by L. J. Dee
“Unobtainable,” I laughed.
“Absolutely bang on. He asked my name and I was dressed the part, so I wasn’t sure if he knew I was working or a guest, but anyway I told him my name and he took my hand and kissed my knuckles like they do in the old films. I couldn’t believe it. So I smiled at him and asked his name and do you know what the next words out of his mouth were?”
“No” I said urgently, shaking my head.
“Charlie Hunter. I nearly fucking died, Sis,” she said as my face turned white and I was nearly dying now.
“Oh no, oh God, Chas, what did you do?”I asked quickly, both desperate and terrified to hear the rest of this tale.
“I didn’t know what to do for a second, which is unlike me. I thought I’d play it cool because he was really handsome. You missed that bit out of your story by the way, Jess,” she said as I laughed. “I can’t believe I’ve never come across him before, I would definitely have noticed,” she said as her eyes glazed over and I suspected she was getting sidetracked.
“Go on, Chas,” I urged.
“I asked who he was at the party with, which of course he loved because he thought I was coming onto him. I assure you I would have been under different circumstances. Anyway, he said ‘my brother’. So I said ‘who, the dickwad?’”
I couldn’t help the small giggle that burst forth, urging her with my eyes to go on.
“Then he said, ‘please don’t tell me you’re one of Tyler’s groupies’ and laughed as I asked him who Tyler was. He explained that Tyler was his brother who’s in a band and that when most people refer to his ‘dickwad brother’; they’re usually talking about Tyler. Apparently he’s a bit of a player. So I said, ‘no I meant the other one’. He looked really puzzled for a moment and asked if I meant Roman. I said ‘no’. I’ve never even heard of Roman Hunter and you can imagine that by this point it was all getting pretty confusing,” she laughed as I nodded.
“Then I asked him just how many dickwad brothers he had and teased that Christmas must be a lot of fun at his place. Eventually, I told him I meant Lucas. He was really shocked and said, ‘I’ve never heard anyone call Lucas a dickwad before’ and that most people wouldn’t dare; or words to that effect. I told him ‘I’m not most people and that total shithead might be a more appropriate description’ and that the way he was treating you was an absolute disgrace. He started laughing and I didn’t know why, until I turned around and saw Lucas standing behind us. He wasn’t laughing and neither was I,” she said as the colour drained from my face again.
“What did you do?” I asked quickly as my heart hammered in sheer panic.
“What do you think I did? I laid into Lucas Hunter big time. I told him Turnbull gave you that job because you deserved a break in life, and if he thought you’d shag your boss to get ahead, he had no idea of the kind of person you are. I said he should get to know you before casting his ill considered aspersions at you, and should be thoroughly ashamed of himself for hurting you so badly that you’d come home sobbing and inconsolable. I made it clear that you didn’t even know about the contract and had spent all week wondering why the hell everyone was being so damn cruel,” she finished, taking a huge deep breath as I stared at her mutely.
“I also told him that if he thought you’d quit, he should think again and then I told Charlie it was nice to meet him because I didn’t want to burn that bridge. I gave him my condolences that he appeared to have three dickwad brothers before I carried on waitressing.”
Holy fuck knuckles.
“What did Lucas say?” I asked, noticing that she’d omitted his reaction from her whole story which didn’t bode well.
“Nothing, but he wasn’t happy. He just stood there with his mouth set in this stern line, gazing down at me. It’s a shame because he’s really hot in a broody, menacing kind of way. He watched me walk away and then before I left he grabbed me, pulling me back onto the patio again. He’s one of those intense people who just drags the truth from you. He was looking at me so intently and he asked how you were,” she said and I could tell he’d intimidated her a little too, which was really unusual.
“What did you tell him, Chas?” I asked, still flooded with a strange sense of panic.
“The truth. He looked genuinely upset, Sis, really remorseful. Not in a ‘shit, I’m about to get sued’ way, but like he really cared about you. I don’t know; it was weird. Anyway, he asked me to tell you he was sorry,” she smiled and I knew that wasn’t the end of it.
