Sex and Chocolate: Chocolate Covered Cheri
Marteeka Karland
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Copyright ©2009 Marteeka Karland
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ISBN: 978-1-60521-288-3
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Changeling Press LLC
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www.ChangelingPress.com
Editor: Katriena Knights
Cover Artist: Marteeka Karland
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Sex and Chocolate: Chocolate Covered Cheri
Marteeka Karland
Jedadiah Blackheart has had one thing on his mind since the company Christmas party and that’s getting his assistant, Cheri Dodson, armpit deep in a vat of chocolate so he can lick it all off. When his company lands the Choco Chocolate campaign, Jedadiah finds a way to live out his ultimate fantasy.
Cheri knows Jedadiah is up to something when she sees his inner sanctum turned into a chocolate lover’s paradise. And she’s sure whatever it is, it’s certainly no good for her.
Or is it?
Sex and chocolate is always a good thing.
Chapter One
“Cheri! Get in here!”
Cheri Dodson tried not to cringe at the sound of her boss bellowing her name at about a hundred and fifty decibels. The damned man seemed to think it was his personal mission in life to make her miserable. What was left of his free time, he spent sniffing around every skirt in the office. And town. And the friggin’ state. If his reputation could be believed, the man was a regular sex hound. Thank God Cheri didn’t have to deal with that.
“What’d you do this time, Cheri?” Gillian, her friend and a new secretary in the staff pool, whispered.
“Who knows?” Cheri stood and picked up her smart phone. “Guess I should get it over with. If I text you ‘911,’ send the cops.”
Gillian looked genuinely alarmed. “You don’t think he’d actually hurt you, do you?”
Cheri gave her a smile. “Nah. He doesn’t have the balls. Now, me, on the other hand…”
Gillian giggled, but the even louder bellow, “Today, Cheri!” silenced her. Despite her bravado, Cheri hurried toward the lion’s den. Jedadiah Blackheart didn’t like to be kept waiting. Of course, she had never been one to cater to his demands. Something inside her just couldn’t bow under pressure. She fought him at every turn just to prove he didn’t have the whole world at his feet. The way she saw it, it was part of her job.
Once in his office, Cheri sat in a chair across from him and set up her phone and keyboard on one corner of his desk. She was ready when he decided to let her know what he wanted.
For several moments, he stood with his back to her, arms folded and looking out the window of the ninetieth floor where his office sat proudly overlooking the city. Arrogance aside, Jedadiah Blackheart was one hot man. His sleek Armani suit hugged him like the arms of a lover. He was big. A broad chest practically screamed for her to unbutton the tailored linen shirt and scrape her nails down his pecs. Would he be smooth or dusted liberally with dark hair? He’d definitely have chest hair. He was a man’s man. It was his hands that gave him away. They were rough and calloused from work, not finely manicured and baby-soft. She didn’t know what he did outside the office, but he definitely liked to work with his hands. If the tales were to be believed, he worked really well with his hands.
Cheri shook herself in annoyance, both at him and herself. He hadn’t even acknowledged she was there when she knew good and well he’d heard her enter. Asshole.
“Well, I’m here. What’s so urgent that you felt the need to bellow my name across the whole damned office?”
Jedadiah didn’t turn to face her, but kept looking out the window, like Zeus looking down from Mount Olympus. Cheri just bet he saw himself that way, too. “Tell me again why I keep you around? You’re certainly not very good at taking orders, and that mouth of yours is just a little too smart for my liking.”
Cheri didn’t hesitate with her reply. “You keep me around because no one else with my skill and experience will put up with you.”
“And what is it, exactly, that you do around here?” Still, he never turned to face her. She really hated it when he did that. It made her feel like it was beneath him to acknowledge her presence by actually making eye contact. He seemed to only do it with her. Probably because she was the only woman around the office impervious to his charms, for which she was exceedingly grateful.
“I run your life, Mr. Blackheart.” He did turn around then, a startled expression on his face that was quickly replaced by one of annoyance.
“You do not.”
“Of course I do.” She sat back in her chair and crossed her legs, leaning on one arm of the chair. “I’m just subtle about it. You think all those fundraisers and charity dinners you go to are your own ideas?” She smiled sweetly. It was a game they played, to see who could get the upper hand on whom. She nearly always let him win, but not today. She wasn’t in the mood. He might be president of the most powerful advertising agency in the greater metropolitan area, but he had more things going on than any human being on the planet. It wasn’t impossible for one person to keep up with it all, but Jedadiah thought it was beneath him to check a PDA or smart phone.
