Beyond Lace

by Mia London

  He chuckled into her neck. “Yes. Unfortunately, nothing you can use for marketing.”

  She laughed, and it was like music to his ears. “You got that right.”

  Feeling calmer, he rose his head to look at her and asked, “Can I spend the night, Charlie?”

  Her eyes twinkled. “Sure, but don’t you have to get back to your grandma?”

  He shook his head. I think she has her friend looking out for her.”

  Right then, no better offer could be made. She wanted Blake in her bed. Feel his heat next to her all night. Wake with him by her side in the morning.

  They cleaned up, slipped on some t-shirts and sweats, and lounged on the newly christened sofa to finish watching her cop show. She thought back to the amazing sex they had on her sofa. A sofa she would keep forever. Even when the thing got old and tattered, she’d keep it someplace else, in another room.

  What they shared, she’d never forget. He wanted only to make her feel good, feel cherished. The connection they had was immensely powerful. So powerful it could cause her to cry if she let it. He was the love of her life. Even as they moved on with their lives, perhaps getting married to other people, her soul would belong to him and his to her.

  She sighed and pulled his arm closer across her front. She would miss him when he left—his smell, his touch, the way he’d make her laugh.

  Her heart would be ripped to shreds, but she’d never forget—they were one.

  Chapter Seventeen

  She felt deliciously sore. Sometime during the night, Blake aroused her, made her wet with his fingers and tongue, and slid into her again. He was insatiable. Not that she was complaining.

  Actually, come to think of it, she did have a small complaint. He’d entered her from behind and bracketed her arms in a way she couldn’t reach back and touch him, fondle and caress him.

  He groaned what sounded like “good morning.”

  She rolled over and propped herself on an elbow. “I have a bone to pick with you.”

  His eyes opened fully. “You do?”

  “Why is it when we’re having sex, I can’t touch you?”

  He smiled. “You can touch me.”

  “Bullshit.”

  His lips pursed. “I don’t like to admit this, Charlie, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold out for you if you’re touching me.”

  “Really?” she asked, her voice softer.

  “Yes. Like you said last night. It’s different this time.”

  His words set off fizzies in her belly.

  She sat up, letting the blanket fall, revealing her naked body to him. “So how long do you think you can last?”

  He grinned. “I don’t know.” His hand moved to touch her.

  “Uh-uh. Hands over your head.”

  His smile could light up a darkened room. “Alright,” he said and stretched both arms over his head, leaning them against the headboard.

  She made a show of looking at the clock. Then set about torturing him. She kissed his face and neck while her hands roamed his gorgeous body. She pulled the blanket back, uncovering his marvelous cock, long and thick and ready for her mouth.

  Her hands smoothed his powerful thighs as her lips kissed his abs and continued south. When she arrived at his darkened head, she licked the slit and teased him.

  His growl brought so much delight.

  She encased him with her lips and wet him with her tongue. She retracted and gave a gentle blow over his fine equipment.

  “Fuck,” he bit out.

  “Make it last, baby.” She threw out his pet name for her.

  She positioned herself between his legs and stroked his cock with her fingers. She rather liked their role-reversal.

  She fisted him completely and covered him with her mouth. He tasted like salty, hot male. She moved her mouth and her fist in tandem, sucking on the way up.

  His hips jerked, and he moaned.

  “Not yet, baby.”

  She teased and tortured him with little random swipes and licks—his cock, his balls, his thighs. She could see him flex to raise himself closer to her mouth.

  She worked extra saliva and lubricated his cock with her mouth. She pulled back, and with the fingertips from both hands, she gently stroked him up and down.

  “Fuck, woman.” His eyes pinched shut.

  She didn’t know how much longer he could hold off. Her hands pressing down his thighs, she lowered her mouth and sucked the hell out of him.

  He grabbed a pillow, juddered his hips, and cussed up a storm as she worked him energetically.

  In no time, he shot his load. At that moment, she pulled back and let him come on her chest. It was warm and wildly erotic. When he was done, she massaged the semen into her chest and breasts as he watched with heavily lidded eyes.

  He didn’t move, likely drained from his orgasm. “That was the best blowjob I’ve ever had.”

  She smiled. She lay down beside him, her head on his chest, and pulled the blanket over them. They could doze a while before they needed to get up.

  She drifted off to sleep shortly after him, a smile on her face.

  The following ten days were insanely great, to use Charlie’s words. They ate, drank, and made love passionately.

  When they went hiking the day before, he was so turned on by her, he knew he had to have her. He couldn’t wait until they returned home.

  He guided her off the path, deeper into the woods. He coaxed her, Please let me slide inside you. I’ve been watching those gorgeous legs all day, and I can’t wait another moment.

  He’d loosened her shorts to gain access and caressed her. She’d widen her stance, and he knew she was almost ready.

  She held onto a tree, face-first, while he eased her shorts down to the ground. He heard a light rustling in the distance. The sound was too light to be another hiker, but what if . . .

  He whispered into her ear as he massaged her ass, What if someone was watching us right now? He spread her apart with his hands, aligned his cock, and slowly slid into her. What if there’s a man watching me slide into your gorgeous pussy, wishing it was his cock. She moaned.

