"So is this your final decision?"
"How could you have thought this would end any other way?"
"You reprobate!"
"Now insulting me isn't going to change the end result, but do go on. All this will do is increase the amount of pleasure I will derive from your useless efforts," Bill said, the feeling of victory coursing through his veins.
"I made you a once in a lifetime offer!"
"Really? Not from where I was standing."
Rick paced in front of him, the indignation pulsating off him in vibrations that simply fed the monster more and more.
"So why make me think you were considering it at all?"
Bill didn't deign to give his question a response. He let the silence do it for him.
Rick looked up at him in that moment, and he recognized the truth in his eyes.
"This was your plan all along wasn't it?"
He couldn't help the evil snicker that left his mouth.
Rick started to pace once again, the only sound in his old office, as he had been quite efficiently replaced, being that off his shoes as they wore a path on the floor.
Bill just kept looking at him as the prey tried to find a way out of the conundrum it found itself, knowing there was none, but enjoying the struggle going on within his opponent none the same.
The stiletto of her heels tapped against the ground, announcing her arrival.
Her scent traveled as if an afterthought, a sliver in the wind that tantalized his senses.
With no plausible comprehension as to why, the beast began to stretch inside him.
"Now, now Rick. You shouldn't be such a sore loser," she teased, her voice carrying a mischievous lilt.
Bill's gaze was drawn to her face, the ethereal beauty that surrounded her stirring the beast once more. With a stronger, more persistent tug.
Rick swiftly turned around, Bill noticed in his peripheral vision, his body becoming a sounding board of aggression.
"I will find a way to reverse this." One had to admire the level of conviction he was emanating.
Steffy sauntered over towards the desk that Bill was sitting behind, perching herself on corner, hiding her beautiful face from his view, her presence continuing to saturate his senses nonetheless.
"I can tell sit here and go through all the reasons why I know it won't work." Her hand moved in a sweeping gesture.
Her back was to bill, her dark brown hair her swept over her shoulder.
"On the other hand, I welcome you to try. I will no doubt find your efforts amusing."
She was teasing him. Shame pretty boy didn't seem to want to play along.
Rick's face began to redden, the level of anger in him rising with each passing moment.
Bill stood up, rounding the table to come and stand in front of Rick.
He was putting down to coincidence the fact that this act decreased his proximity to Steffy. Or even more, the fact that he could feel the beast rise in him was neither here nor there.
Completely irrelevant.
Hands in his pockets, Bill stared down at Rick.
"To a man like me, blood is sacred."
He stepped an inch closer.
"And those who hurt my family," he tilted his head, "I always find a way to make them reap their due consequences."
"Caroline..." Rick started but did not get the chance to finish as Bill interrupted him by moving an inch closer, the act predatory by the manner in which the aggression poured off him and towards his victim.
His voice was whisper soft, lethal in its gentleness as he stated,
"I protect my own..."
Rick's eyes flared as the outrage within him reached that point that Bill had wanted to goad out of him. He saw it coming miles before the young novice in front of him had even decided to do the deed. With his array of skills, he could have easily dodged the punch being thrown his way. But he didn't. Rick's fist connected with his lower jaw, knocking his head to the side. He tasted the blood before he felt the slight twinge of pain on his lip.
The beast's muscled tightened slightly at the act, the violence scratching at it for retribution to be exacted.
His head, having barely moved an inch, Bill eyed Rick, licking the blood he could feel swelling up on his lip.
Bill edged forward, lowering his head until he was eye to eye with his opponent and murmured,
"Want to try that again?"
He summoned the beast to amble, it's rising presence adding to the ferocity of his aura.
He saw the sliver of fear that ran through Rick, the corner of his lip curling upwards at the sign of weakness within him. Seconds turned into minutes as he continued to stare down at the boy in front of him.
Standing to his full height once more, Bill looked over Rick's shoulder.
"Leave."
He hesitated for nothing but a moment, then turned around and left the office that Bill would ensure would never belong to him anymore.
"Bye bye now!" Steffy yelled out as Rick slammed the door.
Stretching his neck, Bill proceeded to cage the beast once more.
The wildness within him refused to bow down easily, latching onto her presence as a tether. Closing his eyes, he took a few deep breaths, reinforcing the bars on his cage.
If he had been more aware of his surroundings as he undertook this feat, perhaps he would have sensed her move closer. But as it was...
He didn't.
He felt the heat of her invade his personal space like a heat wave.
"That was fun," she stated, moving to stand next to him.
"Not as much fun as the rest of it will be," he stated.
"You and your never ending plans of one upping everyone."
"As is expected."
"Of course." She chuckled.
Moving back to sit in one of the armchairs in the room he presumed, Steffy asked him the question he knew everyone was dying to know.
"Tell me, how did you do it?"
"No."
"Come on Bill."
Turning to face her, he saw the concern on her face before she quickly rose from the chair, moving towards him quickly.
"You're bleeding," she said, telling him something he already knew.
"I know."
Coming to stand directly in front of him, no more than a meter away, her hand rose towards his face.
The atmosphere of the room had already undergone a state of conversion the moment she had stepped into the room. Now it proceeded to add dimensions to this conversion, making him more aware of her presence than ever before, of the accurate distance between her fingers and his face as it lessened.
Just as before, her hand halted in it's journey a finger-breadth away from his face, the beast stretching itself in remembrance, the heat penetrating his skin once more.
