by Mia Ford
“What are you doing here? And why are you in a suit?” she said.
“I had a morning meeting, and what are you doing here?” I asked her in a softer voice. Beverley reached for the glass of clear liquid in front of her and emptied it in her mouth. I clenched my jaw as I stared at her.
“What are you drinking? Why are you drinking?” I said, in a low guttural growl and she arched an eyebrow at me.
“It’s just water, and anyway, what do you care? And what makes you think that I need to answer to you?” she said. Defiance was streaming out of her large green eyes. Her straight hair was a little frizzy today and she was in old clothes.
“I care because I’m worried that this business deal is taking an emotional toll on you, and I feel responsible,” I said and shoved my hands into the pockets of my pants. A half weak smile crept up on her face and she looked away from me.
“You’re not responsible for me, Grant. I’m my own person,” she said.
Chapter 15
Beverley
“Beverley, I’m trying to help you,” Grant said it through gritted teeth and brought his face really close to mine. If other people in the bar could hear us, he didn’t seem to care. He was standing in front of me and now had me cornered; with his arms on either side of me. Our faces were only inches apart.
“Why?” I spat out and he took in a deep breath.
“Because your product is good and you’re an old friend,” he said and a sarcastic laugh escaped my lips.
“Friends? We were never friends, Grant!” I said and he stared at me. His blue eyes had darkened and I could see every strand in his beard. His gaze was focused on me, on my nose and my lips and then back to my eyes again.
“Call it what you want then, college loyalty,” he said, in a softer voice. But my nostrils were flared. I wasn’t prepared to see him, not so soon after what had happened the previous day. In fact, I had planned on never seeing him again.
“You don’t need to help me, and you definitely don’t need to show up at a bar and rescue me,” I said, jutting my chin out at him. For a moment I thought he was going to kiss me again. His lips were set in a thin line and I could smell the heady musky scent of his cologne. He was too close to me for comfort and I shifted in my stool.
“I’m not trying to rescue you, I’m just trying to talk to you,” he said and I rolled my eyes.
“You keep saying that, but I don’t know what we can talk about. It’s a business deal and our lawyers will see it through,” I said and looked away from him. Even with my eyes averted, I could tell that he was glaring at me. Thinking of the next thing to say.
“Beverley, this isn’t a competition anymore,” he said, in a much quieter voice and I whipped my head around to look at him.
“Who said it’s a competition? What makes you think I’m competing with you?” I asked him, trying to fool myself at the same time. It had always been a competition with Grant. Previously, in college it had been just friendly fire, but now it was a full fledged war. At least in my eyes.
“Why are you taking it so badly then?” he asked and I straightened myself.
“I would have taken it badly no matter who was buying my company. It isn’t about you,” I told him and I realized that my lips were quivering. He watched my lips and then narrowed his eyes at me again.
“So, why did you leave last night?” he asked, after a few seconds of silence. I crossed my brows and pretended to not know what he was talking about.
“Because I didn’t…” I tried to say the words, but I was melting in his eyes.
I felt him reach for my hand and he yanked me off the stool. My heart was racing again, as he tugged me gently, leading me around the tables till we reached the toilets at the back of the bar. When I realized where he was taking us, my stomach fell. I knew what was going to happen and my mind went into a tizzy.
But I didn’t resist it, because that was exactly what I wanted. Once again, in Grant’s presence; all common sense had disappeared and I was left with this raw need to have him.
Unconcerned by who was watching us, Grant pushed open the door of the toilet. There was just one, a unisex toilet that was thankfully well maintained and he let go of my hand when he locked it shut behind us.
“Grant, I…” I tried to say but he had grabbed my face with both hands again and we were kissing.
This time the kiss was hungry and it was like we were devouring each other. His beard scratched against my face, as I weaved my fingers through his hair. With one hand he pinned me by my neck to the toilet wall, and his other travelled down my front.
With his fingers splayed, he grazed my stiff nipples through the fabric of my t-shirt, while our lips remained locked. I could feel myself growing wet and I thrust my hips towards him. This time I wanted more than just his mouth and he knew it too. I could feel his rock-hard cock throbbing in his pants as he pressed himself to me.
Grant pulled away his lips from me, just when his hand travelled down my jeans. I gasped when his fingers found my wet core.
“There it is again,” he grunted and I bit down on my lip. He nibbled on the side of my jaw and his tongue traveled down my neck, which I was now presenting to him. His hand was still inside my jeans, slowly beginning to stroke my clit.
I couldn’t control myself any more, and I reached for his belt which I undid in a flash. He didn’t help me as I unzipped him and finally his pants fell to the bathroom floor. Grant quickened the speed with which he was stroking me, I could feel his fingers getting wet with my own juices. I pressed my back against the toilet wall and wound my arms around his neck to pull him close.
Grant slid out his hand and then started undoing my jeans. He looked up at me suddenly and our eyes met. His were small and glazed over, his lips were wet with my saliva. I licked my lips in anticipation.
