Bought by the Boss

“Of course,” I reassure her with a soft laugh. “Who knows, though, maybe you have a secret admirer who’s been lusting after your hot ass for months.”

“Yeah, right.” She rolls her eyes. “Exciting things like that never happen to me. I expect my weekend date to either be with a man twice my age or someone boring as hell.”

“Positive thinking,” I remind her.

Mallory waves me off and grins from ear to ear. “I positively know that you are going to have a wildly wicked weekend.”

I grin back. “I positively know that, too.”

Just as we laugh, the waitress delivers our pasta to the table, setting mine down first. I inhale the comforting scents of butter and cream. I lift my wineglass. “To wild adventures.”

She clinks my glass with hers. “Hear! Hear!”

Liam

In the central business district, I sit behind my desk in the corner office on the fiftieth floor. It’s a typical Wednesday afternoon in the modern offices of Maxwell LLC, having spent my morning in meetings. I’m preparing for another long round later this afternoon, discussing the Bakker deal to solidify the offer for my clients. Outside my door, the employees of Maxwell LLC hustle, getting the job done. I’m proud of what my law firm has become in the ten years since I left my mentor at one of Los Angeles’s top firms to go out on my own. I played the game right, schmoozed the right people, and Maxwell LLC is now a leading contender in corporate law.

And yet as I glance out the bank of windows behind my desk, staring off into the distance at the mountains, I know that while professionally I’m right where I want to be, my personal life has taken a considerable blow. That’s not because I’ve spent too much time working rather than investing my time in a relationship.

Aria. That’s my trouble right there.

Ever since I walked into a meeting at Jackson’s law firm, finding his new assistant with the expressive eyes and the chemistry burning between us, no one else compares to her. I’ve tried, and tried hard, to forget her.

That’s the problem. She’s unforgettable.

I draw in a deep breath, staring down at typical, heavy Los Angeles traffic, knowing I must play my cards right. I cannot fuck this up. I get one weekend with her. This is my only shot. I need to ensure that by the end of the weekend her loyalty shifts to me.

“Vivian Markle is on line one for you.”

At the sound of Mallory’s voice through the speaker on my phone, I spin in my chair to again face the doorway. She is sitting behind her desk in the office across from mine, her eyes glued to her computer monitor. I press line one and scoop up the phone. “Good afternoon, Vivian.”

“Hello, Liam,” she replies in her seductive voice. “I hope life is well.”

“Incredibly well, thank you.” Vivian and I have a very professional relationship, but I’ve never done corporate law with her. She is the owner of a high-class sex club here in the city, and she’s my supplier for all things kink related. I have plans for Aria this weekend. I want her heart. But first, I’ll claim her body. “I need to schedule a visit tonight, if possible,” I say.

“Of course,” she replies, “do you know what time you’ll be arriving?”

“Will seven work for you?”

“That will be fine. See you then, Liam.”

“Goodbye, Vivian.” I hang up the phone, placing it back onto the receiver, glancing at Mallory who’s sitting at her desk, busy on the phone. She normally would have planned all my travel arrangements, but this weekend is personal to me. I can’t chance that Mallory will tell Aria about my plans. I want to surprise her. Though Aria also needs to be prepared, so I reach for my phone again and enter the number of Jackson’s office that Mallory wrote down earlier on a sticky note.

The phone rings twice before Aria’s soft voice says, “Jackson Keller’s office.”

“Hello, Aria.”

A long pause.

When she speaks again, her voice sounds even more sultry now. “Mr. Maxwell, shame on you for making a personal call during work hours.”

This is the game she and I play. She tempts me, and she uses that to make me hunger for her. “I am the boss,” I remind her.

She laughs. “Ah, yes, but I am not.”

“Is Keller working you to the bone over there?” I ask, hearing the bite in my voice. “You know there’s a job always waiting for you here.”

“I’m sure we can find more interesting things to talk about than my boss, don’t you think?”