by Adair Rymer
God, I loved this!
All my muscles went deathly rigid. Maynard pushed into me violently, as far as his hips would allow. His cock flexed in defiance of my crushing walls. My pussy milked him as if my whole body were aching for his seed.
Maynard grunted in wild need. His thick member throbbed, pulsated, then finally exploded thick milky jets deep inside me.
I grabbed him, digging my nails into his waist. I was full to bursting but I still wanted more. I needed all of him. Sweat seemed to boil off our skin. The intense heat that blazed between us put the crackling fire to shame.
I wrapped my arms around him and he enveloped me in wet, panting kisses. We were closer, more entwined, than two people could ever be. Our limbs blurred the line of where he ended and I began.
“Wow,” I said much later when I finally found my voice. Maynard lay beside me. We had made a cursory attempt to clean ourselves off but ended up just pulling the disregarded couch cover over us instead.
“Yeah,” he said. His breathing was only now steadying into normalcy. “I think that was our best session yet. You let me know if you ever want to become an internet star. I can set up a camera and—”
My face screwed up at the joke and I punched him several times in the arm. He laughed, grabbing my wrists then burying me in a great hug. Everything with Maynard was fun and easy, even our playing had evolved so naturally into something that was nicely comfortable.
We had this perfect mix of sexual excitement and understanding that was surreal at times. It felt like we had been together for so much longer than we actually had. Eventually I nuzzled into the crook of his shoulder and listened to his breathing and heartbeat.
I found contentment as I laid there watching the fire lick and crackle. Hours slipped by and Maynard drifted to sleep. The fire slowly died and I began to pore over the events of the day, nagging concerns that refused to stay buried crept into the forefront of my mind.
I couldn't shake my mother's warning. Their threat about not lending me the money I needed bothered me too. What if they were right about Maynard? It was almost impossible not to be constantly distracted while dating him; he was a handsome world-renowned billionaire.
That first night I met him I could tell that deep down Maynard was a good man, and now, weeks later, those parts of him weren't locked away as deeply. I sighed. Maybe Maynard that was never the problem.
Maybe I was too broken for a good man and now that it turned out that Maynard was everything I hoped for... I was scared. I mashed my palms into my face. I hated this! I hated having so many conflicting emotions.
Did I care about Maynard? Yes.
Did I want to be with him? Of course!
He made me feel truly special for the first time in my whole life. I thought long and hard about it, trying to remove my emotion from the equation. Was Maynard really what I needed right now?
I didn't know...
The fact that I didn't know meant that the answer was probably no. I had never been in love before, not the kind of love you see in movies. Love to me was lust followed by heartache.
I may not have much experience with love but what I felt for Maynard went far beyond lust. He was also heartache. The thought of not being with him crippled me emotionally. If I stayed with him then that feeling would only get stronger, and that scared the hell out of me. It wasn't the fancy things he had or the places we went, it was him.
If Maynard wasn't a billionaire my feelings for him wouldn't change.
But if I stayed with him now I might change. I might lose a sense of who I always wanted to be. I grew up in a very modest household, the idea of limitless wealth at my fingertips thrilled me.
How could it not?
Maynard was the ultimate temptation. It had been extremely hard to focus on homework when he was flying me around the world on his private jet. I knew that if it were up to him he'd have paid my way and given me my dream job regardless of whether I got my bachelor’s degree or not.
The thought was sweet but it also made me feel insubstantial. I worked so damn hard to establish myself and to make it on my own. All the money in the world would only make me happy at the expense of my own self-worth.
It was hard to admit but my school work actually had started to suffer because of our relationship. I could study for my socioeconomics exam or I could go with Maynard to an art gallery opening in Milan. The scary part was just how easy it all was.
What was one college class to front row seats of a hot new Broadway play? What was one exam to being able to attend a private show of my favorite band? What was one semester to a personal suite in a one-hundred-eighty day Oceania world cruise?
All it would cost me is my degree...
Sure I could always go back and finish it eventually, but would I still want to a year from now or five years from now? I couldn't do that to my family, or myself. I was going to be the first college graduate in my whole family. That was a big deal to me!
Could I really put something like that on the back burner, especially when I was so close to finishing?
I had deeper feelings for Maynard than I'd ever had with anyone before but if something did happen between us and we couldn't be together any longer, where would that leave me? I would have amazing memories but nothing to truly call my own.
My parents were tactless and blunt, but they were pragmatic. For as much as I argued with them I could see when they were trying to do what was best for me. If I didn't at least pause this relationship with Maynard while it was still new I would never have the strength to do what was necessary.
With a heavy heart I made up my mind.
“There's something I want to tell you...” I whispered, only having the courage to say what was on my mind now that I knew Maynard was asleep.
“What?” He stirred, startling me. I guess he wasn't in as deep a sleep as I thought. Maynard wrapped his arms around me, pulling me in further and making me feel warm and safe.
It would be so easy to just stay here forever like this.
