I looked away, unable to stand the pity in her eyes. “She was sleeping around.”
“I’m sorry.”
I shrugged. “I’m not.”
I’d rather not be with someone who was willing to spread her legs for anyone with the right amount of money in the bank. I should have seen her for what she was—what most of the women whom I ultimately pursued were—gold diggers. But unfortunately I tended to be blinded by the false persona they all had presented upon our first time meeting.
Thinking about it now, I realized what shitty taste I had in women.
She sighed, returning to the topic on hand, “Have you considered anyone here from the office?”
Yes, because I’m going to be thinking of the fucking Gala and a replacement date immediately after a breakup. Sure, time was running out, but damn it, couldn’t a guy catch a break? Shoving back my rebellious thoughts, I shrugged. “No. I hadn’t considered bringing anyone at all.”
A conspiratorial smile stretched her mouth wide, “Well, what about Penelope?”
I frowned at her suggestion, “Penny? As in my secretary?”
“Yes. I think she would make a fine date for the event.” I had to refrain from rubbing my face with a groan. Seriously, this again. It wasn’t the first time she had mentioned Penny as a future prospect. Hell, she had tried to get me to meet her before I even took over the position as CEO, but due to several previous women she had tried to introduce me to, I didn’t trust her judgement.
Not that my judgement was any better.
Of course, having met her and working with her for a long time, I knew that Penny was nothing like those other women.
Penny was… Penny. She was different.
From what I did know about the woman, she was all around better. She didn’t give off the vibe that she wanted money from me—or that she wanted to use me for what I could give her.
She seemed a little too good to be true, but I knew that there were good women out there.
“Mom,” I chided sharply, mostly out of habit than anything.
This meddling woman and her efforts at matchmaking. As if I wouldn’t be able to see what she was doing. I was only thirty-two years old, it’s not like I’m some spinster maid unable to meet people. Her efforts at getting me to settle down were quite irritating. I knew she meant well, but dammit man. I would settle down when I was ready—which thinking on it now, didn’t seem so bad.
If it was Penny.
Especially if it was Penny.
Not that I was going to tell my mother that little tidbit.
“What? You have someone else up your sleeve you were planning on asking?” She asked, her smile has a smugness to it that I didn’t appreciate in the slightest.
“Well, no.”
“Well then, you might wanna get to it, son. After all, she still has to say yes.”
Ugh! I hated it when she was right. “I guess it doesn’t hurt to ask.”
“Excellent. Get to it.”
It would be fine. It was just a date to the Gala. Nothing serious.
“Fine, fine.” I turned to leave before a thought hit me. Eyes wide, I glanced back at my mother. “What if she says no?”
I felt her vicious smile in my bones. “You better pray she doesn’t.”
* * *
???
I had to resist rolling my eyes at the squeals Gomez was making through the duct tape on her mouth.
Stupid human.
No one was around for miles to hear her anyway, so I’m not sure why she had to aggravate my nerves with her constant muted screams. I could feel a dull throb beginning to make itself known at my temples.
I eyed her as she squirmed on the ground, eyes wild like a trapped animal.
Which, I suppose, she was.
A smirk tugged at my lips.
“You know, we wouldn’t be here if you had just… minded your own business,” I informed her with a sigh, pushing off of the tree that I had been leaning against. She choked on her spit as I took a step towards her, inching back as best she could. It wasn’t easy—what with the duct tape imprisoning her hands behind her back and all.
I gave her a small shake of my head, muttering, “But it’s too late for that now.” A shrill—though muffled—scream escaped her before it was abruptly cut off with a bullet to the brain.
FOUR
Penelope
“Is everything alright, Sir?” I inquired after a moment of watching Vincent stumble for words. While I found the display quite amusing, I would like to actually get some work done.
This morning had been unusually tense between us. Completely on Vincent’s side—because I can’t recall anything happening to cause it. Every time he called me into his office, he seemed surprised to see me, and would open and close his mouth several times only to look like a fish gasping for breath. He definitely was off, whatever it was. The last time, it looked like he was about to have a panic attack or something. I even contemplated between calling an ambulance or his mother, but eventually just pushed the thought away when his condition didn’t worsen.
He eyed me for a moment, playing with his pen for a moment before deliberately setting it down on the desk and standing. “... I have something I need to ask of you, Penny.”
I pressed the files I held to my chest. “Yes, sir?”
After a long moment, he finally asked, “Do you have plans tonight?”
I narrowed my eyes at him, shrugging nonchalantly. “Not really.”
“So you’re free then?”
I eyed him with suspicion. Where was he going with this? I could use some overtime, I silently mused as I regarded the man in front of me. But I doubt it’s something as simple as that. “I can be.”
He swallowed hard, his adam’s apple bobbing with the movement, looking away from me abruptly before murmuring, “I need a date.”
“To wha-'' It abruptly came to me then.
The Gala.
Oh hell no.
Before I even knew what I was doing, I started for the door, barely registering him sprinting after me while I attempted to put this whole… experience behind me. “No. No, I’m not going. Nope.”
