FALLING HARD SERIES (4 stories)

CHAPTER FIVE: DEAL’S A DEAL

Frustration was catching up with her quite fast. In fact, the emotion was spreading so fast that she found herself falling into a maudlin mood that very Saturday afternoon. On one side was her doomed marriage and on the other side, she was having to manage all the job rejections on her own.

It was during times like that which she missed Oden most – no matter how over-protective her husband could become, he was always there for her during the bad times.

And she missed not being able to share her worries with him.

It hadn’t always been that bad. Come to think of it, the early days of their wedded life had been a perfect bliss – until her parents had started to spoil things for her with their constant interference. Although, she had been careful not to let any of their prying reflect to Oden, it had done a terrible damage to her self-confidence.

But that was her parents intrinsically did. Admonish and annihilate. By now, they should have earned a PhD in destroying her character.

With Oden starting to treat her the same way had been the last straw, they all treated her like she was some fragile porcelain doll who didn’t know better. Who couldn’t make a decision on her own.

Ash had realized that fact a week before leaving Oden, when she’d seen him interact with his female colleagues and had then understood the reason of her depression. There was a stark difference in the way he interacted with his contemporaries - he would never treat her with the same respect.

Things were different when she’d been working at Taylor Hudson, especially during their coffee-pretzel dates. Back then, they had been equals, although her hierarchical ranking had been way below his in the company. But he’d treated her like she was someone special, not the doormat she was currently turning into.

And she’d felt brazen enough to defy him. Like that time when he’d forgotten to buy her the much-promised pretzel because he’d been caught up in a meeting with a difficult client.

“Where’s my coffee?” he’d barked the next morning, bursting into her personal space without apology, not caring about the annoyed or surprised looks his outburst was triggering from the other co-workers in the open space.

Ash had been intransigent.

Completely unruffled, she stared back at him with equal mutiny. “You missed my pretzel yesterday.”

There was a murmur around them with some angling in their direction to catch a miff of the conversation, and Oden looked even more pissed if that was possible. Taking her by the elbow, albeit not forcefully, he dragged her into the kitchen away from the prying eyes, but Ash had a feeling that it was too late.

It was just a matter of time before she would be pestered with innumerable questions about her bizarre relationship with The Fisher. For now, she needed to fight her own battle with the man in question.

“A deal’s a deal. You reneged on ours,” she muttered fiercely, not wanting to admit even to herself that the reason of her animosity was due to the fact that she’d missed him. Terribly.

Oden hissed in exasperation, leaning closer to respond to her aggressive comment. “I so didn’t. I was with the CEO of Tiffany’s and Co. so I’m sure you can excuse me for having skipped our convenient arrangement for once.”

“I can,” she replied poking him in the chest, the defiance not fading one bit as she tried to provoke him. “As you can excuse me for having missed your coffee this morning.”

Oden sighed heavily, approaching one menacing step, making her take one pace back in automatic reaction. “I can be excused because I was working. You are just a vengeful woman acting out of pure spite.”

Annoyed, Ash crossed her arms, the action inexorably lifting her breasts upwards. Too busy repressing her frustration, she noticed his distraction only when his eyes dropped to the uplifted mounds.

His reaction fueled her wrath, and she dropped her hands only to snarl between gritted teeth. “Eyes up here, mister! I’m talking to you.”

However, when his eyes met hers, she gasped at the earthy green that spoke of life being rejuvenated after a long winter. A shade which showed the way to home even in the darkest hour.  

The anger inside her faded with a whoosh, being replaced by instant reaction to the intensity of desire she could detect. Her insides went berserk, almost like trying to leap in his direction, and she had to clench her fist to resist touching him.

“My coffee?” he growled seductively still holding her gaze with that come-hither stare which was making her insides melt like liquid honey.

Murmuring something unintelligible, Ash made a move to leave the intimacy of his proximity, but he intentionally blocked her path, inadvertently coming closer to her. Breath rushed out of her lungs as her heart picked up an erratic rhythm, her female instincts already informing her that he was hitting on her.

True to her gut feeling, he moved his lips close to her, to blow on her cheeks oh-so softly. The intention was only to tease, but she reacted like his breath came out of a furnace, her already fatal attraction making her swoon towards him.

“You will never forget my coffee again,” he whispered the words in a soothing tone, so softly spoken that it completely belied the command.

