by K. K. Hendin
Make sex so good he’ll find it hard to feel bad about cheating. One of Cedar’s rules for life.
For Ellis, it was followed up by, “and make sure you see him again soon enough that he doesn’t go calling and confessing to the girlfriend yet.” Oh, he wasn’t going to drop that girlfriend of his until Cedar was good and ready for that to happen. And one angry fuck was not grounds for dumping your girlfriend.
But damn, it had been a good angry fuck.
Cedar leaned back in the tub and sighed happily. So he was stressed out about trying to juggle everything. He was stressed out because Morris hadn’t filled him in on everything and he got a little nervous going to social events. He was stressed out about his girlfriend, and probably about a few other things, too.
If there were ever anything better than a vulnerable guy, Cedar hadn’t come across it yet. Vulnerability was just an enormous flashing arrow pointing at his self-doubts and shouting “Find me! Find me! Use me against him!” Vulnerability was his lovely, bloodied heart walking into a circle of vultures. There was no way he was going to make it out alive.
Good.
Cecil was lying next to Robert when his phone buzzed. “Ugh, I don’t want to have to get this,” he moaned to Robert.
“So just don’t, and call her back tomorrow.”
“Are you out of your fucking mind?” Cecil asked, unlocking his phone. “Oh, good, just an email. Okay, manageable.”
“Can’t it wait until tomorrow?”
“If it could wait until tomorrow she wouldn’t tell me about it until tomorrow.” Cecil’s fingers flew across his keyboard. “Your boss is in for quite surprise,” he said, pressing send.
“What are you talking about?” Robert’s eyes widened. “Fuck, what did she do to him?”
“Nothing you need to worry about,” Cecil said, reaching over and patting Robert’s ass. “You’ll find out tomorrow.”
“So, I heard from the grapevine that Ellis is totally into that little package from this morning,” Cecil said later that day.
“And who’s the grapevine?” Cedar asked, not even looking up from her binder.
“Oh, nobody in specific.”
“I thought you were fucking the mayor’s assistant,” Cedar said, highlighting something in the binder.
“Well, I was.”
“Was or am?”
Cecil laughed. “Whatever.”
Cedar rolled her eyes. “No STDs in my office. Now, who are you fucking in Ellis’s office?”
“Robert.”
“His secretary?”
Cecil smiled, smug. “Yeah.”
“Just be careful,” Cedar said.
“Aw, thanks.”
“If anyone finds out that you’re fucking either of them, let alone both of them, you’re done here, Cecil. Is that clear?”
Cecil gulped. “Of course, Cedar.”
“Okay, now tell me everything he said in that conversation,” Cedar said, opening up a blank Word document on her computer.
“It’s this serious, huh?” Cecil asked, taking a look at the computer.
Cedar’s eyebrows snapped together. “Did you think I was kidding?”
“Sorry.”
“You should know better than asking things like that. The sex couldn’t possibly have been that good.”
Cecil shrugged. “It was pretty damn mind blowing, actually.”
“Don’t want to know, don’t care.”
“Sorry,” said Cecil, looking anything but sorry. “I don’t know, he didn’t really say anything. Just that Ellis looked really happy when the package was delivered.”
“Good,” Cedar said. “As he damn well should. Have you collected the press from about last night?”
“I’ll print it now.”
“Good. And see what you can find out about Wanda, please. I’ve been hearing rumors, and I don’t particularly like them.”
“Got it.”
“And no quickies in the middle of the day for you. We have a ton of things to do.” Cedar stared at Cecil. “Clear?”
“Crystal.”
“Good. Go get me the press.” Cedar settled back into her chair and pulled out her phone. Sure, Cecil was going to get the dirt on Wanda, but so was she. Her sources were better than his were. She needed the full picture, though.
Wanda fucking Corolis had better be a damn rumor. Because she was going to drop her ass so fast if it was actually true.
Corolis wasn’t Wanda’s competition, per say, but he was Cedar’s. And the contract Wanda had signed was pretty straight forward about how Cedar felt about her clients fucking her competition. Wanda had signed it, and if she hadn’t read the fine print, that was her damn fault.
Cedar hit five on her speed dial and listened to the phone ring.
“Morris and Associates, how can I help you?”
“It’s Cedar Reynolds. Mr. Morris, please.”
“One moment, Miss Reynolds.”
Morris’s hold music was Frank Sinatra, because Harold liked Sinatra. Not that Harold had ever called Morris’s office, but when someone practically owned your life, they owned all of it, intentionally or not.
“Cedar.”
“Wanda may have broken her contract. Nothing official yet, but just a head’s up that things might start moving forward in terms of that.”
“I’ll have someone start drawing up papers just in case.”
“Great. I’ll keep you updated.”
“Excellent. I heard you were out last night with Ellis,” Morris said.
“Well, not out with him, but I did bump into him while I was out,” Cedar said. “Speaking of which, why the fuck was he talking to the Robertsons?”
“He was?”
“He was. I don’t know what the hell you were thinking, Morris. Was he not debriefed at all?”
“Apparently not.”
