by Lauren Wood
Now I was dreading seeing her and instead of waiting for it to all blow up in my face down here, I went back to her room and knocked on the door after I realized that it was still locked. No one answered, but then I heard the water going in the shower and I figured I should see about that first.
That door wasn’t locked, but I wasn’t welcome. Cece made it clear and actually threw something at me. “Keep your distance Dante. I don’t want to hear anything you have to say. Just do your job and leave me alone! I don’t want to have to fire you too.”
***
“I think we should talk Dante.”
I turned around and looked at her warily. “I have been trying to for a couple of weeks now. You haven’t wanted to have anything to do with me for all of that time. Keep your distance is what you said. What do you want me to say?”
“I know that I have been distance, but it came to my attention that some of the information that I got, may not have been the right information. Sometimes it is hard to disbelieve what you see with your own eyes. I thought I saw something between you and Barb, but now I know that it wasn’t something that you had a part of. You have to understand that I never wanted to believe it, but it is hard to see something with your own eyes and not believe it. I didn’t want to seem like the fool that would let you make up such ridiculous excuses.”
“Why do you think so differently now?”
“I talked to Steve and he told me what happened. I wish you would have told me, but I don’t think I would have believed you anyways if I am completely honest with myself. I knew that Barb was a troublemaker, but I never would have guessed that she was that way.”
“Well I wanted to talk to you about it, but I didn’t think there was anything I could say to make it better. I know that I didn’t want to have anything to do with her. You are the only one I want Cece. That hasn’t changed.”
“Even though I was a jealous cow to you?”
I smiled and I loved the way her whole face brightened up with idea of my forgiveness. It had been far too long since I had seen that look on her face and I wanted to memorize it so I would never forget it.
“Yes even though you wouldn’t give me a chance to explain. It has only been you since the first time we were together and I don’t want that to ever change. I was hoping that the truth would come out one day soon, but I am not going to worry about it too much. Now that you are mine again and we are talking, that is all that matters.”
“So what do you want to do now that we are talking again?”
I chuckled and sighed. She really was the perfect woman when she wasn’t pissed off at me.
“I can think of many things that I would like to do with you and all of them involve me, you and a bed.”
She sighed and moved towards me. “Why a bed?”
“Because it has been weeks Cece and I want to take you properly.”
She shivered in my arms and I kissed her for the first time in a long time. I had been so afraid that I wasn’t going to ever be able to hold her again, but she felt amazing in my arms, she really did.
“You feel different. It has been so long that you feel different to me Cece.”
She pulled back away from me and looked at me a little strange. “What do you mean by that?”
I held her middle, pulling her back to me and there were definitely some changes in the way her body felt in my arms. It was hard to explain, but she felt a little rounder and her stomach was a little harder. I certainly wasn’t going to say that to her though.
“I don’t know. You just feel different to me. Your boobs even feel different.”
That got her smiling and she pushed my hand away from her mounds. “They are bigger now, but not by much. How could you tell?”
That’s what it was, that felt bigger and I had to put my hand up there again to cup them and see if she was right. She was. So what did that mean?
“I don’t know Cece, but I know this body better than my own. I could just tell right off the bat that something was different. Why do you think your boobs are bigger?”
“Because my bras are getting tight.”
I waited for her to say more, but nothing was forthcoming.
“So, why is that? I didn’t think that they did that… Oh.” Now I see.
Cecelia moved back a little and looked at me, waiting for my reaction. It took me a minute, but now I got it. “Are you?”
I couldn’t even say the word because it was so foreign to me. I didn’t know what to say so I just pulled her to me and kissed her on the lips. I was happy and scared all at the same time, but I knew that I wanted this with her. It cemented us together forever and I knew that I was going to have to make it official. I owed that to her and it wasn’t like I wasn’t already thinking about it, but first things first.
Pulling her after me, I took her upstairs and closed the door, locking it. “I need you Cece.”
Her blue eyes darkened the color of the stormy sea. “I need you too Dante, badly.”
Her hands went to her shirt and she started to undo it. I wasn’t waiting though, not able to endure her little show. I pulled the shirt open and heard the buttons popping as I ripped it off. I didn’t care and once I got my mouth on Cece, she wasn’t going to care either.
Epilogue
Three Months Later
Cecelia
“So what are we doing here Dante? You know I don’t like surprises.”
He smiled at me and told me that he wasn’t going to tell me a word. We had ridden the horses for a couple of hours and it seemed like now we were walking into dark nothingness and I was getting an uneasy feeling. It was late at night and pitch black, but he seemed just fine to let me worry about it all.
I didn’t really care where we were going, as long as he was with me. All I could think about was how much I wanted him to just tell me already. I didn’t like the unknown, even though it was Dante.
