Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 56217 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56217 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
I forced myself to pay attention and not get lost in my fantasy about him. It was stupid to be in love with my boss. Only silly girls got caught up in romantic notions.
Growing up, I was focused on school and my goal of becoming a business executive. I didn’t have time for boys and always thought my friends were silly for worrying about who liked who, or worse, allowing their self-worth to be determined by whether a boy liked them.
Choosing academics and career over gossip and partying meant I hadn’t had a lot of experience with boys. Truth be told, I had very little, which was why at twenty-three, I was still a virgin. It didn’t bother me that I’d never felt a man’s touch. It wasn’t something I worried about because I cared little about sex. Sure I had sexual urges, but I could take care of those by myself. It wasn’t until Mr. Alexander that I understood the term sexual frustration. It was shocking sometimes how badly I wanted him or how easily I knew I’d get naked and give him my V-card if he wanted it.
After the meeting, I followed Mr. Alexander to his office, nearly trotting to keep up with his long strides. He even walked sexy.
“What do I have coming up?” he said.
“Nothing this afternoon, but you have a drink scheduled at seven with Danika Lane to discuss her becoming a model for the new organics line.”
He let out a grumble. “Just a drink?”
“Yes, sir. I was clear on that.”
He shook his head. He didn’t like going out at night. He didn’t date or even have flings, at least as far as I could tell. Since his wife had died a few years ago, he focused only on the company they’d started as college sweethearts, and on raising his daughter. It was one of the many things I admired about him. In this day and age, so many men, and I supposed women, weren’t committed to the people they’d given themselves to. Infidelity ran rampant, especially in the executive suite. Except for Blake Alexander. He was devoted to his wife, even though she wasn’t here. In my mind, a man who could love like that was exceptional.
While I admired his steadfast eternal love for his wife, it also made me sad that it would leave him alone for the rest of his days. He was only forty. Too young to never experience love again. It didn’t seem right not to allow love in his life again, especially since he had so much to give. And oh how I longed to be the one to get if from him.
“How are we on the France deal?” he asked.
“Très bien.”
His lips twitched upward. He always seemed to get a little kick when I spoke French. It was one of the reasons he hired me. He wanted to expand the JoXander line into France and needed someone who spoke French. C’est moi. I’d speak French all the time if it turned him on, but since he didn’t understand it, it would make work hard.
“We’re working out some export details, but it looks like we have a wholesaler,” I told him.
“Good.” He walked into the outer part of his office. “Dana, can you get Mrs. Douglas on the phone for me?” he asked his secretary about his nanny.
“Yes sir.”
He stepped into his office and shut the door. I had a smaller office next to his, and once he was behind his closed door, I slipped into mine to follow up on the French deal.
Dana and I both acted as gatekeepers for Mr. Alexander, who preferred to work in solitude. It made some of his executives annoyed to deal with me. I wasn’t sure if it was because I was a woman or simply because they felt it was disrespectful to deny them access to him.
Truthfully, I was able to get them what they needed more easily than Mr. Alexander would have been able to. Mr. Alexander was the decision maker and data analyzer, but when it came to knowing what was going on, Dana and I were the ones to check with. We were the ones that knew his schedule and his project statuses.
I spent the afternoon, fielding calls from various VPs, people who wanted to pitch product ideas, and the marketing department’s updates on the latest social media promotions.
By the time I was ready to go home, Dana and just about everyone else had left. As I reached the elevator, Mr. Alexander came around the corner.
“Leaving?” I pressed the button to hold the door open.
“Yes, thank you, Ms. Hanson.” I didn’t know why he called me Ms. Hanson, but Dana by her first name. I supposed it was a way to elevate my status, but I’d have liked to hear him say my name.