Corporate Seduction

by A. C. Arthur

Her eyes lit up. “And then I want somebody to take pictures. No, better yet, I want it videotaped. Can you do that for me, baby?”

  Sonya cooed. Marrying Khalil wasn’t going to be so bad after all. “Oh yes, baby, I can do that. I know just who to call.”

  Khalil released her abruptly. “Then make the call.”

  She looked startled for a moment, then moved to the phone. He walked behind her, watched as she dialed, committing the number to memory. He was so close to her he could hear when the woman answered the phone. Then he yanked the phone cord right out of the wall with one hand and grabbed Sonya’s shoulder with the other.

  “How much did you pay them?” he yelled.

  “What? Baby, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was just going to make your fantasies come true.” She reached out for him again.

  “My fantasies were coming true, but you put a stop to that, didn’t you? How much did you pay Donovan Jackson? How much did you pay Tyrese?”

  Pulling her hands back, she stepped away from him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  He grabbed her by the shoulders, pushing her until her back slammed against the wall. “You know damned well what I’m talking about, and if you don’t tell me exactly what you did, your father is going to know as well!”

  She was silent.

  “You can’t live without his money, his prestige. He’ll disown you. You know how he hates a scandal. And what’s a bigger scandal than a sex one?”

  With all her strength she pushed him away from her. “Get your hands off me!” she yelled, moving towards the sofa again to retrieve her coat. “You know what, Khalil? You’re not even worth it. I would say I wasted my money, but that would be a lie. I enjoyed it. And even though the outcome wasn’t what I had in mind, it’s okay. There’s so much more out there than you.”

  “More like Donovan Jackson? More like the group sex you seem to be so into?” Against his upbringing and for the second time today, Khalil felt as if he could actually hit a woman. “Reka would never be involved in something like that.”

  Sonya grinned as she slipped her arms into her coat. “Oh dear, you are truly taken by her, aren’t you? Well, didn’t you see the pictures, darling? Didn’t you see your little slut? She enjoys Donovan almost as much as I do.”

  Like a flash he was across the room, his hands wrapped around her neck. She swatted at him even as she gasped for breath. “You are a cheap trick! I can’t believe I ever entertained the idea of marrying you. You fixed those pictures so I’d break up with her! You wanted me to believe it was her but it wasn’t, was it?”

  She couldn’t feel the floor beneath her; the room was beginning to spin. “Stop! Khalil! Stop!” she croaked.

  With one last bout of rage he dropped her to the floor. Looking down, he watched her crumble. He didn’t need her to admit it. He didn’t need her words.

  “Get out of my house!”

  * * *

  Reka and Tacoma pulled up in front of the huge house in the wooded area. How many times had she seen pictures of the wood being nailed together to build this fortress? It was beautiful, she had to give her that much. But it was also empty on so many levels.

  Tyrese lived alone, her husband having left her just last month for another woman. Her family had long since disowned her because of the change she’d made in her personality upon marrying well. She’d been the princess for a while, and now she was simply pathetic.

  Even with those thoughts Reka still found it hard to believe that she’d be a part of this scandal. What made a woman do the things she’d done? And how had she known Donovan?

  “Here we are,” Tacoma announced.

  It was dark outside, the secluded neighborhood even darker. “Let’s do it.”

  Getting out of the car, they made their way up to the door and knocked. They’d gone home and changed, realizing that this was the best course of action. Cienna couldn’t fire Tyrese, but they could certainly make sure she no longer wanted to work at Page & Associates.

  Tyrese frowned as she opened the door. “What are you two doing here? This certainly isn’t your neck of the woods.”

  Oh, she was smug. She was uppity and she was still looking down on them. With a look to Tacoma, who simply nodded his head, Reka pushed the skinny twit inside the house and listened as Tacoma closed and locked the door.

  18

  Raising his hand to knock on the door, Khalil was prepared to grovel for her forgiveness. He’d tossed and turned all night after throwing Sonya’s behind out of his house. Going to the computer to trace the package was pointless since he already knew who’d sent it. So instead he’d gone straight to bed. Only to lie there and think about the colossal mistake he’d made with Reka.

