by J. S. Cooper
“Leo.” Hannah poked me in the side and whispered. “Rob’s asking you a question.”
“Sorry, what was that?” I looked up at Rob with a small smile.
“Would you like a coffee or any snacks? Amber’s going to go and get us something from the deli at the corner.”
“No, I’m good thanks.”
“Now you’re good?” Hannah shook her head. “How come you’re never good when I ask you?”
“Because it’s so infrequent that you ask.” I laughed as she glared at me.
“Whatever.” She turned to Amber. “Want me to come and help?”
“That’s be great.” Amber nodded and the two women walked off, leaving Rob and I to stare after them.
“She’s got an ass on her, doesn’t she.” Rob turned to me and licked his lips. “I’d love to smack that ass.”
“Excuse me?” I frowned.
“Your assistant. She has a pert ass.” He repeated. “I’d love to…”
“Don’t talk about Hannah like that.” I cut him off. “That’s extremely inappropriate.”
“I was just saying she’s hot. You’re lucky.”
“Rob, we came to talk about Martin Corp, not about my assistant.”
“If you want any sort of deal, I want a night with Hannah.” He turned to me with pursed lips. “For a conversation to even be initiated, I want to spend the night with her.”
“That’s not going to happen.” I shook my head.
“Then I suggest you go back to LA.” He shrugged.
“Are you joking?”
“I know you’re new to the business world son, but your dad isn’t King in New York. This is how we do business here.”
“How would Amber feel about you hooking up with Hannah?” I asked him, hoping to call his bluff.
“Oh Amber will be there.” He grinned. “Hannah would be for the both of us.” I stared at his smug smile for a couple of seconds and then slapped him across the face. I’m not going to lie, the thought of Hannah and Amber in a bed together turned me on, but the fact that Rob thought that he would be the one having the threesome disgusted me. He was a vile, vile man.
“What the fuck?” He gasped and rubbed his face.
“Don’t talk about Hannah like that.” I took a step towards him and narrowed my eyes. “If I hear you say anything like that again you will feel my fist against your face a lot harder next time. Also, I think it’s in your best interest to listen and talk to me. You might think you’re riding high in New York, but I’m here to tell you that I just purchased Herbal Distributors. And we will stop distributing your products if we don’t reach some sort of deal. I think you’ll find that you can’t afford a lull in the manufacturing cycle while you search for a new distributor of your beauty products. We both know it’s your beauty line that’s keeping Martin Corp afloat right now. So what’s it going to be? Do you want me to leave still or are you willing to talk?”
“You son of a bitch.” He stared at me with hatred in his eyes.
“Please don’t talk about my mother in that fashion.” I said calmly. “And do not even look at Hannah when she gets back.”
“I fucking own you punk.” Rob’s face grew purple with fury. “I will take your little upstart ass down.”
“I think you’ll find that I can buy your company several times over without even blinking.” I shrugged and turned around. “I was trying to help you, but I think I’d rather do business with someone else.”’ I walked towards the door and grinned as I heard him calling after me.
“Wait.” His voice sounded pissed, but he knew that he couldn’t afford for me to walk out the door. He’d played his cards way too soon and I knew I was going to win easily. And he’d given me the perfect reason to ensure he left the company as well.
“We’re back with the coffee’s and bagels.” Amber sashayed into the room and gave me a huge smile. “Here you go handsome.” She bent over to hand me my coffee and I got a view of her bright red bra.
“Thanks.” I nodded and smiled at her.
“You’re very welcome.” She grinned at me. “Let me know if you want anything else. I’d be happy to do my best to provide everything you need.” She winked at me and then walked over to hand Rob his coffee. I watched her walking away and smiled at the view her swinging hips was giving me.
“You’re a pig.” Hannah whispered in my ear as she sat next to me.
“Sorry what?” I glanced at the irritated look on her face. “What did I do now?”
“I saw you staring at her ass.”
“Who’s ass?” I took another sip of coffee, and smiled inwardly at the jealousy I heard in Hannah’s voice.
“You know who,” Hannah was annoyed. “She’s sleeping with Rob you know. She’s a prostitute, not even a real assistant.”
“She’s a prostitute?” My jaw dropped. That I hadn’t seen coming.
“Well, an escort.” Hannah mumbled. “He got her from some agency.”
“An escort agency or a temp agency?” I frowned. I knew that even Rob wouldn’t be so brazen as to bring a prostitute to work as his assistant.
“Who knows?” Hannah turned away. “She’s a slut.”
“Because she’s sleeping with him?”
“Because she’s sleeping with her boss so she can keep her job and get perks.” She muttered.
“So if you slept with me, would you consider yourself a slut?”
“I would never sleep with you, but no I wouldn’t be a slut.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’d be sleeping with you because I was attracted to you, not because I wanted you to give me money.”
“So you’re attracted to me?” I grinned.
“I didn’t say that.” She turned away from me and I laughed.
“Hey, stay away from Rob.” I whispered in her ear. “He’s a bit of a creep and I don’t want any trouble, okay?”
