Chapter 4: Banned From The Company

_Lynette’s Point Of View_

This wasn’t how I imagined my morning would go, but then again, I couldn’t really expect that much from a one-night stand with a total stranger.

After realizing that it was my co-worker, Savannah, who called me, I looked around the hotel room, to find that the hot grumpy man, Bladen, who took me to orgasm heaven and back last night, was nowhere to be seen. Hearing the sound of the shower running in the bathroom, I relaxed.

My mind immediately went to last night’s events as my body thrashed and squirmed under Bladen’s weight, and truly, I screamed his name as I came so hard, that I technically died. Not once.

Red crept up my cheeks till my face almost hurt, but it was too bad that I had to cut this morning short.

Besides, what were we going to do if Bladen came out from the bathroom and found me idling on his bed?

Have breakfast together? Kiss? Say “Bang later”?

I’d never had a one-night stand, so I wouldn’t know, but I didn’t need to find out.

Pushing myself up to my feet and biting my lips to pipe down the pain from my throbbing thighs, I slipped my clothes on. It wasn't what I would normally wear to work, but it had to do.

I made it to the office quickly, but the bad news was that I had to find a way to avoid Victor for the rest of the day.

“This is so unlike you, Lynette,” Savannah started immediately after I settled down. “You're an hour and thirty minutes late,” she whisper-shouted, and I offered her a guilty look.

“I got carried away with…you know what? Nevermind. I’m here now. What was the emergency? Did he come looking for me?”

By he, I meant the head of our department at Stone Enterprise, and my now ex, Victor.

Savannah shook her head once. “No, but something worse happened.”

My interest was piqued as I turned to face her fully.

“Come on, out with it.”

“Victor got banned from the company!”

I blinked twice because I didn’t just hear Savannah right.

“Banned? How can Victor get banned? He’s our departmental head.”

Savannah's eyes were wide and gleaming with the excitement of her gossip.

“I know! Rumors have it that it was a direct order from the CEO.”

“What? Charles Stone? How is that possible?”

Our department worked closely with the CEO’s office here at Stone Enterprise. Mr Charles Stone had been my mentor for as long as I could remember, but he had suddenly stopped showing up at work.

I guessed it was due to his age and health, but him giving a direct order to ban Victor from the company was news.

Why?

Savannah answered my inner questions.

“Not Mr Charles Stone. The new CEO, Mr Charles’s eldest son. Again, the rumors are that Mr Charles is gravely ill, so his son just came from Italy to take over the family business.”

My heart dropped. Was Mr Charles that ill?

Oblivious to my inner torments, Savannah went on.

“And Mr Stone’s son is not known for his patience or kindness, Lynn. Victor was the first person to feel his wrath, so be careful,” Savannah warned. “You wouldn’t want to be next.”

Just as Savannah spoke, I seemed to notice the buzz around the office. Everyone was walking on eggshells, practically running from one end to the other, busying themselves with work.

“But why would he ban Victor from the office?” I asked, confused, and Savannah replied quietly.

“I do not have the answer to that. Face your work now. The new CEO will be here in less than an hour.”

Some selfish part of me was relieved that I wouldn’t have to face Victor in the office if that were true, but I felt bad regardless.

I tried to do as Savannah said, but I had become disoriented and uneasy.

First, Mr Charles Stone was like a father to me, and no doubt to many others too. News of him being sick made my heart hurt. I just hoped that it wasn’t too serious.

I felt bad for his son too, having no option than to run the business instead of being by his father’s side. But having heard the tales about his ruthless reputation, my heart raced.

Soon, I, Savannah, and a few other department staff were lined up at the company’s entrance to welcome Mr Stone, and I pushed every other thought to the back of my mind. Including the ones from last night.

The tinted black SUV carrying him approached, and I bounced on my feet.

When the door was opened for him to step out, I inhaled a sharp breath because nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. Or rather, who.

It was him!

The man from the club.

Bladen!

The one whose face had been at the forefront of my mind since last night. Whose face had been between my legs, eliciting reactions from me that I’d never felt in my life.

Christ, Lynn! You couldn’t have chosen someone else to be attracted to?

A wave of shock and anxiety ran through me, and my hands began to shake.

My legs were ready to take off and hide, but as he moved toward us, I mustered all the courage I could, and moved forward to introduce myself with the others.

He didn't even blink at us as he strolled briskly into the building, commanding the attention of all the employees with his focus fixed forward.

Okay, rude?

I followed him into the office feeling even more nervous, and my heart pounded against my rib cage as I cautiously approached him. Every other person had dispersed back to their posts.

“Good morning Sir. I’m Lynnette Parker, your secretary.” I introduced myself, speaking in short sentences.

His expression was unclear as he raised his head from his computer screen. His stern eyes locked with mine, but he gave me no acknowledgment or even a smile.

Wait. Did he not recognize me?

My mind raced with a million ideas, but I managed to narrow it down. “Do you need anything, sir?”

"No," he shot back condescendingly, his powerful voice cold and emotionless as he waved me off.

With shaky legs, I dragged myself out of his office and back to my desk.

Why was he so cold now?

This was the same man who defended me last night when Victor tried to harass me, and we spent the night in each other’s arms.

I couldn’t decide which was worse, that he didn’t recognize me, or that he did, but didn’t care.

My butt barely landed on my seat when Savannah’s face appeared again as she scrolled through her phone

“Oouuh, this is juicy,” she squirmed.

“Huh?”

She responded. “He’s barely been here for minutes, and the news already have something to say about him.”

I needed to take my mind off the fact that I slept with my new boss, so I gave Savannah the attention I could manage.

“What do they have to say about him?”

Her next words were like a punch to my throat.

“The blogs say that he’s a male mistress. It made freaking headlines, Lynn,” Savannah said, throwing her head back in a low cackle.

Snatching the phone from Savannah, my mouth fell open to see a picture of Bladen with one of his hands tangled in a woman’s hair, and the other roughly gripping one of her asscheeks as he kissed her in the middle of the streets.

That woman…was freaking me!

And I still had the same dress and shoes on!

“What the heck have I gotten myself into?” I questioned myself.

But most importantly, how was I going to get myself out of this mess?