Corporate Desires
a novel of BDSM erotic romance by
BRIDGET MIDWAY
Published by Phaze Books
Also by Bridget Midway
Adam and E-V-E
C-A-I-N and A-B-E-L
Sodom and Gomorrah
Original Sin
(print collection)
Fascination Street
“Service Recall” from
Phaze Fantasies, Vol. I
Love My Way
Corporate Seduction
This is an explicit and erotic novel
intended for the enjoyment
of adult readers. Please keep
out of the hands of children.
www.Phaze.com
Corporate Desires copyright 2008-10 by Bridget Midway
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
A Phaze Production
Phaze Books
6470A Glenway Avenue, #109
Cincinnati, OH 45211-5222
Phaze is an imprint of Mundania Press, LLC.
To order additional copies of this book, contact:
books@phaze.com
www.Phaze.com
Cover art © 2009 Debi Lewis
eBook ISBN-13: 978-1-60659-996-9
First Phaze Edition – January, 2010
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Dedication
Thank you to my friends at Virginia Dommes and male submissives, especially Mistress Dama, into, lil one, Miss Julie, Miss Pebbles, Miss Lynn, and others for all of your help in knowing what goes on in the BDSM world. What I learn from you there has been completely eye-opening and invaluable. I truly hope that through my work, you’re able to see the impression you’ve made upon me, and I have made you proud.
Thank you, my fans and readers who e-mail me and post messages to me that interracial BDSM erotic romance is something you really want to read.
Thank you to my family and friends for their understanding and support.
A big thank you to The Jimmy for being my perfect hero.
To all, own your kink even if your kink is not for all.
Chapter One
Who in the world would fuck an Edna Zulma? As Edna stood there staring at her reflection in the long mirror, she wondered just that.
Wearing sensible mid-heel black pumps, an ankle-length black skirt, and a long-sleeve shirt that buttoned up to the neck, no way would she get any play in an outfit like this and with her dowdy name.
Now a Madame Z? That woman could get anything she wanted. Yeah, like jail time, she thought.
She shook her head. Enough of that old life. Time to start fresh. In the outfit she wore, it felt more like a prison than her confinement behind concrete and steel.
She adjusted her collar, convinced she could feel heat churning from underneath. Edna smoothed her hand over her hair, which was pulled back tight in a bun.
Despite wearing no makeup, she still thought she looked great for being almost forty. Of course, the makeup helped her not look so close to that age.
She would have to thank her genes for her not getting the telltale lines around her eyes and mouth. The old saying of “Black doesn’t crack” fit her right now.
She wished she felt as young as the décor in her room. Back now in her childhood bedroom, Edna scanned the walls covered in New Edition and Michael Jackson posters. This was the Michael Jackson from his Off The Wall days—cute, dark-skinned, real. Then again, she couldn’t comment on anyone’s authenticity.
She peered down at her shirt and attempted to close the front of her blouse, opening due to her size of her breasts. If she could walk out of the house without a sermon from her mother, Edna would consider it a good day.
New adjustments consumed Edna’s life now. Her small twin bed humbled her from sleeping in her huge California king-sized bed for the last few years, but it was way better than the musty mattresses in prison.
If she really wanted to be reminded of past pain, she could think about her days in D.B.’s Dungeon. A shiver traveled up her spine.
She took a deep breath. On the exhalation, her breath came out ragged.
“Come on, girl. No nerves.” She shifted her weight back and forth, a mistake considering the crusty condition of her mama’s house. The hardwood floors squeaked under her feet.
“Edna?” her mother called from the kitchen. “Eddie? Na-na?”
Edna rolled her eyes. She knew there was trouble when her mother started calling her by her old nicknames.
“Coming, Ma.”
Her new living situation provided another crushing blow. After her incarceration, Edna lost her home, The Oh Club, the money Sire Darin had given her when he died, everything. She had to start from scratch, which included her relationship with her mother, a woman she hadn’t seen since Edna ran away from home at the tender age of seventeen.
Fuck this. And fuck her new life. The hell with starting that new job today. Edna unbuttoned the cuffs on her shirt and started undoing her blouse. Who needed the hassle of the daily grind?
Now in her old life, if she had said “grind,” men winced; that’s what she wanted, what she needed.
