Merger (6 page)

“Thank you
,” I replied. “You don’t look so bad yourself.” And, he didn’t. He’d lost his suit and tie and was now wearing some casual dress slacks, a white tailored shirt, unbuttoned at the top, and a navy sports coat. He was very handsome and his age only made him that much more distinguished. Jake had clearly gotten his good looks from his father. The Crawford men were downright hot – young or old.

“Kasey and I were just getting to know each other
,” Jake interjected and stared at me like prey.

             
“Yes, we were,” I replied, taking my eyes from Jake and moving them to the senior Crawford.

“That’s great
. You two ready to eat?”

I looked at Jake and he looked at me and nodded his head up and down, which I assumed meant yes
. “Sure,” I replied.

“Wonderful, I’ll let them know we’re ready.”

              Mr. Crawford moved his arm, waving it towards the stairs and we proceeded towards the dining room. When we got to the table he pulled my chair out and I proceeded to sit. Jake came strolling up and helped him move my chair in. I thanked them both and picked up the menu trying to fill the space of awkwardness. Jake was trying to act as my date and Mr. Crawford acting as my Dad. I appreciated the effort of both, but remained as non-committal as possible to either man’s need to take care of me.

We
had finished dessert and were on the last glasses of wine when I felt Jake’s hand brush against my thigh. I was so loose and relaxed from the wine, but I jumped and quickly moved my leg away. He looked at me with a smirk and shook his head slightly like I was crazy. I deciphered from his look that it was clearly not an advance on me, but was probably an accident. I rolled my eyes and looked over to find Mr. Crawford glaring at the two of us like foolish kids that didn’t know how to behave at the dinner table. I chuckled at the stupidity of it all and sipped the last of my wine.

“I thought I’d take Kasey out for a nightcap and a drive around L.A.” Jake
was to his father, but never took his eyes off me.

“That sounds nice
,” he replied.

“That
does sound really nice,” I chimed in, “but honestly it’s been a long day and I really should be getting back to the hotel.” I directed my sentence to Mr. Crawford, but veered back to see Jake’s face. His demeanor had clearly changed. Rejection was something I’m sure he didn’t hear often or accept easily.

“Well then,” said Jake, “Let me drive you to the hotel at least.”

I relented, not wanting to come across as a cold bitch and replied. “Sure.”

I stood and went to shake Mr. Crawford’s hand when he pulled me into another warm and genuine embrace
. “I really look forward to a wonderful future and partnership with you and your father, Kasey.”

I pulled back from his hug and nodded in agreement
. “Me too, sir. Thank you so much for dinner, it was wonderful. The food, the company, and the wine were superb.”

“I look forward to many more.” He released me and looked at Jake
. “Take good care of our girl.”

I instantly felt nervous again, despite the effects of the wine and turned to see Jake response.

“You can count on it,” he replied, and then reached out to shake his Dad’s hand.

Mr. Crawford reached around me to his son, grabbed his
hand, and placed his other hand on Jake’s shoulder. “I know you will.”

It felt odd, like a hand off
. One minute I was under the care of Mr. Crawford and the next I was under the care of Jake. It felt weird to belong to no one and everyone all at the same time. I was suddenly glad I’d drank quite a bit of wine and uncharacteristically remained quiet during this exchange.
Men could be so stupid.

Jake placed his hand
on the small of my back and I moved quickly through the restaurant and out the door. The night air was still warm, but the temperature was perfect and the sky was cloudless and full of stars. I was looking up when Jake grabbed my hand and walked me to his car, which was parked in the circular drive right outside the door. For good reason, all the super-hot cars were always parked directly in front of the door to show the other patrons that the who’s who ate here.

“Wow, Jake, nice car
. What did this beauty set you back?” I asked, staring down at the dark black Lamborghini. It was sleek, shiny, and incredibly sexy.
Just like its driver.

“Quite a pretty penny I assure you, but her beauty pales in comparison to you this evening, Ms. Blakely
. Now hop in and let’s take her for a spin.”

The door swung skyward
. I looked at Jake and watched as his ego grew, and imagined his cock grew too. I backed into the car as gracefully as possible because it sat so low to the ground. I was grateful that my dress wasn’t too short, nor my heels too high. The smooth leather felt supple under my weight. Jake smirked proudly and closed the door. I’d never been in a Lamborghini before, but when the car ignited beneath me, the rumble of the powerful engine went straight between my legs. The car charged forward and I settled in, feeling incredibly sexual and energized.

