Chapter 7
Cassandra
Damn. Damn. Damn. I was so losing it. I was frustrated beyond description. Aaron is an asshole. A professional jackass asshole! He was challenging my control, my patience and my tolerance. I was losing all three of them. He was pushing my buttons and I couldn’t even protest because he was just being my boss. It was my seventh day at LeoField Ad Group and it already felt like I was being bullied by Aaron.
He made me work ruthlessly, and then rejected it and then made me do it all over again. He kept a continuous check on me by visiting me at my desk, looking at my work himself. And when he’d bend down close to my face, his arm almost brushing mine, I’d go all still. I was too damn aware of his body heat, or over all heat around me. He treated me just like an employee. He was professional, just like I wanted it to be, yet it frustrated me. Because he was all distant but still close. My mind fizzed around him. As much I loved the nature of work in the agency, I hated the effect my boss had on me. If it wasn’t for him, this job would be perfect. I just hoped that I’d get over my stupid reactions around him. Because Aaron, for sure had moved on from our night together. Hell, I had heard him talk to that Jasmine or whatever her name was, the other day. God, I wanted to scratch both their faces off. I was furious and … dare I say jealous? But I was being absurd. He was Aaron Maxfield. I knew of his reputation before our night, but I still got myself tangled in his web. My colleagues have filled me in with the colorful details of his nature with women.
“Can you please type me a letter, Ms. Levant? I’ll give you a dictation,” Aaron said to me as I copied down the presentation he had asked me to place into his system. He himself was lounging on the sofa, with his feet propped up on the table and had a couple of pages sprawled on his lap. I looked at my wrist watch, it was already five forty in the evening. Will I get paid for working over time? I wondered. Oh who was I kidding? It was a universal rule; taking a job in media field meant you entered into working unpaid overtime hours.
I opened a blank document and waited for him to tell me what to write. His eyes were glued on the paper before him and his index finger was caressing his lower lip as he concentrated on the matter of the paper. That simple movement of his finger was giving me such lewd thoughts that I shifted in my chair. This sexual frustration was getting out of control. I had to do something about it and soon or else I don’t know what I was going to do because being around Aaron was – hard.
He started speaking and I began to type. We fell into a comfortable sync. Until I brought the Mac Book to him for a review and sat next to him. He straightened to lean his face near to the screen to read and I sucked in a breath. His musky cologne, his spicy body wash and his natural scent all filled my nostrils. The closeness generated a spark inside me and I was suddenly on fire. I feared my breathes were changing into low panting. God, this man made me desperate.
“Can you shift this clause above the second one?” he raised his hand to point out and his elbow brushed against my arm. The friction caused an immediate effect on my nipples and they tightened under my suit jacket. “Also add the media budget of the previous campaign so they know what leaps we are taking. Just mention it right after the mediums.” His voice vibrated into my ears and I briefly closed my eyes to let the odd feeling of wanting him sink in.
“Ms. Levant, are you alright?” his hoarse whisper came from right behind me. I jerked straight. And turned my head, only to find his mouth so near to me. Those luscious lips were a couple of inches away from me. I itched to taste them, to feel them. Knowing what they were capable of doing, I shuddered in utter anticipation. “You look flustered, Ms. Levant. Is something wrong?” he asked and I looked into his eyes. They were dark, filled with lust, desire, want. “Uh …” my throat was dry. I ran my tongue over my lips to wet them a little. Aaron gasped as he took in my little action.
The air between us was as thick as fog with sexual tension. His finger caressed the length of my neck with a feather touch, barely touching yet making sure I was feeling it. “Your neck is pulsing, Ms. Levant,” he stressed over ‘Ms. Levant’. I wanted to lean into his touch. “I wonder why,” I whispered. He looked into my eyes. His own sparkled with lust. “I can think of a few reasons.” His thumb was now tracing my jaw line and damned if I wasn’t soaking wet down there.
