“Baba, are you sure you want to retire?” she’d asked. The question was tinged with logic and emotion. She’d grown so accustomed to him at the helm that it felt foreign to conceive him being away from something so near and dear to his heart. “You know this place won’t be the same without you.”
“You are the future now, my darling girl,” he replied. He took Caressa’s hands into his, giving them a loving kiss. “You are what this company needs to go to the next level, and I will be a proud father watching it all take shape. I am an old man, almost sixty years old. This is a long time coming, and I want to enjoy some away time with your mother. You are the reason I am able to leave our company in good hands.”
The smile on her face seemed to light up her father’s disposition as he led her outside toward the waiting throng of reporters. She was announced as the new CEO moments later, and once she was comfortable in her new corner office on the top floor of the building, her demeanor switched to all business in the blink of an eye.
Her father came through the door, settling against her desk. “How does it feel to be in the driver’s seat, my darling?”
“Surreal. I’m still going to miss you, Baba,” she replied, sweeping away a stray strand of dark, silky hair from her face. “Will you go back home to Eritrea with Mama?”
“I am not sure, my darling girl. When we left, it was under less than ideal circumstances,” Vijay said, his demeanor changing as he tried to figure out how to express what was on his mind. “It is saddening, but I think the past hurts have been healed. I have no problems visiting family and friends there, but we are comfortable here in London. It keeps us close to you.”
Caressa let those words sink in a bit. She wanted her parents close since they were advancing in age. She welcomed the ability to see them whenever she needed to, instead of booking a flight or taking the company jet. No matter how old she would get, she would always be “Baba’s precious one.”
She looked at him, soaking in the moment between them. “So, what happens now? Do I get to work, or do I wait for you to let me know—?”
An imposing figure stepped into the room, catching Caressa off guard. What kept her off balance was the fact that Vijay reacted with a sense of familiarity, as though he expected the stranger’s presence. She had no idea how to react, so she took her father’s lead and suppressed her inner skeptic, waiting to find out what this unexpected intrusion was all about.
Chapter 2
Once the initial shock wore off, Caressa couldn’t keep her eyes away from the tall, dark and handsome gentleman. “Baba, who is this, and where did he come from?”
Vijay grinned as he turned to greet the well-seasoned guest. “My darling, I would like for you to meet Mr. Salazar, the former head of my security detail. He will be assigned to you for the next five years. You are welcome to re-sign him to another contract for protection in that time, but as CEO traveling to foreign lands, this is a necessity of the position and not up for discussion.”
He beckoned the stranger to come forward. “Marco, this is my daughter, Caressa.”
She regarded him for a moment, trying to figure out the questions in her head—and she had plenty. “Marco, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Ms. Sidaná, I mean no disrespect,” came the smooth, baritone voice, “but I prefer Salazar for now.”
“And as your new boss, I prefer that we be on a first-name basis,” she countered, giving a pointed stare. “After all, you will be seeing to my safety. If I’m to trust you, I prefer that we skip the formalities.”
Marco paused for a moment, turning to Vijay for clarity. Vijay shook his head, deferring to his offspring to offer what he sought. Marco focused his attention on Caressa, realizing his new circumstances. “Very well, Caressa, I am at your service and disposal.”
I think I like how that sounds.
“Thank you, Marco,” she said, gesturing to the chairs in the corner. “If you would, please have a seat until Baba and I finish our chat. I would like to get to know you a bit before you carry on with your duties.”
“Certainly. I’ll be perusing the information your assistant provided while you finish,” he replied as he sat in one of the chairs.
Marco observed as they talked, trying to get a gauge of her personality and body language. For him, it was all about learning the nuances he would have to deal with. He couldn’t help noticing the glances she stole at him during the conversation. He chalked that up to the fact that he was a rather dashing figure at six-foot-five.
Women had been swooning over his physique since his college days starring on the football field, before a career-ending knee injury derailed a potential chance at the NFL. He still kept himself in tremendous shape after all these years, despite being a few years older than his new boss. Hell, he had no choice if he wanted to stay in demand. However, every time she glanced in his direction, he averted his gaze, electing to read through the information Kendyl sent to his smartphone. She was a client, and he was intent on keeping it that way.
Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t deny that under her impeccably tailored suit lay the body of a goddess. He dismissed it as nothing more than a professional assessment. With beauty like that, it was bound to draw a lot of attention from members of both sexes, and he needed to take that into account whenever they were in the public eye. He would also have to have a difficult conversation with her soon, as she would need to be aware of the real reason why his services were needed.
The more he tried not to stare in her direction, the more he ended up observing her caramel skin, chestnut eyes, and a dimple that appeared whenever she smiled. Alright, that’s too much observation, he scolded himself. She’s a client, remember that. If you need to take the edge off that badly, pay attention to Kendyl. She couldn’t keep her eyes off him since he’d arrived.
Vijay held his hand up to let them both know he was only there for a few more moments.
