Pleasure Extraordinaire 1 (PURSUIT)

by Liv Bennett

  I clutch my purse, unable to stop my fingers from squeezing it with anxiety as I see the brand of the skinny jeans Chloe’s wearing, 7 For All Mankind. Among all the clothing lines available, my potential future boss’s daughter has to wear clothes from Seven Jeans.

  Seven!

  My first instincts about her were correct. It’s crystal clear she and I will never make it beyond two strangers. That is, if I’m lucky.

  I spot a desk and a brunette in her early twenties in a dark-blue suit. She stands and greets Chloe as she walks past the desk without returning the secretary’s gesture, and enters through the large glass doors. I hesitate asking the girl at the desk about my interview, but I do it anyway.

  “Miss Doheny,” she says, giving me one of the most heart-warming smiles, calming my agitated nerves a bit. “Welcome to Hawkins Media Group. Mr. Hawkins is waiting for you.” She comes around her desk and opens the same door Chloe has just passed through a second ago and gestures with her hand to an anteroom. “Julie, this is Miss Doheny. Mr. Hawkins’ three o’clock appointment.”

  Julie welcomes me briefly, dials a number and informs someone of my arrival, while I quickly scan her large office. The desk and the file cabinets are an exquisite mahogany, while the carpet and the walls are light cream. My old office was half the size of this one, and didn’t even have a tenth of the luxury this one has. Julie’s salary must be also several times higher than mine, although I bet her science knowledge doesn’t go beyond high-school level. She must have other qualities that make up for her lack of science knowledge to get her such a nice office.

  I’d continue analyzing Julie and the choice of her dress, but the sudden opening of the French doors at the other end of Julie’s office saves her from my critical evaluation. I gasp when Michael appears from behind the doors, looking more gorgeous than I remembered.

  “Michael… Hawkins,” I blurt out, wanting to kick myself in the gut for calling him by his first name.

  “Just Michael, please. I’m glad you decided to give Hawkins Media Group a chance.” He stands at the doorway, offering me his hand to shake, giving me a bright, knee-weakening smile.

  Right. I’m giving them a chance. I work hard not to roll my eyes at his words and much harder to not let the sultry scent of his cologne get the best of me. If only it was only his cologne that was distracting my senses and making my brain go all mushy in an instant. His full head of black hair only spiked with gray above his ears, his warm brown eyes flashing all beautiful and sexy suggestions, his Zeus body. Oh god, that body deserves medals of honor for each and every curve beneath those undeserving clothes. Even the wrinkles on his face create an aura of sensuality that’s hard to ignore.

  I bet with his years of experience, he’s developed some mind-blowing tricks to overwhelm the poor women who are already mesmerized by his beauty.

  I’m torn between wanting to replace Julie to be as close to Michael as possible and work at the bottom floor so I won’t do something foolish around him.

  My heart is beating as fast as if I’ve just finished drinking half a dozen cups of coffee as I close distance between us and reach for his hand.

  Somehow, I notice Chloe sitting at the edge of a large desk situated in the middle of the over-sized office and feel grateful for the sneer on her face for keeping me focused on something other than Michael.

  “Hello, Michael,” I say and leave his firm grip. He points toward his office with the same sunshine smile playing across his lips, and I walk to the middle of the office and stop to wait for him to close the door. Only he doesn’t.

  “Chloe, be a darling and give us some privacy, please,” Michael says with a warm, fatherly voice.

  Chloe doesn’t say anything as she practically leaps toward the door with fury steaming from her red ears.

  Michael approaches me and leads me with his hand on the small of my back toward the long, rectangular table on the north side of his office. “Lindsay, I thought you’d never call. I’m very happy to see you again.”

  “Me, too, Michael. Chloe told me just a minute ago when we met in the elevator that you wouldn’t be in today,” I say loudly enough for Chloe to hear while she steps out of the office. I smile with satisfaction, when she flashes me a contemptuous look seconds before she bangs the door closed.

