by Claire Adams
Tears started to roll down my face and I tried to stop them. I didn’t want to cry in front of Malcolm. I didn’t want to let him see me so weak, but I couldn’t stop myself.
“Can I tell you something?” he asked, but then didn’t wait for me to respond. “I wanted to stay.”
“Really?”
“Yes. That night when I had to leave my heart hurt so badly. I begged them to let me say goodbye to you and they wouldn’t allow it. I was desperate to see you.”
He wrapped his arms around me and held me close to him. It didn’t help my crying at all. My mind was spinning with the new realization that Malcolm had actually cared about me just as much as I had cared about him. My mother had tried to tell me to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I hadn’t believed her at all.
“I have something else I need to confess,” Malcolm said as he grabbed my hand and helped me stand up. “I didn’t come here tonight. I’ve actually been in town for a few nights and I’ve had your father helping me with a project for the last month.”
“What?” I said as I stopped crying so I could hear him better. “What are you talking about?”
Malcolm smiled and pulled me with him as we walked the hundred feet or so to the top of the mountain. As we reached the peak, we looked out over the river area and I saw a ton of construction underway. There were cranes everywhere and it looked like they were building some sort of hotel or resort.
“My father sold off the land; we can’t go all the way down there,” I said as we looked out.
“I know. And yes, we can go down there.”
“No, we can’t. I don’t know who owns it. It would be trespassing.”
“I know who owns it,” Malcolm said as he squeezed my hand and smiled.
I looked at him and then down at the construction that was underway. My mind was still puzzled by what he was saying. Did he know the people who had purchased the land? How was my father involved? As I turned back to look at Malcolm he was down on one knee and I gasped as I saw the ring he was holding out.
“You see, Sarah Marie Miller, I just couldn’t stay away from you. I tried. Damn, did I try. But I couldn’t live a boring life without the woman that I loved. So, about a month ago I bought this land and hired your father to oversee the construction of the Edwards Corporate Ranch: a delightful corporate retreat that I hope to run with my wife someday. Sarah Marie Miller, will you marry me?”
“You’re insane,” I said as I smiled and tried to put all the pieces together. “So you’re the one that bought this?”
“Yep.”
“You’re the reason my father’s been sneaking away from the ranch the last month?”
“Yep. And I love you. I love it here and I want you to marry me.”
I looked down at Malcolm and that cheesy grin he had on his face. It was all too much to take in at once, but there was one thing that I knew in my gut. I knew that I loved him and the fact that he had was right there in front of me, down on one knee, was absolutely a dream come true.
“Yes,” I said as I covered my eyes and giggled a little.
“Wait, did you say yes?”
“Yes, you goofball. I said yes!” I screamed.
Malcolm jumped up from the ground and pulled the huge diamond ring out of the box and slid it onto my finger. He wrapped his arms around me and dipped me dramatically as he kissed me.
“This, my dear, is the beginning of our happily ever after.”
Epilogue
Malcolm
It took a long time before Sarah started to trust me again. We had to get acquainted with each other and I had to share the real stories of how I had grown up. Sharing my truth with her was the best way for us to move forward though, and soon she started to see that I really was that man she had fallen in love with.
“When are they going to get here?” Sarah asked with anticipation.
“Soon, stop being so anxious. You are a confident owner of a fabulous corporate retreat. They will love you.”
“They love you already; I’m not sure if they will love me nearly as much.”
It had been a year since I had proposed to Sarah and six months since our wedding. Our first corporate retreat guests were about to arrive and we were excited to test out all the different events and programs that we wanted to incorporate.
The group of forty people arriving were all Edwards Aviation managers and executives. They were coming to be our beta test group on the urging of me and I couldn’t wait to see everyone and introduce them all to Sarah.
Casey was now the CEO of Edwards Aviation and I had stepped down to simply be a member of the board of directors. It allowed me to still be involved in the big decisions, but I didn’t have to worry about the day to day tasks.
“Is that them?” Sarah asked as we looked up into the sky and saw the first helicopter landing.
It had been Sid’s idea to have a helicopter pick up guests and bring them out to the ranch. Sarah and I had been skeptical about it at first, but it was pretty cool to see the excitement on everyone’s faces as they got off the helicopter and saw the resort.
A down side to helicopter transportation was that only six people could arrive at a time, but we would figure something out for the remaining people to keep busy with while at the airport. The helicopter was fast and provided an exciting opportunity for our guests that they wouldn’t soon forget.
“I love you,” I said into Sarah’s ear as everyone made their way toward us.
“I love you, too.”
Jennifer and Casey were at the front of the group as they walked up the steps toward us and I was so excited to see them. Jennifer had moved into Casey’s old job when he took over my duties. I was proud to have such a capable woman leading my company and felt like it set a really good example for the other women that worked for me.
“Malcolm, it’s so great to see you,” Jennifer said as she hugged me.
