by Mia Ford
“You want to keep my company afloat? How?” I said, and realized that my voice was raised.
“By simply taking your company under my wing. I want you to continue heading your team, I want you to continue doing the good work you started. I know you just need more time,” he said in a quiet voice.
“You mean, you want me to come work for you?” I said, placing my hand on my heart from the shock.
“If you put it that way, then yes, but basically I want to give you the freedom to keep doing what you’re doing. There is a brilliant new product waiting to hit the market and I don’t want company financials to get in the way,” he said.
I shook my head.
“I don’t want to work for anyone, least of all you,” I said and Grant licked his lips.
“I understand that it’ll feel strange, but trust me, nothing has to change. You can keep your office and keep going to work. You’ll have all the independence that you need,” he added and I rolled my eyes.
“Other than that, I have to still answer to you,” I said. I didn’t want to look at him anymore. What he was proposing was a literal buy off. Working for him would give me no freedom!
“Yeah, for major business decisions, nothing more,” he said and stepped towards me. I jerked my head around to look at him again. Our gazes were locked. I was squinting at him with a sour look on my face.
“I am not going to work for you,” I said through gritted teeth, and I was surprised to find that his face broke into a smile.
“I didn’t expect you to agree to it so easily. You’re as egotistical as ever,” he said and my mouth fell open.
“Egotistical? You think I have an issue with my ego? How can you even pass a judgement like that? What makes you think like that? We weren’t even friends in college. We were just classmates,” I said with a snarl and Grant slowly nodded his head.
“You’re right. I don’t know you. We weren’t friends…but I wish I knew you,” he said and I stared up at him. I was in shock again. What he was saying didn’t make sense. Why did he wish he knew me? I was the geeky nerdy classmate who his friends jeered at. I was competitive and unfashionable and kept my distance from him on purpose. Why on Earth would he want to know me?
“See, you look surprised. It seems like you have been quick to judge me too. You don’t know me either,” he said and I gulped. He was right. I didn’t know him, but I didn’t want to know him. Grant, for years, had been my ideal man. I knew that if I got close to him, I would never be able to get over him. No other man would be good enough if we even so much as became friends.
“You’re judging me again,” he said in a softer voice. I watched, frozen in my place as he brought his face towards me. I couldn’t do anything, my limbs didn’t move. Grant did it slowly, allowing me the chance to push him away, but I couldn’t. I knew he was going to kiss me and I wanted it to happen.
Our lips met and I gasped. I had fantasized about kissing Grant for so long, that I didn’t think this could actually be happening. I felt my skin sizzling as he kissed me and my hands flew up to his chest. I grabbed fistfuls of his t-shirt and his hands found my waist. Our lips were pressed together and I closed my eyes shut. I could feel the roughness of his beard on my cheeks. I could feel him pulling me closer to him. My hip bones pressed against his belly. I heard a moan escape my lips.
Then something snapped. What was he doing? Was he actually trying to seduce me into selling my company to him? I let go of his t-shirt and pushed him away from me. My breath was ragged and hard and Grant licked his lips. He was smiling.
“What do you think you’re doing!” I shrieked at him and Grant remained silently standing where he was.
“I told you, I’m glad to see you,” he said casually. My mind was swinging and I couldn’t believe what had just happened.
Chapter 6
Grant
Beverley looked like she had been struck. Her cheeks had flushed to a firetruck red, her green eyes were wide and in shock. She was holding herself, with her arms wrapped around her torso like she was trying to hide her breasts. I couldn’t help but laugh at her. It was like she was trying to defend herself against my attack. But her body didn’t lie. I had felt her pulling me close to herself. She did kiss me back, pressing her lips to me as we remained wrapped together. I had heard her moaning and gasping. She wanted that kiss just as much as I did.
“This is how you greet all your old college acquaintances?” she said. That dignified prideful tone of her voice was gone now and she seemed more embarrassed than anything else.
“Not really, just you,” I said shrugging my shoulders. I’d wanted to do that for a very long time. Kiss Beverley. And she tasted even more delicious than I’d imagined. I should have done this a long time ago, I thought.
I walked away from her, deciding to put some distance between us. I didn’t want her to think that I was forcing myself on her. She was quiet for some time as I walked back to my chair.
“Will you think about my offer, Beverley?” I said, and sat back down.
She remained standing near the door, glaring at me with her mouth slightly open. Her arms had fallen back into place and I could see that she had her fists curled up. I could sense that she wanted to break something. Was she mad because her body had given away and how turned on she was by that kiss?
“There is nothing to think about, Grant. I do not want to work for you,” she snarled.
“Not for me Beverley but work with me,” I replied calmly.
Beverley took in a sharp breath and straightened her shoulders. I could see that she was trying to calm herself and even her breath.
“It’s the same thing. I don’t want to be professionally associated with you,” she said and I arched an eyebrow at her.
“Or personally. I don’t want to be associated with you at all,” she said quickly and I allowed a small laugh to escape my lips.
