He saw the hurt she tried to hide from his rejection and wished he could take it away from her. He only meant to give her a quick apologetic kiss but realising it could well be the last time he kissed her, he couldn't stop himself from taking what her mouth offered, and giving what he could, until he had to come up for air.
I'm sorry, Clarise. I'll only hurt you more. You'll eventually want something I'm not prepared to give. You deserve better.
He forced himself to ignore the aching pain in his heart. He thought it ridiculous that he could feel so strongly about someone he'd only just met over a week ago, but he couldn't deny it just the same. He convinced himself it was from pure lust. Pathetic, Will, pathetic.
Finally, from exhaustion, he fell asleep.
~~
It had been three days since she last saw Will and Clarise was beside herself.
Is he just super busy? Does he have some rule on not calling for a few days after the last date? Maybe he's just not interested in me, after all.
Clarise's insecurities were playing havoc with her mind. She had felt so sure that Will also liked her - desired her even - but now she was afraid she just misread the whole thing. She'd had enough of her internalising and wallowing and decided to call Faye.
"Do you have time for lunch? I could go to you. I don't have meetings this afternoon so I could take my time." Clarise's office in the CBD was about a fifteen minute walk to Faye's. She wanted to have a full hour with her best friend and the walk to and from Faye's vicinity would do her good.
"Yeah, sure. Meet me at that Japanese place next door to my office at 12:30."
"Okay, thanks." Faye heard the dejection in Clarise's voice.
"What's wrong, Clarise?"
"It's about Will. I'll tell you over lunch."
"Okay, I'll see you then." If it's about her getting cold feet again about sleeping with a man she likes, I'll throttle her, Faye thought. She prepared herself for much of the same old conversation with her best friend when her problem was about a man.
~~
Clarise was almost ready to go to meet Faye for lunch when her other dear friend, Jessa Allen, poked her pretty head inside her office.
"You didn't tell me he was gorgeous," Jessa said, hand on hip.
Clarise gave Jessa a questioning look while admiring Jessa's new designer outfit she got recently. It suited Jessa's petite figure and made her look sultry, yet chic. "Who?"
"William Matthews. I went to his office this morning to interview him and a couple of his staff," Jessa answered as she planted herself on one of Clarise's visitor's chairs.
"Oh, you did?" Clarise felt a pang of jealousy and hurt. She wasn't really expecting Jessa to let her know of her schedule. But for some reason, it hurt that Will hadn't told her.
Normally, Jessa would have known all about her and Will by now but Jessa had been super busy catching up with work after her one-month holiday that they haven't had the time to get together.
"Yeah." Jessa noticed her friend's subtle reaction and watched her closely. "He's a very interesting man. I take it he's not going out with anyone at the moment?"
Clarise couldn't help the blush that crept to her cheeks nor did she successfully hide the hurt that reached her eyes. "I - I don't know."
Jessa pursed her lips. Hhmm. Interesting. An idea flashed in her mind.
"Didn't you gather anything from your interview?" Clarise asked her.
"Well, sort of. Did you know that his parents had been in a car accident over a year ago?"
"Oh, really? I didn't know that," Clarise said curiously.
"Yeah. That had been the catalyst for him building his business to its current success in a rather short time frame. They're also one of the main reasons why he's so focused on reaching his goals. He's got a pretty clear vision about where he wants to take his business."
Clarise thought about the conversations she'd had with Will. He spoke very fondly of his parents and it was obvious he gave them a lot of support but he hadn't mention the accident.
"Anyway," Jessa continued, sensing Clarise's keen interest. "I gathered he works very long hours. He's obviously very driven. When I asked how he manages his personal time, he said 'I don't have much of a personal time to manage'."
Clarise was looking at Jessa as if she was starved for the information she was offering so Jessa decided to push it a bit more. "Then I said 'that couldn't be good for your love life'. He just gave this self-deprecating laugh and said he didn't think anyone would want him for a boyfriend as no woman would want put up with the work schedule he had set for himself. And then...," Jessa paused for effect. "And then he asked about you."
"What do you mean?" Clarise asked breathlessly, eyes registering surprise.
Jessa shrugged, "He said, 'How's Clarise?'"
Jessa saw Will's hesitation before he asked about Clarise and thought he looked almost surprised that he'd actually asked the question. She saw the warmth in his eyes and saw his expression softened when he mentioned Clarise.
"And you said...?" Clarise prodded.
"I said, 'she's fine'."
"And?"
"And then just like that he ended our interview and called in his customer service manager so I could start my interview with her."
Clarise was silent.
Jessa mulled a little bit and decided to push it further. She was a sucker for romance, after all.
