09

Chapter 5

We were pulling into a very nice parking garage as Laurel's phone chirped, she must have hit something on the dash as the music instantly died, "Hey girl!" She said in that overly loud way that everyone seems to use when they're talking on speakerphone.

The voice that filled the car was amazing, sultry, filled with soul, and clearly, very British... "Hey Laurel, it's Isha. I'm here, where are you?"

I composed myself, forcing my gaze out the window and a blank stare onto my face...

My mind was a different story however, That accent... so sexy...

Laurel responded, "We're just pulling into the garage now, what level are you on?"

"Three. Hey, are you sure I can park my piece of shit car here? They're not going to tow it or something are they?" Her voice was magical, she actually pronounced shit as shite...

Laurel laughed, "Did you put the pass I gave you in the dash?"

"Yes, I can follow basic directions." The voice responded.

"Then it will be fine." Laurel responded, "See you in a sec."

"Do you have him?" Isha asked.

I could see the panic in Laurel's eyes in the mirror, "You're on speaker Ish!" She called out suddenly.

"Oops..." Ish's voice seemed to suddenly fill with embarrassment, "Hi Link!"

I felt a smile slide onto my face, as we turned the corners inside the parking structure, "Hi Isha!"

"Oh... is the rest of him as sexy as his voice?" Isha's voice was like silk.

"Yes." Rachel suddenly piped in.

My eyes flashed to hers and this time the predatory smile was gone, replaced by one filled with humor and happiness...

"We're hanging up now!" Laurel called out,

"See you in a minute!" Ish called as she hung up.

We parked in an empty spot next to what I assumed was Isha's car in less than a minute. As we blew past her I snuck a quick look at her, not getting much of a look at her as we blew past...

I unbuckled, and sliding out of the car I watched her come around the back of the car...

I don't know what I was expecting...

I mean, how often do you get set up on a blind date and find yourself pleasantly surprised? I certainly was.

Isha was gorgeous... well, not gorgeous, but still very pretty. She wasn't like Rachel... not that supermodel look. Her style was more like Laurel's, something that I found infinitely more endearing. She wore blue jeans, tight, fitted, and a simple grey spaghetti strap top, showing a generous amount of cleavage...

She wore the same kind of black, heavy-rimmed glasses Laurel did. Something I found super sexy.

Her figure was what I'd call athletic, thick, and full of muscle, not manly, but still very, very attractive. The lines of the muscles in her arms stood out, her neck was strong, yet graceful...

Her hair was cut in a bobtail, short and emphasizing the lines of one of the most beautiful faces I had ever seen. Most attractive of all, was her skin, dusky, with more than a trace of African-American...

She was short, maybe five-three to my six-foot-one...

I felt myself take her in... finally meeting her eyes...

I was wrong... the best thing, the most attractive thing about her, was her eyes. Blue, like the ocean in the heat of the day. If she hadn't been wearing glasses I'd have called bullshit and said she was wearing contacts.

My head shook... "You are fucking gorgeous..." I stammered.

Her face lit up as she stepped closer to me, looking me up and down. She stepped closer to me, her fingers reaching out and grabbing my shirt between two of the buttons at about my chest level... "You're pretty fucking terrific yourself..."

I smiled at her, thankful that she didn't think I was a fucking troll...

"Your eyes are amazing..." I told her, gazing into them.

Her smile was blinding, burning like the sun. "Thank you."

I felt my fingers reach up, catching her beneath the chin gently, "And that voice..."

Her hand came up, catching mine, "Now aren't you the flatterer."

I squeezed her hand, "Praise where it's due..."

Her smile found some way to get wider as her eyes slid over my chest, "I feel underdressed..."

I smiled at her, shaking my head, "Not at all... I love that color on you."

So I was cheating... I had read once, never complement only a woman's appearance, always compliment her style too. A woman only has so much control over how she looks, but she can control her style in every way. Complementing her style told her you weren't just looking at how attractive she was.

I felt a presence beside us and looked over to find Laurel's smiling face, "Isha, Link, Link, Isha... though you two seem to be getting along just fine without introductions..."

Smiling at her I told her, "I'm sorry Laurel, I appreciate the introduction, thank you."

