Secrets of the Tulip Sisters

by Susan Mallery

  Her muscles tensed. Her breathing quickened. She didn’t want to stop—not ever. She was terrified Griffith would get bored or have a cramp and if he did...if he did...

  He shifted slightly and she nearly cried out to beg him not to move. Only then she felt his tongue on her breast. He licked the very tip of her nipple before drawing it in his mouth and sucking so deeply that the pleasure all connected from her breast to between her legs to the rest of her body. It filled her and awed her and made her—

  There! She saw the goal. For the first time ever, she could understand what she was reaching for.

  “I’m close!” she gasped. “Oh, Griffith, it’s right there.”

  He didn’t change anything. Not by a flicker of a lash did he stop what he was doing. She could barely breathe as she waited, moving her hand around and around—not faster, not slower, just the same. She waited and waited and just when she was sure it was never going to—

  Her orgasm claimed her with a roar. It started in the very center of her and spread out like wildfire. It burned through every cell, leaving her gasping and crying and begging. She never wanted this amazing, wonderful feeling to stop. She wanted it to go on and on, but even as the thought formed, she felt the pleasure beginning to fade. Seconds later, it was gone, but in its place was a sense of relaxation and contentment unlike anything she’d ever known. It had finally, finally happened!

  She opened her eyes and found Griffith watching her.

  “Damn, you’re hot. I nearly lost it a couple of times just watching you get close.” His expression softened. “I felt it, too, Kelly. When you were coming. I could feel your muscles contracting. It was the best.”

  She couldn’t seem to stop smiling. “It was. Can we do it again? Do you think I can? What about with you inside? Can I come that way?”

  “Let’s find out.”

  She nodded eagerly. She wanted to find out a lot of things. Could she come with him going down on her, or with him touching her? What about all those fun movie scenes? Could they re-create them? Ooh, what about her being on top?

  She waited eagerly while he slipped on the condom, then guided him inside of her. He filled her completely, sending little jolts all through her body.

  “Touch yourself,” he said as he withdrew and pushed in again. “We know that works. Later we’ll try other stuff, but for now, let’s see if we can get you over the edge again.”

  “Okay.” She moved her hand into place, not the least bit embarrassed anymore. She’d had an orgasm. She might have another. Honestly, normal had never looked so good.

  25

  Olivia prepared for her meeting with Kelly the way she would with any other prospective client. She did her research, organized a presentation and dressed for success. In this case, she had on black pants, flats and a lightweight sweater twinset. She was, after all, going to a working farm. A dress and heels would look ridiculous.

  She was nervous—possibly more so because she was going to speak with her sister. Game face was required and she was determined to make a good impression. Luck was on her side—Marilee was out, allowing Olivia to leave the house without answering questions.

  As she drove to the farm, she wondered what was going on with her mother. Marilee was gone a lot of the time but never mentioned where she went. Olivia wondered if she was hooking up with former lovers, then figured that wasn’t anything she needed to know. Hopefully Marilee would get whatever she’d come home for and go back to Phoenix. Having her around was too uncomfortable.

  At some point, they were going to have to have a conversation about Olivia quitting, and that was unlikely to go very well. Olivia’s plan was to wait until they were both back in Phoenix, then hand in her letter of resignation. She would be packed up and ready to drive north so if her mother threw a fit, she could simply escape without looking back. There was an equal chance that her mother would be totally calm, explaining how she was minutes from firing Olivia and the resignation simply saved her the trouble. With Marilee, one never knew.

  Olivia arrived at the farm and parked. Her dad’s truck was gone, meaning he was, as well. Better and better. She and Kelly were less likely to be interrupted.

  She went inside and found her sister sitting at her computer. Kelly smiled when she saw her.

  “You’re here. We had an appointment, right?” Kelly giggled. “We’re sisters, Olivia. You didn’t have to make an appointment.”

  Olivia came to a stop. “What’s wrong?” she asked, then realized what she meant was what’s different? Because something was.

  Kelly appeared...softer. Okay, that wasn’t the word, but it was close. Or maybe dreamy was better. Her eyes were a little unfocused, her skin flushed. She looked happy and content and just a little rumpled.

  “I’m fine,” Kelly told her. “A little tired. I got in late but I’m drinking coffee.”

  The smile returned. It was both knowing and timeless. Wow—whatever Griffith was doing, he was doing it right, Olivia thought. Of course she probably looked exactly like that after one of her sessions with Sven. The difference being Kelly and Griffith were dating, and she and Sven were, well, not dating.

  Work, she told herself. She could deal with her non-relationship with Sven later.

  Olivia sat across from her sister and set her faithful tote on her lap. “I made the appointment so we could talk about a few things.”

  Kelly smiled her smug I-got-some smile. “Whatever it is, I’ll say yes.”

  “Yeah, I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.” Olivia pulled out several sheets of paper. “Information for background purposes and you might want to brace yourself.”

  “I’m braced.”

