His Absolute Assignment - Elise's Love Story: The Billionaire's Continuum (#1) (A Contemporary Romance Novel) (3 page)

"I believe you referred to me as a card shark at the time," Lucent said, smirking.  "I did warn you, though.  That's a fairly popular opinion, even if it's untrue."

"I think I can beat you," I said.  "You still might be a card shark, though."

"You beat me once," he said.  "It's certainly possible you could do it again."

"Would it be the same?  Would you answer any question I asked if I did?"  The idea, the memory, made me tremble, uncertain.

"Miss Tanner, I would answer anything you want right now, whether you've bested me at cards or not."

I smiled and kissed him quick, then slipped from his arms and darted back towards my laptop.  Lifting it off his desk, I set it into my laptop bag, then turned to face him.  He eyed me as if I was some mythical pixie and he was afraid I might escape within a crowd of flowers, never to be seen again.  Never to be seen again, no, but to be admired with awe and wonder while I remained.  I didn't know exactly how I felt about that, but I thought I liked it.

"I was writing a very good story," I said.  "I don't know if I should tell you about it.  It's top secret.  Extremely classified, Mr. Storme."

"Is it?" he asked, chuckling.  "A hint, perhaps?  Or should I win at cards in order to get you to tell me?"

"No amount of knavery or card sharkery will get me to spill the beans, Lucent.  You're just going to have to wait."

"No hints?" he asked.

"It's..."  I didn't want to tell him about the real story, but maybe I could make something else up.  "Um... it's about hands..."  Hands?  What the heck, Elise.  I wasn't very good at this.  "Manual stimulation!  It's about manual stimulation, uh..."  I'd seen a video on the internet recently and maybe proper ladies shouldn't watch such things, but I wasn't sure if I counted as proper (and, also, the words just came out).  "And squirting."

Lucent opened his mouth and lifted one brow, looking both extremely curious and somewhat stricken all at once.  "Manual stimulation and squirting?" he asked.

I blushed, fumbling with the strap to my laptop bag.  "Yes, well, excessive manual stimulation, I suppose.  And..."

"Squirting."  Lucent finished my bumbling sentence for me.

"I'm sure it's popular.  People are going to like it.  It will be a good story."

"I look forward to reading it.  The characters are...?"

Well, I'd already come this far, so why not further?  "You and I.  Again."  Sure, good job, Elise, I told myself.  Lucent is going to think you're crazy.

"You've done research on this?  Studied excessive manual stimulation and squirting?" he asked.  "If not, do you need assistance?  Someone to offer you a helping hand?"

"Was that a pun?" I countered.  "Are you flirting with me, Lucent?  We're in your office, you know?  I work in the same building.  That's sexual harassment."

"Of course.  You're welcome to report me for bad behavior, Miss Tanner.  My phone is on the desk and I believe you know the number to contact the human resources department."

"Perhaps," I said, growing somewhat bolder.  "Or, perhaps I'll spank you.  What do you say to that?  You're being very naughty."

"Am I?"

"Yes."  I nodded once, fierce.

"If you'd like to dole out punishment for my transgressions against you, I'm sure something can be arranged.  I fear you aren't the sort to make good on any such promises, though.  A pity, truth be told.  While it's hardly my preference, I doubt I'd mind being on the receiving side of your domination."

"I'm not even remotely domineering," I said before I realized what I was saying.  "I mean... I don't... I don't know how.  I don't know if I'd want to.  I'm probably not very good at it."

"Perhaps."  Lucent shrugged.  "I enjoy your presence, though, and I will gladly be patient for you.  If you find yourself interested in exploring an alternative lifestyle choice such as that, I'd be amenable towards helping you accomplish your goals."

"My goals of spanking you?" I asked.  "Which, for the record, I don't know if I have yet.  I did spank you once, but it wasn't especially domineering or interesting.  I like your butt, though."

"Straight to the point, I see.  I'm a fan of yours, also."

"I've got to go to work now!" I shouted at him, laughing.  "You're distracting me, Lucent."

"Go on," he said.  "Shoo, shoo."

"Can I come back for lunch, though?"

"Yes," he said, smiling.  "Of course you can."

"If I get lonely before lunch, can I come back, too?"

"If you wish."