“What did you say?” I asked.
“I said ‘tell her yourself.’”
“Oh God, Chas, you have made this about a zillion times worse,” I sighed but she wasn’t having it. I knew she wouldn’t.
“No I haven’t. From where I’m standing, it couldn’t have got any worse. They wanted you out and they needed to know the truth. Now they do and I think you’ll get an apology,” she shrugged defiantly as I took myself off to bed, wondering if she might be half right.
CHAPTER 6
After a weekend spent replaying Chas’s conversation endlessly in my head, a sixth birthday party that felt like it had broken my eardrums, a spot of shopping and teaching Dex to tie his laces, it was time to face the music.
I got myself ready on Monday morning, hugging him tightly and waking Chas for the school run and my stomach was churning. A big part of me wanted to quit because it seemed like the easiest option, but Chas was right. I had to sit tight and see how this panned out. If they wanted rid of me, they could fire me with the most amazing pay off that Mr Turnbull had written into my contract. I bet that had raised a few eyebrows in the now chaotic HR Department.
He wasn’t in. Melody was though and as she opened her mouth to speak, I wondered if Chas was right and things had improved already. I didn’t think it for long.
“Did you remove a recording machine from my desk on Friday?” she snapped.
“Yes, I did the minutes for the meeting. I thought I’d do you a favour,” I smiled.
“Don’t do it again,” she spat coldly as I sighed, returning to my desk and pulling out a trashy gossip magazine, putting my feet up and snacking on a brunch bar. Melody was staring at me wide eyed and stunned. I didn’t take Chas’s advice and tell her to ‘go and fuck herself’. I just smiled and returned my gaze to the magazine, thumbing slowly through the pages.
Charlie came into the office at half past ten to see if Lucas was around, smirking as he saw me with my feet on the desk, reading my magazine, when an idea popped into my head. I was probably way off, but it was worth a shot. All I wanted was some work to do.
“Can I speak to you privately, Mr Hunter?” I asked, pulling my legs down from the desk and smiling up at him as he smiled back, gesturing me into Lucas’s empty office as I took a seat opposite him. I found it much easier to talk to Charlie. “I heard the tape on Friday,” I started as he nodded.
“Yes, your sister let me know,” he smirked. I ignored the comment.
“You said that you were looking for a company to organise an event to showcase the apartment build and I wondered if you’d let me put some ideas together. I have a lot of experience in events and it will give me something to do while evidently I cannot be trusted to do anything else,” I smiled with the most innocent face I could conjure. He was watching me closely and his eyes were twinkling with humour.
“You’ll need to see if the other Mr Hunter can spare you,” he said, a small smile tickling the side of his mouth. “And to avoid confusion, please call me Charlie. We have a number of agencies pitching their ideas to us next week. You can do the same if Lucas agrees.”
“Thank you, Charlie, and please call me Jess,” I smiled, returning to my desk and firing up my computer. I didn’t have anything else to do, so I made a start.
It was Monday afternoon before I saw Lucas again and he asked me into his office politely as he walked in, which earned me a stern look from Melody. That girl was skating on very thin ice. He gestured for me to sit, taking the seat o
pposite and my heart was pounding like it always did around him. I wasn’t sure what he wanted, but for once he was smiling and I forced a small smile back.
“I want to apologise, Jessica, it appears that I’ve made an inaccurate assumption about you,” he said as I gazed into those beautiful eyes that looked so sincere I knew already I’d forgiven him. “I jumped to conclusions without gathering the facts.”
I nodded mutely, still gazing and allowing him to continue. “Your contract is extremely unusual and I’ve been informed that you didn’t know about it, which I don’t understand because you’ve signed it,” he said, clearly waiting for an explanation.
“I read the first one of course, Sir, but Mr Turnbull told me that HR had incorrectly calculated my holidays and that he’d amended it. I trusted him and didn’t think I needed to read it again, so I signed it straightaway and gave it back,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. “He didn’t give me my own copy. That usually comes straight from HR in the internal mail when they’ve processed it. I called them for a copy when you didn’t make me redundant because I thought it was odd. It hasn’t come through yet and I get the impression they’ve been kind of busy,” I said as he nodded slowly.