"You know I thought it was a bit funny that you handed the bulk of this job over to me and gave your reason as 'conflict of interest' because of his friendship with your future brother-in-law. Knowing your tendencies to be ultra-professional, I didn't think much of it. But now that I've interviewed William and," she waved her hand across Clarise's face, "seeing this reaction..."
Clarise felt inordinately pleased that Jessa called him William, not Will like he insisted with her.
Jessa continued, "I thought he was really cute but he was just all professional with me. Distant, even. And then I saw his mask slip when he mentioned you. His eyes went soft and tender, I thought."
"Really?" Clarise couldn't hide her hopeful reaction.
Jessa laughed. "I knew it! So what's going on? Tell me, please! What's been happening when I was away?"
Clarise sighed. "I really don't know, Jess. I thought there was something there between us but I'm not so sure anymore. I thought he liked me but now I don't know if he's avoiding me or what."
"What does your future brother-in-law think? Or your sister?"
"They don't know anything about us yet."
"Hhmm. Well, maybe Will's scared you wouldn't be able to put up with his work schedule. It looked to me like he works all hours."
"It can't be that bad that it's unworkable! I mean, I'm not unreasonable and I know how hard it can be running a business from interviewing so many business owners," Clarise said, as if it was Jessa that needed convincing.
"Don't tell me, tell him!"
Clarise felt herself smile her first genuine smile in three days. "Thank you, Jessa." She got up from her chair, walked to her friend and gave her a mighty big hug.
Jessa hugged her back as Clarise said a silent prayer of thanks for wonderful friends.
"Are you sure you can't join me and Faye for lunch?"
"I'd love to but I have that much work to catch up on. We'll arrange to have dinner together very soon."
Jessa watched Clarise as she walked out the door for lunch. Her heart swelled for her friend. She was happy that Clarise found someone she felt so strongly for and fervently hoped they would have a happy ending. She also felt a stab of envy in her heart. She'd dreamt of romance, of love, for herself. But she was still waiting to feel it for someone. She'd love to fall in love, to know what it felt like. One day soon, she hoped.
~~
Faye was staring at her friend with wonder. She couldn't believe this was the same Clarise that she had known for more than ten years.
"Clarise, could you believe that this time around, your 'man trouble' is not
about you hesitating to sleep with a man, but a man hesitating to sleep with you?"
Clarise couldn't help but laugh despite her conundrum. "Faye, come on! What do I do?"
"Well, my dear, I think seduction is the way to go."
~~
Clarise came back from lunch with Faye and went straight to Jessa's office.
"Jessa, could you do me a favour?"
CHAPTER EIGHT
Will finished the email he was composing and hit 'send'. He looked at his watched and noted it was almost time for his 5:30pm meeting with Jessa Allen. He was surprised that she would schedule such a late meeting on a Friday but since they officially close at 6pm on weeknights, he didn't mind.
He was pleased that the magazine was so accommodating of his need for urgency. He didn't expect to have another meeting with Jessa so soon after their interview yesterday morning, but was glad things were moving at a quick pace.
But he couldn't help hoping it was Clarise he was working with instead of Jessa. At least then, he would still be able to see her even if it was just for professional reasons. He knew it was better that there was no contact with her but he couldn't help hoping he'd see her again, even for just business talk. He really enjoyed her company.
His office phone rang with an internal call. "Liz?"
"Will, Clarise Carson is here to see you for your 5:30 appointment."
Will's heart skipped a beat. Clarise? "Who's here to see me, Liz?" he asked a little incredulously.
"Clarise Carson. She said Jessa Allen couldn't make it."
Will took a deep breath. Wishes do come true after all. "Okay, send her in."
His office door opened and in walked a vision of beauty that haunted his dreams. She took his breath away, and just like before, all he could do was gape, heart pounding hard and fast.
Clarise felt much of the same reaction. She also wasn't oblivious to Will's response to her presence. It gave her much needed confidence to carry out her plans. She was a bundle of nerves, hopeful, but also fearful.
Eventually, she walked closer to him and it snapped Will out of his gawking.
"Clarise." He said her name like a caress.
She smiled that lovely smile of hers. "Hi, Will."
"I wasn't expecting you."
"Sorry. Jessa had an unexpected matter to attend to."
"Well, I'm glad. I mean, I hope everything's okay with her?"
"Oh, yes. I understand it's nothing serious, just urgent."
Just then, Will's assistant came in with the pot of chamomile tea for Clarise, a flat white coffee for Will, a tall bottle of cold sparkling mineral water, two empty glasses and six individually wrapped chocolate balls.
Yes, the chocolates. Jessa had told Clarise she was served the chocolate balls when she was here. With that knowledge, they became part of her plan.
Will motioned for her to sit on a comfortable lounge chair by the window as he settled himself across from her. A low, all-glass coffee table separated them.
