The Reconstruction of Cyprian

by Michelle Love

  It was suddenly Thursday and I was ready for the weekend. I sat at my desk at lunch and stared at my phone again, then across the street to Damon’s building. The more time that passed, it seemed silly to call now. I put my phone down and tore my sandwich into pieces as I berated myself for getting so drunk that night. I’d had lunch with Vince and Autumn yesterday and they went on about their new project, making me miss that part of my internship. I knew that I’d be doing it soon but for now, Burt was training me on assistant duties. I went back to my office with a forced smile and confidence for my future, staring blankly at my phone as I thought about Damon. I didn’t dare ask them about him because I didn’t want to blow his cover.

  I left the office on Thursday, glum and just looking forward to the weekend. I glanced up as someone handed me a rose, confused. Another person did the same thing, a stranger that I didn’t know. What was going on? I stepped forward, receiving a few more until I saw Damon holding a big bouquet in his arms. “What are you doing?”

  “I am trying to woo you,” he replied as I smiled. “Is it working?”

  “It’s creative. I liked getting these,” I told him, holding up the loose roses. “I’ve been wanting to call you. I didn’t. I felt like an idiot for that night.”

  “I know what I did wrong. It made sense to hide that at the time but looking back, I know it was a mistake.” He looked in my face, searching for something. “I missed you. I was hoping that we could have dinner tonight and discuss something.”

  I looked around. It didn’t matter if we were seen, because we didn’t work together. There would be rumors but they didn’t matter. I just wanted to know Damon and everything that scared me about him. I wanted to make an informed decision about love now that I was laying the groundwork for the rest of my life. “Yes, I’d like that. Where would you like to go?”

  He took my hand, still holding my flowers in his arm. A few people looked at us with smiles as we walked and went into an Italian place a few blocks away. Once we were seated, we stared at each other until the waitress brought our wine.

  He held his glass up once it was there. “To us.” I clinked it and smiled as he looked into my eyes.

  “I am sorry that I flew off the handle, Damon. I should have just asked about her like I should about a lot of things.”

  Over dinner, we talked about the women in his past. He explained that he’d had wild times and made some mistakes, but that was over now. He knew that he wanted to be with me. I told him that I felt the same and we fell silent for a moment.

  “I want to take you back to the coast tomorrow night. I have a reservation for two nights and we can really explore the area” He told me when we left as I stared at him. “I need to get out of the city.”

  “I think that I do as well.” He asked me to come over and I agreed, walking together as he asked me about the job. I told him that it was confusing and that I still felt lost, even though Burt told me that I was doing well. Damon assured me that I was. All new jobs started out that way but I’d settle in and feel like I was home. That was another reason that he planned the trip for me and I smiled as he unlocked his door.

  I walked into more roses and gasped as I looked around. “I figured you didn’t have a new place yet, so I thought that we’d keep them here.” Damon looked at me. “How is that going?”

  “I stayed when things fell through. I knew that you would let me have that apartment but I figured I’d find something of my own after the new year.” I smiled. “My roomie Melody might go in on something with me. She hates it there as well.” His face seemed to fall and I stared at him. “What? She’s nice. I promise.”

  “I just want some alone time with you. That’s all.” He pouted as I stepped closer to him, taking a deep breath. Words couldn’t describe how much I missed Damon but I hoped my eyes did as I gazed into his face. I cupped his face and smiled as I pushed up on my toes.

  “You’ll have a lot, no matter what.” I brushed my lips against his slowly as he inhaled, sliding his hands over my waist. “You consume me.” I kissed in between sentences. “I can’t stop thinking about you.” Another kiss. “I don’t want to be without you.” I gave him the last gentle kiss. “I don’t want to worry about stupid shit.” The next kiss was hungry and he pulled me closer as he deepened the kiss eagerly.

  “Is it bad to have sex before we go away?” He asked as I giggled and wrapped my legs around him.

  “No, it’s perfect. I can’t wait,” I told him as he carried me up the stairs to his bedroom. I didn’t ask why we weren’t in the other room as he stripped me roughly and kissed me hard. He kissed every inch of my body slowly, edging me closer to a release before he’d pull away. I begged him to take me in a hoarse voice as frustration filled me, finally weeping when he settled between my legs and sucked on my pussy.

  “This pussy is mine. Do you hear that?” He asked me before drawing my clit between his lips.

  “Yes, it’s yours.” I agreed, gripping the sheets as he ravaged me. I came hard when he spent enough time on my clit, crying out his name as I rocked against him.

  “I haven’t thought about another woman since we met. I’ve been obsessed with you.” He told me as he rose and settled between my thighs. “I want you, Elisa.”

  “I want you,” I replied as he lifted his hips and positioned himself before driving himself inside of me. I moaned as he filled me, sliding against my walls. I pulled him closer as he kissed my neck, sucking the skin between his teeth as he moved just a little harder and faster.

  We came together and I arched my back, feeling him bite down on my nipple. “Oh, oh, oh.” I gave in to my feelings for him, holding them in until sometime this weekend when it felt right to say.

