Fate

by Tia Wylder

  The waitress beamed at Jack – I couldn’t tell if she recognized him from the years before or was just charmed by his handsome face – before putting her notepad in her pocket and walking away.

  “Same as me?” Jack raised an eyebrow. “How can a girl like you eat that much?”

  “I burn calories worrying about the environment,” I said drily. “So, what happened? With your development and Franchot?”

  Jack groaned. “I don’t feel like talking about it right now,” he said. “Let’s just have a good time, okay?”

  I bit my lip. I knew I shouldn’t be getting too friendly with Jack…which was ludicrous, considering we’d already slept together. But it felt so good to be with someone who wasn’t Lisa, or another one of my colleagues. Being with Jack was like being with an old friend, or maybe an old rival-turned-friend. Despite our differences, I had the sense that we truly understood each other.

  The food arrived, and Jack and I fell upon it hungrily. I ate almost every bite until I was stuffed. Reaching under my parka, I unsnapped my jeans and yawned.

  “I feel like I’m going to pass out,” I groaned. “I can’t believe I ate so much.”

  Jack laughed. “You want me to give you a ride home?” He leaned closer. “Or do you want to come over and have a night cap? I can tell you about Franchot,” he added, raising his eyebrow in a smirk.

  I blushed. I wanted to be alone with Jack. Very much, in fact. But was this just going to turn into another round of him trying to seduce me?

  And furthermore, would I mind?

  “Okay,” I said slowly. “We can have a nightcap. Just one, though. I should get back to campus early in the morning. I have more work to do.”

  Jack smirked. God, why did every face he made manage to look so sexy?!

  “We can arrange that,” Jack said in a silky smooth voice. He put a wad of cash on the table and held out his arm to me. “Let’s go.”

  As Nick drove us to Jack’s posh condo, we barely spoke. The sky was pitch black and cloudy, without the slightest hint of stars. I was feeling much less bloated – heck, if anything, I was tense and excited to be alone with Jack again. What would happen? Would we talk business?

  Or…?

  I blushed hotly. As Nick slowed the limo outside of Jack’s condo complex, I shivered slightly.

  Jack turned to me with a look of concern on his face. “You okay?”

  I nodded. “I’m fine,” I said.

  “Good.”

  Jack led the way inside and again, I tried not to stare at the luxurious interior. When we got to the penthouse, Jack opened his door and showed me inside. He took my coat and reappeared a few seconds later with two small tumblers of brandy.

  “This should help you warm up,” Jack said. “Come on, I’ll start a fire.”

  I followed Jack into the living room and giggled as he flicked a switch on the wall. Flames sprung to life behind a glass-encased gas fireplace.

  “This is cozy,” I said, sinking down into the plush carpet and kicking off my soaked snowboots. The heat from the gas fire felt good on the soles of my feet, and I closed my eyes, moaning softly with pleasure as I began to warm up.

  That’s when I felt Jack’s lips on mine. My eyes flew open, and I saw him, leaning over me. He pulled away and licked his lips.

  “Is this okay?” Jack asked in a low, sexy voice.

  My stomach twitched and tensed with arousal. “Oh, yes,” I said without even thinking about it. Now that I was kissing Jack again, in his own condo and not some hotel hallway, I wanted him more than ever. As carefully as I could, I set the glass of brandy down on the floor and pulled Jack down on top of me.

  Our kiss grew deeper, more passionate as each moment passed. Jack pushed me down on the carpet with gentle hands and crawled between my legs, nudging my thighs apart with one of his own. When I felt his muscular thigh brushing against my crotch, I threw my head back and moaned into Jack’s mouth. Jack buried his face in my neck, kissing and nibbling and licking until I thought I would go crazy. When I felt his warm hands slipping under the fabric of my shirt, I shivered.

  “Are you cold?” Jack whispered. His breath tickled my ear, and I shook my head.

  “No,” I whispered back. “Just excited.”

  Jack pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it to the side. He reached behind my back and unclasped my bra with an expert touch, pulling the lacy material away from my breasts. My nipples were stiff and hard with arousal, and when Jack bent his head to my chest and began to suck on them, I thought I would die of pleasure.

  I tangled my hands in Jack’s luxurious hair and gently tugged at his scalp until he groaned with pleasure. He pushed his thigh harder against my crotch and pleasure flowed through my body. I pulled Jack’s shirt over his head and threw it to the ground, running my hands over his smooth chest and marveling at the muscles. He was so gorgeous, so toned, so perfect that I could hardly stand it. I couldn’t believe that in this moment, he was completely mine.

  “God, Adele,” Jack groaned as I slid my hands lower and lower until my fingers were rubbing over the obvious bulge at the fork of his trousers. Jack took his mouth away from my nipples and fumbled with his belt, unzipping his pants and pushing them down his narrow hips. I could hardly take my eyes away from him – he was perfect, like a Greek god. When he put his fingers to my own jeans and began unzipping the fly, I shuddered again. Lust was coiled in my lower belly, tense and hot, and my clit was aching for attention. When Jack dipped his head to mine in another passionate kiss, I yanked my panties down my legs and kicked free of my jeans. The fire flickered sensually behind us, and I closed my eyes as Jack put a hand between my legs. My thighs were slick and slippery with my own arousal, and when I felt him slide a finger inside of me, I moaned and shivered.

