Body Heat

by Mia Ford

  “Mr. Jennings, I’m Sasha Winnings. I’m so glad to finally meet you,” Sasha was gushing beside me and he thrust out his hand to Grant.

  “Hello Sasha and please call me Grant,” he said, turning to him for a brief moment before looking back at me again.

  “It’s been such a long time!” he said, the smile still stretching across his face. I couldn’t smile, I could barely breathe. Just being near him again had a destabilizing effect on me. I wanted to hate him so much!

  “I haven’t been counting the days,” I said and he laughed. The same laugh. He threw his head back and his shoulders shook as he laughed at what I’d said and I could feel the back of my neck beginning to burn up.

  “I wasn’t expecting you too. It’s been though, four and a half years!” he said and I shrugged my shoulders. I despised him more now, because he looked so calm and casual given the circumstances under which we were meeting. As we looked at each other, I noticed the way his eyes looked in my body. If he was surprised to see me, or had noticed some change in me…he jus wasn’t showing it. He simply studied me with curiosity and I felt like I was burning up under his gaze.

  “Shall we go upstairs so we can have a chat?” he asked, like it was just an ordinary date in a coffee shop.

  “Lead the way,” Sasha interrupted us and Grant threw him a friendly look before turning back to me.

  “Beverley?” he said in a smooth self-sufficient voice and I clenched my jaw.

  “Of course,” I replied and he turned to start walking. Sasha walked beside him, enthusiastic to make conversation while I remained behind. I felt like I was losing my voice. I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to conduct a serious meeting feeling like this.

  Grant was leading us towards a capsule elevator with clear walls. He pressed a button and the doors opened instantly and the three of us went in.

  In the closed confines of the elevator, I felt claustrophobic to be so close to him. Grant was smiling and making polite small talk with Sasha, while I lingered on the side trying to keep as much distance between us as possible. I tried to steal glances at him, but Grant wasn’t looking at me anymore. Thankfully!

  Chapter 4

  Grant

  Beverley looked different now, but in lots of ways she was still the same. Her blonde hair was longer and reached beyond her shoulders. She kept it open these days, and it fell like a sleek shining curtain around her face. Her eyes were still the same though, green and large and she looked defiantly at me. She was dressed differently as well now. She’d traded in her old college clothes for a pair of straight gray pants and a red silk blouse. Her shoes were gray pumps and she was carrying a large leather bag with her. There were no glasses on her face either.

  She followed me out of the elevator, and I had to turn occasionally to make sure that she was still there. She was avoiding my eyes, while I was constantly aware of her presence. It was like five years apart had made me more desperate for her. The moment I laid my eyes on her, I’d felt a movement in my pants. I had to do everything in my power to not take her into my arms.

  “After you,” I said and stretched my arm towards the board room I’d ordered to be ready for the meeting. I was slightly disappointed that we couldn’t be alone, and that she’d brought one of her employees with her. I’d just have to work around it.

  I noticed the way she walked as she went past me and into the room. She looked around her for a few moments and then took a chair, without me asking her to. Sasha sat down beside her and I took a chair across them. Other than the three of us there was nobody else in the room, since it wasn’t my intention to intimidate them.

  After there had been some silence between us, I cleared my throat. Beverley shot her eyes up to look at me, and I saw the rage in them. Just as I’d predicted, she was mad at me for what was happening to her.

  “I wish I didn’t have to discuss business when we haven’t seen each other for so long,” I said, directing my attention only to her. Just as I remembered her doing in college, she rolled her eyes at me.

  “Just get on with it, Grant. We don’t need to exchange any more pleasantries,” she said and I couldn’t help but smile at her. Even after all these years, Beverley had no time for formalities or corporate etiquette. She wasn’t a sellout like me. Sasha looked slightly embarrassed, but I didn’t care. He didn’t know our history.

