Trivial Pursuits Ch. 18

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Denny takes her on a business trip and she plans a surprise.
12.6k words
4.86
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Part 18 of the 22 part series

Updated 06/07/2023
Created 03/18/2015
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titania123
titania123
1,512 Followers

Dear Readers,

Thank you for all the great emails and feedback everyone has sent my way. Lots of provocative discussions as well as welcome kudos, so please keep it all coming; I really enjoy it all.

In answer to one poster's question, at this point, I have about 26 chapters outlined. However, as I am going along, I'm starting to get a little bored with the story and wonder if I haven't tried to put in more than I need. With that thought, I think what will end up happening is a heavy dose of pre-editing, so maybe just 23 chapters or so. But not to worry, I decided that I could take the scenes I don't actually end up using for this book and write little quick short stories with them and leave them on Literotica permanently. I hope that meets with everyone's approval, and if not...oh well :)

Please vote and comment as you like! And once again, another big THANKS to AlreadyTaken who does so much work editing for me. You're a peach!

Enjoy!

Titania

***********

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

"Bring me to your house
Tell me sorry for the mess
Hey, I don't mind
You're talking in your sleep
Out of time
Well, you still make sense to me
Your mess is mine
Your mess is mine
This body's yours and this body's mine
Your mess is mine"
"Mess is Mine" Vance Joy

"So, with that said, I will end by congratulating all of you on an outstanding job. Our last order of business to get the Mingo expansion off and running will be to head to Banham's corporate offices in Dallas for the last of the financials. Alessa will be joining me on Thursday to head down there, and hopefully by the time we return Saturday, this ship should be ready to sail. Questions?" Denny asked with sharp directness as he surveyed his team. Most shook their heads, looking content that he approved of their work, though he noted Alessa's dubious and questioning eyes were trained on him.

"Very well. Dismissed. Alessa," he spoke as he looked down at his notes, still standing at the head of the table, "can you stay a minute to discuss the coming trip?"

Lou gave her gentle knock on the shoulder and then lifted her brows in excitement, her smile smudged as she tried to fight it. Alessa ignored her enthusiasm, and turned her focus to the documents before her. Denny followed the last person to the door and then closed it behind her, turning slowly back to Alessa. Knowing all was visible through the glass walls of the large conference space, Denny walked back to his seat.

"So," he began.

"So." There was silence between them before she spoke up. "It's a little last minute to spring this on me, don't you think? And why me? Or should that be obvious?" her eyebrow lifted in censured question.

Denny gave a half smirk. "You need to be ready to go anywhere in a moment's time, Alessa, that's the nature of these high-stake deals we do. You'd better get used to it. And as to why you, firstly, you are the sharpest member on my team. You've almost single-handedly led the most vital components of this endeavor, writing up some of the best contracts. Secondly, we'll need translating done. We'll be communicating in real time with the Seoul team and we'll need someone who can handle the language difference. And lastly, there isn't another person in this group that I want to fuck," he jibed with a smirk.

His bluntness made her blink a second before her cheeks flashed with heat.

"Is that obvious enough for you?"

"You shouldn't say things like that," she whispered harshly, as if suddenly the whole office could hear their conversation.

Denny only grinned and leaned forward on his forearms. "Why? You want me to fuck someone else?"

"What! Absolutely not," she answered quickly. Passionately.

Denny's smug smile was triumphant. "Good. Then get packed. The travel department should have the itinerary of the trip worked out by now, so you should get all the info soon. We'll leave early Thursday morning, so I suggest you stay with me Wednesday night."

Alessa rolled her eyes. If there was any excuse, any way that man could find a way to squeeze in sex, he would. Hell, he was so good at it, he made it sound as if it were the only logical option. As though it were ridiculous to not fit in sex. She sighed.

"I suppose I could make that happen. I just need to get everything done tonight, then."

"Good. Then I won't pester you anymore," he smiled good-naturedly, very happy to have gotten his way.

She tried to resist it, but couldn't stop the smile in return. There was a moment of silence before she spoke. "You were right, by the way."

"Hm?" he asked.

