by Tyler Grey
“I’ve tried talking to them,” I said. “The school told me they would handle it. I just need this for a few days, Grandma. I can’t tell Mr. Jackson no.”
She sighed heavily into the phone. “Your boss should be aware that you have a child outside of that building of his. I’ll make sure that Christian gets to school tomorrow morning.”
“Thank you, Grandma,” I breathed in relief, “I love you.”
“I love you too, sweetheart.”
I clutched the phone close to my chest for a moment. There was no doubt in my mind that Christian would be upset with me working so early, especially after the past few months of arriving home late. It didn’t matter how many times I tried to explain to him that we needed a decent paycheck; he grew upset every single time.
It’s your fucked-up father that put us in this position, Christian. It’s not my fault that I have to work because he signed his rights away. I wanted to scream that sometimes whenever he stomped away from me with angry tears in his eyes. I never did though. The world was already cruel enough to the both of us.
Chapter Three
Seth
The entire city of Boston was still asleep when I stepped out of the lobby to start along my usual pathway to work. Crisp autumn air greeted me when I pulled the hood up over my head to keep warm before I stretched out a few aches in my thighs. After an entire night of tossing and turning, a jog through the cold morning air sounded good before a long-ass day going through the disclosure.
I jogged along the dim pathway in the direction of the Charles River bike path. Years ago, my former personal assistant had advised me to hire security to follow me while I jogged along to work. Having a large bank account attached to my name meant that somehow people assumed I carried a large amount of cash on me. I was known throughout Boston as a self-made multibillionaire with a large list of enemies I had acquired over the years.
Not that I gave a flying fuck. I crossed over the bridge in the direction of downtown Boston. I’d stepped on plenty of toes throughout my life building up my business, and threats on my life weren’t anything new. No one knew I had spent a few years taking private self-defense lessons either. Not because I didn’t trust security to protect my backside whenever I ventured out into the city, but because I preferred to keep my private life as private as I possibly could. Nothing grated on my nerves more than having a constant shadow following me around.
I reached the tall building of Jackson Financial ten minutes later. The rest of the city was slowly stirring when I crossed the street in the direction of the small coffee shop that was always open at five in the morning. I smiled at the staff as they greeted me cheerfully before sending me along with a large black coffee clutched in my cold fingers.
The office was dark and quiet when I stepped off of the main elevators. It took a minute for my eyes to adjust to the bright fluorescent lights while I walked along the row of desks and offices. The cleaning staff had been through the previous night as scheduled, judging from the empty trash bins and the smell of lemon-scented bleach. Everything about my building ran smoothly, like a well-oiled machine.
I shut the doors to my office before stripping out of my hoodie. Plugging my phone in to charge on my desk, I made my way to the other door adjacent to my desk. The smell of freshly laundered sheets and towels filled my nose when I opened the door and flipped on the lights. The mini bedroom and bathroom, something I had added on years ago, was a life saver on the nights I never left the office because of the time it took to get to my penthouse. I tossed my hoodie in the hamper next to the bed. My dry-cleaned suits were hanging in the closet as usual, so I grabbed one without paying too much attention.
The heat of the shower spray helped loosen the muscles in my shoulders when I stepped into the tiled shower stall. I scrubbed away the sweat clinging to my skin before leaning up against the cool tile to think about what lay ahead of me for the day. An entire fucking day going over that disclosure with a fine-tooth comb. The thought of it made my head hurt, but I couldn’t afford to lose this to another company. I already knew that I would be crashing on the bed here in the office after hours.
Maybe Alisha would be here after hours, too.
My cock stiffened in arousal at the tempting thought. Smoothing a hand through my damp hair, I glared up at the shower head as I twisted on the cold water. I needed to find a release somewhere because I couldn’t ever bring myself to cross that delicate line between being a professional CEO and initiating inappropriate work conduct even though it was my business. No one would question a damn thing about what I did behind closed doors and after work hours. I could fuck in my office if I wanted to.
But I couldn’t bear the thought of anyone thinking I was that sort of man. I knew men like that. Men of power like me who ran rampant with various women in the workplace. A majority of them ended up in trouble with the law somewhere or were caught in the center of a scandal in the public eye. Neither option sounded appealing.
It was a tempting thought with Alisha, though. It had been since day one, the very first day when she was hired on as a receptionist down in the lobby. It had taken only one look at that freckled face and those vulnerable fuck-me eyes before I was a goner; I just never acted out on my desires because I was her boss. Nothing had cooled my attraction for her over the years either. She had worked her taut ass off to be where she was now with no favors or consideration of any kind on my part. I admired her work ethic and intelligence. Women like Alisha were a rarity.
My fingers brushed against the base of my erection. I had some time to give myself a little pleasure if I wanted to. All I had to do was think of that tight body hidden beneath Alisha’s conservative clothes before I exploded with imagination and release. Every inch of me longed to discover the hidden secrets beneath her blouse and pants. What color were her nipples? The question only served to drive me even crazier.
The cold water did the trick eventually. I stepped out of the shower to dress and shave for the day to find my office empty. Still.
