Chapter 13

Jonathan

“Any word on where Harrison stands on the Uni-tech investment?” “Are we sure we want to buy Livingston Corp. before we go public? Their sales were dismal last quarter.” “We need to finalize our predictions for the market at least three weeks before the IPO launch.” “The sPhone blue has officially broken our last record for preorder sales.”

I was sitting in another late night board meeting and I was tempted to say, “I honestly don’t give a damn about what any of you are talking about. Let’s just get the hell out of here.” Yet, some of the shareholders were tuning in from overseas and I knew that wasn’t the smartest idea.

We’d been fine tuning the details for the IPO that was still a long while away: Renegotiating stock options, finalizing the requirements for employee buy-ins, and preparing hundreds of public statements and in-house events. 

I’d been so busy that I hadn’t seen or spoken to Claire all week. I didn’t have time to attend any of her directors’ meetings or talk to her on the phone at night. My meetings always ended around three in the morning, and since her department was so busy with the sTablet, we only texted each other a few times a day.

I didn’t think not seeing her for a week would bother me, but it did. Anytime the meetings became boring—which was every fifteen minutes, I pictured her bent over my desk, pushed up against the walls of my office, or screaming my name as I pushed her into another climax.

Where else in this building should we have sex?

“Mr. Statham? Mr. Statham?” One of the board members cleared his throat.

Maybe on the roof...“Yes?”

“Is it okay if we end tonight’s meeting a little early?”

I looked at my watch. Two thirty in the morning.

“That’s fine with me.” I tried not to look relieved. “See you all on Monday.”

They stood up at once and shuffled out of the room. There were no “See you later” or “Great job team” goodbyes. The friendly salutations had worn off much earlier in the week, as soon as the first meeting went past midnight.

I closed my folder and realized Vanessa was standing by the door.

“Hey, Vanessa. It hasn’t been the same at the negotiating sessions without you. How was France?”

“It was phenomenal.” She bit her lip. “Did you miss me?”

“In what sense?”

“Funny. Are you sleeping in your office suite tonight?”

“Probably so.” I started stacking my files. “Why?”

“Can I stay the night?”

I looked up and raised my eyebrow. “What?”

“I’m too tired to drive home...”

“I can get Greg to take you in the town car.” I pulled out my phone. “Do you want me to have your car taken to your house too or do you—”

“Jonathan, no one is around right now. Everyone has gone home. There’s no need for you to act like we’re platonic.”

“We are platonic. You don’t want a ride home?”

“No, I don’t want a ride home. I—” She stopped and shook her head. “You changed the employee fraternization policy while I was gone, and I’m finally back so...I took that to mean that you finally decided to give us a chance.”

“Vanessa, I’ve never—”

“Don’t worry. I’m not trying to rush things between us.” She walked over and touched my shoulder. “I wasn’t implying that we sleep together tonight—unless you want to of course...I was thinking we could just talk, you know? We’ve been friends for so long but we don’t really know each other outside of the boardroom.”

I sighed. “I’m dating someone else.”

“Someone else? Since when?”

“Since—” It wasn’t any of her damn business. “It hasn’t been that long.”

“So it’s not serious, right?” She shrugged. “You’ve always kept your options open. I’ll go grab my bag out of my car and we can—”

“I’m dating her and only her, Vanessa. I’ve told you over and over that you and I are just friends. I want to keep it that way.” Forever...

“This doesn’t make any sense.” She crossed her arms. “You’re honestly not attracted to me?”

“I am.”

“You don’t enjoy hanging out with me? You don’t think we have great conversations? ”

“I do.”

“But you don’t want to date me?”

“No.” Can it get any clearer?

“Okay...” She took a deep breath and stepped back. “I take it that the woman you’re dating is an employee here?”

I didn’t answer. I just raised my eyebrow.

“Does she have a name?”

“She does.”

“What is it? Friends can tell each other who they’re dating.”

“Can they?” I stood up. “I never meant to lead you on. If I did that in any way I’m sorry. I think you’re extremely pretty, smart, and—”

“Spare me your pity shit, Jonathan.” She scoffed and headed for the door. “Don’t come crying to me when your low-level employee runs to the press and tries to blackmail you. I might help her.”

