More Than A Four Letter Word (2 page)

Julian holds out his hand to Clarissa. He
gets what he wants at little additional cost to Rosscom. He only
hopes that his other plans for Clarissa go this smoothly. "Ms.
Marks you have a deal. Daniel should have the changes drafted by
the end of the business today. It's a pleasure doing business with
you. I think it's a good idea to transfer the reins of operations
starting Monday. I also hear that congratulations are in order. I
wish you all the best with your upcoming wedding."

Clarissa shakes his hand to close the deal.
"Thank you Mr. Ross. I'm looking forward to starting my new
life."

"Please call me Julian. Clarissa I would like
to take you out to lunch if you're free."

Clarissa knew that going to lunch with this
dangerously sexy man would be stupid on her part. "I'd love to, did
you have anything specific in mind. If not, I could have Wanda call
a caterer, and all of us could have lunch in the conference
room."

With briefcase in hand, Aaron heads for the
door. "Sorry, I have to decline. Daniel and I have some work to do
before the end of business today. Nice seeing you again Ms. Marks
and congratulations on your wedding."

"Thank you Aaron. It's marvelous seeing you
again Daniel."

"Well I can't stay either; I'm needed back at
the office. Come walk me to the elevator Clarissa." Max grabs his
things and nods to Aaron and Daniel as they leave. "Congratulations
on your new investment Mr. Ross."

Julian shakes Max's hand and watches as Max
grabs Clarissa's arm, escorting her out the door. The mere thought
of another man touching Clarissa annoys him. Max seems too casual
for just a lawyer. It didn't matter that Max is old enough to be
Clarissa's father. Julian wants Max to keep his old man hands to
himself. He should have taken the time to wonder why the notion of
another man touching Clarissa should make him angry. He helps
himself to some fruit before patiently waiting for Clarissa's
return. He would present his lure before her during lunch hoping to
hear from her by the end of the week.

Clarissa and Max make small talk as she walks
him to the elevator. "I'm very proud of you Clarissa."

"Whatever for Max, I didn't do anything
impressive back there."

"You recognized that Julian Ross planned to
drag his feet, and you put a stop to it his shenanigans. You're not
the scary young woman who has a dream of starting a company one
day."

"To secure my future games I think Julian
would make more concessions. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been ready
to take over operations of Lariat so soon. I grew up a lot over the
last five years. I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. I
won't miss the daily grind of owning a business. My employees' jobs
are safe, and that's all I honestly want."

Max didn't know how to advise Clarissa about
Julian Ross without sounding like her father. "Clarissa I just want
you to be careful around Julian Ross. That man's a hunter, and he
watches you as if you are his prey. You have to be careful around a
man like that, or he'd be inside your panties before you can
blink."

Clarissa felt the warmth of embarrassment
leap into her face. "Uncle Max! We're just going to lunch. The
agreement has been sealed there's nothing else for him to settle."
She gives Max a hug and dismisses his warning. "You worry too
much."

"I may be old, but I'm a man. Julian Ross
practically licks his lips every time he makes eye contact with
you. Don't let his good looks fool you." Max kisses her cheek.
"I'll see you at the wedding."

"Thanks for all your support Uncle Max! I
couldn't handle the negotiations without you. I'll see you in a few
weeks."

Clarissa got her purse out of her office.
She's glad that the negotiations with Rosscom were over.
Everybody's still has a job, and of course, she would receive a
handsome profit. Lariat Games has been her baby for the last five
years, but she's getting married. Clarissa doesn't want to spend
60-80 hours working in an office anymore. It’s time for her to
settle down, enjoy life, and raise a family.

With the profits from selling Lariat and her
condominium, Clarissa and Lawrence would have plenty money to build
their own home in Atlanta and have a little nest egg in the bank.
Everything is going swell; Clarissa's new job with World
InfoSecurity starts several weeks after they return from their
honeymoon. Ozark Pharmaceuticals promise to move Lawrence to the
Atlanta office where he'll be the executive director in charge of
risk management. Just think, in a few more weeks, she would be Mrs.
Lawrence Tate.

