His Absolute Arrangement: A Scandalous Billionaire Love Story (Jessika, #1)

by du Lys, Cerys

  My orgasm peaked, higher, finding its apex, and then it slowly calmed, lowering and settling. Asher could have kept it heightened, I knew, but he slowed his pace and let me relax atop the table. My entire body felt soft and sleepy, but vibrant and alive, too. I felt like springtime, a flower waking up after winter and blossoming into beauty.

  Asher gently removed his fingers from inside of me, but he didn't let me go. His hand cupped my sex, keeping me warm and safe, holding me tight. He leaned forward and lifted himself onto the table, bringing his lips close to my ear.

  "When we first met," he said. "When we did this, I knew I shouldn't have. I'm sorry for that, Jessika. I let things get out of hand. I went too far, but I did stop before things went further."

  Somewhat dazed, but interested, I cocked my head to the side. "Hm?"

  "You were so erotic and wet. You moved and wiggled on the table. It was so sexual and arousing to me. It literally took every part of me to stop myself from ripping open my pants, pulling out my cock and fucking you right then and there. I wanted you so badly."

  "Did you really?" I asked, smiling at the thought. I remembered thinking I wanted him to do that, too. Would we both have regretted it if he did? Nothing was easy after that, and later things became even harder. I'm not sure what would have happened.

  "I did," he said, returning my smile. "Can I, now?"

  I laughed, some titter of a giggle. Was this real? "You're asking me if we can have sex after what you've just done?"

  "I want it to be special," he said, genuine. "I want it to be special, but I want it to be enjoyable, too. And I want more. This isn't just for us anymore. We can start a family together. We will.

  I wasn't on birth control. We'd been trying to have children for awhile now, but it never worked. It hadn't worked yet, at least. It was good, it was fun. I loved Asher. I enjoyed spending time with him, whether sexually or not.

  Maybe this was it. Here and now. Together, us, in his office. Not a mistake this time, nothing to worry about, no regrets.

  "Is it too early?" he asked. "I can wait if I have to. I know I said I couldn't wait before, and honestly it's difficult to think of waiting right now, but if I need to, I can. Tonight, or tomorrow, or however long. There's no reason for you to wait, though."

  "So I can have as many orgasms as I like, and you're just going to sit there, pants tight and uncomfortable, until I say so?" I asked, teasing.

  He grinned. "I'll do what I must. I might get a little more rough as my frustration builds up, though. Too much pent up energy, right? I may just be unable to stop giving you orgasms if I have to wait too long. I'm unsure how safe I'll be."

  I shook my head and smiled at him. "Asher, I don't want you to wait. I love how you make me feel, but I love how you feel inside of me, too. When we're together, really together. I love it so much." I kissed him. "It should be fine now, too. You can. It should be a good time." I was excited. This was exciting. We were going to try and have children, but it was more than that, too.

  Asher's grin turned into a wide smile. He nuzzled his cheek against me and lowered his lips to nip at my neck. I laughed and pressed my nose against him.

  "If we do it now, we're more likely to have a girl," I said. "Sort of. I'm guessing this won't be the only time we have sex in the next couple of days..."

  "I really hope not," Asher said, playful. "I'm hoping this isn't the only time we have sex today, if we're being open about it."

  We kept talking. Small, inconsequential things. We laughed. We kissed. I nearly forgot where we were, just laying atop the table in Asher's private meeting room within Landseer Tower. This wasn't proper business etiquette, but I didn't care and I doubted Asher did, either.

  I almost forgot about what had happened before with my office, too. The memory came back, though, some little nagging thought sneaking into my mind. Just as soon as it reappeared, Asher distracted me and it vanished. Rolling behind me, both of us laying on our sides, he whispered into my ear, then nibbled at my earlobe. I laughed and squirmed at his words and his playful nip. Then he entered me. Smooth and simple, slipping between my legs and filling me with his hardened cock. His erection spread my folds, leaving them kissing around his shaft, and he pushed in slowly yet steadily.

