by Mimi Barbour
His eyes feasted. Milky white, fully aroused breasts with small hard nubs stared back. They looked to be the perfect size for his hands, but to be sure he measured them with his touch. He measured them with his mouth, also, and found they fit just right. He licked and suckled, then rubbed his face this way and that, snuffling like a mother animal with one of her newborns. He adored the feel of her soft skin.
Whimpering softly, her hands rubbed at his back, then up and around his neck. Inquisitive fingers drifted through his hair, holding him in one place as she watched him ravish her willing body.
Being Annie, she had to ask, “Are they too small?”
“Are you kidding? Annie, your body is perfect. Gorgeous! I love them.” Between each compliment, kisses were pressed to both sides of her body, proof of his truthfulness.
“I’m glad. I want to be beautiful for you.” Small, gentle hands on both sides of his face caressed.
He continued to pet her, stroking and fondling, while his lips lowered to her waiting mouth to drink in the nectar. It was too much, the passion was too much. He changed tactics and lowered his kisses to her neck and shoulders. Words burst out. “To me, you are without doubt the most beautiful woman on the planet.”
It took a few moments for her to absorb the meaning, and when she did, her inebriated smile encouraged the twin on his face. It lasted for a few seconds, until his continuous caresses caught her attention and brought her back to the matter at hand.
Revisiting her breasts, he groaned and administered even more loving by continuing the tongue bath. From her agitation it seemed she needed him to have more of her fit into his mouth. She took the initiative. Pushing him backwards, she leaned over him to show off their full effect and give him better access. Probably the dumbest move ever. The quickness of the maneuver affected her. He saw it immediately. Her body stiffened again, but this time the panic in her expression revealed a completely different problem.
Oh-oh! Time to move. His thought prompted quick action. He had her up and into the bathroom in seconds.
“Oh, Tyler!” The “no” that followed echoed along each running step.
“Shit!” He lowered her gently by the sink.
“Go-away-leave-me-I’m-all-right!” Muffled words sounded as if someone had hit the fast forward button. Her flapping hands pointed towards the door. He fully understood her need for privacy, and decided to comply. He didn’t want her to be more embarrassed than she had to be. He moved to leave but turned at the last minute, rethinking his decision. Seeing her clutching her tummy with one hand, the other over her mouth, breasts heaving and body doubled over didn’t send him out the door. It was the dismay in her eyes that did it.
If she could see his wry grins as he went into the kitchen to make coffee, she’d most certainly add murder to her confession list on Sunday morning in church. He knew it but couldn’t help it. One moment she was a wild sex kitten, and the next a half-dressed, sickly child.
These different facets of Annie made her even more delightful, more of an all-around person in his eyes. A little sinner mixed with saint—the perfect recipe for a lifetime partner. Guess he’d been falling for her since the beginning. Who knew?
He’d never thought he could want another relationship with any woman, but he was wrong. Tonight proved it. Now that he’d come so close to having her, loving her, he couldn’t visualize her not being the best part of his future.
Ruefully, he explored his current situation. The night ahead promised to be very uncomfortable. He figured a long cold shower would serve as ample payback for his lurking devil.
A short time later, he returned to Annie with a full cup of hot strong coffee and burst out laughing. She’d obviously made it back to the bedroom, only not quite into the bed. Kneeling on the plush ivory rug by the side of the mattress, her head nestled on top of the quilt, arms hanging over the side, she looked like a child who’d fallen asleep during her nightly prayers. Out cold, and cold she would soon be, with a diminutive pair of creamy lace panties as her only covering.
He placed the mug on her night table, scooped her up, and gently slid her under the covers. She sighed, whimpered, and rolled over, clasping the nearest pillow in her arms as if embracing a man. He heard her whisper his name as he tiptoed out of the room.
He stopped. The devil and angel were at it again. With a loud sigh, he resisted and closed the door behind him with a soft thud.
I’ll see her in the morning. That thought kept him from curling in next to her. In a few more hours, the sun would announce a new day. Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough for him to claim his Annie.