Everything had changed since I finally talked to Steve and found out the truth. Every time that I didn’t trust Dante, I was proven wrong and that was just another time that the same rang true. All I wanted from him was to be with him and now that I finally realized that I could trust him, everything had been so much better. I wish I would have gotten here so much sooner. It seemed like a waste, all of the mistrust and putting myself through agony thinking all of those horrible things about him for no reason.
“I don’t care where we go Dante, as long as the ending is what I hope for.”
I had only one thing in mind when we were together and now I wanted him so badly. When I thought about him, I knew that everything was going to work out. It took me a while to get there, but we were going to be a family soon enough.
“I know what you want Cece and I promise that you won’t be disappointed.”
His statement made me feel a little better and I started to relax a little bit, letting him guide me in the dark. Whatever it was, it would be good because it was from him. I was sure of that, if I wasn’t sure of anything else.
My heart started to falter when we came through a clearing and I could see candles lit, as well as a blanket laying out with a picnic basket and some sparkling cider. He was always so damn romantic and this was no different. I turned to him and kissed him in the darkness that was no longer complete.
“It’s beautiful baby. Totally worth the wait. You know how hungry I was. I was sure that you were trying to make me starve.”
“Never Cece. I just wanted to have dinner with just the two of us, not with everyone else around from the ranch.”
“I agree. I like eating with everyone like a family, but I like to be alone with you as well. It always feels so nice when we are together just the two of us. So what is the occasion for tonight? Why did you do all of this?”
“I wanted to ask you something important and I wanted to make sure that everything was right.”
I had a feeling I knew what he was about to do and I was so nervous that I asked for some sparkling cider first. He poured me a d
rink while I anxiously nibbled on a piece of cheese. I wasn’t hungry anymore, but I knew that I wanted to keep my hands busy before I did something that I would regret.
“What did you want to ask me?” I already knew, but I wanted to prolong it just a little bit longer. This was a moment that I was going to remember the rest of my life. It was a story that is going to be told over and over again and I wanted to make sure it was perfect.
Dante did just what I had always envisioned in my mind. He got on one knee with a small ring box in his hands. “Will you marry me Cece?”
I shook my head, tears streaming down my face because I knew that it was going to be hard to actually get any words out. I moved down to kiss him and toppled him over. I fell onto his hard body and I could have sworn that I had fallen back in love with him all over again.
“So it that a yes?”
“Yes! Of course I will marry you Dante! I thought you would never ask.”
I moved off of him because I was smooshing my burgeoning stomach. I didn’t mention that it took him long enough. I had hoped for this, months ago, but now, as he slipped the ring on my finger, our future family together seemed more and more a part of reality. Our new reality and it was one that I wouldn’t change for the world.
THE END
BE MY FIRST: A BILLIONAIRE AND VIRGIN ROMANCE
BLURB
My New Employee makes it hard…very hard to ignore.
Claire makes me want to throw all the rules away
I’m not supposed to f*ck employees.
But I have never cared for rules.
And all of the rules changed when Claire Adams walked in the meeting as one of my newest consultants.
I ignored the slight stirrings, but it was hard to resist the beautiful woman.
She was so young, innocent and supple.
Her body called to me in so many ways.
She is so ripe for the taking.
It was like she was asking for it.
I just couldn’t say no.
Once I put my mind to it, I get anything I want.
I have money, cars, power.
No one denies me.
Not even her.
I want Claire underneath me.
My mind obsessed about being inside of her.
The noises she would make.
How tight she would be.
I want to be her first.
And I always get what I want.
I don’t care what others think.
How wrong it is.
I don’t care that I am the wolf and she is the sheep.
She is bound to me.
I will have her innocence.
And then she will forever be mine.
***
Chapter 1
Claire
“So what about that guy?”
I looked to where Amy was pointing and I shook my head. “Come on, you know that I am not really looking.”
“You are single, have been for months. It is time that you start looking again. You are too picky Claire and you are going to end up an old spinster if you don’t start opening your horizons.”
I chuckled at her and took a sip of my drink. She was right of course. I would never tell her that, but she was right after all. I already had a cat. I was just three cats away from being the crazy cat lady on my block.
“I am looking, sort of. I just know what I want. That isn’t being picky.”
She wasn’t buying it and her brown eyes gave me this look that I knew too well. “What about you?”
“Scott and I are doing okay. I think we should see other people though, you know, keep the options open.”
“Then what is the point of being together?”
“He keeps me from doing stupid things.”
I giggled, “Like Justin?”
“Yes like Justin. That is worth it, right?”
