The Edge of Intention

"No. I do not have a jacket, Mr. Taylor." She refused to look at him because she couldn't take another one of his disdainful looks. He made her feel like she was wearing her soul outside of her clothes. He grabbed her elbow and led her out the door of the reception area shielding her by the way he positioned himself from the glances of Brandy and Jane.

"We are going to lunch." he called over his shoulder.

"We will be back in a couple of hours."

Daniel took her to the Peppermill Restaurant. They had a nice ambiance for conversation and good food. She ordered hot tea and he ordered lemon water. He sat looking at her as she fidgeted nervously with her tea bag. Both waited for the other to speak.

"Sara."

She looked up at him; eyes wide and curious. Oh dear God. If she keeps looking at me that way I am going to drag her out of here and find a place to fuck her into the middle of next week. My car will do. I don't care. How did she get to her fifties looking this good. She looks forty.

"Tell me what happened to you."

"What do you mean?"

"I want to know why you walk around so afraid of your own shadow and sad."

"You have been mean as hell...I mean...just very mean to me and I have had a rough morning and you have to ask? I am humiliated beyond words. Devastated actually and I don't know how long I can come to the office and face you after that archaic experience."

Daniel was bracing his chin with his thumb and cheek on his index finger staring at her pensively.

"Sara. I am not talking about today. I am talking about your life before you showed up in my office. What has happened in your life that has left you without food, a proper coat and a threadbare wardrobe?"

"Oh. And what if I don't want to divulge all of that?"

"Would you like my help, Sara?"

She stared at him for a long time before answering.

"I have found most help does not come free. And after this morning, the thought of taking help from you scares me."

"Everything scares you, Miss Beckett. Are you referring specifically to the possible price?"

She nodded. He gave her a warning look that urged her to speak her answer.

"Yes. Because I do not want to owe you anything. You are paying me a salary to work for you and do not owe me another thing. Whatever else you give, I should reasonably be expected to pay for; one way or another." Oh...you will pay for it Miss Beckett. I will spank you and if I have my way, much much more. Once we get past all of this introductory getting used to one another bullshit. And if you don't watch that mouth of yours, you will be spanked again sooner than later. So get used to it Baby and stop feeling sorry for yourself.

Sara watched his face as he studied her features and the lines in her face. She could feel him sizing her up.

"You have failed to answer my question and we are not leaving this restaurant until you do so to my satisfaction. So take your time if you wish. I own the company so I don't have to go back at all today if I don't want to. And I would be happy to pay you to sit here as long as it takes."

She looked into his eyes for a long time before finally resigning herself to baring herself to him.

"Okay. I will tell you."

"Good girl." he said softly.

"I got divorced ten years ago. My husband found someone else. He cut off the money to go and have a party and the kids and I lost everything. I worked the best I could to keep us afloat and bills kept mounting. And here I am. I have not dated. I have struggled. And now the kids are grown and gone and I can't even afford to file bankruptcy. I have gotten to the place where I feel like what is the use of going on. The kids judge me heavily about how I did things and look down on me. I feel discouraged. The only thing that keeps me going is having to pay rent on my apartment in Kensington Flats. I can't afford anything else. But I live in a beautiful place that inspires me to write great books."

"You write books?"

"Yes."

"Do you get paid for it or have you ever been published?"

"No."

"Why haven't you dated? You are beautiful. Why hasn't someone snapped you up?"

"I am waiting for the right one. The ones who have tried have scared the crap out of me."

"Everything scares the crap out of you."

"No. Not everything. Just creepy men."

"Do you think I am creepy?"

"No. Just mean."

"No, Sara. I am not mean. I may be an asshole. But I am not mean."

"You have not answered my question. It does not take ten years to find a boyfriend. So what is holding you back?"

He studied her as she looked up at the ceiling and off to the side and then at her hands and finally up at him.

"Soon after my divorce I had surgery. I had my uterus removed, my bladder and rectum repaired because both had been crushed by my uterus. It left me...different. I don't want to have to...I am afraid to engage in sex."

"I see."

"Would you like to know when I ovulate, when my periods would be due and any medications I might be taking as well, Mr.Taylor?"

"Would you like to end up back over my desk when we return from lunch Miss Beckett?"

"No."

"Then watch your mouth."

So little Miss Beckett, here, was a fifty year old virgin in a manner of speaking. There would be no pile driving her. Oh Baby...I am going to make you come so hard you will come off of your chain. Ten years. Wow. If I could whistle out loud and not look like a total bastard, I would. Any vagina that could expand enough to allow an eight pound baby passage could be expanded to maintain sexual relations. She had let her fear stop her for ten years. There had to be other factors. And I will get to them; eventually.

The waitress appeared at their side and he started ordering a steak, salad and potatoes and she turned to take Sara's order. She looked up at the waitress and ordered a house salad.

