Vengeful Love: Black Diamonds (17 page)

“Come for me,” I beg.

He pumps harder, faster. His hips move forward, the muscles in his neck strain. “Fuck.” He leans forward, resting one knee on the edge of the bed and with another thrust of his fist, he comes across my chest. “Scarlett.” My name rolls off his tongue as he leans over me, pressing his chest against mine, smothering his pleasure between us.

I roll my hips up against him impatiently. Then he’s back on his knees, licking my clit.

“Gregory! Please.”

“Please, what?”

“Make me orgasm.”

He thrusts his fingers inside me as he sucks my clit.

“I fucking love you, Scarlett Heath.” His words are hot against my bare flesh, and they’re unravelling me.

As his fingers curl and sweep my insides, I cry his name and explode around him. I throw my arms above my head, relishing in the sensation, my insides pulsing. Then he grabs my hips, pulling me back to the edge of the bed and thrusts inside me almost instantaneously.

My body responds, rousing again, one long, continuing, thrilling orgasm as he hammers into me, so deep he hurts. An addictive pain. “Gregory! Harder.”

He flips me by the waist then pulls my hips so I’m standing on the tips of my toes, my hands leaning down to the bed, completely exposing myself to him. He reenters me on a growl and thrusts over and over until my unrelenting orgasm has me bunching the bedsheets in my fists and I come again, my muscles clamping around his cock. He slaps my arse cheek as my body gives up and drives the feeling higher until I smother my face in the duvet and scream.

“Get on the bed.”

I crawl onto the bed and wait for my next instruction.

“On your back, leaning off the side. Hands on the floor.”

I shuffle back until my arms and head are leaning back off the bed, my legs bent and wide, accepting whatever he has to give.

He leans over me, dragging his hand down my sticky chest and abdomen. “You look seriously fucking hot like this.”

His fingers move inside me, his tongue moving back to my clit.

“Gregory. No more. I can’t.”

“Take it, baby, I know you want it.”

His fingers move lazily in and out of me as he sucks my clit and another round of pleasure has my limbs in spasm.

“My turn.” He moves over me, pushing his hard shaft into me. He raises my hips, the angle shifting him deeper into me.

He pounds into me, keeping my body suspended in a state of ecstasy.

“One more, baby, come with me. Let me feel you.”

His words add to the blood rushing to my head, clouding my mind, making me trip on the feel of him. He drives in and out, his muscles strained, his breathing erratic.

“Gregory! I’m coming.”

“Let go, baby.”

He thrusts once, twice, and barking expletives, he fills me with warm lust.

He pulls me up and folds me in his arms. “Thank you,” I manage through panted breaths. “For giving me something to remember.”

Chapter Seventeen

“Scarlett, these just came for you.”

Margaret enters my office taking me away from my daydream of Gregory making love to me on the sand of a Caribbean bay, moonlight illuminating every curve and edge of his perfect face.

Margaret smiles, the soft pink of her lipstick matching the shade of her blouse. “They’re very beautiful,” she says, inhaling the scent of the dozen red roses she’s holding.

She places the flowers on my desk and I take the small red envelope, already knowing who they’re from.

I miss not seeing you

all day every day.

X

“Thanks, Margaret.”

“Can I ask how it went with Neil?”

I move the flowers in their water-filled box to the ledge of my window then adjust my purple chiffon blouse, tucking it into my black pencil skirt.

“It was awful. He wasn’t even angry, he was just really disappointed. He thinks I should take some time, mull it over some more.”

“Do you want to?”

I look down at the card in my hand and smile.
If I work with him, I get to see him every day.
“No.”

“There you have your answer.” She drops a hand to my shoulder. “Neil Wallace will just have to accept that you’re leaving. He’s just panicking about who’ll fill your shoes when you’re gone. They’re big boots to fill. We’ll miss you around here.”

I don’t tell her that even those few words are making me feel worse about my decision to leave Saunders.

She makes a discreet exit when Amanda charges into my office with two lattes and a large bar of Lindt orange and almond dark chocolate.

“Are you blowing your week’s caffeine allowance?” I ask.

“First day back is a bitch, the doctors can go screw themselves. I know my baby and I know my baby needs coffee and chocolate. Here.”

I chuckle as I accept the latte and Amanda slumps into the seat opposite my desk, unravelling the foil from the bar of chocolate.

“You know, last time we did this you threw up in my bin and we realised you were pregnant.”

“Don’t worry, I have no intention of repeating the trick. This bad boy is staying firmly in my stomach.” She wraps her mouth around two large squares of chocolate with a roll of her eyes. “That’s sooooo good.”

I snap off a square and let it melt in my mouth. “I don’t think even chocolate is going to help me today. I have major post-travel blues.”

“Mmm, speaking of blues, is Neil spewing about you leaving?”

“He’s far from thrilled.”

“Is he making you work your notice?”

“No. As soon as he realised I was going to GJR
he changed his tune. He wants me to hand over Mr. Ghurair’s deal and I won’t pick back up the stuff I handed to others before we went away but the rest of my work was Gregory’s anyway, so I’ll take it with me.”

