The Decent Proposal (Trust In Me)

by LB Shaw

  The Decent Proposal

  Trust In Me, Part 1

  LB Shaw

  Copyright © 2013

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system without prior written consent of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, places, characters, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. All sexually active characters in this story are over 18 years of age.

  This book is for sale to ADULTS ONLY. It contains sexually explicit scenes and graphic language that might be considered offensive to some readers. Please keep this book stored where it cannot be accessed by minors.

  Cover design 2013 by Jasmin (jw12792 on Fiverr.com)

  View additional works on my blog:

  www.lbshaw.blogspot.com

  Prologue

  Her cheek pressed into the ground, searing, as the sun continued to scorch her bare skin. She could feel the sand pressing into her face, feeling like hundreds of tiny pinpricks. At this point, she wasn’t sure how long she had been trapped, but it was long enough that if someone didn’t find her soon, she would probably die. The pearls that Rob had given her—clutched between her fingers—felt sticky, and she couldn’t remember how they ended up in her hand.

  Ana was amazed at her stupidity. Her own pride had landed her here, in the middle of where-the-hell Arizona. And the ironic thing was, after everything she had gained in the last few days, it was all for nothing.

  If only she had left a message with that lady who had answered the phone, then at least Rob would know she was here. But she panicked and hung up. Hell, if she had just told him how she felt before he left town, she wouldn’t even be here. Well, she might be here, but she wouldn’t be stranded like this. She would be with him—they would be together.

  She rolled her head over, squinting in the bright sun, trying to figure out what time it was. But she was too weak to keep her eyes open, much less form a rational thought that required figuring out the location of the sun in relation to the horizon. It was late-fucking-o’clock, that’s all she knew. As her head rolled back over, she lost consciousness once again.

  One

  Ana walked into her studio apartment and tossed her bags on the table, knocking over a stack of unpaid bills and spilling paintbrushes everywhere. Tripping over a pair of shoes she had left in the middle of the floor, she swore under her breath. She was exhausted from yet another long day of school and work, and she wondered if she would survive another three years like this.

  “Christ, something’s gotta give here,” she muttered, sadly aware there was no one around to hear her complaining.

  Her stomach growled as she opened the fridge and took out a grease-stained pizza box and a bottle of Riesling. After setting them on the counter, she rummaged the drawers for a corkscrew. The first glass of wine was gone before the microwave beeped, and she quickly poured another. What the hell? I don’t have class ‘til noon tomorrow.

  She pushed some unfinished paintings aside to clear a spot on the table and flipped through a magazine as she ate. While idly cramming food into her mouth, her cell phone rang. She really wasn’t in the mood to talk, but when she saw it was her best friend, Beth, she answered right away.

  Ana put the phone to her ear and attempted to answer with, “What do you want, slut?” But with a mouthful of pizza, her words came out as, ‘whuffyoowanslud?’

  Beth burst out with laughter. “Slud?” she repeated, knowing exactly what Ana had tried to say as ‘slut’ had been their pet name since high school. “Don’t call me a slud when, clearly, you’re the one who sounds like you have a cock in your mouth.”

  “It’s pizza. If I had a cock in my mouth, the last thing I would be doing is talking to you. Besides, we both know who’s had cock in their mouth most recently,” Ana joked. “So who’s the slut now?”

  “Whatever. I’m calling with some very important information.” Ana laughed at Beth’s serious tone. Her important information was never much more than what their weekend plans were.

  “I’m listening.”

  “You know that banquet Signify is having for their employees this weekend? One of their big managers doesn’t have a date for the dinner, and of course Rich mentioned you and was wondering if you wanted to go. What do you think? Oh, and I should probably tell you, he’s loaded.”

  Rich was Beth’s boyfriend of several years, and she continuously pressured him to keep his eyes open for available bachelors they could set Ana up with.

  “What’s wrong with him?” Ana asked. “Or better yet, what’s in it for me? I want cash monies delivered to my bank account by midnight Saturday, or I’m turning Rich’s pecker into a pumpkin.”

  Beth let out a snort. “So does that mean you’ll do it?”

  Ana loudly flipped a magazine page. “You’ll be shocked to know my social calendar is empty. You’d think between my forty hours at work and ten hours in class I’d meet all kinds of guys. Have I mentioned I haven’t gotten laid in six months? It’s turning into the Mojave Desert down there, Beth. Very hot with low humidity.”

  “We’re going to fix that for you real soon, hun, maybe this weekend. You never know! Do you want to meet for lunch tomorrow so I can give you the details?”

  “Sure. One-thirty at The Grind?”

  “I’ll be there.”

  Ana hung up and tossed her crust into the overflowing trash, sending the uneaten pizza and some empty soda cans falling to the floor. Pretending not to notice, she spun around and walked to the bathroom. Already feeling a bit lascivious at the thought of going on a date, she drew a bath, watching the bubbles foam beneath the faucet as she undressed. She lit a few candles and grabbed her glass of wine from the countertop before slipping into the warm, wet suds. The candlelight cast a soft glow on her breasts as they swelled above the water’s edge.

