The CEO's New Toy

Ethan had risen just before the sun rose, having slept poorly the night before. He kept replaying the image of her in his office, so obscenely being used, and he couldn't shake that sight. That could be due to the number of times he replayed the video. He decided that he'd go for a run, he slid out of bed, pulled on a pair of shorts, and stepped outside.

He ran a few miles down the beach, faster than usual, as if he could perhaps sweat out his frustrations. Finding his mind far from clear, though, he dove into the water, swimming laps as the sun rose. Still, he felt tense. This wouldn't fade, it seemed.

Meanwhile back in the Villa, Rebeca's eyes were red from how much she cried during the night, her gaze still on the door as the sun began to rise. The night brought no comfort. It brought no warmth or promise that today would be better than any other day previous. She sits up in her bed, sighing softly as she slides her feet out of the bed. Her neck aching from the stress, anxiety, and dread for what lies behind the closed door.

She grabs one of her teal dresses, sliding it on, and collects all of her things, which admittedly, was more than she would need on a weekend trip to a tropical island. She slips her bag over her shoulder, looking down at her phone as she comes out of hiding. She hated how pathetic she felt, working for Mr. Sutherland was something she'd grown to love, and to imagine that he thought of her as little more than dirt now was... Heartbreaking. She remembered his words, they played all night through her head... How could she forget?

"I'm so disappointed."

She sighs softly, frowning a little as she sits on a kitchen stool looking around the large open living room. She didn't even get to spend too much time out in this area of the house. She didn't get to relax here on the couch, or anything. What a shit show... She pulls up her phone, looking at the breaking news reports about the US shutting down flights leaving and coming in. Then reading an email that says, they weren't going anywhere straight from their legal department... Shit... She calls the airport, to talk to some of the employees there.

A few phone calls later is when she hears the door opens, causing her to look over to see the back of a very wet Ethan Sutherland. Her eyes slowly went down to see his shirtless torso, and shorts, which clung to his solid thighs. Water dripped down his body, moving over his strong arms, broad chest and each rippled ab. She watched as he stepped into the living room, searching quietly as if he hadn't seen her sitting near him.

"No... Sorry, what was that?" Rebeca asks making his attention snap to her as he saw her on the stool speaking on the phone.

She was sure he could tell she was tired from the rough night, but she saw him slip up a mask of indifference. He didn't smile, but he didn't immediately look away either. He found a towel, drying off a bit before moving to the kitchen to make coffee, listening to her on the phone.

"So... We have to stay here? Is there anything you can do?" Her voice seemed troubled, and soon she sounded resigned to whatever answer was provided. "I see... Yes please refund the account on file..." She hung up with a slow breath.

Looking up at the half-naked hunk who seemed to know already they weren't going anywhere she spoke softly, "So... That virus... Is not only active but spreading to the point that all major airports are grounding flights coming in and out of the country... We..." She sighs again, shaking her head. "We're stuck here. And there are no other rooms or anything for us to separate into until further notice." She says softly, her gaze stays on his as she nibbles nervously into her lower lip.

"Jesus Christ," he muttered in a rare show of frustration, pouring the coffee and taking a sip as if it might calm him. "They shut down the whole country? What a mess."

He paced back and forth in the kitchen area, his toned body so revealed in the shorts he wore, his muscles taut and tense. "Keep working on it. There has to be a way."

She was no longer his assistant, and yet she was still doing her job. And he was still giving her instructions like her boss. They simply didn't know anything else. "Have they announced how long the shutdowns will last?"

She knew that he hadn't forgotten that he fired her yesterday and that firing would be officially signed off later today, but perhaps everything would shut down now, and he wouldn't get that opportunity? Her dark brown gaze falls off of his to her phone, having a dreadful knot still very present in her belly as she nods a little standing up. She slips the phone into her dress pocket, before looking at the man again, shrugging slightly.

