Power Play: A Black & White Collection Story

by Mari Carr

  “I was in London. Surely you know that. If I’d been here, I think it’s a fairly safe bet you wouldn’t have landed anything.”

  She shook her head. “You cocky son of bitch. Now I understand your big desk. You need something to support that oversized ego of yours.”

  “I think you’re mistaking ego for confidence.”

  “You’re an arrogant prick. There’s no mistaking that. We’re a team. And since it’s clear to me you don’t have a clue what that word means I’ll put it in simple terms. You and I will confer on the pitches and we will decide together what our campaign will be. I actually already have some good ideas for at least two of those companies.”

  “No.”

  She stood up straighter, clearly shocked by his response. “No?”

  “It’s not going to happen that way.”

  Her face reflected her anger, but he refused to back down on this. Then, an idea emerged. A compromise that would get him everything he wanted…and then some.

  “I see. Well, perhaps Brian would like to—”

  “I propose a unique sort of arrangement and a wager.”

  She narrowed her eyes and he knew she was trying to determine what he was up to. She had a suspicious nature. Good for her. It would bode well for her in this fucked up career.

  “A unique arrangement?”

  “By hiring you, Brian sort of ensured we’d never be competitors. I have to admit I’m sorry about that.”

  She released a heavy breath and nodded. “I am too. I would have loved to wipe up the floor with you.”

  He grinned. “We’ll both make bids to these three clients.”

  “We can’t do that.”

  He stood and leaned forward. “I think we can. I challenge you to a bid-off. We’ll each make a presentation to the clients and let them decide which campaign they want.”

  She frowned. “We’re supposed to be working together on the campaigns, not creating different ones.”

  “I can sell the idea of giving the clients more choices, don’t worry about that.”

  “Maybe so, but can you sell it to Brian? He’s the one who demanded a partnership.”

  He respected how quickly she’d caught on to the workings of the company. Brian would be the wrench in the works, but Reed didn’t intend to lose this fight. “Leave Brian to me.”

  “So we’re still competitors.”

  “In a sense.”

  “What if the clients don’t buy either of our campaigns?”

  He snorted and she joined him in laughter. “Do I really need to answer that?”

  “No,” she replied smugly. “I know they’ll buy mine.”

  He’d never considered arrogance in a woman attractive, but he had to admit, he admired the hell out of her confidence.

  “You mentioned a wager.”

  “I’ve been thinking about last night. And your sex with a stranger fantasy.” His voice dropped as he added the last part and he watched her take a deep breath. Oh yeah. She’d definitely been thinking about it too.

  “What about it?”

  “I think you were on to something with that fantasy idea.”

  Her face proved she wasn’t comfortable with their current conversation. The devil in him enjoyed picking at her.

  “I have no idea what you’re getting at.”

  He walked around his desk and took one of the two chairs in front of his desk, gesturing for her to sit in the other. She looked like she wanted to refuse. Obviously she preferred the safety of standing, lest she needed to make a quick escape.

  “Sit down, Frankie.”

  “Listen, Reed, I don’t—”

  “Dammit. Everything isn’t a fight. Sit down. I want to talk to you and I refuse to do it while you stand there glowering at me.”

  She sat, leaning back against the chair, with her arms crossed over her chest. “Say it fast. Time is money.”

  “You indulged in a fantasy with me last night. I think regardless of the adversarial working relationship we now find ourselves in, we proved ourselves compatible in the dream realm.”

  “Maybe so, but as I told you last night, my objective was achieved. I got the fantasy so now I’m moving on. You served your purpose.”

  “And you mean to tell me that was your only sexual fantasy.”

  She looked at his quizzically. “Of course it wasn’t.”

  Now they were getting to the heart of the matter. “If the client picks my ad campaign over yours, you owe me a sexual fantasy of my choosing. One interlude where you are completely at my disposal, available to make my wet dreams a reality. You will do anything and everything I say.”

  “And when I win?”

  She was a spunky thing. “Should such an unlikely event occur, you get the same reward.”

  “You have to do anything I want in bed?”

  He rested his elbow on the arm of the chair. “I don’t remember saying anything about a bed. The fantasy can be anything.”

  She relaxed her pose and he could see she was seriously considering his proposition. He wasn’t sure what was prompting him to suggest such a thing. He just knew that he had to have her again and he’d do whatever it took to make that happen. Making the fantasies part of a game kept them on a level playing field and eliminated the commitment concern. Neither of them would enter the relationship with any expectations apart from nonstop, multiple orgasms.

  “If I agree to this, I have one condition.”

  He nodded slowly. He hated conditions, limits. With her, he knew he wanted no-holds-barred sex. “What condition?”

  “No kissing.”

  “Why?”

  She shrugged. “Kissing is intimate and I don’t think either of us is foolish enough to think this is anything more than fucking. This fantasy wager is made in the spirit of competition—winner takes all. Kissing doesn’t need to be a part of that.”

  His gaze traveled to her lips and he considered her comments. If she hadn’t declared kissing off-limits, there was a good chance he wouldn’t have cared or wanted it. Now he couldn’t help but wonder what her lips would taste like. Would she offer soft, sweet kisses or would her lips battle with his for dominance, control? He rather suspected she’d do both.

