Trembling, she tried again to break contact. He held her in place, never coming up for air. His tongue was firm but now moving gently around her clit without touching the bundle of nerves, his fingers moved in and out of her clenched muscles, with his thumb firmly wedged inside her ass.
And the climax began again. She stretched into it, and he rolled her to her back, legs spread wide, holding his head against her, Shane arched into him, moaning.
“Oh, god, yes. Yes, fuck, yes. I’m cuming. I’m cuming." The pleasure of the orgasm evolved now. The climax was an explosion of color moving through her. It climbed up her knees and thighs to her hips, through her pelvis, her pussy and her ass cuming together as waves of pleasure radiated through her body. He let her ride the full body orgasm out before he surfaced. Ryan withdrew his fingers and slid up the length of her body to meet her open-mouthed kiss, the taste of her fresh on his lips. She folded into him, trembling with the aftershock of the pleasure. At some point, it occurred to her the storm had passed, and it was raining. She finally fell asleep.
CHAPTER 5
Postcards
S he did not know how long she slept; the time had passed like a moment and a lifetime. He was there, neatly dressed in well-ironed clothes. His voice held an urgency that tugged at her, "Shane, honey; we have to get going." She struggled through the fog of sleep to remember. The deal! He had to go to get to work on the deal.
She shook her head, leaning up to kiss him “What time is it?” The sheet fell away, and she felt his hand on her naked breast.
“It’s six-thirty. I can drop you at home."
She was shaking her head, “No, no, you go ahead. I’ll take an Uber home and to the office. I need a little more time to get going.
He looked relieved and skeptical, "Are you sure?"
She laughed, "Yes, of course." His thumb shifted over her nipple, back and forth, back and forth as he considered. She leaned in to kiss him, as her nipple shrank to a tiny nub under his touch. His thought was not on what the small motion was doing to her body but on the proposal of an Uber.
“It’s okay.” She shivered. The nerves at the base of her spine had begun to tingle with warmth creeping over her “really.”
He nodded, practically won out, "Okay, thank you.” He leaned in to kiss her, his relief at her solution, evident. This deal occupied the forefront of his mind “I'll see you at work. Just pull the door close behind you." His words trailed off as he moved out of the room and stopped in the doorway. Shane knew he was seeing her now, completely present in the moment as he considered the impact of her laying in the tangle of sheets, naked his bed. His lips curled up into a wicked grin "I'll see you at work." A wink, and he was gone.
She listened to his familiar steps, even in the unfamiliar space of his house, as he departed. The side door opened and closed. Outside she heard the truck's massive engine rev.
What time had he said? Six-thirty. Shane began doing how much-time-do-I-have-until-I have-to-work math. Fifteen minutes from her house to the office, thirty minutes for a quick shower and refresh, twenty minutes home in the ride. She'd ask the driver to wait. Shane untangled from the sheets and slid out of bed onto the floor. She had to pee. The wood floor was cold under her bare feet. She walked across the room through the hallway to the bathroom. The cold from the subway tile was more than that from the wooden floor. She lifted her feet onto her tiptoes to lessen the chill as she relieved herself.
When she was done, she moved back through the silence of the house, a quiet observer in Ryan’s home away from work life. He’d hung her blouse and pants on a single wooden hanger on the doorknob of his closet door. How sweet. Her bra hung around the neck of the hanger. Her panties were another story. Shane had almost given up, the image of Ryan tucked into a little ball at the foot of the bed when her fingers closed on them. Little rascals. She slid into the sheer panties and dressed in her outfit of the previous day, longing for a shower and clean things.
Shane slid into her boots and slung her purse strap over her head. The small leather purse hung across her body now, giving more definition to her ample breasts.
