“Don’t burn anything I might want again later,” she said playfully.
He didn’t say anything, but she heard a light chuckle as he finished adding fuel to the fire. She was already snuggling back down into the covers when he returned and pulled her close to him, letting her head rest softly on his chest as they drifted back off into sleep. When the alarm went off again, they found themselves devouring one another again, his hands tangled in her long, dark hair as he kissed her like no one ever had.
“I don’t know what is happening, but I can’t say that it isn’t incredible. I haven’t wanted anyone as much as I want you for as long as I can remember,” he said.
“It’s probably just the wine,” she whispered, letting out a pleasurable gasp as he sank his teeth in her neck and bit her gently there.
“Don’t do that,” he said, pulling away and looking down at her.
“Do what?” she asked.
“Make this seem like some sort of drunken one night stand,” he told her.
“I don’t want to make too much of things, Neil. It is what it is. We’re trapped here, and we’re just caught up in the moment,” she told him.
“If that is what you think, then you need to learn a lot more about me. I don’t just sleep with anyone. If I didn’t want you, I’d have said so, no matter how awkward it makes things.”
“Please…with your reputation?” she responded with a little laugh, inwardly cursing herself for making this a thing instead of just enjoying it for what it was.
“It’s just a reputation, not based in fact,” he said, pulling away.
“No. Don’t,” she replied. “I’m sorry. I’m just frightened, I guess,” she told him.
“Frightened of what?” he asked, pushing a few stray strands of hair away from her eyes.
“Everything. I don’t want to make too much of this and just find myself wondering what happened when it’s over,” she told him.
“Well, then we’ll just have to make sure it is never over,” he said softly.
“You can’t promise me that,” she said, still wishing she hadn’t started this conversation and he was already making love to her again.
“No. I can’t promise, but I can tell you that I feel a connection to you. I’ve always felt a connection to you, but you just seem to dislike me so much. All that has happened here is that you’ve finally let me act upon how I feel,” he said.
Stephanie smiled up at him. She didn’t want to talk anymore. Instead, she reached for him, pulling him closer as she lost herself in another kiss with him. Once again, they made love, drifting off in the aftermath.
By the time daylight broke, they were already out of wood, Neil tossing the last of it on the fire before returning to bed just before the dawn. Stephanie could feel his morning erection pressing against her thigh as he pulled her close and kissed her, his hand finding its way between her legs to massage her clit gently, making her wet and starved for more of him. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one that couldn’t hold back as they embarked on a rousing morning session that culminated in another series of orgasms just as mind blowing as the last.
Chapter Eleven
By the time the storm passed, Neil and Stephanie had eaten most of the food in the fridge and were down to dry and canned goods in the pantry. They were a long way from starving, but they weren’t going to be hitting nutrition benchmarks with their choices. Much of what could be burned in the house, had been. Every magazine, newspaper, and piece of wood small enough to be broken down and squeezed in was history, including Mr. Johnston’s dining room table and chairs.
Neither of them were concerned anymore about the consequences of what they made use of or which bottles of wine they drank. They were too consumed with one another and just getting through this so they could go home and enjoy being together. With Christmas Day looming less than twenty-four hours away, the prospects of getting home for the holiday appeared bleak. It was beginning to get a little stir crazy holed up in the cabin, but at least the worst was over. With the disappearance of the bad weather, the temperature warmed a little and the snow began to melt a bit.
“You’ll be happy to know that plows are out clearing roads today, and just in time for the Christmas holiday, too! There are still some slick roads, though, so be careful. Many of the phone lines are still down and cell towers are spotty at best, so you may not be able to call for help if you get caught up in this mess. We suggest you stay in until you absolutely must leave the safety of your homes,” the radio announcer said cheerily.
“I can’t believe we are going to miss Christmas,” Stephanie bemoaned. Neil looked at her for a moment and at the depleted stash of burnable items. Then, he leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.
“We’re not missing Christmas. Get packed. We’re leaving this hellhole,” he said.
“The roads…” she said.
“We’ll go slow and inch our way down. They are bound to have cleared the main road out by now because it leads up to a resort higher up the mountain. I remember seeing it on the map when I was looking at where this place was. All we have to do is make it out of this side road and we should be fine. I doubt we can get a flight out, but we’ll drive back to New York if we have to. I’ll get you back to your family, and then maybe I can get a flight out of there to South Carolina.”
“Well, that doesn’t seem fair. Maybe once we can get a signal, I can look for flights out of a nearby airport. We can leave the rental there and fly out in separate directions,” she said, not wanting him to miss Christmas either.
“Sounds like a plan. Let’s get going as quickly as we can. We’ll shower together to save time,” he said.
“I have a feeling that will only make the shower longer,” Stephanie scoffed, causing him to smile.
“I’ll try to behave. We need to get out of here while we have plenty of daylight. It might be a slow go for a while,” he said.
