I Remember

by Julie Cannon

  “Hey.” She swatted Dana’s hand away. “That’s not what I meant. I’ve missed you—in my life. I remember the first time I saw you.”

  “Tell me.”

  “It was on deck, when we left Ft. Lauderdale.”

  “Really? I thought you would have said that at dinner the first night.”

  “No. I remember seeing you standing by yourself and wondering why your girlfriend wasn’t with you on deck. I thought she was a fool for letting a woman as beautiful as you alone at such a romantic and exciting time.”

  Dana leaned up, bracing herself on her elbows. “I had no idea you were such a romantic.”

  “Neither did I until I met you.” She couldn’t believe how true that statement actually was. She didn’t think she was the kind of woman who was moved by time, place, and ambience. Sure, she did all the right things, said all the right words, but those actions came from her head, not her heart. Dana had her heart and she prayed Dana never let go.

  “Do you remember what I said to Jim Bethel when you introduced me?”

  She remembered practically every word Dana said, but Dana didn’t give her a chance to answer.

  “I said, ‘When I’m through with Emery, you’ll be the first one I call.’”

  She chuckled. “God, yes, it was perfect. He had no idea what you were talking about.”

  Dana sat up and moved on top of her. This was her favorite position—Dana above her, where she could watch her completely. Dana started to move against her, and her pulse began to pound again.

  “Well, he’s in for a very long wait because I’ll never be through with you.”

  “God, I hope not,” she managed to say just before Dana’s mouth closed over hers.

  This time, as they caught their breath, she slid her hands over Dana’s muscular arms. “Did you swim when you were a little girl?” She had an image of what Dana might have looked like as a child—and what their child might look like.

  “I was on the swim team every summer through high school.”

  “Why the chuckle?” she asked.

  “When I was seventeen a new girl, Shannon Bell, joined the team. She spent the rest of the summer trying to get me out of the pool and out of my suit.”

  It was her turn to laugh. “Did she succeed?”

  “Did she ever. If I’d known what it was like to be with a woman I’d have said yes even before she asked.”

  “Your first time?” she asked, realizing this was their first personal pillow talk.

  “And my second and fourth and fiftieth,” Dana said, amused. “We were together all summer.”

  “Taught you everything you know, did she?”

  “Nope, but enough to get started. It ended when I had to go to college.”

  For the second time in as many hours Dana slid on top of her, their legs intertwining as if they were made that way. “She taught me this.” Dana lightly nipped at her breast. “And this.” She licked the nipple with the flat of her tongue. “And this,” she added as she slid her finger into Emery’s hot core.

  “Remind me to thank her,” she said, quickly losing track of who they were even talking about.

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  “Hello, Emery? Where are you?”

  Adam’s voice pulled her out of her daydreams about night things. To be precise, exactly thirty-two nights of things she and Dana shared.

  “Don’t give me that ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about’ look. You forget that I know everything about you.”

  Not everything, she thought. “Just taking a trip down memory lane.”

  “Well, by the look on your face it’s X-rated.”

  She laughed. “Well, then, Dr. Freud, since you know so much about coitus interruptus, what do you want?”

  “Sharon Plenner is here.”

  “Show her in.”

  “Do you want me to buzz you?” When Adam had first come to work for her they’d devised a code that he would buzz Emery as an escape route if she thought she might need it.

  “No, she won’t be here that long.”

  She straightened her suit jacket as Sharon entered her office. “Thanks for coming, Sharon,” she said, not giving any indication she was welcome to sit. Sharon did anyway.

  “I don’t take it kindly to being summoned. You work for the board, remember?” She didn’t say but was probably thinking, “and therefore you work for me.”

  “Well, I don’t take kindly to you trying to turn my staff against me.” Sharon started to say something but she cut her off. “Don’t bother to deny it. I know all about it and everyone you’ve approached.” She stood, walked around her desk, and sat on the edge. “You’ve never liked me, and frankly I don’t care. The board didn’t hire me to be your friend. This is a business, not a social club.”

