As her sisters come in, bringing platters of food with them, I watch Gia as she starts to get up to help. I touch her arm as I say, “You’re with us.”
She nods and looks down and smooths out the skirt of her uniform. “I keep forgetting.”
“You’ll get used to it,” I tell her and then I realize my hand is still on her thigh and I move it.
And I have to get used to treating her with the same respect I treat everyone else who works for me in a professional sense. Nancy gives me a pat on the back after she places the platter she carried, on the table. “Morning, Ryker. How’d you sleep?”
“Like a baby, Nancy,” I say and find Gia gasping. I turn to look at her. “What’s that for?”
“It’s just that you knew that one was Nancy. Not many people can tell my twin sisters apart,” she says as she looks a little stunned.
“I’m not most people,” I remind her.
She nods and Nancy says, “Damien has never been able to tell us apart.”
With a nod, I get her reaction now and am not surprised to hear that at all. Leaning over I whisper, “Has he called you?”
Shaking her head, she whispers, “I told him not to while I’d be working. He distracts me.”
“That he does,” I agree. “Smart of you, Miss Flynn.”
“I thought so,” she says then she ventures further as she looks around the long table at the other members of the team. “How do you all put your relationships out of your mind to do your work?”
“I don’t have one,” one of the younger guys says as he laughs. “That’s my secret.”
“I don’t put mine out of my mind,” Tabitha says as she looks at Tony who is sitting across the table from her. She gives him a wink. “But while we’re working, I treat him like the coworker he is.”
Tony smiles at her and winks back. “Vice-versa.”
“I had no idea about you two,” Gia says and I find her eyes going to me. Then she looks away.
I caught that look. The one that says, maybe that could be us someday. And I think it could be if she’d ditch the man who’s keeping her for his own selfish reasons.
“There are quite a few couples in our industry who are in working relationships with their better halves. They all maintain professionalism while at work,” Sandra tells Gia.
“I see that now,” Gia says.
Nancy chimes in, “Gia’s boyfriend doesn’t think that way. He’s kept her cooped up.”
Gia blushes and looks angrily at the table in front of her, I’m sure she’s furious at her sister for revealing too much about her personal situation. But Sandra saves her by saying, “Well, she’s out of the coop now. Miss Flynn is going nowhere near that coop anymore, we won’t let her.”
Gia’s blush disappears as she realizes her coworkers like her and like working with her. A smile moves over her face as she says, “You guys are great. I have no want to go back to the coop. And I won’t be.”
My heart does a bit of a dance as I wonder what that really means. Is she done with him?
Everyone begins to make their plates, passing around the platters but all I can think about it what Gia is talking about. If she’s dumping him, I’m going to throw a party!
“So, are we going to that co-op after breakfast?” Sandra asks Gia.
“If you want to, we can,” she says then turns to look at me. “I’m sorry, unless you have other things you want us to do, Mr. Crawford.”
“No, that’ll be fine. Find your niche and explore it. That’s what we’re here to do. Figure out things then go back into the office on Monday and share our ideas and how we can put them all into action,” I say then take a bite of bacon.
“Monday?” she asks and I nod. “I’ll just make sure the other women have my notes. I have to leave for Russia on Monday morning.”
I nearly choke on the bacon as I thought she just said she wouldn’t be cooped up anymore. She pats me on the back as I cough then she picks up my juice glass and hands it to me. “You should drink this.”
Taking the glass from her, I take a sip to calm myself. “That bacon went down the wrong way.”
She smiles, clueless as to why I had the choking fit. “You should chew more,” she says then turns her attention back to her plate.
I’m not sure how to ask her without sounding whiny. With her, I can’t always trust my voice to come out with authority the way I can with everyone else. So, I keep my question to myself, for now.
With breakfast finished, we all go our separate ways but not before I tell everyone to meet right back at this table for lunch at noon to discuss what we’ve accomplished.
As we all walk toward the front door, I find Gia walking next to me at the back of the pack and place my hand on her arm. “Can we talk sometime today? Alone?”
She looks at me with a bit of worry in her expression. “You sure that’s a good idea?”
“Not really,” I say. “But I need to talk to you.”
“After lunch?” she asks me.
I nod and we get out the door, parting ways as she and two of the women go with her on their fact-finding mission. I follow her father with the rest of the team to check out the soil.
Her head is held high, her confident demeanor is radiant, and she is still going to leave this all behind her and go back to Russia with the man who took this all away from her in the first place.
The thought goes flitting through my head that I could easily stop that. She told me she thought I was going to tell the media what I know about Damien’s son to have a power over her. Which I know I could do.
But should I do that to get her to make the right decisions? Or would that make me just as bad as Damien is?
“Ryker,” her father calls out to me. “Come here, son. You’re the only man I trust with something this precious of mine.”
He’s talking about one of his many tractors but his words bring back into my mind that Gia is also a thing he holds precious to him and I decide to let her make her own choices without my interference.
