Stay With Me Tonight: A Drake Brothers Series (PART 1) (4 page)

              “Watching you come was the hottest thing I have ever seen,” he murmured into my ear.

              It was a little mean, but I acted like I was sleeping.  I didn't want to give him any more false hope about what just happened or the potential of anything else happening in the future.  I glanced at the clock again.  2:53 AM.

              I waited about twenty minutes.  I could tell his breathing had slowed.  I gently peeled his arms from around me and got out of the bed.  I tried my best to find my clothes in the darkness without waking Bellamy.  I couldn't find my panties and I figured I better get out of there in case he woke up.  I threw my dress on and carried my boots.  I was worried that the noise they would make on his dark wood floors would echo and wake him.  I got into the elevator and pushed the button for the ground floor.  Once the doors opened on the bottom floor, I grabbed my phone and called for a cab.

              The cab arrived within ten minutes.  I asked the driver to take me to my car back at The Bull.  I got in my car and then headed back to my place.  When I got home, I fell back onto my bed as I thought about what had happened tonight.  Bellamy was by far, the hottest guy I had ever been with.  He was an ace in bed and the way he talked dirty to me made me wet again just thinking about it.  And then him asking me to stay and cuddling with me.  I am not sure what he thought was going to happen between us, but no substantial relationship ever began with hooking up on the night you met.  What happened between me and Bellamy sure would give me some interesting things to fantasize about the next thousand times I masturbated.  At the rate I kept thinking about him fucking me, my vibrator would probably get a work out first thing in the morning.  I eventually dozed off, but my dreams were filled with Bellamy fucking me, going down on me, and owning every piece of me.

Chapter Five

              The next morning I skipped my run because I didn't wake up until after 10:00.  I thought I would probably start packing, but in the end, laziness won and I decided to put it off again.  Even though I wanted to spend my time with Bellamy on my mind and my vibrator in hand,  I ended up grabbing the paper and heading to the corner coffee shop.  I ate my pumpkin muffin and sipped my hazelnut latte as I skimmed the employment section yet again.  As usual, nothing really stood out.  I laid the paper down, annoyed at this situation I was in.  I people watched for a bit.  When I finished my muffin, I grabbed my coffee and the paper to head back to my apartment.  It was then that my eye caught it at the very bottom of the employment section:

DRAKE DYNAMICS

An advertising and marketing firm

seeks Chief Financial Officer.

Competitive salary, benefits, paid vacation.

Apply at
http://www.drakedynamicsfirm.com
.

             
My apartment was a quick ten minute walk from the coffee shop and by the time I had gotten home, I had decided it was worth a shot.  I went onto the Drake Dynamics website and applied for the job.  I attached my resume and several letters of recommendation from some of my professors at Yale.  The rest of the day I spent cleaning and throwing out old stuff I knew would be a waste to move when I moved home in a few weeks.  The next few days flew by.  I ran, I slept, I wallowed over moving home, I may or may not have drank six bottles of wine all by myself.

              On Thursday everything changed.  At 9:00 in the morning the Human Resource office at Drake Dynamics called to set up an interview for the CFO job I had applied for.  I was a bit shocked I even got an interview, but I certainly didn't think I really had a shot.  They set up the interview for Monday morning at 10:00.  I would be meeting with Turner Drake, the Vice President of Operations.  I thanked the Human Resource employee and hung up.  I was ecstatic.  I called Brooke to see if she wanted to meet for lunch and do a little shopping on Saturday so I could buy a new outfit for my interview.  Sure, I already had plenty of business outfits, but this job was a notch higher than any thing else that I had applied for.  I had to bring it my A game and part of that would include being dressed to kill.  Brooke met me for lunch at our favorite little Italian bistro called Rocco's that was downtown.  We met at 11:00 and we both ordered the caprese salad and pasta fagioli.  We had a nice chat.  She mostly complained about Jay cheating on her even though it had happened months ago.  It was still on her mind and she was still angry.  She had every right to be.  I listened to her and told her how horrible he was, like any good friend should have done.  Then the conversation turned to me.

              “So who was that guy the other night at The Bull?”

             
What was I supposed to say?
I had made it out to them like I knew him, but I didn't.

              “Oh um Bellamy... he's just a guy I had met and we happened to bump into each other again the other night.”

