His on demand, p.5
His on Demand, page 5
All I can think is this is nuts as I call down to the coffee shop. I introduce myself as Leo’s new assistant and ask if Demetrius is in. They tell me he is. I let them know I’ll be right down.
Back upstairs I pull out a cup and saucer and holy shit, it’s gorgeous. The simplicity of it, the fine white with silver around the rim and handle screams money. I don’t even want to think of how expensive it is. Carefully, I pour the coffee from the tumbler into the china.
I grab the two reports Carol had printed out for me this morning and the coffee and after a brief knock take them into Leo’s office. He barely acknowledges me at first, not taking the coffee or the files I offer. I set them carefully down at the edge of his desk.
“Is there anything else at this time?”
Dark eyes burn into me. “Take this morning to become familiar with your responsibilities. Now that you know what is expected of you, never make me wait this long for my coffee again.”
As warnings go, the words are light, still his tone stings. With my tail between my legs, I flee to my desk. The phone is ringing as I approach the desk.
“It’s Natalie. Come down two floors so we can get your paperwork done. Lynn is going to meet you at the elevators, she’s Asian, tiny, and disgustingly perky. Be careful what you say, she’s very chatty, and she remembers everything.”
“Okay.” I set the phones to Carol’s desk like she told me to this morning when I have to step away from my desk.
The next hour goes by quickly, Natalie wanted to pretend we didn’t know each other. I point blank refused, no more lies than were necessary. We settled on the truth of being neighbors and acquaintances, not admitting we were as close as we are. The paperwork feels endless before I’m back up at my desk.
Carol was kind enough to finish the most pressing things that needed to be done last week. The reports I’m supposed to do at the beginning of the morning are relatively easy, one is simply entering stock prices into a spreadsheet with the macro already in place to update, the other report was a little more involved and consisted of searching news updates on particular companies and people.
I open my inbox and go through it to see if anything is urgent. There’s nothing, so I go through the history to see what Leo has been working on. I’m overwhelmed by all the different types of companies and investments he was considering.
My phone beeps. His voice comes through the speaker. “My office.”
Opening the door, I find him holding out a thick file. “Read the notes, I want it back by two today.”
I’m so caught up in the report I miss lunch. It’s only the delivery of Leo’s lunch from a service for prepared, dietician designed meals that reminds me of it. I sign for the delivery and beep him to let him know it’s arrived.
“What is it?”
I read the lid. “Pasta primavera with grilled chicken.”
“I don’t want it. Order me a chicken parmesan sandwich with olives, onions, and peppers from Rudy’s deli and a side of oil and vinegar coleslaw. You can have the pasta or stick it in the refrigerator for another day.”
“Yes, sir.” I open the cheat notebook for all the information on Leo’s list of restaurants, preferred menu items, and dislikes. Rudy’s is the first on the list. When I call they assure me they deliver and will arrive soon. I hang up before even thinking about if I want something. It’s after one, and I’m starving. With a shrug, I open the lunch Leo didn’t want. I’m not a fussy eater.
It’s not bad. By the time the delivery man arrives with Leo’s sandwich I’m done and back to working on the report. When I knock, his voice is muffled. I open the door to see him on his cell phone. He lowers it from his mouth to bark at me. “Did I fucking say to come in?”
Oh god, I slam the door shut as I tremble from his harsh words. Almost five minutes later he sends me an instant message to bring in his lunch. When I open the door, his eyes are on me, as he listens to the person on the phone. There is something about the way he’s looking at me that causes heat to build low inside me. He doesn’t say a word, to me or the person on the phone.
As hard as I work, it’s thirty minutes after two before I’m finally done. I hit print and breathe deep. It can’t be that bad, it’s my first day there’s a learning curve, right?
When I knock at his door, there’s no answer. After what happened with his lunch I am not opening the door until he says to. I knock again. The door opens, he’s so damn huge he fills the open doorway. Shock at him opening the door, of him being so close has me fighting for air.