“Who are you handing over the Dubai deal to?”

“You. If you want it? I think it would be good for you. A big deal before you go off.”

“Sure, I’m in.”

“Well, in that case, I might be out of here next week, maybe even Friday.”

“Holy shit,” she mumbles around another slab of chocolate. “It’ll be the end of an era.”

“And the start of a new one.” I glance at my sparkling diamonds.

“Cheers to that.” She nudges her cardboard coffee cup against mine.

* * *

My iPhone rings as I’m typing handover notes for Mr. Ghurair’s final transaction. Gregory’s name dances across the screen.

“Hey you.”

“Hi baby, how’s the first day back?”

“I’ve had better.”

“Have you handed in your notice?”

“Yep.”

“So when are you coming to join Team Ryans?” There’s a lightness to his tone that has me biting my lip to curb my happiness.

“Actually, if you want me, next week.” I can sense his smile. “Thank you for the flowers.”

“You’re more than welcome, fiancée. Can you come here this afternoon?”

“Erm, yes, I guess so. It’s not like I need to bank gold stars here. I’ll check on the registration of the
Black Diamonds portfolio before I come over.”

“I’ll have Anya order lunch. Sushi good?”

“Perfect.”

Scooping up my pile of documents related to Black Diamonds, I head to Hugh’s office. “Home alone today?” I ask, taking note of the empty desk behind him.

“Charles is in a meeting. How was your break?”

“Too short.”

“Argh, at least you got away. I don’t have anything planned until May and I’m already shattered.”

“It’ll come around before you know it.”

“I, ah, heard your news. Congratulations. In-house isn’t it?”

“News travels fast. Yes, I’m going in-house for the GJR group, which leads me nicely onto the reason I’m here.”

Hugh pushes his chair back from his desk and twists his pen in the fingers of his right hand. A pose I’m sure he wouldn’t adopt if Charles, his supervisor, were in the room.

“Constant Sources is a GJR subsidiary. How’s the registration of the IP in the game coming along?”

“I’ve been meaning to speak to you about that.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Sounds like you’re going to tell me there’s a glitch.”

Hugh leans forward and pulls a few tatty looking pieces of paper from a disorganised tray on his desk. “There was a problem in China. Let me see.” He flicks through the messy papers then rummages through the pile in his tray again. “Here it is. Local counsel in China said there were already registrations for some of the trademarks, including the name Black Diamonds, and the copyright, I think. Apparently, the applications were filed hours before we tried to file.”

“Shit, seriously? In the same class? Gaming?”

“Yep.”

“Remind me who we’re dealing with in China.”

“Wang Nongfan is handling the applications.”

“Okay and this just happened today?”

“No, let me see.” I tighten my grip around my documents and tap the grey hardwearing carpet with my foot whilst he flicks through his papers. “He told me about it Wednesday so I assume it happened then.”

“Wednesday? Hugh, it’s Monday. Why am I just hearing about this now?”

“Well, you were on holiday and I tried to chat it through with Richard in the IP team but he was busy working on an injunction so—”

“I know about the injunction but that’s not an excuse, Hugh. I told you to contact me if anything went wrong. We’ve wasted almost a week now.”

“I’m sorry, Scarlett, I didn’t think—”

“That’s exactly it, Hugh, you didn’t
think
. What’s the status now?” I fire my words at him, sharp and fast.

He stops playing with his godforsaken pen and sits up straight in his chair, finally looking interested. “I, ah, Wang Nongfan is waiting for you to get back to him.”

Trying to keep a lid on the fury building inside me, I snap. “Thanks for doing absolutely nothing in my absence.”

“I’m sorry, Scarlett, I didn’t realise it was such a big deal.”

“Hugh, the registration rules in China are first come, first served. This could have a real impact for the client. If somebody else is trying to register our game or a rip off of it, everything the client was trying to protect is undermined. So, yes, it’s a big fucking deal.”

His eyes practically pop out of his head. Griping at people and using the F word in the office are two things people aren’t used to from old Scarlett.

“I’m sorry,” he says again, heightening my annoyance further.

“You don’t need to say sorry to me, Hugh, it’s the client you should be apologising to.”

“Should I, do you think I should call the client?”

I all but snarl as I charge out of his office and back to my own.

A call with Wang Nongfan confirms that the registration looks to be for identical entries to the IP we’re trying to register in Black Diamonds, which means we
can’t
register Black Diamonds in China, at least not without a fight. What angers me more is that, if I’d been in the office, I wouldn’t have allowed it to take over a week to file an application. Being as respectful as possible in the circumstances, I explained this to Wang Nongfan, only to be told the delay was due to Stuart Culliton not providing all the necessary details sooner. Having established the whole frustrating circle of events, my excitement to see Gregory has turned to anxiousness. Whilst my tolerance for incompetence is low, Gregory’s is significantly lower.
He’s going to take this
really
well.

