Terraformed Skies

by Anna Lewis

  My heart thundered, my mind flicked back and forth, decisions and answers darted in and out of my brain…

  Then Evan’s eyes flickered opened, making the choice for me. Luckily, it was the decision I wanted to make, but was too afraid to admit to myself.

  “Hello there, beautiful,” he smiled widely as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “How are you feeling this morning?”

  “I’m good,” my voice was soft and hazy, lust was pouring out of my every pore. He was just so handsome, even first thing in the morning. I had no idea how bad I looked, but for the first time ever I wasn’t worried about that. “How are you?”

  “Glad you’re still here.” He turned his body around to face me, and as his naked torso pressed up against mine a warmth spread right through my body. “It’s lovely to wake up to your sweet smile.”

  “It’s lovely to wake up in Hawaii!” I insisted happily. “I love it here, it’s so much more fun than real life. It’s like paradise. I would love to live here.”

  “Yeah, me too,” he replied lazily. “Life is so different here. It’s more relaxed. I feel all different.”

  I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye noticing that he looked a little different too. Not only was he slightly browner, his expression was much less stressed. Did I look like that? Had all my worries from home fallen from my shoulders too? I wanted to jump up and check myself in the mirror to see, but I also had absolutely no intention of moving ever again.

  “So, you’re telling me that you work more when you’re at home?” How could he not see why his kids were so estranged from him? He was too much of a workaholic, that so desperately needed to stop. He needed to get his company to a position where it ran itself.

  “I do… I did, I think things will be different when we get back. I’m starting to clearly see that there are more important things than money and possessions. Hawaii has changed me, you have changed me.”

  He wrapped his arms tighter around me, pulling me closer into him, and in that moment, I knew for certain that I’d made the right decision. This was exactly what I needed, this was so much better than moping around at home. As long as I kept bubble wrap around my heart, I would come out of all of this a much happier person.

  “But unfortunately, I do have to work today. I have meetings all day long.” He pressed his lips up against mine, bolting desire down to my core. “So, we’ll have to have some fun right now to make up for that.”

  The kiss deepened, and his hands slid all over my body, taking this to the next level. Already my body felt like it was on fire, and this time it was even worse because I knew for certain that I was in for an incredible experience.

  “Okay, yeah, I think I can fit you in,” I gasped teasingly. “As long as your quick, I have a busy day ahead of me too and my boss is a real asshole.”

  As he chuckled into my neck, I smirked happily to myself, pleased with how rapidly our relationship had progressed. When I first met Evan I found him incredibly intimidating, but now I was in bed with him, touching that amazing body of his, having a laugh and a joke with him. I already felt like a much better, more confident, version of myself, and I wanted more of that.

  “Oh well if your boss is a pig, then I better make you feel damn good before you have to go and face him.”

  As he slid into me, I felt an explosion of sensations bursting all over my entire body, but this time I didn’t want him to have all the control. I wanted to show Evan that I could be different, that I could make this month amazing too, so I pushed him over onto his back and I sat up to ride him from that angle. He looked at me with such desire that I actually wanted him to see every bit of me. And from the way his head fell back with lust, that was exactly what he wanted too…

  ***

  “Right, kids,” I smiled at James and Lorna. “What do you want to do today?”

  They both glanced happily up at me from where they were sitting by the swimming pool outside our villa. The technological devices had all but been forgotten over the last week, and I was over the moon for that. The Hawlin family needed to get their noses out of screens more than anyone I knew. Hawaii really was good for all of them, I just hoped that they took the lessons home with them afterwards.

  “I don’t know, when is dad coming out with us again? It’s been over a week?” There was a desperation to James’s tone, but not a sadness. He knew that Evan would fit him in now when he wanted, he’d more than proven that over the last fortnight, but of course he did want a little more. He’d gone so long without him, it was totally understandable.

  “I’m not sure, I’ll go in and ask him. He didn’t say what he was doing today, so fingers crossed.” Both kids mimicked me by crossing their fingers. “I’ll be back in a moment.”

  As I wandered inside the villa, I couldn’t help but notice that there was a definite spring in my step, that my hips were swaying of their own accord. This time with Evan was doing me a world of good, it was bringing out a side of me that I hadn’t even known was there before. Having his eyes on me all day long, knowing where it would lead each and every evening, it was like we were constantly playing a tantalizing, teasing sex game that drove me wild.

  “Hey there,” he smirked at me as I found him sitting at the desk he’d created across the dining room table. “What’s going on?” His words were loaded, but we couldn’t give in to them yet. We had to wait, but to be honest that was a big part of the fun.

  Although I couldn’t resist leaning over and giving him a little peck on the lips, safe in the knowledge that we were alone.

  “Well the kids want to know when you’re going to be free for another day out? They’re anxious to spend more time with their dad.”

  “Oh I know, erm…” he glanced at his watch. “Maybe if you guys are headed out to the beach, I can meet you there this afternoon? I have a lot going on this morning, but I’ll plough through it quickly.”

  “Okay sounds good.”

  I turned to walk away, to break the semi good news to James and Lorna, but before I could Evan grabbed my attention once more.

