I had to focus on the matter at hand and put on my game persona to close that deal. It was a cold winter day, and the weather was just as I felt, raw. I was cold inside and outside as I slid into the Escalade and drove out of the garage. It was a twenty-five-minute drive from my home to my office where I was meeting the client. Originally, I had planned to meet the client at the property, but this woman wanted to meet me at my office. Levi said she had some sentimental attachment to the property and did not want to go back there to see the empty place.
I put in a call to my assistant. “Joy, I’m meeting Ms. Blackman this morning. If she gets there before me, please do your magic and keep her entertained.”
“Yes, boss. I’m already doing that. She’s here.”
“What do you mean, ‘she’s here’?”
“Just what I said. She arrived ten minutes ago.”
“Our appointment was for ten thirty, and by my watch….”
I glanced at my Rolex to confirm that I was ten minutes early for my appointment with Ms. Blackman. I detested being late for an appointment, as it put me at a disadvantage and would have me starting off apologizing for being late, even though technically I wasn’t.
I was already resenting that woman who was taking the control of this meeting out of my hand. I was going to keep her waiting while I cooled off in my office. She needed to know who was in charge of this meeting.
I pulled into the office garage with ten minutes to spare, which I had already calculated. I took the elevator up to the suite of offices on the eleventh floor and entered my personal space, ignoring the inquiring looks from Joy.
Joy had been working with me almost as long as I’d been in the real estate business. She was a powerhouse when it came to managing an office. She knew when to stay out of my way, and she got things done with minimal supervision from me. It was not that way in the beginning, but gradually, without my being aware of it, I was depending on her more and more. I didn’t let her know it, but she was my left hand. I still had my right, which was me, but everyone knew the left hand needed the right in order to work cohesively, and that was how it was with Joy and me. She knew when to let me be and when to push. I allowed her only so much leverage. So, when I ignored her efforts to get my attention, she got the message, and I saw her paste a bright smile on her face as she turned to the woman who sat in her office. I couldn’t see her face. Her back was toward the door…. She was wearing a red suit.
2
~Dean~
I waited until it was ten twenty-nine before I buzzed Joy to let her know it was time to bring Ms. Blackman into my office. After this was done, I settled back and waited to see the paragon I was meeting.
Robyn Blackman stepped into my office with such an air of confidence that I had to lower the paper I was pretending to read to give her my undivided attention. I found myself studying her without meaning to, and popping to my feet, I extended my hand in greeting. I almost withdrew my outstretched hand before she grasped it in a firm handshake.
I was not usually a man who was easily impressed; after all, I’d been in the business world for too many years for anything or anyone to blow me over. Yet Robyn Blackman was able to do so with one look and a firm handshake.
To say she was beautiful would be doing her a disservice. Beautiful was too mild a word, too passé… Robyn Blackman was sex in a suit, and not any sex, but the kind that left you wanting more—the kind that made you insatiable. I saw all this in one glance. If I wasn’t so damned honest, I could have attributed it to my already heightened state of arousal, but no. This was a feeling that went beyond being aroused, and I was that, too.
My eyes swept over the way her form-fitting scarlet suit hugged her curves and complemented her sleekly styled dark hair with flame highlights. The highlights gave her hair the appearance of a flaming bush. It framed a face that was beautifully sculptured, from her smooth forehead to wide amber eyes, an aristocratic nose, and perfectly heart-shaped lips… it all had my heart racing. As I tried to move my gaze to a spot where I wouldn’t encounter perfection, I couldn’t find any.
She wasn’t tall; neither was she short. I would say five-nine, taking into account her four-inch stiletto heels. As she stood directly in front of me, we were almost eye level. I was six-two. She was the perfect height. I was tempted to close my eyes and open them again to make certain she wasn’t a figment of my imagination. That didn’t work. She was real, all right. I found myself looking at her face to avoid looking at her gorgeous body. This proved to be a mistake as I was hit with the full blast of the solid gold hue of her fantastic eyes as she looked at me, a sexy smile playing around her lips. My cock thickened, and heat that I couldn’t deny sizzled through my veins. I was quickly losing control, and we hadn’t exchanged anything but the basic hello.
I cleared my throat, which had suddenly become clogged, and greeted her again. “Ms. Blackman, I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”
“Robyn, please. You didn’t keep me waiting, Mr. Holmes. I was early. I always arrive early when I’m going to an appointment at a place I’ve not been to before. It gives me the control I need so I’m not rushing around. So we are on time.”
“Good, let’s get on with it now. Would you like a cup of coffee?”
“No. I’m fine. I already had to refuse the offer from your wonderful assistant.”
“Let me not waste any more of your time and get down to business.”
I took her into my conference room, which had a large table to spread papers out on and no phones. That way we would be able to discuss the deal uninterrupted, although Joy knew better than to interrupt me. But sometimes a call or two would come in; that was why I had the phone removed.