  Olivia cleared her throat. “I’m not going back to Phoenix. I want to move back here. Permanently.” She held up a hand. “You don’t have to worry—I’m going to get my own place. I have savings so I won’t be at Dad’s too long. Mom and Dad don’t know. I’m going to tell Dad privately, but I want to wait until Mom goes back to Phoenix and tell her there. It will be easier, I think.”

  Which sounded way more mature than her plan to resign and run.

  Kelly’s eyes widened and her smile broadened. “That’s fantastic! I’m so excited. I can’t wait to have you around all the time.”

  Olivia waited for the punch line. While she’d been fairly sure her sister wouldn’t be overly pissed by the news, she hadn’t imagined such...enthusiasm.

  “Are you sure you’re all right?”

  “I’m fantastic, as is the news. Yay us.”

  “You’re freaking me out a little.”

  “You’ll have to deal.” Kelly sighed. “Maybe we can get matching charm bracelets or something that we both wear.”

  “No. That’s not happening.”

  “I’m just saying it could be nice.”

  “Not. Happening.” Maybe her sister was hormonal from her period or something, Olivia thought. Whatever the cause, she’d slipped over the edge. “Anyway, I’m going to have to find a way to support myself here. Rather than look for a full-time job, which probably doesn’t exist, I’ve decided to take on a few different projects and see where they lead me. The, ah, tourism board meeting you’re going to is partially about me. Sally and Hannah want me to manage the craft mall. It’s only a few hours a week, but I think I could—”

  Before she could finish her statement, Kelly jumped to her feet and raced around her desk. She hugged Olivia, kissed her cheek, then hugged her again.

  “It’s perfect,” she announced as she returned to her chair. “You’ll do so great and we all know the craft mall needs some direction. Okay, so that’s one of your jobs, what else?”

  Olivia explained how she’d approached Griffith.

  “He’ll love everything you do,” her sister said firmly. “You’re in. I’m sure of it. What else?�
�� Her eyes widened. “Oh, you have some ideas for me. Great. What are they?”

  Olivia had hoped for an open mind, but maybe not one that was hanging out in the breeze.

  “You’re not taking any medication, are you?”

  Kelly laughed. “Not even ibuprofen, I swear.”

  “All right, then I’ve been thinking of ways to bring more tourists to town in the off-season. I mentioned the planting before. I know you have your machines and your methods, but I think people would get a kick out of planting part of a field. However many bulbs they planted would mean they could come back and pick that many flowers in the spring, ensuring a return visit. I would also suggest you offer tours of the greenhouses on weekends. What you do there is really interesting.”

  “I don’t know. It’s bulbs in a bin. I care about it but does anyone else?”

  “I think people will. Most of us don’t think about where our food and flowers come from. You always have plants at some part of the growing cycle. We could include your private greenhouse on the tour. Visitors could learn about what you do there.”

  “They couldn’t touch anything,” Kelly said firmly.

  “Easily managed. There would be a tour guide. I could be the first one. I could write up the material and figure out what people were most interested in. I’m thinking the charge would be fairly nominal. Unless you wanted to hook up with another business in town that sells something. Like a bakery or winery. We could have a tasting at the end and the charge could be a little higher.”

  She glanced at her notes. “If you’re interested, I think we should have some kind of gift shop where our visitors can buy tulip products. A few things that will remind them of the visit. T-shirts, fresh flowers, hot pads. All easy to customize.”

  Kelly’s faraway look had returned. “I love gift shops. We should so have one.”

  Olivia had more to discuss. How the town needed to look at things like movie or music festivals and coordinating events between businesses, but this was obviously not the day. Whatever was going on with her sister had messed with her head.

  “I’ve written up some notes and a proposal,” she said, setting the folder on her sister’s desk. “I’m going to follow up with you in a few days.”

  “I’d love that.” Kelly’s smile returned. “You’re just so pretty.”

  Olivia nodded as she glanced toward the exit. “Ah, thanks. I’m going to go now.”

  “Thank you for coming by. Could you let Dad know I won’t be home for dinner? I’m going to see Griffith later.” She giggled. “He’s my boyfriend.”

  “So I heard.”

  She made her escape, then paused by her car. To be completely honest, she wasn’t sure what to think about her sister. Either she should think about getting a vaccination or maybe start drinking the water. She just couldn’t decide.

  * * *

  Griffith figured that by any description, he was the man. He’d righted the ship, so to speak, pleased his woman in ways no one had before. He was good. No, he was better than good—he was a god among men—at least for now.

  “You’re not listening,” Sven complained.

  Griffith turned his attention back to the garden layout Sven proposed for the tiny house that was being delivered next week. They’d also agreed on some plants to spruce up the future showroom. He’d already decided to take the space. He wanted things to work out with Olivia, but even if they couldn’t come to terms, her idea about a dedicated showroom had been a good one. He liked the idea of having samples on site. The space would also give him a permanent area to discuss designs, rather than trying to fit his clients into his sometimes messy office.

  “How tall will they grow?” he asked, pointing to several bushes in pots.

