From the corner of her eye, Shauna spied movement. It was a black speck. She opened her eyes. Wide. It was another man. A rider coming towards them.
“Sam,” she muttered. “There’s a man. Riding towards us. Oh father in heaven, not again.”
“Stay calm, missy,” he said.
In a covert move, so as to not broadcast himself, his hand slowly found his gun.
“Hello there,” the rider called.
When he was close enough, Sam drew on him but did not pull the trigger.
“Hold,” ordered Sam.
Shauna thought Sam was so sweet and so amiable that it was strange to hear him be so commanding but he was. It made her feel passion for him.
“Don’t shoot mister,” trembled the fellow.
He was stopped on his horse. He had one hand on the rein and one in the air.
“What brings you here?” demanded Sam.
“Just riding through. Got caught in the storm the day before,” said the man. “I need a place to just water my horse.”
“Where passing through. I am taking over a parish in town,” he said.
“Preacher?” said Sam.
Shauna saw his face widen with a bright idea.
“We’ll be happy to have you to supper before you’re on your way or you can stay the night. I have just arrived back home to inform my foreman’s bride that he has passed. I wish to marry to her. Will you perform the ceremony?” asked Sam.
The preacher’s face brightened. “I would be delighted.”
“Can you do it now?” asked Sam.
“Now?” asked the preacher. “On our horses?”
“I don’t see why not? Shauna?” Sam asked her.
Shauna smiled. It was not the wedding she had hoped for. From the first moment Sam mentioned wedding, she envisioned a wedding dress. Her prior wedding was nothing more than a few words in front of a preacher, and a couple of people from a saloon to witness. But oh well, she thought. She certainly got the husband she hoped for.
“Of course,” said Shauna.
“Proceed preacher,” said Sam.
His smiled could not be any wider. The preacher cleared his throat and gave quick sermon followed by the prompting of their vows. Within five minutes, Sam and Shauna were man and wife.
“Preacher, you go on ahead. You’ll find our place in a mile in that direction,” said Sam.
“Find it? Aren’t you coming?” asked the preacher with surprise.
“We’ll be along directly,” said Sam. “I have to stay behind and kiss my beautiful bride.”
Shauna watched the preacher ride towards her home. She happily leaned into her husband and kissed him with all the love in her heart.
The Billionaire’s Sensual Masseuse
By: Sandra Newton
The Billionaire’s Sensual Masseuse
© Sandra Newton, 2016 – All rights reserved
Published by Steamy Reads4U
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events are purely coincidental. This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.
This book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please return it to the seller and purchase a copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.
Warning
This book contains explicit content intended for readers 18+ years old.
If you are under 18 years old, or are not comfortable with adult content, please close this book now.
Chapter 1
Douglas ran his hands through his hair and released a heavy sigh. He looked at the papers in front of him, and the words all seemed to run together. It seemed as though he hadn’t slept in weeks, and he was having a hard time concentrating. He reached for his cup of black coffee and hoped that the caffeine would kick in soon enough and help him to get his work done.
Douglas was extremely stressed. He was the CEO of a major real estate company worth billions of dollars. While he certainly enjoyed his riches, sometimes he wondered what it would be like to simply work for a company, rather than to run one. It seemed that he never had time to himself, and that even when he did, he ended up working anyway because he couldn’t bring himself to relax.
Naturally, his tendency to overwork himself put quite a strain on his life, and perhaps most notably in his marriage. He loved his wife, Anna, very dearly. They had met when Douglas was in business school, and she was studying literature, and he had immediately been taken by her sharp wit and good looks. As soon as they had both graduated, they had gotten married. They swore that they would be devoted to one another for the rest of their lives, no matter the circumstances.
When they made those, vows, though, they were much younger, and had no idea what life would bring their way. When Doug’s real estate business had begun to take off, neither of them had really known what to do. Anna had been more than encouraging, and respectful of his need to nurture the company as it grew, while she attained more degrees, and eventually landed a teaching job at a nearby university. He knew it was hard on her when he had to spend extra hours at the office, but it truly seemed as though she really understood that that was just the price of success.
Even as understanding as she was, though, a rift began to grow between them. It seemed that all Doug could ever really think about was his company. Conversation about other topics, like the topics of art and music and literature that so interested Anna, were all but pointless to him. Doug often zoned out every time she began to speak to him, knowing that the words she said likely did not really pertain to him.
Every time he did this, Anna would simply trail off with a sigh, and pick up something else to do. This, of course, made Douglas feel very guilty, but he never knew what to do about it. So, after years of existing beside one another, and supporting one another, their marriage had reached a point that they rarely spoke.