When she returns to the executive conference
room, Julian Ross is on the phone. He nods to her as she approaches
and quickly cuts his call short. His eyes did a slow perusal from
her legs to her eyes. She could sense his interest in her. It's as
if he were psyching out an opponent rather than a man's interest in
a woman. Julian makes her feel as if he's sizing her up for
purchase. "Well Julian I'm ready if you are."

"I'm more than ready Clarissa. The real
question being, are you ready for me?" Julian follows her out the
conference room into the waiting elevator.

Julian's hand rests on her back as he walks
with her to his car. His driver opens the door for them. Max's
advice makes her think that she's playing way over her head. Julian
didn't come to Orlando to seal the deal; he's here to recommend a
whole new deal. She would be gentle when she turns him down because
nothing and no other man can come between her and her fiancé.

***

Julian's driver takes them to Gargi's
Lakeside, a popular Italian restaurant near downtown Orlando. The
hostess stands there drooling and uses her power to attract his
attention. Julian seems to take it all in stride as if it were his
due. He's use to beautiful women making fools of themselves for his
attention. Clarissa can't understand women who behave in this
manner. She remembers her father telling her that if a woman
behaves like a cheap trick a man would use her like one.

Julian keeps his hand on her back as if he
were escorting his girlfriend to the lunch table. Clarissa tries
not to respond to his obvious sign of possession. Men like Julian
don't fall in love; the women in his life are just a receptacle for
his lust. The hostess tries to lead them to the patio seating, but
Julian has other plans. Clarissa knows without a doubt that Julian
isn't a patio kind of guy. He selects a location in a corner near
the back of the room offering plenty of privacy.

After several more tries for Julian's
attention, the hostess finally got the message that he has no
interest. Their waiter comes over and quickly regales them with
today's lunch special. Clarissa decides on the black bean soup,
shrimp scampi, and a soft drink. Julian orders crab cakes, Italian
sausage and peppers, and wine. The waiter immediately takes the
menus and leaves them alone.

Julian keeps staring at her chest as if he
could see her bare breasts under her clothing. She's come across
men like Julian before. He has women constantly seeking his
attention, secretly hoping he'd choose them as his next lover.
Clarissa's plans to guide the conversation to safe subjects; she
refuses to be his distraction while he's in Orlando.

"Well Julian why did you come to Orlando for
the negotiations? I have to tell you that I'm surprised me to see
the CEO of Rosscom come all the way from Chicago for what is common
acquisition."

Julian could see that his examination of her
body makes Clarissa uncomfortable. He would be lying if he said
that isn't his intention. He'd bet that Clarissa's fiancé hasn't
touched the tigress that dwells deep inside her. He envisions all
the sex games they'd play in his bed. The mere thought of tasting
the warm honey between Clarissa legs makes his erection rise
against the zipper of his pants. He loves the hunt and Clarissa is
undeniably worth the chase.

"I have other business interests in Orlando,
but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see you. That's my only
excuse for joining Aaron and Daniel at the meeting. It's been
awhile since I've wet my hands with a new acquisition. Lariat Games
has been on my company's radar for several years. It saddens me to
hear that you were selling Lariat Games just to settle down and
become a good little wife."

Clarissa drank from her glass before
responding. Julian's baiting her, but she didn't understand why.
"There's nothing wrong with marrying the man you love and raising a
family."

Julian put his elbows on the table, clasping
his hands together, gazing deeply into her beautiful eyes. She's
finding his conversation irritating, no more than he considered her
marriage to Lawrence Tate an abomination. "There's only one problem
with your scenario. You don't love your fiancé, and he certainly
doesn't satisfy you sexually."

"Are you certain of that?"

"Seems to me that you're settling for a
marriage you don't want that will surely end in divorce."

"Why did you ask me to lunch? I can't believe
it's just to insult my fiancé and me.

