She followed a crowd into one of the overflowing elevators and noticed no one pushed the button for her needed floor, so she reached around and pressed it. A few of the suited droids looked at her questioningly when she did that. She wiped her sweaty palm on the side of her skirt as inconspicuously as she could manage. No one said a word to her and she was grateful for the moment of silence to collect her thoughts and boost her confidence with a quick pep talk. She kept her head down and avoided eye contact with the other occupants.
She’d been in the top of her journalism class at college, always studied hard, and knew she was meant to be a reporter. She’d been able to dig out facts from her interviews others could only dream of finding. It was such a competitive market, she’d been unable to make her big break yet. This interview would certainly do it for her, though.
The ride took a long time, with the elevator seeming to stop on every floor. She breathed a sigh of relief when the last of the occupants stepped out on the twentieth floor. She was glad to get a few floors alone to compose herself, but she arrived much too quickly.
The bell chimed, announcing her arrival to the twenty-fourth floor and she stepped out to utter silence. She looked around the spacious area and felt her stomach tighten as her nerves overtook her even more. Where was the hustle and bustle of people like she’d seen in the reception area? Where were the hordes of people who should’ve been there? She looked at the empty reception desk where a secretary should’ve been sitting.
Cassie glanced at her watch, noting that it was a quarter after eight. She’d been told Max was usually there by seven in the morning, and the rest of the team was there no later than eight, so she couldn’t figure out where everyone was. Perhaps there was a team meeting, or a conference.
She made her way past the reception desk and down a large, lighted hallway. Office after office remained empty, causing her already nervous stomach to tighten more. She knew she was in the right place. Joseph Anderson had told her exactly where she was supposed to go.
She felt like a spy and expected security to jump out at any moment, demanding to know who she was and what she was doing in the offices. She made her way to the end of the hall and found Max’s door to her right. It was slightly ajar so she pushed it open and took a step inside the dark room.
Cassie’s overactive imagination took over and she felt like she was in a horror flick for a moment, about to be attacked by a robber. She got Goosebumps even thinking about it. She rubbed her arms as she peaked around the dim room. The windows were tinted, allowing privacy.
She knew Max was less than happy to have her shadow every move he made, but a deal was a deal and he better not have left her behind. Of course, there wasn’t a whole lot she could do about it if he had. Her first day wasn’t going according to plan so far.
Cassie scanned the room and jumped when she noticed a figure sleeping on a couch tucked away in a corner. Her heart picked up speed as her fight or flight response kicked in. She couldn’t imagine anyone being able to get to the offices who wasn’t allowed to be there, but even if the person were allowed to be in the room, didn’t necessarily make them a good person. She heard of horrible things happening in the corporate world. The stories were buried in a mountain of paperwork and the victims never got to voice their troubles. The executives were just too powerful. She’d only heard positive things about the Andersons, but that didn’t mean bad things couldn’t happen.
She took a closer look at the person, determining it had to be a man from the way he was dressed and the size of him. He was lying on his back with his arm flung over his face. He was sleeping soundly, wearing a dress shirt, half unbuttoned, and a pair of slacks. His bare feet were sticking out beneath a thin blanket only partially covering his body.
Since it was Max’s office, she was assuming it was him, but why would he be asleep on the couch, and all the other employees be gone. None of it made any sense. She knew many executives worked so late into the night they often slept in their offices, but she didn’t take Max as the typical corporate shark, which is why she’d wanted to interview him so badly. He was a mystery to most of the world.
“Time to wake up,” Cassie said loudly. She watched him struggle to wake, slightly groaning, then he just flipped over so his back was to her and she listened as his breathing deepened and he started softly snoring.
Cassie was tired of standing around on the empty floor, and found it very incredibly that Max wasn’t waiting for her. He knew she was due in that morning, and he could’ve had the courtesy to call her if something came up. Not that she would’ve listened had he called. She knew he didn’t want to do the interview and she would’ve thought he was making up an excuse.
She walked over, leaned down and placed her hands on his shoulders. She started shaking him, which did nothing, so she pushed harder and watched as his body tensed. She tried to move back, since she had seemed to accomplish what she’d set out to do, but he suddenly moved faster than a snake striking, and his hand shot out, grabbing her, knocking her off balance.
She tumbled straight down onto his chest before she had a chance to recover. Before Cassie could so much as breathe, she found herself flipped over and suddenly pinned to the couch cushions, which were surprisingly plush, with Max’s body holding her captive.
His eyes were wide open now, and staring into hers. She stared back in wide-eyed surprise, too stunned to protest her compromised position. Suddenly, a wicked glint came into his eyes and his head started to lower toward hers. She felt the protest on her lips but never had a chance to say anything.
Max’s lips came down on hers in an intoxicating kiss. She pushed against him for a moment, and then forgot every reason why she shouldn’t be kissing the mysterious Max Anderson, and allowed him to seduce her.
His lips went from almost punishing, to soft and seductive, in a matter of seconds, and she felt a pressure unlike anything she’d ever felt before start to build in her stomach. His tongue slowly caressed her bottom lip, demanding entrance into the soft folds of her mouth. A shudder rippled through her as her mouth slowly opened.
He discovered every hidden recess of her mouth as his tongue tangled with hers. Her hands glided up his neck, holding him close, afraid of him pulling away. He didn’t seem to have any desire to break their contact, though.
His hands caressed her hip, and started sliding up her blouse, caressing the sensitive skin on her stomach and side, causing more intensity to build inside her. When he reached the underside of her breast, she cried out. As his hand started to drift over the soft mound, she somehow gained some will-power. She was shocked at how badly she wanted that hand to cup her breast and relieve the aching of her tightened nipple. That shock helped her to start squirming beneath him. It took him a moment to realize she was trying to get away, and not writhing in pleasure. He slowly lifted his head and the passion glazed expression in his eyes was nearly her undoing. She wanted to say to hell with responsibility and simply allow him to keep working his magic.