“Wow, that impressive” Carrie replied
“Not as impressive as you” he said flashing her his most charming smile.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“Well, you’re one of the most successful women I know and from what I hear, you’re poised to make billions within the next five years.”
“Well, it’s mostly luck” she replied pushing a strand of hair behind her ear to reveal her neck.
“Well, whatever it is I think you’re pretty amazing” he said suddenly very aware of the paleness of her skin.
“I guess we both have our own specialties.” Something about the way she said that made him hesitate.
“Was this what you always wanted to do? Did you grow up envisioning yourself as the CEO of fashion companies?” he asked
“Well, when I was younger I always wanted to be in charge of something. I was popular but really I just wanted to be the leader” she replied “so in some ways I guess this is what I always wanted”
“I bet you have some pretty interesting stories about when you were younger?” he joked.
“You have no idea” she replied with a reminiscent smile “but I’d like to think I had an interesting childhood”
“I’d love to hear a few of those stories sometime” he said “that’s if you’re available”.
“Are you asking me out Malachi?”
The way she said his name made him want to do more than just try to seduce her.
“I can’t say the temptation isn’t there,” he said looking right into her eyes.
“What can you say?” she asked perching at the edge of her table and watching him.
“I can say that I find you to be extremely attractive.” Malachi replied. He walked over to where she sat perched at the edge of the desk.
“How forward!” she said licking her lips “I must warn you that you are speaking to your employer.”
He could tell she was aroused by the way her breathing picked up. Taking this as his cue, he tugged her off the desk and leaned in to kiss her.
“The closer I get to you, the more beautiful you are,” he said before lowering his head and kissing her. It was a soft tantalizing kiss that made him eager for more. She opened her lips ever so slightly giving him the access he wanted.
“I don’t think this is the best idea,” she said stepping back and turning away from him.
“I understand. I didn’t realize you were seeing someone” he said “my apologies”
“It’s not that” she said shaking her head “I just don’t think it would be the best of ideas”
Where she had been open and flirty a few minutes ago she was now guarded. He cursed himself for pushing himself on her. If there was one thing he had found out about her, it was that she needed to be handled with caution. Before he could apologize, her assistant opened the door.
“I know I said I’d do the two hours” she said when her assistant left “but there is an urgent matter which involves an investor so I’ll have to reschedule.” She said before standing and leaving.
***
“You did what!!”
Carrie held the phone away from her ear as her friend screamed into the receiver.
“I made out with Malachi in my conference room” she replied.
Mary - her best friend - burst out in uncontrollable laughter making Carrie more anxious than she had been before.
“So what was it like?” Mary asked, “did you enjoy it, it’s been so long since you kissed a man?”
Carrie now regretted that she ever told her friend what had happened. “It was different. I can’t remember the last time I kissed a guy and got so lost in it”
“If I can remember correctly, just last week you were telling me all about how you haven’t gotten over Alex, I guess that’s out of the way?” Mary teased
“Strangely enough he reminds me of Alex, I look at him sometimes and I can see Alex,” she told Mary. “They don’t look alike but the same arrogance and assertiveness that drew me to Alex is what I see in him”
“Then close your eyes.” Mary joked
“Come on Mary.” Carrie replied exasperated
“Think about it, Alex broke your heart, but that was on him. There will be men who have similarities to Alex but not all men are pigs. You won’t know that unless you give someone a try”
“What if I do give someone a try and it happens again?” Carrie asked, “How do I come back from that?”
“We cross that bridge when we get there” Mary told her “for now, date him. You never know”
“I’ll think about it” Carrie replied
***
“Are you free for a minute?’ came Jilan’s voice over the intercom
“Yes sure, what’s up?” she replied
“I have Malachi out here to see you”
“Send him in” Carrie replied feeling a bit nervous
A minute later Malachi walked in. Unlike previous meetings he was dressed in a polo t-shirt and jeans. He looked just as handsome as when he did wearing an expensive suit.
“Hi Malachi, what’s up?” she asked
“I just wanted to talk to you about an agency I have coming in tomorrow” he said walking toward her desk
“Oh, I got the file but I didn’t understand it fully” she replied ruffling through a few papers on her desk to find the folder he had sent.
“We can get you another copy?” Malachi replied.
“Yea, but I am headed home now as I have a dinner later on,” she said.
“Hmm. This is kind of urgent” she said “I wanted to go through the lineup with you.”
“I have an office at home; can we talk there?”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” he asked as she hurriedly packed a few things into her bag.
“Yeah, I do this sort of thing all the time when I have urgent meetings” she replied
“Alright” Malachi replied skeptically.
She looked over at Malachi and their eyes met; for a moment she thought if she had made a mistake inviting him home. She knew her attraction for him was dangerous but she had to stop hiding behind the walls she had built after Alex left.
