Page 13 of She Devil
Evidently Jamie needs to restore his manly pride after I took it to pieces then gave him no recourse to prove me wrong.
Which I can understand. He always did let his dick lead his actions.
But I can deal with all that.
As previously mentioned, sex to me is just a tool, a means to get what I want. So having sex with Jamie again—because it’s not as if we haven’t done it before, and recently too—will be absolutely fine. I can keep any lingering feelings—mostly of annoyance at him—at bay. Just until he’s given me what I came here for.
At least, I think I can.
I’m going to have to if I’m going to be successful here.
Unfortunately, he was absolutely right about my father making it clear that if I wanted to keep hold of the CEO role—a role I’ve hankered after for years—I’d have to secure this sale to prove to him once and for all that I’ll be capable of making a success of running DH Worldwide on my own.
Up to this point we’ve not managed to produce our own product to the same standard as De Montfort Software’s and it’s currently hurting us at the acquisition stage. It frustrates me to say it, but Cliff’s software is still by far the best on the market despite our best efforts to replicate it. If one of our biggest rivals manages to secure this business it could be very bad for us. One company in particular has been chasing our tail a little too closely for my liking recently and I don’t like the numbers I’ve been seeing.
So I’m going to give him what he wants. It’ll involve some highly skilled and possibly demeaning play-acting—but I’m okay with that. It’s a means to an end. Everyone makes sacrifices to get their golden ticket. Don’t they?
Yes. They do.
So I’m going to make this work.
No matter what it costs me to do it.
Anyway, as soon as the deal is signed I’ll be able to walk away and never need to see or speak to Jamie again.
And he’ll be getting his closure and soothing his precious ego, so he’ll probably never want to see or speak to me again either.
It’s a win-win.
‘Wait, Jamie, don’t go,’ I say as he starts to walk past me towards the door to the hall.
He stops and turns back to face me, his eyebrows raised in question.
I try not to let myself be distracted by how spectacularly sexy he looks today. He’s wearing casual trousers, which hang low on his hips, and a form-fitting light-blue shirt which is open at the neck and showing a tantalising amount of his toned chest. The chest I’ve had trouble not obsessing about since I last ran my nails down it.
I give myself a mental shake. I have to stop thinking about him that way. This needs to be a clinical thing, without any warm and fuzzy emotions attached.
So, yes, okay, practically speaking he’s a very attractive man. And, yes, my body reacts instinctively to him whenever I’m anywhere near him. But that doesn’t mean I should let that get in the way of what I’m here to do. This will be a business transaction, nothing more. A semi-pleasurable one, sure, but short-lived and to the point.
I can give him the type of performance his ego’s looking for then get the hell back to London and back to business.
I walk towards him, seeing his eyes flicker with interest as I smile and nod.
‘Okay. I’m happy with that deal.’ As soon as I’m close enough, I raise my right hand and slide it against his jaw, feeling the beginnings of his stubble prickle my skin, then push my fingers into his thick hair, tilting my head up and urging his head down as I angle my mouth towards his and plant a whisper of a kiss on his firm lips.
My mouth rushes with tingles as the warmth and the scent of him assault my senses and I allow myself to let out a small gasp of pleasure. I need to convince him I’m enjoying every moment of this in order to keep up the pretence that he’s capable of giving me the satisfaction I need. That I’m desperate for him to give me release from the pent-up sexual energy only he can stoke in me.
I press my lips harder against his, opening my mouth and sliding my tongue against his. There’s a low throb building deep in my pelvis as my body reacts to my proximity to him and the thought of what he’s going to do to me. Shifting my body closer, I crush my breasts against his solid chest, inviting him to wrap his arms around me, to pull me to the floor, rip off my clothes and make the magic happen.
But he doesn’t.
He just stands there with his arms hanging loosely by his sides, taking my kisses but not reciprocating.
As soon as I realise this, I pull my mouth away from his and frown, seeing his eyes are open and free of any kind of expression of desire.
‘What’s wrong?’ I ask, trying not to sound worried, though I don’t think I get away with it. My voice has a giveaway shake to it that sends a sting of horror through me. ‘I thought this is what you wanted.’
He raises one eyebrow and looks at me as if he thinks I’ve lost my mind.
