by Ashley Blake
“We are on the same floor and have an adjoining door? Just like with our offices!”
His crystal blue eyes sparkled at me. “Of course, I had to be close to you. We have a meeting in an hour with our team here in Paris so why don’t you change and we will meet in the lobby.”
“Okay.”
I hopped in the shower, still not believing it was all real and so grateful for the opportunity. I was determined to do a good job and make a good impression. I put on a suit and went down to the lobby ready to get started.
We all rode in a limo over to the office building and I was filled with nervous excitement as we walked into the office. If I thought everyone in the New York office was dressed impeccably, the people in the Paris office put them to shame. Every single person looked like they were wearing couture and they all looked rich. I hoped I looked like that one day. It was definitely something to aspire to. Everyone was very friendly toward me and I was surprised that no one turned their nose up at my TJ Maxx suit. I had brought my best clothes and because I knew my clothes were not as nice as everyone else’s I made sure I looked neat and professional.
As we sat around a conference table, Christian made introductions.
“Jean-Luc, Alistair, Emmanuelle, Adelaide, Alain, Florine, Frederic, I would like for you to meet Eva Steele. Eva just completed a beautiful design of my corporate penthouse in New York and I am sure you will all welcome her and answer any questions she may have.”
The responses were immediate and I could tell that every single person in that room hung on every word Christian said. They were all very welcoming and I had a really good feeling about everyone. The vibe in the room was awesome and the energy was high. Christian looked around the room and asked if anyone had any questions and when there weren’t any he looked satisfied.
“Okay, so we will get started tomorrow morning at 9:00. We have had a long flight, and are going to get some much-needed rest. I just wanted to make sure we got in front of you before we got the ball rolling. Four more stores to go and Chateau Magnifique will be a beauty brought to life! We will see you tomorrow everyone.”
We confirmed working logistics in the limo and Evan was going to swing by my room at 8:30 so we could head over to the space at the mall together the next morning. Christian had a ton of meetings and Evan told me he was rarely ever present during the overseas trips because he was always booked with meetings. I was actually happy to hear that because Christian was a distraction and I needed to have my head in the project 100 percent.
Christian had a meeting with executives who were in from Switzerland so he did not ride back in the limo with us. We all went our separate ways at the hotel and I couldn’t wait to change into comfy clothes, order room service and crash. I had a long month ahead of me.
Chapter Ten
I was watching something in French on television as I lay in bed ready to drift off, when I heard a knock at the adjoining door. I felt butterflies as I hopped out of bed suddenly wide awake. I opened the door and Christian literally took my breath away. He was casually leaning against the doorframe wearing nothing but a pair of pajama bottoms and my mouth salivated as my eyes crawled over his perfectly chiseled chest.
His eyes were hungry as he eyed me in my negligee and in one swift move he was in my room, his lips crashing down on mine. There were no words as we groped each other, unable to get enough and our tongues explored each other as we made our way over to my bed. Christian pushed me back on the bed and ripped off my panties, discarding them on the floor and slipped his arms under my knees leaving my sacred place open and vulnerable. He lowered his face between my legs and his tongue created an ecstasy I had never known. He slowly licked my sensitive bud and I raked my fingers through his hair as I ground my hips against his tongue, creating more pressure against my clit. His hands slipped under my negligee and found my hardened nipples, tweaking and twisting them with his fingers. I moaned with pleasure as my body began to tremble and then Christian slipped two fingers inside of me, twisting them around, which put me over the edge. My orgasm exploded throughout my body and I shuddered uncontrollably as my fingers dug into his shoulders holding on for dear life. I was spent, gasping for air when Christian took a condom out of his pocket, took off his pajama bottoms and mounted me. I felt his knee push my legs apart and he rolled on a condom before slowly entering me. His thick member filled every inch of me as he began to move in and out of me.
I was so caught up in how good he felt, I didn’t think about anything but what was happening between the two of us in that moment. My hands slid down over his taut back, my fingers exploring the hills and valleys of his muscles and my legs wrapped around him as I lifted my hips and he sucked in a sharp breath as I took him in deeper.
“Ah, Eva, you’re so tight!” he breathlessly exclaimed.
I looked at his face which was twisted in ecstasy and I smiled to myself because I was the one causing him to feel that good. I rotated my hips as he plunged into me and we moved together in a perfect rhythm. I pulled his face down to mine and thrust my tongue in his mouth, exploring and tasting him. I felt his body tense up and before I knew it he pulled out of me and flipped me over, his tongue lightly traveling up my ass.
