by King, Kelsey
I’m wearing black leggings with studded black high heeled boots. Underneath the charcoal blazer is a white cotton button-down blouse. An assortment of beads dangle from my neck, reaching just below my breasts, tying the outfit together. I even dabbed on some eyeshadow and styled my hair in loose curls.
Lisa glances at me through the glass wall, and I actually see her eyes widen. Was I still not dressed professional enough for her liking?
She turns back to Mr. Carter and continues arguing until the elevator doors open and the Martinez executives step out.
Once everyone has been ushered into the boardroom, introductions are made. Mr. Carter's receptionist serves tea and coffee before excusing herself, and I’m a nervous wreck. I sit in the back of the room not knowing if I would present today or someone else would. Maybe Mr. Carter wants me to watch as my idea is shot down.
Once everyone has settled, and the Martinez executives have been duly complimented by Lisa and Mr. Carter, he turns to me with those sky-blue eyes before standing up. For a moment everyone in the room disappears, and it’s just him and me.
“This morning, ladies and gentlemen, we would like to present you with something different from all your previous campaigns. I believe it to be innovative and daring, but in the end, the decision is yours. I would like to ask our newest employee, Miss. Riley Harper to show you what we’ve created.”
My heart does a somersault at the mention of my name. My hands grow clammy with sweat as Lisa gives me a lurid glance. No words were needed, I could read her thoughts through the thin slits of her eyes and the puckered pose of her mouth—good luck with falling on your face. Mr. Carter smiles at me encouragingly as I make my way to the front of the room.
I take a deep breath and take my position beside the covered easel. I glance nervously at the white sheet and know I have to explain my reasoning before uncovering it.
“Ladies and gentleman, before I start, I would like to express how honored I am to be working on your campaign. For years Martinez has been known for its style and innovation. Why not apply the same concept to your marketing campaigns? In the past your brand has played on the irresistibility of a woman wearing Martinez, why not rather play on your biggest selling point? Comfort.” I pause for a moment, knowing the effect a strategic pause can have. “With that in mind, I designed something that will not only entice women to buy Martinez heels but will have men recognize Martinez as well.”
I am met with frowns and confused expressions as I finish my speech. Lisa is wearing a smug grin, eager to watch me end my career before it even began. At the end of the table, Mr. Carter gives me a slight smile, heating my blood with a single look.
I take a deep breath and remove the blank page that covers my design. Gasps are audible as the executives from Martinez brows furrow and their heads shake from side to side. I’m doomed.
Mr. Carter stands up and smiles proudly, I know it’s just an act, but at least he was trying to look supportive of his designer. “We’ll give you a few minutes to discuss it.”
With that, he signals for me and Lisa to follow him out of the room. We step out and before I could even comprehend what was happening Lisa turns to me with a thunderous glare. “You do know you probably just cost us one of our biggest clients just to make your point. I really hope they’re looking for designers at the neighborhood supermarket because when you leave here today, you won’t be getting a job anywhere else in this time industry.”
“Lisa, calm down. It isn’t over yet. Mr. Carter placates her before he turns to me. “I can’t say that went well because it is yet to be seen. But you handled yourself professionally, Riley.” His eyes travel over my clothes, briefly halting at the top two buttons of my shirt I left undone, before trailing down to my studded black boots. “Nice shoes.”
“Thank you,” I smile and know he’s probably just being polite.
The door eventually opens, and we are invited back inside. As I walk toward my seat in the back, I can’t palpate the direction they had gone. Solemn expressions wait until both Lisa and Mr. Carter are seated.
“Mr. Carter, Miss Weston, Miss Harper, we want to thank you for the design.” A woman in her early fifties says gravely. “With our last campaign, we had considered looking to a new agency for our marketing campaigns, but decided to give you one last chance to prove yourselves.”
I notice Mr. Carter and Lisa’s eyebrows raise; shocked at the revelation that this had been a test from Martinez. I glance at the small coffee table beside me and wonder if I should crawl underneath it. I might have just lost this company a huge contract.
“Unfortunately,” the woman pauses watching Mr. Carter's reaction. “It seems we have wasted our time interviewing new agencies. BPC Advertising has once again proven to be innovative and daring, and we love the idea. It’s brilliant.”
I look up, confident that my ears have betrayed me only to notice everyone was smiling as the woman continues. “It’s exactly what we wanted but could have never imagined. I must say Mr. Carter; you truly have an eye for talented designers. We would like Miss Harper to take the lead on the entire campaign with the same innovation that she’s shown today.”
Lisa audibly gasps at the announcement as a smile spreads across my face. I wasn’t fired. I want to throw a fist pump in the air nut refrain.
“I’d be honored to. Thank you. I’m glad you liked it,” I improvise when I realize both Lisa and Mr. Carter are at a loss for words.
Once the meeting is finished, and everyone has left I collect my canvas with a proud smile. Before turning around, I feel a hand on my arm.
“My office Riley, now,” Mr. Carter says quietly.
Goosebumps tingle all over my body at his touch. Desire coils in my belly as I nod and follow him to the elevator.