If this is meant to be then Gia will come to her senses and decide to stay. Maybe I need to commend her more to make her see just how essential she really is to us.
Maybe I need to let her know that she has me in more ways than one.
GIA
The day was so full and busy that Ryker and I never had a free moment to talk about whatever it was he wanted to talk about. And even though I know this is most likely going to test my self-discipline, I’m heading to his bedroom to see if he still wants to talk to me.
With a quick tap on his door, I whisper, “Ryker?”
The door opens and he’s standing there in just his PJ bottoms, looking sexy as hell and I turn around to leave. If I stay, I’ll throw myself into his arms! His hand on my shoulder stops me. “What did you want?”
“Um, uh,” My train of thought went right out the window as my libido took over. “Never mind.”
Gently, he pulls me into his room and closes the door. “Gia, what is it?”
“Could you put your shirt on? You’re very distracting,” I say then close my eyes, so I can’t see him anymore as heat courses through my entire body, settling in the intimate area, I’d like to see him be a part of.
He chuckles with a deep sound and moves away from me. “There, you can open your eyes now.”
I sigh as I feel both relief and sadness at the same time as I see he’s put the pajama top on. “Thank you. I’m trying hard to make changes in myself. I don’t want sex to rule me, where you’re concerned.”
“We haven’t had sex,” he reminds me.
“Yeah, I know that. It’s just,” I stop and shake my head. “Let’s talk about something else. What did you want to talk to me about, this morning at breakfast? We never had time to talk.”
He takes my hand and pulls me along with him then sits on the bed and I have to sit next to him. “I’m feeling concerned about you. You seem to be very happy doing this with us, yet you plan on going back to Russia.
I told you all the company would do for you and you want to leave, anyway. I know you have your deal with Damien. Here’s the thing. He can’t make you go with him. You have options, where he’s concerned. You can keep your deal with him about his money and you can make appearances in Russia to do that, while still working with us.”
“He’d never go for that,” I say as I know he won’t.
“He would if I told him to. I think you know that,” he says as he takes my chin in his hand. “But I would only play that card if you wanted me to. I’d much rather you take the option of letting him and his money go. You see, your family will have financial security with this project. If we can make fuel out of what your family grows, they will make a ton of money. And so will you. My scientists are some of the top paid people in this industry. Gia, you are qualified to get that huge pay too.”
“His son,” I say and know he doesn’t care about that at all.
“I get it. I do,” he says. “But he really isn’t your concern.”
I nod and know he’s not my concern. “Ryker, you might think I’m crazy but I’m afraid. I’m afraid things might not work out in this industry.”
“Things will work out in this industry. That aside, Gia, there are no promises in any world. There are always gambles. It’s the people who work hard and can accommodate themselves in any situation, who have fruitful lives. And I want you to know that I have more to offer you than just a career. I want you to know that you have me too. If you want me, that is. If you want time alone, I can give you that too.”
“I have you?”
He nods. “You hold my heart in your hands, Gia. I’ll walk through fire for you.”
“You would?” I ask as I’ve never known a man who’d do or say that. As he nods and moves in close, I recall that he’s leaving when he can and I put my finger up to his lips. “But you will leave me.”
He sighs and stops trying to kiss me. “We can see what the future holds. I want to go to Mars and you don’t. But what about our time here? What about we take this time and see what happens?”
“I’ll tell you what will happen. I will never want to leave and you will. End of story. And when you go, there is every chance your company will begin to decline and all who work for it will go broke. Now, I’m not saying I might not change my mind someday about Damien and his money. As a matter of fact, he and I have had a parting of the sexual ways and there may be more parting to come.”
He stops me with his finger on my lips as he asks, “You two aren’t having sex anymore?”
“Thanks to you,” I say and give him a smile. “And I’d like to say, thanks, to you for that. I haven’t wanted him at all since I found out he cheated on me this whole time. But he was adamant that we would continue with our physical relationship too. Once you threatened him, his tune changed quick and in a hurry.”
“What does he think?” he asks me. “I mean, what does he really think?”
“He thinks you’re holding his secret over him. He told me I was to make nice with you and do anything you say to.” I watch him go pale and he moves to the floor on his knees and takes my hands.
“Gia, I never want you to think you ever have to do a thing with or for me. I really only meant that threat to get him to let me talk to you. I’d never threaten you with a thing. I swear that to you.”
Taking one of my hands out of his, I run it through his hair. “I know that now. I didn’t ever think you’d do such a thing. I know you’re a better man than that. But you know Damien isn’t a man to be argued with. He told me that he knew you’d want me to have sex with you and he told me I had to do it if you asked for it. Then he said he couldn’t touch me if he knew you did, so he wouldn’t be touching me anymore. Which is great with me.”
“Let him go, Gia,” Ryker says with a tremble to his voice. “Please. I don’t care if you want me or not. Just let that man go. I can’t imagine anyone telling a person they care for to have sex with anyone, to save their own ass.”
“And I am seriously considering it. But I must go back to Russia this time around. I have to see how things are. I have to do this for me. For my sanity.”
