Chapter 31: Maybe The Wrong 'Choke Me Daddy.'
Chapter 31: Maybe The Wrong 'Choke Me Daddy.'
Jade.
“Sorry, who’s that?” I asked, my voice hitching just a little as I pointed to the man who had just stepped into the room.
The interviewer smiled awkwardly. “Oh...that’s the director of this organization.”
My stomach dropped. “Oh, fuck. Fuck.”
“Is everything alright, Miss Jade?” he asked, blinking in confusion.
“Yeah. Sure, sure.” I faked a bright smile that felt tighter than my damn blazer.
My pulse was sprinting.
The man I saw....those shoulders, that walk...I could recognize that kind of arrogance even in my dreams.
The interviewer shuffled some papers, unaware of the storm hitting me inside. “You actually did great in your session. The director just gave a nod to your report. He loves your answers and is willing to let you work here.”
I blinked. “Wait, really?”
“Yes,” he said, adjusting his tie. “You’re officially hired.” He dialed a quick number and said something about onboarding.
I barely heard him... my focus was still on the man standing in the glass office across the hall.
I leaned closer. “Hold on. You mean to tell me that guy owns this whole damn organization?”
He smiled sheepishly. “Yes, but take my advice...stay off. Even the sexiest women here tried their luck, and he dropped them like… a piece of pasta.”
I frowned. “Was that supposed to be a compliment or an insult?”
He coughed. “Uh...poor word choice.”
“Clearly.” I snatched the employment paper from the table and stood up. “Thanks, I guess.”
As I turned, I heard Freda’s voice cutting through the hallway. “Woah! You made it, congrats!”
I forced a grin. “Yeah, seems like it.”
She wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “Girl, come on, let me show you your office!”
We walked through the long hallway...glass walls, chrome chairs, every step echoing like I’d just stepped into a new world.
Freda was talking non-stop, giving me every unnecessary detail about who sits where and who flirts with who. I nodded through it all, trying not to look like I was dying inside.
Finally, we reached a section where she pointed. “This is your desk! And guess what? We’re office neighbors.”
“Wow,” I muttered under my breath, “not another Barbie.”
She paused. “What?”
“Nothing, I said I’m happy!” I faked a smile.
She sat on her desk, crossing her legs. “You’re lucky, you know. You’ll be working close to the top floor where the Director walks in sometimes. Girl, if you ever see him up close..God, he’s perfection.”
I turned slightly. “Uh-huh. Perfection, huh?”
She smirked. “He’s rich, smart, arrogant, everything a dangerous man should be. I’d kill to just spend one night in his bed.”
My lip twitched. Oh, honey, if only you knew. I thought about how that “perfect man” once had me pressed to a club wall, whispering filth against my skin.
Freda kept babbling until a man in a black suit appeared.
“Miss Jade, the Director requests your presence immediately.”
My heart dropped to my stomach. “Oh, sure,” I said lightly, pretending my legs weren’t shaking as I followed him.
The elevator ride felt like an eternity. When I finally stepped into Eric’s office, the guy who led me in quietly shut the door behind me.
Eric didn’t raise his head.
He was flipping through a file, pen in hand. The silence stretched thin.
He gestured without looking up. “Close the door.”
I obeyed, swallowing hard. The sound of the door locking echoed louder than it should’ve.
I stood there, waiting, my palms sweating as I whispered, "Hello, Sir Er."
He finally spoke, voice low, clipped, cold. “Do they not teach basic manners wherever the fuck you came from?”
I blinked. “Excuse me?”
His eyes lifted...sharp, dark, dangerous. “When you enter a superior’s office, you wait to be acknowledged. Don’t just stand there like you own the place.”
I bit my tongue and muttered, “Sorry, Sir.”
He dropped the file, leaned back in his chair, and let his gaze trail slowly from my shoes up to my face. “Welcome to my organization, Miss Jade.”
“Thank you, Sir,” I managed, forcing steady breath.
He tapped his pen against the desk. “How did you find out about this company? Any referral?”
“A colleague told me about it,” I said, glancing toward the window.
He hummed. “Good. So where do you base?”
I exhaled softly. “You already know me,” I said before I could stop myself. “We’ve met twice.”
He lifted a brow. “Oh, really? Enlighten me.”
I sighed. "First, at the robot company incident. And second, in a club.”
He leaned forward, voice dipping low. “Hmm. I don’t recall, but whatever happened...” he pointed at the trash can beside his desk “...should probably stay there.”
I stared at him in disbelief. “Are you for real?”
He ignored that and continued flipping through papers. His arrogance wasn’t just showing...it was practically radiating.
Then, without warning, he stood.
Slowly..
Deliberately.
He circled his desk like a predator taking his time with prey. His cologne hit me before his voice did.
“Tell me,” he said, voice silk over steel, “do you have any idea about Eros 7?”
My throat went dry..“What?” I asked, playing dumb, even though fear sliced through me.
He chuckled, soft but sinister, and moved to lock the office door completely. The metallic click made my heart pound harder.
“Answer me,” he said, closer now...so close I could feel his breath against my ear.
“I didn’t catch that question,” I murmured.
He leaned in. “I don’t repeat myself.”
I turned, staring into those dark, stormy eyes. “Then I guess we’ll leave it at that."
He smiled faintly, the kind that doesn’t reach the eyes. He reached into his drawer and pulled something shiny...
Handcuffs.
Real ones.
My breath caught. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Testing your honesty,” he said, voice still maddeningly calm.
“Do you really want to do this?”I glanced toward the door...it was locked tight.
His eyes bore into mine, hard, dangerous, and for a moment, I wasn’t sure if he was going to arrest me or… something else entirely.
“No…” I whispered.
“No, what?” His tone sharpened.
“No, I don’t know who or what you’re talking about,” I said, taking a small step back.
He tilted his head, lips curling slightly. “Funny. Your voice says fear. Your eyes say guilt.”
Before I could respond, he moved. In a flash, his hand shot out, pushing my head down, the cold touch of his palm pressing against the side of my neck.
My breath hitched...his grip tightened, not enough to choke, but enough to make my pulse hammer against his fingers.
My hands shot up instinctively to grab his wrist. “Eric...what the hell are you...”
He leaned closer, whispering against my skin, “Don’t play games with me, Jade. Not here.”
My heart was racing so fast I could barely hear my own words as they slipped out. “You’re hurting me.”
His eyes were dark, unreadable, the kind of look that could ruin or save you...and right now, I didn’t know which it’d be.
Suddenly........Knock. Knock.