by Marian Tee
“You are right, sweetheart,” he murmured when he pulled his hand away, seemingly satisfied with how he’d cleaned me up. His lips curved in a knowing smile when he heard my legs immediately snapping shut the moment he withdrew his hand.
Still trying to keep my legs from trembling and wondering if I could actually walk a straight line after the very first orgasm I had in my life, I asked shakily, “I’m right about what?”
“This friendship of ours.” He came to his feet in a fluid movement, utterly gorgeous and unflappable, not one bit of him betraying the fact that he had just gotten me to engage in a public act of sex with him.
He smiled at me again. “I like this kind of friendship, Yanna. I look forward to more of it.”
Lesson #5
Don’t let yourself be rattled by your billionaire.
He’ll see it as a come-on and find more ways to rattle you even more.
My weekend was spent lazing around in Alyx’s home. She hadn’t wanted to charge me for rent, but I had insisted. All our meals consisted of take-outs from nearby delis and fast food chains, since neither of us had a clue about cooking. When she left on Sunday to meet up with another set of friends, I quickly used the time to Google more information about Constantijin. I couldn’t help it. He was already an obsession – but one I couldn’t bear anyone knowing about.
Just this week alone, more photos of Constantijin came up, with a different piece of arm candy for every event he attended. From the gossip rags, I also learned that he had left the country to sail with his friends, two other billionaires who were almost as gorgeous as he was. A famous celebrity paparazzi referred to them collectively as the Three Pussketeers. I totally agreed, even though the name also made my heart twinge.
God, I was pathetic. Any more of this and I was, like, so applying for some kind of hard casing for my heart. It had to be tougher to survive more attacks of seduction from the Netherland’s #1 Playboy.
I came in as early as I could to work on Monday, but Charli was already ensconced in her ultra-savvy chair when I got to our office. She also had a new set of Post-Its stuck to our LCDs, and she was fast becoming like Donald Rumsfeld in that sense. In Woodward’s State of Denial – I had this weird thing for political controversies and cover-ups – the author had revealed how Rumsfeld, who was still the Defense Secretary of the US then, would issue white sticky notes whenever he had new responsibilities and duties for his people. They called them snowflakes, and most of those sticky notes had been about the war in Iraq.
Glancing at my own set of snowflakes, I had to wonder what kind of war Charli was waging on behalf of Kastein, Inc.
My Post-It asked for a PowerPoint presentation for a manga series I could recommend which had the Big Three – romance, action, and comedy. And just because Charli had a lot of faith in us three – it said so in her snowflake! – we’d be presenting our recommendation to a small group of middle managers this very afternoon.
I got to work immediately, which I found totally fun and challenging – a great combination that got my heart pumping almost as fast as it tended to do whenever Constantijin – shit, fuck, damn.
I’m not going to think about him, I’m not, I chanted to myself silently.
Determinedly refocusing on my presentation, I asked George, “Do you know how to import videos to PowerPoint?”
“Sorry, hun, not one clue,” he answered right away.
Swallowing my pride, I asked, “Arian?”
She gave me a wide-eyed stare that I totally wasn’t buying. “Not a clue either.” Today, she was dressed in another come-hither outfit. You would think that guys would get used to her D-cups, but no. As days passed by, George told me that Arian’s fan club of lechers just seemed to grow and grow in number.
Her face was also perfectly made up, as always – the one thing that I secretly envied her for. I loved dressing up, but cosmetics? Not so much. Mascara, powder, and lip gloss were just about my limit while I had a feeling Arian even trimmed her nose hair. Whatever. Good for her.
At half past noon, I slipped out to buy an energy bar from the vendo machine, unaware that behind the tinted windows was a pair of golden eyes following my every movement.
The energy bar was yummy – but insufficient. I slid another note into the slit and punched the necessary button, but this time nothing came out.
“Oh, come on!” I couldn’t afford any delays right now.
“Here, let me.” Someone spoke from behind and a moment later, a dark haired guy was bending down slightly, rapping one fist on the side of the vendo machine.
The energy bar finally fell down and I grabbed it. Looking up, I was about to thank Mr. Fix-It for vendos but I ended up gasping instead. “You!”
He was just as surprised and then his lips formed a very pleased smile, one that had me blushing again. “You seem to make a habit of needing my help,” he murmured.
It was the very same guy who had helped me out during the time I went shopping for work clothes. It was such a freaky coincidence that for more than a moment, I could only blink at him, wondering if he was Mr. Right.
Yes, yes, I knew I was totally jumping to conclusions – as far as Point A to Point Z in fact, but you see, that was how it had happened between my parents. Walter and Carole fell in love at first sight. They hadn’t even spoken to each other. They had just looked into each other’s eyes – and that was that.
Could this guy be the one for me?
Still smiling, the guy offered his hand and said, “I’m Drake Morrison, by the way.” He seemed even taller and more handsome than I remembered, but with the same olive skin and light brown eyes.
“Yanna Everleigh,” I returned shyly, shaking his hand. Upon releasing it, I said apologetically, “I have to go. I’ve got a presentation in three hours.”
