“‘This leaves us wondering, what exactly has happened at StyleSpur? We reached out to CEO Parker Jarvis but he has yet to respond.’ I don’t get it,” said Lauren.
He snorted and nodded his head appreciatively. “It’s actually quite smart. By getting ahead of the story, Damon is able to control it. He’s basically directing their attention straight to Parker while appearing to stay above the fray.”
“I need to know what he’s doing.” She jumped out of bed, pulled her sweatshirt over her head, and headed down the hall to Damon’s room. Figuring with this press release out, he’d be up, so she opened the door without knocking. A figure in the bed stirred but as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she noticed the mess of blonde hair on the pillow.
“Lauren? Is everything okay?”
“Shit, I’m so sorry,” she stammered as she backed out of the room.
“No, it’s alright,” she giggled. “He’s been gone for hours but he left you something.”
Lauren sat on the edge of the bed just as she had the first time she’d entered that room. Faith pushed herself up, switched on the light, and handed her that familiar book. She ran her finger along the bookmark, flipped the pages open, and began to read the highlighted passage.
“‘In the fable, the Monkey grabs the paw of his friend, the Cat, and uses it to fish chestnuts out of the fire, thus getting the nuts he craves, without hurting himself. If there is something unpleasant or unpopular that needs to be done, it is far too risky for you to do the work yourself. You need a cat’s-paw—someone who does the dirty, dangerous work for you. The cat’s-paw grabs what you need, hurts whom you need hurt, and keeps people from noticing that you are the one responsible. Let someone else be the executioner, or the bearer of bad news, while you bring only joy and glad tidings.’”
“Something tells me that press release isn’t the only thing Damon has planned today,” Landon said from the doorway.
It definitely wasn’t. So much happened during that hectic morning, events began to blur together. Damon’s apartment turned into a type of mission control, all three of them working fervently before the sun was up. Lauren sent out a mass text to all StyleSpur employees telling them to hang tight until Friday and spent the majority of the morning responding to their concerns. Faith arranged a meeting between Mr. Jarvis and Landon for 11 a.m. while also fielding phone calls from reporters. Landon decided to throw his hat in the ring and had his assistant issue a press release in response, echoing Damon’s message.
Lauren received a text from Damon at one point.
Just got off the phone with my good friend, Murray Morowitz. I don’t think he was very pleased with his newest acquisitions manager...
They all smiled to each other as Landon ignored a phone call from Sahra. The voicemail he played on speaker was enough to make her entire day, but Lauren was still in for a few more surprises.
Shortly after Landon had left for his meeting, Faith was in the kitchen brewing a pot of coffee. “Holy. Shit,” she cried out.
“What now?” Lauren replied looking up from the dining table.
With wide eyes, Faith grabbed the TV remote and turned on NY1. “Pipp, the sales girl, just texted me. Look.”
A live feed from a hovering helicopter showed a small marina fully engulfed in smoke. Boats and fire engines were working together to douse the flames from at least a half dozen large yachts. The reporter was saying that a jogger had reported a strong gasoline smell coming from the docks shortly before the fire started. With the veracity of the flames, firemen believed the fire was intentional and were requesting anyone with information to call 911.
“That’s Parker’s yacht, right there, in the middle,” Faith said, pointing at the screen.
“Seriously.”
“You don’t think Damon could’ve—”
“No! No way,” Lauren shook her head.
“He did say he was going to do your dirty work...”
“Hon, he’s a good guy, don’t worry. I’d put any amount of money on Parker doing this himself for some twisted, convoluted reason.”
Landon returned shortly after lunch unsure if they could rely on Mr. Jarvis for any help. It doesn’t really matter, Lauren had thought. All those people will have a job no matter what, I’ll see to it. Just as they were about to sit down to lunch, Damon texted again.
Sorry I have to kick you before you’re ready to jump, but it’s for your own good. Congrats, CEO ;)
“What the hell is this supposed to mean?” she said passing the phone to Landon then Faith.
“CEO? Of StyleSpur?” said Faith.
“I have no idea...”
A moment later, another text came through with a direct link to another press release. As she started reading the first sentence, she didn’t realize she’d begun pacing around the room.
“The following is a press release announcing angel investment of $5 million US from Damon Kael Inc. to My Best Friend’s Closet.”
Lauren’s hands began to shake as she read further. Skimming the announcement, certain words popped off the screen. Innovative. Visionary. Trust-worthy.
“What is it? What does it say?” Landon said, suddenly at her side. She handed him the phone, smiling broadly.
“He just pledged five million bucks to our company...”
“You’re kidding me!” Faith squealed.
“Well, he didn’t but his company did. I can’t believe this is all happening.” Her ears were ringing faintly. She opened the French doors and stepped outside, the cool air clearing her head.
“Wren, this is incredible,” Landon said as he followed. “We couldn’t have asked for any better publicity.” He lifted her in a tight hug and spun her once, setting her down with a laugh. “You are so incredible. I can’t believe you pulled all this off.”
“I didn’t do this, though. This was all Damon,” she said shaking her head.
