Page 42 of Room One Hundred & Twenty-One: Kiss of Fire

I wonder if she misses being on her own. If she does, she hasn’t said anything. Maybe I should check with her just in case. Her happiness is important to us and I want to make sure she’s getting whatever she needs, even if that means some time to herself.

I glance at my watch and mentally run through my itinerary for the day. It’s early afternoon, but I need to look at the damn proposal Stan sent over. I’m still pissed off that he just barged his way into our office. Waltzing around like it’s his second home.

But more than that, I’m livid at how he was staring at Selena. I caught his gaze lingering on her body in places he had absolutely no business looking. He’s lucky I didn’t knock him the fuck out for even speaking to her. And the way he sneered when I asked her to review his proposal. As if she’s beneath him in some way. Our girl is beneath no one, and anyone who thinks so will answer to me. I swear that misogynistic little prick loses more of my respect with each passing day.

“Order for Noah!” another barista yells out, and I grab my drinks before strolling back to the office.

When I arrive at the top floor, I’m disappointed to find Ms. Abernathy sitting by herself and working diligently. I don’t remember Selena having any errands to run this afternoon, and I specifically checked before I stepped out after lunch. But when I carry our beverages to my office, I’m pleasantly surprised to find the object of my desire sitting in my chair. She’s reviewing some documents with her focus honed in on the pages in front of her. She doesn’t notice me right away, and I lean against the doorframe while I drink her in.

Her dark curls drape down her back and her skin glows from being well fucked. She bites the corner of her lower lip while she reads, skimming her fingertips across the smooth paper.

“Looks like we hired a new CEO while I was out,” I tease, and she startles in her seat.

“You scared me,” she exclaims with a hand over her chest. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

I close the distance between us and stand at her side. “Thought you could use an afternoon pick-me-up,” I explain and hand over her beverage.

Selena gives me an affectionate smile. “Shouldn’t I be the one to getyoucoffee?”

“Maybe. But this isn’t for my assistant.”

“It’s not?” she asks before taking a tentative sip of the hot liquid.

“It’s for my little cum slut.” I grin, and she almost spits out her latte. Her eyes dart around the room as if she’s expecting someone to walk in. “Calm down, baby. No one heard me.”

“You’re incorrigible,” she replies with a pretty blush on her cheeks.

I reach over her and press the button on my desk to turn my office windows opaque. Then I slip a hand inside her blouse, sneaking my way into her bra and cupping her breast. “What are you reading?” I feel her heartbeat race against my palm as I tweak her hard nipple.

As if suddenly remembering why she’s in here, Selena jumps up from my chair and scoots around me to the other side of the desk. The wanton expression disappears from her face and it’s replaced with her usual professional demeanor. If there’s one thing I admire about her, it’s her work ethic.

She takes a seat in one of the club chairs in front of me and I sink down into my vacated seat before sliding her drink across the desk. She offers me an appreciative smile before nodding atthe presentation she left for me. “I made a few notes about Stan’s proposal.”

At the mention of his name, my shoulders pinch with tension. But it slightly melts away when I notice the PowerPoint presentation that’s been printed out for me. “I just wanted to know your initial thoughts, baby.”

“And I’m giving them to you. You wouldn’t expect anything less from another employee, would you?” She’s right about that, but I don’t mention it.

“So, what did you find?” I ask while reviewing the material.

She takes another sip of her drink before she continues. “If I can be candid…”

“Always. Whether it’s business or pleasure, I want to know exactly what you’re thinking.”

“Well…” Selena moistens her lips with the tip of her tongue, and I follow the motion with my eyes, wanting a taste for myself. But I manage to keep my composure and allow her to speak. “The numbers don’t add up. At first blush, it looks on the up and up, but when I started doing some calculations, they make it seem like they’ve been more profitable than they really are.”

I skim over her presentation with examples of what she’s describing. From the excerpts she’s provided, Selena’s right. The numbers are concerning. It could be a clerical error, but there are too many for it to be coincidence. Seems like we need to do more digging into this company before we even entertain moving forward.

“Thank you for putting this together. Anything else?”

“From everything I’ve read so far, they don’t appear like a great place to work. Research shows that if the employees aren’t happy, then typically there’s something bigger going on behind the scenes. Maybe it’s something you can fix with an acquisition, but do you really want to purchase someone else’s problem?”

I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face.

“What?”

“Nothing.” This girl is far too smart to be an assistant. And that’s not to impugn her work, by any means. But she has so much potential and she should be doing something far more important than the menial tasks we assign her. I make a mental note to discuss that with her later. “Thank you for putting this together so quickly. I’ll look it over with Chance and Brody.”

Selena rises from her chair. “If you need me to look at anything else?—”

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