Unexpected Offer Ch. 01

I had noticed though that in the last basket I'd sent, she'd taken out a caramel chocolate bar. I'd smirked, loving that she'd given a tiny piece of herself away even if she didn't know it. I was desperate to know her, to get inside her head and figure out what made her tick.

Of course she was beautiful; that was obvious. But with every spurned gift I only yearned more to know her. And today, I was going to make sure I got exactly what I wanted.

Today was the meeting for all the staff, to tell them about the takeover and introduce to them their new owner and overall boss- me. I knew exactly what changes I was going to be making, and I knew some people weren't going to be happy about it but I didn't give a fuck.

"We're here, Sir." My driver's words brought me out of my head, and I nodded crisply. I didn't wait for him to open my door, reaching for the handle and letting myself out. I headed into the building, glancing at my watch to make sure I would walk in at the precise time. I got in the elevator, doing my best not to think about the fact that last time I was here I had Dela in here with me.

I stepped off onto the 5th floor, making my way to the meeting room. I heard the voice of the previous owner of the company, Pete, just finishing letting them know he'd sold his company. Stepping through the door, I caught his eye and he motioned towards me.

"I'd like to introduce you to the new owner, Rixton Kerridge." Polite clapping followed his words, but I barely heard it. I'd caught Dela's eye, and the heat in the air between us was high, her gaze shooting daggers at me. Something I would deal with later, especially seeing as how I was about to flip her world upside down.

"Thank you Pete. I hope your retirement is as enjoyable as you've been planning." He chuckled at my words and shook my hand, waving to the people gathered in the office.

"Good luck with this one!" He chortled and waddled his 72-year old body out of the building. The room went quiet, and I stood looking at everyone until I heard the chime of the elevator in the distance signal his final departure.

"Okay everyone. As you're aware, I just bought this company. I am a demanding boss, but I am fair. I may ask a lot, but nothing I'm not willing to give in return. If you're a hardworking employee, then you have nothing to worry about."

I saw a few surprised glances, and I let the ensuing whispers die down before I began to talk again. I caught Dela's eye while everyone was semi-distracted, giving her a small smile and a quick wink that only made her glare harder. I swallowed the chuckle with a cough, catching the room's attention once again.

"Chester?" The heavyset man stood, a smug smile on his face that I was about to wipe off.

"Yes, Rixton?"

I held back the snort at his presumption of using my first name. "You're fired."

Gasps rang out through the room, and Chester's face went white. I glanced at the crowd, noticing a fair amount of them looked pleased with the new development, even though they tried to hide it. Chester began to splutter, and I cut him off.

"You don't do any of your own work. You blame other people for your faults. You've been stealing from the office and those under you, and I don't tolerate dishonesty or thieves. Get your shit and go."

His face turned red, but he wisely held back whatever words he wanted to say. He turned and stomped out of the room, all of us watching as he went. He stepped out of the room, and I turned back to the others with a pleasant smile.

"Now that that's out of the way, let's move on."

DELA:

Holy shit.

I wanted to clap, laugh, and cheer for this new development. My anger with Rixton had temporarily abated, my happiness at his firing of Chester overshadowing everything else.

"Delacey." Rixton's voice was sure, his gaze pinned on me as I froze in my seat. Oh shit, was I next?

I stood on shaky feet, clasping my hands together to hide my nerves as I stared him down defiantly despite the pounding of my heart.

"You will be replacing Chester. If there's anyone not on the team that you need or would like to move around, come to me and I will take care of it. I would also like to speak to you about your new responsibilities after this meeting is over." He nodded, signaling that I could sit back down.

I fell back into my chair, still processing what the hell had just happened. I tuned out the rest of the meeting while my brain tried to decide what Rixton's motivation for this was. There were people here who had been there longer, in the actual field of work, that would have been better able to take over than a secretary.

Was this all his way of finally getting me to work for him? Anger rose anew at the thought, his manipulation and secrecy pissing me off. He couldn't have bothered to tell me he was taking over? I ignored the voice in my head that said I'd been ignoring him so even if he had tried tot ell me I probably wouldn't have listened.

