Time to Play (12 page)

“Stop watching me,” she said, without looking up.

“What makes you think we’re looking at you?”
Callum
asked.

She looked up then. “See, I told you, you were looking.” Simone smiled.

Once she was finished the waiter brought out their other food.
Callum
couldn’t help but appreciate her healthy appetite.
When the meal was finished she excused herself to go to the bathroom. The
moment she was out of earshot,
Callum
turned his
attention to his friend.

“So what exactly happened?” he asked.

“She was being a little tease.”

“You liked it,”
Callum
said. He knew what her
lips were like. They were addictive and hard to give up.

“I don’t think she’ll be teasing me anytime soon. She doesn’t want us,
Callum
.”

“Us?”

“I know what you’re trying to do. I’m not sharing with you anymore. It
is not fair to the woman. Simone may be different, but she wants love and a
normal relationship like they all do.”

Callum
sat back listening to the argument
his friend gave. “You really do believe that.”

“Of course I do. I know what I’m talking about. I’m going to bring the
car around. I’ll see you outside in a few minutes.”

He hated it when his friend created a divide between them.
Callum
knew he did it on purpose to make himself come
across to the press as the bodyguard and not the business partner.

Simone came back several minutes later. He saw the way she noticed the
empty seat.
 

“He’s gone to get the car.”

She sat down in her seat. “I gathered he had.”

He heard her let out a sigh glancing around at all the other customers
eating. “This is a lot of fuss for us,” she said.

“No, it’s not.”

She didn’t argue with him. “When will you have the paperwork ready for
me to go over?” she asked.

“Tomorrow afternoon at the latest.
Why? Looking forward to getting rid
of us?” He leaned back in his chair watching her. Every time she turned this
way or that, he remembered the way she’d thrashed her head from side to side as
he pounded inside her tight pussy. She was such a responsive woman. He wanted
to see that side of her more often. From the look on Cole’s face, his friend
desired the same response from her as well.

“I want my own life back. The sooner I get this crap out of the way, the
better I’ll feel.”

Callum
signalled the waiter for the bill.
He signed the check taking out his card to pay for lunch. Simone remained
silent while he did so.

“You have no plans to spend any more time with me?”
Callum
asked.

“You’re a
hottie
, but I want my life away from
the cameras.”

“What about your father?”

“He can go and screw himself for all I care.”

She stood up to leave when the waiter approached the table.
Callum
went to her, taking her hand in his as they walked
away. “I’m going to need to get used to this,” she said.

“What?”

“The extra attention.”

He nodded, understanding what she meant. Cole was in the car waiting for
them outside the restaurant.
Callum
acknowledged the
man on duty then helped Simone into the back of the car.

“Will you take me to my apartment please?” she asked.

“That is my next stop.” She moved as close to the window as was
possible.
Callum
smiled feeling the heat radiating
from her.

Her lack of response wouldn’t last that long. The woman who’d been with
him on Friday was still there inside her. That woman couldn’t last long without
the intimacy they shared.
Callum
found himself
looking forward to the moment the other side of Simone came through.

They pulled up outside of her apartment building. Cole stayed inside the
car. The press were still around, and Simone hid against
Callum’s
body. He helped her up to her room.

“They are being ridiculous,” she said.

“You’re big news and a gorgeous woman.”

“Whatever. I’ll see you tomorrow.” The moment they got to her door, she
closed it behind her.
Callum
knew she was trying to
get away from the chaos he’d caused her life. He walked down the steps and got
back inside the car.

****

Cole had never felt the need to follow the women around that
Callum
dated. However, Simone brought out a side to him he
didn’t understand. Women had hated them after being shared.
Callum
usually grew bored with the same woman over and over. The last woman they’d
shared had ended in disaster.

His friend climbed in beside him then pulled away from the street.

“What did you do about the cameras?”

“I placed the device to mess with the signal. This is not a personal
feed. It is like someone is broadcasting the footage from her bedroom to the
outside world.” Cole didn’t like to think of who else could be watching her.
The way she’d let go while masturbating had been so intense and pleasurable,
he’d almost come in his own pants.

“Check out her father while you’re searching. I wouldn’t put it past
that bastard to use his daughter for some kind of leverage.” Cole watched his friend
stroke his lip.
Callum
was doing some serious
thinking.

“What do you have on your mind?”

“What if this is another ploy from Malcolm?”
Callum
said.

“How do you mean?” Cole worked the bends as the other man spoke up.

“I don’t think Simone is working for her father. She can’t stand the
man. However, what if the money that is being taken is a way to distract us?”

“You mean Malcolm is distracting us from a hostile takeover bid?” Cole
asked.

“He’s got the funds and resources to try to take us over. It could work
if our energy is distracted by theft.”

Cole didn’t like it. “I’ll see if there have been any changes in our
market value. The best way to take us over is to pull our stock ratings down
and show we’re unreliable.”

“Yeah, Malcolm has held a grudge against us ever since we took over that
publishing firm a few years ago. Ever since then, he’s been breathing down our
neck to try to get it back,”
Callum
said.

“I guess screwing his daughter isn’t going to help our cause,” Cole
said.