  “How about I give you a number and let our lawyers take care of the rest? I don’t want this to be a negotiation,” I told her, resting my arms on the table. Beverley had hers folded on her lap.

  “Sure, whatever you prefer,” she said calmy and I reached for the file beside me. I flipped it open and slid it in her direction. Sasha was the one who caught it and pulled it closer to them.

  I could see his eyes widening as he read the number. Beverley had her head over the page but she hadn’t made a single move.

  “This isn’t what the valuation for my company is, this is way more than necessary,” she said in a strained voice. Sasha looked nervously from her to me. He wanted her to take it right then and there before I changed my mind, but Beverley wasn’t going to keep quiet about it.

  “I know,” I said and stapled my fingers. “But that’s what I think your company and hard work is worth to me,” I continued and she took in a sharp breath.

  “I wasn’t looking for any favors, Grant. I’m just in the market for a buyer, that’s it,” she said and our gazes locked. Her green eyes were narrowed and darkened, she had a scorn on her face and I wished that she would just relax. But I’d never known Beverley to just relax.

  “I’m not doing you a favor, Beverley. This is purely business. I can save the programs you’ve written and make a lot of money from them. This is for my gain,” I said and she looked at Sasha.

  “I need to think about it,” she said abruptly.

  “Bev, really, there’s nothing to think about,” Sasha cut in and I tried to suppress a smile. She whipped around to look at him and I could see that she was glaring. Sasha slunk back in his chair and she turned to me again.

  “I need to think about this, Grant,” she said in a formal business-like tone.

  “Of course, take your time. I’m in no rush,” I told her with a smile but that didn’t please her either. She slapped the file shut and slid it over to me again, before standing up. Sasha scrambled to his feet beside her, while I remained seated.

  “Thank you for your offer, Grant. I’ll keep you in mind, I have to meet with a few other potential buyers and I’ll get back to you,” she said and I continued to smile. I knew there were no other potential buyers. At least none that were offering her this much money. She was just being prideful. She didn’t want to have to resort to taking money from an old enemy.

  I nodded my head in silence, as Sasha and she fled away towards the door.

  “Beverley, do you mind we have a quick word?” I said and then looked at Sasha, and said “alone” politely.

  “I’ll get on back to the office, Bev. It was nice to meet you Mr. Jennings…Grant,” Sasha said before opening the door and disappearing.

  Beverley remained standing where she was, with a slightly surprised look on her face. She didn’t look like she wanted to be there alone with me. I stood up and closed the gap between us, and placed my hands on her arms.

  “It’s nice seeing you after so long, Beverley,” I said, looking her straight in her eyes and she looked like she was ready to slap my face.

  Chapter 5

  Beverley

  Grant’s hands on my arms felt like I was being burnt. An electric shock ran down my spine and after a few moments, I jerked myself away from him.

  “I don’t understand what’s so nice about all this. It isn’t nice for me,” I snapped at him and Grant’s eyes widened. The lingering smile remained on his face, and I couldn’t help but admire the chiseled features of his face.

  “Fair enough. The circumstances are shitty. I agree. And I wish I didn’t have to do this,” he said and pushed his hands into th
e pockets of his jeans.

  I couldn’t understand why he was being so nice to me. But then again, Grant had always been nice to me, even in college. And to me that was even more annoying. It was like he was trying to be charitable to a lost puppy.

  “Well, here we are and you’ve made an offer to buy my company,” I said and clenched my jaw. Grant was watching me keenly. He hadn’t looked away once and I was now beginning to blush under his gaze.

  “Beverley, my advice is that you accept my offer. I’m not doing you a favor, like you think. I want to keep your company afloat,” he said and I widened my eyes at him.

  “You want to keep my company afloat? How?” I said, and realized that my voice was raised.

  “By simply taking your company under my wing. I want you to continue heading your team, I want you to continue doing the good work you started. I know you just need more time,” he said in a quiet voice.

  “You mean, you want me to come work for you?” I said, placing my hand on my heart from the shock.