“Alright, Beverley. I’m only trying to help you and your product. For old times’ sake and also because I genuinely believe you’re brilliant and I want to work with you,” I said and swiveled my chair away from her to face the desk again. I could sense her eyes on me, watching me like a hawk. She was thinking.
“Well, I don’t want to work with you,” she snapped and I nodded my head and flipped open the file in front of me.
“You mentioned that already, but in case you change your mind; I’m still open to the idea,” I said while reading the papers and not looking at her. She was still standing there and I could sense her fuming. The one skill I had developed in the corporate world was to keep my calm and allow the negotiation to take time. There was no rush. If anyone should have been in a hurry, it would have to be Beverley. But I knew her too, as much as she thought I didn’t, I knew that I need to give her time. She was in shock and I was aware that I shouldn’t be pressing her too much at that moment. So, I decided to be calm instead and give her time to think about what had just happened.
As much as I wanted to turn back to her, look at her, watch her body move…I didn’t. While she on the other hand; remained standing where she was and after some time turned around in a huff. I didn’t raise my head to look at her as she opened the door, but a smile lingered on my face. Beverley hadn’t changed at all.
Only when she had slammed the door shut behind her and I heard her heels clicking the marble floor outside as she walked away, did I look up. Her perfume was still lingering in the air in the room and I took in a deep breath of it.
Beverley still managed to recharge my batteries. I couldn’t stop smiling. As much as she pushed me away, I wanted her. Because deep down inside, I knew she wanted me too. Even in college, I caught her staring at me. She’d watch me silently from the bleachers when I played basketball and every time I looked at her, she would turn her face away.
All this while, she had simply assumed that I wasn’t interested in her. It was easy for her to confuse my true interests, because she wasn’t naive. She saw me with other girls. The stereotypical g
irls a guy like me should have been dating. And it was definitely my fault that I’d never made a move. But, Beverley was unreachable in college. She never gave me a chance to get to know her. Her one and only aim in college was to win and defeat me in the process. But now I finally had my chance.
I couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss as I gathered the file together and made my way out of the meeting room. Claire, my personal assistant found me as I shut the door behind me.
“How’d it go? Ms. Wade didn’t seem very pleased,” Claire said as I handed the file over to her.
“She’ll come around,” I told Claire with a smile as I walked away from her and towards my own office. In fact, I couldn’t stop smiling all day. Kissing Beverley had been the single best thing that had happened to me the whole week. A college fantasy had come true and now I knew what I had always suspected…that she was the only woman who could set me on fire. Nobody else even came close.
Chapter 7
Beverley
That kiss had overtaken my mind, and I hadn’t spent a single moment since then without thinking about it. In college, if I wasn’t studying; which was all the time, I was fantasizing about Grant. He was handsome, smart and smooth as velvet. He got all the girls and even now, after we were out in the real world, nothing had really changed. Grant Jennings had become one of the hottest guys in the country. Good looks, intelligent mind and money were all a winning combo. I knew exactly how other women felt about him, and I knew I didn’t stand a chance.
But why had he kissed me? I couldn’t deny the thought that he had kissed me just because he could. Because he was just another one of those entitled jocks who assumed he could have any woman he wanted. But a small part of me couldn’t help but wonder if he kissed me because he wanted to kiss me, and not just any woman.
Then there was also the business about selling my company. He was crazy to think that not only would I sell my company to him, but that I’d actually go and work with him too. Especially after this! After he’d kissed me! The best plan of action would be to simply ignore him. Move away from Silicon Valley and try and start a new life somewhere else!
I stood up from my chair with a jerk and paced the floor of my office. I had to be going mad to entertain the thought of running away from San Fransisco because of one kiss! One kiss that didn’t mean anything to him. But it meant a whole deal to me. I’d spent so long fantasizing about Grant, that this kiss was capable of completely breaking me.
A sudden knock on my office door snapped me out of my thoughts. Sasha stuck his head in.
“I’m gonna head out. It’s nearly eight,” he said and I nodded my head. He didn’t leave. He could see that I was working up over something. Without me inviting him in, Sasha stepped into my office and shut the door behind him. Sasha had been my first hire. Even though we weren’t exactly friends, I had known him for four years now and he was one of the handful of people I actually knew well in San Fransisco. Clearly, he believed we were friends because he walked up close to me and I stopped my pacing, in surprise.
“Bev,” he said in a soft kindly voice.
“Sasha?” I said, confused by his behavior.
“I can see you’re still thinking about Lonex’s offer,” he said, tipping his head to one side. I crossed my arms over my breasts and glared at him.
“Well, it’s my company. I built it up from scratch. I have to put some thought into it,” I told him. My brows were crossed. I was annoyed that he thought he could talk to me about it. I didn’t need his help. I didn’t need anybody’s help.
“Yeah, but it has to happen. You have to sell. And who better to sell than Lonex? Especially if they’re offering you that amount of money,” he said and I noticed the concerned look on his face. I took in a deep breath and nodded my head. There was no point taking my temper out on him. Sasha hadn’t done anything wrong, in fact if anything, he was the model employee. The least I could do was lend him an ear.
