by Leona Lee
On Friday, they broke for the day around mid-afternoon as Gary congratulated everyone on all the work they did. Since it was still early, Sarah decided to go upstairs to peek at her office and perhaps get a jumpstart on Monday. Both Susan and Laurel had been copying her on emails, so she knew that she had a busy week ahead of her. As she arrived on the tenth floor, she was surprised to find it in semi-darkness. As she walked up to the reception desk, it was obvious that Laurel wasn’t in. Since it was so quiet, she decided to walk around and get comfortable with her new surroundings.
As she walked into the conference room, she gasped at the amazing view outside. While Sarah had been living in San Jose for the past three years, she never paid much attention to the scenery, but the location of the office building and the floor to ceiling windows seemed to command respect for the beautiful mountains that served as a backdrop. She squealed in surprise when she heard a throat clearing behind her. Whirling around, she was surprised to see Vitaly Chekov and he looked like he hadn’t slept in days.
“Mr. Chekov, you startled me, I thought you were still out of town.”
“Vitaly. And I came back early. Why aren’t you in training?” he demanded, as he looked her over. She was wearing a sundress under her blazer and he liked how it hugged her curves.
“We finished for the day,” Sarah replied. He didn’t look pleased to see her. “It looks like I’m bothering you. I’ll just show myself out and see you on Monday.” As Sarah tried to scoot by, Vitaly put his arm out to block her.
“Stay,” he commanded as he swept his eyes over her. She really was gorgeous, he thought to himself.
Wrinkling her nose, Sarah attempted to move around his arm. “Mr. Chekov, er, Vitaly, sir, it smells as though you’ve been drinking. I think it would be best if I leave now.”
“Come,” he ordered, as he walked away. Sarah wasn’t sure what to do. She hadn’t even started working for him yet and she was already unsure how to respond. “I said, come,” he demanded as he walked into his office.
Shaking her head, Sarah followed slowly, and what was it with the dog commands? As Sarah walked into his office, she took in the files strewn about the table and the partial bottle of vodka and empty glass. Reaching for another glass, Vitaly filled both glasses before turning toward her. Pushing one toward her, he lifted his glass and took a long swallow. When Sarah still hadn’t picked up the glass, he pointed to the glass, “Today is the anniversary of my sister’s death,” he said in a flat tone. “Drink.”
Reluctantly stepping forward, Sarah picked up the glass and sniffed at it. Her birthday was barely one week ago and that was the most she’d ever had to drink at one time.
Taking a sip, Sarah coughed as the vodka burned her throat. She admitted to herself that she much preferred mixed drinks. Taking another small sip, she managed to swallow the burning liquid without coughing. As she looked up, she caught Vitaly looking at her again. Raising her glass to him, she took a larger sip and started coughing harder as she felt the vodka burn her nose.
“You aren’t very good at drinking,” he told her as he drained his glass.
Sarah laughed as she set the glass down, “I’m new at this,” she told him.
“What else are you new at?” At Sarah’s blush, Vitaly could well-imagine where she went in her head and he immediately felt aroused at the idea of bending her over his desk.
Sarah had no idea how to answer the question and was growing increasingly uncomfortable as he continued to stare at her. She reached for the glass as a means to distract herself, but he stopped her. Taking her hand, he turned it over and looked at her palm. Lightly running his fingers over it, he made small circles along her wrist with his thumb as Sarah caught her breath. How could something so small feel so damn good, she wondered?
Looking up at Vitaly through her lowered lashes, she had to admit that he was unbelievably attractive. He wore his hair on the longish side and Sarah had the sudden compulsion to run her fingers through it to see how soft it was. He had a strong-looking face with heavy eyebrows, chocolate brown eyes and a straight nose. His lips were full and Sarah wondered what they would feel like to kiss them. She was startled when she felt him reach up and pull the band off her hair as her hair tumbled around her. She sat quietly as he lifted her hair off her face and laid it behind her.
Cupping the side of her face, she couldn’t resist pressing lightly against his palm. Her lips felt dry and she paused as she was licking them when she saw his eyes narrow. Sliding his hand around her neck, Sarah yelped as she found herself suddenly lying on top of him. Capturing her lips, he plundered her mouth when she gasped in surprise.
While she tasted of vodka, he could also taste strawberries. He groaned, lifting one of her legs over him as he deepened the kiss. Unsure what to do, Sarah held on as he kissed her. While she knew that she needed to put a stop to this, he was doing something to her insides that was making her head spin. At the sound of a throat clearing, they both looked up as Sarah blushed. Ivan, VIC Enterprises Chief of Security was leaning in the doorway with a wicked smile on his face.
As Sarah quickly sat up and straightened out her clothes, Ivan walked in. “I can’t tell if I’m too early or right on time,” he drawled as he walked over to the couches. “Either way, we did have a meeting this afternoon, correct?” he asked as he picked up the vodka bottle and moved it farther away.
Sarah scrambled off the couch and headed for the door. Her face was bright red and she wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. It was silly of her to come upstairs and now she had no idea what to do. As she headed for the door, Vitaly called out, “Bright and early Monday morning, Sarah.”
