When we walked back through the office, everything seemed a little quieter than usual. Maybe everyone else had pigged out at lunch too, I thought. No, that was probably just me. Lucy's office was a few over from mine. Just as my door was closing behind me, I heard her foul mouth.
“Later, bitch.”
Then I heard him.
“Lucy.”
That was our boss. I couldn't help the laugh that escaped me as I fell into my chair and let my head fall back. A huge yawn followed, and I knew if I closed my eyes for one second, someone would find me in that same position snoring hours later. I lifted my head and threw my stuff in my drawer before shaking the mouse on my laptop to bring it back to life.
As soon as I saw the email, I instantly got a nervous feeling in my stomach. It was from the head of the company. Sure, he was always around, but my emails normally came from my boss. It was letting me, as well as everyone else, know that there was a meeting scheduled in the afternoon right before most of us would normally leave for the day. In the time I'd worked there, there had never been a company wide meeting. I picked up my phone and called Lucy.
“What is this?” I asked.
“I have no idea,” she said. “I've only been to one other company wide meeting. It was just letting us know where the company stood.”
“It must be something huge,” I said.
“Maybe we're all getting raises,” she said.
That was one thing about Lucy, she could make a joke out of anything.
“Come on,” I said. “You work in finance. You know that's bullshit.”
“We just wait and see,” she said. “I guess I'll see you there. I think I'll take a nap until then.”
“You are such a dork,” I said before hanging up on her.
Lucy never took anything serious. I was on pins and needles and she was probably dancing around her office. My mood darkened slowly as the afternoon went on and the meeting inched closer. What could they want to talk to all of us about? What could be that big of a deal?
Chapter 3
Carrie
Lucy was standing in my doorway with a huge smile on her face five minutes before the meeting was supposed to start. I shook my head as she loudly bounced into my space.
“Come on,” she said. “We need to see what all this is about. Maybe they're giving us more vacation time? That would be awesome.”
“What if it's something bad?” I asked. “How can you stand here with that huge smile not knowing what it's about?”
“No matter what it is, it could be much worse,” she joked. “You have to look on the bright side.”
“I don't know about that,” I said, as I stood up and walked by her.
“It definitely could be,” she said.
For a split second, I could have sworn I saw sadness in her eyes, but the look left just as quickly as it had shown up.
Lucy plopped down into one of the chairs in the conference room before pulling me down beside her. I watched as my boss walked quietly through the door. He didn't look in our direction or anywhere else for that matter. He sat down and stared at the pen and paper he had brought in with him.
I leaned over closer to Lucy.
“It can't be anything financial. We would already know,” I whispered.
“Yep,” she said. “It's probably just something stupid. Don't worry about it.”
I took a deep breath but couldn't get beyond the nervous feeling that had taken up residence in the pit of my stomach.
When the head of the company walked in with such a serious look on his face, I think Lucy even believed it wasn't going to be a happy meeting.
Once everyone was seated, he began to speak and I began to realize that my worry was valid.
The company had been sold. There was going to be a transition period during the exchange of ownership. We would all be keeping our jobs during that transition. If for some reason, the new owner did not see us as someone that would be staying, we would be offered a severance package during our exit. He went on to say that it was a good move for the company, and he felt the new owner would work to keep the company alive. He seemed happy that the new owner had some very strong connections with the sports world. I wasn't feeling so positive.
He gave us a chance to ask questions, but he didn't seem to have very many answers. It was all happening pretty quickly he said. They weren't sure yet on all of the details but wanted to let us know something as soon as they knew. He said it would be at least a few months of transitioning, and we were all definitely safe during that time.
I felt like I was going to be sick, and for once, Lucy was actually quiet beside me. She would be right back to her normal self within minutes. I knew she wouldn't let any of it bother her for too long. She didn't have responsibilities like I did.
As soon as we walked out of the meeting, my boss let his team leave for the day. It was only thirty minutes early, but they were definitely minutes I needed to myself. I hadn't even waited for Lucy before I exited the building and was on my way. There was no way I could deal with her care-free attitude at that moment. What was I going to do if they let me go, I wondered? I knew I could always go back to my parents, but I didn't want to have to do that. Maybe they would keep me. Why would they want to bring in other people when we already knew about the business? Would they want to bring in their own team? Oh shit! What would I do?
Chapter 4
Carrie
I went home, made dinner, and continued on almost as if I were on autopilot. It was like I was moving without thinking about anything I was doing. All I could think about was the sale of the company and what would happen to those of us that worked there. Would the new owner or owners be nice and considerate, or would they be evil and throw us out like we never mattered? I couldn't imagine who had actually bought the company. It wasn't doing as well as it had in the past, that was for sure. I had so many ideas on things we could do to make it more profitable, but they had fallen on deaf ears. Maybe the sale had been in the works and that was why they hadn't bothered to listen to me. I guess it didn't matter anyway. We would all be on pins and needles waiting to see what the new owner decided to do. He did say if they let us go, we would at least get a severance package. That didn't do anything to ease my mind though. I wasn't sure I would be able to find something else in the same area. It was possible that I would have to move back home. Maybe I would just do what I did to get that job. I'd put resumes out everywhere and hope that someone called me. Just the thought of moving my entire life again was exhausting. It truly was.