“And do you honestly think anyone -- especially you -- could keep up with your bimbo of the week other than me?” Cheri met his steely stare with one of her own. “Not to mention all the places you’re supposed to be or the people you’re supposed to meet. You can’t even find your car keys most of the time unless I pick them up where you drop them on my desk when you come in checking your message box. Which is another thing. If I didn’t have your message box on my desk where you had to look at it as you came in, you’d never get any of your messages. I’ve been doing this for so long, it’s easy, but half the time you can’t even remember the names of said bimbos, let alone what time you’re supposed to be at said charity dinner or fundraiser with said bimbo. And let’s not get started about business meetings. The last time I went on vacation, I came back to find you’d double- and triple-booked yourself.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. Not a good sign. That usually meant he wanted her to do something she wasn’t going to like at all. The last time he got that look, she ended up on the auction block in a charity auction in his place.
“You shouldn’t go on vacations if you don’t like cleaning up the mess you left for me when you went. Now. I have something I need you to do. I’ve been working on the Choco Chocolate campaign myself.”
Cheri raised her eyebrow. That explained a lot. “Why in the world would you do that? That campaign is nothing to a company this big. Why go through the headache of running it?”
“Because I miss the grunt work.” He pulled his chair out and sat down, propping hi
s elbows on his desk and lacing his fingers to look over them at her. “This has been a fun project, and I’ve enjoyed every second of it, but it’s time to put my ideas into action. I need you to help me with that.”
“Why do I feel a nightmare coming on?”
“I want you to help me with the commercial.”
“What in the world could I possibly contribute to something like that? I know absolutely nothing about advertising. I make sure you are where you’re supposed to be and make sure you send flowers to your mother on Mother’s Day. I do not do advertising.”
There was that evil smile she’d been dreading. Whatever he had planned, she knew it wouldn’t be pleasant for her.
“I don’t want you to help me come up with a concept for the commercial. That’s already done. I want you to be in the commercial.”
That startled her. “Me? I know as much about acting as I do about advertising.” She picked up her phone and the little keyboard. “I think you need someone with different talents than I possess. I’m sure with some careful screening you’ll find the right person.”
“You don’t understand, Cheri. I insist. Be here tomorrow at six a.m. Wear something casual.”
“You can’t be serious.” This could not be happening. No fucking way. The only time Cheri had done any acting was in the seventh grade, and she’d thrown up all over Billy Grigsby right before they went on stage. She hadn’t been able to say a word and had run away sobbing.
“I’m very serious.”
“Oh, no. Absolutely not. Not under any circumstances.” Cheri was starting to feel a panic attack coming on.
“Why? You’re not afraid, are you? Little miss ‘I’m-Not-Afraid-Of-The-Big-Bad-Wolf’ couldn’t possibly be camera shy.”
Cheri cringed. It was bad enough he knew what the entire office called him behind his back, but he was taunting her. He knew her too well. There was absolutely no way she could show weakness in front of him, and he knew it. He was manipulating her just like she did him. God, she hated him!
“Damned man,” she muttered and stood up, stomping toward the door.
“Don’t be late,” he called after her. As she closed the door behind her -- a little more firmly than strictly necessary -- she heard a sound she hadn’t heard from him before. It sounded like chuckling, but she couldn’t be sure. She hadn’t known he was capable of such a sound.
Don’t be late? Hell! No way she was showing up to begin with. Being in a commercial was not part of her job description.
Glancing at her watch, she dodged questions from Gillian and a couple of other secretaries, grabbed her purse out of her bottom desk drawer, then headed out. She needed a massage. If the Big Bad Wolf wanted to fire her, so be it. She was taking the afternoon off.
Truth was, she was terrified. Not so much of falling on her face in front of strangers. She was afraid of falling on her face in front of Jedadiah Blackheart. Cheri had always thought of herself as having the upper hand on him -- even if he was the boss -- but looking like a fool on the set of his pet project would seriously compromise her position with him. He’d forever see her as a bumbling fool, and she couldn’t live with that. He’d make her miserable.
Deciding not to worry about it, she called to see if she could get in to see her favorite masseuse. She definitely needed some de-stressing.
* * *
This was going to be fun. If Jedadiah knew Cheri like he thought he did, she was out getting a massage, deciding she’d just not show up tomorrow. That was OK. He’d change her mind. He’d lusted after her for far too long to let that happen.
He’d known from the moment he’d hired her she was someone special, and had refused to play the games he normally played with women with her. OK, scratch that. She had played games of her own, just not of a sexual nature. It didn’t really matter though. She wasn’t the type of woman to be swept off her feet by the first handsome man to smile and wink at her. She was highly intelligent and self-assured. She’d settle for nothing less than total devotion in a man. No one-night stands for her. That in itself wasn’t impressive to a man who thrived on casual sex, but the way she stuck to her guns was.
And she was perfect.
