by Katie Dowe
******
He drank! As soon as he left the office at a quarter to seven, he headed straight to his apartment and went into the kitchen to pour himself a generous amount of scotch and drank, pouring some more and drinking it. He wished he could just up and leave like he usually did. But he had promised his father that he would stick around and he was actually enjoying it. He enjoyed the challenges of the day to day operation and having to find solutions to the different problems. He put the glass down on the marble countertop and tunneled his fingers through his wheat blonde hair. His body felt tense and wired and all of a sudden his mind flashed to Kelsey.
He groaned as he felt the tightening of his flesh. He had been so busy since he had taken over the presidency of the company that he had not been able to think of his needs. It was too late now! He got off the stool and headed to the bathroom to indulge in a very cold shower!
*****
David drink the whisky moodily, his expression pensive. He had had a big fight with Graham after Nicholas had left them in the room. He had told his brother to stop the fighting and let them work together for the good of the company.
“Whose side are you on?” Graham had asked him coldly.
“Yours, of course,” he had answered hastily. “But Nicholas is right. We are benefiting from the company so we should try and do our best to-”
“You are a sniveling hypocrite, David, and not to mention a goddamned kiss ass!” he had thundered. “Don’t you see it for what it is? Dad handed over the running of the company to Nicholas because he does not believe in our capabilities to take charge! Nicholas has never done a day’s work in his life and Dad chose him. Do you know how insulting that is?”
David had sat there looking down at his hands. He knew he would have never been in the running. He was very good at what he did. He ran the fruits and vegetables department, but he had no vision and he had no ambition to become the head of anything. He had employees under him and they respected him because of his name. He had a beautiful wife and two well-behaved boys and his account was loaded. He was content and he saw nothing wrong with that.
“Are you coming to bed?” Linda asked him as she came inside the room. She was not beautiful in the true sense of the word. Her blue eyes were too widely spaced and her mouth was a little on the thin side, but she had a softness to her that made her stand out and beautiful glossy black hair that reached almost to her waist. She was such a small thing but did not put up with foolishness from anyone.
“Soon.” He forced a smile to his lips. “The boys asleep?”
“Both of them. I had to pry the control from out of Liam’s fingers.” She sat beside him and brushed back his dark hair from his forehead. “Your brother Graham is a jerk,” she said mildly.
Her husband looked at her startled and then burst out laughing. “You are priceless,” he murmured, pulling her into his arms. “I am happy I married you.”
“So am I. Don’t let him browbeat you, darling.”
“I will try not to.”
Chapter 6
Christmas had always been a trying time for her, and over the years, she had buried herself in work and when that was not enough she had accepted most of the invitations that had been sent to her. She had closed the office for two weeks and had given the staff their bonuses along buckets of chicken and her prized potato salad, but she was still at the office sorting out some things. She was supposed to attend a pre-Christmas at the Royal Palm Hotel tomorrow, but she had not fully made up her mind yet. Every year at this time she was brought back to the dark and dismal years she had lived with her father.
She remembered a particularly dreadful one when she had found a tiny Christmas tree that had been abandoned on the side of the road. She had dragged it inside and her next door neighbor had given her some lights to put on the straggly branches. She had gotten a chicken from her as well and some potatoes and had set about for the entire day preparing the meal. She had been fifteen at the time and had thought that it was time for her and her father to try and make it work between them. She had finished and taken a bath, putting on her one good dress: a black and red velvet dress that had gotten too tight for her. She had brushed back her curls and put a red bow in them and sat at the table waiting for him.
She had drifting off to sleep right there at the table when she heard the door being pushed open. She had straightened up eagerly expecting him to be pleased. He had taken one look at the bright lights on the Christmas tree and had started his drunken ranting! He had taken the tree and thrown it across the room in a fit of fury.
“You think you can make up for the fact that your mother and my son are dead? It should have been you!” he had screamed at her.
She had stood there looking at him aghast as the high she had been on slowly dropped from her. She had run into her room and cried herself to sleep. She had never done anything like that again!
*******
Nicholas’ eyes wandered around the room restlessly. He wanted to leave, but his mother had warned him that he should do his part. So, he had dressed the part in his black tux and brushed back his wheat blonde hair and made his appearance. He was going to make his exit as soon he deemed it possible. He was just reaching for another glass of bubbly when he caught a glimpse of her. His breath caught inside his throat as he looked at her. She was wearing a stunning green dress that hugged her curves lovingly. She was laughing at something the man said to her. He was the same one she had been seen with in the papers and they looked cozy together. He pulled back his hand and waved the waiter away, his eyes intent on her. He ignored the females’ eyes on him and stood there watching her. He had to see her and touch her.
Without second guessing himself, Nicholas strode over to where she was. “Kelsey Jordan,” he said in a low voice as he came up behind her. He saw when she stiffened as she turned around to him slowly.
“Nicholas Peterson,” she murmured, her eyes meeting hers. “This is Dennis Williams.” She grabbed the man’s arm as if it was a life line.
