by Claire Adams
“Wow, that is good,” he said in a low voice. “You should do this for a living.”
“Yes, go ahead and tell my father that you talked me into becoming a professional head massager instead of using my college degree.”
We both laughed at the idea and how upset my father would be if I did anything so crazy. My father was supportive of me, but he wouldn’t have been excited if I did something wild or unusual with my life.
“Maybe we could tell your dad about us?” Declan said, out of the blue. “I mean, he likes me, and I’m not too horrible of a person for you to fall for.”
“Oh, no. We can’t tell him right now if you promised him this wasn’t going to happen. He won’t forget about it. Even if he likes you, he will force me to stay away from you out of principle because you broke a promise to him.”
“You’re an adult; he can’t really force you to stay away from me.”
“True, but he can be mad at me, and I couldn’t handle that. He’s all I have. He’s my family. Let’s just wait until I move to another job. We will simply tell him we decided to go on a date after I left. Then when we say we are seeing each other, it won’t be a big deal.”
I took a moment to duck my head under the water and rinse the shampoo out of my hair, and then Declan did the same. We were both mulling over the possibilities in our heads as we sat quietly in the warm bath together. It was a delicate process to break this news to my father.
On the one hand, I thought he would be excited that Declan and I had found each other. A father always wants to have a man in his daughter’s life that he truly likes, and my father loved Declan. But on the other hand, since Declan had promised not to let things get sexual between him and I, my father would be livid if he ever found out that Declan had broken that promise.
But I played a role in it all as well. I wanted Declan just as badly as he wanted me. This wasn’t a one-sided choice, and perhaps if I stood up to my father and told him my feelings, he would forgive Declan? But the more I thought about that, the more I knew my father wasn’t that sort of man. He saw things as very black and white and wouldn’t see the gray area of our relationship as acceptable to him.
“I don’t really want you to leave, though. I like working with you,” Declan finally said as he turned around in the tub. “I trust your opinion on things, and you certainly don’t have a problem standing up to me. You’re really good at your job.”
“As evidenced by the fact that we are stuck in a snow-covered chalet for a month?” I asked.
“No, this was my responsibility to arrange. I’m sure if I had asked you to organize it we wouldn’t have been stuck here at all.”
“Probably not.”
“I’d love to wake up every morning to you and then work with you all day. That would be heaven,” he said as he pulled me onto his lap. “Just imagine how much fun we could have at work together every day.”
“Absolutely not,” I protested. “We would end up bickering and fighting all the time. No, I don’t think I should stay at all. Plus, do you really think me working as your assistant is the best use of my degree or my skills?”
“I’ll give you a new title. Vice-President of Development or something else cool like that.”
“Declan, I want to make my own way in the world. I don’t want you just handing me a job title.”
“I’m sorry. What do you want?”
He asked the question like he thought I had the answer. I didn’t know what I wanted. I’d simply taken this job so I could take the time and find what exactly I did want to do. I didn’t feel anywhere close to having an answer to his question, so instead, I slid my hand down to feel his body as I straddled him.
“This is what I want,” I demanded.
“I’m all yours.”
As our bodies pressed together in the water, Declan decided to move up and sit in the corner of the tub. I held on tightly to him as his thrusts delivered sweetness to my center and I moaned out at the pleasure of our moment.
I kept my arms locked around him and felt the comfort of caring about this man so deeply. We had scaled the span of not knowing each other to becoming intimately close in such a short time, but it felt like I’d known Declan for years.
We weren’t just screwing each other; we were making love, and that wasn’t lost on me at all. My emotions wrapped up in the movements, and I tucked my head into his chest while the pleasure thrust through me. Each movement we made was filled with emotions and pleasure until the final thrust was delivered.
Declan slid us both back into the water and then soaped up a washcloth as he started to delicately wash my body. I took in the vision of his big, burly hands as they moved softly over my breasts, down my torso, and to every inch of me. The intimacy of the moment gave me a tear in my eyes as I had longed to feel this comfortable with a man for all my life.
Without saying a word, Declan stood up and got out of the bath; he held his hand out to help me out and then wrapped me in one of the large towels. He took another towel and quickly dried himself off before we walked to the bed.
Slowly, he pulled my towel away and used it to tap off the excess water from my skin. He then gently wrapped the towel around my hair and squeezed out the extra water from it as well. By the time we climbed into the bed together, my body was dried off, but my hair was still damp.
“Do you want a towel for your pillow?” Declan asked as he pulled my hair back and kissed the back of my neck.
“No, it should be alright. Do you want me to shut the door to the room?” I asked as I looked over to see we had left our room door halfway ajar.
He laughed at the idea. Why would we need to close the door? We were the only ones there and had a run of the place.
“I think we can leave it open.”
Declan pulled me close to his naked body as we cuddled under the plush comforter of our bed. I was comfortable, more comfortable than I’d remembered being in a very long time. Not just comfort because of the rich linens of the bed, but because of the connection I felt to the man I was currently lying naked with in bed.