  Keith was right, he should have trusted her. He should have believed in what they had. He’d thought about her words as well. She’d told him that he’d wanted to believe the worst about her, that she wasn’t the type of woman he really wanted to be with. She couldn’t have been further from the truth. From the start she’d been exactly what he needed. Reka Boyd was not your ordinary woman. She’d been dealt a bad hand repeatedly in life, yet she’d prevailed. She’d gone to school, gotten her degree and was making something out of her life; something that meant a lot to her.

  She had great friends. Cienna, Keith and Tacoma would go to the ends of the earth for her, and she for them. She had a good family, albeit strange. The closeness of those three women was unquestionable. Their love and support for each other made each a strong woman. Truth be told, he’d envied her. She knew what she wanted and didn’t let anybody stop her from achieving that, not even him.

  Her tolerance for men, he knew, had been exceeded. He’d promised to treat her like a woman ought to be treated and he’d hurt her just like the rest of them had. It really didn’t matter that his actions had spun from his own hurt and misunderstanding. The bottom line was that he’d let her down. And before he did another thing today, he had to set that straight.

  “Mornin’, handsome.” Grammy wore a colorful robe as she opened the door to greet him.

  “Good morning, Grammy,” Khalil spoke as he walked into the apartment. “Is Reka up yet?” As much as he enjoyed his talks with Grammy, he wanted to see Reka more.

  “She’s up and gone, chile. Came in late last night and got up early this morning.” Grammy moved to the couch and took a seat, immediately picking up the remote to switch the channels. “She was in a mood too. Yelling at people and mouthing off. I was about to put her over my knee, but then she came to her senses and apologized.”

  Khalil sighed. Looking at his watch, he surmised she was on her way to work. Where else could she be going at this hour? “All right. Well, I guess I’ll see her at the office.” He was about to go to the door when Grammy held up a hand to stop him.

  “You two have a fight?”

  Khalil didn’t answer.

  “I thought so. Look, you sit down and let me tell you how to make it right.”

  “Grammy, I really don’t have time to talk right now,” Khalil said, his exasperation evident.

  “Sit down!” Grammy said more forcefully. “Chasing her around the city ain’t goin’ make her take you back no faster.”

  With deep resignation, Khalil sat down.

  “Now, you listen. Reka’s a stubborn girl. She likes things her way but she’ll give for the right person. You don’t seem like those other guys she’s been with. No,” Grammy shook her head, “I knew you were different that first time I met you.”

  Khalil tried to smile.

  “She knows you’re different, too, and that scares her. You scare her. You and the thought that maybe she can finally have it all.”

  “Have it all? What does she want?”

  “She wants what most women want. What her mother and I never had. I see it in her eyes every day and, for a minute there, I thought you were the one who was going to finally give it to her.” Looking at Khalil as if he should have already known, Grammy sighed.
“She wants to fall in love, to get married, to have some babies. That’s her fantasy, the ultimate happy ending for her.”

  Khalil let his head fall back against the chair. All the things he’d wanted for himself. He could picture their kids, his and Reka’s. They’d have her exotic good looks, her vivacious personality. Their sons might follow in his footsteps, their daughters in hers. But it really didn’t matter as long as they were together, a family. He stood abruptly. “Thanks, Grammy. I really have to go now.”

  “All right, handsome. You go and get her.”

  Not waiting for Grammy to walk him out, Khalil headed for the door, rushed down the steps and to his car. That’s exactly what he planned to do.

  * * *

  Reka stepped off the elevator and moved to the closet. Dropping her purse on the counter of the front desk, she undid her coat and hung it up. Memories of last night still floated in her mind. A smile crept over her face as she remembered Tacoma tying Tyrese up, then dropping her onto the couch in her den. Reka had purchased a porn flick and turned the TV on so Tyrese could watch it.