No, what she really needed was a good fuck. Good luck getting that in this house with her mama watching over her every second of every day. If not her, then it was J.J. Kresty, her parole officer. Hell, the man wasn’t even good looking enough to imagine while she masturbated.
Edna laughed. Yes, maybe that was what she needed to take the edge off. She rolled up her sleeves and peered over her shoulder to make sure her mother wasn’t going to barge in on her. To give herself some extra time, Edna ducked into her walk-in closet full of clothes and shoes—unfortunately, not any of her old clothes or shoes.
She tripped over a toppled wedge heel before falling back against a rack full of clothes. Once on stable footing, she lifted her skirt, quite a hike at its long length. With the garment secured around her waist, she pulled down her pantyhose. Damn, she missed her stockings.
Now who would be mentally fucked today? Edna closed her eyes. The first image that popped into her mind was the one man she used to fantasize about for years and could never have: Winston Biggers.
She’d received letters from him while behind bars. Actually, the letters had all come from Maybelline—Mistress Mayai as Edna had known her—Winston’s new wife. But Edna knew that May wouldn’t mind her using May’s husband as masturbation material.
Edna slipped her hand into her panties. Her other hand eased into her bra cup. While her index finger circled her nipple, trying hard to extract the pebble from the deep, she attempted to coax just a bit of wetness from her pussy. Aside from its own natural moisture, Edna could easily classify her cunt as being bone-dry.
“Come on, baby. Just a little for mama. Please.” She circled her clitoris with her thumb, then squeezed her eyes closed. “I need it.”
Winston’s image popped back into her head. The one she saw, the one she imagined, stood in front of her wearing a suit. As though she’d asked him to, imaginary Winston started disrobing, slipping off his expensive suit jacket and laying it carefully over the back of a chair.
Edna’s thumb worried her poor clit until it became almost painful to touch. What the hell was wrong with her? Getting wet and getting off had never been a problem. Her masturbation subject may have been the problem.
Never again would Edna fall for another corporate type. She’d fallen for that damn professor, Sire Darin. Then she wanted Winston.
Edna deduced that the more straight-laced the guy looked, the more twisted he must have been. She’d been through enough weirdos in her life. She didn’t need to get involved with another one.
Determined to have at least one orgasm before heading to work, Edna slipped her hand out from between her legs, yanked her pantyhose down and off from one leg, then kicked that foot up and braced it on the closet wall. She returned her hand to her pussy and tried again.
Edna closed her eyes. Imaginary Winston had his shirt off and started to work on his slacks. In her mind, she imagined Winston’s cock pressing against the front of his pants. When she just concentrated on his penis and not his face, she felt herself starting to get wet.
“Yeah, that’s it. You’re getting it.”
Now with his pants off and boxers down, Edna really let her juices flow. She leaned her head back. Her heart pumped so hard she heard the beats in her brain. Edna squeezed her tit, massaging it as her body trembled.
“Come here,” imaginary Winston said.
In her fantasy, Edna stood before him naked already. She took Winston by the hand, and he led her to a bed. He pulled her down to the feather-soft mattress, then got on top of her. When he plunged inside of her in her fantasy, Edna let out a yelp in real life.
She slipped in a second finger, creating a thickness she attributed to the size of Winston’s dick. The leg supporting her body buckled.
The last thing she needed would be to collapse in her closet, half-dressed and with her fingers in her pussy.
As the scene got intense, so did Edna’s fingering. So close. She felt herself finally reaching that peak. Her breath came out in pants.
It didn’t take long for the imaginary part of herself to climax. Though not right there yet, Edna knew her relief approached. She just needed a little bit more.
Imaginary Winston continued thrusting as he looked down at her.
“I’m almost there.”
Damn it, so was she. Edna felt the slick walls of her vagina tightening around her fingers. The heat inside seared her fingers, fusing them together to make one amazing piston, pumping hard inside of her.
Winston, with his arm around her waist, turned over onto his back, carrying Edna with him to position her on top. Edna rode him hard, circling her hips and pushing him in deep.
“Oh, shit!”
Just when she came close to erupting in real life, Winston said in a guttural growl, “I want you to get off and put your mouth on my—”
“Edna!” her mother screamed.
But Edna couldn’t stop yet. As she pinched her nipple, her fingers delved deeper inside to hit her spot. “I’m coming! I’m coming!”
“Good. Don’t want your breakfast to get cold.”