  “You can’t talk to me like that.”

  “Yes, Sharon, I can, and I’m not finished. You’re a poor excuse for a board member of the largest, most successful independent engineering firm in the world. You should be touting Martin to everyone in the industry, even suggesting that our success was due to your leadership on the board. You could advance yourself and Martin light years ahead of our nearest competitor.

  “But you’ve been too busy with your personal agenda against me. In case you haven’t read up on it, being a lesbian isn’t something you can catch. It’s who you are or who you are not. Who someone chooses to love has nothing to do with how well they do their job, and who I choose to love has nothing to do with how well I do mine.” She hesitated, allowing time for her words to sink in. “Wait, I take that back. Maybe it does. Wasn’t it a group of male heterosexuals that drove this company into the ground?

  “Now if you’ll excuse me,” she said, walking across her office and opening the door. “I have a business to run.”

  When Sharon stood and turned around, whatever she had planned to say died on her lips as she came face to face with Marcus Flowers, chairman of the board of Martin Engineering.

  “How’d it go?” Dana asked several hours later when Emery entered her office.

  “Just as I expected. People like Sharon are all the same. Full of threats and intimation and hot air, but when you hold their feet to the fire they tumble like a house of cards.”

  “How are you?” Dana asked in a tone that made Emery’s knees weak.

  She sat down in the chair across from her. “Wanting you again.”

  When they were on the ship they were insatiable for each other. But that was pure lust. This was very different. This was the all-consuming, head-over-heels, overwhelming need to be with the one you love.

  “I could close my door,” Dana replied.

  She stood and walked toward the door before she did something stupid. “Yes, you could and you wouldn’t get any argument out of me. But I don’t think that’s a good idea. Besides, I have a meeting in fifteen minutes.”

  “It wouldn’t take more than five,” Dana said suggestively.

  She laughed, her pulse pounding between her legs. “That, Ms. Worthington, I have absolutely no doubt of. I’ll hold you to it later.”

  Dana was still smiling when the phone rang an hour later.

  “Hey, Dana, it’s Elliott.”

  “Elliott, hi,” she said, surprised. Elliott had only called her at her office a handful of times, all of them centering on something to do with Lauren.

  “Have you got a minute?”

  “Sure, what’s up?”

  “I have a business proposition for you.’

  “Okay…”

  “Foster McKenzie is buying a company that is in desperate need of a new CEO. I think you’d be perfect for the job.”

  “Excuse me,” Dana said, not quite sure she’d heard Elliott correctly.

  “Look, I know you haven’t been at Martin very long. If you’re tied to them by contract or something I can wait. I really do think you’d be perfect for this job.”

  “Elliott, I’m stunned. I don’t know what to say.” Stunned was hardly t
he word. Shell-shocked, afraid, thrilled, excited also came to mind.

  “I know I caught you off guard. I’m not expecting you to give me an answer right now. Think about it. Why don’t you come over this weekend and we’ll talk about it some more. I know Lauren would love to see you, and Grace is growing so fast you’d hardly recognize her. Please, Dana, I’m just asking you to think about it.”

  She hung up the receiver and noticed her hands shaking. What had just happened? Had Elliott called and offered her the chance to run her own company? And what a wonderful opportunity, under the guidance of a CEO of Elliott’s caliber. Like Emery, Elliott had saved Foster McKenzie from certain failure. She could learn so much from Elliott. God, she could learn so much from Emery and Elliott. She’d worked under several exceptional leaders and had toiled under several crappy ones. She had seen the bad and learned from the good. She realized she was ready to take that experience and put it into practice.

  Suddenly it dawned on her that this would be the solution to the situation that she and Emery now found themselves. They couldn’t go on being as involved as they were, as much in love as they were without someone finding out. They had talked about it long into the night last night, between passionate kisses and quivering desire. They’d decided not to make any rash decisions. Neither of them was willing to give up her position or ask the other to do the same. So they decided not to do anything, at least for now.

