Hurricane

by Taige Crenshaw

  It’s the calm before the hurricane. Julianne closed her eyes—she knew that, when things seemed too good, something came along to muck it up.

  You can’t think that way, Julianne. Don’t borrow trouble. When it comes, you’ll weather it like you always have. Julianne pushed her uneasiness aside and leaned against Keenan.

  I will enjoy every moment with this man, Julianne vowed.

  She tightened her hold on him, revelling in being in his arms.

  Julianne glanced at the calendar on her computer, frowning. August was the busiest month for them at Moments. Add in Moments Deuce, which was also fully booked, and their schedule was hectic. Thankfully, the staff they’d hired were working out well. It was the second Friday in August, and as the calendar showed, they would be running with functions till the Friday before Labor Day. No functions were scheduled for three weeks after that. Although they had lots of requests for events on Labor Day weekend, they didn’t accept any.

  The Labor Day weekend, from Saturday to Monday, was the Locke family gathering. All her business partners were considered part of the family and all attended—like every event they planned they used their combined talents to help coordinate the party. Unofficially, the family get-together was their last event before their ‘sort of’ break. They still worked the three weeks, but with no events they had time to rejuvenate and get ready for the rest of the year. They did a similar thing at the end of December, with Christmas Eve being their last big event. For the last week of December until the fourth week in January, they only handled smaller events, on a limited basis.

  Julianne flipped the calendar forward to after their break. Biting her lip, she juggled the information in her head. Checking the time, then the main calendar of appointments, she stood and left her office. Glancing into her assistant’s office, she noted Andrea was on the phone. Moments later she passed their personal receptionist’s desk, noticing Sid was also on the phone. Julianne smiled to herself—seeing them talking to current or potential clients meant they were in demand, and she loved that they were. She continued on her way and in moments exited into the main lobby area, heading past the front desk. She waved at the main receptionist, also on a call.

  She continued across the lobby then down the hall, waving to Regina’s receptionist, and knocked on Regina’s door.

  “Come in,” Regina called.

  As Julianne entered, Regina glanced up from where she sat behind her desk. Julianne walked over and sat in the chair facing it.

  “We’re going to have to go ahead with what we discussed when we decided to proceed with Moments Deuce.”

  Regina frowned, before realisation filled her face. “Oh…I’ve been thinking the same thing for the last few weeks.” Regina grinned. “Aren’t you glad I convinced you to train Byron and Azure? They picked up fast on what planning functions entailed, and even added more on our plans. I think they would be an asset to this part of the business.”

  Julianne pursed her lips. “It’s annoying how you’re usually right.”

  “Not all the time.” Regina rubbed her finger on her wedding ring.

  Julianne sat forward. “Things aren’t any better?”

  “No. It’s my fault. I’ll have to figure out a way to break through his silence.” Regina looked sad, then shook her head. “Enough about that. So, how do you think we should work this so they can keep planning events?”

  “The long-term plan, I think, would be to have Byron and Azure take over all the planning of the smaller events we have. That way, Byron can still handle the physical security and Azure can still handle the staffing needs. That way, neither would be overwhelmed with work,” Julianne said.

  “That sounds fine with me. You beat me to it. I was planning to talk with you about this after Labor Day, when we take our decompress time. The way we’ve been going, not having someone else to take on some of the workload would burn us out. I would never have imagined twelve years ago, when we started Moments, that it would be this successful.” Regina smiled.

  “Liar. You were the one who, after two years in business, said we should take on partners. And you were right.”

  “Yeah, I was. But it was you and Charles who took the initial leap of faith and went in with your family to buy this land, so we could build this place for all our dreams,” Regina said.

  Julianne’s heart ached. Charles was the one who’d had faith that they could do it. He’d stood by her for her dreams, and she his.

  “Yeah. He never saw it completed, but I know he’s smiling that we did it.”

  “Not only did it, but did it well.” Regina smirked.

  “You know it. Hard work.”

  “Late nights.”

  “Pain in the ass vendors.” Julianne chuckled.

  “And clients who you want to choke for their crazy ideas.” Regina joined her.

  “And I would not change it for the world. Thanks for coming into this with me.” Julianne cleared her throat, overwhelmed by all they shared personally and professionally.

  “Thanks for asking me.” Regina stood and came around the desk.

  Julianne rose to meet her and they hugged. They leaned on the desk next to each other.

  “It’s amazing how things change. Life changes that affect you, both for the good and bad,” Regina mused.

  “Yeah,” Julianne said softly.

  Her thoughts flashed to Keenan. They had been spending the past few weeks together as often as their schedules and obligations allowed.

  “Rissa is getting so big. I remember when she was that little, itty-bitty thing.”

  “My baby is growing. God, the teenage years are staring me in the eyes. I am not ready,” Julianne groaned.

  “If she’s like us when we were teenagers, you’ll be okay.” Regina bumped her shoulder.

  “You can say that. I wonder what our parents would say about that.”

  “They would agree. Maybe Charles and Spencer kept us grounded,” Regina said softly.

  “They did,” Julianne agreed, then laughed. “And got us into lots of trouble, too.”

  “The four musketeers.”

