by Noir, Stella
My phone blares out, pulling me from my erotic memories. I grab it up gratefully and answer. “Hello?”
“Hi hon! How are you?” a cheerful voice shouts into my ear.
I smile, “Hey Chloe. I’m OK. How is Jamaica?”
She lets out a contented sigh, “Oh honey, it is absolutely heavenly. The past two days have been glorious. I don’t want to return to New York on Saturday. I wish we could stay another month in this tropical paradise.”
I giggle, “Well, I’m sorry you will have to return to reality soon. I’m glad you’re having a good time, though. How is Seth?”
“He loves every minute we spend here, just like I do. So, how was your first day with Mr. Black?”
Oh crap. The question was bound to come. I knew it would, but it still hits me hard. The sound of his name causes my stomach to flutter. “Uh, it was… uneventful.” Could that be any further from the truth? “It was fine, I guess.”
“See? I told you it would be easy. Is he treating you OK?”
I run my fingers through my hair and continue to lie to my best friend. “Yeah, sure. He’s great.”
Chloe squeals, “Good, I’m glad everything is working out. I feel so much more at ease knowing you are there taking care of things for me. Thanks again.”
“Sure, no problem, Chloe,” I say weakly. “Enjoy the rest of your honeymoon and don’t you even think about work. Everything is fine.”
“Thank you so much, girl. I’m going to give my husband some attention now. Miss you, hon. Talk to you soon.”
I smile. I know she will be emphasizing the word “husband” for weeks to come. “OK, miss you too. Later.” I pour out a weighty sigh when Chloe hangs up. I throw myself onto my back and stare up at the ceiling. I hope I don’t go to hell because of all the lies I just told. I wonder if I will ever come clean to Chloe about what happened between her boss and me. I shake my head. Probably not. It is way too humiliating. I hate to think what she would think of me if she found out.
I lay in bed, staring into space for God only knows how long. I finally doze off. I find myself in Jason Black’s office. I look out the window. The many lights illuminate the city. The view is absolutely gorgeous. I feel Jason come to a stop behind me. He bends down to kiss my neck and I close my eyes, savoring the feel of his lips on my skin. His hands creep lower to caress my thighs, slowing rising to brush against my mound. My breathing quickens as he pushes my panties aside. He pushes one finger inside of me, then two. I throw my head back against his chest and groan in pleasure. “Do you want me to hurt you?” he whispers the question in my ear. My eyes fly open. Huh? I sit up abruptly. I look around. I’m now in my bedroom. I was having another erotic dream about Jason Black. My skin is flushed, and I can feel the moisture in my underwear. It’s crazy, the effect that merely dreaming about him has on me, let alone the man himself. I wipe at the fine sheen of sweat on my forehead. The clock on my bedside table is flashing six thirty. I might as well get up and prepare myself to face the object of my dreams this morning.
I drag myself out of bed. I need caffeine, right this minute, before my brain can even process how I feel about seeing the man in a few short hours. I pad across the hardwood floor to the kitchen. I’m really not looking forward to facing Jason this morning, but I suppose I have no choice but to show up. I can do this, only four more days to go. I’m sure I can survive a few more days in his presence. After Friday, I never have to see him again. I frown as I sip my coffee. The thought of never seeing him again tugs at my heart. I can’t help but remember the man that asked me to dance at Chloe’s wedding. Yes, I sensed an air of darkness and danger about him from that time, but he was so kind. He seemed a different man than the one that threw me onto his desk and took me so callously yesterday.
I growl in aggravation. Why am I complaining about it? It was the hottest sex I’ve ever had in my life. Secretly I wouldn’t mind him throwing me across his desk and taking me without warning again. If only he would be just a tad more gentle and not act like a complete jerk afterward. The man is seriously flawed; there is no doubt about it. I can see the shadows in his eyes and his potential for cruelty.
