Sucker for the Boss

by Blue Sky Books

  “It’s so great to see you, dad. I’m so sorry we couldn’t do this sooner” she said, her voice was muffled by his clothes as he hugged her tightly to his chest.

  “Let me have a look at you. You look great sweetheart” he said and held her gently away from him.

  “Your hair has grown!” he laughed and she did a little pose with her head and pouted her lips. She had missed her father.

  Malory looked around herself and took in a deep breath. The fresh air of her surroundings, the scent of the pine trees and the melting ice of Lake Folly; always reminded her of her childhood summers spent camping here with her father. She knew she would never be able to separate those memories from the new ones they would be making here now. It had been at least five years since their last visit to Lake Folly together, and it had been a long time coming.

  “How was the drive up here?” her father, Lee, asked as Malory followed him to the camp site, where he had collected wood for a fire and set up their usual plastic lounge chairs.

  “It was alright. No hiccups. I can find my way here with my eyes closed” she said and flipped her shoulder length blonde hair behind her neck. That is when she noticed that her father had set up three chairs around the would-be camp fire; instead of their usual two.

  “Are we expecting somebody else?” Malory asked and tilted her head in the direction of the chairs. Lee followed her gaze and broke into an embarrassed smile.

  “I was trying to stall breaking the news to you. But I guess now it must be said. So, I kinda invited someone else along for the trip. I hope you don’t mind,” he explained. Malory could see that her father’s neck had turned red, like it did when he was embarrassed or put in the spot. Her face instantly broke into a large smile.

  “No way! Is there a woman in your life that you haven’t told me about?” she was giggling now, while Lee looked away from her, blushing even more.

  “I wish” he said and laughed. “No, it’s Alex Temple. My boss. I don’t know if you remember him.” He had bent down to pick up a few logs of wood near his feet and was now in the process of chucking them into the rest of the collection. For a few seconds, Malory didn’t know how best to react. Of course she remembered Alex Temple. How could she ever forget him? She had obsessed over him, and fantasized about him for all her teenage years. She hadn’t seen him since she left home for college, nearly six years ago now; but that didn’t mean that the very mention of his name didn’t give her goosebumps still.

  “Sure. I remember him. So you guys are still good friends huh?” she followed Lee to where he was arranging the wood. He still had his back to her so she couldn’t see his face as he spoke.

  “Yeah. If you can call it that, friendship. In any case, he’s been asking to see this place for a few years now and I thought, why not ask him to join us.” He turned around to face her with a smile and Malory hurriedly threw him a weak smile too. She still had no idea how to take the news. The idea of spending the next two days, camping in a secluded forest by the lake with Alex Temple, was news that was too hard to digest this quickly.

  “Unless you mind. You don’t look too pleased about it honey.” Her father’s voice interrupted her thoughts and she tried to smile again.

  “No, of course, I don’t mind. It’s just come as a surprise that’s all.” Malory tried to salvage the awkward moment by looking around her nervously.

  “He’s been asking about you as well. He doesn’t believe that the little teenage girl he knew from several years ago has grown into a high-flying journalist.” Lee laughed, but Malory could see the look of pride in his eyes.

  “So is he going to join us later?” She went over to him and slid her arm into his, resting her head on his shoulder. No matter how old she was, her father would always remain her number one source of comfort and her only real family.

  “He should be here soon. Still gives us some time to catch up. Wanna pop open a couple of beers and have a chat? I haven’t seen you in so long.” Lee ruffled her hair like he used to when she was a kid and she pulled away from him giggling.

  “Sounds like a great idea. Point me in the direction of the beverages.” Malory said with a skip in her step.

  Lee and Malory had been sitting in their respective lounge chairs and were on their second beers when they heard the sound of a car engine come to a halt near them, where their own cars were parked. The metallic bang of a car door shutting followed and the crunch of heavy footsteps on twigs and leaves.

