“Jesus, stop exaggerating. Anyway, I’m going to go.” I kissed Coco and my mother on their cheeks and met Tony outside.
****
The next morning, at approximately seven fifty-eight, I was sitting at my desk waiting for my coffee to be delivered. She had exactly two minutes or else. I left my office door open so she could just bring it in without knocking. It was eight o’clock when she pranced through the door.
“Good morning. Here’s your coffee.” She smiled as she set the cup down on my desk.
“I was starting to get worried that you’d be late.”
“Really? I’ve been here for at least ten minutes.”
I cocked my head at her and narrowed my eyes. “Where? You weren’t at your desk.”
“No, I wasn’t. You said to be here at eight sharp.” She looked at the clock on the wall. “It’s eight sharp.” She smirked.
“Then where were you?” I asked with irritation.
“Around.”
“So you’ve been walking around with my coffee for the last ten minutes?”
“Yep.” She slowly nodded her head.
I pursed my lips together tightly and inhaled a sharp breath.
“It better not be cold, Lorelei.”
“It’s not.” She smiled as she walked out and shut the door behind her.
I was trying my best not to yell. I picked up my coffee and took a sip. It was still hot. Good thing for her it was.
Chapter Eight
Lorelei
As I was sitting at my desk looking over invitations for the launch, Coco walked over.
“How are things going with my brother?” she asked as she sat on the corner of my desk.
I gave a small smile. “Okay. He’s demanding, crude, rude, and a little demeaning, but nothing I can’t handle.”
She let out a light laugh. “I like you, Lorelei. Has Jack shown you the rest of what makes up Sutton Magazine?”
“No.” I shook my head.
“Come on, then. I’ll give you the grand tour.”
“But he’ll wonder where I am. What if he needs something?”
She waved her hand in front of her face, got up from my desk, and opened his office door.
“I can’t believe how rude you are not to have given Lorelei the grand tour. If you need something, you’ll have to do it yourself because I’m stealing her away for a while.” She shut the door before he had a chance to respond and smiled at me.
Sutton Magazine started on the tenth floor and went up all the way to the fifteenth floor. There was everything from the art department to photography. A floor filled with clothes and designs, a beauty salon, the finance department, and the editorial floor, which was located at the top where Jack’s mother had her office. I was enthralled by everything fashion and I was in heaven.
We approached a large office with glass doors, and on those doors, it read “Kit Sutton.”
“This is my mother’s office. Have you been introduced yet?”
“No.”
We stepped inside and Kit looked up at us.
“Mother, this is Lorelei Flynn, Jack’s new personal assistant.”
She got up from her seat and extended her hand, but not before looking me up and down.
“It’s nice to meet you. I hope you stick around a lot longer than the last fourteen.”
I gulped. I had no idea Jack had had that many assistants.
“I plan on it and it’s nice to meet you.” I smiled as I lightly shook her hand.
“I hope you enjoy working for us here at Sutton Magazine.”
“Thank you.”
I could tell Kit Sutton was not a force to be reckoned with. She was poised with high self-esteem and had a business manner like no one I’d ever met; well, except for her son. She stood about five feet eight inches tall with a voluptuous figure. Her blonde hair was cut into a bob that sported wavy ends and she had serious-looking brown eyes. I would be lying if I didn’t say she completely intimidated me. But we did have one thing in common; we both shared a love for Coco Chanel.
After the tour, Coco and I headed back to the twelfth floor. As I was walking back to my desk, Jack was standing in the doorway of his office.
“Do you need something?” I asked.
“Yes. I need you to come into my office.”
Stepping inside his office, I took a seat in the chair across from his desk.
“You haven’t told me if you secured a venue yet for the launch next month.”
“I have. It’ll be at the Lincoln Center starting at seven o’clock. I’m in the process of getting the invitations printed and the envelopes addressed to the people on the guest list.”
He narrowed his eyes at me as he leaned back in his chair. My God, he was sexy, and every time I looked at him, it felt like I got lost in his eyes. What the hell was the matter with me? He might have been something special to look at, but his overall mannerisms definitely sucked.