I sat there fuming for the next 20 minutes, every possible reason for all of this getting worse and worse in my brain. Rixton finally dismissed everyone and then motioned for me to follow him. I did so silently, waiting until we were alone to have the conversation that was bubbling inside. He didn't initiate conversation, the ride in the elevator up to his office a couple floors above silent and vibrating with tension.

He let me in his office first, shutting the door behind me. As soon as I heard the click that signaled we were now private, I let loose.

"What's the point of this? Are you doing all of this just to get back at me for ignoring you? Are you going to blackmail me with my new job, take it away if I don't fuck you?"

His face had been impassive at first, but at my last words his eyes darkened and his expression turned thunderous. My words died at that look, my nipples perking against my will as he grabbed me and pressed me against the door, his face coming close to mine.

"I'm only going to say this once, so listen closely Dela. I promoted you because I know you have the ability to get the job done, and fairly. I know it's where you want to be. I know that everyone you talk to loves you, and that you will make a fuck of a lot better boss than Chester ever was."

His words floored me. "How... how do you know that? About me, I mean?"

His eyes roamed over my face, the intensity bringing a blush to my cheeks. "Aaron is a well of information once he gets started."

I mentally cursed Aaron, and then myself for giving him tidbits about me when I knew he was a worse gossip than old ladies in a small town.

"One last thing Dela, and then we'll get to business." He leaned even closer, his face tilting so that he could talk directly into my ear. "When I fuck you, it will be because you're begging for my cock in that tight, sweet little pussy of yours and not because of any goddamn job."

He pushed away from me and turned, leaving me breathless and wet at his words, my ear still burning from the touch of his hot breath. I watched his saunter over to the chair of his new office before he sat, regarding me with a raised eyebrow.

"Well? Are you ready to get to work?"

---

I sprayed my new office with the can of air freshener I'd bought last night for the 50th time, trying to get rid of Chester's scent that had seemed to permeate every corner. I finished the round of freshener, then fell into the brand new chair that had showed up this morning before I got in.

I hadn't questioned it, only relieved that I wouldn't have to sit in the same chair as Chester. The idea of that gave me the creeps. I was still getting used to the idea of being in charge of a whole team, but I couldn't deny the excitement this new challenge brought me. It was where I'd wanted to be all along, and I was so incredibly grateful for all the support the people on my team were already showing me with this being my first official day on the job.

I'd stayed late to make sure that I had everything in order, and pretty much everyone else in the building had already left. I packed up my bag and headed out the door, taking the elevator down to the parking garage. I was mentally running through everything I had to finish tonight before delving even deeper tomorrow, which was probably why I didn't hear the man shuffling up behind me while I tried to unlock my car door.

A hand grabbed my hair and slammed my forehead into the driver's side window, pain blasting through my head and making me cry out. The hand tightened in my hair and I dropped everything in my hands to reach up and try to stop it from causing me more pain. I yelped loudly as tears gathered in my eyes while my head was yanked back, the rest of my body pressed against my car by the body of the man behind me,

"You little bitch. You fucked him so he would fire me, didn't you? And then I bet you took his cock down your throat so you could have my job. Did you spill the beans about my skimming from the company too?"

The nasty voice took a minute to register through the pain, but when it did, I was even more horrified than before.

"Chester?"

His hand yanked on my hair again, and I couldn't stop the tears from escaping my eyes at that point.

"Fucking whore. Do you realize what you've done?"

"What are you talking about? I didn't do anything!"

"Shut up! You've ruined everything!" Chester's voice was high and reedy, panic obvious. I had no idea what kind of trouble he'd gotten himself into, but it sounded like he was scared shitless. It was hard to feel bad for him at the moment though. I just had to figure out how to get out of this situation.

"Chester, just tell me what you need, I can help."

"I can help," He sneered in my ear, his breath wafting over my face and making me gag.

"How much do you think your boyfriend will pay to get his slut back?"

I was so confused. "What boyfriend?"

