The CEO (2 page)

I locked the office up early and headed over to the boutique. This was something that had to be done in person and not arranged over the phone because everything had to be
perfect
. I pulled up in front of the boutique and noticed a tall male standing behind the counter through the glass. His hair was dark, short, unruly, and just long enough to run your fingers through. His back was facing toward me, and there was something oddly familiar about him, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it. I shut
the car door and as I approached the entrance, he turned around.
Shit, that’s not—it can’t be!

I caught a glimpse of his face and instantly stopped in my tracks. I removed my hand from the door knob and slowly backed away from it, hoping he didn’t spot me.

A flood of emotions took over and I made myself take a deep breath to calm the hell down. I wasn’t the same Sheila Quinn he once knew. I was new and improved and didn’t back down from anyone. Being weak was no longer my forte, or so I thought.

After my pounding heart settled in my chest, I grasped the handle and went inside. “Quinn? Sheila Quinn, is that you?” he said as he scanned my body from head to toe. I felt his gaze burning right through my pinstripe pencil skirt and blouse.

“Yes, Liam. It’s me.”

“How are you? How have you been?”

“I’m fine,” I said without hesitation. “But I didn’t come here for a walk down memory lane. I came here to order some flowers. Now if you can help me with that and keep this as cordial as possible, then you’ll still receive my business. If not, I’ll go to Long’s shop instead.”

“Sure, I can do that. You look great by the way.”

The man I’d almost married three years ago was standing right in front of me. Still sexy, still in shape; the only difference was that he seemed happier now. When we were together, he ran his own company named Castle Investments and was the number one man to beat in the stock exchange game. I stood by his side through all of his successes and
failures
. Eventually his company went down in flames for fraud and bad overseas investments. I had warned him that something didn’t seem right about the foreign investors, but because I was on the outside looking in, my opinion didn’t matter at the time.

He became so infuriated, so distraught over his losses that I couldn’t bear to be around him anymore. He became a hostile drunk and completely drove a wedge between us. He was all I had, the only man I had ever let get close to me, and he tore my heart to shreds. After a year of neglect and emotional drainage, I finally got sick of his shit and called off our engagement.

He smiled at me and led me into the huge garden center. It was like a mini green house connected to
the back of the store. Beautiful potted plants were hanging from the ceiling in neat, tight rows. Any kind of flower you could imagine was most likely labeled and had its own row in that room.

“What exactly are you looking for, Sheila?”

“Something beautiful and elegant that will last more than a day.”

“So you’re looking for something much like yourself. Let’s see what we have, shall we?”

After choosing several different types of gorgeous exotic flowers, we went back to the front of the store to complete my order.

“Thank you for your help, Liam. Let me know when they’re ready.”

“I will. So Sheila, are you single?”

“Yes, why?”

“Just curious, I figured someone as beautiful as you would be married by now.”

“Well you figured wrong.”
And if you weren’t such a jerk back then, I would be married right now.

“Okay, well I’ll talk to you later,” he said with a mischievous grin.

A chill went down my spine as I exited the boutique. I had a feeling this wouldn’t be our last encounter, but that didn’t bother me because nothing was going to happen between us.

“Congratulations, Mr. Quinn! It has been such an honor and a privilege to work for you the past twenty years. You will truly be missed,” said Rose.

“Thank you Rose,” he said as we all raised our glasses to toast.

I hated Rose with a passion; she was such a kiss ass. She always tried to get special attention from my father but he never gave her the time of day. He was only interested in two things: his
business
and his
children
. Not some forty-year-old ex house wife. She actually had the audacity to wear a mini skirt and nude stockings today, showcasing her varicose veins to the entire room.

“Sheila, come over here for a moment. I need to speak with you,” Dad commanded.

He took my hand and led me into his office. He had the biggest suite in the entire sixty-story building. Authentic Egyptian cotton curtains draped the windows, hand stitched Persian rugs decorated the floor, and the entire office was filled with black leather and pine furniture.

He told me to have a seat on his leather upholstered chair, and as I looked around the office, I envisioned it as my own.

“Sheila, this is all yours now. Decorate it how you want, but please try and get along with Roger—for me. Oh, and I know you don’t like her much, but Rose and I are going out for dinner tomorrow.”

“Seriously? Dad she’s so desperate and—”

“Stop it, Sheila! You live your life, and I’ll live mine. You know no one will ever replace your mom in my heart, but it’s time I concentrate on other things now, like making myself truly happy. If Rose is a part of my journey, so be it.”

“Okay, Dad,” I sighed.

With the talk I’d had with my dad at the party the night before fresh in my mind the next morning, I walked around the office and decided it was in serious need of an update. It needed a feminine and professional look.

“Knock, knock.”

“Yes, Rose?”

“If you need help redecorating, I know a great guy for the job.”

“Thanks.”

