At the breakfast table she toasted them bagels and spread them thickly with cream cheese. After she poured their coffee, she sat down alone. Though she made one for Bradley, she had gotten used to seeing his portion of breakfast grow cold. He didn’t like seeing her in the mornings. Of that she was certain.
The first bite of her bagel felt wrong in her mouth, but she fought through it to swallow. It hit her stomach like soggy crackers, and she fought the urge to vomit. Instead of eating, she began to tear the bagel into small shreds. Her nerves were eating at her. Not about the case, but about losing Bradley. A gentle hand on the back of her neck startled her, and she looked up to see Bradley staring down at her.
It was the first time he had touched her ever since they’d stopped talking, and his fingers still sent jolts of electricity running through her veins. She missed him so much. If only he would believe her when she said it over and over again.
“Don’t worry,” Bradley said softly, picking up the cup of coffee she had poured for him. “We have the case in the bag. We just have to avoid any nit picking and off the subject provocation, and you’ll be just fine. Today by noon you’ll be walking away with ten million dollars. You’ll never have to worry about finding a job again.”
He took a seat beside her like he used to, and took a bite of his bagel. “Mmm, raisin with extra cream cheese. Thank you for this.”
His soft demeanor helped Zoey relax a little, and after dipping the shredded bagel into her coffee cup, she was able to keep most of it down. After breakfast they got into Bradley’s car and drove towards her old office. The time had come for all of her present relationships to end.
~
Zoey saw the familiar faces gather around the conference table, each of them looking grumpy and uncomfortable. Of course she couldn’t blame them. A ten million dollar lawsuit would do that to a person.
Nathan, the head manager of the company cleared his throat and stood up. “Let’s get this over with shall we? I’ve prepared an opening statement in which I would like to read to Ms. France if that’s all right?” He asked, looking over to the mediator. The man nodded his head, and Nathan took out his cue cards.
“Ms. France, it is the wish of the company and myself that we offer our deepest apologies for the injustices that have occurred here in this office. We strive to provide a safe and healthy work place, but unbeknownst to us, we let a horrible man into our trust. Upon receiving your intent to sue, we quickly investigated the issue and demoted this man from his Human Resources position.
I would like the record to show that Mr. Zack Smith is the culprit in this situation and has gone illegally missing upon finding out that he could face potential jail time for his crimes against women. We hope that you will understand that if we were aware of these matters we would have stopped them long ago. It is our privilege to offer the opportunity to come work with our company as the Head of Human Resources at the salary of $100,000 per year, with the promise of a permanent position as long as the company exists, provided that you lower your asking fee to 1.5 million dollars.”
A murmur went through the small congress as everyone heard the offer. It was a tempting deal, one that neither of them was prepared for. If she took the job as Human Resource manager, she would be able to make sure that what had been done to her would never happen to another woman again. Zoey looked over at Bradley, wondering what to do.
“It’s a pretty amazing deal,” Bradley whispered. “But the decision is up to you. I’ll look over the paperwork of course, but assuming there’s no loopholes then you would still have a very comfortable living.”
Zoey knew she wanted the new offer as soon as she heard it; she just wanted Bradley’s nod approval before accepting it. She picked up her pen and wrote the words we’ll take it on her notepad. Bradley gave her a wink and stood up.
“As Ms. France’s lawyer I will be ironing out the final contract of this offer, but assuming that we can come to an agreement then we’ll take the tenured job and the reward of 1.5 million,” Bradley told the boardroom.
Stone faces turned into smiles as they heard the news, and Nathan came around the large conference table to shake both Bradley and Zoey’s hand. Thanks and congratulations were exchanged, and shortly after the meeting was over Bradley disappeared to iron things out with Bobby and Nathan.
CHAPTER 16
1 Month Later
Zoey walked a crying Katie out of her office and back to the young woman’s desk. Since Zoey had started as the new human resources manager, she had been affronted with way too many cases of sexual harassment by Zack. Some, she found out sadly, even occurred while they were dating. Since the man had practically vanished, there was nothing she could do to punish him. However, after delivering a satisfyingly terrifying presentation on sexual harassment in the work place, she was positive that if any thing happened, the employees would come to her for help, and she would deliver justice.
