by C. J. Thomas
“I have a few things to take care of right now, so I’ll leave you. Please, make yourself at home, check out your new computer, review the information I put together for you. An employee handbook, that sort of thing. And don’t hesitate to come out and see me if you have any questions. You can call me, too. Extension two-twenty.”
“Thank you,” I said, giving her a distracted smile. She closed the door behind her when she left, leaving me feeling utterly helpless and completely out of my league.
What was this all about?
I turned a slow, wide-eyed circle, taking it all in. My office. I’d had an office before, sure, but it might as well have been a janitor’s closet compared to what Aaron offered. Hell, it might have been an actual closet at one time. Windowless, cheerless.
I went to the window, looking out at Manhattan. My heart swelled with awe. My office. My view.
Did I want it?
My heart screamed YES, in capital letters. With fireworks and glitter.
My brain told another story.
There was no way he’d give me such a dream job without an ulterior motive.
I wasn’t naïve. He’d expect something in return.
I wondered what it would be. Sex? I’d have given him sex without the job. I already had. Would accepting the position with that as the condition make me a whore?
I chewed my bottom lip, suddenly seeing the New York landscape in a different light. How many other women out there found themselves in my position? How many of them would accept the job without a second thought? And how hard would they laugh at me if they knew I wasted time thinking it over?
I sat behind the desk I tried hard not to think of as “my” desk, running my hands over the wood, appreciating the ergonomic construction of the leather chair. True to her word, Jeanine had already loaded up the laptop with information I would need. I logged into the company email account, surprised to find several unread messages already waiting for me.
What the hell was going on? Had he told the entire company that I would be starting here today? I’d known some ballsy men in my time, but he took the cake.
It was tempting. Entirely too enticing, just like the man who’d made the offer. I realized my whole speech, so full of fire and passion, was gone. I’d forgotten it the minute I saw my office.
Was I that easily swayed?
It wasn’t just the office, the creature comforts, even the money—though the money didn’t hurt.
It was knowing my coworkers would hold me in a position of respect. I wasn’t even sure what I’d do at Ricardo de Lugo, but if it warranted a corner office on the same floor as the company’s owner, it had to be something special.
For once, I’d get respect. I might even be regarded on the same level as my male coworkers—what a refreshing thought.
Hadn’t Aaron expressed disgust at my description of the way Reed treated me? Or was I only remembering the conversation the way I wanted to? I couldn’t honestly remember if he’d said anything about it at all, or if he’d given me any indication of where he sat on the subject of men and women being treated as equals in the workplace. How could I be sure that a quarter million wasn’t less than my male counterparts made?
It was all too much to take in at once. I knew I’d need time to absorb the situation. In the meantime, I waited for Aaron to come to me. I wouldn’t go to him. I still had my pride, even if his offer had me right where he’d wanted me all along.
CHAPTER 16
Aaron
“Kenzie is all settled in her office,” Jeanine told me with a smile as I passed her desk. I hadn’t been able to wait any longer. “I think she’s taking it all in.”
“I guess she would be,” I conceded. “She’s had a big day. Do you think she’s happy about all of this?”
“I couldn’t say. Overwhelmed, maybe. You’re throwing a lot of information at her, very fast. When she woke up this morning, she thought she was going to a different job.”
I hadn’t given Jeanine more information than she needed, but she was aware that Kenzie had worked for Madison Media Group simply by helping me put together the makeshift portfolio of her work.
“And I think they wasted her there. You’re right. All that talent, and the potential to do something with it . . .” She shook her head.
“That ends today,” I told her with a smile. “If Miss Olson will allow it, that is.” Not that I intended to give her any choice in the matter, but Jeanine didn’t need to know that.
It had been a piece of cake, getting the office set up, writing a few notes. My real work was about to begin. Knowing her as I did—even as little as I did—I knew I was about to be read the riot act.
Sure enough, the moment I appeared in the doorway to Kenzie’s new office, she stood with a glare on her face that could have melted ice. I only smiled, closing the door behind me.
“Good morning . . . again,” I said, smirking. Had it really only been hours earlier that we’d been in bed together? “You left without saying goodbye this morning. I was disappointed when I woke up without you there.”
She took a full breath, squaring her shoulders, preparing to let loose with a tirade. “Don’t give me your ‘good morning’ bullshit, and don’t tell me about disappointment like it really matters right now. What do you think you’re doing? I’m not some pawn in a game for you to use for your amusement. I’m a person. You’re messing with my life, here. My livelihood. Hell, my professional reputation.”
“I’m fine, thanks, and you?” I kept the same blank look on my face, knowing that any over-the-top reaction would only add fuel to her fire. I liked watching her struggle to control herself in the face of my attitude.
“You’ve got to be kidding. This is a joke, right? A sick, lousy joke.” She walked around the desk, facing me head-on. “You put your assistant up to this little joke. You even had your IT department set me up with a computer and accounts, just for the sake of a childish prank. Well, congratulations. Well done. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to try to put my life back together.”
