Sacked!

by Melinda De Ross

  At my request, Carter had gone to my apartment and brought me clean clothes and my little companion. Having them both near me did more for me than the tea. Carter, frantically worried when I’d vanished, stuck to me like glue.

  Now, freshly showered and bundled in a robe, I sat on the butter-colored leather couch, with his arm wrapped around me. I wondered vaguely if the robe had belonged to Carina, but I was simply too tired to care.

  “How do you feel?” he asked me for the umpteenth time, his eyes searching mine, still clouded with worry.

  I smiled. “Better. I’m glad I’m not a murderess.”

  “To be honest, it wouldn’t have bothered me if you had killed the son of a bitch,” Carter said heatedly. “He deserves more than a mild concussion and the lump on the head he has.”

  “Don’t forget his patch of missing scalp,” I added, giggling faintly. “What a mess!” I turned to look at him. “I think I would like to write the report about this—not just the facts, but a full-blown opinion piece, with all of the emotions I felt thrown in. The facts alone can’t tell this story.”

  He grinned.

  “No. They can’t and Roger agrees. Not only is the paper getting an exclusive, it’s being written by the one who was at the heart of it. This will be your debut story. After this, the sky’s the limit.”

  I grinned, putting the cup down on the honey brown antique coffee table. Carter’s dead wife must be responsible for the lovely décor. The oak floors gleamed, but the house had little furniture, as if they’d never finished decorating the main rooms. A fireplace adorned one wall, and on the mantelpiece sat photographs of the happy couple—one of them a wedding picture.

  All at once, emotions and fatigue welled inside me and tears streamed down my cheeks.

  Misunderstanding my reaction, Carter drew me into his arms and rocked me gently, whispering, “There now, it’s over. You’re safe. I’ll never let anything happen to you, Camilla. Never.”

  How can you promise that? I wanted to scream.

  He hadn’t been able to save Carina. How could I live my life with the fear that I might lose him, as suddenly as he’d lost her?

  I clung to reason and kept my mouth shut. I didn’t want to upset him. I was lucid enough to realize my despair came from exhaustion and shock. I let him wipe my tears away and brush my damp hair aside.

  “I need to sleep, Carter. Will you take me home, please?”

  He gazed at me intently, then shook his head.

  “No. I’m not letting you out of my sight, at least not yet. You can sleep here.”

  “But...”

  He cut me off by pressing his finger over my lips. Then he swept me up into his arms and carried me upstairs to the master bedroom. I hung onto him, enjoying the security of his embrace.

  When he put me down on the massive bed, I didn’t let go, so he lay beside me. It was dark outside once more, and without lights on, the only illumination coming from the hallway, I couldn’t make out much of the room. But it didn’t matter. I was too tired to even care.

  Carter pulled the covers over us. I held onto his shirt, and nestled warmly into his chest, I fell asleep.

  Epilogue

  My eyes fluttered open in the smoky predawn light. I was warm and comfortable, curled spoon-fashion against Carter. His right arm was draped around my waist. I stretched a little, trying not to wake him, but he stirred and gave a sleepy grunt. As he pulled me closer to his body, I realized that during the night he must’ve undressed, and now wore only his boxers. The flimsy, soft cotton couldn’t by any means hide the hardness beneath it.

  My cheeks heated as he turned me to face him and caressed my cheek lightly. He gazed intently into my eyes as though searching for signs of how I felt.

  I smiled at him, contentedly rubbing my cheek against his palm, the way a cat does when it demands to be stroked. He got the message. His fingers fanned through my hair, gently massaging my scalp, the back of my neck, my shoulders. He laid a kiss on my forehead, and when I lifted my face to his, he kissed my lips. The chaste kiss had my body arching toward him, at the same time he drew me closer.

  My lips parted, our mouths merged and his tongue sought mine, softly at first, then more ardently. My hand travelled up over his belly, over his chest, teasing and exploring. When I rubbed one of his nipples with my thumb, a low, hungry sound vibrated in his throat.