  “I want you,” I purred. “So much, Jack.”

  Jack grinned at me. He playfully nipped at my lower lip until I cried out with pleasure. Then he crawled between my legs and steadied himself with a hand against my thigh. His cock was massive and hard, and I reached forward, wrapping my fingers around the smooth skin and pumping Jack’s member up and down until he was thrusting into my hand and groaning. Jack pushed my fingers away and held his cock, thrusting deeply inside of me. I arched my back and moaned with delicious ecstasy as Jack buried himself inside of me.

  “Oh, god, yes,” Jack groaned. He put his hands on my hips and pulled me closer, pushing his manhood deep inside. It felt so good that I could hardly move, hardly breathe. My skin was hot and tingly as we began to move together, thrusting and wriggling and shoving like a practiced art. As our lovemaking grew more intense, I began to pant and sweat. I wrapped my arms around Jack’s neck and pulled him close, wrapping my legs around his narrow waist as he thrust deeper and deeper with every moment.

  Jack put his hand between our bodies and began rubbing my clit with his thumb. It felt heavenly, and soon I was moaning and shrieking with pleasure as my body tingled and danced. When I closed my eyes, I saw fireworks exploding on the inside of my lids. Jack grunted and arched his back, driving his cock inside of me with powerful thrusts.

  When my orgasm hit, it was like a massive wave crashing over my head. I gasped and moaned, screaming Jack’s name as my body pulsed and twitched over and over again. Jack groaned, too, bucking and gasping and thrusting inside until I could feel his cock twitching with his own pleasure. He came powerfully, grabbing me and kissing me with shaking lips as our pleasure met and mingled together in a perfect dance.

  We lay there together, panting and gasping, as the warmth began to leave my body. Jack rolled to the side and held me close. I knew I should be relaxed and happy, but part of me was unable to calm down. I’d come here to talk business, and now what? I’d let my guard down and fucked Jack again, slept with the only man who knew how to charm me.

  I was disgusted with myself.

  Pushing Jack away, I reached for my bra and panties, wriggling into my clothes with an awkward, graceless speed.

&nb
sp; “Hey, Adele, what’s going on,” Jack asked. He frowned. “Where are you going? Stay over, it’s freezing out there.”

  I looked at him, trying to read his face for anything other than blind, billionaire playboy lust.

  “I can’t,” I said flatly. “I have to go. I’m sorry.”

  “Adele, wait!”

  But I didn’t turn around. Pulling on my parka, I stormed out of Jack’s condo and into the frigid Boston night.

  Chapter Twelve

  Jack

  After Adele left, I was angry. I couldn’t believe that she’d done it again – allowed her guard to slip down, and then spit in my face when I showed her the same courtesy. It was impossible. Dealing with her was like dealing with a child. But even so, I was more drawn to Adele than ever before. I didn’t want to stop seeing her. Hell, I could barely tear my mind away from her. The only thing that had the power to distract me was thinking about work.

  That night, I stayed up late working on the plans for the new Trident Gold property in Nassau. The plans were coming together nicely, and I couldn’t wait for the chance to really go over the fine details. I was itching to go back to Nassau and talk to the developers and construction men.

  When Barnes called early in the morning, my wounded pride had begun to fade. I answered the phone with a smirk.

  “What do you want, it’s not like you to be awake so early,” I said teasingly. “What’s going on?”

  Barnes was silent.

  “Come on, man,” I said. “What the hell is it? What’s going on?”

  Barnes sighed. “I know you don’t want to hear this right now, but have you seen the weather?”

  I frowned. “No.” I flashed back to myself and Adele, tangled up in bed the night before. “I was busy last night.”

  “Turn on the news,” Barnes said. “I’ll wait.”

  There was a sinking feeling in my stomach as I reached for the remote and turned on the news. Sure enough, there was a massive tropical storm…and it was headed right for Nassau.

  “You’re kidding,” I said. “The construction just started! There’s no fucking way this can happen right now!” Hot anger bubbled up inside of me, and I took a deep breath, willing myself to calm down.

  “I wish,” Barnes said drily. “I think you’re going to have to go out there.”

  “What?” I narrowed my eyes. “What, like fly right into the storm?”

  “There’s more to it than that,” Barnes continued. “I started doing a little work on your man, Franchot.”

  I groaned. Hearing more about Franchot was the last thing I needed right now – especially if it was bad. And judging from the tone of Barnes’s voice, it certainly wasn’t good.

  “What is it?”

  “So, a few years back, he was working on a development in Mexico, did you hear about that?”

  “No,” I said. “Just get to the point, Barnes. This could be a crisis.”

  “Well, he was starting construction just as a hurricane was planning to hit. There was another resort property that had already been built a few miles away. After the storm, Franchot’s property was fine…but the other, existing resort had been completely demolished.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Now you sound crazy,” I said. “Just because the man is a lunatic doesn’t mean that he’s capable of controlling the weather.”

