Falling into Black (4 page)

"Did you learn your
lesson, Alicia?" he whispered in my ear, his body hot against mine.

"Yes, Mr.
Black." I was too much of a coward to say no.

"Go get cleaned up
and take your lunch break."

I watched him go and
took a deep breath to compose myself. Getting cleaned up sounded like a good
plan.

As I walked out of the
meeting room, I noticed the blonde woman from before. She stood next to the
elevators -- her eyes watching Mr. Black disappear into his office.

My cheeks flushed as I
walked past her, and I hoped she didn't guess his little game during the
meeting.

"You’re his new
assistant, are you?" she asked, and I nodded.

A cruel smile fell
across her red lips. "Don't get too cozy in your new position. You won't
last long. He goes through girls like you once a month, and once he's done with
you you’re out for good."

"I don't know what
you mean," I mumbled. But I did know – she meant chubby and plain
girls like me.

"Don’t play dumb with
me. I know his games better than anyone. But I'm the only one who can give him
what he needs," she said and stepped into the open elevator.

She smiled at me as the
doors closed, and I stood there for a long time.

Of course. This was just
a game – and I was as disposable as any other girl.

*
* *

I kicked off my heels
and leaned against the door, taking a deep breath. It was finally Friday night.
After the week I’d had I wasn't sure I could take much more without a break.
Not only had my boss forced me to wear a vibrator during a board meeting --
tantalizing my body in unspeakable ways- but he hadn't mentioned anything about
it since.

Not that I was
surprised; his moods kept him from explaining any of his actions, and I was
just his lowly personal assistant, after all.

I put down my purse on
the side table and pulled out my phone as I walked toward the bedroom. Pizza
and wine sounded fabulous for dinner, but when I thought of all the skinny
girls back at work I decided to settle for whatever frozen meal I had left in
my freezer.

Sure, I might never be a
size six, but I didn't have to balloon up above my already curvy size twelve
figure. At least I could still have a glass or two of wine -- and maybe a Lean
Cuisine chocolate cake for dessert.

God knows I needed
chocolate!

As I started a bath,
pouring in a liberal amount of lilac bubble bath, I thought of the woman at the
board meeting. She was the total opposite of me in almost every way. Tall where
I was short, thin where I was curvy, and she had blond straight hair while my
hair was a wild mass of hazelnut curls.

Typically, I didn't have
the courage to ask Mr. Black about her. Had they really been an item? Was she
the one who could give Mr. Black what he needed, whatever that was? If any
woman could it would be her, I guessed. But if that were true why weren't they together
now?

Ugh. His love life was
none of my business! Although it was probably a lot more interesting than my
nonexistent one.

Slowly, I stripped off
my clothes, unbuttoning my silk blouse and slipping the A-line skirt off my
rounded hips. The fabric slipped over my skin pleasingly, reminding me of his
touch. Mr. Black's hands, so cruel and talented as they pinched and prodded my body
into a world of quivering delight.

I knew I shouldn't feel
special. He probably fooled around with all his personal assistants, but it was
impossible to shake the gorgeous billionaire from my mind. The way his dark,
wavy hair brushed against the back of his neck and his temples. The startling blue
eyes that held me in their intense gaze. The quirk of his mouth, the cut of his
strong jaw -- everything about him was perfect and perfectly unattainable.

I turned off the water
and grabbed a new bottle of wine from the fridge, pouring myself a glass before
I returned to the bathroom. Easing into the tub, the heat of the water surrounded
me, the rich scent of lilac engulfing my nose in its rich bouquet.

After another deep
breath and two long sips of the blood red alcohol, my body finally started to
relax.

Two whole days without
Mr. Black breathing down my neck. Two days without the constant threat of kinky
punishments or his moody behavior.

My heart ached a little
at the thought. But why? Shouldn't I be happy to have a weekend off? Foolishly,
I hoped he'd get by without me. Well, he'd survived before. This was just a
job. A way to pay off my student loans, my rent and my car so I didn’t end up
living on the streets.

I’d just dunked under
the water, soaking my curls, when the telltale ring of my phone startled me
from my relaxation. Who the hell was calling me at nine p.m.?

Reaching over, I checked
the caller ID.

Mr. Black? What did he
need?

For a moment, I
considered not answering it. What would he do if I just let it go to voicemail?

Yell at me on Monday
morning, that's for damn sure.

Sighing, I clicked ‘answer.’

"Yes Mr. Black?"
I said and sounded like a little girl.

"Alicia. I need you
to come over right away. It's an emergency," he said in his gruff voice.

All thoughts of a
peaceful evening drifted away, but a strange knot of excitement wound in my
belly. "What kind of emergency?"

"I'll tell you when
you get here. Do you know where I live?"

"No, sir. Hold on.
Let me get a pen," I said and climbed out of the tub, dripping all over
the tile floor as I wrapped my body in a fluffy pink towel and walked to the
bedroom.

I scribbled down the
directions to his home and hung up. Guess I had a new plan for the evening. I
hoped he wouldn't mind if I showed up in sweats and a T-shirt since all my work
clothes were in desperate need of a wash.

Well, maybe I'd go with
jeans instead.

***

When I arrived at his
building I felt woefully underdressed, but at least I put on the jeans. It was
one of those huge penthouse high-rises, the kind that cost millions of dollars
and offers great views of the sprawling city beneath it. I never thought I'd
have the chance to see inside one in real life.

"Who are you visiting?"
the man at the front desk asked.

"Mr. Black. Dorian
Black," I said and pushed a curl behind my ear. Since my hair was wet, I
braided it to keep it from getting frizzy. Hopefully, whatever this emergency
was wouldn't take long.