Suddenly, they were in whirlwind motion. They washed each other clean in the shower, but they resisted the temptation of going any further than that. Then, they were both in their rooms and about the house, gathering their things to pack up in the suitcases. Stephanie began picking up the blankets and such to return them to their rooms while Neil went to knock the snow that remained on the SUV off and make sure it would start, something they hadn’t considered until well into packing their things. He came back in with a slack expression on his face.
“It’s dead,” he told her. “I should have been going out there every day to start it and let it run a little while. I just didn’t think about it.”
The two of them sat down on the couch, dejected and with rising anxiety over their continued predicament. With the fire out and no heat, the house was beginning to get really chilly already. Stephanie went to the kitchen to turn the stove on for what heat it could offer them, considering that it might become a real possibility that they would end up on that pallet in the kitchen floor, after all.
She went to the pantry to see what there was left to eat, and that’s when she heard it. It was a loud mechanical sound, almost like some sort of large animal emitting a deep growl that resonated off a metal building, but it didn’t stop after a few seconds. Looking out the window, she saw the most beautiful sight of her life.
“Neil! Neil! It’s a snowplow!” she exclaimed.
Neil came running to the kitchen window to see the plow coming directly toward the cabin. They both rushed to the front door as it pulled up in front of the cabin and idled, both of them stepping out onto the porch to make sure the driver knew there was someone here.
“Hey, folks. Mr. Johnston told me to bring the plow in here and get you folks out of his cabin. He said you had gotten stuck here, and he wasn’t able to reach you before he headed back to New York. I see that you have a vehicle. Is it running?” the older gentleman asked.
“No,” Neil jumped in. “I think it just sat too long in the cold and needs to be jump started.”
“All right, well, you are
n’t the only ones. I’ve jumped half this mountain today. Let’s get you started, and then you can follow me back out to the main road. They’ve already cleared it south of here. We’re working our way up it, so you shouldn’t have any trouble getting down, but the airport is still snowed in so you might have to hole up elsewhere or just come back here after you get some supplies,” he told them.
Neil and Stephanie looked at one another. They both knew there was no way in hell they were spending another night in this cabin. Neil helped the man get cables on the SUV and practically hugged him when the engine roared to life. They let it idle for a while to build the battery power up while he turned the plow around. Tossing their things in the vehicle, they were all smiles. Shutting off the stove and locking up the cabin, they jumped in the SUV and followed the snowplow out of the long road back to the main. They were heading home at last!
With airports all over the eastern side of the country shut down due to inclement weather, they had no luck finding flights. They talked about driving into New York City, but it was about an eleven-hour trip. Neil told her that they could be at his parents’ house in less than six, eat Christmas dinner, get a good night’s sleep, and head out to New York first thing the next day if she wanted.
Stephanie was disappointed about not making it home, but Neil did offer to take her there even if it meant she wouldn’t get there until the late hours and he would miss his own. She knew that South Carolina was the best option, so they pointed the SUV in that direction instead.
Stephanie was surprised that Neil’s family embraced her wholeheartedly and did their best to make her feel at home. They were successful; in fact, they were so nice that she ended up staying there for several days instead of driving into New York immediately afterward. She had already missed Christmas, thanks to Mr. Johnston and the blizzard. There was no need to cut Neil’s holiday vacation short, too. Besides, her family was nearby in New York. She got to see them whenever she liked and could make up for it the following weekend.
By the time the pair returned to New York, there was a new bond between them that could not be denied, and it showed in everything they did. Not only were they inseparable as a couple, but they were a force to be reckoned with at work. Mr. Johnston was a bit annoyed with them when he found out that they had burned some of his stuff and cleaned out a few bottles of his better wines, but he gave in and accepted that they had been in dire circumstances and knew he would have done the same. It wasn’t like he couldn’t afford to replace it all.
It wasn’t widely known at the firm, but his eggs were in more than just one basket and netted him quite a fortune which he kept largely hidden through a series of ventures that might be considered a little shady by some. In fact, he would probably make a tidy little profit filing insurance claims for everything he found damaged by unknown trespassers during his absence from the cabin.
Chapter Twelve
“Stephanie, this has to stop,” Neil told her over dinner.
“I know, but what am I supposed to do? It’s like he lives to make my life miserable,” she responded.
“I told you they would bring in some old guy from the outside and pass us both by. They really don’t like the idea that we team up instead of fighting over every bone they toss out. It doesn’t make any sense because we are more fearsome as a team than we were as rivals,” he said.
“Maybe it’s time to look for another job,” she sighed.
“I don’t think that will help. All of these firms are the same. They all say that they want the new ideas that younger ad execs bring to the table, but what they really want is just to take a giant straw and suck all the life out of us until we’re a couple of dried up losers who’ve been beaten down so long that we become ineffective and get shit canned in our middle-aged years,” he scowled.
