by Suzanne Hart
As Darius continued with the presentation, I could see the two men and the woman from the company being deeply engrossed. They were impressed by the pitch, and so was I.
I’d been so distracted these last few days that I hadn’t been paying attention. Darius had said that he wanted me to take a look at the presentation before he made the pitch, but I’d told him that I trusted his judgment.
And now I could see that I was right. Darius had done a good job.
Once the presentation was over, the reps from the company shook our hands and said that they would be happy to work with us. I assured them that we couldn’t wait to get started.
We saw them out to the elevator doors and I turned to Darius.
“Good job, mate!” I said, thumping his back.
Darius was one of my first hires when I founded the company in London and he has yet to disappoint me.
Darius was all smiles and as we shook hands, he said—
“It wasn’t all me. Most of it was the new girl.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, crinkling my brows.
“The new girl. Tessa Munro. You know, the one you recruited a few days back. Most of the pitch was her idea. In fact, she’s bursting with great ideas. Wherever you found her—I have to say, you have a good eye,” Darius related.
I wasn’t quite sure how to react.
I knew Tessa had a good portfolio, but I didn’t think she’d be able to impress everyone so quickly here.
“Oh! Right, her, yeah, she’s good. Could you send her to my office? I would like to give her a word of encouragement myself,” I said.
Darius smiled and walked away, and I went back to the office.
I didn’t have to wait more than five minutes before there was a knock on the door.
Tessa walked in, her hands clasped to the front.
“You wanted to see me?”
I nearly choked when I looked at her. I’d been thinking about her non-stop, my head was full of her. I’d shared a bed with her last night. And yet, when I saw her again, she made my heart stop. No other woman had this effect on me before.
“Yes, I just got out of the meeting with Cooksmart,” I told her. Tessa had a light smile on her face and she nodded. She was aware that the meeting had gone well.
“They’re signing us on for a two-year-long campaign. And Darius tells me that most of the pitch was your idea,” I said.
Tessa’s cheeks flushed, she was embarrassed by the compliment. She looked down at her feet instead of meeting my eyes.
“Congratulations, Tessa. That was a cracking presentation,” I said.
She smiled and nodded.
“Thank you. I appreciate it,” she replied and finally looked up at me. Our eyes met and there was a renewed softness in her face.
“I’m glad to see that you’re happy here,” I added and she nodded some more.
“I feel fulfilled at work, thank you. It’s exactly the kind of work I always wanted to do,” she said.
“I woke up this morning and you were gone,” I blurted, before I could stop myself.
“I wanted to come into work early,” she answered.
I had to do everything in my power to not step towards her. I wanted her in my arms again.
I knew that calling her into my office repeatedly was a mistake. So, why did I keep doing it?
“I wanted to prove to you that giving me this job was not a complete waste,” she continued and I shook my head.
“I know that already, Tessa. You don’t have to prove it to me. I’m aware of how good you are at your job,” I said.
She was still smiling. I could see how much this deal had pleased her. She had been able to justify her actions to herself.
“Is there anything else?” She asked.
There was so much more.
She was here. I could have pulled her into my arms and stripped her off her clothes if I wanted to. I could have taken her right there on my desk. But I shook my head.
“No, that’s all I wanted to say.”
Tessa smiled at me, and then left the office.
I went over and slumped down in my chair. It was getting harder and harder to control myself around her now. I wanted her to know that I appreciated her, but the truth was that I wanted to sleep with her too. I wanted to be inside her as well.
No other woman had ever had this effect on me before, and I didn’t know how I would ever get over her.
33
Tessa
At the end of my day at work, I found Martin waiting for me at the door of the office building. He had an anxious look on his face and I knew I couldn’t disappoint him this time too. Besides, I’d had enough of bumping into Gordon unexpectedly for one day.
I smiled at Martin and let him lead me to the car.
As we drove to the penthouse—the place which was slowly beginning to feel like home; I tried not to worry about Gordon.
His threat to me that morning had put me on edge. I was yet to find out the full extent of what he was capable of. I wasn’t sure if I should tell Clark about it. I didn’t want to be responsible for any bad blood between the two brothers. It was bad enough as it was.
When I reached the penthouse, I was expecting Alfie to come charging at me, but he was nowhere to be seen.
“Alfie?” I called for him, walking straight to his room. Instead of Alfie, I found Penny there, clearing away his toys and cleaning his room.
“Where’s Alfie?” I asked her and Penny looked at me apologetically. There was no doubt that she could sense the tension that existed in the household right now.
“Mr. Webber…Mr. Gordon Webber and Ms. Celine took him for a movie and dinner,” Penny said.
I looked around the room, feeling pangs of something in my stomach. I wasn’t quite sure what it was. It wasn’t like he was my son. I’d only known this child for a few days and yet, the thought that other people were spending time with him, made me anxious.
“Okay, thanks, Penny,” I said and left the room.
