by Opal Carew
“The tattoos aren’t really what one would expect of an executive of a big firm like Ranier Industries.”
Rafe shrugged. “Maybe I don’t like being what people expect.”
Dane’s brow rose again. “Maybe?”
“Are you really going to play it like Dad would have?”
Dane placed a drink in front of Rafe, then settled into the armchair facing him.
“Of course not. You know I’m not Dad. And I never agreed with the way he treated you.”
“But you never stopped it.” As soon as the words escaped Rafe’s mouth he regretted them. He leaned forward, his hands folded. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t up to you to fix things. I should have stood up to the man years ago.”
“How could you? He had all the power. Even if you’d tried to walk away from the family, he wouldn’t have allowed it.”
Rafe laughed without humor. “True. He may not have wanted me for a son, but he wouldn’t allow the world to see his failure.”
Dane swirled his glass, the ice cubes tinkling against the side. He was clearly unable to refute his brother’s words.
“Well, he’s gone now and I want you here.” He locked gazes with Rafe. “Not because I want to force you into a life you don’t want, but because you’re my brother and you’re important to me.”
Rafe just nodded, but his heart swelled at his brother’s admission. Dane had always been the tough older brother, but Rafe had always sought Dane’s approval. And friendship. But Dane had always sought Dad’s approval and had tried to get Rafe to fall in line. Rafe knew now it was because Dane was just trying to make things easier on all of them, but when Rafe was younger, he had felt it was a betrayal.
After almost a year away, he now had more perspective, and he realized his brother had always been looking out for him, in his own way.
“Well, I’m here now and I’d like to jump back into things, if that’s okay with you.”
Dane smiled broadly. “That’s better than okay. I’m off on a trip to Chicago for the rest of the week, but we can meet when I get back to see what you want to take on. This week, Melanie can ensure you get up to speed on what’s been going on.”
He watched as Dane swirled his glass again.
“I know that look,” Rafe said. “What’s on your mind?”
“This thing with you and Jessica. I’m just wondering what your intent is.”
“My intent? You sound like her father.”
“Did he ask you that, too?”
Rafe chuckled. “Not in so many words, but the way he’d look at me … I doubt he wanted his daughter falling for a tattooed musician.”
That’s why it had surprised him so much when her dad had spilled the beans about where she’d gone.
Dane chuckled, too. “I wonder what his attitude would be if he found out you were a billionaire entrepreneur.”
Rafe shrugged. “It probably wouldn’t have changed. He clearly loves his daughter and wants her to be happy. That’s why he didn’t toss me out on my duff when we were together. Because she was happy.”
Rafe wished he had experienced that kind of love from his own father. He set his glass on the table. “And I intend to ensure she’s happy again.”
* * *
Jessica glanced up as soon as she felt his presence. Not Dane. Storm. Or rather, Rafe. Damn, she’d never get used to thinking of him as Rafe Ranier.
She remembered her brother telling her that Storm had gotten that name because when he played guitar, he took the audience by storm. The moniker suited him so well, she couldn’t imagine him by any other name.
As she stared at him standing in her doorway, dressed in an expensive suit, looking way more like Dane than she ever would have imagined, her heart stammered.
He was Storm, with his gentle eyes and the slight curl to his lips as he watched her, yet he was a stranger.
“What is it?” she finally asked, since he seemed determined to just stand there.
“I’d like to talk to you.”
She pushed her keyboard tray under the desk and sat back in her chair. “Okay, go ahead.”
He crossed his arms. “Not here. My office would be more private.”
She frowned. “What if I don’t want to be somewhere private with you?”
He compressed his lips. “You do realize I’m your boss, right?”
She frowned. “Actually, Dane’s my boss.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Dane? You call him by his first name?”
Damn, she hadn’t meant to do that.
“No, I call him Mr. Ranier, but his first name is Dane and that’s the only way to differentiate the two of you.”
He gazed at her speculatively, then continued. “Dane and I both own the company, so I qualify as your boss, too, even if you don’t report directly to me.”
She stared at him defiantly.
“Miss Long, I want you in my office now.”
His words sent a quiver through her … of anxiety, but also of excitement. He was more like Dane than she’d thought, especially when he pulled that commanding boss thing on her.
She pushed herself to her feet, then followed him to his office. When he closed the door behind them, she felt another shiver. Other than their short interaction in Dane’s office yesterday, she hadn’t been alone with him since the time he’d walked out on her. But she’d dreamed of him. Longed to be with him.
But he’d broken her heart and she didn’t want that kind of pain again. Not only that, he’d lied about who he was.
He stepped behind her and as soon as she felt his hand on her shoulder, she shot forward a step, her heart racing. She reached for the stone in her pocket and stroked it.
He walked toward his desk, then turned to face her.
“Jess, we have a lot to talk about. I know you probably don’t want to do it here in the office, so I want you to come to my place for dinner this evening. We can discuss what happened and I’ll answer all your questions.”
