“My Solid Stone is softening!” I laugh and then stop when I realize what I’ve just blurted out.
I look over at him and he looks over at me with a grin, “I thought my nickname was Mister E. Do I have two now?” He laughs loudly.
“Yep, I think so.” I laugh this time. He just shakes his head. We ride for another hour and then head back to the stable.
It’s dark when we get home. After dinner we take a bath together and then Adam bends me over a chair in our bedroom and fucks me into oblivion. I never want that to change.
Chapter 14
As we pull into Adam’s parents’ driveway the following Sunday, I find myself still impressed by their home. We’re here for brunch, and his sister Olivia is home too.
We eat in their formal dining room. The five of us are enjoying Eggs Benedict, turkey bacon, and grilled tomatoes covered with cheese. The food is delicious. Adam has his hand on my lap as the conversation turns around to him and what he’s been up to. I enjoy hearing him say Mom and Dad it reminds me that he was a child once, just like everyone else.
“Things are good with me, Dad. The firm is still growing and I’m pleased with my team. I’m still traveling a lot. I try to keep my weekends free as much as possible now that I have Violet in my life. We live together now.” Adam squeezes my hand.
His dad smiles at us. “That’s great news. I know you work very hard, so we’re happy you have Violet in your life now too.” I’m flattered by his comment and smile. Adam’s mother seems pleased and smiles at me too. I notice his sister is quiet and seems a bit distant. I’ve only met her once before at Adam’s birthday dinner back in July, and I really didn’t get a chance to speak with her much then.
Trying to start a conversation, I look over and ask. “Olivia, how’s school going? Have you thought about what you might do afterwards? I hear you’re in International Business Studies and about to finish your Masters?”
“Yes, I am. I really haven’t thought about what I should do after. Maybe Adam can hire me, or my dad,” she says.
I smile to show my support. “Maybe you could intern over the Christmas break? It would give you some insight into what you might want to do long-term.”
“That’s a great idea, Violet. I’ve been meaning to ask,” she looks over at Adam then her dad. “Maybe one of you would consider me for an intern?” She smiles at both of them.
Before either one can answer I say, “I’m sure they’ll be fighting over you.” Olivia and I are around the same age, so I understand how she must be feeling. I recall how I felt graduating with a history degree and no prospects for a job until I decided to become a paralegal. Just making the decision to do something about it lightened the load. And it ended up being the best thing, because it led me to Adam.
Adam and his dad look at one another. Adam says, “I can probably find you something for a couple of weeks in my Trademark group. There’s some international work there, but you’d have to start with lots of paperwork. I hope you understand that.” She nods and then looks at her dad, waiting to hear his offer. I don’t blame her.
His dad says, “I’ll see what I can do, if not with me, then with one of my contacts. Be prepared to do lots of junior work. You have to prove yourself.” Olivia nods.
Olivia turns back to me. “Thanks, Violet. We should have lunch together sometime.”
“I’d really like that. Let me know the next time you’re in town.”
“I will, and I look forward to getting to know you a bit better.” She seems to be lighter now and I’m happy to see her smiling. His mom seems brighter too. I know the two of them aren’t overly close and I remember the story Adam told me.
Their housekeeper, Janet, begins clearing the table and I naturally get up to help her. Adam watches me move around the table but doesn’t say anything. I can’t help myself; I was brought up to help after someone serves me a meal. As I’m about to return to the table, Adam walks in with some plates. I smile up at him for pitching in. Once the table is cleared, we find the group sitting in the green house, laughing and catching up. He has a nice family, all doing great things or destined to do great things. At this moment, you wouldn’t be able to tell they had a bad spell once, although Olivia does choose to sit next to her Dad. She seems reserved again, even though she’s polite and answers nicely when spoken to, but seems to be somewhere else in her thoughts. Maybe she’s thinking about her exams. Adam wraps his arm around my waist and I join in the conversation, stopping myself from trying to diagnose Olivia. Surprisingly Olivia says, “Violet thanks again about mentioning the interning gig. It’s given me something good to think about.” I smile and nod over at her.
“No problem. You have two great connections right here.”
She smiles slightly and looks at her dad. “Dad, when will you know about the intern options? Christmas break isn’t that far away.”
“I’ll look in to it on Monday when I’m back in the office.”
Adam says, “I’ll do the same, although I think Dad’s option may be more interesting.” He looks over at his dad. “The new energy project might be good for Liv. That’s an international-based project.” Adam’s dad nods.
I think to myself how proud his parents must be. Adam is the good-looking, smart, successful lawyer and business man, and their daughter in the midst of her master’s degree in International Studies. They’re dad is a highly respected CEO of a multi-billion-dollar holding company. Their mother is an artist and so refined. I can tell, despite everything, she’s the glue. I feel happy to be included in their family gatherings. Adam looks over at me. “Do you want to go for a walk? We can work off some of the brunch we just had.”
“Sure, let’s go.” We excuse ourselves and Jeremy gives us our jackets. Adam’s family home sits on a large property, making the backyard quite large.
“Did you enjoy brunch?” he asks.
“Yes, it was delicious. Janet is a great cook. How long, has she been with your family?”
