by Noelle Adams
“I’m glad I timed this properly,” Adam was saying as he poured them each a glass of wine. “I hope you didn’t stop for something to eat on the way. I’ve got a couple of filets on the grill and picked up some crab cakes from that seafood market we saw last time.” He looked around as if getting his bearings.
“I will admit that the salad is a kit that I bought so I’m sure it won’t taste as good as yours but my culinary skills are quite limited.”
“What’s going on, Adam?” Cassie knew that things had gone badly the last time they had been together and while she was aware of the fact that Adam had tried to make it right, for him to go to this extreme seemed well out of character for him.
“I thought that was obvious, Cassandra. I’ve made dinner for us. I figured you’d be hungry after a long drive.”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it. We haven’t spoken in weeks and you weren’t supposed to be here until Friday so what’s going on?”
He smiled. That was it, he just smiled and put his glass down and walked slowly towards her. When he was standing directly in front of Cassie, he cupped her face and kissed her. Slowly, gently, luxuriating in the taste of her even when she wouldn’t kiss him back.
Raising his head, Adam stared deeply in to her eyes, the smile returning to his face. “I have to go and check those steaks; they should just about be done.” He walked away and went out to the grill. Cassie watched him remove the steaks and place them on a platter and then on the candle lit table. Next, he came back into the house and moved the rest of their meal outside.
Cassie followed and found that everything looked beautiful. Adam held out a chair for her and Cassie sat and waited for him to do the same. She slowly sipped at her wine, the cool evening breeze gently blew her hair but the heat from the tall lamp kept her warm. Anger simmered inside of her but she had enough curiosity in her to want to taste what he had prepared for her.
The hope was that the meal would be terrible and she could use that to fuel her bad feelings towards Adam but after one bite of the tender filet which melted in her mouth, she found that she couldn’t use that excuse.
He was trying. There wasn’t a doubt in Cassie’s mind that Adam was well and truly trying to make things right. Her problem was that she was afraid to even discuss what she was angry about because there was a very real possibility of them arguing some more and she knew that fighting with Adam never ended well for her.
“How’s your steak?” he asked, concern and curiosity in his voice.
“Everything’s delicious, Adam, thank you.” She returned her attention back to the meal and refused to let herself look at him for any length of time because Cassie knew if she did, all traces of anger would disappear; he seemed to have that effect on her and right now she wanted nothing more than to be angry just a little bit longer.
He had hurt her; maybe not intentionally, but he had hurt her just the same. Cassie had come to accept that in her line of work she was going to meet wealthy and successful people who had a lot more money and power than she did and that no matter how glamorous the atmosphere, no matter how posh the setting, she was always going to be the hired help. There had never been a time where it had bothered her like it had that night at Bev’s house when Adam had made it so abundantly clear of what her place was.
Thinking back, Cassie still couldn’t see what the big deal was and even if he wasn’t that close with his mother, using this house that sat empty most of the year for her wedding should not have been such a big issue. But thinking about it, obsessing about it was not going to help her right now. Right now she was here with Adam, sharing a meal and preparing to cater an important event for him.
She was hired to do a job.
There had been a momentary lapse in judgment on both their parts when they’d almost made love. Cassie knew that it had been a mistake; the only thing saving her pride at this point was that they hadn’t made love because otherwise she would have been mortified to have Adam speak to her as he had at Bev’s that night. From this point on, she had to remember that he was the employer and she, the employee. There would be no repeat of what had happened here last time.
Adam was watching Cassie intently; trying desperately to read her mind. She wouldn’t even look at him and Adam knew that she used that technique on him before, ignoring him, and he didn’t like it. What was she making such a big deal about? So he didn’t want her taking it upon herself to offer up his house to people. That wasn’t so unreasonable, was it? After all, it was his house, not hers. Just because she had spent one weekend here did not give her the right to invite other people.
True, the other people in question consisted of his own mother and her fiancé but still, if anyone was going to offer out this home for a wedding, it would be him.
Only it wouldn’t.
Adam had no desire to get sucked into all of the wedding hoopla and if Bev and Stephen were going to be married, well then they could make the arrangements themselves. Stephen probably expected him to foot the bill. Well, he would be sorely disappointed because Adam had no intention of shelling out anything for the wedding. If they were foolish enough to want to be married, then they can carry the expense themselves.
He was scowling at the thought and that was when Cassie finally lifted her head and looked at him. Adam noticed that she had finished her meal and she was standing and clearing her place.
“Everything was delicious. Thank you, again.” Cassie turned and carried her plates into the house. Once the plates were rinsed and loaded into the dishwasher, she considered finishing the clean up; after all that was what she was hired to do.
Looking around the kitchen she saw that Adam had not made too big of a mess and she began collecting bowls and pans and loading them into the dishwasher as well and then wiped down all of the counter tops. That’s what Adam saw her doing when he strode back into the house.
“What the hell are you doing?” he demanded, stopping short as he entered the kitchen, hands on hips.
Cassie looked at him as if she didn’t understand the question. “What do you mean? I’m cleaning up.”
“I can see that, Cassandra, I’m not an idiot. What I want to know is why you’re cleaning up.”
