“Yep, dirty pool rat, or should I say sexy sea minx? Your curls are bouncing everywhere, in all directions.”
She ran a hand through her hair. “What about you?”
“What about me?” Matthew approached.
“You looked like a ….”
“Come on Miss Magic with Words. What did I look like?”
Frightfully sexy was the first term which came through her mind. “Like a…starfish.”
“Nope. Not hairy enough, so I can’t be a starfish.”
“Coral, then. You looked like a piece of coral.”
“Too spiky,” he shook his head. “At least I know my underwater creatures. We should go diving some time.”
“Jellyfish.”
He laughed. “What am I going to do with you?” He raised his glass to her. Their gaze locked. She practically inhaled the drink.
“You’ve finished that.” He reached out, taking the empty champagne glass from her, setting it on the small side table next to the couch.
He sat down next to her. He was close, dangerously close. His fingers tucked a strand of hair behind her ears. His thumb glided along her chin, and over her lips. He leaned in, and kissed her. His mouth was hard on her lips, electricity coursing through her body like lightning hitting a tree.
In response, she leaned in very close, sliding her arms behind his neck, pulling him close. She kissed him, using her nerves to her advantage. Their kissing became very urgent and her hands were almost frantic as they ran down his back, feeling every sexy muscular vertebra. She nibbled his ear, kissing the lobe and his gorgeous neck. Then slowly, very provocatively, she kissed his neck, just above his shirt collar.
She ran her hands across his chest, unable to resist playing with the buttons. Tingles flew up her spine as he played with her dress, sliding the hem higher up her thigh. He kissed her harder, their mouths locking together as a firm hand circled her back.
He pulled her hips to face him, sliding her body on top of his lap.
She felt suddenly confident, caught in the moment, letting one thigh slide, slow, seductively over his legs. Her body faced him inwardly, where she straddled him, both legs astride as if riding him. She stared into his dazzling blue eyes. She leaned into his chest, feeling his groin solid against her.
With a shaking hand, she slowly undid the top button of his shirt. It wasn't like she hadn't seen him shirtless before. She began to explore his chest, and resisted ripping the shirt off him immediately.
He sat straight in the sofa, arms encircling her waist, pulling her close to his hardness, moaning slightly as she pressed against him.
The hem of her dress slid to the top of her thighs. His fingertips traced the curve of her leg, to the top of her knee. He pushed her dress up, exposing her underwear. He traced the elastic band, following it around her thigh and ran a finger between her legs. Only the thin fabric of her underwear separated their skin from touching. She was so thankful she was wearing silk knickers rather than her usual old cotton ones.
“Did you want to go into the other room?” he whispered.
She nodded, almost unable to speak, and he lifted her up and onto her feet.
He took her hand, guiding her round his apartment, from the lounge down the hall to his big master bedroom. She couldn’t focus on the surroundings, only him as he urged her toward the bed in the middle of the room.
She felt his strong hands on her shoulders, spinning her around to face him. He became focused on her dress, pushing the straps from her shoulders. Letting them fall. He kissed her bare shoulders and then in one swoop he pulled the dress over her head.
She lay there, almost bare, almost naked. Her chest suddenly felt tight. He crawled above her, looking down from all fours, staring into her face.
“Sophie,” he murmured. She could hear his breathing, see his chest rising and falling. His hand ran up and down her body and she arched her back, aching for him, reaching for his trousers, undoing the button, sliding down the fly. Her hand touched the fabric of his underwear, finding his hardness.
She wanted him desperately. More than anything now.
“I haven’t been with anyone since….” He gulped, not finishing the sentence.
Since Rebecca. With sudden clarity, Sophie wondered whether he was still too wounded, whether this was all a mistake, whether she should stop.
“Are you alright? Are you okay with this?” he asked, pausing for her to respond, his fingers circling a curl in her hair, finding the back of her neck.
