by Linzi Basset
Bailey didn’t realize she was crying until her grandfather’s gruff voice pulled her from her desolation.
“There now, poppet. Grandpa’s here.”
His arms around her were all that was needed for the floodgates to open. She leaned into his chest and sobbed at her loss.
He led her back to the cottage and pacified her with a cup of hot chocolate and some butter cookies. She chomped on a couple, staring blindly into the fire.
It was what she’d wanted, so why did it feel all wrong? She cringed at the bleak future Carter had so blatantly spelled out for her. A future she didn’t want, she realized. For the past ten years all she had done was work. First, under her father’s tutelage and after his death, the desire to excel had become all encompassing.
But is it all I want from life? Really?
She questioned her motives for pushing Carter away. Her earlier reasons had obliterated with the truth and left her staring at the man himself.
Bailey thought back to her early twenties. How she’d always basked in the love of her parents and grandparents. Spoiled, cared for and given so much love, she had never wanted for anything. She had always appreciated how loving her family had been, especially on Christmas. She’d wanted it too.
She still wanted it in her life. Someone to love her unconditionally, share feelings, hopes and dreams with as they travel the road to their destiny. The way she’d driven herself over the years had caused those dreams to fade.
Bailey wanted them back. She needed them back.
“I think I made a big mistake, Grandpa,” she whispered sadly.
“Admitting to a mistake is half the battle won, poppet. The other half is to fix it. That is the important part.”
She looked at him with glimmering eyes.
“Where will I find him, Grandpa?”
“Not too far, I think,” he said, smiling. He winked. “I never heard his car leave. I’m sure he’s around somewhere.”
Bailey jumped up and yanked on her jacket and stomped her feet into her snow boots. She was on the porch when he called after her, “He usually goes to the Grace waterfall when he needs to think.”
* * * * * * * *
The Grace waterfall was a quarter of a mile further up the mountain. It was breathtaking during all seasons. She set off through the thickset trees that swayed gently in the cold breeze.
Carter stood gazing at the vertical walls of frozen water. She could see from the tension in his shoulders that he’d heard her coming.
“I think I made a mistake,” she said softly a few steps behind him. He didn’t move.
“Over the years I’ve allowed my young girl dreams to be squashed under the ambition to prove to the world that a woman can be as successful as any man. I forgot what it’s like to have fun. To be wanted.”
“What were your dreams, Bailey?” His voice carried over the expanse of the frozen pool in front of him. He sounded tired.
She took a few steps closer. “I want what my parents had; what Grandpa Joe and Grandma Alice had.”
He didn’t respond. Bailey squared her shoulders and took the bravest step ever. She pressed her body against his back and wrapped her arms around his waist.
“I don’t want you to leave me, Carter. I know now that I want it with you. We hardly know each other but I do know that you’re the first man who has managed to confuse me; made me face the reality of the empty life I’ve been living. But more than that,” she stepped back and circled around him to look into his eyes, “You made me want to love,” she swallowed at the closed look in his eyes, “and to be loved.”
“You have to be sure about this, Bailey, because I’m not looking for a fling or a couple of months of hot sex. I want permanency. A wife and a family.”
“I’ll never stop striving to be the best that I can be at my job, Carter but I promise I will put as much effort into loving you—if not more.”
“And children?”
She smiled sweetly and in that moment Carter could do nothing more than stare at her. It was like the sun came out to shroud her in gold. His mood lifted and his heart began beating wildly in his chest.
“Somehow, the thought of two little naughty boys who look like their daddy doesn’t scare me as much anymore.”
“Little girls, with their long, dark hair, trailing behind them as they play hopscotch in the backyard,” he croaked, barely able to contain his joy. Finally, he had the woman he’d been yearning for.
His smile washed away her fear. Excitement rushed through her veins. Happiness flared in his eyes, which she knew was a reflection of her own. Even if the world around her had started to collapse in that moment, she wouldn’t have cared, because she knew her heart would always be safe and cherished for within his.
Her eyes twinkled with a wickedness that caused his blood to heat up in a blink of an eye.
“Besides, I am looking forward to all the hours of passion and lust in an effort to make those two little boys a reality.”
“You are a saucy wench. I won’t ever get enough of you.” He kissed her cold lips and nibbled on them until they were warm and puffy. “But you got it wrong again, pussycat. I said two girls.”
She licked his lips with deliberate seductiveness.
“How about a pair of each?”
“Ah, my love. Now you’re talking.”
Her mind didn’t protest at the sudden thought of going from no kids to four. With Carter by her side, she could face anything.
His kiss deepened as he set alight her senses with a fire that would burn inside her for years to come.
Holy shitballs, Bailey. Four kids!
The End
Excerpt – No Option
Their Sub Series – Book 1
Chapter One
“You have to get your pussy waxed.”
That should have made her turn tail and run.
Well, it didn’t, because there she stood, hesitating in front of the impressive steel and glass building that towered over her.
Who expected you to have a hair free pussy for an executive assistant’s job interview?
