Owned by the CEO

A Dangerous Obsession

♥ Jethro ♥

Mandy curled her legs under her on the couch as she nursed a glass of wine like she owned the place.

“You know,” she said, as she tilted her head to look at me. “I have been in this penthouse hundreds of times, and yet it still doesn’t feel like home,”

“That’s because it isn’t your home,” I replied, as I poured myself a glass of whiskey.

“It isn’t yours either,” she pointed out, and I shot her a look over the rim of my glass.

“Careful, Mandy,” I warned, but as always, she wasn’t even listening. She never did.

“You don’t even live in the Sovereign Heights penthouse like people think you do. You live here, in your real one, like some secret villain in a spy movie,” she grinned as she swirled her wine. “And tonight, you couldn’t stop staring at Chloe Samuel,” the sound of her name on Mandy’s lips made my chest tighten.

“You are imagining things,” I said flatly, but Mandy raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, am I?”

“Yes,”

“Right. So, you didn’t spend the entire gala watching her like she was your next acquisition?”

“I didn’t,”

“Oh, and you didn’t practically growl when Juliette cornered her near the piano?”

“Mandy,” I warned. “Juliette didn’t corner anyone,”

“Really? And you didn’t burn holes through Victor and Sara every time they spoke to her?” I downed the rest of my whiskey and set the glass down with more force than necessary. Mandy smirked like she had won a small victory. “Well…Jethro, you are terrible at hiding it,”

“There is nothing to hide,” I stated, and she chuckled softly.

“Liar,” she said as she leaned forward. But then her features softened as she looked at me. “Look, I don’t know what is going on with you two. Maybe it’s just some hot little affair you are having to take the edge off your icy CEO persona—”

“It’s not like that,” I interrupted.

“Then what is it?” she asked. I poured myself another glass as the memory of our only kiss filled my mind. The way Chloe’s breath had caught when I had kissed her. The softness of her lips against mine. The sound she had made in her throat before she had pulled away. And, of course, the slap. Hell, I could still feel the sting of her hand against my cheek.

“It’s…” I paused as I searched for the words I had never said out loud before. “She is different. I can’t stop thinking about her. And not just in the obvious way,” Mandy’s eyes widened slightly.

“Obvious way?”

“You know what I mean,” I said as I waved my hand.

“Jethro, are you seriously confessing to me that you are attracted to your assistant?”

“It’s more than that,” I said as my voice dropped lower, heavier. “It’s possessive. Irrational. Dangerous,”

“Dangerous?”

“I don’t want her with anyone else. I don’t want her looking at anyone else. Hell, I don’t even want her speaking to anyone else if it’s not necessary,” I admitted. Mandy blinked at me like I had grown horns. I let out a frustrated breath and ran a hand down my face. “You wanted honesty. Well, there it is,” I wasn’t sure what to expect, but suddenly Mandy laughed. It wasn’t a small laugh. It was a full, loud, and unapologetic laugh that echoed throughout the penthouse.

“Oh my goodness, Jethro,” she gasped between giggles. “You are completely obsessed,”

“Don’t be so dramatic,”

“Obsessed, possessive, dangerous…your words, not mine,” she said before she took a small sip of her wine. “This is rich. The great Jethro Jotham has been brought to his knees by a woman,”

“I’m not on my knees,” I argued.

“Yet,” she said, and I glared at her.

“Mandy, you are enjoying this far too much,”

“You are damn right I am,” she said as she pointed her wine glass at me. “Now, I want you to listen to me, big brother…do not ruin a good thing,”

“There isn’t a good thing to ruin,”

“Not yet, maybe. But there could be. Chloe doesn’t seem like the kind of woman who is impressed by power or money. You are right about one thing…she isn’t like the others. She certainly isn’t like Juliette,”

“I know that,” I said quietly.

“Then don’t screw it up. And damnit, Jethro, dump the manipulative b***h,” she said and I raised an eyebrow.

“I assume you are referring to Juliette?”

“Obviously, Juliette,” Mandy rolled her eyes. “She is cold, calculated, and completely wrong for you. Everyone can see it except you. She doesn’t love you, Jethro. She loves being seen with you,” I didn’t respond. Because she wasn’t wrong. Juliette and I had been in a partnership more than a relationship. Convenient. Mutually beneficial. She played her role, and I played mine. But the thought of her standing next to me now felt, suffocating. And Chloe, she was something else entirely. Something I couldn’t afford to want. Mandy set her glass down and reached over to squeeze my hand. “You deserve more than this cold, lonely life you have built. Let someone in for once,” I stared at her small hand over mine. For all her teasing and her wild, rebellious ways, Mandy had always seen straight through me.

“You sound like Lee-Ann,” I said finally.

“She is smarter than you give her credit for,” she said, and I chuckled softly.

“Please help me if the two of you ever join forces,”

“Oh, we already have,” she said as she got to her feet. “I should go,”

“Yeah…me too,” we left together. Mandy went her way, and I went mine. By the time I got to my actual penthouse, I felt a lot more at ease. Mandy wanted me to let Chloe in. Was that something I wanted? I wasn’t sure if it was. My obsession with Chloe was obvious, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to pursue a relationship. I got undressed and climbed into bed. Tomorrow was going to be another long day. Another day of trying to resist the urge to kiss Chloe. Another day of torture. I closed my eyes and willed myself to fall asleep, but I was too restless. Too awake. Instead of lying in bed, I got up and went to the kitchen. One thing Lee-Ann had taught me was how to bake. Something that always set my mind at ease.

“Step one,” the voice said over the electronic recipe book Mandy had gifted me last year. I followed the instructions perfectly, and when I finally slid the tray of carrot muffins into the oven, I felt marginally better. I still didn’t know what to do about Chloe, but a small part of me wondered if maybe I should just talk to Juliette. While we didn’t have a normal relationship, we had grown close over the years. Her jealousy might be a problem, but she knew me. Maybe she could help me work out my obsession with Chloe. Maybe that’s all it was. Just an obsession.

♥ ♥ ♥