by Sandi Lynn
“I guess.” I gave a small smile. “Have a good night.”
“You too, Fiona. Be careful driving home.”
Chapter 34
Fiona
“Good morning, Josh,” I spoke as I passed by his desk.
“Wait, Fiona!” He jumped up from his chair. “Don’t go in there yet.”
I stopped with my hand on the door handle, turned around, and glared at him.
“Why?”
“Well. Umm.”
“Oh, for god sakes, Josh. I don’t have time for his. Nathan is meeting me here and we’re leaving.” I opened the door, stepped inside, and gasped when I saw what was hanging on the wall over to the side of Nathan’s desk.
“What the hell is that!” I yelled.
Josh came running in.
“I tried to warn you.”
Hanging on the wall was a portrait of a woman sprawled out on a Victorian style-couch, in sheer lingerie, high heels, holding a glass of wine. I clenched my fists as I stared at the portrait and the only thing I saw was her long, red flowy hair.
“Where is he?!” I yelled.
“You wouldn’t be asking for me in that tone. Would you?” I heard Nathan speak from behind.
“What’s that?” I pointed to the portrait in anger.
The corners of his mouth curved upwards. “Isn’t is beautiful?”
“Beautiful? It’s trashy and doesn’t belong here.” I scowled as he took a seat behind his desk.
“It’s not trashy at all. She’s a beautiful woman holding a glass of wine. I found it fitting for the office.” He smirked.
“In her underwear!”
“Tasteful lingerie, Fiona.”
“I want it out!” I spoke through gritted teeth.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
“And why not?” I placed my hands on my hips.
“Because I like it and it’s my office too.” He smirked.
“I’m the one who’s here ninety-nine percent of the time and I’ll be damned if I’m looking at that redhead all fucking day!” I yelled.
“Come on, Fiona. Stop getting your panties in a bunch over this. I think it looks great in here. You redid the office and I’m just adding my personal touch. It’s no big deal.”
I needed to calm down. I started it and he finished it. Taking in a deep breath, I threw my hands up in the air.
“Okay. You’re right. Now let’s go. God knows how long this is going to take.”
We spent the next three hours traveling from bank to bank with no luck. I barely spoke a word to Nathan because I was still pissed off about the portrait he proudly hung in my office. We reached ProAmerica Bank and I was getting real tired of this.
“How can I help you?” the very pretty young blonde teller asked as she batted her eyes at Nathan.
“We were hoping you could tell us if this key belongs to your bank’s safety deposit boxes.” He flashed his sexy smile at her.
She took it from his hand and examined it. “No. This is a safety deposit box key from Bangor Savings Bank in Maine.”
“How do you know?” I asked.
“I used to work there before I moved here to L.A. Their keys are cut differently than the standard safety deposit box keys and they have a B engraved at the very end of the key. See?” She pointed.
“Thank you.” Nathan’s grin widened.
“Yes, thank you.” I nodded my head and got him the hell out of there as fast as I could before the young girl had an orgasm.
“What’s he hiding in Maine?” I asked as we stepped outside the bank.
“I don’t know. You haven’t run across anything at the office pertaining to Maine?”
“No.” I paced up and down the sidewalk.
“Fiona, get in the car,” Nathan spoke.
“Hold on a second.” I pulled out my phone and dialed Uncle Robbie.
“Fiona, where are you?” he answered.
“Out. I have a question. Has my father ever said anything to you about Maine?”
“The state?”
“Yes, Uncle Robbie, the state.”
“No. He never said a word. Why?”
“I ran across something. I’ll explain later. I’m going to be out of the office for the rest of the day.”
“What’s going on?”
“I’m not sure yet, but I’ll let you know as soon as I find out.”
After ending the call, I climbed into the back of the limo and Nathan slid in next to me.
“We have to go to Maine.” I looked at him.
“I already called my pilot. We’ll swing by my house first so I can pack a bag and then we’ll stop at yours since it’s on the way to the airport.”
After stopping at both our houses, we drove to the airport and boarded Nathan’s plane.
“I need a drink,” I spoke as I sat in the big comfy leather seat.
“Wine or something stronger?” he asked.
“Something much stronger.”
“Scotch?”
“Sounds good to me. How long is this flight?” I asked.
“The pilot said about five hours,” he replied as he handed me my scotch and sat down in the seat next to mine.
“It’ll be evening and the bank will already be closed.”
“I know, so we’ll go there first thing tomorrow morning.”
Just before we took off, my phone rang and it was Lydia.
“Hello.”
“You’re going to Maine and don’t bother telling me?”
“Sorry, Lydia. It was a last-minute trip. My dad has a safety deposit box at one of the banks in Bangor. Nathan and I are going to find out what’s in it.”
“Oh. Good luck. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that Will and I had sex last night and it was amazing. And before you say anything, I was horny.”
I sighed. “Okay. I won’t say a word, at least not until I get back home.”
