A Word of Praise
Chapter 10

Chris was left dumbfounded next to his car. That wink sent an electric shock down his body, landing right on his crotch. He shifted his weight, suddenly uncomfortable in his tight jeans. Shit. What the fuck was that? He tried to replay the scene of their encounter to understand how things so indisputably fled his control. The goal was easy: meet the girl, get his ring back, make her feel sorry for her petty existence. The result was her number saved on his contact list and a semi-hard cock.

That last part wasn't his fault. The woman was a damn seductress, standing there with her sports clothes and messy after-practice hair. She was coming from training, but he could just as easily imagine it as her after-sex look. And then she spoke with that silky voice and winked with those deep blue eyes just to throw him off. Fucking nightmare.

After the initial daze cleared, he got inside the car and drove home. He was horrified by his behavior and needed to figure a way to get control back. They would meet again the next day, which meant he still had one last chance to show her where she belonged.

He saw her bag on the passenger seat and almost threw it out the window, thinking how weak he had been to just offer it in return for the ring. He tried to think of possible punishments, but all he could come up with was either too harsh - he wasn't a monster, after all - or too light. That perfect middle ground was still escaping his grip.

Tuesday morning was rough. Every day in the office was somewhat rough these days, but that was worse. He had a major meeting with the board of directors and was dreading the presentation on his plans for the company as the new managing director.

Before it began, his mind wandered back to his time in business school, where he loved to present ideas for his teachers and classmates. It was all very theoretical, with no real business at stake, but he always took it seriously and was praised by his professors.

He remembered fondly the exhibition of his final project when he designed from scratch a sustainable energy company focused on solar power. He was proud of its focus on rentability and profit prospects, a theme under-explored by the field at that time. It was open to an external audience, and he even got a job offer from an interested business executive. Unfortunately, his path within his father's business was already set by that point.

Unlike that presentation, his father would be present for this one. His presence alone imposed an aura of inadequacy in the room, making him doubt his entire plan regardless of the effort he put into it. It was almost pathetic how Chris could project natural authority over any audience he spoke to, except when it came to Mr. Edgar Wright.

Either way, he delivered the speech he had planned and answered all the questions from the board without hesitation. After the meeting, all the directors congratulated him again on the job and the plan, boosting his confidence in the future. The few that had given him an odd look the day before were more docile after the display of his skills, which was one of his goals with that session.

His father remained seated while everyone else left, and after a couple of minutes, it was just the two of them.

"Christopher, a word" He didn't take his eyes off the paper, but Chris was used to it by now. The man had two settings while in the office: piercing stare or blunt indifference.

"Yes, Edgar" He had a hard time adjusting from dad, to father, to Edgar while growing up. The last one began after he joined the company, in order to keep things professional between them. Now, Chris didn't know if he could ever go back to calling him anything else.

"About your speech" He braced for impact. "It was fine. You should work on your posture. You can't look them in the eye as if they were your equals, it allows for questions where there should have been none"

"Understood" It was better than he expected, perhaps he was in a good mood. He prepared to leave, considering his father's dismissive look, but then the man switched to an intense gaze that froze Chris on his spot. "Another thing before you leave” He paused, building a thick layer of anticipation in the room.

"Yes?"

"Your mother mentioned there is a woman. I expect to see her on our family holiday on the island"

Fucking hell, now he was thoroughly screwed.

"Of course, she will be there" Why in the name of baby Jesus did he say that?

"Fine. You are dismissed"

After over an hour of inner debate, he was still void of ideas. The family vacation was on thanksgiving, meaning he had barely a month to replace someone to bring. Losing an entire month to figure it out and the fact he would have to bring her to a four-day trip messed up with his plans, and he was seriously considering getting an escort.

After giving it some thought, he scratched that idea, knowing his mother would spot her a mile away. She had a keen eye for that kind of trouble, which was probably a necessary ability to sustain his parents' marriage.

Hoping the answer would present itself, he went back to his girlfriend searching through his contacts, playing Match Game with the names. Ananda. Best friend's cousin. Courtney. Blonde from that shady bar. Gaby. Ex-secretary with sexy glasses. Katya. Russian student, eager for some cultural interchange. Kiara. Fuck.

He kept staring at her name, recalling the moment she turned around to shout it to him. It was flashing vividly in his mind, alongside some other memories he had of her. Especially that sinful body rolling down the drapes back at the party, looking at him in search of his soul.

Then, out of nowhere, he had a lightbulb moment. A perfect idea, falling onto his lap like Newton's apple fell on his head or whatever happened in that story. Bottom line was, he knew exactly what to do to solve both his problems.