He jerked my head around to face him, and I was horrified to see his face covered in bruises, his left eye completely swollen shut and the right bloodshot and full of anger. I glanced down and saw that the hand that wasn't tangled in my hair was covered in a makeshift splint, his fingers purple and twisted unnaturally.

"Rixton Kerridge, the man you fucked to get my job."

"I haven't fucked him!" It was true, but by the maniacal laugh he let out, he wasn't going to believe it.

"Yeah right. I've always known you'd do whatever it took to get that job. And it looks like you succeeded."

I opened my mouth to respond, but he let go of my hair to slap me across the face before I could say anything more. I fell to the ground and curled up in a ball instantly to protect myself from what I was sure to be the beginning of a terrible beating.

I heard a loud thud and crunch and flinched before I realized the sound wasn't coming from me. I heard some more grunts and odd sounds, and I lifted my head warily to see what was going on. My eyes widened in shock when I saw Chester on his back on the ground with a giant man towering over him, punching his face furiously. At this point, I couldn't recognize Chester's face through all the purple and red, blood flowing like crazy.

In the second after I took all that in, my savior's voice rang out through the empty parking garage.

"Don't ever fucking touch her again!" With one more brutal punch, the man turned and faced me, chest heaving and fire in his eyes.

"Rixton," I whispered out, stunned. He stared at me, his eyes raking over the wound on my forehead and cheek, my skin throbbing when his eyes landed on them. His jaw clenched and he took out his phone, pressing a button and putting it to his ear as he turned to kick Chester in the side a few times.

"T." He paused. "Yeah, the parking garage. Thanks."

He hung up and turned back to me, holding out a hand.

I stared at it, taking in the blood and swollen knuckles before looking up to his face again. He looked at his own hand, realizing why I hesitated. He swore and then pulled out a cloth from his pants pocket, not even wincing as he cleaned off as much blood as possible. He shoved the cloth in his pocket and then held his hand out again.

"Come on Dela, let me help you."

His voice was soft, almost like he was asking me to trust him. And I did, despite the level of violence I'd just seen from him. It was highly possible that Chester was dead, but I couldn't find it in me to care. If Rixton hadn't shown up, I could be the one laying there on the ground, covered in my own blood.

I took his hand, careful of his wounds, and let him help me up. I bent down to grab my dropped purse and keys. I looked back up to Rixton, a calm I wasn't really feeling in my voice as I spoke.

"Thank you. See you tomorrow then?" I turned back to my car, my hand shaking so violently I couldn't get the key into the hole.

"Fuck Dela," he growled and swept me up in his arms. I started to protest, but he hushed me with one word. "Stop."

I automatically settled in his arms, meeting his gaze with questions in my own.

"I'm taking you home with me. I need to make sure you're okay, and you're in no condition to drive. Please, just let me do this for you. You can go back to hating me tomorrow."

I shut my mouth, just nodding as I realized I really didn't want to be alone. I found a weird comfort in his arms that I hadn't felt in years, if ever. I let him put me in his car just a couple rows over that I hadn't noticed before and buckle me in, wondering what was going to happen now.

RIXTON:

We drove in silence to my place, my anger still a burning hot thing inside me while she probably didn't even realize she was shivering next to me. Thank fuck I'd worked late tonight and drove myself, or else who knows what would have happened to Dela. The thought of that bastard Chester hurting her made me clench my hands on the wheel. the temptation to turn around and kill that fucker almost too much.

One look over at Dela though, and I knew I was where I needed to be. I'd already called T, the mystery man on my staff who handled the ugly things like this, and Chester would be given to the very men who'd gotten to him before I did.

Yeah, I knew all about Chester's gambling problem. He'd been stealing from the company for years to pay his debts, and he'd made a big bet the night before I'd fired him that he had no way to cover now. I would never have imagined that he'd take it out on Dela though, or I would have made sure he never got near her.

I was feeling the guilt for not protecting her, but it was something I would have to deal with.

I pulled into my driveway minutes later, punching in the code to my front gate before driving through and letting it shut behind me. I pulled up to the front door, knowing that someone would move my car where it needed to be eventually. I had Dela to take care of right now, so the car could wait.