I'd moved to Pennsylvania to get out of Michigan. It was what I needed. It was a fresh start. It was good for everyone. Even almost a year later, he was still consuming my thoughts and dreams. Being that far away didn't help, but I was making new friends and trying my best to have a life free of him. You would think after ten years of being apart he would have been out of my mind, but he wasn't.
I'd just put on my comfortable pajama bottoms and a tank top and was in the middle of picking things up and putting them away when I heard a knock on my door. I wasn't expecting anyone so I figured they were knocking on the wrong apartment door. I should have known, it was kind of strange that I hadn't heard from Lucy since I'd left work earlier. When I opened the door, she was on the other side with a bag of drinks and mixes in her arms.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“I came to see how you were,” she said. “I saw the look on your face when you were leaving that meeting. You didn't even wait for me.”
I turned around and walked toward the couch.
“I waited until it was late so I could give you some time,” Lucy said. “Now we can sit and talk over drinks.”
“I'm not drinking,” I said. “It's a work night. Do you know how long it's been since I've had drinks?”
“Much longer than it has been for me,” she said with a laugh.
“Very funny,” I said, as I walked into my small kitchen to grab some glasses.
&n
bsp; One drink would be okay. I figured it might help me sleep better. Lucy had the mix opened by the time I got back. That woman was fast. She poured each of us a drink and sat down on the seat next to the couch I was sitting on.
“What am I going to do?” I asked her without thinking.
“You aren't going to do anything,” she answered.
“I don't have family here if something happens to this job,” I said.
“If anything happens, we'll move in together,” she joked.
“Would you be serious for one second,” I scolded her.
“Why?” she asked. “What is that going to do? Is it going to make a difference? Are the new owners going to make the decisions I want if I'm being serious? Not at all. They are going to do what they want no matter what we do, Carrie. We need to carry on, business as usual, unless they tell us different. What if you spend all this time worrying and nothing changes? It's not going to help. We will cross that bridge when we come to it.”
“I need to plan ahead,” I said.
“No,” she said. “You don't. You need to live instead of stressing out every second. You're my best friend, Carrie. Sometimes you drive me crazy. Do you think they would buy the company just to close it? I don't think so. It doesn't make sense.”
I hadn't noticed that my drink was gone and she was already filling it again.
“Maybe it will be a good thing,” she said. “Maybe the new owner will be hot as hell. Then we can stare at him all day.
“Maybe the owner will be a woman,” I said. “Would you still stare at her all day? How do you know they won't bring in their own financial team and let us go? Would you want the financial team of a company that was losing money?”
“That's not our fault. We just do as we're told,” she said. “All I'm saying is that we need to calm down until we have a reason to worry.”
“I know you're right,” I said.
“Turn on some crazy reality show,” she said. “That will help us feel better about our lives.”
I laughed as I turned on the television and found a show that had us cracking up. Before I knew it, we were each four drinks in and it was after midnight. I offered for her to stay the night, but she wanted to go home. We got her a cab and I fell onto my bed. I couldn't believe how late it was when she finally left, and I had to be up in less than six hours. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I fell asleep.
I was in the basement of Scott's house. It was as if we were really back there. His parents were gone for the night. It was the summer between our first and second year of college. We had blankets across the floor and pillows stacked up for us to relax while we watched a movie. We'd decided on a comedy that night. He wanted action, and I wanted romance. Our compromise was comedy. I'd just snorted while I was drinking soda when a guy from the movie cracked a joke. Scott burst into laughter when he saw my soda running down my chin. I quickly wiped it off as I glared over at him.
“Do not laugh at me,” I snapped.
“It's not every day that you see someone laugh so hard they snort and lose their drink at the same time,” he said, as he tried to control his laughter.
I could see that smart-ass smirk when he covered his mouth. That was when I lunged at him. He was ready for me though. I didn't get very far. His fingers went under my arms and began tickling me like crazy. Before I knew it, I was on my back on the blankets. I begged and pleaded with him to stop. To me, being tickled was the worst thing ever. He joked and laughed while he tortured me.
“If you don't like it, why are you laughing?” he asked.
I know you know what I mean. When someone is being tickled, it makes them squirm and laugh but feels horrible. It's not something they can stop. The laughs keep coming. At the same time it feels awful. It's not a good laugh. It's some kind of crazy, leave me the fuck alone laugh. You have to know what I mean.
I'd never been so damn happy for his lips to come down on mine. There was something about that amazing feeling I got every time he kissed me. I would get all warm and tingly, and goosebumps covered my skin. His kisses always started out soft and slow. I loved him more than anything in the world.
It was the first time we'd seen each other in weeks, and all I wanted was to have him buried deep inside of me. I reached down to grab the hem of his shirt and lift it, but he pushed his chest against mine and wouldn't let me. I opened my eyes to look into his and saw a smirk play across his face.
