TRUTH (11 page)

I led Brianna into my office and showed her around. My desk was at the back of the room along a large bank of windows overlooking the city. I loved being able to see the outside. It was one of the things I loved best about both my home and office.
 

In front of the desk were two padded chairs, slightly angled to give a more comforting feel. To the left there was a small, more relaxed meeting area made up of a coffee table and four chairs. I rarely used the space other than to have lunch with Lily occasionally. Meetings with clients normally occurred down the hall in the conference room, and the employees and executives who came to meet with me used the two chairs in front of my desk.
 

On the other side of the room sat a black leather couch. To my knowledge, I was the only person to ever use the couch since I’d been in charge at the foundation. About a year ago, there had been a problem matching up some figures on a grant that had to go out the next day. Karl and one of the other executives had stayed with me trying to sort it out until I’d sent them both home around midnight. That night should have forewarned me about the true nature of Karl Walker, but I’d chalked it up to us all being tired and irritated. Every time we’d rerun the numbers and they wouldn’t add up, he’d become increasingly flustered and throw something across the room. It was usually a pen or a balled up piece of paper. Nothing major, but telling. By the time I had been satisfied the calculations were fixed and the grant proposal was ready, it was nearly three in the morning. I’d been exhausted and crashed on the sofa. Jamie had found me the next morning.

Brianna brought with her a small backpack of things to occupy her while I was in my meeting today. I tossed it on the couch before I guided her behind the desk with me. Sitting down in my high-backed chair, I positioned her to stand in front of me with her back against the desk and her legs bracketed between mine. She was wearing a skirt that ended halfway down her thighs, showcasing her legs. It didn’t take much for my mind to fixate on how those legs had wrapped around me the previous night, and how great it would feel to have a repeat performance right here in my office. I’d never had sex with a woman at work before, but with Brianna the thought was very appealing. Exhibitionism wasn’t normally my thing, but that was what locks were for.

Gripping her hips, I pulled her toward me. The movement happened so fast, she reached out to steady herself, holding tight to my shoulders. I smiled. “My meeting is going to start soon. If you need anything, let Jamie know and she’ll get it for you. “

“Okay.” I detected a note of sadness in her response.

“Is something wrong, Brianna?” I asked, bringing her even closer to me.

She shook her head. “No, Sir.”

I held her face between both of my hands and brought her lips down to mine for a chaste kiss. At the contact, some of the tension eased from her body. She was as reluctant for me to leave as I was to go. I would only be down the hall, however, and I wasn’t expecting the meeting to go past lunchtime. We would be able to spend the entire afternoon and evening together.
 

As I was about to pull her in for another kiss, I heard a familiar voice outside my door, followed by Jamie’s frustrated one. “I do believe he’s busy, Dr. Cooper—”
 

The door to my office opened and in walked my uncle.
 

He stopped, blinked, and then strategically cleared his throat. Given the look on his face, I wasn’t sure if I should be upset by his behavior or amused. He moved his gaze back and forth from me to Brianna, even though her back was still toward him. At the sound of his voice, she’d ducked her head. Her breath ruffled my hair, and I could tell she was no longer as relaxed as she’d been before Richard’s arrival. That alone made me lean more toward irritated.

“Good morning, Uncle.” The greeting wasn’t overly pleasant, but it wasn’t meant to be. Richard may have tried to make an amends with Brianna, but I was under no misgivings as to his view of our relationship.

He straightened his posture, broadcasting his displeasure in finding Brianna and I in what he was sure to view as a compromising position. It wouldn’t matter that we were both fully clothed and doing nothing that wouldn’t be perfectly acceptable on a city street. To him, my showing Brianna anything beyond friendship was unacceptable.

“Good morning, Stephan. I didn’t realize Brianna would be with you today.”

Placing my hands on Brianna’s waist, I turned her around and sat her down on my lap so we were both facing Richard. She gravitated to her favorite position and laid her head on my shoulder. I placed a kiss at her temple before turning back to my uncle.

“We have plans today after the board meeting.” It was all I was willing to offer him. He needed to get over his aversion to my relationship with Brianna.

“I see,” he said without elaborating.

“Was there something you needed before the meeting?”

He’d been staring at Brianna but snapped his eyes to me. “Your aunt was hoping I could convince you to come to dinner this Sunday. She told me to tell you she’s making her homemade spaghetti and meatballs.”

I chuckled. After my parents’ deaths, I’d lost my appetite. No matter what my aunt had put in front of me, I would eat a couple of bites and then stop. It had all tasted bland to me. Then one day she’d pulled me into the kitchen with her, pleading for my help to make homemade spaghetti and meatballs. We’d worked for hours making the sauce and the meatballs, even the bread. That night, I’d sat down and eaten the fruits of my labors, and for the first time in months, I ate everything on my plate.
 

Diane bribing me with her spaghetti and meatballs was a plea. One I couldn’t deny her.

“Let Diane know we’ll be there.”

“Thank you.” He sighed in relief.

I glanced over at the clock on my desk and realized it was almost time for the meeting to start.
 

“I’ll meet you in the conference room. I need to make sure Brianna’s settled.”

“Of course.”
 

He turned to go but then stopped and looked at Brianna.
 

“It was good seeing you again, Brianna.” Before she could respond, he walked out the door.

