Ella was literally trembling as she waited to make her entrance. Perhaps she shouldn’t have let Damon and Jackie talk her into doing this. Nevertheless, she was already here right outside the huge door leading to the dining hall. Someone inside was making a speech and once the speech was over, she would make her entrance. Cheers followed with applause had erupted, indicating that it was her time now.
Jackie gave her a brief hug and Damon whispered encouraging words into her ear.
Okay. All she had to do was go up there and then sing for him. How hard could that possibly be?
***
Javier was still glancing about the room. Ella was not here. He was tempted to give her another call but that would only up the number of missed calls she would see on her phone.
“Damn it,” he cursed under his breath, not paying attention to what his brother, Thornton, had been saying on the podium. His mind was too distracted by his missing secretary. Then a dangerous thought came to his mind. Perhaps she had been too occupied with her lover, this Damon Matthews guy, that she had not had a chance to inform him that she would not be attending his birthday party. The curiosity mixed with jealousy started to eat him up.
The band started playing the prelude of happy birthday in a slow tempo. Javier let out an exasperated sigh, he could care less about the song. All he wanted was for Miss Ella Stanford to be here so his mind could finally rest. Yet the surprise exclamations and gasps from the guests around him piqued his curiosity. When it had become unbearable, he leaned back in his seat and glanced at the entrance to see what had caused the buzz. Almost immediately, his throat choked and his eyes widened. Standing there in a striking red dress with a high slit that exposed her creamy thigh was none other than his uptight, professional secretary.
* * *
So far so good. Ella’s breath had calmed down as she walked through the double doors and on her way to the dance floor. She had made it up the aisle between tables from the entrance all the way here without falter or worse, tripping herself. She was grateful that the guest's response to her grand entrance was positive, buzzing in wonder and appreciation.
Ella spotted Javier as soon as she stepped onto the dance floor. After all, she had been the one arranging for this event. She knew where he would be sitting and with whom. He was sitting directly opposite where the band was set up next to his latest woman, London Star. Just, as usual, he looked dangerously and infuriatingly handsome in his dark blue shirt that enhanced the vivid ocean blue of his eyes. Except that tonight he looked dumbstruck. In fact, utterly so. His lips parted and his eyes widened. He clearly had not expected to see her secretary dressed up so seductively and holding a microphone, ready to sing for him.
Her gaze slid briefly to the woman sitting next to him. Blonde wavy hair, pouty red lips, and black shimmering dress. She looked stunning as if she had just walked out of the latest fashion magazine and yet Javier’s eyes were glued on Ella. Unaccountably, a sweet sense of satisfaction swept through her. She gave him a warm smile, one that she had never ever given him before for she always secured a polite one in the office. Then she walked to the podium. She deliberately put a more seductive sway on her hips to help him focus his attention on where she wanted it to be.
There was simply nothing to lose. She would hand her resignation letter tomorrow first thing in the morning and then go off elsewhere, preferably in a place where she did not have to witness Javier’s wild, playboy behavior.
The band was grinning at her and gave her a thumbs up. Ella took the microphone and swallowed a couple of times to moisten her throat before she began to sing. Not the kind of happy birthday that anyone would sing at a kids’ party, she sang the seductive kind. One that only Marilyn Monroe dared to sing for the president once upon a time.
The audience settled and hushed and the band started to play with the tempo she wanted.
“Ha... ppy birth... day...” she took another breath. “Dear... Jave...”
A ripple of applause ran around the dining hall and Ella watched her boss tilt his head back in delight, a low chuckle emerging from his throat. It seemed that he had indeed recovered from his shock and was now enjoying her performance. And what a performance she had given him! She had done it so flawlessly, giving a touch of her husky tone which added to the seduction and perfection.
There was a look of bewitched and bemused on Javier’s face as if he was completely under her spell. Ella drew out the last line with a sensual innuendo as she sang, “to... you...” Her lips rounded in a suggestive oval as if she was blowing him a long kiss.
The crowd erupted in cheers and whistles. Everyone was cheering but Javier didn’t even move his eyes from her. His gaze was burning to her.
Then the band played the song one more time in a cherry, happier tempo, one that everyone in the family gathering usually sang and all the guests were singing as a huge birthday cake was being brought to Javier. Ella got off the podium and followed the crowd until she stood next to the dark forest cake with the text ‘Happy Birthday, Javier’ made from icing that was placed on top of it.
Ella glanced at her boss, her lips curled into a genuine smile as she wished him a happy birthday.
“Happy birthday, Boss.”
