by BWWM Club
“I have never seen him so happy,” she had acknowledged softly. They had been in the kitchen and Debra had insisted on helping her to tidy the kitchen while Michael went out to the shed to get some wood for the fireplace. “He keeps looking at you, even when you don’t notice that he is. There is this expression on his face when he looks at you.” The woman held on to her arm. “You have something so wonderful and rare my dear, that others will envy you of it and try to come between you, don’t let that happen.”
“I won’t,” Debra had promised her with a fond smile. She actually felt herself being drawn to her and resolved in her mind that she was going to invite her over for dinner at least once a week.
With a deliberate shake of her head she got back to the job at hand and started sorting out her messages and the things that needed her urgent attention. Michael had suggested that she move into a bigger office near him but she had declined and he had not pushed.
It was almost noon when her intercom rang. It was Amy, Michael’s personal secretary. “Michael said that the meeting is running over so he will come and see you when it’s over. He wants to know what you want for lunch.”
“Call me as soon as he come out of the meeting Amy, thanks.” Debra told her. They had eaten breakfast of pancakes and eggs and by the time they were ready to leave; Maisie the daily helper had come by. Debra had told Michael that it felt strange to have someone working for her and she was not sure she would ever get used to it.
“Get used to it,” he had told her giving her a quick kiss on the mouth as they got into the car. “You are now part owner of a very large company as well.”
“Michael no,” she protested, stopping in the act of securing her seatbelt and looking at her husband. “You know I am not interested in your money.”
“I know and it’s our money now.” He told her with a fond smile. “I love you baby and what I have is yours.”
Debra was still in a daze even when they got to the towering building that housed Tanner’s Technology.
He was just coming out of the meeting when she got there and to her amusement she noticed he had taken off his jacket and his tie and loosened the top two buttons of his light blue dress shirt. “God baby, I am sorry! The damned meeting took forever,” he said with a touch of impatience as he came in and closed the door behind him. “I wanted to take you out to lunch at this delightful seafood restaurant uptown but now I have to stay for a conference call from Hong Kong.”
“That’s all right,” she soothed him, going into his arms, thrilled that she now had the right to do so. “We can always go there for dinner.” She put her arms around his neck, determined to erase the frown from his brow.
“I need you,” he told her huskily, reaching down for her lips. She met his with equal need, as his arms tightened around her waist. “I can’t believe you are mine.” His tongue met hers and she sank into him, returning the kiss with fervor.
It was the insistent ringing of the intercom that caused them to break apart reluctantly but he still held her around the waist as he reached to answer the intercom. “Yes Amy?” he said brusquely.
“Your conference call is in the next ten minutes Michael and Peter Jones wants you to call him back urgently on the Smithville project.”
“Thanks Amy,” he depressed the button and turned back to her. “Have you eaten?” he pushed back a wisp of hair from her forehead. He had also wanted to take her shopping and had even called and made an appointment at the exclusive store that sold custom made clothes but he guessed that would have to wait.
“Just about to,” she told him, reaching to touch his jaw tenderly. “I’ll grab something at my desk. What are you going to eat?”
“I’ll ask Amy to get something for me from the kitchen.” He told her. “I love you and it’s hard for me to let you go.”
“I’ll see you later.” She kissed him soundly on the mouth and he let go of her reluctantly, watching as she headed for the door, her impossibly high heels sinking into the rich white carpet. She turned at the door and blew him a kiss before leaving and closing the door behind her.
It took the blinking of the light on the phone to bring him out of his daze and with a shake of his head he went back to the business of running his company, his erection receding slowly.
Chapter 9
"I want children Michael," she murmured. They were in bed that night and had just finished making love and he was holding her close to him, her head on his shoulder. She felt him stiffened and then relaxed against her, his hand slowly going up and down the small of her back.
"Not right now," he said a little brusquely. "We need time together first before children come between us."
Debra raised her head to look at him. His eyes were hooded and his face expressionless and she knew there was something he was not telling her. "What's wrong?"
He shook his head and said lightly. "I am just discovering you and I want it to be just us right now."
"Talk to me Michael," she said urgently. "There is nothing that you cannot say to me, please."
"Leave it alone Debra," he said, his voice sounding a little harsh as he pulled away from her, climbing out of the bed and pulling on his robe. They had left the offices at a quarter past seven because he had had some things to tie up before tomorrow and she had waited for him, finishing some things of her own. They had made dinner together, a light salad and heated up lasagna that Maizie had left for them and two glasses of wine. They had taken a shower together which had led to them making love in the bathroom and on into the bedroom.
He had wanted her to make changes in the bedroom, just to add her touch to it but she had not gotten around to doing so yet and besides the sumptuous bedroom had an elegance that she was not sure she should add or take away anything from it.
He was standing at the window, staring out at the snowflakes making their way rapidly from the sky. It was already February and they had been getting snow almost every day. She climbed off the bed and pulled on her white silk robe over her nakedness and came up behind him; her arms going around his waist. Before he had told her how he felt about her, she would not have dared to be so presumptuous but now she was confident that whatever it was they could work through it; she would make him if need be. He did not turn around as he normally did but stood there staring out the glass.
