Chapter 3
Kelsey
When I get to work on Monday morning, I’m beyond flustered.
I have no reason to be. I’ve done nothing wrong.
I have every right to be a member of Edge and practice whatever kink I want when I’m not at work.
I had no idea that Hendrix would be there Saturday night.
He wasn’t due back until later in the week.
Yes, he got me this job. I’m smart enough to know he called HR and told them to hire me.
It doesn’t take rocket science. But I’ve never let it bother me.
I’m qualified to work here. I have a business degree.
I’m a hard worker. If anyone happens to know one of the partners got me hired, they haven’t let on.
Besides, I’ve worked my ass off to prove myself for the last two months.
The chances of seeing Hendrix—I really need to think of him as Mr. Kennedy—are slim.
I probably won’t ever see him. He has a fancy office on the top floor.
Not that I’ve seen it. I’m just assuming it’s fancy.
Both he and his partner, Beckett Hollenbeck, have offices upstairs.
In two months, I’ve only seen Beckett a handful of times, usually from a distance.
And as far as I know, he’s been here every day.
I’ve been on the thirteenth floor working with a pool of assistants who provide support to the associates. There are ten of us and twenty of them, but we aren’t assigned to anyone specific. We’re given a number of projects to work on, which might mean backing up two or three different people.
It’s an unusual business model that took me off guard when I first started, but it seems to be effective, and it keeps any one employee from having to work full-time for someone they may not get along with. Ingenious really.
So far, there hasn’t been anyone I truly detest, but there are a few people who are more challenging than others.
It’s noisy in the center of this space where all the cubicles are located. It always is a bit chaotic as everyone arrives, chats about their weekends, and prepares to start the new workweek.
I’m about to stow my purse in my drawer when Rhonda from HR appears.
She barely stops long enough to make eye contact with me, lean in, tap the cubicle wall, and say, “You’ve been reassigned.
Head upstairs.” And then she’s gone, hurrying down the row, already speaking to someone else by the time I register what she said.
I’m left staring at her back. Upstairs? As in the top floor? Duh. There are only two floors. The building is large. Hollenbeck, Kennedy, and Associates occupies floors thirteen and fourteen.
I tip my head back and look at the ceiling as if it might have answers. A few people around me are whispering, which makes my face heat. What’s going on? I swear… If Mr. Kennedy has summoned me… Apparently, he has. There’s no other explanation.
Reassigned?
No. No, no, no.
Why would he do this? He surely doesn’t want me to work directly for him. That’s madness. I haven’t earned it. I’ve spent two months hoping none of my peers ever find out that he got me this job. I really don’t want anyone to know that we’ve met before.
And I might die a slow death if they discover he’s seen me naked.
Shit.
I don’t make eye contact with anyone as I tuck my purse under my arm and hurry toward the elevator. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. They’re watching me. Talking about me. Probably deciding whether to stab me or have me tarred and feathered.
I don’t breathe until I’m in the elevator, and still, I might hyperventilate. But I don’t want Mr. Kennedy to think I’m weak. I’m far from weak. I will exit this elevator with my head held high and give him a piece of my mind, if necessary.
When I step out, I draw in a deep breath. A woman who appears to be about sixty is behind the desk outside the elevator. She’s on the phone, but she smiles at me and points toward an office door to one side of her.
There are two doors, one on either side of the reception area. I assume they lead to the two owners’ offices.
The door is open a few inches, so I knock on the frame before stepping inside and closing the door absently at my back.
I find Mr. Kennedy standing at his enormous desk across the room. Behind him is a wall of windows.
The space is huge, making all the furniture seem small in comparison.
It’s bright and open. Black furniture. Glass-topped desk.
Gray tile floor. Everything is spotless.
I clear my throat as I approach. “Good morning, Sir.” It’s hard not to wince as I utter that word.
Did it sound like sir or Sir? I don’t want him to get the wrong impression.
The man is a Dominant. Undeniable from both his demeanor and the fact that I know he’s a member of Edge.
It’s difficult to refer to him as anything other than Sir, but it’s also impossible to school my tone to avoid the obvious capital S.
Mr. Kennedy lifts his head. “Ah, Kelsey. Good. You got the message.”
“Uh, yes. What did you want to see me about, Sir?”
He waves an open palm toward one of the chairs across from his desk. “HR didn’t tell you?”
I do everything in my power not to tremble as I approach him. I’m aware of what’s happening, but I’m in denial. I’m entitled to live in a make-believe world for a few more moments. It’s preserving what’s left of my sanity.
I ignore the offered chair and remain standing. I’m five-seven, but he towers over me at about six-three. If I were to sit, his presence would seem even larger. We’re not at Edge. He’s not my Dom. I’m not here to submit to him. I’m an employee of his company. That’s it.
