Chapter 22 Bed her, get it over with
CHAPTER 22: Bed her, get it over with
Silas
The room was quiet, suffocatingly so for them, but very infuriating for me.
I had personally overseen the design of the expansive, polished boardroom. Its intimidating and impressive vibe was exactly what I had in mind, and it succeeded at both.
Today however, the tension had nothing to do with architecture. It had everything to do with my state of mind.
Every person seated around the table knew it.
I sat at the head of the table, jaw locked, fingers steepled together on the smooth surface, eyes locked on the latest projection flashing useless numbers onto the screen. Numbers without meaning. Charts without substance.
“Explain,” I said calmly. The calm before the storm.
One of the department heads swallowed. “Sir, the figures reflect a temporary setback due to—”
“To what?” I cut in. “A sudden epidemic of incompetence?”
No one answered.
I tilted my head, fixing his second in command with an icy gaze.
“I hope you have a better explanation for this crap than your leader.”
He looked like he was going to shit his pants at that point. He stood on visibly shaky legs, already sweating at his brow.
“Sir, what—what he…was trying to say was…the delay came from—”
“From sheer ineptitude,” I cut in, my voice sharp enough to slice cleanly through the room. “From a lack of foresight. From preparation that barely qualifies as such.”
No one argued.
No one breathed.
The sound of my phone buzzing tore through the thick tension.
A glance at my screen and Vera's name flashed across the screen.
I dragged in a sharp breath, and turned off the volume, letting it ring out.
My attention returned to the room, determined to erase unwanted thoughts from my head.
I stood slowly, bracing my palms against the cool surface, fury pulsing hot in my veins.
More than the staggering uselessness of my staff, I knew the cause of my raw mood all day.
I could still feel it even now.
The feel of her warm soft body pressed against mine.
Her firm grip on my morning stiff.
I had never been more excited in my entire life. Almost like a teenager getting his first erection at the touch of a woman.
Blood rushed downward, and I sucked in a harsh breath as I felt it again…the itch beneath my skin, the lingering echo of something that had no business following me into my office.
My jaw tightened.
This had to stop.
I closed my eyes briefly.
“You had weeks to prepare,” I continued. “Weeks. And yet here I am, looking at shameful excuses of numbers and listening to the half-baked excuses that should never have made it past your internal meetings.”
The two men lowered their heads in shame, trembling in fright.
Silence stretched.
The smell of fear, anxiety and anticipation tainted the air.
I straightened slowly.
“Meeting adjourned,” I said coldly. “When we reconvene, I expect competence. If that is beyond your capacity, send in your resignation before I do it for you.”
They didn’t wait for dismissal twice.
Chairs shuffled. Papers and gadgets were gathered with shaking hands. They hurried out, faster than dignity and order would permit, relief and fear trailing behind them in equal measure.
The doors shut.
I exhaled through my nose, dragging a hand down my face slowly.
I pressed the intercom on my desk.
“Cancel the rest of my meetings today.”
“Yes, sir,” my assistant replied.
“Actually—” I paused, irritation flaring anew. “Send termination notices to the department who were just in here.”
A beat.
“All of them, sir?”
There was no room for lackadaisical or incompetent performance in my enterprise. I wouldn't have gotten to where I am today if I coddled inefficiency.
“All,” I said. “Find better ones. Immediately.”
“Yes, sir.”
I shrugged off my jacket, crossed to the cabinet and poured myself a drink. I rarely drank in my office, but today called for it.
The amber liquid caught the light as I carried it to the window, staring out over the city like it owed me answers.
I took a sip.
Still, the memory refused to fade. I couldn’t get Vera out of my mind. I couldn't understand why I was suddenly reacting to her.
Then the door opened again.
“You ended that meeting early.”
Natalie.
I didn’t turn. “Observation noted.”
She paused.
“You’re drinking,” she observed quietly.
I didn’t reply to her.
She stepped closer, unbothered. “Skyrise is expecting a revised proposal by the end of the day. The investors are already restless.”
“I’m aware.”
“And yet you fired an entire department.”
“They were expendable. Could have tainted the company name.”
