Just me.
“Can you believe that, Jeremy? With these qualifications, she only wants to work for me?” I said tossing a blue folder on his desk.
Jeremy was speechless. He sat there with his mouth agape as he watched her walk out of our office.
Tearing his eyes from her luscious legs, he glanced down at the folder I’d given him. Scanning over her resume, he nodded.
“Impressive. But you can’t hire a hot piece of ass like that. All you’ll want to do is fuck her. Then you won’t be able to because we can’t risk a sexual harassment lawsuit.”
I laughed as I sat back in the cushioned chair across from him.
“Of course we can’t. Not after your sexual harassment suit from last year. Cost us a fortune to get that thrown out.”
Jeremy waved his hand at me.
“Hey, now that wasn’t my fault. Do you remember Inga? Damn, that accent…her legs.”
I shook my head.
“Well, Amber isn’t Inga. And she’s not a piece of ass. She’s very intelligent, charming.”
“And gorgeous.”
“Of course.”
Jeremy sighed.
“Well, it’s up to you. She’ll be your assistant. But I’m telling you, man, working all those late hours with a hot woman right next to you. You’re gonna need a lot of willpower.”
“Now that I’ve got. I have nothing but professional intentions towards Amber Michaelson.”
“We’ll see.”
Grabbing the folder off of his desk, I turned to leave.
“Why does she only want to work here?”
I shrugged and cocked my eyebrow at him.
“Simple. She heard I was the best.”
Jeremy tossed a newspaper at me.
“You wish, Blackthorne.”
A few days later, I called Amber to give her the good news. Ever since that day six years ago, she’d been a constant companion to me. Our relationship had always remained professional although I had to admit lately I was finding myself more and more attracted to her.
It wasn’t just her looks. She anticipated my every need and I seldom had to ask her for anything. She just knew. She kept track of my schedule. She handled everything.
Amber was amazing.
Naturally, since we spent so much time together things got a bit heated between us. We were both passionate people so occasionally we had gotten to the point of getting physical, but she always reminds me what we could lose if we ever fully crossed that line.
I respected her for that. I had a tremendous amount of willpower and I considered myself to be a man in control at all times, but after a good amount of Macallan in me and a hard day at work I have to admit I sometimes overstepped my bounds.
As I made it back to my building, I quickly changed into a dark blue Italian suit. Looking down at the tie I’d chosen I envisioned Amber’s reaction. Her blue eyes would roll as she turned down her full lips.
“Not that horrible striped tie again! I’ve told you, Ash, that tie is something my grandfather would wear!”
I chuckled as I hopped into my sleek black Aston Martin to head into the office.
Upon arrival, Amber was standing anxiously outside my office. This is never a good sign. When something was upsetting her, she would start to pace.
“Amber, what’s wrong? It’s been such a beautiful morning so far. Can you believe this weather? I didn’t even need a sweatshirt for my morning run!” Armed with a fake smile, I rushed by her into my office.
As usual, she followed me.
“Ash, we’ve got a problem. Have you talked to Jeremy yet?”
I shook my head as she handed me a cup of coffee. Two sugars, a dash of cream with a bit of vanilla just the way I liked it.
Amber’s beautiful face wrinkled with worry. She was dressed impeccably in a blue dress that showed a touch of her deep cleavage and showcased her perfect legs.
Rushing back to her desk, she grabbed a copy of the Wall Street Journal.
“I’m guessing you haven’t seen this yet then.”
Taking the paper, I scanned the headlines. There on the front page!
“What the fuck is this?” Furious, I slapped the paper on the desk.
Biting her lip, Amber nodded.
“It’s bad, I know. That stock won’t be worth anything by tomorrow. All that work we did.”
I leaned back in my leather executive chair. It squeaked whenever I did that. I’d have to remind Amber about it.
“I’ll call and have maintenance take a look at your chair.”
See, she always knew.
Cupping my hand to my face, I shook my head.
Finishing my coffee, I stood up and grabbed my briefcase.
“Ash, where are you going?” Amber looked at me curiously.
“I’ve got to go see a guy about a thing,” I smirked at her.
Amber crossed her arms beneath her breasts and shook her head.
After whipping around the streets of Manhattan, I tossed the valet my keys. I raced to catch the elevator to the 23rd floor.
Walking into the lavish offices of Grayson Bantham, I felt Pierce Grayson’s secretary’s eyes lingering on me.
“Hello, Mr. Blackthorne, what brings you here today? I don’t believe Pierce has you on his schedule.”
I flashed her a winning smile. She blushed and averted her eyes. I knew how much she admired me. She and Amber attended the same Pilates class. Once, Amber disclosed to me how much of a crush she had on me. I was flattered, but the fifty year old reminded me a bit too much of my own mother.
My mother.
Just the thought of her was enough to send me over the edge. I brushed those thoughts aside as I spotted Pierce Grayson emerging from his office.
“Ash! How nice of you to come by. I must apologize though as I’m heading out for the day.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. That slick bastard thought he could pull one over on me.