I wanted him and I wanted him right here. “It’s pulsing because of what’s going on inside this.” He tapped my temples slowly and I wanted to moan. “You are thinking of how I pleased you the other night.” His other hand was now moving against the outline of my arm. “You are remembering how I kissed you. Every inch of you. Leaving not a spot behind.” His thumb brushed my lips and then trailed across my jackets front, easing his way inside and softly tracing my puckered nipples. I gasped. “Ringing any bells, Ms. Levant?” he slipped the top button of my blouse open. And then the next two. “You remember how I made you cum just by teasing these?” he pinched my nipples and I arched up and moaned. Oh hell yes.
He leaned further in and gave my lips a small kiss, breaking away all too soon. “Aaron,” I whispered, closing my eyes as desire took over me and I grabbed his shoulders. He eased me down on the couch. His hand reached the hem of my skirt. “Are you wet, Ms. Levant?” Will he stop calling me that? His fingers found their way to the inside of my thigh and I moaned. He lowered his mouth to my breast and caught my hard erect nipple through my blouse while his fingers found the seams of my wet panties and he rubbed my swollen clit. “Yes,” I clutched his hair in fierce grip, wanting more and more of him. His other hand kneaded my aching breast as he gave equal attention to both my nipples. His fingers brushed my wet folds through the wet lace and then he ripped them in a single snap and inserted his finger into my channel. “God, yes!” I hissed as the climax began to build around my walls. He pushed another finger into me and his thumb found my bundle of nerves. His tongue and fingers worked magnificently on me. I was close to exploding. Just one more…
The loud ring of phone broke the spell. I jerked out of the sexual bubble that was surrounding us. Holy shit! What was I doing? He was my boss and we were in the office. “Aaron, stop!” I cried. “We can’t do this. This is inappropriate.” I tried to shove him away. His phone was still ringing. He broke away from me and stood up. The sudden loss of contact was like stepping over ice from burning coal. I tried to gather my breathing back to normal. “You are right. I apologize, Ms. Levant.” Aaron straightened his own jacket and buttoned up, providing me a glimpse of his bulge. I too got up and buttoned back my blouse and straightened my skirt.
His phone started to ring again. He pulled it out but made no attempt to pick it up. He was staring at me. “Uh, yes. Accepted. I’ll leave,” I ran fingers in my hair nervously and then took two steps ahead to leave and ran straight into him. He caught me by arms. “Steady there. Are you okay?” he asked me in a wry tone. “Of course, good day, Mr. Maxfield.” I walked past him and hit my leg into the table. “Ouch!” I winced. “Are you sure you are alright, Ms. Levant? I can help you, if you want,” he was smirking at me. Asshole! “I am fine. And answer your damn phone!” I couldn’t help but snap in irritation. I heard him chuckle as I stepped out of his room.
Damn him! He always knows how to get to me. And damn my traitor body and my needs that refuse to resist him. I had to do something that would make me less of a girl with horny urges around him. God, what must he be thinking of me? But then I remembered his grin. Jackass. He knew what he was doing. I just needed to find a way to avoid him.
*
If only I could have found a way to avoid Aaron, if only he would have given me a reason to avoid him. He's kept me working late the past two days. I was thankful it was Friday today and I would have a blissful weekend to relax and come up with a game plan for the coming week to keep my distance from him. But since he was the partner of the agency, it was considered to be my privilege that he was having me work alongside him. I had to give the man his credit, he was good at what he did.
Avery called me just before I was getting the minutes of the earlier meeting printed out. “Cass!! God, I missed you bad, girl! Don’t think I’ll forget to kick your ass for packing me all that stuff,” she exclaimed and I laughed. “You totally loved it, Av. Admit it,” I said. We had added a few yummy lingerie and not–for–kids toys in her suitcase before she had left for her honeymoon. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll let you go. Quinn thought it was my idea,” I could totally imagine her blushing. “Yeah, yeah, take the credit for my creativity. I gotta go or my boss will kick my ass. I’ll catch up with you later, Av. I missed you too,” I said to her and hung up the phone before rushing to Aaron’s cabin. The day was young and the office was full of activity.
