DEMI
"Ashley?"
I take tentative steps into his bedroom as I call out to him. This will be my second time in here and I am very wary of making another blunder. Thankfully, there's no other brother in sight. I know he's alone in here. Except for Ashal who is still receiving treatment in his room, the other two brothers are with father in his study.
"Ashley? Where are you?" The sound of the shower tells me he is probably in the bathroom. I decide to leave and come back when a thought crosses my mind. There are definitely no cameras in here and I may never get a chance to rummage through his half open drawers again. Inhaling, I sidle towards the drawers and slide them fully open. The bottom drawers mostly contain his briefs and socks. I quickly work my way up without messing his neatly arranged underclothes.
The next set of drawers are locked except for one. When I pull it open, my jaw drops at the number of adult toys in there from prostrate massagers to cock rings. Cautiously, I pick one up and gape in astonishment.
"Find what you were looking for?"
I turn around sharply, startled to find Ashley fresh from the shower with only a towel around his waist. I flush red on my cheeks as his sultry eyes rake my body. His wet hair and the water shimmering on his hairy chest makes my heart thud widely in my chest.
Slowly, he makes his way to me with a mischievous grin on his handsome face.
"I-I need help with m-my styling t-tomorrow." I manage to stutter. Ashley is so close to me now with our belly buttons grazing. He smells very good and his breath in my ear tingles my skin.
"Is that really all you want?" His hand closes around the blowjob simulator in my hand. "That's not for you but I have an entire collection guaranteed to make even a nun scream in pleasure."
Embarrassed, I try to leave only to be trapped by Ashley's body.
"Ash, please. I'll come back later." I hate how breathless I sound.
"I'm already here now. Why don't we start." He trails wet kisses down my neck and my nipples go hard as a rock. I want to push him away but then he starts nibbling on my throat. A soft moan escapes my lips. I turn away when he tries to kiss my lips.
"This doesn't have to mean anything. Just close your eyes and feel."
Before I can respond, he captures my lips in his. My head falls back in delight. Somewhere in my head, I try to justify this as a way of distracting him from the fact that he just found me going through his things. I also throw in our legal marriage to the mix. The bubble busts when his cold hands scrape over my thighs and try to pick me off the floor.
"I c-can't." I gently push him away. Ashley's eyes darken.
"Do I really repulse you?"
"You know we can't do this."
"I know we can. WE'RE MARRIED FOR GOODNESS SAKE."
"Don't start this, Ashley. We're not that kind of couple."
He yanks my arm when I try to leave. "And exactly what kind of a couple are we? The type where you can't stand your own husband's touch because of your moral high ground but you have no problem throwing caution to the wind when it comes to his brother?" He doesn't look surprised at my shocked expression. "Would you have stopped me if I was Ashton?"
I wrench my arm away from him. "You have the wrong idea. I didn't stop you because I want to experience this with any of your brothers."
"Then why did you stop me, Demi? Your body clearly wants this."
"I'M NOT ONE OF YOUR SEXUAL CONQUESTS, ASHLEY. I am not the type of woman that is content with being touched by a man who doesn't love me or I him? Yes, I am a woman and I have needs but random sex with a man who's still very much a stranger to me isn't my style. I'm sorry."
"What do you want then? Love and commitment?"
"Maybe."
Something painful flits in his eyes. He looks away and slams his drawers shut. "I already have your outfits for the week picked out. Stop by tomorrow morning and I'll help you."
Relief floods through me. I wish I can thank him with a hug but I don't want any misconceptions.
"Thank you, Ashley." He barely acknowledges me with a dismissive wave. I feel stupid leaving but I do anyway. I can't help but wonder why he reacted that way regarding the love and commitment phrase. Are they really so strange to him?
The very next morning, Ashley keeps to his word and styles me. He is surprisingly in a better mood and doesn't make me feel awkward about our encounter the previous night. When I step up to the full-length mirror to behold my look, I gasp at the elegance of the knee skimming dress.
"Are those heels comfortable?" Ashley inquires.
"Yeah. I love them." He comes up behind me in the mirror. "Thank you, Ashley. I mean it." He only winks at me.
"How's Ashal?"
"Much better."
I wish someone would tell me more about his condition and why he is in that state.
"It's been over a week. Can I see him? Please?" Ashley looks uncertain. "He was kind to me that day. He wanted to console me when I came home crying after the blogs compared me to Mila and Nicola. Ashal didn't want to leave me by myself but he had something pressing to get to. That was the last time I saw him. I don't understand what went wrong and why he has been in a bad condition all these days. Please, let me see him once."
Ashley exhales. "Fine. Just a few minutes, okay? He needs his rest."