              “Well girl, he was gorgeous.  Don't let that one go,” she mused.

              “Yeah well we're still getting to know each other, so who knows,” I shrugged.

              I changed the subject after that.  I didn't exactly lie to her.  I just bent the truth a little bit.  After lunch we headed to the mall.  I bought a gorgeous charcoal grey skirt suit that I decided I'd wear with the sheer white high-collared ruffled blouse I bought for the first interview I had a the end of the summer.  The skirt hit right above my knee.

              The rest of the weekend was pretty uneventful.  I practiced interview questions I had been asked during other job interviews and I started to pack.  This job at Drake really was my last hope.  My rent was due in a week and if I didn't land this job, I would have no other choice but to move home.  A lot was riding on me getting this job.  Sunday I called Rachel to tell her I had gotten an interview at Drake.

              “Hello?”

              “Hey Rach, how have you been?”

              “Doing good, packing mostly.  Who knew packing was such a pain in the ass?  I will be so glad when we lay some roots down there in Charleston because I do not plan on having to pack or move again for a very long time,” she joked.

              “I'm good.  I was actually calling because I wanted to tell you that I was having to move home to live with my parents for a while.  I was hoping one of the jobs I had applied for would pan out and I would land a job so I wouldn't have to do that, but so far nothing has worked out.  I am really sorry.  I know you were so excited about moving back here so we could hang out all the time.  But, well.... I applied for that position at Drake Dynamics and I got an interview.  So that's really my last shot.  If it doesn't work out, I will be moving home soon.”

              “Oh my gosh!  Really?  Well let's hope it works out so you don't have to move back home.  I need you here.  I have an entire wedding to plan.  You have to be here to help me with that!  So when's your interview?”

              “Tomorrow morning.  I went out and bought a new skirt suit to wear yesterday.  This
has
to work out.  But honestly, I am not holding my breath.  I have no real work experience being a CFO and what I did during my internships was such a fraction of what a job like this would entail that I would either have to be the only person to have applied for the job or just get super lucky.”

              “Maybe you'll get lucky.  Stranger things have happened.... And Kate, really you are very smart we both know that.  They'd be stupid not to hire you.”

              “Thanks, I hope you're right.  I'll call you tomorrow to let you know how it goes.”

              “Okay, good luck!” she hung up.

              That night I did my normal pre-interview routine.  I took a long hot bath, shaved my legs, ironed my outfit, and painted my nails.  I went to bed early because even though my interview wasn't until 10:00 the next morning, I planned to get up early for a jog to burn some stress and then give myself plenty of time to get ready.  I ran four miles and then came home and took a quick shower.  I blow dried my hair and then pinned it up and out of my face.  I tried to pull off the office sophistication as best I could.  I put on my skirt suit and ended up wearing my red heels.  It was a nice classic pop of color to my grey and white wardrobe.  I wore just a bit of makeup, some mascara and a little bronzer.  I ended up wearing red lipstick as it kind of tied my whole look together since I was wearing red shoes.  I wore the pearl earrings my mom gave me as a graduation present when I graduated from Carolina.  I took one last glance in the mirror before I left.

              '
Knock 'em dead sweetheart.'
  I thought to myself as I shut the door of my apartment behind me.

              I arrived promptly at Drake Dynamics at 9:55.  I headed to the reception desk where the cute brunette behind the desk called Mr. Drake and told him I had arrived.  She directed me to sit in the waiting area and said he'd be right with me.  I took a few deep breaths because I was starting to get a little nervous.  I fidgeted with my nails. 
'Stop it Kate.  Calm, cool, collected.  You got this.'
I thought to myself.

              “Mr. Drake will see you now,”  the receptionist chimed in.

              I stood and walked over to the desk.

              “Take the elevator to the seventh floor.  When you get off the elevator, turn left and he's the last door on the right.  The elevator's right over there,” she told me as she pointed her perfectly polished finger to the right.

              “Okay, thank you.”

              I took the elevator to the seventh floor, turned left, and went down to the end.  When I got to the office, the door was shut.  There was a placard on it that read in fancy masculine writing
Turner Drake, Vice President.
  I knocked three times on the door.

              “Come in.”

              I walked in and Turner Drake was standing in a navy blue suit facing out his window.  His hands were planted in his pockets.

