Left of the Slash, page 12
“Jon liked to have it printed out,” she replies. “He was old school.”
“So that means I have to be old school?”
“I don't care what you are, Quinn, just get it done.”
With my mouth agape and my eyebrows at the top of my face, I watch Olivia turn around and walk out, and I find myself wondering if it was an act. I just had her bent over her desk last night, and she has already mastered acting like it didn't happen. I have to shake my head, because even though I'm not catching feelings, I have to admit that I'm stunned by the breakneck switch up.
With raised brows, I pick up the first red folder and open it up. Numbers fly off the white page like insects stinging my face, and my mouth drops open a second time. There are at least ten folders here, and she wants a report on all of these tomorrow morning? Is she insane?
I scoff as I look at my door, thinking maybe she came back to tell me it was all a joke and that she’d like me to fuck her again as soon as possible, but my doorway is empty, unlike my plate. I drop the folder and lean back in my chair, my eyes raising to the ceiling. I’m caught off guard by how quickly things have changed, but I'm not the one to be sad about it. If she wants to act like it never happened, I'm okay with that. But what I'm not okay with is being bogged by redundancies. I don't give a fuck what Jon used to do. If Olivia is going to throw this at me, then I'm going to handle it my way.
After a breath, I pick up the red folder again. I open it, then turn to my computer and create a new folder on our encrypted share drive. Then, I get to work.
Time flies when you're … absolutely not having any fun at all because you're completely focused on inputting data into new spreadsheets. When it’s all said and done, I realize I have locked in so much that five hours have burned off the clock, and the end of the day is just a few minutes away. The only time I stepped out of my office was to go use the restroom, and I only allowed myself to do that once so that I could finish faster.
The Excel sheets look great, with tabs at the bottom for each client, and cells on the spreadsheet that add up dollar figures each time a new amount is entered and spit out a sum automatically. I have no idea why Jon would use printed paper and multi-colored highlighters for all of this, but the way I've done it is smarter, faster, and in line with the fact that it is fucking 2025 and we’re a goddamn cybersecurity company. When I lean back in my seat this time, it’s to smile at how I've organized Jon’s mess into something modern and simple in less than a day, when it would've taken me so much longer otherwise.
“Excuse me, Mr. King,” Eden’s voice cuts through my train of thought as she pokes her head into my office. “Miss Lucero has called a meeting in the conference room at the very end of the day.”
I look up at the clock. “So, you mean right now?”
Eden smiles. “Yes.”
“Okay,” I say with a chuckle.
I get up from my seat and walk toward the conference room, but when I see Olivia still sitting in her office, I change course and head straight for her.
“Miss Lucero,” I say jokingly as I knock on her door jamb. She doesn't look amused when she looks at me, clearly still in CEO mode. So, I don't joke. From now on, I'm matching her energy. “I just wanted you to know that I've created a new folder on the share drive. It contains Excel versions of all the red folders you handed me earlier, and each spreadsheet is self-calculating, including all of the financial analysis for each client. There is also a master tracker that has the Obsidian operating budgets. When you change data in the analysis sheets, it will auto-update on the master tracker. So, you won't have to ask for reports on these things again, because the new spreadsheets are always one hundred percent up-to-date with the latest inputs, and the master tracker will always have the big picture report you're looking for. We’ll need to bring everybody else up to speed so that everyone can perform inputs, but that's the easy part. Oh, and I did it before the end of the day instead of dropping papers on your desk in the morning. Just thought you should know. I apologize for the change, but Jon’s way was slowing the process down.”
Olivia looks at me blankly, her round eyes blinking fast. But I see the moment her mouth twitches upward. She twists her beautiful lips together, trying to hold back a smile she doesn't want me to see, then she clears her throat and rolls her shoulders and neck like she's trying to smooth out tense muscles.
“I see,” she says. “That's … impressive. Thank you, Quinn. Fantastic job. I’ll see you in the conference room in a second.”
She pinches her lips together like there is more she wants to say but chooses not to, so my only option is to nod and walk away, wondering what she was holding back.
When I enter the conference room, I almost laugh at the pitiful looks on Nick and Stephen’s faces. They are clearly lost without their ring leader here to give them confidence, and they don't even make eye contact when I walk in. Both of them are still under investigation for the breaches that Jon orchestrated, so maybe that’s why they're like puppies getting in trouble for having peed in the house. They keep their eyes on the table when I enter, and they barely look up when Olivia comes in after me. I smirk when Stephen makes eye contact with me for a fraction of a second before dropping his eyes so fast I think it would make him dizzy. Shaking my head, I turn to Olivia who stands behind her usual chair instead of sitting in it.
“Alright, everyone,” she begins, making eye contact with each of us. “It’s the end of the day so I don't want to make this any longer than it has to be. Clearly, we have had a lot going on lately, and it all came to an explosive head when Mr. King discovered that Jon was behind the company's breaches. Jon was subsequently fired, another internal investigation has been launched, and Obsidian is now on the road to recovery. I've spoken to the police multiple times today, and while I am not going to speak on the charges Jon will face, I can tell you that the half-million dollars he stole has been located and will be transferred back into the Obsidian accounts within the week, thanks to the police department’s financial crimes division and our cybersecurity lead, Rob Vaughn.
