His to Possess (5 page)

“Yes, I’ve got it.” Jessica grinned. “I think you’re just as nervous as I am.” Other
people crowded into the elevator around them as Melanie pressed the button to floor
eight and floor thirty-six.

“Maybe a little, but I know you’ll do fine.”

Jessica couldn’t believe her luck at having fallen in with Melanie. Melanie had arranged
for her to talk to Stephanie Reynolds at the career fair, which had led to a second
interview. The company had even paid her expenses to come back to Philadelphia. They’d
put her up in a hotel, and Melanie had shown her around the city after the interview.
Since they’d hit it off so well, Melanie had invited her to stay for the weekend so
she could get a better feel for the city. They’d had such a great time together that
when Jessica had received the job offer, Melanie had suggested she take over her ex-roommate’s
old bedroom.

The past four weeks had been a whirlwind of activity and excitement. She’d be lying
to herself if she didn’t admit that part of that excitement was knowing she and Dane
were living in the same city now, and while the odds of them bumping into each other
on the street weren’t very high, stranger things had happened. Still, she had other
things on her mind, like her glamorous new job.

Now, here she was, on day one, her heart beating quickly in nervous excitement.

The elevator door opened on the eighth floor.

“Good luck. I’ll see you later,” Melanie said.

The door closed and Jessica glanced around, then headed to the reception desk. “Hi.
It’s my first day here. I’m supposed to see Ms. Reynolds.”

The receptionist was a lovely young blonde in a white satin blouse, with soft pink
lipstick and a bright smile. “Welcome. I’m Gina. Stephanie’s office is the second
on the left down that hall. Go ahead in.”

“Thanks.” A moment later, she tapped on Stephanie’s open door.

Stephanie chatted to her a bit about benefits and company policies, then sent her
to the reception area to fill out a pile of forms—for payroll, insurance benefits,
taxes, et cetera. An hour later, she finished the last one and walked back to Reception
and handed Gina the folder of paperwork.

“Great. Stephanie asked me to take you up to your new office once you’re done.” Gina
stood up and led Jessica to the elevator. Butterflies danced through her stomach as
she realized that in a few moments she would be at her new desk and would be meeting
her new boss.

The ride up the elevator seemed too fast and suddenly the doors opened to a new floor.
The décor was a notch up from the Human Resources offices. Actually, several notches
up. The chairs in the waiting area were of rich, warm brown leather and the carpets
were plush. The view from the floor-to-ceiling windows along one wall gave a spectacular
view of the city below.

Gina led her across the large reception area. There were several closed doors, all
rich red, cherry wood.

Melanie sat at an elegant desk in the corner. She smiled as soon as she saw Jessica.

“Hi, Melanie. Is he in?” Gina asked.

“Yes, go ahead in.”

The butterflies in Jessica’s stomach became more agitated. She was working for a high-level
executive?

Gina tapped on the door and a deep muffled voice inside said, “Come in.”

Gina pushed open the door and stepped inside, Jessica on her heels. “Mr. Ranier, this
is Jessica Long your new assistant.”

Jessica was in awe, gazing around at the lush office with its rich mahogany wood bookshelves,
leather chairs, and expensive-looking artwork on the walls.

“Good morning, Miss Long.”

At the familiar voice, Jessica’s gaze jolted to the man sitting behind the impressive
desk by the huge window overlooking the city. Her stomach tightened.

There sat the man she’d had a torrid one-night stand with. Her cheeks burned at the
memory. Oh, God, he couldn’t be her new boss.

The Morning After

“Have a seat, Miss Long. That’ll be all, Gina.”

“Yes, sir.” Gina left the office, closing the door behind her.

Jessica sat down in one of the leather chairs facing his desk, her pulse racing. Dane
continued to view his computer screen.

Her hand slipped into her pocket and stroked the tranquility stone she always kept
with her. Ever since he’d given it to her, she’d found she’d used it for comfort in
times of stress.

The leather was soft and supple and the chair extremely comfortable. The brisk scent
of his cologne filled her nostrils and memories of that night wafted through her mind.
A quiver raced down her spine to think she’d been in bed with such a rich and powerful
man.

