by Shayne Ford
Sheila checks her bejeweled wristwatch.
“They must be here already,” she chirps before she lifts her gaze, and smiles at me again. “Get ready. The meeting starts in half an hour. I need to go now, and make sure that the conference room is ready.”
Feline like, she spins around and struts to the door, her heels the last thing I see before she vanishes down the hallway.
My eyes stay trained on the corridor when a few suit-clad men enter my line of sight.
It’s not only the owners of the company who are in attendance but also local business people who are doing business dealings with our company.
A few moments pass by before I propel myself out of my chair, grab my purse, and head to the bathroom.
I run my fingers through my hair and put more color on my lips. My face looks pale against my hair, making my blue eyes look translucent.
I rub my lips together, making sure that my lipstick spreads evenly before I smooth my dress–– an hourglass wool crepe little number, the color of the sky.
Eye-popping glass buttons sit on one shoulder, a beautiful detail that gives my dress an air of elegance.
I’ve learned from Sheila.
I spin around and check my back. Long seams shape my dress, setting off my waist and backside. A long metallic zipper trails down my spine.
My phone vibrates in my purse.
I pull it out.
Tiago: Where are you?
Me: Work. You?
Tiago: Where exactly?
I lift my gaze and glance at the door.
No.
He can’t be here.
A soft knock on the door makes me spin all the way and take a few steps in that direction.
I crack the door open.
His back faces the door as he keeps his eyes on the hallway.
“What are you doing here?” I ask under my breath, tapping his arm playfully.
He spins around and tosses me a smile.
“Looking for you,” he says in a quiet voice as well.
“Looking for trouble,” I say, pulling him in and closing the door.
His eyes glint with another smile as he takes me in, his gaze hovering over me for a few good moments.
“Nice dress,” he says, his hands migrating to my hips, his fingers curling around them, pressing into my body.
I get feelings that begin to battle with each other. Panic sweeps through me, but also the warmth of pleasure.
“If anyone walks in my office right now, it’s on you to explain what you were doing with me in my bathroom.”
He laughs, his stunning smile speaking of rock-solid confidence he’s only been increasing lately.
It’s the new money and the power that put fresh blood in him. He walks differently, talks differently, and he sure knows how to take everything he wants from me differently than he did before.
He closes the space between us and presses me into his hard body. His smooth suit jacket showcases his broad shoulders, and his starched shirt–– sparkling white against his neck.
Subtle male cologne drifts over me.
Swept in a trance, I wrap my arms around his neck and crush my mounds against his hard chest.
Smoothly, he runs his lips along my jawline, the feather-like touch spurring goosebumps on my arms, sending tingles down my legs.
“In less than a half an hour, we’ll be in a meeting,” he murmurs against my temple. “I want you to sit there, in the front row, if all possible, legs crossed, and be thinking about this.”
He takes my hand, tears it from his neck, and slowly guides it down until he reaches his groin.
Grinning, he presses my palm against the ridge of his erection.
“I thought, we settled this before you left this morning,” I say flirtatiously.
He clicks his tongue.
“You know we didn’t.”
“Tonight then?”
He takes a step back, smiling wolfishly as he adjusts his erection.
Chewing on my lip, I watch him straightening his back and tightening his tie knot.
“Let me do it,” I say, using it as a pretext to get close to him again.
And also touch him.
His eyes hover over my face as I focus on his tie. I make sure that the knot sits right before I run my fingers on his tie.
His hands curl around my neck, his touch making me hot between my thighs.
I grab his wrists to curtail his seductive assault on my senses, but I find myself bringing his hands to my lips and kissing them each at a time.
“We can’t be doing this here. People could walk in on us. Besides, it can ruin my dress,” I say as I keep pressing my lips against his palms, the warmth building in my body saying something different than my words.
“Yeah... You’re right,” he says, his admission taking me by surprise. “But we can do this.”
With one smooth move, he lowers himself in front of me, lifts the hemline of my dress, and pulls down my nylons and my panties.
“Hold your dress,” he commands.
I feel the air on my sex first and then his lips and tongue as I grab the hemline of my skirt and hold it up.
“You’re crazy,” I say so quietly, I’m surprised he’s heard me.
His eyes fly up to me, his mouth pressed on my clit.
That gaze almost tips me over the edge, which isn’t such a bad idea since time is of the essence here.
“Not less than you are, considering that you’re wet although you know that we can get caught.”
For some reason, his words turn me on even more. I use my free hand to grab his hair while he lifts my left leg and folds it over his shoulder, spreading me and creating all the access that he needs.
For the next few minutes, I close my eyes, anticipating the delicious shudder. I’m perfectly aware there’s not much time. And I know that it will happen fairly quickly.
What I forget completely is that we’re in my office, and he’s one of my bosses, and I am one of the new employees, and no matter how good and talented I am, and how good of a friend James is to me, this could become the mother of all disasters if someone would indeed walk in on us.
