Lord of Rain (The Dragon Demigods Book 5)

by Charlene Hartnady

  27

  The next day…

  Ashley

  I arrive at the bakery mid-morning. I’m wearing the clothes Trevor bought for me. What can I say, the guy has fabulous taste. I’m in a long summer dress. It’s paired with a cute denim jacket and gorgeous tan sandals with flowers around the toe area. I look great. Sex works for me. Let me correct that. Fantastic sex with Bolt works for me. My face is glowing. I feel fresh and revitalized. I’m a little sore. We’ve had a lot of sex since yesterday afternoon. A lot! I’m here to fetch my spare set of keys and some sweet treats, and then I’m headed back to Bolt for the afternoon.

  He told me he wants cupcakes. More importantly, he wants frosting. He told me in detail where he plans to put the frosting and how he plans on licking it off. I can’t wait.

  I feel my good spirits dampen as I walk into the bakery. It should be crazy busy on a Sunday morning. Especially on a gorgeous day like today. People are out walking their dogs, they’re jogging and biking.

  “Hi, Mom,” I say as I walk in.

  “Honey!” My mom smiles broadly. “So good to see you.”

  “How are things?” I ask.

  I see her smile falter for a few seconds, but then she plasters it back on. “All good. Your plaited loaves sold very well.”

  “Oh, that’s fantastic.” I notice that there is a whole pile of the things on the shelf.

  “They did at first,” she adds.

  “It’s important to rotate. Don’t make the same novelty breads. Have a Bread of the Day, or maybe every other day.” I shrug. We need to feel it out. It’s on days like this I wish I was here to help out.

  She shakes her head. “Your dad doesn’t like the idea. You know how he struggles with change.”

  I nod. “I do. I recommended a few things. Did he tell you?”

  Her face falls. “He said you left because you felt Buns and Breads was failing. You didn’t want to be part of a sinking ship.”

  I swallow down my emotions. “I hope you don’t believe that, Mom.”

  “Oh, hon’, I don’t. I don’t know what to do. We’ve always done okay. I wish that blasted bakery hadn’t opened its doors.”

  “It’s here, Mom, and it’s here to stay. It’s we who need to change if we want to compete. If we don’t…” I shake my head.

  “How? It all seems so… I don’t know…impossible.”

  “I know it seems that way, but it is possible…I swear. Little things, at first.” I outline everything I told Dad. A coffee machine, a couple of chairs and tables on the pavement outside. A Bread of the Day. A couple of sandwiches. “All easy changes,” I tell her.

  “I don’t know… Your father won’t like it.”

  The frustration is eating at me, but I try not to show it. “I’ll talk to him again. Is he in the office?”

  She nods. “Yes. Go easy on him. Don’t overwhelm him. He’s feeling stressed.”

  I hate that they’re in this situation. My dad is a proud man. “I want to order a couple of things to take with me when I go.” I look into the cupcake display, and my eyes go wide. “Are those new flavored cupcakes?” I know exactly what they are, namely, my chili cupcakes. The ones I made for Bolt.

  “They’re pretty hot.” She smiles. “Simon invented them. Those aren’t sprinkles, they’re popping candy.” She laughs. “He called them ‘Hot Lips’. Isn’t that cute?”

  I nod.

  “They’re selling really well.”

  “See, Mom. A little change goes a long way.”

  She gives me a stern look. “A new flavor of cupcake is very different from a coffee station and tables and chairs. Who’ll serve the customers outside?”

  “It will be self-serve with takeout containers. You can put a trash can outside for them to throw items away. Keep it simple to start.”

  She lifts her brows. “I suppose it could work. It wouldn’t cost too much to set up.”

  I decide to leave it at that. I don’t want to push too hard. I place my order, including Strawberry Delight and Hot Lips cupcakes. Bolt will get a kick out of that name. “I’ll collect everything on my way out,” I tell my mom.

  “How’s that gorgeous boss of yours?” she asks, her cheeks going a bright red.

  “He’s good.” I try hard not to smile. I don’t want to say anything just yet. Not until I’m sure of where this is going.

  “This is an awful lot of food for one person.” She gives me a quizzical look.