  He pushed her sweatshirt higher up her back, then reached around to tease her clit. What if he’s watching your beautiful ass and getting hard, wanting to touch you like I am doing now?

  She’d moaned louder and after several seconds, her muscles tightened around him. She lowered her mouth into her arm, covering the moans from her climax. He came at the same time, growling low in her ear.

  Most days she would work in her office while he worked at her kitchen table. She would show him her mock-ups over dinner, sometimes asking his advice. One afternoon, they finished work early to look at the photos he’d taken of them having sex on her sofa. They were hot!

  And viewing them made him hot again. He took her on the living room rug, the shower, and finally they landed in bed. They didn’t even eat dinner that night because they were too exhausted.

  The next morning, he’d awoke in a great mood, again, but famished. He cooked enough food to feed an army.

  Their time together was so great he dreaded going back to Chicago. Which was hard to admit. He loved what he did—his job, his company, the people. It was like he’d rather be here than there.

  But that just wasn’t an option.

  He stowed some tools in his grandma’s tool box when the sound of his cell phone pulled him back to the present.

  George.

  Shit! His stomach clenched. He had a bad feeling about what George had to share. Did he have to answer it? Life was good. He didn’t want to ruin it. The phone rang a second time.

  Charlie dropped off the final proofs to Green Earth Sporting Goods. The general manager seemed captivated. His eyes sparkled as she flipped through each piece of marketing collateral.

  She waited patiently for his thoughts, chewing on her inside cheek.

  “Charlie, I have to tell you, I’m impressed.” His opened the tri-fold again and held it open with two hand
s, nodding slowly. “When my wife told me to give you a chance, instead of the ad firm in town, I thought she was crazy.”

  “Well, thank you Mister Munoz. Who is your wife?”

  “Brenda Munoz,” he replied and glanced her way. “I thought you knew.”

  Brenda Munoz was one of her professors at CSU. Probably the best professor at the university, and that was saying a lot. What a huge compliment that she would recommend her to her husband.

  Charlie shook her head and smiled. “No, sir. And I need to be sure to thank her.”

  “Well, like I said I’m impressed. I like what I see. Maybe we can make a few tweaks, then let’s send this to print.”

  “Okay,” she nodded and opened her notebook to jot down his changes.

  By the time the meeting was over, Charlie felt like she could fly. Incredible.

  She wanted to celebrate. She drove to the store and bought some filets, a good bottle of cabernet, and shrimp cocktail. Dinner with Blake that night would be extra special.

  Mentally she rifled through her lingerie drawer. She thought she might have some skimpy number she could slip on, too. Her whole body started to hum.

  “It’s easy to move money around in business. Finding it is the challenge,” he heard George say. “Did he mention anything about PR and Reputation Management to you?”

  Blake ran a hand over his head. “God, George. I vaguely remember it coming up. I told Patrick to put it on hold. That it wasn’t a priority.”

  “I’m certain he brought it up to gain your approval—”

  “Yes, well, evidently he didn’t need my approval anyway.”

  George sighed. “That’s true.”

  Blake felt the heat rise in his face. One hand cracked the knuckles of the other. He never cracked his knuckles. “Are we sure it’s him?”

  “No one else, other than you, has this kind of access, correct? He has a phony website set up and everything.”

  “Shit.” He let out a breath. “How much, George? How much did he steal?”

  He heard an extended inhale. “About forty-three thousand dollars.”

  “Christ.”

  “I’m sorry, Blake.”

  He shook his head. “Thanks,” he muttered. “I’m glad you found out—sooner rather than later.” He closed his eyes and rubbed a hand over his face. “I will take it from here. Don’t let on that anything unusual has been found. I’m out of the state. I’ll wrap things up and address it with Patrick.”

  “Of course.”

  He disconnected the call. What the hell was going on with Patrick? An employee he trusted. Who was now stealing from him!

  He would need to return to Chicago early and take care of this personally. Shit!

  The thought of leaving Charlie dug a gaping, black hole in him. He rested his elbows on the table and hung his head in his hands. Things were going so well between them. And aside from Patrick’s embezzling, things were going well with the company.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Blake disconnected the call with Adam. Just as he had expected—Adam couldn’t come to Fort Collins any earlier. His high-profile case with LaKendrick Smith had him snowed under. Adam made it clear, there was “no way in hell” he could get to Grandma’s sooner.

  He reached out to Ty and Jack; they said keeping an eye on grandma won’t be a problem. Between the two of them, they’d have it covered.

  “How’s it going, Blake? Did you call the airline?” his grandma asked as she entered the kitchen.

  He let out a breath. “Yes, I’m on the two-forty tomorrow.”

  She cupped her hands over his cheeks and kissed his forehead. “I’m gonna miss you.”

  “Me too, Grandma. Ty and Jack will be around.”

  “Yes, Jack already called me and told me he and Mya were taking me out to dinner tomorrow night.”

  “Good.”

  “Have you told Charlie?”

