by Amber Heart
“Aaron … Mr. Maxfield, I don’t think it is appropriate to talk about personal things of the past here. I am here for the job interview,” she said in a clear voice, trying to act all business. But then that blush appeared on her face and gave away her exact thoughts. Yes, I wanted her to remember everything just as crystal clear as I remembered. “I am well aware why you are here, Ms. Levant,” I said to her. “Previous matters need to be laid at rest first and then things should be proceeded further. That’s what my approach is.” She fidgeted in her chair, uncomfortably. I was enjoying her reactions.
“Mr. Maxfield, we are both adults and can put our past behind us and work on professional terms. This is my approach,” she straightened her back and looked me square in eyes. Ah, there that was, her cold, hard mask, covering her real self. “I see, Ms. Levant, you are desperate for professionalism.” “I am,” she looked at me with narrowed eyes. “Alright then, Ms. Levant. You can start your new job tomorrow,” I said to her and saw her eyes widen. “That’s it? You are not going to ask me anything?” “Do I need to know something, Ms. Levant? Something you want to tell me?” How about why you left without saying a word? Why you made me feel used and discarded? I would love to hear the answers but now was not the time, nor the place.
“No, but…” she began to speak and I cut her off before she could finish. “You’ll be working with me on an account we have just taken over. Melinda will give you the details. I expect you to be well prepared when we next meet.” “What if I don’t accept the job?” she asked. “Then don’t.” I shrugged as if her answer mattered nothing. I opened the top drawer and pulled out a manila envelope and slid it in front of her. “This is your job letter along with the contract details. Make your decision,” I said to her and then turned my head to the Mac screen, dismissing her.
She sat there, opening her mouth to say something and then thinking otherwise. “I’ll let you know about my answer,” she said and got up. “Thank you, Mr. Maxfield. Good day,” she turned and walked towards the door. I watched her narrow hips sway in that tight skirt she was wearing. I suppressed a groan when my body protested. This time when I’d have her, she would be begging me. And I had a whole plan structured to make sure that happens. Now all she had to do was take the job. She was insisting on professionalism now, she’d be hating the word by the end of her first week at work. That was my solemn promise to my injured ego and myself.
*
“Good afternoon, Mr. Maxfield.” I nodded at the greetings as I passed through all the desks on the main floor. I stopped at my favorite desk that I had been frequenting for the past two days. The sight that welcomed me was Cassandra’s face close to the desktop with her forehead squeezed together in a tight frown and the back of the pencil was clenched between her lips. She sensed my arrival and her face turned to me. “Are you done?” I asked her, keeping my voice flat and cold.
“Yes, Mr. Maxfield. I was just revising it,” she said and pressed print key. “Here,” she gave me the paper. I took it and looked at her, she had that beaming expression with her brown eyes illuminating. She was probably proud of her piece. I glanced at the paper. “Do it again,” I handed it back to her and turned. “But I have done it again, twice before,” she protested. I tilted my head and quirked my brow. She opened her mouth to defend again and then sighed. “You have rejected my proposal three times. Can you at least tell me what the mistake in it is?” she asked. “It is just a proposal, Ms. Levant. I am sure you know how to write a decent one. Try harder.” “I have done this all my life, of course I know how to write a goddamn proposal,” she said in frustration. “Watch your language, Ms. Levant, your professionalism is the primary requirement here,” I reminded her and she gritted her teeth. “I apologize, Mr. Maxfield,” she muttered. “Fix this,” I eyed the paper and walked away. A victorious smile came on my lips. I had brought out her first outburst – level one accomplished.
I stood by the floor length window of my office and stared out at the gray weather of Seattle as the clouds took over the better part of the sky. Hmm, it was going to start drizzling any time. I checked my now replaced and updated iPhone, it said five fifteen. It was almost the end of the day and I was expecting Cassandra to step in any minute. Just then my phone buzzed and I checked the caller ID. It said Jasmine. I sighed and then picked it up. “Maxfield.” Just then there was a knock on the door and Cassandra poked her head in.
