This is a fucking mess.I slam the lid of my laptop shut and lean back on the couch. Then I rub my temples as I contemplate the current situation.The acquisition of Odermatt Corp. is on hold, thanks to that fucking employee who disappeared with the company's program files, including Simone Odermatt's original code. No one knows where he is or what he's planning to do with the files. We don't even know if he did this all on his own or if he's working with someone, possibly another company. If it's the latter, we screwed. There won't be any point in continuing with the acquisition.Odermatt Corp. might even shut down while another company rises because of their hard work. If that company turns out to be one of the handful that have been trying to bring down Colby Holdings for the past several years — and I know some of them were interested in Odermatt Corp, too — the problem will be even bigger.One of our major stakeholders, an elderly fellow named Reuben called just to chew my head o
Felicity tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. "I decided to help them since I didn't have anything better to do, since you didn't have anything for me to do."So is that why she's acting like this? Because she thinks I've been ignoring her? Is she disappointed that we didn't get to finish what we started last night?Come to think of it, I am, too.I set my glass down. "Well, now I do have something for you to do." I pat the cushion beside me. "Sit."Felicity sits down more than a foot away from me and doesn't say anything."Aren't you going to come closer?" I ask her.No answer."Didn't you miss me? I'm offended.""You're drunk," she says without looking at me.What's this? Is she playing hard to get? Well, it is sort of cute."So?" I move closer to her and brush my fingers against her shoulder. "I can still fuck."She looks at me with narrowed eyes. "Is sex all you ever think about?""When I'm with you? Yes." I grasp her chin and capture her lips. She gives a muffled groan. Then sh
My fingers search for the opening at the back of her dress — a hook, a zipper, buttons. I find none so I grip the hem and peel the entire garment off her. She pulls away and lifts her arms so I can take it off completely. Then her mouth and hands are on me again. I toss the dress aside and run my hands across her back.I find the hooks of her bra and unfasten them. As soon as the underwear is gone, I break the kiss and take one of her breasts inside my mouth. Felicity gasps. Her fingers rake my scalp.I suck on her nipple as I slip one of my hands beneath the back of her panties to clutch one plump ass cheek. She reaches between us and rubs my hard cock. It quivers in my boxers and strains against her palm.Fuck. Does Felicity really want me that badly?Fine. If she wants my cock, she can have it.I unzip my pants and take it out of my boxers. Felicity gets off me and kneels between my legs.She wraps her fingers around my cock and licks the tip. It swells even more.I grip her hair a
I can't believe I'm making the same mistakes.I let out a sigh as I stare at an enlarged photo of Albert Einstein, one of the many relics of the famous scientist on display on the second floor of the Bern Historical Museum.If he could hear my thoughts and talk, I bet he'd be scolding me right now for my foolishness. Then again, it doesn't take a genius to know I'm being stupid. Again.I went to Shawn's room again, and instead of leaving after dropping off his scarf like I planned, I ended up having sex with him. Again. I just couldn't leave him alone after seeing the shape he was in — drunk, miserable, a mess that hadn't eaten or slept. And then he started talking. At first, he was a jerk. Maybe I should have left then. But I didn't. I slapped him — something I still can't believe I did — and afterwards, he turned his words against himself. For some reason, hearing him tell mean lies about himself hurt me more than the things he said to me. I couldn't stand it.That's why I kissed hi
We spend the next few minutes eating in silence. I realize Im hungry after having walked for hours. Shawn is voracious, which I suppose isn't surprising. He only ate two sandwiches last night, which was his first and last meal for the whole day, and then two more this morning, which he ate in the car because he wanted us to leave for Bern early.That's good. At least he's got his appetite back. Hopefully, the acquisition can get back on track, too. There's still time. But if it does, will I have the heart to ruin his good mood with bad news? On the contrary, if it doesn't, can I really add to his troubles?Wait a second. I'm not trying to cause Shawn more trouble. I'm trying to soften the consequences of the trouble that I have caused, trying to mitigate the effects of the mistake I made, just like Ryker said I should.Shawn should be relieved, grateful. Why, then, do I get the feeling he won't be? I shrug off my feelings and thoughts and gobble up another spoonful of gnocchi. Didn't
After we go to the Bear Park. we take tours of the Kunst Museum, the Paul Klee Center and the Bundeshaus. Then we head back to Zurich. I fall asleep in the car. When we arrive at the hotel, the sky is already dark.My last day in Switzerland is coming to an end, which means I'm running out of time.I have to speak to Shawn about what's going on with us — and more importantly, what's going to happen to us when we get back to Chicago.I have to.That's why I enter his room after making sure no one has seen me.It's clean now. The Scotch bottle and the glass are gone. The plate that the sandwiches were on, too.Housekeeping must have taken care of them.Even the couch looks clean, but I don't sit on it. I don't want to stand near the bed where Shawn's sitting, either. Or go to the balcony.Where do I go?"What's wrong?" Shawn asks as he takes off his shoes.I swallow the lump in my throat and part my lips. Still, no words come out. The voice inside my head starts to shout.Go on, Felicit