“What do you mean he’s a bit of a creep?” She frowned. “Or is that a way for me to not know too much about the deal?”
“What are you talking about Hannah?” I sighed, suddenly feeling annoyed again.
“I’m just your assistant and you want to make sure that everyone knows that you’re the only one with any knowledge or power. Now you want me to stay away from Rob, so I don’t have much access to the deal.” She jumped up and shook her head. “I don’t believe you. You’re such an asshole.” She walked away from me and over to Rob and I sighed. Why did women have to be so difficult? I didn’t understand it! I knew that if I had told her the real reason why I didn’t want her around him, she wouldn’t have believed me. I sighed as I watched her talking to him. I bet she had no idea that he was staring at her chest as he was talking back to her and not at her face. I was about to go over and join them when Amber came back over to me.
“So how are you liking the city?”
“It’s great.” I nodded and smiled into her big blue eyes. “Have you lived here long?”
“Who me?” She giggled. “I’m just a normal girl from the Midwest who came to the city after college to follow my dreams.”
“Oh?”
“I wanted to be an actress.” She tossed her blonde hair over her shoulders. “I was the star of all my high school plays. Everyone told me I’d make it. So I came here. Got some plastic surgery and went to audition after audition, but only scored a few roles.”
“Oh, so would I know any of them?”
“I doubt it.” She giggled and stuck her chest out.
“Why didn’t you go to Los Angeles if you wanted to be an actress?” I tried to see if Hannah was doing okay, but Amber blocked my view.
“I thought I’d do better in New York.” She pouted and pressed her breasts into my arm. “Though, I’d love to go to Los Angeles one day. That’s where you’re from right?”
“Yeah.” I nodded.
“I have a friend out there. We starred in a, uh, movie together.”
“What movie?”
“I don’t want t
o tell you.” She blushed and looked down. However, I could tell she wasn’t really embarrassed. I also knew why she’d never made it. She was a terrible actress.
“Oh okay.” I shrugged, not really caring.
“Okay, I’ll tell you.” Her hand rested on my thigh and she moved it up, terribly close to my groin. I shifted away from her uncomfortably. “It was called Wild Nights With The Buttman”.
“Sorry what?” I frowned. Had I heard her correctly?
“Wild Nights With The Buttman.” She said again. “It wasn’t a porn. It was an art-house movie. Yes, there was real sex, but we used condoms and it was in the name of art.”
“Uh okay, what was the movie about?”
“It was basically an introspection of this man’s life.”
“I’m assuming that man was the Buttman?” I tried not to laugh as she was talking about it so seriously.
“Yes!” She nodded. “It basically followed this very complicated character on his journey through life.”
“And let me guess, it focused on how much he liked, uh, butts?”
“Yes,” She grinned. “I guess you know these art-house movies.”
“Uh yeah.” I nodded. “So what was your role?”
“I was the girl in apartment eight,” Her eyes were wide. “He had a crush on me and finally we get together. It was a very intense role about what I meant to him.”
“Did you have many lines?”
“No.” She shook her head. “Just one. The director wanted to focus on the visuals of the scene more.”
“I see. So what was the line? Do you remember it?”
“It was fuck me harder.” She whispered into my ear and I could see a smile on her face. “I had to scream ‘fuck me harder’ as we had doggy style sex outside my front door.”
“Outside your front door?” I asked, trying not to laugh.
“Yes.” She paused. “I did it for the movie. I don’t normally sleep around. The director wanted to show how deeply Buttman loved butts that he had to have doggy style everywhere.”
“I see.” I nodded and tried not to roll my eyes. I wondered how many other women had fallen for this directors’ bullshit.
“So anyways, maybe tonight I can show you around the City?”
“Hmm, maybe.” I jumped up then as I saw Rob placing his hand on Hannah’s shoulder. “Excuse me.” I walked over to the other side of the room quickly and placed my hand on Hannah’s back. “Everything okay over here?”
“Of course.” Rob looked annoyed that he’d been interrupted but I could see thanks in Hannah’s eyes.
“Let’s get on with business then.” My voice was deep and no-nonsense. I was already ready to get out of there.
“I think Amber wants to show you something first.” Rob shook his head. “And I’d like to take Hannah to the top…” He licked his lips and looked down at Hannah’s breasts against and that’s when something in me snapped.
“I think not.” I grabbed Hannah’s hand and stared at Rob for a second. “We’re out of here, there will be no deal.”
“What?” He shrieked, looking panicked. “What are you talking about? You need this deal.”
“No, you need this deal.” I could feel anger surging through my bones as I walked towards the door, with Hannah by my side.
“I know you need this deal.” He shouted. “Your father will be pissed when he finds out you couldn’t make it work.”
“I’ll deal with him.” I shrugged. “I’m not going to let you talk to my assistant like that and I’m not going to let your assistant try and seduce me either. That’s not how I work. This is over.” I walked out of the door and slammed it shut after Hannah exited.
“What are you doing?” Her eyes were wide with shock. “Everyone is waiting on you to close this deal. You can’t just leave.”
