Page 3 of Alex (Men of Forbidden Temptation #4)

ELISE

six months later

There’s never been a meeting at work where I was grateful it ran longer than it was scheduled for.

Never.

Most meetings are pointless and a waste of employee time.

Mr. Strickland could have sent all the information he’s telling us now in an email. It would have been quicker and straight to the point.

For me, at least.

Unlike my co-workers, I don’t need to be told what to do. I follow the SOPs step by step that were written by Mr. Strickland himself.

It explains in detail what to do and how to do it. There’s no room for error or misunderstanding.

I found the procedures in a folder on the computer my very first day here and have had no issues with not knowing how something is done or what to do in any circumstance.

Mr. Strickland pushes a button on the tiny remote that’s laying on the long mahogany table in front of him to change the slide.

There are no words on this slide, only a graph showing the potential revenue from this potential business.

I look down and check the time on my watch. Six thirty.

I’m late.

Again.

I’m supposed to be at the bar right now to celebrate Kate’s twenty-fifth birthday. Kate was adamant that I get off work at a decent time tonight, but once again, I’m still at work.

She’s going to be pissed. I guess it’s a good thing she’s my best friend and so understanding.

Mr. Strickland drones on and on about plans for the upcoming acquisition, as if the entire company is unaware of what is going on.

We all know the ins and outs of this company, especially when it comes to hundreds of millions of dollars and more.

Mr. Strickland buys a new business every couple of months, but this company is slightly different, as it will bring Mr. Strickland enough money to buy an entire country.

He clears his throat and glances around the room before saying, “We need to wine and dine these clients. I want everyone to go the extra mile and make them feel welcome here. Nothing is too big. The sky’s the limit.”

They must be used to luxury if Mr. Strickland is saying nothing is too big. Usually, we put them up in a five-star hotel in the city and take them to the most luxurious restaurants.

Hell, for the last company Mr. Strickland bought, he arranged for everyone to go on a deep sea dive off the coast to see Blackbeard’s sunken ship.

Everyone loved it and, of course, they were eager to have Mr. Strickland buy their company.

As he talks, I watch him intently.

He’s attractive in an older silver fox kind of way. He exudes confidence and demands attention. His tailored suits fit him like a second skin, while his expensive watches and exotic sports cars show a hint of the wealth he’s acquired over the years.

When he gets to the end of the slides, he pushes the power button on the remote and the entire screen shuts down and recedes into the ceiling, as if this is just an ordinary conference room.

Co-workers sit up straighter, hoping he dismisses them for the day. They are probably hoping to make it home to their hot dinners and loving families before the sun completely goes down.

He turns his attention to me. “Elise, before you go home for the evening, please print out the documents and get the meeting room ready for the team meeting tomorrow afternoon. ”

Even though I want to protest and beg to go home, I just nod and say, “Yes, sir.”

He looks around the room once more before ending the meeting. I head to my desk that’s right outside Mr. Strickland’s office to get started on his newest task for me.

But first, I need to let Kate know I won’t be making it tonight.

I open my email because Mr. Strickland has a strict no phone policy at work and type up a message to Kate.

I let her know I can’t make it tonight because Mr. Strickland gave me a last-minute assignment that will take a while. And I tell her we can reschedule our girl’s night for tomorrow since it will be Friday and I’m not working late.

She immediately responds with an angry face, and a string of expletives all directed at Mr. Strickland.

It makes me chuckle, but I miss seeing her. These long hours at work have really hampered our best friend dates. Not to mention her international travels. Tonight was going to be the first time going out in almost a month.

I take a few deep breaths to steady my nerves. There’s no point in getting upset because I need this job more than I need to go out with Kate.

I open the meeting notes for tomorrow and print six copies. While they are printing, I gather up the other items I need to set up the conference room.

The office is quiet and dark. The only lights on in the building are the motion sensor ones in the conference room and the one at my desk.

Of course, everyone already left, including Mr. Strickland.

He doesn’t care about anyone’s time except his own, and even then he’s usually the first one in and the last one out.

Doesn’t he enjoy going home to his family? To his mansion?

I guess he’d rather be here working and acquiring more businesses. That is the best way to keep making money.

