Stallion Magic

by Deborah Fletcher Mello

  Catherine stared. “Just one. If you ever deign to make a snide comment about Noah, me or our relationship again, it will be the last time you do so as an employee of Fly High. Is that understood?”

  Frederick shot Noah another harsh look before turning his gaze back toward her. With only a quick nod of his head he turned and exited the room.

  Noah shot Catherine a look. “Well, that went well.”

  She shrugged as she moved back behind her desk to her computer. “I’d say it went better than I initially expected. His feelings are hurt but he’ll get over it.”

  “Let’s hope so.”

  A dark cloud suddenly crossed Catherine’s face. She began to visibly shake and concern washed over Noah’s spirit.

  “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  She turned her computer screen in his direction. A lengthy list of email messages lined the screen, each having the same subject, the words I’M COMING FOR YOU in big bold letters.

  * * *

  Noah walked the halls of Fly High with the security guard, an elderly man everyone called Bishop. The old geezer was a wealth of information about the inner workings of the company and its employees. The two had made the rounds, checking that doors were secure and no one was where they had no business being. They also engaged in conversation, Bishop having something to say about everything.

  Bishop wished him a good night as they found themselves back at the door of Catherine’s office. He poked his head inside the door and waved. “You take care of yourself now, Miss Cat. I’ll be back around in another hour and I’ll check if you’re still here.”

  Catherine waved. “Thanks, Bishop. Tell your wife I said hello.”

  The old man nodded his gray head. “I’ll do that. Been trying to get her to make you some of her banana pudding that you like but she been having problems with her blood pressure and ain’t been feeling so good.”

  “Well, don’t you bother her about making me banana pudding. Your wife likes me and I won’t have you messing things up!” she teased.

  The old man laughed. He pointed in Noah’s direction. “Make sure the boss lady gets home safe, please.”

  Noah nodded. “Yes, sir. I will do that.”

  The two men shook hands. Noah then stood in the doorway, watching as he moved back down the hall and out of sight.

  “Anyone else still here?” Catherine asked. She stole a quick glance at her watch, noting that it was well after ten o’clock in the evening.

  He shook his head. “Just you, me, and Mr. Bishop. Frederick even hightailed it out of here early.”

  “He’s still hot with me.”

  “I don’t think so. I think he felt vindicated when I told him about the emails.”

  “You told him?”

  Noah nodded. “I had some questions about the earlier ones.”

  Catherine sighed. “I’m scared, Noah. And I really don’t scare easy. Why would someone be doing this to me?”

  He took a deep breath as he shook his head. “I don’t know. But I’m going to find out.”

  She nodded but didn’t bother to respond, her mind seeming to drift off into thought. Noah watched her, awed by her composure. Catherine’s air of authority was complemented by her generous spirit. She was enthralling and possessed a unique sense of self that few others possessed. She suddenly shifted her eyes in his direction and smiled.

  “What?” she questioned, the lines of her profile softening.

  He shook his head. “I was just thinking how beautiful you are.”

  Her smile widened, her lips parting ever so slightly as she stared back. “Are you off duty yet, Mr. Stallion?”

  “I don’t know. I’ll have to ask my boss.”

  She nodded as she rose from her seat and moved to where he stood. She gripped the front of his suit jacket with both hands as she moved against him, tilting her face upward. “You will officially be off the clock the minute you kiss me.”

  With one hand, he brushed the length of her hair from her face. His eyes danced with hers, the two studying each other intently. He leaned forward, and then hesitated before leaning forward once again, allowing his lips to dance over her cheek.

  “A kiss like that?” he whispered.

  Catherine chuckled. “Did you mean it? You have to kiss me like you really mean it.”

  He nodded, amusement dancing in his stare. This time he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. He held her tight, saying nothing as he nestled her body against his own. He dropped his face to hers, a slow descent until he met her lips, kissing her intently. Their mouths danced in perfect sync, the beat of their hearts drumming a rich, warm beat in the background. When they finally parted, both were panting heavily.

