262 Let’s make a deal
The following day.
As soon as Zaria woke up, she made a call to Zeus.
“It’s so early.” The man grumbled sleepily.
“Sorry. I really need your help before you go to work.” She would not have woken him up, but she would spend most of her time in meetings out of the company today. She would not be able to meet him.
He relented. “Fine. What do you need?”
She briefed him hurriedly and he hung up just as Desmond crept up behind her.
“Hey. Did I wake you?” She relaxed into his arms as he wrapped them around her.
“The alarm did.” He took in her scent.
“I’m going to take a shower.” She slipped out of his arms, and he immediately missed her presence. “And you should get ready for work too.”
.....
“Do I have to?” He groaned. They had watched two movies in a row the previous night, leaving them with only a few hours to catch some sleep. He was surprised that she didn’t look tired in the slightest bit.
She picked out clothes to wear and some for him, and kissed him on the cheek. “Catch some sleep while I shower and make breakfast. I’ll wake you up when I’m done.
While her offer was tempting, he quickly caught sight of something more tempting-or someone more tempting, to be precise. Soon after she entered the shower, he could hear her singing softly. He couldn’t help himself.
When the door opened, she didn’t need to open her eyes to know that Desmond had decided to join her. She had a thick lather of shampoo all over her head so she didn’t open her eyes, continuing to work it into her hair.
“The shower is more inviting than sleep, right?”
“Sure is.” She heard his voice and guessed that he was behind her, probably closing in. Her senses were heightened now that her eyes were closed and she wanted to know where he was and what he was doing. Yet, he didn’t seem to move an inch.
“Are you staring at me?” She guessed.
“Mmh.” He admitted, drawing closer. “You are so beautiful.”
He traced a finger up her back, making her almost jump as she had not realized how close he was. He took her hands off her hair and replaced them with his own, massaging her scalp in slow, calming motions.
“That feels like heaven.” She hummed.
“I can massage other parts of your body too.” He teased.
She didn’t buy it. “You can, but we need to get to work soon so not now.” That didn’t stop her from enjoying the feeling of him washing her hair. When he was done, he rinsed it out and squeezed body wash onto her bath sponge, then he ran it down her arms and breasts as she closed her eyes. This was definitely a shower but it felt a whole lot like foreplay. From the throbbing between her legs, she knew that she had to be soaking and it had nothing to do with the warm water running down her body.
She didn’t need to ask about him either. His hardness was pressed against her backside, his breathing fast and heavy and his pulse racing against her back.
She would have loved nothing more than to make love with him right there in the bathroom, but that would mean getting late for her first meeting. It was too important for her to miss a single minute. In the end, she kissed him and had to kick him out so she could get other parts of her body washed aside from her boobs and belly.
Her belly was nothing but a very slight curve which could easily go unnoticed, but she felt as though the world was inside it. And from his new ritual of kissing it several times every day and the amount of affection he gave it, she knew that he felt the same way.
___
“You must be Miss Foyer.” Zaria offered a smile to the woman opposite her, who she wanted nothing more than to rip into shreds. Melanie Foyer, the former executive assistant of Desmond, who thought it would be funny to randomly accuse him of rape. Or rather, she had been chosen for the role and she dove right in. How much had she been paid, exactly? Did she have any idea that she could ruin a man’s life?
It was unfortunate, but the law was much harsher to men in instances where sexual assault was the topic. It was not unheard of for women to get away with falsely accusing unsuspecting victims. Melanie-and her mastermind-must be depending on this.
The woman looked nothing like one would expect of a liar. She was beautiful, with raven hair that fell over her shoulders and looked calm and innocent.
“Aren’t you Zaria Williams?” She couldn’t hide her surprise.
“I am.” Zaria pulled a business card out of her purse.
Melanie gritted her teeth. “I should have known.”
She had received an email from F&P Media in the morning, inviting her for a private interview regarding the sexual assault suit against Desmond. She didn’t think much of it but now that Zaria showed up, she remembered just who she was. Theodore Williams’ daughter as well as Desmond’s current girlfriend. She was not a fool.
“Are you here to pick a fight with me? Because if that’s the case-”
“I’m not.” Zaria interrupted. “I’m here on behalf of F&P Media to interview you.”
Melanie scoffed. “In a restaurant? And you work for Preston and Fort Group.”
“Who said I can’t help my father here and there, when I have the experience? That’s why it’s happening after office hours.” She sounded indifferent. “Are you hungry? Would you like to order something to eat?”
Melanie ignored her words. “Let’s end it already. If you are here to ask me why I didn’t speak up in the past, it’s a long story.”
“About that,” Zaria took out her tablet and swiped out its stylus. “I need to know that but could you please start with the basics? Did you ever suspect he could do such a thing?”
Melanie took a breath and assessed the woman before her. At least she looked and sounded professional. It didn’t matter if she was trying to trick her into speaking up. The story would have gotten to her anyway, and if she didn’t publish it, she would let another media agency get it.
“You know the kind of man Mr. Fort is. Cocky, narcissistic and powerful, and despite his insane arrogance, women can’t help but fall for him. Who would think that he would need to use force on a woman?”
Zaria’s eyes darkened, and Melanie assumed it was because she was starting to see her boyfriend’s true colors.
“I didn’t ever see the signs. And the worst part is, he used force, and a date rape drug, to make me beg him to do what he did. For a while, I didn’t even know whether or not what he did to me was illegal. When I finally knew that it was, my new job was on the line.”
Zaria noted everything down and looked up to ask, “Did he fire you right after the incident?”
“Yes.” She hugged her arms.
Zaria raised a brow. She was definitely not prepared for this question. “I see. But the only time you and him were in his office working overtime is three weeks before you were fired.”
A flash of panic traced through Melanie’s face but she was quick to hide it. “That’s because it didn’t happen once. The second time it happened, he fired me.”
Zaria held back a scoff. “You are telling me that a man sexually harassed you and three weeks later, you willingly went back to his office, behind a closed door with just the two of you?”
“He was my boss! What could I have done?”
Zaria played a video on her tablet and showed it to her. It was taken from a banquet, and the focus was on Melanie. Her face paled when she saw it play.
Zaria smiled. “Two weeks after getting violated, you couldn’t help squealing in excitement when the culprit stepped into the banquet hall. Do you remember your own comment? That he was so hot that your panties were about to drop!” She whistled. “Oh, I get it. You fell in love with your violator. Or no, you were just rolling with the waves since the other women were saying that. You poor thing.”
Melanie burst into tears, finally Realizing that Zaria was not here for an interview to start with. She was here to trap her. “You are defending a snake! I was the victim at the time and who knows who the next victim will be? It could be you! Or that innocent girl he is trying to get custody of.”
So this was her game play. Zaria’s brows quirked. “So you decided to speak up because you couldn’t stand seeing him gain custody of a girl with such a dark past. How cute.” She planted her elbows on the desk. “Would you like to watch a video of yourself? It’s very interesting.” She lowered her voice dramatically. “Of you on your boss’s desk, legs parted, touching yourself as you screamed your boss’s name, waiting for him to come in. And by “boss” I mean the culprit.”
There wasn’t an ounce of shame on Melanie’s face but she realized she was not winning. “What do you want?” She gritted her teeth.
“That’s a good girl.” Zaria cooed in a gentle voice. “It’s simple. Let’s make a deal. When it’s over, I will delete everything I have.” Her tone turned murderous. “But if you try to play games with me, the whole world, including your boss, will know how beautiful you look under your skirt.”
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