  He rolled on top of me, his mouth avidly kissing my neck. I moaned and parted my legs for his hard thighs. I still wore the robe he’d given me, but somehow it slipped open and Carter’s hands were inside it, sliding over my skin. He kissed me all over, slowly but with infinite passion. My breath caught in my throat. Little gasps escaped my lips and I clenched my hands in his hair when his mouth descended on my abdomen, then worked its way lower.

  It took only a few flicks of his tongue to make me tighten like a bow, then tremble in a long, explosive release. I may have screamed, or maybe it was only in my head, but he gripped my hips to keep me steady as wave after wave of dizzying pleasure washed over me.

  When the sensations finally began to fade, my body relaxed. I couldn’t imagine being able to move, but when Carter stretched on top of me again, my arms lifted to caress his back. When his hard erection pressed down over my center, something stirred deep inside me, something strange, yet so primal I heard it singing in my blood.

  My body yielded to his as though we had done this from the beginning of time. My hips arched toward him, rubbing, pushing, as my hands slid under his boxers to cup his ass. The now damp barrier of cotton that barely separated our sexes created an exquisitely erotic sensation, but I needed more. So did he.

  We got rid of his underwear, and then we were naked, flesh to flesh, heat to heat, softness to hardness. I sensed he needed to take it slowly this time, so I let him push just an inch inside me, struggling against the wild desire to have him whole. There was no need for me to fight though. When I traced his ear with my tongue and bit his exposed neck, he shoved himself fully inside me, making me cry out in unbearable pleasure.

  His thrusts were long and powerful, and in less than two minutes I was hanging on the edge of another mind-blowing orgasm. So was he. I saw it in his eyes, blurry with arousal. They held mine locked, trapped as my body was trapped under his. He bent his head and kissed me hard, just as our bodies shuddered together, clinging tightly to one another in ecstatic surrender.

  A peace and happiness I’d never known before filled me, wrapping me in its wings, just as I wrapped my arms around Carter and held his head to my chest. Neither of us had spoken a word, but our hearts and bodies had said all that needed to be said.

  We must have fallen asleep, because the next time I awoke, it was morning, and Carter’s weight was gone from my chest. I opened my eyes and jumped when I turned my head. He was watching me, his head propped on one elbow. I couldn’t read the emotion in his eyes, but I thought it might be the same combination of love and tenderness that bloomed inside me.

  “Morning,” he said, smiling and reaching out a hand to brush the hair from my eyes.

  “Morning.” My voice sounded rusty, so I cleared my throat. “Have you been awake long?”

  “A while.”

  “Why didn’t you wake me?”

  “I love watching you sleep—in my bed.”

  I smiled awkwardly. Lack of experience didn’t give me much advice on morning-afters. I started to get up, holding the sheet up to my breasts, when I saw something glint in the morning sunlight. I stopped dead. It was Carter’s wedding ring. It wasn’t on his finger but on the nightstand.

  My lips parted, but I made no sound. What could I say? What did this gesture mean?

  Finally, it was obvious that he’d seen me staring at it. I had to say something. I pointed at the nightstand.

  “Your wedding ring ... Did you ... take it off to shower?”

  He shook his head, still looking at me with that unreadable expression.

  “I didn’t shower. Besides, I’ve never take
n it off. Not until today.”

  I licked my lips and swallowed the knot in my throat.

  “Why did you take it off now?”

  He reached out to drag me down again, close to him. He took my chin between his fingers and made me look at him. His eyes were deep and serious.

  “Camilla, I want to ask you something,” he said. I detected a hint of nervousness in his voice and attitude, as though he was preparing to leap off a bridge. “What do you feel for me?”

  The question, so direct, took me off guard.

  Without thinking I answered. “I love you. I’m crazy in love with you.”

