Stephanie laughed as he hopped up from the table and moved quickly to the basement door on one end of the hallway. He returned only moments later with a dusty bottle of wine and took it to the sink to rinse it off and open it. Walking back with a couple of wine glasses in one hand and the wine in the other, he handed off the glasses to her and began uncorking the bottle. Stephanie felt her heart sink when she saw the label on the bottle.
“Oh my God, Neil! You can’t open that!” she screeched.
“What? It’s too late. The cork is already halfway out. I know I don’t know a lot about wine, but I thought a Shiraz went well with chicken,” he said with a look of confusion.
“Oh, absolutely it does. But that is a circa ninety-nine Chris Ringland Shiraz,” she exclaimed in a panicked tone.
“So?” he offered.
“That bottle of wine costs around six or seven hundred dollars. Mr. Johnston is going to fire us, or worse – kill us!” she said. Neil looked back at the bottle as if he was shocked that it could possibly be so much.
“Well, who knew the old bastard had such great taste in wine? I figured him for a twelve buck a bottle kind of guy,” he said.
“You can’t be serious right now,” she said as Neil resumed opening the bottle and began pouring them each a glass.
“What do you mean?” he asked, swishing his wine a little in his glass before taking a sip.
“Have you never gone out to a client dinner with Mr. Johnston?” she asked.
“No. Are you telling me that you have?” he asked, seeming suddenly curious as to how she got the one up on him in that department.
“Yes, I’ve been to several of them. He is a wine expert. I should have warned you before you went to the basement that there could be some pricey wines down there. I just figured you knew about wines and which ones to steer clear of,” she said.
“Well, you were wrong, and our dinner is getting cold. Let’s toast to our Christmas bonus in a bottle,” he said cheerfully. Stephanie couldn’t help but laugh, though she was sure they were getting fired. It was kind of funny that she wasn’t as concerned about burning his stuff as she was drinking his expensive wine.
“How do you know so much about wine?” Neil asked between bites.
“When I first joined the firm, I was still in school, getting my degree. I worked as an administrative assistant and was often invited to dinners just to keep up with things. They would sit and talk, eating and drinking, while I took notes about ideas they tossed around for my boss to look over later when we were back in the office. They always bought me food and shared their wine with me, and I was embarrassed that I didn’t know Beringer from Le Macchiole, so I took a class and did some studying,” she said.
“Well, I still don’t know the difference, but I can tell you that this bottle right here is excellent,” he replied, taking another sip before returning to his chicken.
“We are so getting canned,” she said with a chuckle.
“So what if we do?” he asked. “I mean, do you think we will ever get anywhere with that firm?”
“I would like to think we will,” she said.
“You’re quite the optimist,” he told her. “I think we are both doomed to spend years on the bottom rung only to find others being promoted around us.”
“Why would you think that?” she asked.
“Well, don’t take offense to this, but you are a woman in a man’s world. You will never be as strong or good as they are because you are viewed as a potential weak link. They can’t deal with things like monthly emotional issues, needing time off for the family you may want one day, or the possibility that they might say the wrong thing and land in a sexual harassment suit,” he said.
“What the hell, Neil? That is the most sexist thing I’ve ever heard!” she said, once again seeing that other side of him.
“I agree. It is sexist, but it doesn’t mean it’s not true. Of course, make no mistake about it, they will always do it in a way that you can’t sue them for it. You’ll simply be overlooked or promoted to a lesser position where you can’t create any problems. Look around you at that firm and tell me how many women you see in top positions, Stephanie,” he said.
Stephanie pondered this for a moment. It wasn’t a revelation, but she had always felt she could overcome that barrier by being better than the next guy, and the next guy was sitting across the table with a bubble burster in full swing.
“What about you then? You said neither of us would be promoted,” she asked.
“Me? I’m a loose cannon. I don’t always think things through. I’m charming enough, but I sometimes struggle to pull an idea together. They never know if I’m going to pull it off, but I usually do. Thing is, I’m not a sure thing for them. It’s all about consistency. Every time I lose an account to your more polished methods, it reminds them that I’m not always on top like they would like me to be,” he said.
“So, it’s my fault that you won’t be promoted?” she asked incredulously.
“No, not at all. You may be the one showing up my shortcomings, but at the end of the day, they are still mine to own. Your only shortcoming is that you don’t always have the full package right off the bat. I’m constantly amazed at the brilliant ideas that pop into your head so quickly, but you falter when it comes to expanding on them right away. Give you time to step away and consider where to go from where you suggested starting and you will come back with an absolutely stunning package, but demand it on the spot and you are completely shut down past the original idea itself,” he said.
“Yes, it is my biggest weakness. Of course, you never seem to have any problem with running with my ideas once I’ve spat them out,” she said, her eyes narrowing to slits. She imagined little lasers shooting out of them to singe off his eyebrows as she spoke.
“No, I don’t, and you never seem to have any problem making the fact that I can’t think on my feet as quickly as you do quite evident,” he replied. Stephanie smiled a little vindictively as she took another sip of her wine.
