Mysterious Mountain Man

by Annette Broadrick

  They could start all over. They could be friends...and more. She knew she was making a decision she might regret later, but she couldn’t resist his tempting offer. She withdrew her hand from his with a smile and watched as he reached for his cup.

  “Come home earlier tonight and let me indulge in a few more of my fantasies. We might even try a few of yours, as well.”

  She watched with no small sense of satisfaction as he hurriedly replaced his cup in the saucer before he dropped it. Whatever he might have expected her to say at that point in their conversation, that wasn’t it.

  “Are you serious?” he asked in a gruff voice, his eyes filled with emotion.

  She smiled, unable to speak, but somehow she knew he got his answer.

  Seven

  Jake thought he had found what he’d been looking for in a file that had been retired several months before. The file contained interoffice memos and reports from the engineering department, of which Troy Wrightman was the head. There wasn’t anything concrete, the man was too wily for that, but he’d found the approval for additional expenditures.

  What had been going on back then in his department that would have created this flurry of paperwork to cover his activities? Jake leaned back in his chair and rested his head against the back of the chair and came eye to eye with Rebecca, who was leaning against his closed office door across the room.

  He blinked and looked around him. It was already dark outside. He almost groaned out loud. How late was it? He glanced at his watch. After seven.

  “How long have you been here?”

  She smiled, straightened and sauntered across the room toward him. “It doesn’t matter. I saw that you were engrossed in whatever you were reading, and I didn’t want to disturb you.” She came around the desk. “No, don’t get up. I’ve often thought about what you might do if I were ever bold enough to do this—” She leaned over him, rested her hands on the arms of his chair and kissed him.

  He reached for her, tugging her into his lap and wrapping his arms around her.

  He’d had trouble concentrating on work all day because he was having a colossal argument with himself. Last night should never have happened...last night was the most astounding experience he’d ever had. He would only end up hurting her if he continued what they’d started...she was a grown woman and capable of making up her own mind about what she wanted.

  She’d made it clear she wanted him almost as badly as he wanted her. How could he argue with something so vital as that?

  His heart was thundering in his chest like a herd of wild horses racing by. She felt so good, tasted so good, smelled like a bouquet of flowers. He was starved for her.

  She was draped over his lap, her legs resting across the arm of his chair. She was wearing one of her suits with a slim, short skirt. It felt very natural to slide his hand beneath her skirt and between her thighs, feeling the silky smoothness of her hose and discovering they were held up by a lacy garter belt.

  He nibbled on her lips and nudged them apart, meeting the tip of her tongue with his. He tensed when he realized that his hand had touched her thick curls and that she was warm and ready for him. She wore no panties.

  Jake pulled away from her slightly, only now realizing that she had loosened his tie and unbuttoned his shirt. He slipped his finger into her moistness. “Did you come to work dressed like this?”

  She ran her hand across his hair-roughened chest and made what sounded like a sensuous purr deep in her throat. “Of course not. I only took them off before I came in here.”

  For the first time since he’d looked up and noticed her, he glanced over at the door, wondering who else was still in the building.

  She must have read his thoughts. “I locked the door when I came in.” She lifted her hips against his hand and kissed him again.

  Since he’d spent the day in a half-aroused state, what they were now doing had brought him to full attention.

  “Uh...’Becca?”

  She was touching his nipple with the tip of her tongue, causing him to shiver. “Mmm?”

  “I’m not sure we’re going to make it home before—”

  “I certainly hope not,” she murmured, reaching for his zipper.

  They barely made it to the couch before he had her flat on her back and was inside of her. She was so hot and so tight; her enthusiasm was contagious. He couldn’t hold back, his strokes coming faster and faster as she wrapped her legs around him.

  He felt himself explode when she clamped around him so tightly, her inner contractions draining him until he wasn’t certain he’d ever be able to move again.

  He collapsed beside her, shifting her slightly so that his weight wasn’t completely on her. He lay there, his head resting against her bared breasts and realized that they had managed to discard their jackets and his tie, but otherwise they were still dressed. What clothing remained was thoroughly disarranged, with his pants somewhere around his ankles, her blouse open and her skirt around her waist.

  Both continued to wear their shoes.

  When he regained some air, he began to laugh.

  “What’s so funny?” she managed to ask, still panting from their exertions.

  “If the board of directors could only see their CEO and president now.”

  She continued to massage his back and shoulders in a soothing, relaxing stroke. “It’s always a good thing to see upper management in accord with one another.”

  He attempted to push himself up but discovered the muscles in his arms had turned to mush. “I suppose we need to get up sometime.”

  She sighed contentedly and stretched. “I was thinking about how good the hot tub is going to feel when we get home.”

  “Hot tub?”

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  After another couple of attempts he managed to sit up. She looked boneless lying there beside him, a very satisfied smile on her face.

  “I had lunch with Amanda and Millicent today,” she offered in the way of conversation.

  “Did you?” he replied, wondering where this was leading.

