Aroused (Taming Himself Book 1) (6 page)

Chapter Nine

I
struggled to sit up straight in my bed. The movement caused the numerous burger rappers spread around me to rustle. I flicked several stale chips from my pillow. I held my head, which was in so much pain. Everything was still very hazy and I could hardly see straight. My eyes felt as though they were still asleep. My phone was right next to me and I checked the time. It was already eight in the morning.

              I remembered Amber. She had thrown me on the bed and told me to sleep. She threw the bag of food at me and said that it would keep me content. I searched through the rappers of burgers and chips, it seems she was right. How disgusting. How much food did I eat?

              I folded my legs over the bed and gave myself a moment to catch up. Was I still stoned? I was angry at myself for letting such a thing happen. Amber was right, if I had been caught on someone’s camera in that state it would’ve have nearly cost me all that I had built. I stripped off and decided that right now numerous laps of the pool was what my body needed.

*

Amber was already at work and had prepared coffee for Gregory and me. Gregory wouldn’t arrive until another twenty minutes, which was exactly what I depended on. I tapped on the kitchen door and grabbed her attention. She seemed to be deep in thought and I startled her. She had such an open and vulnerable expression that quickly turned sour when she saw me. She began vigorously grinding the coffee.

              I held out flowers. Yellow was a respectable color. If I went with the red roses she would’ve probably jammed them down my throat.

              “What are those for?” she grumbled as she pushed back a part of her fringe.

              “I am so sorry about Saturday and you were very right; it isn’t your job to look after me in such a way,” I said sincerely with my hand to my chest.

She looked over me with pouted lips. “I can completely understand why you are angry. I’m sorry. I honestly don’t know what to say.”

After a long pause she finally spoke. “I was on a date when you interrupted, you know?” she said. “My companion wasn’t exactly happy about it since we had been planning it for a while.”

              “I have no idea how I can make amends for that, Amber. Give me their number and I will personally apologize myself.”

              “It’s fine,” she said, raising her hand. “So the flowers are for me?”

I pulled out the small gift card that was also inside of the flowers. “I wasn’t sure what jewelry you liked and I didn’t want to choose wrong. I think you would be surprised by how much I’ve already observed your taste and style, but I didn’t want to offend you by purchasing jewelry you didn’t like.”

She grabbed the card out of my hands and examined it. “Three hundred dollars?” she enquired with an arched eyebrow.

              “If that’s not enough, just let me know,” I said, concerned that she was actually really mad. Her Italian accent hadn’t come through once. I thought she would scorn me as usual and then continue to tell me how much of an idiot and shithead I was.

              “I don’t want your money, Hayden,” she said, placing the card into the front pocket of my jacket. “The flowers, however, I will take.” She grabbed them and walked out of the room towards her office. “And a coffee made by you personally wouldn’t go amiss,” she said, the hint of her Italian accent coming through in the demand.

              I smiled at her as her small hips swayed from side to side in her pencil skirt. I collected the gift voucher and placed it in my pocket. No matter how much she teased me that I underpaid her, she was probably the only woman I knew who wouldn’t greedily snatch the money up. I wanted to give her it as a small thank you. I’d find a way to slip it into her handbag when she wasn’t looking.

              My phone began vibrating in my pants pocket. I looked at the foreign number and answered. “Hayden Zilch speaking,” I said, crossing my arms as I leant against the wall. The woman purred through the phone, her foreign accent making my skin feel as if it were blazing.

              “Mr. Zilch, it’s Sarah. We met the other day.” Her Swedish accent sounded even thicker over the phone, more enticing, and I could just imagine those beautiful golden locks of hers that I so very much enjoyed holding onto. “I was wondering if you might be available tonight to go over my business proposal? I believe that last time we met we might have been preoccupied by other things.”

              I could hear her smile through the phone. What she meant was how I had her bent over my office table. “I would be honoured. When did you have in mind?”

              “How about tonight, if you are available? I know a wonderful restaurant. What do you say?”

