He quickly diverted his eyes, pretending to read the magazine in his hand when she pushed her chair back and stood. He continued watching her back as she twisted her neck and stretched. She had discarded her jacket and the bottom of her blouse was hanging outside the waistband of her skirt. She had kicked off her shoes and was standing barefoot by the window.
She knew he’d been watching her every move, from the moment he walked in with dinner until this very moment. She could have sent him away or at the very least, said something, but she liked the way his eyes danced as they looked at her. She liked the way she felt when he looked at her.
She was mildly disappointed he hadn’t tried to kiss her again over dinner but she would be damned if she was going to make the first move. She was about to return from looking out at the city when she felt him come up behind her. Her heart gave a jolt and started beating rapidly.
Aiden started massaging her shoulders and it felt really good. There was a lot of tension in them not only from working late, but from all the stress she’d had to endure for the last few months upon returning home. It was a heavy burden and his hands were strong and gentle.
She leaned into his hands and closed her eyes. She realized she was leaning into him as well. She could feel his strength at her back and it made her feel safe.
“I told you I’d be here for you always. That hasn’t changed, Zoe,” she heard him say.
His voice was barely a whisper in her ear and as he spoke his lips brushed her lobe, sending jolts along the current coursing through her. He was so close she could feel his heart as it thudded in his chest. The feel of his hands as they continued to massage her shoulders was like using an electric massager. There was a vibration going on in her upper body that started to extend to her midsection.
Without thinking she reached up and placed her right hand on his and brought it to her lips. He sucked in his breath. She turned, tipping to meet his height and sealed his lips with hers. Briefly they pulled apart, looked into each other’s eyes and then met one another’s lips again.
Aiden cupped her face as he parted her lips with his tongue. Her mouth was sweet as he tasted every crevice of it. Zoe’s hands came up to rest on his chest and then slowly found their way to twining around his neck. As the kiss deepened they pulled closer together, each able to count the buttons from their two shirts, pressing into their warming skins.
Aiden pulled away from the kiss to trail his lips along her neck and temple. When he started nibbling her earlobe, she jumped at the shock of it. Her breath caught as ripples of pleasure coursed through her.
His hand came up and cupped her breast. She felt the heat of his hand through the thin fabric of her cotton blouse. When his thumb began to make circular motions around her nipples, she started to throb with a deep longing that penetrated to her core.
She couldn’t remember ever feeling such deep need. Deftly he unbuttoned her blouse to reveal the pale skin of her high, firm breasts rising above her bra. She pulled her arms from the blouse, dropping it to the floor in a soft thud. He stood back, his blue eyes darkened with desire as he watched her unclasp and drop the bra to the floor beside the blouse.
“Zoe.” His voice was forced as if his throat was constricted.
He closed the gap and sank his face in her cleavage, inhaling her scent. “I never meant to hurt you,” she whispered, running her hand through his hair.
His face came up and their lips met once more, then he returned to her breasts where he took one nipple after the other. His lips nibbled and sucked, until they became as hard as pebbles. There was still too much clothing between them. Frantically he began to remove his shirt and pants while she removed her skirt.
It was then they realized they were standing by the window. In one swift movement he lifted and brought her to rest on the sofa against the opposite wall. There he continued his assault on her breasts. The sensations were so intense she had to arch her back.
He was caressing her thighs. His fingertips dancing their way up and down the sides while he trailed hot kisses along her cleavage and down her belly. The feel of his lips was tantalizing and sent ripples of excitement up and down her spine. When his fingers reached into her panties she almost melted off the sofa.
He was kissing her again while his fingers explored the territory between her legs. Her breath stopped and she was sure she would faint when she felt his finger touch her clit. Then it slid down to touch her moist opening.
“Oh God!” she breathed.
Aiden was stripping the last garment from his own magnificent body but Zoe’s eyes were closed, and her breaths were coming in gasps. The touch of his skin as he lowered himself on her was like fire on fire. He finished peeling off her panties and threw them to the floor before parting her thighs.
“Zoe,” he whispered.
“Hmm?’ she barely managed to get the groan out.
“I need you.” It was a simple statement that packed so much weight. She needed nothing else.
“I need you,’ she replied, wrapping her legs around him, bringing him closer to her.
He reached between them and placed himself at her opening. Her heat penetrated his tip. Slowly he slipped into her and felt her close around him snuggly. He had to stop lest he hurt her but she urged him on, digging her nails into his buttocks. He sank into her and she gasped at the fullness of him.
Slowly he moved his hips, feeling every nerve in his body charged. Her hips came up to meet his in a slow rhythmic dance. Neither of them wanted to restrain themselves and go slow but they both wanted it to last.
She felt herself open up like a flower, her back stiffened and she was close to screaming as she felt herself grip him in ecstasy. Her orgasm was rapturous and immense, overflowing her banks. Aiden could no longer maintain his control as he felt a stirring in his belly. He thrust into her savagely as his body shook with his release. Their hips crushed together as she came up to meet his thrust and gripped him tight with her inner muscle.
