Slave to Love (13 page)

I feel her legs part slightly and grind myself into the seam of her short shorts. The sound she makes is like telling a race car driver to start his engines. For all intents and purposes, I am fucking her, with all our clothes on, in the open doorway of her home. I press her to me tighter, my hard cock pointing up and making my jeans excessively tight. I need to feel her rubbing against it. So totally out of control as I start stabbing her with my hips, our kiss still not broken.

“I want you,” I breathe into her mouth.

She answers with a moan that is more like a whimper. I swear she’s close. And so am I. Like two fully dressed teens. And I feel like a teenager around her. I have to have this girl. I’ve somehow managed to get the crotch of her jean shorts moved to the side and my jeans are now pressing into her sticky lace underwear. I apply as much pressure as I can knowing she’s about to start quaking.

Pulling her mouth from mine, Sierra buries her face in my shoulder. I feel her shuddering as we stand very still and quiet. Moving my hands off her ass, I wrap my arms around her tightly, holding her. Safe in my arms.

“That was for me,” I whisper in her ear.

Pulling her face from my shoulder, she’s searching mine, but I’m not quite sure for what. She looks sad. Her eyes look dispirited and my chest hurts at the thought that it’s probably me that has made her feel that way. What we’ve got is convoluted and inconsistent. That’s not the way to start a relationship.

Finally she speaks, “But was it for me?” She pauses and the pain is palpable. I don’t understand what she’s asking. “Or was it for Maggie?” And then it is clear. Crystal clear.

Caught off guard, my mind stumbles and reels. My first inclination is to hold her tighter, for fear of loss. I can’t let her get away. Shaking my head, I stare steadfastly into her eyes. “For you, Sierra. That was for you.”

I can tell she wants to believe me.
What the hell did Noel say to her?

Leaning down, with one hand now on her cheek, I kiss her very softly on the lips, the polar opposite of the kiss we just shared. “I know we can’t be anything until after TFV1. I understand that and I respect it and I will respect you.” With my fingers gently trailing down her neck to the collarbone, I move to one finger as I trail down to her cleavage. “But until then, I want you wearing my chain, mermaid.”

And with a pressing of my lips to her forehead, I am off, down the driveway and revving the engine of the Lotus as I head down the street.

My legs are shaking as
I watch the tail lights of his car recede down my street.
What the hell just happened?
I think I just got ‘taken’.

Closing the door, I walk back to my bedroom and pick up the necklace off my dresser. After fastening it around my neck, I sit down in the middle of my bed and grab my cell phone where I attempt to compose the perfect selfie of just cleavage, hair and the necklace. I want to show enough, but not too much. Sorry nipples, you don’t get featured in this shoot.

The shot is perfect. Just enough to kill him. Not enough to end up on the internet.

I send the text without any message. Just the picture.

Don’t take it off.

You’re very demanding of me for someone who has a girlfriend. Are you this way with her, too?

I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.

Oh really?

Really.

Your girlfriend in New York. How would she feel about our kiss tonight?

That wasn’t just a kiss, Sierra. We inked a deal. And I don’t have a girlfriend in New York.

That’s not what I’ve been hearing.

Well, you’re hearing wrong.

Oh really?

Really.

There is silence for a while because I don’t respond. Sitting in the middle of my bed, just staring at the phone, rereading his texts. Who is lying to me? Someone is lying to me.

Sierra

Yes

I don’t have a girlfriend. I haven’t had anyone in my life for a year and a half.

What happened to her?

She wanted to get married.

Is that a bad thing in his estimation? I wonder. Women who want to get married should be avoided at all costs?

You’re not the marrying kind.

She had bad taste in furniture ;). And I don’t know that I’m not the marrying kind, I just didn’t want to be married to her.
Ah, Miss New Hope. The Sticks hater.

Was that Maggie?

No.

That
wasn’t Maggie? It was another one? How many are there?

So, Maggie is another one?

No. It’s not like that.

Then what IS it like, Hale?

Sierra, it’s not a text conversation.

Oh God, that sounds serious.

A face-to-face?

Yes.

I have a feeling this is going to upset me.

It might. But not for the reasons you are thinking.

You really have me off balance, Hale.

That’s why I had to push you against a doorframe.

He’s funny.

Mmmmm

:-) That was hot.

It was.

Sierra, I don’t want you to worry about anything. I’m not going to mess with you. Not personally or professionally. We never got to talk about Universal and the Polo Club. That first night was a huge eye-opener for me and I feel like shit for having put you through the things I’ve put you through. But I’m not like Bob.

I have so much to lose, Hale.

Your dignity is not something I’m looking to compromise. Tonight was the real thing, Sierra. Please believe that.

I want to.

I was out on Nantucket this weekend. Which I will tell you about when we’re together. I was heading back to New York, I have meetings there this week, but I diverted to Austin.

To kiss me?

Yes. To kiss you. I’m flying back to New York first thing in the morning, but I’ll come back to Austin next weekend.

He flew to Austin to kiss me. Holy cow, he’s got my heart racing.

OK

Sierra

Yes

Are you OK?

