by Nicole Casey
She gulped visibly, and I could see the whites of her eyes grow damp.
Every word she spoke was like a knife to my heart.
“No,” I whispered. “That’s not true.”
She reached out and touched my face then and I grabbed her hand, pressing her palm against my lips eagerly.
“I wasn’t mad,” she assured me. “I think in my heart, I always knew that your mind was on your career. Any relationship would have always fallen flat in comparison.”
“No!” I moaned, my mouth working its way up her forearm. “None of it is true, Yve.”
Her free hand reached out to stroke my hair, pulling me slightly toward her chest and I buried my face into her ample bosom, trying to block out how everything had gone so wrong.
This is how Ryerson lost Angeline. She believed he didn’t care about her because he didn’t fight for her. How could I have let Yve think that I didn’t love her all this time?
A low moan escaped my lips as Yvette’s fingers entwined in my hair.
I felt her heartbeat increase as I slid my palms down her back, cupping her rear over her fitted pants.
She shrugged out of her blazer and my teeth worked against the buttons of her blouse, our movements clumsy and quick.
We had wasted so much time apart. I didn’t want one more minute to go by without her knowing how deeply I felt for her.
A black lace bra enhanced her already perky breasts and my tongue tasted the skin around the material, my grip on her buttocks tightening.
I nudged the bra aside, my lips closing in around the already taut nipple and Yvette sighed.
“I’ve been thinking about you lately,” she whispered, and my teeth gnashed gently at the tender skin.
She jumped at the motion, straddling me on the chair and allowing her blouse to slip to the floor.
Touching her, kissing her, feeling the curves of her body brought back so many entombed emotions, I became dizzy with desire.
She sat back slightly, and I reluctantly pulled my lips from her chest as she undid her pants, grinding her hips against my ever-growing erection.
Even through the thickness of the cotton, I felt her heat on my crotch.
I needed to taste her.
Scooping her up, she yelped in surprise as I deposited her firm rear on the desk, sweeping aside the papers and pens obstructing our path.
Yve kicked off her shoes as I slipped her pants and nylons away, exposing the pink flesh of her center.
She was so beautiful, and I stared at her, wanting to remember her exactly in that way for posterity.
Her eyes were wide with longing and I finally leaned in to brush my lips against hers.
The kiss was charged with electricity, but I had not forgotten my quest and I traveled down across her body, propping her calves on my shoulders as my tongue licked sweetly in one long stroke.
Yvette moaned, locking her ankles at my neck and I dove into her like the delicacy she seemed to be.
Her waist moved up and down, meeting the rhythm of my licks and her swollen button seemed to pulsate in my mouth.
When she climaxed, she cried out, uncaring of who heard, her body shaking with ecstasy.
She was still in there, the girl I had fallen in love with all those years ago and she was writhing beneath me as I unbuckled my belt, but she had other ideas.
Sliding off the platform, she helped me along, pulling my trousers to my knees and pushing me back onto the swivel chair behind me.
Falling forward onto her naked knees, she looked up at me and I felt another surge of blood rush into my crotch, my erection almost painful as she stared up at me with warm, blue eyes.
My mouth parted, a groan escaping as her palm caressed my sack softly, her fingers kneading at me both hard and tender.
“I’ve missed you,” she murmured before taking me fully into her throat.
It was all I could do to hold on as her tongue spiraled along my shaft, warm and wet but I closed my eyes and forced myself not to explode.
I had not waited this long to be with her, only to end things so abruptly but she was making in incredibly difficult as her motions grew more vigorous, her nails raking along my tension.
Yve’s mouth grew tighter and I moaned, knowing I was close to eruption as my hands moved from their clenched position on the armrests to the mass of curls on her bobbing head.
She fought me; of course, she did but I managed to disentangle myself from her, gasping to hold back my release.
Licking her lips, the coy, glistening smile on her mouth she cocked her head as if to challenge me.
I grunted in a primal fashion, leaping to my feet but she seemed ready for me this time and she fell back against the desk again, propping her rear up to allow me between her legs.
Her toes curled around the edge of the desk as I slid myself inside, holding onto her knees for support.
“I had forgotten how big you are,” she gasped, and the statement only made harder, something I could barely afford to have happen.
We locked gazes and I fell forward, driving myself deep and fluidly inside her, relishing the look of shocked pleasure on her face.
Never had I felt more alive than I had in that moment as if I had been sleeping for years and woken up ravenous.
Her legs wrapped around my back and I felt my sack grow tense.
Our eyes bored into one another and suddenly, her stare went glassy as her mouth parted again.
I felt her hotness surge against my shaft and I exhaled, knowing I could cum too.
With one final, deep push, I grunted loudly and joined her in release.
More items clattered to the floor as she shivered with delight but neither of us noticed.
We were lost in one another’s eyes as if nothing else existed.
