Chapter 1
Haley sat at her desk. Her finger tapped the wooden surface as she attempted to give herself the courage to ask for a raise.
She had worked at the advertising company for five years now. She always showed up. Never objected when she was asked to work overtime. Her pitches were amazing. Many of them led to boundless sales and high ratings. She never missed the target audience.
And now she was moving into a new place and she could really use the extra money. The problem was… her boss.
Her boss, Doran, was extremely handsome and perfect on the outside. Something she noticed the first day she met him. But that was where his perfection ended. Because on the inside, he was a complete asshole.
He constantly ran her down. Never complimented her work. Always had something to say about it. Always had something he wanted to change to make it better. And with him, you couldn’t say no. It was his way or the highway. He fired Gary just the other day because he arrived two minutes late.
Doran made the whole work environment stressful. That was exactly why she had never asked for a raise before now. She hated interacting with him.
At the same time, she knew if she didn’t ask for a raise, there was no way in hell he was ever going to give her one.
She would do it. She told herself the worst he could do was say no. So why was she hesitating?
To be honest, Doran was an intimidating man. He stood tall at 6’4”. He had jet black hair. A goatee to match. And his icy blue eyes were always looking at her like they were piercing directly into her soul.
His stare made her uncomfortable. That in turn made it hard for her to stand up to him. Every time he met her with that stare, she felt like she wanted to run the other way.
“That’s stupid,” she said out loud to herself. She knew it was stupid but she couldn’t help how he made her feel. She wasn’t the only one in the office intimidated by him. They all were. And knowing him, he probably loved it. He was sadistic like that.
“Just do it,” she said and pushed herself from her desk. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail. She was dressed in a navy blue skirt with a matching blazer over her light blue blouse. Her high heels clicked over the hard floor as she reached for the door to her office and pulled it open.
It was almost 5 PM. Nearly time for everyone to go home. She told herself that waiting until the end of the day was best. Maybe Doran would agree just so that he didn’t have to deal with her for too long. But she also waited until late because she kept putting it off. This was the third day she said she was going to do it.
Well like they say, third time’s a charm.
She approached his office and knocked on the glass door. She could see him through the glass. He was seated at his desk, staring out the window. Of course his office had the best view in the entire building.
He turned his head and met her with that icy stare. She felt the urge to look away but she knew she had to be strong. If she showed any signs of weakness, he definitely wouldn’t give her the raise.
When he beckoned her in with his fingers, she pushed down the door handle and stepped inside.
“You need to speak with me?” he asked. His tone was as arrogant as ever. As if he was the king of this office and she was a mere peasant.
“Uh, yeah. Yes. I came to talk to you about something,” she said. She pushed the door closed behind her and approached his desk.
Annoyance came over Doran’s face. That was nothing new. Haley couldn’t remember a time she had seen this man smile. A smirk, maybe, but never a genuine smile.
“Well spit it out. What do you want to talk about?”
The stern way he was looking at her made her rethink this decision. She wanted to turn and retreat. He was never going to give her the raise. Who was she kidding? The most she would get was fired for even asking.
“Miss Craven, if you’ve come to stand in my office like a useless lump, I have better things to do with my time,” said Doran.
“No, sorry,” said Haley quickly. Dammit, she had come this far, she might as well spit it out. “I’m here because I wanted to ask about a raise. You see, I’m moving into a new apartment near Central Park. And I’ve been here for five years now. I’m a hard worker. You, yourself, have chosen several of my pitches. A raise could really help me out.”
After the words were out of her mouth, she realized she probably could have worded that differently. The look Doran was giving her only amplified that feeling. He wasn’t going to do it. He was going to laugh in her face and tell her to get out.
“Your pitches are good…” he said.
Haley raised her eyebrows in surprise. That was the first time he ever complimented her work. She didn’t know what to say. All she could think of was, “Thank you.”
“But a raise? Mike’s been here two years longer than you and I haven’t given him a raise. Why should you get one?”
Haley instantly felt put on the spot. What did she say to that? She glanced over her shoulder, through the glass window, at Mike, who had indeed been working there longer than her, but didn’t even have his own office. He was still seated in a cubicle.
“Because… I’m a better worker than Mike. I have better numbers. How many pitches has Mike given you and you turned down?”
It seemed she found that courage she’d been looking for. And Doran looked impressed. He nodded his head slightly in agreement.
“I can’t argue with that,” he said.
“So don’t I deserve a raise?” asked Haley.
“Deserve…” said Doran, and he rose from his desk. Even in heels, he towered over her. “There are a lot of things you can do to deserve a raise.”
He came around the desk, and Haley’s courage was waning. She felt the urge to look away from him but she knew that was probably what he wanted. He got off on intimidating people. He got off on making everyone feel lesser than him. She didn’t want to give him that satisfaction today. She stood her ground.
“And I’ve done those things. Name a harder worker than me,” she said.
“Kiki works hard,” said Doran. He was now standing directly in front of her.
