The intense pull is too much for me to resist, even with my great arsenal of self-control techniques. The devil on my shoulder whispers to me, telling me to teach her everything she wants to learn. He says to let her be the guide and reassures me that Sophia will tell me when it gets too intense for her. He lies to me frequently and I can usually ignore him, but I have to admit to myself that this time I don’t want to ignore him. I want to take him at his word and bring her neck deep into my world.
Giving her my best smile, the one that always works on the ladies, I watch the pink creep up her face again. I know she likes what she sees and it spurs me on in my plans for her. “I’m glad to hear that, Sophia. You’re hired. Report here in two weeks at nine o’clock on Monday morning. Dana will get you set up with all the paperwork and then we will begin your training,” I explain and finish my sentence in my head, in more ways than one.
Sophia stands, grasps my hand in hers, and says, “Thank you so much, Mr. Powers. I am very much looking forward to working with you and learning everything you want to teach me.”
Score one point for Mr. Powers.
Chapter Two
Two weeks later, I arrive at my office very early. I’ve been working relentlessly on a large software project contract. There are people under me who normally handle the day-to-day management of contract negotiation, but this one is special. This contract is with a specific location operated by the government, but this particular facility has cornered the market in their niche. The sensitive nature of their business dictates that only the most senior level executives can see their confidential information. I’m mulling over certain aspects of the contract when Dana’s three-tap knock interrupts my thoughts.
“Good morning, Mr. Powers. Here’s your coffee, newspaper, and your schedule for today. Is there anything else I can get you?” Dana cheerfully asks.
“No. Thank you, Dana,” I reply and pick the contract back up with one hand while holding the hot coffee in the other.
“Miss Vasco is scheduled to be here at nine o’clock this morning. After I get her set up, do you want me to send her in here to you?” Dana asks, a little too nonchalantly, even for her.
I arch one eyebrow and give her a look that relays my suspicion of her inquiry. “Yes, Dana, you may send her to me when you’re finished with her.”
Dana smiles and leaves me to finish my work. After a couple more cups of coffee, I think I finally have the contract where I want it, positioning my company to be the sole provider of software upgrades throughout their entire top-secret facility. Since they are actually a facility that is owned and operated by the government, the contract has to be approved through so many red-tape channels it’s ridiculous, but it will be more than lucrative in the end. It will also give my company footing to take on more government contracts and effectively corner that market in the process.
Dana’s knock signals that Miss Vasco has graced us with her presence today. “Come in,” I call from my desk.
Sophia enters and closes the door behind her. She is dressed in a straight skirt, form-hugging shirt, and heels. Her hair is down, flowing over her shoulders and shimmering in the light. Walking directly to my desk, she looks as if she is more than ready and eager to get started with her lessons. How fitting, I think.
“Good morning, Mr. Powers. How are you today?”
“Good morning, Miss Vasco. Call me Dominic,” I say with a smile, “I’m great today. How are you?”
She’s a bundle of energy but I don’t get the sense that it’s nervous energy. She seems really glad to be here and ready to start in her new role. I briefly consider how fortuitous it was for her to walk into my office so unexpectedly, right when I was ready to throw in the towel on finding a suitable assistant.
“I am wonderful today,” she gushes. “I’m so excited to work with you and learn from the best of the best.” Her tone is honest with no hint of insincerity. I feel a gush of humility wash over me and quickly dismiss it. There’s a reason why I’ve reached this status well before my current age of twenty-nine and reacting with ridiculous feelings are not part of that reason.
“Very well. Let’s get started then,” I say as I put the confidential contract away. “We’ll start with a tour of the building. By the time we’re finished with the tour, the management staff meeting will start and I can introduce you to the team.”
Sophia nods in agreement and follows me out of my office. “DPS occupies the top five floors of this office building. We have the best view in the city,” I explain with pride. The Dallas Arts district is one of the most coveted areas for business. “The top floor is, obviously, where all of the senior executives’ offices are located. The four floors below us are all software engineers, divided by function and expertise.” We continue walking through the expansive offices and I point out the office specifics she will need to know.
“These offices are so chic-modern while yours is more conventional. Was that by design?” she asks as we walk side by side down the corridor.
“Yes, it was. I like the big, heavy oak desk, the built in bar, and the clean, crisp look that shows my professional side. But since the programmers don’t meet directly with the customers and they are tied to their desks, for the most part, I wanted them to have a more relaxed, comfortable atmosphere.”
“I love the ambiance in here. You’ve made it very conducive to working long hours while your employees are shackled to their computers,” Sophia says with a warm smile and appreciation in her tone.
The vision of a certain employee in shackles flashes through my mind and my eyes drink her in. I can picture her delicate wrists and ankles bound as she’s writhing and waiting for me to take her to the places I alone can take her. The vision of her face in the throes of passion is all I can see now as she takes all the pleasure that I alone can give her.