“So, you’ve thought about screwing her?”

“Don’t start,
Callum
. You and I both know
she’s an attractive woman.”

The kiss they’d shared had been hot but only a kiss. Cole knew if he got
his hands on her for good then the fire they’d build would be earth-shattering.

“I’ll go into the office tomorrow morning. I’ll make sure our stocks and
shares are still at a reasonable price, and I’ll also get our acquisitions
department to look into any competition bids on some of our enterprises.”

“In the meantime, I get to baby sit Simone,” Cole said, sighing.

“Do you really think that’s a hard task?”

“Not at all.”

Once they were home Cole made his
way through to his security room. He ran a quick check over Simone and saw she
was in bed, sleeping. She looked peaceful in sleep, innocent and vulnerable.

Cole took more time to linger over
the figure he kept for their business. His friend always teased him about being
paranoid. If Malcolm
Allusifa
was making his move
against their company then Cole wanted to be ready for it.

He knew why the older guy had a
grudge out against them. It had nothing to do with business and everything to
do with jealousy.

Three years back they’d been at a
charity function sponsoring poverty-stricken kids.
Callum
and Cole took a bigger interest in underprivileged children as they’d grown up
with virtually nothing. Malcolm had been at the same function but hadn’t given
a dime. On his arm that night was a sweet little singer who was in her early
twenties. She’d looked bored and fed up with Malcolm. When the older man left
to go and talk,
Callum
had gotten talking to her, and
then one thing led to another.
Callum
and Cole took
her home, showing her what the excitement was about with two men. She’d been a
little wild cat in the sack. Three days later the whole story appeared in a
newspaper. When they talked to the singer and asked her why she’d aired out
their dirty laundry, the woman explained that Malcolm blackmailed her. If she
didn’t kiss and tell, then her music career was finished. Once the story did
the rounds a time or two, her career had been over. No one liked a tattle-tale,
especially in their world. Cole shook his head. Could this be the main reason
Malcolm was after destroying their companies?

How would he react when he found out
about
Callum
sleeping with his daughter? Cole didn’t
want to think about it. He knew something bad was going to happen. He only
hoped they were prepared for all the crap.
 

Chapter Ten

The knock at the door no longer
fazed her. Simone was ready for Cole, and she’d dressed appropriately in a knee
length denim skirt and plunging shirt which showed off her breasts. She opened
the door with her jacket over her arm. “Are you ready?” she asked.

“You dressed properly.”

“Yep, come on. Let’s try to beat the
rush hour press camping outside my door.” She locked her door then followed
Cole down the stairs. The shoes she wore clicked with every step she took.

“It has only been a few days since
you came out with your relationship.”

“Yeah, and the days feel like
months.”

Simone made her way to reception.
She stopped at the front desk to collect yesterday’s mail. After the dinner and
the events of the last day, she’d been too exhausted to claim it.

The daily newspaper caught her eye.
She noticed the picture of her and
Callum
at the restaurant.
When she went to grab the paper, Cole stopped her. “You don’t need to read that
trash.”

“I don’t?”

“No. It will only upset you.”

She glared at him then pushed him
aside. The headline was about her weight. Simone had known it wouldn’t be long
before they started bringing her fuller figure into the picture. The derogatory
headline made her chuckle.

“
Callum
falls for the fuller woman, or is this the latest scam of Gallagher and Turner?”
She read the headline aloud chuckling.

“You’re not bothered by what has
been written?” Cole asked.

“Baby, I’ve been called worse in
high-school. I’ve learned to love my curves. Besides, exercise is not for me.”
She leaned against the counter as the new lady on the desk passed her the mail.
Cole leaned in close to whisper into her ear.

“I don’t know. There is something
good about getting all sweaty during a workout.”

She tensed feeling the shiver work
down the line of her body. Turning to look at him, Simone struggled under the
need to press her body against his own. He had warned her about teasing him,
and now he was teasing her instead.

“There is only one type of sweating
I like to do, and that is flat on my back with my legs in the air.
Or on my knees.”
She leaned in closer pressing a finger down
the seam of his shirt.
“Or when I’m on top.
That is
the kind of exercise I like.
The pleasurable kind.”

She turned away. “We better get to
Callum
before he starts getting all possessive.” Simone led
the way outside, sliding her sunglasses up her nose so the press couldn’t see
her anger. Two seconds in front of the press was all it took to bring her anger
to the fore. Cole grabbed her arm leading her to the back of his car. She got
inside the back. When he pulled away several miles down the road, he stopped
for her to get into the front.

Their journey was the same as
before. “I warned you about teasing me,” Cole said when they stopped at some
traffic lights.

“Then I’m warning you about teasing
me, Cole. Don’t do it. I’m not like most women. I love sex, and I do not see a
problem with me going out and finding someone to fuck.”

“You think you’re a big girl?”

“I know I’m a big girl. I also know
I can handle myself.” Simone’s cell phone began ringing. She pulled it out of
the pocket and saw her mother’s number flashing at her. Letting out a groan,
she flipped the phone.

“Hello, Mom.”

“Have you seen the morning paper?”

“Yes, I’ve seen it.”