Falling for the Seal

by Mia Ford

  “Good morning Olivia,” Neil says indifferently. I think that he’s nervous about my appearance.

  “I read your letter, Neil.”

  “What letter?” Isaac asks, “I didn’t know that you knew where she lived?” His question is directed at Neil who shakes his head, “I don’t. I just left it with Autumn.”

  “Ah,” Isaac says as the penny drops.

  I shut the door and say, “I was thinking that if you’re not busy we could go to breakfast?” I ask Isaac and then Neil says, “He only has one appointment at eleven. He has time for that.”

  I’m about to ask Neil, but I’m really hurt by what he did. I need time before I can forgive him with open arms.

  “In that case I’m free,” Isaac nods his head.

  “Cool, because I know this great little bakery. They have all types of croissants and cookies.”

  “Sounds like my kind of place,” he says as he comes closer towards me. I want to back away, but between his moody scent and his black suit, which always melts me I find it hard. I just know that I’m not about to give in. Not in a hurry.

  “Well, if you’re taking me out to breakfast then you better be paying. You see if I have this assistant who comes into the office whenever she feels like it, and she demanded that I pay her to double the going rate.”

  “Maybe you should sack her.”

  He presses his lips against mine, “Maybe I will. But for now, you’re taking me out for breakfast.”

  Then I take his hand and lead him out of his office. As we stop at the desk, which is supposed to be mine. Neil’s sitting there, and I smile at him, “Maybe next week if you’re free then you can join us.”

  He nods his head, “That’ll be fun.”

  Isaac says, “But she’s still paying.”

  Then I loop my arm around his, and as we enter the elevator it’s empty, and I know as much as I’m trying hard to get. It’s not going to work with Isaac. Especially when I feel as if I’m kidding myself. We’ve had our time apart, but I want a relationship that’s built on trust. He’s going to have to earn it. Whether he likes it or not.

  Three months later…

  Epilogue

  Olivia

  The touch of Isaac’s warm skin awakens me. I feel the afterglow of last night. Isaac’s damn hot in bed. I lie looking at the rays of morning sunlight shining through the curtains at a spot on the floor, thinking that I could stay in bed all day. Of course, I know that isn’t going to happen. Isaac has marketing people to meet. We have to return to Houston. I don’t want to, because I would love to spend the whole day in bed. The way that we’ve been accustomed to doing on the odd weekend.

  Isaac raises his head and glances at me.

  “How long have you been awake? I thought you were still sleeping.”

  “Not long, but I could stay in bed all day the way I am feeling. I thought that you were sleeping too.”

  “Olivia, I need to go in later. But after we can spend time together.”

  “I know I just feel lazy.”

  “You can’t be lazy. You own the ranch, and there’ll be no rest for you. I’ll tell Dan to give you all the dirty jobs.”

  “Ha, I’m his boss now, not you?” I move on top of Isaac, because he’s trying to wind me up and it’s not working. Maybe I’ll tempt him into staying in bed.

  “You’re in a great mood this morning. Well, I have a lot to be thankful for, don’t you agree. Neil signed over the ranch, but he didn’t have to do that. I never asked him to.”

  “Neither did I. But he wanted to leave. He hated staying here alone and he thought that three’s a crowd.”

  I shrug, “Not really, you spend just as much time in the office as you do here. So, I could do with the company.”

  He laughs, “Not when you have Autumn.”

  I ignore his comment and ask, “Are you not fixing breakfast before you go?

  “Maybe?”

  I move off him and say, “Well I’ll like some scrambled eggs and toast please?” I kiss him on the cheek and head into the shower.

  I missed the ranch when I moved out, that must be the most heartbreaking part of living in the city. The crazy part was when I was here, I used to dream about leaving. I used to think about living in the city. When I had the opportunity to do it. I hated it. Despised it with a passion.

  As soon as I finish in the shower. I hear Isaac in the kitchen and decide to pop to the barn to see Autumn. I walk across the lawn toward the barn. I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that Neil gave me the ranch and moved out. Having lived with him here for years, I know how much he loves the ranch.

  I know I shouldn’t forgive Neil, but I can’t hold a grudge against him. I care for him too much. I take in a deep breathe as I enter the barn and let the smell of horses and hay percolate throughout my body. I know that if I had been forced to stay away from the ranch, a part of my soul would have withered, so much had I became a part of the ranch.

  Autumn has her head out the stall looking for me as I approach. It’s funny how she always seems to know when I’m approaching her stall. “I missed you,” I tell her as I hug her neck. She nudges my pocket to see if I have brought her an apple. “No, I didn’t bring anything for you. Just me. I wish I could take time and give you a good brushing, but Isaac has to get back to the office.” I talk to her as though she’s a person. Well, to me maybe she is. When Neil and I lived on the ranch I used to spend so much time coming here and talking to her, especially whenever I felt lonely.

  My phone’s vibrating in my back pocket I pick it up as I kiss Autumn on the forehead. “I’ve got to run,” I say as I walk away. I know that only one person would be calling me on my cell right now and that’s Isaac. Most likely to tell me that breakfast is ready.

