by Sandi Lynn
“Believe me, darling, he wants more than that.”
“I hope he does.” I winked.
Wes
My driver, Frank, pulled up to Anna’s building and I climbed out of the car. There was no way she could afford a place like this on a personal assistant’s salary. But then again, she did say she was living with her best friend. I walked into the building, told the doorman who I was, and took the elevator up to the eleventh floor. When I stepped out, I walked down the hallway until I found apartment 1120. After knocking on the door, it opened, and a man stood there and stared at me from head to toe.
“Well, hello there.” He smiled. “You must be Wes. I’m Franco, Anna’s bestie.” He extended his hand.
“It’s nice to meet you, Franco.” I shook his hand.
“Please, step into our humble abode.”
“Thank you.” I stepped inside and looked around.
“Anna will be down in a minute.”
“Your apartment is great,” I spoke. “Do you mind if I ask what you do?”
“I don’t mind at all. I’m a designer and I run and own Stiles Industries. In fact, I made Anna’s wedding dress. Oops. Maybe I shouldn’t have told you that. Oh well, she won’t mind. Let me show you.”
He grabbed his phone from the table and handed it to me. I gulped when I saw her picture.
“Wow. You made that?”
“I did and I made her veil. Isn’t she delicious?”
“You’re very talented.”
“Thank you.” He grinned. “I’m also designing Jules Warren’s wedding gown.”
“Really?” I cocked my head.
“Franco, what are you doing?” Anna asked as she walked down the stairs in a stunning black and silver short dress.
“Nothing.” He grabbed his phone from my hand.
She shot him a look and then a beautiful smile graced her lips as she turned and looked at me.
“Hello. You look stunning.” I grinned.
“Hi. Thank you. Are you ready to go?” she asked.
“I am. After you.” I placed my hand on the small of her back. “It was nice to meet you, Franco.”
“The pleasure was all mine, Wes. You two have fun.”
Chapter 11
Anna
Wes made a reservation for two at Le Bernardin. When we stepped inside the elite French restaurant, the young blonde hostess seated us at a quiet table in the corner for two.
“Good evening, Mr. Carter. May I start you and the lovely lady off with something from our drink menu?”
“Good evening, Enzo.”
“I’ll have a neat martini, please,” I said with a smile.
“And I’ll have the same,” he spoke.
“So what did you think of Franco?” I asked.
“He seems very nice and I can tell he cares for you a lot.”
“He’s my best friend. Honestly, I don’t know what I’d do without him.” I picked up my glass of water and brought it to my lips.
“On a more serious note, tell me how you wormed your way into being my personal assistant? I’ll be honest, Anna, I have trust issues when it comes to women and knowing that you sent in a fake resume raises some red flags for me.”
I sat there for a moment and narrowed my eye at him. Okay. I could understand his concern.
“Well then, we both have something in common. You don’t trust women and I don’t trust men. But, if you want the truth, I had to run Franco’s sketchbook over to his studio yesterday, and when I arrived, Jules was there. She was going on and on how she was on a time crunch because she had to find a replacement for you. Franco opened his big mouth and created the story of how I worked for Mr. Baker. Then, before I knew it, she gave me her business card and told me to send over my resume. So Franco had his criminal cousin, Lars, make a fake resume with fake references and I sent it over and she hired me. Trust me, I had no intention of getting a job so soon. It all happened so quickly.”
He sat there with a narrowed eye and listened intently to every word I spewed at him.
“So then you don’t have any personal assisting or office experience at all?” he asked.
Moment of truth.
“Oh no, I have a lot of ‘corporate’ experience. But I’m usually the one sitting in the big office with the personal assistant.”
“What?” he asked with confusion.
Enzo brought our drinks and proceeded to take our dinner order. After he walked away, I took in a deep breath and extended my hand to Wes.
“I’m Anna Young, Chief Operating Officer of Young Vine Enterprises. I graduated from Harvard with an MBA and was valedictorian of my graduating class.”
He slowly placed his hand in mine as a look of shock swept over his face.
“As in Young Vine Wines?” he asked.
“Yep. That’s the one.” I threw back my martini. “Except now, I’m just Anna Young. My father fired me because I didn’t marry Matthew. In fact, he did it that night I was with you.”
“I’m sorry, Anna. I don’t understand. You’re his daughter. Why would he do that? Why would he choose him over you?”
“If you knew my father, you would understand. It doesn’t matter. I knew if I left Matthew standing at that altar, there would be no going back. He hired Matthew to groom him to be my right-hand man when he retired from the company. He took him under his wing and called him the son he never had. You know what, I need another martini.”
“Of course.”
Wes held up his finger, got our waiter’s attention, and ordered two more martinis.
“Why are you taking a job as a personal assistant?” he asked. “You are so enormously over qualified.”
“I didn’t plan on it. Like I said, it just happened. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. But Franco knows I get bored easily, so he thought it would be a good idea since it was only temporary. Now, on to you, Mr. Carter. Why don’t you trust women?” I grinned.