I poked my tongue in my cheek. Score. “I would absolutely love to. I’m free tonight.”
              “Wonderful,” she purred. “I will text you the time and location. Oh and Hayden, please do make sure you save my phone number. I think we will be discussing business
a lot.”
With that she hung up. Her taunt left an imprint on me. I couldn’t help but smile as I arched my eyebrows and saved her number. Sarah or Goldilocks? I decided both. ‘Sarah Goldilocks’ was now her name. I liked the allure of not remembering her last name even though it was on her business card in my office drawer.

              I gave Amber her coffee and walked to my office. Sarah had sent through the location. It was a high-class restaurant that I had been to a few times. What I would do to be able to bend that fine woman over again and make her scream out my name in that sweet Swedish accent of hers.

Chapter Ten

I
greeted the hostess with a dashing smile. She returned a flattered smile and escorted me to Sarah, who had already reserved our table. She was sipping on red wine, her legs crossed over in the gold silky dress she wore. Her golden hair, those golden locks I loved so much, were pushed over one shoulder. She was ravishing and glowed with such womanly charm that even I was shocked that she was willing to have me within the first thirty minutes of meeting her. I believed in myself and my ability to satisfy any woman, but this woman was close to being a goddess. Her striking blue eyes fixed on me as she placed the red wine down, smiled, and offered her hand to me in greeting. I grabbed it, pressing a kiss to her hand.

              “You look absolutely stunning,” I complimented her.

Red blushed across her cheeks as she smiled. “I thought this was business Mr. Zilch, I was simply going to shake your hand,” she replied as she took her seat.

              “Then business we shall talk,” I said, sitting down.

              “Although,” she said as I adjusted my tie. “I don’t mind mixing business with pleasure. It is, however, a first for me.” Her radiant smile again spread across her face. She picked up the bottle of red wine and offered me a glass. I held my glass so she could pour some in. After taking a mouthful of the delicious wine. I watched her, wondering how long I could last without wanting to throw myself on her. As if reading my thoughts, she pulled a black folder out.

              “Firstly, before we order our meal, I would like to run over this with you.” She opened the folder and slid it over. “I am a representative of PA Protein. The ‘P A’ is the initials of the founder, Peter Arnish. The protein supplements were founded five years ago, and since have expanded dramatically in size and fortune. Our customers are gathering in numbers and if you turn to page five you will see the profits made over the past years. We are looking for investors. We want to increase sales and expand globally. The proposition, personally written by Mr. Arnish himself, is enclosed at the end of the file.”

              “If Peter Arnish would like me to invest money and has personally invited me to partake in the expansion, then why hasn’t he organised a meeting himself?”

              A knowing smile crossed her face. “Well, we are approaching investors. You are, of course, not the only person we are asking. It just so happens that I am the one to make you aware of our proposal. If you would like to proceed further, Peter would very much like to meet you.”

As handsome as I was, I wasn’t silly; business was what made me. My business thrived because I caught onto those finer details. “You just called him Peter, which suggests that you know him personally?” She raised her eyebrow, surprised by my observation. “And although these profits have increased marginally, it still doesn’t explain why he might use a representative when asking personally would be much more effective. So what are you to Peter, perhaps a silent partner?”

She took another mouthful of her wine before crossing her legs beneath the table. Her heel brushed up against my inner thigh. “You are very detail orientated,” she mused. “Peter is my uncle and I am, in fact, part owner of the business.”

              “So why not tell me from the start?” I said, trying to ignore her heel that drove higher up my inner thigh. How could she tease me at such a time, when we were talking investment? I tried to ignore it, thinking of something else that might make her stop. “I am a sports manager; what makes you think I would want to invest in such a product?”

              “You are a sports manager, but you are well known for much more. Zilch Enterprises is not just because you are a sports manager. You are a smart man and you know when to invest in the right things. On page twelve you will read over the ingredients all which avoid an illegal substance in sports. And as for avoiding telling you from the start, let’s just say I wasn’t expecting
you
when I walked into your office. I wanted to step back from my position just for a moment, so that either way if you choose to invest or not, you wouldn’t see me solely as the investment you said no to, but perhaps a woman you very much enjoyed during her stay in America.” She bit down on her bottom lip and twirled a finger in her hair as the tip of her heel gently caressed my inner thigh near my groin. “I like you, Hayden, and I am not a woman who often fancies a man so easily.”

