GRATIFICATION (Desire Never Dies)

by Clara Grace Walker

  He got up rather stiffly. “Of course.”

  She headed back to the shore, not missing the wounded look on Rod’s face at being excluded. If she didn’t dislike him so much, she might have softened to his feigned hurt, but coming from him, she just found the look amusing.

  “So what’s the problem?” Preston asked as soon as they were out of earshot. “I thought you wanted me to take care of the legal work for your bar.”

  “What’s wrong?” She could hardly believe his arrogance. Or the way his grey eyes filled with anger. Like he was somehow the wronged party. “I had assumed you were going to call Henry. He’s my attorney. How could you possibly have thought I wanted Rod doing the legal work for my bar?”

  “I did call Henry, but his line was busy, and I left a message, and then Rod called me, and I just thought, well, I mean….” He stammered and then stopped.

  When he looked back up at her, she saw the familiar look of frustration.

  “Maggie, I’m sorry I brought Rod in on this. You’re right. I should have known you would prefer to use Henry over Rod, even if it does appear that Rod is the best person to handle this particular situation. I was just doing what I thought was best for you, and I’m sorry my help is never quite good enough.”

  “It’s not your intentions that upset me, Preston. It’s your attitude.” When would he ever get it? “You assume because Rod has an ego and runs his mouth a certain way, he’s the better lawyer. It’s all about appearances with you. All the time.”

  “I do not assume that.” He clenched his teeth, breathing hard. “If I had any doubts at all about Henry’s ability as a lawyer, I would never have appointed him as head counsel to consider the takeover bids. But it just so happens Rod is a good attorney also. He’s done liquor license work before, and he knows the woman who heads the entire Florida Division of the ABT. She outranks DeSantis. And because Rod knows her, he can have her get this investigation wrapped up within days instead of waiting weeks for the bureaucratic paper-shuffling to get done. Henry’s a fine lawyer, but Rod is your best shot at re-opening quickly.”

  “I see.” She felt defeated. She found it hard to admit she actually needed something from Rod, and indirectly, from Preston. Re-opening the bar, however, was too important for her to ignore the ace in the hole she’d just been handed. “I’m sorry, Preston. You were right to bring Rod in this time.”

  He touched the side of her face with his fingertip. “I don’t understand us, Maggie. When I asked you to marry me all those years ago, I would have sworn you loved me.”

  His words reminded her of a day four years ago, when she’d graduated from college, and of a warm spring night when Preston had given her an engagement ring and his vow that his heart would never belong to anyone but her. He had started working at Ty-Ken less than a year before, taking over a Vice Presidency position right after his father’s death. He wasn’t as taken with the running the company then, telling her he missed the challenge of building a business, as he’d done when he was opening art galleries and coffee shops, making them successful and then selling them for a profit. Her mistake had been in assuming that meant she was a bigger priority to him than the business was.

  “We were happy then,” she agreed.

  He nodded. “I remember. Until my father died and I went to work at the company. You began distancing yourself from me then, but instead of paying attention, I tried to pretend it wasn’t happening. Then your father died. And after that, you decided to leave town rather than work at Ty-Ken with me. I got the message loud and clear then. You no longer saw yourself at my side.”

  “I never realized you viewed my actions that way,” she said quietly. “But you were right. I never wanted to be a corporate wife. Or a corporate anything else for that matter.”

  Memories of the way Ty-Ken had consumed her father’s life still haunted her all too readily. She still remembered her mother dying in the hospital of cancer, and her father jetting off to some business meeting in Hong Kong. Her mother had died alone. Alone. And because she had been only four, she had been alone, too. She’d never been able to say good-bye.

  When she’d first agreed to marry Preston, she’d thought their life together would be the idyllic, out-of-the-limelight existence she’d wanted ever since she was a girl. That she would be his top concern. Her father’s death had changed that perception. Brought her to the realization that a life with Preston would never be what she wanted. Just a long continuation of everything she wanted to get away from. How many times had she tried to explain that to him? And how many times had he failed to hear?