In the living room, I found Clark. He was sitting on the couch, going through some files on his lap. He looked up when I walked in, and I felt that rush of desire in me again. When would I stop wanting him like this?!
“You heard about Alfie?” He asked, shutting the file.
“Yeah, it’s good for him, isn’t it? The less he senses the tension between all of us, the better it is for his well-being,” I said.
Clark’s eyes roamed over me the way they always did. Like he could see right through me. Like he knew exactly what I was thinking. Could he sense that I wanted him? That I was thinking of our bodies pressed together?
“In the last five years since Alfie’s birth, I’ve barely done anything in the evenings than be at home and spend time with him,” Clark said.
“That’s really good to hear. Not a lot of fathers do that,” I answered. Clark sighed and shrugged.
“I had no other choice. It wasn’t like I could divide my responsibilities with someone else. I always come home to Alfie. He’s always here. It’s strange not having him in the house,” Clark continued and a smile creased my lips.
When I first saw Clark Webber, when I knew nothing about him, I wouldn’t have guessed that he was capable of expressing himself like this. That he could possibly care about anything other than himself.
My first impression of Clark was that he was rich, powerful, and arrogant—incapable of tenderness.
But seeing him with Alfie all these days, had proved me wrong.
I could see there was nothing as important to Clark as his son. He worked for his son, he lived his life for his son.
“Alfie loves you and he will grow up to appreciate you for it,” I said.
“I’m not looking for his appreciation. Just like I never wanted it from Gordon. After what my brother has done to me, I don’t even expect loyalty or faith from anyone,” he explained.
I took a step towards him. Hearing him speak like this made me sad. I wanted to fix it for him. I co
uldn’t stand the thought that Clark doubted himself.
“You shouldn’t stop doing what you’re doing, Clark. It’s what’s made you who you are,” I said.
I looked away from him, embarrassed.
“And who am I, Tessa?” He asked.
I gulped, at a loss for words.
“A successful man with a moral sense of action and thought,” I replied. I looked up to meet his eyes, so he could see that I meant what I said.
Clark clenched his jaw and nodded.
“I think you hold me in high regard, Tessa, and I’m afraid I’m going to disappoint you sometime soon,” he added.
I smiled lightly.
“I’m used to disappointment. You don’t have to worry about me,” I said.
For a few moments, we remained like that in silence. Each lost in our own thoughts. Then Clark abruptly stood up from the couch and strode towards me.
“How do you feel about dinner?” He asked. I smiled even wider.
“I feel passionately about it. I like to eat!”
Clark smiled too, his blue eyes were glowing as he looked into mine.
“I meant dinner with me, somewhere nice. There’s no point staying here waiting for Alfie to get back, like parents of a rebellious teenager. Might as well live a little.”
I laughed at that and he laughed too. He was searching my eyes for an answer and I nodded.
“Dinner sounds lovely. Thank you,” I told him.
“Good, I’ll wait here if you need time to get ready,” he added and still smiling at each other, I walked out of the room and towards the bedroom.
It felt like I was floating on clouds. Was this a date? Had Clark just asked me out on a date? I felt giddy with nervousness and excitement as I went to change.
Maybe we were moving towards something else? Maybe Clark had realized something I’d known all along—that there was nobody for me, but him.
34
Clark
Tessa looked beautiful when she emerged from the bedroom, dressed for us to go out. When I looked at her then, I knew I didn’t deserve her.
She was wearing a beautiful blue cocktail dress with cold shoulders. The deep plunging neck accentuated her cleavage, where a dainty silver necklace lay between her breasts. Her long chestnut hair was curled, styled perfectly to fall thickly on one side of her shoulder.
She was wearing a nude shade of lipstick, and her green eyes looked bright and perfectly complemented the dress. Her black stilettos clicked on the marble floor as she walked towards me.
I hadn’t changed out of my work suit.
Tessa was biting down on her bottom lip as I stood up.
“Bit much?” She asked and I shook my head.
“Not at all. You look beautiful, Tessa,” I told her. I gave her my arm and she took it, then I lead her out of the penthouse.
I drove to a restaurant nearby which I knew was popular for their Italian food. It was a fairly upscale place, and the perfect setting for Tessa and the beautiful dress she was wearing.
In the car, we spoke a little about the presentation from that morning. I realized I liked listening to her talk. Like Darius said, she was bursting with good ideas and her insight was interesting.
At the restaurant, we were shown to an isolated table in the corner with dim lighting and romantic floral table decor. Tessa weaved around the tables, and I could sense some heads turning to look at her. She’d created a bit of a stir here, and it filled me with pride to be seen accompanying this woman who was resplendent.
I held the chair out for her and she sat down.
“You might not guess it, but I don’t do this very often,” I told her.
“Eat out?” She asked.
“I don’t like Alfie eating out all the time, and I don’t like spending the evenings away from him—when I have a chance to get away from work,” I explained.
Tessa was smiling. She had the menu open in front of her, and while she looked at it, I stared at her.
