“I have a meeting with the Angels,” he said, referring to a small investment group he oversaw. “We have a few business plans we have to evaluate.”
“Why can’t you ever stop?”
He ran his hand up and down her bare back. “We can have a late dinner. You can wait here or I could come to your place when I’m done.”
“Wait a second.” Kathy pushed herself up to a sitting position. “You never told me why you were so upset last night.”
“I have to go to work.”
“You promised.” She leaned back against the pillows. “You can’t leave until you talk to me.”
He rolled onto his side and propped himself up on his elbow. “What do you want me to say?”
“I want you to tell me what upset you yesterday.” She touched the side of his face. “I want to feel like I’m part of your life.”
“You are part of my life.”
“I’m part of your sex life. There’s a difference.”
“That’s not true. Don’t say that.”
“Why were you so upset last night?”
“I read about someone retiring. Someone I possibly wanted to do business with.”
“And that brought on a migraine?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“It just did. It’s complicated and I don’t want to talk about it.”
“So that’s it? That’s all you’re going to tell me?”
“Yes.”
“Why is it so hard for you to let me in? I’m in love with you. I want to share your life.”
He turned his head and kissed the inside of her palm. “You are sharing my life,” he said deeply, his gaze returning to hers. “As much as I’m capable of. You know more about me than anyone.”
“Not Tony.”
“I’ve known Tony my entire adult life. I was referring to women, and you’re going to have to be patient with me. I’m doing the best I can.”
“I know.” She leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips. “I just love you so much.”
“I love you too.”
“They loved you,” Kathy said, looking up from her cell phone. It was the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and she and Joseph were driving south on I-270 towards Washington, returning from her parents’ place in Pennsylvania, where they’d spent the past four days.
“Did they?”
“Yes.” She held out her cell phone. “You can read the text from my mother if you want.”
“If they loved me, why wouldn’t they let me share a bedroom with their daughter?”
“They’re just conservative.”
“Do they really believe we aren’t sleeping together?” He picked up her hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing the inside of her wrist.
“I’m sure they know,” she said, moving her hand behind his neck. “They just don’t feel it’s respectful to have sex with their unmarried daughter under their roof.”
“If I had known that, I wouldn’t have let you sneak into my bed.”
“Right.” She began to massage the back of his neck and shoulders. “You wouldn’t have stayed longer than one night. You should have seen your face when you realized we were in separate rooms.”
“I’m thirty-four years old. It took me back a bit. But it was fine.”
“Of course it was fine—I was in your bed every night. We may as well have been in the same room.”
“True.” He leaned his head to the side, giving her hands better access to his neck. “God, that feels good.”
“You’re so tense.”
“That’s probably because I have about six hours of work ahead of me tonight.”
“Tonight?” Her hand stilled on his neck. “You mean you have to work tonight? I thought we could unwind and watch a movie.”
“Seriously?” He glanced sideways at her. “We’ve been unwinding for four days. Did you really think I wasn’t going to have to work tonight?”
“No,” she sighed, again massaging his neck. “And you didn’t unwind for four days. You were on your computer and cell phone half the weekend.”
“Kathy, I’m doing—”
“I know,” she interrupted. “You’re doing the best you can.”
“I am.”
“I know.” She leaned across the seat and kissed the side of his cheek. “And I appreciate you spending the holiday with my family. It meant a lot to me.”
It was past 1:00 a.m. when Joseph took off his reading glasses and set them on his desk. He leaned back in his brown leather swivel chair and moved his hands over his face, rubbing his fingers over his eyes. He hadn’t seen Kathy for several hours, since she brought him a large plate of Chinese food and iced tea.
He picked up his empty plate and glass and opened the door to his study, walking out into the darkened foyer and then to the kitchen. After putting the dishes in the sink, he went up to his bedroom and found Kathy asleep in his bed.
He crossed to his bathroom, emerging several minutes later, freshly showered and naked. “Hi,” Kathy said huskily, her voice barely intelligible.
“Hi.”
“What time is it?”
“Late.” He lifted the comforter and stretched out beside her.
“I missed you.” She snuggled up beside him, her head on his chest, her hand moving over his muscled stomach.
“Do you want to go away with me between Christmas and the New Year?”
“Go away?”
“I’d like to take you to Switzerland. Do you think you could get off work?”
She lifted her head from his chest, meeting his eyes in the darkened bedroom. “You want to go away with me for Christmas?”
“Yes, I want to go away with you.”
6
Lia stared at her pay statement for a full minute, wondering what she should do. It had to be a mistake. How could she possibly deserve a thousand-dollar bonus?
“Stan?” She knocked on his doorsill moments later.
“Lia. Hello.” He looked up from a file. “What can I do for you?”
“I think there may be a problem with my pay.”
“What’s the problem?”
“I’m not complaining, but...” She paused, crossing to his desk and holding out the pay stub. “I think there may be a mistake.”
He took the paper and waved it towards the chair before his desk. “Have a seat,” he said before his eyes scanned her pay stub. “No, this is right.”