              My jaw tightened as I could no longer handle her teasing. I wanted her just as much. Before I could suggest that we take this elsewhere a familiar voice interrupted.

              “Hayden, what are you doing here?” Amy walked over in a short black dress, her long legs shimmering as she looked at both Sarah and me. Sarah pulled back her heel, crossing her legs again.

              “Amy, how are you?” I asked, standing and giving her a hug. She pressed a kiss on my cheek as she looked over Sarah. Her blonde bob itched at my neck. I pulled back and sized up her companion, who was probably a model himself. Tiny and thin with a little bit of muscle on the arms.

              “Have I interrupted something?” she asked, pointing between Sarah and me.

              “Hayden and I were discussing business,” Sarah said, who now sounded intimidating. She closed the folder so Amy couldn’t see.

              “Right, business…” Amy stared at Sarah with an unfriendly smile. She turned to me. “Well, while I have you, I just wanted to make sure
we
were still on for that charity thing, I can’t remember the details, but it is next weekend isn’t it?”

              “Is that John Farmer’s party?” Sarah interrupted, smug. She crossed her arms as she looked between Amy and me. As far as I understood, they didn’t like each other.

              “Yes it is, are you going?” I asked Sarah inquisitively.

              “As matter of fact I am, I am going with my uncle. How wonderful that I will be able to see you both there,” she said with a vicious smile. “Now, if you don’t mind, Amy was it? Hayden and I have some business to discuss, so if you would be so kind as to leave us for the moment, that would be very appreciated.”

Amy almost choked back her words as her eyes bulged. She looked as if she were to say something else before her boyfriend, who I presumed would order salad, grabbed her hand. She looked back at me with an even smile. “Well, I hope you have a good night. Don’t stay out too late,” she said with a sexy smile. The wannabe rocker escorted her to their table as she looked over her shoulder and watched us. I sat down, unsure how to take off where we left off. Sarah looked at me calculatingly for a while.

              “I like you Hayden, but we are not going to fuck tonight,” she said seriously. “‘I won’t let you touch me after I’ve seen you look at her. I want you to myself. You see, I am one of those women who are not after love, all I need to know is I am wanted. And when I have your full attention, when I know you are not looking at models with long legs and pointed noses, let’s call her big bird, you may fuck me however you please in whatever hole.”

I felt the need to defend Amy, but I was so turned on by her accent. She was very jealous of Amy and although it broke my balls now to hear her say she would restrain herself, I also thought it was a blessing in disguise: we would just go on a date and actually get to know one another. That was the point of my mission. 

“For now, let us order dinner and have an actual date. By the time you have a taste of me again you won’t last very long at all. Because by then you will have longed for me and been thinking of me for a long time. You are a man who is good at fucking, and I am a woman who is good at being wanted. I don’t let most men bend me over their office table, so take that into consideration.” Her heel slammed into the front of my chair, startling me. If she slipped she would have hit my pride and joy.

“I want you, and I want you to show me how much you want me. I don’t want you to buy me flowers, chocolates, or jewelry; I want you to show me how much you want me. I will make you beg for me, because that one time over your office table was nothing in comparison to the tricks I can show you.” She crossed her legs again, her charming smile taking my breath away.

              “But I already want to fuck you right now,” I said in almost a whimper. All her words had me hard with wanting her. Everything she said was so true, I wanted her more than anything.

              “But you can wait,” she said with a sly smile. She raised her hand to the waiter. “I’m ravished, shall we get something to eat?”

              I rubbed the prickles of my jaw, unsure of how to react to her. I had many women dirty talk to me and tell me what they expected of me. But none challenged me in such a way where I absolutely wanted to be on my knees begging for them. I overlooked her profile again, her tiny waist and busty chest so godly it scared me. This woman would have me at her mercy and she knew it. With a knowing smile, she interrupted my gaze and drew my attention to the waiter who was waiting patiently for me to order.

              “Hayden dear, would you like to order?” she said with an innocent expression as if everything we had spoken about was already forgotten, but the gleam in her eyes told me that the games had only just begun.