Terraformed Skies

by Anna Lewis

  Lilly sighed.

  “I’m not even ready for the three we have,” she laughed.

  “Is anyone ever ready for triplets?” Jason said.

  As if to prove the point, three little toddlers rolled out of the office, each clutching a cupcake against their fancy clothes, shoving the treat in their mouths without noticing that half the icing was on their clothes.

  “When do you need us?” she asked Viola, rolling her eyes and smiling at the antics of the three siblings.

  “It’s a ten-year-old and an eight-year-old sister. I’ll bring them to you tomorrow.”

  “Sounds good,” Lilly said, saying goodbye to Viola and hanging up.

  Jason pulled her into his arms. He kissed her and leaned down so that his mouth was inches from her ear.

  “You want to sneak out while there are almost twenty adults to watch three toddlers?”

  “Do you think they can handle it?”

  He nodded.

  “Yes,” she said, feeling more than a little spontaneous.

  Before she could reconsider, he took her hand and led her quietly out a side door. They ran, hand in hand through the puddles, soaked to the skin before they made it to the front porch. Jason pulled her into his arms as they went through the doorway, scooping her up and carrying her inside.

  “I love you, Mrs. Hathaway,” he said.

  “And I love you, Mr. Hathaway,” she said.

  He shut the door behind them, shutting out the storm that raged outside.

  THE END

  = Bonus Book 3 of 16 =

  Wager of Hearts

  “You never would!” Amber exclaimed, squealing a little too loudly as I declared my intentions. “You’re only saying that because you’re drunk, Cassie Symmons.”

  I giggled, the wine circling my brain as I leant across the table in the very posh bar I was currently drinking in with my friend. This wasn’t the usual sort of place we went, but after being ceremonially dumped by her long term boyfriend, Seb, Amber was looking for a new type of guy to whisk her off her feet.

  Seb was a wannabe rock star, going nowhere in the world, whereas the guys that hung out here were bankers, investment types, the sort of men with money. The total opposite end of the scale. That was the reason we had both squeezed ourselves into knock off designer little black dresses, just to try and fit in with the wealthy types, just for one night.

  “I would! Look, I agree, he’s hot, but I would much prefer to get under Markus.” I shimmied on my seat as the idea of finally sleeping with my boss filled my brain. I’d had a crush on him for years, ever since I got hired as his personal assistant, but of course I’d never acted on it. I wasn’t that unprofessional. “He’s just so rugged and manly. I would love those big masculine hands all over me.”

  Then again, the more time I spent with him the harder it was getting to keep on taking the high road. He had the sort of look that made me feel constantly hot under the collar; his gorgeous chocolatey skin, those deep hazel eyes, that big smirk that always seemed to be hiding something more.

  And then there was that body of his. He had muscles that couldn’t be contained by a shirt, I was certain that he needed a new one each day, just because he had to rip out of it at night. I hadn’t ever had the pleasure of seeing his chest, but I could only imagine that abs ran down it… and I’d spent a lot of time picturing it.

  “Oh yeah? Just one night of passion to get it out your system.” Amber winked at me, which sent me peeling into laughter again.

  “Something like that.”

  I couldn’t tell Amber, but my feelings for Markus were no longer just a physical thing. When I first worked with him, it was all about the way he made my body feel, but now… well now I liked him for the person he was too. I’d gotten to know him, and he was sweet, kind, and incredibly funny. He had a wryness to him that he kept under wraps until you got to know him better.

  My fantasies had transgressed from sexual to romantic. I hadn’t even realized it was happening, and now I had no idea what I was supposed to do about it. I couldn’t tell my friend because she’d freak right out and make it a much bigger deal than it needed to be.

  “So why don’t you?” Amber shrugged and slurped back some of her drink. “Just have one night of fun.”

  “Oh I don’t know, maybe because I have to work with him. No, not even with him, under him. He’s the owner of the company and my direct boss. I can’t sleep with him because then I’d need to get a new job.”