  I stayed the night, waking up early so Mark could take me home to change. I threw on a dress after a quick shower, making myself look decent. I didn’t have time to pack because Damon distracted me all night in bed, but I’d figure it out tonight. It was only two nights.

  I drifted through the day with a smile, a little dazed as I tried to focus on my work. I was picking it up fine, but I had a lot on my mind and stole several looks across the street. Damon was perfect last night, making me feel like the only woman in the world from the moment that I saw him. We met for lunch, enjoying a sandwich together as we discussed the trip while holding hands. I kissed him on the street, not caring who saw. I had my life falling right into place before my eyes.

  I hurried home to pack, taking just a few minutes before I called Damon to tell him that I was ready. He promised me that he’d see me in a few minutes and I zipped up my bag and glanced around the tiny room. “Have fun.” Melody smiled at me from her bed. She’d started seeing someone from school and it seemed to be getting serious. They were going to a concert the following day and getting a hotel.

  “You too. Check out Jared for me!” I winked as I grabbed my stuff and walked out of the apartment to meet Damon. The drive was great and we laughed the entire way, stopping for a quick dinner at one of the diners near the Inn before we checked in for the night.

  The room was better than last time. It was bigger with a spa in the bathroom instead of the tub and a generous balcony overlooking the ocean. However, it was also colder. “We’ll come back when we can actually wear shorts one time,” Damon promised me as I smiled at the view.

  “It’s fine. This is lovely,” I assured him as I looked into his eyes. We went back into the room and got into the spa for a bit before finding a movie in bed. I snuggled against him and looked around with a happy sigh. “Thank you. I needed this and I needed you with it.”

  Damon

  I watched her sleep after we made love, with the beautiful, peaceful look on her face. She was wild tonight, initiating everything as she rolled me over to my back. I was going to pop the surprise on her after that, but we were both tired. We had two days here with nowhere to be but a couple of restaurants. It was going to be perfect.

  I woke up to see the sky dim through the balcony doors
, shaking Elisa gently away so we could watch the sunrise. She photographed every step of it with her camera, trying different angles as I watched her. “We’ll be sure to watch it go down from a beach as well.” I told her as she nodded. When it was up and we were cold, Elisa dragged me back to bed and kissed me as she pressed her body against me, knowing that her hard nipples would be hard for me to resist.

  We made love carelessly before dozing off again in the beautiful room, waking up hungry and in need of coffee. We both showered quickly and headed down to the in-house bistro, ordering their special with coffee and we stared over the expansive ocean. It was warm enough to walk around today and we took advantage of that, finding new beaches and more shops. I could tell the Elisa was in love with the town, making me fall more in love with her.

  We went to a nice place for dinner and watched the sunset before going back to our room. She wanted to use the spa again, resting her body against me as she sighed. “Thank you. Today was perfect.”

  “I wanted to ask you something, Elisa.” I said as she tensed before me. “I did a lot of thinking in this crazy time since we’ve been seeing each other. I’ve changed and it was confusing but a learning experience.”

  “Agreed,” she giggled as her hands slid up my legs.

  “I knew something in the beginning but I had to mull it over. I think I needed space to say this, but I love you.” I felt her freeze as her nails dug into my skin.

  “Love?”

  “Yes. I love you completely and I want to make things right with us. There’s something else.”

  “Oh, God.” Her voice was almost a whisper and I kissed her hair.

  “Not that fast,” I promised her as I took a deep breath. “I am going to be buying an apartment complex as an investment very soon to spread some money around. It’s nice, close to work and safer than that POS you live in now.” Elisa opened her mouth to speak and I covered her mouth gently. “I can offer you something in there as well as your mom, but I’d like you to move in with me.”

  I heard her start to cry. “I love you, too. I hated being without you.” She wiped at her eyes and I pulled her close. “I want to live with you because we’ve spent too much time apart.”

  “Give notice when we get back and get your ass in my place, then.” I teased her as I kissed her neck. “Let’s do this, Elisa.”

  We stayed in the hot water as long as we could stand it before drying off and going to bed. I left only one light on by the bed as I kissed her, happier than I’ve ever been. “There’s one more thing. I want you and your mother to have Thanksgiving with my family. Will you?”

  “I’m meeting your parents?” Elisa squealed as I kissed her again.

  We made love, her on her stomach and ass in the air as I took her hard. I’d given her one orgasm with my mouth already and she was tight and wet for me. We woke up to do that several times before watching the sunrise again, wrapped in robes. Elisa suggested an early morning walk on the beach for shells and I agreed as we bundled up.

  She found a lot of shells and rocks, dropping them into a bad that she’d brought along. Everything was quiet and it felt like we were the only people on Earth. “This is great, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. It’s such a change from the city, which I love too…but I’ll miss this.”

  “Maybe we’ll get a house here down the line. Come up every weekend and just chill. It can be big enough for family.” She pressed against me for long kiss. “I love you.”

