Chapter Six
James
It was torture.
Every day, going into Magnate Group, and seeing her there, sitting at her desk looking innocuous. After the burn incident, Hanna cooled toward me…and for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why she’d changed. I wasn’t sure why she’d automatically assumed the worst, either – it wasn’t like I’d fallen on top of her and tried to rip her clothes off in the back of my limo.
But her behavior was puzzling.
And it was driving me wild.
It snowed the whole week, great blustery gusts of snow that swirled against the windows. Most of my employees came in bundled from head to toe, but not Hanna. Every day I saw her, she was wearing a stylish-yet-short skirt with tights, boots, and some kind of sweater that made her tits look fantastic. I wanted nothing more than to grab her, kiss her, and take her into my office for another passionate encounter. But day by day, she made it increasingly clear that she wasn’t interested in me. Even Linda, the head of Human Resources, noticed that something had changed around the office.
“I think I finally hired the right girl for you, Mr. West,” she said one morning as she stopped by my office to pick up a large pile of reports from Hanna.
I frowned. “I don’t know. I think she might be happier somewhere else in the company. She’s much smarter than most of the admins, you know?”
Linda clucked her tongue against her teeth. “Has she expressed interest in moving?”
“No,” I said sourly. “She hasn’t.”
Linda frowned. “Well, as you know, I wouldn’t be able to move her without her own consent,” she said. “That is, unless she’s done something to displease you.”
I glanced out my office window at Hanna sitting there, at her desk, typing away.
“No,” I said. “She hasn’t done anything wrong. In fact, she’s the best secretary I’ve ever had.”
Linda gave me an odd look. “Well, then I’m not quite sure why you’re in a hurry to get rid of her,” she said lightly, but I knew she was confused.
I shrugged. “No reason,” I lied. “Anyway, here are the reports.”
I passed them over and Linda left my office, closing the door behind her. I watched Hanna through the window for what felt like far too long – it was impossible not to stare at her beautiful features, the way her slim hands moved quickly over the keyboard. And I couldn’t look at her without thinking of the passionate night we’d shared in my hotel room, almost a year ago.
I barely worked that day. In the afternoon, I decided to go out for coffee despite the blustering storm. I stopped by Hanna’s desk on the way out.
“I’m going out for a latte – can I get you something?”
Hanna didn’t look up from her keyboard. She kept typing away, her fingers clacking against the keys.
“Hanna?”
Hanna finally glanced up. She blushed crimson red when she saw me and my cock twitched in my pants.
“Yes?” Her voice was low and breathy. Somehow, I wondered if she’d just been thinking about me, too.
“I said, I’m going out for coffee. Can I get you anything?”
“You shouldn’t do that,” Hanna said. She licked her lips. “It’s snowing out there – why not let me go for you?”
“I feel like some fresh air,” I said drily. “So, are you sure I can’t get you anything?”
Hanna shook her head. She pointed to a bottle of water on her desk. “I’m fine,” she said. She looked out the window again and shivered. As I watched her, I noticed the faint heartbeat pulsing at the side of her neck. I remembered how she smelled – warm and clean and almost like vanilla – and for a moment, I thought I was going to come in my pants.
“James?”
My head snapped up. “Yeah?”
Hanna giggled. “I said I’m fine,” she said. “But you probably want to wear a hat.” She sat back down at her desk, shivering again. “It really does look cold.”
The rest of the day crawled by. I spent most of it staring at my computer, ignoring emails from my shareholders, and wondering what the fuck I had to do to get back into Hanna’s good graces. At five o’clock on the dot, I grabbed my coat and shoved my laptop into my briefcase. I’d called Harry and made plans to meet with him at a bar – there was just no way I could stand being around Hanna without obsessing over her any more for one day.
On my way out, Hanna looked up. “Is there anything else you want me to wrap up for the day?”
“No,” I said. “Just go home, Hanna. Get some rest. How is your burn, by the way?”
Hanna bit her lip and winced. “Better,” she said. “Thank you.”
“No problem,” I said. Thinking about her burn got me thinking about her magnificent, long legs and I had to shake my head to clear the image from my brain. Jesus, James, I thought as I stormed out of the office. There’s something really wrong with you today.
Thankfully, Harry was waiting for me at our usual meeting place – the bar in the hotel across the street from Magnate’s offices. He’d already ordered a scotch-and-soda for me, and he passed it to me without saying a word. I took a long, grateful sip before putting it back down on the bar and sighing.
“You look like hell,” Harry said cheerfully. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” I muttered. As soon as I’d “found” Hanna again, I’d told Harry everything. To my annoyance, he’d been amused…and surprised that I hadn’t asked her out again. Since then, I’d avoided talking about the subject. But I knew it was going to be hard to keep my mouth shut today.
“Nothing, my ass,” Harry said. He took a long swig of his drink and belched loudly. “Something’s up, West. And you’ve got to spill.”
