by Hamel, B. B.
I didn’t plan on teasing her like this during the flight, but now I can’t help myself. She gets so angry so easily. It’s exciting, pushing her buttons and finding her boundaries. I think she likes it too, or at least she’s not getting angry, just exasperated. I can deal with that.
I should bring it down a notch though. There really are people from the company nearby. If they heard the things I was saying to her, that could be serious trouble.
It’s bad enough that I poached her from Carol. People are talking about that and I know the rumors aren’t good. As the CEO, I’m supposed to be above all that noise, but I can’t help feel a little annoyed that people want to talk about this like it’s some kind of sleazy arrangement.
And yet… how far from the truth are they? I really did steal Taylor from Carol because I wanted her. I really did kiss her in a back room. I really did all of that, and I want to do more. I’d happily take her back into a bathroom and let her ride my cock nice and slow until her back arches and she comes thousands of feet in the air.
Some of the rumors are completely true.
I just don’t like that there are rumors at all.
I’ve been able to stay away from that sort of thing all my career. I come into a company, I do what I do best, and then I leave. I don’t get attached and I don’t do anything stupid. There aren’t rumors about me because there’s absolutely nothing to say.
I’m boring, uninteresting, and I’ve been very successful at it so far.
This is the first time in my career that I’ve done something notorious and worth talking about.
Fuck, maybe it was a huge mistake. I can salvage this though, pretty easily in fact. If I just stopped teasing Taylor and let the kiss slide, we could move on and things would be totally fine. The rumors would peter out sooner or later and I could go back to being a CEO instead of the subject of conversation.
And yet, I don’t want to do that. I want to tease Taylor, make her blush. I want to kiss her, taste her, run my fingers through her hair.
I want more of her, so much more of her.
Still, for the time being, I’ll let it slide. I’ll be a good boy, at least on this flight.
But we’re going to Alaska soon. And I’m not going to be good for very much longer.
6
Taylor
The flight passes without too much trouble. It’s long and boring and sitting with Baker is weird at first, but quickly things even out and I manage to make it through.
I even get some sleep, thanks to the gin.
Baker isn’t so bad when he’s not being an asshole. We talk during the flight, normal stuff really, about our parents and our lives. He seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say, which surprised me. He’s the kind of man that’s heard it all before and traveled in some seriously upper-crust circles. He doesn’t care about my boring, totally mundane life story.
Sure, I went to a good school, I worked hard through it. I took out loans and controlled most of my finance. My parents couldn’t help me with that stuff, not that they didn’t want to, they just couldn’t afford it. No big deal, I don’t blame them.
Baker seemed interested though. He asked questions and remembered facts. I got the distinct and odd feeling that he was really listening to what I had to say.
That’s not a small thing.
“You’re going to love this place,” Baker says to me as we climb into a taxi.
“Yeah? I looked at it online. It looks amazing.”
“I’ve actually been here before,” he says. “With another company. Don’t tell anyone that.”
“Really?” I laugh at him. “You’re just recycling ideas.”
“Damn right. This place was a hit once before.” He hesitates a second. “Okay, twice.”
“You’ve taken two companies here?”
“This would be three.”
“You’re insane.”
He shrugs a little. “What can I say? When I find something that works, I just keep doing that.”
“Clever man.”
He laughs and the taxi pulls out, driving along Alaska’s barren highways.
I expected it to be colder, but it’s surprisingly comfortable. Not warm, exactly, but not freezing either. I still need a light jacket and pants but I’m not going to get frostbite if I stand outside.
And the landscape is beautiful. So many trees, all of them pristine and untouched. Alaska is a wild state, there’s no doubt about that. We hurtle further into the wilderness and I can almost feel it closing around us, choking off the real world.
I take out my phone, suddenly needing a sense of connection.
Me: Earth to Lisa? Hello? I’m writing from Mars.
Lisa: Hey, girl! You didn’t die!
Me: Surprise!
Lisa: Find any bears yet?
Me: Not yet. But I’m working on it. How’s civilization?
Lisa: Oh, you know. The usual. Decay of modern man and all that.
Me: Sounds great. The air out here smells crisp. I hate it.
Lisa: I saw a guy peeing on the sidewalk ten minutes ago.
Me: I saw a bear peeing on a golf cart.
Lisa: Really??
Me: No. Of course not.
Lisa: That would be so cool though.
I roll my eyes and slip my phone back into my bag as the taxi pulls up a long driveway.
I can see the hotel up ahead. It’s an enormous thing, bigger than I thought it would be.
“The Overbooked Hotel,” Baker murmurs. “Terrible name. Great place.”
I grin at him as we pull up out front. The place is huge and was clearly built sometime in the sixties. Everything looks original as we climb out and Baker tips the driver. Our luggage is whisked away and carried inside by porters, which Baker generously tips right away, and we’re led to the front desk to check in.
Everything goes smoothly and Baker does it all. I’m left looking around the lobby at the marble floors, the beautiful rugs, the original furniture. It’s the sort of hotel and resort that I imagine European royalty would go to.
