❝𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔❞
WHISPERS and murmurs filled the office as I passed by. Although the specific rumors that were being discussed weren't about me, it was still rather bothersome and unprofessional to talk shit about your boss during work hours. At least talk shit about him behind his back, like the rest of us did.
I didn't have to stop and listen about the mess that our boss got himself into. I didn't care, because at the end of the day, his secretaries, including myself, would be the ones cleaning up behind him.
''Good morning, Freya.''
The only secretary that I liked, Ellie Summers, greeted me with a cup of freshly prepared coffee.
''Good morning, miss Summers.''
With a smile of gratitude, I accepted the beverage as we both made our way towards the top floor of the building.
The elevator was cramped, as it usually was at this time. Ellie and I stood at the farthest corner of the elevator. It seemed as if eternity had passed before the crowd had disappeared and we'd reached our destination.
''Did you hear?'' Ellie questioned as soon as we were out of the hearing range of curious ears. A small sigh slipped past my lips before I groaned.
''People weren't too shy about running their mouths. I'm not sure exactly what it was about, but I'm sure I'll find out because it will probably be dumped on me to clean up the mess.''
Ellie laughed as we reached our desks, ''Yes, but this time it's actually juicy.''
My brow rose, ''Do tell, then.''
''You know how the president is pushing Mr. Vaughn to get married? Well, he arranged a date dinner between him and Alissa Doyle, the heir of Doyle Entertainment. It was a big deal when Mr. Vaughn finally agreed to that date. And you were the one who made the arrangements.''
''Oh, she's really pretty!'' I exclaimed before getting my mind back on track, ignoring the last part of her sentence. Sometimes, I was forced to work overtime and my memory became horrible.
''But why is that such a big deal? Business marriages aren't new and they certainly aren't uncommon in this industry.''
Ellie chuckled, ''Yes, but the problem was... Mr. Vaughn showed up with another woman on his arm... On his date.''
I laughed way too loudly. The other secretaries threw a nasty glance in my direction, which I chose to ignore. Sometimes, they acted as if it was the library we were in and every tiny sound that Ellie and I'd make would grant us the privilege of being scolded by our seniors.
''I'm not sure if he has a lot of guts or lacks brain cells because this date was already publicly known a month prior. He just keeps making mess after mess.''
Doyle Entertainment and Vaughn Corp. were known to be the biggest rivals in this industry. The latter company sky-rocketed with success four years ago, after the rumors of Doyle Entertainment money embezzlement hit the news. Although the rumors were proven to be false, I didn't want to associate myself with a company that had such accusations, so I settled for the company that had taken over in the first place. And the salary I got offered was much better.
My boss, Elijah Vaughn, was a good looking bastard. In fact, after I started working for him, a little over two weeks ago, every time I'd see him, I found myself stunned a little bit. His beauty was unlike something I'd seen before. Of course, there were many good looking men out there, but his whole aura managed to captivate me, and everyone who'd encountered him.
Sadly, the only beautiful thing about him was his face.
His personality was terrible. He was an obnoxious, self-centered asshole who didn't care about anyone but himself. Yes, he paid all of his staff generously and even included a thirteenth paycheck for all of his secretaries, but truth to be told, the money wasn't worth it. For the past two weeks, I managed to get off work on time only once and that was on my first day. And besides, I was going to be here for three months only so that thirteenth paycheck wasn't something I'd see.
I checked the clock silently, so as not to disturb the devils. I had an hour before lunch break, and it was a matter of seconds before the phone rang and Mr. Vaughn asked me to his office. Mentally preparing myself, I stood up as soon as the phone rang.
His office was at the end of the hall, of course, it was the biggest one in the building. I knocked twice, before his alluring voice allowed me in.
''Good afternoon, sir.'' I greeted. Closing the door behind me as I was careful not to drop the stack of papers in my other hand, the bastard didn't even have the decency to greet me properly.
I approached his desk and the man finally spoke, ''What's my schedule for today?''
''You have a lunch meeting with the president at one o'clock, I made a reservation at your favorite restaurant. Then, you have a board meeting at two-thirty and and the last meeting is at four, with Vice President of Quinn LLC.''
He nodded his head, ''Thank you, miss Preston. You can leave the files on my desk.''
Robotically, I did as told.
''Oh, and the scandal from last night...'' He stopped. He waited to hear how I cleaned up and how I planned to restore his image. Honestly, I wasn't getting paid enough to put up with this bullshit.
I sighed in annoyance before lowering my gaze, ''I sent flowers, a hand-written letter of apology and a pair of diamond earrings to Miss Doyle. I put it all on your tab.''
