Her Contract (Romance) (6 page)

Chapter 15

Anna

“So much for quitting, huh?” I say to my reflection in the mirror. She smiles at me and bats her long, mascara-slicked eyelashes. “Oh, stop it. You’re as big a sucker for Lucas Hartz as I am.”

Giving my outfit one last look over, I’m satisfied with my new ash gray pencil skirt, pale lavender blouse, and Bulgari necklace.

Lucas bought the necklace for me on our last day in Vegas. It’s eighteen carat white gold with Tahiti pearls (to match my eyes), Akoya Cultured Pearls, and Pave Diamonds. He said he wanted to give me a souvenir of the time in our lives when he realized I was the woman he’d always wanted to be with.

If that doesn’t make a girl’s heart melt, I don’t know what does.

When I head downstairs and grab an apple from the fruit bowl on the kitchen bench, Dad notices the spring in my step. He’s sitting on one of the stools at the counter, reading the
New York Times.

“Someone’s happy,” he says, his eyes still scanning the paper.

“Ha ha. Well, would you rather me be mopey?”

“No, of course not. I just want to know who the lucky guy is.” He stops reading and lowers the paper. “Wait, it’s not Jake is it? Because Anna, that man is not-”

“It’s not Jake,” I interrupt, giving him a reassuring smile. “But things with this guy are new, and I’m not ready to tell you about him, just yet.”

Dad nods and resumes reading. “Well, okay then. But when it gets serious, give me a yell. You’re my favorite daughter after all,” he says with a matter-of-fact tone.

“Dad, I’m your only daughter.”

“Exactly!”

Shaking my head over the comment, I grip the apple and head out the door. Although Lucas had insisted his private car take me to and from work, I told him I wanted things to stay on the down low. I don’t want anyone at the office knowing about us for two very good reasons.

Firstly, I’m Lucas’s PA and thus a personal relationship isn’t exactly appropriate.

Secondly, people tend to gossip. If my dad or Lucas’s mom found out that we were together, especially before hearing it from us first, they both might have coronaries.

The engagement party is this weekend and the wedding a month after that, so we have limited time to come clean. Hence, why we made a pact back in Vegas: we’ll tell our parents before the wedding.

If they support us – great.

And if they don’t – well, the bridal party will be minus one best man and one made of honor. Lucas and I have suffered in silence enough to let anything come between us again.

When I walk into Lucas’s office carrying his usual long black and blueberry bagel, his eyes light up like a Christmas Tree. Seeing as the walls are all glass with no blinds, touching each other has to be
very
discreet.

I walk around to the side of his desk and block the view of his hands from the greater office. All I expect him to do is to rub my leg affectionately, but Lucas has other ideas.

I take pleasure in the way he slides his hand up my inner thigh. Thank goodness I didn’t wear any stockings today.

He slips two fingers under my panties and up my wet, throbbing pussy. He moves them up and down, nice and slow until I’m creaming so much that I contemplate just jumping on him and forcing his cock into me.

To hell with anyone who sees us.

“So Miss Monroe, what’s on the itinerary today?” he asks, fingering me harder.

My eyes beg him to stop but he knows he’s in control. He knows he has me right where he wants me - vulnerable and at his mercy.

After carefully placing the coffee and bagel down on his desk, I take the folder out from underneath my arm and try to read the words.

“Um, at ten o’clock you have a-” He slams his fingers in again with ecstatic force, and I try to stifle a moan.

“Yes?” he urges me on.

Throwing him a playful smile, I continue on. “A meeting with Mr. Poe, the advertising executive who-”

Slam!

“Yes, Miss Monroe?“

“Will be taking care of the-”

Slam!

“Hmm, go on, Anna…“

“The Vegas division’s promotions,” I gasp, teetering on the edge. “Lucas, stop. Not here. I won’t be able to control myself.”

With a wicked smirk, he pulls his hand out from my panties and picks up the long black. He takes the lid off and blows on the hot liquid, as a cover for what he’s really doing - smelling his fingers.