“Ahhh!” he groaned, sinking his face into her neck before collapsing atop her.
They lay like that for a long time. Neither of them spoke but the message was clear; they didn’t want to part. When he tried to get up she wrapped her arms tightly around him to keep him in place, so he shifted his weight and stayed. They must have dozed off at some point because when Aiden opened his eyes and looked up at the wall clock it was past midnight.
He was about to get up again when she began to nibble his ears and neck. Her lips were like a warm ember, reigniting the flame and he felt a new stirring in his loins. He was still inside her and he could feel himself growing hard again. He started to move and she with him. There was something urgent about their lovemaking the second time and the pace quickly picked up. Unlike before, he pumped into her hard and fast and she responded by moving her hips, urging him to go faster, their earlier restraint forgotten. She nipped his neck with her teeth and they exploded simultaneously for the second time that night.
It was late so they decided to stay the rest of the night.
****
They stopped at a truck rest stop. She picked up the keys and paid for the room then came back outside. It was a long building with rooms lined up like storage compartments. It was convenient and private. Grandma grabbed the coat and threw it over her head and ran into the room where the girl stood by the door.
Once inside she peeled of the latex face and stripped her body of the rest of the disguise. David walked to the shower and finished washing up. The summer was not the best time to wear such a weighty disguise. It was uncomfortable when you needed to sweat. His mind wandered to the young man he’d paid to be the decoy and wondered how long before Agent Boon realized it wasn’t him.
****
That was not the way Aiden had planned it at all. He thought their first time together would be more romantic. Maybe a nice dinner and a walk, and then they would go back to his place or wherever she chose and make languorous, pas
sionate love. The office was the last place he would have thought it would happen… but… he must admit it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever experienced.
Aiden shifted the car into gear and cruised onto highway 85. He’d be home in less than fifteen minutes but was anxious to get some sleep before meeting Zoe after she’d seen her father off safely. She was headed home where she would shower and drive her father to the airstrip. He was on his way to finalize a buyout or merger, whichever he could secure.
His foot pressed the gas ever so slightly and the Lexus sped forward. Jack was at a friend’s so he would have the house to himself. All he needed was thirty minutes of sleep and he would be good to go. He pressed the gas again and the car picked up speed. Absentmindedly, he looked at the speedometer and noticed he was going faster than he should. There was a construction site half a mile away so he started to brake but the dial on the speedometer was still climbing. He pressed the brake hard, then with both feet but the dial passed one hundred.
Aiden could see the construction site ahead. There was a huge gap in the middle of his lane and a man in a hard cap with a red flag was waving vigorously for him to change lanes or stop. There was a truck coming in the opposite direction in the oncoming lane. There was nothing he could do but swerve the Lexus up onto the banking. Before he knew what was happening the car broke through the metal rail and tumbled over the embankment.
As the car toppled over, Zoe’s eyes flashed before him. The way her body responded to his touch sent excitement through his. He wished he’d told her he loved her. Then everything went black. The time on the dashboard read 8:02 AM.
****
Aiden had still been sleeping when she left. He’d propped himself up against the side of the sofa. She’d offered to share the sofa with him but he refused saying that she needed a good night’s sleep. Not wanting to wake him, she crept out silently and left him a note. It was Saturday so there was no one but the cleaning staff to disturb him. He looked so good as he slept that she took a moment to stare before leaving.
It was unexpected but once it started happening she didn’t want to stop. Maybe it was her pent up emotions needing release, or some deep seeded desire for Aiden, but her body had done things she’d never imagined. He was a gentle and attentive lover, like she’d never experienced before. As she remembered the way his body moved within her, she felt herself throb with fresh desire. It was amazing how much she wanted to make love to him again, even after having done so twice in the last twelve hours.
She had just enough time to shower and change before leaving with her father. His chauffeur was sick so she had offered to take him to the airstrip. It was a small strip used by a number of companies with private planes. Steve had invested, along with two others, in a small fleet comprised of three planes some years ago. His flight was scheduled for 8:20.
“You should be coming with me,” he told her as they headed onto 85.
“I know but with everything that’s going on, I can’t leave even for a day. Agent Boon is supposed to call later and who knows what he’ll have to say. Do you have the documents I prepared?”
Her father nodded. “That bastard is a slippery one. I wonder where Lucas is.”
“I don’t know Daddy, but he isn’t to be blamed for his father’s mistakes.”
Remembering the construction site ahead, Zoe started to slow the sedan. Instead of the usual construction signs and vehicles, there were police and yellow tape. The traffic had backed up as officers redirected the vehicles.
“There seems to be some sort of accident,” Steve pointed out.
Her mind quickly flashed on Aiden, remembering that he had to use the 85 to get home. “He’s probably still asleep,” she mumbled.
“Yes dear?” Her father asked.
“Nothing Daddy,” she replied, slipping into the lane the officer directed her to. They passed the accident scene and she picked up speed once more. In five minutes, she turned left onto a private road that led to an open field with a small hangar. There was a small plane on the runway and a pilot standing by. A man in a blue jumpsuit approached and helped Steve with his suitcase.