  “Ali? Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure?” I leant against the door frame, with one hand on my hip, showing off my curves in the bikini top I had on. “What’s going on?”

  “I have a business dinner on Friday night, and I wanted to know if you wanted to come? It’s just a silly thing to celebrate the deal all working out, so I understand if you don’t want to.”

  Was he serious? He was asking me to join him on a public outing, a real-life date. One part of me wanted to turn him down, to keep things very casual so that we both knew where we stood so it was easier in the long run, but a much bigger part of me wanted to grab on to the opportunity with both hands. When else would I ever get the chance to go out to some fancy dinner? It wasn’t as if we would bump into anyone we knew, we were in Hawaii for crying out loud.

  Maybe I should take the chance while it was there in front of me. “Yeah, that sounds really nice,” I smiled widely, dropping the sexy demeanor. For a second I became just Ali, nothing more. “But erm… what should I wear? To be honest I didn’t really think of packing anything fancy.”

  “Don’t you worry about that,” he told me, while really obviously dragging his eyes over my exposed flesh. I bit down on my lip, trying to stop myself from crying out like an animal and pouncing on him right there and then. It only took him one second to take me from zero to one hundred. “I will sort you out something to wear, I have some connections.”

  “And what about the children? We can’t just leave them here alone.” I wasn’t just his date, I was his nanny too. Maybe he’d forgotten about that.

  “I can get a sitter for one night, it won’t hurt for you to have one night off. This has been pretty full on after all.”

  “Are you sure?” I clutched my hand to my chest, excitement tearing through my veins. This was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for me, I couldn’t believe he was willing to do so much just to spend some
time with me. I was so touched.

  “Of course I am, it’ll be really fun.”

  “Right, okay, thank you.”

  I moved back out into the hot sun, yearning desperately for the man back inside. God he was gorgeous, I couldn’t wait until I got to explore his body all over again tonight. It was weird, I already felt like I knew everything about his body, much more than I did about Max’s, which proved to me just how non-sexual our relationship had been. As it turned out, Taylor and Max did me a huge favor by screwing around behind my back… not that I was about to offer them my thanks any time soon.

  “Did you want to go to the beach? Your dad will meet us there.”

  “I think we should just stay here today,” Lorna groaned slowly. “I’m far too comfortable.”

  “Yeah, I want to swim in the pool.”

  Okay, well if the kids wanted to stick around then I was more than happy to comply. I took the sun lounger next to Lorna and I pulled out the book from my bag.

  “Ali?” she asked before I could start on the first page. “Do you think you can stay around forever? Me and James don’t want you to leave, ever.”

  I didn’t even have Meghan as an argument, she was going too. “Oh well I don’t know,” I tried to be as honest as I could without hurting her feelings. “I only got hired to come on this business trip with you, I have no idea what’s going to happen when we get back home.”

  “I’m going to ask daddy to hire you forever,” she smiled, totally oblivious to the knots twisting up in my stomach. “We love you, you’re the best nanny we’ve ever had.”

  I nodded, but I wasn’t sure that was the best idea ever. Sure, that was what I wanted, and I really did need this job, but the fling we were having couldn’t last longer than a month. If it did, we risked developing feelings, but I wasn’t sure that we could just go back to being friends too.

  Shit, maybe I shouldn’t have let this happen, maybe I had complicated things more than I needed to.

  ***

  As Friday night rolled around, I realized that Evan hadn’t mentioned the business dinner again, which left me a little confused. Maybe I had been a little distant with him, ever since my talk with Lorna, which left me debating whether or not I wanted to put my career or my desires first. But still... surely he would’ve told me if it was cancelled?

  “Oh my God,” I wandered into my bedroom in a haze, not really thinking about anything in particular. I was just aimlessly wondering whether or not I should bring the subject up myself. “What is this?”

  I found myself staring at a large parcel on my bed – not that I’d slept in it much – with my name scrawled across it. I didn’t need to ask to know that it was from Evan, I would recognize his handwriting anywhere, it was all over the paperwork dotted around the villa.

  I ran my fingers along the soft wrapping paper, my heart racing in my chest. I knew that Evan had told me that he would sort me out a dress, but I hadn’t really given another thought about it until now. Now I had no idea what to expect, and I was freaking out inside. I had no experience with designer clothing, so it was a little weird to consider doing now…

  Still, this trip was all about me trying new things.

  I tore at the paper quickly, my mouth running dry with fear as I went. I was anxious, excited, and thrilled all at once. As the paper fell away and the gorgeous silky red material revealed itself, that feeling intensified about a million percent. This dress probably cost more than I ever made in a year, how could I wear it without feeling super guilty?

  But as I held it up against me, and I imagined how it would feel against my skin, the excitement started to take over. I could just tell that it’d feel incredible, and that it would probably look good too.

  Damn it, I really wanted to wear it!

