by M. E. Parker
Her thighs squeezed my neck as I sucked harder. Her body began to quake, and she cried out my name as she came. She tried to back away. She was breathing hard and moaning as the orgasm continued, but I held her tight against my mouth riding it out, licking her hard until her body went still.
She was out of breath and as I stood up to look at her beautifully flushed cheeks, I thought about nothing else but how badly I needed to be inside of her. I grabbed her arms to help her sit up and she wrapped her arms and legs around me nestling her into my chest as her breathing slowed. I bent down to kiss her. I wanted her to taste how good she was.
“Oh my god, Jack,” she whispered against my chest. I kissed her again, pulling her closer to me.
“We’re not done baby. I’m gonna fuck you on this desk. I’m gonna make you come again while I’m inside you.” I said bending down to kiss her bare shoulder as I grabbed her breast, squeezing it through her dress. She was breathing hard as she quickly fumbled with my pants to pull them down.
I was about to pull her dress down from her shoulders, so I could look at her gorgeous tits while I fucked her when I noticed a car coming towards the house in my peripheral vision. I jerked my head towards the window. “Fuck!” She jerked her head towards the window and we both watched a black Mercedes with tinted windows make its way down the paved drive to my house.
“Who is that?” She asked, scooting back from me.
“I have no idea, but I’m gonna get rid of them fast.” I kissed her on the forehead. “You wait right here. We’re not done.” I winked at her as I quickly buckled my belt and rushed down the stairs. My hands were fisted as I made my way to the front door. It had to be one of those fucking lawyers or some asshole executive from one of the big farm corporations. Whoever it was, I thought to myself, he’d be lucky if I didn’t punch him for just showing up to my house unannounced. I stepped out onto the porch, planning to intercept the bastard before he even got out of the car. But I was too late, he stepped out before I could get to him.
“Can I help you with something?” I growled as I watched the tall asshole with greying hair stand up. He was wearing an expensive navy suit and Italian loafers. The prick had money. That was obvious. He turned to look at me and as soon as he did, I knew who he was. It wasn’t that I had seen his picture before. It was his eyes. They were exactly like Claire’s. It was Richard Hawkins. Claire’s father. My heart pounded.
He looked at me with a cold stare as he slowly appraised me and then glanced back towards the house behind me. “Jack Colton?”
“Yes?” I answered trying to figure out how I wanted to approach the man. I wasn’t sure. This definitely was not something I expected. I never thought the man would show up here. Claire had been keeping in touch with him and she hadn’t mentioned any more problems between them. And in many ways, I admired the man.
I admired that he was self-made and had built a wildly successful business in a dying industry. I admired the values he had instilled in Claire and the fact that he had raised her alone. But it pissed me off that he wanted her to come work for him and worse, he wanted to marry her off to some asshole who made her feel less than the incredible woman that she was.
I decided that it was best for me to just hear him out before I made any decisions. If he upset Claire, I would have to ask him to leave. It didn’t make one damn bit of difference to me that he was a billionaire.
He walked towards me and I took a few steps down from the porch. As soon as he reached me he held out his hand. “Richard Hawkins.”
I took his hand and shook it and looked him in the eye. “Nice to meet you.” I wasn’t sure yet if I meant it or not.
“I’m Claire’s father. I understand that she’s here?” He looked at me warily and then back towards the house.
“Yes, sir.” I looked him in the eye when I answered him.
He cleared his throat. “I’d like to see her.” His jaw was locked tight. He seemed uneasy. I don’t guess I blamed him. Claire was his daughter and he didn’t know me, but I wasn’t going to let him intimidate me.
I turned and walked back up towards the door, “I’ll go up and let her know you’re here. She’s in the office. Would you like to come inside and wait?”
He nodded and followed me into the house. As we walked in the house, he looked around the house. “This is quite a place you have Jack.”
“Thank you,” I said as he followed me through the entryway. “Can I get you something to drink while you wait?”
