Mrs R (Mrs R & Mr V #1)

by Jessie Courts

  “If you leave now, I’m pulling the plug on Genesis for sure.” Joe’s sure and steady words halted her on the spot. Dubiously turning to face him her chest heaving in anger, she tilted her head questioningly. God he looked mad – she could see the tension in his shoulders and a pulse beat in his neck visible under his skin. He was breath takingly gorgeous even in her pissed off state he made her heart race.

  “Tell me how you intend to win this case Mrs Renton. If you succeed I will give you a 12 month contract to work on Genesis cases approved by me; if you lose it’s over.”

  Rachel’s shoulders slumped in relief; however, her pain was far from over, as Joe hadn’t finished.

  ‘But first I need to know two things. One; what’s a ‘jobs worth’ and secondly, how you intend to curb your temper and clean up your filthy mouth before you step into court.”

  Rachel stood there red faced; her shoulders heaving from her passionate outburst. Her emotions were raw and threatening to overwhelm her. She was so out of her league with this man on every level; where she was driven by compassion and justice it seemed his goal for winning was based on money. She supposed that this was the gauge used by successful businessmen but she couldn’t understand it from a man who was essentially a lawyer like herself. Why go into law if you weren’t interested in the plight of others? The corporate world was way out of her comfort zone and she wondered fleetingly how a soft natured man like Nate had survived it so well.

  “I’m not sorry for what I said – just so as you know. But thank you for giving me a chance. I’m working on the swearing thing but it would help if you didn’t stress me out so much.”

  Joe looked at her with a half grin on his face. He had no intention of making this easy for her; in fact he was thoroughly enjoying himself. It was a long time since anyone had spoken to him with no holds barred charged with such passion and belief in what they were doing. Much of his own passion for the workings of the law had been lost in corporate warfare and he had a yearning to get back to the grass roots of actually winning for the good of the person he was defending rather than his company’s bank balance. However, he wasn’t sharing that with Rachel just yet – he had to make that Genesis was actually viable first. Plus she looked so damn adorable all hot and bothered; raging and ranting like her life depended on it; he’d find any excuse to see that again.

  For the next hour or so Rachel went through her strategy with Joe. When he got over himself and focussed on the work rather than winding her up, it was easy to see how he was such a whizz in the courtroom. His attention to detail was incredible and he made several useful suggestions relevant to her case indicating he had truly taken an interest in it. However, being in such close proximity to such a glorious hunk of manhood with a scent that literally got up her nose and invaded her head, was exhausting. Rachel was severely lacking in experience on how to cope with this off the scale physical attraction and it was eating away at her reserves.

  Leaning back into his chair, Joe put his hands behind his head effectively putting an end to their session. Rachel slipped back into her jacket trying not to focus on his posture. The position of his arms made his biceps bulge huge against his cotton shirt sleeves and made his chest expand so much she swore she could hear the buttons on his waistcoat screaming in protest. He had long ago loosened his tie and the curl of dark hair at the base of his throat was too sexy. She knew what he looked like in a lot less clothing and the memory of that big practically naked body pressed up against hers, flashed through her mind having her blushing in seconds.

  Joe coughed and Rachel realised she’s been caught staring and her stomach flipped crazily.

  “Anything more I can help you with Rachel?”

  “What? No. Er, no thanks. No, we’re all done here” she stammered pathetically, instantly wet at the double meaning in his words. Catching the sparkle in his steely grey eyes left her in no doubt that it was a statement designed to throw her off balance again. He liked to play games but after their last few productive hours, she had hoped they were past that. Rachel was deeply disappointed but not entirely sure whether it was due to the fact that she finally thought he was taking her seriously as a lawyer or because she realised Joe didn’t want to have sex with her; he just wanted to fuck with her head.

  **********

  Weary from a day full of ups and downs and a lot of hard work, Rachel jumped into her car in the station car park and drove home looking forward to a hot bath and a very tall glass of wine. It was Friday night and she intended to chill out and then spend tomorrow pampering herself for the Cocktail Party in the evening. But a wonderful surprise greeted her as she pulled in to her driveway; a little cream Mini was parked in her space meaning one or both of the twins were home.

  “Jess? Lucy?” she called up the stairs as she dumped her bag on the hall floor.

  “Muuuuum!” The twins came running down the stairs skidding to a halt.

  “Whoa!” exclaimed Jess, “Who are you an what have you done to our Mum?”

  “You look fab, Mama!” Lucy cried.

  Rachel looked at them both and then promptly burst into tears. “Oh my gosh,” she snivelled, “I am so pleased to see you both. Just the tonic I needed.” They all huddled together in a big hug in the hall until Rachel calmed down. “I didn’t realise you’d be back this weekend!”

  “We wanted to surprise you Mum – you’ve been so busy.”

  “Is Luc with you?”

  “Luc? No why?” asked Jess with a puzzled frown.

  “Oh, no reason, it’s just I’ve got so much to tell you. Grab a bottle of white wine from the fridge and come to my bathroom. I need a soak while you fill me in on how your exams went and what you’re going to do for the summer.” With a much lighter heart and all thoughts of Joe Mason pushed to the back of her mind, Rachel went to run her bath.