  I inhaled deeply and caught my breath. I wanted to fall; to fall against him, into him, onto him. We were teasing and playing with one another, but I hadn't expected him to do what he did so suddenly. Emotion and sensation cascaded into me, interrupting my thoughts and replacing them with something else entirely.

  I wanted this. I wanted more. I wanted everything. Not for me, but for us. Together. Asher and I as one, like this and like now, but for always, too.

  It sounded so simple in my head, so easy and right, but then why hadn't it happened yet? Why couldn't we have a family, why couldn't we join our lives in this new and exciting way.

  None of that worried me right now, though. It didn't matter, not yet, and I gave in to the rhythmic rocking of Asher's hips as he pushed into me and eased himself out of me over and over. My head rested on the side of one of his arms and his other hand lay against my stomach, holding me there and rubbing lightly against my belly button.

  I let him take me and I gave all of myself to him.

  ***

  Henry and the rest of the security team finished their sweep of my office. There wasn't much more they could do, but they assured me it was safe. They assured Asher, too. Multiple times. He wouldn't let them say it just once and needed two or three people to guarantee it.

  His caution and resolve made me smile. It was a little over the top, perhaps, but heartwarming, too.

  "I need to attend to some business," he said to me after the security team left. "Are you alright? You can use my office if you want, or if you need to, you can go home. I can have Jeremy come pick you up."

  "I'll be fine," I said. "I might go home, though. I can call Jeremy on my own, so don't worry about it. Please?"

  He nodded, but seemed reluctant to agree with me.

  What had really happened, though? Yes, someone broke into my office when I wasn't there, but I hadn't left the door locked, so it wasn't too difficult for them. And they'd messed up my things and written a hateful message, leaving it up on my laptop screen. These weren't nice things, but they weren't harmful, either. Not physically, at least.

  I tried to rationalize it more. I wanted to treat it similarly to how Asher seemed to treat everything. If it didn't hurt him, if it was just someone being rude and mean for their own sake, then what did it matter?

  Thinking that way helped somewhat, but it was still hard for me.

  Asher gave me a quick kiss, lingering until it almost turned into something more, then he stepped back. "If you need me, I'll be in the Miranda Conference Room. Just have them buzz you through, alright? I want to make sure you're safe."

  I nodded. "I will. If I need anything, but I don't think I will. I know you're worried, but I'm fine, Asher. Really. I promise."

  He smiled. "I am worried, but I'm sure you're right. I'll see you soon, alright? Don't forget we need to discuss important business matters a few hours before the celebration tonight, too?"

  "Oh?" I asked, coy. "We do?"

  He stared at me with predatory interest, practically growling my name. "Jessika, don't make me go find you once I get home. I expect you'll be in our bedroom."

  "Or else what?" I asked, grinning.

  "Or else a lot of things," he said. He snuck in for one final kiss, no lingering this time, and then left to attend his meeting.

  I sighed, watching him go. He seemed so confident and sure of himself in so many ways. Not too long ago we'd been half naked on his private meeting room table, finding comfort and pleasure in each other's bodies. Now he was dressed and I was dressed and he looked like the epitome of a powerful businessman once again. Crisp and clean, suit perfect, almost like some dashing spy in a movie about espionage and intrigue.

  That's how I always thought of Asher, too; h
e lived double lives in a way. One was with me, more passionate and intense and daring, while the other was here and in public, charismatic and smiling, but guarded and perceptive. He shifted from one to the other so easily that sometimes it caught me by surprise. I didn't know which was the real Asher, though in a lot of ways I thought they both were.

  I had my laptop now and most of my USB thumb drives, delivered to me by Henry, the head of security, so I could do more work again. I set everything up on Asher's desk, then sat in his chair and stared at the blank screen. My finger hovered over the button to turn my laptop on, but I couldn't quite bring myself to push it.

