15. Chapter Fifteen
Rachel
“ What have you done?” I mutter, pacing around in my apartment. I only went to Vaughn’s place to apologize for my mistake. I know it’s my fault that this happened. I know what potential consequences there are, yet what I have ended up doing only presents more consequences!
A crazy thought pops into my head: Quit the job, Rachel Reed.
I pause in my pacing to further consider the thought.
That doesn’t seem like a bad idea at all. After the crazy sex that Vaughn and I had in his study, he has probably lost all respect for me—that’s if he had any for me to begin with. He would probably treat me more poorly as he now sees me as a conquest. Our professional relationship has already been compromised. Vaughn would eventually boot me out if he felt I didn’t do my job well. So why not quit on my own while I still have some of my dignity left?
A knock that I don’t in the least appreciate sounds on my door. I almost didn’t go to check, but it persisted. I open the door to see Vaughn—the man troubling my thoughts.
My heart skips a beat—no, my heart skips two beats—and all my lips do in an attempt to say something is quiver.
He is looking at me intently, but it’s not the usual gaze that makes me feel like I am being pulled in two different directions. It’s a much warmer, tender look in his beautiful blue eyes, and I feel my knees almost give way.
My grip squeezes on my bed sheets, and my clit and his tongue make the perfect duo. I writhe in pleasure as he draws circles around my clit, my palms clutching at the mop of black hair on his head.
“I can’t take it anymore, Vaughn. Make love to me.”
He pauses and looks up at me, his blood-congested face and a smirk staring at me. He wraps his strong, muscular arms underneath my bare thighs and pulls me roughly—a little too roughly—toward him. He gets on top of me and presses his lips on mine in a hot, searing kiss. “Don’t you mean I should fuck you?”
The sexiness with which he says it makes me wetter even more, and my, did I want him to fuck me! Just like that, I am having sex with Vaughn again, just moments after we’d had sex in his study.
His rod sinks into me. I gasp for air, my arms clutching around his neck tightly, my legs wrapped around his waist.
“Yes, Vaughn, I want you to fuck me,” I say—no, I more squeaked as that doesn’t even qualify as a voice.
“Say less, baby,” he whispers into my ear, and then he nibbles at my earlobes and sucks in tender flesh on my neck.
This man is about to drive me crazy.
I moan loudly, and just as if that’s what he’s been waiting for, he starts thrusting in and out of me, making me moan even louder.
He fucks me relentlessly, driving me wild with pleasure, fireworks exploding in my head with each stroke. I can already feel an approaching wave of orgasm spreading all over my body. When I finally came, I let out a loud cry, my nails digging into his hard back. He groans as he spits his load into me, and then he collapses on me.
“That’s the best fucking sex I have ever had,” he says, his sculpted chest pressed against my breasts. The contented smile on his face almost makes me believe him, but then I ask, “Better than all the models you rich soccer players have access to?”
He laughs and leans in for a kiss. “They don’t compare, darling.”
Darling?
“Look how red your cheeks are,” he continues, tracing the red patch on my cheek with soft kisses. “I could fuck you all day, you know.”
Hmm, romantic. Almost like it isn’t Vaughn.
A wave of unease hits me, and then I pull back. I stare around like I am just being aware of my surroundings for the first time. For some reason, I feel confused and scared.
Something isn’t right. A couple of minutes ago, he was at my door. How the heck did we end up on my bed?
He notices.
“What’s wrong? Just realizing I am not really in bed with you?”
“What?”
He snickers. “Don’t worry, you’ll come off it shortly.”
And I did.
My eyes shoot open, and I literally wake up gasping for air.
That’s insane! Did I just have a dream about Vaughn? A sex dream, for that matter?
The wetness I suddenly notice in between my legs gives me an answer, and embarrassment churns in my stomach.
It’s dreams like these that get you in jail. Wait a minute—had my subconscious secretly wished Vaughn had followed me home on the day we had sex in his study? I mean . . . the sex wasn’t bad, but to the point of imagining—no, dreaming of what happened right after is next-level insane. It felt so real.
