Waiting on Summer

by Bella Settarra

  Tears pricked the edges of her eyes as she looked up into his handsome face. She felt embarrassed. She couldn’t talk here; they were surrounded by people she knew. People he knew.

  “I…I’m sorry about last night. I know I got it all wrong. And I’m sorry I wasn’t grateful for what you did to the apartment.” Her voice was not much more than a murmur, but he seemed to understand.

  He shook his head and stroked her arm. “It’s all right. I told you. Forget about it.” He gave her a warm smile and something inside her melted.

  “I am grateful. I didn’t mean to hurt you,” she whispered.

  “I know, sugar. Why don’t we forget about it and enjoy some food, huh? I’m starving. Can’t think how I built up such a big appetite.” He winked at her, and she giggled.

  “Have you decided yet?” Heaven was back with her notepad.

  “I’ll have the shrimp salad and the T-bone, blue, please,” Nathan told her, and Summer was grateful that he had jumped in, giving her a minute to study the menu.

  “Soup and the hunter’s chicken for me, please,” she said with a smile.

  Heaven beamed at her as she took the menus from them. “Some of the girls want to pop over and say hi; is that all right? I think they’re pissed ’cause Master Dominic let me serve you today.”

  Summer smiled over at Nathan, awaiting his approval. He raised his eyebrows, and she nodded.

  “That would be real nice,” he told Heaven.

  Tuesday and April suddenly appeared at the table, and Summer jumped up to hug them. It was hard to believe she had only known the girls for a few days. They had rung her and sent messages with Heaven, and had obviously been worried about her.

  “When are you coming back?” April asked, excitedly.

  Summer automatically looked over to Nathan for the answer.

  “Soon,” he told them.

  “We need you back. This place is boring without you,” Tuesday told them.

  Summer laughed. It was good to feel so wanted.

  “Nice to see you, Summer,” Brad Dexter leaned in as he passed their table. She smiled at the idea of the boss’s son having to be on his best behavior around her.

  A look from Dominic, who stood across the room, told the girls it was time to return to work, and they quickly said their good-byes.

  With new friends, a chance at a new lover, and Colin Cromer and his cronies behind bars, things were finally looking…

  A thought suddenly occurred to her, and she gasped. “Nathan, there’s something you should know—”

  “Appetizers,” Heaven announced with a smile. She placed the food on the table in front of them. “Can I get you anything else?”

  “No, thank you,” Nathan told her after a questioning look to Summer.

  “Enjoy your meal,” Heaven said brightly and left.

  “Before you say anything, there’s something you should know,” Nathan told her, picking up a slice of his brown bread.

  Summer stared up at him, her spoon in her hand.

  “What we did earlier, you know it wasn’t just sex, don’t you?” His voice was hushed, and Summer was glad they had a secluded corner to themselves.

  “What?”

  “I don’t do that all the time, you know,” he told her with a grin. “I just wanted you to know that there was more to it than a quick session over the desk. A lot more.”

  Summer stared at him. He was smiling, but he looked deadly serious.

  “I don’t know if I’m putting this very well,” he continued, looking a little embarrassed. “I just want you to know that I think you’re special.”

  Summer gaped at him as a warm feeling flooded her bones. His hand covered hers, and he smiled.

  “In fact, I think you’re more than special,” he continued, a little awkwardly.

  She held her breath as she watched him struggle with his words. He sighed, put down his bread, and ran his hand through his hair. “Dang it, Summer. What I’m trying to say is that I love you.” He blurted the words out and then sat staring at her.

  “I love you too.” She didn’t hesitate. She hadn’t known him long, but she knew how she felt about him. Last night proved that to her. She had missed him so badly.

  He let out a relieved laugh and leaned across the table to take her mouth in a smoldering kiss. He tasted as gorgeous as he looked.

  “Will you move back in with me?” He asked her tentatively. “At least until your apartment’s finished?”

  She felt a rush of excitement sear her bones. “I’d love to.”