Edna bit her lower lip to suppress her scream just as an orgasm rocked her body. Every cell and nerve in her throbbed as goose bumps coated her flesh. As soon as the fireworks display that had exploded in her eyes dissipated, she eased her eyelids open.
Taking a deep breath to slow her heart rate, Edna eased her foot down from the wall and planted it back on the floor.
Shit, she couldn’t do that every morning, not with her mother around.
Before straightening out her clothes again, Edna wiped her fingers on the towel she’d used after taking her shower that morning.
She pulled her pantyhose back up and slipped her skirt back down.
Time for business.
After buttoning her cuffs again, Edna slipped on her jacket and tried to button it.
“Damn!” Even with the jacket, Edna’s recently enhanced breasts stretched the front so much that the shirt gaped open, exposing her black lace bra. Knowing her mother, she would say something about her outfit and she just wasn’t in the mood to get into it with her today. Not today.
After wiping her sweaty palms down her skirt, Edna grabbed the old glass doorknob and stepped out of the bedroom. A heavy smell of bacon, fried eggs, and toast hung in the air. Not surprising. Edna’s mother always cooked like every day was Sunday.
Edna washed her hands thoroughly. Better than those drug sniffing dogs, Edna’s mother had a warped gift of being able to smell sex. Edna slathered scented lotion on her hands, just in case, before heading to the kitchen. On the trek, she prayed in her head.
“Good morning, Mother.” As expected, Edna kissed her mother on the cheek.
And as Edna suspected, a plate filled with a heaping mound of yellow-and-white scrambled eggs, a half-a-hog amount of bacon and three pieces of toast waited for her at the table.
At the sight of the spread, Edna’s stomach compressed. To calm it, she put her hand to her belly and rubbed it a bit.
“Ma, this is too much.” Edna sat down at the plate.
When she noticed her shirt gaping open, she curved in her shoulders to minimize the show. She would have to do that all day at her new job.
“You’re going to need your strength for today.” Her petite mother wiped her hands on a ratty dishtowel that should have been tossed in a rag bag years ago.
“I’m nervous enough as it is. I don’t want to put too much in my stomach.” Edna took a sip of orange juice to coat her dry throat.
“Nonsense. A good breakfast will get you through the day.”
So would a good lay. Edna’s mind wandered about thoughts of her former life, her former sexual life. As Madame Z, owner of the hottest BDSM club in Norfolk, Virginia, she had men crawling on their hands and knees to be with her. They would do whatever she’d asked them.
Wait. Asked? More like commanded.
“Lick my pussy,” she would say.
“Yes, Madame Z,” they would always respond. If they didn’t, it was a sharp boot heel to a plump sac or a twist to a tender nipple.
Edna crossed her legs to douse the smoldering flame. While in her mother’s house, all she would have would be her vivid imagination. No sex. No fun. No luck.
After these last two tumultuous years, maybe her reputation and body needed a break.
Edna lifted a piece of toast already slathered with enough butter to clog a rhino’s veins. She took a bite. The crunch must have alerted her mother.
The woman whipped around with a wooden spoon in her hand and promptly smacked Edna on her knuckles.
Although her mother had lost some of her strength from back in the day when she used to hit Edna with her trusty spoon, it still stung her hand nonetheless.
“Ow! What was that for?” Edna waved her hand back and forth as though the motion would ease the pain.
“You know better than to eat before saying grace.” Her mother sat the spoon down on the table, took a seat next to Edna, and took Edna’s hand, still sore from the discipline.
Thank goodness the woman didn’t know what had just crossed Edna’s mind or what her disgraced daughter had done moments before. She would have probably gotten her belt and spanked the flesh off of her hide like she used to when Edna was a kid. Some scars had a hard time fading.
Edna bowed her head. As her mother spouted a prayer on the spot, one that included a wish for Edna to have a great day at her new job and to come home safe, Edna prayed in her head to just be able to get through the day.
Since Edna had never worked a “normal” job, a job that didn’t involve sex in any way, shape, or form, this would be a whole new experience for her.
“Amen,” her mother said.
Edna nodded. “Amen.”
“Now you can eat. And I’m making a lunch for you. You still like Spam sandwiches, right?”
While Edna’s mother’s had her back to her, Edna contorted her face into a gagging expression. She hadn’t eaten Spam in years, not since she left the house.