  She took a sip of wine and fantasized about her mystery date. Maybe she could at least find out what he looked like. She hoped he wasn’t a total dog. What kind of bigwig manager at a major corporation like Signify can’t get a date to his own company dinner? Ana had a hunch she shouldn’t jump the gun on this one. Maybe he wasn’t a reject, just really busy like her. Or maybe his date cancelled at the last minute. Great, I’m second choice…

  She allowed herself to indulge in some lustful thoughts, and her hand made its way down to the part of herself that—had she not been submerged in water—would have still been wet with desire. Not the Mojave now, is it?

  She imagined him between her legs and placed a finger where his tongue would be, teasing herself lightly back and forth until she came. She rested her head on the slope of the tub as the last of her tremors faded. It rarely took more than a minute to get herself off, even when she tried to delay gratification. But it was late, and tonight was not the night to delay anything. She got out of the tub to towel off, thinking of the bed awaiting her in the next room like an unopened gift.

  Two

  Rush hour traffic in downtown Los Angeles was always a beast to contend with. But at that moment, Rob Goings was only listening to the buzzing of cars filter through the office window as he sat at his desk, spinning the diamond between his fingers. The brilliant, 1.5-carat estate ring had been in his family for years, but only several months ago had he placed it in his office safe. If he left right now, he could go ahead and return it to the safety deposit at the bank. It wasn’t like he was going to need it, not anytime soon anyway. He slipped the gold band into the felt slit inside the box, s
tood up, and tucked it neatly into his coat pocket. He was unusually restless and ready to go home, even though there was no one to go home to.

  Normally, Rob was happy to put in fifty to sixty hours of work each week. He loved his job as head of accounts at Signify Corporation. But this had been a difficult week with anniversaries and memories he was ready to put to rest. As he rummaged through the drawer to find his keys, his desk phone gave a quick double ring, signaling an internal call from his boss.

  Stephanie… What the hell does she want at this hour?

  “Yeah?” he answered.

  “Hi. Could you stop by before you leave?”

  “Sure, I’ll be right there,” he grumbled, tossing the keys back into his desk.

  When he walked into her office, he could hear the sound of metal clinking around in her mug. That coffee will turn to wine as soon as I leave, he thought. After setting down the spoon, she pressed the front of her suit with her free hand and motioned to Rob.

  “Have a seat. I’ll try and make this brief. Coffee?” she asked.

  “No thanks.” He had an idea of what she was going to say, and really, he just wanted her to get to the point. There had been a lot of talk among some of the other managers about a possible buyout. If it was a real threat and Stephanie knew about it, she needed to speak up.

  “I’m sure you’re aware of the rumors that have been circulating here lately,” she began. “This afternoon, Ridley Global attempted a merger with us, and we rejected their bid. I’ve been keeping a close eye on the numbers and talking with Carl. Things are starting to look real here. We’re in trouble, and I’m afraid we’re going to have to take massive action in order to prevent a hostile takeover. I have a task for you, sort of off the grid if you get what I’m saying.”

  Rob’s chest tightened at her words. Ridley Global had a reputation for acquiring large, financially struggling companies and replacing the entire staff with their own. They were ruthless, yet prosperous. If they were successful in taking over Signify, he had no doubt he would be out of a job.

  “Sure, just let me know what you need me to do. I can get someone to take over the Spaulding account. That’s been taking up most of my time these days,” he replied.

  “Great. Go ahead and do that, would you? I have someone for you to investigate.”

  “Investigate? This really is off the grid. What exactly am I investigating?” he asked.

  “I don’t have all of the details yet, but she’s related to the founder of Signify. I’ll need you to be ready when I say ‘go’.”

  Rob was somewhat familiar with William Ross, the man who had started the corporation almost forty years ago with little more than the help of a single, small investment company. Within seven years, Signify had exploded into an international investment firm. He wasn’t sure what Stephanie had in mind for him, but he was willing to do whatever it took. He had been with the company for fifteen years. It was his bread and butter, and he would not go down without a fight.

  “I’ll be ready. You know I’ll do whatever I can for this company,” Rob replied.

  “Great. And just so you know, this conversation stays between the two of us, understood?”

  “Of course.” He pulled Stephanie’s office door closed on his way out. The walk back to his desk was heavy, now burdened with the weight of an uncertain future. Was a brief reprieve from all the bullshit and stress so much to ask for? Happy times were looking further and further away.

  Three

  The Grind was Ana and Beth’s favorite sandwich shop, and they ate there at least twice a week. After settling on a Reuben sandwich, Ana picked a booth next to a group of businessmen and sat down, strategically placing herself in a position to flirt shamelessly with one of the men seated across from her. He must have been in his upper thirties and looked like a cross between Robert Downey, Jr. and Mel Gibson—very sexy, distinct features. It suddenly occurred to her how desperate she was for a date. Maybe the Downey/Gibson hybrid should be the lucky recipient of her unremitting desires.

  “Ana! Are you even listening to me?” Beth snapped. “I can see you checking out Braveheart over there. Why don’t you just give him your number?”

