by Dee, L J
“Decadence...it tastes a lot like love” I finished, quietly opening the door, removing myself and running for the elevator, ignoring the scowling Margaret and praying that I had at least a minute before they realised I was gone. I made it to the foyer before I stopped, tears pricking at my eyes as I tried to catch my breath. I couldn’t run again, I couldn’t leave without speaking to him, I owed him an apology and an explanation. My assumptions had ruined what we had and it wasn’t the first time. In the short time I’d known him, I’d already delivered an ultimatum, I had taken the word of Tamsin over his, and practically accused him of using me for financial gain at work. I had never experienced love before, for anyone, and it had knocked me for six. It had turned my inner logic on its head, scrambled my emotions until I didn’t know if I was coming or going and confused the hell out of me, but after all the false starts, the highs, the lows and the complications, it was the least I could do. I hoped above all else he would forgive me, but whatever the music, I would have to stand and face it.
Nervously, I made my way back up to his office. “I’m sorry about that Margaret” I said, eyes wet with tears as she gazed at me with concern. “It’s OK Charlotte” she smiled kindly, betraying none of her earlier beast, as I saw for the first time the softness Jason always talked about. She normally reserved it for him and the King employees, after all it was her job to keep most people out. I expected everyone wanted a piece of King and it was Margaret’s job to decide whether or not they would get it. She brought a cup of tea as I sat with my head in my hands. “Do you take sugar love?” she smiled as I nodded. “Five please” I said quietly as she raised her eyebrows, dosing lump after lump into the hot brown liquid and stirring slowly. If ever there was a five sugar time it was now. “They are all still in there, do you want me to let him know you’re here?” “I’ll wait thank you Margaret if that’s OK” I smiled, sipping my tea as she nodded.
I was nervous, stomach churning with absolutely no idea what Jason had made of my crazy intrusion, my crazier pitch and thinly veiled declaration of love. There was no denying King had always stirred feelings in me from outright irritation, annoyance and frustration through to the highest realms of arousal, lust and passion and there was no getting away from that fact. Sasha had been right all along, ‘two sides of the same coin’ and I wondered if that’s what she had with the barrister. My heart sank as the door opened slowly and I looked up sheepishly to see Jason’s family leave his office quietly and make their way over to the elevators, the ladies smiling broadly at me and his father throwing me a cheeky wink. I couldn’t help but smile back, a small gesture that faded immediately as I took in the vision of Jason standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame, looking as sexy as sin with a face that was utterly unreadable. “Get in here Smith” he growled as I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. It was a long time since he’d called me that and my heart sank.
I walked across the plush cream carpet slowly, following him into the office as the heavy door slammed shut behind me, and I was pinned against it in a sudden rush that knocked the air from my lungs. He grabbed my head possessively, pulling me towards his mouth and I melted into him, overwhelmed by the passionate force of the kiss that was as emotionally excruciating as it was exciting. My nerves were shot and jangled, his heavy hands gripping my hair and I felt the unmistakable strength of his erection as he ground it against my stomach. “I’m sorry” I whispered against his lips, pulling away panting to catch my breath as I caught the small smirk on the side of his mouth. “You’ll spend a long time making it up to me Baby” he growled seductively, the familiar and undeniable arousal in my core, fuelled to fever pitch at his delicious threat, relishing in the feel of my silk dress as he pulled it quickly down my body and gasping loudly as he freed his huge heavy cock. He ripped off my lace panties aggressively before plunging into me relentlessly, stifling my ecstatic screams with his mouth as I came apart, up against the door of his office and not for the first time. He was hot, and in his desire, claiming every bit of me and the feeling was euphoric. It seemed that he needed me as much as I needed him, cursing loudly and driving me over the edge again, deep into a blissful vortex barely on the edge of consciousness as he came violently inside me, flooding me with the feeling I had missed so much. “I love you Jason” I whispered as he pulled me hard into his body and held me with a force I had never felt before, like we were merged together, no space between us and I felt utterly and absolutely complete.
