Negotiating Skills

by Laurel Cremant

  After several moments of waiting Victor realized that she wasn’t going to return to the table. Cursing under his breath he threw several bills on the table to cover the tab and rushed from the restaurant.

  He ran out just in time to see Veronica rush around the corner. He hurried behind her but had enough sense not to approach her. He followed her a few blocks and watched to make sure that she got home safely. He berated himself the whole way, not for rushing his seduction but for being dumb enough to let her leave the table.

  Admittedly he originally planned on taking it slow, teasing her into a confession after a few more panty-less encounters, but he hadn’t liked the way Garcia flirted with her. Even though he only knew Veronica a short time he didn’t like the idea of the notorious womanizer getting his hands on her.

  When he first stroked her cunt and felt the slippery wetness there he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop and after she gushed her release on his fingers he was sure that she was on the verge of confession.

  No woman could come apart like that and not admit to the attraction she felt. He let her have her space that night with the intention of resuming full speed at the earliest opportunity, but the sneaky woman had managed to cancel or post-pone every meeting he’d scheduled since then.

  Victor was getting desperate and he didn’t like the feeling. He’d never really had to work hard to get a woman’s attention. He lived in a world where money was just as strong of a lure as good looks and he was blessed with more than his fair share of both. In all honesty he didn’t have to chase Veronica, but there was something about her that drew him.

  She had a sharp mind, quick sense of humor and never seemed afraid to speak her mind. But it was more than just that. He’d seen her interact with the programming team at Nile. She respected intelligence and always gave the junior staff an opportunity to voice their opinions and suggestions. She was also sexy as hell and it was driving him crazy.

  He found himself imagining what it would be like to come home to her every night and listen to her quick retorts and snorts of laughter. He imagined sinking his cock into her every night and suckling her breasts every morning and no matter how many times he imagined it he never found a variation of the scenes that bored him.

  The truth was that Rossi simply wanted her and didn’t care why anymore. He wasn’t going to let her ignore the possibilities between them and giving her space was no longer working for him.

  Clenching his jaw, Victor got out of his car and marched into the apartment complex. He was tired of waiting for his woman to come to her senses. His steps faltered as he replayed the phrase in his head, his woman. He liked the sound of it. Whether she liked it or not Veronica James was going to stop running and be firmly caught by him.

  Damn, she felt like shit. Veronica sat in a miserable heap on her couch surrounded by used tissues and empty bottles boxes of Dayquil. She hated being sick and this flu had come at the worst possible time.

  The completion deadline for CLEO was only a week away and she still had a few kinks to work out in the code. She delegated as much as she could to the programming team at Nile but there was still a lot left for her to do and as of five minutes ago she officially had no more energy to spare. Not wanting to fall behind, she had exhausted her supply of Dayquil and continued to work hard into every night instead of resting and giving her body the time it needed to get better.

  Unfortunately her kamikaze work spree had finally run its course and Veronica couldn’t even spare the energy to crawl to her bed. She used her last store of pitiful strength to close her laptop, walk to her couch and collapse on the deep cushions. Her whole body ached and she couldn’t seem to stop shivering. She thought fondly of the hot toddies her mom always made when she was sick. She was exhausted and the thought of the warm elixir was enough to make her tear up and curl up into a ball.

  The only good thing about being sick was that it had kept her from thinking about Rossi. Well most of the time anyway.

  The man, unfortunately, was never too far from her thoughts and that just pissed her off. She felt heat rush to her face as she remembered the night in the bar and the feel of his fingers stroking inside of her. She couldn’t believe that she had let him touch her like that. More gratingly was the fact that she wanted him to do it again.

  Her steadfast rule of not mixing business with pleasure was taking a decisive beating. Regardless of her attraction to the arrogant prick, she wouldn’t let it go anywhere. Rossi was a typical rich playboy. He had way too much money and way too many women willing to kneel at his feet. Veronica’s mind briefly flashed back to the sight of him masturbating in his office and admitted to herself that she understood why. The man had a mouthwatering cock.

  Shaking her thoughts free of Rossi and his assets, Veronica reminded herself that he was most likely just interested in a quick conquest. She had seen men like him work their magic in New York and she wasn’t about to be a player in that game in Miami. Sleep, she thought. I just need a few good hours of sleep and I’ll be fine.

  Just as the thought flickered across her mind she heard a loud knock at her door. Veronica ignored it. She wasn’t excepting anyone and no lost delivery man deserved to see her in her state of misery. She couldn’t remember when she last showered and her hair had been in the same haphazard pineapple bun on top of her head for days.

  The person knocked again and Veronica frowned into the room. Normally the delivery people for her building didn’t bother with more than one attempt. They were usually quick to rap on her door briefly and leave an annoying “Sorry we missed you” delivery note stuck to her door.

  “Go away,” she managed to croak out.

  Her voice was barely louder than a whisper. The person knocked again. Louder this time and Veronica realized that the sooner she got rid of them the sooner she could get some much needed sleep.

  Hopefully the site of her would be enough to scare them away.

