"Cocky bastard!" Alaina quipped. Loud enough for Martin to hear it. He cautioned her all of a sudden and unflinchingly stated, "Be careful with the name labels, woman. I just gave you multiple, earth shattering orgasms. You don't behave and you won't get them again". "You're not serious, are you?" Alaina asked incredulously. "How dare he?" she thought as she slipped on her panties and dress. She ran her fingers through her hair and looked around for her Chanel hand bag. Alaina checked herself on her compact mirror and as she was about to glide her Sephora lipstick on her lips, Martin said, "Don't. You don't need that. You look phenomenal with the just fucked glow." Alaina slid her lipstick inside her handbag obediently.When the limousine came to a halt and James came around the corner to open the door for them, Martin pressed Alaina's knees together and sternly said, "these only get pried apart by the owner", and winked at her as he stepped out of the car. Alaina expected him to hold out his hand to help her out of the limousine, instead, James was the one who held his hand out to her as she watch Martin walk towards the main entrance of the theatre. Alaina stood face to face with Martin's silent chauffeur, and she quickly studied the man with consideration. James is a man of early to mid 40's, freckles or liver spots litter his face enhancing his wrinkles around his eyes, a sign that he smokes and drinks and perhaps both at the same time. He has a short cropped red hair which reminded Alaina of Howdy Doody, were he an adult, older man. James Traynor's age and tired appearance makes Martin look like a god. Even James' blue eyes popping out of his pallid, badly needing tan, freckled face seemed creepy to Alaina. Nothing about James Traynor was pleasing to Alaina's eyes. And then he spoke in the most bear like growl, and Alaina was startled, for his voice sounded like his voice box was being grated by rusty razor blades. It was the most smoke damaged sound she's ever heard, and frankly creeped her out. She shivered as she hastily side stepped him and she decided that she doesn't ever want to be around this old driver of Martin. He even reminded her of this actor on TV, a C grade actor named Jax Tortini.
Alaina was pleasantly surprised as she walked towards Martin as he held the heavy lobby doors open for her. What a sight Martin is in contrast to the gruff driver. He, with the chiseled jawline, smooth unwrinkled face of a 38 year old man, thick and wavy dark hair and those beautiful, playful blue green eyes, strong, V line physique, and perfect, retrousse nose, unlike the flared nostrils of James, the driver. Alaina smiled to herself as she has just come up with a name to call the driver, "chopped ginger". She giggled as the words escaped her lips in a whisper. "Any day now, Ms. Gold", Martin jokingly said to her. Charlene's show was a success. Alaina was introduced to her by Kyle as Martin seemed to have disappeared for almost half an hour after the show ended. Alaina wondered if Martin has slipped out with one of the models. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Martin at the end of the lobby on his iPhone. "Oh, he has been on a business call, is what it is", she thought as she drop kicked her stupid inner siren, singing, chiding her to be some kind of suspicious, jealous harpy. As a matter of fact, let me end this inner siren bullshit by just ending this inner whatever, as Alaina imagined holding a Sig Sauer and pumping bullets at the face of her inner siren, before this idiotic inner siren makes her appearance again in the coming chapters. After the imagined subconscious has been laid to its grisly, bloody death, Alaina muttered, "Ha, let's see you attempt a damn salsa move with the merengue now." In reality, those two latin dances can be combined but not mixed from movement to movement, and just where in the hell did her moronic inner goddess/siren see that, anyway? "Ahhh, that book of 50 Shades Masturbatorial material lonely mommies read" as Martin succinctly slighted it. Alaina wondered if he has read it and came to a conclusion that Martin must have assigned it as a reading material to one of his lovely assistants.
