Starr Fated

by G E Griffin

  “If you thought I was being so unfair, you should have tried harder to convince me. You gave up so easily I didn't take you seriously. You should have had the courage of your convictions and stood up to me,” he insisted.

  “Oh come on, Liam. You wouldn’t have listened to me whatever I’d have said. No one ever bothers to try and stand up to you because it’s so fucking pointless.”

  “Seraphina stood up to me today at work. She had the guts to tell me I was wrong and forced me to consider other options. As I said earlier, maybe you should take a leaf out of her book. Maybe you should try working even half as hard as she does.”

  “What’s this? You’ve changed your bloody tune. As I recollect, you called her a ‘high maintenance difficult bitch’, but now you almost sound as if you approve of her. Not changing your mind about her are you? Is it because she’s really pretty and attractive? It’s a good job she’s not your type, or I’d almost be worried you were lining her up for your next fuck buddy.” I knew I was being totally ridiculous, but I was just lashing out at him. I didn't like what he was saying because he was making me feel guilty.

  “Now you’re being totally absurd. And as you’ve told me she’s a frigid virgin slash lesbian I still think you’re wasting your time with her. She didn't exactly seem enthusiastic about the prospect of spending the night with you, did she? If it turns out she is gay, you’re just going to have to cut your losses and move on aren’t you?”

  “I know. I’ve tried to be patient with her, knowing we’ve got this weekend together planned. I really don't think she’s gay, so I’ve just got to convince her of that, haven’t I?”

  My brother gave me a rather odd look – almost one of pity I think.

  “Look, I really have to get back to the office. Just to keep you in the picture, as Seraphina will be working for me from here for the next week or two, I expect I’ll be popping in to see how she’s getting on from time to time. And for what’s it’s worth, Jamie, I accept that I was wrong about the type of person your girlfriend is, and for that I apologise.”

  With that, The Big Guy turned on his heel and walked out.

  I just sat there gaping. Liam had just admitted he was wrong. Liam had just apologised. I couldn’t remember that happening before - ever.

  Chapter 11

  Seraphina

  We were fully booked and frantically busy at Cafe La Divina that evening, but even so I found it hard to switch my mind off from all my dealings with Liam this afternoon. I called him Sir, or Mr. Starr to his face, but in my head I thought of him as Liam – he’d started calling me Seraphina after all, much to my surprise.

  This time yesterday, who would possibly have predicted that I would have spent the afternoon with The Big Guy himself, going through all my designs to pick out his new corporate image? The miracle was that he actually liked my ideas, even though they incorporated the dreaded star element.

  Although he made an entirely unnecessary song and dance about my room being cold and insisted on a heater being brought in, I found Liam surprisingly easy to work with. He knew what he wanted. He was decisive. And once he realised that I did actually know what I was talking about, he listened to what I had to say and accepted my opinion. It made such a refreshing change from a lot of the people I’ve had to work in groups with at uni, who faff and dither and prevaricate and never actually get anything sorted or decided.

  But Liam just looked so out of place in my room as he could barely squeeze his large frame into the available space. I saw him looking round in horror at my room, but although at first sight it may have appeared untidy and disorganised, it really wasn’t, as I proved to him when I could instantly put my hand on each piece of work I needed to show him.

  But what I kept thinking about while I dashed about from table to table that evening, was the fact that for some reason working in such close proximity with Liam had literally made my skin tingle, my heart beat faster, and all sorts of shocking images run through my head in a most alarming way. I'd never experienced anything like it before. It was as if his presence had somehow switched on my sexual awareness. I was shocked, because part of me just wanted him to throw me on the bed, rip my clothes off and ravish me that afternoon in my room. I’d never felt this way about a guy before, and I found it very disturbing.

  But the rest of me, the sane part of me, totally rejected these thoughts. I didn't even really know the man, and the part of him that I did know, I strongly disliked. He was a user, a bad boy man-whore. He just liked to fuck a woman, nothing more. He had no interest whatsoever in romance, or love. He just used women to scratch his itch whenever he felt like it. Fine if you were the kind of female who was also into that kind of sex, but that certainly wasn’t me. I much preferred the kind, sensitive type, rather than big muscly alpha males who had to control and dominate everything and everyone.

  Jamie was so much more my type. Jamie. He’d been so great and patient with me while I was trying to sort out my doubts about my sexuality hadn’t he? Even so, I couldn’t deny the upcoming night away with him was playing on my mind, but I pushed my doubts away. It was time. I was ready. We got on together so well, after all. So surely I was finally ready to push all thoughts of being gay out of my head, to relax and enjoy a night of great sex with him.

  As usual, I spent most of the first part of my shift at the restaurant rushing round while ignoring the wandering hands and drunken offers from our male customers. Then at about nine thirty, Paolo the restaurant manager, called me over to take a phone call.

  “Don't be long, Sera. We’re far too busy for personal phone calls from boyfriends,” he lectured, as he handed me the phone. I frowned as I wondered why on earth Jamie would be calling here.

  “Hello?”

  “Seraphina. Liam Starr. I'm just calling to let you know that when the driver arrives to take you home at the end of your shift, it’s perfectly safe for you to accept a lift from him,” he said.

