The CEO & I

He laughs humorlessly. “What you call normal between us was based on a lie. Your lie.”

My eyes widen. “I don’t understand.”

“The day you showed up in my life wearing a costume, you lied about who you are.”

I shake my head. “It wasn’t a costume. And my appearance has nothing to do with who I am. I’m still the same woman you hired.”

His eyes become stormy. “That’s where you’re wrong. Your appearance has everything to do with who you are.”

I lean back in my chair and stare at him, disappointed. I can’t believe he could be such a shallow egoist. “Oh, so just because you now think I’m attractive, that somehow changes who I am inside?”

Luke slams his hand on the table, making me jump. “Dammit, Jade. You’re smarter than this. You changed who you are inside by changing your appearance. I saw you last night with our clients. You weren’t the meek and mousy Jade you’ve been pretending to be. You were sparkling. Those guys were eating from the palm of your hand. That was the real you. The normal you. And that was all because of how you looked. You weren’t hiding behind your dumpy facade. Surely, you noticed the difference inside yourself?”

I hadn’t considered that. I forgot the client meeting while being in the complicated situation I found myself in this morning. Between the hangover and the wild sex with my boss, I barely remembered how I’d acted with the clients. Now that Luke has called it to my attention, I know he’s right.

I had been on my game last night. At points, it felt like I ran the whole meeting, even though Luke sat beside me. He contributed to the conversation, but I’d been in control. No other client meeting had gone like that. I usually sit back and let Luke work his magic. But not last night. Last night, I felt confident, and let myself shine. It never occurred to me it might have something to do with the way I was dressed, but it certainly made sense.

“You know I’m right,” Luke says.

“So what if you are?”

“So that means last night was the real you. Everything before that was a lie. If you want things to be normal between us, then you need to be the Jade from last night. Not the fake Jade you’ve been for the last two months.”

My head pounds away. “And you want the version of me who sleeps with you?”

He shoots me a cocky grin. “Damn right I do. And not just because you’ve never been sexier, but because the new version of you is a force to be reckoned with. With you at my side, we can take over the whole fucking world.”

As much as I like the sound of that, I’m scared, too. I have to ask him the question burning inside me, “Has sleeping with you become part of my job description now?”

He frowns. “Of course not. It’s not a job requirement. You don’t have to sleep with me. Only if you want to, but I know you do.” Luke leans in close to me so no one else can hear. “In fact, if it wasn’t for this damn conference, I’d take you upstairs right now and fuck you senseless.”

My heart stops beating in my chest. I can’t breathe. Wetness pools between my legs. He’s right. Since the day I started working for Luke, I’ve imagined what it would be like to be with him. Idle day dreams turned to sultry fantasies of feeling his strong hands all over my body. None of those fantasies can compare to the real thing. Now that I’ve gotten a taste of him, I need more. I would welcome him into my body anywhere, anytime he chooses to avail himself to me. In fact, my only objection would be to being drunk next time. I want all of my senses sharp, so I can savor the feelings he ignites in me.

“We didn’t use a condom last night,” he says softly. “Are you protected?”

I flush to the roots of my hair. “Yes, I’m on the pill,” I admit, then I hurry to add, “but I’ve never gone bare before.”

He flashes his teeth. “Neither have I. My mother was such a proponent of safe sex I’m sure she would have preferred me to jerk off into a condom too.”

I giggle and he laughs too. For a while, there is no tension between us. Then that sexual thing rears its head again. My head is still throbbing and all I want is to be back in bed with him.

“I should go,” I say.

“You haven’t eaten your breakfast yet.”

I shrug. “Nah. My stomach feels funny.”

“Then wait for me, and we’ll attend the seminar together.”

“Uh, I’m not attending the morning sessions. I have to go up and prepare the sheets for your talk this afternoon.”