When her mother turned back to her, Edna masked her disgusted expression with a smile.
“Sounds great.” Edna solidified the lie with a thumbs-up gesture.
“By the way, you look nice. Your aunt’s clothes fit you well. Good to see someone could use them after she passed.” Her mother pointed to her, then continued cutting large, thick slices of the processed meat and frying it in her cast-iron skillet.
“Thank you.”
Edna wanted to say, “Thank you for making me the least attractive woman on the planet. Thank you for stripping me of my identity. Thank you for making me into you.”
“You’re welcome,” her mother responded. She pointed to Edna’s chest. “I’ll see if I have any safety pins in my room to close that up for you.”
Edna glanced down, not that she needed to look. Her shirt had gaped open again. She curved her back in, although at this point her cover had already been blown. Her mother had already seen all that she needed to see.
Maybe life would be better outside of the house, less judgmental.
She could only hope.
Chapter Two
More humiliating than the outfit, Edna coasted into the Bright Spot Rentals parking lot in her mother’s old station wagon, complete with the peeling fake wooden trim and a squealing noise that sounded whenever she hit the brakes, turned the steering wheel, or turned on the air conditioning, which barely worked. Basically the car squealed when someone looked at it. Edna saw the car as just another method of keeping the men away from her.
Perhaps instead of seeing all of these things as problems, Edna needed to be happy for the obstacles. In her life, men and sex proved to be issues. If she could stay away from both, she would be fine.
Not knowing where to park, Edna backed into a spot in front in the corner. With the iffy transmission, Edna decided backing into spots would be better than struggling to get out of one.
Glancing at her reflection in the mirror, she smoothed her hand over her hair, stick-straight thanks to a neighbor woman who styled hair out of her kitchen.
Without makeup, Edna didn’t feel the same. A realization hit her and she dove into her purse. At the very bottom, her fingers brushed something tubular.
“Ah ha!” Edna pulled out the item: a tube of clear lip gloss.
It wasn’t her old makeup bag full of MAC cosmetics, but it was something. Edna slathered the gloss over her lips. She noticed right away how much better she looked—confident, younger, sexier. At the last thought, Edna pressed her lips together to minimize the shine.
From the corner of her eye, she spotted a small nebbish of a man unlocking the front door and slinking inside. Andrew Lipsky, with his strawberry blonde hair, freckles on his face and hands, and hang-dog expression, had been the first and only person to grant Edna an interview after her two-year incarceration.
Although she vowed not to work for another man once she got out, Lipsky seemed harmless enough. From what she’d seen of him, he normally walked around with his head hung low. Everything he said sounded like something a used car salesman would say. And when he smiled, which she noticed he did a lot, especially when his nerves got to him, the jovial expression lit his face up like a red neon Krispy Kreme “hot now” sign.
Edna threw the gloss back into her purse, popped a mint into her mouth, released another long breath, and decided to start her new life.
She stepped out of the car. Walking toward the building, Edna caught her reflection in the glass. Had she always walked like that, her body twisting and turning like an exotic dancer’s body?
Edna stumbled and straightened herself. She tried walking with some dignity and class. For her that meant strolling as though a stick impaled her ass. Tight, small steps. No more twisting like some beauty pageant queen.
Edna opened the front door and a bell chimed. Looking around, the place hadn’t changed from when she interviewed there a couple of weeks ago. It had an old bank branch feel to it.
In the corner sat an office that was surrounded by glass. Although it had a door, there couldn’t have been much privacy offered, even with the long, vertical blinds surrounding it. The fact that Lipsky sat in there tipped her off that the office belonged to him.
Directly in front as she walked through the door sat a small, metal desk. The chrome metal legs supported the desk, and someone painted the body in an off-white color. A fake pressboard top capped off the classic piece, along with a gray chair.
For however long she would be working there, Edna figured this would be her working space.
Brochure racks lined the back wall behind her new desk. Looking at the setup, it appeared that Edna would be the one to explain the many vacation packages the rental office offered. That would be fine. She had sold much more unusual items using much less than a colorful brochure and a sales pitch.
A small conference room sat next to Lipsky’s office. On the other side of the room, it looked like there was another office. Strange. Edna didn’t know why Lipsky would have had more than one office. Since he was the only person she saw there, she assumed he was the only employee in this place.