Except I’m lying to myself. The man features in all my fantasies. He doesn’t need to know that, but there’s no ignoring he saw me naked two nights ago.
Fuck.
What was I thinking joining the club I knew he belonged to? It was a horrible idea. I should have chosen some other club, like Surrender or The Playground.
The truth is, I’ve coveted a membership at Edge for a long time, and I hated to let the fact that Hendrix is a top-tier member cause me to change course. There is absolutely no reason why I can’t hold a second-floor membership.
Except deep down, I knew this would eventually happen. In the back of my mind, I was aware we would eventually run into each other. I hadn’t expected it to happen this past Saturday. In addition, I had no idea how often he would even come to the second floor.
But whatever. I’m feeding myself lies. I knew I would see him at Edge, and I didn’t care enough to take steps to keep that from being embarrassing.
Because I have the hots for this billionaire. Bottom line.
My na?ve brain pictured us bumping into each other—quite literally—and possibly doing a scene together at some point. I visualized flirting mercilessly with him. Him watching me scene with other Doms and Dommes. Him adjusting his cock in my peripheral vision.
Daydreams. The fantasies I masturbate to. Silly fodder.
At no point did I consider what might happen to my job, and the farthest thing from my mind was being summoned by the almighty Hendrix Kennedy so that I’d have to walk through the middle of my gossiping peers.
Fuck.
Several of the assistants at my level are relatively new and have not met Mr. Kennedy.
I’ve heard he hasn’t been in the office much in two years.
Those who do know him, however, have whispered that he’s aloof and quiet.
Few have had interactions with him. Apparently, they tremble when he steps onto the thirteenth floor.
All these thoughts race through my head at record speed, leaving me in a standoff with Mr. Kennedy, neither of us speaking for several seconds.
Mr. Kennedy clears his throat. “This is my first day back in the office, Kelsey. I need an assistant.”
I blink a few times. Eventually, I find myself shaking my head. “Surely you don’t mean me.”
He chuckles. “Why wouldn’t I mean you?”
“Because I’ve only been here two months. Because I don’t need anyone to know we’ve ever met. Because they’re probably all plotting my murder down there.” I speak with a firm voice, head held high. I’m not mousy by any stretch of the imagination. But this is madness. Can’t he see that?
He frowns. “You’re worried about what other people will think? Isn’t your career advancement more important?”
I sigh. When he puts it that way…
He points toward a stack of files on the corner of his desk. “I asked Josephine to choose from everyone working on the thirteenth floor and pick five people she thought would be most suited as my assistant. I spent yesterday going through that pile.”
“And you picked me?”
He cocks his head to one side. “Why wouldn’t I?
You have an impressive resume, Kelsey. This is business.
It’s not personal. You’ve done great work since you started here.
Your internship a few semesters ago was top-notch.
Your recommendations are stellar. You’re the right person for the job.
” He points toward the chair. “Please, sit.”
I ignore him but lower my purse to the seat and release it. I’m glad I’m dressed to slay in the corporate world today. Black pumps, gray pencil skirt, white blouse, and a black suit jacket I have not yet removed. My hair is in a low bun.
There’s no way I’m going to sit in a chair while this man stands. I will not let him think I’m meek.
Mr. Kennedy sighs, but there’s a smirk on his face at the same time. “Does it bother you that I saw you naked on Saturday night?”
I barely manage to refrain from gasping as I lean forward. “Does it bother you that you saw me naked, Sir?”
He chuckles. “Not at all. What happens at Edge, stays at Edge. That’s how it works. We’re both adults. I think we can keep from mixing business with pleasure. I know I can. Can you?”
Swallowing hard, I gather my wits. I might gladly bow to this man under different circumstances, but not here in his office. “Fine. How about you call this a trial? Perhaps a week. To make sure I meet your standards.”
He laughs. “A trial? I’ve already given you the promotion, but you think we should water it down because you’re worried about what?
That you can’t be professional in front of a man who might also occasionally see you naked on your knees?
Or are you worried about what other people will say behind your back? ”
Jesus. He’s good. He has an answer for everything.
“Do you plan to sabotage this opportunity, Kelsey?”
I gasp, my eyes going wide. “Never.”
“I suspect you will work your ass off night and day to prove you deserve to be my assistant.”
“Yes, Sir.” He’s right.
“Then I don’t see a problem.” He lowers onto his fancy leather chair, which puts him barely below me. As he sets a file in front of me, he says, “Would you like to look over your new job description while standing?”
Heart racing, I finally take a seat, but my brain feels like it’s scattered all over the room.