“Oh.” She hesitated, not sure what to say. “Well, thanks.” She began to stand.
“I’ve been meaning to talk to you.” He held up his hand and motioned for her to stay seated. “I’m very pleased with your work. I told you when you were hired there was the potential to make a great deal of money in this job.”
She nodded and wanted to ask exactly what she’d done to deserve the bonus, but was afraid it wouldn’t sound right.
“And after watching you over several weeks,” he continued, “I think you could be one of our top producers.”
“I hope so,” Lia said, pleased with the compliment.
“I’m getting positive feedback from the clients. You may not realize it while you’re socializing, but those receptions make our VIPs feel a loyalty to Zurtech they wouldn’t feel otherwise.” He leaned forward, his hands flat on the desk. “And gaining that loyalty is what makes the B2Bs so important to Zurtech. People like to do business with friends.”
“That makes sense.”
“Yes, it—”
“Stan?” Carmen interrupted, coming through the door. “We need to talk.” She didn’t acknowledge Lia as she stopped in front of his desk.
“We were finishing up.” He stood, picking up Lia’s pay stub and coming around the desk. “Keep up the good work.” He ushered her out of the office, but it was obvious his mind had moved past her to Carmen.
After three weeks and four dates, including the picnic and the show at the Kennedy Center, Lia accepted Eric’s invitation to spend the weekend with him at his beach house
in Delaware. She knew he wanted to have sex, had known it since almost the first date, and now she too felt ready to take the relationship to the next level. Taylor was with Ned for the weekend, so she didn’t have to share her plans with her mother, who she knew wouldn’t approve.
Forty-eight hours after first arriving at her apartment to pick her up, Eric was returning to the same apartment and depositing her bag inside her foyer. “Do you want something to drink, or—” Lia began.
“No. I’ve got to get home.” He gripped her shoulders and kissed her. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Okay.” Lia leaned forward and kissed him again. “I had a great time. Thank you.”
“Me too.” He gave her a half smile. “Next time maybe we can actually leave the house.” He winked before turning and leaving the apartment.
After removing her coat, Lia walked into her family room and lay down on the couch, still overwhelmed with memories of the weekend. He was perfect. The weekend had been perfect. She closed her eyes, replaying the details. His cozy beach house turned out to be a sprawling oceanfront estate in Bethany Beach, Delaware. His bedroom, where they’d spent most of the weekend, was twice the size of her entire apartment and opened on to a large deck with a hot tub offering a spectacular view of the Atlantic Ocean.
As she lay on her couch, she could almost hear the sound of the ocean. It couldn’t have been more romantic. They’d spent hours in the hot tub drinking and talking, and then they’d make love, either on the bed or the bedroom floor, even once in the hot tub. She sighed at the memory and wished the weekend hadn’t gone by so quickly.
“Good morning.” Claudia stopped at the opening to Lia’s cubicle the following morning.
“Where’ve you been?” Lia hadn’t seen her since before Thanksgiving.
“I went home for a few days,” Claudia answered.
“Home?”
“Up to Boston to see my family.”
“I didn’t know you had a vacation planned.”
“I didn’t. I needed to get away.” Claudia sat down in Carmen’s chair. “This place was getting to me.”
“Are you feeling better?”
“Not particularly, but that will change soon enough.”
“What do you mean?”
Claudia looked around before responding. “I’m looking for another job, but don’t repeat that. I want my next job lined up before I give my notice.”
“Of course, I would never mention it. But why? I thought you were happy here.”
“I haven’t been happy here for three years. It’s been more about the money.”
“Oh, so is that what you were doing in Boston? Looking for a job?” Lia asked
“Pretty much. I was putting my feelers out.”
“I’m sorry you’re not happy. You’ve been great to me.”
“Right.” Claudia laughed without humor.
“Seriously, I’ve learned a lot from you.”
“God, I hope that’s not true.” She looked up and met Lia’s eyes. “You should transfer to Kay’s division. Those jobs are less stressful.”
Lia frowned. “What do you—”
“Nothing.” Claudia held up her hand. “Don’t listen to me. I’m feeling sorry for myself. And there’s actually a purpose to my being here right now. Stan said you haven’t been sending in your weekly client roster.”
“What’s a client roster?”
“It’s a list of the clients you’ve spoken to at the receptions. You know the emails we receive regarding the attendees?”
“Yes.”
“Well, every Monday you should send a reply to that same address and list who you’ve met with and for how long.”
“No one ever told me,” Lia said.
“It’s okay. That’s why I’m telling you now.”
“Okay. So every Monday I send in an email listing the receptions I attended and who I spoke to?”
“You don’t have to mention everyone. Just the ones you’ve really met with.”
“Last week there was only the Friday-night reception, and I didn’t attend it, so I guess I shouldn’t send anything this week?”
“You didn’t attend Friday night’s reception?” Claudia frowned.
“No. I was away.”
“With Eric?”