  He shook his head. “No. And I’m dreading it.”

  “I’ll bet.” She paused a moment. “You know, you could make this work if you wanted to,” she said then kissed his head one more time before leaving the room.

  Sure, easier said than done.

  Charlie had texted him earlier, said she was cooking dinner at her place. At the time he’d read the text he was smiling. Now, there would be no smile as he ruined their evening.

  His arm felt like lead as he pressed the doorbell.

  “Hey. You don’t have to ring. You can just come— What’s wrong?” Her smile fell, and it nearly broke his heart.

  He closed the door. “Let’s sit.”

  Her eyes were wide and cautious. She could read him well, or perhaps he had a lousy poker face. “I hired a new accounting firm recently. Well, they did an audit on my books.”

  “What did they find?”

  “Someone is embezzling from me. From the company,” he corrected.

  “Oh, God.”

  “Charlie,” he reached for her hands, “I have to go back early.”

  “Yes, of course. When do you have to leave?”

  He braced himself. “Tomorrow.”

  Her body stiffened, and he heard her small gasp. “Tomorrow?” she asked softly.

  His heart twisted. “I’m sorry.”

  “No, I understand. I just didn’t think it would be so soon.”

  “I’m afraid if I don’t address it immediately, it will turn into something unmanageable and volatile.”

  “Of course.” She licked her lips. “Well, let’s enjoy our last night together, shall we?”

  God, how can she stay so positive? He nodded even though he felt about as big as a slug.

  Blake’s news was the last thing she thought she’d be hearing that night. She knew he would be heading back to Chicago soon, but those few extra days would have been good. It would have been something. She would have had more time to get used to the idea of him leaving.

  They ate mostly in silence. The filet tasted like cardboard, and the wine tasted flat.

  “I’m sorry I ruined our evening,” he said breaking the silence.

  She reached to cover his hand with hers. “Don’t be. It’s not your fault. I was rather getting used to having you around,” she shared.

  “I was getting used to it too.”

  “Can you at least spend the night?”

  He nodded. “Absolutely.”

  She gave him the first real smile she felt all night. They mostly finished their dinner and lounged in front of the TV. Before they finished a show, he took her hand and let her back to her bedroom.

  He stripped them both naked and made love to her all night. She savored everything he did—all his kisses, all his touches, the way he smelled, and the way he called her name. More than once she found herself close to tears, but she fought them. Tears were wasted energy. He was just as sad. They had several wonderful days together, and tomorrow he’d be gone again.

  Life must move on, she told herself.

  Watching him walk away was one of the hardest things she ever had to do. Even the first time wasn’t this hard. Charlie had anger to protect her heart then.

  Blake had thought she cheated, didn’t trust her, and left without looking back. He acted like an asshole, and she’d been pissed. Watching him leave led to vague relief.

  This time—not so much.

  They had kept the goodbyes light and pleasant, trying not to make it as if someone had died. Charlie had held back the tears until he drove away, then she walked back into her house, closed the door, and collapsed to her knees sobbing.

  Blake walked into the office Wednesday morning low in energy but high in determination. The flight back to Chicago gave him time to seethe. He was pissed about having to come back early, and he was pissed about Patrick. How dare he steal from him. After everything he did for the man.

  He headed straight for his office and took care of a few security things on his PC before calling Patrick in.

  “Hey, Blake! You’re back.”

  “I need
to see you in my office.”

  Patrick arrived with a worried look on his face, as he should.

  “Close the door, please.” He pushed back from his desk and stood. “Have a seat.”

  Blake hitched his hip on the edge of the desk and eyed Patrick.

  “What’s up?”

  Like you don’t know. “It’s come to my attention that someone has been embezzling from the company.” Patrick adjusted his position and shifted his eyes.

  “We are a small company. The only people with full access to the money are you and me, and I know I didn’t take any money. So would you care to share something?”

  Patrick stared at the floor for several moments. “Times are hard,” he muttered.

  Blake’s eyebrows rose. “That’s your defense?”

  Blake knew the truth. It was greed. Patrick had a girlfriend, but no kids, no mortgage, and he was well-compensated. With random drug screenings, he wasn’t addicted to drugs.

  Blake asked if he had a gambling problem, and Patrick denied it. He had just taken the money with no explanation as to why. Blake was at a loss. He was left with no choice but to fire Patrick.

  Blake had planned for a security guard with the office building to be on stand-by and escort Patrick out, in case things got ugly. Next item on his agenda meant hiring a replacement and mending the damage. Blake hoped it led to nothing too severe. Blake still had hopes of selling the company one day.

  He shook his head and returned to his desk. Patrick had created more damage in terms of trust than he had financially.

  Her days of late seemed less inspiring, less colorful. Charlie knew it was because Blake had left. A few times she drove by his grandmother’s house, for no apparent reason. She felt empty inside and merely drifted through the days looking for anything to satisfy the void.

  They spoke most days on the phone and exchanged a few emails. She looked forward to his calls like an anxious teenager. Some calls were long—they’d talk about work, and she’d ask for his opinion. He told her about firing Patrick and looking for his replacement.