He pushed her hand aside with an offended look, signed his name and took his items. “Come with me to my car,” he told her as he stepped past her with his cart. She was so blindsided by what had just happened, that she followed like a silent dog. They walked through the storefront doors together, then silently through the parking lot to the most expensive looking car in sight. He used his key fob to open the trunk, throwing in his drinks before turning back to her.
“Thank you again. You didn’t have to do that,” she explained as he opened his passenger door to reach inside, his butt tight against the expensive fabric of his dress pants and came out producing a very professional looking business card. It read Bennet Grant Croft. She’d heard that name before and rolled it around in her head as she toyed with the card.
“Croft Development,” he clarified.
“Ah. Wow, you’re Bennet Croft. Nice to meet you. How can I repay you?” she asked, reaching her hand out to shake his.
He took her hand, bringing it to his mouth for a kiss and returned it to her once her cheeks grew red. “You, my dear, can decorate my winter home for that Christmas party I mentioned,” he told her.
She paused, said um a couple of times and tried to come up with a not so embarrassing way to tell him she was unable to help.
“Before you tell me no and go into a winded explanation about your job, your family and your dog, know that I will pay you for your time, and I can guarantee will be more than you make now.” he said, relaxing against his car with his arms crossed as if he hadn’t just flipped her whole world upside down.
“Uh, I don’t know if my boss would allow me to take that kind of time off, unless you’d like for me to come on a weekend. I don’t have a dog though, I’m a cat lady,” she told him giggling. He didn’t break from his business manners and she grew self-conscious. Surely, he had a slew of people that could decorate for him.
“No. I want you to come up for a week. I’ll send a car for you on Friday to bring you to the airport. I will talk to your boss.” Pointing to his business card, he told her, “Call that number and arrange everything with my secretary, Janice. What’s your name?”
Maggie didn’t know what to say, he worked fast and didn’t give leeway. “Can I think about it? I mean, I don’t know you and you don’t know me. How do you know I won’t take your money and run?” she challenged.
“Because I just paid for your Christmas decorations. Tis the season. What’s your name?” he repeated, taking a step away from his car and into her personal space. He was much taller than her 5 feet 5 inches, and she had to look up at him, noticing the light stubble on his face.
“I didn’t ask you to,” she rebutted.
“You’re right. And that’s why I want you,” he told her, stepping closer again, as his eyes trained down on hers.
Her body flooded with a new sensation, confusion, wondering if she was misreading his sudden proximity sensation. She swallowed and his eyes left hers to focus on her lips. She had a sudden need to lick them, moisten them as he watched. He mimicked her, wetting his own lips, which pulled her eyes in that direction. What was happening?
“I’ll let you know,” she answered, taking a step back.
He startled her when he reached his hand behind her back and pulled her back to him. “What’s your name?” he asked again.
This time she responded. “Maggie. Maggie Richmond,” she answered, looking down at the ground between the two of them. Things had gotten way too intense in a matter of seconds and she needed to regroup.
“Well, Maggie Richmond. Janice will be expecting your call in two hours. Be sure to give her all of your information, like phone, address, email and where you work so I can reach you,” he told her. No bullshit. No games. He was clear on what he expected and he made it even clearer that he didn’t accept no.
Just when she opened her mouth to try to obtain some sort of buffer between the two of them, his phone rang.
He reached into his pocket, drawing attention to his crotch, before he brought the sleek phone to his ear. “Yes, Janice?” he answered, then placed his index finger on Maggie’s lips as she tried to say goodbye. She waited, then, without warning, he brought his lips to her ear and said, “Call Janice. I think for the first time ever I’ll look forward to decorating for the party.”
Chapter 2
Bennet listened to Janice drone on about the sales lady at the dealership and the impossible deal he expected. He watched Maggie stroll away with her cart, her round butt flexing in her torn jeans as she got further and further away. He enjoyed the one tear that flashed the skin just below her butt cheek on the left side.
He was a man used to getting what he wanted and as soon as he lined his cart up behind her in the checkout lane, he’d known she was the next thing he wanted. Her long brunette hair cascaded down her back in loose curls and the flawless skin of her right shoulder beckoned to him as her oversized sweater slid down. His neglected cock woke up the moment he caught her stealing a look at him with those beautiful blue eyes.
He’d watched her, watched the calculation register on her face when the cashier told her a number higher than she’d planned for. Her embarrassment was cute but sad. The fact that she didn’t have enough money to pay for Christmas decorations made it feel like destiny was at work. She clearly enjoyed pretty Christmas things and he had enough money to buy the whole damn store. It was the perfect combination.
He climbed into his car after hanging up with Janice and drove in the direction of hers, a beat-up old sports car that clearly needed to be retired from the road. Where was she working that she couldn’t afford a new car or Christmas decorations? He would find out and he’d make sure that situation changed.
Maggie Richmond. She seemed to be younger than him, but not so young that she could be jailbait. Maybe early thirties. He’d have Janice run a background check. He pulled up alongside her car just as Maggie loaded her bags into the back.
