by Olivia Jake
One thing was clear, she was suddenly alone. Granted, Laurent was in the next room, but this brief intermission made her realize just how much of an effort it was going to be for her to maintain her identity. As a single person, that was never an issue before, but it was much more difficult now that she was with Laurent. So much of her identity had suddenly become defined by him, by her relationship to him, much of it because of their working together, but sitting there in the bedroom alone, she made herself a promise: she would not let herself get lost in the world as defined by Laurent.
Sam decided it would be a good time to check in on her emails. She would be back home soon and now was the perfect time to get mentally set for her return to reality. After the past two weeks, her focus had been all on her relationship with Laurent, with Mme. Román’s health, with her introduction to his family, and of course, with becoming a target for the paparazzi. For the first time ever, she had not focused on work. She knew that what she had with Laurent would change her life. If she were to be with him, it would never again be just about work for her. And, surprisingly, she liked that her life was so much more multi-dimensional than it had ever been. She just became acutely aware that none of it could be all or nothing anymore. Sam would have to learn balance. Maybe that’s what normal people did every day, she thought. If the vast majority of people juggled kids, relationships, jobs, friends, then there wasn’t any reason Sam couldn’t either. Then again, most people weren’t Sam. More importantly, most people weren’t Laurent.
“You can’t possibly be serious, George. Why are you wasting my time with this?” Laurent asked as he poured himself a scotch.
George chuckled that Laurent made no move to offer him a drink. “You have lost your manners, Laurent? I’ll take a drink too, thank you.”
“My manners are just fine. You won’t be staying long.” Laurent declared as he circled the room, watching George. He was going to sit, but didn’t want to give George the appearance of superiority.
“Ever the dominant, eh Laurent? That must be difficult with such a strong willed woman as Samantha, no?”
“Leave Samantha out of this.” Laurent’s tone was even, his mouth in a flat line.
“Seems I’ve struck a nerve, eh Laurent?” George chuckled as he walked over and had the balls to pour himself a drink. George clucked his tongue, “Laurent Román, wearing his heart on his sleeve. She must really be, uh, special.” George winked. Laurent knew better than to react, he knew that George was trying to go for the easy target. “So, she’s ok with your, how shall we say, uh, tendencies? It’s surprising, no? Just looking at her, she seems almost, plain.” He chuckled, “But it is often the plain ones who are secretly wild in bed, non?”
Laurent was not taking the bait, but he was not going to roll over, “The difference, George, is that with you, you mistake women who are struggling to get away from you as being wild in bed. Unlike you, I’ve never had to force anyone to be with me.”
“You always were a stickler for semantics, Laurent.” George chuckled, making Laurent sick. He had heard the stories about George, but George had him so convinced that he couldn’t possibly be the monster that these women claimed he was, Laurent turned a blind eye. After Laurent learned the truth about George’s embezzlement, he also realized that the women’s stories must have also been true. He felt awful that he never helped any of them, but by the time he found out, he tried to put as much distance between him and George as possible. Still, Laurent was disgusted by this man in front of him, and disgusted at himself for having been duped for so long.
Laurent had enough of whatever this ruse was, and was anxious to be rid of George, “George, I’m not sure what misguided thoughts led you to believe that I would ever, in my right mind, do business with you again. So let me be perfectly clear. I don’t care what you threaten me with, I will never work with you again, I will never employ you again, I will never be associated with you, in any capacity, ever again. The thought of you running the French division of The Network is laughable. I know you well enough, unfortunately, to know that there’s something else you’re trying to get at, but I’m not sick and twisted like you, so I can’t figure out what angle you’re playing. Yet.”
“Tsk, tsk, Laurent. Such a cynic. Seems you’ve been crossed before, eh? Poor baby.” George could be such a patronizing ass, but again, Laurent did not even flinch.
Laurent chuckled, “I guess you’re right, at least about one thing, George. Yes, I am a cynic. But I prefer to think that I’ve learned from my mistakes. It seems to me, that after all this time, you’re still right back where you were when I fired you. Angry and alone, and looking to ride my coattails, again.”
George became deadly serious. He could dish it out, but he most definitely couldn’t take it. “Trust me, Laurent, you would prefer to have me within the fold than not.”
Laurent laughed, “Trust, George? Really? That’s rich coming from you. I’ll take my chances. I seem to have done quite well without you.” Laurent paused and then said, “We’re done here.” Putting his glass down and crossing his arms over his chest.
“Oh, I’m sure our paths will cross again, Laurent. Until then.” He raised his glass to Laurent and drained it in one last gulp before putting it down. He reached for the doorknob and then turned back to toss one last sling, “Oh, and do give that adorable girlfriend of yours a kiss goodbye for me. I was so looking forward to getting to know her better.” He winked and then added, “Next time.” And with that, he let himself out the door. Once it closed, it was all Laurent could do not to hurl his glass at the door.