“Never mind.” I hugged him tightly, gently encouraging him to go back to sleep. The scent of our sex and sweat still faintly lingered on our skin. I wiped the tears from my eyes, knowing that this might be the last time I would ever feel this protected. “I'll tell you in the morning.”
Chapter 16
Maynard
“Maynard, I'm sorry to have to do this through a letter...” I pulled Claire's note off the fridge and read the rest of silently. My drowsiness from just waking evaporated when I began to understand why Claire wasn't here when I woke up.
Claire had a silly sense of humor and would often play practical jokes. They were small little things that eased tension or livened situations. It was one of the many things I enjoyed about her. That was why I had to read the whole thing three times before it sank in that it was real.
I read it one more time— “Maynard, I'm sorry to have to do this through a letter. I wish I had the strength to do it in person. Since I've known you, you have grown so much as a person and as a part of your family's company. This past month with you has been the best of my life.
“I'm worried that by being with you I might not accomplish my own goals. I would never forgive myself if I didn't finish my degree. Please give me the space I need to do this. It would be unfair to ask you to wait for me while I do this so I won't bother. Thank you for being... you.”
I was still naked and tacky from last night's sex. I knew something was off with her. Why the fuck didn't I ask her about it? Was this what she was trying to tell me? Had she been crying when she woke me up or was that just a dream?
“Fuck!”
I erupted with anger and grabbed the nearest thing, a coffeemaker, and threw it against a wall. Glass and the dark remnants of yesterdays' coffee sprayed across the painted drywall.
Claire dumped me. That's never happened to me. I had never been on the receiving end before, it was horrible. It didn't make any sense, everything was going so well.
I was furious and I didn't know why. I just knew that it wasn't directed at her. Self-destructive thoughts of my last phone call to my parents spiked through my brain. She wasn't dead thankfully, but she was gone.
What did I do to drive her away?
I let the letter slip from my shaking hands. I was a torrent of emotion. I didn't know how to handle this. After my parents deaths I had trained myself to avoid attachment so I would never have to feel this kind of loss. Despite our short time together, I cared about Claire and that wasn't an easy emotion for me. I didn't want to end things like this.
I refused to let us end this way!
I immediately started scrolling my phone for her number. The silly thumbnail Claire had set for her contact image gave me pause. My thumb hovered over a picture of her being goofy. I had to call her.
Please give me the space I need to do this.
Damn it!
I tried to push her words out of my head. It didn't work. I decided against the call and slumped against the counter, then let gravity drag me to the floor. I cleared the phone function and browsed the pictures we'd taken instead.
We had done so much together in the past few weeks. I had shown her my favorite restaurants and scenery across the globe. We practically lived on my jet. Every place we visited had dulled for me over the years, but Claire had a way of reinvigorating them and finding new beauty that I had somehow missed.
My phone buzzed. Bianca's name invaded my screen, covering the pictures of Claire. Bianca wasn't on social media and had never sent me any pictures of herself so her contact image stayed the default empty silhouette. It was such a sharp contrast to my picture of Claire who was just about to take a monster bite of cake. It made my heart ache.
I rejected the call; I didn't want reality to steal my moment of reflection. Nothing was more important to me than seeing Claire's face.
Having someone to experience life with was an indescribable experience. Before Claire, I was always looking for the next, newest adrenaline kick; the high that would distract me for a little while longer. But with her, things slowed down. It felt like I could take the time to enjoy each experience, not just rush through them.
My surroundings weren't all that different than before I met her, but with Claire at my side everything seemed to have a sudden depth to it. It felt like my entire life had been lived in black and white, and Claire was this rich paint that added vibrant color to my world.
Had I suffocated her with my lifestyle?
My resolve broke and I called Claire. The need to know what happened was overwhelming. I was a junkie jonesing for a fix. Maybe there was something I could do. She'd never let me pay off her debt or take care of her bills but there had to be something I could do. What was the point of having all this money if it didn't fix my problems?
Bianca buzzed in again, her placeholder image wiggled impatiently. I switched my call to her when it looked like Claire wasn't going to pick up.
“What?” I wasn't in the mood for pleasantries.
“Fly back here now,” Bianca stated, in her typically deliberate tone. She wasn't put off at all by my outburst but there was definitely something off about her voice. If she was calm seawater then there were swirling, angry sharks just beneath her surface.
“Why?”
“The Board just fired me,” her voice finally cracked, not with sadness but with barely controlled rage. Bianca's calm water had turned red with blood and was beginning to boil. “I'm heading to the office now. Hurry up.”
Fired? That's insane! Who the hell did they think would be better at running the company than Bianca?
“Shit.” I couldn't wallow over Claire any longer, I had to find out what was going on. I didn't know what I could do but I wanted to help my sister any way I could. “On my way.”
I was already moving when she ended the call. I almost felt bad for the poor bastard they were replacing her with. Bianca wasn't the type that gave up without a fight. She was going to rip the Board Members to shreds.
It wasn't going to be a conversation or even a confrontation, it was going to be a goddamn feeding frenzy.
