by E. Ayers
And marriage doesn’t mean much to some men either. She started to push away from him.
“No, Chloe, hear me out.” His hands slipped down to her shoulders. “I’m not the teenager you once knew, just as you are no longer that same person. Yes, we know each other probably better than most couples and we understand our career paths. That gives us an edge. There’s also something else between us called chemistry – there is no other explanation for it and it’s very powerful.”
She nodded.
“I’m willing to give us a chance. I’ll take you away for two weeks. It’ll take me at least a week to clear my calendar, but then it will be just the two us. Two rules: We stick it out for the entire time no matter what, and no sex and that includes oral.”
She stepped back and returned to her kitchen chair. “Then what?”
“If it works, I’m willing to say I do and get married. If it doesn’t we can come back and pretend we never knew one another.”
She propped her elbow on the table and put her chin into her palm. “Are you proposing?”
He grinned. “Ultimately, that would be the purpose.”
“Why the no sex?”
“Do you doubt that it would be fantastic?”
She didn’t answer because she was too busy trying to think. Every brain cell she had failed to make any connection; therefore she couldn’t complete one single unified thought.
“Sex would cloud our ability to see each other for what we are. We know the sex would be good so there’s nothing to prove. We need to know that we really are compatible.”
She turned and stared at him. He looked better than a man should standing in her kitchen. “What about Dunhurst?”
“I’m going to assume you did the impossible and pulled it together. Let your people do their jobs. We can take our laptops.”
“So you’ll admit that you would have never asked another person to do what I did?” Anger tried to flare but fell apart.
“That’s right, because no one else could have done it. There was no doubt in my mind that you’d pull it off.”
“That’s mixing personal and business.”
“It’s knowing the person well enough to know what they are capable of doing.” He leaned over as if he were going to kiss her.
She dodged him. “Next time cut me a little slack.”
“Is this it?” He turned her laptop so he could see it.
“Yes. Select start.”
He watched the screen while she finished her salad. Muffin climbed into his lap, and curled into a ball. He petted the soft creature, and she purred.
Chloe cleaned up her plate and then stood behind him as he watched the slide presentation. Her fingers massaged his shoulders and eventually slipped through his hair. When the PowerPoint came to an end, he leaned his head back into her tummy.
“You are an amazing woman. How accurate are those figures?”
“I’ve doubled checked what I could, and I believe they are reasonably accurate.”
“I want you to present this Tuesday to the board. You deserve the recognition.”
***
Friday afternoon Chloe had cleared her desk and left a long list of work for her team. She heard Tara’s voice before she actually saw her.
“Hi, ready for the weekend?” Tara asked.
“Not at all. I’m going to be out of the office for two weeks.” She put a few things in her desk drawers and then dropped her keys into her purse.
“Another business trip?” Tara sat on the edge of the desk.
“Mmm, I never realized I’d be traveling this much.”
“No one else does.”
“Maybe it’s just this Dunhurst Project.”
Tara raised her eyebrows. “Rumor has it that Rich Warren will also be out of the office for the next two weeks.”
“We’ll be together.”
“Cozy?”
Chloe sighed. “We knew each other as kids. That has nothing to do with NUAgra.”
“I didn’t say it did. I asked if it were cozy.”
“He’s always been a gentleman, and he’s my boss.” It irritated Chloe that Tara was a wee bit too nosy.
“Glad it’s you and not me. I’m spending this weekend at the pool.”
“Sounds like you’ll be having fun.”
“Oh, I intend on having a good time. There’s a real hunk for a life guard.”
“Tara. You’re married.”
“It keeps me from getting bored.” She wiggled her fingers as she left Chloe’s office.
Chloe rolled her eyes, and slung her laptop case over her shoulder.
Rich’s no sex rule played on her mind as she drove to her place. She hadn’t seen him all day, and she wondered if he had even been in the building. In fact, she hadn’t seen him since Tuesday’s board meeting and had only spoken to him once on the phone after that.