“I can’t. You had your opportunity and you broke my heart. You can’t just waltz back here and expect to pick up where we left off.”
“Jess, come on. Give me a chance.” He reached for her and stroked her hair behind her ear. The gentle touch sent tingles through her, and a dangerous desire to lean into his hand. To nuzzle his palm, then press her lips to his skin. “I made the biggest mistake of my life. Now let me spend the rest of it making up for it. I’m ready to be the man you deserve.”
As if sensing her capitulation, he stepped closer and leaned toward her. He was going to kiss her. And she wanted him to. To feel his lips against hers again. His solid body pressed tight to hers.
The door opened.
“Jessica, we have to go. We have a plane to catch.”
She jerked back from Storm, her gaze darting to Dane’s. “Yes, Mr. Ranier.”
She felt guilty having been caught almost kissing Storm. Even though Dane knew about their past, and her relationship with Dane was only physical. Still, she was with him, no matter how casual the relationship and she felt as if she’d almost cheated on him.
Storm’s highly observant gaze locked on her and her heated cheeks. Then he glanced at Dane. “Is there something going on between the two of you?”
“Right now what’s going on is that I need my assistant to accompany me to the airport. I’m going to Chicago to close a deal—something you’d know if you’d been here where you should be.”
“Is she accompanying you just to the airport, or to Chicago?”
“To Chicago, of course.”
“And do you have separate rooms?” Storm’s eyes flared with anger.
“That’s none of your damn business,” Dane retorted.
“Yes, they’re separate rooms,” Jessica snapped, then turned and left the office.
* * *
Jessica sat beside Dane on his private jet as it sped along the runway, then lifted off. The off-white leather seats were very comfortable and she settled back as they accelerated into the
air.
“So, do you want to talk about you and Rafe?” Dane asked.
She pursed her lips and shrugged. “I don’t know what to say. It was a shock to find out he wasn’t who I thought he was, and the fact he’s your brother is…”—she glanced at him—“really awkward.”
“That’s an understatement.” He glanced out the window and asked casually, “Do you think you want to take up where you left off with him?”
“Where we left off was him walking out on me.”
“But he’s back now. When I met you, it was clear you were still in love with him.”
She shook her head. “I was in love with Storm. I don’t know who Rafe is. And Storm broke my heart.”
Dane nodded, his expression giving away nothing.
Once the plane was in level flight, the steward brought them lunch and offered them a selection of drinks. When they arrived in Chicago, they would go straight to their first client meeting. Dane had told her it would probably take a couple of days to hammer out all the details of the contract before they could close the deal.
It wasn’t a very long flight, so she ate quickly, but ever aware of Dane’s powerful presence beside her. The steward cleared away their dishes and poured them coffee. Dane filled the time between them with conversation about their upcoming meeting.
Once the steward disappeared, she glanced at Dane’s profile as he stared at his tablet, going over some of her notes for the meeting. If Storm hadn’t walked back into her life, she and Dane would probably not just be sitting here. They were high above the air in a luxurious private jet. It would be exhilarating to take advantage of this exciting situation.
She gazed at his handsome profile and imagined unfastening her seat belt and lowering to the floor, then stroking his crotch. She could imagine him quickly rising to attention. Would he then decide to punish her, or order her to unzip him then bring him to climax?
He glanced toward her, catching her staring at him.
She smiled. “Is there anything you’d like me to do for you, Mr. Ranier?”
“No. Just relax until we get there,” he said with a deadpan expression. “It will be a busy afternoon.”
Was he just focused on the important meetings to come, or did he have an issue with the fact she used to be his brother’s lover?
She needed to talk to him about it but before she could find the words to start, the pilot announced that they were approaching Chicago and they should fasten their seatbelts.
She would have to bring it up later.
The afternoon rushed by in a flurry of meetings, followed by dinner with the key players at Bright Lights, a company that did research into green technologies.
By the time the day ended, and she and Dane walked down the hotel hallway to their rooms, she was dragging her heels.
“Get a good night’s sleep,” Dane said as they reached her doorway, then he continued on to his suite next door.
“But—”
“Goodnight,” he said as he opened his door, then disappeared inside.
She sighed and stepped inside. Their luggage had already been delivered to their rooms and her bed was turned down and was oh, so inviting.
Even more inviting was the thought of sliding into Dane’s bed, naked and ready for him.
But she knew deep inside that what she was really looking for was a distraction from thoughts of Storm and what his return meant to her. How would it change things?
Was she still in love with him?
* * *
Rafe tried to get work done, but he found himself just staring at the document on his screen, one of the many Melanie had gathered together for him to summarize what had been going on at Ranier Industries in his absence.
Thoughts of Jessica kept pushing through every effort he made to concentrate on work. She’d been gone a day and wouldn’t be back in the office until Monday. Not that he’d wait until he saw her in the office. He would fly to Chicago right now if he didn’t think that course of action would cause more problems than it solved.