“Have fun in Maine. I have to go get ready. Will’s taking me to a movie tonight. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
“Did I hear her say that her and Will had sex last night?”
“Yes.” I shook my head and stared out the window as we took off. “She said they’re going to the movies.”
“That’s nice,” Nathan replied.
“Yeah. It is.” I stared out the window as I sipped on my drink.
“Would you like to watch a movie?” he asked.
Turning my head and looking at him, I smiled. “You have movies on this plane?”
“Of course. Just turn on the TV and pick one. You’ll be more comfortable on the couch. I’m going to sit at the table over there and do some work.”
“Okay.”
Getting up from my seat, I walked over to the couch, sat down, and scrolled through the movies on the TV. I thought maybe when he asked me if I wanted to watch a movie, he’d watch it with me. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed. I ended up watching Titanic and I caught Nathan looking up from his laptop every now and again to see what was going on. By the end of the movie, I was a crying mess, especially when the credits began to play and Celine Dion’s song “My Heart Will Go On” started playing. Nathan walked over, handed me a couple of tissues, sat down next to me, and pulled me into him.
“Why? Why did he have to die?” I sniffled.
“Because the movie directors are assholes.”
I couldn’t help but laugh as I pulled away from him.
“Sorry. You didn’t have to come over here. I’m fine. I’ve only seen this movie a million times.”
“It’s okay. I’m done with work now anyway and you looked like you needed comforting.” He smiled.
“Thanks.” I dried my eyes.
“You’re welcome. We better get back in our seats. We’ll be landing soon.”
After we landed and Nathan rented a car, we sat in the parking lot and I pulled up a list of hotels in the area.
“Oh, look at this hotel.” I turned my iPad and showed him.
“S
orry, but that’s a two-hour drive from here. You’ll have to find another hotel.”
“Aw, but this one looks so pretty.” I pouted.
“I agree, but we’re not driving two hours.”
“Fine. There’s a Residence Inn by Marriott only ten minutes away.”
Once we arrived, we grabbed our bags and walked up to the lobby desk.
“How may I help you?” a polite young man asked.
“We need two rooms, please,” Nathan spoke.
“You don’t have a reservation?” he asked.
“No. We just flew in. It was an unexpected trip,” I spoke.
Typing on his computer, he spoke, “I’m sorry, but we only have one room available and it’s our studio with one king bed.”
“How can you be fully booked?” I asked with irritation.
“I’m sorry, miss, but it is tourist season here in Maine. Just about every hotel is booked up. The only reason this one is available right now is because we had a cancellation this morning.”
“We’ll take it,” Nathan spoke as he reached into his wallet and pulled out his credit card.
“How many nights will you be staying?”
“Just one,” Nathan replied.
“You’re all set. Here are your keys and you’re in room 510.”
“Thank you,” Nathan spoke.
Now I was really irritated. Sharing a room with him all night was not on the agenda. Shit. Shit. Shit.
Chapter 35
Nathan
Sharing a room with Fiona was going to be extremely difficult. I had a hard enough time controlling myself around her as it was, and to be in the same room with her for an entire night might send me over the edge.
Opening the door, we stepped inside.
“Not bad,” Fiona spoke as she walked over to the kitchen area and opened the refrigerator. “Yes! There’s liquor in here.” She smiled. “Oh, and they even have room service.”
“Are you hungry?” I asked.
“Yes. I’m starving.” She sat on the bed and looked over the menu. “And I’m tired and I want to take a shower.”
“Then tell me what you want and you can take a shower.”
“Can we get the cheese board?” she asked.
“You can get anything you want.” I smiled.
“The cheese board, the lobster salad, and blueberry pie.” She handed me the menu as she got up from the bed and went into the bathroom.
After placing the order, I changed into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt and sat on the bed with my back up against the headboard. When the bathroom door opened, I looked up to see Fiona walking out in a pair of short pajamas, drying her hair with the towel.
“Don’t say a word.” She pointed at me. “This is awkward enough.”
“Why is this awkward? We’ve had sex multiple times. I’ve seen every inch of you.”
“But we aren’t having sex anymore, you’re my business partner, and our relationship is strictly professional.”
“So. We still had sex.” I smirked.
“Stop saying that.” She walked back into the bathroom.
My cock was trying to get hard, but I had to quickly stop it when there was a knock at the door.
“Room service.”
Getting up from the bed, I opened the door and a young man wheeled in a cart.
“Where would you like this set up?” he asked.
“This table over here is fine.” I pointed.
After setting up our dinner, he left and Fiona walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of Grey Goose from it and sat down.
“This looks delicious. What did you get?” she asked as she looked at my food.
“The roasted chicken BLT.”
“Oh. That looks good too.”
“Would you like a bite?” I asked as I held the sandwich up.
“No. I’m good with my salad.”
For the first few moments, we ate in silence. There were so many things I wanted to say to her, but I couldn’t.
“I’m sorry about the office,” she spoke.
“About the redecorating?”
“Yeah.”
“To be honest, I don’t think it looks bad and I’m not mad. I know you did it on purpose.”
