Broken Vows (Domestic Discipline Romance) (20 page)

"I can believe it. My son is only in ninth grade but he could have done a better job of it. All they presented was a rehash of what we had seen before."

"I will put a stop to such nonsense," Josh said firmly. "You didn't happen to keep a copy of the presentation, did you?"

"I might still have it in my office. Give me your address and e-mail. I will have my secretary send it to you as soon as I get back to the office. How soon can you contact me with your current firm's information?"

"A week, maybe two," Josh admitted. "All the incorporation paperwork hasn't been filed yet, but it will be a good company. We are starting small, although we are eminently qualified to do the Richfield Towers. One of the partners is Brice Haroldson."

"I have heard of him. He was with Bristel Inc. on the design team for the Bishop Heights Mall in Boston. That was good work. Turner and I don't have a problem giving business to a new company. We are more interested in the integrity and talent of the people running it and working there. If you get Richfield Towers, you won't be small for long. Joe Turner and I started our company with only the two of us walking around handing out flyers. We can even assist you in the start-up phase, if necessary. It wouldn't be the first time we helped launch a new company."

"I have to contact my associates," Josh said. "I can't make a decision without them."

"I understand," Bill said. "I look forward to working with you again, and I know Joe will be glad to get the project back in the pipeline. We will be interested in seeing what you can pull together. Uh, oh, the ladies are coming back. If I continue to talk business, my wife will not be happy with me. I hope to hear from you soon, the sooner, the better."

"Thank you, sir."

"Bill," the man said with a friendly reminder, standing up as his wife and Jenny came to the table. "I am all done, sweetheart."

"Thank you," Barbara exclaimed taking her seat.

The couples spoke for a few more minutes about Vail and the slopes until Josh steered Jenny back to their table.

"What was that all about?" Jenny asked.

"I was offered a job," Josh said. "The wild and crazy thing is that it is the same job that got me fired from Pugh and Barkley." He turned to Tyrell. "Pugh and Barkley used my preliminary drawings on the Richfield Towers project to try to score the final design phase
after
I left. I am sure the legal documents of my claim confirmed they belonged to me along with the final designs."

"They do," Tyrell said with an evil grin rubbing his hands together, "Round two! Some people never learn."

It was late when they returned to the chalet, but Josh was excited. After Tyrell and Violet had excused themselves, he turned to Jenny. "Honey, I need to make a business call. I would not do it now if it weren't important, but Ms
.
Commando, do not fall asleep on me tonight."

Jenny smiled and turned her back to him. "Unzip me."

He slowly unzipped her dress peeking inside. Sure enough, she was naked. He groaned. "I have to make this business call. Do not fall asleep," he warned his wife again, quickly kissing her and hurrying out of the bedroom. He went across the open living space into an office alcove, picked up his iPhone, and called Brice.

"Hello?" the voice was female and sleepy.

"I apologize, Paula, but I need to speak to Brice. This is Josh Grayson."

After a few minutes, Brice got on the line. "It is after midnight and I have a kid teething! This had better be damn good," Brice Haroldson growled.

"It is seven-million-dollars good," Josh exclaimed, "with the potential to grow to twenty million."

"What?"

"I have been offered a job. I need you to wake Bill and Matt, and all of you log in for a Skype conference, ASAP!"

Now thoroughly awake Brice said, "Sit tight."

Within five minutes, Josh and his partners had logged into Skype, were wide-awake and interested. He explained about his chance meeting with Bill Whiting.

"I can push the legal incorporation paperwork through channels in about two weeks," Bill Gabriel said with Matt Johnson quickly agreeing.

"Josh, since you have the final designs for Richfield Towers, this is your deal," Brice insisted.

"It was a dead deal when I walked away from Pugh and Barkley. However, I did win the rights to my work through a lawsuit and can do whatever I want with them. Although, you know as well as I do, we'll be kicking plans around for months before they are officially
final
." Josh said. "I was working alone before, but I could use the help. I will take the lead, but Brice, I want you as my partner on this. If we put this under the banner of Peak Designs, our company is off and running. We will have enough collateral to expand quickly. It's a win-win situation."

"Didn't you say you have already completed the designs?" Brice repeated.

"I have, and I will take the fee for them," Josh agreed. "Still, I want this under our company name. The first phase of the deal is worth seven million.
Seven
million
, Brice. There are more than three tiers to the entire project and at least five years work. Over the entire period, the add-ons will be worth over twenty million. This is too big a project for Turner and Whiting to award to a single independent architect. This project will take a team of twenty or more architects, along with support staff.