Shane sent the Uber request. Twelve minutes. Her driver was twelve minutes away. She made the bed; smoothing and straightening every stray wrinkle, after which she collected her notes from their work the night before. Their glasses from the previous night still sat on the coffee table by the couch. Shane retrieved them and put them in the empty dishwasher along with the dinner dishes. A small voice at the back of her mind congratulated her on being a good house guest. Jesus. He had his face buried between her legs and his thumb in her ass, making her cum over and over again. Is that really what you are? His houseguest? She refuted, silencing the ridiculous thought. She felt her phone vibrate from its spot in her hip pocket and knew the Uber driver had arrived. In fact, she could see him from the kitchen window where she stood. She turned to leave, satisfied she’d left the place better than she found it.
As Shane moved toward the door, her purse strap caught the edge of the counter and a stack of papers. The papers turned out to be Ryan’s mail spilled across the counter and on to the floor. Shit. Shane moved across the kitchen to the side door and leaned out, waving at the driver. Holding up her index finger, she gave him the universal sign for just a minute before she scrambled to recover the fallen paper gathering them into a sloppy stack.
Oh, Ryan. Sorry, sorry, sorry. The thoughts ran together as she fumbled through his statements and receipts. This was not the information she'd wanted in her hands. Shane replaced the pile of papers on the counter. Her hands worked quickly to create an orderly pile, straightening and making corners match, Disordered order. Shane tried hard not to see what was in her hands, post cards that appeared to be stuck between bank statements and ads. Many postcards. She tried not to notice the handwriting that seemed to match, one postcard after the next, words that seemed to call to Ryan in lovely uniform, and slightly slanted handwritten words. Shane shuffled them together, letting the words blur before her eyes, refusing to take in the meaning.
The little voice inside that praised her as a good houseguest reminded her the Uber driver was outside waiting. Shane crouched on the floor, thighs trembling from last nights' play and expecting too much from her tired legs. Shane went down on her knees. Now that’s what good houseguests do. A giggle rose in her throat; at the same time, she heard a knock at the door. Shane reached up and pulled herself up against the counter to a standing position; Irritated. Uber drivers don’t do that.
“Coming," she called. Last night’s use of that declaration could not have been more different.
Shane opened the door; her lips curled into a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. The Uber driver smiled back. He was a soft middle-aged man named Dave. She would come to know his name and hear the brief elevator speech of his life. Dave was happily married to Barb, and they were recently retired. He had picked up this Uber thing as a side gig to earn a little more money. Now he stood on the porch, helpful and handy, wanting to know if he could carry anything to the car for her.
“No, thank you. I’ll take only a few more minutes. I appreciate your checking.”
“Sure, no problem. Take your time.” She watched for a moment as he turned to go, before she closed the door and latched it, just in case he decided to come back.
Shane returned to the kitchen and finished gathering up the fallen papers. She replaced them and tried hard not to read the words written on the postcard that ended up on the top of the pile. She didn’t try hard enough. “Ryan, please come. Tess.” Shane turned the card in her hands over. The front of the postcard was a picture of a vineyard; Lovely rolling hills. California. Tess? Shane couldn’t remember hearing that name before. He hadn’t been seeing anyone. Well, he hadn’t talked about seeing anyone. They had sort of left that part of their lives out of their conversations. It had been easy to skip over that part with him.
Shane took one last look at the card, the card with handwriting that matched that
of the all the other post cards with pretty slanted feminine writing and tucked it into the stack of papers. She shook her head to clear her mind. It's nothing, but it wasn’t nothing. It was something, and she knew it.
Shane pulled the front door to Ryan’s house closed behind her and slid into Uber.
Dave, her Uber driver, talked from Ryan’s front door to her own. She didn’t have to say a word; his stream of constant chatter filled the space. Shane smiled as she slid out of the car.
“Thanks, Shane. It was nice to meet you. Have a great day!” Oh, Dave.
“Thanks, Dave.” She replied. My friend. "You too."
The storm had raged on at the condo as well. Puddles pooled in the parking lot, reminders of last night’s thunderstorm. The grass stood alert and dewy, rising with the sun. Shane slipped in through the front door, eyes adjusting to the shift of the light.