That thought alone kicks my pleasure into a higher gear.
“This is insane,” I mutter, looking down at him as he eats me out without the slightest care in the world.
I feel him tense, his fingers digging deep into my thigh.
He’ll leave marks on me says a random thought before with all my might, I push the screaming moan that is about to blast out of my chest, back to my throat.
My fingers tense up, entangled with his hair, my hips shaking, my body shuddering.
With great difficulty, I remove my hand from his hair, my heavy gaze slanted to him.
His eyes burn, his glistening lips curled into a secret smile as he licks my juices.
He lets me stand on both feet as he rises to his feet and rides my panties and my nylons up.
My dress falls down, just as Sheila Lane’s voice echoes outside the door.
“Miss Malone? Are you in there?”
I shift my eyes at him panicked, questions lurking in my gaze.
He brings his index finger to his lips while running his free hand up his fly, adjusting his erection for the second time.
He nods.
“Yes, I’m getting ready. I’ll be out in a moment.”
“Good. I’ll see you there.”
“Okay.”
We both listen to her steps moving away from us and then the door closing behind her.
“I gotta go,” I say. “Me first. And make sure no one sees you walking out of my office.”
I gesture just as quickly as I continue.
“Never mind. You can walk out of my office as long as I’m already gone, just find an explanation.”
“Relax,” he says, calm and well... relaxed.
He sets his hands on my shoulders first, and then he wraps me in his arms. I get lost in his embrace, and for a few moments, I don’
t want to ever leave.
“It will be over soon. I promise you,” he says, confident and reassuring.
I lift my gaze to him.
“Do you have a plan or it’s merely a feeling?”
“I think things begin to settle. James has started to look at me with different eyes. In fact, he suggested that I should take you out sometime.”
I look at him baffled.
“Did he?”
“Mmm-hmm. Last night, at the dinner table.”
“What did you say?”
“That I might.”
“Interesting.”
“But that’s not my plan. That would make us pretend furthermore, and we’d start everything with another lie. I want to tell him the truth. And for that, I’ll wait a few weeks more. Two or three, maybe.”
“Sounds good,” I say, grappling with mixed feelings.
“What?”
“Um... Nothing. I hope things will play out the way you want them to.”
“They will.”
I read his eyes for a moment.
He truly believes that, but I am not so confident.
“Go, now...” he says smiling and nudging me toward the door.
“Okay.”
I push on my toes and kiss him on his cheek, making sure I don’t leave lipstick on his skin before I grab my purse and walk out of the bathroom.
14
EVE
The line-up is impressive.
I’ve never been in a room with so much concentration of money and power, not to mention the men’s good looks. From left to right I swing my gaze sweeping the faces of Ed Preston, Lex Harrington, James Sexton, and, um... Tiago Rossi.
Not far from them, sitting in the first row like me, David Moore, and Ashton Blackmore.
A couple of seats have remained empty, and I wish I knew who they are for.
There are more than fifty people in the room.
It’s an important meeting, one that goes over the latest accomplishments of the company as well as the plans for the future.
For the most part, I split my attention between James’ speech and the man who sits at his left. Tiago keeps his gaze down, his focus on his tablet, but the small smile clinging to the corner of his lips tells me that his mind goes back to what just happened.
As I look at him, I can’t help but reflect for a moment on the way fate had brought us together.
Even now, I find it hard to believe that he and I are connected. What a journey this has been.
My stare makes him flick his gaze to me for a second, enough for me to get swept by an electric current.
I move my eyes down, trying to keep my composure, and only later when I imagine that he’s no longer gazing at me, I dare to look up again.
Indeed, he seems to be focusing on the numbers he has in front of him just like everybody else, and while I tear my eyes away from him, I sense James’ stare on me.
His attention doesn’t linger much on me, and for sure, he doesn’t lock my eyes as he keeps talking about the company’s projected revenue for the next quarter.
A strange sensation flows through me.
No matter how good things feel right now, it’s hard not to be concerned with what could happen when he learns the truth.
This is not only about who’s hooking up with whom. This is about character, trust, and loyalty, values that James holds dear, and certainly expects from people he considers close to him.
I tip my gaze down and start looking at the graphics on my tablet, trying to push back my anxious thoughts.
A small break ensues a few minutes later, a good opportunity for the people to start chatting and pick up a snack or two from the buffet table.
The meeting resumes ten minutes later when two late guests walk in. People are still finding their seats or grabbing a bottle of water or croissants from the table when the two guests walk to James Sexton.
Holding a small plate with fruit and a cup of coffee, I slide into my seat. I place everything in front of me when I flick my gaze up.
Tiago enters the room coming from a side door, while the two men who have their backs turned to me talk to James Sexton.
They greet each other before the two men spin around, glance at the front row and find the empty seats next to me.
