Cougar Boss

by Kerry Belchambers

  “I’m glad your trip back home was fruitful,” she said.

  It felt as if she’d known what I’d been about to say. I reminded myself I needed to be bold and brave and said, “I need to see you.” I wanted to be with her, but those were the words that came out.

  We’d crossed the stage where fear crippled me. I didn’t understand why a few days apart felt like I was back where it had all started. “I’ve missed you,” I said. “If I wasn’t so overwhelmed from seeing you again,” I took a step towards her. “I’d be kissing you right now.”

  She silently watched me then said softly, “I’m not stopping you.”

  Her words were as unexpected as the surge of energy that burst through me upon hearing them. In my fight to contain that energy, I took a slow step forward and closed the distance between us. My lips captured hers in a kiss and my arms naturally moved around her waist.

  The soft feel of the light movement of hers lips against mine felt like heaven had opened up and was smiling upon me. After everything that had happened since Greg’s last visit, being at the reciprocating end of that amazing kiss was exactly what I needed.

  When we pulled apart, I could literally feel my heart expanding in my chest. God, I loved her.

  She touched my face, gently trailing her palm over my cheek as she gazed deep into my eyes and for a moment, I felt like there was a chance she could reciprocate my feelings for her.

  I didn’t get to find out because we were interrupted. We immediately parted and created physical distance between us as a strange man I’d never seen before walked into the office.

  I noticed Amelia’s tension and discomfort at his presence and wondered who he was to her. After a moment of awkward silence, I reached for my purse and excused myself.

  I didn’t fail to notice how he looked at me as I walked past him. He had a bit of a smirk on his face, which I found weird because since I’d started working for Mrs. Gallagher, I’d never met anyone who didn’t hold her in high regard.

  On my way home, I couldn’t help wondering if the strange man had witnessed anything that had happened between me and Amelia. Who was he? What was he doing at the Gallagher mansion? Why did Amelia seem to have such animosity towards him? The questions continued in my head.

  When I got home, I groaned in frustration at finding Greg waiting for me outside my apartment. “What’re you doing here? Haven’t I expressed in every way and form possible, that I don’t want you here?” I asked as I opened my door. I couldn’t deal with him right now.

  “I’m going back home,” he said.

  I stopped and turned to look at him to see if he was serious. “What?”

  “I’m going back to St. Paul.”

  I was so pleased to hear that I almost wanted to hug him, but the repulsion I felt towards him was greater than my relief. “Good, I’m glad to hear that.”

  “Yeah, I need two hundred and fifty grand.”

  I thought I heard him wrong until I met his serious expression and ran the words across my head again. When I realized he was being serious, I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. It was like a reflex I couldn’t control. “You actually think that I have a quarter million dollars stacked up somewhere for you to just… demand for it?”

  “Whether you have it or not, I don’t really care. All you need to do is ask your rich sugar daddy to give it to you,” he said.

  “Do you listen to yourself when you talk?” I asked him. “Greg, I’m your sister. We want the same thing. We should be working together, not against each other.”

  “All I know is that mom and dad put everything they had on you; their entire lives’ work and savings. They put everything on the line for you. It’s going to five years since you came to New York, Olivia. You’re doing far much better than I expected. All your school loans are paid for. You’re living in a fancy apartment, which by the look of it, appears to be ten times more than our house and what have you given back?”

  I could tell by his tone he was upset and from everything I’d learned when I’d been home, he probably had every right to be. “Greg, I had no idea what was going on. If I’d known, I would’ve tried to help out sooner. That is my goal now.”

  He looked at me in bewilderment and after a couple of seconds, shook his head saying. “No, you have a great thing going here. Two hundred and fifty grand is little to ask for. Look at your life,” he gestured to the apartment.

  If he only knew how hard my life had been. How long I’d been forced to defer on my classes because I couldn’t afford to pay the fees. If he only knew that the only reason why I had reached that point in my life was because of Mrs. Gallagher. I didn’t even deserve to be there. She had propelled me to levels I hadn’t even prepared myself for.

  “You have forty-eight hours,” he said.

  I walked up close to him and looked into his eyes. “I went home, Greg. I saw mom, dad, Riley and Sandra. I know the bank is threatening foreclosure on the house. I realize you’re desperate, but do you really think blackmailing me is the right way to go? Do you think that I wouldn’t have tried to help if I’d known these things were taking place back home?” I spoke with the same emotion I’d felt when I’d realized how much my parents had given up to make sure I had a proper education.

  “I don’t know,” he shook his head, taking a step away from me. “All I know is that I need to clean up your mess.”

  “My mess?”

  “You think it was easy for them to let you leave? Let you come here, spend all they had, so that you could what? Go to NYU?”

  I didn’t realize until that moment, how hard it must have been for my parents to let me go.

  “Now we’re all paying for that. You have two days, Liv. Forty-eight hours.” He headed for the door and swung it open.

  “Or else what?” I asked before he could leave.

  “I’ll tell the Gallaghers the truth and who knows, maybe the world too.” He slammed the door.

