Elijah
Every day is exactly the same; the same women, the same faces, the same meetings. Apart from my son, I don’t see these people as anything important in my life, the same as the woman in the shower right now. Sighing while feeling the beginning of a migraine, I pick up my things and walk out of the hotel room without so much as a goodbye to her. Not that it mattered anyway; I had forgotten her name the moment I walked in here last night.
Things are easier this way; meet up, have a passionate tryst and leave before the other can get attached. No strings, just sex. Getting feelings involved in anything is just a waste of time; besides, why would I give my heart to someone again when I already have everything I could ever want?
However, everything has become so mundane as of late. There’s no spark to my day, no excitement at all. I am positively bored with everything lately; no one poses a challenge or fight. It is all yes sirs and no sirs; has this pandemic caused people to become soft in the head? In any case, I had better get home before I am late for my appointment later.
As I get into my car, my cell phone rings and I see it is my assistant, Leo. Well, 'assistant' is a rather vague word; he is the only other person I trust in my business besides Sebastian Dumont.
“Good morning, Leo,” I say as I place my phone on the Bluetooth dock. He sighs before he answers. “Good morning, sir,” he says sarcastically. “Just a quick call to say that the sale of your property in Tenerife has gone through. The Sultan seemed pretty excited about attaining his own personal beach.” Leo says with a chuckle, and I couldn’t help the heaviness that settles in my heart. Of course, Leo wouldn’t know the significance that place has; it was before his time here. Irina and I met on that beach, and we spent what little time we had together there… But it was time to let go.
I cannot mourn my dead wife forever.
“Good. Was that all, Leo? I am quite busy this morning.” I lie, making my way home to sleep this awful headache off. “Oh, I am calling to remind you about your 7 am meeting with the CEO of Westwood Architecture tomorrow morning.” He says. I roll my eyes at this, causing my headache to deepen. “Oh, I haven’t forgotten, don’t you worry. I am not interested in any merger with that sinking ship, but the owners have intrigued me with their tenacity and how they sold themselves. So, we shall see,” I say, seeing my villa in sight. “Ah, I thought so. In any case, would you like to join me for a drink tonight? I think you could use it since you’ve been avoiding everyone lately.”
“Thank you, Leo, but I will have to decline the invitation. See you tomorrow.” I say and hang up the call before he can try to pursue me more. I am genuinely not interested in going out this evening, because knowing me, I will probably woo another socialite once I have had enough whiskey and regret it the next day. I sit back and lean my head against the headrest of my car, sighing. How pathetic; a billionaire with everything he could ever want, and he’s feeling sorry for himself in his 5 Million Pound sports car. I scoff, but my cell rings again before I can get out.
“Leo, I told you I am not interested-”
“Good morning to you as well, ray of sunshine,” came the sarcastic voice of Sebastian Dumont. I chuckle at my error and shake my head. “Ah, good morning, Luv. How can I be of service?” I ask, removing the cell phone from the Bluetooth dock and walking inside. “Elena and I are hosting a dinner party this evening and would love for you to join us,” he says, getting straight to the point.
Another ‘dinner party’ invitation then - I’ve taken this as a code word for Elena trying to set me up with one of her friends again. As much as I love the Dumonts and how they have come to be like family to me, Elena’s meddling has become quite the irritation. “I will have to decline your invitation respectfully, I’m afraid, as I already have an engagement I cannot push aside,” I say, the lie slipping out easily this time. I hear Sebastian breathe out a sigh before answering me. “I understand and will relay the message. But, please don’t forget that I am here if you need to talk.”
I smile at his words, feeling a bit annoyed at the fact that he knows me so well. Perhaps I will go out tonight after all. “I’ll keep that in mind,” I say, then hang up the phone before redialing Leo’s number.
At 6 PM, I give myself a once over in the mirror and grin; no one would expect this drastic change. If I wanted things to change, I had to put plans into place, yes? Snapping on my facemask, I leave my Porche and walk into the cocktail bar, sanitizing my hands as I walk inside.
Leo looks up when I walk in, and his eyes widen. “Blimey!” He says, slapping me on the back when I sit down and chuckling. I shrug and motion for a waitress to come over. “I needed a change, badly,” I say, quite chuffed with the way my hairstyle turned out. They say a haircut is as good as a makeover, and lord knows I needed one.
Leo nods. “Indeed, well…” he starts, but I have already drowned him out as I survey the room—all the same businessmen, same women, same… everything. Sighing, I remove my facemask and take a sip of my whiskey when a woman walking towards the bar gets my attention. Blonde curls cascaded over her shoulders, bright blue eyes that seemed to be smiling, sexy black dress and mile-high heels. She wasn’t my usual type, a bit on the curvy side, but the way she walked in caught my eye; her entire presence screamed confidence. I am used to being with women who knew they were sexy, but something about this woman’s confidence made me want to know her better.
I watch as she speaks to her friend, who was equally beautiful and would have been the type I take home, but I only have eyes for her now. When she removed her black face mask and pouted, I couldn’t help but wonder how soft her full, luscious lips were.
Red lips against alabaster skin; my weakness.
Her friend kept on looking my way, and I knew she must have told her that I was staring because the next moment, the blonde picked up her red wine and put it to her lips while glancing behind her. And straight at me.
