Chapter 9

February 27th

I got an email that Jack Griffin wants to meet with me this morning. I also got a text from Leah that she has a new plan for me to lose my virginity. I think I'd rather face Jack. Wish me luck.

Paige chose one of the outfits she'd fought a woman for at the used designer boutique. It was her armor for meeting with her boss. She slipped the dress on over the sexy underwear she'd picked out online and slid her feet into knee-high, high-heeled boots. She was ready to face her boss. Leah, not so much.

The office was already bustling and no one really paid her any attention as Paige walked to her cubical. She usually read during lunch, which left her out of the office politics and cliques. She'd barely survived high school, and she didn't want to relive it in the office.

Paige set her things down, went to the bathroom, and grabbed a cup of coffee before starting her day. She was about to check her email when Jack Griffin stormed into the open room. All conversation ceased. Well, except for the women who were rushing forward to offer him coffee, a donut, or themselves.

"Turner!"

Paige's head shot up. "Yes?"

"My office. Now."

Then the asshole snapped. He literally snapped his fingers as if she were a dog before crooking his finger for her to come to him. The assistant in the cubical next to her might have orgasmed.

"I'd do anything he asks of me if he looks at me like that," the assistant said to another assistant as Paige hurried away.

Paige tried to calm herself as she followed behind Jack's intimidating figure. She had to admit, when she read billionaire boss romances, Jack always found a way into her mind. She might have seen him as the lead character while the heroine just happened to look a lot like her. That didn't mean in real life she liked being summoned with snapping fingers though.

"Sir?" Paige asked as she came to stand in his office.

Jack sat down in his leather chair. "Close the door," he snapped.

Paige turned and closed the door. When she looked back, Jack's eyes were on fire. Normally they were cold as ice, but now they were devouring her. "You needed me, sir?"

Jack's lips pursed. "Maybe more than I know," he muttered. He took a deep breath and shoved the manuscript Paige had given him forward. "I read it. Then I had my sister read it. Then I had her friends read it. They all loved it. Said they were already casting the movie in their heads and fighting over who the dream cast would be. You were right. It's excellent. I'm authorizing you to offer the author five hundred thousand for all rights, including film. I want this book, and because I promised you, you're now in charge of it. We'll see how you handle it and then, and only then, will I consider your request to head up a romance line under Griffin Publishing. In the meantime, see HR about your new, temporary, title of junior romance editor. I want to be kept up to date on this transaction at all times. Tell my assistant to move your desk out here so I can see you more. I'm not going to go traipsing over to the office pool to find you every time I need you."

Paige smiled as she grabbed the book from his desk. Was it just her or did his eyes drift to her breasts? No, it had to be her imagination. "Which one is your assistant?"

"How the hell should I know? I yell, she comes."

"Is it like a yodel? Or a special secret chant to get her to appear? Is there an assistant whistle I don't know about?" Paige slammed her mouth shut. She'd just gotten a promotion and jumped right into the billionaire romance where the assistant is always a sassy smart-aleck.

Jack pressed a button on his phone without taking his eyes off her. "Get Miss Turner a desk by you now."

"Yes, sir," came the voice over the phone.

"Do I look like I yodel?"

Paige shrugged. "I don't know any yodelers, so who am I to judge? I'm just a boring office worker."

"Are you sure? Your underwear says differently."

"My what?" Paige was already looking down at her breasts but they were all hidden.

"Turn around, Miss Turner."

Paige turned around, but she didn't see how that would help anything. She spun in a full circle as Jack stood up and crooked his finger at her again. Paige stepped forward. Jack used his finger to tell her to spin around. She turned around and then all of a sudden, she felt Jack's large hand on her. However, it wasn't like her sex dreams. He wasn't caressing her like in the books, or even spanking her since many of the billionaire bosses were what were called alpha-holes. Basically, they were sexy assholes who were into BDSM.

Nope, this time she felt a quick tug at her waist and then the distinct feel of fabric, not hands, falling over her ass and legs. Paige lifted the manuscript to hide her face as she groaned. "I tucked my skirt into my panties, didn't I?"

"Mm-hmm," Jack's deep voice rumbled with amusement.

"Okay, I'm going to go out and die of embarrassment. I didn't think it could get worse after Max, but at least I didn't know him."

"Showing your panties to all the men, Miss Turner?"

It was closer to the truth than Paige wanted to admit. "Something like that."

Jack made a noise of amusement, but Paige couldn't look at him in the face without cringing. She also needed to save some face so she stood up straight and walked from the office with as much dignity as she could muster. "I'll get in contact with the author's agent right away."

After she texted her friends and told them all about how the best morning of her career was also right out of her nightmares, Paige got to work. The assistant who moved her to a desk near Mr. Griffin's office was named Amanda. A desk that looked right into his office. A desk that wouldn't let her hide anymore. Oh boy. She wanted to be the main character, and here she was—front and center.

"To Paige on her promotion!" Leah called out, holding up a mug of hot chocolate as she and her friends sat in Café Felix.

Paige clicked her mug with theirs then recounted the skirt tucked into the panties moment much to her friends' delight.

"Let's just take a moment to go over this Jack/Paige interaction," Eli said, getting their attention. "This is straight out of Billionaire Boss."

