Forbidden Fantasies

Threat

RHYS

"You are back, sir… I mean, Mr. Redmond." Kira beams when I get back to the office.

What is she still doing here? I put off returning until the end of her workday, hoping not to bump into her again. My assistant has occupied my mind more often lately, the temptation weighing on me by the hour. I know if I keep seeing her, I will end up doing something regrettable.

When I see her purse at the end of the desk, it’s a relief. She won’t be staying long, it seems. Almost as soon as I think it, Kira stands. "I’ll be off now. See you tomorrow, Mr. Redmond."

I grunt in response. I’ve only made it a few steps when she calls, "I almost forgot, you have a message from Claude."

Instead of circling her desk, she bends over it to retrieve a Post-it attached to the corner. It’s only a fraction of a second, but time seems to have slowed down. Her knee-length skirt hikes up slightly, and all I can think about is her in an even shorter shirt, bent over my desk with those long strands of blond hair wrapped around my fist.

Kira straightens up, reading from the Post-it. "Miss Claude wants to…"

"Shred it," I bite out through gritted teeth.

My assistant, who is competent most of the time, gawks at me in confusion. "This little piece of paper?"

"Are you an i***t?"

"She wants your opinion on the venue for your engagement party," Kira delivers the very message I just told her to shred.

My day was already hard enough without having to deal with Claude’s whims. "Next time, don’t bother me with spam messages."

For a moment, Kira stands there, staring at me in shock. I turn and head into my office, shutting the door behind me. Right before the door clicks shut, I overhear what sounds like ‘she’s your fiancé, you asshole’ from Kira. She’s bad at keeping her feelings to herself, even worse at mumbling under her breath.

It makes me chuckle—the umpteenth sign that I should see a shrink. I’ve been wanting to fire Kira since the first day she started working for me. Although she does her job better than any assistant I’ve had at Phoenix Industries, that sharp tongue should have been my excuse to show her the door.

Yet, here I am, getting a boner from the thought of the wicked tongue doing more naughty things.

______

It doesn’t take long for Kira to deliver another message about Claude. She stands timidly close to the door, as though ready to bolt away should I lunge at her. Does she take me for a beast?

She is probably right, considering how short and tight her skirts have been getting in my thoughts. The mention of Claude is enough to cool down the raging boner I’ve had since I walked by my assistant’s desk and caught a glimpse of her red lipstick.

"She’s here," Kira reports before I can remind her what I said about Claude’s messages.

Seeing my expression, Kira stutters. "Should I…tell her you’re in a meeting?"

"Let her in," I say.

As Kira leaves, I get the sudden urge to explain myself. But why does it matter? She’s my assistant, not my wife. It’s not her business what or who I do.

A few minutes later, the woman I’ve been avoiding like the plague struts in, decked in a black mini-dress and heels half a foot off the floor. She’s a beautiful woman, probably one I would have been interested in if she weren’t part of the Gallo family.

I stay behind my desk, but she still beams when she sees me. "I was starting to think you were avoiding me."

"No s**t?"

Claude sits on the opposite chair, crossing her legs at the knees. "Since you are so busy, I’ll get straight to the point. When are we going to start planning our wedding?"

My pen nearly breaks from how hard I’m gripping it. "Never. We are not getting married."

It’s not the first time I’m telling her this. Sometimes I want to wring her neck, but her life is not worth ending the decade-long alliance between me and the Gallos. Although, if the Gallo family keeps trying to force me down the aisle with their daughter, they won’t like how it ends.

Renato Gallo knows his family has been gaining the most benefit from said alliance lately. He wants it to stay that way for the foreseeable future, hence his desperation to push his daughter into marrying me.

Sure enough, Claude doesn’t back down when I give her my answer. She maintains her calm. "Why not? Our fathers have already done so much to make the wedding perfect."

"Maybe we should buy suits and rings for our fathers, then. They would make such a cute couple."

Claude stands, no longer concealing the anger on her face. "You don’t strike me as the kind of man who believes in love, so you’re definitely not waiting for a Miss Perfect to appear from the skies and steal your heart with one glance. It doesn’t matter who your wife is, so why can’t it be me? Do you hate me so much?"

I know the kind of marriage we would end up having—a business arrangement with each of us minding their own business. It wouldn’t get in the way of my plans, but I would rather get entangled in a fake marriage with my annoying assistant. I entertained the thought for a while, but a few hours was all it took to realize what a horrible idea it was. The Gallos could use her against me, and that’s not even the worst possible outcome.

I avoid Claude’s question. "Whatever plans you have for an imaginary wedding, cancel them. It will never happen. Close the door on your way out."

Claude narrows her eyes, looking like she wants to slap me, but she merely huffs. "You will regret this."

I highly doubt it, but whatever floats her boat.

My personal phone rings just as I get back to work, and I’m surprised to see Shane’s name on the screen.

"Did you find out something else?"

"Sorry to disappoint, but the check on your assistant came out clean as a whistle. Seriously, she’s never even had a parking ticket." He drones on. "But you know what they say about such angelic perfect people. They don’t exist, so I’m looking into it with a high-definition lens."

There’s no guarantee the angel in question isn’t listening in through the door, so I lower my voice. "What about the school records?"

"That was just a way to decorate her CV. I found out where she went to school and it checks out."

Like Shane, I’m still not convinced. There are only two kinds of people who would go to such great lengths to hide their true selves, and it’s time to find out which one Kira is.

"Another message arrived for you," Kira reports, her face immediately flushing when I glare at her. "Not from Claude. I opened it to find out if it was urgent."

As she speaks, she places a white envelope before me. The message is written in Russian. It’s a threat, but Kira doesn’t look fazed in the slightest.

"I take it you don’t understand the language?" I ask just in case.

She laughs awkwardly. "I’ve only ever learned two languages in my life." She waits for a moment before asking, "Should I find a translator to…"

"No need. It’s just a yapping dog." I cut her off, crumbling the paper. "I have something else for you to do."

I scribble my address on a sheet of paper and give it to her. The woman scans it and looks at me with that blank expression.

"What is this for?"

I give her my car keys. "I forgot important documents at home. Blue folder; it’s on my desk in the study."

Kira stares at the fob like it’s a bomb about to explode in her hands.

"Can’t you drive?"

"That’s not it…" she starts stuttering and rambling again. "What if I…get into an accident and ruin your car? I could never afford the repairs. And if I…"

I facepalm. "That’s what insurance is for."

"But I…"

I sigh in exhaustion. This woman is going to drive me crazy. I dig into my pockets for my wallet and give her a few bills instead. "Then take a cab."

She rushes off in relief.

Most of my secrets lie in my home, especially in the study. If Kira is a spy, sending her there is akin to giving her the key to a treasure trove. I want to know what she is after.

Because there’s no way that woman’s name is Kira Davidson.

I straighten the piece of paper from earlier and re-read the message.

[Hand over the Petrov Princess or die.]