Chapter 9
1357 Words
Tyler’s Point of view.
Claire had a good cry after her piece of s**t ex left. I am not sure what her marriage to him was like, but for her to collapse onto the floor in relief, it must have been terrible. All I can do is make sure her current marriage is better.
My ill-advised proposal, intended to defy my parents, has evolved. I like her. Not just in the lustful way she keeps talking about, but in her personality.
I am not saying I am in love with her. That would be ridiculous. I’m saying I could see myself dating her. She’s smart, funny, feisty, adorable, and she makes me smile.
She turns me on like no other woman ever has. I got instantly aroused when her butt cheek was playing peek-a-boo in my face this morning. Or when she came out dressed in my shirt, flaunting those bouncy natural t**s in my face. It took every ounce of my strength to not shove her against the wall and kiss her.
Claire possesses a unique quality. She isn’t like the girls I am used to. She doesn’t wear expensive clothes or drive fancy cars and she has no expectations for me. Her life is simple, with no elaboration needed. Yet she seems happy. Joy about your life is not an experience I have had.
When she told me that James was a Vice President at her company, I was furious. He is in every facet of her life. No matter where she goes or what she does, that man is bothering her.
What she doesn’t know is that I own Nix Dox and all the subsidiaries. I guess that means she works for me, but so does James. Now I am debating whether I should tell her. It’s best if I do. She’d be quite upset if I didn’t.
I take out my phone and text Charlie to bring me a three-piece suit. It is time for me to have a drop-in visit at Nix Dox.
Claire walks out of her bedroom dressed in a pair of skintight dress pants, a loose blouse and a suede jacket with a button collar. She approaches me with a hairbrush and spray in her hand.
“Could you help me brush my hair? It irritates my hand.” She asks, handing the tools to me.
“Sure, I’ve never brushed long hair before, so you will have to tell me what to do.”
“Start from the top. If you run into a knot, grab it just above, spray it and then brush it while holding it.”
I follow her directions, running the brush through her stark white hair. The moment is intimate. It takes a special level of trust to allow someone to groom you.
“So,” I ask, “do you get your hair dyed this colour?”
“Nope, it’s natural.”
My fingers run through it, the softness flooding between my fingers.
“Your hair is naturally this light?”
“Yep.”
When I finish, she leans up and plants a soft kiss on my cheek.
“Thank you. I appreciate how well you have cared for me.”
I lift her chin with two fingers, looking deep into her blue eyes. My mind wonders about her previous marriage. Was she not cared for?
“You are my wife. I care for you.”
She stares at me, her eyes boring into my soul.
“I mean it.” I say, “I like you. More than I probably should.”
Instead of a response, she leans up and plants a simple closed mouth kiss on my lips. When she pulls back, I return the favour, this time with a bit more of a deep kiss.
“Stop.”
She pushes me away. I’m a little frustrated with this. She kissed me first.
“You kissed me.”
“You kissed me back.” She says, “and if we continue, I will be late for work.”
It makes sense now why she stopped me, and my frustration dissipates.
I slide my hands down to her hips, pulling her body close to me.
“Do you want a ride to work?”
“You don’t have to go out of your way. I can take the bus.”
The air between us crackles with anticipation.
“It isn’t out of the way. I own Nix Dox and was going to complete an audit on them.”
She sighs, sliding my hand off her hips and heads to the door. I watch with a close eye as she puts on a pair of black high-heeled boots.
“You don’t have to do that. I’ve handled James since I was fourteen. That isn’t gonna change now.”
I give her a hand standing up.
“Maybe I wanted to be closer to you.”
“Don’t tell me the most ruthless CEO in the land is a softie.”
Our intertwined fingers fit perfectly in one another’s as we walk out the door. Charlie leans against the vehicle, a stupid grin on his face. He opens the back door and directs Claire into her seat. She thanks him with a nod as I make my way into mine.
“Miss Claire, you look much better today. It’s good to see you fighting fit.”
“Oh, God!” she says, slapping my chest with the back of her hand. “Did I say something stupid? Tyler, why didn’t you tell me?”
I pretend her slap hurts. “You were adorable. For like ten minutes of the drive, you pet the seat in front of you.”
She reaches out to the seat in front of her and pets it once more.
“It is soft.”
I chuckle, and she throws a wink at me. The drive to downtown is thirty minutes, most of which we sit in silence as I work on my phone. It is rare to find a woman that respects my workaholic life.
The car leaves the outside neighbourhoods and enters the downtown core. Buildings reaching high into the sky block the sun from shining in, but reflect light off of one another. There are people bustling about every which way. On one corner is a man playing a guitar while commuters toss coins into his case.
“Charlie?” She says, breaking the silence. “Can you drop me off three blocks away? I don’t want to cause a ruckus showing up in this vehicle.”
He nods and pulls the car to the side of the street. I grab her hand before she goes and pull her in for a kiss. At this moment I don’t know how physical our relationship will get, but if she wants to kiss me, I’ll take that.
She slides her tongue into my mouth as our small peck turns into a proper kiss. Her hand slides up my thigh. With a sudden jerk, she pulls away, and slides out of the car, teasing me in the way only she can. A tightness builds inside me as she leaves.
Charlie pulls the car into the parkade and parks. He locks the doors.
“What are you doing?”
“Don’t screw this up, Tyler.”
“Screw up what? My fake marriage?”
He turns to face me, a seriousness I rarely see in his eyes.
“When you are with her, you are Tyler, my best friend. Not Mr. Henderson the CEO. I’ve never seen you smile the way you do when you are with her.”
He is right. Her presence makes me smile. Not that I would ever tell him that.
“Mind your business.” I say.
He chuckles, a grin of satisfaction on his face.
“Why are you so happy?”
“If you didn’t like her, you wouldn’t be so upset about me butting in.”
He’s right again. I take a moment to steel myself and transition from casual Tyler to CEO Tyler. I change into my suit in the elevator.
- Writer