“Aaron, how are you doing, lover? I haven’t heard from you for a long time,” Jasmine said in her strong Greek accented voice which alone was able to make me hard. But that was old news now, the reason for my cock jumping to attention was because of the platinum blonde I was obsessed with. I waved her to come in.
“I have been occupied at work, Jasmine,” I said into the phone and watched Cassandra shifting from one foot to another, tapping her fingertips on the paper. Was she impatient to get away from me? I decided to push her.
“You are always working so hard, Max. You deserve a good time,” Jasmine said. “I can certainly think of a few things to do right now, and trust me when I say they do not involve office work,” I said keeping my eyes fixed on Cassandra. She wasn’t looking at me, but of course she was hearing and I noticed her jaw tightening. Yes.
“Promises, promises. Be a man of your words, Max, have the grace to keep them when you promise,” Jasmine teased and I smiled. She was always stroking my ego – until the other woman in the room injured it. “I always keep my promises, Mia Bella, you should know this by now. I apologize I have been inattentive to you. But I assure you I will make it up to you. How about we meet tonight? You can give me a list of my misdemeanors and you can take it out on me in your usual creative ways,” every word that slipped my tongue was hitting Cassandra like a swing of a hammer. Her tapping had stopped and now her fingers were clutched into a tight fist.
“Aren’t you in good mood today, Max. You sound nothing like your usual self,” Jasmine laughed. If only she knew. “Oh do I? It didn’t occur to me,” I said and right then Cassandra snapped her head up and glared at me. “Mr. Maxfield, may I have a minute, please?” she said. I raised my hand in the air for her to hold on. She almost bared her teeth and I barely kept the laugh that was just on the edge of erupting out.
“Let’s meet tonight. I've missed you, lover,” Jasmine said. “Sure. I’ll make reservations and let you know. See you soon, Jasmine,” I said and then disconnected the call. I’ll ring to cancel later, I have no interest in Jasmine “Yes, Ms. Levant, how can I help you? What is it so important that couldn’t wait until I finished my phone call?” I stowed my phone and asked the one woman I wanted all along. She looked at me and I knew there were so many words rolling on her tongue, wanting to spill out, and none of them were professional nor decent. ‘Come on, Levant, fight for your control,’ I urged her mentally as I rested my back against my desk and folded my arms across my chest, waiting for her to explode.
She clenched and unclenched her fist and then thumped the print out in her hand next to me. “Your proposal, Mr. Maxfield,” she said. I picked it up and read. She had written every piece marvelously and this one was the worst compared to the other three she had previously written. “Now this is better,” I said and she looked at me as if she was going to dig her teeth into my neck and suck my blood dry. She knew what she had written.
“Am I excused for the day, Mr. Maxfield?” she asked me. I looked at the clock on the wall. Five thirty. “You are,” I said and turned to take my seat and logged into the system. “Do you need something else, Ms. Levant?” I asked looking up at her. She was staring at me and if she stood there like that for another minute, I was going to drag her to the couch and christen it right then. “No, thank you, Mr. Maxfield. I don’t mean to take any more of your precious time,” she said with a sour smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she turned around and left. “You’ll see me all right, Cassandra.” I was enjoying this game way too much.
Chapter 7
Cassandra
; Damn. Damn. Damn. I was so losing it. I was frustrated beyond description. Aaron is an asshole. A professional jackass asshole! He was challenging my control, my patience and my tolerance. I was losing all three of them. He was pushing my buttons and I couldn’t even protest because he was just being my boss. It was my seventh day at LeoField Ad Group and it already felt like I was being bullied by Aaron.
He made me work ruthlessly, and then rejected it and then made me do it all over again. He kept a continuous check on me by visiting me at my desk, looking at my work himself. And when he’d bend down close to my face, his arm almost brushing mine, I’d go all still. I was too damn aware of his body heat, or over all heat around me. He treated me just like an employee. He was professional, just like I wanted it to be, yet it frustrated me. Because he was all distant but still close. My mind fizzed around him. As much I loved the nature of work in the agency, I hated the effect my boss had on me. If it wasn’t for him, this job would be perfect. I just hoped that I’d get over my stupid reactions around him. Because Aaron, for sure had moved on from our night together. Hell, I had heard him talk to that Jasmine or whatever her name was, the other day. God, I wanted to scratch both their faces off. I was furious and … dare I say jealous? But I was being absurd. He was Aaron Maxfield. I knew of his reputation before our night, but I still got myself tangled in his web. My colleagues have filled me in with the colorful details of his nature with women.
