Closer

by Roxie Wilde

  “Not quite yet.” Elena nodded her head towards the sleek glass conference room doors.

  Right. The Olivier meeting.

  The man who had the audacity to swoop into my building and offer to buy my company out from under me. Gobble us up like the next victim of the Taco Bell franchise war. Well, fine then. This wouldn’t take long.

  I stood.

  Olivier International had a reputation— one that Elena had filled me in on. It wasn’t the type of corporation you handed your baby over to.

  I was ready for this.

  What I wasn’t ready for, what Elena had clearly failed to prepare me for, was the suit.

  Six feet of Tom Ford walked towards the conference room doors. Black hair, blue eyes, straight white smile.

  Ok, so maybe it would take a few minutes.

  Chapter4

  Xander

  I poured over Charlotte’s dossier on the drive between LAX and the Libido Campus. I didn’t often like using a chauffeur service, but I was running short on time and I refused to enter into a situation as important as this without being as prepared as a Boy Scout on prom night.

  “Kin you believe this treffic, mon?”

  My driver was Jamaican and a talker. Combined with the crazy traffic on Interstate 110, it was not an environment conducive to focus and study.

  “Yeah, it’s nuts. I don’t envy you driving in this every day.” I tried to sound as politely dismissive as possible. I didn’t look up, refused to make eye contact in the rearview mirror. I wasn’t trying to be an asshole; I had work to do.

  Bob Marley Jr. didn’t get the hint. “Ey mon, washu reading on?” It took me a moment to translate his thick accent, during which we swerved twice across separate lanes and then slammed to a stop.

  No more chauffeurs, no matter what.

  I took a deep breath and counted to five.

  “It’s a profile. Charlotte Libido. You know her?”

  The big man chuckled, taking a hand off the wheel to dig in his pocket. “Yeah mon, erryone knows Libido Condoms.”

  I nodded as he held up the tiny, shiny pink packet branded with the logo of Libido Condoms. They had a magnum-sized market share on paper, but it always paid to do a little street-level research.

  I locked my phone. It was useless anyway. I had poured over all the relevant information Otto had sent last night, and for some reason, the photos still hadn’t loaded. Even Google was failing me. I cursed my bad service again, vowing to move to not the cheapest plan as soon as I was done with this job.

  I leaned forward. “Tell me everything you know about Charlotte Campbell, Devon.”

  Devon and Otto together hadn’t prepared me for my first meeting with Charlotte Libido. The woman was breathtakingly gorgeous. The Christian Siriano green dress she was wearing showed off her perfect hourglass curves.

  Reaaaal big, Otto’s voice echoed in my head. It was exactly the sort of tasteless joke he found hysterical. She definitely wasn’t the usual ‘hundred pounds soaking wet’ girls I was brought in to close deals with.

  I forced a contrite smile to my face. “Sorry I’m late. Traffic on I -110 was brutal.”

  I hadn’t been able to tear my eyes off of Charlotte, which was why I caught the sudden narrowing of her own eyes in my direction.

  “First of all, it’s just ‘the 110’ around here. Second, traffic is always brutal in LA, it’s no excuse for being late. Especially to our first meeting, Mr. Olivier. It sets a bad precedent.”

  There was none of the ditzy, campy Ms. Libido of Olivier’s press releases in that no-nonsense tone. I felt like I was back in third grade, being reprimanded by Mrs. Lupitick for playing class clown. You’re better than this, Alexander. Disappointment had always been my kryptonite.

  I widened my smile to it’s most brilliant, showing off my perfect pearly whites.

  “Sorry again. Also, I’m Mr. McMannis. I’ll be representing Mr. Olivier in these negotiations.” I stepped forward, offering my hand to the heiress.

  “He sends his deepest condolences. He wishes he could be here himself, but his doctors haven’t cleared him to fly yet. His heart.”

  Otto’s heart was as strong as mine, assuming Cynthia hadn’t ridden him until it burst, but it was a believable falsehood. At eighty-three, the vultures had been circling him for a while, waiting to pounce on his empire. Rumors abounded.