  “She’s a little over-protective of her old father, but she’s harmless. Ignore her caprices, and you’ll be just fine.”

  I want to correct him and say he’s far from old, but I don’t want to be perceived as a bootlicker. So I just let my body follow where he’s directing me.

  A man, whose presence in the office I’ve just noticed, pulls a chair for me and nods with his head. He’s blond, as short as I am with my pumps, and wearing an expensive navy-blue suit.

  “This is my assistant, Edric.”

  “Pleasure to meet you, Edric.” I shake his hand and sit on the edge of the chair he pulled out for me. My agitated nerves won’t let me relax. I drop my purse behind me, keeping my spine straight as a rod, clasping my shaking hands together under the table to hide them.

  “The pleasure is mine.” Edric settles across from me once Michael takes his seat at the head of the table.

  “You’ll interact with Edric more often than you will with me.” Michael laces his hands and rests his elbows on the table, instantly sending me into a daydream about my naked body manhandled by those hands. I wish I could fan the extreme heat out of my body. “He’ll be responsible for everything related to your recruitment. So make sure he’s informed about every little detail concerning your life, be it filing your income tax return or your choice of tampon.”

  I come close to choking on my saliva at the word tampon, but I must say his words help me forget my nervousness. “I don’t think I heard that right. Why would Edric have to know what I use during my period?”

  “Oh, I apologize. My bad. You must be thinking I’m going to recruit you for a post at the network.”

  I shiver briefly with disappointment. I was counting on getting a job here and skipping that headache-inducing, motivation-killer job-hunting stage. “I won’t be hired?”

  “Oh yes, you will. But not for the type of post you’re expecting to have.”

  One of my eyebrows arches without my control, as confusion clouds my mind. “What kind of post do you have in mind?” I ask hesitantly. Okay, I like him. May be a lot, but I won’t work as a prostitute if that’s what he has in mind. Those wealthy people. All of them are too spoiled to see the value in each individual, and they think they can buy their frozen hearts’ desire. Where’s the good, old fashioned way of taking the girl out to a nice restaurant for dinner? He’s so gorgeous; I would probably end up in the same bed with him before the clock turned twelve.

  “I want to hire you as my girlfriend.”

  There you go. My fury surfaces with the mere sound of his words, and I jerk to my feet, pushing the chair back. I should get out of this office before he tastes my iron slap. I don’t want to deal with another lawsuit.

  “Please, listen to what I say before you decide.”

  “I’m not a whore.”

  “I didn’t think you were one. I just need you to appear as my girlfriend.”

  “Oh, I see.” I smirk. Has he stooped that low? “You want to take advantage of the fame of my iron slap? I thought your business was better than that.”

  He shakes his head, an unnerving smile across his lips. Funny how that same smile melted me into a puddle a minute ago. “I want you to pretend to be my girlfriend because of your honesty and trustworthiness. It’ll be a lie if I say your selfless act to save your sister had no influence on my decision. It did, but it just confirmed what I initially saw in you.”

  “Why do you want to hire me to appear as your girlfriend exactly? All you need to do is take me out to a restaurant a few times, and you’ll have a girlfriend with an iron slap. Are you scared I’ll reject you?”

  He throws his head back as his loud laughter fills the room. I sneak
a peek at Edric and see him mirroring Michael. I shouldn’t have made it so clear that I have a special interest in Michael. Ahh, my uncontrollable tongue.

  “Isn’t she lovely?” Michael asks Edric and then turns to me. “Believe me, you’d be on the top of my list of potential girlfriends, but you see, I can’t have a real girlfriend.”

  I frown, trying to imagine why such a rich, gorgeous man can’t have a girlfriend. If STDs are his problem, isn’t that what condoms are for? And he doesn’t even need to use protection since there must be dozens, if not hundreds of pretty girls out there with STDs.

  “You don’t get it, do you?” he asks, his eyes searching my face, and I shake my head. “It’s because I’m gay.”

  “Huh?”

