After the Interview

by Laurent, Coco

Chapter Six

  Rain was pelting her office window, making the thought of heading home at this moment undesirable. Zoe stretched and rotated her upper body from side to side in her chair to ease the ache in her shoulders. She had been looking at the computer screen in her office far too long today. I’ll finish editing this section then head out for dinner or if this rain keeps up call for takeout yet again, Zoe mused to herself. Tuesday and Wednesday had become blurs of writing and editing to get the two latest interviews polished and ready for publication in the next two issues. Jeff and Zoe had argued considerably about the order of appearance for the interviews of C J and Ambassador Rostanov. Zoe felt the interview of C J was a good lead-in for the Rostanov interview, and Jeff wanted to run the Ambassador’s interview first to get the jump on any other publication having commentary from him. In the end Jeff had overruled Zoe, and she was still pissed about it. Now he had her finishing up an article for some idiot reporter who had gotten sick while in Africa. Luckily for Max it was only parasites and not Ebola.

  One single loud rap on her partially closed office door drew her attention and broke her concentration.

  “This had better be good Jeff because you just interrupted my creative genius,” Zoe said loudly.

  “Should I take a seat and wait this out or can I watch the genius at work?” C J asked.

  Not believing whose voice she had just heard, Zoe slowly swiveled her chair and saw C J watching her, his body halfway through the door to her office.

  “Why, Mr. Fairchild, what an unexpected pleasure,” Zoe said, rising to her feet and brushing past him to peer outside the door and see who else was still working.

  Before Zoe could shut the door and turn to ask C J how he had managed to find her office, she felt his hands on her waist. She smelled his familiar scent, as C J bent to trail kisses down the side of her neck while molding her body into his. Zoe relaxed, turned slowly in C J’s embrace and raised her arms to pull his face down to hers. The kiss was slow, deep and full of passion.

  She willed herself to step back and then said somewhat playfully, “So I see your schedule cleared.”

  “Yes, ma’am, found I had pressing business in this city of yours, which will keep me here through the weekend, I do believe,” a sultry Texas drawl answered her.

  “And what hotel are you staying in?” Zoe asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “The Four Seasons,” C J answered as he pulled Zoe to him and slid his hands up her back to deftly undo her bra. Within seconds, C J had pulled her blouse loose from the waistband of her skirt and Zoe felt his hands run up her back and then around to cup her breasts.

  Breathing heavily Zoe said without much conviction, “We should stop now before we can’t.” C J’s blue eyes and the smile on his face both showed her that he was already to that point and didn’t care.

  Zoe’s hands grasped C J’s pants, quickly unbuckled his belt and undid the button on his pants. When she unzipped his fly she felt the heat of his body and his rock-hard erection. He groaned with pleasure as her hands reached into his briefs and encircled his penis, starting to slowly massage the length of it.

  Quickly, his hands encircled hers and he stopped her. “No more or I won’t last, and I want to be inside you.” C J glanced quickly around the office and spotted two oversized chairs and a low table near the window. Before he could even make his move Zoe half pushed him so he fell backwards into the closest chair. Then she stepped out of her heels and pushed them aside. With a seductive grin she reached under her skirt and slowly lowered her underwear to the floor and stepped out of it. Suddenly growing impatient too, Zoe moved quickly to let her skirt fall to the floor atop her underwear. As she started to position her body to lower smoothly onto C J’s waiting penis, he slid his hands between her legs and parted her body to feel its moistened inner lips and stroke her. Zoe had to stifle an urge to scream with pleasure as her body pushed against C J’s fingers while he slowly increased his movements and pressure. When he slid his thumb into her body, Zoe reacted quickly reaching down and forcibly pushing his hand aside. Then she moved purposely lowering her aroused body onto his penis. C J’s hands then found her breasts and his fingers began caressing her nipples, increasing her pleasure as Zoe started to ride his penis, savoring his length as she moved. As Zoe’s body started racing to its climax, C J grabbed her waist and started matching her movements. The strength of her orgasm was so strong that Zoe felt her whole body contract, not wanting to let go of C J. Shuddering as he climaxed into Zoe, C J pulled her to him and felt her moan with delight as his head rested on her chest.