  A cheerful greeting from the back lawn broke the somber mood. “Hey, Maggie, look who I ran into when I got here. Your lawyer.”

  Tracy, dressed in a halter top and pair of shorts, had Henry by the arm. A glow warmed his face. With Tracy at his side, he looked every bit the middle-aged man who had suddenly re-discovered life.

  He carried a lap top computer with him and waved at Maggie, obviously in good spirits. “I brought a few books with me and I used the flight time to do a little research. I have a few ideas on how to fight this bar closing.”

  Maggie’s heart sank. She felt like scum having to tell him that after her desperate phone call, his help would not be needed.

  Rod had gotten up at the first sight of Henry, and was already heading down the dock. He gave Maggie what she interpreted as a “go to Hell” look and stood over by Tracy, looking over the woman’s figure with an unabashed stare.

  “I already have everything taken care of,” he announced. “This little problem with the liquor license is only one phone call away from being solved.”

  She cringed. “Henry, I’d be interested in hearing what you’ve found out,” she said, hoping to rescue the man from Rod’s intrusion.

  Unfortunately, the look on Henry’s face told her she hadn’t succeeded. She’d seen that disappointed look in his eyes before, on the many occasions when the senior Tyler had sought to put his little brother in his place. She glanced at Preston, wondering if he’d noticed his uncle’s discomfort as well. Or if he’d do anything about it.

  “Thank you, Maggie, but if Rod has everything already taken care of, we might as well leave it at that.”

  “I doubt Rod has everything taken care of.” She glared at Rod. She tried to think of something more to say when Preston touched her shoulder. He shook his head just enough for her to catch his meaning.

  “Maggie and I discussed the situation, Uncle Henry, and decided that putting together our counter bid for the company has to be our top priority right now, regardless of what was happening with the bar.”

  She could have kissed Preston for his quick thinking. And for the deliciously scarlet shade he’d brought to Rod’s face.

  Only Tracy seemed to be clueless as to what was really going on. She stood uncomfortably between Rod and Henry, wringing her hands together and glancing from one man to the other.

  Henry nodded his understanding to Maggie and Preston, a smile re-appearing on his face. “You’re right, of course, but I’m still willing to offer my help if you need it.”

  “Don’t worry,” Rod grumbled. “I can manage things here. You don’t need to spend any more time away from Naples than necessary.”

  Henry’s dark eyes lit up with unspoken amusement. “Not to worry. I’m not being inconvenienced by coming here. It had been my intention all along to move operations down to Key West so Maggie wouldn’t have to juggle running her bar with working on the Ty-Ken business.”

  Rod’s jaw tightened, and Henry continued on. “And now that I’ve had the chance to meet this lovely lady here…” He winked at Tracy. “I think I’d be hard-pressed to leave anytime soon.”

  Maggie could have predicted Rod’s response as easily as predicting that the sun would rise in the east and set in the west.

  “Yeah, she’s something, isn’t she?” Rod gave Tracy a playful wink and took her by the arm. “That’s why I’m taking her out to dinner tonight, right b
abe?”

  Maggie held her breath. Please, Tracy, don’t say it.

  Tracy gave a little cough. “Uh, yeah, right.”

  Henry looked visibly disappointed. In all the time Maggie had known him, he had never dated much, and had always been somewhat awkward around women. His obvious attraction to Tracy could easily have been the best thing that had ever happened to either one of them. Instead, Preston’s buddy Rod had to be around to ruin it. Anger swallowed her all over again. He just had to bring that moron into their lives.

  Chapter 36

  Rod had bumped into Jane Kingsley two months ago at some political fundraiser the governor was having. He hadn’t really paid much attention to her at the time. There were plenty of wealthier women at the event of higher social standing. And, as Jane was rather plain, he hadn’t made any special attempt to hit on her. Just exchanged the usual pleasantries. Asked how her nephew was doing. Reminded her to call him if she needed any more legal work done.

