Matt

What was it about this woman that made me lose my cool? I put on my boss face. "Anyway, Ms. Gomez, why don't you come with me and we can get started?"

The idea to meet with all the new hires had been a spur of the moment inspiration. I needed to capture Mae's attention, and if I wasn't singling her out, how could she argue? The downside was that I would have to have one on ones with at least six other new employees, but really, that wasn't that big of a downside. The reason I didn't make an effort to get to know most people until they'd been with the company for at least six months was that we saw the highest turnover in that time span. It was all about the worth of the investment.

Getting one conversation with Mae's undivided attention was completely worth adding the other six.

I didn't have to turn around to know she was following me. Besides the quiet thump of her thick heeled shoes following me, that was the kind of person Mae was, by her own admission. She stuck to the rules, she followed the plan, she rarely stepped outside her expectations. But when she did... 

I had to stop thinking about those kinds of things while wearing a suit. Someone might think I was hosting the Russian Circus in my pants.

I sent a notification for the valet to bring my car around as Mae and I entered the elevator. We were alone.

"Are we going to your office?" Mae asked.

"No."

She fidgeted a moment before asking, "Are we going to a conference room?"

"No." I was enjoying her discomfort. That was unkind of me, wasn't it? But I'd been off balance and uncomfortable for over two months because of her. She could handle the next ten minutes.

"Do you want to tell me where we're going?" Her voice was breathy with exasperation.

"Not particularly." I had to hold back a laugh. My anger was fading as I took back control of the situation. I would have my answers sooner or later. I would also have her, sooner or later. Of the two, if I had to choose which to have first, it would be Mae. Answers could come after.

Her discomfort was rapidly morphing to irritation. Red was creeping up the sides of her cheeks and her eyes were sparking. Damn if that didn't make me want to push her buttons even more.

"Mr. Dahl." Her tone was all broken glass and iron bars as the elevator door opened. "I will have no qualms about filing a suit for sexual harassment, if need be."

She was like an angry kitten, all blonde fluff and tiny claws. I suspected she wouldn't find that image as amusing as I did, so I kept it to myself. "I assure you, your honor is safe with me."

She raised one eyebrow. "My honor can take a jump. But am I safe with you?"

That was the question of the day, wasn't it? As curious as I was to know the full story, why she had left, what the last two months had been like for her, the urge to undress her and return to where my worship had left off was entirely too tempting. I hadn't forgotten that I had been denied the experience of tasting her release, of pleasing her with my tongue for however long it took until she was a quaking, shaking mess beneath me. The image of the woman before me today, relaxed casual, but put together, was a far cry from the ripped jeans and flannel, the messy bun of two months ago. But at her soul, I could tell she was the same no matter what clothes she wore. Or didn't wear, as the case may be. 

"Well? Am I safe with you?" she repeated as we stepped outside the building. My car was waiting for us.

"For now," I said finally.

She appraised me, her eyes raking me from head to toe. I wondered what she saw. I wondered if she liked what she saw. I hadn't looked any different at Nick’s with a similar suit and tie, but the setting was certainly different. And who knew what her last image of me had been. I could have been drooling all over my pillow. Hell, I could have been drooling all over her. I didn't think I would have done that. I hoped I wouldn't have. And I really hoped she hadn't noticed that used condom clinging to my dick. The only thing worse than that would have been if I'd jizzed in my pants like a damn teenager.

I opened the passenger door for her before the valet could steal my thunder. She slid into the car without looking at me. I knew she liked to feel in control. I understood that feeling because I was always in control. I had no problem letting her feel like she had a grasp on the situation, though. I knew what the reality was. Getting back in her good graces was going to be a challenge. Until now, I'd had a strict no-employees policy. But until now, no one had tempted me to break it. I knew I was past temptation. If she'd let me, I knew Gertrude Mae Gomez was going to be my undoing.