2: Everyone Has a Price
1178 Words
Alan pov
Hazel Mango or whatever her last name is, can’t quit.
It’s not because of her curves, though I notice them every damn day.
The way her skirt clings when she bends, the way she ties her hair up so tight it makes me wonder what it would look like loose. She’s the kind of woman you don’t forget when she leaves a room. But that isn’t why I can’t let her go.
It’s because no one works like she does. I fired ten secretaries in one day once. None of them could keep up. Hazel knew everything. She memorised my schedule, smoothed over clients when I pissed them off, had things done before I even asked. She’s the only one who could survive me.
And now she thinks she can walk out.
The door opened. I straightened, ready to snap, ready to tell her I knew she’d come back to her senses.
But it wasn’t Hazel. It was Kade Dalton.
He strolled in like he owned the place, smirk on his face, hands in his pockets.
“Yo,” he said. “Who messed with you this time?”
I leaned back in my chair and clenched my jaw. “Hazel quit.”
Kade whistled low and tilted his head. “Hazel? The one with the really nice ass?”
I slammed my palm on the desk and stood. “Don’t f*****g talk about her like that.”
He held up his hands. “Relax. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
I raked a hand through my hair, pacing the room. My chest felt tight. “Five years she’s been here. She just threw it all in my face. Called me controlling, arrogant, selfish. Like I don’t...” I cut myself off, grinding my teeth.
Kade watched me with raised brows. “She’s not wrong though.”
I stopped and glared at him. “Shut up, Kade.”
He shrugged and leaned against the wall. “I’m just saying, man. You scare the s**t out of everyone. You’re hard to deal with. Hazel lasted longer than anyone. Can’t blame her for snapping.”
I slammed the chair back under my desk, the wheels screeching. “You think I can’t blame her? She doesn’t get to quit me. People don’t quit me and it doesn't f*****g help that my father already..ugh..” I trailed off swiping everything off my desk with one hand.
Kade gave me that look, half amused, half serious. “And there it is. The famous Alan Wood temper.”
I picked up the pen on my desk and threw it across the room. It hit the wall with a sharp crack. My hands shook, my breath short. I wanted to break something more.
Kade pushed off the wall and walked closer. He clapped a hand on my shoulder. “You’ve got too much fire in you, man. It eats you up.”
“Don’t start,” I warned.
He grinned. “I know what you need.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What the f**k are you talking about?”
“You need to get laid,” he said simply.
I barked a laugh, humourless. “What the f**k, Kade?”
He tilted his head. “When’s the last time you got off? And don’t say jerking off in your office, because that doesn’t count.”
I stared at him, rage boiling in my chest.
He smirked. “Exactly. It’s been too long. No wonder you’re wound up tight as a drum. Hazel throws a few insults and you’re about ready to explode.”
I stepped closer, my glare sharp enough to cut. “She called me a bastard, controlling and and arrogant. You think that’s nothing?”
Kade lifted his shoulders. “They’re not lies.”
I clenched my fists. “You’re pushing it.”
“Truth hurts,” he said easily.
I turned away, breathing hard, my knuckles white. Every word Hazel threw at me still echoed in my head.
Kade shoved his hands back in his pockets and walked to the door. “I know a place,” he said casually. “Somewhere you can let it out. Might even make you forget Hazel for a while.”
I spun back toward him, my jaw tight. “Oh I'm not going to forget her, I'm going to make her f*****g pay she's going to regret f*****g pointing her f*****g fingers at me, I'll make her life hell, I'm make it miserable and I'll make her pay.”
Kade smirked, like he knew something I didn’t. “We’ll see.”
The car rolled up to the bar Kade wouldn’t shut up about. I stepped out, straightened my jacket, and felt eyes dart away the second I looked around. The bouncer rushed to open the door. The hostess nearly dropped her clipboard when she saw me. I didn’t say a word, just gave her a look that made her stammer as she led us inside.
Every head turned. Conversations dipped. That’s the effect I had everywhere. My name carried weight, but my presence carried more. People moved out of my way before I even reached them.
Kade nudged me with a grin. “Relax, man. You’re scaring them.”
“Good,” I muttered, my jaw tight.
The VIP section was dim, velvet-lined, and dripping with money. A server rushed over with a leather-bound catalog. I flicked through lazily, the pictures of masked women paraded like trophies. None of them caught my attention, until her.
Curves too perfect to ignore. Hips that begged for hands. Breasts full and round, straining against the glitter of her outfit. Even through the mask, I felt a pull. Something in the tilt of her chin, the way her body seemed alive in the still image.
“This one,” I said, tapping her photo.
The boss, a heavyset man with a cheap smile, hesitated. “Sir, she doesn’t do privates. She only dances. That’s her rule.”
I looked up slowly, fixing him with the stare that made grown men fold. “Everyone has a price.”
“She won’t break it,” he said, shaking his head.
“Fifty thousand.”
The room went silent. Kade let out a low whistle. The boss froze, his eyes wide.
“You heard me,” I said flatly. “Fifty thousand. For her.”
His lips twitched like he wanted to argue, but greed won. He nodded quickly, snapping at one of his men. “Prepare the room.”
I leaned back in the leather chair, loosening my tie. Kade sipped his drink with that damn smirk.
After a while, I found my way to the room they had prepared for me and soon enough, the door behind me opened. Heels clicked softly against the floor. I heard her before I saw her, a voice low and unncertain.
And then it hit me.
I turned my head slowly, my pulse hammering in my ears.
Am I hearing things… or did my secretary just walk into the room?
- Writer
