by Fiona Starr
Chapter Three
NINA
It isn’t often that I am taken aback by a man. I’ve moved in some powerful circles in my line of work. I’ve seen all kinds of things and had to deal with all kinds of people. But as Montgomery Ford holds my hand and my gaze, I feel my heart actually skip a beat.
He’s not surprised to see me; he knew I’d be here. That isn’t it. He’s tongue-tied. And not in the way that most men get when they meet me.
Most men rake me over with their eyes and undress me right there like I can’t see what they’re doing. As soon as they measure me up as a sex object, their ability to see me as a professional goes out the window. It doesn’t matter that I am there to solve whatever problem they have made for themselves—which, as it happens, is often the result of their inner teenagers coupled with the misguided sense of entitlement most of them are afflicted with.
Being summed up at a glance is part of the deal. It’s infuriating, it’s inevitable, and it doesn’t phase me anymore. I don’t fight it but I don’t take any shit. In my line of work, I deal with men like these by the dozen.
But the feeling I get off Montgomery Ford isn’t like those men. He isn’t what I expect; he isn’t like anyone I’ve ever met.
A zing of adrenaline rushes through me as we stand there, my hand in his. My self-consciousness ratchets up and my body breaks out in a sweat. He’s attractive, there is no doubt about that, but this isn’t me being attracted to him. This isn’t me at all. I’m in uncharted territory and whatever I’m feeling is something new. And it scares me to death.
I pull my hand away before it gets clammy and makes things even worse.
He stands there, still holding the pizza. His Adam’s apple bobs in his throat. He blinks a couple of times as if to get his bearings.
“I got pizza,” he says.
MONTGOMERY
I got pizza? Really? That’s the best you can do, Monty? I feel like a moron standing here in front of her. I feel exposed. I feel seen. What the hell is happening to me?
Captain Fischer climbs aboard and rescues me from the awkward moment. He folds up the stairs and closes the door. “We’ll be on our way in just a moment. You’ll want to take your seats.”
Nina smiles at the captain and walks past me to the table where she’s been sitting.
I follow her and use the time to shake myself back into reality. I place the pizza box on the table and sit in the chair across from her. “So, you’re here to work your magic on me?”
She shrugs. “There is only so much you can do with magic.”
Touché. She’s not intimidated by me. I like that. “I should state for the record that bringing you in was not my idea.”
She lifts a pen off the table and twirls it in her fingers. “I figured. That’s usually the case. We have a few hours until we get to New York. Shall we get started?” She continues without waiting for my response. “I saw your interview tonight with Daria Ventarolo—”
I am immediately on guard. “She knew she wasn’t supposed to ask anything about my personal life.”
“Yeah, and when you attacked her, she’s the one who handled it like a pro. What happened?”
“I didn’t attack her.”
“Yes, Mr. Ford, you did. You leaned over in your chair like a tiger about to pounce.” She leans forward, showing me what she means. “You pointed your finger in her face.” Her hands are so small, it’s hard to see her pointing at me as a threat. “And then you lectured her about how important your work is. How her question was reductive.”
I lean toward her and grab her hand. “Her question was reductive. I thought my analogy to actresses on the red carpet would resonate with a woman.”
She doesn’t pull her hand away. “It would have if you hadn’t been so angry when you said it.”
“But I was angry.” I pull her toward me and when her face is very close I whisper. “My work is very important to me.”
“It should be. You’re doing important work.” Her lips are full and her red lipstick taunts me. “Then what would you have me do?”
“I would coach you,” she says.
“Coach me? How?”
“I would work with you so your reflex reaction when they ask personal questions raises passion instead of anger.”
“Why is that?”
“Passion reveals strength. And you are very passionate.” She moves her hand to my knee and it’s like a five alarm fire has gone off inside me.
I must have this woman.
Chapter Four
NINA
I don’t know what’s come over me. All I know is that I need to have him. Right here, right now. Whatever this feeling inside me is, it’s turned into an ache that demands relief. I need to give myself to him fully, and there is nothing I can do to hold back. Nothing.
I don’t wait for him to lead. I don’t know what I’ll do if he rejects my advance, but something tells me he’s right here with me on this crazy channel. I get up from my chair and I stand in front of him. He’s still holding my hand. He pulls me down to him.
I part my lips as we kiss and let go of any restraint. There is no line I cannot cross, there is nothing to hold back from.
I climb up onto his lap and kneel over him, kissing his mouth, and his neck, then running my tongue over the stubble on his chin.
He places his hands on my hips and pushes me down so I can feel his hardness press against me. He’s so hard, and it’s all I can do to keep my clothes on.
He moans as I press myself over him, grinding and rocking my clit against his stiffness. Heat explodes between my legs. I grab his neck for leverage and press down even harder.
He lifts us out of the chair and lays me down on the conference table. He’s on top of me, pulling my hair to one side and exposing my neck. He runs his tongue over me and sucks gently on my ear.
