by Katy Kaylee
“That’s why this merger has been so publicized and so stressful for my business partner. He’s going to be taking over that part of the company and it’s the first business deal he’s done on his own since the divorce screwed him over—emotionally and financially. His wife took him for all he was worth. Anyway… it’s the first real big public sign that I’m re-working my companies and focusing on helping others instead of running businesses.”
Just when I thought I couldn’t care for this man more, he went and told me something like this. “So the rest of your life is going to be helping people?”
“Yes.” He said it without fanfare or pride and without defensiveness. Just a simple statement of fact.
“I don’t think I’ve ever met a humble billionaire before. Or one that willingly gave up all his wealth and assets.”
“Trust me, it wasn’t an easily-won perspective.” Alex sighed. “It only cost me my sister and the health of my niece, after all. But I’m determined. I have the money to make the world a better place, to take care of the environment, so there’s no reason that I shouldn’t.” With that he perked up. “And you wouldn’t believe the projects I’ve been funding! Turning entire cities into green energy, it’s a massive project but we hope with…”
He went on, going over to a wet bar and pulling some champagne out, along with two glasses. I shook my head. “I’m sorry,” I lied, “alcohol makes me sleepy and I’m about to be confronted with a three-hour time difference.”
“Fair enough.” Alex put the alcohol away and walked over to me. When he took the back of my hand and kissed it, I could feel my entire body warming, all the way down to my toes.
“Tell me more about your projects,” I said, hoping that he wouldn’t ask any further questions. I still had no idea whether or not I should tell him about the pregnancy, and it was the one dark spot in an otherwise happy and exciting weekend.
When we touched down in Los Angeles, there was a private car waiting for us on the tarmac to sweep us away. The restaurant, Geoffrey’s, was gorgeous and right on the water, just as he’d said. It was also completely empty. The owner came out to greet us and seemed to know Alex well, joking with him and shaking his hand. We got to watch the sunset over the water as we dug into our sumptuous meal, and I felt completely spoiled. I’d never been treated like this before, and it wasn’t even the fancy aspect of it that got to me. If we had just been at home, and Alex had made me dinner and massaged my feet, put on my favorite movie, washed my hair in the bath, I would have felt just the same. He was trying to give me the absolute best night of my life, trying to indulge me, and it was heavenly. I felt truly valued and adored. I honestly had to go into the bathroom at one point just to brace my hands on the sink and breathe it all in, realizing this was real, this was real.
Afterwards, we took a stroll along the beach. The ocean on the west coast was very different from the ocean on the east coast—not that we were going into the water in the middle of December. But it was nice to be able to stroll along in just light jackets instead of all bundled up in full winter gear.
As the sun continued to set, Alex paused, tugging me in. “God, you’re beautiful,” he murmured, and then he was kissing me.
He would just do that—just pull me in and kiss me like he wasn’t sure that I actually existed, and he had to remind himself. I had never induced that kind of wonder in someone before. I hadn’t thought I was even capable of it. And yet, here we were.
I wrapped my arms around his neck as the kiss deepened. I could feel him hardening against my hip, and as much as I wanted him to take me—to fuck me savagely like we were animals, to pin me down in the sand until I was screaming—we weren’t exactly alone in a bedroom.
“Alex—Alex wait,” I managed as he started to kiss down my neck. I pointed up at the beautiful house that towered over us. “The owners will see us.” It wasn’t quite that dark yet and any lights on in the house would illuminate the beach and, therefore, us.
Alex laughed. “I sure hope the owner will see.”
I frowned, pulling away a little. “I didn’t take you for an exhibitionist.”
Alex just laughed harder. “You’re so cute when you’re confused,” he admitted, his thumb coming up to rub at the line between my eyebrows as I continued to frown at him. “I’m the owner of the house.”
Oh my God, that sassy little shit. “I should have known.”
Alex pulled me in, growling a bit in the back of his throat. “So… where were we…”
Now it was my turn to laugh as I let him kiss me again.
We sank down into the sand and I rolled him over playfully, laughing at Alex’s confusion in the split second where he was disoriented and wondering what had happened. Then he grinned up at me, wiggling his eyebrows. “Looks like you’ve got me right where you want me. What are you going to do about that, Dr. Montague?”
“I’m going to give you a thorough examination,” I replied, undoing his pants. “Have to make sure that everything is working properly, don’t we?”
“Oh, yes, doctor, I’ve been so worried… perhaps you can assist me…” Alex was laughing, and so was I, the both of us giggling like children over our ridiculous semi-roleplay.
Alex reached up to touch me and I batted his hands away, sliding my fingers down my body, opening up my clothes so that he could watch and see. I was wearing a light cotton pantsuit that had a row of buttons down the front, easy for me to undo, and as I touched my breasts, my stomach, and finally between my legs, I could watch Alex’s eyes getting darker and darker until they looked completely black.
I stroked myself, putting on a bit of a show, teasing myself so that I could tease Alex. He was watching me like it was literally killing him not to touch me, but he obeyed my unspoken order and didn’t touch.