"After lunch, maybe?"

He laughed.  "If you want to stay so much, why are you leaving?"

"I have work to do and you're going to distract me.  I have to write a story.  I can't just fool around all day like some people, you know?"  Not that Lucent ever really fooled around.  He worked almost constantly, unless I was distracting him; though he'd never state it as such.

He snickered and helped me gather the rest of my things; my purse, my laptop bag.  "Pardon me, Miss Tanner.  I wouldn't want to disturb you when you're attempting to work.  I do look forward to reading your story later, though.  Please let me know once you finish?"

"Maybe," I said.  "I don't know if you're my target demographic for this sort of thing."

He kissed me on the cheek and laughed.  "No, perhaps not."

Lucent opened the door to his office for me.  Reluctant, I left.  I had a small office room in Landseer Tower for myself, and it was nice and comfortable and quiet.  It was a good office room, but it was on an entirely separate floor from Lucent's office, which made it somewhat less desirable to me.  I couldn't be some child about it, though.  I couldn't just stay with Lucent forever, no matter what I wanted.  We weren't trapped in the library anymore, it wasn't snowing.  It wasn't even winter.

I was an adult.  I was Elise Tanner, some barely-out-of-college girl who didn't really deserve the love of someone like Lucent, and I needed to make my own way in life.  Or... there were other options, too.  Somewhat dark and scandalous, and when I first met Lucent he'd alluded to them.  Sort of.  It sounded easy, almost.  As if I could drop everything, be nothing except his, and never have to deal with any problems ever again.  For him and him alone, absolutely submissive to his masterful commands.

I knew I was only thinking these things because I was leaving, which was silly because I wasn't going that far away.  I'd see Lucent again in a couple of hours, and then I'd think myself dumb for thinking all of this in the first place.

Some small part of me always wondered if that was what he wanted, though?  Did he love me because of who I was, or did he love me despite it?  The end results seemed the same, but the process of getting there was entirely different.  Hm...

I should write about that in my story!  Yes!  Not the manual stimulation squirting one, because I probably wouldn't even write about that at all, but the real one.  Creative non-fiction?

Lucent Aiden Storme and I, together, trapped in a library.

It would never happen again, but I could still remember it.  I could still write about it.  It was a part of me, no matter what happened, and it always would be.

It took awhile, but once I started writing my story, I fell into a rhythm with it.  Everything seemed to work, to fit into the proper place, and the words flowed more freely the longer I spent at crafting them.  I had a few pages worth now, and I wanted to finish up this one particular part, but then I thought I should take a break.  I didn't know if this was just me or not, but when I was writing, if I didn't let myself go away from it sometimes, it became harder and harder to do over time.

Which sounded kind of odd when I thought about it.  Stop writing when you're doing well, so that you can keep writing well later?  What other sort of person did that, or what other sort of job allowed that?  Probably no one and nowhere, but that's how it was for me.

And... I finished typing the part I wanted to finish, then leaned back in my chair and stared at the ceiling.  They had those weird paneled ceilings in Landseer Tower, where you could push them up and aside and reach the wiring directly if you wanted.  Or, I thought you probably could, but I'd never tried it.  Sometimes I wondered if ceilings like that hid secret rooms somewhere up there.  If I pushed the right paneling aside and climbed up, could I go somewhere?  Maybe it was like Narnia, with the wardrobe, except I didn't actually want to go to some magical land, I just would have liked knowing about it.

I might be a little strange, but I liked myself and that was all that mattered.

Breathing in deep, I relaxed and then pushed myself up from my chair.  I could browse the internet and play around for my break, or I could try to do something a little more useful.  Seeing as I'd already spent part of my day playing around with Lucent, I thought I should attempt the latter for this current break period.

My computer beeped at me, alerting me to a new email.  Email was useful, right?  I sat back down and clicked through to check it.  It was from Jessika, who was sort of my boss, but maybe not?  I read her note, scrunching my brow and biting my bottom lip.

Hi Elise,

Asher is going to tell Lucent this and he'll tell you, I'm sure, but you're both invited to the party tonight.  I know you don't like parties, but Asher's planned out a sort of wedding reception before it and during it, so there'll be nice things and family and friends, and also some cake.  You like cake, don't you?  I don't know what kind it is.

