Chapter 15 Asher
ASHER
Fuck whoever you want to fuck, and I’ll do the same.
We’re in this situation because you got caught sticking your dick where it didn’t belong.
I repeat her words in my mind, fury coiling in my veins. I’m about ready to walk down to her office and remind her who I am. That she works for me.
I take a deep breath.
It doesn’t help that Jenkins just texted me a rundown on the employee reactions to her as she moved throughout the building.
The gossip and curious stares are to be expected, as well as the envy from some.
But what I didn’t think through was the immediate fascination from some of the male employees.
Jenkins told me the whispers he overheard, the blatant stares that he noted were more than just curiosity.
I’ve unwittingly made Ella into the prized female of the company, and the men have noticed.
I know she had a few male coworkers who thought she was beautiful or were interested in her before, Matthew did some combing through office gossip, but this is now a whole new level.
Hearing their words and thoughts, knowing the way they looked at her, has my fury ready to boil over. How dare they look and whisper about her like that when as far as they know, she belongs to me. Every employee had better learn, and learn quickly, that they are not to mess with what is mine.
And Ella’s attitude on the matter only makes it worse. Fuck whoever you want to fuck, and I’ll do the same.
Not on your life, Ella.
Not on your fucking life.
“So, that sounded like it went really well,” Declan says with glee outside my office door.
“Fuck off,” I growl.
He howls with laughter.
Sterling walks up to the office door next, sipping his coffee at an absurd volume, with amusement twinkling in his eyes. “Trouble in paradise?” He smacks his lips after his drink.
“You can fuck off, too.”
Neither of them does any such thing. Instead, they barge into my office laughing and prowling like impish wolves. They sit in the seats opposite my desk, the figures of ease and contentment.
“What do you two want?”
“Oh, we just came to congratulate you on your new relationship,” Declan says, innocently.
“It looks to be going swimmingly,” Sterling adds.
The fuckers must have been sitting and listening outside my office like they did when we were kids, when they would spy on me outside my bedroom door. I close my eyes and massage my temples.
“The media is buzzing over her,” Declan says, more serious now. “And so far, it’s all positive. A miracle, if I’ve ever seen one. But I wonder how long that will last. Especially when reports of spats in the office leak to the press.”
I give him a hard look. “No one on this floor would dare leak something to the press. They all have too much at stake to risk my wrath.”
“Money is a good cure for wrath,” Sterling says.
“Trust me, it won’t happen again. I’ll be setting Ella straight tonight when we get home.”
“I bet you will,” Declan says, grinning like a fox.
“Not like that,” I snap. “Ironically, that’s the reason for our fight last night and this morning.”
“What? Why? Is the sex not good?” Sterling asks. “I can’t imagine the sex not being good with her.”
I’m stunned into silence for a moment. These two pricks really will say whatever they’re thinking. “We’re not having sex. Not now and not in the future.”
“Wait, back up,” Declan says. “What am I missing? I know the contract said you wouldn’t press any sexual advances without mutual consent, but is she not on board or something? Because if she is, why not just have sex with her?”
“It will make things too complicated.”
“You picked her for this without sleeping with her first?” Sterling asks.
“I just met her on Monday. So no, I haven’t slept with her, and as I said, I don’t plan to.
Last night we tried to talk over the logistics of how to have this relationship for months on end without sleeping together, or having outside relationships, and what that means for our sex lives. It didn’t go well.”
They both stare at me like I’m crazy.
“What is so difficult to understand? This is a professional arrangement. She’s my employee. I’ve hired her for this extra project, which I know is a bit murky, but I don’t want to completely muddy the waters. We have to keep things professional.”
Now they both burst, howling and laughing like wolves again.
“You’re telling me,” Declan chortles. “You’re telling me that you’re going to act in love for all the world to see, and you’re going to live together for months, without outside relationships, and you’re going to keep things professional?”
“Asher,” Sterling says, wiping tears between laughs. “For someone who’s as brilliant as you are, you’re such an idiot sometimes.”