He didn’t touch as I stretched myself for him, relishing the burn, as I took him in hand and—careful of the sand—sank down onto him. He didn’t touch me at all, not until I was fucking myself up and down on him and gasped out, “Now, now, you can touch me now, Alex, please…”
His hands were all over me at once, and he sat up so that he could kiss me, changing the angle and taking him deeper inside of me. I cried out, glad that we had privacy and I could be as loud as I wanted. God, it was so good, it was always so good with him. I felt like I could just go to town, like I didn’t have to worry about anything, and it felt so good that I was shaking. I wasn’t even sure when I orgasmed, because it was just ecstasy from beginning to end.
I knew when Alex came, though, because he bit down on my shoulder and groaned, shaking through it. I laughed breathily, feeling the sweat and the sand sticking to me. “Tell me you have a shower in that gorgeous house of yours,” I whispered.
“Oh, sweetheart,” he murmured, kissing me, “I’ve got a lot more than that.”
27
Alex
The next day, we spent our time together alone in my house. My house, the one place I had been dying to show her.
Claire seemed to love it. She cooed over Tabitha’s room, and plunked out “Chopsticks” on my piano. She adored the art that I had hanging up, and bounced on my king-sized bed. It was fucking delightful to watch her make herself at home here. She fit in like the place had been made for her.
And maybe it had been, in a way. I hadn’t had this place built with a life partner in mind. I’d always sort of assumed that I would never find someone to spend my life with like that. When I was with women I would take them back to a hotel room, or to one of the many apartment buildings or other properties I’d used to own. I hadn’t wanted them to come here. This was the place for me and my family, my closest people.
But Claire was one of my closest people, now.
As we strolled along the beach, played in the waves, I realized that I didn’t want to let her go. I couldn’t give her up. Not for anything.
Claire noticed my reverie and pushed her ocean-damp hair back out of her face, smiling at me. “What’s on your mind?” she aske
d.
I’m in love with you, I almost blurted out.
And I realized in that moment that I was. I was deeply in love with her. I wanted her to be in my life for the rest of it, for as long as she would let me.
It wasn’t like being struck by lightning, the way that movies always seemed to show it. Instead it was like… like shining a light on in a dark room and seeing what had always been there.
But I didn’t have the words. I was speechless with how much I felt—like I was standing stuck on the beach with a gigantic wave bearing down on me, except that I actually wanted the wave to hit me.
So instead I stood up and offered my hand. “Let’s go inside,” I told her.
Claire laughed a little but took my hand and let me lead her inside.
We made love in bed, finally, taking off all of our clothes so that I could worship her body, kissing every inch of her. There were no shifts at the hospital to worry about, no people bothering us, just the two of us in my massive bed like it was a boat in the middle of the ocean, carrying us out to sea.
I left bruises on her inner thighs and along her breasts from biting and kissing her so much. I left a bit of stubble burn from licking into her until she came again, and again, only pulling away when she tugged on my hair to get me back up to her. She blew me all the way to completion this time, and I kissed her until I got hard again, tasting myself on her tongue, and then fucked her deep and slow, her body underneath mine.
By the time we were finished, hours had passed. It was far from my first sex marathon, but it was the only one where it felt like I had been in an entirely different world—a world where time didn’t matter. I never wanted this to end. I never wanted our time together to end. If the real world meant that we couldn’t do this, then I didn’t want it.
As I held her, gently untangling her hair, my fingertips tracing the back of her neck, the curve of her ear, her shoulder, I knew with a bone-deep certainty that I was never going to be able to let her out of my life, and that I would do whatever it took to keep her there. I knew that it wouldn’t be easy, what with our different lives, but I was determined to make it work. We could find a way. She was the only woman I had ever wanted in my life, the only woman I had ever loved. I wasn’t going to give that up.
We laid there for as long as we could, but at last it got too late for us to ignore and we had to get up and get ready for the airport. We had to make our flight back to Boston so that Claire could get a good night’s sleep before her shift tomorrow, and I wanted to check in on Tabitha and hopefully say goodnight to her.
“Shall we?” I said, turning to Claire and sitting up.
Claire sighed and sat up as well. She had an oddly serious expression on her face, like she was thinking about something more than just our flight home. “Alex…”
Downstairs, the front door opened and then shut. “Alex!”
Oh, great. Tommy.
Normally I’d be glad to see my best friend, but not right now. Not when Claire clearly had something she needed to tell me. Was she scared about our relationship? Having second thoughts?
“I’m sorry,” I apologized. “That’s my business partner, the one I told you about who’s handling the merger. He’s got a key to the place.” I grabbed a robe and yanked it on.
“Todd told me you were in town for the weekend!” Tommy was calling.
“Todd’s my personal assistant,” I explained. “Keeps track of my schedule for me.”
“So he’s your secretary,” Claire teased me.
“Don’t let him hear you say that.”
“I’ve just got some papers I need you to sign real quick!”
“I’m sorry about this,” I whispered to Claire, putting on slippers.
