Preparing for his meeting with Rachel he sat in his chair at his desk facing the door. He leant his arms on the glass top enjoying the cool surface against the heat of his skin. With his door open he could see down the length of the hallway and the minute Rachel left her own office and headed down towards him, the sway of her hips and the bounce of her tits had his dick sitting up and paying attention.
“Oh that’s just perfect” Joe muttered under his breath knowing this meeting would be conducted in its entirety with him sitting down. He couldn’t be sure if he was cursing himself or commenting on the sight of Rachel and chose not to analyse the dual meaning of his words as he feared the latter may be true. There was no doubt she was easy on the eyes. Today she was wearing a navy pencil skirt tailored to drape over her curvaceous arse. She had teamed it with a navy silk shirt with gold buttons that caressed her upper body highlighting an impressive rack. It was undone just enough to show off her long neck and hint of cleavage. Sky-high heels didn’t seem to hinder her at all – how the fuck women walked in those things never ceased to amaze him; but they showcased her shapely legs perfectly.
Rachel was sophisticated elegance in a perfectly fuckable package; his dream date until she opened her bloody mouth. Her patronising manner of speaking to him like he was something she’d stepped in on the way to work drove him insane. He’d heard the way she conversed with the rest of the staff and evidently it was a tone she reserved just for him. But she would do well to remember that he held all the power here and treat him with a touch more respect.
Leaning back into the soft leather backed chair, he crossed his arms over his chest and smiled like a beast about to eat its prey.
Rachel could feel Joe’s eyes on her. Determined not to be intimidated she added a little more swagger to her walk and braced herself for the bollocking she was fully expecting. However, she hadn’t predicted what the effect of seeing Joe in Nate’s office for the first time would have on her. It hit her square in the chest and her heart squeezed tightly under her skin. Tear prickled behind her eyes but she held them back as a fierce jolt of pain wracked her body. She felt hot and cold at the same time as a tidal wave of grief rolled over her effectively rendering her mute.
“Nothing to say Rachel?” Joe mocked from behind his desk. Rachel shook her head vigorously.
“Good, then you can just listen for once. Don’t bother sitting down, you won’t be in here for that long. You have one chance to prove to me that Genesis is worth considering. I will base my decision on the success of your first case. Lose and it’s all over. I have already allowed you to indulge your cause at the resource of this firm and its costing money. If you fail to at least boost the profile of Gyles Bishop with your little crusade then you have no value to add and we will be parting ways. Do I make myself clear?”
Joe’s words had barely registered through the haze of her pain, but Rachel understood the gist of what he was saying and nodded her agreement. He was leaning across the desk frowning at her. His long dark hair framed his handsome features and he was playing with his beard again. On some level Rachel was aware this was his tell tale sign of agitation, but she was fast descending into a panic attack and needed to escape.
“You can go now. Come back tomorrow with details of your first case and how you plan to win.”
Rachel fought the overwhelming urge to flee at speed but mustered enough grace to walk normally back to the safety of her own office.
Joe continued to run his fingers through the soft hair covering his chin wondering what had just happened. He was ready to deflect her every argument but she hadn’t said a word. Something was wrong but he couldn’t figure out what.
“Angela, can you come in here please?” he buzzed through to the one person he could rely on to be honest with him. Nothing seemed to faze Angela so far; he had sought her counsel on many issues and he genuinely liked her.
“Boss?” she enquired as she plopped herself down in a chair facing him.
“Tell me about Rachel Renton. She’s seriously pissing me off and I have no idea what I’ve done to deserve her disdain.”
Angela’s eyes widened at Joe. “Are you really that insensitive or just an idiot?”
“I’m glad you feel comfortable enough to point out my faults even though we’ve only been acquainted for a few short weeks, but contrary to popular opinion, I’m not a total prick.”
“Joe, you have a job to do here; and something to prove. We are all aware of that and no one more so than Rachel. Look around you Joe. I’m not going to make excuses for Rachel’s behaviour but for the love of god, you are sitting in her dead husband’s office threatening to end her dead husband’s legacy. Nate was a popular man Joe and you would do well to remember that.” Angela stood up, cross with her boss for being exactly the insensitive prick he claimed he wasn’t.
“You do the math, as you Americans are so fond of saying.”
**********
Angela stuck her head around Rachel’s door. “You ok hon?”
Rachel was standing in the corner of her office between the two windows looking out over the great City of London. The view was humbling and it helped Rachel gain some perspective. The streets below buzzed with activity. People were going about their business in ignorant bliss of the turmoil in her office a few storeys up; the world hadn’t stopped just because hers had been turned on its head.
“Oh Angela, what am I doing? What was Nate thinking? I’m not equipped to handle big shots like Joe. My work was on a much smaller scale in a totally different environment.” Rachel began pacing across the carpet flinging her arms up in despair.