They left the office soon after and arrived at her house half an hour later. Her house was expansive and she had originally bought it so that in the future she would have it to use when she started her family. There were times when she looked at it and wondered what she was thinking back then, but the house was her haven and it had been her favorite place to hide away over the years. They had decided to travel separately with Malachi following close behind in his car as she lead the way home.
When Carrie entered the house she was pleased at the scent of garlic bread coming from the kitchen.
“Do you want to eat something first?” she asked.
“Don’t you have a dinner soon?” Malachi replied grinning and following her into the kitchen.
“I got some time, and I am starving,” replied Carrie as she pulled out the garlic bread from the preheated oven.
“Are you from around here?” he asked.
“Oh no.” Carrie replied, “I’m from Ohio.”
“Really” he said “What part of Ohio?”
“Oberlin, it’s a tiny little town” Carrie replied
Malachi paused and looked over at her with piercing eyes.
“You grew up in Oberlin?” he asked
“Yes,” Carrie replied “all my life. My parents still live there with my two sisters”
Suddenly recognition hit him. He was sitting in the presence of the Carrie. The girl from middle school he had worshiped as a child, the girl he had loved and the girl who had heartlessly rejected him.
“You know about Oberlin?” she asked looking up from her dinner.
“Oh no, nothing like that. I just thought with your success you were surely form these parts.”
“Sadly no” she said “but I do owe my success to saving and investing while in college. That’s how I got the money to buy my fi
rst company”
“Interesting” replied Malachi.
As they made their way into her office a thousand thoughts were going through Malachi’s head. He had never been so confused in his life. Although he wasn’t the pimple-faced teen he had been when he had first approached her, he was shocked she hadn’t remembered him. He was cursing himself for not remembering her face well enough to know it had been her all along. He watched as she walked and couldn’t help the arousal he felt as her hips swayed from side to side. He opted to take a seat by the wall instead of directly in front of her desk. He needed to be away from her for a minute. He needed to clear his thoughts.
“Thanks for coming here” she said. “I know it might have been a bit inconvenient.”
“No it’s fine” he replied as he tried to contain his thoughts.
“So we should go over these items, then.”
“Yes, that would be best” Malachi replied
Instead on sitting behind the desk she pulled a chair over to the wall where he had decided to sit. She sat down revealing a slight split at the hem of her skirt that showcased just enough of her legs to have him on edge.
Malachi undid the button of his polo suddenly feeling a bit too hot.
“So this is the strategy he is projecting,” Malachi said trying to steer the conversation.
He paused as he realized she was taking off her jacket. She wore a thin satin camisole underneath and from the looks of it he was almost sure she had nothing under that.
“Oh, you don’t mind if I take my jacket off do you?” she asked before throwing it over the back of her chair.
“By all means” Malachi replied trying to keep his composure.
He tried to keep his eyes on the files before him but ever so often his eyes began drifting to her chest where he could see the faint lines of her nipples straining against her camisole.
“Malachi,” she said.
He looked up to find her watching him.
“Oh, I’m sorry. What were you saying?”
“I was about to show you the numbers,” she said reaching down to take a sheet of paper from the files she had placed in her lap.
As she tried to slide the document out, the folder fell to the ground. Reflexively he reached down to grab it and place it back on her leg. The contact between his hand and her skin was his undoing. He threw the paper to the ground and let his hand caress her exposed leg.
“You have no idea what you’re doing to me,” he said. Carrie bit her lip and placed her hand on his.
“I want to touch you everywhere” he slipped off his chair and came to kneel in front of her. He tugged her skirt upward revealing more and more of her pale skin as he did so.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said trailing the hem of her skirt with kisses.
He watched as her eyes grew wide and her breathing picked up.
“We shouldn’t be doing this,” she said. Carrie stood, and for a moment he thought she would tell him to leave.
Malachi took this as his cue and stood so that he was only inches away from her. He had been thinking about how much he wanted her and for a second he envisioned making love to the girl who had once rejected him as his ultimate revenge.
“Why does it matter?” he asked “we’re two consenting adults with no attachment and you have to admit, the attraction is potent”
“But I don’t know you” she said.
“I hardly know you” he said reaching up to touch her face “but I know the way you make me feel and I can see it in your eyes every time I touch you that you feel it too”
He kissed her then, pulling her closer and wrapping his hands around her. He could feel her surrender as she clung to him and returned the kiss with fervor. Tugging at her camisole he pulled it over her head and stood back to admire her.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said relishing how beautiful she was with her hair cascading over her shoulder and down her bare chest.
He walked her back until she was braced against the desk. Malachi was relishing this as more than an opportunity to sleep with a beautiful woman, but his mind was made up; Carrie’s body would both satisfy and avenge him.
“I want you right here, right now,” he said unzipping her skirt and pulling it down so she stood naked before him with nothing but her underwear on.
