Mr. Bezos sat at the head of the table, flanked by his top business partners, their faces lighted by the glow of laptops and tablets as they discussed the details of their latest venture. I stood close, watching quietly among the flurry of action, my hands engaged with fetching coffee and ensuring the meeting ran well.
"We need to capitalize on this momentum," Mr. Bezos said, his voice piercing through the din of activity in the room. "Our goal is clear: to leverage this increased user engagement and solidify our presence in the market."
His remarks peaks the interest of his colleagues, who nodded in accord, their emotions showing a common commitment to achieve. Each of them saw the importance of the opportunity and wanted to contribute to the project's success.
"I want us to look into new ways to improve the user experience," Mr. Bezos said, casting his eyes across the room. "We need to identify key areas for improvement and implement solutions that will set us apart from the competition."
His associates listened avidly, their minds racing with thoughts and possibilities. They understood that in order to remain competitive in the fast-paced world of technology and e-commerce, they needed to continually innovate and adapt to their consumers' ever-changing demands.
"As we move forward with this project, we must remain agile and responsive to feedback," Mr. Bezos stated, his tone strong yet encouraging. "We cannot afford to be complacent or stagnant. Our success is dependent on our ability to predict market trends and remain ahead of the curve."
In the middle of the meeting, Athena arrived. Barging in with a handful of shopping bags. Everyone focused their attention on her. She approached Mr. Bezos and kissed him on the forehead. "Hey baby."
Mr. Bezos asked her in a severe tone, "What are you doing?"
Athena chuckled, her demeanor relaxed despite the tension in the room. "Just a little retail therapy. Thought I'd drop by and see how the meeting's going."
Mr. Bezos raised an eyebrow, clearly unamused. "This is a business meeting, Athena. We're discussing important matters."
His associates looked at each other. Like this is a meeting for crying out loud. Does she know how to keep her boundaries?
The room fell into an uncomfortable silence as Athena seemed unfazed by the tension she had caused. She glanced around at the faces staring back at her, a hint of amusement playing on her lips.
"Relax, everyone," she said breezily, waving off their stares. "I'm just here to see my man in action. Thought I'd bring a little sunshine to this corporate cave."
Mr. Bezos sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Athena, I appreciate your support, but this is hardly the time or place for shopping trips."
Athena rolled her eyes jokingly. "Oh, come on. I'm not causing any major disruptions. Furthermore, a little retail therapy never hurts anyone."
One of Mr. Bezos' associates, a lady with a straightforward manner, spoke up. "With due respect, Athena, this meeting is critical to the success of our project. We need everyone's full attention and participation."
Athena shrugged in repose. "Okay, alright. I will just relax in the corner and be a nice little observer. Right?"
As she approached an empty chair, Mr. Bezos couldn't help but feel a pang of annoyance. This wasn't the first time Athena had turned up unexpectedly, and it wouldn't be the last. He made a mental point to discuss limits with her when the meeting was ended.
Meanwhile, the discussion resumed, Mr. Bezos attempted to refocus his attention, emphasizing the significance of remaining flexible and responsive in a fast changing industry.
However, as the meeting went, Athena couldn't resist having an urge to intervene with absurd remarks here and there, much to the disappointment of some of the other attendees. Despite her distasteful manner, it was evident that her presence was straining their tolerance.
Finally, as the meeting came to an end, Mr. Bezos addressed Athena in a forceful yet gentle tone. "Athena, you need to please respect the boundaries of our work environment. This is a business, and we have to handle it appropriately."
I was just standing there listening in on their conversation since I was just his assistant.
To break the ice, Athena steered her attention to me, "Take these to the car," she shoved the shopping bags toward me.
I grabbed them unexpectedly and nodded, "Sure," I tried to be as politely as possible.
He interjects, his tone firm yet measured, "My assistant is not your slave, Athena."
Athena raises an eyebrow, her demeanor unyielding, "Practically. She works for you which means she works for me too. Now go, take my bags to the car."
I did not wish to continue listening to their conversation, so I went ahead and did what I was told to. While I was on my way to the car, a gentleman stopped me. He was so handsome.
"I'm new around here. Do you know where Mr. Bezos from Expansion Edge may be?" The way his words rolled off his tongue was so attractive.
"Expansion Edge? Yeah, Mr. Bezos is in the building. Just head straight down this hallway and take a left at the end—the office, the third one on the right."
He flashed a grateful smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Thanks a lot. By the way, I'm Alex. Alex Turner."
"Nice to meet you, Alex. I'm Eleanor," I replied, returning the smile.
"Well, Eleanor, if you're not in a rush, would you mind showing me the way? I'm terrible with directions," he said with a chuckle, falling into step beside me.