He let out a breath. “Yeah. You got whiskey?”
I looked at him and his lips curled up slightly. “Sure,” I smirked at him. It occurred to me then that he was nervous. I couldn’t figure out why yet. I wondered if he was nervous to see Claire.
He followed me towards the kitchen. I reached up into the cabinet and pulled out a bottle of green label Jack Daniels and grabbed a high ball glass. “Get one for yourself too. I don’t like to drink alone.” I didn’t answer. Instead, I pulled out an extra glass and then put a few ice cubes in both and poured us each three fingers. I could tell he needed a stiff drink and I did too.
I handed him the whiskey. He took the glass and swirled the ice around in it for a second and then took a drink. I stood there for a few seconds waiting for him to say something, but he was quiet. I put my glass down on the kitchen island. “I’ll go up and let her know you’re here.” I walked towards the stairs.
“Wait, Jack.”
I turned towards him. “Sir?”
“Can I speak to you first?”
I walked back into the kitchen and folded my arms and leaned against the kitchen counter.
He cleared his throat. “This is quite an operation you’ve got here. Impressive. I’ve done my research.”
I wasn’t sure where he was going the conversation, but I decided to play along. “I appreciate it. It’s no Hawkins Industries, but we get by.”
He chuckled. “I think you do a little better than just getting by, son.” His eyes flitted around the house. I remembered what Claire had said about them having a much smaller home in Boston.
I shrugged. “I guess. We still have a lot of growing to do, the profit margin isn’t where I want it yet.”
“Take the compliment son. It’s damn impressive. From what I understand, you’re two years in and have every major farm corp. in the U.S. trying to buy you out. I was nowhere near where you are when I was starting out.”
I picked up my glass and took a drink instead of responding. I was fairly sure he didn’t come here to discuss business.
He looked up at the ceiling and let out a breath. “I don’t know what Claire has told you.”
Here it comes.
“She has responsibilities. She is a major shareholder in the company. She’s expected to be working there. There’s a V.P. position waiting for her—open for her. Despite what she’s told you, she has worked hard to get where she is and I’m not about to let her give that all up to just…Jesus, I don’t even know what’s she’s doing here.”
He set his empty glass down on the island and I picked up the bottle and poured him another. I gritted my teeth. “She’s working for me.”
He let out a snicker, but the laughter didn’t reach his eyes. “No offense Jack, but I didn’t pay half a million dollars for my daughter’s education, so she could plant soybeans on some farm in the middle of nowhere. She’s worth more than that. Look, she’s young. I get that. I let her run around in New York for a year, doing God knows what, because I figured she needed a break. But this…I can’t let her fall so far off course. I don’t know what’s happening with you two, but if you care about her, I’d expect that you would see that she’s more than that—more than this.” He gestured around the house. “She’s not just some plaything that you can, I don’t know, play house with. She has responsibilities, a future, a life, and this is not it.” He cleared his throat again and I tried my best to let him say his piece. But I wasn’t sure how long I could let him go on because every part
of me was filling with rage. The worst part was that I wasn’t sure if I so pissed off because he was wrong or because he was right.
I somehow managed to stay calm as I took another sip of whiskey. He looked at me for a second as if he were waiting for me to say something. But I decided to keep quiet. I needed to calm down before I said anything.
He sighed. “What kind of work is she doing for you?”
“Consulting—a profitability analysis. I’ve asked her to look at our retirement accounts, investments, benefits, and other expenses for operational needs that I’m outsourcing and determine which make sense to bring in-house and which don’t.”
He raised his eyebrow, “She’s looking for money?”
“Yep.”
“Well she’s good at that. At least she’s not feeding chickens.” He sighed again.
I offered a smirk. “Well, she’s doing a little of that too.”