Backdoor play was new to me but I found that I liked it and wanted him to do more. I moaned to let him know I enjoyed it and he spread my cheeks and explored my center crease. The sensation was unlike anything I had ever experienced and my pussy was wet and throbbing just from being touched back there. I grabbed the sheets and twisted them in my hands as he continued to explore and then I felt a soft smack on my ass.
My eyes flew open and I tried to turn to look at him, but he smacked me again.
“Don’t turn around unless I give you permission. Understood?”
The tome in voice was firm and a total turn on. I liked what was happening and decided to just go with it to see how far it would go.
“Yes.”
“Yes, what?”
What did he mean?
“Yes, sir?”
Another smack. “Say it with certainty.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good girl.” I felt his finger at my back door and he must have licked it because it started to slide in with ease and I thought I was going to come right there. He moved it around as he commanded me.
“This is part of the contract I had you sign, Eva. This is what I desire and you are to obey me. Is that clear?”
I writhed my hips, pressing against his finger, my thighs soaked with my wetness.
“Yes, sir.”
“If it’s ever too much, say the word ‘red’ and I will stop. Okay?”
“Yes, sir,” I moaned as he tweaked my nipple with his free hand.
I felt his dick press against me and it was as hard as steel and I braced myself for him to enter me back there. Instead he flipped me over and plunged his hard cock into my wet, waiting pussy. He grabbed my hips and hammered me into the mattress, grinding against my clit with each thrust. I couldn’t hold back as my orgasm shot to the surface and as soon as I started to come down from that high I felt him stiffen and a guttural groan escaped his lips as his orgasm racked his body as he shuddered. He collapsed on top on me and then rolled off of me, lying next to me.
He caressed my cheek and then pulled me close, his arms holding me tight. He gave me a sweet kiss on my forehead and then my lips. His bright blue eyes searched mine and I swear I felt butterflies just with him looking at me.
“Where did you come from, Eva Steele?”
“I guess our timing was just right.”
“Our timing was perfect. I am so looking forward to exploring Paris and a couple of other countries with you when this project is complete. Do you think you’re ready for all of the work that lies ahead? It’s going to be a very hectic and busy time.”
I looked at him my eyes completely serious. “I am totally ready and I cannot wait to get started tomorrow. So I guess Jean-Luc is the person I will be working closely with along
with Evan?”
“Yes, Alistair has another commitment. Jean-Luc is one of the best in the business so be sure to use all of his expertise and go to him with any questions that you have.”
“Okay. Does he out rank Evan?”
“Yes, but only slightly. Jean-Luc has much more experience and he is extremely familiar with the aesthetic that we envisioned and he knows what the customer likes. You are going to have really late nights so just be prepared for that.”
That worried me a bit because I assumed that Jean-Luc and the others in Paris had families to go home to. That didn’t really apply to us who were visiting from the US, so the softy in me was worried that they were not going to be able to spend time with their families for at least a month.
“Does he have a wife and kids at home?”
I thought it was an innocent question but I could have sworn I saw a flash of fire fly across Christian’s eyes, and the look he gave me was like none I had ever seen before.
“Why are you concerned about that?” He snapped at me.
I was a little taken aback by his response and decided it was wise to choose my words carefully.
“Honestly, I was just concerned that if he had a family at home he was going to have to go nearly a month without spending very much time with them, and if it was me I would probably be upset by that.”
“Eva, one thing you will learn in our industry, is that when we are on a deadline, we are on a deadline and nothing else matters. This is one of the largest projects we have right now and everything has to be perfect. Yes, Jean-Luc has a family but he has a husband, not a wife. He is well aware of how this works and what is expected of him and that is why he is in the position that he is in; it is why he is one of the best. He gets in there, he gets the job done, he does not complain, and he is compensated very well for that. Trust me, people are able to see their families, I am not a tyrant.”
“Okay, that is good to know. Well, I am ready to dive right in.”
“Good, I’m glad to hear it. I want you to know that I won’t be around very much. I have a lot of meetings set up and I will be going to Switzerland and London for a couple of weeks while we are here so I wanted to make sure I was able to at least see you tonight before I take off.”
“Wait, are you leaving tomorrow?”
“Yes, and I will be back in a week but I won’t be very available. However, if any kind of an emergency arises you can always reach me. I would never leave you without someone to look out for you. You can count on Evan and Jean-Luc for that.”
I was surprised at how upset I was that he was leaving me and knew that I would have to immerse myself in the projects so that I would not miss him too much. He must have been able to see the look of sadness in my eyes because he gently caressed my cheek and gave me a soft peck on the lips.
“Baby, don’t, please don’t look like that. You will be okay and I will be back before you know it. Take this time to really learn as much as you can because this is an incredible opportunity for you. Just remember, in about a month we will have an entire week to ourselves. Just you and me.”
I gave him a small smile but it did not reach my eyes.
