Hard Deal

by Stefanie London

  Okay, so you slept with him. It’s not a big deal.

  Except it was. She’d totally lost her head. Lost all control of what she believed about sex and dating and him. She’d slept with him in public, where hundreds of people could have seen what they were doing, and she had no idea where her underwear had ended up. And then there was the kicker, the biggest moment of idiocy... She hadn’t even checked if he’d used a condom.

  Imogen wasn’t on the pill because, frankly, she didn’t need to be. What was the point of taking medication for something that wasn’t an issue? Caleb was the first guy she’d slept with in over a year. What if she got pregnant? What if he had an STD?

  “Oh God, oh God, oh God.” She dropped her head into her hands. How could she have been so stupid?

  This wasn’t like her at all. She never lost her cool. She never let her feelings take over the rational part of her brain. And yet, he slipped one hand beneath her dress and she turned into a brainless idiot.

  That was why she’d stayed away from Caleb previously.

  “What’s done is done,” she said to herself. “Woman up and deal with it.”

  Despite wanting to avoid it, they needed to have that awkward conversation about whether or not she’d need to see her doctor. Then it would be waiting a week or two before peeing on a stick. She could only hope that the powers above wouldn’t punish her too harshly for one ill-advised indiscretion.

  Her phone vibrated against her desk, a message flashing up.

  Caleb: Are you in yet?

  Smurf. It wasn’t even 9:00 a.m. and he was already looking for her? After he’d dropped her home on Saturday night—at her insistence—with a very ungentlemanly kiss, she hadn’t heard from him. And for once, a day of silence was a welcome relief. She needed time to process what’d happened.

  Imogen: Yes.

  Caleb: I didn’t see you walk past. I hope you’re not avoiding me.

  Busted. Caleb might seem like he was as chill as an ocean breeze, but the guy didn’t miss a trick.

  Imogen: I took the long way around. My Fitbit says I gotta get those steps in!

  Caleb: Take a few more and come to my office.

  She wasn’t ready to confront him yet. Would he act like nothing had happened? Or would he make it clear that once had been enough? What if she was going around thinking it was the best sex of planet Earth’s history and he thought it was average?

  Imogen: I’m busy.

  Caleb: I have something of yours.

  Her dignity? Her ability to think clearly? Her underwear? She’d lost all three on Saturday night.

  Imogen: Later.

  Caleb:...

  The three little dots ticked over and over. When Imogen reread what she’d written, she cringed. This day definitely needed coffee. Without waiting for his response, she stuffed her phone into her bag and headed out of the office, taking the long way back to the elevator.

  * * *

  Caleb leaned back in his chair and interlaced his fingers behind his head, giving his back a deep stretch. Every muscle in his body ached. He’d spent all of Sunday in “distraction” mode—going for a run, rearranging all the furniture in his apartment, taking his neighbour’s dog for a walk. He’d been certain that if he didn’t keep himself busy there was a high likelihood of him landing on Imogen’s doorstep ready for a repeat of Saturday night.

  But he knew rushing into things would only make Imogen more skittish than she already was. And fair enough, too. It wasn’t every day that one had spontaneous public sex...unfortunately.

  “Yo.” Jason walked into Caleb’s office and shut the door behind him. “Where were you all weekend? I thought we were going to grab a parma.”

  Caleb smacked his head. “I got caught up. Sorry, man.”

  He hadn’t, really. But something had stopped Caleb from heading out to see his brother. Perhaps it was the fear that Jase would take one look at him and know what’d happened. Or maybe it was the fact that their father’s words were still niggling at him—the idea that Jason was a better match for Imogen. That he’d treat her properly whereas Caleb would chew her up and spit her out.

  “Got caught up, huh?” His brother raised a brow. “Not much comes between you and the pub. She must have been good.”

  Caleb wasn’t sure if that was jealousy or disapproval tinging his brother’s words.