“You did all that without telling me?”
“Yes. You asked me to do something, so I did. Did you want me to bother you with all the little details? Do you not trust my ability to complete something you asked me to do?”
“To be honest, no, I don’t. I’ve had bad experiences with my previous PAs.”
“I see. Well, I can assure you, Mr. Sutton, that I won’t disappoint you. If you ask me to do something, I will do it with perfection. If I have a question, I will come to you and speak to you about it.”
The corners of his mouth slightly curved upwards. “Until I can totally trust you and your abilities, I want everything run by me first. Do you understand?”
“Completely.” My lips gave way to a forced smile. “Is there anything else?” I asked.
“No. That’ll be all.”
****
Jack
There was something about Lorelei Flynn that was driving me to want to get to know her better. Maybe it was how beautiful she was. Maybe it was what I envisioned she had underneath those clothes she wore. Maybe it was her Joe Malone scent that filtered through the air whenever she was near. I will give her credit; she did know how to pick her perfume. My last PA, Amber, always smelled like some cheap drugstore body spray. I shuddered every time she walked into my office. Whatever it was that made me have this aching need to get to know her better was getting the best of me, and it was driving me crazy. I shouldn’t have felt this way. She was my personal assistant but all I could think about was a thousand ways for her to personally assist me other than at the office. See, it was that kind of thinking that had to stop.
Later that night, I took a friend of mine, Jamie Walters, to dinner and then back to my place to fuck her. I never took the women I brought home upstairs to my bed. I had a spare bedroom on the first floor that I used and I never allowed them to spend the night. I wasn’t interested in cuddling, holding, stroking their hair; none of that romantic bullshit. The only thing I wanted was good sex that left me satisfied and then I sent them on their way. Some left crying and some left as pissed as hell. That was their problem, not mine.
Chapter Nine
Lorelei
Thank God it was Friday. My last day of work for two days and then I would be able to spend the entire weekend with my daughter. Jack wasn’t in the office most of the morning because he was in back-to-back meetings. It was finally lunchtime, so I grabbed my sketchbook, which was bound in a leather zipped case, my lunch, and headed to Central Park. Sitting under the same tree I had been, I worked on my sketches and ate my lunch. It wasn’t too long before my business phone dinged with a text message from Jack.
“I know you’re at lunch, but when you’re done, I need you to go to Banana Republic and pick up the outfits I had them put together. Call Tony when you have them and he’ll pick you up. Also, stop at Starbucks and get my coffee.”
“Yes, Mr. Sutton.”
When my lunch break was over, I did as Jack asked. After collecting the outfits and stopping at Starbucks, I walked into his office and set t
he cup on his desk.
“Hang the clothes on that rack over there.” He pointed.
He got up from his desk and took the plastic off each of the outfits.
“What the fuck?! This isn’t what I asked for,” he shouted. “Who the fuck put these outfits together?” He paced around the room in anger.
I stood and looked at the outfits and then walked over to them and changed a few things around.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he asked.
“Rearranging a few things. I think it looks better this way.”
He stood back with his hands on his hips and stared at the outfits I put together and then looked at me.
“You think that looks better?”
“Yes,” I softly spoke.
“Well, I don’t.”
Coco walked into the office. “Oh, perfect. You got the outfits from Banana Republic. Looks good, Jack.” She smiled as she took the rack from his office.
I looked at him and shrugged. “Told you they looked good.”
He sighed and rolled his eyes. “Get out of my office.”
I didn’t know what the hell his problem was, but he didn’t need to take it out on me. It was finally five o’clock. I grabbed my sketchbook and my purse and walked out of the building. As I was trying to hail a cab, my business phone rang. It was Jack. I cringed.
“Hello.”
“I need you to meet me for dinner tonight. I have some things I want to go over with you regarding the launch party.”
“It can’t wait until Monday?”
