“Hey,” she greeted me, and she must have been able to tell there was something off about me. “Everything okay?”
I looked at her and then shut my eyes. I was cumming! I couldn’t stop it. The orgasm had started just as the fantasy reached it’s climax and now my cock was throbbing in my pants, spilling cum all over my boxer shorts.
“Yeah, I’m good,” I said feebly, trying to force the image of fucking her on my desk out of my head.
I was rock hard beneath my slacks, and my cum would be causing a stain very shortly. I shifted forward in my seat to hide the mess of my erection and cum from her.
“I was just going to head home,” she explained, gesturing to the door.
I have to admit she looked a little flushed herself, a few strands of hair falling loosely from the tight bun that sat atop her head. Had she been thinking of me next door? The thought didn’t do much to get rid of my erection, and I did my best to force it out of my head.
“Sure, sure,” I nodded. “See you tomorrow.”
She was so goddamned gorgeous. I could so vividly imagine those long legs wrapped around me, the way her thighs would cling to mine as I fucked her with every ounce of my desire.
I could feel my heart beating a little faster and my mouth growing dry as she lingered next to my desk, as though she didn’t want to go quite yet.
“Are you sure there’s nothing else I can do today?” she asked, cocking her head in the most absurdly appealing way. I shook my head.
“Really, you should go home,” I replied firmly, glancing down beneath the desk to see if my erection was visible through my pants. It totally was. Shit.
“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
She gave me one last, suspicious look, and then went for the door.
I let out a long breath I didn’t even know I’d been holding as soon as the door closed behind her, and finally my cock began to deflate below the desk. I needed to get home, get some sleep, and get that woman out of my head, once and for all.
It was proving to be very difficult. I just couldn’t shake my attraction to her, and every day, it seemed to grow more intense.
I did my best to cast my mind back to how things had started with Jeannie. I could only remember vaguely the details of that night, because it had been at the office Christmas party, and I had a few drinks in me.
I thought she was cute, and I knew I would never have turned her down if she came on to me, but I didn’t recall feeling anything remotely close to the intense desire I felt for Mona. It didn’t feel heavy on my chest then, I didn’t feel pressing. It felt like if I didn’t take care of it I might come apart at the seams.
This was something I felt for Mona alone, and I couldn't get out from under the weight of it.
I turned back to my computer. Even thinking about Jeannie made me feel as though I were violating some kind of contract I had with myself, one that I’d put in place to ensure nothing like that would ever happen again.
I slammed my laptop shut, and the cracking sound as plastic met plastic sent a satisfying burr through the room. I knew I was acting like an asshole, like an angry teenager, but I couldn’t help myself.
I wanted to scream, to hear it echo around me. This was as frustrated as I had ever been because I couldn’t have her. And I wasn’t used to giving up on something I wanted.
I stayed at the office late that evening, and I walked home with the streetlights glowing dimly above me. It was quiet in the business district at ten. Everyone had either already gone home or settled in to their offices with no intention of leaving before morning.
It was a cool night, a pleasant change from the overheated atmosphere of the office, and I found myself wondering what Mona was doing. Was she out somewhere enjoying the cool evening air like I was? Or was she curled up inside, maybe in front of the TV or her laptop, a glass of wine in hand?
It felt odd to spend so much time with someone and know so little about them. Maybe she was thinking about me. She was a young woman, the kind who probably had dozens of guys chasing after her. Why would she be interested in her decades-older boss.
I decided to go the long way home. I needed time to think, clear my head, and a walk could usually do the trick. I passed a small group of teenagers who couldn't have been older than fifteen, and they glanced up as I went by, shooting looks at each other in a panic. They didn’t have to worry about me selling them out, though. I didn’t have the energy for it tonight.
A dim, orange glow blanketed the city. Each building that lined the street cast its own unique light. Something about it was soothing to me, and I found myself matching the pace of my breath to the speed of my footsteps.
Each step spelled out her name. Mo-na, Mo-na, Mo-na. Jesus Christ, I had it bad for this girl. I couldn’t shake her.
What was it about her? What was it about her that had me so enchanted? Was it the way she looked? She was definitely hot, but it was something else. There were so many beautiful women in this city. I’d have to be crazy to think that I had fallen for Mona strictly because she looked good.
It wasn’t anything she did as part of her job. Maybe it was those flashes of deviancy, of playfulness she shot in my direction every so often. Like when she took the piss out of me for having Tracy and Kyra turn up at once, or when she teased me for working there for so long. That was what I liked. That was where my attraction sprang from.
Eventually, I reached my apartment building. I considered looping around and going again, but a tiredness had settled in and I needed to get some sleep if I was going to be on my game tomorrow.
I nodded to my doorman, who opened the gleaming, glass doors for me dutifully, apparently sensing that the last thing I needed was chit chat.
When I arrived in my apartment I walked straight to my bedroom. Peeling off my shoes, shirt, and tie, I dove into a quick shower and then fell into bed thoughts of Mona still taunting me.