My chest tightens with worry as my feet find my shoes. Yes, it’s a dream, but not just a dream. Two years of my life have been mostly spent working with Vaughn, and if that ends any time soon, I sure don’t want this to be the reason.
***
Archie jumps happily as I put on a light shirt and a pair of jeans from my wardrobe. It seems like she’s figured out that today is going to be a good day.
I mean, why blame her? Rachel Reed, her human, is the busiest person in New York, slaving her ass off for a soccer player who doesn’t seem to care. That is one hell of an improvement!
I drop lipstick on the mirror stand to pick Archie up. “Guess what, baby? We are gonna go out, walk around town and meet new people, buy some snacks for a movie night, and generally have a wonderful time! Guess who’s home with you today?”
She gently claws at my hair in response, undoing the perfect bun I had done my hair into.
“Well, I guess I’ll just leave it like that then. Bet you like it better this way.”
I look at my reflection in the mirror, and a smile crosses my lips. I look . . . beautiful. Carelessly beautiful.
I always make it a habit to appear as professional as possible on workdays, even though that is not really necessary. It’s not like I work for a corporate industry. I always do my hair in a bun and wear professional outfits and shoes. Somehow, it makes me feel more competent, and I think it also keeps me from punching Vaughn in the face anytime he annoys me. I just look at myself and think, You’re at work. Be professional.
The streets bustle with activity: people rushing home from work in buses, younger people making their way into bars and clubs, street vendors with merchandise in full display, and yeah, the ever-present street performers looking to charm you into parting with your last couple of bucks.
Archie won’t let me appreciate the nice and warm weather as she keeps on walking with quick steps, pulling me with her collar. Archie leads, and I follow.
Gosh! I have almost forgotten what it feels like to have fun outside of work! I think to myself. I know simply walking your cat down the streets might not be many people’s idea of fun, but if this is the first real break you’ve had from work in months, it’s the most fun thing on the planet. They say people crave what they don’t have: a full day off, in my case.
I couldn’t do this when I faked illness just to stay home because, well, I was avoiding Vaughn at the time. My troubled thoughts wouldn’t let me think of enjoying myself. And now, I can enjoy myself all I want, knowing that I have gotten all or most of Vaughn’s schedules planned and managed to reach a settlement with Mobilix Solutions so that they withdrew their lawsuit. For once, everything seems to be in order.
I stopped at a mall to get some snacks for my movie night. Typically, days like this should be spent with friends, but you don’t work all day for Vaughn and expect to have friends. I pick up two bags of Doritos and a bag of Cheetos, pay, and exit the mall.
My phone rang as soon as I stepped out of the mall. Just as I reach into my purse to check who it is, desperately wishing it’s not Vaughn, I collide with someone—or they collide with me. I am not sure.
“Oh, I am so sorry,” I say, frantically bending down and gathering some papers that spilled out from the man’s bag.
He reaches down and does the same. “Don’t worry about it. I bumped into you.” He gives me a reassuring smile that helps make me less tense, and for the first time since the collision, I notice he’s wearing a suit.
We finish gathering the papers, and he is still smiling at me. His tailored suit, his well-groomed hair, his shoes, his eyes. He reminds me of Wall Street guys and conmen at the same time, but I guess there isn’t much of a difference.
“Nice cat you’ve got there, young lady. What is its name?”
There’s a way with which he asks the question that makes me feel he’s genuinely interested rather than looking for a way to start up small talk.
“Archie.”
“Hmm, quite an uncommon name for a cat, don’t you think?”
I laugh lightly. “Well, that’s one of the things that make him unique, I guess.”
“I see. Well, I just happen to be getting out of the hellhole I call work, and I am heading back home. But could we grab a drink, if you don’t mind? Just my way of apologizing for bumping into you.”
You bump into someone, and the next thing you’re asking is to grab a drink. A little too random if you ask me.