They also find me, pleasant surprise rolling over their faces.
Tiago’s stare summons my attention for a second as he takes in the men’s faces.
It’s hard not to recognize them, and as much as this is a surprise for me as well, I can see the possible ramifications of this strange coincidence in a split second.
It’s too late to do anything about it, though.
Kyle Troy and Ray Larson squeeze by and take their seats.
They greet me with a smile and tell me how surprised they are to see me here before I inform them that I work here, and the second part of the meeting gets started.
Unlike minutes ago, when Tiago played cool and barely looked at me, he now shoots a stare that could kill my two neighbors.
The man has a good memory, and sadly, Ray and Troy have it too, our little joke from the past hunting us, still.
For whatever reason, they don’t seem to be willing to let go of the idea of knowing me better, even now, using little pretexts to talk to me and ask me questions that seem innocent at first, but judging by the two men’s looks, they sure aren’t.
What are the odds?
The same fate that brought to me the stunning man whose eyes throw daggers from across the room, put these two people next to me.
As if the universe wants to laugh at my expense.
I wish I could find a way to leave the room before anything stupid happens. But I can’t push up to my feet and walk away just like that, not without drawing attention to this situation.
For the next ten minutes or so, I stay put, tense and panicky, when my phone starts vibrating with a work-related call.
That’s a good enough reason to squeeze out of my chair and slip out of the room.
Thank God.
I take the call in the hallway, and by the time I’m done with the conversation, the doors of the conference room slide open, and people start walking out. Clamor fills the corridor as my colleagues head to their cubicles.
I use the opportunity to sneak into my office too.
It’s noon already, and many employees step out to go to one of the restaurants lining the street two blocks down and grab a quick lunch.
I’m tempting to do the same thing when I hear a soft knock, the door opens, and a man enters my office.
“Do you have plans for lunch?” Ray Troy asks directly.
Out of reflex, my gaze flies over his shoulder, waiting to see his friend behind him.
“Kyle will join us soon if that’s what you were looking for,” he says, smiling cockily.
I shift my gaze to him.
“Um... Actually, I’ve already ordered lunch. It should be in at any moment.”
He takes a few steps in.
As he closes the gap between us, I get flashes from the past.
Who knew that the two men I spotted on the beach in Monte Carlo would be here in my office one day, in James Sexton’s firm of all places.
“Too bad,” he says, undressing me with his eyes. “You look beautiful Eve,” he says in a soft voice, that is hardly appropriate for an office let alone a work-related conversation.
“Perhaps, we’ll see you tonight,” he continues, bringing his gaze up to my eyes.
“Tonight?” I ask.
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice James, Lex, Ed, and Tiago walking down the corridor. My focus shifts to them for a split second.
I’m praying Tiago doesn’t look this way.
“Yeah, tonight,” he says, drawing my attention back to him.
“What’s tonight?”
“The business dinner at the Casino.”
“Oh, yeah... The Casino. I’m not sure it’s for all the employees.”
“I think I saw your
name on the guests' list.”
“Oh... You did?”
How come I didn’t see that list.
“Seven o’clock. Be there,” he says, smiling amusedly this time, perhaps because of my baffled look or awkward behavior.
Who knows? But who cares anyway?
Thank God, he’s moving away and now walking out the door, and here I am, still standing in the middle of my office, and no one has gotten killed, so far.
I barely crash into my seat, breathing out a sigh of relief when the door pulls open, and Tiago enters the room.
“What did he want?” he asks, his voice slicing through the air as he paces closer.
“Um... Nothing,” I say, smiling.
He props his palms on my desk and gives me a harsh look, a frown sitting on his brow.
Oh, that is not good.
I propel myself out of my seat and round my desk, prompting him to straighten his back and resume a normal, less aggressive position.
“What did he say to you?” he asks, his eyes cutting through me like swords.
“Nothing.”
“Eve?”
The tone of his voice tells me that the longer I withhold the information, the more aggravated he would get.
“Please, Tiago. Nothing happened.”
“He was in your office.”
“And I’m at work.”
“They have no business to be with you.”
“It was something stupid... He asked me if I had lunch. That’s all.”
He cocks an eyebrow.
“I told him that I’m not going out. I ordered in.”
He reads my eyes for a moment.
“There’s no reason to get all worked up,” I say.
“They think that just because someone made a joke in the past, they can keep coming back to you with the same old shit.”
“I was the one who made the joke, and yes, it was stupid, but nothing happened. You just need to calm down.”
“The fucking jerk can’t get a hint.”
“The fucking jerks, if I understand correctly, are about to do business with your brother.”
“And they should stick with their fucking business.”
“Listen,” I say in a low, quiet voice, touching his arm softly. “You can’t get mad because they’re ignorant. They’re not going to make a pass at me these few days–– I don’t think so, and then they’ll leave.”
