CHAPTER SEVEN
Rule No. 7: Once the game has started, prey loses all access to game site. You are on your own. Enjoy your fantasy.
Filing wasn’t such a bad experience if one didn’t mind the paper cuts, dust and other such annoyances that came with it. Five minutes into the task and I’d discovered that my earlier guess had been accurate. It was safe to say that no papers had been filed in roughly four years, and I wondered if that was the length of the time Stone Industries had been in existence. Not wanting to bother Donovan to find out, I kept my head down for several hours while trying to sort through the piles of papers littering the back desk.
While shuffling through invoices, meeting notes, order summaries and a litany of other information that should have been kept in a neat and orderly management system, I’d barely made a dent in the piles when my mind started wandering.
For two days, I’d attempted to avoid thinking about the game I’d agreed to play. But, despite my best attempts at distracting myself, I’d found myself shutting my blinds and curtains at night and looking over my shoulder every time I stepped out of the safety of my apartment to walk to my car. I say walk, but in truth, I’d been practically running. Every face that passed me by was a potential stalker, every man a threat to my safety and welfare. And yet, despite my fear of the game I was now playing, I’d used the money transferred to my account, thankful for another month in the city – thankful that I wouldn’t have to crawl home and admit to my father I was the failure he always warned me I would become.
So, it was in moments like this when I found myself performing a menial task that required little thought and even less action, that my mind raced back to the dark cloud that hovered over me, the one that had no face, no name, and that I had no hope of escaping. I hadn’t revisited the site since receiving the money, mostly because I was afraid to see that I was already being followed, the videos uploaded as the audience began to build in order to watch the game.
“Hello?”
A deep voice called from the lobby pulling me from my thoughts, the surprise causing me to jump in place. Peeking around the wall, I found a man standing by the reception desk, packages held in hand as well as a clipboard.
Stepping into view, I smiled and approached.
He was a good looking guy with shaggy brown hair and green eyes that sparkled beneath the light. An easy smile creased his cheeks and he was dressed in a black on black uniform with a small nametag secured to his shirt.
“How can I help you?” I asked, knowing without need of a response that he was here to deliver the packages Donovan had already warned me would arrive.
Eyes widening just a fraction to see me, he dropped the boxes down on the desk and scribbled something on the clipboard. “You must be the new assistant Jackson told me about. No offense, but I’m shocked Mr. Stone finally found someone.”
Smiling to be friendly, I tilted my head in question. “You’re surprised?”
Nervous laughter shook his shoulders, his eyes scanning the ceiling behind me as if he knew we were being recorded. I wondered how much else he knew. Extending a hand in greeting, I smiled again.
“My name is Mia. I’m Mr. Stone’s new administrative assistant. I take it you’re the delivery guy?”
The blush that colored his cheeks was endearing. Taking my hand in a friendly shake, he said, “I’m Trevor. And yeah, I’m the delivery guy. Actually, I own the computer supply business that Mr. Stone uses, but I’m a one man shop. So, basically, I’m constantly working.”
It took effort to endure the handshake, but I’d worked through my issues enough over the years to be able to handle that small amount of contact. Had he tried pulling me in for a hug, I may have screamed.
Trevor appeared hesitant to release my hand, but after doing so, he held the clipboard out to me and explained, “These boxes have everything Jackson needs for the job he’s performing tomorrow. He isn’t in back, is he? I wanted to recommend a few tricks that will help him move along faster while he’s out there.”
“He’s not,” I answered, my eyes studying the broad width of his shoulders and the dimples that lightly indented his cheeks when he grinned. Shaking away the attraction, I could feel heat coloring my cheeks. “I haven’t met Jackson yet, actually. I’ve been waiting for him to come in to the office so I can introduce myself. Would you like me to have him call you when he arrives?”
If Donovan Stone was a cold, dark cavern, Trevor was a warm, sunny field. I found myself shifting my weight between my feet, nervousness suddenly overtaking me as I stood waiting for his response.
Not the type to assume what other people were thinking, I tried not to imagine what the glimmer behind his green eyes meant. It was the first day of my new job and already I found myself flirting with a stranger. Unfortunately, so did Donovan.
Beneath my hands, the tablet beeped from where it sat on the surface of the desk, the sound drawing both our attention and breaking whatever spell existed between us.
I hadn’t read the message before Trevor groaned, “I guess I should let you get back to work. I –“
His next words died in his throat as the door behind him popped open, another man walking into the lobby like he owned the place. Trevor turned in time to smile and hold out a hand in greeting. “Jackson. It’s about time you decide to crawl into the office. I almost left without having the chance to teach you a few tricks for your installation tomorrow.”
With disheveled brown hair that hung low to frame his face and amber colored eyes that were a shade I’d never seen in another person, Jackson flicked a glance between Trevor and me, his lips pulling into a practiced smile that felt more cold than warm. I watched the two men shake hands, noticing that Jackson kept his eyes on me the entire time. Ignoring Trevor’s statement, Jackson inclined his head in my direction, and with a voice that was so deep it was gritty, he said, “You must be Donovan’s new assistant.”
It wasn’t exactly a question, more a statement, but I smiled regardless and nodded my head. “I’m Mia, it’s –“
“I know who you are,” he interrupted. His chilling gaze traced back to Trevor. “We can talk as I walk you out.”