“Come on, Penny. Be nice to me,” he pleaded, placing a hand on my shoulder.
Shrugging him off, I rounded on him. I was full of fury and fighting to rein in the flames that were dancing under my skin, begging for their freedom. “Are you out of your mind?”
He shook his head. “No. Just do this for me, please?”
“Why couldn’t you wait to break up with Melanie?” I demanded, irate that this was even happening.
This was not a part of my job description, damnit. Neither one of them. He looked away, shrugging.
After a moment, he huffed, “I wouldn’t even be going if I didn’t have to. Please, Penny.”
“Can’t you take someone else?” I pleaded. He was a billionaire and a CEO of a wildly successful company. Surely he could find a date. It wasn’t like he was lacking in that department. There always seemed to be an abundance of women that wanted him.
He was an attractive man, this shouldn’t even be an issue.
“There isn’t anyone else. You’re the only one I could trust with this.”
I shook my head roughly, dark curls shifting with the movement. “It’s not all that hard to find a date. It’s a dance.”
“It is not just a dance, Penelope. And you know that,” he replied, voice hard.
“It’s not happening,” I informed him but before I could reach the door, he blocked the exit with his massive frame, effectively trapping me in the office with him. While I knew I had the ability to make him move, I couldn’t just reveal the fact that I was a highly trained Agent for no reason.
Part of me wanted to let loose and do everything in my power to get him out of my way, to hell with it all. Another, smaller part told me to think this through. There would be repercussions to an attack on the CEO, both with my job here and the Agency.
“Penelope, please.�
�
I shook my head and turned my back to him, refusing to even look at him. It might have been childish of me but I found myself wanting to crouch into a ball, and plug my ears. But I didn’t because I was above such childish behaviors. I was an adult and I could talk things out and reason.
“Please.”
I swallowed, glancing at him briefly from over my shoulder. After a moment, I sighed, turning back to him. “Why? Why does it have to be me?”
“I have to have a date. The optics… well, it would look better for me and the company if I had a date. And you… well, you’re perfect.”
I sniffed, crossing my arms. “How? I’m not exactly the arm candy that your ex was.”
“Penelope, you’re gorgeous,” he lifted a hand at me to stop me from protesting, “You’re gorgeous and you’re nothing like Melanie. That’s why I need you. If I want to improve the public’s opinion of me as CEO, I need someone like you by my side. Not someone like Melanie.”
I could feel my heart catch in my throat at his words, though I’m fairly certain he was pulling them out of his ass, my cheeks heating up like I was some school girl or something. I don’t think I could recall a time in which someone had ever called me gorgeous. But I couldn’t dwell on it. I wouldn’t dwell on it because it would only lead me to heartbreak. No, I knew when I signed on to the Agency, my life would most likely be solitary.
And I was okay with that. I had to be okay with that.
With a shake of my head, I pushed those thoughts back to the depths of my mind where they belonged.
I heaved a heavy sigh, feeling resigned to my fate. Besides, my task with the Agency wasn’t done just yet so I had to keep up appearances as his secretary and as such, that meant making him look good as CEO.
“I… yes.” I bit out before I could talk myself out of it, worrying my lip between my teeth.
“So you’ll do it?” He asked, taking a step toward me, a half smile tugging at his lips.
“I said yes, didn’t I?” I snapped, eyes flashing with irritation, though with what, I wasn’t sure. “Don’t make me change my mind.”
I was regretting this already.
* * *
I shouldn’t have allowed Vincent to talk me into this.
Honestly.
I didn’t even have a dress to wear for an event like this.
But Vincent—as he had instructed me to call him, if only for this evening—had anticipated this and had given me his credit card and the rest of the day off so I could prepare for this evening's events.
I shuddered just thinking about it.
The Gala. An event only for the upper echelons. These people were the richest of the rich. And I was going to have to mingle with them, pretending I was some rich heiress or something.
“What the hell was I thinking, caving in?” I muttered to myself under my breath as I stood in front of Serendipity, the dress boutique Johanna had recommended upon learning that I would be in attendance at the Gala. I honestly couldn’t find it within myself to walk inside.
At a text alert notification, I dug my phone out of my pocket.
Have you found a dress yet?
A flash of irritation ran through me as I replied, No.
You do know that the Gala starts in a few hours, right?
“I’m not stupid, of course I know,” I gritted out loud, more to myself than anything.
And I’m assuming you might want to get your hair done, he texted again before I could formulate a response to his last text.
I’m working on it. I’ll let you know as soon as I pick something out, I stabbed out. Sheesh. Placing the phone on vibrate to hinder any more distractions, I willed my feet to move forward. It was a struggle, but I was able to trudge inside.
At my appearance, the sales clerk—human and harmless, my instincts informed me—glanced up from some magazine and gave me a one over. “Can I help you?”
“I need a dress. I was recommended to this shop by Ms. Abbott-Seif.” At the name drop, her pale eyes lit up like she was a child being told that Christmas was coming early.
“Well, I would be delighted to assist you in any way I can, ma’am,” she informed me with a bright smile, slipping out from behind the counter to lock the door.
