by Alison Mello
“Don’t go yet,” she says. My god, this woman is going to be the death of me. I’m holding on for dear life when she screams, “Now!”
Another orgasm rips through her body. Her muscles tighten around my cock, milking me for my seed. I slam into her one last time and empty everything I’ve got. She’s panting as she lies on top of me, trying to catch her breath.
“I thought you were going to the gym today?”
I laugh. “I think this was a lot more fun than going to the gym, no?”
“For sure.”
She takes one last deep breath and then rolls off of me, curling back up under the blankets. I climb out of bed completely naked and walk across the room. She whistles, and I can’t help but laugh as I walk through the bathroom door. I hate to leave her alone in our bed, but I need to shower and get ready for work. Derek has been so good to me with all the time I’ve taken off that I hate being late now. I really enjoy working with him, and we’ve become such good friends. I don’t want to screw him over.
As I step into the shower, I think about the fun we had with Derek and Bella this weekend. I’m glad that we’re all getting along so well. At first I thought Bella was stuck-up and a total bitch, but I’m glad I was wrong. She seems to make Derek really happy. We had a blast playing cribbage, and I got to bust Derek’s balls about him giving Bella free reign of the closets in his house.
I dry off and quickly get dressed because I know Patty has to get in here soon too. She has a meeting with her agent today. I’m surprised when I walk out of the bathroom to find the room is empty.
I get dressed and then go out to the kitchen to make some breakfast, but I discover there’s no need because Patty’s putting an egg sandwich on the counter for me with a fresh cup of coffee and a bowl of fresh fruit.
“Oh woman, you are so good to me.” I pull her into my arms and plant a small, soft kiss on her lips as I slip my hand into her hair at the nape of her neck.
She pulls away, and with one eyebrow raised says, “Don’t start something you can’t finish, mister. You have to be at work soon, and I need to get that book for Terri ready to go into the mail prior to leaving for my appointment today.”
“Sorry, but I can’t help it. I love those luscious lips of yours. They’re so soft, and they taste delicious.”
She smiles at me but steps away, telling me to sit and eat. I do as I’m told, and she joins me with a sandwich of her own. Once we finish, I take both our plates and rinse them before I put them in the dishwasher.
“I have to go, love, but I’ll see you tonight.” I give her one last kiss.
“Okay, honey. Have a great day, and I’ll see you tonight.”
***
I settle in and get to work. I have emails to check and a few soldiers to check on. They owe me paperwork, and I need to make sure I get it so we can get them the help they need. As I go through my email, I notice that I still don’t have the paperwork from them. I add ‘call them’ to my to-do list for today. I know it probably sounds silly that I’m chasing them for paperwork, but when you’re in their situation, sometimes depression sets in and so you forget to do things. That’s why it’s my job to make sure they get everything done.
There’s a knock on my door, and to my surprise I look up to see Tobey standing in my door. I stand and walk over to shake his hand. “Hey, Tobey, how’s it going? What can I do for you?”
“I was in the area and I wanted to stop in and tell you that I think you’re doing a great job. I was a bit concerned at first because of your PTSD history and what you went through, but I’m glad to have you on the team.”
“Come on in.” I offer him a seat. “Thank you, Tobey. I’m really sorry about all of that, but I want you to know that I’m taking my recovery seriously. I have an appointment at lunch today with my counselor and plan to continue seeing him. It’s really helped me.”
“I’m glad to hear it. How are things going with the toy drive?”
“Well, we were at the stores this weekend. There were a nice amount of gifts under the tree, and we donated some at the first store. There are still a lot of tags on both trees due to the situation at the second store, but Derek, Bella, Patty, and I have made a promise to go back to finish our shopping.”
“I like it. Nice job.”
“Thanks.”
“How’s your girlfriend doing? I saw what happened on the news, and I’m glad she came out of it okay.”
“She’s good. Thanks for asking. She’s really excited to be helping with both the toy drive and the New Year’s Eve fundraiser.”
“Please let her know that we appreciate the help. What do we have left to do for the New Year’s Eve event?”
“I need to meet with Derek today to see how many tickets we’ve sold so far. Patty’s mom is helping us get some silent auction items, and I got a DJ to donate his time. That’s more money that can go to the veterans.”
“Good. I plan to use that money to make adjustments to soldier’s homes so they can live comfortably after they’ve recovered from their wounds. We may even use some of it to get service dogs for those who need them. It’s costly, but necessary.”
“I agree. Maybe we can try to come up with a fundraiser for each, one that will help with service dogs and one that can go to helping with homes.”
“Great! Talk with Derek about it and get back to me on your ideas.”
“I certainly will,” I say as he stands to leave my office.
I make a mental note to talk with Patty later too. She always has such great fundraising ideas, and I’d love to see what she can come up with. I’m wondering if I can get a couple of companies to donate materials or workers for renovations in exchange for a table at the event and some publicity. I make a note to ask Derek if he has a list of renovations that need to be completed. If he does, maybe we can get some quotes and get some of the work donated. I need to start working on this immediately. I walk to Derek’s office to find him settling in.