  I collapsed back on the couch and as much as I wanted to be upset with him, I understood the root of his anger. My parents had sacrificed everything to give me the education I needed in order for me to be successful. Their efforts had only worked halfway and practically left them with nothing. If Greg wanted money, it wasn’t for himself. It was for the family.

  I understood him but where the hell was I supposed to get a quarter million dollars in forty eight hours?

  Chapter Forty-Six

  “What do I need to do to permanently get rid of you?” I asked in agitation.

  “Come on, Amelia. We’re family.”

  I felt violated by the very sound of his voice saying my name. It was Wednesday afternoon and I didn’t know if it was the heat or his unbearable presence. “Eric, you need to go back home.”

  I’d always been extremely uncomfortable around him. For some reason I’d always thought the thousands of miles between us had created two different realms for us, which meant we could live in the same world without ever having to see or speak to each other.

  He’d aged as gracefully as my mother and would’ve probably been good looking for a man in his fifties, had it not been for his skinny physical posture and his pronounced facial features.

  He’d shown up the day Olivia and I had reunited after her trip back from St. Paul. The moment I’d seen his face, I’d recalled our last encounter, ten years ago, which was something I tried hard to block from my memory.

  I’d been sleeping in my bedroom at the mansion. I hadn’t been aware he was around. He’d gone over my head and asked Patrick if he could spend a couple of nights at the mansion because he was in town for business.

  I hadn’t been aware of his trip or his stay until the creepy encounter. I’d had that eerie feeling that someone was watching me and on opening my eyes, I’d found him lying in my bed, watching me sleep.

  “What the hell are you doing?” I asked in panic as I scrambled out of bed and reached for a robe to cover myself.

  “Haven’t you missed me?” he asked, unf
azed by my shock.

  He was fully clothed, which was a relief but the suggestive look in his eyes made me uncomfortable and I tightened my robe.

  “What are you doing in my bedroom in the middle of the night while I sleep?”

  “I didn’t see you when I arrived.”

  “So you thought you could waltz in here and get on my bed?”

  “I didn’t want to wake you. You looked so beautiful and peaceful while you slept. You haven’t aged a day, Amelia.”

  “Get out of my bedroom,” I said.

  He got to his feet and I was glad for the large bed separating us because I didn’t fully trust his intentions.

  “I just wanted to check up on you,” he said.

  “You could have done that in the morning. You didn’t need to attempt to give me a heart attack.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Please, just leave.”

  He watched me silently for a moment then walked out. I rushed over to the door and locked it. I’d never felt the need to lock it before because the mansion was my home and I was safe, but knowing he’d been in bed with me made me feel completely violated.

  The following morning after breakfast, I talked to Patrick, telling him what had happened the previous night and he asked Eric to leave. Eric tried to reach out to me after that, but I never wanted to see or hear from him again.

  “Why do you hate me so much? I’ve never done anything to hurt you,” he said now as he stood across my desk.

  “We’ve never gotten along, Eric. Have you suddenly forgotten that?”

  “We were young back then. The competition and everything else brought out the worst in me. I’m not that guy anymore. It’s what I was trying to tell you last time we saw each other. We’re grownups now. There’s never been any need for animosity between us.”

  “If that’s the case, couldn’t you have chosen a more conventional way of seeing me that night instead of climbing into bed while I slept?”

  “I crossed the line and I’m sorry about that.”

  I couldn’t tell if he was being genuine but his apology didn’t change the way I felt about him. “Okay, so what’re you doing in New York?” I asked.

  “I needed a bit of a change of atmosphere. Connie and I divorced a while back.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “Yeah, well, there’s nothing we can do about it.” He approached my desk and looked at me as he stopped short and asked, “May I?”

  I nodded and he took a seat. I’d never seen him this way. The divorce must’ve taken a greater toll on him than he let on. Still, I didn’t believe for one second his show of humility was genuine.

  “What’s been going on with you? Kathy used to keep in touch. She’d mention you, say how you were doing and talk about your kids. She really loves them and you,” he said.

  I had no idea what to say to him. “Look, Eric, I’m sorry about everything but…”

  “I get it. You don’t have to say anything. I just hope this can be the beginning of something.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We can try and be friends.”

  I wasn’t sure I was interested in anything that had to do with him. Whether he’d changed or not, I appreciated his attempt but I could never trust him. “How long will you be in New York?”

  “I’m not sure, but while I’m here, I’d really like it if we could talk sometime.”

  I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

  “Baby steps, I get it.”

  I was glad he could read me and I didn’t have to actually have to say the words.

  “I’ll be staying at Kathy’s.”

  I nodded.

  He got to his feet and headed for the door. When he opened it, he turned to face me, smiled and said, “It’s really nice to see you, Amelia.”

  When I didn’t respond, he looked down and stepped out, shortly after, he closed the door. I exhaled and leaned back against my chair. I didn’t understand his change of attitude towards me. He’d always been so unusual.

