Bridesmaid for Hire

by Chance Carter

“Of course,” she replied smoothly, her tone impenetrable. “What are you working on?”

  “A new deal,” I replied, vaguely. “Well, an old one, but this time I’m going to make it happen.”

  “Sounds interesting,” she said, grinning. “Let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help.”

  “I will.”

  I nodded as she ducked back inside her office. I found my heart was thumping in my chest, almost dangerously fast for a man of my age. Jesus, I would need to work a little harder if just one mild conversation with her was enough to put me in this state.

  I sat down at my desk and focused. I had to go over our full history with the Masterson group and figure out what approaches worked best with them. Soon enough, I had completely lost myself in my work and had forgotten about everything else, even Mona.

  When I was confident in the best way to begin, I sent off an email and was surprised when I heard back within minutes from James Masterson himself, agreeing to speak with me later in the day.

  The rest of the afternoon sped by as I focused on my work, and it wasn’t until Mona stuck her head back out of her office with a panicked look on her face that I so much as looked up from my desk.

  “What’s up?” I asked, and a flash of amusement played on her face before she responded, as though what she had to say was pretty juicy.

  “There are two women downstairs waiting for you,” she announced. “Tracy Clements and Kyra Tan?”

  “Oh, fuck!”

  I got to my feet.

  “Didn’t you cancel all my appointments?”

  “I did,” she said. “Or at least, I tried to. Seems like Ms. Tan didn’t get the message, and Ms. Clements is here of her own accord.”

  “Fuck,” I muttered.

  Tracy and I had split up months before. Hell, we had hardly been in a relationship to begin with. What was she doing here?

  Kyra, I had planned to meet with around this time, but I was hoping to avoid that conversation. It was never fun cutting things off for good, even if I was pretty sure she knew it was for the best.

  “What do you want me to do?” she asked.

  I looked down at my papers. James was due to call any minute, so I couldn't go downstairs and give them the send off they both deserved.

  I knew Kyra would be furious with me if she thought I’d been seeing Tracy at the same time I’d been dating her. This had every chance of turning into a giant cluster fuck, and it was the last thing I needed on this particular Monday afternoon.

  “Stall them,” I said, getting to my feet. “If you can, get rid of them both, and make sure they don’t lay eyes on each other if at all possible.”

  She lingered for a moment, regarding me with a playful smirk. I think she knew exactly what was going on, and she had every intention of jibing me for it.

  I looked up at her expectantly, and she vanished back into the office for a moment before emerging with her jacket on.

  “I’m on my way,” she assured me, and a few seconds later, she was off toward the elevator. I hoped she could find a way to keep my exes at bay, if only for the time being.

  Chapter 7

  Mona

  Holy crap, how in the hell was I going to avert this crisis? My mind was racing as I hurried downstairs to intercept Kyra and Tracy, hoping to God all the while that they wouldn’t see each other.

  Then again, if they were both dating him, which it seemed like they were, and if they weren’t connected to any of his business ventures, then maybe he did his best to keep them apart. It’s possible they had never even met.

  I arrived at reception and laid eyes on both women. I could tell who they both were from a mile away, even though I’d never seen them before in my life.

  One stood tall in smart business wear, looking like she’d just strolled out of an office of her own. She must have been Kyra because she looked completely calm, as though she belonged there.

  The other was dressed expensively but casually, in sharp statement heels and a slouchy t-shirt that was obviously made to look less costly than it was.

  I looked back and forth between them, pausing for a moment as I came up with a plan. Then I straightened my back, took a deep breath, and walked straight up to Kyra.

  “Ms. Tan?” I greeted her, making sure my voice didn’t carry enough to alert the other woman.

  She looked up at me and smiled politely, obviously pissed she’d been kept waiting.

  “Yes, hello,” she nodded, reaching out to shake my hand and looking me up and down. “And you are…?”

  “Mr. Paulson’s new assistant,” I replied with a respectful nod. “I called you earlier, but you must not have received my message. Unfortunately, he’s been pulled away last-minute and won’t be able to meet with you today.”

  I saw the other woman looking over at the two of us, craning her neck as she tried to make out what I was saying. I deftly steered Kyra away from her and back toward the door. She reluctantly followed my lead, and I could tell she was put out.

  “Typical Oliver,” she said and rolled her eyes. “You tell him to call my office and reschedule, okay? I’m not trying to fix this up again.”

  “I’ll do that.” I bowed my head and peeked up as I watched her march angrily through the revolving door.

  With a relieved sigh, I turned to the other woman. This one could prove to be more difficult, considering she’d turned up out of nowhere. Who knew what her business was with Oliver?

  I beamed widely as I made my way across to her, but I could see her jaw was tense and tight as I got closer.

  “Who was that woman?” she asked, nodding toward the doors as I extended my hand to her.

  “A business partner of the company,” I replied smoothly. “She had to cancel an important meeting due to personal issues. What can I help you with?”

  “I want to see Oliver,” she demanded, planting her hands on her hips and looking down at me. She was at least a full foot taller and and that coupled with her bitter attitude was a little intimidating.

