The games we play

5

Carly stood frozen in her office, flushed and confused. Dexter had picked her up and his kiss was filled with promises. The worst thing about all this, was that she wanted it. Not once did she try to push him off her, say no or reject his kiss. Her body had betrayed her and if she was being honest so had her mind, she didn't even think about saying no. She was lost in him. By his touch, his smell , the feel of his member cleary erect pushing up against her leg. His hands roaming free on her body, squeezing and softly touching her... If Michael hadn't knocked who knows how far she would have let him go? "Oh no, oh no, oh no." She whispered to herself as she checked her smeared red lipstick in the mirror that hung above her small leather sofa in her office. "This is... bad. Horrible. No." Just then Michael appeared in the doorway, "HELLO? What were you doing? Why did it take so long, and more importantly did your plan work?" Carly was still so flushed and lost in thought, she had worked with many attractive and very successful men, but none of them had ever had an impact on her quite like this. Despite all their efforts to 'win her heart' they'd gotten tired eventually and let her be. This time was different, this time she felt drawn to Dexter. She knew what this meant, knew that she was in trouble. Michael was getting impatient, "Carl, what is goi... shut the front dooooooooor," he said as she turned and he saw that her lipstick needed to be touched up. In a half scream half whisper he jumped up and down, "You did NOT make out with Dexter Moore? Did you?? " Carly had to hang her head in shame, Michael had known how she felt about people who had power because of their money, she had a strong dislike toward those people, she felt disgusted by almost all of them and here she was having a hot makeout session with the worst of the lot. What a hypocrite she was! Michael closed the door behind him and eagerly took a seat on the couch, "SPILL!" She felt like crying, like she had betrayed herself, how could she do this and like it... want more? After such a short time? How was she so weak?"I..I uhm, I'm not sure what happened, I told him he can't have the car, then he,he just ... he picked me up kissed me and ... thank God you knocked when you did! I had no control ... I just ... I think I even kissed him back! " She hurriedly went over to her desk and looked for her make-up bag, Michael eyeing her suspiciously, "Carly Summers, I've never seen you this flustered, I've never seen you flustered at all!" He raises an eyebrow, "No! You like him!'" She doesn't look at him, can't bring herself to. That would be admitting that she was caught in his trap, that she was losing the game she had enitiated and was losing it so early on. She shook her head, pushing those feelings down."No, nonsense, I'm hungover ... he caught me off guard... I never thought he'd just come on to me." As soon as she said it she knows that it's bull,every person with ears has heard of Dexter Moore's play boy ways but she had to say it and as an after thought not to Micky but more to herself she adds, "That's all it was. All." Michael clicks his tongue ,"Na na na, Carly, self deception is the worst kind. You know that!" His elbow on his knee, his thumb under his chin, he looks almost bored. "I think we should abandon this ship, Carl. I've seen you pull a lot of s**t but you've never given in and we've not even started yet." She gives him a stern look and shakes her arms. "No, I'm not going to abandon Mario, or the others. She was dead set on helping them. "OK. Tell me, tell me how bad he is, what he's done, say the words!" Michael looks at her as if she's lost her mind, he sighs that tells her he doesn't think it will work but he sits up and says with more enthusiasm than she thought he had in him "Liar, cheater, womanizer, mean, arrogant and possibly murderer." She nods her head at each word as if she's willing them to be cemented into her brain. She breathes out,"I just need to get back on track." Michael looks at her disbelieving, "Hmm, whatever you say." He jumps up from the sofa and walks to door, "I don't think he saw Mario out there, he walked out of here on cloud nine. He looked more flustered than you." She gave him a stern look but didn't react to his comment. "OK, send him in!" A few minutes later, Mario Sanchez stood in the door. "Miss Carly." He takes off his cap and walks in, he looks nervous and almost sad. "I'm sorry, I thought he would see me, recognize me at least" his face fell slightly and a pang of guilt hit her. It was her fault. She had been distracted, had let their interaction take a turn if she had been focused and fought off his advances he would have left her office annoyed and he'd see Mario there, confront him and she would be the mediator she was sure they'd sign a deal then and there. She didn't know how to tell him . "Mister Sanchez, please take a seat. Listen I'm sorry, I misread the situation. He'll be back here tomorrow, same time and this time I'll make sure he sees you. Can you possibly make it?" He looks guilty, too and very unsure. Rubbing the back of his short, almost not there hair, "I'm not so sure anymore, I can't come into the city again. It was a 2 hour trip by bus." Her eyes widen she had forgotten where he lived. "Oh, no problem my driver will take you back now and pick you up tomorrow, ok?" His mood seemed to lighten at least a little bit. He sighs, "Ok. Let's try again tomorrow." Mario is long gone,as she's laying on her couch with an ice pack resting on her head, trying to free herself from her headache and her hangover. Her phone rang and she frowned, Michael wouldn't just put a call through to her, " Micky?" No answer he must be getting