I smiled when I thought of Nicola’s face as she saw the kitchen. It was worth the cost to stock it and it was well worth the questioning looks that I was getting from some of my staff. It was clear that no one else could see why I was doing it. I wasn’t sure either, but Nicola had agreed to come and work for me and that was enough.
She couldn’t start right away, which left me having to wait the weekend out. I’d planned to go to Vegas and play. At the beginning of the week I had been feeling restless to go, to fulfill my needs, but now I knew that if I didn’t have Nicola, there would be no satisfaction. She was the one, and I was more than willing to roll with that.
Connie was questioning my idea that we could save money for the company if we just paid a chef and didn’t order out anymore. She brought me the figures from accounting and then smirked at me when they showed clearly that the salary I had agreed to pay Nicola was going eat up every penny of the savings. I tried to sell her on the convenience, but she still looked skeptical. Then I remembered that I was the boss, and told her that. She just kind of chuckled at me.
So she wasn’t happy, but the idea of having Nicola under my roof was enough for me to not care. Connie had been with me for years and she had learned to give her opinion but not push it too much. So my assistant let the subject go, even though the look on her face told me plainly that she still didn’t agree.
When Sunday rolled around, I was becoming apprehensive about what was going to come next. I wasn’t worried about what would happen, just how Nicola would respond to me. I liked to think about it while I lay in bed at night, but there really was no telling. She might not be into the things that I was into, but that didn’t matter. Nicola had an endearing innocence to her, and a slight underlying submissive trait that I hoped I could help flourish. She was made for me and she didn’t even know it yet. Nicola didn’t even know what she was made for.
“Good morning.”
I looked up and was surprised to see Nicola at the door. I had spent so much time thinking about her that I’d failed to notice her arrival. Standing up, I told her good morning, my eyes taking in the curves that were visible under her clothes. She was dressed up more for an office than a kitchen, and I had to admit I loved the change. The pencil skirt was tight on her derriere and I wanted nothing more than to touch her. But I knew I couldn’t yet. I had to get myself together before I did something that I would regret later.
“It is good to see you, Nicola.”
“I don’t know what I am supposed to be doing.”
“You could make me some breakfast if you want.”
She nodded and then moved away from the door. Her quick smile made me give her one back. I wanted her to stay, but I knew that I was going to have to let her go. We both had work to do. When she came back some time later, there were several plates in her hands. She set them down on a side table next to my desk. “I should have asked first, so I just brought you a sampling. Is there anything else that I can do for you, sir?”
“Just call me Jerold. We’re not so formal around here.”
She repeated my name and I watched her leave again. I was going to have to figure out a way to keep her around, as well as get what I wanted. I had a feeling that she would be receptive to my advances, but I wanted to make sure before I did anything. Because if not, there was a chance that she would get upset and leave. I couldn’t let that happen: She was meant to be mine.
***
The week went by quickly and I was finding it hard to make my move. It was not something that I was used to, indecision. It was why I was the way I was. I had the confidence, but this time, there was the small shred of doubt in the back of my mind that told me that I was wrong. If I was wrong, I was going to be really wrong.
I heard the knock. It was always the same, soft and three short raps. I looked up and smiled at her. Since she started working here, I had instituted an open-door policy in my office. Some other people took advantage of it, but it was those special moments with Nicola that I looked forward to most. She was always quick to leave, and she was skittish sometimes, like I was a wolf and her a lamb, but there was always something new to be learned, and so far I had liked everything. It was part of the reason that I was so slow to move. I had built it up in my head so much that it was hard to live up to, and I knew I would be crushed like I was fourteen if she didn’t respond well.
“How are you doing, Jerold?”
“Good now. I’ve been eating so well since you started working here that I may have to add an extra gym day to my schedule.”
She smiled at the compliment and told me that it was unnecessary. I caught her eyes looking me over several times, and in that moment I knew that I was going to have to move forward. As far as I was concerned, she was begging for it. It was enough for me to make a decision. I was going to have her now. I would just have to move slowly.
Nicola was setting down what I had ordered and she was moving to leave me. I stopped her with a hand on her forearm from my spot in the chair. “Why don’t you stay and we’ll get to know each other? I have it on good authority that your boss won’t mind.”
I could tell she was not sure. I saw her eyes move to the hand on her arm. She didn’t move away and I didn’t loosen my grip. “I insist, Nicola.”
She finally agreed. The submission in her eyes that I was looking for was finally visible. She thought she was giving in to a little lunch with me, but Nicola was agreeing to so much more. She just didn’t know it yet.
“Will you shut the door for me, please?”
Another second of hesitation and her lips pursed for a moment like she was going to say something else. She didn’t, though, shutting her pretty lips and moving towards the door. The room was so quiet that the click echoed in my ears.
When she came back she was looking around for somewhere to sit. The couch was available, but instead I sat back and patted my lap. “Why don’t you come and sit over here, Nicola?”
Her brown eyes were shocked, and I was worried for a second. I had told myself to go slow, and that was obviously not what I had done. Had I just gone too far?
I couldn’t tell by her face which way it was going to go. Her teeth nibbled on her bottom lip for a moment, and I was suddenly jealous that I couldn’t do the same. I could feel myself starting to tighten. All of my dark desires hinged on her accepting her new role.
“I don’t think that would be a good idea, Jerold.”
My name was breathy on her lips, and the sound was my undoing. “I insist.”
To be continued…