And the more I work, the more money I make, so at least all the overtime pay goes to my student loan debt and mom’s overdue medical bills.

When the printer finishes printing my meeting notes, I grab the papers and all the other items and carry them to the conference room.

It’s past eight and I’m alone, so I use the computer in the conference room to put music on through the bluetooth system.

Just another perk of working for a technologically advanced company.

I keep the volume low because even though no one is here, there are still cameras all around, and I don’t want Mr. Strickland to think I’m not working.

The set up for team meetings is pretty standard depending on what the meeting is about.

Tomorrow’s meeting is just a continuation of today’s meeting, hence why today’s meeting could have been an email .

Except Mr. Strickland will go more in detail about the specifics of the new company. Like the profits they could bring, any problems we may incur along the way, and potential backlash from the local population.

There shouldn’t be any local backlash because this new company won’t affect the locals. There won’t be a warehouse or shopping center built nearby that causes extra traffic and land clearing.

Getting started on the meeting preparations, I grab the bottle of table spray and the rag and clean the table from this afternoon’s meeting.

Mr. Strickland hates seeing fingerprints and smear marks on the table during meetings, so I need to make sure the table is clean before setting up.

Sure, he might hire cleaning staff, but if I set the table first, they won’t clean the table, and then Mr. Strickland won’t be happy with me tomorrow.

After the table is clean and dry, I separate the papers into their packets and put them in the navy blue folders that Mr. Strickland likes to use for every meeting.

I finish with the team folders and dance around the conference room as I place a folder directly in front of their assigned seat.

Mr. Strickland sits at the head of the table, and I sit to his left. No one ever sits to his right while everyone else sits at the other end of the table, leaving the other head chair empty.

Grabbing the pens, I place one to the right of the folders before grabbing a bottle of water for each person.

Mr. Strickland doesn’t get a bottle of water because he prefers his water to be ice cold and sparkling. I’ll grab his special water from the drink refrigerator under my desk a couple of minutes before the meeting starts tomorrow.

The conference room door squeaks open and I let out a yelp. Everyone has already left for the day. No one should be opening the door.

I turn around, pressing my hand to my pounding heart and come face to face with Mr. Strickland.

“Oh!” I jump back and crash into the mahogany table.

Ouch. I’m going to have a bruise there tomorrow.

The edge of the table presses hard into my lower back as I stare at my boss’s face. He doesn’t seem upset, but doesn’t seem happy either. His expression is always hard and emotionless.

It’s hard to tell what he’s actually feeling.

The corner of his lips curl into a smile and his eyebrows raise as the music changes into a not safe for work song.

“S-s-sorry. I’ll turn off the music.” I click the button on the computer keyboard and the music instantly stops.

“You didn’t have to turn it off on my account. Enjoy your music and the amenities the building has to offer. ”

Is he serious right now?

Why isn’t he yelling at me for taking advantage of the bluetooth speaker system?

“Is there something else you need me to do? I was just finishing up here.”

Why is he back at the office? Was he checking to see if I got everything set up?

“It looks great in here, thank you. I was just stopping by to ask if you could set up another seat as we will have a guest at the meeting tomorrow.”

“Absolutely.”

Who could the guest be?

Is it a representative from the company? Would they sit in on a team meeting?

“Do you want a normal set up like everyone else or is there anything different I need to do?”

He glances at the table before returning his gaze to mine.

“Yes, set it up like everyone else, but to my right-hand side. Oh, and he prefers cold sparkling water like me. I guess the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.”

I take a moment to process what he is saying. His son is coming to the meeting. I will see him for the first time in over a month.

Mr. Strickland stares at me to gauge my shocked expression before grinning.

“Alex.” I whisper his name like it’s a forbidden word or a secret.

It’s not a secret. Everyone knows Alex is Mr. Strickland’s son, but no one knows about my encounter with Alex six months ago.

And that’s the way I intend to keep it.

Mr. Strickland chuckles. “Ah, yes. Alex told me the two of you know one another.”

Alex did what? Is he trying to get me fired?

“Oh, um, I don’t really know your son. We’ve seen each other at the meetings he’s come to, but-” I trail off.

