5. Frustrated

Cas’ pov

Fuck! Shit! What a fucking mess!

The whole point of asking Ripley to come here was to annoy her. And now I was the one who was annoyed.

Not just annoyed. Frustrated. No, fucking pissed off!

How dare she reject me? How dare she get into my head?

The way she says my name. Fucking hell. I didn’t even think; I just told her to call me Cas. Nobody calls me Cas. One of my favorite nannies used to call me that, but other than that, everyone calls me Cassius or Mr. Hemming.

She didn't even realize the significance of my allowing her to call me that.

It was like I had no effect on her at all. But she had a fucking effect on me, that's for sure. Even if I didn't want to admit it, Ripley was getting to me.

Crawling on all fours, bending over the bed like that. Smelling so damn good and looking at me with those eyes that were just begging me to kiss her. Did she not realize she was teasing me? Was I a stupid game to her?

I scoffed. That was my plan. To play a dumb game before getting her fired.

Do you know how much work I could have gotten done in the time I spent with Ripley? And now my suite wasn’t even cleaned properly.

Her scent lingered everywhere. The cheap scent of cotton deodorant and lavender shampoo. So why did I like the scent?!

The moment I smelled her, I really felt the urge to kiss her neck. Wondering if she tasted just as she smelled.

Stupid fucking girl. That was what she was. A girl.

Because a woman would have known what to do. She would have accepted my offer. It was an offer a girl like Ripley would never get again. Didn’t she realize who I was? What could I do?!

I could make your life easier. Get in contact with whoever you need to get things done. But I could also make your life a living hell if I wanted to. I had done it before with people who insulted me.

But Ripley was something else. I didn’t want to make her life hell. Not yet, anyway.

First, I wanted to fuck her. Fuck her so good that she’d be screaming my name. Fuck her so hard that I’d pound that smug look right out of her.

Give her the orgasm of her life, and make sure she knows that it is the only and last time anyone will ever fuck her this way. I'd ruin men for her.

Ripley would beg me for more. Hang around me like Heather, just for another taste. Her so-called husband would never be able to satisfy her again.

Fuck. The thing I could do that girl.

I imagined tearing that ugly uniform off Ripley and getting her on her knees. She looked good on her knees. Then she’d suck my dick, and I would reward her by lifting her up to my face and eating her pussy.

Shit. I was getting hard, and I needed to leave soon for my meeting.

Walking into the bathroom, I looked around to see that it was far from my standard. It was clean, but not the way I liked it.

Maybe next time I will punish her every time she doesn’t do her job correctly. Perhaps spanking would work. I’d love to see my red imprint on her ass.

She was a nobody. So what was my damn obsession with her?

After opening my pants, my right hand grabbed my dick, and I started moving it up and down. I should cum all over this bathroom and make her clean it up. It was her fault; I was so damn agitated. Needing to release my frustration, I pumped my dick harder, imagining fucking the brains out of Ripley from behind while she made my bed.

I grunted as I came against the shower door.

Should I leave it there? For Ripley to see?

Before I could answer my own question, I received an alert that my next meeting was about to start. It was a conference call with my father, which I couldn’t be late for.

Quickly pulling my pants up, I grabbed my laptop and opened it.

“Father.”

“Cassius…” A stern voice came from the speakers. Father was glaring at me from the screen. “You’re late.”

“I am on time.”

“On time is late. Early is on time, Cassius. But let’s get to business.”

Of course, he went straight to business. Asking how I was doing was something I learned not to expect. That man had no interest in my wellbeing. Only in the company’s.

I nodded my head, “let’s talk business.”

“Is everything in place for next month?” He asked, looking at his watch like it was a waste of time to even talk to me.

“Are you still ready to give me your shares?” I replied, not giving him the satisfaction of giving a straight answer.

Father sighed, “as long as you hold yourself to the end of the deal. Your mother and I can’t wait until this whole chapter is finished. I’m glad you’ve decided to let go of your stubborn beliefs and see sense. It's time you grow up, Cassius.”

I faked a smile, remembering how Ripley had given me fake smiles all day.

Fuck, I didn't even know she was inside my head. I needed to get her out of my system!

“I’m just doing it for the shares, father.”