Intimacy had become out of the question. Douglas could remember a time that they had been very sexually connected, and that there was hardly a night that passed where they weren’t joined together in one another arms, moaning out their pleasure as they got lost in one another’s embrace. Gradually though, their couplings waned from happening every night to about once a week, and then once a month, and then to special occasions.
As their interactions became less and less frequent, they stopped sleeping in the same bed altogether. It was much more practical that way, as Douglas often went to bed far later than her, and he hated disturbing her almost as much as she hated being disturbed. So, in the end, it was just best for both of them that they both started sleeping in separate rooms of their large home.
This only perpetuated the growing distance between them. Douglas suspected that though she did a good job of acting as though she was perfectly fine with what was happening, she was really discontent with their lackluster marriage. Doug could see it in her eyes every time they spoke together, and he often wondered if she wanted out of the marriage altogether.
Douglas regretted this slightly, but he had to acknowledge that he was largely at fault for this. If he could not connect with his wife spiritually or intellectually, he could not very well expect her to want to connect with him physically. Douglass wondered at times what he could do to rekindle the connection between him and his spouse, but then his mind would be inevitable drawn back to his work, and he would get caught up in the flurry of business yet again.
Douglas rifled through the various file folders on his desk, and he hissed as
he felt a sharp pain shoot up his neck. He saw lights dancing in front of his eyes, and he cursed to himself. He was having a migraine for the second time that week. He grumbled to himself and turned to open the drawer of his desk to get his medicine, only to growl out his frustration as he realized the bottle was empty.
Fortunately, he knew he had another bottle in the desk of his study at home. Hopefully, Anna wouldn’t be busy, and she could bring it up to him. He vaguely tried to remember if she had any classes at this day and time, but he abandoned the pursuit as soon as he remembered that he didn’t keep a mental note on the structure of her work. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and hit her number on speed dial. The phone rang, and he flinched as the loud noise sent another throbbing pain in his head.
“Hello?” he heard her answer after the second ring. She seemed surprised to be hearing from him.
“Hello, hey,” Doug said into the phone, his voice strained as he pressed his eyes tightly shut against the sharp pain in his head. “Can you do me a huge favor?”
“Of course,” she said simply. “What is it you need?”
“Can you bring me the bottle of medication from my study?” he asked. “It’s un the top drawer of my desk. I just realized I’m out up here at the office.”
“Are you having a migraine?” she asked, concern in her voice.
“Yeah, it just came on right now,” Doug sighed, rubbing furiously at his temples.
“Okay,” Anna huffed, her voice flustered. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Thanks so much,” Doug said, and with that, Anna hung up the phone.
Doug released a breath through his teeth as his head ached almost unbearably. He reached behind his desk to the light switch and turned off the fluorescent lights. The darkness helped to ease the pain a little, but not by much. Doug cleared the papers off his desk and laid his face flat against the cool wood, which also granted him at least a small measure of relief.
Doug heard the door of his office quietly open, and he looked up, squinting, to see the small form of his wife crossing the room toward him, a concerned from upon her face.
“Here,” she said softly, handing him the bottle of pills and a bottle of water.
“Thank you,” Doug breathed in relief.
He immediately opened the bottle of pills and shook two into his hand. He tossed them into his mouth and downed half the water bottle. Anna moved behind him and gently massaged his neck as he gripped the edge of his desk, waiting for the relief that the pills would soon bring.
“Sorry about that,” Doug apologized. “I know you had to go out of your way.”
“Its fine,” Anna said, her tone dismissive. “This is the second one this week.”
Her tone was hard, and Doug knew that she was concerned.
“Yeah, I know,” he sighed, rolling the cold water bottle over his face.
“They’ve been happening more often,” she pointed out.
“I know,” Douglas said again. “There’s not much I can do about it.”
“Maybe not that you can,” Anna said vaguely.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Doug frowned.
“It means,” Anna started. “That I think a good way to help you would be massage therapy.”
Doug grunted noncommittally. He did not like the idea of going out to some massage parlor every week and hoping someone could rub away his troubles.
“I know you don’t like the idea of going to a spa,” she said. “And I agree, that seems a bit impractical. But I thought that we could certainly hire someone to come out and give you treatments. I’ve been doing a lot of reading, and there have been significant reductions in stress migraines just from weekly treatments. I really think it would be worth it to at least give it a chance. If you hate it, we don’t have to keep doing it, but at least try.”
Douglas sighed. His first inclination was to reject the idea offhand. He had never put much thought into the idea of having some stranger touch him all over in the name of relaxation. But he clearly saw that Anna had obviously taken some time to do her homework. He also saw that she really was concerned for him, and his heart softened a bit at the reminder of her care.
“Alright,” he said. “I’ll try it.”