“Kiki’s an intern,” said Haley. What did his intern have to do with this?
“That’s besides the point. She works her ass off every single day. And all she wants is a shot at working here. She’s not asking for a raise.”
Haley frowned. For a moment there, she thought he might actually give her what she wanted. Now, she realized he was just toying with her.
“You know what? Forget it. Forget I asked,” she said, and turned to leave. She was surprised when she felt a firm grip on her arm.
“I didn’t say no.”
Haley turned to look at him. Her eyes narrowed. “You may as well have.”
“I’ve never seen you this way before,” said Doran.
“What way?” she asked, her tone short.
“So fiery. I pegged you more as the mousy quiet type.”
Haley pulled her arm free of his grasp. “Shows how much you know about the people working for you.”
Doran scoffed. “I know as much as I need to know. And if you want the raise, you’ll have to work for it. I don’t hand raises out to anyone who asks.”
Haley couldn’t believe him. Hadn’t she shown that she deserved the raise? What more did he want her to do? Did he want her to live at the office? She already dedicated most of her life to her job.
“I’ve already worked for it,” she said.
“I mean, a different kind of work,” said Doran.
His gaze lowered and there was a new look in those piercing blue eyes. A hungry look. Like he was undressing her with his eyes. It made Haley feel uncomfortable.
“What do you mean?” she asked hesitantly.
“You’re beautiful, do you know that? You would look even better with your hair down,” he said.
He was hitting on her. Doran Hammel was hitting on her. What the heck? What did she even say to that?!
“What does that have to do with…” she began but he interrupted her.
“A beautiful, smart girl like you, I bet you can figure it out.”
He smirked. A devilish kind of smirk. And Haley did figure it out. Was he talking about having sex? She wasn’t going to fuck him for a raise!
“What? No. No way! I can’t believe you’d even ask that!”
“Do you want the raise or not?” he asked. His goatee somehow made that smirk look even more sinister. All he needed was a top hat and he could be an evil villain from an old movie.
“Not if that’s how I have to get it! I’m done here.” She turned to leave.
“Better start packing your stuff then,” he said from behind her.
Wait. What? She faced him once more. “What do you mean? Pack?”
“You’re fired,” he said simply.
Haley’s breath caught in her throat. He couldn’t be serious. He couldn’t fire her for not agreeing to fuck him!
“You can’t do that. I’ll–I’ll tell someone…” she said, panicked.
“Who are you going to tell? I’m the CEO here. I can fire you for whatever reason I want,” he said.
She knew he was right. If she told someone, would they believe her? And even if they did, what could be done? Doran ran this entire company. There was no one above him. No one could touch him.
“So you’re just going to fire me because I won’t have sex with you?”
“Yes,” he said without remorse. “Or… you could hear me out and agree to the terms of your raise.”
Haley couldn’t believe this was actually happening. She knew asking for a raise was a bad idea. Why had she done it? Why didn’t she just stay in her office far away from this perverted bastard? She would have been better off.
Now, what could she do? Refuse him and get fired? Or go along with him. Would he give her the raise, if she did? There was no way to be sure.
“What do you want me to do?” she asked. Shame came over her. She couldn’t believe she was even considering it. But her job was everything. If she lost it, it wouldn’t be easy finding another one. She definitely wouldn’t be moving into that new apartment with the incredible view that she loved. If anything, she’d have to downsize, and her current apartment was already small enough.
“I knew you’d come to your senses,” said Doran. “What I want you to do is obey me.”
“Obey you?” she asked, skeptical. She wasn’t a fucking dog.
“Yes. During the next few days, I’ll be testing you with some… tasks. Now they’re not the tasks you might imagine. They’re more… intimate in nature. But if you go along with my little tasks, I’ll give you your raise. It’s as simple as that.”
As simple as that. Yeah, right. Haley wanted to tell him to fuck off and walk out the door. She could even picture herself doing it. But she knew better. Whatever these intimate tasks were, she had to go along with them. She could not lose her job.
“Fine,” she agreed. She couldn’t hide the irritation in her voice. She really didn’t want to do this. She had no idea what the tasks might be. What if they were something humiliating? Her reputation at work was very important to her.
But what was the other option? Refuse him and get fired? Spend the next several days looking for a new job. Looking and hoping, because she doubted he would give her a reference.
“Don’t look so down. You’ll like the tasks. But remember, you must go along with them. No matter when, no matter what. You will obey my every word. Do you understand?” said Doran.
He was looking at her with that damn piercing stare. How he could make her feel small with just a stare alone, she didn’t know. She felt like a little kid again, getting a scolding from her parents.
“I understand,” she said, reluctantly.
“Good. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He stepped over to the door and pulled it open for her like a gentleman. It was a façade. There was nothing gentlemanly about that man. He was the complete opposite of a gentleman.
She left work that day and couldn’t help but wonder what she had just got herself into. Just what exactly did Doran have planned for her when she returned tomorrow morning?
