by Tabatha Kiss
His lips curl as my wetness tightens and climax makes my knees weak. I manage to hold myself up in his arms and he chuckles in my ear, still kneading the depths of me.
“That’s not good enough, Hazel,” he says. “Again.”
I flex every muscle. Curl every toe. Everything twists and turns inside but he won’t let me go.
“Leo...” I cry.
He crushes his mouth on mine, sucking my bottom lip between his teeth and biting down hard. I whimper as another wave of surging warmth takes over me. I come again, feeling a gushing squirt between my thighs and Leo laughs to himself again.
“That’s right...” he whispers over my moans. “Just like that...”
I feel like a stranger in my own body, trapped behind sensations so utterly foreign but simply irresistible.
He slides his dripping hand out and embraces me with soft, careful kisses. I find the strength to stand on my own again and I kiss him back. We turn in silence to let the water wash off the sweat and body fluids, still gazing into each other’s eyes as if this would be the way it’ll always be.
But I know better. There’s a limit to all of this. We’re fighting time or time is fighting us; either way, it’s an inevitable war with very real consequences.
I step out of the shower and grab the nearest towel to wrap up in while he turns the water off. My pulse resumes its normal rhythm as I pace down the hall to find my duffel bag in the bedroom. I pick through it to find a clear pair of underwear and a bra.
I slip them on as I hear Leo follow me into the room.
“Hey...” He eyes me from the doorway with a towel draped around his waist. “What are you doing?”
I pull up a skirt. “It’s time.”
“No...” He steps forward. “It’s not time. It’s still very much not time.”
“Leo...” I grab a sweater.
“Hazel...”
“It’s time.”
He watches as I pull it over my head. “Fine,” he says. “I’ll get dressed.”
I walk off into the living room and sit down on the couch to wait for him. My pulse quickens, but not in the way it has since the moment he kissed me. A sudden, nervous chill plagues me, cutting down to the bone.
This is what I wanted, right? I got under his skin. He’s willing to sit down and talk to me. When he comes in here, I have a very real chance at saving Lover’s Trail.
Leo returns with his head down. Along with his jeans, he wears a black tank top and yet another flannel shirt, this one as blue as his eyes.
Fully-clothed and caffeinated. It’s what we agreed on.
He sits down at the other end of the couch and stares at me. “Go ahead.”
I press my lips together, instantly slamming into an invisible wall.
Ah, crap.
Fifteen
Hazel
I take a deep, slow breath. “Okay, well…”
Leo leans forward to grab his coffee mug, barely taking his eyes off me as he takes a slow sip.
I fold my hands in my lap. “Leo, I want you to do me a favor.”
His eyes twinkle. “Again?”
“No, um…” My lips twitch. “I want you to reconsider the Lover’s Trail project… for me.”
He doesn’t even flinch. “No.”
“No?”
“No.”
He stands and walks across the room to the kitchen with his mug. I watch in awe, struggling hard to keep calm but my feet fidget on the floor.
“What do you mean, no?”
Leo places the mug in the sink. “No is pretty self-explanatory in this context, isn’t it?”
“You don’t even have to cancel it,” I argue. “Just move it somewhere else.”
“No,” he says again.
My anger spikes. “What about this weekend?” I ask.
“What about it?”
“Isn’t there just a small part of you that sees some value in what I have to say?”
He sighs. “Hazel, it’s not personal. I told you that before.”
“So, that’s it? You won’t even take my suggestions into account? Everything that happened in the last two days was for nothing?”
He tilts his head. “What exactly are you getting at?”
“I...” My cheeks burn. “I did things with you that I never would have done with anyone else.”
“Okay...” He crosses his arms. “What you’re saying is that you put out and now I owe you something.”
“No...” I heave a sigh, “but I think it, at least, warrants another conversation.”
“You’re wrong. There will be no conversation. Months of public petitions and lawyers couldn’t stop this project. What makes you think a few nights of halfway decent sex was going to change anything?”
“Halfway decent?” I parrot back. “I let you do anything you wanted!”
He smirks. “Please, if that were true, you wouldn’t be walking right now.”
I gasp as he passes around me into the living room. “You are such a jerk!”
“I’m a jerk?”
“Yes!”
“Then, what does that make you?” He continues into the bedroom and grabs my duffel bag off the bed. “I was honest with you from the very beginning. You just admitted to using sex to get what you wanted.”
I stutter. “Nuh-uh!”
“Ya-huh.” He nods. “This whole thing says more about your character than it does about mine. Hop off that moral high horse, sweetheart. You’re as corrupt as I am.”
“I can’t believe you. Don’t you care about anything?”
“What did you expect, Hazel?” He pushes the bag into my arms. “The project is on. The trail is gone. Get over it and go home.”
“No.”
Leo holds his stare, his eye twitching in anger. “I have tried very hard to get through to you on this. I’ve tried logic, I’ve tried emotion, I’ve tried everything—”
“Except the obvious!”
“And what’s that?”
