Winter

by Michelle Love

He’s in front of me, getting between me and the door before I can make it out. “Wait, I’m going to order us a bottle of wine. I really do want to talk to you.”

  “I can’t have anything else to drink,” I say as I huff.

  “Because the master told you not to?” he asks as he picks up the phone in the room. “One bottle of red wine and two glasses please. Make it the best you have.”

  I’m angry he’s said such a thing and glare at him. “No, not because Damien told me not to. Because I don’t want to get tipsy around you.”

  “Don’t trust yourself, huh?” he asks as he takes off his jacket then his tie. I watch him unbutton the top few buttons and stop breathing. “I have to ask this, as it’s been biting at my mind since you walked into the bar tonight. Do you have on any panties?”

  “Ryker!”

  “What? I have to know. It’s killing me not to know.” He kicks off his shoes then sits on the bed and takes off his black socks. “So, do you think people on Mars will feel the same thing when they have sex that we do on Earth? I’m dying to feel that. The gravity is different, so the sex has to feel different too.”

  “Is your mind always in the gutter?” I ask with a laugh.

  A knock at the door signals the wine is here and I should be going. But I sit on the edge of the bed, instead. Not really knowing why, but I just don’t get up.

  Ryker answers the door and thanks the man for the things then closes the door and locks it. I watch the way he moves with fluid motions, taking the wine and glasses to the small table. He opens the wine then I see him taking his shirt off.

  Averting my eyes, I find my body burning. “I should leave. You want to get comfortable. I’ll leave you to that.”

  “I do want to get comfortable. I’ve been in monkey-suits all day.” His pants drop, leaving him in loose boxers and I can’t breathe any more.

  His body is tan and toned and hot as hell. “You know, Ryker. You won’t have any trouble finding yourself a woman on Mars. You’ll be fine.”

  Walking into the bathroom, he comes back with a fluffy white robe on and tosses another one to me. “Get comfortable with me, Gia.”

  Shaking my head, I get up and go sit on the small sofa in the corner of the room. “I don’t think so, Ryker.”

  He laughs as he goes to pour the wine into the glasses and comes to sit right next to me, instead of across from me on the other sofa. “Here you go, Gia. I was talking to some of my food engineers today and they told me it would be great to get to work with you.”

  “I’m going back to Russia with Damien.”

  “I know that. I’m only asking you to brainstorm with them about some ideas they have. Damien will be at the office too. You can come with him, get a consulting fee from my company and help out the space program. Please.” He looks at me like a little kid, asking for a lollipop.

  “If Damien says, I can then I will.”

  His cute face turns hard in an instant. “I hate that, Gia. I fucking hate that!”

  “What?”

  “You can make your own decisions. You just don’t. Do you want to do this or not? It’s as simple as that. Don’t tell me a fucking thing about Damien. Tell me if you want to do it or not!”

  His face is red and I can’t believe how mad he is over what I’ve said. “I want to. You don’t seem to understand. Damien doesn’t like me in his business.”

  “This doesn’t have a thing to do with him. This is a consulting deal between you and Apollo Engineering. You want it or not?” He gets up and when he does, his robe opens and he takes it off, tossing it on the other sofa. “That thing’s too hot.”

  “I think your temper has made it that way, not the robe. I can’t answer you right now about if I’ll do that or not. I have to talk to Damien about it.”

  “Then take out your phone and call him.” He goes to get my clutch purse off the bed and brings it to me.

  “Pushy much?” I take my purse and pull out my cell.

  “Pushed around much?” he counters. “And, for the record, you calling him is even pissing me off. You shouldn’t have to ask him if you can use your fucking brain.”

  I stop trying to get my phone out as what he’s saying resonates in my head. “I shouldn’t, should I? I’ll do it, Ryker. And thanks.”

  His sigh is over the top and the next thing I know, he has me in his arms and is hugging me. “Finally!”

  RYKER

  After breaking through to her, I find her eyes are beginning to open to what she’s allowed to happen to her, so I dig in and forge ahead. “Go to your room, change out of that tight dress, get comfortable in whatever you want and come back, so we can talk.”

  She looks at me for the longest time before she says, “Promise me you won’t make any moves on me.”

  “Not unless you ask me to,” I say as I raise my two fingers. “Scouts honor.”

  She gets up and walks to the door then turns back to me. “Were you even a scout?”

  Shaking my head, I laugh and watch her leave my room. Gia is beautiful inside and out. Her mind is being wasted and I find that the worst kind of negligence. She was given a gift for the world, and it’s being squashed because of one man and her willingness to do whatever he says to.

  After fifteen minutes, I get worried that she’s not coming back and get up to go bang on her door. As I open the door, I find her with her little fist raised to knock. “Oh, there you are. I was about to come get you.”

  She rolls her eyes as she comes in. “I had to use the bathroom.”

  “Okay, too much information,” I say with a chuckle.

  I put the robe back on, so she doesn’t have to be distracted by my body while we talk. But she’s distracting the shit out of me with a cute pajama set with teddy bears all over it. It’s silky and looks soft and I want to run my hands all over her body but I won’t.

