Upside Down (2 page)

I paused
to try to translate my feelings into words and he seized the chance to speak.

“Carol, the way you buy and sell the stocks at the best time possible is uncann
y. Of course, you get it wrong once in a while, but your winning rate is legendary,” he sounded like a young boy praising his athletic hero or something like that. It was so endearing I needed to keep my emotions in check. “Sometimes, it seems supernatural.”

“You flatter me, Mark. You know how it goes.
The team gathers information on the companies whose stocks seem more promising. They report back to me so that I can analyze the companies’ numbers. I compare their production data and check on their business background just as any other thorough broker would do.”

“Yeah, right!” he scoff
ed. “Then, when the bell rings in the NYSE, you sit behind your computer to monitor the electronic trading session and make millions of dollars, both for Horizon and for our clients, just like that,” he snapped his fingers to illustrate his point. “That’s no explanation at all, Carol.”

“Mark, sweetie, I’m not being evasive nor trying to hide any tricks. When I look at the computer screen
, something happens, which I cannot explain. I just ‘know’ how the trading session will unfold. Like you said, I don’t get it right every time but my rate is pretty high, indeed.”

“T
hat is why you’ve got to be so respected in Wall Street.”

“And
so feared,” I volunteered the part he had left out.

He
looked so cute when he blushed like he was blushing at my sarcastic comment.

“Come on, Mark. I
know my reputation. It is my job to know it, by the way.”

“Nevertheless, it’s
an unfair reputation. If you let people know the real you, they wouldn’t fear you,” he looked at me with adoring eyes as he put his hand over my shoulder to squeeze it lightly.

My alarm bells rang like crazy at his remark
and his expression. The conversation was getting too personal and sentimental, too fast, so I turned to my usual self-defense secret weapon for these situations – mockery laced with self-deprecating words.

“
My pet, you of all people should know that is not true. If they knew what I can do with a whip and a pair of handcuffs they would run for the hills screaming in terror,” I laughed then returned my attention to the computer effectively ending the conversation.

Mark was smart enough to know his time with his mentor was
up. He stood and left the room but I quit pretending to work as soon as he closed the door without a sound behind him. I stared at it for a long time wondering how much truth there could be in his words. I was going to turn thirty soon and that got me thinking.

“
Maybe this is supposed to be a kind of milestone in a person’s life. Who knows? It might be a good time to rethink my choices. There would still be time to make up for possible mistakes and wasted time, right?”

For some reason, his words
stuck with me so that I had trouble concentrating again and needed to make an effort to forget them in order to work. Many people depended on me – employees and clients alike. I had a huge responsibility I couldn’t neglect because I was going through an early midlife crisis. So, I took a series of deep breaths, stretched my arms over my head, then, went to the in-suite bathroom to wash and shake off the last distracting feelings. When I sat back behind my desk there wasn’t a shred of insecurity or self-doubt in my mind. I was back on bitchy Wall Street-broker mode again. Life was good!

* * * *

Later,
around lunchtime, I was at my desk lost to the world around me when I heard the door open and close. I looked up to find Mark entering the room. He was carrying some deli paper bags. He laughed at my bewildered expression.

“I bet you haven’t order
ed anything to eat, have you?”

“Of course I haven’t.
I forgot all about lunch,” I winked at him. “Besides, you’re the one who’s supposed to take care of these little details for me.”

“So eating is a little detail now, is it?
I’ll be sure to text that to your doctor next time I set an appointment for you,” he laughed but looked more worried than he should be.

“Oh, Mark
come on, I have an excellent health. When was the last time I got sick?”

“That’s
true. I’ve never seen you sick. But, you need to eat something. It’s almost one o’clock. That’s why I’ve ordered your favorite from Earl of Sandwich – Caprese,” his smile was breathtaking, as he handed me two bags.

“
Thank you. You are a life saver. I wanted to finish some stuff before that interview. That’s why I didn’t order anything,” I took the two bags and he kept the other two. “I see you ordered something for yourself, too. Great. Grab a sit and let’s eat, then.”

He clean
ed a spot on my desk, beside my left arm, and sat down. He was still wearing that absolutely irresistible smile. His dark green eyes sparkled with mischief.

“Who’s a naughty boy, today? What if somebody comes in?”

“Not to worry. I locked the door when I came in,” he answered between bites.

I r
an a hand up his thigh.

“That
was very thoughtful of you,” I whispered as my hand stopped a few inches shy of this bulged zipper and I lifted my eyes to him, smiling the fakest innocent grin I could manage and we both laughed. “Now, be a good boy and behave. We’ll have plenty of time for this later.”

I squeeze
d him lightly over his pants, licking my lips, eyes locked to his green gaze. Mark sighed and squirmed on the table, as his eyes got darker than a lush rainforest. I knew that look very well. He wanted me almost as badly as I wanted him. He leaned towards me until our noses were inches apart.

“You’d better be prepared, then, Carol. I had a very hot dream last night involving you, some handcuffs and a whip
,” he whispered back.

“H
mm, sounds perfect. My pair is in my bag. You know my motto: never leave home without it.”

We laughed and
Mark sat back straight in order to eat his sandwich. We bantered like that a little more as we finished our lunch. I liked to keep those encounters as friendly and free from work as possible. They were our bonding time and I treasured them more than I would ever have confessed to Mark. He was one of the brightest people I knew and that was saying a lot because intelligence was the most important trait I looked for in the people I invited into my intimate circle of friends and lovers.

“
I could go on talking to you for hours, Mark, but we have work to do. Besides, I want to get rid of the receptionist candidate as fast as possible so we can head to the hotel,” I wiped the crumbs off the table and my lap then threw the bags inside the wastebasket. “Ms. O’Rourke must be arriving soon. You’d better go back to your desk.”