  “How was that?” Noah muttered as he trailed his tongue across the line of her lips, then kissed the tip of her nose.

  She nodded. “Oh, yeah. That’s what I’m talking about.”

  Noah laughed heartily. He shook his head as Catherine giggled with him. His gaze skated to the view outside, the building across the way illuminated so that they could see inside. Someone sat in an empty office, focused in a stack of papers that decorated a desktop.

  “Do you have blinds that you can close?” he asked, gesturing toward the glass.

  Catherine shook her head. “No, but the glass is covered with a privacy film. You can only see inside if the lights are on the highest setting. With just that desk lamp on you can’t see anything. Why?”

  Noah shrugged his shoulders slightly as he shifted his eyebrows skyward.

  Catherine’s smile pulled wide and full across her face as she read the thoughts that crossed his mind. She bit down against her lower lip as Noah moved back to the door and locked it. She watched as he moved to the windows to stare across the way and then down to the ground below. He turned toward her and gestured with his index finger.

  His come-hither stare made Catherine gasp slightly as she moved to his side. She took a breath and held it as he pushed the folders on her desk to the side. He turned, dropping both his hands against the expanse of her hips, his hands gently gliding over her lush curves. Before she realized it he’d undone the zipper to her skirt, the garment quickly falling to the floor beneath her feet. She was now standing in nothing but a cobalt-blue thong and matching bra beneath her black satin blouse. In one swift motion Noah lifted her to the desktop. The wooden surface felt chilly against the cheeks of her buttocks.

  Standing over her, Noah slowly undid the pearl-shaped buttons on her blouse, pushing the smooth fabric off her shoulders. She smiled as he unsnapped her bra, pushing it up to expose her breasts. The lush tissue stood at full attention and as he leaned forward her nipple grazed against his lips. She whimpered softly, his touch like an easy breeze. He circled the chocolate button with his tongue, gently sucking and licking one and then the other. He lavished damp, heated kisses against her skin as she cupped his face in her palms and guided him from one to the other.

  Catherine whimpered again, the lustful sound heated with passion. Her hands dropped against his shoulders, nudging him downward. He kissed a slow path down her belly, and her breathing quickened. Noah suddenly dropped his body down into her leather executive’s chair, pulling himself up between her legs as he palmed her kneecaps, his touch teasing. He looked up and met her gaze, his eyes announced his intentions.

  Catherine gasped again, a rush of air blowing past her lips as his hands eased past her parted knees, his fingers trailing heavily along her inner thighs. When his fingertips reached her sweet spot, easing past the line of her lace G-string, she purred loudly.

  “You are so wet,” Noah exclaimed, the scent of her arousal teasing his nostrils. “It feels so good.”

  She clutched her arms over her chest, her hands rubbing her breasts. “You make me wet,” she muttered as she played with her own nipples. She flicked them with her fingertips.

  Noah smiled up at her as he continued his ministrations.

  “Taste me,” Catherine said suddenly, he
r eyes wide, her voice low and husky.

  Her feminine spirit glistened with moisture beneath her neatly trimmed bush. Noah dipped his hand back in and raised two fingers to his lips, wrapping his tongue around them as he sucked them into his mouth. Her taste mixed with the lingering remnants of the spearmint gum he’d had earlier.

  Catherine heard herself gasp as she watched him. He began to kiss a damp path up her thigh, the decadent scent luring him in. “That’s it,” she murmured softly, her hands reaching out to stroke his face as he drew closer to his goal. His touch was heated and her body quivered in anticipation. She lifted her hips as he pulled at her silk undergarment and a wicked chill shot down the length of her spine.