“Apparently? Apparently?” Cedar fumed. This was worse than she thought. And also an excellent in. “Well, looks like I know what I’m going to be doing tonight.”
“Cedar…”
“Don’t ‘Cedar’ me. You had your chance, and you fucked up.”
She knew he had paled on the other end. Good. As he damn well should.
“I’ll keep you updated on Wanda,” she said crisply, and hung up the phone. “Cecil, has the office number changed since Harold?”
“No, it hasn’t.”
Cedar smiled. “Perfect.”
“Do you need me to call for you?” Cecil asked, having overheard her conversation with Morris.
“No, I can make my own fucking phone calls.”
“Okay. I’ll keep working on the Wanda thing.”
“You do that.” Cedar glared him out of the room, and picked up her phone again. She loved when opportunities dropped into her lap. It made her plans so much easier.
“Ellis Carrington’s office, this is Robert, how may I help you?”
“It’s Cedar. Can you transfer me to Ellis, please?”
“One moment, let me see if he’s available.”
Cedar rolled her eyes. He was going to be available for her, and if he wasn’t, she would show up at his door if that’s what it took.
“Cedar,” Ellis said. “How are you?”
“Are you free tonight?” she asked.
There was silence on the other end. “I’m not sure,” he said slowly.
He was feeling bad about last night, she thought. That’s what it was.
“I was just on the phone with Morris,” Cedar said. “Do you want to come for dinner tonight? I can whip up something quick.”
“Ummm….”
“It’s business related, darling. Don’t worry,” Cedar purred, even though he should be worried. Not that he needed to know anything, poor little dear.
“What time?” he asked.
So the business angle worked. Good to know.
“Around seven-thirty good for you?”
“Sure,” he said, still sounding hesitant.
“Excellent. I�
��ll see you then.” Cedar hung up the phone. “Cecil, I’m going out now. I’ll be back in an hour. Don’t call unless it’s an emergency.”
Cedar headed to her car, and slid into the back seat. “La Perla, please. And quickly.”
The car drove off toward La Perla, and Cedar leaned back into the seat, mind running at top speed. She was going to seduce him again tonight. He was already getting nervous, which meant she was going too slow.
And then, after she fucked him a few times, she was going to explain her little plan to him. And he would love it.
The car pulled up in front of La Perla, and she got out, a faint smile on her face. Everything would work out. Especially when he got a glimpse of her in lingerie.
Ellis straightened his tie for the fifth time. Why was he so nervous?
Because he had accidentally fucked her the night before.
Accidental, his ass. There was nothing accidental about what had happened. Well, it wasn’t like he had planned for it to happen, he tried to reason with himself. It wasn’t like he went to the party thinking he was going to fuck her against some enormous, overpriced desk. But he did, and here he was, the very next night, on the way over to her house.
And he wasn’t going to do anything remotely sexual with her, he reminded himself firmly. That was a one-time mistake, and he wasn’t going to repeat it. She had said it was a business-related thing, which meant as long as he didn’t touch her, everything would be fine.
And he would just pretend nothing had happened the night before. He just hallucinated the whole thing. It wasn’t going to happen again.
Cedar lived a few blocks away from his home, in an enormous penthouse apartment, overlooking the park. He was buzzed in and led to a private elevator, which made him wonder just how much money she had other than from the gallery profits.
She was waiting for him when the elevator doors opened, clad only in a tantalizingly short robe that was tied haphazardly in the middle, gaping enticingly.
“Oh my goodness, I didn’t realize the time!” she said, looking disarmed. “I’m so sorry, I thought it was a little bit earlier.”
“I’m sorry,” Ellis tripped over himself, trying to apologize. “I could wait downstairs or something…”
“Don’t be silly. Come on in and make yourself comfortable. Wine, beer, whiskey, anything?”
She was wearing heels.
Karen never wore heels around her place unless she was on her way out to some party or something. She also wasn’t on first name basis with every designer in the city, though.
“Just water is great.”
“No problem,” Cedar said, bending down to open up a small refrigerator by the bar against the far wall.
Don’t look, don’t look, don’t look, don’t look… yeah, like he could control himself around her.
Ellis glanced away quickly, hoping that she wouldn’t be able to tell what he had seen when she turned around again.
“Would you like a glass?” Cedar asked, holding a bottle of artisan water.
“No, thanks.”
Cedar handed it over to him, and then pulled out a bottle of champagne from a bucket filled with ice. “Oh, I forgot to mention that I had left this chilling. Do you want a glass?”
Stay sober, Carrington.
“No, thanks.”
“Well, I’m going to pour myself a glass.” Cedar opened the champagne with a pop, and let out a girlish little shriek when it spilled down the front of her robe. “Oh, no!”
She wrapped her lips around the top of the champagne bottle, trying to stop the flow of champagne, but not managing to catch it all, a little dribble of champagne running down the side of her mouth. Her eyes didn’t leave his, and he was sure she knew how hard he was. The bubbles finally subsided, but he was too far gone.
She let go of the top of the bottle with a pop of her lips, and then daintily licked around the mouth of the bottle, cleaning it off.