“You good?” he asked, one touching his car window so it rolled down.
She offered him a nervous smile and nodded.
His eyes caught on her bare shoulder and he realized it was minus a bra strap, making his crotch suddenly grew tighter. “Okay. Don’t forget to call Janice. I’ll see you in a couple of days,” he told her, rolling up his window and driving away.
He knew he’d put her off kilter. He did that with everyone he worked with and it always worked to his advantage. He’d always get what he wanted and he also learned who could handle him. As he drove away, he called Janice again and explained that he wanted a whole background write up on Maggie by morning. Janice was good at her job and he knew he could trust her to get it done. He also knew she’d be a typical mother and advise him with her precautions.
“Ben, please don’t tell me this is another Ashley. You know how that turned out,” she warned him in her older groggy voice with the sound of typing in the background. Bennet trusted Janice with his life. She had been his father’s assistant and had moved on to be his, when his father passed away. She was loyal, maternal and always had his back. She also liked to use her age against him, reminding him that with age she had wisdom.
“No, but I want to know everything about her. Because a week in the cabin with me alone will be the best interview she’d ever have,” he told Janice with a smirk. He heard a sound that indicated her grossed out response.
“You and your fetishes,” she told him and Bennet could hear her eyes roll over the phone.
“Yes, ma’am. And boy do I enjoy them,” he boasted.
“I’m getting hanging up now. I’ll see you in the morning,” she told him.
Bennet left the Walmart parking lot and headed back to his side of town. He’d only stopped at that store because it was on his way back from his last appointment and he knew he needed some beer and water at the house. Janice usually made sure the house was stocked, but their errand boy was off that day, so he’d offered to stop at the store himself.
He wasn’t half way back
to the riverside mansion before his phone rang. He pressed the recall button on his steering wheel after he parked in his usual spot on the cobblestone driveway. “Yes?” he asked Janice as her picture appeared on the screen on his dashboard.
“Well, she just called,” Janice answered.
Bennet placed his hands on the steering wheel, white knuckling the leather. “That soon? Great.”
“Yeah. She asked tons of questions, but we exchanged contact information. She will call me in the morning after she discusses things with her boss. She seemed very concerned about her job,” Janice continued, the sounds of typing in the background never seemed to pause.
“Where does she work?” Bennet asked. “I’ll give her boss a call.”
“You’ll like this. She works for Max.”
Bennet couldn’t contain his pleased response, something unusual for the poker face he usually displayed. “That’s perfect. He’s already at my house, so we’ll have a conversation about her right now. I’ll see you in the morning. Have a great night,” Bennet told Janice then hung up the phone. He collected the drinks and made his way to the front door.
His butler answered, immediately taking the drinks from Bennet’s arms and ushering him into the study at the back of the house, advising him that he’d placed his guests there a half an hour ago.
“Where were we?” Max was saying from the far end of the room when Bennet entered.
“You and I are about to have a private chat outside. Hello everyone, please help yourself to another drink. This will be short, then we can get started,” Bennet announced, motioning for Max to follow him out onto the back lanai.
Max smiled, obtained another drink and followed Bennet outside.
Bennet stopped at the railing and turned back to his business partner.
“What do you need?” Max asked him as he took a seat on the end of one of the sun loungers.
“I just ran into Maggie Richmond at Walmart. I want her to decorate the cabin for the Christmas party,” Bennet explained to his longtime friend.
Max groaned under his breath. “Maggie? Damn, I knew I couldn’t hide her forever,” he complained with humor in his tone.
“You were hiding her from me?” Bennet asked Max as he playfully shoved his right shoulder. “Why? Did you fuck her already?”
“Actually no, I haven’t. She’s so good at her job that I didn’t want to lose her,” Max admitted, taking of swig of the drink he’d brought with him.
“Max, I just paid for her things at Walmart because she didn’t have enough money. Clearly, you’re not taking care of her,” Bennet announced.
Max’s face drained and he looked at Bennet completely dumbfounded. “No way!” he challenged.
“Yeah. But don’t worry. She’s going to ask you tomorrow if she can take a week off to come work for me.” Bennet related as he took the glass from his buddy’s hand and tossed the hard liquid down his throat before returning it to him.
“Shit. No, you can’t. That’ll change everything,” Max practically pleaded with him.
“How much are you paying her?” Bennet asked as he leaned back against the railing.
“$15,” Max answered matter of factly.
Bennet knew that Max could pay more than that. “Are you fucking crazy? She can’t survive off that. I’d pay her $30 if she was with me,” Bennet proclaimed, grasping his friend on the shoulder and lightly shaking the lean muscle.
“Bennet, I’m serious. You can’t. I could never find someone as good as her,” Max tried to reason as he rotated his shoulder to get Bennet’s hand off it.
“Then you need to pay her more. I know how much you make and I know she’s worth more than what you’re paying,” Bennet advised him.
“You just met her. How much do you know about her worth?” Max challenged, clearly growing agitated by Bennet’s tactics.
“Because you’re mad that I’m taking her.”
