Share

003

Author: Elyrian
last update Last Updated: 2025-02-06 20:14:35

DEREK

The sound of my alarm woke me up at six am sharp. My feet hit the ground ten seconds later, discarding the sheets protecting my face. When I found the other side of the bed empty, I was tempted to question my smart brain. Where was the girl I had slept with last night?

The exotic dancer had stunned all her male audience with her seductive moves. The weasels had salivated over her, making stupid wolfish whistles when she did her thing. I constantly wondered how some of them managed to pay the entrance f*e at Smoky Paradise. Perhaps they had pawned off their inheritance or tagged along with females who were an exception to the entrance f*e rule.

Nevertheless, none of that explained the missing girl. Didn't she want her money? She had better not be a thief. Stealing from the owner of the place where you worked was not a wise way to keep your job. But, damn, she had been so fucking good. I could not remember when last I spent my money on something so satisfying. There was no way she had been faking those throaty moans and shaky gasps or maybe she was just that good at faking.

I was not a heavy sleeper and the alarm on my phone was more or less a formality. Last night, however, after remembering at last to take off my wristwatch, I crashed on the giant bed and fell asleep almost immediately. What had that tiny foreign girl done to me? There was no trace of her anywhere and my phone was where I had left it.

My wallet was not missing anything, all my cards and cash in place. Only a fool would move around with cash in a place like East Village, my half-brother, Oscar would say, preferring the more secure Manhattan. What he did not know was that I was literally untouchable in parts like that, my reputation as a Rivera going ahead of me.

Since the girl had shown me a good time, I resolved to get the money across to her through her agent. It wasn't my fault that she had run away or had she? I eyed the bathroom door and noted that it was partially ajar. There was no sound of running water but that didn't mean anything.

I confidently made my way to the bathroom with nothing on but my boxer briefs. My bare hands were as dangerous as any weapon she could be wielding. Pausing for a split second, I yanked the door open and walked in. I found. . .no one in there. I had showered the night before while waiting for the treat I had paid for and nothing had changed except. . .

“Gotcha!”

I plucked long dark hairs from the sink that obviously did not belong to me. I had not dreamt it up! The exotic dancer and I had had sex last night but for some reason, she had left without getting her payment. Strange. I flicked the tap head to the left and water gushed out of it, flushing the hair away.

As I watched the hair vanish with the water, I recalled her passionate scream when I penetrated her with a thrust. My blood instantly heated up and I shivered, feeling my erection growing again. Forgetting about her would unfortunately not be as easy as getting rid of her long, dark locks.

* * *

“You can start now, Gareth,” I instructed once my earpods were in position, taking the stairs to the last floor.

“As you wish, Mr Rivera,” my personal assistant complied, his snotty British voice making him sound stiff all the time. “Rivera stock increased by a spectacular ten percent today. You are six million dollars richer this morning, sir.”

I shrugged in lieu of his news, the amount nothing I had not heard before. “Continue,” I prompted him to go on, nodding in response to the greeting of a cleaner. She was still openly staring at me as I stopped at the manager's office. The name of the exotic dancer was Isadora, according to Manager Neil and he scribbled her agent's number down on a piece of paper. I slipped it into my pocket and strolled out of his office.

“You have a meeting with the President of the Darlington Group by eight am.”

I silently nodded, keeping that in mind. The meeting with Joe Darlington was a crucial one and I was glad that I had ample time to prepare ahead. Anything Joe thought he knew, I had to be one step ahead. The old fox was cunning but I had not won Most Successful Businessman USA Under 30 three times in a row for being a simpleton.

If only all my many achievements in business could be enough to please my mother. No, nothing was ever enough for Rachel Rivera and her nagging had grown worse over the years. It was little wonder why I stayed away from home, preferring to either be in the office or overseeing club affairs I was already paying two managers heavily to oversee.

The pressure on me to get married worsened when my half-brother, a year my junior got married before me. He and I shared a father, his birth mother so eager to give up her child to my father when she heard how wealthy he was. She took the money and walked away and Oscar was brought into the Rivera house at age five. We competed over everything as boys and I never let him forget that he was the ousider.