She sighed, the sound very clipped. “Silas, we don’t have room for instability right now. This arrangement…this alliance, depends on precision.”
I turned then, fixing her with a hard stare. “What are you talking about?.”
Her gaze sharpened. “You’re distracted.”
I said nothing.
“You don’t get distracted,” she continued. “Not like this. You've been breathing fire all day. You don’t lose patience in meetings. You don’t make impulsive decisions.”
“Terminating a couple of dead weights hardly measures as impulsive decisions.”
She folded her arms. “You know what I mean.”
My jaw tightened. “I don't.” My fingers tightened around the glass. “Get to your point.”
She hesitated briefly, then said, “It’s her.”
The word hung between us.
My expression didn’t change, but something inside me coiled tight.
“You’re letting her affect you,” she pressed. “Already. That’s dangerous.”
I turned back to the window. “You’re making baseless assumptions.”
“I’m making observations,” she countered.
“This marriage was meant to be controlled. Strategic. But it’s barely been a day and you're already unraveling. It was supposed to be contained. Not…this.”
I laughed softly, without humor. “And what exactly is this, Natalie?”
She held my gaze.
“A problem, Silas. One you should deal with quickly. Honestly, I'm beginning to get concerned.”
My voice cooled several degrees. “You should tread carefully.”
Her confidence faltered, just a little. Despite her boldness, she knew when she should backpedal…like now.
“I’m not attacking you. I’m reminding you what you stand to lose—what we stand to lose if anything goes wrong.”
Silence stretched.
“She's affecting you,” she said in a lower tone. “Already. And that's faster than my initial thought.”
Anger flared, sharp and immediate. “Enough.”
She raised her hands slightly, placating but unapologetic.
Then she said, quieter, sharper, “Then fix it.” Her voice hardened, crisp and clear. “Bed her. Do whatever it is you need to do. Get it over with. Get it out of your system. You’re paying her anyway. She might as well render one more service.”
Something irked me about what she said.
“You're overstepping,” I warned, turning back to the window.
Surprise and anger flashed across her face briefly. She stepped back.
“Fine. But don’t pretend this won’t escalate if you keep avoiding it.” She took a deep breath. “I’ll go ahead to the prospective clients meeting…alone. You’re not in the right headspace.”
Without another word, or waiting for approval, she turned and left.
The door closed.
I downed the rest of my drink and set the glass aside with a controlled clink.
She may have been right about some of the things she said, but she was wrong about one thing.
I wasn’t avoiding anything.
I was deciding.
Deciding how to erase this distraction before it cost me control.
I wouldn't allow this to continue for longer.
But, would yielding to my desire for Vera finally put an end to this?
Because that was what it was.
A desire.
I wanted her body. I was sexually attracted to her. That much was clear by now.
Maybe it's always been there since the first time I met her. Maybe that kiss was a catalyst that ignited a dangerous fuse.
And finally having her pressed against me, all night…feeling her hand wrapped around me had been the tip over the edge.
A knock interrupted my thoughts.
“Sir,” my secretary said, entering. “You’ve received an invitation.”
I turned slowly. “From whom?”
“LutherCorp.”
I took the invitation card, and she left, closing the door softly behind her.
I opened the card, scanning the message.
It was an invitation to the anniversary celebration of Luther Corporation.
My phone rang, and Lucas’s name flashed on screen. I picked the call, still scanning the card.
“I assume you’ve received the invitation card by now.”
“I must say I'm quite surprised.”
Lucas chuckled. “It would be an honour if you and your wife could honour our invitation—”
My wife. Vera.
“...so we could further discuss our pending matter.”
"Of course, we’d be there. I appreciate the invitation.”
“It's settled then. My regards to your missus. See you at the event.”
The line went dead.
I turned the card around, and walked back to the window, one thought in my mind: I wasn't hoping to allow anything to ruin the progression of my plans .
My phone pinged with a message notification.
I walked back to the desk and checked the screen. It was a message from the driver I had hired for Vera.
“Sir, madam just left the house.”
My brow furrowed.
Where had she gone to?