Pierce was a young, fast-talking Wall Street player. He thought because his father owned the firm he could do whatever he wanted. He had just graduated last year with an MBA from Harvard. He thought it made him a financial God.
Got a lot to learn, little boy.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Grayson, looks like you’re going to have to cancel that last minute golf game.”
He stared at me for a moment. I could feel his beady eyes boring into my head. His pathetic attempts at intimidation would never work on me or anyone older than thirteen.
“I wish I could stay and chat Ash, but I’ve got to go.” He sidestepped me toward the elevator.
Grabbing a folder from my briefcase, I slapped it into his hand.
“We have to talk. It’s about Vitalife.”
With that, he stopped and opened the folder I’d handed him. His secretary, Felicia looked worried.
His face paled.
“What the hell is going on, Ash?”
“That’s what I want you to tell me.”
Grayson motioned for me to follow him back to his office.
“What I want to know is who the fuck is behind this? You must know, Grayson. Only you and I had this information. After all the work we did why are you fucking this up?”
Grayson leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his head. He cracked a slow smile.
“Honestly, Ash, I don’t know.”
“Oh, bullshit!”
“Seriously, you know as much as I do about this deal. These stock prices are going to be worthless now. I can’t imagine who leaked this or why.”
I scanned his eyes. They looked as clueless as they usually do, but this time I sensed it may be genuine.
“You really don’t know? Did you tell anyone else? A partner perhaps?”
He pursed his lips and shook his head.
“Ash, I may despise you, but I wanted this deal as much as you did.”
“Enough to do whatever you had to do to ensure it went your way.” I prompted. I gazed around his office. It was lavish
to be sure. I guess having your father own the company has its perks.
“It wasn’t me. Now look it’s a done deal as far as I’m concerned. Nevertheless, we can get Goodman on the phone there’s nothing else we can do.”
“Bullshit. I’ll handle this myself. But one thing’s for sure if I can fix this then you’re out.” I stood up adjusting my tie.
“Fuck you, Ash. My name’s on that deal same as yours. There’s not a fucking thing you can do to change that.”
I laughed.
“You amuse me, Grayson, really you do. Thanks for the laugh, but when I’m through my name’s going to be the only one on that deal. If you don’t like it, call my lawyer.”
With that, I stormed out of his office laughing to myself at his frustrated face. That alone was worth the trip down there.
2
The day had begun with such promise. Then I’d gotten the bad news that someone had purchased shares in the company I wanted buying and they were making that stock tank. But I thought that perhaps the day could still be salvaged.
Looking up from my desk, I noticed Amber had already left for the day. The clock said 8:00 pm. It was unusual for her to leave before 9:00 pm. Walking over to my makeshift bar in my office, I poured a glass of scotch from the crystal decanter.
Leaning back in my chair, I sipped the scotch thinking about how to win this deal away from Grayson and figure out who bought that stock in the first place.
As I sat deep in thought, Amber poked her blonde head around the corner.
“Hey, Amber, I thought you’d left for the day.”
She sashayed over to me her cleavage slightly jiggling beneath her blouse.
“Can’t get rid of me that easily. Why don’t you pour me a drink and I’ll keep you company for a bit?” I poured Amber a drink. As she reached over to take the glass, her breasts spilled towards my face. I felt an immediate stiffening in my pants.
“Thank you,” she smiled, winking at me.
“So, did you find out anything from Grayson? Did he put someone up to buying that stock?”
I shook my head. My gaze shifted to her long delicious legs. Her high heel swung casually up and down.
“He claims he had nothing to do with it.”
“Do you believe him?”
I laughed finishing my scotch.
“I shouldn’t, but there was something about it that made me think he could possibly be telling the truth. He’s a snake, but he had a lot of money tied up in this deal. I don’t think he’d jeopardize his own firm.”
Amber nodded. She sipped her scotch slowly.
“You may be right. But who would buy that stock? They bought enough to block our takeover. That was done deliberately.”
“You’re right. I’ll have to keep looking. Don’t worry I’ll figure it out. I know everyone who’s anyone in this town and if they’re looking for a fight they’re in for one.” I slammed my glass down on the table. It cracked loudly, but didn’t break.
Amber began tracing the neckline of her blouse. Her fingers lightly brushing the top of cleavage. It drove me crazy when she did that. I think she knows that and yet still does it.
Willpower, Ash.
“So, what are you doing the rest of the night?” I asked her willing my erection to dissipate.
“I’ve got a date.”
I grimaced inwardly. Even though we’d never dated or gotten very intimate, I hated hearing about her dates. Those lucky bastards got to go where I wanted to go with her.
Not that I couldn’t if I wanted to, but I didn’t want to cross that boundary.
“That Jameson guy? The real estate mogul?”
Amber smiled and nodded. She brushed her long blonde hair back from her shoulders.
“Yes.”
“Getting pretty serious, aren’t you? It’s been what, three…four months?”
Amber sighed cradling her empty glass.
“Well, I think he wants it to be, but I’m not sure. He’s arrogant as hell. At first his confidence was attractive to me, but he acts like he owns me and nobody owns me.” Amber placed her glass on the table.