I didn’t want to look at Jake because I could sense he knew I was captured by the moment
. The powerful car under me and the intoxicating smell of him beside me, combined with my man drought put Jake at an unfair advantage over me. I needed to get to the hotel and out of this car as soon as possible. The car was thick with silent desire…his and mine
. Be strong. Be strong.

“So where
to?” he asked.

“Hotel
,” I replied, determined to dissuade his advances.

“Oh, come on, I won’t bite
, Kasey. Indulge me. I promise to be a perfect gentleman.” His eyes fell over me and I looked back feeling indifferent about his offer to continue on with the evening. “You must have some preconceived notion of me and whatever it is, I intend to dispel it,” he continued with genuine sadness in his voice.

“What do you mean?”

“Come on, really? You have acted a little standoffish since you stepped into the bar this evening. I assure you, your virtue will stay intact…if you want it to.”

“That’s what I am talking about
, Jake. You’re making me feel uncomfortable. All the flirting and innuendos are too much. Can we just be friends?” I looked directly at him for the first time in a while, hoping I wouldn’t buckle at the sight of him and lunge across the car, all limbs and lips.

“So it didn’t even take
twenty-four hours…I can call you K.K. now?” he asked, jokingly.

I
had to commend him at his attempt to ease the banter between us. “Sure, friends it is.”

By the time I entered the hotel, it was somewhere between midnight and one in the morning
. My feet were aching and I was sweaty from nonstop dancing. Jake was a big flirt, but a hell of a lot of fun and I was grateful in the end that I decided to go out.

I stepped out of my shoes and walk
ed gingerly to the elevator, when heard my phone beep. I pulled my phone from my bag, looked down, and saw that I had missed several texts from Joshua. I felt a ping of excitement as I opened the first text, sent at 10:00.

HOME YET? WANTED TO SEXT YOU? CALL ME WHEN YOU GET IN. X0-J

11:00 p.m.

OKAY, NOW I’M STARTING TO FEEL JEALOUS. NO CALL, NO TEXT. I SHOULD HAVE TAKEN THAT FLIGHT TO LA. XO-J

1:00 a.m.

I’M GOING CRAZY THINKING ABOUT YOU. CALL BEFORE I LOSE MY MIND WORRYING ABOUT YOU. XO-J

Damn, he sounded like a possessive boyfriend, but I liked it. I slid the key into the lock of my suite and on the foyer table was the most exquisite bouquet of flowers. I was suddenly giddy with excitement. I walked my tired feet over and plucked the card. It revealed four simple words.

CAN’T WAIT TILL SATURDAY – J.

I contemplated whether to text back, but after toying with the idea and looking at the clock on the nightstand, thought better of it. No need to expose myself to still be awake or worse yet, just getting into bed at one fifteen in the morning.

Chapter 8

Joshua

Not knowing what she was doing with my
Dad and brother and me being in New York was hell for me. It gave me too much time to dwell on my situation with her. I needed to come clean about whom I was, but I was feeling selfish and didn’t want to miss the chance at something more. It was a risky game, but one I was hoping to win.

I knew Jake like the back of my hand and there was no way he wouldn’t make a play for Kasey
. The thought had me tied in knots. I sent the flowers after our conversation earlier in the evening. I wanted to make sure that the last thing she thought about before she went to sleep was me. I sent my final text at one in the morning, but there was no response back. I managed to finally fall asleep after jerking off to the thought of my beautiful partner.

My phone rang at seven and I sprang from my bed to answer it
. I tried to sound alert, instead of groggy from just waking.

“Hello
,” I answered.

“Good morning
, son.”

“Oh…hey
, Dad.” I replied letting the grogginess and excitement fizzle from my voice.

“Wow
. Sorry to be such a disappointment. I assume you were expecting someone else?” He chuckled.

“No, not really
. What’s up?”

“Everything is a go with Blakely
. It’s a perfect fit for both companies.”

“That’s great,
Dad. I agree it’s a great fit. When do you meet with Mr. Blakely?”

“He’ll be here sometime this afternoon
. I anticipate we’ll close this deal today. The contracts will be signed within the week. Maybe even by next Monday, either here or in New York. Any thoughts on that? You’re already in New York and we could just come there with Mr. Blakely.”

“Honestly
Dad, that’s totally up to you. Here or there, just let me know.”

“I’ll talk it over with Mr. Blakely and we’ll come to some sort of agreement today.”

“Great. How was dinner last night?”

“If you’re asking about Kasey, it was great
. She’s very smart and very charming. She’ll be a great partner to you.”

