Chapter 6
Jeremiah
Oh, yes, I thought to myself as I looked at her.
I would recognize that red hair anywhere, especially when it came with those wide green eyes that now looked at me in surprise.
Or was it fear? It was my little plaything from Saturday night, Sadie.
What I thought was a no-strings-attached hookup I now realized might have some strings now that I was her new boss.
This was a new realization to her, too, as I saw her mouth part slightly in shock.
God, that mouth. I let myself briefly think about what it felt like against mine. What it felt like wrapped around my cock, wet and warm. I felt a slight twitch in my pants, before remembering what I was here for. I couldn’t let her mouth—or her—distract me from what I needed to do.
I had to make my position known here. Not only was I these people’s new boss, but I was their CEO.
First impressions were everything, and while I may have already made an impression in the form of a handprint on this redhead’s ass, the others needed to know who they were dealing with in terms of business.
Just as a quiet sound escaped Sadie’s mouth, I cleared my throat and took an authoritative step into the room, making her perfect mouth snap shut.
“Good morning, everyone. Now that it looks like you’re all here…” I gave her a look, letting her know I knew her desk was empty when I arrived this morning. She looked sheepish before looking down at the shiny wood surface of her desk, avoiding my gaze.
“I would like to introduce myself.” I continued, looking at the rest of the room. “I am Jeremiah Mason. Your new boss. And CEO.”
I heard the ripple of hushed whispers fill the room from people who no doubt recognized my name.
I hid my smile, knowing my reputation preceded me.
Straightening my suit, I cleared my throat again to garner their attention.
Within seconds, all eyes were back on me.
All except Sadie’s, which remained glued to her desk.
“Now, you probably all just witnessed that little spectacle your former coworker displayed on his way out. I guess some people just can’t handle honesty.” I shrugged callously. “But trimming the fat is necessary for a business to thrive. And that’s what he was. Fat. Useless. A waste of space.”
I looked around as everyone watched me carefully, my words hitting them like small blows. They were scared shitless. But that was the plan. That was how you became the most powerful person in the room. That was how I’d gotten to where I was.
“And I’m not done trimming the fat yet,” I said. “If people don’t perform, they will get cut. I would rather pay severance than wages for those who don’t earn it. Trust me, I can afford it. If you don’t like the changes being made around here, you can leave.”
I looked around once more, but there was only more silence and avoiding stares.
“Is that understood?” I asked loudly.
Everyone nodded eagerly, as if they were in sync. There were even a few “yes, sirs.” They looked like little puppets. My puppets.
Satisfied that my introduction went the way I wanted it, my eyes went back to Sadie. She sat behind her desk, fiddling with her thumbs nervously as she discreetly looked around the office as if quietly assessing everyone’s thoughts. Her thoughts were written all over her pretty face.
“You,” I said, narrowing my gaze to her.
She snapped her head up when she realized I was talking to her.
“M-me?” she stammered nervously, putting her hand to her chest. Her green eyes were even wider now, like a doe caught in the headlights of a car. I almost felt bad for her. Almost.
“In my office. Now. I would like to talk privately,” I said, turning on my heel and walking back into my new office before she could even respond.
I sat down in my black leather office chair, my back to the city view below, wondering how I was going to handle this situation.
Sadie entered the room, looking down at her feet worriedly.
She had looked better the other night when she wore those skintight leggings and the pink sweater that let her curves show through even the chunky knit material.
This office look was boring on her. A white blouse and a gray skirt that did nothing for the ass I knew she possessed under all that dull tweed.
At least I knew what was under those clothes.
An incredible, tight body made for fucking.
I realized right then I wasn’t ready to make my life easier simply by firing her.
At least not yet. We could still have some fun yet.
I let my eyes wander over her for a beat before pointing to the door.
“Close the door,” I said firmly.
I watched as her throat bobbed as she swallowed nervously. She turned and placed her palm on the door, gently closing it with a soft click before turning back to face me.
“Sit.” I motioned to the taupe, channeled leather sofa against the wall.
She did as I said, sitting carefully before crossing her legs. My gaze lingered for a moment at her smooth legs, the length of her skirt rising slightly. She fidgeted with the hem, unsure what to do with her hands.
“Relax,” I said.
She looked up at me, eyes wary.
“I’m not firing you.” I leaned back in my chair, the leather creaking, as I folded my fingers across my abdomen.
“Y-you’re not?” she stammered.
“Well, not yet,” I corrected myself.
She bit her lip, her brows bunching in the center of her forehead.
“I want to know what you have.”