“I know what you’re saying, it’s just that…” I said, looking about me. I couldn’t find the right words to use to explain the situation to him.
“Do you have some kind of complicated history with Grant Jennings?” he asked and I couldn’t do anything but stare at him in surprise. How had he figured that out? Did I really make it so obvious?
“Well, kind of,” I said and licked my lips. I suddenly felt vulnerable. If Sasha had been able to figure it out, did Grant also know how I felt about him? Why I was being so resistant to sell to him?
“For your sake, Bev, I suggest that you just work it out with him or work it out by yourself. I don’t think you’ll come by an offer like this again,” Sasha said and placed a friendly hand on my shoulder. My arms remained crossed over my breasts and I looked at him with my eyes widened.
“Thanks for the advice Sasha, I’ll think about it,” I said and he nodded his head. I realized in that moment, that my employees…the three of them, were also confused. Me selling the company could mean anything. If the new buyers didn’t want to keep the original team intact, it could mean that they were going to lose their jobs.
“Sasha!” I called out to him as he began to walk away. “Will you please tell Susan and John that I’m going to figure it out? That I’ll do what is best for you guys,” I said, in a weaker voice. Sasha passed me a half smile and nodded, before leaving my office.
I was alone again, but I remained standing where I was. I knew I needed to figure things out soon. The longer I took, the deeper this web was going to get. I wasn’t magically going to be able to rescue my company out of a financial crisis. Sasha was right, Grant had given me the best offer I could ask for.
And also, he had kissed me. Which in its own way was also a game changer. I had some big decisions to make and to make them quickly. And all these decisions could have disastrous consequences on my life if I didn’t make the right ones. But suddenly, I was up for the challenge.
Chapter 8
Grant
I stood on the balcony of my brand new house, cradling a crystal glass of whiskey in my hand. I was pleased with what I saw. I’d worked hard with the architect to come up with a contemporary and sleek design for this mansion, made entirely out of wood and glass; and I was happy with the result. The driveway was flanked by manicured lawns and brick paths, while on the back of the house, an infinity pool was newly constructed. The house was spread over two stories and decorated inside in accents of white and wood.
When I looked up at the sky, I noticed that it was an exceptionally starry night. I breathed in the cool fresh air and allowed it to energize me. I was still thinking about Beverley.
It was the end of a busy work week. Every other day, including weekends; I stayed in the office till at least ten in the night. Except on Fridays. On Fridays, I allowed myself the pleasure of coming home by eight and enjoying the house I had spent so much time and money in building it.
It was a big house no doubt, and I was its sole occupant. I had a staff of four full-timers who looked after the maintenance of the grounds and the workings of the house, but I rarely ever saw them. Because I was away all the time, and because they never made an appearance in the evenings; I was all the more aware of being completely alone in the house. It was peaceful on most nights, but tonight I was feeling restless.
I knew it was because of Beverley, not only because we had kissed; but because I’d seen her after so long. I’d forgotten that feeling of excitement, that adrenaline rush I got every time I was around her. She kept me on my toes, she motivated me in college to work hard and prove myself. Even though, like she said, we didn’t know each other…she was the one I secretly wanted to impress.
The initial feelings of guilt of buying her company, were now replaced with the excitement of seeing her again. I knew I should have been slightly more concerned by her reaction to the offer and the kiss, but if she had reacted in any other way, it would have only surprised me. I appreciated that she never took anything at face value. That Beverley didn’t make any decisions w
ithout closely calculating the risks and putting thought into it. It’s what set her apart. It was what made her brilliant.
I walked away from the balcony and went back inside. Taking the spiral stairs down, I went into my den where I sat down with my whiskey. On other Friday nights, I would have enjoyed a movie by myself, or read a book, but tonight I couldn’t concentrate on anything apart from having Beverley’s body pressed up against mine.
I had traded in a busy social life a couple of years ago and replaced it with work. Nobody in college partied as hard as I did, in fact, I carried on that habit even when I moved here. But as my business took off, my success made me more ambitious and greedy and I couldn’t think of anything other than work. And now, just the thought of meeting a large group of people at a club and getting shit-faced and sleeping with a girl I didn’t know…just made me feel sick.
I was sitting on the couch with my legs spread apart, still thinking about Beverley. I could feel her soft skin on my fingertips. She had all but melted in my arms. She was small and delicate in my arms, even though she was fiery and strong to talk to. A complete contrast and another thing about her that made me shift in my seat.
I placed the glass on the coffee table in front of me, and my hand subconsciously went to my crotch. I’d masturbated to fantasies about her before, but the prospect of this one made me instantly hard. I clenched my jaw and closed my eyes as I focused on the image of her face. Her beautiful heart shaped face with her pouty pink lips. The green eyes that shot daggers at me. Her blonde straight hair and how silky they had felt to the touch.
I could picture her clearly, and I stroked my erect cock through the fabric of my pants. I didn’t want to get ahead of myself and unzip my pants, not yet. I imagined what it would be like to undress her, if she’d have goosebumps on her skin, if she’d pull me to her and ravage me with her mouth.
