by Paula Cox
Charlie laughed. “No, my boy. Where the hell did you get an idea like that? Of course not. Xavier will get his money, as will the owners of that place. It’s a sweet deal for all of us.”
That wasn’t the correct answer. Just because the deal was sweet didn’t mean that it was legit. Riley wasn’t convinced, but it was obvious that he wouldn’t get any answers out of Charlie. The man was a veteran at keeping secrets and he wouldn’t open up easily. Maybe he could find Raymond. He was the finance head, and the most conservative out of them all. Riley didn’t like the man that much because he had a ruthless streak a mile wide, but he would have his fingers on the pulse of things, and if he played his cards right, he might get some information out of him.
Rather than question Charlie some more, he decided to step away from this for now. He wouldn’t leave this alone, but he was done for the time being. He changed the topic and started talking about something else. Charlie looked relieved. After their meeting came to an end, Charlie left and Riley headed for Tania’s home. He had to decide how much he needed to tell her. She wouldn’t be pleased if the deal was closed without her knowledge. But since he didn’t have anything concrete, he was in a real dilemma.
When he entered her house, she was already back from work. “Hi.” He dropped his keys in the blue bowl she kept on the beautiful sideboard next to the main door. It was such a simple, familiar gesture but he was taken aback by how right it felt. This was home, not because he liked the place but because she was here. His heart pounded as he strode to meet her. For some reason, she looked disturbed. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing, just work.” She ran a hand through her hair and lifted her chin so that he could kiss her on the lips. So easy. So right. “How was your day?”
The normalcy of their conversation scared him. It was so domestic, a word that he never would have used to describe his relationship with anyone. “Not so good, I am afraid,” he admitted. “Having some trouble with the people I work with.”
“Anything on the warehouse deal?” she asked in an anxious voice.
He hesitated. “I haven’t heard anything new,” he said. It was the truth – for now, at least. Although Riley was fairly confident that Charlie didn’t tell him everything, he was also quite sure that he wouldn’t get to the bottom of this mystery so quickly. If he told her something, he would have to give more information which he didn’t have. He wasn’t hiding anything, and yet he wasn’t telling everything. His internal code of ethics made him uneasy at this omission.
Tania didn’t suspect anything. She was a sharp woman, but, perhaps, she trusted him far too much. That thought made him feel all the more guilty.
“Neither have I,” she said. “Xavier is still not picking up my calls. My boss is…fairly upset, and it’s…” She heaved a sigh. “Never mind that. Work should be left in the office, not brought home…that’s what my father always used to say. So what do you want to eat?”
He was still too preoccupied by the thoughts that plagued him. Riley followed her as she sauntered into the kitchen and opened the fridge. When she bent to peek at the contents on the shelves, the sight of her firm, perfect hips in the tight skirt made his heart quiver in his chest.
She turned around and caught that look in his eyes. Her smile lit up the kitchen. “I can see what you have in mind.”
Despite the misgivings in his heart, he wasn’t dead. When she strode forward, gripped the collar of his shirt and hauled him forward, he went willingly. Her lips, soft and pliable, felt as smooth and wonderful as always. Forgetting his worries for the moment, he allowed his mind to follow instinct. His arms banded around her waist and drew her forward. Her soft curves fit against his hard chest and he lost himself in the glory of her beauty.
The kiss was hot, fiery, and sensuous. With a desperation that always marked their sexual encounter, he explored her mouth. Every nook and cranny was familiar, but he still enjoyed revisiting. His hands roamed over her back and, finally, he carried her off to the bedroom.
The need was a burning desire in his gut now. He simply had to have her. His blood roiled as he put her down on the bed. He opened the buttons of his shirt while she looked on. Although he wanted to savor his time, Riley found that he was too impatient, especially when she decided to speed up things by removing her own clothes. Her dress was tossed on the floor with her panties and bra. The sight of her creamy, smooth skin put him in frenzy. He got out of his clothes and joined her on the bed.
Images flashed through his mind: their limbs entwined with each other, his cock, hard and long pushing deep into her soft curves, and her pussy opening for. Once more, he claimed her lips and, this time, the kiss was even hotter, scorching. Her hands clutched his shoulders and she pressed herself against him as if she weren’t willing to wait anymore.
Nibbling his way down her throat, he captured her nipple. She buckled under him. When she lay on the bed and dug her nails in his skin, he was spurred to do more. His tongue teased and flicked the bud until was swollen and vibrating with raw need. He took his time, moving from one nipple to another, making her giddy with passion. He swept his tongue over her breasts, and she writhed under him, breathless with desire. When he was satisfied that she was agonizing with need, he moved down to her belly button. She wanted him, but he spent some time running his tongue over and into the depression until she pleaded.
“Please, Riley,” she begged. Her nails raked down his back but he loved it. “Please.”