  Rachel and the twins spent the whole evening catching up; drinking wine and ordering in pizza. Jess and Lucy had plans to trek around Thailand for a couple of months and much to Rachel’s dismay would only be home for a few days before they left again. “But you just got home” she complained.

  “Mum, Mum – we’re going with George and Leo and this is the best deal we could get.”

  “I know; I just miss you that’s all but as it so happens work is going to be hectic and I’ll be working long hours anyway.”

  Rachel told them about Genesis and Joe’s opposition to it.

  “He doesn’t sound at all like Daddy.” Jess remarked.

  Rachel snorted. Lucy was on her iPad.

  “Oh my god, Mum!”

  “What?”

  Lucy turned the iPad around reminiscent of Karen the other day, and there on the screen was a whole panty melting page of Google images of Joe Mason.

  “How do you work with that all day without climbing on top of him and having your wicked way with him?”

  “Lucy, believe me; he may look lush but he’s mean and rude. And anyway; I’m your mother; don’t say things like that to me.”

  Jess laughed, “lol Mum; we know you’ll always love Dad, but we don’t expect you to never have sex again!”

  “We are so not having this conversation!” Rachel laughed and hugged her girls close to her. They fortified her resolve to keep trying the best she could.

  “It’s been a long day my babies. I’m off to bed. See you in the morning?”

  “Yeah Mama – love you.” The twins chirped in unison.

  “Love you too.”

  **********

  CHAPTER 17

  Rachel and her daughters managed to get in a spa day where Rachel was scrubbed; de-fuzzed and polished. She had a mani/pedi in dark burgundy and then a wonderful massage to relax her. The girls also had their nails done and Rachel treated them to a facial each. Leaving late in the afternoon, she felt happier than she had for weeks and Joe aside, was quite looking forward to the party.

  “What you wearing Mum?” Jess was lying across Rachel’s bed tapping away at her phone. Lucy was
sitting at her dressing table fiddling with her jewellery.

  “Hmm, I have a little black dress I never got to wear in Paris when Dad took me. I think it would be appropriate for tonight.”

  “Let’s see it.” Jess said not looking up from her mobile. Rachel took the dress out of her wardrobe and removed it from its plastic cover.

  “Holy shit is that a Herve Leger?” Lucy gasped.

  “Yup – I bought it to surprise Daddy on our last trip, but that didn’t happen and I haven’t had a chance to wear it yet.” They all looked suitably forlorn for a minute but it passed quickly and Rachel shooed them out so she could get ready.

  A short time later Rachel called them back in to see what they thought. Both girls reassured her that she looked amazing; they even took photos and posted them on Facebook. Shortly after she got a text from Luc predictably similar to the last one she’d received from him. “OMFG MILF!” She laughed and text back a ‘X” the boy never failed to warm her from the inside out.

  Jess and Lucy insisted on giving her a lift to the party and they teased her all the way there about fighting off admirers. Rachel was glad of the distraction, as she had begun to fret about seeing Joe. She hoped he would be civil to her tonight and not ruin her evening.

  “Bye Mum, have fun!” The twins cried as she stepped out of the little cream mini at the entrance to her office block.

  Exiting the lift at the Reception to Gyles Bishop, Rachel checked her lipstick in the mirror on the wall. Feeling quite good about herself she made her way to the boardroom that had been cleared for tonight’s event. She could hear quite a buzz of noise already and hoped Angela was easy to spot in the crowd.

  “Rachel, you look wonderful” Benjamin Pierce greeted her with a peck on the cheek; he took her by the elbow and guided her in to the party.

  “Thank you Ben, it’s lovely to be here.”

  “Go on to the bar and get yourself a drink.”

  Rachel smiled and nodded and made her way through the crowd. The bar was busy but she knew people in the queue and was soon chatting away with them. She couldn’t see Joe but occasionally heard his deep voice over the crowd and as much as she tried to deny it, the sound made her warm and tingly. However, tonight she was determined to behave like the professional woman she was and not some infatuated teenager; maybe she’d get lucky with someone else because if she had to walk around much longer feeling as horny as she had done for the past couple of weeks, she would self-combust. Luc had left her hungry to explore the sexual side of her nature further and quite frankly, losing Nate so unexpectedly had freed her inhibitions because who knew what life held for you just around the corner. She wasn’t getting any younger and Rachel wanted to have some fun.

  Joe hated every minute so far, not that anyone would know it. He was outwardly charming and sociable, talking to members of staff as they approached him and feigning interest in their inane conversation. As CEO he knew he had a responsibility to encourage team bonding and lead by example, but it was in his alpha male nature to work autonomously and exert absolute control. He was slowly learning that Brits didn’t respond well to that approach and he had to be more transparent if he was to earn their respect and gain their support.

  Suppressing a yawn as he listened to another totally boring anecdote from one of the ancient partners, Joe immediately perked up when Rachel arrived.

