MichaelIf it weren’t freezing outside, I would have walked to work. I woke that morning with so much energy that even after running on the treadmill for forty minutes, it still coursed through my veins.Today was the day that would set the tone for the rest of Rainey and my relationship. I promised to keep it professional, at least until she was comfortable again. There was no denying the spark we had. Even though she’d omitted a huge part of her life, I finally understood why. And I’d spend each day reminding her that I would protect her and her family no matter what. My relationship with Demetri had rarely brought danger to my front door. My ability to build my business and my face in the newspapers at charity events steered away most danger. Hiding in plain sight kept me out of harm's way for most of my life since knowing Demetri. If I disappeared, a larger investigation would take place, and no enemy of Demetri would want to risk their organization to take me out.After showering
Michael“Yes, I—” my cell phone interrupted the next words out of my mouth.I glanced at the screen, and it was Natalia. “One second,” I said to Rainey. If there was something wrong with Frederick, I didn’t want to waste a moment until I answered her.Rainey looked down at her notebook and started to scribble something down. Though her eyes lifted ever so slightly, looking in my direction.“Natalia,” I said into the phone.Rainey flinched ever so slightly.Interesting…Rainey wanted to keep things professional, but me talking to another woman appeared to bother her. I wanted to test her and see if she could keep our relationship strictly professional. Every time Natalia came into the conversation, Rainey never believed me when I said she was just a friend. It was something that shouldn’t have bothered a co-worker, but for someone who was interested in me, it did.“Hi, Michael,” she purred over the line. After Rainey’s assessment of Natalia’s overly flirty nature, I could see why someo
RaineyI had no reason to be annoyed about Michael’s conversation with his “friend” Natalia. Even though she was a gorgeous and apparently wealthy woman, who fawned over Michael whenever she could, I wanted nothing to do with him outside of a professional relationship. I had to keep reminding myself of that each time I remembered how Michael had smiled and flirted with her over the phone the other day. Since then, he hadn’t spoken to her at work, but I couldn’t help how it bothered me!I knew he liked me, that was apparent from the other day, but the way I spurned him might have thrown him into another woman’s arms. He was giving me everything I wanted: the space I needed, yet I continued to feel like a jealous ex-girlfriend.What the hell was wrong with me?When I found my mind wandering back to him, I dug myself deeper into my work. For two days, I caught up with the assignments I missed and reviewed the documents for the Christmas charity, going over each detail and setting up the
RaineyI couldn’t wait for the week to be over. After looking at dozens of properties for Michael, I narrowed it down to five for him to choose between. I couldn’t help the images from flitting through my mind about Michael and his new gorgeous girlfriend laying out on a private beach or under a cabana together. The views from the properties were out of this world, and I wondered how good it must feel to have enough money to do something like that without even batting an eyelash.I priced out several different locations for variety as I knew he liked having choices. I wouldn’t put it past him to pick more than one property.I hoped my involvement with the project was over. I didn’t need to feed the overwhelming and irrational thoughts in my head about Michael and his girlfriend.The money still hadn’t come out of my account that I returned to Michael. So I was going to wait another week before breaching that topic again.But it appeared that he never took me off the payroll, so my dir
MichaelIt was a little over a week after Rainey came back to work for me and it was almost as if nothing intimate ever happened between us. Though, since the weekend, Rainey had turned into a different person. At least it seemed so by the outfits she wore. Monday it was a one piece pants suit, I believed the girls called them rompers. It was black and flowy, but the neckline was deeper than she normally wore. It was still work-appropriate, so I didn’t think anything of it.Tuesday was a step up, at least for me. A tight, long sleeved, cream-colored dress. Again the neckline was lower than I’d ever seen Rainey wear before. A black belt cinched at the waist accentuated her thin frame. More than once, I found myself staring at her when she walked down the hallway.This morning was the kicker. A black midriff sweater with a black leather pencil skirt. When she arrived that morning, she exchanged her boots for gray stiletto heels. The shoes shaped her calf muscles and gave her a tremendou