  Then I noticed something else too, another parcel in the box, which I ripped at rapidly. There I spotted the most stunning nude pair of heels that I’d ever seen. In them I would probably look almost as tall as Evan, which would make us appear much more like a couple. Not that we were a couple, but it didn’t hurt for the rest of the world to believe that we were, just for one night. I slipped them onto my feet and teetered around the room. Much as they were sky high, they were comfortable enough for me to walk with relative ease, and as I glanced in the mirror, they made me legs look good too.

  With a big grin on my face, and an intensive thrill about the night to come, I screwed the paper up, only stopping when I spotted a white lacy material slipping to the ground, with a note wrapped around it.

  ‘To Ali,

  I hope you like the dress, I won’t be offended if you don’t but I’m pretty sure it’ll look lovely on you if you just give it a try.”

  God, he knew me so well.

  ‘I took the liberty to get you some shoes too, and these panties which I’m sure will look incredible on you. If I know you have these on, then I’ll barely be able to keep my hands off of you.’

  Of course, that had me absolutely hooked. The illicit thrill of what we were doing in secret had me turned on most of the time as it was. Being able to express a little of it in public, also knowing that we had some private time later on was almost too much to handle.

  ‘So take the rest of the day off, get yourself ready. I’ll spend some time with the kids. Come out whenever you’re dressed. I can’t wait to see you. The car picks us up at eight pm.

  Evan xxx’

  I dropped the note onto the sheets and smirked happily to myself. This was going to be the most incredible night of my life, and now I had two whole hours to get myself ready for it.

  ***

  “Oh… my… goodness…” Evan gasped excitedly as I finally made my way back out into the kitchen where he was waiting for me. I had the dress swishing around my hips, my cropped hair framing my face, the shoes completing the look. “You look wonderful.”

  “Thank you, you don’t look too bad yourself.” I’d seen Evan in suits, but never in a black tuxedo. He looked absolutely incredible, he actually had my heart hammering loudly. Lust and desire coursed right through my body.

  I moved closer into his body until I was near enough to reach up and kiss him lightly on his lips. The children were in bed now, I’d heard them going off, so we were safe to express our feelings.

  “I actually have something else for you,” he reached into his pocket and pulled out a box. I was just about to freak out when he opened it and tugged out the most amazing diamond necklace that I’d ever seen in my life. “I would love it if you wore this tonight.”

  “Oh my goodness, really?”

  He turned me around and slid my hair out of the way. As his fingers brushed my neck I felt an intense prickle running all over me. It took all that I had to keep myself fixed in the same position. All I wanted to do was turn around and kiss him.

  The necklace snaked around me, and as Evan fastened it up I felt exactly like a princess. This was officially a date like no other. Maybe it was only a holiday romance, but it was the best that I’d ever felt.

  “There,” he spun me back to look at me. “Now the look is complete.”

  “Thank you so much,” I replied sincerely, running my fingers lightly down his cheek. “I really appreciate you inviting me out tonight. I’ve never done anything like this, so I’m very excited.”

  “Trust me, I’m the one who should be thanking you. It’s been a very long time since I’ve had a pretty girl on my arm.” He rested his forehead against mine, staring deep into my eyes. “I’m so glad that you said yes.”

  There was a romance to the moment, an intensity that I soaked up. It seemed like we were totally stepping out of character today, that we were upping this thing between us for one night only. Actually, I didn’t mind. I felt like it was going to be really interesting to know what it would be like to be Evan Hawlin’s girlfriend.

  “Are you ready to go? The limo is waiting outside…”

  “Limo?” I squealed happily. “You’re kidding me.”

  “I fig
ured that I might as well go all out, since this will be the first night out I’ve had in ages that I’m looking forward to. So let’s go…”

  ***

  I stepped out of the limo, feeling like I was living in a dream. That car was so huge that it actually had booze, food, and a television screen back there. I probably could’ve lived in it given half the chance. Of course, Evan wasn’t fazed at all, but he didn’t seem to mind that I was so ridiculously happy.

  However, that all changed as we got inside. Living out my fantasy in the car with Evan was one thing, but standing among a massive group of extremely wealthy people who seemed to see right through me no matter what I looked like, was something else entirely. My insides froze over, I felt sick to my stomach, all I wanted to do was turn around and run.

  “Come on,” Evan smiled at me, totally ignoring the rest of the crowd. “Let’s go and get another drink. I’m going to have to get a little tipsy if I want to put up with these bores.”

  Hearing him put himself much more in my category than theirs helped somewhat. If we were both outsiders, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

  “Thank you, I might just pop to the bathroom. I’ll meet you at the bar if that’s okay?” I just needed a minute to myself, to recover from the initial shock of walking in here. I loved that sensation of feeling special and princess like, and I really wanted to reclaim that.

  “Yeah, I’ll see you in a minute.”

  As I raced past the luxurious tables set out throughout the room, I kept my gaze fixed on the floor. Any confidence that I’d developed over the last few weeks was now long gone, and without it I wasn’t sure how to behave. Still, a moment alone in one of the stalls, practicing some deep breathing would have me back on an even keel, I was sure of it.

  I staggered in and locked myself away, before sucking in some air. All I needed to do was calm down the panic tearing around inside of me, I just needed to sort myself out, once I was calm everything else would be okay.