  He kissed her again before they resumed their meal.

  “Do you always come here for your lunch?” Summer asked a little later as they began on their entrées.

  Nathan sniggered. “No. I don’t usually have time. However, I’ve heard there’s this cute new waitress working here nowadays, so I might just have to get down here a little more often in future.”

  Summer blushed. She imagined how she would feel waiting on him, and she smiled. It would probably feel like the most natural thing in the world. She loved the idea of doing his bidding. It had worked well for her so far.

  They chatted about her new role in the finance department and how many hours she could put in without exhausting herself with her restaurant duties as well. It seemed that it would work perfectly, especially as Nathan could tailor his work to coincide with hers a lot of the time, so he would be able to drive her to and from the club. He worked a couple of nights a week as a dungeon monitor too, so that could work perfectly with her evening shifts.

  “By the way, I hear a certain grocery store got shut down recently when the health inspectors called in for a surprise visit. Thought you might know it. A crummy little place on Clifford Street.” Nathan dropped the little gem into conversation so casually it took her completely by surprise.

  She felt her heart quicken. “Really? How did you…?”

  Nathan feigned an innocent expression. “Me? Now what makes you think I had anything to do with it? I just happen to have a friend who’s a lawyer, that’s all.” He winked at her mischievously, and she giggled.

  “The guy who’s helping me with the credit card scam?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. He’s got some friends in handy places if you know what I mean. We felt you’d been dealt a pretty shitty hand of late and thought you needed cheering up a little. Besides, we considered it our duty as upright citizens to ensure that the public was protected from out-of-date food and unsanitary conditions, you know?” He gave her a pious look as he spoke.

  Summer giggled. “I’d love to have been a fly on the wall when they turned up.”

  “Yeah, I heard Ms. Powell wasn’t too pleased. Can’t imagine why. Do you want a dessert?” Nathan asked as Heaven cleared away their plates.

  “No thank you, I’m full.” She shook her head.

  “How about coffee?” Heaven smiled.

  “That would be nice,” Summer replied eagerly.

  “Two coffees, please,” Nathan concurred, just as his cell rang. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be back in a minute,” he said, getting up.

  Summer smiled at him. She watched him walk out of the restaurant. He had an easy swagger that she loved. Although he was obviously very serious and professional about his work, he was also quite laid back and easygoing in his manner. She felt a warm glow knowing that he loved her. What in the world had she been so worked up about—

  “Here you go,” Heaven brought over the coffees with a note. “Someone from reception dropped by with a message for you too.” She smiled as she gave Summer the sealed envelope. Assuming it might be something to do with the finance job, Summer quickly opened it as Heaven went to serve coffees at another table. She was surprised to see that it was a handwritten note written on club notepaper.

  Please can Summer Marsden meet Nathan Faulkner in his office right away.

  Summer smirked, remembering the last time she was in his office. She also remembered that she wasn’t wearing any panties. Nathan woul
d be in for a surprise. After taking a quick sip of her coffee, she grabbed her purse and headed joyfully for the door.

  She had only got as far as the elevator when Mandy called to her from the main entrance. “Summer. If you’re looking for Master Nathan he’s out here.”

  “Oh.” A feeling of dread swept through her body. She felt her heart quicken, and she had to breathe deeply to still her nerves. “No, I wasn’t. But thanks anyway.” She tried to sound cheerful as she rushed into the elevator.

  On her way up she couldn’t help wondering whether Mandy had been innocent. Nathan had gone to take a call, so it was quite plausible that he might have taken it outside. But the note certainly stated he was in his office. Unless the note wasn’t from him.

  The elevator doors opened on the upper floor, and she got out. The other girl she had seen earlier with Mandy stood behind the reception desk, frowning at her. Taking a deep breath, Summer strode down the corridor toward the finance office. She knew she could be walking into a trap but didn’t know what else to do. She eyed everyone she saw with suspicion as she straightened her back and walked tall.

  Cerys was in the main office when she arrived.