The meeting went smoothly. Robyn Blackman proved to be a shrewd businesswoman. She was quick on the numbers. She did the math in her head and spewed out the total before I could blink, and I was damned good with my numbers. That was another of my strong points. I believed Robyn would give me a run for my money. She wasn’t a showoff; she did it as naturally as breathing, no fuss.
In the end, she did agree to my figures with the expressed wish that the building not be torn down.
“Why?” I asked, knowing we hadn’t even considered pulling the building down, but I wanted to know her reason.
“I was born in that building and my mother before me. That building has been in my family for over a century, and I’d like to know it will still be standing long after I’m gone.”
“You have my word on that, Ms. Blackman. We are not in the business of tearing down buildings. We are more into preserving.”
“I know. That’s the reason I chose your firm. You have quite a reputation.”
“All good, I hope.”
“Are you fishing, Mr. Holmes?”
“Call me Dean, please. Mr. Holmes makes me feel old.”
“Only if you’ll call me Robyn.”
“Okay, Robyn, you have my word.”
“Thanks, Dean. I’ll call if I have any other questions or concerns.”
“Please do, Robyn. It was nice meeting you, and I look forward to speaking with you again.”
I escorted her out of my office and watched her walk away. This was the first time I was viewing her from the rear, and boy what a view. She had a tiny waist, which flared down at her hips to a nice round butt. I allowed my gaze to travel down her legs all the way to her scarlet pumps, which matched her outfit. Her legs were long and firm, tapering down to narrow ankles that looked almost too frail to be supporting her body. I’d read somewhere that narrow ankles and wrists were a sign of good breeding. If that was the case, then Robyn had good breeding in spades.
For the first time ever, I was having a difficult time getting a woman out of my mind. It was ironic because all I’d done was hold her hand. I refused to let my mind go beyond holding her hand, but I knew who I would be sleeping with that night in my mind’s eye.
I could barely contain myself until I had time to get home. I had to put it to pract
ice right away. I walked into my private bathroom, my hand already on my fly.
Just as I’d thought, the release was powerful. I almost cried out from the force of it and its duration. I thought it wouldn’t stop. Every time I thought I was done, all I had to do was imagine her under me looking up at me with those unusual golden eyes, and I was spilling again.
When I finally walked out of the bathroom, I swear I was drained. I needed a drink. I poured myself a nip of brandy, my drink of choice. I downed it without even tasting it. I had to have a chaser before I could fully relax. I was finally able to function and without that infernal erection.
I had a lunch meeting with Levi and John, and I did not want to be late for it. I was as excited as a kid in a candy store. I had a bone to pick with Levi. Why hadn’t he told me that Ms. Blackman was such a dish? That was how I thought of her, as a dish. I wanted to have her without any cutlery, going all caveman on her, mouth and tongue, WOW. What a meal! “Down boy!” I reprimanded myself.
This behavior was foreign to me. I loved sex, but prided myself on knowing how to control it. It had never stopped me from moving on. I had never lost sleep over any one partner. Now it appeared I was fantasizing about someone I could not have. I told myself that was probably what was tantalizing me so. The alpha in me wanted what was just out of reach. That could explain my obsession with Robyn Blackman.
In the meantime, I had a meeting to attend. An hour later, I stopped my Escalade in front of the restaurant where we were meeting for lunch. I handed my keys to the valet. “I’m not sure how long I’ll be,” I told him, reaching for the door.
“”That’s okay, Mr. Holmes, I’ll park it close by.”
With a short nod, I entered the restaurant, glancing around as the hostess came to greet me.
“Welcome to Chalazae, Mr. Holmes. Your party is already seated at your usual table.”
I ate at this restaurant so often, and the staff was on a name basis with me. That didn’t trouble me in the least. It meant we were moving on up. This restaurant was top of the line. In order to get a seat there, you had to be rolling in the dough. Six years ago, I would probably have been turned away at the door.
John and Levi were already nursing drinks. I ordered a brandy and took a seat across from them. Levi was the first to break the silence while I savored my drink.
“So, Mr. Closer, did you close the deal?”
“Do you need to ask? It was easy. The easiest deal I’ve closed to date.”
“Really?”
“Yep.”
“How so?”
“The client was very amicable. I liked her.” Liar, you know you more than like her. “Have you met her, Levi?”
I knew Levi was a womanizer, and women seemed to gravitate to him, yet I didn’t hear any of the comments from him that he usually had when we were discussing an attractive woman.
“No. I haven’t. I worked through her attorney, which is why I was surprised she wanted to close the deal with you in person.”
“She had a few conditions.”
“Don’t tell me,” John chimed in.
“It’s nothing that will cause us any harm or deviate from our proposed plans.”
“That’s heartening,” he said again. “Come on, out with it. Don’t keep us in suspense any longer.”
“She wants the house to remain pretty much as is. She made a specific request that the house not be torn down. Given the fact that her requests were in line with our agenda, I assured her that her requests would be taken into consideration.”
“So we are set to begin work?” John wanted to know.
“Yep, we are on schedule. Now can we eat? I’m starved.”
“You’re always starved, Dean. I’m surprised you aren’t as big as a house,” Levi said.
