by Adele Huxley
Contents
Title Page
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Excerpt
Playing with Power
Book 2
Adele Huxley
This book is work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. This book contains sexually explicit material and is intended for readers 18 years or older.
Copyright © 2014 by Adele Huxley
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except in the case of a reviewer, who may quote brief passages embodied in critical articles or in a review.
All requests should be forwarded to: [email protected]
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The Playing with Power Series for sale on Amazon!
Playing with Power - Book 1
Playing with Power - Book 2
Playing with Power - Book 3
Playing with Power - Book 4
Prologue
Carefully pulling his arm from beneath the pillow, he extracted himself from the woman sleeping in his bed. Jenny? Janet? Jessica? After staring at the ceiling for more than hour waiting for sleep to come, he finally gave in and got up. Stepping lightly down the staircase to the living room, he spotted the woman’s purse and jacket thrown across the leather sofa. A quick peek at her ID revealed Jennifer Carlson was sleeping peacefully upstairs. I knew it was Jenny.
He walked through the French doors to the balcony. The air cool, damp, typical for San Francisco. The fog was high tonight and absorbed the orange streetlights, casting a haunting glow over the world below. He opened the bottle of sparkling water he’d grabbed from the fridge and emptied half of it into his stomach. The cold, fizzy water settled his stomach. Leaning against the railing, he took a deep breath and held it. He was always amazed how relatively quiet the city was at this hour. Aside from the constant rattle of the cables on California Street and the mournful fog horns in the distance, hardly any traffic or noise echoed through the streets.
He wasn’t melancholy or spoiled; he valued the life and lifestyle he’d built. Yet a silent numbness crept through him threatening to turn him cynical before his time. He was well respected, well liked, could get any woman he wanted and close just about any deal that struck his fancy. He enjoyed a successful life and was thankful yet it still felt incomplete. Finishing the water he thought to himself, Maybe that’s just the price I have to pay to have all this.
With a sigh, he left the bottle on the table and quietly padded to his office. The markets were opening in Asia and he might as well get some work done.
1.
Conceal your intentions
Keep people off-balance and in the dark by never revealing the purpose behind your actions. If they have no clue what you are up to, they cannot prepare a defense. Guide them far enough down the wrong path, envelop them in enough smoke, and by the time they realize your intentions, it will be too late. - The 48 Rules of Power
“Will you please calm down? They haven’t even closed the doors yet. I can still leave you behind,” Lauren said with a laugh. Ali was acting like a hyperactive child, pressing buttons, playing with the air nozzle, all but bouncing up and down in her seat.
“Everything’s all fancy in business class. The TVs are nicer, the seats are bigger. I even have a foot rest! Oh, hush up. The common folk are coming through.” She crossed her legs and sipped from the tiny glass of champagne while dramatically flicking through a copy of Vogue with a forced air of superiority. She leaned across the armrest and whispered, “I always glared at the people in business class when I have to walk through. It feels so damn good from this side. Let them look. I can drink before takeoff!”
“And just think, they don’t even let you see the first class passengers. They whisk them in and out behind curtains.” Ali’s expression dropped and she sat back in a huff.
“Ugh, why do you gotta be such a buzz kill?”
“I’m a buzz kill? I’m the one who suggested you come with me! You know, a full week in California for free. I should just leave you on the tarmac,” Lauren said, returning to her magazine. Ali took two motion sickness pills and pretended to pout until the plane started to taxi, after which she fell into a nervous silence. She’d been like this nonstop for hours and, like an exhausted mother, Lauren was ready for her to take a nap. Well, at least something shut her mouth, Lauren thought.
Thirty minutes later the plane leveled and Lauren pulled her laptop out of her carry on. Switching on the overhead light, she gazed out the window as she waited for it to boot up. New York was shrouded in clouds, gray and flat far below and she couldn’t help but wonder what Nick was doing. Where was he? Was he happy? Did he ever think about her? The last time they’d spoken was when he left her crying on the street. The look on his face still haunted her, his expression pure disappointment. It was a sore spot she repeatedly picked at, thinking that if she felt the pain consistently enough it would eventually dull. She suspected he was back in Lake George for the holiday weekend, although she didn’t know for sure. In fact, she cringed every time she spoke to her parents, waiting for them to say they’d seen him in town. I’m sure he’s happy to be out of the city and away from me, she thought bitterly.
A snore from her left caught her attention. Ali had somehow managed to fall asleep since they’d last spoken. Her face was covered with a bright pink eye mask that had ‘Princess’ written in glitter. Her cheek rested against a gray fluffy neck pillow, her mouth just hanging open. Lauren knew she was capable of snoring loud enough to disturb even the cockpit.
You can take the girl outta economy but can’t take the economy outta the girl.