Pausing, Sarah turned around, still unable to speak. She nodded her head before she left his office and made a beeline for the elevator. Once inside, she looked in the reflection and straightened out her clothes. She had lost her hairband when he pulled it off, so she finger combed her hair before the doors opened on the lobby. Exiting, she practically ran to her car before taking several shallow breaths until she calmed down. Flipping the mirror up on the visor, she stared into it. What on earth was she thinking?
That can never happen again, she vowed as she drove away.
Chapter 4
On Monday morning, Sarah walked into VIC Enterprises for her first day working with Vitaly. After Friday, she was nervous how to behave around him. As she waited for the elevator, she looked at herself in the mirror. She wouldn’t have any money until payday, so her clothes were a mix and match with borrowed items from her friends. Her skirt landed above the knee and moved with her as she walked giving her a breezy feel.
Despite being shorter than her friends are, she had the larger bust and most of their tops were too snug on her. Settling for a lace camisole, Sarah’s cleavage peeked out the top. She added a short chunky necklace to draw the eye away from her cleavage and to her face. Her suit jacket was fitted, accentuating her curves. Since it was still too warm for nylons or tights, Sarah finished off her outfit with a pair of open-toed pumps showing off her sparkling pink toenail polish.
As she rode the elevator up, she discretely checked out the other women. Since she had spent all her time in the HR training room, she didn’t have a chance to see how the other women dressed. Most were somewhat modestly dressed preferring to wear pants to skirts, but Sarah did not feel out of place. Taking a deep breath, she exited at the tenth floor and walked up to a smiling Laurel who showed her to her office.
Over the next thirty minutes, Laurel gave her a quick tour of the tenth floor, which was used only by Vitaly and his immediate staff, visiting management from other locations, as well as for meetings. She gave Sarah a quick overview of Vitaly’s general protocols, how to access Vitaly’s calendar, and the list of current projects. Sarah was so engrossed that she did not hear Vitaly walk into her office until he set a cup of coffee down in front of her.
As both women looked up, he smiled. “I will give you some time to get acclimated and to read over the
first three projects. I will see you in my office at ten to discuss.” Without waiting for a response, Vitaly left.
“Is he always so-”
“Abrupt?” At Sarah’s nod, “Sometimes,” Laurel answered with a chuckle. There are times that I think he forgets to speak aloud and simply assumes that we can read his mind.”
“How long have you worked for him?”
“Since they moved to this building, two years ago, and it was rough in the beginning. There were a number of nights when I went home in tears swearing that I wouldn’t come back. He can have quite the temper and you don’t want to be on the receiving end, but as fast as he blows up, he’s over it. And well, the pay and benefits are fantastic. Okay, I’ll let you get to it. If you need anything, let me know.”
As Laurel left, Sarah began reading through the files. While logistics was VIC Enterprises primary business, Sarah was surprised to find out that Vitaly owned several nightclubs, including the Casbah, restaurants and several small software firms all along the Tech Corridor. He was in the process of expanding his logistics firm to the east coast. He had already set up an office in New York and was in negotiations with the port authority in both New York and New Jersey. Smiling to herself, Sarah gathered up the files and headed to Vitaly’s office.
The door was open, but he was on the phone. Knocking quietly, she waited until he acknowledged her before coming in and sitting down. His conversation appeared animated, but since Sarah didn’t speak Russian, she didn’t know what it was about. As he got off the phone, Sarah discretely watched him, as he seemed to shake himself off before joining her.
“Have you reviewed the files?” he asked without preamble. At Sarah’s nod, “Good. And what did you learn?”
Sarah wasn’t sure what to think. She was embarrassed about what happened on Friday, but today Vitaly was all business and from the looks of things, the entire event had been forgotten. Giving herself a mental shrug, she determined that she would do the same.
“Well, I didn’t realize that there was more to your revenue stream than logistics and when I looked at the other businesses, they didn’t make sense.”
“But?” he prodded.
“But they do. The entertainment businesses are ideal locations for client and vendor locations. And the software companies are all working on applications to strengthen your position in the industry. On paper, they look varied, but in reality, it’s all very calculated and…controlled.” Sarah’s voice trailed off unsure where to go from there.
He hadn’t expected her to show up on Friday as he had already excused his staff for the remainder of the day. It was the anniversary of his sister, Anna’s, death and he tended to drink himself to oblivion. His mother had blamed him for her death. It had been a particularly cold winter. As the oldest and thirteen, it was his responsibility to watch his little sister when his parents were at work. Tired of being cooped up in the house, he suggested that they go out to play. Anna had just been getting over a cold and they played outside for hours until their mother came home and screamed at them to get inside. That night, Anna had a fever and by morning, she was coughing. Three days later, her fever had yet to break and the doctor said that she had pneumonia.
This went on for weeks and every night Vitaly would lie next to her as he read her stories. Most of the time she slept or coughed. Eventually, Anna was admitted to the hospital where she died. After that, his mother barely spoke to him and his father eventually arranged for him to go live with his uncle, so he could learn a trade.