With the door open, she guessed whoever sat in that office would have a great bird’s eye view of her. No screwing up for her. This would be like jail all over again with a guard to watch over her constantly.
Edna took in a deep breath. With the business so close to the oceanfront area, a distinct saltwater scent filled the air. Lipsky had to have used the natural aroma to his advantage to rent beachfront properties.
Edna turned to let Lipsky know of her arrival when found the man already there next to her.
“Oh my!” Edna put her hand to her chest. “I didn’t hear you walking toward me.”
“Sorry.” Lipsky beamed, increasing the number of lines around his eyes and mouth. “It’s these orthopedic shoes. Rubber soles, so I can pretty much sneak around anywhere.”
When he chuckled, Edna couldn’t help but laugh with him.
“Let me make sure I say this correctly. Edith Zulu, right?”
Edna blinked. “Edna Zulma.”
He smacked himself on the forehead. “Sorry, I’m terrible with names but great with deals. Ms. Zulma, in case your memory is as bad as mine, my name is Andy Lipsky.”
“Good morning, Mr. Lipsky.” She shook his hand.
Although he had a small hand, he possessed a powerful grip. She remembered his strong handshake the first time they met, mainly because it seemed so out of place for him to have.
“Oh, you don’t have to call me Mr. Lipsky. Call me what everyone else does, Andy.”
Edna nodded.
“And can I call you Miss Z.?” He laughed again, this time punctuating his laughter with a snort.
Edna smiled politely. “Edna is just fine.” Any reference to her former life, even slanted, turned her stomach.
His mouth formed into a tight line and he nodded like a marionette with a manic handler. “No use waiting. I’ll show you around the office, let you know what’s expected of you and get you working. Sound like a plan?”
“Sounds just perfect.”
Lipsky took her to her receptionist desk first. On his attempt to open the bottom drawer so she could deposit her purse, it got stuck. The small man pulled on it several times, shaking the desk until the contents on top, like the computer and the phone, all jiggled about. After one hard tug, the drawer opened.
“You can put your purse in here.” Lipsky ran his hand over his head as he panted from the workout.
Edna clutched the strap on her purse. “Why don’t I just hold onto it during the tour until I can get a good look at that drawer? Maybe there’s a trick to opening it.”
Lipsky bobbed his head and looked down to the floor. At any moment, she half-expected him to spout an “aw, shucks.”
“Of course, you’ll be the receptionist and basically the office assistant. You’ll answer the phones, take messages, greet people as they come in.” He pointed to the side next to the mysterious extra office. “You’ll make coffee in the morning for our guests. Oh!” He snapped his fingers. “Remind me to get you a corporate credit card. You’ll be responsible for getting fresh doughnuts every day and keeping the office stocked with supplies. You’ll also set up meetings and make sure for those meetings that we have refreshments.”
All sounded doable. Edna nodded. “Got it.”
Lipsky started the tour at his office. He didn’t go inside. From the doorway, he pointed into his workspace and announced that it was his office.
Then he scurried to the room where he had interviewed her and told her it was the conference room. Edna noticed right away the cluttered mess inside. File folders littered the table now and opened cabinet drawers looked like they vomited papers. Either the place had been robbed or someone’s search left it in its current state.
Since Lipsky didn’t seem to bat an eye on the room’s condition, Edna assumed he had created the mess.
Lipsky took her through another door. “In here is the supply room.”
The small room with tall shelves full of supplies and papers looked well-stocked. It, too, needed straightening.
“Right here is the break room.” Lipsky lifted his hands to show off the dimly-lit room.
Besides a small card table, the room had a breadbox-sized white microwave, a short, slender refrigerator, and a sink. A vending machine sat next to the sink.
Lipsky continued on to the very back. “And this is a bathroom. Sorry, only one.”
Edna nodded.
“That’s it for back here.” Lipsky attempted to walk past Edna, but the proximity proved to be too much for him to take. He released a nervous laugh and refrained from looking in her eyes. “Oops. Sorry. Just need to get by here.”
Edna stepped back as far as she could to allow him passage. Like a frightened rabbit, Lipsky nearly ran by her to get back to the main office.
When they returned to the front, he showed her the brochure counter. “You’ll be responsible for keeping these stocked. I’ll give you the information to order these.”
“Got it. Not a problem.”
“I suspect for you, you wouldn’t have a problem with much of anything.” Lipsky’s cheeks turned a deep crimson color.
