by Lucy Eden
I undressed Athena, slid the gown over her head and her body. She barely stirred as I unwrapped and rewrapped her hand in a new bandage. I slipped out of my tuxedo and into a pair of pajama pants. I slid into bed behind her pressing my bare chest into her back, my face buried in a mass of deliciously fragrant scarlet waves. My hand wrapped around her waist and I pulled her as close to me as I could. I pulled the covers over us and closed my eyes. Five days ago I was trying to conquer the world, and now my world was sleeping in my arms.
Athena
My eyes flew open. I woke up in a room I didn't recognize. For starters, the bed I was in was the size of my entire bedroom, and the bedroom was the size of my entire apartment. And of course, the gorgeous man sleeping beside me… This felt like a dream. The last thing I remember I was laying on a couch watching Grant Winters dress Cornish game hens and chop vegetables, then the next moment I wake up wearing a nightgown that wasn't mine, though it did feel good be out that dress and shoes. Grant Winters is curled up next to me in a bed that felt like a cloud.
He looked so peaceful as he slept. The Grant Winters I’ve seen always seemed to have the weight of the world on his shoulders, at rest he resembled slumbering teenager. His smooth face with its chiseled features was beginning to sprout a dark shadow of stubble. He had a mop of dirty blond hair, which while perfectly styled at the gala had now become adorably rumpled with sleep. One giant muscular arm was still draped around my waist as I faced him. I flashed back to when only a few days ago that same arm had me trapped against the door of his office, just three floors below. I began to feel a familiar longing as I let my eyes travel over his broad shoulders and sculpted chest. Something caught my eye. It was a tattoo. It was a tattoo of military ID tags complete with a chain and unmistakable rounded rectangles; one tucked behind the other. I instinctively reached for my chest and was comforted by the feeling of cool steel. He hadn't removed them when he undressed me. Without realizing what I was doing, I reached out and slowly began to trace the ball chain portion of the tattoo with my fingertips. When I reached the tags, I was startled by a familiar voice.
"Hey, sleeping beauty." He called sleepily. His blue-gray eyes were watching me. He took my hand away from his chest and kissed the palm. He began to trail kisses up my arm as he pulled me closer to him until finally, our lips met. I felt every inch of my flesh tingle with desire as we kissed. He rolled onto his back pulling me on top of him, never breaking contact. His hands moved to my waist, and I could feel the fabric of the gown sliding over my legs, my waist, up my back then finally over my head as he broke our kiss to toss the gown aside.
“You’re so fucking beautiful.” His eyes were roving over my naked body devouring every inch as hovered over him. “I love you, Athena. You know that don’t you?” I could his shaft parting my lips through his pajama pants.
"I love you too." I couldn't believe what I was saying, but it was true. "It seems crazy, but I do." He pulled me toward him and kissed me again.
“I need to be inside you,” he growled in my ear, “right now.” I needed him to be inside me. It seemed I had been waiting my entire life for this moment and it couldn’t come fast enough. We began kissing again as he fumbled and kicked out of his pants.
"Are you ready, baby?" His eyes were intense. I nodded and bit my lip in anticipation. "So sexy," he groaned. He steadied my waist with one hand and guided himself into my waiting core with his other hand. I could feel myself being stretched as Grant slowly impaled me on his manhood. The pain was intense, but it also felt so good. I could feel his thumb as he slowly rubbed my clitoris in a circular motion building a climax.
I felt the waves of pleasure building as he moved closer and closer to my maidenhead. I leaned forward, digging my nails into his pecs as I felt the explosion coming. I screamed in ecstasy as I felt my body jerk and spasm. Grant steadied my hips with his hands and thrust his hips upward claiming my virginity.
I began to rock back and forth on my knees, still digging my hands into his chest taking more and more of him into me. Both the pain and my orgasm subsided, and I was relishing the sensation of Grant Winters' enormous cock sliding in and out of me. I wanted all of it. I couldn't believe how amazing this felt.
Before long I could feel our hips crashing together as my body had finally completely enveloped his shaft. Grant slipped his arm around my waist and hugged my body close to his, kissing me furiously. He pumped himself in and out of me with an increasing frenzy, and I felt another explosion coming. I could feel his fingernails digging into my hips, impaled me on cock and held me there as our body tensed for a simultaneous climax. Our bodies rocked and shuddered together until finally, I felt my upper body relax onto Grant's chest. He wrapped his arms around me and planted a kiss on the top of my head.
We laid there like that for several minutes; Grant still inside me with his arms wrapped around my waist and back. I slowly slid myself off of him and rolled onto my back. He turned onto his side and propped up his head on his elbow to face me. I absently began to retrace the tattoo.
“My dad was in the army,” he said, seeming to sense my question. “These are his.” Then he added with a sarcastic smirk, “He’s also dead.” I felt my face flush with embarrassment.
"I'm…I'm sorry. I get defensive when it comes to my dad and that day…"
"I was ‘a condescending ass,'" he was still smiling.
“Well…”I stammered, suddenly remembering how angry I was that last time I was in this building, “Yes. You were.”