“In all honestly, we make a great team. We would be the ultimate asset to that company if they paired us off and let us feed off each other’s strengths and make up for any weaknesses between us. We’d be unstoppable,” he said.
Stephanie contemplated this for a moment and realized he was right, but she also knew the firm would never do something like that. They preferred to pit ad execs against one another in some sort of Romanesque, gladiator type environment, always head to head with equals and only on the team of those who ruled them.
“It’s an interesting theory, Neil,” she told him as she picked up her plate and carried it over to the kitchen, then returned for the leftovers on the table as he finished his food. He was done in a few bites and got up to help her get everything tidied up.
“You know, you never did get your shower this morning,” he said abruptly.
“Are you trying to tell me I stink?” she laughed.
“Well, I didn’t want to say anything…” he said, trailing off as she hit him with a dish towel. “Just kidding, let me finish this up. Why don’t you go take a nice, hot bath or shower? I suggest you use Mr. Johnston’s private bath. I saw that he has a big garden tub in there, and I’m sure it is at least a hair warmer than the bathroom upstairs.
“I think I will do just that,” she replied, stopping by the table with her wine bottle to refill it on her way to start a bath.
She emerged from the master bedroom a short time later to find that he had finished with the kitchen and was stoking the fire. He tossed some more wood on it and stood staring into it, deep in thought. She made her way quietly up the stairs to find some clean clothes and her makeup bag, not sure why she felt compelled to put on makeup this late in the day. Evening out her skin tone along with a little mascara and gloss couldn’t hurt and wouldn’t look too overdone for being stranded in a mountain cabin.
Chapter Ten
Don’t worry, Daddy, I’ll have her home at a respectable hour. Go
to sleep. Daddy. You won’t think about tonight. With the night comes a feeling that I’ve got this incredible power…
“Are you kidding me with this?” Stephanie asked as she emerged from the bathroom, shivering a little from the cold in the bedroom where she had finished getting dressed.
“What?” Neil asked innocently.
“This music! Is that Rick Springfield? This song is older than we are!” she said, laughing.
“Hey, I can’t help it if the only station we can get is a classic rock station. Besides, my mother loves Rick Springfield. I’m pretty sure she would leave my father for him if the opportunity became available,” he said as the song finished and was followed on by ‘Radar Love,’ which Stephanie secretly loved but would be damned if she admitted it.
“Oh, hell no,” Stephanie said as he began to sing along with the song enthusiastically, complete with an air guitar and Elvis-like dance moves.
“We’ve got a wave in the air…Radar Love,” he sang.
“Stop. Just stop it. You’re ridiculous,” she said, about to cry from laughing so hard at his off-key harmony with the radio.
“Party pooper,” he said, reaching over to switch off the radio. “I’m going to take a shower.”
“Good. You can sing in there,” she shot back at him.
“I will. Loudly. And with the wrong words, most likely,” he replied as he wandered toward the bathroom, resuming the song without the radio’s assistance.
Stephanie chuckled as she turned back toward the living room, her empty wine glass in her hand. She topped it off with what was left in the bottle and then sat down near the edge of the fireplace where it was warm. Neil’s voice could be heard singing a perfectly awful version of the old eighties song ‘White Horse.’ She almost spit out her wine as she burst into laughter. When he finally shut off the shower and eventually returned to the den, she was looking at him as if he’d lost his mind.
“What, no Eddie Murphy, ‘Party All the Time?’” she asked with a serious face.
“My girl wants to party all the time! She parties all the time! Woooo hooo hooo,” he sang to her, causing her to laugh again.
“I think I might need to let you go back to the radio,” she told him.
“I knew my plan would work,” he told her with a smile.
“Hey, look what I figured out. This sofa has a fold-out bed in it. We can sleep out here near the fire where it is warmer,” she told him.
“Wow, I didn’t even notice that. Great. I’m pretty sure it’s colder in that bedroom right now than it was at its lowest last night,” he told her.
They sat up talking for a while, sipping on fresh drinks from the liquor cabinet now that the wine was gone, though it was tempting to go back down and get another bottle. Of course, drinking too much was a bad idea. They needed to be level-headed in case something happened, but the liquor was warming, so they paced themselves. With the fire roaring and the oven still on, it was actually pretty comfortable in the den, and they were able to sit around and talk. During the next few hours, they learned more about one another than they had in two years of working together.
“Did you know that I used to want to ask you out when I first came to the firm?” he said to her.
“No. Why did you change your mind?” she asked.
“You didn’t seem like the sort to be interested in a guy like me, and you intimidated me,” he said casually.
“Intimidating? Me?” she said, honestly surprised that someone like him would be intimidated by her.
“Yes, you were fierce competition and were always all business. I felt like the jester of the court around you,” he said.
“I’m sorry. I never meant to make you feel that way. I was just as intimidated by you,” she said.
“Are you still?” he asked.
“No. If you had asked me that before we came here, I would have said I was, but after getting to know you, I have realized that we are alike in a lot of ways. We want the same things, and we’re not afraid to go after them,” she said.
