Chapter 2
Jason ducked under a swing aimed at his head and came back with a jab to the ribs. His opponent grunted and kept going, still aiming for Jason's head. He raised his arms and covered himself as he was forced back into the corner of the ring and pinned there as his opponent kept hitting him.
Finally he managed to duck out and held up a hand to halt the fight, ripping off his head guard.
"That's it." He gasped, taking out his gum shield. "I'm done."
"Come on! We've barely started."
"We've been at it for nearly an hour."
Jason pointed at the clock, trying not to show his relief. He had been off his game and wouldn't have lasted much longer after a grueling boxing session. But he didn't quit, even when he had been knocked on his ass.
"I've gotta go anyway." He ducked under the ropes and climbed down on shaking legs to sit on the edge of the ring. "I've got a lunch meeting."
Richard Stevens snorted as he leaned on the ropes and took out his gum shield. Sweat dripped off him, soaking his t-shirt and splashing onto the floor.
"You're just ducking out because you were losing."
"Never." Jason picked up his water bottle and chugged it down. He wiped at his mouth with his wrist. "But I do need to be at this meeting."
"You're the boss. You don't need to be on time for meetings." Richard climbed out of the ring and jumped down, his thick muscles flexing as he moved. Shorter and stockier than Jason, he looked more like an MMA fighter than a financial genius who wore a suit all day. He pulled his head guard off and wiped at his forehead. "Can't someone else go in your place?"
"It's specifically for me so I can't get out of it." Jason leaned his elbows on his knees and pressed his bottle to his forehead. It felt cold against his steaming skin. "And I don't think anyone else could pass themselves off as me, as it is."
Richard chuckled. He went to his gym bag by the wall and picked up his towel, rubbing the sweat off his face.
"Who's it with?"
"A journalist. She wants to talk to me about being a wealthy Asian man in charge of a major business."
"Doesn't she know you're Chinese-American? Which only makes you half-Asian?"
"I'm still part of the Asian community, Rick, no matter what the other half is." Jason sat back and leaned against the ropes. The thumping in his head had lessened. "But it will mean a lot of coverage for the company so I'd better do it and be nice."
Richard shrugged. Then he grinned. "Bang her if she's hot."
Jason felt his cheeks flaming. "No!"
If Richard had made that comment before three days ago Jason would have taken the woman to bed and given her a couple of hours rolling between the sheets before walking away leaving her satisfied. That was how Jason lived his life with regards to women. He hadn't found one who didn't want something from him and that was usually his money. So he just used them for basic needs and dropped them once he was done with them. Very few women lasted beyond a few weeks.
His mother had scolded him on this issue on many occasions but Jason wasn't prepared to change himself simply to satisfy her, much as he loved his mother. It would have to take a very special woman to make him reconsider.
Like that woman he had rescued in the park on Monday, trying to get away from an Italian man who looked like a European Hulk. She had had something about her that drew Jason in, something that he couldn't quite put his finger on. She hadn't called him and Jason had been wondering about that. There had been no wedding or engagement ring. Maybe she was with a boyfriend? Jason didn't think so. He had a knack of knowing who was single or attached.
He could still see her now. Four inches shorter than him with short black hair that curled around her head like a cap. Mahogany skin as smooth as marble with a big, soft mouth and big eyes that held a sassy glint. She was slim and sinewy like a gymnast with definite muscle tone. A genuine athlete.
If she crossed his path again Jason wouldn't be letting her set the pace. He was going after her.
Richard raised his eyebrows at Jason's sudden quietness. Then his expression cleared when he realized.
"You've had another conquest, haven't you?" And when Jason remained silent: "Damn it, I thought so! I recognize the glint in your eye." He nudged Jason's shoulder with a grin. "So, who is she?"
Jason groaned. He didn't want to talk about the woman to Richard. While he wanted to do more with her, he didn't want to share her with anyone else. Hell, he didn't even know her name.
"Just a jogger I saw on a new route I took on Monday." He said airily, trying to brush it off. "I probably won't see her again."
"Not unless you take the same route." Richard reminded him. "Which one is she? Black? White? Asian? Other?"
Jason winced. He wished Richard wasn't so crude.
"Black. About my age." And sassy. Jason liked sassy. He stood up. "But, like I said already, it won't happen. Because chances are I won't see her again."
