by Ford, Mia
I entered the house to see Melinda walking downstairs in a sexy blue wrap dress. She was meeting her husband for dinner and that was in part what we made our plans around. I told her to have a good time, and she hugged me as always. I loved this family so much. When she was gone, I went to take a shower and dress for my own date, singing softly in the shower.
I left the bathroom wrapped in a towel, jumping when I saw Remy sitting on the bed. He was staring at the floor and I frowned at him as I dried my hair. “Rem? Everything okay?” I asked as he lifted his eyes to look at me. He looked exhausted.
“It was a weird day at work.” He replied as he ran a hand through his hair.
“Are you still up to dinner?” I asked as he seemed to consider the question.
“Yeah. We need to talk.” The words chilled me, and I froze as he glanced at me. “It’s not bad, not like that. I just have to tell you what really happened in Seattle and why I left. The past has come back to haunt me.” His face looked drawn and pained as I bit my lip. “Get ready. We’ll go to that seafood place you like.”
I returned to the bathroom and ran some product through my hair before walking to the closet. We had the room set up for both of us now, sharing the generous closet and adding a desk in front of a window where I could work if I needed to be alone. I loved our space, but I dreamed about decorating an entire house someday. I glanced at Remy as I pulled out a gray sundress that brought out my eyes and a thin cardigan. His tie was loosened, and he stood to walk into the bathroom wearily as I shivered.
I didn’t think that he was going to break up with me, but Remy was concerned about something. When he was done in the bathroom, I walked in to change into my clothes and add a little makeup to look less like a porcelain doll with my pale skin. I slipped my feet into some sandals and glanced around to see that our room was empty. I walked downstairs and found him in the kitchen, drinking some water. “I’m ready.”
“Okay.” He rinsed the glass and set it in the sink before walking towards me, pulling me against him. “I love you so much.” He pressed his face to my still damp hair and breathed me in as I wrapped my arms around his waist.
“I love you,” I breathed, realizing we hadn’t said this before. We knew it and acted on it, but there was something heavier in the air tonight. Remy found my lips with his, pressing against me in a searing kiss that made my knees shake.
We left to go to town, pulling into the little parking lot of my favorite place. It was a nice building but little and I loved the intimacy about it. The food was amazing as well. When we walked inside, the hostess seated us against the window and I looked at Remy. “I’ll drive home. Have a beer or two.”
“Thanks. That sounds great.” He replied, and I nodded. He waited until dinner before staring at me for a moment. “We had an interview at work today for the position that we need to fill.”
“That’s good, right? You’ll be working less?” I asked as he nodded. He’d be home more and hopefully with more energy.
“It is. Of course, it is. The thing is… I need to start this from the beginning.” Remy tucked his napkin in his lap and sipped his beer. “I left Seattle because I had a girlfriend and I had a business partner. Everything was great though I wasn’t anywhere near as crazy about her as I am you.” I forced a smile, waiting for more. “Anyway, I caught them together a little bit into setting up the firm with Ian. I could tell that it had been more than once or twice but that didn’t matter to me. What bothered me was all the work I put into our firm. The hours, the mental and physical exhaustion, and above all that I felt guilty for not seeing Amy enough through that. Seeing them together was like a slap in the face for me.”
“What happened?” I asked softly as he looked at me.
“We fought. Her and I. Him and I. I ended things with her immediately and packed what I needed, taking it to a hotel. I tried to talk to him about the business and he pulled the plug on it. He said he’d run it himself from then on and offered to buy me out of it.” I frowned. “I accepted his offer. Things were too ugly, and I couldn’t stand the sight of either of them. He told me that he was going to black ball me in the industry, so I’d never work again. Ian was one of my closest friends. We met in college and had such plans together. It was a fucked-up way for things to end.”
“You got your job. Did he not destroy you?” I asked as he looked out at the ocean for a moment.
