by Hamel, B. B.
I snort at that, forgetting myself for a second. “Good luck.”
He smiles, clearly amused. “Don’t worry. I’ve met plenty of Carols in my time. She’s definitely one of the worst, but I can handle her.”
I blush a little bit, suddenly embarrassed for my comment. “Sorry, I didn’t mean—”
“It’s okay,” he says. He’s standing right in front of me now and I swear I can smell something… musky, grassy, warm.
I want to breathe that in. I want to taste it.
“Come work for me,” he says softly. “You’ll be happier. I’ll take much better care of you than Carol ever would.”
I stare up into his eyes and at that easy smile, and I have to admit, I’m seduced.
I’m totally and completely seduced.
I know this is a bad idea. Carol is not the type to let these things slide.
Still…
“Did you come down here just to make me this offer?”
The words come spilling out of my mouth before I can even think about it. I brace myself, ready for him to tell me I’m being conceited and to take away his offer.
“Yes,” he says, grinning. “I sure did. Am I that obvious?”
“I’ve never seen any of the chiefs in here before,” I say.
“Good point. I guess I’m not hiding it very well.”
“Why me?”
He cocks his head. “Good question.”
“You don’t have to tell me. I’m just… I’m nervous. Carol isn’t the type to let things go. She’s pissed about a typo and I bet she’s going to be really pissed that I’m taking more than two minutes to make this coffee.”
He laughs softly. “It’s okay. I get it, but trust me, I’ll handle Carol.”
“Why me though? You don’t know me at all. Why take me from her when it’s going to be such a pain?”
He purses his lips for a moment, considering. “Truthfully, Taylor, I don’t think you want to know.”
I raise an eyebrow. The coffee is hot in my hand but I swear my skin is hotter.
“You can tell me,” I say. “I mean, I want to know if I’m going to go through all this.”
He leans closer and my heart skips another beat. This is Baker Griffin, leaning closer to me, smelling perfect, looking perfect, wanting to take me away from that wicked woman. It’s like a fairy tale come true.
Except there has to be a catch, there’s always a catch.
“You interest me,” he says. “You have good taste in pens.”
I blink rapidly. “You want to take me from Carol and piss her off… because I have good taste in pens?”
“That’s right.” He grins at me. “It’s all about the pen.”
I reach up instinctively and touch the Lamy pen I keep behind my ear. I know I shouldn’t do that, it’s unprofessional, but it’s a habit. I always like to have it close and I don’t have pockets right now.
“That’s insane. Carol’s going to go ballistic. All because of some pen?”
“You said it was your grandfather’s, right?”
I nod. “I took it from his study after he passed when I was a little girl. I barely knew him but, I don’t know, I liked this pen. I’ve been using it ever since.”
“See, that’s why I want you.”
I shake my head. “I don’t get it.”
“You will.” He cocks his head. “So what do you say?”
I watch him carefully for a minute, running it all through my mind.
I can leave Carol and not have to deal with her ever again. Well, probably not exactly, but not directly. I won’t be working under her anymore. I’ll be working for the CEO of this company instead and that’s a huge deal.
Baker is a huge step up, career-wise. I know I’ll still just be an assistant, but if I do a good job, he might give me a recommendation. That would be more than huge.
And the money, well, that’s obvious. I need the money.
Still, Carol is going to be angry and I’m terrified of that woman. If I cross her, I just know she’ll do everything she can to ruin me. That’s the sort of awful harpy she is. I’m not sure Baker knows exactly what he’s getting himself into.
He smiles a little bit and my heart flutters.
“Okay,” I blurt out. Even though I’m not sure. Even though I think this is insane and I don’t know why he even wants me.
He says it’s because of the pen… but I know that’s not true.
I can’t help myself.
He grins broadly. “Great. Go get your stuff.”
“What?”
“Get your stuff. You’re starting right now.”
“But Carol—”
“Like I said, I’ll handle her.” He moves closer to me, and for a second, I think his lips are going to graze mine.
Instead, he whispers in my ear.
“I think we’re going to be a good couple, Taylor.”
My spine’s tingling when I walk away. My cheeks are flushed and hot.
And I swear I’ve never been more excited in my life.
I head to my desk and grab my things. I don’t have much since I only started a couple weeks ago. I grab my computer, my bag, some personal items. Otherwise though, my desk is pretty barren. Carol doesn’t like a messy desk.
I bundle it all into my arms and I stand there for half a second. Baker’s nowhere in sight but I don’t care.
If I had a free hand, I think I’d flip the bitch off.
Instead I just turn and walk away. I head right to Baker’s office.
He sets me up with the empty desk right outside his door.
“Holler if you need me,” he says. “Otherwise, the day is ours. We’ll get started tomorrow.”
“Okay.” I feel a twinge of excitement again. “And thank you.”
“Of course.” He grins again and his eyes linger on me. I swear he looks me up and down before disappearing back into his office.
