Leah
The office was a dark, luxurious room bathed in warm amber light.
Black shelves packed with books lined the walls, and a wide solid wooden desk sat at the center, flanked by deep leather chairs. Above me, low-hanging golden pendant lights glowed softly, making the entire room feel powerful.
And sensual.
"Please take a seat, Ms. Carter."
I walked up to the visitor's seat and sat down, trying hard to calm my nervousness.
I didn't know what to expect from this man. But one thing was certain: I wouldn't let him talk down to me or make me feel inferior.
"This belongs to you, right?" He slid what looked like an envelope toward me.
When I saw my handwriting boldly written on it, I almost gasped.
That was the letter I'd been looking for.
How did it get to him?
"You dropped it," he said, answering my question.
"Thank you," I said in the most courageous voice I could muster, reaching out to retrieve it with a fidgety hand I was straining to control.
"You're resigning?"
"Yes," I responded, daring to look at him squarely.
Big mistake!
The burning gaze of his piercing hazel eyes made me divert my eyes to his lips instead.
Bigger mistake!!
I threw my eyes to the high ceiling instead.
Shoot. He must have thought I was crazy because he was watching me the entire time.
"Why?"
This made me look at him, my nervousness flying right out the window.
"Personal reasons," I said.
"I wasn't going to fire you, Ms. Carter. So you don't have to resign."
Honestly, I was taken aback by his pointedness. He wasn't beating around the bush.
"In fact," he continued, standing up from his seat, "I want you to work for me. My assistant Jack will be handling some tasks for a couple of months. I'll need someone to take his place while he's away."
He moved over to the sofa at the far end of his office, sat, and crossed his legs.
"Of course, you'll be compensated alongside your normal remuneration. Your uh…son will be taken care of by professionals while you're away on business trips with me. That's if you don't have anyone to look after him. If you do, we'll pay the person for the duration of your unavailability."
I turned in the chair to face him.
"The file in front of you has all the details."
I turned my head to the side and looked at the black file on his desk.
"This is an opportunity many would die for. I'm offering it to you on a platter and I'm doing it personally because I want you to know how important this role is."
This was the reason I'd gotten that email. This was the reason he'd made me stay through his entire meetings.
One question, though.
Why me?
I scoffed.
"Mind sharing what you found funny, Ms. Carter?"
Oops. That came out loud?
Oh well.
"Mr. Thorne," I began, standing up from my seat. "Thank you for the great offer, but I kindly decline."
I saw something flash in his eyes before it was replaced by his usual stoic expression.
"May I know why?"
"I don't have to tell you my reasons, do I?"
"You don't have to, but if you find anything I said displeasing, you can point that out. We'll find a way to work around it." He stood up.
He was beginning to sound a bit desperate.
What does he want from me?
He could have any woman he wants. Why me?
He thinks I'm dumb, unprofessional, a nuisance, and whatnot. Why is he picking me for this important role?
What the heck is going on?
Am I being punked right now?
"Why me?"
"What?"
"Why me? Last I checked, I was an unprofessional nuisance you didn't want to see in front of you ever again."
He went mute.
"Or was it a spy of some sort for your stepmother? What makes me fit for this role many would die for if you don't even find me fit for anything? Except a sex toy, of course."
"Ms. Carter, that was a misunderstanding. I shouldn't have…uh…done that to you."
"Is that supposed to be an apology?"
He went mute again.
I sighed, running an exasperated hand through my hair.
"Good evening, Mr. Thorne," I said and stomped toward the door, trying hard to hold it together.
I was fuming. Angry. Mad.
This A-hole doesn't respect me one bit. He's a selfish bastard.
Humph! Like I was going to leave my kid to the care of so-called professionals. Hell, I didn't even consider going anywhere with him. I'd rather beg on the streets than work for such a pompous piece of poop.
I swung the door open and walked right into a rigid chest.
He held me by both arms to steady me.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," I said, looking into his face.
There and then, I felt cold chills run down my spine.
His eyes were gray, almost ghostly, but with a piercing intensity, like he could reach into your soul and command it. I almost jumped out of his arms if not for sheer restraint.
"It's fine, darling," he said casually, his voice almost the same timbre as Mr. Thorne's, only lower.
I gave a curt nod and walked past him, only to be pounced on by Rachel in the hallway.
"That's him! That's his brother, Julian. The rightful heir or whatever," she whispered excitedly.
"Oh."
I stared behind me at the closed door and wondered how their relationship was. Was Julian any better, or were they two peas in a pod?
Rachel cut my train of thoughts, pummeling me with unending questions about Mr. Thorne's strange interest in me.
She kept oohing and aahing the entire time I filled her in on everything I'd gone through while she was away.
"He's a weird fellow…"
"Why do you think he kept quiet about the room incident…"
"How's Jason now…"
"Leah, don't you think you're overreacting? Don't resign! I'll miss you. June and her vultures will torture me. How will you cope with bills and all?..."
She went on and on and on. I had to excuse myself by telling her about needing to pick up Jason at Matt's, before she let me go.
It was already seven PM, I was completely worn out and ready to go home after a long day.
But…tell me why I looked around for my bag and couldn't find it? I looked all around me but puff! Nothing.
"Could this day get any worse?!"
I'd left it there at Mr. Thorne's office.
“Should I just leave it and go? But my house key was in there.” I contemplated sleeping over at Matt's.
I ruffled my hair aggressively, dragging and pulling at it, as my frustration grew.
"Leah! Get your act together!"
How the heck am I going to go there now? For all I know, he may have left.
I puffed an exasperated breath again and headed for my nemesis's office.
At his door, I inhaled several deep breaths and raised my hand to knock, only to realize that the door was slightly ajar.