Chapter 6 Know How To Beg

Chelsey let out a small, self-derisive scoff.

Squaring her shoulders, she looked Jason in the eye and said, "Whatever do you mean, Mr. Martin? I will be out of the company by the time you get married. If you are not content with that, then please feel free to approve my resignation request. I promise to never appear in front of you again, and we can both go on our separate lives."

He met her stare for stare, and she had to stifle the urge to shudder under his gaze.

But when all was said and done, Chelsey didn't want to be tossed out and discarded like yesterday's trash. No, she was going to keep her dignity against all odds.

Jason ground his teeth. He had never imagined that a day would come when his timid little bunny would defy him like this. He had given her so many chances to reconsider, and had even offered her the ring she liked. What more did she want from him?

Jason released his hold and all but flung her hand aside. Then he gestured toward a stack of documents sitting on one side of his desk. "Choose a new secretary from those applicants."

The resumes all had photos of the prospective employees attached to the top-left corner. And each woman possessed a unique beauty, just as one would expect of someone who worked closely under Jason Martin.

Chelsey's head spun. She felt as though she had been transported to three years ago.

She remembered how, when she submitted her application, she had hoped against hope that the man she had yearned for so long would finally take notice of her. She was counting on her achievements to catch his eye and set her apart from her fellow applicants.

Had her resume been part of a pile such as this one?

Ultimately, Chelsey had been chosen, not because of her qualifications, but because she suited Jason's taste the most. He had barely glanced at the honors she had worked so hard for, let alone acknowledge them.

It was absurd and, frankly, depressing.

Chelsey swallowed the bitterness she felt and looked over the papers until she finally picked one. She placed the single page in front of Jason.

This woman had a slender waist and an ample bosom. Even through the photo, she was oozing with sexual allure.

Jason glared at the resume, his temples pounding with rage.

This damn woman had actually called his bluff!

Without warning, he hauled Chelsey over the desk and pulled her into his lap. "Looks are secondary," he whispered menacingly. "You'll have to teach her bedroom skills as well. I especially require expertise in riding."

His large hands clamped around her waist to hold her in place as he ran his lips down the curve of her neck and shoulder.

"Jason!" Chelsey continued to squirm and struggle, even as she felt him harden under her thighs.

She was able to jump out of his arms, but he easily caught her in the next second and placed her firmly back on his lap.

"Hey!" She was overcome with shame and despair.

Jason wound an arm around her waist, holding her flush against him. "If you don't want me to tear your clothes off, then strip them yourself."

He spoke in that familiar tone that told her she had no choice in the matter.

Chelsey bit her lower lip and forced her tears back.

When she didn't move, Jason slid his free arm down her chest to her belly.

"No!" She tried to protest, but her voice only came out in a whimper. Every time she cried no, his hands became rougher as they worked into her underwear. Chelsey choked on a sob as outrage and resentment welled up in her heart.

Just then, they heard voices from the hallway.

"Is Mr. Martin in his office?" a pleasant, female voice asked, which was followed by a respectful response from the head secretary.

"Yes, Miss Dixon. Feel free to go inside."

It was Tatiana Dixon, Jason's fiancee!

Jason paused his ministrations, and Chelsey grabbed the opportunity to free herself. She scrambled to the other side of the desk and hastily straightened her clothes. She felt like a mistress caught in the act of sleeping with the husband, which, she supposed she technically was.

Things had finally come to this.

She took a deep breath, feeling dead inside.

A couple of seconds later, the door was pushed open, and Tatiana waltzed into the room. She was carrying the latest designer bag in the market, which matched perfectly with chic dress and sheepskin boots.

She stopped short when she realized that another woman was in the room. With narrowed eyes, Tatiana swept her gaze over Chelsey, pausing briefly at the noticeable hickey on the latter's neck before she looked away. She sauntered over and practically draped herself over Jason's chair.

"My dad wants you over for dinner," she drawled. "The jewelry set I ordered just arrived, and I was hoping that you could help me judge whether they match the dress you picked or not."

"Of course," Jason answered in a monotone voice. He pulled a few sheets of tissue from the box on his desk and meticulously wiped his fingers, leaving no trace of where they had been or what they had just done.

