Marissa's POV

My car door opened, and a hand reached out to help me exit. "Good morning Tony, how's the wife?"

"Doing well Ms. Ryland, thanks for asking. Will you be staying in today or needing the car?" Tony asked as he opened the door for me. "Mrs. Phelps is waiting in the foyer for you."

I groaned internally. Chloe was going to kill me for making us late. "I'll be down shortly, Tony. We will need the car," I told him as I hurried in to see a rather pissed-off best friend.

"You're late, again," she scolded me as she pulled me into a hug. I winced when her hand brushed the bandage on my back. I'd managed to conceal it under the dress but couldn't conceal the discomfort. Her eyes went wide as she pulled me into the elevator. "Rissa, what the fuck? How did this happen?"

I tried to brush it off, "It was just an accident, a few stitches and I'll be good as new in a few days." I rushed into the penthouse as the elevator doors opened. "Now come on, I need help getting dressed," I grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the bedroom, slipping my clothes off as we walked. I heard her take in a sharp breath when she saw the marks across my back.

She stopped me and began to trace the marks with her fingertips, "Rissa, baby," she cooed as her head bent and she began kissing the whip marks.

"Chloe, we have to get to the office. Jackson will kill me if we're both late," I moaned as her hands began to knead my breasts.

She dropped to her knees and pulled down my panties, letting her tongue graze across my sensitive clit. "Let me worry about my husband, babygirl. Right now, I want to taste you." I moaned as she put my hand in her hair and then began lapping at my folds while cradling my ass. I cried out when her fingers slammed into me, making my knees shake and almost buckle. "That's it, baby, cum for me," she murmured against my clit, then began sucking as her fingers pumped into me faster. My hands tangled in her tawny hair as I screamed her name and climaxed hard.

She pulled back with a satisfied smile as I panted, my legs wobbling. "See, don't you feel better now," she teased. I shook my head in amusement as she stood and dragged me to the bathroom. "Okay, quick shower then we stop and grab treats for the meeting. We can blame our late arrival on the bakery." I swear she thinks of everything.

****

I took a deep breath as I stepped into Cupcakes Bakery. It was one of my favorite places in the city. They had amazing coffee and even more amazing desserts. "Hey sugar, how are you today?" the cute blonde behind the counter asked me as he flashed a heart-stopping smile.

"I'm good, Luke. Sorry, I haven't been in lately, how have you been?" I asked as I looked in the display cases.

"Same old, same old," he laughed, "Get up, make the donuts, go home, rinse and repeat." I giggled at his old commercial reference. "So the usual?"

Shaking my head, "Sadly, no. I'm late for a meeting and need to bribe my boss's forgiveness. Can I get an assortment of pastries, for about, um, fifteen? Then can you add a travel container of coffee with paper cups? Hopefully, he'll be so distracted with your treats he won't have time to notice how late I am."

Luke laughed as he set to selecting items and adding them to the box. "Here sugar, I gave you an even twenty. Do you want some help getting all this out to your car?"

Before I could answer, Chloe came in, "Hurry up babygirl. Jackson's getting pissy." My cheeks flushed at her use of my pet name in public. She never did that. "Oh, hey, let me grab those," she said, taking the coffee and cups from Luke.

"Um, guess, we've got it covered. Thanks so much, Luke! I'll stop by soon," I said as I paid and grabbed the baby blue box of desserts. He gave me a smile, but it was more reserved than before.

****

I didn't really talk in the car and was too busy trying to rush into the meeting room to set up once we arrived at work. Chloe left the coffee and cups on the table for me to deal with as she went to sweet-talk Jackson. I was busy placing the treats on a platter and didn't notice the two men who had entered the room. It wasn't until they spoke to one another that I realized I was no longer alone.

"So who all will be joining us today," the man asked his friend. I paused, feeling like I'd heard that voice before.