  Maybe I should go visit with Elise? Was she busy? I didn't know. She'd graduated from college recently and kept saying she wanted to get out there and begin her career or something. Except getting out there involved staying in her office or Lucent's office. And, yes, this involved work, I supposed, but our stories thus far weren't quite the highlight of anyone's year or anything.

  Hm... maybe we should plan a trip? For research? We could co-author something together, write something sweeping and on a grand scale. Something really exciting and interesting, with action and romance and mystery and suspense.

  It sounded like a good idea, but I knew writing wasn't that easy. It wasn't as if I could just tell myself that I wanted to write something with romance and action and then write it without thinking any more about it. It did help to just start instead of procrastinating, but if I wanted to write something really good, I needed to do at least some sort of planning first.

  We could do that, Elise and I. Maybe. I would discuss it with her. Not today, though. With Asher gone, with me being stuck in his office, quiet and alone, I was growing a little nervous and worried. Irrational, maybe, but I wanted to go home. I could still work from there, so it wasn't as if I was shirking my responsibilities.

  I closed my laptop and collected all of my things, putting them into my laptop bag. Grabbing my purse, I reached in and took out my phone, then dialed Jeremy's number.

  "Hey," he answered, picking up on the second ring. "What's up?"

  "Can you come get me?" I asked. "I'm at Landseer Tower."

  "Early day, huh?"

  "Something like that. I'll tell you about it on the ride home. It's been a little stressful."

  "Sure thing, boss lady," he said with a smile in his voice. "Don't you worry. We'll have you relaxed and back in the lap of luxury in no time."

  "Pft!" I said, rolling my eyes at the phone for all the good it did me.

  "What, you want to go to the guest house, instead? I don't know how to tell you this, but it's kind of fancy there, too."

  "Shut up," I said, laughing. "Let's get some lunch, too. Carry out?"

  "Yeah, sure. Give me ten or so. I'll text you when I'm out front."

  We hung up with each other and I checked to make sure I had everything. Ten minutes. If I wanted to, I could go check my office quickly. To... what? Make sure everything really was alright? It was locked now, gone through up and down, as safe as safe can be, cleaned up, organized, and not really exciting. It seemed distant in a way, though. I'd liked my office before, but it didn't seem like it was mine anymore. It was just a room in a building and nothing else.

  The thought made me sad, but I pushed past it. Why get upset over a room, Jessika? I tried to tell myself that, but it barely worked.

  Slipping the sling to my laptop bag over my shoulder along with my purse, I marched towards the door to Asher's office, steady and strong. At least I hoped I looked steady and strong, because I didn't quite feel it. I opened his door quietly, acting as if I might alert everyone to my presence if I moved too loudly. Clicking the lock button on the inside, I stepped out, then closed the door behind me. I double checked it to make sure it really was locked, then started walking towards the elevator.

  Everything was fine, I told myself. Nothing was wrong.

  ***

  Asher didn't want to tell Jessika, but the meeting in the Miranda Conference Room was about her. Or, not only about her, but the security and safe being of Landseer Tower and Landseer Enterprises.

  "I need guarantees," Asher said. "We need to make sure that there aren't any information leaks or potential for blocks in day to day operations. I think we all know why by now. I'm worried that something may be happening again."

  Johnson Frank, Asher's Director of Financial Affairs, cleared his throat to speak. "The Solomon Royce incident has been taken care of and nothing even remotely similar should be possible in the future. I've made sure that all aspects of finances are sent through a five-point system to ensure accuracy and control."

  "We had a system before that," Asher said. "It was supposed to be relatively failsafe, but obviously that didn't work out. This system is going fine now, but for how long?"

  "We perform audits, Asher. There's checks and balances in place. This has nothing to do with what happened today in Mrs. Landseer's office."

  Asher furrowed his brow. "I just don't understand. There's no way Solomon and Beatrice could have done what they did on their own. Beatrice never knew the full extent of it, either. So what happened, then?"

  "Beatrice says she didn't know anything besides the basics," Rob Preston said. "Don't you think it's a little careless to believe what she says? It's already come back to bite you in the past."

