You make me go wild and naughty, Laura

Jackson

I went to bed with thoughts of Laura flooding my head. I forced myself to bed when imaginations wouldn’t stop forming in my head. I went to bed with her face and name, the last one on my mind, and I woke up to the same thing. 

I had to force myself to focus on other things, and thankfully, the meeting I had was the perfect solution. Once I remembered what I stood to gain and what was at stake, I braced up and shuffled my thoughts…

I adjusted my cufflinks as I stepped into the glass-walled conference room, my focus locked on the investors waiting for me… until I saw him.  

John Reynolds.  

My stomach clenched. Of all the people I expected to see here, Lisa’s father wasn’t one of them. The last time we spoke was before Lisa ended things… it was even quite a while before then. Back then, we were civil, even friendly.l despite the fact that neither of us knew any of us was existing. 

It was Lisa who introduced us shortly after we started dating. It was one of those times when she got too extra, and I just had to force the friendship at first. Over time, it felt so natural, and we even did a few business deals together. 

But the way he sat there now, leaning back with an easy smirk, told me exactly why he was here.  

This wasn’t business. This was revenge.  

I could tell he wasn’t there as a friend but a competitor, ready to sabotage this deal. And the reason was obvious… the breakup…

“Jackson,” he greeted smoothly, standing up and offering his hand.  

I hesitated a fraction of a second before shaking it. “John. Didn’t expect to see you here.” I chimed in with a forced smile.

“Didn’t expect to be here,” he said, his grip firm. “But this deal caught my attention.”  

Bullshit.  

I didn’t miss the gleam in his eyes. He knew exactly what he was doing.  

I took my seat at the head of the table, scanning the room. The investors were watching us closely, oblivious to the tension crackling between John and me.  

“Shall we begin?” one of the executives prompted.  

The meeting kicked off, and I was in my element… breaking down numbers, discussing long-term profitability, securing trust. Everything was running smoothly.  

Then John spoke.  

“I have to say,” he began, his tone light, almost casual, “Jackson has certainly put together a strong proposal. But I do have some concerns,” he retorted.

I narrowed my eyes. “Concerns?” I quizzed, while he nodded and leaned forward. 

“His projections are impressive, no doubt. But I happen to know that his last project had… what was it?… a six-month delay?”  

I stiffened. “That was due to supply chain disruptions, which were industry-wide. We adapted and still delivered a profit increase.” I quickly defended, but he didn’t look too convinced. I didn’t expect him to be anyway, and I wasn’t even looking to impress him. I was concerned about the investors, and it seemed like his words were starting to get to them…

John shrugged. “Of course. But investors don’t just look at past performance, they look at reliability. If something goes wrong, can they trust that your team won’t overpromise and underdeliver?”  

I clenched my jaw. He was planting doubt… subtle, but effective.  

One of the investors, a gray-haired man named Peter, turned to me. “Jackson, how do you address that concern?” He asked while I forced a calm smile. “Simple. Our adaptability. While others took major hits, we pivoted, secured alternative suppliers, and met our targets. And if you check the reports, you’ll see that, despite the delay, our revenue exceeded projections by 12%.” I explained.

John let out a low chuckle. “A fair point. But…” He turned to the investors. “Would you risk billions on a man whose track record includes delays? Or someone with a cleaner history?”  

I leaned forward. “Funny, John. Last I checked, your company had two major project failures in the past five years. But I’m sure you have a perfectly good explanation.” 

His eyes darkened slightly. “We’re not here to talk about my company, are we?”  

“Just making sure we’re applying the same standards.” I smiled coolly.  

The investors murmured amongst themselves. I had countered, but the seed was planted. John wasn’t here to compete… he was really here to sabotage me.  

By the end of the meeting, I had managed to hold my ground, but I knew this wasn’t over.  

As I walked out, John followed, falling into step beside me.  

“You’re playing dirty,” I muttered.  

He chuckled. “Nothing personal, partner.”  

I turned to face him. “It is personal. You and I both know it.”  

His expression hardened. “You stole from my family, Jackson. Nobody hurts my baby girl like you did and goes scot-free. I’m going to take from you and make you hurt I’m ways you can never imagine.”  

I exhaled sharply, forcing myself to keep my cool. “I didn’t steal a damn thing. I broke up with ‘your baby girl’ for her own good. There was no connection between us.” I lashed at him but he only smirked.

“We’ll see about that.”  

I watched as he walked away, my hands balling into fists. He wasn’t going to stop. And if I didn’t shut him down soon, he could actually cost me this deal.  

I drove home, my mind running through every possible way to handle him. I was so full of rage. Lisa was all shades of trouble throughout our relationship and now that she was out of my life, she was still a pain in my chest. I really need to do something about it.

Pulling into the front of the house, and stepping out, I was still filled with anger which pulsed through me.

But then, as I got closer to the front door and looked to the side, I saw her. 

Laura.  

She was stepping out of the pool, water dripping off her curves, her skin glistening under the warm glow of the setting sun. Her damp hair clung to her back, and when she ran a hand through it, tilting her head slightly, I swear the entire world slowed down.  

My pulse kicked up.  

She was barefoot, wearing a sleek black swimsuit that hugged every inch of her body. She looked like a damn water goddess, effortless, untouchable.  

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to move before she caught me staring.  

I strode inside, shutting the door behind me, but the image was burned into my mind.  

John Reynolds was still a problem.  

But right now?  

All I could think about was the way Laura looked stepping out of that pool.

The image was etched deep into my brain and the more I thought about it, the more it made my imagination go wild and naughty…

“Ohh Laura, you make me go wild and naughty!”