As she should.
“That’s too bad, Blake. You actually seemed happy since you started seeing Poppy.” Her brown eyes were too damn watchful, and I began to squirm under her scrutiny.
She was right, dammit. I was happier because Poppy was easy to be around. She was smart and fun and sexy. Not to mention, low maintenance as hell, never expecting expensive meals out or being seeing by the city’s most influential people.
“It doesn’t matter. She’ll hate me when this is all over.”
“You’re just so sure that you’re going to win, aren’t you?”
“Of course I am. When have you known me to lose?”
“There’s a first time for everything,” Lukas said as he joined us. “When it comes to matters of the heart, things rarely go as we plan.” He entered my office with his long legged gait and sat beside Lacey. “Have you seen OAA’s new ad? It’s brilliant.”
“Yeah, we saw it,” I grumbled, unhappy with the feedback so far. “What’s so great about it?”
Lukas laughed. “Everything, and that’s why you should be worried. Poppy may not be the traditional CEO, but she knows business.”
“Must have been her little business, right big brother?” Lacey’s smile only grew brighter at my glare. “Luke can you tell him to do something about Greta?”
Lukas shrugged. “Nah. I think Blake will wait until our apparel division goes under before he does anything about Greta the Great.”
If she was that much of a problem, I would have to do something about it, sooner rather than later. “Fine, I’ll make time to go down there today.”
“Hey Boss, your lunch is here.” Meg stood in the doorway wearing a perplexed grin.
“I didn’t order lunch,” I told her even though she was the one who always placed my lunch orders.
“Well it’s here,” she said and lifted four large paper bags and set them on the table near the window. “Smells good too. And this is for you,” she handed me a navy blue envelope with silver handwriting on the front that I easily identified as Poppy’s.
Sometimes you have to be a little decadent…and a little messy. Even outside the bedroom. ;) Poppy
I couldn’t stop the smile on my face at her naughty words and the way she signed her name with a little flower at the tail end of the ‘y’ in her name. It was adorable and totally Poppy. “I guess we have lunch. What?” Both Lacey and Lukas stared at me with goofy, knowing smiled, while Meg’s was a bit more knowing.
“Keep her,” Lukas insisted. “She put that smile on your face and she sent Peking duck. I love Peking duck.”
“Me too, but it’s something big brother would never order for a workday lunch. Too messy.”
And those words made me think of all the times I’d had a blast getting messy with Poppy. The body paint, the whipped cream, sex up against a wall or on the floor. The sofa. “Are you two going to eat or give me relationship advice?”
They did that silent twin thing and I had a feeling I was the topic just now, before they turned to me. “Yes,” they said at the same time, laughing at my scowl.
I wondered, as we made our way through the decadent lunch, if the new limited edition line was somehow a dig aimed at me. Poppy didn’t seem like the type, but considering that I was planning a hostile takeover, I should expect everything.
Even with that thought in mind, all I wanted to do was call her and thank her for lunch. I couldn’t remember the last time a woman bought me a meal.
Poppy
“You rotten bitch! You think you can get away with this? You better think again little girl.” Maxim stood in my doorway, arms crossed over his growing belly, face red and twisted in anger. “I demand that you undo this legal maneuvering immediately!”
He looked like a cartoon character. A handsome salt and pepper cartoon character, but still. At the moment he just reminded me of a child throwing a tantrum. I pushed off my desk, feeling badass in my red leather jacket on top of an all white outfit and crossed my arms, smacking my lips in admonishment.
“Maxim, such language for a gentleman.” He didn’t’ appreciate my teasing tone but I felt too good to care. I knew he wouldn’t be able to resist whatever Blake was offering for those shares, but I had hoped he would have enough respect to heed my warning. “You really should have read that shareholder agreement Arden had you sign.” Maple never said much about her brother, but he was sharp as hell. He knew his shareholders, snakes that they were, and used it against them while they very likely looked down their noses at the man who created his own wealth.
“It was a standard agreement,” he insisted, all bluster now.
“You sure about that? Because I read over it recently and, I’m pretty sure clause C isn’t standard.” A morality clause, who would have ever thought to put that in but Arden? “Too bad you didn’t offer me those shares first.” It wasn’t too bad at all, actually. He had the chance to do the right thing and he chose not to, that meant I could feel good about doing this to him.
“Fine, dammit, I’ll sell the shares to you.”
I shook my head, laughing. No, giggling. “Oh no, we are well beyond that Maxim. Clause C has been enforced and your seven percent reverts back to Out & About Apparel. Which is me.” He sucked in a breath, probably to say something vile, but I stopped him because what I had to say next would really piss him off. “Not to worry though, your initial investment will be returned.”
He was so mad he was damn near apoplectic. “That’s just a hundred and fifty grand!”
With my sweetest smile and voice, I turned to him. “What a nice life you lead to think that sum of money is paltry.”
“I’ll appeal this,” he threatened, pointing one wrinkled old finger at me.
“You can try.” He knew there was nothing to be done, but just in case. “If you’re so certain I can’t prove you’re in breach of contract, go right ahead.”
“That’s fine, the shares will be worthless soon under your leadership anyway.”