Grant pulled my jeans off in a hurry, and then my panties; and before I could say or do anything, he had lifted me off the floor, guiding me to wrap my legs around his waist. We kept our eyes locked as I settled in and he pressed me to the wall again. He had both his hands holding me up now, and I knew my mouth was hanging open.
The velvety smooth tip of his cock was grazing against my wet hot core. I gulped and kept my eyes on him. I knew he was big already, I’d seen his cock earlier and I was preparing myself for the sensation.
But nothing could have prepared me for what I felt when he slid into me, smoothly and an inch at a time. I moaned and he grunted as he continued. My back was pressed to the wall, both our eyes were wide open and he had no idea how long I’d waited for this. I wanted to scream. I wanted to tell him how good it felt, but I kept my mouth shut.
Grant was inside me. I could feel his hard cock stretching in me, stroking me at the spot that needed to be stroked. When he slid out, I gasped and then he slammed into me again. Now it was all about the speed and creating friction and he started pumping into me.
I closed my eyes, because I couldn’t bear to look at him any more. He drove into me with force and both our breaths caught in our throats. He grunted with every thrust, while my back slid up and down the wall with every push. My hands were on his shoulders, my nails digging into his skin through the jacket of his suit.
He looked handsome, he was the most good looking guy I’d slept with…and also the man who had been the object of my affection for all these years. This felt better than my fantasies.
Grant moved his hips and now his cock stroked me deeper inside. He didn’t slow down, he kept pumping into me and I knew he was bringing me closer and closer to the edge. If his mouth on me had felt amazing, this felt even better…if that was possible.
I braced myself for an orgasm and my eyes flew open. Grant had a lingering smile on his face, he wanted to watch me come. He was enjoying putting me in this position. I screamed as I came, unbothered by who could hear us outside. Grant grunted and I felt him release himself inside me at the same time. We were looking at each other as we came together. My toes curled in my sneakers w
hile my nails dug deeper into his skin. If I was hurting him, he didn’t say anything and instead kept thrusting into me. I could feel him shoot inside me, empty himself into me.
As I felt my breath beginning to recover, I realized that it was ending and I didn’t want it to. I wanted to experience it for longer, I didn’t want my orgasm to end because that would mean that I’d have to go back to the real world. And go back to hating him.
Grant kept me hoisted up, with my legs around his waist till we were both breathing normally again. Then slowly, he slid himself out of me. I was quick to jump off and I was unsteady when my feet hit the ground. He found my waist again.
“Steady,” he said in a quiet indulgent voice and I shot him a look.
“I’m fine. You can let go of me now,” I said and he took his hand away.
It was only now that I was noticing how small the bathroom space was. I had no idea any more how we’d managed to have sex here. I looked around me, while pulling my panties and jeans up my legs. Grant was doing the same beside me, and neither of us had said a word.
I could feel myself weakening already. I’d just had sex with Grant Jennings. My biggest fantasy from college had come true. I turned to him then, while he ran his fingers through his hair to smoothen it.
“It’s done now, we can finally move on,” I said and shrugged my shoulders. I was still on the defensive. I still didn’t want him to know just what I was feeling. Grant stroked his beard a couple of times, keeping his blue eyes pinned on me.
I watched as he clenched his jaw, and just from his gaze; I knew that I’d said something wrong.
“Sure, Beverley. You’re right, it’s done and we can move on,” he said in a gruff voice. I opened my mouth and felt my voice crack.
“Umm…thanks,” I said, at a loss of words and Grant squared his shoulders before giving me the once over.
“Good to go?” he asked, in a business like tone. I gulped and nodded. I wished I could throw my arms around his neck and bury my face in his chest, but he was already walking out of the toilet and walking away from me.
I followed him out. Nobody in the bar seemed to have noticed, or at least they weren’t staring at us.
“Grant!” I called out to him, not prepared with what I wanted to say. He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at me.
“Thank you for the offer…for the company I mean. It was very generous of you,” I said, aware of the distance between us. He pushed his hands into the pockets of his pants and nodded his head gently. Without a word, he turned around again and walked out of the bar, leaving me in the darkness of the dingy room.
I should have said more, or I should have told him the truth. But neither of those were an option for me, because Grant Jennings was still way out of my league.
Chapter 16
Grant
I left work early and came back to my house to spend some time alone. The day had been rough because I couldn’t get Beverley out of my mind. I drove with the top down on my convertible and tried to breathe in some fresh air into my lungs. Nothing was helping. I turned the music up and then down and I still couldn’t think straight. All I could think about was how hot the sex with Beverley was and how abruptly it ended. She had thanked me for my business offer when I left the bar, but that was it. She couldn’t care less that we had the most explosive sex of our lives together. Or at least, that what it was for me.