He had been drinking for a while when he heard someone get off the elevator. He was surprised when it was Sarah, as he didn’t expect to see her until Monday and certainly not in the state he was in. He was embarrassed that she had seen him like that, but he was determined to forget it ever happened.
As Sarah spoke, Vitaly admired her prowess. He’d only given her thirty minutes and in that time, she had picked up on things faster than some members of his management team. And he liked her choice of words. He did like to be in control. Actually, he demanded it. To lose control would leave him open to exposure. That had already happened once over a woman and he almost lost everything. He was not going to allow that to happen again. He didn’t work this hard and take this many risks to lose everything. He had vowed that he would not allow that to happen again, and he almost did on Friday.
He had gotten lost in his thoughts and was surprised when Sarah touched his hand lightly. As he stared at her, she blushed quickly removing her hand, but her touch created a warmth that he hadn’t felt in a long time.
Changing the topic, he brought up his expansion on the east coast, as Sarah shared her thoughts on it and the difficulties he was having navigating around the port unions. As she talked, he again admired her thought process. She became more animated, and he became distracted at the rise and fall of her chest. Her blush had spread down her neck and chest giving her a rosy hue that he found delightful. He admired the swell of her breasts and was distracted as she shifted exposing more leg.
He stopped her mid-sentence as he moved an errant strand of hair off her face and tucked it behind her ear. When she looked up at him, her blue eyes seemed to grow large as he watched awareness creep across her face. Smiling down at her, “Did you pack a bag as Laurel suggested?”
“Ye…yes,” Sarah managed to say.
“Good, go get it. Wheels up in two hours.”
“Where are we going?”
“New York. I like your ideas. We can continue this discussion on the plane, now go.”
As Sarah rose, she paused. “I didn’t think to include a coat.”
Vitaly quickly dismissed her concerns. “We can pick up anything you may need when we get there. Now go.”
As Sarah left, Vitaly notified Laurel that they were leaving and to make the necessary arrangements with the flight crew. He was planning to go there later this week with the rest of his team, but the thought of spending the flight time alone with Sarah prompted his change in plans.
*****
Sarah retrieved her overnight bag from her car and quickly returned to her office. Unsure what to bring, she asked Laurel for help. Together, they gathered the New York files along with her laptop and charger.
As they boarded the plane, Sarah was surprised that they would be the only ones on board other than the flight crew and one attendant. As she went to take a seat, she admired how opulent the interior was with its plush leather seats that swiveled and reclined.
As the flight crew was gearing up for takeoff, Sarah realized that she needed to let Mia know what was going on. Since she didn’t want Vitaly to hear their conversation, she quickly texted her roommate.
Going to New York for work. Not sure when I’ll be back.
Did you bring condoms?
Sarah couldn’t help snorting at her friend’s response, which caused Vitaly to look at her. Trying to hide her embarrassment, she mumbled something about letting her roommate know that she would be gone before turning her phone off and putting it away.
Chapter 5
As the plane took off, Sarah looked out the window at the disappearing city. While this was not her first time on a plane, she had never flown like this before. She was surprised when the flight attendant brought her a glass of champagne. Raising her eyebrows at Vitaly, he moved to sit closer to her.
“I thought a bit of celebration was in order,” he said as he raised his glass in toast.
Smiling, Sarah raised her glass in toast before taking a sip.
Oh, it was delicious, Sarah thought. The few times she drank champagne, she wasn’t impressed, but this was wonderful and not at all like the vodka. As she drank, Vitaly asked her questions about her life and soon they were engaged in an animated conversation. As he topped off her glass, Sarah realized that the bottle was empty and his glass had remained relatively untouched. As the bubbles tickled her nose, Sarah giggled before looking at him accusatorily. “You’re getting me drunk.”
“Yes,” came his even re
ply.
“Why?”
“To even things up from Friday. And, to make you more compliant.” As Sarah started to protest, he grabbed her glass and set it down. Taking her hand, he tugged her up and toward him. “Straddle me,” he ordered.
Without thinking, Sarah straddled him across his lap as she put her hands on his shoulders for support. His hands slid slowly up her thighs, as he closed his eyes, enjoying the silken feel of her skin.
“You are so beautiful,” she murmured as she lightly traced the lines of some faint scarring along the left side of his face. Turning his head, he kissed the palm of her hand as Sarah caught her breath. The butterflies in her stomach were in overdrive, as she was drawn in by the brilliance of his brown eyes.
Leaning down, she couldn’t resist placing a kiss on his lips as his hands cupped her hips. Sliding one hand to her lower back, his right hand came up to grab her hair. At Sarah’s gasp, he forced her to tilt her head before kissing her hard.
Sarah was caught off guard at the sudden force and ineffectually pushed against his chest. Her efforts caused him to tighten his grip in her hair, causing her to yelp, as he deepened the kiss. Sarah’s hands soon found their way around his neck as she tangled her fingers in his hair encouraging him to keep going. At his groan, he pulled her tighter against him as she started grinding against his erection. Tugging at her jacket, he quickly pulled it off and tossed it aside. He slipped the camisole straps off her shoulders as the tops of her creamy-colored breasts were exposed over her bra. Rubbing his thumbs over her nipples, she caught her breath as they strained against her bra.