by Shealy James
“It’s the dress. This ridiculously handsome and stupidly rich man bought it for me. He’s very generous.”
“He’d give you anything you wanted,” he whispered into my hair.
“Just you, Grant. I only want you.”
“You have me, Eve. You had me from the moment I walked into my sister’s lecture and saw you standing there dressed in black and white with those beautiful red lips, smiling dreamily as you set cupcakes on platters.”
I smiled into his neck and whispered the truth to him. “You made me so nervous I didn’t hear a single word your sister said. You smelled so good and were so incredibly good-looking, my body practically shut down when you sat so close to me.”
“I had to sit next to you. I thought if I could only be close to you for a moment, it would have been worth it.”
“Was it worth it?”
“It wasn’t enough. Nothing will ever be enough.” He took a deep breath and sat me up so he could look into my eyes. “Baby, I think about you all day, every day. I dream about you even when you’re right next to me. I can’t stand the thought of spending a day without you, so I do everything I can to get to you each night. You’re it for me, Eve.”
“I know the feeling.”
He sat me up, so I was looking him in the eyes when he spoke. Then he said the words that both terrified me and made me feel whole at the same time.
He whispered, “I’m so in love with you, baby, that every morning I wake up elated you are still there, and at the same time terrified I’ll lose you, that my mother will finally make you give up on me, or you’ll realize how undeserving I am of you. I’ve never felt like this before, and I don’t exactly know how to handle it without smothering you. I would keep you with me all day, every day just so I knew for certain you were still there.”
I smiled at him and ran my fingers through his hair. “Even though I have made some imprudent choices in my life that might lead you to believe otherwise, I have never felt this way about anyone, and I definitely didn’t think it was possible to feel this way this fast. But, the truth is, I’m head over heels in love with you too, Grant. You need to know I’m not fighting against us anymore. I’m fighting for us and will continue to fight for you, for us, so that nothing will come between us, not even your mother. This is the first time I have ever thought it was worth it, that I’m worth it.”
His worried eyes looked relieved, and our mouths came together in a kiss where we each poured all the words we didn’t have into each other. I had never felt so loved as I did in the back of the limo, and we didn’t have sex in the car like I had promised Grant. We just held each other and kissed until we arrived at his penthouse.
When I saw where we were, I frowned. “Why are we here?”
“It was closer to the party, and I want you in bed instead of in the back of a limo. I don’t want to rush tonight.”
“That sounds nice.”
“It does, doesn’t it?” He grinned and I nodded. “I also have a present for you here, and I don’t want you to argue with me.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?” he asked surprised.
“Okay,” I agreed.
When the driver opened the door, Grant climbed out with me in his arms. He didn’t set me down as he strode into the lobby and right into the elevator.
“I can walk, you know,” I told him, even though I didn’t mind being in his arms.
“I know, but I don’t want to put you down.” He carried me all the way to the bedroom where he gently set me on his bed.
“Did you lock the door? I don’t want any surprises in the morning.”
“Don’t worry, baby. I took care of it. I told you that you never needed to worry.” He kneeled down and carefully took off each of my dark-blue satin shoes. His hands slid up my legs and body and pulled the few pins out of my hair. He gently pulled me to stand so he could unzip my dress. When the dress slid down my body, Grant held on to it and tapped each leg, so I could step out of it. He went into his closet where he presumably hung the dress up even though it would probably need to be cleaned.
When he came back I was lying atop his stark white sheets in my lace strapless bra and matching thong. “There’s something I would like to see every day,” he said as he loosened his tie and stalked toward me.
I sat up and slid to the edge of the bed. “Let me do it.” He came and stood in front of me. As his hands gently roamed my body, I took my time unbuttoning his shirt and his pants. His bright green eyes stared into mine with love and affection.
Once he was completely undressed, he peeled the last layers off me and kissed a trail down my body and back up again. He worshipped every inch of my body, making only one stop to provide me with my first orgasm of the night. Once he had kissed his way back up my body, he kissed my lips and tasted faintly of me. I didn’t mind. “You know I’ve never done this without a condom before.”
“Good,” I said. “Then this will be a night you’ll never forget.” I rolled him to his back and climbed on top of him. I kissed a similar trail down his chest before tracing my tongue over his erection.
“No, baby. I want to be inside of you.”
“I know.” I pressed a kiss to his tip before kissing back up his chest and neck. “We’ll get there. We have all night,” I whispered into his ear as I moved to straddle him.
Our lips connected as I sunk down on to him slowly. He took in a deep breath when I had taken all of him. “Hold on. I just want to feel you,” he said. “This is…holy shit, babe. You feel incredible. I might not be able to last.”
I kissed him. “This is all about you, Grant. What do you want?”
He took my hips and guided me, slowly at first and then faster until he couldn’t take it anymore and rolled me over on to my back. He lifted my hips, and I felt him everywhere. “Open your eyes, Eve. Look at me.” I stared into his green eyes with the bright gold flecks that could barely be seen in the moonlight as we came together in by far the best orgasm I’d had yet.
We lay there for a long time with him still inside me before he slid out and shifted to my side. “Baby, you still awake?” Grant spoke quietly.