  “If you put it that way, then yes, but basically I want to give you the freedom to keep doing what you’re doing. There is a brilliant new product waiting to hit the market and I don’t want company financials to get in the way,” he said.

  I shook my head.

  “I don’t want to work for anyone, least of all you,” I said and Grant licked his lips.

  “I understand that it’ll feel strange, but trust me, nothing has to change. You can keep your office and keep going to work. You’ll have all the independence that you need,” he added and I rolled my eyes.

  “Other than that, I have to still answer to you,” I said. I didn’t want to look at him anymore. What he was proposing was a literal buy off. Working for him would give me no freedom!

  “Yeah, for major business decisions, nothing more,” he said and stepped towards me. I jerked my head around to look at him again. Our gazes were locked. I was squinting at him with a sour look on my face.

  “I am not going to work for you,” I said through gritted teeth, and I was surprised to find that his face broke into a smile.

  “I didn’t expect you to agree to it so easily. You’re as egotistical as ever,” he said and my mouth fell open.

  “Egotistical? You think I have an issue with my ego? How can you even pass a judgement like that? What makes you think like that? We weren’t even friends in college. We were just classmates,” I said with a snarl and Grant slowly nodded his head.

  “You’re right. I don’t know you. We weren’t friends…but I wish I knew you,” he said and I stared up at him. I was in shock again. What he was saying didn’t make sense. Why did he wish he knew me? I was the geeky nerdy classmate who his friends jeered at. I was competitive and unfashionable and kept my distance from him on purpose. Why on Earth would he want to know me?

  “See, you look surprised. It seems like you have been quick to judge me too. You don’t know me either,” he said and I gulped. He was right. I didn’t know him, but I didn’t want to know him. Grant, for years, had been my ideal man. I knew that if I got close to him, I would never be able to get over him. No other man would be good enough if we even so much as became friends.

  “You’re judging me again,” he said in a softer voice. I watched, frozen in my place as he brought his face towards me. I couldn’t do anything, my limbs didn’t move. Grant did it slowly, allowing me the chance to push him away, but I couldn’t. I knew he was going to kiss me and I wanted it to happen.

  Our lips met and I gasped. I had fantasized about kissing Grant for so long, that I didn’t think this could actually be happening. I felt my skin sizzling as he kissed me and my hands flew up to his chest. I grabbed fistfuls of his t-shirt and his hands found my waist. Our lips were pressed together and I closed my eyes shut. I could feel the roughness of his beard on my cheeks. I could feel him pulling me closer to him. My hip bones pressed against his belly. I heard a moan escape my lips.

  Then something snapped. What was he doing? Was he actually trying to seduce me into selling my company to him? I let go of his t-shirt and pushed him away from me. My breath was ragged and hard and Grant licked his lips. He was smiling.

  “What do you think you’re doing!” I shrieked at him and Grant remained silently standing where he was.

  “I told you, I’m glad to see you,” he said casually. My mind was swinging and I couldn’t believe what had just happened.

  Chapter 6

  Grant

  Beverley looked like she had been struck. Her cheeks had flushed to a firetruck red, her green eyes were wide and in shock. She was holding herself, with her arms wrapped around her torso like she was trying to hide her breasts. I couldn’t help but laugh at her. It was like she was trying to defend herself against my attack. But her body didn’t lie. I had felt her pulling me close to herself. She did kiss me back, pressing her lips to me as we remained wrapped together. I had heard her moaning and gasping. She wanted that kiss just as much as I did.

  “This is how you greet all your old college acquaintances?” she said. That dignified prideful tone of her voice was gone now and she seemed more embarrassed than anything else.

  “Not really, just you,” I said shrugging my shoulders. I’d wanted to do that for a very long time. Kiss Beverley. And she tasted even more delicious than I’d imagined. I should have done this a long time ago, I thought.