  “Mmm-hmm. They told me to be sure to give you their fondest regards. They asked when I intended to bring you around to the club.”

  He cupped one of her breasts, stroking the peak until it became rigid. “And what did you say?”

  She grinned. “That I wasn’t ready to share you just yet.”

  “So you wanted them to think that—”

  “Absolutely. They’ve been patronizing me for years because I spent most of my time concentrating on my profession rather than my social life. Somehow I believe I owe them a debt of gratitude for the behavior you exhibited that night at the charity ball.”

  “Well, I did happen to hear bits and pieces of some of their conversation earlier....”

  “And decided to show them that they didn’t know what they were talking about?”

  He leaned down and tugged her hardened peak into his mouth for a few satisfying moments before he admitted, “Something like that.”

  “Then I owe them my eternal thanks,” she said with a sigh, running her fingers through his hair.

  Now that the first urgency was gone, Jake knew they should straighten their clothing and go home. But he was finding that he was enjoying the isolation of being high over Seattle and its sparkling lights in the privacy of his office, with only the desk lamp for illumination.

  Rebecca appeared content as he continued to smooth his hands along the exposed portions of her body. When she reached for him, stroking him into instant hardness, he discarded the notion of returning home immediately.

  Instead he slipped off his shoes, removed his pants and returned his attention exclusively to her.

  She was ready for him, her arms sliding around his shoulders as he eased himself back into her warm and waiting depths.

  “You’re fulfilling another of my fantasies, you know,” she whispered into his ear, “making love to me at the office.”

  He smiled. “Mine, too.”

&n
bsp; The rest of their communication was without words.

  * * *

  When they finally reached home, their dinner was carefully put away in the refrigerator for them.

  “I wonder if the cook gets tired of preparing meals that no one is here to eat,” he asked, sitting across the small kitchen table from her, enjoying the contents of the full plate in front of him.

  “I asked her that once, several years ago. She said the satisfaction came in knowing that she was preparing tasty, nutritious food. Both Dad and I have always been appreciative of her efforts and often told her so. That seemed to be enough.”

  “It’s been lonely for you, living here since Brock died, hasn’t it?”

  She glanced around the kitchen. “I’ve generally kept myself too busy to allow myself to think about it. Of course now that you’ve been here I’ve had some time to do other things.” She paused and looked at him for a moment before adding, “Would you like to see what I do in my spare time?”

  She wore an expression on her face he’d never seen before and it made him very curious. “Of course, if you want to show me.”

  “I’ve never told another person, not even my parents. But in the spirit of our new friendship, I believe I’d like you to know.”

  “You’ve never told anyone?”

  “That’s right.”

  “And you want to tell me?” He found the thought unnerving. No one had ever trusted him with a secret in his entire life.

  She smiled. “Yes, I’m rather surprised myself.”

  As soon as they finished eating, she rinsed their dishes and placed them in the dishwasher. Taking his hand, she led him up the stairs and down the wing to her room.

  He’d never seen this part of the house and when he walked into her room, he wondered how she could leave it each day. Although feminine enough, it was the comfort that drew him. There were walls of bookshelves that were crammed with books, a large reclining chair was waiting for her to curl up in for reading, and the soft colors of the room were soothing and relaxing.

  “This way.” She led him through the bedroom and into a smaller area with lots of floor space and very little furniture. She walked over to a large wall storage unit and unlocked the door. He realized she was pulling out painted canvases and began to smile.

  “You paint?”

  “Uh-huh.” She began to arrange the canvases around the room, facing him. When he saw the subject matter he was drawn to study them up close. She had created an entire underwater world. Soft greens, teals, blues, pinks and rose revealed mermaids and castles, dolphins and sea horses, gleaming crystals, octopuses with wreaths of flowers circling their crowns, schools of brilliantly colored fish.

  What an imagination. He glanced at the woman watching him with a tiny smile on her lips. “You did all of these?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you’ve never shown them to anyone?”

  “No. They were my fantasies. There was no reason to share them. Until now.”

  Once again he had to adjust his perspective of who Rebecca Adams was. He couldn’t quite do it. He’d seen her calm, businesslike approach to company situations, he’d seen her handle herself well in social situations, but where had this whimsical person been hiding all of this time?

  “I feel honored that you are willing to share these with me.”

  “That’s what friendship is all about, to me.”

  He turned to her and folded her in his arms. “Thank you for sharing.”

  She hugged him back. “Thank you for being my friend.”

  Even though he hadn’t meant anything sexual with his hug, holding her pressed against him this way had its usual effect on him.

  Without saying anything she stepped back from him, took him by the hand and led him back to her bed.

  * * *

  It was still dark when he awakened, realizing he wasn’t alone. Then he remembered. He’d fallen asleep in Rebecca’s bed. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept with someone. He wasn’t certain he ever had.

  She was sound asleep, her face buried in the pillow, her silky hair flowing over her shoulders. The sheet rested around her waist, revealing the gentle curve of her back.