"Was he in an accident?"
Ashley doesn't take the bait as he escorts me to Ashal's room. When we get there, I am surprised to find Ashal sitting up in bed with a headphone on. He seems to be rounding off a session with a therapist. His eyes look tired as they light up in a smile the minute he sees me.
"Ashal" Relieved, I stretch out a hand to meet his halfway and squeeze. "Dear lord, I've missed you."
"I've missed you too, Demi." He props a pillow and sits upright. "You look spiffy. First day of work, I hear?" I give him a small twirl that makes even Ashley smile. "Wow, you've outdone yourself, Ash." He tells his brother.
Ashley shrugs.
I crawl into bed with Ashal. "I have to go now but I'll come hang out and play games with you when I return. You can't refuse."
"I'll look forward to it."
I press a kiss to his forehead, pat his cheeks and leave both brothers alone.
Rollins HQ is clearly as advertised; a huge glass skyscraper that goes all the way up sixty floors. Inside, there are sprawling hallways with hundreds of workers cordoned off by their fairly sized cubicles. Different departments occupy different floors all connected by the bank of elevators. I ride the executive elevator in silence with Mr. Rollins and Asher all the way to the last floor where every other business is supervised, monitored and controlled.
When the doors open, we are greeted by cheerful faces resplendent in their corporate attires. Even the janitor here looks like a boss.
"Good morning, Mr. Rollins." A young, handsome man walks up to us and shakes hands with father. His hair is cropped low on his head. He looks impeccable in a navy-blue suit.
"Good morning, Josh."
Josh? As in the Josh Randall that Asher can't stand? I smother a grin behind a fake cough when Josh totally ignores Asher's bland face to say hello to me. He gives me a firm handshake as he welcomes me to work. I immediately see why Asher doesn't like this young man; he feels threatened by him. Josh might be an attention seeker but he does get the attention he seeks. He has a way of winning hearts with the little gestures. Even though his smile looks practiced, I am lost in the charm of it.
Mr. Rollins continues to his office after introducing me as Demi Branson to his employees. At the snap of Josh's fingers, two ladies march out holding a mini cake and a candle.
"HQ tradition for your first day at work." At this point, Asher snorts and heads for his office. I blow out my candle and bask under the cheerful smiles and applause I am showered. I think I will love it here.
"Hi, I'm Nessa. I'll show you to your office."
"I get to have an office?" I ask the beautiful lady in a snug red dress and gold rimmed heels. She chuckles at my naivety.
"You're the daughter-in-law of the Rollins family. Of course, you get your own office even if you're only an intern for now." She winks at me as she leads me through a maze of offices and over the hum of machines and whispers. We finally arrive.
"This is your little corner over here. Mine is right over there if you need anything." I smile contentedly at my space. It's already pre-decorated in a minimalist fashion with just the right amount of office stationery.
"Whose office is that?" I ask, gaping at the beautiful interior visible through the open door. Before Nessa can reply, Asher walks up to the door and slams it shut. "Never mind."
Nessa's eyebrows wing up. "Are you two having issues?"
I shrug. "Not everyone is thrilled about me being here. There are some who consider me unqualified even as an intern. I intend to work hard and prove them wrong."
"NESSA" Asher calls from within his office.
"Is he stupid? Doesn't he have a landline to make that call?"
Nessa rubs my shoulders. "Try to settle in. We're glad to have you." She blows me kisses and dashes off to attend to her grumpy boss.
Few hours into my day and I have already had numerous employees come in to make an introduction. Apparently, Alfie is the tech guy to report any faulty appliance to. Blake is my go-to girl for office gossip. Minni always has best restaurant recommendations for staff lunches and dinners. Nate is open to give advice on any relationship squabbles I might have and the list goes on. When someone raps on my door, I am just about to thank them in advance and dismiss whatever they've come to say when I see Josh.
"Hi."
"Hi" I reply to him.
"How's it going so far?" His hands are in his pocket as he comes around my table to peer at my computer. Nosy much? I think.
"Erm, I have been trying to finish editing a report on an excel spreadsheet."
"Need any help?"
"Oh no, I've got it. Thanks."
Why do all the men around me smell heavenly, except Iman of course.
"You let me know if there's anything I can do to assist you."
"Thank you."
"Do you have plans for lunch? You're welcome to join father…I mean Mr. Rollins and I. We always enjoy meals from a place called soul foods. Their food and service are top-notch."
"I don't know. I'll have to ask Minni."
"I see you've met some of the staff. Minni is a food connoisseur. Plot twist, she discovered soul foods for all of us here. It's just a little pricier for most of them but not us." He smiles broadly.
