by Harper West
“I can’t wait,” I tell her honestly.
As soon as we hang up, I close my eyes and take a deep breath. My head is still spinning – just how in the hell did I land that job after such a terrible interview? I mean, I know that being an administrative assistant isn’t exactly like being a rocket scientist, but SMX is an incredibly prestigious firm ... and I’m sure I was competing with dozens of other candidates, maybe even hundreds.
I know for a fact I didn’t impress Mr. Hollins, so it had to have something to do with Mason. Oh, god.
Maybe he just wants you to be his dirty secret. I hate that part of my mind. The part that has to always assume the worst.
Penny’s not home – she’s at the gym – so I pick up my phone and dial the next best thing.
“Hello?”
“Mom,” I say excitedly. “I got the job! Can you believe it?”
My mom cheers so loudly that I have to pull the phone away from my ear for a second.
“Oh, honey, that’s wonderful,” Mom says. “I’m so proud of you. I knew it would happen.”
“I wasn’t so sure,” I admit. “I didn’t think the interview went very well, and ...”
“What is it?”
“Well, nothing,” I lie. “It’s just, wow. Wait until you see the building. It’s seriously amazing, and the company owns the whole skyscraper. They have multiple elevators that go to different floors, like something out of Wall Street.”
“Wow, honey, that does sound impressive,” Mom says. She starts to speak, then stops and I frown.
“What?” I ask her.
“Nothing, honey,” Mom says. “It’s just, well, your father and I are so proud of you.” By the sound of her voice, I can tell that she’s tearing up. “When you kept talking about wanting to move to New York, I was so nervous that you ... I don’t know, that you wouldn’t be able to find your own way.”
I frown. “I know you didn’t want me to move out, Mom, but it was time. I’m an adult. I’m twenty-two,” I point out. “It’s about time I started living on my own.”
“I just wish we could have our little girl at home with us forever,” Mom says.
A pang of guilt hits me. Here I am, thinking about my new job and the fact that I just had sex for the first time, and I’ve been totally neglecting my parents.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “I know we haven’t talked in a while.”
“I almost forgot what your voice sounds like,” Mom jokes.
“I promise, I’ll come and visit you guys as soon as I can,” I tell her. “Once I’ve been working for a little bit and had a chance to save up some money.”
“Your father and I would love that, sweetheart,” Mom says. “Do you mind if I tell him your big news, or do you want to?”
“You can tell him,” I say awkwardly. I love my dad, but unlike my mother, he’s never been comfortable talking on the phone. Usually, we just exchange a few awkward words and then hang up.
“Oh, sweetie, I really am so happy for you,” Mom gushes. “And how’s Penny?”
“Oh, you know, same as always,” I say. “I think she’s at the gym.”
“Good for her,” Mom bubbles. She giggles a little bit. “You know what, sweetie? If this company is as big as you say, you might even meet someone! They say a thirty percent of relationships start nowadays in the workplace!”
God, no, I think, as a blush spreads across my cheeks.
“I’m not sure,” I say. “I’m going to be there to work, not to meet guys,” I add, giving her the same lie I fed Penny. “I’m going to be really busy.”
“Oh, of course,” Mom says. “I’m sorry – I’m just getting ahead of myself. I can’t wait for the day when you can give me grandchildren, Jilly.”
“That’s going to be a long way off,” I say drily.
“Well, honey, I should let you go,” Mom says. “I’m supposed to be making cookies for your father’s work. Oh, maybe you could bring cookies in on your first day!”
I laugh. “I love you,” I tell her. “It was great talking to you.”
“You, too, honey,” Mom says. “Talk soon.”
We hang up and I sit in silence for a moment, my mind running wild.
My first sex and my first job – both happened within the same week.
I’m either really lucky—or really unlucky.
By the time Penny gets home, I’m standing in my bedroom, in front of my closet, with most of my clothes thrown on the floor.