“I see. Charlie tells me you want to pitch some ideas for the Waterside event,” he said as I smiled.
“Yes, if you can spare me,” I replied as he started to laugh. I had never heard Lucas Hunter laugh and the sound was so lovely I couldn’t help the small giggle that burst forth, knowing that it probably wasn’t apt. I had never heard it from Melody.
He gestured for me to leave, calling me as I walked away.
“Will the waitresses be wearing hot pants, Jessica?” he grinned as I rolled my eyes.
“Definitely not, Sir,” I laughed, a warm shiver running through me as I thought I heard him mutter ‘what a shame’ under his breath, although I couldn’t be certain. I made my way back to my desk altogether happier. Chas was right, things were looking up.
By Friday I had all my ideas in place. I’d spoken to Chas and met with Patrick as I’d be using the services of Elite if they went with my vision. I’d visited the area where the apartments were being built and I thought my event was novel and unusual. I’d asked Charlie for the budget and came in well within it, and as I put the final touches to my presentation I was really proud of it.
I wasn’t used to presenting and that would be the hard bit I thought, especially in front of Lucas Hunter. The man unnerved me, intimidated me and set my heart pounding in equal measure. I’d practiced every night in front of my audience of one, but he was five and totally biased. I would try this weekend on Chas. She’d be honest and not pull any punches, but she wouldn’t hit me with those eyes that would have me swooning and salivating, and that was the thing that worried me the most. I’d just have to look at Charlie.
In a way I wished he hadn’t delivered such a sincere apology. That way, my libido would be damper than the proverbial squib. But he had, and put himself right back in the fantasy running. There was no escaping the fact that he was my boss and nothing was ever going to happen between us, but it didn’t stop me thinking about it. I could tell myself I didn’t want to feel those lips on mine over and over again, but there was one major drawback in lying to yourself; you knew you were lying.
It was after six by the time I’d finished. Melody had left without saying goodbye as usual and Lucas wasn’t around. I wanted to see where I’d be pitching. I’d be up against agencies and even if they didn’t go for my idea, I needed to be slick. They’d already questioned my ability enough. I had one shot to impress them and the last thing I wanted was to bumble around with my memory stick, trying to work out the equipment. I’d heard Melody on the phone telling the events people to come to the office, so we’d be in here somewhere.
I pushed the door to his office open quietly and tiptoed across the floor. I’d only ever seen the part where his desk was, but there was a whole other area at the back of the office. I rounded the corner behind his desk. Bingo.
The table was smaller than the boardroom, but almost an exact replica that would seat eight to ten people comfortably, and there was a giant plasma screen on the wall that I assumed I’d be presenting from. He’d be here and Charlie, but I wasn’t sure who else. It all looked pretty straightforward until I spied the coffee machine I’d seen maintenance come to install.
What if they wanted coffee? Would I be expected to make it? I was his PA and it was definitely a possibility. The last thing I needed around Lucas Hunter was another drinks debacle and I decided to fire it up. A bit of practice couldn’t hurt I thought, putting my bag on the counter.
Oh God, it was one of those things you get in upmarket coffee shops, sleek with several spouts and extremely bloody complicated. I pulled a cup from the adjacent rack, placing it in the middle of the machine and pressed ‘Latte’.
Before I could stop it and move the cup to the correct spout, black coffee and white froth spattered all over me and the floor, soaking through my blouse as I tried to pull it away from my burning skin, hopping around in my heels and spreading the mess at my feet. Bollocks. I managed to catch a third of it and start again. At least I knew where the coffee came from now I thought, putting a new cup under the spout and pressing ‘Espresso’.
This one sprayed out from a different nozzle, burning me again and completely ruining the pale pink fabric as it spread slowly across the front of my chest. Christ, the thing was a minefield. I just had to hope they didn’t want coffee I thought, freezing as I heard the door to the office open and the sound of low muffled voices.
