5
CHAPTER FIVE
The past threeweeks have flown by so quickly it makes my head spin. In this short time, Sophia and I have built an easy, cohesive working relationship. She has picked up even the minutest details of the job and has proven her worth time and time again. After her meetings with each of the department heads and the CFO, she helped revamp workflows, increasing productivity and employee morale effortlessly. Everyone here loves her and loves working with her.
Our personal relationship has been changing, evolving, and becoming more complex. There have been conversations about inane topics that felt like so much more was actually being said. Last week, I met with her to review her performance over her two-week training period. Our conversation took an odd turn as we were discussing business but there was a hint of something more just under the surface.
“Sophia, I must say that I am very pleased with your performance. You have exceeded my expectations,” I complimented her.
“Thank you, sir. I have worked very hard to make sure I did the best I could do to please you,” she replied sincerely while keeping her eyes somewhat downcast.
“You have done that, most definitely. I’ve also received praise from several other department heads for your contributions and suggestions.”
“That is very good news, indeed. Is there anything more I can do for you?”
“Just keep up the great work, Sophia, exactly as you’ve been doing. Keep learning and rising to the occasion.”
She nodded in agreement and kept her eyes slightly downcast, intentionally avoiding meeting my gaze directly. “I am only here to please you,” she replied, her voice low and unsure.
I was speechless at her revelation. It stunned me in many different ways. If another employee had said something similar, I would’ve quickly dismissed it as insecurity in a new position and making sure the boss’s expectations were met. But with Sophia, there is always something more to what’s actually being said. It’s in the double entendre words and the way she phrases them.
It also conjures more images of her that I really don’t need to have. Images of her naked, kneeling and submissive in front of me, and eagerly waiting for me to vocalize my desires dominate my thoughts. At the time she said she was here to please me, I was in a completely different frame of mind—and anything job related was the furthest from my mind.
The last three weeks have slowly worked on changing my resolve. Sophia’s eagerness to please, deference to my wishes, and obvious admiration of me have stirred feelings I thought were long dead. Her natural personality and actions bring out the man in me that I used to be. She makes me want to show the real man underneath the normal, CEO façade—the man that deep down I know I was born to be.
Today, knowing that we are preparing for our trip to San Diego, I feel more anticipation than ever. She has made it clear that she wants more from me than a working relationship without actually saying the words. The sly looks, the intentional touches, and theaccidentalbody brushes all point to one thing. She’s trying to tell me she’s interested without being overly forward. Mrs. Hernandez outdid herself with Sophia’s clothes because every outfit she’s worn has been subtly provocative, and Sophia seems to be taking full advantage of that.
I suppose it could be me, just being impatient and ready to move on. My dry spell coupled with all the time I’ve spent with her has been hell on earth. We’ve worked late together a couple of nights in the past week. At first, I considered having her come to my house to work, where it would be more comfortable and we could have a working dinner. I changed my mind after I almost claimed her soft, plump lips as my own when she bent too close to me while we were reviewing a contract.
But this morning, we fly from Dallas-Fort Worth to San Diego and we will be there for four days and three nights while we hammer out the details and negotiate withD-Force Games, Rich’s company. He insisted that we also tour the facility, get to know the employees, and spend time with their executives to understand their vision and mission. I would normally politely decline such a demand, but, like me, Rich isn’t one to take no for an answer. Plus, his company is vitally important to the future growth and expansion of my company. So, I will indulge him this once and even I have to admit that it’s primarily because Sophia will be with me.
Tucker picks me up first and we drive to Sophia’s apartment to pick her up on the way to the airport. She gives me a sly smile as she climbs into the backseat with me. Her beauty still takes my breath at times, just feeling the warmth radiate from her smile.
“Good morning, Dominic,” she purrs.
“Good morning, Sophia,” I reply. “Are you ready for our short business trip?”
“I’m looking forward to it. I hope to learn a lot from you and hopefully come to a mutually beneficial agreement,” she says, but I feel an underlying tone to her words.
We arrive at the private airstrip between Dallas and Fort Worth and Tucker stops at the steps leading up to the private jet. Sophia looks around, anxious and excited, her eyes wide and more expressive than usual. She is obviously unaccustomed to this type of travel and is enthralled with every detail of it. I give her a reassuring smile, understanding what she must be feeling, and allow her a moment to take it all in.
“This is an incredible jet, Dominic,” she earnestly pays a compliment.
“Wait until you see inside,” I reply with a mischievous grin. “There’s a bedroom, a fully stocked bar, ultra-plush leather captain’s chairs and two full-size leather couches.” I intentionally keep my voice sensual, seductive, and suggestive, emphasizing certain assets of the plane and allowing her imagination to take over her thoughts. I know she immediately picks up on my innuendos when she smiles shyly and averts her eyes. I’m intrigued when she doesn’t blush with embarrassment this time.
Fuck, this week is going to be harder than I originally thought.The visions of an eager and willing Sophia invade my thoughts. We will be away from any other prying eyes and office gossip. Even though it’s a working trip, we could very well make it a mini-vacation, of sorts. This is in complete contradiction to how I normally behave. Business is business—no mixing pleasure. No considering anything other than a platonic, business relationship with my employees.
But this lady…Sophia Vasco…is different from any other woman I’ve met. This isn’t a stupid, fucking cliché. This isn’t an adolescent infatuation that I just need to work out of my system with a quick romp between the sheets. The man inside me, the one I’ve hidden from existence for the last sixteen months,sensesher,feelsher, and wants toownher. She walks up the jet stairs ahead of me and the rhythmic sway of her hips has me entranced.
She abruptly stops on the step above mine, turning to face me, and I find myself face to face with her, barely avoiding a collision. My hands reach out automatically to steady her, holding her hips in a way that is usually reserved for more intimate settings. Our lips are so close that the slightest movement from either of us will result in a kiss. Sophia sharply inhales a ragged breath but her eyes never stray from mine.
Her brown eyes darken with desire and her tongue flicks out, wetting her lips and silently inviting me to lean in just a little closer. My jaw is clenched so tightly that it hurts, but that’s not where my mind is focused at the moment. My thoughts run away with me as I consider the possible outcomes of my actions if I act on it. Mike Smyth, the pilot, saves us both as he interrupts the moment from just inside the cockpit.
“Susan, can you make sure they’ve restocked the bar in the back? I think there were some bottles running low on our last flight,” Mike calls out to the flight attendant. I drop my hands from her sides just before he steps into the galley. Seeing us on the landing, he is obviously surprised and unaware of the internal conflict brewing, “Oh, hello, Mr. Powers. You’re all set to board. We’re just making some last minutelibationchecks,” he says with a smile.
“Thanks, Mike. Appreciate it. We’ll go ahead and take our seats,” I reply, regaining some semblance of decorum. Throughout the entire exchange, Sophia keeps her eyes trained on me. Clearing my throat as a subtle warning, I steel my resolve and extend my hand toward the door of the plane. “Time to board, Sophia.”
The disappointment in her eyes is unmistakable. The moment of temporary insanity has passed and I’m more convinced now that I need to keep my distance from her and reexamine why these feelings, thoughts, and nightmares are resurfacing after all this time. I really just need to be alone, take a breather, and consider all the aspects of this clusterfuck, but that won’t happen for the next four days while we’re on this trip.
