5
Pierce (Saturday)
Delia, Michael’s firecracker assistant, had really outdone herself on this project. As I sipped my coffee at Brennan’s, my Saturday morning ritual, I looked over her meticulous handiwork with a grin on my face. Delia had not only found a local non-profit to serve as a liaison, she had also consulted a city representative about the tax incentives and zoning, as well as making an appointment with the non-profit’s director with the ‘development team’. A team that included Michael, that old bastard Oliver, and I…as well as the incorrigible Kat Grace. Good ol’ boy Oliver’s ass must’ve been really chapped about that dastardly dame, roping the both of us into this project with the help of Michael. Neither of which I could say no to, especially her. And although I wasn’t exactly looking forward to working on a project with Oliver, I had to admit, she was a master at the art of manipulation. It was almost admirable if it wasn’t so worrisome. The woman was as gorgeous as she was smart, a vixen with the power to get men to lick her boot at the snap of a finger. She was dangerous, and that could mean trouble for me if I couldn’t keep my senses about me. If she were to ask me for something unreasonable, it would be so hard to say no. I chuckled at myself, the thought that someone like Kat Grace would have any interest in an old man like me was preposterous. However, that mischievous look in her eyes as she teased, manipulated and flirted her way into this project made me really, really wonder. I mused at the idea of her on my arm, looking into those emerald green eyes and kissing those pouty red lips. The idea of such a thing was just a pipe dream though, I could never act on those impulses and hurt Michael. He had been there for me and a friend to me when no one else thought I was worth a damn. And that counted for something in this world full of liars, cheats and thieves. It was hard to find a decent human being anymore who wasn’t willing to toss even their loved ones under the bus to make a buck, especially in the business world. Michael had admired my business expertise from the day we met, and never saw me as inequal just because I was a self-made man, coming from nothing. In fact, he had commented many a time on how he wished that half the men he knew in the business had an ounce of integrity like me. As I sat there, eating my croissant, a familiar voice interrupted my thoughts- and not one I necessarily wanted to hear. There stood Oliver Price, dressed in a grey and blue three-piece suit, smiling at me as I chewed. It wasn’t normal to see him in this neck of the woods, ever, and I could feel my patience already wearing thin as he greeted me. “Well, well I wasn’t expecting to see you here!” Oliver smiled, that shit eating grin making his face look even more punch-able than usual. His odd, personable demeanor was enough to make my stomach turn. If there was one thing I hated more than high and mighty people, it was someone being fake. I pursed my lips as my annoyance heightened. He knew damn well this is where I ate every Saturday, I had been here with him and Michael on several occasions for breakfast. I held my tongue, wanting to say just as much, but I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction. Oliver signaled the waiter, hailing him for a chair and a menu, and sat down. “What, exactly, do you think you’re doing, Oliver?” I asked, eyeing him suspiciously. Oliver never sought me out on his own, we only hung out together when we were with Michael, and I used the term ‘hang out’ very loosely. It was more like we tolerated each other for Michael’s sake, seething under the surface, secretly wanting to tear each other’s heads off. We bickered back and forth constantly, but it didn’t usually come to as serious of an argument as it had been that night. We usually loathed each other in our own heads for Michael’s sake. He really detested our squabbling, even though most of the time it was Oliver’s from money, pompous attitude that inflamed everything. If he could just get off that damn high horse of his, maybe everyone wouldn’t have thought he was such a jerk. But he was the epitome of rich boy syndrome behavior, and it was off putting from the get-go. Top if off with his condescending attitude towards me because I used to be poor? It was like a Molotov cocktail of ego I had never seen before. And it was highly infuriating.