Dear Mr. Summers,
With this letter, I hereby resign from my position as your secretary ...
A deep frown nestled on Sebastian Summers's forehead as he was drowned in his own mind. He was trying to recall what had happened the previous week that had made her secretary submit her resignation letter this morning.
Seven days ago,
It had been raining in Washington D.C. and the pavements were thronged by people. Sleek limousines edged their way along between the yellow lines of taxis that maneuvered their way in and out of the already busy traffic jam. Wealthy, big companies inhabited the tall block of that street, and the company Andin Kemala Williams was working for had been one of them.
As Andin walked into the building, she gave the security guy a smile to which he replied with a grin. He knew most of the employees who worked in Summers Industries by sight, some were by name.
Andin walked toward the electronic gates and tapped her card on the machine. There was a buzz before the door slid open and Andin walked in. She immediately went to the set of elevators and hit the call button. Once she was on the correct floor, she walked out of the elevator towards the heavy plate glass door which bore the sign "SUMMERS ENTERTAINMENT". Andin offered a smile to the young receptionist working behind the desk and crossed through the open office before getting into the opaque glass door which bore the "SEBASTIAN SUMMERS" name. Sebastian Summers, her boss which was also the CEO of Summers Entertainment (one could easily guess by his surname), had a large square room beyond her own with a door communicating between them.
She had worked for Sebastian Summers for about five years now. Her air of reserved efficiency and professionalism had been the reason why she had managed to keep this job that long. It was quite rare, or so she had been told by her coworkers, that before she came, Sebastian had fired five people and the last one had only been working for a month.
It was ten minutes before one. She'd come back to the office early and spared enough time to get prepared before her boss came back from his lunch. Andin hung her jacket on a coat hanger, in the corner of the room, and tucked away her hair before settling down at her desk.
"How's my wonderful professional secretary doing?"
Andin gritted her teeth against a seething wave of annoyance. Sometimes it was hard working for Sebastian and this was one of the reasons: when he was so careless with his words. He did not have to put the word 'professional' there just to make her sound boring. Furthermore, the only reason he would call her 'wonderful' was because he'd just made another conquest. Not necessarily a good business deal, his list of conquests stretched to females as well.
His voice was filled with smugness, a sure sign of sexual satisfaction. No doubt. he had spent a pleasurable lunch with his latest woman. Another sign was his missing tie. Andin remembered that when he had come to the office this morning, he had been wearing a grey tie. Not only had that tie gone missing, but his collar was also undone.
Yet one look at him and she could understand why females were finding it hard to resist him. Other than his naturally handsome look, he was also disturbingly attractive. His eyes were as blue as the ocean and sometimes when his mood had been cloudy, they would turn darker, almost as dark as the night sky. His cheekbones were angular, almost austere. His mouth was wide with the top lip firm and controlled and the lower full conveying the hint of sensuality and his mastery in the art of kissing. His face always reflected his current mood, sometimes it was full of pride when he needed to intimidate someone (especially his subordinates or business partner). At the other times, it was incredibly charming that an icy heart would surely melt at the sight of him. There was one thing for sure, it was always full of power just like he was. Sometimes it annoyed her how he could think faster than normal humans.
Sebastian Summers was a dangerous man. He was as difficult to handle as a wild puma: savage, unpredictable, and predatory. He worked hard and played hard. He was thirty-two years old, in the prime of life, and had the well-earned reputation of being a genius in the entertainment field. Other than that, he used his undoubted sex appeal mercilessly. His name had been coupled with a succession of stars. A new star or artist often got free publicity simply by being photographed with him coming out of a nightclub. He showed no signs of settling down and getting married and none of his affairs had ever appeared serious nor lasted for longer than a few weeks.
When Andin had first begun to work for him, he had asked her to dine with him which she had politely declined and his response had been a needling form of mockery. Still, Andin maintained her cool good looks, and quiet manner. Even if she did have feelings for him, she had two reasons to avoid getting in bed with him. One, at that time, she still had to pay for her mother's debts. Her mother had recklessly owed money to some people and if she had not paid them back, they would put her in jail. Two, she refused to be one of his conquests. Perhaps the reason why he had fired his previous secretaries was that he had gotten bored of them after they had shared his bed. Whether it had been true or not, Andin found it easier to avoid being intimate with him. After all, he was her boss, for goodness sake!