When I went looking for her at her office and then at the bar, my intention had been to talk to her. I knew she was having a hard time selling the company and I didn’t want her to suffer because of it. I also wanted to try my luck in convincing her to come work with me. But, I’d failed on both those accounts. Instead, I had managed to completely loose control and we ended up having sex.
Sex with Beverley was something I fantasized about since college. My preoccupation with Beverley, was something I blamed on my lust for her. So, technically, sleeping with her should have solved that problem for me. As she said, it was done now and we could both move on. But it didn’t seem like I could move on. I had never thought about a woman after having sex with her. This was a first for me and I didn’t know how to deal with it.
Back in my house, I paced around my den. I was still in my clothes from the day, conscious of the smell of Beverley on the fabric, or I could have just been imagining it. Either way, I couldn’t stop wondering what it would have felt like to sleep with her in my house, on my bed, so that we could talk after.
What was happening to me? I felt like I was going insane. Usually, once the job was done and I’d slept with a woman, what I wanted most to put some distance between us. And now, after Beverley, all I could think about was having her again.
I was mad at her, angry at me. I could still her voice ringing in my head. “It’s done now, we can finally move on.” I’d seen the rage in her eyes. She hated me, despised me more now that we had actually done the deed. It was almost like she had slept with me just to punish me. I was sure that she wanted to have nothing to do with me after. Whatever dreams I had of us working together as a team, were now ruined.
With my mind in confusion and my temper rising, I took out my phone and called the lawyer.
“How is the transaction going?” I said into the phone. I must have sounded pissed off, because he started explaining the process to me immediately, almost nervously.
“I don’t care how it’s being done. How much longer till I have full possession of Wade Co?” I barked into the phone.
“We’re waiting for signed papers and a confirmation. A week maximum? We’ll try and speed up the process,” he said and I cut the call. I wasn’t in the mood for small talk.
I clenched my jaw as I flung the phone away from me and it landed on the floor. I saw the screen crack and I turned away from it. I could get a new phone, I thought.
In a week I would own Beverley’s company. I would have won the game and we wouldn’t have to see each other again, just like she wanted.
I wasn’t sure why I was so angry suddenly, when sleeping with Beverley had occupied my mind since I first met her in college. I had been so close to asking her out, several times. But I had peer pressure to back me into a corner. I was expected to date cheerleaders and sorority girls and Beverley Wade had the reputation of being a nerdy prude in my circles.
Besides, wasn’t it obvious now that she always hated me? She despised my popularity, the fact that I played a sport and also that I managed to be her academic equal. She had probably never even been attracted to me. She had definitely shown no signs of having any desires to even be associated with me. Who was I kidding? It was probably for the best that I’d never asked her out. She would only have turned me down.
I tried to steady my nerves. It was over. The maddening yearning I felt for her since the previous night when she came to my house…was done. I got what I wanted, including her company, why did I care any more?
I switched on the big screen television in the den and sat down on my couch, hoping that I could distract myself. Within a few minutes I switched it off again, because even though my eyes were open, I was only thinking of her. Beverley against the toilet wall, her legs wrapped around me, how green her eyes were and how her nails had dug into my shoulders as she came.
I wanted her again. I wanted more than just a quick fuck in the toilet of a dingy bar. I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted, but I wanted something else.
For now, I tried to remind myself that I was going to own her company. If she was so resistant to my good intentions then I wasn’t going to force her any more. She’d get exactly what she wanted.
Chapter 17
Beverley
In my apartment, I couldn’t sleep at night, but I’d decided to stay away from alcohol. As tempting as that prospect was. I had changed from my day clothes into a pair of old pajamas and tucked myself into bed earlier than usual. I wanted to feel the comforting warmth of the covers around me, the familiarity of the pillow under my head. But I still couldn’t sleep.
Then he’d dragged me to the toilet and we’d had sex, loudly and ferociously; like our lives depended on it.
How long had I fantasized about sex with Grant? Since college. Since the first day I saw him in class. He was the hottest guy on campus and everyone had a crush on him. He had the unique allure of being smart and handsome at the same time, and I’d always known that I didn’t stand a chance. The worst part was that he was always also polite and nice. I hated him for it. I hated how perfect I believed he was and how much I wanted him. I wished he was mean to me, I wished he wasn’t always so charming.
I took out all those feelings as anger and competition, when deep down inside, I harbored feelings for Grant that were yet untouched by anyone else. I’d only had one real boyfriend, a guy I met in San Fransisco a couple of months after I moved here. We dated for six months and then I broke up with him when he asked if he could move in with me. I didn’t want to take it to the next level, because I knew he was just a decoy. To keep my brain distracted from thinking about Grant.
I knew Grant had moved to San Fransisco as well, that he too had started his own start-up and I wanted to do everything in my power to stay away from him. After that guy, there were a few one night stands but nothing serious. I told myself, and my family, that I was just busy and that I worked too hard and had no time for a relationship. When the whole time, all I did was compare other guys to Grant. To a guy I hadn’t even seen in person for several years.