by Latham, D
I was at Smollenskis by 7.45 the next morning, bright eyed, bushy tailed, and ready for Ivan, and whatever he wanted to throw at me. I was also ready for Oscar, wearing a skirt and stockings rather than tights. I found a table, and ordered a coffee.
Ivan was precisely on time, and flanked by two bodyguards. I wondered why he had wanted to meet in a restaurant rather than my private office when he had demanded I be given it. My breath caught as he approached my table, and I wondered whether seeing him frequently would lessen the effect of his beautiful face. He sat facing me, while his security took the table behind us. He smelt delicious, and looked as though he was fresh from a shower. It was too warm for a three piece suit, so he was wearing a dark blue two piece, a crisp white shirt, and a cerulean tie. The total effect was breathtaking.
He smiled widely as he shook my hand, "lovely to see you Elle. So much more civilised to meet over a meal I think. Now what would you like to eat?" I chose poached eggs on toast, and sat back as he ordered for both of us. Once the waitress had stopped batting her lashes at him and taken our order, he leaned forward, and whispered conspiratorially, "I just wanted to take you out for a meal."
I laughed, "isn't taking us on as your legal advisors a bit over the top to just have breakfast with me?" He smirked.
"I didn't think I'd get to have breakfast with you any other way, so yes, I hope it's totally worth it." His voice was seductive, almost purring. A voice made for phone sex. I pushed that unwelcome thought from my brain, and smiled brightly.
"So what have you got for me?"
"A contract of sale will be with you by two today. I need you to check it, and have it back to me by close of play at the very latest. Can you write down the terms I expect, if there are any anomalies, alert me immediately please." I pulled out my notepad and pen, and wrote quickly as he reeled off the terms he expected. He finished just before our food arrived, and I checked my notes as I ate, adding a few addendum's as I thought of them. I felt his eyes on me, and looked up to find him watching me intently as he ate his bacon and eggs.
"You're very exact," he said, "I like that. Explains why you have risen as quickly as you have."
"How much have you found out about me?" I asked, unsure whether I wanted to know the answer or not.
"Everything Elle. My people are exceptional at background checks. I know all there is to know about you."
"Oh." I blushed. My fear of exposure making my heart race. All the parts of myself which were buried deep had been brought into view. He knew where I was from. I looked down at the table, trying to will my blush away, and find the cool, calm, Elle-the-lawyer persona.
"I come from the slums of Moscow. Real slums, true poverty. Don't be ashamed of where you come from. I admire your achievements even more knowing you got there through talent and hard work. You're very impressive." He smiled tentatively.
"Have you told anyone else?" By that, I meant Oscar, but I didn't want to say it.
"Of course not. It's nobody else's business."
"Except yours?"
"Especially mine." He was back to that purring, seductive voice again. "I like to know the people I do business with Miss Reynolds, you can't blame me for that."
"Ok, I accept that, but I was rather it wasn't a subject for discussion. I worked hard to fit in, and I would rather my bosses didn't find out just how hard I had to work." I looked him straight in the eyes as I said it, and I figured that he understood. He nodded.
"I understand. Your secret's safe. You blend in well, apart from the fact that you stand out for other reasons."
"So do you. I would never have pegged you as starting out poor. You seem so urbane." I wanted to pay Ivan a complement, I wanted to keep him on side. I wanted to work well with him.
"We both know how much effort goes into our polished personas. So it appears we are kindred spirits Elle. Tell me, this weekend with Oscar, are you looking forward to it?"
I thought about it for a moment, "I don't really know. I've got no idea what to expect. I'm a bit nervous if I'm honest." Ivan nodded, and gave me one of his intense stares.
"You're very truthful. I like that. Listen, if you have any problems this weekend, I want you to call me. I'll be at my place."
"Thanks, but I don't anticipate there being any problems. This is a social weekend," I said, smiling. Ivan nodded to his bodyguard, who went and paid our bill.