“Did I say you were excused?” I asked. I knew she’d read me the riot act for that one, too, but I didn’t care.
“Excuse me?” Her mouth fell open and her hands rested on her hips. Yes. I was in for it.
“You’re in my office building. You’re tentatively hired—waiting on your acceptance, of course. I think you should do me the courtesy of asking if it’s all right for you to go. And it’s most definitely not.”
A beat passed between us. Then, “What the fuck do I care if it’s all right for me to go or not?”
I almost smiled in satisfaction. The reaction I’d been waiting for.
She turned, hands in the air as though she was totally exasperated. “I can’t believe you! Where do you get off, telling me what I can and can’t do? Telling me whether or not I’m allowed to do things? And quitting for me? Are you insane? Who does something like that? I mean, that is some pretty high-level bullshit, wouldn’t you agree?”
“I wouldn’t. I did what I had to do to get what I wanted. Besides, it was what you wanted, too.”
“What, for you to make a fool out of me in front of all those people? My colleagues?”
“Stop exaggerating. I’m sure I didn’t make a fool out of you, however, I’m sorry if I did.” It wasn’t her I’d set out to make look like a fool.
“Yeah, well, you did. The entire floor knew what had happened. What does that make me look like? I mean, I’m somebody who can’t take care of her life—at least, that’s what they think.”
“Who cares what they think?” I asked, quite seriously. “So what? Small opinions from small-minded people. You’re better than that. Why do you care so much?”
“I care because this is my life. You might be able to stand back and act like it doesn’t matter, but I can’t. It matters to me, dammit.” Once the flood of emotion passed, Kenzie’s chin quivered.
“I didn’t want to ruin your life. I wanted to make it better. As far as I’
m concerned, the very fact that you’re standing here right now instead of in that hellhole you hated going to in the first place tells me your life is better.”
She shook her head. “This is so fucked up. You’re crazy.”
“Fucked up, I’ll accept. Crazy, on the other hand . . .” I shook my head. “I’m the sanest person I know. You’ll figure that out in time.”
“I highly doubt it, considering the fact that I have no intention of staying here.”
“I think that would be a mistake,” I said. I finally had the chance to show her what I held in my hand: the binder Jeanine had helped me put together, featuring her work. “Have a seat,” I said.
“No. Don’t tell me what to do.”
“Fine. Stand. How women can stand for any length of time in those high heels, I’ll never understand. If you want to be uncomfortable—” I shrugged, taking a seat on one of the two leather chairs in front of her desk. I sensed her indecision and waited for her to make the choice I knew she would.
She sat.
“This is a portfolio of your work. Makeshift at best, of course, but here it is.” I handed it to her. “Everything you ever wrote while working at Madison Media Group, along with a few freelance pieces I found on the web. I took the time to look through other pieces on Madison Media Group’s site, and they had you all over them. They might have another writer’s name under their headline, but they have your flare. I could tell you edited or even rewrote them. For the game of fairness, I didn’t include them here.”
“You—you did this?” Kenzie flipped through the pages.
“More than that. I called the company’s advertisers—the big names I saw all over the website.”
“You—what? Why?”
“You told me you had a lot to do with them, so I thought I would call to see what they thought of you. Glowing reviews, all around.”
She bit her lip to hide the smile that had naturally come to her face. And why not? The poor girl was finally getting even a hint of recognition for her work. I would have been happy, too.
“Listen. You and I both know you weren’t given nearly enough credit while working at Madison. Yes?”
“Yes.” She sounded uncertain. I didn’t like that.
“What’s the problem?”
“I don’t know. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I know my boss didn’t treat me well. I know I was everybody’s bitch, basically. But I earned that job honestly. I worked for it. I proved myself.”
I’d known it would come up, didn’t I? And I was ready for it.
“And look where that got you.” I saw in her eyes that she understood the truth of my words. “Besides, it’s not as though you didn’t earn this job.”
“Don’t make me laugh,” she said, smirking. “I think what we did for the past two nights had more than a little to do with it.”
“That’s not true,” I said. My voice was flat, all business. She needed to know I wasn’t screwing around. It was one thing to joke or tease, or let her lose her temper because I thought it was a little funny and extremely arousing. It was another for her to think I treated her like a whore. “This isn’t payment for services rendered in the bedroom, Kenzie.”
“I don’t see why you would offer me a job otherwise. I mean, at the salary you quoted? It’s unheard of!”
“It isn’t. If you think it is, you need to travel in bigger circles. Trust me, there are executives out there who would consider your salary chump change. Start thinking a little bigger. Start broadening your view of what your life can be. Hell, start thinking of yourself differently. You’ve spent so many years with Madison Media Group, you don’t know what you’re capable of.”
“I know what I’m capable of,” she insisted.