Partner
…
ugh!
The word hung over me like a wool blanket, itchy and stiff. I wanted her partnership all right, in my mouth, on my cock, in my bed…not in the boardroom. I knew it already…I was fucked. How was I going to pull this off? I wanted her beneath me, not beside me. The silence grew on the phone and my father broke it swiftly.

“Josh, I know you met her under different circumstances, but you cannot pursue her
. You do understand what a colossal screw up that could be for all parties concerned?”

“I understand
,” I replied. “You have worked hard to make Crawford what it is and I won’t let you down.”

“I never thought you would,” he said
. “Take your time in New York, but don’t get in over your head with her. I know you said you had a date tomorrow evening. I suggest you spend that time bridging the gap of how you two intend to combine forces to take these corporations to the next level. Mr. Blakely and I won’t be around forever.”

“I get it
. Say no more,” I said, before interjecting a final comment. “I’m glad to hear that dinner went well.”

“Yes
. Your brother was on his best behavior and even offered to take her to her hotel.”

I could feel the tension increase in my shoulders and my grip on the phone tighten
. “Awesome.”

“Oh, good God
, Josh, your brother isn’t always the ogre you think he is. Cut him some slack.”

“Oh, he’s not an ogre
, Dad, but he is the biggest womanizing asshole ever.”

I knew now how she could have missed every one of my texts
.
Unbelievable, what a dick!
I could only hope she had more wits about her than to fall for the charms of my younger brother. But many women before her had succumbed.

I suddenly felt sick to my stomach and jealous
.
What the hell was happening to me?
I couldn’t remember a woman ever having this effect on me. I needed to get a grip and fast.

“By the way
, son, if the circumstances were different, she’d be the greatest catch ever.”

“Thanks, that is exactly what I wanted to hear
, Dad. Great pep talk.”

“Funny
.” He laughed into the phone at my expense. “I love you, son.”

“Love you too
. I’ll call you later,” I replied before ending the call.

I sat down on the edge of the bed and put my hands on my head
. What the hell was I going to do now? I’d already sent her flowers, set up a date, and now I was being told to back down. Hell, I’d been warned before the first text and well before the flowers, but I didn’t give a shit.
I wanted her…all of her.

I felt the vibration of my phone before I heard the beep that alerted me that I had a text
. I grabbed my phone with a little less enthusiasm than previously but was pleasantly surprised at the words before me.

FLOWERS BEAUTIFUL. THANK YOU. – K

Thank-fucking-god was all I could think as I held the phone in my hand. I instantly texted back.

GLAD YOU’RE ENJOYING THEM. BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS FOR A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN. COME HOME NOW! DON’T WANT TO WAIT TILL TOMORROW. XO – J

It probably came across a little desperate, but I really didn’t want to wait. Hell, the next two days may be the last I had with her before the reality of our situation hit and we fell into the friend zone.
Piss on that.

BUSINESS NOT QUITE FINISHED. OUR DATE IS TOMORROW IF I REMEMBER RIGHT. SHOULD HAVE COME TO L.A. –K

Yes, I should have.

I WANTED TO LEAVE YOU LONGING. DID IT WORK?

I sure hope so.

LONGING FOR WHAT?

Funny, I’d play along with her.

THE FEEL OF MY MOUTH ON YOURS, THE WAY I’D TAKE ALL OF YOU AND THE WAY YOU WOULD SUCCUMB TO THAT DESIRE. I’M DYING TO SEE YOU. BUSINESS IS OVER - I AM HERE WAITING. XO- J

It was a cocky move on my part, but I was all in!

YOU MAKE ME NERVOUS. DO YOU ALWAYS SAY STUFF LIKE THAT?

Oh, if she only knew.

ONLY WHEN I WANT SOMETHING AND I TOLD YOU BEFORE YOU LEFT THAT I WANT YOU. I WILL MAKE DINNER RESERVATIONS AT 8. I WILL BE HEARTBROKEN IF YOU STAND ME UP. I DON’T WANT TO WAIT ANY LONGER TO SEE YOU. DON’T RESPOND AGAIN IF YOU INTEND TO STAND ME UP. I DON’T THINK MY HEART COULD TAKE THE REJECTION. XO-J

She replied.

COMPANY PLANE COMING IN AT 10 WITH MY DAD ON BOARD. I WON’T MAKE ANY PROMISES, BUT I WILL TRY TO COME HOME TODAY. –K

I knew she would have to jump through a few hoops with my father and hers, but I didn’t want to wait till Saturday. I had a lot to plan and very little time to make it happen. I didn’t just want to impress her; I wanted her to beg for me in the end. I wanted her to not care about who I was or who she was. I wanted to make her mine.