Executive Perks

by Angela Claire

  Who knew?

  * * * * *

  Virginia awoke with an unpleasant, unfamiliar taste in her mouth and grimaced. She opened her eyes and looked down at the soft blue satin, recognizing it immediately. Bransport. What was she doing here? All at once the images of last night flooded in on her. Oh God, no. Please let it have been a dream. She rolled over onto her back on the bed and felt the tuxedo jacket hampering her movement ever so slightly. Oh my God, it was real. It had happened and she was still wearing Aaron Winston’s tuxedo jacket to prove it. No, no, no, no, no! She could not stop saying the words in her head over and over. How could this have happened? It seemed as if one minute she’d been fuming at the arrogant Winston, hating him and his stacked little girlfriend in her racy red dress, and then the next she was dancing with him, elated to have gotten rid of the girlfriend, and throwing herself at him. Her head ached. The wine. That was the explanation, obviously, but it didn’t spare her from the crushing sense of regret and humiliation and embarrassment. She would never be able to face Winston again. He must be laughing his head off by now. He’d practically had to drag her home, she remembered, with her continuing to beg him the whole time to kiss her. What had possessed her to behave like that? She was completely mystified. Why couldn’t it have been anyone but Aaron Winston?

  Despite the pounding in her head, she dragged herself out of bed, flung the tuxedo jacket to the floor, followed shortly by the white silk, and headed for the shower. The pulsating jets of water helped her head, but did nothing to erase her disturbing memories. “Come on, Virginia, help me out here,” he had said, pushing her away from him. After a punishing hour and a half of exercise tapes, concentrating on the complicated steps, working herself to exhaustion, she felt a little more herself again. Following forty-five minutes on her stair master, she was finally ready to face this day. She decided to get something to eat before taking another shower. Who else was here at Bransport? She had a vague recollection of a lot of people and Missy. She was sure Missy was here. What to say to her?

  Virginia peeked into the hall. No activity despite how her bedroom clock had indicated it was almost one in the afternoon. She had almost made it to the kitchen, no one in sight, when the doorbell rang. Probably one of Missy or Mindy’s freeloading friends. But when she opened the door without thinking, she was horrified to see Aaron Winston. As if her worst nightmare had materialized just by her thinking of him. He was cool and crisp in fawn-colored corduroys and a chocolate-brown cashmere sweater.

  Immediately, she grabbed the towel from around her neck and pathetically clutched it in front of her. Those dark blue eyes followed the movement and he laughed. “Come on now, Virginia. Aren’t we beyond that kind of thing?”

  She knew she was being unreasonable, but at this very moment she hated him. She wished he would drop dead in front of her right now and she would not be loath to aid in that end if given the opportunity. “What are you doing here?”

  His laughing expression dimmed somewhat. “Take a wild guess. Wait, I’ll give you a hint.” He reached for her.

  She dodged him. “I don’t think so. Look, I keep telling you, I don’t want that kind of…ah…thing with you.”

  “That wasn’t the impression I got last night.”

  “I don’t want to talk about last night,” she snapped.

  He nodded. “Okay, fine. You were kind of out of it. But let me just point out, if you can’t remember, that we got on pretty well together.”

  “I know we didn’t sleep together.” She was pretty sure of it, anyway.

  “Not for your lack of trying.”

  It was a casual observation, but she cringed, feeling her cheeks burn. “Yeah, I remember enough about last night to have gotten that part, but thanks for the tactful reminder.”

  He glanced around the entranceway. Virginia blocked further entrance, so he moved to take one of the wooden straight-backed chairs against the wall of the hallway, looking for all the world as if he was under the impression that she had just offered him a seat.

  “I didn’t sleep with you last night, Virginia, but we sure as hell both wanted to. For my part, I just wanted to make sure you weren’t bombed out of your mind when we did it. And there was something else I wanted to ask you about that.”

  “I just want you to get out of here. I’m embarrassed enough as it is.”

  “Embarrassed of what? You had a little too much to drink…or something. Listen, that’s the other thing I wanted to talk to you about.”

