I found another job, you don’t have to take pity on me anymore, thanks anyway.The response was immediate.
Where is your other job?I could have been friendly. I could have made up a lie that placed me on a congenial level. But as angry as I was, I decided to go with my feelings.
N-O-N-E of your business, Billionaire Playboy. Find someone else to play with.I was mortified by my rudeness but also felt pretty good about saying it like it is. When there was no response, I felt I’d won and lay back on the bed once again. Glancing at my laptop, Langden stared accusingly from the screen.
I stuck my tongue out at him, but he was hard to ignore. I imagined him coming to my house and punishing me for my bad behavior. I slid my hand into my undies. My thoughts strayed back to Saturday night and all that had transpired between us in his office. Hearing his voice in my head and telling me I was anaughty girl had been a super turn-on. My other hand slid under my bra, grasping a nipple.
I was working myself up to my first orgasm when I heard the front door open and close. I quickly pulled my hand out of my pants and the other from under my shirt. “Hi, I yelled out. I’m studying. Be out later.”
No response. That was weird. What the hell. “Mom? Dad?” I put my laptop down,taking one last glance at on-screen Langden, whose bougie vibe was causing me to roll my eyes.
“What are you rolling your eyes at, little girl?”
“Holy hell!” I screeched and had I been a cat, there was no doubt my claws would be embedded in the ceiling. “What the fuck? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” Langden’s eyes darkened, looking more like smudges in his tanned face instead of the arctic grey from earlier.
“I repeat, what are you rolling your eyes at?” I lunged for the laptop to snap it shut, but he was faster and snatched it from my hands. He gazed at my screen. While I burned with shame, now he would know I was checking him out. I groaned. Could this day get any worse?
“Stop it, give it back. What are you doing here?”
“Cancelled.”
“Huh, what are you talking about?”
“You are now unfollowing me, little stalker.” Did he just call me a stalker?
“Really, I’m the fucking stalker? How do you know where I live? Maybe I should call you a stalker.” He laughed in my face. Seriously, this dude was pissing me off. So much so that my usual awkward weirdness around men was replaced with rage.
And that’s when I did it, made the worst miscalculation I could have. And for an economics major, that is pretty bad. I slapped him, and not an indignant slap, but a complete swing slap that sounded like a gun going off in my room.
Then everything moved in slow motion. My hand moved to my mouth as my eyes flew wide in shock at what I’d just done. I had never hit anyone before, and I couldn’t believe I just hit Langden Ross. I thought this was it, and I started to hyperventilate.
Langden eyes widened, and then he sat me on the bed. “Breathe, Maddox.” I couldn’t get control of my gasping breaths. Langden placed a hand on my belly, “Breathe here, down to your belly. “I’m going to count to 4 while you inhale. Ready, go.” And I did, “That’s it 1, 2, 3, 4—now hold your breath and now slowly exhale, good repeat.” And as I followed his instructions I’d noticeably calmed down by the third breath.
“What was that,” I asked, taking a few more long breaths.
“It’s called the anti-anxiety breathing. I looked it up after you passed out in my lineup.”
“Oh, that was, uh, very helpful, thank you.”
The room descended into silence, almost as if the walls waited to see what would happen next. The levity of my actions hung between us, the great big elephant in the room. “I am so stupid, and—”
“Be quiet,” Langden interrupted. “Don’t say another word.” I waited as he slowly backed away from me towards the door. Then his gaze hardened, and he stepped forward and gripping my wrists, yanked me towards him. I slipped off the bed and onto the floor, where I landed with a whoomph of breath. Then standing in a nanosecond as Langden brought me upright. His gaze was piercing and very intimidating as his narrowed eyes bore into mine.
“You are taking the job. You will stop looking into my past. You will wear what I told you to on Saturday Night, and you will be on time. I will determine an appropriate punishment for you.”
He released me, and my arms fell like lead at my sides. He turned to leave, and I followed him to the front door. As heopened it, my parents appeared on the walkway out front. They looked surprised, but Langden was professional and extended his hand to my father. “Mr. Sullivan, Mrs. Sullivan. Hello, I am Langden Ross. I was just dropping off some forms that your daughter left behind in my office.”
If my parents were uncomfortable, they covered it up well. They would know of the Ross family.
“Oh, how lovely,” my mother spoke first, “and what job did you apply for, Maddie?” I wondered if Langden would sell me out, but instead, he answered her question.
“Maddox is going to be doing my bookkeeping and inventory. I will be trusting her with stock and accounts receivable.”
Then the smug bastard turned towards me, his eyes sparkling with superiority when he said, “Maddox, I will see you on Saturday for training, don’t be late.” Then he shook my parent's hands once more and left.
“What a lovely young man, such a shame about his parents.”
My father nodded his head sagely. “Being the heir to a fortune with no one to share it with must be a lonely road.”