3
Branson
“Mr. Carter, I’m so sorry. I don’t know whether to thank you or to apologize. I had no idea so much was riding on today. Thank you for giving me a chance to explain myself and for letting me present the design. I know you didn’t believe it was going to work but you gave me a chance nonetheless…”
“Riley.” I hold up my hand causing her to stop mid-sentence. “Since you’ll be staying on, please call me Branson.”
After what just happened I think it would be safer to keep Riley on the 35th floor until Lisa has calmed down. From experience I know not even a bear woken from hibernation was as dangerous as Lisa in a temper.
“Branson.” Riley nods as she tests my name on her tongue. I love hearing her say it. I want to tell her how impressed and proud I am of her. Instead, I find myself momentarily tongue-tied.
“I knew they’d like it.” She smiles giving me a glimpse of her perfectly straight teeth.
“None of us knew what was hanging in the balance today and I daresay if we didn’t present your concept we would I’ve lost the Martinez contract completely. So it should be me thanking you.”
“I was just doing my job.” Riley grins, clutching to the design as if it is a lifeline.
“No, you were arrogant, willful, and a downright pain in the ass, but you were right.” I concede. She just saved one of our biggest contracts. If I had gone with Lisa’s suggestion and fired her yesterday, we would have lost Martinez today.
Riley laughs. It’s an exhilarating sound after the heavy atmosphere of the boardroom. “I tend to be a pain in the ass. Maybe I should’ve mentioned it in my interview.”
“I’ve noticed.” A smile tugs at the corners of my mouth.
Our eyes meet and the same heat from yesterday resurfaces. Only today Riley doesn’t look like a college freshman with her hair tied up and her face nude of make-up. She looks like a woman. The buttons she has left open on her blouse hint to the soft curves of her breasts. The eyeshadow gives her eyes a smoldering appearance. Light pink lip gloss glints on her lips and for a moment I wonder what it would taste like.
Our smiles fade as the atmosphere in my office grows heavy with desire. I have slept with many w
omen before, but I have never felt such a raw desire before. It claws and scratches to the surface, begging for release. I want to take Riley and ravage each part of her body until she begs for more. I want to hear her screaming my name as I empty myself into her.
Riley’s tongue peeks out sliding over her top lip briefly as she watches me. We are both startled by the thump of the canvas as it slips from her grip.
It’s satisfying to know she feels the heat simmering between us, and it affects her the same way.
“Since Martinez wants you to take the lead on their campaign, I can’t veto that, but I will say this Riley; no design is to be shown to them before it’s cleared by me first. Is that clear?” I try to dissipate the mood with authority, but Riley’s eyes shine with mischief, arousing me even more.
“Yes, sir.” She nods.
My cock springs to attention at her words. Sir. How was I going to be able to focus on her work when I can hardly concentrate on her words?
The phone rings on my desk, but ignore it, unable to break away from the exchange with Riley. I can’t decide whether I want to spank her or ravish her. I have a feeling I was going to walk a tightrope, hoping not to fall on either side.
I clear my throat, trying to calm my raging hormones. “From now on you'll report to me. Miss Weston will consult when I ask her to, but you work directly for me. I know you are excited about landing this campaign, but do you know what it entails?”
“I’ll do anything it takes, Branson. I want to make you proud of me,” Riley says devotedly. “I know you took a big chance on me today, I promise I won’t let you down.”
I can think of a number of things she could do right now that would make me proud, but I shove that to the back of my mind.
“It will involve long hours, designs on short notice and most of all it will require all projects to meet the necessary time frames. Our contract with Martinez entails that if we don’t meet their deadlines, we don’t get paid. Will that be a problem?”
Riley shakes her head, still smiling. She is so eager; I wonder if she would be in bed as well? “No, sir.”
“Branson,” I remind her. “If you have a boyfriend I suggest you make it clear to him that the Martinez campaign is your first priority for the next month.”
“I don’t have a boyfriend.” Riley grins. “The Martinez campaign and I are now dating. I will make sure it gets all the necessary attention it requires.”
Did I just ask an employee if she was romantically involved? I cringe inwardly at the thought. If Lisa finds out about my sudden infatuation with Riley Harper, she will find a reason to fire her on the spot.
Lisa and I casually saw each other over the past year. Even though I broke it off a few months ago, Lisa still becomes very protective if I looked at someone else. Her jealousy is what drove us apart. In the beginning, Lisa was fun, smart, and sexy, then I got to know her. She has a heart of stone and doesn’t mind using sex as a weapon. Our short-lived relationship was hounded by Lisa’s games. A gift or a compliment would result in sex as a reward and a reprimand at work would result in the cold shoulder for weeks. After a while, I got tired of her games and broke it off. Her jealousy is nothing short of a burden. I firmly believe that once she finds another man to play her games, she’ll forget about our brief affair. However, she hasn’t found anyone yet. If Lisa weren’t an excellent Creative Director, I would have fired her long ago, but I will not let my company be affected by my libido and bad personal choices.