Chapter Twelve
On the following Monday morning, it was a blessing for Annie to be submerged with scads of work. Tired of her nagging conscience, which sounded surprisingly like Celi preaching over the way she’d treated Tyler yesterday, she used this overload to divert her thoughts from guilty images her mind kept replaying. But as hard as she tried, she couldn’t forget the disbelief, then pain, and finally the anger that sent him slamming out of her apartment.
He’d shown up at noon with a bagged lunch and a sexy smile. It had taken her forever to lift her shattered head from under the pillow, ease her way out of bed, and get to the door. When she opened it, there was a definite odor of fried chicken wafting from the KFC bag he’d thrust her way. This would normally send signals for her saliva glands to tell her stomach to get ready for a seldom eaten but favorite treat. It backfired. She stepped away quickly, her face blanching. One hand waved away the noxious fumes, while the other indicated he should enter.
The click of the door closing behind him sounded like a shotgun blast. Vicious streaks of pain exploded as she pushed down on the top of her skull. The agony cautioned her stomach that she had spent the better half of the night emptying it. She’d never felt so sick in all her life. It hurt to breathe. And the smell of fried food made her long for a can of room freshener.
“Tyler, you can’t stay. I’m sick.”
She leaned heavily on the counter. Pushing at her unruly hair, coiled and sticking out around her face in a manner that rock stars would envy, she hid her bloodshot eyes with her hands, then peeked up at him and groaned.
“Yeah, it’s called hungoveritis. I’ve had the disease once or twice myself.”
He sauntered towards her, the swaying of his hips diverting her from putting an immediate halt to his advance. He stood close, staring, smiling cheekily. Then he lifted his hand slowly towards her face.
Without thought, she slapped it away, retreating a step. When she saw the hurt he didn’t bother to hide, it was too late to apologize, but she reached out anyway. He ignored the gesture. She had no choice but to drop her shaky hand.
He scrutinized her features as if searching for a sign. Now, angry with him for repulsing her advance, she stared him down. “What?” Her voice was harder than she had meant it to sound.
“How was your evening last night? I saw you and your date.” He sneered the words.
She sighed. “I guess everything went okay. For the first time in my life, I got drunk. To tell you the truth, I don’t remember much after we left the restaurant, just bits and pieces that make absolutely no sense at all. I’m trying to get up my nerve to call Sergio and apologize for my behavior.”
The look on his face made her pause. He whipped around, facing the opposite way, and she continued.
“Learnt a lesson, though: two glasses of wine are my limit. From now on, it’ll be strictly adhered to, because I’ve never felt so sick in all my life. Even my teeth hurt. My eyeballs barely fit the sockets, and my T-shirt weighs at least ten pounds.” The fervent way she spoke left no doubt she’d be sticking to the rule from now on.
The pajama top in question, embellished with the phrase “Wild One” in red glitter—an apt description for last evening’s behavior—fitted her snugly. An oversized pair of flannel bottoms hung low at her hips and covered the rest of her compact body. She resembled a child in grown-up clothes, except fo
r her eyes. They were swollen and red-rimmed, intensified by darkness underneath and stress lines above, while the bloodshot coloring emphasized her pain.
“Let that be a lesson, my little friend. The devil’s drink has ruined many a fine maiden.” His idiotic accent carried a definite Irish twang, but the angry fashion in which he called her friend caught her attention.
“Tyler Jones, what’s wrong with you?”
“Take care of yourself—Anna.” As he turned to leave he stopped, twisted back, and shoved the warm bag that housed her favorite “fat” food into her hands. Without another look, he simply left her standing there, mouth gaping. The slamming door had her grabbing at her temple to keep it attached to her head.
What the heck’s crawled up his behind? If she hadn’t felt so terrible, she might have fretted.
Celi appeared just then and her sarcastic retort of “What part of ‘keep your wits about you’ didn’t you get?” Today wearing shorts, sandals, and a flowing white blouse, her hair tied on top of her head, she looked a lot younger. With her hands on her hips, attitude screaming, she looked totally irritated. Annie waited for her to finally finish her lecture, and in a weary tone she added, “There’s none so blind as those who will not see.”