  “Really.” She put her hand to her pounding head. “Can you just leave? I want to completely forget about last night.”

  He stared at her.

  Finally, he said, “Where have I heard that before? Great. So this is what I get for my chivalry? A brush-off? Do you have to be bombed out of your mind to have any fun, Miss Perfect?”

  “Oh, shut up.” Her head was hammering so hard, she thought it would break open.

  “I should have just fucked you,” he muttered.

  “Why am I not surprised that any honorable behavior you manage to exhibit always comes with a price tag?

  He stood up again and yanked the towel away from in front of her, his blue eyes blatantly staring at her breasts bound in the exercise top, her bare midriff, her legs encased in the bright spandex like a second skin. “I just don’t like all these games you’re always playing. One minute you’re all over me and the next you want to act like it never happened and pretend to hate my guts.”

  “No pretense necessary.”

  “This is the second time,” he said, seeming as pissed off as he probably was. “The second time you’ve done this to me. I’ve finger-fucked you, but you know I get a lot more out of it when I use another favorite part of my anatomy in the process.”

  His sense of entitlement was starting to piss her off as well and anger overtook embarrassment. “God, you are so crude!”

  “Oh, so you can do it but you can’t say it? Oh no, I forgot. I did it. I did all the work—”

  “Get out.”

  “You’re like some kind of a hot chick version of Jekyll and Hyde. Let’s end this already, preferably not out in the hall. Come on, Virginia, take me back to your room and I’ll make sure you’re glad you were sober for the experience.”

  “There you go with your lack of confidence again, Mr. Winston.”

  “Oh, cut the bullshit, you were starting to give me a blow job in the limousine and by the end of the night you were practically attacking me.”

  Blow job? Oh, for heaven’s sake, he was probably lying about that one. She didn’t…she’d never…

  Before she could respond, a high voice behind them called out, “Oh, you’re here! Why didn’t somebody tell me? I’m glad you could make it. Didn’t you bring your tennis stuff, though? Oh, that’s okay, you can borrow something of Brendan’s.”

  Missy was charging at them from a long corridor in the rear, in a skimpy white tennis dress, her long thighs almost completely exposed, her curls down to her waist. He smiled a slow smile at her and said warmly, “Missy, there you are. I was just telling Virginia that we had a tennis date.”

  Virginia’s jaw dropped as she took in the adoring look Missy was giving Aaron. In the course of spurning Virginia’s attentions and unloading her off at home dead drunk, he had found the time to make a date with her baby sister? This guy was not to be believed.

  Missy grabbed Aaron’s hand, apparently gratified at his warm greeting, and started to pull him upstairs, intending to point out Brendan’s room and his store of tennis clothes, when Virginia’s curt voice stopped her, “Wait a minute, Missy. I want a word with you.”

  Missy turned back to her older sister like a reluctant child about to be scolded. “Go on up,” she told Aaron. “It’s the third door on the left. Pick out anything you like. All his tennis stuff is in there and we have rackets downstairs. I have some friends down at the courts now. We can play doubles.”

  Aaron followed her rapidly fired-off instructions, disappearing
after a sardonic smile at Virginia. “See you later, Virginia.”

  Missy followed Virginia into the library, flopping down on one of the maroon leather sofas as Virginia closed the door behind them. Missy decided that the best defense was an offense. “Now, if this is about the party, Virginia, I just want to say that I think you’re hardly one to judge anybody about last night. I mean, you should have seen yourself! You could barely walk! If Aaron…” She paused in her lightning-quick speech, as if were the first time she had used his first name out loud and liked it. “If Aaron had not been so helpful and given you a ride home, then I don’t know quite what would have happened.”

  Virginia surveyed her sister calmly. Yes, Aaron Winston had been extremely helpful, but she was not about to get into the circumstances of her episode with Winston last night. God knows what he had told Missy about it, but she certainly didn’t seem to suspect anything romantic between Virginia and Aaron. Fine, that was not the point. And she didn’t care about the unauthorized party Missy—and Mindy, probably, although the second twin was not in evidence—had thrown behind her back. What she wanted to do was make sure that her silly little sister knew how two-faced Winston was. Virginia sat next to Missy and began in her best “wise older sister” tone, “Missy, I hope you’re not thinking about seeing Aaron Winston.”