Please come, though.  I mean it!  Seriously.  It's going to be kind of stuffy and with a lot of people, but I'll be there, and Asher will be there, and of course Lucent will, so it won't be too bad, right?

You don't have to dress up, but just wear something nice.  Probably wear heels, too, but if you want to come in sneakers I won't say anything.

Send me your next story, too!  Lucent said it's good.  I can't wait to read it.  We'll break into this publishing thing soon, you know?  We're just learning everything now, but I think we have a chance to really do something big.  I'd like to prove myself.

I hope everything is going well!  See you tonight!

~Jessika

P.S. Do you and Lucent really do the things you write about?  I know it's just writing but... let me know.  Oh god.  Or don't.  Forget I wrote this.  Unless you want to tell me, then don't forget.

Oh.  Um... well then.  I knew about the party, but I didn't think I was invited.  Not for any bad reason, but because the celebration was for a foreign agreement in Greece involving some tourism thing or other.  Buildings?  Hotels?  I didn't know.  I was just a writer.  It didn't seem like anything I should be involved with, so I figured I shouldn't go.

Also, I felt really awkward at parties.  I was never that popular in high school, and going into college I stuck with that sort of mindset.  I'd attended school dances and things like that, but I sort of just stood in the corner near the refreshment table, watching everyone.  I liked dancing, but I didn't have anyone to dance with.  It was a little different now, but it was a difficult attitude to overcome.  I could go dancing with my friends.  My roommate, Vanessa, liked to go, and sometimes our friend Margaret went, too.

Vanessa would go on her own, though.  I doubted she wanted to, but I admired her for that.  I didn't think I could go dancing on my own.  It seemed impossible.  Margaret wouldn't go alone, but she and Vanessa could go together.  I went sometimes, but very reluctantly.  And I didn't know how to dance.  I mean, I knew
how
to dance, but how do you dance in front of other people?  I had no idea.  I always froze up, stiff.

I was distracting myself with my awkwardness towards attempting to dance and disregarding the actual matter at hand, so I scolded myself for doing that.  Regardless, I couldn't attend the Landseer Enterprises business celebration party, because... wait, what?  There was a wedding reception before it?  I reread that part, completely lost.  Where the heck did that come from?  Jessika and Asher were already married.  Was someone else getting married?

I did like cake.  Hm...

I liked cake but I didn't have a "next story" and I wouldn't for awhile.  Short stories didn't take too long to write, but what I had in mind would take a lot longer, so I wasn't sure how to handle this.  I should probably tell Jessika.  Also, I needed to tell her I couldn't go to the party.  And, I didn't know what to say about the last part.  Should I tell her that Lucent and I maybe sort of sometimes did similar things to what I had written about?  If I wrote my creative non-fiction memoir thing, well... we definitely did all of the things I was going to write about in that.

Should I make it explicit, though?  With sex scenes?  I liked the sex scenes in books, personally, because I thought they were neat to read.  You read a romance book and the characters are flirting and there's tension, and... if there's no sex scene it was always kind of a disappointment to me.  They were building up to a sex scene!  They were flirting!  Show me what it leads to!

So, yes, I needed sex scenes in my book.  Was it a romance?  I thought it was, but I didn't know for sure.  I'd figure it out as I went.

Anyways,
Jessika
.  I should tell her about the book and how it'd take longer to write than something short, and maybe we could brainstorm about it.  Maybe she could write one, too?  About her and Asher?  That'd be neat.  And, while doing that, while talking with Jessika about books, I could sneak in a mention that I couldn't go to the party.  Maybe at the end of talking about books, just before I was about to leave.  Or just after, as a sort of, "Oh, by the way, I'm sorry but I won't be able to make it tonight.  I have a lot to do, and..."

I didn't know what I had to do, but I could think of something by the time I walked to Jessika's office, I bet.

I got up from my chair and tipped down my laptop, then left to go find Jessika Landseer.

Jessika wasn't in her office.  I didn't think she was, at least.  Her door was closed and I'd tried knocking, but she didn't respond.  I'd opened it a little and peeked inside, in case she was writing and too caught up to answer, but, no, she wasn't.  It was quiet.  I could come back later.  Not a big deal.