Annie said, “I’m sorry, Celi. Trust me. It won’t happen again.” Tears hovered, and she didn’t try to block her misery. Instead she faced her grumpy angel and let the tears fall.
Gruffly, Celi soothed her with a warm hug that surrounded Annie and eased like hot soapy water did for an aching body.
Alone again, she’d spent the day being sick—sick with worry, and worried about being sick. What a mess! By bedtime, she’d made up her mind to wait a few days, then call Ty and grovel.
Noises heard outside her office door returned Annie to her surroundings. Thankfully, that morning she’d gotten through to Sergio, who seemed more than happy to accept her apologies. After a few weird questions that didn’t make much sense, he invited her out again for the next weekend. At least she had something to look forward to.
***
Do people frankly not know their limitations or their possible genius until they’re in a position to shine? Once Annie began to wonder about it, she realized it had happened to her. The more responsibility thrown her way, the better she handled it. Her boss, Hugo, was a mess—gone all the time. His personal life had hit the skids, leaving the business without leadership. So she and a few other top management staff stepped up to fill the slot.
The majority of the responsibilities ended up being divided between Annie and Hugo’s personal assistant, Debbie. Top-priority reports flooded Annie’s desk. Forced to initiate new programs and chair important meetings, she had no personal time at all. Responsibilities landed in her lap, and she savored the role of authority. Astonished at the load Hugo had managed, and trying her hardest to keep from sinking, she worked anywhere from fourteen- to sixteen-hour days, returning home at night exhausted.
Union negotiations had gotten underway for the next three-year contract, and she and Sara clocked manic hours to lay the groundwork for a smooth progression. Meetings with the plant managers and union representatives led her to believe that the collective bargaining agreement was almost drawn up and only needed the final read-through to be done by the board of directors and the company’s lawyers to seal the deal. On that issue at least, she could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Because there weren’t enough hours in the week to get everything done, the date with Sergio had to be put on hold. In fact, her usual routine burgeoned so far out of the norm, half the time she wasn’t aware if she was coming or had been there and was leaving.
Falling dead tired into her bed late each night left Annie with no energy to fixate on the weird fantasies haunting her dreams since her date with Sergio. She couldn’t even think of Tyler. For some strange reason, when she did, she found herself in tears. There hadn’t been time to see him or talk to him since he’d left her upset in her apartment that never-to-be-forgotten Sunday morning.
On top of everything else, there were crazy rumors circulating the office in relation to a consortium pushing a takeover. Whenever Annie approached Hugo, he pooh-hooed the subject, then passed over even more files on his way out of the office to see about his wife once again. All the top management teams were flat out. New stores scheduled to be opened and new lines of products ready to come out kept everyone hard at it. Even Sergio bitched over the number of sales conferences he’d had to take on over the last while, as he cancelled yet another date before she could. And since he worked from the sales office, in a completely different building, she didn’t even get to see much of him during these busy days.
Problems with Hugo’s wife couldn’t have come at a worse time. The poor man looked utterly exhausted when Annie ran into him in the elevator one morning. They pushed to the back of the car for some privacy.
“How’s Lizzie, Hugo?” She’d been meaning to ask for quite some time, but the right moment hadn’t come up.
He seemed vague, more remote than ever. “Lizzie?” He looked at her with his head on one side, and his eyebrows lifting. “Who?”
“I mean Elizabeth. How is she?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen her for the last week. We’ve searched in all her favorite haunts, but she’s disappeared again. I hired private detectives, and they’ve had no luck, either. She’s gone.” His voice broke.
“I’m truly sorry, Hugo. Have you tried the police?” Annie’s concern rang true and had the poor man holding up his hand, palm out.
“No. No police. I promised. She was desperately frightened, but the last thing she wanted was to have the law involved. Arguing about it only upset her more.”