"If she knows who you are, you're definitely going to see her again." Richard picked up his gym bag and tossed Jason's at him. "Because she wants to bang a man with cash."
"You're an idiot." Jason scowled.
Richard laughed and gave him a little wave as he went to the changing rooms.
"Have fun."
Jason rolled his eyes and went the other way. His office had a separate en-suite bathroom and he preferred to use it instead of the one in the gym. They were both in his office building but Jason liked his privacy instead of having his employees gawking at him as he changed. It was bad enough that they did it when he was working out without watching him in the showers.
It didn't take him long to shower and dress in a navy suit, deciding to forego a tie. He had the money and was the CEO; he could dress how he wanted. The woman would have to lump it if she wanted him to wear a tie.
His driver Tony dropped him off outside the restaurant he had arranged to meet the journalist at and went in. The maître d' knew him on sight and hurried over to greet him as Jason entered.
"Good morning, Mr Liu."
"Morning, Eric." Jason shook hands with the older man. "I'm here to meet a Carla Romaine? She said she's reserved a table."
"Of course. She's already here." Eric indicated for Jason to follow him. "Right this way."
They went onto a separate tier and Eric led Jason to a table by the window overlooking the beach. Jason knew as soon as he saw the woman which table was his. Short curly black hair and smooth dark brown skin, dressed in a white pants suit that was a startling contrast to her dark complexion. She sat back in her chair, tapping away furiously on an iPad, a frown between her pretty eyes.
Eric hovered nearby as Jason approached and leaned on the vacant chair.
"Well, well. We meet again."
Carla looked up. Her eyes widened and Jason heard the sharp intake of breath. But then she recovered quickly and she schooled her expression into a pleasant smile as she stood and held out a hand.
"Mr Liu."
"Jason, please." Jason took her hand, still smiling, and raised her hand to his lips. "If you don't mind me calling you Carla?"
He heard an audible swallow.
"Not at all."
This was going to be a lot of fun.
*****
"More wine, Carla?"
Carla laid a hand over the top of her glass as Jason reached for the wine bottle, vigorously shaking her head. The little she had drunk tasted foul despite being an excellent vintage and she wasn't prepared to drink more to get rid of the taste.
"One is my limit, thanks." She lied. "I like to be in control of what's happening."
"All the time?"
Jason's eyes glinted. Carla felt a fluttering in her belly. The damn man had been charming throughout their meeting, answering her questions smoothly and pleasantly. They had even gone into some banter which Carla had enjoyed. Jason Liu was an attractive specimen.
And that was dangerous seeing as he was a potential criminal.
"Cheeky." She deflected. She sighed. "Actually, the one and only time I've been drunk was at university. I was pressured into drinking too much by people I thought were my friends and ended up in hospital in a coma for three weeks. I nearly died." She gulped as she remembered the memories she had suppressed. "While I do have a bit of alcohol on social occasions to fit in, I prefer not to drink at all."
This, Carla hadn't been expecting. She didn't often divulge things from her past. Her friend Amy knew about what happened to her, as did one or two other very select people. But she didn't blurt out things like this to complete strangers. And Jason was a complete stranger.
What had just happened that she needed to tell him this?
Jason was staring at her.
"Why didn't you tell me before I ordered the wine?" He demanded. "I wouldn't have tried to ply you with it." He smirked. "I would've plied you with some steak instead."
Carla laughed and eyed the red and bloody meat on Jason's plate, now mostly eaten along with his fries and salad. Her pasta was still half-eaten, showing that she had spent too much time focusing on the man and not on the assignment. Now her stomach was growling at the mention of more food.
"If it's well and truly dead, I'll go for it."
"What's wrong with rare?"
Carla snorted.
"That is most certainly not rare. I'm amazed it hasn't walked off the plate."
Jason chuckled and cut another piece, which he popped into his mouth.
"I like it bloody."
"And still mooing when you cut into it."
"Each to their own."
They held each other's gaze for a second too long. Carla could see the intensity in Jason's eyes and swallowed. Struggling to find her composure, she looked away and tapped at her notepad with her pen, her phone recording their conversation placed beside it.
"Mr Liu, we are meant to be having an interview."
"This could be added in, if you like." Jason picked up a fry. "With you talking about alcohol-induced comas and steak with legs."