Neil seemed to contemplate this for a moment and nodded quietly in her direction before getting up to stoke the fire and add some more wood without saying anything for a moment.
“It’s getting late. I think we need to turn off the stove for a while and just set the alarm for every couple of hours. We can take turns getting up to add wood to the fire,” he told her.
“Sounds good to me. I am getting so sleepy,” she replied, getting up to turn off the stove in the other room while Neil added enough wood to the fire to keep it going for a while.
They pulled out the sofa bed and retrieved blankets and pillows from the master bedroom, climbing in for the night. It wasn’t nearly as comfortable as Mr. Johnston’s bed, but was considerably warmer than it would be in there. They left the radio on very low so that they weren’t listening to every outside branch that cracked beneath the weight of the snow or animals howling in the distance. Once again, they snuggled in together as the quiet sound of classic love ballads filled the night.
Stephanie tried to sleep, but things had changed even from last night. Then, she had been aware of him in the bed with her, but tonight she found herself wanting him in a way that was completely new to her when it came to him. She struggled to sleep with him so close, trying not to toss and turn on the smaller fold-out sofa. After what seemed like the better part of an hour, she finally dozed off, only to be awakened an hour later by his alarm. She watched as he climbed out of bed and stoked the fire, adding wood to it before returning to bed.
She pretended to have dozed back off after the alarm, turning over so that she faced away from him in the darkness. Then, he was pulling her back toward him, snuggling up to her back as he had done last night in his sleep. Except this time, he couldn’t be asleep. He had just gotten into the bed and knew exactly what he was doing. Did he just assume that she was asleep and would chalk it up to a nocturnal reaction to another body in bed beside him? Perhaps she should be upset about that, but she found that she wanted his strong arms wrapped around her. She found herself wishing they were naked, his creamy skin pressed against hers as they explored each other by the fire.
Stephanie was dimly aware of the old Foreigner song playing on the radio in the background as she boldly turned over to face him, finding his eyes open in the flickering firelight from nearby. She raised a hand to stroke his face, light stubble covering the hard angles of his jawline, and then she gave into what she was feeling. Consequences be damned, all she could think about right now was how much she wanted him. Her lips met his in a scorching kiss that spread flames far beyond the fireplace.
Neil returned her kiss tenfold, searching her hot mouth with his own. His tongue lazily interloping with hers as they found their way to one another’s core. His hands roamed across her body, touching her in places that had gone a long time without a man’s caress. She started to pull away, realizing what she was doing and second guessing it. Could she afford to get tangled up with this man?
“Don’t…” he whispered in a raspy voice, his lips falling on her neck and kissing his way to her clavicle so sweetly that she could already feel herself getting moist with a need for him.
Stephanie gave up the fight for good and just let it be what it was, allowing herself to succumb to her desire and his touch. They pulled urgently at each other’s clothing, exploring freely. It wasn’t the awkward lovemaking of people who were together for the first time. It was if they knew each other’s bodies instinctively, just where and how to touch in all the right places at precisely the right times.
Their moans filled the den as they took their time, building their passion to the point where they could no longer hold back. He looked down at her as he hovered over her, kissing her softly. Then, he was inside of her, spreading her apart as he filled her completely. Their bodies created the most delicious friction as they danced together in a slow, sensual rhythm to the sound of the music on the radio. She recognized it, but her mind was too filled with
longing to properly process the title or the words.
“Oh, God, Neil. Yes…” she moaned against his ear, completely lost in how he felt inside of her.
“Stephanie…” his voice trailed off into a low groan as his hips drove forward, burying his hardness deep inside of her.
Shards of ecstasy raced along the sensitive fibers that wove her womanhood together and shot through her body, catching her off guard as her body racked forward in an orgasm that left her panting to catch her breath. He showed no signs of stopping, grinding into her again and again as his lips covered her dark nipples, suckling at them roughly as he continued to make love to her so slowly that she wanted to weep.
She lost count of the orgasms as they convulsed through her body in quick succession, leaving her quivering and weak. Neil moaned loudly as he picked up the pace, pumping into her harder, their skin now wet and sticky with sweat and come as he pounded into her more aggressively.
Stephanie could already feel the beginning of a soreness that would linger tomorrow, a constant reminder of how he had felt that would no doubt make her want him again. A loud gasp escaped his lips as he sank deep inside of her one last time and filled her with a hot flood of his own desire before collapsing onto the bed beside her.
“That was amazing, Stephanie,” he panted, rolling onto one side and gently tracing his finger around the gentle slope of her right breast. She smiled at him and turned to nuzzle against his chest as he lay back down beside her, pulling her into him and holding her tightly as he pulled the scattered covers back over them. They dozed off until the alarm sounded again, and Stephanie began to climb from the bed to add wood.
“I’ve got it, Stephanie,” he said, pulling her back down into the bed before climbing out of the other side and walking toward the fireplace completely nude. The silhouette of his chiseled body against the flames was like something out of a Greek painting, and she was mesmerized.
Stuck in the Cabin (Exiled Dragons Book 8) Page 5