I need to keep that in mind as I work closely with Riley. Judging by the stirring in my pants she has just become my libido’s new favorite obsession.
“I’m glad to hear that. You can go back to your desk now, but if I were you, I’d avoid Miss Weston for the rest of the day. She doesn’t take it well when proven wrong.”
“I didn’t do it intentionally,” Riley says defensively.
I raise my brows giving her a doubtful glance. “And yet you did it anyway. Congrats again. And Riley keep in mind I don’t take well to be proven wrong either, so I suggest you continue to prove why I didn’t fire you yesterday.”
Riley nods while her big green-eyes watch me and I notice a hint of a smile. She picks the canvas up from my office floor, giving me a glimpse of her cleavage. As I’m watching her, she suddenly looks up with a question in her eyes. “Why didn’t you?”
“Why didn’t I what?” I ask confused.
“Why didn’t you just fire me yesterday? I thought that was why Miss Weston sent me to you?”
Her question catches me off guard. I haven’t yet figured out the answer to that question myself. “Because you convinced me not to, but don’t think I’ll be as easily convinced next time.”
“I’ll just have to bring it to the next level next time,” Riley says with a sexy grin over her shoulder as she walks out of my office. The scent of wildflowers lingers in her absence.
I have a feeling she can be very convincing when she wants to be. The question is: how convincing will I be to get her into my bed?
4
Riley
“You’ve been moved.” Lisa’s cool voice stops me as soon as I step off the elevator the following morning.
“Good morning, Miss Weston,” I greet her with a smile, but I can feel the anger radiating off her. I avoided her the entire day yesterday, and it seems she still hasn’t cooled off. “What do you mean I’ve been moved?”
“I mean,” she says narrowing her eyes into thin slits as she assesses my outfit. “That you no longer work on this floor. I refuse to work with arrogance and pompousness. You have been moved to the 35th floor where Mr. Carter can keep an eye on you himself.” My eyes widen at the revelation. Luckily I know she couldn’t find fault with my tailored black dress. I had put a considerable dent in my credit card balance last night trying to avoid her apparent disapproval of my wardrobe.
“You can go now.” Lisa’s voice reaches a high pitch causing a few other designers to glance in our direction. It probably wasn’t a good idea to mention Branson asked me to call him by his first name. Yesterday he hadn’t mentioned me moving to the 35th floor when he told me he would be overseeing my work.
“But why?” I ask in a whisper as I glance toward my cubicle only to notice it’s been cleared.
“Why?” Lisa cackles like an evil witch right before boiling a child for supper. “Because I refuse to work with you and don’t make the mistake of seeing this as a promotion, Riley. Rather see this for what it is.” Her eyes condemn me as they slowly travel from my eyes to my black pumps and back again. “A juvenile delinquent, working in the principal’s office. So he can expel her at the drop of a hat.”
I’m sure my skin would turn to welts any moment from the acid in her voice. I nod and consider apologizing but I have a feeling anything I say would only cause her to spew more anger in my direction.
Tammy, a girl I befriended in the break room yesterday, looks at me with wide eyes, to which I just shrug. Having nowhere else to go, I step back into the elevator and hit the button for the 35th floor, and my cheeks burn like fire. As soon as I step off the elevator, Branson’s receptionist shows me to my office. Instead of the tiny cubicle, I had on the 30th floor I now have my own office with a view of the Empire State building. If this is what the principal’s office feels like, I’m not complaining.
I’ve barely logged into my computer when the internal messaging system alerts me to a new message from Tammy. I debate what to tell her and finally decide on the truth.
Tammy: What did you do?
* * *
Riley: I designed something she hated, and the clients loved it. She hates me.
* * *
Tammy: Why are you on the 35th floor?
* * *
Riley: She refuses to work with me.
* * *
Tammy: Are you working with Mr. Carter?
* * *
Riley: No. He’s overseeing my projects because she hates me.
* * *
Tammy: Good
luck. Lunch later?
* * *
Riley: Sure. That’d be great.
I work throughout the morning, designing different campaigns then quickly meet Tammy for lunch. I divulge everything that happened since our meeting yesterday then I return to the 35th floor. Tammy gave me great advice about staying out of the line of fire and how to keep myself guarded. Tammy has been working at this company for the last four years, and it seems like a good idea to rely on her experience to push through. Apparently, Lisa is a ruthless bitch, but she is really good at her job. As for Branson, according to Tammy, he’s brutal, merciless, and a bastard, but he’s always fair. If he is going to be overseeing my projects, every project had to be brilliant, or he wouldn’t think twice about firing me on the spot.
I find the brief for the Martinez campaign on my desk, excited about the new challenge, I get to work. I don’t even realize the sun setting behind me or that everyone left. A knock on my door startles me as I scribble another quote onto the notepad beside my computer.
“Aren’t you going home?” Branson’s blue eyes twinkle at me from the doorway. His tall frame and broad shoulders nearly fill the opening.
“No, I thought it’d safer to stay here. I didn’t want to risk bumping into Miss Weston on the elevator.” I cringe at the honesty of my words. I don’t want him to think I’m scared of her Lisa.