Cammy “Oh God, you’re right,” I say, suddenly feeling flustered knowing someone has been staring at me. Cassy looks at me with wide eyes, then looks down. “Okay, don’t freak out, but he’s walking over here,” she says, calling the bartender over for another drink. My heart sat in my throat and I start kicking myself for feeling so stupid. Since when do men intimidate me? I’m a damn CEO with my own business which I built up from the ground with my own blood sweat and- “Evening ladies, mind if I join you?” he says with a voice as smooth as silk. I turn around to face him and notice that he has put his face mask on again, but his baby blues were twinkling. “Being safe, thank you for that. How can we help you?” I say with a smile as I sip my wine. He removes his mask again and smiles showing sexy dimples and leaving me a bit blown away at how attractive he is. “I try, trust me but how will I get a chance to talk to such a beautiful woman with this
Cammy I look up at the Somersett Incorporated building and let out a low whistle. Mirrored glass finishings with silver balustrades made for a gorgeous exterior. The interior matched the beauty of the outside, showing just how much Elijah Somersett has put into his building. The receptionist is a pretty young thing and greets me with a black mask emblazoned with the Somersett Inc name in the lower corner. “Cameron Westwood, I am here for a 7 am appointment with Mr Somersett,” I relay to her, and she nods when she sees my ID before gesturing to the lift. “You’re to go to the boardroom, which is on the 31st floor. The receptionist there will lead you to the correct room,” she says with a smile which I return. I have everything expertly rehearsed and all the questions revised. Somersett Inc. can make or break me today, and they are quite aware of the hold they have. After the lockdown, Elijah has the rights to all the most significant city proje
Elijah Shaking my head as the minx walks out of the door, and I sit back down with an amused smile on my face. So Cameron Westwood is a female CEO with her own company, not a male who squandered his own business to the ground. I must admit that I was being a tad bit harsh with her, but I treated her as I would any business owner. Last night’s wine in my face didn’t bruise my ego, and I am sure she would assume this is the reason for my comments. But as I went over her resume and proposal, I saw something terribly amiss with her company. She should have had enough money to survive the pandemic, even with the billions worth of products bought. Her Asian contracts were willing to put things on hold until after 2021 then continue at a slow pace, but they cancelled for some reason. I need to find out the cause.The ugly truth is that someone is skimming from her reserve, and she is none the wiser. I let out a sigh and lean back in my chair; if
Cammy“Wait, WHAT?!”The same line has been repeating in my head since Elijah left my office four hours ago. Why is he interested in my company, and why did he need to invite me out to dinner to discuss it? I suppose that I should have asked him this when he was here, but at that moment, I was too dumbfounded to think clearly. Cassy looks at me as if I have lost my mind, and clearly, I have. “I know, I don’t understand it, either,” I say, picking at my fingernail. “Bloody hell, I suppose this is good, then? If Elijah thinks our company is worth saving, then he must have a plan in place already, don’t you think?” She asks, leaning forward and lacing her fingers together. I shake my head. “I still don’t understand why he would be interested, seeing how we ended things last night.”“Maybe he doesn’t care about last night and truly only cares about investing with us?
ElijahElena and Sebastian showing up here at the exact moment as me must be a coincidence. There is no way they could have known that I would be here with Cameron. Then again, knowing Elena’s penchant for putting her nose where it didn’t belong made me wonder if she asked Leo what I would be doing this evening. Whatever the case may be, I hope they don’t think of this as anything other than a business meeting. God knows that’s all it is to me right now.Sighing, I resolve to put it out of my mind and focus on the gorgeous woman sitting opposite me. Cameron truly dominates every shade of the colour red from her lips to her dress, which accentuates her every dip and curve.I ordered us wine and tried to gather my thoughts and the reason I brought her here. My proposal will raise her eyebrows, but it is the most effective way to get her business associates talking. My name holds a lot more influence than hers, and I have be
CammyWhat is he thinking, drawing up an agreement like this?!The cocksure grin on his face has my blood boiling even more. “Is this all a game to you? Is my life some sort of sick joke you can get off on?” I ask, shaking my head as I throw the papers down. He shakes his head. “No, not at all. I am deadly serious about this arrangement.”“Call it what it is, Elijah, a bloody contract marriage!” I exclaim, knowing the other guests in the restaurant can hear me but not giving a damn right now. Who did this bloke take me for?“Cameron, when I drew up that contract, I took everything into consideration, including your pride. This will purely be a business arrangement between the two of us and nothing more. Yes, I can buy your company from you, and solve all your problems, but how will that make you feel in the end? That this company isn’t yours anymore. Am I correct?”I wouldn't sa
ElijahIn the next few minutes, Ms Westwood will be walking through my office door with an answer for me. Truth be told, this idea seemed preposterous to me in the first place, but I couldn’t resist putting it out on the table. Cameron might hate me, but her love for her company overpowers that hate.And I am hoping she plays into my hands.When I told Leo about my idea, he thought that I had gone mad. Why would I want to be married again and this time to a woman who despised me? Well, as I have said before, I love the chase. I will get my little minx to bend to my will, be it through wooing her or helping save her company. She is in no way a perfect fit for my lifestyle anyway - she’s too harsh, not ladylike at all, and to be frank, she reminds me of myself too much.Not to mention that I do not see her as a mother figure to be around my son. Yes, this will be a temporary arrangement between companies, but I am more intereste
CammyDressed to kill in a black pantsuit and mile-high heels, I am ready to conquer.It’s my first day at Somersett Inc as Elijah’s so-called wife, and when I walk into the building, everyone greets me with respect. Were they informed of the agreement between Elijah and me? No, it can’t be since the actual deal would only be known between the two of us. Elijah must have informed them I would arrive; this is the only thing that makes sense.I am told to head up to the 50th floor where Elijah’s offices are and to ask for a Mr Leo Smythe, as he would lead me to my new office. When I arrive on said floor, a youngish guy walks over to me with a kind smile on his face.“Shall I call you Ms Westwood or Mrs Somersett?” He asks with a grin, and I feel the smile slip from my face. “Uhm.. I…” I stammer, watching the amused smile grow wider. “I jest, Ms Westwood, you don’t need to go