lunch, coffee or something. She makes her way to the phone, leaning over the front of her desk, "Carly Summers, speaking?" A silence and then his voice all but booms through the phone, "Answering your own phone? What does that secretary of yours do?" She has to close her eyes to fight the tingles that erupts all over her body at just hearing his voice. He's playing again, she doesn't know his game this time. Had he seen Mario? Acting dumb she plops onto her elbows one hand still holding the ice pack to her head and the other holds the phone to her ear. "Hello, who is this?" Dexter laughs loud and fake like he's mocking her,"Nice try, Carly." She squeezes her eyes, "How may I help you?" He snickers, "Hm, depends on what you're offering to ... help me with?" She hangs her head, everything with Dexter has to be a careful calculation, a play on words and she's caught off guard by him for the second time today. They never call back on the first day. It's definitely a first, but then again she's never let any client kiss her, touch her, or turn her on. She had to think. She knew he was trying to fluster her before with the kissing, the touching, the beautiful butterfly. She had two options, to play his games or challenge him. Challenge it is, swallowing she breathes into the phone, "So do all your business meetings end like that?" A short silence. "Like what?" She breathes out, "Like you leaving with an erection." Her voice flat and she tried to sound uninterested and not bothered. "Do yours?" The question almost burns her, she knows what they mean. He wants to know if she's easy, like he has the right to ask, like he doesn't have the reputation that he has, the question offends her and she's filled with regret. How did she let him kiss her like that, not only a kiss... there was something hidden in the way they blended togehter for those few brief moments, she'd let the whole thing escalte in minutes, seconds even. Suddenly she's mad, more at herself than at him but in that moment her head felt hot and she was angry. In a sudden move and without thinking she hangs up on him. That is what she would have done with every other case similar to this. Every rich powerful man trying to get her to fall for him so she would drop the case, it made her skin crawl everyone of them, they were used to women falling their feet, bending to their each and every need and she hated it. Now here she was, on the other side of it. Receiving the same treatment but she wouldn't take the disrespect. Staying in the position she was she lay her head on the table waiting for it to ring again, she knew he would call again. She counted backwards from thirty in her head 30, 29,28.... why did he call me? What does he want? 24, 23,22, why do I want him to call back? 18,17,16,15 ... the phone rang and she forced away her smile but secretly reveled in the fact that she had known, and had read him right, knew his next move. "Carly Summers, speaking." His voice is smooth, "Noted, the lady doesn't like insinuations, even when she was the one was throughing shade first." She was too hungover for this, she was,too tired and her head felt so hot. Making a pained sound, "Aargh, what is it that you want, Dexter? Please make it quick, I'm busy." For some reason she didn't like her own tone with him, it felt short and mean but she had to, she couldn't go soft on him. He had to keep his distance. "What happened? When I left you not too long ago you were in a much more amicable mood, willing even I'd say..." She couldn't deal with his arrogance he was calling to rub her momentary weakness in her face. To let her know that he had the upper hand. The pained noise came from her lips again and she hung up on him again. She waited by the phone this time counting backwards from 60, all the while questioning herself, being disappointed in herself. The phone rang around 20 seconds this time. She didn't let him speak first. "Dexter, it doesn't mean what you think it does," she puts her head and the desk and closes her eyes. "I don't want that type of thing happening again, even if I kissed you back. Now please what can I help you with?" He breathes in and she waits for a response, she briefly wondered how often it happened that someone had hung up on Dexter Moore, rejected his advances, told him there would be no more. His ego was taking a beating in the last 24 hours, she knew she'd pay for it soon. "I was just calling to tell you about my new office view, I must say it's quite something, quite a show, I think you'd agree." It took her a moment to piece together what he was saying, slowly she lifts her head and looks beyond her chair and out the large glass windows to the building across from hers with the same large open windows, she looked up to the top floor and her eyes came down all the way until she met his blues eyes staring back at her. There he was in the corner office overlooking the famous General Park to the left , the building she was in sat to the right, the office where he stood directly across from hers, standing in the middle of the large window that had a full view of her office. Which means he was looking at her the whole time..knew she was not busy but sprawled over her desk, dying of this hangover. She cursed under her breath but he still seemed to hear. His laugh loud in her ear. "I must say I do not object to the manner in which phone calls are taken, the opposite really." She looked down, her breasts were pressed together and her ass was in the air. What a view he had. Her cheeks flush red as she realized that she's lost yet another round. He was one step ahead. She thought he'd buy the building but not so soon. It took him all of three hours to secure it? It made her uncomfortable. "Oh, how clever of you, but