“Sure,” he answered easily. “Break a leg.”
“Thanks.” When I turned around to walk away, I could feel his gaze following me. It made me extra clumsy and conscious, tripping on my own two feet as I reached the office I shared with George and Arian.
George raised a brow when I came in. “You look happy.”
I quickly told him about Mr. Fix It.
“Oooh. A forbidden office romance is in the works then?”
His words made me think of Constantijin, and the memory was more than enough to wipe out every good feeling I had about Drake. Deflated, I shook my head. “No,” I sighed out. “Not for me.” I might find Drake attractive, but it was probably because his very obvious admiration of me was thrilling. But that was it. He didn’t make me feel alive with just one glance and he certainly didn’t make me hot, wet, and bothered all at the same time with a few words.
Three o’clock came sooner than expected and before I knew it, Megan was taking us to another conference room, a bigger one, with a white screen already rolled down in the front of the room and a projector plugged in and ready for our use. The only lights in the room were directed towards the stage, leaving the rest of the room – and our audience – shrouded in darkness.
George was up first. He used an image slideshow for his presentation and because he was uber-creative, it worked for him even though Charli had specifically asked for a video insert. Arian followed shortly, and her PowerPoint presentation had a very professional video insert, the hypocrite!
Then it was my turn.
After a quick Sign of the Cross, I went up on the podium, clearing my throat several times. I spent a few seconds letting my eyes adjust to the brightness of the limelight trained on me from the ceiling. It almost felt like I was talking to myself, which I liked just fine.
I knew that aside from George and Arian, Charli was there, too, as our supervisor. But I was totally clueless about the identities of the three other managers, and it made me nervous. I wished I had remembered to ask Charli about them before the presentation.
Taking a deep breath, I started on my presentation.
Why Hana Kimi?
Before you ask that question,
let me share a couple of things first. Slam Dunk, Boys over Flowers, and Coffee Prince are just a few Asian TV series that were imported to Europe and became huge blockbusters with their niche markets. Fans loved the sports angle in Slam Dunk, the harem of beautiful-looking guys found in Boys Over Flowers, and the idea of a girl pretending to be a guy in Coffee Prince.
Hana Kimi has all of those so maybe the question should be, why not Hana Kimi? It was already adapted for a TV series in Taiwan and it was an instant hit. With the right formula, I have no doubt that its success can be duplicated for a Western audience.
The series is about a girl who so idolizes a high jumper she once saw performing that she decided to transfer to the same school he’s in – even if it means hiding her true gender to enroll in an all-boys’ school.
In her new school, Mizuki – the heroine in the series – meets an entire cast of good-looking guys, all of them with potential to have their own storylines. As for the requisite twist, Mizuki actually becomes the roommate of her idol and crush Sano. You can just imagine the ba-dump ba-dump moments that it could create!
Another great thing about this series is that it has 23 volumes in total, and with English translation already provided by Viz Media, TV networks can then choose whether they want a short series and focus on their favorite scenes – or they can go long and maximize the series’ potential. It’s all up to the client, but either way – it’s a win-win situation for Kastein, Inc.
And then it was over.
It was the longest 15 minutes of my life, and my knees were still quaking underneath me. Someone flipped the light switch and suddenly, I heard people getting to their feet and clapping, with Charli even beaming at me. She was so sophisticated I never even thought she knew how to grin, much less beam!
Still a little dizzy at the realization that my presentation was indeed over and that I had survived, I quickly stepped down from the podium and relinquished my space to Charli.
Fanning myself with my presentation script, I let my gaze roam the room absently and froze when I encountered a pair of lazy gray eyes studying me with such intensity I found myself catching my breath.
Constantijin was here.
His unsmiling face made me nervous, but even so I couldn’t help feeling gloriously alive at just the sight of him. It was exactly like that ba-dump moment I was talking about earlier.
Unnerved by his impassive expression, I forced myself to listen to Charli, who was just thanking us three for the presentation and saying that all our recommendations were worth considering.
“Arian, your presentation was lovely, but next time I hope you add more statistical data – such as what Yanna shared about Hana Kimi’s performance in Japan and Europe.”
Ha! Take that, Arian!
“George, your presentation was also lovely but for now – please stay away from extremely graphic yaoi series. I don’t think the American mainstream audience is ready for it yet.”
I gave George a thumbs-up, who was doing his best not to look disappointed.
“And Yanna, you did a great job. I can see how much passion went into your project, but next time, I do hope you have a better video to share with us.”
Arian, you selfish girl, you!
Charli beamed again. “Since this went so very well, I’m delighted to tell you that you will be presenting the same recommendations to the executive managers next.”
Her announcement, made out of the blue, had me gulping and I could see that even Arian was feeling queasy at the thought.
But Charli didn’t seem to notice our silent panic. She thanked our audience, making a special note of Constantijin’s presence. Apparently, he didn’t have to be here at all.
Afterwards, the two other executives talked to us one by one. There was Martha, the finance department head and Lawrence, who led the production department.