I push his suit coat back off his shoulders and pull his tucked shirt out of his pants. I’m working on the buttons and he helps me, furiously slipping the little mother-of-pearl discs through the fabric as if our lives depend on it.
When his dress shirt is finally gone, he peels off his undershirt and I run my hands over his chest. I take his nipple in my mouth and flick it with my tongue. He gasps and then we’re both fast at work on my sweater.
The buttons on my blouse are tiny and it seems like there are a thousand of them. He stands and takes off my pants. Then he bends and kisses my belly as he removes my panties and gets down on his knees at the head of the table.
I open the last button and slip out of my blouse and watch him as he presses his mouth to me and he licks my throbbing pussy.
I grab him by the hair and close my eyes. “Oh, yes. Yes.”
MONTGOMERY
She grabs me by the hair and holds me to her as she whimpers. “Oh, yes. Yes.”
The noises she makes turn me on, make me want to work harder to bring more of those sounds from her. Every single ounce of my energy and attention are hers, and hers alone. I need to make her mine.
She writhes on the table and spreads her legs wide as I pull her clit between my lips and suck and suck, making her moan and cry out.
She’s so wet, so impossibly wet and my cock is bulging and aching for release. I stand up and undo my belt. She sits up and pushes my hands away, opens my belt buckle and pushes my pants over my hips. My cock is rock-hard and straining against my shorts.
She slips her hands inside and grabs hold of me. Then she leans down and slides off the table, opens her red lips and takes me into her mouth.
I watch her for a moment, but it’s too much, she’s too hot, I don’t want to come.
I lift her by the arms and sit her on the edge of the table. She inches back and spreads her legs open for me.
I kiss her neck and move down to her breasts, squeezing her and pushing the lace of her bra away so I can suck on her nipple. I feel as though I have been a dying man, an empty body crawling through a desert who has finally found a fresh spring of life-givi
ng water.
She grabs my hips and pulls me to her. “Take me.”
I growl as the heat inside me rages at her words. I lift her off the table. She takes hold of my cock and guides me to her. I lower her down and I slip inside her wet warmth and then I am gone.
Chapter Five
NINA
We come at the same moment on the conference table in a rush of murmurs and groans. He kisses me afterward with a look in his eyes that is so tender and intimate I feel like my heart could burst with longing. Then we move to his bedroom in the back of the plane and make love again, and then again in the shower.
He has me against the tile in the shower, our bodies wet and soapy, and his cock filling me with every thrust.
When the captain’s voice chimes in over the loud speaker it takes a moment for me to remember we’re still on his jet.
“Sir, we’re making our approach. We’ll be on the ground in Teterboro shortly.”
Monty laughs and nips my ear, blinking the water from his eyes. “Guess we better hurry.”
I giggle like a school girl who has been caught red handed. “You’re the boss.”
He turns me around and takes me from behind, his hands moving over my clit until we reach the top once more.
Before we land, Monty throws on a new pair of pants from his closet and makes a dash through the cabin, collecting all of our clothing and bringing it to the bedroom. I slip into my panties and my pants. He places my shoes together on the floor in front of me and helps me into my blouse.
I move my hand over his and take over. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I know. Will you let me, anyway?” He finishes with all the little buttons and helps me with my sweater. Once I’m dressed, he grabs a white tee shirt from a drawer and a clean dress shirt from the closet.
“My attorney is going to meet me at the airport. He was planning to drive me to the city so we can talk over a few things in the car. Did you want to ride with us?”
“Actually, I’d prefer to stick to my plans.” I don’t feel awkward and it surprises me. “Your assistant arranged for a car service to pick me up and take me to my hotel.” What I don’t say that is that I can’t imagine a half hour car ride with him and his attorney without that getting really awkward.
He seems surprised. “Good. That’s good.” He sits on the bed and pulls on a pair of socks and steps into his shoes. “We have a meeting in the morning, you and I.”
“Yes. At nine.”
“Adam—my attorney, he’s general counsel… he’s going to be there too. He wants to get a feel for what you’re planning. For the pieces you’re doing.”
“Right. That’s standard. I won’t do anything without your knowledge. I work for you.”
“Well, technically you work for my board.” He pauses a moment and then asks, “Is this going be a problem? I feel like we… Did we cross a line or something here? I don’t normally…”
I can’t help but laugh. “You don’t have to pretend this is the first time you’ve done something like this. I have done my own research on you, you know.”
“What do you mean? What research?” Something in his eyes flashes and the mood in the room turns icy.
The captains voice sounds over the intercom. “We’ve been cleared for landing. Please take your seats and fasten your seatbelts.”
Monty opens the bedroom door and holds it for me. “After you.”
I step into the main cabin and can’t help but wonder what just happened. Can he still be so prickly about even the slightest mention of his personal life after what we’ve spent the past three hours doing?
He’s no choir boy; the tabloids magazines and gossip websites are always splashing pictures claiming Billionaire Monty Ford’s latest conquest.
I take my seat and fasten the buckle.