  He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Are you agreeing to the wager?”

  “Do you agree to my condition?”

  He nodded.

  “Then I accept your challenge. I already know my first fantasy.” She offered him a wicked grin. “You might want to brush up on your submissive skills.”

  He laughed. “I was about to tell you the same thing.” He extended his hand toward her and she accepted it. They shook on the deal. For the briefest moment, Reed considered using her hand against her, pulling her forward in an attempt to claim her lips.

  She waited for only a second before removing her hand from his. “Game on.”

  Chapter Three

  Frankie sat across from Reed in the conference room and tried to fight back her anger, her frustration. She’d spent a week developing her bid for The Golf Connection, working close to eighteen hours a day. She’d busted her ass on her presentation only to receive a cursory pat on the head from the CEO of the company who just happened to be golfing buddies with the man whose painful death she was currently plotting. She’d known from the second they stepped into this room she’d been set up.

  She rubbed her eyes wearily. Hard work wasn’t the only thing that had cost her sleep. She’d lain in her bed night after night, tossing and turning at the image of all the fantasies she’d like to fulfill with Reed as her lover. He’d played the stranger role to perfection, but there was so much more she wanted to try.

  He’d become a perfect gentleman the moment their wager had been placed. No doubt biding his time until today, knowing perfectly well what the outcome would be. They’d actually spent the last week in relative peace, talking about their careers, the company, future plans and goals. There had been moments when she’d actually felt a kinship w
ith the man, their paths were so similar.

  Reed had popped his head through the door connecting their offices just prior to the presentations and wished her luck. She’d thought the gesture charming and friendly.

  She scowled at him again. Snake in the grass.

  “So it’s settled.” Marcus Pruitt, the CEO of the Golf Connection rose and shook hands with Brian. “Awesome ideas, Bri, Reed. Gonna be great working with you. See you Sunday morning. Nine o’clock tee time.”

  She stood as well and pasted on a smile, shaking the asshole’s hand while silently cursing the good old boys’ society that seemed to rule everywhere.

  “Good job, you two. Well done.” Brian was grinning from ear to ear, but Frankie couldn’t understand what in the hell he was so pleased about. Surely he’d known it was a done deal before his buddy at the Golf Connection ever walked through the door.

  Her face flushed hot with anger as she recalled Reed magnanimously saying “Ladies first,” as they’d walked in the conference room. She’d offered her presentation—the campaign she’d spent no less than a hundred hours of her life on. Marcus had smiled politely through her whole speech.

  Then Reed stood up. Within five minutes of his presentation, Marcus slapped the table and rose excitedly. “You nailed it, Reed. One hundred and twenty percent. This is exactly the angle I was looking for.”

  He hadn’t even made his entire pitch. Brian pulled out contracts and Marcus’s name was on the dotted line before she could even think the word sucker. She’d been played for a fool.

  Brian offered to walk Marcus out and Frankie followed. She opted for the stairs, instead of the elevator, hoping the extra exertion would burn off some of her anger. Unfortunately one flight of stairs wasn’t going to touch it. Maybe she should clock out for the day. Go for a ten mile run.

  “Everything go okay, Frankie?” Jessica asked from her station behind the receptionist’s desk.

  “Just peachy,” she said through gritted teeth.

  She entered her office and slammed the door harder than she’d intended. Storming to her desk, she began packing up her stuff, preparing to leave for the day. She’d have Jessica cancel all her afternoon appointments. She’d had enough of this place to last her a lifetime.

  A soft knock at the door between hers and Reed’s sounded. She closed her eyes and prayed for patience. Son of bitch was probably coming in to gloat.

  He opened the door without waiting for her to bid him to enter. She turned, ready to eviscerate him for the rudeness, but he cut her off.

  “I need to see you in my office, Frankie.”

  She shook her head. “I’m leaving for the day.”

  “This won’t take long. Be over here in five minutes.”

  He shut the door before she could tell him to take his five minutes and shove them where the sun don’t shine. How dare he?

  Then she recalled the wager. Surely he wouldn’t consider today’s set-up as part of the game. He’d cheated, stacked the deck against her.

  No, she decided. Even Reed couldn’t be that callous.

  She walked toward the door, only hesitating for a moment before reaching out and turning the knob.

  “Come in and shut the door behind you,” he said when she stood in the doorway, refusing to budge. She was afraid to get too close to him. Afraid she’d lose the internal battle she was waging over kicking the man’s ass.

  “Make it quick. As I said, I was just leaving.”

  “Storming out, Frankie? Sore loser much?”

  She narrowed her eyes. “That wasn’t a competition. That was a joke.”

  “I don’t know what you mean. It was my bid he selected.”

  “You cheated.” She crossed her arms over her chest, inadvertently drawing Reed’s attention to her breasts. She dropped them quickly, but it was too late. He moved closer.

  “Cheated?” he asked, laughter in his eyes. “How could I cheat? We presented him with both options and he chose his favorite.”

