The Paris Affair (Affairs of the Heart #1)
Page 7
“We aren’t going anywhere if you keep that up,” he said through gritted teeth.
Her hands disappeared along with their beautiful teasing, and she yanked up his pants.
“Better?” she asked with a wicked grin.
“Not really.” Helmut’s gaze lingered on her lips. A tiny hint pink tongue peeked out to lightly moisten those lips, and he gulped as he imagined that tongue flicking across the head of his penis. “I think you promised a tour?”
His eyes feasted on the sight of her naked ass as she bent over once more to collect her robe and bottoms from the floor. She led the way out of the kitchen, her hips swaying hypnotically in front of him. Helmut felt like a rat following a piper. Right now, he could care less if the stroll ended at a cliff as long as he got his hands on that body of hers again.
The bedroom was separated from the cavernous living space by a series of translucent screens with no door. Claire slipped around behind the nearest one, and he could see the outline of her body silhouetted against the frosted glass. The colors were blurred and he could see only a pink legs beneath the candy red of the little camisole he’d not bothered removing.
She turned, noticing that he still hesitated on the opposite side of the screen wall. She stepped closer, so that he could distinguish the dark shadow of the patch of curls that covered her sex.
He watched, mouth dry, as she slowly lifted her arms and slipped that red camisole up and over her head. The dark pink of her nipples showed clearly, her breasts nearly touching the glass. She crossed her arms to her shoulders, covering her breasts. Helmut began to step away, to come join her.
Her arms dropped. Slowly, seductively, she caressed her own arms until her fingers met at her belly button. And then they slipped upwards, cupping her own breasts. He watched as she ran her thumbs over her nipples, and tilted her head back. Above his own labored breathing, Helmut distinctly heard her soft gasp of pleasure.
One hand left her breast and slid up her neck to her lips. He saw her lick two fingers.
He held his pants with one hand, and his cock throbbed and strained against the cloth, demanding to be freed. But he could not move.
One of her hands squeezed her breast, tweaking the nipple, and the other left her mouth and slid down her sternum. To her belly button. And lower.
Helmut’s knees nearly buckled. He fought alternating urges to work his own cock while he watched her pleasure herself, and to join her on the other side of the frosted glass wall.
Her fingers paused just above her clit. She crooked her fingers at him.
It was all the invitation he needed.
He strode purposefully around into the bedroom area, barely breaking his stride as he kicked off shoes, shrugged out of his sweater, and dropped his still un-buckled pants. Claire had perched on the edge of her king-sized bed, covers swept aside.
Her legs were spread wide open in invitation, and her hands moved restlessly across her bare torso. In two strides, he was crawling on top of her as she scooted backwards across the smooth sheets.
“That’s my job,” he said, capturing her roving hands, and pinning them lightly up above her head.
“I wasn’t sure you were coming,” she gasped as he nipped gently at her neck.
“Won’t be a problem.” Helmut trailed kisses across her collarbone. “Trust me.”
He took one pert nipple in his mouth and sucked hard. Claire ground her pelvis upward against his erection. Helmut released her hands so that he could freely explore her body, stroking down her sides, cupping her breasts, and lightly rolling her nipples between her fingers until she was panting.
He could feel the moist heat of her sex teasing his tip and he groaned.
“Where are you going?” she panted as he pushed himself up and away. She threaded her hands into his hair and pulled his head down to kiss him hard, her tongue thrusting between his lips. His body felt tight, and he had to mentally clamp down on the urge to bury himself inside her.
“Condom,” he said as he wrenched his lips away from hers.
Her eyes, darkened with desire, locked with his, and she nodded. “Nightstand.”
She rolled beneath him, and Helmut kissed the curve of her hip as she opened the drawer and rifled through the contents. Her backside was nearly facing him and he kissed her just above the swell of her bottom, and slipped one finger down and between her legs into her hot, wet opening.
Claire moaned and arched her hips upwards against the pressure of his fingertips, and he thrust them inside her as she writhed against him. But after a moment, she regained control and freed herself from his hand.
She rolled back toward him, opening the condom packet. He took it from her and rolled it on with quick, efficient moves.
He rolled her to her back and positioned himself at the opening of her sex. Claire moaned and writhed as he thrust deep inside her, hard and fast. She wrapped her legs around his waist, urging him deeper. More. He gave it all willingly.
When that wasn’t enough, she looped one of those impossibly long legs up and over his shoulder, and then the other. He had to support her hips, and she was unable to move very far, but the penetration was deep. Claire shivered and moaned beneath him. He took her to the brink, and then slowed, willing her climax to slow and grow.
He watched her face as she shattered beneath him, her blue eyes glowing and skin flushed pink with exertion. She shuddered, and he kissed her hard, and buried himself in her as he took his own release.
Their bodies stilled, and they lay together, no longer joined but with their legs and arms intertwined. Helmut’s head rested in the crook of Claire’s neck. He nuzzled her ear, reveling in her sweet scent. He could feel the rise and fall of her chest as her breathing slowed. They stayed that way for many heartbeats.
