by Tina Donahue
“So when?” she asked.
He shook his head. “When what?”
“Will my real training begin?”
“When I say so.” Dismissing his earlier worries, he gathered her close, kissed her tenderly and just went with what was currently in his heart.
Chapter Eight
Alexandra never wanted it to end.
Unfortunately, unlike Daniel and his crew, she didn’t have a two-weeks-on, two-weeks-off schedule. Come Monday morning, she had no choice but to drag herself to the office.
She propped her booted feet on the edge of her crappy desk, rested the back of her head against her shitty chair and sighed sorrowfully.
It’d been murder leaving Daniel so mussed and groggy from their continuing fuck-fest.
The last Alexandra had seen of him, his body was dotted with food she’d failed to lick off. She’d crumbled the remaining cookies and chips over his cock, calling it breakfast, eating as she’d never done before. Hours prior to that, he’d smeared pizza sauce on her tats, nipples and cleft, licking them clean.
On Sunday, they’d awakened with half the day gone and had only left their bed to use the bathroom, take a quick shower and grab some eats. After that, they went at each other again and ate all of their meals on the mattress. They’d screwed like monkeys through the dusky day and murky night. Or like teens who’d just discovered sex.
She whimpered in delight at the memory, then grew still, thinking back to the only thing that worried her.
He hadn’t tied, blindfolded or punished her again, as though he’d forgotten his promise to be her Master or didn’t want to do that any longer. The closer it had gotten to Monday, the quieter he’d become. She’d filled the silence with questions about what he’d planned for her when she got back from work.
He kept saying the same thing, “I’ll surprise you.”
She hoped that didn’t mean he’d take off and hide out until he had to return to the project. She’d sensed his growing discomfort when she kept using the word your sub, rather than the more generic a sub, and referred to her bed as theirs. Getting personal when he didn’t seem to want that. Except sometimes he did, asking about her wax and tats.
Alexandra made a face. No way would she ever tell him why she’d gotten inked or the parking valet who’d caused it.
She’d met him in Los Angeles. Like every other gorgeous guy in town, the valet was a struggling actor, making his living and connections at one of the most exclusive restaurants in the Basin. He’d admired her Beemer, then pretended to crave her, asking for a date.
At the time, she’d been in a particularly vulnerable state, having learned the guy she’d been seeing had cheated on her. With another guy. No way was she judgmental about his sexual preferences. Alexandra simply couldn’t go both ways like he could or entertain the ménage he’d suggested. His boyfriend was prettier than she was. That really sucked. However, the broken trust hurt worst of all.
She’d eased her pain with the valet until he got too sure of himself and demanded money for headshots, an introduction to her rich friends who had connections in the film industry, that she dress more stylishly when they were together. After all, he had an image to maintain, which included having a trophy girlfriend on his arm.
“Lose some weight,” he’d ordered, sounding like her grandfather. “Do something with your damn hair. Fillers will make your lips plumper. Christ, you can afford it. What are you waiting for? You should also consider having cheek implants.”
Humiliated and near tears, she’d told him he should grow his cock another few inches. Then he’d be a desirable man.
“You should know,” he’d retorted. “You look like one. Fucking dyke.”
She’d gotten her tats the next day, somehow thinking they’d make her feel prettier, more feminine. They hadn’t. However, they were way less painful than more plastic surgery and far less trying than a starvation diet.
Sighing, she stared at her iPhone wanting to call Daniel, knowing she shouldn’t. At this stage of their relationship—if that was what she dared call it—he’d need space. Time to figure out what he wanted. If she played hard to get, maybe that would be her.
Yeah, sure.
If she put him off in the least, he might not play their erotic games. He could very well take off. Alexandra bared her teeth. Damn, she hated these dating rituals where nobody knew what anyone else wanted or thought. All she asked was for them to be up front and honest with each other, to get rid of the bullshit. No. Hell, she didn’t want that either. She pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead. The truth might hurt. Right now, she’d do anything to avoid—
Her office phone jangled, interrupting her thoughts, which only got worse. Twice this morning, Lucius had left voicemails at this number. She still hadn’t returned his calls.
