I did some rough research on the company using Google this morning. The company was called Treston Holdings. It was a subsidiary company of Crawford, though not many people knew that. Its profit margins were phenomenal, owning one of the top hotel chains in the world.
“Mr. Crawford is a busy man; I’m surprised he’s freed his schedule to meet you.”
Mr. Crawford? Wait a minute.
When the wooden doors of the CEO’s office swung open, I stood there agape in disbelief.
They lied to me!
Riley stood there looking charming yet obnoxious in his business suit. “Scarlet, I was expecting you.”
I smiled, trying to hold my rage in. I didn’t want to punch my new boss in front of the receptionist. “Mr. Crawford. I definitely wasn’t expecting you.”
“Thanks, Jess, you can leave us,” he said.
“Yes, sir,” she replied. She strutted off and closed the door behind us, still chewing her gum.
I turned back to face the devil in front of me. He had a co**cky grin on, seemingly happy that he had outsmarted me. Those lying cheats! “I thought I said we were not to have any contact in the workplace? You promised.”
“Did I? Ryan and I changed our minds.”
I clenched my teeth together. “What about the paparazzi I talked about? You’re the Crawford brothers. There’s protection for you guys. That big mansion with the gates, lawyers, and the already preconceived notion that you switch girls like you change socks.” I pointed to my chest. “What about me? I’m just some ordinary girl and if the press finds out we’re this close, I’ll be humiliated after you ditch me on the roadside.”
He sighed. “We’re not going to ditch you, Scarlet.”
My hand fell to my side and my heart tightened as I heard him say that. I didn’t think those words would affect me so much. But he most likely meant them in a different way, like they’d let me off lightly and make sure the paparazzi didn’t completely destroy my life first.
Yes, that was it. It didn’t have anything to do with them not leaving me.
“Even then, I don’t want to go home every night to a house crowded with those ‘reporters’,” I said, my tone returning to normal and sounding less like a crazy, infuriated person.
“You don’t have to. You can meet up with us at our place after work. We’ll prepare a room for you. I’ll ask Gordon to move your things over and—“
“You’re asking me to move in?”
“I suppose I am.”
“Isn’t that for people with a… a closer relationship than us?”
“Well, under ordinary circumstances, yes. But it seems like a more practical option.”
I rubbed a palm over my forehead. “A more practical option would be finding me a company that isn’t directly related to you.”
“But we really want you around and close.”
Heat rose to my cheeks. I reminded myself that he meant that in sex-buddy terms. I scanned the room. “Speaking of which, where is Ryan?”
“He leads the management division of this company. It’s at a different block.”
“Oh, I thought you couldn’t stand to be apart.”
“We need some alone time, too. Sometimes, I just want to have you all to myself.” Without me noticing, Riley had come close. He bent down and kissed me gently.
All my frustration and confusion seeped away like liquid. My knees turned soft and buckled under my weight; Riley held me up with his strong, muscular arms. I wrapped my arms around him and buried my hand in his hair.
His kiss became deeper and rougher, and soon it felt like he was fighting to take control of all of me.
An erection began to form and pressed against my thigh. The sensations of our last sexual encounter flooded back in. I wanted him in me again.
“Riley,” I said as we took a breath.
“You’re so beautiful, Scarlet.”
A knock on the door interrupted us.
Frantically, he pushed me away from him and straightened his shirt. “Come in!”
I darted to the side cabinet and pretended to sort through files.
A mousy, middle-aged woman walked in. “Mr. Crawford? These are the documents you asked for.”
“Put them on my desk,” he replied.
We gave each other side-glances as she sauntered across the room. He poured himself some water in a fancy glass cup and took a sip.
She picked up a document and showed it to him. “These are the info sheets for last year’s data, and this one is—“
“Yes, yes, I got it. You can leave.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Oh, on second thought, Scarlet here is new. Can you show her around and tell her what she’s supposed to do as a secretary?”