“I can’t be the only one who’s naked,” she said boldly tugging at his shirt. Malachi pulled it off as quickly as he could and just as quickly kicked off his jeans.
“Wow” she cooed as Malachi walked over to her and pushed her unto the desk. He spread her legs tugging at her underwear so he could get better access.
“I’ve been thinking about this since the first day I saw you” he said lowering he head and kissing her inner thigh.
Carrie flung her head back and moaned.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said making his way up her leg.
“Make love to me Malachi” she said
“First I need to taste you”. He didn’t hurry, but spent his time worshiping her until finally she crumbled to bits in his arms.
He didn’t give her time to recover and settled between her legs to enter her slowly. They both moaned as the sensation of their coupling burst through them.
“Oh my God” Malachi groaned thrusting forward. Carrie felt her restraint slipping as Malachi quickened the speed. She was almost at the edge when he pulled her off the desk and turned her around so she was facing away from him. Malachi took his time entering her and his slow pace was driving her crazy.
“I need you to go faster,” she said
Malachi wrapped his hand in her hair to secure her as he maintained his slow and relentless pace. Carrie felt herself nearing the edge and pushed back to meet his every thrusts. Before long Malachi seemed to lose control and his pace increased bringing them to the edge together. Carrie relished in the exhaustion she felt after their lovemaking.
“We should go up to my bedroom to get a shower,” she said
“We should” Malachi replied
He reached down to pick up his pants but she stopped him.
“I live alone” she said winking at him.
They made their way to her bedroom where they shared a shower. All the while Malachi struggled to deal with the fact that he had just had sex with a woman he had hated for years. He had no idea how it has escalated so quickly but he had no doubt that given another opportunity, he would have just as easily done it all over again. The only thing he could think of was how sweet his revenge had become.
***
Carrie was on a call when Malachi walked into her office holding a bouquet of flowers. She smiled at him knowing that he was up to something. They had been dating for almost a month now and she had never been happier. She wasn’t sure what it was but she was almost sure that she was in love.
“You work too hard” he whispered walking toward her desk.
She motioned for him to be quiet before ending the call and hanging up.
“You need a leash,” she teased
“I have one at home” he replied walking over to her desk and planting a kiss on her forehead.
“How is darling doing?” he asked
“Better now that you’re here to bother me” she joked.
“I have the final photos of the shoot you did last week,” he said handing her a folder. She flipped through it looking at how well they had turned out. These were the still for the ad campaign they had been working on. If all went well, they would have it published by the end of the month.
“These are amazing,” she said
“My thoughts exactly” Malachi replied “now I want to take my beautiful woman to lunch”
Carrie followed him to the lobby where he had parked his car at the front of their building.
“What do you have in mind?” she asked
“I have somewhere special I want to take you.”
“I hope you don’t plan on kidnapping me,” replied Carrie.
“Oh no, nothing like that.”
The drive was short but Carrie was shocked to see where he had taken her. They were parked outside a Trampomart. She looked over at him skeptically.
“What are we doing here?” she asked
“I thought you could use a break.”
“Here?” she asked gesturing to the brightly colored building that was mostly advertised for children.
“Uh, do you know a better place to get jumping?”
Carrie could tell he was laughing at her but she didn’t care.
“I’m not going in,” she said.
“You will go in” Malachi said “and we will enjoy ourselves”.
Carrie laughed at his commanding tone.
“Plus I have to introduce you to some old friends”
“Friends?” she asked skeptically.
“Yeah” Malachi replied, “My old colleagues are in town! You’ll love them.”
They made their way into the building and Carrie was surprised at how colorful it was. She had never been into this place before and had never seen the need to. As she walked along, she saw two men approaching them. One of them was just as tall as Malachi while the other was a bit taller. They were both handsome and well dressed in their suits and ties.
“He didn’t lie to you and tell you you’d have to jump into those trampoline pits did he?” the shorter of the two asked. “I’m Jessie by the way and this ogre over here is Adam”
Carrie laughed.
“Nice to meet you Jessie and Adam. In fact, he did threaten me” she said “should I be worried?’
“Oh no he would never do that to a pretty lady.” Adam said
“And this place has the best fried chicken in town” Malachi chimed in.
Carrie laughed as they made their way to the dining. She found herself seated between Jessie and Malachi. They ordered lunch and she opted to try the fried chicken Malachi was so fond of.
“So how did you meet that little limey bastard over there?” Jessi whispered as she bit down into a piece of chicken.
“Oh, he works with me at my company” she said
“Oh, he’s working for you huh. What’s a pretty girl like you doing working with a trouble maker like him?”
“Trouble maker? What are you talking about?” she said. “He’s almost completely transformed my business.”
Romance: Bad Boy Romance: The Billionaire Revenge (A Contemporary Multicultural Office Romance) Page 2