by Kira Blakely
“Male. Why?” The question really confused Alexa.
“Because a female boss wouldn’t want to be upstaged by an employee wearing something better than she is, whereas a male boss wants the employee to look as hot as possible at these type of functions so that he is the envy of every other male there.” The lady gave Alexa a conspiratorial wink that had her and Laura laughing out loud. “Women can be such bitches, and men are fickle creatures. We just need to know how to play the game, and that’s where I come in.”
She proceeded to bring out a few dresses and pointed out a few more that were strategically placed on mannequins around the store. “Why don’t you take these through to the dressing room and try them on while your friend and I take a look around for a few other options.”
Alexa took the dresses and walked to the dressing room where another assistant waited to help her change. The first two were totally unsuitable, with one being way too short and the other way too tight. “I wouldn’t mind something that was a mixture between the two, if that was possible?”
The assistant smiled and stepped back through the door into the main area, returning a short time later with another couple of possibilities for her to try on.
The same thing happened a few more times, and each time Alexa found something wrong with the dress. Until she tried another one on and turned to look at herself in the full-length mirror. She hardly recognized the person looking back at her, and her hands smoothed the material down over her hips in awe.
“Would it be okay for my friend to come back here and take a look?”
Her friend was with her in the blink of an eye, almost as though she’d been waiting impatiently outside the door.
“Oh my fucking God, Lexi. That looks absolutely beautiful on you.”
“If you don’t mind me saying so, I believe that it’s you who makes the dress look beautiful.” The lady who had first greeted them when they walked into the store had followed Laura through to the dressing room, and her words made Alexa blush shyly.
She wasn’t quite sure what to say in response. “So you both think that this one will do?”
There was a united chorus of agreement and the decision was made. Alexa gasped at how much the dress cost, but she knew that it was a lot cheaper than any of the ones they’d seen in the previous store, so that made her feel a little better as she walked out of the place with her gown carefully wrapped in tissue paper and a gift box.
“Holy shit, Laura. I’ve only ever walked out of a store with a plastic bag before. I’ve never had anything wrapped up and put in a box.”
Laura burst out laughing. “That makes two of us, girlfriend. And we are not done yet. You still need to buy shoes and a bag to match.”
Alexa let out a groan. “Can we stop and get something to eat first? I never knew that shopping was such hungry work.” She was shocked to realize that it was almost two o’clock in the afternoon. They’d already been shopping for hours and they’d only been to two places so far.
They found a small café and had a bite to eat before their shopping spree continued. Thankfully, they managed to find a pair of shoes and a matching purse in the next store they stopped at, and Alexa breathed a sigh of relief. “Can we go home now?”
“Are you crazy? We still have to find you some new makeup as well as some sexy lingerie to wear underneath that stunning dress.”
“I already have makeup, Laura, but I do agree that I need some new underwear. I don’t think I have anything that would work under that dress because of the style of it. There’s no way I’m charging that to the business credit card though. That would just be wrong as far as I’m concerned.”
Laura laughed at her words. “You can be such a prude sometimes.”
It took them almost another two hours before they were finally done and on their way home, and Alexa was loaded down with bags and boxes. She couldn’t believe how much money she’d spent, even though she’d really tried to be as thrifty as possible. She hung everything up to let any creases fall out before she and Laura had a light dinner, followed by an early night to bed.
She carried Dawson’s coffee to him the following morning and placed his credit card on top of his desk along with all of the receipts she made sure to save. He looked at them in surprise before saying anything to her.
“Well that’s a first. I’m not used to women showing me receipts for what they’ve spent. You didn’t have to do that, but I appreciate it, Alexa. Thank you.” To say he was dumbfounded was an understatement. Maybe she really is going to prove you wrong about women, he thought, and was surprised by how much he wanted that to be the case.
