by C. C. Morian
Lauren was so stirred up she didn’t respond well to Gina’s surprising note of concern. “None of your business.”
Gina’s eyes hardened. “Have it your way.” She pushed by Lauren and walked away.
Lauren’s legs shook, first Bob, and now Lauren. Why was everyone out to get her? And both Bob and Gina blowing hot and cold.
And why was her arm tingling where Gina had touched her?
Lauren couldn’t sit, so she got on the elevator and went downstairs and outside. She needed some air. Her mind was a confused mix of emotions, anger at Bob, anger at herself. And what the hell was up with Gina?
Gina. Lauren felt like she was in a competition with her. First for Tony. And now, for Bob.
Lauren walked, not even caring where she was going, she just wanted to get away from them both. What had she got herself into? She’d promised Bob she’d—Lauren wasn’t sure exactly what she had promised. It was pretty vague. But also open ended. Obviously she didn’t really have to do anything for Bob, that promise was useless.
She was still confused about Bob. At times he was gracious, polite. He hadn’t mistreated her in any way, other than being cocky and hurting her feelings. And there was no doubt they had some kind of chemistry. Or at least she had a chemistry, she wanted him. Or was that just because Gina wanted him?
No, Lauren’s interest in Bob had started before that. And after their dates, she wanted him more. She had just played it slow, she wasn’t looking for a quick roll in the hay, she could get that anywhere. Almost to prove it to herself, Lauren stopped in front of a shop window and just stood there, not looking in the window, just at the people walking toward her on the sidewalk. Within just a few minutes, two men passed her by, both of them openly ogling her.
She smiled grimly. She didn’t even have to smile at them, she didn’t have to even say anything. There were men to be had all over the place.
So why did she want Bob so much? Was it him, or something he represented? The good looking, smart, dry sense of humor guy with a good career?
And one who seemed interested in ‘something different,’ whatever that meant. Maybe something that he could get from Gina. Or was already getting from Gina.
Is that what Bob wanted, someone like Gina? Lauren and Gina couldn’t be more different. Yet Bob had taken Lauren to the dinners, spending a lot of time with her, seemingly interested. Was he looking for someone like her, or thought he should be, and was just sucked into things with the temptress Gina?
Lauren resumed her walk, a little slower, thinking things through. Gina upset her more than Bob. Sure, Bob had rejected her, but she really couldn’t say he was fucking around on her, it wasn’t like she and Bob had a real relationship. If anything, Bob seemed more disappointed than mean. Although he was a jerk if he was thinking he could get away with sleeping with Gina and still get Lauren too.
Gina. What was up with that woman? She seemed like such a total bitch. Yet Rosie had said it was all about jealousy, that Gina was jealous of what Lauren had. What was it Rosie had said? Her smarts, her hard work. Her looks. That was confusing. Gina, underneath all the makeup and tight clothing, was beautiful. She had a body that Lauren would kill for, with just a little time in the gym, Gina’s picture could be in magazines.
And yet, after all the mean things Gina had done, there was that little note of concern earlier, Gina asking Lauren whether she was all right. Lauren remembering the moment, crashing into Gina, Gina must have seen Lauren coming, she could have easily avoided her. Had Gina collided with her on purpose? And whose arms had gone around who?
Remembering Bob’s question, about jealousy. And that could certainly explain why she was so emotionally affected by Gina.
Lauren shivered, pushing those thoughts out of her head. Can’t go there. . .
Like it or not, Lauren was on this path, and she’d have to see it through. When the time came, if Bob offered her a chance to prove herself, she’d jump at it. Maybe not to show Bob, but to show Gina.
Just once, she wanted to beat Gina.
Lauren didn’t have to wait long. Back at her desk, there was the familiar sticky note. It read: “You get one chance, but a long one. Saturday, by seven p.m..” There was also an address, but it wasn’t a restaurant. It was out of the city, upstate. Lauren recognized the town, she’d never been there. It was two hours away by car.
What the fuck?
Bob wanted her out of the city, maybe for the whole weekend. Lauren took a deep breath. Should she do it?
