by Jan Moran
“Giving someone a job is entirely different from buying them. I only want her professional skills, and I offered her a competitive salary.”
“That’s fine. I believe you. I guess I would have been happier if you were interested in her romantically. From the way you described her, she sounds like your type.” She watched him for a moment.
He could see that her smile had faded and noticed the worry in her eyes, and it made him look away. He focused on the highway, wishing he’d waited to even mention his new assistant.
“When are you going to get back out there? Honestly, Arthur. I’m starting to worry about you.”
The way her voice softened made him tense. This was not what he wanted to discuss right now. He would date again when he was ready.
“I’ve invited a few guests to join us back at my place before we go to The Club.”
Arthur knew that Elisa could sense that he was evading the conversation, but she also knew when to back off. He could feel her eyes on him, and the silence that filled the air made him speed toward the Richter Tower. He needed to get out of the car, and away from his sister’s judgment.
To his relief, she went along with the change of subject. “Who did you invite?”
“A few locals,” he said.
“Boring. And? Please tell me it’s not just a bunch of Texans.”
He grinned. “I happen to like Texans. I find them quite charming. Don’t you?”
Elisa rolled her eyes and gave him an expectant look. “And?”
“Henrik Bauer,” he said.
“That’s more like it,” Elisa said. “Bring in the Germans and things are always more fun. A little business, and a little pleasure. My favorite.”
“I figured as much. We need his connections in Germany. I think a night at The Club will solidify the relationship between Bauer Cosmetics and Koenig Designs. It was an easy decision.”
“And you know how I adore him.”
“You adore anyone with a pretty face.”
“And he is so very pretty.”
“Good. I’m sure you can work your charms on him.”
Once they pulled up to his building, they stepped out of the convertible, and Arthur handed his keys to the valet.
“Have a good day, Sir Koenig.”
“I’m going up to my place to get cleaned up. Let’s get lunch and discuss the buyout.”
Arthur nodded. “Good idea.”
She stepped through the glass front doors as they opened for her.
“And then we can do some shopping. I need something for tonight. It’s going to be simply magical.”
He watched her disappear into the building, whose glass doors only reflected the outside world. Once alone he stood there for a moment, reflecting on what his sister had said. Didn’t she know how much he wanted to be free of his heartache? She wasn’t the type to fall in love. Love only got in the way of her fun and her goals. Perhaps Elisa didn’t understand.
He gazed up at the sky and squinted against the powerful rays of the sun.
One day the right girl would come along, and make him forget the pain of the past.
He was almost ready for that day.
Chapter 3
What the Koenigs had done to the firm in just one morning left everyone in the building on edge. The partners hadn’t been unanimous in their decision to sell the company.
Still, the final vote was to accept the offer.
Within an hour, everything Gavin and the partners had built over the past ten years was to be turned over to Elisa Koenig.
The tension in the break room was unbearable. Sohana poured herself another cup of coffee and kept her eyes down.
Parallegals and attorneys whispered over the tray of donuts Kelly had bought.
Everyone was terrified.
If the Koenigs took over, how many of them would be kept?
As Sohana left the break room, she checked her text messages.
Nothing from mom.
That was rare.
Her mother and younger brother lived her and always seemed to need something. She let out a long breath. That was all she needed right then.
Gavin motioned for her from his office door.
Sohana nodded, eager for something to do other than sit around waiting.
As she crossed the lobby, her mind went back to Arthur Koenig. After researching him for so long, she’d started to almost believe she knew him.
Seeing him in person was beyond anything she could have imagined. Pictures and videos online didn’t do him justice.
She wondered if he was still single.
“What now?” Sohana followed Gavin into his office
She could tell how tense he was, and tried to keep her own voice steady. The entire morning had been positively nerve-racking.
Gavin didn’t speak. He simply kept walking down the long hallway that opened up to the lounge area before his office. She was unsure if she should ask again. Everyone knew better than to bother him when he was upset.
She considered simply going home, but she wanted to make certain what was to happen next. Arthur said that he would call her. She needed more direction than that. Should she simply wait? The feeling of being in limbo made her nervous.
When Gavin stepped into his office, he held the door open for her. That was her answer. With a sigh of relief, she entered and stood before his desk. They had so much to discuss, and it felt as if they didn’t have enough time. This might be the last time that they would see each other.
Once he closed the door, she offered a smile. “That went better than I expected,” she said. “Kelly is pissed. I never heard her say such a combination of curse words.” She let out a nervous giggle. “How are you feeling?”
He stood there for a moment, just taking her in. She felt as if under a microscope and moved her hair behind her shoulders.
“You really are beautiful.”
Sohana tilted her head. Did he have any idea how long she’d wanted to hear him say that? The flirting had only begun a few weeks ago. All of a sudden he made her feel as if she wasn’t invisible. This was after two years of working for him and being treated like dirt.
“Thank you,” she said. “Where did that come from?” She couldn’t help herself from asking the question on her mind.