''On my tab?'' He questioned, a hint of surprise laced his tongue.
I deadpanned and our eyes met, ''Was I supposed to use company funds?''
He chuckled, ''Of course not. You can leave early today, miss Preston, thank you.''
I was taken aback. I smiled before leaving the office. It's not like I couldn't enjoy myself on weekends, but most of the time, I was way too tired to leave my apartment. Considering that it was friday, I decided to take advantage of it and visit my favorite club.
•
I was at home by three. I had enough time to take a short nap, have a meal and get ready. Since it was summer and I didn't have school until September, I made an oath with myself that no matter how busy this summer got, I'd take at least a week to enjoy summer.
The main reason for my internship was because I was a business major and wanted to get as much experience as possible. In three months, I would start my senior year in university and if everything went according to my plans, by summer next year, I'd have a job in this company.
It was one of the best companies to gain working experience because I vowed to start my business before I turned thirty. I just wanted to be rich and successful, which was probably why I only had one relationship and everything else was a simple contract.
Time went by in a blink of an eye. I got ready, though it was hard to decide on the outfit. It'd been over two months since I last visited the club, and it was a BDSM club, so I always loved to be over the top.
The owner was Luka Quinn, a man who became one of my closest friends after rescuing me from drowning in my own sorrow and pathetic thoughts, three years ago. Coincidentally, he was the same man my boss had a business partnership with.
By the time I'd arrived at the club LIMITED, the party was at its fullest. A smile tugged on the corner of my lips as I stared in awe. The club got relocated three weeks ago, and I'd been itching to drop by and see what Luka had done with it. It was safe to say that I was impressed.
Everything looked expensive, which was expected. However, the whole vibe I was getting was making me gawk in awe. It wasn't just the interior, it was everything. The uniforms his bartenders had, even security guards had something spicy on them.
Suddenly, as a few people stared at me while I was desperately trying to squeeze through the crowd, I felt insecure and self-conscious. I wore a two piece, both skin-tight and colored in a dark shade of red. The top was sleeveless and it hugged my breasts tightly which made them definitely stand out more. The bottom part, the skirt, ended around my mid-thighs and because the material was thin, I wore no underwear.
Yes, I went commando.
My red hair was straight. It's been two months since I last straightened it and it made me realize how much my roots had grown out. Maintaining red color while my natural was blonde was hard.
A wide smile took over my face as I approached the bar, noticing that even the bartenders had switched the locations. Because it was rather far from the place the club was previously at, I thought Luka would get new staff. I was glad he didn't.
The girl behind the bar, Mel, greeted me with a wide grin.
''Look who decided to show up,'' She teased, ''Where the hell have you been?''
I laughed and took a seat, ''Exams were kicking my ass and now my job is kicking my ass. Life's been busy.'' I groaned, ''But enough about me. How is the new place going? Are you doing okay?''
Mel smiled as she poured my drink. She knew that if I came alone, I always had a glass of red wine before drinking something stronger.
''To tell you the truth, I was shocked how many people blindly followed the relocation. Most of these people are our regulars but we do have a lot of newcomers too. It's amazing.''
We chatted whilst I had the wine. It was fun talking to Mel, because not only did she sign a non-disclosure agreement when taking the job, but I knew that she wasn't the type of person to gossip. Over the time I spent with Luka at the club, she became more like an older sister to me, though we rarely hung out outside the club. She had another job during the week and on the weekends, she was at the club.
''Is Luka here?'' I questioned and placed the empty glass on the counter.
Mel picked it up before placing a glass of scotch in front of me, on top of a small, white napkin. ''Yes, he's waiting for you in the VIP room. Honestly, if he hadn't known you were coming, I doubt we'd see him.''
My brows creased in confusion, ''Why?''
She seemed to be taken aback slightly, but sighed and replied, ''After he decided to relocate the club, he also opened three casinos in the city. It's really keeping him busy considering he also has a company to run. I'm surprised you didn't know.''
I was slightly hurt he didn't tell me. Then again, it was me who continiously asked for rein-checks whenever he'd ask me out for a coffee or lunch. I just didn't have the time for anyone, including myself.
Mel pointed to the direction of where the VIP rooms were located. It was on my left, and with the place being full of people, I missed the big staircase that was leading up to the second floor. That, or it could have been because I didn't have my glasses on and could barely see shit.
Mel told me that I had to go up and then just follow the hallway. The last door that would appear in front of me was the room that was Luka's only.
Though, I made a cruical mistake.
I forgot to knock and now, I have a sight that scarred me for the rest of my life.
