Chapter 7

Kourtney

The atmosphere in the boardroom was electric,the air thick with the scent of espresso. There wasn't a single person caught lounging or even leaning back, no one was slacking instead, the entire room seemed to be running on pure adrenaline. The level of passion and dedication in the air was astonishing.

Since I started working at Aura and co., I’ve never seen the staff this worked up or this productive in such a short amount of time. Even though we’ve been grinding for days, both day and night,the energy hasn't faded. If anything, the closer we got to the deadline, the more intense and focused everyone became.

It was 4:42 AM on Wednesday. The Couple’s Line that's supposed to redefine Ethan's corporate legacy was scheduled for a global launch in exactly 52 hours and a few minutes.

Across the boardroom,glossy proofs were scattered like a deck of cards,a mosaic of fabric swatches, and Polaroids of scowling models.

This is wrong,these are all wrong a voice echoed from one end of the room

The head of marketing was throwing a fit, the printer had gotten the color palettes for the campaign fliers wrong again for the third time and there were more items to be printed.

Today was really hectic and I was just hoping I could get a little break to soak myself in a warm bubble bath, there was so much work to be done but hey… a girl's gotta dream at least.

Here! A tablet was passed to me

No!

What do you mean by no?

Jack you've got the fonts all mixed up, go work on that.

We've already worked on this twice

And you'll keep working on it if you don't get it right. We need perfection.

He frowned as he walked back to his desk.

Ethan walked into the room he had been in his office for the past hour talking with more investors.

Listen up everyone, he announced in his deep tone. We got two more investors on board.

The announcement changed the ambiance of the room. Everyone's faces turned from the stressed out sullen look to a look of joy and excitement. I mean they who wouldn't be excited for the big bonus after the issue.

Ethan walked up to me after the announcement, there was a spark in his eyes. I didn't quite know if it was from the investors or from the fact that we've been sending each other silly Gifs while working.

He lifted me onto the table in my corner

Ethan, Ethan drop me right now everyone's watching.

Are you shy? Let them watch after all you're my woman.

Are you out of your mind Ethan I said out me down right now.

You're blushing and I like that, how about I make you moan right here and now.

Everyone's eyes were on me, I felt a bit embarrassed.

Put me down right now else I'll fuck everything up.

You know you can't,you signed a contract and if you utter any word to anyone before the contract ends you'll have a lot to pay or didn't you read that when signing.

Just put me down now please.

Alright.

I was furious. One moment he acts like the sweetest guy, next minute he's a total dick head, what was I expecting from a spoiled brat.

You know your lips are kind of tempting me right now kourtney.

Kiss me and just go away

You sound desperate or maybe you've been waiting for me to give you all this , he winked in a silly way.

I found it funny and cute, he was definitely annoying but there was a sexy vibe to it.

The phone rang and I rushed to respond.

Ethan's office, you're speaking with Kourtney… okay, alright,no problem. 1pm today sounds fine, alright, have a nice day.

The bloggers will be coming in for an exclusive interview with us and we need to be ready for the camera.

Alright babe…

Don't call me babe Ethan I'll rip your tongue out

Feisty!

Ethan is really a handful. The past week of our fake relationship has been wholesome,from silly messages to random meals together and so much more. We've been doing a great job at holding it down even though he's been annoying for the most of it.

Let me get back to work Ethan,these emails won't respond themselves.

Before I leave, can I get a kiss?

I turned to inspect the room, everyone's eyes were on us. It was like we were giving them a live performance.

I don't think that's okay with everyone staring.

What better way to make the relationship look convincing enough

No one's doubting us, just go.

Alright but I'll get that kiss somehow just so you know.

We all went back to work.

By noon, the office was noisy and not the loud kind of noisy. It was a particular kind of noise that happens when too many people are working on a particular thing at one time.

Clicking sounds of keyboards

Phones ringing

Footsteps on the ground

Printers sounds

Papers flying across the room.

Interns moving in and out with cups of coffee.

Not a single person was idle.

Time went by faster and in no time we had 8 hours until release. Covers had been approved, advertisers had approved their pages, everything was mostly done.

I walked around to check everything and ensure Ethan's orders were followed and there was no mistake whatsoever. My design page had me in tears. I saw my designs being printed and I got emotional. It was a proud moment for me.

The photographs were incredible.

The interviews were even better.

But it was long.

I'll need you to adjust the interview,cut out unnecessary questions and responses,I don't want one page to be packed, it'll bite our readers. I gave out the correction.

Alright.

Other than that everything else is beautiful.

Deep inside I was secretly praying this should be the best issue the company has ever released. It'll save Ethan's Career and kick-start mine in a grand way and hopefully end my contract with Ethan.