I clear my throat lightly, and as if I’m on autopilot, my feet turn and carry me on to continue our tour of the offices. As we turn the corner heading toward the bank of elevators, I instinctively place my hand at the small of her back. The intimate act feels so natural that I don’t even notice it for the first couple of seconds. When the electricity from our touch courses through my hand, I look down and suddenly jerk my hand away.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
“I sincerely apologize for that, Sophia. It’s purely habit for me, but I assure you it won’t happen again,” I try to explain.
“I didn’t mind, Mr. Powers,” she replies demurely with her eyes cast down to her feet, her black lashes lying against her soft cheeks, and her fingers clasped together as she lightly wrings her hands in nervousness. “Honestly, it’s alright.”
With an incline of my head toward the elevator, we wordlessly walk the remaining few steps to it. I press the down button and silently curse myself for the egregious mistake on my part. To avoid temptation again, I quickly thrust my hands into my pants pockets and resolve to keep them there as long as possible. When the elevator dings, I allow her to enter first and have to consciously fight with my hand to not touch her again.
On the next floor, we walk and I explain the basis for the office arrangement. “The programmers on this floor all handle some type of application programming. This type of programming has the end user in mind so it’s much more user-friendly and gives the output they need in order to conduct business,” I explain. “For example, some of the programmers have built a new accounting system for one of our customers. It helps them track and maintain their inputs and outputs much easier.”
After I show her around this floor, I continue to relay the information to her about the way our business is structured. “The floor below this one houses the system programmers who build the actual operating systems. They control everything the computer does, how it reacts with the applications, and the most basic level of technical functions it’s capable of handling.
“The floor below that is for game programmers. We also subcontract with several high-end game companies. Below that is
the floor where all of our web designers are. They build and design complex web designs, including the language, graphics, and web-based security systems. Each floor is set up like this one, so it’s just a matter of tracking down the desk of the specific person you need,” I finish and glance around the floor.
“This is very impressive. I’m really looking forward to jumping in and getting my feet wet.”
I don’t need any mental images of anything related to wet right now. My imagination is active enough without the constant reminder that I can only look and not touch. I can look at her perfect, perky breasts, as they push against the fabric of her shirt and beg for my hands to take them. The rise and fall of her chest as she breathes normally mocks me. The pulse of her jugular vein in her neck beckons me to nibble on her perfect skin. Her beautiful brown eyes are expressive, and her modesty causes her to blush when she thinks she has been caught in an errant thought.
Glancing at the clock on the wall, I’m saved from myself when I realize it’s time for our staff meeting. “Let’s go. I will introduce you to the entire management team at once,” I say with my panty-dropping smile and she follows me back to the elevator.
“Mr. Powers?” she asks tentatively.
Turning to face her, I smile encouragingly and reply, “Dominic. Everyone here calls me by my first name so it’s really alright.”
The slow, shy smile crawls across her face as she says, “Dominic,” trying it on for size. “Are there set hours that I should plan on working or will it vary from day to day?”
“Hmm, that’s a good question,” I laugh. “The morning start time is normally the same. If we have an early morning breakfast meeting, I will let you know ahead of time. We will have a lot of late nights and several overnight trips. I’m afraid you’ll be spending a lot of quality time with me, Sophia.”
“I really don’t mind, Dominic. I’m looking forward to everything you can teach me,” she replies with her voice low and sensual. I can usually read people very well, but I can’t decide if she is intentionally trying to seduce me or if she really means she wants to learn.
“I hope I live up to your expectations then, Sophia,” I intentionally respond with an equally low and sensual timbre.
Her cheeks redden, heated with a mixture of embarrassment and excitement, in my opinion. She’s inexperienced in many ways but she’s very bright. What she lacks in practice, she makes up for in eagerness. If only circumstances were different, I could take that eagerness and really teach her the things I want her to learn. But not for my pleasure alone—I want to teach Sophia to heighten and increase her ultimate pleasure.
“I have no doubt you will, Dominic.”
Her response is so earnest and humble that it heats me to my core. I’m positive she feels the heat radiating from my eyes as I stare at her. The trust she automatically places in me after spending only a few hours together astounds and dumbfounds me. I wonder if she’s this way with everyone she meets or if it’s just me.
I resolve to find out the answer to that during our two-hour staff meeting. She will be subjected to many different personalities in a confined room. The tension is palpable at times, especially when there are heated discussions and major differences of opinions. One thing about my staff is they are all passionate about their jobs. It makes me proud most of the time; at times, it’s a pain in the ass to cut through the strong personalities.
Sophia and I make our way back to the top floor and to the staff meeting. Most of my management team is already in their regular seats and are ready to begin the meeting. A few stragglers come in at the last minute and quickly take their seats. Sophia is looking around the room, her eyes wide in apprehension and I briefly question whether she will stick around much longer. These men and women are loud, opinionated, zealous, and hard to handle at times.
“Everyone, let’s get settled in and begin the meeting. I have an announcement to make first,” I call out in my booming, take-charge voice. This quiets the room immediately and everyone moves to their seats. There are advantages to being the boss. My employees have been loyal to me and enjoy working for me, but I do expect a lot from them and I don’t put up with any bullshit. They know this and they are of the same mindset, so it works like a well-oiled machine for the most part.