He looked up me, no doubt trying to decide if I was serious or not. “Jack, look it wasn’t my intention to come into your home and show you any disrespect. That’s not what this is. I meant what I said earlier, I’m impressed with your success. But that doesn’t change the fact that Claire doesn’t belong here.”
I cleared my throat, trying to decide how I wanted to respond. But he spoke up again. “Has she signed a contract?”
“Yes.”
“Terms?”
“Thirty days. Full report with recommendations. $30,000.00”
He was quiet for a second and then looked up at me. He shook his head. “I’ll buy out her contract—give you an extra ten percent for your trouble.”
I smirked at him. “No Thanks. Have you talked to Claire about this?” I asked knowing full well that he hadn’t.
“Look Jack. She’s brilliant, but she’s green. She doesn’t have the experience to take on this kind of project. There are firms out there that do this. I can get you set up with someone. Hell, I’ll even cover the cost if that’s what it takes.”
My blood started boiling. “Let me get this straight, you’re prepared to hand over $250,000.00---because that is what it would cost to hire one of those firms you are talking about---to do what? Let her out of her contract, tell her to go home with you, what?” What the fuck? Was this guy for real?
“If that’s what it takes for you to help me convince her to get back to Boston where she belongs, I’ll pay it. No questions asked.” He said coldly as he swallowed another sip of whiskey.
I took a deep breath. “I’m sorry Mr. Hawkins. I’ve tried to be patient and hear you out because you’re her father. But with all due respect, Claire’s not a commodity for sale—she’s not a piece of property that you can just buy or sell. She’s your daughter. I know you don’t know me, but it pisses me off that you think I would even consider something like that. How would she feel if she knew we were having this conversation right now?”
I stared at his face. Something passed over it, perhaps guilt. “Christ.” He said as he rubbed his hands over his face. “It’s not like that Jack. You don’t understand. She’s my daughter. It’s my job to protect her. There is no amount that I wouldn’t pay to make sure that she is safe.”
At that point, I was done being nice. “Well, she’s safe here. But that’s not what this is about is it? You’re not trying to protect her. Where were you three weeks ago when that little prick she was dating left her alone here in a diner in the ‘middle of nowhere’ (as you have so kindly pointed out)? I was there. I heard you cut her off and then cancel her credit cards. She had no money for food or for a hotel. She was 1,000 miles from home, literally stranded, with no way to even get to a bus station or airport. What if a different man was sitting in that diner? Jesus, can you even imagine what could have happened to her? And what about that pompous ass you want her to marry? Did you know that he told her that the only reason he was considering marrying her was because of her money—your money? Apparently, he thinks your gene pool is not up to par because you had to work for your money instead of inheriting it. Is that really someone you want your daughter to be with? What the hell? It doesn’t sound like you’re interested in protecting her at all, it sounds like you’re interested in controlling her.”
I looked up at him. His eyes were angry. His face was red, and his jaw was clenched. There was no doubt in my mind that it had been a hell of a long time since anyone had spoken to Richard Hawkins like I just had but I didn’t give a shit. I wasn’t about to sit there and let him try to buy me off and then act like he was just trying to protect her. I continued to look him in the eye. I wasn’t going to back down. He growled, “So what is it that you’re interested in, Jack? It sounds to me like there may be a little more than ‘consulting’ going on between you and my daughter. She has a lot of money. I’m sure you’ve figured that out. Is that what you’re looking for?”
I swallowed a breath and felt heat rising to my face. I couldn’t help but think about what we were just doing in my office right before he showed up here. As much as Claire’s father pissed me off—he wasn’t wrong about everything, but he was sure as hell wrong about the money. “I don’t give a shit about her money. I’ve got plenty of my own. But I’m going be straight with you. I care about your daughter. We haven’t known each other that long, but we have spent most of the time we’ve known each other together and I’ve come to care for her a lot—probably more than I’ve cared for anyone aside from parents.”
His face softened a little, “Do you love her?”
I didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
“Does she know?”
“No.”