Chapter 17
Maynard
“Enjoy your throne, little brother.” Bianca's voice was broken glass, as she stormed past me toward the elevator.
I was still in Chicago when she called me. I had to fly halfway across the country to get here. Needless to say, I had arrived at our corporate headquarters much later than Bianca had.
“Wait, what? Bianca!” I reached out to her, but she ignored me. She was already on her phone, probably with her lawyers.
My throne?
What the hell was she talking about? I thought about going after her but quickly decided against it. No one forces Bianca to do anything. If she didn't want to talk to me, there was fuck-all I could do to change her mind.
Bianca and I have grown a little closer these past few weeks as I've been stepping up and taking more company responsibility. It was a new dynamic to our relationship that neither of us were familiar with.
Bianca was several years older than me, so after our parents died she tried her best to fill that role and take care of me. I was a selfish hellion of a kid who never made it easy for her. When I turned eighteen I inherited the hotel and escaped to cause as much trouble as possible. It was only very recently that our relationship had even started to mend.
And that was all because of Claire...
Fuck! I suppressed another swell of emotion and forced myself to concentrate. One problem at a time. I threw open both massive oak doors of the boardroom. Time to find out what was going on.
The conversations in the room died off with my entrance. I eyed the large full meeting room of people, wearing an expression that demanded answers. There were two dozen people in the room. There were also about half that in faces on monitors from the Board Members and shareholders that couldn't be here in person.
The mood was dour and the discomfort that hung in the air was thick enough to fog a window. Everyone was frazzled and exhausted, some of the men had even been brought to tears. It looked like Bianca really put them through the ringer.
Good, I thought. That's what they get for messing with our family's business. I was disappointed that I missed it.
“Congratulations to the new CEO of Cooper Corp,” Anthony's voice slithered out from beside the main doorway. His tone had diffused some of the room's residual dread that Bianca had left in her wake.
“What?” My disbelief was drowned out in the growing applause from everyone that was present.
Did they actually want me to run the company? I didn't know shit about business. Hell, I'd never even been to college.
This must have been what Bianca meant. Shit, did she think I stole her company from her? I had nothing to do with this dog and pony show. I needed to talk to her as quickly as possible and sort all this out.
Several servers walked in behind me pushing small carts that held a variety of alcohol. It would have been obscenely tasteless to have them waiting around the room as Bianca was fired. The mood in the room started to rise as they began pouring celebratory drinks for everyone. I waved mine off. I didn't feel like rejoicing.
This was all so abrupt and fucked up. This whole day felt like I had woken up in a parallel dimension where everything I knew had been turned on its head.
I glanced around until I found the source of the announcer’s voice. Anthony leaned against the wall next to one of the more attractive shareholders. He must have been chatting with the rich brunette before I walked in.
Why was Anthony even here?
How could he know about this before me? I knew he wasn't a Board Member, that would be a conflict of interest because of the company he owned. He must be a shareholder. Cooper Corp, like Anthony's company, was publicly traded. That meant anyone could buy shares.
“What the fuck is going on?” I asked loudly when the roar of the crowd diminished.
“The public loves a redemption story, that
's what.” Anthony winked at the girl then broke off toward me. “You know what kind of headlines your Christmas stunt has pulled? 'Billionaire socialite has change of heart. Donates millions. Returns home to save his company and honor his philanthropist parents.'”
He wasn't lying. I'd seen the bold print in articles online and now I wished I hadn't. In this context, shame had replaced the pride those headlines had filled me with earlier. For as glad as I was to have the public boost that wasn't my goal at the time.
“Fuck, man!” Anthony grunted with satisfaction. He slung an arm around me, spreading out the other before us in a wide arc to emphasize the good news. “You can't buy that kind of good PR.”
“It wasn't a publicity stunt. I was in a position to help, so I helped.” My eyes narrowed in response. Anthony had a way of making everything feel sleazy, even donation. Claire showed me my potential and that made me want to make a genuine difference, so I fucking did.
It was as simple as that.
“Oh, that is perfect, man!” Anthony patted me on the chest. “Do it just like that when the reporters ask you. Do that look too! That insulted, who-dare-you look is money, Mayday. Did you practice that?”
“Get the fuck off me.” I shoved Anthony back. His excitement was nauseating. How could I ever have been friends with someone like him? Were we ever so similar that I thought this was ok?
“I haven't agreed to a goddamn thing yet.” I was still talking to Anthony but I stated it loudly enough to be easily overheard.
I didn't ask for this and I sure as hell didn't want it. Maybe in ten years I'd think about taking over but not now. I didn't have a tenth the business savvy or technical know-how that Bianca did.
While I spent the better part of a decade seeing how fucked up I could get, Bianca threw herself into our parents shoes and kept our company from being bought up by vultures who would've dismantled everything. Thousands of good, hard-working people had stable careers because of her.
It would be unfair to ask you to wait for me. Claire's voice abruptly pierced me, derailing all the other things that were going on. What did that mean? Was there hope for us to get back together?