbons threaded throughout along with beads at the end.
“I am.” A mischievous grin turned up her lips. “And I’m gonna win.”
“Don’t think so little girl. You two…going down.” She tossed some popcorn at her.
Mik came sliding in the room, her gray camo pj bottoms matching the head wrap she wore.
“Let’s go,” she challenged.
The twins shared a glance before heading to their respective seats. Neela took hers as well and cracked her neck then fingers.
Nine hours later the girls were crashed on the couch, covered by the favorite quilts. A beautiful landscape one for Mac and for Mik, Naval aircraft adorned the one on hers.
Neela had just finished sweeping the popcorn that had been tossed all around into a pile when the soft door knock fell to her ears.
Checking her watch, she frowned. Nearly two in the morning.
“Paulson has keys, why the hell is he knocking?”
She wen to the door and yanked it open. “You’re back just in time to help me clean—”
Neela snapped her mouth shut and stared at not Paulson but Jack. The man who haunted both her waking and sleeping hours.
“You,” she sighed.
He stood out in the falling snow, stamping his feet, an irritated scowl on his face.
“You weren’t answering your phone,” he snapped, pushing by her into the warm apartment.
“Come on in,” she muttered. “Just keep it down.”
He whirled on her the second she closed the door behind her.
“Why weren’t you answering your phone? Busy with some man?”
His deep graveled tone had a way of distracting her. However, with the expression of his second statement all her focus returned to him.
“I had to come all the way over here and you know what? It’s fucking cold out.”
She punched him in the arm. “Mind your tongue. Like I told you before. I am not at your beck and call. This is my day off. Correction, my weekend off. And I do not have a lick of sympathy for you having your house bitch calling up your driver to pick you up in a running warm car. So stop whining.”
“You can’t have the weekend off.”
She snorted. “Yes, I can. Tough shit if you think otherwise. It’s been on your schedule, all of them, for the past month.” Neela returned to her pile and began sweeping it up into her dustpan. It moved. “Hold it still.”
He crouched down without hesitation and did as she pushed the popcorn into the plastic tray.
“I need you and what the hell happened in here?”
She followed his gaze around the room. Pillows everywhere, light sabers, and a fort sat in one corner. His question made sense, especially given the catastrophe before them.
“Girls night.”
“I need you.”
For a moment her heart pitterpatted as if he meant it in a way more than in a professional manner. “My weekend,” she stated beckoning for the dustpan. “I’m not available.”
“You are my personal assistant.”
She inhaled sharply. Right, because I can never be more than that and your current fuck bunny. Marching into the kitchen, she emptied it before turning to the man who’d followed her there.
“I thought we discussed this before I agreed to take that position. My time is mine. Don’t think I’ve missed how you’ve been getting more and more greedy on my free time. I don’t appreciate it. Yes, we fuck. But in no way does that give you the right to own my time. So why don’t you tell me what is so damn important, you pull your driver from his warm bed and make him sit outside in the car which is rude by the way, as you come whine to me.”
Neela gestured to the door.
He frowned. “You want me to leave?”
“I want you to go invite him in so he doesn’t have to sit out in the car as if he’s a fucking leper while you are in here being a baby.�
�� She flicked her fingers. “So go, bring him in and then we will figure out your problem. Not like I had anything else to do tonight.”
* * *
Two weeks passed, and she was on her way outside after work on Monday, only to pause when a group of reporters surrounded her. While she wasn’t a fan of this, she was used to them, as Jack typically drew a crowd when he was out.
Billionaire. Entrepreneur.
But she wasn’t with him right now. She was alone. So she stood still and waited for them to pose a question. Neela had watched them enough and had cataloged how they fed like a school of ravenous sharks in a feeding frenzy when those they were after got nervous. She didn’t. So she waited.
They all stared at her as if she were the bearded lady.
“Something I can do for the group of you enchanting reporters? I was on my way home.” She made sure to meet and hold each of their gazes.