She stopped at the pet store on the way home and picked up extra cans of food and disposable litter boxes for Muffin. The little boxes were expensive, but it was easier than asking her neighbor to scoop and change litter. She just wasn’t expecting to find Rich waiting for her in the parking lot of her apartment.
“You’re late and you weren’t working.”
“I stopped at the pet store.” She opened her trunk.
“Here, let me help you with those.” He took her laptop from her and then her bags filled with disposable litter boxes.
She grabbed the bag filled with cat food.
He followed her into her apartment.
“Thanks.” She smiled at him as he loaded everything onto the kitchen counter. “It’ll take me a few minutes to organize this mess.”
“I’ve got the next two weeks. And you?” He returned her smile.
Just standing next to him was enough to stir up some heat inside of her. “You’ve never said where we’re going.”
“Are you packed?”
“How am I supposed to know what to pack when you won’t tell me where we’re going?” She stacked the cans of cat food on the one countertop and the litter boxes on another.
“Make sure you have a bathing suit, sunscreen, and an open mind.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” She dropped the plastic store bags into the recycle bin.
“Two weeks without negativity. We’re allowed to disagree, but not argue.”
“Really?” She noticed the way he leaned against the counter and crossed his feet looking better than a man should.
“Precisely.”
“And no sex?” She raised her eyebrows at him.
“That’s right.” His eyes seemed to twinkle as a smile curved his lips.
“So tell me. Why I’m going with you?”
“Compatibility.” His smile looked too good to her. His lips begged to be kissed.
“But there’s no sex.”
He let out a small chuckle. “That doesn’t mean we can’t kiss.”
“I can’t believe I’ve agreed to this.” She watched him walk out of her kitchen.
He plopped onto the sofa. Muffin instantly climbed into his lap, stretched out on her back between his legs, hung her head over his knees, and watched Chloe intently from the odd position. Scooping the cat up and cuddling her in his arms as if it were a newborn, he petted the feline’s tummy. “You’ve agreed to it because you want the answer as much as I do.”
“Maybe. But I have plenty of misgivings.” She emptied the contents of the litter box and replaced it with one of the new ones she had bought.
“I have some reservations, but overall I’m looking forward to this time together. Not to mention that I’ve barely taken a break in the last few years.” His attention focused on Muffin who loved the attention he bestowed on her. “We’ll leave in the morning.”
“You still haven’t said where we’re going,” she reminded him.
“It’s a surprise.”
~~~ Eight ~~~
Chloe rolled her eyes and sat next to Rich. “You’re going to be covered in cat ha
ir. And if we aren’t leaving until morning why are you here?”
“I wanted to make sure you hadn’t changed your mind and because I wanted to see you. May I help you with anything?” He put his arm around her shoulder.
“I’m fine. Are we flying?”
“No, we’re going by car. I’m taking you to the beach. It’s not glamorous, but it should be quiet and fun.”
She looked up at him. “Do you want to watch me pack?”
“Not really. I’d rather do this.” He reached around and pulled her to him, kissing her tenderly. Muffin was not overly impressed with being sandwiched so she let out a yowl, flipped out of his arm and off the sofa in one swift move causing both the humans to laugh.
“Go home. I have things I need to do. You can start torturing me tomorrow.”
***
Chloe watched as Rich pulled up to a lovely oceanfront home on stilts that overlooked the Atlantic Ocean. He parked the car in the shaded carport and grabbed their bags. The scent of salt air and the sounds of waves crashing promised a vacation unlike anything she had ever dared to take. They walked into a cool lower room that contained most of the home’s utilities and a small bathroom, and then they went upstairs to a beautiful great room. It was then it struck her that the colors in the rooms were almost the same colors as those in his Texas condo, except that this place was sparsely furnished and lacking antiques. It was modern and looked like a beach house.
“Yours?”
He nodded. “Follow me, I’ll show you our rooms.”
“Rooms? Plural as in separate ones?”
“I figured it would make it easier to abide by the rules.” It was obvious that he was serious.
“What if I don’t want to sleep alone?” She grinned as she followed him up another flight of stairs.
“Sleep or break the rules?” He turned and faced her. His smile sucked her in.
