“I’m sure you know what I’m talking about, but we’re going to put that to the side for a moment,” she retorted, adjusting in her chair. “However, your degree, including your recently minted graduate degree, and the past three successful campaigns you’ve managed, all point to a promotion. The thing that has me hesitant is that you seem a bit, well, how do I say this? Your business politics seem a bit stacked in naïveté.”
Seth wanted to answer to the condescension in her voice, but he realized he was smack in the middle of a Catch-22. If he stood up for himself, he ran the risk of incurring her wrath, among other retaliation. If he didn’t, he would end up as one of her work “pets.” He wasn’t sure which was worse, but he remained seated and tight-lipped as she continued to dress him down.
She stood and walked to her wet bar to pour a glass of water. He berated himself for his visceral reaction to the appreciation of her exquisite form. The only thing he could do was will his libido to settle down, talking himself out of the remote possibility of possessing carnal knowledge on a consistent basis.
Instead of returning to her chair behind the desk, Caressa perched herself atop the front of it. Crossing her legs caused her pencil skirt to rise a few inches, high enough for him to squirm. She smiled as she continued to study him.
“I haven’t decided yet what to do with you, Seth,” she sighed. “I have a pretty good idea of how best your skills can be utilized, but I’ll have to mull it over for a few hours.”
“Excuse me, what?” He cursed under his breath, hoping she didn’t hear him. He was still trying to understand the double entendre in her statement. He couldn’t be sure, but he swore she was toying with him. A sudden burst of audacity peppered the tone in his follow-up query. “May I get a clearer understanding of what you mean by your last statement? I don’t do well with ambiguity.”
A coy smile spread across her full lips. Her eyes flashed for a moment, long enough for him to see the desire that lay beneath, before they returned to their business-like flair. After a few deep breaths, she regained her composure, relegating him to the original apprehension he experienced when he first stepped into her office. “I’m making my decision regarding my new executive management team in the next few days. My team will be notified by me at that time of their ascension. You may take the rest of the afternoon off. Consider it a, shall we say, token of my appreciation for your calmness under pressure.”
Seth seethed, stuck between leaving the office or speaking his mind. So, this was all a game to her? Who the hell does she think she is?
Chapter 6
Caressa stepped around her desk to return to the laptop, her indifference to his continued presence in her office reflected in the consistent keystroking, preparing for the next item on her to-do list. She tried to suppress a grin, knowing she’d successfully gotten under his skin, but she needed him to think she was still giving him a hard time. After a few minutes, she realized Seth was still standing in front of her desk. “Was there something you misinterpreted in my directive, Seth? I’m a busy woman, as I’m sure you already know, so, speak your piece.”
The hesitation in his response was palpable. The longer he waited to respond, the less impact his response would have. No matter how much he willed it, he could not speak the words on his mind. In a sudden switch, he closed his eyes and let out a slow exhale. “I’ll save you the trouble of making your decision, Caressa. You’ll have my tendered resignation by the end of the day.”
Caressa softened her demeanor, if only for a few moments. This wasn’t what she’d expected. She could tell he was sweating through whatever was in his head, but she was convinced that he was making this decision out of frustration. Refuting his request was in his best interest. “Seth, no need to make such a hasty decision. I apologize for putting you into such a predicament. It was not my intent. I’ll see you in the morning for the executive conference call and orientation. Enjoy your afternoon.”
“I’m not making any hasty decisions at all, and while I accept your apology, I’m going to take the afternoon to consider what you’ve stated,” Seth replied. “Enjoy your afternoon.”
Once Seth left her office, she called in Kendyl. “I need to hit the ground running. Have the company jet prepared for my departure tomorrow morning for a junket to Brussels. There are some business interests I have been working on for some time.”
“Will you need an escort, Ms. Sidaná?”
“No, that won’t be unnecessary, Kendyl.” Caressa thought about it for a few more moments, snapping her fingers in a moment of clarity. Seth wants to prove his mettle. This will be the way that he does it. “On second thought, Kendyl, inform Mr. Salazar that I need him to prepare for departure tomorrow morning. I’ll inform Mr. Stillmore in the next few minutes.”
“What does your afternoon look like for the next ninety minutes, Seth?”
“Good afternoon, Ms. Sidaná,” Seth greeted as he checked his schedule, his mind racing as he tried to understand what she could want with him after he was dismissed from her office mere minutes ago. “At the moment, I’m clear. What can I do for you?”
“I would like for you to join me for lunch. I’ve made reservations at Mattarello. Meet me at the front of the building in about ten minutes.”
“Sounds great. I’ll be there,” Seth replied. Within minutes, he’d shut down his laptop and made it to the front of the building to await her arrival. To his surprise, Caressa was already there.
“Good, you’re here. I like punctuality in my people.” She rose from her seat to approach him. “I’m looking forward to finding out more about you before we head out of the country tomorrow morning.”
He wasn’t sure how to take that last part but decided it was best to roll with the punches. After all, it was a private jet. It might be in his best interests to play this with as much savvy and strategy as possible.