"All that cuteness and polite too?" Isha cut in.

Isha tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Are you sure I'm not underdressed?"

I smiled at her, pulling my shirt out, untucking it. I unbuttoned the sleeves on my shirt and rolled them up to just below my elbows. "We'll make it work. I mean, look at these two slobs..."

Isha's eyes filled with horror as she took in the eveningwear of our two friends... "Fuck."

I turned, sliding my hand into Isha's. "Fuck them, if anyone tries to say anything, just smatter off something that sounds vaguely French and tell them it's from their latest line. Then look down your nose at them and walk away like you own the place."

Rachel threw her head back and laughed, "Oh... I like him more and more..." She took Laurel's hand and started walking, "Come on party people, lets party!"

Chapter 6

The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. I stepped out, Isha's hand still in mine. The raw wealth on display took my breath away...

We were thirty stories above the city, a fact announced by the floor to ceiling windows that covered the entirety of the apartment. Shit, I don't even know if they called a place like this an apartment... a condo maybe? Is that what you called a place like this? A condo?

There was food, and drink everywhere. Rich people, well, obviously rich people filled the room, most dancing to the loud music coming from an honest to god DJ that was set up in one corner of the room. Some of them simply milled off at the edges of the room, some were actively transitioning between this room and others, milling through what was obviously a very large apartment, or condo, or whatever the fuck it was.

As we walked into the room, I grabbed Laurel's arm, "Where the hell did you bring us?"

She smiled at me as Rachel leaned closer to me, purring into my ear, "Wrong, Tiger. This one was me."

I looked at Rachel, looking for answers. I was expecting some sort of low rent college party. This was obviously not that...

Rachel's smile turned back to that seductive, sultry grin, "This is a work party. My firm is footing most of the bill. This area is the common area. Mostly business being done out here. Through the rest of the house, the party will be wilder this time of the night."

Like that, I saw the seductress turn off and Rachel the businesswoman slid back onto the scene, "In fact," She turned to Isha, "I need to borrow Link for a minute if you don't mind..."

Isha and I both turned to Laurel. She just smiled, looking at me, "You should go with her, it will be good for you."

I looked at Isha, obviously seeking permission. As much as I was curious about where Rachel planned on taking me, I wasn't a big fan of the idea, leave the party with the woman you came with.

She smiled at me, "Go ahead, I'm going to wander a bit. Catch up with me?"

I let my eyes wander down her body, feeling the music now, I was very much looking forward to dancing with her. "Count on it," I growled.

Isha smiled, her teeth blinding against her dark skin.

Rachel reached out, and once again whispered something into Laurel's ear. This time, Laurel neither pulled away, not argued. She simply nodded her head. Like that, Rachel pulled me into the crowd of people, "Do you want to stay here once you get out of school? I mean the city. Stay in the area?"

I shrugged, "Sure. I guess. I like the city well enough."

She nodded, satisfied with my answer. "Good. I'm going to introduce you to some people. Let's see how it goes..."

Realizing what she was doing I calmed my face, letting a mask slip on. My eyes moved quickly, scanning the crowd. I felt my jaw tighten, felt the music slip past me, let go the urge to move with the music, and like that I felt like a shark in a school of fish...

Rachel looked back at me, her smile focusing, "Oh, you are going to be so good at this..."

I smiled at her, keeping my eyes firmly on hers.

We went through a flurry of people in the next thirty minutes. Names, faces, business cards and handshakes. Rachel was a natural at moving amongst people. Never did she seem forced, each time she slid us away from someone it always seemed to be perfectly placed. Watching people's faces as she did I saw, not once, did someone take offense or feel slighted...

She was a miracle in motion. I watched her closely, doing everything to sponge every lesson out of her that I could...

She started testing me after about the fifth person I met, "Who was the guy with the red tie?"

I looked at her, "Ronald Mercer. He runs a tile supply company."

"And what's wrong with his company?" She asked.

"Well, besides the fact that he thinks that he has a chance with you and is an obvious idiot?" I replied with a smile.

She smiled back at me, "You think he's interested in me?"

I looked into her eyes, and then down at her chest, "His eyes never left your tits."

She leaned against me, "I've seen your eyes on my tits quite a few times tonight..."