  She purred, over and over, a growing need fueling the lust that heated her skin and the blood coursing through her veins. Her moans were more persistent, and Noah could no longer resist. His lips pressed to her sex, his tongue instinctively slipping inside the soft folds, slowly lapping at her. His hands stroked the undersides of Catherine’s thighs as his tongue began to tease and taunt her feminine spirit. He was eager to please her, lost in a state of hypnotic arousal. He reveled in the taste and feel of her, his tongue alternating between her wet lips and the rapidly swelling bud of her clit.

  Moans of her pleasure encouraged him on as her hands gripped the back of his head. Her eyes were closed, rolled back in her head. She lifted her hips from the desktop, pushing herself against his mouth. Noah lapped at her hungrily as if his life was sustained solely by the nectar flowing from her secret place, her passion and need the key that opened her to him.

  The pleasure was unending as currents of electricity shot through her. And then she was there, her back arching as she pulled him in deep with her hands on the back of his head, his hands held her firm bottom as her juices surged. Noah drank as if his life depended on it, moaning as intensely as she did. Her body quivered and shook and then she cried out, every muscle jerking as her climax rushed through, rewarding him with more of her delicious taste and scent.

  He was reluctant as he was pushed away from her sex, wanting to stay there until he could do no more. But Catherine’s grip was firm and strong, shifting him back against the cushioned seat as she clasped her knees tightly together, riding the last fringes of her orgasm.

  Catherine smiled at him, her eyes looking over Noah’s body as though she was a predator assessing her next meal. She shivered as the heat between her legs intensified with a vengeance, her body craving more. Sliding off the desk, she fumbled with his belt buckle, and then his zipper, pushing his slacks down until she freed him from his pants. His erection was full and abundant as she bounced the fullness of him against her palm.

  Noah reached into the inner pocked of his blazer, drawing his wallet into his hand. He pulled a prophylactic from an inside compartment and passed it to her. Without a word, she sheathed him quickly then eased her body into his lap and dropped herself against him.

  The ride was swift, quick and dirty. She rode him hard, slamming her body against his as her inner walls stroked him tightly. She rode him like it would be her last ride, as if his leaving her body would fracture her heart and leave her broken. She rode him fast, then slow, and then fast again. She rode him gently, then she rode him with every fiber of her being, her body bucking against him voraciously. He screamed her name, muffling the sound into her chest as she clutched his head between her breasts. She rode him until they were both spent, believing she could never again move another muscle.

  * * *

  It wasn’t quite midnight when Noah and Catherine found their way to the building’s lobby. Bishop sat at the front desk, his eyes glued on the panel of security screens. The muffled sounds from an old transistor present in the background.

  Catherine laughed, tilting her head toward Noah. “We all chipped in and bought Bishop an iPod last year but he loves that old radio.”

  Bishop nodded. “Yep! I sure do. It works good and I ain’t got to figure out all the buttons.”

  Noah laughed, giving the old man two thumbs-up.

  Catherine shook her head. “One day, Bishop, we’re going to bring you into this century. You’ll be amazed at the new technology.”

  “Little lady, I’m good right where I am. Life is simple and a man couldn’t ask for anything more. You young people like to complicate things and then you’re unhappy when it don’t work or it don’t work the way you want it to. I can’t get with all that drama. Keep it simple!”

  “You might be on to something,” she said, leaning to kiss his cheek.

  He gave her a wink of his eye, a blush of color heating his dark cheeks.

  Catherine smiled as she slipped her hand into Noah’s. “Well, you have a good night, Bishop.”

  The old man gave them both a toothy grin. “You, too, Miss Moore. Young man, you keep her safe, you hear me?” He pointed a wrinkled finger at Noah.

  Noah nodded. “Hold down the fort, Mr. Bishop. I’m counting on you.”

  “Yes, sir! I got this!”

  Chapter 10

  After a late-night meal, Noah and Catherine found themselves showered and changed and lost in piles of paperwork. Catherine had spread a host of documents across the dining-room table, and Noah was situated on the sofa reviewing a stack of reports that had crossed his desk. He had never fathomed the volume of paperwork the position entailed but he was grateful that most of it was at least interesting.