She looked like her usual self yet at the same time, she looked different. There was something about the way she moved, the way her hips swayed. And when Javier looked at her, he noticed the sensual shape of her lips as she gazed up at him and wished him a happy birthday. “Come on, babe, blow the candle,” urged London at his side, putting her hand around his arm. Javier spared one look at Ella, then blew the candle. The crowd cheered and one by one, his guests started to congratulate him and wish him well. Soon, Javier left the guests to join her siblings. Two out of seven of them were here celebrating his birthday. Albeit there were so many of them, they were truly close with each other. They had not had any cousins since both their mother and father were only children. “We still don’t know where he went,” said Thornton, informing Javier about their missing brother Draven Summers. After their grandfather had written Draven off his will, his little brother had taken it so badly t
Javier Summers didn’t like this. Not even one bit. He could even consider this as the worst birthday he had ever had. No, he could not blame it on the food being served. They were splendid, cooked, and prepared by the best chefs in the U.S. And he could not fault the decor either, they were exactly how he wanted it: elegant and high class. The band playing the music right now was also giving their best performance so he could not fault that either. What irritated him the most was the fact that his little secretary who had always shown propriety suddenly decided to let loose tonight and not only did she do this on her own, she had a gorgeous man at her side, eager to please her and could not wait for the pleasurable night that might follow afterward — preferably in her place or his. Javier needed some time to cool himself or else he would drag Ella to the nearest available room and shake some sense into her. And then do what? Javier shook the naughty, inappropriate thought off his m
The band started playing again. Only this time, it was a song with a slower tempo, something that would be best suited for a slow dance. Ella had just gotten back to the table when she caught the sight of Javier and London Star. Her only salvation was having Damon by her side. It was always better to have a friend with her than to face something like this on her own. London’s eyes sparkled and she rose to her feet. “Damon, I love this song. Come dance with me,” she linked her arm to Damon, pressing her large breasts on his forearm. “You don’t mind if I borrow him for a dance right, Ella?” “I really don’t want to leave her alone,” answered Damon, freeing his arm from her grasp and failing miserably for she had held him tightly. Before Ella could say anything, a low husky voice had answered on her behalf. “She’s not alone. I will accompany her.” Then Ella could feel his arm linking around her waist and she nearly jumped on the spot. Damon’s eyes were on her, waiting for her decisi
Ella stared at her boss and for a second there, she was going to lose her temper. She’d specifically said that she was trying to find a restroom, then why on Earth had he led her into his bedroom? Her earlier thought about his wish to claim her as one of his conquests reared its ugly head. Her jaw clenched as she tried her best to calm herself by telling herself that if he made any moves, she could always knee him between his thighs, then run like hell. So when she finally opened her mouth, she was quite proud of herself for sounding calm and reasonable. “Why did you bring me here?” Without saying a word, he took her hand and was about to drag her when she planted her feet firmly on the floor and refused to follow him. "What on Earth are you doing, Sir?" She had subtly added ‘Sir’ in her sentence in the hope to remind her that he was her boss and that this was borderline inappropriate. “Didn’t you say you want to go to the restroom?” he asked incredulously as if she’d just asked h
Ella Stanford "He did kiss you, didn't he?" asked Damon once they were out in the parking lot. Ella blinked before her face reddened. "Did you see?" She knew there was a little chance that Damon had seen it since she and Javier had been in his bedroom but still, there was no other reason that she could think of. "Nope, but I wish I did." Damon wiggled his eyebrows, teasing her. "It is all over your face, babe. You look slightly flushed and when you came back from the restroom, you acted all weird." He paused, scrunching his nose then clapped his hands. "Oh, and you can not wait to get home. That is the weirdest one." "I am just tired," said Ella which was not entirely a lie. She was emotionally tired having to remain cool and unaffected by Javier's every move. "Because of the kiss?" teased Damon again, to which Ella replied with a nudge on his waist. "Ow! No need to harass me. But seriously, girl, was he good?" Hearing Ella's contented sigh and watching the look on her face, he
A smile hovered on Javier’s lips as he arrived at his office this morning. Over his coffee and the splendid breakfast made by his maid, Leigh, he’d thought of his plan in seducing his little secretary Miss Ella Stanford. A lively sense of anticipation tingled through his body as he swung the door open, fully expecting Ella to be at her table. Yet it quickly died down when he noticed that there was no sign of her arrival. Her usual brown coat wasn’t on the hanger and her desk was still cleared, looking precisely as it had been when he had left his office last Friday. Where the hell was she? Or perhaps excitement had made him arrive earlier than he had thought. He moved his arm and checked his watch. It was fifteen minutes past nine. He hadn’t arrived early, she’d been the one arriving late! He had never known her to be here before him. She’d always been punctual. Her failure to do so today was aggravating, especially since he had sent her a text telling her that he needed to discuss
C H A P T E R 1 2 : T H E O V E R D U E B R E A K U P J A V I E R S U M M E R S Javier stared at the door for a few minutes once he heard the click signaling that it had been tightly shut. If he was being honest, Ella's resignation had shocked him. Through and through. He had never thought that she would quit her job. "Damn," he hissed under his breath so that the one person who just had shaken his world on the other side of the room would not hear a thing. He had tried his best to remain cool and calm in conveying his response earlier because the last thing he wanted was for Ella to realize how important her role actually was. If she knew how scared he was to lose her, she would be inclined to overvalue herself. He blinked as a thought came to her. Perhaps she wanted to quit because the money was not enough. Maybe the reason why sh
Ella Stanford looked up as Javier left his office, shoving his phone and wallet into his pocket. Without even looking, she knew where he was probably heading. She refrained from sighing. It did not take a genius to know that her boss was on his way to meet his lover, London Star. Every day it was the same. The phone call he had received before lunchtime would determine who he would be spending his lunchtime with. Either his family (either his older brother, Thornton, or his youngest sister, Clara, or on a rather rare occasion, his mother) or his most recent lover. Most of the time, it was the latter.Since evidently, London had called merely fifteen minutes ago, it had been determined that he would be spending his lunchtime with her. And if she was right, they were probably going to go to a restaurant in a five-star hotel around the area and once the lunch was concluded, they would retreat to a suite and ravish each ot