"Instead of having a conversation with yourself in your head, why don't you come back here to planet earth?" Martin's deep, but smooth voice startled her. Alaina turned to see that he was just about 4 inches in close proximity to her. "How did he get to her so fast and so silently?" she asked herself. He moves like a jungle cat, she assumed. A sexy, thrilling, manly, jungle king, oh yes! Alaina had to lick her lips at the thought. "Well, what's it gonna be, Alaina? Coming back down to earth or you're just gonna stay up Uranus? I assume that would be the planet of your choice, yes?" she heard Martin say. "How rude of you and even if you are trying to mask vulgar for clever, it isn't working, Martin. It's a turn off." she scolded him. Martin made a funny but endearing face, akin to a boy pouting after his mom has told him there will be no ice cream before supper. Alaina's insulted ego bruised less after seeing that face and she rolled her eyes and even managed a short laugh. And just like that, when her guard was down, he was upon her ear whispering, "Too bad you didn't feel curious what I think of Uranus and what I will do if I was there."
Alaina flashbacked to the limousine, when she begged Martin not to stop. She felt her knees weakening again, at the thought of seeing his eyes boring down on hers, with lustful twinkle and she, averting it to look at his impressive sex appear and disappear inside her. "God, his sexual effect on me is too much", she thought. And she admittedly thought she has never come so hard before. She was about to ask him if he wanted to come home with her when she saw Kyle and Charlene approaching. Charlene flung herself at Martin as he capably caught her without even stepping out of his spot. "Martin! I just sealed the deal with the House of Givenchy! I am so thrilled!" Charlene shrilled. "Absolutely wonderful! Congratulations!" Martin retorted. Kyle was beaming too and it crossed Alaina's mind that he might be sweet on Charlene, but she couldn't decide who was apprehensive between the two. "Never mind that, worry about your connection with Martin", she thought to herself.
"What was the highlight for you?" Kyle asked her, momentarily bringing her back to the present as her thoughts kept going back to the vision of Martin in the limousine. "I beg your pardon?" she stammered. Kyle, upon hearing her, looked her up and down, studying her and gave her an awkward but knowing smile as he said, "the show, Alaina, not the night". Alaina felt her cheeks surged warmly and she is damn sure she was almost as red as a beet. She lowered her eyes to the floor, her lashes long and thick, and raised her eyes languidly at Kyle. She thought she heard him hold his breath for a moment, but she's been reading this crowd wrong since she arrived. And what is with both Martin's and Kyle's quick as mercury, smartass quips? Alaina asked herself with a slight annoyance. "I thought the Chiffon and Tiered dresses were outstanding, but the Winter collection was just my cup of tea", she finally replied to Kyle. "Did you like the suede boots, Alaina?" Charlene interjected. "Yes, yes, I did, they were quite original", Alaina responded immediately. She caught sight of Charlene's arms still wrapped around Martin's neck as she continued to fill Alaina in, with her designs. "You have got quite the sense for fashion, Alaina. Those boots were all my designs but did you know that I got the idea from a real Navajo Chief when I was stranded in that awful place called Yuckima?" and almost in sync, both Martin and Kyle said the words "Real Navajo Chief" and "Yakima", only Charlene intentionally mispronounced the city's name. She smiled when Charlene let out a sarcastic, "haha, very funny boys". Alaina giggled. She's decided that Charlene Baxter wasn't her competition for Martin. The way he looks at her is that of someone who regards a younger sister. "Get a damn hold of yourself, Alaina, Martin and you had sex and that is IT! What are these nonsense of jealousy, competition and ownership?" she thought rather sharply in her head. To her chagrin, she heard Martin excused her and himself loudly to both Kyle and Charlene, by impressing upon them that she still have unfinished business with him. He continued by telling them "Alaina here, has an important business she began discussing with me earlier, to which she must conclude at my place, or hers, should it be an all nighter." all the while grinning at her and Kyle. Alaina felt compromised. She wants the earth to swallow her as she caught a glimpse of Kyle's knowing reaction to Martin's statement. But before she could flog herself more in her mind, Martin touched her and held her elbow slowly easing her towards the door. And all Alaina could do was half yell, half stammer her goodbyes to Kyle and Charlene.
