by Hazel Taylor
Still, I kept caressing, tasting, touching, exploring every part of her as our urgency increased. The sweet words and soft sounds that escaped her lips were music to my body as we reached the point of urgency.
Without another word, I entered her softness, echoing her soft cry of delight. The world tilted on its side for me as she met me thrust for thrust, her moans and cries of need swallowed up by my welcoming mouth.
The animal longed to break free from its cage, but I waited for her pleasure this first time, fighting to hold back for a bit longer. Breathing deeply, I thrust deeply into her, opening my eyes to witness the joy of her tumbling over the edge of bliss. Her eyes met mine as she whispered my name, her hands holding tight to my body as if I was a lifeline.
Never taking my eyes off hers, I unchained the wild animal that had been caged for far too long and set him free. When I finally slipped over that edge it was her name that tumbled from my lips as I slipped into oblivion.
7
Paige
Sunlight broke through the bedroom window, startling me awake. Glancing over, I saw the reality of my night. Donovan was gone, leaving me to realize what a mistake I had made. He was simply looking for a good time, while I, much to my disgust, was beginning to fall for my boss.
Since it was still very early, I spent the next hour in my room getting ready for my day but also mentally berating myself for such a foolish act. How was I ever to face him now, after what we had just done? The memories were so beautiful it was breathtaking, but the reality it brought was sickening. We had only just met, and he was my boss.
What was I going to do if I lost this job? Worse yet, how should I act around him now? Should I pretend it never happened? Would he expect more of the same? The questions kept floating around until I got a call on my cell from him.
“Morning, Paige. I am sending you today's agenda. Keep me posted about my appointments and meet me at my office at 11 am."
“Okay.” I headed for his office and opened his computer. “You have a 10 am appointment with your financial advisor."
“Reschedule him to next week. I am just too busy today.”
"All right." His voice was so seductive on the phone, it awakened my body to the memories of last night. Just then Amber came careening through the door, tablet in hand, and jumped on my bed to get comfortable. "What was that? I got distracted. Your daughter just came in."
His laughter was deep and strangely soothing. "Sorry, I was saying I need to meet with Attorney Vallitski regarding a merger. Contact him today. I want to see him tomorrow if possible." He paused briefly as if in thought. "Put me on the speaker a sec."
I did and leaned toward Amber, who was now lounging on the pillows.
"Hi, Daddy," she called.
“Hi cupcake, what are you doing? Did you eat this morning?”
She smiled, still playing on her tablet. “Yes, Grandma made me eat a croissant. I don’t like those. Then Molly snuck me some fruity fruit loops when she left the table.”
"Nice. Now you be good for Grandma and Paige. She is going to take you to school.”
“Can I get a coffee at Starbucks?”
“Decaf only, honey.”
“Okay, Daddy, I love you.”
“Love you too, baby. Give the phone back to Paige.”
I took the phone back and off the speaker. "Coffee?"
"Every day I allow her a treat for good behavior. I don't see any harm in the coffee if it's decaf. It has less caffeine than a cola."
“Okay.”
“Oh, before I forget, I have a letter I need to send regarding my grandfather’s estate. He passed away last year. Go into Google docs and make the updates. I think the notes are in my top drawer in the black folder. You’ll find my passwords there as well. I also need you to pick up Mother’s diamond ring. It’s a family heirloom I had resized for her.”
I felt panicked. What was I going to do? I didn’t know how to type except slowly on my phone. I’d barely graduated high school. While I knew what Google was, I never used Google docs before. “Okay.”
“Great, see you at 11.”
“Yes.”
“Oh, and Paige?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you for last night.”
“Oh, ah, you’re welcome. No need to thank me, though.”
He hung up, leaving me stressing over how I was going to get this done. I didn't even have time to analyze how irritated those words were. Was it just a booty call with his assistant that he needed to say thank you for?
I tossed that to the background for now. I had a job to do and needed all the help I could get. That was one booty call I wouldn’t be repeating.
Amber talked the whole ride. It was delightful, but I was much too distracted to pay much attention. Instead, I called my friend Misty, handing Amber her tablet.
“I honestly have no clue what I am doing when it comes to this stuff.”
“Aww honey, I understand, but it’s simple really.”
"For you maybe. For me, I need all the help I can get. Thank you for this. I owe you one."
“Maybe that boss of yours has a few single friends. David and I broke up a few weeks back. I am so done with that jerk. You said he’s Italian?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, how I love Italian men. Does he have a brother?”
“No, a sister. But I am sure he has some available male friends. I will see what I can do.”
“Please. I am so bored. All the guys at the club are players. I’m tired of that.”
"I'm sure. Well, I must go finish this. Talk soon, thanks again!”
“Anytime, Paige.” She hung up. Thankfully I was able to pick up on it quickly, so I was able to finish what needed to be done and get to his office by a couple of minutes after 11. It was just before I walked out of the elevator that I realized his mother’s heirloom diamond ring was missing.
Swallowing hard, I tried not to panic as I headed for his office.
