by Lexi Wilson
“Yes, Mr. McQuaid?” She was being professional all right – totally professional. Almost too professional, as if she didn’t want there to be any mistaking what kind of relationship we had.
“I’ve got a lunch meeting in Hollywood in a little bit. I want you to come with me and take notes.”
“Of course,” she said. “When will we be leaving.”
“In twenty minutes. And this one is important, Amber. Be attentive, and take good solid notes.”
She nodded. “Of course, Mr. McQuaid.”
With that, she left, my eyes latching onto her perfect ass while she departed.
Fucking hell, I thought. Is it really going to be that hard to keep my eyes off her?
Maybe this was a mistake.
Too late to go back on, if so. What would I even do if I wanted to fire her – kick her to the curb because I couldn’t stop staring at her ass, because I couldn’t stop thinking about what she’d look like on the end of my dick?
Yeah, that’d go over really well with HR.
I busied myself with a little more necessary work before calling my driver and letting him know I’d need him to be out front in fifteen minutes.
The meeting was as important as they came, and I couldn’t afford to be late.
When it was time to go, I left the office and found Amber already waiting for me.
“Ready?” I asked.
“Ready,” she said.
Together we made our way through the office. And I couldn’t help but notice how every single man, without exception, checked her out.
Maybe she wasn’t simply going to be a distraction to me – maybe she’d be one to everyone else in the office.
Moments later we were in the elevator, the two of us alone.
My cock twitched at the sight of her next to me. Even in her relatively conservative business clothes she was still stunning beyond belief.
“How’s the day going so far?” I asked, posing the question to her as if she were some random co-worker and not a woman I’d made out with just a few hours prior.
“Good. Learning my way around the computer and all that.”
“You a computer person?”
“Not really. And my last job wasn’t exactly tech-heavy.”
I let a half smile form on my lips, my mind going right back to what her “old job” was.
“Well, you’re doing a fine job so far.”
We reached the lobby, the doors opening and the two of us heading out to the Black Mercedes that awaited. The driver opened the door and let us both inside.
“Oh,” I said once we were on our way. “I want to give you a smooth start. So, we’ll be done for the day once the meeting’s over.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Really? That’s great – I’ll have time to pick up my daughter from school.”
“But,” I said, raising my finger. “Don’t get used to it. I like to put in full days, and I’ll expect you to do the same.”
“Of course,” she said. Then Amber cleared her throat, as if wanting to change the subject.
I glanced down, my eyes landing on the exposed part of her upper leg, her skirt hiked up a bit. My cock twitched again and I pinched my leg to make my erection go down.
“So,” she said. “Who are we meeting?”
“His name is George Schwarz. He’s a big-wig in city government, one of the men in charge of determining who gets what grants for major construction projects. He’s considering Horvath for a major contract, and I want to be damn certain we get it.”
“Anything I need to know about him?”
“Maybe. He’s a bit of a ball-buster – the kind of guy who’s used to getting what he wants, never taking ‘no’ for an answer. And…there have been rumors floating around that he can get a little…handsy with women on his staff.”
“Is that right? Sounds like you two have a lot in common.”
My eyebrows rose, and I spotted a small smirk on her face out of the corner of my eye.
“Cute,” I said. “But you shouldn’t need to worry about any of that. Just take good notes and you’ll be fine. Leave the hard parts to me.”
We pulled in front of Le Jardin, the ritzy restaurant in Hollywood where George liked to meet with clients. The place was busy with the sorts of trendy, stylish people common in this part of the city. Money was everywhere, in clothes and cars and hair and shoes and everything else. The sun was bright and brilliant, the sky blue.
Another day in LA.
The driver parked in front and let us out. And as he did, I had an urge.
“Phil,” I said. “Catch a cab back to the office.”
“Mr. McQuaid?” he asked, obviously confused.
“I feel like driving myself. Park somewhere close, catch a cab, and take the rest of the day off. Leave the keys in the glove box.”
He nodded, still a little unsure but clearly pleased. “Yes, sir.”
With that, Amber and I made our way to the restaurant. I glanced around at the other people on the sidewalks, noting how Amber was far and away more beautiful than any of the women there.
And the women seemed to know it. I’d catch them taking a look at me, giving the sort of flirty smile I was used to from women. But then after that they’d glance at Amber, their eyes narrowing and their expressions darkening as they looked her over, as if sensing she was their competition.
It was more amusing than anything else.
But it made me very, very aware I was with one of the most beautiful women in the city.
How long was I going to be able to resist her?
The hostess, anther stunningly gorgeous young woman –though nothing compared to Amber- opened the front doors for us as we stepped into the bright, sunny interior of the Le Jardin. Like the name suggested, the place was full of foliage, like a greenhouse and restaurant combined.
George Schwarz, tall and skinny with a bald head and thin face, rose to greet us.
“Nick!” he said, popping the bit of bread he’d had in his hand into his mouth and rising to give me a hearty shake. “Good to see you. I’m fucking starving – sit your ass down.”