  “I did promise Bolt baked goods when I got the job, and it’s Monday tomorrow.” I’m not technically lying.

  She smiles and nods as she packs my stuff up. “See you in a few.” I think she knows something.

  I head into the kitchen.

  “Hey.” Simon waves. He cocks his head. “You look happy…damn.” He chuckles.

  I laugh as well. “I’m not here to work. I love the Hot Lips idea.”

  He looks a little sheepish. “I might have taken the credit for those. In my defense, your version was not sellable. I toned down the chili, added choc chips, and they sell really well. I need to come up with something new for next week.”

  “I was going to try salted caramel,” I say. “Before I resigned, that is.”

  His eyes brighten. “Sounds good. Tell me more?”

  “Use a vanilla sponge with buttercream frosting.”

  He frowns. “Where does the salted caramel come in?”

  “Make your salted caramel and then add popcorn. I would bake the salted caramel popcorn inside the cupcake and then pile them up on top of the frosting as well as a final touch.”

  His eyes widen, and his mouth opens in an ‘O’. “That sounds awesome. I’m not sure about the popcorn in the batter. It might burn.”

  “You’ll need to do a few tester batches. See what works best and go with that.”

  “I love it. You’re a genius at coming up with new ideas.”

  “You seem pretty good at turning an idea into something sellable.” I wink at him. “Hot Lips…” I shake my head and laugh. I head down the hall, dreading this meeting.

  “Oh,” my dad says when he sees me, “hi.” He’s standoffish, which makes me sad.

  “Hi, Dad.” I pretend not to notice. I go over and kiss him on the cheek.

  “What brings you here?” I can see he’s skeptical.

  “A couple of things. Firstly, I needed some cupcakes and pastries…I miss the perks of the job. Then, I need my spare set of keys. I managed to drop mine down the drain.”

  His eyes widen. “How did you get that right?” Then he chuckles. “Okay…this is you we’re talking about. Forget I asked.”

  “Very funny, Dad.” We both laugh, and it feels good.

  He digs around in one of the drawers and hands me my spare set. It has a cute Troll Doll keychain attached. I remember doing that so the key wouldn’t get lost. I make a mental note to have a new spare made.

  I take a seat in the squeaky chair. “Have you had a chance to think on what we talked about?”

  His whole stance tightens. “We’ve done perfectly well for years, Ashley. I don’t want you to keep on about this.”

  “We never had competition before. We do now.”

  “Why are you saying we? You no longer work here. You abandoned ship, remember?” His tone gets hard.

  “I left because you couldn’t afford two pastry chefs, Dad.” I see him age as I say it. I almost regret it. Almost. Sometimes hearing the truth is difficult. Sometimes it’s impossible. I know deep down that if I don’t tell him these hard truths, he will keep burying his head, and Buns will die. Within the next few months – maybe sooner – there will be nothing left to save. “I didn’t want to leave, and yes, I will keep saying ‘we’ because I’m a Shaw. That’s my name on the sign too. I love this place. I grew up here. I studied to be a pastry chef because I love baking. I love you and Mom very much. I’m trying to help you. I’m not trying to criticize.”

  “Doesn’t sound that way,” he mutters, but that harsh tone i
s gone.

  “Well, I’m not. I know it’s hard to hear, and I know that change can be tough, but it has to happen, Dad. Sweet Things have a good thing going on. They are taking more and more of ‘our’ customers daily.”

  “Those plaited loaves only sold well for a few days, Ashley. I’m worried. What if we spend the money, make some changes, and they only work short-term?”

  “I’ll discuss a couple of things with Simon on my way out. Let him have some say.” It turns out that Simon is more creative than I ever gave him credit for. “Have one bread a day that changes. Only one, and it must change daily. Try the sandwich idea. Start with three options and only make a few.” I can see he’s getting overwhelmed, but I can also see that he’s thinking about it. “I’ll talk to Simon and to Mom.” I rise from the chair. “We can turn this around.” I walk around the desk. “We have something Sweet Things will never have…we’re a family. We’re the Shaws.” I put my arms around my dad. He hugs me back.

  His eyes are glistening as I pull away. “We’re Shaws.” He sniffs and gives me a smile.