  She met my smile with one of her own, reaching forward. Even at my six feet of height, she was eye to eye with me as she shook my hand. At the first touch of her porcelain skin in mine, I felt the spark. This woman was different. I could see it in her eyes. In the way her cheeks reddened even under the coat of blush she wore as easily as her four-inch Louboutins.

  Statuesque. I’d never applied the word to a woman before, not a real one at any rate. She definitely qualified though. Her smile was vivacious, her bottle-green eyes captivating. I held her hand for a moment longer than was perfectly professional, but then, I always did. It wasn’t the first time I’d run into someone who was as charming as I was. I shook myself from my stupor, easing into my chair opposite the buxom redhead.

  “If you wouldn’t mind getting me up to speed?” I unbuttoned my jacket, letting it hang open as I began to page through the notes.

  “Oh, you didn’t really miss much. Formalities. I could tell your guys were stalling. Let’s cut to the chase. Your offer is tempting, but this company is too important to me to just let your chop shop swoop in and cut it apart to sell it’s pieces to the highest bidders.”

  I blinked, glanced down the long line of the conference table at our experts. Where had that come from?

  “Ms. Libido, please. That isn’t how Olivier International does business.” I gave her another smile, trying to set her at ease.

  All eyes in the room were focused on us as we traded words like professional tennis players volleying.

  “That’s not what I see.” Her voice was all honey, but none of that warmth reached her eyes.

  “Alphabet corp, DOA. Two weeks in your hands and you had sold them down to X, Y, and Z.”

  The glare was as attractive as it was angry. She had done some homework, but she had it all wrong.

  “Charlotte, please. If you just— “

  “Ms. Campbell in this room, Mack.”

  I forced another smile to my face. “Ms. Campbell. Yes, some of our purchases have been bad ones. We pride ourselves on our research, as I see you do as well, but a successful company like Libido has nothing to worry about on that front.”

  “You’re right, Mack. I’ve got nothing to worry about because this deal isn’t happening.”

  She stood up abruptly, a motion that captivated every male eye in the room, mine included. Her curves had curves.

  “Ms. Campbell, I think you’re being a bit rash. There’s a lot that we could learn from each other.”

  I made a bold, stupid move. I reached out, taking hold of her hand. I was hoping that some of our initial chemistry would help me out in a pinch. I’d never struck out this hard before in my life.

  Charlie Campbell, however, seemed immune to my bedroom eyes even as her own pierced my heart. She glanced down at my hand, then back up, a ghost of a smile tickling the corners of her mouth.

  “I’m quite certain I don’t want to learn a single thing from you or your boss, Mack.”

  I let my hand drop along with my smile.

  “I’m afraid I’m not good at taking no for an answer.”

  The smile bloomed across her face, verdant eyes nailing me to the wall.

  “I hope you’re a fast learner.”

  With that, Charlotte Libido turned and sashayed out of the office, taking my heart and career with her.

  Chapter5

  Charlotte

  I managed to power walk back to my office in record time, maintaining my composure until the heavy wooden door closed behind me. I leaned back against it on shaky legs, fumbling with the lock. Only once I heard the satisfying click did I let out the breath I’d be
en holding, sliding down against the door.

  Holy shit, Xander McMannis was hot. I’d seen the photos in the briefing Elena had laid out for me, but they seriously didn’t do the man justice. If I hadn’t already decided it was imperative to hate him, I would have set him up with my photographer. The man had cheekbones for days, was tall, dark and strong. His Armani suit hadn’t hidden the lines of his muscular physique.

  It was clear that he was Olivier’s closer— the pretty face brought in to close the deals with the Paris Hiltons and Charlotte Libidos of the world. I had been prepared for him to be suave and handsome and good at his job.

  I hadn’t been prepared for the electricity between us. The moment his big hand had touched mine, I’d felt the pull. Gravity was weaker than the raw current between us. His skin was like a live wire, and it wasn’t just a buildup of static electricity. The second time he’d touched me I’d felt the flare of desire spreading through me like wildfire, burning along every nerve ending and sizzling straight down into my now-soaked Agent Provocateurs.