"The case you gave me. When I presented what I had to the other side, they immediately backed down. Decided to drop it. Looks like I won't be going to court after all," her mouth twisted into a smile as she picked at her thumbnail. "I'm just finishing up the discontinuance of action for our countersuit since they'd didn't proceed. We should have theirs shortly."

"I'm a good lawyer, wouldn't you say?"

She chuckled and looked up. "What?"

"I'm a good lawyer. Yes or no?"

She tried to contain her smile. "Yes."

"Then you should trust my judgment. When I say you're good to go, you're good to go. I wouldn't lead you astray just to keep your feathers smooth."

She studied him a moment. "Then thank you. For your reassurance."

He nodded once, his eyes warm and his sensual mouth soft. "Anytime."

She suddenly felt flushed and cleared her throat. She quickly turned her attention to her files before her and scooped them up in a disarrayed pile. "See you," she said lamely as she darted from the room. Denny just watched her go, a disappointed smile on his lips that the room was made of glass and offered no privacy by which he could steal a few minutes of her time.

For the remainder of the day, Alessa was high with confidence from her recent successes. The victory in the case that only a week prior had threatened to be the ruin of her, and the honor of being selected to go to Dallas as a vital member of the team were both coalescing to form a giant wave of assurance gliding her smoothly along in her career. For the first time, perhaps since she'd begun at Wiles, Mayer, and Schecter LLP, she felt both challenged and rewarded by her work.

The feeling of satisfaction was enough to propel her through her casework for the afternoon, and she worked nonstop until six. She hesitated momentarily, thinking that if she skipped her run for the evening she could get a little further ahead. But her run had always been there for her in the past, always been the means by which she stayed focused when all else seemed to crumble. And reasoning that she might might not be as free to run for the rest of the week and ought to take advantage of the opportunity when she could, she headed to the gym for a long, soothing workout.

She didn't leave the office until after midnight, working on a key piece for one of the senior partners. She packed quickly, but with thought as to her wardrobe, hoping to be more than just presentable. She crawled into bed nearing two in the morning, asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

Wednesday brought an exciting frenetic sort of energy that she used to speed her work along, the office around her dissolving into a blurred background as she poured herself completely into only the files before her. Again at six, she took the last opportunity to run, and when she arrived back that evening, there was a note on her desk stating that dinner awaited her in Denny's office.

He had gotten Korean take-out, ordering her favorite dishes. After the hectic pace of the past few days, Alessa put up no argument about the tasty food. They went over points of discussion for their upcoming Dallas meetings, mingling it with conversations about Cadence's enjoyment of the prior weekend, Denny's headache the evening before, and Alessa's experience with a drunk blocking the bus on her way to work.

At a quarter after ten, Denny convinced her to resign her work for the evening and go home with him. They decided on a joint shower to save time, and as Denny watched her wash her hair, that familiar careworn weariness was just visible in the dark circles under her eyes. It always bothered him to see her so tired from her work, to see the evidence of her determination and desperation to succeed. As he soaped the front of her, rubbing invisible grime from her body, he spoke softly.

"You know, we don't have to have sex every time you come over."

When the shampoo was clear from her hair, Alessa opened her tired eyes to look at him questioningly. "You don't want to?"

Denny's smile was filled with irony. Clearly she had missed the semi-hardened state of his genitals. He took her by the hips and pulled her close so she could feel his arousal. "I think it's safe to say I'll always want to. But it's not a requirement for staying with me. I'm happy to have you with me, even if I'm not fucking you. It's just that you look tired. I don't want you to drive yourself into the ground," he explained, dragging a finger to wipe the strand of hair from her forehead before he cupped her cheek.

"And what if I don't care? What if I want to fuck you, even if I am tired?" she asked, emboldened by her desire. Her hips gave a responding surge toward him when she felt his staff throb and harden at her words.

"Then I guess we better hurry and get out of here," Denny said huskily, moments before bending down and kissing her. Though they never quite finished kissing, she quickly conditioned in her hair and scrubbed his hair with shampoo. Rinsed and dried, between kisses, he lifted her into his arms, her legs immediately splaying to wrap around his waist. With his mouth attached to hers, he carried her into the bedroom where he let her body slid down his until the fat tip of his erection began to slowly stretch her tight body wide. She grunted in bliss as he sank her down onto his shaft.