              “Hello, Mr. Drake, I'm...”

              “Yes I know, Miss Conrad,” he interrupted.

              Just as he finished his sentence, he turned around to greet me.

              My breath hitched.  He. Was. Gorgeous.

              He couldn't have been more than thirty years old.  He had light brown hair that was cut short.  He was tall, muscular, and tan.  His eyes were hazel with tiny flecks of green and when he smiled at me, the smile went all the way to his eyes.  That was the best kind of smile a person could have.  He walked around his desk and extended his hand to shake mine. 

              His handshake was firm and I liked that.  Most men who shook my hand gripped it like it was a limp spaghetti noodle.  Like I was a delicate flower that they would break if they grasped my hand with any kind of firmness.

              “It's nice to meet you Mr. Drake.”

              “The pleasure is certainly mine.  Please, take a seat,” he motioned to the leather chairs in front of his desk.

              I sat, crossed my legs at the ankle and smoothed my skirt.  I folded my hands in my lap.  Mr. Drake took his seat behind his desk.  I took a moment to study him.  Something about him was vaguely familiar, but I couldn't quite figure out what it was.  Perhaps we'd seen each other around town.  I wasn't really sure, but I was excited more now than ever about the prospect of working for Drake Dynamics because this guy was HOT!

              “So Miss Conrad, tell me about yourself,” he started.

              “Please, call me Kate,” I smiled.

              “Okay, Kate.  In that case, please call me Turner.  Mr. Drake makes me feel like an old man and I am certain there is less than a decade separating us in age.”

              “Okay Turner.  Well I have my bachelor's degree in Finance from the University of South Carolina and just this past spring I graduated from Yale with my masters degree in Economics.  I don't have any real work experience since graduation, but I'm smart and I'm a quick learner.  I also did my most recent internship at Marriott  where I worked in their corporate office in Bethesda for 8 weeks last summer.  I can guarantee you that if you give me a chance you will not be disappointed.”

              “Is that so?  Would it shock you to know that if I offered you this job, that the control of half a billion dollars would be in your hands?”

              I took a moment to collect my thoughts before responding.

              “No sir, I pay strong attention to detail, I'm a hard worker, and I have no bad habits because I have never held a job like this one.  So you can mold me into exactly the person you want...” I trailed on.

              He raised an eyebrow at me and gave a faint grin.

              “...Exactly the person you want, for this job I mean.”  I looked down at the floor awkwardly.

              “Kate, you know... this usually is not my style, but,” he paused.

              “I am going to offer you this job.  You intrigue me.  I am anxious to see what you can bring to our organization.  When can you start?”

              I smiled.  I had actually landed this job.  This had been the strangest job interview I had ever had.  I had been in his office all of ten minutes and he already offered me a job.  This job probably paid more than I could ever imagine having as a salary. 
Wait, I hadn't even asked what the salary was
.

              “Thank you for the offer Mr. Drake.  Can I ask, what the salary for this position is?”

              “I told you, Kate,
please
call me Turner.  The salary is a probably less than you were expecting, but we are offering a $150,000 salary plus an annual bonus.”

              My eyes grew big. 
$150,000 a year?  Not what I was expecting?  Hell, I would've been happy with $50,000 a year.

              “$150,000 is certainly a generous salary, Turner.  I can start on Wednesday.”

              “Great!” he extended his arm across the desk to shake my hand.  “Welcome to Drake Dynamics.  I will let Human Resources know so you can go down and complete all of the necessary paper work.  Would you have time to do that while you are here today?”

              “Yes sir, I can go down to fill out the papers now.”

              He held onto my hand just a tad bit longer than felt natural.  At that moment, I glanced down at our connected hands and that's when I noticed it.  I'd seen those same hands before.  Those hands had been all over me days ago.  They were Bellamy's hands.  My pulse quickened and my stomach turned.

              I looked back up at Turner.  I quickly pulled my hand away and rubbed my sweaty palm on my skirt.  The door opened, but I didn't have time to look behind me before Turner spoke.

              “Hey Bellamy, this is our new CFO...”  Turner looked back to me, “And this is the CEO of Drake Dynamics,” Turner extended his hand towards Bellamy.  “Bellamy Drake, meet Kate Conrad.”