OK, so he hadn’t thought so at first. She was a plump, full-figured woman. He remembered his first impression of her had been “fat.” Then he’d seen her at the Christmas party last year in that red strapless number with the fluffy white trim that stopped just about mid thigh. He hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her. She was perfectly proportioned with full, rounded breasts that still sat high on her chest, and her rounded butt was balanced flawlessly with her full, firm thighs. Her creamy white skin was complemented nicely by her mass of curly red hair. Top it off with those silvery green eyes of hers, and she was simply luscious. That just happened to be the moment she’d dipped a strawberry in a fountain of flowing chocolate, and the image of all that lusciousness covered liberally in rich, gooey chocolate had hit him with the force of a nuclear bomb. Since then, it had almost become an obsession. His chocolate-covered Cheri would definitely be good enough to eat.
Jedadiah picked up his phone, selected her number from his phone book, and started the first of many text messages he had planned for the evening. She might think he was a total scoundrel, but he definitely knew the finer points of seduction.
I sincerely hope you aren’t planning on skipping out tomorrow. I created this concept with you specifically in mind. We can’t do this without you.
Cheri wouldn’t get the message for at least an hour. Her massage would last at least that long, and she’d probably wait until she got home to answer it, but that was fine. The game had begun, and he had the upper hand.
His phone chirped.
Leave me alone!
Jedadiah smiled. Not bloody likely.
* * *
Cheri wasn’t even aware Jedadiah knew how to text message. What was this all about? She’d fired off her “leave me alone” back to him with sharp stabs at her phone. She’d meant every word of it, too.
And she didn’t care what he demanded, she would not be there tomorrow. Weekends were her sanity. No way she was stressing over work on her days off.
Her phone gave another quiet ping. Another text message.
You don’t even know what I have planned. I promise it will be fun…
The ellipsis at the end conjured a wealth of naughty images that she simply refused to contemplate. Cheri knew he was baiting her, but she couldn’t stop answering him.
There isn’t anything in this world fun enough to make me show up tomorrow.
The second she hit “send,” all kinds of X-rated images raced through her head. She groaned. Well, maybe she could think of one thing fun enough, but no way she’d admit it to him.
Now THERE’S a challenge I’m willing to take on.
If she’d been smart, Cheri would have left it there, but the man got to her in ways no other human being ever could. When he chose to push her buttons, she lost all common sense.
Believe me, Jedadiah, when I say nothing, I mean nothing.
Before he could reply with something even worse, she turned her phone off. She was far too tense for this. After her massage, she’d think about it.
An hour later, she decided the massage had made things worse. She could easily imagine Jedadiah’s hands so deftly caressing her skin and working her taut muscles.
“I don’t know what you’ve been thinking about the last hour,” Jennifer, the masseuse, commented, “but I think you’re worse now than when I started.”
Cheri groaned. “I know, Jen. I can’t seem to relax. I think I need a vacation.”
“Don’t we all. My advice? Go home. Put on some soft jazz or something. Have a glass of wine. Have two or three. You’ll feel better.”
“I’d already decided tonight needed alcohol. Thanks for working me in so fast.”
“No problem, Cheri. Anytime, in fact. I’m just sorry it didn’t help.”
On the way home, Cheri couldn’
t help but contemplate what all the Choco Chocolate commercial would entail. Whatever Jedadiah had in mind, she was sure it wouldn’t be good.
Wait. Why was she even thinking about it? It didn’t concern her. Growling at her own idiocy, Cheri mixed herself a mudslide, heavy on the Kahlua and Bailey’s. The rich, chocolaty flavor always calmed her. It was too rich to give her a buzz, but it would take the edge off before she turned to her favorite Captain and Coke.
Cheri put in a DVD -- she didn’t really care which one -- and plopped down on the couch. The cat jumped onto her lap, twirled around twice, and sat down. She gave Cheri her “pet me, human” look to which Cheri smiled and obliged. Mindless entertainment and the relaxation of stroking Windy’s silky fur was what she needed tonight. Windy’s loud purr immediately soothed her ragged nerves like nothing else could. Except maybe alcohol. In fact, she was halfway through her second drink when her cell sang out, “Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead.”
Jedadiah. Crap. What the hell did he want? Scratch that. She knew, and she wasn’t playing. Cheri started not to answer it, but experience told her he’d just keep calling until he got her. She flipped the sleek phone open and rolled her eyes.
“What?” she snapped.
“I hope you’re resting up. You’ll need your strength tomorrow.” Jedadiah’s voice flowed over her like warm honey. Naughty thoughts weren’t far behind, and sweat broke out over Cheri’s body. Her heart raced, and she couldn’t seem to catch her breath. Besides that, she knew moisture gushed from her pussy in response to his made-for-sex voice.
“Sure,” she said, trying to sound matter-of-fact and not like she was about to come all over herself. “I’m resting. I plan to rest all weekend. I thought I’d find a spot to sunbathe and forget about work entirely.”
He chuckled softly. “No, you won’t. You’ll be at work tomorrow because you’re curious.”
“You’ve lost your mind.” Cheri knew her face glowed red. She was glad Jedadiah couldn’t see her or the game would be up.
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