ASHER
A knock came on my door before my secretary pushed it open, beaming. She had her hand placed protectively under her stomach. “Good morning, boss," she greeted, still smiling.
“Good morning. How's our baby this morning?”
“Kicking.” She rubbed her stomach, which had gotten bigger since the time she broke the news to me. She was nearing her 9th month, and I didn't want to think of how lonely I would be when she went on maternity leave.
Benny has been with me from the time I founded this company. She was one of the few workers who witnessed our growth. We started in a flat and rapidly grew until we got not just an entire building but different branches in the country.
“Come on, don't give me that look.” She frowned, walking over to me. “My maternity leave will just be 6 months. Before you know it, I will be back, stressing your life like I always do.” She grinned, picking up on my mood like she always did.
“I can't help it, Benny,” I groaned. “You are the best secretary any boss could ever ask for. I don't think anyone would replace you.”
I shuddered, thinking of how I would survive the months she would be gone. I knew it would be hell. No one would be as perfect as Benny.
“What can I say? I'm irreplaceable,” she said with a smug smile. “It's just a temporary thing. I will be back before you miss me.” She reached over and pinched my cheeks, chuckling when I growled at her. “Now that's my cute puppy.”
Benny was the only one who could see through me, through the mask I always had around others. While others feared me, she saw the man who tried to shoulder everything by hiding behind a wall.
“I'm not a puppy, and you know that.” I playfully swatted her hands away. “Now, to business. Why are you here?”
“Oh, dear me.” She placed a palm on her forehead and exhaled. “I almost forgot. The new employee is here for his final interview.”
“Oh.” I checked the time on my wristwatch. “I have an hour to spare before the dreadful board meeting. Let him in.”
“Okay.” Winking, she left my office.
I got up from my chair and straightened my shirt to look presentable enough. Sitting back, I let the mask slide into place, taking on the role of a stern boss. It was the look I had perfected from the time I started this business, and it has worked to keep people away from me and my workers in line.
A knock came a few minutes later, and I asked the person in as I reached for his file. I opened it just as he walked in.
“Good morning, sir.”
My heart stilled when I heard his voice. It was the one I always fantasised about, a deep baritone. Slowly, I looked up, my eyes widening as they moved from a broad shoulder to his face. Time stilled, and the words I wanted to utter lodged in my throat.
The man was freaking handsome. No, scratch that. Fucking gorgeous. The type I wouldn't mind letting tie me down. His emerald eyes stared at me, stealing my breath.
My eyes went down again, to that fucking chest, before they moved lower, to his hands. Father Abraham, those hands would look good wrapped around my neck as he took me from behind. I imagined getting slapped on my arse as he took me hard, and the imprints it would leave. My dick hardened at that, twitching, just like my arsehole.
And when my eyes travelled lower, to the package hidden by his slacks, I felt like I might faint. He was packing something down there, and I ached to reach out, to unzip his slacks as I got down on my knees and swallowed it down my throat as far as I could without gagging. Of course, he would have his hand on the back of my neck, forcing me to take more.
“Excuse me, sir?”
I snapped my gaze back to his face, blinking as my cheeks coloured. I felt ashamed getting caught leering at his body.
“Are you okay, sir?” He asked politely. His expression didn't match his body at all. He looked far too innocent.
“Yeah.” I let out a cough, sitting up as I reached for his file once more. “Have a seat, Mr …”
“Lee. The name's Guel Lee,” he offered with a smile, closing the distance between us.
The nearer he got, the more it felt like I might faint.
Fuck. Get a grip on your damned self, Asher! I screamed at myself. This wasn't the first time I had seen a muscular man, damn it!
“Right. Mr Lee.” I forced a smile as he sat. Seated, he didn't get any smaller. Though there was a table separating us, I felt like his body would swallow me whole.
Gulping, I looked down at his resume, and the first thing that caught my eye was his age. Fucking 20?! He's 15 years my junior??!
God, Asher, you need to snap out of this. He's way too young for you, damn it!
Okay, it wasn't my fault that he looked at least 25 with that body. I wouldn't have doubted if he told me he was thirty. That body doesn't look like it belonged to a kid. Come on.
I leafed through the information before I looked up. “You are quite young, Mr Lee, and it said you just graduated?” I lifted a brow at that.
“Yes, sir, I completed college a few months ago. This is my first job,” he said, looking earnestly at me.
“I see.” I nodded, with my hand placed under my jaw, staring at him. “You are muscular,” I blurted before I could stop myself. My mouth just couldn't get the hint, running because it felt the need to.
“I was in the football and basketball club throughout high school and college,” he replied, a blush decorating his cheeks.
“You must be quite good,” I noted, still running my eyes down his muscular body, now with a reason to do so. I could always claim I was just looking at the body of a sports champion.