*
I reluctantly walk into the office, holding my breath in preparation for seeing Jason. I release my breath when I enter and find that I am alone. Good, I have a little time to compose myself. I settle in and try to act normal. I steel myself for the moment he arrives. I will not show any emotion, just like him, and see how he likes it. I give the schedule Chloe left a quick glance, checking to see what Mr. Black has on his agenda for today. Apparently all of his meetings will be held here today. I guess I will be busier today. Good, I will need the distraction. I hear footsteps and clench my jaw. He is here. I take a deep breath and look up. My heart drops. It’s the woman who was with Jason at the wedding. She recognizes me. “You,” she sneers. “What are you doing here? Where’s the other girl?” She looks down her nose at me, sheer hate in her gaze.
I shrink under her hateful stare. I have never been able to stand up against the bullies who plagued my school years, especially not against the pretty, popular girls. The woman standing before me definitely brought me back to those miserable days. The sliver of confidence that I managed to build up over the years after graduating high school withers away. “I-I’m just a temp. Are you here to see Mr. Black?”
She huffs, “Well, who else would I be here to see?”
I clear my throat and square my shoulders. I’m not the chubby child that I used to be in school. I am a grown woman and I shouldn’t let this woman intimidate me. Mustering up a little courage, I respond, “He is not here yet. You are free to have a seat out here and wait.”
She snorts, “Please, I will be waiting in his office.”
“You will do no such thing, Darla. I don’t like people in my personal space.”
Darla and I both swing around at the sound of Jason’s voice. I draw in a breath. All of my determination about showing no emotion when he arrives flies out the window. My eyes roam over his body with longing. He looks magnificent in another suit that seems to be made just for him. I stand up as he walks in. His eyes penetrate me, “Good morning, Navia.”
Goodness, I will never get tired of him calling my name. “Good morning, Mr. Black. Your visitor is very adamant about seeing you.”
His eyes don’t leave mine, “I can see that, thank you.” He turns to address the leggy blond. “What do you want, Darla? Was I not clear when I told you to never show up at my office again?”
Darla seems taken aback, “Well, yes, darling, but I missed you. You haven’t called, like you said you would.”
“You’ve disobeyed me, Darla, I’m not happy,” he growls.
Her eyes widen, “I’m sorry, sir. You can punish me in any way you please.” Her eyes lower to the floor. My eyebrows shoot up. Sir? Punish? What in the hell is she talking about? And what happened to the confident bitch that was ready to devour me just minutes before? She has disappeared, leaving in her place a demure child, begging for attention and who knows what else. I am so confused. My gaze swings from Jason, whose expression is like a raging storm, to Darla, then back to him. I get the feeling that I am missing something major here.
“I told you I would call when I’m ready to,” Jason hisses. I can tell that he is annoyed by Darla’s presence.
The woman takes a hesitant step toward him, “B-but that’s the thing, you haven’t. I thought that maybe you lost my number, so I decided to show up.”
“You are not supposed to decide anything,” he snarls. I blink several times. Darla is going to let him talk to her like that? Wow, she is so not the woman I thought she was. “Besides, my mind has been otherwise occupied,” he adds, glancing my way and I immediately look away. Why is he looking at me? I want nothing to do with their lovers’ spat.
Darla looks from him to me and gasps dramatically, “Are you for real, Jason? You are choosing her over me? But-but look at her, she’s— she’s—” I pause and steel mys
elf, waiting for her to say it, to call me fat. But that is no longer true. Sure, I was on the chubby side as a kid, but I’m now what everyone calls curvaceous, not fat.
“Get out, Darla,” Jason barks before she can finish her statement. I’m still humiliated. He must have figured out what she was going to call me. I wonder if he agrees with her. I lower my lashes to hide my hurt feelings. I smooth my pencil skirt and step out from behind the desk.
“I will go and prepare your coffee, Mr. Black.” I walk out, leaving the two of them to carry on their argument. I release a breath as soon as I enter the lounge. I spoon coffee into the coffee maker. I hate when other women make me feel bad about myself. I should be mature enough to let comments slide off my shoulders, but I can’t help feeling like crap.
“Well, good morning,” I hear someone drawl from the door. I spin around to see a strange man walking into the room. This is the first time I am coming into contact with another employee. I was holed up in Mr. Black’s office all day yesterday.