“I’m not finished asking the questions, Miss Young. So your father cut you out of the company completely?”
“Yep.” I sipped my martini. “Technically, I quit. I knew the moment I got on that plane to Paris, I was done.”
“But why? Didn’t you like working there? If I recall, I read an article once about Young Vine and the company has been in your family for generations.”
“You’re right. It has been. I liked working there but not with my father.”
“And what about your mother? What does she have to say about all this? I noticed you haven’t mentioned her.”
“I don’t talk about my mother and for good reason. She’s not a part of my life. She never has been, and she never will be.”
“I’m sorry,” he softly spoke.
“Don’t be. She’s a subject I don’t talk about.” I looked down as I could feel my eyes start to swell with tears.
Damn it. I was stronger than this.
Enzo walked over and set our plates down in front of us.
“Is there anything else I can get for you?” he asked.
“I think we’re good, Enzo.” Wes gave him a smile.
“Now it’s your turn to answer some of my questions,” I spoke.
“Fair enough. Go right ahead and I’ll do my best to try and answer them.”
Something told me he was going to pick and choose what he would and would not answer.
Chapter 12
Wes
“Wait. Before you start bombarding me with questions, I have one more,” I said as I picked up my fork.
“Fine. One more it is.” She smiled.
“Why don’t you trust men?”
Her brow sexily arched as she stared into my eyes.
“Why don’t you trust women?”
“I asked you first,” I spoke.
“I’ll tell you when you tell me.”
“Well, I’m not ready to tell you. So I guess you can keep your secret as well. Besides me not trusting women, what else do you want to know?”
“Tell m
e about your childhood,” she said.
“My father started Carter Capital a few years before I was born. My parents raised me with the intention that I would take over the family business when my father retired. Last year, on my thirty-first birthday, my father had a heart attack.”
“I’m sorry, Wes.”
“Thanks.” I smiled. “It was pretty serious. He had to undergo a quadruple bypass and I took over while he was recovering. Once he was fully recovered, he told me that he and my mother talked about it and he was going to retire and leave me to run the company. He said his heart attack was a wakeup call and that he had a lot he wanted to do and see before he died. So my parents decided to travel the world and they have been doing it for the past seven months. In fact, I had just seen them when I was in Paris.”
“Wow. Just the fact that your parents are still together is amazing,” she said.
I let out a chuckle. “Yeah. I guess so.”
“Let me guess. You’re a Yale man.”
The corners of my mouth curved upwards. “No. I graduated from INSEAD.”
“In France?” she asked with surprise.
“Yes.” I lightly laughed. “They have an excellent Executive MBA program.”
“So I’ve heard. I’ve just never actually met anyone who has graduated from there. Congratulations, Mr. Carter.” She held up her glass.
“Why thank you, Miss Young.” I lightly tapped my glass against hers with a smile.
“So,” she took the last sip of her martini, “why don’t you trust women?”
“Why don’t you trust men?” I raised my brow.
“Oh come on, Wes. Humor me. Tell me your dirty little secrets. I know you have some. There’s no way a rich, corporate, sexy man like yourself is still single for a reason.”
“Is that all that matters to you? Rich, corporate, and sexy?” I asked.
She studied me with a narrowed eye for a few moments as she brought her fork up to her mouth. She was trying to figure me out just like I was trying to figure out her. She had mommy and daddy issues big time. That much I could tell. She was gorgeous and very smart. But there was something off about her, and it was something I was going to find out.
“No. Maybe the sexy part.” She smiled. “What’s really important is what’s inside. I like a man who is sweet, but not sickening sweet. I hate ass kissers. A man who works hard and isn’t afraid to take risks. He must be sensitive, but not too sensitive. That’s just fucking annoying. He must be kind and have a heart of gold.”
“Was your ex all of those?” I daringly asked.
“He was just annoying all around.”
I let out a chuckle as I slipped my credit card into the billfold. After I signed the receipt, Anna and I walked out of the restaurant and climbed into the back of my town car.
“When we get back to my apartment, would you like to come up? Franco made this amazing cheesecake for me and I have yet to cut into it.” She smiled.
“I’d love to.” I grinned.
When we entered her apartment, Franco didn’t seem to be home. I took my coat off and set it down on the chair in the living room.
“Franco isn’t here?” I asked.
“No. He’s not coming home tonight.”
“By the way, I forgot to say thank you for the present you left me in my suitcase.” A smirk crossed my lips as I placed my hands on her hips.
“You’re welcome. I thought it would be a nice memory of the night we had together. A little something to remember me by since we were never going to see each other again.” Her arms wrapped around my neck.
“But look at us now.” My lips softly brushed against hers. “We did see each other again.”
“We sure did.” She smiled.
“Shall we repeat the night we had in Paris?” I asked.
“Definitely.”
