King (34 page)

 
This was no way to meet the parents. In front
of strangers I’d be happy to apologise, to grovel, to do whatever it took to
get Jason King back, but it wasn’t a conversation either of us would want in front
of his family. “Pleased to meet you all” I managed, gaping open mouthed at
Jason. “Are you here with an idea for a pitch?” his father offered kindly,
sensing my unease and clearly with no idea of
who
I
was, but the older gentleman had offered me a lifeline and I was determined to
take it. No matter how badly it turned out, it couldn’t be worse than me having
to admit the truth. I nodded nervously. “Please Charlotte be my guest, we’d
almost finished. Do you have a presentation you’d like me to set up for you?”
The smirk had widened, he was clearly enjoying my distress and I couldn’t help
a slight smile back, relieved at least that he hadn’t been angry enough to
throw me out yet. That was a good sign, and if he wanted to increase my
mortification levels before he did so, well I probably deserved that too, I
thought, wishing I had paid attention to Margaret and waited outside. I made my
way towards the table, shaking slightly, trying desperately to gather the
strength and confidence I’d need to pull this off. Hell, they probably thought
I was mad anyway so I’d little to lose on that front. “No, it’s not that kind
of pitch” I said nervously.

“Interesting”
Jason smiled “so exactly what sort of pitch is it then?” the gorgeous little
smirk doing delicious things to my insides as my stomach churned wildly in
anticipation. It was a heady combination and I’d be glad when the first bit was
over, at least that way, they wouldn’t be able to see me. I took a deep breath.
“It’s an interactive pitch. I’d like to tell you a story and if you would
indulge me, I would really like you to wear these” I said, handing out the
black silk eye masks, noting the reaction of confusion from his mother and
father as Jason quirked an eyebrow at me, eyes twinkling wildly. Thankfully his
sister went along with it happily and as they covered their eyes, I took a huge
breath. “Picture the scene.....”

He
had once told me I’d be even more successful if I channelled my passion for him
into my pitches, and today I did just that. In excruciatingly graphic, minute
detail, I described the luxurious couch, the cashmere, the decadent cake and
the beautiful man caressing me. As vividly as I could, I painted a visual
picture through words, the soft sweetness caressing my taste buds, every second
of the indulgence, the extravagance and the immeasurable pleasure experienced
in the sensual feel of an unseen touch and unrivalled taste of smooth chocolate
and rich vanilla. It was the most erotic pitch I had ever done. For obvious
reasons, I omitted the delicious oral sex scene that had happened in real life,
but despite that, Jason’s mother and sister both sat there absorbed in my tale,
lips parted and breathing slightly heavier. His father was more difficult to
read and Jason’s mouth was set in a firm line, as I wondered if I’d gone too
far. It was every detail of the way he’d touched me that night and the
exquisite feelings and sensations he’d brought to life within me through the
skilled strokes of his hand, his voice, his smell, and the rich flavours he had
fed me that had burst across my tongue like dancing angels. I was aroused and
emotional just talking about it, even in a room full of strangers, his family,
the memories evoking such sensual
feelings,
I knew I
had to get out of there before the masks were removed. The air was thick and
heavy with anticipation and if I thought it had been mortifying before, I knew
for certain that it was about to get a whole lot worse. Jason’s expression
hadn’t altered and I couldn’t risk it, backing quietly towards the door, ready
to bolt.

“Decadence...it
tastes a lot like love” I finished, quietly opening the door, removing myself
and running for the elevator, ignoring the scowling Margaret and praying that I
had at least a minute before they realised I was gone. I made it to the foyer
before I stopped, tears pricking at my eyes as I tried to catch my breath. I
couldn’t run again, I couldn’t leave without speaking to
him,
I owed him an apology and an explanation. My assumptions had ruined what we had
and it wasn’t the first time. In the short time I’d known him, I’d already
delivered an ultimatum,
I
had taken the word of
Tamsin
over his, and practically accused him of using me
for financial gain at work. I had never experienced love before, for anyone,
and it had knocked me for six. It had turned my inner logic on its head,
scrambled my emotions until I didn’t know if I was coming or going and confused
the hell out of me, but after all the false starts, the highs, the lows and the
complications, it was the least I could do. I hoped above all else he would
forgive me, but whatever the music, I would have to stand and face it.

