Slightly Sinful

by Yvette Hines

  “Glad to hear it. There were some rough patches, but things worked out,” Spade announced.

  Many times she and her staff set up their designs based on the original plans, to do their walk-through forty-eight hours later and see the contractors hadn’t made major structural changes for one reason or another. Occasionally, it meant back to the drawing board for them and a delay of the project.

  Holding her hand out to the client, Delilah smiled. “The first wave of our staff will be here on Wednesday.”

  Grasping her hand in his meaty one, Spade shook it. “Wednesday it is. I’m looking forward to it.”

  She parted company with him then the five-member team from Précis Touch followed her out of the semi-finished building.

  Riiiiiing…Riiiiing.

  The insistent sound of her smartphone grabbed her attention. Pausing in stride, she removed it from the clip on her briefcase. “Hello?” With the phone to her ear she continued toward her car.

  “Ms. Reynolds?” a male voice came through the line.

  “Yes, this is she.” She checked the caller identification, but the private number tag gave her no hint to the man’s identification.

  “This is Les Carter and I’m calling from Torres Corporation.”

  Instantly, her heart and feet stopped simultaneously.

  Her team followed suit.

  Delilah forced herself to keep her voice calm and professional, instead of panting into the receiver like an expectant mother.

  “Yes.” It’s Monday. With nervous excitement, her chest tightened as if a band squeezed around her ribcage, causing her to have difficulty in breathing.

  He continued. “Your company’s proposal has received favorable comments from our board.”

  Oh, my God.

  “We’d like to meet with you and your team tomorrow at three, if the time is convenient for you.”

  Was it convenient? Midnight would have been convenient. Trying for calm, cool and collected, she swallowed the tumultuous thrill bubbling inside and threatening to spill out in a scream. “If you give me a moment to check my schedule, I can let you know.”

  “Take your time,” he told her.

  Her team stared at her expectantly.

  She signaled them to be patient by promptly holding a single finger in the air and then palming the black device. She selected the menu button and scrolled until she located her electronic planner. Letting out a small sigh of relief, she replaced the phone to her ear. “Three tomorrow afternoon will work for us.”

  “Well then, congratulations on the contract and we’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Please pass along my gratitude to Mr. Torres and the board.” After his confirmation to relay the message, Delilah hung up the phone as if she’d just finished placing an order for takeout.

  “Delilah, please don’t keep us in suspense,” her head architect pleaded.

  Clipping the smartphone on her case, she slowly lifted her gaze to her team.

  “Oh, for the love of Peter, Paul and Mary and all that’s holy… spill it,” Darren implored.

  Smiling broadly, she whispered in awe, “We did it.” Gazing at each member, she repeated it. “We did it. Torres Corp selected Précis Touch.” Her voice rose. “They chose us.”

  Her team stood stunned for a moment then everyone reacted at the same time, with hugs, high fives and good-natured slaps on the back. After the congratulations had subsided, the other four people got into their cars and left, heading back to the office to prepare for the next day.

  She and Darren stood by her car and waved the others good-bye.

  Darren gave her a firm hug. “I knew you could do it. All those years of hard work are about to pay off.”

  If anyone knew how much winning this project meant to her, Darren did.

  Breaking the embrace, she stepped back and looked at her friend. “You remember the first day you walked into the office and demanded I give you a job?”

  Darren nodded and grinned.

  “Telling me you wanted to be a part of building something and watching it grow. You worked for the first three months without pay.”

  His laughter shook the atmosphere around them. “Actually, no one else would hire me. So, I would’ve been broke either way. Thank goodness for the money I had left over from my final college loan.”

  Delilah’s mouth dropped open in animated shock at discovering her friend’s earlier lie. “Darren…” she attempted to sound scolding.

  He tried to look ashamed, but the smile that played at the corner of his mouth made the effect weak. “I’m sorry, Delilah. I was fresh out of college with no experience. You were my last choice. My plan was to work for you for six months and pray that I got a more lucrative position.”

  Shifting her stance and placing a hand on her hip, she accused, “What about all that business of seeing the job I did at your girl friend’s doctor’s office.”

  His laughter roared. “No girl friend at the time and never saw any office. I was sitting in your little two-chair waiting room when I heard your secretary tell you that the check from Dr. Burke’s office had finally come in with a card thanking you for great job on redecorating his waiting room.”

  “You’re fired,” she called out in a firm voice, but her one-sided smile caused the effect to be lost.

  Pulling her into another quick embrace, he then let her go just as fast. “The truth of the matter is that your tenacity in getting your business off the ground inspired me more than anyone else I’ve known. It’s because of that reason I stayed.”

  Unlocking her car door, she set her case inside. “You’re still fired.” She poked him in the shoulder with her index finger. “But I would like to make one correction in your divulged information.”

  “And that is?”

  “We did it. You may have been with me in the beginning for deceptive reasons, but you gave just as much to this company in the last seven years as I did.”

  Taking her friend’s silence as an opportunity to place a kiss on his cheek, she leaned forward and gave him a loud one on the side of his face. “I hate to burst your bubble on another note. I was the one playing the biggest con. Teresa, my old secretary, and I devised a scheme that every time someone came into the office, she would call me and make up payments and accolades from various fictitious establishments.”