"Which one? There's like a thousand romance and erotica books titled that," Leah pointed out.

"Um, all of them. Duh," Eli said with a roll of his eyes.

"He's not wrong. Could there be a spark with your grumpy boss?" Amelia asked.

"No way." Paige was sure about that. "He's one of the most eligible bachelors in New York City. There's no chance I caught his attention."

"You didn't, but your cute ass did." Eli laughed and they all joined him.

"Now, speaking of Paige's ass. I have an idea how she can show it in a good way and get rid of her virginity," Leah said, leaning forward and dropping her voice.

"What now? My days of being an almost prostitute are over." Paige didn't even want to know Leah's plan. Could she just forget about losing her virginity and living out the other tropes? So far it had been two months and too many disasters for her to count.

Leah opened her purse and pulled out a small card and laid it on the table. "This is how."

"It's just a picture of a red door." Paige felt as if she were missing something, "Are we going to the spa?"

"Girl!" Eli gasped. "You got an invite to The Red Door?"

Leah looked smug as she pulled out three others. "Not just one. I got us each an invitation." Leah handed a card to Eli and then one to Amelia who looked just as confused as Paige.

"Is this like a hardware company?" Amelia asked.

"No, it's the most exclusive sex club in all of New York City!" Eli was practically jumping up and down in his chair as a feeling of dread formed in the pit of Paige's stomach.

"Turn over the card and there's a website. You'll need to enter the number written on the card to access the private part of the website. It's good for only one visit. When you get on the site, you need to create an account and fill out all the paperwork. It'll ask you what your hard limits are, if you're dominant or submissive, and all this other stuff. You can also select to only watch."

Amelia squeaked next to Paige. Paige didn't think she could move her lungs enough to make any noise at this point.

"BDSM is a huge trope and you know they know how to have sex. Say goodbye to your virginity, Paige. And you can do it without the threat of being arrested. It's a win-win!" Okay, Leah might be onto something.

"Okay, I'll look at it. But I won't go alone."

"Oh, hell no. I'm so there!" Eli said finally, leaping up and hugging Leah. "How did you get these? These are super hard to come by."

"I was working at the office," Leah said of the advertising firm where she worked as a junior marketing coordinator, "when I overheard this guy talking about it on the phone. I might have insinuated that I would hook up with him if he could get me four invites."

"Who is the guy? You never talk about work except to say all the guys are assholes," Paige asked. Leah was climbing the advertising ladder, albeit more slowly than her male counterparts. Sadly, not an uncommon state of affairs in the male dominated field.

"Noah. He's the Advertising Associate Director. He's actually not that bad. He's let me join several of his meetings and put me on his team for the last three ad campaigns to assist with marketing."

Paige, Amelia, and Eli shared a look and a sly smile.

"You like him!" Eli finally yelled as Leah shook her head.

"No, I don't mess with guys I work with."

"Girl, you just told him you'd sleep with him for these invites," Eli pointed out.

Leah smiled mischievously. "Yes, but The Red Door is famous for anonymity and everyone is required to wear masks. No one will be able to tell who anyone is. That's the whole point of it. There's no way Noah will find me."

"And I don't have to have sex with anyone, right? I can just walk around or sit at a bar or something?" Amelia asked.

"Right. I say we all wear a certain bracelet or necklace so we can identify each other, but otherwise, what you do and who you do it with are for you alone to decide." Leah paused and looked at each of them. "So, are you all in?"

"Of course!" Eli was the first to answer.

"I guess." Amelia seemed both intrigued and nervous at the same time.

Paige felt more than that. She felt intrigued, nervous, scared, excited, and hopeful all at once. "Count me in."

"Maybe your boss will be there. He strikes me as the kind to have a membership here," Leah said with a wink to Paige.

"How much is the membership?" Amelia asked.

Leah shrugged. "I don't know, but our pass is good for one night only. And we have to dress according to the terms they lay out after we login, so I know it's a lot. Noah says he wears a tuxedo."

"I've heard it costs $75,000 or more for a yearly membership," Eli whispered. "Some of Broadway and Hollywood's most famous actors go there. Then there's the who's who of New York millionaires and billionaires, but you would never know because they're all masked."

"Oh gosh, I could see my boss being a member," Paige muttered before worrying her bottom lip. "What if he sees me there?"

"Then he'd know your name for sure," Leah said with a laugh.

"How does Noah afford a membership?" Amelia asked. "Does advertising pay that much?"

"His job is one step down from the executive leadership. It pays well over six figures, but from my understanding Noah is fast tracking to the top. He's great with numbers and clients are so thrilled with him they give him lots of thank-yous. I'm assuming this is one of them. But, we have to fill these forms out tonight for The Red Door. They'll send us the location once our final approval goes through."

Paige took a deep breath and looked down at the card. Could she do this? Hell yes, she could. This place was famous and the men would certainly know how to please a woman. "Then you know which book we need to read for this week's book club?"

"Of course!" Leah pulled it out from her bag. "I bought us all copies after getting these invites. A little sex club, BDSM, erotica read to get us ready."

Paige took the book and slipped the invite into it. Here went nothing.