Sexiled: an enemies-to-lovers standalone Page 7

  “Dad,” I say, and the tone of my voice comes out slightly scolding. I know he means well, and it’s a compliment, but sometimes I feel as though he’s trying to steer me for what he wants, without asking me what I want.

  The elevator dings, and my heart starts to pound when I see the gold letters of Murphy Capital on the glass windows outside the door.

  “What’s this man’s name?” I ask, as I push the glass door open. It occurs to me that I haven’t asked my dad as much about work as I usually do during this past year. I’ve been so wrapped up in my own, post breakup existence.

  “Sweetheart, I’m so sorry, can you hold on just one second? My assistant in London is telling me there’s something out of character happening with the opening markets.”

  “Oh. Are we headed for a correction?”

  “Maybe. Be right back, can you hold for a few moments?”

  “Of course, Dad.”

  With my earbuds still in, I walk through the aisles of desks.

  Employees don’t technically have to arrive until ten a.m., and there are no workers here as far as I can tell. There are some parts of the office roped off, still under construction. I’m here early so I can get situated.

  I hear a man’s deep voice coming from the corner office.

  Where do I recognize that voice from?

  My heart pounds in my chest, involuntarily, and I feel my cheeks flush with heat.

  If I could see my freckled chest, it’s probably streaked pink the way I have the chills right now.

  When I get to my new boss’s office door, an extremely tall man—the source of the voice that made my body react—faces the window, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

  He barks into his phone. “Yeah, well, you tell George Dixon since he wants to take a Eurotrip through the Alps before he begins work, we’re going to change his start date. Permanently. To never. Got it?”

  Right as the realization of where I know the voice hits me, I hear my dad click onto the phone again.

  “I’m surprised I haven’t mentioned it before,” Dad says.

  My jaw literally drops as my boss hangs up the phone and spins around.

  Same chiseled jaw and dimples.

  Same tall, intimidating frame.

  Same burning brown eyes.

  The only difference is, instead of being shirtless and ripped on a sand volleyball court, he’s wearing a charcoal suit and maroon tie.

  “So, your boss,” my dad says. “His name is Morgan Kennedy.”

  8

  April

  “You?” I burst out. “You’re my boss?”

  Realizing my dad is still on the phone, I say goodbye and hang up swiftly.

  Morgan’s expression is similar to how you would look if you were glancing at a passerby on the street. Totally impersonal, with no trace of surprise.

  “Hi, can I help you?” he says evenly.

  “Can I help you?” I repeat. My heels clomp on the floor as I walk toward his desk.

  “You’re my freaking boss now? You’re the hire my dad keeps raving about?! The ‘honest,’ rising company star?’”

  Morgan smooths out his tie.

  “You’re surprised I’m a talented employee? I always did have a gut instinct for seeing a good deal and taking it.”

  “Yes, I’m surprised! With the way you…you…”

  Lied.

  Ravished me.

  And then ghosted me.

  “Wait, what do you mean, you always had a knack for spotting a good deal?” I ask.

  He shrugs with a dimpled, sinister smile. “I’m talking about the juiciest peach I ever ate, of course.”

  Heat courses through my body. “How are you not surprised to see me? Was I that much of a…” I trail off, embarrassed by how I’m about to finish the sentence.

  Was I that forgettable to you?

  He scrubs a thumb across his jawline. “I knew you were coming. Obviously I keep tabs on the interns coming into my own office.”

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah. This isn’t a surprise. However, I am surprised your dad hasn’t mentioned my actual name to you before now. I figured you knew. We’ve been getting along quite well, your dad and I.” He glances down at his watch. “You’re the new intern. So, hello. Thanks for dropping by without an appointment. Is there something you need? It’s a little early right now, and this is when I get my work done. Gabe, one of our analysts, is doing your orientation. He usually comes in at the normal office time. Between nine and ten.”

  My heart beats double, my vision is almost blurry.