Denny's knees found the bed and holding her with one hand while placing his other onto the mattress, he lowered them down together, taking only a moment to catch his breath from the sheer agonizing pleasure of being buried in her. Alessa gave a helpless whimper, her hands clutching at his back and buttocks to urge him on.

Without further prompting, he pulled out and drove deep back inside, her wet heat sending shivers down his spine.

"Oh, I've missed you," she breathed out and then moaned as he repeated the forceful thrust. "Why can't I feel like this all the time?" she asked mindlessly, giving herself over to sensations only Denton Ashbury could arouse. It didn't take long for either one of them to climax, both panting and crying out harshly into the other's mouth.

Denny was right; Alessa was exhausted. She couldn't stay awake as he pulled back the covers they hadn't even made it under. She was vaguely aware of arms pulling her, lifting and placing her in cool sheets, and then a warm and strong body cradling her as complete darkness claimed her.

His driver called for them at six, the sky still dark and filled with wet clouds that showered the Bay in a drizzling sort of rain. Their flight was delayed, and as they waited, Denny drank his coffee as she, for the millionth time, went over the contract she had written.

"Sweetheart," Denny said, glancing over to watch her gnaw at her thumbnail, "will you put that away? You're only making yourself nervous."

She groaned out in frustration. "I know. I just don't want to forget anything."

He chuckled and continued reading the newspaper. "Like what? Expected growth factor?" She sighed and closed the file. She knew he was right, it was just difficult letting go and trusting it was all under control.

They touched down at two o'clock local time. As they only had two carry-ons, they quickly made their way to the car rental service hub. Alessa was surprised that he hadn't simply hired a driver, especially when they hit traffic the moment they left the north side of the monstrous airport. Denny navigated the traffic coolly, making lane changes decisively. He had them at the Westin in the northern financial sector of Dallas within twenty minutes of leaving the airport, giving them enough time to check into their rooms and grab a quick bite before they were to meet at the Banham offices at three. The first meeting with the Seoul Mingo office was set for five p.m. CST, making it seven a.m. in Seoul. There weren't any last minute details to decide upon, but Denny was giving the last summarized information to the financial backers before the final details were agreed upon and signed in blood.

The Banham international corporate offices were one of a thousand uniquely designed financial institutions strung along the Dallas North Tollway just on the north side of Dallas. It seemed each architect was set to outdo the last in the grand style of over-the-top design that exemplified Dallas. Not only was the hair big, the vaulted pediments were, too.

Alessa, never having been to Texas, watched entranced as one bizarrely shaped building after another passed by. An exciting thrill at being in the center of some of the world's largest financial happenings fluttered through her stomach. Once at the Banham offices, the two were taken up to the twenty sixth floor and introduced to Mariella Sanchez, a petite woman with delicate features and brown eyes so dark Alessa couldn't see her pupils. She was one of the dozen of vice presidents at Banham who oversaw financial backing for Asian market expansions. She smiled warmly at the pair as they approached.

Giving them the quickest of tours around her floor, she ultimately led them to a spacious room that could serve as a conference room as well as a joint work space. She explained their interactive telecommunications system had state of the art video conferencing and would be used to communicate in real time with the Seoul office. Before long, they were joined by Kenneth Mingo and his small team. He was the current CEO of the equipment company his father begun almost fifty years ago, and had been so impressed with Denny's vision for his company that he hired Wiles, Mayer, and Schecter LLP to helm the expansion the day Denny unofficially pitched it.

"Denny, good to see you again. How've you been? Getting us ready?"

Kenneth had a thick van Dyke mustache that was as much gray as it was the dust blonde that matched the hair on his head. He was somewhat overweight, but looked kind and hard working more than anything. Alessa had seen him once on video conferencing, but hadn't as of yet spoken to directly.

He turned his gray eyes to her then. "And you must be Ms. Allen, the brilliant mind Denny won't shut up about."