“See you on Monday, Vanessa. I liked the skirt you wore today.”

“Fuck you.” She rolled her eyes and left.

I waited ten minutes before walking out of the conference room. I didn’t want to run into her or anyone else on my way upstairs.

I swiped my key at my private elevator and sighed. I thought about calling Claire, but I figured she was already asleep.

I walked into my bedroom and lay across the bed.

Nothing was on TV except those renovation shows that Claire liked to watch. The one I was currently watching featured two men who were tearing down a dilapidated porch and turning it into a wrap-around veranda.

How can she watch this without falling asleep?

I changed the channel to an infomercial—a ‘Magic Soap Bar’ that could clean “any and everything!”—and slid under the covers. I pulled out my laptop and started going over the week’s meeting notes, reading all the things I hadn’t bothered listening to earlier.

I heard my phone ringing and assumed it was one of the board members emailing the meeting notes from tonight, but it kept ringing.

I flipped it over and looked at the screen. Claire?

“Hello?” I answered.

“Hey...”

“Are you okay?” I sat up. “Is something wrong?”

“No, I was just...calling to talk to you.”

“At three in the morning?”

“Is there a time frame on when I’m allowed to call you? Could you forward me the schedule so I can better understand the ‘do’s and don’ts’?”

“I’ll have my secretary email it to you in the morning. How are you?”

“I’m okay...”

I placed my reading glasses on the side table. “Why do you sound like that?”

“Sound like what?”

“Like you’re almost out of breath, like you’re whispering. Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yes. I’m quite fine. I was calling you to talk about work.”

“Work?”

“Are you going deaf?”

“What about work, Claire?”

“Well...I was thinking that...That...That there were a lot of—”

“You called me because you’re horny?”

“What?” She sucked in her breath. “No, I’m not horny. I’m—”

“Yes you are.”

“Jonathan, I was calling because—”

“Admit it.” I smiled.

“That’s not why I...That’s not why I called you.”

“Go get your laptop.”

“Why?”

“I’m going to help you with your problem.”

She was silent. I could only hear her soft breaths over the line. 

“Claire?”

“Yes?”

“Go. Get. Your. Laptop.”

“Um...Hold on a second...” She came back on the line seconds later. “I have it.”

“Good. Log into your email.” I stepped out of bed and walked into my office suite’s living room. I poured myself a glass of scotch and sat in a chair.

“I’m logged in now,” she murmured.

I logged into my own account and opened up the web-chat app. I typed in her name and hit “Connect.”

Within seconds, her beautiful face appeared on my screen. She was sitting in front of a stack of red pillows and I could see her gold colored duvet.

She moved the laptop back a bit, allowing me to get a better picture of her. She was wearing a thin white T-shirt and her hair was in large pink rollers.

She’s so fucking sexy...

“You can hang up the phone now,” I said, still smiling.

She rolled her eyes and set her phone down.

“So, since you’re not horny, what exactly did you call to talk to me about?”

“The sTablet.” She blinked twice, giving me further indication that she was lying.

“The sTablet? What about it?”

“Well...” She paused. “We’ve narrowed down the potential slogans to four, and the campaign directives are going to be finalized by the end of—”

“Take off your shirt.”

“What?”

“Take it off.”

She hesitated for a few seconds, and I thought I was going to have to repeat myself, but she slowly pulled the shirt over her head, revealing a lacy red bra.

I should’ve had Greg pick her up...

“Like I was saying...” She was clearly trying to make this more difficult than it needed to be. “By the end of next week—”

“Were you touching yourself before you called me?”

She turned bright red.

“What were you thinking about?” I tilted my screen. “And don’t you dare lie to me.”

“I was thinking about...” Her voice trailed off.

“Yes?”

“You...”

“Me fucking you? Be specific.”

Her cheeks turned scarlet. “Jonathan—”

“Take off your bra—and your panties if you’re actually wearing any today...”

She looked shocked, but she unsnapped the button on the front of her bra and pulled the straps down over her shoulders, revealing her voluptuous breasts and strawberry colored nipples.