However, when my father passed away, his lawyer made it known that my success at building the family business was not enough to secure my place as the legitimate heir. Apparently, my father had not outrightly named his successor, a clause in his will stating that the first son of his to have a child would inherit the Rivera Empire. That opened my eyes to the reality that I could lose all I had worked hard to build to Oscar if he and his wife, Jennifer had a child before I did.

Regardless of what my mother thought, it was not easy to get married, at least not for a man like me. I did not believe in the disgusting concept of love, learning from Oscar's mother that most women would do anything for money. Love existed in fairytales and in the dreams of lazy people, not in the real world.

“You are to have lunch with Doris Marshall at 12pm. At what restaurant do you want me to book a reservation for you both?”

“None, Gareth.” Mother had to quit meddling with my daily planner! “Meet her on her behalf with my apologies and get her flowers,” I added as an afterthought. I was practical, not completely heartless. “Keep it simple and reasonable. If you go overboard, she would think I am actually interested in her.”

“Mm-hmm, and God forbid that any woman should think that you want to be in a romantic relationship with her.”

He was forgetting himself, his criticism leaking through the sarcasm. He was seven years older than I was but I still signed his paycheque. I exited the club, the security guards saluting me as I walked past them. The sight I met in the garage had me pulling back immediately before I put myself together.

A petite woman with lush, straight, jet black hair knelt on the hard floor, crying her heart out into a phone. Her back was to me and some unknown force tugged me towards her.

“Please, sir, I need this loan. I will work for free until I am done paying for it no matter how long it takes. I have to save my stepfather or they will kill him. Yes, I know that five hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money but I—”

She hiccupped and then suddenly jerked forward, throwing up the contents of her stomach. The irritating stench of alcohol polluted the air at once and I covered my nose, realizing that I had stumbled upon an irresponsible drunk. Just great. She must have seen my shadow because she gasped, turning around slowly and I was not impressed by her looks.

Her chubby cheeks made her look cute at best. Her face was pale, her tiny nose and full lips wrong for her face. But I could not help taking note that she was in some financial situation that involved her stepfather. The dim tone from her phone told me that it had run out of batteries and she cursed the cheap phone to hell. Hmm, a sharp tongue to match an innocent face? Perfect.

“Hello there, I could not help overhearing your little problem. I think I know a way we can both be of help to each other.”

Related chapters

  • The CEO's Corporate Wife; A deal   004

    ROSEThe man standing beside me was twice as tall as me and I was on block heels. His shirt was strained at the top three buttons because it was trying to accommodate his sculpted chest. It wasn't fair that some people had it all: wealth, good looks, a mouthwatering body and a perpetual good hair day. I had done my best to put myself in order but I was nowhere close to his standard. I wiped my lips with the back of my hand and he eyed me with disgust he did not try to hide. The stench of what I had thrown up had already ruined my rep; what could he possibly want from me? “I don't think I heard you correctly. Did you say we could be of help to each other?” He pinched the bridge of his nose, irritated with having to repeat himself again. “Yes. You have a problem I can solve and I have a problem you can solve,” he explained slowly as if he was speaking to a dumb child. “So, it only makes sense that we help each other out. How many fingers am I holding up?” he suddenly held up a hand a

    Last Updated : 2025-02-06
  • The CEO's Corporate Wife; A deal   001

    ROSE “I think you’ve had more than enough, young lady. Are you with someone?” the bartender asked me pitifully, eyeing the four empty bottles of cheap beer I had downed. I burst into a giggle instead of replying. Was I with someone? Who would want to associate with a loser like me, someone who had nothing to give? My giggles gave way to shaking shoulders and soon, tears filled my eyes, my emotions jumbled by the influence of alcohol. “Okay, that’s it, no more drinks for you. Get off my stool and go wash your face in the restroom. I'll get someone to find you a taxi.” When I did not comply immediately, he walked around his counter and pulled me off the stool. It was almost midnight yet the club was filled to the brim with people. However, none of them objected to the bartender pulling me up like an errant child. I went along with him, my tongue too heavy to make any complaints. He escorted me to the beginning of a barely lit hallway and helped me stand properly. “This is as far as