Julian ignores her last remark. He didn't
want to be caught up in discussion of a marriage that won't take
place. He needs to rein in his condemnation over Clarissa horrid
taste in men and focus on his latest project. "I apologize if I
sound cynical about your upcoming nuptials. I consider marriage a
futile endeavor and can't quite understand why anyone would enter
into such an arrangement."

Clarissa couldn't decide if she should be
leave or laugh. Julian didn't necessarily oppose her marriage to
Lawrence he's against the institution of marriage altogether. "You
shouldn't knock marriage until you've tried it."

"I've been married."

Clarissa seemed shocked, "You were
married."

"You seem surprised. I assure you that I'm an
extremely good catch. At one time, I did believe in love and
marriage. All stupid things should be done at a young age; this
limits the chance of repeating careless mistakes."

"Your wife must have done a number on you.
Obviously you're not still her, or you wouldn't be the biggest
playboy in Chicago."

"She was an agreeable woman, in love with the
idea of love. I made a good living, and she was a stay at home
wife. Unfortunately, for her, she expected me to be at her disposal
24/7. I was on the fast track, working 15 hour days and I didn't
have time to hold her hand every time she felt insecure.
Eventually, she quickly became disillusioned with our
marriage."

Clarissa sighed in relief when her eyes
caught the waiter bringing their food. "I'm sorry to hear about
your wife."

"She was a good woman; she just married the
wrong man."

Wow that's a telling statement, Julian let
her know that he's not the marrying kind. As you say, some mistakes
are best forgotten."

"After today's negotiations I would think you
would like to relax, sure you don't want any wine."

Clarissa followed his example and welcomed
the change in topic. "It's too early in the day to drink. Besides I
have to go back to work after lunch."

"I thought you'd be planning a celebration
after selling Lariat Games."

"I think I'll prepare a memorable dinner for
my fiancé tonight. So I guess it's a celebration of sorts."

“
I'm curious Clarissa. Why
would a woman with your qualifications take a position as a
security analyst for an insurance company?”

How many times has she been asked that
question this week? Everyone rates success with money, but money is
nothing if you aren't happy with your job. “Lariat Games has been
my baby for five years. I love creating and developing video games,
but I hate the management aspect."

"You could stick to the creative side of the
business. If creating and graphic designs are what you love, I
don't understand why you would give it up."

"When I get in a creative mode I lose all
track of time and tend to forget about everything outside my
creative world."

"Ah, your fiancé doesn't like the devotion
you have for your business. He sounds terribly selfish to me.
Therefore, you give up your work that you obviously love to move to
another state and become an analyst. What did your fiancé give
up?"

Clarissa sat there glaring at him with
indignation. "We both thought that a fresh start in a new state
away from our families would give our marriage the boost it
needs."

Julian gave her his best charming smile. "I
understand perfectly, you're making all the sacrifices for this
marriage."

Clarissa bit her lip; she didn't need
Julian's dissection of her relationship with Lawrence to make her
wonder if she were making a mistake. The natural progression of her
three year engagement to Lawrence is marriage. Lawrence is a
terrific guy; he would never tempt her like Mr. Sexy across the
table. One thing is for sure Lawrence could never break her heart.
If she's settling for a bland marriage, it's better than having her
heart put through the wringer.

"I know exactly what I'm getting out of this
marriage, and it suits me just fine."

Julian reaches across the table tracing her
bottom lip with his thumb. "Are you so afraid of passion that you
would marry the first man who asks?"

Clarissa resists the temptation to suck his
thumb and slightly places herself out of reach. "You have become
extremely familiar with me Mr. Ross; your actions are
unprofessional and inappropriate."

Julian studies her with a knowing look. He
could tell by the fire in her eyes that she's aroused. “My behavior
has been unprofessional and inappropriate. For that, I apologize,
especially since you're not in a position to acknowledge or act
upon the attraction between us.

"That doesn't sound like an apology."