Fractured Crystal: Sapphires and Submission (27 page)

She also realised (although Daniel was too gentlemanly to push the matter) that she no longer had to work. Again, however, she had become intrigued by the possibilities of the current status quo and did not wish to break things apart just yet. Her reasons here, however, were psychologically less complex: to her utter surprise, she found that the Chiado contract was one which genuinely stimulated her and she wished to see it through to its conclusion. This had never been a career she had chosen, nor did she really have an aptitude for such business, certainly over the long term. Nonetheless, the ability to finish just one task, to complete it to her own satisfaction, filled her with a contentment that she had not expected.

If there was only one flaw in her daily life, it was the fact that Daniel himself appeared to be called away by necessity and real life more than before. He had invited her out to New York with him, but as it was a fleeting visit
—
seven or eight hour flights each way for a mere handful of hours in the city itself
—
she had decided to stay. Unfortunately for her, when she had wandered around his apartment, the plush living space, the kitchen with all its mod cons, the bedroom where he had taken her so many times (as, indeed, he had in almost every room of the house), the gym and wet room, she felt even more strongly than ever what an alien place this was.

This slightly disturbed her. She had known Daniel
—
Logan as well as Stone
—
for approximately two months now. That she felt she still did not entirely know him was hardly surprising: in many respects, she knew him more deeply than any other man she had been with before. After all, her affair with Mark had lasted, on and off, for a year, and she realised that her knowledge of her boss was much less intimate than that she shared with Daniel. But that was because she had quickly realised she was not that interested in Mark, and to tell the truth he had not been that interested in her. For Mark, it had been an opportunity to fuck a reasonably attractive young woman and feel young again. For her, it was little more than a break in the ennui she had felt at that time in her life.

Two months with Daniel were worth more than an entire year with Mark
—
damn it, an hour with him allowed her to see a world in a grain of sand. And yet, though she felt that he had opened up to her perhaps more than any other person since the death of Karen, yet she also intuited that a number of bars remained around his heart. It was clear that he gave little of himself away willingly, which was one of the reasons why his Chelsea flat felt so anonymous and alien.

Kris was also a little scared to admit that she was jealous when Daniel was not near her. But when she thought of the possibility of him with another woman, even if it was merely some beautiful, slender, elegant escort whose services were brought for an evening, she had to close herself down. She simply didn’t know how she would react were she to find out about another, but she knew it would not be good.

Daniel gave no indication that he was being especially furtive, but the way that he occasionally brushed aside a question, or pretended not to be listening when she spoke, or
—
indeed
—
was
not
listening but staring off into the distance thoughtfully, made her worry slightly. For some reason that she could not quite pin down, he was slightly less attentive to her than he had been before, and subtly, insidiously, this caused her old armour to form about her.

The reasons for his introspection became clear one day when, to her considerable surprise, he arrived at the offices of Hardy, Briskin and Sorrell unannounced. There had been a flurry of activity that morning among some of the senior members in the firm, all of whom looked rather worried, and when Daniel arrived there she had sat in shocked silence when she saw him being led into Mark’s office. She had been too stunned to go up to him, and he had not looked in her direction, but instead appeared business-like as he followed her boss.

When Mark
re-
appeared half an hour later, the office was abuzz with gossip, not least when someone called out that the business pages were filled with news about a possible hostile takeover bid of HBS. He came across to Chris, and the look on his face almost made Kris sorry for him, an emotion she had not felt towards him for a long time. A number of other members of staff were floating around him, trying to find what was going on.

“I’ll explain to you all what I know in a minute,” he told them somewhat testily as they crowded around him. Turning to Kris, his eyes looking as though they were brimming with tears, he said: “Mister Stone would like to see Ms Avelar.” This caused another round of speculation
—
mixed with outright incredulity
—
among her co-workers, and Kris attempted to block them out as she stood up, pushing her way past Mark.

As she squeezed between him and another colleague, he grabbed hold of her arm. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me who you were sleeping with?” he hissed, his face plainly fearful now.

“I didn’t think it was any of your business, Mark,” she told him, somewhat coldly, then left and went to his office.

Knocking on the door, she felt a little strange. This was almost a flashback to that time six months previously when Mark, not simply her boss at that point, would summon her to his office to arrange assignations that were anything but businesslike. What the hell was Daniel doing?

She entered after he had called her in, and she saw him sitting on the desk, a lopsided grin on his face as he spoke on his phone. “That’s just the way it is, Ronnie... I’ve taken an interest in things here, and just think I can make a better go of them.” He waved at Kris as she stood by the door, motioning with his hands for her to close it. “Yes, yes, I’m sure Frank is equally furious, but I know for a fact that Sally was keen on the move... I’m sure. Look
—
something’s come up here, Ron. You’ll just have to speak with the lawyers. We’ll hammer out the final details soon... I’m sorry you feel that way
—
I only took the call as a personal favour... yes, yes, goodbye.”

He rolled his eyes as he switched off his mobile, but Kris could tell from his general demeanour that he was in incredibly good spirits.

“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything before,” he told her.
“This had to be very hush-hush
, and I didn’t want you to say anything out of hand.”

“What are you doing here, Daniel?” she asked. Although still incredulous at seeing him in her office, her anger was also mounting as she had horrible suspicions about what was going on. “Are you trying to fuck up my life?”

For a second he looked hurt. “If anything,” he told her, “I’m about to make your life a whole lot better.” He could not resist a smile. “It’s been far too long since I did this
—
I tend to leave too much of it to Felix these days. Anyway, HBS is now a part of Stone Enterprises.” He spread his arms wide. “Aren’t you going to give a hug to your new boss?”

