If he works for Audi, that makes him my colleague. According to my strict rules, I would have to stay away from him. He would be off-limits. But he’s only visiting, right? If his stay here is temporary and he eventually returns to the USA, then my chances of running into him again are very small, aren’t they? Then he would get to keep his status of a random fling. Conclusion? Rule number three—check!
That toilet paper incident. Not a very elegant way of meeting someone, is it? Oh well, he’s not likely to forget about me any time soon, that’s for sure! I decide I won’t let this minor incident ruffle my feathers and I plan to learn everything I can today about this mystery guy.
He will definitely come to the party and that’s where I will see him again. He will even look for me and seek me out, I know for sure. How do I know? I hardly every take things too literally. The way someone says something is far more important. Or what they don’t say or leave out. You can learn a lot about someone when you pay attention to that.
Fact number one: He looked at my mouth.
Fact number two: He looked at my breasts.
Fact number three: He looked at my ass.
Fact number four—this is probably the most important clue—he fell silent for a while. He was momentarily speechless. Not because he chose this silence, but because he actually was at a loss for words. He was just as impressed by me as I was by him, and that’s what made it difficult for him to find the right words at that moment.
A man like him always knows what to say. A man like him has made it this far in life by always knowing the right thing to say, in the right way, at the right time. Conclusion? Isn’t it obvious? I’m absolutely positive he will be looking for me tonight at that party! This can only end one way: with him begging for my pussy in my hotel room. Game on!
If my life were a highway, it would now have a new, unscheduled final destination.
Chapter 7 – No way back
NINA
Jesus Christ, am I looking forward to that party! But first, we need to get through this last part of the meeting. After that, we need to put our stuff in our hotel rooms and go have dinner. The party only begins at 10:00 p.m. God, give me strength! You would think I’m a religious person with all the God this and God that. Maybe I’m more religious than I thought.
“Don’t you need another toilet break?” Anita laughs.
“Ha, ha, very funny! No, I don’t. I’ve had my fair share for now, thank you very much,” I say, as the three of us take our seats again.
While the last speaker welcomes us back, I see him walk up the stage. He stands centered in the back, waiting to be announced. He’s even more handsome than I remember, standing there like that. He looks so serious with his clenched jaw, and has a certain serenity and authority over him that’s so damn sexy. I’ve never been this impressed by a man in my life.
His graying temples and his dignified attitude clearly show he’s not a young man anymore, but he doesn’t have any wrinkles yet and his body seems as viral as a twenty-year-old’s. Despite his suit, you can see he is muscular and has a flat stomach. It’s obvious that he has a gym membership and uses it too.
I carefully look in his direction and whisper, “Anita, look, look. That's the restroom guy.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought. That's the hotshot from Audi USA I told you about. The one with the private harem, remember?” She points out the three women who took their places to the right in the back of the stage, each more beautiful than the other, and all three of them in tight-fitting, sexy, but still business-like outfits. They all look straight ahead and sometimes at him while they wait.
“Look, girl, he's looking at you!”
What? It's true! He looks me straight in the eye, like he's trying to tell me something with those eyes. He doesn't even blink, not once! It’s pretty intense, until I realize he might not be looking at me at all. He could be looking at someone sitting right next to me or behind me.
I can hardly believe what happens next. All this time, he had his arms behind his back, but now he sticks out his right hand, and ... what's that he's holding? A roll of toilet paper with a red ribbon around it! He throws it in my direction and miraculously, it lands right there in my lap! I don’t think most people were even paying that much attention because no one seems to be startled by this action, it all went so fast!
Anita and John did notice, however, and they look at me in utter astonishment, then back at him. He's just standing there, smiling and looking at me. It's the first time I see him smile and it looks rather attractive. Breathtaking, actually. It creates cute dimples in his cheeks, which make him look a lot younger all of a sudden. Maybe he's not as old as I thought after all.
Returning the smile, I press the roll of toilet paper to my cheek and try to look as cute as I can, while fluttering my eyelashes at him. I wave my hand in front of my face, mimicking like I'm hot, then I tear a piece of toilet paper from the roll and pretend to wipe my forehead with it. I lower the paper down to my cleavage and start rubbing and blotting, sending him a wink. I see his cheeks flush and surprise slide across his face. I made the big boss blush! Ha, ha, I knew I could do it!
All of a sudden, my best friend startles me. “Knock it off, Nina!” She points at the people to the left, who have witnessed my little show. Oops! That was not the plan. I quickly put the roll in my big purse and look up at the stage again as seriously as I can manage, as if nothing happened.
“I AM SEBASTIAN STRONG and I lead our people in the United States.”
That’s his first line. Sebastian Strong. What a funny name. It sounds a lot like a name of one of the main characters in those little romantic novels my grandma loves to read.
After a short pause, he continues, “In order to maintain success on an international level, we need to make optimum use of our most important asset—our people. We can do that by learning from each other and benefiting from each other's knowledge and experience. That is exactly why I am here today. Now is the start of a large-scale internal project that will bring us all closer together and safeguard the successful brand of Audi for future generations.”