“Just you and me,” I said softly.
“I better let you get some sleep, sweetie, because you are going to have a long day tomorrow and I don’t want to be the reason that you are slacking off at work. I know you can do this, Eva, you are going to be great. I can’t wait to hear all about how things are going from Jean-Luc and I just know he is going to tell me nothing but good things. Sleep tight and I will be in touch.”
He gave me a sweet, lingering kiss and went back to his room through our adjoining door, closing it quietly behind him. I lay there in bed, staring at the ceiling, filled with all kinds of emotions. On one hand I was on cloud nine because of the amazing night we had just had together, and on the other hand I was desperately sad because I was not going to see him for at least a week in that beautiful city. I drifted off to sleep thinking about how happy I was going to be when I was able to see him again.
Chapter Eleven
So the mall where I was designing one of the stores was beyond anything I had ever seen in my life. I was not prepared for the level of opulence that stood in front of me when we arrived on site. The definition of a mall in Paris and the definition of a mall in Chicago were two entirely different things. The Paris mall felt like a house of elegance. The mall was 10 stories high and was shaped in gorgeous octagon, with all glass windows reflecting light from every angle from the outside of the building. It looked like a huge diamond in the sky; it was breathtaking. I looked at Evan, my mouth nearly on the ground.
“Are you kidding me with this? Evan, this is beautiful!”
“Isn’t it divine? I have been dying to get here to see what it looks like in person because I have heard so much about it as it was being built. Come on honey, let’s go get started.”
We walked into our store which was about 4000 ft.², and as I stood at the front of the store and surveyed the space ideas began to flood my mind. Evan and I brainstormed for about an hour and it was so amazing how we were on the same page. I found him so easy to work with and I was really happy that he was there with me because he was also a lot of fun to be around.
Jean-Luc showed up about an hour and a half after we had been there and with what Christian told me about him I really expected him to kind of walk in and just take over everything. I heard all kinds of rumors that the French were rude but in the short time I had been in Paris I had not found that to be the case. It had been quite the opposite. Everyone I had met was really kind to me. Jean-Luc greeted us and I was reminded that I liked him the second I met him the previous day. He and Evan already knew each other, so between the three of us we had a really nice comfortable energy.
“So, what have you two been thinking about doing for this amazing space?” His accent was amazing. It was thick but not so thick that I could not understand what he was saying.
Evan patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, we have a lot of ideas.” We all spent the rest of the day planning, ordering, and working together to make sure that the project would be completed on time.
At the end of the day Jean-Luc pulled me aside and gave me a bit of advice.
“Eva, you know, this position that you have is highly coveted and rare. Mrs. Locke does not allow just anyone to work for her, and from what I’ve seen of you today I can tell that you have an extraordinary talent and she knew what she was doing when she chose you. Of course, she always knows what she’s doing, she’s Diane Locke.”
“I haven’t actually met Mrs. Locke yet but I hope to one day soon.”
“She is a very private person but you will probably meet her at the gala. Diane Locke never misses an extravagant event.”
My eyes grew wide as saucers. Christian had not told me that I was actually going to have a chance to meet his mother in person.
“Do you really think she will be here in Paris?”
“Chéri, Paris is her favorite city in the world and this mall is rumored to be her favorite project ever. She would not miss this gala for anything in the world. In fact, the whole family is scheduled to be here.”
“So this gala is going to be a much bigger deal than I realized.”
I began to worry about the dresses that I had brought with me and it was growing painfully obvious that I did not bring the right type of dress. I would probably have to take Evan up on his offer to buy my dress but I was definitely going to pay him back.
Jean-Luc glanced at his watch and then smiled. “Okay, it is 8:00 and time to call it a night. I will see you back here tomorrow bright and early. Oh, I didn’t ask you, have you ever been to Paris?”
“No, this is my first time.”
“Then you must take some time to walk around the city tonight. Paris is beautiful.”
“I am planning to do just that.”
Evan was talking to a couple of people in the back of the store and I walked over to
him after I grabbed my bag.
“Hi, sorry to interrupt, but Jean-Luc said I could call it a night so I am going to go back to the hotel.”
Evan said goodbye to the people he was talking to and then turned to me.
“Okay, sounds like a plan. Let’s go find a lovely little restaurant and have dinner. Sound good?”
I smiled at him. ”Sounds great.”
We wandered around a bit and I know I looked like a complete tourist because I was looking around at every single thing that was happening around me. There was so much to take in. We stumbled upon a small café which was exactly the type of place I wanted to find in Paris. I had plenty of time left to dine at a fancy restaurant in Paris but I really wanted to experience what the locals experienced and that café looked exactly like that kind of place.