*Dedicated to Mohd Zulfadli
Clara Lynn was on a hot seat, more figuratively than literally. Coupled with the nudging worries on how to get Andre out of the shell he had reclined into, a newly received mail sat as elegantly as she did on the screen of her laptop. She wasn't aware of how Andre had handled it, but despite the fact that the meeting had failed to take place due to the presence of some unexpected guests, Marie Claire company was aboard and ready to sign the contract. And even more problematic? They wanted to present the actress Marie as their first model. Just as she had wanted it before. Clara may be stupid enough to ignore warning signs, but even her mental blindness didn't prevent her from seeing that the path she would take if she pushed forward with that deal was blazing flaming red. She had been pardoned and understood the first time because of her ignorance, but now that she was aware of whom the actress really was and the man she was in cohorts with, she wasn't planning on repeating that m
"I don't have much choice in this, do I?" Andre's hoarse voice when he responded was weak, but it came as good relief to her that it wasn't empty. Although it was faint, the teeny tiny hint of amusement she heard in his voice encouraged her to continue, keeping up a determined font in as much as sadness clouded her heart at the pain he was experiencing. Clara forced a smile, shrugging her shoulders flexibly. "I just gave you one, the decision is yours to make. But I must warn you that I will have to keep you from your toys for a little while." "What..." She had closed his laptop and punched the power button of the tablet, her delicate fingers which were painted in shimmering nude polish running through his desk... Gathering phones and arranging light pen and papers by the side, before focusing her attention on her man who had been facing the outside view before she came in. His tie was undone, and based on experience, she easily put together that he had felt suffocated and loos
In the office he had maintained such professional principles and for years thought about bringing down the woman who had wrecked him, he found another woman with whom he was fast breaking his boundaries with. Clara Lynn blurred all the lines he had drawn and killed him with the passion of desire she invoked in him. He was unapologetically crazy where she was concerned. Like now when he had her screams piercing his ears irrespective of how she tried to keep it down. He was driving into her as if it were the first time and kissing her like it was the last. He couldn't get enough of her on normal basis and having kept away for days was fucking famine. And so he fed his aching cock, driving deeply without cutting contact with her lips. He plunged his hot tongue into the wetness of her mouth, his hips moving deeply to hit the sensitive spots of her wet insides. His fingers slipped into her hair, raking through the silky locks which had long scattered from its arranged style. His grunts
She broke for the shattered shell he had reclined into and made to turn around, but he tightened his hold on her, rocking softly into her although he had spent his orgasm and was only twitching lightly in her pussy. She felt the first drop of hot liquid on her back and clenched her teeth to stop herself from crying as well. Instead, she ran her fingers through the arms that enveloped her and held him, waiting till the whimpering ceased. Then she felt his lips on her back and neck, patiently waiting for him to make the choice to let her in. And it wasn't long before he sought her lips, turning her around to straddle his thighs which gave her the opportunity to look at his face when he broke the soft passionate kiss. His tears had mingled with the ripples of sweat rolling down his smooth face, and he wiped them all, wrapping her arms over his shoulders. He stared at her, watching as she took her time arranging his hair and wiping his glistening face, sweeping some of his jet bl
Jessica was ultra super alert in the morning when Clara came to work. The assistant followed her into her office and made a show of needing something in her office every thirty minutes. It didn't take long to put two and two together; the younger woman was doing her best to ensure that the previous day's incident didn't repeat itself. But Clara felt like she were being stalked and by the time the hand of the clock struck ten, she was dizzy and fed up with granting access for the umpeetenth time. "In case you haven't noticed, I don't teleport and therefore won't run away if not through that door you are doing a hell of a job guarding. Should I recommend you for a promotion to the division of security?" Clara had finally had it and sighed after that rapidly blurted out sentence left her lips. For Pete's sake the lady was driving her crazy. At this point, she couldn't even put the thoughts in her head together. But Jessica was unfazed at being interrogated, seeing it rather as an op
Resuming her slow steps, she continued, every attention focused on her. "What happens in the next few years when we perhaps want to terminate the contract with them? We will lose those investors who only have faith in the partnership, not the project itself. Meanwhile the M.C. company is already aware of the power they wield by being at the centre of the attention. They can make incessant demands in the contract. My apologies Ms. Kate but, I don't do that kind of business." Not to add that they had agreed to it immediately because Viscount and the actress Marie had worked in the background for their ulterior motives. She would not place herself in a position where her desire to succeed could be used to play Andre especially now that he was starting to come around. He still went out at night after work, but he no longer stayed out so late and even returned early for dinner the previous night. He slept with her in the same bed and though he still had those episodes, she easily embrace
