by Lauren Wood
The conversation was heading to domestic Ville and I wanted to steer him back in the right direction. ”That’s why you need to take the risk and build it bigger. The way of inflation in the last decade, you have to take on a certain amount of risk just to keep the value of your money up.”
“I know Chris. Why are you pitching me? Have you heard of anything that I need to get into? You know I am always good for a short sell.”
I smiled. “That’s the man I was looking for. Do you want me to set it up with your little assistant?”
“Which one?”
“You know, Stacy, the one that was in Jamaica.”
“You remember her name? Impressive. That tells me that you must not have slept with her. I don’t know why that makes me so happy.”
I frowned his way and that just made him chuckle more. Was I that obvious and was it that easy to see that I was constantly forgetting a woman’s name. Was that why I knew it, because we hadn’t slept together?
“She is still your assistant, isn’t she?”
“Why are you so worried about it Chris?”
He was going to make me say it and I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to admit that I was attracted to her and that I thought about her all of the time. It was embarrassing to say the least and I just didn’t want to. But Keenan was going to make me. I let out a sigh and he smiled bigger. He was enjoying this far too much.
“Because I would like to talk to her and see her again. If she is your assistant still, I imagine that it will be easier to find her.”
“Why?”
“What does it matter?”
“Because you know she is Ashlyn’s niece. Which means she is off limits. Besides, if you didn’t convince her on a tropical island, what makes you think you are going to do any better now?”
He had a good point, but I wasn’t interested in that. I wanted to see her and I wasn’t going to question how she felt about me or my skills. I didn’t like to think about the fact that I had never wanted a woman and not being able to convince her to give me what I wanted before. It was new territory and maybe I was kidding myself, but I had a feeling if I could get another shot, I would make it happen.
“Do you know something that I don’t know?”
He shrugged and asked me what I meant. “Well I mean, do you know anything about Stacy that I should know?”
Keenan still didn’t get what I was asking. “Do you know why the girl doesn’t want to fuck?”
He busted out in laughter and I didn’t find it amusing. “Is that what has you all uptight? Chris you can’t have them all.”
“I have before.”
“Maybe you are getting old.”
I was finding my old friend less and less funny by the moment. He was having a good old time at my expense though, his face practically red from laughing so hard.
“I am not getting old. There is something about that chick and no matter what I do she will not give me the time of day. There has to be something wrong with her. Is she lesbian or something?” I just wanted to know what it was because she was driving me absolutely mad. I should have had her underneath me a week ago and I still couldn’t fathom why. I was quite a damn catch after all.
“Maybe you just aren’t her type, but I don’t think she is gay.”
“Have you asked?”
“Why would I Chris? She works for me and I am married.”
“Yeah but Keenan that is one hot piece of ass right there.”
“I told you before that if you find the right one you won’t look anymore.”
I told him that he was full of shit, but really I was just mad because I was sick of wondering and he wasn’t helping me out at all.
“Okay look Chris, I will not give you her number because I don’t want Ashlyn or Stacy mad at me, but I will tell you that she is going to be at the Radisson with me tomorrow. There is a meeting at the ground floor restaurant. I am meeting with my father-in law. You are more than welcome to pop up and see what happens.”
That wasn’t quite what I was looking for, but it was going to have to be enough. I felt like I owed him something, so I gave him a jump on a short sell that I was about to do as well.
“Just wait until the morning to make the move. I don’t want us to do it too far apart. Once we drop, so many others will as well.”
Keenan agreed, but I was already thinking about Stacy and seeing her again. I didn’t know what my excuse was going to be to see her again, but I knew that I was going to find a way to make her mine. It was all consuming, this need to have her and the more I thought about her, the more I was sure that she had put some kind of spell on me. It had to be what it was. What else could it be besides that?
I left the bistro with a little hope in the back of my heart. I wasn’t sure if it was warranted yet. Nothing with Stacy had gone the way I thought it was going to go, but that was okay, I told myself. It was the differences that made me want her so much, so how could that be bad?
Chapter 10
Stacy
The work week was going by quickly. Between the bar and helping Keenan out, I was staying pretty busy which was just as well. I had a lot on my mind otherwise, thoughts and feelings that I just didn’t want to deal with.
When I got to work Friday afternoon to meet with Keenan for a lunch meeting, I was exhausted from working the night before. Bartending paid the bills, but it was hard to work nights sometimes. This was one of those times.
“Good to see you Stacy. Did you bring what I asked?”
Keenan was so impressed with the tapes of the meetings at the conference that he wanted to start doing it with all of his meetings now. He said he liked to have a record. He said he was so distracted half of the time that he was there, so it was better to be able to go back and hear it all again. To me, it was boring enough the first time around for me to ever want to hear it again. But I couldn’t say things like that, no matter how badly I wanted to.
“Of course Keenan. Here you go. Are we early?”
He checked his watch. “We aren’t, but he is late. That is always the way with Ronald. He thinks that when he is there, the time is right. He has a bit of a complex about it, so don’t mention it.”
