by Alexis Anne
“That’s why this is so hard, Marie. I lost Jenn and I can’t lose you, too. I feel you pulling away when things get hard, I see that wall you put up and I hate it. It scares me.”
My heart thudded loudly in my ears. “It scares me, too. It’s like it’s not even me when I feel like this. I’m in here still, but someone else is controlling me. Talking. Moving around. Working and dealing with Edward and Lucinda. It’s like I have no control over what happens.”
God, was I losing my mind? It sounded insane.
He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against mine. We stood like that, connected and feeling, without saying a word. “Please don’t leave me,” he whispered. “I need you.”
I nodded, moving both our heads until our noses brushed. Then I kissed him. Hard. As if this kiss needed to say just how much I loved him until I was ready to say it with words. “I’m trying. I really am.”
Having him around made such a difference tonight. He didn’t do anything but show up and be himself. A cleaner, more polite version of himself, but he was still Greg, and somehow that gave me the strength to hold on to a little bit of me, when normally I would have transformed into someone else.
“Sleep here tonight.”
“It’s Monday,” he whispered back.
“I want you to sleep here all week.”
He swallowed loudly. “Are you sure?”
I needed support. If I went to bed alone I was going to lie there all night staring at the ceiling and having one anxiety attack after another. If Greg stayed he could keep me distracted.
“Yes, I need you here. Please stay.”
He kissed me lightly on the lips. “You got it, babe. Whatever you need.”
I made sure Natalie was tucked into bed before I closed my bedroom door and peeled off my clothes. I already felt better having Greg there. Normally I would have started retreating into myself, replaying every word of every conversation I’d had since my father arrived.
I was still doing that, but much less than usual. I still re-ran my father’s plans and comments, still felt like I didn’t belong in my own skin, but I was able to stop and look at Greg and shake myself out of it.
Greg was waiting for me in bed. “Put your head on my lap,” he ordered. I curled around his muscular leg and sighed as he ran his hand through my hair, brushing it away from my face and neck before beginning to lightly massage my shoulders. He alternated between brushing my hair and kneading my muscles. The affect was relaxing and hypnotic, but it was his words that really did me in.
“You are so beautiful,” he murmured. “Your hair is so soft. Your laugh is the most infectious thing I’ve ever heard. Your breasts are easily the most perfect rack I’ve ever seen. Don’t laugh—” he threatened. “It’s true and about time you recognized the incredible perfection of your breasts. Don’t even get me started on your nipples. I’ll need a whole night to sing their praises.”
He was quiet for a minute before he spoke again, his voice quieter and more soothing. “You make me happy, Marie. You don’t put up with my shit and you can call me on just about anything because you are smarter and quicker than me.”
He kept talking and massaging and somewhere in the middle of all of that I fell peacefully asleep. When my alarm went off we were in that exact same position. Greg slept sitting up with his fingers in my hair and a smile on his handsome face.
I gazed at him as I shut off my alarm, kissing his soft lips to wake him up. It took a 747 taking off to wake Greg up most mornings. But a well-placed kiss or two usually had the same effect.
His eyes fluttered open. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” he warned.
I straddled him and took his face in my hands. “I keep all my promises,” I whispered. A split second later I was on my back and a very hard Greg was grinning as he rocked into me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
“The meeting started at three.”
Jake gave me a look that told me to fuck off. “I’m aware of that.”
“You came in at three-fifteen.” I was stating the obvious because that’s what I did. I was a pain in the ass. I liked watching people squirm. Even Jake.
We were the last two left in the conference room. He let out an exasperated breath and spun in his chair. “What’s your point?”
“Look, I’m totally cool with the changes you’ve started making around here in preparation for fall, but I still need you to show up to the meetings.”
Jake glared at me. “Noted jerkwad. Any other marching orders?”
The door opened and Nick stuck his curly head inside. “Hey Greg? We’ve got a problem with one of our field crews. You gotta second?”
Fuck no I didn’t. I needed a vacation from the stupidity. “Can it wait five minutes?”
Nick’s face contorted. “Can I get an authorization for a tow truck?”
“Who fucked up what?” A tow truck?
“Spence’s crew down in Arcadia buried a truck in the mud up to the axle…” Nick cringed in preparation for my reaction.
He was a smart kid.
“It has four wheel drive! What fucking idiot buries a pickup truck up to the axle in Florida?”
Jake cleared his throat. “Yes, you can authorize a tow truck. We’ll deal with the lack of intelligence when they get in on Friday.”
Nick ducked away before I could yell anymore, so instead I glared at Jake. “Waltzing in late and being nice to dumbasses. What’s next? You quitting? Or maybe it’s gonna snow?”
He just shook his head at me. “You know sometimes accidents are just accidents.”
“And sometimes you can’t fix stupid. That entire crew better be in my office Friday afternoon with answers. And whoever was driving better have their hat in their hand, their tail between their legs, and the best puppy dog eyes I’ve ever seen.”
Jake laughed at me. “Are you being extra cranky because of Edward or did you miss your coffee break?”
I grimaced. “Edward is every bit as much of a jackass as they said. Maybe more.”