“Damn, that smells good,” he states, winking as he takes a sip.

You dirty bastard.

Or should I say my dirty bastard.

For the rest of the week, Lucas and I play these coy little games: subtle hand brushes in the hallways; elevator trips up and down floors that give us a solid minute or two of make out time; more “touch ups” by his desk in the morning; and my favorite – bending me over in the stationary room at the end of the office, and getting our rocks off at just the thought that someone might knock and catch us both in the act.

Oh yes, being Lucas’s PA is far more rewarding than I ever imagined.

When Friday afternoon finally arrives, I’m sore from all the damn smiling. That’s how clichéd and pathetic I’ve become.

Tonight Lucas is taking me out to Masa, a Japanese and Sushi restaurant on the fourth floor of the Time Warner Center. The clientele there tends to be of the “cream of the crop” variety, on both a national and international level.

Billionaires, actors, socialites, models, musicians…

You name them and chances are they’ve dined at Masa.

Being a total Sushi nut, I can’t wait. It’s the perfect setting for me and Lucas’s first official date.

One I finish finalizing the final draft for his itinerary next week, I send it to the printer down the hall. On my way to collect it, I bump into Max, who looks like he’s on his way out.

“Hey, Max. Finished up for the day?” I ask with a warm smile.

“Hell yes!” he exclaims, fixing the strap of his suitcase bag so it balances on his shoulder better. “Bring on the weekend!”

Max’s eyes are the same shape as Lucas’s but are a lighter brown. More Hazel like.

And also, like Lucas, Max is quite attractive. A Hartz family trait, no doubt.

“Amen to that,” I chuckle and then notice the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles wrapped present he’s holding in his right hand. “Oh, I completely forgot. It’s Brady’s birthday today, huh? He turned five right?”

Max nods and peers down at the present. “Yep. His favorite is Raphael so I got him this toy with Raphael on some bike with missiles that fire out or something like that.”

“Cool, I’m sure he’ll love it. I know I would, and I’m a chick.”

Max laughs and nudges my arm with the present. “I can order you one for your birthday if you like?”

“Ha ha. Thanks, but why buy me one when I can just come over and play with Brady’s sometime?!”

“Hmm, that’s true. You should drop in soon, though. I know Sarah and little Charlotte would love to see you. Sarah’s sick of all the plastic housewives she’s forced to mingle with at the charity events she hosts. She misses you.”

“Aw, I miss her too. But at least, I’ll see her on Sunday. I take it you, her and the kids are coming to the engagement party?”

“No, we’re having a kid free night. So it will just be Sarah and me. Gotta love babysitters!”

I give an agreeable chuckle and then decide to make a timely exit. He’s a family man; he should already be at home with the kids. “Well, see you then, Max.”

Stepping around him, I gait towards the photocopying room.

“Oh, Anna. One more thing,” Max calls out after me. He makes up the rest of the steps between us and lowers his voice. “A woman came in a few minutes ago. She said she’s an old friend of Lucas’s and just happened to be in town, so she thought she’d swing by. I told her to wait by reception until you came and showed her through.”

Creasing my forehead, I bite the inside of my cheek. An old friend? Not likely.

Lucas doesn’t have female friends. He has lovers.

“Oh, right. Thanks, Max. I’ll take care of it.”

After Max walks away, I try to push some unsavory thoughts of Lucas and this unknown woman out of my head.

Maybe she’s just a business associate? Or better yet, an actual friend?

It’s a possibility, right?

Right??

Chapter 16

Lucas

When I hear a sharp rap on my office door, I figure it’s just Anna and don’t bother to look up.

I wait for her to come and stand by the chair so I can fondle that sweet pussy of hers again and then maybe steal her away for another quickie in the stationary room before we head out to Masa.

But the moment I get a whiff of that perfume – strong, exotic, cheap – I know it’s not Anna.

As soon as I lift my head up and my lock eyes with her, her husky voice sounds through the office.

“Well hello there, Mr. Big Apple,” Monique says, staring down at me with that classic sultry smile.