  As soon as I enter the kitchen I can smell toast and eggs. I glance at Isaac thinking that he’s really learning to cook and not feel the need to always go out to eat,“See that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

  “You’re just lucky I didn’t burn the toast. Did you look in on Buckskin?”

  “No, I thought that you would do that before, you go to the office. His head’s outside the stall looking for you. When’s the last time you rode him?”

  “Too long. After I get things settled in the office I want to do some riding.”

  We both sit down to eat and both of us are avoiding looking at the chair. The one chair that Neil always sits in whenever he eats at the table is empty and it pulls a chord in my heart. Maybe I should just tell him that I don’t want this place?

  Isaac eats so fast as if his life depends on it. I know that there’s no room for a conversation, let alone a discussion about Neil.

  “Need to go,” he says as he pops the last bit of toast in his mouth.

  I nod my head and then I walk behind him as he rushes to his car and then his car pulls out of the driveway, I found myself already missing the ranch. I really didn’t want to return to Houston, but it was necessary. I wish I had a crystal ball and could tell what was going to become of Isaac and I.

  When I first started working for the company I grew to enjoy the challenge of working for Isaac. You’d think that when his employees found out I was the boss’s girlfriend, they would cut me some slack. They were different from people around me. They didn’t care and no one battered an eyelash about our relationship in and out of the office.

  The time I'd spent in the office was fun while it lasted. I proved to myself that I'm capable of doing more than just running a stable. It felt good to have issues and not run to Isaac, every time I faced a problem.

  I loved going to lunch with the other secretaries. They would invite me, and we would sit and gossip. Everyone wanted to know what it was like with Isaac.

  “We can't believe that he's found happiness again after..”

  No one wanted to say her name. It was as if there would be a cloud of darkness at the mention of her name.

  “Dede. I know about her, and he's come a long way from it all. He's hea
led, and he's moving on from what happened in his past.”

  “Good,” they would smile, but I wondered if part of them were disappointed that there wasn’t any gossip about our relationship or even more about the boss. Even if our friendships weren’t real, they had treated me better than some of the people in town that I’ve known my whole life.

  I get up and clear the table and then I hear a familiar voice behind me, “I could do that?”

  I turn around and hug him, “Neil, you came back?”

  He nods, “I couldn’t stay away from this place. Do you mind if I stay for a little while?”

  I push him back and say, “You really are stubborn. This is your home. I don’t care what it says on paper. You can stay here as long as you want.”

  He shakes his head, “But I don’t like the way that you look at me, or the fact that you don’t trust me.”

  I agree with him and say, “If you want things to change then you have to change it.”

  He takes out his hand and says, “You got a deal!”

  I hug him one more time and say, “You really are an old fool and I love you. And Isaac does too. He’s going to be thrilled that you’ve come back.”

  He winks, “He his, he’s bringing my things into the house right now.”

  I laugh as I think about the two men in my life. They’re a handful, but I feel proud because before I didn’t have any family. I had no one that really loved me and although Neil had hurt me and done things the wrong way. I knew that he loved me. He’d showed me when he handed me his home, took up a meaningless job and the pity in his eyes right now. I shouldn’t let the old man suffer, because as angry as I was in the past. It’s truly buried, and that’s the only way to move forward with a happy new beginning.

  Book 3: Gloves off

  Payton Sanders had been fighting all of her life to survive one hardship after another. She grew up disheartened by society looking down on her like she was an insignificant insect on the bottom of their shoes. She fought against the gender card, learning to exceed expectations and make people look at her as a force to be reckoned with. Joining the Marines was a daunting task and she served two tours overseas protecting the country. She suffers images of the dead reaching out from the grave to haunt her. She can’t keep a job without raising a hand to her superiors. She doesn’t believe that anybody is her superior. She fights to rid herself of those demons. Knight Williams is a man with a problem. Using his influence and power, he offers Payton a job on his personal security force. They will work hand to hand which will lead to moments of heated release meant to give voice to their passion. What happens when a matter of convenience turns into something more? Will this distraction prevent Payton from doing her job?

  Chapter one

  He was screaming in my face and belittling me in front of others without taking the precaution of bringing me back to his office. I had no doubt of stepping over the line, but the way that he was going about chastising me was wrong on so many levels. There were little bits of spittle flying from his mouth. They were hitting me in the face which only infuriated me more.

  “I don’t know who you think you are, but I’m the boss around here. What I say goes and you just cost me a contract worth millions. You couldn’t keep your mouth shut thinking naively the truth was going to set you free. You are a disgrace and I don’t care if you are only here on a temporary assignment. The world is not black and white. The sooner that you learn there are different shades of gray is when you will finally understand how the world works.” He was a harsh taskmaster, but I couldn’t in good conscience allow him to pull the wool over anyone’s eyes.

  I didn’t even have to look and the others in the office had taken an interest in his form of management. I stood there at attention feeling like I was back in the Marines, but this time there was nothing stopping me from taking action. Mr. Milton believed himself to be my superior, but he couldn’t have been further from the truth.