  “Why didn’t you call me?” I manage to squeak out. The question that’s been eating away at me for months.

  He laughs.

  Laughs in my face. A low but loud, infuriating noise.

  “You’re really dense, aren’t you? Christ.” He shakes his head. “I figured you were a daddy’s girl since your father got you this internship. A daddy's girl who gets what she wants, whenever she wants, and I was right. Nice ring, by the way. New one?” His eyes land on my left hand.

  By his reaction, I have my answer. I was nothing to him. A one night stand he seduced and forgot about.

  I nervously finger my silver Claddagh ring. “It’s an heirloom. It was my mother’s.”

  I’ve decided to wear the bottom of the heart pointing inward, which indicates taken, since I have no plans to have a relationship while I’m here. Or relations of any kind. After getting hit on during my plane ride by Mr. Married Businessman, I came up with the plan in case there were creepy guys in the office. I could make up a fake boyfriend back home and tell them the whole story about how when you’re single, the bottom of the Claddagh ring points out, and when you’re taken, it points in.

  Of course, none of this is Morgan’s business, and the way he’s talking, I decide I might as well conjure up that fake boyfriend from the start. Todd seems like a good fake boyfriend name.

  When I don’t say anything, Morgan continues. “Isn’t that cute. Well, I’m really happy for you.”

  He rocks back on one foot and examines me. Those dark chocolate eyes feel like they’re undressing me, though I'm positive they're meant to intimidate me.

  All of a sudden, I’m back in that spring night in May at the hotel.

  On his knees, Morgan grips my hips with his huge hands, kissing my stomach with long, slow kisses that make me shudder to my core. His movements are tender yet deliberate. He obviously knows his way around my body.

  He kisses the lace of my lingerie just above my opening and looks up at me with a smile.

  “You’re nervous.”

  “Yes, a little.”

  “Why?”

  “I…” I stumble over my words. I don’t want to tell him the sob story about how he’s only the second man I’ve ever kissed. I want to live in this moment. “I just am,” I say instead.

  He smiles up at me. “Well, you can touch me while I’m touching you, you know.”

  My eyes shudder closed, and a powerful rush of emotion clumps up in my throat. I nod. “Okay.”

  I reach one hand down and thread it through his thick black hair. My breath becomes more shallow.

  “Fuck, baby. Fuck, you’re hot.” He runs his hands down the backs of my thighs, causing goosebumps to rise up on my skin. Bringing one finger around, he slides my lingerie bottom to the side, revealing my clit. “I can’t wait to make this pussy mine.”

  My knees buckle, and I actually start to lose my balance standing there, in my heels. I press more weight into his shoulder to stay up.

  The sound of his breath is quiet. He kisses my flesh softly, and shudders roll up my spine.

  “I’m going to take good care of you, April.”

  I snap back to reality, where my boss is scowling at me.

  Not kneeling before me and kissing me.

  “Miss Murphy, just so you know, I’m not going to treat you any differently than any of the ten other employees working in this office. You’re not getting a single shred of sp
ecial treatment.”

  I’m about to protest, but he continues. “I won’t hold a grudge against you either. I think it’s best if we move on like that encounter never happened. It was a fluke. A glitch in the universe’s plan that we even got together at all.”

  I push my black-framed glasses up, and stare at him.

  If this is the way he wants to play it, then fine.

  “I can do that. Never happened,” I say. Except my eyes run over all the glorious bulges of his body—biceps, visible even through his suit coat, pointed chin, and other places—reminding me that it most definitely did happen.

  “Exactly. Never. Happened,” he repeats emphatically.

  Blood rushes to my temples. My heart seems to freeze, then pound.

  I notice his eyes drift down the length of my body.

  My mouth and lips feel dry all of a sudden, staring at Morgan.

  He fills out his suit pants and dress shirt so damn well. I can’t help imagining his washboard stomach under that shirt. Those broad shoulders that taper to a narrow waist. I try to not visualize it, but I can’t stop. So, instead, I go on the defensive.