With a smile, he slithered down her body until he reached her pussy, which was already hot with desire. He could smell her arousal. His nostrils flared as he caught the musky odor. His tongue swiped over her lips and she vibrated. Holding her legs apart, he made her open for him. Bending his head, he paid attention to her clit and pussy while she moaned and groaned. He thrust his tongue inside and when the waves of orgasm undulated inside her, he lapped up her wetness.
His cock was hard and ached with need. He could imagine putting it inside her and pounding away until they were both exhausted and drained. He could visualize the way she would squirm under him as he cleaved inside – but, still, he gave her a few moments to recover. When she stopped shuddering, he slipped up her body and put his cock inside her mouth. Her lips opened to accept him and he felt his penis throb deep in her throat. He moved in and out, delirious with need. Her tongue twisted around his cock, sucked and fondled until he thought that he might come inside her mouth – but, still, he held back. He wanted her to remember this moment forever. She inhaled deeply as if she was sucking in the scent of him deep into her own body. Waves of pleasure coursed through his veins and made him mad.
He tethered on the edge of insanity. Riley pulled out. Pushing apart her legs with his knee, he positioned himself. His cock, slick and wet, rubbed against her pussy. She was ready. He could feel it. With a slow speed that was bound to drive them both mad, he pushed the tip of it into her. Her muscles clenched and unclenched as she lifted her hips. He speared into her until his balls brushed against her anus. Now, they were joined hip to hip and toe to toe.
His cock vibrated in her depths, and he moved out. She cried out but he thrust back inside quickly. In and out, he pounded into her with enough force to make her squirm. Her hands tightened over his shoulders as she held him hard. Her skin burnt hot. She was on fire, and so was he. His pelvic bone ground into hers and, every time he thrust inside her, she squealed as if she was on the verge of death.
Although he set a demanding pace, she matched him thrust for thrust. This woman was more than match for him. She was his perfect soul mate, his equal in every way. Without her, he would be lost. Was this love? If yes, he was lost.
Spurred by the knowledge that flitted at the corner of his mind, he drove her hard. In and out, he moved at a breakneck speed. He could feel that she spiraled higher and higher and, yet, he kept driving her forward. Finally, she crashed with a loud scream. The orgasm swept through her and she shuddered. He allowed himself the release that had been bu
ilding deep inside him. Riley exploded inside her.
It felt good. It felt right. This was love, surely it was. And there wasn’t a damn thing that he could do about it.
Chapter Ten
Tania was scared, more than she had ever been in her life. Everything was happening too fast, and she’d lost control some time ago. Riley was a force of nature. Now that he was unleashed in her life, there was no way that she could stop him. He was in her life, in her heart, and in her mind. What the hell was she supposed to do about him?
Initially, she convinced herself that it was all sexual, and for a while, that was true. They shared a chemistry that was off the charts. She couldn’t get enough of him, and the same was true for him but now she was afraid that their relationship was moving in a direction for which she wasn’t prepared.
She liked him. Damn it! Like was too soft a word. She was fairly in love with him. Since Tania never felt like this with such intensity about anymore ever before, she didn’t know what the hell to do about this. Her last serious relationship was five years ago. Since then, she had fun with men but then she discarded them or else they parted ways when they both had their fill. But Riley wasn’t going anywhere, and she didn’t want him to.
When did this strange attraction turn into something serious? She didn’t know. It was hard to get a grip on the exact chain of events that now led them to this point. This was crazy. It was madness and, yet, she loved it. If he went away now, she would be devastated.
No! She wasn’t that weak. She wasn’t going to fall apart when he left her. But why would he do so? He appeared as content as her. Surely, he was also plagued by the same thoughts and feelings, but she didn’t know for sure because they never talked about it. Maybe it was time to discuss their future.
It was a scary thought. What would she say? What if he told her that he didn’t want anything permanent, that he wasn’t even thinking along those lines? He might even laugh at her. After all, they did tell each other that it was just for fun. How could she change her mind and then expect him to do the same?
She was almost in love with him. It was a scary thing to admit, but she didn’t have a choice but to accept it in her heart. Did he feel the same way? She didn’t have any way of knowing unless she asked him. But how could she do that? Could she at all?
As she agonized over this decision, she was startled when her intercom rang. She was sitting in the office, and much to her disgust, she had spent the last fifteen minutes thinking about Riley. What was wrong with her? Maybe this was some kind of a chemical imbalance and she needed to see a doctor to correct it.
She picked up the phone. “Hello?”
“Tania, I want to see you now,” said Brin’s loud, clear voice. “Now.”
She put down the phone, stood, and straightened her dress. Brin wasn’t one of the most patient men she ever met, but he never quite used that tone with her before. Something was wrong. A strange fear slithered up her spine. Surely, this couldn’t be about that warehouse. It wasn’t her fault that Xavier backed off from the deal. The fact that he hadn’t picked up her phone or returned her calls meant he didn’t want to sell it, or, perhaps, the owners changed their mind. Whatever the reason, she couldn’t be blamed for it. These things happened. If he sold the warehouse to Riley, however, then she would be in shit load of trouble.