Bracing herself for a fight, she picked up the receiver. “Alexandra.”
“About time you got to work,” Lucius complained.
It was a little after eight. She’d been here since five, when she usually arrived. “Good morning, Granddad. Did you have a nice weekend?”
“More productive than yours, I’d wager.”
Alexandra rolled her eyes at how wrong he was. Although Lucius would never approve of what she’d done with Daniel and the guys, in his own perverse way he would have been proud that she’d taken the initiative.
“You didn’t return my calls,” he accused.
“I had stuff to do.”
The moment Alexandra had arrived, she’d checked the office and storage areas for rope and candles. She’d found several feet of rope, the smooth kind that wouldn’t irritate her ankles or wrists. No candles though. She’d have to get them at the grocery store on her way back tonight.
Lucius raised his voice. “What have you done about that damn engineer who’s giving me so much grief?”
She’d sucked his cock and invited him to punish her. She’d opened her mouth and tried to catch the Beer Nuts he’d tossed in the air, after she’d lobbed some to him. Despite her wild throws, he’d caught more than she had and bragged about it mercilessly, not realizing Alexandra had let him win. In the shower, she’d hugged him from behind, pretending to need his body’s support to keep from slipping on the slick tile.
Liar.
She’d wanted to caress him in a way he might not like if he knew what was smoldering in her heart.
Playing dumb with her grandfather, she said, “There’s a lot of engineers here. Which one were you referring to?”
“The damn bastard who’s dragging the work out. Who else? Did you listen to me at all? Follow my advice about what to do?”
If he meant throwing herself at Daniel, then yeah, she’d listened and had been amply rewarded. “I’m working on it.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean? I want results, Alexandra. If you can’t get them, I will.”
And fuck up the project, along with the environment, not to mention whatever time she had with Daniel? Her body prickled with panic. Not pausing to think, she lied, “I already have him looking into it.”
“Where are his new figures? I don’t see them in my inbox.”
Crap. Now she’d have to come up with something faster than she’d anticipated without knowing what it could possibly be. No way could she tell Daniel about this. He wouldn’t budge in his estimates for the sake of profit. He’d fight the change, possibly quit and would definitely contact the authorities. Given his heritage, he could very well have more sway over them than Lucius’ billions. At least, in a perfect world.
The one Alexandra lived in was so far from that, she tried to reason. “This takes time. You haven’t even given him a day.”
“What are you talking about? He had all weekend.”
“How about a full week? Will that kill you?”
“I don’t want to lose another cent.”
“You’ll lose more than that if something screws up.”
Lucius didn’t comment.
Alexan
dra gritted her teeth and waited for his shout or threat.
Didn’t happen. Dead silence came from the other end of the line, except for a slight crackling, like static electricity.
Frowning, Alexandra dropped her feet to the floor and sat up so fast her chair squeaked. “Granddad, are you still there?”
Nothing. He hadn’t hung up. She now heard his heavy breathing. “Hey,” she said, “are you all right?”
She couldn’t have irritated him to the point of a stroke.
“Hardly,” he mumbled, sounding far away. Fading.
Shit. “Are you having trouble breathing?”
“Are you insane?” he shot back, closer to the phone now. “I’m having trouble understanding this. Why are you protecting him?”
She pushed back in her chair. “I’m not. I’m trying to save the environment from a completely avoidable disaster and the company from a ton of shitty lawsuits.”
“Watch your damn language,” he ordered. “Is something going on between you and this man?”
Not all that Alexandra wanted. Like sharing their thoughts, hopes, dreams. “Yeah, we’re colleagues. We have the same goal of making this project go as smoothly as possible.”
Lucius’ silence was more disturbing this time than the last.