“No, Miss Flynn. It can’t. Meet me at The Four Seasons at eight o’clock sharp.”
“But, Mr.—”
“No buts, Lorelei. Be there or else.” Click.
I couldn’t believe this and the nerve of him. I quickly dialed Stella.
“Hello, best friend. What’s up?”
“I am so sorry to ask this, but do you think you and Sebastian can come over and babysit Hope tonight? My asshole boss is making me meet him for dinner at The Four Seasons.”
“Nice place. But why is he making you meet him on a Friday night?”
“He said he needs to go over some things with me regarding the launch party.” I finally hailed a cab and climbed in.
“Hmm. Sounds to me like he’s using that as an excuse to see you.”
“Oh, please. I just threw up in my mouth, I want you to know.”
She laughed. “Of course we’ll come babysit Hope. I’ll bring some board games. It’ll be fun.”
“Thanks. I owe you.”
“No, you don’t. What time do you want us there?”
“I have to meet him at eight sharp. So be at my place at seven fifteen.”
“Okay, sweetie. We’ll see you later.”
I picked up Hope from my mom’s house and waited until we got home to tell her about my dinner plans.
“Baby, I have to meet my boss for dinner tonight, but Auntie Stella and Uncle Sebastian are going to come over and stay with you.”
“Okay.” She looked down in disappointment. “Why are you meeting him?”
“He wants to go over some planning for an event his magazine is hosting.” I ran the back of my hand down her cheek.
“He sounds mean.”
“He is. But don’t worry. We have the whole weekend to ourselves.”
“Okay.”
“You understand, right?”
“Yeah. I know it’s your job.”
“Thanks, baby. I’ll make it up to you.”
She went and sat on my bed while I got ready for dinner. The Four Seasons was a fancy place and I needed to dress appropriately. I went to the back of my closet and pulled out a short black dress I had made a few months ago but never had the occasion to wear.
“What do you think?” I asked Hope as I held it up to me.
“I like it.” She smiled.
After slipping into the dress, I twisted my hair up in a clip and freshened up my makeup. I heard the front door open and Hope leaped off the bed to run and see Stella and Sebastian.
“Look at you, fancy girl.” Stella smiled as she walked into the bedroom. “Looking all hot for the boss.”
“Oh, please. You know The Four Seasons is fancy.”
“I know, but somehow, I have a feeling Mr. Sutton’s jaw is going to drop when you walk in.”
“Oh, it will drop, and I’m sure some yelling will be coming out when it does.”
She laughed and I put on my heels.
“Thanks again for coming over.”
I walked into the living room and Sebastian whistled when he saw me. I smacked him on the chest with a smile, kissed Hope goodbye, and headed to The Four Seasons.
When I arrived at the restaurant, the hostess led me to the table where Jack was already seated.
“Wow,” he spoke. “You look great. I like that dress. Where did you get it?”
“I made it,” I replied as I sat down in the seat across from him.
His eyes widened. “You made that?”
“Yes.”
He tilted his head. “Is there something I don’t know about you?”
I let out a light laugh. “What do you mean?”
“You rearranged the outfits in my office to make them look better and now you’re wearing a spectacular-looking dress that you yourself made.”
I picked up the glass of water that was in front of me and took a sip. “I studied at Parsons for a couple of years.”
“Interesting. You didn’t graduate?” he asked.
“No. I had to drop out due to a family emergency, so I lost my scholarship. I couldn’t afford to go back.”
“I see. How did I not know you were a fashion girl?”
“You never asked, I guess.”
“Then I’m going to have to start asking more questions.” He winked.
Narrowing my eye at him, I spoke, “You said you didn’t like the outfits I put together.”
“My sister did and that’s all that matters. And it’s not that I didn’t like them. I was pissed they weren’t exactly what I asked for.”
Chapter Ten
Jack
I used the launch party as an excuse to have dinner with Lorelei. After she said good night to me, and when I watched her walk down the hallway and step onto the elevator, the thought of not seeing her again until Monday bothered me. I already had plans tonight with Kate but cancelled them so I could have dinner with Lorelei, even though I knew sex wouldn’t be part of the evening plans.
