Page 3 of Darkness Tempt Me
Mavik Blackwood, CEO of Blackwood Investments, is usually perceived as cold and domineering. Intense. His devotion to this company as a workaholic mirrors that of his father and, reportedly, his grandfather as well. In other words, Mavik Blackwood is a busy man who doesn’t have time for relationships. Hell, I’m just his assistant, and I don’t even have time for a relationship.
There’s a knock on the door behind me. “You okay, Peyton? You’re kind of just standing there.”
I spin on my heel and face my coworker and friend, Iris. She’s leaning against the doorjamb of Mavik’s office, eyes narrowed with concern. “I’m fine,” I say, giving her a sweet smile and a dismissive wave as I walk past her to my desk.
A few curious glances from some of my nosy coworkers are aimed my way. I slide into my seat and ignore them, moving the mouse around until my computer screen flickers on. Out of habit more than anything, I pull up my email, immediately checking to see if I received one from someone important.
Iris props a hip on the side of my desk and picks up the wooden figure of a wolf. Heat rises in my cheeks as she scrutinizes the little figurine, rotating it with her pink-tipped fingers, inspecting it from every angle. Last week, I carved that little creature with Mavik in mind. They say a wolf symbolizes loyalty, strength, and power. At the time, I thought it was the perfect gift. I must have been sentimental or some shit because now I just feel foolish.
Seriously, who was on the other end of the phone with him?
Reaching over my desk, I pluck the wolf figurine from her fingers and place it carefully in my drawer. “I said I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine. You look as uptight as the big boss man.” She glances around, eyes widening as if she just noticed. “Wait, whereisMr. Blackwood?”
As if my leg has a mind of its own, I cross it, immediately feeling the way my foot twitches in irritation. “No idea. He told me he’d be another two hours.”
“Huh,” she says, rolling an office chair toward my desk before smoothing a hand down her pencil skirt and sitting across from me. “That’s oddly out of character for him.”
“Right?” Quickly looking around and noting that our other coworkers are busy, I lean forward and whisper, “I think he was with someone.”
Her eyes widen with shock. “Like with someone-with someone?” Iris fans herself and smirks. “God, can you imagine? The man might be scary as fuck, but he’s one tasty snack,” she whispers back. “He’s like a mystery wrapped in an Armani suit with an edge of danger.”
“Yeah, no kidding.” The phrase ‘tall, dark, and handsome’ describes Mavik perfectly. Especially with his chiseled features and those damn signature designer suits that accentuate his six-foot-five frame, deep tan, and perfectly styled dark hair.
Typing out a quick email, I hit send and pull up Mr. Blackwood’s schedule so I can shift a few things around before pulling up the contact info for Sinclair’s assistant. Fuck, I can’t believe he’s cancelling. Securing a meeting with Mr. Sinclair is harder than spotting a damn unicorn. I quickly tap on the keyboard and pick up my phone. I cradle it to my ear right as Iris chuckles.
“Well, that explains the attitude,” she says.
I hang up the phone and stare at her. “What attitude?”
She grins. “You’re jealous.”
I narrow my eyes at my soon-to-be ex-friend. “What the hell are you talking about? I’m not jealous.”I’m totally jealous.
“You bend over backwards for him every damn day, running all the little errands for Mr. Blackwood—and most of the big ones too.” She taps the file folders at the edge of my desk with a small smirk. “You’re his shadow at work, and I’m pretty sure you could run this whole damn company just as well as he can, that’s how dedicated you are, but it sounds like he’s prioritizing his personal life for the first time ever, leaving you feeling lost.”
God, am I that fucking predictable? “I’m not lost, Ms. Fancy-Skirt Therapist,” I say weakly. “Just a little shocked. That’s all.”
“Shocked andjealous. Some pretty little thing is probably having the time of her life, and you’re here giving me those puppy-dog eyes.” She bats her lashes dramatically in her usual over-the-top fashion.
I laugh, sticking my foot out from under the desk to kick at her expensive-as-fuck red stilettos. “Shut up, witch. It could be a man in his bed.” God, please don’t let it be a man in his bed. If my boss really does swing my way, well then, yes, I’ll be one jealous mother-effer. At least if they’re a woman, I can tell myself I never had a chance. “Get out of here!” I say, playfully tossing a paperclip into her hair. “I have some work to do.”
Iris giggles and stands, placing her hands up in the ‘I-surrender’motion. “Okay, okay. My bad. Just thought I was stating the obvious.”
“I admit nothing. Now, seriously—go back to your desk. I have to regain my composure and cancel our meeting with the Sinclairs.”
She scrunches her face. “Yeah, good luck with that.”
Trying to reschedule goes just as horribly as I predicted. Daniel Sinclair’s assistant, Peggy, refused to commit to anything, stating that Mr. Sinclair would not be pleased that we wasted his time. I tried to explain that it’s a family emergency and completely out of the norm. I never usually reschedule or cancel important meetings.
After several minutes of back and forth, Peggy agrees to contact us with a new time if Mr. Sinclair is still willing to meet with us. She says it in such a snooty way before hanging up the phone, she might as well have said, ‘If Mr. Sinclair decides tograce you with his presence.’
“Damn it.” I slam the phone back down on its receiver with a huff. It’s only ten a.m. and this day has already gone to shit. My day began with a strange phone call from my brother. Something in his voice sounded off. I got the impression that he was tryingto tell me something, but changed his mind at the last minute. When I asked him if he was okay, he changed the subject.
Then, my usual café visit was ruined by my favorite barista’s absence, which resulted in my coffee tasting absolutely terrible; burnt and bitter. And to top things off, Mavik was late. He’s never late. I frantically tried reaching him for about an hour, unsure of what to do and half wondering which hospital to contact first, when he finally answered.
The entire morning has been turned upside down, and damn it, Iris is right. I feel kind of lost. The problem isn’t just Mavik’s absence; it’s everything happening simultaneously. I’m pretty damn good at my job, and I hate how it feels like I’ve failed somehow.