  The scene was of three people, one man and two women. For hours she and Tacoma had talked about the picture and what it would be like to participate in a threesome of their own. All the while Tyrese squirmed and struggled to speak through the silk scarf Tacoma had stuffed in her mouth. When the movie was over, they pulled out porn magazines and asked Tyrese if she thought she’d be a good model for them since she was so photogenic.

  Reka offered to send copies of her photos to the magazine and to the local newspapers as well, saying that the exposure would be a great kickoff to her new career as a porn star. Tyrese’s eyes had bulged, and Reka hadn’t been able to resist. She took the scarf out of her mouth and listened to a steady stream of curses before stuffing the scarf back in to keep her from babbling anymore.

  By the end of the night, Tyrese was in tears, partly because of Reka’s plan for her new career and partly because of the huge chunk of hair Tacoma had cut from her head. All things had gone well.

  There was one last person for her to deal with, and she’d handled that this morning. Donovan had been asleep when she used the key she still had and slipped into his apartment at six a.m. She stood over him in his bedroom; a sheet barely covered his naked body. When she switched on the light, he didn’t budge. But she’d come prepared. Pulling away the sheet completely, she then poured the hot fudge he’d always been so fond of all over him, starting at his limp penis, then going up to his chest. By that time he was up and yelling.

  Emptying the container, she hissed in surprise, “Oh, I’m sorry, was that too hot?”

  “What the…Reka? What…what are you doing here? And why the hell are you trying to scorch me?” He was out of the bed now, his dark skin coated with darker chocolate.

  It might have been arousing if the mere sight of him didn’t make her utterly sick. “I thought I’d stop by and thank you personally.”

  Donovan grabbed the sheet, wiping at the chocolate on his skin. “Thank me for what? Damn, Reka! Look at this mess! If you wanted to get some, that’s all you had to say.”

  “I don’t want any of what you have, Donovan. That’s for damned sure.” She rolled her eyes at him and his arrogance. “Like I said, I’m here to give you my gratitude.”

  He frowned at her. “For?”

  “For those lovely pictures you took. I really appreciate you sending me a copy, although I never would have imagined you with Tyrese. And who was the other woman?”

  “So that’s what finally got you here? It took seeing me with other women to make you realize what you’d given up?” Donovan smiled, then shrugged. Sonya had told him this would work to get him and Reka back together. For a minute he’d doubted the crazy broad, but all those zeroes on the check she’d handed him had taken that doubt away. “I told you you’d come back. Come on over here and give daddy a kiss.” He held his arms out to her.

  Reka took a step closer to him, then another, all the while loathing the man she’d once thought she was in love with. He was a freak. A money hungry, ignorant freak. Still, she plastered a smile on her face as she approached him, reached out a hand and grabbed his now erect penis. “That’s right, baby, I came back.”

  “Mmmmm,” Donovan moaned. “That’s what I’m talking about.” Lifting his hands to fold at the back of his head, he spread his legs in a stance that gave Reka full control.

  His eyes closed and with her free hand she reached into her purse and pulled out her stunner. Releasing his penis, she shifted and positioned it, reveling in the sound of the electric shock as it connected with his manhood.

  “Aaarrgghh!” Donovan roared.

  “Now you can take your money and get as far away from me as you possibly can before I do something we’ll both regret!” With one last stun she turned on her heels and left him standing there, buck naked, covered in chocolate, yelling like a maniac.

  Her revenge had been sweet. In her mind she knew that Donovan would have never done something like this on his own, and for that matter neither would Tyrese. But they were both pitiful creatures, driven by money and all its glory. It was so sad. Sonya Davenport and her big bank account had accomplished exactly what she set out to do. But Reka wouldn’t bother her. She wouldn’t seek revenge on her. Any woman who had to go to such lengths to get a man deserved all the pain and misery she was sure to encounter in the future.

  Grabbing her purse, she was about to go to her office when Clara came around the corner. “Oh, Reka, you’re are in. It’s a good thing, too, because Mr. Peterson is early for your nine o’clock meeting. I just sat him in the conference room.”