“Can you please type me a letter, Ms. Levant? I’ll give you a dictation,” Aaron said to me as I copied down the presentation he had asked me to place into his system. He himself was lounging on the sofa, with his feet propped up on the table and had a couple of pages sprawled on his lap. I looked at my wrist watch, it was already five forty in the evening. Will I get paid for working over time? I wondered. Oh who was I kidding? It was a universal rule; taking a job in media field meant you entered into working unpaid overtime hours.
I opened a blank document and waited for him to tell me what to write. His eyes were glued on the paper before him and his index finger was caressing his lower lip as he concentrated on the matter of the paper. That simple movement of his finger was giving me such lewd thoughts that I shifted in my chair. This sexual frustration was getting out of control. I had to do something about it and soon or else I don’t know what I was going to do because being around Aaron was – hard.
He started speaking and I began to type. We fell into a comfortable sync. Until I brought the Mac Book to him for a review and sat next to him. He straightened to lean his face near to the screen to read and I sucked in a breath. His musky cologne, his spicy body wash and his natural scent all filled my nostrils. The closeness generated a spark inside me and I was suddenly on fire. I feared my breathes were changing into low panting. God, this man made me desperate.
“Can you shift this clause above the second one?” he raised his hand to point out and his elbow brushed against my arm. The friction caused an immediate effect on my nipples and they tightened under my suit jacket. “Also add the media budget of the previous campaign so they know what leaps we are taking. Just mention it right after the mediums.” His voice vibrated into my ears and I briefly closed my eyes to let the odd feeling of wanting him sink in.
“Ms. Levant, are you alright?” his hoarse whisper came from right behind me. I jerked straight. And turned my head, only to find his mouth so near to me. Those luscious lips were a couple of inches away from me. I itched to taste them, to feel them. Knowing what they were capable of doing, I shuddered in utter anticipation. “You look flustered, Ms. Levant. Is something wrong?” he asked and I looked into his eyes. They were dark, filled with lust, desire, want. “Uh …” my throat was dry. I ran my tongue over my lips to wet them a little. Aaron gasped as he took in my little action.
The air between us was as thick as fog with sexual tension. His finger caressed the length of my neck with a feather touch, barely touching yet making sure I was feeling it. “Your neck is pulsing, Ms. Levant,” he stressed over ‘Ms. Levant’. I wanted to lean into his touch. “I wonder why,” I whispered. He looked into my eyes. His own sparkled with lust. “I can think of a few reasons.” His thumb was now tracing my jaw line and damned if I wasn’t soaking wet down there.
I wanted him and I wanted him right here. “It’s pulsing because of what’s going on inside this.” He tapped my temples slowly and I wanted to moan. “You are thinking of how I pleased you the other night.” His other hand was now moving against the outline of my arm. “You are remembering how I kissed you. Every inch of you. Leaving not a spot behind.” His thumb brushed my lips and then trailed across my jackets front, easing his way inside and softly tracing my puckered nipples. I gasped. “Ringing any bells, Ms. Levant?” he slipped the top button of my blouse open. And then the next two. “You remember how I made you cum just by teasing these?” he pinched my nipples and I arched up and moaned. Oh hell yes.