"North and Kota will be here shortly. I told the others to meet us at the diner for lunch, then we could discuss the proposal and see if we want to move forward or not," his friend responded. I moved a set of cups and brushed against the tray of spoons making a clattering noise, thus alerting them to my presence. "Sorry, miss, we didn't see you," the man apologized as I turned around. I sucked in a breath as I met their gazes. There before me was the doctor from the club, still wearing the clothes he'd woken up in, but looking flawless.

They both flashed smiles at me and started to introduce themselves as the door opened. "Ahh, there you are Ms. Ryland," Chloe said as she breezed into the room with Jackson quick on her heels. She gave me a frantic look as I took a seat with my laptop at the edge of the table. She walked behind me and whispered, "He's not furious, well not after the blowjob I just gave him." I almost choked at her comment but managed to make it look like a cough. She softly giggled and took her seat next to him as the last two men entered the room.

I noticed one of the new men whisper something to his friend about the pastries and hoped they would like them. They were both fairly tall and good-looking, one had glasses and soft green eyes, while the other man was built larger with dark eyes and hair. He had a gruff attitude and seemed like he would rather be anywhere than here. Jackson stood and introduced himself, "Welcome gentlemen. My name is Jackson Phelps, director of operations and this is my wife and co-director, Chloe. Also joining us today is Ms. Ryland. While she holds many titles within the company, today she'll be keeping notes about your specific needs and what options might be available to you and your respective companies. Do you have any questions before we get started?"

The grey-eyed man spoke up, "I feel I should introduce us as well. My name is Owen Blackbourne and these are my husbands, Dr. Sean Green, Mr. Kota Lee, and Mr. North Taylor. Our other husbands were unable to attend today, but we will be asking questions on their behalf." He motioned to the portfolio packets I'd laid at each spot, "I see you've taken the time to research the information we provided. We'd be interested in hearing what you feel your firm can offer us." He sat, running his hands over his slacks, before taking Dr. Green's hand in his.

Chloe gave me a look and I nodded. She cleared her throat, "Our firm offers a unique blend of benefits. As I'm sure you're aware, the company was started as a simple law firm but has since grown to incorporate almost all legal areas as well as accounting services. The Blackbourne Corporation has such a diverse set of holdings that it is rare to find a single firm that could meet the legal and financial needs under one roof, but we can offer that. If you would turn to page eleven, you'll notice our suggestion that Mr. Lee maintains direct involvement with all financial transactions and matters as he has been the primary accountant for your company for well over ten years. His valuable insights will prove essential in making future decisions for your company and profits."

Kota cleared his throat, "May I ask how you knew about my involvement? It wasn't provided in the information we sent you."

Shit, I guess I have to talk now. "That would be my doing," I said softly. "When researching your company, I needed to see who had been the primary financial officer of record. For legal tracking purposes, it's important to keep a running list of those who have had or currently have financial access including passwords, signature capabilities, etcetera. The smaller the list, the less the liability," I concluded, sitting down quickly.

Kota straightened his glasses, "Nicely done, Ms..."

"Ryland," I supplied.

"Thank you, Ms. Ryland," he nodded.

Jackson cleared his throat, "We try to be thorough even with a simple presentation, gentlemen. Now, if you'll turn to section two, we can look at the benefits our firm has to offer in detail."

The meeting droned on for hours with Chloe looking at me far too often for prompts. She had obviously forgotten to prepare for the meeting and I could see Jackson's frustration growing. I was stealing glances at the blonde-haired doctor when I saw Mr. Blackbourne studying me. My cheeks flushed as I looked down at my computer screen quickly. I quickly typed out a message to Jackson - wrap it up, information overload. When he glanced at his phone, he cleared his throat, thanked the men for their time, and escorted them to his secretary to schedule a follow-up appointment.

When the door closed, I let out a long breath and closed my laptop. Fuck, that was nerve-wracking, but I don't think he recognized me.  

Author's Notes:  Hmmm... what do you think of Marissa?  Lots of secrets ahead.

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