  Reka frowned. “Good morning, Clara. Did you say Mr. Peterson? I don’t recall having a meeting with him this morning.”

  It was Clara’s turn to frown now. “I checked the computer,” the older woman said as she made her way around her desk to punch the keys again. “Here, it’s right here on the firm’s calendar.”

  Reka walked around the desk, astonished to see that it was true. “Oh, well, I guess I must have forgotten. I’ll go right in.”

  Walking down the hall towards the conference room, she was baffled. She never forgot a meeting. She kept her own personal handwritten calendar as well as the one she had in Outlook, all in sync with the firm’s calendar. Oh well, she thought, she’d get this over with and continue with her day. Jonathan Peterson probably wanted to go over the hike in his sales since the party. He’d called her at home personally to say that he didn’t hold any hard feelings against her for what happened with his son. She’d appreciated that and thanked him.

  So when she opened the door that’s who she fully expected to see. Not the younger, debonair son.

  “Good morning, beautiful.” Barkley smiled.

  Damn, he was just too fine for his own good, even with the bandaged nose. She entered the conference room, set her purse and briefcase on the table, and stared at him, knowing instinctively that she did not have an appointment with him this morning. “What are you doing here?”

  He arched a brow. “Now is that anyway to treat a client, Ms. Boyd?”

  Reka caught his drift and changed her tone, a little. “What can I help you with, Mr. Peterson?”

  Barkley moved around her without saying a word. Reka stood perfectly still as he approached, then passed her, knowing that if he touched her, she’d punch him again. Then she heard the door close and the clicking of the lock. Turning quickly, she saw him smiling, no, leering at her, and felt dread churn in her stomach.

  “We could make a lot of money together, Reka.” Barkley stood about two feet away from her, his hands thrust into his pockets. She was a very attractive woman and, while he’d had others, and could get more, something about this one made the chase more exciting.

  “First of all, I make my own money. Second, this is my place of business so I don’t handle personal stuff here.” She was still standing. She picked up her purse and was about to grab her briefcase and leave him
in the conference room when he stepped forward, grabbing her shoulders.

  “You can stop playing that little hard-to-get game now. It’s worked. I want you so bad I can hardly see straight.” He ground his pelvis against her so she wouldn’t mistake his meaning.

  Reka struggled to break free of his grasp. “I don’t play games, Barkley. But when I have to, I play dirty.” She lifted a knee to his groin but he was quick, backing just out of her reach.

  He laughed. “You are so sexy when you’re angry. Did you know that your eyes look like molten lava when you’re aroused?”

  “How would you know? You’ve never aroused me,” she spat. He still held her shoulders, his grip much stronger than she would have imagined. Tiny beads of sweat appeared on his forehead as his frantic eyes moved over her.

  “Oh, really? Tell me something, Reka. Did you like my messages?”

  Reka stilled as confusion gave way to acknowledgment in a few quick seconds. “You’re Jack?” she whispered.

  A slow smile slid over Barkley’s face. His gray eyes glittered like a madman’s. “And you’re Jill. I’ve watched you for so long now. And I personally handpicked all the samples that Sensuality sent to the office because I knew Cienna was giving them to you.”

  Should she be afraid? She wasn’t sure, because right now all she felt was repulsed. Barkley Peterson, son of a multi-millionaire, was nothing more than a perverted stalker. “Thanks for the info. I’ll be sure to throw all that stuff away as soon as I get home.”

  He shook her roughly until strands of hair fell from the ponytail she wore. “Don’t get smart with me! I’ve had enough of that! It’s time for the game to stop. It’s time for us.”

  She kept looking into his eyes, trying to decipher if he was high again. Khalil had mentioned him smoking something in the bathroom, but she didn’t think Barkley had smoked anything before coming here today. He didn’t look lethargic at all. He looked crazy as hell. Intensifying her struggle, she managed to break free of his grasp and back away from him. “There is no us, and after this little stunt I’m sure Cienna’s going to tell your father and his company to take a hike. You are so beyond sexual harassment here.” She kept moving backward, not wanting him to get close enough to touch her again.