Ali had a fun vacation ahead of her but Lauren’s week was packed. After breaking his leg in a boating accident, all of the meetings Parker had arranged with various investors in the Bay Area were now hers to handle. She was fairly certain his boating accident meant he drunkenly fell and happened to be on a boat at the time. The last minute change in plans had rocked her schedule, so she was thankful to have a few hours on the plane to review sales projections, tweak presentations, and learn everything she could about the investors she was to meet. She was doubly grateful the plane didn’t have Wi-Fi, making it impossible for her team back in New York to reach her.
The air hostesses, with their bright makeup and heavily sprayed hair, started to dish out lunch. The cabin filled with an almost-pleasant smell that still made Lauren’s stomach grumble. Roused by the incoming food, Ali stretched and tucked her sleep aids in the seat pouch. Lauren envied the way she always managed to look good, even with tousled, just-rolled-out-of-bed hair. She was wearing a black and white striped skirt and black tank top and gold bangles that jingled with every movement. She’d said the outfit made her look “effortlessly classy,” a phrase Lauren wanted to use during one of her meetings.
“I can’t wait to hit the beach. I bought this cute little bikini, red with little white polka dots. I’
ve got my sunblock and a good book...what? What are you laughing at?”
“Sweetie, we’re going to San Fransisco,” Lauren giggled.
“Yeah, I know...”
“Aw, Ali,” she said resting a hand on her arm. “San Fransisco is freezing this time of year. It doesn’t really warm up until October. Didn’t you bring anything warm?”
“Are you fucking serious? It’s California. It’s summer!” Ali looked like a child whose ice cream cone had just fallen on the floor. “This is some flagrant false advertising. You said to me, ‘Ali, darling, won’t you accompany me on a lavish week’s vacation to California? Sun and fun and sexy tanned boys just falling from the sky.’ I distinctly remember you saying that.”
“You do, do you? I have to admit, that does sound like something I’d say...except I didn’t. There won’t be much sun because it’s hidden behind the fog. You’ll probably have a lot more fun than me, if that’s any consolation and all those sexy boys? Probably gay. It is San Francisco after all. You just have a good excuse to go shopping, that’s all.”
The hostess set down their trays. Lauren peeled back the foil and felt simultaneously ravenous and disgusted. The chicken and rice looked dry and over-seasoned but she was too hungry to care. The two girls looked at each other dubiously as Lauren pushed something that resembled a carrot around with her fork.
Ali shrugged. “At least they trust us with real silverware up here!” she said, clinking her fork and knife together.
After lunch, Ali returned to her makeshift cocoon and Lauren couldn’t stand to do any more work. Looking out the window, she spotted a long road cutting through the desert. The thin line carried on straight to the horizon which wasn’t impressive until she remembered they were flying at 36,000 feet. Where did it lead? Where did it start? She imagined what it would be like to drive. The convertible top down, hot wind in her hair, the engine purring. Nowhere to be and no one relying on her. In fact, it could easily be an hour or more before she saw another living soul and wouldn’t that be grand. She shook her head and closed the shade. Problems have a way of following you, no matter where you run to, she could hear her mother say.
She closed her eyes and an image of Damon immediately popped up. He was pressed against her, one hand pinning hers against the wall above her head. His other hand was tearing at her clothes and she remembered, with the wretched weekend she’d had, all she wanted was to lose herself in his touch. Damon Kael had certainly been just the man to do that. Another moment from that day flashed through her mind. After a few hours in bed, he’d suggested they take a shower. As the water gently fell from above, he’d knelt at her feet and probed the tender flesh with his tongue. She remembered looking down and thinking how powerful the position felt, to have a man like that practically worshiping at her feet.
Lauren shook the images from her mind and sat up. Probably not the healthiest thing I’ve ever done. She’d kept her day with Damon a secret, chalking it up to fantastic rebound sex but deep down she knew it’d been more than that. She switched on the overhead light and pulled out the book he’d given her, opening at the bookmark.
2.
Lauren fell backwards onto the double bed, her arms flung over her head and feet dangling off the end. “I have an incredibly difficult favor to ask of you,” she said lazily. “I’m gonna need you to strip off my clothes, bathe me, and put me to bed.”
“Um, no. Get your ass up, we’re going out.” Ali stood in front of the full length mirror carefully applying eyeliner.
“Just pretend I’m a baby. It doesn’t have to be weird,” Lauren mumbled. After a grueling day in and out of meetings at the Harbor Capital Investment Firm, she felt to tired to even speak. Her muscles ached. Her mind was numb. She didn’t feel like she had enough strength to properly form sentences let alone carry on a decent conversation.
“You know I can’t do that. It’s practically my job to make things weird. You just need to have a little fun and you’ll feel better.”
Lauren sat up with a groan and kicked off her heels, unbuttoned her white collared blouse and fell back on to the bed. “I can’t do it. Go on without me.”
Ali stormed over to the side of the bed with her arms folded across her chest. “You are getting changed and we’re going out. I’m not exactly going to meet some nerdy-but-hot rich entrepreneur in our hotel room, am I? And I need you to play geeky wingwoman!”
