Business Deal

Chapter 7 - "I want you Liam"

When Melissa turned away from him, he snuggled into her back, spooning her into him, needing and wanting the contact of her body along the length of his. Eventually he felt her relax back into him, and they both fell asleep.

It was dark when she opened her eyes. She reached for the bedside table, Liam's heavy TAG watch glowed showing her it was 3.30 am. She rolled over, but the bed was empty.

When he didn't emerge from the en suite after a few minutes, she sat up, buttoning his white dress shirt over her nakedness, and wandered into the adjacent lounge. Liam stood in just his boxer shorts staring out the window, his body silhouetted by the Manhattan skyline.

Padding across the plush carpet, she touched his shoulder, and he jumped, not having heard her approach, such was the luxury of the room. "You ok?" her voice was raspy from sleep.

He looked down at her sleep softened face, "I don't sleep much."

She nodded knowingly, "you don't seem to do much more than work." She took the glass of water from his hand and took a long drink. Glad for the relief to her dry throat.

"What does that mean?" his voice was stern and Melissa sighed, then last thing she wanted was more fighting.

She finished the drink slowly, then took time placing the empty glass on a side table.

Finally she turned back to him, "You know what I mean! There's more to life than the next business deal. And I can honestly say I've never known someone have so little life!"

He shrugged, "I am a busy man. I should and could do twice as much."

"You're rich, successful.....you just need on occasion to take a step back and enjoy what you've achieved. What is it all for if you don't take a few moments to actually reap what you sow?" She was perched on the back of a chair next to him, her back tot he window he still stared out of.

Tilting his head, he stared at her, "I've been driven by goals since I was a child. I enjoy achieving them. That's enough for me. That's my pleasure."

She shook her head, "that sounds so wrong."

He snapped, stepping in front of her,"This is a business trip, and because of that, I can't afford to enjoy the scenery, or relax as you put it." He cupped her cheek and stared at her, usually a tender gesture, this one was anything but, "maybe if you'd been more conscientious you wouldn't find yourself in this position, personally or professionally."

He noticed her eyes flare the only sign that she was affected by his words.

Holding her chin high, she refused to drop her eyes from his, "Yesterday I thought you were a pig, and this trip would be torture. But I've had more fun than I thought I would. I just wish you'd relax too."

He glared at her, "this is NOT a pleasure trip Melissa, and you are here to work, to earn my favour."

She laughed, "What? 'Earn your favour?' With my body? Are we back to that? Prostitution?"

"No prostitute would cost the amount you are costing me!" Liam's eyes were stony as he scowled at her.

She squared up to him, lifting her chin again, a smug smile uncurling with her words, "and no prostitute would make you come as hard as you did earlier.....twice!"

Melissa thought he'd explode, his hands were clenched into fists at his side. But despite the fact that he was trying so hard to contain his anger, looking like he wanted to smack the words and the grin from her face, she wasn't scared.

Starting to unbutton the shirt, her eyes never never left his, "tell me that this is all about the money Liam, all about what you feel I owe you, and nothing to do with the fact that we're attracted to each other. That you want nothing more than to take me here, now, with the whole of Manhattan outside the window!"

Her standing there in front of him - proud, arrogant and naked placed him in turmoil, wanting to punish her for making him doubt himself, but knowing that he couldn't resist that drugging power of her body and the need to be buried inside her. In two steps he had backed her up against the wall. Pinning her there with his physical presence he lifted her legs, unable to believe that he could physically do as she suggested, but they did, there and then.

Lying back in bed much later, Melissa looked into his half closed eyes, then seeing confusion there, she smiled. She'd taken the control back from him.

That look in her eyes before she’d fallen asleep had ruined him. She was laughing at him, trying to tie him in knots. For the first time he really regretted what he’d done. The sex had been phenomenal, world class, but now she was trying to take control, manage him. No one would ever do that again, least of all her.

He couldn’t sleep, his mind wafting back to another time, another place, and another woman looking up at him with such a satisfied look.

Elizabeth! Just as he’d finally turned his life around, finally made both money and success, she’d come into his life from nowhere. he was young, receptive and desperate to prove that he could succeed, desperate for a partner, a secure family life. he thought she was the answer, little did he know that she’d hunted for someone like him for too many years.

She was beautiful, elegant and worldly, and wrapped him up in knots before he was even aware of it. The night he celebrated selling his first business, making his first million, she’d announced she was pregnant. He knew he was too young for it, but having spent most of his life without a father, he’d not let that happen to a child of his own. And it all seemed like a perfect step forward, the secure home and family he'd always dreamed of.

So, like a smitten fool, he'd proposed to her, elaborately in a room full of people at his mother’s birthday party. He ignored all the warnings from his friends, concerns taht this was too quick, too much but he ignored any feelings or instincts that told him not to do this.

Two weeks before the wedding he’d come home from a trip two days early, bursting into to the new home he’d bought for her with excitement at seeing her. He found her, in bed with Ryan Porter, a so called best friend, the same 'friend' that had hounded him professionally since. He could remember the shouting and screaming, the arguments that ensued. And though he would have thrown her out anyway, it broke his heart that she chose to leave with Ryan and not stay for the baby. 

Two months later a DNA test proved the much anticipated baby girl wasn’t his, and so he’d bundled up the emotions, boxed them away in the back of his mind, and become even more focused, determined and driven, and that life failure had seen him yield the success that he had.

He looked at Melissa, so relaxed in sleep and knew that he’d never let her hurt him like that. Never let her penetrate his mind, or he almost laughed, his heart. Or what was left of it.

Melissa woke to daylight flooding through the gaps in the curtain and a body aching form love. A long full body stretch felt exquisite. Rolling over she found the bed was empty. Stretching again, she sat up, grabbing at the dressing table for a t-shirt.

Strolling in to the lounge, she saw Liam, dressed in a grey suit, sat at the table, pouring over the FT.  All business and efficiency. She tried to ignore the flutter in her stomach at the sight of him, he wore a suit with ease, comfortable and happy in his own skin. At the thought of his skin she blushed for a moment, for as good as he looked in a suit, he was absolutely divine out of it.

"No breakfast?" she asked standing across the table from him.

He shook his head, not lifting his eyes from the paper.

"Excuse me?" There was no excuse for a lack of manners.

"If you want anything call room service," he murmured still not lifting his head.

Stamping up to him, she pulled the paper out of his hands, wrestling to fold the broadsheet in to a manageable size. He looked up angrily, "what are you doing?"

She shrugged, "yesterday I told you to enjoy life more.....what went wrong?"

"I have a very busy morning of meetings." He rose to his feet, and thrust a pile of large denomination dollar bills in front of her. "Amuse yourself today. I’ll be back at six, we have another dinner tonight. Be ready." Snatching at the crumpled FT, he left the suite, dodging the wad of notes that she aimed at his head. As they hit the wall they scattered across the floor.

"Amuse yourself???" She screamed at the closed door. "You bloody bastard Liam Hart!" As she stormed to the bathroom she swore she could hear him laughing.