“No, they don’t. Listen, I know we agreed to stay out of each other’s personal lives---“
“Damn straight, Ash. Remember that horrid Sheila you were dating? Oh my God, if you knew the number of times I had to bite my tongue when she called you on the phone---“
I waved my hand at her.
“Yes, I know. Sheila was a bit psychotic.”
“Whatever happened to her?”
“I think she got a lovely room at Bedlam. Never mind her, but I think this guy knows he’s got a real catch in you and he wants to claim you as his. Now it’s up to you if that’s what you want, but frankly, you can do a hell of a lot better than him.”
Amber’s sensual lips turned down.
“You mean I could have you.”
I laughed and shook my head.
“No, I didn’t say that. I mean that you’re young, attractive, and intelligent with a great career.”
“Great boss?”
“That too. Amber, you have the world at your feet. Choose wisely. That’s all I’m going to say.”
Amber nodded stiffly.
Sensing her discomfort, I moved to her side. I could see straight down her blouse to her full luscious breasts. My erection raged again.
“Ash, thank you. I know how we both feel…and believe me, I want the same thing. But I love working for you and if we go there we can’t ever go back.”
She stood up as I did. We were inches from each other’s face. The desire to taste her sweet lips filled me. I ached to run my hands up her firm thighs to part her legs and feel the delectable wetness between them. I wanted to spin her around and lift her skirt and plant my hands firmly on her perfect ass. I wanted to take her right there in my office. To see her huge, high breasts bounce as I pounded her long and hard. I wanted to sink myself into her wetness and hear her moan with ecstasy.
But none of that happened.
It never did between us.
Softly, she planted a kiss on my cheek. I felt her lips for an instant and wished they were somewhere else on my body. I throbbed for her.
“Sorry, Ash, I think I’d better go before we do something we’ll both regret.”
After my encounter with Amber, I needed release. What better place to go then to one of my favorite after hours clubs.
Sapphire in New York had some of the hottest ladies in the world. Every time I went there I was escorted straight to the VIP room where even some well-known celebrities couldn’t gain admittance.
The VIP room at Sapphire was the gold standard of VIP rooms. Throughout my life I’ve enjoyed watching beautiful women at many clubs, but Sapphire had some of the best accoutrements I’d ever seen, with the exception of my own club in Vegas.
As soon as I arrived, a bottle of Macallan 25 was waiting for me along with a dozen of the club’s most beautiful women. I would make my selection and spend the evening watching several flawless women dance for me.
Of course, it went without saying I’d been to bed with several of these women. But lately that didn’t appeal to me. It was too much of a sure thing.
Tonight I felt like mingling at the bar. Many of the female patrons of the club were stunningly gorgeous. I wanted a challenge though, not a sure thing.
As I walked into the club, I waved away the bouncer who usually escorted me upstairs. Being a Friday night, the club was packed. Wall to wall bodies pressed against each other. Gorgeous women were everywhere. I walked over to the bar and ordered my usual Macallan.
“Sorry, sir, we don’t have Macallan 25 down here. We do have Macallan 12.”
I nodded my approval. The bartender passed the glass across the bar to me.
I tossed a hundred dollar bill to her.
“Keep the change, honey,” I smiled at her astonished face.
Sipping my scotch, I turned to my left and noticed a beautiful woman standing next to me. She wasn’t l
ooking in my direction rather she was speaking to a friend on the opposite side.
Covertly, I looked her up and down. Long honey blonde hair, legs that went on forever, she was a knockout. Casually, I sipped my drink as I waited for her to notice me. From my prior experience, I suspected that wouldn’t take long.
The music was pounding, colored lights flashing, as bodies contorted on the dance floor.
While I enjoyed my scotch, it wasn’t nearly as smooth as the Macallan 25 I normally imbibed. A flinty voice purred in my ear.
“So, how long are you going to stand there acting like you aren’t sneaking peeks down my dress?”
I turned to gaze at the lovely blonde. She wasn’t looking directly at me rather she was facing the dance floor her back and arms casually leaning against the bar.
I smirked. Smooth opening, I was impressed.
“Miss, you are quite striking and I’m sure that’s been your experience for men to fall at your feet, but going head over heels for any woman-that’s not my style.”
“Oh really? Then you haven’t been glancing my way for the past half hour?”
I laughed. She was smart. I sensed the challenge I’d been looking for about to fall into my lap. Literally.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, Miss--?”
“—Sinclaire. Samantha Sinclaire.”
“Samantha Sinclaire of S & G Publications?”
She turned to face me smiling.
“Yes, the very same one. And to whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with?”
“Ash Blackthorne.”
I saw her eyes flash briefly with recognition. She knew who I was.
“Oh yes, you’re Ash Blackthorne of Goldstein and Blackthorne, one of the best investment banking firms in the world. Wow, I really get to meet you in person.”
I ignored her obvious sarcasm as I gazed at her deep cleavage pushed up against the fabric of her snug red dress.
Obsessed Page 16