He came from an entirely different world than she. He not only controlled a huge corporation,
he controlled people’s jobs. Their lives.

And all she could think about was the need in his eyes as she’d wrapped her hand around
his massive cock. Her gaze slid to his lips and she couldn’t help remembering his
tongue nuzzling her most intimate parts.

Her heart thundered in her chest. From both embarrassment and … God, because she wanted
to do it all again.

But now he was her boss. He was so intimidating in his expensive suit, sitting behind
his big desk in this high-class, executive office.

She ran her hand along the armrest, thinking of kid leather which reminded her of …
Oh, God, she had to stop thinking about …
that
.

He flicked the computer mouse, then his gaze fell on her and her stomach clenched.

She saw no reaction in his eyes. Was it possible he didn’t recognize her?

The night they’d spent together was over a month ago and maybe he did that kind of
thing all the time. Maybe she just wasn’t that memorable.

But wouldn’t he have remembered her name when the company decided to hire her? That
process had started only a couple of weeks later. Or maybe Human Resources handled
all that.

He raised an eyebrow. “Is there a problem?”

She realized she was clutching the armrests of the chair tightly.

“Um, no. Just first-day jitters, sir.”

The “sir” had just slipped out. He was her new boss, after all.

His lips turned up in a smile. “I like it when you call me sir.”

At the twinkle in his eye, she knew he definitely remembered her.

“So this is awkward, and strangely coincidental,” she said.

“Oh, it’s not a coincidence. When you told me you were at the career fair, I told
my staff to watch for your résumé. When they hadn’t received it by the end of Saturday,
I had my secretary, Melanie, go help out at the booth. I told her to watch out for
you and persuade you to submit your résumé.”

Melanie knew about this?

“Why didn’t you just tell me who you were?” She asked.

“It was clear you were already intimidated by me. I would never have had a shot with
you if you knew I was a potential employer. You would have been too nervous around
me.”

Her head was spinning. “So you didn’t tell me you might hire me, because you wanted
to sleep with me?” Her stomach churned as the implications of the situation slowly
sank in. “So was that night a job interview?”

His eyes darkened like storm clouds. “Of course not.”

But she barely heard him. She’d been looking forward to this job. She
needed
this job. Now she found out it was just some rich playboy’s way of getting her back
into his bed.

“I’m not sure I can accept your job offer,” she said.

Her heart sank at the thought of packing up all her stuff and moving back to Bakersfield.
And the cost. If she walked out on this job, she’d have to pay back the company for
her moving expenses.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course you’ll keep the job.”

She really didn’t want to turn it down, but how could she stay?

She sucked in a deep breath. “I’m not going to have sex with you in the office.”

“Good. That would be highly inappropriate.” There was a glitter of amusement in his
piercing blue eyes. “And contrary to what you might believe, I do not base my business
decisions on a great lay. I hired you because I thought you would be an asset to my
company.” He leaned forward. “Is that clear?”

She nodded, willing herself to keep breathing under the force of his scrutiny.

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. Now go and get us both a coffee—I like one sugar—and we’ll discuss the job.”

*   *   *

Jessica escaped Dane’s office and glanced around. Melanie was away from her desk and
there was no one else to ask where to get coffee, so she scouted around the floor
until she found a small kitchen with a coffeemaker. She grabbed one of the burgundy
mugs from a tray on the counter and filled it with coffee, then poured in one packet
of sugar. She didn’t get herself a cup because her heart was already beating frantically.
Caffeine would only make it worse.

She walked back into his office with the mug in her hand, but he was on the phone.
He nodded at her as she put the coffee down in front of him.

“Hold on a second,” he said into the phone, then covered the mouthpiece and glanced
at her. “This might take a while. It’s after eleven, so take an early lunch and we’ll
talk this afternoon.”

She nodded and picked up her purse and briefcase and hurried out the door.

“Hey, how’s it going?” Melanie was at her desk again, glancing at Jessica over her
computer screen.

“Um … Mr. Ranier said to go to lunch now. He got busy with a phone call so wants to
talk again this afternoon.”