''I am so sorry.'' I yelled before I slammed the door closed. I felt heat rush up my neck and cheeks. It wasn't like it was my first time seeing him naked, but it was the first time seeing him have sex... from someone else's perspective, from the sidelines.
Fucking gross.
For a moment, I forgot that three years ago, it was me with him in the same position. It made me want to barf. The drink I got at the bar was now gone, as I gulped it down in one go, praying to erase my nerveousness and memory.
Should I just bang my head against the wall hard enough until my memories vanished?
My thoughts were cut short after I heard Luka's rough voice calling me in. It felt as if a few seconds had passed, but when I checked my phone, it seemed that almost ten minutes passed. I was relieved, knowing they had enough time to get dressed.
As soon as I walked in, the girl walked out in a flash. I caught a glimpse of her reddened cheeks and chuckled to myself. Adorable.
''Is there a part of this room that wasn't contaminated?''
Luka laughed, before running his hand through his hair. Luka was honestly a good looking bastard. His blonde hair longer than the last time I'd seen him. It reached just above his shoulders, and it was curly. Curly. He had blonde curly hair. It was so pretty and I didn't know if it was what made me attracted to him those years ago, or if I was simply jealous because his hair was the prettiest I've ever seen.
''Why are you getting all shy like you haven't done worse things.''
He finally approached me and immediately closed his arms around me. I leaned in, feeling a sense of comfort overwhelm me. It's been a while since we were this close and I missed it.
''You're a hard woman to find these days,'' He grumbled, ''Don't tell me you finally decided to settle down?''
I groaned at the teasing voice. He was quick to pour us both a drink and led me to a clean place to sit. I gratefully took the drink and leaned into the armchair, exhausted.
''Me? Settle down? Do I look like I have someone to settle down with?'' I gave him a dirty look, ''Besides, I'm young, no need to settle down yet.''
''That's true. So tell me, where the fuck have you been?''
I grinned, ''Okay, so, I got an internship at Vaughn Corp as Elijah Vaughn's secretary. Well, one of them.''
He blinked, ''So did you arrange for our meeting today?''
I nodded, ''Yes. Speaking of which, how did it go?''
Luka shook his head, ''Let's not talk about business on a Friday night.'' He paused for a quick second to refill my empty glass, ''But why did you pick that company? There's a bunch of them that are equally as good and they could have pushed you to work further in the industry.''
''You mean as an actress or something like that?''
Luka's response was a quick nod of his head.
I laughed, ''Well, that's true. But I don't want to be in the public's eye like that. My goal is to be rich and successful, not famous.''
''Why not both?''
''Because being famous means that you have to protect your image at all costs. Sure, it's the same when you're a businessman, but not to that extent. Most people don't care if a businessman goes out and gets drunk as hell, but a celebrity getting wasted? Headlines.''
''If you look at it from that perspective, you're right.'' He sighed, dropping the subject, ''How is it working for that man?''
Something changed in the atmosphere. Luka's eyes held this amusement hid behind the unfazed expression he was trying to uphold. Emphasis on the word trying. I could read him like an open book and I knew immediately that the bastard was hiding something valuable from me.
I decided to act as if I hadn't noticed the excitement on his face and played his little game, ''It's... fine, I think. He is the sexiest man I'd ever seen but if you combine that with his terrible personality, it's just... fine.''
''Is he giving you trouble? Want me to kick his ass?''
''That won't be necessary. The only thing he does is give me a lot of work, but I guess it's because I'm there only for three months so he wants to spare the rest of his staff for the time being.''
''But are you actually learning anything about the industry from him?''
I nodded my head eagarly, ''Yes! Although he's a narcissistic asshole with no filter or human decency, he's actually devoted to his job, which was a surprise. But the more I accompanied him to his meetings and ran his errands, I noticed how little work I do comparing to him. And the amount of work he is doing on a daily basis is going to be the same I'll do once I open my own company. It's good that I get to see it first hand and still not get second thoughts.''
Luka's face changed, and he raised a curious eyebrow. ''I do understand putting more work on you and trying to give you more experience... but didn't you start working for him, like, less than a month ago? Isn't he just overworking you? Are you even eating and resting properly?''
Ah, so it was concern written all over his face. I was grateful that I had one reliable person in my life and someone I could talk to. Meeting Luka three years ago was truly a blessing in disguise.
I smiled, ''Don't worry about me. I'm doing fine. I'm really grateful that out of everyone in my class who applied for the same position, I got picked. So, I'll do my best.''
Luka seemed as if he was going to lecture me again, so instead, I decided to change the subject completely. My mind drifted off to the girl I caught him with.
''Anyways, was that your new partner?''
