One tear slipped from her eye as she fell from the heavens. Lucy had never known such bliss could even exist.
Jake lay next to her and enveloped her in his arms. He had never felt such passion, such longing; he knew he would never have enough of this woman. She was the epitome of everything he wanted in a woman and more. He realized that this was most definitely a case of love at first sight. And if the look in her eyes spoke her feelings, he was sure it was for her too.
***
Lucy awoke as the sun was breaking through the day. It took her a moment to realize where she was. The full horror of what she had done the night before was replaying in her mind. As she berated herself for being in the wrong, her body spoke otherwise. While her mind was horrified, her body ached in places it never had and was asking for more.
All she knew was that she needed to escape. As she dressed, she heard the shower running. Now was her chance. With shoes in hand and hair askew, she bolted for the door and the safety of her own home; wondering how she was going to be able to look Jake in the eyes again and ensure that this never happened again.
***
Jake got dressed and prepared to meet the day. He had it all planned out. First, he would start by taking the delectable Lucy out for breakfast, then do some sight-seeing, cook her a wonderful dinner again and cap it off by ravishing her over and over by the fireplace.
He was taken aback when he came out of the bathroom and found her gone. No note, no nothing, just gone, only the scent of her lingered. That and the ache in his groin were the only evidence she had been there. He reached across his desk to call her and left a message as he was sent to voicemail.
Well, it appears we have a runner. He chuckled. What Lucy did not realize was that he could run much further and faster. Come hell or high water, she would be his.
***
On Monday, Jake Logan strolled into the outer office of Smith Shipping and introduced himself to the receptionist with the proposal signed and at hand. In Lucy’s haste to exit his presence, she had forgotten the proposal.
Lucy opened the door to her office to usher him in, ready to deal with the business at hand and escort Jake out of her office and out of her life once and for all. “Mr. Logan, please have a seat.”
Jake gave a low chuckle and there it was again, that slow burn that started low in her stomach and spread like a wildfire. She forced herself to remain calm and collected. “Ms. Smith it appears you forgot something at my house in your haste to run away.”
“I did not run away, Mr. Logan, I just did not see the point in staying any longer.”
Jake chuckled. “Had you not run, Ms. Smith, I would have spent the day showing you many reasons as to why you should have stayed.”
At this, Lucy blushed. “I must apologize. My actions from the other night were due to partaking of too much wine. I should have mentioned it sooner, but it seems as I have a two-glass limit. I can assure you that this will never happen again and hope we can both forget that night.”
Jake snorted in indignation. “Forget? I do not think that either you nor I could ever forget what happened. Not only am I not going to forget that delectable event, we are going to have many more for years to come. You see, Lucy, I plan on marrying you.”
Lucy was thoroughly taken aback. “Marry me? You do not even know me, Mr. Logan!”
“Jake, my name is Jake, and I think we can do away with the niceties, don’t you?”
“Mr. Logan, I do not see any reason to do away with the “niceties” and I assure you we will not be getting married, not now, not ever. Let me make myself clear. I have no plans of ever seeing you again after this deal is over. We have managed to not cross paths in the past and I see no reason we can’t continue to do so in the future. I trust you have signed the proposal and inserted your shipping plans, and I have taken the task of having your captain’s contract drawn up. You may take it with you and go over it with Mr. Hall. But I need it back in my office by Wednesday at noon.”
Jake chuckled at this. “You are absolutely gorgeous when you are angry, and I cannot wait to see you in this state as you lay across my bed.”
Lucy wanted to throw her pen at him and tear up the contract, but she had the company to think of.
“Now,” Jake went on, “as for the captain’s contract, I trust you. After all, I have seen the deal you drew up with the proposal and know you are fair and forth coming, so I will sign it now. As for the shipping plan, I trust we will get this deal. I will be leaving on Thursday evening for Hong Kong. I anticipate our win on this bid and I have prepared a crew and the ship for leave. It is up to you to bring home this deal, but you are a very capable woman and I trust you to do just that.”
With that, Jake signed the contract, took out the proposal and walked over to Lucy to put it in her hand personally. “Oh, and one more thing, Lucy.”
“What!” snapped Lucy, as she stood toe to toe with him, trying not to notice how good he smelled.
“This,” said Jake, as he bent down and kissed her deeply on the lips. As he pulled away, he gave a knowing grin.
“What was that for?”
“Proof!” said Jake.
“Proof of what?”
“That one day you will come around and agree to be my wife. You see, Lucy, not only did you not pull away from me, I felt you tremble at my kiss.” And with that, he walked out the door, closing it just before the pen Lucy was holding hit the door.
As much as she hated to admit it; Jake Logan was right, not only in his business plan but also in her reaction to his touch.
Lucy sent the proposal to her client on Tuesday. She spent the next two days dodging Jake in his determination to see her before he left. It was a battle of the wills, and she felt as she was winning.