“Good to see you, too, George.”
His eyes flicked over to Amber, checking her out from toe to top in less than a second.
“And I didn’t know you were going to be bringing a friend.” He grinned, obviously pleased with what he was seeing.
“George, this is my new secretary, Amber Wax.”
“Hell of a name,” he said. “And pleasure to meet you.” He quickly wiped his hand on his pant leg before offering it to her. “Sorry, I’ve been sweating like a pig all goddamn day.” After the shake, he swept his hand to the table. “Come on – sit down and let’s get some grub in front of us.”
We did, and when the server arrived George fired off orders. Not just for him, but for all of us. Amber was surprised, but I wasn’t – I’d met with him enough times to know he liked to be in charge.
And I liked to let him think he was. See, with big egos like George, the game was all about flattering their egos – and it was a game I was good at playing.
He glanced over at Amber, smiling.
“Just taking notes,” she said with a professional smile of her own. “Pretend I’m not here.”
“Now, that’s going to be a challenge,” he said. His eyes flicked to her breasts again before going back to me. “So, let’s talk about this deal of ours.”
“It’s simple – we sign the contract, and I’m on board to do all of the municipal projects in your district for the next year.”
He grinned. “Sure, sure. But you know how sweet of a deal this is, right? Do you really think you’re the only construction firm that wants this contract?”
“Of course I don’t think that. But I do know that I’m the best construction firm that wants the contract.”
Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a strange, surprised expression on Amber’s face, like something odd had happened but she wasn’t sure it had happened. She
quickly shook her head and went back to taking notes.
“I’ve always liked how confident you are, Nick. Plenty of firms are all obsequious about going for contracts, acting like being all kinds of humble and asking nicely for it is what’s going to land them the job. Not you – you’re all kinds of ballsy.”
“That’s because I’ve earned the right to be ballsy. I’ve got the best people in the city working for me. The Sunnyside development that we finished ahead of schedule and under budget? That was me. The courthouse in Van Nuys? That was me. The new stadium in Pasadena? Me. Well, me and my people, to be clear about it. My work speaks for itself. Give me the contract, or give it to a third-rate firm. Your choice.”
Right after I finished speaking, that odd expression returned to Amber’s face. Something was going on.
George grinned. “Very impressive speech, Nick. And you’re right – you’ve got a hell of a track record.” He stood up, tossing his napkin onto the table. “Let me hit the head. I’ll think about it while I’m taking a leak.”
He left, and as soon as he was out of earshot, Amber turned to me.
“You OK over there?” I asked. “You looked spooked or something. I know he’s kind of a prick, but-“
“He touched me.”
“What?”
“At first I wasn’t sure what it was. But then he did it again. He put his hand on my knee and squeezed it. I was going to say something, but he left before I got a chance.”
I narrowed my eyes and leaned in. “He touched you. And you’re sure about that?”
“Nick, I mean, um, Mr. McQuaid.”
“Nick’s fine.”
“Nick – I worked at a strip club. Trust me, I’ve got a sense for when men are getting grabby.”
I sighed. George was an important contract, but I wasn’t about to let him treat anyone like that, let alone an employee.
Before the conversation could go on, George plopped into the chair. He threw back the rest of his glass of wine, and slapped his hands on his knees.
“Here’s the deal, Nicky.”
“Nick.”
“Whatever. You want the contract, it’s yours. But I want a little something first.”
I was curious. “What?”
He turned his eyes to Amber.
“I want to, ah, finish my lunch with her. In private. If you get what I’m saying.”
“What?” me and Amber said the word at the same time.
“Are you serious?” asked Amber.
“Serious as a heart attack,” he said. “Come on, Nick – you’re not going to try to tell me you didn’t bring along a piece of ass like this for any reason other than to sweeten the deal, are you?”
“She’s my secretary,” I said, anger creeping into my voice.
“She’s a stone-cold fox, whatever she is. And if you want this deal, you’re going to let me have a little fun with her first. Come on – and hour at the hotel down the street and you get a contract that’s going to make every single person in your company fat and happy for the next year.”
Didn’t even need to think about it.
The only thing I did need to think about was keeping myself in check so I didn’t clock him in the middle of the restaurant.
“How about this – fuck off.”
He raised eyebrows. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me, asshole – fuck off. I ought to pound you into the dirt right here for even suggesting such a thing.”
“Come on,” he said, swiping his hand through the air as if I were overreacting. “Don’t be such a prude. This kind of shit goes down all the time – it’s like popping open a bottle of champagne to celebrate a deal. Except in this case, it’s not a bottle that I’d be popping open.”
He grinned at Amber, as if he expected her to be charmed by this.
“Not a fucking chance. I don’t know what kind of scumbags you work with, but I don’t stand for this shit. Now, get up and fuck off before I make a scene.”
“You’re…you’re serious? You’re really throwing away a contract like this because of what…some secretary?”
I snorted. “You’re not listening. Maybe she’d like to tell you herself.”
I turned to Amber and nodded.