  “And I’m not ready to come out yet. I probably never will be. It would destroy my business and the life I’ve worked so hard to build. My children would be affected and my employees. The public opinion regarding homosexuals might be getting more liberal every day, but if the word gets out that I’m into men, it’ll be my end.”

  I plop back on the chair, unable to register his words. My lips are glued together; my brain is blank. The one man who managed to grab my interest after long months of abstaining, turns out to be gay? That can’t be. I’ve met and befriended enough homosexual guys to distinguish who’s gay and who’s not, and Michael looks far from being gay. With his strong features and overpowering command, he is, in fact, the very symbol of masculinity. It must be a cruel joke. Fucking rich people! One of their hobbies is messing with the feelings of ordinary people like me.

  My eyes jump between Edric and Michael. I wait anxiously for them to break into laughter and make fun of my foolishness. I’d rather have that than lose Michael without even having a chance with him.

  But the laughter never comes, and instead, Michael continues with his speech. “I need a strong, opinionated and trustworthy woman beside me to keep my image as a straight man. You’ll be compensated with a generous salary for your help, have access to all kinds of luxury products, travel across the world with me and have a chance to learn the insights of the media business, if you want to. Please, don’t decline my offer without giving it thorough thought. ”

  “I wish I could help you, but I don’t lie. Ever. I promised to myself years ago that I’d never lie, and you’re asking me to lie to millions. That’s not gonna happen.”

  “Now, there is no way I’m letting you go without having you sign the contract,” Michael says with a soft, easy tone in his voice and turns to Edric. “I was right with my instincts about her. She’s a treasure.”

  Edric confirms with a quick nod.

  Pushing my purse to my side, I flop against the back of the chair and let my muscles relax at last; still unable to comprehend how my inability to lie is in any way beneficial for them in this situation. “I don’t see how you’re going to make me sign it without bypassing my number-one rule.”

  “By not lying,” Edric replies.

  “And, how is that going to be exactly?” I ask and, by the curious expression on his face, I’m sure Michael is wondering the same.

  “We’ll hire you as an employee, for any position you want. Doesn’t matter. And, you’ll go out on several dates with Michael. We don’t need to officially announce that you two are in a relationship,” Edric says. “The media will just assume it if they see you frequently going out to restaurants and events together. They’ll help spread the word without you having to label what’s going on between you. You can even claim to be friends only. That statement is never taken seriously by the paparazzi, but that’s not your problem.”

  Michael lifts his hands to clap them in the air and then pats Edric’s shoulder in an encouraging and not-so-gentle way. “Once again, you’ve proved to me why you’re my right hand man.”

  I stare at the two men, wondering if it might work. “I’m not convinced this is the right solution to my problem.”

  “Why not?” Edric asks. “You and Michael will spend time together out in public or private to get to know each other and hopefully become good friends. I promise you, it won’t feel like a job at all. He’s an incredibly cultured, generous and amusing person. You’ll never get bored with him. I’m not saying it because he’s my boss. He really is someone very special.” He glances at Michael, who’s all smiles. “As long as pictures of you together appear on TMZ, your job is done.”

  Yeah, I can see he’s someone special. If only … Anyway. There’s no point in beating a dead horse. I’ll get the job of my dreams and a salary for spending some enjoyable time with Michael without having to lie about what we are. It shouldn’t be so difficult. Besides, I’ll have a chance to see countries that I’ll probably never see if I continue working as a mathematician.

  “In addition to that, since we’ll hire you as a regular employee, your salary officially will be associated with your work and not your relationship with Michael,” Edric continues. “Currently, we have three positions that match your profile. But don’t let it limit you. You can have any job in any department you want, and it doesn’t have to be in the area you studied. HR, marketing, management, finance. You can even work as an actress for one of our TV shows if that’s what you want to try. Just decide which one is right for you and I’ll arrange everything else.”

  “As much as I like Edric’s plan,” Michael says. “I don’t want to rush you into a big decision. Take as much as time you need.”