  It was Darren’s turn to look thunderstruck, his mouth dropping open. “Delilah.”

  “Sorry, Darren, you’ve got to get up pretty early in the morning to pull one over on me.” With that said, she got into the car feeling confident and self-assured. She left her friend standing, laughing at his own duping in front of the hotel.

  Chapter five

  “Mr. Carter, it’s nice to meet you as well.” Delilah grasped the tall blond man’s hand as he held it out to her, introducing himself. “We’re all looking forward to working with Torres Corp.”

  She was happy to see Les Carter walk in the conference room where she and her team waited. She anticipated he would run the meeting in Nicholas Torres’ absence. Everything she’d heard and read about the business mogul reported that he rarely visited the States except during times when major business deals were on the table. Then he left again.

  “Mr. Torres will be glad to know it.” He gave her a friendly smile then turned and included her six team members in his announcement. “If everyone could follow me. We’re actually meeting in the media room.”

  As they all headed down the hall in a steady pace, she and Les Carter led the formation.

  “Were there any complications with uploading our presentation?” she inquired.

  “None at all. Everything worked well. Mr. Torres and our board members are anxious to see the preliminary designs you all have put together.”

  “Once you send him the slides, how long do you anticipate before we get the final word and begin work?” she questioned, hoping she wasn’t coming off impatient.

  “Send them to him?” He stopped before a large double oak doo
r, his brow slightly furrowed.

  Voice calm, she paused beside him with her team falling in behind like erect dominos. “I assumed you would send them to him, but perhaps not. Good thing we made him extra copies of everything so when you brief him--”

  Composed, he explained, “Ms. Reynolds, I don’t have to send or brief Mr. Torres, when he’s present at the meeting. There are a lot of changes happening for Torres Corporation with this redesigning, so Mr. Torres will definitely be in attendance.”

  Feeling a bit sheepish, Delilah attempted to cover her ignorance. “Glad to hear it. I’m looking forward to meeting him.” She easily pasted a large smile on her face. She was excited over the prospect of meeting the Torres. “I wasn’t even aware he was still in town.”

  “That’s understandable. He’s a very private person.” Les opened the door and stepped over the threshold.

  When they entered, six other men already occupied the room. The ones facing the door all appeared in their mid to late fifties. Les directed her team to the group of men standing in an irregular circle, two of the men’s back to her.

  Stepping beside one of them with thick black hair curling lazily at the collar of his suit jacket, Les Carter began, “Mr. Torres, Ms. Reynolds and the team from Précis Touch.”

  Mr. Torres turned and her heart dropped out her chest and smacked against the floor as she stood face to face with her mystery man of the night. He looked just as good in a suit as he did naked, with his cock filling her mouth. She couldn’t remember how to breathe and her insides turned to Jell-O, a quivering mass of nothingness inside. Heat began to radiate low in her belly and spread rapidly through her body, causing little trickles of sweat to roll down her spine.

  His words cut through the air and saved her from looking like a fool.

  “Ms. Reynolds, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Nicholas Torres.” He held his hand out as deep silver eyes pierced hazel green ones.

  His gaze didn’t waver or flinch. He’d known who she was the whole time. I should have never removed my mask.

  Roberto Sanchez my ass. Anger and arousal hit her senses concurrently, one playing off the other. As her temper simmered, her sex blossomed and pulsated. Appalled at her own reaction, she tried to ignore the feel of her juices coating the inside of her swollen slit.

  She dropped her gaze to his outstretched hand. Why did he have to stick his hand out? Corporate courtesy be damned. Delilah knew she had to accept his hand sealing around her own, regardless of the electric currents passing between them.

  Just pretend you don’t know him. Refocusing on his face, she pasted a toothy grin on her mouth then grasped his hand firmly and quickly. “Mr. Torres.” She paused purposefully, wanting him to know she fully remembered he had given her a false name. “Let me introduce you to my team then we can get started.” Stepping back so they had to drop hands, she turned toward her staff.

  “Great. I’m anxious to see all that you have to show me.”

  She bit the inside of her lip and eyed him, clearly understanding the inflections in his voice.

  “To my left is my project manager, Darren Johnson. Then this is Sally Pete, head Architect. Lamont Smith, our master craftsman electrician, and next to him is Lydia Chavez, the design manager. On my right are our company’s lawyer, Dwight Madden, and lastly the one who makes sure we all get paid and stay within your expense agreement, my budget manager, Dana Libby.”

  Nicholas stepped forward and shook hands with each Précis Touch staff member, asking each pointed questions about their job and blowing her staff away with his knowledge.

  Charming bastard.

  After he’d finished talking to Dana, the short, brown skinned, buxom beauty of the team, he gave an introduction of his four board members and one of Torres Corporation’s lawyers. Turning back to her, he once again pierced her with his gaze. “If you’re ready to begin, Ms. Reynolds, we can all take our seats.”

  Delilah inclined her head, signifying her readiness.

  “Here you go, Ms. Reynolds.” Les handed her a small remote. “You will be able to control the slideshow from your seat.”