I don’t know what this is about. I don’t know if he’s just trying to get back at Carol for something or if he really wants me, but I think I’m going to find out soon.
I hope I can survive whatever’s about to happen.
3
Baker
“You arrogant son of a bitch.”
Carol is practically bright red.
Seriously, if this were a cartoon, she’d have steam coming from her ears. It’s almost comical, except she’s so angry I think she might have a stroke. That’d be bad for morale.
“Carol,” I warn. “Remember who your boss is.”
She crosses her arms, visibly getting herself together.
Taylor’s outside the door, cowering at her desk. I don’t blame the girl. I’d be fucking terrified of Carol if I were her.
Poor girl. I threw her into this situation all because of my own pure desire for her.
Turns out, I couldn’t get her from my head. Not that afternoon, not that night, and not the next morning.
I knew I had to have her. So I went out and I took her.
Now that she’s all mine, I need to figure out what I’m going to do next. Because Carol’s not going to just let this slide.
I made a serious enemy. Carol might’ve hated me before, but now…
Well, now I think she’s out to get me for real.
“Baker, I’m going to make a complaint to HR,” she says as coolly as she can.
“Feel free,” I say with a shrug.
“You can’t just… poach my assistant. It’s simply not done!”
I lean across my desk toward her. “You’re in my company now, Carol, and it’s time you learn that.”
She stares back at me, aghast. Her surprise quickly turns to smoldering anger.
“I don’t know what your game is, but you’re making a mistake.”
“No, Carol. I’m not. The thing is, you didn’t want her. You were going to get rid of her sooner or later. I’m just doing you a favor.”
“Favor?” She spits the word at me. “You’re making me look weak.”
She glares at me so hard I think she’s trying to make my head explode.
“Don’t try to pretend like you did this for me.”
“I didn’t,” I say simply. “I did it because I wanted that girl as my assistant. I think she has real promise and potential, and I think you’re going to wring her completely dry before you throw her away. So I took her before you had the chance.”
She takes a long breath and lets it out. “Baker, I’m going to give you a chance. Apologize, give her back, and we’ll pretend like this never happened.”
I snort and shake my head. “No, thank you. Please get out of my office.”
She stares at me, completely calm now. It’s actually a little disconcerting. I expected her to yell and scream for another ten minutes or so, but she’s totally calm.
“Okay then. You made your choice.”
Without another word, she turns and leaves.
I lean back in my chair and sigh.
Maybe I played that wrong. Carol may be a psycho, but she’s still a person. I could’ve been a little more diplomatic, maybe tried to convince her that giving me Taylor would be a good idea instead of just stealing the girl away.
But I also know Carol’s not the type to take that sort of thing lightly. If she smells blood in the water, she pounces. Any sign of weakness is a sign that she’d better attack.
No, taking Taylor is the way to go. Carol will be angry but she’ll get over it sooner or later.
When Carol is down the hall and out of sight, I call Taylor into my office.
She slips inside and shuts the door behind her, looking terrified. I gesture for her to sit.
“I assume you heard that.”
She nods. “Yes.”
“Every word?”
She nods again.
I sigh. “Okay. Listen, I know you’re worried, but trust me. Carol will get over it.”
“She was really mad, Baker,” Taylor says softly.
“I know she was.”
“You don’t get it. She won’t let this go. I only worked for her for two weeks, but I know her. I know she won’t let it go.”
I rub my eyes. I know she’s right, I just don’t want to admit it.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m the CEO and Carol’s going to have to get used to that fact.”
“But I’m not.”
I smile sadly at her and stand. I walk around the desk and sit down in the chair next to hers.
“Look, I took you on, so I’ll make sure nothing happens. She’s just one person, okay? She doesn’t have a lot of sway or connections outside of this place. You’re going to be okay.”
“Yeah.” She takes a deep breath. “You’re right.”
“Good. Now.” I stand up and head back around my desk, sitting with a sigh. “We need to talk about Alaska.”
She raises an eyebrow. “Alaska?”
“You’re aware of the bus initiative?”
“Sure. Everyone’s working on it.”
“We’re having a big product launch retreat in Alaska in one week. It’s to celebrate everything and thank the team.”
“I thought that was just for upper management and the engineers.”
“It is, but you’re going to come along as my guest.”
She looks surprised. “Really?”
“I know you’ve only been working here for, what, almost one whole day now? But I want you there. I could use the extra help.”
“Well, ah, I think I can do it.” She chews her lip and absently takes the pen from her ear, rolling it between her fingers. “I don’t have a flight.”
“I’ll take care of that.”
“Okay then. I’m all yours.”
A chill pleasure runs down my spine. “You are, aren’t you?” I cock my head, looking her over, her supple body, her beautiful lips…
Taking her was impulsive and maybe a bad move. This company isn’t on secure footing right now. It’s an AI-based company selling algorithms and cloud software to local governments, cities, and other big corporations. But it hasn’t lived up to its promise and investors are starting to get a little shaky.