I nodded my head, not sure if he was joking or not. Keenan liked to kid around a lot, but when he did so, he had such a straight face that I really wasn’t sure what he was thinking. So I didn’t know if he was being for real or not. I wasn’t going to mention it though, just in case.
We sat down and waited for another ten minutes or so until his father-in-law showed up. Ronald was a legend that even I had read about and heard about. He was filthy rich much like all of the rest of the men I met through Keenan, but Ronald was some kind of stocks guru from what I have gathered. He was the type of guy that people waited for, even people like Keenan. It was interesting to see the hierarchy of the rich. It was fascinating, if not a little boring. I had more entertainment from trying to figure out the people, far more than I tried to figure out the job or what it even was that they were talking about.
Everyone was looking at menus while the waiter brought drinks. Since working with Keenan, I noticed that my taste buds were taking on culture. I could never afford even a lunch from this particular restaurant in this swanky hotel, but I knew already what I wanted.
Closing the menu, I looked over and groaned a little too loud because Keenan heard me. “What is it?”
“Your friend is here Keenan.”
He looked where my attention was and he smiled. “Oh well small world, isn’t it?”
I agreed, but I was trying to figure out what in the world was he doing here? I had thought I would never see him again and now he was walking towards the table and my body responded in the only way it apparently knew how.
If we would have been alone, I would have asked Chris what the hell it was that he was doing here. I didn’t know what to say though and his dark eyes landed on mine and didn’t let them go.
“It’s uh, good to see you too Chris.”
He smiled at me and my heart flopped in my chest for some reason. Why did he have such a pull on me? It wasn’t fair or right and I wanted that to change more than anything else that was going on. I wanted to be free of the feelings of Chris. Ashlyn had warned me about him and I knew that she was right to do so. He looked at me as if I was his next meal and I didn’t like to be thought of as the fodder.
“Why don’t you join us Chris? We were just about to order.”
Chris broadened the grin on his face. I knew that he had gotten exactly what he wanted. Chris always got what he wanted in the end. That is what he had told me in Jamaica and I was starting to see what it was he was talking about.
“Well I don’t want to intrude.”
“Not at all, old friend. It’s about time you met my father-in-law anyways.”
The two men met and I watched Chris and his demeanor. There were three open chairs, but of course he chose to sit down next to me. It was like he knew what his closeness did to me and he didn’t care. That or he was trying to drive me absolutely mad.
“It’s good to see you again Stacy. I told you that I would.”
“Yes you did. So what are you doing here Chris?”
“Business. I just finished a meeting in the hotel, but I didn’t get to have lunch. It was a good thing that I saw you guys here.”
“Yeah, good thing.”
I didn’t trust him. He was up to no good and the glint in his dark eyes told me that he knew exactly what it was he was doing. I was just a part of his plan and the idea of that scared me a little bit. I knew that nothing good was going to come from this chance meeting, if that was even what it was.
The men talked about business and I only had to start the recorder. Keenan let them all know that he was recording the conversation and Chris pulled out his own. “It’s a good habit and it jogs my memory if I had too much to drink the night before.
“Well son, you should really get a handle on that drinking. I used to drink, years ago when I first met my wife. She made me stop almost immediately and you know that was when I started to really make some money. I didn’t realize how much it was affecting my performance.”
“I do okay Ronald.”
“I know you have done well Chris, but there is always more out there for you. Never settle with okay.”
Ronald took a drink of his water and even though I was tempted to take a drink of the wine in front of him, I abstained. I wanted to see how Chris responded and he didn’t pull any punches. I had learned that rich had big egos and they were not afraid to say what was on their mind. What was the worst that could happen really? They had no need to look to others for any part of their survival.
“Okay is a term I use to deflect. I am doing quite well Ronald. I think when I am your age, I will have long surpassed your net worth.”
That got the older man paying attention and I swear that if he could have looked Chris up, he would have started compounding numbers to see if it was true. It was like a cock fight without any birds and looks, words.
“Well we all have enough. Gemma is telling me all the time, what are you going to do with what you have?”
Ronald smiled and seemed to settle down a little. “She is just like her mother. She heard her say it so much that Gemma took it to heart.”
“Yes, she does get a lot from your wife and of that I am thankful. She has really opened my eyes to the possibilities. Here I am, working all of the time and at some point I have to wonder when enough will be enough.”
Chris made a disparaging sound in the back of his throat. Was it really that bad to feel that way? It was how I felt. I didn’t want the world, just a small piece of it to call my own. The men at this table, these three men had more wealth than small countries. I had wondered myself, what for.
“What do you think Stacy? Do you think enough is enough?”
I turned to Chris and narrowed my eyes at him. He had a knack of putting me on the spot. He did things like that to me because I was sure that he liked to watch me squirm.
“I think everyone at this table has more than enough.”
Ronald busted out a loud laugh that startled me. “Now that is a judicious answer. What is your name girl?”
