4 Distraction
DISTRACTION
Jackson
M y focus has been absolute crap after what happened three days ago. Sure, I was attracted to Mia before, but now that that shit’s gone down, it’s intense. My dick certainly has a new obsession because it springs to attention whenever she’s around. I want this girl like I’ve never wanted anyone. Which means I’ve become even more of an asshole recently out of frustration. What happened hasn’t come up since, nor will it, other than being the only thing on my mind when she walks into the room.
And speaking of… “Come in,” I call out upon hearing her faint knock.
My eyes take her in from my peripheral vision as my head remains turned toward my computer. A dress today. And not a modest calf-length dress. No—that would be too tame. It’s a mid-thigh summer dress with a loose flap to conceal her braless breasts. Fuck me . I shouldn’t be surprised since this has been the norm after our conversation about her clothes. She’s been relentless in her attire since. Taunting me with tight-fitting clothes, low-cut necklines, short skirts… and now this.
“Good morning. I have the report you asked for with attrition rates for each property, along with a summary of each building’s condition and other factors that may affect the numbers. I took the liberty to include information regarding the nearest transportation stops and walkability to local services and parks.” She sets the file on my desk and waits for my reply.
Screwing with her has become habit, so instead of responding, I stay silent and slowly pick up the file to review the documents. I’m impressed. She not only provided the data I asked for but went above and beyond with additional considerations.
“I know you didn’t ask for all that, but I assumed with the reorganization you’re doing, you were looking for which buildings might be worth turning over, and I figured it would help to be aware of what may be affecting their performance, especially as you find new properties.” She’s composed and confident in her speech. The only sign of trepidation is her slight blush, which I see when I finally raise my head.
And if I weren’t already hard for the girl, witnessing her competence and sharp mind, not to mention that blush, I’d be right there. As it is, I’m busting at the seams. She’s gorgeous and brilliant, and fuck… if I don’t snap out of this stupor, I might as well get down on my knees and bow.
“I realize we’ve had this discussion before, but you are aware this is a professional office, not the beach?” Time to get my head on straight with the only way I know how—rudeness.
She looks down only to look me in the eye a second later. “I’m sorry, I assumed a dress was appropriate office attire. Personally, I usually wear a swimsuit when I go to the beach, and I wouldn’t dream of wearing that to the office—unless you’d like to do swimsuit Fridays?” She smiles, baiting me.
This is the most she’s said since our encounter earlier this week. Maybe it’s time to shake things up a little and see if I can get to her the way she does me.
“The problem with that idea, Mia, is that there’s a good chance you’d be naked on my desk by the end of the day, and then I’d have to write you up for violating the dress code. As for the dress …” My eyes travel down her body. “You’re treading in dangerous water, little girl, and in three weeks, you may not have anyone to save you.” The clench of her thighs and the heat in her stare are apparent.
“In three weeks, I might not want to be saved.” Bold.
She turns without another word and starts toward the door.
“Mia?”
She stops and looks over her shoulder.
I lift the file. “You did well on this. I appreciate the extra information you gathered. You’re right that it’ll be useful. Thank you.”
The shock in her eyes says everything before she continues out the door.
By three o’clock in the afternoon, I call the guys to meet me for an early happy hour after a long day of pent-up frustration. I just need to get out of my head and away from the girl on the other side of the door.
“So, let me get this straight. You have a bombshell on her knees in front of you, and your assistant is the one you get off to?” Braden asks.
“Yep, that sums it up. I mean, I was already imagining it was her, so when she appeared, it was like a dream come true—except she wasn’t the one sucking my dick, though she might as well have been with how fast I blew once I saw her.” I’m hard again just thinking about it.
“Dude, that’s some sick shit. As in, I want an assistant like that.” I’m pretty sure Braden’s already had an assistant like that.
“Trust me, you don’t.” Not one you can’t have.
“Besides being the bane of your desire, how is she doing as your assistant these days? You still trying to get her to quit?” Eli chimes in.
“Hell no. I gave up on that weeks ago. Two reasons: A, I swear she’s made of steel—couldn’t crack her for the life of me. B, she’s fucking amazing. It’s no wonder she graduated early. I’ve never seen anyone as capable as her other than Cindy. She’s on top of shit, save for the one damn time she forgot to do something, resulting in this mess.”
“That’s on you, man. Ever heard of a lock? It’s a thing that prevents people from walking in at inappropriate times.” Braden’s on a roll tonight.
“Yeah, yeah. Since when are you a comedian?” I shake my head at him. “Look, I was out of my mind at the time. It was a lapse of judgment, a moment of weakness, and possibly worth it.” I smirk and take a sip of beer.
“Right. That’s obvious by how tormented you are. So, what’s your plan? How are you going to get through five more months lusting after this girl?” Braden asks, in pure lawyer form. It’s a good question but one I have no answer for.
“I don’t fucking know. More daytime visitors?”
“Yeah, because that worked out so well the last time. How long until she’s legal again?” Eli is fixated on her birthday. He should have it memorized by now since he brings it up every time we’re together.
