Chapter Two

“I can honestly say that tasted far better than I expected it to.” Ryker told her after finishing up the sample tray that he had been given of the various celebrity flavors they had on hand. It was something that she always had ready to go for investors and clients just to give them an idea of what they would be getting into. She smiled at him, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She had heard that line before, most people turned up their noses at the thought but once they actually consumed, it was another story.

“What is it that you thought it would taste like?” She asked.

“I’m not sure, just not…good.” He laughed and reached for his glass of wine. He took a sip as she reached for her own glass and raised it for a toast. He saw her and copied what she was doing.

“Well, here’s to new experiences.” She said, “And hopefully new investments.”

“Perhaps relationships as well?” He smirked, chiming his glass against hers. She laughed because she wasn’t sure what else to do. When it came to matters of the bedroom she had always been confident, never shy. She’d have classified herself as a dominant and she was into very unique and even taboo practices. However, she’d never been so blatantly flirted with by someone who was in his social class. Nor had she ever seen someone as handsome try to take an interest in her. It made her suspicious as well as intrigued, but if he thought flirting with her was going to get him something extra he was barking up the wrong tree. She knew how to separate business from personal pleasure. That was for sure.

“A client relationship, yes…unless you-”

“Let’s see where it goes from here.” He cut her off. She nodded and drank down the rest of her wine before setting the glass back on the table. Much like him, she had eaten from the sample tray provided and she was glad that he found it palatable. That was going to be the first step in securing a tissue sample in order to grow a product that was uniquely his own. Something she was sure she could make tons of money off of given his large online cult following.

“You know, when I sent the invitation to your agent six months ago I never thought we’d be meeting face to face.” She told him as she sat back in her chair trying to relax and keep her heart from leaping out of her chest. Just being there with him, across the table, it was enthralling. The way he spoke, moved, and even smelled had her hungry for far more than just a business transaction.

“Why is that?” He asked.

“Most…if not all of the celebrities I have gained samples from, haven’t responded in person. Nor have they wanted to come here themselves. As you know, I’m perfectly happy to entertain if they have the urge but most of them just wanted to sign the paperwork and get it over with. I guess I would say that it’s refreshing you have more integrity in your name than that.”

“I can’t be selling myself as a literal piece of meat without knowing how it works first and who’s going to be handling the cargo.” He said. “After doing my own research on the company, beyond what my people told me, I was intrigued. I’m still not entirely sure that I want to do it but you’re getting me there.”

“Good…good. No pressure either. You don’t have to sign today or do anything you don’t want. You’ll have plenty of time to think it over.” She explained then got up and motioned for him to do so as well. “I’m going to take you to the lab now, where the meat is created from the tissue samples we collect so you can see the conditions in which everything is held.” He nodded and stood up from his seat, tugging a bit on his suit before stepping forward and then following after her as she walked through the busy cafe towards one of the employee only doors.

Where they had been dining was the first floor of the office building where everything was done. The celebrity meats were only the newest invention in a long line of business ventures. It was why the company still held its original name of DTI, far more of its focus was on medical tech. Since this new endeavor had been risky enough she hadn’t already singled it out into its own business yet. The paperwork was being drawn up, though. It wouldn’t be long until she was running two companies instead of just one.

As they entered the restricted area, she felt Ryker’s hand on her arm. A firm enough grip to stop her in place and get her attention but not so tight that it was threatening or it hurt. She turned to look at him right when the door clicked shut behind them, tilting her head upward to meet his gaze as he looked down. He may have towered over her but it wasn’t anything she was afraid of. Sure he could probably pick her up and throw her across a room but she didn’t think he would. With the way she held herself there were a lot of times that she became far more intimidating than men his size. It all depended on the context.

“Yes? Did you have a question?”

“How many employees do you have?” He asked. She wasn’t exactly sure why he was interested in that and she wasn’t quite sure she knew the official number.

“For the building or worldwide?” She replied. The high tower in Tokyo was the main headquarters but the company was global. There were headquarters in other countries with other CEOs. She was just the highest ranking because when she’d started there, they hadn’t had other hubs. She’d been the one to expand things enough to be able to build and open them.

“Worldwide…” He whispered his voice getting gruff, even arousing. It only took a few seconds more for her to realize that this was turning him on. He’d possibly come to her in person over this reason. It wouldn’t have been the first time she met a man who was turned on by a powerful business woman and she highly doubted it would be the last. There was a huge fetish for it and she took as much advantage of it as she could. He moved her up against the wall in the narrow corridor where they were standing, pressing his body firmly against hers and there was no mistaking that he was aroused. She was starting to get there too. Watching men get hard for her just over her business leadership was hot. It was much better than the men who believed her to be weak or incompetent due to her gender. “You have a lot of employees.”

“Yes, I do,” She said, licking her lips slowly, “However, we need to get on with the tour. I do have an appointment in forty-five minutes that I have to be ready for.” He grabbed her arm and lifted it, twisting it to look at the watch on her wrist, probably noting the time. Then he brought her hand to his lips, kissing the back of it gently as he stared into her eyes.

“Maybe I want to use my time for something else.”

“And maybe I don’t mix business with pleasure…” She said, gently pulling her arm away from him. There was a soft involuntary groan on his end and he breathed out a heavy sigh before taking a small step back from her. She couldn’t say she wasn’t interested. In her wildest dreams she’d have never guessed that a man, an actor, she’d always been a fan of would ever see her in this way. Now that she was faced with the situation she could hardly contain herself. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to fuck him right then and there or take him to her office and let him bend her over her desk but she knew that she couldn’t. She also was going to have to remain in control, after all, that was one of the things men like him liked the most and why it had been so easy to get him to stop. “That doesn’t mean we can’t do dinner later, have a few drinks. I’m not all business, Mr. Hellström. I also know how to have a good time.”

“I don’t doubt it.” He replied, his voice still gruff, vibrating in a way that it seemed to make her body tingle.

“Then we’ll have to set something up, won’t we?” She smiled and reached a hand up to pat him gently on the cheek before turning to head down the hallway, making sure to swing her hips just a bit more than she normally would as he walked behind her. It was coming together now, why he’d wanted to come see her so badly in person. He should have counted himself lucky that she was of the same mind as him or it could have gone extremely bad on his end. The point was that it hadn’t, they’d clicked on the same level and they both knew what they wanted. She was sure to find a way to make it work out for both of them on multiple levels. After all, it was far more important to gain a new client. Lovers in that city were a dime a dozen but a new partnership with a man like Ryker was worth his weight in gold.