Brianna

I was glad when Dr. Cooper left, but I also knew that meant Stephan would be leaving soon, too. When Stephan told me I’d be going to work with him, I’d felt relieved. Even though I knew eventually I’d have to be left alone again, I wasn’t ready. Plus, I liked being with him.

“I need to go to my meeting, sweetheart.” He patted my leg, letting me know he wanted me to move from his lap.

Stephan stood, reached over to the phone on the desk, and pressed a few buttons. I had no idea what he was doing, so I waited.
 

“I’ve forwarded my phone so all my calls will go out to Jamie. She’s been instructed not to let anyone into my office while I’m gone, but if you should need anything, press this button here. Jamie will answer.” He stood there waiting, and I realized he wanted me to answer him.
 

“Yes, Sir.”

He tilted my chin up with two fingers until I was looking at him.
 

“I’m hoping this meeting won’t last more than a few hours. You can read, listen to music, or take a nap . . . the bathroom is through that door if you need to use it. If you need something that isn’t in this room, you call Jamie.”

“Okay.”

“Good girl. Now give me a kiss so that I have something to think about while I’m sitting in this boring meeting.”

Stephan released my chin, and I didn’t waste any time wrapping my arms around his neck. He smiled as he bent his head to kiss me.

The kiss didn’t last nearly long enough. I wanted more. Then again, I always seemed to want more of Stephan’s kisses.
 

He chuckled as he stepped back. “More later. I promise.”

Stephan walked to the door, straightening his jacket and tie. He paused and turned to look at me from head to toe. I was right where I’d been moments before, still enjoying the impression of his mouth on mine. There was something in his stare that made my heart beat faster. He smiled at me, and I smiled back. Then he was gone, leaving me alone.

I looked around his office, not knowing what to do with myself. There were very few signs of him in the space. Most of the furnishings were generic things found in almost any office. There were only two exceptions. On the wall was a picture of him and his uncle at what looked to be a ribbon cutting, and there was a picture of me on his desk.
 

My picture was something I hadn’t expected to see. I was pretty sure Stephan cared about me. He was so nice to me, and he made sure I had what I needed. Did his having a picture of me in his office mean it was more than that? The thought that it could had me smiling so wide my cheeks began to hurt.

I walked over to the couch and picked up the small bag I’d brought with me. At first, I’d been happy I wouldn’t have to stay in the condo by myself and that I’d get more time with him. That had lasted for all of thirty seconds before he’d told me it was because he and Lily had to attend a board meeting and he didn’t want to leave me alone just yet.
 

At his instruction, I’d packed a bag with two of the books I’d been reading, my journal, and some magazines Lily had brought me. Picking up the bag, I pulled everything out. For some reason, reading the books I’d been working on didn’t appeal to me, so I set them aside. I glanced at my journal, remembering how Stephan had me write down my feelings about what had happened with John. It had been difficult, and I’d needed to stop a few times. Stephan had held me, comforted me, until I could go back to it. I didn’t want to think about that right now, however, so I picked up one of the magazines.
 

The cover of the first one claimed to have all the secrets to snaring the perfect boyfriend, along with makeup tips and the ten hottest guys of summer. I flipped through the pages briefly. The tips on a boyfriend weren’t for me. I had no desire to get a boyfriend. I had Stephan, and he could keep me for as long as he wanted. The ten hottest guys were okay. I’d seen some of them on television before. They were all celebrities and cute in their own way. Some of them had a lot of muscles, others not so much. None of them, however, had anything on Stephan. His body was beautiful to me. I loved seeing it, touching it . . .

I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, remembering the previous night. After an all-too-quick shower, he’d taken me back to his bed. He’d held my wrists over my head as his penis filled me. It was as if he’d been surrounding me, protecting me. Like if I fell, he’d be there to catch me.
 

Thinking about him holding me down, restraining me, I remembered the rope. Stephan had been honest with me. I knew he was what he called a Dominant and that he wanted me to be his submissive. We’d talked a little about what he liked, what he expected of me, but that had been before we’d had sex. Would he want to tie me up? I didn’t know how I felt about that, but I also knew I wanted to make him happy.

There was a knock at the door.

I threw the magazine down on the couch, anxious. Who was there?
 

A second later, my question was answered. The woman Stephan had introduced me to as his assistant, Jamie, peeked her head in the door. When she glanced over at me on the couch, she smiled.
 

“Sorry to bother you, but I wanted to check and see if you’d like anything to drink. We have water or coffee. Or I can call down to the café and have them deliver something else.”

Although Jamie seemed nice, I was nervous. I didn’t like new people.
 

“I’m . . . okay.”

She grinned.
 

“All right. Well, if you change your mind just call me. Mr. Coleman said he showed you how to use the phone?”

“Yes.” I nodded.

“I’ll leave you to your reading, then,” she said, closing the door behind her.
 

I sat staring at the door for several minutes after she left. Jamie was very pretty. She was taller than me, maybe five foot seven or eight, and she had long blond hair. I knew Stephan worked with Jamie all the time—she was his assistant, after all—but did he feel anything else for her?
 

The possibility made me feel sick to my stomach. While I knew I had no real claim on Stephan, I didn’t want anyone else to have him. He was mine. I knew it wasn’t right to feel that way, but I couldn’t help it. My gaze drifted over to where the picture of me sat on his desk. That had to mean what I thought it did, didn’t it? I was important to him, wasn’t I?