Corporate Ties (Silken Ties Book 1) (2 page)

"Oh my God. Olivia, how long was he here?"

"Just a few minutes. I hope he doesn't think I'm in over my head with Matasuki."

"He could have just called, you know. I think he wanted to see you for himself."

"What do you mean, Linda?"

"You're the hot topic you know, the ‘up and coming star of Dolby’."

Olivia stopped taking the plastic containers of food out of the bag and glanced at Linda with a frown.

"That's ridiculous. I've only been here eight months and this is my first deal."

Tyson shook his head as he walked. He understood now what the buzz was all about. He'd seen the reports submitted by Jerrod on her, of course, they were generic. Tyson had a tendency to discount many of Jerrod’s overviews, since he was only interested in making himself look good. No, he'd become interested in the up and coming Ms. Grayson, when he heard the office buzz from others that'd worked with her. Wanting to see for himself he pulled everything she'd written, read every report, analysis, and recommendation. Really top notch; all of it, add to it that her peers thought she was smart and a team player impressed him. He'd also heard the rumblings in the ranks about how beautiful she was, but it hadn't prepared him for her at all. Maybe he'd been single too long, even though he appeared periodically at the hottest places with a model or a socialite on his arm, he had no attachments. His dating partners had lately served only as window dressing.

She just didn't seem like the type to be a driven corporate mover.
Wait, what a sexist thing to say, even to himself
, he thought, as he shook it off. He was sure that type of comment was the kind of thing she had to deal with everyday, and knew she grew tired of being taken for someone's wife, secretary, or mistress.

Mmm, yes, after seeing her in person he understood a lot more than he had earlier. He had two inter-office meetings to attend, and then he was meeting another would-be client for dinner. He sighed, no wonder he couldn't sustain a relationship.

He slipped down into his chair and swiveled toward the window, gazing out across the park. She was awfully young, and although he was sure Jerrod had set her up, he wasn't sure why. He decided it didn't matter, he was rooting for Olivia.

"Karen, could you have Olivia Grayson’s file sent up from personnel? Thank you, Karen."

She was right; it was good to know everything you could.

Minutes later he had the file in his hand. He read through a resume that could have been from someone twice her age. An internship at Chase Morgan, she'd turned down a position there. “Speaks several languages. Doesn’t mention which ones. Had her final semester in International Affairs and Law, at Cambridge. Masters in Business from Harvard. Received two promotions in the eight months that she's been here. Unheard of.” He flipped through everything in the file, and deciding she seemed too good to be true, went through it again, this time in full-analysis mode. He swiveled to the computer and Googled her, and using the HR code pulled her credit. Her credit file showed a small mortgage on a pricy apartment in Greenwich. She must have come from money. No family listed. He dug deeper and found both parents were deceased, that she’d been raised by her mother's sister.

So, an inheritance? Maybe. Did it matter? No, of course not, but she was so driven, why? She could have married very well, the way she looked. "God, there I go again. No one would ever say that about a man."

The intercom buzzed. "Your three o'clock is here."

"Thank you, Karen. In the conference room, please."

"Yes, sir."

He sat back in his chair. Hundreds of people worked for him. He was one of the youngest CEO's in the country, he knew about the pressure, so why was his interest piqued by this woman? Everyone would cite the obvious reasons. And he had to admit, she was amazing, but there was something more. He pushed away from his desk. This is crazy, he had a corporation to run, he needed to stop acting like an idiot and get to work.

Instead of sending the file back to HR, he slipped it into his top drawer and headed to his meeting.

At six, Olivia had nearly worked through all the files in the box. The few left could wait, she had friends to meet for a change and she was looking forward to it. She hailed a cab and hoped traffic wasn't at a standstill up ahead. She ended up walking the last two blocks to her apartment in four inch heels, which was nothing unusual.

She greeted the long-time doorman. "Hey, Marvin, anything interesting going on?"

"Just, you know, people moving in and out. Nothing unusual."

"Oh yeah?"

"Someone moving in on your floor actually. Seems really nice."

"Well good. My friend Samantha is picking me up in about an hour. Send her right up, will you, Marvin?"

"Of course. It'll be good to see her."

It had been a while since Olivia had been out. Two months maybe, she thought as the elevator kicked into gear, whirring up to the fourteenth floor. She took off her shoes as she walked quickly down the hall and opened her door. Key thrown on the small table in the foyer, briefcase next to the couch, she headed to the bathroom for a nice hot shower. She tied up her long golden-brown locks and moved her head side to side inspecting her face. As the shower started to throw steam into the room, she stepped in. Pumping a palm-full of liquid soap into her hand, she lathered up her body, rinsed and with another palm of the soap, began a more leisurely exploration of her body.  Her hand worked its way down over the swell of her breasts, slowly down the curve of her belly, lingering between her legs, and over the bare slick mound of her pussy. Parting her outer lips, her middle finger swirled lightly around the swollen bud. She tipped her head back, breathing through her mouth, lips slightly parted, she let the sensations take over as the hot water cascaded around her and down her body. She, and those sexually overt beings like her, could cum almost at will, by simply contracting their highly sensitive, and well trained inner muscles. Still, it was nice to pleasure herself in the old fashioned way, and it didn't take long for the strong orgasm to build until it overtook her. She groaned and relaxed into the enjoyment of the shudders as they grabbed and released. As the last one receded, she stood braced against the shower wall, her legs momentarily weakened.

"Oh that's much better," she panted, leaning against the tile for a second longer, before grabbing the razor and giving her long legs the once over.

Pulling on a robe, she walked into her large, well organized closet. Samantha was right; it'd been a while since she dressed for dinner. She’d eaten more dinners at her desk than anywhere else lately and although she’d turned out to be a good cook, she often settled for pizza or other delivery food at home, because she was too tired.