  “Of course, I don’t expect special treatment,” I add, trying to remain focused. “I’m here to learn. The fact that you’re my boss, well, it blows my mind. It’s quite a coincidence, to say the least.”

  “I might not like you as a person, Miss Murphy, but I can appreciate a good work ethic.” He glances at his watch. “I’ve got a call with Iceland, if you please. As I said, Gabe will show you around and get you oriented with the company.”

  “What do I do until he arrives?”

  He glances at a stack of papers on his desk. “How are your research skills? I got the note from your advisor about the paper you’re writing on international trade and its effects on the environment?”

  I nod. “Something like that. It’s something I’m interested in.”

  “Great. Well I’ve got some research I’ve been meaning to run through sort of related to that.”

  He picks up the stack and thumbs through it. “I don’t know if it’s beyond your scope of understanding though.”

  “Excuse me?” I scoff.

  “Look, don’t take this the wrong way, April. I don’t want you to drown on your first day. Some of these prospectuses we have to read can get pretty dry. They’re written by lawyers, not romance authors.”

  “I’ve soaked up information ever since I was little on the subject. Dinner conversations between my dad and mom were always full of spirited philosophical discussion on the subject of finance.”

  He glances down for a moment, and I notice a hitch in his throat before he brings his eyes back to me.

  “Right. So I’ve been meaning to run through this research on subprime consumer loans that we’re investing in. Seems to be cranking out pure profit, even in a downturned economy, but it smells like a too-good-to-be-true scenario. Review it, understand it, and write me a report on your findings.”

  "Yes, Captain, sir,” I say sarcastically, picking up the thick stack of papers. The trace of humanity that seemed to appear on his face is gone again, replaced by a cold boss’s stare. “Where do I sit?”

  He shrugs. “I think the desk right by the doors when you walk in is free.”

  I shudder. Hearing him talk business is like knives to my ears.

  I wish I could unhear all the sexy nothings he whispered to me.

  I’m going to take good care of you, April.

  Yeah, right.

  He probably says that to every girl he’s with.

  9

  April

  Around ten in the morning, a good-looking, light-haired man who looks to be in his upper twenties walks through the door.

  “Well, hello there.” He grins. “You must be April. I’m Gabe.”

  I glance up in relief from the report I’m going through.

  “Yep, that’s me.”

  “Sorry I’m late. I had quite the night at the salsa club,” he says.

  “On a Sunday?”

  “Oh yes. Sunday is the best night. Come on. Let me show you around.”

  He takes me around and introduces me to a few other employees. “Eight desks, one round-table meeting room, two office rooms for the bosses. Pretty standard office stuff.”

  I meet our current events monitor Vinny, and Derek, a trader, as well as Loretta in H.R. They’re cordial, but not overly so. I told my dad not to alert the office to the fact that they were getting the daughter of the CEO as an intern so that they wouldn’t treat me differently. All the same, I’m not going to hide that fact as it comes up.

  “Hi there,” Derek says, standing up from his trading desk. He’s in his upper twenties, and definitely gives me a flirty look as I walk past, trying to ignore the vibe I just got.

  I turn back to Gabe as we head back to my desk area. “This cozy office gives us almost like a start-up, small business feel.”

  Gabe shrugs. “It’s a similar setup to the office in Chicago, just scaled down. But Puerto Rico wins because we’ve got a beautiful beach just a few blocks down the road here.”

  “We’ve got a beautiful beach a few blocks down the road in Chicago,” I remind him.

  “Oh. Okay…you know what? You’re not going to get on my good side acting all smart like that.” He grins.

  “Well, it is only available for swimming three months of the year.”

  “Exactly, so we’ve got you there. How long are you going to be here until?”

  “My internship is ten weeks long, so I’ll be here until mid-March or so.

  Just then, Morgan walks by, suit coat draped over his shoulder.