I stutter again. “You could delay the project—”
He shakes his head. “Dammit, Haze…”
“Just delay it for a little while until you can find somewhere else to—”
“Do you have any idea how expensive that would be? How much it would cost to delay this project any longer?”
“Is money all that matters to you?”
“This isn’t just about money,” he says, his voice rising. “This is about reputation. There’s a whole lot more hinging on this than bank accounts.”
I scoff. “Your company has been around for like a hundred and twenty years, Leo. Delaying one stupid project isn’t gonna make that much of a difference.”
He stands a little taller. “This one stupid project has been my life, every single day, for the last two years and I’m not about to let some fling take that away from me.”
My lip trembles. “You really are a jerk, you know that?”
“And you have overstayed your welcome.” He leans forward and points to the door. “Get off my property or I’ll have you arrested. For real.”
I clench my bag, feeling an angry heat beneath my skin. “This isn’t over,” I say.
He takes wide strides around me and pulls the door open. “Yes, it is.”
I step out onto the porch, spinning around to face him. “I’ll be back.”
“No, you won’t.”
Leo slams the front door and I hear the lock turn.
Sixteen
Leo
I wake up from a chill.
I reach for her with my eyes closed, wanting to make sure she isn’t as cold as I am, but my hand touches nothing. Just an empty bed. I open my eyes and lift my head to look around my bedroom.
Oh, right. Hazel’s gone.
I kicked her out yesterday.
Why the hell am I reaching for her now?
I kick the blanket off and set my feet on the floor, yawning the tired out of me as I stand up to get ready for work. I remember that my board meeting is this m
orning and I forget all about anything else.
I stand in the shower, quietly humming my speech to myself. The smell of my soap fills my nose, floating around me in a cloud and her face flashes in my head.
Why do I even care?
I dry off and search the back of my closet for my black suit and tie. Normally, I wouldn’t bother looking my best but I can’t take any chances here. One last formality and we’re off to the races.
Bye bye, Lover’s Trail.
Hello, Jackman Springs.
Pearl is sitting by her bowl when I enter the kitchen for some coffee. I pause to give her a scoop of food first to keep her from scratching at my black slacks. It works and she sticks her snout in the bowl, leaving me to fix my coffee in peace.
I glance at the clock every other moment, counting down the minutes until my meeting.
“Jackman Springs,” I say again as I fill my mug to the brim. “Imagine brand new, state-of-the-art homes featuring the views of yesteryear...” I take a sip of warm brew, feeling it tickle all the way to my toes before continuing on.
I set my empty mug in the sink and Pearl rushes forward to block the living room.
“Whoa, girl. Watch the pants, please.”
She stares up at me with sagging, pouty lips.
“What? I put out your food already and your water is full. What do you want?”
Her tail wags back and forth. I smile and kneel to scratch behind her ears but her nose stays fixed on the front door. She lets out a whine and bolts for it.
“Pearl...” I follow her through the living room but pause before I reach the door. “Is someone out there?”
She pants with excitement but I sigh with annoyance.
I don’t have time for this.
“Dammit, Hazel...”
I throw open the door and step out onto the porch, ready to tear that woman a new one. I told her to leave. I told her not to come back. I told her I’d have her arrested if she even set foot here again but it’s not like she took my threats to heart before or anything.
But there’s no one here. The lawn is empty. Sounds of nature pass me by and nothing out of the ordinary stands out.
I shake off the disappointment and step back inside.
“She’s not here, girl,” I tell Pearl. She pouts at me and I sigh. “She left. She’s gone. No more Hazel. Don’t tell me you actually miss her. I sure as hell don’t.”
She brushes against my leg as if to call my bluff.
I ignore it. “I’m going to work, buddy. Be good.”
I grab my keys and lock the door behind me. Part of me stays on alert, wondering if Hazel is going to leap out of the bushes at any moment. She could be in my truck right now, just waiting for me to climb inside so she can beat me over the head with her mother’s diary.
And now I’ve freaked myself out. Nice going, Leo…
I pause by my truck and peek inside the windows to make sure it’s empty before hopping inside.
The mountain roads are clear but still wet, so I take it slowly. I left early to give myself plenty of time to rehearse the speech again before I make it to the office.
“And that’s why Jackman Springs is not only a smart investment for this community…”
I arrive with several minutes to spare and ride the elevator to the fifth floor, taking a few slow and deep breaths before I reach the top.
The doors open on my lobby and Bobby immediately jumps out of his chair.
“Hey, Leo—”
I step off and throw up a hand. “Whatever it is, it can wait. Is the board in?”
“Yes, but—”
“Are they in good spirits?” I ask without stopping.
“I don’t know. I guess, but, Leo—”
“How do I look?” I continue toward the board room. “I hate these suits...”
He sighs beside me. “You look dashing as all hell.”
“Good.” I reach for the door handle. “Hold my calls until the meeting is over. No exceptions.”
“Leo, she’s in there.”
“Who’s in there?”
“She arrived with your dad.”
I freeze in place and lower my voice. “My dad is here?”
He shakes his head. “That’s the one that freaks you out? I would have guessed Hazel.”