Casey tried to reach his hand out to shake with mine, but I wasn’t having any of that. I grabbed a hold of him and gave him a big bear hug like Meredith had taught me. It made him super uncomfortable and I loved every moment of it.
“This is my beautiful wife, Sarah,” I said as I introduced them all. “She’s basically the reason I’m alive and breathing today.”
“He’s exaggerating.”
“Seriously, if I hadn’t been making love to her in the—”
“Shhh, enough with that story,” Sarah stopped me as she hugged both Jennifer and Casey.
We all laughed and I introduced Sarah to the rest of the executives that had come in on the first helicopter. Before we knew it, the rest of the managers and executives had arrived and we got started on the welcome mixer that we had planned out by the pool area.
The resort had turned out better than both of us had expected. It was one thing to see the plans drawn up and make decisions about tiles, carpet, etc. But it was an entirely different thing to see everything come to life in front of us.
Our resort wasn’t just classy and elegant, but it was made with natural products almost completely from Montana businesses. We had searched far and wide to ensure the entire building was as authentic as possible to the area.
We still had two more phases of construction to finish, but the main building was done and we were ready to start our testing of the programs we wanted to do. Sarah had been amazing at calling potential new clients and she even convinced me to buy this really cool robot that people could use to take tours right from the comfort of their own offices.
When phase two started, it was going to bring the ski lift area to life and then phase three was going to be trails and some backwoods cabins. We didn’t just want our resort to be one of those places that high level executives came to. Our resort was going to have something for artists, non-profits, and small businesses. It was exciting to plan things with Sarah and even more exciting to see our dreams coming true.
“Man, Malcolm, this place is amazing. And you look so relaxed. It really suits yo
u,” Casey said as we sat in the corner trying to catch up.
“I know. I love it out here. I’m away from the rat race, but I still feel very connected with what’s going on in the world. It’s the best of both worlds.”
One of the aspects of our ranch that I had insisted on was the high level of technology. It had been the only thing that Sarah and I hadn’t really agreed on while we were planning the building. I believed that using technology would benefit the resort and make people see that we were innovators. Sarah believed that technology would hinder our appearance as being authentic. But when she found that cool robot that people could control from home, she was sold. It was the perfect way to show off our facilities without executive team planners needing to take a flight up to see us. She was convinced that robot was going to sell more events than she would.
“Your wife is beautiful. I can see why you were willing to give up everything to come be with her.”
It was a statement I had heard more than once from my male friends. They naturally believed I had given up my life in order to be part of Sarah’s. I understood where they were coming from, but what they didn’t understand was that I hadn’t given up anything. I had simply made choices in my life to pursue the things that mattered most to me and Sarah was one of the top priorities I had.
“She is pretty damn amazing.”
“So what’s next for you guys? More resorts? Are you going to build overseas too?”
“No, just this one. We are going to stay right here and enjoy running this place together. Maybe even have a couple little ones.”
“Really? That doesn’t seem like it’s enough to keep you happy.”
“I think it is.”
“All right, man, but remember, you’ve always got a place at Edwards Aviation. I’ll happily step aside if you ever come to your senses and decide you want to return to society.”
I noticed Sarah on her way over to see us and decided Casey’s comments didn’t really need a response from me. I had been that guy only two years before. I knew what he was thinking. How on earth could I actually be happy away from the business and excitement of Los Angeles? The truth was that it had taken me spending a year on the Miller ranch and almost getting murdered before I realized that the business world wasn’t the only good life there was out there.
Since my move to Montana and marrying Sarah, I had seen what true happiness was. I didn’t worry about dying of a heart attack caused by stress. I didn’t worry about getting into business with drug king. The stress I had in my life at that moment was all good stress and I thrived on my new life.
“What are you two guys talking about over here,” Sarah asked as she sat on the arm of the chair with me.
“Casey was just worried I wasn’t happy out here.”
“No, I didn’t mean it like that,” he protested.
“I know man, I know,” I said as I grabbed a hold of Sarah’s ass.
“Well he can’t go running off now, I need him to run this place when I start throwing up.”
Casey looked at Sarah and then at me. He started smiling and knew what Sarah was saying long before I had figured it out.
“Congratulations,” he said as he stood up and gave Sarah a hug. “Look at the poor shmuck, he doesn’t even know what’s going on.” Casey said as he shook my hand.
“Wait… are you?” I asked as I stumbled on my words.
“Yes, I’m pregnant,” Sarah said with a huge grin as she hugged me.
“I’m going to be a dad?” I said.
“Yes, you’re going to be a dad.”
I couldn’t stop looking at Sarah’s huge smile. That one simple thing had been how I had fallen utterly head over heels in lust with her. I stood there watching her as Casey congratulated her and talked baby talk with her. He was a father himself and knew all the right questions to ask.
“So I’m going to be a dad?” I managed to say again as I joined the conversation.
“Yes, you goofball,” Sarah said as she grabbed a hold of me. “And no, we aren’t naming your child after your horse.”