Lia wondered if she was going to get another lecture. “Yes.”
“Well, you need to put that.”
“Put that I went away with Eric?”
“Yes.” Claudia brought her coffee mug to her lips. “And how long it lasted.”
“You’ve got to be kidding. How is that anyone’s business?”
Claudia swallowed the liquid in her mouth before responding. “He’s a client. Any interaction with clients is Zurtech’s business.”
“I spent the entire weekend with him,” Lia whispered, leaning forward in her chair. “I’m not telling them that.”
“Sure you will. They aren’t going to judge you. In fact, Stan will like it.”
“I don’t understand.”
Claudia stood. “He likes it when we date the clients. Friends like buying from friends, remember?”
“It’s private,” Lia insisted. “And I’m not telling him.”
“Suit yourself,” Claudia said before walking away.
Lia was so busy with Taylor she barely noticed when Eric didn’t call on Monday, but by 10:00 p.m. Tuesday she was starting to wonder if something had happened to him.
She decided to call his cell phone. His voice came over the line after three rings. “Hello?”
“Hi, Eric, it’s Lia.” She was surprised he answered, having assumed the phone would be off and she’d leave a message.
“Hi, beautiful, how are you?”
“Good. I was calling to see if you’d be at the reception tomorrow night.”
“I hadn’t really thought about it. Are you inviting me?”
She could hear the teasing in his voice. “Sure.” She smiled. “Would you like to meet me at the reception?”
“I’d like to meet you right now. Can I come by?”
“Taylor’s asleep in her room.”
“I’ll be quiet. And I’ll leave before she wakes up.”
“No,” she said without hesitation. “She gets up in the middle of the night sometimes.”
“Come on. I miss you. I’ll only stay for a little while.”
Lia laughed at how pitiful he sounded. “If you miss me you can meet me at the reception tomorrow night.”
“How about I do both? I’ll come by for an hour tonight and then we’ll meet at the reception tomorrow.”
“No, seriously. I can’t. Just meet me tomorrow.”
There was a long pause before he responded. “Maybe, we’ll see.”
Lia slowly lowered the phone, surprised by the abrupt ending to the call. He was mad, she realized. He’d expected her to let him come over with Taylor in the house.
Lia arrived at the reception just after 8:00 p.m. wearing a simple black sleeveless dress and black suede heels, gold earrings and a watch her only jewelry. She was at the bar ordering a gin and tonic when Eric arrived thirty minutes later.
“Hi, beautiful.” Eric smiled, leaning forward to kiss her cheek.
“I was starting to worry you weren’t going to come.”
“I almost didn’t.” His eyes swept over her body. “I got caught in a business dinner.” He moved his hand up and down the curve of her waist. “I had a hard time getting away.”
Lia nodded and looked around, wondering if she should push his hand from her waist. It couldn’t look professional.
“Let’s go upstairs.”
“Upstairs?” Lia frowned. “Why?”
“Bedrooms.” He met her eyes.
“You’re kidding, right?”
“No.” He shook his head, his amused eyes meeting her startled ones. “Let me show you.”
“No.” She shook her head and took a step back, forcing him to drop his hand.
“Why not?” he whispered
and then laughed at her horrified expression.
“I’m not going upstairs with you,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Then let’s get out of here.” He took her hand and headed towards the door. “I want to be alone with you.”
“I missed you,” he said minutes later.
“I missed you too.” She settled back in the plush leather seat of his Porsche. “Taylor is with her Dad, so if you want to go to your place, I—”
“How much did you miss me?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean,” he began, taking her hand and placing it on the bulge between his legs, “I’d like you to suck that.”
“Here?” She let out a nervous laugh, unsure whether he was serious.
“Yes, here.” He leaned back in the seat, lifting himself up slightly as he undid his pants and freed himself from his underwear. “Come on. It won’t bite you.”
She could feel her heart rate accelerating and her hands clamming up. Ned was the only man she ever gave a blowjob, and it wasn’t in a car. “I don’t know.”
“You can do it.” He moved one of his hands around the back of her head. “Come on.” He applied enough pressure to slowly coax her head down towards his lap. “That’s it,” he moaned as she took him in her mouth.
“Oh yeah,” he groaned, moving his hips up slightly as he held her head down. “That’s right, babe,” he said, spreading his fingers in her hair. “Suck it.”
Lia tried not to gag as she moved her mouth up and down the full length of him. He was so hard and so big she wasn’t sure how to do it without choking.
“You can’t stop now, baby.” He held her head down when she tried to take a break, increasing the tempo of his hips, seemingly unable to get his penis deep enough in her throat.
She managed to breathe through her nose and attempted to keep her lips against her teeth so she wouldn’t rub them against him, praying he would come so the ordeal would be over. It seemed to take forever, and she was sure she was about to throw up, when finally with a hard thrust of his hips he was coming, his semen spilling into her mouth. He seemed to come and come as the spasms shook his body, and then finally he loosened his hold on her hair and she was lifting her head.
When I Saw You Page 7
