by Linn Young
But, by then, things were very complicated.
At one point, the thought struck him that with strong physical attraction between them, as such that he never felt for any other woman, it would stand to reason that an affair with Riley promised to be complicated from the very beginning. But Heron instantly pushed that thought away, because to him, that was edging toward love at first sight, something he never he thought he was capable of.
Had they known, his family would have been shocked that the usually controlled, unflappable Heron started to take to drink. But if anyone had been aware of the Leviathan struggle that he was engaged in internally, one would have perfectly understood. And would have forgiven him. For Heron, it was the only way to ease the hunger and the ache that seemed to be constantly competing for placement inside him.
One morning, he was having a meeting with Tanner in his office, going over banking contracts that they were negotiating with the European Union. They sat at the small conference table a few feet from Heron’s desk for an hour or so, both more or less silent as they concentrated on reading carefully the contracts, every once in awhile marking a particular passage for discussion or clarification.
“When did you first realize you were in love with Roberta?”
It took Tanner awhile to realize that Heron had asked him the question. He looked up from his papers. “What?” Then he looked wary, thinking that, here, at last, was the dreaded confrontation over Roberta.
“When did you first know that it was love that you felt for her?”
Tanner couldn’t help smiling, remembering that first time he walked into his father’s office and saw the sunshine color of her hair and the clear warm blue of her eyes. “I think inside of ten minutes after I met her.”
“How were you so sure that it was love?”
“I don’t know. I just knew. I never felt like that with any woman before.”
Heron set down the papers he had been pretending to read. “The first time I saw Roberta’s sister, I disliked her instantly. She was nothing like Roberta. Or any woman I’ve ever known.”
Tanner looked at his brother. He realized that Heron’s line of questioning had nothing to do with Roberta or him, but her sister. Then Heron’s first question hit him. “Are you saying…”
Heron suddenly got to his feet and began to gather the papers, signaling that the meeting was over. “I’ll have these over to your office tomorrow.”
Tanner got to his feet, too. “Wait…”
Heron looked at his watch. “I have to get to court right now. I’ll see you tomorrow, then?”
Without waiting for his brother’s response, Heron gathered his briefcase and left the office.
For a few weeks, Heron buried himself in his work, staying at his office long into the night, and going there often on weekends. He didn’t see anyone, and ignored calls from his family and friends. When he attended the monthly conference with his father, brother, and the other board members of the bank, his father was surprised to see Heron looking so haggard, his face losing some of its color, dark circles under his eyes, and lines of exhaustion deeply etched on his face.
“You look like hell, Heron,” Roy said bluntly.
Heron returned his father’s stare. He knew what he must look like. Spending weeks and weeks on little sleep and working constantly eventually took its toll on a person’s body. “Thank you father. Now, if we can start with the meeting. I have a tight schedule today.”
Tanner said, “By the way, Heron, have you heard? Riley just agreed to a contract with the investors to open up a bar up here in the city.”
“Yes. She’s going to be in town today to sign the contracts so your mother and I, and Tanner and Roberta are taking her out to lunch at the Equis,” Roy said. “Come and join us. We know you’re no longer seeing Riley, but she’s still your sister-in-law, and it would be good to support her.”
“I’ll pass, Father” Heron said coldly. “I have no intention of being involved in the establishment of another sex club, when there is already a problem of the trafficking of illicit sex in this city.”
Roy watched his son as Heron turned away to greet a board member. He observed to Tanner, “Your brother seems to be in a mood. Lately. Would you happen to know what particular bee might be buzzing in his bonnet?”
Tanner smiled. “That’s quite an image, Dad, a big strapping man like Heron wearing a bonnet.”
“Well, we are in San Francisco,” Roy said archly. “Is he still upset about you and Roberta?”
“No, I don’t think so. I don’t really know what’s got into him.”