Laurent couldn’t immediately figure out what George’s angle was, but he knew there was something far beneath the surface. He would be back in LA soon enough and resolved to put all the resources necessary to finding out. Laurent knew that he could handle whatever it was that George was scheming, but the fact that Samantha was pulled into this made him even more concerned. It also made Laurent vulnerable. He knew that the simple fact that George had now seen Laurent twice with Samantha meant that she was important to Laurent. She was a liability for Laurent when it came to whatever game George was playing. He knew she was a weak spot that George would seize upon when the time was right.
CHAPTER 7
When Laurent and Sam got back to LA, there was a period of adjustment. They were back in the real world, with their own respective lives and companies to run, but this time, they were a couple. And not just a couple in private like before. They agreed there was no reason to keep their relationship secret any longer. The Network was a success, the campaign was award-winning, and, Sam realized, few people thought much about how Sam and Laurent came to be together.
It was odd though. Great, but odd. Sam had spent her entire adult life single. She had never been one part of a couple. She had always just been Sam. Or Sam of Sam Davis Advertising. But now she was also Sam of Sam and Laurent. While she and Laurent were great together, Sam couldn’t suddenly turn into someone she wasn’t, as in, instantly attached at the hip to another person. She had always gone to dinners, parties, industry and work events alone, and was still much more comfortable going solo than having Laurent with her. He teased that she must be embarrassed of him, but the reality was that it was just new and different. He was patient with her, understanding that she was still getting used to everything that came with being part of a couple, and she thought he was probably relieved not to have more mindless cocktail parties to go to than necessary.
That said, he did expect her to accompany him to his business dinners or events, and being the ‘spouse’ definitely took some getting used to. She was normally the one schmoozing or working a room. To be someone’s plus one was not a role Sam was familiar with. She had to push down the feeling that, by being on Laurent’s arm, she was immediately thought less of. She knew that was probably just her mind working overtime, but she also knew that when she was with Laurent, he was typically one of the most powerful people in the room, and it stood to reason that no matt
er what, he would be the focus of his colleagues’ attention. Thankfully, there weren’t too many functions and Sam sucked it up to taking the bad with the good. And by and large, the good far outweighed the bad.
They were still a very private couple, but given who Laurent was, there were public functions that couldn’t be avoided, including red carpet events every now and again. One more thing that Sam couldn’t get used to was seeing her picture in the trades after one of these events. Thankfully, once they ‘came out’ the tabloids left them alone. The reality was, they were far too boring for much of anyone outside the business world to take an interest.
No one at Sam’s agency ever actually came out and asked her about her relationship. Her being the boss probably had something to do with that. Steve already knew, and every now and again would tease Sam, but she knew that he was genuinely happy for her.
And, for the first time in Sam’s adult life, she was having regular sex. Not just regular, regular sex, but amazing sex, regularly. Ever the chameleon, Sam never quite knew what Laurent she would be with on any given night. After experimenting with the riding crop in France, Laurent started introducing more and more toys into the bedroom. And the kitchen. And the car. And the office… And anywhere else they could. Sam had never been so adventurous sexually, she had never been with someone she felt so comfortable with, and yet so turned on by. She trusted Laurent completely, which enabled her to let down any fears or barriers and just be free to enjoy. He could be so tender and loving, and yet so very, very naughty.
He also made Sam feel sexy. She had always known she was attractive, and had always kept herself fit and trim, but never before had she felt sexy. She never really understood lingerie, or toys or role-playing. She had always been far too practical. More than that, she had never been with anyone who she could experiment with. But now, being with Laurent, she had never felt sexier. Almost 40 and he made her feel like a sex kitten.
Sam knew that Laurent was also adjusting to being a couple with her. Granted, he’d had more relationships in the past than she did, but he admitted that they were never with someone he considered his equal. Of all the compliments that Laurent paid Sam, this was probably the biggest. But they both had been so used to living their own lives, on their own schedules, and being their own bosses, neither ever really answered to anyone. Well, Sam answered to her clients, but for Laurent, Sam got a kick out of seeing him try to compromise. Except of course when it came to any interaction with other men that wasn’t strictly business, most notably, Mark Ives.
“Laurent, honey, Mark and I have history, and he’s a close friend. Nothing more.”
“Samantha, Cheri, you know that when you call me ‘honey’ it’s one of your tells, right?” he smirked at her. Sam rolled her eyes and sighed as she smiled. By now, she was used to his accent, but there were still some words that sounded so damn cute when he said them. Honey was one of them, with a long ‘o’, for whatever reason, it made her giggle whenever he said it.
Sam deadpanned, “I’ve been told before that professional poker player is not in my future.” Laurent couldn’t help but laugh, even if he didn’t like the topic of conversation.
“All I know, Samantha, is when you pull out the ‘honey’ it’s for something you know you’re going to have to convince me of. And, Cheri, using ‘honey’ only makes me more suspicious.” He winked as he leaned over and gave her a kiss on the tip of her nose.