“Good luck Daddy,” she kissed and hugged him.
“One week… two at the most,” he returned.
“Don’t work too hard. See New York a little, have fun!”
“Ha!”
“I mean it, Daddy,” she insisted.
She stood and watched as he entered the plane. At the door he turned and waved. In another few minutes the small craft was cruising down the short runway. It lifted slowly until it was about five hundred feet off the ground. As Zoe turned to get back into her car she heard a small explosion. At first she wasn’t sure what it was but the hair at her nape sent an alarm to her brain and she twirled, looking to where the plane should be.
In front of her eyes was a ball of fire as the plane burst into flames and fell quickly. She watched as her father’s plane disappeared somewhere over the Valley. She stood transfixed as several men ran onto the tarmac, shouting at one another. She couldn’t move as someone approached her and spoke. She heard nothing. A ball of fire followed by smoke erupted from the Valley before she fainted.
Chapter 17
Mason found Zoe sitting with an officer, a blanket draped around her shoulders. The officer looked reluctant to make any sudden noises or movements. Zoe heard his footsteps and looked up. Her eyes were red and swollen, her face and lips pale. At the sight of her friend the blankness of her expression lifted and it was replaced by a grimace of pain.
Hurrying the last few steps, Mason knelt and caught Zoe as she pitched herself off her seat and into his arms. The officer began to ease away from the emotional scene, hesitating every few steps until he finally caught Mason’s gaze and was waved away.
“Zoe, honey,” Mason murmured as he rocked her. “I’m so sorry.”
“He’s… he’s gone,” she croaked.
Mason wasn’t sure what else there was to say so he just held her until he started to lose feeling in his legs. He made a move to lift her a bit so they could shift to the bench she’d been sitting on before. The motion startled her from her near catatonic state.
“I’m sorry, Mason,” she said, making an effort to stand on her own and helping pull him up from his crouch on the cement floor.
“You have absolutely nothing to apologize for,” he said, stretching his legs as he sat. He pulled her down beside him and she leaned against his shoulder again. “You just let me know when you’re ready and I’ll take you home.”
“I can’t… I can’t…” She tried to speak but her breathing started to speed up as she fought against hyperventilating. Mason saw a paper bag nearby and made a move towards it but Zoe grabbed his hand and squeezed, forcing her breathing back under control. “I’m… all right,” she assured him. “I just… won’t leave… Not until… they find… him.”
Mason gave her shoulders a reassuring squeeze. He’d spoken with Agent Boon outside. As soon as he saw the news, Mason had alternated between calling Zoe’s cell and the agent’s. The agent had been the first to answer and told him the FBI was already on the scene. They were working under the reasonable assumption that the crash was more than just an ordinary accident. There had been enough fuel for a transcontinental flight and crews were still working to douse the flames. The recovery would be slow. Each piece of wreckage would be carefully documented and catalogued as they searched for the bodies of Steve Dunmore and the handful of crew aboard.
As for what had brought the plane down, Agent Boon had little doubt it was the work of Allan Peters. Mason was inclined to agree, making his primary concern Zoe and her safety.
“Zoe,” Mason said, breaking the silence after several minutes. “Where’s your phone?”
She sighed. “It’s broken,” she whispered. “It… it wouldn’t stop ringing. And there was nothing… I could do but I needed… to do something.”
“I’m not sure I follow,” Mason
said, pulling back to examine Zoe’s expression.
“The cops and air strip personnel and then the FBI,” she rambled. “They were all over the place and asking me questions but they wouldn’t answer anything I asked and I got frustrated. There were so many people calling, I kept hitting the ignore button but they wouldn’t stop. I threw it against the ground.”
“I bet that got everyone’s attention,” Mason said with a smile in his voice.
“It got them to leave me alone,” she admitted, sitting up a little straighter. “And it got me this blanket.”
“Well, we’ll stay as long as you need,” Mason assured her. “Tell me if you want anything, coffee, food, someone to create a diversion, I’m your guy.”
Zoe tried to offer Mason an appreciative smile. When it came to crises, he’d been her guy for the last few years and she was certainly grateful to have him and his strong arms to help support her. But she found herself longing for a different set of comforting arms.
Where was Aiden? Why wasn’t he here? He had to have heard about what happened. For that matter, it was hours past the time they had talked about getting together. Was he one of the ones trying to call her shattered cell phone? Probably. She could borrow Mason’s phone and call Aiden… but that would involve telling Mason and she was not ready to have that conversation.
The arm around her shoulders stiffened and Zoe looked up to see Agent Boon across the room, a somber expression on his face.
****
“Authorities confirm that the body of Dunmore Corp president, Steve Dunmore, has been recovered from the wreckage of the company’s private plane, which crashed over the valley early this morning. Witnesses say that moments after takeoff, there was an explosion and the plane was engulfed in flames before it crashed to the ground. We have reports that the FBI is on the scene overseeing the recovery operations, but no reasons have been given for their presence or what could have caused the plane to come down. Dunmore Corp has yet to release an official statement regarding this morning’s tragic events.
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