A few minutes later, everyone sat at the conference table to begin the board meeting. Most of it went as it usually does, quietly with small little rituals of bringing up current month’s issues, going over the points, then voting on them with little disagreement. The last item on the agenda, however, unexpectedly touched off a small dispute. The topic was the replacement of a board member who was retiring later in the year. One member, Marion White, who had inherited her seat when her husband, a banker and a longtime friend of Roy’s, had died, was pushing for a congresswoman, who also happened to be her daughter-in-law. At least about half of the members were inclined to agree or, at least, not raise any strong objections over the appointment. Roy himself remained quiet on the subject. The political viewpoint of the potential candidate was known to them and was not so extreme as to feel her a threat for the business.
Heron, however, was the one voice raising arguments against it. “I would rather field all the candidates who are available before we make a final decision. There are several out there with excellent qualifications that we should consider.”
“And why should you think that Representative Redding wouldn’t be qualified,” Marion asked huffily.
“She has never worked in big business, in any kind of business. She worked as a full – time housewife, raising three children, and decided that she wanted a political career after her kids went off to college.”
“But she is in Congress,” one male board member pointed out. “She could be quite valuable to us in Washington.”
Heron said, not bothering to hide his contempt, “This is her first term, and she only won because her husband’s mother used the family’s vast fortune to outspend all the other candidates versus winning because of any outstanding personal or political qualities.”
Shocked silence descended over the room. Even Roy stared at his son with surprise. Only Tanner had to fight to hide his smile. Heron’s sharp and direct words were not the norm during these meetings. Any objections were couched much more diplomatically. No one ever openly confronted another member, especially in front of the others. And it was Heron who observed this unspoken rule most diligently. In fact, he was usually the one who spoke the least in the meetings, more inclined to observe, listen, and take down notes. If he had any objections, he usually saved them for outside the board room, usually going over the issue with his father privately, and the two personally addressing their points with the particular board member with whom they were at odds.
Marion White directed a pinched look of anger at Heron. “That was quite vulgar, young man. And I dislike vulgarity.”
“And I dislike any board member of my family’s company to use their seat to further the positions of their family members.”
There were a few low gasps from the other members. Marion’s face was now turning puce with outrage. “Well, isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black?”
“Need I remind you that this corporation belongs to my family and began by my great, great grandfather. Plus, my brother and I have advanced degrees from Harvard with straight A records. I have worked for over ten years providing legal service to my company and my brother here started out as junior executive as all the other employees have begun with an MBA degree. Except, with Tanner, since he is family, he has the privilege of a junior board membership, because my father and I are grooming him to ultimately take over the helm someday. As yo
u know, like my father, and all of our employees, I work very hard for the company. And my brother is proving himself to be able to more than carry his weight, as well. And, I might add, Mrs. White, I have met your daughter-in-law.”
There was a brief embarrassed silence. Everyone knew that Representative Regina Redding’s intellect was not the most stellar and her education level was barely out of high school. Heron also did not add, but everyone in the room was quite aware of it as well, was that Regina had once made a play for Heron but ended up settling for Marion’s son, whose only recommendation was his family’s fortune, which he was quite satisfied going through with a prodigiously expensive habit of an idle playboy.
“That’s enough, Heron,” Roy said firmly when he saw Marion gearing up for a counter attack. “I propose that we leave this decision for a later meeting.”
There was a general relieved concurrence throughout the room.
“Then, meeting adjourned,” Roy said.
He watched Marion storm out of the room. He said as Heron gathered his papers, “Was that really necessary, Heron?”
“The last thing we need in this company is some addle-brained woman who only ran for political office because she was bored.”
“Some might accuse you of being sexist.”
There were three female board members for the corporation, Marion being one of the three. One of the other female members stopped by the two men.
“Sex has nothing to do with it, Roy,” she scoffed. This was Shirley Jenson who had a long career as a criminal attorney and who had married into banking wealth. “Heron’s perfectly right. Regina is as dumb as a doornail, and she’s going to find pretty quickly that she’s in over head in Washington.” She walked on and left the room.
Roy said to Heron, “I had planned to have Marion over for dinner so that I could point out more tactfully the ill-advisedness of bringing her daughter-in-law on board. Now, I’m afraid, I have my work cut out, thanks to you.”
“That was the most entertaining meeting I’ve attended since I started working here,” Tanner said rather jovially.