“Why do you love her?”
“Well, for starters, she’s brilliant, just like you said earlier. She’s beautiful—the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. She makes me laugh. She’s probably one of the kindest people I have ever met. We have a connection—like we’ve known each other our whole lives. She’s easier to talk to than anyone I have ever known. She rides a horse like she’s been doing it her whole life. She loves to go camping and fishing. She sees the beauty in this land the same way I do. Do you want me to go on? Because I can.”
He smirked. “No son, that won’t be necessary. I know what love looks like. I had it once, with Claire’s mother. I suppose this means you won’t be willing let her go when her contract is up in thirty days.”
“I doubt I will ever be willing to let her go. I’m prepared to offer her a permanent position with the farm. But I want her to be happy. That’s why I offered her the consulting gig. She’s trying to find her way right now. She wants to do something she’s passionate about and if working on this farm is not it, I’m not going to stand in her way of figuring out what that is. But that doesn’t mean I’m willing to let her go. If it’s up to me, she’ll be my wife one day.”
He nodded. I saw his eyes water as he took another sip of his whiskey. He sighed. “She doesn’t want to work for me at Hawkins, does she?”
I shook my head. “No sir, but I don’t think it’s about you. She has a lot of admiration for you and she wants to make you proud, but I think she just wants to find her own way. She wants to find something she loves. She wants to find the same passion that you had as she watched you build your company.”
He sighed. “She hasn’t told me. She just keeps saying she needs more time.”
“I’m sure she’s afraid of disappointing you.”
“Yeah. I’m sure she is.” He finished off the last of his whiskey.
I looked at the empty glass. “More?”
He laughed. “I should probably say no. But I think I need another. Of all the things, I thought I’d find here, none of this was it. I’m not sure I’m ready to let her go.”
“Well if it makes you feel any better Mr. Hawkins, I don’t think she’s ready for you to let her go. She needs you. She needs your approval and trust. She knows she made some pretty stupid choices last year and she’s worried that you have lost faith in her.”
He nodded like he understood. “Why don’t you cu
t out the Mr. Hawkins shit? I’m pretty sure you earned the right to call me Rich after the way you just put me in my place.”
“That wasn’t my intention sir.”
He smirked. “Bullshit Jack. That was exactly your intention. But you were right, and I deserved it. I should have listened to her. I should have given her options. Now I’ve just pushed her away.”
“No, sir. There are still options. This is all fixable. Life’s too short for you two to be at odds with each other.”
He looked up and nodded. I’m sure he knew everything about me, including that the fact that I’d lost my parents. He had lost Claire’s mother. He knew what I meant. I turned to walk towards the stairs. “I’ll go up and get her now.”
“Before you go, Jack.”
“Yes, sir?”
“If you hurt her, I will kill you.”
“I’d expect nothing less.” I said knowing he wasn’t kidding.
“Jack.”
I turned back towards him. “Thanks for taking care of her.” I nodded my head and ran up the stairs.
I found Claire sitting at my desk in my office. Her creamy legs were propped up and the heels of her red boots resting on the edge of the desk. She was reading a Farm Digest. I stood in the doorway for a second until she looked up at me. “Jesus Jack. What took so long? I was just trying to decide if I should come down there. Who was it? Was it those guys from Nature Way Farm?”
“No Claire. Not the guys from Nature Way. It’s your father.”
“Funny Jack. Who was it?” She said as she looked up from the magazine. “Jack. Quit messing around. Who was it?”
“It’s your father. Are you coming down?”
“Shit!” She jumped up and smoothed down her dress and started pushing the hair back out of her face that had fallen out of her braid. “God how bad do I look right now? My hair is a mess, isn’t it?”
I grimaced. “A little.” I had to tell her. I didn’t want her father to have any clue what we had just been doing in my office.
She pulled the hair band from the end of her braid and ran her fingers through her hair until it rested in gentle waves down her back. “Better?”