  The press release with the news that Martin was no longer on the watch list had been released this morning, and Martin’s stock had soared. Martin was on the right track, back as the premier engineering-design company. They both knew what needed to be done to mitigate any chance of Martin falling under the shadows again.

  This would work, she thought again. But she didn’t know where this company was. It could be based in Switzerland and she would have to move. It could be based in California and she could commute. She was grasping at straws and lifted the phone again.

  After talking to Lauren and confirming a time to visit the coming weekend, she walked down the hall to Emery’s office and peered through the doorway. Emery was on the phone, but she motioned her in before she had a chance to step back.

  As Emery finished her call, Dana closed the door and looked around the office. She’d been in this office dozens of times, had looked at the plaques honoring Emery and her service to the industry, to the community. She was always envious, always proud, and never jealous of Emery’s success. The phone call from Elliott had opened a door and she was ready.

  “Hey, there,” Emery said after hanging up the phone, her tone warm.

  “Hey there yourself.” She sat down in her favorite chair in front of the desk.

  There must have been an unusual look on her face because Emery asked cautiously, “What’s up?”

  She noted the subtle signs of stress around Emery’s eyes as she spoke. “Um…I got an interesting phone call from a friend of mine a little while ago.”

  Emery didn’t say anything, just sat quietly waiting for her to continue.

  “Um, remember I told you about Lauren, my best friend?”

  “The one who had the baby a few months ago?”

  “Yea, uh…her partner is Elliott Foster.” She waited for Emery to recognize the name.

  “Yeah.” Dana nodded. “That Elliott Foster.”

  “Wow, if I knew you hung out in such celebrity company I’d have invited myself over for dinner.”

  She detected that Emery was nervous. “Yeah, um, Elliott called and she um…Foster McKenzie is acquiring a company and she asked me if I’d consider being the CEO.” She watched Emery’s expression change from shock to fear to pride.

  “Dana, that’s wonderful,” Emery said, and Dana knew she meant it.

  “Thanks, but I haven’t given her an answer. Actually I don’t know much more than that. She invited me over this weekend to talk about it some more and of course to see the baby.”

  Emery pursed her lips and nodded. “I don’t know what to say.”

  She quickly stood, walked around the desk, and turned Emery’s chair until they faced each other. She had her hands on the plush leather arms, bringing their faces inches apart.

  “I don’t know what this is, Emery. I don’t know anything about it. I don’t know where the company is or what they do. But I love you, and I won’t do anything to jeopardize what we have together.”

  “Dana, I think you should—”

  “No,” she replied strongly. “I don’t want to hear what you think I should do. I’ll say it one more time and as many times as I have to until you believe me. I love you, Emery Barrett, and I will not do anything to jeopardize what we have with each other. I plan to spend the rest of my life with you. I plan to grow old with you. I plan to have children with you, and I refuse to do anything to put that at risk. So I suggest you take a deep breath, relax, and kiss me, because I have to go back to work.”

  “Strong, decisive, clear, articulate, passionate, visionary.” Emery ticked off the attributes on her fingers. “Spoken like a true CEO,” Emery said, just before she kissed her.

  The End

  About the Author

  Julie Cannon divides her time by being a corporate suit, a partner, mom, sister, friend, and writer. Julie and Laura, her partner of twenty-one years, have lived in at least a half a dozen states, and have an unending supply of dedicated friends. And of course the most important people in their lives are their thirteen-year-old son and twelve-year-old daughter.

  Julie has nine books published by Bold Strokes Books. Her first novel, Come and Get Me, was a finalist for the Golden Crown Literary Society’s Best Lesbian Romance and Debut Author Awards. In 2012, her ninth novel, Rescue Me, was a finalist as Best Lesbian Romance from the prestigious Lambda Literary Society. Julie has also published five short stories in Bold Strokes anthologies.