  I feel my eyes sting and my throat clog. “I’ll see you soon, Dad,” I say before things get too emotional.

  My smile is a mile wide as I walk down the hallway. I think things are finally turning around. I think everything is going to be okay.

  28

  The next day…

  Bolt

  I pick up my desk phone and dial my PA.

  “Yes? Is everything okay?” She sounds so uppity my balls pull tight. This woman is anything but uppity. She couldn’t be uppity if she tried. Her whole uppity act is a turn on and if that makes me a sick fuck then so be it.

  “No, everything is not okay. I need you in my office right away!” I bark.

  “I’m busy with the—” I can hear she’s smiling.

  “Now, Miss Shaw. I don’t like waiting!” I say in my gruffest voice. I put the phone down and grin. Then I pull myself together. My eyes are on the door.

  It takes a few minutes. Longer than I’d like. Trust Miss Shaw to keep me waiting. I like it more than I should. Finally, there’s a knock, and she walks in. She’s wearing that white suit with the black trim. It looks fucking amazing on this woman. Then again, I think she could wear a garbage bag and still look sexy. She has her notepad and pen.

  “You needed me?” she asks. Her lips are bright red. “Is there something I can help you with, Sir?” She puts the tip of the pen in her mouth and sucks on it.

  I swear, my balls tighten even more, and I feel that suck acutely between my legs. My dick goes from zero to hero in half a second. “You’ll need to write this down,” I tell her.

  She holds the pen poised above the notepad and gives a curt nod. Her hair is secured in a bun at the base of her neck. That’s going to come undone. I want to feel her silky strands between my fingers.

  “Firstly, and this is important, what color is your underwear?”

  Her eyes flash to mine, and those sinful lips round out into a startled ‘O’. “That’s not very professional. I’m afraid it’s classified information. Need-to-know only. I signed this NDA, you see. It prohibits me from giving out certain information. Now, you were about to tell me what you needed, Sir?”

  Sir.

  Holy fuck!

  I know what I need, alright. We have half an hour before my next meeting. I’m going to make sure that every smidgen of her lipstick has been removed, and then I’m going to make her come so hard that her eyes water. She’ll need to stay sitting for the rest of the day because even her low heels will be too high for her shaky legs.

  “First, I’ll need you to lock the door. Then, I want you on your knees in front of me.”

  “Lock door…on knees.” She writes it down. Her chest is heaving. I can scent her arousal.

  I feel my lip twitch. “Then, I want you to unzip my pants, and take my cock out.”

  She nods and writes some more. I can see that she is starting to blush. Her neck is red.

  “You should probably undo my belt and take my pants down to my ankles. You will need full access for what I have in mind.”

  “Full access,” she says, biting her lip. She writes it down. Holy fuck but I’m going to come in my pants before she even touches me.

  “Have you ever played with Baoding balls, Miss Shaw? They chime when you rotate them.”

  She pretends to think about it. “No, I’ve never heard of Baoding balls. You’ll need to explain to me exactly how they work.” She looks at me all wide-eyed, and it takes everything in me to keep from laughing. And then from pulling up that skirt and having my wicked way with her.

  “No problem. They’re designed to help the person playing with them to de-stress.”

  “More de-stressing?” She lifts her brows.

  I can’t help but smile. Miss Shaw has quite the pottymouth when she’s coming. I fucking love it. “I’m all about de-stressing, Miss Shaw.”

  “So, I take the balls in one hand, and then I… What comes next?” Those eyes…they un-fucking-do me.

  “Well, then—” I’m about to explain to her how to de-stress with a pair of ‘Baoding’ balls while deep-throating a cock, when my door opens so hard it almost comes off the hinges. I have no doubt that Miss Shaw knows her way around a cock, mind you, but I love getting her all flustered like this. The door bangs against the wall, putting an end to my plans. Emily walks in. Make that, a very pissed off Emily walks in.

  “What the hell is going on with you two?”

  Miss Shaw looks shocked. For a second, I think she’s going to blurt out the truth. Namely, that she was about to give me the best blowjob of my life. I can safely say that it would have been spectacular, without it ever having happened before, because we’re talking about Ashley Shaw here. It’s like my body is in tune with hers. Everything is better with Miss Shaw. Every-fucking-thing!