So what was this coldness she felt as the watched the ship pull out of port on Thursday? She felt a loss, as if she was suddenly alone; and it bothered her.
***
Lucy hung up the phone with Hong Kong. She was being summoned to a meeting with the client as to which company would end with a signed proposal. She was going head-to-head with the largest shipping line in the world. Everything she had worked for hung on this contract and she was bound to see it through, even if it meant sitting in a boardroom with the gorgeous Mr. Logan.
They did not just want to speak to her, but with Jake as well. And she would have to do it if they expected to bring this deal home. She had her secretary send notice of the plans to Jake.
Lucy made plans to leave the next day and went home to pack and retrieve her passport. She had a fitful night of dreams about a gorgeous man who claimed she was going to be his wife.
As she boarded the plane to Hong Kong, she could not help but wonder what it was she would be flying into. The deal of the century for her company? Or straight into the arms of the man she was trying desperately to forget?
***
Ten days after pulling out of port, Jake got a message from the home office. It appeared that they were in a dead tie with another shipping company. The client wanted to meet with the owners of each company in person. So he would be sitting in the same boardroom as his beautiful soon-to-be wife, going head-to-head to close this deal and seal the fate for Smith Shipping and, God willing, give him time to woo and win the woman of his dreams against the exotic backdrop of beautiful Hong Kong.
TO BE CONTINUED IN BOOK TWO: Storm - Volume 2
***
Storm
***
Lucy’s plane touched down in Hong Kong early Tuesday morning. She could not wait to check in to her hotel and sink down in a hot bubble bath and catch a quick catnap. The eighteen-hour difference in time and the jet lag had her whipped, but she was determined to assimilate quickly so she would be sharp-witted and ready for battle come Friday afternoon. She also wanted to be fully awake and aware during her briefing with Jake on Thursday. She was determined to be ready to leave that meeting with a signed deal in hand, and Jake ready to load and leave at a moment’s notice.
She had to admit, in light of the situation, Jakes plan of having ship in port and ready may have turned into an asset which may in the end turn the negotiation in their favor. She had come too far to let anything stand in the way, and she was determined to win.
Lucy ate a light brunch after her bath. Her eyes felt like lead weights as she crawled into bed. She had just checked her email for an update on Jake’s estimated time of arrival and noted he was running slightly ahead of schedule. Her heart skipped a beat; every time she closed her eyes, it was Jake’s smiling face that haunted her in her dreams.
***
Jake had turned the ship over to his first mate and went below for a bite to eat and to catch up on some much needed rest. So far the trip had been uneventful, barring one small storm. He had been thinking of the meeting coming up on Friday and could not believe his luck. He had no doubt they would come away the victors on this deal, but more importantly, this gave him the added advantage of time alone with Lucy to persuade her to his way of thinking.
He had not slept much these past two weeks. Lucy haunted him. He could smell her, taste her as she writhed under him in ecstasy in his dreams, crying out his name as she reached the top. And he always awoke in a cold sweat.
During the day, he thought of nothing but her. She was beautiful, and he could not envision life without her. But first he had to make her realize she loved him too. He could see the confusion in her eyes when they touched; he felt the tremble of her body as she sighed and leaned into his kiss and parted her lips for him. As he slept, Lucy once again screamed out his name and begged him for the sweet release that only he could give her, and once again he awoke with a start and drenched in sweat.
He knew in his soul they were meant to be and that Lucy felt it too. The only difference was he did not run from it or deny it.
***
Lucy decided to spend Wednesday doing a little sight-seeing and eating some of her favorite foods. She had spent the first half of her day going over the proposal to see if she could find any leeway for reducing the price of the bid, but she could find none. She sent Jake a notification of this.
***
Jake sat in his office, pouring over the contract to see if Lucy had overlooked anything, but she had not. It looked as if he would be arriving in port late Wednesday evening and not early Thursday morning as originally planned; this he could use to his advantage. Jake chuckled to himself as he came up with a solution that would benefit them both. He drew up the proposal and contract for her to sign. He hoped she accepted as this was exactly the kind of opportunity he was looking for. If she did, he was going to milk it for all it was worth.
***
About an hour later, Lucy’s phone beeped, letting her know she had an incoming email from Jake. As she read it, her anger rose to new heights, for he had found one way to reduce the offer significantly if she agreed. And at that moment, the only thing she could agree on is that she would strangle him if he was in front of her.
She could not believe what she was reading as she went over the proposal and contract he sent her a second time. The nerve of that man; to use her as a pawn! Jake’s offer was to wave his captain’s pay for this shipment, all $45,000 of it, to be exact, in exchange for her undivided attention until her departure on Tuesday. She would be required to spend the day with him in whatever plans he laid forth, in essence, spend every waking moment with him.
The gall of that man!
