CHAPTER TWO
1612 Words
REMI
“Forty seven…Forty eight…Forty nine…Fifty” Rita, my fitness coach counted as I pressed myself to the ground, just few inches from it, then pushed myself up.
Sweat trickled down my face, my muscles contracted and expanded with each opposing move. I pushed myself up at sixty, just as the ticking sounds stopped. I stood upright, glancing briefly at Rita who was beaming with pride. I was soaked in sweat.
“Quite impressive, Mr Glasstone. Sixty push-ups in three-minutes” she dangled the stop watch in her hands, striding towards me.
“Yeah?” I walked to where my gym bag sat, pulling out a towel and a bottle of water.
“Yes,” she continued. “Better than yesterday's record. Imagine beating this one tomorrow, and soon enough, you'll be the fittest man in Florida”
I chuckled at this, gulping the the water in my hand. “I'm okay with being just fit enough. I'm not an athlete, neither am I in any sort of competition.” I dropped the empty bottle, then made for the towel that lay on my bag, but Rita got to it first. I shot her a quizzical look, she bit her bottom lip covering whatever space remained between us.
“Let me help you” She whispered sultrily.
Rita was a tall elegant woman, built like a hourglass; sizeable breasts, tiny waist and curvaceous hips. She was also smart, had been my trainer for the past four months, just after the last one got married, women were gym instructors and they functioned with an amazing versatility.
We've had several tumblings, and I knew she was a good lay. But I already had enough of her flavours, and had moved on to something new. Something fresh. There was always something new and fresh out there, and I barely did much sorting.
“I have a meeting in a hour” I said to her, taking the towel from her hands.
“Five minutes” She cajoled, running her manicured fingers on my chest, then abs. “There's a hotel around here” she pressed.
“A new one?” I asked, turning away from her as I wiped myself clean with the towel. I had taken her to that hotel first, and had f****d her till she could barely move a limb, or say a word. Just smile like a well fed kitten.
“Four minutes” she pressed, coming behind me. I felt her t**s push into my back, her hands travelled up my breasts, then moved down, slowly but intentionally. “There's no one here” she whispered, “and I promise to be quiet” She implored, kissing my back.
It was extremely sexy, but boring when women took the initiative to make moves on me. It soured the chase. I was born for the chase. Her eyes went darker, and she oozed of lust, I won't lie, I felt flattered, but I was also fed up with her overt s****l advances, and how easy f*****g her was. I had moved on from this since last week.
Her hands moved to my shorts, just at the band, teasing me. When they ventured further, I caught them in a tight grip then turned around to face her. Her eyes held surprise, but her smile remained intact.
“I'm not interested” I said to her, wiping away that smile. I grabbed my bag, and with that I strode out of the gym. I pulled out my phone from my pants pocket, typing a number in.
“Good Morning, Sir” something new.
“I need a new gym instructor”
“Sir?”
“A male this time.” I was done with this.
________________________________
Brienne gave me a detailed rundown of the day's schedule the moment I walked through the glass revolving doors of Glasstone Cooperation headquarters. She had continued talking, until I pulled her into my office, flattened her against the wall and made her scream.
She had a razor sharp memory, keeping my day in order, and a honeypot, keeping my night sweet. I had a string of them, mistresses, spread across several continents. Not that I invested much in whoring around the world, while I planted the Glasstone business in powerful cities of the world, but what can a man of exquisite taste do?
However, I was careful. Women were cunny, and I had mastered the feminine tricks and wiles to detect a trap from hundred miles away, dressed as a nun. I saw through them, and I had easily escaped their treachery.
I did have principles though. Married women were out of the question, as were virgins. I meant to stay untangled for as long as possible, well until Emmaline. And that was for business purposes.
I tucked my hands in my pocket, strolling to the glass walls behind me. My office was situated on the highest floor, the penthouse, where I watched from my citadel, elevated above everything else.
I looked downwards. It would be a hard fall, and my father knew it. He had watched me fight my way to the top, waited for me to reach the top, just a step upward and I would control every single thing within Glasstone, and he connived with my mother to bring me down.
Marriage was a drastic decision I had to make. Desperate times called for desperate measures. And after my father had threatened to hand over the company I had invested my time and abilities in, pushing it to the highest point of success to his sister's son if I didn't get married soon enough, I had decided to give it a go.
Marry Emmaline West, the sexy west heiress, become richer and secure my birthright.
“Sir” Brienne called, jutting me back to a reality of stacked documents awaiting my supervision and signature. I turned from the glass, to her quizzically. She looked neat and businesslike, traces of our scuffle few minutes ago all gone.
This was why I liked her. Neat and unattached.
“Yes?”
“The executives are in the boardroom”
“Two minutes” I said dismissively, then returned to the walls. The door closed behind me, and once again, I was left to my thoughts.
Two years. That was all I needed to keep with this sham of a marriage, I will be made CEO, a clean break and my life will be back on track. Two years with a woman I couldn't care for. But this was business, and I didn't like all my business partners, yet for the sake of business.
A business partner, that was who Emmaline West was to me. She knew why I sought her, and she agreed nevertheless. My phone rang, I turned again. Picking it up.
Speak of the devil. I swiped to the answer icon.
“Baby” her sultry voice called from the other side.
“Emmaline” I responded, strolling to the door.
“I couldn't reach you all morning, are you good?”
“Yes. At work. What is it?”
“Just wanted to remind you that the dinner with my family is tonight”
Fuck! A dinner with the Wests, how did Brienne miss that?
“Baby?”
“Yes. I have not forgotten”
“Good. Please don't be late”
“Is that all?”
“Yes.”
“I'm hanging up” and then I did. Brienne was beside the door when I walked out. “You didn't remind me of the dinner arrangements with the Wests” I said to her.
“You didn't let me finish” she quipped accusatorily.
No, I didn't.
“When is the time?” I asked instead.
“8:30pm. Get her flowers. Lilies”
“Order pink roses, Macaroon from Lysebeth's and a bottle of pure vintage wine” I ordered. Brienne looked up sharply.
“But…” she began to protest.
“Reschedule my meeting with Reese. Fix him somewhere around noon”
“Yes sir”
I pushed the door of the conference room, striding to the large rectangular desk flanked by over fifteen chairs on both sides of the table. Jamal, my cousin sat by the right hand side of Chairman's seat, his eyes trained on me as I advanced to top of the table. I had been presiding over board meetings for over two years now, my father had given me a taste of power, and then stretched to snatch it.
“You're late” He drawled the moment I took my seat. I gave him a quick stare, reminded by the fact that he wanted to be me so bad, he'd do anything to jeopardize my chances of becoming chairman of the board. He was the reason for my marriage.
“I was attending to my fiancee” I offered slowly, watching his face turn dark. “You of all people should know that keeping a woman happy isn't quite an easy task”
“Oh, I know a lot about that” he remarked. “ I also know that marrying a woman you met two weeks ago, who is also eight years your senior is a move made out of pure desperation”
“How about love?” I queried sarcastically.
“Hardly” he commented “you're incapable of that emotion” he added.
“True. But there are other things I'm quite capable of”
His brow furrowed in question.
“A good business decision” I said out loud, drawing the remaining attention back to me.
And marrying Emmaline West was a good business decision.
- Writer