Wow, that man can talk! He continues on about his plans and explains why he and his team are visiting us, but honestly, I'm not listening all too well. Breathlessly, I look at his lush mouth while he moves his lips. It doesn't help he's put on glasses, the tight-fitting kind with a dark frame. It makes him look like a sexy older version of Clark Kent, the one played by Henry Cavill. The tough new version, not the old Superman. I've always thought he was kind of a loser with that lock of hair dangling in front of his eyes.
While he talks, my head is filled with fantasies of him as a super hero and me as sexy Catwoman. Or better yet, him as naughty professor, who tutors me on a school bench. He gives me a very personal explanation of his male anatomy and his different body parts. He slabs my ass with his ruler every time I get an answer wrong. Yes!
Before I know it, everybody's clapping and Mr. Strong leaves the stage. Shit, I've missed everything. What did he say? I would have liked to learn more about that internal project he was talking about. On the other hand, chances are slim I’ll have anything to do with that. I'm just a simple trucker girl. The project's probably more Anita's thing; it might fit her strategy for making a career.
Next up, are the three American mystery women. The German boss introduces them to the public. Come to think of it, they remind me of a Dutch children's entertainment band back in the nineties called K3, which comprises of a redhead, a blonde, and a black-haired woman. The three American ladies look a lot like their sexy, non-singing versions. All three of them are white and older than the original K3 ladies, but not much. I guess they're about thirty-five years old. Maybe even older? Focus, Nina.
The three ladies take turns introducing themselves and talk about the work they do for Audi USA.
Blondie is responsible for Sales and Marketing. I didn't catch her name, because I was still thinking the handsome American man, who's apparently t
heir boss. Cristina is the one with the tacky fake nails and the wild red hair, who is in Logistics and Operations. The third, with the wild black hair, appears to run all Human Resource Management, or HRM-related matters; I think her name is Noa.
Three power women holding high positions at Audi, reporting directly to Mr. Strong. The Boss, as I will call him from now on. Just sounds more fun. They get to be near him every working day. Can I just say, for the hundredth time—wow?
If he were my boss, I wouldn’t be able to focus on my job at all. How are they getting any work done, for crying out loud? Maybe they don't. Maybe they fuck each other senseless in the office all day. Maybe they have orgies in the meeting rooms, under the pretense of a meeting, deliberations, or brainstorming. What? It’s possible!
When the meeting is finally over and we can get up, my butt feels numb from all the sitting. Walking back to our car, I ask Anita to fill me in quickly about what the fuck is going on.
She raises her eyebrows tentatively, as if she can’t believe I really didn't catch anything from the entire story. However, she is simply too enthusiastic about the developments to reproach me. Over the moon, she says, “It’s about some kind of exchange project. They will be holding interviews in the following week with a number of employees, see how we handle things around here. Once they're back in the U.S., they will share that gained knowledge and make improvements to their methods and procedures. When they go home, they’ll be taking some of us with them to the U.S., so that we can learn from them in return.”
“It seems to me that they would want to talk to managers in particular for this,” I reply skeptically.
“Yes, of course, that too, but Sebastian was very specific when he said that he wanted to meet with employees from all levels. Maybe that includes me!” That last remark comes out in a thrilled, high-pitched voice.
“Exciting, isn't it?” She jumps up and down like a kid seeing the ice cream truck.
“I can imagine this is exciting for you, yes,” I say dryly.
“What about you and that little scene of yours with the toilet paper? What the hell were you thinking with that cleavage act? Were you provoking him, or what? For a moment, I felt really embarrassed for you, Nina.”
“Oh well, you know me. Look, it’s quite simple: I want that guy. And he wants me. And if I want something, I go after it and I never back down. That man will be mine by the end of the evening.” I make sure my words sound definite because I've made this decision and I will stick to it.
Anita, John, and I arrive at the car to drive up to the Holiday Inn in Munich, which is also the party venue. Before I get in, I can't help looking down. Guess what I do? That tough woman who always knows what she wants? The woman who never doubts herself? She checks to make sure there's no toilet paper stuck to her shoes ...
If my life were a highway, I would question my ability to drive.
Chapter 8 – Motley crew
NINA
See those four cool people coming out of the hotel elevator? Well, “cool” might not be the correct word ... We're more like a motley crew, ha ha!
We're all dressed up for the party and we can't wait. We have serious looks on our faces and walk with firm steps, as if we're about to do something really important. As if we're up to something. Which we are, in every way. Tonight, we'll go crazy. The booze is free and the party's just beginning. It's gonna be a looong night.
But seriously, don't we look like three VIPs? We walk up to the party room where all the magic will take place and everyone admires us as we walk by.
In my head, Bootylicious by Beyoncé is the soundtrack to this scene. Oh, wait no, that’s a Destiny’s Child song.
Maybe I prefer the theme from Mission Impossible... Oh no, I know something even better, the theme song to Miami Vice! Or maybe it should be a mix of the three, I just can't decide.
Would you like to know who the members of this motley crew are? When we go out to party, all three of us have a nickname. Let me introduce to you:
Tiger: That's Anita. Why? That's not so hard to guess. Firstly, because she's one of those career tigers and secondly, because when she sinks her teeth into something, she will never let go. She won't quit.