  “What driver? What are you talking about?”

  “His name is Greg Charles, of Churchill Chauffeur Services. I always ask for him whenever I need a driver. He’s completely trustworthy, and he’ll ensure you get home safely.”

  “But…I don't need a lift…I’ll walk or get the bus,” I protested.

  “No, you won't. I need you back safe and sound, ready to start working on my image relaunch first thing tomorrow morning. I’m putting a lot of faith in you, so I can't afford to run the risk of you getting mugged on your way home. You’re of no use to me if you’re lying unconscious in a hospital bed.”

  “This really isn’t necessary, Mr. Starr. I can look after myself…”

  “Greg will be there at the restaurant at ten thirty sharp, just in case you finish early. He’ll make himself known to you, and then he’ll wait until whatever time your shift finishes, ready to take you back. Oh, and I’ll be calling in sometime tomorrow morning to see how the designs are progressing. Goodnight, Seraphina.” Then he was gone, before I had the chance to argue any further.

  I stared in disbelief at the phone.

  “Sera! Come on, we’ve got orders ready to take out,” Paolo yelled at me, so I had to go. It seemed I’d just got my first taste of exactly how much of a control freak Liam was. In his eyes, I was his latest business acquisition that needed to be safeguarded, whether I liked it or not.

  Sure enough, at ten thirty on the dot, a big black guy wearing a very smart dark grey suit, complete with a cap, came into the restaurant and asked for me. Luckily things had calmed down by then, so Paolo didn't give me grief about having a visitor while I was working, he just made do with a black look instead.

  “Miss Jones? I’m Greg Charles, your driver and I’ll be waiting outside to take you home when you’re ready, as I think Mr. Starr explained to you?”

  “Look, there really is no need – I don't need a lift. I feel terrible keeping you hanging about, because I'm not sure what time we’ll be finishing up tonight. So you can just go, I won’t say anything.”

/>   Gregg stared at me solemnly with his deep brown eyes.

  “Are you trying to get me the sack, Miss Jones?”

  “What? No, of course not!”

  “Then I’ll be waiting outside.” He handed me a card. “Just call this number, and I’ll meet you at the door.”

  “Wouldn’t it be easier if you just waited here inside? It’s pretty chilly out there tonight,” I offered.

  “In this locality? I’d rather stay with my car, make sure it doesn't get vandalised, thank you all the same, Miss Jones,” He shook his head slightly in apparent disgust, then made his way out. I imagined he was more used to making pickups in far more salubrious areas than this part of London.

  However, despite my protests, I couldn’t deny that it was total bliss to be chauffeured home in luxury after such a busy day and hectic evening, as I was really tired when I finally left work just after midnight. And Greg was such a perfect gentleman, insisting on seeing me safely right into the house before he left.

  I set my alarm for six in the morning, before falling into bed exhausted, surrounded by images of Starr Capital Ventures.

  Maybe that explained why I had incredibly vivid dreams about Liam Starr that night. Erotic, explicit, hot, steamy dreams about having all kinds of wonderful sex with him. In my dreams, he totally dominated me. I could feel him possessing me, filling me, making me scream out his name as wave after wave of pleasure flooded through me. I woke up in a hot sweat, blaming the heater that Liam had insisted be left on to maintain the temperature, rather than dare to admit the sordid truth to myself. Liam Starr was surely the last man on earth that I should be lusting after. I wanted someone who would make sweet gentle love to me, not some bastard who liked kinky sex with big busty blondes. And as I was about the opposite of busty and blonde as you could find, it meant he certainly wouldn’t be interested in me in a million years. It was Jamie I should be dreaming about, not his big brother, I reminded myself.

  I never sleep very much when I have a project on the go, because my mind is always hyper active, filled with all sorts of ideas that have to be got down. So despite my late night and disturbed sleep, I was still up early to go for a run the next morning, before starting work again on my Starr Capital Ventures project.

  Chapter 12

  Liam

  I finally felt myself relax when I got the call from Greg to say he’d returned Seraphina back home safely, and that he’d followed my instructions to the letter to escort her door to door. Good, although I wasn’t happy at the late hour she’d got in from work. That was something I’d have to address with her. I was placing a lot of trust in this young girl to deliver the goods for the SCV revamp, which if she didn't get enough sleep could be a problem.

  I’d been tempted to cancel my plans for the evening and head on over to this Cafe La Divina where Seraphina worked to have a meal, and then escort her safely home myself. But in the end I’d organised Greg to collect her, safe in the knowledge that he was completely trustworthy from all the previous occasions I’d booked him from Churchill chauffeurs. So that meant I had the evening free to attend to more pressing needs.

  I really needed sex. My lack of a suitable partner had to be the logical explanation of why I’d found myself constantly thinking about Seraphina since I’d met her this morning. I’d imagined taking her the whole time we were working together. This was not customary behaviour for me. I don't normally suffer from constant erotic fantasies in the manner of a horny young teenager. I always manage my needs effectively to keep them firmly under control, so that I don't get distracted. While I'm working is not the appropriate time or place to be obsessively contemplating sex, other than the usual fleeting thoughts every normal male has.