“I have always loved you,” I told her when my gasps subsided. I withdrew from her slowly and placed another kiss on her mouth.
“I am so sorry you thought I didn’t care about you all this time.”
As if a mask fell over her face, Yve lost the sweetness and regained her stoic expression.
She rolled away from underneath him and began to collect herself.
“That was a different time, Drave,” she said. “That was before we knew what we know about life and love.”
I was slightly stunned by the words and I stared at her, but she didn’t meet my eyes.
“You don’t feel the same way about me?” I demanded. “What was this all about?”
She laughed shortly.
“This was sex, Drave. There’s no reason to get emotional about it.”
I grabbed her arm to stop her from dressing and she looked at me tiredly.
“Why are you saying that? Because you mean it or because you’re afraid of being hurt again?”
Yvette’s mouth turned downward in the corners and she shifted her eyes away.
“I took a page from your book, Draven,” she told me.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means I care about my career now,” she said shortly. “I don’t have time or patience for relationships.”
The words stung me, but I did not let that show.
“I see,” I said slowly.
I need to go slowly with her, I thought. She is far too skeptical to jump into this again.
“I’m glad we talked though,” she offered as she slipped on her pumps. “I feel a lot better.”
She gave me a kiss on the cheek and walked toward the door.
“When the Sterlings are all settled, we’ll go grab dinner,” I called out to her.
She paused and slowly turned.
“I don’t think you’ll feel that way after this goes through,” she told me quietly.
“Why not? Yve, I don’t want this to be some one-night stand!”
She chewed on her lower lip.
“Because after the Sterlings are settled, Drave, I’m being made senior partner.”
10
Yvette
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nbsp; There was that smell in the air, the one which floods you with nostalgia and yearning for no reason other than you long for another place or time.
Of course where and when that might be is lost in the recesses of your mind and I shoved the threat of melancholy from my mind as I stared into the bonfire, clenching and unclenching my fists.
I shouldn’t have agreed to the trip, but I was there, and I couldn’t very well sneak away.
They do this on purpose, I thought with bitter wryness, brushing a stray strand of dark hair out of my bright blue eyes. They bring us to the middle of nowhere and trap us like a bunch of rats in a science experiment to see how we’ll react.
I knew I was just being dramatic.
No reason for me to become a basket case but I couldn’t shake the sense of sadness and anger which had followed me to the Butterfield Ranch.
I knew exactly why I was in such a mood but that did little to alleviate it, what, with the sweet burning of firewood teasing my nostrils and the distant hoot of owls like some cliché movie on the Hallmark channel.
At least I was in relative solitude.
Most of my counterparts had moved to the hall for drinks and dancing, although some of my fellow attorneys had started imbibing from noon and had already fallen asleep in their respective cabins.
It was the last night after all.
I should have been enjoying it too.
As if the universe mocked my inane thought, I saw a shadow approaching from just beyond the tree line and I knew who it was even before he appeared.
“Oh,” he said, freezing as he recognized me sitting alone by the flames. “I didn’t realize anyone was here.”
“Well now you do,” I replied shortly but I wished I didn’t sound so cold. I wasn’t mad at him. I wanted to make things right, but I had no words to do it, not anymore.
It seemed that any attempt to iron things out between us was only making it worse.
Draven scoffed slightly as I expected he would.
“Contrary to popular belief, Yve, you don’t own the airspace, especially not out here in the middle of nowhere.”
I glared at him, my lips pursing in annoyance.
“Fine,” I retorted. “If it makes you feel like you’ve won, by all means, take it.”
I rose to my feet, shaking my head at his childishness.
Draven laughed aloud.
“You really think you’ve got the upper hand in all this, don’t you? You get the bigger commission, the better job, the admiration of everyone – “
“Drave, I’m really not about to get into this with you here,” I snapped. “I am supposed to be on vacation and you are not a victim.”
I didn’t add that if I had known how things were going to manifest between us, I would never have signed up for the weekend.
But the trip was non-refundable, and I had reasoned that I wouldn’t be forced to spend much time with him.
No more than at the office anyway.
Still, I could have used the reprieve, especially that weekend.
Or so I told myself.
Deep down, I knew that I had wanted to catch him alone but to what end, I couldn’t say.
I could feel his animosity almost like a slap in the face and I knew that we were not going to overcome whatever anger we had between us.
I spun around, unwilling to engage in what I knew would result in a fight.
It made my heart hurt to do it because what I really wanted was to throw myself into his arms and beg him to start over again.
What would it take to walk away from all of this and start somewhere brand new?
I knew I was being silly and romantic, but it didn’t make the thought go away.
“Never mind! I’m leaving!” he yelled out at me and I paused slightly but I did not turn around.
“God forbid you accuse me of taking something which is rightfully yours,” he jeered. “And report me to the ethics board.”
A slow smirk formed on my lips as I recognized Angeline’s petulant tone in his words.