She glanced at Bob’s office. Gina was standing in Bob’s doorway, looking right at Lauren, grinning like a Cheshire cat. Like she’d just won a lottery, or made a date for that night.
Her haughty look made up Lauren’s mind. She looked down, hiding her own smile. Gina might get Bob tonight, but Lauren would have him for the weekend.
Lauren guided the rental car up the freeway. It was a beautiful day, but she wasn’t thinking too much about the weather, she was too nervous. And excited. A weekend with Bob. Plenty of time to learn more about him, ease into things if she wanted to. All Bob’s talk about showing him something different was probably just talk. And Lauren was sure, if it came to that, if she decided to sleep with him, she could show him a thing or two that he’d find plenty interesting.
Yes, Bob was probably sleeping with Gina. Lauren would fix that; she’d show Bob he had made the wrong choice. Then a thought came to her. Had Gina known that Lauren was in the bathroom that day? Had she made up that story about Bob, just to get at Lauren? Bob had never actually admitted sleeping with Gina.
She’d find out, once and for all. And even if Bob had slept with Gina—who said he would want to again, after a weekend with Lauren?
It was a good thing Lauren had a GPS in the car, because she would never have found the address. It was down a country road, the entrance gated, the gate open, revealing a long winding driveway. When Lauren pulled up she sucked in a breath. The house was gorgeous. Huge and modern, it still managed to look right at home nestled in the woods, surrounded by well tended natural landscaping. Two tall oak entry doors were framed by floor to ceiling windows.
Lauren parked in the circular drive and took a moment to compose herself. When she got out of the car, she was struck by how clean the air smelled. She could have been a million miles from the city. She went up to the door, took a deep breath, and rang the bell.
The door opened immediately. Bob stood there, looking amazing, the first time Lauren had seen him in casual clothes, a nice pair of slacks, loafers, a pullover shirt that accentuated his pecs and muscular arms.
Lauren was glad she had dressed down a little. She was wearing a light summer dress and strappy heels, the kind of outfit that worked just about anywhere during the day, but also accentuated her curves. Bob smiled as his eyes drifted down from her face all the way to her pale red toenails.
“You came,” said Bob.
“I said I would.”
“Well, actually, I didn’t hear from you. The last thing you said to me was when we were in my office, and you said,” Bob cocked his head, “Try me.”
Lauren gulped. But she wasn’t going to quit now. “You didn’t think I’d show up?”
Bob shrugged. “I gave it fifty-fifty. But I do like surprises.” He looked over her shoulder. “No bag?”
“Pretty presumptuous, aren’t you?”
Bob grinned. “I’ll bet you a thousand bucks you packed one and it’s in the car.”
“Maybe I just like being prepared.”
“Pretty presumptuous, aren’t you?”
“Are you going to talk about my luggage or are you going to invite me in?”
Bob stepped aside and made a grand gesture of invitation. “Your weekend retreat.” He paused, then added, “Maybe.”
Lauren nodded and stepped inside, their bodies touching, she felt that jolt again, the arousal from being in Bob’s space. She wasn’t ready for that, so she quickly slipped past. The house was even more amazing inside, rich warm
wood blending with natural stone, windows everywhere, letting in the light.
“Wow,” said Lauren, impressed.
“Like it? I built it myself. Well, designed it, I had it built, although I did do some of the work. I like getting away from charts and reports.”
“You’re a man of many talents,” said Lauren.
“You haven’t seen the half of it,” said Bob.
“And modest, too.”
“You can be the judge.”
“Like you are about breasts?” Lauren still couldn’t forget what Bob had said about her being jealous of Gina’s tits.
Bob shrugged. “Want a drink?”
“Just water. It’s a little early for anything else.”
Bob raised his eyebrow. “To drink, you mean.” He led her into the kitchen and filled water goblets for both of them. “To an open mind about new things,” he toasted.
That sounded harmless enough to Lauren, so she clinked his glass and sipped her water while looking around the modern kitchen. She was startled by the sound of the front door opening, followed by the distinctive click of heels on the stone floor of the entryway.
A voice called. “Bob? Whose car is that in the driveway?”