How could he expect her to sign this? How could she not? They needed leverage and that big of an adjustment to the bid could prove a huge benefit to them; well, that and the ship already in port. Lucy sat staring at Jake’s offer. She was stalling as long as she could before the inevitable would happen. She decided to wait until after dinner before she signed it and sent it back, with an attached note of course, but for now she was going to try to not let him ruin the beautiful display of sushi in front of her.
***
Jake sat looking at his computer screen with a satisfied smirk on his face. He was two hours from port and he had just received the signed deal back from Lucy. He won that battle, and he was hoping to win the war, a war of wills. If it went his way, they would both be winner.
He had five and a half days to make Lucy realize what her heart was already telling her. Jake planned on pulling out all the stops; he had spent seven years in Hong Kong after graduation. He spoke, read and wrote Cantonese as well as a native and knew every nook and cranny in this country. He had already contacted an old buddy of his and secured a junk and he planned on spending a couple of hours with her on Thursday, showing her the deserted coves and the coastline from a water view. He would take her to lunch at the famous Lin Heung Tea House. The Dim Sum there was the best in all of Hong Kong. He would follow that up by going to a few museums and land sights in the city. He hoped to end it with dinner in his suite as they went over the proposal and strategy for the next day. As for dessert, well, they would have to see. A serving of Lucy Ala Carte would satisfy his sweet tooth anytime.
Jake had changed his sleeping accommodations. Instead of sleeping in his cabin, he had reserved a suite at the Intercontinental Hong Kong on the top floor, which offered up a view of one of the most beautiful sights in the land, Hong Kong lit up at night. As he pulled into port at two in the morning, Jake could swear he felt her presence already.
He arrived at his hotel at 4:00 a.m. and took a quick shower and lay down for a nap. He had already reserved a rental car and planned on picking Lucy up at eleven. He could hardly sleep from the anticipation.
***
Lucy awoke at 9:30 a.m. and ordered breakfast. She took a quick shower and was blow drying her hair when she heard a quick rap at the door. Her heart started racing and her stomach did a summersault; it took her a moment to realize it was room service and not Jake. She allowed the busboy entry and tipped him.
As she shut the door behind her, she was hoping that she would not have that reaction everyday she was here. She tried to not let her mind wander past today. It was 10:15 when she finished breakfast and she got up to finish getting dressed and ready to meet her foe.
Lucy had just finished checking her hair for the eighth time in twenty minutes. When she heard the knock, she tried to remain calm and collected, but her insides were not cooperating with her. As she opened the door and looked at this gorgeous man, looking so collected and casual, she tried once again to have her head convince her heart she was not happy to see him. Her head lost.
Jake felt his sharp intake of breathe when she opened the door and knew she would always have this effect on him; he would never get enough of her and she was as magnificent in just jeans and a T-shirt as she was all dressed up for a board meeting. What an amazing woman, beautiful, smart, thoughtful, talented and strong. He could not believe that one day soon she would be his.
Lucy allowed him entry while she retrieved her purse. She was ready to get this day over with and prove to him he had no effect over her whatsoever. Problem was, first she was going to have to convince herself of that same thing.
“Well, you ready to start the day?” Jake asked.
“As ready as I will ever be,” Lucy said as the elevator started its descent. She could not help but wonder if it was descending into hell and delivering her into the hands of the devil himself.
As they climbed into the car, Lucy’s curiosity finally got the better of her. “So, Mr. Logan, what are the plans for the day?”
“Well, first I have reserved a junk for a few hours so you can see the beauty of the land from the water, very breathtaking, much like you!”
Lucy rolled her eyes.
Jake chuckled at her. “We will have lunch at one of the most famous restaurants in all of Hong Kong and after that a little sight-seeing. We shall end the day by going over our new strategy on the proposal over dinner.” And with that he set off for their destination.
Lucy did not know what to say. She certainly could find no flaw with his well-laid plans. She turned around to glance in
to the backseat and gave him a quizzical look, for two cameras lay there.
“One can’t go sight-seeing without pictures. What will our grandkids have to look back on when they want to see the week we fell in love?” Jake explained.
Lucy did not know what to say. She just turned herself forward and stared at the beauty of the city as it passed them by.
Jake parked in front of a small dock. As they exited the car, she noticed many small boats; some old, some new, some with motors, others with only sails. As Jake retrieved the cameras from the backseat, he pointed her in the direction of a man about Jake’s age. Lucy was startled as Jake greeted him in his native tongue, for she had no idea he spoke Cantonese. She was processing this new info when he approached.
“Well, we are almost ready, just going to load the cooler and we will be off for our two-hour tour,” Jake said as he gave her the most adorable dimpled smile she had ever seen. “I did not know for sure what you would want to drink, so I took the liberty of having a little of everything put in here.”
As Lucy lifted the lid she saw water, tea, colas and even fruit drinks, all ice cold.
“Well, I did know enough to not get you wine!” he said as he took her hand to help her embark.
Smith Dynasty (Trilogy Bundle) (BBW Romance) Page 3