Neither of us moved for a long time, just breathing and gazing and holding, relishing being in one another’s arms again after the hurt and turmoil of the last few days. “I missed you so much” I whispered breathlessly as he cupped my face in his hands, gazing at me, the bright sapphire of his eyes making my heart melt into him as his soft, full lips caressed mine gently. “I love you” he said so quietly against my mouth, I wasn’t sure if I had actually heard it, but the possessive and heart stopping kiss that ensued left me in no doubt and my heart soared. I never wanted to the moment to end, but the buzzer on his desk sounded suddenly, the voice of Margaret sharply and unexpectedly filling the room behind us. “Rebecca is here to see you Jason” she said as he held my chin, pulling my face upwards and kissing me hard again.
“Get dressed Baby, you’re going to want to stay for this” he said, pulling up his trousers, smiling and winking as he slipped my ruined black underwear into his pocket, turning me around to zip up my dress and motioning me over to the large couch that sat adjacent to his desk at the side of his office. He returned from the bathroom with a glass of water for me, looking devastatingly handsome and buzzed through to Margaret as I shot him a puzzled frown. “What’s this about?” “You” he said simply before addressing her through the speaker system on his desk. “Send her in” he said firmly, staring at the door as it opened slowly, revealing a gaunt and very nervous looking Rebecca.
I could see she was shaking as she walked towards the desk and his face was hard, eyes etched in an uncharacteristic anger I had never seen before as he leaned forward and beckoned her to the chair, and I couldn’t mistake the unhappy gasp as she turned and noticed me. “Well” he glared at her, his voice barely controlled and utterly menacing. “I’m so sorry Jason” she said simply, gazing at the floor and bursting into tears. “He just asked me to print off the email and show the creative department. I didn’t even realise what it was until one of them told me, I assumed it was an old campaign or something, I thought he was trying to help me out”. The remorse in her eyes was genuine as she looked across at me before raising her gaze slowly to meet Jason’s, which hadn’t softened.
“Grayson were in for this pitch, so why the fuck do you think our main competition would be helping you out on something as big as Mercedes?” She sighed heavily, as I wondered who the ‘he’ they were referring to was, but the tension in the air was palpable and I couldn’t bring myself to interrupt. No doubt I would find out soon enough. “I don’t really know. He was furious that Charlotte was given the account” she half sobbed, throwing me an apologetic look “he said Grayson had promised it to him”. Ian Anderson, I seethed inwardly. “And do you think it’s ethical to accept that sort of information from a competitor” he said sternly, his voice as tense as I had ever heard it. “No Jason and if I’d have known what it was straight away, and what would happen to Charlotte I would never have printed off the email, I would have come and told you immediately”. Her voice was soft and filled with such genuine sorrow that my heart went out to her. Jason was clearly not feeling as charitable. The power in his voice was fearsome, pinning me against the seat and I could see her hands trembling in her lap. “So why didn’t you come to me when you did find out? Why let me suspend all your colleagues Rebecca?” He was barely controlling his anger now “And why let Charlotte sit at home thinking that she was about to get fired?” She couldn’t control her tears and they were flowing freely.
She had undoubtedly made a mistake but the young women I saw in front of me seemed
far from malicious. “I was scared Jason, we hadn’t done anything with the information, I don’t even know who told Grayson we had it. When I heard you were seeing Charlotte I knew you’d be furious that she was getting blamed for the leak. I’m really sorry” she turned to me “I know I’ve fucked up, but I just didn’t want to get fired”. Jason glared at her. “And what do you think will happen now?” she looked resigned to her fate, gazing at the floor. She hadn’t been honest straight away and she had kept quiet but she wasn’t the one who had sent the email, who had orchestrated the whole set up. All she had done was printed off an email and ignorantly passed it on, and it didn’t sound like anyone at King had used it to actively try and sabotage our pitch. This time, it certainly appeared that the enemy was within Grayson International Media and not outside it. “I don’t know?” she sobbed as Jason looked at me, pressing the buzzer on his desk. “Get Alison on the line Margaret” he said as seconds later his phone rang. He put it on loudspeaker.