  “Not more than five feet. They’ll flank the front door. I wouldn’t recommend them for a house on wheels, but this one is permanent. If your customers prefer, they can be planted in the ground, but the pots add a visual element to the front of the house.”

  “I wouldn’t have thought you were a ‘visual element’ kind of guy.”

  “I have hidden depths.” Sven grinned.

  Maybe, but he hadn’t been able to please Kelly, Griffith thought, trying to keep from looking smug. That had been all him.

  After the first time, they’d made love over and over again. Kelly had come more easily each time, and more vocally. His quiet farmer girl, it turned out, was a bit of screamer.

  She’d been eager to try everything he could think of. Apparently figuring out how to have an orgasm had done the trick. From that moment on, she’d come pretty much every time they’d tried. Orally, with him inside of her, with her on top. He’d finally had to plead exhaustion, while she seemed ready to keep going forever.

  It was, he admitted to himself, the absolute best problem ever.

  “Hey, we’re out of some of the plumbing fixtures.”

  Griffith turned and saw Ryan standing in the doorway to his office. His brother looked sullen and unhappy, as if being forced to speak.

  “Leo’s not here,” Ryan added, his tone grudging. “I figured someone should know.”

  “Thanks for telling me. I’ll find out what happened with the order.”

  His best guess was the replacement parts had arrived, but hadn’t been unpacked yet. They were experiencing yet another increase in production and were at that awkward place of needing to hire more people. Yet another reason to get the showroom. He could move a lot of things over there, including his office. That would free up more space for building.

  “Whatever,” Ryan muttered, then left.

  “Someone’s not happy,” Sven said. “He resents that he needs the job.”

  “He was meant for better things, at least in his mind.”

  “He has to find his way.” Sven closed his laptop. “Is he still seeing Autumn?”

  “I have no idea. Why?”

  His friend avoided his gaze. “No reason. Just curious. Did you sell your tickets?”

  “Jeez, yes.” He held up his hand. “All of them.”

  Sven had insisted Griffith get rid of twenty tickets to the fund-raiser for the craft mall. Rather than deal with trying to find people who were willing to shell out the money to go, he’d bought them all himself, then given them away.

  “Good. Olivia wants every seat full.”

  Griffith started to ask why Sven cared that much about Olivia, only to put the pieces together. “You and Olivia?” he asked.

  Sven shook his head. “We’re just friends.”

  Griffith thought about the question about Ryan’s dating life. “It doesn’t sound like friends.”

  “I can’t help that.”

  He had another, less pleasant thought. “Does Kelly know?” he asked, only to realize it wasn’t a question he wanted answered.

  “There’s nothing to know, but she wouldn’t care. We should never have stayed together as long as we did. It wasn’t right for either of us. How are things with the two of you?”

  “Ah, good.”

  Better than good, but a gentleman didn’t kiss and tell...so to speak.

  He and Sven finished their business and the other man left. At five, the crews packed it up and headed out. Close to five thirty, Griffith closed his spreadsheet program and reached for his phone. He wanted to find out if Kelly wanted to get together tonight.

  Before he could start his text, he heard footsteps in the warehouse. He left his office and saw Kelly walking toward him.

  She’d come directly from the farm. She had on jeans, a short-sleeved T-shirt and work boots, all of which made her the sexiest woman ever. When she saw him, she smiled and quickened her step. He grinned and rushed forward. They met by the display home and hung on to each other.

  “I missed you,” he told her.

  “Good
, because I’ve been thinking about you all day.”

  “Me, or just my penis?”

  She laughed. “Both.”

  They stared at each other. He felt the familiar heat explode inside. Her eyes darkened, even as she dropped a hand between them and rubbed his rapidly hardening erection.

  “Is everyone gone?” she asked.

  “They are.”

  “Good.”

  His mouth claimed hers as his mind searched frantically for the best place. His office? Acceptable but not overly original. Plus, the desk was a mess and the floor was too dirty. The front seat of his truck might work but it was still daylight outside and pulling it into the warehouse would take too much time. As it was, Kelly already had her shirt off. Her bra followed.

  He put his hands on her breasts and stroked the way she liked. Her head fell back and she moaned.

  He caught sight of the tiny house display and decided it would work. There was a small sofa and—

  “Griffith, I really need you now,” Kelly whispered. “Seriously, I’m dying here.”

  He pushed her to the tiny house. She stripped off the rest of her clothes faster than he would have thought possible, then helped him with his. At the last second, she pulled a condom out of her jeans pocket.

  “I stopped at the store on the way here,” she told him.

  “Pretty and smart. Have I mentioned there’s not one thing I don’t like about you?”

  “Thank you. I feel the same way.”

  They tumbled onto the sofa. Griffith sent up a mental apology to all the people who would sit there later, then slipped on the condom before finding his way home.

  As he filled her, she wrapped her legs around him and pulled him in deeper.

  “Just like that,” she breathed, flexing her hips in rhythm with his movement.

  Seconds later Kelly was clutching him, her eyes open, her breathing fast. “Now,” she told him right before she began to climax. “Griffith, yes, yes. Yes!”