"I just love the snowflakes don't you?" she said conversationally, her hands tightening around his waist. "It always reminds us that there can always be a clean start and nothing is permanent, things changes. Look at the way the snowflake hits the glass and it melts. There is always a fresh start." She emphasized gently.
He did not respond and for a moment Debra thought he wouldn't. "I am not sure I would make a good father." He told her tonelessly. "I know firsthand what it does to a kid when he is not loved by a parent and is abused by that said parent; it turns him into a little higher than a monster."
Debra let go of him and went around to face him, oblivious to the coldness of the glass as she braced against it. "We both know you are not a monster," she told him gently; one hand going up to cup his firm jaw, now clenched with the effort of holding his feelings in check. "You are a wonderful, incredibly beautiful man with a huge capacity to love. I know that," she smiled. "I experience that love every day and I think I am the luckiest woman on this planet."
He stared down at her, his green eyes blazing with that love she spoke about. He reached out a hand to touch one soft, smooth cheek, his expression tender. "You are what I know about love; about loving someone and having that someone love me back. I keep expecting to turn out like my father and I get scared." His hand curved her cheek. "I am afraid of relaxing and letting down my guard and then end up hurting the people I love." His hand tightened on her face and Debra saw his expression change as his thoughts turned inward. Whatever demon he was wrestling with still had a hold of him and Debra ached for him, suddenly feeling helpless. "I would rather die than hurt you," he whispered in a tortured voice, bringing his forehe
ad down on hers. She felt the shudder going through his body and she lifted her hands and held onto his arms, trying to transfer what she felt for him to comfort him.
"I need time," he told her, raising his head and gazing at her, his thumb rubbing against her cheek. "Please I need time." His mouth sought hers hungrily as if reassuring himself that she was still there, she was still with him and Debra slid her hands around his neck and brought him closer to her, opening her mouth under his to touch his tongue with hers.
With a low groan he pushed the silky robe off her shoulders letting it fall to the floor leaving her naked before him. He shrugged off his robe and reached down to capture a pebble hard nipple between his teeth, pulling it inside his mouth with a hunger that defied description. Debra gripped his hair, her neck arched as he continued to pull on her nipple; one hand venturing down to her pubic area where he touched her mound; his finger rubbing against it.
He lifted his head and stared down at her, his green eyes turbulent as he took in her face flushed with the passion of his mouth on her body. He loved her so much that he ached for her and no matter what it took he was going to make sure he showed her every time they were together that she was loved. He had shared something with her that he would not think of sharing with anyone else and even though he felt vulnerable before her; he was not uncomfortable with it.
They stood before each other naked; their expressions saying what they could not. She reached for him, running her hand down his firm chest, lingering on the nipples and going down to where the hair narrowed leading down to his pubic area. She touched him there, her hand grazing his erection, her eyes on his face. He went still as she gripped him and his eyes darkened as she went down on her knees before him.
He closed his eyes as she took him inside her mouth, her tongue touching the tip of him before taking him full within her, swirling her tongue around his member and pulling him in. Michael gritted his teeth as the pleasure flooded his body and he buckled, bracing his hands against the walls as she continued to pleasure him with her mouth. With a hoarse cry he lifted her and placed her on his soaking wet penis which slid inside her with ease, properly lubricated with her saliva. Debra wrapped her legs around his waist and he took her mouth with his, crushing her lips as he thrust inside her; his hands gripping her hips as they moved together frantically. She held him to her closely, her heart going out to him; the love pouring from her as she returned his thrust with her own matching his and making sure to show him how much he was loved by her. She did not care how long it took for him to be healed; she was going to be there for him no matter how long it took. They came together, their cries mingling, as they clung together riding the storm with each other.
When they were able to; he picked her up and carried her to the bed, putting her down gently and climbing in beside her. Their body temperatures had cooled down somewhat and he pulled her close to him, his hand against the small of her back. “I don’t want to disappoint you,” he murmured after a few minutes of silence. “I don’t want you to regret marrying me.” He laughed ruefully. “I am a complete mess aren’t I?”
“Be very careful, you happen to be talking about the man I love,” she told him softly, raising her head to look at him. She slid on top of him and kissed him softly on the mouth. “The man I love is wonderful and I would not trade him for any other.”
To her surprise she saw his amazing green eyes clouded with tears, tears he did not bother to hide. “I love you so much,” he told her hoarsely.
“I love you too,” Debra told him softly, wiping the tears away, humbled by him; the way he let his emotions hang there for her to see. “I always will, my husband.” She slept on top of him while he held her tightly to him, her head buried against his chest.
*****
He found out things about her. She loved to read and even read Nancy Drew books over and over again and when he teased her about it she protested: “I love mysteries and she is very good at solving them.” He would pull her close to him and while he was reading the stock exchange she would be reading one of her mystery books. They did things together and never got tired of being with each other and even when they ate at home he insisted she sat beside him.