Roy gave his youngest son a withering look, then turned back to Heron. “It isn’t like you, Heron, to be so belligerent out in the open. In fact, I think I can safely say, that you don’t seem like yourself in these past several weeks. What has gotten into you, lately? You were always a coldly controlled bastard but, at least, you were always civil in polite setting. And you’ve been avoiding us, lately, too. Why?”
“I don’t have time for this, Father,” Heron said in a hard voice. “I’m due back in court,” and left the room.
A few days later, Heron ran into Tanner and Roberta when he stepped out of the elevator of the parking garage of the high rise that was the corporate building. His brother and sister-inlaw had their arms around each other and were laughing. He saw the love and happiness that was shining out of their eyes. They were like two young lovers, finding their own little world perfect and right.
“Hello, Heron. Are you coming or going?” Tanner asked. “We just came back from lunch. If you had come by my office earlier, we would have invited you.”
“I was just leaving,” Heron said stiffly.
“Come by the house for dinner, tonight, Heron,” Roberta said. “You haven’t been by in a long time.”
A shutter lowered over Heron’s eyes. “Thank you, but I have a prior engagement. Another time, then?”
Roberta was not offended by his brusqueness as she used to be when she was engaged to him. But her eyes were curious as she watched his frozen face. “Sure. Another time.”
He was about to walk away when she said, “Shall I tell Riley that you said hello?”
Heron stopped, looking at first stunned then confused for a moment. “What?”
“Shall I tell my sister that you said hello?”
Heron’s face, which already looked heavy and tired, became ashen. “Yes, if you wish. If you’ll excuse me.”
Roberta said, as she and her husband watched Heron walk away, “Is it me or is your brother’s temperament worsening?”
Once Heron reached his car in the parking garage, for the longest time, he simply sat behind his steering wheel, staring at nothing in front of him, his face frozen, completely immobile in his seat. It was only when his cell phone rang that he was shaken out of his stupor ten minutes later.
CHAPTER 13
Another week passed with Heron spending his days and night working, and when he wasn’t working or avoiding calls from his family, steadily going through a bottle of scotch, either in his office or at his penthouse.
That’s what he was doing one Wednesday night, past midnight, standing in front of the window in his penthouse, staring down at the city, holding a glass half-filled with scotch in one hand and the bottle in the other.
He knew his family thought that he was spending his time brooding. But he didn’t call it brooding. He didn’t know what to call it. He knew he was in some kind of a mood, but he didn’t want to call it brooding. Because he had nothing to brood about, especially about his last affair.
And if he was brooding, then he had every right to do so, didn’t he? After all, it had only been several months ago since the fiasco with his engagement with Roberta, who was now his sister-in-law, because his own brother had stolen her from right beneath his bloody nose. That was enough to drive any man to drink and want to shun all members of his family, because they all seemed to be perfectly willing to accept the sudden change without any appreciation of his humiliation and anger at being betrayed.
And then he had to go half-cocked and have a tawdry affair with Roberta’s sister, a most inappropriate woman to see for any purpose other than inside a bedroom He didn’t care that the rest of his family thought her completely charming and captivating. She flaunted her sexuality in front of his face, taunting him in public with it, deliberately making him lose his control, thumbing her nose at societal mores and convention. And he let her. That was the worst of it, when he never let any woman drive him to forget who he was and where he was. But all that was over with Riley. He had made sure that he had put a quick end to that once he realized that seeing such a woman had little advantage to his life in the long run.
After all that has happened, what sane man wouldn’t be a little off the weather for a time?
But he couldn’t be brooding forever. And Heron didn’t plan to. He told himself that he might just need to start considering marriage again. He might have to start looking up some of the women whom he knew were still single and might meet his criteria for a wife. Or, he could start responding to some of the social events that he was constantly being invited to, and get a feel for what was available on the market.
But as sound and logical as that plan was, it held very little appeal to Heron. Disgusted with the whole situation and, even more, with himself, he turned away from the window, stepped down into the sunken living room, and threw himself on the settee, still holding the glass and the bottle. Stretching his long legs out in front of him and leaning his head back on the couch, he closed his eyes, and let the drink and exhaustion pour through his mental barrier and spread throughout his body.
