I looked up at him, confused.
“It’s not exactly the term I would use,” he said, pushing from the wall in one easy motion. I hated how confident he moved, but also admired him for it.
“Let’s see how you do tomorrow.” He walked out the door of the breakroom, leaving me alone, but not before calling over his shoulder. “I suggest you come in early.”
All I could do was watch him go as I tried to regain my breath that felt like it had been sucked out of the room with him.
Chapter 8
Jeremiah
Icrossed an ankle over my knee as I leaned back against the white modern chair in the lobby bar of my building. The overhead crystal chandelier casted rainbow prisms across the freshly polished marble floors. Stretching my neck, I took a look around the mostly empty bar. There were a few businessmen enjoying a nightcap, but none seemed too concerned about my presence. They were used to me now, as I had been there for hours.
When I left the office after a brutal, yet productive first day, my mind and body screamed for bourbon as I finished up leftover work from the day. Truthfully, my work was never really done. I carried it with me, usually to the lobby bar as a continuation of the workday, but with a better view and with alcohol.
I hadn’t expected today to be so draining. Though I knew stepping into my new position of CEO would be an undertaking,I didn’t expect to be so taken off-guard by Sadie being there. With every employee I fired, I could feel her wary eyes and the sympathy she felt for her coworkers as each one passed. She almost made me feel bad for something I had grown so accustomed to doing. Firing people was part of my job. It came with restructuring and rebuilding. It came with success.
I sighed heavily before taking another sip of the amber liquid in the rippled glass tumbler in my hand, remembering the look on her face when I had fired that junior associate. I forgot his name already. It was for the best of the company, but mostly for her. I hated seeing her be pushed around like that. Plus, the guy was clearly lazy. Dead weight. It was good he was gone. She would realize that, if she stayed long enough in her position.
The truth was, I had tested her today. Throwing out an impossible list of to-dos that I knew she couldn’t finish. Part of me thought it would give me an excuse to fire her. It would certainly make my life easier not having her directly in front of me every day, distracting me from my work with her fair skin and contrasting red hair calling to me from her desk. Something like this could get messy. I couldn’t afford a lawsuit if things went too far now that I was her boss. Not that she seemed like the person to sue me, especially when I knew how much she had enjoyed herself. I heard it in her throaty moans. Felt it in the way she released around me.
I felt a twitch in my pants at the memories that took place just a few nights ago. Fuck. I was in trouble. But I wasn’t going to fire her yet. I would see where this went. I would let her prove herself, as she seemed so adamant in doing. She must have really needed this job. I remembered how she said her stay here wastemporary until she could find something she could afford. I couldn’t help but feel curious about her. I wanted to know more.
Just then, the heavy lobby doors opened. As if on cue, she strolled into the lobby. She gave the doorman a smile as she passed, and my eyes followed her as she strode toward the elevators. She wasn’t in a hurry as her white high-top sneakers padded across the floor, seemingly in beat to the music she listened to on her headphones. She wore light gray leggings and a matching sports bra, her hair pulled tightly into a ponytail that cascaded down her back. The unzipped hoodie she wore hung loosely from her shoulder, revealing a perfect patch of pale, kissable skin. She looked slightly damp with sweat from a workout. A strong desire to taste her overwhelmed me.
I downed the rest of my bourbon before slipping my wallet from my pocket. I pulled out a hundred dollar bill, setting the empty glass tumbler on top. I stood and followed the same path Sadie took toward the elevators. I spotted her stepping through the gold doors as they slid open and I jogged the last few steps to catch up, sliding in after her. She turned to press the elevator button and spotted me, startling slightly. She quickly pulled out one of her headphones, the sound of classic rock drifting my way.
“Mr. Mason. Hello,” she stammered. She fiddled with her phone in the pocket of her hoodie, and the music stopped suddenly.
I ignored the fact that she was using the formality I told her not to. I wasn’t in the mood to correct her. Wasn’t in the mood for politeness. My body was asking for something more primal. My breath turned shallow as her green eyes looked up and searchedmine. I took a step forward, and her eyes drifted from mine to my chest and even lower. Slowly. Torturously. They lingered just below the waistband of my pants and it felt like all my blood was rushing to my cock. I wondered if she could sense it.
Her eyes shot up to mine again. This time there was heat in them, matching the desire in mine. I took another step closer until I was inches away from her. Her breath stopped. She dipped her chin in a silent invitation and it was all I needed to press my body against hers. In one quick motion, her back was against the mirrored wall, and she was melting into me.
My lips found hers and her mouth was already open in a desperate wait, coaxing my tongue to dance with hers. She breathed me in as her hands found their way in my hair, her fingers tugging gently. My hands wandered up the curve of her ass and under her hoodie, finding the bare skin of her torso. Her back hitched slightly and I lifted her with ease. Her legs wrapped around me, pulling me in tightly. I could already feel the growing bulge pressing against my pants. She must have too, because a throaty moan escaped her lips as she pressed herself to me even more.
The electricity in this elevator would be enough to power it even if the electricity went out. In fact, I wished it would, so I could have her right here. It would be so easy. I would have her screaming my name in minutes. My hand moved toward her abdomen, inching up toward her damp sports bra. Hungrily. Greedily wanting to cup her full breasts in my hand. I was so close, but the elevator doors opened and she pushed me away in a panic. She slid down the length of my body, breathless, barelymeeting my eye as she stumbled out of the elevator and into the hallway.
I watched her go, confused. I took a step toward the doors and placed my hands on either side of me, to keep the doors from closing. Her face was flushed as her eyes found mine. The desire in them moments ago now bordered on wariness as she caught her breath.
“I can’t do this,” she said.
“Sadie…” I started.
She shook her head. “You’re my boss. That complicates things.”
“It doesn’t have to.” I said, knowing it was a lie. We were way past complicated. It could only get more complicated from here on out.
“I just need some space,” she murmured, looking down at the carpet.
I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself as I watched her take a few steps backward, slowly enough to let me know she was wondering if she was doing the right thing. Space was not something that was possible for us when we lived in the same building and she worked for me. She was my personal assistant, for Christ’s sake. Wherever I went, she would go. But if she wanted to play hard to get, I was game. I liked to play games. Besides, it would add a little spice to my days.
“Fine,” I said, putting my hands up in defeat and taking a step backward.
I watched as she fumbled for her keys and backed up toward her apartment. Before the doors could close, I called out, “See you tomorrow. Bright and early.” I smiled to myself as the elevator began its ascent to my penthouse.
Once upstairs, my insides were all twisted from what just happened in the elevator. She had left me desperate for more. So much that it pained me. I could still taste her on my tongue and feel her fingers in my hair, grabbing desperately. She wanted it just as bad as I did. Damn it. Why did she have to let her consciousness get the best of her? Now I was up here alone, knowing she was down there probably stripping out of her clothes. The thought immediately led me to the bathroom, where I turned on the shower. I waited for the steam to rise and the mirror to fog before stepping inside. I wrapped my hand around my cock, needing release. With my hand moving under the water, I imagined what would have happened had she not pumped the brakes just now.
Once I was good and finished, I clambered into bed, exhausted. Despite my time in the shower, my mind still drifted back to Sadie. God, she was sexy. I was pulled to her. That was the only way I could explain why I followed her into that elevator tonight. It was like I had no control over my body. It went where it wanted, with who it wanted. And her body had succumbed to me with the same desires.