Us? I think. How can he constantly afford it if the others can't? He's probably paid extremely well or maybe father covers his bills at lunch.
"I guess you're right. Thank you for offering but it's my first day and I didn't want to waste time worrying about where to have lunch so I brought some from home. You're welcome to join me." I dig into my bag and set my lunchbox on my desk for him to see. He chuckles.
"That's really impressive. I think you'll rise up the corporate ladder around here faster with that attitude. I know I did." With one last wink, he walks away. I can't tell if he's being genuine or keeping an eye on me.
I barely have time to finish my lunch as Asher has Nessa bring a pile of files to me to make more reports on. I know he is trying to frustrate me but I refuse to complain or give him the satisfaction of watching me break a sweat. Nessa apologizes every time she returns with more work.
When mother calls to ask how my first day is going, I cheerfully inform her of all the positive highlights of my day. Aunt also calls and I reiterate the same thing but with even more enthusiasm. My call is interrupted by the jarring tone of the landline in my office. I hang up and take the call. Asher bellows an order at me. I can't believe what a dick he is being right now.
When I go to his office as he demanded, the first thing he does is warn me never to enter without knocking first. Before I can dignify his outrage with a response, he jabs a finger to his computer screen and calls the reports I have turned in hot, steaming piles of corporate rubbish.
"Do you really suck this bad at being a mere intern? If you didn't know what to do, why the hell didn't you ask? Your pride will only get you fired here, Demi."
"I doubt that. You've been working here for years. Pride seems to be the only thing fueling your position right now." Asher's frown gives me sterling pleasure.
"You better watch your mouth, Branson."
"It's Mrs. Rollins actually." I step close to him. "You can't intimidate me into quitting Asher. I know you hate me and you hate that I have intruded your corporate haven. I don't understand why you feel threatened but I have only one advice for you; stay out of my way. If you continue to treat me badly and tell lies about my impeccable reporting skills, I might have to file a report against you."
He laughs. "You think you can actually do that?"
"I bet if you spend less time thinking of ways to get under my skin and more time worrying about being the best at what you do, then people like Josh Randall wouldn't be able to hold a candle to you." His face hardens at the mention of that name. It is as I guessed. Asher indeed feels threatened by Josh. It's marveling. Josh might be a few things but, in my estimation, being the son of the owner of the damn company trumps all that. Why then is the mighty Asher ruffled by a mere employee?
"Get back to those reports and do them all over again!" Asher barks at me.
"I already did them. I won't be redoing them until I am told what I didn't get right."
"I'll help you."
Josh is at the door again. Momentarily, I wonder if he doesn't have an actual office or work to get done which will explain the amount of free time he has to sneak up on other people. Now, this I agree is annoying about Josh. However, I have an idea to annoy Asher.
"Oh, thank you for offering, Josh. You're a gem." The second I turn to follow Josh, Asher grabs my arm.
"You will do no such thing. She's an intern directly under me. You'll not interfere with her training."
"How am I interfering with her training when all I want to do is save her time and energy by eliminating the guess work in her job description?"
"I'm her boss. I decide how she learns."
I watch both men trade heated glares.
"Thank you, Josh. I'll figure it out."
"Are you sure?" Josh asks.
"Yes."
I leave them to their staring contest.
Kira keeps blowing my phone all day, reminding me to keep my end of the bargain or our deal will fall through. After work, I politely ask Asher to give me a ride to my aunt's place to pick up a few things before we head home. He means to decline until I casually throw in that Josh already offered but I declined.
When we pull up in front of my home, Asher pretends it's his first time here. One look at him and I recall Kira's words that Asher had paid them a visit to discuss getting rid of me. I grit my teeth to rein in my temper and usher him in. Kira is all dressed in a skimpy outfit. She stretches her glossy lips in a smile as she welcomes Asher home. I really don't care at this point. They do deserve each other.
Aunt pulls me inside to ask about work. I don't get why she's being so dramatic. I assure her that I had a great first day. She wants to know which brother I brought along and when I mention Asher, a thin smile envelops her face. So, she's well aware of Kira's plan?
I get a message from Ashal reminding me of my promise the same time as Ashley asking how my day was. There's nothing from Ashton, not even an emoji. Sighing, I head back into the sitting room hoping against hope that I don't find Kira and Asher kissing. Thankfully, they're not. They're standing close to each other but only because Asher is peering intently at Kira's phone screen. My blood chills when Asher flashes the picture of the little incident with Iman in the alley. I should have known Kira wouldn't delete it as she promised.
Aunt gasps I shock at the sight of the picture.
"You slut!" Asher growls at me.