“Listen, you were right.” He grabbed my hand and kissed it. “I got caught up… It’s hard to stay grounded when your a guy like me. There was only one person who ever talked to me the way you did and…" he seemed to struggle to find the words. "I'll accept your apology if you accept mine and promise always to tell me if I'm ever being…"
“A condescending ass?” I finished with a smile.
“Yeah.” He kissed me again and again. Then he slid his hands between my legs and slipped two fingers inside.
"Again?" I asked. He answered with a sexy dimpled smirk and a raised eyebrow. I've never been this exhausted in my life, but I could make love to this man forever.
He rolled on top of me, supporting the weight of his upper body on his elbows. I wrapped my legs around his waist and guiding rock hard cock into my waiting slit. He slowly began to slide in and out of me, gradually picking up speed. I moaned rapturously as he ravaged my body.
He rolled us onto our side, and we continued to make love, facing each other in a tangle arms and legs writhing and undulating, then I was on top again bouncing up and down with Grant strong hands cupping my breasts.
I came again. It was like a floodgate. They rolled one after the other. It felt like my body was electrified. Grant pushed me onto my back again, and after a few strokes, he joined me. He collapsed onto his back next to me, his chest rising and falling as be both struggled to catch our breath.
"My little goddess," he whispered, and he stroked my face. He lightly stroked one of my breasts with his fingertips, and his hand moved to the ball chain. "If I touch these, are you gonna hit me?” he was smirking with a look of mock concern.
"Maybe," I replied, "I guess you'll have to find out for yourself." He picked up one of the tags and inspected it.
"He was the most amazing person." I began, not sure why I felt so comfortable pouring my heart out to this man, but I'd never felt this safe with anyone since Dad. "He was a great soldier, a great dad, and the best husband. When my mother was first diagnosed with cancer, he took a leave of absence from the Army to take care of her. He never left her side. She fought for five years. The cancer would go away and then come back. Our insurance wouldn't cover everything, and my dad ended up taking early retirement because we couldn't afford a nurse. My mom made a friend in one of her support groups who told her about a special grant for cancer patients in military families that paid for all of her treatments, our debt and there was even enough for a small college fund for me. I
t was a miracle. It made the last year of her life one of the most memorable years of my life. We took my mom to Paris. She and my dad renewed their vows in Hawaii. He loved her so much."
“Did you ever meet her?” Grant asked he seemed to be rooted in thought.
“Who?”
“The woman from the support group who told your mother about the grant that paid all of your families expenses.”
“No, Dad and I never met her but she sent an amazing floral arrangement to the funeral. I’ll never forget it. It was a hundred red roses.”
“What was her name?”
"I don't know. She sent a beautiful card, but never signed it."
“Hmmm.” He leaned back on the bed and began stroking my hair. He still seemed to be deep in thought.
"After she was gone, he did his best, and he was a great dad. Raising a teenager without a mother couldn't have been easy," I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes, "but he just wasn't the same. It was like half of him was missing. It was during my first semester at school that I got the call. He had collapsed while mowing the lawn. He waited until I made it to the hospital to say goodbye. Then his heart just gave out. I was seventeen. He held on for four years. I guess he was waiting for me grow up." Grant was still stroking my hair, but his thoughts still seemed to be elsewhere. "Grant?" He looked at me, smiled and sat up straight.
"I need to show you something." He led me to a large walk-in closet. "Put this on." He held out an emerald green robe that matched the nightgown that was now piled into a heap on the bedroom floor. He shrugged into a robe of his own and pulled me deeper into the massive closet. Against the far wall was a bureau. Grant pressed his thumbprint into a shiny black square in the front of the top drawer, and I heard a lock withdraw. I couldn't imagine what kind of priceless treasures Grant would keep in a safe like this. But to my surprise, inside was a drawer lined with velvet and contained only two items; ID tags like the ones I wore everyday and a beautiful gold ring set with a small red ruby. He reached for the ring and seemed to stare at it for few moments before he held it out to show me.
“Grant, I don’t understand…” This couldn’t be what I thought it was.
"My mom and dad met by chance in a bar. Neither of them planned to be there that night, but they were. The next morning, they drove to Vegas. Of course, my dad didn't have a ring, so they ended up in a pawn shop, and mom bypassed all of the giant glittery diamond rings and chose this one. She said it was pretty and her favorite color was always red. The same way she knew my dad was the one, was the same way she chose this ring and she never wore anything else." I was aware that I'd stopped breathing. I was too afraid to speak, not wanting to ruin this moment.
“Before she died, she gave it to me and told me when she met my father everything in her life suddenly made sense. She knew he was the love of her life. She said one day I would meet someone who made me feel the same way and that I should give her this ring.” He sank to one knee and looked up at me. “I’m supposed to give this ring to you.”
“Grant Winters,” I was shaking as the words got stuck in my throat, “are you asking me to…”
“Yeah, I am” There was no hint of doubt in his face.
I nodded tearfully and held out my left hand. It fit perfectly. I dropped to my knees and grabbed his face with both hands and kissed him.