“How big of you,” I answered evenly, spinning back around to face him. “Maybe you can bring some of that magnanimous spirit into court on Monday morning and save us both a lot of hassle.”
A cold smile formed on Drave’s lips and our eyes locked, his a steely blue-grey which seemed to pierce into my soul.
“Hassle is what I live for,” he replied caustically. “I was with you, wasn’t I? That’s why you left, isn’t it?”
The words stung me for some inexplicable reason.
It was not as if I was renowned for my sensitive side but there was something in his gleaming eyes which made me feel hurt.
He really does despise me! I realized, and the understanding made me feel woozy.
“Why are you staring at me like that?” he demanded, and I quickly averted my eyes, my mind a mess of conflicting emotions suddenly.
“I’m just wondering why you’re still standing here when you said you were leaving,” I replied evenly, not a note of my uncertainty creeping into my words.
After all, I was a lawyer. I knew how to keep my sentiments in check.
Draven scoffed again but to my relief, he did turn to leave me in peace.
“Go ahead,” he chirped. “Sit out here alone in the dark. It’s kind of fitting, isn’t it? Chilly, dark and solitary, just like you, Yvette.”
He slipped back into the shadows as my mouth gaped open in shock at the cruelness of his words.
I could not remember a time when he had sounded so disgusted with me in all the years we had known one another.
Slowly, I reclaimed my spot on the log overlooking the bonfire and shook my head, wrapping my shirt around my waist as I gnawed on my lower lip.
I had never wanted it to come this far and yet there we were, teetering on the edge.
We couldn’t even be civil to one another anymore.
The divorce on Monday was going to be a pivotal point for both of us.
I had no idea what to make of that.
You’re going to be senior partner, I thought but the idea did not fill me with the kind of anticipation and excitement it should have.
Instead, I was bombarded with a flood of thoughts which kept me wondering why my career had always been so important at the cost of everything else.
I had sacrificed family time with my parents and sisters, social time with friends. I had not had a serious relationship with anyone since Draven and I had walked away from him under the guise of following my dream career.
But it had all been a lie.
The truth was, I had been so afraid of losing Draven, I had fooled myself into believing I didn’t need his love.
I had seen how focused he was on his studies and his drive had terrified me.
I didn’t leave because I didn’t think he cared, I left because I was afraid he was going to leave me first and the thought made me sick to my stomach.
A sob choked me as the realization seemed to punch me in the gut.
Slowly, fat tears rolled down my cheeks and I lifted my head to stare in the direction where he had disappeared.
I have no interest in being senior partner, I discovered, another gasp escaping my mouth. I don’t even want to be a divorce attorney. I chose this avenue because I knew it would harden me against falling in love again.
“No.”
I jumped and looked back.
Draven had reappeared, and I quickly wiped the tears from my face.
My thoughts may have been jumbled but I still did not want him to see me crying, especially not when I suddenly felt so weak.
“No what?” I mumbled. “You changed your mind and you want to stay here now?”
He slipped out of the shadows and closed the distance between us, his slate eyes glittering against the firelight.
“No, I am not walking away from you,” he said quietly.
He lowered his body to sit next to me, his irises searching my face as he recognized the pain in my face.
&
nbsp; “You never walked away from me,” I whispered. “I was the one who took off running because I was scared.”
He nodded.
“Yes, because you were afraid you were losing me,” he replied. “But I only made matters worse by letting you believe that.”
I was taken aback by the confession and more confusion filled me.
How do I even respond to that? I wondered but I didn’t dare believe that he was there to console me. How could he be when I had been so terrible to him, both then and now?
He reached toward me, wiping away a stray tear.
“Don’t cry,” he sighed. “This is not the way I wanted things to be between us, not then and not now.”
I gaped at him, again filled with the idea that he could read my thoughts.
Had there ever been anyone more in tune with me? Would there be ever again?
I tried to push the melancholy from my mind.
It could never work between us. We had tried and failed before.
“I was so consumed with becoming a lawyer, with getting my name on the door of a prestigious law firm,” Draven sighed. “I took you for granted and I’m sorry.”
Gaping at him, I wrestled for the words to say.
I shook my dark hair it tickled the bottom of my chin.
“We were so young,” I said, and I felt a bit like a broken record saying the same thing over and over.
“We were old enough to know we loved one another,” he told me gruffly. “And I know we still love each other, no matter what happens.”
“Nothing has changed,” I said but I didn’t mean it. “We are both too career driven to make this work.”
A lot had changed; at least for me but I didn’t want to be the one to admit that. It was hard to come to terms with the fact that I wanted more than just a career.
I desperately desired what my sisters had. I yearned for someone to wake up within the morning and sleep with at night.
Not someone, I corrected myself. Draven. He has been what’s missing in my life.
“If I could go back to our college days knowing what I know now, I would never have become a lawyer, knowing I would lose you in the process.”