by Jordyn White
The unhappiness and stress that’s been on her face tonight is finally starting to soften though. This is why I called her to my office. Not to review the incident with her as I did with everyone else, and as I led everyone to believe this meeting with her was about. I want to lift the weight of tonight’s events off her shoulders.
“I’m okay, but...” She leans back on my desk, sitting slightly. “I’m worried people might be picking up on things between us.”
My heart knocks against my chest. We can’t let our relationship get out the wrong way. “Why? Someone said something to you?”
“No. But it was pretty obvious you were worried about me.”
Of course I was worried about her. She was bleeding all over the place. “Well, I would’ve been concerned about anyone.”
She shrugs. “Yes, but the way you were acting. I don’t know. Alice was giving you a funny look, and then...” She scrunches up her face, looking slightly embarrassed, “I don’t think I helped matters either by arguing with you. I think people are too used to everyone obeying your every command.” She gives me a playful smile.
“Well, I don’t see what the problem is,” I say smiling too and pulling her into my arms. “You still did what I told you to do.”
“Don’t rub it in.” She wraps her arms around my waist and runs her hands up my back.
I chuckle and give her a kiss, then bring her snug against me, her head tucked under my chin and resting against my chest. Her body softens, and I stroke her hair, determined to hold her until she decides to let go.
“I should probably get back to work,” she says. But she doesn’t move or lesson her grip on me.
“No rush.”
“People will wonder if I’m gone too long.”
I want to say, ‘Let them wonder. I don’t give a fuck.’ But I don’t get to magically decide image doesn’t matter just because it’s inconvenient for me. Though, when has it ever been convenient? “I’m tired of hiding you.”
“Yeah. Maybe I’ll find something else soon.”
I know she’ll find another job eventually, but we’re definitely running up against some obstacles. I’m not going to let her take anything that hurts her financially. She needs to be making the same pay or better, and not lose any benefits. Unfortunately, too many places around town are run by cheap bastards. To get benefits she’ll probably need some sort of supervisory position, but her job history is going to make that tough unless I can convince her to let me help.
I pull back slightly so I can look at her. “Let me make some calls for you.”
She gets that stubborn look on her face again and shakes her head firmly. “No. I can’t be taking favors from you.” She puts her hand on my chest reassuringly. “I know you’re not him,” she says, not for the first time because we’ve had this conversation before. “I just can’t do it. I have to find something on my own.”
“People find jobs through networking all the time. That’s how it’s done.”
“This is different and you know it.”
I groan slightly but cup her sweet face in my hands and give her another kiss. Stubborn little thing. But I don’t push, because I know how strongly she feels about this and why. Still, I’m getting impatient. I’m tired of our entire relationship being behind closed doors.
Then I get an idea.
“Let’s get away together.”
She smiles. “Yeah?”
“Yes. Somewhere we won’t have to worry about being seen.”
She makes a face. “Well, that sounds great, but by the time I have a weekend off I may have another job and then it won’t matter.”
She’s right about that. We have conferences booked the next several weeks and chances are good she’ll be scheduled on the weekends to help out. I hate that she should have to do it at all. I wish we could just fast-forward our relationship so I could take care of her and she wouldn’t have to do anything she didn’t want to do. If she works, I want it to be for passion, not rent money.
“We’ll go midweek then. You have Monday and Tuesday off, right?”
She straightens slightly. “Don’t you have to work?”
“I’ll take it off. One of the many advantages of being the boss.”
She looks a little surprised that I would make this kind of time for her. She still has no idea how special she is. It makes my heart hurt.
“You’d really do that?”
“Of course. How about we leave Sunday night after you get off work?”
She grins and bounces a bit on her tip toes. “Where will we go?”
Now that’s the kind of joy I’ve wanted to see on her face tonight. “Let me take care of it. It’ll be a surprise.”
Feeling my objective has finally been met, I give her another kiss, but this time I linger. Her body softens, molding against mine as we open to one another and slide into a kiss that slowly gets more and more heated. As usual when I’m around her, the seat of my pants is way too tight.
Our hands begin to wander and my lips do, too. When I suck on the tender skin on the side of her neck, she moans softly and her fingers snake into my hair. Suddenly I want to be very, very naughty with a certain Emma Swanson.
I lift her, wrapping her legs around my waist and depositing her sexy ass on top of my desk. Taking her mouth with more passion now, she gives it right back to me. It’s exhilarating how much she wants me, too.
I thrust my fully-erect cock against her heat and she clutches my ass, pulling me harder against her.
Oh, we’re definitely doing this now. Our mouths still working together, hungry for each other, I start unfastening the buttons on her shirt. They open smoothly, in quick succession, one, two, three.
“We shouldn’t,” she says half-heartedly.
I stop long enough to get a good look at the desire written all over her face. “We shouldn’t as in ‘no’ or we shouldn’t as in ‘bend me over this desk and fuck me like a boss’?”
She exhales heatedly and starts clutching at the back of my shirt, hurriedly untucking it. “Two,” she whispers. “Option two.”
