by Ella Brooke
“I can stare at these numbers all day,” Elena said. “But we have to meet with the investors. They will have their opinion about this as well.”
And she was right. I glanced at my wristwatch and realized it was time to meet with them. Together, we walked to the boardroom and took our seats. I was at the head of the table, as always, but this time Elena wasn’t in her corner. Instead, she stood at my side. She was the brains behind this operation, after all.
“Well, Mr. Fuller, that is quite a launch,” one of the investors said and I nodded, unable to keep the satisfaction off my face.
“We are very pleased,” I said. “Of course, the numbers were as predicted.”
The investors all nodded. They looked as pleased as I was. “We would like feedback every week or so, but if things go the way they are going now, we can’t see any reason to pull out. Congratulations. Your subscription service is a huge success.”
“I am positive that this will become a trend,” I said.
“And we agree,” one of the investors said. “We will keep monitoring you, but if you keep this up for the next few months, you will have saved the company. Considering how far you were down, it’s a glorious feat.”
And they were right. We had done something spectacular. I looked at Elena, and she was smiling. Together, we had taken a company that had been on the edge of bankruptcy and not only pulled it back to safety, but it would be one of the richest companies in a very short amount of time. It felt amazing. Almost as amazing as it was to build a family with Elena.
That night, we had a celebration in the office. I paid for the whole thing myself, calling out catering and setting out an open bar. My employees all deserved to be congratulated for their success and commended for their hard work.
“Without each and every one of you, we wouldn’t be celebrating this today,” I said in a speech. “I want you to know how much you are appreciated in this company and how much I value every individual. Thank you.”
I was emotional. I had managed to retain my client base without forfeiting loyalty and without losing my company. I had done what my father had instilled in me, staying true to who I was. But I hadn’t lowered myself to his level and sunken my personal life in the process. I had taken the good, discarded the bad and standing in front of my employees, with Elena by my side, I had everything a man could ever want.
“So, turns out your secretary was a diamond in the rough,” Doug said. He glanced at Elena and lifted his champagne glass. She nodded at him. I doubted they would ever like each other, but they tolerated each other for the sake of the company.
“She’s so much more than that,” I said. “But you’re right. What we needed came from the most unexpected place.”
“How is the new secretary?” Doug asked. I had managed to find a new secretary that could replace Elena. Of course, no one would ever replace Elena, but this one was good enough for the job she needed to do. Even Elena approved.
“So, I’m here to congratulate the two of you,” Doug said. “You did really well.” He looked at Elena. “Especially you.”
“Thank you,” Elena said, smiling. For the rest of the night, we spent time with my employees, and we were congratulated by everyone before we started a conversation. It felt good to be with my people, to mingle, to spend time with them. They all worked very hard, and they deserved to see how well it had paid off. If my company had gone bankrupt, it wouldn’t only have been my loss, a lot of people would have lost their jobs. I was so glad that we could have prevented that.
“Let’s get away from the crowd,” Elena said later that night. I nodded and walked with her to my office, and she closed the door behind her. She turned to me and wrapped her arms around my waist, pulling me into a hug.
“This is where it all started,” I said.
She nodded with her head against my chest.
“We’ve come full circle, you and I,” she said. She looked up at me with her bright green eyes. “I love you, Noah Fuller. Thank you for giving me a chance, not just as an employee, but as someone you can love.”
I shook my head. “You’re the one I should be thanking. You saved the company without even realizing it. You saved me. When I met you, I was a single father, confused and alone. I didn’t know who I was and how I fit in this world. Thanks to you, I have somewhere I belong. I have a family.”
Elena smiled at me, and I dipped my head to kiss her. Standing here in my office, surrounded by the semidarkness, my employees partying outside the door, everything felt perfect. I slid my hand down her body and onto her stomach that was starting to grow. She was showing, but barely. In time, that would change.
“I can’t wait to meet this little person,” I said. I kneeled before Elena and kissed her stomach. She ran her hands through my hair, smiling down at me.
“I’m pretty sure Baby can’t wait to meet you, either.”
“I am so excited for our future together,” I said to Elena. “The road ahead is bright and happy. I just know the company will make it as long as we work together as a team. We’re going to have a beautiful child, and Lilly is the perfect older sister.”
“Don’t jinx it,” Elena said. “What if something goes wrong?”
I shook my head. “I doubt something more could go wrong, but if it does, we’ll handle it the way we handled everything that went wrong before. Together. That’s the way we’re going to get through life, you and me.”
Elena smiled. “You’ve always been an optimist,” she said.
“I told you. Everything will be okay.”
Epilogue
Elena
Nine Months Later
“It’s time for bed, little lady,” I said to Lilly who sat on the floor in the living room watching the movie Moana.
“Just another ten minutes, Daddy,” Lilly said.
I shook my head. “Unfortunately not, honey pot. Come on, let’s get your teeth brushed.”