My throat tightens. “Hazel?”
“Yep.”
I point at the door. “Hazel is in there?”
“Uh-huh.”
“With my dad?”
“Along with the rest of the board,” he says. “They seemed awfully chummy from the moment they stepped off the elevator and I’ve heard nothing but chuckles from in there since they got here.”
I blink. “How is that possible?”
“You tell me, man.”
“Why didn’t you call me?”
“I did. Seriously, where’s your phone?”
The door flies open and my old man stands there with a grin popping out of his silver-speckled beard. “Oh, Leonard. There you are. I thought I heard your voice.”
“Dad…” I stand up taller. “What are you doing here?”
“You didn’t think I’d miss your first board approval, did you?” He throws an arm over my shoulders. “Come on, let’s get started. We have a lot to cover and you’ve just got to meet this girl I ran into downstairs.”
He pulls me in before I can say anything else but I end up choking on my tongue the moment I see Hazel sitting at the table amongst the half-dozen other faces.
Oh, hell no.
Her lips curl into a wicked smile. Perfectly-styled, blonde hair hangs down over her shoulders. Devious, green eyes rest on my face. Dressed to impress in a red blouse and a tight skirt.
This little bit—
“Leonard,” my dad says, pulling me closer to her, “this is Hazel.”
She stands up as we draw closer and extends her hand toward mine. “Hello, Leonard.”
I don’t bother shaking it. “Hazel…”
My dad slaps my shoulder. “Good. Now, let’s skip ahead to the awkward part. Leonard, Hazel has a few concerns about the Whitefish Lake property that I think we all should hear.”
I stare her down as her red lips curl upward. “Is that right? And how did you two meet?”
“I almost hit the poor thing in the parking garage this morning,” he continues, flashing her a smile. “We got to talking and I was… well, intrigued and I thought—”
“Dad,” I interrupt, “I’m well-aware of Hazel’s concerns and I don’t—”
“Unfortunately, you’re not the only vote in this room, son.” He points at my chair. “Take a seat and we’ll let the lady give her pitch to the board and then go from there.”
My guts twist. “Dad…”
Hazel steps forward to brush a hand along my shoulder. “Oh, come on, Leonard.” I twitch as she says my full name. Her perfume tingles my nose, enraging and warming me at the same time. “This’ll only take a minute. I promise.”
Dad sits down in Hazel’s chair. “One more voice in the argument won’t hurt, right?” he asks the room.
Several heads nod in agreement.
“We don’t mind at all.”
“Let the girl speak up.”
“What’s the harm in that?”
The noise blends together in my head, quickly overwhelmed by the sudden ringing in my ears.
Oh, Christ. This is really happening.
My feet move on their own and I plummet onto the head chair beside my father. I stare up at Hazel’s grinning face as she reaches for her mother’s diary sitting on the table between us.
Years of planning. Months of long days and sleepless nights. Of zoning regulations and budgets and city council meetings. All wasted because of one bullshit page in a damned diary.
Hazel shifts to the other end of the table, smiling politely and quivering with stage fright but she pulls herself together. “First, I’d like to thank you for listening to me today. Not many people would be willing to do that and I appreci
ate it.” She gives me a passive glance and I try not to imagine throwing her out the window. “Twenty-five years ago...”
She starts her story but I can’t hear it over that intense ringing in my ears. I’ve heard it all before, anyway. Mommy and daddy meet and get married. They hike along the mountain trail and get lost. They make love in a field of hazel shrubs and blah blah blah—
I glance around the table at the board of directors. Each one of them is utterly enthralled. Half of them are almost in tears. Literal tears. I’ve known most of these men and women since I was ten years old and the only emotion I’ve ever seen from them is passive ambiguity.
And Hazel. That damn Hazel Smith. She’s selling it with that quivering voice and little dimply face. I can’t believe I slept with this woman. What the hell was I even thinking? She may have been cute and attractive before but now she’s as repulsive as ever.
She presses her lips together, choking down her emotions. “Then, my father...” she pauses, “he walked over to the nearest tree and he carved their names into it…”
I roll my eyes and stare at the table until she’s done.
Did I just hear someone sniffle?
My father stands from his chair and walks over to Hazel. He lays a hand on her shoulder and smiles. “Thank you very much, Ms. Smith.”
The rest of the board nod for her, smiling sweetly and she grins back.
“Thank you,” she says.
I pop out of my chair, ready and eager to get started on my speech but my father talks over me.
“Well, let’s take a break, shall we?” he asks the room.
The board stands up and I gasp to myself beneath the sound of moving chairs.
“Hold on,” I say, my voice cracking. “I still have to give my presentation—”
They ignore me and pass on by, filing into a short line to exit into the hallway to chat.
I look at Hazel again, rage boiling beneath the surface as she just stands there with that smug smirk on her face. She waits with me until most of them are out into the hallway before making her way to my end of the table. My eyes glide along her curve and I bite my tongue to force them up to her shining face.
She pauses beside me and leans forward, exposing a little naughty cleavage just for me as she licks her lips.