  “Why not?” she interrupted petulantly. “He said there was nothing between you two, right? Well, not exactly in those words, but—”

  Virginia bristled. “Of course not. We’re business associates, or rather adversaries, which is exactly my point. Winston has been trying to get stock in the company, you know that, right? Well, in a family company you get stock by cozying up to the family.”

  “All my stock is in some kind of a trust, right?” Missy argued.

  “Yes, but Winston doesn’t know that.”

  “Well, I’ll just tell him and if he still sticks around, we’ll know that wasn’t it.”

  Virginia grimaced. Her baby sister could be so unexpectedly, infuriatingly logical sometimes. “Winston is a lot more subtle than that, Missy. He’s very sneaky and I’m asking you not to see him.”

  “I’m over eighteen.”

  “Just barely.”

  “And I can see whoever I want.” Missy stood up to go, smoothing her tennis dress—what little of it there was. At her sister’s tight expression, Missy relented and said, “We’re just playing tennis, don’t worry. I’m not giving him any family secrets or anything. Besides, I’m surprised he even showed up. He didn’t seem that interested in me. Funny,” she tossed over her shoulder as she left Virginia alone in the cavernous library. “I almost thought last night that he had some kind of a thing for you.”

  Virginia stayed in the library long enough to make sure she wouldn’t run into Winston and Missy on their way out to the tennis courts and then snuck upstairs. Her plan to shower and change into blue jeans morphed into a need to try to generate some more endorphins to counteract her fury at Winston’s visit. She hit the elliptical this time, blasting Red Hot Chili Peppers on her iPod as her arms and legs slogged through the paces. She didn’t know how long she lasted, but by the time she threw in the towel, sweat was pouring off of her and she’d pretty much lost her hearing.

  Panting, she wandered over to her open bedroom window to take a deep whiff of the crisp outside air, but unfortunately she’d forgotten that the tennis courts were just below. “Game,” someone shouted. The ball sounded as if it was still being slammed time and time again. “That’s the set. Hey, Missy, your friend here sure likes to win.”

  Virginia moved to look down at the tennis courts below and saw a grim Winston, in white trousers, polo shirt and sneakers, say something low to which the other three evidently agreed. Then he furiously lobbed the ball over the net out of reach of the other team but within bounds. “That’s our point,” Missy, Aaron’s teammate, squealed and Aaron unexpectedly looked up at Virginia’s window, catching her watching them. He turned and said something to Missy who yelled up to her, “Virginia, why don’t you come down and play a set? Aaron says he’ll bet you one thousand shares, you against him.”

  The arrogant jerk. Virginia shook her head clearly and moved away from the window. She would get all of his shares back, she vowed, not just a measly one-thousand. She picked up the blue cordless phone and called a local car service to pick her up and take her to Manhattan. They said it would be about an hour, maybe more.

  Just the proper time for a really good soak. She headed to the bathroom in her suite, stripping her exercise clothes off along the way. Pouring some bath salts and bubbles into the massive bathtub, she cranked the water up as hot as she could take it. Tying her hair into a loose bun, she stepped into the tub as it was filling, stretching her arms along the sides and laying her head back against the cushioned plastic backrest.

  The sound of the water soothed her as she let the heat soak into her tired muscles and closed her eyes. This was precisely what she needed. After a few minutes, the water level finally so high that it felt as if it might spill over, she sat up and turned off the gushing of the tap.

  She reached for the loofah.

  “I can do that for you if you like.”

  Startled, her heart near to coming out of her chest, she swung around to the sound of the voice, splashing water out of the sides of the tub as she did so.

  Aaron Winston, still dressed in his dashing tennis whites, delicately sidestepped the puddles she’d created. “I don’t want to get your brother’s clothes wet,” he said, pulling a bath stool over to the side of the tub.