    Last Updated : 2025-02-06
  • The CEO's Corporate Wife; A deal   002

    ROSE I rolled over to my side, burrowing my face into my pillow. My bed had never felt so uncomfortable and I wrapped myself around my teddy bear. Maybe I was too old to sleep with a toy but Chris the Bear had heard so much of my life's failures that I almost considered him as a human being. But that morning, Chris had a soothing temperature, his arm muscular and fleshy. . .wait a minute! My eyes blinked open and found my hands wrapped around the arm of someone half buried in a sheet. “Oh my God!” I gasped, peeling myself off whoever it was. What was I doing in a. . .I looked around to gauge my whereabouts and my panic only grew. The mild light filtering into the room from the window revealed an expensive phone on a desk, a gold watch and to my embarrassment, my dress on the floor. And then, the events of last night all came rushing back to my memory like a speeding train. The alcohol. . .falling into a dark room. . .the stranger. . .Daddy. . .shit, I was so done for! My head b

    Last Updated : 2025-02-06

Latest chapter

  • The CEO's Corporate Wife; A deal   004

    ROSEThe man standing beside me was twice as tall as me and I was on block heels. His shirt was strained at the top three buttons because it was trying to accommodate his sculpted chest. It wasn't fair that some people had it all: wealth, good looks, a mouthwatering body and a perpetual good hair day. I had done my best to put myself in order but I was nowhere close to his standard. I wiped my lips with the back of my hand and he eyed me with disgust he did not try to hide. The stench of what I had thrown up had already ruined my rep; what could he possibly want from me? “I don't think I heard you correctly. Did you say we could be of help to each other?” He pinched the bridge of his nose, irritated with having to repeat himself again. “Yes. You have a problem I can solve and I have a problem you can solve,” he explained slowly as if he was speaking to a dumb child. “So, it only makes sense that we help each other out. How many fingers am I holding up?” he suddenly held up a hand a

  • The CEO's Corporate Wife; A deal   003

    DEREK The sound of my alarm woke me up at six am sharp. My feet hit the ground ten seconds later, discarding the sheets protecting my face. When I found the other side of the bed empty, I was tempted to question my smart brain. Where was the girl I had slept with last night? The exotic dancer had stunned all her male audience with her seductive moves. The weasels had salivated over her, making stupid wolfish whistles when she did her thing. I constantly wondered how some of them managed to pay the entrance fee at Smoky Paradise. Perhaps they had pawned off their inheritance or tagged along with females who were an exception to the entrance fee rule. Nevertheless, none of that explained the missing girl. Didn't she want her money? She had better not be a thief. Stealing from the owner of the place where you worked was not a wise way to keep your job. But, damn, she had been so fucking good. I could not remember when last I spent my money on something so satisfying. There was no way

  • The CEO's Corporate Wife; A deal   002

    ROSE I rolled over to my side, burrowing my face into my pillow. My bed had never felt so uncomfortable and I wrapped myself around my teddy bear. Maybe I was too old to sleep with a toy but Chris the Bear had heard so much of my life's failures that I almost considered him as a human being. But that morning, Chris had a soothing temperature, his arm muscular and fleshy. . .wait a minute! My eyes blinked open and found my hands wrapped around the arm of someone half buried in a sheet. “Oh my God!” I gasped, peeling myself off whoever it was. What was I doing in a. . .I looked around to gauge my whereabouts and my panic only grew. The mild light filtering into the room from the window revealed an expensive phone on a desk, a gold watch and to my embarrassment, my dress on the floor. And then, the events of last night all came rushing back to my memory like a speeding train. The alcohol. . .falling into a dark room. . .the stranger. . .Daddy. . .shit, I was so done for! My head b

  • The CEO's Corporate Wife; A deal   001

    ROSE “I think you’ve had more than enough, young lady. Are you with someone?” the bartender asked me pitifully, eyeing the four empty bottles of cheap beer I had downed. I burst into a giggle instead of replying. Was I with someone? Who would want to associate with a loser like me, someone who had nothing to give? My giggles gave way to shaking shoulders and soon, tears filled my eyes, my emotions jumbled by the influence of alcohol. “Okay, that’s it, no more drinks for you. Get off my stool and go wash your face in the restroom. I'll get someone to find you a taxi.” When I did not comply immediately, he walked around his counter and pulled me off the stool. It was almost midnight yet the club was filled to the brim with people. However, none of them objected to the bartender pulling me up like an errant child. I went along with him, my tongue too heavy to make any complaints. He escorted me to the beginning of a barely lit hallway and helped me stand properly. “This is as far as

Scan code to read on App
DMCA.com Protection Status