I had misgivings about having a drink with a total stranger, but really, what do I have to lose? It’s a day off, so why not? Sometimes, it takes one stranger to make the rest of your day.
“Sure, sir.”
“Thank you.”
We walk to a nearby café and take our seats.
“Can I pet your cat?” he asks.
“Sure, why not?”
He reaches out to touch Archie on the head, and Archie swishes at the man’s hand.
“Hey! That’s not nice!” I scold.
He simply laughs it off and says it’s okay.
We engage in small talk as we sip our coffee, only for him to steer the conversation in an entirely different direction.
“There’s a matter about Vaughn Graham I would like to talk with you about.”
I’m not surprised at the mention of Vaughn’s name. I told him earlier that I worked for Vaughn when he asked where I worked simply because he doesn’t strike me as someone who cares for soccer much. I usually don’t do that out of fear of some crazy fan pestering me into getting their stuff signed like I even have the power to do that.
Still, it catches me off guard. “Excuse me?”
He draws a deep breath, looks to his left and to his right, and leans closer. “I have a deal for you, Rachel. I just need you to do me a little favor, and you’d be glad you did it for the rest of your life.”
I can sense the once jovial atmosphere dissolving into a more tense, slightly sinister one. “What deal could you possibly have for me, mister?”
I’m curious at this point. What deal can a total stranger have for me?
He pauses, a thoughtful expression on his face as if he’s trying to figure out how best to say it. “The new season starts in a couple of weeks, and I work for people who want Vaughn out of the league.”
He pauses again, gauging my reaction. I try my best not to react even though I am screaming, “What the fuck!” inwardly.
“Now, here’s where you come in,” he continues. “You’re the best person for this because you’re always around him. I want you to sabotage his career by framing him as a drug user. I’m sure that will be a very difficult task for you if you agree to work with us for a sum of six hundred thousand dollars.”
The mention of the money almost makes my jaw drop, and it’s my turn to look left and right. Archie is roaming around the table, minding her own business, and so is everyone in the café.
“What did you just say?”
“You heard me right. Six hundred thousand dollars.”
I shake my head, fighting the thoughts that are beginning to go crazy in my mind.
He probably thought I was disagreeing because the next thing I hear is, “Seven hundred thousand dollars. You’ll do it for seven hundred K, won’t you?”
The thoughts go even wilder. I swallow hard, my heart thumping against my ribcage. If it weren’t for my composure, I am sure I would have screamed.
Holy Bejesus! Seven hundred thousand dollars! Crazy!
But I can’t do that—not to Vaughn. He pays me enough to live comfortably, but what I am truly worried about is how I will live with myself if I agree to this.
No, Rachel. No.
“No,” I say firmly. “I will not be able to do that.”
“Not even for seven hundred thousand dollars?” he asks, perplexed.
“Not even for a million dollars.”
The indifference with which I say that must have gotten to him, and the polite tone he employed vanishes. “How stupid and ridiculous. You’d throw away almost a million dollars for someone who treats you like crap? Tell me, when was the last time he said as little as a thank you to you for all you do for him?”
He appears mad at this point, and I have had enough. “I don’t see how that is any business of yours or whoever it is that sent you, mister. So, if you don’t mind, I would like to take my leave now.”
I drop some dollar bills on the table, stand up, and tug gently at Archie’s noose, leaving “mister” staring after us.
This is nothing new to me at all. Over the period I have worked for Vaughn, I have had bribe offers from various people who had to do with Vaughn. When you’re as big and successful as Vaughn, it’s only natural for some people to want to bring you down. But this is different.
Seven hundred freaking thousand dollars!
No. This is a whole new level, too tempting to be real. Honestly, at this point, I feel one more attempt at persuasion from the man, and I swear I’d give in. That’s enough money to set me up for life!
I get as fast as I can from the café, heading directly home. On my way, I looked at my phone and saw that it was my mom who had called me earlier.
.