“Mmhmm.”
“We’re never using condoms again.”
I laughed. “Okay.”
“Was it as good for you?”
I opened my eyes and ran my hand down his cheek. “That was the best I have ever experienced. You want to know something?”
“Of course. Anything,” he said nervously, probably thinking I was going to tell him something about his performance.
I smiled. “I had never had an orgasm before the first time I was with you.”
His eyes widened. “What? Never?”
“Never. I tried to give myself one, but it just never happened. Then you touched me for the first time, and I practically convulsed on the spot.”
“No wonder you were so tense. You wouldn’t let go. Not a problem anymore.” He kissed me. “So wait, what about with…never mind. I don’t want to know.”
He tried to turn his head away to rid himself of the thought of me with another man. I pulled him back to me and looked into his eyes that were back to their indiscernible color. “Never, Grant. Only you.” That made him smile and apparently ready for round two.
I woke up the next morning to an empty bed. It was still early, and I had the day off of work thanks to my wonderful boss who knew we would be out late after the party. Grant had to work, though. He always had to work, but he wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye. I crawled out of bed and checked the bathroom, but it was empty and the shower hadn’t been used. I threw on Grant’s shirt from the night before, smelling it as I buttoned a few of the buttons. I didn’t want to put my panties back on from the night before, so the shirt was just going to have to do. After brushing my teeth, I went in search of my favorite workaholic.
Avoiding the kitchen because I knew there was a chance Scott was there, I headed to Grant’s office. On the way I passed by the laundry room
just as Lana, Grant’s housekeeper, came out. “Oh! Good morning, Miss Bryant. Would you like me to send your dress to the cleaners with the other things I am taking today?”
“No, thank you. I’ll take care of it.”
“Very well. Mr. Mitchell is in his office if you’re looking for him.”
“Yes, thank you.” I was thanking her for the information and the fact that she didn’t seem to notice I was only wearing Grant’s shirt with nothing underneath. Ever the professional that Lana.
When I was closer to Grant’s office, I could hear him talking. The door was open, so I leaned against the frame and watched him work. His office had floor to ceiling wooden bookshelves, complete with one of those old library ladders. He had a large wooden desk and the signature floor to ceiling windows of the penthouse. The office was very old world and even had a globe from the seventeenth century or something ridiculous.
When he noticed me he smiled widely. “Yes, sir. I’ll have my assistant forward you the details of the contract by the end of the day. Thank you.” When he hung up the phone, he walked over to me wearing just a pair of athletic shorts. I met him halfway and my arms immediately went around his neck. “Good morning, peach,” he said as he wrapped me in his arms and kissed me like he hadn’t seen me for days.
“Why are you up so early? It’s only seven something.”
“Seven forty-five,” he said after reading the clock on the wall behind me. “East coast has been at work for a couple of hours, and the early bird gets the worm, so to speak.” My mouth formed an “O.” “What are you doing out of bed? You hate mornings.”
“I woke up alone, so I came out in search of someone who could warm the bed for me.” I smiled as I climbed my way up him to reach his lips. He lifted me easily off the ground and carried me over to his large leather desk chair then sat down with me straddling him.
“I’m so glad you found me first.”
“I didn’t. I found Lana first, but she’s not my type,” I teased him.
“Lana saw you dressed like this?” he asked, and I nodded, knowing he was going to get possessive even though it was just Lana. “Baby, you have nothing on under my shirt.” His hands were roaming under his shirt. “I do like seeing you in my shirt, but this,” he grabbed my ass, “and these,” he cupped my breasts and ran his thumbs over my nipples, “and this,” he touched my little bundle of nerves making me squirm, “are all for me.”
I leaned forward and kissed him while his fingers kept playing me like Charlie Daniels plays the fiddle. As he kissed his way down my neck and I moved my hips rhythmically against his fingers, I found myself so close, and then the flipping phone in his office rang.
He moved to get it. “No, please don’t stop,” I begged and tried to stop him.
“I have to answer, babe. I’m waiting on a call.” He kept his hands in place and answered the phone with his free hand. “Grant Mitchell.”
I heard a woman’s voice on the other end just before his finger left my body, leaving me frustrated and a little angry.
“Mother. It is lovely to hear from you this morning. What can I do for you?” He put the phone on speaker and then went back to kissing my neck and torturing my body. I stopped his hand and gave him a dirty look. He was not about to get me off with his mother on the phone.
“Grant, don’t play games with me. I’m in the lobby. Why the hell did you change the code to the penthouse elevator?”
I pressed my face into his shoulder to contain the giggles that suddenly overcame me. I could hear a smile in his voice when he said, “Because I don’t like my mother charging into my house and my bedroom anytime she pleases.”
“You never used to mind. In fact, I remember escorting many of your lovely dates out of the penthouse after you were done with them.”
I stiffened at her words, but Grant’s hand soothingly rubbed down my back while he spoke his next words. “Eve’s different, Mother. I told you that after the first day I spent with her.” I leaned up and smiled at him. He looked me right in the eye. “I love her, and she’ll be around for as long as she’ll have me, so get used to it.”