“Oh stop being so dramatic. He’s just a man and he’s pissed off at something he hasn’t been able to control” Angela slid gracefully on to Rachel’s couch and crossed her legs. Leaning forward, she added, “and I’m not talking about Genesis!”
Rachel stopped dead in her tracks her head whipping round to meet Angela’s mischievous grin. “If you mean me you’re on the wrong track. It’s not about me being in control; it’s the principle that matters. I won’t let him dismiss this project because it’s not dripping in pound signs. Gyles Bishop wants to boost its Global profile and ‘giving back’ is high on everyone’s agenda in caring, sharing 2013. Plus it works to the advantage of the less privileged. Not all of us have numbers after our surname. Joseph William Mason the Third.”
Angela whooped – she actually whooped. “You so Googled him didn’t you. I knew it! Oh boy this is going to be so much fun!”
Rachel rolled her eyes. “Have you totally lost the plot Ange? I have no idea where you are going with this but even if I fail miserably I won’t feel like I’ve let Nate down without a fight.” Rachel grabbed an elastic band off her desk and tied her hair into a messy pony. “I’m going to need a small team to assist with research and to help me prepare for court. We’re heading in to summer so maybe a couple of graduates would do.”
“Leave it with me Mrs Renton. I’ll have CVs for you by the end of the day.” Angela rose from the couch; smoothed down her dress and gave Rachel a wink. “You are going to be just fine, and just to let you know, Nate was already proud of you so you have no worries on that front. Do this for yourself Rachel.”
Feeling a lot more motivated following her little pep talk from Angela, Rachel grabbed the Genesis file on her eviction case and got to work.
**********
Joe meanwhile, was having a hard time concentrating on anything other than the fact he had behaved like an idiot. He had been distracted by the hard on he had for Rachel rather than treating her with respect. At the very least he should have considered how difficult it would be for her the first time she saw him here in Nate’s old office. Joe had previously prided himself on being fairly intuitive where most women were concerned – it had always got him laid before. But Rachel Renton was something different. She clearly didn’t like him, or find him remotely attractive so no advantage there. She’d even gotten over the steam room debacle apparently wh
ich is more than he could say having just this morning jerked off in the shower to visions of Rachel touching herself.
But this was work and that always came first with Joe. Picking up the phone, he decided to call her to make things right. There was no way he would apologise; hell it wasn’t his fault her husband was dead, but he supposed she did deserve a chance to fail and prove him right.
“Rachel Renton.”
“It’s Joe Mason.”
“Oh.” Joe heard her sigh. “How can I help you, Mr Mason?”
So formal; the gloves were off then.
“About before; you seemed a little off and I just wanted to make sure……..”
“Oh, I’m feeling fine now thank you for asking.”
“Er, no, I’m not asking. I wanted to make sure you understood the terms I laid down for Genesis.”
There was a pause from Rachel’s end of the line.
“Everything is perfectly clear.”
“Good then. I’ll have Angela arrange a meeting for tomorrow afternoon when you can take me through your first case. We can convene in the boardroom if you would prefer.” Joe thought that was a nice touch.
Rachel, however, was seething – the man was so far up his own arse it was unbelievable. Boardroom indeed; no way would she let him think she was too weak to handle being in that room a second time.
“No – your office is just fine. I’ll wait to hear from Angela.”
“Ok then. Goodbye Rachel.”
“Goodbye” she replied politely, then added “arsehole!” after she hung up the phone,
Returning to the email she had been composing before Joe called her, a notification message from Mr Arrogant Idiot himself popped up on screen.
Clicking his email open she read, “You might want to check you’ve actually disconnected next time you call me that.”
“Holy fucking shit!” Rachel groaned resting her head in her hands. Why did she continually fuel Joe’s already tainted impression of her? Every time she thought she had a handle on the guy, he brought out the worst in her. It was a side she never even knew she had; always fairly laid back and organised; Joe had her in a tailspin.
He was really getting under her skin, and the most infuriating aspect of the entire situation was the effect he had on her physically. It was madness and she couldn’t begin to comprehend why, but she had the horn for Joe Mason big time.
**********
Joe on the other hand, was really quite pleased with himself. He’d offered a more sensitive option which she had declined; end of story. Hearing the crude annotation to her sweet little ‘goodbye’ made him laugh out loud; he’d been called a lot worse than that, and now he was reassured that she was indeed going to fight for her cause, he couldn’t wait to see how she was going to impress him. After all his big talk about shutting Genesis down, his interest was finally piqued. If it meant that much to Nate and Rachel, the least he could do was to hear her out; assess her ability and maybe go to court and see her in action. Adjusting himself, he switched his attention to more important matters.
Several hours later, he was interrupted by Angela bringing him his lunch. “Thanks” he grunted at her not even looking up from his papers.