  “I love you.” We held hands as we wandered back to the car, looking over the scenery as we glanced down for more shells.

  We headed home that afternoon and Elisa moved in with her few things by the middle of the week. She paid the roommates a month ahead of rent so they wouldn’t get in a bind, and I took her to dinner the first night that she was officially living with me.

  Someone heard about us at work but I assured them that we held off on dating until she left the company. Once a couple of weeks passed, it seemed to die down and many people liked me being settled down. They said I was less grumpy and a nicer boss, particularly Brent and the other managers.

  EPILOGUE

  Damon

  I waited until the following Spring to propose to Elisa and we got married at the Inn in the very beginning of the Fall. It was small and intimate with just family and close friends, perfect in my eyes. Elisa looked beautiful with her hair in a low bun on her neck and flowers by her ears. Her dress was flowing and cream colored, but not too fancy since the wedding was on the beach.

  The reception was in the large room at the inn, where dinner was served and we offered an open bar. I had a friend come up to play music for the guests and the traditional dances. It was a beautiful night and we headed to our room after it was over, where I had some surprises for Elisa. She was an animal since living with me and learning all about her favorite room in the house and I wanted our wedding night to be special because we were going to try for a baby very soon.

  That was when I would calm down but tonight was going to be epic.

  Elisa

  It took ten hours to deliver our daughter, a year after we were married. I sobbed as I felt her coming into the world, since my epidural had worn off by then. I didn’t care, because we were meeting our baby after nine long and somewhat uncomfortable months. She was beautiful as the doctor gave her to me, with a sprinkling of dark hair and the sweetest heart shaped mouth. I hoped that she’d have Damon’s eyes as I cried and he kissed my damp hair.

  I knew going home from the hospital that my life was complete. I had the job, the husband and now the baby. My mom lived close by and watched the baby while I pursued the career, often coming to the beach house as well in the Cod. His family joined us too as well as Melody and her husband.

  That was an anniversary present.

  Damon never seemed to miss his former ways or even think twice about them. He doted on me and Avery, as well as Declan when he came along when his big sister was two.

  I told him that I loved him every night before we went to sleep and we spent a lot of time just being us. We still used our room, locking it when we were both in and out of it, I wasn’t ready to explain that to the kids yet, if ever.

  I would never regret giving Damon a second chance.

  The End

  Thank you for reading The Intern Installment.

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  PREVIEW OF FOCUS

  By Michelle Love

  Ryker Crawford is a new billionaire who’s taken over the CEO position of his dearly departed grandfather’s company, Apollo Engineering.

  Gia Flynn is a young woman who’s a talented engineer. She’s been lying dormant for three years as she’s become the girlfriend of space engineering magnate, Damian Markov.

  When Ryker lays eyes on her at a fundraiser, he finds her boyfriend ignoring her as he pays attention to his cell phone instead of the young, dark haired beauty.

  Can Ryker lure the brilliant woman away from the Russian Billionaire?Ç

  The Spotlight Part 1

  By Michelle Love

  Chapter 1

  RYKER

  Flames explode out of the bottom of the new rocket boosters, Ian has developed. Applause spontaneously begins as we all watch the large screen at the front of the meeting room. We’re one step closer to making getting to Mar’s a reality.

  Apollo Engineering was started by my grandfather ten years ago. He passed away a little over a year ago, cancer took him from us, before he could see his dream of becoming one of the first settlers of Mars, come true. He’s turned that dream over to me.

  “Ryker, tell me what you think,” Ian says as we all sit back down after watching the video he recorded when he tested the rocket booster in Cape Canaveral.

  “I think you’re a genius. But what else is new?” I ask, drawing chuckles from the other board members. “My one question is, w
hen can you get this into production. With fifty ships to build, we need to get at least one of them done within the next three years, so we can test before sending people off to outer space in the things.”

  “Here’s where you’re going to decide to give me a monster bonus, Ryker,” he says with a smile. “I’ve got the approval to produce these things in Russia. The government is willing to let us use their facilities in exchange for the technology. It’s a fair trade, I think. But what matters is what you think, Ryker.”

  “The Russian government, huh? I’ll have to consider that. There’s a fundraiser tonight. I might be able to pick the brains of some of the privately owned Russian space exploration companies’ top guns, to see how much they would trust their government with their own technologies. So, I can get back to you on that soon, Ian.” I look around the board table. “Does anyone have anything they’d like to add to Ian’s presentation?”

  Sandy looks at me as she says, “I’d like to know why he wants to use a Russian facility to build the boosters when we have facilities here in the U.S. that could be used.”

  I turn to Ian to allow him to answer that. “Ian?”

  “They’d make us pay. I know the company has plenty of money but why pay when we can get them made for free?” he asks, raising a good point.

  “The money goes into our economy, though,” Sandy retorts.

  I raise my hand to stop any further arguing. “Let me talk to some people first, before we go into this. It may not be a thing we need to argue over at all. If that’s all, we can adjourn this meeting.”