Page 15 of Dominant

“Well, actually, it’s kind of the same job. Alexander Abbott hired me as an accountant for his company. So I’ll still be working on the Chateau Andilet accounts, but now I’ll… “ I hesitated, hoping I didn’t sound ungrateful, “... get paid for it.”

There was a second’s hesitation - very brief, but enough for me to register my father’s surprise.

“You’re working for Alexander Abbott?” he repeated. I could tell he was saying it out loud for Jennifer’s benefit.

“Yes,” I repeated. “As an accountant.”

“Oh, yes, okay.” His voice sounded remote - empty. “And is that full-time, or…?”

“Yes, Dad. Full-time permanent. Isn’t that great? I knew you guys would be thrilled so I wanted to tell you right away.”

“Oh yes, great news,” he said blankly. “Way to go.” I could tell by the odd pattern of pauses between his sentences that he was carrying on another conversation as well - a wordless one, with Jennifer.

I didn’t know why they wouldn’t be happy for me. Why would they care? I was on Alexander’s payroll, not theirs. But before I could give it too much thought, I saw Mark Gibson come around the corner to fetch me for lunch.

“I better go, Dad.” I said, waving at Mark to let him know I had seen him. “But we’ll talk soon. Take care.”

I hung up the phone with the heaviness in my heart I almost always had when I talked to my parents, but shook it off and gave Mark a big smile.

I followed him to the elevator, noticing the easy stride of his long legs and the perfect V-shape of his body, from his broad shoulders down to his hips and thick, muscular thighs. He punched the button to call the elevator and flashed me a grin.

My new boss was hot.

“So, what do you think of Marianne?” asked Mark playfully, leaning across the table to invite me to confide. We’d been having lunch for about twenty minutes and I’d been laughing the whole time already. Mark made me feel very relaxed and welcome.

I widened my eyes in pretend shock. “Trying to get me to gossip already? Uh-oh!”

He grinned wolfishly.

“No, I don’t know… I haven’t spent enough time with her. She seems really nice, even though there’s something about her that’s kind of scary.”

“Aha!” He pointed a finger into the air between us. “Yes, see? You’re going to fit right in. I, for one, am terrified of her. I think she even frightens Alexander.”

I laughed, pausing for a moment before asking my next question so I didn’t seem too eager. “Speaking of Alexander, where does he sit? Is he not in the office today?”

Mark picked up the bottle of wine he’d ordered for us and lifted it to my glass in a question. I hurriedly shook my head and covered my glass. I was feeling flushed and loose from the one glass I’d had already, and didn’t think I should drink any more on my first day of work.

“He doesn’t come into the office regularly,” answered Mark, filling his own glass generously. “Sometimes he comes in late, sometimes he works nights. He doesn’t work regular hours and he works from home a lot, so we don’t see him much. But better for us, right? When the cat’s away, the mice will play.” He lifted his glass in a toast and winked, and I smiled to hide my disappointment.

I should have been relieved to know that I wasn’t going to see much of Alexander. He’d made it clear he wasn’t interested in me when he’d abruptly opened his car door and booted me out, and I’d been humiliated. Hiring me had only made it worse. Hadn’t it been a spur of the moment decision? An act of pity? I had seen him hesitate before making the offer.

But I couldn’t stop thinking about the heated sexual energy I’d felt between us in the car. The way he’d looked at me when he’d called me a brat, how he’d pulled on my hair, even the flash of recognition when he’d noticed the bruises on my wrist. The pain helps the pain. It was foolish, but I felt like he knew me - like he saw me, somehow.

Even if I was imagining that we’d shared a moment, it was some of the best fantasy material I’d had in months. Alexander’s kinky-daddy vibe, mixed with his old-fashioned movie star good looks, had me dreaming up bondage and spanking scenarios I’d never imagined before. My roommate had commented on how many double-A batteries were piling up in our recycling container, and there was one very good reason: Tall, dark and bossy Alexander Abbott had me running my vibrator all night long, and I couldn’t wait to see him again in person - even if he was completely uninterested in me.

“Alexander can be a bit mercurial,” said Mark, as though he were reading my mind. “He’s quiet, focused, and he gets obsessed with work. Sometimes he can be short-tempered. Everyone in the office has been yelled at by him at least once. So, if and when it happens to you, just remember that it’s not personal. And the truth is, he doesn’t mean it. He’s actually a really kind person. He just doesn’t show it. Like, ever.”

He lifted his glass again and took a sip.

He was cute, I thought, looking at Mark. A bit younger than Alexander but still a lot older than me. He was sweet, funny, and looked very well built. His t-shirt showed off the broad muscles of his chest and his thick arms. Arms I could absolutely imagine wrapping around me…

I was going to have to buy more double-A batteries.

Mark’s warm approachability was so different from Alexander’s smouldering, dangerous energy, that it surprised me I could be attracted to both of them. In some ways, they seemed to be opposites. But they were both exceptionally sexy - tall, muscular, and confident in the way that wealthy, powerful people were. Not so different after all, perhaps.

My thoughts wandered to Alexander. Mercurial, dangerous Alexander. After Marianne, Mark was the second person to try to warn me about him, and I was only halfway through my first day.

How short-tempered, I wondered, could he possibly be?

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