“I don’t think you do.” I leaned forward, taking her hands in mine. She let me, and held on to them. I brushed my fingers along the insides of her wrists, noting the way her pulse raced out of control. “Knowing you’re better than what you’re doing and knowing what you’re truly capable of are two different things. It’s not easy, admitting that you’re much better and more powerful than you’ve allowed yourself to believe for a long time. But anyone who makes a success of their life after everybody tells them they’re worthless goes through that moment at some point.”
“Nobody told me I was worthless,” she pointed out.
Damn, she was stubborn. I asked myself if any revenge was worth talking to a brick wall, even if that wall was insanely good in bed.
“They didn’t have to tell you in so many words, or any words at all. You felt like they thought you were, didn’t you? You told me what you went through, how miserable you were there. How little respect you felt from the men you worked with. You felt like you cleaned up after them, did the work they didn’t feel like doing. They didn’t need to tell you outright how little they thought of you. They showed you in every way possible. I hate that they did that, and I want to see you given the respect, the opportunities, and the salary you deserve.” I dropped her hands, then, adding a flourish to my final point. “You have to believe you deserve it, first.”
“I believe I deserve it.” A fire burned in her eyes—dim, but there. I had finally reached her.
“So why do you insist on putting up so many roadblocks to your happiness, your success? I cut to the chase and made it impossible for you to refuse me. So what? I did that because I knew you would. Hell, you’re still trying to refuse me now, even after I told you I respect your work and your work ethic.”
“I’m not trying to refuse you,” she murmured.
It took all the self-control I had not to pump my fist in victory. I pressed my lips together like I was deep in thought, when really, I didn’t want her to see me smile.
“So you accept the job, then? Is that what you’re telling me?”
She looked down at the portfolio, then around at the office. I knew the office would sway her—I considered it the whipped cream and cherry on top of everything else I offered her.
“Yes. I accept.” She stood, placing the portfolio on the desk before extending a hand to shake on it. I did one better, taking her hand and pulling her to me. She gasped when our bodies collided.
“Let’s seal it this way, instead.” Ever since she’d first started tearing into me, I’d ached to get my hands on her. She didn’t have the first clue how sexy she was when she got angry.
I crushed my mouth to hers, my cock springing to life when I felt her respond just as eagerly. She whimpered, arms around my neck, hands tangling in my hair. I groped her ass, pulling her closer to my straining erection, wanting her to feel what she did to me. She groaned, her tongue colliding with mine.
Before we could go any further, I pulled away. It was with a heavy heart that I did it, but I couldn’t risk Jeanine walking in. The fact that the chance of getting caught had made it even hotter didn’t help.
Kenzie ran a hand through her hair, then fanned herself. “Well. If that’s what I can look forward to, I definitely accept.”
I grinned, straightening my jacket. “We can discuss those perks later.”
CHAPTER 17
Kenzie
I hated him for winding me up the way he did.
I also hated him for hitting me right where I was weakest.
He’d recognized my work. Somebody had finally recognized my work.
Did I make it too easy for him? Probably. My need to be noticed for the first time in my professional career was an Achilles Heel, and I’d revealed too much to Aaron the morning after we first slept together. He knew how desperate I was for recognition, for just compensation and a little respect. He’d offered it all to me on a silver platter.
If we’d been playing chess, it would have been checkmate.
I sat back down behind my desk, taking a deep breath to clear the last of the cobwebs from my brain. He had a way of knocking me off-center, for sure. If I was going to do a good job, I had to learn to compartmentalize work and play. I couldn’t cream my panties every time he w
alked into the room or I’d never get any work done.
You’re in control here, Kenzie. He needs you.
But did he?
Couldn’t he have found a dozen other people to fill the position he had in mind for me? I needed him more than he needed me. That bugged me, even in the face of no longer working ten to twelve hours a day.
I sat back in my chair, rotating from side to side. Why was it so hard to accept good things when they came to me?
The job was a good thing. Meeting Aaron was a really good thing.
Removing sex from the equation, had I met him anywhere else in the world and started talking about work, it would be called networking. I would be accepting a job from a new contact instead of a man I’d slept with.
Was I rationalizing? Probably, but I felt I needed to. I knew I’d be a fool if I turned down the opportunity he presented to me.
A knock at the door brought me back to Earth. I sat up straighter, positioning myself behind the laptop. “Come in!”
“Just me.” It was Jeanine. “I wanted to let you know that we have lunch delivered every day. You don’t have to order anything, and you don’t have to eat it at your desk.”
“Oh,” I replied, surprised. “Where do you order from?”
“Anywhere you want.”
I waited for her to laugh. She didn’t, which told me it wasn’t a joke.
“What if I said I wanted a porterhouse from Peter Luger?”
“I would ask you how you like your steak done . . . but I don’t think they deliver.” She smiled.
“You’re serious. I can’t believe it.”
“Are you familiar with the restaurants around here?”
“Not especially.”
“What are you in the mood for, then? I know all the best places. Mr. Bello has a wide variety of tastes.”
“How about sushi?”
“Oh, you’re in for a treat.” She winked. “Any allergies?”