"Where to, Mr. Green, Windermere Estate or Montlake, sir?" James Traynor's gravel grated voice came over the intercom pad in the limousine. Alaina's skin shivered. She doesn't like Martin's driver. "The terrace". Martin replied to James. Martin sits next to her, in close proximity, but not close enough, Alaina observed. There was a bit of a distance. Her hopes of a repeat of the earlier escapade seemed improbable. Martin looks at her and asked "Would you like James to drive you to your place?" Alaina was surprised by the question. Was Martin wanting to get rid of her? What about what he said to his friends prior to escorting her in the car? Has he changed his mind and decided one physical encounter with her is all he wanted? As though he read her mind, he quipped, "I'd rather you didn't." Alaina found the voice to address his question. "And why is that, Martin? You have been unreadable since you had your way with me earlier." she said trying to sound slighted, but sounded more hopeful. She wanted Martin to soothe her, whatever it was she's feeling, she just knew she wanted some assurance. Martin turned his face towards her. His face registered shock, as he said, "Had my way with you? You attacked me, Alaina. You were clearly the aggressor!" his hand leaving her knee as he said the words. "Good, as I was about to brush that hand off, anyway." Alaina huffed to herself. She is visibly upset, Martin acts like a burdened man with her confused emotions at the height of hysterics. Martin reached out to her face and tilted her face to his direction but Alaina quickly turned her head to gaze out the car window. "Alaina, is there something wrong? My candor has got you upset?" he asked, concerned. He proceeded to move across her, to face her, to the other seat. His hands between his legs, face looking up at hers, he genuinely looked contrite when he said, "Alaina, don't be upset with me. I speak to you the way I do because I know you're a very intelligent woman. I don't think you're a mentally needy or emotionally clingy person that I have to coddle your thoughts, your opinion, your everything." and he touched her knees. Alaina then turned towards him to look in his eyes. He looked pleading. "But why so direct, Martin? I don't even have enough spring to soften the landing of your words to me." she said to him. He smiled upon hearing what she said. Then he sat back, letting her knees go. He stared at her stoically. Alaina felt a trickle of shyness crept up on her. Something is brewing within the both of them besides the obvious physical tension. Had she planned for this? Of course not. When Troy Beatty assigned her to interview Martin, she caused such a ruckus, she thought Troy was going to terminate her employment. This has developed so fast, so rushed within the twenty four hours that she needed to be alone, all of a sudden. But her natural curiosity prevails as she half breathed an anticipation of seeing where Martin eats, sleeps, bathes, thinks. She's excited to see where he resides, granted it is just one of his well publicized ten properties in the state. After what seemed like an eternity of silence between them, she heard him speak in the gentlest way, since their meeting. "Alaina, none of these, play any part of my obvious attraction to you. The mind games, the play at your own risk scenarios, the reality of our encounter earlier, here, in this same space. What I want to matter is what goes on in your mind right now." He looked up at her and held her hands as he said the words.
Alaina was pleasantly surprised as she walked towards Martin as he held the heavy lobby doors open for her. What a sight Martin is in contrast to the gruff driver. He, with the chiseled jawline, smooth unwrinkled face of a 38 year old man, thick and wavy dark hair and those beautiful, playful blue green eyes, strong, V line physique, and perfect, retrousse nose, unlike the flared nostrils of James, the driver. Alaina smiled to herself as she has just come up with a name to call the driver, "chopped ginger". She giggled as the words escaped her lips in a whisper. "Any day now, Ms. Gold", Martin jokingly said to her. Charlene's show was a success. Alaina was introduced to her by Kyle as Martin seemed to have disappeared for almost half an hour after the show ended. Alaina wondered if Martin has slipped out with one of the models. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Martin at the end of the lobby on his iPhone. "Oh, he has been on a business call, is what it is", she thought as she drop kicked her stupid inner siren, singing, chiding her to be some kind of suspicious, jealous harpy. As a matter of fact, let me end this inner siren bullshit by just ending this inner whatever, as Alaina imagined holding a Sig Sauer and pumping bullets at the face of her inner siren, before this idiotic inner siren makes her appearance again in the coming chapters. After the imagined subconscious has been laid to its grisly, bloody death, Alaina muttered, "Ha, let's see you attempt a damn salsa move with the merengue now." In reality, those two latin dances can be combined but not mixed from movement to movement, and just where in the hell did her moronic inner goddess/siren see that, anyway? "Ahhh, that book of 50 Shades Masturbatorial material lonely mommies read" as Martin succinctly slighted it. Alaina wondered if he has read it and came to a conclusion that Martin must have assigned it as a reading material to one of his lovely assistants.