“What I have?” she asked, confused.
“To offer me.”
I already knew plenty she could offer me in the bedroom, but I wanted to know what she did here. What she could do for me in my new business venture. I couldn’t treat her any differently than the other employees here, even if she was the only one I had slept with. This was business, after all.
“I-I was the personal assistant to my boss. Well, my old boss.” She corrected herself. “I just assumed that would still be my position. Now. With you, Mr. Mason.”
Hearing “Mr. Mason” tumble from her tongue sounded odd coming from her when we had both known each other so intimately already.
“Please, call me Jeremiah,” I said, my voice bordering on the edge of friendly.
She nodded in understanding.
“And what exactly did you do for your old boss?” I asked with a slow smirk forming, remembering all the things she had done for me already. I could have sworn her face turned a shade of pink, as if she remembered too.
“Well, let’s see…I managed his calendar, took notes at meetings, ran errands, responded to emails. Really, anything he needed of me, Mr. Mason.”
I shot her a look, a silent reminder of what I preferred her to call me.
“Sorry. Jeremiah, I mean.” She looked up at me through her dark lashes, her voice wary as if she were learning a new word.
Her timidness was beginning to grate my nerves.
Normally, I didn’t mind that little bit of intimidation.
I was used to it. I liked being in control, but this was just weak.
She was back to the same woman I caught in my apartment after I had caught her breaking in.
I wondered how she could switch so easily between being fearless, scaling twenty-something stories and stripping down in my living room, to being meek and stammering here before me.
“Look, what happened the other night…” I started, lowering my voice.
She closed her eyes tight in embarrassment before opening them again.
“That is separate from work. This is business,” I said, putting my finger firmly on my desk. “Is that understood?”
“Of course,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
“I expect you to manage your responsibilities as my personal assistant, but if you can’t do that because of our…” I paused, treading carefully on what to call it. “Encounter. Then I’ll have to let you go.”
“No,” she said with a firmness that surprised me. “I can do it.”
“Prove it.”
I nodded toward the door to let her know she was dismissed.
She got up without pause, eager to get out of my office as if she was in a lion’s lair.
I watched the slight swish of her hips as she walked quickly, opening the door, and taking a seat at her desk just mere feet away.
It would be easy to keep an eye on her, as she was in direct view of my office.
I needed to see if she was really up for the job of being my personal assistant.
Most in this position didn’t last long, and my money was on her either giving up or me having to let her go.
Over the next few hours, between firing employees or threatening to fire them, I watched Sadie work.
While she remained focused on her tasks of linking my calendar and email accounts to her computer, I also saw that her meekness wasn’t just with me.
It was with everyone. She approached everyone timidly, as if she didn’t deserve their time, and she even apologized for taking up mere minutes with them.
For someone who had worked here for the past few years, she was painfully shy with her coworkers.
I wondered why the hell her old boss had kept her around for so long. Was it because she was eye candy?
I drummed my fingers on my desk as I observed another painfully awkward interaction between her and a junior associate.
He had asked her to make copies for him, when that was far from her job description, but she did so without hesitation.
I could feel myself growing irritated as I watched him lean against a colleague’s desk to chat while she did something he was more than capable of doing.
Maybe she had been kept for so long because she never asked anything of anyone, but did anything for everyone. She was a pushover.
I shook my head as I watched her return with a stack of copies, handing it over to the junior associate with a small smile.
As she turned and walked back to her desk, I watched him discreetly high five his colleague with a shit-eating smirk on his face that I wanted to put my fist into. I could easily fire him. Maybe I would.
Sadie sat back at her desk, furrowing her brow as her eyes scanned her laptop, hard at the work she should be doing.
She tucked a red strand of hair behind her pearl-clad ear as she focused.
She looked damn delectable. I found myself distracted by the way she chewed on her bottom lip in concentration, wishing I could taste it again.
Shit. She was going to be a distraction.
One I could easily get used to, but she also had to be good at her job. I hoped she was up for it.
I stood from my chair and strode toward her desk. I knocked on the wooden surface, garnering her attention. She looked up at me curiously.
“Do you want to keep your job?” I asked.
“Y-yes. Of course,” she said, lifting her perfectly arched brows.
“Then stop making copies for that asshole junior associate. Stop apologizing to everyone. And start taking up some goddamn space in this office. I won’t have someone weak working for me. Understood?”
She simply nodded once before I turned on my heel and headed back into my office, calling over my shoulder. “Oh, and send that asshole in here. I see more fat that needs to be trimmed.”