Landon lifted her chin, his brown eyes sparkling down at her in the autumn light. “You did this, Wren. You had the guts to get on that stage at Agitate, to start your own business, to take a chance with a complete stranger you met in California. None of this would’ve happened without you. You were given the opportunity and you made the decision.”
She blushed and kissed him swiftly. “I don’t know what to say to that. This is all just so unreal. Thank you.”
Faith called out from door, holding her hand over her phone. “Lauren, there’s a reporter from TechCrunch who wants to talk to you about your company.” Her smile was contagious.
“Can you take a message for me?” Lauren wanted nothing more than to crow about MyBFC and all her exciting plans for the future, but there were still a few loose ends she needed to take care of first.
15.
Saturday morning, Lauren trudged up the seemingly endless flights of stairs, coffees and muffins in hand. She knocked on Ali’s door and slumped against it. She could hear Ali stumbling out of bed and smiled to herself. I’m gonna miss this.
Ali opened the door and grunted. Half her face was still stained white from her geisha costume, hair sticking out in every direction.
Lauren pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. “I brought the breakfast, you provide the aspirin.”
“That was the deal. Get your butt in here. I can’t stay vertical for too long.”
“That was one hell of a party last night, huh? I’m really glad you were able to make it out last minute,” said Lauren. She handed Ali her coffee and curled up in the papasan chair.
“I’m mostly glad I made it too. Mostly. My head is absolutely killing me.”
“Your costume was pretty wicked. What party were you at when I called you?”
Ali waved her hand as she sipped her coffee. “Nevermind about all that. We didn’t get a chance to talk about all the craziness that’s happened to you. I’ve only caught bits and pieces of it online, as odd as that is to say.”
“God, yeah...” Lauren couldn’t believe everything that’d happened in the
past week. It was still so surreal. “I don’t even know where to start.”
“I actually saw a news clip about StyleSpur when I checked my email yesterday. It was a photo of a bunch of you standing outside your office all in costumes because you couldn’t get in or something? Looked fucking hilarious.”
Lauren laughed. “Actually, that was one of my favorites. It said something like, ‘StyleSpur employees get trick, no treat,’ right? Yeah, that was nuts. By the time I got to the office, there were a dozen people all standing around on the sidewalk not knowing what to do. Parker changed the locks at some point during the night Thursday so none of us could get in. That’s how they managed to get so many photos of us just standing around.”
“What a shit head...”
“Oh, I haven’t even started.”
After regaling her with the events back in Lake George, Lauren told her all about the meeting they’d arranged with Parker in the office. When she sheepishly told her the part about whacking him across the jaw, Ali cheered so loudly her neighbor banged on the wall. It felt almost therapeutic to spell out everything. With the dust settling, Lauren was able to piece together all the events and start to make sense of everything.
When Parker had left the office that day, he’d apparently headed straight to his apartment and attempted to delete all trace of the financial activity they’d exposed. The next day, CCTV cameras caught him leaving his yacht carrying two large duffel bags. Moments later, his boat was fully engulfed in flames that quickly spread to the neighboring vessels. He then had the locks changed on the StyleSpur offices before deciding it was time to leave town.
“They found his Porche wrapped around a tree just outside of Stamford. The police apparently picked him up, drunk, high, and extremely belligerent.”
“Sounds like Parker,” Ali nodded. “Talk about a complete meltdown.”
“Well, when we finally got into the office yesterday morning, there was a message from his father waiting for me. After a brief conversation, I think we managed to work out a deal where MyBFC would eventually come to absorb StyleSpur.”
“You’re fucking kidding me,” Ali shouted. Her neighbor banged on the wall again. “Oh fuck off, you old bag!” she yelled as she banged back. “This is huge.”
“He’s putting a temporary CEO in place until things can be finalized, but then I take over. I think he just sees it as a way to recoup his losses, you know? He’s put so much money into that company and after talking with Landon, I think he realizes this is pretty much his only choice.”
“So everyone gets to keep their jobs?”
“Everyone keeps their jobs,” Lauren said with a sigh of relief. None of it had sunk in yet. It was like it’d all happened to someone else and she’d just been witness to the unfolding.
“And you’re leaving next week?” Faith said with a pout.
“And I’m leaving next week.”
“Damnit, I was hoping I’d hallucinated that or something. I’m pretty sure I drank to forget that fact last night. I blame you for this hangover.”
“You can’t hold me entirely responsible. You were pretty drunk when you got there,” Lauren giggled. “You sure you don’t want to tell me what you were up to?”
“There’s no way in hell I’m wasting a minute of our time together on that shit, no way.” Ali placed her coffee on the floor and crawled into the papasan chair, interlacing her limbs around Lauren as the bamboo creaked beneath them. “Besides, you aren’t allowed to leave,” she said as she hugged Lauren.
Lauren sniffed back a few tears. “You know Llama, you could come with me.”
“You offering me a job?”
“No, but someplace to stay...”
Ali scowled. “I thought you and loverboy were going to live together.”