  Yet as Seraphina sat next to me, I found myself having to resist a compulsion to rip open her blouse, so that I could get my hands on those tantalisingly pert breasts of hers. When she leant over her bed to reach some more of her work, I wanted to run my hands up those long luscious legs, and I fantasised about taking her from behind. Where was all this shit coming from? I'd never experienced such excessive uncontrolled feelings before, and it really rattled me. Of course I managed to resist all my urges to maintain a civilised front – just about.

  So in desperation that evening, as I hadn’t had a chance to set up anything with the blonde in the gym yet, I thought I’d call Kimberley to see if she was free, because she’d made it quite plain on numerous occasions that she’d be up for quick session if I ever felt the need. I even brought her number up on the screen of my phone, but I just couldn’t bring myself to actually go ahead and make the call. Suddenly it seemed sex with Kimberley held no appeal for me whatsoever. It wasn’t her I wanted sex with.

  How fucking annoying. I seemed to be developing an obsession with my brother’s virginal, possibly lesbian, issue laden, and very young girlfriend. It would soon pass though, I reassured myself, as I went for an extra swim and workout that evening. It was just the novelty of working in such an unusual environment – her bedroom – combined with my current celibate state.

  So tomorrow, I would only call in for a few minutes to assess her progress. I'd make sure all necessary channels of communication were available between us so that I didn't need to visit her in person in her room again. Out of sight would soon be out of mind. She was Jamie’s girlfriend. They would be spending the night together this weekend – that’s if she wasn’t gay.

  But that night I still dreamt of her screaming out my name, digging her nails in my back as I fucked her over and over again.

  ~*~

  I decided it would be best if I called in to see Seraphina on my way into the office, first thing in the morning, mainly because I wanted to make sure she was correctly prioritising her work for the day ahead. She needed to finalise the logo and create it in all the various required formats - both on line and printed versions, in all the different sizes and so forth.

  But calling in early would also make a point about her late night working - if she wasn’t up and about, it would prove my point that it wasn’t acceptable.

  I couldn’t deny that I was also impatient to call in because I couldn’t wait to see her again. But I ignored this. It was irrelevant.

  I let myself into the student house with the set of spare keys I remembered I had. I checked the kitchen first, but there was no one in there, so I made my way up to her room. Then it occurred to me that this could be a really bad idea, if Seraphina was still in bed. Maybe naked in bed - I groaned inwardly at this thought.

  “For fuck’s sake man, pull yourself together,” I told myself.

  I knocked on her door, but remained outside.

  “Seraphina, it’s Liam Starr. I’ve just called in on my way to the office. I’ll be down in the kitchen, so when you’re ready, I'd like a quick word, please.”

  “It’s okay, come on in,” she called back. I tentatively opened the door and looked in.

  She was sitting working at her desk, dressed casually in jeans and a baggy jumper, her dark curly hair loose and tumbling down her back – it looked slightly damp, so I guessed she’d probably just showered. She turned and looked at me, and I was mesmerised all over again by her bewitching green eyes with the long dark lashes. I also noticed her lips were a full cupid’s bow shape. So very kissable. And she had a sweet little button nose. I could have stared at her face all day, but I managed to tear my gaze away.

  “Mind your head,” she warned, as I entered the room. “I thought I'd make an early start before these workmen you’ve arranged turn up to disrupt things. And I’m guessing it’s okay for me to ignore your formal office dress code, seeing as I'm not actually in the office.”

  She’d noticed that I was staring at her, but she thought it was her clothes I was looking at, whereas I was actually picturing how she’d look without her clothes. I watched fascinated as she absent mindedly scooped her hair round and started plaiting it. When she’d finished, she fastened the long braid with a tie she had on her desk, and then careless
ly let it drop down her back. Such beautiful hair.

  “From the hour Gregg logged out on his time sheet last night, it seems you were pretty late back from the restaurant, weren’t you?” I stated, trying to steer my thoughts back to professional work matters.

  “No more so than usual. Oh, and thanks for arranging a lift back for me, but you know you really didn't need to. I can look after myself,” she scowled.

  “I just thought you might appreciate it. Would you really rather have walked back all that way by yourself, in the cold and dark, after working all day and then being on your feet all evening?” I raised my eyebrows in askance.

  “No, I suppose not. I don't mean to sound ungrateful, and I suppose it was very thoughtful of you. And Gregg was such a sweetie to see me right to the door,” she smiled. What a great smile. It lights up the room.

  “I want you to terminate your employment at the restaurant with immediate effect,” I stated. She opened her mouth to protest, but I held up my hand to stop her. “Let me continue. I need you to concentrate all your energies on this critical project for my company, which you can't do if you’re out working all hours at that restaurant. I’ve had a contract drawn up, backdated to when you first started at Starr Capital Ventures, which includes details of an appropriate level of remuneration, also backdated. So now you have no financial need to undertake any other employment, Seraphina. Just sign both copies, then I can take mine back to the office with me.”

  I walked over to her desk and threw down a copy of the contract I'd had HR hastily draw up for me late yesterday afternoon when I’d returned to the office after I'd left here.