  It was as though a wall of tension and anticipation between us broke. I was relieved that it was finally out. As for Carter ... He looked relieved too, as though he’d been hoping for this answer.

  He took my hand in his and lifted it to his lips. He was silent for a long moment. When he finally started talking, he chose his words carefully.

  “They say you don’t realize how important someone is to you until you lose that person. When I lost my wife, I thought I would never fall in love again. But then I met you. Those hours when you were missing were torture for me. I was so afraid I would never see you again … It was déjà-vu.” He paused, and I knew he was thinking about his wife.

  When he spoke again, his voice was stronger and determined. “I didn’t know how important you were to me, Camilla until you vanished. I’m so grateful I got you back. I don’t want to waste another moment of my life without you in it. I want you by my side for as long as I can—a week, a month, a year, a lifetime. I can’t predict the future, but I know I want you in it, by my side.”

  Tears stung my eyes, but I held onto his hand, my fingers linked tightly with his.

  “What about Carina?” I asked, almost in a whisper.

  He looked down at our joined hands, then back up at me.

  “I loved Carina, but you healed the wound her death left in my heart, the guilt of being alive and, what I thought was worse, of wanting another woman. You filled the void left in my soul and gave my life new purpose. Now that I love you, you’re the only person on my mind. And if it still hurts when I look back at the past, my heart warms with the promise of a future with you by my side.”

  I was crying in earnest by now, unable to believe this was real, moved to my very core by this speech I hadn’t dared fantasize about. I couldn’t believe this gorgeous, smart, sensitive, loving man was mine. I wasn’t sure if he was asking me to be his girlfriend or marry him and have his children, but at the moment I didn’t care. I was ready to commit to whatever he wanted. I embraced him tightly, hiding my tear-streaked face in his bare chest, holding on for dear life to this dream come true.

  “Are you sure, Carter? Are you sure you want to get yourself mixed up with a serial klutz who seems to attract trouble like a magnet attracts iron shavings?”

  He chuckled, the sound rumbling in his chest.

  “Well, someone has to be there to protect you. Though you did a pretty good job on your own with Doleman. You didn’t wait for your knight in shining armor.”

  I snorted. “Doleman thought I was his knight in shining armor, but it didn’t quite work out that way for him. I feel bad for Regina Doleman though.”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about her. The cops were saying yesterday that when she found out about Mitsy, she swore to get someone to deal with Doleman. Then, apparently the pool boy showed up to console her…”

  I laughed, my face still buried in his chest.

  “I guess no one is truly innocent these days. Speaking of innocent, can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure. What?”

  “That night when I was sick and you stayed with me ... I woke up wearing my pajamas. I don’t remember dressing myself. Nor undressing.” I glanced at him from under my lashes. “I don’t believe in the Pajama Fairy. So, any clue as to who tried to tuck me in?”

  “Not a single one,” he said, grinning wolfishly, and lowered his mouth to mine.

  In Carter’s arms I’d found my calling, and this time I wasn’t going to get sacked!

  Thank you so much for taking the time to read Sacked! If you enjoyed it, it would mean the world to me if you’d post a review to help me find more readers. Word of mouth is an author’s best friend and much appreciated.

  Thank you again!

  Melinda

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Melinda De Ross is a USA Today bestselling author of multi-genre fiction novels. A prolific writer, she weaves humorous romance and tension-filled thrillers with the same enthusiasm. Her books combine the elegance of European literature with the modern appeal of American culture. While she's a law graduate and professional target shooter, she prefers to spend her days spinning tales for her readers. In her downtime, she'd rather read or watch a classic movie than go to a noisy club. She loves to hear from readers, so if you have a question or want to learn more about her books, visit her website: MelindaDeRoss.com

  Sneak Peek at Celebrity,

  another Bookish & Sexy novel

  THE STORY

  The journey of a young writer who trades her simple existence in Chicago for the glamorous Hollywood life, full of luxury and scandal.