At the end of the line was Constantijin. He took his time talking to George and Arian, never once glancing my way. It hurt and angered me, but I knew I couldn’t flounce off like I wanted to.
When he turned his back on Arian, forcing the other woman to close her mouth and retreat, I gave him my best polite, I’m-not-bothered smile. “Sir.”
He didn’t smile in return.
“I have a few questions about your recommendation.” The curtness of his tone made me straighten. Oh God, was that why he seemed to be in a bad mood? Did he hate my presentation?
Constantijin was already leaving and I had to half-run so I could walk next to him. I made sure I was lagging a few inches behind at the same time as a way of showing respect for his position.
“What questions do you have?” I asked nervously.
“Later,” he answered in a still-brusque tone, which only made me tense even more.
He pulled me into his office, which actually had its own reception area. My eyes widened when I saw a familiar gray-haired woman sitting behind the table next to the door of Constantijin’s private office.
She smiled when she saw me, utterly unruffled. “Hello, Ms. Everleigh.”
“H-hi,” I stammered, wondering if I could die right this very moment. Oh God! How the hell had I managed to forget what happened between Constantijin and me and…and her?
“Yanna,” Constantijin barked from his inner office.
Giving the older woman another embarrassed smile, I hurriedly went inside. God, what the hell was eating him anyway? Surely my presentation wasn’t that bad?
“Close the door,” he barked.
This time my temper was near to bursting. “You don’t have to shout at me, you know,” I muttered as I closed the door. When I turned around to face him, I didn’t have any time to react.
Constantijin was on me in an instant, his lips taking mine in an open-mouthed kiss that sent my senses reeling. As he sucked on my tongue, I was barely aware of him twisting us around so that I had to walk back as he moved forward and forward. When I hit something from behind, Constantijin lifted me up and brought me down on his desk.
Releasing my lips, Constantijin pushed me down, leaving my legs to dangle from the table.
“What---” I tried to protest but his brooding look shut me up. There was something in it, something more than anger or frustration.
Then I felt him rolling my underwear down my legs and I yelped again, “What are you doing?”
“I saw you.” He threw my panties away.
I tried crawling away from him, but it was too late. He leaned over me, his weight pressing down on my body and imprisoning me in place.
“You were flirting with that boy.”
It took me a while to understand what he was talking about.
I gasped. “Are you talking about Dra---”
“Don’t you dare say his fucking name in my presence!” he growled and bit my lip as if in punishment.
I groaned, not out of hurt but because I was even more aroused, his movement causing his rock-hard cock to rub just the right way against my naked core.
“Why were you flirting with him?”
This time, I understood what I had seen in his eyes earlier – what I now heard from his voice. He was jealous. Constantijin Kastein was jealous – because of me. It was stupid of me, I knew that, but somehow the realization made me happy.
I knew that him being jealous could mean nothing. It could just mean that he was extremely possessive, that he thought I belonged to him. But right now, I didn’t care. Right now, all I could think was that he had to care for me – even just a bit – for him to feel so jealous and affected over an entirely casual conversation in front of a vendo machine.
“I wasn’t flirting with him,” I said gently. Inside my mind, I could hear Alyx making a tsk tsk sound, warning me against being too soft. Constantijin revealed a moment of jealousy and here I was thinking he cared for me. It was my hopelessly romantic side winning over my common sense, Alyx would tell me, but right now – I didn’t care.
Constantijin’s brooding look didn’t go away, but his tone was less hard
when he spoke. “Then what were you doing?”
“Just talking." I moved restlessly against his body, his cock a pulsing temptation between my legs.
He bit my lip once more, but this time it felt more playful than punishing. “I don’t like seeing you talking to other men, Yanna.”
“Talking is different from flirting.” I did my very best not to arch against him, but it was hard. He was unconsciously – or consciously – rubbing himself against me now, and it drove me insane – like his touch always did.
His hands clamped around my waist, keeping me still. “Promise me you won’t talk to him again.”
“I would never flirt with him,” I said instead.
Constantijin glared.
It was totally unexpected, and he looked so beautiful and sexy, glaring at me with such obvious jealousy that I couldn’t help it. I twirled my arms around his neck and kissed him.
He gasped against my lips as my tongue slipped inside his mouth, tentatively tasting him the way he did with me.
A chuckle vibrated against my body. “Are you seducing me, Yanna?”
“I think so,” I whispered, nipping his lip as I did.
He groaned. “It’s working.”
I could hear a ‘but’ and forcing myself to pull my lips away from his, I asked, “But what?”
In answer, he suddenly pulled away. Ignoring my protest, he pushed my skirt up and buried his lips between my legs.
I screamed.
“Yanna, ssssh…”
“I…I…” I screamed again when he licked me long and slow, and then harder and faster.
His tongue was a relentless force. I tried to keep quiet but it was impossible. I couldn’t help moaning, twisting on the table as he kept licking me into an orgasm that I knew would cause my body to splinter into pieces.
“You taste so fucking good,” he murmured between licks, which alternated between delicate and rough.
“Constantijin.” It was all I could think of saying.
“Look at me eat your cunt, Yanna,” he said in a roughly-voiced order.