I turned into her, my body pressing against hers, my hand sliding up as I ran a finger up her cheek, "Because you want me to stare at your tits..."

She smiled, a purr coming back into her voice, "Maybe I like having a man's eyes on me?" She leaned in closer, her breast pressing against me, "Maybe I like having more than a man's eyes on me too..."

I leaned in close, putting a hand beneath her chin, "Careful. You're hot, but if it comes down to choosing between fucking you or keeping Laurel as a friend, I know which I'll choose." I whispered into her ear.

She stepped back from me, her eyes filled with... something... maybe anger? Whatever it was, I wasn't smart enough to figure it out.

She nibbled at her lip as if she was trying to control herself...

I turned from her, "This part of the game isn't interesting right now. Continue."

Her hand slipped back into mine, "You are so lucky you are under Laurel's protection..." she growled, shaking her head.

I looked back at her, the comment so out of place I started to ask her about it...

"My point is a lot of these men are staring at my tits. What makes you think that Ronald is interested in me?" She asked, derailing the trail of my thinking.

I blinked, snapping my attention back to the matter at hand, "I know he's interested in you. What's worse," I looked back into her eyes, "Is that he thinks you're a whore and that he can pressure you into having sex with him."

That predatory smile slid back over her face, "And who says I'm not a whore?"

I turned my face away from her, suddenly bored with her tease. This one was beneath her. "You're a complicated woman, and very sexual, but a whore you are not."

She wrapped her hand in mine, leaning close to me, "Very good..." I felt the fingers of her other hand, the one not holding mine, trace up the muscles in my arm, "Now, besides the fact that Ronald is a letch, what is his problem?"

I let my gaze fall back over the crowd, searching faces, "He's overleveraged. At least that's my guess based on how desperate he is."

She laughed, "What makes you think he's desperate?"

I pulled her, moving once again through the people, "The entire time we're talking he can't make up his mind to talk about business or stare at your tits. When that other guy walked up, Thomas Green, the contractor, it was like he forgot you existed. You could have asked if he wanted a blowjob and he'd have never noticed."

"Maybe he's just a man focused on business." She countered.

I shook my head, "He forgot my name three times."

I could feel her shrug, "Maybe he just didn't think you were important."

I smiled, continuing to scan the crowd of milling people. It wasn't hard to pick out the important ones from the hangers-on. The important ones got their own space. The hangers-on fawned and preened. I had never noticed it before, but even after such a small time under Rachel's tutelage, I recognized it. It seemed so obvious now, I couldn't believe I hadn't seen it sooner. Pulling her hand, I continued to lead her through the crowd.

We were closer to the DJ booth now, and it was louder, I leaned closer to Rachel so she could hear me, "You never told him who I was. You stood away from me, not wrapped around me like you are now, suggesting a business relationship between you and I. There was deference in your demeanor like I was someone important to you. Not once did he figure it out, or bother to learn my name. I'm sure I could walk up to him right now and introduce myself by a different name and he'd never catch on. He'd have blown that contractor though... that means he's desperate to have his attention, and that means he needs a contract with him. That means he's in a deep hole and looking for any source of air he can find."

Rachel stopped me, pulling on my arm, "Excellent. Come on. I want to introduce you to someone really important."

Looking at her I asked, "Who?"

She smiled at me, and her businesswoman mask slipped just a little. I caught her looking up and down my chest, her attention every bit as intense as mine had been when I stared down her dress...

"Stop that," I ordered her.

She shook her head, blinking a few times.

There. Did you see the mask slip? My brain suddenly screamed at me. Maybe this isn't an act or a game...

Fuck... I thought to myself, filing the information into the back of my mind.

An evil voice slithered up in the back of my mind, casting away the filth and flotsam that floated with it, You could fuck her right now...

Shut up! I screamed at it.

"Who are we meeting next?" I asked her, mostly to cover the fact that I had seen her mask slip.

She leaned into me harder as if she were being possessive of me.

She wants someone to think I'm here with her. Interesting. Let's see where this goes... I thought to myself.

"Why do you want someone to think I'm here with you?" I asked, catching her off guard.

Looking down at her, I took another chance to look down her dress, "He's my boss. It would be easier for me if he thought I already have a man in my life."