Trevor flinched at the rancor in Jackson’s tone, but managed to hold his shaky smile in place. “Sounds good.” Turning to me, he waved. “It was nice meeting you, Mia. I’m sure we’ll see each other again.”
Waving back, I wasn’t so sure I’d see him again. After meeting both Donovan and Jackson, and discovering they both were sharp around the edges, I inwardly wondered how much time I would last at Stone Industries. Without voicing that concern, I watched as the two men stepped out of the lobby, the door shutting behind them as the tablet on the desk beeped again.
Glancing down, I winced in response to the messages.
My office.
NOW.
Rushing from the reception desk, I didn’t bother knocking before entering Donovan’s office. Still a mess, the space wasn’t dominated by the piles of paperwork, the spare computer parts, or the other odds and ends that made it feel cramped. It was dominated by the man sitting behind the desk, the same man who was now staring at me with bright blue eyes that held no warmth or affinity for me in the slightest.
His jaw ticked in beat with my steps, the dissatisfaction etched across his face plain to the eye of any half-intelligent observer. Donovan not only looked like he wanted to tear into me for whatever perceivable slight he’d concocted, but held his body in such a way that I didn’t dare step closer to his desk. The large, heavy piece of furniture between us made me feel better about whether he would lunge in my direction. The several feet of space between the desk and me made me believe I could escape.
I hated how just by looking at me, Donovan invoked a sense of unease that left me fidgeting in place, wondering what horrible remark he would make.
Nervousness beaded at my temples in the form of warm perspiration, and for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why. I’d done nothing wrong, but by the look on Donovan’s face, you would think I’d just sold his biggest competitor all the secrets that could be used to bring Stone Industries to the ground.
Except, I hadn’t.
“You wanted to see me?” The words shook as they whispered over my lips, the strength in my voice completely absent while his hard gaze held mine. Several seconds passed before he flicked his eyes down to my hands and back up again, his eyebrow lifting in question.
Waiting for him to respond, I swallowed hard and realized what mistake I’d made. My eyes widened as I remembered that he couldn’t communicate with me without the tablet I’d left on the reception desk.
Muttering under my breath, I ran to correct the error, returning to stand in his office as quickly as possible. His expression hadn’t warmed up by the time I was back in place with tablet in hand. If anything, it was colder, rougher, a razored edge added to the sharp censure behind his eyes.
Donovan’s gaze remained trained on my face as he reached to slip his tablet from the surface of his desk. He didn’t bother looking down as he typed out whatever nasty missive he had planned for me.
I don’t pay employees to sit around chatting with delivery men. I also don’t pay them to flirt. Do you enjoy having a job, Ms. Jennings?
This job? Not particularly, but damned if desperation wasn’t also responsible for this horrible decision. Promising myself I would continue applying for other positions in companies as far away from this one as possible, I swallowed down the lump of festering fear that clogged my throat.
“Yes, sir,” I finally answered, choking on the respectful title. Donovan deserved to be called many things, but Sir wasn’t one of them. It was difficult standing in the same room as him just because he was too beautiful for words. But just like every monster women were warned about, his looks weren’t a true reflection of who he was inside. The glimmering eyes and strong jaw spoke nothing of the jagged edges inside him. The styled hair and pristine suit only distracted from the cold vacancy in his glare. His looks were a means to lure a woman in, while his mind conjured every imaginable thought that could be spoken to take a woman to her knees.
Donovan reminded me of a man I hated. A stern disciplinarian, my father, Scott Jennings, didn’t have a warm bone in his body. How my mother fell in love with him was beyond me, but I suspect whatever promises he made to her prior to slipping a wedding ring on her finger were quickly broken once he had her securely in his grasp. I didn’t know what their life had been like before I came into the world, but I can tell you that while I was alive, my father never so much as uttered the words I love you, nor gave us kisses and hugs. He was a shadow over my existence, always scouring my life for some mistake he could hold over my head as he punished me in new and inventive ways.
Looking at Donovan Stone, I saw the same observant gaze, the same disapproving sneer, the same tense set of his broad shoulders that my father always had every time he was about to tell me how he planned to make my life a living hell. Standing here, I felt like I was a teenager all over again, dreading the next words that would be spoken.
Except, they wouldn’t be spoken. They would be typed by furious fingers over the surface of a tablet.
I jumped in place as soon as my tablet beeped in my hands.
Then if you’d like to remain employed, I suggest you get back to filing.
Happy to obey him, I nodded my head and slipped out of his office, my breath pouring over my lips as I dropped the tablet on my desk and dug into the piles of paperwork that would hopefully fill the rest of my day.
Although, I’d found Trevor attractive, I wasn’t exactly flirting with him, but for whatever reason, Donovan didn’t see it that way. Without an employee manual that detailed what the rules were in this place, I was on my own to figure them out as I went along. The only problem being that I was discovering them while breaking them, rule by rule, and incurring the anger of a man I wished I never met.
Silence hung over the small space where I worked, only broken by the shuffling of papers as I grouped them into new piles according to the client they involved, and once my muscles had relaxed again and I could breathe easier knowing I didn’t have to face a pissed off Donovan, I made the mistake of believing the worst was over. The silence was broken when the door to the lobby opened and Jackson Pruitt stepped past the half wall to stare in my direction.