“Geez, almost twenty years now I think. She practically cared for Liv and me for a couple of years. You know the story.”
“I do and it still makes me feel sad just thinking about it.” A feeling of sadness comes over me when I think of his uncle’s suicide and the effect it had on his entire family. I look at the trees around me.
Adam must be reading my mind when he says, “My mother had that tree removed.” I nod as I don’t know what to say. We continue to walk around the property, holding hands.
“How’s your merger going?” I ask him.
“We’re a long way from closing. It’s a huge initiative. Some of these take years to finalize. We’ll get there. Something strange happened though.”
“Like what?” I ask.
“Some papers went missing from Alice’s desk. They were found and she thinks she just misfiled them. It’s probably nothing, but they were files from the merger.”
“Your office is secured, right?”
“Yeah, it’s probably nothing, and I’ve asked Alice to keep those files locked up unless she’s referring to them.”
“That’s probably a good idea. I was so paranoid with the bank merger. I locked up everything about it at night when we left the office.”
He smiles at me. “You know, the offer to work at my firm is still open.”
“Sweetheart, I don’t think I’d get any work done having to look at you all day, for starters. Also, sleeping with the boss?”
“You’d probably never see me anyway with all the traveling I do. You might see me every now and then when I take a walk around the office, but that’s about it. I’m in a lot of meetings most of the time.” He winks at me when he says, “You know, sleeping with the boss has its benefits.” He pushes me up against a tree and begins to kiss me, his hands roaming over my breasts.
“Mmm, I love the way you kiss me,” I whisper in his ear.
He croons in mine, “I love you, all of you. Every piece of you, do you know that?”
“I can’t believe how far and how fast we’ve come. It was only a few months ago that I was worried if we’d even make it to six months with your track record.”
“I know and I’m sorry I have baggage. I never told you how relieved I was to share that with you. I think it was then I realized how much you really meant to me and I had pretty strong feelings before that. Only someone like you could get it out of me. It was very healing, thank you.” He looks so vulnerable right now. I just need to kiss him, show him how much I care and how much he means to me. I press my lips to his and just hold them there, my arms wrapped tightly around him.
After a moment, I step back and tell him. “I’m glad you told me. It helped me understand you better. Hey, you found a way to help others by becoming an excellent lawyer. You’ve done a lot of noble things Adam.” I smile up at him and kiss him again before I continue. “Wanting to prevent others from being taken advantage of is a good thing. You’ve kept your promise to yourself. That’s got to feel good, doesn’t it?”
“I’d give up all my success to see my uncle again.”
“I know you would, but you’re still helping others in your own way. Don’t forget that.”
“Babe, I don’t know what I’d do without you.” We kiss again and I can tell he’s feeling just as emotional as I am.
“You should be proud, Adam. Really, you should be. I know I’m proud of you.” He looks into my eyes, he seems skeptical of what I’m saying to him, but I know it’s the truth.
He pulls me close just for a hug this time. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but with him, my Adam.
§
Back at the apartment later, Adam has work to do so I leave him alone in his office and go upstairs to our bedroom to phone my dad.
“Hi Dad, it’s Vee. How are you?”
“Hi honey, I’m great. How are things with you?”
“Really good. We just had brunch with Adam’s parents and sister at their house and I was thinking we should get together really soon too.”
“Sure, when did you have in mind?”
“I’ll need to check Adam’s schedule, but how about an evening this week or next weekend?”
“Let’s meet this week so I can see you sooner. I’m free Monday to Thursday, but not Friday or Saturday. I have a date on both of those nights.”
“Wow, Dad, you didn’t tell me! Is it the same lady or, are you playing the field?” I laugh.
“Same lady. She’s a widow and I like her a lot. I’ll have to arrange for you to meet her soon, okay?”
“Sure, I hope it all goes well for you and her. I’ll call you during the week or later tonight to fix a dinner date. Love you.”
“Love you too. Bye for now, Vee.” I hang up the phone, feeling quite pleased that my dad has someone in his life. He should have a companion. As I reach Adam’s office door, I stick my head in. Of course he’s on the phone, but waves me in. I stand in front of his desk, waiting for him to finish.
“Sorry Babe, too many calls. What’s up, how’s your dad doing?”
“Well, he’s seeing someone, a widow. He said he likes her and wants me to meet her at some point. I guess it’s still early days and he wants to make sure. Anyway, I want to have dinner with him this week. Is there a weeknight you’re free?”
Adam looks down at his Blackberry. “Thursday looks good. I’m traveling Monday to Wednesday this week. Are we going out or he is coming here?”
“Thursday’s good. I thought we’d go out again. It’s a weeknight. We can meet him at the same place we had brunch, okay?”
“I’m emailing Alice right now to block the time from 6 onwards. Does that work?”
“Yep. Thanks. Do you want a drink or something?”
“I do want something, but it’s not just a drink. You’re lucky I have another call in five minutes. A glass of cranberry juice, please.” I smile as I walk out of his office, coming back in with a glass of cranberry juice. “Thanks, Babe. I need about another hour and then I am all yours.”
