Beck and Call (15 page)

Abby Gordon

department.

“Who has she talked to? Did she talk to the Programming VP?”

Serena rolled her eyes.

“He’s the one who made the first pass at her. He said if she wanted the promotion that Steve ended up getting, then she’d have to go to this conference and share a room with him.”

“Shit,” he whispered. “Has she talked to…”

“Who else can she talk to?”

“Your boss?

Serena stared at him with such shock in her eyes that for a second Keith wondered how she saw him. Did she see him as an ogre who would tolerate sexual harassment and the theft of intellectual property? His entire company was built on ideas! If he ignored these accusations, then his company was worthless.

“You don’t think he would listen?”

“I…Keith’s always so busy talking with VPs and CEOs around the world,” she replied. “I mean…” He had to choose his words carefully.

“I think you owe it to your boss to tell him what his Programming VP did to one of his people.” The next part came easier. “You certainly owe it to your friend to do what you can to protect her.” She kept nibbling her lower lip.

“You really think I should tell him?”

“Maybe not you, but Debbie. You set it up, but she needs to tell him.”

“She’s scared to death of Keith.”

“She’s what?”

Keith wasn’t sure how many more revelations he could take. First, he was a terrible judge of women. Second, he had misjudged his VPs as vividly demonstrated by Mark. Now this. Why would a programmer be afraid of him?

“Has he threatened her? Hurt her? Insulted 112

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her?”

“No, not that I know of.”

“Then why would she be afraid of your boss?”

“Because she’s barely twenty-three, a junior programmer, and he’s the CEO of the most innovative programming company in the world.

She’s…” Serena sighed. “Maybe intimidated would be a better word.”

He considered that. Intimidating was much better. With competitors, it was a much better word.

Debbie wasn’t a competitor. She was his employee.

While obviously the relationship was much different than what he was trying to form with Serena, it was still a relationship in which he was supposed to look out for those under him. It was
his
company. He’d been so busy focusing on the numbers that he’d lost sight of the people.

“Then go in with her,” he suggested. “Not to tell her story though.”

“More for moral support?” she frowned.

“Are you afraid of him?” he asked bluntly.

“Not anymore,” she replied, sipping the wine.

“He’s tough, hard-working, and one of the most ethical people I’ve ever met.”

Keith soaked in the words.
That
was what he liked to hear! But it sounded like she was holding something back.

“I hear a ‘but’ in there somewhere.”

“He is a little intimidating,” she told him. “He’s brilliant in ways I can’t even begin to understand.” She shook her head. “I’ve worked for him nearly two years and just found out that he’s fluent in Japanese. A couple days ago he had a conference call with a client in Tokyo. I’ve been listening to language tapes for a few months. When Mr. Lee came on, I tried to say
hello
in Japanese. Mr. Lee laughed and said he appreciated the effort, but I’d called him a cat. Keith took over and the two of them 113

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talked so fast I lost track of the conversation.” She sighed. “I don’t think he has any idea of how intimidating he is.”

“Well,” he floundered a little bit. “He is the boss.

I guess intimidating comes with the territory. You need to tell him what’s going on.”

“Not all at once,” she shook her heard. “I’m not sure he could handle it all.”

“There’s more?”

She grinned at the shock and worry in his voice.

“Nothing too out of the ordinary,” she laughed.

Leaning forward, she set her glass on the table. With a sigh, she snuggled against him, curling her legs up to rest on the edge of the chair. “Debbie’s the biggest one. And I’m really worried about her. I think something else happened, but I don’t know what it is.”

“Then you definitely need to get her to talk to your boss. Sounds like he’s the only one who can take care of it.”

She nodded.

“Monday. I promise.”

“Good,” he nodded, deciding they’d done enough talking about work. His right arm tightened around her shoulders and his left hand fondled a breast.

“Then can we focus on us?”

Serena’s breath caught as his voice dropped suggestively. She looked at him, knowing now to wait for him to take the lead.

“Yes, Master,” she whispered.

“Excellent,” he smiled. “I want to play with your body until you’re nearly hoarse from begging me to fuck you,” he whispered in her ear.

“Can I start begging now?” she wondered, turning her upper body toward him. “When can I start learning your body, Master?” Her mouth went to the base of his neck near his shoulder and nibbled slightly. One hand found the hard length of his cock 114

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under the black leather pants. “Can I touch you?” Keith inhaled sharply at the feel of her mouth on his skin and her fingers brushing over his cock.

He nearly gave in, but held tight to his plan.

Instinctively, he knew he still needed to bind her to him sexually.

“Not yet, sweetheart,” he told her, catching her wrist and pulling her hand away from his cock. “But if you’re a good girl, I might fuck your mouth with my cock.”

Serena closed her eyes and leaned against him.

“I never thought I would want that,” she told him. “But I do with you,” she said shyly. “With you I want to do nearly everything.”

He nodded.

“I think before we actually do anything else, I should show you my toys so you can decide what you can handle or need to think about.” Green eyes glowed as she looked up.

“Thank you, Master,” she whispered, stretching her neck to kiss him.

He held her gently, accepting the sweetness she offered. His, he vowed. Nothing would take her from him. He realized how close to the edge he was with her. Overnight she had become an obsession. He wanted to shout to the world that she was his. The need to wait, whether or not he appreciated the necessity, chafed at him. He wondered how the hell he was going to maintain the façade at the office.

The temptation to haul her into his office, bend her over his desk, and fuck would be too great. He suddenly wondered if he could make it. She tempted his control in ways he hadn’t thought possible.

Soon, he told himself. Soon, this secrecy would be over and she would be his publicly as well as privately. Soon, soon.