Nervously,
I made my way back up to his office. “I’m sorry about that Margaret” I said,
eyes wet with tears as she gazed at me with concern. “It’s OK Charlotte” she
smiled kindly, betraying none of her earlier beast, as I saw for the first time
the softness Jason always talked about. She normally reserved it for him and
the King employees, after all it was her job to keep most people out. I
expected everyone wanted a piece of King and it was Margaret’s job to decide
whether or not they would get it. She brought a cup of tea as I sat with my
head in my hands. “Do you take sugar love?” she smiled as I nodded. “Five
please” I said quietly as she raised her eyebrows, dosing lump after lump into
the hot brown liquid and stirring slowly. If ever there was a five sugar time
it was now. “They are all still in there, do you want me to let him know you’re
here?” “I’ll wait thank you Margaret if that’s OK” I smiled, sipping my tea as
she nodded.

I
was nervous, stomach churning with absolutely no idea what Jason had made of my
crazy intrusion, my crazier pitch and thinly veiled declaration of love. There
was no denying King had always stirred feelings in me from outright irritation,
annoyance and frustration through to the highest realms of arousal, lust and
passion and there was no getting away from that fact. Sasha had been right all
along, ‘two sides of the same coin’ and I wondered if that’s what she had with
the barrister. My heart sank as the door opened slowly and I looked up
sheepishly to see Jason’s family leave his office quietly and make their way
over to the elevators, the ladies smiling broadly at me and his father throwing
me a cheeky wink. I couldn’t help but smile back, a small gesture that faded
immediately as I took in the vision of Jason standing in the doorway, leaning
against the frame, looking as sexy as sin with a face that was utterly
unreadable. “Get in here Smith” he growled as I closed my eyes and took a deep
breath. It was a long time since he’d called me that and my heart sank.

I
walked across the plush cream carpet slowly, following him into the office as
the heavy door slammed shut behind me, and I was pinned against it in a sudden
rush that knocked the air from my lungs. He grabbed my head possessively,
pulling me towards his mouth and I melted into him, overwhelmed by the
passionate force of the kiss that was as emotionally excruciating as it was
exciting. My nerves were shot and jangled, his heavy hands gripping my hair and
I felt the unmistakable strength of his erection as he ground it against my
stomach. “I’m sorry” I whispered against his lips, pulling away panting to
catch my breath as I caught the small smirk on the side of his mouth. “You’ll
spend a long time making it up to me Baby” he growled seductively, the familiar
and undeniable arousal in my core, fuelled to fever pitch at his delicious
threat, relishing in the feel of my silk dress as he pulled it quickly down my
body and gasping loudly as he freed his huge heavy cock. He ripped off my lace
panties aggressively before plunging into me relentlessly, stifling my ecstatic
screams with his mouth as I came apart, up against the door of his office and
not for the first time. He was hot, and in his desire, claiming every bit of me
and the feeling was euphoric. It seemed that he needed me as much as I needed
him, cursing loudly and driving me over the edge again, deep into a blissful
vortex barely on the edge of consciousness as he came violently inside me,
flooding me with the feeling I had missed so much. “I love you Jason” I
whispered as he pulled me hard into his body and held me with a force I had
never felt before, like we were merged together, no space between us and I felt
utterly and absolutely complete.

Neither
of us moved for a long time, just breathing and gazing and holding, relishing
being in one another’s arms again after the hurt and turmoil of the last few
days. “I missed you so much” I whispered breathlessly as he cupped my face in
his hands, gazing at me, the bright sapphire of his eyes making my heart melt
into him as his soft, full lips caressed mine gently. “I love you” he said so
quietly against my mouth, I wasn’t sure if I had actually heard it, but the
possessive and heart stopping kiss that ensued left me in no doubt and my heart
soared. I never wanted to the moment to end, but the buzzer on his desk sounded
suddenly, the voice of Margaret sharply and unexpectedly filling the room
behind us. “Rebecca is here to see you Jason” she said as he held my chin,
pulling my face upwards and kissing me hard again.