"Instead of having a conversation with yourself in your head, why don't you come back here to planet earth?" Martin's deep, but smooth voice startled her. Alaina turned to see that he was just about 4 inches in close proximity to her. "How did he get to her so fast and so silently?" she asked herself. He moves like a jungle cat, she assumed. A sexy, thrilling, manly, jungle king, oh yes! Alaina had to lick her lips at the thought. "Well, what's it gonna be, Alaina? Coming back down to earth or you're just gonna stay up Uranus? I assume that would be the planet of your choice, yes?" she heard Martin say. "How rude of you and even if you are trying to mask vulgar for clever, it isn't working, Martin. It's a turn off." she scolded him. Martin made a funny but endearing face, akin to a boy pouting after his mom has told him there will be no ice cream before supper. Alaina's insulted ego bruised less after seeing that face and she rolled her eyes and even managed a short laugh. And just like that, when her guard was down, he was upon her ear whispering, "Too bad you didn't feel curious what I think of Uranus and what I will do if I was there."
Alaina flashbacked to the limousine, when she begged Martin not to stop. She felt her knees weakening again, at the thought of seeing his eyes boring down on hers, with lustful twinkle and she, averting it to look at his impressive sex appear and disappear inside her. "God, his sexual effect on me is too much", she thought. And she admittedly thought she has never come so hard before. She was about to ask him if he wanted to come home with her when she saw Kyle and Charlene approaching. Charlene flung herself at Martin as he capably caught her without even stepping out of his spot. "Martin! I just sealed the deal with the House of Givenchy! I am so thrilled!" Charlene shrilled. "Absolutely wonderful! Congratulations!" Martin retorted. Kyle was beaming too and it crossed Alaina's mind that he might be sweet on Charlene, but she couldn't decide who was apprehensive between the two. "Never mind that, worry about your connection with Martin", she thought to herself.
"What was the highlight for you?" Kyle asked her, momentarily bringing her back to the present as her thoughts kept going back to the vision of Martin in the limousine. "I beg your pardon?" she stammered. Kyle, upon hearing her, looked her up and down, studying her and gave her an awkward but knowing smile as he said, "the show, Alaina, not the night". Alaina felt her cheeks surged warmly and she is damn sure she was almost as red as a beet. She lowered her eyes to the floor, her lashes long and thick, and raised her eyes languidly at Kyle. She thought she heard him hold his breath for a moment, but she's been reading this crowd wrong since she arrived. And what is with both Martin's and Kyle's quick as mercury, smartass quips? Alaina asked herself with a slight annoyance. "I thought the Chiffon and Tiered dresses were outstanding, but the Winter collection was just my cup of tea", she finally replied to Kyle. "Did you like the suede boots, Alaina?" Charlene interjected. "Yes, yes, I did, they were quite original", Alaina responded immediately. She caught sight of Charlene's arms still wrapped around Martin's neck as she continued to fill Alaina in, with her designs. "You have got quite the sense for fashion, Alaina. Those boots were all my designs but did you know that I got the idea from a real Navajo Chief when I was stranded in that awful place called Yuckima?" and almost in sync, both Martin and Kyle said the words "Real Navajo Chief" and "Yakima", only Charlene intentionally mispronounced the city's name. She smiled when Charlene let out a sarcastic, "haha, very funny boys". Alaina giggled. She's decided that Charlene Baxter wasn't her competition for Martin. The way he looks at her is that of someone who regards a younger sister. "Get a damn hold of yourself, Alaina, Martin and you had sex and that is IT! What are these nonsense of jealousy, competition and ownership?" she thought rather sharply in her head. To her chagrin, she heard Martin excused her and himself loudly to both Kyle and Charlene, by impressing upon them that she still have unfinished business with him. He continued by telling them "Alaina here, has an important business she began discussing with me earlier, to which she must conclude at my place, or hers, should it be an all nighter." all the while grinning at her and Kyle. Alaina felt compromised. She wants the earth to swallow her as she caught a glimpse of Kyle's knowing reaction to Martin's statement. But before she could flog herself more in her mind, Martin touched her and held her elbow slowly easing her towards the door. And all Alaina could do was half yell, half stammer her goodbyes to Kyle and Charlene.