“Sorry about that. I don’t know what happened,” she said. “Dammit, and now this robe is ruined.”
She reached for the sash, and slowly untied it.
Dammit, thought Ellis desperately, trying to find a way to get out of there right away. He couldn’t watch this. He was holding onto his self-control by a thread, and this would snap it.
Cedar slowly pushed open her robe, let it slide down her arms and drop to the floor. “I probably taste like champagne,” she said, running a finger over the swell of her breasts before bringing it up to her mouth and sucking.
She was wearing a corset thing, made almost entirely of lace, and Ellis felt the last of his self-control snap.
“I think I got some on you, too,” she purred, walking her fingers up his chest. “Maybe you should take off your suit jacket so I can tell.”
He shouldn’t. He knew he shouldn’t, and yet he found himself unbuttoning the one button that kept the jacket closed and sliding it off.
“Oh, no, there’s some here,” she said, her face distressingly close to his chest. “Let me help you with the shirt.” She lowered her lips to his shirt and sucked. “Fuck. I forgot about the lipstick,” she said, lifting her mouth from his shirt, where a ring of red was left. “I’ll have it replaced for you.”
She reached for his buttons, but he got to her first. Grabbing the bottle of champagne, he poured it over her breasts. “Oops,” he drawled. “We’re going to have to take this off.”
A smile spread slowly across her face. “Nobody’s stopping you.”
She reached his belt buckle before he could find a way to open her corset, and he was lost.
“Well, that was nice,” Ellis said drowsily.
“It was,” Cedar agreed, sneaking a peek at him. He looked calm instead of wracked with guilt, which meant he was still on a post-coital high. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure,” he murmured.
“Has anyone given you any sort of crash course on New York social life?” she asked.
“No…”
Cedar sighed and shook her head. “I’m worried about you, babe,” she murmured, tracing patterns on his chest. “I know all of this is so new to you, and I don’t want you to be nervous before going out at night.”
“It’s a lot,” he admitted.
“I know. I forget how much it is, to remember what’s going on with everyone here, and things sometimes change so quickly.”
“Don’t even remind me,” Ellis groaned.
“And then all juggling all the businesses,” Cedar continued, fingers trailing lower. “It’s a lot to take in.”
Ellis arched into her hand. “You’re torturing me.”
“You know you like it,” she said, squeezing gently.
“I never said I didn’t,” he panted.
“You know what I was thinking?”
“I don’t know?”
“I was thinking about My Fair Lady.”
“Why.”
“Have you seen it?”
“I think so,” Ellis panted.
“Little flower shop girl, professor decides to pretty her up and teach her how interact in society. Audrey Hepburn, based on Pygmalion.”
“Vaguely.”
“I think we should do that,” Cedar purred.
Ellis’s eyes almost crossed. “What, like a role-playing sex thing?”
“If that’s what you’re into. But I was thinking more real life.”
“What.”
“You don’t know enough about who’s who,” Cedar said. “And if you don’t learn soon, you’re going to crash and burn. I know everything there is to know about everyone. I teach you, you learn, everyone benefits.”
“I…don’t…see…how…you’re…benefiting…” Ellis gasped.
Cedar smiled. “Oh, don’t worry, I will.”
For the first time in her life, Cedar let a man sleep in her apartment. In her bed.
With her in it.
There was a lot Cedar would do for eighty-seven billion dollars.
She woke up before h
e did, and made sure she was fully made up before he woke up. Barely there makeup, so expertly applied that nobody would be able to tell. Even if said person kissed her.
“Good morning,” she murmured, rubbing his back. “Rise and shine, Ellis.”
“Don’t wanna,” he groaned, head buried in a pillow. “Bed is too nice.”
“Come on, you have to go to work. And so do I.”
Ellis opened up one eye and looked up blearily at her. “Crap.”
Seriously? After all that happened last night, the only thing he could say was crap?
“I have no shirt to wear out,” he said. “Fuck, talk about the walk of shame.”
Cedar laughed. “Just wear the suit and go through the back. Nobody’s going to see you.”
“I hope not,” Ellis muttered. “Shirtless and a suit isn’t really my look.”
“Not so much, no. But they do showcase your lovely abs,” Cedar said.
Ellis blushed. “Oh, stop.”
“Time in the gym well spent, that’s all I’m saying.” Cedar climbed out of bed and padded to her closet.
Ellis pulled out his phone and had a quick conversation with his driver, and got out of bed to head to the bathroom.
Naked Ellis was quite a nice sight, Cedar mused as she pulled out clothing for the day. Clothed Ellis could use some work. Sure, his suits were nice, but he wasn’t comfortable enough in them for them to really work. That was going to be the first thing they were going to work on, she decided, applying more makeup. And they were going to be starting that night, because things had to move fast now.
Too many pauses meant too much time for him to think, and the last thing she needed now was for him to think.
Ellis walked out of the bathroom, still looking a little like he just rolled out of bed. “Car’s downstairs.”
“Lessons start tonight,” Cedar said. “I’ll meet you at your office at five.”
“Um…”