“Jilly!” She yells loudly from the foyer. “You here?”
“In my room,” I yell back.
There’s a thunder of footsteps and seconds later, Penny is standing in the doorway. She looks from the mess on the floor to me and back again.
“What happened, Hurricane Jilly?” She joked.
I shake my head. “I don’t have anything to wear,” I tell her.
Penny narrows her eyes at me. “Where are you going?”
“Work,” I say. “I mean, not until Monday, but I got the job and—”
I can barely finish my sentence before Penny steps closer and sweeps me into a big hug.
“Oh my gosh,” she exclaims. “That’s so amazing!”
“Yeah, well,” I say with a shrug. “I’m really surprised, but I’m seriously considering why they picked me.”
Penny’s sly smile makes me blush, and immediately, I want to change the subject.
“I called my mom to tell her,” I say. “She was really happy for me. I know she didn’t mean it to sound patronizing, but she said that she and my dad weren’t sure it would happen for me when I moved out here.”
“Ouch,” Penny says. “That’s parents for you, though.”
I nod. “And she suggested I bake cookies for my first day,” I add drily.
“Oh my god,” Penny says, rolling her eyes. “That’s too much. Like, hey, I fucked your CEO and I work here now ... want a cookie?”
I crack up, laughing until there’s a stitch in my side.
“Come on,” Penny says. She jerks her head towards the door. “We’re going out to celebrate.”
“What about this mess?”
“I’ll buy you an outfit when we go out,” Penny says. “Consider it a ... first job present,” she adds, winking at me. “And then you can just start to buy separates as you make more money. It doesn’t take too much, you know. Just make like, a capsule wardrobe.”
I don’t want to tell her that I have no idea what a capsule wardrobe is, so I just nod.
Twenty minutes later, Pen and I are sitting at the bar of Echo, a cute little bar with a retro menu. We order drinks – whiskey sours – and when they arrive, Penny toasts me.
“To my best friend, Jilly, and her first job,” Penny says. She grins at me. “I’m really happy for you, babe. I knew it would happen.”
The glasses are filled nearly to the top and we clink them carefully before each taking a sip.
“Thanks,” I tell her. “Wow, this is good.”
Penny eyes me. “Don’t change the subject,” she says. “I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking about that guy.”
“Can you blame me?” I ask her. “I mean, I can’t help but wonder if he’s the reason I got the job in the first place.”
“Don’t think that way,” Penny says. “He’s the CEO – he’s not going to embarrass himself by putting his name on the line for you.”
I frown at her.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” Penny replies. “It’s just, he’s important, you know. He knows that he’d look like a total asshole if he went to your new boss and demanded that she or he hire you. He knows that would look really weird.”
I take another sip of my drink. “I get what you’re saying,” I reply slowly. “But seriously – Pen, I totally bombed that interview. Why the hell would they hire me?”
“Maybe everyone else bombed it worse,” Penny offers. She scrunches up her nose at me. “I know it’s not the most fun thing to think about, but I don’t know. Maybe
they really liked you.”
The whiskey and sour mix seems to plunge straight to my gut and I feel myself start to get warm, the way I feel after drinking wine when it’s hot outside.
“These drinks are strong,” I say.
“Well, we’re celebrating,” Penny says. “So, drink up.”
We each have two more cocktails and by that point, I’m feeling so tipsy that I can’t help giggling every time Mason’s face crosses my mind.
God, I can’t believe I’m going to be working for him.
Well, not for him.
But for his company.
“It’s so weird,” I say, almost slurring my words. “That my boss has another boss who has another boss who maybe even works for Mason.”
Penny raises an eyebrow at me. “You’re really thinking about him, aren’t you?”
“Yeah,” I admit. The booze is swirling around in my system, making me feel sexy and uninhibited. The bar is playing one of my favorite songs, and suddenly, I wish Mason was there to dance with me.
“Well, you may see him again,” Penny says. She’s still giving me a strange look.