“No. I answered vaguely when Rick questioned why I left Seattle. I hadn’t looked him up and had no idea what he was up to, but he didn’t ruin my future.” Remy sighed, and I watched him reach for his beer. “The interview today was with Amy, my ex.”
“What?” I asked as my fork clattered to my plate. “Did she come here for you?”
“She knew I worked here. She claims that she wanted to apologize and be friends again. I want nothing more than that if anything at all so that isn’t an issue. The problem is that she is well-qualified for the job and an intelligent woman. She’s a good worker when she isn’t cheating. She has a lot of regret over what happened.” Remy looked at me as I frowned at him.
“Are you going to hire her?” I asked, my voice filled with dread.
“Rick liked her more than the others.” I sipped my water, longing for it to be wine. I felt so much insecurity in this moment and wanted to get up and leave. Remy didn’t do relationships with anyone before me apart from Amy. While I didn’t think they were together for too long, it was a substantial amount of time. “He asked if I would mind and if I could work around our past.”
“How long were you with her?” I asked as Remy stared at me.
“The last year or so of college and a year into forming the firm with Ian. It wasn’t love or anything close, but I respected her for her hard work. It was comfortable for me.” He looked down at the table. “She told me that Ian was killed in some robbery two weeks after I left and that they were more or less over. Either he didn’t ever plan to ruin me, or he didn’t have time. I’m not sure.”
“Dead?” I breathed as he nodded. “Oh, Remy. I’m so sorry.”
“We weren’t friends anymore. He did me wrong and while I’m sorry that he went through that, I am not sad. I think that she is but not because she loved him. I don’t know, Celia. I didn’t realize who I was even going to interview until today. I was caught off guard.” Remy shrugged and stabbed a shrimp on his plate. “Now, Rick wants to hire her. Everyone else was so underqualified compared to Amy.”
I wanted to protest. I didn’t want Remy working with a woman that he spent that much time with, sleeping with her and knowing her. Amy might see the same side of him that I’d seen, foolishly thinking I was the only one. I should trust him and allow this, so he could work less and be home with me. He told me that he didn’t want her. “If it is best for the company, then you should hire her.”
“Do you mean that?” Remy asked as I breathed out gently.
“I believe that you don’t want her.” I did even though I felt uncertain about all of this.
“I told Rick I’d think about it. I wanted to talk to you first.” He reached out, and I took his hand across the booth, squeezing gently.
“I just want you happy, Remy. If working less will do that, then do what you have to.” It wasn’t completely supportive, but I didn’t protest, and he gave me a long look.
“Okay.” He looked down at the plate of food that was growing cold and cut into his steak. I felt my stomach growl after barely eating all day, glancing down at my shrimp and lobster plate. We ate in silence, both of our minds racing as we thought about the future.
When we were done, he asked me to take a walk on the beach and I agreed. Remy told me that he loved me as we walked, clinging to my hand. I told him that I felt the same, smiling when he asked me if I wanted to try to beat everyone home. I agreed, and we ran to the car, laughing as we raced over the sand to the steps.
We walked into the empty house and he dragged me to our room. We kissed hard as we stripped our clothes off, tu
mbling back to the bed. He kissed my mouth hungrily, then my neck. His mouth covered my nipple, and I arched my back to offer him more. “I need you.”
“I want you inside of me. I want you to fuck me,” I breathed, surprising both of us. I normally didn’t swear much but my need for Remy took all my control away from me. He spread my legs with his knees, easing himself before me as I wrapped my ankles around him. Remy entered me in one hard thrust, making me gasp as I grabbed his shoulders. He moved slow and hard and I rocked against him, drawing him deeper inside.
We came together, my eyes closed tightly as I exploded around him.
Chapter Twelve
Remy
I didn’t wake Celia up in the morning. Despite all her reassurances, I knew that the news about Amy bothered her. I knew that she was threatened by my ex even though she was the best thing that ever happened to me. I loved Celia and wanted her in my life.