  “Alex! You made it.” Lee jumped up from his chair and rushed over to the man approaching them. Malory straightened herself up a little and tried to create a look of calm on her face, even though her heart was beating out of her chest. She hadn’t actually looked in the direction of Alex Temple yet, even though she had to really struggle with herself to do so. She wasn’t entirely sure how her body would react if she did.

  “I got lost a few times and only after that did I decide that it was time to switch the GPS on.” Malory heard Alex’s voice and she couldn’t stop her head from jerking up to look at him. She was surprised by how he looked like he hadn’t aged, not even a single day, since she last saw him.

  The same piercing navy blue eyes greeted her, the same full red lips and the neat gray beard. His hair was still as bushy and swept back, away from his forehead. Only now, she could see a peppering of white around his temples. His shoulders still didn’t drop. They were strong and muscular and the fabric of his faded plaid shirt stretched over them.

  “Malory!” He had turned to look at her as well and she could immediately feel herself growing red with excitement and embarrassment. She froze, unsure of how best to greet him or what to say. She remained sitting on her chair while he rushed forward towards her, with his arms outstretched.

  When he reached her side, she shook as she stood up and within a matter of seconds he had engulfed her in his arms. His touch felt so much different from her father’s, even though both the men were pretty much the same age. Alex’s chest felt firm and Malory was aware of her breasts pressing against them as they hugged for a little longer.

  “Look at you!” He said, gripping her arms and holding her away from him. She instinctively reached up and tucked strands of straight blonde hair behind her ears, still blushing.

  “I’ve seen you so many times on TV, but I’m still amazed to see you. You look great and a lot more grown up.” Alex was laughing a little as he spoke, seemingly unaware of the emotions coursing through Malory’s veins. She couldn’t remember the last time they had been so close, they had barely ever hugged each other before.

  “Thanks.” She squeaked and immediately realized how stupid she must have sounded to him. Alex laughed again and turned to Lee.

  “Your daughter must be making you very proud Lee. She’s turned into a beautiful and successful young woman.” Alex finally let go of Malory’s arm and she could feel herself physically growing weak. The rush of emotions were too strong to handle. She could smell him, reach out and touch him if she wanted to, confess all her deepest darkest fantasies about him if she wanted to…but she had to behave herself. That was the most difficult part.

  “I am very proud. She’s my pride and joy.” Lee spoke with a wide smile on his face and Malory tried to smile back at him, even though it was getting increasingly more difficult for her to keep her wits about her. She hadn’t been expecting this intensity in reaction, she knew it would be a surprise but this was too much. The worst part was that, as always, Alex Temple was completely unaware of the affect that he had on her.

  *****

  The three of them were sitting around the campfire, as the sun had started to set. Lee and Alex had set up three tents for them and Malory was already on her fourth beer. The alcohol had definitely helped her with the nerves and even though she was sitting beside Alex on her lounge chair now, she felt more relaxed. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time she had an adult conversation with him. The dinner parties she remembered attending with her father as a teenager alw
ays involved her sitting quietly at the table, as she admired Alex having a “grown up” conversation with others. Now, she was finally a part of it. Alex was looking directly at her, talking and laughing sincerely at her jokes. Malory was a successful television reporter, and yet this was the evening she felt she had finally achieved success, when Alex Temple conversed with her as an adult.

  “That’s a great story Malory. I bet you have a lot of fun on set every day.” Alex took a large gulp of beer from the can. His eyes twinkled with happy joy and she couldn’t stop licking her lips. As much as she adored her father, she hadn’t turned to look at him even once in the past half hour.

  “It can be fun. It’s a lot of stress too. I can never expect what’s going to happen next.” She leaned in a little towards him and in the flickering bright light of the fire burning before them, she could see the flames dancing in Alex’s eyes. She watched as he took another sip of his beer and how his lips moistened. He let the traces of the liquid remain on his lips and didn’t lick it away. She wanted to do it for him.