“I’m guessing he didn’t fall instantly in love with your ugly mug?”
I grinned. “Apparently I’m not his type. He prefers guys who kiss his ass.”
“He leaves tomorrow?”
I nodded. We’d already endured dinner on Monday. Luckily he was going to be at the Ray’s game tonight. “Did I mention Lucinda came with him?”
“Two for the price of one? How did you get so lucky?”
I shrugged, wondering if things were going to get better when they left or if we were just exchanging one form of torture for another. I really didn’t know what to expect out of Brandon, and at this point I was exhausted from dealing with Edward and Lucinda.
Fuck, this week sucked balls.
“Marie’s handling it like a trooper, but she’s barely holding it together. She has a timer on her phone that’s counting down the minutes until they leave for the airport.”
“Ouch.”
How did I explain the unique torture that was my girlfriend’s over-privileged parents? “Lucinda is an ice queen who never has anything nice to say, so she basically never talks. And Edward is a self-absorbed narcissist who apparently lives to make life hell for everyone else—and his favorite one to torture is his own damn daughter. I want to punch the fucker in the face.”
Jake grimaced and looked down at the table. “I feel for her. Really I do.”
“I keep reminding her that she’s perfect the way she is. That she needs to ignore everything Edward and Lucinda say. What else can I do?” I hated feeling so fucking useless.
“Just keep doing that. This isn’t your fight and you can’t help her find her way through this.” He smiled when he saw how upset I looked. “You have no idea how much it means to have someone who is there for you no matter what. Who believes in you and doesn’t want you to become someone else. The best thing you can do is simply be her friend and love her the best you can.”
“I don’t like that answer but I’ll
take what I can get.”
Jake stood up and slapped me on the back. “They’ll be gone tomorrow and you’ll get your girlfriend back.”
Maybe. “Thanks. I gotta go get her now, actually.”
“Dinner plans?”
I nodded. “Edward’s at the game and Lucinda is having quality time with Natalie, so Marie and I get a quiet afternoon and dinner.”
“Say hi to her for me.”
“I will.”
Thirty minutes later I was riding the elevator up to Marie’s offices with drinks in one hand and chocolate chip cookies for both of us in the other. Marie didn’t drink coffee after lunch like I did, so she was getting a hot chocolate instead of café con leche. Grace sent it special, just for her. I was pretty sure that meant there was extra whipped cream on the top.
Thad looked up and smiled at me. “Go right on back Mr. Hamilton. She’s expecting you.”
Damn right she was. Thad had quickly learned exactly who “Mr. Hamilton” was and now treated me accordingly. I felt pretty damn good as I walked down the glass windowed hallway to Marie’s office. I almost had a spring in my step. It was weird but oddly nice. Hell, I even felt like whistling—that’s how excited I was to have a quiet evening alone with my woman. Who knew two days of stress could feel so damn oppressive?
I pushed the glass door to Joan’s office open with my back and she looked up and grinned as I placed a cookie on her desk. “For you Miss Joan. How are you today?”
Joan liked me, I could tell. She always smiled and took care of me when I stopped by. Having the approval of the woman who assisted Marie on a daily basis made me feel like I was doing something right.
“I’m fine. I’ll be better in a minute when Mr. Bancroft leaves.” She whispered the last part.
Edward was still there? Great. My good mood evaporated. “Can I go in?”
“Please. Here, let me get the door for you.”
Marie was leaning on her elbows, with her fingers massaging her forehead. Edward had a laptop open and his blazer draped across the back of the chair he’d had brought in. At least I assumed Edward had brought it in. It wasn’t the normal chair opposite Marie, and that meant Edward had probably been in there for a while, which meant Marie was probably more than ready to get him out of her office.
“Edward. I didn’t expect you. I thought you’d be at the stadium by now.” I walked right around the desk and placed a kiss on the top of Marie’s head before handing her the hot chocolate. “Unfortunately I didn’t bring anything for you.”
“Yes, I should be going. The car is waiting for me downstairs.” He closed his laptop and gathered his things without looking at me. I got the feeling I’d just walked in on something because the air in the room was borderline glacial.
Marie took the lid off her drink and dipped her tongue into the whipped cream that hadn’t melted yet. Sure enough Grace had filled half the cup with the stuff. For about five seconds I fantasized about licking it off of Marie before I caught the glazed look in her eyes.
It was like ice in my veins to see her like that.
I couldn’t be polite to the bastard any longer. “Well, don’t let the door hit you on the way out, Edward.”
Edward stopped and turned toward us. His face was eerily composed but it didn’t match the fire in his eyes. “You are your own man and capable of doing anything you wish with your life, but Marie works for me and she’s my daughter. What she does very much affects me and is my business. I’d remember that if I were you, son.”
Ah, the subtle, not-so-subtle, put down. Edward was hoping I’d give him a show. I knew guys like him all too well. They thrived on the control, but when they lacked it, they were just as happy with a controversy.
Drama fed their ego and their souls.
I was not going to give the asshole what he wanted. I smiled politely, placing my hand comfortingly on Marie’s shoulder. “Enjoy the game, Pops. Go Rays.”