  Outrage didn’t begin to cover it for Virginia. If her body temperature could seep out, the bath water would be boiling.

  “What the hell are you doing in here?” she demanded, crossing her arms over her breasts and sinking down farther into the bubbles.

  He smiled innocently. “I was looking for the bathroom. Such a big house, though. I must have gotten lost. I remembered your room from last night, though. So I thought I might use your bathroom. But I see it’s otherwise occupied. I can wait.”

  “Get out of here. Right now.” When he didn’t leave, just smirked at her, she realized the predicament she found herself in here. She couldn’t exactly get out of the tub to kick him out and it didn’t look as if he was leaving of his own accord.

  The gall of the man.

  “Stay away from my sister.” It just came out. She hadn’t really meant to say it.

  “Why? Are you making me a better offer?”

  She ignored that. “All her stock is tied up in a voting trust until she’s twenty-one and I’m the trustee. You can’t touch it.”

  “Maybe that’s not what I’m interested in touching. Your sister has a cute little body.” He leaned forward casually and ran one finger along the surface of the bath water, causing little ripples.

  “Look, I don’t know what you’re after—”

  “You don’t?” he guffawed. “Well, I haven’t exactly been secretive about it or anything. I’m after a fuck with you, baby.” He splashed her suddenly and she recoiled at the childish gesture while he sat back. “With my cock, like a real adult, not just fingering you in the car or getting a taste of your pussy, rolling around on the floor.”

  A taste of… Oh Christ, she suddenly remembered that too. Amazing he hadn’t actually slept with her after all, she supposed.

  She clamped down on any further memories. “If you’re trying to shock me, you can forget it. I had a little too much to drink last night and got a little frisky. You were there. It happens.”

  “To you?”

  “What?”

  “Does it happen to you?” He asked it so casually, not getting up from the stool, as if they always had conversations in which she was naked and in a bathtub and he sat coolly by.

  “Does what happen to me?”

  “Do you often get stinking drunk like that?

  She colored. “Ever the gentleman.”

  “No, really. Did you really drink that much last n
ight?”

  “I suppose. I suppose I must have.”

  “But did you? Think.”

  “Why? What are you getting at? Are you suggesting I was faking or something?”

  “No, of course not. You were completely out of it. That’s what I mean. How long were you even at the dinner before we left?”

  “Not long.”

  “And did you drink before you got there?”

  “No.” She paused. “What exactly are you saying?”

  “Have you ever seen the effects of ecstasy or GHB?”

  “GH-what?”

  “GHB. They call it liquid ecstasy. It’s a club drug. People take it to, uh, rid themselves of their inhibitions. Some people even think it’s an aphrodisiac. Unfortunately, it’s not unheard of for it to be slipped into a girl’s drink. ” He stopped her before she could say it. “And don’t make some snide remark about how I must be so familiar with that. I don’t use drugs to get laid any more than I cause accidents in my limousine to get a girl on my lap. But I have seen what the drug does to a girl. That’s sort of what you looked like last night.”

  “Are you suggesting I gave myself that drug?”

  “I’m suggesting someone slipped it to you. Is there anyone who might have done that?”

  She eyed him warily.

  “Besides me,” he scowled.

  “No. I was there with family.”

  “What about your sisters, the young ones? Are they jealous of you? Could they have done this as some kind of a trick to embarrass you? Maybe because they wanted to get you out of the way for that party they threw last night.”

  She laughed, the suggestion was so absurd. The six Beckett siblings would die for each other. They all knew that. “There’s not a chance in hell. And you don’t know much about family if you could possibly suspect something like that.”

  “No. I don’t. But I don’t know what else to think.” He dangled his fingers in the water again, causing her to be acutely conscious of how little separated her from him right now. “That’s the real reason I didn’t go through with it with you last night. Maybe I was imagining it, but I couldn’t shake the feeling. So I thought I should mention it. Bad things, unusual things, seem to be happening a lot when I’m with you.”