  I walked away from her, deciding to put some distance between us. I didn’t want her to think that I was forcing myself on her. She was quiet for some time as I walked back to my chair.

  “Will you think about my offer, Beverley?” I said, and sat back down.

  She remained standing near the door, glaring at me with her mouth slightly open. Her arms had fallen back into place and I could see that she had her fists curled up. I could sense that she wanted to break something. Was she mad because her body had given away and how turned on she was by that kiss?

  “There is nothing to think about, Grant. I do not want to work for you,” she snarled.

  “Not for me Beverley but work with me,” I replied calmly.

  Beverley took in a sharp breath and straightened her shoulders. I could see that she was trying to calm herself and even her breath.

  “It’s the same thing. I don’t want to be professionally associated with you,” she said and I arched an eyebrow at her.

  “Or personally. I don’t want to be associated with you at all,” she said quickly and I allowed a small laugh to escape my lips.

  “Alright, Beverley. I’m only trying to help you and your product. For old times’ sake and also because I genuinely believe you’re brilliant and I want to work with you,” I said and swiveled my chair away from her to face the desk again. I could sense her eyes on me, watching me like a hawk. She was thinking.

  “Well, I don’t want to work with you,” she snapped and I nodded my head and flipped open the file in front of me.

  “You mentioned that already, but in case you change your mind; I’m still open to the idea,” I said while reading the papers and not looking at her. She was still standing there and I could sense her fuming. The one skill I had developed in the corporate world was to keep my calm and allow the negotiation to take time. There was no rush. If anyone should have been in a hurry, it would have to be Beverley. But I knew her too, as much as she thought I didn’t, I knew that I need to give her time. She was in shock and I was aware that I shouldn’t be pressing her too much at that moment. So, I decided to be calm instead and give her time to think about what had just happened.

  As much as I wanted to turn back to her, look at her, watch her body move…I didn’t. While she on the other hand; remained standing where she was and after some time turned around in a huff. I didn’t raise my head to look at her as she opened the door, but a smile lingered on my face. Beverley hadn’t changed at all.

  Only when she had slammed the door shut behind her and I heard her heels clicking the marble floor outside as she walked away, did I look
up. Her perfume was still lingering in the air in the room and I took in a deep breath of it.

  Beverley still managed to recharge my batteries. I couldn’t stop smiling. As much as she pushed me away, I wanted her. Because deep down inside, I knew she wanted me too. Even in college, I caught her staring at me. She’d watch me silently from the bleachers when I played basketball and every time I looked at her, she would turn her face away.

  All this while, she had simply assumed that I wasn’t interested in her. It was easy for her to confuse my true interests, because she wasn’t naive. She saw me with other girls. The stereotypical girls a guy like me should have been dating. And it was definitely my fault that I’d never made a move. But, Beverley was unreachable in college. She never gave me a chance to get to know her. Her one and only aim in college was to win and defeat me in the process. But now I finally had my chance.

  I couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss as I gathered the file together and made my way out of the meeting room. Claire, my personal assistant found me as I shut the door behind me.

  “How’d it go? Ms. Wade didn’t seem very pleased,” Claire said as I handed the file over to her.

  “She’ll come around,” I told Claire with a smile as I walked away from her and towards my own office. In fact, I couldn’t stop smiling all day. Kissing Beverley had been the single best thing that had happened to me the whole week. A college fantasy had come true and now I knew what I had always suspected…that she was the only woman who could set me on fire. Nobody else even came close.

  Chapter 7

  Beverley

  That kiss had overtaken my mind, and I hadn’t spent a single moment since then without thinking about it. In college, if I wasn’t studying; which was all the time, I was fantasizing about Grant. He was handsome, smart and smooth as velvet. He got all the girls and even now, after we were out in the real world, nothing had really changed. Grant Jennings had become one of the hottest guys in the country. Good looks, intelligent mind and money were all a winning combo. I knew exactly how other women felt about him, and I knew I didn’t stand a chance.