And let the torture begin, I mused as I followed her through the store, eyes widening at the different gowns that lined the walls of the store. There were so many to choose from, I wasn't sure how I was going to narrow it down to just one.
She stopped abruptly in front of a dressing room, ushering me inside.
"I don't want to assume, but is this for the Gala Charity Ball?" She inquired, giving me a once over.
"Yes.” There was no sense in hiding it.
"You must like to play with fire, waiting until the last minute like this," she teased, motioning for me to spin around.
I did so, muttering, "I didn't even know I was going until like thirty minutes ago."
"Well, you're cutting it close, but lucky for you I'm a professional. I got you." A hint of an accent slipped through her drawl, peaking my curiosity—she sounded northern.
“Thank you.”
“So, was there anything in particular you’re looking for? Silhouette? Color? A specific fabric in mind?”
I flushed. Why did it have to sound so complicated? “No. Not really.” I eyed her, crossing my arms. “I just don’t want to look like a clown or something.”
“Of course not! Don’t worry, you’ll be the talk of the town.” At my look, she added, “In a good way.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
FIVE
Vincent
I had insisted on picking her up and not just because her car wasn’t suited for the event we were going to be attending—though it did play a part in the decision—and I didn’t want her to worry about anyone trying to look down upon her. It was mostly because I didn’t trust her to not back out on me. It had been a fight to get her to agree in the first place, it wouldn’t do to have her “come down” with a bug.
Though, I was rethinking the limo when we arrived in her neighborhood—there wasn’t much maneuverability through the street and it stuck out like a sore thumb.
It was more along the lines of safety that bothered me. How Penny could live here, in one of the poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods in the city, I couldn't begin to understand. It wasn't like she wasn't paid well. Clearly not nearly enough from the looks of it.
I'm going to have to look into getting her another pay raise. Hell, I probably need to reevaluate all of my employee’s pay. I mused to myself as I exited the limo. I gave my driver leave to circle the block before I wandered up the stairs to her apartment.
A frown appeared at the slight give in them. I made sure to maneuver carefully to keep from taking a tumble as I reached the second floor landing.
I knew which one was hers from scent alone, able to follow it all the way to the end of the hall. I had barely finished knocking before she was pulling the door open.
And what a sight she was to behold.
Penny was wearing an elegant royal blue ball gown that flared out at her hips. The sweetheart neckline was molded to her generous breasts and tailored to fit the rest of her curvaceous body perfectly. Her black locks were curled into loose ringlets, the top half pulled back from her face.
I swallowed hard at the sight of her and was definitely regretting my previous choice of not taking my mother up on her offers to meet Penelope before I’d become CEO. Not that she was any less beautiful any other time I’d seen her.
I wanted nothing more than to unwrap her like the gift that she was.
Damn, was I missing out.
After a moment, I took notice that she was looking at me expectantly, and I cleared my throat feeling heat creeping up my neck. “Penny, you’re looking absolutely stunning this evening.”
She flushed, stammering out, “T-thank you, Sir. You look nice too.”
“Just nice?” I inquired, lifting a brow in amusement as I felt m
y nervousness fade into the background.
She scoffed, “You shouldn’t fish for compliments. It’s a little pathetic.”
I rubbed at my chest, muttering, “Ouch. Way to hurt a man’s feelings, there.”
“I’m certain you’ll be fine. So, are you ready?” She asked, eyeing me as she shrugged a shawl around her bare shoulders.
“Waiting on you, my dear Penny.”
She rolled her eyes before stepping out of the—from what I could tell—small apartment and locked the door. “Well, I won’t make you wait any longer.”
“After you.”
Thankfully by the time we made it down to the street, my driver was just then rounding the block with my limo.
“A limo. Really?”
I shrugged, a small smirk twitching to life. “Yes.”
“I didn’t realize we were going to prom,” she snarked, more to herself than anything, sarcasm dripping in her tone.
I heard her, of course. “Haha.”
She had the decency to flush at her slip.
Once the vehicle pulled up to the curb, I opened the door for Penny, sliding in behind her.
As the vehicle pulled out, I said, “I would like to thank you, once again, for agreeing to come as my date, Penny.”
She nodded almost absently before jolting and began digging through her purse, “Oh, that reminds me.” She rummaged through her wallet and pulled out the credit card I’d given to her earlier today. “Here you go.”
I nodded, shoving it into my jacket pocket for safe keeping. “Thank you.”
She went back to staring at the passing scenery before murmuring, “I’ll pay you back, Sir.”
I scoffed at the offer. “You don’t have to do that, Penny.”
“Still, I would feel more comfortable if I paid you back, Sir.”
To say that I was getting fed up with her calling me Sir would be an understatement. Nothing I’d said over the last few months had ever gotten her to stop using the title and it was quite frustrating. And since she was my date for the evening, I’d rather she didn’t slip up and refer to me as such at the Gala. After mulling it over, I hatched an idea.
Undercover Secretary (Supernatural Society Book 1) Page 3