I straightened my hair, took a deep breath and then turned the knob of the door to enter. “I have the minutes of the conference, Mr. Max…” my voice dried as I encountered the scene before me. Aaron was sitting on the couch with a woman, the same brunette from my interview day, on her knees, between his legs. Both of them snapped their faces towards me. Aaron’s face turned hard whereas the other woman’s filled with irritation. Shit. “I am sorry. I’ll leave.” I looked away and turned my back. “Cassandra wait,” Aaron called from behind. His voice was tight and cold. He was pissed. I didn’t wait and left his room, closing the door firmly behind me.
Hurt began to take over me. I didn’t know why I cared? It wasn’t like we were together or something. Hell, he was my boss. So why did I care who he screwed? And why the hell did I want to scratch both their damn faces off? I needed a minute to get myself back together. Rushing to the restroom, I locked myself into one of the cubicles and sat on the seat. “Deep breaths, Cass.” Inhale. Exhale. Repeat. I clenched my eyes shut and pressed fingers on my temples, hard. “No need to get upset. He isn’t yours,” I told myself. “He’s a man whore. You were just a flavor of the night, a one night stand. Nothing less, nothing more.” But damned if that image budged an inch from my mind. It refused to go. All I could see was him with that brunette. And the way he had seen me enter, he was furious. He was pissed that I interrupted his mid-day fuck.
I took several calming breaths. It was none of my concern whom Aaron Maxfield called and whom he screwed. I had been a welcome distraction at the Bahamas, but now I was like any other employee. And whatever that was about to happen the other evening, it was a slip of passion. I was here to do my job and that was exactly what I was going to concentrate on. The rest could kiss my ass. I put my power panties on and stepped out of the cubicle and ran cold water on my face. I needed to come back here again to redo my make-up but there was no way I was going out to face everyone with a flustered expression. No one needed to see it.
I opened the door of the restroom and stepped out. “Cassandra.” Aaron was right there next to my desk. God, no please. I silently begged and then walked straight past him. “Cassandra, listen to me,” he began. “I apologize for my improper interruption, Mr. Maxfield.” I clicked print key on my computer and then handed him the document which I was supposed to give him. “Here are the first few minutes of the conference for your record. I’ll get back to you with the review presentation,” I said pulling back my chair. He caught me by elbow. “Listen to me, dammit! That wasn’t what you are thinking. I can explain, alright. Just hear me out,” he said in a sharp voice and my own temper burst.
“Whatever you do, Mr. Maxfield is none of my concern. Who you fuck, or who you don’t, I don’t give a shit about it and I don't fucking care. I am here to work and you are my boss. You don’t need to give me any justifications. Now just leave me the hell alone,” I hissed back at him. “Don’t use that tone with me, Cassandra,” he warned. I uncurled his fingers from my elbow and glared at him. “Nobody tells me what I do. I work for you and that doesn’t give you a right to tell me what tone I speak in or how I react to things which do not relate to work. Leave me alone and go back to whatever you were in middle of doing.” People were now beginning to watch.
“It wasn't what it looked like. She means nothing to me” He snarled. “And I do?” I scoffed acidly. This conversation was going nowhere. I just wanted him gone. I brought my face near to him so that no one else could hear what I was going to say to him. “You are pissed because I interrupted before she finished you off? Let’s call it even, Mr. Maxfield,” I looked him straight in the eyes and then turned to sit on my seat and focused blindly on the screen before me.
Aaron kept standing beside me. I could feel his eyes holing my back but I’d be damned if I moved an inch. A few stretched seconds later he walked away and I let go of my breath that I was holding for a long time. I was in serious trouble.