He sits across from me, a scowl on his face. “You know, just because you’ve read something online, you of all people should know not to trust everything you read.”
“What’s wrong?”
The wheels touch down and we taxi on the runway.
“You think I take women on my jet and screw their brains out on a regular basis? You think that’s a thing that I do?”
The venom in his tone takes me by surprise. I don’t know what to say. “I…”
He doesn’t wait for a response. “You said earlier that you’d like to coach me so when someone brings up my personal life I’ll speak with passion and not anger. You said passion shows strength.”
I nod. “It does.”
“Well, I won’t apologize for my anger. Sometimes I just get angry and I don’t want to hold it back. If passion shows strength, what does anger show? Anger shows anger, that’s what.”
The plane stops moving and he’s out of his seat and out the door as soon as it opens.
I gather my things and make my way to the door and watch him storm toward a waiting Mercedes and get inside.
I whisper as the car drives away. “Anger shows fear.”
MONTGOMERY
God, I can’t believe how easy it is for people to make assumptions. I have never in my life had an experience like that, and never on my jet. I don’t know what came over me but I can see now that it was a mistake to sleep with Nina Blaze. She’s just another person looking to dig inside and get to the bottom of my private life. It’s the one place I simply cannot go.
Adam’s waiting for me at the hangar. I take in a deep breath and try to clear my head as I walk over to the car.
When I get inside, he hands me a folder with a printed copy of the opposition research he was able to pull up on Nina Blaze. “I’m still against having anyone embedded in the office. But, if I had to pick someone, I guess she passes the test.”
I nod. “Yeah. I read most of it earlier. She’s perfect.”
“Nobody’s perfect. Hey, you got pretty hot at the T.V. lady tonight. I know it’s a red line for you, and I get where you’re coming from, but Monty… the IPO can’t handle this much noise.”
“I know.” I’ve known Adam since we were kids and he can tell when I don’t want to talk.
“All right. You need anything else before we meet Miss Blaze in the morning? I hear she’s a looker.”
Something in me flashes at him and I want to tell him not to talk about Nina that way. But I don’t. I can’t. I… fuck. I have no clue what’s going on. I only know that Nina Blaze has gotten in my head in a way that no woman has before. Not since…
I squeeze my hands into fists and breathe the stress away.
Chapter Six
NINA
The following morning, I arrive at the Platinum Industries’ Manhattan office ten minutes before my appointment. The receptionist leads me to a glass-enclosed conference room. I take a seat, swivel it to face the floor-to-ceiling windows, and watch the view from the ninetieth floor while I wait.
At nine o’clock on the dot, the door opens and Monty Ford strides in behind a tall blond guy in a gray suit.
The blond guy comes over to me with his hand out. “Miss Blaze, I’m Adam Edson, General Counsel. We spoke on the phone.”
I smile. “Of course. I remember.”
He motions to Monty. “And this is Montgomery Ford.”
Seeing him again brings a flush of heat to my belly and I wonder if my face is turning red.
Monty reaches across the table to shake my hand as if meeting me for the first time. “Miss Blaze.”
I offer my hand. All right. If that’s how this is going to go. I can play along. “Nina Blaze. Nice to meet you.”
“Let’s get started.” The lawyer sits down next to Monty. He opens a leather folder and pulls out a legal pad. “I guess I should start by letting you know I do not agree with the decision to bring you in, Miss Blaze. Your track record speaks for itself, but I can’t help but have reservations about producing all the media. Mr. Ford is a very private man.”
I clasp my hands on the table in front of me. “I understand. This isn’t the first time I’
ve been brought in by a nervous board to manage a client situation.”
He nods and examines his notes. “Good.”
I continue. “But the fact remains you do have a situation. Mr. Ford is a liability behind…”
“Monty,” he says, interrupting me.
We both look at Monty. He’s leaning back in his chair, his fingers steepled under his chin. He has his signature scowl on his face.
I hold his gaze. He watches me and although he looks angry, I can see the softness behind his eyes, the tenderness he’s trying so hard to hide. I have to fight to get back on track. “As… As I was saying, Monty is a liability behind the camera and your company is in a perilous position facing an IPO where consumer confidence is waning. We have to turn that around.”
“Understood,” the lawyer says. “Then let’s discuss ground rules, shall we? My concern is—”
Monty stands and leans on his chair as his lawyer talks. He’s raking me over with his eyes and I don’t mind a bit.
His lawyer’s voice trails off to the back of my mind as my attention moves to Monty. His custom tailored dress shirt clings to his biceps. I follow the line of his jaw to his collar and remember how it felt to run my tongue over those contours only hours ago.
He walks over to the window and is standing to my left. I feel his eyes on me but his lawyer’s still talking so I try to be polite and keep facing across the table. Heat rises in my neck and throat. I want him to come closer to me. I need his hands on me. Thinking about his hands brings a rush of heat between my legs. I squeeze my thighs together and squirm in my chair.
Monty sees what I’m doing. He stops moving and watches for a moment before storming across the room to the door. “You don’t need me here.”