“Are you, at the very least, telling me you won’t be having sex with him?” he asks me as he stays on his knees.
“If you don’t mind it,” I say. “I’m thinking I’m going to tell him that we did have sex, just so he’ll stay with that idea of not touching me.”
He laughs and says, “That’s cool with me. Just so you know, though. You and I aren’t going to be doing a thing unless you and he are over.”
“You know something, Ryker, I thought you were just being controlling at first. But I can see now that you’re deep. You’re so deep that you’re not looking to do a thing except help me be me again. And for that, I have tremendous respect for you. So much respect that I’d never want to be with you without ending things with Damien first.”
His eyes close and he lets out a breath as he takes my hands and holds them to his heart. “You have no idea how good that is to hear, Gia.” When his eyes open I can see how glassy they are and it makes my insides melt.
“You do love me, don’t you?” I ask him as I can nearly see the love that glows around him.
“I do,” he says with a nod. “And I’ve never known this kind of love before. Gia, everything I’ve done lately, is for you. There’s not a thing I’ve done without you at the forefront of my mind. That’s how come I know that something will work out for us in the long run. I have not one fear about that.”
“My only real fear is that you will try your best to bend and shape me into doing and being what it is you want,” I tell him, finally being honest with myself.
He looks down as if contemplating what I’ve said. When he looks back up at me, he says, “You may well be right.”
Biting my lip, I know I’m right. “So, you see, there’s not a hell of a lot different between the two of you.”
“No, you’re wrong,” he says as his grip on my hands grows tighter. “You see, I will never force you and I will always keep watch over you. If I think you’re caving to me, I will stop what I’m doing. I want you to do whatever it is you want in this life. But I want us to spend at least a piece of this lifetime we have, together.”
“That’s almost like a proposal, Ryker. A very sweet and honest proposal and I wish like hell I had my shit together already. But I don’t.”
He nods and lets my hands go then gets up and stands in front of me. “So, I will be waiting for you until you come to me or tell me not to wait anymore. In the meantime, I will keep you to your contract with Apollo Engineering. I get you for a week out of each month. So, you go on back to Russia if you want to but I will see that gorgeous face at least once a month.”
With a smile, I get up and make my way to the door. “If I was completely out of this thing with Damien right now, I’d be all over your ass, Ryker. You’re caring ways have me flowing hot.”
“Then you better hurry your hot ass out of here and lock your door because it’s taking everything I have to hold myself back from throwing you over my shoulder and taking you to the bed and showing you just what you mean to me.”
I giggle but when I turn back around to look at him, I can see that lustful look in his eyes and the laughter stops. “Oh, you’re for real!”
“I’m for real. Run, baby,” he growls and starts moving toward me.
Part of me wants to run right into his arms but the part of me with what’s left of any morals that are trying to come back to the surface, turns and I go out the door, run to my bedroom and lock the door behind me.
Falling back on the closed and locked door, I laugh then hear a thud on the door behind me and the door knob wiggles. “Damn!” I hear him say.
Resting my head on the door, I want to open it more than I’ve wanted anything. “Goodnight,” I whisper.
Then I know he’s still there as he whispers back, “Goodnight, Gia. Can I hear you tell me the words?”
“I love
you, Ryker.”
“Yes,” he hisses. “And I love you, Gia. With my whole heart and soul, I love you. Make the right decisions, baby. Make the right ones with me in mind, please.” Then his steps can be heard, walking away and I walk to my bed.
Sleep might come or it might evade me but one thing is certain, I have to make some drastic changes to my life. For my sanity and Ryker’s, my mind has to be made up and that has to happen sooner rather than later.
Part 6 - The Departure
GIA
Stepping off one jet to get right back onto another, I look over my shoulder to find Ryker wearing a frown on his handsome face. Looking forward, I see Damien has stepped out onto the stairs to look for me.
Sandra and Tabitha come up on either side of me, Sandra whispers “You hurry back to us, Gia. We really need you.”
Tabitha pats me on the back. “You’re the major brain in our trio, Gia. Please do hurry back to us.”
“Gia,” Damien shouts as he waves at me. “Come, we need to be on our way.”
“I’ll try,” I tell them as I quicken my steps to get to Damien.
“Gia!” comes a shout from Ryker as he hurries to get to me. I jerk my head in Damien’s direction to see what he thinks about this and find him frowning. “I need to tell you one more thing before you leave us.”
I stop and wait for Ryker to get to me and find him taking my hands in his and looking at me with more than a bit of fear in his dark eyes. “Ryker, you know this is going to get me into trouble with Damien.”
“Good,” he says then grins. “Gia, I want you to be confident. I’m not going to ever use the information I know about Damien’s son. Don’t let that affect your decisions. No matter what Damien thinks, I’m not that kind of person.”
“That’s great to hear, Ryker. For the record, I knew you weren’t.”
“Gia, promise me you’ll come back soon.” He looks into my eyes and I see the worry in them.
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