MichaelI wanted Rainey’s opinion on the place, needing a woman’s touch. If she could see herself staying there, I knew Natalia could as well. Natalia and Frederick did like to entertain people. If Natalia bought the resort, then Rainey and I would have a place to stay if we managed to get over this massive hump in our relationship.“Did you see the pictures?” she asked.“No,” I said. “But pictures won’t be able to do it justice.”“Oh,” she said.“I want to see the place for myself,” I said, standing up. I walked over to her. Her perfume filled my nose when I was only a few steps away. She smelled like heaven. It was a new scent, and it captured her essence perfectly. “This client is too important to me not to go check it out for myself. I’ll need a full report of the place before I even consider bringing the client in on the idea.”“I’ll make arrangements for your trip whenever you are ready,” she said.“I want to go this weekend,” I said. “Friday morning, if possible.”“I’ll send yo
RaineyI woke much earlier than I needed to on Friday morning. I booked our flight for ten-thirty, and it was with Michael’s private jet, so there was no waiting at airport security for us. The main reason was that I wanted to spend as much time with Tanner as possible before we left. Even though we were only leaving for the weekend, I hated leaving Tanner overnight. I wanted to see his little-freckled face every single morning. He grew up before my eyes, and I wanted to cherish those memories. That need was challenged after I met Michael and had to endure several trips in the short amount of time working for him.Mom assured me it was no problem. She was happy to take Tanner. She was more excited about the prospect of me staying at a private resort than anything. She’d said I needed a vacation. As much as I knew that was true, it was hard to give into Michael and pick up and leave whenever he snapped his fingers.After showering, I slipped into a navy blue pencil skirt. Tessa picked
Rainey“Yes,” I said. I reached down to get my bag, and the waist of the skirt dug into my stomach. I winced. Maybe I should have gone with something more comfortable. We didn’t have time for a fashion show, though. Once I was sitting on the plane, I’d be okay. I had to remember not to bend over anymore.Tanner hopped out of his chair and wrapped his arms around my legs. “I love you, Mommy.”Tears sprung to my eyes, but I blinked them away. “I love you too, honey. Be good for Grandma and Grandpa. I’ll call you as soon as I land.”He gave me one more squeeze before turning to Michael. “Bye!”Then he ran down the hall toward his bedroom.“Tanner!” Mom called after him. “You need to clear your plate.”“One minute!” he called from his room.Mom clicked her tongue. I hugged her and kissed her cheek.“You two have fun,” Mom said.“We will,” Michael said, grinning from ear to ear.My insides melted. It was hard not to be affected by Michael’s charm, especially when he smiled like that.Mom s
MichaelA year ago, I never thought I’d return to Bar Harbor with a woman. Sure, I wanted my new assistant to handle the charity event up there, but not as my partner. Tanner took off ahead of us, dodging the cold Maine water as it slid up against the shore. He collected the shells under the muddy surface. Those were the best ones he’d said. The hidden ones.That little guy had something right. You needed to work for the things that were worth it in life. And I worked hard to get Rainey and Tanner into my life. While it didn’t take much convincing after we got everything out in the open, I thanked whoever was watching over us that I found what I needed in life to be happy.If anyone had asked me if my happiness involved a single mother and her child, I would have laughed in their face. But Rainey and Tanner were what I was looking for since Cynthia died. And I couldn’t be happier. Sometimes I thought about my life before them, and a sick feeling accompanied the thoughts. So I tried no
RaineyThat was so soon. “I’m not sure,” I said, glancing over at Tanner. He was pointing to the polar bear and saying something that I couldn’t make out from that distance. “As I’ve said, I’ve already been away from Tanner too long since we just got back.”Michael chuckled, and I narrowed my eyes.“What’s so funny?” I asked.Michael pecked me on the lips. “I want to take Tanner with us.”“Oh!” I said.Michael shrugged. “I could take you both skiing, or we can hang out at the lodge. There are some places in town I’m sure he would like.”“That’s so gracious,” I said. Tanner would love to come, especially since Michael had his own plane. Tanner would be so excited. I wonder if that would ruin him for commercial flights, but to be honest, it ruined me for them already. I didn’t say it aloud, but this reminded me of having a family vacation. A real one. And I could count on Michael to follow through, unlike Killian with his grand plans and no follow through.“We should go tell him then?”