I smile at the man, “Good morning.”
“I’m Patrick; it’s always nice to see a pretty face around here, and a new one at that.” He extends his hand.
I reach out to place my hand in his, “I’m Navia, and I’m only here for a little while.”
His gaze sweeps over me, appreciation evident in his eyes. “That is a pity, Navia. I wouldn’t mind seeing you around here more often.”
I let out a giggle, something totally out of character for me. I have to admit, after taking a blow to my self-esteem earlier, Patrick is boosting my fragile ego quite a bit. He has friendly brown eyes and chestnut-brown hair, caught in a short ponytail at the nape of his neck. He is a head taller than I am in my heels and he is built like a linebacker. I timidly meet his gaze, “Thanks, but I will be gone in a few days. I’m just a temp.”
“You should totally give me your number, Navia, so we can keep in touch. That is, if you want to, of course.” He flashes me a sheepish grin and I am a bit charmed by his obvious discomfort. It feels nice to have a guy act nervous around me for once; it’s usually the other way around. Patrick makes me feel good about myself.
I nod, “Sure, why not?” He lets out a relieved breath and I smile. I write down my phone number on a piece of napkin and hand it to him.
“Wow, thanks, Navia, this is great. I will definitely give you a call sometime.”
We turn at the sound of someone clearing his throat. “Am I interrupting something?” Jason asks, his eyes narrowing to glare at Patrick.
Patrick seems stunned to see the boss, “Uh, Mr. Black, good morning, sir. I was just getting back to work.” He quickly heads to the door, but not before throwing me one last smile. I flush, lowering my gaze. Jason steps aside to allow Patrick to brush past.
He scowls at me, “I thought you came in here to prepare my coffee, not flirt with my other employees.”
“Oh, I-I’m sorry. I will bring you your coffee in a few minutes.”
“Don’t bother, I don’t feel like having any coffee this morning.” He whirls around and storms off. I stumble behind him in my impossibly high stilettos. I curse my decision for putting them on in the first place. But I wanted to add a little height to my short frame as part of my armor to face the formidable Mr. Black. I wonder what has his feathers so ruffled. Maybe he is still upset from his confrontation with Darla. That has to be the reason for his foul mood because I can’t think of anything that I have done wrong since this morning.
He strides to his office and sits behind his desk. I cautiously enter. “Mr. Black, are you all right?”
He throws me a dark look, “Of course. Don’t I look all right?”
“Well, you look a little upset.”
“Maybe because I am paying you to work, not chat up men in the lounge. And I do not appreciate you questioning me,” he growls.
So it is something that I did, after all. “Right, I get no fraternizing in the workplace. I apologize; it won’t happen again, sir.” A bit offended by his brusque manner at my concern for him, I hold my head down and turn to leave. I can’t believe his reaction to me simply talking to another employee. I huff and dump myself down in my chair. Does he not remember having sex with me in his office just yesterday? That was major fraternization in the workplace if I ever saw it. I sigh. The man is a mass of contradictions. He has been ever since the day I met him. I busy myself working for the next few hours, trying hard not to think about Jason Black.
I jump when I look up to find the man staring down at me. I didn’t even hear him coming. How the hell does he move so stealthily? I clutch my chest. “Mr. Black, you scared the shit— I mean, you startled me.” He grins at my slip-up. It seems his mood has changed. That was mighty quick. I think he might be bipolar. “Is there something you want me to do?”
“Yes, cancel the rest of my meetings for today and get yourself ready for lunch.”
“What?” I frown up at him, “Uh, OK, you want me to go out and buy your lunch?”
“No, I am taking you out to lunch. Be ready in the next ten minutes.” I watch him walk away with my mouth hanging open. He is taking me to lunch? How does he know that I want to go anywhere with him, anyway? Then again, maybe it is some kind of business lunch. It wouldn’t be strange for him to bring his secretary along. I pick up the phone to make several calls and cancel his meetings as ordered. By ten minutes after twelve, I am ready and waiting. I stuff a notepad into my handbag, in case I need to take notes.