Lauren shrugged. “At first maybe, until I find a place of my own. I’m gonna be spending so much time with him at work and everything. I want to make sure we have clear divisions in our relationship. I’m afraid if we work together, those lines are going to blur.” She thought of Nick with a pang of regret. “I’m not going to make the same mistakes.”
“You’re serious? We’ve never lived together. I don’t know if you know this, but I can be kind of a slob.”
She looked around Ali’s apartment and snorted. “Nope, never noticed. So are you interested, roomie? Wanna try to make it out west with me?”
“Oh my God, I love you!” she cried pulling her into a bear hug. The papasan chair rocked and out they toppled, rolling on the wooden floor in a laughing pile.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Lauren said rubbing the back of her head.
16.
Seven weeks later...
Landon buried his face in her hair, his breath hot on her neck. He pressed his hard cock against her ass and purred her name.
“We have exactly fifteen minutes before we need to be up and getting ready to go.”
Lauren smiled to herself and groaned. Can’t let him have it so easily all the time, she thought. “Oh good, fifteen minutes more in bed. I’m so tired,” she said pulling the comforter over her head.
His lips found her earlobe, sending goosebumps across her body. “Are you sure you want to go back to sleep?” His hand glided over her bare skin, down her side and across the curve of her hip. Digging his fingers into her flesh, he pulled her close as he once again nestled his dick against her ass.
With a loud yawn, she reached for his hand and pulled it down between her legs. I have no control when it comes to this man. His fingers slid over her bare lips, still swollen and sensitive from their lovemaking the night before. Delving between, he moaned quietly as he found her growing wet.
“I promise, I’ll be quick,” his whispered into her ear.
“You really know what a girl wants,” she giggled, rolling to face him.
He kissed her while continuing to massage her below, his tongue and fingers probing and teasing. After nearly two months of constant sex, Landon knew how to play her body like an instrument. Within no time, she was flushed and pulling him on top of her. His cock slipped inside like it was returning home, their bodies moving and shifting in unison.
She buried her face in the crook of his neck, clinging to his back as he thrust inside. Half awake, Lauren was able to push aside all of the stress from work, moving, and the holidays. Her entire world shrank to what was happening between those silken sheets. The way her pussy stretched and ached with him inside. The delicate strength of his hands as he cupped her breasts. She focused on the sound of his breath, the low groans that came from both of their throats.
“I want to try something,” he said suddenly. “Put your legs together, like this.” Lauren obliged, unsure what he was going for. It was one of many great surprises she’d recently learned about Landon. He was adventurous in bed, always eager to try new things and bring her pleasure.
Spreading her thighs just wide enough to allow him entry, Landon placed his legs on either side and gently began to thrust. Instantly, she felt the difference. What the position lacked in depth, it more than made up for in sensation. The head of his cock teased the first few inches of her entrance while his body pressed nicely against her clit. Landon smiled as he saw her reaction.
“That good, huh?”
With rosy cheeks, Lauren nodded. “Fuck Landon, I’m already close.”
He growled and increased his pace, chest and arms muscles straining as he held himself above her. Almost without warning, a powerful orgasm whipped through her body. Only partially filled, her pussy contracted strongly around his cock, pulling a curse from his gritted teeth. Moments later, Landon shuddered and erupted inside her. Lauren felt a smaller orgasm pulse, the combination of his coming and the continued pressure on her clit triggered a rare multiple. He collapsed on top of her, cock only slipping out as he softened.
“You wreck me whenever you say my name like that,” he said breathlessly.
“Well, you have my permission to do that move whenever you want,” s
he grinned back. “Do I have enough time for a shower?”
Landon lifted his head and squinted at the clock across the room. “If you’re quick and there’s no traffic.”
“Oh don’t be dramatic. We aren’t cutting it that close.” She poked him in the side. “Come on, you’re heavy.”
“That’s nice,” he said rolling onto his side. “If everything you’re telling me about Christmas at your house is right, I’m gonna come back even heavier.”
Lauren walked naked to the dresser, pulling out the clothes she planned to wear on the plane. “Guaranteed. Mom’s already said she’s going to fatten you up. I think Dad even said something about tofu eating California hippies.”
“I eat meat!”
“Expect to prove it,” she replied with a wink. “Hungarians put meat in everything. I’ll be super quick, I promise.”
As the hot water beat down on her shoulders and neck, Lauren laughed to herself. If Landon is the love of my life, this shower comes a close second. She forced herself to hurry, knowing he wouldn’t calm down until they were through security. Just as she finished running shea butter conditioner through her dark hair, Landon shouted her name.
“I can’t hear you. Come in here.”
He whipped the bathroom door open with such force it sucked much of the steamy hot air out. “Hey! It’s freezing in here now. I’m gonna have to take longer now that I’m all chilled,” she joked.
“Wren, you’re Christmas present came early.” Her stomach dropped and she rolled her eyes.
Wiping the steam from the glass door so she could see him, she pouted. “We said we weren’t going to do anything for Christmas this year. You promised you wouldn’t buy me—” He stepped into the shower, face filled with excitement. “What? What is it?”
Playing with Power - Book 5: New Adult Office Romance Page 13