  I let out an exasperated breath and shake my head.

  “Please, don’t say no without considering everything.”

  “I’ve already decided.”

  Michael’s face drops and his skin goes pale with disappointment.

  “I’ll take your offer and it better include at least a one-week trip to Japan.”

  2 - The Condition

  “You’ll not be treated any differently than the other employees,” Michael continues after congratulating me for making the right decision. “You’ll receive a monthly salary and the health and pension benefits. You’ll have the same rights and obligations as every member of Hawkins Media Groups.”

  I can’t help wondering what my salary would be. I used to make fifty-thousand a year in my previous job as an entry-level data analyst in New York. It wasn’t much, but I’d felt lucky for landing a job only two months after my graduation. If I’m expected to be treated fairly, I should ask for at least three times that amount.

  Edric clears his throat, I guess as a gesture to ask for permission to take over, and when Michael nods, he offers me a stack of papers, which I guess is the contract. At least the preliminary version, because I have a feeling I shouldn’t just settle for whatever they require. “This is the standard contract Mr. Hawkins’ previous girlfriends received, but feel free to point out whatever bothers you. You’ll be provided with a car of your choice, as well, and it’ll belong to you.”

  “Really? Even if I want the latest model of Mercedes?”

  Edric turns to Michael for help, and Michael simply nods to me.

  “You’ll also be given a company credit card to cover the expenses of your clothes, shoes, beauty salons, whatever is necessary to make you look top notch,” Edric adds as I gaze down at the four-page contract. “You can ask for a personal assistant to help you buy the right clothes for your style, but Mr. Hawkins is of the opinion that you have a natural flare and should keep it that way to give your appearance a personal taste.”

  I glance at Michael’s sunshine face over my shoulder, feeling my cheeks getting warm. Even that small piece of compliment pinches at my heart for the steamy moments I could have had with him. Perhaps it’s a good thing he’s gay. I’m already on the way to falling for him; what would have happened to me if he wasn’t actually gay and still wanted to hire me as his girlfriend?

  “How about my salary?” I ask, trying to distract myself from the daydreams that are pushing to occupy my mind.

  “Hundred grand,” Edric replies.

  I roll my eyes. “Only tha
t?” For all the trouble I’ll go through for being in a kissing distance with Michael and not being able to kiss him?

  Edric turns to Michael again as if communicating telepathically, and Michael nods. He’s easygoing, too. Is there anything not attractive about this man? “We can go up to one-hundred fifty, but you should know that no other previous girlfriends of Mr. Hawkins were paid more than hundred.”

  “I’m glad I’m that special,” I joke with a low voice.

  “Your total annual salary will be one point eight million,” Edric says, earning a loud “What?” from me. The hundred grand they offered initially was for a month’s salary? I negotiated the total sum without being aware of the right amount. Misunderstandings aren’t always bad, apparently.

  “Have I made a mistake in the calculation?” Edric tabs on his phone, most likely to use the calculator.

  “It was my mistake. I thought one hundred grand was the total sum, not a monthly salary. But you can’t take your offer back.” I work hard not to laugh at the million-dollar confusion. They could get me with ten-times-less money than they initially thought but holy cow! One million and eight hundred thousand fucking dollars will be paid to me to appear as the dumb girlfriend of some rich tycoon for a year?

  As if that sum wasn’t enough, I can buy what I want, practically move into a spa and will also own the car of my dreams? This is not actually happening, right? I must have been in a deep coma caused by a terrible car crash on the way to the interview and am dreaming all this stuff.

  “Read the contract carefully, make sure you understand and agree on every condition listed and get back to us in two days,” Michael instructs with a gentle tone in his voice.

  Whoa, whoa, whoa. Two days? Many things can happen in two days. They might find another, a much prettier and better-fitting girl for the post. Someone who is more experienced in the world of money and glamor and has a real fashion taste. “Just give me five minutes to go over it, then I’ll sign it.”