I laughed because we both knew that was a damn lie. “Then it’s too bad you couldn’t do what you should have.” I let him hurl a few more insults my way, barely resisting the urge to laugh at a few of his more colorful phrases, and then I called security. “Have a nice life, Maxim.”
As soon as he was gone, Talia ran in with wide eyes. “Oh my god, are you alright?”
“I’m fine, he’s all bluster.”
“You’re a badass, girl. Want to tell me all about it over dinner tonight?”
“I’ll let you know, okay?” I wanted to go see Blake. For some reason I just wanted to talk to him right now, to look at his face. I couldn’t explain it. But by the time I walked across the lobby of his building and got into the elevator, I knew I was in deep trouble. Because I needed to feel connected to him in the aftermath of…shit, I didn’t know of what. All I knew was that I wanted to share this victory with him, knowing full well he might not appreciate it the way a boyfriend should.
Not that he was my boyfriend. He wasn’t.
Yet here I was, at his place of business with his executive assistant smiling up at me like I held her favorite dessert in my hand. “Go on back, he’s just signing some contracts.”
“Thank you, Meg.” At her blink of surprise, I smiled. “He talks about you a lot.”
“Ditto,” she said, burying her face to hide a blush and waving me back to Blake’s office.
Meg had said he was alone, but as I drew closer to the door I could hear two voices, one of them female. Very, very female. I knew, based on the pit in my stomach, that I should have just gone inside. But I sat there and listened. “If you would have just agreed to marry me for those shares we would both have what we wanted instead of you seducing that chubby chick.”
Chubby?! Curvy, thank you very much. But she sounded like a woman who ate salad with her dressing on the side.
“I was never going to marry you, Christianne.”
Her laughter was sexy and melodic. The bitch. “Maybe. Maybe not,
but if you weren’t so tied up with banging that purple haired bitch, I could have enticed you. I still can Blakey, feel how wet I am for you.”
If Blakey did that I might throw up. Hell, I might do that anyway, but first I needed to push the door open, to see if this temptress was as hot as she seemed to think. She was hotter. And more naked than I’d imagined in black lace, lined with white ribbons shot through it. Legs as long as any model’s, sexy curls hanging down her back, tits pushed up to her neck.
“Touch my pussy Blake, I’m so wet.”
“Stop this!” he growled, looking up at her just as he caught my eye from the door. He held my gaze for a long moment, frozen, in shock or fear or maybe it was just plain indifference. Either way I didn’t plan to stick around for an answer.
Blake made no move to stop me or to push the gorgeous leggy woman away, so I made it easy on both of us and walked away.
I refused to get angry, or cry because it wasn’t worth it. I always knew things would end and it wouldn’t be pretty. I guess I just thought it wouldn’t happen yet. My legs were wooden as I walked away from his office, from his assistant and his building. I needed to get home where I could feel my feelings, grab them by the neck and drown them in wine.
“He called again,” Talia said as she stormed my office, stack of blue papers in her hand. “I’ll just leave the messages right here, ignore them however you please.”
I rolled my eyes. “Do you have anything work related to talk about?” It seemed like every time she came into my office she found a way to bring up Blake.
“Yes. Everything is all set for the retro launch party next Friday. All you need is a retro outfit to fit the theme and we’re good to go.” Talia practically vibrated with energy at the thought of a party.
“I have just the thing. A teal bodysuit with wide legs and a glittered halter bodice. I even have silver wedges to go with it. All taken care of.” The last thing I felt like doing was partying, but I had no doubts Blake would be there and I needed to look like hot stuff. Like I didn’t want to rip his damn throat out.
“Damn girl, you are going to be the hottest damn thing at this party. Next to me, of course.” Talia laughed and told me all about her lowcut gold dress. “Fine, I’ll stop bothering you about Blake. But he hasn’t stopped calling.”
“He’s just upset because he didn’t realize the last time he fucked me would be the last time.” It had taken me a couple days to realize it, but it was true. He was looking for a way out, thinking he had Maxim and didn’t need me anymore, had chosen to end it in a way that ensured I wouldn’t come crawling back.
And I wouldn’t do that.
Ever.
“I don’t believe that for one fucking second, Poppy. Would it be the worst thing in the world to just listen to what he has to say?”
Not the worst thing in the world, no. “There’s no point. Nothing he could say would change anything, and whatever he said right now would be because Maxim’s shares fell through.”
Talia fell down in the leather chair beside my desk and crossed her legs at the ankle. “You obviously like him Poppy, why are you trying to ruin it?”
I threw my head back and laughed. “I’m trying to ruin it? Talia he was about to have sex with someone else, less than twenty four hours after he had sex with me, and he never denied it when she accused him of seducing me for the company.” That’s the part I couldn’t get over, the fact that he never tried to deny or defend it. The implicit truth of her words. “I’d say he ruined it all on his own.”
“And he’s trying to fix it!”
I groaned. “Are you and Maple working together on this? She won’t let it go either.” And I was damn sick of hearing about it.
“No, but my guess is that we both saw how happy you’ve been.”