Mark move
d my chair until we were facing each other, lifted me up and settled me between his legs. He locked his feet behind me so I could barely move, then grabbed my butt cheeks with both hands and pulled me against his hardness. The power of seduction is intoxicating and I exulted when I felt how much he longed for me. I sighed, crossed my arms behind his neck and pulled his head down for a quick kiss. Just to taste and tease him. But the kiss got hot and hungry fast. Our upper bodies seemed glued together and I ground myself over his hard member. It was his turn to moan. My fingers entwined in his black hair and I bit his full lower lip, then, ran the tip of my tongue over the spot, pretending to soothe the pain but really stoking the fire. He tightened his legs around me pulling me closer than I thought possible as he squeezed my butt cheeks with his hands. I thought he would explode inside his own pants if he kept doing that.

“God, I want to take you right here, right now.”

“I’m all yours, Madam,” Mark replied as he nuzzled my neck and chuckled against a sensitive spot he knew well. His voice was muffled but I felt his growing desire against my own body.

I t
ook a deep breath to calm my nerves and withdrew slowly from his embrace. He was panting as much as I was but he didn’t try to keep me from pulling away. He leaned his forehead against mine as he caught his breath.

“I promise it’ll be worth the wait, Mark. Let’s get back to work,
ok?”

He obediently slid down the table, set his clothes straight and walk
ed out of my office. I ran my hands down my own outfit and went to the bathroom to check myself in the mirror. I reapplied some make-up and checked my hair. In the office, I always wore my hair in a professional-looking bun to tame my otherwise wild red curls. Some of them had gone astray during my little tryst with Mark so I fixed my hair. My cheeks were flushed but it made me look healthy so I liked the effect.

I
went back to my desk a few seconds before my intercom buzzed. I picked the receiver up.

“Ms. O’Rourke is here to see you, Ms. Sullivan.”

“Send her in.”

I had read Ms. Cindy O’Rourke’s résumé before lunch. She
was a young genius who had just graduated from Columbia. I expected a nerdy, shy young girl to enter my room. I was taken aback by the siren that walked towards me. Cindy O’Rourke was a tall, gorgeous blonde. She had a slender body with curves in all the right places that swayed as she entered my office. She was wrapped in a tight black mini-dress that was far more appropriate for a cocktail party than a job interview. I couldn’t avoid frowning at her choice of clothes.

“Good afternoon, Ms. Sullivan,” she
offered her hand to greet me. She had a strong grip, which surprised me, but not half as much as the jolt of energy that traveled like a lightning bolt from my hand straight to my lower body, when our hands touched. “It’s such an honor to meet you. I’m sorry for this outfit but I’ve got a part-time job as a waitress nearby. I’m covering for a colleague today so I’ll go there straight from here.”

“Well,
that means you’ve got team spirit. That is something I appreciate. Please, have a seat.”

Somehow I managed to keep my reactions hidden from her as I let go of her hand to point the vacant chair in front of my desk.
My office’s decoration had been planned to impress and intimidate clients – all in chrome, leather and glass. So, the glass table top allowed me to notice the hem of her absurdly short dress moving up her strong, round thighs as she occupied the low leather chair. I got very uncomfortable when I glimpsed a pair of lacy black panties as she crossed her long legs. I forced my eyes up to look into her dark blue gaze but it was a mistake because mine moved slowly upwards as my brain registered every tiny detail of her splendid figure wrapped in that tight dress of hers. I had never checked out a woman before but that day my body seemed out of control. I just couldn’t help it. When our eyes met at last, she was smiling at me. However, I couldn’t quite read her expression because her smile looked smug and that had to be wrong, a mistake on my part. I was obviously imagining things because if she had noticed my inappropriate behavior she should have been upset or uncomfortable or both. Right? I couldn’t remember the last time I had felt so dumb without being drunk or high on something. I told myself to get a grip and thanked God for having secured that suite at the hotel because judging by my reactions to this young girl I wouldn’t be able to get to the end of the day without sexually attacking somebody - apparently, anybody. I shook my head in order to clear my thoughts to start the interview.

“Ms. O’Rourke, I know jobs are hard to find these days but this job is a low level entry position; especially for somebody with a résumé as good as yours. Why did you apply
for it, in the first place?”

“I’ve read every
article that has ever been published about you and your company, Ms. Sullivan: how you’ve started the company, how you’ve turned it into a billionaire business and how you’ve changed the way stock brokers work today. In fact, I wrote a paper about your company when I was still in college,” she paused for a fraction of a second and I knew she was gauging the effect her words had had on me. I guessed she didn’t want to sound too eager to please. But, I’ve always been an excellent poker player so she had to go on without being sure of my real thoughts. “The chance of working for you, in any capacity, is the only reason I’ve applied. I figured if I got this chance I would be able to make my way inside the company.”

I
had never respected people who sucked up to me with empty flattery. Ms. O’Rourke looked and sounded absolutely sincere.

“Thank you, Ms. O’Rourke. I’m sure a bright young girl like you will
progress fast within the company. Now, do you think your other job’s schedule will conflict with this one?”

“
Absolutely not. This position is a part-time morning job and I work nights at the bar. Today is an exception.”

We talk
ed for another half hour or so. The young Ms. O’Rourke was truly very intelligent and charming, although I kept picking up strange signs from her. If I hadn’t known better, I would have said she was flirting with me which would have been inappropriate even if she had been a man. And she was way too smart to make that kind of mistake at a job interview. I checked my watch and realized it was time to finish that conversation or I would be late for my much more rewarding appointment with Mark.