No. Yes. I don’t know.

Am I okay? Seriously, dude? You’ve got me so that I don’t know whether I’m coming or going.

I’ll be in Austin all next week.

I’m in Chicago next week.

Drats!

Can you get out of it?

No.

I understand. OK, well we have the weekend. And then again when you get back. We need to coordinate schedules.

Coordinate schedules. Did he just say that?

Hale

Yes

I’m going to miss you.

Ugh, I can’t believe I admitted that. I am such a loser. Why did I give him that power? He who talks first loses. Basic rule of sales.

I miss you already, mermaid.

Oh wow. Serious sigh. It wasn’t a power thing for him.

Mermaid. He’s nicknamed me mermaid.

Touching the gold chain around my neck, I’m giddy with love, lust, whatever it is that has me feeling fifteen years younger than I am. Laughing aloud, I get this idea to send him a picture every day that we’re apart showing the chain still around my neck … still chained.

Oh Hale Lundström, I have a feeling resisting falling in love with you is a senseless waste of my energy.

If only we can hold out until after his event when our direct business relationship ends. Even though he’s a client of my company, I’ll have more latitude to explore this thing, this wonderful, confusing crazy thing between us, after his event is over.

It’s a little before lunch
on Wednesday when Susan and Robyn knock on my door.

“We heard the Universal event was pretty spectacular,” Susan uses that as an opener as they both migrate into my office, uninvited, and take seats.

“It was definitely filled with Hollywood and political royalty.” I know I’m smiling thinking back on the day and all its unexpected surprises.

“Was the entertainment good?” Robyn has her long, thick hair draped over one shoulder.

“It was. The combination of people they brought together to honor the troops was outstanding. The whole program was very moving.”

“Did you meet Monica and Beverly?” There’s snark in Susan’s tone and I can feel the competitiveness creeping into the conversation.

“Yes, I did. They are a lot of fun, those two.” I see a look pass between Susan and Robyn in response to my comment, which makes it the perfect time to fuck with them. “I’m wondering if we should just move over everything to the Los Angeles office.”

Robyn’s fair complexion turns a whiter shade of pale and she begins to stutter. “But aren’t you…”

“I really hope you haven’t spent your commission check yet.” I take it a step further, looking at her, my demeanor totally serious.

Susan stiffens and is about to launch into a heavy duty sales pitch, which I’m not up to stomaching, so I smile and say, “Ha-ha. Gotcha.”

Grabbing her chest dramatically, “Oh Hale, you practically gave me a heart attack.” Robyn stands and comes around to my side of the desk. Latching onto one of my hands, she places it on her chest. “Feel that. Feel what you’ve done to me.”

Taking my hand away, “Why don’t you grab a cold water out of the refrigerator. It might help.”

“I think I just might.” Walking slowly so that I don’t miss her ass which is packed into a short, tight, shiny red dress, she bends over to grab a bottle from the fridge’s lowest shelf. From Susan’s vantage point, she can’t see anything; from mine, however, Robyn is treating me to more than a glimpse of her ass, as I’ve now got a full view of her commando recent Brazilian wax. Sitting back across the desk from me, she makes direct eye contact and smiles as she crosses her long legs.

And I’m very glad with my military training that I’ve got great basic instincts. There’s not a chance in hell I’m going to fall for her game.

It’s impossible not to see the irony in this. Here Robyn sits here across from me using every sexual weapon in her arsenal to try and ingratiate herself to me and get ahead in business. And halfway across the country, Sierra ripped me a new one, and rightly so, for potentially jeopardizing her career path, which she has diligently worked to forge.

Who would I want representing my company, championing the brand into which I’ve invested my blood, sweat and tears for years? Six months ago, I probably would have looked at Robyn and seen just bottom line numbers. No doubt this woman’s attributes could close a lot of deals.

And I would have fucked her. On my desk. In front of the floor to ceiling windows. Against the wall. My hand would have been up her dress, fingering her under the table in meetings and business lunches. Just because I could.

What an ass I was. On the road to being a full-fledged Bob Mannon, just easier for me because I’m younger, better looking and I am the CEO. I’m ashamed. How did I get so far off track of what is right and wrong? It was so cut and dry when I was in the service. And when did I become so damn entitled?

After they leave, I call my personal assistant into my office.

“Blair, have a seat.”

She looks nervous. “Is everything okay, Hale?”

“Yeah, yeah. Everything’s fine. I need to ask you something and I need you to be really honest with me. There’s a lot of people around me who will tell me what they think I want to hear, instead of the truth. I want the truth. Can you do that for me?”

“I’ll try. Promise you won’t fire me?”

Laughing, “It will probably get you promoted. My inner circle are my eyes and ears, Blair. How do you think I treat people? Be honest. Do not blow smoke up my ass and don’t tell me what you think I want to hear.”

“I think you are very professional. You drive people hard, but not unfairly and I think for that they respect you.”

“How about women? How do I treat women?”

I can see the wheels spinning in her head as she’s trying to formulate an answer.

“You don’t have to be politically correct. Just tell it to me from the gut.”