A very Corporate Affair Book 1 (The Corporate Series) (5 page)

                 "Will you slow down a bit," I said loudly. He turned and grabbed my bag off me and carried on at the same pace. I trailed after him into a wine bar. He led me to a secluded table, and dumped my bag on the floor.

                 "Drink?"

                 "White wine please." By now I was beyond curious. He went over to the bar and bought two glasses of wine. Setting them down on the table, he sat opposite me.

                 "So you got one over on Ivan?"

                 "How fast does news travel? In actual fact I just stopped Ivan getting one over our client, different thing. How do you know?"

                 "I'm his banker." Oscar smiled, "and not many people can keep up with him, he was impressed."

                 "Good. Did you know you look entirely different when you smile?" That made him laugh. He looked even better.

                 "Thank you for the compliment, but I wanted to let you know that I overheard him ordering a background check on you."

                 "I have nothing to hide, he can check as much as he likes."

                 "Just be careful around him. He has a reputation with women." I nearly spluttered into my wine.

                 "Pot, meet kettle. Anyway I'm a big girl thanks."

                 "What do you mean pot and kettle?" He looked affronted.

                 "Been warned about you too. I have sharp little ears you know." I watched him blush.

                 "What am I meant to have done?"

                  "I heard you were quite the playboy. Although I will admit its only hearsay, which is inadmissible as evidence."

                  "Hmm, don't believe everything you hear. Did you enjoy your first week?" He tried to change the subject.

                  "Yep, it was great. I love working in the tower, and my new flat is fantastic. By the way, you live in the flat below don't you? Was you playing piano music last night?" I watched his face carefully. He remained impassive.

                 "Yes, I tried to buy the one you're in, but your flatmate beat me to it. Did I disturb you last night?"

                 "Not really, I was awake and heard it, that's all. It wasn't loud. James sleeps on the other side of the apartment, so has never heard you." I was dying to ask why he was listening to maudlin music at one thirty in the morning, but decided against it. "Priti told me you work in a bank."

                  "That girl knows everyone's business. Yes I work for the family firm, which is as much a curse as a blessing." Oscar stared into his glass.

                 "In what way?" I pressed. He had me intrigued, and this softer, more human side was definitely proving quite attractive.

                  "It's a great job, great money and perks and all that, but I have to live up to expectations at all times, which can be difficult. I wouldn't give it up or anything like that, I just sometimes wish I didn't have to be Oscar Golding, bank chairman and upright citizen." I tried to look sympathetic, but struggled. He owned a bloody bank and was whining about it. He should spend a bit of time in a south London council flat if he wanted something to moan about.Instead, I kept schtum. He broke my musings by asking, "have you got plans this weekend? I'd love to take you out to dinner." He smiled hopefully, seemingly having learnt that I liked smiles.

                  "I could do tomorrow evening," I said, intrigued as to where he'd take me.

                  "Great, I'll pick you up at 7.30," he said, "wear a dress." With that he got up and pecked my cheek goodbye, before striding off.

  I couldn't wait to get home to tell James about it.

Chapter 3

  I sat at the kitchen island recounting my day to James. He listened intently without comment until I got to the part about going out to dinner with Oscar.

                 "Are you sure that's wise?"

                 "I can handle him, but if you hear screaming tomorrow night, come and rescue me."

                 "I won't be around. You're not the only one who had an eventful day. I'm off to the states in the morning. Apple called, they want to collaborate with the major banks in the development of mobile banking apps. Guess who they want to work on it?"

                 I squealed, "that's amazing news, congratulations. How long are you gonna be out there?"

                 "Only about a week this time. Silicon Valley and New York. It's a hard life eh?" James pulled a bottle of champagne out of his capacious fridge, and opened it with a flourish. He poured two glasses full, and raised his in a toast, "to a successful week."

                 "Cheers," I said, clinking his glass with mine, "and may next week be even better."

                 James left early the next morning to catch his flight. It was the first time I had actually been alone in the flat since moving in. I nosed around the spare bedroom, and peeked into James office. It was a stark room, with just a desk and a few bookshelves. I wondered how he spent so many hours every day in such a featureless room. I left the office and closed the door, deciding not to poke around or pry. James' bedroom was larger than mine, and had the same large windows and river view. There were no pictures, paintings, or other clues to the man who slept here. The room was tidy to the point of bare, giving it a sterile look that was at odds with James dishevelled appearance. My curiosity satisfied, I went back to the kitchen to make a latte, and plan what I was wearing that evening.

                 I looked around the arcade after my workout. I wanted something new to wear, so checked out the boutiques until I came across a pretty, and sophisticated wrap dress. I tried it on, and decided it was just the right mix of demure and sexy. It was important to me to look good that evening to cover up the insecurity I felt around people like Oscar. I also bought new lingerie and stockings, just in case.

                Back home, I took my time getting ready, paying particular attention to my hair and makeup. By half seven, I was a bundle of nerves. I nearly jumped out of my skin when there was a knock at the door.

                 Oscar looked delicious. He was wearing a suit, bespoke by the look of it, with a deep blue shirt, and a deep blue tie. He smiled as I invited him in while I grabbed my coat and bag.

                 "You look lovely," he said, kissing my cheek. His close proximity was heady.

                 "Thank you, so do you. Where are we going tonight?"

                 "I didn't know what you'd like, so I chose The Ivy. Hope that's ok," he replied.
Good choice Oscar,
I thought.

                "Great choice," I said, flashing my best, most dazzling smile. We travelled down to the ground floor in silence. A cab was waiting outside to drive us to the West End.