Lilly groaned, switching off the movie and getting up. She tried to fight me on going to bed every night, now. It was amazing how much she could grow in a year. I was starting to see glimpses into what it would be like when she was a teenager.
“Where’s Elena?” Lilly asked on the way to the bathroom.
“She’s feeding Bryant,” I said. “She’s going to tuck him in the same time I tuck you in.”
Lilly grumbled something before sticking a toothbrush in her mouth, and I went to check on Elena in the nursery. We had changed the guest bedroom close to our bedroom into the baby’s room. Elena sat in the rocking chair, feeding Bryant. She was humming something soft and low, and the dimmer switch in the room was already on.
“There’s my little prince,” I said, kissing him on the forehead before kissing Elena. “Are you okay, here?”
“I’m putting him down the moment he’s done feeding, and then I’ll come kiss Lillian good night.”
I watched Elena for a moment longer with our son. Bryant was two months old, now. He had been born late at night when the first snow had started falling, and it had been one of the happiest days of my life. Since then, things had only been getting better. Lilly was a terrific big sister, taking care of Bryant, protective over him. We had been worried that she might be jealous now that she wasn’t getting all the attention, but she slipped into a family of four seamlessly.
Diane still worked for us, but she was on baby duty more often, now. We had employed full-time instead of only doing afternoons with Lilly, and she loved Bryant as much as we did.
When Bryant had been born, the press had gone mad. We had managed to keep the pregnancy completely quiet. Everyone at Saturn Intelligence had helped us keep it under wraps so that we could enjoy the pregnancy and the birth in private. Of course, keeping the baby a secret hadn’t been that easy, and in no time at all, we had been painted as the perfect business family. The story of my romance with Elena had circulated again. Saturn Intelligence was back in the limelight, and that had boosted our sales for a while.
We ha
d been worried that the publicity would affect our family life, or that something negative might arise. But it had been two months, and everything was fine. Everyone seemed to be on our side. The company was doing well. And we were the happiest family. I wouldn’t have chosen for my personal life to be strewn all over the news, and the scandal of me kissing Elena had put a strain on us at first, but if I had to go back and do it all again, I would have done it exactly the same. I was happier than I could have imagined any man to be, and my story with Elena was only beginning.
“Good night, princess,” I said to Lilly after I kissed her on the head. “I think we should go to the movies tomorrow. Just see you Elena and me.”
“What about Bryant?” Lilly asked.
“We’ll get Diane to watch him. I think we need to spend some big kid time.”
Elena and I tried to make time for Lilly away from Bryant. The baby needed a lot of attention, and we didn’t want to make Lilly feel like she had been replaced somehow. So far, it was working.
“Do I hear talk of a movie day?” Elena asked, coming into the room. She kissed Lilly good night as well.
“That’s exactly what you heard,” I said.
“That sounds great to me,” Elena said.
We closed Lilly’s door and walked to the main bedroom together.
“I’m so tired,” Elena said.
Having a new baby in the house took a lot of time and energy, and we were both exhausted. We hadn’t had the energy to have sex since Bryant had been born. But tonight, when we were under the covers, Elena rolled toward me so that we were pressed against each other. Her hand slid around to my back, and her lips were only a sigh away from mine.
“Are you up for it?” I asked.
“I am. I miss you”
So, in the dark of the night, quietly so neither of the kids woke up, we undressed each other. I relearned my wife’s body by feel, running my fingertips over every inch of her, following my hands with my mouth. Her lips found mine, moving down and finally finding my cock.
When I couldn’t take it anymore, when she was driving me crazy, I flipped her onto her back. Her legs fell open for me, and I positioned myself between them. It had been so long since I’d been able to do this. When Elena had been pregnant, we’d been restricted in our positions, sticking to doggy style or her on top. Now, I lay on top of her, my face above hers and I pushed into her.
She gasped quietly as I did, writhing beneath me, and I loved the feel of her body beneath mine, lean again, the body I knew as Elena’s. I ran my hands down her sides, and she shivered. Her breasts pressed against my chest, her nipples hard. I kissed her, slipping my tongue into her mouth before I started moving inside her.
I pulled out slowly before sliding back in again, working in and out of her body with slow, torturous strokes. I knew I was working her up, pushing her closer and closer to the edge without letting her tip over. She complained to me, whispering about it, her words trapped between us like a secret. We had to be quiet with the children around but doing it as quietly as we did added to the thrill.
I started thrusting harder and faster, fucking her until she whimpered through her first orgasm, the best she could do to keep quiet. I lifted my head and listened for a sound from the two rooms.
“They’re still fine,” I told Elena. When she orgasmed, I was her ears and the other way around. If we orgasmed at the same time, we hoped Lilly wouldn’t walk in on us.
