Page 39 of Handling the CEO

“You do that now before you get the fuck out of my company,” Jon concludes. “I will have a security guard shadow you before you leave, and I don’t wish to see your face here ever again.” He picks up the phone and calls security, while I continue to observe the ex-assistant. She is regarding the three of us quietly, and I want to ask her more about why she did what she did.

When the guard knocks on the door before I manage to form some better questions, and escorts her outside, where she sits down and starts writing.

“Well, that was exciting,” Mike summarizes and walks herself over to the bar in a corner of Jon’s office to pour herself a whiskey.

“It was indeed,” I agree, and move closer to Jon, who looks down, with his palms on his desk, knuckles white, clearly struggling not to throw something across the room. “Are you OK, caveman?” I say soothingly. “You want to go back to the rage room? Maybe this time you can use the ax?” I put my palm on the desk next to his, and gently caress him with my pinkie.

“Yes Avril, I am this close to finding an ax right now.” He lifts his head at least and takes my hand in his. “I can’t believe how oblivious I was—all her incompetence was a trick—she was just pretending to be an idiot while stealing and sabotaging me.”

“She was, but we caught her, OK? And what she’s sending will help you bury Miranda. You need to read your contracts though,” I tease at the end, seeing a small smile tugging at his lips; still not enough for the dimple to make an appearance, but it’s a step forward, out of this downward spiral he seems to be in.

“I hope so—probably anything Anya sends won’t hold up in court, but I am certain I can use it for something.”

“I know you will. We will dig a little deeper and kick her ass. Should be easier now that she won’t have a spy here.”

“She won’t know what hit her, uh?” he repeats what he said a few weeks back in the hangar. But unlike that Friday, he doesn’t retreat, but he pulls me to him, putting his arms around me. I am enveloped in his warmth and the smell of him, making me realize all those insecure thoughts were for nothing. This man wants and needs me as much as I do him, and comparing him to anything in my past is ridiculous. I hold him around his waist and feel his breath of relief on my shoulder, as though holding me right now is all that matters.

“Ahem.” We hear a cough from the room. Michaela! We forgot about her being in the office. I try to break away, but don’t get far as Jon keeps me to his side.

“So, is this the second thing you wanted to talk to me about?” she asks, waving her hand between us.

“Yes, actually,” he answers, giving me a squeeze. “DJ and I... well… we are together.” He looks down at me like he, too, is anxious about whether I will confirm or not. Jon is worried as well about me if I am in this as well. The hope and fear in his eyes break away any and all doubts I have been struggling with. Which makes me smile with all my heart, squeezing him back.

Yes, caveman, I am all in. Please don’t break my heart.

“Yes. We are,” I admit to myself, more than anyone. “Please tell us if we need to sign anything.”

“Wonderful!” she grins at us—phew. “Thought there was something there when you had that first meeting. Glad it all worked out.” Ms. Jones moves to go back to her office, eyeing the security guard and the ex-assistant in her cubicle. “I will send the HR form over. I know you are not technically an employee, but I’d rather have the workplace relationship disclosure form in the books, just in case. Congrats again. Oh, and please don’t screw on my desk,” she says as a leaving salvo.

At that, Jon bursts into laughter.

“What’s so funny?”

“Well, that interview in her office… I thought I would do just that,” he sheepishly confesses.

“Oh, did you? What exactly did you imagine doing?” I beam.

“I swear by showing instead of talking, girlfriend.” He pulls me to him as I giggle, but just then Anya knocks on the door frame.

“All done. It’s in your inbox—and only yours, Jon. I also added some more interesting titbits, whether you chose to look them over or not, all on you. I know you don’t believe me right now, but I am sorry. I tried to make it better where I could,” she states, nodding at me, then turns around and walks out, carrying her box of personal items and being trailed by the security guard.

“What exactly did that mean?” I ask, troubled by the whole mid-afternoon.

“No idea, it’s all bizarre—she seems very calm, like she was expecting to be caught—and it only took her fifteen minutes to send everything over? She must have been prepping for this from the beginning,” Jon comments.

“Now that sounds more like the girl Marcus was telling me about—driven, decisive, smart. I think you kept overlooking her because she was pretending to be a lost wallflower when she was more of a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

“Indeed, I was. I can’t trust myself right now, not when she made me sign a form that excluded her from recording. I need to get better at legal forms, not just leave it all to Mike, especially after what happened with your contract, and now this.” He walks over and closes the door to his office, then sits down on his massive leather chair and pulls me in his lap.

“Jon, you wouldn’t have lasted for years as CEO if people would have been giving you false forms to sign. Ms. Jones has that as the main task, after all. Frankly, you aren’t supposed to read every contract with every low-level company like mine, and if it wasn’t for… us… it shouldn’t have come up. As for Anya’s form… she probably had a million opportunities to make you sign it. Even if she didn’t by any chance fake your signature, she could have hidden the page in some of the many contracts you signed. She must have done the same with your VP.” I reassure him as I run my fingers through his hair, feeling him relax under my touch. I love snuggling with him, his massive frame cocooning me, one of his hands on my hip and the other on my thigh, holding me sideways on his lap.

“I sure do hope so, DJ. I want to read it all, and then send it to my lawyer and private investigator to agree on how to proceed. But first, I want to talk to you about earlier. I probably should have discussed it before springing it on you, but Mike has been with my family for years, didn’t feel right not telling her about us.”

I can see it again, the remains of his recent concern in his eyes, worried he pushed me too fast when the one which needed pushing was me.

“In a way, I am glad you did it like this. I was a bit skittish myself earlier, and now—I don’t know… am happier to be with you knowing we are out in the open.”

“Yeah?” His smile dazzles me once more, and I bring my mouth to his gently, holding his face in my palms, the prickle of his beard on my skin spurring me on, kissing him harder. He touches my hair, his tongue slipping against mine, moving with purpose, as his other hand goes up my skirt.

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