  Taking the safer route, she turned to Les and zeroed her praise on him. “Thanks, Les. I appreciate your thoughtfulness.” Delilah thought she heard a growl come from Nicholas Torres, but she refused to give him any more of her attention than was already required.

  Les smiled and directed her team to their seats. Walking past Torres, she followed her team around theater seats. Twelve people and thirteen seats, out of the corner of her eye, she noted Torres headed to one in the back. Snagging one on the end two rows ahead of him, she sat.

  In the middle of her sigh of relief, Les’ voice intruded. “Ms. Reynolds, you’ll need to sit in one of the back seats in order to control the projector. All of the main controls are located on a console back there.”

  Shit. She smiled at Les who sat in the second to the last row, next to Darren, then eyed the only other vacant chair in the room. It was beside Nicholas Torres a.k.a. Roberto Sanchez.

  With everyone watching and waiting on her, she had no way to get out of it. Rising, she walked to the back row and took her seat a few inches away from the man who’d spent a whole night having sex with her and deceiving her.

  “Ms. Reynolds, the floor is yours,” Torres said beside her. His voice caressed her senses like satin sheets against naked skin.

  She made the mistake of taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. His cologne teased her, male and refreshing, taking her mind back to the private cove where they’d first met. Think business, she said to herself. She loved her company. It was the one thing she could focus on to move past his effect on her. “Thank you.” Pulling herself together, she began her presentation, her voice smooth, professional and efficient.

  Leaning forward, Torres began pressing buttons on the small console in front of them. The curtain pulled back across a large screen big enough to view a Hollywood movie. On point with her speech, the slideshow slid into focus and the lights dimmed slowly until everything else in the room was concealed in a deep gray shadow.

  Foolishly, she began to relax in her chair, confident and secure in the darkness. The unexpected warm hand on her thigh, sliding further under her skirt stunned her. Her breath hitched in her throat. She flinched and accidentally pressed her thumb into a button on the remote, advancing the PowerPoint six frames.

  When she’d left the house that morning in her chocolate and pink pinstriped shirt dress with its tea length, full skirt, she believed it was stylish and conservative. Now it just seemed useless.

  “I think we need to cut down your caffeine intake or something, Delilah. I do believe that was one of the fastest slideshows we’ve ever given,” Darren called out with his normal jovial sense of humor.

  Everyone in the room laughed.

  Her own laugh sounded airy and false to her ears as she pressed her legs tighter together and arched her hips back in the seat in an attempt to avoid Torres’ questing hand. “Forgive me. I’m just trying to get used to the controller.”

  “Managing it in the dark can be rather tricky. Let me show you how it’s done,” Torres cut in.

  Before she could object, he moved closer. With one hand, he reset the slides and with the other, he used the advantage to execute dexterous movement and force her legs apart, insinuating his hand between her thighs.

  “There, Ms. Reynolds. Now you’re all set to go.” His voice held a sexy intimacy as he made a production of settling back into his seat.

  Short of her standing and screaming to everyone that his hand was under her skirt…more specifically, skirting along the edge of her panties, she was trapped. Forced to continue with her presentation. She employed every public speaking technique she’d been taught to keep her voice at an even pitch.

  The fear of him soon discovering how wet she was caused her to seize his thick wrist with her free hand, a useless attempt to stop his digital perusal. He was stronger. Her hold on him was less retraining than a gn
at trying to move a bull. A persistent bull.

  After today, she would stop wearing thigh-high’s.

  They both continued on their specified course. She informed the group and he persuaded her.

  Nicholas' finger ventured beneath the seam of her panties and exposed her secret. She was wet. She discerned his reaction to her arousal by the low groan he gave, only loud enough for her alone to hear.

  Her mouth may have been reciting the thoroughly prepared speech, but all the rest of her senses were directed between her legs, zooming in on the light strokes he gave her clitoris. He pulled back its protective hood and caressed it.

  She tried to remain a non-participant, a bystander to the affair, but she couldn’t. Her body remembered all the things he had done to her over forty-eight hours ago and it wanted it again. No longer able to deny it, she recognized that she wanted it again. Her conscience flew out the window as his hand slipped down the length of her slick, aching lips and one thick finger entered her. Then two.

  No consideration for how inappropriate their act was, she reveled in it. Guiding her hips forward, she obscenely parted her legs, fully enjoying Nicholas’ ministrations. She clenched her walls around his two fingers as they fucked her slowly, minimizing the sucking sound of her greedy pussy as it feasted on each stroke. Everything in her lusted after the orgasm building low and heavy in her belly, rotating her hips with each of his thrusts, pressing toward completion.

  She was thankful for the expensive leather under her ass that kept her movements silent.

  To her own ears, her voice sounded breathy and tense. She could only hope that the other people in the room attributed it to her excitement of the project.

  But, she was a woman on the edge and three tremors away from not caring what anyone thought.

  Torres grasped the thigh of her leg closest to him and propped it on the arm of her chair. Moving on hormonal instinct, she tilted her hips forward, giving him better access. Torres showed his appreciation for her action by grinding the heel of his hand into her throbbing clit.