Daniel looked over his glasses at her and said,

"No. Bring her the salmon salad with cucumber dressing."

The waitress took down the order and left. He looked at her and said

"I know you are used to your starvation diet situation, but if you are going to work for me, I want you healthy and energetic. I have a lot going on in my office and do not want someone working for me operating on a short fuse."

"Are you planning on always being this high handed with me?"

He looked at her for a long moment before answering.

"Yep."

"I don't like being told what to do Mr. Taylor. You are not my father or my husband."

"Nope. You're right. But I am your boss and that ranks right up there with Oxygen. You are dependent on me for your paycheck. So you will obey me whether you like it or not or continue to starve. You will go through a lot and you will probably cry. But I will take very good care of you for all of your trouble. You will no longer be hungry or naked. Not a bad exchange, I don't think. Do you?"

She stared up at him with questioning eyes wondering what planet he was from. Had he been listening to the news at all in the last two decades? This was anything but how an employer should behave.

"I have no way of know that, Sir." she muttered.

"Do you provide a clothing allowance? Is that what you are talking about as far as me not being naked?"

"I will for you. And I expect you to keep it to yourself. It is nobody's business what I decide to do with my own money, do you understand me?"

She nodded and whispered,

"Yes, Sir."

"There are several ways we can do that. I can shop with you since I do know how I want my assistant to look. I can send you to a personal shopper for business attire. Or I can give you my American Express Card and you can shop for yourself. In either case, I want you to spend whatever it takes to get whatever you need. Including a coat."

"It's your credit card. I would feel better if you came along and bought what you want me to wear. I am stressed at the idea that I would get it wrong somehow."

"Fair enough. How about this Saturday? Are you busy? We can buy five new outfits with shoes and a coat and accessories for next week. Then play it by ear for the following week. The question is not IF we will buy more...but whether I come along or you go on your own for the next five outfits. We can do this for four weeks in a row giving you 20 new outfits with shoes to start your career."

She nodded her head and could not help the grin creeping onto her features. For the first time since he had met her, she actually looked warm. Her smile was beautiful and her eyes were not sad and frightened.

The waitress arrived with the food and set it before them.

She watched as he dug in and ate his steak and baked potato. She moved her food around taking an occasional bite.

"Eat that salad Miss Beckett or I will spank you."

"You will not spank me again. To...day. I am tired." And she looked down at her plate. He grinned in amused silence at her brave defense of her little boundary. Tomorrow then? He thought, in wry amusement. For the first time since meeting him, she looked up at him through her lashes and the slightest bit of mischief appeared on her features. Daniel's eyes sparked with delight and he shook his head and whispered a chuckle through closed lips.

"Well, well, Sara. You do have a spark beneath that exterior of yours." She was going to push buttons. She liked the power play. She grinned from ear to ear and took a bite of her salmon and salad. It was actually delicious and she needed the nourishment it provided. She ate all of her salmon and most of her salad. He must have been happy with it because he did not complain or try to make her eat more. She really was quite stuffed. It was the most she had eaten in months. When they finished he asked her,

"Do you think we should go back to the office and try and get some work done?"

"Yes." she nodded and smiled at him.

"Okay. Let's go." He paid the bill at the front desk and they headed back to his car. He lead her out by the elbow.

When they got back to the office, Daniel went over the scope of his business and what the goals were and how she would assist him. He also made her sign an NDA so that she could not talk about anything that happened behind his outer door. Which meant she could not discuss anything with the women beyond the door. But worse, she also could not talk to her best friend Dana. He explained the Outlook Calendar and how she would use that to send him reminders and vice versa. There were menial tasks and more serious tasks. She would be expected to travel with him should he ever need to go anywhere. She would be provided with a company credit card in her name should she ever need to purchase things for the company. He had driven his company to staggering heights and was closing in on making it a billion dollar company. He was completely in the black and owed little compared to many other companies out there. He was a shrewd businessman and had like most CEOs, an energy in his gut that drove him. His hobbies and interests were specific and he expected much out of his inner circle. However, the rewards far outweighed the negative if one could keep up.

Jane knew her brother all too well and when she discovered that he ordered the outer door locked and not to be interrupted, Miss Beckett had pissed him off and he was in there giving her the what for. She highly doubted he would be spanking her on her first day. But he wouldn't want anyone hearing him yell at her either. She was concerned because she really did not want to have to keep searching the city for assistants for him. At some point one of them would have to make him happy. She was delighted with Sara. She wasn't pushy or brassy. She was beautiful and had a humble spirit. What could she have possibly done to cause that asshole to be upset with her. Jane would have started crying herself had she known the truth about what happened to Sara that day. She positively adored her. She was a gorgeous little thing and the fact that she did not seem to know it made her even more so. The way she looked at people was disarming. Jane hoped she would crawl into that stoney heart of Daniel's and melt the ice. She was getting sick of his shit.