I nodded my head in agreement, but I still wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say. This was a normal thing for us. We went out every Friday night and Amy always tried to talk me into dancing with all these different men. She had found the love of her life in a bar, even if they did split up. I knew I wouldn’t find my husband here. I didn’t know where I would find him, but it wouldn’t be at a place like this.
“That guy is over there staring you down Claire, go say hi.”
I looked where she was looking and I had to admit that she finally found a guy that was easy on the eyes. I certainly liked the look of him and I turned back to Amy when he met my gaze. The man was not what I was looking for, but there was something in his eyes that made me look again.
“Go over there.”
I debated it for a minute and had decided that I didn’t want to go, but that didn’t matter. The guy that was looking our way started to walk over and I fixed a smile on my face.
“Hey ladies.”
Smiling up at the guy, as he got closer, I could tell how handsome he was.
“Hello guy.”
“Tony.”
“Hi Tony.”
“Can I buy you a drink?”
I picked up the glass that I was drinking from. He was a little too late on that one.
“Fair enough, let me take you for a dance.”
He was persistent and with Amy half pushing me out of the bar stool, I didn’t really have a choice but to go dance with him. One dance I told myself. I only have time for one dance and then I was going to go home and work on some resumes.
“You are beautiful, what is your name?”
I smiled at the compliment and told him that my name was Claire.
“I think I have seen you before Claire.”
I shook my head and told him that I doubted it. The man wasn’t listening though. His hands were all over me and I felt his palms tightening up on my ass. What the hell did this guy think he was doing?
I pushed back from him. ‘”Come on, I know where I saw you from Claire. It took me a minute, but I have watched you dance many times before.”
“No, I think you have the wrong girl.” He was not letting go of me and I was getting aggravated to no end. I wanted his hands off of me, right now.
I pushed away and he told me that I was being a tease. This was why I hated coming here, but I came for Amy.
“Don’t think that I don’t know who you are. Do you need a few dollars?”
My face fell and for a moment I was mad at someone else, more than I was this man. But then I had to wonder how I could deal with this every day. When Tony started to pull some money out of his pocket, I turned around and hoped that I didn’t feel his hands on my arm to stop me. I was humiliated and I walked right back to the table where Amy was.
“What just happened?”
“He thought I was someone else and thought he would get liberal with his touching.”
“Oh, ewww, sorry.”
We were both quiet for a while. I wanted to leave right now, but Amy wanted to finish her drink. She at least had the decency to not say anything about Amber. I didn’t want to talk about it and it was nights like this that I hated sharing a face with someone else, that someone who is my twin, someone so different than me, yet close enough to the same that I had encounters like this a couple of times a week since I came to Atlanta.
“Don’t worry about it Claire, that was one guy.”
It was one guy, all the time it felt like. How was I ever supposed to date here if that was how it turned out? “I think we need to try somewhere new. This place isn’t working for me.”
“It’s not so bad. Some of the guys are really nice. I just like the atmosphere.”
The atmosphere was dark and bright all at the same time. Colored strobe lights moved throughout the place. It felt like more of a light show than anything else. The music was loud enough to vibrate my rib cage and I could barely hear without the person doing a sort of shout talk that was only okay in a club.
“I think I have had enough of this atmosphere for the night.” My attention was on Tony who was staring me down from
the bar. I didn’t know if he was going to be a problem or not, but he made himself being there uncomfortable.
Amy saw the exchange and agreed that it was time to go. “If he gets up when we do, we need to talk to the bouncer.”
She was getting the same feeling I was and I agreed one hundred percent with her plan. Tony didn’t get up though. He stayed on his stool, eying us as we left. I got a shiver down my spine with the way he was looking at me. I was going to have to warn Amber about him. That guy seemed a little too forceful and I didn’t want her to run into him as well.
I took Amy home and even though she offered to finish the night at her house, I had had enough.
“Come on Claire, it’s not like you have class or work in the morning. You might as well get some of the benefits of being unemployed, think of all of the off time that you get.”
“I would rather have a job.”
“I could always get you a job at the diner.”
She had offered before and I had refused several times. I wasn’t quite to that level yet. I would be soon if I didn’t find something in my field before my savings ran out. I had projected up to nine months to find a good job. I moved to Atlanta for better job prospects, but I was finding it hard to bust into the market. I hadn’t given up, but I was getting discouraged.
“Maybe in another week or two. I am going to go online and see if I can find anything. I haven’t done too much of that yet. I took too much time off after college because I thought finding something would be a breeze.”
“Well I am here if you want to do something. I can’t sleep. I might call Justin over.”
I told her that it was a bad idea. He was an ex-boyfriend for her and most of the time a person was an ex for a reason. Justin was like her kryptonite and I didn’t want to see her get hurt again. Amy was an absolute mess last time she broke up with Justin.