  Asher glared at his Director of Risk Assessment. "She's changed, Rob. She's a better person now."

  Rob shrugged. "If you say so. I understand not wanting to throw the baby out with the bath water, but I'm really reluctant to believe that someone can just change like that. She lied to you about everything. I know it was your life, Asher, and that's different than the business world, but do you really think you can trust a woman who literally tried to destroy you? She wanted to ruin Landseer Enterprises entire operation after liquidating her assets, then fucking you over with a reputation damaging divorce after your sham of a marriage. It's hard to hear, and I get that, but that's what happened. If there's something going on now, she could be in on it, too."

  "It's possible," Asher said, sucking air in through his teeth. "Fine. I admit it's possible. I don't believe it is, but there's a chance. Solomon would know more, but he's refusing to speak, too."

  Lucent Storme, Director of Public Relations, coughed. Everyone stopped speaking and turned to look at him. The scene almost made Asher laugh. It was inspiring—and somewhat scary—that Lucent had that effect on people. Yes, Asher was the CEO, but all of his directors were a lot more casual with him. No one was casual with Lucent.

  "If I may interject," Lucent said. "There's little logic in seeking answers outside of our immediate circle of influence. Most assuredly Solomon Royce knows more, as he appears to be the lynchpin of the plot to sabotage Landseer Enterprises, but as it is he has no direct access to the building, never will again, and shall be sitting within a prison cell for at least another decade, or likely much longer than that. He is a non-issue at this time. If there's a breach in security within Landseer Enterprises at this present moment, which we certainly have reason to believe is a factual representation of our situation, we should be seeking answers on a scope nearer to home."

  "And your suggestion is...?" Asher asked.

  "The most obvious course of action is to enhance surveillance and security systems. Unfortunately, one of the major drawbacks to increasing security to the degree that I feel is necessary in order to permanently impede any further issues is that the more laid back and casual attitude towards our corporate and business affairs will be culled along with a sense of freedom. The harsher we become in regards to safety, the less likely people are going to feel comfortable here, which will destroy a part of what makes Landseer Enterprises what it is."

  Johnson shrugged. "Do you want to make sure your billion dollar company doesn't become a zero dollar one, or do you want a few people to feel a little more comfortable at work? If you ask me, I'd rather have an extra ten grand in the bank every week if it meant I had to give up
dress-down Fridays."

  Lucent smiled amiably, resting his elbows on the table in front of him and steepling his fingers. He said nothing.

  "Landseer Enterprises is the company it is because of the way we've approached the business world," Asher said. "If we forsake that now, it doesn't matter how much money anything is worth, because we'll have changed. I'm all for positive change, and I understand that there's a lot of risks involved, but I don't want to destroy the atmosphere because of paranoia and resentment towards something we don't even know exists."

  Alice Hamilton, the Director of Information and Technology, sighed. "We can put some covert countermeasures into place without affecting too much in day to day affairs, I think. Security measures that people can't see, things that aren't obvious or obtrusive. It's definitely possible to do, and we can do it in a way that isn't noticeable if that's the way you want to go about it, Asher. Take the company laptops, for example. We can install an update that keys into all of the built in webcams and gives us eyes into everyone's office. It's basically the direct access into surveillance that anyone could want. There are already a handful of cameras throughout the halls and in other places, so what's a few more?"

  Most everyone nodded their agreement, except Lucent. Granted, Lucent usually didn't openly agree with anyone, so it was hard to tell what his stance was now. Asher put his hand on his forehead and squeezed his temples, closing his eyes.

  "Besides the fact that I'm fairly certain that's a huge invasion of privacy, especially considering many of our employees bring their laptops home from work, I don't see how that's going to help. When Solomon Royce enacted his plan, if we had eyes into his office, what would that have done? And how far is too far? The computers have microphones, as well, right? Do we tap into the cameras and the microphones? We already track email correspondence and internet usage, though for the most part we let people do what they'd like."