  “What the hell is wrong with you, Emily? You can’t just barge into my office. Miss Shaw was just taking important notes.” I observe that my sexy-as-fuck PA is now holding the notebook to her chest. I’m going to assume that she was taking actual notes, as in step-by-step blowjob notes that Emily would be able to read. I bite back a grin. She’s too much.

  “I can see that.” Emily looks from me to Miss Shaw and back. She throws another one of those glossy magazines on my desk and then pages through it.

  “Not again,” I groan.

  “Yes, again.” Emily puts her hands on her hips before looking back down at the magazine. “Is the most eligible bachelor off the market?” she reads. “CEO of the Zeus Group, Steven W. Bolt, is seen out on the town with his employee, Ashley Shaw. Blah, blah, blah, about you almost hitting some guy.” She glares at me before looking back down. “I’m glad you didn’t hit him,” she mutters, more to herself. “‘Bolt was seen carrying his Personal Assistant to the VIP area in The Lagoon nightclub, where they disappeared for the night.’ There’s a whole piece on you, Ashley, and a ton of speculation on the nature of your relationship. Quite frankly, I can see why. Look at these pictures.”

  Ashley and I go in closer. In the first picture, Miss Shaw has her head buried in my chest and her arms around my neck. I have a look of rage on my face. I’m pointing at that fucker who was trying to take advantage of Ashley and shouting something at him.

  In the next picture, I have my arm around her. I’m looking at her like a lovesick puppy. Fuck! Then there’s one of me looking at her chest. It was when she was cupping her breasts. Thank fuck, it’s from behind her. I’m looking at her like I want to eat her whole, which was true for once. I did want to eat her whole. In the last picture, I have Miss Shaw cradled in my arms. This time, it’s a close-up of her face. She’s wearing a dopey smile. She’s looking up at me with… My chest tightens. There’s a whole lot in that look. I swallow thickly.

  “They look bad,” Emily says. “Worse than bad. I just released a statement disputing a relationship with Ashley. Letting everyone know she was your PA…and now this.”

  M
iss Shaw gasps. “I’m so sorry, Bolt. This isn’t what it looks like,” she tells Emily. “I’d had too much to drink, and Bolt – as a friend…not even as a friend, as my boss – he rescued me from that guy.” I hate hearing her say that I’m not even her friend. It makes everything in me bristle. “Bolt’s friend owns the club. It was a total coincidence he was there.” She points at the picture. “This guy was being an asshole, and—”

  “Actually, it’s exactly how it looks,” I interrupt. I’ve haven’t known Ashley for a long time, but she means something to me. More than a fucking PA…definitely more than a friend. I don’t want everyone to think she’s my latest fuck. It doesn’t sit right with me. Thing is, I know that’s what’s going to happen. No! Just no! She’s worth more than that.

  Both Emily and Miss Shaw look at me like I’ve lost my mind. “Ashley and I are dating. We’re exclusive. We’re serious.” I swallow thickly. “She’s…my…” I look into her eyes, which are wide with shock. “She’s my girlfriend.” It’s hard to say the words but once they’re out, I feel a sense of relief.

  “Oh.” Emily rubs her chin and starts pacing. I know her by now. She’s working out how to play the angle.

  I take a step toward her and take her hand. “You okay with that, Ash?”

  My girl smiles. Her eyes sparkle. “Only if you’re okay with it, because I’m very okay with it.”

  “Good.” I lean in and kiss her softly.

  “Stop with the sappy shit until I’m gone. Right!” Emily smiles. “I’m going to release a statement to that effect. The media will love it. For once, I have something to work with.” She claps her hands.

  “What do you mean, for once?” I snort, but I’m also smiling.

  “You’ve been the most difficult client I’ve ever had. The public loves to hate a bad boy. Up until now, that’s what you’ve been. A bad boy who wants a good boy image. Impossible.” She rolls her eyes dramatically. Then she makes a face. “Now we can turn your image around. The public loves a good romance even more than dirt. I’m running with this. I’ll send a photographer tomorrow. Clear an hour or two from your schedules…both of you. I want pictures of the happy couple. This is going to be great.”