Twenty minutes later, she took her last gulp of the too-hot coffee and headed toward the door. On the way out, she caught a glimpse of her reflection; her hair hung straight, her face nearly makeup-free. She looked fresh and a little tired. Her eyes sparkled with last night's excursion. It brought her a shine and youth she wore in her skin. This time, Ramy was her driver. He was a small red-haired man with a quick smile and an English accent. Her well-worked thighs ached as she eased into the front seat. She knew from the brief shower this morning that she bore traces of fingerprints or rather bruises from his fingers on her thighs and ass. A smile crossed her lips at the discovery. She liked the marks he'd left on her, as well as the soreness. The pain a constant reminder of him. Her phone buzzed. Oh, Lila. Shane had been meaning to text her friend but had not gotten around to it. Shane reached for her phone, guilt coming in waves. It wasn’t Lila.
Can’t stop thinking of you. It was Ryan. Her lips curled into a smirk. She was pleased beyond pleased.
Me too, her fingers tapped out, pausing for only a moment before sending.
She was delighted that his thoughts revolved around her, that he’d spent his night wrapped around her, that she had been his focus in the early waking hours of the morning. Shane watched the world go by without really seeing it, the corners of her mouth turned up into a smile that reflected in her eyes. Later, when she pressed herself to remember, it was in that moment that any concerns about a girl named Tess and that slanted female handwriting slipped away.
Shane moved through the office, amazed that even on her “late day” she made it in before half her office friends, but not Travis. Not today. “Hey, Sunshine” He glanced up and poked his head out of his cubicle door to follow her with his eyes. Puzzled, he watched her. She put her purse down and snapped on her computer. Her smile emerged under his scrutiny.
“Shane?” His voice was curious and accusatory.
"Travis?" She mocked him, turning her smiling eyes away from him to focus on straitening the items on her desk. He stood a minute more, waiting. "You are glowing. You should tell me all about it or get that under control." His eyes roamed over her with intensity as if he could read the recent events off of her skin. "You look great, by the way." He said, turning on his heel, and he disappeared behind his cubicle wall.
"Thank you." Her smile broadened, and she could hear it in her voice when she spoke, "You sweetheart." Shane retrieved her coffee while her computer loaded and returned to find her inbox full. Shane breathed deep and sipped at her coffee. So good.
It was so good. The way he looked at her, the way he listened, the way he tended to her, the way he made her feel in her skin when he was touching her and when he wasn’t. Jesus, it was so fucking good.
Focus. Shane clicked through the messages in her inbox, reading and re-reading as the memory of the last night continued to surface. She let herself be drawn away by the memory until she realized she was reading the email for the third time. Her body was humming with the anticipation of what he would do next. Enough. She shook her head. Enough. Shane pushed the memory away to concentrate on work.
It was Tuesday, but it felt like a Monday, filled with requests and need. If you can help me out - I really need to have this out by the end of the week. Shane, if you can, call me first thing. She started working and forced the fantasy to the back of her mind, momentarily.
By 2 pm, she'd taken only black coffee and water. It was getting to be a bad habit. Her leftover coffee was cold, and her sore muscles no longer served as a source of delight. Now she ached from sitting too long. She stretched and went in search of hot coffee. She returned with a steaming cup, pleased to find a new instant message.
Ryan’s smiling face greeted her. She clicked on it.
“Have dinner with me? So much to share. Need to catch you up on the deal.”
Catch me up on the deal, huh. Her fingers responded faster than her mind, while a smile tugged at her lips. “I’d love to. What time?”
“How late are you working?”
She paused. Not wanting to consider the volume of work on her desk. “Thinking…” She paused. “Six?”
“Perfect. I’ll come to get you then.”
“Okay.” He was gone, offline. She knew he’d been in meetings all day. In the meantime, she was starving and fighting a headache. Shane retrieved a hot cup of coffee and salad from the vending area. Good enough to tide her over till dinner.