I looked straight ahead, "One of those..." I growled.

"What do you mean by that?"

I shook my head, "A man should never try to bed a woman who is his subordinate. That's tantamount to rape, or to turn a lady into a whore."

I felt her grip tighten on me, "I really think I'm going to like you..."

Smiling at her I think I finally got what Rachel had said to Laurel in private before she pulled me off, "What did you ask Laurel before we split from her and Isha?"

I saw her mask slip again, "Why do you ask?"

Turning into her again, I let my hand once again caress her chin, "Confirming a suspicion."

She smiled at me, "I asked her to take Isha into another part of the house."

"For what you're about to have me do for you, right?" I asked, my eyes narrowing on her.

There again, her mask slipped, "Not just for me. This is for you too. If you make a good impression here, I guarantee you'll have a good job waiting for you the minute you ask for one. He'll find a spot for you, trust me." That sexy, feral smile slid back across her face, "I asked Laurel to pull Isha into another room because I didn't want to ruin your chances with Isha."

"And you just knew I'd play along?"

She shrugged, and I saw a real desperation slide into her... something vulnerable, something a woman like Rachel would find disgusting to discover in herself, "You seem like the type of man that learns fast and repays debts faster."

She was right. The truth was, I had made invaluable contacts tonight, and that, added with the lessons she had taught me, put me in her debt. That wasn't why I was helping her though; I was helping her because I was a sucker for a woman in need...

Maybe Rachel didn't see quite as clearly as she thought she did...

I nodded, "What's the play?"

"Don't pour it on too thick but I need you to make some goo goo eyes at me. Enough that it seems like we're interested in each other." She gave me a serious look.

"Isn't that going to look weird later, with you hanging out with Laurel and me with Isha?" I asked, curious to see how she planned on handling that aspect of her plan.

She shrugged, "Once the party gets crazy, he won't stick around. Most likely he'll be balls deep in some intern by then. I'd just like to make sure that the person he decides to pick isn't me..."

My eyes snapped to her and I felt a protective wave settle over me, "And if that happens?"

She smiled at me, "Looks like I'll be starting Monday looking for a new job."

I nodded, and much as I didn't want to admit it, after Rachel's little slut act earlier, a part of me wondered...

Her eyebrows went up, "I fuck who I want, and where I want. Nobody owns me. And I don't fuck to close any business deal. As you said, I'm not a whore."

I smiled at her, realizing I may need to reevaluate my view on Rachel and Laurel's relationship...

She continued, "Anyway, anyone else that sees me," She looked around the room, "this group is pretty wild. Most of them will assume I'm picking up some random chic for us to take home, the rest will assume you're doing the same."

I raised an eyebrow at her, realizing that I may need to reevaluate if these were the type of people I wanted to surround myself with.

She leaned in closer, "You can choose as much, or as little of this life you participate in if you choose to pursue this."

I looked at her, once again surprised to see how much of me she could see, how much of me she could read.

"Plus, let's throw in another challenge." She told me, a playfulness coming over her once again, like the game was once again entered, "You're going to break off the conversation with him, and you have to do it in a way that doesn't offend him..."

I sensed the real reason behind that challenge...

The kind of man she was describing was not going to see a woman breaking off a conversation as acceptable. Most likely he was going to be one of those alpha male douchebag types, the kind that had to have the last word, that always needed to be seen as in charge, and to a man like that, he would never see a woman as his equal...

Looking at her I asked, "And why do I want this man to be my boss? What you describe sickens me..."

She smiled at me, "Because he's a piece of dirt, but money isn't a part of his game. He's generous. If he taps you, he'll always put money in your pocket, and the contacts you earn in just a year working for him will make a career for you."

I sensed the change in her body language... could feel it coming on. She was scared...

I put myself straight in front of her, stepping close to her, making her look up at me... wait for it...

"Here he comes-" She started to say.

My hand came up under her chin, tapping it up, forcing her face up towards mine.

I kissed her.

Not a chaste kiss either. Something deeper.

I felt her hands circle around my shoulders as I laid my own across her lower back, pulling her into me. Her tongue slipped into my mouth as I felt the heat of her against me...