Chapter 3
Alex
I’d been busy compiling the portfolio for this evening’s meeting when the light on the intercom had flashed. I pressed the button at my end, waiting to hear Eli’s voice.
What I’d heard instead had been confusing. There was a strange noise, kind of like a slapping sound and strange moans. I couldn’t place it and for a moment I’d wondered if Eli was having some kind of fit. I’d just been about to dash out of my chair to go to his aid when he groaned the words, “Fuck, Alex,” and I realized what I was hearing were the sounds of a man jerking off.
My face went bright red. Oh my God.
I looked at the intercom confused. He said nothing else, and I heard his chair squeak and a door bang. I quickly dropped the intercom connection on my side. He must have done that by accident. Surely he’d not meant for me to hear him?
I stared at his office door not knowing what to do next. Had he really been pleasuring himself in the office? Had he definitely called out my name? There had to be another explanation. I was obviously mistaken. Fuck, maybe he was having a heart attack, was trying to buzz me and was now dying in the bathroom after I’d failed to respond to his ‘Fuck, Alex’ and subsequent groan. I was about to rise from my seat to go rescue my boss when his office door banged making me jump and he bolted from the office. He had a flushed face and no sign of ill health.
I went through to his office where the intercom light still flashed. He’d been so caught up in what he was doing he’d not noticed he’d pressed it.
My mind whirled with all this new information. Had he meant me? Had he fantasized about me while he jerked off? Did he find me attractive? And what the hell did I do about it?
I fixed myself a glass of water as my mind buzzed with crazy thoughts. God, I had to go to dinner with him tonight. Maybe I should fake a headache and let him do the meeting alone?
The phone rang derailing my thoughts.
“King’s Enterprises, Alexandr-”
“It’s me, Haley.”
“Oh hi, Haley, he’s not around at the moment.”
“Fantastic. I don’t want to talk to him, I want to talk to you. You got a minute?”
My forehead creased. “Is the baby alright?”
“Yes, fine. Now take a seat, we need to talk.”
This day was becoming stranger by the second. I did as asked although I did wonder how she’d know if I’d done as instructed.
“Okay, now I’m going to tell you something that I’m not supposed to. Although I was never asked to keep a confidence about it so I don’t think I’m doing anything wrong.”
“For God’s sake, Haley. What is it?”
“Eli has the hots for you. Fact.”
I closed my eyes. Shit. It was true and I might have really heard him pleasuring himself while thinking of me? My heart started to thump, and I felt a little shaky.
“You still there?”
“Yes, but, how do you know this? Did he tell you?”
“Yes. Apparently he lost a bet where he had to ask you out.”
At that point a crushing sense of disappointment flooded through me. Oh, he didn’t want me, it was just a bit of fun, at my expense.
“No, don’t start with your low self-esteem crap. He’s been wanting to ask you out for years. You hear that? Years. Too damn scared to ruin everything. Sound familiar? Anyway, he should have asked you already, but he’s too damn chicken shit so he’s faked a business dinner. There’s gonna be a no show tonight from the English dude.”
I sighed in relief. “Good, because whoever he got to call sounded crazy.”
There was a laugh from the other end of the phone. “Yeah, a crazy boss called Elias King who can’t do a very good impersonation of a British dude.”
“No!” I exclaimed.