But of course, if the deal was going through, Riley would have told her. He wouldn’t have kept her in the dark. He promised her, and she expected him to keep his word. He was a man of honor. She trusted him.
She marched towards Brin’s office. Seeing her, the secretary waved. “Hi, Tania. How is it going?”
She grimaced. “Not good, I think. I’ve been summoned.”
Rosy shuddered. “Oh dear. He has been in a bad mood for over an hour ever since he got a call from someone. Don’t know what the matter is. Good luck, dear.”
Tania sucked in a deep breath of air to gather her courage and then knocked on the door.
“Come in,” he barked. She entered and came to a stop beside his desk. He glowered at her. A thin man, he had dark circles under his eyes and boasted a permanent sneer. “Tania, what the hell went wrong?”
He didn’t even ask her to sit. She wondered if she should take a seat but then decided against it. If he was already pissed she didn’t want to make him more so. “I don’t understand.”
“Of course, you don’t.” He grimaced. “This is extremely unprofessional. In our line of work, you have to be competitive. You can’t let people make a fool of you. What happened with the warehouse deal is totally unforgivable.”
Panic slithered up her spine. “What happened?”
He raised his eyebrows. “You mean that you really have no idea?”
Tania took a seat. Whatever the news was, it was bound to be bad and she didn’t think that she could handle it well. Had Riley betrayed her? No. It couldn’t possibly be. She wasn’t ready to believe it. “I don’t know.”
He glared at her, and then finally leaned back. “I’ve heard from another source that the owners of the warehouse have signed the papers three days ago. It has been sold to someone.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know and, frankly, I don’t care. What matters is that we didn’t get it. I was counting on you, Tania. This was important. This client is very important to us and now they are going to be disappointed. I’d assured them you were on top of things, and now I find out that not only has the property gone to someone else, but you didn’t even know about it,” he said in a disgusted voice.
Tania didn’t know what to say. How this could have happened? It felt like a bad dream, a nightmare really. Surely, this wasn’t possible. Had Riley actually signed the papers and didn’t tell her about it? His betrayal cut deep in her heart. She hadn’t expected this, especially when she was having such deep thoughts about him and their relationship. How could she have allowed him to suck her into this vortex of lies?
“I will get to the bottom of this,” she told Brin.
He sneered. “There is no need to do it. What’s the point? We’ve already lost the deal. Anything you do now wouldn’t serve us or our client.” He took a deep breath. “I am actually more than disappointed, Tania. I’d thought that you would be able to handle this; otherwise, I wouldn’t have handed over such an important client to you. You begged me to give this to you and, since your record was good, I complied…but I expected results.”
And she didn’t deliver. Yes, she failed. Tania licked her lips. “So what are we going to do now?”
“We?” He raised an eyebrow. Leaning back, he surveyed her for what seemed like the longest time. “I am sorry, Tania, but I have to do something to appease the client. That’s one of our most important corporations and I can’t let them slide out of my hands. I’ve built this firm with a great deal of hard work and grit, and I can’t suffer just because you failed to perform.”
“Give me another chance,” she pleaded. She didn’t want to hear what he had to say. Tania thought she knew where this was going. He’d warned her enough times before. There was plenty riding on this deal, and she’d known that. Her promotion and even her job security; how could she have risked it all for a man? She trusted him and he betrayed her. Of course, he’d know that this was going on. How could he not have?
Well, he was the one who screwed up. And now maybe he could set things right. She would tell him to back out, to cancel the deal. Would he listen to her? She didn’t know, but she was willing to try.
“What will you do?” asked Brin.
“I can…maybe the deal isn’t finalized. They could cancel.”
Brin tapped his fingers on the desk. “They won’t, Tania. Don’t be absurd. Do you just intend to march up to the new owners and tell them to get out because you want it more? Don’t be silly.”
She was clutching at straws now, anything to save her job. “I could find some other property. There are some great deals available at amazing locations and the client could really benefit
from them.”
“The client wanted that property and you didn’t get it. Anything else would be an insult. In any case, I’ve got other people who can get it from them.”
He didn’t need her. She’d outlived her usefulness. Tania felt terrible. Not only was she aware that this was her fault, that she had failed, but also that she did so because she was careless. She made the mistake of trusting a man who intended to make a fool of her from the first day. It was stupid of her. She shouldn’t have gotten involved with him, and she should not have entrusted him with her heart..
She took a deep breath, preparing herself for the worst. It hadn’t taken her long to climb the corporate ladder but it took her even less to fall right down to the bottom. “What’s going to happen now?”
He put his hands on the table. “I wish I didn’t have to do this. You’re a good employee and this is your first mistake, but, unfortunately, as I said before, I have appease the client. I have to let you go.”