Her eyes were fixed on her hand, his eyes were fixed on her, and he wondered...
Soft fingers touched his cheek in a feather light touch...
Heat flared beneath his skin...
The beast purred...
His fists clenched...
Her breath hitched...
Her hand traveled towards his cut lip, the act an unintentional caress...
Leaving in its wake a lingering warmth...
As her fingers passed over the cut, the irritating pain ceased, heat taking over...
Not meeting his eyes, Steffy removed her fingers away from his face, blood smeared over her fingertips. Eyes on her fingers, she brought up a tissue he had not even noticed she was holding and wiped it off. Her eyes drifted from her fingers to his face. She brought the tissue to his lip, wiping off the rest of his blood.
"Who would have thought Rick had that much power in his punch."
She walked over to the trash can, then went over and sat back down on the armchair.
The distance did nothing to lessen the charge in the atmosphere that had erupted further from the moment of skin contact.
'Never underestimate anyone Steffy."
"So are you going to tell me how you did it or not?"
Bill didn't respond, just turned to face her as she sat, cross legged.
"You know, what I can't figure out is how what you did was even possible. Last time I checked, you only had twelve and a half percent of the company. So has that changed? And if so, who would have sold their shares to you. No one would willingly do it," she mused.
One of the many lessons you learnt when ruling an empire based on ruthlessness was that you never showed your cards, and neither did you reveal your playing tips. Always keep them on their toes, second-guessing themselves, trying to figure out our next move that they will never see it coming. Because you have already moved that chess piece into play.
"Doesn't matter because it's done."
And done it was. No one knew the level of power he had over Forrester Creations and he had no intention of letting the cat out of the bag. They would all wonder and theorize on how any of this was possible, but no one could reverse his decision. The domino effect he had put into play not months but years ago had paid out more than he ever thought would have been possible. He wondered how they would all react if they realized that he owned more than a third of the shares in the company, more than the measly twelve and a half percent they all presumed. He couldn't help the slight smile that tried to break out on his face.
Steffy noticed it, but didn't mention it, knowing she would get nothing from him. She always did know when to stop pushing and simply let it be. One of the things he had found intriguing about her in the first place, and apparently still did.
"You know Rick isn't the only one who isn't happy about this."
"Are we talking about your father?"
The rivalry between him and Ridge had never disappeared, and it probably never would. Though, depsite his reluctance to, hee had to admit that being with his niece Caroline made his presence a little bit more ... tolerable. Just barely.
"He never did see you coming."
"And that was his own mistake."
Steffy snickered.
"You're not going to give him what he wants are you?"
Bill smiled, responding, "You know me so well."
"I used to think I did. Once."
She said it quite softly, softly enough for him to notice the nostalgia in her tone, that brought about the same feeling in him.
"Apparently not enough," she added, the sadness in her tone tugging at the protectiveness within him.
"You know you can't be the C.E.O." She changed the topic swiftly, eradicating the despondent nature that had begun to permeate the air.
He welcomed the change in topic.
"And I don't plan to be."
"So who is it gonna be?"
Bill had had some time to mull this over for the past week. And he was quite satisfied with his decision.
"No way are you going to make it Katie," she declared, not giving him an opportunity to respond.
"And to make it Liam would be just..."
"Okay stop talking." Bill interrupted her.
"What?"
"This decision isn't up to you, yeah?"
"Won't stop me from giving you my sound advice," she countered.
Bill smiled, a real smile, one that hadn't graced his face in quite a while. Steffy once again stood, coming to stand in front of him.
"Who?"
"Patience," he responded. "You'll know soon enough." He was sure his decision would surprise a few people, anger others, have others questioning the motives behind the action.
The beast had been snarling for quite a while now. To be precise, it had begun its snarling from the moment her touch had departed from his face. He had managed to deny its demands while she had been across the room, but now that she was standing right in front of him...
His fist unclenched in his pocket, and his hand moved of its own volition, with inordinate prompting from the beast within, to rise to the side of her face, and tuck an errant strand of hair behind her ear.
Such a typical over-dramatized action, done to death but still powerful in its simplicity.
Her breath hitched once again...
The beast growled softly within him...
He couldn't seem to help himself...
...as the distance between their faces became nothing but a hair's breadth apart, he couldn't resist the urge to look into her eyes.
Their eyes locked, the persistent awareness that existed between them took a further hold of him, her eyes widening as he saw the same sentiment playing out in her green eyes.
Steffy tilted her face upwards in what seemed a natural reaction, angling herself...
Bill lowered his face further until their breaths intermingled between them.
Her eyes on his, he maintained the remaining distance...
Stopping himself, only just, from pressing against her lips...
The beast rumbled, beguiling him to do so...
He fought it...
The beast lifted an arm to scrape at his resolve, intensifying the need...
He fought it...
"Time to go..."
He breathed every word on her lips, their eyes still interlocked.
They both waited...
Neither of them moving away...
The shrill of his phone hurtled them back into the present. Steffy stepped back first, still looking at him, and he could see the question in her eyes. One he knew she would not voice, one he did not know if he wanted her to.
A small smile peeked on her lips as she turned around and began walking out.
"See you in there."
As her voice faded with her departure, Bill realized two indisputable facts.
1. It was going to be quite an interesting meeting
2. This game,this game that he had found himself an unpremeditated player of was precarious, a very dangerous game indeed...