Chapter 12: That Ass is mine….for now

Pepper flipped through the documents she was holding. If she had any plans to complete the project she was working on, she had to pull an all-nighter at home too.

Her phone started to ring just as she got to page two.

(Roommate Asher)

She was curious as to why the man was calling her but her curiosity wasn't as much as her desire to finish page two of the document she was holding and so, she ignored it. Her phone rang two more times before it stopped. He finally got the hint.

Finally! Pepper wanted to yell. For a moment, she sent a prayer to an angel to protect her house from Asher and his daughter whose name she can't remember.

About thirty minutes later, June entered her office holding a bottle of juice.

"You've not eaten lunch Pepper" she reminded her friend.

"I know. I just need to finish this...I have a lot to do and no time to do it"

"Are you still introducing your husband to Gramps and Gigi?" June asked her.

"Asher is not my husband. He is a roommate I am paying to pose as one, so my grandfather can die and stop bugging me about marriage" Pepper answered without taking her eyes off of the documents.

June opened the juice bottle and pushed it into her face.

"Take a sip before you faint due to dehydration"

Pepper took a sip "Thanks, Junie. Is Marks still lurking by my door, afraid to approach me?"

"Yep" June said and sat down.

Pepper dropped the documents on the table and looked at the door.

"Mr Marks, I will give you three minutes of my time and...I will not yell at you" Pepper had her fingers crossed as she spoke. She was totally going to yell at him.

Marks entered into her office. He was in a navy blue suit and black shoes.

"What can I do for you? You have two minutes"

"Calliope, the headquarters said they need the documents on project Duet" He told her.

"You are in charge of project Duet Mr Marks" Pepper reminded him.

"I know but I am not prepared to give a presentation on it tomorrow morning. Will you help me?" It was the first time Marks was admitting he's inadequacy to her.

"I will if you do one thing for me" Pepper had a straight face.

"Anything...I will do anything" Marks answered her.

"Touch your forehead, Mr Marks" Pepper ordered and he obeyed.

"Now, repeat after me….I am a blockhead and Calliope Pepper Hart is my supreme leader!" Pepper waited patiently for Marks to repeat after her but he was dumbfounded.

"Either you say it or you can take the Duet project and shove it up your…" Pepper was interrupted by a voice.

"Wow! You spread misery everywhere you go, darling" Asher's voice contained a hint of amusement.

Marks used the opportunity to slip away.

"See, what you caused...I was about to torture him. And don't call me darling again. We are roommates in a fake marriage" Pepper told him but then it occurred to her that Asher was in her office.

"How did you find my office?" Pepper questioned him.

She was curious. Her mind went through the conversation of last night. Did she let anything spill about her place of work? Pepper didn't think so.

She waited patiently for his explanation.

"I had my Indian assistant, Jacob run a background check on you in between the million dollars conference call he sat in for me" Asher went with the truth but he had a feeling that Pepper would not believe him and she didn't.

"You are bipolar, right?" She told him. "Here is a hint...the assistant is all in your head. You are as poor as a church mouse"

Asher gave her a look.

"Pepper, is this your hus…. roommate?" June asked her. "Hi, I am June Sanders, the best friend"

"Asher, the husband who she electrocuted this morning with...A Taser!" Asher turned to yell at Pepper.

"He is joking, right?" June asked her.

Pepper turned with a smile, a fake smile at Asher "Of course he is. Asher likes living under a warm roof,he won't go about spreading such malicious rumors about me, now would he?"

Asher moved closer to her like he wanted to whisper into her ears. "You are a manipulative cutthroat bit*h, sweetheart"

Pepper didn't flinch at his words, instead she whispered back "If you call me sweetheart one more time, I will take the nail in my drawer and I will give you a matching injury like my Lord Jesus Christ….do you understand me?"

June took the time they were exchanging words to watch Asher. He was freaking hot.

"Wow, hot ass!" June said out loud without thinking.

Asher tried to hide a smile. No one has objectified him like that before.

"Hey, young lady!" Pepper screamed at her "his eyes are up here and there will be no admiring of that ass. His ass is mine...for two months then he can have his ass back. I…"

Pepper didn't finish talking when suddenly she was pinned. He was kissing her again without permission.

Before she could withdraw her lips from his, his arms were around her, as sure and hard like it held promises to carry her if her legs gave out.

She felt the rush and the warmth. The surging sensation she had never felt before. Pepper wasn't naive, she had been kissed before but not like this. The sensations almost left her limp.

Asher's face gradually blurred and drowned to nothingness. When she thought he was done with her, he bent back her head across his arm and kissed her again. This time softly and then with a swift change like he was taking off a training wheel the kiss intensified and Pepper clinging to him as the only solid thing in a dizzy swaying world.

And before she could understand what was going on, she was kissing him back.

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