Chapter 9
Mona
I yawned and pushed myself back from my desk, stretching broadly and releasing a tired groan. I had been getting up extra early since I started my job. I wanted to make a good impression by being first to arrive and preparing for each day before the others wandered in around nine, but I wasn’t used to it yet at all. I felt as though someone had peeled me straight from the sheets and deposited me at the desk before I’d even had time to fully open my eyes.
I was exhausted, but it was what Oliver needed from me right now. He was obsessed with landing this account he’d apparently been working on for ages.
I respected his hustle and I had to keep up. Even if I was wiping the sleep from my eyes three hours into the work day.
I could hear him talking on the phone to someone next door, and he was making a concentrated effort not to sound overly excited. He was closing in on the deal. I had picked up that much, but I had no idea how it would play out.
I felt like a voyeur, watching from the outside, and it was frustrating not having a good grasp of what was actually going down. I hated being out of the loop. I was used to being part of the action.
Still, the peace and quiet gave me a little time to get things organized and catch up on some much needed rest. As I went through a handful of new emails, my eyelids felt heavy and I caught myself zoning out a couple of times I had to stop myself from falling asleep at my desk.
I was typing away, sending out form responses to the few people I knew Oliver wouldn’t be interested in speaking to, when the phone rang.
“Hello, Oliver Paulson’s office.”
“Hello?”
A woman’s voice came through the line, and she sounded distressed.
“Can I help you?” I kept my tone as neutral as I could, but I shuffled in my seat a little, settling in. No doubt, this was one of Oliver’s women, ready to drop some drama straight into my lap.
“Is that Oliver’s assistant?” the woman asked, and I cocked my head to the side, intrigued.
“Yes, it is,” I confirmed. “Can I help y
ou with something?”
“What’s your name?” she asked, and I furrowed my brow.
“Mona,” I responded. “My name is Mona.”
“Mona,” the woman repeated, as though she was affixing the name to her memory. “And you work for him? For Oliver?”
“Yes, I do,” I confirmed, I was beginning to doubt that this phone call had anything to do with business. Leaning back in my seat, I waited for the woman to continue.
“Don’t let him fool you,” she warned, her voice dropping slightly, and I felt a jolt run through me.
“What are you talking about?” I asked, sitting up in my chair.
“I know he’s charming, but you can’t let him fool you into thinking there’s actually something between you,” she went on, and it sounded as though she’d rehearsed what she was going to say to me.
“Who are you?” I demanded, but I already had a good idea.
“I’m his last assistant,” she snapped without a hint of amusement. “Jeannie. Haven’t you heard about me?”
My stomach dropped. I closed my eyes and swallowed, bracing myself for the rest of this unpleasant exchange.
“How did you get this number?” I asked, stupidly, then quickly corrected my question. “Why are you calling?”
“I wanted to warn you,” she replied, as though it should have been obvious. “I know what he’s like. I was there too, and when I found out he had hired a pretty, young girl to be his assistant.”
“How do you know he hired me?” I demanded.
“I still have friends there, Mona,” she reminded me, and I shivered, wondering if she had been keeping tabs on me the entire time.
I looked around, as though someone might be watching me at that very moment.
“And they told me that you’re exactly his type,” she went on. “I was, too, and after we hooked up-”
“You guys were sleeping together?” I interrupted. I guessed I had suspected that was what had happened between them, but that didn’t make it any easier to stomach.
“Of course we were,” she scoffed, and I was beginning to get irritated at the way she was speaking to me. “He was pretty much the best I’ve ever had. I got hooked on him.”
“Right.” I allowed her to my stomach turning somersaults inside me.
“After we had sex, everything changed,” she sighed sadly. “I knew it would, but I thought we could overcome it. God help me, I thought he actually wanted to be with me.”
“And he didn’t?”
“Well, I think you’d know about me if he did,” she shot back, sarcastically.
Why was I still on the phone with this woman? I could have hung up ages ago, but I didn’t want to. I had to hear what she had to say.
“And what happened?” I pressed.
I had no idea how long it would be until I’d get called away by something or someone else, and I felt like I had a right to know.
“They got rid of me, of course,” she went on, as though it should have been obvious. “Or else, you wouldn’t have my job, right?”
“Right, right,” I spoke carefully, suddenly aware that Jeannie might just be pissed that she had been fired and was hoping to sabotage my job here, as well.
“Don’t let him near you,” she warned. “Don’t let him seduce you. Don’t let yourself fall for him because all you’re going to end up with is an unemployment check and…”
She trailed off, falling quiet for a moment and then continued, “Memories,” she said at last. “No job, just memories. It’s not worth it. Trust me.”
“I’ll take that under advisement,” I replied, trying my best to appear neutral.
“Promise me,” she begged. “Please.”
I could have promised her nothing would happen between Oliver and I. They were just words, after all, and the chances of her ever finding out one way or another were slim, but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t promise her. I wouldn’t.