There were four bedrooms, and he put her in the largest one overlooking the ocean. She flopped onto the bed and stared at the large white ceiling fan slowly turning overhead. “Pinch me because I’ve got to be dreaming. In my wildest dreams I would have never imagined two glorious weeks at a fabulous beach house on the oceanfront.”
“I’ll give you thirty minutes to settle in and put your suit on. We’re going swimming.”
It took her less than that to get ready and meet him downstairs. She handed him her sunscreen. “Am I allowed to ask for help with this or is that breaking some sort of rule?”
He shook his head and poured some onto his hand. Slowly he did her shoulders, arms, and back.
“Don’t forget my fanny.”
“And I assume you want your legs done, too?”
“Of course.” She peeked over her shoulder and watched him bite his lower lip as his fingers swept over and slightly beneath the tiny bikini. There was no question in her mind that he knew this was a tease, but she couldn’t help but enjoy his light touch.
When he thought he was done, he handed her back the container.
“Oh no, not yet. You have a lot more skin to cover.” She turned and faced him.
A wide grin spread across his face as he poured a small puddle of lotion on his hands. He started with her face, and then barely touched her lips with a kiss when he finished. With another dollop of lotion, he worked his way down her throat and then across her chest. Her nipples had hardened when he first started, and they weren’t about to relax as he touched the edges of her breasts, but when his fingers slipped under the panty line of her swimsuit she moaned.
“Well, it’s nice to see I’m having some effect because it’s going to take me a few minutes before I dare walk onto a public beach.”
“You’re the one with the stupid rule. Now, it’s your turn.” She took the container from him and covered him with sunscreen. He wasn’t what she would have called hairy, although his chest was covered in a soft silky mat of dark hair that was showing signs of silver. It was his inner thighs that caught her attention with their baby soft skin. Maybe she did linger there too long, but watching the bulge above them was worth the few extra seconds.
“That was rough. You’ll have to excuse me for a minute.”
“Go right ahead, I’ve got two weeks.” She grinned as he left the room. Her own body pulsed with desire. At least the feeling is mutual.
When he returned, he grabbed her pulling her close to him. “Two weeks of that will be pure torture.”
“Your rule.”
He chuckled and let her go. They walked out onto the deck. Below them there was a pristine swimming pool and all the other amenities.
“A pool at the ocean?”
“It’s quite nice at times, but we’re going into the ocean.” He took her hand as they walked down the wooden steps to the sandy beach. “Last one completely wet buys dinner.”
She took off running across the sun-kissed sand and splashed her way into the ocean until she saw a small wave and dove through it. It was then that it dawned on her how icy cold the water felt against her warm skin. She shrieked as she emerged from the frigid water. Her gut clenched into a knot and goose bumps covered her skin.
He stood there laughing at her in water that came up to his knees. “You never noticed that virtually no one is swimming except for a few surfers in wetsuits?”
“I hate you, Dickie Warren.” She tromped through the icy water towards the shoreline.
“Oh, that’s going to cost you big time.” He grabbed her, swept her off her feet, and carried her out where it was deeper. He tossed her into a wave and then followed her.
She wound up about fifteen feet from him and immediately she headed for the beach. Her teeth chattered.
He splashed his way towards her. “You’re the one who had to win at all costs, had to beat me, had to prove some stupid point. Got to stop doing that.”
“You had no intention of making me pay for dinner, did you? You just wanted to see me freeze.”
“Guilty. Now, let’s try that pool. It should be much warmer.”
***
Cell phones and computers kept Rich and Chloe on top of their jobs, but most of their time was spent together on the beach. Chloe loved the way he treated her. The respect he showed her as a woman and as a professional made her confidence soar. Even when he didn’t talk to her because they were both working, he’d often reach over and touch her shoulder. Or he’d plant a tiny kiss on the back of her neck when he’d get up for a cup of coffee. Maybe it was his way of saying that he hadn’t forgotten her. Whatever his reason, she liked it.
He was so easy to be around. She never felt as if she had to talk to fill in the silence, yet they talked about everything. It seemed when she was with him that she was more alive than she had ever been in her life.