"Of course," I said, feeling a flutter of excitement at his request. We made small talks as we walked, and I couldn't help but notice how effortlessly charming Alex was.
As we reached the office, I gestured toward the door. "Here we are. Mr. Bezos should be inside."
"Thanks again, Eleanor. I owe you one," Alex said, giving me a grateful smile before knocking on the door.
You think I would let anyone get close to Eleanor? I know I was being a selfish jerk, but I had control of everything that came at my fingertips. I personally moved up the date to Canada so that she didn't have to continue her fake relationship with Greg.
Wondering how I knew that huh?
...
It kills me that I left her standing there, knowing that we had to put an end to this. Easier said than done. Athena and I were in the car, but we didn't communicate much since she was so caught up in her phone.
I reached for her leg and caressed my fingers on them, the smoothness of her skin igniting a warmth within me. "What are your plans for tonight?" I asked, trying to set the mood.
She brushed my hand off her leg with a sigh, her eyes focused on something beyond me. "Well, the wedding? I'm busy, can't you see?" Her tone was sharp, clipped, as if she was annoyed by my presence.
I am tried of this woman.
"I'm tired of this, Athena," I muttered under my breath, more to myself than to her.
Her head snapped towards me, eyes flashing with irritation. "What did you say?"
I hesitated, realizing my words had slipped out louder than intended. "Nothing," I replied, trying to mask the bitterness in my voice.
But she wasn't having it. "No, you said something. Spit it out."
"I'm just tired of feeling like I'm not a priority to you. Every time I try to connect with you, it's like you're somewhere else entirely."
She scoffed, crossing her arms defensively. "Oh, please. Don't turn this around on me. You're the one who's always so needy, always craving attention."
Needy? The word stung, cutting deeper than I cared to admit. "Is it too much to ask for a little affection from my fiancé? Just great."
"I'm not going to have this conversation with you. I have better things to focus on."
The next day came by pretty quickly. I was so eager to see Eleanor at work, just to see her. But something caught me off guard. I saw her coming from one of my employee's cars, Greg. He worked at the cafe. Something didn't look right. Were they dating or something?
I decided to dig deeper into this because I'm not going to have another man around her. And I mean that sh*t.
It felt like hours I paid a visit to the cafe. Yes, there he was serving coffee across the counter to a customer. He was smiling like there was no tomorrow, but I decided to play it cool. Yes, I owned this cafe too.
I sat down and placed an order: "Cold Brew for me."
He nodded and said, "Cold Brew is coming up." He typed it in the system so that the other workers could make the order.
I cleared my throat. "You are familiar with my assistant, Eleanor Valdanger, right?"
He looked up, a smile still plastered on his face. "Oh yeah, Eleanor! She's great. Always on top of things, you know?"
The tension in the air is palpable as we both exchange a tense look.
I nodded slowly. "Yeah, I've noticed she's been spending quite a bit of time with you lately."
He shrugged casually. "Yeah, she stops by for coffee sometimes. It helps keep me sane during the rush hours. You know?"
I lean in, my voice lowering. "Is that all it is, Greg? Just coffee breaks?"
Greg's smile falters slightly as he senses the underlying threat in my words as he tries to play it cool. "Of course, just coffee breaks. Why? Is there a problem, sir?"
A blonde lady brought my order, and I nodded, taking the cold brew and taking a sip from it. "Let's just say I'm very protective of my employees, especially Eleanor." My voice is turning steely.
He raised an eyebrow, "Protective? Sounds like you've got more than just a boss-employee relationship there."
My eyes narrowed, "Watch your tone, Greg. You may work for me, but that doesn't mean you can get away with anything."
His expression shifts from casual to defensive, realizing he might have touched a nerve.
"Hey, I'm not doing anything wrong. Eleanor and I are just friends. Nothing more."
"Friends, huh? That's not what it looked like when I saw you two getting out of your car together yesterday." I responded skeptically.
"Oh, uh, that? We were just... uh... carpooling. Yeah, that's it." he finally admitted, "she just doing me a favor. She's just my fake girl for the week."
The words hung in the air like a dense fog, enclosing us in an uncomfortable silence. I took another sip of my cold brew, allowing the bitterness to wash over my tongue while I absorbed Greg's comment. Fake girlfriend?
I leaned back in my chair, studying Greg's face for any signs of lies. "Fake girlfriend, huh? That's a new one."
"It's complicated, okay? I needed someone to pose as my girlfriend for my parents, and Eleanor agreed to help me out."
"And you couldn't find anyone else to play the part?"
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's not that simple. My parents.. they have certain expectations, and bringing a girlfriend home was non-negotiable. Eleanor was the only one who was willing to help me out."
