Unconvinced

Alijah looked on as Felix tried to scramble for excuses to defend himself and his department. They were seated in his office. It was a nice size, but with a pissed-off Kieran present, it made it feel far too small. They had ventured down to marketing to see why they couldn’t seem to get a marketing plan together for one of Kieran’s products.

She had looked over both concepts sent over to Kieran before the meeting this morning, and she had to agree that they were both a bit elementary. As a consumer, she would have thought that the company selling the product felt that she was far from intelligent if either of those were used.

“I can assure you, Mr. Cayman, you will have a marketing plan that will garner the attention of everyone who passes a billboard by Friday,” Felix stated. Alijah could see a bead of sweat running slowly down his temple.

“For your sake, I hope so, Felix. If not, I’m going to fire your entire team and find a new Director of Marketing.” Kieran informed him, standing.

Alijah saw Felix’s eyes widen, and she had to admit she was also a bit shocked. Would he really fire over twenty people for falling short on one project? As she rose to follow him out, she realized that he would. She had learned that he was serious in all aspects of his life, and he wasn’t going to let anyone do something to jeopardize his company’s credibility.

She could understand that. However, she didn’t want to see all of those people lose their jobs. Her mind was already reeling with a plan as they made their way back to their floor. By the time she sat down at her desk, she had, though only minimal, an idea.

Pulling up the marketing directory, she scrolled until she found Trevor’s name. She hadn’t spoken to him since she bumped into him after that meeting, but she figured he’d be as good a place to start. She sent him an email telling him to meet her at twelve-thirty in front of the building for lunch and that it was important. It only took a few minutes before she received an email back from him agreeing to meet her.

For the next couple of hours, Alijah went about her regular routine, which now included fighting off Kieran’s advances. The man was insatiable, and she had to remind him that they were at work continually. Not that it seemed to matter to him. She had slipped up once and allowed him to take her in his office, and they had been lucky no one happened to come down and speak with him, but she didn’t want to chance that luck again.

On top of that, she didn’t need any of the other employees knowing that she was sleeping with the boss. They also hadn’t established what they were doing. She didn’t know if they were dating or just having fun between the sheets in private. She needed to sit down and talk to him about it. While she didn’t want to seem like she was trying to force him into something, she wanted to have a clear understanding. After all, she was an adult, and she could handle it if what they were doing was just sex.

Five minutes before twelve-thirty, Alijah informed Kieran she was headed to lunch. When she made it to the lobby, she was right on time, and Trevor was there waiting for her.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of you inviting me to lunch?” He questioned while giving her a dazzling smile.

“Unfortunately,” Alijah began signaling for him to follow her out of the building. “This isn’t a social visit.”

“It wouldn’t be my luck if it was. So, why did you want to meet?”

“It’s about the marketing plan you all are working on,” Alijah responded, glancing at him to see him nodding.

They made it to the little cafe she liked to frequent and ordered before finding a seat. Alijah pulled a notebook from her purse and opened it. She was going to attempt to help them. She had come up with an idea while looking at the other proposals.

As she drew, she explained her idea to Trevor, who seemed to be able to follow it entirely and even threw in his thoughts. When their food was ready, they continued to work while they ate, and he continually complimented her on her artistic ability, and each time she would wave him off.

They only had fifteen minutes to get back to the office by the time they finished. Alijah handed the sketch to Trevor as they walked out. It was just a draft, but the concept was there, and she had drawn in as many details as possible. Trevor had even come up with a tagline. All he needed to do now was clean the sketch and make it presentation ready.

“You know, Alijah, your talents are wasted as an assistant. You should be in marketing drawing up concepts,” he informed her as they walked back to the office.

“I don’t know about marketing, but who knows. I just thought I should help.”

“Well, thanks for that. Actually, a few of my co-workers and I were given another project, and it’s been a bit challenging. It isn’t due until the end of August, but if you were up for it, I would love to get some suggestions from you.”

Alijah thought about it for a moment and didn’t see the harm in taking a look. “I can do that. Just let me know when a good time is. Lunch, when I’m not working through it, would be the best time. I’m pretty busy otherwise.”

“Mr. Cayman keeps you busy.”

You have no idea, Alijah thought as she merely nodded.

When they reached the office, they went their separate ways. When Alijah made it back to the top floor, she was surprised to find a dozen white roses sitting on her desk. Making her way over, she deposited her purse into her bottom drawer before removing the card from the flowers. Her first thought was that they were from Kieran. Opening the card, she discovered it merely read, Just because. There was also no signature on it. Deciding that she would ask him later, she sat down and returned to work. She had so much she needed to accomplish before the end of the day.