"With legs?" Carla couldn't help laughing. "That's a thought."
The imagery of a cow sitting on Jason's plate was too comical. Jason sat back and surveyed her as she laughed. Carla found it unsettling and stopped abruptly. Sitting like that, no tie and his shirt collar open, his jacket now on the back of his chair and his sleeves rolled up, the man looked like a model. Even the imperfections she had noticed before she didn't notice now. He looked far too handsome for his own good.
She wished that was a crime in itself.
Jason smiled.
"Well, you've asked me about being a successful Asian man in a sector which is predominantly white, do my ethnic roots put more obstacles in the way and if my upbringing gave me a specific mind set." He raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you worried this will sound like a racist article?"
Carla blinked and looked at the questions she had hurriedly set up before she arrived at the restaurant. She cursed.
"Now you've said it, I can see where you're coming from." She flashed him a grin. "But I'm good with words. I'll be able to transform it so it doesn't look like it at all."
"I'm sure." Jason said smoothly. "Journalists are so good with words."
Carla paused. She knew from internet articles she had found on Jason that he didn't like journalists on principle so the fact he had agreed to this meeting was a surprise in itself. And it sounded like he had been burned from words being twisted so they didn't look remotely like what they should have.
"I'm not a tabloid journalist, Mr Liu..."
"I told you to call me Jason."
Carla bit her lip. Calling him Jason sounded too good. Too intimate.
"I'm a freelance writer by trade and my friend works for a magazine. She's desperate to have an interview with you and I was the only one brave enough to go for it."
"Brave enough?"
"You do have a habit of taking journalists apart." Carla pointed out.
That she had also got from the articles. Most of the writers had been insulted by Jason or had him walking out. If he stayed and they fluffed something up he crucified them.
Jason shrugged.
"They didn't ask the right questions."
"That's our job."
"And they weren't as pretty as you."
Carla stumbled for a moment. Jason was looking at her with a teasing look but his eyes were saying otherwise. The man found her attractive.
Carla had to squeeze her thighs together as her core began to throb. This was not good.
"Flatterer." She muttered.
Jason chuckled.
"I try." He indicated her notes. "Have you got what you need?"
"I think so." Carla stopped the recording on her phone and gathered her things together, putting them in the tote bag Amy had lent her. She was eager to get out of there as soon as she could so she could cool down. It felt like the room had suddenly heated up several degrees. "I do need some interviews with your staff. Just so I can get an insight on what you're like as an employer."
"I'm a great employer."
"You would say that." Carla stood, slinging the bag over her shoulder. "I'd also need a few pictures to glam up the pages. Maybe something for the front cover as well. My friend said this would make the front page."
Jason shrugged. He didn't seem alarmed about the photo shoot. Carla surmised he probably wanted to get his clothes off. Suddenly she had an image of him naked and she blushed, mentally trying to switch away from the picture to something bland and boring.
But it didn't really work.
"I don't have any problems with that. Just tell my personal assistant when and where." Jason leaned forward. "On one condition."
"I wasn't aware there would be any conditions."
"That you have dinner with me."
Carla swayed. She stared at him.
"Dinner with you?"
She couldn't have heard properly. Jason chuckled.
"It's not that difficult. Just wear a nice dress and turn up to a fancier restaurant and enjoy my company for a couple of hours."
"I heard you." Carla said faintly. She gripped the straps of her bag. "I just didn't believe it. People don't ask me on dates."
"Are guys normally threatening to beat you up?"
Carla smiled.
"Usually."
Jason grinned. He stood. Carla felt like the air had been sucked out of her as he stepped closed.
"Dinner with me and I'll let you do your worst with my staff."
Carla didn't know what to think for a moment. She was meant to be investigating the man, not having dinner with him. But, on the other hand, what better way to investigate him than to be close to him? She wasn't going to sleep with him - Carla had her boundaries - but a nice dinner at a fancy restaurant didn't often come around.
She looked up at him and nodded.
"Okay."
*****
Carla arrived at the cafe first and went in to find the lunch rush easing off. Their favorite table was clearly not being used. Carla plonked her bag on one of the chairs and her jacket onto another before going up to the counter, giving a young couple sitting at the next table a smile and a wave when they gave her a scowl.