“Anyway, honey,” Sam emphasized and stuck her tongue out, “Mark and I are having dinner tomorrow night. We’re both up for the TimeCap network rebrand, and I wanted to make sure there’s no hard feelings, whoever wins.”
“Pure intentions doesn’t make me like it any more.” He said as he raised an eyebrow, and continued, “but I respect that regardless of who wins, it’s a classy move, on both of your parts.” Sam picked up his arm and started massaging it. “What, what are you doing?” he asked.
“Well, I know that must have pained you to admit that there’s merit to our dinner, so I was just looking to see if your arm was somehow twisted.” She winked.
“You know, Cheri, that, the dinner, they’re all just going on the punishment list.”
Sam smiled, “That’s what I’m hoping for. Come on, let’s go see if we can’t make a dent into that list.” She said playfully as she grabbed Laurent’s hand and led him to her bedroom. He laughed as he swung her around, picked her up and threw her over his shoulder so that her head was at his ass and her ass was on his shoulder, which he swiftly swatted now that it was right there.
“I think someone’s getting far to brave for their own good.” He laughed and threw her down on the bed, closed the door and indeed started to make a dent into their list.
CHAPTER 8
Sam had reached out to Mark, inviting him to dinner. She knew that, based on the last time they had dinner together, if she didn’t make the overture, it would probably be a long time before they saw each other again. And, despite how that evening had ended, Mark wasn’t a friend that Sam wanted to lose. She got over feeling guilty and wanted to make sure that their friendship was still in tact, especially given that they were both up for the TimeCap rebrand. Whoever won, it would be a big coup, and by meeting before the decision, they’d be on an equal playing field. If they waited until after the account was awarded, there would be one winner and one loser at the table.
When Sam walked into the restaurant, she saw Mark at the bar already. She stood and looked for a moment thinking how good looking he was. The last time she and Mark got together was in the beginning of her relationship with Laurent, when everything was exciting and crazy and turbulent and unknown. And the last time she had seen Mark was at the awards show, when she was lower than low. Now that she and Laurent had been together for almost a year, which Sam still couldn’t believe, she wanted to see if any of her old feelings for Mark bubbled up to the surface. She waited to feel something as she walked over. No butterflies. No increase in heart beat. No question. It wasn’t that she questioned her feelings for Laurent, it was just that seeing Mark there, remembering back to all the years she had hoped for something to happen, Sam needed to make sure she wasn’t choosing the exciting guy over the safe guy. Thankfully, it wasn’t a choice.
One thing that Sam had become very attuned to since she had been with Laurent was how her body responded to him. With everything else in her life being in her head, the way her body reacted to him, his voice, his touch, even the simplest of looks, when it came to Laurent, the way she physically responded was something she couldn’t will into being one way or another. It was as clear this evening as it was the last time she went out with Mark. Sam loved Mark as a friend. Nothing more, which was a relief. As much as she protested to Laurent that was the case, there was a tiny part of her that wasn’t 100% sure. But now that she was actually there with Mark, she had no more doubt.
He was talking with the bartender, an attractive woman in her 20s who seemed to be enjoying his attention and conversation. He was a handsome guy and as sweet as they come. Sam came up behind him and put her hand on his back as she smiled and greeted him softly, “Hi Mark.” He grinned as he turned to her, stood up and planted a kiss on her lips, then pulled her into a warm hug.
He whispered into her ear, “Hi yourself, Sam,” as they embraced. When they let go, he held her for a moment to just look at her and then said with a tinge of sadness, “You look great, Sam.” As if he was disappointed that she looked as good as she did. The last time he had seen her was at the Goldies, and she had looked, and been a mess.
“Thanks, Mark. You do too. You always do though.” He smiled at this, grabbed his drink and turned to walk with her to the table. Sam could see the bartender’s disappointed look as Mark didn’t offer more than a brief wave goodbye. She couldn’t help but feel a little bit of smug satisfaction that in this town where youth rules, the cute 20-something bartender didn’t have anything on the almost-40 Sam.
When they got to the table, Mark smiled warmly, “I’m
glad you reached out, Sam.”
Sam was so relieved to hear this, she returned his smile, “Me too, Mark, me too.” Sam figured she had to address the elephant in the room, “I know, after our last dinner…” she trailed off and he shrugged.
“Hey, let’s not go there, ok? I’m pretending that never happened,” he chuckled, “And until now, I’d convinced myself it hadn’t.” Sam laughed.
“Ok, fair enough. Well, truth be told, I also wanted to get together because I know we’re both pitching for the TimeCap account and I wanted to make sure that we were ok before an agency was chosen.” Sam paused, looked down and then continued, “I don’t like it being weird with us, Mark. There aren’t too many people in this industry I trust, so I want to make sure that regardless of how this pitch goes, or anything else, that we’re good.”