  “Life is too short.” She nodded vigorously as if she was the wisest person around. “If this whole messy break up with Seb has taught me anything it’s that you just have to go for it in life. You like someone, you make them yours. Unless you’re already with someone of course.”

  Okay, a swift change of subject was needed before she started to fall apart. She was doing really well at the moment, we both wanted her to move past the sobbing for hours and online stalking phase. Nothing good could ever come of it!

  “Okay wild woman of the forest, that’s all well and good but what if it makes me lose my job?”

  “Urgh, who cares?” She flapped her hand in front of her face, making her look exactly as drunk as she probably was by now. “You are always so serious!”

  That floored me a little, her words actually sobered me up a little bit. I wasn’t that serious, was I? Sure I focused mostly on my job but that was because I wanted to get by in life. And also a little bit because of my secret adoration of Markus… not that I was about to admit that aloud. That didn’t mean I was boring, did it?

  “What do you mean?” I practically whispered, shrinking in on myself.

  “Well, riddle me this… when was the last time you got laid?” Amber raised her eyebrows knowingly at me, because she already knew that it had almost been a year. We told one another absolutely everything. “You have to get out there and have some fun. That’s why I think you need to screw your boss. He’s the only guy I’ve seen you show interest in for months.”

  “Hmmm…” I nodded slowly, unsure of what to say to that. Maybe it was the alcohol infecting my brain, but she was getting to me, she was making me question everything.

  “Tell you what, why don’t we make it fun?”

  “How do you mean?”

  “Well, I’m going to make a bet with you. If you don’t seduce your boss at the Christmas party next weekend, then you owe me a hundred dollars.”

  “A hundred dollars?” I screeched like a banshee, probably attracting the attention of every single person in the bar. “Are you freaking kidding me?”

  “Shh,” Amber laughed. We were like crazed school kids having our first taste of freedom. “Will you calm down? I just want to encourage you to have some damn fun.”

  I bit down on my bottom lip, the competitive edge I usually buried deep inside of me floating to the surface. I didn’t want my friend to see me as the bore she so clearly did, I wanted to prove that I was better, that I was more…

  And God damn it I wanted to feel Markus inside of me. I wanted my wildest fantasies to finally come true.

  “Okay, you’re on,” I replied without really thinking it through. “I’ll make the Christmas party one to really remember, and if I do you have to give me a hundred dollars.”

  Amber extended a hand to me and I shook it firmly. This was on now, I was going to have to at least give it a go. I certainly couldn’t afford the hundred dollars at any rate.

  “Right now that’s sorted.” Amber scraped her chair back and grinned at me. “I’m going to get those hotties to buy us a drink. I’m sure at least one of them will want to go home with me.”

  With her long dark hair flowing down her back and her dress clinging to her voluptuous curves I had a feeling she would have more than one guy after her, which was exactly what she needed.

  I rolled my eyes and stood up too, mostly because I didn’t want to be left alone sitting at the table, but also a little bit because I wanted to watch Amber in action. Sure she’d been out
of the game for a while but her flirting was on point. Mine was… well, nothing really. I’d always just sort of stumbled into relationships, which was maybe why they didn’t ever work out. There was no passion, no fire, we just always were. Nothing ever ended explosively either, it just fizzled out. That was a pattern I really needed to break.

  It wouldn’t be that way with Markus though, I was sure of it. He was the sort of man that would turn my body inside out, being with him would be a sexual awakening, and now… well, it seemed that I was going to find out the truth of that for real.

  ***

  The music was thumping loudly, the fairy lights twinkling above, everyone was dressed to impress and slowly getting drunk as time ticked past. This was a Christmas party like no other, the festive atmosphere filled the room, it was utterly impossible not to get caught up in it.