He sighed, ''I don't know yet. If someone hadn't interrupted,'' He gave me a dirty look that chilled down my body, ''Maybe I could have decided. Though, it's fine. I have two weeks to see if it works or not.''
Everything I learned about BDSM was from Luka himself. At the time, he was more like a teacher than a friend, but the memories were something I held dear to my heart.
Luka never had casual sex with multiple partners. He wasn't the type to want a relationship either. Instead, he had a two week probation with his partners. If they ended up matching sexually, they'd sign a contract. If not, they went their separate ways, the end. However, his contracts never lasted more than two months, in case something happened, because it did. He had stalkers, people falling in love with him, wanting to pry into his personal life, which were all violations of the contract, so he had to make them short. To my recollection, he never had the same partner twice for safety reasons.
I also followed in his footsteps when it came to sex partners. Although my contracts lasted six months and I only had two, I also took every precaution measurement Luka had suggested just so I could protect myself if it came down to that.
''Speaking of which, didn't your contract end recently? Are you extending it or looking for someone new?'' Luka broke the chain of thoughts and brought me back to reality.
I sighed, ''Yeah, it ended around... two months ago? Just before my exams started. We were going to extend it once summer was over but he got a job offer in Seattle and so there was no point in doing that. Shame though, our chemistry was amazing and he was so kind.''
Luka was... baffled, to say the least. The next second, he was grossed out. ''Kind? Fucking kind? Aren't you into sadism and masochism?''
I flicked his forehead, ''Yes dipshit but it doesn't mean I want someone who is gonna fucking beat me. The person needs to be kind, or at least, have basic human decency because aftercare is one of the most important things.''
''I was kidding, you asshole.'' He laughed, ''So, are you looking for someone new or are you going to have a one night stand?''
''Probably neither. Having a partner right now is impossible due to my hectic schedule and having a one night stand isn't my thing.''
Luka and I spent another two hours just chatting away, catching up. We talked about him opening the casinos and his plans for the near future. It felt nice, because before my internship and exams made my life a mess, we'd spend a lot of our free time together.
My best friend, Cora, often said that we looked like an old couple and even hinted at him having feelings for me. But I knew that it wasn't true, because Luka was someone whose heart got closed after his wife passed away. He wasn't ready yet to give someone a chance at this time, but I understood where she was coming from. After telling me that, I did some reflecting and I couldn't help but agree with her.
''Let's call it a night, shall we?'' I said after noticing that it was almost three in the morning. Luka agreed and offered me a ride home. I accepted because I didn't want to waste money on a cab. We agreed to meet outside of the club in around fifteen minutes, which gave me enough time to to say goodbye to Mel.
Once I left his room, I was startled. It took me around five minutes to reach the stairs, because it was crowded as hell. It made me wonder if there was an orgy going on in one of the rooms. I continiously aplogized and squeezed through people, being careful not to hit anyone or trip.
I stepped down the first stair when I felt an elbow hit my back. Though it was most likely on accident, pain shot through my entire body and it caused me to lose balance. I hit my head against someone and immediately hoped they weren't in a bad mood.
A pair of strong arms helped me up and it was probably because I was drunk already that my vision got fuzzy. I decided to blame the goosebumps and sudden arousal on the alcohol as well.
The fregrance of this man filled my senses and it didn't help my situation at all. I didn't know how to describe the smell. It smelled like a perfect paradise made only for me, with a hint of masculinity to it.
He wore a black shirt that was tucked into his pants. The first button was undone and I could clearly see a hickey on his chest, lingering there. His sleeves were rolled to his elbows and the tender skin of his forearms made me gasp.
Why were men luckier when it came to having nicer skin?
I wish I never looked up.
My eyes went wide in shock and fear. I couldn't believe that I was that unlucky and that it had to happen here, out of all places. His dark eyes were blank as usual, though it was his hair that caught my eye. It was usually slicked back with a little bit of gel, but now, it was all over the place. Messy and that was exactly up my ally.
His hair was longer than I could originally tell. It made me want to touch it.
When the reality struck me, I managed to utter out an apology, ''I'm terribly sorry, sir. I hope you're okay.''
I bolted straight after that.
My fucking boss is going to BDSM clubs and he had to come to the only one that I visit regurarly. The worst thing was, it excited me.
It was probably because I knew there was no chance in hell I'd ever get a contract with him, or maybe it was because the person he was with had a collar around her neck. It made it even more exciting.
But, of course, as bold as I was in bed, real life was the complete opposite. I did the only thing I could do.
Pretend nothing happened until I figured out a plan to make him my sex partner.
•
me 🤝 name elijah whenever i don't have any other male names