  In the distance the soft lull of a neighbor playing blues echoed around the room. The music was mournful and for the brief moment he’d bothered to focus on the lyrics, it almost saddened him. Noah let out a soft sigh as he flipped through one folder, something out of sync catching his eye. He swung his legs off the couch and sat upright. “Cat, how often do you have the flight logs audited?”

  She looked up from her own paperwork. “Annually. Why?”

  He shook his head. “Just curious,” he muttered, his eyes shifting between two documents.

  She leaned back in her seat, pulling a pair of black-rimmed reading glasses from her face. She dropped her hands into her lap. “Frederick doesn’t think it’s necessary but I use a third-party company to do the field audits. Typically, he’ll review the reports and gives me an overview.”

  “Have you ever had any problems?”

  She shook her head. “There was only one time something was red-flagged. But that was a few years ago. The pilot’s logs didn’t match. Apparently, he was fudging his flight hours and taking the plane places we weren’t aware of. The system was done manually back then and too much was being recorded by hand. That’s what triggered me to computerize all of our systems. I knew I needed a better system of checks and balances in place. Hasn’t been a problem since.”

  Noah nodded. A blanket of silence filled the space between them as he pondered what he needed and how he would achieve his plan. “I want to fly down to the Texas hub tomorrow,” he said finally, still staring at the documents in his hand.

  “Did you find something? What’s wrong?” Catherine questioned. She rose from her seat, moving in his direction.

  “It may be nothing but I want to check it out. I don’t want to raise any alarms just yet, especially if it turns out that I’m wrong.” He lifted his gaze to hers.

  Catherine stood staring at him, reflecting on his words. She trusted him, so she didn’t need to ask him anything else. She nodded. “I’ll send Marvin a text and have him arrange a flight first thing in the morning. Will you need to stay overnight?”

  Noah shook his head. “No. I should be able to come back tomorrow night.”

  “Good.” She smiled, extending her hand toward him. “Because I would miss you. Are you ready to go to bed?”

  Smiling back he entwined his fingers between hers. “I’m ready when you are.”

  “Good, because I’m exhausted and you need to sing me to sleep again.”

  Noah chuckled softly. “I can do that.”

  As they turned off the lights and headed toward the bedroom, one las
t thought crossed Noah’s mind.

  “Yes?” Catherine asked as he called her name.

  “Don’t tell Frederick where I’m going or why.”

  Catherine stared at him for a moment before she nodded her assent.

  * * *

  “Where’s Stallion?” Frederick snapped as he stomped into the conference room.

  Catherine lifted her eyes from the spreadsheets that lay across the conference room table. “Good morning to you, too,” she responded.

  Frederick took a deep breath. “Sorry. Good morning.”

  “Now, what’s the problem?” she said, gracing him with a half smile.

  “I wanted to talk to Noah. To see where we are with those email threats you received. I stopped by the Marriott hotel, but they said he checked out two days ago. His secretary said he didn’t come in this morning but she doesn’t know where he is. So I thought you might know.”

  She nodded as she gestured for him to take a seat. “He’s doing something for me to prepare for Monday. He’ll be back in the office tomorrow.”

  Catherine could see Frederick’s mind racing. He wanted to ask what Noah was doing for her but he didn’t. Instead, he shifted his eyes to her face, tossing her a hint of a smile.

  “I was just reviewing these final numbers,” she said. “Everything appears to be in order. We should do very well next week.”

  Frederick nodded. “I’m glad I can share this experience with you, Cat. You know how much you mean to me.”

  “I do, which is why I want to apologize to you for overreacting the other day. I know that you were only trying to protect the company and me. But I can’t have you doing things behind my back. I can’t run this company successfully if I have to be concerned about the people I trust going off in their own direction, doing things that aren’t conducive to the vision I have for my business. I need to trust you fully.”

  Frederick nodded his head vehemently. “Cat, of course you can trust me. I’d never...”