  “If she rendered you speechless, I have to meet her.” Jason chuckled. “I ended up catching the game with Daniel, anyway, but I shouldn’t have bothered. St. Kilda got us ninety to forty-eight. Bloody disgraceful.”

  Caleb’s ears pricked up. “I didn’t think Daniel was into the footy.”

  “He’s not. But he and Penny were having a blue over something.” Jason shrugged. “He was happy to be out of the house.”

  “Is there a wedding cancellation on the horizon?”

  “I don’t think so. Just petty stuff.” Jason shot him a look. “Why do you care?”

  “I was hard on him at the ball.” Caleb got out of his chair and wandered around to the front of his desk, doing his best to look as casual as possible. This was the perfect time to dig up some dirt for Imogen. Because Caleb might be a joker, but he always upheld a promise. “I was thinking the three of us should grab a drink.”

  His brother looked at him like he’d suddenly sprouted a second head. “A drink?”

  “Yeah, you know, one of those liquid things humans consume to relax after work.” He grinned. “I was a bastard for riling him up about the mask and I want to make amends.”

  “Will wonders never cease?” Jason muttered.

  “You were the one telling me to cut him some slack,” Caleb reminded his brother. “And I can admit when I’ve gone too far.”

  “We’re going to Riverland after work on Friday if you want to join us.” Jason speared him with a serious look. “No funny business.”

  “Done.” He clapped a hand down on his brother’s shoulder. “Looking forward to it.”

  “Now, we need to talk about the executive retreat since you decided to skip the family dinner on Thursday.”

  Cue older sibling judgement. Caleb looked up. Yep, Jase was giving him the “big brother” face. “What? I was busy.”

  “We could have rescheduled. You didn’t have to no-show.”

  Caleb shrugged. “I don’t see what the big deal is. They give all the leftovers to the dogs anyway.”

  Truth was, after their meeting last week he’d needed a break from the family drama. Normally he was better at brushing off his father’s antics, but lately they’d gotten under his skin and stayed there.

  Jason sighed. “In any case, Dad went over the one-pager and I’ve convinced him that we should proceed. We need a team to take care of the event management side of things, so I’ve got the HR team onto it.”

  Caleb’s cheery mood soured in an instant. His father had laughed the idea off as “pandering” and now all of a sudden Jase had the tick of approval. What a fucking surprise. This was why he didn’t bother turning up to dinner. “When was that decided?”

  “We talked about it on Thursday but we finalised it this morning.” Jason shifted on the spot. “I would have invited you to the meeting but you weren’t in yet.”

  “I wasn’t in because we didn’t have a meeting booked. If I’d known we were going to discuss my idea then I would have come in early.” Tension pulled at the muscles in his jaw and he bit back the rest of what he wanted to say, which was that he was sick of being left out of Gerald and Jason’s little club.

  “Does it matter whose idea it was? It’s a great thing for the company, regardless of who delivers it.”

  Says the son who always gets a pat on the head.

  “I’m not trying to shut you out,” Jason added. “But you know what Dad’s like. Sometimes it takes hearing things from a few people before he sees the v
alue.”

  “You mean it takes him hearing it from you.” Caleb shook his head. “Fuck it. I’m over it, anyway. I’m quite happy not to carry the mantle of golden child.”

  “Don’t be like that.” Jason frowned. “Anyway, I’m not stealing your idea. We got it over the line, that’s all that matters. You can run point with HR to get it organised.”

  “Trying to palm work off to me now,” Caleb teased.

  Jason punched him in the arm. “You can’t have it both ways.”

  “Watch me,” he said with a grin as he picked up his laptop and headed to the door. “Being difficult is my superpower.”

  He sauntered through the office as though he didn’t have a care in the world, but all the while his blood was beginning to boil. It wasn’t about the retreat, exactly. Rather, what it stood for. For Caleb’s entire life his father had criticised his work, torn down his ideas and generally made him feel worthless. Why? Because he’d never wanted him to be born? Because his mother was supposed to be another decoration on Gerald’s mantel?