Oh shit, he was going to go nuts. He’d want to know what the hell I was doing snooping around his office and why there was coffee all over his PA and his pristine floor. I did the only thing I could think of, pulling open a nearby door and ducking inside, praying he wouldn’t be long and that he would never know about my breaking and entering. Well, strictly speaking it was only entering.
I pulled the door to, in order to conceal myself the best I could. I couldn’t risk closing it completely. I was only around the corner and he’d hear it. He was with a woman; the clicking of her heels echoing loudly on the floor as she walked to his desk. Did the man never go home?
I heard him mutter ‘what the fuck’ really quietly as he made his way past the coffee machine, the quiet opening of a cupboard and the chinking of ice in a glass and liquid being decanted. I was breathing as quietly as I could but I wouldn’t have been surprised if he could hear my heart pounding from there. I certainly could, oh Holy Shit. I was sweating through my coffee covered blouse as I heard the footsteps pause momentarily right outside the door, holding my breath as he walked back to his desk, before letting it all out in a huge silent sigh of relief.
I was hiding in my boss’s bathroom, blood pulsing through my ears, unable to breathe when I suddenly remembered I’d left my bag outside and my pounding heart stopped beating altogether. I was already running late and Chas would be working tonight and wondering where the hell I was. Oh God, ‘please don’t call me, please don’t call me’ I muttered internally over and over again until I heard his low voice after a long pause.
“I’ve told you before not to bother me at the office,” he said, sounding pretty annoyed. “This is not how this works, Morgan. I thought I’d made myself clear.” Oh shit, this sounded personal....could this get any worse?
“I intend to spank you for your disobedience,” he continued and I slapped my hands over my mouth to quiet the gasp that escaped before I could stop it as my eyes shot wide open and I slid down the wall to crouch on the bathroom floor. Oh God, why hadn’t I let him know I was here? In hindsight, that would have been a much better option. The woman was silent as he continued.
“Now you need to get ready for your punishment....” Oh God, he wasn’t going to do it NOW, HERE.....oh shit....
My heart was racing so fast it was practically vibrating, tense muscles clenching as I tried to stay as silent as I could. Should I stay? Should I
go out and make my presence known? I couldn’t sit here while Lucas Hunter spanked some stranger. Oh Holy fuck. I’d been in scrapes before, sticky situations and mortifying moments, but nothing like this. There was absolutely no protocol here and my brain was in turmoil.
“You will wait at the club until I am ready and if you accept your punishment like a good girl, then I may decide to fuck you. Would you like me to fuck you Morgan?” he asked.
“Yes, Sir,” the woman said softly.
“Be naked, kneeling and waiting for me,” he said, the low deep growl like an order, reverberating down my spine as my skin shivered in response.
“Yes, Sir,” she said again, her voice barely above a whisper.
“You may leave now,” he said firmly, dismissing her abruptly and his words were going round and round in my head. What the hell was going on? I was freaked, I was fearful and I was afraid of being caught, but when he’d said those words it wasn’t only my heart that had been pounding. His smooth voice dripped with sex and I was stunned to realise that they’d turned me on, really turned me on. I didn’t know if it was my heightened senses, I was clinically insane or if this is what came from five years of no sex?
Oh Lord, the visual of Lucas Hunter spanking and then fucking someone, me, erupted gloriously in my head. I’d only ever seen the outline of those gorgeous abs through his soaking white shirt on the night of the record company party, but it was enough. I could imagine the rest.
I heard the office door close, then footsteps and the chinking of ice again. Oh God, he wasn’t leaving. Why wasn’t he leaving?
I sank even further onto the floor, soaked with coffee and sweat as the footsteps stopped right outside the bathroom again. I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for them to walk on. They didn’t and as the door opened slowly I froze completely.
“You can come out now, Jessica,” I heard. At least I thought I did. Oh no, he didn’t really say that did he? I kept my eyes squeezed shut, cradling my legs in my arms, praying that I’d imagined it and he wasn’t actually standing there.