“Oh, I assumed he’d take you to lunch today, but now we can go together.” Melanie
opened her desk drawer and pulled out her purse, then glanced at Jessica and hesitated.
“Did you want to go to lunch together?”

“Yes, of course. I’d love to.”

“Okay. You just look uncertain.”

Jessica shook her head and strode to the elevator, wanting to avoid further discussion
about her state of mind.

“How are things going so far?” Melanie asked as the doors closed behind them.

“Fine.”

Jessica’s lips compressed, but the doors opened and another person joined them in
the elevator. They rode the rest of the way in silence. When they stepped onto the
street, the warm spring breeze blew several loose strands of Jessica’s hair into her
face and she brushed them aside.

Melanie’s shoulder-length dark blonde hair fluttered along the collar of her dove
gray suit. She wore a light turquoise and white print blouse today and her tailored
jacket accentuated her slim figure. She was a little shorter than Jessica, but the
heels she wore today put them at the same height.

“I know you’re on a budget, so we could go to this great little diner around the corner,”
Melanie suggested.

“Sounds good.”

She walked with Melanie down the block and they turned right at the light. A few minutes
later, they sat at a window booth in the modest diner, while the waitress filled their
glasses with ice water.

“So is there something wrong?” Melanie asked, concern in her emerald green eyes.

Jessica shook her head, her stomach still churning. “I don’t know. I have some doubts
about this job.”

What could she possibly say to Melanie? That she thought she only got the job because
she’d slept with the boss?

“Are you concerned you can’t manage it?” Melanie asked. “Because I’m positive you
can.”

“I’m not really sure what he expects of me yet. We were supposed to talk about it
before he got that call.”

“If you’re worried about working for Dane Ranier, don’t be. He likes things done his
way, but he’ll take the time to ensure you know what that is. He’s patient and fair.
As far as bosses go, he’s a gem.”

“I … uh … met him before today.”

Melanie sipped her water. “Yeah, I know.”

Jessica’s gaze darted to her new friend’s face. “You do?”

“Yeah, he told me. He gave you a ride to the job fair when it started to rain in the
morning. I thought that was so nice of him. In fact, he asked me to check for your
résumé, assuming you’d drop it off at our booth and when you didn’t, he asked me to
go to the job fair to find you the next day.”

“So that wasn’t really a chance meeting between us,” said Jessica, even though she
already knew that.

“No. I felt a bit guilty about not mentioning it, but I really liked the fact he wanted
to help you out and I liked being a part of it. He told me if I just explained the
situation to you, that you would probably be uncomfortable. That made sense.” She
gazed at Jessica with wide eyes. “You aren’t mad at me, are you? I just wanted to
help.”

“No, I’m not mad. I’m just wondering … why did he go to so much trouble to help me?”

Melanie frowned. “You don’t think he was trying to hit on you, do you? Because if
he wanted to do that, he wouldn’t actually hire you. He’d just offer the possibility
of a job, then talk you into sleeping with him. And by ‘he’ I mean most men, not Dane
Ranier. A Ranier man wouldn’t have to trick a woman into his bed.”

Something about Melanie’s tone and her faraway expression drew Jessica’s attention.

“Are you attracted to Mr. Ranier?”

Melanie’s cheeks tinged pink. “Well, not
that
Mr. Ranier.”

Her eyebrows arched. “What do you mean not
that
Mr. Ranier?”

“Your boss, Dane Ranier, has a brother. Rafe. He’s the other big office on the floor.
I work for both of them.”

“And…?”

Melanie shrugged and her cheeks tinged a deep rose. “I’ve always had a bit of a crush
on Rafe Ranier.” She toyed with the napkin on the table in front of her. “But I would
never act on it. I love this job, and I wouldn’t want to jeopardize it. An office
romance is a tricky business, especially with someone who runs the company.” She raised
her gaze to Jessica again. “And that’s why I know you don’t need to worry about Dane
Ranier as your boss. Neither brother has ever made a move on one of their employees.”

Was it true? Had Dane Ranier had his fun with her and now she’d be strictly off limits?
The thought was encouraging and at the same time … disappointing.