Keenan apologized. “I am sorry for not making proper introductions. Ronald, this is my assistant Stacy. Do you remember Ashlyn that was with me the first time that I met you?” Ronald nodded. “This is her niece.”
“Well your aunt is a delight Stacy, but I am sure that you know that.”
“Yes she is.”
Ronald and Keenan had taken me out of the fire and I was thankful for them. I tried to ignore Chris, but after a few moments I felt the familiar touch of his thigh against mine. I tried to move away from him and act like nothing was going on, but he wasn’t going for it. Just like before. Chris upped the ante quickly and I felt his hand on my thigh. He was pulling me back towards him. I had to stop myself from crying out in surprise.
I turned to Chris and told him to stop, mouthing the words under my breath. He just kind of smiled and pretended that he was paying attention to the stock talk going on between Ronald and Keenan. I could only focus on the hot palm that was going up my leg, it was impossible to think of anything else. What had started as an innocent touch that could have been waved off, it was now becoming more. His hand had started at my knee, but was quickly moving closer to my nether region and my anxiety was rising with his hand.
“So Stacy, what do you think of the market?”
Chris was doing it again. The smirk on his face was one that I wanted to slap off of him.
“I don’t care much for the market. I don’t have enough to worry about the market anyways. It is fascinating in some ways, but just not for me.”
Ronald told me that I was a breath of fresh air, but I could only smile. I wasn’t really listening anyways. I was far too worried about the touch on my upper thigh. As his hands pulled me closer to him, I cried out when I felt him opening my legs as far as the pencil skirt would allow, which wasn’t much. As he moved under the fabric, my face started to burn. I should have stopped him, told myself that I should have, but it just felt so damn good I didn’t want to. I wanted more. I wanted him.
I tried to move away, but he held me still as he fingered my panties. I gasped at the touch and Keenan looked over at me worried. “Are you okay Stacy?”
“Yeah, I am fine.”
He had a question in his gaze that I didn’t answer. It was all just too much. I wanted to stop Chris, but part of me wanting to see where the build-up was going to lead me. I could feel everything around me getting hot and I wanted more. God, I needed more.
Instead of pushing his hand away, what I should have done, something told me to lean down in my seat and open my legs the rest of the way. I wanted him to have easy access and I was overwhelmed as his fingers touched on my sensitive core. I jerked and my face was burning, but I didn’t want to move. I wanted more and soon I had tried to close my legs because the more was just becoming too much. I was shaking and Chris was not going to let it stop. He was pushing me to whole new heights.
“Are you sure you are okay Stacy?”
Keenan looked concerned and it was then that my body exploded from Chris’ ministrations. “I am fine, really.”
I didn’t sound fine. My breath came out fast and my words were clipped and then nonexistent. I had to stomp on Chris’ foot to get him to stop and he was the one that made a loud noise.
“Excuse me while I go freshen up.”
“Let me know if you need anything Stacy.”
I looked at Chris and his satisfied smile, but I didn’t say a word. I just couldn’t. Instead I walked away and tried to pull myself together. My knees were weak and I knew that he was going to be a problem. Chris popping up was no coincidence. I knew that much for sure.
How could I get through my day, knowing that he may just pop up wherever I was? Who had told him that I would be here?
There were many questions that I
wanted answers to, but I had to take care of the squish feeling between my legs. I was mortified that I had let him, maybe even made it easier for him, but I couldn’t help it. Chris knew what felt good and it was impossible to deny the pleasure that I had gotten from his touches.
I steadied myself in the mirror and tried to not see the differences now so evident to me. My eyes were practically glowing and there was a flush to my face. It was also clear that I had thoroughly enjoyed it all. I worried that when I went back out there, the other two men would know what happened. It was bad enough that Chris knew what was going on. It was worse to know that others may know as well.
I didn’t want to stay in the bathroom too long, but I took time for the red to leave my cheeks. Something that could shouldn’t be that wrong, but I knew that it was wrong. Working myself up, I finally just sent a text to Keenan that I wasn’t feeling well and that I would get a copy of the meeting sent to him. I was just going to have Chris send him one, since it was his fault for the irritating stickiness in my panties and my mental state at the moment anyways.
Chapter 11
Chris
“Stacy just text. Says she isn’t feeling too well and is going to leave.”
I kind of smiled to myself, telling Keenan that I hoped she felt better soon. “I am sure she will be fine, but she certainly didn’t look well, did she?”
He gave me a meaningful look and I didn’t return it. I wasn’t going to discuss this with Keenan and certainly not in front of Ronald. Ronald made a comment about Ashlyn and the peculiar way she looked at things. I was relieved to get the subject off of the woman that just jetted out of here in such a way. I know that it was my fault, but I didn’t feel the guilt like I should have. I didn’t feel anything but a slight amusement.
Stacy had responded to me in the most beautiful way and I was dying to taste her juices on my finger. I just hadn’t found a way to do so, but I was going to as soon as I could.