“Okay, I look forward to it.” I head to the family room upstairs to watch TV and fall asleep. When I wake, I can hear Adam down in the kitchen making dinner for us. As I head downstairs, I see that Adam has a glass of wine sitting on the counter and an empty glass for me.
“Hey, Babe. You were fast asleep and I didn’t want to wake you. I hope you’re not coming down with something?”
“No, I don’t think so. My period’s coming and that makes me more tired sometimes.”
“Oh, that’s next week. Good thing I’m traveling then. Do you want some wine?” My periods haven’t been an issue for us. Adam always seems to be traveling during that time. I realize I’ve never had to refuse him. I slap his bum as I stand beside him at the cooktop.
“Yes please,” I say, innocently grinning up at him.
“Oh, you want to play that game, do you?” He swiftly picks me up, kisses me, and puts me down, his hands firmly grabbing my butt. We both laugh as I step back to sit at the table and Adam hands me a glass of wine. It’s a full-bodied California cabernet that I just love.
“What’s for dinner?” I ask.
“Chicken cacciatore with lots of mushrooms and peppers on angel hair pasta.”
“It smells delicious. If you ever open a restaurant, I’ll eat at it every day like I do now!” He laughs and stirs the sauce.
“I enjoy cooking for us, but I’m not sure I want to do it for a living. I’m glad you like my cooking though.” He says this with such clarity. He definitely knows his own mind.
“You know, you could partner with a chef or someone already established in the restaurant business.”
“Mmmm. Yes, that’s something to think about I suppose.”
“Your culinary skills and your business smarts would be a great combo, in my opinion.” He likes that and smiles back at me. I ask. “What else are you working on other than the merger?”
“The merger takes up a lot of my time, but so does the firm itself. My plan is to keep growing it and diversifying our service offerings. To be honest, these days, I don’t take on any of my own clients anymore. I need to manage other parts of the business now. Mergers are still my specialty though.”
“You really do carry a lot of weight on your shoulders, don’t you? How many people do you gainfully employ now?”
“Globally, thousands, which is why it’s such a priority to me. I’ve told you that before.”
I appreciate his openness to talk about his work. “Yes, you have. I still pinch myself that we’re together like this.”
“No, I’m thankful. You know, I pinch myself that you stay with me. I know I’m not always easy to get along with.” He smiles. “But I hope my bedroom skills keep you very interested.”
“Oh yes, you are the master in the bedroom.” It’s me who’s grinning now.
“Yes, but only because that’s what you want, right?”
“Yes, I don’t need reminding.” I pause to look him over and then change the direction of our conversation. “How long until dinner?”
“About ten minutes. And after we eat we’ll go up to bed.”
“Okay, I’m in.”
“You’d better be, sexy,” he says with great confidence.
Dinner is delicious as always. I take seconds of the chicken, it’s so good. I ask. “What time are you flying out tomorrow?”
“It’s midday so Frank will be driving us in the morning. I’m going to the hangar from the office. Don’t forget to confirm dinner with your dad on Thursday, okay?”
“I’ll call him tomorrow during my lunch.”
“You know, I can get Joyce to come in more often.” I stand up and he swats me on the bum, making me shriek.
“Honestly, it takes minutes to clean up after
two people, and I really prefer our privacy. I love my time alone with you.”
“Whatever you want. I was only asking if it makes life easier for you.”
“I know. I’m spoiled already, when you think of it. I don’t cook, you do that. I don’t clean or grocery shop, Joyce does that. Joyce even cooks for me when you’re away.”
“I know, I asked her to. I email her when I am away.”
“You do that for me?”
“Of course I do. I love you. Why wouldn’t I?”
I had no idea. He’s much more thoughtful than I realize. “I think you’re sweet. I really do.”
“Me, sweet? I don’t think so, but I really do care about you.” He kisses me and we talk some more before going up to bed.
§
Frank arrives right on time the next morning to take us both to work. When we pull up in front of my building, I give Adam a long kiss before getting out of the car. I’m going to miss him over the next few days. Our eyes lock as the car drives off. I know he misses me too when he’s traveling.
Paul’s not in yet. I set up my laptop and check his office, pulling some files from his out tray. I have a few contracts to go through and a couple of calls to make. The day should fly by.
My plans to surprise Adam by dancing for him has me excited. I’ve been doing so well in my classes that the instructor even asked me to join her professional troupe. Even though I politely declined her offer, she’s agreed to help me with my routine. The time alone this week gives me time to rehearse. It will be me performing this weekend, a private dance for Adam. I smile to myself and delve back into work. At 4, I call my dad and we confirm plans to meet for dinner on Thursday night. It only takes me 15 minutes to get home.
At home, I quickly eat dinner so that I can practice my routine in front of the mirror. Wrapping a bikini sarong around my hips helps me get into character. I’m going to perform a harem girl dance. I watch myself in the wall of mirrors. My hips sway to the beat of the music and my hair swings back and forth each time I move. The dance makes me feel very sensual. I practice for about an hour and then check email on my laptop. Adam calls at 10:30 to see how I’m doing. When we hang up, I fall asleep, feeling very secure and very happy.
Solid Stone: Odyssey Page 18