  “Anyway. I’m quite beat. I think I’m going to hit the sack now. We should be up early tomorrow if we want to go fishing.” Lee’s voice interrupted Malory’s moment of staring at Alex in the dark. He had stood up from his chair and was now walking towards her.

  “Goodnight dad” Malory smiled at him as he leaned forward to give her a tight hug.

  “I promise I won’t let her stay up very late.” Alex said with a smile and Lee snorted as he slowly made his way back to the tent. Malory looked at him walk, the way he was unsteady on his feet and how happy and tired he looked at the same time. She knew her father well, she knew he would be snoring away to glory in no time. The thought made her jerk her head towards Alex, who she realized had been staring at her.

  “So Alex. I’ve been filling you in. How have things been with you? I remember my dad told me a few months ago that the company has been evaluated again for what two billion dollars now?” Malory took her last sip from the can and tried to crush it with her hands. Alex noticed her struggle and mimicked her, but the can crumbled into a small wrinkly piece of metal in his large hands. It made Malory’s stomach do somersaults.

  “Yes, it has been. We’re doing pretty well, still.” He had turned to face her completely and she noticed how deep dimples still formed on his cheeks. She remembered those dimples well.

  “So no plans of retiring anytime soon?” She placed her beaten can on the ground, next to her feet and Alex followed her movement with his intense eyes.

  “I’m not that old.” He said after a few minutes and they both laughed.

  “I didn’t say you were. How is Mrs. Temple?” Malory wondered if the question was too sudden, but she had been thinking about her for the past hour or so as she watched Alex talking. She couldn’t remember her name, the skinny lady with the shining chocolate hair had always been introduced to her as Mrs. Temple.

  “Claire? She hasn’t been Mrs. Temple for the last four years.” Alex reached over for another can of beer that Lee had placed earlier near his feet.

  “What happened with her?” Malory asked before she could stop herself. She watched as Alex opened the can, took a big gulp and then turned to smile at her.

  “I caught her cheating on me so I ended the marriage. Not that it was much of a marriage to begin with.” He didn’t look unhappy while he spoke and that relaxed her a little. She didn’t want the conversation to turn into a depressing monolog. What made her even happier was knowing that Mrs. Temple was out of the picture, for good. She tried to shake the thought out of her head immediately, knowing very well that she had the courage to think like this only because she had been drinking.

  “Enough about my ex-wife. Tell me about your love life.” Alex grinned at her and Malory chuckled.

  “Don’t have one. Don’t have the time for one.” She leaned back into her chair as their gazes locked. She could see that he was studying her intently.

  “I find it hard to believe,” he said after a few seconds, his eyes still not leaving her face, “that a beautiful young woman like you doesn’t have men breaking the front door down.” He didn’t have a smile on his face any longer, he seemed to be absolutely serious with what he was saying. Malory rolled her eyes, while still blushing under his compliment.

  “It’s not nearly like that.” She tried to look away, but she couldn’t. She knew he was still watching her.

  “You don’t have a single admirer? No lovers?” He was drinking fast from his can of beer and Malory reached out her hand and he bent down to pick up another can for her.

  “I didn’t say that. Just that I’m not interested in a relationship.” She said. Alex stood up from his chair and took the few steps it took for him to reach her side. He loomed over her, his towering frame looked huge as he stood above her. Malory had to crane her neck to look up at him and in the darkness with the light of the fire behind Alex’s back, their eyes met. She licked her lips instinctively. She wasn’t sure if this was normal, if this was how Alex always was with everybody, or if he was actually displaying signs of attraction.

  “That’s a pity.” He suddenly said, breaking the silence. He barely bent down to hand over the can of beer to her. Their fingers grazed as he did this and she felt like her whole body shook in that instance. She had longed for that touch for so long, since she had first seen him at a Sunday family barbecue party nearly twelve years before. She had wished for so long that he’d notice her, look into her eyes and speak directly to her.