“Do me on my stomach,” Elena said. I nodded. She wanted the positions we hadn’t been able to do for months now, too. I pulled out of her, and she rolled over onto her stomach. I lay my body on hers again, and she gasped as I put most of my weight on her. Her legs were slightly wide, and I found her entrance, pushing into her. I starting bucking my hips, sliding in and out of her, and she muffled her moans with the pillows.
She orgasmed again when I rode her like this, and before long, I was on the edge, too. I started fucking her harder and harder until I came. I emptied myself inside her. For a moment, I thought about getting her pregnant again, but we would wait, I told myself. At least until Bryant was a year old.
When I pulled out, I rolled off her and lay next to Elena, holding her against me.
“I love you,” she said.
“I love you, too,” I answered. “I have a question.”
“Yes?”
I looked at her in the semi-darkness, her profile delicate and perfect, her green eyes pools of darkness without the light. “Will you marry me?”
Elena lifted her head. “Really?” she asked.
I chuckled and nodded. “Really.”
She didn’t hesitate, not even for a second.
“Yes!” she cried out.
I chuckled and kissed her. “I’m so glad you said yes,” I said. I reached for the lamp on the nightstand before opening the drawer and retrieving a black velvet box. “Because this wouldn’t have fit anyone else.”
“Oh, my God,” Elena said and took the box from me. She opened it. Inside, a rose gold ring with diamonds winked at us. I’d had it in my drawer for the past three months. I had meant to propose as soon as Bryant was born, waiting for the right time. I hadn’t been right until tonight when I’d suddenly known that I could never live without her, that I didn’t want to.
“When I met you,” I said, “you were the hottest woman I had ever seen, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t hire you for your looks. But that wasn’t the only reason I hired you. I was intrigued by your mind, and you had that MBA that tickled my business side. As the time ticked by I got to know you, and I realized that I couldn’t do without you – not just in a business sense, but as a person. You bring the best out in Lilly and me, and you gave me a beautiful son. There is no one I would rather grow old with than you, Elena Hayes.”
She was smiling at me, her eyes welled with tears. The ring was on her finger, but her eyes were on my face.
“I can’t begin to tell you how much I love you and the family we have together,” she said. “I’m so glad you hired me. And I’m glad that you came after me that day after I stood you up, that you came to fight with me, fight for me.”
She kissed me, and we cuddled back under the covers. I reached for the lamp, and the room plunged back into darkness.
“We should tell Lilly tomorrow,” I said.
“We should,” Elena agreed. “And I’d like to officially adopt her if I can.”
I wasn’t sure what that would entail, legally, and if we would be able to find Cheryl if we needed her consent. But I was happy to look into it. I already saw Elena as the mother of both my children and even though Lilly was difficult sometimes, I knew she looked up to Elena as a role model. That Elena wanted to adopt her as her own was the perfect ending to a story that had been destined to be happy from the start.
THE END
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Chapter One
Dr. Ian Cartwright towered over his students as they looked up at him in rapt fascination. His words shouldn’t have come as a surprise; every student in the room was a senior. Every one of them had enough experience in business classes to give a lecture. But for some reason, every word Dr. Cartwright spoke seemed to draw them all in further.
Hazel Greenwood felt her chest tightening as he walked
past her. The gentle wisp of his cologne caused a shudder to run up her back. It always did. As much as she had initially been resistant to take this extra business course, she had to admit that she looked forward to coming twice a week. Even if she wasn’t a business major. Even if she disagreed, in principle, with much of what Dr. Cartwright said.
She had gotten into a verbal altercation with her professor at least once a week since the semester had started, sometimes twice. Once she had gone to his office to discuss his comments on her audience analysis essay, totaling out their fights that week to four. At least he didn’t seem to hold ill-will toward her for their altercations. He smirked when he felt he was “correcting” her naïve assumptions about how businesses should work. It must’ve been entertaining to him.
On Hazel’s end, these fights were much less enjoyable. She’d never had so much trouble getting along with a teacher before. It wasn’t that he disliked her—Hazel wished that she could have that kind of excuse. Over the summer, Dr. Cartwright had hand-selected his class from proposals that the students had given to the program director in the business school. So even if Dr. Cartwright mocked her degree plan and thought that majoring in Nonprofit Management (in addition to Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies) was a waste of time, Cartwright had chosen for her to be there. He should’ve guessed from her application that Hazel would have a fundamentally different understanding of how businesses should conduct themselves.
Leaning on her hand, Hazel looked over the complex maze of information on the board. This class was more of a practicum than a lecture since she and the others already had business plans set out for their ventures, but Dr. Cartwright liked to hear himself talk. Usually, on Tuesdays, there was no stopping him from giving a long, meandering rendition of one of his business experiences.
“You must never confuse language with communication. You can definitely have one without the other, but if you’re looking to make your business as efficient and well-functioning as possible—” Dr. Cartwright pointed his finger around the room at them as the two other female students swooned at his British accent. “—You mustn’t forget to engage in both.”