“Too long. Three more weeks, but even then, it’s not happening. She’s almost a decade younger than me, na?ve, and starting college in the fall. She’s also my employee—not to mention, thinks I’m an ass.” There are so many reasons it’s a bad idea.
“I didn’t hear any solid argument there. She’s going to have sex with someone regardless of how old she is. She can’t be that na?ve if she stayed to watch, and your college excuse is just pitiful. Do you have a policy against interoffice dating?” I shake my head in response, only to have him continue. “Christ, man, you don’t have to marry the girl to quench your thirst.” Braden will find a way around any argument. As an attorney, it happens to be his specialty.
“Don’t bother trying to convince him. He’s into self-torture. I’ve seen it before, right, man?” Eli taps his bottle to mine and takes a drink.
“You’re an asshole. And a hypocrite. You think I don’t know about you and my sister?” He scowls back at me. “Yeah, so fuck off.” I’m pretty sure my parents weren’t the only reason Cici took off.
His jab about my past with Lily, his brother’s fiancée, doesn’t get to me like it once did. She was Cici’s best friend growing up and the only person I’ve ever wanted for more than sex. Too bad I realized it after she’d met my competition, who made it clear I was too late the night I walked in on him claiming her innocence.
And that’s where shit got weird. Instead of walking back out, I decided to stay and watch the show. It was too tempting to pass up, so I jerked off while the one girl I wanted a future with gave herself to someone else. Not one of my proudest moments, but it was the hottest. Keyword being was —until Monday.
Mia
I’m so glad Jackson’s gone for the rest of the day. I can’t concentrate when he’s here, especially since this morning and the obvious flirting going on. I’m in a constant state of arousal after what happened on Monday. It might not affect him since he probably gets more action than a dog in heat. However, I have nothing to replace it with, and it’s killing me.
Which is exactly why I’m excited about my date for tomorrow. Walker’s been helping me sort through prospects, weeding out the bad ones and responding to the guys with potential. This one seems like a nice guy who’s not just out to get laid.
The bottom line is that I need someone other than my boss to make me feel things. I’ve deprived myself a little too long if what I witnessed is having this much effect on me, meaning I can’t stop myself from visualizing it along with my accompanying dirty thoughts. Plenty of guys out there can give me what I need—not that I know what that is yet, other than to get my mind off Jackson for now.
When I leave the office for the day, I’m feeling better. The two hours I spent focused on work instead of the man on the other side of the door were necessary to get ahead on the transactions I’d been helping with. The extra work will allow me to walk away worry-free tomorrow.
I’m relieved to be home, putting another day of tension behind me. I make it two feet in before someone steps out from behind the door, gripping my neck with one hand while covering my mouth with the other. At the same time, another guy appears in front and grabs my arms roughly, securing them to my sides. I kick out and begin twisting furiously, trying to break free, which only results in the hand around my neck tightening.
“This’ll go a hell of a lot easier if you just calm the fuck down,” the guy in front says. He’s slimy looking, with greasy, messed-up hair and what resembles a beard, though it just looks like he’s too lazy to shave. He has a gold chain around his neck and smells like he smokes a pack a day. I don’t even want to know what the one behind me looks like, but I imagine a version of the same. All I know is he’s way too close, holding me tight to his body. I’m trembling with fear.
“I’ll uncover yer mouth now, darlin’, but if you scream, things’ll get a whole lot worse.” This comes from the guy behind me, who leans in, forcing me to feel his breath on my skin. “Nod if you feel me, sweet cheeks.”
I do as he said, wanting his hand off my mouth. The smell of stale cigarettes from his fingers makes me want to puke.
The hand drops, but his hold around my neck barely loosens, making it hard to breathe. The guy holding my arms relieves no pressure. I’m going to have bruises tomorrow—if I’m still alive.
“What do you want?” I choke out as best I can.
“Why don’t we sit down and have ourselves a little chat? Zip-tie her wrists,” he says to the guy in front. I struggle once more before my neck is squeezed tighter, cutting off my breath and causing me to go slack.
“What I tell ya about calmin’ the fuck down? Don’t make me hurt ya more than I have to. I might enjoy it.” This time, he licks my ear. I almost gag in disgust.
A whimper escapes as the zip tie around my wrists is tightened, cutting into my skin. “That’ll teach ya to put up a fight. Remember that next time we come by.”
Next time? Does that mean they’re not going to kill me?
“Why are you here?” I ask.
“You keep quiet. We do the talkin’,” he says as he shoves me onto the couch, forcing my cheek to hit the armrest. Damn, that hurt. My eyes are tearing up, though I’m not sure whether it’s from pain or fear at this point. “Sit there and don’t try to run, or this’ll get real ugly. You sure are a pretty little thing, just like yer daddy said. It’s too bad our orders aren’t to hurt ya too much. We could’ve had some fun together. Maybe next time I’ll have to sweet-talk the boss.”