  Sitting down across from her on the opposite sofa, I lean up and push her glass of wine to her. “Here you go, Gia. Now tell me how you came up with this nutrient packed capsule of yours.”

  She picks up the glass and takes a sip. “It’s not mine anymore.” I watch her go into another place in her head and want to stop her from doing that.

  “Ignore that fact. Just tell me how you went about making that. It’s a great idea, you know. I want to know what made you think it up.” I take a drink of my wine and see her face change with her thoughts.

  She’s so delicate, mentally speaking. I would blame Damien for it all, only she has her part in it too. She allows it.

  He’s not a mean man. He’s not threatening to her. He is overbearing but she could handle him if she wanted to. There’s not a doubt in my mind. She’s handling me and I’m hard to handle!

  “It all started when I read a paper on nutrition and how our bodies need certain things. Supplements can keep us going when food can’t be ingested,” she says.

  “And having enough food for the trip and when we first get there is going to be hard to do for such a high number of people,” I add.

  “Yes, exactly.” She sips her wine and looks at me with wide eyes. “If a person consumes normal foods every fourth day, the supplement can be taken three times, every eight hours, for three days and no negative effects were found. I need to do more testing and where animals are concerned there’s all the testing to do. And we need this for animals too. If I could just work on the project, I know I could get it done.”

  “Okay, so you sold the rights to that particular supplement to Markov Global. Are there slight changes you could make in a new product that would allow us to get another patent? We could make it in a pill form or even a powdered form that could be added to water. It’s not the exact same and we could leave your name out of the patent, to make sure you couldn’t get sued over it.”

  Her chest rises and falls, rapidly as she looks excited. “We could do this in secret?”

  “We could. No one needs to know that you and I are working together on this. And you would get the money paid to you unde
r consulting, instead of engineering.”

  Her eyes go back and forth as she thinks about what I’m offering her. “I could stay in Russia and work with you online.”

  “If you wanted to.” I take a drink and think about how to word the next thing. “As a consultant, I could have you flown in once a month to consult with my company. Put you up in a nice hotel, you know, the usual we do for all of our consultants.”

  Her cheeks go pink as she gets excited. “I could do that, couldn’t I? I have to leave Russia several times a year anyway. And Damien will never marry me to make me a citizen. I could come here to consult. And I could bring new ideas too.” Then her face falls. “He’d want my new ideas, Ryker. I know he would.”

  “Our information has to be kept secret. You will be under a contract not to talk about anything we talk about in our consultations with you. Especially anyone in the space industry. Surely, he’d understand that.”

  “And surely, he won’t want me to do this,” she says then takes a drink. “Thanks for the opportunity but I can’t.”

  Getting up, I slam my glass on the table between us and go to her, taking her by the shoulders, pulling the glass out of her hand, and making her get up. “You need to see something.”

  I take her to the bathroom and stand in front of the long mirror. “What are you doing?” she asks as she looks at me in the mirror.

  “Don’t look at me. Watch yourself. Watch your reactions. Answer this question. Do you want to use your brain?”

  “Of course,” she says but her eyes go to mine in the reflection of us.

  “Look into your own eyes, Gia. Do you want to make a difference in this world, using the brain you were given to do such a thing?”

  “I do,” she says as she looks into her eyes.

  “Gia, do you think anyone has the right to ask you not to help others with your brain?”

  I catch her eyes falling away. “No.”

  “Look at yourself!”

  Her eyes dart back to meet her reflection. “Why do I look like that?”

  “I think it’s because you’ve made an idea in your head that you have to be weak where Damien is concerned. His hold on you, with the money he’s giving your family, is making you give into him. I don’t even think he wants you to give into every little thing he asks of you. You do it on your own.”

  “Do you really think so?” she asks me as she turns around.

  “I do. And I think you need to practice doing what you want to.” My hand moves up her arm, over her shoulder, and I take the back of her neck, holding her still. Her eyes dart back and forth as I hold her steady and ease my lips toward hers. “Do you want this?”

  She looks at me with wide eyes as our mouths are so close, we’re exchanging breaths. “Not while I’m still with him, I don’t. I’m not that type of person.”

  I back away and let her go as she’s told me what I needed to hear. She does want me. She just has to make a decision. And I can help her make it.

  GIA

  His touch is amazing. He is amazing. And I am in a relationship that I know is going to end.

  Yes, it’s going to end with me having a lot of money but it is going to end!

  “Why are you bothering with me, Ryker?” I ask him as we stand toe to toe in his bathroom.

  “Because I see inside of you. I see a scared woman who needs to stop being afraid. I know I have a lot of money and my family has always been wealthy, since before I was born. But money isn’t everything.”

  “It brings security,” I say as I search his dark eyes for more.

  He steps back, and I feel the absence of his energy. He takes my hand and leads me back to the sofa but he stops and leads me over to the bed. I hesitate as he sits down, pulling me to stand between his legs. Then I move in between them as he looks at me on my level.

  “If your family saw you this way, would they still want you to continue what you’re doing?”

  “You know I’ve stayed away from them, just so they wouldn’t see me like this, don’t you?” I ask him as he moves his hands up and down my arms.