  “I’m afraid Mr. Paulson is out of the office today,” I responded with a polite smile, dropping my hand once I realized the chances of her actually taking it were slim. “Can I pass on a message for you?”

  “Give him this.”

  She fished around in her almost comically enormous purse and pressed a magazine firmly into my hand. I unfolded it, and it fell open to a page with a huge photo of her and Oliver engaged a tight embrace.

  I glanced at the page and back up to her, realizing I’d seen her before. Tracy was a socialite, a regular in the back pages of magazines just like this one.

  “I know he has contacts,” she said, tossing her hair over one shoulder. “I know he can take care of this. I don’t want to see any more pictures of the two of us anywhere, do you understand?”

  “I’ll pass on the message,” I promised, nodding and managing a tight smile, more for show than in kindness.

  “Thank you,” she sighed dramatically. Then, she turned on her heels and exited the lobby, her heels stabbing into the parquet tiling with every step.

  I waited for her to vanish onto the street, and then turned to head back to the elevator. My heartbeat slowed. That was easier than I thought it would be. The receptionist shot me a look, and the two of us shared a knowing smile as I pushed the button to call the elevator.

  It was over, thank goodness, and I was confident that I had dealt with it with grace and professionalism. They had both left the building, at least, and I managed to prevent any confrontation between the two of them. I felt like punching the air and cheering as the doors slid shut.

  I looked at the magazine in my hand as I was whisked upstairs and shook my head at the photograph. It must have been taken a few months earlier. His hair was definitely longer and looked as it had when I’d been researching him before starting at Artemis.

  They were holding hands, and he was holding his hand up to shield the glare of the cameras – in vain evidently.

 
Why was she so mad about this? What kind of relationship did they have? Did his exes and girlfriends make a habit of showing up at his work? I wasn’t sure I could take another encounter like that one.

  When I got back to the office Oliver was pacing back and forth on the carpet, agitated. He turned as soon as I walked in.

  “So, how did it go?” he asked, and I grinned at him, shaking my head in amusement at how desperate and nervous he was.

  “It went fine,” I assured him. “I sent them each on their way before they could have a turn in with each other, so you’re good.”

  “Thank God,” he said, shaking his head.

  I could see the color slowly returning to his cheeks. I observed him for a moment and felt something flutter in my chest.

  “When did you become such a playboy?” I teased lightly, knowing I was straying toward dangerous territory.

  “Hardly.”

  He rolled his eyes.

  “Do you know what Tracy was here for?”

  “Yeah.”

  I held out the magazine.

  “She wanted you to call the magazine and make sure they don’t publish any more pictures of the two of you together.”

  He opened the magazine, looked at the photo, brow furrowed, and then rolled his eyes.

  “How old are these photos, anyway?” he muttered, mostly to himself, and tossed it down on the table.

  “I’ll get it sorted.”

  “Good.”

  I nodded and felt a little punch of excitement in my stomach as I realized the victory I’d pulled off.

  “Is this something I’ll have to deal with often?” I asked as I made my way toward my own office. “Chasing off your girlfriends?”

  “They’re not my girlfriends,” he replied firmly. The look he gave me unleashed butterflies in my stomach. He wanted to be very clear in that regard, it seemed.

  “Whatever they are, shall I just set up barricades around the office?” I teased as I leaned in the doorway.

  He grinned.

  “It might be our safest bet,” he agreed, and suddenly, the sound of an incoming video call sprang to life on his laptop, drawing his attention away. “Sorry, I’ve got to take this…”

  “Of course, go ahead.”

  I ducked into my office and pulled the door shut behind me, an odd mix of emotions lingering in my chest.

  I was feeling a lot of things. The first was triumph – I’d pulled off a delicate operation, and hopefully, Oliver would remember that when it came to keeping me on or giving me some kind of promotion.

  But at the same time… those women. They’d been about as different from me as it was possible to be. Each of them was well-known in her admittedly very different field. They were impeccably groomed and incredibly gorgeous.

  Their images were seared into my brain. These were the kind of women I’d seen in magazines, who people followed in social media. I was just a college graduate in her first real job. I was hardly a success. I had only a fraction of the looks, the charm, or the money to compete with either one of them. If that was his type, then I didn’t stand a chance.

  I looked down at my nails, chipped and short, and clenched my fists to hide them. I was nothing more than a bit of fun to him, a harmless, office flirtation to pass the time until he could get out on the town with his fancy women again. How could I have thought for a second someone like him would go for someone as ordinary as me?

  I forced myself to get back to work and tried like hell to ignore the sound of his voice drifting through from the other room. He sounded excited, almost childlike, as he chatted away, and I wondered who he was charming, and to what end.

  I typed up a couple of emails, going as slowly as I could to avoid going and waited for the day to be over. I was disheartened by the encounter with his exes.

  If indeed they were exes and not current girlfriends. I couldn’t help but wonder if they were actually current lovers and he was just determined to keep them a secret.

  All I wanted was to go home, crack open a bottle of wine, and forget this whole day had ever happened.

  Chapter 8

  Oliver

  It was late in the day, around four, and it seemed like everything I’d been working on had suddenly come to an abrupt stop.