I’m frozen in place at the mention of my dad. I’m too scared to speak, though, so I wait for him to continue.
The one who held me from behind appears to be the leader. He looks more put together with a leather jacket and biker boots. His hair is black and thick, with a beard that’s more filled in. He’s also the one who’s done most of the talking. They’re standing before me, looking down, arms crossed over their chests, trying to intimidate me. It’s working.
“So, let’s get to the point, shall we? Your daddy’s in a lot of trouble with the boss. See, he borrowed a whole lotta dough and decided to skip town with it instead of payin’ it back. As you can imagine, the boss don’t take too well to losin’ money. Good thing we remembered him braggin’ about his pretty little daughter. Well, surprise, darlin’, we’ve come to collect.”
“I don’t have any money,” I blurt, earning myself a slap to the face. I immediately feel the sting, bringing a fresh set of tears.
“Shut up now, ya hear? If I want ya to speak, you’ll know. We’ll get to whether ya have money soon enough, and don’t think about lyin’. We’ll find out, trust me. The fact of the matter is, you’re gonna earn the money, sweet cheeks.”
My breathing is erratic, and I choke on a sob. My life is over. This can’t be happening. How could my dad do this? Did he know they planned on coming after me?
It doesn’t matter. That he even told them about me is bad enough.
“Now, now, don’t cry. Yer daddy told us how good he taught ya to play cards, bragged about you bein’ some prodigy. So, here’s what’s gonna happen. You’ll earn the money back, same way yer daddy lost it. And let me tell ya what’ll happen if yer not good enough to win. You’ll work it off in other ways, darlin’. Do you pick up what I’m puttin’ down? Yes or no, sweet cheeks.”
I nod. There’s snot running down my lips, tears streaking my face, and the ties are cutting my skin, but all I can think about is what will happen if I don’t win enough.
“So, let’s get a few things straight. Some ground rules, darlin’. First, you love yer momma, don’t you?” Immediately, I panic, nodding while my tears get thicker. “That’s what we thought. Pay close attention, then. If you tell anyone about this, you can say bye to yer Momma. If you even think about callin’ the cops, you can say bye to Momma. And just to be clear, if you so much as breathe the wrong way, you’ll be sayin’ bye to Momma. You following? Nod yer head, yes. Good,” he says when I do.
“Now, here’s how it’s gonna go. You play whatever games we tell ya, when we tell ya, and where we tell ya, and all yer winnings go to Daddy’s debt. Sound like a plan?”
There’s nothing I can do but nod.
“Glad you agree. We’re almost done here, darlin’. But first, let’s go back to you not havin’ money. We’ve been watchin’ you, seein’ yer one of the best damn players out there, and you expect us to believe you haven’t saved any of those hard-earned dollars? Huh?”
I don’t know what to do. That’s our safety net if something happens, maybe for a car eventually, but not to bail out my dad. Would they find it? What if I give them half?
“That’s a lotta thinkin’ for a simple question, darlin’. If I were you, I’d do a little less thinkin’ and a lot more talkin’ right about now unless you want yer left cheek to match the other.”
“I have some,” I say quickly.
“Good answer. How ’bout this? You figure out how much you have, round up all the spare change from those cushions, and plan on havin’ that for us next time. We got places to be, and ya know what?” He leans down and gets right in my face. “I trust ya. I do. I think you’ll do the right thing. Ya know why? I don’t think yer ready to say bye to yer momma just yet.” He wipes my tears with his thumb on the side he slapped, making me wince from the sting.
“There, there. You’re okay now. If ya do as yer told, there won’t be any problems. Isn’t that right, Frank?” He grabs my chin hard as he stands, tilting my head in his direction.
“That’s right, Jay. All she has to do is follow directions. If not, though, we get to have some fun, and boy, would I like that. She’s a looker.” The other man stares at me, licking his lips.
This can’t be happening.
“I couldn’t agree more. For now, darlin’, we’re givin’ ya a chance to do right. Put your number in my phone here, and we’ll be in touch.” He goes to hand me his phone and stops. “Well, shit. Ya can’t very well do that now, can ya? Cut the tie, Frank. And don’t you get any ideas, girl. Just sit there and be good.”
Frank pulls out a pocketknife, and I gasp at the sharp pain from the tie digging in as he pulls on the blade to cut through. The guy named Jay holds his phone out again. “Here.”
With shaky hands, I enter my name and number, then hand it back.
“Well, there ya have it. We’re all set, darlin’. You’ll be hearin’ from us real soon. We’ll be thinkin’ about you and all those things we’re lookin’ forward to if ya don’t do as yer told. You have a good evenin’ now.”
Before they reach the door, I call out, “Wait,” making them pause and turn. “Can I ask a question?”
“Well, now, that was mighty rude of me. Sure, darlin’, ask away, and I’ll see about answerin’.”
“H-How much does he owe?”
“Ah shucks, I forgot to tell ya. He owes boss two hundred grand, sweet cheeks. Looks like you’re gonna be playin’ our games for a while.” He winks at me before they walk out the door.