She smiled at him, reaching out to take his offered hand in a hearty shake. She tried to ignore the roll of pleasure that Denny's praise caused, and instead focused on exuding that veneer of confidence she always tried to maintain.

"Mr. Mingo, very nice to meet you. It's been a pleasure being a part of this team. I'm very confident that Mingo will stand out in the equipment market, not only here but in the Asian markets as well."

"Please, call me Ken," he requested smiling broadly. Alessa surmised his perfect teeth must be owed to the fact they were dentures. "And if the results are half as promising as the research you and Denny put together, then I'll be more than pleased."

After all the introductions were made, the very large team sat down at the conference table, several of the lesser players sitting in chairs against the wall as there wasn't enough space for everyone. Alessa didn't know if she should put it down to chivalry or as a professional compliment when Denny insisted she sit next to him with the main players. Either way, she was given a positon to make herself invaluable, and she was deeply driven to earn his good opinion.

At five, the Seoul office came on line, greetings were made and then Hale Jebson, the CFO of Mingo began the meeting, thanking everyone for their time and listing in itemized fashion the objectives of the meeting, stating it was their intention to have all the contracts agreed upon and signed before they left. Though there were a few points of contention, either from Mingo or the financing company, eventually, all the large and fine points of the proposed expansion had been agreed upon. It was nearing seven the next morning when the last of the documents were signed, Alessa guiding the members in the Dallas office through the multi-step process. Her counterpart in Seoul took care of the key players there.

Alessa sat, languidly gathering up all the important documents, storing them carefully so they could be filed with the appropriate agencies. Denny was speaking with Ken and Ms. Sanchez, informally wrapping up the long and exhausting meeting with an agreement to meet them for dinner at Ken's invitation.

"But I think I can safely speak for Ms. Allen and myself when I say the first order of business is a long nap," he chuckled good-naturedly.

"I hear you on that," Ken replied. "See you this evening, then. Eight-thirty. Need directions?"

"I'm sure I can manage," Denny smiled reassuringly, before nodding and walking to Alessa.

She had stood and was waiting politely a few feet away. Ken gave her a smile and congratulated her on her work, at one point stating they wouldn't have gotten through it all if it hadn't been for her. She only smiled and said it was her pleasure.

Despite all the coffee she had drunk through the previous evening and night, and the unparalleled high that came with being an important and integral part of such a monumental and weighty deal, Alessa was asleep before Denny had driven them back to the hotel. Though the travel department had arranged for two rooms, Denny ushered her into his, helping her undress and then slip into her night gown before he laid them down into bed. Alessa slept like the dead.

At four her bleary eyes opened to the sound of Denny's low voice on the phone. It took her a moment to orient herself to the new surroundings and make out the content of his words. Apparently he was speaking to someone back in San Francisco about business. She slowly turned in the warm cocoon of thick duvets that covered the bed. The curtains were drawn, but she could make out his figure in one of the plush chairs. His feet were propped up and she could see his pensive face contrasted by the casual white t-shirt and black boxers he wore.

When she moved, Denny's eyes caught her and he smiled softly. He was able to finish up the conversation in a few more sentences, then hung up and tossed his phone onto the little table.

"Hey there, Sunshine."

"Hey," she answered groggily. Alessa stretched her hands above her head and arched her back, feeling her body come alive with the tense movement that was near orgasmic.

Denny stood and came to lay across the bed, propped up on his elbows so one hand was free to brush the strands of hair from her face. "Now that you're awake and we have some free time, I'd like to show you something."

Alessa's brow shot up at that. "Really? And what would you like to show me?" her stomach filling with butterflies at the prospect that he had something fun for them to do.

"Get dressed. If we can leave in fifteen minutes, we'll beat most of the rush hour traffic," he explained bounding up and grabbing his own clothes.

Alessa frowned in confusion. They were going for a drive? She watched him put his black slacks back on and loosely button and tuck in his crisp, white shirt. He didn't put his tie or suspenders back on, and the buttoned-down look was just as sexy as when he had worn the tuxedo to the ball.

"Where are we going?" she asked with a voice still husky from sleep.

He only gave her a sideways glance and grinned. "It's a surprise," he answered cryptically.

titania123
titania123
1,512 Followers