“No, it was taken, and your keypad is the only one that’s been reprogrammed.” The words rushed out of her mouth. “I told her it was a bad idea and I didn’t want to do it, but she insisted. She even threatened me.”

“Who is she?”

She didn’t have to answer that question. At that moment, Penelope stepped off the elevator and walked over to us, her silver heels clacking against my marble floors with her every step.

“Good morning, Mr. Dalton.” She smiled at me. “It’s good to see you here on time today. I’ve heard that you normally come into work two hours late.”

“There’s no such thing as late when I’m the goddamn CEO.” I glared at her. “There also shouldn’t be such a thing as getting fired on your first day, but you’re pretty damn close right now. Reprogram my keypad and let me into my office. Now.”

“No.” She threw my glare right back at me. “I’ve talked to quite a few people in the building over the weekend. They all say that you immediately go to your office when you arrive and you hardly come out and personally talk to them.”

“That’s not a criminal offense, so reprogram my keypad and let me into my office. Now.”

“Even though my plan calls for us to fix your outer image for the public...” she continued talking. “I think it’s quite necessary to work on your inner image as well. So, this morning and every morning for the next ninety days, you are going to personally greet the global department heads that work for you before starting your day. You will also join me for interview preparations in the morning for at least one hour, and then and only then will I allow you to retreat into your office.”

“Did you just say you would ‘allow’ me?”

“I don’t believe I stuttered.”

“Linda,” I said, keeping my eyes on Penelope. “Could you please leave the floor so I can talk to Miss Lauren privately, please?”

“I think you should stay right there, Linda.” Penelope crossed her arms. “Just in case I may need a witness.”

“The only thing she’ll be witnessing is the CEO putting his new publicist in her rightful place.”

“This new publicist has already signed a contract saying that her place is actually above the CEO for the next ninety days.”

“I don’t give a fuck what that contract says.” I stepped closer to her. “I had no hand in writing it, so I’ll have no hand in following it.”

“You’re going to do exactly what I say, how I say, or there are going to be some consequences.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“No, I’m warning you...”

Linda stood to her feet, looking back and forth between the two of us, and then she rushed toward the elevators.

The second I heard the soft ping and the doors close, I spoke very slowly so Penelope could perfectly understand who the hell she was dealing with.

“Miss Lauren,” I said, ignoring the fact that she looked sexy as fuck in her grey dress today. “You’re going to let me into my office within the next ten seconds, or else.”

“Or else, what?” She raised her voice. “Who’s threatening who now?”

“Ten...” I started counting backwards, knowing damn well she would come to her senses before I reached one. “Nine...”

“Eight...” Her face was red. “Seven...I’ll happily join you.”

“Six. Don’t make me fucking continue...”

She stood completely still, not batting an eye.

“Five...Four...” I hesitated on four. No other publicist had ever made me think of doing something as childish as this before, but they almost always gave in to my demand. “Three...Two...”

She didn’t move.

“One,” I said, completely confused as to why she was still standing there.

“Are you ready to be an adult now, Mr. Dalton?” She stepped closer to me. “Or, since you’ve made it to the end of your childish countdown, would you like to give me a punishment of some sort?”

I simply stared at her.

“Glad we could clear that up,” she said. “Now, if you would like to follow me onto elevator so we can greet your department heads, I would greatly appreciate that. If not, I can have the IT team pull our encounter from the security cameras and show your board how you’ve treated me on my first day.”

I glanced at the security camera above us and smiled. Then I stepped even closer to Penelope, matching her step for step until her back was against the wall. “First of all, even if you did ask the IT team to pull our current encounter from the cameras, there wouldn’t be anything to see,” I said. “And that’s because by reprogramming my keypad behind my back, you’ve disabled the cameras, and the CEO is the only one who can reset them. They can’t see a goddamn thing right now.”

Her cheeks turned bright red. “Mr. Dalton—”

“Second of all...” I said, gently pressing my finger against her lips. “I’m not sure what type of game you’re trying to play, but I want you to know that you will lose every time. Every. Single. Time.”

“I’ve never lost, Mr. Dalton.” She bit my finger and I moved it. “I don’t consider my contract with your company as a game, but I’m willing to predict that you’ll eventually give in and lose to me.”

“Is that a bet?”

“It’s a guarantee.”

I covered her mouth with mine to prevent her from saying anything else, to finally alleviate the thick, sexual tension between us. She murmured as I bit her bottom lip, briefly shutting her eyes.

“This is why you shouldn’t have locked me out of my office...” I felt her unbuckling my pants. “Now you’ll have to settle for me fucking you in the hallway.”

Pushing her dress up her waist, I admired the sight of her dark red lingerie.

“I didn’t wear this for you...” she whispered, a faint blush crossing her cheeks.

“I’m sure you didn’t.” I spun her around so she was facing the wall, kissing the back of her neck. “You won’t need them for much longer anyway.” I pushed her panties to the side and slipped a finger deep inside her wet pussy, groaning as she let out a soft murmur.

I pulled a condom out of my back pocket, but the sound of the elevator stopping on the floor broke my focus.