She brought her lips to mine and my already semi-hard cock grew even harder. I couldn’t wait to fuck her again. It was all I’d thought about since I’d been back in New York. I bent down and swooped her up in my arms, carrying her up the stairs.
“Which bedroom?” I asked as I broke our kiss.
“Last door on the left.”
My hands gripped her hips as I thrust in and out of her from behind. Sexual moans escaped her lips as an orgasm tore through her. This was our fourth position and I’d held back as long as I could. I thrust one last time and held her against me as I exploded inside her, moaning with pleasure as my cock spasmed. I lowered my head and placed my lips on her shoulder as I tried to regain my breath. I pulled out of her and disposed of the condom while she climbed out of bed and slipped into her black silk short robe.
“Cheesecake?” She grinned.
“I’d love a piece.”
“I’ll be right back,” she spoke.
Chapter 13
Anna
My body was still on fire as the feeling of him still inside me radiated. I had never been so sexually fulfilled as I was when I was with him. I went into the kitchen, cut two slices of cheesecake, and took them back up to the bedroom. I handed Wes his plate and then lay across the bed on my stomach and faced him with my plate in my hand.
“So, tell me why you don’t trust women.” I smiled.
“You’re cute.” He tapped my nose with his fork.
“Then answer me this. Do you trust me?”
“Oh my god. This is the best cheesecake I’ve ever had.”
“Right? Franco knows it’s my favorite. He’s quite a baker.”
“Do you think he’ll make me one?” Wes asked and I knew he was avoiding my question.
“If you ask him nicely. Now answer my question. Do you trust me?”
“No. Frankly, I don’t.”
“What? Why?” I cocked my head.
“Because you lied and sent in a fake resume.”
“Please. I told you exactly who I was when I found out I was working for you.” I pointed my fork at him. “I think I should get some points for that. I could have kept it a secret. But I didn’t. I was honest.”
“That is true. I guess I can give you a couple points for that.” A smirk fell upon his face.
“Do I get extra points for sharing my cheesecake with you? I don’t share with just anyone.”
His eye steadily narrowed at me as the corners of his mouth curved upwards.
“Fine. I’ll give you three extra points for sharing. But only because it’s so damn good.”
He set his empty plate on the nightstand and ran his finger across my lips.
“I better go. It’s really late and we both have work in the morning.”
“You can stay.” I bit down on my bottom lip.
“It’s tempting, but I won’t have time to run home before the office in the morning.”
“Okay.”
Disappointment rose inside me because I remembered how good it felt with his body tightly pressed against mine as we slept that night in Paris. We both got up from the bed. While he got dressed, I took the plates down to the kitchen.
“I had a good time tonight,” he spoke as his lips softly touched mine.
“So did I. Thank you for dinner.”
“Thank you for dessert.” He smiled. “I’ll see you in the morning.” His lips met mine one last time for the night.
“See you in the morning, Wes.”
He walked out the door and I let out a sigh. I’d only been in New York for two days and I already had a job and slept with a man. The same man that I hadn’t stopped thinking about since Paris.
The next morning, I stopped at Starbucks before work and grabbed myself and Tori a cup of coffee. Even though she didn’t deserve it, I wanted to play nice on the playground.
“Good morning, Tori,” I spoke with a smile as I set the coffee cup on her desk.
“What’s this for?” she asked with a snotty tone.
“I stopped at Starbucks on the way in and thought you’d like a cup of coffee.”
“I don’t drink coffee, only tea.”
She picked up the cup and handed it back to me.
“Noted.” I graciously smiled as I walked away. “Bitch,” I mumbled under my breath.
“Good morning,” Wes spoke without even cracking a smile as he walked past my desk.
“Good morning. I brought you in a cup of coffee.” I grinned.
“Thank you. I appreciate that. Come into my office so we can go over some things for today.”
I followed him into his office and shut the door. I was hoping he’d at least give me a morning kiss, but he didn’t. He just took his seat behind his desk and instructed me to sit down.
“Don’t I at least get a kiss?” I smirked.
“Not in the office, Anna. I don’t want rumors started.”
“So are we just to pretend that there’s nothing going on between us?”
He sat there and steadily narrowed his eye at me.
“There is nothing going on between us,” he said. “We fucked a few times. That’s it.”
Wow. Where was this coming from?
“You’re right. I didn’t mean it any other way than that,” I spoke.
“Every year, Carter Capital puts on an event for people who want to start a business to attend with the hopes of us investing in their company. We run an ad and accept the first one hundred people with a business plan who respond. We only choose one to invest in. I need you to start putting that event together. Chrissy should have a file in the cabinet by your desk with all the information. You need to book the venue and make all the arrangements for the food and put the ad together.”
“Okay. That’s great that the company does that for people.”
“It’s something my father started. It gives someone with a dream of becoming a business owner a chance in the community.”
“I’ll get started on it now,” I spoke as I got up from my seat. “By the way, when is the event? Next month, two months?”
“Two weeks from tomorrow.”
“Seriously? Why am I just finding out about this now?”