Guel poked his head in, smiling. My heart, which had been seeking excuses to jump out of my chest, picked up from where it stopped as he stepped into my office, looking more handsome than I had ever seen him. The purple button-down shirt he wore had three buttons open, going against the rules in the office about the number of open buttons allowed, but my eyes weren't complaining. My eyes ran down to his dark blue slacks and office shoes before they returned to his face, my cheeks heating when I realized he was staring at me.I coughed to ease the awkwardness. “What are you doing here?” I tried to sound as professional as I could without giving out my flipping stomach with restless butterflies flapping around, seeking an escape route. I rose, grabbed the bouquet, and looked around for the place I would keep it before dropping it back after I realized I didn't have much better options. Awkwardly, I stood there, looking at him.He grinned. “I came to see you. Thought we could go through
He was taken aback by that. Blinking, he glanced at the choker I had given him, his brows furrowed. “Why? Didn't you say you liked it?” He stared at my hand without moving to take what I was offering. Yeah, I loved it, a little too much. If only it were mine. He bought it for the lady he liked. He didn't have me in mind when he purchased it. It wasn't for me, else I would have shown my appreciation in ways he would have loved.I shook my head. “I don't like it. I only accepted the choker because you wanted me to do that, nothing else.”I knew I was lying, but that was the only way to keep my feelings hidden from him. I strode to my couch, with the choker still in my palm. It hurts, thinking of parting with it now that I'd felt the thrill, the rush that comes with getting gifted something I had always wanted, even if it wasn't meant for me.“But —”“Just give it to the woman you choose. I'm certain they will appreciate it.” Even at that, I didn't let the choker go. I gripped it hard,
He smiled, shook his head if what he was about to ask was absurd. I stared hard at my feet, embarrassed by how readily I was to do whatever he asked. If only he weren't so innocent, he would have known my love for him. I didn't need to stare long at the mirror to know the face I had while staring at him. When I looked up, I noticed he was still warring with my mind and had to step in. "What's it?"I was practically begging with my eyes for him to tell me what it was. I was far gone, eager to know what it was and hoping secretly that it would be something thrilling. Since he had just asked to see the choker on me, surely, he would ask for something along that line. Right?"Can I... Can I..." He rubbed the back of his neck and averted his gaze. I stared, waiting for him to tell me what it was before my stupid mouth blurted something absurd out."I know this is too much to request, but I've decided." He held my gaze this time. I wondered if his eyes had looked so green as they did at
Not for the first time I wondered if he had a thing for me, staring at me like that as if he couldn't get enough of me, but I knew it was all in my mind. There was no way someone like him would actually like me. It was impossible.He got up from the couch and stalked towards…Okay, he didn't stalk towards me. It was just my deranged mind believing otherwise, despite knowing it was no use.“You look good,” he breathed, his gaze not leaving my neck as he advanced closer, practically in a slow-mo. My cheeks heated, and I averted my gaze to hide the flush on them. I liked how he sounded, almost like he was enthralled by me. “What do you like more, the choker on me or…?” I bit back those words before my desperation could make me say them out loud. I wasn't that desperate. Or am I?“I was right. It fits you perfectly,” he continued, having not heard my question. I should have been glad about that, grateful he didn't catch those remarks, but I wasn't.“Can you turn so I can see how it looks
Guel's look of awe didn't ease even when we stepped into my apartment. That it was the penthouse made him almost lose his cool. He couldn't stop admiring the place, his eyes sparkling like a kid who had been nowhere in the city but the company.“Have a seat,” I gestured to the couch, walking over to my minibar to get a drink, before I paused. “What would you like to have? I have practically any drink you want.”“Do you have a beer?”I almost did a double-take at his request. I was expecting him to request water, juice, or something. Isn't that what an innocent twenty-year-old would ask for?“Mr Asher?”Blinking, I forced a smile to hide the nerves, “Yeah, I do. I will get it for you. Just relax.” I changed my course since he didn't order for wine, and went to my fridge to get the beer for him. Returning to the parlour, I placed the can of beer on the table, my hands shaking at his stare. I stood back, the nervous smile still on my face. “Enjoy.”He flashed a smile and picked up the
ASHERDamn it, Ash, you need to stop thinking Guel has a thing for you. Just because he asked to see the damned choker on you doesn't mean he likes you. He has a lady he's madly in love with, one he wants to please. He's straight, not gay! I tried to tell myself, but it seemed like my body only knew how to react to his name, and my damned heart seemed to have fallen deeply in love with him. 'No, this isn't right.'I had lived longer than him and hadn't fallen for anyone. I loved being free, but…. Okay, I'd always dreamt of being loved, of having the perfect daddy, a Dom who would take the reins. Guel just isn't the man. He's too soft, younger than me, and knows shit about intimacy. I wouldn't be surprised if he's still a virgin. He's just as clueless as fuck, wouldn't even know what to do with his dick if a woman is naked…Right? So why do I always feel bad when he speaks to women? I shouldn't, right? Someone as clueless as Guel wouldn't be the perfect daddy for me. Even though he