“Can I see your hand?” I asked.
“Excuse me?” She cocked her head.
My lips gave way to a small smile. “Let me see your hand.” I placed my palm face up on the table.
“Why?”
“Lorelei, I don’t bite.”
She hesitantly reached across the table and placed her hand in mine. Fuck. Her hand was so soft and my cock was on the rise. I ran my fingers softly along hers.
“You have long, slender fingers, which indicates creativity.” I smiled.
The only thing at that moment I could think of was how good those long fingers would feel wrapped around my cock. Shit.
“I’ve heard that before.” She smiled back.
Touching her was too much and the rage of fire erupting through my body was unbearable. I let go of her hand and took a sip of my drink.
“Garrett didn’t tell you anything about me?” she asked.
“No, and he knows he doesn’t have to. I trust him to hire the best people for me.”
“But you’ve already been through fourteen assistants.”
“And how do you know that?” I casually smiled.
“Your mother told me. She said she hopes I stay longer than your last fourteen PAs.”
I chuckled. “Well, Garrett wasn’t to blame, or maybe he was. Who knows. But I have a feeling he made the right choice this time.”
“We’ll see. Won’t we?” She smirked and my cock reached its full rise.
“What else is t
here about you that I should know?”
“Mr. Sutton, you asked me here tonight to talk about the launch party, not about my personal life. So if you don’t mind, I’d like to get to it.”
Arching my brow, I stared into her beautiful blue eyes. “You seem to be in a hurry. Is there a boyfriend waiting at home for you?”
“No.”
I silently let out a sigh of relief. No husband and no boyfriend. This was good, but shocking. Why didn’t someone as beautiful and smart as she was have a boyfriend?
As we were eating our dinner, I pulled my ringing phone from my pocket and saw my mother was calling.
“Hello.”
“Jack, you need to come to the office right away. Vidal just put together the clothing line for December’s spread and we need to go over them. Coco is here too.”
“I’m in the middle of dinner. Can’t it wait until tomorrow?”
“Box it up and eat it later. And no, it can’t wait until tomorrow. In case you have forgotten, I’m leaving for Los Angeles.”
I sighed. “Fine. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Click. “I’m sorry, Lorelei, but we’ll have to discuss the rest of the details on Monday. My mother needs me.”
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
“Yes. She needs me at the office. This is the reason why the woman has been divorced six times.”
She tried not laugh, but she did anyway. I smiled.
“Ride with me to the office and then I’ll have Tony drive you home.”
“It’s okay, Mr. Sutton. I can take the subway.”
“You aren’t taking the subway this late. It’s not safe. Actually, it’s not safe ever.” I waved my hand for the waitress and had her box up our dinners.
Lorelei climbed out of the booth and I placed my hand on the small of her back as we left the restaurant. Climbing into the limo, I told Tony to take us to the office and then instructed him to drive Lorelei home. When we reached the office, I stepped out of the limo and then bent over to see Lorelei one last time.
“By the way, you can call me Jack.” I smiled and shut the door.
****
Lorelei
I sat there with a confused look on my face as he shut the door. He wanted me to call him Jack? Why? The way he ran his fingers across mine at dinner sent a storm through me. His touch and the sensation I felt made my head spin. I began to sweat and my heart started to beat rapidly. I had even lost my breath for a moment and I couldn’t explain why. Maybe it was because he was so damn sexy. He was confident, too confident. He was the type of person who liked control. I hated people like that. But there was something about Jack Sutton that created an ache between my legs. An ache I hadn’t felt in so many years. The type of ache that scared me and could potentially become dangerous. He was attracted to me. That much I could tell, but did I want that? Who wouldn’t want a hot and sexy millionaire corporate man attracted to her? But we were total opposites and I was pretty sure that he was only attracted to me from the outside. Another notch in his belt was something I wouldn’t become.