They would be flying out later that night to head to Paris. There was a product created by two teenagers that Kieran wanted to see in person. Though she was excited about the prospect of going to Paris, she knew she wouldn’t get to see most of what it had to offer. Kieran didn’t plan on spending any more than a day there, and Alijah knew it would be spent working.

Deciding she would have to plan a trip for another time to site-see, bringing Erin and Chayse along if they wanted to go, she began opening up the business proposals sent in. Her least favorite part of her job. She had been going through them for half an hour when the elevator dinged. She looked up and saw a tall, slender blonde step off.

Alijah didn’t consider herself to be too short. She stood five foot, nine inches in heels, and since she wore those more than anything else, she had begun counting them as part of her height, but this woman was at least five foot, nine inches flat-footed. Putting her at about six feet in the heels that adorned her feet.

“Can I help you?” Alijah asked as the woman seemed about to bypass her desk.

“I’m here to see, Kieran. I’m Rebecca Blowe.”

For what? Alijah wanted to ask. Instead, she questioned, “Do you have an appointment?”

“You’re his assistant, are you not? Wouldn’t you know if I had an appointment?”

Alijah gritted her teeth and swallowed. She took a deep breath to keep herself from acting because she was about to snatch Becky With the Good Hair bald.

“I’ll check and see if he can spare a moment for you. He’s very busy.” Alijah stated, doing her damnedest to remain professional. She had just picked up the phone to dial Kieran when Rebecca decided she would barge into his office. “Ma’am, you can’t just...” Alijah began following after her. “Mr. Cayman, I’m sorry, I was going to….”

“It’s alright, Ms. Douglas.”

“Hello, Kieran.”

“Rebecca.” Kieran then turned his attention to Alijah. “Ms. Douglas, could you give us a minute?”

Alijah’s first thought was to tell him hell no. She would not give them a minute. What did she look like leaving her man with some woman who smelled of slutery, but then she realized they were at work, and he wasn’t exactly her man. So, as much as she didn’t want to, she nodded and backed out of the room.

Kieran stared at the woman in front of him and knew that he was going to have a headache and need several stiff drinks by the end of their conversation. He hadn’t seen Rebecca in years. Not since they ended their relationship, and she so kindly told him she hoped his dick fell off. He couldn’t fathom what she could have been possibly doing in his office and what made her have the audacity to just barge in.

“Aren’t you going to offer me a seat, Kieran? That would be the gentlemanly thing to do.”

Kieran raised a brow at her from his chair. “Yes, it would, but as you stated several times the last time we met, I’m no gentleman. So, you can stand.”

Scoffing, Rebecca rolled her eyes and sat. It was silent in the office for a beat, and Kieran decided he would much rather get to what she was doing there and get her the hell out.

“What do you want?” He questioned, leaning back in his seat.

“I have a business proposition for you.”

“Not interested.”

“You don’t even know what it is,” Rebecca stated exasperatedly.

“Doesn’t matter. It involves you. Meaning I would have to see or work with you in some capacity. So, again, not interested.”

He watched as Rebecca rose from her seat and started around his desk. He knew what she would try to do, and she should have known it wouldn’t work. It hadn’t when they were dating, and it definitely wouldn’t now. He wondered why women thought they could seduce a man into anything they wanted. She leaned against the desk right beside him.

“All I need, Kieran, is your sperm.”

Kieran swiveled his chair around to look at her while lifting an eyebrow. He had to admit that he wasn’t expecting that. In the months that he’d dated this woman, he’d gotten used to her wild and outlandish statements, but this probably took the cake. She was madder than the fucking Hatter if she thought he would give her sperm.

“As much as I shot it down your throat, I’m sure you have plenty,” he stated coolly.

He watched as she gritted her teeth before pushing off the desk and standing in front of him.

“Don’t be difficult, Kieran. All I want is a baby, and with you, as its father, I can guarantee my child will have a wonderful life. My clock is ticking, and I’m not getting any younger.”

“Not my problem,” Kieran stated; boredom laced his words.

“Come on.” She tried, leaning over and placing her hand on his chest. “You know you want to.”

At that moment, Alijah chose to enter his office.

“Mr. Cayman, the pilot called and….” He watched as she trailed off and looked between him and Rebecca. “And I see you’re busy.” And just as fast as she had come, she was gone.

Kieran removed Rebecca’s hand from his chest and stood. “My answer is no, and that’s final.”

