Jagged Edge by Mercy Cortez Page B

building was pure glass everywhere, it was insane, so much bigger than my old place. I stood for a few minutes. Come on, I told myself, a building can not intimidate you. I looked across to the central parking lot and was suddenly glad I decided to not try to drive in London, all I could see were Bentleys, Mercedes and ... wait an Aston Martin, seriously? I was so out of my depth.
    I inhaled deeply and walked up the marble stairs, slowly regretting my decision of wearing high heels. I went through the revolving door and of course, I trip over thin air and I land on the hard floor, I flush red and a hand reaches down.
    "Ms. Payne, Can I help you up?" I recognised the voice and my breath stuck in my throat, I took his hand, and I stood, he looked at me, no emotion in his eyes, something else, he had some control over
    "Ms. Payne, if you’re not hurt I would like you to accompany me to lunch"
    I looked up at the large digital clock in the completely white foyer, it was 9am, lunch?
    “Mr. Edge, sir... you do realise the time?"
    He looked at me amused
    "Yes Melissa, I just would rather leave the building to speak with you, call it breakfast then if you must"
    I was so curious what he meant and that was never good for me but I needed to know and he was my boss now, I couldn't say no, not on my first day. I followed him out.
    "So where are we going for - lunch?" I stressed 'lunch' a little much, mocking.
    "Rather cocky aren't you, we'll fix that" and he winked at me, making me blush so hard and then his smile wasn't the same, firm, he seemed different to the Jared who had offered me the job, more detached.
    "Melissa, may I call you Melissa?"
    "Of course you can" I said trying to sound strong, I saw we were walking to a black SUV
    "I haven't stopped thinking about you" My breath stuck in my throat, what? I was waiting for the joke. Thinking about why he hired me probably and when I would fuck up and make him wish he hadn’t.
    "Oh... I... what were you thinking about?" I felt that was a safe question. He opened the door of the SUV for me and watched as I got in, he smirked at me like he was thinking of something else, I looked away embarrassed and he laughed as he closed the door, he walked around into the other passenger side and got in, he pressed a button by his seat and shouted to someone I couldn't see,
    "You know where to go Eric" he shut off the button and caught me staring
    "Oh, it shuts off, he can't hear us now... now your question..." he smirked and his eyes, burned me "... Well Melissa, I thought about having you here now, about asking you to join me, and about then taking you to my office and doing whatever it is I want to you until I decide you have had enough"
    I sat there, I was completely flabbergasted, did I hear him right? Was that why he employed me? Of course it was, oh god, what had I done, now I was stuck in a car with him. How stupid and naive are you Melissa!?
    My throat burnt, I needed to say something, what could I say, I was flattered but - and he interrupted my thoughts.
    " l want to show you something, before you ... I'm not an atypical man, I don't share stories of my love and I don't pretend to feel more than I do. I want to have you Melissa and I will want to have you a lot, whenever I want, because your innocence to everything makes me want you, because you are beautiful. I will give you whatever you want except two things - love and perpetual freedom. But my wealth, my contacts; are yours. You will go with me to events as my girlfriend and you will pretend that's what you are, when you aren't; you are just a product I want to possess and I didn't become this successful not getting what I want"
    I sat and listened, I hated to think it but I wanted him too, and I tried not to but I did, he was strong, powerful and I liked that but I wouldn't take his money, I wasn't like that, I didn't like money. He didn't know me, he knew nothing about me.
    " l won't take your money, I don't want it and you know