She kissed him in response, her hands suddenly urgently pulling his trousers off. She wanted him in his underwear too. No. She wanted him naked, making love to her.
She cast the trousers to the ground. He straddled her, pressing his groin against her.
Excitement seared through her as he dropped his head to kiss the elastic band of her knickers.
His mouth climbed up her stomach, a ladder of kisses finishing between her breasts. His mouth came down, circling over her nipples. “You’re so beautiful.”
Sophie let out a gasp, her hand running over his back, pulling him tight against her, loving the effect she had on him.
She slid her hands down over his back. There was not an ounce of fat on his toned body. Her hand moved lower, lower, beneath his underwear, peeling them off. Feeling his exquisite body.
“I’ve liked you for such a long time,” he said, as he kissed her. Urgently he pulled her underwear off.
They were both naked and he was panting hard as she began to guide him to where she wanted him.
“You’re so beautiful, Rebecca,” he said.
Sophie flinched at the name. She sat up quickly, clarity washing over her like a splash of cold water. Did he just call her Rebecca? God, did he even realise he’d done it?
She couldn’t get involved with someone who called her by his deceased girlfriend’s name. He was still grieving. He was still in love with someone. Someone else. He was not even close to being ready.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, pulling her close.
She gulped, wishing it was her that he wanted and not Rebecca. The disappointment washed over her body. Should she tell him what he had just called her?
“I think we’re going a little bit fast,” she said, putting a firm hand on his chest, pushing him away. She felt her heart constrict. Sadness found every corner of her body. Disappointment stifled her. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
He was breathing quickly. “Oh God, I’m sorry.”
“Um..., are you ready for this?” she said in the quietest voice. “I know you were engaged beforehand.”
“I did something wrong, didn’t I?” Her heart lurched at the pain in his voice. “I really like you,” he said, his hand brushing a strand of her hair from her forehead.
“I really like you, too. But…” She wiped the sweat from her brow. She had to explain, provide him with a reason. “But my name’s Sophie.”
“I know,” he said, kissing her forehead, her nose, and her lips. Her body betrayed her, as she felt her lips part. With an effort she pushed him away. “You called me Rebecca.”
There was a long pause.
“Oh shit, I didn’t?” He sat up. Sophie could almost see him collapsing into himself.
She nodded. “Maybe it’s better to keep our relationship simple. Friends. I mean, we could really complicate things. We almost did.”
She jumped out of the bed, practically flinging herself off the mattress. With haste she pulled her clothes on. Hot, silent tears raced down her face. She wiped them away. He didn’t need to see that. He was the one who was grieving, she didn’t need to lump her disappointment onto him too. Thankfully there were no lights on and it was dark. He wouldn’t see her cry.
She heard him move off the bed.
“Look, I think maybe I should go,” she said, not daring a glance at him. She ran from his bedroom, and through his apartment hoping he wouldn’t follow.
She was lucky. He didn’t.
But one thing was certain;
she could never compete with a ghost.
Chapter 24
Sophie didn’t know how to handle a client with whom she’d almost slept with. Twice. How should she act now that he’d seen her naked after an adventurous skinny dipping session? And in his bedroom where she’d been naked and so had he?
He’d seen everything. So had she. Matthew, of course, was quite well endowed in that department.
What could she say since fleeing from his apartment? He was still in love with someone else. She couldn’t possibly ever compete with a ghost. A girl he obviously had loved and still loved. She felt sorry for him, she really did. But Sophie also needed to protect herself, her heart, because she was the only one who was going to get hurt.
He’d thought she was Rebecca.
He was never going to fall in love with her, never see her for who she was, for when he was with her he’d imagined someone else.
Now, how did she communicate professionally? Be polite? Take his calls? Pretend nothing had happened? Pretend the barrier between consultant and client had always existed?
Then there was the series of text messages which she needed to respond to. Her mobile phone kept beeping to signify a new message. With each beep her heart would lurch and practically fly out of her chest. Panic consumed her. What could he possibly want from her now? He loved someone else. That much was clear.
