I bet you’ve heard the story about the secretary falling head over heels for her boss; that’s me, but what happens when you have unforgettable with someone without knowing he is your boss? That’s me; I got invited to a party that ended up being a birthday party with a dungeon theme, weird, I know, tell me about it, but I finally let my hair down and enjoyed exploring my sexuality with the most intense men I have ever met. My boss, Richard Ashford, Mr. Billionaire CEO himself, he is intense, dominating, cocky, and arrogant, but he makes me feel like the most important woman in the world. Behind closed doors, he is the most fantastic lover. I wish the world could see him the same way I do. I am not ready for dating after everything I have been through. But he is. He wants to show Manhattan’s elite that I am his, but I don’t want to be in the spotlight. I like being anonymous. His life is covered by every newspaper and magazine. That’s what happens when you own most of New York’s media companies.
View MoreRichard POV
“Richard, you have your mother on line two,” I hear Esther say through the intercom. I sit back in my chair, lifting the phone from its stand and pressing line two. I have to prepare myself for this mentally.
“Mother,” I can hear the back noise. I can tell she is not home, but that woman is so productive during the day that she would have to be sick to be home, almost dying. I have never seen her just staying at home. She is always out, full of appointments and commitments. She could easily be busier than the first lady.
“Ricky, I am near your office today for a meeting. Join me for lunch”, she says straight away, and I roll my eyes, looking at my watch. It’s only nine in the morning. As much as I would like to say no to her, I wouldn’t dare. The woman is a bloody saint, and it doesn’t really hurt to have lunch with her. The only thing she tends to do is pry into my love life. Or better saying my non existing love life.
"I'm having Esther arrange a table at your favorite place," I said, and I heard a giggle.
“Lovely darling, I will see you there at one, don’t be late,” she says, and I can’t help but roll my eyes, sitting straight in my chair.
“When have I ever been a late mother?” I ask, but too late because she is already chatting with someone about one of the many charities she is involved in. My mother is one of the most productive people I have ever met, and my father says I am just like her, focused, and I can't relax until I sort everything around me.
I put the phone down, pressing the buzzer to call Esther in. A few seconds later, she opens the door, striding into my office.
“What can I do for you?” she asks as she opens her notepad and looks at me. I point at the chair in front of me, and she sits as she watches me through the thick lenses. Her glasses are old and thick. Geez, Esther is old. She will be retiring soon and is trying to find her replacement. I took over the company’s CEO from my father, and I inherited Esther from the company.
I don’t know what I would’ve done without her when I first started eleven years ago. I was only twenty-five when I took over, and Esther ensured I knew what I was doing. After all, she was my father’s secretary for the past thirty years before me. She knows the job better than I do.
“How’re the interviews going?” I ask as I sit back in my chair, smiling, watching her relax on her chair.
“Oh dear, there are some good ones. There’s this one girl that is absolutely perfect, but I think she will be taking a job at the Times,” she says, and I frown, looking at her. If she is that good, we can’t have that happening, right?
“Offer her more money if you think she will be the perfect candidate. Make sure to do whatever it takes to get her in”, I say, and she smiles softly as she writes on her notepad. I can’t just have some stupid and underqualified person as my secretary and personal assistant. I have filled my life with too many commitments and complexity. Someone that can keep up is what I need.
“I need you to book lunch for one at my mum’s favorite restaurant,” I say, and Esther smiles as she looks back down at her notepad. I really need someone a little more connected to technology. Someone that isn’t averse to it would be doing everything straight away on an iPad and having most of the tasks done before even getting back on their desk.
“How is she?” Esther asks, and I smile back at her.
“I assume she is fine; otherwise, she would be barging in through those doors, “I say, and Esther nods in agreement.
“Your brother wants to see you,” she says, and I nod before she stands up, losing her balance. I stand up, immediately walking around my desk to give her a hand. Her hand immediately holds onto my arm as she pulls herself up.
“Are you okay?” I ask, and she nods, placing one hand on my cheek and smiling. I wouldn’t allow anyone else to behave like this with me, but Esther is unique.
“I am fine,” she replies before leaving the office. I grew up watching Esther help my father with everything he ever needed here. She used to keep crayons on her desk for when we came here with my mom, and the woman was like a second mother to us.
I grab my phone and my jacket from the back of my chair. Before throwing my jacket back on, I pull my sleeves down and do the buttons. I walk out of the office to see Dylan. What the hell does he need me for that? He refused to walk into my office.
“Richard, Dylan is on a phone call,” his secretary says as I approach his office. I always forget her name and try to scramble around to find it, but I can’t. I know it starts with a T. Tina. Tara? Fuck that, and I don’t know. I nod, but I open the door and walk into his office.
He is standing with his back turned to the door with a hand on the glass supporting his body. He pulled his shirt out of his trousers and the sleeves up to his elbows. I can see a set of knees between his open legs, and I shake my head. My brother is getting sucked at work, so I stop walking and smirk. I clear my throat, catching both of their attention. Dylan’s head turns around, and when he sees me, the girl on her knees stands up, clearing both sides of her mouth. She strides out of the office, but she can’t help herself but wink at me while she walks past. Gross.
“Classy,” I say as soon as the door closes behind me, and Dylan is sitting on his chair behind his desk.
“No fun leaving me with blue balls.” He says, and I can’t help but laugh. Tough luck, buttercup.