I glanced up at the clock in irritation. Seven-oh-five. Even one minute late was late enough in my mind. I hadn’t even considered that Alisha might have issues getting to work at seven like I could, but I made a mental note to ask later if arriving at seven would be an issue.
I started the process of rifling through the disclosure when the doors to my office opened hurriedly at seven-twenty-three. My irritation levels were boiling already, but one look at Alisha’s taut body squeezed into a modest wrap dress and a blazer, and I felt all that irritation rapidly fading from my body. My body ached for release all over again as I took in those shapely legs tucked into a pair of knee-high black boots. Her pale face was flushed cherry red as she approached me with a nervous glimmer in her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” Alisha started, “I know that I’m never late—”
“I’m not one for excuses,” I said curtly. “Please, sit down. We need to talk about what I expect from you while you are working directly with me on this disclosure.”
Alisha immediately took a seat in the chair across from my desk. The nervous glint in her eyes didn’t fade as I settled myself on the edge of the desk to let my eyes travel up the length of her body. She shifted nervously on the edge of her seat after a long minute passed between the two of us.
“There isn’t much about what I am going to expect from you,” I said, crossing my arms. “All I care about is that you do your job and help me get through this disclosure as fast as possible. We have a deadline to reach.”
“Of course. I understand that, I—”
I held up a hand to interrupt her. “I expect you to be here on time though. Twenty minutes late isn’t appropriate, so please make sure that you are here early tomorrow morning.” Alisha’s face stiffened at those comments, but she didn’t break eye contact with me. “The only reason I come in early is because for an entire hour in the morning, I don’t have to worry about anything else. I get a lot done without distractions.”
“I’ll make sure to be here on time,” Alisha said quietly. “I understand everything you are expecting from me.”
“Good. Go ahead and get a strategy planned out for us this morning. We’ll meet at noon to review it.”
“Yes, sir.”
She rose from the chair without saying another word. I found my gaze settling on the curve of Alisha’s backside as she walked out of my office in the direction of her desk. Adjusting my tie, I sipped at my hot coffee while scrutinizing the disclosure carefully with one eye trained on the area where Alisha sat.
The next few hours ticked by slowly with the occasional sneak peak of Alisha’s backside as she got up every once in a while to venture into the breakroom for water. Having Alisha close was going to be a true test of my self-control. I watched the tip of her tongue poke out to moisten her full red lips while she pulled a sheaf of paper closer to read it intently. I groaned inwardly at the gesture and wondered what it would be like to kiss those lips. She scribbled a few notes down with her free hand before glancing upwards.
I stiffened in aggravation when I caught sight of Jim Chambers lingering by Alisha’s desk. Again. I had lost count how many times I’d found him standing there. He was good at his job, and someone I rarely ever had to correct, but I didn’t like the idea of him hovering over Alisha anymore. Office romances were strictly prohibited in my eyes though I doubted that Alisha was interested, judging from the uncomfortable look on her face. I couldn’t even remember ever hearing of Alisha dating anyone since her divorce. Cold fish. That was what some of the men around the office called her.
Rising from my desk, I crossed my office to linger in the doorway to catch their attention. Jim’s face darkened briefly before a collected expression fell into place. He took a step back from Alisha’s desk, but I already had a plan in mind.
“Hold on,” I said before Jim could scurry away. “I need your help, Mr. Chambers.”
Jim quirked an eyebrow at me cautiously and asked, “With what, Mr. Jackson?”
“I need you to help me move Ms. Townsend’s desk into the corner of my office,” I said coolly. Alisha’s mouth dropped open in shock and I continued before either one of them could say a word. “Seeing that this disclosure is so very important and time-consuming, I would like Ms. Townsend’s desk in my office for the time being. She can’t afford any more distractions.”
An angry red filled Jim’s cheeks, and his jaw worked furiously for a moment before he nodded stiffly at me.
“Of course,” he said. “I completely understand.”
Alisha had gathered her things from the desk when Jim and another employee stopped by to help lift her desk into my office. She hugged her purse, casting me a nervous glance while chewing on the pad of her thumb.
“Are you sure about this?” Alisha asked. “It’s a bit much, don’t you think?”
“Not really,” I replied smoothly, placing my hands in the pockets of my pants. “I need you close on this disclosure. I am also not fond of Mr. Chambers interrupting your work constantly, either.”
“Is that really what this is all about?”
I didn’t bother answering the question because it meant addressing the jealous smolder in my chest. While the IT department came up to reconnect Alisha’s computer and phone lines, I sat with her at my desk while we both read over the disclosure. I kept my eyes riveted to the numbers on the pages on my desk to avoid sending a smug look at in Jim Chambers. It wasn’t even a competition, but I had made it quite clear—if anyone in this building was going to have Alisha Townsend, it was going to be me. No one else.
Chapter 4
Alisha
There was no way in hell I would ever get used to working in such close quarters with Seth Jackson. No way in hell.
