CHAPTER 7

I walked back into the living room finally fully clothed and took a deep breath while squaring my shoulders, determined not to back down now. After my little pep talk, I was feeling more in control and ready to take him on.

When I came around the corner, I noticed his back was to me, so I happily took a moment to admire his exquisite physique. He had a strong, muscular back that I knew had to be a product of heavy lifting or days in the gym, and I could see them bunch up as he bent to pick up a picture I had sitting next to my TV. He had a rather spectacular ass, tight and firm and just the kind you wanted to slam your heels against as he was driving into you. Damn it, Mia, get a hold of yourself.

“So, what did you come here for?" I asked a bit more forcefully than I had intended.

I had just been trying to distract myself from my dirty thoughts and him from the picture he was looking at. It was the one the paramedics had taken of Lizzie and me on my 25th birthday after a wild night of drinking and dancing, it was also the night I had first met him. I'd rather not have to explain what happened that night to him just yet seeing as how I had been too embarrassed to call him the next day. Despite his obvious interest in me, I couldn't bring myself to ask him if he could dominate me. I just wasn't sure exactly how this sort of thing worked in real life.

“I came over to ask you to come back to work," Reed said, turning back to me. "Where was this photo taken?"

"At some club that Lizzie took me to," I answered evasively as my mind whirled around with questions.

I finally shook my head to clear it of all the junk and got back to the matter at hand.

“I told you, I quit. I'm not going to work with Jones and I'm ecstatic to be out from underneath Chrissy."

He set the picture down and turned to face me folding his arms together again.

"Don't worry about Ms. Anderson or Jones. They won't bother you anymore. Do you know the name of the club?” he persisted.

I shook my head in answer to his question, happily unable to answer that one because Lizzie had never told me the name of the club.

"Why won't they bother me anymore? Jones tried to blackmail me into sleeping with him, Mr. Callaghan. The very fact that he thinks he can get away with something like that bothers me. And as for Chrissy, she is the reason why he thought he could. The little tramp has slept with everybody while shoving all of her work off onto the rest of us," I explained angrily.

There was no way I was going to come back and work with people like that and I was immeasurably angry at him for even considering asking.

Reed's face had grown darker and darker as I spoke. By the time I was done he looked about ready to punch someone. His expression was so fierce I found myself stepping back and feeling a bit of fear.

"Believe me you won't be doing anyone's work but your own from now on and as for Jones, do you wish to press charges against him? Because I can guarantee he will be handled one way or another," Reed said ending on a growl.

The way he said it sent shivers down my back and made me wonder how he was going to handle him. I recalled how the other man at work had looked and wondered if he was a bodyguard or something. The way he had held himself as he talked to Lizzie had sent dangerous chills down my spine and I had every certainty that if Reed was going to off someone that man would be the one to do it.

"What?! No, that's not what I meant!"

Frustration and fear had my voice on the rise. He just raised an eyebrow at me and shrugged as if to say ‘okay, if you're sure’.

“Look I cannot work with him, I'm sorry I wish things were different but they're not," I said my shoulders sagging, I was hoping he wouldn't be too disappointed.

However, instead of the dissatisfaction on his face, he just smiled triumphantly.

"Good. If that's the only thing keeping you from coming back, you'll be happy to know he's gone. So, I expect to see you at work tomorrow."

My jaw hit the floor.

“He's gone?"

"Yes, you see I know about what was going on with Ms. Anderson. Your friend Lizzie knows Jordan very well. So, when she found out that Jordan was my VP, she let him know up front that he was going to have to clean house a bit,” he said.

He walked over and sat down on my couch draping his arm over the back. My full-sized couch ended up looking like a love seat when he was done, and I desperately tried not to look at the spot next to him with too much envy as I sat in the chair across from him.

"Was Jordan that good-looking man Lizzie was talking to when I-?" I stuttered out while waving my hand at his shirt, unable to give voice to my humiliation.

The tension rose in the room as he stiffened up and began to eye me suspiciously.

"Yes, he was the one talking to Lizzie,” he said slowly.

I looked at the floor and nodded as I mulled over what had happened right before my disastrous spill.

Lizzie had been my best friend since she ran away from home at sixteen. Her dad had been an abusive alcoholic and her mom had run off when Lizzie was twelve leaving her and her older brother Trev to fend for themselves. The day Trev enlisted into the military was the last day Lizzie saw him and when her father began turning his abusive ways on her, she ran away. We hadn't even known each other beyond school. Until she showed up on my doorstep with an ambulance in tow and a busted left hand because apparently, she had thrown a helluva left hook. I took one look at her and begged my parents to let her stay, which happily did not take much begging. Ever since then I had looked out for her and this man smelled like trouble, and that scared me for Lizzie.

"Out of curiosity, is he single?" I pried returning to the subject of Jordan after recalling how he openly flirted with Lizzie.

"Why?” he spat out.

The thunderous look on his face made anxiety course through me. I bit my lip, unsure how he would react to me casting any doubt on his choice of Vice President.

"Mia,” he said warningly in a quiet voice that held more power than if he had yelled at me.

"Yes?" I stuttered out, looking ashamed and not quite understanding why I felt so chastised.

"Why do you want to know if Master Jordan is single?” he asked slowly as he unraveled himself from the couch.

“I knew it," I said breathlessly.

Too quietly though because he hadn't seemed to have heard me.

"Answer the question!" Reed snapped loud enough to make me jump.

“I wanted to make sure he wasn't going to lead Lizzie on. She's my best friend and I don't want to see her hurt," I said quickly.

I was hoping he'd understand that I wasn't questioning his choice of VP. I was just trying to protect my friend and I relaxed as I saw the smile that broke out on his face was one of pleasure and maybe a bit of relief around the edges.

His hand reached down and caressed the side of my face. I felt my insides melt again as joy ran through me at the knowledge that I had pleased him. Some ideas of how else I could please him ran unwarranted through my head. Which had me giving an involuntary little shiver, a movement I knew he hadn't missed based on the heat that flashed through his eyes.

"Good girl,” he replied and then leaned down and gave me a gentle kiss that kick-started my blood that had only just recently fallen below a simmer.

"Thank you, Sir," I said, knowing instinctively that was exactly what he wanted to hear.

I stared up at him as his blue eyes widened a bit as if he was startled, then narrowed on my lips and he leaned in to kiss me again. This one was firmer and bordering on desperation. He pushed away all too soon and I swallowed a whimper of disappointment. Now that I knew the game, I saw that no matter how hard I begged him, Reed would only do as he pleased. I curbed my impatience and waited for him to decide how this was to be played out.

"Now, with that out of the way. I'll see you at work first thing in the morning. When you get in, stop by my office first. I'll need to fill you in on a few policies that you missed at the meeting,” he said, straightening up and heading for the door.