“This is a workplace, not a fuck room for you to fuck everything that moves while you should be fucking working,” I say, and he offers me his biggest smile.
“Yeah yeah, okay, now look, I need your help at the meeting tomorrow,” he says, and I frown as he offers me the papers that were in front of him in a folder.
Dylan is responsible for the advertising department of the company. He deals with every request to advertise in our newspapers and magazines, and we are now the biggest in the world.
“Pamela again?” I ask as I rub my chin. I hate that woman, and she has the power to drive me insane. No wonder we ended up getting divorced only two years after we got married.
“What can I say? She always pays on time, but these meetings are always so painful”, Dylan says as he rests his feet on the edge of his desk, leaning back on his chair and offering me a smile. I stand up, walking to the bar that Dylan is proud to have in the corner of his office.
“A bit early for a drink, isn’t it?” he asks, frowning, and I shake my head.
“It’s five o’clock somewhere in the world,” I let out, pouring myself a glass of whiskey when his door bursts open with Mia walking in.
“Dylan, I fucked up. I need your help”, she says, striding to the chair in front of him while he goes wide-eyed and tries to signal her to shut up. I clear my throat, and my daughter’s panicked eyes meet mine.
“Shit,” she curses under her breath.
Richard POV“I can’t believe this is actually happening” I let out and Dylan smiles as he adjusts my butterfly tie. I take a deep breath and I have to say I am nervous as hell. The door opens and Fred walks through the door.“Hey, how are you feeling, old man?” He asks before he pours himself a glass of champagne. I shrug my shoulders and Dylan looks at Fred shaking his head.“He is nervous as fuck” he says and Fred laughs as he crosses his legs.“I bet you are, after all, it’s the second time you're doing this,” Fred says and I shake my head focusing on his face.“Third,” I say and his mouth opens wide and Dylan frowns looking at me.
Layla POV “What are you doing?” I ask as Richard blindfolds me and guides me to the car. I smile as he places one hand on my lower back while the other holds my hand. “Come on, where are we going?” I ask but again all I get is a small kiss on the lips after we are inside the car. The drive takes more than one hour. I have no clue where we are now. There are so many places that he could’ve taken me in one hour or so. When the car comes to a stop and Richard helps me out of the car I feel the cold wind blow and I realize we are somewhere open, without buildings or trees. My hair flies in every direction and I bet I will look like I have a helmet on my head. “Where are you taking me?” I ask at the same time he scoops me off the floor. I let out a small squeal as I feel him going upstairs. Where the hell are we? “Good evening Mr. Ashford” I hear someone say.
Layla POV“How is she? Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” I ask Dylan as he takes a deep breath after telling me that Jo spent Christmas in the hospital. We both had shit holidays.“You were recovering from brain surgery. Do you really think I was going to tell you that Jo had a panic attack and ended up hooked up to fluids in the hospital?” He asks as if I am the crazy one.“Yeah,” I say, grabbing my phone and dialing Jo’s number. She answers almost on the first ring.“I am sorry, I am so sorry, I really am sorry,” she says as she answers, and I feel my heart beating so fast I can’t even cope with it. I place one hand over my chest where my beating heart is and take a deep breath.“No,
Layla POV“I open my eyes, and I find my mom sitting on a chair next to me. I frown and look around, realizing I am in a hospital room. I blink several times until my vision focuses but no luck. I lick my lips, but my tongue is so dry it feels like I have sand in my mouth. Argh, my entire body hurts. I try to remember what happened, but I really can’t.The door opens, and Louise walks in, followed by Mia. When her eyes meet mine, the biggest smile appears on her face while my sister stays exactly the same way. “Layla, finally,” Mia says as she ruses to stand next to me. My mom hearing the voices opens her eyes and walks to me, holding my hand between hers.“Oh my God, how are you feeling?” My mom asks, but as I try to speak, it becomes a little difficult. I frown as my voice doesn’t sound the same. “Relax, baby, you ha
Richard POVWe’ve been sitting in these uncomfortable chairs for hours. Mia is asleep with her head resting on my shoulder while my brothers are wide awake with me. I keep trying to push away the horrible feeling I have in the pit of my stomach. I take a deep breath, and Mia opens her eyes.“Is everything okay?” She asks. I offer her a small smile and stand up. My entire body is aching at this point. We have been here for hours without news because we are not related to Layla. Her mother is on the way, and even though I said I am her fiancé, the doctor, and not saying anything. This is ridiculous.I have tried to throw money around, I tried to offer a big donation to the hospital If they allowed me to go see her, but it didn’t work. My father kept asking me to stay calm. This is a hospital, people are sick, and at least we know she is
Richard POVWhen we arrive at the house, I feel every hair in my body rises. I shake my head as I cross my arms in front of my chest. I am behind the police barrier, and they're not allowing me to go inside with them. This is ridiculous. He could be hurting Layla as we speak, and they are here playing police officers and trying to negotiate with him. Just fucking go inside and bring her out. Or even better, let me go inside, and I will bring her out after I knock him down.Jude is standing next to me, and he is keeping my father and my brothers updated while I walk around like a maniac trying to escape the torture I am being put through. “When are you going to invade the place?” I ask the detective, and he looks at me as if I have three heads. What the hell is wrong with people?“We need to make sure he is alone. I can’t just send my men blind,” he says, and I scoff as I shake my head
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