  Well, except for me, but that was only because I had one end goal in mind. I needed to get Markus Smith in bed before the end of the night or I would owe my friend a lot of money. It turned out Amber wasn’t about to forget our wager, and she was insistent on holding me to it. She told me it was exactly what I needed and that was that, there was no getting her to forget the whole thing.

  Luckily, she had stuck around all day long to help me get ready for this mission. She curled my blonde hair into ringlets, she’d achieved that wonderful smoky eye effect which highlighted my baby blues, and she’d plastered my very pasty skin in fake tan to give me a bronze glow. Amber had also leant me her tight red dress, which looked good at home, but now I was in public I felt like I had far too much cleavage on show.

  I just hoped that Amber would be quite as helpful when it came to job hunting in the new year! I was still pretty sure that was where this was going to end up.

  Still, there was no point in worrying about it now, I needed to try and be sexy. If I told myself that I was a beautiful, seductive goddess then maybe my brain would believe it.

  My eyes zoned in on Markus as I took shaky sip of my drink. He was still talking to the same guy he’d been chatting with all night long, there didn’t seem to be a gap in their conversation coming up soon, which left me with one of two choices; did I wuss out and continue down the path my life had been going for months now, just to find myself a whole lot poorer, or did I finally do something brave?

  I tried to imagine myself stalking up there and purring sexily at him, before taking him home and ravishing him, but the more I tried to consider that plan the shakier my entire body became.

  I forced my feet to move towards him, hoping that a plan would come to mind later on. The longer I stayed in the same place, the more time I gave myself to freak out. I just had to try, even an attempt would be something to be proud of.

  My heart hammered so noisily in my chest I feared it might burst out at any given second, my mouth ran bone dry with terror despite the fact that I’d just had a drink, at one point I thought I could hear someone calling out my name, but I couldn’t move my head. I needed to keep on going.

  Then I stopped still. I wasn’t sure why, but instead of getting near enough to Markus to actually talk I simply loitered nearby him instead, awkwardly shifting from foot to foot. This was a mistake, I should’ve stayed where I was. Now I looked more of an idiot than ever before.

  I needed to run… or maybe to get another drink…

  “And who is this beauty?” A voice boomed out, as an arm grabbed me around the shoulder. “Where have you been hiding this one, Markus?”

  I blinked for a second too long, before opening my eyes to find myself staring at the man I’d adored for far too long. He was smiling jovially at me, an expression which I attempted to return, but my mouth couldn’t quite make that happen.

  “Oh, this is my lovely PA, Cassie. Come and have a drink with us, Cassie.”

  Suddenly I found myself unexpectedly sandwiched between the two very beefy, intimidating men. I wasn’t sure if this was what I wanted really, it felt a little weird.

  “So, Cassie, since my dear friend, Markus, isn’t about to introduce us, I will tell you my name. I’m Ryan.” He extended his hand to me which I shook eagerly. Talking to Ryan was actually easier than dealing with Markus because there wasn’t all that one ended sexual tension to deal with.

  “Hi, Ryan,” I smiled happily. “It’s nice to meet you. How long have you known Markus?”

  “Oh, we went to school together…”

  As they started to share old stories with me, I leant back and relaxed a little bit. If they would just keep talking, this would all be just fine…

  ***

  “Oh my goodness, are you serious?” I snorted as I laughed, the expensive champagne allowing me to be more open than perhaps I usually would be. “That’s hilarious.”

  “Well, that’s Markus for you. You only see one side to him at work.”

  There was something about Ryan, it was becoming increasingly obvious with each passing second that he was flirting with me. His hand kept brushing my arm, his eyes twinkled as he stared at me, and his knee was knocking against mine.

  The weird thing was I actually liked it. It was incredibly strange with Markus sitting the other side of me, talking to me too, but the more I drank the easier it became to deal with.

  “I erm…” My breaths came in a little ragged and sharp as the overwhelming nature of the situation overcame me for a second. “I need to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”

  I crashed into the bathroom and splashed a little cold water on my face. I needed to be careful if I didn’t want to end up in a crazy mess right now, I had to act smart.

