Chapter 4

Marie

Rick.

Maverick.

Rick was Maverick??? Holy shit.

Our brief encounter awoke things in me I thought had disappeared that night when I left him alone in the hotel room. His huge hands on my back made my body flare up with heat. His blue eyes that reminded me of a perfect afternoon sky, thick black hair that made my fingers twitch to run through them, like I had done ten years ago…

I had heard about the media giant; Maverick Russo, but I’d never really taken interest anything related to him. Luckily for me, I wasn’t asked any questions about him during my concluding interview last week or else I probably wouldn’t have gotten this job.

I also wouldn’t have been here if it weren’t for him –his watch that I had stolen and sold at a jewelry pawn shop. I swallowed hard, my mind raced with the possibilities that he recognized me.

I stabbed the thought and shook my head. No. that wasn’t the reaction of a person who recognized his thief, it was the face of a person who has had so many one night stands that he couldn’t possibly remember the faces of every one of them. 

My phone vibrated causing me to pick it up to check the notification. I grinned when I read the message. 

Have a good first day mummy!

I was in the process of sending a reply when fear clutched my heart at a sudden thought. Trembling, I hit send and dropped my phone to my desk. 

No. I fucking yelled at the thought. I wouldn’t let anyone take away my daughter. Not even if he’s her –

“You did great today Marie.”

All my thoughts vanished. I was staring at Jules, my segment partner who hosted ‘Game Time’ with me for thirty minutes. It was a fun show where we asked series of random questions our audience had to answer and win a price should they get their question right.

We had the perfect vibes on air –catchy, jovial and all smiles. But in the real world, we hadn’t clicked to that extent yet and settled on being polite to each other.

I smiled genuinely. “Thanks Jules, you weren’t so bad yourself.”

She laughed, her black braids swaying with her movement. “Enjoying your first day? No troubles?”

I nodded. This was my first big-girl job and I was determined to make the best of it. Landing a job at Prime Telecoms after five gruesome stages of interviews? Of course I was fucking enjoying my first day.

 “Look, we have lunch in like five minutes. You should come along with me to the cafeteria, meet the team proper.”

“Sure,” I shrugged. “I hope the cafeteria’s food bomb though,” I pushed back my seat to stand. “Just give me few minutes, I’ll meet you downstairs, yeah?”

I made my way to the ladies, finished my business there, and when I stepped out, I found someone waiting for me.

He was young with glasses and a scholarly aura. “Hello Miss Marie Cooper, my name’s Jim. Mr Maverick would like to see you in his office right now and has instructed that you come with me.”

My mouth dried up. My heart felt as if it had stopped and then crashed to the bottom of my stomach. Intense Fear and dread hugged me tightly, refusing to let go. 

He knows. He fucking knows and I’m in trouble. My eyes stung, my legs buckled and for a moment I considered running away. My eyes drifted to the stairs at the far end of the lobby.

“Miss Marie?” Jim was getting impatient. “Please follow me.”

Heart beating faster and louder every second, my legs trailed after Jim, but my body was a nervous wreck. I was in fucking trouble.

~~~

The executive floor was as grand as its name. I would’ve paid attention and appreciated its beauty more if my heart and mind wasn’t spiraling out of control and tormented with fear. I followed Jim like a zombie, mentally preparing my apology speech.

If he had any iota of emotion in him, perhaps he could overlook the incident and let me off easily. But if he was as ice cold as the media so often described him….. I let my thoughts hang there, terrified to go on.

When we finally got to the infamous CEO Maverick Russo’s office, my heart threatened to come out of my chest. His office? Huge was an understatement. But his mere presence, the way his eyes bored into mine all the way from his table was enough to suffocate the fuck out of me.

The silence stretched long and thick, so I decided –which was probably foolish of me to break it.

“You wanted to see me sir?” I hoped my voice was more confident than I felt.

More silence, more of that lethal icy gaze that made me want to squirm away in fear.

“Hello Marie.”

Just two words. Two words that tilted my world off its axis. My whole body began to tremble. He remembered. He remembered.

“Such an interesting turn of events don’t you agree?” he got up with the calculated movement of a predator, my eyes following his every moment until he stopped in front of me. Not too close, but I felt it again between us, that electric current that charged up the air around us. Maverick Russo was a beautiful and dangerous man –like a fallen angel. “Did you think I wouldn’t recognize you?” 

I opened my mouth, but only air came out. I couldn’t say anything. 

He reached out to his fancy glass topped desk, picked up what looked like a file and returned to his previous position before me. “I don’t involve myself with my low employees but one look at you and I couldn’t resist getting my hands on your personal information.” 

I clenched my fists at my sides. Low Employees? Fuck you.

“Marie Cooper, 27 years old, a bachelor’s degree in broadcasting, and several internships within the past four years. You even have a certification in specialized radio broadcasting. In fact, your CV is pretty impressive,” he paused and raised his eyes to meet mine. “For a thief.”

He let the words sink in, cut into me deeper like a knife, before he spoke again. “I listened to your morning program, and fortunately for you, it wasn’t a waste of my time,” he stopped, the corner of his lips twitching into a small time. “You’re good at what you do, when you’re not stealing other people’s property of course.”

My whole body sparked with anger. “Look, I needed the fucking money alright?” I yelled, and only after the words came out did I realize I just made a terrible fucking mistake.

Yup. This was it. Goodbye big girl job.

“It was my first and last time stealing,” I sighed apologetically. “I’m sorry.”

“For which part? For stealing from me or for leaving me?” The raw emotion in his voice threw me off unexpectedly. He took one step forward and though his eyes still retained its icy hard look, I detected vulnerability and it fucking surprised me. 

“Don’t bother answering that,” he said again and I was grateful for it because I didn’t know the answer to his surprising question. “I’m not going to fire you.”

I released the anxious breath I had been holding, relief coursing through my veins. 

“But I could ruin your life and career.”

I stumbled back as if his words were bricks that hit me in the chest. “What do you mean?” I demanded. “You said –“ my words vanished, blood roaring in my ears. Jail. Maverick Russo was going to arrest me.

“I said I could.” He pointed out with a cruel ghost smile. “But I wouldn’t, if you agree to my proposal.” He closed the distance between us now and I inhaled that seductive dangerous scent of his. 

My feet were frozen to the spot. My eyes glued to him with all sorts of emotions entangled in me as I wondered what sort of proposal he’s about to suggest. 

Suddenly I’m thrown back to eight years ago when I asked Dolly for assistance and all I feel is anger. Red hot anger that made my blood boil.

“What is it?” I said through gritted teeth. “What do you want from me?”

He leaned into my neck and nuzzled with his nose, causing my neglected pussy to throb with an urgent need only he can satisfy.

“What I want from you?” His hot breath against my ears caused my body to shiver deliciously. “I want to fuck you hard against this glass wall with the whole world watching how my cock makes you come.”

My eyes widened at the nasty bluntness of his words. I bit my lips and shut my eyes briefly in a bid to stop imagining and anticipating. His cock. His huge perfect cock inside me-

“But the proposal?” he stepped back, bursting the sexual bubble of tension, as if nothing had happened. “It’s a very simple one.”