by Sienna Ciles
“Ahem,” said Mildred as she walked in. “I hope I wasn't, um, interrupting anything.”
Kain and I paused, both panting and breathing hard—and grinning like a pair of guilty teenagers caught in the act.
“Hi, Mildred,” he said sheepishly. “I didn't hear you come in.”
“You did leave the door half open,” she said with a wink. “If you wanted some privacy perhaps you should have shut it properly. Although we are still technically supposed to be working, you know.”
“I know, I know,” he said, “and what you just saw wasn't planned.”
“Yeah,” I added, still blushing, “it was just a spontaneous, um, a spontaneous celebration, kinda.”
“Well, there's a lot to celebrate about,” she said. “These sales figures have just gone through the roof! It's incredible! You two have done an outstanding job. You'll be making your father proud, Kain. He'll be overjoyed when he sees these sales figures!”
“He has made me proud,” boomed a new voice.
We all turned around at the sound of this intrusion, and saw Ronald Williams standing in the door, beaming a proud smile at Kain. And as he looked at Kain this way, I saw pride glowing on Kain's face.
“Thank you, Dad,” he said, standing to acknowledge the old man's presence.
“I'm proud of you, my boy. And you know who else would have been proud?”
“Who, Dad?”
“Your brother Jimmy.”
Kain nodded softly. “I think he would be, Dad... at least I hope he would be.”
“You and I both know very well that he would be. I know how much you looked up to him as a role model growing up. I know how badly you wanted to impress him, how you wanted him to be proud of you. Don't think I never noticed that.”
“I've done my best,” Kain said simply.
“And not only have you done your best but your best has surpassed any and all expectations. I am proud of you, Kain. And, there's something else I have to add... you were the right son for this job.”
A look of genuine surprise came across Kain's face. “Wait... Dad, you're... you really think... you think...”
Mr. Williams nodded, smiling, and there was both pride and sadness in his smile.
“I know that it must have seemed like I was playing favorites when you two were growing up,” he admitted. “And I had Jimmy earmarked from the day he was born to take over this company from me one day. But there was something that I never considered—what he wanted. And the older he got, I could see that he wasn't the right man for the job. Jimmy's head was in the clouds, and he lived in a different world than you and me. He wanted what he wanted, and it wasn't wealth or power. He just wanted to live a simple life, to dive in his beloved oceans, and to teach diving. And I willingly blinded myself to this. I saw myself far more in you than in him but I had clung so stubbornly to this dream that my eldest son would take over that I refused to acknowledge the reality of the situation. And that stubbornness—my stubbornness—was the cause of his death. I pushed him too far. If I had simply allowed him what he wanted to do instead of trying to force him to be someone he didn't want to be, and wasn't capable of being, he would still be here with us today. I drove him to the desperation that caused that accident. It wasn't you, Kain. I know that you've been carrying the burden of that guilt for years now, but you really don't need to any longer. I now accept that what happened to Jimmy was caused by me alone.”
The old man's eyes were filled with tears now, and so were Kain's. Indeed, I felt a lump rising in my own throat as I observed this.
“And I wanted to tell you that, to admit that here,” Ronald continued, “in front of Mildred, and in front of the woman you love.”
He turned to me and nodded, smiling sadly. “You'll be good for my son, Mandy. I was a fool, a selfish, stubborn old fool to have thought that Tracy Hendrikson could possibly have made my son a happy man. Again, it was because I was so caught up in my own dreams, which I now realize are far divorced from reality.”
I nodded, returning the old man's smile. “Thank you for saying that, Mr. Williams.”
He chuckled. “Call me Ronald, please. After all, if we're going to be family soon, we should be on first-name terms, shouldn't we?”
I chuckled and blushed.
“I told him we'd been thinking about getting married,” admitted Kain.
“I can see that now!” I replied, laughing.
“And everyone thinks it's a great idea,” Mildred commented with a smile. “Myself included.”
“Come here, son,” Ronald said, opening his arms.
