Jimmy

My hand flopped over to the other side of my bed, looking for the woman from last night. Ashley. The redheaded minx with the innocent eyes and the very tasty body. I felt the coolness of the sheets next to me and opened my eyes, searching for her in the massive expanse of my bed. Was she already up? I bet she was in the shower cleaning herself up from last night’s activities.

I grinned as I rolled out of bed, ready to surprise her with another round of luxurious relaxation.

But I didn’t hear the shower going as I stood to my feet. I didn’t see the light on in the bathroom as I walked to the door. I found it empty, just like the bed I’d risen from, and I furrowed my brow at the towel lying on the floor.

“Ashley? Are you here, doll?”

I walked out of my room and was met with an empty penthouse. She wasn’t there. Ashley had left. I looked over at the pile of clothes on the floor and saw only mine bunched up and wrinkled. I didn’t see her dress or her bra or those soaked little panties of hers that had teased my eyes last night.

But I did see my phone, and it was lighting up with a phone call.

I walked over to it and bent down, registering the fact that it was Nina. The call stopped ringing, and I saw I had seven missed calls. All from my girlfriend. I groaned and tossed the phone onto the couch, relegating myself to cleaning up and looking presentable.

After all, the party was far from over for many.

I heard the elevator rising in its shaft, and I grinned. Maybe that was Ashley coming back for round two. Maybe it was too much to sleep next to me, so she got her own room for the night. Or maybe she had left to go get us some breakfast. The wonderful little woman. I knew there was a kindness behind those wine-hazed eyes.

I reached down for my pants and pulled them up my body. I discarded the belt and allowed them to hang loosely on my hips. Then, I picked up my black button-down and tossed it over my shoulders. Black had always suited me. It matched my hair and contrasted the piercing blue of my eyes. It made women’s knees buckle and men shiver on the boardroom floor. It got me what I wanted when I wanted it, and not once did I have to ask.

I merely commanded, and people responded.

Raking my hands through my hair, I readied myself for her form. I bet she would be in another outfit, concealing her little walk of shame from her boss’s penthouse suite. Maybe she’d have on another tight little dress, or maybe she’d be in a nightgown, a dark green, silky little number that matched her eyes and contrasted her hair.

But when the elevator doors opened, I furrowed my brow.

She didn’t have a key to open those doors.

“I see you’re ready for another good time,” Ross said.

I sighed and rolled my eyes as he stepped into the room.

“I’ve got breakfast,” he said. “Eggs, toast, and a lot of coffee. Because you looked hammered last night.”

“I was not hammered,” I said as I took the bag from him. “Merely enjoying my own party.”

“You never do that.”

“Well, I did last night,” I said.

“I saw you walk away with one of our best employees. Ashley. Did you ... enjoy yourself?”

“If you must know, I did,” I said as I pulled out the breakfast trays. “I felt a connection with her.”

“You certainly had one on the dance floor.”

“She’s a hell of a dancer.”

“So I saw last night,” he said. “I’m glad she enjoyed herself.”

“Aren't you glad I enjoyed myself?” I asked.

“You always enjoy yourself. I never have to ask you that question. But speaking of, have you talked to Nina yet?”

“The woman called me all through the damn night,” I said.

“You should probably give her a call. She called me a couple of times as well, trying to get in touch with you.”

“How the hell does she have your number?”

“You gave it to her, remember? The trip to Sweden? She wanted an emergency contact number for you in case you died and didn’t leave your money to anyone?”

“I don’t remember that last part,” I said.

“I added it. But it might as well have been true. Anyway, I’m tired of her calling me. I sure as hell don’t wanna talk to the woman. Call her. And maybe leave out the part about Ashley.”

“Duly noted. So, you said Ashley was a good worker? I know she’s the accountant getting some of our past due accounts back to being paid.”

“She hasn’t gotten some of them like that. She’s gotten all of them like that,” Ross said.

“What?” I asked.

“All five hundred and four accounts. All of them are paying. Most are minimum balance, but they’re paying. I’ve been thinking about giving her more responsibility because now it’s simply a matter of her keeping behind them every month.”

“What are her strengths?” I asked.

“She’s really good with numbers. I mean, very good. About as good as I am.”