"Do you normally shower with women?" I ask him.It's a risky question, I know.Shawn could find me nosy and be annoyed. But I have to start gathering my courage. Maybe if he gives me just a little more hope, it will be easier for me to summon enough later on."No," he answers, and my heart does a little leap. "Consider this your reward for helping me forget my troubles today."He lets my hair go and starts to soap my shoulders, my arms, my breasts and my stomach. I hold my breath as I anticipate him going lower, but he soaps my back instead, my ass and the backs of my legs. Then he turns me around and soaps the front of my legs up to my hips. Again, he comes close to the part of me that has started to ache for his touch, but again, he ignores it. He hands the soap to me instead."Your turn."I stare at the soap. Okay. I've never given a man a bath before, but I'll give it a try.Shawn turns his back to me so I start scrubbing that while he stays still as a statue. I work on his ass ne
He places my hand on his shoulder and kisses me again, this time fiercely. I wrap my hands around his neck and part my lips. His tongue explores my mouth, stirring it back to life. My tongue starts to slither again, too, and I push it back against his to give him a taste of himself. Shawn doesn't seem to mind.He pushes me out of the beam of water and against the wall. At first, I find the tiles cold, but as Shawn continues to kiss me and begins to tease my nipples, my skin grows warm. Hot.He takes the two stiff peaks of my breasts between his fingers and twists them gently. He rubs them as he sucks on my lower lip.Then he abandons one of them and drops his hand between my legs. His fingers find my nub. As soon as he starts stroking it, I start trembling. My breath catches. I pull my mouth away to take a fresh gulp of air. I rest my head against his shoulder and moan against his skin.When the pleasure proves to be too intense, I grab Shawn's wrist to move his hand lower. I push my
The weeks passed, and after confirmation from the doctor, they set to work decorating one of the rooms into a nursery. They went for neutral colors and gave Logan free rein to help them decorate. He had an artistic eye, and Norman loved seeing the boy come out of his shell. During the decorating of the nursery, it sank in that he was going to have a baby.They were going to have a tiny little life in their hands. It wasn't about being a father, or for Sasha a mother, as they already felt that way for Logan. He'd spoken with Sasha about it, and she had the same thoughts and fears as he did.Norman knew he hadn't made a mistake with Sasha. Not only did he love her, but she was a fantastic mom, and she knew exactly what to say and do to help Logan along the way. Therewere moments, late at night, where he'd still have nightmares.She never once shouted at him. Instead, she'd nurture him, and love him.Once the nursery was complete, they went shopping, letting Logan pick some of the stuff
Two weeks after purchasing the house, they had Logan officially adopted. Norman took as much time away from the office as he could. Sasha went to the office between school hours, completing his work for him. He didn't want her to hire anyone else. Another two weeks after they had Logan, their house was available, and they moved in on that weekend. Her parents came to help as much as they could.They looked after Logan while she and Norman organized movers. They had her mother's slow-cooked pulled pork for dinner rather than have takeout.For an entire weekend, they got the house exactly as they wanted, starting with the bedrooms, and bathroom. Time seemed to move quickly but smoothly where life just played out.Logan came out of his shell, and completely animated their lives. She loved him like he was her own son. He talked constantly about what he loved, which bands he enjoyed listening to. It was fun getting to find out what food he liked as well. He didn't like broccoli, which was
Norman watched as Sasha kissed Logan's cheek, wrapping him up in his new jacket. Each time they brought him back to the foster home, the harder it was to leave him behind.There had been a snag with the adoption, but Shannon was dealing with it.There had to be an assessment done on Logan to make sure he wanted to live with them.Their backgrounds had come back fine, and Shannon assured him it was just down to paperwork. One department needing to talk to another, and rather than phone calls, they had to do it in paper. He was used to problems like this.Logan threw his arms around Sasha, holding her close.She was so beautiful, and she took his breath away. They had been together for a little over a month now. A month of being married, and he loved her ever more.Shannon nodded at him, taking hold of Logan's hand as Sasha came back to him."I hate this. I hate leaving him.""We'll have him soon. I've already got my lawyers working on speeding up the process." He handed her some leafle