  To his dismay, she had taken his politeness as a sign of genuine interest, batting her eyes and following him over to the bar, until he had to brush her off by telling her he needed to go speak with his boss on a personal matter. He’d been glad when she’d excused herself and left. Still, he had taken her phone number when it was offered. It was his custom to always keep as many fishing lines open as possible.

  Damn good thing, too. Good old “Plain Jane” had practically squealed in delight when he’d called. Convincing her to drive down to Miami for the weekend had been easier than selling water in the desert.

  A mere four days later, his methods were once again proven right. Now he had a way to open up Maggie’s bed to him. Nothing like having a woman indebted to you.

  Whether she admitted it or not, she was going to be awfully damn grateful to get her bar opened back up. So grateful it was worth spending the evening with Plain Jane, watching some sappy love story playing at the theater and babbling nonsense over cappuccino afterwards. And now, pressed into some so-called romantic stroll along the beach at night.

  He scoffed at the idea. If there weren’t a specific need for the equipment in his bedroom, he’d just fuck her right out here and get it over with. All of which forced his attention back to the task at hand. Jane had red hair cut shoulder-length and curled under like a pageboy. Women with short hair were great for the camera. Nothing was worse than thinking you had filmed the porno film of all times, only to be disappointed at the premiere when a woman’s long hair managed to spill across her face, obscuring her identity to the world. As far as hair went, Jane’s was perfect. The rest of her face was irrelevant. An unremarkable shade of brown colored her eyes, making them neither deep nor exotic, and she had a light sprinkling of freckles on her cheeks.

  Her body, however, was killer. And she showed it off with a pink mini skirt and low-cut white blouse. She had nice long legs and tits about as big as Dolly Parton’s. The ass was a little big, but not so big he’d mind. Just a little bit of something extra to hold onto when they were humping. Her body was going to look great on film.

  He reached over and squeezed her cheek, just to remind her he had every intention of fucking her tonight. “So,” he asked without caring. “How’d you like the movie?”

  She snuggled closer, brushing her hip against his with every other step. “I thought it was incredibly romantic,” she gushed. “Didn’t you?”

  He nodded half-heartedly. What was it with women and romance? Christ, it was like they all thought they were Cinderella or something. “I love romantic movies.” He lied. “Especially when I’m with a woman who frees up my emotions the way you do.”

  “Do you really mean that?”

  She sounded almost shy. Glancing down the beach, he saw they were just a few houses down from his place now. He could finally get this show on the road. Stroking his hand upward along her back, he moved his hand into position, slid it around front and grabbed her nearest breast, squeezing gently.

  She moaned just a little. His anatomy responded right on cue, pumping him up for the first stages of an all-night sex-a-thon. Sex was one thing he was a master at. And he didn’t need any stupid blue pills to do it either. The very thought of Viagra pissed him off. Why the hell should a bunch of old geezers and saps be able to claim territory that belonged exclusively to real studs like him? Men who didn’t need to take a pill to perform? It created a bunch of phonies as far as he was concerned. Men who could pass themselves off as the real deal, but really weren’t.

  He pulled Jane along the beach the last few feet to his house. Impatience hurried his walk. She tugged on his arm, as if attempting to slow him down, probably wanting to savor the moment, but he just kept walking.

  “That’s my place right there.” He pointed to a gated brick wall and pulled out an electronic gadget he had hooked to his key ring to shut down the alarm system. “After you, babe.”

  “Babe.” Jane giggled. “I’ve never had a man call me that before.”

  Probably never would again, either. “You’ve never had a man like me before, sweet cheeks.” He squeezed her tit and spun her around until he had her against the brick wall.

  She started to squirm and he pressed harder into her, ramming his tongue into her mouth. She yielded to his weight, and he proceeded to put his hand up her skirt and pulled her panties down to her knees in a single tug. Slipping his finger inside, he ascertained she was damp and ready for him. He loved knowing that, no matter how much she hated him later, she would still remember him as the man who gave her the best sex of her entire life.