  “You play golf with the man. Obviously you pumped him for insider details on what he was looking for in his marketing campaign. Besides, he didn’t even watch your whole presentation. That was a set-up. Pure and simple.”

  Reed shook his head, trying to look hurt, but not winning in the attempt. “I can’t believe you would think so little of me.”

  She scoffed. “It wasn’t a fair competition. So the bet’s off.”

  “No.” His voice was gruff, as he stepped closer. She wanted to take a giant step back, but she wasn’t about to give him the pleasure. She stood her ground even though his movement left him less than six inches in front of her. Much as it bugged her to do so, she raised her chin, looking up at him, refusing to drop eye contact.

  “The deal still stands.”

  “If you think I’m going to honor some bet when you—”

  He reached out, gripped her waist, holding her tightly. Her hands instinctively flew to his upper arms. She tried to push him away, but his muscular arms didn’t budge. “Let go of me.”

  “No,” he repeated. “I think it’s time you understand a few things about this world you’ve chosen to work and compete in. It’s dog eat dog, Frankie. Don’t ever let anyone tell you any different. I won that bid, regardless of the means, despite what you might consider fair play. I won. And you lost. Time to pay the piper.”

  She started to contradict him, but his grip on her waist tightened and he pulled her closer. His erect cock rubbed against her stomach. She swallowed heavily. He was going to claim the prize, claim her. Of that there could be no question. She wanted to escape, run from the room, but she wouldn’t. She didn’t like to lose, but she did it with honor. While he may have used underhanded means to win, he had still won.

  “Fine.” Once again she tried to shake off his grip, if only to buy herself an inch or two of space. “Tell me when you wish to collect on your prize and I’ll—”

  “Now,” he interrupted.

  “Now?”

  He grinned, the look on his face proclaiming sex and victory. “Right now.”

  She glanced back at the door. They were in the middle of his office in the middle of the day. Jessica was sitting just outside the door. Surely he was simply trying to annoy her.

  “The door is locked. No one will disturb us. I made sure of that.”

  “It’s highly unprofessional to even suggest that we do anything of a sexual nature here. I’m not comfortable with this. If you’d like, I would be perfectly willing to come by your place to—”

  “I won the bet, Frankie. That means you’re mine. One sexual fantasy. I can take you any way I want to.”

  “You’re not going to play nice, are you?”

  His grin was wolfish and she wondered why she didn’t feel more threatened. Perhaps it was because she’d already entrusted her body to his very capable hands and he’d proven himself worthy of the task.

  “I don’t remember nice being one of the requirements of the bet.”

  “So what’s your fantasy?”

  “Control.”

  She fought to restrain the tremor that racked her body at his words. She didn’t give up control. Ever. Not at work, not in her relationships, and definitely not in the bedroom.

  She shook her head slightly, wanting to protest his choice, but she couldn’t. She knew it. She’d made the bet and walked into this deal with her eyes wide open.

  “Take off your panties, go bend over my desk and pull up that blasted skirt. I want to see your bare ass in ten seconds or you’ll be punished.”

  “You can’t be serious.”

  “Ten, nine, eight…”

  She stood spellbound until he reached five, and then her body reacted before her mind could talk her out of it. By the time he hit one, she was in the position he’d requested. She wanted to feel like a fool, but she was too busy marveling over the sudden gush of arousal gathering at the vee of her legs to summon the emotion.

  He walked over to her and without preamble slapped her ass twic
e. His blows were hard, unexpected and she cried out.

  Reed bent over her body as she lay prone against his desk. “That’s for being a smart ass.”

  “Oh, I’ll show you a smart ass.”

  Her words provoked him to spank her again. She wanted to shut out the impact of his hand striking her, but he made it impossible. He shoved her feet apart, dragging his hand along her slit from clit to ass. She shuddered.

  She’d never let a man put her in this position, take control of her like this.

  He leaned over once more. “Open your mouth.”

  She fought like the devil to ungrit her teeth enough to obey. He pushed a finger between her lips. “Clean my finger off.”

  His finger was soaked with her body’s juices. She licked the thick digit, squirming as the sensation of tasting her own arousal produced even more. Her body felt like he’d lit it on fire with just a few swats of his hard hand and a simple touch of his finger. Dammit. She wasn’t this sort of woman. What the hell was he doing to her? Her body and mind were engaged in hand-to-hand combat, struggling against the intensity of his touches, his demands.

  “You’re soaking wet, Frankie. Your cunt is drenched. You love this.”

  She wanted to refute his words as he removed his finger from her mouth, but the proof was suddenly sliding down the inside her of her thigh.

  “Just remember payback is a bitch, Reed. You may have won this fantasy, but there are two more bids at stake. I’m about to kick your it’s a man’s world philosophy down your throat.”

  He spanked her again, his blows growing in intensity, strength. God help her if anyone was standing outside the door. There was no way they could mistake what was taking place in this room as she cried out louder after one particularly hard slap. Jessica was probably getting one hell of an education.

  “Goddamn you,” she muttered when he pushed two fingers in to the hilt. The unexpected claiming sent her to the tips of her toes, her body responding to his touches, divorced from her brain. She was encouraging his rough thrusts, moving into each shove, silently begging for more.