Booty Boy: His real name is William, but he calls himself Billy. He is a planner at Audi and has become a good friend of mine within a very short time. He comes in handy as well, because he always makes sure I don't have to work on Wednesday evenings, so we can go to our salsa lessons together—he's my dance partner. Whenever I don't feel like working, he makes sure I don't have to. He's great. A little crazy, but all the more fun.
Like I said, we call him Booty Boy. We have three specific reasons for that nickname. He likes booties—man booties. His skinny jeans are tighter than a Speedo that’s been washed too hot. In the video of a Maroon 5 song, you see the lead singer of the band get out of the shower and get a gloriously full shot of his ass. We always fail to recall the name of that singer, so we call him booty guy when we talk about him. In our opinion, Billy's booty looks just like booty guy's. But Billy is not a man, he's a boy. Hence, Booty Boy.
Johnny Bravo: That's John. Why we call him Johnny Bravo? No idea. Maybe because that’s the only famous Johnny we know.
Last but not least, my nickname: Palermo. Doesn’t win first price for originality either. I would have preferred Trucker Girl. They call me that all the time anyway, so why make things difficult? But they decided to use my last name because they thought it sounded cool, mobster-like or something.
When we go out, “More till we're on the floor” is our motto. Tonight is no exception.
“Are we really going to use those party name and alter egos ... is that really necessary?” John asked when we told him we gave him one too. “I mean, isn't this a bit childish? I've partied a lot in my life, but never have my friends and I made up party nicknames or alter egos for ourselves.”
Tiger explains, “None of us has had the chance to party in the past, so we're making up for that now! If you have a problem with that, I suggest you don’t come along.”
“Booty Boy! Couldn't you at least have put on a different shirt? One that's not three sizes too small?” John glances at his clearly visible belly button disapprovingly and at the text on his shirt that says he's a wild one. In that outfit, there's really no doubt about his gayness. You don’t need a gaydar—Billy 's pretty obvious. He's desperately seeking his next Romeo and doesn't want to miss any opportunity.
Me and Tiger look super sexy and cool at the same time. We almost look like two of the Charlie's Angles. I'm Drew Barrymore and she's the non-Asian version of Lucy Liu. Better yet, she's the original Lucy Liu. That actress wasn't Asian, what's her name again? She's from before I was born ... Losing focus.
As we arrive at the party room, we stop to have a look around. They've pulled out all the stops. The place is gorgeously illuminated and decorated in pink and blue. If I hadn’t known this to be the hotel's swimming pool, I never would have guessed. Where there used to be water, a dance floor has been created. Justin Timberlake is playing loudly from the speakers and the first people are already dancing. There's a champagne bar! Nothing can ruin this night now.
Tiger runs for it and knocks back her first glass. I grab it from her hands with a warning. “Take it easy! The night is young!”
“I know, but I'm a woman with a mission and I need to courage up a bit!” Her eyes get that crazy look again. No good can come from that.
“What are you talking about? What mission?” In the meantime, the rest of the gang has caught up with us and, one by one, they accept a glass from the waiter.
She whispers in my ear, “My mission is hard to get or get him hard, I'm not sure yet which one.” She slowly shakes her head, as if she's thinking about it. Then she straightens and shrugs. Apparently, both options remain on the table.
She's gotten me curious, so I ask her what her plan is.
“I already told you the other day. If John wants me, he will have to beg for i
t!”
Oh. That poor John. I already feel sorry for him. Anita can be ice-cold.
“What's your mission, Nina?” Her voice is muffled while she shakes her normally neat bob haircut to give it a wilder look.
Oh, right, I guess you can say I have a mission too tonight. A mission to seduce that mysterious American God for a sexcapade. I hadn’t thought of giving it a specific name, but now that I think about it, it's actually pretty obvious.
“A Strong night.”
TIGER IS ADMIRING JOHN in his suit and is in some kind of dreamy state of mind. Apparently, men in suits have that effect on her. It hadn’t even occurred to her John would own a tailored suit, not to mention that he would look super hot in it. Normally, you can easily make out the men who are not used to wearing a suit—they feel uncomfortable and can’t stop pulling at their collar or tie. It's so obvious it's not their cup of tea and they’re out of their comfort zone. Not John. He's a man who seems to be born to wear a suit. Isn’t that funny? Never figured.
“Banana hammock!” The outrage in Anita's voice is pretty obvious.
Yes, banana hammock. Sometimes, regular swear words like shit or damn it simply don't suffice to express how bummed you are. So, Tiger and I made a habit of using our own creations. Like banana hammock or cashew nuts with spots or eyeball peas with onion gravy or poop salad. That sort of thing.
Tiger explains what's going on. “Mission hard to get or get him hard is already falling apart!” I look at Anita and have no idea what she's talking about. Apparently, it shows, since she clarifies immediately. “There’s no way I’ll be able to pull off playing hard to get with John looking like that! With that suit ... Oh, my fucking God!”
Oh! Now I understand—it’ll be hard for her to keep her hands off him! It's her guys-in-suits fetish. I'm no stranger to that either.
Chasing the CEO (The CEO duet Book 1) Page 4