Confusion, plain and simple, showed all over her face. “There was a mess, I’m cleaning it up. I have to work in this kitchen for the next several days and so it needs to be clean in here. That’s what you’re paying me for.”
Adam cursed under his breath. He had had it! He had planned this meal as a peace offering but clearly Cassie wasn’t ready to forgive and forget just yet. Well, dammit, he was tired of waiting.
Cassie had turned her back to him and was rinsing something in the sink. Adam stormed up behind her and grabbed her upper arm and spun her around. Her eyes were like fire when they met his and although he actually hoped that she would put up a struggle, she didn’t. Cassie merely stared at him, daring him to prove her wrong.
“The job I hired you for doesn’t start until Friday so don’t give me any of that crap about being hired to do a job. Dinner tonight had nothing to do with business and you know it. Now I have made multiple attempts to talk to you and you have avoided me like the damn plague. I’ve had enough, dammit!”
He’d had enough? Cassie yanked her arm from his grasp. “Really? You’ve had enough? Well too bad, Adam. You can’t have everything your own way.”
“Meaning what exactly?” his eyes narrowed to slits. He had a feeling what she had to say was going to raise his ire.
“Meaning that I refuse to be treated like your lover one minute and an employee the next. I thought that we shared something that weekend and as soon as I did something that you didn’t agree with, instead of talking to me privately about it, or perhaps giving me the benefit of the doubt, you lashed out and reminded me of my place.”
“So really, if I had to choose which relationship with you I’d prefer, it’s the business one. At least there I know exactly where I stand and have the option of w
hether or not I want to do business with you ever again; and believe me, after this weekend I think I’ll be opting to not do business with you again.”
Adam saw red. This was not going as he had planned. Cassie was supposed to be wowed by his gesture of a romantic dinner. By this point in the evening, he was sure that he would have her on the sofa or well on their way back up to his bed. How the hell had it all gone so wrong so fast?
“What exactly is it that you want from me, Cassandra?” Unfortunately, she had already answered that question. Adam was just unwilling to accept it.
“I want to do my job here and not be bothered by you. I had planned on arriving here and having the place to myself to set up and prep; your being here messed that up. As my employer, it’s your prerogative to stay and oversee, I guess, but honestly, I wish you’d leave.” The slight tremor in her voice unsettled Cassie. She had wanted to come off as being strong and confident in her decision to not want Adam around. As she spoke, however, she felt nothing but turmoil.
How did she get this embroiled with this man in such a short time? They had never had conflicts like this before and honestly, Cassie never fought with anyone the way she did with Adam. It was a side of herself that she wasn’t enjoying very much. She just wanted to do her job and be left alone. Her heart would heal. Eventually.
It was the slight catch in her voice that did it. In that moment Adam realized just what exactly he had done. In all of his life, in all of his dealings with people, Adam had said what was on his mind and never gave a thought as to how it was received or how the other person felt.
Until now.
That little tremble, while Cassie was trying to sound brave hit him like a ton of bricks. Adam realized that he had, indeed, hurt her. Even though, in the moment, that was his intent, seeing the results of that hurt caused an ache in his chest that was new to him. Maybe Cassie was the only person to feel this level of hurt at his hands but Adam had a sinking sensation that it wasn’t the case. There were countless others that he had treated with heartless disregard over the years that he would never know how his words had effected them.
Cassie’s posture was rigid; her face one of cool disdain, but Adam would not let that stop him. If he was every going to gain her forgiveness, if he was ever going to cleanse his very soul for what he had done to her, he had to knock down the wall that Cassie had around her and not stop until she knew how deeply sorry he was for hurting her.
Stepping forward, he ignored Cassie’s step backwards until her back was against the countertop, and reached out and gently cupped her face. Staring intently down in to those beautiful blue eyes, Adam leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers.
“I am sorry…so sorry, Cassandra, for hurting you.” He placed a light kiss on her nose. “At the time, I didn’t realize just how hateful I was behaving and I am well and truly sorry for making you feel like you are nothing more to me than an employee. You mean far more than that.”
Adam lifted his head and held Cassie’s gaze. “I don’t know how this happened, how we arrived at this place together after years of working together but all I know is that I want to spend time with you; I want to get to know you.” Skimming a hand down her cheek, Adam watched as Cassie’s eyes drifted closed. “I want to kiss you and hold you. I want to take you upstairs to my bed and make love to you as I’ve wanted to for what seems like forever.”
Cassie’s eyes slowly fluttered open and she trembled at the heat in Adam’s eyes. “I am asking for your forgiveness, Cassandra. I need your forgiveness.”
Adam’s breath was warm on Cassie’s face and she desperately wanted to lean into him and feel his mouth on hers and have his arms around her. She knew, though, that until she said that she forgave him, Adam would respect her boundaries and not touch her. Which did she want more? Her pride or Adam?
Straining towards him, Cassie realized that with his apology, her pride was intact. For weeks she had dreamed about being back in this house with him and finishing what they had started. If she didn’t act on it now, if she didn’t give in and take what she wanted, Cassie had no doubt that she would regret it for the rest of her life.
