Chapter 3
Emma
He came closer, and with every inch, my skin fluttered. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and looked at me. "You haven't signed the documents that make me your legal guardian," he said and stepped back.
"Uhmmmm."
"Yes, the documents."
"I would get them signed."
"Alright. You start working as my secretary from this second. These are some files; go through them and give me a review of the content by tomorrow."
"Ehummm." I cleared my throat and straightened up. "Alright, sir."
I went back to my office and sat down at my desk.
"Hello, I'm Tiffany."
I gently looked up from my screen. "Hello, I'm Emma."
"Nice to meet you, Emma."
"Thank you."
"Welcome to the team, Emma, and feel free to ask me any questions."
"Alright, I will, Tiffany."
"I have to start going. I will introduce you to the rest of the team later. Toodles!"
"Byee," I said, half-smiling.
After a long while of looking through the files and reviewing them, the telephone on my table rang. I hesitantly picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Come to my office now. We have a meeting to attend."
"Okay, sir. I will be there in a minute," I replied. I immediately got up and headed to the top floor.
The air in the elevator felt so thin as I kept thinking of how his touch felt against me when he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "Focus, Emma."
I pushed open his office door. Mr. Mateo wasn't behind his desk. He was standing by the window. He looked so good in a suit.
"You're late by thirty seconds, Emma," he said.
"I'm sorry, sir."
"In this office, time is money. My money."
"I... the elevator was slow, sir," I stammered, clutching the files in my hands to my chest. He walked toward me and didn't stop until he was so close to me.
"Then take the stairs next time," he murmured, his eyes dropping to my lips for a split second before returning to my eyes. "The meeting is with a group of foreign investors. You are to sit beside me. You don't need to speak; all you have to do is just watch, learn, and take notes. Understood?"
"Yes, sir."
"And Emma?" He reached out, his hand gently touching the line of my jaw, sending sensations through me. "Button your blazer. You're here to work, not to distract the board. I'm the only one allowed to be distracted by you."
"Okay, sir," I said, not really knowing what he meant by those last words. "He is your boss, Emma. No need to think too much of it," I thought to myself.
He took some files from his desk and left, and I ran behind him. We got to the boardroom, which was filled with men all in suits, but Mr. Mateo felt so commanding even without uttering a word. I sat beside him, my pen in hand and my notebook open on the table, but it was hard to focus on what they were saying when Mr. Mateo's thigh was brushing mine under the table.
Halfway through the presentation, one of the investors, a younger man named Marcus, kept leaning over to check my notes, his hand lingering a little too close to mine on the table.
"Is there a problem, Marcus?" Mr. Mateo spoke up.
"No, Mr. Vane. Just admiring your new secretary's efficiency and beauty," Mr. Marcus smirked.
I felt Mr. Mateo's hand drop beneath the table.
"She is efficient," Mr. Mateo said, his thumb stroking the skin of my knee in a slow, enticing manner. "And she is my company staff, not yours, so focus on the meeting."
The rest of the meeting was a blur. I could barely breathe, let alone write. Every time I tried to shift away, his grip tightened, holding me in place. When the meeting finally ended and everyone left, I tried to stand up, but Mr. Mateo didn't let go. He pulled his chair closer, trapping me.
"Sir, the meeting is over," I whispered, my voice trembling.
"The meeting with them is over," he said, leaning in closer. "But you and I? We still haven't signed those guardianship papers, Emma. And the longer you wait, the more I forget that I'm supposed to be looking out for your interests... and the more I start thinking about mine."
He said this and stood up. I stood up as well, following behind him with my legs shaking a bit from his touch. We got to the elevator, and suddenly the elevator got stuck and the lights went off.
"Gosh, I'm scared of the dark. You can handle this, Emma," I said to myself. Suddenly, I felt something against me. "Arhhhhhhh!"
"What is it, Emma?"
"Ehmmm, nothing."
I felt it again. This time I didn't think; I just jumped onto Mr. Mateo's body. I could feel his skin get tense against mine as his hands gently held my waist. Our eyes met, and neither of us wanted to look away.
"Emma, you're really tempting me," he said, his face pulling closer to mine. Gosh, his lips looked so good. His hands gently traced my body. As he slowly reached my neck, he gently held it, which made me want him more. I didn't know why, because I knew I wasn't supposed to. My nipples hardened. He swallowed hard seeing it. He drew my waist closer to his, his face drawing nearer to mine.
And before I knew it...