  Those blue eyes had almost made me forget my carefully rehearsed speech. I wasn’t opposed to partnering with Olivier, but I needed them to know I wasn’t going to roll over for them like a Kardashian, even if my proportions were similar. Their funding would guarantee the success of the social media campaign, but I didn’t like them trying to pull a fast one.

  I fingered the material of my dress, fidgeting nervously. Not for the first time, I wished Daddy was still alive. Hard nose negotiation had been his strong suit. He would have had no problem sending the pretty boy McMannis packing. He’d always warned me about boys like that. Well, he’d warned me about all boys.

  Boys want one thing from girls like you, Charlie. Your money.

  I could still hear his gruff voice, smell the cloves he loved to smoke. It never quite masked the omnipresent undercurrent of latex, but bless his heart, he tried.

  I ran my hand over my body, tracing my own curves. I knew dad was right back when I’d been a chubby pre-teen, and I knew he was right now. I’d never lost the weight, but I’d grown into it a bit. Still, how could I date seriously? Between my reputation as the sex-positive condom queen and the rich heiress, the dating pool was non-existent. I was used goods to anyone well-off, and anyone not already wealthy interested in me immediately set off alarm bells in my head.

  Which was incredibly unfair, as I’d had exactly one sexual partner at the ripe old age of 24. I wasn’t a prude, I was just picky. One date was usually enough to disqualify the various men who were brave enough to shoot their shot with the Queen of Condoms.

  I patted my cleavage, searching for my phone. The one disadvantage of a dress this good was that they lacked pockets. Not that anything women wore had enough pocket space for a smartphone, a fact Elena and I had spent many hours lamenting. I was certain it was some sort of gender conspiracy.

  The Man was keeping us down through pockets.

  Okay, so we weren’t usually sober during those hours.

  A flash of panic hit me as I realized I had left my phone in the conference room. I groaned. It was exactly the brainless, ditzy move that I tried my hardest not to let happen in the business world. It was bad enough that most people thought of Girls Gone Wild when they saw me, no matter the 4.0 I’d earned.

  There was a knock at the door, the pounding sending a delicious vibration through my back and into my already fried nerves.

  Easy, girl. It’s just someone bringing you your phone.

  I opened the door into the blue eyes of Alexander McMannis, and my heart rate tripled.

  “You forgot something, Ms. Campbell.”

  Remaining haughty while accepting the phone you left behind in the conference room is a little like having to come back inside for your car keys after storming off in a huff—it diminishes some of the impact.

  Still, I offered Xander a gracious, if icy smile as he handed over the one piece of technology that held the most essential details of Libido’s day to day operations along with a rather fantastic picture of my tits.

  “Thank you. I appreciate you saving me the walk back down the hall.”

  There was something decidedly disarming about his smile, the slow, sensual way his full mouth curved up. It sent liquid tendrils of desire through me in a way no shark in a suit had any business doing. Especially not in my own office. He made no effort to hide the appraising look he gave my body, drinking in every inch of me as he let his fingers curl around my own for longer than was necessary to hand over the phone. I felt it again— the spark of connection, the undeniable chemistry when his stormy eyes met mine.

  For a moment the crispness in his cerulean gaze dimmed. He wasn’t ‘on’, wasn’t performing. There was a flash of Xander, the man beneath the Tom Ford, and my body hummed in response again. Just a heartbeat and it was gone. All mischief and hard edges once more.

  I had a feeling Xander McMannis was everything Daddy had tried to warn me about.

  “I’ll see you tonight.”

  By the time my brain caught up to the words, the infuriating man was gone. I watched his back retreat down the corridor for a few steps before shutting the door with an irritated huff.

  Damn him. My coffee was cold, my face was warm, and I was annoyed that I’d let him have the last word.

  I’ll see you tonight

  A sudden dread began to fill me as I looked down at the sleek silver and black rectangle in my palm. He wouldn’t have.

