by Kira Blakely
Ashton didn’t try and argue that point, which was just as well because Dawson would have called him out on it. They’d been friends for almost two decades, both of them being raised in the foster system, and both of them having an equally similar contempt for members of the opposite sex. That’s where the similarities between the two men ended though, because whereas Ashton wanted to be proven wrong and was almost desperate to find the woman who could provide that proof, Dawson, on the other hand, was convinced that no such proof could or would ever be found. He was sick of only ever finding women who couldn’t seem to show him otherwise.
He pushed back the mental picture of Alexa that popped into his head. He was damn sure that she would turn out to be exactly the same as the rest of them, so he needed to stop fantasizing about what she would be like outside of the working environment. There was just something about her that he couldn’t quite put his finger on, and for the first time in a long time, he felt curious, and more than a little hopeful that maybe she would be the woman who would prove all of his conceptions wrong.
Unbeknownst to him, while he was thinking about her, Alexa was busy trying not to think about him. She really wanted to do well in this job and was trying to take in and memorize everything she was being taught, but she couldn’t get the mental sound of his gruff voice out of her head. It was like liquid sex in her ears, and it was driving her crazy. She’d never been so drawn to a man before in her life, and even though she knew that nothing would or could ever come of it, the feelings were enough to make her almost wish that she had met him some place other than at work, and that he wasn’t her boss.
As lunchtime approached, she was more than a little grateful when one of the office girls came to the reception desk and invited her to lunch with a few of the other women who worked there. “We’re going to a small café just down the road. It’s only about a five-minute walk, so we go there a lot because we don’t have to rush. It’s way better than using the break room here, and you’ll get to meet a few more of us, too, which is always a good thing when you work in a place as big as this.”
Alexa didn’t usually like to mingle with people she didn’t know, but she actually enjoyed her lunch and learned quite a lot about the inner workings of the company at the same time. In particular, her attention was caught when the subject of the conversation turned to none other than their boss, Dawson James, and Alexa’s ears pricked up as she leaned in closer to take in what was being said.
She couldn’t quite hear everything that was being said because she was at the other end of the table with a handful of people between her and the few women who were talking. But phrases such as, ‘She said he’s the best lover she’s ever had,’ and ‘I’d happily commit adultery for just one night in his bed,’ let her know that she wasn’t the only one who had a bit of a crush on Dawson.
“Yeah, but he’s an arrogant bastard who’ll fuck you once and then totally ignore you afterwards. Just ask Donna from personnel and Rachael from finance, and they’ll both tell you the same thing.”
Her heart sank at that. It looks like you were right to be wary of him, Lexi, she thought.
“Yeah, he took Donna to a really expensive restaurant, wined and dined her, then took her back to his place where they had sex all night, and he hasn’t wanted anything to do with her since.”
The girls carried on talking with Alexa listening unashamedly. “I guess he thinks that spending money on her for their night out was all it would take for her to fall into bed with him.” There was a general nodding of heads around the table. “And, let’s be honest, he’s probably right.” There was a murmur of laughter that Alexa didn’t participate in. She couldn’t think of anything that she would ever let a man buy her body with, regardless of who he might be or how much he intrigued her.
The small group headed back to the office after lunch, and Alexa’s mind and stomach were both full. It felt as though a million and one things were clamoring through her brain all at the same time, and the majority of thoughts were to do with her boss. Was he really as bad as they’d said, or need she remind herself that there were two sides to every story and all anyone had heard were the opinions of the women he’d taken out. It could all be sour grapes because he hadn’t treated them the way they’d wanted to be treated for all she knew.
Yeah, and he could be the biggest user of all time and really did regard sex and women’s emotions as something he could buy off or toy with, she mused.
She got back to work and settled down with determination to finish off her first day on a positive note, and was grateful to find that Dawson James had left the office for the day to attend meetings and other business-related things that she had no idea about, nor did she care. She was just thankful that she wouldn’t have to see or talk to him again for the rest of the day. The afternoon went relatively quickly and she was surprised when she looked at the clock and realized that it was time to finish up for the day and go home.
6
BY THE TIME SHE GOT HOME, she was both exhausted and elated. She’d managed to make it through her first day without messing anything up and had met a few people who could become friends if she was there long enough to actually get to know them. And then there was Dawson, although she tried really hard not to think about him too much.
She was doing pretty good about keeping her thoughts from straying to him, too, until Laura asked the question that brought everything about him rushing back to the forefront of her mind. “Soooo, what’s he really like then?”
“Who?” She knew full well who her friend was referring to, but feigning ignorance might work. Right? Wrong.
Laura gave a laugh that was almost a sarcastic sneer. “Don’t give me that crap. You know exactly who I’m talking about.” She looked at Alexa and raised her eyebrows in a very maternally expectant way. “Dawson James, Lexi. Tell me about Dawson James. And don’t you dare try leaving anything out, because I’ll know by your face, young lady.”