"No one's said how long things would be shutting down, but apparently, they aren't planning on opening any time soon. But... They said they would get back to me and notify me when things change. If you want I can draft up an email to the employees about working from home, and staying out of the office?" She says curiously, her gaze shifting over to his to see if he wanted her to do what she would have done if that damned video hadn't been sent to him.

A thousand thoughts were racing through Ethan's mind, but - for a change - none of them involved that video he'd seen the previous night. Instead, he was thinking about just how this pandemic would affect his business, his employees, his financial holdings. He was lost for a moment in this train of thought, and he only barely heard her suggestions, but he nodded.

"Yes, yes, do that," he agreed to her suggestion, "And let the other executives know I won't be back for a little while. Any signatures needed will go to them."

He sighed again, his body tense: biceps taut, jaw clenched, knuckles white as he held the coffee cup in one hand. "It feels like the whole world is coming apart lately."

She didn't know what she wanted to do more, go to him and comfort him, or go to the room to type up the emails. She sways slightly, her eyes looking down at his jacked body before she sighs herself. She turns and walks into the room carrying all of her luggage with her so that she could put it into the closet once more. She pulls her laptop out, typing up a few emails, she checks the spelling and grammar, before she sends them all to him for approval before she would send them to all parties he noted earlier.

It had only been a little while, but it almost seemed normal for them to be working like this. Though, normally she would be in the same room as him, getting his calls he didn't want to be bothered with. Her shoes had slipped off, and she lay on her stomach, with her feet towards the door as she typed up another document, one that would be for him from her, saying how sorry she was. She couldn't bring herself to type further than a single sentence she'd deleted and rewritten that very sentence at least a thousand times:

I'm sorry I disrespected you in such a...

She sighs closing the laptop, heading back into the living room. When she saw Ethan, he seemed... overwhelmed instead of bothering him, she decided to go back to her room and start looking for another job. There was so much to do that he hadn't even had a chance to shower and change into more appropriate clothing, and so he instead pulled out his laptop and sat at the counter in the kitchen typing out emails quickly to business partners, letting them know about various delays. He received the drafts from Rebeca, proofed them, and sent them along. She still had access to his world: to his inbox, his phone, his most personal spaces. He couldn't revoke her access yet, he needed her help. Especially now.

After a half-hour of intense typing, he finally stood up and made his way over to her room. Knocking lightly on the door, it swung open slowly, revealing the girl in her dress on the bed, her heels kicked off. Her legs were somewhat hidden by the fabric, so much so that he couldn't tell where one leg was from the other, but her ass was very evident. Even though the cloth separated his eyes from that butterfly tattoo, he could see it so clearly in his mind. Her form was beautiful, but he quickly pushed that thought from his mind.

"I've emailed as many as I could think of, handle canceling all my meetings for the next few days while we figure this out." Her performance was very impressive for a fired secretary.

She looks over her shoulder at him, seeing his body fill the doorway. She nods her head gently before she sits up. "Yes Sir. I've already updated your calendar to reflect the held meetings, as well as set up any meetings that could be done via video. A large number of them said that they could do the video meetings." She says crossing her legs on the soft bed as she stares at him.

"Good," he nodded. He spoke directly, but not coldly. Right now, it seemed, there was a problem, and he was focused first on handling that. Everything else - including the drama of the video - could wait. "In that case, I'll go shower, and you can let me know if anything comes up." He looked the girl over, then turned and stepped away, moving to his master bedroom leaving her door open.

This was perhaps the most stressful day of his career, but he admitted to himself that he was pleased to have a capable assistant handling things. She would be difficult to replace, but she'd have to be replaced.

She finished what she'd set out to do. She made sure that the meetings were spread out so that he'd have a few video conference calls throughout the next few weeks. Even if it were the case that they did go back to in-person meetings, he'd have those set. She felt... Good? She was drained, yes. But she felt like she had helped during a rough time. She walked out of her room, the first thing she heard was the sound of the shower running. Part of her wanted to go in to take a peek at the handsome male, but she also didn't want to overstep knowing how committed he was to his spouse.