She didn’t make another move and I smiled; I loved the fact that she went bare so often.

“Are you going to tell me what you were thinking about, Claire? Or are you going to make me guess?”

Her breath hitched and she looked off to the side for a few seconds. “I was...I—”

“Touch your tits...”

She slowly reached up and palmed her breasts, slightly squeezing them.

“No, not like that,” I shook my head. “Touch them like I do when I’m fucking you from behind.”

“Jon—”

“Do it.”

She gasped and sat frozen.

“Claire...” I narrowed my eyes at her.

She blinked a few times, but then she roughly grabbed her breasts and pinched her hardened nipples—twisting them harshly, pulling them out as far as they could go.

“You’re not going to tell me what you were thinking about? What you want me to do to you? How you like to be fucked?”

“No...” Her breaths were becoming choppy and the expression on her face made me wish she was here with me in person, made me wish she could take care of my swelling erection.

“Are you wet?” I saw one of her hands moving away from her breasts, down the screen, down to the part I couldn’t see.

She didn’t answer. She just bit her lip and looked into my eyes with a sense of longing, desire.

“Since you’re not going to tell me what you want me to do to you...” I adjusted my screen. “I want to fuck your mouth.”

Her jaw dropped.

“I’ve wanted to feel your lips wrapped around my dick since the first day we met.”

“Oh god...” She shut her eyes.

“Open your eyes back up...Look at me. Look. At. Me.”

She let out a muffled moan and slowly blinked.

“I want to be the first man to taste you. I want to kiss your clit and fuck you with my tongue. Are you going to let me do that?”

“Ahhhh...”

“Answer me.”

“Yessss...”

“You like me talking to you like this, don’t you?”

She was shutting her eyes again; slowly rocking her body back and forth against fingers that I wished weren’t hidden from me.

“I can’t wait to see you in person again.” I lowered my voice. “I’m going to fuck the shit out of you.”

“Stop...Stop talking...”

“Tell me you’re mine.” I could tell she was about to cum; she was biting down on her lip and shaking her head. “Tell me right now.”

“Yes...Yes...” She let go and fell back onto her pillows, “yours.”

I watched her gasp for air and convulse, watched the vibrations rip through her sexy body, and waited for her to calm down.

It took several minutes for her breathing to get under control, for her chest to stop heaving uncontrollably.

When she was finally coherent, she reached for the laptop and brought it up to her chest.

“Is your problem fixed now?” I raised my eyebrow.

She lay back against her pillows and suppressed a smile. “I never had a problem...”

“Of course you didn’t. What are your plans for today?”

“I’m going to go for a run around seven at Golden Gate Park...You?”

“A very long cold shower.” I noticed her holding back a laugh. “I don’t think too many people will be at that park around seven.”

“Are you trying to ask if you can join me?”

“I don’t need to.” I smiled. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”

––––––––

Claire stopped running and plopped down on a bench right by the lake.

“That trail was amazing.” She panted. “I need to rest for a minute.”

I sat down next to her, watching beads of sweat trickle down her chest. It always amazed me how good she looked in everything. She was dressed in gray sweats and a light purple tank top, but she still looked stunning.

“Can I ask you something?” She looked over at me.

“Of course you can.”

“Are you sure?” She lowered her voice. “It’s a really personal question...”

“Are you mocking me? Ask me anything you want.”

“Why did you feel the need to change your bio about your past for the company handbook?”

Whoa...Didn’t see that one coming...

“It’s complicated.” I didn’t want to talk about it.

She nodded and looked off into the distance, at the birds that were now landing in droves around the lake; at the small group of kids who were attempting to build castles with wet mud.

She leaned back and began stretching her muscles, holding her arms over her head and arching her legs.

I suddenly realized that unlike all the women I’d dated in the past, Claire wasn’t going to open up to me first—if she opened up at all. She didn’t trust me, and I guessed I hadn’t really given her much of a reason to.

“My parents were crystal meth dealers.” I turned to face her. “They used to leave me and my little sister locked in the trailer home while they went out and sold drugs. Whenever they were home, they were either passed out high or yelling at us for shit we didn’t even do.”