  When her breathing had slowed, Zoe lifted C J’s head from her chest and said, “Interrupting me at work is not recommended, but in your case I’ll let it slide this time”.

  “Ms. Alden I need a few minutes to collect myself and then I will gladly assist you with more ‘work.’ Your genius has astounded me on more than one occasion, but seriously do you ever leave your office and go home?” C J asked with concern. “I went to your apartment building and waited so long in the lobby that the guard asked me to leave and contact you by phone. I got the feeling he believed I was stalking you.”

  “If Henry only knew your intentions,” Zoe’s words trailed off, thinking about walking through the lobby by Henry’s outpost with C J at her side. Yikes and awkward came to mind.

  “How do you feel about room service at the Four Seasons?” C J asked suggestively.

  Zoe smiled and said, “Are you trying to motivate me to remove my body from your lap?”

  “Oh I like your body just fine where it is but I don’t know how much longer our luck is going to play out if anyone else is still working,” C J answered.

  “Good point,” Zoe said, “Jeff’s still in the building and this isn’t my idea of how you should meet him.”

  With this she stood up and started to redress but in a way that kept C J’s full attention. “C J, you might want to get your pants on because I hear voices,” Zoe whispered, pointing to her door.

  C J quickly stood and had just started to buckle his belt when a sharp rap on the door was followed by its bursting open to reveal a middle-aged man talking loudly on the phone. Knowing how Jeff rolled, Zoe had positioned herself in front of C J in case any last minute adjustments to his pants were still in order.

  Breaking free from the phone conversation momentarily without registering C J’s presence, Jeff asked, “How about some dinner or are you still working on Max’s article? If you’re still at it I can pick something up and…” Jeff stopped abruptly and shifted gears when he noticed C J and extended his hand. “Mr. Fairchild, it’s great to meet you but Zoe didn’t mention you were in town,” he said, looking her direction.

  “I had some unexpected business in the city before heading overseas and decided to stop in and see if I could get a first look at the final interview. Ms. Alden is insisting I must wait for publication, so I plan to try and persuade her over dinner tonight. Would you care to join us?” C J said while shaking Jeff’s hand.

  Jeff quickly looked between the two of them and said, “Sorry but I’ll pass on dinner. There’s probably someone’s ass I need to chew out for something stupid they’ve done. Oh, congratulations on the contract you pulled off. It seems you bested Hercules Oil and picked up some prime acreage in the west Texas basin. Rob Scott had that on the newswire an hour ago.”

  “Strange. There was no press release, so I don’t know how that news has already hit the street, but thank you. That contract moved fast and was just finalized this morning,” C J answered, a bit perplexed.

  “Zoe, go ahead and catch dinner with Mr. Fairchild. Max’s article can wait,” Jeff said as he turned to exit her office. “Great to meet you Mr. Fairchild. Enjoy your stopover in the city.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Thompson,” C J said as Jeff left Zoe’s office, closing the door behind him.

  “Boy, is he always in such a hurry?” C J asked as he turned to look at Zoe.

  The look he saw
on her face stopped him from asking his next question. Zoe literally looked like she was primed and ready to blow. Not at all sure what had happened to change her mood, C J just kept quiet and waited.

  “You son of a bitch,” Zoe started. “How could you not tell me about this deal and let it break on the Reuters newswire before your interview is published? You didn’t even give me an inkling that something big was in the works.”

  “Zoe, you know I couldn’t tell you about a deal that wasn’t finalized. Contract negotiations are never public knowledge until the agreement is a done deal,” C J answered, not sure how he had gotten in such deep shit.

  “How about informing me today? Did the idea that I might wish to edit it into the interview occur to you?” Zoe declared.

