Page 26 of Decoded
“Mr. Fisher,” she starts again, “I want to thank you so much for the opportunity to come and work for your company.” A sniffle escapes her but she’s able to compose herself quickly. “But I think it would be best if I go ahead and decline theposition. This position just turned out to be something I wasn’t expecting.” Her voice turned squeaky towards the end as she tries to hide her pain from losing this job that I know she was excited to begin.
My head and heart both feel like they’re splitting in two while yelling at me to pull my head out of my ass and figure something out fast that will keep this woman in our life.
“Anna, Baby, you can’t quit. You were excited about this opportunity, and I won’t let you leave on account of me. You just moved here.”
“Stop calling me Baby,” she grits out between her perfectly white teeth. “And yes, I did just move here. Intoyourguest house. I will have to see you every day at work and then when I can finally go home, there’s still no break from it because you’ll still be there.” Her voice comes out in sobs and those big, beautiful eyes stare up at me, shiny with the tears she’s holding back.
“I can’t do this,” she whispers.
I need this woman to know that she can do anything she puts her mind to and that I will be the man standing beside her cheering her on. “You absolutely can do this. I have no doubt that you are capable of doing anything. This was my fuck up, Anna. What do I need to do to get you to stay?”
“Sell your company,” she snorts. I know she doesn’t mean it, but it doesn’t stop me from taking a second to think. Am I seriously considering selling everything I created in order for this woman to take a chance on me? That’s fucking terrifying and I guess my face doesn’t do a good job of hiding the fear because the next thing she says is, “Oh my gosh, Keaton, I’m not serious. Calm down.”
I shake the thought of turning over my company from my head. “Anna, we can make this work. I’ve been wanting to talk toyou every day since we met. I need to explain. I had a meeting…” She throws her hand up and cuts me off.
“I’m not interested in hearing your explanation. You could have had a meeting with the Pope for all I care, there’s no reason for you to have just left me there without a single word. I sat in that hotel room like a fool waiting, finally coming to the realization that everything from the night before meant nothing to you. ThatImeant nothing to you.” She whispers her next words, “I’m so sick and tired of being the fool.”
Her defeated tone has my already broken heart breaking down even more. It kills me that this woman sees herself in that way, and I know it’s all my fucking fault.
“You are not a fool, Anna. You are a beautiful, intelligent, and talented woman. You are thoughtful, kind, and funny. If anyone’s a fool here, it’s me. And I’d be an even bigger one to let you walk away from this job.”
To let you walk away from me.
Anna sniffles and appears to be contemplating my words. Her bottom teeth pull her plump lip into their grasp, and it takes everything in me not to pull it free and place a kiss on it. We stand there in silence for several moments before she finally looks up at me. My breath catches as I await her response.
“I need to go.” I start to interject, but she shakes her head at me.
“Apparently my new boss has a thing against essential oils and being late and I happen to share those sentiments.” A small smirk briefly crosses her face but disappears way too quickly. “I will be at my desk if there’s anything you need, Mr. Fisher.”
As she turns to the direction of my office, warmth spreads in my chest. Anna’s here. And she’s staying. Now to just let her know that the only thing I need is her.
“Let me get this straight,” the woman whose job it is to make sure our people here are just as secure as our tech looks at me with a raised eyebrow, “you went on a work trip to Vegas. And while there you got excessively drunk and married your new executive assistant?”
“I don’t know that I was excessively drunk,” I mutter. Janine leans over and taps the ring on my left finger. The ring I haven’t taken off since the night Anna put it there. “Fine, that’s fair. But she wasn’t my assistant at the time. In fact, I didn’t even know she had applied. And even if I did, I didn’t know her last name when I married her.”
“I don’t believe that’s the flex you think it is,” Janine quips. “Mr. Fisher, I am just trying to look out for you. While we don’t have a non-fraternization policy in place, you are in a position of power over her. And while I’m not trying to pry, from an outsider’s perspective, your relationship doesn’t appear to be in good standing.”
The words ‘position of power’ have me picturing myself straddling a very naked Anna while she’s tied up to my headboard, and I’m plunging into the tight pussy I haven’t been able to stop thinking about for weeks. I shake off the thoughtsbefore things get super inappropriate in front of my personnel manager.
“There will be no issues between Ms. Keith and myself while she’s employed here,” I assure Janine. “I am sure Anna will find she loves working here at Phisherman’s Cybersecurity.”
She offers me a soft smile. With her no-nonsense attitude, they are few and far between, but that makes them even more genuine.
“I’m sure she will find many things she loves here, Mr. Fisher.” Janine turns and walks out of my office.
I hope like hell she’s right.
Chapter nineteen
Anna
“S
o now he’s my husband, my landlord, and my boss.” I’m video chatting Jasmine, Penny, and Skyla while hanging up clothes after the most awkward first day on the job in history.
I spent most of the day at my desk learning the different programs I’d be using and sneaking glances at the most handsome man I’ve ever laid eyes on through his open door. He had no business looking that damn good in a black button up with his sleeves rolled up showing off the strong arms that wrapped around me so tightly just a month ago. And those dark khakis he had on hugged his ass so well my mouth was watering by the end of the day.
Keaton has made it clear that he wants to make this thing work between us. I don’t know how I am going to resist him when he’s in my space all day, every day. I wonder if there’s a way I can be his assistant and work from home. But then I would miss the way his arms flex when he twirls his pen while thinking. Or the way his brows furrow when he tries to concentrate on whatever it is he’s looking at on his computer screen. I’d even miss thepetty spats between him and his brothers when they swing by his office.