  She struggled to swing her legs over to the floor and slowly stood up. The room blurred for a brief second then righted itself and she made her haltingly to the door. When she finally reached the door she paused briefly to lean against it. The short walk had been enough to drain her.

  Standing on wobbly legs she opened the door ready to blast whoever was behind it. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared up into the eyes of Victor Rossi.

  “What the hell are you doing here,” she demanded, her voice coming out in a scraggily growl as a deep scowl dug into her face.

  Victor looked down into Veronica’s frowning face and couldn’t hold back a smile. Her hair was a disheveled mess with straggled curls sticking out everywhere. She wore a white t-shirt that read “I Heart Dr. Who” and a pair of neon pink beach shorts. Her face was glowing with sweat and he was pretty sure her nose was running. She looked absolutely adorable.

  “I missed you too sweetie,” he said grinning at her.

  She moved to slam the door in his face, but seemed to fumble when she shifted her weight from the door. He reached out quickly to catch her before she fell.

  “Are you okay,” he asked with concern creasing his face.

  He cradled her against him and felt the heat of her skin sear through his shirt.

  “Jesus, you’re burning up,” he exclaimed. He pushed her forward into the apartment and closed the door behind him.

  “I’m fine,” she mumbled against his chest.

  “And I’ll be even better once you leave, so why don’t you just go,” she said weakly.

  “That’s cute,” he said scooping her limp body up into his arms.

  “Pretending to be all ferocious when you’re a limp noodle,” he said. He glanced around the small apartment and began to stride down her single hall searching for her bedroom.

  “Put me down,” she demanded.

  “Give me a second,” he said as he headed to the end of the hall and shoved open the door.

  “Have I told you how much I hate you lately,” she groused at him.

  �
��No,” he said as he deposited her gingerly on her bed.

  “You’ve been too much of a chicken to speak to me at all remember,” he asked teasingly.

  Veronica’s mouth fell open in shock. She hadn’t expected him to be so damn blunt. She clicked her mouth shut and firmed her lips into a mutinous line.

  “Hmm, no response to that huh,” he said.

  “Go away,” she said, repeating her earlier request.

  “Sorry, that’s not going to happen. How long have you been like this,” he asked as he leaned down and felt her forehead.

  “I’m fine,” she said.

  “It’s just a little cold.”

  “Veronica, you’re burning up. This doesn’t feel like just a little cold.”

  “I don’t have a fever,” she said. “I’m freezing ergo it must be a cold.” She looked at him as if he were an idiot.

  “I’m sorry to break it to you, but you most definitely have a fever,” he said.

  “Listen. All I need is a little sleep and I’ll be fine. So why don’t you just leave so I can get some rest,” she said as a shudder racked her body. She attempted a wobbly smile hoping to cajole him into leaving.

  Victor stared down into her upturned face and just shook his head.

  “That was just pathetic,” he said, “You’re going to have to give me more than that pathetic excuse for a smile before you can convince me to leave,” he continued as he pushed her back to lie on the bed.

  Veronica opened her mouth to argue further, but her words turned into a shriek of outrage as Victor began to pull her shirt up her torso.

  “What the hell are you doing,” she cried out, her voice coming out in a high pitched screech.

  “What are you? Some kind of pervert, getting your rocks off on defenseless miserable women,” she demanded struggling against his hands.

  Victor struggled to hold back a laugh at her accusations. She continued her ranting and he just chose to tune her out.

  The truth was that he had no qualms about fucking her in whatever state she was in. He couldn’t imagine not wanting to be inside her regardless of her current state. However, he doubted voicing his opinion would help him at that moment. Instead he continued to undress her despite her struggles. She was so weak he was able to strip her of her shirt and shorts quickly. He bit back a groan when he saw that she was wasn’t wearing a bra or panties. Good God she is fucking beautiful, he thought as he stared down at her.

  His fantasies had not done her body justice. The baggy shirts she favored hid a spectacular pair of breasts. They were big enough to spill out of his large hands and tipped perfectly with dark purple nipples just made for sucking. Her hips flared out from her waist in rounded invitation and her toned legs led up to the prettiest, most lush pussy he’d ever seen.

  His mouth watered as he stared at her cunt until her ranting eventually filtered back into his hearing. She was screeching things about what she planned on doing to his body parts that were enough to dampen his libido. At least long enough to take care of her.

  He leaned forward and flipped her limp body over his shoulder and marched into her adjoining bathroom. He leaned her against the bathroom wall and reached into the standing shower and turned on the water.

  Veronica continued to blast him with her caustic tongue until he finally just covered her mouth with his hand and lifted her into the warm shower. She glared at him over his hand.

  “Stay here and clean up. The steam should help with the congestion and runny nose. I’ll be back in a few minutes. I’m just going to get you something to eat. Then I’m going to help you to bed and you can get some sleep,” he said gently.

  Veronica stared at him suspiciously for a few moments. He saw the moment she made her decision because her shoulders slumped forward and it looked as if all the fight left her at once. She nodded her head weakly.

  Standing in the spray of the shower she looked like a pathetic drowned rat. A sexy rat he amended as his gaze flicked down her wet body. Clearing his throat he looked up and removed his hand from her mouth.