"What do you say? Do you like it?" Fiona Grey set down the petite ceramic cup on its matching saucer, her lean manicured fingers moving elegantly as she picked the napkin and dabbed the corner of her mouth with it. In her right palm were printed papers fresh from the machine, the fragrance of new books mingling with her signature perfume. She looked up from the papers where her attention had been for the past ten minutes, her lips curving in a small smile. "This is impressive, Clara. I don't see why it shouldn't work out." She was nodding as she spoke, her eyes returning to the papers in serious concentration. Clara waited patiently with her heart in her palm, hoping that Fiona would be impressed till the end. She really needed this collaboration to happen with her and wondered why she hadn't thought of her in the first place. Finally, the sophisticated Italian lady laid down the papers on the glass desk which stood between them, sweeping a strand of hair backwards unconsciously
"You...came?" The relief in that broken voice ignited Fiona's warnings against the actress; she had either gone nuts to return for the son she abandoned after 25 years or simply broke. Clara hoped it wasn't the latter but kept her mind open to possibilities, wondering if her sudden return could have anything to do with the endorsements she had dropped out of. Had something happened that the reporters weren't aware of? "I... appreciate you honouring my call. Thank you, Clara." Clara hardened her heart against the pool flooding the woman's eyes. She was never going to forget that she was on Andre's side and hadn't come to sympathise with her. Especially if there was a possibility that the woman was only acting to get what she wanted. "Why? Why now?" It was all she could mutter in response. Upclose, it was easy to get the features Marie shared with Andre which hadn't been lost during plastic surgery. It was that arrogant Roman nose and those haunting sea-grey eyes as well as the c
With each step Clara took towards the doors, she wished there wouldn't be any more surprises because her heart had taken too much of it. Yet as she stepped into the private room which catered to private performances for VIP members, she knew that her wish wouldn't be fulfilled and her heart might just find a way to keep from exploding. It was the room where she had reconciled Adonis with Andre, the foundation of the secret relationship she had started with her boss, boyfriend, and business partner. Including a hell of everything else he was to her. Yet everything from the arrangement to illumination wasn't the same, nor was the mood set by the soft music which blared through the speakers. '...'Cause all of me Loves all of you Love your curves and all your edges All your perfect imperfections...' John Legend's 'All of Me' had never sounded more emotional, that beautiful voice invoking to her mind memories of the man she had fallen in love with, who stood in the middl
Fuck, her palms joined together of their volition even before she registered that she was clapping, a tear forming in her eyes as the lights went off again. She wasn't even aware of the masked female concierge who came into the room till she perceived an enchanting feminine cologne and darted her eyes towards the direction of the third party. She and the mood she had been cast into already occupied the seats of the first two parties. "Good evening, ma'am. I'll be serving you tonight." She bore a tray of glass and a bottle of wine in the other hand. "A glass please." Clara muttered, suddenly aware of how patched her throat had become with dryness. A cold flute was soon in her hand, and she perceived the unique aroma before bringing it to her lips. It tasted sweetly sinful and smelt like soft sensuality although the alcohol level was only a background complement. Clara's eyes immediately went to the wine bottle with amazement clouding them; it bore an Italian name she couldn't
'I want your body on mine, forever.' A whisper, an imploration, a fucking vow. *** The theme tonight was ethereal. When the car halted in front of the X-Clusive and the chauffeur opened her side of the door, Clara Lynn stared at the tall building which now served as headquarters for another branch in Las Vegas as her Christian Louboutin rhinestone heels stepped on the floors. "Thanks, Will." She muttered to the chauffeur who replied in a similar polite fashion and shut the door, stepping into side with her. Some things like Andre's security following her around hadn't changed over the past one year, especially since their relationship had become public knowledge. But rather than the team who announced the presence of paranoia and made her friends uneasy at events, the slightly older man who doubled as a chauffeur escorted her to public functions. Once the gossip magazines had taken it upon themselves to get pictures of the hunky man opening doors for her, with captions which s
"This is impressive, Clara. I must admit, it's better than I imagined. We're definitely onboard." Literally, they had been onshore for more than four hours because Mr. Holmes apparently included her in her vacation plans for the day, and though she had kept glancing at her watch for the first thirty minutes, Clara hadn't been able to deny that the man did know how to enjoy himself. An ex workaholic in the business world who had decided to take a break as he was fast approaching forty, Holmes was looking for lucrative businesses to invest in so he could enjoy his rest while making money as well. It was a solid plan, and for the first three hours, Clara listened with interest as he talked about his plans for the future and even found herself laughing when he made a joke about wishing to get married to a smart woman who could match his ideas. Like her. A statement which she took care to laugh unnecessarily loudly to, just before making her own joke about already being engaged.
