I’d never been so afraid of anything like this in my entire life.
My heart raced as he walked around me slowly, his footsteps light on the rug, yet they sounded like the silent ticks of a bomb about to explode. A tremor went through me as he laced his thumb on my collarbones, rubbing a particular spot.
“Stand.”
I lifted my face to hold his gaze. He watched me impassively for a minute, turning to settle back on his swivel chair. Being alone with him there was hard, but watching him sit and spread his legs apart, his suit pants clinging to his slender legs and thighs gave me a mini-orgasm. There was just so little I could allow myself to take on at this point.
“Come closer and get on your knees,”
I nimbly stepped forward, kneeling before him. He kicked off his shoes, impeccable black loafers and thrust a foot into my hands. “Massage it. There’s oil in the cupboard to your left.”
I knelt still, rooted. “I beg your pardon? You want me to massage your legs?”
“I think I made myself very clear.”
This guy is impossible.
All the sexual tension I’d felt before left my body as I got up to my feet. “This wasn’t what I signed up for in your contract, Mr. Sturm. I’m an assistant, not a maid.”
“Did you even check the meaning of that word assistant before applying for a job here?” he sneered.
I felt my face heating, smoke whooshing out my ears. “Are you trying to insult me? I very much do know what being an assistant is all about. Unlike what you think, I’m very proficient and clearheaded at knowing what my job is about. There’s no basis for an insult.”
“I’m sure you know everything, Elaine,” he stood up once more till we were only a meter apart. I tried to look away from the slight bulge in his pants, heavily tempted to lean forward and pull his zipper down and take his cock into my mouth. “But the real definition of an assistant flew over your head. What you read in the email was that I had accepted you as a personal assistant, not a professional assistant. Your job does not only entail office duties but others as well.”
My stomach flipped. That… that made sense.
“You don’t seem so sure of yourself, so how on Earth will I ever see you as a competent woman?” he snorted, jamming his hands into his pockets. My anger spiked and I bunched my hands into fists.
How dare he!
I couldn’t accept defeat, especially from someone as rotten as he was. “Did your past assistants also give you a massage, or worse, a bath?”
His nose flared at the sarcasm in my tone. “Not all. Only the special ones get to touch me.”
I didn’t know how he did it, but the knot in my stomach slowly disintegrated, freeing a warmth that ran up my neck to my face. He just implied that I was special. Oh goodness.
I felt giddy.
“But that does not mean that you’re special, Miss Matthews. I was simply stating a fact. You’re no different from the rest of them.”
The euphoric feeling, along with the fireworks poofed up in smoke. I blinked at him in shock and hurt, while he stared back challengingly with his chin up, savoring my silent anger. I couldn’t understand why he was so eager to get me pissed. It felt as though he was playing a dangerous game, and setting me over the edge was the only way to ensure his victory. I’d never seen a more cunning man.
Why don’t you just pretend that nothing he does gets to you? That was one way to unravel his intentions.
Good idea.
I took a step back and tilted my face with a smirk. “That’s fine with me. I’m not aspiring to be like your previous assistants, or be better. Because no matter what I do, no matter how perfect I train myself to be, you won’t still be satisfied.”
Because you’re an insatiable piece of shit.
“I’m glad that we’re on the same page,” he groused. Ugh, did I really have sex with such a guy, and give birth to a son for him? That had got to be the worst decision of my entire life. “Nothing you do impresses me. So you shouldn’t try.”
“Noted. Is there anything you need me for? I can give you the massage now if you like.” I offered with a smile that was disarming. His eyes held their neutral intensity, but I could see the clocks turning in his head, trying to decipher what was going on. I’m in control now, boss. I’ll play this game with you till the end.
“No. That’ll be all for now, Miss Matthews. You can leave.” he grumbled.
I suppressed a triumphant smile. “What about Darla?”
“She couldn’t make it today. The meeting has been shifted to tomorrow. Make sure you’re done with the script by then.”
||||
“You’re joking, right?” Vivienne gasped in disbelief. “You unnerved him?! Oh my goodness!”
“Mmh-hmm,” I nodded with a laugh, feeling immensely proud of myself. Control had never felt so good, and I was glad that I was proving to him outrightly that I could play his mind games with him and still be superior. Because god is a woman, and egoistic men like him deserve a taste of their own medicine. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man more subdued. He was having a lot of fun riling me up, but started grumbling once the tables turned.”