“Well, Pierce,” He started, the waiter bringing him a coffee as he looked over the menu. “I figured since we will be doing business together, that we should try to at least get along for this project little miss Kat and Michael roped us into.” He stirred his coffee, pouring more creamer in it then was necessary. I nodded, taking a sip of my own. “We have a meeting next week, and I know we have had our differences and still do. I do not expect us to be best friends after all this, despite Michael’s delusions on the subject,” He chuckled to himself, and I couldn’t help but join in. “But, as we are both friends with Michael, I think we both want to see this succeed and try to give mutual respect- at least for his sake.” “Agreed,” I nodded again, taking another sip of coffee. Michael was one of the best men I had ever met, my best friend in the world. And even though this wasn’t at all what I had expected to happen, I wasn’t about to let the old boy down. The pleased look on his face, full of excitement, had said it all. Even if it had been mostly Kat’s doing, it was very obvious he felt this project was important as well, so it was important to me too. Even if that meant working with that snot-nosed little shit Oliver. “Well, I am glad we have come to somewhat of an accord,” Oliver nodded, moving as if to stand. “I have to head out and attend to some business out of town today, if you’ll excuse me.” As he stood up, pushing his chair in I raised a finger and stopped him.“Now hold on a minute, Oliver, we haven’t talked about the wild card on the table.” He furrowed his brow, and he sat back down. He sat there for a moment and then nodded before I could even get her name out. “Kat.” We both said simultaneously. “Ah yes, Miss Grace,” Oliver snickered, “She is a spitfire, isn’t she?” He smiled, almost seeming like he was daydreaming about her with just the mention of her name. I snapped in his face, bringing the old fool back to reality. He glared at me and I rolled my eyes. He ran his fingers through his hair and shook his agreement. He knew damn well she was a work hazard, just as I did. “She’s a sweet girl but she is a little too…vivacious.” “That’s putting it mildly.” I said, almost spitting out my coffee. “We will just have to rely on Michael’s being there to keep her in line.” Oliver said, taking another sip of his coffee flavored creamer. “Honestly? I don’t think that he realizes how she is,” I groaned, exasperated. “He seems to be a bit blind to her antics, whether seriously blind of just willfully blind, I’m unsure.” “He didn’t seem to notice all the flirting and manipulating she was doing at the club to get this project going.” He sighed. “We will just have to agree to keep it professional with Kat.”“Oh, for sure,” I said eating more of my croissant, “We gotta make sure that if she gets out of line, we reel her back in. She’s gotta be held accountable for any unacceptable behavior. She wanted this project and she got it. The kids fresh from college and this is going to be a learning experience for her. No misbehaving.”“Well that seems a little harsh for a fawn like Kat. It’s her first time out the gate.” Oliver frowned.
“It’s as much for her benefit as it is ours,” I huffed, getting a little frustrated. I took a deep breath. I needed Oliver to be on the same page as me. We were stuck in this together, and we needed to work as a team. And with that team including Kat, the cunning wild woman, we had to make sure we had everything coordinated. “We’ve known each other for years, and this is the first project we have ever collaborated on, and even with Delia’s magic? This really does have the potential to go down in flames. Especially if Kat get’s up to her usual bullshit.” Oliver nodded, giving a semi smug smile and letting out a little chuckle. “One hundred percent professional, Mister Brandon. No tolerance of mischief.” He stuck his hand out for me to shake, and every fiber of my being didn’t want to. The whole idea of having to work with this arrogant jerk set my hair on end. But I had to admit, I breathed a sigh of relief as we shook hands. Even though we didn’t want to be in this together, we were, and it was good to know that we both had the projects best interests in mind. For our sakes and Michaels.
