Page 1 of With Conditions
Chapter One
Sophie
My spine twitched as the brisk air of the Colorado Mountains brushed against my naked breasts. My nipples hardened as his mouth released them while his tongue led the way down between my thighs. It was the first vacation in five years which I could finally enjoy after hiring a new CEO for my fitness company. The ends of my dark chocolate hair, long but recently trimmed, were damp as they dried from the air after getting out of pool. We had been eyeing one another for the past two days during my workout in the gym. Without speaking a word, he made his move tonight when I went for a swim after my workout. I snapped back to our present moment and found his head between my legs, his tongue pressing harder onto my clit in the most pleasurable rhythm.
Moaning out in pleasure, I felt his hands sliding up my thighs. He wrapped them around the insides while lifting my bottom off the chair. His tongue sunk into my clit even deeper. Looking up at the stars, I couldn’t believe that it was finally happening. For years, my entire focus was on rebuilding my original company and acquiring seven more; men came as pleasure only. The times of men being players and women being whores never resonated with me. My independence was important, and I was yet to find a man that complimented my life. My breath was getting heavier with each passing second as I was close to an orgasm. I grabbed his head to stop him, but he only pushed back harder, and this time, his long stiff fingers started dancing deep inside me.
“Oh God,” I whined, wholly drenched in pleasure. Finally, he stopped his assaults, and his jade green eyes gazed into mine. This was the first time I realized how gorgeous he was. His stature was tall, fit. His hair was a lighter shade of brown than mine with a long comb over at the top. He licked his bottom lip and pulled himself away from me, suddenly putting an end to the brilliant tease. “What are you doing?” I blurted out, shocked at his lack of desire. He grinned mischievously in a playful way at my displeasure.
“This was just a preview. If you want more, meet me here at 7 p.m. tomorrow.”
His voice was deep, soft, and confident. He placed a card next to me and stood beside my naked body, eyeing my figure from my large breasts to my dripping sex. His gym workout outfit failed to hide his large erection. Picking up the card, I looked up, appreciating his self-control. He grinned softly as he bent down, gently placing his hands between my sex. Wiping one finger across my clit and bringing it to his mouth, slowly he licked off my juices. My body shuddered in desire as his sexy eyes held mine the entire time. And, just like that, he supported himself back on his feet and walked out of the glass doors leaving the pool area.
Immediately as he left, I realized we were in a public pool at one of the top ski resorts in the country. I hastened to dress up in my bathing suit, with my heart beating fast, not of the embarrassment but because I needed to find out who this man was. Walking through the swimming area and into the hall by the elevators, I saw my assistant Drake holding out a towel. His hands automatically rescinded as he noticed that I wasn’t wet. Inside though, I was soaked, something he would never know. Taking the card, I held out for him, Drake pressed the elevator button, and we walked in. “Get me everything you can on the man that just left” I commanded.
Looking at my phone, I realized that it was the first time Drake had been in this situation with me. He was the closest person to me in my life, but I always tried to keep my short-term personal affairs discreet.
The elevator opened, and I walked out, only to be annoyed to find that my CFO was in my executive suite. “Did the company burn down?” My tone was professional, but it had a hint of disdain.
“Not yet, but you’re not going to like the changes already made.”
Making razor-sharp eye contact with that short, curvy man dressed in a brown suit, I raised up my eyebrows and he got the message of my mental state. William was a Yale graduate and worked his way up in Oracle before I stole him by offering a raise of $30,000 a year on his salary and no vacation limitations. He was a bit older than me being in his early 30’s. It wasn’t unusual for me, being one of the youngest self-made billionaires. Everyone around me was predictably older. William’s hiring wasn’t only based on his skills but also on him deciphering when and what to escalate. Being in my position, time was valuable, and I always needed professionals on my team who knew the cost of time for themselves and me.
“I’m so sorry to bother you on vacation,” his voice was not at all apologetic, which clarified that something nasty was happening. Pouring a glass of wine, I made my way over to the couches in front of the four large monitors my team had put in before my arrival. Picking up my phone, I switched on the monitors, which earlier used to show news channels, but now the security cameras were placed in my gym locations around the United States. I turned to William, who seemed utterly baffled. Sipping my wine, I looked in his direction remarking, “Looks like our customers are happy.”
He unbuttoned his jacket and sat in the chair across from the large desk, “she is calling for layoffs by 20% on Monday.”
I felt my face heating up as he brought up the only thing from her contract as the new CEO, which I’d used as an escalation point. “What’s the business justification? We are trending to meet our profit margins by over 13%.”
He looked astonished at my ability to know all numbers even though it came second nature. “Yes, she stated that we could cut even more costs, which would build executive compensations to attract a larger strategic talent pool. In addition, she wants to build a new HQ in New York because no one wants to live in Mooresville, NC.”
Pausing at the relay of information, both our heads turned away as Drake walked in. I waved at him calling him to join me where we were sitting. As I took the last sip of my wine, he deposited a yellow file on the desk beside me.
I instructed William, “Have her in my office an hour before we give the layoff notice.”
Drake interrupted, “Ma’am, you have a meeting at 7 p.m. tomorrow here in Colorado.” His words confirmed that he was aware of the personal interactions from the pool area. I softly sneered at him, glancing him in the eye ensuring that he didn’t cross any lines. I wasn’t annoyed, I just didn’t want him to talk anymore to me about that. Last month, he had put in a random appointment with my psychologist on my calendar, which I went through with just to show him that I respected his care.
I looked at William ensuring that I was damn serious about seeing her in my office. “Pack everything up. We will leave first thing in the morning.” I turned to Drake, “Call Paul and tell him you will be home for dinner tomorrow night.” He nodded and walked away probably to comply with my instructions. I had a ‘friends-kind-of-relationship’ with Paul, Drake’s husband, which Drake knew nothing about. A year ago, Paul courageously showed up in my office and he told me that he and Drake rarely get to spend time together. After explaining that Drake had an unlimited vacation like every other person in the company, I could see the hurt on Paul’s face. To support his work/life balance, I made sure to finish off Drake’s work at 6 p.m. every night and hired a virtual assistant in the background. Paul has been my good friend since then. We had been meeting for coffee every Tuesday since that’s when Drake’s caught up debriefing with the virtual assistant.
Before William got ready to leave, I asked him, “did we make an offer to take over all Spin Fitness locations that just went under?”
He sighed, “A competitor has already initiated an offer.”
My eyes met his in disappointment. “Get me the deal, and let’s start scrutinizing the trends of small gyms within Florida and Texas.”
William gave a nod before finally leaving the room. I wanted to take a moment for myself but before I could enjoy some privacy, the team showed up to pack my items. Drake moved fast, and I loved it about him.
Working through emails and setting up my calendar for the upcoming week, my eyes landed up on the bottom-right corner of my screen. It was a few minutes past two in the early morning and I had yet to get any sleep. I glanced around to see that everything was out of my room, even that yellow file was gone from my desk.
My mind wandered back to the moments I spent by the pool. He was so controlling and dominant but respectful at the same time. I remembered his touch. And most of all, I reminisced into those jade green eyes. The eyes which were soft, much like his hands. I was always attracted towards older men as I was turned on by maturity. Knowing very well, that I really couldn’t commit to anything, I assured myself I didn’t lead him on. It was fun while it lasted but damn him for leaving me wanting more. Drake had scheduled the jet to leave at 6 a.m., and I dozed off to the memory of how great it felt under his hands, under his look.