Vivienne and I were discussing in low tones while the others worked quietly. I’d gone over to her table straight after my rukus with Mr. Sturm and told her everything. I had nothing to hold back because I’d already considered her a friend – and I couldn’t wait till I got home to give Cora the gist and hear what she had to say. I didn’t think we were suspicious, as no one even batted an eye our way, and they were engrossed with their respective work. Yeah, I probably should’ve gone to finish up Darla’s manuscript and get started on the rest which I would be turning in to Mr. Sturm by the weekend, but a girl’s got to have a little chat once in a while.
“This is unbelievable,” Vivienne shook her head, still not certain about my tale. “If you have this much power over him… then that means he likes you.”
I didn’t think anyone would pick on that. “It could also be that he felt challenged for once, you know.”
“I doubt that. He gifts anyone who goes against his rules or opinions with a sack letter the next second. He’s onto you, girl.”
I chuckled nervously, trying to play it off. “Come on now, Vivi. It’s too early to make assumptions. I only started working here today.”
“Which means he either took an interest in you during the interview, or you’ve met with him before.”
Jesus.
Smart.
“Whatever floats his boat. I’m ready to give him a massage or a bath, as long as I get to watch him suffer.”
She laughed. “Go, girl!”
I felt justified that I wasn’t the only one in the entire office who hated how shitty he was. Nobody loved a tyrant, and Mr. Sturm could suffer bad reviews in the future if he kept sacking workers at every slight provocation. The media was always thirsty for the next big dirt on people of fame and he could get slammed so hard that the company could crumble.
“There’s one more thing though,” I snapped my eyes back to Vivienne. “His gorgeousness is wasted on his shitty character, which is a pity because he’s overturning the popular notion that handsome men are gentle.”
Oh, he isn’t gentle at all. I looked away to hide the blush filling my cheeks as I remembered how hot and aggressive he’d grabbed my tits while I rode on his dick. “That’s sad,” I swallowed hard.
“I’d say we turned this up a notch and ask him out.”
My jaw dropped to the floor. “What! Are you nuts?”
“It’ll surprise him, that’s for sure. But it’s all fun.”
“What makes you so sure he likes me? I’m not even sure he’d accept if I asked him out. Plus, isn’t there an office rule that states no intimate or romantic liaisons with workers?”
She shrugged. “Rules are meant to be broken, dear. We’re adults. It’s consensual.”
“It’s scandalous.”
“For you. I’m seriously breaking that rule if I get the chance.”
Just then, a tall, russet-haired man with a body that could give Brad Pitt a run for his money strolled past us towards the direction of Mr. Sturm’s office. Everyone stood up to greet him, and I watched Vivienne swoon from the corners of my eyes.
“Who is he?” I whispered as everyone formed cliques and began murmuring, ladies arranging their hair and dresses – pointing and gasping. They looked like excited rabbits in heat.
“Sir Manny Salazar,” she breathed with a hand on her chest. “The most beautiful man to ever exist.”
I didn’t get to see his face properly, but his body was a sculptor’s perfection.
“Every lady in this company prays to have as much as a one-time fling with him. He’s so hot I could talk about him for days.” she fanned herself with a palm, smiling at nothing in particular like a creep.
Okay, he had them all in a chokehold.
I did get the obsession with physical attractiveness. “What’s his personality like?”
“Ugh. Don’t even go there. He’s strict.”
“How so?”
“He’s the hardest to break amongst the five boys,” she rolled her eyes. “A by-the-book man. Tch. So boring. We’re only here for his looks and nothing more.”
Just pretty.
“Anyways, enough about him. Let’s get working or he’ll stir up a storm and have Mr. Sturm fire us. He has shares in this company, but he’s not among the board members, so he can’t make the rules or have us quit.”
“Yeah. I understand.”
Chat time was over. I chewed on my nails as I sauntered back to my desk, pulling out Darla’s file once more. I couldn’t stop thinking about Mr. Sturm, and how vibrant the chemistry between us was despite all these years apart, and the war of lies we were currently fighting with each other.
I still loved him, no matter what.