“What?”
“Nothing,” Penny says. She presses her lips together for a moment. “It’s just ...”
“What?” I ask again, feeling impatient.
“I don’t want to see you get hurt, Jilly,” Penny says awkwardly. “This is the first time I’ve ever really seen you go nuts over a guy, and well ... I just worry about you. That’s all.”
I laugh. “Don’t worry about me,” I tell her. “I’ll be fine. Trust me.”
Chapter 8
Jay
After bursting in on Mason jacking off, I know this girl is something.
Mason isn’t the type to get hooked on a woman. He’s the type to fuck and run, to never call, to flat-out refuse to give his number.
He doesn’t trust women – and I can’t say that I blame him, at least, not after what happened with his whore of an ex-wife.
Still, I’ve never seen a woman, not even his ex, get under his skin so deeply.
I have to meet this girl – I have to figure out what’s so special about her. Sure, she’s incredibly hot. Just from watching her walk, I could tell that she was a great, no, a stellar fuck. Her huge, round ass is just begging to be spanked and teased, and I bet her pussy smells like honey.
So, naturally, I have to figure out a way to meet her.
The following week, I walk down to Human Resources. Unlike Mason, most of the people who work for SMX are familiar with my face. I make an effort to really get to know my employees – to let them know where they stand, to let them know what kind of guy they work for, and to make sure the company culture isn’t too toxic. Financial firms have a reputation for being difficult, and I want to make sure that SMX doesn’t fall prey to a relentless stream of scandals and lawsuits.
Some people probably think I’m being friendly.
I’m not – I’m just making sure that the wheels are greased and that things are going the way I want them to go. Everyone thinks that just because I smile more often than Mason, I must be a nice guy.
They don’t know I have a dark side, a control-freak side, a side that needs to possess everything I’ve ever wanted.
“Hi, Mr. Harper,” Eva greets me. A spritely, middle-aged woman, I hired her to head the HR department several years back. She truly is friendly ... but she has the best bullshit meter I’ve ever encountered on a woman, and she doesn’t tolerate bad behavior in the office.
I know I can trust her.
“Hello,” I say, giving her a charming smile. Like most women, Eva immediately blushes.
Goddamn, I love the effect I have on the ladies.
“What can I do for you?” Eva asks. She tosses her head and her cheeks return to normal, all business once again.
I raise an eyebrow. “I hear we have a new employee starting soon,” I say. “Jilly Harmon. Have you spoken with her?”
“Give me one moment,” Eva says. She rifles through a stack of paperwork and frowns.
“What?”
Eva flushes again. “Well, it appears Ms. Harmon interviewed, but it doesn’t seem that her performance was that satisfactory,” she says.
Satisfactory? Let’s call in Mason and see what he has to say about that, I think with a smirk.
“I heard she was a charming girl,” I purr. “What was the issue?”
“Mr. Hollins, who interviewed her, said that he found her lacking. He said that she was distracted, that she didn’t really seem to know very much about the company or even her own career goals.”
I chuckle. “She’s a young girl, Eva,” I say. “Don’t you remember being in that same position when you were her age?”
Eva flushes again, and I know I’ve got her.
“Of course, but—”
“No buts,” I say lightly. “I want her hired. Make sure she reports to someone who’s ... forgiving, and I’m sure she won’t disappoint you.”
“Of course, Mr. Harper,” Eva says. “I’ll look over her materials and make sure that I can find a good place for her.”
“Excellent.”
By the time I leave the HR department, my smirk is so wide that my face almost hurts.
A couple of days later, Eva sends me an email and tells me that Jilly Harmon – god, what a beautiful name – will be starting the following Monday.
I know I should tell Mason. I’m responsible for her getting the job, after all.
But this gives me the edge in the competition. Jilly doesn’t seem dumb – I’m sure she knows that she screwed up.
Evidently, though, she wasn’t embarrassed enough to turn the job down.