  Seeing him again made me wonder if he’d seen anything when he’d walked in on me and Olivia. He hadn’t acted like it, and I’d been too disturbed by his presence to concern myself with what he had or hadn’t seen.

  Nonetheless, it had been a close call and it had reminded me why I didn’t like to risk anything intimate happening between me and Olivia in case of such an instance.

  I’d missed Olivia. I’d tried to downplay it when we’d seen each other down the hallway and, in my office, but looking into her soulful eyes and seeing what she felt for me on display lowered my guard.

  For some reason it had become increasingly easier to be around her since that night at the penthouse when I’d opened up to her about Isabel. I assumed it was because she was the first person I’d ever felt comfortable enough to share something so extremely personal with about myself.

  It was odd to think at that point in my life, she knew me better than anyone else had ever gotten the chance to. I didn’t know what was happening to me, why I kept drawing her in when I meant to push her away.

  I didn’t want to have to end up hurting her. But at the same time, I wanted to be selfish because I’d never had what we shared with anyone else. Someone I could actually talk to, someone who looked at me the way she did; like I was her moon and her stars. I wanted that, and I didn’t want to have to give it up.

  I kept telling myself it was my time to experience something profound, my time to feel good, my time to be happy and Olivia came with that package, but there was so much standing in the way.

  I had lived my life. She was just starting hers. I would never be able to give her what she needed in the long run, especially considering the fact that my family would always come first.

  And that was the other thing, I had a family. Olivia would eventually desire to have one too. So she needed to be with someone her own age. Someone who could give her everything I couldn’t.

  If only I’d had a normal upbringing. My life would’ve turned out so different. I probably would’ve fallen in and out of love several times. I’d have experienced the kind of joy people derived from small things. I’d have laughed, danced and made love more.

  I would have been brave and daring as Olivia was. She made me feel like I’d missed out on so much because everything she brought to my life was emotionally heightened. I wished for one day, I could be an ordinary human being.

  My thoughts were interrupted by the light knock on the door. A moment later, Olivia stepped inside. She looked at me for a few seconds, then approached my desk with some files in her hands.

  “I’m sorry to bother you. I need you to sign some documents from some of the meetings I’ve taken for you.” She seemed a little nervous as her gaze darted from my face to the documents in her hands.

  She looked lovely in a beautiful white official dress that snugly fit her figure, strikingly accentuating her slender curves. The dress reached just right above her knees, exposing her legs, which looked long and endless in the six-inch heels she was wearing.

  Her long hair was falling over her shoulders to her back in curls and though she was wearing little make-up, I found her very attractive. This made me go back to my earlier thoughts about wanting to be ordinary for a day.

  I wanted to try out something new, take a risk and experience that spike of adrenaline. I got to my feet and went around my desk to where she was standing. I liked the way she was looking at me in fascination, desire and curiosity.

  I stretched out my hand and took the documents from her hands, slowly placing them on my desk. I hadn’t seen her all day and it had been over a week since we’d been sexually intimate. I missed her touch, her passion and her overpowering desire when we got too close.

  Before I could proceed, I moved past her and headed to the door. When I turned the lock, I faced her and smiled in amusement because she was still standing in the same position I’d left her in.

  I walked up to her, placed my hand over her
waist and slowly turned her to face me. Her eyes had that restrained fire in them. “I was thinking about how interesting it’d be if I could be an ordinary human being for just a day,” I said, trailing my hand up from her waist to her ribs.

  She released a ragged breath and smiled. “That would be interesting,” she said.

  “If you were in my position, what would you suggest I do?” I gently leaned her back against my desk as I moved my hands down to her legs.

  “Well, what you’re doing for starters,” she said, placing her arms around my waist. “It’d be interesting to see you go out on an ordinary date with me.”

  “A date?” I asked, laughing softly as I leaned close and placed a light kiss on her neck.

  “Yes, a date. I’d love for you to experience a little part of my world.”

  “What would that require, exactly?” I asked.

  “For you to give up a few luxuries; no driver, no fancy restaurant and no comfort zone, which means a nightcap at my apartment afterwards.”

  “A nightcap at your apartment? What if your friend or your brother shows up?”

  She looked worried and thoughtful for a second then she said, “Rex is busy working on a painting and I have a feeling I won’t see my brother for the next thirty-six hours.”

  “That’s precise.” She looked certain and I didn’t want to put much thought into it because if I was going to do this, I’d have to adjust my attitude a little and maybe try and worry less.

  “Will you go out on a date with me tonight?” she asked.

  I laughed and asked, “What about your studies?”

  “I can take a break.”

  I remembered my earlier thoughts about wanting to experience joy from small things and wondered if it was really possible.

  Olivia made the choice for me when she closed the distance separating us and kissed me, reminding me why my thoughts had taken that route in the first place.

  Her kiss was soft but demanding and it sent shivers of arousal through my body. I could tell she missed our erotic encounters as much as I did, but we were in my home and the only reason I’d locked the door was because I’d wanted us to have a little privacy.