  “Is Master Nathan in his office?” she blurted out as soon as she saw her.

  Cerys looked surprised. “No, he told me he was going to take you to lunch.”

  “Listen. There’s this girl called Mandy who works in HR, she and her friend who’s on reception right now were talking about me in the powder room earlier, and they said that Alex Ross wants me dead. Mandy was going to speak to someone called Darren about it—isn’t that the guy from the restaurant?” Summer’s words tumbled out of her mouth in quick succession, while Cerys stood staring at her in amazement.

  “Mandy just tried to get me to go outside. She said Nathan was out there. But I’d got this.” She showed Cerys the note. Cerys frowned.

  “Who gave you this?”

  “Heaven in the restaurant. I don’t know who gave it to her. Someone from reception I think she said.” Summer’s mind raced as she tried to gather her thoughts.

  “Let’s find out.” Cerys went into her own office.

  Summer heard footsteps in the corridor and popped her head out, hoping to see Nathan coming toward her. It wasn’t Nathan. It was a man she had seen before, though she couldn’t recall where. Scurrying behind him was the girl from reception with Mandy running toward them.

  Summer quickly slammed the door shut and bolted it just as the guy caught up with her.

  “Cerys! Get help!” she screamed as someone thumped the door.

  “Get out here, whore!” She recognized his voice. He was one of Colin’s friends from West Palm Beach.

  “Get away from the door!” Cerys shouted, and Summer ran toward her just as a shot was fired.

  “It’s OK. It’s bulletproof. We’re finance in here, remember?” Cerys assured her as she put a comforting arm around her. “Security are on their way up. They’ll have called the cops too. Come on into my room.”

  Summer felt her heart pound hard against her ribs as the slightly older lady led her into her small office. They could still hear shouting and thumping on the outer door, but it felt a lot safer in here. The phone rang, and Cerys answered it immediately.

  “Hi Nathan, yeah we’re fine. We’re holed up in here at the moment while some guy’s taking potshots at the main office. I’ve called security. She’s fine, bit shaken up, but she’s OK. Want a word?” She handed the receiver over to Summer, who was actually trembling.

  “Hey, sugar, are you OK?” His voice soothed her like a warm blanket, and she instantly felt better.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I found Cerys. It’s Mandy and a girl from reception. The guy’s a friend of Colin’s, but I don’t know his name. I meant to tell you earlier but what with…”

  “It’s all right, baby. The cops are here now. I’ll talk to you soon. You just sit tight and do whatever Cerys tells you, d’you hear?” He sounded like he had everything in hand, and Summer breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Yes, sir.”

  She handed the phone back to Cerys who confirmed a couple of things with him and then placed it back down. Angry shouts could be heard, and someone thumped the door again. Summer jumped. Cerys came around the desk and put her arms around her.

  “It’s OK, honey. You’re perfectly safe in here. The cops are here now; they’ll get him.”

  Summer nodded, suddenly aware that tears were streaming down her cheeks. Even more shouts were heard, and then it seemed to go quiet.

  “Police, open up,” a man’s voice called out to them as he banged on the door.

  Summer jumped up in relief, but Cerys kept a hand on her shoulder.

  “We don’t answer it until one of the Doms…er…management tells us to,” she told her. Summer stared at her and nodded. Her heart thumped hard in her chest, and she took a deep breath to quell the panic as she realized that she could easily have been duped.

  A minute later there was a single knock on the outer door followed by three in quick succession, and then another one. Cerys smiled.

  “OK, ladies, it’s Nathan,” came a familiar voice, and they both made their way toward the outer door.

  “What’s the password?” Cerys asked before unlocking the bolt.

  “Lemon meringue.”

  She turned back to Summer with a smile. “Long story,” she explained as she slid the bolt. Slowly she opened the door a little, and then, obviously seeing her boss waiting for her, pulled it open wide. As soon as he came into the room he gave Cerys a big hug. He looked over her shoulder and smiled at Summer, who hurriedly wiped the tears from her face. Nathan loosened his grip on Cerys, and Brad came to take his place, holding her even tighter than Nathan had. Brad took her through to her own little office, affording Cerys some privacy. Nathan immediately put his arms around Summer, wrapping her in a cloak of security and affection.