Like a puppet, she could only nod violently, hating herself for the way he was controlling her emotions. Then, refusing to be dominated, she placed her hand on his chest inside his suit jacket, near his heart making him hiss loudly.

“As long as you don’t forget my pretzel,” she counter-attacked with a chutzpah she was far from feeling.

“Hell, I’ll buy you the whole stall this afternoon,” he teased lightly. “Just make me some of your damned coffee.”

Still held within his embrace, Ash could not actually move to fulfill his request, almost afraid that a mere movement could break the spell. So, she stayed put, not hiding that she was blatantly ogling the man in front of her, and liking what she was seeing.

Just as he was about to bring his lips to hers, there was an unpredicted noise outside the corridor which made them break apart swiftly. Flustered, Ash fumbled through the drawers, feigning to be searching for something when in fact her mind drew a complete blank.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she peered to see whether Oden was still in the kitchen, and the sound of his voice confirmed his presence. Trying hard to hide her trembling, she fervently prayed for whoever was in the kitchen to disappear. In her hurry, she’d left her coffee safe on her desk behind, which prevented her from making the coffee so that she could get the hell out of there.

“Why so nervous?” a voice asked behind her and she froze as she felt him close behind her, her whole body going rigid with shock as his front almost collided with her back.

Turning her head around, she met his eyes, unable to hide how he unsettled her, and he seemed read her vulnerability for the teasing disappeared to be replaced with tenderness.

Slowly, he turned her to face him and lifted a gentle hand to push back a wayward tendril away from her face, and tugged it behind her ear.

“I won’t eat you, you know,” he whispered softly before caressing her cheeks still softly like he was handling something priceless. His touch was so delicate that she wanted to purr like a cat against his warmth.

“You won’t?” she parroted and could have berated herself for sounding so disappointed.

At her impulsive response, he flashed her a grin so sexy that she had to hold her breath to trample her wayward heart.

“On second thoughts, maybe I will,” he announced before capturing her lips with his, at the same time sneaking his hand at the low of her back to bring her closer. The action made her insides go mush as she placed her hand on his chest for leverage, or was it to feel his skin?

Then, she was lost in sensations, her mind switching off as her mouth allowed him penetration and their tongues meshed together in perfect synchronization. Her moan came out more like an “oomph”, of relief more than pleasure like her body had been waiting for that kind of gratification for far too long.

As they participated in that age-old dance of tongues, Ash felt a violent sure of lust as her breasts began to peak with need, and molten liquid started to pool around her core. Mrs. G was getting out of hands with so much excitement.

Her basic instincts were urging her to wrap her legs around him, but somehow at the back of her mind, it registered that she was in the kitchen office. They were in the office! Anybody could walk in and catch them eating each other’s mouth like two hormonal teenagers.

That thought served as a bucket of ice water being thrown in her face, and she tugged his tie in an attempt to make him stop. After a few nibbles, he reluctantly released her, his swollen mouth indicating that he’d thoroughly enjoyed himself.

Feeling suddenly shy, she was at a loss of how to react, but he tugged the stubborn tendril who had managed to escape her ponytail once again with same fondness, smiling at her to make her feel at ease.

“I think I don’t want the coffee anymore,” he purred alluringly in her ears, his breath sending goosebumps puckering over her arms.

“Why not?” she croaked, and immediately cleared her throat to remove the catch in her voice.

“I think I’ve become addicted to another taste now.”

With that witty flirtatious repartee thrown at her, he winked beguilingly at her before leaving her gaping in the kitchen, grinning so widely that her mouth hurt. For the first time in her entire life, she felt the kind of happiness where hearts could burst and she believed she could fly.

The afternoon couldn’t come soon enough – almost frenzy with the need to see him again, Ash made so many mistakes that she gave up any pretense of working.

 Millions of questions tumbled inside her head, her poor overloaded mind coming with so many scenarios that she had to calm herself down by taking a trip to the toilet.

On her way out, she met with Barney Nelson another senior partner who worked on another floor. Caught in the act, she resisted the urge to make a detour, as the handsome blonde man approached her with purpose.

Damn! It was nearly two o’clock – she didn’t want to miss her pretzel date with Oden. She’d brought him coffee anyway, while he hadn’t been in his office to avoid any confrontation. She’d thought that she was not ready to face him yet, but the more she delayed, the jumpier she was getting.

“Mr. Nelson,” she greeted as she tried to wriggle her way through without being too obvious.