Alexandra waited him out. If she caved first, he’d never stop bullying her.
“A week,” he said. “That. Is. It.”
“I’ll have a new report to you by next Monday.” How, she didn’t know. Daniel didn’t fuck up his figures or pad them. They were already perfect.
“See that you do,” Lucius warned.
Someone rapped on her door. Alexandra flinched.
“Just in case you’re wondering,” Lucius said. “I can always replace you. Hell, I can replace everyone.”
She stood. “Don’t threaten me, Granddad.” Her tone was icier than his. “I won’t put up with it, not like Dad did.”
He fell to silence again. Another knock. This time the knob turned and Junior came inside, closing the door behind him.
Oh no. She didn’t need him too. Quietly, Alexandra spoke into the receiver. “I have a meeting. I’ll work on what we talked about. You’ll get those reports.”
Lucius didn’t respond.
“Bye.” She dropped the receiver in its cradle.
Junior gave her a smile, rocked on his heels, then finally moved toward her.
Alexandra backed into the wall. “What are you doing?”
He stopped, confusion flooding his face. “Nothing.”
She tried not to sound so alarmed. “Why are you here?”
His face turned pink, then red.
The base of Alexandra’s throat hurt with apprehension. Surely, Junior wasn’t going to ask her for a rerun of what they’d already shared. Or worse, a date. Please, not that. Guys screwed around all the time. The one instance she’d given into lust couldn’t turn out to be a continuing nightmare. Please.
“The other night,” he began, then paused and cleared his throat. “I just wanted you to know that I don’t…that is, I never… I was nervous.” He eyed her warily. “You do understand that, don’t you?”
No. She hadn’t a clue what he was talking about. “Nervous?”
“Well yeah.” He shoved his hands in his parka’s pockets and frowned. “You don’t think I’m always that fast, do you?”
Ah, he was talking about his premature ejaculation. Something she didn’t want to ever discuss.
“You made me nervous, that’s all,” he continued, filling the silence. “I was afraid you’d fire me if I didn’t…well, you know. I kept thinking about that while we were, you were, ah…” He muttered something beneath his breath, then pulled out his hand and pointed his finger at her. “I just want you to know that what happened has never been a problem for me before.”
“Okay.”
He dropped his hand, his expression more skeptical than convinced. “I want you to promise me you’ll never mention it.”
Who would she do that with? Him? He’d brought it up. That only left Daniel. Alexandra sighed at such a ludicrous thought. “I never intended to say anything.”
He stepped closer. “You know those three women who work on the other team? I like them—well one, Marie. She’s one of the few girls here who doesn’t look like a guy or isn’t a les. I don’t want you gossiping with her about me.”
Aw, Junior. Alexandra hurt for him. “I wouldn’t,” she assured. “Never. That’s not something you have to worry—”
She stopped at a new rap on the door, it swinging open again.
“There you are.” Nat strolled into her office and slung his arm around Junior’s neck, imprisoning the younger man in a headlock. Junior struggled, trying to get free. Nat might as well have been holding a rag doll, he looked that unperturbed. He nodded in greeting to Alexandra, then spoke to Junior, “You said you were going to get another pair of thermal underwear. This isn’t where you get them.”
Junior’s face was watermelon red. He muttered, “I wanted to talk to Ms. Waite about something.”
“Uh-huh. Well, you’re through with that now.” Nat swung Junior around and pushed him out of her office. “I’ll meet you at the SUV. Don’t make me wait.”
Junior stomped down the hall. Nat closed the door gently and eyed Alexandra. “You okay?”
“He wasn’t bothering me, really.”
“Sure? He’s got more balls than brains sometimes.”
She came around her desk. “Deep down, he’s actually kind of sweet.”
Nat laughed. “Junior?”
“Yeah. You’re a great guy too.” Alexandra threw her arms around Nat’s torso and hugged him hard.
A moment passed before he rested his hands lightly on her back, the same as a brother or friend would. Nothing remotely sexual. “Hey, what’s this about?”