"Good afternoon, Sir," Andin replied with a small, polite smile.
His dark, rakish eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Sir?"
"Is it not why you put the word 'professional' in your greeting just now so that I would address you formally?" Andin tilted her head to one side, returning his quizzical look with one of her own.
Sebastian laughed, his ocean eyes twinkling with devilish delight. The devil was clearly enjoying this little banter. "You never fail to amuse me with your sharp tongue, Williams."
That was one more annoying thing that he always did. He called her by her surname, the same way he had been calling his other male buddies. Furthermore, Andin hated her surname 'Williams' which she'd inherited from her biological father who had irresponsibly abandoned her and her mother. Other than that, Sebastian often called her using other names that sounded more Western such as Ann, Anne, or Anna. For a girl who loved her mother's heritage, Andin preferred to be called by the name as seen on her birth certificate.
Ignoring him, Andin picked up the files she had prepared for him before lunch and handed them over to him. "These are the files that you asked for. You will need to review them so I can start arranging the meetings," she said efficiently. Once he took the files, she offered him another polite smile and asked, "Is there anything else you need from me right now?"
"No," he shook his head and began waltzing to the connecting door. And then as if he had just remembered something, he stopped, turned around, and leaned by the doorframe. "Though there's one more thing. How's the planning going for the party this weekend? Is everything on track and according to the list I gave you last time?" When she did not answer immediately, his brows lowered. "You haven't forgotten about it, have you?"
Of course, she had not! How could she forget to arrange and make plans for her boss's birthday party this weekend? Not only her salary but her job, as well as her head, would also be on the line!
"No, of course, I haven't." Andin stretched her lips into what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "Everything is going to be perfect! I've arranged it exactly as you wanted."
"Good, good," he said momentarily then his blue eyes were once more fixated on her. "You know you are coming, right?"
"I - I —" Andin cleared her throat, then answered in a calm manner. "I don't think that would be necessary. It isn't a business meeting, I don't think you'll need your secretary there."
"Nonsense!" Sebastian shook his head, giving her a disapproving look. "I will need you there. Consider it the reward for all the work you've done in working with the Event Organizers in putting the party together."
"Thank you," Andin answered silkily. "I will look forward to relaxing and enjoying myself then."
His eyes twinkled dangerously and for a split second, Andin saw something in those blue eyes she'd never seen before. "It will be my pleasure to see you enjoying yourself, Andin."
If the glint in his eyes wasn't enough to make her suspicious of his motive, the fact that he had just called her by her first name correctly for the first time ever had.
* * * * * * *
Sebastian Summers settled at his desk and logged into his computer. At first, he checked his email and made sure that he had not missed any important news before opening the files Andin had given him.
He was halfway through reading the document when an odd question came to mind.
Would she come with her beau?
Andin had never talked about her private life and he could not deny that he was beginning to feel curious. Most women would open up with him but never Andin. But again, most women would fall into his charm except her. It was a rather frustrating thing, really. It had made him wonder occasionally whether he had started to lose his touch or that she was simply interested in the same sex.
One thing for sure, Andin was a buttoned-up, uptight girl and she would never lose her head over anything. Even his impeccable charm on the ladies. This had made her the perfect assistant both in his line of work, where artists or actresses were all too temperamental and Andin could ground and reason with them. And also, in his company's retaining rates. God knew he had to fire at least a dozen women who had been his secretary and all because they had fallen for him. The last one was even crazier for she had thrown herself naked at him during office hours! It had been quite embarrassing and such a nuisance to sort out. How would he explain to HR about that incident? Sebastian shook his head exasperatedly.
Then once again, his mind went back to his secretary, Andin Williams. Even if he wouldn't admit it to anyone, he'd started thinking about her. Even when he'd been with other women. And sometimes when his mind dared to breach into the other territory, he even wondered what she might be like in bed. He knew he had to stop thinking this way about her. He wasn't, he could not mess with the best secretary he'd ever had.
The telephone beside his arm rang and his mind was back to his office as he picked up the receiver.
"London Star is waiting for you on line one," said Andin plainly.
"Thank you, Miss Williams. I'll take it from here." He hit the button to take the call. Unlike his mysterious secretary that was Andin Williams, there was nothing hidden when it came to London Star. She was never one to be embarrassed by showing off her figure in public or having men drooling over her. And in all honesty, Sebastian was fine with it. She was fun to be around.