“Thank you,” Anna said softly. “I’ll take care of all the details so you don’t have to worry about anything at all.”
“Okay,” Douglas nodded, and sighed a little in relief as he felt his pills began to take effect on his headache. He blinked a couple of time and massaged at his temples.
“I’ll see you when you get home,” Anna said as she moved back out of his office.
“Okay,” Douglass said. With his migraine slowly ebbing away in intensity, Douglas took in a slow breath and once again looked down at his papers on his desk, and tried to focus his mind on the tasks he had to accomplish with the rest of the day.
Chapter 2
Fortunately, the pain form his migraine steadily subsided into nothing, and Doug was actually able to complete all his work, and even start some of the things he had assigned to tomorrow. He vaguely debated whether he should stay late that day, but he decided against it. He knew Anna would likely be a bit worried about him, having just had a migraine, and he didn’t want to keep her waiting if she was still concerned.
So, Douglas packed up a few files and headed for home. Besides, he could always work from home within the confines of his study there. He locked up his office and headed for the parking garage. Once inside his car, he started the engine and pulled out of his space.
It did not take him long to get back home from the office. Before he knew it, he was pulling up the driveway and into the garage, right next to Anna’s car. He got out of the car as the garage door automatically closed behind him, and he moved into his home.
The garage door led straight into the kitchen. Douglas did not wait, and he moved over to the cupboard to fetch a cup, which he the filled with water from the tap. He drank at it, letting it refresh him after his long day. He could feel his eyes drooping, and he vaguely considered taking a nap. Then, he remembered the files he had brought home from work, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to get any kind of rest with them weighing on his mind.
Douglas was just finishing up his glass of water when he saw Anna round the corner into the kitchen. HE offered her a small smile. She did not return the gesture.
“How are you feeling?” she asked, her voice cordial and somewhat concerned.
“Much better now,” Douglas smiled. “Again, thanks for bringing up my pills.”
Anna nodded and moved deeper into the kitchen toward the fridge.
“Dinner will be ready in about an hour,” she said simply as she removed a few items from the fridge, setting them out on the island behind her.
“Okay, great,” Douglas said. “I’m just going to go into the study and work through a few more files.”
Anna said nothing, and Douglas heard her release a soft sigh. He felt a momentary surge of guilt, but then shrugged it off. This was nothing new, and he moved through the house to his in home office, settling down in his large chair to go through the paperwork.
Douglas quickly fell into his familiar rhythm. He ran numbers and made a few phone calls, and generally accomplished several of the tasks that he had lined up. Before he quite realized it, an hour had passed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Anna at the door of the office, leaning against the frame with her arms crossed. Douglas looked up at her expectantly.
“Dinner’s ready,” she said shortly.
“Alright,” Douglas nodded easily. He packed up all the completed files and put them back in his briefcase. His mind lingered on a few loose ends that he had to tie up before the night was over, but he suspected he could get the entire issue taken care of with a phone call or two. For now though, he tried to banish work from his mind, and enjoy the meal that Anna had prepared for them.
Douglas stepped out of his office, and his nostrils were immediately filled with a del
icious aroma wafting through the air. He moved into the dining room, and he stomach growled. Anna had made them a meal of spaghetti and garlic bread, one of his favorite meals. Anna had always been a wonderful cook, and he eagerly sat down at the table.
“This looks delicious,” Douglas offered her a small smiled.
Anna said nothing, and took a sip of her glass of wine. Douglas’s smile faded, and he looked down at his plate briefly before picking up his fork and gathering up a bit of his meal.
“How was your day?” he asked softly after he had swallowed.
“Are you really interested, or are you just trying to make small talk?” Anna asked him. Her tone was not irritated, but it was certainly bored.
Doug’s stomach sank a little, and he let out a sigh.
“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “I’m just… trying.”
Anna’s expression softened a little, and he felt a familiar flicker of hope. Even though they were distant, he knew that deep down, they still loved each other. If only they could somehow bridge the gap that had formed between them.
They were quiet for quite a while as they both ate. Doug thoroughly enjoyed his meal, and a warmth filled up his body as he ate more and more of his food. Soon, his plate was empty, and he couldn’t help but serve himself another helping.
When they were both finally finished, Anna collected up their plates. Usually, Doug would simply go back into his office and work more. Today, though, he sensed that Anna was in a bit of a more somber mood. So, he followed her into the kitchen.
He watched as she turned on the water in the sink. She began to wash the dishes, and she eyed him strangely as he picked up a towel and stood in wait for the newly cleaned dishes. He offered her a small smile, and he saw her relax a little as they fell into the mundane chore of washing dishes together. All too soon, though, that task was complete as well.
Romance: Luther's Property Page 58