And I’m going to make her mine.
The following Monday, I get up early and take a thorough shower, imagining and hoping by the end of the day that I’ll be washing Jilly’s pussy juice off my cock and balls. After dressing in my best suit, I pick up a gourmet breakfast of French omelettes with pancetta and aged Gouda, then head to the office just in time to see Jilly standing in the lobby, looking down at a crumpled piece of paper in her hand. She’s wearing a tight black skirt that hugs that delectable ass of hers and a white shirt that doesn’t conceal the purple bra underneath.
Jilly, Jilly, Jilly, I think as my cock stiffens in my pants. Didn’t anyone ever tell you that you’re not supposed to wear a colored bra under a white shirt?
Oh, well. Their loss is my gain.
She looks so lost, so naïve, so sweet that I just want to sweep her into my arms and stick my tongue in her mouth. I’ll show you the way little girl, you sweet, curvy thing. Come with me and let me worship that Rubenesque body of yours.
Plastering a wolfish grin on my face, I stride over and stick out my hand.
“Jay Harper,” I say loudly. “CEO.”
Jilly turns to me and flushes. Her delicious pink lips form a small ‘o’ of surprise, and she slips her soft, sweaty hand into my palm.
“Hi,” she says softly. “I’m Jilly Harmon.”
“I know,” I say.
Jilly looks surprised, and embarrassed. I wonder what she’s thinking – does she think that Mason went around like a frat boy, bragging his accomplishments?
Does she think that’s the reason why I approached her?
Well, she’s not exactly wrong.
“So, welcome to SMX Investments,” I say smoothly, putting my hand on the small of her back and guiding her over to the elevator. “I hope you’ll feel free to come to me with any questions that you might have, Jilly.”
Just saying her name fills my mouth with a sweet taste, and I’m dying to know what that pussy of hers is like. I want to smell her, to dig my fingers into those round hips and bury my face in her cunt. I want her juices to drip down my face, drowning me in her nectar.
God, I’m so fucking horny.
“I wouldn’t want to bother someone so ... high on the food chain,” Jilly says with a nervous giggle. “I mean, I’m just an admin.”
Jilly giggles again and a scarlet flush rises up her neck, covering her face. “Um, okay,” she says. “Are you and Mason partners?”
The question – although not unwise of her to ask – catches me off guard, and I cock my head to the side as I stare at her.
“Yes,” I say curtly. “Our fathers founded SMX – but we grew it to incredible heights. It wasn’t always the whole building, you know.”
Jilly nods.
“In fact,” I lie. “I have a special assignment for you, all about the history of the company. You think you’re up for it?”
Jilly’s forehead creases, but she nods again. “Of course,” she says. “I want to do everything in my power to do well here.”
Oh, you sweet girl ... you have no idea just how well you’ll do, I think as I press the button for the elevator and wait impatiently for the doors to open. When they do, I show Jilly inside and press ‘close doors’ before anyone else can intrude on us.
“I think I should probably check in with my boss first,” Jilly says. Her eyes are as round as saucers as she looks at me, two big brown pools that I could fall into forever.
“Don’t worry about it,” I say, waving my hand through the air dismissively. “I’m sure they’ll figure it out.”
“I don’t want to get in trouble, or make a bad impression,” Jilly continues. She takes a big gulp of air and swallows. “I’m supposed to report to someone named Eva.”
“Eva and I are good friends,” I say truthfully. “I’m sure that when I tell her where you’ve been, she’ll be pleased.”
“Oh,” Jilly says, sighing with relief. “That’s good.”
“Yes,” I reply primly. “It is.”
We lapse into silence as the elevator continues rocketing skyward. Jilly shifts her weight from one high-heeled foot to the other, and I look down at her legs. Her dress ends a good six inches above the knee, and I fantasize about dropping to my knees, licking the back of her legs until she moans and trembles as my mouth inches closer and closer to that delicious, plump ass of her.