  “All for one, and one for all,” Julianne said.

  “I’m glad you’ve decided to get a new musketeer. Keenan is good for you.”

  “I’m not replacing Charles,” Julianne said harshly, surprised her friend would even think, much less say, such a thing.

  “Christ, Julianne. That’s not what I meant,” Regina said.

  “Sorry. I know. It’s just… Keenan makes me feel so…” Julianne hung her head, unable to continue.

  “Alive. You are, Julianne. Live and be happy.” Regina put her arm over her shoulder hugging her.

  “I am.”

  “Good. That’s what Charles would have wanted, for both you and Rissa,” Regina said.

  Julianne sighed. “I know.” Shrugging, she changed the subject. “Back to smaller events. Once we start the ‘sort of’ break after Labor Day, I think we should sit down and go over the small functions we already have planned, or started, and turn them over to Byron and Azure. With Azure’s office down the hall from yours and Byron’s from mine, we can just pass our events to them. You give Azure yours, and I give Byron mine. And going forward, all smaller events are done by them. We’ll need to discuss it with everyone and see if they agree.”

  “I don’t think that should be a problem. But where would we put assistants for them?”

  Julianne had thought about that. There wasn’t any question that they would need assistants—it was a vital part of what they did. Their assistants were the go-betweens for their personal receptionists, which they shared with another partner. The bridge was needed to weed out what the assistant could handle and what actually needed their attention. In addition, their assistants actually worked closely with them with vendors and other things as well as coordinating a lot of things for events. It was one of the reasons they ran so efficiently and were in high demand.

  “I’ve figured out a possible sol
ution. With the set-up of seven rooms on either side of the building, we can move things around. Put the assistants in that smaller office next to yours and mine. The one we use for sample books and so on. Then the set-up would be my assistant, conference room, my office, Byron’s assistant, conference room, and his office. Move the sample books and the things to the last room at the end. The same for here, except with you and Azure. That way, they have help they need, and if we have appointments things won’t clash.” Julianne paused, then said, “Actually, I think everyone should get an assistant. With the amount of work between here and Moments Deuce, the others will need it. The rest of them have the same set-up on the second floor, and we can shift things during the break. We can start putting out feelers now. There are some among the staff we have now who might work as assistants. But, ultimately, the choice would be up to those who need an assistant.”

  “You must be reading my mind. I agree. We’ll discuss it with them. I don’t think we should have any problems with them agreeing. We can bring it up at the meeting this afternoon.” Regina sighed, rubbing her nose. “I, for one, will be glad to have some more time for something besides this place. Don’t get me wrong—I love what we do. But having time for myself would be a good thing.”

  “I understand completely.” Julianne smirked wryly.

  “Although some of us are having ‘times’ with a certain someone called Honey Boyfriend.” Regina laughed and pushed her gently with her shoulder against hers.

  “You know, you were wrong to tell the others about that,” Julianne said.

  “Girl, that was too good to not share. It’s your fault for calling him that in my presence.” Regina’s tone was haughty.

  “I forgot,” she said sheepishly.

  “I wonder what he did to earn that nickname,” Regina mused.

  Julianne got wet. She bit her lip.

  “I’m even afraid to know what that expression is for.” Regina chuckled.

  “I’ll never tell.” Julianne laughed.

  Her cell buzzed. From the ring tone, she knew it was her business one. She tapped her Bluetooth.

  “Julianne.”

  “Jules, why didn’t you tell me you changed the linens and setting for the Helenberg event? I’ll have to order new flowers for the arrangements. I don’t know if I can get it in time,” Dakota said, sounding pissed off.

  “What? I didn’t change anything.”

  “Well, you need to check the linens that the vendor delivered. They’re not what you showed me when we discussed what I was making,” Dakota said.

  Julianne’s eyes narrowed. “We’re using a new vendor. I’ll be right up.”

  She disconnected and turned to face Regina.

  “What’s wrong?” Regina asked.

  “Have to go deal with a pain in the ass vendor.” Her grin was fierce.

  “Oh, boy. Which one?”

  “The new one we were trying out for the Helenberg party. From what Dakota said, they delivered the wrong linens and place settings,” Julianne said.

  “What? I used them for the Chestnut party.” Regina pursed her lips frowning.

  “You better come and check what they sent for that one.” Julianne strode to the door.

  Regina walked beside her and they went down the hall to the private elevator. Regina pressed the button and it opened immediately so they entered. Julianne placed a call as it ascended. In quick, concise words she gave instructions and strode out of the elevator as it stopped on the second floor. Dakota met them.

  Keenan strolled into the reception area leading to Julianne’s office.

  “Hey, Marg.” He waved at the receptionist.

  “Keenan.” She returned his greeting as he strode past her.

  “Keenan.”

  He paused, turning to face Andrea, Julianne’s assistant.

  “Julianne had to check on something. She’ll be back in a moment for your lunch,” Andrea said.

  “Okay.” He continued to her office.