I wanted her to rest more, worried about how much Celia was working. Perhaps that was why she stressed out last night even as she hid it from me.
I showered and dressed for the office, making coffee before I left the house. Dad was already gone, and Mom was out at her new yoga class. I left, glancing towards my room where my princess slept and smiled weakly. I knew what Rick wanted to do and that his choice would benefit the firm. Amy would make us more productive and lessen the workload of both of us. The question was if she would let the past go and focus on work. I didn’t want to rehash everything, but I didn’t have the strength to hate her any longer. I forgave her because we weren’t anything to begin with and I imagined that she’d been through a lot with Ian’s death.
I drove in, listening to a favorite podcast of mine to distract me from my own thoughts. I wanted it to be as short a day as possible, so I could walk on the beach with Celia, talking about our future. There was going to be one without a doubt.
I walked into the office and glanced at Rick’s door, seeing that he hadn’t arrived yet. I sat down and thought about the other resumes we’d seen and the few interviews we’d conducted. Rick wasn’t happy with them and I had to agree with him. They were underqualified for our growing firm. I sipped my coffee and played back the details of the others as I admitted to myself that Amy was the best.
I heard footsteps, greeting Heather as she arrived. She smiled and told me good morning and it was then that I saw Rick. He was dressed to the nines and glanced in my door as he approached his own office, gesturing for me to come inside. I stood and walked forward, walking in, and closing the door behind me as Rick settled into his chair. “Did you think things over?” he asked as I dropped into the chair across from him.
“I talked to my girlfriend and yes, I thought it over. She’s well qualified, Rick. I know that for a fact and I think she is willing to let the past go. I am willing to give her a try with some tight conditions.”
“Great. I don’t think that we’ll regret that.” Rick said as he searched my face. He knew that I had a girlfriend that I loved but I kept my life private. I found it to be the best way for me to focus on work and just work. I knew that there was bound to be parties and dinners occasionally and wasn’t sure how to handle that, nor what Celia wanted to do about it. “I’ll call her today and set up a meeting with Tanya to get everything started. Thanks, Remington. I appreciate that you’re thinking about the company more than yourself. This is all going to work out.”
I nodded, and we made small talk about the projects that we had going on. I made my way back to the office, knowing that my fate was going to be sealed by the end of the day. I needed to have boundaries with Amy more than I did with the other women, making it clear that I was happy with someone else. I could handle this.
We ended up working late since Heather went home sick just before lunch. I got home past eight and dinner was finished. I saw Celia sitting at the table writing with a steaming cup of coffee beside her, feeling the guilt of arriving home late. “Babe, have you been writing all day?” I asked as I walked in, seeing her glance at me. Her red hair was getting long, just past her shoulders and it was pulled loosely back today.
“Most of it. I took a quick job since he offered good money.” She replied as I leaned down to kiss her hair.
“I make a lot of money and I’m putting it away. You don’t have to kill yourself working.” I reminded her as she pushed her glasses back up her nose.
“I like working. I don’t want to sit around the house all day and do nothing, money or not. That’s not the point. I do want to put money away for the future and help us.” She smiled patiently at me and I dropped into the seat beside her. “Long day?”
I nodded. “It seems that we’ll be getting help soon. I told him to go for it.” Celia nodded, and something flashed through her eyes for a moment. She was scared but putting on a strong front for me. “I am keeping an eye on things and setting some hard boundaries.”
“I know that,” she replied as she tightened her ponytail.
“I know I was supposed to get home earlier. I owe you a long walk on the beach, but tomorrow is Friday. We can do something over the weekend.” I offered as she smiled, leaning her face towards mine for a kiss.
“That sounds great. Brin is going to be at her boyfriend’s place, so we’ll be alone, unless you want to invite someone.” She yawned as I watched her, realizing that I didn’t have a lot of friends. There were the guys I hung out with in school and still did sometimes, but I hadn’t had a friend like Ian since I left Seattle. I’d never have that again.