Alexandra shook her head, not certain she should say.
“Come on,” he murmured. “Can’t be that bad.” He ran his hands down her arms and eased Alexandra back so he could see her face.
Her heart caught at how beautiful he was. Coupled with his gentle manner when it came to women, he was really something.
“Is this about Daniel?” he asked.
Everything was about him. “You’ve seen the reports and the work. Can you think of any way to make the project go faster or to be cheaper?”
He stared. “No. Why?”
“Can you check out the reports and estimates again?”
Nat looked as though she’d asked him to get a sex change, and then he frowned. “Your grandfather giving you hell?”
“He says things aren’t going quickly enough, they’re costing too much. I’ve explained the facts of reality to him. He doesn’t want to listen. Please don’t tell Daniel anything about this.”
“Why not? He’s the lead.”
“Please. I’ll discuss it with him after you look at the projections again. We’ll talk about it later this week, okay?”
“Why not sooner?”
Because Alexandra didn’t want anything screwing up the next few days, the only time she might have with Daniel before Lucius’ crap started raining down.
She got to the grocery store later than expected. There’d been too much to do at the office, work she’d delayed because she kept going over Daniel’s reports, unable to find anything to change in them.
Maybe Nat could locate something. He was an engineer like Daniel. All Alexandra had was a double master’s from Harvard. One in business, the other in sustainability and environmental management. Could be Nat would pinpoint something she’d missed that might get Lucius off their backs.
She hurried to the grocery checkout with her stash of candles. Utilitarian, decorated, scented, even those tiny ones for kid’s birthday cakes. She’d cleaned out the place.
The clerk, a middle-aged Inupiat woman, looked puzzled. “You hear something about the power here? Is it going out?”
“No, no.” Alexandra dug in her purse for her w
allet. “My generator hasn’t been working. If anything does happen, I don’t want to be caught without light. You know?”
The woman’s expression said she didn’t. “You don’t have a flashlight or a fireplace?”
Alexandra tried not to sound too stupid, which wasn’t easy given her already idiotic answer. “Batteries go dead, and I haven’t cleaned the flue in so long, I’d rather not use the fireplace.”
The clerk shrugged and rang her up.
Back in her SUV, Alexandra recalled Daniel’s earlier directive about wearing her hair loose. After quickly undoing her braid, she tried his cell phone again. Voicemail clicked on as it had earlier. She was late and he wasn’t answering. That couldn’t be good.
She raced back to the cabin, a relatively easy matter tonight. The sky was remarkably clear, streaked with undulating plumes of emerald green and pale pink. Alaska’s Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights. Amazing and surreal. A sight that would have ordinarily stopped her dead while she gaped at the beauty.
Alexandra drove even faster, her heart beating in time with the pulsing sky. When the road curved slightly and the cabin came into view, she let up on the accelerator.
The damn place was dark, no lights on. Wait. When she’d left, the drapes were still over the windows. Daniel must have left them like—
His vehicle wasn’t out front. Her heart fell. He’d either gotten tired of waiting for her or he’d left hours ago, no longer wanting to do this with—
Wait. Alexandra tried to recall if his pickup had been here this morning but couldn’t. Had he gotten a ride with Nat on Saturday?
If not, he’d actually left here without a word. No call. No warning of what he’d planned to do. Giving her no chance to maintain even a little dignity.
Alexandra wanted to drive away. The urge to know the horrible truth kept her from it, persuading her to get this over with as quickly as possible. Like pulling a Band-Aid off a nasty wound. She parked in her usual spot and bolted from her vehicle, slipping on the packed snow, her arms flailing. At the last minute, she grabbed the stair’s railing and kept herself from falling on her ass. If she’d parted her legs any wider, she’d be in a dancer’s split. The insides of her thighs screamed with the position. Grunting, Alexandra righted herself and hobbled across the porch but didn’t try the door.