                 The Ivy was packed, and I wondered how he'd managed to get a table at such short notice. We perused the menu, and he said he liked the Devonshire chicken, which was for two people, if I wanted to share. When the waiter arrived, he ordered for both of us, and chose a bottle of Sancerre. Once he'd ordered, and the waiter disappeared, he stared at me, which was a touch disconcerting.

                 "So tell me about yourself Elle."

                "You already know where I live and where I work. You know I like the gym, and there's not much more to tell. What about you? Where did you study?"

                "Oxford. I went straight into the family firm afterwards to learn the ropes. Took over as chairman three years ago when my Father died."

                "How old are you?"

                "Thirty two. How old are you?"

                "Twenty four. I did three years at Cambridge, a year legal practitioner, then straight into the law firm I'm with now. Did my traineeship, and got promoted." I left out the bit about coming from south London. Somehow, I felt I shouldn't share that with him. "That must have been hard, taking over a bank at twenty nine, plus dealing with losing your Dad." His scowl was back on his face, and I wondered if I'd said the wrong thing.

                He shrugged, "it's what I was groomed for since birth, so it was just part of what was planned for me. Things are done.....differently in families like mine."

                 "Oh?" I raised my eyebrows, prompting him to go on.

                 "Well, you know, legacy and all that."
What was he on about?

                "So what else is expected of you?" I needed to find out more.

                "Don't be coy, Elle. Your family probably expect the same from you." I gave him a quizzical look over my smoked salmon. "They expect me to marry and have children to carry on the family name, and the bank." He looked exasperated at having to spell it out.

                 "And what do you want?" I asked him. He sat chewing thoughtfully for a moment.

                 "I want my mother to shut up about it, and leave me alone." I laughed, which made him smile. He seemed to relax a bit, and we started chatting about our university days.

When he relaxed and dropped the scowl, he was really sexy. I began to speculate about what he'd be like in bed. Would he be buttoned up and conventional, or an uninhibited tiger? My belly squeezed just thinking about it.                                                              "What did you think of Ivan?" He asked, breaking my erotic thoughts.

                 "Charismatic, handsome. Sly bugger though. Apparently all the girls in the office fancy him."

                 "And do you?"

                 "I have my hands full here," I flirted, which made him smile again.

                 "Charmer. Seriously, do you fancy him?"

                "No. I can appreciate that he's handsome, but it's never good when you know they can't be trusted. I watched him in action, remember. Anyway, I heard he only likes supermodels, so that rules me out."

                 "Oh I don't know, you're the prettiest lawyer I've ever met. I know he was desperate to find out more about you."

                 "And you called me a charmer. He can find out what he likes, it doesn't change the fact that he was trying to scam our client." I wanted to close down the conversation. Knowing he was a friend of Ivan's, I didn't want to give any indication that I was in any way enamoured. I changed the subject, "so how come you're still single? There must be loads of socialites and models desperate to hang off your arm?"

                 "They bore me. When there's not much going on upstairs, the downstairs loses its allure pretty fast," he said, his face impassive, "and how come you're still single?"

                 "I work too hard, long hours don't always go down well with boyfriends." It wasn't entirely the truth, as I had deliberately kept the south London lads at arms length, not wanting two babies by age eighteen, and my feet nailed to the floor. Again, I couldn't share that one.

                 "Unless you're with someone ambitious, they don't get it do they?" Oscar had hit the nail on the head. The boys I had grown up with aspired to be gas fitters and postmen, and do as little work as they could get away with, preferring to spend their time in the pub instead. I looked over at Oscar, chairman of a bank, the right age, and extraordinarily handsome, and decided I needed to play my A game.

                "No they don't. I figured that any man who didn't appreciate my career and work ethic wouldn't be right for me, so it was better to stay single than settle for second best."

                 We spent the rest of the meal talking about our jobs, current affairs and other easy subjects. Oscar paid the bill, and we headed outside where another taxi was waiting for us. Back at the flats, he travelled up in the lift with me to the top floor.

                  "Would you like a coffee?" I offered, having made the decision that only coffee would be the agenda that night. He came in and sat at the kitchen island while I made us both lattes.

                  "This flat really is lovely, I wish I'd bought it," he said, looking around.

                  "Isn't yours the same?"

                  "Similar, this one has a different layout though, mine isn't as open plan. It had to have more walls with another flat built over it. I usually only stay there during the week, so it's not a big deal."

                 "Where do you live at the weekend then?"

                 "I have a place in Sussex. I usually go Friday night and come back Monday morning, but last weekend I had a social engagement, and this weekend, a date with you."

                 We finished our coffees, and I yawned, "I'm gonna have to send you home, I've had a lovely evening, and thank you for dinner." We both stood up, and I walked round the island to see him out. He slid his arms around my waist, crushing me to his chest. Briefly he gazed at my face, as if he was trying to work me out, before he leaned down to kiss me gently, his lips grazing mine before becoming more urgent. His tongue ran across my lower lip before it met mine, in lush, soft licks. He smelled fabulous up close, and as his hands roamed over my back, everything south of my waist tightened viciously. Not shagging him was going to take every bit of resolve I possessed. After a minute, I pulled away. He smiled a lovely crooked smile.

                 "Are you sure you want me to go?"

                 "Yes, I need some sleep." I caught a look of annoyance flash over his face, but it was fleeting.

                 "As you wish, can I take you out to breakfast tomorrow morning?"

                 "Ok. What time?"

                 "Nine?" I nodded in reply, before opening the front door for him. He gave me another quick kiss on the lips before disappearing into the lift. I closed the door and leaned against it to cool my heated back. I was in big trouble where Oscar Golding was concerned.

                 I headed off to bed, wondering if he would be playing the maudlin music again. I lay in the dark straining my ears, but couldn't hear a sound. The thought of him laying just one floor below me, possibly naked, had me reaching for my battery-operated-boyfriend to help me get to sleep.