"Any problems, I mean it. Oscar is a complicated man, and as a colleague now, you have my team at your disposal." With that cryptic remark, he stood up, and gave me a curt nod goodbye.
I ordered another coffee, and sat back to contemplate our meeting. It surprised me just how much I had liked Ivan. Once I'd got over his dazzling looks, he'd actually come across as a lot warmer than I'd expected. I went back over my notes as I finished my coffee, and headed up to my office.
Lewis pounced as soon as I walked in, "I've been looking for you. Any word from Mr Porenski yet?"
"Yes. I just had a breakfast meeting with him. We have a contract arriving at two to be checked. I have a list of his requirements to be ticked off against it, and he wants it back by five. No idea how long the contract will be though, so I may need assistance."
"Ok. Just let me know when it arrives."
"Will do. Anything I can help with this morning? I'm at a loose end till two."
"Laura can help in the filing room, you can help me with the Marsbury contract. I'll come to your office and we can zip through it together. It'll be good practice for this afternoon." Lewis went off to gather the paperwork, and I settled in my new office.
The morning sped by quickly, interrupted only by a text from Oscar.
*midday my office?*
To which I replied,
*you bet xx*
At five to twelve, I excused myself for lunch, and ducked into the ladies to remove my knickers, and tuck them into my handbag. Just walking through reception knickerless made me hyper aware of what I was about to do. The short journey in the lift was an exercise in anticipation, and I could feel myself getting slick and hot at the thought of what Oscar was going to do to me.
Glacial blonde gave me a blatantly hostile glare as I walked into reception. She strutted ahead of me as we made our way down the corridor to Oscars office, and scowled as she opened his door for me. Oscar smiled as I walked in, before raking his eyes down my body to rest on my high heels. In my knickerless state, I felt wanton and reckless. He dismissed her before striding over to lock the door. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me hard, almost fucking my mouth with his tongue. His hands roamed over my back before sliding over my bum, and down my legs.
He toyed with the hem of my skirt for a few moments before edging it up to my thighs. As soon as he realised I wasn't wearing knickers, he groaned, and pulled my skirt up to my waist, standing back to look. "Dear god, you're going to kill me turning up like that."
I took a deep breath to steady myself. My arousal was coursing through me. "You like?"
"More than like, you look sensational. Please, on my desk." Oscars voice was hoarse, and he couldn't take his eyes off my exposed body. He pulled me over to his desk, and lifted me onto it, splaying my legs wide apart. His fingers lightly traced over the tops of my stockings, where silk met skin. His hands stroked down my leg, right down to my high heels. He swallowed noisily before lifting my foot to his face and running his tongue over the stiletto heel.
I watched, entranced, as he worshipped my high heels, kissing and licking them, while an impressive erection strained the front of his trousers. He spent at least five minutes in the adoration of my shoes, caressing and sucking each one in turn.
I was about to ask him to crack on, when he slid his hand up my leg and began to stroke my clit with the gentlest touch. He slipped a finger inside me, and I tightened around it, my insides beginning that delicious quivering that comes with extreme arousal. I began to pulse when he freed his throbbing erection.
He pulled a foil packet out of his pocket, and ripped i
t open with his teeth, rather than abandon my clit even for a moment. He slid it on and thrust inside me, lifting my feet to rest on his shoulders, and laying me back on his vast, mahogany desk. He moved inside me at a leisurely pace, pressing tiny circles on my clit with his thumb, while he continued to lick and kiss my shoes.
Seeing the pleasure on his face sent me rapidly over the edge. I came hard, the orgasm ripping through me like a firestorm. He moaned softly against my stiletto, moving his hands to grip both my thighs. Keeping his tongue on my shoes, he sped his thrusts before I felt him swell inside me, and come noisily. His body shuddered as he lost control, and he stilled for a moment, pressed into me, his brow furrowed in concentration.
He pulled out, and removed the condom, tying a knot in it before producing a tissue to clean me up. It was the most intimate act Oscar had ever done for me. He wrapped the condom in the tissue before tucking himself back into his trousers and righting his tie.
