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“Sophie, I know Carlyle has clearly been imbuing you with a false sense of confidence, and Christo further bolstered your ego by allowing your impudence, but if you continue to speak to me that way, I will bend you over this desk and spank you until you cry.”
Jesus. Fucking. Christ.
What was she even supposed to say to that?
She felt her face burning bright red with humiliation at the very suggestion of Alex Roth spanking her. He seemed to be utterly serious about the threat too. He did not break eye contact for a single second, holding her gaze until she broke it and looked at the carpet.
“I don't think that’s an appropriate way to speak to a subordinate.”
“Feel free to report me to your HR rep. On the junior floor, I believe that’s Ellen.”
“The junior floor?”
“That’s what we call the fifth floor. Better than what we used to call it.”
“And what was that?”
“The playpen.”
She was insulted, embarrassed, and turned the fuck on for reasons she was sure Amanda would have an absolute field day untangling if Sophie had any intention of telling her therapist this ever happened.
“I’m not that young. I’m twenty-four. And I am qualified for my position, even if you don't like the way I do it. Carlyle does. He’s been very encouraging.”
“Mr. Carlyle is a nice guy,” Alex said, emphasizing Carlyle's title. “I am not. And though you may report directly to Mr. Carlyle, you’re not immune from me, Miss Pierce.”
So this was just a dressing down. There was no real content to the meeting, except for making her feel small and naughty. He seemed to be enjoying watching her squirm.
“I will see what Carlyle says about the Apex policy on corporal punishment. And then I will see what the state of New York says about it,” she said, trying to regain her composure. Alex was obviously trying to intimidate her — and though she had fucked up almost everything she had worked on one way or another, he wasn’t talking about her job performance. He had a problem with her attitude.
“Feel free to do both,” Alex said in a way which strongly suggested he didn’t give a fuck who she told. “But come here and put yourself over my desk first.”
“What?” The heat was back in her face.
“You have a mouth and an attitude on you that I have no intention of letting go unchallenged. If Carlyle is going to pull from the playpen, he needs to make sure his babies know how to behave.”
“I’m not a baby,” she gritted out between her teeth.
Alex stood up behind his desk. He was fucking tall. She’d almost forgotten how goddamn tall he was. The problem with corporate life was that people were always sitting down.
Alex pointed to his desk.
“Come here and bend over.” It was an order he clearly expected to have obeyed. It was also thoroughly silly.
“This isn’t the 1950’s. I’m not some secretary you can put over your knee…”
“That’s a good idea. Put you over my knee,” he smiled darkly. “Let’s start with the desk.”
“No. Of course I’m not going to do that. No.”
Even as she refused, she found herself taking steps forward, as if his crooked finger was some kind of tractor beam device. Obeying Alex felt natural. Maybe he was exploiting his position of power. Or maybe he was just magnetic.
“You are going to do it. And I will tell you why. Ever since you got here, you've known your work has been substandard. But Carlyle hasn't called you out on it. Instead, he’s given you even more responsibilities. He’s brought you into matters far above your pay grade. But you know, and I know, that you don't really belong outside the playpen. And you know you deserve to be disciplined for the mistakes you’ve made.”
He was speaking directly to the inside of her, all the thoughts she’d been trying to hide from everyone at the company from the beginning. He saw them as if they were displayed over her head in bright neon.
“Bend over, little girl,” he ordered. “You’ll feel better once this is over.”
She didn’t know if that was true. But he had walked around the desk, and he was looking down at her with those seductively dark eyes. His presence was so physically compelling she could feel herself reacting to it on the most chemical and carnal of levels.
Was he going to fuck her?
Was she going to let him?
No. She couldn't become an easy conquest for the COO. Her career would be over the second that happened.
“Do you do this to all the new hires? Like Christo? Do you think I’m here to play with?”
Three questions of resistance, and she was proud of all of them. Sophie was so close to losing control. She was…
Alex put his hand between her shoulder blades and pressed her forward gently but firmly until her chest met the desk. She felt her ass sticking out behind her in a way that felt lewd and exposed.