She crossed her legs on the bench and looked into my eyes.  She looked sympathetic, but I didn’t want to turn this into an emotional tirade. I just wanted to give her the facts and move on to a different conversation. 

“We pretty much had to fend for ourselves. I was eight and she was three. At first, they only left us for a few hours, a night here or there. But in the summertime they would leave us locked in there for weeks at a time. The two of us would cry for someone to come help us, but no one ever did...”

I sighed. “By the time I was twelve, I was taking care of my little sister all by myself and just trying to keep us out of my parents’ way. I tried to stay after school as late as I could and made sure she was out the trailer as much as possible. But on one particular Friday, all the activities were canceled because of a storm, so we had to go home. When we got there, my parents were getting into a car and saying they’d be right back. We went inside as usual and they locked the door behind us. I tucked my sister into bed and was about to take a nap, but all these pots and bottles were in flames on the stove. I tried to put the fire out, but the flames only grew bigger and bigger.”

I suddenly remembered waking Hayley up, listening to her deafening screams once she saw the flames behind my back, once she realized that the flames were blocking the only door.

I locked us both in the bathroom, hoping that the neighbors would see the flames—that they would call the fire department in time to get us out. But black smoke started seeping underneath the door, and I could see the metal hinges twisting and bending in the heat.

I started throwing things at the small window that was above the toilet—soap dishes, shampoo bottles, the plunger— attempting the break it, but it wouldn’t crack.

Hayley was crying hysterically—beating her hands against the shower glass, and I was trying my best to get that damn window open. After a while I didn’t hear her erratic screams at all. She’d passed out.

“I didn’t know what to do so I just kept throwing stuff at that window. I didn’t have time to stop and help her.”

“She died?” Claire looked saddened.

“No.” I ran my hand through my hair. “I managed to get the window open by beating at it with a metal trash can. I picked her up and threw her out of it, and then I climbed out minutes before the whole trailer exploded...If I were to write about it in my bio, it would read something like: My parents left me and my little sister in an exploding meth lab alone and we were eventually separated and put in different foster homes while they served out long prison terms. That’s not something I really want my employees or competitors to know about. People are sick these days and will use anything in a smear campaign.”

“I’m so sorry...I wouldn’t have asked if—”

“It’s okay. I don’t think about it that often.”

She was quiet for several moments. “Can I ask you something else?”

“Is it something else depressing?”

“No.” She shook her head. “It’s about the women you’ve dated before.”

“Ask away.”

“Have you ever dated anyone else older than you?”

“No.”

“Any reason why?”

“I don’t need to know how old a beautiful woman is before I ask her out.” I watched her blush. “It just never happened before you. There’s no other reason.”

“And you’ve really slept with seventeen women?”

“Would it make you feel better if I lied to you about it?”

“Maybe. Try it.”

“Okay, Claire.” I tried to sound as sincere as possible. “No, I haven’t really slept with seventeen women. That’s a ridiculous number...I made that up to seem like I was more experienced than I was. The truth is, I was a virgin when we first met. But I knew that the moment I saw you and heard a few words come out of your smart ass mouth, that it was you that I wanted to lose my virginity to. I wasn’t going to tell you this, but I cried after the first time we—”

“You’re so full of it.” She playfully hit my shoulder and I pulled her close to me.

“I don’t lie.” I ran my fingers across her soft lips. “Unlike some people I know...” I stifled her laugh with a kiss and laid her against the park bench, but she suddenly jumped up.

“Oh my god...” she said as she shook her head. “I knew we should’ve left earlier...”

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Claire? Mr. Statham?” Mr. Henderson, one of the campaign directors, stopped running right in front of us and took out his ear-buds. “You two are here...together?” He raised his eyebrow.

Claire sighed and looked like she was about to say something, but I stood up. “Not at all, Mr. Henderson. I saw Miss Gracen running by and asked her to sit with me for a minute. Do all directors meet here on Saturday mornings? Am I keeping her away from the rest of the group?”

“Oh, not at all.” He shook his head. “But I may have to start coming here more often...Claire, I had no idea you ran. Maybe we can run here together sometime?”