The next 6 hours were hectic, everyone was busy,some were panicking, others relaxed as they had finished their part, the welfare team had begun making arrangements for meals.

Ethan walked in an hour before the release.

Listen up guys, great job everyone. The digital edition goes live in an hour while the Physical copies go to distribution immediately afterward.

Everyone's gaze turned to the screen

The issue was finally complete

He began scrolling.

Page one.

Two.

Three.

The cover.

The contents.

Fashion.

Beauty.

Features.

The pages moved slowly.

This was the first time the entire issue had been seen together. Everyone watched with rapt attention.

45 minutes later the issue reached 99 percent.Everyone stared at the monitor. It was time for the final export, the room was quiet, we could only hear the frantic heartbeats of each other.

Ethan clicked the Export button the loading bar appeared I looked at my phone,blogs and news channels had started their countdown for the release

We had just 5 minutes left, everyone watched the screen praying for the upload to be completed just in time.

Thirty percent.

Forty.

Fifty.

The room held its breath.

Seventy.

Eighty-five.

I whispered, please noticing the monitor was stuck at eighty five and we had just one minute left. I closed my eyes

Suddenly I heard a cheering eruption from the board room,I opened my eyes and there it was and right on time too.

Thank you God, I mouthed. I was relieved. The whole room was relieved. This was the first time we had worked on an issue in less than a month.

The production team started hugging each other.

One of the interns nearly knocked over a chair trying to get to the person beside her.

The first notification popped up on the screen

Readers were opening it.

People were sharing the cover.

The reader numbers were increasing at a high speed.

We did it guys! The social media manager screamed as she announced there were over a thousand reshare in the last 15 minutes of release.

I looked it up immediately and there it was

Ethan and I on the cover page I kept scrolling,our photos were everywhere.

Heir to the Aura and co. Empire flaunts his fiance in the latest issue of their magazine, a caption read I opened the comments and the first one made me laugh.

Now that's how you announce an engagement.

She's so lucky another one tweeted.

I hope this is actually true and not fake so they can get buyers… another comment.

30,000 reads in 30 minutes Ethan announced, the entire boardroom was filled with jubilations, everyone had forgotten how exhausted they were.

It was time to head home.One by one, the staff collected their bags, said their goodbyes and disappeared through the glass doors. I was trying to finish up with the emails and so I could head back home.

You know you should rest too, right?

Ethan's voice echoed in the empty room.

I'll be done soon. I responded.

You can finish this up later, I need you well rested since you're my plus one to the event tonight.

I don't think I want to go.

Ethan walked toward me.

Why?

I don't actually know.

You do.

I looked at him.

He stopped beside my desk

You don't like parties?

I do.

You don't like the people?

I do.

You don't like me?

Actually I don't

That's not true babe

Stop calling me babe Ethan

Why do you keep blushing when I do?

Ethan please not right now.

You're coming with me to my place

No I'm not

It's part of the contract so you have to whether you like it or not

I looked at him with so much anger but I was already too tired to argue. I honestly can't wait for the contract to be over.

We left the office together and drove off to his house. I left the room I had slept in the last time I was there. All I needed was a warm bath and enough rest before the event

Go shower and I'll get something for you to eat.

I headed for the room and got into the shower immediately.

A few minutes later I was done and suddenly very hungry and I was sure he was ordering something to eat which will take forever. So I headed downstairs to prepare something and to my surprise I saw him in the kitchen.

You actually cook?

Sometimes.

Unbelievable.

He looked over his shoulder.

Why?

You give out orders at the slightest and I don't deem you to be someone who lifts a finger to do anything around the house.

That's insulting.

It's just an observation.

He laughed.

For the first time all day, I felt completely relaxed.

He placed a plate in front of me.

This looks good actually.

Try it

I took a bite from the cheese steak and to my surprise it was actually very very good.

He smiled watching me Munch.

Now you know how good I am. I'm a good cook and a good eater as well and I'm not talking about food.

I laughed knowing exactly what he meant.

Show me how much of a good eater you are. I teased him.

He lifted me up onto the kitchen island, removed the towel I had on and began kissing my thighs,I was completely turned on but also cautious, he found his way to my vagina using his tongue,I let out a little moan,his hands held my butt while his face was buried down there. I couldn't control the moans as I was moaning louder and louder. He stood up, unzipped himself and inserted himself in me. Everything was too fast paced for me to comprehend. We moved from the kitchen counter to the dining table,he took me to the stairs up to the room and we kept going.

His thrusts were in precise rhythmic movements, I felt him whole, his kisses were passionate,I was out of this world. I grabbed onto his hair as I turned him over riding him like my life depended on it. His moans became louder, I kept going faster and faster till we both climaxed at the same time and fell onto the bed breathing heavily.