The 4th floor doesn't really scream CEO, now does it? I had you pegged for the 10th, the whole floor just for the big bad alpha boss." She matches his stare, not daring to move, she won't be giving him that sort of satisfaction. She'd be standing her ground. He's silent for a while, she can see him standing in the corner office his hand resting on the large wall sized window, his ring gleaming in the sun. He looks even more attractive standing there strong and sure with a sly smile plastered on his face. It made her feel equally sick and excited. His gaze burned holes in her, just like the night before at the restaurant. A thought came to her, did he do this just to intimidate her, to show her what's he capable of does he want his car back this badly? She knows it's part the car and part the chase, chasing the car and chasing her. "You are right, I'm more of an on the top kind of guy, but like I said the view can't be beaten, and who knows? I might even learn a thing or two ... make a friend or two..." she can't help but interrupt him, "Ha! Dexter Moore, you are the very last person, in this city atleast that needs to make friends!" His laughter comes through the phone, "That may be my little butterfly, but I still

want you," after a slight pause he adds, "as my friend." She rolled her eyes at his term of endearment for her. His eyes never leaving her, intense and filled with fire. It didn't feel like there was a small street, two buildings and huge windows between them, it felt like he was the sun and he was standing two feet away from her, burning her skin. "I'm not that great a friend, I don't call, don't write, never have time and when I do all I talk about is work. I've been called a bad friend infact." From where she stands she can see him drop his hand from the window, not leaning on it anymore and it seems to her his shoulders drop ever so slightly, too. "Two peas in a pod then, I'll take my chances!" His voice smooth and almost flirty. Michael walks in and whistles low, "Damn, boss this would totally work on me if I weren't as gay as Freddy Mercury but let me tell you, those spinning classes are totally working for you, the calves the buttocks mmmmhmm! Looking fine!" Carly jumps up and Dexter laughs through the phone, "See I told you, I've just learned that the man who spends the most time with you is not a threat." She doesn't like the way he said it, like if he was intressted in women Dexter would have a say if he works for her or not, like this is his choice, his tone lightly possessive. "Hm, listen Dex, I have to go lunch time is over and I've got a bunch of things I need to do, I'll see you around, ok?" Before he could say a thing she hung up. Michael making an overly dramatic surprised face at her. "Did he call you, already? " She sighs and gives a small nod. Finally tearing her gaze away from him she turns to Michael. "The fucker bought the building already, don't look, his standing in the office across from mine right now." His eyes went wide as he mouthed what! The rest of the day went by painfully slow, she sat at her desk and tried to work all the while feeling the sun burning holes in her back. Every time Michael had brought her files or came into her office he gave her a small nod signaling that Dexter was still there, and as if he could hear them they passed notes on their files, like it was the 4th grade all over again. One note from Michael had read,

His desk is facing this way, his looking right into your office, wanna come and sit outside with me?

It made her shiver and wonder if she was infact playing games with the wrong person, if she was in too deep and if she should be more cautious. She told Michael no, she wouldn't be hiding.

At five when Michael was standing at the door ready to go home and gave her the same nod he had all day. She decided to go home, she needed to get away from under the sun, his gaze and the intensity she felt trapped in her chest. She hadn't left the office this early in the five years she's been working there but then again she hadn't come to work with a hangover in those five years either. It took all she had, every inch of discipline for her not to look back and see if he was really still there watching her. Suddenly she felt scared. "Micky, wait!" She called after him, he half groaned and she knew he thought she was going to ask him for something, jumping from her chair she closed her laptop and grabbed her handbag, "Walk me out?" She wanted to say, don't leave me here, if he is still there, but she held the words back. He gave her a concerned look. "Jesus, Mary and Josef!" His mouth all but hangs open. "You're going home? At five sharp?" She rolls her eyes at him. "I feel like s**t, I'm not going to be productive. Anyway. I should have gone home after lunch. Now tell me where the new burger heart you told me about is? I need greasy food and my bed!"

Roughly 40 minutes later she was in her bed, TV on , wearing the most comfortable pajamas she owns and holding a burger 'with everything ' in her hands. Finally she felt relieved, no gazing eyes burning holes in her. She could breathe easy, but he never leaves her mind not even for just a minute and when sleep finally takes over, it's his masculine hands that she dreams of, touching her, every inch of her. When her alarm goes off at 5:00 am for spinning class she opens her eyes and realises that he'd taken over her dreams as well. It doesn't make her feel rested and focused, instead she's anxious and tired. Something feels different, she feels different. How could one short night and a few minutes with a stranger make her feel so off balance, this must be why people feared him...it's like he could burn his intensity into you and it stayed there, engraved into your body. She could only imagine what it would feel like to be on the other side of his anger, his frustration or his pain. She had to get herself focused and ready for the day, she couldn't let Mario down again today.

At 8:00 am she walked into her office confident and focused, until she glares across to the other office and saw him sitting there, head down at his desk. She turned around as quick as she could, not wanting him to know she saw him. She sitsdown in her chair leaning her head back and looking to the ceiling, willing her confidence and focus to stay put, even though she knew they left the building as soon as she saw him. At 9:00am Mario had arrived nervous as ever and 3 minutes after that the front desk had called that a Dexter Moore was here to see her. Breathing out like a boxer ready to enter the ring she prepares herself for what's to come.