Movements outside her room woke Laura up. After feeling alert for a while, she relaxed once she determined that it was a familiar noise from the kitchen. She squinted as she clumsily fumbled around her bed to search for her phone. She quickly checked the time and saw that it was 6:30 am. She groaned before pulling the covers over her head.
She didn’t understand Rachel at all. Why was she waking up so early even though they were on vacation? She asked herself before continuing to sleep. She only woke up after another two hours and got out of her room.
Rachel was drawing on her tablet while enjoying a cup of tea when she heard the door to Laura’s room open. She looked at her half-asleep friend walk towards the kitchen and take out a bottle of water from the fridge and downing it in one go before joining her at the table.
Laura rested her chin on her hand as she sleepily watched her friend who had turned her attention back to drawing.
“Why are you working during vacation?” Laura asked Rachel, who didn’t want to pay her any mind.
“Why are you walking around half-naked? What if we have a guest?” Rachel asked Laura, who was only wearing a tank top and a pair of lace panties.
“I guess you had a guest earlier today, then?” Laura asked and smiled when she saw the small smile on Rachel’s face.
“Brian dropped me off this morning,” Rachel said and finally looked at her friend again.
“Another enjoyable night for you,” Laura said with a laugh and folded her leg on the chair.
“But seriously. You have to stop this habit,” Rachel said to Laura. It was okay when it was the two of them in their own home, but now they are guests in a hotel. Anyone could pop in, from the hotel staff to Jen and her boyfriend.
“Rachel, you know how hard I work to look like this. I’m actually a bit sad I can’t walk around naked,” Laura said as she got up from the chair. Rachel sighed when she heard her say this and didn’t pester her about covering up again. Since she might actually start walking around naked.
“Oh, I left you some sandwiches in the fridge,” Rachel reminded and Laura waved at her to show that she had heard her. Laura climbed back onto her bed when she returned to her room and checked her phone to see if she had any messages.
She ignored the emails from companies offering to manage her and from others that wanted her to become their spokesperson.
She went to check her social media and saw that her followers were still excited about the photos she had posted with Jason and the others. After determining that there was nothing exciting that involved her was happening, she checked her messages.
She noticed that she received a text from James telling her that the driver will come to pick her up at 11 am. She checked the time again and noticed that she only had two hours to get ready. She put her phone to charge and quickly got undressed before going to shower.
After her shower, she curled her hair and put on some makeup before picking out what to wear. She had so many clothes that it took her close to thirty minutes to decide on what she was going to wear. After picking out a white floral short dress, she finally went to eat breakfast.
“Hm? Are you going out?” Rachel asked Laura when she saw her head to the kitchen to get the sandwiches she had told her about.
“Yeah, I’m going to Diamond Star in about forty minutes,” Laura said as she took the sandwiches and made herself a cup of tea.
“Did you finally decide to get signed?” Rachel asked her, feeling surprised. She knew that her friend’s goal in life was to earn money while doing nothing.
“Yeah,” Laura answered and came to join her in the dining area.
“Before you sit, come see this,” Rachel said to her, and Laura went around to go see what her friend came up with.
“What do you think?” Rachel asked as she bit her lip. She was anticipating her friend’s feedback, since the target of the jewellery she had just designed were people who were like her.
Laura looked at the drawing on the tablet and instantly fell in love with the design. She looked at Rachel with renewed admiration because of how realistic the drawing was.
“I love it,” Laura said as she zoomed in and out on the drawing to look at it in more detail.
“That’s good. I’m thinking of making it a limited edition,” Rachel said as she turned the drawing tablet back to herself and continued drawing.
“So, how many do you intend to make? You shouldn’t forget about me then. I know how your designs get sold out the moment they hit the market,” Laura said as she went to sit down to have her breakfast.
“I’ll reserve two for you. Don’t worry about it,” Rachel said as she licked her lips with a smile. She trusted Laura’s aesthetic because of how well all the products she likes do on the market. Even other designers at the company go to pester her to check on their designs. It’s too bad she is too lazy to get involved with the creative process.
Laura quickly finished her breakfast and returned to her room to wear her heels and take her purse, when she heard Rachel shout from the living room.
“Laura, reception called. Your driver is here,” Rachel said to her from the other side of the door.
“Coming!” she shouted as she touched up her lipstick and finally left her room. She almost dashed out of the hotel room from her excitement. Unlike how she was late the previous time she went out with her friends, she was right on time this time.