8
Donovan
All day I couldn't stop thinking about her. Her eyes, those lips, her voice on the phone, that candy jar beside her bed she constantly devoured. That naughty smile she gave me, how she was so sweet and motherly to Amber, the way she’d embraced me.
It was difficult to focus on all I had to do with my morning. I didn’t need to see her but thought it would be best if we were seen together to help with the deception. At least I told myself that. Oddly, somewhere in the back of my mind where I refused to analyze, I knew there was more to it.
When she entered the room, I could see the look of panic on her face which she quickly masked with a smile.
“Everything all right?”
“Oh, yes, sorry. I just lost something is all.”
“Was it something important?” I relaxed a little when she smiled again and sat beside me on my office couch.
“No, no worries, I will find it soon enough.” Somehow her eyes didn’t match her words. I tried to dismiss whatever it was.
"Okay. Well, I want to take you to lunch. We need to discuss the next few weeks. I have some traveling to do. I have a few things for you to do while I am away. While I am gone you will need to steer clear of my mother, she will likely start poking and prodding about us. Let's go have some lunch and we can discuss it more."
Throughout lunch, she seemed distracted. We ate and talked, she paid attention, but I could tell something was troubling her . I didn’t know her that long or that well, but I could sense it. She kept looking in her purse and nibbling on her lip, which my sister had a habit of doing when she was thinking or problem-solving.
“Are you sure you’re all right, Paige?” I asked when we headed back to the office.
“Yes, fine, why?”
“You seem distracted, deep in thought. Perhaps I can help?”
She gave a small, forced laugh. “It’s okay, I’m fine.”
“Did you pick up my mother’s ring?”
“Yes.” She turned to gaze out the window now. Wa
s she regretting last night? Did she want to leave my employ because of it? Deciding to find out for myself, I put my arm around her to pull her close. She didn’t pull away. Turning to face me, she smiled slightly.
Holding her chin with my fingers, I took possession of her lips. Soft and pliant, they welcomed me, as did the hand she used to caress my hair and pull me closer, deeper. Lance always knew to mind his own business, so I relaxed into the moment, slipping my hand under her top to caress her soft breasts.
A whispered sigh slipped from her lips and she ran her own hands up and down my body beneath my suit jacket. I could feel the vehicle stop, sadly putting an end to our playtime. When I pulled back to look at her, she was smiling and that intensely thoughtful look was replaced with a confused but passionate expression.
Smiling, I realized my job was done. Planting one more kiss on her lips, I knocked for the door to be opened and headed out. Lance was set to take her home.
9
Paige
“Where is my diamond ring? I know my son had it repaired, and he instructed you retrieve it. Where is it?” Evelyn pounced on me the moment I entered the house.
I had been searching all day for the ring, to no avail. I simply couldn’t find it. I was in such a panic state that nausea threatened to retrieve my lunch from my stomach. Unable to think, I blurted out the only thing I could. "I lost it."
“You lost MY RING!” She stood before me, this tiny Italian woman, eyes blazing, looking as though she might call the police.
“Yes, I am sorry, I am trying to find it just now. I had it when I left the jeweler’s but in between there and here I lost it.” Panic gripped me hard as I realized I would likely lose my job over this.
"You know, I have a close friend who is a private investigator. I am going to ask him to investigate. It wouldn’t surprise me if you are a thief or someone looking to steal from my son just like that Lindsay girl, Amber’s mother.”
I was speechless. Not only by her accusations but also the fact that the mother of his child had stolen from him. Horror gripped me at the reality of her words. In a matter of hours or days she and Donnie would know the truth. I had to find that ring fast. "I will find it; I swear I would never take your ring.”
"We shall see,” she said ominously. “One's past always haunts." Her smile seemed triumphant as she turned on her heel and walked off. I, on the other hand, felt sick to my stomach.
Days passed and turned into a week, which turned into two, then three. Donovan and I texted, talked and spoke every night using Skype. I wasn’t sure why, but I couldn’t wait to talk to him, see his face and hear him laugh. Interestingly, he opened about his past and Lindsay. How she had been a gold digger who only wanted his money and to have fun. She didn’t want him or their baby. When the party was over, she ran off with some musician.
He told me he had thought they were in love, or at least he was. When it was over, he vowed to never have another relationship again, no matter what. I felt sad for him, to be treated in such a way just because he had money, and how sorry I was that he had gone through that, but at least he had his beautiful daughter.
Many nights he talked to his daughter, then me, and I ended up falling asleep listening to his voice. What had started as a job with an added agenda was quickly turning into something more, at least for me.
I never heard another word from his mother. She avoided me at all costs. And much to my dismay, I never located the ring. Donnie never asked about it, obviously assuming I gave it to his mother, which is what should have happened.
During his third week away, I had to pick up Amber from school. Lance drove me, talking of the weather warming up and asking how Donovan was doing in Las Vegas. I shared with him the news that Donnie would be returning in two days on Sunday. That he needed to pick him up at the airport at 10 am.