“Get
dressed Baby, you’re going to want to stay for this” he said, pulling up his
trousers, smiling and winking as he slipped my ruined black underwear into his
pocket, turning me around to zip up my dress and motioning me over to the large
couch that sat adjacent to his desk at the side of his office. He returned from
the bathroom with a glass of water for me, looking devastatingly handsome and
buzzed through to Margaret as I shot him a puzzled frown. “What’s this about?”
“You” he said simply before addressing her through the speaker system on his
desk. “Send her in” he said firmly, staring at the door as it opened slowly,
revealing a gaunt and very nervous looking Rebecca.

I
could see she was shaking as she walked towards the desk and his face was hard,
eyes etched in an uncharacteristic anger I had never seen before as he leaned
forward and beckoned her to the chair, and I couldn’t mistake the unhappy gasp
as she turned and noticed me. “Well” he glared at her, his voice barely
controlled and utterly menacing. “I’m so sorry Jason” she said simply, gazing
at the floor and bursting into tears. “He just asked me to print off the email
and show the creative department. I didn’t even realise what it was until one
of them told me, I assumed it was an old campaign or something, I thought he
was trying to help me out”. The remorse in her eyes was genuine as she looked
across at me before raising her gaze slowly to meet Jason’s, which hadn’t
softened.

“Grayson
were in for this pitch, so why the
fuck do
you think
our main competition would be helping you out on something as big as Mercedes?”
She sighed heavily, as I wondered who the ‘he’ they were referring to was, but
the tension in the air was palpable and I couldn’t bring myself to interrupt.
No doubt I would find out soon enough. “I don’t really know. He was furious
that Charlotte was given the account” she half sobbed, throwing me an
apologetic look “he said Grayson had promised it to him”. Ian Anderson, I
seethed inwardly. “And do you think it’s ethical to accept that sort of
information from a competitor” he said sternly, his voice as tense as I had
ever heard it. “No Jason and if I’d have known what it was straight away, and
what would happen to Charlotte I would never have printed off the email, I
would have come and told you immediately”. Her voice was soft and filled with
such genuine sorrow that my heart went out to her. Jason was clearly not
feeling as charitable. The power in his voice was fearsome, pinning me against
the seat and I could see her hands trembling in her lap. “So why didn’t you
come to me when you did find out? Why let me suspend all your colleagues
Rebecca?” He was barely controlling his anger now “And why let Charlotte sit at
home thinking that she was about to get fired?” She couldn’t control her tears
and they were flowing freely.

She
had undoubtedly made a mistake but the young women I saw in front of me seemed
far from malicious. “I was scared Jason, we hadn’t done anything with the
information, I don’t even know who told Grayson we had it. When I heard you
were seeing Charlotte I knew you’d be furious that she was getting blamed for
the leak. I’m really sorry” she turned to me “I know I’ve fucked up, but I just
didn’t want to get fired”. Jason glared at her. “And what do you think will
happen now?” she looked resigned to her fate, gazing at the floor. She hadn’t
been honest straight away and she had kept quiet but she wasn’t the one who had
sent the email, who had orchestrated the whole set up. All she had done was
printed off an email and ignorantly passed it on, and it didn’t sound like
anyone at King had used it to actively try and sabotage our pitch. This time,
it certainly appeared that the enemy was within Grayson International Media and
not outside it. “I don’t know?” she sobbed as Jason looked at me, pressing the
buzzer on his desk. “Get Alison on the line Margaret” he said as seconds later
his phone rang. He put it on loudspeaker.

“I’ve
got Rebecca here, she received the email and passed it to creative, she claims
she didn’t know what it was and they destroyed the information.” “Did she
mention any names, was it as we thought?” “Yes” he said simply. “Will you be
seeing Charlotte tonight?” “Most definitely” he turned, smiling deliciously at
me. “Good, tell her to come into work tomorrow and to shut down her damned
computer when she’s not in the office”. I swallowed hard, glad I was off the
hook but reeling from the turn of events and that even Ian Anderson would stoop
so low as to try and get me fired. Had it not been for Jason and my unlikely
ally in Alison, I guessed he would probably have succeeded. “One more thing
Alison, how did Grayson even know we had this information?” “I’ll give you one
guess and he’s finished here” she said and I could hear the anger in her voice.
“He’s finished fucking everywhere” growled Jason in unrestrained fury as he
ended the call, dialling Margaret.