Damn it, he just didn’t know if he’d been imagining something between Jessica and his brother. When she’d used Dane’s first name rather than calling him Mr. Ranier, as Dane would expect of any of his employees, it threw him. She’d claimed to use his first name to differentiate between him and Dane, but he had his doubts. Then her cheeks had flushed when Dane came into the office, as if she’d been caught cheating on him.
He pushed his chair back from the desk and stood up, then paced across the office. He was probably reading way too much into the incidents. Old fears rising. There was not substantial evidence that Dane was stealing Jessica from him. His lips compressed. Maybe it was time to let go of the past and move on.
* * *
Jessica walked through the small boutique looking for an unusual nail polish to bring back for Melanie, but it was difficult to find something that her friend didn’t already have. She considered the bottle of blue polish with gold and purple flakes which the clerk told her was brand new, but Melanie tended to order a lot online and often before they were available in the stores.
Finally, she decided on a designer brand name, remembering that Melanie hardly ever indulged in the expensive brands. It was only fifteen dollars, but for an avid collector like Melanie, that amount for a bottle of polish added up fast.
Her phone chimed and she pulled it out and read the text message.
Need you back at four.
It was the second day of their trip, and they had started early and had been in meetings all day. After lunch, Dane had given her a break and told her to go see the city while he met one-on-one with the president of Bright Lights.
She located the higher-end polishes and found one in her price range—a pretty shimmery lilac—made her purchase, then headed back to the client’s office.
When she walked into the office, Dane sent her a broad smile, telling her all had gone well.
Then they met with the senior staff and Dane answered some of their concerns, but it seemed merely a formality. Afterward, the president invited them to join him and a few others from his team for champagne and hors d’oeuvres in the swanky restaurant in their hotel.
Jessica allowed herself only one glass. This was still a business meeting and she wanted to stay sharp. After about an hour and a half, the others excused themselves and soon she found herself alone with Dane.
He poured her another glass of champagne. “This is cause for celebration. I’ve been working on buying this company for six months now.”
“Congratulations,” she said, lifting her glass.
He tapped his tall flute against hers, then they drank.
“You were a part of making this happen, so congratulations to you, too.”
She smiled impishly, feeling the warmth of the bubbly alcohol washing through her. “So do I get rewarded for my diligence?”
His eyebrows arched as he sat back in his chair. “Are you angling for a bonus?”
“I guess I am, but I’m not thinking money.” She slipped off her shoe and with a boldness she didn’t know she possessed, she slid her foot forward until she felt his shoe, then glided up his leg. As her toes ran along his inner thigh, he coughed.
“This is highly inappropriate,” he said.
“I thought you sometimes enjoyed inappropriate.”
He stilled her foot with his hand, but she pushed past and found his crotch, then stroked him, feeling his shaft harden immediately. Tremors of awareness rippled through her at the feel of his solid column.
“Jessica, you have to deal with the fact that Rafe has dropped back into your life. You were in love with him—maybe still are. You need to figure that out before we can continue with whatever it is we have between us.”
“Why? What we have is just physical, remember?” She pressed her foot against his erect cock, longing to hold it in her hands, then lifted her other foot and squeezed him between both of them. He looked in pain.
“Mr. Ranier, you don’
t look well. I think we should get you up to your room.”
As she slid her feet away, she tortured him with a long, firm stroke.
Fire burned in his eyes, but not the kind she’d hoped for.
“You require some severe disciplining, Miss. Long,” he growled under his breath.
His menacing expression unnerved her.
“Yes, sir.”
“Stand up and give me my jacket.” Even though he spoke quietly, his tone vibrated with authority.
She stood up and grabbed the jacket that he’d draped over the back of a neighboring chair earlier, then handed it to him. He’d need it to hide the erection that would be all too visible when he stood up.
He snatched it from her as he stood up, then carried the jacket draped in front of him as they walked. Barely suppressed anger emanated from him.
There were people with them in the elevator on the way up, then she followed him down the hall to his suite.
He jabbed his keycard into the slot, then unlocked the door.
“Get inside,” he commanded.
She skittered through the doorway, barely able to catch her breath. She had never seen him so angry and she wondered what he intended to do. The air around her seemed to vibrate with his authoritative presence.
And a shiver of anticipation danced along her spine.
Despite her nerves, her eyes widened at his suite. Her room was nice, but this was impressive, and gorgeous. Huge. Open and bright, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. And the air was sweet with the fragrance of flowers from the fresh cut arrangement on the table.
“Oh, it’s lovely.”
“Never mind that,” he snapped. “Get over here.”
At the stormy expression in his eyes, she wondered if she’d pushed things too far. Warily, she walked toward him. He grasped her shoulders and turned her around, then took her arm and gruffly walked her across the room. Was he going to throw her out?
But she found herself facing the window, then being bent over the back of the couch. Her hands flattened against the fabric to steady herself, then she felt Dane’s hand smack across her rear.
“Oh,” she exclaimed in surprise.
“You were very bad. Now you’ll have to accept your punishment.”