“Are you and Mr. Perrot announcing your engagement?”
She drew back as if the man had reached out and physically struck her.
“Excuse me? What would make you ask that? You’ve known for months that I am his personal assistant. Nothing else. There haven’t ever been any suggestions that we are engaged. Is the news really that slow?”
“Really? His personal assistant? You were in the mailroom and then one day you were just up and promoted to his personal assistant?”
It was a good thing they couldn’t see the rapid beating of her heart or the way her lungs struggled to get air. She’d perfected over the time she’d been with Jack, the ability to keep her expression smooth.
But this, this was too much. And it was her own damn fault because it had been the sex that had him bringing her up to his floor and working directly to him.
“Just because you lot seem to search for the worst in what happens, doesn’t mean it actually does.” Keep control. Perhaps if I do this, they won’t think I’m hiding anything. Deep controlled breaths.
“I thought you’d gone home for the day, Ms. Fitzgerald.”
Jack’s deep voice wove around her.
She glanced over her shoulder to see him, striding toward her. Expression cold and as the world saw him, not how she preferred to see him. rumbled, smiling, happy. Now her heart skipped for an entirely different reason.
Neela didn’t believe this would end well, he wasn’t in a good mood. One of his investors overseas had been trying to undermine the purpose of their company and he’d been irritated all day.
“On my way, as I told you. But they are holding me up.”
He paused beside her, scowl firmly in place. “What is the problem?”
She crossed her arms. “Apparently we have been keeping our upcoming engagement from them.”
He scoffed. “What? Why the hell would I marry you? You’re just my assistant.”
Funny, the blade stabbed into her heart hurt a lot more than she’d conditioned herself to be expecting. Every day she gave herself a mental reminder that it was going to hurt when this thing, whatever it was, between her and Jack ended. Right then in that moment those words left his mouth.
No matter how much I planned for this, I never could have expected hearing him scoff like I was no better than shit on the bottom of his shoe, to be so painful.
She gave him a smile, tight, but still a smile. Within her chest she knew it was simply because she was playing for the observers.
“No need to have such disdain in your voice when you state what I’ve already told them.”
“What are they thinking? That you are buying your way into my bed?” He laughed at his own comment. “Please.” He glanced at those around him. “She couldn’t afford me.”
He settled his hand along the small of her back yet for the first time since he’d ever touched her, it wasn’t heat that spiraled through her, but an icy dance of fingers along her spine that chilled her more than any single experience ever had.
“She was on her way out, let her through.”
Her decision came instantly, and she paused, not letting him nudge her forward any further. “Actually, I have to go back inside. I forgot something. Excuse me.” She broke free of his touch and turned on her heel, lengthening her not-to-impressive stride, to get away from him before she broke down.
She didn’t go to the office because Ms. Donna would most definitely be at her desk and that would give way to questions. Namely why she was crying. And I’m not in the mood to answer them. No, instead she headed for the closest restroom and locked the door behind her, needing not to have anyone walk in on her. At least not until I get my shit together.
Neela took a deep breath and gripped the sink, staring at her reflection. Eyes leaked traitorous tears, and she shook. She swore and snapped the handles of the faucets to full power. The water streamed down filling the porcelain basin. Plunging her hands in, she splashed it on her face until the presence of tears had been wiped away.
The water ran while she dried her face on the paper towels. Using the wadded sheets, she eventually killed the wastefulness she’d been allowing. Even so, she didn’t move away from where she stood. As she stared at herself, she could see the mask settling into place. There would be time to mourn later, right now, she had things to do.
With a deep breath she walked to the door, unlocked it and headed for the elevator as if she owned the damn place and had a plan. To be fair, she did.
In the elevator, she smoothed her hand down the front of her suit coat. Last time I will be wearing this. The doors slid open, and she stepped through with a calm expression in place.
“I thought you left for the day, hon.”