  Part of him wished that he could be as “zero fucks given” on the inside as he projected on the outside...but he wasn’t. The key, however, was not to ever let anyone know.

  It was bad enough to be the unwanted son—he wasn’t about to let people pity him on top of it.

  “Caleb!” Mary trotted up behind him. “I know you’re supposed to be in a meeting, but Mr. Allbrook has called a management team meeting. Now.”

  Caleb bristled. “Am I supposed to keep the ad team waiting?”

  “I’ll ask Mina to send an apology on your behalf and reschedule. I was told to...” She bit down on her lip. “I was told everyone had to be there. No excuses.”

  He could only imagine what his father had actually said. Caleb sucked in a breath and changed direction, heading toward the boardroom. There was no point getting shitty with Mary. It wasn’t her fault. But the idea that everything should be dropped because the old man bellowed got under Caleb’s skin.

  Like everything else he does. Calm blue fucking ocean.

  By the time he got the elevator to the executive floor, the room was already full. There were two spots remaining at the long, glossy black table and one of them was next to Imogen. His bad mood dissolved as her gaze connected with his, eyes widening as she figured out he was going to take the spot next to her.

  “Thanks for saving me a seat.” He dragged the chair away from the table and sat. “Very kind of you.”

  “No problem.” She appeared to study her notepad...her blank notepad.

  Gerald was at the front of the room, fussing with some papers and talking quietly with Jason. It appeared like they were waiting for someone—whoever was supposed to fill that last empty seat.

  “Busy day, huh?” he asked. “You still need to come by my office.”

  “Yes, I’m busy. I’m not sure if I’ll have time.” She didn’t meet his eyes.

  He scooted his chair closer until their knees touched under the table. Her hair was slicked back into one of those brain-tugging ponytails and tiny pearl studs dotted her ears. So prim.

  “Make time,” he whispered. “Or do you want me to leave your soaking wet panties in your mail slot instead?”

  Her head snapped up and she glared at him. “Stop it,” she mouthed.

  “I can’t. I’ve been running it through my mind all weekend.” He pulled a Montblanc pen from the inside pocket of his suit jacket and pretended to make notes on her notepad.

  I get hard thinking about it.

  Between the small font and his naturally scratchy handwriting, no one would be able to see what he’d written. But she could. The muscles in her neck worked as she swallowed.

  You need to hold up your end of the bargain, she wrote.

  Friday night. Catching up with Dan and Jase. I’ll meet you after.

  She smiled and nodded, her expression relieved.

  Drinks at mine or yours?

  She shook her head. No drinks. Just talking.

  Fine. I’ll call you when I’m done. You can come over.

  Something flickered in her eyes, an uncertainty, but then she nodded and dutifully scribbled over all their text, erasing the evidence.

  His father started the meeting, droning on about their recent engagement scores and some challenges they were facing with staff retention. Caleb watched with a tightening in his jaw as his father unveiled the plans for the executive retreat, giving all credit to Jason. He brother stood cool and calm at the front of the room, but he avoided Caleb’s angry stare. No doubt Gerald was behind the surprise announcement, but his brother should’ve had the balls to say something. Give credit where credit was due.

  The room nodded along while Gerald ran through the purpose of the event, and outlined all the benefits they were hoping to achieve. Caleb scratched his pen back and forth along the notepad in front of him, bearing down on the paper until the nib pushed through sheet after sheet. Fuck both of them for stealing his work and passing it off as their own. All the positive noises and comments from the management team were like a swarm of beetles over his skin.

  He replaced the cap on his pen and tucked it into his jacket, about to shove back his chair and get the hell out of the room. But a hand stopped him. Imogen’s palm came to his thigh, a gentle command to sit still. The gesture was completely shielded by the large wooden table. They were sitting close, since the room was packed, so unless someone looked under the table, they wouldn’t notice a thing. Caleb looked over at her, and the sympathetic gaze socked him in the chest. She’d been in Gerald’s office that morning. She’d heard the argument and knew it was his work.