"Where to, Mr. Green, Windermere Estate or Montlake, sir?" James Traynor's gravel grated voice came over the intercom pad in the limousine. Alaina's skin shivered. She doesn't like Martin's driver. "The terrace". Martin replied to James. Martin sits next to her, in close proximity, but not close enough, Alaina observed. There was a bit of a distance. Her hopes of a repeat of the earlier escapade seemed improbable. Martin looks at her and asked "Would you like James to drive you to your place?" Alaina was surprised by the question. Was Martin wanting to get rid of her? What about what he said to his friends prior to escorting her in the car? Has he changed his mind and decided one physical encounter with her is all he wanted? As though he read her mind, he quipped, "I'd rather you didn't." Alaina found the voice to address his question. "And why is that, Martin? You have been unreadable since you had your way with me earlier." she said trying to sound slighted, but sounded more hopeful. She wanted Martin to soothe her, whatever it was she's feeling, she just knew she wanted some assurance. Martin turned his face towards her. His face registered shock, as he said, "Had my way with you? You attacked me, Alaina. You were clearly the aggressor!" his hand leaving her knee as he said the words. "Good, as I was about to brush that hand off, anyway." Alaina huffed to herself. She is visibly upset, Martin acts like a burdened man with her confused emotions at the height of hysterics. Martin reached out to her face and tilted her face to his direction but Alaina quickly turned her head to gaze out the car window. "Alaina, is there something wrong? My candor has got you upset?" he asked, concerned. He proceeded to move across her, to face her, to the other seat. His hands between his legs, face looking up at hers, he genuinely looked contrite when he said, "Alaina, don't be upset with me. I speak to you the way I do because I know you're a very intelligent woman. I don't think you're a mentally needy or emotionally clingy person that I have to coddle your thoughts, your opinion, your everything." and he touched her knees. Alaina then turned towards him to look in his eyes. He looked pleading. "But why so direct, Martin? I don't even have enough spring to soften the landing of your words to me." she said to him. He smiled upon hearing what she said. Then he sat back, letting her knees go. He stared at her stoically. Alaina felt a trickle of shyness crept up on her. Something is brewing within the both of them besides the obvious physical tension. Had she planned for this? Of course not. When Troy Beatty assigned her to interview Martin, she caused such a ruckus, she thought Troy was going to terminate her employment. This has developed so fast, so rushed within the twenty four hours that she needed to be alone, all of a sudden. But her natural curiosity prevails as she half breathed an anticipation of seeing where Martin eats, sleeps, bathes, thinks. She's excited to see where he resides, granted it is just one of his well publicized ten properties in the state. After what seemed like an eternity of silence between them, she heard him speak in the gentlest way, since their meeting. "Alaina, none of these, play any part of my obvious attraction to you. The mind games, the play at your own risk scenarios, the reality of our encounter earlier, here, in this same space. What I want to matter is what goes on in your mind right now." He looked up at her and held her hands as he said the words.