“Yes, sir.”
My coffee is waiting on my desk, along with the two morning reports. It’s still so hot steam is wafting from it. How had she done it? I let my head rest against my chair. Yesterday all I thought about was pushing Alexa to quit, the quicker, the better. Until the moment I saw the pain flicker in Alexa’s eyes.
After lunch I accomplished nothing. All I could see was the way Alexa flinched as if I hit her. I do not hurt women, it is not something that makes my cock hard, in bed or out of it. To me, any man who hurts a woman should have his balls removed because he did not deserve them.
At home, I was able to get some work done, yet I still was haunted by what I did. What was it about her that was pushing me past my limits, doubting my control? The need to know more about her, sent me searching for her books. I broke down and downloaded her first book. It is an excellent book, as I read I heard Alexa’s voice. I didn’t want to put it down and read well into the night. When I was finally done, for the first night in almost a week, I fell right to sleep without a sleeping pill.
I sip my coffee, it’s perfect. It is smooth, with an equal mix of sugar and half and half. Sonofabitch, this is the way Victoria used to make it. Before I think about it, I punch the intercom on my phone. “Alexa, get in here.”
When she walks in her face is clear, devoid of expression. “Yes, sir.” “Where did this coffee come from?”
“I made it, sir.”
“Were you told to make my coffee?”
“No, sir.” Her gaze does not move from a point past me.
“Then why did you?”
“Because I thought my time was better spent working than riding up and down elevators and walking a block for coffee when I could make it as well as the places I was going to get it from.”
“You were that sure of yourself? That you could come in today and prepare the perfect cup of coffee?”
“No, sir. I got coffee from both Demetrius and the coffee shop and brought them back to work. I had purchased the beans you preferred yesterday and brought them in. This morning I came in at six and spent the morning practicing until I believe I got it right. Is it not as good as Victoria used to make it?”
I ignore her question. “Where are your rings?” The words are out before I can swallow the question that has been running through my head since I realized they were gone.
Before she covers her hand, I notice something. The indentions usually beneath a ring are not there, and there is no tan line. Ria will often forget to put her rings back on after she cooked dinner. Even without the rings on, her finger shows the sign of the long-worn jewelry. “Forgot to put it back on this morning after my shower. I do that a lot. It makes Felix crazy.”
The answer does not sit well with me, or maybe because I hate the way she mentions another man knowing her well. It does not matter what causes the words to shoot out of me like acid, they find their mark. “Considering how lucky you are to have found a man willing to marry you, my condolences go out to your husband for your repeated lapses in being grateful for him. Flirting with a married man one day and not wearing his rings the next. Ms. Clark, those who do not appreciate what they have are destined to lose it.”
I dismiss her, then turn to my computer screen. I cannot stop myself f
rom watching her walk away, her back stiff and head down. How much more can she take?
***
Alexa
Tomorrow I’m putting arsenic in his coffee. Arsenic was the choice of poison by the Medici, it’s a nasty way to go, you feel like your insides are being shredded. It’s an agonizing death that can take hours, sometimes even days. Then I take a deep breath and exhale slowly. No, it’s too fast and not nearly painful enough.
Last night I finally figured it out. He’s trying to make me quit. After talking to Natalie, it was clear. Leo has never been this mean to anyone else, had never talked to another assistant the way he did to me. I don’t know why though because when I asked Natalie if it might be my weight, she said I was crazy. There were assistants who were heavier than me and Leo hadn’t blinked at their appearance.
I look down at my finger, I hated wearing the rings. They just didn’t fit right. I hated knowing they were the real representation of my parent’s love and I was using them to lie. Leo had stared at my hand for a very long time. Damn, I’m not cut out for all this lying. Leo is going to figure it out because I’m going to screw up.
With a thump, I’m in my chair. I see the newspaper he tossed at me when he came in. I see the picture of Elizabeth Ward, she’s very pretty, some people might call her beautiful. Her quote calling Leo a callous, despicable man willing to step on anyone who got in his way is in bold.
Holy crap, she is one brave woman. Why in the world would Leo want Ward to meet with him? As bad as what the woman said there are far worse things said about him. It couldn’t be because he wanted to challenge her.
Reading the article, I see Elizabeth is a returning veteran who lost a leg to an IED. I still don’t see the why behind Leo’s request. I shrug, it’s not for me to know why, it’s for me to do.
***
Leo
When she hands me the report on Ward, I am prepared for her. I nod at the four thick binders at the edge of my desk. “That is all the information on trades and suggestions for investment by Douglas Harden. I want you to go through them and see if you can find any ties to Roth Group Limited and Russell Roth.
Over the last year, two major investments were interrupted by Roth Group getting to them first, and a smaller niche investment that no one knew about except me was picked up by Roth personally. Harden has only been with me for three years, last year he went through a very expensive divorce. I need to know if he has been bought.”