  I sighed and leaned back in my seat. I was pretty confident that my meeting with Masterson had gone well, even though I was a little flustered by the unexpected visits from Kyra and Tracy.

  What were the chances that both of them would show up here at the same time? At least they hadn’t bumped into each other. I knew Kyra would tear me a new one if she thought I had hooked up with someone else at the same time as her, and Tracy was probably coked out of her mind anyway.

  I was surprised Mona was able to get rid of them both so easily, and part of me wished I could have been there to witness it.

  I looked at the photo that had dragged Tracy all the way across town. It had been taken at least four months before, in the brief period when she and I were actually spending time together. I was really only hanging out with her because of her connections, and sure, we had a little fun, but I was sure it was all behind me.

  This photo wouldn’t exactly help my cause, and I didn’t want anyone I would be working with in the near future to come across it. I would call later. It wasn’t like they could un-print the magazine, anyway.

  I tried to determine which night it had been taken. I sighed and turned the magazine over, not wanting to be reminded of my evenings with Tracy. She hadn’t been a good partner for me.

  As for Kyra, the chemistry just wasn’t there. She was smart, beautiful, successful and charming, but we both came to the conclusion fairly early on that things weren’t going to progress between us. We had been on a handful of dates, and I had been avoiding actually putting an end to things. I was so bad at ending relationships. Such a coward.

  I glanced over at the office door, the one that separated Mona from me. Was she the reason I felt the need to sever these two relationships for good? Because that would be crazy. Nothing could happen between us, and if it did, I knew the entire office, especially Neil, would come down on me.

  It would be a pattern, the kind of behavior that could ruin my reputation in this business and I had worked too hard for too long to get to this point.

  Still, a man could dream. I tipped my head back in my seat and looked at the ceiling. Images of Mona danced in my memory. Her smile, her laugh, her beautiful eyes, her quiet confidence. And of course those delicious round tits that hid just beneath her tasteful silk blouses. I wanted to rip those blouses right off her chest, tearing all the buttons loose, and then planting my lips on her pert little nipples. I’d suck so hard she’d cry out!

  If I called her into the office right then, what would she do? She’d stand there obediently in the door, waiting for me to direct her one way or another. I’d look up at her, meet her gaze steadily, and she’d know at once what I was getting at and what I wanted from her.

  She’d make her way over to me slowly, and I’d get to my feet and close the distance between us, snaking my arms around her waist and pulling her close against my body. She’d look up at me, her eyes suddenly widening as she realized that it was finally happening. Then, our lips would touch and nothing in the world would matter but the feeling of her body against mine, her skin next to my own.

  I wouldn’t want to wait, sliding my hands down and lifting her off the ground before placing her carefully onto my desk. She’d wrap her legs around my waist, as if by instinct, and moan softly as I leaned in to kiss her once more. She’d just remember there were people in the offices around us, people who we didn’t want to know about our little encounter…

  I’d grind against her, already growing hard, and slide my hands up her body to cup her tits. She’d pull open her shirt, grabbing my hand and placing it against her bare breast, and I’d pinch the nipple between my fingers, making her squeal with pleasure. I’d run my lips up her neck, biting lightly on her ear to hear that
noise again, to coax it out of her.

  “Fuck me,” she’d gasp, and as much as I’d want to take my time and ease into this as slowly as I could, I wouldn’t be able to turn her down now that she’d brought it up.

  She’d be in that skirt of hers, the one that was just an inch or two too tight, and I’d push it up easily over her hips and yank down her panties in one swift motion. She’d already be soaking, her pussy glistening and tempting. In a flash, I’d be on my knees, inhaling the sweet fragrance of her juices. I’d put my lips on her glistening pussy and start making out with it as if I was kissing her mouth. I’d slide my tongue in and out of her pussy mouth, kissing her and stretching my tongue inside her as deep as it could go.

  I’d move my lips up to her clit and suck on the tender folds of her skin, licking and making out with her clit until I heard her moaning in pleasure.

  She’d tighten her thighs around my head and reach down and pull my face harder and tighter against her pussy.

  I’d drink up every drop of her juices

  Before letting her cum, I’d stop sucking and stand up to face her. I’d kiss her mouth, making sure she tasted herself on my lips.

  The thought made my cock throb and almost explode inside my pants!

  Then, I’d unbuckle my pants, taking my cock in my hand, and she’d moan softly as she parted her legs, throwing one leg up on my shoulder and shifting her hips up so I could push myself into her. I’d place myself against her slit and look her deep in the eyes as I thrust inside her in one swift motion, losing myself to the feeling of her warm, tight cunt around my cock.

  “Oh my God,” she cry.

  I’d thrust into her deeply, pushing myself as far into her pussy as I possibly could. The pleasure would almost overwhelm me.

  As I push in, deeper and deeper, I feel the pleasure build up to the point of no return. My cock would grow and swell, stretching to fill her, and just then, right as I’m so deep inside her that nothing will ever be able to pull me out …

  Knock, knock!

  Suddenly, the door opened, and I was yanked straight from my horny fantasy back into real life. I opened my eyes and looked up to see Mona looking back at me, a curious expression on her face.