LOGINShare
The Elephant in the Room
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Money Can't Buy Love It's Personal
MichaelIt had been exactly a week since Rainey and I had our little confrontation. I knew that because I made little marks on my calendar for each day. The morale in the office suffered for maybe a day, but Rainey’s mood picked up significantly by the end of last week. I suspected her need to keep things professional outweighed her attitude with me at work.I’d come in fresh off the weekend to her wearing a sheer cream colored shirt. As I came closer to her, I could see the outline of her breasts. I remembered touching them when we were at the lodge. And with one look, I found myself back to thinking of us together.I hated the way we ended things between us. I had wanted nothing more than to start a relationship with her but apparently, I read all the signals wrong. I’d explained myself about Natalia, so what was her hesitation? What was she hiding?I wasn’t the type to be paranoid, but I’d kept a good eye on her and noticed she kept taking mysterious phone calls and slipping away t
Money Can't Buy Love Must Love Kids
MichaelRainey came over to my desk and started looking through the paperwork in my outbox. I inhaled, taking in the sweet scent of her perfume. I swore I could smell her in my sleep.“Hey,” I said into the phone, but I never took my eyes off Rainey.She continued to sift through the papers, and I noticed her shoulders were up to her ears. She could tell me that she didn’t want to be with me, but I still affected her. I just had a better poker face.“Hey,” Frederick said. “Is this a bad time? You sound weird.”“It’s fine,” I said, turning my gaze away from her. I wondered if Frederick had talked to Demetri yet. He wouldn’t have called if he didn’t have news. “What’s up?”“We need to meet,” he said. “I have some updates for you.”“All good things I hope?”“No,” Frederick said. “Why would you say that?”“Busy day at work,” I said, trying to make it sound like I was having an everyday conversation.“Oh,” Frederick said, finally catching on. “Got it.”“I can meet you at Kadia,” I said. “T
Money Can't Buy Love Back at the Club
RaineyWhile the relationship between Michael and I had been strained over the past week, today had been one of the better days. After working with him on some of the last-minute paperwork for the charity event, I felt good about our professional relationship going forward. He acted like a boss and not the man I’d almost slept with. I hoped that we’d be able to continue on that path in the future.My curiosity about his conversation got the best of me. Which was why I called Tessa on the way home from work to go out to Kadia that night. I wasn’t sure what I was thinking, but I had to find out more about Michael’s secret phone calls. I wanted to put my mind at rest once and for all to see if Michael really had something going on with Natalia or some other girl.At least then, I’d be able to let him go. Working in such proximity made it so hard to ignore his good looks. Since he agreed to break off whatever we were doing, it had to be for another woman. Otherwise, why did he agree to th
Money Can't Buy Love Just Looking
RaineyWith one glance at Michael, my entire body shivered. Nerves twisted in my stomach and at that moment I wanted more than anything to crawl under the bar and stay there the rest of the night.Tessa dragged me onto the dance floor, and I turned away from the VIP rooms in case he looked down. I pushed my hair down to shade my face from view.I waited a few seconds and then glanced over my shoulder. I was on high alert and ready to whip back around if he saw me.Instead, his focus was on his brother and Natalia.He shook hands with his brother, and he embraced her. Then she backed away and gave him two air kisses. Then they burst out laughing.I narrowed my eyes. What was that about?They went further back into the room and sat. From that angle, I could only make out the tops of their heads. I wondered what kind of business was going on. Michael clearly hadn’t been lying about meeting his brother. But why was she there all of a sudden? It seemed too coincidental to me. She arrived i
Money Can't Buy Love Ramifications
MichaelI spotted Rainey by the bar the moment I arrived. I had a feeling she’d be at the club tonight, especially because she feigned interest in the conversation I’d had with Frederick earlier. I knew she was still suspicious of me, so I wanted nothing more than to prove her wrong when I got the chance.I forced myself not to look down at the dance floor. I wanted Rainey to see me first, then think she had the upper hand. I’d make my move after I got the information from Frederick.Natalia was already there when I arrived. Frederick had a sixth sense about her ever since we were kids. The two of them flirted incessantly, and I frequently felt uncomfortable around them, feeling as if I were a third wheel most of the time. I had been in the brief time they dated in their twenties. Thankfully the breakup was mutual, and we all remained good friends.Natalia and Fredrick were speaking to each other; their faces were close together. I hoped I wasn’t interrupting anything.“Fredrick,” I s
Money Can't Buy Love Losing Her
Michael“Shit, Fredrick! This was supposed to be taken care of,” I said. “What did Demetri say?”“Nothing.”“Nothing?”“I told him everything my contacts told me, everything I just told you. He said he’d get back to me.”I stood up and tugged my fingers through my hair. It must be nice for Demetri being in Chicago when we were here dealing with this shit storm. It was only a matter of time before those men came to me for some clarity. I could deter them but then they’d come for Frederick, and as much as I loved him, he wasn’t great under pressure. And if any of us left town, that would be a clear indicator of our involvement.“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” I said, trying to wrap my head around this. We’d never been this close to getting caught before. And it wasn’t the police. It was some rogue investor who was out for blood because of his dealings.“I know, man,” Frederick said in an attempt to calm me down.I wanted to wallow in this for a little while. For some reason, I had a c
Money Can't Buy Love Calling In Sick
RaineyThe next morning, the sound of Tanner calling for me woke me from a dead sleep. Years after he was born, I always swore I heard him calling me in the middle of the night even when he was in his bed, fast asleep.I sat up, and my heart was racing. Then I felt it. A throbbing pain radiated in the front of my forehead, deep inside my brain.I glanced at the clock. It was a few minutes before my alarm.I groaned and pressed the heels of my hands against my head. I was never drinking again. The beers should have been enough, but Tessa insisted we had shots too.“Mommy!” Tanner cried.“Coming!” I called back. I rolled off the bed and realized I was still wearing the shirt from last night. My pants were crumpled pile on the floor. I wasn’t sure what was wrong with Tanner, so I threw on my robe and jogged out to the hallway toward his room.“What’s going on, honey?” I asked, coming into his room. The walls tilted at a strange angle, and I grabbed onto the dresser to steady myself. It w
Money Can't Buy Love Looking The Part
RaineyI pulled off my robe and let it fall to the floor. My headache was still there, but the aspirin had taken the edge off. I wanted to be clear and present to take care of Tanner, so I went into the bathroom and downed several Dixie cups worth of water, drowning my hangover and hoping it helped with my dehydration.I settled into bed, pulling my comforter around me in a little cocoon when my cell phone rang. I might have blamed Killian for his tendency to interrupt me at the worse moments, but it wasn’t his ring tone.I grabbed my phone and saw Michael’s name on the screen.I groaned. Was he going to berate me again about pretending to be sick?“Hello?” I said into the phone with the sickest voice I could muster.“Rainey, I hope I didn’t wake you,” Michael said.I tried to determine if he was teasing or being serious. “No, you didn’t.” He’d only called ten minutes ago. I supposed if I was as sick as I sounded then I might have flopped back over into bed. Why was he checking up on
Latest chapter
Money Can't Buy Love Epilogue
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
Money Can't Buy Love Let's Take a Trip
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?”
Money Can't Buy Love At The Zoo
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
Money Can't Buy Love Back Home
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
Money Can't Buy Love Waking Up Together
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
Money Can't Buy Love Testing Out the Bed
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.
Money Can't Buy Love The Taste of Him
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
Money Can't Buy Love Room For One More?
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
Money Can't Buy Love Something Special
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