She found herself in the kitchen, making some lunch, even though it was still rather early. She'd probably make a sandwich of some sort. The smell of bacon and eggs and sausage soon filled her nose as she smiles looking down at the food, ready to just relax and try to enjoy whatever time was left here. Of course, they wouldn't be able to leave unless it was for essential things, but she was certain that it would be fine. Her view from the kitchen moving out across the vast island that peaked up to say hello from the open concept living room window was simply breathtaking. The only thing missing was the handsome male that had fired her just the night prior.

"Making us lunch, I see?" Comes the deep voice of her boss, making her shift her gaze over her shoulder to look at him.

Yup... He was all that was needed to complete the perfect picture that sat behind her. She doesn't respond to his question, since it was a rhetorical one. She looks back at the food sizzling away. She would normally make his food along with hers, but now she didn't work for him, so this would be a solo meal. Perhaps it was for the best, and if they ignored each other constantly it would only make things more uncomfortable.

"Yea. I... I Wasn't making you anything. Of course, I can... What would you like?" She asked him, her gaze shifting back to his before she compiled her sandwich, and began to clean the pan out in the sink. "We do have bacon, cheese, turkey, patties... We have a lot of food... I haven't noticed since we've been eating out." She continued.

He sighed, but nodded his thanks rather than saying it out loud. He'd assumed incorrectly, which pointed to some arrogance on his part. A man with as much confidence as Ethan tended to have an ego, and that was on display when he'd assumed Rebeca was making enough for both of them. But when she offered to prepare him something, the thought pleased him. There was something natural to Ethan about a woman serving a man in that sense, but he of course couldn't speak that out loud.

"I'll take what you are eating, Rebeca." He was gracious in his tone but didn't thank her. More arrogance perhaps, or simple confidence. "I didn't realize you were so at home in the kitchen," he spoke as he stepped closer to the kitchen area.

Rebeca enjoyed hearing her name tumbling so freely from his mouth, her eyes shifting down his form to watch as he enters the kitchen area. Something about the man oozed sex appeal, though she couldn't put her finger on it. Maybe it was the unwavering way he presented himself. Maybe it was the confidence and poise he held? She had no clue, but it did it for her. She nods and offers up her very own sandwich to him. Setting it on the counter as if she were truly serving him.

"You can have mine, I'll make another one." She says needlessly before she began to cook up another batch of bacon, and eggs. She went about her project quietly, looking down at the food, as she would move quite comfortably in the kitchen. It would take the pan a few moments to heat up as she needed.

Rebeca had always proven herself to be a dedicated and capable assistant, but this was something different. Or at least it felt different, she was serving him, it seemed, in a domestic sense rather than in a business environment. The way she offered up her food to him for him to eat first may have lightly stroked his ego because he felt some pleasure from the offer. But he had to remind himself this was the same woman who disrespected him and his office.

"I saw you drink some coffee already, did you want juice or water?" She asks softly, her dark gaze on the food she prepared.

"Thank you, Rebeca. water is just fine." He didn't offer to get it himself, he didn't offer for her to eat first. He seemed comfortable this way, with her serving him in the kitchen. And it seemed she felt just as comfortable, given how naturally and easily she was handling herself there.

He moved to the table along the windows, admiring the view as he tasted the sandwich. He nodded to her, letting her know he was pleased with the result of her efforts. "Careful, of you may be cooking for me often," he spoke with a hint of a grin. It was the first time he'd seemed anything but cool and quiet since the reveal of the video.

The grinning words that came next were... Odd. Enjoyable, but unexpected. She lifted her brow ever so slightly as she stared at his back, his shoulders seemed relaxed, more so than they did that morning. She laughed softly shaking her head a bit.

"I would cook for you whenever you wanted." She said as if he should know that already. But as she thought about it, she quickly added. "Sir." As if that would make it less of a proposition.

She frowned to herself, as she gazed down at the food, watching that bacon turn nice and crispy. She slipped the thin spatula under the eggs, which lie right in the same pan, flipping it to be shaped more like a square than a normal circle. She eased it all onto two buns that came popping up from the small toaster.