"Thank you for that," he said, before he went to his office bathroom to dispose of everything. I jumped off the desk and rummaged round in my handbag to find my knickers and restore myself to decency. Thankfully my skirt wasn't too wrinkled, and I was able to tidy my appearance, although the post orgasmic flush would take a few minutes to disappear.
"Have you got time to eat?" Oscar asked. I noticed there were two salvers set up on his table. I glanced at my watch, it was only 12.25.
"Yes. I've worked up quite an appetite," I said, smiling at him. We sat down, and he pulled the silver covers off the plates to reveal chicken salad. I took a sip of my wine, and looked up at him, "how am I going to be introduced at the weekend?"
"What do you mean?"
I took another sip, "are you introducing me as your friend, your girlfriend, or your bit of fluff?"
"Oh I see. My friend. If I introduce you to my mother as my girlfriend, she'll drive you mad with questions about your family tree, and heritage." He was matter of fact, and yet he'd just confirmed that what we had just shared was only as friends. My back went rigid, and I struggled to keep my face impassive. Just a fuck buddy, not good enough to be his girlfriend, my subconscious sneered. I took a deep breath and carried on eating. I decided to give Oscar's place a miss. My fragile ego couldn't take being anyone's dirty secret. I noticed that Oscar was watching my reaction.
"Is that a problem Elle?"
I didn't answer straightaway. The truth was that I really didn't know what to say that didn't include telling him to piss off. I finished eating, and wiped my mouth with the napkin.
"Yes, I think it's a problem if I'm honest. I want an open and honest relationship, not one where I'm introduced as a 'friend', as if I'm some sordid secret. I actually think I'm better than that." I stared at the cruet set, almost afraid to see his reaction.
"I see. How would you like to be described?"
I shrugged, "no idea, now if you'll excuse me, I need to be getting back." I picked up my bag, and turned towards the door, pausing only to unlock it. Behind me, I heard Oscar curse, but he didn't try and stop me. I didn't want to wait for the lift, so stomped down the stairs, getting angrier and angrier. I was cross with myself more so than Oscar. To be fair, he had promised me nothing, and owed me nothing. I had been more than willing to debauche myself on his desk, and I felt foolish for being upset. He clearly lived in a world with different rules than mine, and I needed to stop expecting him to behave like a normal person.
Chapter 8
Back in my office, I pulled myself together, and went over my notes from that morning, memorising them. At two sharp, the contract was delivered, and I started to go through it. Lewis arrived, and we decided to both go through it separately, as it wasn't particularly long, and I wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything. It turned out to be a contract of sale of an engineering company that Ivan was buying a controlling interest in. I logged on to companies house and purchased their last three years accounts, to reconcile the figures with the ones given in the contract.
Almost straightaway, I spotted a discrepancy in the directors loan accounts. The figures in the contract were vastly different from the ones lodged in their official accounts. When I pointed it out to Lewis, he borrowed my calculator and worked out the exact figures. It looked like the company was being used as the director's personal piggy banks.
This meant all the other figures were out, and the valuation was skewed. I called Ivan. "Hi Ivan, it's Elle, I spotted an issue with the directors loan accounts. The amounts lodged with companies house are 40% higher than they declared on this contract. Do you know if they have been paid back?"
"I wondered if you'd spot that," he purred, a smile in his voice, "no they haven't. What do you calculate the company to be worth now that you have uncovered it?"
"If you fire the board on takeover, just the 750k less than the offer price to reflect the higher loan account. If you keep the board, well, watch your back."
"Very good. Have you finished going through it?"
"No, not yet. Still a bit more for us to look at. I thought you wanted to know immediately we spotted anything?"
"Correct. While you're finishing, I will be renegotiating the price. Email me the figures I need as my negotiating point please before you get back to the rest of it."
"Will do."
He cut the call, and I sent over the companies house reports, as well as a scan of the figures in the contract of sale. Lewis was busy reading through the rest of it, referring to my notes as he went. He pointed out a potential issue with a lease on one of the factories, which, after a quick search on the land registry, proved to be near it's end, with the freehold owned personally by two of the directors, hiding behind a limited company.