A loud cough filled the silence. “Joe; a moment please.” He leaned back in his chair giving her his attention. Angela was not someone he wanted to piss off; she was too valuable around this place. Wearing a knee length black dress with cap sleeves that fitted her like a second skin, exposing toned arms and gracefully long legs ending in red heels, she was also mighty fine to look at. Her dark skin looked velvet to the touch and he fleetingly wondered what she would feel like underneath him with her long legs wrapped around him as he thrust into her.
Another cough topped off by a raised eyebrow and he knew she’d read his thoughts. Witch.
“Can we discuss your Welcome Cocktail Party taking place Saturday night?”
“Do we have to?” Joe was bored already.
“Only if you want any chance of people here liking you. It’s out of business hours and a good opportunity for you to show a more human side to your personality. I hope you don’t mind me saying that people have been finding you a little intimidating, Joe.”
“Including you?”
“No honey, not me. But then I’m usually the exception to the rule.”
“That you are, Angela. So tell me, what shall I do to make this place a warm and welcoming environment in which to work?”
“Well, you could consider actually speaking to people in the first instance. Do you even know anyone apart from me and Ben?”
Joe thought hard for a minute, his brow furrowed with concentration as his long fingers playing with his beard.
“Rachel Renton – I know her.”
“And how’s that working out for you Joe?” Angela cocked her head at him.
“Hmm – you may have a point there. So I need to be all sweetness and charm on Saturday night, is that what you’re telling me?”
“You got it boss. My work here is done.”
Joe laughed as Angela strutted out his office, admiring the view as she went.
**********
Karen sat at Rachel’s kitchen table patiently listening to her friend’s presentation. She had been taken a few notes here and there and was impressed with the delivery and the passion displayed. It was bemusing to watch Rachel in work mode. Karen knew she was a competent solicitor having worked on a few local issues that had been reported in the community newspapers, but this was in different league. The depth of Rachel’s preparation supported by intelligent argument spoke volumes about the professional she wanted to be seen as. She had transferred to the next level seamlessly and Karen was blown away by the ambition firing Rachel forward.
“Wow, Rach, you were bloody brilliant. You are going to blow Joe Mason away tomorrow mate. I don’t know why you’re so worried.” Karen looked suitably perplexed never having seen her friend in such a panic. Not calm, sophisticated, supercool Rachel Renton.
“I can’t seem to control my idiot factor when he’s around. It’s the strangest thing; he pushes all my buttons and I end up in such a tizz. The man is an off the scale wanker at the best of times but honestly, he behaves like an arrogant arse. I can’t stand him.” Rachel was pacing up and down her kitchen.
“Tea?” she asked Karen, puffing a bit from her outburst.
“Oh my god, you fancy him!”
“What? You are crazy lady.” Rachel slammed a couple of mugs down on the counter top making Karen jump slightly in her chair. “What are you looking at?”
Karen was tapping away at Rachel’s iPad. With a very broad and very smug look on her face she turned it around so Rachel could see she had found an image of Joe dressed to the nines at some New York Charity Function.
“Oh, really Rachel. Was there something you forgot to mention about your new boss? Like the fact that he is sinfully sexy with a body to die for. Are his eyes grey?”
“So grey; they change colour with his mood though – you should see how dark they get when he’s angry and oh my lord they can sparkle when he’s amused. And then they get really silvery when he looks like he’s paying attention but really thinking about something else.”
“Not that you’ve noticed.”
“No – well, they are a weird colour.”
“50 shades weird?” Karen asked optimistically.
“That’s nasty thinking Karen, No – they look sort of wolf like which is so appropriate you can’t imagine. Only he’s no sheep on the outside; he’s like a coiled spring most of the time and it just makes me want to push him to the limit. I can’t stand him; he’s despicable.” Rachel screwed her face up in disgust at the photo, ‘turn it off” she told her friend as she sat down opposite her with their tea.
“Now tell me what you thought of my presentation. Does it sound convincing? Joe won’t be swayed by sentiment; he needs proof Genesis will add real value to Gyles Bishop or I’m out. And to be honest, Karen, it’s not just ab
out Nate’s vision; dream; whatever; it’s my future that’s in jeopardy too.”
Karen was seeing her friend in a whole new light. “It was perfectly pitched – you are amazing, and Joe will be dazzled by your brains as well as your beauty. Rach, I’m so pleased you’re doing this – it’s like you’ve been holding back all these years and now you are discovering potential you never even knew you had.”
“Ha – I think you are a tiny bit biased, but thanks for the vote of confidence. I really need it. I was wondering though; you’re not too mad at me about Luc are you?”
“Doll – there is no amount of time that’s right to say it’s ok to move on. I believe you still love Nate, but Rach, you’re only in your early 40’s and you have a lifetime ahead of you. You shouldn’t be on your own.”
“But was it too soon?”
Mrs R (Mrs R & Mr V #1) Page 23