He loosened his tie and took off his suit jacket. He dropped it onto the floor. He was no Sir Arthur Koenig, nor was he her type, but Gavin Pruitt had his own charm. Hazel eyes and slick dark brown hair, he reminded her of one of her high school teachers. Perhaps it was his glasses and the fact that he was incredibly intelligent. She was always a sucker for a smart man. But then there was his temper.
“I’ve wanted to say that for a very long time,” he said.
Gavin closed the shades of the glass that looked out into the lobby. Once the potential for unwanted eyes was eliminated, he took his tie off and approached her. She felt more and more insecure the closer he got to her. Sohana stepped backward until her lower back met the edge of his desk.
She craved his attention, but there was a look in his eyes…one that made her slightly afraid of his next action. Her brain questioned his intentions, and she wanted nothing more than to slip away and pretend he’d never looked at her that way.
When he was directly before her, she shook with nerves. He reached for her face and stroked her cheeks.
Her eyes searched his, and all she saw was lust. Sohana knew it, and it hit her hard that he wasn’t really seeing her.
Warnings flashed through her mind when his lips met hers.
Sohana froze. The answer to his question ate away at her. This isn’t right. She grabbed his hand, taking it from her face, and held it.
“What’s wrong?” Gavin stood to his full height, stepped back, and looked down at her in alarm.
Cheeks flushed, she didn’t know what to say. How could she tell him that she was having second thoughts? He was married. Those lips had probably just kissed his wife before leaving for the firm that very morning. She wasn’t th
e type of girl to overlook that haunting fact. Besides, she couldn’t truly forget how poorly he had treated her in the past.
Too many warnings.
Shaking her head, she fixed her gray pencil skirt and moved away from him. Walking backward, Sohana avoided eye contact.
“I can’t do this,” she said. “I just can’t. It’s just awkward timing, and I don’t feel it.” Her shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry.”
“Fine,” he said straightening his shirt. All tenderness left his voice, and she knew she made the right decision. “Leave.”
She felt tears burn her eyes and gave him a look of disbelief. Two years and this was their goodbye.
“Good luck,” she mumbled and hurried across his office and left before he could reply or try to stop her.
Embarrassed, she tried to keep a calm face, even though her cheeks were burning as she walked down the hall to her shared office. No one stopped her. No one said anything. They were all preoccupied with preparing for the buyout, and she was grateful. She grabbed her purse from her desk and didn’t stop walking until she was outside.
The hot sun’s light bathed her bronze skin as she closed her eyes and tilted her head to the bright blue sky.
“Stupid, stupid girl,” she whispered. “When are you going to learn?”
The buzz of her phone made her jump. She reached inside her purse and sighed with relief when she read the caller ID.
“Aimee,” she said. “Hi.”
Her heels clicked along the pavement as she walked through the parking lot to her car.
“Hey, girl. How about Thai, at noon?”
“Sounds perfect,” Sohana smirked. “You really are a lifesaver, you know that?”
“Why? What happened?”
Sohana shook her head. “You don’t want to know. I seriously wish I could change my name and enter witness protection.”
“You okay?”
She unlocked her door and sat in the hot driver’s seat of her Honda Civic.
“Well, my boss just kissed me…the married one. I think my life is over,” she said while rubbing her left temple.
“What? No way! Wait, save the story for lunch. I want to hear every dirty detail.”
“Of course. See you in a few minutes.”
Lowering her cell phone, Sohana looked at herself in her visor mirror. Large gray eyes looked back at her. They welled with tears, but she quickly wiped them away. She didn’t dare ruin her mascara or her pride.
She started her car and drove away without any intention of ever coming back.
Sir Arthur Koenig’s offer lingered in the forefront of her mind. The uncertainty of the future frightened her. She’d researched this man from top to bottom, but she hadn’t a clue what his true character was like. He could be a handsome man with a cruel heart. She didn’t think she could work for another man like that. But her mother’s face entered her mind. She and her younger brother depended on her for survival.
Perhaps she had no choice but to accept the offer.
“What am I going to do?”
Chapter 4
Sohana walked into Thai House to see Aimee already seated at their usual booth near the front door of the restaurant. She wished Aimee had picked a spot near the back, just in case someone from the firm decided to dine there as well.
Still, seeing Aimee smile and stand eased some of her anxiety. She returned the smile and walked over to hug her best friend.
“Good to see you, Sohana Wanna,” Aimee said in a sing-song voice.
Sohana laughed at the name Aimee had loved to call her since they were children. “Likewise, babe.”
The waiter came over right away. “Hey, ladies, what’ll it be? Two glasses of water with lemon, and an order of fresh rolls?”
They both smiled. “You know us so well, Hill,” Aimee said.
“You’re my best customers, of course, I do. I also know you two will both study my menu for a few minutes, but will end up picking green curry, and pad Thai. Am I right?”
Laughing, they nodded.
He grinned and took their menus. “Coming right up.”
Sohana turned to Aimee, who stared at her from across the table with her arms folded. She was beautiful, with all of the features Sohana could only wish she had been blessed with. Long blond hair, blue eyes, and the body of a Victoria’s Secret model. If Heidi Klum had a younger sister, she would look like Aimee LeBlanc.