“Listen, Sheila. I know that you don’t care much for me, but I want you to know I would never hurt your father. I have nothing but his best interest at heart.”

“Okay,” I said, trying my best not to roll my eyes at her.

I grabbed the card from the florist shop out of my desk and ordered two dozen flowers. I knew they wouldn’t last long but they’d enhance the drab scenery.

As I sat at my desk filling out the annual drilling and construction form to verify our sites were up to date, Karen informed me that the flowers had arrived.

“Thank you, send them in.”

Liam walked through the door with two huge glass vases and four dozen flowers. I was completely caught off guard and tried to maintain my composure. “I only ordered two dozen.”

“I know. The rest are on me. Purple orchids are still your favorite, right?”

I felt a slight heat in my cheeks. “Yes.”

“I thought so. Now where would you like me to put these?”

“Anywhere you’d like.” I watched as he set the glass vases down on each end table. His white shirt clung tightly to his torso as he removed the protective plastic from the bouquets and snipped the ends with a pair of scissors.

“Like what you see?” he said with a smile.

“Maybe,” I said as I felt a small pulse under my skirt.

He removed his gloves and walked over to me with his gray eyes fixated on mine the entire time. I moved to the edge of the desk and sat with my legs crossed before he approached me. He lowered his lips to my ear and whispered, “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“No, that’ll be all for now. If I need more flowers, I won’t hesitate to ask.”

He laid his hand on top of my thigh, gently hiking my skirt and exposing more of my flesh. “You know what I meant, Sheila.”

I wasn’t used to this type of aggressiveness from him, but it kind of turned me on. I lifted my hand toward his chin and stood on my tiptoes. Placing my hand firmly around his neck, I whispered, “I’ll be in touch,” and let go. He smiled, grabbed his tools, and headed for the door, glancing over his shoulder at me once more before leaving my office.

There was a spark in his eye, something new, something exciting—something I’d never seen before. This wasn’t the same guy I’d been engaged to, and I wanted to get to know the new version.

I always tried to keep my business life and personal life separate. At twenty-seven years old, it was no secret that I was addicted to sex. I loved the things men did to my body. Teasing it, torturing it, ruling it—but I never let them take control unless I wanted them to.

Tonight would be one of those nights: a night I’d try to lose control. I was on my way to meet Rick, a twenty-three year-old model from Singlematch.com. Ten to one it wasn’t really him in his profile picture, but as long as the guy looked decent and had a functional cock, I could work with it.

We agreed to meet at a hotel of his choice. It was very fancy and definitely exceeded my expectations. The lobby itself was two-stories high. A huge gold encrusted chandelier hung from the ceiling above the check-in counter and a maroon and a gold diamond patterned rug stretched from the entrance to a row of plush gold lounge chairs. I sat down on one of the plush lounge chairs and waited to hear from him. Not soon after my arrival, my phone beeped with an email notification.

FROM: BILLIONAIREMATCHMAKER

IF YOU’RE IN THE LOBBY, GO TO THE COUNTER AND LET THEM KNOW YOU’RE HERE TO SEE DICK CUNNINGHAM.

Dick Cunningham? Of Tech Corp? Shit.
Tech Corp was a billion dollar software company that had originated in the Netherlands before making its way to the States after being bought out by Micromanagement Tech. He was a former business associate of my dad’s and I knew I had to act fast or I was fucked.

I approached the desk. The receptionist handed me a gold key and told me to head up to the tenth floor where his private suite was located. I hadn’t seen him in years and hoped he didn’t recognize me.

Before entering the room, I slid my black masquerade mask out of my purse and placed it over my eyes. I brought it with me in the event I’d be put into a weird predicament where I didn’t want to be recognized.

“Hello sweetheart. Sorry we had to meet under false pretenses, but I didn’t want word to get out that the head of Tech Corp was cheating on his wife with online strays.”

I politely smiled and nodded my head in understanding.

“Come here and let me get a good look at you,” he said extending his hand from the king size bed.

Dick was your typical mid-forties businessman: well groomed, salt and pepper hair neatly tucked behind his ear, blue eyes, dark stubble, and a heavy set figure. I placed my purse down on the table and took a quick look around to check for weapons and map out an escape plan just in case things went haywire.

I stood in front of him with my dark locks pulled back into a neat bun behind my head, a black leather mini skirt, and a white blouse. He slid his sweaty hand up my thigh and gave my ass a tight squeeze. The material of my clothing bunched together between his fingers as he used his free hand to unzip my skirt.

“Why do you wear a mask?”

“Why do you pose as a twenty-something-year- old model, just for a piece of ass?”

He was taken aback at how sharp my tongue was, but I could tell it turned him on more than anything. I removed my shirt and stood in front of him with my purple lingerie set on. Grabbing my waist and pulling me closer to him, he slid one finger underneath the seam of my panties.