  Jake’s heart began to race as fear suddenly took over. For the past several hours he’d lived in the moment, enjoying each new experience without questioning. As ‘Becca had once pointed out, he’d forgotten to be the businessman, analyzing everything.

  Now, during the small hours of the morning he had to look at what was happening. She spoke of friendship, but wouldn’t she want more, expect more? He knew her too well to think she had made the decision lightly to make love with him. He must mean something to her.

  The thought scared the hell out of him. He was already too vulnerable where this lady was concerned.

  Quietly, so as not to awaken her, Jake eased out of bed and pulled on his pants. After gathering the rest of his clothes together, he slipped out of the room and returned to the other wing and his waiting bed.

  His life seemed to be slipping out of his control, especially where his feelings were concerned. He was way over his head in an area he’d always determined he would never explore.

  It was time to make some plans for damage control.

  * * *

  Rebecca rolled over onto her back with a sigh and a need to stretch. She felt wonderful, although there was a slight ache where—

  She opened her eyes, suddenly remembering why she was experiencing some unaccustomed aches. Jake! She glanced around the room. She was alone. None of his clothes were there.

  Looking at the clock, she understood why. It was after seven, past time to be getting ready for work. If she hurried perhaps they could breakfast together, maybe ride to the office together.

  With a sensuous smile on her face, she headed to the bathroom for her morning shower, already considering what fantasy she would like to act out next.

  When she reached the breakfast room later, she was disappointed to find it empty. “Good morning, Charles,” she said, when he brought her morning coffee and toast. “Has Jake already gone?”

  “Yes. At his usual time, I believe.”

  She nodded and took an active interest in the morning paper in order to disguise her disappointment.

  Once at the office she had several things to deal with that were waiting on her arrival. It was after eleven before she had an opportunity to ring Jake’s office.

  “Is Jake in?” she asked Teresa, his secretary.

  “He’s in conference with Mr. Wrightman. He asked that I hold all of his calls. However, if you—”

  “No, no. It’s nothing important. Do you know if he has plans for lunch?”

  “He didn’t say. He generally skips lunch unless I bring something in to him.”

  “Ah, well. Ask him to give me a call when he’s available, will you?”

  “Certainly.”

  Rebecca forced herself to concentrate on what needed to be done for the rest of the day.

  * * *

  Jake had been waiting for Wrightman’s call and wasn’t surprised when the man called and requested a meeting. Jake was leaning back in his chair, his hands clasped across his middle, when Wrightman arrived.

  Troy Wrightman had always reminded Jake of a human-sized praying mantis: tall, thin and a little stoop-shouldered. At the meetings of the department heads he projected an abstracted air, as though running formulas in his head, and rarely speaking.

  This morning he looked a little more distracted than usual, but certainly within the realms of normalcy. He didn’t suspect a thing.

  Jake nodded to one of the chairs. “Have a seat, Troy. How can I help you?”

  “I know you explained when you first got here that you would be making changes in the policies and procedures of the company....” He paused, smoothing the sparse hair on top of his head.

  Jake waited for him to continue.

  “I, uh, understand the concerns you have, and I’m not questioning the necessity of
some of the changes.” He seemed to run out of steam.

  “Glad to hear you’re behind me, Troy. You must know how much it benefits a company to have everyone working toward the common good.”

  “Yes, but— What I mean is— The plant foreman contacted me this morning, explaining that one of our department’s designs has been tabled, despite the approval of our customer and the green light from the board.” He adjusted his glasses by pushing them up on the bridge of his nose with his forefinger. “He said the order came through last Friday. I was wondering why nobody bothered to tell me, since I’m in charge of development and testing.”

  Jake continued to lean back in his chair, watching the other man. Instead of answering the question, he asked one of his own. “How long have you been with CPI, Troy?”

  Wrightman removed his glasses, shook out a neatly folded white handkerchief and carefully cleaned them. “Fifteen years.”

  “How long have you been the head of the Engineering Department?”

  “Five years next month.”

  “Do you recall what happened the last time we rushed a newly developed piece of equipment into production?”

  Wrightman blinked myopically at him before replacing the glasses. “I’m afraid I don’t follow you.”

  “When did you first decide to deliberately create defects in our new equipment, do you recall?” he asked in a quiet voice.

  Wrightman stiffened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “No. I’m sure you don’t. You’ve really been very clever, playing on the fact that both Brock and the government would want to push all the time restraints in order to get our product out there working.” He got up from his chair and said, “Let me walk you back to your office, Troy.”

  Obviously bewildered, Wrightman stood and followed Jake as he walked out of the office and down the hallway. Jake stepped aside and ushered Wrightman in ahead of him.

  Two men were already in the office. One of them was emptying out the drawers into a large box.

  Wrightman started toward the desk. “What do you think you’re doing in here?” He glanced around at the other man, then at Jake. “Where’s Security? Nobody’s allowed to come in just like—”