Clarise sat down, aware that her skirt would bunch up to show off a lot more of her thighs. The skirt was short, but not short enough that it made her look slutty when standing up. But it was tight enough to make it ride up a lot when she sat, especially on a low chair such as the one she was on. She crossed her legs, not making an effort to pull down her skirt. She had been told numerous times she had great legs and she hoped Will thought so, too.
Will gulped visibly. He wanted to distract himself from staring at her but couldn't. Hell, she could make him gape when wearing something a lot less skimpy than this. What hope did he have with what she had on now? How did he even think he could work with her and be able to contain his reaction? Eventually, he was able to look away and steadied himself by pouring them some cold mineral water.
Good, Clarise thought at the effect she was having on Will, getting less nervous by the minute.
Clarise opened her portfolio and took out some notes. She enumerated to Will the different topics she wanted to discuss with him and the gaps she wanted to fill. There was really no need for a face-to-face meeting for what they had to talk about - a phone call would have done - but Will didn't have to know that.
Clarise gave him a draft fact sheet that she'd put together from the travel books he gave her. As he was perusing it, Will glanced up and caught Clarise staring at him. She looked away, smiling shyly. The tenderness he had been pushing away came back with an 'in-your-face' force. He smiled a little sadly, feeling sorry he couldn't be the man for her.
They tackled the first items on the agenda, keeping the conversation professional. Will was again pleasantly reminded by how much he enjoyed talking to Clarise about his business. She had a sharp mind and a good head for entrepreneurship. She must have developed it from researching and interviewing entrepreneurs and business owners for the magazine. She asked very intelligent questions and showed depth of understanding about how hard and demanding it could be to run your own business.
She showed real interest and concern when Will recounted his parents' accident and how it motivated him to focus on his business. She asked him direct questions about their well-being, and showed real empathy. She didn't seem to bat an eyelid nor balk when he said his main priority was achieving his business goals for his parents' welfare. Her eyes actually welled up a little bit, obviously touched by his sentiment.
~~
Clarise felt so moved when Will spoke about his parents that she had to blink to keep the tears from falling. His love for them was obvious and her heart expanded for this wonderful, beautiful, giving man in front of her. How could she not love him?
I love him! She sat up straight at this potent realisation. So soon? How? She had guessed she was falling for him, but she couldn't believe how quickly her feelings had developed into something much deeper. She took a sip of her tea to steady herself. Her planned seduction took on a new meaning.
"So what's next on the agenda?" Will asked her after a short lull.
"These!" Clarise held up a chocolate ball, grinning. "Time for a bit of a break, wouldn't you say?"
Will's face broke into a wide smile, remembering how much she loved her desserts. He wondered if she would moan while eating those chocolates and hoped she wouldn't, no matter how much fun that would be. There wasn't much between them that would cover his arousal should he again have one.
"You know that's all yours, right?" he teased her.
"No way! Three for you, three for me."
Knowing Will was watching, she concentrated on the chocolate. Trying to look innocent, she poked her tongue out a little bit and licked the ball before biting into it.
Fuck. That tongue. Clarise didn't moan but Will felt his cock stir from its slumber from the sight of her licking the chocolate ball. How does she do it?
Seeing that Will didn't take a chocolate, Clarise grabbed one and held it out to him. He reached out to take it but simply continued to look at her, mesmerised.
"Will, do you like to lick and suck?" Clarise asked softly, peering at him through her long lashes.
"I beg your pardon?" What the...?
"Do you like to lick and suck your chocolates? Some people prefer chewing them like normal food."
"Uhh." Lost your capacity for speech, Will?
"I like sucking more," Clarise elucidated. "I find that sucking makes the taste last on my tongue. And when I suck, I like that it melts in my mouth. Delicious." The last word came out seductively.
Will was gaping at her again. Does she know what she's doing to me?
Noticing that Will still hadn't eaten any chocolates yet, Clarise unwrapped another one, stood up, walked to him slowly and sat on the arm of his lounge chair. "Say, ahh," she said.
"Clarise!" he said laughingly. "I told you they're all for you." Her proximity made him hot and bothered.
"I like sharing. Now come on." She put a thumb on his lower lip and gently tugged it down, encouraging him to open his mouth.
He couldn't help but grin and obediently opened
his mouth. She pushed the chocolate ball in, letting her finger touch the tip of his tongue. Will's cock loved it and stood taller.
Clarise walked back to her chair. Just as she was turning around to sit back down Will caught that she had placed her finger that touched his tongue into her mouth as if to taste it.
Oh, my fuck. Why is she so damned hot?
Desperate to hide his growing arousal, Will picked up the fact sheet she gave him earlier and held it strategically so it looked like he was reading it, all the while hiding the bulge in his pants.
Will to Love Page 8