  “Don’t go,” she mouthed.

  Her palm burned through the wool of his suit pants—though he wasn’t sure whether it was because she cared enough to stop him storming out or simply because she was touching him. As Gerald droned on about how they were committed to increasing staff retention at all levels—giving no mention to his concern about pandering—Caleb grew increasingly frustrated.

  Imogen’s fingers bit into his thigh when he moved, so he stayed. She wanted to distract him? Fine. He curled his hand over hers and pulled her palm farther up his leg. She didn’t resist. Her fingers burned a trail up the seam in his pants and his cock hardened in an instant.

  Caleb let Imogen’s hand go, wanting to see what she would do. She swivelled in her chair, angling herself toward him as if wanting to discuss something.

  She pushed her notepad toward his, moving her body closer and sliding her hand farther up his thigh. The tip of one of her fingers brushed the edge of his cock and he was filled with electric excitement. Was she really going to touch him like that in the middle of a management meeting?

  “I think the retreat is a wonderful idea,” she said, her voice smooth and calm. The discussion going on in the room almost swallowed her softly spoken words and her fingers brushed over the aching head of his cock again, this time more boldly. “It’s so important to show people how much they’re appreciated.”

  “You don’t think it sounds like a waste of money?” he asked.

  She shot him a look. “Not at all. In fact, I think getting out of the office really helps people to connect.”

  This time she squeezed him and he had to stifle a moan. What kind of awesome, kinky alternate universe had he landed in?

  “That’s quite a stroke of genius,” he said, gritting his teeth.

  “Sometimes you have to coax people out of their shells.” Her cheeks had flushed pink and she worked him up and down through his pants, the strokes short and subtle so it wouldn’t be obvious to anyone who looked in their direction. But her grip was firm and he was so hard he risked busting his fly.

  “That only works if things are out in the open,” he said. “Easier to address the issue that way rather than trying to do things behind closed doors.”


  Would she accept his challenge?

  “We’re currently exploring venues for the retreat, but we’ll be putting together a team to create a schedule for the three days,” Jason said from the front of the room. “If you’re interested in being part of this team, please email Mary and we’ll schedule a meeting for later this week to get things started.”

  Imogen bit down on her lip, making a note of Jason’s instructions on her notepad all while her other hand found the tab of his zipper and slowly pulled down. Caleb thanked his lucky stars that he hadn’t bothered with underwear today. Her soft, warm palm enveloped his cock and he gripped the edge of his seat to keep himself from thrusting into her hand.

  Holy fucking hell, this was the hottest thing he’d ever done. Imogen was an utter surprise, and if he’d been hot for her before then he was downright burning up now. Her fingers formed a tight ring around him and she paused to squeeze his head before sliding her hand back down. His balls drew up tight against him. He couldn’t let himself come...but damn her hand was working magic.

  “And we have one more announcement to make,” Gerald said from the front of the room. “It’s with a heavy heart that I announce my intent to step down from the position of CEO within the next three months.”

  Caleb froze and Imogen snatched her hand away. All eyes were glued to the front of the room. Tucking himself back into his pants, Caleb tried to figure out what the hell had happened.

  “I know many of you will not be surprised that I’m announcing Jason as my successor. He’s been shadowing me for some time and I am confident he will take this company in an exciting new direction while holding on to the values that we at Allbrook hold dear.” He held up his hand when questions started to fly. “This is earlier than intended, but I have some health issues which I have kept private. However, for the sake of my family, it’s time for me to take a step back and let someone else have the spotlight.”

  Health issues? Since when?

  Imogen looked at Caleb, her mouth agape, but he could only shrug. Jason, however, didn’t look surprised in the slightest. He did look guilty when Caleb speared him with a look.