  He nods and I look down. “What would they say to you, if they knew?”

  “They’d tell me to stop. They’d tell me they could handle things on their own. But I want to give them more. I have an opportunity most never get.”

  He touches my chin and smiles at me. “Gia, you were given an opportunity most never get when you got that brilliant mind. I want to see you use it. I bet that’s a real thing of beauty.”

  I can see myself falling for this man. This man who sees in me something no one else has. But this man, who is sitting on this bed, wants more than to see me work my mind. He wants me to work my body for him too.

  “If I consult for you, do you promise to stop chasing after me?”

  “No,” he says, bluntly.

  I smile with his honesty. “I see.”

  “But I will keep our work connection, professional. If you want me to.” He grins and tickles my chin.

  “It would be very nice to be treated professionally again. It’s been three years. I’ve missed it.” I run my hands through his dark waves and knew they’d be this soft. “For the record, I find you attractive.”

  “And you love me,” he says then chuckles.

  “You love me,” I say with a giggle. “But I am with another man and I’m…”

  “Not a cheater,” he interrupts me. “I got it. I’m just happy you’re going to work with me. I’ll try not to dance around when you tell Damien about it.”

  “Yes, please try to contain that joy.” I step back away from him as he’s just too comfortable to be with. “I should go to bed. Apparently, I’ll need to be using my brain the remainder of my time here.”

  “That you will, Gia.” When I turn to walk away, I feel a slap on my ass and spin around as I gasp. “I had to. It was right there. I promise to behave at work.”

  Shaking my finger at him, I back away to the door and give him a wave before I leave. “Good night, rogue.”

  “Good night, ravenous. I’ll see you in my dreams.”

  My heart stops as I think about the dreams I’ve been having about him and they’re sure to be glorious tonight. I hope Damien doesn’t come back tonight. I can relish the dreams, for once.

  Leaving his room, I make my way across the hallway and go inside the room to find Damien watching the door. “And where have you been?” He holds up my cell phone then drops it on the bed.

  Well fuck!

  RYKER

  The air is fresh and I’ve never felt more enthusiastic than I do today. I got up at the crack of dawn and went to work out at the gym. I keep a suit there, just in case of overnight stays in town and am striding into my office, ready to see Gia and start this thing with her.

  I can’t wait to see her in action. I know she has to be even more gorgeous when her brain is firing those neurons, creating great ideas, and forging the future.

  A temp is at my receptionist’s desk and I wave a hello to her and stride on by then turn around. “I’m expecting a Mr. Markov and a Miss Flynn soon. Send them in as soon as they get here, please.”

  “Yes, sir.” She makes a note of the names and I walk into my office with a grin on my face that won’t go away.

  I see Bridget, waiting in my office and am reminded that I need to make her useful elsewhere. “Good morning, Bridget.”

  “How’d it go, Mr. Crawford?” she asks as she pulls my chair out and stands behind it.

  “Well. I’d like to ask you about something and I need you to be honest with me.” I take the seat and find her trying to sit on my lap. “No, no.” I gesture to the seat on the other side of the desk.

  She looks a little bewildered as it is Friday and we do usually start the day with a bit of play but not today, or ever again. Now that I know she’s not into it at all and only doing it because she’s paid to.

  “Honest about what, sir?” she asks as she takes a seat.

  “What would you like to do wi
th your professional life?” I ask her and see her mind go blank.

  “This.”

  “No,” I say. “You see, this is no longer an option.”

  “Is it because I’m bi?” she asks with a frown.

  “No, it’s because I have a conscience and I don’t want this to go on any longer. I’m not going to fire you. I want to know what else you’d like to do here.”

  “I can type, I guess. I could do that. You don’t like the way I…”

  I hold up my hand to stop her. “It’s not that. I promise you. So, you can type. I can put you into data entry. I’ll make the call and you can get over there today and start. It’ll be the same pay and everything. Okay?”

  “Well, yes, sir. I guess so. Are you sure you no longer need my services?” She looks at me with a blank expression. “Did that Gia woman become your girlfriend?”

  “No, it’s not about her. It is and it isn’t. Anyway, get your butt down to the third floor and ask for Cindy. She’ll get you going.” I pick up the phone as she leaves my office and find her turning around.

  “Thanks, Mr. Crawford. You really are a good guy.”

  I give her a thumbs up and make the call to our data entry department. “Cindy, I’m sending my personal assistant, Bridget, to you. Put her to work in your department. Her pay will stay the same, so don’t bother with payroll. Treat her well, please.”

  After a promise that she will, I hang up and find my intercom buzzing. “Mr. Markov to see you, sir.”

  “Send him in.” I jump up and go to open my door and great them. When I open it, I only see Damien. “Where’s Gia?”

  “Not coming. You and I need to set some ground rules.” He moves past me and walks into my office as I stand, stunned.

  I close the door and go to sit down as he’s already planted his ass in a chair. “Is she okay?”

  “Why in the hell would you think it’s okay to have her in your hotel room?” he asks me.

  “We were talking business,” I say, as it’s true.

  “In her pajamas?” He looks at me, like he’s looking right through me.