“I need to get to the new house in Kensington W8 and start figuring out where your mother wants to go on our first real vacation in forever,” he stated, rising to his feet to kiss his daughter’s forehead. “I love you, my darling, and we will check in soon.”
“Bye, Baba. I love you, too.”
Chapter 3
Caressa kissed her father’s cheek as they embraced. Once he was safely out the door and she had a moment to compose herself, she turned her attention to the seductive gentleman still lingering in her office.
“Now, Marco, I guess I’m stuck with you for the next five years, huh?” She said in an irritated tone. “You must be good; my father doesn’t lock people in for such a significant amount of time for no reason.”
Marco smiled, causing Caressa to squeeze her legs together to contain the heat rising between them. His smoldering brown eyes seemed to look right through her. “Well, as your father stated, I was the head of his security detail for the past five years. That sort of time tends to build a level of trust.”
“How is it I never saw you?” she asked. Caressa’s confusion was evident in her voice as she tried to flip through the memories in her head. “Baba never mentioned you to me.”
“My job is to only be seen when I’m needed to be seen,” he replied. “Otherwise, I am not to give the impression that I need to be your shadow, Caressa. Your father has been a shrewd businessman for a long time, and I have no doubt as his child, you will be no less hardcore than he was. But that shrewdness has developed adversarial conflict that I’m not sure you’re aware of.”
“Then, make me aware of it,” she demanded. “And now that I think of it, I’m going to need to be brought up to speed on my father’s movements. I have a feeling there’s a lot he chose to shield me from.”
“Consider that done at your earliest convenience,” Marco stated. “Is there anything else you need from me?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, there is something I want from you,” she stated. She snapped her fingers, a silent critique of her not using the filter in her head when
it came to her more intimate thoughts. “So, what are your conditions of service? Is there something I need to be aware of?”
Marco nodded. “My rules are simple when it comes to my clientele, but I have specifics when it comes to the women who contract me. Number one, I will never let you out of my sight under any circumstances. Two, I will never let my guard down while I’m with you. And three, I will not get emotionally involved, period. No exceptions.”
Caressa nodded, shielding her disappointment to a degree. “Fair enough, I can respect that. May I ask where you’re from? Your name lends to a Latinx heritage.”
“I was born in the United States, but—” he paused for a moment to consider his next words. “My father was African-American, and my mother was Dominican.”
She took a minute to process the information, taking in his features, including the natural confidence that seemed to ooze from his body, something she loved about men she was attracted to. That, and the fact that he was so wary about divulging any intimate details about himself, made her want to dig deeper.
The moment they stood so she could escort him from her office, the quick reminder of how he towered over her five-foot-six-inch frame made her rethink her nonverbal agreement to his rules. “I will leave you to make the adjustment from what you did for Baba to what you will have to do for me. I’ll have Kendyl send over my schedule for the next thirty days.”
Marco looked down at the striking beauty, extending his hand with a warm smile. “I look forward to making sure things are handled for you from now on, Caressa. If you allow me to do my job properly, you’ll never see a threat coming.”
“That reminds me,” Caressa pondered. “What threats could there possibly be? Baba was shrewd, yes, but he wasn’t caught up in anything illegal, was he?”
“It would be difficult for me to speak on this issue in the little time we have right now, Caressa. We can speak on things in the morning,” Marco stated. “If you’d like, I can have Kendyl block out time so we can discuss it at length.”
“No, this can’t wait,” she retorted. “Come to my penthouse so we can discuss that and the particulars of my detail. I’ll be taking a trip out of the country almost immediately, and I’ll need you with me.”
She closed the door behind him, leaning against it to gather herself. What could he have been alluding to with my father? Something doesn’t add up, I’ll need to ask him about it when we meet later.
Once back behind her desk, she stretched for a moment, closing her eyes to get her head together before picking up the phone to dial her executive assistant. “Kendyl, get the list together that we discussed earlier, and set the appointments accordingly. It’s time to shake things up a bit. Make sure they know not to be late, either.”
“Who should I begin with, Ms. Sidaná?”
She looked through the list for a moment, stopping when she ran across a familiar name, one that produced a mischievous smile with the promise of a rather strategic mental exercise she wished to put him through. She couldn’t believe he was still with the company, and it delighted her that she could promote him, although she had other things in mind while putting him through the paces. This should be fun. It’s been a minute since we’ve seen each other. I wonder if I still have the same effect on him now, as I did then?
She shook from her quick daydream to give Kendyl the answer she needed. “Contact Mr. Stillmore for me, please. Let him know it is urgent that I see him.”
Chapter 4
“Ms. Sidaná is expecting you,” Kendyl said, gesturing to the doors behind her.
Seth Stillmore stood for a moment, brushing the wrinkles in his suit to ensure he looked presentable and taking a deep breath before making his way to the door.
“Good luck. Hopefully, things will go better with you.”