Her thighs began to quiver. Her labia felt sensitive after the waxing session from the previous day, but sexy nonetheless. It was the first time she’d gone completely bare and it felt liberating.
She shifted from one foot to the other, biting her lip as she contemplated over the conversation that had led to this very moment. She was on the precipice of throwing all her morals out the door—at least all the signs pointed to it.
I have no idea what is waiting for me once I step inside this building, but god knows, I have no other option. I’ve run out of choices—over a month ago already.
“There’s one option I can offer you, Diana, but it’s rather . . . ehm . . . unconventional.” Mitch Cooper, the owner of the recruitment agency she’d come to know very well over the past eight months, had told her plainly.
Eight Months of despair, hopelessness and finally, resignation. She used to be the Head of the Human Resources Department at McKinnon Incorporated, a software company specializing in property development and design programs.
“Fucking recession sucks,” she muttered, recalling the numbing shock when she’d been told that her position was effectively redundant as part of the merger with a much larger company, KJB Incorporated.
The very same company whose building she was staring at. Her gaze lifted skyward following the reflective lines of the ten-story building, to the top.
She’d lost hope when the interviews had resulted in the same response, one after the other. “Sorry, Miss Summers, you’re overqualified.”
The sigh that escaped from her lips was wrought with acquiescence. “I guess ten years at the same company, working myself to the bone in an effort to reach the top, means shit.”
It didn’t matter that she was prepared to work in a junior position as an HR Manager. No one wanted her and Senior HR Management positions were as scarce as hen’s teeth.
Mitch had been
surprised at her immediate interest of the offer.
“Anything, Mitch. I’m about to lose my house. I’m desperate,” she’d responded, even as she tried to suppress the excitement at a prospective job.
“It’s not in HR, Diana. It’s an executive assistant position . . . a live-in one.”
“Anything, Mitch,” she prodded eagerly.
“I can’t tell you much about the position, except that it’s at KJB Incorporated . . .”
He waited for her reaction and it came immediately. Her shoulders slumped and she went pale, already expecting the inevitable.
“They didn’t want me before, Mitch. Why would they offer me a job now?”
“Come now, Diana. You, of all people, know how mergers work. They’ve been offering positions to retrenched employees as and when positions open up.”
“I don’t understand. If the position is with KJB, why is it live-in?”
“It’s not a position at the company. They’re looking for an assistant to help them in a private capacity at a lodge they own at Kitt Peak in Tucson.”
“Tucson! Are you crazy? I’m a San Francisco girl, Mitch.”
“Yeah, I thought that might make you reconsider—”
“No. I’ll go for the interview. I can’t afford to be picky. Not anymore.”
Mitch sighed. “Very well, but before I say anything more, you have to sign a non-disclosure agreement.”
“Seriously? What exactly does this job entail, Mitch? Don’t tell me it’s something illegal.”
“Of course not, but the position is with the three owners and they value their privacy.”
“Fine. I’ll sign it.”
He made her read every line and then quizzed her about her understanding of the content. It made her reservations mount but she repressed them. Whatever this was, she’d never utter a word to anyone.
“What else?”
Mitch shifted in his chair, obviously uncomfortable.
“A private lodge in the National Observatory area,” Diana exclaimed as what he’d said earlier registered only now. “Fuck, Mitch! Don’t tell me it’s a brothel!”
He laughed. “No, it’s not, but that’s all I can tell you.”
“So, why are you being so secretive about this?”
He sighed and said drily, “You’ll have to get your pussy waxed before the interview.”
Diana froze. The direct look in his eyes told her it was no joke.
“Promise me this is not a prostitution ring and if I don’t feel good about the terms of the job, I can walk away.”
“That’s an insult, Diana. You should know I won’t compromise you but first you have to pass a test as part of the interview. If you don’t, you won’t be considered at all.”
“What kind of test?”
The look he slanted her way reminded her that his lips were sealed.
“What remuneration are they offering?”
He named an exorbitant amount that set off alarm bells ringing in her head.
Run, Diana!
“When?” She asked, even though every instinct inside her told her to hightail out of there.
“Tomorrow, at two o’ clock, provided you go for the waxing appointment immediately.”
“An appointment? Where?”
Diana wasn’t surprised when it turned out to be one of the most expensive beauty spas in San Francisco. She was waxed and buffed till every inch of her body glowed. She enjoyed the luxurious experience, even with an unknown sword hanging over her head. JBK Incorporated was a Fortune 500 company. Money wasn’t a problem for the three owners.
And now, here she stood. Weary of what she was getting herself into; fearful of what was waiting for her once she did.
“Miss Summers?” A questioning voice snapped her out of her dilemma. She blinked at the groomed, well-appointed security guard who stood a few yards from her, next to the door.
“You’re going to be late for your appointment, Miss Summers. Our employers don’t tolerate tardiness.”
Diana nodded and followed him inside.
“How did you know who I am?” She asked, frowning. This whole thing was becoming weirder by the moment.