We sat on the floor of the closet. My back as pressed into his chest. He'd wrapped his arms around my waist. I held up my hand, and we both gazed at the ring. I couldn't believe this man was mine and I was his. The light of the morning began to fill the bedroom, and when it hit the closet, the ruby on my hand glittered more brilliantly.
“The sun’s coming up.” I said to my fiancé, “what should we do now?”
“Vegas?” The sexy smirk returned.
“Vegas.” I grinned.
"But first…" He leaped to his feet, and I squealed as he slung me over his shoulder and began marching towards the bed.
THE END
Also by Lucy Eden
Melted
Capturing the Goddess
Tessa
First days are always anxiety-inducing for me. Today, I was entirely beside myself. Charles Kerwin recently acquired our company and decided to move his headquarters to our office. There had been a fair amount of downsizing, and I felt lucky to have made the cut, but in a strange turn of events my boss was transferred to another office, and I was assigned to Mr. Kerwin, himself. The position came with a hefty pay raise, and I'd have my own assistant. I would be an assistant with an assistant, which I struggled to wrap my head around.
I had spent the past three weeks taking a Charles Kerwin crash course with his outgoing executive assistant, a formidable woman in her late forties, named Tanya. She had worked for him for over ten years and was promoted to the CEO position as part of the acquisition. Her last duty as an assistant was to make sure I was ready to manage the life of one of the busiest, and wealthiest men in the world.
I was smart, organized and a quick learner but I struggled to keep up with all of Tanya's instruction. She was a whip-smart, no-nonsense woman, but also kind and patient. She assured me that I was ready and I believed her. She also gave me all of her contact information in case I needed her help. I had a feeling I'd be using it often.
Of course, Tanya was keeping her assistant, so I had to find my own. I had the perfect candidate in mind, but I wanted to be sure I was making the right decision, so I tossed my work husband, Dustin's resume in a pile with four other great candidates and asked Tanya to help me choose. I wasn't surprised when she recommend I hire Dustin and he and I spent the final week completing Tanya’s Charles Kerwin Bootcamp.
Dustin and I started at the company at the same time. I assisted the CEO, and he assisted the CFO, who had been laid off. We hit it off immediately, and we work together well. We had a lot in common and became close. I've even played the third wheel with Dustin and his fiancé, Mark, who is always trying to set me up with one of his personal training clients. I'm not good at dating and painfully shy. I guess that's why I make such a great assistant. I prefer to be behind the scenes.
Something else about Charles Kerwin that's making me dread my first day is that he's absolutely gorgeous. I know it's incredibly unprofessional to have these kinds of thoughts, but since the moment I laid eyes on him at the networking event in Manhattan, my former boss made me attend, I haven't been able to get him out of my head. The thoughts I had about him had no place in a corporate setting, even though they often involved him bending me over his desk and swatting my ass with a rolled up file folder.
Seeing a photo in a newspaper or watching an interview on TV doesn’t begin to compare seeing the real thing standing mere feet from you.
To call Charles Kerwin, a tall man would be like calling Mt. Everest, a big hill. He easily towered over every man huddled around him jockeying for position, and was built like a grizzly bear. He had pale blue eyes, like ice which starkly contrasted with his dark brown hair. We locked eyes for a moment, and I froze in place. It felt like someone knocked the breath out of my body. I quickly turned and began to walk away, quickening my pace the further I got away from him. It was like he had a gravitational pull that got weaker with distance. The feeling excited me but also terrified me, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to feel it again.
I left New York the next morning sure that I would never see Charles Kerwin again. Five days later, it was announced that he had purchased the company. Two days after that, I discovered I was chosen to be his executive assistant and would have to see him every day.
I couldn’t understand why a man like Charles Kerwin would even be interested in a company like ours, much less want to work out of an office in the middle of Pennsylvania. I supposed billionaires could work anywhere they want.
My entire career has been spent assisting one person. Mr. Claffey had a very demanding schedule, lots of meetings and travel. But Charles Kerwin’s schedule on a slow day made Mr. Claffey’s look like a chor
e chart from a kindergarten classroom. I have never been one to shy away from a challenge, but the real struggle would be trying to keep my composure while working up close and personal with one of the world’s most eligible and gorgeous bachelors.
Mr. Claffey was in his late sixties, overweight and slightly balding. He'd been a father figure when I'd lost my own. He was also romantically obsessed with his wife, Janice. It was like other women didn't exist. They had met in elementary school and married right after high school. It was the kind of love I'd always dreamed of. I dreamed of Charles Kerwin too, but in a different way, with a different type of love.
The hardest part of my new job would have nothing to do with Tanya’s boot camp.
Charles
I can't believe how nervous I am. I don't get nervous. Nothing rattles me or at least it didn't until I saw her. In a sea of corporate cutthroats and kiss-asses, she was there looking like an angel, so out of place. I was immediately overtaken by a desire to scoop her into my arms and take her away. Fuck, I didn't want to be there, but my PR reps insisted I attend one of those stupid events every year.