My eyes flickered open the next morning. The sun was streaming through my bay windows. It bathed my room in light. I felt rested, ready for what the day would throw at me. But the first thing that came to mind was the sound of Nancy’s voice. It was cool, sultry, sweet. It filled my ears and drenched my mind. I bit my lip, thinking back to the night before. All I wanted was another moment with her. It didn’t matter how short. Lord knew I was starving, starving like hell for her. I didn’t know where any of this came from after all this time, but I was in deep, and gasping for air.

I could hear her breathe, feel her hands on my chest, feel her soft, long hair, like as if she was there with me. My cock hardened under my duvet as I remembered what those hands felt like, exploring my body, rubbing my crotch. I set my jaw as I remembered her tongue in my mouth, her lips sucking on mine. I reached under the covers and stroked myself as I thought about her soft skin. The way her eyes bore into mine. The way her hips swayed with mine. The way her leg was hitched against my hip. I remembered rubbing her, and the feeling of her smooth panties under my fingertips, in between her legs, under the hem of that sexy ass dress. I kept going, imagining what she felt like under those panties.

My lips parted as I kept stroking and thinking, imagining my hands inside the neck of that dress, her breasts hanging out in front of me, that milky skin glowing in the dim light. Those nipples, pink and round. I imagined her arms wrapped around my neck as I pressed myself inside her. My eyes squeezed shut as I kept going and going and going.

With a grunt, I finished. The image of her was fading, but it remained in the back of my mind as I got out of bed. I stood up and stretched, feeling refreshed after my trip down memory lane. I took a deep breath as I crossed my bedroom, the hardwood floor warm under my feet. I gazed out of the large windows. I was on the fifth floor of a new development that had been built in the hills overlooking the water. I could see the gorgeous mountains off in the distance and the unmistakable white blue of the ocean. The water slammed across the rocks and beaches of the coastline.

With a sigh, I left my view behind and walked around my four-post bed towards the French doors to the bathroom. Once inside, I stopped to set the thermostat for the tile floors. I waited the necessary ten seconds before stepping down onto the tile of my bathroom floor. I walked past the expansive jacuzzi to my white, marble sink. I opened the cabinet door and pulled out the Sonicare toothbrush, racking the small machine through my teeth before taking a quick rain-water shower. With that done, I grabbed my towel, dried myself off, stepped out of my bathroom and kept walking to the closet. I shut the door and turned on the light. I pressed one of the buttons on the touchpad by the door and watched as the suits on the center rack began to rotate around. I started, stopping at a black Armani, complete with a white button-down, and a dark blue, razor-thin tie. Simple. Elegant. This would work.

Ten minutes later, I had dressed myself in the layers of clothes, combed my hair back, and got a quick cup of coffee. I stood in my lobby, waiting for my car to come around. I smiled at the doorman as I watched my black Mercedes S550 saunter up the driveway. I nodded at the valet and sat inside, blasting the AC all the way through the traffic to Paris Inc, an office park in downtown LA. The nerves didn’t hit me on the way there, in the car garage, or even when I was in the elevator. No. It wasn’t until the doors had opened to the 39th floor, revealing a quiet, vast hallway, marbled floors, and nothing but a big, wooden door at the end of it. I crossed the hallway and went through the doorway. I found myself in a large waiting room, complete with a couple of brown leather couches and a coffee table with magazines, mostly Forbes, the Economist, Business Insider, and Times which were strewn across the top of it. At the far wall was a desk and a young woman sitting behind it. There was a smile permanently frozen on her petite face that widened when she saw me. “Good morning, Mr. Paris. You can go on in. The board is waiting for you.”

I nodded and made my way to the double doors next to her desk. An usher was standing there, who opened one of the doors as I approached. I nodded at him as I walked into the large conference room where my uncle, his closest advisors, the board of Directors and the major stockholders of Paris Inc were gathered. I was staring right at a huge window that overlooked the whole of downtown LA as well as the ocean beyond. To my left was a small bar, replete with supplies to make every sort of drink one could think of having. To my right was the conference table; a long, austere piece of chunky, expensive-looking furniture surrounded by men in their forties and fifties. They stared at me with that same, expectant look. At the end of the table was my uncle. He stood at an ever-intimidating six foot seven, his body, though fit, thinning with age. His sharp features were draped in wrinkled skin, his gray eyes deep set and severe. “Good morning, James.” He said, gesturing at the only free seat at the table. It was directly across from him and featured a plate of fruits and an offering of Single Malt Scotch.

I smiled and took my place. They all started, waiting for me to sit down, before they made their moves.

“How was your morning, James?”

With the way that my stomach rolled, the mere thought of alcohol of any kind made me want to vomit. I bypassed the whiskey and went straight for the glass of water. “Good.”