“First up, I want to introduce you to Sophia Vasco. She is my new personal assistant. She graduated in the top five percent of her class from the University of Texas in Austin. She’s worked in the industry and has several successful multi-million dollar projects under her belt. Sophia’s first day is today so cut her some slack for the next couple of weeks. After that, she will be my right-hand person and will make executive decisions in my absence. She will help with contracts and, for all intents and purposes, she will be me when I can’t be here.”
“Sophia, do you want to say anything?” I ask, intentionally putting her on the spot to gauge her reaction. An abundance of energy usually keeps me from sitting too long during staff meetings. Today, it’s important to note the interactions Sophia has with my other staff members, so I move to the other end of the room.
“Yes, I do. Thank you for that introduction, Dominic. I am very excited to be here and look forward to getting to know each of you. As the department leads, I would like to set up one-on-one time with each of you to learn about your departments, how they work, what you’re responsible for, and how I can help you in my current position. I look forward to working with each of you.”
Color me impressed. Again.
Sophia is looking around the room and her eyes connect with mine. A slow, sensual smile crawls across my face. I sit on the edge of the credenza and cross my legs at my ankles. She is beautiful, elegant, graceful, and the master of our staff meeting. It’s a new aphrodisiac for me. A stray thought forms that perhaps my former lovers should have worked for me. It would have created a new experience, without a doubt.
Two hours later, I am more refreshed and relaxed after a staff meeting than I ever have been before. Sophia jumped in and took control of any takeaways that I have. She is organizing several of the group initiatives we have underway and made several process improvement suggestions during the staff meeting. I am again reassured that my decision to hire her is sound.
We walk back into my office and I begin assembling various types of contracts, acceptable language and terms, and other related items so we can continue her training. Out of the corner of my eye, I see her begin to pick up a chair so she can sit beside me. I drop the papers on my desk and move swiftly to her side. My hand grasps the chair, grazing hers as I wrap my fingers around it, and a slight tremble rolls through her body. Her breath hitches and she peers up at me, her brown eyes asking the very question I’ve been avoiding all day. We stand frozen for several seconds, just staring at each other and allowing a million questions to run through our minds at once.
“No need to move that, Sophia. We can sit at the table together. But, for the record, if it did need to be moved, I would do it. I have no doubt you’re capable, but in my presence, I will take care of moving any furniture or anything else heavy for that matter,” I advise her, leaving no room for argument or discussion.
She blushes, appropriately chastised, “I didn’t want to assume anything, Dominic. But I do appreciate your concern and chivalry. Not all men are like you.” She finishes her last sentence on a whisper. It makes me wonder how she has been treated in the past. It’s not something I want to dwell on right now—not the thought of her in another man’s arms or how he may have treated her wrongly. But she is exactly correct in saying that not all men are like me.
I’m not sure she could handle the real me. The man that no one here has ever seen or has any inclination that he even exists. That thought actually makes my pulse increase. Worlds collide, though, and it’s best that my employees never know about my proclivities.
“You’re right, Sophia. Most men are not like me. That may be a good thing, for the most part,” I tell her with all seriousness and sincerity.
She starts to speak but the pink in her cheeks quickly turns to deep crimson. Whatever is on her mind is obviously hard for her to voice. I feel the need to know what it is she’s thinking, even if it cuts to the quick because I know I can’t do anything about it. The glutton for punishment in me wants to wallow in it for a while.
“What were you going to say, Sophia? You look like you have something on your mind. You’re me, remember?” I encourage her to speak her mind, using her new position as the reason why she should do so.
She’s flustered as she opens and closes her mouth a couple of times without speaking at all. I begin to think she really won’t tell me—that her shyness will get the best of her—and I will never know what was on her mind. Then she surprises me again with her words.
“I think the world needs more men like you, Dominic,” she whispers. “Every woman could use a man like you.”
I shake my head in disbelief at her words. “You’ve only just met me. You don’t know what kind of man I am, Sophia.”
“You’re a good man. Anything else is just icing on the cake,” she replies hesitantly, without meeting my gaze this time. It embarrasses her to say these things to me. I’m her boss. I’m her employer. But, that’s not all I want to be to her and I feel myself getting closer to crossing that line.
Standing close to her, I can see the gold flecks sparkling in her brown eyes as they betray her thoughts. They reveal to me that she is interested in more than a working relationship with me. She is still shy enough that she wants me to make the first move, but her eyes tell me that she is more than receptive to me. Funny thing is, she believes she’s hiding this from me. She doesn’t realize that I already know or that I can read a woman’s body as well as I can read the contracts lying on my desk right now.
Taking a deep, calming breath, I take a step to my desk and pick up the papers I had left there. Turning back to Sophia, I give her a crooked smile and extend my hand toward the conference table behind her. “Let’s have a seat at the table and go over these contracts, Sophia,” I say, steering the conversation away from what we were just talking about. I’m not ready to share that with her just yet.
Her Dom (Dominic Powers #1) Page 2