The ticklish urge was no longer controllable for Andreas. Fortunately, the calm and authoritative demeanor that had been required during the earlier meeting could now be discarded.
Andreas burst out laughing as he and Vlora sat in the car. Vlora turned to him, her expression a playful mixture of curiosity and amusement.
“You seem so happy,” she said.
For a moment, Andreas didn’t answer. He continued to laugh, and Vlora didn’t interrupt, but rather seemed to enjoy the moment.
Only when his breathing became labored and his eyes moist did Andreas stop laughing. He took in as much air as he could and then sighed.
“Oh, God. This is really funny, Vlo.”
Vlora smiled faintly, noticing the lingering traces of laughter in Andreas’ voice. “I admit it, Reas. Your performance back there looked really natural.”
“Really?”
“Yes,” Vlora nodded as Andreas grinned with a teasing glint in his eyes. “When you scolded Jonas and acted surprised, as if you had just realized his intention to leave you alone in the preparation room, well, that was like the performance of a world-class actor.”
With sparkling eyes, Andreas stared at Vlora wordlessly for a few seconds.
“Thank you.”
“Thank you? For what? For my praise?”
Shaking his head, Andreas replied as he stroked Vlora’s cheek. He noticed that his wife rolled her eyes, then closed them. “No, but… for helping me today.”
Andreas’ caress continued with a rhythmic movement. Vlora tilted her face to give him the opportunity to kiss the back of her hand. In an instant, Andreas felt a rush of warmth.
“I thought that’s what wives were for. To help their husbands, right?”
Andreas remained silent. Not answering, it seemed there was something more intriguing now than playing with words.
Maybe it was a bad decision. But Andreas couldn’t resist the sparks.
The mistake was to think that it would only be a small temptation. But that tiny spark proved to be powerful enough to create heat bubbles along his bloodstream.
The tingling quickly turned into a blaze. His breath grew heavy and the air he inhaled felt hot.
“Andreas.”
Vlora experienced the same. She felt Andreas’ change and found herself in a similar situation.
Andreas’ eyes began to cloud. He stared at her with a look that made Vlora shiver to the tips of her toes.
Vlora swallowed hard and took a deep breath, trying to calm the changes in her body.
Unfortunately, the movement turned into temptation in Andreas’ eyes. Vlora’s chest heaved noticeably and she couldn’t resist speaking.
“You shouldn’t tease me, Vlo.”
Tease? Who was teasing whom? Was Vlora teasing Andreas? When did she do that?
Vlora could discuss this point. She needed to clarify her actions, accused of teasing her husband.
But like Andreas’ thoughts, Vlora was sure that now wasn’t the time to argue. Especially when she felt Andreas’ hand move from her cheek to her neck, then pull her closer.
Vlora really couldn’t argue. Instead, she opened her mouth without a sound and welcomed Andreas’ kiss.
Vlora’s hands moved immediately. She grabbed the lapels of Andreas’ jacket and squeezed them.
A passionate tug caught Vlora’s lower lip. The grip on the lapels intensified and she moaned.
Andreas was eager. His kiss deepened, demanding, as if oblivious to their surroundings. Especially after what they had been through.
It was as if Andreas was kissing a woman for the first time. He was completely enthusiastic and spirited, with no intention of holding back.
Vlora’s moans fueled Andreas. He was on fire, sucking on Vlora’s tongue. Small bites caught the tip of her tongue and he devoured them with fervor.
Entwined. Enveloped. Everything Andreas did left Vlora no room to escape.
For the umpteenth time, Andreas proved that he was a player who always played his heart out. Right now, he left no trace of Vlora untouched. He sucked and consumed everything until there was nothing left.
Andreas’ hands explored. He left Vlora’s neck and traced all her enticing curves.
Andreas ended his exploration at Vlora’s slender waist. He gave her a quick squeeze and guided her to stand up.
The kiss was unbroken. Their tongues still teased each other. Vlora moved to Andreas’ lap.
Vlora sighed as the kiss ended. Andreas left her lips but continued down her cheek.
Down and down. The warmth of Andreas’ lips greeted Vlora’s neck as his hands continued their exploration.
Vlora lifted her head. Her lips parted and she gasped for air. Her face looked tired as she struggled to take in the oxygen she needed.
Oh, but really! Andreas’ kiss was so good at disrupting Vlora’s bodily functions.
“R-Reas.”
Hearing her name spoken with passion ignited Andreas. Without a second thought, he unbuttoned one of Vlora’s blazer buttons, then went for the buttons on her shirt underneath.
It didn’t take Andreas long. He found the object he was looking for.
Press. It took Andreas only one action to free a pair of Vlora’s breasts from the supporting cups of her bra. He lowered his face and sucked on one nipple while squeezing the other breast.
Andreas’ caresses obliterated Vlora’s reason. Primitive desires overcame rational thought, and she responded to every temptation.
This time it was Vlora’s hand that took control. It slid down, those slender fingers heading south. They found something that felt enlarged, and she cupped it, not forgetting to deliver teasing strokes that made Andreas groan.