“Hey, do you have a minute?”
“Sure, what’s up?” he says as he puts his coat on the back of his chair.
“I was talking with Tobey and I’ve come up with another idea.”
“Shoot,” he says as he takes his seat and sips his coffee.
“Do we have a list of soldiers that need renovations and what they need done?”
“I’m sure I can get one. They have to fill out a form and submit it to us and then we see what we can do to help them out.”
“Great! Here is my thought. We take that list and call some local contractors to see if they’ll donate workers or materials for the renovations in exchange for a table at the event. Then we create a donor’s board to give them publicity for their contribution.”
“That’s brilliant. I’ll get a list for us immediately so you can start working on it.”
“Good. While you do that, I’ll generate a list of contractors. We have plenty of space outside the ticket sales to add tables for them. I figure even if we only get three or four donors, it’s better than nothing.”
I get up to leave and Derek says, “Hey, everything good with Tobey?”
“Yeah, he came in to tell me I was doing a good job.”
“Cool. You’re a great fit here. I’m glad we have you.”
“Thanks, man. I’ll be in my office.”
I sit at my computer and instantly start looking up the names of local contractors. Local companies like to help troops from their area.
A short time later, I’m deep in thought when the alarm on my phone goes off, telling me it’s time to leave for my appointment. I take my coat from the back of the chair and feel for my keys in the pocket. I stop in Derek’s office and peek in the door. “Hey, man. I’m off to my appointment. I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Sounds good. How are things going with that?”
“Good. I think I’m going to be able to go from seeing the doc every other week to monthly soon. I don’t want stop seeing him, but I wouldn’t mind seeing less o
f him.”
“Cool. Don’t rush it, though. You know I have no problem with you taking off during the day for that.”
“I know, and I appreciate that, but I’ve been doing well.”
He nods at me, so I grin and head out the door.
I drive straight to the good doctor’s office knowing full well that I need to get back in an hour. He pulls up at the same that I park. “Hey, doc. I get to be your first of the day, huh?”
“Nah, I had an appointment at the hospital this morning and then came here to meet you.”
I nod, knowing I can’t ask anything about the patient. We walk into the office in silence, and I take a seat while he gets himself situated. I help myself to the water he has for patients in the waiting area, and then he calls me into his office.
“How are things going?” he asks me as I take a seat.
“Great! To be honest, I’ve had one or two nightmares and I know it was the situation with Patty that triggered them. I still write in my journal, and I feel like that seems to help.”
“Good. Have you talked with Patty about it?”
I shake my head as way of answer because I know he’s going to say I should have.
“Why not?” He looks disappointed. “I thought you two had started talking more.”
“We have been, but to be perfectly honest I didn’t think it was necessary to tell her. She had a lot on her plate, and since they stopped again I didn’t want to add to her stress.”
“Fair enough. How’s she doing?”
“She handled it like a trooper. I was really concerned. She had a bit of a rough night the first night, and that was it. She went to the wake to pay her respects to his father, and I think it provided the closure she needed. We’re both hoping to move on from it and have a normal, happy life.”
“Good. I’m really glad to hear that. What are you goals for the future?”
“Well, I have some special plans for Christmas, but beyond that to stay healthy and work hard. I love Patty, and I want to support her in her career. I hope we’ll have a family someday. Her job certainly wouldn’t interfere with that.”
“You’ve come a long way, and I think it’s time we back off our appointments a bit. I want to see you in a month to see how things are going and catch up with you, but I don’t think it’s necessary that we continue to meet as often.”
We make an appointment for me to come back, and once we’re done I stand and shake his hand, thanking him for all he’s done for me. As I walk out the door, I feel really good about where I’m going in life. I’m really excited for my first Christmas with my girl.
***
Patty
I’m ready for my meeting with Joan. Something feels off about her lately, but I haven’t caught her doing anything shady, so I’ll leave it alone for now. I walk into the kitchen, grab my stuff, and then sashay out the door, feeling quite confident.
I pull up outside of Joan’s office about five minutes early, and as I’m walking in I get a text from Carter.
Carter: Today was my last appointment for a month. Want to celebrate?
Patty: What do you have in mind?
Carter: How about a romantic dinner for two?
Patty: Sounds good to me!
Carter: Great, I’ll make the reservations.
I walk through the door, and Joan’s secretary tells me that she’s finishing up another meeting and to have a seat. I sit with my pad in hand, looking at Facebook from my phone while I wait. I suddenly hear two women laughing as the doors to her office open and two reporters come walking out. I don’t recognize the woman, but I’ve seen the man. He was one of the reporters standing outside of Carter’s place.
I bite the inside of my lip as I wonder if Joan is the one feeding them information on my life and where I’m staying. I got a phone call the other day from a reporter who wanted to do a story on my life and the stuff that I went through with Ben. I instantly rejected her and told her to never call me again.
