The elevator door opened onto the receptionist's little antechamber outside the penthouse office. A stunningly beautiful young woman sat behind the desk and looked up at me as I entered. She gave me the kind of once-over only another woman can give. 'May I help you?' Her accent was Wessex, overlaid with London posh.
'I'm Elise Davenport," I said, making no effort to hide my own Mancunian way of speaking. 'I have an appointment.'
She checked her computer screen. 'Certainly. One moment, Miss Davenport.'
I bristled a little at the 'Miss.' It seemed diminutive and dismissive, but under the circumstances, given who her employer was, it didn't surprise me. She spoke quietly into the phone, ending with, 'Yes, sir.'
Her voice had an odd catch in it, and it made me look up. For an instant, she looked terrified. I wondered what sort of work environment Sullivan would have. Certainly such a beautiful girl would be an asset, but that didn't mean she would necessarily be treated well.
She looked up at me. 'You may go in now, Miss.'
I strode to the door and reached for the handle, but it swung open before I could touch it, which meant I half-stumbled into the office. It was not the kind of entrance I planned to make, and it put me even more on edge.
The office was spacious, with a terrific view of London behind the desk. And there sat Sullivan, immaculate and poised, just as he'd been on the telly and in all those online photos. The man was not terribly handsome, nor was he unpleasant to look at, but he seemed to luck out and always be photographed from the best angle. It was one more reason to despise him, as if more were needed.
'Miss Davenport,' he said as he stood. He was tall, and strode gracefully around the desk. 'I appreciate you coming all the way downtown to see me.'
I took his offered hand and gave it a peremptory shake. 'There's no point in beating around the bush on this, Mr. Sullivan. We have the goods on you, and if we go to trial, we'll take your whole empire down. Drugs, prostitution, blackmail...we have proof of it all.'
He smiled. 'My goodness, you do get to the point. May I fix you a drink?'
'No, thank you. I'm here to establish your willingness to settle the case, and then I'll let my superiors and your lawyers handle the paperwork.'
He looked at me closely, the kind of scrutiny I didn't appreciate. 'You know, Miss Davenport, you're a very lovely woman. What's going to happen to you is a shame.'
I blinked in surprise. 'Are you threatening me?'
'No, not at all,' he said. 'You're the impetus behind all my legal troubles, and I know that. For whatever reason, you hate me, and you're troublesome enough to cause me to have to deal with you. I also know that once you're out of the picture, your firm will be quite content to be bought off. So that makes you the priority in this, not me.'
He didn't know why I hated him. Of course he didn't--I'd told no one. Only the men who drugged me, raped me and tried to sell me into sexual slavery knew. Only the men who worked for Sullivan, shuttling poor girls like me into servitude and degradation. Luck and the thirst for revenge had saved me, driven me to college and law school and a career as a solicitor, working tirelessly to bring down this obscene robber baron.
'I'll be leaving now,' I said, and turned to go. 'We shall see you at trial.'
'I wouldn't do that,' he said sharply.
I looked back at him. 'And why not?'
'Because in approximately two minutes, you'll want nothing more than to be in my presence.'
I almost laughed out loud. 'What are you talking about?'
'As I said, you are the priority. All the trouble starts, and ends, with you. So I don't have to face your firm in court, or deal with your accusations in the press. I simply have to eliminate you as a threat.'
'You are threatening me.'
'Not the way you mean. I will not harm you. I will not attempt to force you to do anything. What you'll do, you'll do willingly.'
'You have clearly underestimated me,' I said. Again I turned to go.
And a rush of physical desire, of sexual arousal, of sheer animal randiness hit me like a wave crashing on the beach.
My legs buckled. I fell face-down on the floor, unable to believe the feelings coursing through me. To call this arousal was like calling a hurricane a summer breeze. I wanted to fuck more than I wanted to draw my next breath. And it struck me all at once, with no warning.
Had I been drugged? Hypnotized? Some sort of MI5 mind control? Whatever it was, I couldn't resist it, and I reached to hike up my skirt, desperate enough to masturbate right here on the floor, right in front of my greatest enemy. I needed to come.
This was insane. Since that day as a teen I'd been kidnapped by Sullivan's slavers, I'd had no sexual feelings. My relationships had certainly suffered for it, and I'd seen many psychiatrists and doctors. Finally I simply accepted that sexual feelings, including arousal and orgasm, were lost to me.
And that had been true until this moment.
'Get up,' he said impatiently.