“It wouldn’t have been right for me not to do it, but you’re welcome.” She smiled at him as she sat down. Picking up her notepad and pencil, she missed seeing the appreciative gleam in his eyes as he noticed that she was once again wearing a skirt. “I tried not to spend too much, but it’s still a lot, I’m afraid. If you need to, then don’t pay me the bonus you were talking about. That way, I won’t feel quite so guilty about it.”
She didn’t know it, but as soon as she said that, Dawson made his mind up to double her bonus, grudgingly admitting to himself that she really was a one of a kind, special woman. He didn’t think that he had ever met a female quite like her, and considering the fact that she came from a humble, hard-working background, he thought it was pretty phenomenal of her to tell him not to pay her a bonus.
He cleared his throat and put on his business head. “Okay, so this is what I need you to do today.”
Less than twenty minutes later, Alexa was back in her own office making phone calls, sending emails, and fielding calls for Dawson. She was relieved at how normal the day seemed to be going so far, especially in light of how guilty she had felt about using Dawson’s credit card and spending so much of his money. She’d expected things to feel a little tense and awkward between them, but it was business as usual, thankfully.
14
FRIDAY ARRIVED QUICKLY, and during their morning meeting, Dawson told Alexa to finish work at lunchtime so that she would have time to go home and get ready for their trip. “I’ll pick you up at six, but the journey’s going to take a while, so it will probably be a good idea to make sure you eat before then. I’d usually stop off for a meal on the way, but I want to make sure we make good time so that we’re not too tired to enjoy the event tomorrow.”
Even though she was pretty much already packed for the weekend, Alexa was grateful for the extra time off work that gave her the opportunity to go and get her hair trimmed and relax for an hour or so before Dawson was to pick her up. She had a nice, long bath and washed her hair, blow drying it and leaving it down to hang in long, soft waves down her back. She always wore it up at work, so it made a nice change to leave it down for once.
She’d thought long and hard about what to wear for the trip, and even though her initial choice had been jeans and a soft cashmere sweater, she changed her mind, opting for a short-sleeved, white, button-down blouse, a black and gray plaid skirt, and a pair of knee-high boots instead. She applied just a smattering of makeup and a spray of perfume before carrying her small suitcase downstairs to wait for Dawson to arrive. She was checking her purse to make sure that she had her cell phone and charger when there was a knock at the door.
Quickly gathering everything up, she opened the door and gave a gasp of surprise when she saw a uniformed chauffeur standing in front of her.
“I’ll take your case, ma’am. Mr. James is waiting for you in the car.” He took the suitcase from her hand and walked down the pathway with Alexa staring after him in disbelief.
A limousine? He’s picking me up in a freaking limousine? She couldn’t quite believe that there was a stretch limo parked outside her house, and she wished that Laura had been home to see it.
She quickly pulled herself together and followed after the driver, snatching her hand back when she went to open the door and his got there first. “Allow me, please, ma’am.” Alexa stood back a
nd let him hold the door open for her before she ducked her head and stepped inside the dimly-lit interior of the luxurious vehicle.
She’d never been in a limousine before, and she wasn’t quite sure what she’d been expecting. But whatever she’d expected, it certainly wasn’t what she stepped into. Her feet sank into a carpet that was thicker than any in her house, and the smell of the leather upholstery was only rivaled by the shine of the windowed partition and the glass cocktail cabinet that had been installed along one side. The limo was obviously not one that was used for the typical parties that she’d seen around the city, because there were only two seats in it – one along the longer side of the car opposite the cocktail cabinet, and the other at the back, facing forward. Admittedly, they were long seats, but she still couldn’t imagine a crowd of people having a raucous, drunken party in the back of the pristine vehicle.
“Are you going to sit down, or are you going to stand up for the whole way?” Dawson’s voice made her jump, but the humor in it eased her nerves as he brought her back to the here and now.