I can’t tell Mr. Strickland that I met his son the night my mom died, and I then proceeded to lose my virginity to him while his friends partied nearby.

I can’t tell Mr. Strickland that every time I’ve seen Alex in the office over the past six months, I’ve had to masturbate in the bathroom to keep from letting him take me on the conference room table.

And I definitely can’t tell him I’m imagining that very scenario right now.

Mr. Strickland is oblivious to my inner monologue.

“Hmmph. We should rectify that. Alex could benefit from having a friend like you. You’re mature, responsible, and hardworking. I see you being very successful in the future.”

“Thank you, sir.”

I really appreciate the compliments because I’ve been working my ass off for him and his company, but I don’t do it for the recognition.

“Well, I’ll get out of here so you can finish up and head home. I don’t want to keep you here any later than necessary.”

I’ve already been here later than necessary. I could have set all of this up tomorrow morning.

“Have a good night.” I call to his retreating figure.

He doesn’t give a response, but I notice his shoulders droop a little.

Is his home life that bad? Does he not have a loving wife and kids to welcome him home from a long day at work? Does Alex not live there?

That is too much for me to unpack right now. I’m starving and ready to sleep.

I get the extra seat set up for Alex as the printer slowly spits out the pages. I check the drink refrigerator that’s under my desk to make sure there are plenty of sparkling waters in case both father and son demand more than one.

When the printer stops, I grab the pages, put them in a folder, and place it on the table across from my seat, where Alex will sit in roughly eighteen hours.

I’m not sure how long I stare at the empty leather seat, but it’s long enough that the motion sensor lights turn off.

Letting out a sigh, I turn around and head for the door. Right now, my priority is making sure everything is ready for tomorrow.

I can think about Alex when I get home, and trust me, I will because no matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to get him off my mind .

I turn off my desk light and head downstairs to retrieve my purse from my locker in the security room, surprised to find the room empty.

Usually Peter, our security guy, is hanging around here watching the cameras. He must be on a stroll around the building.

Wanting to be more comfortable, I grab my pair of flats out of my bag and kick off my heels. Locking my locker back, I throw my purse on my shoulder and head towards the main doors of the building.

Movement catches my attention and as I turn to see who it is, I hear Peter’s voice.

“Hey Elise. Are you finally heading out?” He’s grinning as always, but his short buzzed hair seems a little longer than normal, like he’s due for a haircut any day now.

Not wanting to yell, I wait until I am closer to answer him. “Yep. I had to set up for the meeting tomorrow.”

“Ah. Is that why the boss-man came back? To keep you in line?”

We share a chuckle because we both know he’s just kidding, but underneath the joking, I know he worries about me staying so late and being alone.

“Obviously, but deep down, he knows I keep the company running.”

That’s only a half joke.

Besides making the big bucks and buying the businesses, I do everything to keep the company running as smoothly as possible .

His brown eyes seem to sparkle and his expression softens as he murmurs, “You could have your own million dollar business if you tried hard enough.”

I snort. “Yeah, okay. That’s a far stretch. You need money to start a business, not to mention a business idea and plan. I don’t have any of those.”

“I’m sure you could think of something if you really wanted to. I’d support you and any business idea you had.”

He runs his hand through his copper locks. “Anyway, I better continue my patrol. Mr. Strickland wants me to do strolls around the building every half hour. Nothing exciting ever happens, but maybe all the walking will help tone me up a bit for the ladies.”

Peter seems to flirt more than usual. I wonder if the girl he was trying to date ended up turning him down.

It would be a shame because Peter is a nice guy. He’s smart, funny, and caring. He has a reliable car, a house, and a good job. And he even looks like Captain America. On paper, he’s perfect.

Just not perfect for me.

My heart tries to pound its way out of my chest as my mind conjures up an image of my perfect guy.

My stranger.

My guy.

Alex .

My heart skips a beat. He’s not my guy. Not by a long shot, but my body wants him.

Craves him.

I wave goodbye to Peter on my way out of the building. I lock the door behind me and let my thoughts wander to Alex as I make my way home.

Tomorrow holds the promise of being both nerve wracking and thrilling, but I’m not sure which one seeing Alex will be.