Andre Quinn was exhausted a few minutes after four in the evening when the hostess who served him another cup of herbal tea announced that they had arrived New York. It was the quickest journey he'd ever made to and fro his hometown, and that was a considerate setting of new record because he had never felt comfortable in the empty expansive mansion since his mother left. His mother. He was still coming to terms with how everything had unfolded, and was getting used to the idea of not mentally referring to Marie as 'the bitch' as he'd done for more than two decades. Even before he was legal enough to think the 'b' word. But giving himself a mental break over the past month had cleansed his spirits to a large extent. Apart from spending more time with his girlfriend and going on a drive with her sometimes in the evening, he had also mustered the courage to place a call to Thailand twice. And even when he'd heard Viscount's voice in the background on one of the occasions, he
Within twenty-four hours, Clara had succeeded in making headlines in office group chats which almost equated Andre Quinn's in international gossip magazines. Virtually every fucking person, including her subordinates turned to CCTV cameras and historians who documented her every move so as to analyse them later. And because her boyfriend thrived on being so damn generous it hurt, he rode the elevator down to her floor during lunch break and walked into her office amdist the obvious scrutinising eyes and fingers waiting for crumbs of information about them. He fed it to them; hot cake and ice cream to wagging tongues, and even offered them a dessert by staying in her office for thirty minutes after instructing her shocked assistant to hold her calls. And in the sweetness of his endless generosity, he gave them a ticket to their next meal when he finally came out of her office with his hand gently grazing her back, his eyes concentrated on hers as she told him about the meeting s
"Thanks, babe." *** Clara Lynn was a myriad of forest greenness. Vibrant and arrestingly charming in an army green suit whose skirt was designed to accommodate a slit that currently rode up to her thighs, she revealed an ample amount of eye-catching skin which glowed in creaminess beneath dark panty hose. Adorned with tiny jewelry of nephrite which complemented her skin as perfectly as the bright rays of the sun currently streaming through the open blinds, she had elegance and opulence revolving around her even before she began the meeting. And in addition to her silver blonde hair styled in tiny curls with waterfall braids to create a delicate look which complemented her glass make-up perfectly, she naturally drew attention to herself. However, irrespective of the awareness that she was captivating, Clara didn't make the mistake of being arrogant enough to think she owed it all to her physical appearance. Because over the last twenty-four hours, she had been placed at the cen
Andre understood what he hadn't said, and stared at the brown envelope with emptiness in his eyes and heart. He... Just needed a rest, a vacation. Marie cleared her throat as Viscount checked the time by the wall clock. Interesting, only twenty-five minutes had passed and twenty-five years worth of anger had been poured out within that short duration of time. "I... I didn't come with Anthony today to mock you, I'm sorry that I'm by his side despite the enmity between you two. I... I will end it with him if our union affects you. You're the most important person to me, baby..." "Becky?" Tony seemed genuinely betrayed and stunned and sad at the same time. Andre didn't know how to feel about any of it. Too many things had happened and his mind could only absorb little at a time. He couldn't give them his blessing because it wasn't in his place and watching his mother with a man who had been like an older brother to him wasn't exactly a sight for sore eyes. She was at least eleven y
"Dre..." Marie had started crying, quiet sobs spreading through the quiet room, her lean fingers pressed against her lips to stiffen the cries. But Andre didn't let that deter his continuation of that unpracticed speech. "Why don't you go ahead and pick the one you're the most beautiful in. Oh, you wouldn't know if you don't watch it. Should I play one for you...?" That was the point where Viscount's control snapped, and he stood with a force which made Clara's eyes dizzy for a second from watching him. "You fucking sleazy bastard! You are not in a position to cast judgement on her when you don't have a freaking idea what she's been through. Vengeance? Punishment? I should be the one casting it on you and your bastard of a dad for taking the company. My father fucking killed himself because of the way he was cast out!" "What? My father and I took the company? Remind me the number of times I contacted you after you started giving me the cold shoulder, asking what had gone wrong.