“This is business, and if there’s anything I take seriously, it’s business. Of course I can keep things professional.”
Another round of howls echo off the walls.
“So, you’re just not going to have sex for however many months this arrangement lasts?” Declan croons.
“I told Ella last night that there are . . . professionals we could hire to fulfill our needs.”
Both of them stare at me again like I’ve grown two heads.
“You did not just say what I think you said,” Sterling deadpans.
“Because there’s no way you would say that, for any reason.
Because that’s the stupidest fucking thing I’ve ever heard.
Ella did not grow up in our world, Asher.
She’s not used to the casual way people in our social sphere hire sex workers. ”
“Out of curiosity, how did Ella take this . . . suggestion of yours?” Declan asks.
“You just saw how she took that suggestion.”
They’re both now doubled over with laughter. Pricks.
“So, what do you suggest I do then, if you’re so insightful.”
“Just sleep with her, man,” Declan says. “Actually date her. You’re going to be doing all the shit involved with dating, anyway. The whole pretend aspect of it is just bound for disaster.”
“And when it’s time for it to be over?”
“Why does it have to be over? Why are you so certain an end date needs to be in place?” Sterling asks.
“Not you, too. You sound like dad.”
“I’m not telling you to go picking through the family jewels to find a wedding ring. I just don’t think there’s a way to pretend to date for the number of months you have ahead of you. Something will give at some point. Why fight the inevitable?”
“You two of all people should know why.”
“What are you so afraid of?” Sterling presses. “It’s not like you’ve never had a relationship end before. You date, and if it goes well, you keep dating. If it doesn’t, you break up. People do it all the time.”
“People don’t have the eyes of the country and the world on them. I do. This has to be flawless. Getting involved for real will make that messy. We need clear lines if this is going to work.”
Declan holds up his hands in surrender. “Whatever you say, brother; it’s your life. But I think you’re wrong.”
“Ten grand says they don’t make it a month without fucking each other’s brains out,” Sterling says to Declan, holding out his hand.
They shake on it, chuckling to each other.
“Shouldn’t you be headed to the airport?” I snap at Sterling.
He checks his watch. “Shit, yes.”
He stands up quickly, and Declan and I stand as well.
Declan gives him a quick hug and then I follow suit.
No matter how annoyed I am at my little shit of a brother, I will always say goodbye.
It will be weeks or months before I see him again since he runs our London division, and we brothers have an agreement between us to always stay as close as we can with the insanity that is our lives.
We’ve seen too many families like ours destroyed because of distance, jealousy, and greed.
We vowed when we were young to never let that happen to us.
We would stay a family, no matter what. Business comes and goes. Family is not worth destroying over it.
“Well, I’ll be checking in regularly for updates,” Sterling says, clapping me on the back. “Let me know when you give in.”
“Get out of here, you shit.” But I can’t help my reluctant smile.
“Love you, too!” he calls as he walks out of the office.
I roll my eyes, still smiling a bit. Sterling and Declan could always make me laugh. No matter how mad or upset I am, they have a way of breaking through my walls. I both love them and hate them for it.
“I’ll be off as well. I have a meeting to get to,” Declan says.
He pauses by the door and gives me a wicked grin.
“I also need to add, ‘find a new place to work out,’ to my to-do list today. The last thing I want to do is come over to your penthouse to exercise and walk in on you two fucking in the kitchen.”
“Get out,” I grumble, rolling my eyes.
With another roar of laughter, Declan saunters off to his meeting. If I didn’t love my asshole brothers so much, I’d punch them both in the face.
I slump back down in my chair.
My desk phone chimes.
“Your PR meeting is in fifteen minutes,” Matthew says.
Now it’s my turn for a wicked grin. It looks like I have enough time for a private meeting with Ella first. And with all of her coworkers around, she won’t be able to storm away from me.
It’s time to remind her, and all of the employees of this company, who the fucking CEO of Langford Holdings is.