Sitting in his living room like this, past midnight, coming home from work, it reminded him of the last time he had sat here. Riley had been with him then, sitting next to him. He realized he had not relaxed in his living room since then.
As sleep began to close over his mind, Heron remembered that he and Riley had been tired, as well, from work that night, and all they could do was sit in the living room, sipping their drinks. They had little energy to have sex, and so ended up that night just talking, telling one another about their day at work. It had been one of the very few undemanding times he had spent with Riley, where they discovered that when sex was not involved, that they could be quite companionable in each other’s company. Content to stay in the living room, they did not bother to dredge up the energy to go upstairs. Riley had scooted closer to Heron. He put his arm around her a
s she snuggled against him, and both fell asleep.
Then he remembered a few hours later, they awoke and had sex on the settee. He remembered pounding into Riley’s tight flesh, remembered the feeling of her legs wrapped tightly around his waist, her body writhing beneath him as she sobbed her pleasure. After they had reached their climaxes, both had collapsed against one another on the couch, his long, heavy body pressing her much smaller, much lighter one into the soft cushions of the couch, immersed in the joy and pleasure of letting their bodies cool and settle together from the sexual storm. After a few minutes, Riley had stirred beneath his and shifted onto her stomach. Keeping her head pressed on the couch seat, she had brought her knees up to waist and, with a soft whimpering sound, had lifted her hind quarters up at Heron, offering and demanding at the same time her loins to him. Heron stared at her exposed flesh for a moment, as if to ponder at this blatant display of sexual wantonness from woman. He knew that Riley loved being taken in the doggie style, loved when a man held her by the waist as he pounded into her from behind. It made her feel subjected sexually to a man, feeling helpless and at the mercy of a man’s superior strength, which was incongruous for a strong-willed woman like Riley. And it aroused her when the man fingered her flesh before he took her, as if to test her, readying her for his possession, making sure to let her be aware that he was marking what was his. Sometime, when the man inserted a finger inside her channel, she’d pump her hips back and forth on the finger, her eyes closed, gasping at the languid pleasure, anticipating the much more demanding and much more savage insertion of his penis. Heron, only too willing to comply with her demanding request, had stretched his body over her back, bent his head and lightly pressed his mouth against her ear. He had laughed softly into her whorls, making her shiver, and he could feel that shiver reverberate down her spine. His tongue flicked ate her earlobe, then sharply bit into it as he plunged his dick back into her depths. Riley moaned, her hips wriggling against his invasion. He slipped one hand under her to fondle her breast. The other hand roamed over her body, stroking over her bent leg and smoothing over her thigh and then squeezing her buttock as he gently rooted into her. Heron remembered that their fucking in that position had been slow, because they were not driven by unrelenting need, which oddly made the pleasure even more intense for both of them. Their slow movements allowed them to be aware of every friction that was caused by the rubbing of their two bodies, especially the slow drag and pull of his enormous penis against the stretched walls of her tight pussy. Feeling the heat in her loins tighten every time Heron pulled on her uterine walls, and the pleasure was built up inside Riley to the point where it was becoming relentless again. Every time he moved inside her, she began to make small whimpering sounds. Soon, her loins became tortured again, to the point that her body was demanding some assuagement. Before, when she had lifted her pussy up to him, she had been an instigator, demanding her rightful pleasure from him, playfully taunting him with her body. Now, she was a victim of the erotic need, reduced to begging her lover for her satisfaction that only he could give her, trying to lessen, even avoid the growing pleasure by wriggling her buttocks when before she was twitching them at Heron with taunting invitation. She tried to hitch her buttocks up even higher so that she could force him deeper inside her, needing him to fuck her harder in order to bring her loins to her peak. But Heron refused to comply with her feminine demand and continued to move slowly and shallowly inside her, setting off little twinges of tension and heat in her loins. Soon, Riley was driven to beg, her groans turning into pleading sobs mixed with cries of pleasure and frustration every time he moved less than an inch inside her. She tried rise on all fours so that she could lift up her pussy more fully to him, but his heavy body kept her pressed down into the couch, trapping her in the torment.