“I love your movies.” Nicholas’ green eyes drifted to the man beside her briefly before coming back to rest on her. “Do you mind if I borrow her for a little bit?”
Dennis hesitated briefly and then nodded as Kelsey let go of his arm. “I am going to mingle for a bit.”
Nicholas took her arm and led her towards the dance floor. “I am sorry to hear about your dad,” Kelsey murmured as she held herself stiffly in his arms.
“Thanks.” He pulled her closer to him, his hands feeling the heat of her through the material. “I wanted to call you after everything was back to normal, but I saw you had hooked up with the actor.”
She shrugged a little bit. “It was not meant to be.”
“I am now gainfully employed if that is the problem.” His green eyes bore into hers.
“It is not.” She moved in his arms, feeling the desire and passion that she had never felt with Dennis invading her. “I have to get back.”
“No,” he whispered. “Let’s find somewhere quiet where I can show you how much I missed you.”
“I am here with someone, Nicholas, surely even you can respect that.” She pulled away from him, but he held on. She stopped struggling aware that they might be attracting attention.
“Please.” He bent his head and she felt the stirring of his breath on her face.
“I have to go,” she said faintly, her fingers curling into his jacket, her heart beating fast.
“Meet me outside.” He moved away from her suddenly.
Kelsey stood there looking up at him for a moment. He had on a tux; midnight black which was a startling contrast to his wheat blonde hair that had been combed back and brushed to his shoulders. He was deliciously handsome and she just wanted to feel his body against hers. She turned and walked away knowing she was going to be meeting him outside.
*****
She made her excuse to Dennis pleading a headache and felt like the lowest form of life to be lying to him.
&n
bsp; “Want me to come with you?” he asked her sympathetically.
“No. Please stay and enjoy the party. I am just going to go home and get some sleep.”
Nicholas was leaning against his car with his arms folded as he waited for her.
“What did you say to him?” he asked her as he got off the vehicle.
“I lied,” she said grimly, sliding into the passenger seat of his car.
“It’s for a good cause.” He got in and sent her an amused look. “Don’t beat yourself up about it.”
“I am not like you. He has been nothing but nice to me.”
“A woman like you does not need nice.” He pulled away and merged into traffic.
“You don’t know anything about me.”
“I have read up about you. The things you went through and how you made it through sheer determination and grit. I made love to you that night and it was clear that ‘nice’ does not begin to say what you are.” He glanced at her briefly. “Your place or mine?”
“Mine.” She huffed out a breath. “This is just sex.”
“Of course,” he said with a cynical smile. “What else could it be?”
*****
He almost took her there in the elevator as they went up to her apartment. He could feel the heat rising inside him and knew he was not going to have time for romance as soon as they got inside.
“Would you like something to drink?” she asked for lack of anything else to say.
“Really?” One thick eyebrow rose in amusement as he reached for her. “We both know what we came up here for. Just sex. Remember?” He did not wait for her to respond but bent his head to her, taking her lips in a slow and lazy kiss that caused her blood pressure to spike. She reached up and pushed the jacket from off his shoulders. He helped her by removing his hands from her arms and letting the jacket slip off him in a heap onto the carpeted floor. Kelsey found the buttons of his crisp white shirt and pulled them out, trying not to ruin the shirt in her haste to get to his skin. He stepped back suddenly and got rid of the shirt and the white t-shirt he had on, standing before her with his golden skin taking on the color of dappled sunlight in the light of the lamp she had turned on. His chest had sprinklings of light colored hair and rippled with muscles. She reached out and touched him, passing her fingers over his taut skin. He watched her narrowly, his heart quickening as he looked at her parted lips. She stepped out of the shoes she was wearing and pulled the dress over her head, showing that she had on only tiny black lace panties beneath. Her generous breasts swung free and his eyes latched onto the already stiff nipples. Nicholas reached out and passed a finger over the tight bud, almost smiling at her shivering reaction. He unbuckled his belt and took off his pants and underwear and then his shoes and socks. He stood before her naked, his penis fully erect and pulsating with life and the blood flowing through it. He pulled her to him, reaching between them to put his hand inside the lace feeling for the warmth of her mound. Kelsey’s head dropped back as he dipped a finger inside her, thrusting into her. He bent his head and sought her exposed throat, his tongue going for the small dip, his teeth taking little bites that set her on edge! He used his thumb to rub the exposed area, starting off slow at first and then increasing the pace as she trembled against him. She was wet, and his fingers made slicking sounds inside her as his thrusts became even more intense. His mouth drifted down to her breasts, his teeth taking a nipple and his tongue tasting and soothing. “Now!” she gasped as the feeling of total and absolutely insane passion took over inside her body. “Please.”
He lifted his head and looked down at her before moving away to reach for his pants. Instinctively, Kelsey knew what he was doing and she stopped him. “I want to feel you, only you.”