Jason comes out a minute later, “Ready?”
I get up, “Yes.”
Chapter Five
I look around the fancy restaurant. I feel a bit underdressed in my casual attire. We have been seated for a good twenty minutes and have placed our orders. But I still haven’t seen anyone else show up. I glance at Jason in front of me and his lips curl in a slight grin. “Are you looking for someone?” he asks.
“Uh, aren’t you expecting anyone else?”
He shakes his head, “No.”
My brows rise in surprise, “Oh, so this isn’t a business meeting?”
“Of course not. You thought I brought you out on business? Is that why you haven’t touched your wine?”
“Well, yes. These are still my work hours.”
He captures my gaze. “Relax a little, Navia, you are free to have a few drinks. I’m giving you permission. I invited you to lunch as a way of apologizing for my behavior.”
“Oh. Thank you,” is all I manage to get out. Is he talking about what took place in his office yesterday, or this morning? I lower my gaze and reach for the glass of wine. I’m going to need a lot more wine to get through this lunch.
“Tell me about yourself, Navia,” he says softly, his eyes roaming my face.
I take another gulp of wine. I’m not very comfortable with the idea of sharing personal details with my boss, even if I will only be working with him a few more days. “There isn’t much to tell.”
He tilts his head, “I don’t believe that.”
“OK, I’m twenty-four, graduated from NYU last year with a degree in communications, all the good that has done me.”
“Why do you say that?”
The wine has loosened my tongue quite a bit, and I find myself willingly answering all of his questions. “I can’t really find a decent job. Or rather, no one will hire me,” I confess.
“Why is that?”
I shrug. “Chloe tells me it’s because I’m too timid. She isn’t wrong.” He watches in amusement as I pour myself another glass of wine, but he says nothing. “I guess I have a lot to work on.”
“You have been doing a pretty good job for me. I will see what I can do about fixing your problem.”
I gasp. “Really? Oh my God, thank you so much. I could totally kiss you right now,” I blurt out. I realize what I just said and flush from head to toe. I did not just say that out loud. I should really take it easy on the wine.
His lips curl into a sinful grin, “You can anytime you are ready.” Stunned
at his response, my blush deepens. “It is refreshing to see a woman who still blushes,” he says slowly, and takes a sip from his glass for the first time. The expression in his eyes in unreadable. I start to feel uneasy by the smoldering look that he is giving me. “I like you, Navia. I would like to get to know you better. Come home with me after lunch.”
My mouth opens and closes several times, but no words come out. I have no idea what to say, anyway. Jason Black just asked me to go home with him. Actually, it was more of an order than a question. “Mr. Black, I—”
“Call me Jason, and please say yes,” he says softly, his blue eyes mesmerizing me.
“Yes,” I find myself whispering, as if in a trance. It’s official, I have lost all of my good senses. The waiter appears with our lunch. I waste no time digging in. I tend to eat when I’m nervous, and I am a bundle of nerves right now. I notice Jason studying me. He must think I’m a pig. I put my fork down and push my plate away.
He frowns, “You haven’t finished.”
I look down at my plate, “I’m full.”
“That’s too bad, I like watching you eat.”
My head snaps up. He likes when I eat? I smile tentatively. And here I thought he was disgusted with how much I was eating.
“Since you are finished, we should get going.”
My breath hitches. We are going to his place now. What was I thinking, agreeing to go home with him? He stands up and extends his hand. I take a deep breath and place my hand in his. I get the feeling that I have just sealed my fate.
*
I sneak a peek at Jason as he maneuvers his car through the streets of the city. My gaze travels to his long, lean fingers wrapped around the steering wheel. I would love to feel his hands on me like that now. I remember the dream I had this morning, of him slipping his fingers inside of me. I squirm in my seat. I know what we are going to his place to do. I saw it in his eyes when he invited me, heard it in the sensuous tone of his voice. I agreed to it because I want what he wants. I desire to feel his hands caressing my body.