  “I’ll be back in a few minutes,” he repeated and left the room.

  CHAPTER TEN

  VERONICA DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO THINK of Rossi. She stared at his retreating back not knowing what to make of him. She saw the heat in his eyes when he looked at her body, but he hadn’t tried anything. Instead he seemed to be helping her. She wrinkled her brows in thought.

  What game was he playing? She closed the shower door and leaned weakly against the shower wall and tried to clear her head.

  The way he had stared down at her body earlier left no doubt of his attraction to her. Veronica let the steam from the shower seep into her. She didn’t understand why he was there.

  Admittedly, she had been avoiding him. She didn’t like being manipulated and his play at negotiation still grated on her. A tiny voice at the back of her mind occasionally questioned whether she was avoiding him out of anger or fear at her lack of control around him.

  Her response to the whispered taunts was to place a mental ball gag on the voice and shove it back into the proverbial closet. Unfortunately the little mental tart was well and truly free now and pestering at her and the hussy no longer seemed content with sly whispers. Instead all of the truths she’d avoided for weeks were hitting her in loud full force.

  Why hadn’t she put up a fight? Why didn’t she just get up and walk away? She had let Rossi finger fuck her in a public place for goodness sakes! She could have left at any moment and despite his arrogance, she knew that he wouldn’t have forced her to stay.

  No, she had stayed because she wanted to. She had wanted him to touch her. She still did, but she had needed an excuse and pretending that she had no choice had been the easy scapegoat. Shaking her head, Veronica reached for the soap and began to lather herself up.

  It really didn’t matter if she admitted that she wanted Rossi. The man was still an arrogant ass who saw nothing wrong with manipulating people. Even if she was willing to forego her rule of not mixing business with pleasure she wouldn’t break it for him. No matter how tempted she was by him. She just had to convince her body of that first.

  Her hands began to tremble as she turned to rinse her body in the spray of water. Shudders began to wrack her body again despite the warmth of the shower. She was barely able to keep herself upright let alone have a philosophical argument with herself.

  She wearily scrubbed her hands over her face. She would just demand he tell her why he was there and she would ask him to leave so that she could continue feeling like crap in peace. She could work on shoring up her defenses to him later. She let out a small hysterical giggle at the thought of the amount of effort that would take.

  “What’s so funny?”

  Veronica heard Rossi’s amused voice just moments before he opened the shower door. She couldn’t muster the energy to try and cover herself. She could only look up at him with chattering teeth.

  She took in his handsome grinning face and let her gaze roam down to his hard chest and to the still bulging evidence at his crotch. She felt her heart sink and held back a whimper as the ever true phrase of Resistance is futile skittered through her mind.

  “Is the concept of privacy beyond your comprehension,” she asked him irritably.

  The bastard didn’t even have the grace to look apologetic. He just shook his head at her, wrapped her efficiently in a towel, and lifted her out of the shower.

  “Where are you finding the energy to be so sour when you can barely stand up by yourself,” he asked as he placed her feet gently on the floor and began to briskly rub her skin dry with the towel.

  “Yeah, well I’m talented like that,” she said trying to muster up a sneer. Unfortunately, the feel of Rossi’s brisk rubbing movements had slowed into teasing strokes. Veronica never thought the rough fibers of terry cloth could feel so damn erotic until that moment.

  Perfection. That was the only word Victor’s lust filled mind could conjure to describe Veronica’s
body. He had started off with good intentions. He really had, but the moment he opened the shower door and saw all of her juicy, creamy naked skin he was a goner. Her chattering teeth had been the only thing to keep him from dragging her to the floor and exploring her lush body.

  When he lifted her out of the shower he had honestly meant to dry her off quickly and help her to the bedroom so that she could eat and rest. Unfortunately, the moment he stroked the towel across her breasts and her nipples pebbled in reaction all of his good intentions flew out the door.

  His earlier observation was right. Her breasts were more than a handful and her nipples were perfect complements to them. He slowed his brisk rubbing down to light strokes wanting to see her nipples extend even further. His mouth watered when they distended into tight points. He wandered how they would feel against his tongue and the roof of his mouth. He wanted to gorge himself on them. He wanted to suck them into his mouth and have her squirm underneath him. He wanted to bite them softly and hear her gasp out in pleasure. God he wanted to fuck her senseless.

  His brain clouded with images of her coming apart in his arms. He licked his lips and tilted his head forward. Just one taste, he thought, just one taste of her succulent tits…

  “Ah-choo!”

  Veronica’s sneeze rang out through the air, snapping him out of his daze. His gaze shot up to her face and he saw her sniffle. He felt like an ass.

  Shaking his head he resumed his brisk rub down. After a few tense moments he lifted her and carried her over to the bed. He laid her down gently and helped her sit up with her back against the headboard. He even helped bring the comforter up to cover her up to her neck.

  “Do you think you can handle some food,” he asked gruffly, staring down into her wide eyes.

  “I think I hate you,” she replied back in a shaky voice.

  Victor threw his head back and barked out a rough laugh.

  “Well there goes your dessert,” he said turning to her dresser and picking up a tray of food he placed there earlier.