I glanced up from the stack of papers in front of me to find Seth’s gaze fixated on the spacious windows that overlooked the entire city of Boston. A pen twirled elegantly in those dexterous fingers while he continued to stare out at the city with an almost wistful look in his eyes. A very different expression compared to the ones I’ve seen before: Cold. Distant. Irritated. Critical.
Nerves bubbled in my stomach while I focused my attention back on the pages in front of me. Working close to Seth also meant screening my phone calls as discreetly as possible…if Christian’s school even bothered to call me. I sighed inwardly at the principal’s promise to call if something did happen again. They could only do so much to navigate through the bullying, but Christian’s silence made it that much harder. It was the teachers who had called me to express their concerns about Christian being bulled both in school and on his way to the bus in the morning.
Unfortunately, Christian had inherited my trait of going silent to avoid confrontation. He’d been that way since he was a baby, always so silent and guarded. It made him a prime target for bullies. He didn’t like sports either, preferring his advanced classes. He earned high grades all the time; it was just the social part that seemed to be taking a bit more time.
And that was the main reason I’d been twenty minutes late to work this morning.
“But, Mom,” Christian had complained, shoving his cereal bowl away. Milk had splashed up over the edge onto the dining room table. “You started working late a few months ago. Now, you have to go in early? That means you have to drop me off early to face everybody. I’m going to be sitting there like a loser.”
I wiped up the puddle of milk from the dining room table. “What else can I do, Christian? I have to pay the bills somehow.”
A dark scowl tugged at Christian’s face as he hunkered down in his chair. He pushed his bowl further away when I pushed it back.
“You can tell your boss you have other things to do,” he said. “Like take your kid to school at a normal time.”
“I can’t do that,” I said in exasperation. “Honey, this job is important. It pays for everything that we have. Being an adult means doing things that have to be done, even if you don’t want to sometimes.”
“You don’t have to be an adult to do that,” Christian grumbled darkly. “I already have to do things I don’t wanna do because of your work.”
I dropped the dishcloth in the chair in frustration. Propping my hands on my hips, I glared down at Christian, who blinked up at me indifferently. My anger never swayed him anymore. Raising a prepubescent teenage boy meant a whole new ball game of parenting that I had no notes on.
“I’m sorry, Christian,” I said. “The bullies are being watched. We’ve talked to the principal about it. I can’t shelter you from this right now. I’m already going to be late to work.”
“Whatever, Mom.”
He slipped out of his chair to head upstairs to shower. I smoothed a hand over my face before picking up the half-eaten, soggy cereal. It occurred to me then that my grandmother had avoided picking up Christian this morning because of his moodiness. It bothered me she said she would help but didn’t, She didn’t want to deal with it because she didn’t know how. Neither one of us could deal with it, partly because our bribes never worked anymore. He was no longer that sweet, caring little boy who took my hand whenever we walked to the bus stop together.
I chewed on the inside of my lip as I typed up the last bit of my presentation to show Seth before lunchtime. I needed to get ahead as much as I possibly could in case I had to excuse myself a bit early to pick up Christian.
Saving the presentation to my laptop, I worked up the courage to rise from my chair to walk across the spacious office to gain Seth’s attention. My stomach fluttered when those icy blue eyes cut straight through me.
“I have a strategy,” I said nervously. “If you aren’t busy—”
“Let’s see it,” Seth interrupted, rising from his chair motioning in the direction of the conference room down the hall. “I’m a bit curious to see what you’ve come up with. You’ve been working hard over there, seeing you have no distractions now.”
That part was nice, though I didn’t admit it out loud as I followed Seth o
ut of his office to the conference room. The office was abuzz as usual with ringing phones and chatter. Tucked away in the quiet of Seth’s office, I did have a lot more time to concentrate on what needed to be completed. It also helped that I didn’t have Jim Chambers stopping by my desk every single time he was on a break.
Seth held the conference doors open for me to step through. I quickly connected my laptop to the projector, willing my hands to stop trembling. This wasn’t the first time I had been in close contact with Seth. I’d given him plenty of presentations over the years. Something was different about it this time, and though I couldn’t place my thumb on it; there was a subtle change in the air around Seth.
He took a seat at the head of the conference table and folded his hands neatly in front of him. The white button up shirt he wore today was rolled up to his elbows, revealing muscular forearms. A bit of dark chest hair peeked out where the upper two buttons of his shirt were undone. He glanced at his wristwatch with a frown.
“I can do this after—” I started, taking that as a sign of impatience.
“Let’s do it now,” Seth said. “Let’s go through the presentation while we can. The rest of the day is going to be hectic for me.”
I grabbed the small remote from the center of the table to power on the projector. “Of course. So, I’ll go ahead and start quickly then.”
Numbers had always been a source of comfort for me as a child. I turned off the nerves bubbling in my stomach as I went over the various powerpoint slides with different charts. Business had been my escape from my broken heart when I found out about Todd’s new family. It was the primary reason I had excelled at my job over the years, while everyone else believed it was Seth giving me personal favors. In truth, I hardly knew the man behind Jackson Finance, other than a few basic details.