Embarrassed, the man looked like Howdy Doody.
“Oh, I’ve had my share.” Edna wouldn’t talk about her troubled past even though she had shared that information with Lipsky the day of her interview. Honesty and integrity would light her path.
“Meet me in the conference room. I’ll get you started on your benefits paperwork. Then I’ll teach you about benefits because eventually you’ll be handling that as well.”
Edna nodded again. Sounded like a lot of responsibility for her meager salary. But it was a start. From this job, she could finally figure out what she wanted to do. Sex wouldn’t be her only expertise. It couldn’t be.
As Lipsky gathered the needed paperwork for Edna, she cleared off a space in the conference room for the two of them to work.
He handed her the forms to start her medical benefits. “It’s just a regular HMO. Nothing special.”
“It’s better than nothing.” And Edna truly meant that. She needed to start taking care of herself, and that included working on her internal organs as much as she had to work on her external appearance.
“And this one is for your dental coverage. But you have great-looking teeth.” Lipsky snorted when he laughed again.
“You noticed my teeth?” Edna didn’t mean to question the compliment. It sounded odd for him to say that about her. What was she? A show-horse?
“Sorry. Bad habit. My father was a dentist. All we talked about at home were teeth.” He scratched his head.
“I understand.” She shoved the documents back to him. “So why did you start a vacation home rental business instead of becoming a dentist? Didn’t that disappoint your father?”
Lipsky struggled to keep a happy countenance after she asked her question. His smile melted and he would quickly firm it back up each time.
“I’ve always wanted to fulfill other people’s dreams. If getting them a deal on a great vacation spot did it, I was happy. Eventually my family realized that I wouldn’t be content as a dentist and they let me do my thing.”
Maybe one day her mother would get off Edna’s back to let her do her own thing, whatever that may be. Edna nodded and waited for the next item.
“So what about you? Don’t tell me your dream has always been to be a receptionist here.” He snorted again.
“I just want to do a great job. I have no other aspirations.” Edna hoped that pat answer would suffice.
The statement held some truth. Edna didn’t know exactly what she wanted. All she knew was that there had to be something better waiting for her down the road. The Oh Club could not be her crowning glory.
From the way Lipsky shuffled his papers around to look for the next set for her to sign, her conservative answer seemed to have satisfied him as well.
He got her to sign papers for vision coverage and a form for accidental death and dismemberment insurance.
“Who would you like as your beneficiary?” he asked.
The question pushed her think of her former Master, Sire Darin. Had he thought about Edna when he was reworking his will?
“My mother,” Edna finally answered. Her mother was all she had left in the world. Who else could she leave anything to if something happened to her?
“You’re going to need her social for this form. Would you like to call her to get it?” Lipsky pulled a phone over to her.
Edna shook her head. “No, I’ll take this one home to go over it with her. My mother is very funny about releasing personal information. I’ll have to explain to her what all of this means.”
Lipsky nodded again. “Got it.”
The front door chimed just as Edna signed the last item.
“Oops! I guess I should be out at my desk to greet incoming customers.” Edna stood and gathered her papers in her arms.
After glancing at his watch, Lipsky said, “More than likely, it’s just Burton. He’s the office manager here. It’s about time for him to come in anyway.”
Burton? So that was the mysterious extra employee.
“Come on. I’ll introduce you two.” Lipsky walked out of the office first with Edna trailing not too far behind him.
As she walked past her new desk, Edna dropped her paperwork on top. The desk wobbled under the weight of the deposited items.
Great.
Just as she thought, the office next to her desk was where the mysterious Burton worked. Lipsky stood at the doorway and knocked.
Edna planted herself behind him but tried craning her head around the doorway to peek inside.
“Burton,” Lipsky began.
“Yeah.” His deep voice rumbled out of the doorway. “The Rowans called me early this morning to firm up their reservations in Corolla. Man, I can’t wait until we get some help in here.”
Oh, shit! As though he triggered it with only his voice, Edna’s stomach flip-flopped and she felt herself getting wet. Not a good sign. If he looked as good as he sounded, she would be in big trouble.
“Speaking of which—”
Burton cut off Lipsky. “And who parked that hunk of shit in front of the building? You want me to call a tow service?”
Lipsky cleared his throat. The silence hurt more than what Burton had said about Edna’s mother’s car, not that she didn’t think of it as a piece of shit, too.