"Look guys, when you see a Turner and Whiting Contracting logo you think of integrity, right? The company is known for quality work, and getting the job done on time within budget. Everyone in the industry knows the loyalty among their subcontractors and their employees. If they had an Architecture Division, I would have been the first to apply for a job.

"If we ace this, we will be a multi-million-dollar company in our first year. We will have instant national recognition and TWC backing. That alone is worth doing this job."

"We will also have to expedite the hiring of employees a lot faster than expected. A start-up company is tough enough to launch, now we will need a full staff almost immediately," Matt Johnson said.

"We are in a position to take a positive step in corporate policies," Josh said. "All four of us are in this because we wanted to strike out and create our own company, to do things our way. Come on, we were planning this way back in college. We declared we wouldn't be held back by a bottom-line corporate mentality. We never wanted to be
those
guys! I am not saying the bottom-line is unimportant, we know it is. Still, we don't have to sabotage our employees for profit. In fact, we can offer profit
sharing
to give our people an incentive to do their best. We will promote employee loyalty as a core value of Peak Designs."

There was utter silence for a moment or two.

"Hell, I'm putting you in charge of publicity," Bill Gabriel pronounced as they all laughed.

"Sorry, I jumped on my personal soap box," Josh said. "Honestly, I know at least a dozen top-notch architects who would jump at the chance to get in on the ground floor of a new company. These are men I vouch for and would hire in a heartbeat. If we treat our employee's right, pay them fairly, and set an example of honesty and integrity, there is no stopping us."

"I agree with everything you said," Brice interjected. "Hiring good people won't be a problem. Okay, do we all agree this is the chance of a lifetime?" Four heads nodded in agreement. "I say we think it over for forty-eight hours, and then meet to hash out our pros and cons."

"I am in Vail, and won't be back in Durango until the day after tomorrow," Josh said. "You three stay on top of it and assemble a list of cons. I'm biased and can only see the pros right now. A project I worked my ass off on for almost a year and thought was dead has suddenly dropped into our laps. Can we Skype again, or do we want a face-to-face meeting?"

They set a time to Skye and signed off.

Josh was feeling triumphant, something he had not felt for a long time. He also realized he would soon have to tell Jenny the truth about his inheritance. Not being able to confide in her made his success somewhat hollow.

He found Jenny waiting for him in the bedroom, wearing nothing except a sheet, the way he liked her best. She was his. She had been from the moment he laid eyes on her. When she had been an innocent, he had schooled her in the art of making love. She still aroused him—all the time, every time. She looked especially sexy and seductive tonight, and she flushed as she waited for his first move.

"You said you wanted everything," Josh reminded, kissing her. His tongue brushed hers, and then he drew back and nipped her lower lip.

"I do," declared Jenny, shivery feelings of anticipation racing through her body.

"Good," Josh murmured feeling his smoldering desire rise.

His hands roamed over her breasts and the curves of her ribcage down to her waist, and then back and over her buttocks. He grasped them and pulled her towards the center of the bed. He spread her legs with one hand and found her center, stroking, and teasing, gently. While his fingers worked their magic, he pulled aside the sheet to view all of her. Yes, he would feast on her. He pushed her knees apart and buried his mouth in her sex.

Jenny felt giddy when Josh lifted her and she hooked her legs over his shoulders. He continued devouring and torturing her until she exploded, then he rose and entered her in one long thrust. He drove deep into her, pounding into her until the friction caused her need to arise again.

There was an unspoken challenge between them, as they satisfied every need, taking each other in turn. All gentleness was tossed aside, as they moaned and savored the wildness of their joining. They needed each other and became desperate for more and more release. Even when the release came, it was not enough to satisfy either of them. He was inside her again, plunging and using what she offered him.

It did not stop. As much as she wanted everything, so did Josh. He took it. The pace was relentless. Orgasm after orgasm, his, hers, again, and again, still they did not stop. They used the entire room as their playground, trying different positions on the bed, the floor, and over the backs of chairs.

As their raging wantonness began to fade, Josh titillated her sexual drive by spanking her, again, and again. Jenny had no idea what drove her husband tonight, but she enjoyed every second of it. She let him spank her three times, despite knowing she would feel it in the morning. They had a safe word, but she did not breathe it. She didn't care. They extended their pleasure and lust until they exhausted themselves.