“About?”

“I have to have something over her. She could gun for my job if she wanted.”

“We’d certainly have a lot more fun,” I said with a grin.

“Sexual harassment lawsuit, anyone?”

“What kind of responsibility were you thinking? I enjoy rewarding employees who really show themselves at the company.”

“You mean last night wasn’t enough?” he asked.

“Have you gotten all of those out of your system?” I asked.

“Not quite. But I’ll get there. I was actually coming up here to talk with you about the tax information this year. It’s going to be a bit more complicated because of the charities we donated to as well as the new installations for the company we took on. Ashley might be able to give it a once-over if you’re serious about giving her more responsibility.”

“Is she a tax professional?” I asked.

“It’s one of her specialties, yes.”

“Does she have any other specialties? And how do you know so much about her?”

“She’s shining in the Accounting department, and you know I’m all over that department.”

“Because you're good with numbers. And a raging nerd.”

“A raging nerd who’s helped you get to the top,” he said.

“Never said it was a bad thing. Down boy. Thank you for the coffee, by the way. My head doesn’t feel the best right now,” I said.

“Figured you’d need a good dose of caffeine. I counted four drinks last night for you. And I’m sure there were others I didn’t see.”

“Thanks, Mom. I appreciate it,” I said with a grin. “Go ahead and get the paperwork drawn up for Ashley to take a look at. See what she thinks. There’s also a corporate tax break that should be coming our way this year. Make sure she takes that into account.”

“Done and done.”

“And if she has any other specialties you know of that could be useful to the company, feel free to appoint her to things and see how she does. If she’s as good as you say she is, then we could really use someone like her at this point in the game,” I said.

“I’ll look into it,” he said.

My phone vibrated on my couch, and I sighed. I knew it was Nina calling, and I knew I’d have to pick it up. Ross took one last bite of his breakfast before grabbing his coffee and then shrugged as he headed for the elevator.

“Good luck,” he said. “She’ll be pissed you didn’t answer.”

“Yeah, yeah. Let me know when you get that paperwork to Ashley.”

“Will do. And drink all that coffee. It’ll help with the headache.”

“How do you know I have a headache?” I asked.

“Your eye keeps twitching.”

“Maybe that’s simply because Nina’s calling.”

“You might want to leave that comment out with her as well,” he said with a smile.

I watched the elevator doors close him in before I reached for my phone.

“Jimmy! Sweetheart! It’s about time you picked up your phone. Where have you been?” Nina asked.

“The party’s this weekend, beautiful. I told you about that three separate times,” I said.

“Are you enjoying yourself?”

“Do you really care?” I asked.

“No. But I figured I would ask in case anyone was standing around you on the other end of the line. Look, I’m going to be in New York another week.”

“I take it you didn’t call to inform me of that fact.”

“I only have money for a couple more days,” she said.

“Then come home in a couple more days.”

“You know I can’t do that, sweetheart.”

“Ah, someone’s around you now. You’ve been in New York for two solid weeks. What could possibly be keeping you another week?” I asked.

“But you want me to have a good time, right?” she asked.

“And I’m sure you’ve been having a good time for two weeks.”

“Are you enjoying the arrangement we have in place?”

“And I take it you’re alone again,” I said with a sigh. “Fine. I’ll drop the money into your account. But you need to be back after this week is up. I’ve got things with clients coming up, and I’ll need you for those.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll be back. Sleek black dress, as always?” she asked.

“Call me when you’re back in town. And the next time you need money? A simple text message will suffice.”

I hung up the phone, transferred the money, and then promptly got the sweetest little text message back. Her body in this new black dress she’d apparently purchased during her time away. It would look smashing in a clientele setting, but I was growing tired of our game. It was necessary, and both of us understood that, but it was becoming a very expensive game to play.

I walked over to the windows of the penthouse and looked over the expanse of Miami. The ocean was ebbing in the distance, and I sipped my coffee as I watched it dance. But my eyes soon became distracted by the smudges on the wall.

The smudges that resembled the beauty of the female form.

My saucy little minx had been imprinted onto my penthouse suite. And I grinned at the memory as the sunlight got caught in its lustful streaks.