  “Holy shit!” he cursed under his breath. “She looks fucking gorgeous” he thought to himself. The woman could seriously rock a cocktail dress. And what had she done to her hair? Usually she tied it up in some kind of bun or ponytail, but tonight it hung down her back in long silky waves. He had never noticed how the highlights in her chocolaty brown mane complemented her olive tones skin, of which there was much on display tonight.

  His steely grey eyes had followed her around the room as she made her way to the bar where she was now sitting chatting to some nerdy idiot fellow he’d never seen before. When nerdy idiot boy leaned in to say something the guy put his hand on Rachel’s arm and Joe growled. It must have been amusing as Rachel threw her head back and ripples of laughter filled his head. It was like he couldn’t see or hear anything else in the room he was so dazzled by her. Her long neck was exposed as she laughed and her chest shook with the vibration of it. Idiot nerdy guy was so close to being hauled off his stool and thrown out the window if he didn’t get his eyes off her tits in the next five seconds. God, she was a beautiful woman oozing sexy sophistication. Joe had gotten so used to his bottle blond waifs he had forgotten the attraction of a real woman.

  As if Rachel could feel Joe’s gaze on her she looked away from Idiot nerdy guy and locked eyes with Joe across the room. Her eyelashes fluttered several times as she fought to maintain her composure under his scrutiny, but she stood her ground, smiled and raised her glass at him.

  Joe dropped his gaze as he rapidly buttoned up his jacket to hide the instant hard on as his cock reacted to the sight of Rachel’s curves in her black Herve Leger bandage dress. His expression revealed nothing as his eyes roamed down her body. There was no fucking way she could be wearing any underwear, the fabric was tight enough to see the blood running through her veins; vpl didn’t stand a chance. The Lycra enhanced dress gripped her perfect arse and body at the back whilst the front revealed a cleavage he wanted to bury his face in, and tits that begged to be cupped and caressed. Continuing his assessment of her fine assets he noted her bare legs ended with her feet pushed into the highest fuck me shoes he’d seen on her yet. They were black strappy things which tied around her elegant ankles. She wasn’t short but against his height she usually only reached his shoulders; he bet she’d be at kissable height in those heels.

  Joe’s cock twitched in his suit pants as he glanced back at Rachel. It was obvious that he’d been checking her out; he hadn’t tried to hide it. She raised her glass at him again with a smirk on her face, and Joe raised his eyebrows in surprise that she hadn’t turned her back on him or at the very least mouthed “fuck off” across the room. Clearly he had underestimated Mrs Renton somewhat. He had assumed she was still playing the grieving widow but apparently not if her appearance and defiant mood were anything to go by.

  “Jesus, I am so screwed” thought Joe. There was no way he’d be able to speak to her tonight without fighting the urge to kiss her. He needed to taste her so badly and reacquaint himself with the feel of her body grinding against his; preferably naked this time. All he could think about was peeling that little black number off of her and driving his dick into her until she screamed his name.

  “Get a fucking grip man!” Joe swore under his breath. Everything about this flirtation was a bad idea. Rachel riled him in ways he hadn’t known were possible. She drove him crazy with her ‘save the world’ naivety and yet she filled him with a lust he couldn’t explain. She wasn’t even his type. Joe was confused and frustrated as hell and it was all Rachel Renton’s fault.

  Running his hands through his hair, Joe straightened his back and shook his head, clearing her from his thoughts. Some of the junior associates who’d obviously gathered up enough courage to come and introduce themselves were hovering around the periphery of his personal space, and whilst he really wanted to roar at them to all fuck off and find some other fool to entertain them; a dig in the arm from Angela soon had Mr Personality back on track. Dismissing the glaring looks from his predecessor’s widow he turned away from Rachel and feigned interest in the younger members of his staff.

  “Fucking jumped up over confident arrogant arsehole I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting.” Replied Rachel to Angela’s enquiry as to how she was finding working with Joe.

  “Good then; we’re making progress” Angela laughed, “at least the word bastard never appeared this time.”

  Rachel snorted. “My mistake I assure you. Bloody hell though Angela, it’s been a couple of hours and I am the only person he hasn’t chatted with. I think it’s fairly obvious what he thinks of me.”

  “Hmm, you are dead rig
ht there, my love.” Angela replied cryptically. She had spotted Joe’s reaction when he’d clocked Rachel for the first time this evening, and she was delighted at his evident attraction for her. She’d even caught him discreetly adjusting himself. Well, it was Angela’s job to pay attention to the little things that other people missed – that’s why she was so indispensable. And that is the reason she encouraged the junior associates to engage Joe in a long discussion. She advised them to ask him to tell them about his career in New York as she quite rightly predicted he’d get carried away with numerous anecdotes about his success to impress and motivate them.

  Checking he was now suitably occupied for a while, Angela had sought out Rachel at the bar getting slowly pissed. She had correctly assessed that her friend was justifiably annoyed with their CEO, and Angela wondered if the physical attraction was mutual.

  “Rachel, do you want me to go and get him?”

  “What the hell Angela? No way. If the little shit is too busy for me then leave him to it.”