6
I was so anxious, standing in front of the mirror for an hour, trying on outfit after outfit. It was in a heated debate with myself- did I want to dress to impress? Or dress to succubus? There were so many ways I could go with this. I wanted to look professional but also, I wanted to use my seductive skills to win over the team. Much how I had gotten them on board with a little sexual finesse right under fathers nose at the Billionaires Club. They had eaten in up like baby birds, mouths open, hungry for more. I settled for a very sexy but professional little 3 skirt suit, donning my glasses instead of my contacts for a touch of sexy businesswoman chic. The skirt just hit my knees; the whole outfit tight against my curvaceous body. I looked like a businesswoman pin up as I winged my eye liner, put on mascara and put my classic crimson lips on. As I smacked and rubbed my lips together, evenly distributing my lipstick, I was ready for battle and the tools in my arsenal were impeccable.This time, I didn’t just want them to see things my way with the project, I wanted to gain the attention of one of my father’s best friends, and not for a game of pattycake. I was very torn on who I should even go after, because both men were scorching in their own ways. Pierce was a broody and fierce man, tall, with dark hair and the bluest eyes I had ever seen. His accent was gruff, and such a turn on, and he didn’t take shit from anyone- much like me. But then there was Ollie. He was a charming and provocative silver fox with tons of cash and not afraid to spend it, living very lavishly in his family’s centuries old mansion. Both of them were amazing men, and I wanted to put one of them under my spell. I was hungry, on the prowl, and I wanted one of them to take the bait. As I entered the room, my file folder with Delia’s plans in hand, I walked in with confidence. I had done my homework, reading over Delia’s proposal and making notes on it, making sure I knew the plan inside and out. Pierce and Oliver’s eyes followed me as I made my way to the table, my father pulling out the seat next to him for me to sit in. As I sat in front of the two men, I could feel their gaze ogling my assets, which left me tingling with excitement. Apparently, I had picked out the right outfit for my super-secret side project. “Good Morning, Miss Grace!” Oliver beamed. Pierce smiled at me as well, quietly eyeing me. I looked up, making sure to give him a seductive glance, setting his cheeks ablaze and shuffling through his paperwork. “Good Morning, boys,” I said with sunshine in my voice. “Hopefully you all had a good weekend?”“Business as usual,” Pierce grinned, looking through his paperwork. “Same here,” Ollie chuckled, “It seems that it’s all business and no pleasure lately.” Oliver winked. I heard a very distinctive smack come from under the table, and Ollie looking angrily over at Pierce. Pierce scowled at him and Ollie sighed and nodded. “Anyway, Pierce and I had a few questions about this proposal here.”“Well, fire away!” I smiled, “What questions do you have?”“Did anyone hear back from the city councilman about how exactly to qualify for the aforementioned tax incentives?” Ollie asked, forever the one to wonder about how to line his pockets rather than helping people, but it’s how he lived so lavishly. “We need to have at least twenty percent of the projects units occupied by those of the area, with an income of fifty percent or less of the area median income which is dependent on family size. Then we need at least forty percent of the occupied units to have families or tenants living sixty percent under the area median, and no one living in the development can have an income greater than eighty percent of the area median.” I spouted off, my father looking at me like he had seen a ghost and impressed all at the same time. “Also, any projects trying for this exact tax exemption have to comply for 15 years at least, but usually an extra 15 is tacked on, bringing us to having to stay in compliance for 30 years.” Pierce’s jaw dropped, apparently impressed at my knowledge. I smiled smugly as the same look occupied Ollie’s beautiful mug. “Basically, the project has to stay catering to people who are actually in need, not the rich.”“And how involved are we in the big scheme of things in regard to making sure that happens?”“Well honestly, it would be on the non-profit organization and their crew to make sure of all that.” I smiled, “We are more so investors than hands on with this. So, we have to put our trust in the program’s workers, rather than ourselves. Basically, they do the grunt work, we reap the tax benefits, the poor get affordable house. Everyone wins.” Pierce nodded and chuckled. “You really did your homework on this, huh?” “Well, this project is very important to me.” I winked at him. He blushed again and I thought the sexy, silver fox billionaire was going to melt in his seat. “I am very impressed, kitten!” my dad glowed, full to the brim with pride. “It seems like I am not even needed here.” Pierce and Ollie both exchanged glances, and my heart bounced in my chest. “I think the Grace part of the project is pretty much covered here by Kat! So, I leave it to the three of you.” My dad stood to get up, and I felt like I was about to explode with excitement. Not only had I proven my worth to my father in the business world, I would have Pierce and Ollie all to myself, without my father right there making it harder for me to pounce on whoever jumped at the chance at having me. A part of me felt like a jerk for going after daddies’ friends, but they were both so sexy, intelligent, and rich…I couldn’t help myself. I was going to have one of these boys eating out of the palm of my hand- and hopefully other things- in no time. “But, Michael!” Pierce protested, following after father as he went to leave. “This was supposed to be our project together!”