* * *

“Mr. Ryans is ready for you,” Sue says as I approach the reception desk on the twenty-eighth floor of Gregory’s glossy high-rise office tower. Her cheeks flush red, making me cringe inside. I wonder whether she’ll have informed the rest of Gregory’s staff that I’m not only his lawyer.

“Thank you, Sue,” I say with a soft smile, hoping she’ll remember I’m keeping her crush on Gregory a secret in return for her allegiance.

Gregory is on his Blackberry, standing in the window of his large office, his free hand in his pocket pulling his black blazer back to expose his lean hip. He turns when I click the frosted glass door shut behind me. The flat-screens around his room are continually updating with stock exchanges, commodity indices and BBC World News.

“I’ve read the proposal and I don’t like it. He hasn’t given me any concrete support for the return. I’m not saying the idea is dead in the water but he needs to rethink and send me a new proposal. As things stand, the answer is no.”

He gestures to the coffee table flanked by two leather sofas, which is covered in plates of sashimi on ice, sushi rolls and Japanese style salad. I take off my mac and blazer then settle onto a sofa, pouring two cups of hot green tea.

“Chase Mr. Cheung for the first cut of the joint venture agreement from Shangzen Tek, too. I’d like to have my lawyer take a look over it ASAP. I don’t want him running this down to the wire. If he starts playing games put him in touch with me directly. No, that won’t be necessary, I want to manage this one.”

Gregory makes his way over to me and I hand him a cup of green tea. “I’m not interested in hearing a pitch from them. If I had an interest in the sector I’d know who to approach. It’s a good time to invest in the market. Is that everything? Alright, let’s pick up Thursday. I want an update on all action points. I’ll leave you to finish off. Good afternoon, gents.”

He hangs up, drops the Blackberry onto the coffee table, then strokes a hand down my cheek and drops his lips to mine. “Hey baby.”

“Sorry I’m late.” I wonder silently when is the best time to broach the Black Diamonds registration.

My Blackberry rings inside my handbag. A US number I don’t recognise flashes on the screen. “Scarlett Heath speaking.”

“Scarlett, Malcolm Russell here.”

“Malcolm, hello, how are you?”

“Well. Good. Listen, Scarlett, I’m calling about the US filings for Constant Sources.”

“Oh, great, is everything going okay?”

“No, actually, that’s why I’m calling. It looks like we’ve been beaten to it.”

Shit!
“How so?”

I hear the rustle of papers down the line. “The trademark Black Diamonds and the whole game design were filed on Friday. Even some of the characters have been registered, Scarlett.”

“It’s a replica?”

“Hard to say. I’d like to question the creator, ah...”

“Stuart Culliton.” I cast cautious eyes to Gregory who’s waiting for me before starting his lunch, leaning back against the leather with an inquisitive frown.

“I’d want to make sure he hasn’t sold or licensed the game. That’s if it is definitely his game. By the looks of things, this is either a really great copy, or the actual original.”

“Malcolm, why wasn’t it filed until today?”

“We couldn’t get the information we needed from Stuart, Scarlett. It didn’t come through until Friday, then we had to prepare the applications.”

“That’s interesting. Our lawyer in China had the same problem and now the same thing has happened. Okay, let me pick up with Stuart and I’ll see where we get to. In the meantime, what are our options?”

“We could fight the true ownership. The fact that Stuart’s game is already on the market could help but if it turns litigious, the fact the game is making profit could also go against us if we lose.”

“A claim for loss of opportunity?”

“Right. And if we fight it, we’re talking money and locking the game up in litigation for a long time.”

“That might just be our best card.” My mind is jumping down ten different avenues all at once whilst Gregory’s eyes are still focused on me, now from his position in the window. “Constant Sources
didn’t buy the game to keep it on the market, they bought it to take it
off
the market.”

“It’s a possible tactic. Why don’t you reach out to Stuart and we can reconnect later today?”

“Great, thanks, Malcolm.”

I hang up my Blackberry and tap it against my pursed lips as if the rhythm might help organise my thoughts. Somebody else is ripping off Black Diamonds. That’s feasible. It was always the weakness and the risk I warned Gregory against. Someone could have reverse engineered the game and got the code. But if you were trying to rip it off, why not come up with a similar concept, why go for the exact same game and give it the same name, knowing it would lead to a fight?

I explain everything to Gregory and tell him, “That’s a question we might never know the answer to but what I don’t understand is why Stuart has held the information back. It’s like he’s purposefully stalled the registration.”

“I don’t think that’s the case, Scarlett, he seems content here.” Gregory dabs his fingers on a white linen napkin and rests back on the sofa.

I pick up a bowl of spiced seaweed salad and sit back to eat it with my chopsticks, my mind still wandering. “Do you think he’s angry about you buying the game at seven hundred and fifty thousand?”

“I really don’t think so. He’s onto a good thing here.”

“But if he thought that game was his millionaire ticket.”

“Speak to him, see what you think, but I don’t get the impression he’s vindictive and I’m generally a good judge of character.”

I swallow and place the bowl back on the coffee table. “And what about the fact these registration problems have happened in the same order we’re trying to register?”