Their whispered conversation came to an end on the thirtieth floor as the elevator emptied. Talking in a normal voice now, Annie asked the question that had been on her mind all along. “Hugo, what scared her so badly? I noticed she appeared panicky when she was in my office. Sara and I couldn’t help but overhear what she said after you’d arrived. She sounded terrified.”
“She was. But Annie, you got through to her. She liked you. Actually, she hoped to talk with you again. I promised her I’d set it up, but before I could, she vanished. If she’s to be believed, she’d seen something that petrified her half to death. It had to do with a killing over drugs and money. She refused to say more. Said by keeping it to herself, she could protect me and the children.”
“The poor girl! I hope you find her soon. And Hugo, if she does return, I’ll be glad to visit with her.”
“Thanks, Annie. I knew I could count on you.” He patted her cheek, and his smile showed a glimmer of the old Hugo personality. “I’ve been hearing great things from the board, pertaining to your department and all the extra work you’ve taken on. They’re very impressed.”
“Why, thank you, kind master. I live to serve.” She performed an intricate bow, which made him laugh and lessened the tension.
The doors opened. Others waited to get onto the elevator while Annie and Hugo moved off. With a wave and a wink from Hugo, they went in opposite directions.
As Annie walked up the hallway, Sara came into view. Her clenched hands were the first hint of a problem, her loitering, obviously waiting for her boss, another sign that something had happened. The minute Annie approached, her assistant made a beeline to hold open her office door until they’d both crossed the threshold. She closed it with a snap and swung around abruptly. Annie watched as her assistant’s normally strong demeanor crumpled.
Her eyes were red-rimmed and sad, and her hands cupped over her mouth to keep from expressing the agony her expression demonstrated.
Annie spoke soothingly. “Sit down, love. My God, you’re scaring me. What’s wrong?”
“The rumors are true, Anna. There’s a run on our stock, a hostile takeover. Someone has purchased the majority of our outstanding shares, and our shareholders are beginning to sell in huge numbers.”
Annie flopped down in
her chair. “No! When did it start? How did you find out?”
“As soon as the bell rang at the stock exchange, everything began to go crazy. Debbie came in a bit early to finish off some letters. She opened the computer to check the share prices and print out the lists for Hugo, same as she usually does every day, first thing in the morning. She noticed the increase in action and how our shares were selling like hotcakes. The board is gathering now in the conference room, just waiting on Hugo. There’s a meeting starting in ten minutes. You’ll have to go.”
“Who’s the other company?”
“An unknown who’s got more money than God. It’s not one of the big boys.” Sara’s voice revealed harshness foreign to her usual soft tones.
Annie plopped down on the side of her desk like a balloon with half its air leaked out. She thought about the man she’d left only moments before. Worry ate away inside her, while the sickness in her stomach increased. Biting the inside of her mouth stopped her voicing the cuss words that popped into her head, but nothing could stop the wave of worry for Hugo. He’d given her this career opportunity, supported her with the rest of management, and helped her every step of the way. She’d never let him down. So whatever it took, she’d kick in and deal.
A warm, fuzzy feeling overcame her, and then she clearly heard, “You are one swell chick, Annie Hynes.” Celi seemed to know the perfect time to give her some necessary support.
“Thanks, Celi. Stick around, though. I’ll probably need someone to give me an energy boost to help me get through this hassle. I’m worn out.”
“I have faith in you, Annie. I’ll be around.” The husky sound faded with the last words.
Sara’s puzzled expression caught Annie’s attention, and dragged her back into their conversation.
“Sorry. I’m so tired I’m hearing voices. Look, when I arrived just now, I met up with Hugo in the elevator. He arrived early—for a change. But he’s in no shape to handle this mess, Sara. He looks terrible. Lizzie’s gone missing again, and the poor guy’s desperate to find her.” Annie shot to her feet, and while her hands removed any trace of makeup from her cheeks, she paced the room. “With this catastrophe, he’ll have even more to deal with.” She leaned against the door. Her posture screamed defeat.