“I just don’t know what to do about this girl,” I said, shaking my head. I took another long drink, enjoying the familiar burn of the scotch as it traveled down my throat. “She’s driving me crazy. She’s so close, and yet totally out of reach.”
Harry whistled. “She’s not out of reach,” he said derisively. “You’re just being a pussy, James. You need to go and get her.”
“That’s the problem,” I said. “She won’t have anything to do with me.”
Harry shrugged. “Find her another job,” he said. “Or get her off your desk. It doesn’t really matter what happens if she doesn’t report to you, does it?”
I frowned. Harry’s words put a bad taste in my mouth. “It does matter,” I said. “I tried offering her another job…but she wouldn’t accept it. And now she just acts so professionally, all the time.”
Harry narrowed his eyes and clapped his hand on the bar. When the bartender appeared, he ordered two double shots of whiskey for both of us. The shots appeared and we clinked our glasses together before downing them.
“Well, you’ve got to figure something out, or just go fuck someone else to get her out of your system,” Harry said in a matter-of-fact voice. “In fact, I know a girl you’d love. She’s single, blonde – totally fuckable.”
“Don’t bother,” I replied. “I’m not interested.”
“You’re kidding,” Harry said. He narrowed his eyes, toying with his empty shot glass. “This girl must be like, a complete ten or something. Why the fuck are you so hung up on her?”
“Because we had a perfect night together, and then I chased her for a year,” I said. “And I know it doesn’t sound like much to you, but I felt a real connection with her.”
“I think you’re just projecting,” Harry said. “Go find some other girl and fuck her. Wait a few months. I’m sure you won’t even be thinking about Hillary anymore.”
“Hanna,” I corrected automatically. “Her name is Hanna.”
“You sure about that, man? I mean, she did lie,” Harry said with a shrug. “Who knows what else she’s lying about?”
“I can say for sure that she’s not lied about anything else,” I said. “Magnate runs a strict background check on all potential employees, and she passed with flying colors.”
“Well, then, I don’t really know what you want me to say,” Harry said. “But you’re a charming man, you can figure it out.”
I frowned.
“You know it’s true,” Harry continued. “You could fuck any woman you want.”
I shrugged. “I don’t want any woman,” I said. “I want her.”
Harry winked at me. “You’ll find a way to make it happen,” he said. “If I know anything about you.”
“Thanks,” I muttered. “That’s a real confidence boost.”
The rest of the week didn’t go much better. I was basically useless – I almost fell asleep in a meeting with my shareholders – and I was more obsessed with Hanna than ever. I’d even begun dreaming about her. By Friday, I knew something had to change. There was no way I was going to put Hanna in a bad position – or risk putting myself in danger of harassing her – and I vowed to get her out of my head, once and for all. I spent all weekend working out: running in the park near my condo, swimming at the indoor gym, and lifting weights until my arms were so sore I could barely type. I vowed that this would be the beginning of something new.
After all, it had been a year.
It was time to move on.
The following Monday, Magnate Group entertained one of the clients I’d picked up for us in London. I was in all-day meetings, which didn’t even stop for our catered lunch, and by the time I got out of the conference room, it was dark outside. Most of my employees had left, but Hanna was sitting there in near-darkness, illuminated by the glow of the green banker’s lamp she kept on her desk. Something about the way she was quietly working touched me. She really is something, I thought. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had an assistant who stayed late voluntarily.
“Hey,” I said, coming up from behind Hanna. “Working hard?”
Hanna looked up from her screen and yawned, then rubbed both of her eyes with her fists. “Yeah,” she said. “I just wanted to wrap this up before the end of the day, I know you need it for tomorrow.” She pointed at her screen and I saw it was a list of all action items for the following day’s meetings.
“That looks almost done,” I said. Impulsively, I added: “We should get dinner. You feel like going out?”
Hanna’s face fell and I knew I’d made a mistake.
“You know what, forget that,” I said hastily. “It’s freezing outside, and I know you won’t feel like coming back to the office. Let me order something in. You like Indian food?”
Hanna nodded. To my relief, she smiled. “That actually sounds amazing,” she said. She yawned again.
“We can eat, then you’ll finish up and go home,” I said. As soon as Hanna nodded, I went into my office and called my favorite local Indian place, ordering practically everything on the menu. Pakora, samosas, naan, butter chicken, saag paneer, goat biryani, anything that I thought Hanna would like. By the time I was done, the total was over one hundred dollars. I snickered as I pulled out my personal card as I imagined the confused look on the delivery driver’s face when he realized all of this food was only to be for two people.
When the food came, I had the delivery guy spread it out in the conference room. I dimmed the lights for effect until the room was almost dark, then I walked over to Hanna’s desk and cleared my throat.
“Please,” I said with an exaggerated bow. “Join me in the conference room.”