Alexa could feel her face getting hot as she blushed at her friend’s words. Laura knew her all too well, so she really didn’t know why she’d even contemplated lying to her and telling her that she hadn’t met the man in question yet.
“He’s okay, I suppose.”
“Just okay, or drop-dead gorgeous okay?” It was clear that Laura wasn’t going to let the subject drop.
Giving an exaggerated sigh of resignation, Alexa sank down into one of the comfy chairs. “Laura, he is, without a doubt, the most gorgeous man I’ve ever met in my entire life.” She laughed as her friend gave a squeal of excitement. “He has eyes that you could literally drown in, and his body...oh my God, Laura. His body is to die for!”
“I knew it! I just knew it!” To say that Laura sounded smug was an understatement. “Wait! Don’t tell me anything else until I’ve poured us both a glass of wine.” She almost ran out of the living room, and Alexa breathed a heartfelt, yet temporary, sigh of relief. She knew that no matter how hard she tried to deny it, Laura was going to know that she was attracted to the man.
Her friend was back in no time, carrying two glasses and a full bottle of their favorite wine. She opened the bottle, poured them both a glass, and then sat down on the edge of the couch looking at Alexa intently. “Okay, I want to know all the details.”
“There’s nothing much to tell, really. He’s handsome in a rugged type of way, and he has a really fit body from what I could tell, although he had a suit on, so it was a little hard to judge.” She tried to sound as nonchalant as possible, but Laura wanted more detailed information.
“On a scale of one to ten, how handsome?” She was determined to get a more accurate account of Alexa’s opinion on her new boss.
Oh geez. She’s never going to give up on this, is she? Alexa blushed some more and gave up trying to hide the fact that she found Dawson incredibly handsome.
“Oh, I’d say he’s probably a twelve.” She blushed some more as Laura gave a ‘whoop whoop’ sound. “Seriously, Lau, he’s drop-dead go
rgeous. But it’s not all about looks, and from what I heard today, he can be a conceited asshole who uses his money to get what he wants – especially with women.”
“Well let’s face it, Lexi, wouldn’t we all do the same thing if we were as rich as he is? I mean, if you want something and you can afford to pay for it, then why shouldn’t you?” Alexa wasn’t really surprised at her friend’s perspective on it. After all, Laura was a typical party girl, and if she could get a man to pay for everything, she would have no qualms about it at all.
Shaking her head, Alexa tried to reason with her friend. “I can understand and even agree with that if it was just material things, Laura. But he does it with women, too. I’m not saying he pays for prostitutes or anything, but he treats women as objects, and as soon as he’s finished doing whatever he wants with them, then he doesn’t want anything more to do with them. It’s almost as though he just discards them like trash, and that’s just not right. Not in my book.”
“I’m assuming that you’ve heard all this from other women, correct?” Alexa nodded her head. “Have you not considered the fact that if what you’ve just told me is the truth and all of those women knew about it from the start, that they were just as bad as he is supposed to be? They obviously had no problems letting him treat them that way, otherwise they wouldn’t have gone out with him in the first place, so why is he considered the bad guy?”
Alexa let Laura’s words sink in before replying. Her friend did have a good point, but she was still unsure about the man in question. “It’s all immaterial anyway. He’d never look twice at someone like me, and even if he did, I wouldn’t be interested.”
Laura laughed out loud at that. “The hell you wouldn’t. You can’t tell me that if you had the chance to go out on a date with the man and with the prospect of spending a night in his bed, that you wouldn’t jump at it. Shit, Lexi, you’re only there temporarily anyway, so a fling with him would be perfect because you wouldn’t have to worry about seeing him again when the regular girl returns to work.” She laughed again as Alexa blushed some more. “Just the thought of it is getting you all hot and bothered.”
Even though the thought of having a night of unbridled passion with Dawson made her insides quiver, the fact that it would be meaningless to him sent chills of revulsion running through her veins. “No way, Laura. I can honestly say that doing something like that is the last thing on my list of to-dos.”
The debate rambled on through another glass of wine, with both women arguing over the whys and why-nots of Alexa hooking up with Dawson, until eventually Alexa threw in the towel, realizing that it didn’t matter what she said to Laura, she was never going to change her opinion of casual sex with a relative stranger.
“I need to get to bed, Lau. It’s been a long day, and I want to get into work early in the morning to give myself time to make sure I remember everything I learned today.”
The two women said goodnight, and Alexa headed off to her bedroom to spend the night tossing and turning in between having dreams of rampant sex with her new boss. She woke up the following morning feeling eager to start the day while at the same time feeling nervous about the possibility of seeing Dawson again. Hopefully, her reaction the previous day was just because she had never met him before, and with any luck there wouldn’t be a repeat performance today.
7
SHE WAS MORE than a little relieved when lunchtime came and she hadn’t had to see or talk to her boss once all morning, although she had to admit to herself that she was also a little disappointed. Every call she put through to his office had been answered by Sheila, and there had obviously not been any reason for him to come to the reception desk.