“Whaaat? I wasn’t even thinking about it. But now that you say that, Buck sure does sound like a strong name.”
We all started to laugh and I pulled Sarah close and dipped her down to deliver a dramatic kiss. This was the woman that I loved and I was excited to get the opportunity to raise a family with her and grow our life together. The twists and turns of my bad decisions had landed me the most amazing woman and life that I could have ever dreamed of.
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BOSS’S VIRGIN
By Claire Adams
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 Claire Adams
Chapter One
Ian
This is what happens when you do favors for friends.
Jonathan asked if I’d do him a solid and give his friend an interview since we needed to hire a new secretary. What were the words he’d used? Smokin’ hot AND intelligent? I looked over my steepled fingers at the girl sitting nervously on one of the two chairs on the other side of my desk. The chairs were maple, straight-backed, very fine craftsmanship but no cushions, so whoever was sitting there would have to perched upright, slightly uncomfortable. At attention, if you will. My own ass was luxuriating in an ergonomic leather executive chair—Tuscan leather, mahogany accents, ability to recline, retractable footrest. I was reclining now, as a matter of fact, wishing that I had not agreed to do this favor for Jonathan. I mean, this girl, Daisy, was attractive, sure, but she dressed in such a way that was trying to disguise it, with her black A-line skirt that went past her knees, her blouse buttoned all the way up, those black, school marm oxfords. This girl didn’t need a job; she needed a goddamn crash course in fashion.
But we’d just sat down, and if I didn’t at least go through the formalities, I’d have to endure Jonathan’s bitching, and I already heard enough of that as it was.
“So,” I said. “You’re friends with Jonathan?”
“Yes,” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. She cleared her throat. “Yes,” she said again, a little more loudly. “We met at the gym.”
“And you were previously employed at . . . where?” I leaned forward and rifled through some papers on the desk, though there was nothing there that would give me any clues about her previous work experience.
“Shear Genius.”
“The hair salon?”
“Yes. I was the administrative assistant there.”
“You were the secretary.”
She shifted. “The administrative assistant. I handled all the reception duties, scheduling, payroll, filing, and some light bookkeeping.”
I nodded. “Okay, right. So you were the secretary.” I hated shit like that; it was like calling a janitor a custodial engineer. She was answering phones and making appointments and doing reminder calls; therefore, she was a secretary. Maybe she wasn’t fetching coffee or transcribing things on a typewriter, but she was still a secretary. “That’s essentially what we’re looking for here,” I said. “Someone to answer the phones, manage the calendar, keep the office in order.”
I decided not to mention that the reason for the vacancy was because I’d slept with the last secretary, and then there’d been this little misunderstanding about the true meaning of “no strings attached.” I had explicitly stated that, whispered it in Annie’s ear, in fact, right before I fucked her across this very desk, and she’d been more than agreeable.
“I did all of that at Shear Genius,” she said. “I’m a very organized person, and I think the best way to ensure that a business r
uns smoothly is to keep things organized and maintained.” She continued to espouse on what she thought a business needed to run successfully. I tuned this out and watched her talk instead. Watching someone talk can often give you a whole lot more of information about who they are than the actual words that are coming out of their mouths.
This was often how I’d decide whether or not my company, Hard Tail Security, was going to take someone on as a client. I was in the Marines for ten years, signing up for recruit training the day I turned eighteen. It was hell, of course, but paled in comparison to all the shit my dickhead stepfather put me through. I left the Marines at twenty-eight, after three deployments. Jonathan and I ended up reconnecting; he’d gone to college after high school and had graduated with a degree in business, but had taken an interest in Japanese jujutsu. We’d gone out to get drinks, had a few more than we intended, and started shooting the shit about how great it would be to start a security firm. Perhaps not the most glamorous or enlightened origin story, but there you go.
We started small but grew every year—last year we provided security for the community event when the Dalai Lama came to speak; our services were also used regularly for Seamus McAllister, who ran a high-stakes underground poker club, but also when he threw his daughter’s sweet sixteen. (Besides the poker, Seamus was the biggest mover of illicit drugs in the city, renowned for his ability to always be able to escape being sentenced, though the cops and D.A. had certainly tried.) In other words: our clients ran the gamut from the holiest of holy to the morally deficient. We didn’t discriminate. Well, we did, but it wasn’t based on the criteria that some other companies might have used.
I continued to watch Daisy talk, still not really hearing what she was saying. She was earnest, honest. She was the sort of person you could trust not to slack off if you weren’t around to oversee what she was doing. All good qualities, but the drama with Annie was still fresh in my mind—the tears, the pleading, eventually, the threats. I didn’t do well with anyone threatening me, and I finally had to tell her, in no uncertain terms, that she needed to back the fuck off. I’d never hit a woman, of course, but in that case, it had been especially tempting. She couldn’t take no for an answer. When a guy can’t take no for an answer, he’s a misogynistic asshole; when it’s a girl, she’s just persistent, or, as Annie claimed, in love.