“Ah Ashleigh, right? Glad that you know my name. I was actually looking for you,” he revealed, making sure he did not notice how crestfallen she felt.

Instead, she beamed politely. “Is it about work?” Can’t it wait? she added silently.

“Oh no no. I’ve got my own personal assistant,” he bragged, suddenly the external beauty paling at his blatant complacency. “I’ve heard that you make great coffee for The Fisher,” he stated like he’d discovered gold in his own yard.

Her fake smile nearly faltered. Oh no! The gossips had already started. Although they hadn’t openly discussed about their convenient arrangement, Ash had kept it from everyone in the office, even from Pippa. Well, until now.

“I’m a coffee addict myself,” he boasted in that same smug tone Ash was staring to hate. “I would really appreciate if you could make me some as well.”

Every part of her rebelled at the mere concept but Ash knew the stakes. Barney was senior partner and refusing him would make him an enemy, a formidable one at that. And being a mere trainee meant that she couldn’t afford antagonizing anyone.

“I thought you had your own P.A,” she tried, making a Herculean effort to keep any connotation of sarcasm from her voice.

The man actually had the gall to chuckle – like she’d cracked a silly joke. “I do, but God help me if I drank anymore of her nasty coffee. That woman is a complete blockhead in the department.”

Not appreciating the backbiting of another fellow colleague, Ash dropped her fake smile altogether. “I’m afraid that my arrangement with Mr. Fisher is exclusive,” she replied coolly.

Eyebrows raised to his hairline at the unexpected affront. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”

The implied menace was softly spoken, with enough aplomb to make her think twice. As she opened her mouth to give an equally bitter response refusing to be intimidated, a familiar voice sounded from behind making her sag in relief.

“I’m afraid she’s right, Nelson. Our deal’s exclusive.”

Heart leaping in her throat, Ash turned to face a fiercely furious Oden who appeared to have picked the heart of the problem. His blazing green eyes was the next thing which caught her attention, the intense fury so ablaze that she feared he might explode.

Opening her mouth again to calm him, she swallowed her words as he intertwined his fingers with hers and all but dragged her away, ignoring the sputtering Barney. Oden didn’t stop until he reached the pretzel vendor, even then not letting go of her hand.

Although his grip wasn’t hurting her, Ash was starting to worry about his current mood. “Why are you so angry with me?” she asked helplessly when he presented her the usual pastry without a word.

Taking a deep breath, he shook his head and took a large bite which amounted to almost half of the pretzel. After a few minutes of chewing, he swallowed the huge lump before replying.

“How dare he?!! I can’t believe he just propositioned you like that!”

“He didn’t!” Ash protested hotly while releasing his proprietorial hold on her hand, her pretzel untouched as she tried to calm him down. “All he did was propose me another arrangement. Like the one I have with you.”

Instead of soothing him, it seemed like she had fueled his wrath. “No one else can have a deal with you.” Then, as if to emphasize his point, he lifted his finger in her direction with a not so subtle menace. “You are not making coffee for anyone else.”

Rattled now, she crossed her arms in a rebellious manner, not appreciating the command. “What is that supposed to even mean? Everybody in the office knows about our little arrangement. Others are bound to make me some interesting offers.”

She didn’t know why she was goading him - maybe to check if his overreaction was because of jealousy, or just a question of denting his ego. And the only way to do that was to catch him unawares when he was out of control – like now.

“Pulleez. Everybody in the office knows that I am not after you just for coffee.”

Then, as if realizing his mistake a tad too late, he clamped his mouth shut with a loud snap, his green eyes popping out with shock.

She’d had him exactly where she wanted.

Out of its own volition, that enormous grin appeared again, stretching until her ears ached as she enjoyed his disinclined confession.

“Really?” she asked drawing close to him. “What exactly are you after me for?”

Without bothering to reply, he covered her mouth with his, the action inexorably making his intention indisputable. The kiss which followed was different from their first attempt in the kitchen, while the other one had served to set the smoldering fire ablaze, this one was slow and more exploratory, tongues clinging to each other in order to savor the taste.

“I promise. No coffee for anyone else,” she vowed solemnly, her eyes conveying the message that she meant more than the drink. She had pledged herself to him heart and soul at that precise moment.

In retrospection, she could not believe that her memories – beautiful priceless memories were now tarnished with the impending divorce.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell which brought her back to the present.