Lifting her head off the bed, looking every bit as pathetic as she felt, Lauren said, “At least do my makeup for me?”
“Oh, now that I can do!”
Thirty minutes and too much makeup later, the two girls walked out the front doors of the hotel. Like any true New Yorker, Ali immediately walked to the street to hail a cab.
“No no, wait,” Lauren called her back, pulling out her phone.
“Nuh uh, I am not walking up these hills. We’re getting a cab.” Her arm shot back up.
“Llama, put your arm away. I’m getting us a cab right now.”
“With your phone? They never come when you call them.”
“Parker told me about this company that’s out here. You just press a button and ping, the cab locates you and picks you up. Look, there’s actually one around the corner. He just texted me.” She flashed Ali her screen, a green dot indicating the car was rounding the corner. Moments later, a black town car rolled up to the curb. The driver was an older man in a suit who helped them into the backseat. “I could certainly get used to this.”
“Where we headed, ladies?” the driver asked looking into the rear-view mirror.
“A restaurant called Bix, do you know it? Shit, I don’t think I have the address pulled up,” said Lauren.
“No need, I know exactly where it is. There are a couple bottles of water back there if you ladies get thirsty.” With a nod, the driver pulled away.
Lauren sunk into the black leather seat as the driver weaved between traffic at a semi-alarming speed. Driving over the hills in San Francisco made her feel like she was on a roller coaster without tracks. Two days into their trip and she’d already seen three traffic accidents, one of which was a car driving straight into a parked cable car. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, forcing herself to relax. Too many stress-filled days and a month of no real intimacy, aside from the battery-operated kind, had her wound up tight.
A few minutes later the driver pulled up outside a dimly lit alley. “Just head down that way. You can’t see the sign from here cause of those trees, but it’s there.”
“Are you sure?” Ali asked suspiciously.
The driver helped them out of the car, wished them a good night, and drove away. A few nervous steps down the dark alley, Ali spun around and shouted, “Shit! You forgot to pay him!”
Lauren clutched her chest, her heart pounding. “Damnit Ali, don’t do that! Nearly wet myself there. You pay him through the app, it comes out automatically,” Lauren said, patting her purse.
“Damn. Silicon Valley, eh? They’ve got everything here!” Ali looped her arm through Laurens and continued on. “Now, let’s go find some nerdy hotties.”
A glowing neon sign appeared to the left as they walked down the alley. The squiggly letters, ‘BIX here’ reminded her of logos straight from the 80’s. Once inside, the interior blew her away. Dozens of wall sconces dimly lit the large room. The bar at the end seemed to glow, looking more like an altar than a watering hole. The wall of bottles gleamed and glittered, throwing embers of light across the mosaic behind. Everything was touched with gold, rich mahogany, and decedent fabrics. Large pillars supported the soaring, vaulted ceilings above. A man in a tux accompanied a woman in a sequined gown, both softly crooning in the corner. As the girls sat at their round central table taking in the atmosphere, they noticed all the guests dining in the balcony seats above them.
“I feel like I just fell into the 1940’s,” Ali said. “And, surprisingly, I suddenly have an uncontrollable urge to sleep with you.”
“Makes sense. Parker suggested
this place. Probably brings all his bimbos here,” Lauren whispered. “Don’t worry, unlike him I don’t expect anything in return.” She ran her toe up Ali’s leg under the table and winked.
Ali scanned the dining room and frowned. “I’m not seeing too many available bachelors around but at least I came with good company.”
Lauren looked over Ali’s shoulder toward the bar and spotted a group of men about their age. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that—” She trailed off as a young Asian woman caught her eye. She sat with her back to the bar, laughing with and surrounded by the young men. Well dressed, her short skirt showing off her thin legs, Lauren immediately felt a sense of unplaced recognition. Her long black hair tumbled down her shoulders and her lilting laugh echoed through the restaurant. She seemed to be the center of their attention and her body language made it obvious she wasn’t there with any one in particular. Lauren was distracted, trying to place her.
“Okay, what? What is going on behind me? I can tell you aren’t paying attention to me.”
“There’s a girl at the bar. I can’t figure out where I know her from. Maybe she’s a model or an actress?” Ali turned quickly in her chair and Lauren hissed to stop her. “Wait! Casual. Turn like you’re watching the singer. God, woman.”
“Alright,” Ali said rolling her eyes. “Where am I looking?” She slowly shifted in her seat, resting her chin on her hand as if mesmerized by the music.
“The girl in the black skirt, twelve o’clock.”
“The gorgeous Asian girl?”
“That’s her. Do you recognize her?”
“Not even a little,” Ali said turning forward. “Maybe you’ve seen her in a stock photo or something. Happens to me all the time back home. I’ll see a guy on the street and think, ‘Did I hook up with you?’ and then realize that I just see his face on the side of a bus every day or something.”