She had the perfect pink lips and a delicate chin. I could still taste her mouth. I remembered what it felt like to be inside her. If only Gordon hadn’t met her first. But then I might not have met her at all—would I have been happier if we didn’t meet? That way I wouldn’t know the heartache of losing her.
“I think I’ll have the Chicken Tetrazzini,” she said, startling me out of my thoughts.
“I’m yet to try it, so I think I’ll order the same,” I told her.
“I had no idea it was specific to Italy,” she added and we smiled knowingly at each other.
Was she thinking what I was thinking? That this felt more than just a simple meal with a person I knew.
We shared the same bed, for God’s sakes!
We placed our order with the waiter, and ordered some wine. Tessa was still continuing to talk about the Cooksmart project, while I tried not to stare.
Even before I’d met Celine, I’d been searching for a woman who would make me feel the way Tessa did. Now I’d found her but it was too late. She couldn’t be mine. Sleeping with her once was bad enough. She had once been in love with Gordon. How could she love me? How could our relationship ever exist by itself, without the shadow of Gordon hanging over it?
Besides, in actuality, I couldn’t do to Gordon what he did to me.
“What are you thinking?” Tessa asked me.
I realized I’d been staring at her without a single response for some time now.
“Sorry, I was listening, I was just…never mind,” I said and she drank some of the wine.
“You were just thinking how strange all this is?” She asked. It was like she’d read my mind and I couldn’t lie to her, so I nodded my head.
“It’s just been a strange few days, that’s all. I thought I had a solid plan to hurt my brother, and now I realize how ridiculous all this is. And I shouldn’t have got you involved. I’ve got Alfie involved in this too.”
Tessa had been staring at me intensely as I spoke.
“Do you regret everything?” She asked.
“Not everything. I don’t regret having met you,” I said.
“And why is that, Clark?” She continued and I knew I had to say something. She deserved to know, and if I didn’t tell her, I felt like I would never find out how she felt.
“Because I feel like we have a connection, because you’re good with Alfie, because you calm me,” I said.
Tessa gulped and looked away from me, embarrassed again.
“All the qualities one needs in a good friend,” she added, with a nervous grin.
“Tessa, you and I both know well enough that we can’t be friends. Not after everything that’s happened between us,” I said.
“You mean, the sex?” She asked, surprising me with her directness.
“Yes, and sharing a bed, and pretending to be in a relationship,” I continued.
Tessa sighed and sat back in her chair.
“I guess you’re right,” she said and looked away from me again.
“I want you to believe me, Tessa. If I could have done things differently, I would have,” I told her, leaning towards her over the table. She crossed her brows, fixing her gaze on me again.
“Done things differently? How would you have done things differently, Clark? What would you have changed?”
I clenched my jaw, toying with the idea of telling her the truth or keeping shut. I didn’t want to complicate matters anymore. But her face…her delicate lips…those heaving breasts…
“If I could stop you from having been with Gordon, I would have. Because he never deserved you, I don’t either. But I would have spent the rest of my life trying to keep you happy, to better myself so I could deserve you.”
I couldn’t tell what Tessa was thinking. She was looking at me like I’d said something she didn’t believe. Soon enough, she blinked and shifted in her chair.
“What makes you think you know what I do and don’t deserve,” was what she finally said. I watched her speak, her mouth moving sens
ually. All I could think about was being inside her. Feeling that tight warmth between her legs.
“You’re right, I don’t,” I replied. I could sense that my voice had grown hoarse.
“I’d like to believe I’m a better judge of that,” she continued and our eyes met. I wasn’t sure what she was trying to say, but I could hope…
“I’m sorry for presuming…” I said, but she interrupted me.
“You don’t need to apologize to me,” she snapped. I clamped my mouth shut and she leaned closer to me over the table.
“Why did you ask me to dinner tonight, Clark?” She asked, and there was a sultriness to her voice. She was demanding the truth from me, and from the look on her face I could tell that she’d know if I was lying.
“Because I thought it was time we got to know each other. We are technically sharing a life, even if it’s a pretend life and for a short while,” I replied and Tessa’s gaze dropped to my hands on the table.
“What if we don’t pretend. Just for a few moments?” She murmured. Her voice was hoarse too, low and whispery. I nearly couldn’t hear her at all.
When she looked up at me again, her eyes were glittering.
“There is nothing more I would like than to stop pretending,” I said and a half-smile grazed her lips. Those lips I wanted to kiss so badly.
“Maybe we don’t have to. Nobody’s watching us right now,” she added and I stood up from the table.
That was it.
I thought I could resist her, that I could get through this night without shattering into pieces—but I couldn’t. I had to have her.
I waved at a waiter, and when he arrived I handed him my card. In the meantime, I helped Tessa into her coat.
“What are we doing?” She asked. Her face was flushed, and I had a pretty good idea that she knew what we were going to do.
“Getting out of here, so we don’t have to pretend to be out on an innocent friendly meal,” I replied.