Laid and Leveraged by Alison Ford

executives. They had strict orders to run anything you told them to do by me first. ” 
    At first Michelle only felt relief. Today's Energy was saved after all! She picked up her fork and cut a piece of veal before the reality of what he told her sunk in. Roger told all her employees not to do what she said unless he agreed that it was okay. That meant she was nothing more than a figurehead – a puppet, if you will. She dropped her fork with a clatter, her face growing hot with fury. No doubt everyone in the office snickered behind her back today as they agreed to do what she said to her face and then promptly ignored her. She pushed her chair out and stood up to leave.
    “ Go to hell, Roger, ” she hissed, tossing her napkin onto her plate.

Chapter 10.
    “ Michelle! ” Roger caught her by the arm in the parking lot. “ Just where do you think you're going? ” She shrugged him away
    “Home,” she seethed, marching past Roger's waiting limo and heading for the road.
    “You can't walk back,” he pointed out. “It's at least ten miles back to your apartment.”
    “I don't care if it's a hundred!”
    Roger stood in front of her, blocking her path with his big body.
    “Alright Michelle,” Roger shook his head and sighed, resigned. “I didn't want to have to do this, but you've left me no choice.” He didn't let Michelle wonder too long what he meant. In the next moment, Roger bent down, circled his arms about her hips and Michelle felt herself being hoisted into the air. He flopped her over his shoulder as though she weighed no more than a sack of potatoes. It took her a whole minute just to find her voice past the initial shock. She screeched, howling with indignity. Biting and clawing at his back, she kneed Roger's chest. Aside from a soft grunt of pain at a particularly sharp blow, Roger made no sound. He dumped her unceremoniously onto the floor of the limo and climbed in after her.
    “How dare you!” Michelle cried. She wondered if anyone from the restaurant had heard her struggle, but if they did they'd made no attempt to help. Roger sat down in the seat and shut the door behind them.
    “Don't take us back right away,” he told their driver through the partition. “Just keep driving around until I say so.” Roger pressed a button that rolled up the partition, isolating he and Michelle. “Come here,” he told Michelle who still sat on the floor.
    “No,” she spat. “I'm not just one of your women you can boss around.” Roger stroked his chin in contemplation, his blue eyes nearly glowing in the darkness as he watched her.
    “Just one of my women?” he asked, a hint of a smile forming on his lips. “Is that what you are so upset about? I admit there have been a lot of women before you, Michelle, but none since.”
    She couldn't help but feel a certain amount of relief upon hearing that she'd been the only one for Roger since he'd met her, but she wasn't ready to give up her fight just yet.
    “No,” she lied. “I wasn't angry about that.” Michelle thrust out her chin. “You've completely taken over my company without even once asking for my input on a single thing. I'm not the dumb blonde you obviously think I am. I admit that some of my management choices have been ill thought out, but not all the things I wanted were bad.”
    Roger seemed to be considering her words. After a long drawn out silence he said, “Alright Michelle, what policies do you disagree with?”
    Michelle couldn't help but be surprised. Was Roger really going to take her suggestions seriously? If so, maybe he wasn't the jerk she'd thought him to be. She took a deep breath before beginning.
    “Becky Clark,” she said.
    Roger's brows drew together. “Your assistant?” he asked, seemingly perplexed. “She's too  young and doesn't have enough experience. I planned on getting you another assistant, one who would be more useful to you.”
    Michelle crossed her arms stubbornly over her chest. “See, that's exactly