  “Are we going to make love outside?” she asked, as soon as he’d pulled his lips away from hers.

  He grinned. “We are going to have sex all over the place. But first…” He paused and ran his tongue all the way from her bottom lip to the dip into her cleavage. “First, we are going to my bedroom, so I can show you all of my toys.”

  “Toys?” She giggled some more. “You mean you’re bringing me home so we can play with your toys?”

  He had her up to the back door now and let them both inside. “Don’t worry, babe. You’ll like my toys.”

  “You sound pretty sure about that.”

  Turning on the light, he escorted her directly to his bedroom. “Here, I’ll let you tell me what you think.”

  He flicked on the light switch, anticipating her surprise. Quite a few women before her had had the same reaction. The mirrored ceilings, the hand-cuff collection hung on the wall, the whip wrapped around the bed post, and the single pole installed between the bed and dresser used for tying women up, all tended to overwhelm a woman the first time she saw it.

  He knew his prey well, and used the moment of their initial shock to strike. Usually, he was inside a woman within two minutes of letting her into his bedroom. He actually timed it on occasion. One minute, twenty-two seconds was the record. Jane, sweet Jane, wasn’t going to be any exception.

  “Take your clothes off,” he said. He figured that shouldn’t be too hard as she was half out of them already. “I want to see what you look like naked.”

  “You don’t waste any time, do you?”

  He unbuttoned her blouse, just in case she hadn’t taken him seriously. “What’s the point in wasting time when there’s so much fun to be had?”

  “What are you planning on doing to me?”

  Occasionally, he had to assure a woman he wasn’t actually going to whip her. Being a masterful lover got him off. Not sadism. Finding her earlobe with his teeth, he whispered. “Nothing you aren’t going to thank me for later.”

  She continued undressing while she took in the room, eyes wide and practically unblinking. Within seconds she stood topless, with only the pink mini skirt left on.

  “Finish undressing, babe. I’m getting impatient.”

  She unzipped the skirt and stepped out of it. Perfect. Plain Jane didn’t know it, but she was about to become a movie star.

  He had cameras installed under the mirrors in his ceiling. When the lights were tur
ned on, the cameras turned on with them. Pulling Jane onto the middle of his bed, he positioned her to be in full view of the recording equipment. His hands and mouth were all over her, all the more eager, knowing each groan and writhe of her body would be captured on film, joining his collection, giving him still more power over her.

  When she received a few choice photos from their encounters, she’d be all too willing to order Maggie’s bar opened back up, and allow the trumped up evidence found by DeSantis to disappear.

  And then, he’d be calling on Maggie, ready, willing and able to receive her gratitude.

  Chapter 37

  For five days Preston had maintained an even ground with Maggie. They hadn’t fought or argued even once, and it was beginning to feel like a milestone, except the truce had been obtained by each of them putting up walls and not saying what might really be on their minds. They weren’t getting any closer and it was frustrating the hell out of him.

  He sat outside the beach house he’d rented and watched Henry skipping stones on the beach. Since his uncle needed to be in Key West as well, they’d rented the house together, and as far as Preston was concerned, he was still paying too much to stay there. The house’s only real value to him lay in its proximity to Maggie.

  For the first two years after she’d left, he’d known he wasn’t over her. And for the next year, he’d come to the inescapable conclusion he never would be. Looking at his destiny then, he saw himself as some aging bachelor, like his uncle. Or more precisely, like George Clooney. Hunky and much sought after, despite an obvious determination not to wed.

  Then, just when he’d accepted that fate, destiny had thrown Maggie back into his life. He didn’t want to contemplate how it might feel to lose her twice.

  Henry finished skipping stones and headed back to the house. “So what’s bothering you?” he asked. “I swear you’re sitting there looking like God’s turned his back on you.”