“Fuck off,” she said.
George regarded me, then her, then back to me.
Then he shook his head in disbelief.
“This…I can’t even begin to tell you what kind of a mistake this is, Nicky.” He stood up, tossing his napkin onto the table. “You’re going to regret this like nothing else. See you around.”
He left, and when he was gone I let out a sigh of relief.
“What…what the fuck was that?” asked Amber. “Did he serious just proposition me?”
“He did. I’m really, really fucking sorry you had to deal with that. I knew he was scummy, but I didn’t know he was that scummy. Never would’ve done business with that asshole had I known.”
She shook her head. “It’s…fine. I mean, it’s not fine, but you did exactly what I’d hoped you’d do.”
I was glad to see Amber was in decent spirits about it. However, part of me still wanted to go out there and find George and smash his head into the nearest street lamp.
I let the anger flow through me, letting my usual clam return.
Then something occurred to me.
“I know that was a hell of a thing that just happened, but are you still hungry?”
She smiled. “Actually, I’m kind of starving.”
“Because George has a tab running here. What do you say we celebrate your first day on the job with a meal on him?”
This got a big grin. “I’m down.”
I waved down the nearest server, ordering a bottle of whatever was good and expensive.
“We cool,” I asked after the bottle had been brought and the glasses poured.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“About what happened earlier.”
“Ah,” she said. Amber appeared to consider it, then she smiled. “We’re cool. More than cool.”
“Perfect. Then here’s to a long, fruitful working relationship.”
“I’ll drink to that.”
We tapped our glasses.
It was time for some fun.
Chapter 13
AMBER
“How was it?” Nick half-smiled as he looked down at my cleaned plate, not a crumb remaining on it.
“Are you kidding?” I tilted the plate up to him. “Does this not say enough?”
“It was a rhetorical question.”
I sat back in my chair, putting my hands over my full belly. “You know, I’d always thought these fancy places were up their own butts. Like you’d come in and pay two hundred dollars for a single shrimp or something.”
“Not all of them,” he said. “Though you’re not wrong in a lot of cases. One time I ate at a steakhouse where the main course was a single slice of steak about the size of a grape. Cost three hundred.”
I laughed. And it was a reminder that he and I lived in very different worlds. For me, a night out was burgers and milkshakes with Jamie at the Apple Pan. For Nick, it was three-hundred-dollar steaks.
“Well, was it a good piece of steak the size of a grape?”
“Took me about fifteen seconds to eat it, but you bet it was. Never thought a cow could taste that good.”
I glanced down at my plate, my nearly-empty glass of wine nearby. “Well, this was just as good. Not sure it’d be my first choice for a night out, but still.”
“Same here,” he said. “These places are great for impressing out-of-town clients. But if I want a real meal, I’m going to the Apple Pan. Burger and a slice of pie and a double bacon burger and I’m in heaven.”
I flicked up my eyebrows. “Are you serious? That’s my joint.”
“Can’t blame you – best burger in the city, if you ask me.”
I took my glass of wine and held it near my face. “That’s…surprising – gotta say.”
“What’s surprising?” he asked. “You surprised I’d eat a burger?”
“Kind of. I guess I don’t know exactly what you rich types get up to.”
“I can’t speak for all of them,” he said, gesturing to the restaurant. “But this isn’t normally my scene.”
“Really?”
“Really. I haven’t always been rich, after all.”
Now I was intrigued. “Wait, so you’re telling me you didn’t go through an ivy league, then got a job at Horvath from your well-connected uncle, never once not living the sweet life?”
He laughed. “Not even close. I had to bust my ass to get where I am. And during that time, I guess I never really picked up on rich people habits. I’m still happy with a beer and a burger.”
I raised my glass. “Not that there’s anything wrong with the occasional expensive glass of wine.”
He raised his glass along with me. “Especially when you’re not paying for it.”
We tapped rims and sipped. Then he flagged down the waiter.
“The bill, sir?” the waiter asked.
Nick shook his head. I grinned. “Nah. My client wanted to treat my secretary and I to a nice lunch. It’s all on him – George Schwarz.”
“Of course.” With a nod, the waiter left.
“You think he’s going to be pissed?” I asked.
Nick shrugged, as if he didn’t know or care. “He can go fuck himself as far as I’m concerned. Prick.” There was real venom in his voice, as if he wished George was there so he could clock him right in the face.
I bit my lip and looked down, not sure how to say what I had on my mind.
“What’s up?” he asked.
“That was…really nice of you.”
He pointed over his shoulder toward the entrance, the last place we’d seen George as he zipped out of there with his tail between his legs.
“You mean when I told him to fuck off? It was the only decent thing to do. Did you really think I was going to, what, let him sleep with you to cement the deal?”
I wanted to tell him yes – that’s exactly what I’d thought. After all, a big part of the reason I’d left my last job was because I wouldn’t sleep with someone after being told to do so. Maybe that kind of behavior wasn’t common in Nick’s circles, but it was something I was all too familiar with.