“Now, with all of that being said, I would also like to announce a decision that I made today. I took my time to think about it, plus did some evaluating of my own … and I have decided that Mr. Quinn King will replace Jon Reid as chief information security officer.”
My eyes nearly pop out of my head. Shock and excitement detonate in my chest as I look around the room and find everyone gawking at me. Nick and Stephen look like they're both about to start crying, while Eden smiles like a proud mother. I have to quickly catch my breath just to speak.
“Oh,” I say, trying to keep my excitement contained. “I wasn't aware that I was even being considered. When I told Jon I was going to take his job yesterday, I was pretty much just talking shit. Wow. Thank you, Miss Lucero.”
Olivia nods her head, but her face is emotionless. “Well, seeing as how you discovered what Jon was doing, and the two people who should've been next in line are both under investigation for possible involvement in Jon’s schemes, I’d say you earned it. Now, unless anyone has anything else, that’ll do it for us today. I’ll see you all in the morning. Quinn, I need to see you in my office before you leave, please.”
“Okay,” I reply as bliss spreads its way to my limbs. Holy shit. I just got promoted again.
Despondency puts its arm around Stephen and Nick as they silently leave the room after Olivia, and Eden walks over to me before she exits.
“Congratulations, Quinn,” she says.
I smile as I shake her hand. “Thanks, Eden.”
I'm the last one to leave the conference room, and when I step out, everyone else is already headed for the door. The executive wing empties quickly, and I see the other wings doing the same as I walk toward Olivia's office. She's already seated in her chair when I enter, but she stands up just as I step over the threshold.
“You wanted to see me?” I say.
I notice Olivia leaning over, trying to look behind me for some reason. I even glance over my shoulder to see if someone is standing back there, but only find that the building has cleared out. Lights at the end of the hall have been turned off, painting the corridor in shadows that stop in the executive wing. Olivia and I are alone.
When I turn back around, Olivia is walking around her desk. I watch her in confusion as she steps around me and shuts the door to her office. The audible click of the doorknob being locked sends a tingle up my spine, but it pales in comparison to the fireworks I feel when Olivia steps in front of me, looks me in the eyes, and slowly drops to her knees.
She places her hands in her lap and looks up at me in a way that makes the dark devil inside come roaring out of its slumber. Then, she speaks the words that make it burst out of its cage.
“So … what do you want to do to me?”
EIGHTEEN - Olivia
My former CISO has been arrested, and I had numerous calls with the police today. I was stressed to the brink of psychosis trying to figure out how I was going to keep the company running with my second in command locked behind bars for assault and stealing money from his own company. I had to make the decision to promote Quinn quickly, and I chose to do it in front of the men who used to be Jon’s errand boys. I watched their faces tighten and their eyes glower at me like they were trying to commit murder with their angry gaze. All of that while still doing my normal job as CEO of a company that is suddenly struggling to stay afloat. We are a boat in a rocky ocean, with our bottom covered in holes. I have been strained and pulled thin all day, and now all I want is to let go of every bit of it.
I'm not interested in getting closed minded people to understand why I think the way I do. To me, it should be clear enough that a woman who is constantly in control craves a man who can take control away from her, allowing her to be free, even if only for a little while. I want a man who understands how much pressure I'm under, and is willing to be my relief valve. I want him to take the burden from me so that I don't have to think. I don't want to make any decisions. I don't want to contemplate any outcomes. I want all of it decided for me by someone I trust—someone who I know won't fuck it up or take it for granted. I am a submissive who walks around all day being a dominant woman, forcing things to bend to my will, but that doesn't change the fact that I am a submissive woman.
Everything in me hopes that Quinn can be dominant enough to take control and allow me to temporarily let go of it all. Everything I've seen in him suggests that he’ll be exactly what I'm looking for. Now he has to keep passing the tests. He aced the first one with flying colors. When I showed him how to choke me properly, he could've shied away. Plenty of men would've been offended that I stopped what they were already doing to show them the right way to do it. Their egos are fragile while their confidence is high, and that can cause pathetic little outbursts when faced with the reality of being wrong. Quinn’s ego wasn't shaken by what I taught him at all. He's the kind of man who wants to learn, and then uses the information to make himself better. Sure enough, after one little lesson on choking, he got it right, and I was thrilled. Let’s see what else he can get right, because if there is one thing I'm ready for, it’s for him to thrill me again.
Looking up at Quinn now reminds me of why I've always wanted him so much. The expression on his face isn't one of fear or confusion. He's turned on by seeing me on my knees. I can tell by the way he pinches his lips together as he breathes deeply. His jaw is tight and his brow is furrowed with intense focus, simply because the woman he wants is on her knees in front of him, waiting for him to do as he pleases. However, I know that Quinn isn't a Dom. He's a man with a dominant personality. There’s a difference. My only goal with him now, is to bring out the Dom that I hope lives inside of him.