He was utterly calm, a state that Chelsey just couldn't achieve. The warm stickiness between her legs was a stark reminder of her humiliation, her disgrace, as her mother put it. She didn't even have the guts to look at Tatiana. She lowered her head and was about to take her leave when the office door was pushed open again.

Jeremy, the leader of Project Team A, rushed in, looking agitated. Without saying a word, he slammed a folder of documents against Chelsey's chest.

She was caught completely by surprise. An errant sheet of paper grazed her skin, its edge cutting a fine line across her tender skin.

"Look at what you've done! I know you've tendered your resignation, but the least that you can do is hand over your work properly and tie up loose ends as cleanly as possible! Do you even realize that you delivered those documents to the wrong agency? The client is already airborne as we speak. Are you capable of taking responsibility for the delay of the project launch?"

After berating her, Jeremy turned his attention to Jason and aired out his grievances.

Chelsey was left staring at the papers strewn at her feet. Indeed, these contracts were the ones she had delivered earlier. So, she had brought them to the wrong place.

She was in no position to defend herself.

The only real excuse she had was that she was too preoccupied with Jason's mind games and her own complicated emotions.

She knew all too well that personal matters had no place in the professional setup. She shouldn't have brought her problems to work.

Chelsey bent down to gather the documents and turned to look at the fuming Jeremy.

"I'll, go after the client and bring the contracts back before the deadline."

Jeremy sneered and scoffed. "You think that's going to solve all this mess. Your blunder constitutes a breach of trust between our companies. You didn't just implicate my team, but the entirety of the Martin Group!"

The projected profits from the DN project were lucrative, and he had already lined his people for any ensuing work throughout the collaboration. But then the secretarial department sent Chelsey from out of nowhere to take charge of communications. Not only had Jeremy failed to get any residual income, but he also had to exhaust his own resources to expand her network in the field.

So he had been dissatisfied with her since then. He only held back because of the rumors going around that Chelsey was the CEO's lover.

But now that Jason was set to marry Tatiana, that meant that Chelsey had been discarded. Jeremy could freely vent out his complaints about her.

Chelsey ducked her head again, unable to meet anyone's eyes in the face of such rebuke. Her dainty hands gripped the folder tightly, so much so that her knuckles turned white.

Tatiana looked at her with a raised eyebrow and smirked.

"So many people put their heart and soul into a project, only for some lazy bumpkin to come around and ruin everything over a basic mistake. How can someone so inept call herself an employee of the Martin Group?"

She leaned closer to Jason and put her arms around his shoulders. "Don't worry, Jason. I understand all too well just how important a company's reputation is. My family has an ongoing project with Southern Airlines. I can make a few calls and have someone fax the documents over to your client."

Indeed, the gap between Chelsey and these people was immense. Even Tatiana's way of handling these unexpected circumstances was easy and straightforward.

At that moment, Chelsey found herself agreeing with the woman- someone like her really had no right to keep working for the Martin Group.

Unbeknownst to anyone in the company, however, Chelsey was extremely skilled and more than qualified to run a project of her own. Her mentor had once told her, "Chelsey Morgan, you will definitely become a star in the investment world one day."

Yet here she was three years later. She hadn't even completed a single project by herself, much less lead one.

All she had ever done was chase after a man who was never meant to be hers, whom she knew would never be hers. Three years, and all she had to show was a battered heart and an almost nonexistent ego.

Jason had kept his eyes on Chelsey since the moment Tatiana sauntered in. He watched as she got scolded and tears filled her eyes.

This stupid woman. Did she not know how to beg him?

He frowned, annoyed at the thought. Then he spoke, his words hanging heavy in the air. "This mess must be fixed by the person who caused it in the first place. If they fail, then they naturally have to compensate for all the losses the company will incur. And if they fail in that, too, then they can go straight to jail!"

The project had a twenty-million investment hanging in the balance.

Even if Jason sold her life and soul, she would never be able to come up with that amount of money.

But instead of quivering in fear, Chelsey was actually grateful for the conditions he set.

She could keep her pride, at least. She lifted her gaze to Jason, her eyes calm and steady. "I will bring the contracts back as promised."

After saying that, Chelsey nodded once, then turned to leave.