Some people would be upset about anything.
Carla got to the counter and ordered a mixed berry smoothie and a slice of shortbread. What she really wanted was a black coffee and a slice of fudge cake but if Amy came in now and saw her eating it there would be a lot of nagging and scolding for ruining her diet.
Carla hadn't even been aware that she was on a diet; her body was half a stone heavier than she wanted it to be but she was happy with what she had. But Amy saw it as weight that desperately needed to move and had told Carla to go on a diet and cut down on the foods she enjoyed while stepping up on her exercise. That had been three months ago and Carla wondered if Amy was going to mention the fact that she hadn't shifted the weight at all.
She was back at her table when a tall, beautiful black woman came in. Statuesque in white jeans and a pale blue blouse with big glasses and black stilettos, Amy Thomas was a sight to behold. With her straightened hair pulled back in a high ponytail away from her slim face and porcelain skin, she could have been a model. Amy liked people to think she was instead of an overworked editor for a gossip magazine.
Carla nibbled on her shortbread while her friend ordered, then stood up to greet her as Amy approached.
"Hey, girlfriend. I was wondering where you'd gone."
"Sorry, honey. Traffic was hell getting here."
Amy put her decaf tea and flapjack on the table before giving Carla a hug. She gave the male of the couple behind them a wink and blew him a kiss. Carla saw the girlfriend look furiously at her friend as Amy turned away and sat down. She shook her head.
"Always breaking up relationships you're never in."
"I know. It's fun." Amy sat back and crossed her legs. "So, did you get it?"
"Yep. He answers the questions without any arguments."
Carla had been surprised at that considering the responses she had got when asking a few journalists who had graced Jason's presence. Amy looked surprised as well.
"How did you manage all that? I've struggled to get a phone interview with the man, let alone a face-to-face. Those who have managed have had a rude man sitting opposite."
"He did say I was prettier than them and I asked the right questions."
Carla had been flattered when Jason said that. She didn't describe herself as overly pretty, merely nicely attractive. Her looks weren't something she prioritized, especially during an assignment despite her boss' intentions to make her part of several honey traps. So to hear someone compliment her in the way Jason had was something Carla wasn't used to but was starting to like.
"I'm sure he was focused on your looks." Amy snorted. "Considering how much was on display."
She pointedly looked at Carla's cleavage. For maximum effect Carla had chosen to wear her suit without a blouse, merely putting the jacket on over her bra. Her breasts were a good, ample size and she knew Jason would appreciate them enough to be distracted in what he was saying.
"It worked, didn't it?"
Partially. Jason had seemed to make Carla distracted just by sitting opposite her.
"I guess it did." Amy conceded. She picked up her cup and took a sip. "But what part of your soul did you have to sell?"
"I'm sorry?"
"There's always a catch. He never wants something for nothing."
Carla sighed and looked at her smoothie, unwilling to look at her friend. Somehow now this felt like selling her soul.
"He asked me to dinner tonight. I had to say yes to get access to his staff." She added quickly when she glanced up and saw Amy's expression.
Amy snorted.
"And for dessert you'll be in the back of his limo legs akimbo with his cock fucking your pussy to make you scream his name."
"Amy!" Carla felt her cheeks flaming as the description conjured up an image that had her pussy demanding a recreation. She glanced over Amy's shoulder and saw that the young couple had now left. Even then she lowered her voice. "You have a dirty mind."
"So do you if that blush is anything to go by." Amy chuckled. "You really need to get laid."
"I wasn't planning on having sex with him!"
But now the thought was there, it was cemented in Carla's head and she couldn't get rid of it. Again the image of Jason naked came back to her mind's eye. This time she saw a cock that was long and almost as thick as her wrist. She knew she was exaggerating but her mind had a habit of blowing things out of proportion.
Swallowing, she focused on her friend, who was watching her skeptically.
"I'm not going to sleep with him." She said firmly. "I happen to like him. That's why I accepted."
That and it allowed her to talk to his employees.
"You like Jason Liu?" Amy shook her head. "You are a strange person."
Carla knew that. She always knew she was in trouble if anything further went on with Jason. If her thoughts were anything to go by, Carla knew it was only a matter of time before she broke her main rule about sleeping with someone on an assignment.
That's when the shit would be hitting the fan.