“Then we are doomed?” she asked.
“No, Stephanie. We are not doomed, because you and I could kick any ad exec in that building’s creative ass with all four of our hands tied,” he told her. “What we need to do is build some capital and start our own firm.”
“You’re kidding. There is no way we can compete with Johnston and his bunch. They’ll eat us alive,” she told him.
“Who said we have to compete? We bring things to the table that they’ve never even considered. All we have to do is start small and go in a different direction. Take some of those small, emerging businesses that they won’t touch and bring them to the pinnacle of success. Don’t get cocky or bite off more than we can chew, just steady work while we build a reputation,” he told her.
Stephanie could see he was not only serious, but quite inspired by his idea. The fire in his eyes blazed as he talked about the possibilities, but it was a lot to bite off with no assurances that they could make it. The economy was bad, loans were hard to come by, and she was, quite frankly, scared shitless to stick her neck out like that. Though she might be doomed staying at the firm, at least she had steady income and benefits.
“I don’t know, Neil. That’s a big risk for both of us. I’ll have to think it through,” she said.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less of you, babe. Think about it and let’s start working on a business plan. I know how organized you are. You’ll feel more solid about it once you have it all down on paper and can wrap your head around something a little more concrete,” he replied, picking up the check and tossing down his card for the server to pick up on her next stop.
They went for a walk in the cool March air. Spring was just around the corner, and Stephanie was looking forward to the warmer days. She and Neil bounced ideas back and forth regarding the potential for new business and clients, talking about how they would want it to unfold and how they might finance it. It was all just talk at this juncture, but it definitely gave them something to think about.
The following week at work was hectic, with both of them pulled in so many directions that they hardly had time to see one another. Stephanie had been busting her hump to get a promotion in her department. It wasn’t the senior level position that she wanted, but it was a step up from ad exec and carried a hefty pay increase and bonus package with it. Best of all, it would put her in charge of several employees, affording her an opportunity to prove herself. Everyone around her agreed that she was a shoo-in for the position.
The following Monday, she arrived at work and was summoned to her superior’s office. This was it. He was calling her in to give her the job! She smoothed down her skirt, took a deep breath, and walked confidently toward his office, ready to receive what she had worked so hard to obtain.
“Hey, Stephanie! Good morning. I want to introduce you to Tyrone Simpson. He will be the new department head in your area,” Mr. Talbot told her with a broad smile as the one on Stephanie’s own face faded completely away, replaced with anger. She recovered quickly, knowing that a show of her emotions was not in her best interests here. Turning and offering her hand in greeting, she congratulated the newcomer on his position, welcoming him to the firm.
Back at her desk, she was fuming. Not only had they passed her over again, but they didn’t even have the consideration to tell her personally that they weren’t promoting her. Instead, they just dragged her down to their office and introduced her to someone they pulled in from the outside. He might be well qualified, but there was no way he knew this firm the way that she did. Her anger was hard to shake as she sat staring at her computer monitor for the better part of half an hour.
“I’m ready,” she said into the phone.
“Right now? Where do you want to go? I can meet you in the janitor’s closet in five minutes. What are you wearing beneath that suit? Oh, never mind…I’ll find out for myself,” Neil rattled on. It was quite obvious that he had both missed her lately and that he had drank way too much coffee this morning.
“Not that, Neil! Those bastards hired someone from the outside as my department head. You’re right. Nothing will change for us if we stay here. We need to put this thing together and get
out on our own,” she told him.
“That’s my girl!” he practically yelled for the whole office to hear. She was sure that anyone near him stopped what they were doing to look at him. “I’ll come over to your place when we get out of here today, and we’ll start laying down some groundwork.
Everyone was caught completely off guard a few months later when the two of them resigned, turning in their notices on the same day. As expected, they received the inquisition about where they were going and what they would be doing. The advertising business was one filled with mistrust, and they couldn’t be allowed to reveal any secrets to another firm or steal any clients. Neither was surprised when, after their refusal to answer any questions about where they were going, they were told they could go ahead and leave without working out their notices.
Less than a month later, they opened the doors to ‘Ad Noveau,’ using every penny they could scrape together from their savings, retirement plans, and a loan from Neil’s parents when the bank declined to give them a business loan. They were on a shoestring budget when it came to everything but providing only the best to their clients. Appearances were everything, and they fully intended to embrace the old mantra of ‘fake it until you make it.’
They started small, just as they had intended, picking up small businesses in the local area that needed quality advertising but couldn’t afford the prices of the big firms. It was a huge success because they were the champions of the little man, just trying to get their wares to market with as much success as possible. Their clients appreciated the fact that they were getting two top notch ad execs from a large firm for a fraction of the cost. It also played well in their favor that they were in the same boat, a small business trying to get up off the ground. There was camaraderie among their clients to all make it together.
Stuck in the Cabin (Exiled Dragons Book 8) Page 6