Kain walked over to him, and the two men embraced tightly.
“I'm proud of you, my boy, so proud,” Ronald whispered hoarsely. “And I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything.”
“It's okay, Dad. I mean that, I really do,” said Kain as he hugged his father.
I felt tears rolling down my cheeks as I witnessed this beautiful moment, and I could see them glistening in Mildred's eyes as well. Eventually, Kain and Ronald disengaged from their embrace.
“You've done well,” he said.
“Thank you, Dad. I've done my best.”
Ronald nodded. “I can see that. And now there's something else I have to tell you—all of you.”
“What's that?” asked Kain.
“My lawyers and I have set the date for our court case against Marsha Hendrikson. A month from now the battle is going to begin. But there's more—we've also managed to force the Financial Times to issue a retraction of their article, and to publish an apology stating that it was all lies. My private investigator found that the journalist who wrote the article was bribed by Marsha to spread those lies, and he's been fired for doing that.”
This was excellent news, and happiness billowed through me. My reputation—and Kain's reputation—were saved.
“I'm happy to hear that,” I remarked.
“I'm sure you are,” replied Ronald. “That article was a terrible stain on your reputation, and it was totally undeserved. Now the public is going to know that it was all a pack of lies, and your reputation will be restored to what it was.”
“And I'm glad about that,” I said.
“I think you'd all like to see the look on Marsha's face when she finds out about all of this,” remarked Ronald. “So, let's do that. Son, get Skype going on the projector. I'll give Marsha a call right now, and we can all enjoy the spectacle.”
Kain set up the projector so that we could watch what was about to unfold, and then Ronald sat down to make the call. Marsha answered, unaware that the rest of us were in the room with him.
“Ronald,” she hissed, her face twisted into a sour expression. “What do you want?”
“It's all over now, Marsha,” he said coolly. “Your attempt to ruin my son's reputation, and the innocent young lady's, have failed. We found out about the reporter you bribed, and he's been fired. The Financial Times is going to issue an apology and retract that article. And my lawyers have set a date in court. We have a watertight case against you, Marsha. The journalist you bribed has agreed to testify against you as well. It's over for you.”
Her face crumpled into an ugly frown that was half defeat, half rage. “Well, my lawyers will see your lawyers in court, Ronald. And if you think that this is going to be an easy battle, you've got another thing coming.”
“You can't win, Marsha,” said Ronald. “No matter what you try, you can't win.”
“We'll see about that,” she snapped, fuming with defeat and frustration, her defiance hollow and hopeless. “Goodbye.”
With that, she cut the call off, and all of us laughed.
“She's finished,” said Ronald, “and she knows it. It's all over for her.”
Mildred had her phone out now and was peering at something on it. “The quarterly earnings charts are out,” she announced. “And we're at the top!”
We all cheered, and I jumped up and hugged Kain, unable to contain my joy, and I started planting kisses all over his f
ace.
“We did it!” I cried, overwhelmed with joy and triumph. “We did it!”
* * * * *
“Goodbye, Dad,” Kain said, waving goodbye as his father stepped into the limo to be whisked away.
“Goodbye, son, goodbye, Mandy,” he said. “I'll see you all soon.”
“Goodbye, Mr. Will—I mean, Ronald,” I said. “Thank you for the lovely dinner.”
“It was an occasion worth celebrating!” he answered. “And I'm sure there will be many more celebrations in the days to come!”
With that, he drove off, and Kain and myself were left alone. I was definitely feeling tipsy from the champagne we had had, and from the look on Kain's face, I could tell that the alcohol was having an effect on him as well.
He turned to me, grinning. “You look stunning, Mandy. You're a real vision; utterly amazing. I just can't take my eyes off you. I haven't been able to the whole night, really.”
“And I haven't been able to take my eyes off you, Kain,” I purred. “You look dashing in that tux.”
“I think we must look like a picture-perfect couple right now,” he said with a grin. “Where are the paparazzi when you need 'em?”