“I’ve got Rebecca here, she received the email and passed it to creative, she claims she didn’t know what it was and they destroyed the information.” “Did she mention any names, was it as we thought?” “Yes” he said simply. “Will you be seeing Charlotte tonight?” “Most definitely” he turned, smiling deliciously at me. “Good, tell her to come into work tomorrow and to shut down her damned computer when she’s not in the office”. I swallowed hard, glad I was off the hook but reeling from the turn of events and that even Ian Anderson would stoop so low as to try and get me fired. Had it not been for Jason and my unlikely ally in Alison, I guessed he would probably have succeeded. “One more thing Alison, how did Grayson even know we had this information?” “I’ll give you one guess and he’s finished here” she said and I could hear the anger in her voice. “He’s finished fucking everywhere” growled Jason in unrestrained fury as he ended the call, dialling Margaret.
“Contact all the execs and tell them to get back into work tomorrow, the holidays over” he stated into the buzzer as Rebecca looked up at him sorrowfully. “Tell them I’m sorry Jason, please” she pleaded quietly, her tears starting again. “What’s going to happen to me?” He studied her carefully and looked across at me. “It’s Charlotte’s reputation and professional career you jeopardised Rebecca, I think it’s up to her” and I sighed deeply, taking in the sad green eyes of the pretty redhead. I more than most knew how hard it could be in this business, and there were still precious few women competing for the top accounts. If he fired her she’d struggle to get back where she was, and it certainly wasn’t something I wanted on my conscience. When things had gone wrong for me in the past, I had needed a chance, we all did sometimes. “Don’t sack her Jason” I said simply as he looked at her, his steely gaze unwavering. He was still far from happy. “Come in tomorrow, you’re on a warning and back on the small accounts until you prove to me I can trust you again” he glowered at her as she looked up at him stunned. “Thank you” she all but whispered. “It’s not me you need to thank, it’s Charlotte. Make no mistake Rebecca, I would have fired you and made sure no other agency in London would touch you” and I gasped, realising silently that he had that fate in store for Ian Anderson, who had risked both our careers for his own gain. He said no more, gesturing for her to leave and waiting for the door to close before he sat beside me, pulling me onto his lap and kissing me deeply.
“Thank you Jason” I whispered, unable to fully verbalise my gratitude for clearing my name and salvaging my career. He had joined forces with Alison to investigate the truth whilst I was lay in my bed feeling sorry for myself, envisaging him fucking Tamsin Lloyd and setting me up. “I’m so sorry for not trusting you” I whispered, burying myself against his chest, inhaling his wonderful scent as he held me tightly, kissing the top of my head. “How sorry?” and I could hear the little smirk I loved in his voice, a welcome sound, rolling like velvet over my senses as I gazed up at him. “Enough for you to paddle me” I bit my lip as he grinned, cocking his head, eyes narrowing. “I think this is way past a paddle baby” as I gasped, wide eyed, knowing instantly what he had in mind. “Not a whip?” I stared up at him, my voice filled with trepidation, anticipation and a tinge of excitement as he quirked his eyebrow at me, studying me closely. “Are you ready for it?” and I nodded. The truth was, I was already aroused.
Chapter 19
I couldn’t wait to see him, I’d been over in Germany for three days, organising a European roll out for the Mercedes campaign and my body ached for his touch as I sat back in my seat, buckling my belt for landing. Everything had changed in the last few months and our relationship had gone from strength to strength, mind blowing, heart stopping sex and an unswerving trust I felt certain no one would ever break again. I loved Jason King and he loved me. We had pitched against each other once and I had won, teasing him mercilessly all day, and he had returned the favour tenfold, teasing me mercilessly and deliciously all night.