I hung the phone up, my mind swirling and my heart pounding in my chest.
What did it say about me that I couldn’t just tell her nothing would happen? I knew why. It was because somewhere at the back of my brain, I knew I hoped it would.
Was I so desperate for a man that I would go against the advice of someone who knew from recent experience that it would be in my best interest to stay the hell away from him?
There was just something about Oliver. From the second I’d laid eyes on him I wanted him. I wanted him badly, and not just physically because if it were only that, I would have had no trouble getting him into my bed. I was not without my charms as they say. No, it was a hell of a lot more than that, and there was no denying it any longer.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, forcing myself to slow down. My thoughts were humming at record speed, so fast I was sure I might start levitating if I let them go on any longer.
Nothing had changed. It wasn’t like Oliver knew how I felt. Only Jeannie, a woman who had sat in this seat before me knew what I was feeling. She was the only person who could fully understand what it was like to be next to Oliver day in and day out, seduced by his charms.
Maybe I should take Jeannie’s advice. She ended up losing her job. It was so unfair. Did the company made a habit of canning anyone who got too close to the higher-ups? I had no clue, but it definitely happened with the last woman who occupied this office.
Things wouldn’t happen like that for me. I had to strengthen my resolve. I had to harden myself to his charms, to ignore those looks he gave me when he was sure I wasn’t looking. I had to make sure he knew nothing would ever happen between us.
It would have been simple but Jeannie’s phone call only served to pique my interest. I knew I was being reckless for even thinking it, but if there was any way to get me interested in a guy, it was to hear from his ex-lover that he was the best they’d ever had.
This woman had ruined her career to be with Oliver. What kind of genius in bed must he have been for her to have risked her career, and how could I not be thinking of all the tricks he could pull between the sheets?
I realized with a start that Oliver had finished his phone call next door. I had no idea how long ago he’d hung up, but I got to my feet at once, as though he was going to burst in the door and scold me for slacking.
To my surprise, I heard a knock. He didn’t normally come into my office, and I stumbled over my words for a second before I responded.
“Uh, come in,” I called, sounding a bit frazzled.
He opened the door and walked in, and there was an odd expression on his face, as though he had somehow been privy to the conversation I’d just received.
“Everything alright?” I asked, smiling.
I knew I looked flustered. I was reddening from the chest up, and I wrung my hands together in a way that probably looked neurotic to him.
“Yeah, sure,” he said, nodding and eyeing me curiously, as though trying to put his finger on what was off. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I am,” I assured him, taking my seat back behind my computer and looking up at him expectantly. “What can I do for you?”
“Could you push back the meeting I have with Neil ’til five thirty?” he asked. “I need a little more time to put my proposal together, and I don’t want to rush it.”
“Of course,” I replied, smoothly, checking his schedule and pulling up Neil’s email so I could let him know. “Anything else?”
“Were you just on the phone with someone?” he asked, cocking his head at me.
I froze. Would it be better if I told him? I brushed my hair from my face, buying time, as I tried to come up with an answer.
“Oh, yeah.” I replied. “My Mom, she was calling in to check on me.”
“Oh, okay, he said, shrugging, even though he looked at me with a cock-eyed glance that suggested he didn’t buy it for a second. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Yes, certain,” I replied as firmly as I could. “I’ll rearrange that meeting for you.”
“Thanks.
”
He ducked out, and my shoulders softened with relief. Being in a room alone with Oliver was even more difficult knowing what I now knew.
I undid my hair and let it fall down over my shoulders. I massaged my scalp, as I attempted to force the thoughts of Oliver from my head.
I just hoped that he had more restraint than I did.
Chapter 10
Oliver
This last month had been one of the most productive I’d ever pulled off in the history of my career. I had my nose so close to the grindstone it was in danger of getting scraped. I practically had to be wrestled from my office at the end of each day so the cleaning service could get in and get their job done.
I knew it wasn’t good for me to work as hard as this, but the sweet smell of success was an intoxicating reason to go on. I’d forgotten how it felt to be challenged like this, to have to plan carefully and strategize every move I made to ensure that it was drawing me closer to landing the Masterson account once and for all.
They were a British company and, as such, they were somewhat old-fashioned. This was unusual for a tech firm, but I could work with it. I only had to tweak my attitude to make sure I wasn’t coming off too hard or “American” for their liking.
I would do anything to get them on board. I’d be looking at an expansion for the company that would take us from a solid, national brand into a dominating, international one.
Neil was right though when he said we didn’t need it right this second, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to try to chase it down if I could. Landing something like this now would be a big win any way you sliced it.
I also knew, with absolute certainty, that I couldn’t have come as far as I was now without Mona’s constant support both professionally and as a friend. I had never had an assistant even half as good as her, one who seemed to anticipate my every move and work around it to make sure I was getting the most I possibly could out of every single work day.
This was a woman who knew how to strategize, one who knew how to work hard, fast, and efficiently, and she was applying all that knowledge with great effect and with a confident and calming disposition.
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