His eyes are glowing, “What time is it, Ms. Clark?”
My stomach drops. “Two thirty-three, sir.”
“What time did I tell you I wanted the report?”
“Two o’clock. I’m sorry, sir.”
“I do not want an apology. I wanted the report at two o’clock. You took more than fifteen minutes from the time I told you I wanted coffee until the time I got it. Ms. Clark if you want to keep your job, do not keep me waiting.” He takes the report from my tight grip then closes the door in my face.
I grab the doorframe to keep standing. He hates me. There’s something there in his eyes, he’s angry with me. Did he know? As soon as I think it, I shake my head. If he knew he would be much worse.
The rest of the afternoon has me jumping every time a notification sounds from my email. He’s emailed me twice, both were no more than two sentences. One is for information on a company, the other is for information on a person. Both are due before seven o’clock tonight.
It takes hours to finish the report on the company first and email it to him at ten minutes after five. Six seconds later he responds it’s shit and to do it again. I’m sitting there in shock when he emails me again to look at the reports Victoria completed and to do it like she did. What? I did.
I pull up the instructions Victoria created for her successor and go to the request for information reports. Damn it, they were a little different but not that—wait. Shit.
It takes another hour of digging deeper to find everything Leo demands and redo my initial report. When I send it again only three seconds later, he sends it back. I need to change the font style and size. Seriously? What a jerk. I make the change and send it again. Nothing.
My eyes are burning when I’m finally done on the second report. It’s five before seven when I change the font and size and send it to Leo. Thankfully, there’s no response. I start to shut down then remember what Victoria had said. I sigh, then make a call.
They promise to have it delivered in twenty minutes. While I wait, I take my time shutting down and leaving things ready for the next day. There’s still a few minutes, so I run to the restroom.
As I come down the hall, Leo is leaving his office. He sees me and stops.
“I thought you’d left.” It’s an accusation.
“No, I would let you know when I leave. I’m waiting for a delivery.”
A muscle in his cheek jumps as I get closer. He’s taking up the entire hallway. His shoulders are so wide, he is just so damn powerfully built I can’t take my eyes off him. I stop only a foot from him. It’s closer than what feels polite, it’s not nearly close enough. I’m dying to touch him, my fingers feel sensitive, I press my hand against my stomach to stop me from reaching out.
When he sees it, his face hardens, and he turns away. What? What’s the matter? I open my mouth to ask him except the elevator dings a moment before it opens, saving me from myself.
With a tight smile, I take the food from the young kid and thank him. Leo’s door is still open. I push inside and walk the bag to his desk. “From Langston’s. It’s a prepared salad of spinach and romaine with some things you can add, diced chicken, or turkey with toppings they know you’ll like. Now, I’m leaving for the day.”
His only answer is a nod, not even a thank you. Jerk.
7
Leo
Once Alexa has left for the day the tension coiled inside me eases. However, it does not leave me entirely. I cannot do this. A dozen times today my thoughts faltered because of Alexa Clark.
My day started out fucked when the elevator doors opened, and my eyes found Alexa. Her dress caressed every curve of her beautiful body the way I longed to. It confirmed my worst fear, the interview was not an aberration, it was not a one-time thing. This is an Alexa thing, and it is not going away until I either fuck her or get rid of her. Since fucking a married employee is absolutely not happening, I have to get rid of her.
How the fuck do I get rid of her when she is everything I want in an assistant? Her work is insightful, close to perfect, and she is already learning the way I do things. I watched her poking around on her computer desktop. It is a tool I had my IT department set up for me. I can watch what she’s doing as she is doing it, and she was making the right kind of notes to understand the work that went through her inbox in the last few months. Not a single PA before her did what she did today. She also has not done a single thing I can fire her for.
What am I supposed to tell Natalie? I want to fire the woman after a day because she makes my cock ache. Christ. I endured listening to Ebony bitching so I wouldn’t get hard when Alexa brought my lunch in. It had not worked.