“I can and I am. Let’s go.” I grabbed her hand again and we walked down the stairs together in silence and exited the building. “I tried to tell you to stay away from him.” I sighed as we walked down the busy streets. “I tried to tell you he was to be avoided, but no, you didn’t want to listen.” I sighed as I thought about the conversation I was going to have to have with my dad. He was going to be pissed.
“I’m sorry.” She squeezed my hand. “I should have listened to you.”
“Yes, you should have.”
“I didn’t know what you were talking about.”
“He wanted to have a threesome with you and Debbie Does Dallas.”
“What?” She frowned in confusion.
“Amber is a porn star.”
“What?” She screeched. “I told you she was a ho.”
“Yeah, well, you nearly became one as well.” I gave her a stern look. “If I hadn’t come and saved you, who knows what would have happened?”
“Thank you.” She said reluctantly. “I didn’t realize they were so creepy.”
“It’s fine.” I nodded. “I don’t think either one of us expected for the day to go like this.”
“So what do we do now?” She looked at me apprehensively. I knew she comprehended how big a deal it was that I’d walked out of the meeting.
“Well we spend the rest of the day and tomorrow in New York and then we go back to LA so I can face the music.”
“I’m sorry. You didn’t have to walk out because of me.”
“No, I wouldn’t want to do business with a man like that.” I looked her in the eyes. “I know I flirt with you and I know I’m not always appropriate, but I would never want you to feel uncomfortable. I hope you understand that. I hope you know your job isn’t predicated on sleeping with me.”
“I know that.” She smiled weakly. “I like our flirtations.” She admitted and blushed.
“Oh yeah?” I grinned at her. “Really?”
“Yeah.” She nodded. “I liked the texts and the emails and I don’t think my job is related to them in any way.”
“Good.” I grinned at her. “I’m glad to hear that.”
“Don’t let it go to your head though.”
“Of course not.” I paused. “Wait, which head do you mean?”
“Leo?” She groaned and I laughed loudly, suddenly feeling lighter.
“Come on, let’s go back to the hotel to change and then we can figure out what we want to do next. Okay?”
She looked at me with bright brown eyes and nodded slightly, a devious smile on her face. “Okay.” She answered slowly and I wondered what she had planned in that pretty little head of hers.
Chapter Eight
Hannah
“Red or pink?” I held up the lipsticks in my hands and stared at my reflection in the mirror as I waited for Lisa to respond.
“Depends on the look you want to go for?” She spoke into the phone in a mumbled tone.
“Are you eating?”
“Yeah. I got a pizza from Lucca’s.”
“Lisa, you’re meant to be saving money.”
“Dude, you can’t save money, when Lucca’s has such hot delivery men. Antonio came tonight.”
“Antonio?”
“You know the one: tall, bulky, black hair, blue eyes, fake Italian accent.”
“Oh Fakio.” I laughed.
“Yeah, Fakio.” She laughed back. “But tonight, I let him go by Antonio.” She sighed. “He’s just too hot.”
“Lisa, you’re man crazy.”
“I can’t be man crazy, if I have no man.” She responded back and laughed. “Now do you want my advice or not, slutty?”
“I’m not a slut.” I groaned.
“I know, but get used to being called one when people see you in that outfit.”
“Why did you have to choose the sluttiest one?” I sighed and stared at the top of my breasts. “You can see my panties when I bend over.”
“So, you’re a nurse.”
“What does being a slut have to do with being a nurse?”
“I don’t know.” She giggled. “But if anyone asks just say, take up your issues with Mt. Sin
ai hospital.”
“I’m not going to lie and say I work at Mt. Sinai.”
“You don’t have to say that specifically.” She exclaimed. “Whatever they infer from your statement is their problem.”
“Lisa, you’re an idiot. No one would believe that this is an official’s nurses’ outfit. Don’t they wear scrubs?”
“I have no idea what a nurse wears.” She laughed. “I’m sure the ones that want to date doctors wear the lower cut tops.”
“I doubt that very much.” I rolled my eyes. “But back to my question, red or pink?”
“Go red for full on slut, pink for good-girl gone slut.”
“Okay, I’ll do pink then.” I applied it to my lips and then brushed my hair again. I stared at my reflection again and groaned. “Do you think I’m making a mistake?”
“No.” Lisa’s voice rose. “I think it’s brilliant. Go in there. Give him a little tease as a ‘see what you’re missing and a thank you for saving me today’.”
“I guess. He’s going to think I’ve gone crazy.”
“He’s going to wish that he could save you every day. Shit, he might sign up to that geek hero patrol club and pretend to be a superhero so he can save you every day and get you to dress up as a hot nurse every night.”
“What nonsense are you talking about, Lisa?”
“Just make sure you hook me up when you get the black Amex. I want to be put on as an authorized user.”
“Yeah right.” I shook my head. “You know how bad you sound right?”
“I’m not asking for a condo in the Hollywood Hills or a Mercedes.”
“Lisa, I’m going now.”
“Tell me how it goes, okay.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Rock his world.” She giggled.