Suddenly a man appeared in the doorway. Burton stood a good foot over Lipsky. Then again, Edna was about a half of a foot over Lipsky.
Burton’s dark hair was shorn short, probably because of the hot summer weather. His strong jaw line flexed. He stared at Edna with hypnotic blue eyes. In his sky blue button-up shirt and gray tie, and his dark blue slacks, he looked like he was ready for business.
Good. She didn’t need any temptation. His staunch business appearance deterred her from seeing any potential in him other than another employee.
The more Edna stared at him, the more she realized he could be more lethal than she imagined. Although he had this stuffy businessman look about him, there was something so magnetic about him, something about his core essence. It could have been the way he stood with his fists to his hips. Or it could have been the way he never broke eye contact with her.
Please let this guy be married or gay or racist as hell.
“Burton McCutcheon, meet our newest receptionist, Edna Zooooo—”
Edna glanced at Lipsky before saving him, “Edna Zulma.” She put her hand out to Burton. “Nice meeting you.”
He took her hand and held it tentatively at first. After a holding it longer, his grip got tighter and tighter.
“Welcome to Bright Spot.” He cocked a half-smile at the corner of his mouth. “Hope you enjoy working here. If there’s anything you need—” Burton paused.
Edna took that moment to pull her hand free from his. As though not realizing how long he had been holding her hand, Burton cleared his throat and put his fist back on his hip.
“I do have one thing.” Edna adjusted her purse strap on her shoulder. “Just where should I park my, um, vehicle when I come to work?”
She refrained from calling it a piece of shit like Burton had. Watching his cheeks get red from embarrassment, she assumed under that rough exterior existed a compassionate man with some humility.
“Employees should park behind the building. You’re fine where you are now.” Lipsky said.
“Thank you, Mr. Lip—uh, Andy.”
Lipsky nodded.
“No, I think we have a full booking today.” Burton straightened out his tie. “I need you to move your car now.”
Edna volleyed her gaze between Andy and Burton. Since Andy said nothing to the contrary, she assumed Burton’s word was the last one to heed.
“Yes, sir.” Edna went to her desk to retrieve her keys.
“When you get back, I need coffee, black. My mug is the white one by the sink that says ‘The Boss Is Always Right.’”
Edna stared at him for a moment waiting for Burton to burst into laughter and admit he was kidding. He said nothing. His stare alone propelled her to rush outside to move her car.
With a guy as intense, and egotistical, as Burton, Edna couldn’t think of him in any other way than her boss.
After she moved the car, she returned to the office, finding Andy still talking to Burton.
“If you gentlemen don’t mind, I’m going to start working. Coffee black, right?”
“And on my desk in three minutes.” He ducked back into his office, which prompted Lipsky go to his office.
The faster Edna got away from Burton the better she would be. Actually being busy would help her keep her mind off of the man and what his solid body looked like naked.
Shit, had she actually thought about what the man looked like naked?
Get your head in the game, girl. This is not The Oh Club again.
After starting the coffeemaker, Edna cleaned off her desk first. A thick layer of dust covered her workspace, signaling to her that Bright Spot Rentals hadn’t had a receptionist in a long, long time.
If they went without a reception for so long, why did they need someone now?
“Ms. Zulma! Time!” Burton barked from his office.
Edna glanced at her watch. By her calculations, she had thirty seconds to pour a cup of coffee for Burton and get it on his desk. Hell, it was just coffee. He could wait.
She strolled to the break room to find this special mug Burton had talked about. After a thorough search, she found it in a cabinet above the sink. It, too, had a thick layer of dust on it.
Favorite mug my ass.
Edna washed out the mug before taking it to the coffeemaker in the main lobby. She poured out a cup and took it to Burton’s office. She set it on the corner of his desk and turned to leave.
“Ms. Zulma.”
Edna froze at the doorway. She pivoted and tried keeping her heartbeat under control. “Yes?”
Burton planted his hands on top of his desk as he regarded her. “There are a few things you need to know about me upfront before you continue any further with your position here. I am a perfectionist.”
No shit, Edna wanted to say. Instead she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from blurting something that would have surely cost her this job.
“I expect that the people I work with to carry that same high standard. Am I being clear?” Burton never broke his stare.
“Yes, sir.” It took every bit of willpower to give him that polite address.