Normally, by this point, he was halfway dressed. Making his excuses. Giving empty compliments. Platitudes. Helmut didn’t want to move. And no empty words came to mind.
The soft buzzing of a cell phone broke their reverie. Claire broke away and rolled out of bed to answer it. Helmut lay back for a moment, pretending not to listen as she snatched up her phone from the dresser.
She tossed a frown over her shoulder as she answered it, walking out of the bedroom area. Her voice carried over the open walls, but he really wasn’t interested in eavesdropping.
This was his cue. With a heavy sigh, he got out of the bed, collected his clothes, and went into the adjacent bathroom to clean up.
Chapter 11
“We can’t let our personal feelings get in the way of business.”
James Sheffield addressed the built-in camera on his laptop with the same pomp and circumstance that he gave to a conference hall. In a starched white shirt, a single button opened at the neck, and a dark colored sport coat, he was dressed for dinner at the country club. But it was only a yard of silk and a slipknot away from his typical boardroom attire.
From the far side of her father’s home office desk, Claire had her laptop open with the series of boxes littering her screen, each containing the image of one of the board of directors or the top executives of S&F.
“But this is Helmut Forrester we’re talking about. He’s the perfect S&F mascot. I bet the guy sleeps with the quarterly reports,” Nan Thompson, the only female member of the board, said. The woman looked old enough to be Claire’s great-great grandmother, which was made the joke almost funnier. It made Claire’s stomach churn.
Given the sudden fake coughing fits on three other little video feeds, Helmut’s reputation among women was well known throughout the company.
Claire felt a blush reddening her temples, thankful for the moment that her camera was off. It was only this morning that she and Helmut had had sex in her kitchen. He had more than lived up to his reputation as a great lover. And now that reputation was about to bring down his career.
She hoped like hell that her own reputation wouldn’t come crashing down as well.
Sending video from both computers at once, plus al
l the incoming feeds, was a bit more than her father’s Internet connection could handle, so she and her father had agreed to share the one video connection. Claire wanted no miscommunication or dropped connections. This was too important.
She tapped her father on the shoulder and addressed the crowd, hoping that her rosy cheeks could be attributed to a bad color balance on the camera. “The penalties for this kind of infraction include losing our ability to bid on further government contracts, and even jail time. We’ve been told, informally, that because our company is so new to this arena, that if we act quickly, we will probably get away with a minor fine.”
“All that for one little love affair?” asked Nan. “He has a spotless employment record.” Several of the other faces nodded.
Thankfully, both her father and the head of HR could both vouch for that. Never once in his years at the company had anyone ever lodged a complaint. Thankfully, Helmut had appeared to choose his dates from other departments, never sleeping with anyone in his own chain of command.
Until this morning. The thought burned both hot and cold at the same time as she realized just how stupid of a decision she had made. Sleeping with her own employee.
“Everyone please listen to me. What James and I are proposing is because of his spotless employment record. If this accusation were made against just about anyone else, we wouldn’t be nearly so generous.”
James nudged Claire out of the way. “Ladies and gentlemen, you all know that Helmut and I are friends. We play golf together. We have dinner together.”
Claire cringed, imagining her father and Helmut sharing stories over a couple of drinks, talking about women. Did Helmut brag about his latest conquests? Had he bragged about this one?
James continued. “This isn’t some kind of witch hunt. But the government accountability office has near irrefutable proof that he got way too friendly with an estimator on the other side. They aren’t accusing him of outright bribing the gal to help us win the bid for Shadow Fly. Yet.”
“So what,” another of the board members interrupted. “We’re not allowed to be friendly with our customers? That’s just business.”
“What he did went way beyond business,” Claire said from behind her father. “He was romantically involved with this woman during the bidding process. There are laws on the books to prevent companies from corrupting government officials for a reason.”
James did not budge from his spot in front of the camera, so Claire gave up and switched on her own. For a moment, all of the faces on her screen froze in place, a grotesque and comical array of half-formed expressions.
“The severance package we are proposing is beyond generous,” she said once she got the communications established. “And if we’re lucky, that’s all we’ll lose out of this. HR and Legal are still working on the final wording of the deal. I’ll email to you all the moment I receive it.”
“Folks,” said James over the top of Claire. “Sign it and send it back. Tonight. We need this wrapped up first thing in the morning, before the press gets hold of it. As always, if there’s a leak, I’ll know where it’s coming from.”
Claire fumed as she and her father switched off their video connections. Every time she opened her mouth to speak, he had stepped in front of her and taken over.
He stood and yawned. “See, CJ. That’s how these things are handled. Now let’s get some dinner.”
“Is that it? Send some emails, fire your CFO, and then have a steak?” Her voice sounded shrill to her own ears.
He narrowed his eyes. “It’s business. Helmut will understand. And we’re keeping your stepmother waiting.”
She stood up and crossed her hands over her chest and glared. “Let her wait. After all, it’s business, right? Business first and foremost. Always.”
“What’s gotten into you tonight?” He planted his fists on his hips and glared right back.