She gave a small laugh of her own that was filled with self-consciousness. “I’m sorry, Mr. James. I’ve just never been in one of these things before and I don’t know what I’d been expecting us to travel in, but, well, it wasn’t this.” She sat down on the back seat, looking across at her boss who was seated opposite of her. “This thing is huge!”
She couldn’t quite keep the excitement at bay, and Dawson outwardly laughed, while inwardly he was thinking about how refreshing she was.
She has absolutely no idea just how lovely she is, he thought to himself. “Are you really going to call me Mr. James this whole weekend?” He still had the same playfulness in his voice, and Alexa grinned at him without answering. “Okay, how about this? I absolutely forbid you to call me it. I insist that you call me Dawson, at least until we get back to work on Tuesday, and even then, I’d prefer you to call me that. But if you’re still not comfortable with it, then I’ll stop trying to badger you and you can go back to calling me Mr. James.” He gave a mocking shudder that made Alexa laugh.
“Don’t hold your breath on that, but I suppose I can do as you want for the few days we’re away.” She could hear Laura’s voice in her head telling her that she could do whatever he wanted at any time if she’d just stop being such a prude. Thank God it’s relatively dark in here, she thought. At least he won’t be able to see me blushing.
It was just as well that she couldn’t hear what was running through Dawson’s mind, or she probably would have jumped out of the moving car. He was also thinking about her doing what he wanted for the weekend, but it had nothing at all to do with her calling him Dawson, and everything to do with how many positions he’d love to get her in while he made love to her. Just the thought of it had his cock thickening, and he pushed the thoughts away reluctantly.
“Do you mind if I ask why we’re not flying? I half expected you to have a private jet on standby, or something.” She was only half joking.
“I’m absolutely terrified of flying, but if you tell anyone, then I’ll deny I ever admitted it.” He grinned at her. “Can I get you something to drink? A glass of champagne, perhaps?”
Alexa wasn’t completely sure that drinking alcohol with him in such close confines was a good idea, but she needed something to help her calm her nerves and her wayward thoughts. “Is there any orange juice? If there is, I wouldn’t mind a glass of champagne and orange juice, please.”
Dawson stood up and moved to the cocktail cabinet, opening a door that housed a small refrigerator and pulling out a bottle of champagne and a carton of orange juice. “It looks like you’re in luck.” He made her drink and then poured himself a glass of whiskey, completely missing the appreciative gleam in her eye as she finally realized that he was wearing jeans and a T-shirt.
She couldn’t take her eyes off the way the denim hugged his backside or how the T-shirt showed off just how muscular he really was. As he turned toward her to hand her the drink, she threw up another prayer of thanks for how dark the inside of the car was.
“Thank you.” She took the drink from him and took a generous gulp, thankful to have something to do to take her mind off of him.
“I forgot to tell you to bring a book or something to do during the drive. I’m afraid that I have quite a bit of paperwork to catch up on that I want to get out of the way, but I don’t want you to be bored while I do it.” For the first time, she noticed his briefcase, and it was a good reminder that their trip away was purely business.
She was quick to reassure him. “I actually have a book with me that I can read while you’re busy. I can’t get to sleep at night unless I read at least a couple of pages.”
You’d sleep like a baby without having to read if you were in my bed. Dawson’s cock gave another twitch as the thought popped into his head, and he quickly reached for his briefcase and extracted some papers and a pen.
The next couple of hours were spent in relative silence as Dawson concentrated on his work and Alexa alternated between watching the scenery pass by and reading her book. Occasionally, he would get up to make them both another drink and they would make small talk for a few minutes before returning to what they were both doing. Alexa found herself growing sleepier with each passing mile.
“Hey, sleeping beauty. It’s time to wake up and stretch our legs for a few minutes.”
As her eyes opened and she became aware of her surroundings, Alexa was mortified to realize that she’d fallen asleep. She wasn’t sure when or how, but she was now lying down on the seat with a small pillow beneath her head and a lightweight cover over her. As she realized that Dawson must have tended to her without her even knowing it, she didn’t think that she had ever been more embarrassed.