When Josh finally collapsed on top of her, he was barely breathing. He pulled her to him, stroking her stinging backside and tucking her into his side. "Dear God, this was fantastic. Now I know why people become addicted to sex."

Jenny did not bother with words, but her body thumped and tingled in agreement after hours of being occupied and conquered. "Me too," she whispered to herself.

They closed their eyes and instantly fell asleep from sheer exhaustion.

* * *

Josh's cell phone went off, stopped, started, stopped, and started again. Whoever was calling was determined to speak with him directly, because they were not leaving a message. He struggled out of a dead sleep, found his phone, and noted the time readout of 5 a.m. He answered it.

"Josh, it's Kevin."

"What's wrong?" Josh demanded, instantly alert.

"It's Mila. She is in Mercy Hospital. They admitted her with preeclampsia but have elevated it to the more dangerous eclampsia. They won't tell me much since I am not a family member. I can't even lie about it because everyone here knows me. Even so, I gleaned enough information to know her blood pressure is reaching seizure or stroke levels. The doctors are giving her medicine to get her blood pressure under control, but there can be complications for the baby. As soon as it is safe, they are doing a C-section. You need to get here, fast."

"We are on our way. Keep us posted. Where are Emmie and Adam?"

"My folks are watching them in a private waiting room here at the hospital. Those kids are great sleepers, they haven't awakened yet," Kevin answered.

"We will get there as soon as possible," Josh promised.

"What's going on?" Jenny asked groggily.

"We have to go home. Mila is in the hospital."

"The baby is coming?" Jenny exclaimed, sitting up in the bed fully awake.

"No, maybe, she has preeclampsia or eclampsia, or maybe both. I don't know anything about either of those conditions. It has something to do with her blood pressure rising and she could have a stroke. We need to dress and pack and get out of here as soon as possible."

Jenny jumped out of bed, darting around for clothing and dashing into the bathroom.

Josh pulled on his robe and went out into the main living room. He searched for a phone book, and when he could not find one, he called the local operator for information.

"What is going on?" Tyrell asked, coming down the stairs from his bedroom.

"Mila, Jenny's sister, is in the hospital with eclampsia. I need to get through to the airport to see if I can book a flight into Durango."

"Get dressed, I'll take care of it," Tyrell said, reversing his steps back to his suite for his phone and laptop.

"It's a five or six-hour drive, maybe longer because it's another two hours before it will be daylight," Jenny wailed as she came out of the bathroom passing Josh as he went in.

"Tyrell is trying to get us a private flight out of Denver to Durango."

They were tossing things into suitcases when Tyrell knocked and came in, followed by Violet.

"Did you find something?" Josh demanded.

"I have a pilot filing an emergency flight plan. He will call us once he is in the air and has authorization and a location to land. Apparently, there are hidden helicopter pads all over Vail. We will drive you to him and he will fly straight to Durango. He said it was doubtful you would get permission to land at the hospital, but there is an authorized landing pad about a half mile from there."

"Landing pad? Are we flying in a helicopter?" Jenny exclaimed.

"It is the fastest way," Tyrell said. "It will be a two-hour flight, versus a full day of driving. Violet and I will pack the rest of your stuff and drive your Land Rover to meet you in Durango."

"Oh, but…"

"Jenny, we are family," Violet said, gently giving her a hug. "Family pitches together and helps. We won't leave until you find out Mila is all right. We will take care of Emmie and Adam so you can be at the hospital. Tyrell has already called the airlines and put a hold on our tickets, and we called Mom and Dad. Let's get you packed. All you need is a small bag with a change of clothing each, in case you have to spend the night at the hospital. We will bring the rest and should arrive this afternoon."

Josh's phone rang. He answered and handed the phone to Jenny. "It's the doctor."

Jenny took the phone, verified she was Mila's sister and was on her way. She listened, nodded, and disconnected the call. Then she closed her eyes and leaned into her husband shoulder.

"Honey," Josh asked, fearing the worst.

"They have her stabilized at the moment. Her blood pressure is still too high, she is on every monitoring device available, and she is unconscious. They are monitoring the baby. At the first sign of distress, they will perform a C-section. Mila is thirty-five weeks, so it shouldn't be a problem for the baby. The possibility of Mila having a seizure or stroke, or going into a coma, is their bigger concern at the moment."

Tyrell's phone rang, he spoke, agreed with the caller, and disconnected. "Your helicopter is on its way; it should be here in ten minutes. He has permission to land behind the main Lodge at the Resort. Hop to it gang, we need to get there."