Going around to the passenger side door, I opened it and saw she hadn't even unbuckled herself. I did it for her and pulled her into my arms again, loving how perfect it felt to have her there. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and snuggled into my chest, and I nearly stumbled at the warmth that shot through me.

I clutched her tighter to me and made it into my house and up the stairs to the master suite in record time. I walked straight into the bathroom and set her down on the toilet seat. I turned the shower on, testing the temperature before I pulled back.

"Dela?" She didn't move, still shivering. "Dela, I need you to look at me."

Her head slowly moved up, her eyes glassy but meeting mine.

"Hold it together for another few minutes so you can get warmed up. If I leave, will you be okay?"

"Yes," she whispered and lowered her head again. I stared at her for a few seconds, warring with myself. I didn't want to push her too hard, but I didn't want her going into shock either.

"Alright. I'll just be right outside the door so if you need me, just shout."

"Okay." Another small whisper, but she was responding.

I hesitated, but walked out the door and shut it softly behind me. I listened with my ear to the door, and I let out a sigh of relief when I heard movement and the sound of clothes hitting the tile. The sound of the water changed a minute later, and I knew she'd made it in.

I began to pace the carpet, fuming about the events of the night. My right hand throbbed with the memory of punching that asshole in the face, and I didn't regret the bruises already forming.

A sudden weird sound had me pausing, and I strained to listen. When I heard a second choked-back sob echo in the bathroom, I was opening the door and striding in there without even thinking about it. I pushed the shower door open and saw Dela huddled up on the floor, arms around her knees as she sobbed as quietly as possible.

I knelt down, not caring about the water ruining my expensive suit, and took her in my arms. She wrapped her arms around my neck and buried her face in my shoulder, her body shaking with her tears as she let it all out.

"Shh, baby, I've got you. You're safe." I repeated those words over and over, holding her tight to me and petting her hair. I was practically vibrating with the need to go and kill Chester, but knowing that Dela needed me here more kept my ass plastered to the bottom of the tub.

The water had started to cool by the time Dela lifted her head from my shoulder, her hazel eyes now a muddy color but no less beautiful for the torment in them. She sniffled and reached up to rub her eyes, clearing them a bit as she finally focused on me. She looked down at herself and I saw a blush rise on her cheeks when she realized she was naked, in my arms, while I was fully dressed and now soaking wet.

Despite the unholy temptation to glance down and take in her body for myself, I kept my eyes focused on hers. I needed her to trust me right now more than I needed to see her bare skin, and I wanted her to know that.

"Come on Dela, let's get you out of her and into something warm." I kept my voice soft and reassuring, and I waited for her nod of assent before clasping her against my chest as I stood.

She let out an adorable little squeak when I lifted her, and automatically wrapped her legs and arms tight around me. I held back a groan at the feeling of having her pressing against me. I needed to focus on getting her what she needed, not what my body wanted. Desperately.

I leaned over to shut the water off and stepped out, not caring about the water dripping from us as I headed back into my room. I reached behind my door and pulled my robe off the hook, awkwardly placing it around Dela's shoulders while I held her.

"You're going to have to let go of me," I said in a gently teasing voice.

She hesitated, then loosened her grip on my body. She slid down, and I bit my tongue as she rubbed against my dick that was unmistakably hard. Just because I knew I wasn't going to be doing anything with her tonight, it didn't mean my dick knew that. We both ignored him however, and I wrapped her up in my robe while I pretended not to notice her body.

I brought her over to a chair and had her sit down. "Stay there, I'll be right back."

I hurried into my closet and stripped off the ruined clothing, leaving it on the floor to deal with later. i quickly changed into some sweats and t-shirt and made my way back out to Dela.

Stepping out of my closet, my eyes locked with Dela's in the mirror I'd sat her in front of. Her face was still slightly red from her crying, but her eyes seemed to hold more cognizance than before which I was immensely grateful for.

I held her gaze as I moved toward her, letting the silence between us hang there, the tension in the air there but set to the side. I stepped up behind her and lifted my hands, cautiously placing them on her shoulders. When she didn't flinch or back away from me, I knew she was going to be okay.