After the hearing Bradley was able to renegotiate the contract and get her a salary bump of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, along with four weeks of paid vacation a year. It was a nice little surprise, and Zoey was already planning her first vacation to the Bahamas for her Christmas present. Sadly, Bradley had remained true to his word, and after getting her the final documents to sign, she hadn’t heard or seen him again. Though she’d called and texted him many times, he never answered. It was something she didn’t want to accept, but after two weeks of radio silence, she finally backed down and stopped calling.
Once Zoey had Katie calmed down and ready to go back to work, she walked back to her office to grab her purse. It was a nice autumn day, and she had a reservation for one on the rooftop restaurant upstairs. She greeted the hostess with the smile and gave her her name.
“Very well, Ms. France. And your guest just got here a few minutes ago as well,” the young woman explained cheerfully. “He’s waiting for you at your table.”
“Guest? What guest?” Zoey asked, confused.
“We received a call from your secretary asking that the reservation be switched from one person to two,” the hostess explained.
Curious, Zoey followed her to the outdoor dining area. If it was Zack she swore she would throw him over the roof. Through the crowd she saw a familiar face, and her heart stopped.
“Is that my table?” Zoey asked, pointing towards Bradley.
“Yes ma’am.”
“Thank you, I’ll take it from here,” Zoey said, trying to start her heart again. Her legs felt wobbly as she approached the table. She had been sure that she wasn’t ever going to hear from him again, but here he was. On the table she saw a bouquet of lilies, her favorite flowers, and her eyes welled up with tears.
When he saw her Bradley stood up, his eyes full of vulnerability. He looked just as unsure as she felt, and she immediately wanted to comfort him. It felt like it took forever to make it to the table, but once she did, she only had one question in mind.
“What are you doing here?” She whispered.
“Asking for forgiveness,” Bradley answered. “I overreacted, I see that now, and I am so sorry that I did that, Zoey. But I was hurt. Please understand.”
“Of course I understand,” she told him, rushing into his arms. She didn’t want to play games, or pretend she had to think about it. She wanted it over and in their past. Their lips met together in a passionate kiss as they held each other tightly.
“Take me home,” she moaned.
~
Zoey’s hands ripped the shirt away from Bradley’s chest as soon as they were in his house. She didn’t care where they made love, but she wanted it to happen right then and there. Bradley smiled as he witnessed her aggression, and matched it by unzipping her dress and dragging it to the floor. She was never sexier in her black garter belt, stockings and matching brazier.
Groaning at the sight of her, Bradley pulled her into his chest, lifting up at her bottom so that he could hitch her legs around his waist. She went there obediently, and while
she held herself at his shoulders with one hand, her other one disappeared between their legs so that she could unfasten his pants. They fell freely to the floor, and in one swift motion he had her pinned to the wall and buried deep inside of her.
Zoey screamed in pleasure as Bradley filled her. It was a pleasure she thought she’d never feel again, and as they made love aggressively against the wall of the kitchen, her heart swelled with happiness. She never wanted to let him go again, and she vowed right then and there to make sure it didn’t happen.
“You’re mine,” Bradley moaned, picking up the pace of his thrusts. “Do you understand?”
“Yes!” Zoey screamed, in love with the way he talked to her. “I’m yours,” she panted, her orgasm quickly building. “Only yours.”
Bradley moaned in agreement and with one hand, freed her breasts from her brazier. His mouth quickly went to her left nipple and pulled the pink, turgid flesh between his teeth. The stimulation was just what Zoey needed to be pushed over the edge, and in seconds she was gushing her orgasm over Bradley.
Minutes later Bradley followed, his seed shooting hot and hard into her. For several minutes they simply held each other, trembling against the wall. It was only when Bradley’s arms began to give out that he finally let her feet touch the ground.
“I missed you,” he confessed, kissing her lips.
“I missed you too,” Zoey replied, her arms still wrapped around his neck.
With Bradley back in her life, and her job back in place, Zoey smiled as she realized that she won her case.
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