She eyed him for a moment before heading towards the door. “I’ll give you time to think about it and change your mind.” With that, she opened the door, closing it as she left.

Kieran sat back in his seat. He was wholly convinced that the woman was bat shit crazy. After not seeing someone for two years who just popped up and asked for sperm? She had a few screws loose. If he were to give anybody his sperm, she would be dead last on the list. Shaking his head, Kieran reached for his phone and buzzed Alijah.

“Ms. Douglas, please come inform me of what you needed a moment ago.” He placed the phone back on the receiver, expecting her to come through the door a few seconds later as she usually did. Instead, her voice rang out over the speaker of his phone.

“The pilot called. He was able to have the departure time moved up. We’re flying out at six this evening instead of nine.”

Kieran could distinctly hear when she hung up the phone, presumably with more force than necessary. Picking his phone up, he buzzed her again.

“Ms. Douglas, if there are no pressing matters, could you come into my office?” Kieran listened to her sigh as she picked the phone up before she spoke.

“Considering we will not be here tomorrow, I would say everything is pressing at the moment if I don’t want to be swamped when we return.”

“Alijah...” But he didn’t get to finish because she hung up on him.

Kieran stared at the phone for a moment, trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with her. He took a deep breath to calm himself before he stood up and walked out of his office. He stopped in front of her desk, and she didn’t even look up at him.

“Go into my office,” he stated. His hazel eyes trying to stare a hole through her. She continued to type, eyes still locked to the screen as she spoke lowly.

“If you need to get your rocks off, you have two fully functioning hands, Mr. Cayman.”

Okay, Kieran had had enough. Going around her desk, he yanked her chair back and spun it around. He had one hand around her neck in one swift motion, knowing she enjoyed it, and the other up her skirt.

“Kieran, what are you doing? You can’t-”

“Shut up,” he gritted through clenched teeth. “Because, yes, I can. Now you’re going to take your pretty little ass into my office, and I’m not telling you again. Or I will lay you on this desk and fuck you until the glass shatters.”

“You wouldn’t,” Alijah stated with a gasp. “Someone could come up and see.”

“Clearly, you still don’t know me well enough,” Kieran stated, removing his hands.

He placed them on her waist and lifted her onto the desk, hiking her skirt up as he went. He then set about loosening his belt. He’d just unbuttoned his slacks when she jumped down.

“Okay, fine,” she stated as she made a hasty retreat into his office while she fixed her skirt.

Kieran followed behind her fixing his pants as well, then closing and locking the door. He walked over to his desk and sat behind it as she occupied one of the chairs in front of it. It was silent for a minute as she sat with her arms folded under her breast and Kieran became sidetracked as he stared at them.

“I have work to do,” Alijah stated, breaking him from his haze. “So, what do you want?”

“For you to lose the attitude and tell me what’s wrong with you.” From the look she threw him, Kieran suspected he should know.

“Who was that woman?” She finally asked after a moment.

“A woman I used to….an acquaintance from my past.” He was going to say a woman he used to fuck but figured she was already mad; he didn’t want it to get worse. When she was angry, he didn’t get laid. “She...had a business proposition she wanted to discuss.”

Alijah scoffed. “I’m sure that proposition included your dick.”

Kieran leaned back in his chair. “I don’t share my women, Alijah. What makes you think you’d have to share me?”

It was silent for a moment before she spoke. “We aren’t together anyway. We’re just having fun. So, I don’t have a right to...”

“Stop talking.” Kieran interrupted. “And come here.”

He watched as Alijah slowly rose from the seat she occupied and walked around his desk. He slid his chair back and pulled her into his lap. He leaned in and kissed her lips. “So, my public affection and taking you to meet my friends was what?” When she didn’t say anything, he continued. “Because I don’t do that often.”

Alijah narrowed her eyes at him. “What? Am I supposed to feel special?”

He gave her a devilish smile before answering, “Very.” He then leaned in to kiss her again as she rolled her eyes. “Now, go finish working before I fire you.”

“You wouldn’t,” she stated as a matter of fact. “But I thought we were...” She trailed off, leaving the sentence open.

“No, I just wanted to see what was wrong with you.” He tapped her thigh, then lifted her out of his lap. “Now go.”

He watched the sway of her ass as she walked to the door; when she stopped and turned to look at him, he brought his eyes up to meet hers.

“You know. You may say you don’t have a soft spot, but you do. I see it often.”

“Not a soft spot. Just thinking with my dick.”

Alijah lifted an eyebrow at him before opening the door. “If you say so.” By the tone of her voice, he knew she was unconvinced.