I convinced her to shut down for the night and watch a movie with me. I was going to be up in a few hours and needed to hold her. I knew that she ate dinner, and we ordered take out at the office. We took a quick shower together and then crawled under the covers as I found something on cable. We didn’t pay attention as our mouths met in a long kiss. There were times I could not stay away from this woman and tonight was one of them. I kissed her hungrily, and she rolled onto me, pressing her naked body against mine as my cock hardened painfully. Celia moved her mouth over my jaw, nipping at me as she rubbed her slick pussy over me, making me crazy. She tugged at my neck with her teeth and I pushed her up, so I could be inside of her.
I plunged inside of her as she moaned softly, her face pressed against my chest. I held her hips and pushed up, feeling her rock with me as we both searched for our release that only we could give. This was perfect for me, for us. I never wanted to be inside of anyone else and I jerked harder as I edged closer.
When I came, I closed my eyes and let my body feel it everywhere. Celia groaned, and I felt her teeth as she joined me, flooding me with her heat. I let my mind fast forward to a day when we were settled, and I was doing this with no barriers. I shivered at the thought since I hadn’t considered kids with anybody before this. I held her as the waves kept going, feeling how hot and damp her skin was.
“Nothing has ever felt like this. It never will again,” I whispered as she pressed her body against mine.
“I know,” she whispered as she traced my side slowly with one hand. We fell asleep close together, and I groaned aloud when the alarm filled the room. Shutting it off so Celia would keep sleeping, I took a long breath. I wanted to stay here with her all day and make her mine all over again.
I had to work and rolled out of bed to move towards the shower. It was Friday and I was going to think about somewhere to take her this weekend. We needed to relax and just be us again. It felt like that never happened now that I was working, and she was writing so much. I tried to reason with myself that hiring Amy would resolve some of those issues.
I dressed quietly once I was dried off. I walked into the kitchen to see Mom drinking coffee with a book, kissing her hair as I walked by. I hadn’t told her anything about Amy and Ian, just that I decided to move home. I didn’t want to repeat it all, but Mom saw right through me most of the time. She called me out when things were bothering me and drew it out of me.
“Remy, is everything okay?” She asked with just a
glance at me. I rolled my eyes as I poured my coffee.
“Yeah, it’s fine. Just some things going on at work, but we can talk about that later.” I assured her as I flashed her a smile.
“Celia is okay?” She pressed, and I nodded. She was, just feeling uncertain about us at the moment. I’d prove my love every chance that I got.
“She’s sleeping. I’m hoping that she does that most of the day instead of writing. Try and get her out of here if you can. Lunch or shopping or something.” I suggested as her face lit up. Celia was as close to Mom as I was, and she’d talk to her in the right setting.
“I will. That sounds fun since it hasn’t been just the two of us in quite some time. With Brin moving out, it might be that way until the two of you decide to go.” Mom said softly as she smiled. Brin was moving in with her boyfriend in the city in the next week. I knew that she’d be here to visit but it wouldn’t be the same. I flinched a bit at the mention of us moving out since I had been thinking about it lately.
“You still have us for a while. Only the best for Celia,” I reminded Mom as I glanced at the clock. “I have to run. Take care of her for me.”
“Always. Have a good day.” Mom told me as she met my eyes, searching them. I walked out and started the car, pulling out to the road after a few seconds. The traffic was thinner today, presumably since it was Friday and people were taking time off. I wish I was one of them.
I pulled in and parked before entering the building. I headed right to my desk and appreciated the empty space as I settled in for the day, finishing off my coffee as I looked over the city. I had two projects to attempt to catch up on today and knew it would be busy. I tried to appreciate that instead of thinking about the beautiful woman that was naked in my bed.
“Good morning.” I jumped slightly and turned to see Rick at my door.
“Oh, hey. I was thinking about work.” I murmured as I looked at him.