  ‘Amber, I’m freaking out! X’ I sent a text to my friend in panic.

  ‘Stop overthinking, just have fun. Remember there’s a hundred dollars at stake. Love you xxx’

  Okay, stop freaking out, I needed to stop panicking. I glanced at my reflection in the mirror, almost stepping back for a second when I saw myself. I forgot how hot I was looking tonight. I did look good, and this look would be wasted if I did nothing about it.

  Come on, just do this, I told myself quite seriously. Just get out there, and have fun. Amber has commanded it.

  As I slid back through the bathroom door and into the party area, a hand grabbed my shoulder which made me jump.

  “Oh… hey…”

  Ryan was staring back at me with a smile. His emerald eyes sparkling, his pale skin dotted with sweet freckles, his lips pursed in my direction.

  God he was hot… so hot! He was almost irresistible.

  “Come here.” He tugged my arm and pulled me out into a hallway where no one else was standing. I glanced from side to side, a weird, terrified thrill racing up and down my spine as I waited for him to speak out once more.

  “What’s going on?” I eventually felt compelled to ask.

  “You’re so cute.” He touched my cheek, his fingers moved over my lips, and he sent bolts of electricity racing all over me. It was almost too much. All I wanted to do was lean in. There hadn’t been this chemistry in my life for a very long time. I couldn’t remember the last time someone had made me feel this way. “Can I kiss you?”

  No, of course not! I don’t even know you, plus I work for your friend. I’ve adored your friend from afar for years….

  But I didn’t say any of that, I simply nodded instead. Then Ryan’s lips crashed against mine and fireworks exploded inside my stomach. He felt so good, his hands made their way into my hair, I wanted to give myself over to him wholly. He had my heart hammering, lust trickling down into my underwear, passion flooding me.

  He felt so good against me that I was happy to forgo absolutely everything in that moment. Nothing else mattered apart from me and Ryan.

  ***

  Shit, shit, shit.

  Humiliation thumped through my body, sickness swirled in my stomach, I felt like every single giggle and whisper that floated through the office was about me and my sordid behavior at the Christmas party only just over a week before.

  Of course in reality
not a single person knew that I’d kissed Ryan. It happened quickly and discretely, we had a mental five minutes, then we went back to the party and didn’t even share another look, but I couldn’t help freaking out all the same.

  The party had not gone to plan, as I’d been constantly reminded by my wonderful best friend over the Christmas period. I hadn’t hooked up with Markus. I didn’t end up sleeping with anyone. I simply kissed a man that could potentially rock the boat of my entire life. Luckily because she felt so sorry for me she didn’t make me fork out the money, but still I had to live with the fact that I was a massive loser and I’d failed miserably.

  How the hell would Markus feel knowing that I kissed his friend? In a professional sense it was the wrong thing to do, and in a personal sense… well, how could he like me now? He would never want to be with me knowing that I’d done that. Even if there was no chance in the world of that ever happening, I didn’t like knowing that I’d wrecked my chances.

  I slid behind my desk and kept my head focused downwards, hoping that no one would even pay me a scrap of attention, but of course I wasn’t about to be so lucky.

  Why was I the unluckiest person in the world?

  “Cassie?” Markus’s tone was sharp as he called out to me, it sent an iciness up and down my spine. “Can you come into my office please? I need to speak to you about something.”

  “Erm, sure.”

  Oh God, this was it, this was the moment where I got a serious reprimand. I would probably end up losing my job anyway and I hadn’t even gotten to be with him. This wouldn’t have felt so drastic if I’d gotten what I wanted. I would know that I deserved it, but at least I’d have some damn good memories.

  I shoved the door open and tentatively took a step inside, my hands clasped tightly in front of me. I usually felt so comfortable in this room, it was like my second home in Markus’s office, but now I didn’t know where to position myself. My hands felt weird, my legs were like jelly, my pulse rate racing.