“Listen,” Daddy started, looking over his shoulder. “I’d love to stay and do this project with you guys, but I have a big project at the office that is running behind, and I have to get it under control.” As Pierce and Daddy talked, now entering out to the hallway. It was time to turn on the flirt game. I picked up my folder as Ollie and I both headed out the door, I made sure he went first, hanging back just enough to negate any southern hospitality he might have given me. This had to go smooth and perfect, and not look planned. My arms were tingling with excitement as I hurried out of the room. I brushed past Ollie, making it look like I was in a hurry with my phone in one hand and paper in the other. As I brushed past, I bumped into him, my folder and papers scattering to the floor. “Crap!” I muttered, papers fluttering around and bent over, picking up the papers. This three-piece skirt suit left nothing to the imagination when I bent over, my pretty pink lace panties on display for Ollie to see. As I picked up the papers, I peeked at him from under my bangs, only to catch the southern gentleman licking his lips, wanting so desperately to not just look but touch, which was exactly what I wanted. Especially with my father and Pierce preoccupied and already ducking into the elevator. I stood up slowly, smiling sheepishly, making sure to really lay on the clumsy girl bit. Men loved that, especially older men, always looking for a naïve young woman to whisk away to their mansions and have their way with. “Ugh, I am so so sorry! I’m such a klutz.” I groaned.“It’s okay, sorry I knocked your papers over.” Oliver smiled, winking at me. My stomach filled with butterflies; this was exactly what I wanted. “I’m sorry to drop and run but I got to-” I pushed past again and then pretended to stumble, Oliver catching me as my papers once again flew everywhere, like a flock of butterflies punctuating the romantic catch. As I laid there in his grasp, I made sure to give my best innocent little doe eyes. As he stared down at me, I could see his inhibitions start to crack, the once friendly face replaced with a look of hunger and desire. My heart beat hard as I realized I really had a shot of at least getting Ollie in the sack. But just as fast as the hunger had taken over, his sensibilities returned. He put me upright and helped me pick my papers up off the floor. I was disappointed, but it wasn’t like he was going to take me back into my own fathers’ boardroom and have his way with her, especially with my father probably being somewhere in the building and who could return at any moment. Though with the bigger project distracting him, I don’t think he would have. Ugh I was so naughty, I giggled to myself, helping him pick up the papers. But now I at least knew I had him if I wanted him. It might take a bit more pressing, but in no tim
e I could be pressing my lips and body to his. With the papers picked up, Ollie excused himself, hurrying down the hallway and to the elevator on the opposite side of where my father and Pierce had disappeared. I looked after him with a grin on my face and headed towards my father’s office. As I entered the room, I found the front surprisingly empty, Miss Delia apparently having gone out for lunch. I chuckled to myself as I set the file folder on Delia’s desk and replaced the extra papers I had borrowed earlier for my plan right next to her computer. Hopefully she hadn’t missed them at all. As I turned to leave the office, I ran right into the brick wall that was Pierce Brandon’s chest. “Ahhh, Little Miss Kat,” He said low and gravely, “I saw that little game you played with that gullible prick Price just now.” I looked up at him, stepping back a little and noticed immediately that Pierce wasn’t pleased in the slightest. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about,” I mewed softly, biting my lip and trying to play innocent. But Pierce wasn’t buying it. He took me firmly by the shoulders, and leaned in closer, the feeling of his hands on my body set me on fire. “Listen, I know you’re fond of stirring up a bit of trouble,” He whispered, “But if I am going to be on this project? I need everything to be on the up and up. One hundred percent no funny business. You need to be professional, okay?” He said sternly. “And that means no flirting with other people on the project.” Even though his eyes and body language said no, I felt like this could be my opening. I snaked my arms around his neck and pulled him in closer to me.“So, Mister Brandon, does that rule apply to you?” I whispered, my sultry tones ringing clear as I let our noses touch. I pulled back a little and looked up at him, my eyes full of lust. God did I want him to just push me down right there, and his eyes flashed with a surprising and fiery heat I hadn’t expected. I was half expecting him to press a kiss to me just then, but it was wishful thinking. His lusty look hardened and he looked me in the eyes.“I’m not going to deal with disobedient little rich girls that want to play businesswoman,” He growled. “Bad behavior gets punished.” I went weak at the knees, his harsh words kicking my own lust into overdrive. He let me go, cursing under his breath and stomped out of the office, leaving me breathless. I plopped into Delia’s office chair and fanned myself. I hoped that he would come to his senses and do just that. I wanted him to give this naughty little girl a little punishment. Screw being on the nice list.
Missy Mischief Page 4