He watched television with her, protesting that she watched the same types of movies. He observed that she was particularly fond of Law and Order SVU and would watch the same episodes over and over again.
He took her shopping. It was already March and the cold seemed to be lingering with the snow piled high on the ground. He took her to an exclusive boutique. They were given the best attention and plied with champagne and selections of tiny sandwiches. Her objections to the amount of clothes he was buying died down when he told her that spoiling her was something he wanted to do and she should not deprive him of it.
She encouraged him to have a relationship with his mother, by inviting her over for dinner once a week and going there for dinner with her and calling to check up on her. Ever since her aunt had taken a vested interest in her, Maura Tanner had blossomed into a confident woman; a far cry from the trembling unsure woman she had been a few months ago.
He did not like her eating without him so even if she had to grab a snack, she would do so when she had to come home before him because of a meeting he had outside the office. Maisie was usually gone when they got home and she would leave the supper on the marble top counter for them to eat when they got home. Debra had told her not to come on weekends and she used the time to prepare something or they would go out to dinner. He had bought her a brand new BMW for Valentine’s Day and she had only driven it two times because they always go out together.
They took trips to the zoo and the museum and to her delighted surprise; she discovered that he was afraid of snakes. “They are way too creepy for my peace of mind,” he had muttered by way of excuse when she had teased him about it.
At the zoo they had picnicked indoors after seeing every last animal and after they had eaten he had watched as she stopped to lay with a little girl with cute blonde pigtails.
He was unusually quiet when they were on their way home and Debra kept looking at him trying to gauge his mood. What was he thinking about? She wondered, a little worried; ever since his admission of love to her and they had gotten closer he had always shared whatever he was thinking with her and knowing him as she did now she knew that something was troubling him.
It was an extremely freezing cold night and as soon as he handed the valet the keys to the car he bundled her up under his arm and they went inside.
“How about coffee?” he suggested, shrugging out of his bulky leather jacket and putting it away.
“After we talk,” Debra put her own coat on the rack and tugged off her matching boots. Maisie had left a fire blazing in the hearth; bless her soul, so the room was warm and toasty. She sat on the white leather sofa and curled her feet underneath her, patting the space beside her. He stood there looking at her for a moment, a furrow on his brow.
“What’s on your mind?” he asked her lightly taking a seat beside her but not touching her.
“What’s on yours?”
“Getting you naked and making mindless love to you.” He reached out a hand to trail along her cheek, a glint in his eyes.
“Don’t do that,” she told him sharply; pulling away from him. “I am not one of your empty headed bimbos; I am your wife and I need you to always remember that. What’s wrong?”
He stared at her in silence for a moment, his hand just inches away from her, his eyes dark and unreadable. “I saw you with that little girl,” he said abruptly. “You love children and I am standing in the way of you having one.” He dug his hands into his hair.
It took Debra a moment to remember what he was referring to and then her expression cleared and softened. The big oaf, she thought in exasperation.
She got up and knelt before him, willing him to look at her. “You are an idiot.” She told him quietly, causing him to gape at her. “I love you Michael Tanner and I told you that
I will give you time, which means that spending time with each other is what I want for us right now. I love children and I love seeing them but that does not mean that I am pining and hell bent of getting pregnant.” She pulled down his hands and held them in hers. “I am here Michael and you need to realize that.”
He looked at her; his hands inside hers trembling slightly. “I don’t deserve you,” he told her hoarsely.
“You are right,” she teased him coming up on her knees and between his legs. “But I am here to stay.” She whispered, pulling down his head and capturing his lips with hers. They spent the night wrapped in each other’s arms and later, much later in the night Michael stared down at this wonderful woman who was his wife.
*****
Debra stared at the girl in front of her in barely concealed pity. Monica Darby had barged into her office after she had been told that the person she was here to see was not available. She was dressed in an obviously fake black fur coat and when she sat, which she had done without being invited to do the crossing of her legs revealed black fish neck stockings. She was a very pretty girl underneath all that garish make-up and her attempt at bravado was slowly disappearing as the minutes went by.
“Avoiding me is not going to make me go away Mrs. Tanner,” she drawled in a voice designed to appear nonchalant. “I will go to the press if need be.” She warned.
“I assure you Monica, may I call you Monica?” she asked and the girl nodded. “I promise you that this will all be sorted out and there is no need to get the press involved.”
“I am good enough for him to sleep with but not good enough to carry his baby?” the girl spat, “He told me that he will take care of me. I am not aborting this baby so he can keep his damn money!”
Debra was furious but not with this pathetic looking girl. She had barged into her office claiming that she had been sleeping with the oldest, most respectable member of the board. A man who had a wife and grown children and even grandchildren but who had gone outside and not someone who was in his circle but a prostitute at that, and had not had the sense that God gave him to use a condom and now the woman was pregnant. If this went to the press then they would have an uproar on their hands, not to mention an entire family being hurt by it. She had been trying to get ahold of Michael for the past few minutes but Amy had told her that he was at a meeting outside the office. The girl was young enough to be his grandchild and that was something she was battling with.