“Come on,” Baker says to me, taking me by the arm and guiding me from the desk. Other people from the company start showing up and Baker waves at them but doesn’t stop.
He takes me back to the elevators and we ride up to the top of the building. We walk down a short hallway that ends with two doors, one on either side.
“This is us,” he says.
“We’re right across the hall?” I ask.
“Sure are.” He hands me a key card. “Bags will be up soon. Go take a look.”
I hesitate a second before swiping my card. The door unlocks and I step inside…
Into the nicest room I’ve ever seen.
“Holy crap,” I say out loud.
I hear him chuckle from the doorway. He watches me as I step into the room and look around.
There’s a fireplace, a real fireplace. There are couches and chairs with blankets and pillows, all of them comfortable and vintage-looking. The carpet is plush and the rugs are beautiful. There’s a bar and a small kitchen area, plus another sitting spot with a television. I think the TV is the only piece of modern furniture in the whole room, though.
I walk back down a short hall. There’s a full bath and a master bedroom. Both of them are absurdly ornate. The bedroom has a huge four-poster canopy bed with lace hanging around as curtains. It’s the sort of bed a princess would sleep on.
But the real beauty is the tub. There’s a four-claw tub, big and porcelain and incredible. The faucet looks like it might be real gold and it’s ornately carved with a salmon motif. It looks like the salmon are running up the pipes and getting ready to spill out into the tub.
“What do you think?”
Baker startles me. I forgot he had followed me into the room.
“It’s amazing,” I say, laughing. “But I don’t know why I need all this.”
“You don’t. But I figured you’d like it. Besides, I have its twin.”
“Thank you.”
He shrugs. “Don’t mention it. Just enjoy it, okay?”
“Okay. Sure.”
He stretches and yawns. “Well, get settled. I’m going to my room if you need me. Dinner is at six.”
“Where should I meet you?”
“In the hall is fine.”
“Okay. Uh, and formal dinner? What should I wear?”
He looks me over. “Nothing, preferably.”
I give him a flat stare.
He chuckles. “Okay, fine. Just whatever. It’ll be casual.”
“Thanks. You’re such a big help.”
“Hey, nobody’s picking my clothes out for me, you know.” He pauses for a second, considering me. “Although I’d be happy to undress you if you want.”
“Get out of my room.”
“Offer stands.” He turns and walks off with a wave.
I sigh and watch him go, smiling despite myself. A minute after he’s gone, my bags arrive.
I pull out my phone.
Me: I’m staying in the nicest room imaginable. Look at this.
Sends pictures of the room.
Lisa: Holy shit.
Lisa: Is that a palace??
Lisa: Are you going to fuck your boss on all those couches???
Me: I regret telling you that.
Lisa: It’s a lot of couches. Lucky girl. Better get to work.
I sigh and throw my phone onto the bed.
I’m not sure what I’ve gotten myself into. I’m in a beautiful room in a remote resort and I’m staying right across the hall from my hot as sin boss… the same guy I kissed just a week ago.
It’s complicated. Oh, and Carol wants to murder us both, I’m sure.
But I can’t help myself. I walk to the window and look out at a pristine landscape, the wilderness stretching out. I feel both elated to be so close to nature and terrified of being lost in the middle of the sea of trees out in the center of precisely nowhere.
Except having Baker nearby does help.
He’s been here before. So it’ll be okay.
I take a breath and let it out.
I have to enjoy it. I know things are weird with Baker but that’s not a big deal. He’s just teasing me. I have to keep telling myself that. He doesn’t mean anything by it.
We’ll get through this and things will return to normal. Totally normal, no big deal.
Just start with dinner first.
7
Baker
I meet Taylor out in the hall between our rooms at exactly six. I’m wearing a slim suit with no tie, the top button left undone. It’s a little bit dressier than I told her, but oh, well.
Taylor steps out of her room wearing jeans and a sweater that clings to her chest in the exact perfect way. Her breasts are full and perky and I feel my heart racing just looking at her, but she’s frowning.
“I thought you said casual.”
“This is casual.”
“You look like you’re going to a wedding.”
“I look good.” I offer her my arm. “My lady?”
She rolls her eyes, smiling, and lets me lead her down the hall.
Dinner is held in this massive dining room toward the back of the resort. There are tons of tables and each table has its own waiter or waitress. You basically sit wherever and then you’re served. It’s somehow both formal and informal at the same time and they do an amazing job with it.
We find a table in a secluded part of the room. I don’t feel like talking to all the other assholes from the company, not yet at least. There’s going to be plenty of that soon.
Right now, I just want to be with Taylor for a bit.
The room isn’t crowded yet. I suspect we’ve rented out a fair bit of this hotel, probably more than half of it. It’ll be much more crowded once the rest of the company starts to arrive.
“This is nice,” Taylor says to me.
“Just wait. The food is great.”
Our waitress brings us menus. I ask for a bottle of wine and two glasses. When she returns with it and pours, I raise my glass to toast.
“To having a good week,” I say.
“Cheers.”