“As a security protocol, photo identification is mandatory for an appointment. Our security is of the highest caliber here at KJB Incorporated.”
Of course, it is.
He ushered her into the elevator, keyed in a code and pressed the tenth-floor button.
“Mrs. Wallis is expecting you. Good luck, Miss Summers.”
Diana looked for any sign of mockery, but his expression remained impassive, yet friendly.
Your imagination is running away with you, Diana. A security guard won’t be privy to the position you’re being interviewed for.
“Miss Summers? Right on time. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Sharon Wallis, Mr. Kade Cooper’s personal assistant. Is that your application form?” An impeccable looking blonde asked, having rattled off everything without taking a breath.
“Yes,” Diana responded, handing over the white envelope.
“Wonderful. Please follow me. They’re ready for you.”
Diana had a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had to trot to keep up with the long strides of the tall woman. They entered a large alcove decorated with plush sofas, chairs and low coffee tables. Large, colorful paintings from the South African painter, Porchie, adorned the walls.
“Please, take a seat.” Sharon disappeared through one of the three beautifully handcrafted wooden doors.
Diana sat, wringing her hands. Her lower lip disappeared between her teeth as she worried it with sharp nips.
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Excerpt – Say Yes
Their Command Series – Book 1
Chapter One
“Oh, come on, Dora! I’m supposed to be going the other way. The Silverstone Resort is in the valley! You’re pointing me in the wrong direction,” Alexis Moore grumbled in annoyance as she peered through the window of her rental car, at the winding road leading higher up the steep hill.
“I’m sure the storekeeper, Jerry, said it was less than fifteen minutes’ drive from there.” She stabbed her finger on the small screen of the GPS unit. “Did you hear that Dora? We’ve been driving for over thirty minutes already—oh damnation! Now we’re on a gravel road,” she complained loudly when the car began rattling the moment the smooth tarred road ended.
“Continue straight for ten miles,” the soothing voice from the GPS filled the interior of the car.
“Ten miles! Higher up? We’re already at the top. Where to from there? Abseil down?”
Alexis grumbled when she realized that the sun had already begun to set and that the purple hues of early evening were coloring the sky—from what she could see through the thick trees on both sides of the road.
“If you get me stuck on this fucking mountain alone at night, Dora, I’m gonna . . . ugh,” she sighed heavily. “Great Alexis, now you’re threatening a box!”
Alexis was completely clueless on any given day when it came to directions, which was why she had been following Dora’s instructions blindly.
“Gmphf, Dora is just as clueless as I am. Noooo!”
Clank! Clank! Clank!
“What the fuck . . .”
Alexis slammed on the brakes and shrieked when the small car swerved across the narrow road. The crash seemed to take forever. Adrenaline coursed through her system. She could see there was no hope as she desperately yanked on the steering wheel. The little car was hydroplaning across the road and she was helpless as the vehicle skimmed along the rough surface of the road.
“No! Not the tree! Get out of the way! Out of the wayyyyy! Fucchhkk me!” She screamed and bore her body to the right when the tree scraped against the side of the car. With a final shudder the car came to an abrupt halt.
“Oh my god,�
� she croaked. Her voice was husky and raw from the shock.
“Continue straight for eight miles.”
“Oh, shut the fuck up!” Alexis swore at the mechanical voice. Her body shook. She didn’t even react when a billow of steam escaped from the engine of the car. Her knuckles turned white from the death grip she had on the steering wheel. She now regretted not taking the shuttle to the resort that ferries the guests back and forth from the Denver Airport. No, she had wanted to have her own transport.
“Let that be a lesson, Alexis Moore. Sometimes you take your independence a tad too far!”
She could just imagine what her friends, Rachel and Shanna, would have to say when they heard about this debacle.
“Debacle my ass. This is a goddamned disaster,” she grumbled. Groaning, she climbed over the gear console to get out of the car from the opposite side.
She walked around the vehicle and stared at it with distress weighing down her shoulders. It was literally hugging the tree and with the front tire blown, it was clear she wasn’t going anywhere in it.
“Now what?” Alexis glanced around. She hugged her denim jacket closer around her waist as she glanced at her five-inch Louboutin stiletto booties. They had been her spoils for the winter; beautiful, delicate ankle boots made with gorgeous black, floral guipure wax lace, lined with transparent mesh with an interior side zip and finished off with gorgeous red soles.
“Definitely not meant for a trek up the mountains!”
It was either that or stay in the car with the hope that someone would find her. She’d already checked her cell phone and there was no signal.
“Well, I have no intention of freezing my ass off in this car.”
Alexis grabbed her large handbag and dragged her thick coat on with the intention to walk a couple of miles to see if she could find any signs of life before it became completely dark.
“Fate can’t be that cruel; to leave me completely stranded,” she bemoaned as she tried to walk carefully over the uneven road. “I’m gonna be seriously pissed off if my booties are damaged from these loose stones. Or, I’ll just claim it as a work injury.” She giggled, just thinking of the expression on her new boss’ face if she presented him with a claim for damaged Louboutins!