  “I only hired you because of your pretty face and body. I had to have somebody on the front lines. Walking in and parading what god gave you made you the perfect candidate. Had I known that your idealism was going to stand in my way of business, I wouldn’t have even given you a second thought.” He really was hot under the collar. Even during his tirade, he still couldn’t stop staring at my bosom. I was quite endowed, but that was not something I was proud of. I did learn quickly that using my sexuality could be to my advantage. Smiling and putting on the air of someone that was only after one thing made me a sought after commodity by the temp agency.

  Nobody was coming to my rescue and I probably would’ve stood there and taken the abuse, but then he pushed things too far. Putting his finger on my chest brought about the training I had received. He was breathing in my face one second and then looking up at me with his arm dislocated from his shoulder.

  “You fucking bitch…you fucking broke my arm.” If I had broken his arm, he would’ve been screaming a whole lot louder. “I’m going to sue you for everything you have.” That was always the way with America. I had bounced from country to country and this was the only one that settled things by taking things to court.

  My blonde hair was cut short to stay out of my eyes. I didn’t look like much of a threat being only 5’4, 120 pounds, but I had a big bite for a small dog.

  “I don’t have a fixed address, I barely make enough to feed myself and you expect to get blood from a stone. These people are here because they have no choice. You are despicable and the lowest form of humanity. I have seen my fair share of those abusing power, but you take it to a whole different level. I would suggest you change your ways, but I doubt you have it in yourself to make that dramatic of a change.” I felt vindicated, but I knew the job was now out of my grasp. It only lasted a couple of months, but it was longer than any other time.

  “I will not allow you to do this to me. I will make you…PAYYYYYYY.” I made him scream a little louder which brought about snickers of approval from those witnessing this display. It was only when he passed out when I finally let him go. I leaned down and slapped him across the face hard enough to leave a mark. I wanted to have the last word and to leave a lasting impression in my wake.

  There was a chorus of applause, but I didn’t do this for them. I grabbed my brown suede jacket, zipped it up halfway and then took the elevator down to the main lobby where security was waiting to escort me out of the building. I gave them a stern expression and it backed them down from putting their hands on me.

  “I don’t know what you did, but I’m sure he had it coming to him.” Jeannie Mackenzie was a testament to woman power. She had a high profile position within the security force. They protected him from crazies like me. “I hope this doesn’t mean you and I can’t remain friends. You have gotten me a lot of play with some young cubs.” I had seen her use her feminine charms to lure young unsuspecting men into her web.

  “We have a standing arrangement and I’m not going to walk away from that. I’ll be there tomorrow night like clock work. I would suggest you wear something slutty, but your closet has never been for the faint of heart.” I’d seen her flaunt her wares with a body rivaling my own. I was driven by a regiment every morning to keep me in tip-top efficiency.

  “You always know just what to say.” She gave me a wink of encouragement, but that wasn’t going to put food on my table or give me a place to sleep. “You know my couch is yours whenever you want it.” I was tempted to take her up on the offer, but I was never about charity. I fought for everything I had in my life and I wasn’t going to stop now. “I know what you’re going to say and I respect your need for independence. I’ll see you tomorrow night and I hope you are prepared to play.” Manipulation was just one of the tools I had learned in the Marines. There was a time for diplomacy, but there was also time to take action which Mr. Milton had just found out firsthand.

  I saw my reflection in the glass of the door leading to the sidewalk. I didn’t look hard as nails not when I was wearing somethi
ng more appropriate to get the bosses attention. A low cut red blouse with no bra and a black leather skirt barely covering my ass was my disguise.

  It didn’t even bother me the way men looked at me like I was a potential conquest. Women didn’t dress like this without wanting some attention. It made me feel empowered. It wasn’t like they stood a snowball’s chance in hell of getting into my pants. Only a select few could say they had accomplished that feat. It was refreshing when somebody just said what was on their mind. Those that took the initiative got more respect from me than some lame come on.

  I was going to have to change for my second job. It didn’t look like I was going to be able to take the night off. This job in the office had afforded me the opportunity to prevent certain injury to other parties. They would not be very happy to see me tonight, but their comfort was never my concern.

  Working for a living was tedious and I’d always felt like a penned in animal. Leaving here at the end of the day and watching the sheep go about their business was a mind-numbing exercise in futility. I had no siblings, my parents were dead and bouncing from Foster home to Foster home had given me a thick skin. This life was not going to hand me anything without taking it by force if necessary.

  It was so easy to put Mr. Milton in his place and the sound of the sirens from the ambulance approaching was for him. I could easily put my own socket back into place and had done it several times. He was too much of a prissy little bitch. He would need a gentle hand. I couldn’t bear looking at him anymore without wiping the smug look off of his face. He was the one that pushed me too far. Touching me was a cardinal sin. It was a painful lesson for someone to learn.

  I had joined the Marines, but it wasn’t easy to gain acceptance with them thinking of me as a joke. I proved them wrong and saved their lives more times than I could count. They had me to thank for coming home to their loved ones in one piece. I had become a leader, but what I had seen changed me down to my foundation. I walked away after my second tour seeing the faces of those who I had killed haunting me in my dreams. There was really only one to get rid of those demons temporarily.