"Hey, London," he greeted warmly, still remembering her exquisite figure from their impromptu sex this afternoon.
* * * * * * *
After he was done with his call, he called Andin into his office and gave her back the files along with clear instructions clipped onto the document. As she moved about his office, he had his eyes glued on her. She was wearing a blouse with a skirt that ended modestly, just above her knees. She had always dressed appropriately. And it seemed that only now he noticed how beautiful her legs were and the way her hips swayed as she walked. It was both distracting and tempting.
Sebastian stifled these wayward thoughts and fixed his gaze on her face. She was pretty, not stunningly beautiful like all the women he had been with but it could be because she had barely worn any makeup. And if only she could switch those thick glasses of hers with soft lenses. Then her hair was pulled back and pinned into a chignon too tight for her own good. Suddenly he had the urge to remove those pins and feel her soft dark hair with his hands.
As his gaze finally arrived in her eyes, all he saw was a bright intelligence looking at him expectantly, nothing but business on her mind. Her indifference towards him was so apparent that it was almost insulting.
"Are you going to bring someone?" he finally asked, deciding that he should get on with it instead of being all curious and being left in the dark.
Her brows lifted, eyes widened in confusion. "Pardon?"
"To the party. Will you be bringing anyone?"
She was quiet for a few seconds before she answered, "Yes, a friend."
His eyebrow arched teasingly. "A guy?"
"Yes," her eyes twitched. "Would that be a problem for you?" challenged him albeit her tone was still appropriately within the politeness meter.
"Not at all." He shrugged as if it had meant nothing to him whether she was going to bring her boyfriend or her brother. Although in all honesty, it did matter. Because his next question was more of a jab than a mere friendly question. "Is he an accountant or a tax advisor?"
Her smooth creamy forehead creased as she asked incredulously, "You want to know if he's an accountant or a tax advisor?"
"That's what I asked," answered Sebastian with another shrug. "So, which one is he?"
She stared at him confusedly. "Do you need an accountant or a tax advisor or something?"
"No."
Her eyes narrowed in blatant suspicion. "Then why did you ask?"
"Because I'm the host. It'd be odd if I didn't know at least a little about him, especially since you're bringing him to my birthday party. Don't you think so?"
She stared at him, not saying anything. Her shoulders squared and her body went rigid. Even her hands were clenched into a ball of fists on each side of her small figure. Sebastian wondered if she was going to hit him or perhaps slap him for being so condescending. At last, she asked, "What makes you think he is an accountant or a tax advisor?" Her voice was as cold as the North Pole.
"Well, am I correct? Is he one of them? Or perhaps both?" he persisted, a little annoyed that she was avoiding the question.
Her mouth set into a flat grimace. "No."
"Okay." Sebastian shifted his gaze to his computer screen, pretending to be busy with whatever was on there then asked casually, "So what's his name?"
"Damon. Damon Matthews."
Sebastian blinked. That name sounded familiar. "Does he own that stove company?"
"No," Andin answered with a rather defensive tone. Then as if she had noticed that, her next tone was back to natural. "That's Davon Matthews."
"Ah, you're right." Sebastian spared her a glance before turning back to his monitor.
From his peripheral vision, he could see her lips had softened and her mouth slightly parted. Driven by curiosity, he brought his attention back to her again. "Actually I don't think Damon would mind you mistaking him for Davon," her tongue slipped out of her parted mouth and licked her bottom lip. "My Damon is sizzling hot."
Sebastian could feel his temperature rising for no apparent reason, at least nothing he could come up with. "I'll make sure to remember that!" he snapped then pushed the files towards her. "You can take these files and get back to your desk. Make sure you plan the meetings accordingly and don't forget to bring additional files needed should we proceed with the acquisition."
"Of course." She smiled at him as she stepped forward and grabbed the files off the desk. Then she walked out of the office with her hips tantalizing his every nerve.
Sebastian cursed under his breath, low enough that no one but himself could hear. This was insane! He had just had sex with London Star merely a few hours ago and now his body was gripped by desire. And he did not even think of the artist with a sultry voice and lush curves. No, he was thinking of his goddamn uptight secretary!
"Hell to the damnation!" he finally swore.
* * * * * * *
A/N: so what do you think? please leave a comment and vote for this chapter if you enjoy it! that would mean a lot.