In a frenzy of movement and loosened clothes, I do exactly what I said I would. With my pants around my thighs and my cock stretched tight, I bend Emma over my desk and dive deep. For the first time I’m aroused not just by her but by the forbidden nature of what we’re doing. Fucking an employee on my desk is erotic.
She’s arching her bare ass up and back against me, opening up for more. I’m gripping her hair so hard that her head is pulled back and her lovely neck exposed and all she has to say about it is, yes, yes, yes. When I reach around to work her clit, she’s so slick it’s a challenge to keep the flat of my fingers over her bud where they belong.
She clamps around me and starts to pulse, crying out loud. “Shhh baby,” I manage to get out, but I’m careening out of control, too. God, this woman undoes me. I grip her shoulder, holding her body hard against mine as we climax together.
I feel not a whiff of shame or desperation or darkness.
There’s no question in my mind that there’s only one woman I want like this, whether it’s sweet and tender or dirty as fuck. I don’t truly know if this woman belongs to me yet like I want her to, but that doesn’t change one fundamental fact.
I definitely belong to her.
First thing Friday morning, I talk to our executive assistant and have him clear my schedule for Monday, Tuesday, and most of Wednesday. Emma doesn’t come in until three that day so I won’t check into the office until the afternoon either.
That only leaves telling Lizzy and Connor, which I do during our morning meet up. “Just so you know, I won’t be here the first part of next week.”
Lizzy cocks her head at me. “Why?” They’re sitting across my desk from me, each balancing a small stack of files that we’ve just finished reviewing. Connor is still making notes on the Anderson project.
“No reason. I just wanted a few days off.”
Connor’s pen freezes and he slowly r
aises his head to look at me. They’re both giving me puzzled looks, which they turn toward one another before turning back at me.
“A few days off?” Lizzy parrots back.
“Is that a problem?”
“Uh, no.” She sits back and spins her pen in her hands. “No. It’s just so unlike you.”
“Well, even I need a break from work every now and then.”
They’re still giving me looks like they don’t quite believe this is happening. Maybe I should’ve made up some sort of business trip as an excuse, but that would’ve meant a more involved lie than I care for. Sure, I’m not usually one to take off during the week, but is it really that noteworthy?
“What’s the problem? Connor’s taking next Friday off to go rock-climbing with Whitney.”
“Hey, I’ll be here Saturday for the IEA Conference.”
“So will I. I work all the time. Can’t I take a couple of days without catching grief for it?”
“Of course, you can.” Lizzy gives me a sweet smile. “I think you work too hard anyway.”
I do not. I love my work. But there are a few things I love more than work. Two of them are sitting across this desk from me. One of them is an amazing woman who I think I might love even more.
“Enjoy,” Connor says. He’s giving me a knowing look. He knows I’m hiding something. Sometimes this kid is too damn observant.
Honestly, I’d love to just tell them. This isn’t like before, and I think I could make Connor understand that. But there’s still the matter of resort policy, harassing emails from a certain Taylor Norrell, and the potential fallout if people find out I’m dating an employee.
No. Better to get things arranged the way we want them first.
Chapter 34
Emma
I’ve been home from work maybe five minutes and have barely started packing for my trip away with Rayce when I get a text from him. There’s a driver out front. Take your time getting ready. His job is to wait for you.
I go to the window and peek through the blinds and sure enough, a shiny black town car is parked out front. Nothing could look more out of place than a car like that in an apartment complex like this. Although, this apartment turned out to be a better living situation than I thought I was going to have. Right before I moved in they started remodeling, conveniently beginning with the third floor where I’m at. The place is still small and the neighborhood isn’t fantastic, but the apartment itself is nice and inviting now that everything’s new. Not that I’m hardly ever here.
As I head to my closet to get my clothes, I take a deep breath, still feeling frustrated from a conversation I had with Aaron earlier. He and Pierce keep trying to get in my head about what’s really happening with Rayce, insisting that even a trip away proves nothing as he’s still keeping me a secret. They’re both convinced he’s the asshole boss having a fling.
I know they’re just protective of me, and I understand why they’re worried. I do. Still. I wish they would just stop. I don’t need them feeding old doubts.
Packing serves as a decent distraction, even though it doesn’t take me long. My wardrobe is a little sparse these days so it’s not like I had a whole lot of options. But I have no idea where we’re going or how nice I’ll need to dress. He told me not to worry about it and to just make sure I bring a swimsuit. That, at least, is something I know he likes me in.
I change into some cute olive green capris, a soft white halter top that ties behind my neck, and some strappy brown wedges. Fifteen minutes later I’m being driven through the heart of Swan Pointe in a town car so luxurious I determine it would be pretty easy for a person to get used to town cars.
Eventually we arrive at the Swan Pointe Regional Airport, drive straight onto the tarmac, and come to a stop alongside a sleek private jet. The stairs are down and at the base is a young man in a trim steward uniform, apparently waiting for me.
As the driver retrieves my suitcase out of the back, the steward smiles and gestures upward. “Right this way, Miss Swanson.”
Wow. Rayce sure knows how to treat a woman right. No surprise there.