“Tell me,” I say as he looks down at me, deciding what he wants to do first. I know this probably isn't what he's used to, so it’s my job to get him used to it, because I know this is what we both want. “We've had a long day. I’ve been running a company that has suffered multiple wounds, trying to apply bandages and stop the bleeding since I woke up this morning. From the moment I opened my eyes, I've been grabbing my busy life by the reins, now I want to give those reins to you. So, use your imagination, Quinn, and tell me what you want to do to me right now. Right here in this office. Tell me.”
Quinn’s eyebrow raises, and I see the moment he is overtaken by the darkness he hides from the world. He lets go and succumbs to it, allowing it to wash over him like a waterfall of lust.
“Damn. You're so fucking unreal. You stun me into silence. All I want to do is look at you, watching you down there while you look up at me with those fucking eyes. I could watch you all day. No need for anything else. You're just that mesmerizing,” he says.
I have to bite my lip to keep my jaw from hitting the floor. I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't that. There are no words to match that, and a simple thank you doesn't fit this moment. So I just sink my teeth into my bottom lip and keep my eyes on him, waiting for what he chooses to do next.
“You want to know what I want to do to you?” he asks with a raised eyebrow. I nod slowly. “Okay. I’ll tell you. It’s that mouth, Olivia. I want to use your mouth,” he says, his voice in a newly low growl, his eyes narrowed into slits.
My heart hums when I hear his admission. It sounds so good coming from his lips, and I desperately want more. “Yeah? How do you want to use it?”
Quinn licks his lips. “I want to fuck your mouth the way I would fuck your pussy. That’s how,” he says, full of confidence that makes him ten times hotter. That is what I have been looking for. He's not backing down or asking questions, probing to see if what I have already consented to is still okay. I knew I was right about him.
“Okay,” I say, still on my knees and unmoving. He may not know it, but I'm not going anywhere until he tells me to. “If I can't take it or I simply don't want to anymore, I’ll say the word red. This is my safe word. When I say red, everything stops, and if I don't say it, then nothing has to. Okay?”
Quinn nods as he brings one hand to the side of my face, caressing it like a precious flower. “If you say red, everything stops. No questions asked. You won’t ever have to worry about me having an issue with this. I will not break your trust. Understand?”
Our eyes meet and I can see the sincerity in him. It makes me more comfortable knowing that he is vowing to respect me, but the look in his eyes throws me off a bit. My heart flutters, and that’s not what I want. So I gently shake my head and he removes his hand from my cheek. “Then use my mouth how you see fit,” I say before parting my lips and sticking out my tongue.
“Fuck,” he whispers as he looks down at me, then he begins to frantically unbuckle his white pants. My mouth waters from just watching him, and drool falls from my tongue in a sticky string that leads to the floor until the moment he breaks the string with his thick cock. It stretches my lips wide and threatens to make me gag, but Quinn slowly begins sliding his immense thickness in and out.
I feel each and every inch of his massive erection, and in no time at all, I feel better about my day. I let go of everything I was stressing over before the moment he slid himself inside my mouth—my position, Obsidian’s future, the police, Jon, Stephen, Nick—all of it gone the second his cock touched my tongue. An involuntary moan escapes my throat, fighting its way around his erection, and I sink into the feeling, submitting fully to Quinn right next to the door of my office.
It doesn't take long for him to settle himself above me. I watch from my low vantage point as he lets his head fall back, immersing himself in the warm sensation of my lips devouring his cock, drool draining from my mouth and forming a growing wet spot on my carpet. It may still be there in the morning for people to see, but the thought makes me excited. They’ll wonder if I spilled something here, but I’ll know what it’s really from, and the memory will come roaring back to me like a scene from my favorite movie.
“Fuck, you feel so good,” he says, gripping the sides of my head tighter and picking up the pace. “Yeah, I’m gonna use that fucking mouth.”
He speeds up, using long strokes, similar to the way he fucked me yesterday. I moan beneath him, wanting him to keep going harder, to make me forget that I even have a job, to take my mind out of this office completely, and he does not disappoint. I have no notes on what he's doing right now. It’s perfect, and I love the satisfied look on his face as he takes what he wants from me. He fucks my mouth without relent, testing the waters to see if and when I may say my safe word. But he doesn't know that I want much more than this out of him. He may be new, but I am far from it.
After a few minutes of stretching my throat, Quinn finally manages to get himself to stop. For a moment, I thought he might come, which would have been fine with me, but I'm not mad when he pulls his dick out of my mouth and strokes it right in front of my face, his hand sliding over the slick, veiny flesh.
“Goddamn, you're so fucking amazing,” he says, breathing hard and shaking his head in disbelief. I have to hand it to him; he knows how to make a girl feel good about herself.
With a mouth covered in drool and precum, I say, “Thank you. I want you to use me however you want. Make me forget everything. Please.”
Quinn nods his head, then he grabs me by the throat and forces me to stand. When he squeezes, it’s exactly the way I showed him how to do it last time. He uses his grip around my neck to push me toward my desk and make me turn around.
“You want to forget everything?” he asks rhetorically. “I’ll make you forget. Knock all of that shit off of your desk, then take off your pants and panties and climb on top on all fours. I want to see that ass high in the fucking air for me.”
My heart roars with excitement, and I can't even control the next words out of my mouth.