This secret dating shit isn’t going to work for too much longer...

“Um...” She looked over at me. “I’m not so—”

“It was nice seeing the two of you today. It’s good to know that employees are friends outside of the office.” I looked back and forth between the two of them. “I’m going to go back to relaxing on the bench now. Have a great Saturday, Mr. Henderson.” I narrowed my eyes at Claire. “Miss Gracen.”

I walked back over to the bench, only a few feet away from them, and pretended to be engrossed in my phone.

“What were you saying, Claire?” He smiled at her.

“I was saying that I wasn’t sure if that’d be a good idea...We’re coworkers in the same department and—”

“You and I both know the fraternization policy was canceled a while ago.” He reached over and caressed her cheek with the side of his palm. “It’s just a run, Claire. If you enjoy it—and I think you would, we could even do lunch later. There’s this great sandwich shop two miles down.”

“I—”

“I’ve always wanted to ask you out—you’re beyond gorgeous, but with the policy and all, and you being so—”

“Me being so what?” She tilted her head to the side and smiled.

Is she actually entertaining him?! In front of me?! Right in front of me?!

“Nothing...I just always wanted to ask you out, that’s all. Would you like to run with me next Saturday?”

“I can’t. I mean, thanks for the offer but I can’t go out with you...I’m kind of seeing someone else right now.”

Kind of?

“Is it completely exclusive or are you open to dating other people?”

She hesitated and I almost jumped up and kissed her in broad daylight, right in front of him and anyone else that cared to watch.

“I’m seeing someone else, Matthew...”

“Well...” He smiled. “Let me know if it doesn’t work out, okay? I think you and I would be good together. We have a lot in common...” He looked her over one last time before he walked away.

I can’t believe this woman. She has some. fucking. nerve.

Mr. Henderson resumed his run and Claire walked back over to the bench.

“I think we should get out of here before anyone else shows up.” She sighed. “It’s almost nine o’ clock so—”

“Are you ashamed of me, Claire?”

“What? No, of course not. I—”

“What’s the reason behind keeping us dating a secret again? The employee policy has been changed for quite some time now.”

“Because you’re the CEO and I’m a mid–level marketing director. It’s already complicated enough with the age gap, but our positions are—”

“Do you want a fucking promotion? Do you want a seat on the goddamn board? What position do you fucking want because I’ll make it happen today. What do I need to do to make sure people know that you’re taken and not interested because you sure as hell don’t know how to make that clear!”

“Excuse me?” She scoffed. “I don’t need you to insult me by acting like you’re in control of—”

“What position do you want?”

“It’s not about the position, Jonathan.” She seethed. “It’s about me knowing better than to date the CEO in the first place, who is undoubtedly the most jealous and possessive man I’ve ever met.”

“You left out the sexiest.”

She rolled her eyes and stood up. “I parked my car on the other side of the lake. I’ll see you at work on Monday.”

“Stop.” I reached out and grabbed her arm. “I was more than honest with you. I told you I’m the jealous type and I meant that. I don’t want to see you with anyone else and I don’t want people thinking you’re on the market...What do I need to do to make sure that happens?”

“Stop being so damn childish.”

“I’m not being childish. I’m protecting what’s mine.”

“I’m not—”

“You’re not what? Mine? Is that what you were about to say?”

She crossed her arms and let out an exasperated sigh.

“Why did you let him touch you here?” I ran my fingertips across her cheek. “I didn’t like that...”

“How was I supposed to know that he was going to touch me? I can’t read minds... We really need to leave before the morning rush. Mr. Barnes runs here sometimes, as well as a few of my associates...”

“Where are you headed?” I slipped my arm around her waist.

“Home.” She tried to move my hand, but I tightened my grip.

“I don’t think so.”

“Jonathan, I am going home. Right now. Deal with it.”

“No. You’re not. You’re coming with me.” I narrowed my eyes at her. “We need to have another discussion and make sure the two of us are on the same page. I don’t think you fully understand what being mine means.”

“Fine. So we’re only going to talk?”

“Yes...Right after I fuck the shit out of you.”