  Within twenty-four hours, Kendra Kensington’s life changes drastically. She lands a million dollar contract for her latest novel, now on the road to becoming a movie, catches her boyfriend in bed with another woman, and decides to move across the country from Chicago to California. But the City of Angels harbors more demons than she had imagined.

  When she meets Blake Tyler, the famous movie star she’s secretly crushed on for years, she thinks her attempt to rebuild her life may just be on the right track. However, the past and the present seem to be conspiring against her and happiness may be harder to achieve than she thinks.

  THE EXCERPT

  When the phone rang in the middle of the night, I had no idea that call was going to change my life forever.

  I fumbled in the dark keeping my eyes closed, since I knew by the ringtone it was Danny, my agent. The silly tune was a Donald Duck voice that quacked: “Don’t answer, don’t answer, don’t answer! What if it’s somebody?”

  I was tempted to ignore it, but since Danny never called at such an ungodly hour, I thought this might be an emergency.

  “Do you have any idea what time it is?” I asked, my voice sounding rusty with sleep.

  “Do you have any idea what great news I have?” he countered in his perfectly articulated, slick businessman’s voice.

  My ears pricked. “It better be damn good for me to lose my beauty sleep.”

  “You know you’re beautiful anyway. But this, my dear, is going to make your day. No, actually it will make your career.” He paused for dramatic effect, knowing that habit drove me crazy. Then he said, “Miss Kensington, I just got you a contract for The Diary with MBM Movie World.”

  I sat up straight in bed, shoving waves of tousled hair off my face. “Get out! You didn’t.”

  “Oh, yes I did,” he said smugly. “As we speak, I am in cloudy London and have just finished a late breakfast with Marie Bell, the producer. I’ve no idea what time it is in Chicago right now…”

  “It’s five in the morning,” I supplied.

  “… but I thought this was important enough to bother you at any hour.”

  “God, you bet your ass it is.” I rubbed a hand over my face, trying to control the mad thumping of my heart as the monumental realization struck me. My novel was going to become a movie!

  Danny said, “The deal is this: the movie is going to be produced by MBM’s Los Angeles subsidiary. It’s lucky that I live in L.A, because next week I want to meet with the director, assistant producer, and so on. But first,” he added with emphasis, “you will need to sign the contract and receive your advance.”

  “How much?” I whispered, holding my breath.

  “A million dollars.”

  I think my heart actually stopped for a second or two. My mouth wor
ked like a fish’s for several moments before I could scream, “Holy shit! Holy crap. Are you serious? A million?”

  I could hear the satisfaction in his voice. “Yep. One million, darling.”

  “Oh, my God!” I let out a long breath to steady myself. I switched on the bedside lamp and stretched my hand in front of me. It was shaking. My whole body was shivering with excitement.

  “Jesus, Danny, I never… I never thought we could pull this off. All those rejections, of all my novels and scripts… I couldn’t even write for the past months. I was so discouraged,” I said, still breathless. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

  “O, ye of little faith. Didn’t I tell you I was going to sell your script? You’re a good writer, Kendra. I knew that the first time I read your work. And even if you don’t believe it, good stuff always prevails. Well, most of the time,” he amended. “And only if you have me as an agent.”

  Laughter vibrated in my chest, and I found I couldn’t stop the happy giggles. I let myself fall back in bed and did a little happy dance with my legs in the air. I probably looked ridiculous, but I was so delighted I didn’t care.

  “Danny, this is the happiest day of my life,” I said when I could finally speak. “You’ve done something unbelievable for me.”

  “And for me too, darling. My biggest problem right now is how to spend my fat commission.”

  “I’m sure you’ll find a way,” I replied, laughing again. “So, what now?”

  “Now you get back to sleep, then you book the first flight to London. I want you here ASAP to sign the contract. I’ve revised it and it’s okay, but we need to discuss some terms. Anyway, I hope you can be here tomorrow.”