Laura walked into Diamond Star’s company building and headed straight for the reception desk without looking around. But from the moment she walked in, everyone’s attention was drawn to her. Even the cute receptionist girls stared at her for a while before hearing what she was saying to them. “Yes, how may I help you?” one of the more experienced receptionists asked Laura, snapping the rest of the girls out of their daze. “I’m going to see James Lewis,” Laura said as she leaned on the desk, her cleavage peeking out the top of her dress. The employee smiled politely and focused her gaze on Laura’s face while trying to maintain her professionalism. “Do you have an appointment?” she continued to ask, feigning nonchalance, but Laura could see her ears redden at a visible speed. “Yes,” Laura answered with a smile, and continued to watch as the other party picked up her phone to call the CEO’s offices. “Please sit down, someone will be sent to escort you soon,” the receptionist said onc
Laura seriously went through the contract offer and would occasionally peek at James, who was holding another document in his hand. The contract offer was quite impressive, the terms were generous and she would be treated like an A-lister. “I’m going to sign under one more condition,” Laura said, drawing James’s attention to her. He put down the papers he was holding to give her his attention. “What is it?” James asked her. He wondered whether his team of lawyers rushed the job and forgot something. “My manager has to be you,” Laura said, and smiled at the subtle expression on James’s face. James was already managing his younger brother on top of managing the company. The only reason he took on the job by himself was because Jason would go overboard with his managers. It had taken him years to find staff that could understand and tolerate Jason’s antics, but the manager position was one that only he could fill, seeing as Jason was also on the board of directors. Now, on top of all
James got closer and closer to her and, as he did so, he could see the anticipation in her eyes. Laura swallowed nervously when she saw a strange glint in his eyes. He was making her feel really nervous. “Take off my glasses,” he said and Laura raised her hands to remove the gold-rimmed glasses and placed them a safe distance away and looked up at him once more. When he held her chin with his hand, Laura slightly parted her lips as she remembered being told to open her mouth. This made James smile even wider before he pressed his lips against her open ones. Laura did not even have the time to get surprised before he pushed his tongue into her open mouth. He moved the hand that was holding her chin to the back of her head to block any retreat as he swept his tongue over her own. Laura felt like a small boat caught in a storm in the middle of the ocean. Her heart was racing from the excitement she was feeling and held on to his jacket as if to ground herself. James wrapped his free ha
“You are going to drink now?” James asked Laura, who was sitting on the opposite side of the table. “Is that a problem?” Laura asked him with a raised eyebrow. James checked the time on his watch to make sure that he was not the strange one here. “You think it’s too early?” Laura asked when she saw him to check the time. “You don’t think it’s early?” James asked her back. It was a little past 1 pm. The only way he would be drinking at this time was as if he was taking a weekend off. “Then I'll drink later in the evening,” Laura said with a smile that made James nervous rather than reassure him. “You can do as you please,” James finally concluded, and Laura’s smile turned into a laugh. “But you’ll have to accompany me later,” Laura said and became silent once the waiter returned with the wine she ordered. “Okay,” James agreed. He didn’t have anything planned for the evening and since he just signed her, they might as well celebrate. “Really? Hey, I won’t be drinking anymore,” La
The first thing Laura did after returning to the hotel room was to dive into the internet to go through different forums. She had overestimated herself because of the previous encounters she has had with men. They had always taken the initiative to approach her and were very eager to please her. She knew if she showed the slightest interest, they would not hold back as James did. So, she wanted to know how to poke holes into his defence. She read everything, from how to make their relationship develop to the next step, to all the tricks she can employ to seduce him. She studied so seriously that she hadn’t even heard Rachel when she returned home. “What are you reading?” Rachel asked as she made a beeline for the kitchen. She had gone out to buy a few things she needed for what she wanted to cook later. Laura didn’t bother answering her and continued to mentally take notes about what she was reading. This made Rachel even more curious, so she snuck up behind her and checked to see w
Laura could already see James standing outside his car from the hotel lobby. So, with her eyes focused on a set destination, she did not notice all the attention she had drawn to herself. James could already see the commotion through the glass doors and curiously looked to see what was going on. When Laura finally stepped outside, James ended up choking on air. Laura had no idea of just how flustered James was because of how she looked and only walked toward him with a wide smile and eyes filled with excitement. James continued to stand in one place, feigning calmness. But he knew just how excited he was when he saw her looking the way she was. Laura stopped in front of him and looked at him, her eyes clearly asking him if he thought she looked good. “You look beautiful,” James said with a smile and raised his hand to touch one of the loose curls framing her face. “Thank you, you are looking handsome yourself,” Laura said sincerely. James chuckled when he heard her since he was st
James stood next to the door as he watched the server that was sent to his private room arrange drinks on the table that was in front of the sofa he had been sitting on. After he was done, he left quickly. The staff were very familiar with James, since he was the co-owner of the establishment. If he came in looking the way he did today, it meant that he did not want anyone to bother him. After their privacy was restored, James went to the counter that was on one side of the room and made himself a cup of tea. Laura frowned when she saw him return with the mug that had steaming hot tea. “Aren’t we going to drink together?” Laura asked James once he sat back down next to her. “We are. I’ll just be drinking tea,” James said as he placed the mug on the table in front of him. “Why?” Laura asked him. “Because I have work tomorrow. You would do well to enjoy tonight as well, since you are going to have to worry about work too in the future,” James advised. “I thought you would be joini
“You shouldn’t sit like this,” James said, his voice tinged with warning as he did his best to focus on Laura’s face. Laura had had a few more drinks as they talked and decided that rather than sit sideways on his lap, she was going to straddle him instead. “Why not? I read that sitting like this would have the most effect. Were they wrong?” Laura asked and even tilted her head in confusion, which made her look adorable. “I don’t know what effect you were going for, but I need to know what you’ve been reading,” James said with a sigh. He had kept his hands off of her since earlier on, since he had started reacting to her. The way she smelled, the way he would catch glimpses of the body jewellery she was wearing from the sides of her skimpy dress, and even how she kept touching him were constantly poking at his instincts. Now she was even straddling his lap, her dress riding up so high he was almost getting a glimpse of her underwear. “I browsed through a few forums for some dating