I’d grown to understand Declan so much in our week at the chalet. He wasn’t just an absentminded snowboarder who happened into a business with my father. Declan was a good businessman who had some amazing ideas and really could read the market for the clients he wanted to get into the hotels. My father was just as lucky to have met Declan as he was to have met my father. They were a good pair, and each brought something to the table.
My father’s business wouldn’t be doing nearly as well as it was if he hadn’t connected with the young crowd that Declan’s company provided. Young people were traveling more and more, and my father had totally missed that demographic in his hotels before he and Declan started to do business. I knew my father wanted to think he could do business with anyone and it would be a success, but that wasn’t true; there was a special relationship with Declan, and the two made each other better in the business world.
“Goodnight, lovely Emmi,” Declan said softly as he turned me over to kiss me on the lips.
“I’ve had such an amazing trip with you. Thank God we have been trapped here. This was the best vacation I’ve ever had,” I laughed.
“You know what? I have to say it’s been my favorite week ever. I kind of hope they don’t get the roads cleared, and we can spend another week here. Although, it would be nice to eat some real meat again.”
“I’m with you on that. There’s only so much Spam a girl can eat. Goodnight, Declan. I have a feeling tomorrow will be a good weather day and we can get home.”
“Or we can stay right here in bed all day and screw the damn weather and going home.”
“Whatever you’d like,” I said softly as I held his arms around me and we drifted off to sleep.
***
I’ve always been someone who had very vivid dreams. Sometimes I’d even wake up actually sweating because I dreamt I was in the desert or something like that. So it wasn’t at all unusual that
I heard my father screaming out for me in my dream. I’d been thinking about him and Declan a lot the last day, so it made sense that he’d show up in my dream in some form or another.
“Emmi, are you here?” I heard my father yell out.
My mind heard him, but I couldn’t call back to him. Instead, I let myself relax and think about my father and why he would be calling out to me in my dream.
“Declan, Emmi? Are you up here?”
“Shit, shit, shit,” I heard Declan say as he shook me.
But I wasn't sleeping at all. No, in fact, I was starting to wake up and just hadn’t realized it until it was too late.
“Daddy?” I said as I looked up and saw my father standing in the doorway to my room.
“What the hell is going on here?” my father yelled as he looked at me and then Declan.
“Teddy, give us a minute, and we can talk,” Declan said calmly.
“Give you a minute? Give you a minute in that bed with my daughter? I should have known. I really should have known that you wouldn’t be able to keep your dick in your pants, Declan.”
My father stormed out of the room and down the hallway. His steps going from loud to soft the farther he got from our room. I was dazed by the event and rubbed my eyes as I sat up in the bed. Had my father really just shown up at the foot of my bed while I was naked with his business partner?
Yep, that just happened.
“Crap. We better get dressed,” Declan said reluctantly as he climbed out of bed. “I guess the roads are clear.”
“Did we even look outside yesterday? I don’t remember checking at all. We were so wrapped up in our designs.”
“I didn’t check. I got all the snow off the back porch for our bath. I guess I thought I’d hear the snowplow going by or something like that.”
“Shit, this is bad, Declan.”
“Calm down; it’s going to be fine. He’s going to be a little angry today, but then he’s going to calm down. I’ve been friends with him for years. As soon as he realizes I wasn’t taking advantage of you and this is something more serious, he’ll be better. Let’s just get dressed and go down and talk with him.”
“I really hope so, Declan, but he’s so stubborn.”
“I know. I know.”
We both got dressed and walked down the stairs together holding hands. I thought it would help my father see that the two of us were serious about each other, but the sight seemed to enrage him even more.
“Go get in the truck, Emmi,” my father said firmly.
“Dad, I’m a grown-up. Declan and I get along great; there’s nothing to be upset about. I like him, Dad. We are going to start dating. Stop getting so worked up.”
“Honey, I love you. But if you don’t go out to the truck, I’m going to flip out.”
“It’s alright, Emmi, go with your father. I’ll talk to you later,” Declan said as he pulled my hand up to his lips and kissed it gently.
My father stood there with his arms crossed as he watched me gather my things and get my shoes and coat back on. I even went back up to our bedroom and packed my bag while the two of them stood there in total silence. It was unnerving how upset my father looked. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen him so angry.
“I’m going out to the truck just so we can talk some more. You do know I’m an adult and could stay here if I wanted to, right?”
“Fine, just go out there so I can talk to Declan for a minute.”
“Daddy, this is ridiculous. You love Declan, and you know he’s a good man. Stop being angry about this; we are both adults.”
“Go,” he said firmly, and pointed toward the large truck he had waiting in the driveway.
“I think I better stay. You look really upset, and I don’t want you blaming this all on Declan. He’s a good—”
“Fine, you want to stay while I talk to him? That’s up to you,” he interrupted. Then he turned on Declan.
“You sleep with any woman in a skirt and think that my daughter is good enough for you? I don’t think so. She deserves better than you. I warned you. Do you remember that promise you made to me, Declan? Do you remember?” my father said as his voice shook with anger.
“I remember.”