Sasha watched as Norman spoke with his clients. It had been a week since he'd asked her about Logan. Things were moving slowly with Logan, but Shannon was reassured that they would be able to have him by next week. Until then, they both went and visited, getting Logan used to them.The boys with Logan weren't angry or upset that he was coming home with them. In fact, they were damn happy. She was shocked by the love the boys showed Logan, and she was proud.The workplace gossip had died down now. No one was whispering behind their hands, looking at them, and laughing. It was the laughter she'd hated more than anything. Norman wouldn't let them hide their relationship anymore, and for that she was glad. She'd never enjoyed hiding that part of herself, and it never felt natural for her to."Here you go," Lottie said, interrupting her."So sorry, I was away in a different land there," she said, taking the mail from her."Marriage must really suit you.""Why do you say that?""You're pract
"Norman, this is my mom and dad, Emma and Harold Miller," Sasha said.The two people were a lot older than Norman imagined, but he saw that they were loving, caring people. The kindness in their eyes showed through. While he'd been participating in this yearly event of torture, "taste the food", he'd noticed her parents arrive. The care they gave to each child was something he admired."Hello, it's great to meet you," he said."It's about damn time we met you. Been married for what? A month or so, and we're only getting to meet you now. It's a disgrace.""Dad, stop it," Sasha said, chuckling. "We've been busy, and we both know you'd have needed to calm down before you could even accept him into your life.""Yeah, well, a father is still allowed to be ... annoyed."Norman smiled as he noticed Harold hesitated before saying something, making sure kids didn't hear any cussing words.According to Shannon, the event was a roaring success. Norman would double, maybe even triple, his donatio
That Saturday, Sasha stayed beside Norman, holding onto his arm as they were surrounded by congratulations. She didn't miss the questioning looks that some were throwing their way. There was no mistaking their confused thoughts. They were all wondering why he was with her.Norman, though, he was so different. The kids from over ten different foster homes in the area had turned up at the school for a day of fun. Every year Norman would donate money to the school so that he could host these events. The previous four years she had stayed in the background, playing her part but never really getting too close.This year was different. Norman grabbed her arm, holding up their hands, and announcing to the whole event that they were husband and wife. He didn't address anyone but the kids."Kids, listen up. Something is a little different this year. You see this beautiful lady by my side?""She's your PA," one kid said."Now she's my wife. Sasha accepted my proposal.""Does that mean you're in
Later that night, Norman was waiting for Sasha to finish in the shower. He would join her, but he had plans with her, and he intended to carry them out. After he'd escorted her to the human resources department for the two of them to change their marital status, and also her name, his building was humming with gossip.Martha and Lottie took the time to stop by her desk to ask about the details of what was going on. When she had looked toward him, he'd gone to help her, letting them know that they couldn't stop love.Norman stared at his reflection in one of the mirrors, and then stared down at his wedding band.Love.He'd never felt it before in his life. The people in his world didn't deserve love, and he didn't really believe in it either. At least, he hadn't.No, he didn't love Sasha.Love was just an element of control that people used.He believed in sex.Sasha came out of the bathroom dressed in a towel."Why did you take my nightshirt?""Why would I want you dressed?" He ran hi
"Please tell me he's a meat eater?" her mother, Emma, asked."Yes, Norman likes meat."Sasha sat outside of the office building, eating a sandwich. Norman was on a very important conference call. She made sure he had some lunch and decided to eat hers outside on one of the walls, watching the hustle and bustle of the city life go by."Good, good. I have no problem with people being vegetarian, or whatever they want to call it. Just not for me. A meal is not a meal without some meat.""There are a lot of people who will disagree. I like vegetarian food. You should make the lasagna. Amazing."She heard her mother's scoff. "Can you imagine me feeding Harold a vegetarian lasagna?""Nope. Dad wouldn't talk to you for weeks.""Now that you say that, I may just make it for him."Sasha started laughing. Her mother and father loved each other very much. "How much does he know of... my arrangement?""He knows everything, sweetie. You know I don't keep things like that from your father."Sasha g
One glorious week had passed. Norman stared out of his office window, and couldn't keep the smile from his face. He was married, and slowly, he was moving Sasha into his place. Their wedding hadn't been a big deal.No white dress, no flowers, no guests. Like Sasha wanted, they'd gone down to the courtrooms during a break, and simply gotten married, signed the paperwork, sealed it all up, and he'd placed a ring on her finger. It had to be one of the coldest moments of his life. Then he recalled Sasha's smile, and nothing had been cold about that day. They all had to make sacrifices, and she was giving up her life to be with him.There had been a few minor setbacks. She didn't want anyone to know that he was married in the office, so the ring he wore was around his neck attached to a necklace. Sasha wouldn't wear her ring either, which pissed him the fuck off.She belonged to him. They were in the process of making a baby together, and they were husband and wife. It would only be a matt