Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 23978 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23978 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
The much younger man awakens something inside Alice she thought was gone forever. But Damien demands something from Alice, something Alice gives to no one: control.
Alice’s relationship with Damien could change her life forever. But will she give in and submit to this wondrous man? Or will she do what she’s always done when it comes to romance, and refuse?
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1
ALICE
Charlie is checking out Joan’s ass again, and he’s not even trying to hide it. Well, after this meeting is over, I’m finally going to fire him.
It’s been a long time coming. He’s been warned by Joan herself, HR, and me, but he still hasn’t changed his behavior. I’m his boss, but Charlie hasn’t learned to respect that yet, because to Charlie, Joan and I are just women, and women are beneath him.
That’s the hardest part of being a female CEO. It’s not the work, not the long hours, and not the mountain of crap I had to take working my way up the ladder–but learning how to have authority over men.
Ever since college, I was ambitious. I was driven. I was focused on reaching the top, and I didn’t care what it took to get there–whether that meant having no friends, no social life, no hobbies, or never anything close to a relationship.
Can anyone say thirty-five-year-old virgin?
I had a few dates here and there, but I never felt that spark you’re supposed to feel that lets you know you might be in love. At this point, I’m genuinely starting to wonder if maybe I’m literally missing the part of my brain that’s required to love.
“So if there aren’t any more questions—” I say to the ten men seated around our conference table in our office on the 40th floor. There are a few glances, but it seems everyone’s satisfied. Everyone but Charlie.
“Yeah, I’ve got a question.” He grins, turning to Joan, who’s been taking notes in the corner. “Where’d you get that killer dress and why are we so lucky today?”
He chuckles and glances around the room for confirmation from the boys, but none of them are stupid enough to laugh. An uncomfortable silence hangs in the air as they avoid eye contact with him or me.
Well, it looks like that firing will be coming a little sooner.
“Charlie,” I say, getting his attention. He turns and looks at me, and I watch his lips stiffen as he realizes he’s screwed up. “You’re fired.”
Short and sweet.
His face twists and reddens. “You serious? After all I’ve done for this company? You’re seriously going to–?”
“Don’t humiliate yourself,” I cut him off. “And don’t make me call security. Have some class for once.” Without waiting for his response, I turn to the rest of my staff. “Meeting’s adjourned, everyone.”
Joan follows me as we exit the conference room and head for my office. I can feel her excitement as she rushes up beside me.
“That was amazing!” she whispers. “Thank you so much!”
“You should thank Charlie,” I reply. “He did it to himself.”
“But if you didn’t have the balls to do what you did back there…”
A thought springs into my mind: maybe that’s my problem: maybe my “balls” are bigger than the men I’ve been interacting with, and that’s been ruining my dating chances.
No. That can’t be it. I’m the CEO of a medical software and technology supply company. The men who work for me are very typical alpha, driven, type-A–almost the stereotype of what you think of when you picture a successful businessman. These are the kind of men I’ve been around since I was in my early twenties.
No. It’s not the men–it’s me. Something’s wrong with me.
In fact, I turned down a date proposal just two days ago from John Derringer, partner at Derringer and Smith, one of New York’s top corporate law firms. He’s tall, handsome, successful, and comes from an old-money family. On paper, he’s the perfect man. But again, I just didn’t feel that spark between us, so I very politely declined.
But John didn’t take it well at all. His nose twisted up like he’d just smelled a fart, and he turned his back on me and walked back to his colleagues. As I was leaving the building, I heard him call someone a “stuck-up bitch” to one of them. He said it just loud enough without saying my name, so I can’t be positive he was talking about me, but it’s pretty obvious he was.
I’m almost to my office door when I hear an unfamiliar voice from behind me. I turn and see Joan boxing out a courier who seems to be insisting he personally deliver something to me.
The man is tall with dark hair, and even from here I can see the color of his eyes: green, like emeralds sparkling beneath shop lights.
He’s clearly younger than me but carries himself with incredible confidence. There’s something primal in his face, like there’s more than a man beneath that blatantly sexy visage. And when he turns his eyes past Joan and levels them on me, it’s almost as though I’m gazing into the dangerous stare of a wolf.
And just like that, something goes off inside me. Something I’ve never felt before but have been waiting for my entire life.