That put the fire right out. The glee he’d had only moments before was gone and now all that remained was cold steel. I had this man’s number. Edward was in trouble if he thought he could play me.
“Enjoy your dinner.”
Neither of us moved or breathed until the door clicked shut. Edward had sucked all the air out of the room right along with him, which I was kind of glad for because it was all bad air.
“What time is their flight tomorrow?” I asked.
“Not soon enough.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Two.”
Definitely not soon enough. I kissed her. I wanted her to forget everything and everyone but me. “Forget about him, baby. It’s just you and me for the rest of the night. All that matters is us.”
I kept on kissing her until her hands finally touched my face and her fingers started running through my hair. Then I knew I finally had a piece of her back.
I turned and leaned against the edge of her desk so I could actually see her face. She was wearing a deep purple pencil skirt and white blouse. A simple sweater hung off the back of her chair. Her hair was arranged in a side sweep of curls off her right shoulder. She looked gorgeous, as always, but her eyes were still pretty blank. I swear it was like the life had been drained out of her.
“What was all that?”
Even when she smiled it was wrong. It was mechanical. “Just a meeting. You know how it can be.” And that was all she offered.
“I actually don’t, baby. You need to tell me.”
That got her attention. She glanced up at me and spent a good long minute putting her thoughts together instead of letting them run her mind. “There’s something wrong with me.”
“Like hell there is.”
She smiled and it almost reached her eyes. “To him. To my mother. There is something wrong with me. I’m not like them and that scares them. They don’t know what to do with me so they keep trying to make me like them. They insult my choices and belittle what I want. They try to impose their desires on top of mine and basically inundate me until I can’t remember what I think anymore. I forget who I am.”
I wanted to strip her naked and kiss every inch of her skin, telling her every single thing about her that was perfect with each kiss. There wouldn’t be enough skin and I’d have to start over again from the beginning.
“The thing is, for a long, long time I really thought I was wrong. That if I could just pretend to be like them, it would work. I’d fit in. Fake it until you make it.”
“What changed?”
“I moved to Tampa. I found home. I found me.”
I loved hearing all of this. “I think I found all that here, too.”
This time her smile was real. “I like the sound of that.”
“It’s still early, do you have more work or should we go for a walk and clear the air?”
She looked down at her desk. “I have about fifteen minutes of work to finish up. And then yeah, a walk would be nice.”
“Cookie.” I placed it in front of her. “Sugar makes everything better.”
“Or at least sweeter.”
I took the chair Edward had just vacated and devoured my afternoon snack while she finished up work. She typed away at her keyboard for a few minutes then called in Joan to go over a few things and hand off some papers. Joan gave her a stack of contracts to approve.
Someone named Chris stopped by to go over something about a press release, all while bouncing a tennis ball. My fingers itched to take the ball away, not only because it was annoying as fuck that he was bouncing it while they were talking, but because that was my thing. I was the guy with the tennis ball. It was like an addiction and having that bright green ball bouncing away in someone else’s hands was torture.
“Tennis player?” I asked when he left.
“Former.” She pressed the button on the side of her monitor and stood up. “I’m ready for that walk now.” She was even sexier standing up. That skirt and blouse did wonderful things to her figure. Things that made my mind go haywire. Maybe instead of a walk we
needed a romp in the sack. Sex had a magical way of making stress and troubles disappear for a little while.
“Or we could swing by the house and get a different kind of exercise in. We don’t get to fuck in your house alone very often…you could be as loud and obnoxious as you want.”
We’d taken to swinging by my condo for some privacy, but we both preferred the comfort of Marie’s bed. It was a thousand times better than mine, plus my condo tended to have this cold, soulless vibe, and while that was good for a lunchtime rendezvous or two, it wasn’t nearly as much fun as fucking Marie on her couch or kitchen counter where I’d have fantastic memories of her body writhing to my touch each and every time I walked by from now on.
Yeah, I wanted to take advantage of the empty house.
“You look like you have some specific ideas in mind.” She smiled.
I pulled her against me and growled in her ear. “I might. Are you up for it?”
She relaxed. Not completely, but enough to let me know there was a chance she’d let the meeting with Edward go if I could distract her for long enough. “Sure. Why not?”
“Not exactly the enthusiastic vote of confidence I was going for, but I’ll take it.”
She smiled and pushed me toward the door. “You have a way of making me change my tune, so who knows.”
Sure enough, it only took my hand between her legs and my tongue on her neck for Marie to suggest we take things into the kitchen. We dropped everything the moment we walked in the door. Briefcases mingled with shoes and clothes. We were naked before we’d even made it over the tile threshold.
She still wasn’t quite herself, but she wasn’t completely walled off to me either. I didn’t push things.
“The kitchen feels so different naked,” I said.
She giggled and pushed me against the counter. “Colder for sure.”
“Thank goodness you keep this thing clear,” I groaned as she slid down to her knees and took my dick into her hand. I absolutely loved the way she always held it in the palm of her hand like she was weighing it.
“The counter or the floor?” she asked looking up.
“Both.”