It was late, and the building was deserted when I exited the elevator and walked towards Tristan's office. He had told me to arrive at nine o'clock sharp. After everything I had done and the trouble I was in, I couldn't be late. The hallway was dark save a few overhead lights that were kept on during the off hours. The quiet and the shadows caused a shiver to run down my spine. The sound of my high heels clicking on the tile seemed to tick away at my fate.
When I got to the door to his office, I put my hand on the knob and took two slow, deep breaths. I didn't want to be there. I didn't want to open up that door. I didn't want to find out what he had in store for me. But the alternative was far worse. Squaring my shoulders, I walked inside.
Tristan's corner office was one of the biggest in the company. As CEO it was his right and I was sure he felt his duty to have the biggest and the best. He prided his employees on giving him their all, and he did the same. He was a man who deserved to have the corner office, to have his employees look up to him, and to reap the rewards of his years of hard work. In the five years I had worked for him, he had been nothing but kind and nurturing to me
That was until I tried to steal from him.
The office with its floor to ceiling windows overlooked the Hudson River and New Jersey. It was dark and I could see the lights from the boats on the water and the city across the way. It should have allowed me to feel more connected to the world and my place in it, but it only made me feel more isolated. It reminded me I had gotten myself into this mess and I was the only one who and could get myself out of it.
"Right on time," Tristan said.
He looked up from his black stainless-steel desk. It shouldn't have helped to accentuate his dark looks or his deep blue eyes, but somehow it did. As if the desk fit the man as much as the spacious office. There was a large coffee table in the middle of the room, with a couch on one side and a leather chair on the other. Behind the chair was a door, which I assumed led to a bathroom, and next to it was a cabinet that held an extensive array of liquor.
"You said, nine o'clock," I replied from the doorway.
"As I did, and I appreciate you being prompt," he drawled.
When he spoke, his eyes roamed over my body, and I shivered as if he had touched me. I had heard stories of the man sleeping with his staff, of the exploits he liked to partake in. As his eyes took me in, almost in a predatory way, I realized I was going to learn about them all first hand.
"Good. Then let's get down to business, shall we?" he asked.
He stood up and walked over to the chair. He wasn't asking for a response, so I didn't give it.
"You understand why you're here, Elizabeth?" he asked as he sat down.
He crossed his long legs in front of him and put his elbows on the arm rest. He looked at me as if he had all the time in the world.
"Yes," I said slowly, and couldn't hold his gaze.
"You tried to steal from me. From my company. I could have turned you in. I could have given you over to the cops. It might be a white-collar crime but it's still a crime. Your family would have been ruined. Your children would have been taken away from you, assuming you didn't do jail time, which I doubt."
"Yes, sir. I'm aware. I'm sorry. I never should have done it. I was going to give the money back straight away. I just needed to pay for Henry's tuition. My ex," I said and then stopped.
Tristan didn't care. He didn't want to hear my sob story. That wasn't any of his concern. All he cared about was that I was there and that I agreed to the terms he had put in front of me.
"Now I'm willing to overlook this one transgression, provided two things. One, you agree to never do it again and two, you give yourself over to me completely for the night."
I took a shallow breath in, and my knees started to give way. Tristan had said as much when he had discovered my theft. He had brought me into his office, sat me down on the couch, and asked me what had happened. He had been so sweet and so understanding. It made me comfortable enough to confess everything to him. It was when he had heard it all that he quietly and calmly had given me my options. If I did as he asked, I needed to come to his office. If I didn't agree, he would take it as an omission of guilt and he would have no choice but to call the authorities.
At first, I had been shocked that he would ask me, almost demand that I do this. It was clear in how he spoke what he wanted me to do. But he had given me the options, telling me the decision was mine. As if I had a choice. I couldn't go to jail; I couldn't leave Henry; he was about to finish college and I needed to pay for it. Nor could I leave Hannah without a mother when she was just about to start high school.
I knew what he was asking. I had worked for the company long enough to have heard the stories, even seen the destruction of what one of his nights could do. I saw the way the other women in the company looked at him, the stories they shared of what he liked and did with them. I had always kept myself away from it. I had done my work and not bothered or wondered about any of it. Plus, I wasn't what he was interested in and for that, I was glad and felt lucky even.
It looked like my luck had run out.
"Yes, sir. I agree. You promise no one will ever find out?" I asked.
"About you stealing or what we do here tonight?" he asked with a laugh.
My eyes darted to his, and I slowly opened up my mouth. I had never thought that anyone would find out about me coming to him that night. I certainly didn't want anyone to. Had I just opened myself up to even more problems? Was I now stuck in a vicious cycle that I could never get out of?
"Don't worry, sweet Elizabeth. Your secret is safe with me."
"Thank you," I said.
I did not know why I was thanking him. I had just agreed to give my body and soul over to the man for the night. I shouldn't be thanking him; I should be finding a way to get out of this. But I knew there wasn't. He had me dead to rights and if I didn't want to go to jail. If I didn't want Hannah to be in foster care, I needed to do this.
It was only for one night. I could do it. I would do it.
"Oh, I haven't done nothing yet," he said.
I could feel myself blush at his words. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I got a sudden thrill at the idea that I might actually enjoy myself. It had been so long since I had been with a man; I wasn't sure I could hold myself back from taking some pleasure in what was going to happen. I was a woman who liked sex but had never really found a partner I could be fully myself with. Maybe this was my chance to have that. If only for one night.
Tristan said nothing for a few moments, and the silence dragged between us. I moved towards the couch to sit down when he stopped me.
"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.