They exchanged pleasantries on the short walk to Mattarello. Lunchtime on a weekday was, as expected, crowded with people conducting all manner of business. Power lunches were still a thing, and Caressa and Seth fit right in with the throng of couplings occupying the dining area.
The restaurant, despite the exterior façade, had a modernized appearance. It wasn’t so large as to drown out overlapping conversations, but it was sizable enough for guests to enjoy their intimate conversations. The pastel and neutral tones also allowed patrons to enjoy the ambiance and energy of the space.
Once they were seated in a corner booth near the front window, Caressa wasted no time in getting to the heart of the matter. “Seth, I’ve asked you here because I wanted to talk about your future with my company.”
Chapter 7
Seth rubbed his chin as he processed Caressa’s words. Her tone was neutral, matter-of-fact in its cadence, which did not sway him much. He was prepared for whichever direction the conversation would traverse. In his mind, he still had his resignation in his back pocket, despite her initial rejection when he offered it earlier.
“I have decided to promote you as my senior vice president.” She took a bite of her pasta. “You’ll be working very closely with me, which is why I have you accompanying me on this trip.”
Seth paused from taking a bite of his food, realizing what the promotion meant for him. He did his best to collect himself to show his gratitude. “Ms. Sidaná, thank you so much.”
“You may call me Caressa.” Her accent was strong as she made her pronouncement. “Now that you’re going to be working so closely with me as my Number Two, then I’d feel more comfortable if we were on a first-name basis. It’ll be like old times when we were in marketing together.”
“Of course, Caressa.” The way he said her name filled him with a sense of apprehension and a bit of possession. He couldn’t understand why he felt that way, but the stares from the men in the immediate area were a sudden and intense source of irritation. “I agree completely.”
“Shall we seal the deal with a toast, then?” Caressa held up her glass of Pinot Noir.
“To the future of Sidaná Chocolatier?” he asked.
“To our new business relationship,” she replied as they clinked glasses.
As they continued to enjoy lunch, Seth couldn’t help but notice the peculiar glances coming from his boss. He didn’t want to feel like he was imagining things, and he didn’t want to guess wrong and turn things into a whole other problem. “Is there something wrong, Caressa?”
“Oh, nothing. There’s nothing wrong at all.” Caressa’s gaze was focused on the way he continued to chew the grilled salmon he’d ordered. “I was admiring those lips of yours, and it had me wondering a few things.”
“Like what, exactly?”
“Like whether you’d savor another type of succulent flesh the way you’re savoring that salmon.”
“I guess that’s your way of asking if there’s something else I might feel like sampling besides lunch?” He wasn’t imagining things after all, and he’d planned on taking advantage of every minute of this impromptu flirt session.
“Are you in the mood for anything in particular?”
“Do you care to ask that question a different way?”
Caressa gave a look as though she wasn’t sure she wanted to press the issue. “Fine. What do you feel like tasting?”
“You.”
“And what makes you think that I want you to so much as taste me?”
“Because you had your mind made up the minute you offered to promote me, Caressa.”
His eyes narrowed as he watched her breathing quicken. “You wanted to find out if I could enjoy the cat-and-mouse games you want to play—to see if I could be trusted.”
“And can you be trusted?”
Chapter 8
His fingers glided with assurance under the table between her thighs, his eyes never leaving hers. She didn’t look away, despite feeling him moving closer to his intended destination, where he would find there was no cloth barrier to penetrate and conquer. Her grin was met with a seductive sneer as he waited to see if she would either tell him no or, even more torturous, make him delay until they found a more accommodating space.
“I’m here for you, Caressa. In whatever capacity you desire me to be.” He left his hand high on her thigh, stroking its sensitive inner skin. “The question is, where do you desire me to be, and can you trust me to be where you want me?”
Caressa licked her lips, moved her hand down to his and pushed his hand away from the heat rising from her yoni. She adjusted her skirt. “I desire you to be on the plane in the morning, so I can brief you on the persons who’ll be trying to—”
“To what, Caressa?”
Caressa dismissed his inquiry, observing as his shoulders slumped. She realized that she might have blocked whatever designs he might have had for the rest of the afternoon. For a moment, she pondered changing her mind and consummating their new business relationship. She was always attracted to him, back then and in this moment. She blinked as she took inventory of the muscular legs inside the fitted slacks and the bulging biceps that wanted to burst from his dress shirt. It would be so easy to give in to her basest of instincts, and if she’d had more time, she may have done that.
An alert popped up on her smartphone, interrupting her thoughts. She picked it up to find out what needed her attention, and to her dismay, it was a reminder from Kendyl of the slew of meetings scheduled with the rest of the department heads. She sighed, resigning herself to the reality that being CEO would not afford her the luxuries she indulged in before her father stepped down.
But that didn’t mean she couldn’t have a little fun later in the evening to take the edge off.
“Forgive me, Seth, I don’t mean to cut this lunch short, but I have a series of back-to-back meetings for the rest of the day,” she said, placing a consoling hand over his and greeting him with a warm smile and a wink that gave a hint of the coquettish nature within. “If you’re a good boy, I might just let you follow through on those thoughts you’re having about me right now.”