The afternoon was different though, and by the end of the day it was starting to feel as though Dawson was making any and every excuse under the sun to have to come and see her. Her nerves were on edge every time the phone rang in case it was somebody asking to be put through to his office, because he would answer the calls himself. It quickly became apparent that her reaction to him the day before wasn’t going to be a one-off occurrence, and Alexa was starting to get on her own nerves because of it.
For God’s sake, Lexi, will you get a grip on yourself? This is probably how it’s always been here, so stop feeling as though there may be an ulterior motive or that he’s seeking you out. She felt better after her pep talk to herself, and at the end of the day, she made her way home feeling a little more positive.
She became even more convinced that he wasn’t giving her any kind of special treatment as the following days progressed and she settled into the office routine. She discovered that during the morning hours, Sheila would deal with all of Dawson’s business. Then, during the afternoon, the man himself would take over. He was always friendly and courteous to her, and if on occasion she had the feeling he was flirting with her, she would just put it down to her overactive imagination and her lack of experience in dealing with men in general.
She ended the week feeling really good about her job and looking forward to the next few months there. She was actually a little disappointed that it was only a temporary position, but she was going to enjoy it while she could and make the most of the experiences and new skills she was learning.
She was finishing up her final task of the day on Friday just as Dawson came up to the reception desk.
“Hey there, Mr. James. Was there something you needed me for?” Her heart skipped its usual beat, but she ignored it because it happened every time she saw him.
“Are you ever going to drop the Mr. James crap and call me Dawson?” He gave her a mocking scowl that almost made her laugh out loud. “You always make me feel as though you’re talking to my father when you call me Mr. James, and I hate feeling that old.” He grinned at her this time, and Alexa couldn’t help but smile back at him as he joked with her.
She shook her head as she answered his question. “Probably not, in all honesty. Old habits are hard to break, and I was always taught to respect my elders and address them correctly.”
Oh my God, I did not just say that to him, she thought to herself as she realized what had come out of her mouth.
Dawson threw back his head and laughed out loud, much to her relief and mixed embarrassment as a few other employees turned to look. “Respect your elders, huh? I’ll have to remember that, young lady.” Alexa blushed beet red at his joke, but thankfully, he kept on talking before she could say anything else to embarrass herself further. “So, how did your first week go for you? I’ve been hearing some good things about you, but I just wanted to make sure that there were no issues or problems that you were having and that you’re getting any help you need.”
Alexa was pretty amazed that he’d actually thought to check on her like that. She was sure that not many employers did that to new staff – especially those on the lowest rung of the corporate ladder, and especially when they were billionaires who could get anyone to carry out the seemingly simple task of checking up on someone.
“I’m getting plenty of help. Mr. James, but thank you for asking.” Well that’s one for the books, she thought.
“You know I will break you of that eventually,” he said.
She raised her eyebrows inquisitively.
“You using my last name instead of my first.” He explained. “One of these days you’ll be calling me Dawson.”
Hell, one of these days, I hope you’ll be screaming ‘Dawson,’ he mused, before cutting off the errant thought and letting his imagination make him say something he’d regret. He had the feeling that she didn’t have much experience when it came to men, and the last thing he wanted to do was scare her off before he’d had a chance to break through the invisible barrier she’d erected around herself. Starting from next week, Sheila wasn’t going to be around as much while she made plans for her upcoming wedding, and Dawson fully intended to use that to his advantage with Alexa.
“Anyway, you have a great weekend, and don’t forget to ask if there’s anything I can do
to help. I’ll see you on Monday,” he said.
“You have a great weekend too, Mr. James.” She needn’t have bothered replying because he’d already turned and walked away, so her cheekiness was completely lost on him. She watched him exit the building and then turned her concentration back to finishing up her last task of the day before shutting down her computer and leaving herself.
8
LAURA HAD WANTED to go clubbing either Friday or Saturday night, but by the time Alexa got home, all she wanted to do was relax. The two women settled for a pizza and a bottle of wine instead, enjoying their lazy supper while they watched trashy television and talked about nothing in particular.
On Saturday, Alexa caught up with some of the chores that she’d neglected during the week, spending the day doing laundry and housework before going grocery shopping to replenish the dwindling supplies in the pantry. By the time Saturday evening rolled around, all she wanted to do was curl up and read a good book, much to the good-natured grumblings of Laura.
“I’m not stopping you from going out, Lau. I just don’t have the energy for it right now. I think I’m going to take a long, hot bubble bath and then curl up in bed to read.”
Laura shook her head sadly. “You know your trouble, Lexi? You’re getting old before your time. You need to let your hair down and have some fun once in a while.” She paused and then grinned mischievously. “Or maybe you just need to give that gorgeous boss of yours a call and get laid.” She ducked as Alexa threw a couch pillow at her, laughing as she made her way upstairs to get ready for a night on the town.