I have wanted a woman I could not have before, only it’s been so long, and the desire passed so quickly I barely remember going through it. This desire for Alexa will pass as well.
For a moment, I consider another woman to relieve my tension then dismiss it. Using a woman to satisfy my needs is one thing, using a woman to take the place of another is abhorrent. I believe the saying is feed a cold, starve a fever. I will starve the fever until it dies, and I will push Alexa until she leaves. I’m not sure which will work first. I don’t care which one does, I just need her gone.
I start with getting rid of Alexa. Bringing up my email I see Natalie is still in her office and online. It’s surprising. Instead of the email, I planned to write I call her.
“Hello, Mr. Kaplan. How can I help you?”
“Alexa Clark, did you go over the dress code with her?”
“Well, no. I gave her the company handbook that has the dress code in it and asked her to read it. Was there a problem?”
“Yes, her dress was too short. I do not want it to happen again. Let her know I prefer longer skirts or even better slacks. I would also prefer she put her hair up or braid it instead of loose, her hair got messy toward the end of the day. It was unprofessional.” I had wanted to grab it and wrap it around my hand and—fuck. “Contact her tonight, before she comes in tomorrow.”
Natalie is quiet. “Sir, is there a problem with Alexa?”
“Just let her know. Why are you here so late?”
“I was just putting together everything for Alexa and another new hire, Keith Tanner. Their badges and insurance packets, that kind of thing. Lynn went home early because her daughter was ill.”
“Fine. Good night.” I hang up. I hope it helps. I don’t count on it.
***
Alexa
I’m on my couch in a ball of misery when my phone rings. It’s Natalie, I don’t want to answer but I know I have to.
I strive for a light, surprised tone. “What’s up?” That wasn’t light or surprised, it came out as miserable as I feel.
“You tell me. What happened today?”
Oh god, my stomach twists all over again. I don’t know. I don’t know what happened today and I will not cry about it again. What had I done wrong? Why was Leo staring at me so intently he stirred up lava, hot longing one minute then scared the hell out of me the next? “I don’t know. I’m—hell, I don’t know. I have no clue. Why?”
“Leo just called me and wanted me to tell you the dress you wore was too short. He wants you to wear long skirts or even better slacks. Then he complained about your hair getting messy at the end of the day. He said he wanted it up or something. I have never gotten a call like that from him in the four years I’ve been head of HR here. Did you come onto him?”
“What?! No, that’s crazy. I—no. No.” Did he think I came on to him? Did he catch me staring at him too long? Why is Natalie not talking? I check my phone to see if the call dropped. “Natalie? What’s the matter?”
“Alexa, I’m just...if I didn’t know better. Never mind. It’s crazy. I’m sure it’s nothing. I guess you need to pull out whatever you have that screams librarian and not sexy librarian. I’ll be ready to go in another half hour. I’m almost done researching everyone in the company who ever worked at Miller Investments. How come you didn’t tell me Lynn worked for Miller in their HR?”
“Don’t put this on me, you were the one who hired her. How did you not know? She only left Miller two years ago.”
“Calm down, everything is going to be fine.”
My stomach is in knots all over again. I’m not in the mood to hang out with Natalie like nothing is wrong having dinner and watching Netflix with wine like we usually do. “Keep saying that, maybe that will make it true. I need an early night. I’m going to nuke something and go to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Okay. Hey, chill. This will all be good.”
I don’t even bother responding. This doesn’t feel like it will be all good. It feels like this is going to hell in a damn handbasket. It’s only now I really take in what Natalie called for. Leo didn’t like the way I dressed? What about what Victoria said? Was I that ugly? Was I too fat that I needed to cover every inch of myself, so he didn’t have to see my fat? What the hell? And my hair too? Victoria said he liked long hair and he liked it down. But he wants me to put mine up?