He leaned further in and gave my lips a small kiss, breaking away all too soon. “Aaron,” I whispered, closing my eyes as desire took over me and I grabbed his shoulders. He eased me down on the couch. His hand reached the hem of my skirt. “Are you wet, Ms. Levant?” Will he stop calling me that? His fingers found their way to the inside of my thigh and I moaned. He lowered his mouth to my breast and caught my hard erect nipple through my blouse while his fingers found the seams of my wet panties and he rubbed my swollen clit. “Yes,” I clutched his hair in fierce grip, wanting more and more of him. His other hand kneaded my aching breast as he gave equal attention to both my nipples. His fingers brushed my wet folds through the wet lace and then he ripped them in a single snap and inserted his finger into my channel. “God, yes!” I hissed as the climax began to build around my walls. He pushed another finger into me and his thumb found my bundle of nerves. His tongue and fingers worked magnificently on me. I was close to exploding. Just one more…
The loud ring of phone broke the spell. I jerked out of the sexual bubble that was surrounding us. Holy shit! What was I doing? He was my boss and we were in the office. “Aaron, stop!” I cried. “We can’t do this. This is inappropriate.” I tried to shove him away. His phone was still ringing. He broke away from me and stood up. The sudden loss of contact was like stepping over ice from burning coal. I tried to gather my breathing back to normal. “You are right. I apologize, Ms. Levant.” Aaron straightened his own jacket and buttoned up, providing me a glimpse of his bulge. I too got up and buttoned back my blouse and straightened my skirt.
His phone started to ring again. He pulled it out but made no attempt to pick it up. He was staring at me. “Uh, yes. Accepted. I’ll leave,” I ran fingers in my hair nervously and then took two steps ahead to leave and ran straight into him. He caught me by arms. “Steady there. Are you okay?” he asked me in a wry tone. “Of course, good day, Mr. Maxfield.” I walked past him and hit my leg into the table. “Ouch!” I winced. “Are you sure you are alright, Ms. Levant? I can help you, if you want,” he was smirking at me. Asshole! “I am fine. And answer your damn phone!” I couldn’t help but snap in irritation. I heard him chuckle as I stepped out of his room.
Damn him! He always knows how to get to me. And damn my traitor body and my needs that refuse to resist him. I had to do something that would make me less of a girl with horny urges around him. God, what must he be thinking of me? But then I remembered his grin. Jackass. He knew what he was doing. I just needed to find a way to avoid him.
*
If only I could have found a way to avoid Aaron, if only he would have given me a reason to avoid him. He's kept me working late the past two days. I was thankful it was Friday today and I would have a blissful weekend to relax and come up with a game plan for the coming week to keep my distance from him. But since he was the partner of the agency, it was considered to be my privilege that he was having me work alongside him. I had to give the man his credit, he was good at what he did.
Avery called me just before I was getting the minutes of the earlier meetin
g printed out. “Cass!! God, I missed you bad, girl! Don’t think I’ll forget to kick your ass for packing me all that stuff,” she exclaimed and I laughed. “You totally loved it, Av. Admit it,” I said. We had added a few yummy lingerie and not–for–kids toys in her suitcase before she had left for her honeymoon. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll let you go. Quinn thought it was my idea,” I could totally imagine her blushing. “Yeah, yeah, take the credit for my creativity. I gotta go or my boss will kick my ass. I’ll catch up with you later, Av. I missed you too,” I said to her and hung up the phone before rushing to Aaron’s cabin. The day was young and the office was full of activity.
I straightened my hair, took a deep breath and then turned the knob of the door to enter. “I have the minutes of the conference, Mr. Max…” my voice dried as I encountered the scene before me. Aaron was sitting on the couch with a woman, the same brunette from my interview day, on her knees, between his legs. Both of them snapped their faces towards me. Aaron’s face turned hard whereas the other woman’s filled with irritation. Shit. “I am sorry. I’ll leave.” I looked away and turned my back. “Cassandra wait,” Aaron called from behind. His voice was tight and cold. He was pissed. I didn’t wait and left his room, closing the door firmly behind me.
Hurt began to take over me. I didn’t know why I cared? It wasn’t like we were together or something. Hell, he was my boss. So why did I care who he screwed? And why the hell did I want to scratch both their damn faces off? I needed a minute to get myself back together. Rushing to the restroom, I locked myself into one of the cubicles and sat on the seat. “Deep breaths, Cass.” Inhale. Exhale. Repeat. I clenched my eyes shut and pressed fingers on my temples, hard. “No need to get upset. He isn’t yours,” I told myself. “He’s a man whore. You were just a flavor of the night, a one night stand. Nothing less, nothing more.” But damned if that image budged an inch from my mind. It refused to go. All I could see was him with that brunette. And the way he had seen me enter, he was furious. He was pissed that I interrupted his mid-day fuck.