We both laughed but then my eyes caught his, and a surge of attraction and arousal ripped through me at the intense look he shot my way.
“Let's go back to my place,” he suggested, his deep voice gravelly.
“Yeah, let's do that.”
A limo picked us up and took us to Kain's mansion. I'm sure the scenery on the drive was picturesque but I was too busy making out with Kain to notice. Things were getting steamy in the limo, and we had to do everything in our power to prevent ourselves from ripping off our clothes and going at it in front of the limo driver.
We got out of the limo, still making out and pawing at each other's bodies, and walked up onto the massive porch at the front of Kain's mansion. The building was an ultramodern one, and everything was in smooth tones of glossy white and shiny black. The long porch overlooked a huge swimming pool, the water of which was lit up bright blue.
“It's a nice hot evening,” he remarked. “And I think a swim would be great right about now.”
“I don't have anything to swim in,” I said.
He smiled salaciously. “Who says you need anything to swim in?”
He started undressing. “But what if someone sees?” I asked, feeling the thrill of doing something slightly dangerous like this charging my blood with energy.
“There's nobody here but me,” he said with a grin as he took his shirt off. “We're all alone here.”
I stared with hunger at his muscular torso. He really did have the build of a Greek god. “You're sure about that?”
“It's my house!” he replied with a laugh as he pulled off his pants and his Calvin Klein. Desire tore through me like a forest fire at the sight of his nude form. He jumped into the water, landing with a large splash, and called out to me. “Come on in! The water is amazing!”
I smiled, unzipped my dress at the back, and stepped out of it.
“Mm, I'm liking what I'm seeing,” he said, gazing hungrily at my body as he swam closer to the edge. “And... I'd like to see a little more.”
I walked over to the edge of the pool, taking slow, seductive steps. I took off my bra and panties as I reached the edge, and stood naked in the moonlight in front of him.
“God, you're gorgeous,” he murmured, staring at me with admiration. “Such heavenly curves, such heavenly, stunning curves. Come on, get in the water.”
I walked over to the steps that led into the pool and stepped gingerly into the water. It wasn't quite warm but it wasn't cold either; it was a perfect temperature. I swam out to him, rolling over onto my back to do some backstroke so that I could look up at the dark, starry sky above.
“It's a beautiful night,” I said, staring up at the stars.
“They are beautiful,” he said as he wrapped his powerful arms around me, “but none of those jewels of the sky hold a candle to your beauty.”
I turned in the water and looked into his eyes. “You're an amazing man, Kain,” I purred. “Simply... amazing.”
We started kissing, floating through the water, our bodies hot against its cool slickness as we slowly turned in it. I slid my fingers through the silky water, caressing his rock-hard body with its perfectly sculpted muscles. He ran his fingertips lightly down my back, gliding them through the water and sending shivers of delight rippling along my spine. I kissed him with a more fervent hunger as he did this, and with sudden passion he dug his fingertips into my flesh and pulled me in closer to him, pressing his broad chest against my breasts.
As my stomach was pressed against his steel-solid abs, I felt some else that was now solid pressing against me with a hot urgency.
I was already wet at the meeting of my thighs, and feeling his powerful erection pressing against me with such keenness sent an even more powerful surge of hot liquid desire down to my feminine parts.
I slid my fingers down through the water to encircle his throbbing manhood, and he kissed me deeply as I did, gasping into my mouth with pleasure. I laughed seductively, and kissed his neck and his throat as I stroked it with soft, gentle strokes under the water.
“I want you,” he whispered hoarsely into my ear as I kissed and nibbled on his neck. “I want you so bad right now.”
His words sent yet another fiery jolt of desire through me, and a sudden urgency seized me in its grasp. I now wanted him—no, needed him—inside me, and I gripped his throbbing hardness tightly and slid him into me. He let out a long, slow gasp of sheer pleasure as I took him into me, inch by inch, and I felt the same ecstasy rippling through me as I did this. I lowered myself slowly onto him, teasing him and continuing to nibble on his throat and neck and ears as we rolled gently in the water.