Red? No, too showy. The white one? Way too much cleavage, hmmm maybe it's not a bad idea. She heard the buzzer. Samantha was on her way up. She had her own key, good, she could help with this.

Samantha chuckled when she came in. "You look like a deer in the headlights. You really
are
out of practice." She slid hangers apart with a flare, quickly discarding the dresses Olivia had just picked out. "Ah, here it is," she decided, a big grin on her face. "It's perfect." She shoved the black and teal spandex dress toward her. "Next, the heels. Put those on and lotion up those long legs of yours. You're going to get some tonight, for sure."

"Samantha…I. Oh, okay, you're right. I need it and I want it."

"That's my girl, and you forgot one thing, you deserve a great night, you've been working way too hard. Me, I'm going to work at
getting
something really hard."

Olivia chuckled. "That's never been a problem for you, Samantha. How do I look?"

"Look out men of New York. Let's go."

Lucy and Rachel were already waiting. As the ‘new, hot spot’, it was full even for a Wednesday night. Once the Times endorsed a new place, it was nearly impossible to get in.

"About time you two showed up. There's no way we were not going to sit down, everyone who's anyone is here," Lucy whispered discretely pointing out celebs, sports stars of all kinds, executives, and highbrow lawyers. She was right; all the big players were here. Most they knew, but not all. Olivia scanned the room as they made their way to the table. It was one of their best, right near the center of the cozy, but elegant space.

"Who did you do to get this reservation, Samantha?" Rachel teased as their waiter pulled out their chairs for them.

Samantha looked around and smirked. "I don't kiss and tell."

"You do to us. Spill it."

Just as she was about to speak, champagne was delivered, very expensive champagne.

"The gentlemen at table six, wished to welcome you to Chao."

Samantha raised the newly filled flute, thanking the table of handsome gentlemen.

"Nice start to the evening," Samantha mused as she took a small sip. "This place is great. Nice bar, dance floor in the other room, but quiet and sexy in here. Oh and we can come back if you behave yourselves. I'm,
very
close to the owner."

"So that's who you did," Lucy said, and they all laughed. The waiter came back, refilling their glasses.

"Do you have any questions about the menu?" Olivia watched Lucy as she literally ate the waiter with her eyes. It was exactly what Jerrod had done to her earlier.

"What would you suggest?" Olivia asked.

His gaze bore into her. "The tenderloin is excellent, if you like red meat. The prawn are also very popular. All of our greens and vegetables are organic. Our pasta is made fresh daily." Suddenly he looked away and Olivia turned to see a man motioning to him. He was tall, very well dressed, his square jaw sported a day’s stubble, and looked to be in his mid to late thirties. The waiter excused himself and made his way over to engage the man.

"Is that your 'owner' Sam?"

"No, I've never seen him before, but I'd like to get a closer look, that's for sure. He's just my type."

"Everyone's your type, Samantha," Rachel teased.

Samantha glanced over raising an eyebrow. "And yours."

"True," Rachel admitted.

The waiter came right back and the man disappeared into the bar and lounge area.

"Have you decided, or do you need a few more minutes?"

They'd expected to hear something about the man he’d just spoken with, but since the information was not forthcoming, they each ordered and waited for their first course. The meal was fabulous, and wine was delivered for each course from the admiring gentlemen.

"I think someone wants us a little drunk."

"Or a lot drunk," Lucy added with a giggle.

"You're cut off," Olivia decided, grabbing Lucy’s glass away.

"Yes, Mom," she said with a mock salute and another giggle.

"Come on, we're going to the lounge to do some dancing and find someone to take us home," Samantha decided.

"Sounds like a plan."

They motioned to the waiter who informed them their check had already been taken care of. By whom, he didn't say.

"Probably your owner friend," Rachel suggested.

"I'll ask him later," she informed them and headed toward a very distinguished gentleman, who smiled broadly.

"That leaves the three of us, let's dance and girls, no more liquor tonight," Olivia insisted.

They moved through the lounge and all eyes seemed to follow the enticing threesome. The music pounded around them and it wasn't long before they were surrounded by men. Men of every size, shape, and color. They laughed, changing partners often, always denying offers to move off with just one. Each would take their time choosing. The chemistry needed to be right.

Olivia was just thinking that it had been way too long since she’d taken time out for any fun, and right then made a vow to get out more frequently.  She was focusing on how good it felt, when she noticed a man coming toward them, the man they'd seen speaking with the waiter earlier. He was even better looking than she thought before, maybe it was the wine, but she didn't think so. He locked his magnetic gaze to hers. The music faded into the background, the pounding of her heartbeat was all that filled her head now. He stopped in front of her and simply reached for her. The look in his eye said everything. He wanted her, and she wanted him just as much.

Her heart fluttered as their eyes met. It was like a scene from a romance novel. Not a word had been exchanged as he'd reached out his hand and she'd taken it, squeezing tight. He pulled her to him and she placed her arms around his neck. They swayed to the music, never breaking the intensity of their stare. Gripping her small waist he drew closer, dipping his head to kiss the blush of Olivia's cheek. Her lips parted in a low moan and she closed her eyes, shivering as he worked his lips down her neck while his hands roamed over her back and down to the cheeks of her firm butt and up again to her waist.

She let her hands slide over his broad shoulders and down his arms, still moving to the music. When he worked his mouth up her neck, he hungrily took her lips with his soft, supple ones. Before releasing the kiss, he lingered, continuing to pull on her bottom lip. She could feel the hard length of him push into her thigh, his arousal evident, and all she could think of was how much she wanted him, and by the look in his eyes, he was thinking the exact same thing.