Chapter 59

Natalie POV

They'd been able to not only beat Broadway Enterprise's weakness but also strengthen theirs.

"To say the least, I'm quite impressed with this proposal, and so is everyone here today. As such, we wouldn't have any other company partnering with us other than F and A. Congratulations, Tristan and Natalie, your intelligence is meritorious. I see why you're a couple now," he added with a smile.

"I'll have my lawyer get the agreement ready for you for your signature in the next 48 hours. Congratulations again.

With that, Felix left, and a few others commented about my intelligence, and how lucky Tristan was to have me by his side, one of whom was Ryan Porter.

"From the day I saw you at the party, I knew you were one intelligent woman. Congratulations, Natalie.
Tristan also, you got yourself a gem. If she weren't hooked with you, I might have stolen her away. Good luck with the project."

Tristan 's jaw hardened at Ryan's words. His heart sank also. Ryan was right. Natalie was fucking smart. She not only saved him from mortification, but she also brought additional value to his person.

If they were in a proper relationship, he'd have eaten her out to reward her for a job well done.

As we headed to the car, I tripped on a steep floor, causing me to almost fall as my ankle sprained, but for Tristan's grip.

"Are you alright?" He asked, examining my foot.

"I think I must have sprained my ankle," I said with a wince, holding Tristan tight, who suddenly lifted me, wrapping his arm around me. "What are you doing? I only said I sprained my ankle, I didn't say I couldn't walk. Put me down, Tristan."

"There's no way in the world I'm letting you walk with a sprained ankle. Stay put, I Sutton."

"I said I'm fine. I'll walk, Tristan. Put me down."

"One more word from you, and I'll kiss the daylights out of you till you can't talk no more."

I gasped at his words, my face flushing with embarrassment, as I looked around. An elderly man who'd been watching us all along smiled, and I buried my face in his chest from mortification.

"Seeing lovebirds like you here reminds me of the good old days with my woman. We used to be so in love. Just like you two."

"Used to? What happened?" Tristan found himself asking, unsure of why he did.

"Oh, she's passed on. Promised her I would remain unwedded till my last breath on her deathbed. The memories we shared still linger in my head. You both should have the best of your moment while you still can, living each moment together like the last day. You never can tell." With a smile and a nod, he walked away, leaving Tristan and I to our thoughts of his words.

When we reached the car, he put me down and sat next to me, his mind still processing the words of the man from earlier.

"I guess we're that good," Natalie said with a chuckle.

"I assured you I'd handle it pretty well. The evidence is staring right at our faces."

"Yeah, you did. I'm proud of you," he said, after studying her for a while. "What you did back there, how did you pull it off? You never mentioned it."

She exhaled before answering.

"It was sort of a last-minute thought. I'm sorry for putting you in a tight spot by not informing you earlier. I have a close link to Trialvire Ventures, hence, getting the director to collaborate with us wasn't so much of a challenge even though it was impromptu.

I did quite some research about Felix, couple of weeks back. I found out he's quite a critique. I've been brainstorming on several questions he might want to ask about our proposal, but it wasn't until two days ago I thought of the exact question. I figured he's one to taunt on weaknesses, and the rest is history."

Tristan stared in awe at me, and he suddenly felt an impulse to kiss me, although he restrained himself.

"That. Was. Very. Brilliant. I was super impressed. You're the first employee of mine who would go the extra mile for the company like this."

A sheepish smile lined my face, which was immediately replaced with a frown. "Although, there's a little problem." I folded my lips and blinked more than necessary.

"Which is?" He asked with keen interest, his eyes glued to hers.

"Er…the compensation. The cost is about double the regular because of its extemporaneous nature. I'm so sorry you have to spend so much on—"

Tristan's lips swallowed her the rest of my words as he closed the distance between us.

I wasn't expecting the kiss, and it was evident because my body went stiff. For a moment or more, I couldn't act or think, I just sat there as Tristan hungrily took in my lips, which parted out of shock. Very slowly, my eyes closed, and I relaxed into Tristan's kiss, my heart slamming hard into my ribcage. I returned the kiss by pulling his head closer, twirling the curls of his soft hair. Tristan 's kiss was everything I imagined and more, from the softness of his lips to his strokes which left me almost breathless as he delved his tongue into my mouth, sucking and twirling it against hers.

His hard body pressed against mine and I relaxed on the soft cushion, pulling him towards me with his shirt. The heat of his body mingled with mine and my core pulsated in anticipation. He straddled me, connecting his lower body to mine and I gasped in his mouth as his ample erection pressed against my belly.

I suddenly felt like working my way down to cup his hardness.

"Tristan …" His erection stirred in his pants as I moaned his name in pleasure, and he couldn't stop the guttural sound that erupted from his throat.

I was about to wrap my legs around his waist when he finally stopped, creating a distance between our bodies, and I almost cried as his body left mine.

It was as though a part of me was stolen away from me. He stared at my face which was lined with confusion for a little while before saying,

"Don't ever apologize for something like that again. I don't care how much they're demanding. Your one million-dollar idea just secured us the contract after all the protracted back and forth. You deserve your flowers, and I'm giving you more than that."

More than that? What did he mean? Did he intend to continue from where he stopped with her?