I know this scene. This is where my father and I have a big loud argument and stop talking for a year. But this time, Claire wouldn’t stomp off to her room and rage. Why the hell had she ever thought she could work with her father?
“You’re handling way too much,” she said through gritted teeth. “This was my problem, not yours. I’m the CEO, remember?”
“But you need board approval to remove another executive from office,” he fired back.
“Yes, but I didn’t need you to talk for me. What am I, sixteen years old?”
James frowned at Claire. She frowned right back. Finally he threw up his hands.
“For crying out loud, no, you’re not sixteen. And stop looking at me like that. You remind me of your mother.”
“Then maybe you should have chosen someone else to do this job. Or kept it for yourself. Why bother retiring if you’re going to continue to run the company through someone else?” Claire kept herself from shouting the words. Barely.
She had thought this could work. She really had. After all, he had called her, asking if she would accept the position. It wasn’t like she had come crawling to Daddy to ask for a handout. But she hadn’t intended on butting heads. Or letting him steamroll her.
“The board chose a candidate we thought could handle the responsibility. Were we all wrong?” he asked.
“How the hell would you know? You haven’t let me say a complete sentence without interrupting me.”
James opened his mouth and then closed it again. Claire stared him down. She wasn’t sixteen anymore. And she wouldn’t be crying off to her room anymore either. It had been years since their last yelling fight, and her father would have to learn that she’d grown. And hardened.
“Fine,” he said, tight-lipped. “It’s all yours. Have fun firing your CFO tomorrow, and prepping for the air show next week. Diana wanted to leave for France earlier than normal this year, anyway—something about a trunk show. After I get that severance contract signed, I’m officially on vacation. But you better hope you don’t need another emergency board while I’m gone.”
“I’m sure I can manage,” she said to his back as he stalked out of the room.
What on earth did I just do? Claire stuffed her laptop back into her briefcase and rushed out the door. Her father and his wife had planned all week to take her out to dinner and celebrate her new job. But she couldn’t stomach it. As she rode down the elevators from the penthouse condo, she breathed a ragged sigh.
Getting her father to back down was a small victory. But the price might be more than she could stomach.
She now had to find the words to fire the man she’d spent the morning making love to.
***
“Have you ever been to Jamaica, Claire?” Helmut asked as soon as the office door closed behind him.
The glitter in his eyes sent a thrill of primal lust straight to her core, and she felt her panties growing damp at the memory of his hands on her body. His lips. His tongue.
She looked away.
Even from across the huge monstrosity of a desk Father had left in the office, her nose detected a hint of Helmut’s cologne. If she weren’t already sitting, the spicy sent would have turned her knees to jelly. She shifted her weight, uncrossing her knees and then crossing her ankles. Failing to find the cool poise that she needed. What happens on the weekend doesn’t have to come to the office on Monday. Yeah, right.
“Funny that you mention Jamaica.” She motioned toward the chair on the other side of her desk.
He relaxed backwards in the tufted leather guest chair and crossed his right ankle over his left knee. “Is that a ‘no’? The weather is downright celestial this time of year. There’s a tiny, exclusive guesthouse near Negril. Their chef is the best on the island, and the infinity pool commands a view of the entire cove. I would love to take you there.”
Claire pictured Helmut swimming in a sparkling blue ocean, the sun glinting off his tanned chest as he ripped through the water. Get a grip. Focus. She flipped open the manila folder in front of her and glanced over the top page. One word stood out. Jamaica.
Helmut stiffened visibly, and then smiled. It was a half-smile, more of a quirk of the lips. “Don’t worry about Juliana. We went our separate ways months ago.”
So it was true. Claire’s heart sank. She had such a small thread of hope when she walked in this morning. Maybe it was all a huge misunderstanding. “You invited her on a vacation?”
Helmut dropped his ankle from his knee, and sat up straighter, clearly not amused by her questions. But he kept his smile easygoing. “Yes, I did. I have a contact with a villa in the south of Spain. Would that be more to your taste?”
Spain? What was he thinking? “Helmut, did you pay for Juliana’s trip? Plane tickets, meals?”
“Of course,” he said, frowning. “I was raised a gentleman. But I am a modern gentleman. We could share expenses, if that would make things more comfortable.”
Claire looked agape at Helmut. Did he really believe this conversation was about the possibility of a romantic vacation?
The buzz of his cell phone reverberated in the office, sounding more obnoxious than any blaring hip-hop song. He quickly silenced the thing without even looking.
“Venice?” he offered hopefully. “Have you ever sipped champagne in a gondola?”
Claire put down her pen and took a drink of her quickly cooling coffee. It was too sweet, but it gave her an excuse to delay. And to compose her next words.
“We are the primary contractor on the Shadow Fly project, correct?” she asked.
“Yes. If you want details, you’ll have to call in Ben. I’m just the numbers guy, remember?” He looked annoyed, but she had to finish this.
“And that Juliana Morgan worked on the team that awarded us that contract?”
Helmet clenched his jaw. “Of course I knew. How do you think we met?”
She dropped her gaze to her notes. “The contract was awarded May 15. Three weeks after you returned from your jaunt to Jamaica.”