Lauren knew that voice.
Gina came around the corner into the kitchen, dressed in a very short, hot pink knit dress, so tight that Lauren could see her nipples, Gina shamelessly braless. Gina froze when she saw Lauren, the two women glaring at one another.
“What’s she doing here?” they both said at the same time.
Lauren couldn’t believe her eyes. Gina was crashing her weekend with Bob. And she had walked in like she owned the place. . .Lauren spun on Bob.
Bob shrugged. “You two ladies obviously have some issues between you that need to get cleared up. Getting you together away from the office seemed the best way to give you the chance to deal with it directly.”
Lauren didn’t need this. She slammed down her water glass and headed for the door. She’d never been so mad and so humiliated in her life. To believe she’d driven two hours for this. “This isn’t what I expected,” she said, which was much nicer than what she was thinking.
“Actually,” said Bob, “you kind of gave me the idea.”
That stopped Lauren cold. “What?”
“You said you were willing to try new things. That you’d have to show me. Well, here’s something new. The two of your together. Or were you just making all that up?”
“I meant I’d show you something new, not her.”
Bob shook his head. “That’s not what you said. Remember your training, we talked about this, having an idea is one thing, but you need to know how to communicate it.”
“You can be a real—”
“Asshole,” finished Gina, turning her glare on Bob. “I came all the way up here for you.”
Bob raised a finger. “Don’t push it, Gina. You’ve been making your own promises.”
Lauren had unconsciously stood next to Gina as they had both turned their ire on Bob. Their arms touched, and Lauren felt Gina’s heat. She must be pretty pissed. . .
“Look,” continued Bob. “You’re both here. It’s a nice day, you’re out of the city. Why not make the best of it?”
“This sucks,” said Gina.
“Damn right,” agreed Lauren.
“Then it can only get better,” said Bob.
“This isn’t my idea of a fun weekend,” hissed Gina.
“Mine neither,” said Lauren.
“See?” said Bob. “The two of you are agreeing already.”
“We’re agreeing that you are a shit for doing this,” said Gina. “I was expecting you all to myself.”
“Me, too,” said Lauren. She glanced at Gina. “And Bob said he wanted something new. Maybe you’ll get nothing now.”
Gina didn’t take the bait. “If she leaves, I’ll think about staying.”
“Same here,” said Lauren.
Bob shook his head. “You two seem to have your minds set on competing. Okay, have it your way. I know how to resolve this. Follow me.” Without waiting for an answer, Bob walked out of the kitchen.
Gina followed Bob immediately. Lauren waited a moment, watching Gina’s tight ass and great legs. She’d never be able to compete against that. Gina had even worn her fuck me heels.
Still, Lauren hated to lose. Somewhat reluctantly, but driven by her competitive spirit, she followed Gina into the living room. Two huge leather couches flanked a stone fireplace, the room rich with masculinity. Bob was sitting on one of the couches, his feet up on the coffee table, like he didn’t have a care in the world.
Gina was standing in front of Bob, one hand on her hip, her leg thrust out toward his crotch, practically throwing herself at him. Bob gestured to the couches and chairs. “Why don’t you both have a seat.”
“I’ll stand,” insisted Gina.
Lauren sat on the other couch, away from both of them. Unconsciously she wrapped her arms around her chest protectively.
“So here we are,” said Bob, cheerfully. “I wanted to give you two a chance to be friends. There’s no need for you to fight. Or to be jealous.”
“I’m not jealous of her,” said Gina.
“Me neither,” said Lauren.
“Maybe. Maybe not. The more you both protest, the more I sense jealousy. You might not even realize that’s what’s driving your emotions. Both of you. But forget that for now. I hoped that the two of you would have taken this opportunity to get a fresh start.”
“Gina doesn’t want to give me a break about anything,” protested Lauren.
“Because she’s always trying to make me look bad,” said Gina.
Lauren was incredulous. “What? You’re the one—”
“Ladies, ladies,” Bob interrupted. “You both seem intent on being in competition. Okay, you are both smart, mature women. You want a competition, let’s have a competition.”