"That lease will be up almost as soon as the company is sold. If Ivan fires the board, the rent could soar," Lewis pointed out. Immediately, I picked up the phone and relayed this to Ivan. He groaned.
"My legal team didn't pick that one up. Ok, I'll get on it, send me the details over please."
"Already have, plus the entry in the land registry."
"Thanks."
We didn't find anything else, but those two issues had made the company vastly overvalued. My phone rang. "The other party are meeting here at my offices, can you come up please?" Ivan said without preamble.
"On our way." I replied. Replacing the receiver, I turned to Lewis, "he has them coming over. We need to attend the meeting."
"This should be interesting," said Lewis, gathering up our papers. I had printed off the land registry and companies house reports, so we grabbed those, and made our way up to the fiftieth floor.
Ivan's office was a vast, modern space, full of sleek grey and taupe sofas, and dark wood. From the abstract art on the walls to the tasteful orchid displays, the place screamed restrained wealth. The receptionist was warm and friendly, showing us through to the conference room, and bringing us each a coffee. I organised our papers, and we waited. Ivan arrived first, flanked by the same two security guards from breakfast. They stood at the back of the room while he sat down next to Lewis.
"Given the information you have uncovered, I will be renegotiating the terms and price. If they refuse, I will be pulling out of the deal. The contract of sale may have to be rewritten quickly, as we all want this deal concluded today. Is that clear?"
"Yes. Not a problem," said Lewis, "we'll get it done."
The other directors arrived looking a bit cocky before Ivan dropped his first bombshell about the loan accounts. The finance director shifted uncomfortably in his chair before declaring the issue an 'oversight'.
"I see," said Ivan, "so tell me about Carridon property ltd, or was that an oversight too?"
The mood in the room plunged to sub zero. The two directors involved looked panicked, glancing nervously over at the two burly security men stationed near the door.
"It's not how it looks," said one of the directors, shooting a look over to one of the other men, "the price doesn't reflect the value of the freehold of that factory."
"So tell me sir," Ivan was sarcastic, "with a 750 thousand loan account, and no freehold, what exactly does the sale price buy me? An ailing company with a cash flow problem? About to be made worse by a rent increase on an ending lease? Come on gentlemen, what do you take me for?" They all squirmed in their seats, with the feeling of panic in the room almost palpable. Not only were they trying to take Ivan's money, they had attempted to bamboozle him too. Not a wise move on their parts.
Ivan took complete command of the room, the previously cocky men subdued and submissive. He declared his terms, and got them. He ended up paying the same price, but gaining the whole company and the freehold. I wished that I had been able to just watch him in a mesmerised admiration, but I had to concentrate on making copious notes to get the contract rewritten quickly.
We swept out of the room, flanked by security, and into Ivan's office to get the contract done ready for signing. Lewis and I sat at Ivan's computer, and I typed quickly, while we went through my notes. Lewis proofed as I typed. I glanced up to notice Ivan listening in an earpiece. He caught my eye, and grinned.
"Just hearing what they have to say now they are alone in the room," he said, before resuming his eavesdropping.
We got the contract done in record time, and printed off the copies required. Ivan's secretary delivered them to the conference room to allow the directors to read them in 'privacy' before we returned. Lewis and I sat and had a coffee while we waited, Ivan stood listening to the earpiece. After half an hour, Ivan's secretary indicated that they were ready for us, so we returned to the conference room. The board were sombre as they each signed the agreement, followed by Ivan. I couldn't help but notice that they all used expensive pens, while Ivan used an ordinary biro.
"Gentlemen, we are concluded here," said Ivan, "and as of now, your services are no longer required at the company. My security teams will accompany you back to the offices to remove your personal effects and change the locks. As per the contract of sale, there will be severance pay equal to statutory redundancy under the TUPE regulations. Good day gentlemen."