5
Neela sat on her bed, legs drawn up at the knees with her hands locked about her shins. Anger simmered within her gut. Her tears had long since dried.
As much as she wanted to blame Jack for everything, she couldn’t. Correction, she could, however she despised women who put it all the man when something went wrong. True, many times it was them who deserved the blame, but she was a grown woman. And for that, she would take responsibility for her own actions.
Sleeping with her boss came with risks and those had happened. And she’d been caught, lost that job and had been labeled a lot of things she hated. Even now a few reporters hounded her, asking why if nothing had been between them did she quit? However, she wasn’t going to cower. At least not in public. Private was an entirely different thing.
“Perfectly explains why I’ve been sitting here all day crying my eyes out.”
So today was harder than previous days had been for whatever reason.
“No more tears.”
Neela glanced up in time to see her very good friends, Velli and Mara coming through the door, dressed to kill in clubbing outfits.
“What are you talking about? I’m not crying. Anymore. I’m pissed.”
Velli shrugged. “Pissed, blubbering. Who cares, let’s go.”
“Shut it you impatient bitch.” Mara strode up to Neela, long legs accentuated by the killer heels she wore. Iridescent dark blue, perfectly matched to her form fitting dress. “We need her dressed properly. She’s not going out in fucking flannel pj’s. I refuse to be seen in her presence dressed like that. I have standards.”
Neela peered down at her favorite pale green and gray checkered flannel pajama pants. Her top was an oversized wolf sweatshirt. Perfect lounging wear.
“Nothing wrong with my clothes,” she muttered on her way to the portion of her closet she didn’t use often. In fact, the only reason she had any dresses in there was because of the very women in her room with her. On her way over there, she sidestepped around the large box, Paulson had picked up for her to pack all the outfits purchased by Jack for her stint as his personal assistant. She didn’t feel right keeping them. What he did with them after she returned them wasn’t her issue.
“If I had your curves, Neela, I’d only wear tight dresses to show them off.” Mara moved up behind her, hands on hips, lips twisted in a mix of jealously and admirati
on.
“You have curves, Mara.” She stared at her friend in the mirror’s reflection. “Don’t start that.”
Mara flipped her off, her black hair gathered up on her head, showing off her graceful neck. “Get dressed. Wear something sexy. Tonight we’re knocking this town on its ass.”
After sticking out her tongue, Neela turned her attention to the task at hand of finding the perfect outfit.
Two hours and thirty minutes later, she stared past her reflection to the women behind her. “While I have to admit I look sexy as fuck in this, it would have been hella easier for y’all to just tell me what to wear instead of making me try on six goddamn outfits.”
“Of course you do, I chose it.” Velli stared at her fingernails as if she spied a chip which wasn’t the case, Neela knew that without even seeing them. Velli didn’t do out of place. Hell, even right now she looked like a goddamn picture image of Jessica Rabbit.
Rolling her eyes at Velli’s comment, she returned her attention to her own reflection. Damn. I look good.
“Let’s face it, I enjoy watching you parade around naked. You get all flushed the more aggravated you become. Five minutes and I promise to make you forget all about that man you’ve been sleeping with.” Velli smiled and beckoned to her. “Come take a stroll on this side of the fence.”
Another eye roll. “I’d take you up on that ever so tantalizing offer, but your wife would kill me plus you don’t have it in you to cheat on her.”
Velli moved up behind her and dipped her head to whisper, “Carla would be fine with it, especially if we let her join in.”
Neela snorted. “Whatever. Let’s go.”
Velli took her arm and Mara’s. They headed as a group to the door. Outside a long sleek limo awaited them.
“Really?” Neela gazed at her friends.
“You deserve it. We want it back to him that you’re not at home hiding in embarrassment, but out, living it up, looking sexy and most importantly, moving on.” Mara gestured around.
“Let’s go.” Velli motioned them toward the open door.
Seduction in a Suit: An Office Romance Collection Page 125