“Fine,” said Gina.
Lauren didn’t want to compete with Gina, but she realized she already was. “What kind of competition do you have in mind?” she asked, warily.
“Something new and different, just like you said you were willing to do,” said Bob.
Lauren held down her anger. “Fine. But I’m no slut, so don’t get any ideas.”
Gina spun around. “Who are you calling a slut?”
Bob reached out and held Gina’s arm. “No need for that. I won’t set the rules, you will. Both of you.”
“What do you mean?” asked Lauren.
Bob pulled Gina down next to him on the couch. Gina gave Lauren a sly smile, like she had already won something.
“Here’s what we’ll do,” said Bob. “Each of you can tell me privately what you want to do. Whatever you want. Something that you think will show me how far you are willing to go to win. You can suggest anything, you can even ask me to do something. But think carefully, it has to be something that will impress me. Remember, I like surprises. And sometimes a surprise is simply doing something unexpected, something I wouldn’t necessarily expect you to do.”
“And who’s to be the judge of this contest?” asked Lauren.
“Why, I will, of course. But to make it fair, I’ll give you both a vote as well.”
“She’ll just vote for herself,” said Gina, but her hand was already running up Bob’s leg.
“You might be surprised yourself,” said Bob. “You never know.”
Lauren was immediately suspicious. “Sounds like you’ve done this before.”
Bob smiled mischievously. “Every experience is different.” He put his hand over Gina’s, stopping her from rubbing him. “Now, are we agreed?”
Gina, half in Bob’s lap, said, “Sure.”
“What’s my option?” asked Lauren.
“You can leave,” said Gina.
“That’s right,” said Bob. “But if you do, you’ll never find out. About anything.” His hand was on Gina’s, but his eyes were on Lauren. “And deep down, I bet there a
re things you want to know.”
Lauren knew she should just get up and go. But Bob, damn him, had a point. She felt there was something she had to learn, about Bob, about herself, maybe even about Gina. “Okay. But the minute it gets weird, I’m out of here.”
“You are deciding on what you will offer to do, remember?” said Bob. He turned to Gina. “Gina, you first. Whisper in my ear exactly what you’d be willing to do to win.”
Gina wrapped her arms around Bob and pulled him close. Lauren cringed as she watched, helpless. Gina put her lips to Bob’s ear, but instead of whispering, she slipped her lips around his lobe and probed him with her tongue.
“Hey!” said Lauren. “That’s cheating!”
Bob said, “Is that it, Gina? You are going to kiss my ear?”
“For a start,” said Gina. Then she earnestly whispered something into Bob’s ear.
Lauren watched nervously, and as Gina kept going, Bob smiled. What was the bitch promising? Gina pulled away, smiling lustily at Lauren. “And then I’ll—” and she was back at it, cooing in Bob’s ear. When Gina finally pulled away she gave Lauren the same look she had outside of Bob’s office, like she had just beaten Lauren.
“Okay, Gina. I get it. Now it’s your turn, Lauren.”
Lauren took her time moving to the other couch, trying to think fast. She sat next to Bob, waiting until Gina was on the other couch. Gina did her leg cross thing, obviously trying to distract Bob.
Shit, thought Lauren. That’s not fair, Gina’s got such great legs. Well, I can distract him too. I’ll offer up something so wild Bob won’t even see Gina, even if she pulled off her dress.
Lauren suspected that Gina had probably promised Bob something sexual, a blowjob maybe, but if Gina had slept with Bob, she had probably already given him one, and much more. Bob had said that he wanted to be surprised—something out of character. Lauren had been so prim and proper with Bob, anything overtly sexual from her, even if it was less than what Gina had offered, would certainly be a winning surprise for Bob.
“Ready, Lauren?”
Lauren nodded. She swung up on Bob’s lap, completely blocking his view of Gina and her legs. She bent forward and grazed her lips against Bob’s, just a hint, not a kiss. Her lips traced a line across his face to his ear. “I’ll prove to you that my tits are better than hers, and not just in the looks department,” she whispered. “And I’ll prove to you that any other part of me is better too.”
