Page 11 of His Plaything (Slade, Inc.)

Chapter Eleven

It was Tuesday morning, and Morgan was just getting off the elevator at work. She still felt uneasy and a little upset about what she had found, but something very strange had happened late last night that made her feel slightly better. Connor, Mr. Slade, had texted her and not about work. When it had shown up on her phone, she had almost fainted. Then Morgan thought that someone was playing a cruel joke on her, but it turned out to be true.

The text was simple, but the meaning was intense. Thinking of you.

She had stared at the text for several long minutes before responding with a simple, I'm thinking about you, too.

Truthfully, there was so much more she wanted to say and ask him, but she was too afraid. Too afraid of rejection. Morgan was so concentrated on her inner thoughts that she almost missed it. Marcie was staring at her with a huge toothy grin. When Morgan finally noticed, her steps slowed. She furrowed her brow at the receptionist for a few seconds before trying to return a smile.

That was weird. Marcie was not the overly friendly type. Morgan shrugged and headed back toward her office. The whole office building felt strange then. As she neared the end of the hall, she heard more voices than usual. There seemed to be several people in Mr. Slade's office.

Morgan was going to set her purse in her office before she investigated, but her plans changed the second she got a glimpse into Mr. Slade's office. Her gorgeous boss was leaning casually against his desk, his arms folded over his chest. His expression was relaxed and pleased.

Just in front of him stood a large man. He laughed loudly, and Morgan was drawn into the scene. She slowly walked forward, stopping in Mr. Slade's doorway. His gaze fell on her, and she almost stopped breathing. He looked so happy. She had only seen that expression a few times before.

Mr. Slade unfolded his arms and stood up straight. "Ms. White, come on in and say hello to our newest business partner."

Morgan nervously looked from her boss, to the other man, and then back. She really didn't know why she was so anxious. She gave both men a small smile before walking into the room. She held out her free hand toward the new business man.

"Nice to meet you," she said in her best polite secretary voice.

The heavyset man took her hand, shaking it. Morgan tried to hide her cringe from how sweaty his palm was.

"Hello. Connor neglected to tell you my name." He still held her hand as he glanced over at Mr. Slade. "My name is Mr. Taylor." Finally, he let go of her.

She smiled and nodded at him before looking back at her boss. Morgan was going to step closer to him for a little comfort in this awkward situation but was stopped dead in her tracks when another voice filled the office. It was a female voice.

"Ok, sorry. I only found one iced latte in your fridge. Your secretary should do a better job of keeping that stocked." The young woman was holding a can while walking out from Mr. Slade's small personal break room. When she spotted Morgan, she stopped. "Oh, hello."

Morgan's eyes widened as she took in the other woman. She was probably the same age as Morgan. She had blonde hair that was just past shoulder length. She was thin and dressed professionally. Although, her blouse had one too many buttons undone, showing a bit too much cleavage. The one thing that grabbed Morgan's attention was the woman's eyes. They were the brightest blue eyes she had ever seen. Even Morgan had to admit they were mesmerizing.

"Hi. I'm Morgan … ah, Ms. White," she stammered clumsily.

The woman pointed at herself. "Ms. Wilson. Shay."

Morgan narrowed her eyes for a second, thinking. Where had she heard that name “Shay” before? She was certain she knew that name. Shay Wilson?

"Mr. Slade and I were just going over some last minute details." Mr. Taylor pointed at Morgan's boss.

She was no longer listening to the conversation. Mr. Slade said something that made the other young woman laugh. She put her hand up to her chest, almost flirtatiously. Shay? Morgan dropped her purse as the answer came to her. That folder. She was one of the “acquiescent” secretaries?

Morgan choked on her own spit as her mind started to race. She coughed loudly and unattractively a few times. The other woman stared at her in confusion for a minute before rolling her eyes.

"Ms. White?" Mr. Slade stepped closer to her.

"Sorry. Excuse me. I need to … go get a drink of water." She pointed at herself. "Allergies."

She knew that she sounded like an idiot, but she needed to get out of that room. She took a step sideways and accidently kicked her purse. Morgan stumbled forward and just barely saved herself before she would have plowed into Mr. Taylor.

"Sorry." Her face felt like it was on fire as she bent down to retrieve her purse.

Morgan didn't look back as she gracelessly left the room. She stumbled toward her office. When she entered, she lightly kicked the door closed, dropping her purse off to the side. Her breathing was heavy as stress crashed into her gut.

What the hell is she doing here? Mr. Slade is getting bored with me. It has to be or else why wouldn't he have hired someone that he hadn't been with?

Morgan walked to her desk, placing her hands on it. She leaned over it while closing her eyes. A few tears soon started to fill them. What should she do next? Her eyes slowly opened, and her head absentmindedly turned toward where she had found the box of files.

She jumped when a loud voice came over her desk phone. It was Mr. Slade, and he didn't sound happy. "Ms. White, after you get your drink, I need you back in here. We have work to do today."

Those tears slowly fell from her face. Well, that's it. Mr. Slade needed to bring back another plaything to keep himself happy. He doesn't want only me. Is he going to get rid of me?

With a trembling hand, she pressed a button on her desk phone. "Yes, Mr. Slade."

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