My uncle nodded slowly. “All right,” He said, opening the leather portfolio sitting in front of him. There were identical copies of it in front of every other person sitting at that table.

“So, I’m just going to get right into it.”

I nodded, “Great.”

“James’s resume is impressive.” He was not speaking to me any longer, but mostly to his other directors.

My heart thumped a little lighter, excited.

“He was bred by the best private schools LA has to offer. Then, went on to become a Rhodes Scholar, one of only a few in the world, and then graduated from Wharton as a valedictorian. Aside from that, he has the background, with both of his parents, my brother…” He stopped to clear his throat at that.

I gulped, banishing the mere thought of my father out of my head.

“….Anyway. There are several good reasons why you are a finalist in this entire process. You have exceeded your parents’ expectations, my expectations, and been invaluable in furthering the family name. You have even managed to build a small fortune for yourself at the tender age of 28.”

Even though this all sounded so great, I could feel a “but” coming.

“But there is really only one reason why you won’t be taking my place as the head of the company.”

I blinked, trying to ignore the way my mouth went completely dry. “What?” The word slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it.

My uncle’s chest rose and fell with a calm breath before he continued with, “You understand that Paris Inc as a concept, an institution, has been around for over a century. You understand that even though we have been public for nearly six decades, we have done well to keep the majority of the stake and control within the family. But even in that, we are careful about who gets the company. My great-grandfather started this internal application process and it was for the reason that we can ensure that only the best suited individual gains control of one of the most powerful holdings companies in advertising. You have one flaw. It may seem small to you, but we have been in this game for decades, and we can ensure you that it is not.”

At this point, I had practically sweat all the way through under my shirt. “Okay?”

“You are a bachelor.”

My eyes widened. “What does that have anything to do with- …”

But he raised his hand. “Please.” In the silence, he continued, “When you take control of this company, you will be dating, looking for a wife, or not looking for anything at all. You will become one of the most eligible bachelors in the country. Women will take advantage of you and so will the media. An unsuitable or an even less than suitable match for marriage could affect our business. I don’t need to tell an intelligent, learned man like you that this is true. I’m sure you know what I mean…” He continued on, lecturing me about appearances, but my mind drifted away. I tried not to think about my parents sitting on that very board themselves, but they came to mind. I had promised I would continue their legacy, promised that I would do the work they couldn’t finish. I had gotten so close. I was staring at success, victory, right in the face, and it had eluded me. What? Why? Because I was single? I couldn’t let that stop me. I wasn’t going to let that stop me.

My heart was thudding in my chest, pounding in my ears, sending nervous blood all around my body, when he said, “I trust that you understand what I am saying?”

And I answered. “Yes. Yes I do. That’s why I neglected to tell you…”

Every eye on that board was on me. “Neglected to tell me what?” My uncle asked

“That I am… engaged.” My voice had a hard time wrapping itself around that word. I was never a good liar. I did my job with as little fibs as possible. It was part of the reason why I had such a loyal client list.

His eyebrows shot up his forehead. “You don’t say…”

“I’m uh…” I sucked in a breath. “Sorry, it was supposed to be a surprise.”

“For the reunion?”

I nodded. “I wanted to introduce her to the family there. I’ve been keeping it quiet because I didn’t want it to affect this.”

My uncle nodded, his lips pursed in thought. “Hmm… It is admirable. I suppose… That you managed to keep something out of the public eye.”

I could barely breathe as I watched him mull over the lie.

He then exchanged glances with Mark Harris, a man sitting just at his right, who was the CEO of the company. “I have to say, I’m just gonna be honest with you. That is a relief.”

I sighed. I was in. I couldn’t believe it. I was actually in. I was starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

My uncle continued, “I wanted you to win the bid. Trust me, I did. This was the only thing. But now that you’ve cleared that up…” I glanced around the table. “I would like to formally ask you to take my place as head of Paris Inc, effective this September.”

My eyes widened. I stood up with him and the rest of the board. “Thank you.” My throat was as dry as a desert.

My uncle let out a dry laugh. “No, thank you.” His thin lips curled into a smile. “I’ve been waiting for someone like you to relieve me for quite a while. The warm sun of southern Italy is calling.”

I nodded. “Of course. I won’t disappoint you.”

He gestured at the men standing around the table. “You’ll have them to answer to.”

I let out a nervous laugh as I took the last gulp of the water sitting in front of my seat. I walked towards the door.

“Oh, and James?” My uncle spoke, stopping me in my tracks. I turned to stare at him. “Yes?”

“Don’t ever keep something like this from me ever again.”

I gulped at the severity of his voice. I left the conference room, walked through the doors, down the hallway and to the elevators. It was only when the doors were sliding shut in front of me that the gravity of my lie came crashing down.