He hesitated a moment and then put the pants away reaching for her again. He lifted her and guided his penis inside her. Kelsey’s fingers dug into his thickly muscled shoulders, her body molding against his. She bent her head and sought his lips eagerly as he pushed deep into her. Nicholas felt the whiplash of the intense desire pressing into him causing him to back her up against the wall, his fingers biting into her flesh. Her legs were tight around his trim waist, her mouth hot on his as he pounded into her. Nicholas felt himself lost in a swirl of confusing emotions that had his skin hot to the touch. He had been denying himself this, he had been denying himself her. The feel and touch of her skin. The fit of his penis inside her that had him in a frenzy of intense need. The touch of her lips and her soft skin against his. Whatever this was he knew he was never going to go back to the same routine that had governed his life before. He needed this, he needed her and even though he had no idea what it meant, he was not going to stay behind and let her slip through his fingers again!
Kelsey felt the pressure of the orgasm in her lower body and knew that she could not contain or control her reaction. It was too much! She tore her mouth from his and let out a long, low cry as her body shuddered against his. He came while she was in the middle of hers and his hands reached up to grip her long neck, squeezing slightly as his body jerked against her, his seed spilling into her as if he would never stop!
*****
They eventually made it to the bedroom where she sprawled onto his chest in an exhausted heap. The phone rang several times and she ignored it, knowing that it was probably Dennis calling to check on her. She felt only a slight guilt, her body was still in the throes of the orgasm that had grabbed her by the throat and she had still not recovered. He had one hand beneath his head and the other one holding her loosely around the waist.
“Why did you tell me not to use a condom?” he asked after a few minutes. “Are you protected?”
“No,” she murmured, loving the feel of his chest against her face. She was so mellow that she had started to drift off to sleep. “I need to get pregnant.”
She felt him stiffen beneath her and smiled a little as he swore underneath his breath. “You used me?”
“We used each other.” She lifted her head to look down at him. His body tightened as he looked at her. He had combed his fingers through her curls at some point while he was inside her and her hair was a tangled mess around her beautiful face and her lips were swollen, still bearing the little bite mark he had made on the soft flesh. “I am thirty-two. Next June I will be a year older and I need to have a child while I am still able.”
“You did not think to discuss this with me?” he asked her narrowly.
“It has nothing to do with you.” She rolled off him and got off the bed. “I am wealthy enough to take care of a child on my own,” she added as she reached for a thin silk robe to put on.
“It does not work like that with me,” he told her grimly, sitting up on the bed and watching as she went to the vanity stool and reached for a brush. “If there is a child involved, I am going to be a part of it.”
“Suit yourself.” She shrugged and turned to the mirror.
“I don’t get you, lady. We had one evening together and we never called each other again. We saw each other tonight and you were with another man. Why not him? Or have you tried with him and he is not able to do the job?” Nicholas was furious!
“I never had sex with Dennis, the chemistry was not right. You and I have something so I figured that it had to be you.” She bundled her curls and put a band around them.
“What the hell are you playing?”
“I thought you would want to know beforehand what I am planning to do.” She got up and came towards him again. “We are fantastic together and the fact is we are not looking for a relationship of such. I am a very busy woman and you have become a very busy man, so this arrangement should work out for us. I get pregnant by you and we share custody of the child. It’s brilliant and I only just came up with it. Dennis wants something more permanent, but I don’t think I can work with that right now. So, what do you say?”
Nicholas stared at her as if she had taken leave of her senses. “Are you actually asking my opinion?” His voice was icy. He had been thinki
ng of making love to her another time but every drop of desire had dried up because of her coldhearted plan. She just wanted a child and after that he was expendable!
“It involves both of us, so yes, I am asking you. At least I am honest.”
“Of course you are!” he told her sarcastically, getting off the bed and searching for his clothes, just remembering that he had left them in her living room. He went to find them and came back into the room wearing his pants. “Call me if you find out there is a child,” he told her coldly before walking away.
Kelsey heard the door slam and stood there for a moment before going to the bed and pulling the covers back. She had not meant to make it sound so cold and calculating, but she had been obsessing over getting pregnant for the past few months. When he had insisted on being with her tonight, the idea had germinated inside her mind that he should be the one she get a child with. He was only into it to have a good time and he had no intention of demanding anything more, so he was perfect! Now she was not so sure!
******
Nicholas slammed into his apartment, his body vibrating. She had used him to try and get pregnant. Her biological clock was ticking and she needed a child and nothing else. Oh, the fantastic sex was an added advantage because in making a child it did not hurt for the sex to be out of this world. It stung his pride that she had coldly told him of the plan to get pregnant. He had to admit that his pride had taken a beating. Never in his life had a woman spoken to him like that and he was angry!
He went into the kitchen and poured himself a stiff drink. It had been even better than the first time they had indulged in the hot and dangerously exciting copulation and his body was still not yet recovered. He had had every intention of spending the night exploring her body over and over again! How dare she do all that without consulting him and seeing if he was amenable to the idea of fathering a child!
He was thirty-four years old and had never given the idea of having a family any much thought, content to be there for his brothers’ children. Now she had him thinking about it!