She could only imagine his texts, filled with words in his taunting, joking manner. Without looking at any of his text messages, Sophie turned her phone off. A temporary solution and certainly not a solution that would last forever.
And what should she do about the emails? He’d sent five. Perhaps she should consider opening them? Although she was trying to let the mortification settle. Were the emails incriminating in content? What if the man from the Information Technology department was able to read them?
Now all Matthew’s emails would need her personal screening. She couldn’t simply forward his emails, unopened and unchecked straight to Jessica to deal with. There was no possible way to explain to Jessica that she’d had a minor indiscretion with her major client. And Jessica was only admin support anyway, so it wasn’t like she could answer all his queries.
One thing was certain. She couldn’t ignore him professionally – forever. Maybe she could leave the emails for a few days, until the vivid thoughts settled down. But someone would have to finish off the work left on the Silver account. That person couldn’t be Sophie.
There was still one full day scheduled for the Brighton filming to finish the dreaded ‘Skinny Dipping’ commercial. God, how could she even bear to watch the making of the ‘Skinny Dipping’ commercial or even look at any of the material from the campaign, when all she could think of was skinny dipping with Matthew.
The owner of the Silver Swimming Centre certainly wasn’t afraid to live up to his promises – she now knew – first hand. And she obviously wasn’t afraid to stand behind her campaigns and that had been proved twice, first with the ‘Swimming is for Living’ campaign and now with the ‘Skinny Dipping’ concept. But if anyone found out, she’d become a professional joke.
She looked at Jessica. Reliable, keen, Jessica. She would help. Jessica certainly had the capability to be the point of contact for Matthew. Sophie could push the client relationship to the side – to help Jessica grow in the career she very much wanted. That’s what she would do. That’s how she’d deal with Matthew for the moment.
“It would be excellent experience in project management. You’ll get one day of running the whole show when you’re in Brighton.”
“Are you sure, Sophie?” Jessica asked. “I mean, you’ve done the rest of the work. We’re almost finished. Why now?”
“The real question is why not now? You’ve met the client already. You know the team because you were at the filming at the Highbury Aquatic Centre. That went very well, wouldn’t you say? You even know what we’re trying to achieve for the entire campaign. You’ve never been in a better position to gain some real practical experience in project management and client relations.”
“Only if you’re sure,” Jessica said. “I’ll try my best to keep the client happy.”
“Bradley keeps insisting that my time is better spent developing new business, and this project is almost complete. I can’t possibly go to Brighton and do everything I need to do while bringing in new work. Besides, I’ve got that meeting with Bradley. That one you set up with the weird subject…Chanel?” Sophie was a little perplexed as she examined her electronic calendar.
Jessica’s face flushed a deep scarlet. “Chanel. The perfume. Whoops you weren’t supposed to see that. That was a reminder for me. I’ve been so busy lately I must have made a mistake.”
Sophie eyed Jessica curiously. “Thanks so much for handling so much admin support while my dad’s been ill. I really appreciate it.”
“Soph, it’s the least we can do, you always help me out.”
“So what do you know about Chanel?” Sophie demanded.
Jessica leaned over, very close to Sophie, so no one else in the office could hear. “I don’t want to lose my job, but Bradley asked me to buy you some Chanel Number 5 perfume. It’s got to mean something. Maybe he’s sorry for taking you off Barney’s Chocolate Bars? Everyone knows how upset you were. Especially after all the work you’d done and how good your campaign was to start with. Then Kelly went and botched it all up anyway. I’m guessing you heard about her absolutely disastrous pitch. He’s probably scared of losing you. So Bradley asked me to make a Dorchester booking and buy you a bottle of Chanel. I guess he’s trying to patch things up with his favourite girl….”