Finally, I had all of him inside me, and felt an immeasurable sensation of deep satisfaction. Joined together, we swam over to the side of the pool, and he gripped the edge to give himself some leverage. He then started thrusting, slowly, very slowly, savoring each stroke as he enjoyed my tightness, moaning and groaning with pleasure as I wrapped my hands around his muscular hips and pulled and pushed gently, assisting him with the thrusts.
We kissed as he started to thrust with more force and speed, slowly but surely, and I started to moan into his mouth as the power and force of his thrusts began to bring me more intense pleasure. Now his speed and intensity was increasing, and he was grunting and gasping, the water slapping and splashing against the sides of the pools as we created waves and ripples with our motion.
Now pleasure was building with a steadily-increasing force in my center, and an orgasm would be on its way soon enough. The sensation of him gliding in and out of me was utterly amazing, and with each thrust, which he delivered with more power—he was hitting me in my deepest places, and each one of these incredibly deep thrusts was blasting more and more pleasure through me.
The orgasm was now a glowing ball of energy, only barely contained, wanting to break free. Kain started hammering deeper and faster, crying out with passion as he did—and finally, my orgasm exploded, shooting pure bliss through me as he hit one final, deep thrust, and as he did, his own orgasm tore through him. We both cried out, shuddering with pleasure, and our twin orgasms ripped through each of us in waves.
After the orgasms began to fade out, we floated out into the water in each other's arms, the heat of our bodies dissolving in the blue.
He kissed me slowly and deeply, and then stared right into my eyes.
“I love you, Mandy, I love you so much,” he murmured in his deep, rough voice. “And I want you to be my wife. So, will you marry me?”
I didn't hesitate, not even for a second. “I will, Kain. I will.”
EPILOGUE
Mandy
One Year Later
“Top of the quarterly earnings again, I see,” I said to Kain as we checked out the latest rankings. “You're doing really well, honey, rea
lly well.”
He kissed me, hugged me close and smiled. “I never would have gotten this far without you though. It was your genius with marketing that got us to this point.”
“Aw, thanks, Kain,” I said, kissing him.
I leaned back in my chair, on the deck of his mansion in the hills, looking out over the city, and smiled. Life had been good to us over the past year. The company had grown, as had profits, in leaps and bounds. We had gotten married a couple of months ago in a beautiful, lavish ceremony, and had gone to Hawaii on honeymoon.
I had a surprise for him—a great surprise—but was just waiting to hear back from a certain someone before I could break the news to him. I knew that he would be delighted when I told him but I did have to wait until I knew... certain details.
“Hey,” I remarked, “isn't Marsha's sentencing tomorrow?”
He nodded, frowning. “That's right. It was a long court case, and she really got her lawyers to draw it out as long as she could, and they really did try to pull every trick in the book to get away with what she did but we had a watertight case, and there was no way she was going to escape justice indefinitely. And now, finally, it's about to come to her.”
“Finally, indeed,” I replied. “That woman tried to ruin our lives—and she almost got away with it, too.”
“But she didn't, in the end,” said Kain with a smile. “She didn't.”
“What do you think her sentence is gonna be?” I asked. “She's not going to, you know, go to prison or anything is she?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “No, no, as much as I wish she could see the inside of a prison cell, and as fair and just as that would be, it's not gonna happen.”
“So, what is gonna happen?”
“Likely just fines. Hefty ones but she'll be able to pay them off. She is a billionaire, after all. But what she won't be able to control is the negative publicity. Her reputation is never gonna recover from this. Hell, when was the last time you heard anything about Hendrikson, Inc.? They're off the map now; they're done, they're over. And that reality show that Tracy tried to create was a total flop as well, and I heard that they lost millions on it. We're not likely to hear much about the Hendriksons ever again after this, much less hear from them. No, they're done, they're finished... and we have nothing to worry about, beautiful. All we have to do is look forward to the future now.”