Aimee looked at her expectantly. “Well? Don’t keep me waiting, little lady.”
Shifting back into her seat, Sohana shrugged. “There isn’t much to it. It all happened so fast.”
“But I thought you hated that man. He treated you like shit.” Aimee leaned forward. “I called it when I saw him at your company Christmas party. I can always tell when a guy is putting up a front…when he really just wants to bang.”
Sohana grimaced. “Bang?”
Aimee laughed.
A young girl who looked to be in her teens brought their waters out. Aimee squeezed a lemon into hers and then smashed it with her straw.
“You heard me. Bang. Fuck. Same difference.”
Sohana shook her head. “It’s not like that. I simply had a moment of weakness. A man hasn’t interested me in a long time.”
“Oh, I see. You’re turned on by jerks. And whose fault is it that no man has interested you in so long? You never go anywhere. Of course, it would take someone that you work with every day to even get your attention.”
“True,” Sohana admitted. She really only went for her morning run, work, an occasional lunch with Aimee, and home to her studies and recorded TV shows.
“I know it’s true. Now go on.”
“Okay. It all started with this one case he asked me to help him with. I pretty much just do the research for him, but we started working late in the office. We’d get take out together and would eat and work late into the night. He even had me bring some files to his house one evening when his wife was away.”
Aimee lifted a brow. “This is getting good.”
“No, it’s not. He is my boss. Well, he was. What we almost did was unethical. And let’s not get into his being married to another woman.”
“Listen to you talking about ethics,” Aimee laughed. “Do you know how many of my bosses I’ve fucked?”
Sohana cringed. She wished Aimee would tame her foul language. She glanced around, hoping no one could hear their conversation.
“Well, at least you gave up the whole, I’m Indian, and he’s white, my mother would never approve. Glad, you stopped whining about that nonsense.”
Frowning, Sohana took a sip of water. “I’m over all of that. I feel awful because I could have wrecked my boss’ marriage. I’m a horrible person, and I feel like such a fool for falling for his trap. He just wanted my body. He couldn’t have cared less about me.”
“Dear lord, stop beating yourself up. Nothing happened. So time to move on to another hot guy, one who is single. We are in Karim, Texas. There are a ton of hot, wealthy guys all around us,” Aimee said. She leaned in. “When you go back—”
Sohana shook her head as a waitress set their spring rolls on the table between them. She eyed them. “There’s more to the story.”
“Seriously? Tell me.”
“I will never see him again...because the firm was bought out this morning.”
“What?”
“You know that British guy I’ve been investigating all month? Well, he just walked in there this morning and literally bought the firm for his twin sister.”
“You’re kidding me,” Aimee said with an amused smile. “He just walked in there and bought it? Like a car?”
Sohana nodded.
“Wow.”
“Yes, he did.” She pulled the paper with the salary Arthur had written on it from her purse and handed it to Aimee. “And there is more.”
Aimee read what was on the paper and looked at Sohana with wide eyes. “What is this? How much you owe on your student loans?”
&nbs
p; Sohana couldn’t help but laugh. “No. You’re ridiculous. It’s how much the new guy offered me to be his personal assistant. It can be my new salary if I accept.”
“If?” Aimee lifted a brow. “You’d be an idiot not to accept, and I will not let you be that stupid.”
“I don’t know this guy. Why did he pick me?”
Shaking her head, Aimee reached for a spring roll. “I have a solution for you.”
“And what is that?”
“Where is the one place you can go and not have to worry about people’s perceptions or judgment? Where can you go to escape, and fulfill your fantasies? Let me take you, and we can worry about this tomorrow. You need to let loose.”
“Your job?” Sohana raised a brow.
Aimee nodded. “Where else? The Club is just what you need. I have the night off.” Her grin widened as she realized something. “And it’s Friday night. Which means it’s going to be packed with wealthy men looking to kick off their weekend. And it’s the last Friday of the month, which means I can bring a guest with no questions asked!”
The thought of going to The Club had entered Sohana’s mind. Many times. The allure of such a mysterious place intrigued her. Aimee had no idea what thoughts kept her awake at night when she was all alone in her bed. She’d only been there once, to give Aimee her phone after she’d left it at home, and even just standing outside, Sohana could feel the magic and mystique in the air.
She surprised her best friend. “You’re right. Take me.”
Aimee paused mid-chew. She swallowed. “What?”
Sohana folded her hands. All she wanted was to forget this day, if only for a little while. “Yes. The Club. I need to get my mind off of things. I want to go.” She took a sip from her water. “Tonight.”
The grin on Aimee’s face alarmed Sohana. Perhaps it was a mistake, the entire idea. She wanted to break out of her shell and put herself out there… but maybe her shell was what protected her from making a fool of herself.
Aimee reached across the table and placed a hand onto Sohana’s. The mischievous glint in her eye made Sohana tense.
“My dear girl, I am so glad you said that. Tonight, I’ll teach you a few things.”