“I’m always happy,” I insisted, because I was. Just because my life didn’t revolve around dating and finding a man to split my assets with in ten years, didn’t mean I wasn’t happy. “My life was just fine before Blake and it’ll be just as fine now.”
She stood, giving me a skeptical look that pretty much called me out as a liar. “If that’s your story, then I’ve done my duty as best friend. But you should really ask yourself what you saw, what you heard and if any of it is worth walking away from a man who brought you to life.”
“So you’re saying I was a terrible bore without him?”
“Dammit, you know that’s not it. But falling in love has given you a new kind of confidence that, honestly, is a joy to watch. Look at what you’ve done as CEO of a company you didn’t know anything about this time last year. I just wish you could see what I see. You were always awesome, but being in love has put this gloss on you…anyway, that’s my two cents.”
“Who said anything about love?” I’d barely heard anything else she said once she started throwing around the L-bomb. “Neither of us are in love.”
“I’m sure thinking that does make all of this easier. Even if it is a lie. I ordered from the deli down the street for lunch, something guaranteed to put a real smile on your face.”
“Thank you, Talia. You’re wrong this time but thank you anyway.” She flashed a sad smile before leaving me alone with my thoughts. Thoughts I refused to let veer towards the tall, blue eyed man who refused to leave me alone. Instead I focused on work, future plans for the company. If I decided to keep the company.
The work itself was great. I found it exciting and invigorating, working with all the different teams towards the same goal. But the day to day politics, they drained me.
Luckily, I still had a few more months to decide.
Blake
“Poppy, just call me back so we can clear this up. Please.” I stabbed the end button harder than I needed to and I didn’t feel any sense of relief dammit. A week had passed, no not a week, nine days had passed since Poppy stopped by to see Christianne spread eagle on my desk, asking me to touch her pussy.
I declined, of course, but it came too late to do me any damn good. Poppy had already fled my office. My building. And judging by her radio silence, my life. No matter how many times I called or how many messages I sent, she didn’t respond. The lack of dots on the screen said she never even contemplated sending a message back. So, I was forced into something I never thought I would do. Stalk a woman.
Technically, her grandmother.
“I had a feeling you’d come to me, eventually, because men are stubborn.”
“Good afternoon, Maple.”
“Oh don’t try that charming little smile thing on me, boy. Just come in.” The sweet smile she wore took the sting off her words. “I’ve got tea and sandwiches, join me.”
The table was filled with more than just tea and sandwiches. There was enough food for a small barbecue. “Are you expecting company, Maple?”
“I told you I was expecting you, Blake. Keep up. Sit down and dig in.” I knew when I was beat and when to listen to my stomach, so I took a seat while she grabbed a second glass and filled it with tea.
“This tea is spiked!”
She laughed and shook her head. “Of course it is, why else would anyone ever drink the stuff?” She winked and took her seat, not shy about piling food onto her plate. “Why do you care, Blake?”
I guess we’re getting right into then. “I miss her.” It shocked the hell out of me too, but it took less than two days for me to admit it to myself. I told myself to forget her, but I couldn’t. And that’s when I knew.
“You made your choice when you stayed there with that woman in your office instead of going after my granddaughter.”
Damn, tough crowd. I let out a low, painful groan and speared my fingers through my hair. “You don’t pull your punches, Maple.”
“Not when it comes to Poppy.”
“It was just a big misunderstanding, and she won’t even give me a chance to explain.” But I was about to explain it to her, as distasteful as it was. “I shouldn’t be telling you this, but Victoria Sanchez tried to auction off her daug
hter for her twenty percent in the company. I refused but they’ve both been very insistent.” A fucking understatement.
“Victoria? I knew her when I was child, she was always concerned with appearances. But if you refused her daughter, how did you get her to sell to you?”
“To be honest, she hates Poppy that much. Like you said, she’s obsessed with appearances and Poppy certainly doesn’t scream traditional.” Despite every strike against her, she ran OAA like she was an Ivy League MBA. “She was just hoping to get Christianne off her hands, and I suspect the reason she cut her off was because she somehow knew about me and Poppy.” I told her about Christianne showing up in nothing but lingerie under her trench coat and sprawling across my desk. “That’s what she walked in on, absolutely nothing.” And she wouldn’t even give me five damn minutes of her time.
Maple stared at me, chugging her tea. She was a champ because I already felt tipsy and the glass was still half full. “You’re upset that she hasn’t let you explain.”
It wasn’t a question, somehow she just knew. “I deserve that much.”
“You do? Why? When, according to both of you, there is no relationship.” She tossed it out there, knowing I’d have to defend myself and silencing me with a glare. “And the fact she is sharing her body with you doesn’t mean-,”
“Oh, Maple, please. We don’t need to.” Her glare shut me up again.
“Sharing her body doesn’t equal trust, at least not that kind of trust. And why should she, when you are actively trying to steal her company right from under her? It seems to me that she has every reason not to trust you.”
Well when it was put like that, it sounded reasonable. “Still, we’ve been seeing each other for months.”
“Did you tell her about this woman who wants to be your wife?”
“No, because it was irrelevant.”
“Doesn’t’ seem that way now, does it?”
His Takeover: An Enemies to Lovers Romance Page 9
