“Okay.” She smiles sweetly at me. Her thick, dark hair is pulled back in a loose ponytail. She’s wearing dark jeans, a white shirt, and a gray blazer. The office is casual, so she’ll fit right in, especially with the younger folks.
Ah, hell. ‘Younger folks’. I really am getting old.
I walk around my desk and we shake hands. I still remember the hug I gave her, totally inappropriate, but shit. I couldn’t help myself.
She looked so fucking pretty that night.
And she still looks pretty. Her lips are full, and her eyes are sparkling green, just like her mother. There’s really not much of her father in her appearance at all, which is a big relief. He wasn’t all that pretty.
“Want to look around?” I ask her.
“Sure,” she says. “Looks like you’re still having some work done.”
I nod and lead her out into the main workspace. I introduce her to Marcy really quick, an older woman that’s been with me for a long time.
“We’re still getting set up,” I tell Avery. “Eventually, this is going to be the main workspace. Lots of desks and semi-open, but still enough privacy that we’re not all on top of each other.”
“Perfect,” she says. “I kind of hate that new open-plan thing.”
“Me too,” I say, laughing.
“I feel like people are always looking at my screen, even when I’m just doing normal work.”
“I’m more paranoid about them realizing how many games of Sudoku I play all day long.”
She grins at that. “Minesweeper for me.”
“Classic.”
“I like to keep it classic.”
I show her the conference rooms, the common area, the kitchens, and all the other boring bits of an office.
She stops in front of one door on the way past the bathrooms. “Lactation?” she asks, incredulous.
I laugh lightly. “You know, like breastfeeding? For the moms in the office.”
“Oh.” She turns bright red. “Are there many pregnant women?”
“Who knows.”
“And are people bringing their babies into work?”
“No clue.”
“So why have it?”
“Honestly?” I grin at her. “I have no idea. My architect and designer said we needed one, so I told him to go wild. Guess he did.”
She laughs a little nervously and I like the way she’s blushing. It’s pretty on her pale skin.
“Come on,” I say. “Let me show you where you can get set up.”
I lead her back through the main room, back toward my office. “You’ll be here,” I say, indicating a desk that’s facing my windows. “This way, I can just yell if I need anything.”
“Are you going to do a lot of that?” she asks, putting her bag down on the chair.
“Probably,” I admit. “I like to yell.”
“Tough boss.”
I laugh softly. “I can be a little hard sometimes, but I’m easy to please.”
“Yeah? How do I do that?”
I step closer to her, heart suddenly beating faster. “Just do whatever I ask without question.”
“Oh, sure. That’s easy enough.”
“If I want you to jump off a bridge, will you do it?” I ask, staring into her eyes.
“Only if you ask nicely.”
I smirk a little. “I never ask nicely. But I still expect you to jump.”
“I’ll jump.”
“Good.” I cock my head. “If I tell you to do something… strange. Will you do it?”
She glances around, trying to see if anyone can overhear. We’re mostly alone, although Marcy isn’t too far away.
“Strange… how?” she asks.
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe I’ll ask you to pick up my dry cleaning. Maybe I’ll ask you to pose naked for me.”
“Pose… what?” Her eyes go wide.
“Maybe I’ll ask you to call me sir. Or maybe you’ll have to call me…” I stop myself, trailing off. She’s blushing and I don’t think she’s ready for that.
“I’ll do whatever you ask,” she says, almost a whisper.
I nod, a big smile on my face. “I thought so. You seem very willing to please.”
“Well, it’s the job. I always try and do a good job.”
“That’s what I like to hear. I knew I was making the right choice when I decided to offer you this position.” I step even closer to her. Now it’s slightly inappropriate, how close I’m standing, but she doesn’t pull away. “All you have to do is keep me pleased, Avery, and you’ll do fine. Can you do that?”
“I’ll try,” she whispers.
“Good.” I put my hand on the small of her back. I know I’m pushing it, but I can’t fucking help myself. “Get settled in. I’ll see you later.”
I step away and walk back to my office. I’m smiling the whole time, my body buzzing with energy, my blood pumping desire.
Fucking hell, this is wrong. I know it’s fucked up. I mean, her dad just fucking died.
Well, it’s been nearly a year. It’s not like he died yesterday. And plus, she’s a grown ass woman.
She can make her own choices.
And I suspect, just based on the way she was looking at me and flirting right back, I suspect she’s going to make the right choice very, very soon.