Leo didn’t like me. He doesn’t think I’m pretty, not even a little bit. He doesn’t want me, and he never will. Why am I crying? I knew this is what I was getting myself into, this is nothing new when it comes to an attractive man not wanting me. I’ve gone through this before. It doesn’t make it hurt any less.
8
Tuesday
Leo
When the elevator opens I find out I was right. Alexa’s hair is scraped back in a bun so tight not a single hair can escape. She is wearing a prim white blouse buttoned to her neck. All it does is put her beautiful face in sharp relief. I want to yank her hair out of that ridiculous bun and watch it flow down her naked body.
Sonofabitch. It doesn’t help her eyes are firmly on her computer screen. If anything, it makes me angrier. “Double shot.” I bark on my way to my desk. I slam my door, needing to break something.
When she knocks on my door almost ten minutes later, I am biting at the bit to get at her. “Come.”
She opens the door and is careful with the cup and saucer she carries as well as the two morning reports. The moment she sets the coffee and reports on my desk I strike. “I want my coffee waiting for me when I get here. I am here at seven. I have been waiting for almost ten minutes. What did I tell you yesterday?”
Her jaw goes tight. “Yes, sir. It will be here when you come in tomorrow. Is there anything else, sir?”
I open my briefcase and pull out the report she did yesterday and toss it across the desk. “You left out information on other mines. I want the history of all mines within a five-thousand-mile radius both operational and non-operational, not just precious metal. There is an opal mine less than a thousand miles away from the one I am considering buying. Redo it. I want it in two hours.”
“Yes, sir.” She reaches for the report.
“If I say I want it in two hours Alexa, what does that mean?”
Her lush mouth tightens. “Two hours, sir. You’ll have it by nine.”
“Complete?” I taunt.
A vein flickers in her forehead. “Yes, sir.”
“Good. Nine o’clock it is.” I am going to hell for enjoying the way Alexa fought against her every desire to say something very different from ‘yes, sir’. I could feel the little bursts of heat from her anger, it was damned intriguing to think about Alexa’s temper. Did she yell? Did her eyes get bluer? Did her breasts heave with her deep breathing? I am so fucked because the slacks she is wearing cling to her and detail just how long her legs really are. It is another kind of hell to watch her round, sweet ass as she walks away.
If I keep this up she will be gone by the end of the week. I refuse to acknowledge the way my skin tightens at the thought. This is the best thing, for the both of us.
***
Alexa
I hate Leandros Kaplan. With his stupid smug smile and those all-knowing black eyes. He’s in a stark black suit with a snow-white shirt and dark blue tie today. I’m not proud of the way I couldn’t take my eyes off him. I am proud of the way I didn’t tell him he was a stupid jerk about his coffee. And the way I didn’t tell him I wasn’t psychic about the stupid report. I’d looked up all the precious metal mines in a thousand-mile radius. Okay, yes, I only looked up the operational ones but how the hell would I have known to make the jump to minerals?
Leandros Kaplan is an asshole, and I’m starting to hate his guts.
***
Leo
I am staring at the clock in the corner of my computer. It’s two minutes until nine. There is no way she will finish the report on time, and if she does manage it, it will not be complete. The time changes, Alexa knocks on my door. I cannot believe it. I will have to dig through it to find something wrong, there has to be something wrong with it. I need there to be. I pull out the article I found last night. It’s her next project.
“Come.” The word is barely out before she opens my door. Her cheeks are pink, and her eyes are glowing a deep blue. Fuck, I want her. She offers the report to me with a defiant expression on her face, daring me to find something wrong with it. I will.
I take it with one hand and extend the article with the other. “Josh Barker is looking to extend his brand. I want to know everything. Where he has been, where he wants to take it. Do not forget to find out his competition and if there is room for his growth or if it will oversaturate. I need it by eleven. My lunch at noon is a working one with Drake Hawthorne. You will be attending as well, to take notes. Confirm the reservation at Ludlows and a car. Before you do that, I need more coffee. A single shot this time.”