As usual, when we picked up Amber, she told me about her day and showed me a collage she had made. “Oh, I forgot to tell you,” she said suddenly. “You dropped this a while ago. I picked it up and forgot it was in my bag. It is so pretty I didn’t want to give it back, but I know it’s Grandma’s.”
Tears threatened to fall as the sweet little girl with dark hair handed me the tiny black box that held a very important ring. Opening it, I wanted to cry. "It is beautiful,” I said, hugging her. “I am sure one day your grandmother will give it to you."
“It’s supposed to go to Daddy’s wife. It’s really old.”
"Well, I am sure it will be yours one day."
She looked at me seriously. “Are you going to marry Daddy?”
Unsure where that had come from, I held back a reply. I couldn’t tell her I wasn't really his girlfriend.
“Isn’t that what usually happens? After you are boyfriend and girlfriend, you get married someday?" The innocence of her words touched me. If only it were that simple.
“Sometimes that happens.” I didn’t know if I was trying to comfort her or myself, but when she looked at me with those tiny trusting eyes I was lost. Placing a comforting arm around her, I pulled her close. Although I had never thought much about having children, if I ever did, I would love a little girl just like Amber. “Perhaps you should talk to your father about these things.”
“Yeah, I guess I should.” Leaning her head against me, she quickly forgot all about the conversation we were having and the diamond ring.
When we arrived home, she headed to the kitchen for a snack. As I set down my bag, Evelyn came marching into the room. “I’d like a word with you.” Her eyes were cold, her body stiff and formal. “In private.”
“Oh, good, you’re here,” I said hastily. “I have the ring; here it is.” Quickly I pulled it from my bag and handed it over to her.
Wordlessly she examined it. “Thank you,” she said as if getting the ring back was no big deal. “Now, if you will please follow me.”
“Of course.” I was shaking inside, but I refused to be intimidated by this woman. Sitting down at Donovan’s desk, she pulled out a packet of papers.
"I had my friend investigate you. Stealing is a habit of yours. He says you were first caught for stealing at the age of 14, and it carried on until you were 19."
Anger gripped me, and I could feel my face flushing . "Listen, Mrs. Donatella, I may have done some things when I was young,” I said finally, trying to keep calm, “but that is not the person I am today.”
Shuffling the papers, she placed them back in the folder. “I am not interested in hearing this. You have a history of stealing just like Lindsay did. You stole my diamond ring, and maybe it was guilt forcing you to give it back or the thought of jail. Whichever it was, I don’t care. The point is, I want you out of here, away from my granddaughter and son, by tomorrow morning. I will take care of whatever he needs until Rachel can return."
Fighting to hold back the tears that threatened to escape, I nodded my head and went to my room. I told Amber I had a headache and spent the rest of my night alone, crying. That is, until somewhere in the darkness of night, a soft knock sounded at the door.
10
Donovan
I couldn’t take it anymore; I had to go home. My business was completed, and I missed my Amber, and oddly enough I was starting to miss and long for the dark-haired vixen I called my assistant. Every night we talked I was fast considering her a vital part of my life. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with that down the road, but perhaps it was worth exploring.
I caught an early flight, wanting to surprise her. I longed to hold her in my arms, which was odd. It wasn’t just sexual. Although my desire for her was there, it was something more. Something I couldn't explain and didn't want to think about.
It seemed like forever for the plane to take off and land. I couldn't sleep, I felt anxious and excited all at the same moment. Visions of her, what I wanted to do to her and with her when I got back, formed in my mind.
By the time I contacted Lance and he picked me up and brought me home, it was close to 2 am. I knocked gently on h
er door, wanting to wake her but not everyone else. When she answered, hair a tangled mess, it looked as if she had been crying.
She gasped when she saw me standing there. “What are you doing here, Donnie?”
“I came home early.” I leaned in to get a closer look. “Are you okay? What’s the matter?”
Tears threatened to well in her eyes. “It’s okay, come in.” She moved to let me in before shutting the door and locking it.
Despite all, she looked ravishingly beautiful in her white nightgown. Her tousled hair and natural face only accented the beauty that was truly her. Unsure what to do, I found myself standing by the edge of her bed, waiting. ‘Do you want to talk about it?”
“No, Donnie, I don’t.” Just like that, she turned to face me, stepped forward and held my face in her hands. “Please, make love to me, Donnie. I have missed you so much.”
Something deep in my chest tightened, and my throat went dry. Reaching for her, I pulled her close, tasting the sweetness of her lips against mine for the first time in weeks.
11
Paige
His arms encircled me, dragging me down into the depths of passion with him. I could feel his heartbeat under my fingers as I explored the skin I had longed to touch for so many days. I hadn’t realized how much I needed this, needed him, until this very moment.
When I had opened the door, it took every ounce of my will to not cry, but I held it back. He would find out soon enough and I would have to leave. Even though I was innocent of the crime, I wouldn’t fight. He didn’t deserve that, and I wouldn’t win anyway.