“Slow down, baby,” he said. “I'm taking my time with you tonight.”
There was no time for that. He could take his time with me later. I needed my man so damn bad. He needed to cut the shit. It was probably taking every bit of restraint for him to hold back with me right then.
“Please,” I begged.
“Taking my time, love,” he said.
Then I felt his cock rub against my stomach. He was rock hard, and I needed him. I thrust my hips up, and he let out a laugh. Then I began rubbing my clothed pussy up against that rod of steel in his pants. He narrowed his eyes at me, but I kept going. He continued kissing me softly. I sucked his lower lip between my teeth and pulled, letting my teeth graze it before releasing it. He let out a growl but held his control. I needed more than just his lips on mine. I needed his hands on me. How the hell was he doing it, I wondered? Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I lost it. My hands went up, grabbed onto his hair, and tugged his head away from me. The surprised look on his face wasn't lost on me at all.
“I need you now,” I said, as I stared into his eyes. “I need your hands on me, and I need to feel you buried so damn deep inside of me, Scott. I am begging you to fuck me.”
There was a rumble in his chest just before he snatched my hands in his and held them above my head on the ground.
“You want me to fuck you, Carrie?” he asked in the sexiest voice I'd ever heard.
“Yes,” I said.
“Have you missed my cock?” he asked, as he ground it against me.
“Yes,” I said again.
He held both of my hands in one of his and reached down with the other. Then he grabbed the hem of my shirt and pulled it up and over my head. When he reached my hands, he stopped and looked down at me.
“You want it bad,” he said, and I nodded.
Then he undid the hook on my bra and lifted it above and off my hands. When his body moved to straddle my stomach, I looked up at his face and watched eagerly. We'd had sex many times. He'd always been lovey and careful with me. In both of our dorms, we tried to be quiet so we wouldn't lose the privilege of having someone there. That night was the first time in months that we were able to just be together without having to worry. I wanted it all.
When he took my t-shirt and tied it around my wrists, my eyes widened in surprise. That was not something we'd ever done. Scott was the only man I'd ever been with and the only one I planned to be with for the rest of my life. He held my hands in place above my head as his eyes scanned my body.
“I've missed you,” he said.
I pulled my bottom lip into my mouth and smiled up at my man.
His mouth came down hard on mine. We'd had tons of passionate kisses, but that kiss was different. It was rougher than the rest. His free hand went to my bare breast and he made the sweetest sound. Then he took my nipple between his fingers and rolled it back and forth. The weight of his body was on me, and I could see his cock straining against his jeans when I looked down. I tried to thrust my hips forward but couldn't move. He was looking down at me, as he continued to play with my nipple.
“Keep your hands above your head, baby,” he demanded, as he let go of my wrists.
The authority in his voice had my thighs clenching together. That tone was so sexy.
He brought that hand to my other breast and began doing the same thing on that side. When he pinched my nipples, both at the same time, my back arched, my head fell back, and I moaned.
“I've missed these,” he said. “You're so fucking beautiful.”
He leaned down and grabb
ed my bottom lip between his teeth, and my body jumped. Then his tongue plunged into my mouth hard. I gasped as he took complete control of my mouth. It was so damn hot. My hips were trying to move, but they couldn't. I had never in my life needed anything as badly as I did in that moment.
“Fuck,” I whispered when he pulled back from my mouth.
One of his hands moved down between us. He undid the button and lowered the zipper on my pants. I watched his hand move and thought I was going to explode. The way his hand brushed against his jeans to get to my panties had me so damn wet. The thought of his hard cock beneath them being skimmed by the back of his hand totally turned me on. I wanted to see his hand wrapped around his shaft. My mind was going crazy. I'd never thought anything like that before.
“You want it to be your hand down here, don't you?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said.
“Do you want it to be your hand in your panties or on my cock?” he asked.
“Fuck,” was all I could manage.
“Either way sounds sexy as fuck,” he said.
His hand moved beneath my panties and his fingers rubbed against my clit. I tried to move, but he was still right up against me. His hand was moving beneath us. It was so damn erotic.
“Scott,” I cried out. “Fuck.”
“You have no idea how damn good it feels hearing you cry out my name. I want it louder, baby. I want to hear you screaming my name when you come. I need to hear you.”
His fingers moved down deeper between us. He thrust a finger into me deep and fast. At the same time he squeezed my breast and pulled my nipple. That was it. I shot off like a rocket and called out his name over and over as I ground against his finger. He continued moving inside of me, as I rode out my orgasm. I hadn't noticed that I'd moved my hands down to try and touch him.
“Hands above your head,” he snapped. “If I have to tell you again, I'm going to tie them up there.”
“Fuck,” I whispered.
“Oh yeah,” he said. “We're going to fuck. Now that you've come on my finger.”
He stopped, pulled his finger from me, held it in front my mouth, and narrowed his eyes at me.
A Forever Love Page 8