Sophie examined Jessica’s earnest face. Yes, maybe that was it. Bradley was feeling uncomfortable about having taken her off the pitch she’d worked so hard on. Then they’d lost the client completely. Tom Johnson hadn’t liked Kelly’s idea at all. He’d wanted what he’d discussed with Sophie, and was furious at the firm for taking Sophie off the account.
“Okay, maybe that’s what it’s all about. But it is odd.” Sophie sighed. “Jess, let’s just focus on Brighton. You’re the person who’s got to be one-hundred percent in control. You’ve got to keep Desmond in line and everyone on schedule. You’re the boss when you’re out there.”
“Yes,” Jessica said brightly and puffed out her chest. “I like the sound of that.”
“What will you do if someone doesn’t turn up?”
“Ask you?” Jessica replied.
“But I’m not going to be there,” Sophie reminded.
“I’ll use my initiative. Think of a solution. Check it with the client, if deemed necessary.”
“Good. You can handle it, and since my expertise is better used somewhere else rather than micromanaging, I’m positive you’ll handle it. I trust you, I trust Carol to perform and I trust Desmond to make an excellent commercial. You’re like the dream team for a day of shooting.”
Jessica laughed. “Thanks, Soph, that’s quite a compliment coming from you. I’m part of the ‘dream team’. I love it.”
“And you’ve got all the plans worked out for the wrap party. Everyone’s been invited then?”
“Yes. The boat’s booked. I double- and triple-checked. By the way, thanks. Thanks Soph for this chance, I’m just the group secretary and a personal assistant. This experience means so much to me.”
“I’ll put in a recommendation if you ever need it. You’ve almost finished university, and Clarks shouldn’t lose you to another firm. You’re much more valuable than a group secretary.”
***
The next day while Jessica led the Brighton filming to complete the ‘Skinny Dipping’ commercial, Sophie jumped into a taxi to The Dorchester. The conversation with Jessica kept revolving in her head. Something didn’t quite make sense. Bradley wasn’t the type of boss who bought his staff their favorite perfume.
Think. Sophie think.
She jumped out of the taxi. There was something in the back of her mind. Something felt unset
tling. But what? The doorman practically genuflected as she entered the hotel. The scent of fresh flowers floated around the room, a sickly sweet sent which made her feel even more uneasy. Something is wrong.
The receptionist glided over to her, recognising the awe on her face, as she looked at the patterned carpet, the grand sweeping staircase, and the glamorous women wearing jaw-dropping jewels. She was escorted to the main restaurant and introduced to the maitre d’.
“I have a reservation under the name of Bradley Clark. Has he arrived yet?”
“Yes, there’s a table booked for two.” A table for two. When was the last time Bradley had asked her to lunch? Or asked any of his staff to lunch….
“Yes, that’s right.” Taking a large breath, trying to settle her apprehension Sophie followed the maitre d’.
She was suddenly very nervous. The type of nervousness which formed in her chest and made her legs feel like they wouldn’t respond. Why did Bradley want to see her for lunch? Was it really because he thought she did amazing work? Was it really to make amends because he’d thrown her off the pitch for Barney’s Chocolate Bars? Would Bradley really ever appreciate her efforts? Her long hours? The way she loved her job?
Sophie was led to a table next with a spectacular view overlooking the garden.
Bradley was already seated and smiled upon noticing her. “Sophie, glad you came. I was getting worried.”
A different waiter, wearing black and white, appeared almost like an apparition. He pulled a seat out from the table, and helped her sit down. Then just as he’d appeared, he disappeared somewhere into the folds of the restaurant, as if by magic.
Sophie settled herself into her seat, and then noticed something sitting on the empty plate in front of her. A bag of Chanel – just like Jessica had mentioned. “I wouldn’t miss coming to lunch at The Dorchester.” She noticed Bradley eyeing her carefully, and he nodded that she should open the bag. A look of amusement flashed across his face as she opened the package up in haste.
“You know this is my favorite perfume,” she said, feigning surprise.
Skinny Dipping (Skinny Sagas) Page 24