“You’re not mad?”
“No. I knew you wanted that reaction out of me, so I gave it to you.” I smirked. “And to be fair, I’m sorry about the painting. I’ll have it taken down when we get back.”
“You did it on purpose to get back at me.”
“Yeah. I did.” I smirked as I took a bite of my sandwich.
“God, Nathan.” She laughed. “How old are we?”
“I know, right? But I do want you to know that I have never acted like this before. You, Fiona Winslow, are teaching me your bad habits.” I winked.
“Me? You’re a supposed adult. You should know better. Me, on the other hand, I still have some growing up to do.”
“I think I like you just the way you are.” I smiled.
She looked down and didn’t say a word. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that, but it was something that just flew out of my mouth.
“Have you ever had a girlfriend?” she asked unexpectedly.
“No, and I’m not the romantic type either.” I finished my sandwich.
“Why?” She cocked her head. “Seriously. Let’s just be honest with each other.”
“Why what? Why haven’t I ever had a girlfriend or why am I not a romantic guy?”
“Both.”
I shrugged and leaned back in my chair, draping one arm over the back.
“Relationships complicate a person’s life. There are too many rules and expectations. Women expect things from a man that I just can’t give.”
“But if you love someone, those things are easy to give,” she spoke as she took a bite of her blueberry pie.
“Love is overrated. People are taught to first follow their heart instead of their head, and to live happily ever after is just a myth. If you follow your heart first, you’re setting yourself up for failure and disappointment in the future.”
“Huh?” She cocked her head.
“Did you love John?” I asked. “Be honest, Fiona.”
“No. I liked him, but I wasn’t in love with him.”
“Then why did you stay with him for a year?”
“I don’t know. My mother had just passed away and I met him and he was nice. We got along, had stuff in common.”
“So you followed your heart? You were upset because your mom had just passed away and he made you feel better, right? You were blinded by him because you needed someone to take away the pain. Now, if you would have listened to your head, you more than likely wouldn’t have entered into a long-term relationship with him. Because I know somewhere in the back of your mind, you knew that jumping into a relationship so quickly while still mourning the death of your mother wasn’t smart. But you let your heart take over. A heart that needed to be healed. Plus, didn’t you tell me that you would have noticed he was cheating on you sooner, but you were too involved in trying to get that promotion at work?”
“Yes.”
“See. You put your career in front of your relationship. You held that at a higher standard. That’s what people do, Fiona. Nothing lasts forever. Something always becomes more important. That’s why it’s best just to go out, have some fun, and live life to the fullest. I don’t believe you need love for that.”
“Okay. And what about you not being a romantic guy?” she asked.
“If I’m romantic, won’t that lead women on? Why do that to them when I have no plans on taking it any further than just sex?”
“I get what you’re saying, Nathan, I really do. But I disagree with a lot of what you said.”
“And that’s fine. You don’t have to agree. You asked and you wanted me to be honest with you, so I was. I think two people can be together and have a good time without the hassles of a relationship or commitment.”
Who the hell was I t
rying to convince? Her or me?
“So really what you’re saying is sex is all that’s required with someone?”
“Well, not just sex. Companionship is nice too. Going to dinner, out for drinks, holding an intelligent conversation, and then sex.” I smirked.
She sat there nodding her head as she pursed her lips.
Chapter 36
Fiona
I didn’t know if growing up without a mother contributed to his attitude towards love and relationships, or if it was what he saw growing up with his father. Things were much clearer now that we had had this conversation. But then why couldn’t I stop falling for him? What was the old saying? “You always want what you can’t have?” I wanted him, but I knew I could never have him completely. Somehow, I didn’t think that was going to stop me from wanting every inch of his sexy body now and again.
I got up from my chair, poured myself another vodka, and took it over to the bed.
“I’m going to finish this up and go to sleep. I’m exhausted.”
“Okay.” He walked over to the pullout sofa, took the cushions off, and attempted to pull the bed out. “What the fuck?”
“What’s wrong?” I asked with a slight laugh as I watched him struggle with it.
“It’s stuck. I can’t get it out.”
I had a dirty thought. It was the vodka that made me have it.
“That’s so hot.” I laughed.
He turned and looked at me with a smirk on his face.
“What’s hot?”
“It’s stuck and I can’t get it out.” I continued laughing. “Sounds very sexual.”
“You have a dirty mind, Fiona. Now come over here and help me.”
“Oh, big strong man needs help pulling out a sofa bed,” I spoke in a low voice as I got up.
“Really?” He cocked his head at me. “Get on that side and pull.”
No matter how hard we tried, the damn thing wasn’t budging. Nathan pulled a little too hard because one of the springs broke off in his hand.
“Great.” He rolled his eyes and I couldn’t help but laugh.
He set down the spring and walked over to the bed and climbed in on the other side from where I had sat.
“Excuse me? What are you doing?”
“I can’t sleep there, so I’m sleeping here.” He smiled.