I raised an eyebrow, still not fully convinced. "Let me get things straight. You want me to think Eleanor, my very professional assistant, agreed to pretend to be your girlfriend to convince your parents?"
Greg nodded, a tinge of desperation coming through in his voice. "That's exactly what happened. Look, I know that seems strange, but Eleanor is a great friend. She was just trying to help me. Incredible woman."
I leaned forward, fixing Greg with a penetrating stare. "And what about you, Greg? What's in it for you?"
He paused, obviously uncomfortable with the line of questions. "I... I just needed someone to fill the position. It's not like I had a partner, and my parents would be furious if I showed there alone."
"Fine," I at some point answered, releasing the tension between us. "I'll take your word for it, Greg. But let me be clear: Eleanor is off limits. I will not accept any behavior that jeopardizes her professionalism or reputation."
Greg nodded eagerly relief on his face. "Of course I understand. I would never do anything to ruin Eleanor's career. She's an important asset to your company, and I appreciate that."
I gave him a curt nod, signaling the end of our conversation, looking at the time on my wrist watch. "Good. Now, you can get back to work. The drink is amazing as always keep it up."
As Greg turned to his computer, I couldn't shake the impression that there was more to this situation than meets the eye. But, for the time being, I'll take Greg's word for it and focus on the task ahead.
...
I was taking a long night shower after working the entire day; all I could think about was her. Her body, her hair, and her lips. I think I might be a little obsessed with her. It felt so unreal, like I wanted her to myself. Every drop that touched my skin seemed to echo her presence.
"No one has seen me...you know..." she said softly.
"I don't judge."
Memories of her flashed through my head. All I could picture was her naked body and her eyes. She was just the right definition of beautiful. In that quiet sanctuary of the night, I surrendered to her tempting charisma, lost in the depths of my obsession.
After my shower, Athena was sitting in the living room with her laptop in her hand, scrolling through a few wedding dresses.
I was running the towel through my hair to get it dried as I stared at the screen of the laptop. "You haven't picked your dress yet?"
"Na, just looking for the perfect one," she continued, scrolling.
I finished drying my hair and placed the towel on the couch before joining Athena at the other end. Leaning over her shoulder, I looked at the screen, which was filled with images of beautiful wedding dresses. "They all look stunning. How will you ever decide?"
Athena sighed, her fingers pausing on the trackpad. "I know, right? It's like every dress I see becomes 'the one' until I see the next one."
I chuckled, understanding her point. "Well, I think you'd look gorgeous in any of them. Have you thought about what style you're going for?"
She tilted her head, considering. "I've always imagined myself in something classic and elegant, you know? But then there's a part of me that's drawn to the more modern designs too."
I nodded, mulling over her words. "Maybe you could find something that combines both? Like a classic silhouette with a modern twist?"
She brightened at the suggestion. "That's a great idea! Maybe I'll look for dresses with a timeless shape but with some unique detailing or a contemporary fabric."
As she resumed scrolling, I glanced around the living room, noticing the scattered bridal magazines. "You've really been diving deep into wedding planning, huh?"
Athena laughed, setting the laptop aside for a moment. "Tell me about it. Sometimes I feel like I'm drowning in wedding stuff—dresses, venues, flowers, you name it."
"Well, I'll leave you to it. I'll be in the bedroom finishing some things."
She nodded in advance.
As I entered the room, not to be messy, but all I could picture was Eleanor on my c*ck. I know. I felt like mastur*ating to her. As I lay in bed, I took the towel from around my waist and laid on my back. I closed my eyes, and my fingers grasped around it. With each breath, I sank deeper into the tranquility of the moment.
The image of Eleanor's face flashed in my mind, intensifying the sensation. I let out a deep sigh, losing myself in the fantasy.
The pace of my hand was going incredibly fast as I thought about her. Each movement was a quiet homage to the vivid memories that played out in my head, demonstrating the great impression she had on me.
I could feel my heartbeat rise as I engaged in forbidden thoughts, savoring the pleasure it caused. The sound of my own heavy breathing filled the room, adding to the intensity of the moment. As I finally opened my eyes, a wave of guilt flooded over me, reminding me of the reality that lay outside my bedroom door. But, for the time being, I let myself enjoy the momentary escape from reality.
My breathing continued, and my fingers ran through my hair until I was almost there. Then I c*m, coming back to my senses.
I quickly grabbed a tissue to clean up the mess before taking a deep breath to calm myself down. I felt both satisfied and slightly embarrassed. I may have to shower again.
Thank you so much for making it so far. I know this story may not be everyone's cup of tea but I am trying my hardest to make this book as interesting as possible. I appreciate your support.
with love, Krystal