RaineyIt took me almost a week to get used to the weather back home. The vacation with Michael was the perfect escape, and I never wanted to go back. Michael remained professional in the office. At least during office hours. It took him until Tuesday at six, when Sandra had left, to christen our relationship over his desk. While I did prefer the comfort of bed, making love with Michael in more public spaces really turned me on.There was no more hiding, and I could finally be completely honest with him about every aspect of my life. I never did that with Killian. Maybe I thought I did, but after being with him for a while, I started to keep secrets from him. Secrets about how I felt and what I did when he wasn’t around. I opened up to Michael like never before, and that led to a comfort in our relationship that rivaled my feelings toward my flesh and blood family. Michael integrated himself into our family in such a short amount of time. Mom and Tanner loved him. And while Dad tried
MichaelAfter spending the entire day on the beach, I was wiped by the time dinner came around. Rainey and I packed our things after making love one more time that morning, so we were ready to leave after the last glass of wine was poured. There wasn’t a moment during the car ride, boat ride, and flight that we weren’t touching each other. I held her hand as if it were my life vest in a vast choppy ocean. Even though we declared that we wanted to be together, I still felt a little unsteady. I wanted to test our capability as a couple when our lives were back to normal at home, but at the same time, I didn’t want to jinx anything.Rainey brought out a lot of first-time emotions from me. I actually felt nervous when we departed the plane and headed for my car. Constantine waited for us with the back door open.“Hope you had a nice trip,” he said to me. Then he smiled at Rainey.“We did,” Rainey said and took my hand.Immediately, my fears were squashed. She had a way of anchoring me and
MichaelI woke the next morning with the best feeling inside of me. A ball of hope and happiness filled my insides. I couldn’t remember the time I felt this much at peace with someone other than Cynthia. Her memory was still strong within me, but Rainey was a new chapter of my life, and I had to allow her to take precedence over my previous wife. I had to. It was the only way I could commit to her completely. I said a silent final farewell to Cynthia, knowing that we were both in a better place. Me, here with a perfect woman, and Cynthia in a place without pain and suffering.I slowly turned over, careful not to wake Rainey. She looked peaceful. Her thick blonde eyelashes fanned over her eyes, and her mouth was open slightly as she breathed deeply. She was still sound asleep. I doubted she would wake if I touched her, but I didn’t dare test that theory. She deserved to rest. After everything we put each other through and the heavy fucking session we participated in last night, I wante
RaineyMichael lifted one of my legs and scooted closer. His tip pressed against my lower lips and I sucked in a breath as he entered me. He filled me quickly, and I gritted my teeth as my body adjusted to his length. He slowly moved inside of me, pressing deeper with each thrust.He trailed a finger over my face, moving my hair away, tucking it behind my ear.His eyes locked on mine and I couldn’t help drawing my lip into my mouth, sucking on it as he continued to move inside of me.His gaze fell to my mouth, and he leaned forward, sucking on my bottom lip.I wrapped my arms around him, feeling the tensing of his back muscles under my fingertips.He kissed my neck, slowly pressing his lips against my skin. The movement of his tongue on me made me shiver.I pulled back, wanting to see his face. I felt his pleasure when I sucked him off earlier, but I loved seeing him turned on. The usual blaze his in eyes was like an inferno, burning me from the inside out.“Touch yourself,” he said.
RaineyMichael’s kiss seared me inside and out. I was happy he removed the covers, I was already on fire from his touch. I came into his room to tell him how I felt, and for once, he was the one to speak first about his feelings. He wanted more than just sex. We were on the same page with everything. That’s all I needed to hear from him to make my choice.The weight of his body on me squeezed the air out of my lungs, but I didn’t want him to move. Every part of him was hard. He was the strong man that I’ve always wanted, inside and out. We had our differences, but they were petty compared to the passion we had for each other.Michael’s hands roamed my body as if he painted every part of using his hand as a brush. Heat licked over my body at each place he touched, creating a pool of molten lava in my center.He tugged at the thin straps of my night gown, one at a time, exposing each of my breasts. The cool air in the room touched the peak of each one, tightening and hardening them.My
MichaelI debated pushing the envelope. What did I have to lose? We already kissed so I knew she felt something for me. She might not be ready to commit, but with Rainey, it seemed she needed a small shove in any direction to go anywhere beyond her comfort zone. And then the words tumbled out anyway. “Is there any more of your heart to spread around?”Her eyebrows drew together. “Why do you ask?”“You, Rainey,” I started, locking eyes with her. “You’re the first thing I think about each morning.”Her eyes widened.“I think about you all day. And you’re the last thought I have before bed.”“You do?”“Yes,” I said. Why did she think so little of herself? How many times did I have to remind her of my affection for her? “I wanted you back at work so I could be close to you even if that meant we weren’t together. I want to be with you. So badly. You have no idea what you do to me. I had to work extra hard just to be your boss, but I want so much more. And I have a feeling you do too. I wan
MichaelAfter our kiss and discussion about Rainey’s past, while we were on the private beach, the gap in our relationship had lessened. Though afterward, we shared a relaxing dinner by the pool and didn’t mention any progression for ourselves within that relationship. After putting myself out there, I felt a little exposed, but I didn’t push her. Sure, she had told me her ex was a dick and that her son was the light of her life, but she had to work on her issues before we made ourselves official. She knew my feelings. I had to trust that she would come back to me when she was ready.When dinner was over, Rainey stood up and excused herself.She kissed me on the cheek, an apparent rejection after the kiss we had in town, and went into the house.I sat by the pool, finishing my whiskey and contemplating life. I hadn’t remembered feeling this way since I first dated Cynthia. The anticipation of what the other was thinking drove me insane. I could have drunk the rest of the night, but I