Holding onto the metal guardrail, I ascend the stairs, wondering if he’s going to be inside or if we’re meeting at whatever mysterious location he has planned for us. But as soon as I enter the cabin with its luxuriously-appointed seating, I spot him near the rear, his laptop open on a little table.
He spots me too, and immediately gets to his feet, coming toward me with a broad, handsome smile. “Hello, beautiful.”
“Hi, handsome.” He’s still in his dress clothes from work, but his top button is undone, his sleeves are rolled up just enough to showcase his sexy forearms, and his suit coat and tie are nowhere to be seen.
He pulls me into his arms, the familiar scent of his aftershave still lingering on his skin. He gives me first a kiss on the lips, then on my cheek, before pulling me into a firm hug.
I sink into it, the remnants of my conversation with Aaron falling away. He just doesn’t understand how Rayce makes me feel. I smile up at him. “This is already the best vacation I’ve ever had.”
“We haven’t even started yet.”
“We’re together. That’s all I need.”
He rewards me with another kiss and leads me to our seats. As soon as we’re settled in, the cabin is secured, and we’re told to prepare for departure.
As we’re taxing toward the runway, he stows his laptop away, but tells me it will be temporary. “I’m sorry. I still have a few loose ends to tie up. Another half hour max, then I’ll be yours.”
“That’s fine.” I still can’t believe he’s taking time off in the middle the week for this. It’s not going to bother me if he has to keep tabs on things a little. Besides, I’m too busy being distracted by this beautiful jet, and the fact that we’re the only ones on it.
“Is this yours?”
He takes my hand and settles back as we turn onto the runway and the engines start to rev. “Technically, Lizzy and I own it with Connor, but Connor uses it more than any of us. Those itchy feet of his. I wasn’t that interested in buying a plane, but if that’s what he needed to stay in Swan Pointe, that was fine by me.”
I love how far he’s willing to go for his brother, and the fact that he had the resources to do it is impressive. I wonder, not for the first time, how they manage the lifestyles they do from owning just one resort.
We start accelerating down the runway, and turn our attention to the view out the window. My hand is still in his, and my cheek resting on his shoulder, as the city gets smaller and smaller beneath us.
Soon the climb evens out enough for the steward to ask what we’d like to drink: white zin for me and brandy for Rayce. After he brings our drinks, he tells us that he’ll be in the cockpit and to buzz him if we need anything else. I’m grateful to know we’ll have the privacy.
“You know, I didn’t think the resort business was this profitable.” I don’t realize how tactless a thing that was to say until it’s too late and already out of my mouth. I really need to work on the whole tell-him-whatever-crosses-your-mind thing. But he doesn’t seem bothered.
“Profitable, yes. This profitable, no. The majority of our income comes from other investments.”
“If most of your money doesn’t come from the resort, why not hire someone to do your job?” He’s clearly smart about money, and the people who are really smart about money know when to hire out.
“Because it’s not a job. It’s...” he rubs his bottom lip like he’s looking for the right words. “All right, so Mom and Dad. This was their thing. He was in real estate and she was in the hotel business. He found this beat up old resort and decided that was his passion. He sacrificed literally every penny he had, and a few he didn’t, in order to take this run-down old property and make it so incredible people would cross continents to get to it. And they do. On any given day, no small percentage of our guests are from somewhere overseas.”
I smile at the pride I see on his face.
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“Once they got it up and running, they were able to rebuild with other real estate and portfolios, but they still went in to work every day because there’s no passion in portfolios. At least, there wasn’t for Mom and Dad. And there isn’t for me either. I mean, I enjoy that, too. I kind of have a gift for numbers. I can get lost in the right kind of spreadsheet for hours.”
“I literally have no idea what that feels like.”
He laughs. “Well, take my word for it. It’s enjoyable. But enjoyable is not the same thing as passion. Which is why...”
He stops abruptly and gets a troubled look on his face.
“What?”
He’s looking at his hand resting on my knee, thinking. “Well, I do enjoy working at the resort, in part because it’s always been about family. We all grew up in it. I never did understand how Connor was able to walk away from it. He was raised by the same people, but he’s so different. He has such a wild streak in him. But Whitney’s been good for that.” He shakes his head slightly. “God bless Whitney. If it weren’t for her, I have no doubt Connor would be long gone by now and we’d be lucky to see him every couple of years.”
My heart warms at this little speech. I love how important his family is to him. You wouldn’t think he was the type, this sturdy alpha male. But he has a huge soft spot for the people he loves.
My chest lifts with the idea that maybe one day I could be one of the people fortunate enough to be loved by him.
He’s gotten off track though, and I want to know what he was thinking. “But you said ‘Which is why.’ Which is why what?”
He nods and takes a sip of brandy. “Right. Well. I do enjoy the work and don’t mind bringing it home even though I could delegate more. I like it. But...”
He’s hesitating again. This is so unlike him. I’m doubly intrigued to wonder what could have this confident man hesitating.
“But?”
“But... I think the Rivers Paradise Resort could be so much more.”
“More how?” He and his siblings already run a world-class resort. And they’ve already made some impressive expansions and improvements since their parents passed away. What more could it be?