  Entering, Keenan went straight to the door leading to the sunroom. He opened it, going to the table where they usually ate lunch. He set up the containers and drinks then put the empty bag on one of the chairs. Wandering around the room, he glanced at his watch. Their time together in the last few weeks had been limited. Julianne’s schedule had been hectic, but they saw each other for lunch every day. That hour wasn’t long, but he cherished it. At nights and on Saturdays, they grabbed the time they could to be together, though it wasn’t much.

  Back at the door to her office, he looked towards it. Shifting his head, he studied the massive, full colour television surveillance system set up on the right side on one entire wall. Julianne had shown him how it worked. At any time, she could see and hear—if needed—what was happening in various event rooms and some of the other areas in Moments. They used it to keep on top of what was going on, or to spot any problems. Each of the partner’s and their assistant’s offices had the same set-up to monitor. The offices and conference rooms were also wired with cameras, but access to view was only given to whoever resided in the office on either side of the conference area.

  Stepping closer to the screen, Keenan studied Julianne, Regina, and Dakota, who seemed to be in one of the rooms they used for events. There was a man he didn’t recognise with them. There was no sound on, but he could tell from their body language that Julianne was agitated. She was pacing back and forth in her rich blue skirt suit before a man. Suddenly, Julianne turned, pointed at the man, then strode out of view of the screen and appeared on a different screen that showed the hallway outside the room. Dakota and Regina followed behind her. The man still in the room looked like he was cursing and started to pack away what was on the table.

  Keenan moved away and back to the sunroom. He stood just inside the door.

  “Keenan. Sorry—I had to deal with that stupid new vendor.” Julianne’s voice came towards the door.

  She entered, pausing inside. Keenan closed the door, locking it. Julianne turned at the sound.

  “Oh…there you are. Sorr—”

  He closed the distance between them, before kissing her hungrily. Julianne stiffened, then gasped, gripping his shoulders. Keenan backed her up towards the table.

  He licked her lips, then said, “I need you.”

  “The door…” Julianne moaned.

  “Locked,” he said huskily.

  “Make me blush,” she whispered against his lips.

  Keenan growled, kissing her. He lifted her skirt and tugged off her panties. He unbuckled his belt, then unbuttoned his pants and lowered his zipper—he moaned in her mouth as his cock was freed, releasing some of the pressure. Julianne pushed her hands into the front pocket of his pants and pulled out the condom. In moments, she had him covered with protection. Keenan lifted her onto the table. Stepping between her spread thighs, he thrust into her wetness.

  Julianne’s gasp tickled inside his mouth. Duelling his tongue with hers, he stroked inside her urgently. Julianne gripped him. Keenan thrust with firm strokes. Her pussy held him in a delicious, sensual vice. Need rode within him, and his cock throbbed. She swivelled her hips, taking him deeper. She sucked at his tongue, their teeth clacking with the ferocity of their kiss. Her walls clenched on him, and wetness coated his cock. Grunting, Keenan joined her in coming hard. His vision blanked out for a moment, then cleared. With a sigh he gentled the kiss.

  Julianne made a soft sound in her throat as he released her from their kiss. Breathing deeply, Keenan let her smell of honeysuckles and peaches fill him along with the scent of them. He breathed out and their combined scents filled him with a sense of contentment.

  “What a lunch,” Julianne laughed.

  “Delicious.” Keenan chuckled.

  “But we won’t have time to eat the food you brought.”

  He grinned sheepishly. “We’re slow, so I took a two hour lunch.”

  “So you planned this?”

  “No…I didn’t… It just happened.” Keenan silently cursed h
imself.

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Sorry. I know this is your work an—”

  Julianne put her finger over his lip, stilling his words. “Shh…it’s okay. It’s not like we’ve done this before. Or plan to make a habit of it. Although, we might have to do this again.” She smiled, kissing him.

  Relief coursed through Keenan as he returned it. He knew how Julianne was about her business. Julianne withdrew, putting her hands around his neck.

  “Let me clean up. Then you can. And we can eat.” She kissed him again, then pushed him away.

  Keenan stepped back, holding the condom. Julianne removed his hand from his flaccid shaft, taking off the used protection and tying it, she then took it with her into the bathroom. Keenan pulled up his pants a little. The sound of running water reached him. A few minutes later, Julianne returned, looking immaculate in a new, burgundy suit. Keenan passed her and went into the full bathroom. He glanced at the armoire that had a change of clothing. A hamper was next to it. The standing shower, toilet, and cabinet with toiletries were on the other side of the room. He went to the sink and cleaned off, grabbing a towel from the rack. He dried off and pulled up his clothing, fastening it. He threw the towel in the hamper and re-entered the other room.

  “Your food is heated,” she said.

  He joined her in the mini-kitchen. Julianne handed him his food, using a kitchen towel to hold the hot plate. She gave him a cold drink.

  “Yours wasn’t cold, so I put it in the fridge. You can drink it another time.”

  He took both back to the table and Julianne joined him with her plate and drink. She sat next to him and opened her drink before placing her hand on his thigh.

  “Thanks for the appetiser.” She winked.

  “My pleasure.” He kissed her.

  “Hmmm…so how was work today? Are you still doing training?” she asked.

  “Good. A slow day. And yep, training. That time of year for it—just brushing up.” Keenan lifted another fork of food to his mouth.