She stood, noticing him stand with her as a gentlemanly courtesy. “I’ll see you in the morning, yes?”
“Yes, Caressa,” he replied, answering her smile with one of his own. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Wonderful. Wheels up at 11:00 am. Make sure you’re on time.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Chapter 9
“Come in, Marco. I should be ready in just a moment.”
Marco stood for a moment to take in the penthouse apartment that Caressa called home. To his right, two-story windows stretched from wall to wall and wrapped around at least half of the room, giving him a spectacular view of the whole of London and the Thames River. To his left, circular stairs led to what he assumed were the bedrooms. He strolled toward the bar area and looked out onto the rooftop, where a deck with a Jacuzzi and a pool awaited.
So, this is how the other half lives?
He tracked back into the living room, and the first thing that caught his attention was something he didn’t expect, or rather, he didn’t catch it upon first glance. Over the fireplace was a large portrait of Caressa, stark naked, except for a velvet blanket draped across her body, strategically covering her most intimate parts.
Mesmerized, he was unable to take his eyes off the image. He placed a finger against the painting, an unconscious gesture as he felt the oiled texture against his fingertips. There’s something to be said for a woman with real curves, and his weakness for them was on full display, leaving him vulnerable to his senses and urges.
For the first time, part of him wished he wasn’t her bodyguard. It wasn’t like him to feel such an intense desire for a female client, but it wasn’t a given that she had any interest in him beyond his lengthy contractual obligation. She seemed to have a worldly attitude about her despite her youthful appearance, something she no doubt experienced from learning her father’s business. The power and money didn’t hurt, either. Power had always been a potent aphrodisiac, and difficult to resist. This wasn’t the first time he’d been surrounded by power, as he’d protected heads of state, but it was the first time he was contracted to protect a woman who wielded such power and influence. He wanted to find out what lay under the velvet cloth but contemplated whether breaking one of his personal rules was worth the temporary pleasures of the flesh.
“Do you like what you see?”
Caressa’s sultry voice interrupted the lustful thoughts that invaded his subconscious. Her hand draped his shoulder as she looked up at him. “Not very many people get to see the place, but something tells me I can trust you. Can I trust you, Marco?”
“I think it’s a matter of fact at this point, Ms. Sidaná,” he replied. “What did you say earlier in the day? Oh, yeah, I’m here to keep you safe, remember? That means some things that I see or hear are not for public consumption and must be kept in the strictest of confidence.”
“So that means I can do this,” she said, quickly sliding to face him, wrapped in nothing but a robe and a pair of nude heels, “and you won’t tell a soul that you saw me like this?”
“Ms. Sidaná—”
“You can call me Caressa. I told you that before.”
“Caressa, this isn’t a good idea.” He tried his best to maintain his composure, but the way the robe hung on her body gave him a perfect view of her luscious breasts. “I came over tonight to talk about what you need me to do tomorrow when we get to Brussels and the reasons your father insisted I handle your security.”
Caressa kissed him, lowering his already weakened defenses, an unwitting siege to the rules that had kept him from getting into the compromised situation he found himself in. She continued her assault, succumbing to her wanton desires while ignoring his apprehension.
She pushed Marco toward the chaise part of the sectional in the middle of the living room, straddling his legs as she opened her robe to give him a full view of what had been teasing him moments before.
“Caressa—” he tried to sp
eak as she slid off his tie. “We shouldn’t be doing this. You’re my client; it goes against my ethics.”
“Then, you’re fired,” she shot back, a slick smile spreading across her face as she placed the familiar gold-wrapped package in his hand. “Take me.”
There were no more words left to say. He couldn’t get the condom on fast enough.
Her body felt like silk, oiled and perfumed from head to toe, making him surrender to its will and lust. His fingernails couldn’t rake at her skin deeply enough; his lips and tongue couldn’t lick and suck at those nipples hard enough. Her hair—which had always been perfectly coifed and in a tightly woven bun—flowed wild and free like she had somehow released herself from her own prison. Even if it was a temporary reprieve.
Marco gripped her hips to control her grinding and rotating over his girth, losing herself in the penetration that she, from her body language and unbridled screaming, had not indulged in in quite some time.
“S’il vous plaît … baise-moi plus fort,” she pleaded in French. Despite not being fluent, her body language said it all. “Oh, mon Dieu si vous vous sentez putain de bon.”
He continued to consume her, fueled by her coos and moans and cries for him not to stop stroking her. She bit into his shoulder when she reached her climax, shivering and shaking as though an electric shock coursed through her body. She squeezed around his shaft with such intense pressure that his body responded of its own volition, unleashing a climax that nearly rocked him to his core.
By the time the orgasmic waves crashed and receded, she was resting in his lap with her head against his chest. Whether he wanted to deny it or not, he’d allowed things to be compromised. Even if she wanted him to return as her personal protection, the way they reacted to one another would be evident to everyone around them. He’d betrayed her father in the process, too, and he needed to figure out how to rectify that.
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