“Damn you. All right, you can have her, but only for a week,” Max offered.
“Fine, but you still need to give her a raise,” Bennet added before walking back into the house.
Chapter 3
Maggie walked into the office the next day so nervous that she spilled her coffee, staining her white dress shirt. She couldn’t believe she’d agreed to a week away just to decorate someone’s home for a Christmas party. She had no clue how Max would respond and just prayed that he’d understand. She never requested time off.
She knocked lightly on his door and waited for permission to enter, blotting at the coffee stain on her left breast.
“Come in,” Max’s voice called out. She turned the brushed nickel door handle and walked into the office. The overhead lights were off, just like he preferred, and the floor to ceiling windows behind Max’s desk created a wall of light. There was someone sitting in a chair opposite Max but Maggie couldn’t make out who.
“I’m sorry. I can come back,” she explained, turning to leave when she noticed the occupied seat.
“No, stay. I was just talking to Max about you coming to work for me,” Bennet’s familiar voice explained. He stood then, his broad shoulders outlined by the light coming from behind. He wore a simply pressed navy blue dress shirt and charcoal pants that fit him snuggly in all the right places. His smile, however, left the biggest impression.
Maggie found it difficult to breathe and she struggled to compose herself as she looked between her boss and the hunk that rescued her the night before, the hideous stain on her shirt completely forgotten. His intense gaze set her blood on fire and she started to squirm when her panties grew wet.
“I’ve agreed to let you go with Bennet under the assumption that you’ll return in a week,” Max explained in a strictly business tone which Maggie had never received from him before. He was being straightforward, cutting out his usual lighthearted humor, making her even more edgy.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting this,” she answered, her eyes glued to Bennet’s. It was as if he held her in a trance and she could only focus on him, her body being over taken by unfamiliar lust.
“Don’t worry. I’ve taken care of everything. I’ll have Janice send a car on Friday to bring you to the airport,” Bennet explained as if she didn’t have a choice in the matter.
Normally she’d resist someone controlling her in such a calculated manner, but somehow, he’d overloaded her with uncontrollable need and she just nodded in compliance.
He was hot. And rich. And attracted to her. She still couldn’t believe it was happening. To top it all off, he knew her boss and had arranged what could be the best week of her life without even lifting a finger. It was crazy.
He stood and approached her, placing his warm hand on her shoulder as he said, “I’ll see you Friday.”
She watched as he winked to Max and left the room without another glance. As she felt her body melt into a puddle on the floor, Max cleared his throat.
“I want to make one thing clear,” he explained. “When Bennet makes up his mind, there is no changing it. I hope you’ll return when he’s done with you,” he told her with a regretful smile.
Maggie didn’t know how to respond. Hell, she didn’t know what to think about everything that had happened in the past 24 hours. Her world hadn’t just been flipped upside down, it was knocked into another galaxy. She wondered if she’d even recover.
She nodded to Max and left his office on what felt like a conveyor belt. She sat down at her desk and struggled to focus on the list of emails in bold, trying to forget what had just transpired. Holy Crap! She took in a deep breath and attempted to concentrate on her job for the next several hours, hoping the monotonous tasks of paying bills and answering phones would help her regain her sanity.
The week, including Thanksgiving, passed very slowly and Maggie began to wonder if she’d survive the mounting anxiety that threatened to consume her. Bennet periodically made an appearance in the office, using the excuse that he needed to discuss something with Max. The visits were always br
ief and ended with an invitation to join him for lunch or dinner. She accepted only one time, after he insisted that they needed to meet and discuss her arrangements for travel.
He’d explained that she’d be brought by private jet to the house and that Bennet would arrive later that evening after a large board meeting, he couldn’t miss. He’d suggested that she could relax until he arrived, offering pampering services including a massage, facial and manicure / pedicure, which would be provided at the residence.
Maggie was in a cloud and unable to distinguish reality from the fantasy she’d been tossed into. She found it hard to comprehend her role and tried to study decor magazines for inspiration – without knowing what the home looked like or what her budget was. Maggie was frugal, so she’d make a lot of the decorations herself, understanding that they needed to look world class.
As she sat on the private jet alone on Friday night, she continued to leaf through the various magazines she’d purchased and decided on a traditional Christmas feel. Bright reds and greens would be accompanied with less intense colors of white and silver. Maggie didn’t know where the winter home was located and hoped it was a place with snow. She’d never seen snow and hoped it would occur while she was there.
Her cell phone buzzed on her hip while she was circling items in a magazine and after glancing around the empty plane’s cabin, she pulled it out. “Hello,” she whispered, not really sure if she was allowed to be on the phone while in flight.
“Hello, my dear. Are you ready?” Bennet asked in his smooth voice. She could never grow comfortable when he spoke. No matter how many times they’d interacted.
“I guess. I wish I knew where I was going. When my cat sitter asked me where I was going, I realized I had no clue. I don’t know if I packed the right clothes. I don’t know what kind of decor you’ll like. How many people?” she rambled on as her nerves got the best of her.
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