  “You see, I can’t.” Malory found herself saying. Alex’s brows furrowed as he straightened his back and sipped from his can. He still didn’t walk back to his chair.

  “What do you mean you can’t?” He asked as Malory popped open her fifth can of beer. She had started to feel a little light-headed and knew it was the alcohol doing all the talking, forcing her to be honest.

  “I can’t because I’m in love with someone else. I always have been.” She said, as softly as he had asked the question. Malory was surprised that he didn’t immediately ask who it was that she was in love with. Instead, they stared at each other. She could feel her eyelids flickering and her palms growing sweaty. She wanted him to ask her who it was, who the man was who had her heart in the palm of his hands.

  “How do you know you love him?” He asked instead and Malory was certain her heart would beat out of her chest. He was watching her, his eyes were taking in her hair, the curves of her neck, the way her blouse dipped at the neck and her breasts stretched under its fabric. She gulped the beer in her mouth, gently.

  “Because I have never been in love with anybody else. He has always been the one.” She spoke softly, too softly in fact and wasn’t even sure if he heard her. He said nothing to that, instead looked away towards the burning campfire and sipped on his beer.

  “Does he even deserve your love?” He asked, but it was more like a statement to himself. She heard him say the words but wasn’t sure if they were directed to her. Malory stood up. Her face reached the height of his chest and he looked back, down at her. Their bodies were bare inches apart when she reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder.

  “What are you doing Malory?” He whispered but instead of answering the question, she stood up on her toes so that their faces were now at the same level.

  “I’m not sure Alex.” She said, as softly as him just as she heard the sound of the can of beer fall from his hand to the ground as he bent his face forward and kissed her. The kiss was soft and gentle at first and as she gripped his shoulder more tightly, his kiss became more fierce.

  “This is crazy” She heard him say in her ear when she pulled away from him.

  “I know that Alex. I’m not a child anymore.” She said and pulled him towards herself again.

  *****

  Malory woke up in her own tent the next morning. She stretched her arms and realized she already had a smile on her face. A flood of memories from the previous night came to her and she remembere
d how he had carried her in his arms to her tent after they had spent hours in his. She nearly giggled at the thought of that, at the thought that she had spent several hours in Alex Temple’s tent. They had made love three times, each one was better than the previous. Gentle and shy the first time, more confident the second and the last time, which had completely exhausted her and put her to sleep…had been one where they were both hungry for more, amazed at discovering each other’s bodies, shocking even themselves by the act of making love to the person they had known for twelve years, in a completely different context.

  Malory looked at her wrist watch and realized that it was past eleven. She had slept through the morning and probably missed her father’s plans of going fishing. She quickly slipped into an old t-shirt and a pair of fresh cotton shorts that she had packed for the night and stepped out of the tent.

  Lee was bent over the low burning fire, roasting a chicken. She was surprised to find Alex awake, looking fresh and normal while her head banged away with a sore hangover.

  “Morning” she squeaked.

  Lee and Alex both turned to look at her, but she noticed how Alex looked immediately away. The look in his eyes, which seemed to be a mixture of regret and embarrassment made her stomach toss.

  “Did I miss the fishing trip?” She tried to sound chirpy and walked over to her father to plant a kiss on his cheek. Lee didn’t turn to greet her and she felt an immediate resistance in his limbs that made her heart sink even further.

  “Alex is leaving.” He suddenly said, without looking at his daughter. Malory turned to look at Alex, who was sitting on a fallen log of tree and tying his shoe laces.

  “Why?” She asked her father and couldn’t keep the anxiety out of her voice. What did he mean Alex was leaving? Why would he be leaving? Only a few hours ago, they were lying entwined in each others arms and hearing each other breathe.

  “I have to go Malory. Thank you for having me.” Alex’s deep gruff voice hit her like a slap across her face. She jerked to look at him again and he had already stood up. His packed bag was next to him, he was ready to go.