  Acclaim for Julie Cannon’s Fiction

  Breaker’s Passion is…“an exceptionally hot romance in an exceptionally romantic setting. …Cannon has become known for her well-drawn characters and well-written love scenes.”—Just About Write

  In Power Play…“Cannon gives her readers a high stakes game full of passion, humor, and incredible sex.”—Just About Write

  About Heartland…“There’s nothing coy about the passion of these unalike dykes—it ignites at first encounter and never abates. …Cannon’s well-constructed novel conveys more complexity of character and less overwrought melodrama than most stories in the crowded genre of lesbian-love-against-all-odds—a definite plus.”—Richard Labonté, Book Marks

  “Cannon has given her readers a novel rich in plot and rich in character development. Her vivid scenes touch our imaginations as her hot sex scenes touch us in many other areas. Uncharted Passage is a great read.”—Just About Write

  About Just Business…“Julie Cannon’s novels just keep getting better and better! This is a delightful tale that completely engages the reader. It’s a must read romance!”—Just About Write

  Books Available from Bold Strokes Books

  Desolation Point by Cari Hunter. When a storm strands Sarah Kent in the North Cascades, Alex Pascal is determined to find her. Neither imagines the dangers they will face when a ruthless criminal begins to hunt them down. (978-1-60282-865-0)

  I Remember by Julie Cannon. What happens when you can never forget the first kiss, the first touch, the first taste of lips on skin? What happens when you know you will remember every single detail of a mysterious woman? (978-1-60282-866-7)

  The Gemini Deception by Kim Baldwin and Xenia Alexiou. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but lies. Book six in the Elite Operatives series. (978-1-60282-867-4)

  Scarlet Revenge by Sheri Lewis Wohl. When faith alone isn’t enough, will the love of one woman be strong enough to save a vampire from damnation? (978-1-60282-868-1)

  Ghost Trio by Lillian Q. Irwin. When Lee Howe hears the voice of her dead lover singing to her, is it a hallucination, a ghost, or something more sinister? (9
78-1-60282-869-8)

  The Princess Affair by Nell Stark. Rhodes Scholar Kerry Donovan arrives at Oxford ready to focus on her studies, but her life and her priorities are thrown into chaos when she catches the eye of Her Royal Highness Princess Sasha. (978-1-60282-858-2)

  The Chase by Jesse J. Thoma. When Isabelle Rochat’s life is threatened, she receives the unwelcome protection and attention of bounty hunter Holt Lasher who vows to keep Isabelle safe at all costs. (978-1-60282-859-9)

  The Lone Hunt by L.L. Raand. In a world where humans and praeterns conspire for the ultimate power, violence is a way of life…and death. A Midnight Hunters novel. (978-1-60282-860-5)

  The Supernatural Detective by Crin Claxton. Tony Carson sees dead people. With a drag queen for a spirit guide and a devastatingly attractive herbalist for a client, she’s about to discover the spirit world can be a very dangerous world indeed. (978-1-60282-861-2)

  Beloved Gomorrah by Justine Saracen. Undersea artists creating their own City on the Plain uncover the truth about Sodom and Gomorrah, whose “one righteous man” is a murderer, rapist, and conspirator in genocide. (978-1-60282-862-9)

  Cut to the Chase by Lisa Girolami. Careful and methodical author Paige Randolph falls for brash and wild Hollywood actress, Avalon Randolph, but can these opposites find a happy middle ground in a town that never lives in the middle? (978-1-60282-783-7)

  More Than Friends by Erin Dutton. Evelyn Fisher thinks she has the perfect role model for a long-term relationship, until her best friends, Kendall and Melanie, split up and all three women must reevaluate their lives and their relationships. (978-1-60282-784-4)

  Every Second Counts by D. Jackson Leigh. Every second counts in Bridgette LeRoy’s desperate mission to protect her heart and stop Marc Ryder’s suicidal return to riding rodeo bulls. (978-1-60282-785-1)