  “Because he’d probably call me and ask me out. And then I’d have to explain I don’t have time to date because I work six days a week and go to school and don’t have time to—”

  “You really need to get over this ‘poor me, I’m so busy’ thing. I mean, really? We have time to hang out. Make some time for a guy in your life. Or you could find the perfect hook-up—someone to pop over a couple of times a week, take care of your carnal needs, and be on his merry way.”

  “Believe me, the thought has crossed my mind more than once.” Ana pinched off a piece of her sandwich and dropped it into her mouth. “To be honest,” she said, peeking at Braveheart. “I have this secret fantasy of finding someone with a pile of money who would put me through school so I wouldn’t have to work so much. You know, your basic, run-of-the-mill sugar daddy. Working forty hours a week to barely pay my bills is wearing me out.”

  Beth cocked her eye. “Welcome to reality.” She pointed her fork at Ana and added, “But great fantasy. You’ll have your chance to hook that sugar daddy tomorrow. Wear that red dress and show off those hot boobs of yours. Even Rich has commented on how nice your rack is.”

  “Why is Rich talking about my boobs when you have an ass to make any man stand at attention?”

  “It’s no secret that Rich is an ass man, but every ass man appreciates a great set of hooters like yours.”

  “You know that word offends me,” Ana said in mock hurt. “I prefer to call them Abbott and Costello.”

  “As I’ve told you, that’s a reference to humor. There’s nothing funny about your tits, Ana.”

  “Okay, then, B-one and B-two. How’s that?”

  “If you’d had that boob job like I suggested, they’d be called B-three and B-four.”

  “Airbags,” Ana replied.

  “Dairy pillows.”

  “Baby feeders.”

  “Flapdoodles.”

  They both began laughing hysterically, drawing attention from the other patrons. Ana’s mouth turned up in a sexy smile at the Downey/Gibson look-alike, and he returned the grin.

  “Okay, I give up,” Beth said.

  “No matter what you call them,” Ana said, “most men would agree they get the job done.”

  Ana took a sip of water and wondered if her breasts had come up while Rich and Beth were in the bedroom. The thought made her see Rich in a whole new light. Not wanting to push the topic further, revealing a sore spot, she decided to quickly change the subject.

  “So what do you know about this guy you’re hooking me up with? Have you met him?”

  “Yeah, several times. He seems nice, had a girlfriend for a while, but I guess they recently broke up. I think he’s dated a little since then but nothing serious. He didn’t think he was going to be able to make it to the banquet because he’s been having problems with one of the satellite branches in Colorado, but he told Rich yesterday he’d be there. That’s everything I know about him at this point.”

  “Everything but his name,” Ana corrected.

  “Oh, he doesn’t have a name,” Beth said, looking hard off into the distance. “Come to think of it, he doesn’t have a face either. Dammit! Or arms or legs… shit!”

  “Oh great! Guess I won’t have to worry about him groping me all night then,” Ana replied, making air quotes around ‘worry.’ “Now seriously, indulge me,” she laughed.

  “He’s attractive, for an older guy anyway. I know you go for that sort of thing, one foot in the grave and all.”

  “Jesus, I don’t like them that old. Thirties, mid forties, tops. Breathing, pulse, and a hard—”

  “You can stop right there.” Beth held a hand up. “I’m sure he’s perfect for you… late thirties I believe, treats the employees well. Why do you think Rich has stayed with the company for so long? Sometimes he ta
kes the managers out for lunch or dinner and drinks, the works. The last time they went out, Rich didn’t get home ‘til after one in the morning. I’m pretty sure they went to a strip club. He wouldn’t admit it, but a woman knows these things.” Beth looked up at Ana and said, “You know, sometimes men think we’re so stupid.”

  “He probably knew you figured it out. How pissed were you?”

  “Hah! I was only pissed that I wasn’t invited, but I couldn’t get too mad. Rich came home that night in high gear. We had some really wild sex. I think we broke the bed and maybe a lamp. Now you tell me he was just out with the guys having drinks. I don’t think so.”

  They finished their lunch, and Ana tossed her napkin on the plate. “I have to get to work.”

  “I need to get to the shop myself,” Beth said, jotting something down on a napkin. “We have our new summer line coming in. We’ll pick you up tomorrow at six. You need any help getting yourself super-sexified?”

  “I need help looking sexy now? I thought I had the hottest boobs in town.”

  “I never said the hottest in town, but you definitely do not need help,” Beth said smiling. She stood up, walked over to Braveheart, and gave him the napkin she had scribbled on. “She’s single,” Beth said to him as Ana sat and watched in horror. Beth just smiled and turned around as Braveheart stared blankly at Ana. Ana shook her head and jumped up, dashing out the door, and Beth followed close behind.

  “What the actual fuck was that? Are you crazy?” Ana cried once they were outside.

  “Hey, you’ll thank me later. That just may be the future Mr. Anabelle Ross.”

  “Jesus Christ, Beth! Sometimes I really wonder about you. What if he’s a serial killer or something?”

  “He’s eating lunch at The Grind with his co-workers,” Beth replied. “Serial killers eat soup made from body parts in their basement next to their dead mothers.”