Hanna giggled. She got to her feet and stretched, raising her hands high above her head. Her sweater rose up, exposing a strip of pale, taut flesh. My heart began to pound as I imagined dropping to my knees, wrapping my arms around her waist and kissing her stomach.
“Wow,” Hanna said as I led her into the conference room. “Um, did you order all of this for us?”
I shrugged. “I didn’t know what you’d like,” I said. “But I can assure you – it’s all good. This place is fantastic.”
Hanna smiled. She took a paper plate and began loading it with food. I followed suit and soon we were sitting in silence as we tore through the food. Sharing a meal with her was nice – I didn’t feel pressure to talk, and it was strangely intimate despite the fact that we were alone in a giant conference room.
“So,” Hanna said. She covered her mouth swallowed, then took a sip of water. “Did you always know that you would grow up to be CEO?”
I shrugged. “Yes and no.”
Hanna raised an eyebrow. “Oh? What does that mean?”
I frowned. “My family was…complicated, when I was growing up,” I said. “I was at odds with my father for many years. And well, I wasn’t sure whether or not that would be resolved by the time it was my turn to take over.” Not to mention my brothers, I thought darkly, narrowing my eyes.
“Ah,” Hanna said. She set her plate down and put her hands on her stomach. “I can understand that.”
“Oh yeah?” I smirked at her. “What, there’s some company out there waiting for you to inherit?”
Hanna flushed at my stupid joke. “No,” she said. “I mean, well, not really. I grew up in a big family. I always felt like my brothers and sisters and I were competing for our parents’ affection.”
“I can’t imagine that,” I said honestly. “Every single thing I did was placed under a microscope and analyzed until it was practically ripped apart.”
Hanna bit her lip. “To be honest, that doesn’t sound like much fun, either,” she said softly. She picked up a piece of naan and began tearing it apart with her fingers. “I mean, I can’t imagine what that would be like. My parents didn’t really pay attention to me. I think it was because I always behaved,” she added in a rueful voice.
I laughed. “What, you weren’t the rebellious troublemaker?” I smirked at her. “Miss, ‘I Lie About My Name At Parties,’ or should I say Beth?”
To my relief, Hanna flushed. “You probably wouldn’t believe me if I told you that was the one time I ever did something wrong,” she said. “And no – it was always about my older sister, and how much she could manage to piss off our parents in one day.”
Hanna felt silent and bit her lip. “You probably don’t want to be hearing all of this,” she said. “I should shut up – I’m just tired, really. Thank you for dinner.” She put the naan down and glanced over all of the uneaten food. “I should box this up and put it in the fridge, then leave it out tomorrow. The other assistants might like a free lunch.”
“I want to hear anything you want to tell me,” I said honestly. In the dim light of the room, Hanna had never looked more beautiful. Her glossy hair was brushed back in a low bun and the collar of her shirt was open, exposing her creamy throat.
Hanna looked at me. Her green eyes were as big as saucers. Suddenly, in that moment, I knew that she felt the same way about me. That she’d longed for me, that she’d never given up hope of seeing me again. As I got to my feet, my heart was in my throat.
I moved toward Hanna and took her hand, pulling her close. I wrapped my arms around her waist and leaned in for a kiss. Hanna closed her eyes and tilted her head back, pressing her body against mine and wrapping her arms around my neck. She moaned softly into my mouth as our tongues began a slow, delicate dance of passion. I could feel her heart was thumping in her chest as she pressed her body tightly against mine. Beneath her thin shirt, I could feel her amazing tits and I slipped my hands between our bodies and fumbled with the buttons of her blouse. Hanna moaned softly, but she didn’t stop me. She cocked her head to the side and buried it in my neck. The sensation of her warm breath against my neck and earlobe was enough to make me explode and I shuddered as I slipped Hanna’s shirt off her shoulders. Her skin was amazingly warm in my hands and when I slipped my hand into the cup of her bra and brushed my thumb against her stiff nipple, Hanna arched her back and bit her lip. I could see that she was squirming and twisting with lust, and I scooped her into my arms, covering her mouth with mine in a passionate kiss.
Just then, bright light flooded the room. Hanna shrieked and leapt away from me, clutching her shirt to her chest.
I groaned as I saw one of the janitors standing in the hall, his jaw hanging out.
Anger and frustration welled up inside of me and I turned to him, clenching my jaw.
“Leave, now,” I growled. “Go home for the night!”
The janitor turned and began to flee. When I turned back to Hanna, she was hastily buttoning her shirt with shaking hands.
“Hanna, wait,” I said. “Come on – you don’t have to go.”
Hanna looked up at me with passion and anguish on her face. “Yes, I do,” she said, her voice barely audible. “I can’t do this with you, James, you’re my boss! I can’t be with you! And I can’t risk my job, either!”
“It doesn’t matter—”
“Yes, it does,” Hanna said. And before I could stop her, she raced past me.
And then I was left alone, with a throbbing cock and balls, wondering what the hell was happening to my formerly perfect life.