Sunday evening, Serena slowly entered her apartment. Automatically, she hung her coat on the 115

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hook and slipped off her heels. Dangling them by the straps, she put her purse on the table near the door and bolted it. Fishing the special cell phone out, she carried it to the bedroom. Hitting
Speed 1
, she pulled the covers back and crawled into bed.

“Serena.”

“I’m back and the door’s bolted,” she told him.

“Good girl,” he murmured. “Get to sleep, sweetheart. You had a rather eventful weekend.

Sleep and dream of me.”

“Then I won’t get any sleep,” she grumbled.

He chuckled.

“If it’s any consolation, I don’t think I’ll get much sleep either. Remember what I told you?”

“Yes, Master,” she whispered. “I won’t touch myself unless you tell me to, or…” She closed her eyes. “Master, I wish you were holding me.”

“Soon, Serena,” he promised. “Soon, I’ll be holding you and nothing and no one will come between us.”

“Yes, Master,” she sighed.

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Monday morning, Serena left her apartment and headed down the hall to the apartment Debbie and Claire shared. She knew Debbie would resist, would be furious she’d discussed her problems with HR

with anyone, and would try to refuse to talk to Keith. During the night, though, Serena had thought long and hard about what Master said and realized he was right about many things. First, and most importantly, she had to protect Debbie from anything else Duncan, the VP for Programming, and the other misogynists in that department might do.

The only way to do that, since it was obvious Hester in HR wasn’t going to do her job, was to go directly to Keith.

At her knock, Claire opened the door. A relieved grin was on her face.

“There you are!” she beamed, hugging her. “Why didn’t you tell us where you were going? We were about to call the police.”

“I, um, was with...,”

“The man who sent the rose?” Claire guessed.

“The one whose name you refuse to tell us? You spent the entire weekend with him?” Light blue eyes rounded. “Wow! That was quick! I’ve never known you to do anything like this!”

“What can I say?” Serena smiled. “He swept me off my feet.”

“Definitely ask him if he has a brother,” Claire told her.

“Well, if it isn’t the long-lost sheep,” Debbie commented, coming from her bedroom. “We weren’t 117

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sure if we should alert the police that you were missing.”

With Master’s comments fresh in her head, Serena looked at Debbie’s outfit with new eyes and winced. He was right. Despite the professional dress code, not to mention the blustery weather, Debbie was barely the right side of legal with her short red leather skirt over black fishnets and see-through black blouse over a red bra.

“Debbie, that doesn’t exactly fit the dress code,” she frowned.

“What’s the matter with the way I’m dressed?” she demanded.

“Honestly?” Serena hesitated, glancing at Claire.

The other young woman was no help as she just gave Serena a puzzled look. “You’re dressed like a hooker.

It’s not professional at all.”

Both stared at her with their mouths open.

Claire took a step back.

“Serena! How can you say that to Debbie?”

“Because I want you to tell Keith what Duncan, Steve, and the others have been doing and saying to you,” Serena said, her eyes on Debbie’s face. “What they’re doing isn’t right. It’s illegal and it’s hurting you professionally and personally.”

“Keith won’t care,” Debbie said petulantly.

“Duncan said…”

“If Keith won’t do anything, then we’ll find a lawyer,” Serena said quickly. She crossed the room and touched Debbie’s arm. “But I think he will.

Debbie, I know the men in Programming have been bothering you. I’m willing to bet they’re doing the same thing to other women and that Duncan has threatened all of you.” The startled expression in Debbie’s eyes warned her. “Is this why you’ve been dressing so provocatively? Is it what they said you had to do?”

Debbie stiffened.

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“I like dressing like this,” she said defensively.

“It’s not how you dressed eighteen months ago when you started at the company.” Serena gripped Debbie’s shoulders. “Debbie, you said some things Friday night that worried me. Please,” she whispered. “Let me help you. Tell Keith and let him help you.”

“Hester said that…”

“Hester doesn’t get the final say,” Serena said firmly. “Keith won’t let them get away with the harassment or with them stealing your ideas. Or anything else.”

Despite her provocative clothing, Debbie looked like she was all of six years old as she nibbled her lower lip. Serena stared her down and Debbie dropped her gaze. When Debbie scuffed the toe of her shoe against the floor, Serena struggled to keep from laughing.

“You really think he’ll believe me? That he’ll make them stop?”

Serena groaned and hugged her.

“Debbie, Keith is going to believe you and he’ll do more than make them stop.” Holding the younger woman tight, Serena closed her eyes. “Dammit, why didn’t you tell me as soon as it started? Or sooner?

Did you think I wouldn’t believe you or something?”

“You’re the CEO’s executive assistant!” Debbie burst into tears. “Do you have any idea how intimidating you were at first? Can still be? I’m just a girl from West Virginia who got really lucky and stumbled onto this job! I’m alone and…”

“No,” Serena whispered. She was intimidating?

Her? “You’re not alone, Debbie. Claire and I are with you. I’ll be with you when you tell Keith and if we need to we’ll redo our movie marathon tonight.” Looking at the tear-stained cheeks, she gave her a wry smile. “You gotta admit the last one didn’t work out so well.”

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“It was kind of a downer,” Debbie nodded.

Taking a deep breath, she hiccupped slightly. “Okay, I’ll tell him.”

“Good girl, Now, go change into something more appropriate for the office. Go on now!” Serena waved her off when Debbie hesitated.

A slight smile now on her face, Debbie turned and disappeared back into her bedroom. Serena turned to look at Claire. Her slacks and sweater would do.

“What?” Claire asked, suddenly wary of Serena’s attention.

“I want you to tell me about Paul.” Serena could almost see her hackles rise.

“He wants me to be part of a threesome with him and David. I saw them,” she whispered, voice catching. “I heard them.”