  “Seriously? No, my motivation for coming here was to see you, not to talk about business,” C J answered, an edge to his voice, “Why the hell is this so important? It’s just a land deal, not anything unusual in the oil business.”

  “Rob Scott, of all of the reporters to break the story; I loathe that asshole and I am sure he is delighted as hell to feel like he one-upped me,” Zoe said.

  “It’s not that big of a deal, and if you want the details on the acquisition I’ll give them to you now. You can add it to the interview or not,” C J said.

  “Not that big of a deal to you, but in my line of work coming in second with news doesn’t cut it,” Zoe shot back.

  “I thought your interview was an in-depth piece on the industry and Marshall Petroleum’s contribution, not a quick write up about breaking news. It seems I had your interests figured all wrong. I’ll let you get back to your writing, Ms. Alden. Sorry to break your concentration,” C J said, swiftly exiting the office.

  “Crap,” Zoe said aloud as she paced between her desk and the office door. If C J Fairchild expects me to run after him he can forget it. Rob Scott, just thinking about his delight at breaking this story got Zoe so furious she wanted to scream. Instead she collapsed into one of the oversized chairs, tears rolling down her cheeks.

  ℓ

  What the fuck was that all about, C J said to himself as he rode the elevator down to the lobby. First, Zoe is ecstatic to see me. In fact she can’t control herself and, for that matter, neither can I, and then she flips out. It seems Ms. Alden’s priority is her work; better to find that out early in the game and move on. Boy do I feel like a jackass for showing up here unannounced. When I tell Logan how shitty her advice was, she’ll probably find a way to blame it on my plan and its execution. This is reason number one to stay unattached.

  C J stepped out of the lobby and was immediately assailed by the driving rain as he walked down the steps to the street. Hailing a taxi in driving rain, not an easy feat in New York, proved to take long enough for C J to be pretty well soaked as he slid into the cab’s backseat.

  “The Four Seasons,” he told the driver, not looking back at the building.

  C J entered the hotel lobby and stalked to the elevators. Frustration had set in on the cab ride. He was determined to change his flight first thing in the morning and head back to Houston as soon as he could. Right now he wanted a hot shower, food and sleep if that was going to be possible. The hot shower made C J feel more human but it did little to brighten his mood. He decided not to eat in his room and risk brooding about the situation. C J rode the elevator down and headed to the bar he had seen while passing through the lobby. They should be able to serve food and right now what it was did not matter. C J wasn’t going to fuss with restaurant service, and he sure as hell was not heading out in the rain again tonight.

  C J entered the bar, and his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting while he surveyed the space for a place to sit. Shit, the place was pretty busy. The stools were occupied with the upscale business traveler types, male and female. C J imagined several of these pairs would end up sharing rooms tonight after overindulging in alcohol and then part in the morning, wondering what the hell they had done. The noisiness of the room started to grate on C J, and he was about to turn on his heels and leave when he spotted a small table in the corner near the wait station. Sitting down, he noticed a gorgeous blonde woman checking him out as she nodded her head in answer to whatever her date was saying. C J wanted to react with interest but there was no faking it, so he turned his head and caught the waiter’s attention.

  “Scotch, neat,” he said before the waiter could even get the cocktail napkin on the tabletop, “and is there a menu for food service in the bar?” C J added.

  “There’s no food service in this bar sir, but I can see about getting you a table in the dining room,” the waiter answered.

  “No thanks,” C J answered. “I’ll just head upstairs and order room service later.”

  C J’s drink came and he attempted to block out his surroundings because the sight of the couples, heads bent in close conversation, irritated him. Gee I wonder which couple is about to get into an argument in the next five minutes, he thought. This many people, it’s inevitable. Just as he signaled the waiter for a refill, he got his answer. C J saw Zoe in animated conversation with the concierge, and she did not look happy. Not only was she drenched, but apparently she was not getting the information she wanted from the man. Right, C J thought, I didn’t give her my room number and they won’t tell her a damn thing. This should be interesting.