We touch glasses and sip. I watch Taylor as she scans the menu, chewing her lip a little bit.
“Where’s your pen?” I ask suddenly.
She looks up. “My what?”
“Pen. You had that pen in your ear all week.”
“Oh. I left it in the room. I mean, we’re not working, so…”
“Ah. It’s just a work tool.”
She shrugs a little. “I don’t know. I don’t want to be weird about the pen, you know?”
“It’s your safety crutch.”
“Excuse me?”
“Your talisman.”
“Now you’re just saying random words.”
I laugh and sip my wine. “No, seriously. A lot of people have one. It’s just an object that makes you feel safe.”
She frowns a little. “Yeah. I think that’s true.”
“Yours is a pen. Some people have blankets or lucky coins, shit like that.”
“Do you have a talisman?”
“Oh, sure. It’s an ancient magical artifact from—”
“Don’t be an asshole.”
I chuckle softly and nod. “Yeah. I do have one.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a mug from the 1988 World Series. It was my father’s.”
“Huh. The Phillies won that, right?”
“Right. I don’t know why it means so much to me. It was just some random mug my dad got after the game, but he gave it to me when I was a kid and I’ve had it ever since.”
She twirls a piece of hair around her finger. Fucking hell, she’s so sexy. It’s intoxicating. Just one little gesture and I’m already buzzing with it.
“Were you close?”
“Yeah, we were. We used to have lunch together at least once a week, but he passed a few years ago.”
“I’m sorry. That’s hard.”
“Yeah, it was.” I shrug a little bit. I sip the wine to cover my discomfort. I don’t like talking about my dad. Not because it’s painful, exactly, but because I don’t like feel vulnerable. And nothing makes me feel more vulnerable.
“I’m close with my mom,” she says, filling the little silence. “Not so much with my dad.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know. He just…”
“What?”
“He’s a baby boomer. You know?”
I laugh at that. “Yeah. I do know.”
“He can’t help it.”
“To be fair, young people always think old people are wrong about absolutely everything.”
“That’s true.” She glances around the room. “Guess I should keep my voice down. Lots of boomers in here.”
I grin at her. “Millennials aren’t much better.”
“I’m not a millennial.”
“Good point. What are you, anyway?”
“Who knows.” She shrugs. “Too young for people to bitch about, I guess.”
“Consider yourself lucky.”
The waitress returns and takes our orders. We talk about our families, about where we grew up and where we went to school. We both went to the University of Pennsylvania, although we were there nearly ten years apart. Still, it’s interesting how much we have in common.
Food comes and it’s just as good as I remembered. She has another glass of wine and I have two. I’m feeling good, light and happy. Things are going easy, comfortably.
And god damn, she looks good.
I’ve been trying to pretend like I haven’t noticed just how beautiful she is. I’ve been trying to avoid that thought at all costs. Her hips are perfect, her lips are enticing, and her eyes draw me in like two fires. Her breasts make my blood pound and her ass is the sort of thing I could spank and never get tired of.
She drives me wild. Easily and simply, just wild.
“Let’s get out of here,” I say suddenly.
She frowns. “Are you finished?”
“I’m done. You?”
“I’m done.” She knocks her glass of wine back, finishing it. “Okay. Now I’m done.”
I laugh and get up. “Come on. I want to show you something.”
She follows me out of the dining hall. We pass a table of coworkers and I just nod at them, not stopping to talk. She hurries behind me. I bet they think we’re off to do some important work or whatever.
“Where are we going?” she asks as I lead her down a side hallway.
“You’ll see.”
She looks a little worried. I can’t blame her.
It’s still light out when we push through a side entrance. The path forks two different ways, one toward the front lot and the other toward the forest. I lead her toward the trees, away from the hotel.
She walks next to me in silence for a few minutes, just looking around. It’s a bit chilly so I take my jacket off and offer it to her. She accepts it with a smile, putting it over her shoulders.
I lead her down the path which winds into the tree line. It’s paved the whole way and was clearly built by the hotel for walking purposes.
“There are tons of trails around here,” I say softly. “Most of them are marked and paved. You can’t really get lost.”
“I like it,” she says. “I mean, I thought you were taking me out here to work or maybe to murder me.”
“No murder. Just a stroll.”
She smiles uncertainly. “What did you want to show me? Just the paths?”
“No, something else. Come on, it’s not far.”
We walk in silence for a few more minutes and it’s surprisingly comfortable. The sound of birds and the wind blowing through the pine trees fills the space between us. I’m tempted to reach out and take her hand but I resist it.
We take another path and then another. After another few minutes of walking, we slip down a very narrow trail, barely marked at all, toward the sound of bubbling water.
Up ahead in a little clearing is an enormous fountain.
“Wow,” she says, laughing. “What the hell?”
It looks totally out of place. It’s huge and stone, like something you’d see in a city. The motif is salmon and bears, which makes sense, given the location. But it’s totally in the middle of nowhere. The forest is starting to encroach on it and the hotel clearly isn’t doing a great job of maintaining it.