  She clung to him as uncontrollable tears flooded her face. He enveloped her in his strength, and she breathed him into her soul.

  “I’m so proud of you, sugar,” he whispered into her ear. “You did everything right.”

  “Sh-she said you were outside. I didn’t trust her, not after…”

  “It’s all right. You did exactly the right thing. This has to be the safest part of the whole building. You did right to come up here. And Cerys knows all the protocols for a security breach. You couldn’t have been in better hands. Well, other than mine, of course.” He chuckled and she couldn’t help smiling.

  Nathan held her until she stopped shaking and everyone had left, then sat her down. He picked up her purse from the desk where she had left it and opened it.

  “I’ll just get you a handkerchief. I presume there’s one in…” His voice trailed off as his hand brought out a scrap of red material that he had obviously assumed was her handkerchief.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Summer blushed with horror. Nathan’s lips turned up into a salacious grin, and he cocked one eyebrow. He looked so sexy Summer gasped. He dangled the panties on one finger and looked questioningly at her.

  “I…er…well, you see, after we…um…” she stammered, but couldn’t make a coherent sentence to save her life right at that minute. She felt herself go hot all over, and she felt an ache in her pussy, much like the one she had experienced earlier. She squeezed her thighs together, thankful that she was sitting down.

  “Tell me again why you came up here,” he said slowly.

  “The note said you wanted to see me in your office. I thought…”

  “You thought what, exactly?”

  “I thought you might be up here. Well, at first I did. I thought you might want to…you know…like we did earlier. Then Mandy was in the foyer saying that you were outside. I meant to tell you about what I heard her say in the ladies’ room earlier—that Alex Ross wanted me dead.”

  Nathan’s face clouded over. “When did she say that?”

  Summer swallowed hard. “It was when I f
irst arrived. Before my interview. I was going to tell you when I saw you, but then Cerys interviewed me and then you…er…it went right out of my head.”

  He frowned. “So why didn’t you tell me at lunch?”

  “I was going to but you said…well, you said…” Her voice dwindled off as he took a step closer.

  “I said I love you.”

  She nodded. “And I couldn’t think of anything else.”

  He sat on the edge of the desk, and his lips enveloped hers. It was a sweet kiss, lingering and slow.

  “I’m sorry. I should have listened to you. You said you had something to tell me, and I thought it might be something I didn’t want to hear. I needed to tell you how I felt before you made any decisions.” His voice was quiet.

  “Decisions about what?”

  He sighed. “I was afraid you might be about to tell me that you didn’t want to see me anymore because of what I did to your apartment. I needed to let you know that the reason I did it all was because I love you. I wanted to keep you safe.” He bit his lip.

  Summer stood slowly and held his face in her hands. She kissed him slowly and lovingly, savoring every second. His hands ran down her body, stopping at her curved ass. A low chuckle resounded through his chest as he lingered on the area, covered only by the thin material of her dress.

  “I think I’ll make this part of your uniform,” he murmured. “No panties in the office. Yeah, I like the sound of that.”

  Summer giggled, pulling back from the kiss to hug him tight.

  There was a knock at the open door, and they both jumped around to see Steve Ratner standing there with a grin on his face. “Just a few questions if you’ve got the time.”

  “Make it quick,” Nathan growled, stuffing the panties into his pocket.

  Ratner guffawed and whipped out his notebook. “Cerys has told me what happened after you got in here. Good move, by the way. How did you come to be upstairs though? Weren’t you in the restaurant?” He stared at Summer, still safely ensconced in her lover’s arms.

  “Heaven gave me this. I think it was from reception,” Summer explained, handing over the note. She went on to tell him all about Mandy and the other girl, the conversation in the powder room, and how Mandy had tried to lure her outside.