  C J’s second Scotch arrived and as he lifted it to his lips Zoe turned, clearly agitated, ready to head to the elevators. What was she going to do, knock on every door on each floor? The concierge immediately stepped from behind his desk, barring her access to anything but the exit to the street. Zoe brusquely pushed the man’s hand from her arm and turned her head, as if she sensed C J’s presence nearby. Bullseye. C J knew she had spotted him. Zoe cut off whatever the concierge was about to say and headed straight for the bar. Oh shit, he thought.

  By the time Zoe entered the bar the concierge had decided to pursue her and was signaling the front desk to call for backup. Zoe’s wet pumps squeaked as she walked, and droplets of water created a trail behind her on the carpet. A few of the bar’s patrons looked away in disgust, and the others smiled with anticipation for the spectacle they were sure would ensue. Zoe stopped at C J’s table and fixed him with a look.

  “Are you going to ask me to join you or should I just continue to stand here?”

  “Would you like to join me for a drink, Ms. Alden?” C J asked with no emotion.

  Just as Zoe sat down the concierge and waiter both arrived tableside, looking concerned. The concierge fixed his eyes on Zoe and said, “Madame, as I explained to you a moment ago, I feel it is in the best interests of the hotel and yourself if you leave immediately,” Then, turning to C J, he said, “Mr. Fairchild, I apologize for the intrusion. We will make sure the disruption is contained, and you won’t be bothered further.”

  C J paused for a full fifteen seconds before speaking just to draw out the moment. “Gentlemen, Ms. Alden is joining me for a drink. We need no special assistance at this time. Zoe what’s your pleasure?”

  “I’ll take a dirty martini. Gin, not vodka,” she added as the waiter moved away quickly.

  “As you wish, Mr. Fairchild,” the concierge said. Backing slowly away from the table, he gave C J a look that let him know all he had to do was signal and the staff would swiftly move to contain Zoe and escort her out of the hotel.

  “You don’t plan to make this easy on me, do you?” Zoe asked.

  “Should I?” C J retorted.

  “Probably not. I was wrong and I admit it. Accept my apology for accusing you of not being honest. Rob Scott is a first class jerk and we have a history of disagreements going back to the dawn of time, so I overreact when he’s involved,” Zoe said.

  The waiter placed Zoe’s drink in front of her and hurried out of earshot. As Zoe lifted the glass to her lips, C J noticed water dripping from her hair onto the table where a small puddle was forming. The gorgeous blonde was intently watching the situation, and C J had trouble su
ppressing a grin but knew any hint of amusement would be misinterpreted by Zoe. He gave her credit for the apology but had to think a moment about what he wanted. Hell, C J knew what he wanted and it was Zoe Alden. Before he could speak, Zoe started rambling some bullshit about staying in touch and that he had opened her eyes to the politics of the oil industry and for that she was grateful.

  Standing up and effectively cutting off her speech in mid-sentence, C J said, “How about we get you out of those wet clothes. It’ll probably take the hotel days just to dry out the seat cushion. Plus I’m famished, so I plan to head to my room and see what room service has to offer.”

  Zoe took another sip of her martini and stood. C J slid his room key out of his pants pocket and handed it to Zoe.

  “Apology accepted, Zoe. Please head to the room before you start shivering while I take care of the tab. It’s room 500,” C J said with a note of care in his voice.

  Zoe took the key card and headed for the elevators. The concierge looked up with concern, but C J caught his eye and nodded that it was fine. As C J signed the tab and handed it back to the waiter with a generous cash tip, he felt conversation resume in the bar. Funny, he hadn’t noticed the quiet until now. On his way out the blonde caught his eye and gave him a quizzical look. C J just grinned at her and shrugged his shoulders. No, I wouldn’t trade Zoe for anyone he thought. This idea momentarily stopped him; then he walked quickly across the lobby, feeling elated.