“Cassius Hemming!” Dad scolded me. It used to impress me. Back when he was taller than me. But he wasn’t as scary or intimidating as he used to be. His voice didn’t have the same effect it once had. And he couldn’t hurt me through the screen.

Or in real life, for that matter. I had made sure my body would be able to withstand any attack from him or other people who thought they could mess with me. Not fighting back was no longer an option.

“Yes, father?” I asked innocently.

“Don’t let them hear it! I don’t care what your reasons are. As long as you go through with our agreement.”

Now I was the one sighing. “I will. Is that all?”

Father scoffed. “What has gotten into you today? You know what? Don’t tell me. Just get it out of your system before next month. This attitude won’t fly. Get it sorted.”

“I’m an adult, father.” I replied, annoyed that he was still telling me what to do. Once again, he didn't care if I was okay or not. He only cared if I made him look bad.

“So fucking act like it!” My father shouted at the screen.

Fuck this. I closed the laptop, ending the call.

All that man cared for was money and appearance. As long as things looked good, they were good. Even though my parents were both miserable. It didn’t matter that both of them cheated throughout their marriage. It didn’t matter if mom popped more pills daily than most drug addicts do.

My parents were great at throwing money at the problem. Which was usually me. They paid for the best tutors. Hired expensive nannies and paid for boarding school to set me on the right path. But they didn’t care if it was actually what I wanted.

Once I finished college, I started working at the company, and once I proved myself, I received some shares in the company. Not just because my father promised, but because he realized I was actually making more profit than he was.

But the moment dad would give me the last of the shares I needed to have a majority in the company, he would have no say in my life anymore.

I would be making the decisions from then on.

The first decision would be to get him away from the company all together. Make sure he starts his retirement early. The less I would be able to see him, the better.

I needed to clear my head. I needed a fucking drink.

Heading down to the private terrace, knowing there was a chance I’d be seeing Ripley take her lunch break again. But it was my favorite spot in this hotel, and I wouldn’t let her ruin it for me.

She didn’t have that much power over me. She didn’t have any power over me. She is nobody. Just someone who needs to be put in her place.

As soon as I sat down, I was brought a scotch. Everyone knew my drink of choice here. Once I took a sip and felt the liquid warm my chest, I felt like I could breathe again.

One more month, and my parents would be out of my hair for good.

I stared ahead, imagining life without the pressure of having to be perfect. For years, I had pushed any idea that wasn’t mainstream away, knowing my dad would veto it. But perhaps once I was in charge, I could steer this company in the direction I wanted to.

The sound of giggles made me stop thinking, and I saw Ripley sitting in the same spot she was yesterday. She looked at her phone and giggled again before putting her phone away and taking a sip of water.

Her giggles were cute, reminding me of the little girls yesterday.

I scratched my beard, remembering how soft her face was when I held her chin. She looked up at me then, with a fake bravada. I could see the fear behind her eyes, yet she refused to act scared.

A woman like her would never understand the pressure I was under. She probably assumed that money made life easier. Being this rich, you wouldn’t have to worry about anything.

She had probably never had a moment of true fear in her life.

Look at her. Happily married. Easy fucking life. You work a few hours doing crap work, and then you go home. Make dinner, watch some TV, and maybe have mediocre sex before falling asleep and starting all over again.

She didn’t have thousands of employees counting on her. She didn’t have to worry about making deadlines or having one mistake cost you millions.

I scoffed. My father had bought ten 10,000-dollar bills just to display them at home. They were discontinued in the 1960s, but my father loved to show off his wealth. Ripley had probably never had more than a few thousand dollars in her bank account.

I grabbed my phone and called one of my managers. “I need a deep dive on a woman called Ripley, working for the hotel as the cleaning staff.”

“Yes, Sir. Do you have a last name?”

“Do you need it? How many people with the name Ripley would be working for the hotel?" I scoffed.

“Yes, Sir. I will get on that right away.” The manager said before I hung up without another word.

He would be relaying the message to our I.T. team, and soon I would find out everything there is to know about Ripley and know exactly what makes her tick. Let’s see what skeletons are in her closet.

Maybe I'll act like my father and try to buy Ripley. See how much money it takes before she comes begging for me to fuck her?

Everyone has a price. I just need to find hers.