“That’s because I burn it all out in the gym,” I replied.
“I know. You don’t have to tell me. I can see all your bulging muscles,” he retorted.
“You guys are always going on about who has the largest muscles,” John said. “You two carry on like kids. I’m surprised you haven’t stripped to measure who’s the biggest of them all.”
“Okay, this conversation is taking a turn I don’t like,” I told him. “I won’t be measuring anything of mine with any man. Now if it were a woman, I’d probably give it some serious thought. Speaking of which, have you two given any thought to bringing a female partner into the firm?”
“Not really. Are you sure you are ready to share some of your control, Dean?” John asked, and Levi nodded.
“I’m ready. I believe with a woman on board we could enter a new market completely. We could have her handling properties that are in foreclosure. That’s a market we have yet to tap into because of the time it would take to go through the list.”
“I say yes, let’s give it a try. We have nothing to lose. She’ll be paid on a commission basis, anyway.”
“She’ll be paid on a commission basis, but we’ll have to give her a base salary to make the position attractive. You do want to attract qualified individuals, don’t you?”
“How much are you thinking of offering?”
“Why don’t we let John look into it, and we’ll decide next week. I’ll have Joy run the ad in the newspaper. We could start interviewing right away. I don’t want in on the interviewing. I’ll let John and Joy deal with it. I’ll set up an office next to mine for whomever you hire. I want her close to me so I can keep an eye on her.”
“That sounds like a plan,” Levi said.
We all three voted on it and ended our meeting on a high note. I returned to my apartment. I had a penthouse on the eleventh floor of a building in Manhattan. It had a view of Brooklyn, and at night, I would lie on my bed and watch the vehicles as they drove over the bridge. That was where I did most of my deep thinking. I had to call my mom to see how she was doing. I always called her every night, no matter how late, and tonight was no exception.
“Hi, Mom, how’s it going with you?”
“I’m fine, Son. What have you been up to?”
“Nothing much. I thought you’d be pleased to know we are thinking of bringing a woman into the firm.”
“That’s great, Dean.”
“I knew you’d approve.”
“I believe a woman makes the mare fly, and having a woman will make things happen for the three of you.”
“Are you saying things are not happening for us, Mom?”
“No. You know that’s not what I’m saying, Dean. I’d like to meet the woman you’ll hire.”
“I’m not the one hiring her. That’s John’s job, but I’ll make certain you get to meet her after she’s hired and settled into her new job.”
“You do that. Good night, Son.”
“Night, Mom. I love you.”
“I love you too, Son.”
I turned off the light, prepared to go to sleep. For a minute, sleep evaded me, so I took the time to play the events of the day over in my head. My thoughts immediately went to Robyn. I wondered what she was doing at that very moment. I tried to think about her in bed and fell asleep on that thought.
3
~Robyn~
I still quiver in my shoes every time I think of my meeting with Dean Holmes. It was a revelation. I’d never met a man I so wanted to get to know better. The attraction I felt for him was instantaneous. I’m amazed I was able to concentrate on anything but how much I wanted to suck on his succulent lips. Every time he talked, I heard what he was saying, but my body was imagining him saying something else. There are some men who are attractive, handsome and everything else in between. Dean Holmes, on top of being handsome as hell with a body to match, screamed sex. I couldn’t think of him without imagining him naked in my bed doing wicked things to me.
I hadn’t felt that way about any man, not even the one I married for a brief spell—nine months. I’d thought I was head over heels in love with Ryan when I married him, only to find out nine short months later that I could not love this self-cen
tered, egotistical, selfish man. I wanted out of the marriage and couldn’t wait to divorce him. I walked away without asking anything from him. It would have been an uphill battle, and I didn’t have the time or the energy to put up with it. I wanted him gone.
I had the income from my business, a small consulting company I ran from my home, but I had to close it when I found myself in dire financial need as a result of my fight against the cancer that was discovered when I went in for a simple knee injury. I came out of the hospital with the life-changing diagnosis of multiple myeloma. I was devastated, but I refused to give up. I refused to allow this disease to take over my body. I took part in every experimental treatment that was available. I had to close my business because most of the treatments left me too weak to do anything but lie in bed and make those trips to the hospital for the treatments. I sold everything I owned just to keep my head above water. I had to hire a live-in nurse; my parents were no longer alive, and I was alone in the world, with no siblings that I knew of. I needed help with the simplest of things. Just to take a bath and shampoo my hair was an impossible task for me to pull off, but all that was behind me now.
It had been six years since my last treatment, and I’d been cancer free ever since. I’d also not been in a relationship for ten years, ever since my diagnosis. Although I’d been cancer free, the experience had wiped away a lot of my natural enthusiasm. It had taken away my zest for life and left me with the strange-colored eyes. And my previously black hair was now covered with red highlights—not something I did deliberately. It did not come out of a bottle, as most people seemed to think. I couldn’t have achieved that effect if I’d tried. This was my legacy from the cancer.
Seduction in a Suit: An Office Romance Collection Page 68