Assembling her sandwich was relatively easy as she tries to keep her mind off of the fact that she just told her boss... Or... Ex boss. That she would cook for him any time. She shook her head, moving the pan into the sink and washing it as if she could wash away her words.

"Be careful what you wish for. You may find yourself in charge of all the meals around here while we're stuck here..." Came his chuckled words.

When she finished, she noticed him as he motioned to the place across from him at the table. She gave a lift of her brow at his motioned her over. It wasn't a new form of non-verbal communication between them, but the fact that he wanted her so closed was very pleasing. She put the dishes away and cleaned off the remaining mess before grabbing waters and her plate as she joined him. She was faced away from the beautiful scenery, but that didn't compare to just how good he looked.

"Rebeca, we'll need to get through these next few days, or weeks, or however long, here together. It doesn't change anything, though. You know you'll lose your job as my assistant the instant we're back in the U.S. But for now, I don't see how we can avoid each other. So we'll continue this way until we can return home."

She chewed her food quietly for a moment. His eyes took her attention away from her food, or whatever remained of it. She nods her head slightly as she swallowed her food slowly. "Mmhm.." She starts softly, her eyes wavering from his like a child who has done something wrong. Of course, screwing her ex in her boss's office could be just that... She frowned a little and glared over to the room where she had typed up the letter that she wanted to give to him. Should she go get it and bring it out to him? Probably not.

"I know what I did was wrong. I deserve to be fired, and I won't fight you for doing what is only fair..." She said softly, though there was a slight hint of anger as well. "My ex... The guy in the video... Forced me to do it... Recorded it... And has held it over my head this whole time. He sent countless hateful text messages and has made me feel so unsafe that I... He raped me..." She shakes her head gently, stopping that line of thought before she continued with what she was saying. "I broke up with him because I couldn't take the abuse anymore, and so he retaliated... That's not to say I didn't know better than to be put in that situation, I should have never done it... And I am sorry I did." She let the words flow from her mouth before her voice fades to silence as she spills a choppy version of the whole story.

Ethan listened but seemed not to react. His face bore its usual stoic expression, even as she explained that she'd been forced by her boyfriend. A large part of him was unwilling to believe her and thought that the woman who would fuck a man in his office was the same that would lie about how it happened afterward. Another man may have reached out and offered a hug, and told her it would all be OK. But Ethan was a different sort of man than most.

"Honestly, Rebeca, you understand I'm having difficulty believing you. If this is true, then it's terrible, and that ex-boyfriend of yours deserves a beating, or worse. If it's not true, then I'm even more disappointed in you for not owning up to your mistake. I just don't know what to think."

She looked into his eyes as he spoke to her, stunned. He'd all but dismissed her feelings and what she'd gone through as a lie to do what? Get her job back? She wasn't sure... She'd already said she knew he had to fire her. She already owned up to what she'd done. Her eyes began to water then, as she runs her tongue along the inside of her cheek, before biting down into her bottom lip.

"Look... I said I know you have to fire me. I have the texts... I have the proof... I've owned up to what I've done and already said I have accepted the consequences... How about... We just stay out of each other's way until we can go home..." She says sounding uncharacteristically confrontational.

She stood up slowly from the table, not caring if he hadn't dismissed her or not. Grabbing her plate, and what was left of her juice. She moves around the concrete table and goes into the kitchen as the first few tears drop down her soft tanned cheeks. She was thankful that the sink would have her back facing the male or she would have likely thrown the dish at the back of his handsome head.

He'd never seen this side of her: she was standing up for herself, confrontational, and emotional. It intrigued him, and he studied her as she stood and made her way to the kitchen. He let a few moments pass before he did anything at all.

Finally, he rose from his seat and moved towards her. "Rebeca, if you have proof, you'll need to share it with me. And if what you say is true, then this is a very different situation. And I'd direct my anger not towards you, but towards whoever the man was in that video..."