This isn’t the time to start an internal civil war. This isn’t the moment to piss off Carol. She may not be in my position, but she still has power in this company. She’s been here for years and has ears on the board.
I have to be careful of her. I wish I could dismiss her completely but that would be a mistake.
Taking Taylor made her my enemy even more so than simply existing in this role. Before, it was the board that drew her ire. They hired me, they made the decision.
But taking Taylor is personal. This is about me now, not just the job.
I’d better be careful. I’d better make this worth it.
“Do you need anything else?” she asks.
“No, thank you. That’ll be all.”
She stands and nods. She lingers for a moment and I think she wants to ask me something.
But instead she leaves. I let her go, let the unspoken question disappear.
It’s fine, it doesn’t matter.
She’s mine now. She’s mine and it doesn’t matter if I’ve made an enemy.
Because I wanted her.
That’s how I’ve always gotten through life. I want something, I take it. Even if the consequences aren’t good, I manage them and move on.
Carol may be angry, but I’ll live with it.
I have my Taylor. That’s all that matters right now.
4
Taylor
After one week, I know I made the right decision.
At first, when Carol was in his office and berating him, I thought I’d ruined my life. I mean, she’s terrifying. Baker doesn’t seem afraid of her, but I’m not going to pretend like I’m immune.
But quickly it’s become obvious that I was so, so wrong to feel like my life was over.
Baker is a better boss. That much is pretty simple. He’s demanding, he asks for the most of me possible, but he doesn’t berate and belittle me. He doesn’t wreck me for a typo.
“How are you settling in?” he asks on Friday after the first week. We’re staying past five, and with Carol I would’ve felt resentful, but with Baker I just don’t mind. I’ll do more for him because he’s not a total asshole.
“I’m good,” I say.
“That’s good to hear. Carol come and try to kill you yet?”
“Only tried to poison me once,” I say, shrugging. “But my food taster caught it.”
“Ah, good. Poor food taster, though. Did you send his family money?”
“They’ll be taken care of.”
He nods knowingly. “Very good. Very generous.”
I grin at him and we both laugh. I can’t imagine ever laughing with Carol over anything… except for maybe the slain corpses of her enemies.
She’s intense.
But I’m already starting to forget her. That’s the interesting part of working for Baker. He makes the whole world about him, like the universe is sucking into one small dot and he’s the center of it all.
It’s the magnetism at work, drawing me closer.
I lean against the side of his desk and he grins up at me. I’ve noticed the way he looks at me and at first, I was worried. I was afraid he’d just make a pass at me constantly, but it hasn’t been like that.
So he looks at me, so what? He’s a man, after all. His eyes roam and I have to admit, I think I kind of like it. Today I wore a flattering blouse and left it open one extra button. He’s definitely noticing right now as his eyes move toward my breasts and I feel my heart leap in my chest.
I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m thinking about my boss looking at my body and it’s driving me wild. This isn’t me, this isn’t me at all. I’ve always been the shy girl, quiet and reserved. I’ve had boyfriends, but nothing s
erious.
I’ve never, ever thought about seducing my boss. I’ve never worn clothes that show off my body for one particular person.
It’s wild and heady and it feels good.
“I appreciate you staying late today,” he says. “Honestly, I know it’s just the first week. We’re not going to do this often, I swear.”
I laugh softly. “You know, my last boss never would’ve said that.”
“True. But I mean it. This launch is happening soon, but once it’s over I’m hoping things will go back to normal around here.”
“What is normal anyway?”
He laughs at that. “Good point.” His eyes move over my body one more time and he cocks his head. “Come here. Let me show you something.”
He stands and moves around his desk. He passes directly in front of me, and for a second, our bodies are inches apart. I feel him pulling at me, my skin tingling, tensing, wanting him to reach out and cup my chin or run his fingers into my hair and grab tight, but the moment passes.
I follow him out of his office. Most people are long gone. It’s past five on a Friday, so the only ones left are the hardcore few that are simply behind on their tasks.
He leads me down the hall and toward a back room. The door we stop in front of is locked and he uses his pass card to swipe it open. We step into a dark room that floods with bright light when he hits a switch.
“Check these out,” he says, walking over to a table.
I follow him and can’t help but laugh.
The table itself is a map of Philadelphia. It’s nearly to scale, not perfect, but pretty close. And it’s huge, at least half the room’s size. On the map are tiny little figures, and it takes me a second to realize that they’re model buses.
“Are these ours?” I ask him.
He nods and picks one up. It’s about the size of a matchbox car. He holds it out and I take it from him.
“We’re showing this off on the retreat but I couldn’t wait that long,” he admits. “I love this thing. It’s fantastic.”
“How many are there?”
“Twenty,” he says. “The same number of buses we’re unveiling.”
“And you guys are, what, playing with them?”