For the most part, we tried to avoid all conflict in the boardroom and the bedroom and it was working out well for us. Jasmin Lloyd had become a friend, despite her bitch of a sister. She was close to Jason and she was a sweet girl, fragile and damaged by a Dom who had abused his position of trust appallingly, but slowly, she was finding her way back. Jason still harboured guilt over being her sponsor to the scene. She had been emotionally delicate even then, suffering with bulimia and drug addiction from her late teens. He hadn’t spotted it, but he hadn’t been alone. Jasmin had covered it well, and explained that secrecy was such a huge part of who she was then, that he couldn’t have known. She may never be as famous as her sister but he had secured her position as the main model for Tristan Wright which was regular catwalk and magazine work, and she had become part of our circle of closest friends with Katie and Robbie and Sash and the barrister, who I know knew as Edward.
The landing was rocky and I was grateful to be on dry land once again, and hopefully straight into the arms and the bed of Jason King. I had three days to make up for and I planned on a long long night, sighing as I switched on my phone and saw the text.
Sorry Baby, change of plan. Big screen debut of the Decadence ad at the Ritz. I’ve booked a car to pick you up and take you. We are in the Prince of Wales suite and everything you need is there. I am in a meeting, will see you at the screening. J x
I couldn’t wait to see him, but no doubt this would also be my first encounter with his parents and sister since the mortifying exchange we’d had in his office weeks before, where I had poured out the details of my sexual liaison with their son in intimate and graphic detail, and I flushed at the thought. On the upside, we had a suite at The Ritz and that was certainly a treat, I grinned to myself. Jason had kept the ad under wraps, and I wasn’t sure whether they’d gone with my wild idea or not, and I was excited to find out, wondering if models or actors could ever really capture the true exquisite intimacy I had felt that night. I was hand luggage only and saw the driver immediately, decked from head to toe in full traditional chauffeur regalia as I made my way to the board that read ‘Charlotte Smith’ smiling broadly. All my earlier tiredness had dissipated with the excitement about seeing Jason and as I stepped into the shining black limousine, I pulled out my phone to text him back.
I can’t wait to see you and christen The Ritz in our own inimitable style Baby x
He had gone all out, the limousine and the Prince of Wales suite and I would make damn sure I’d be thanking him later, I grinned to myself, stepping into the beautiful foyer, collecting my key and making my way to the room. It was pure indulgent luxury, traditional and elegant and I gasped as I entered. It was evident he had missed me as much as I’d missed him, the room filled with dramatic, romantic and extravagant bouquets of red and white roses peppered with diamantes and it smelt absolutely divine. A long white dress was hung up, fitted and floor length, edged with crystals and I recognised it immediately as a Tristan Wright design. Silver crystal platform shoes were boxed underneath and the necessary underwear, white sil
k and lace had been laid out on the bed with a small box of diamond drop earrings and my heart flipped. All I had wanted was to see his gorgeous face and twinkling blue eyes, to run my fingers through his inky black hair and kiss those beautiful full lips and right now I wanted it even more. He certainly knew how to ramp up the anticipation I smiled to myself as I showered, fixing my hair and make-up, gasping at my final reflection in the mirror. Jason King could definitely do style when he put his mind to it, and I made a mental note to ask him to do my wardrobe shopping more frequently.
A member of the concierge team was waiting for me as I exited the suite. “Mr King has asked me to accompany you to the screening Miss Smith as he has been held up” he smiled, gesturing me into the elevator and down into the luxurious foyer, through a large set of double doors. A small row of gold seats were lined up in front of a stage, dominated by a huge screen. I chose the middle one and sat, stunned when the lights dimmed almost immediately and the cinema screen roared to life. Where were the other guests and where the hell was Jason? He must have been running really, really late.