“Let me up, Grant. We need to talk. Now!” his mother snapped and then hung up the phone.
Grant rolled his eyes and lifted me up to place me on my feet. “I think it’s time I showed you your surprise then. We’ll finish this,” he gestured to the chair, “as soon as she leaves.”
I couldn’t text Nolan this time, so there was no getting out of this impromptu meeting. “What about your business call?” I asked, hoping he didn’t really have time for his mother.
He grabbed his cordless office phone and waved it at me. “Come on, baby. I think you’ll appreciate your surprise now.”
He led me back to the bedroom where we didn’t pass anyone on the way this time. He closed the door behind us and let me into his closet, which was actually more like a dressing room. One of the reasons I picked my apartment was because of the large walk-in closet. My closet was tiny compared to the room where we were standing. It was practically the size of the island in the middle of his dressing room.
I looked up confused until I saw the shelves of women’s shoes on the wall next to the door that we walked in. “I don’t understand.”
“This side is for you. When Leila took your measurements last weekend, I had her send over anything she thought you’d like. I want you to have everything you need here.”
“So, you bought me a whole wardrobe?” I asked as I started opening the mirrored doors to find dresses, skirts, pants, and tops all hanging up. There were shelves with jeans, perfectly folded t-shirts, and handbags. Everything appeared to be designer, and therefore expensive.
“Everything still has the tags, so anything you don’t like can go back. I just want you to have options. She didn’t know what you like, and I didn’t know what to tell her, because every time I see you, you’re dressed in a different style. All I knew was that you seem to like dresses, so all three of those sections are dresses.” He moved over to the island. “Last thing. These are all yours as well.” He pulled open a drawer and revealed rows of matching bra and panty sets. “I know you like to match, and this was a little easier for me to pick out. You like lace and light colors. I like you in all of it.”
“Grant,” I said shaking my head.
He pulled me into him and lifted my chin so I would look at him. “Eve, you said you wouldn’t argue. My mother is probably waiting in the kitchen, and now you have clothes to wear.”
“Fine, but a lot of this is going back.”
He kissed me. “We’ll see. Now get dressed, and no texting Nolan to come get you,” he commanded as he threw on some jeans and a plain red t-shirt. He went through the other door in the closet, which I already knew led to the bathroom, even though this was the first time I had ever actually been in his closet.
I quickly grabbed a simple white bra with lace trim and matching panties, then found a pair of skinny jeans that I liked. I threw those on with a black and white patterned t-shirt. I didn’t look too shabby considering I hadn’t showered, didn’t have makeup on, and didn’t want to get dressed this morning.
“Let’s go, babe,” Grant called from the bedroom. “She’s waiting.”
We walked out of the bedroom hand-in-hand. I liked that we were both barefoot in jeans and t-shirts. It felt comfortable, something I hadn’t yet felt in this monstrosity of a penthouse.
We walked into the kitchen to find Scott setting out a platter of pastries and fruit, and Iris was sitting at the head of the kitchen table in her typical pastel-colored Chanel suit drinking a cup of coffee. Grant held my hand as he kissed her cheek. I twisted my hand loose and headed toward the coffee as he said, “Mother, I see you made it up here safe and sound.” He sat down on the other side of the table, so his back was to the windows.
“Yes, I happened to still be in the lobby when Scott came in. He said you told him not to tell anyone, including me, the code.”
“I did,” Grant agr
eed as he smiled at me and took the cup of coffee I brought over to him, fixed just how he liked it with two sugars and no cream. “Thank you, Scott.”
Scott nodded and left the room without a word, presumably to hide out. I wondered where he went and if I could hide there as well.
“Does Eve know it?” she asked.
I opened my mouth to say no, but Grant spoke too soon. “Yes. I want her to feel at home here. Of course she knows it.” I just sipped my coffee in silence as I leaned against the counter away from their tête-à-tête. He winked at me when he caught my raised eyebrow.
His mother hummed. “I see. Well, I came over here to discuss your behavior last night. I spoke with Violet Peters this morning, and she said you were positively awful to Kitty. You need to call her and take her to lunch to make up for it.”
Grant laughed. “Absolutely not, Mother. Kitty insulted Eve and Maddox. I simply asked her not to be so rude.”
“That’s not how she took it, and you know how important her family’s relationship is to us. As the acting CEO of the company, surely you understand the importance of the connections the Peters bring.”
“Not happening, Mother.”
“We’ll see about that. I’ll make your apologies again and let her know how busy you are with getting the new subsidiaries started. Now, in other news,” she folded her hands primly on the table, “who are you planning to bring to the anniversary party? We need to coordinate, so we all arrive together.”
Grant sighed. “We’ve already discussed this. I’m not bringing anyone. Eve will be working there, so I’ll be there for her and with her.” He looked up to me, “Babe,” his mother winced at the pet name, “what time do you have to be there?”
I walked over and sat in the chair next to him, and his hand was instantly on my thigh. This was the first they had acknowledged me since we walked in the room. “The event starts at seven, so I plan to get there at noon to place the flowers and finish setting everything up. I’ll probably stay all day and just get dressed there.”