I rise as Joan approaches. She air kisses my cheek and asks me how I’m doing. I tell her I’m well, and I follow her into her office.
We both take a seat at the table, and I open my padfolio ready to take notes. “Do you know when the publisher wants to get the book out?”
“They want to move rather quickly. They want to have it out before Valentine’s Day. We’re going to promote it as the love story to read this Valentine’s.” She has a look of such pride on her face.
“You do realize that’s only about nine weeks away?”
“I do, and I’ve already sent it over to the publisher. They’re making it their top priority”
My brows shoot up as I realize that means I’ll have the first round of edits in about a week’s time. “I really didn’t want to stress over editing and such until after the holiday was done.”
“I’m sorry, but we’ve already set the timeline. You’ll have the first edits next week.”
I nod, knowing full well she’s done after this book. She never ran any of this by me, and I’m not okay with that. I want an agent who is going to be a team player, not one who worries about her pocket.
“Fine. I’ll watch for the first round to come through next week. Now, what about signings? Have you scheduled those yet?”
“I have you doing one on February thirteenth so your readers can have your books by Valentine’s Day, and then I have one scheduled for the following weekend. We have also put you in a rather large one at a hotel that will have a ton of authors there. It will be a huge event for you.”
“Okay. Just email me all the details, and I’ll schedule my stuff around it.”
She nods, making a note to email me with the information. “You’ll have it this afternoon.”
“Great. Is there anything else we need to discuss?”
“Yes, I have one more thing I would like for you to do.”
“What’s that?”
“I would like for you to do the interview with the media. Give them your story and what happened with you and Ben.”
I put my hand up to stop her. “I will do no such thing.”
“Patricia, you have no idea how good this will be for you. This is amazing publicity, and it’s free.”
“Mr. Mancini has been put through enough. I will not drag him through anymore by bashing his only child on live TV.” My eyes go wide. “You sent the media to Carter’s house, didn’t you?”
She suddenly looks flustered. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, you do. That’s why you can’t even look me in the eye. How could you, Joan?” I take a deep breath, trying to compose myself. “I don’t mind you telling them what events I’ll be at and what causes I’m helping support, but to tell them where I’m staying so they get in my face about such a tragic event is unacceptable.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. You have no proof it was me.”
“There were only eight people who knew where I was staying, and you’re the only one with connections to the media who would have a reason to tell them where I’m at.” I stand from my seat, taking my padfolio with me. I open the door but then turn back to see a shocked Joan sitting at her table. I shout, “You’re fired. This is the last contract I will fulfill with you, and you better believe I will be going to Elizabeth about this.
“You wouldn’t do that.”
“Oh, you better believe I will. You crossed a line, and God knows how many other lines you’ve crossed.”
I step out the door, and I hear Elizabeth ask, “What are you coming to me about?”
I grin because I was going to call her as soon as I got in the car in hopes of getting to her before Joan did. “Joan has crossed a line that I cannot forgive. I have fired her as my agent. I’ll fulfill this book deal with you, but I want out.”
“Please come to my office. I would like to talk in private.” She turns to Joan and says, “Don’t you think about going anywhere.”
She turns on her heels, and I follow h
er to her beautiful back office. She closes the door behind us and says, “Patricia, please tell me what’s going on.”
“Elizabeth, I have no problem with you going to the media about events I’m attending or causes I’m supporting, but that woman told the media where I was staying and had them stalking me outside so they could get the scoop on what happened with Ben.” I’m pacing because I’m livid that this woman would do this. I mean, Christ, I hadn’t even had a chance to move past it yet. “Now she wants me to do an interview with them and give them the full story on what has happened. I will not do it. His father is a family friend, and I will not drag him through any more.”
“Say no more. I can see you’re upset, and you have every right to be. You’re right; she crossed the line and she will be dealt with. Please work with me instead. I don’t want to lose you as an author.”
“I’ll think about it, but I need some flexibility over release dates as well. I can’t believe she has the publisher pushing my book out for February. That’s a really quick turnaround.”
“Why are they pushing it so quickly?”
“They want it to be ‘The love story to read this Valentine’s Day.’ Her words, not mine.”
She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath as she tries to control her frustration. “I’m sorry, Patricia. Do you want me to push it out further? I will make a call.”
“No, she’s already set up all of my signings. Leave it be. In the future, I would like my release date approved by me first.”
“Fair enough,” she says, holding out her hand to me. “I’m taking over your account effective immediately.” She picks up the phone. “Joan, bring me all of Patricia’s files right now.” She hangs up, not giving Joan a chance to respond.
A minute later, she walks into Elizabeth’s office, shaking, and hands her my files. “You’re dismissed,” Elizabeth says as she opens the latest file.
“Sure. I’ll be in my office working on…”
Elizabeth holds up her hand, cutting her off. “You misunderstand. You’re dismissed, as in you’re fired. You cannot treat my clients the way you’ve treated Patricia. I won’t allow it, and she’s not the first complaint I’ve gotten.”