CHAPTER 6
The Deal
H e did indeed pick her up at six. As they walked into the neighborhood restaurant, she could tell dinner would be a significant improvement from her pale leaf lettuce salad and ranch dressing. The smell of grilling meat and onions had her mouth-watering.
“Did you see that plate of fries?” She asked as the waitress walked by. Shane’s eyes widened with food envy.
Ryan was quick on his feet, "Miss?" He called to the middle-aged server, who hadn't been a miss for several years. "Could we have what they're having?" He smiled and winked.
She eyed him for a moment before a smile warmed her face. “You bet honey. I’ll get it ordered and let your server know.”
"Thank you." He leaned into Shane, "Told you this place has the best service in town.” He winked at the server, who headed toward the kitchen with a soft blush rising in her cheeks.
“Shameless.” She teased. Ryan raised his eyebrows, and she reached for his hand across the table. “Thank you for getting me the fries. If you hadn’t, I’d probably have joined their table.”
"I thought so," He chuckled.
“Okay, I’ve been incredibly patient, and I’m dying to know the details.” He nodded. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“Okay. I’m sorry it’s taken us some time to get here.”
"Okay." He leaned in further, but this time she could see the details working in his eyes, story time.
"I've known the Rossi’s, Michael, Andrew, and Elizabeth, since we were kids. Andrew and Michael are brothers. Andrew was, well, is my age, Michael's a bit younger. Elizabeth is their cousin; she's older. Anyway, they grew up in the family business. Andrew, and Michael's dad is the senior partner; Elizabeth stands in as her dad's representative since his passing. Vino is a winery out of Southern California. The business passes from one generation to the next, and now my friends are the acting partners. I spent my high school summers working for them. I loved it. I loved them."
Shane smiled. “What did you do?”
“Worked my ass off, that’s for sure, but I also learned the business. Those guys taught me how to make wine, how to work hard, how to take pride in your product. They showed me the ropes. Honestly, if we can secure this deal, there will be considerably more to come. Vino tends to be a leader in the market. Right now, they are looking to partner with a selected number of top chefs and offer a “Pairing” with their restaurants. You know, like a great wine to go with a great restaurant.” He took a deep breath and grinned. The man was in his element. “That in itself is an amazing opportunity, and then it opens the door to develop a campaign with the restaurant. I’ve already got ideas in mind for featuring the chefs in the win
ery. Black and white photos; we can do a shoot in Vegas and back at the winery in California.”
He leaned back, and she took her cue. “So, what happened, sounds like it was a done deal?”
He nodded again. "That's what I thought. Mike and Drew, Andrew, are already on board, ready to step into the next phase of their family business. It's the senior partner who is a bit more resistant to change. Don't get me wrong. They think we run a good business; they aren't convinced to move into a bigger playing field. Micah, Drew, and Michael's dad; he's set in his way."
“And Elizabeth?” Shane prodded, "How does she fit?"
"Oh." He looked down. "She's influential." He paused. "She's Micah's niece, Michael, and Drew's cousin. Her dad, Angelo, died a few years back, and Micah has always had a soft spot for her. She spent summers with him in the vineyard. Now, she runs the Vegas division. She's the one who has been spearheading the Pairing concept. She wants to explore options."
“You know her too?” Shane asked, her eyebrows knitting together.
“I do.” It was all the explanation he offered.
"What does she think about working with us?"
"Honestly, I don't know. I talked to Michael early this afternoon, and he assured me she was on board and now…" He shook his head, "not so much."
Shane nodded, taking it in. “Do you know what her concerns are?”
Ryan shook his head. “Not really. It seems she’d like to meet in person to discuss opportunities.”
“I take it that Michael and Drew are still interested in moving forward." It was a statement, not a question. She understood how things were playing out. Elizabeth was the wild card.
“Absolutely. They have no interest in backing out of the deal. It’s just that with Micah leaning toward Elizabeth’s side,” he paused. “It’s difficult…”
“To make headway.” she finished.
The Boardroom Series – Complete Boxed Set (Boxes 1 – 6) : An office romance turned seductive submission Page 12