She swung her legs around and sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and stifling a yawn. “Oh, my goodness. I am so sorry, Mr. James.”
Dawson laughed at her softly. “There’s nothing to be sorry about, Alexa. It’s past midnight as it is, so it’s not surprising that you were tired.” The door was opened by the chauffeur and Dawson stepped out of the car, holding his hand out and taking hold of hers to help her exit also. “And I thought we’d agreed that you were to call me Dawson.”
“I’m still half asleep. Leave me alone, Dawson.” She was only half joking because she was never completely ‘with it’ when she first woke up. But he chuckled as she said his name for the first time.
“See? Now that wasn’t too hard, was it?” Not as hard as my cock is at hearing my name on your lips, he thought as he adjusted himself discreetly.
They stretched their legs for a few minutes and both went off to use the restroom facilities at the rest stop before getting back in the car and resuming their journey. Dawson had finally finished the work that he’d had to do, which meant that he could also relax now. “So tell me something about yourself, Alexa. I don’t mean the usual boring work stuff, but something a little more personal. Tell me about your life so far.” He turned to face her as he spoke, marveling once more at how lovely she looked.
“There’s not really that much to tell, to be honest.” She wasn’t really sure where to begin, so she decided to start at the very beginning. “My whole life has been spent living on my parents’ farm in a small town with a population that could probably fit in the back of this limo.” Dawson laughed at that. “There was one school in the place that catered to every child, from kindergarten all the way up to high school, so each and every kid grew up knowing each other. We all used to complain, but it really was a great community to grow up in.”
She didn’t miss the look that crossed Dawson’s face, although she couldn’t quite tell what it was, other than it being a private thought and possibly something that he didn’t want to share.
“In fact, my best friend, Laura, is actually the one that persuaded me to move from there to here. I loved helping my parents out on the farm, but with regards to actually building a career for myself, well, let’s jus
t say that there would have been no chance if I’d stayed there.” A tender smile crossed her face that made Dawson wish that he’d known her as she was growing up. “I’m really glad that I came here though, because now I can send some decent money home to my folks to help them out. It also means that they don’t have to work quite so hard, which makes me happy.”
“It sounds like you had a wonderful childhood, and helping your parents out now is a wonderful thing to do.” His voice could only be described as wistful, and Alexa couldn’t help but wonder why.
She nodded her head in agreement. “I really did. I was lucky.” She looked at him curiously. “So what about you, Dawson? I know you’re a billionaire now, but what gave you the drive to ‘make it,’ or were you just born into money?” She couldn’t believe that she’d actually asked him such a personal question, and as soon as the words were out of her mouth she wished that she could take them back. “Never mind. It’s none of my business.”
“I asked you first, so it’s only fair that you get to ask the same question of me.” He paused as he tried to find the words to describe his upbringing. “No, my family wasn’t rich. In fact, I don’t even know who my family is. All I know is that my mother was a heroin addict and I was taken away from her and placed in the foster system as soon as I was born. Well, as soon as I was well enough and big enough to leave the hospital.” He gave a wry laugh that was totally devoid of humor and Alexa could have cried for the mental picture he’d just drawn.
“I’m so sorry, Dawson. I shouldn’t have asked.” It was obviously painful for him to talk about, and she hated to know that she’d been the one to make him remember.
He shook his head and gave her a smile. “It’s okay, Alexa, honestly. It’s been so long since someone has genuinely cared enough to ask that it actually feels good to talk about it. Kind of cathartic in a way.” He gave a gruff cough before continuing. “Anyway, as soon as I was old enough I was fostered out to a couple, but within a few months they found out that they were expecting a child of their own, so back to the children’s home I went. And it was like that on and off for the next ten years or so. I’d go to a foster family, but they always found a reason to send me back again, until I started to realize that they weren’t the problem. I was.”