  My question was answered with a resounding yes the fuck he would have an instant later. A new text message popped up on my blackened screen. The contact was a newly added one: Future Husband

  —So. Dinner?

  The picture of my apparent-betrothed was none other than the infuriatingly handsome Xander McMannis. I didn’t know if I was impressed or furious.

  I swiped at the screen, scrolling through to my contacts until I found the offensive addition. My thumb hovered over the red ‘delete’ button for a second, a moment’s hesitation as the image of his striking eyes peered up at me. I smashed my thumb down on it with sudden resolve— and frowned as a red bar appeared.

  INCORRECT PASSWORD

  … Furious. I was definitely furious.

  Another text message popped up.

  —I didn’t look through anything, and I just want to talk. Meet me at Providence tonight. 7. I’ll give you the password and buy you any bottle of wine you want.

  The man was good.

  Chapter6

  Xander

  I took a sip of my water, shifting in my seat. The snooty maitre’d had checked his watch twice in the last five minutes. He was more aware of the time than I was, but only just. I glanced down at my Amiga— a gift from Otto for my first close.

  7:56. Four more minutes and I would forfeit our table, plus the reservation fee. Worse, it would mean that my desperate gamble hadn’t paid off. It would mean that Charlotte Libido was made of stronger stuff than I was.

  Three minutes later, I breathed a sigh of relief as she strode through the doors like she owned the place. I stood as she approached, but she waved me off and sat herself.

  “I want to make one thing clear, Mack. This isn’t a date. It isn’t business. It’s just a friendly dinner.”

  She didn’t glance up at me as she gave me her terms. I waited to respond until she looked up, catching my eyes. I could drown in her grass green gaze. She was still wearing the green number from earlier, which was fine with me. It hugged her voluptuous curves in all the right places.

  She was good at this, I could tell. A lifetime of bluffing her way through every social encounter. I recognized it in her because it was how I survived every day. False bravado and charm. I wasn’t going to let her get away with it now though. She was here, which meant she was interested. She had taken the bait, and now I needed to set the hook.

  “It’s Xander, Chuck. Can I call you Chuck?”

  Her eyes widened, then narrowed. Pouty lips pursed as she fumed.

  “You
absolutely may not. Ms. Cambpell— “

  “ — wouldn’t be appropriate outside of a business setting. Not for friends. Unless we aren’t friends? You know, Chuck, if we weren’t friends, I don’t think I could bear it.”

  I sensed her tensing, caught her hand as she half stood. The electricity sparked across my skin, and I saw the way it hit her too. She felt our chemistry just as much as I did.

  “Sit.” I put a lot of sternness in my voice...

  “Please?” Contrasted with a simple request, I saw it take hold. She eased back down, and I gave her a small smile.

  “Alright. Charlie?” I ventured, and she seemed more amenable to that, if not entirely happy to be on a first-name basis with me.

  “Charlie it is then. I feel like I should be completely honest with you Charlie. I was absolutely petrified that you were going to stand your future husband up.”

  She had a lovely face for sarcasm. She didn’t even have to speak, just rolled her eyes in the most sardonic manner I’d ever witnessed. It was withering.

  “Go on.” How could a voice that was so cold make me feel so warm? I wanted nothing more in that moment than to find the right combination of words and thoughts and feelings that would melt her icy demeanor. If her voice already turned me on when she was playing the ice queen, how much better would it be in the throes of passion?

  “Well, firstly, now that you’re here I can expense this to work. Even if we’re just being friendly.”

  “I see. So money is a bit of a problem for you? Doesn't speak well of Otto, if he isn’t paying his newest rising star well. Don’t you get a commission on your conquests?”

  I grimaced. “My reputation has preceded me finally, I take it?”

  She shook her head, smiling. But her eyes didn’t warm at all.

  “No reputation. I just know how to read between the lines.”

  “I’m certain you have excellent sight with eyes that beautiful.”

  This time I was able to read the sarcasm without the eye roll.