"Name?"

"Alicia Jones. He's
expecting me." I tried to sound confident, but I'm not sure it came out
right.

"He is. Go right
ahead, Ms. Jones."

I nodded and rode the
elevator to the top floor. Mr. Black must have a thing with high rises.

He always has to be on
top!

I giggled nervously at my
own silly pun and stepped onto his floor. There were only a few doors, meaning
these penthouses were probably huge, but what did I expect for the amount of
money they cost?

I knocked once and the
door swung open.

My breath caught in my
throat.

Mr. Black stood in front
of me, his chest bare and finely chiseled like that of a Greek sculpture. A
light sprinkling of dark curls graced his fine build. His hair dripped and his
body shimmered with droplets of water. The only thing around his waist was a
black towel.

Of course he'd have
black towels.

My cheeks heated
immediately, and I tried to keep my eyes focused on the rough edge of his
cheek.

"What's the
emergency?"

He grabbed my arm in a
firm hold and yanked me inside, shutting the door. "What’s your dress
size? Ten? Twelve? How about shoes?"

"Why?" I asked
and followed him like a stray puppy.

"Fundraiser. I need
a date," he said and pointed to a pile of dresses on his bed.

I remembered seeing a
fundraiser for the art museum on his schedule, but I didn't think anything of
it. Since I’d been working for Mr. Black he’d attended a couple different functions
like that, and I wasn't invited to any of them.

"It's nearly ten.
Isn’t it almost over by now?"

He ran his fingers
through his hair and clenched his jaw. "Are you questioning me after I
went through all the trouble of getting you a dress?"

My throat closed up
again and I shook my head, looking at the pile of material on his bed. It
ranged from slick satin to sheer silk to puffy organza. They were all gorgeous,
but why had he gone to the trouble just for me?

"Don’t you have
another woman who could accompany you? I'm sure you have plenty of--"

"Ladies in my
little black book?" he asked and cut me off.

My cheeks burned, and I
nodded.

Ladies with their own
gowns for fancy events, I'll bet.

The blonde woman from
the board meeting came to mind, but I didn't ask about her. He must have a
reason for not bringing it up.

Without a word he
shuffled through the dresses and pulled out a dark pink satin number that
looked like something Marilyn Monroe would’ve worn.

"This suits you.
Put it on."

"Yes, Mr.
Black," I said and took the dress, walking toward the bathroom.

"No. Put it on
here. You don't have anything I haven't seen before, Alicia," he said, a
strange note to his voice.

Slowly, I turned around
and pulled my T-shirt over my head, baring my black lacy bra. His eyes burned
into my flesh as I slipped the jeans over my curvy hips. At least I'd worn
matching black lace panties just in case he decided to punish me.

I hoped, as I pulled the
dress over my head, that it fit. Talk about embarrassing if he couldn't zip it
up!

Thankfully, it wasn't
full-length but fell just to my ankles with a slight train in the back. Once I
smoothed the material over my hips and breasts he walked up behind me. The heat
of his body radiated onto mine, and I took a deep breath of his sharp, clean
scent.

"Perfect," he
whispered as he eased the zipper up.

Glancing in the
full-length mirror, I almost agreed with him. The dress fit like it was made
for me, and I smiled at my reflection. He even had a pair of black heels that
fit me perfectly as well.

His fingers carefully
unwound my hair. "You have to do something with this."

"Mr. Black, I don't
even have makeup or anything," I said and frowned.

If this is what he
wanted he could have let me know before I rushed over. At least I would've come
prepared!

"Bathroom," he
said and walked towards his closet.

I watched him go, the
muscles in his back shifting as he moved across the room like some kind of
predatory animal. A panther -- that's what he'd be -- a black panther.

In the bathroom I wound
my hair into an acceptable French twist and pinned it in place. I wasn't going
to ask where he acquired all of the brand-new makeup and hair products. A quick
sweep of blush, eyeliner and lipstick, and I was ready to go.

Not quite Marilyn, but
as good as I was going to get.

While Mr. Black dressed
I took a closer look around his penthouse. It was sparsely decorated with ultra
modern furniture and abstract art. How much time did he spend here? It didn’t
really feel lived in -- more like a fancy hotel room. Maybe his real home was
someplace else.

A few minutes later he
stepped out of the closet in the perfectly fitted black Armani suit and tie. In
truth, he didn't look much different than he did on a day-to-day basis, but I
wasn't going to bring that up.

Carelessly, he ran his
fingers through his hair and rubbed his five o'clock shadow. When his piercing blue
eyes fell on me a slow smile spread across his lips, and he nodded approvingly.

"Ready?" he
asked.

"Yes, sir," I
said.

Is this what it was
always going to be like as his personal assistant? And would he punish me if I
messed up tonight?

A jolt of anticipation
spread over my body, a sick hunger that only he could give me.

He put a hand on my back
and led me out of the penthouse and toward the elevators. His touch burned
through the satin and into my skin, my body aching for more. The man at the
front desk raised an eyebrow as we walked by, and I tried to hold my head high
-- like I belonged by Mr. Black’s side -- but I didn’t feel it.

The cool night air made
goosebumps rise on my arms, and my boss opened the door of a waiting limo. My
mind swam as I climbed inside.

How much of this did he
have planned? Or did his real date cancel at the last minute and he figured I’d
be the only one without plans on a Friday night? God! Why can’t you just ask
him, Alicia?

My dress slid easily
over the leather seats of the limo, and I watched as Mr. Black climbed in after
me. The driver must’ve already known where to go since the divider was closed.