The only thought running through my mind is what the hell she is doing in New York?!

Anna going to flip her lid if she finds out.

Keeping my voice casual and witty, I rise from my chair. “Monique. What do I owe such a pleasure?”

She gives a wry laugh and comes around the desk to stand by me, her face inches away from mine. “I was in the neighborhood. Thought I’d stop by and see if you… needed anything.”

Just what I was dreading: she’s here because she wants to pick up where we left off. But why?

I’m the head of a billion-dollar company and she’s just a prostitute. What could she possibly think was going to happen? That I was going to drop my trousers, right here, right now, and let her blow me all the way this time?

And then the cogs start rotating…

Oh, hell no.

She doesn’t…

She couldn’t… have a thing for me?

“I’ve thought a lot about our last encounter in Vegas,” she continues, “and I’ve decided to throw you a pro-bono, Lucas.”

She says my name in a spicy tone that most men would wilt over.

But I can’t.

I won’t.

I’m in love with Anna.

Love. Shit, Lucas. Now there’s a word you thought you’d never use.

“Monique, as much as I’ve enjoyed our times together, I’m with someone,” I say, my voice soft but blunt.

Something in those fire blue eyes flickers for a moment, but then burns out.

“You know I don’t care about any ‘attachments.’ And right now, I want you, Lucas,” she states with bite and pushes me down onto the chair, hard.

She has strength I’ll give her that.

Before I even have a chance to get up, she climbs on top of me, wrapping her legs around the chair, trapping me in place.

“Monique, this can’t happen. Get off me,” I say with authority but she just laughs and rips open my shirt, the buttons popping all over the desk.

If Anna sees this, I’m in the doghouse and potentially for good this time.

But it’s too late.

I look over Monique’s shoulder and see her standing in the door. Pale as a ghost.

“Anna. This is not how it looks. I swear, she just-” I begin to say, but Anna cuts me off.

“You really haven’t changed at all, huh Lucas? You just can’t help yourself,” she snarls, hurt in her eyes.

Shit.

I’m going to lose her if I don’t convince her that I’m telling the truth.

With all the strength I can muster, I grip Monique’s thighs and ply her off me, forcing her to stand.

Shoving her to the side, I stride up to Anna and try to take her face in mine, but she slaps my hands away.

“Don’t touch me!” she snaps, retreating back a few steps.

“Anna, please,” I beg. “Monique just came in here and jumped on me. It wasn’t-”

“Oh, please,” Anna hisses, shaking her head. “This has you written all over it. I knew she couldn’t have been an old friend. You don’t do friends.”

“Anna, I need you to listen to-”

“Did Vegas mean nothing to you,” she interrupts again. “That night you came back and we… ‘bonded.’ Was it real? Or have you changed your mind again?”

Just as I go to tell her that of course it was real and that I meant everything I said that night, Monique gets in before me. “And was your little ‘bonding’ session before or after I sucked his cock?”

What little color was left on Anna’s face drains away. I watch her heart break in her watery eyes and quivering lips.

I’ve lost her. Just like that, we’ve split apart as quick as we’d come back together.

When she turns and flees the room, I do what any guy in love would do. I run after her.

But then I remember how fast she was on the track team back in high school. She’s at the elevator within seconds and just as I reach it, the steel, silver doors close in my face.

I press the button frantically but she’s gone, rushing down the floors, getting further and further away from me. Even if I took the fire exit stairs two at a time, I wouldn’t make it. She’d have already jumped into a cab and sped on out of here.

Punching the wall by the elevator, I skin my knuckles and look at the hole I’ve made. It’s big. There are a few specks of blood around the edge, making it obvious that someone has gone full-throttle on it.

With a hefty sigh, I sit down on a nearby chair and scold myself for not telling that bitch Monique to get the hell out of my office the moment she walked in.

What have I done?

How could I have been so stupid?

Anna probably won’t ever forgive me for this, but I’ll be damned if I don’t fight for her.

She’s my future.

The only one I want.

I can feel it in my very core: Anna Monroe is ‘The One.’