With a deep breath, she straightened slightly and whispered, “Yes, Adam; I forgive you.” The last word barely left her mouth before Adam claimed her. His hands that had been cupping her face ran down her back and pulled her close. He was already aroused and Cassie reveled in the hard length of him against her belly.
The madness claimed them as it had before and now that Cassie knew how things could progress, made her want all the more. “Upstairs…” she panted. “Please…”
As much as it pained Adam to break contact with her delectable mouth, he released her long enough to haul her into his arms and up the stairs. “Elevator…” she whispered, hoping to encourage him to take the faster route, but he was already half way up the first flight of stairs, taking them two at a time as if she weighed nothing.
“Trust me, this is faster.” True to his word, Adam had them in his suite faster than Cassie thought possible and he wasn’t even remotely out of breath. He didn’t release her until they were next to the bed and then he placed her on the mattress and followed her down, anxious for the full body contact, even fully clothed.
Adam feasted on Cassie’s mouth, her cheek, her throat. His hands roamed her body and his hands shook with need. He wanted this to last; he wanted to take his time and pleasure her in every way possible, not just to make up for his callous behavior but simply for the sake of wanting to give her pleasure.
Cassie whispered his name. In response, Adam moved his hand to the hem of the t-shirt that she wore and lifted it up and over her head, exposing the blue lacy bra that he swore matched her eyes. He had seen her naked before and yet he was still stunned at how perfect she was. Slowly lifting a hand, he skimmed the smooth skin of her rib cage and up to cup one rounded breast, lifting slightly to force her nipple from the bra.
Once he could see it and see how tight and puckered it was for him, Adam lowered his head and first kissed it, then laved at it with his tongue before finally suckling from it. Cassie’s back arched and she cradled his head to her. It was an eerie sense of de ja vu only this time Cassie knew that it wouldn’t end with just her climax; or pain.
Just the thought of having Adam make love to her, having him inside of her had her clawing at Adam’s shirt. She needed to feel skin; she wanted him naked. She wanted him just as frenzied as she was. Adam released her breast long enough to pull his polo shirt over his head. Before returning his mouth to her, he reached down and unhooked the front clasp of her bra and pulled it from Cassie’s body.
Leaning forward, their sighs mingled at the skin on skin contact. Adam’s mouth returned to first one breast and then the other and Cassie’s head thrashed from side to side at the sensation. It was too much and yet not enough. She wanted to ask, beg, for his touch on other parts of her body but was, at the same time, reluctant to let Adam stop what he was doing.
Finally, when the tugging became too much, when she wanted nothing more than to rip her jeans from her body, Cassie cried out his name and Adam sensed what she wanted, and readily obliged.
Cassie’s jeans skimmed down her legs followed by her panties. Adam leaned back, resting on his knees and simply looked at her. Had he ever felt this way? Had there ever been such rampant need crashing through him to the point that he felt he couldn’t breathe without having a woman?
He felt it now.
With arms flung behind her head and her legs parting, Adam ran one rough hand up her leg from ankle to thigh before looking Cassie in the eye as he surged forward and touched her intimately. At the first touch of his fingers, Cassie cried out. By the time he circled and teased and inserted a second finger, her climax was upon her.
It was too soon, too much, too fast but Cassie didn’t care. She wanted this, needed this and would do nothing to stop it. Crying out Adam’s name over and over she rode the wave of pleasure until she thought she could take no
more.
In the distance, she felt Adam move, heard a tearing sound and just as her orgasm was about to subside, he entered her and had her soaring over the edge again. Hips pumping, Cassie reached up and wrapped her arms around Adam to pull him close, she wanted to kiss him, she needed more than anything to feel his mouth on hers while she rode the crest.
Adam’s tongue dueled with Cassie’s as he stroked her deeply, mimicking the action of their loving. She was so incredibly tight, wrapped around him, taking all of him until he could swear they would never be able to separate where one stopped and the other began. The sensations were intense as he rocked into her body, loving the feel of Cassie writhing beneath him.
Adam knew they’d be great together, but the reality of it was way better than the fantasy. Cassie moved her mouth from his and kissed his jaw, his throat before settling on his chest and raining kisses across it. She flicked her tongue across one nipple and Adam knew that his orgasm was imminent. He pumped, once, twice, harder and suddenly it was upon him. Cassie cried out his name at that moment and Adam knew that this experience was like nothing he’d ever felt before. His body stiffened as he emptied himself in to her. Pulling him close, Cassie held tight as his body convulsed, loving the feel of him, relishing the hardness of muscle.
Adam rolled over and pulled Cassie with him, kissing the top of her head. “That was better than I thought possible,” he whispered. “That was what I had hoped for the last time we were here.” At the memory of their last time in this bed, he stiffened.
“Are you okay? Did I hurt you?” His voice was laced with concern. It would have been horrible if he hurt her again, especially after what they had just shared.
Cassie smiled and placed tiny kissed on his chest. “I’m fine, Adam. I knew this time would be different. The doctor told me that it would take a few weeks for me to recover. This time it was perfect.” She pushed herself up so that she could look at his face. “Don’t worry; I don’t think it would be possible to feel any better than I do right now.”