“You promised me you’d stay away from my daughter. I’m done, Declan. I’m pulling my money out. You can buy me out for our other projects, or I’ll buy you out, but you and I are done. I won’t work with a liar and cheat like you.”
“Teddy, I care about Emmi. This isn’t some fling. We both thought about it long and hard and made the decision as adults.”
“It’s true, Daddy. I even pushed him after he said no.”
“I don’t care. You’re a man, Declan. You’re a man who made a promise and broke it. I am done with this. I’ll have my lawyers call you, and they can arrange the details.”
“Teddy, you are seriously going to dissolve years of successfully working together all because I fell in love with your daughter?”
My heart soared at his words. I couldn’t believe it, but I was feeling the same toward Declan. Of course, I wasn’t going to rush into anything and wanted to date him and get to know him more, but I did have feelings for him; that was undeniable.
“Love? Oh, is that what you call it when you seduce your women into bed? I thought it was just fucking.”
“Daddy!” I exclaimed.
“You wanted to be in here for this. You don’t even know this man. You don’t hear about all his conquests and how easily he brings women home to his bed. He’s not the man for you, Emmi. I won’t allow it.”
“Oh, Jesus, Daddy. Allow? Like I’m a child or something? I can make my own decisions about my love life.”
“Fine, but our business relationship is over. Our friendship is gone. You broke the confidence you had promised me you wouldn’t break.”
“Teddy,” Declan said as he moved toward my father. “Let’s just take some time and try and cool off. I’m sure with a little time, you’ll see that this is a good thing.”
It was as if his words had literally stabbed my father in the chest. My father dramatically grabbed his chest and walked toward the door.
“In no universe would a relationship between you and my daughter be a good thing,” he said firmly. “Emmi, are you coming with me or not? You know I came all the way out here because I was worried about you two. I hadn’t heard from you in days and to come here and find this going on. I can’t even describe what a fool it makes me feel like. Come on, Emmi, let’s go.”
I looked at my father and then back at Declan, who waved me off and mouthed the word ‘Go.' I was grateful he gave his permission for me to go with my dad. Although I certainly could have stayed with Declan, I knew he wouldn’t get as upset as my father would if I didn’t go with him.
My father stormed out of the building, and I followed behind him with my suitcase in my hand. But then I turned and ran back and kissed Declan quickly.
“I’ll call you tomorrow. Maybe he will calm down.”
“It’s fine, call me when you can. Just remember I had the most amazing week of my life with you here.”
“I won’t forget it.”
Chapter Nineteen
Declan
My gut was in knots as Emmi and Teddy pulled out of the driveway. That was not at all how I wanted Teddy to find out about his daughter and I. But I wasn’t worried about the business at all. Instead, all I could think about was how would Emmi and I be able to have a relationship if her father despised me?
For years I’d avoided thinking about relationships in any form, but for the rest of that day, it was all I could think about. Emmi wouldn’t stay with me if her father didn’t approve. Although she was clearly an adult and able to make her own decisions, she wouldn’t be able to handle the negative energy her father was giving off if he disapproved.
My trip back home aboard the private jet was depressing. I sat and read through the local papers and national news. Nothing seemed to keep my attention for long th
ough, as my thoughts continued to drift back to Emmi and what she and her father must have been talking about on their ride home. I could only imagine all the horrible things about me that Teddy was telling Emmi.
Teddy and I had been friends for many years. He was a guy’s guy, and we had shared stories over drinks about my dating life. Never could I have imagined that those stories would come back to bite me in the butt.
“Would you like a drink?” Marvin asked when the plane leveled off on our way home.
“No, just some ice water, thank you.”
Marvin clearly noticed that Emmi was not with me on the ride home, but he didn’t ask about her. He was a professional, and as such, Marvin knew that a man in my situation with a sad disposition, such as I had at that moment, probably wasn’t up for talking about why his woman had left him to fly home alone.
“We should have a less eventful flight home,” Marvin said as he handed me my ice water.
“Thank you.”
He was right; the flight home was absolutely uneventful, and I was able to get some sleep for a few hours. When we finally arrived back in Los Angeles, the warmth was a relief as I stepped off the plane to my waiting Jeep.
I loaded my luggage up myself and took off for home. I felt different than I had when I’d left for my trip. Life was different. I had this hole inside me that needed to be filled. I’d never felt such a hole before because I’d never opened up to let someone into my life as much as I had for Emmi. It hurt; there was no way around it.
The fear that Emmi might decide not to stay in contact with me was surprising to me. I wasn’t prepared for those kinds of emotions, and instinctively reached out to Justin to see if he wanted to go to one of the clubs for some drinks that night.
“Hey, I’m back in town. You won’t believe how my trip to Breckenridge went. Are you up for a drink?”
“Sure, and some ladies, too,” he laughed.
“I’ve been in the snow for the last week. Let’s go to Sand downtown,” I suggested.
“Sure, see you in an hour or so.”
I was sick of the cold, and I did like Sand, but I was also hoping that I might run into Emmi and her friend Jessica while I was there. It was silly, maybe even a little juvenile, but I couldn’t help it.