  Barnes snorted. “For someone as smart as you, you can be pretty fucking stupid sometimes,” he replied. “I didn’t mean Franchot controlled the weather – he’s not a deity, for Christ sake. I meant that he destroyed the property himself and blamed the damage on the hurricane.”

  Barnes’s words hit me like a ton of bricks. For a moment, I thought I was going to pass out. I gripped the edge of my counter and took a deep breath.

  “So, you basically have to go down there and cover your ass,” Barnes said. “Because if you don’t, I guarantee everything is going to be ruined when the storm is over.”

  Instead of replying, I turned my attention back to the news station. The large white swirl in the center of the screen looked ominous, but I wasn’t going to let Franchot destroy me and what I hoped to build in Nassau. Losing the new property would be huge. It was a hit that Trident Gold wouldn’t be able to take.

  “You’re right,” I said, swallowing. “I have to go.”

  “Good man,” Barnes said. “I’m sorry you have to do this.”

  “Yeah,” I said, closing my eyes and thinking of the last time I was in Nassau for a hurricane. “Me, too.” I sighed. “But it’s what the company needs, and I’m not going to let anyone down.”

  Barnes and I hung up, and I flopped on the couch and changed the channel. I couldn’t handle it anymore – the relentless coverage of the growing storm was making me anxious and upset.

  I knew I wouldn’t be able to catch a commercial flight to Nassau. The television showed that most of the major airports were closed, and Miami likely wouldn’t be open by the time we could get there. Instead, I called my pilot, Rico, and told him that we had to leave for Nassau at once.

  I packed a suitcase full of bottled water and food that could be safely stored at room temperature before throwing a bunch of clothes into my laptop bag. As I rode out of Boston, towards the small airstrip, I felt grim and nervous. I was well-aware that this could be the last time I saw my home city.

  I could die there, I thought as I boarded the plane. The weather in Boston was sunny but cold, and I shivered at the thought of lashing wind and rain. Still, I was determined not to dwell on the negatives. Hopefully the storm wouldn’t progress from a tropical storm to a hurricane, and hopefully, Franchot wouldn’t have had time to put his mittens all over my property by the time he arrived. The thought of catching him in the act took some of the stress away. After all, if Franchot could survive the storm, so could I.

  Halfway through the trip, the weather started to turn. I could tell Rico was getting nervous, but he handled the plane with expert hands as we glided through dark grey clouds and flashes of lightning. I took a book out of my bag and tried to read, but I couldn’t concentrate. All I could think about was the storm. For a few moments, even Adele was pushed out of my head as I thought about what I’d have to do in order to survive.

  “Sir, you may want to buckle your seatbelt!” Rico called from the cockpit. “It’s going to be a bit bumpy.”

  My hands went cold and sweaty, and I gripped the armrests. I wouldn’t have admitted it for all the money in the world, but flying had always made me a little nervous. I knew that turbulence itself wasn’t dangerous, but it was unsettling to bounce around in the air like the insignificant creature that I was.

  True to Rico’s word, the turbulence increased. My book bounced from my lap and landed on the floor of the plane with a soft thud, and I knocked back the rest of my whiskey in an effort to calm myself. It didn’t work. If anything, the alcohol made me feel worse. My hands were trembling and shaking, but I could no longer tell if it was because of the turbulent flight or my anxiety.

  “Rico,” I called. “Are you okay?”

  There was no answer, and I knew Rico had to be concentrating hard. I decided that when we were both safely back in Boston, I was going to give him a massive pay raise.

  The plane bounced and jolted in the air, dropping at an alarming rate. I closed my eyes tightly and tightened the buckle of my seatbelt, trying to press myself tightly into the seat as if it would protect me. I tried to remember the safety instructions I’d heard long ago, but it had been years since I’d paid attention to the instructions of a flight attendant. I took a deep breath, trying to focus.

  I cried out as the plane lurched sharply to the side. The overhead compartments opened and my suitcases fell crashing to the floor as oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling. Just then, I noticed that it was getting harder to breathe. My lungs burned as I fumbled with one of the flimsy masks, securing the elastic behind my head and sucking in until the bag began to inflate.

  The plane dropped again, sending my stoma
ch all the way up my throat. That was when I heard it. The terrible, loud roar of the storm. This is it, I thought. I’m going to die. The thought filled me with a cold, blind panic. For the first time since that morning, I felt fully awake. It was as if I could feel the blood pumping rapidly through my veins, sustaining me in this moment of horror that I couldn’t quite manage to get past.

  When I heard Rico screaming “Mayday! Mayday!” from the cockpit, a strange calm feeling descended over me. I knew I was going to die – this was it, and there was no going around it.

  Adele’s face swam to the surface of my mind. Adele, I thought as the plane careened through the sky. I’m so sorry. More than anything, I wished I could talk to Adele, to tell her how very sorry I was, to make her understand that she was brilliant and beautiful and lovable.