“Vlo.”
Unfortunately, the car stopped. Not because of traffic, but because Mason’s voice came over the intercom a moment later.
“We’ve arrived at Greatech, sir.”
All passionate movements stopped at once. All caresses stopped and for a moment there was only the sound of their breathing.
It took a considerable amount of time for the husband and wife to process the unfolding situation. They opened their eyes and smiled at each other. As Andreas buttoned his shirt, Vlora spoke.
“It looks like we’re going to have to postpone this for a few hours.”
Vlora whispered these words directly into Andreas’ ear, playfully, and didn’t forget to give his earlobe a sensual bite.
“Pick me up.”
As if Andreas needed a reminder. So he responded quite naturally, giving one of Vlora’s breasts a final squeeze and reciprocating.
“Of course.”
*
Brak!
Jonas could no longer contain his outburst of emotions. Remarkably, he managed to keep it together until he reached his office, instead of unleashing all his anger in the conference room.
Everything on the desk flew. Items scattered and fell to the floor in a pitiful state. But that was nothing compared to the fury to come.
Eyes glowing red. Sweat dripping down his face. Steps quickened and both hands reached for Alex’s shirt collar.
“Sir.”
Alex was undoubtedly terrified when Jonas attacked without warning. He knew that Jonas was angry with him.
“You said this would work, damn it!”
The growl, Jonas’ heavy voice and the extreme closeness made Alex half frightened.
Jonas narrowed his eyes. “Why was the surveillance active, Alex?”
“I-I don’t know, sir. Really, sir. I deactivated it.”
“If you disabled it, then…”
Straight and piercing. Jonas continued to stare at Alex without blinking.
“… there would be no footage to embarrass me like before.”
Fear had enveloped Alex’s entire body, making him shiver with a cold chill. The throbbing pain pierced through and made him shake.
“T-there may be a traitor among us, sir.”
“A traitor?” Jonas repeated, narrowing his eyes. He glared, and the grip on Alex’s shirt collar tightened. “Are you looking for an excuse?”
“N-no, sir. I’m not looking for an excuse. I’m telling the truth.”
Jonas fell silent, trying to detect any lies Alex might be telling. But he couldn’t help but be disturbed by the possibility.
Jonas’ answer sparked a glimmer of hope in Alex. Not wanting to waste the chance to save himself, he spoke quickly.
“I’m sure someone knew our plan and sabotaged it, sir. That’s why the CCTV that I deactivated could be activated again.”
The possibility sounded reasonable. Jonas was considering it when Alex spoke again.
“I can assure you that the traitor is the one who caused all our actions to fail, sir. Besides, I’ve worked with you for a long time. I would never betray you.”
The more Jonas thought about Alex’s words, the more they made sense. Betrayal could hurt him, too. He shouldn’t do anything that would bring Jonas down, because that would make him suffer as well.
Yes, there seemed to be a traitor here, but who?
Alex didn’t miss the slightest change in Jonas’ expression. He knew that Jonas was beginning to be affected by his words.
“This time I really promise, sir. I will bring the traitor to you.”
The sound of Jonas’ breathing slowed. His grip loosened and Alex quickly freed himself, saying goodbye before hastily leaving the room.
Alone amidst the chaos throbbing in his head, Jonas called out to Alan a short time later.
“Clean up this room, Lan. I’m going home.”
Jonas grabbed the jacket he had thrown. He took a step, but Alan spoke.
“Sorry, sir. Can I ask you something?”
His steps stopped. Jonas turned and looked at Alan with a questioning look.
“What do you want to ask?”
Alan returned the look. “Do you really believe in Mr. Alex?”
Jonas’ heart seemed to stop. Vaguely, his knees weakened from the suspicion that was quickly forming in his mind. It wasn’t hard to guess Alan’s intention with this question.
“What do you mean?”
Alan didn’t answer directly, but took out his cell phone. His thumb moved over the screen, and it was a voice recording that he targeted.
“When Mr. Andreas met you the other day,” Alan said before playing the recording. “Mr. Andreas met me too.”
“For what?”
Now it was time for Alan to play the recording. He let Andreas’ voice answer Jonas’ curiosity directly.
“Alan, tell me. What’s your price? Jonas or Progun?”
“What do you mean, sir?”
“I’m going to take over Progun soon. So tell me now. If you want to survive and keep working here, I suggest you help me.”
“Sorry. I don’t understand what sir means.”
“Oh, really? Hmm, it seems you prefer everyone to Jonas. Not surprising. If I remember correctly, you didn’t seem sad at all when I was kicked out of here. You had no problem continuing to work with the new boss.”
Jonas blinked. The anger rose again. His chest felt unbelievably hot now.
“Fine. It’s okay. Your refusal leaves me no other choice. At least I’ve found the perfect candidate to be my secretary later.”
The recording ended, but was followed by a piece of information from Alan that made Jonas clench his fists.
“You know, sir? It turns out that Mr. Andreas has copies of the tax records for the last three years.”
Jonas couldn’t contain his anger. He exploded and his fist flew into the wall.
“Bastard!”
*