  “I’m jumping over to the Sheraton to meet a high-profile client at his hotel. I trust you’ll show Miss Murphy around.”

  “Of course, Mr. Kennedy,” Gabe says dutifully.

  Morgan darts both of us a look, then continues on his way out the glass doors.

  Gabe turns toward me. “What do you think?”

  “I think it’s a tight, innovative operation we’ve got going here. I’m excited to be a part of it.”

  “No, silly.” Gabe rolls his eyes playfully. “What do you think of our boss?”

  I shrug, trying to seem nonchalant despite the heat pooling in my body just by replaying the image of him walking out of the building just now. “He seems fine,” I downplay.

  “Oh, please. Okay? I saw the look in your eye as he walked by.” Gabe sighs. “I just wish he played for my team.”

  “Your team…oh. Gotcha.”

  “Fortunately, Puerto Rico has a thriving gay culture here. Well, maybe I’ll turn him. A guy can dream, right?” Gabe’s eyes zoom in on my hand. “I notice your Claddagh ring is pointing inward, toward your heart. So you’ve got a boyfriend back at college, I’m guessing?”

  I frown. “Can you keep a secret?”

  “I’m the Fort Knox of gossip.”

  “I’ve just got this ring on just so no one will be interested in me at the office. I don’t want to give any co-workers the wrong impression. I’m here to work, not date. ‘Dating’ has given me enough trouble.”

  “Ohh, I’m sensing a long, tragic backstory here.”

  I wave my hand dismissively. “Nothing too interesting.”

  “Well, the only creepy one is Dushela, the partner, when he comes around. As for Morgan, he has a stick so far up his ass, I don’t think he’s even smiled at anyone for as long as he’s worked here. He’s all business.”

  “So, he hasn’t…you know. Dipped his pen in the company ink?”

  Gabe chuckles. “Not that I know of. And you know, you’re missing out if you don’t date at work. Did you know the workplace is the most common place you’ll meet your future spouse?”

  “Is that really true?”

  “Unfortunately. Because there are no guys here who swing my way.” He sighs. “You should just take a shot at Morgan so I can live vicariously through you. I wouldn’t blame you. Shoot, Loretta in H.R. took a shot at him.”
>
  My jaw drops, and I glance back at Loretta, whom I just met. She’s a bubbly blond in her late twenties, very cute. “Wow. And he turned her down? How are you sure?”

  “Honey, I’d know. I’m basically a hound for sniffing sexual tension. Speaking of, I thought I noticed something between you two when he walked by.”

  I drag a finger across my throat, thinking about the words I exchanged with Morgan earlier today.

  We never happened.

  “That’s crazy. I just met him,” I lie.

  Good nose, Gabe.

  “I know. Maybe I was just…feeling hopeful because I sense a tender energy coming from you. The man is so focused on work, I worry about him sometimes. And I do wonder what he would do if he were tempted by the intern.”

  I twist my face up. On the one hand, I wanted to keep the fact that I’m the CEO’s daughter a secret. On the other hand, it will probably come up at some point. And I don’t want Gabe to think I’m hiding something from him.

  “You do know my last name is Murphy, right?”

  “I know…wait. You’re saying…you’re actually related to Hal Murphy? Like the Hal Murphy, CEO of this company?”

  “That’s my father,” I say.

  His jaw drops. “Oh, wow. I thought it was just a coincidence.”

  I smile. It’s not lost on me that my father has done a great job of keeping it a secret that I’m interning here. I take that as a sign that he wants me to succeed of my own volition, and I appreciate that.

  “Don’t you know, Gabe?” I say, and some advice my mother gave me long ago pops up in my mind. “There are no coincidences.”

  That afternoon, I take the bus back to my house instead of using the driver my dad has offered. I want to get a feel for the city, and the bus is one of the best ways to do that.

  I get off near the end of the line, then walk to a beach a mile from my house.