Kris crossed her arms and looked at him furiously, tapping the toes of one foot in frustration. “Why on earth are you doing this, Daniel?” she asked. “And, in any case, why the hell are
you
here instead of your accountants or lawyers or whatever?”

Ignoring the first part of her question, Daniel stood up from the desk where he had been leaning and looked around the office. “Yeah, well the real action is going on in the New York office, where the first of the early birders are starting to discover that there has been a successful takeover by Stone Enterprises. From a purely business point of view, I would really like to be there, but I wanted to be the one who delivered the news personally to Mister Travis out there.”

As he walked around the office, a dawning realisation began to occur to Kris and she opened her mouth in surprised horror. “Wait a minute,” she said, almost gasping in disbelief. “Do you mean to tell me that you bought out this company because I once had an affair with
him
?”

Daniel did not look at her directly, but instead was peering at the collection of golf trophies in the corner. “Tell me you didn’t fall for a guy who was into golf,” he said, standing and pointing at the shelves. “I suppose he is better looking than me, though
—
if you prefer baby-faced men who have let themselves get out of shape.”

“Answer me, Daniel! Goddamit!”

“It may have... influenced my decision a little, that and Briskin’s flirtation. But mainly, I did it because I could.”

He came closer and took her by the arm, pulling her closer to him. Kris could almost smell the testosterone coming from his body, flushed as it was with pride and success. To her own surprise, she found it both enticing but also somewhat disgusting. Then she realised: it was the first time she had really seen Daniel Stone in the full flush of his own arrogance.

“So, how does it feel to be working for me now?” he asked, dragging her to his chest. Her resistance appeared to be more exciting to him than anything. She didn’t respond, but he barely seemed to be aware of her disapproval. Instead he glanced around the room with a disdainful eye.

“Don’t tell me you fucked him in here?” He looked down at her. “You did, didn’t you?”

“What business is that of yours?” she asked.

He let go of her and moved backwards, loosening his tie as he did so. “I think this calls for a celebration, don’t you?” Undoing his button, he slid off his jacket and grinned at her.

“I don’t know, Daniel, I’m not really in the mood.”

“Well I am! Hell! I don’t think I’ve been this horny in years! Come here! You wouldn’t let me down would you?”

The fact that she didn’t respond immediately made him frown and, perhaps for the first time since she had entered the office, he looked at her properly. As he did so, his face took on a more serious expression.

“So, you’re mad at me for some reason, but one day you’ll understand just what I’ve done for you.”

“No, Daniel,” she said quietly. “You did this for yourself.”

He laughed at this, but it was a dry, sarcastic laugh. He stood up and took a step towards her. Even in her heels, he was a head taller than her and his posture was a particularly macho one that made her tremble for a number of reasons.

“Bend over the desk, Ms Avelar,” he said, bending down and speaking very quietly in her ear.

“What?” she asked. “Here? Now?”

“You fucked him in here, didn’t you? Yes. Here. Now.”

“We never... I never did it... when there was anyone else in the
building
.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Daniels tone was cold, challenging. “But I think you need to learn what it means to be an employee of Stone Enterprises. Now, I shall tell you only one more time, Ms Avelar. Bend over the desk, raise your skirt, and lower your knickers. Remember our agreement. I’m calling it in.”

Kris stared at his face. His expression was hard, determined, and for a moment she considered leaving the office immediately. She had always known this man was part of the Daniel Stone she had loved
—
indeed, in a different mixture, it was part of the insane attraction she had towards him, but for the moment she would have given almost anything to have been anywhere else.

And yet she felt compelled. She could not explain it. It was something akin to that old complex within her, when she had been tied up and beaten by her father so many years before. It was not entirely that she was unwilling, but certainly her reluctance was visible in her limbs as she slowly bent over the desk and raised her skirt. Her thighs were still rather pale, but as the dark fabric of her hem was lifted ever higher, so some of the fading marks across her buttocks where he had chastised her before became visible, disappearing lines upon each cheek that framed the narrow line of her thong.

Her breasts pressed upon the desk, not looking at Daniel for the moment, she reached behind her and hooked her thumb into her knickers, pulling them down. When she had come to her mid thigh, Daniel intervened and placed his hand against hers, indicating that she should stop.

“Spread your legs apart a little,” he commanded. “And stay there.”

She did as she was told, feeling his tall body behind her. She was trembling a little now, more in anger at him than anything like fear. She knew what was coming. Her treacherous body was also shaking in anticipation of it, lust, the flower of her sex unfurling a little.

His hand landed with a savage, heavy blow across her buttocks. Damn! That was hard, and she was used to being well used in their games. He meant this!

From behind her, Daniel pulled back his hand and looked down with satisfaction at her posterior, gazing with cruel delight at the red imprint of his palm and fingers. He drew back his arm again, feeling his biceps tense, and then he let his hand fall again, striking her as hard as she could so that she cried out. So what if they could hear her outside? He wanted them all
—
every last one of them
—
to know that she was owned.

Another blow, and then another. God! That hurt! thought Kris as he slapped her again and again. She had tried first of all to ignore the humiliation of this, not to give him the satisfaction of hearing her cry out, but a mixture of pain and her own, damn body not being in her control meant that she could not keep to her resolve. As such, her cries of pain were mingled with moans of pleasure as she felt her vulva opening up, the droplets of her own juices starting to form on her lips down there.