Dirty Bad Wrong(38)
I moved against her fingers. “How can I do that?”
“Let’s set a challenge. Pass it and I’ll introduce you to Masque, no more tests, no more games, no Explicit even, just you and him and whatever the hell becomes of it.”
My eyes widened, and I squirmed to check if she was being serious. She was. Her eyes were hooded, high-on-sex and sparkling with mischief. “What do you want me to do?”
“Tomorrow night, in Brighton. I want you to seduce a man, take him to your bed, and make him fuck you senseless. I want you to ride his cock all fucking night long.”
“Tomorrow night?! But it’s work!” My stomach churned as I ran through my options. Trevor White flashed before my eyes, but that would be so unprofessional. Shit. Maybe a barman after James had gone to bed, maybe some random in a club. My head swam with nerves. “I’ve never picked up a stranger before. I don’t even know if I can.”
She rolled onto me, pinning my arms above my head. “Not a stranger, my sweet little Lydia. I want you to seduce James Clarke.”
My breath caught in my chest for one long second before I sighed in her face. “James?! You want me to seduce James Clarke? Mr Mysterious? You said it yourself, getting anything out of him’s like milking a rock. How on earth would I initiate that kind of shit? He’ll blow me straight out the water.”
“But you don’t object in principle?”
I looked away from her, cheeks on fire. “James is very attractive. He’s hot, he’s strong, he’s clever and driven... he’s goddamn gorgeous,” I admitted.
“Yes, he is.”
“But he doesn’t want me.”
She pulled my face back to hers. “What the hell makes you say that?”
Embarrassment burnt, and I craved the safety of my bed, hidden under the duvet away from all this craziness. “I asked him over last week. He said no.”
“You asked James Clarke on a date?” she grinned. “You kept that quiet.”
“Don’t I always? And no. I asked him over here, to hang out with both of us and check my project file.”
She laughed, and it sliced like razors. I pushed her off me and she took it in good humour. “Jesus, Lyds, you asked him to come check out your project file? That’s a new name for it.”
“Laugh if you want, he said no, anyway. I’ll have to try and seduce Trevor White instead, he’s a client.”
She shook her head. “James Clarke, Lyds, that’s your challenge.”
“He won’t fuck me!” I wailed. “Seriously, Rebecca, it’s not possible. You’re setting me up to fail!”
“I’m setting you up to test your resolve, there’s a difference. Seducing James Clarke will be an easier bag than seducing Masque, believe me.”
“It will be impossible!”
“No, it will be difficult. That’s the point. He’s a tough cookie, you’ll have to be persuasive. Succeed and you’ll get your time with Masque, that’s a promise. Cross my heart and hope to die.”
I weighed it up. Whichever way I looked at it felt completely unobtainable. James would blow me out again and I’d look a fool, and then I’d lose my shot with Masque altogether. All bad. I sighed. “You’re such a bitch, Rebecca. You know I’ll fail.”
“If you want Masque enough you’ll make sure you don’t.”
“Have any date rape drugs lying around I could borrow?”
Her eyes twinkled, and she pulled me in for a kiss. I resisted at first, mouth fixed in a stubborn little line, but she won me over. She pulled away, smiling. “You won’t need date rape drugs, Lyds. He’s tough, but he’s not that tough. Just be yourself, and don’t let him escape before he’s given you his cock.”
“I’m myself every day, he hasn’t offered it so far.”
“I’ll give you some advice. James likes to be confided in, he likes vulnerability. Open up to him, as sweet little Lydia Marsh on a night out in the big bad world, and you’ll get your guy.”
“I can’t open up, Bex, you know I can’t.”
“And there’s your challenge.”
“Like I need any more hurdles on this ridiculously impossible quest of yours.” I rolled my eyes. “He won’t want me.”
“That’s up to you. It’s your future with Masque at stake, take it or leave it.”
“Why do you even want me to fuck James Clarke anyway? Does the idea get you off or something? Mr corporate screwing your new little pain slut?”
“You’ve got me there. Yes, it does,” she laughed. “I think you’d be good for each other, you both need to let off some steam.”