Seth had been with Sidaná Chocolatier since he’d graduated from Dartmouth. He was born and raised in Houston, Texas, but after graduating with honors, he felt the need to expand his horizons. He applied to Sidaná, and the old man took to him almost from the first minute they’d been in each other’s space during the interview.
He’d shot up the ladder at a breakneck pace, easing into executive management within the two years he’d been employed. At Mr. Sidaná’s
suggestion, through the company’s college tuition reimbursement program, he went to the University of Cambridge to earn an MBA, blazing through in only eighteen months to secure the advanced degree he needed to make it into the inner circle.
Until the old man announced his retirement plans.
From there, things took an interesting turn. The boss’s daughter, who was heir to the empire, had already been rumored to have a restructuring plan that made everyone except the rank-and-file employees nervous. They had every right to be; Caressa Sidaná was every bit ruthless as she was stunning, and she was demanding, expecting nothing less than excellence and innovation.
He’d had a bit of a complicated history with her, though.
They’d briefly been in the same department for about six months when she was learning her way through the company, becoming familiar with its inner-workings. They hit it off in an instant. During that time, she became a pseudo “work spouse,” to the point where rumors began about a burgeoning workplace romance between the two.
She was later promoted to another department to acquire expertise on that aspect of the business. She’d stopped talking to him almost altogether, and he moved on to other things to lessen the pain of unrequited feelings he’d had no business developing. This was his lone mistake the entire time he was with the company—something he would forever regret.
Before the announcement, different departments had been restructured over the course of the past few weeks. Everyone who wasn’t being transferred to the Stateside satellite offices slated for expansion was fighting for a spot somewhere in middle management. Ms. Sidaná set out to leave her mark in a way that left little doubt who was in charge. In a weird way, it turned him on to watch a woman wield power with such a firm command, but he would never admit that in open company.
Before he entered her office, he was already aware of what occurred before his appointment. She’d already let a few in his department go, and she’d encouraged some of the others to take a long overdue retirement package. It was a matter of methodology. In his mind, some deserved to be cut, while others had hung on years too long, taking advantage of the old man’s sense of loyalty.
Seth cracked open the double doors and walked into her spacious corner office, his emotions a mix of trepidation and self-assurance. The area was awash in creamy-hued furniture and neutral tones on the walls. The cathedral windows led to plush carpeting that felt as sumptuous as it looked as he approached the dark wood lacquered desk. Sitting behind that desk: Caressa Sidaná.
Chapter 5
She was in the midst of jotting notes he assumed to be from the previous meeting with a now-former colleague. He noticed how oblivious she was to his presence, or so he thought. “Have a seat, Mr. Stillmore.”
He hadn’t spoken to her in person since the day she was transferred, but he could never forget the mix of a cockney English in her accented tongue, and what sounded like Tigrinya, one of the dialects of her native Eritrea. A truly exotic mixture, one that took him back to the days when she wasn’t CEO. Her dark hair was tied back into her trademark tight bun, its sheen evident as the afternoon sun filtered through the windows from the west side of the building. The outfit she wore, even from where she sat, defined her curvature, accentuating the assets she wanted pronounced.
As he settled into a chair for the next agonizing few minutes, listening to the hum of her laptop and the stroke of her pen across the paper, he took a closer look at his new boss. Not much had changed, as though time had stood still for her. Her skin was still flawless, and her eyes, despite their concentration on work, were as mesmerizing as he’d remembered. His attempts to avert his gaze from her more tantalizing features were futile, as the plunging neckline of her blo
use, combined with the view of ample cleavage, made it even more difficult. He composed himself with everything he could muster. It would be a matter of minutes before she finished with her task at hand.
She placed a silver pen on top of the legal pad, assessing him for a few seconds before she addressed him. “My apologies for being so rude. As you can imagine, today has been rather hectic.”
“I completely understand, Ms. Sidaná.” He straightened his perturbed expression so his statement wouldn’t seem too disingenuous.
Caressa stood to reach across her desk to retrieve a file, treating Seth to an up-close-and-personal view of the cleavage he’d tried to sneak a peek at only moments ago. He wondered if she did it on purpose, her eyes meeting his as she took her time settling back into the comfy executive chair. She smirked, making him feel a bit embarrassed that he’d been caught ogling her like some love-struck teenager. The last thing he needed in the age of the #MeToo movement was to explain why he’d been fired to his next employer.
The small smile on her lips was intentional as she began her inquiry. “I’ve been looking over your file, Seth—do you mind if I call you Seth?”
“No, not at all.” He was still doing his best to recover without sounding like he had lust in his heart. “You are the boss.”
“Good, I like that. Although, we really don’t need to go through all the theatrics. Now, I’m very impressed by what I’m reading, but—” She closed the file, leaving the pregnant pause between them. “I’m concerned about some of your actions in the past.”
An office romance that turned sour was what Caressa alluded to, replete with the former object of his desire choosing to go on a ruination campaign that would have cost him his career if he were back in the States. “What about my actions? Could you be more specific?”
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