“Don’t worry about it, you take care of things.” Claire still looked oddly preoccupied, though, biting her lip in that way she only did when she was nervous.
I headed downstairs to find Tommy lounging by the piano, staring through the windows out over the ocean. Resting next to him were a pile of papers. “This isn’t really a good time,” I admitted to him as I walked up “I’m about to head back to Boston.”
Tommy turned, frowning. Something about his frown struck me as oddly familiar, like the way a line developed between his eyebrows. It gave me the oddest feeling of déjà vu. “Is everything all right with Tabitha?”
“Everything’s fine,” I assured him. “In fact, we just got the all-clear that she’s in full remission.”
“No shit, that’s amazing!” Tommy hugged me, clapping me on the shoulder as he pulled away. “That’s really good. I’m so glad for both of you, she’s such a good kid.”
“She really is. She’ll be released from the hospital soon.”
“That’s great. And you two will come back here?”
I actually didn’t know what the plan was, now that Claire was in the picture, but I couldn’t exactly say that without revealing my relationship and I couldn’t do that without speaking to Claire first. I had promised her that I wouldn’t tell anyone about our relationship and that included my best friend.
Before I could make up some excuse, there was the sound of padded feet on the stairs. I turned, and saw Claire walking down in a robe.
“I wanted to meet Alex’s best…” Her smile froze.
Tommy, I realized, was frozen as well.
“Claire?” Tommy whispered.
Claire wrapped her arms around herself, like she was trying to shield herself, somehow. “Dad?” she replied.
Oh, holy shit.
28
Claire
I couldn’t believe that my father was standing in Alex’s house. In my boyfriend’s house. My father! What—how—
Alex was looking back and forth between us, his entire body stiff, his eyes wide with shock. I could practically see the tumblers clicking into place as he realized—well, he must have heard a lot about the divorce from my dad if they were best friends. And I’d told him enough about my own past that he had to know enough to match up the puzzle pieces.
I hadn’t seen my dad in a decade. He looked… good, I supposed. Good in the sense that he seemed to be taking care of himself. He was still handsome, and I found that I could see bits and pieces of myself in his face and demeanor. The way that he frowned. The set of his jaw. The swoop of his shoulders.
Dad looked me up and down, clearly noting the robe. “What exactly is my daughter doing in your house, Alex?”
That made my blood boil faster than if I’d been dipped in lava. “Your daughter is right here, dipshit,” I snapped.
Alex put his hands up. “Tommy, I never met Claire before the hospital. She’s Tabitha’s doctor. I had no idea that she was your daughter.”
“As if that should matter!” I said, walking down the rest of the stairs so that I was on the same floor. “I didn’t know that Alex was your business partner, but then, I don’t really know anything about you or your life, do I, Dad?”
“What the fuck did you do to my daughter!?” Dad demanded.
“Nothing I didn’t want him to do,” I replied. Fury was coursing through me, fury I had never felt before. How dare he. How dare he talk about me like I’m not there, how dare he talk about me like I was some object with no free will or some child that had been corrupted? I knew there was an age difference between Alex and myself but I was still twenty-seven. I was a full-grown adult and had been for some years. I wasn’t some eighteen-year-old fresh out of high school!
“There’s no reason to be upset,” Alex said slowly, calmly. He was a lot calmer about this than I was. “We’re all adults here.”
Dad snarled and shoved Alex. “I cannot believe you, I cannot believe you are fucking my daughter—”
“Don’t talk about her like she’s some random hook up!” Alex protested, starting to get frustrated. “She’s my girlfriend.”
I quickly stepped in between. “I am not letting you two get into a fist fight over this. If anyone is punching anyone, it’s me.” I turned to fa
ce Dad fully. “I haven’t seen you in a decade. Maybe if I had, you would get the privilege of giving me your opinion in who I date, and I would take it into consideration, and consider your feelings. But you haven’t, and so you don’t get a say.”
“I might not have a say in who you date,” Dad snapped, “but I do have a say when my best friend is fucking my only daughter.”
“Wow, did you not listen to anything I just said!?” I yelled. I grabbed him by the collar. “You, outside, now.”
I literally dragged him back out the front door, not caring if any neighbor saw us. I didn’t care in that moment about anything other than smacking some sense into this idiot to whom I was, unfortunately, related. “Mom called, saying you were trying to get into contact with me.” I continued to drag him. “Why the fuck should I get into contact with you if this is how you’re going to behave, huh? I’m not an object, and I’m not five years old. You’re going to let me make my own choices and respect my decisions or I will never, ever speak to you again.”
That seemed to finally get through to him. I released my hold on him, breathing heavily, hating the tell-tale heat behind my eyes that told me I was in danger of crying. I didn’t want to cry, not in front of this man. He hadn’t earned the right to see me like that yet.
Dad deflated. “I want to get to know you again, that’s why I called your mom. I regret how I handled things in the divorce, and how things went afterwards. Watching Alex with Tabitha, and seeing his regret over abandoning Lacey… I didn’t want to make the same mistake or waste any time. I want a relationship with you. I want to be your father the way that I should have been all this time.”
