10. Mira
MIRA
“T hank you all so much for taking the time to meet with us.” Glancing over my screen at Clay, who was attending the Zoom meeting on his MacBook while sitting on the other side of the kitchen table, I added, “We know how slammed you’ve all been with this storm.”
Ed Johnson winced like someone had pinched him out of frame. “Again, we are so sorry,” he insisted, while the others—most of them attending from home, where they’d been snowed in—nodded firmly. As the general manager, this fell on him, regardless of whose fault it actually was.
And if I heard him apologize one more time, I was either going to roll my eyes or burst out laughing. Someone had dropped the ball, and we were lucky the results weren’t any worse. Minimal harm was done.
Except, of course, for the fact that we were stuck together and wound up having sex.
Hot, incredible sex. The best sex of my life.
Considering how long we’d waited and how close we had already come before this morning, it only made sense that by the time we stopped fighting it, the results would be explosive.
The fact was, I could barely walk. Not that I was complaining, but I was definitely concerned about where we were supposed to go after this. Clay might have laughed off my post-coital question, but I was serious.
Ed leaned in slightly. His face filled the screen, looking almost gray under the lights in his office.
Either that or all of the blizzard drama had done a number on him.
“Once again, we now have a plan in place for this. We’ll store one of the plows in the garage where our shuttles are stored.
The pavement is heated, like the rest of the pavement around the lodge, so there won’t be any problems getting it in and out during a freak storm like this. ”
“I’m glad to know you’ll guard against anything like this happening in the future.
” Clay offered another one of his easy-going, charming smiles, but it was only a way of tempering the sternness in his voice.
He cleared his throat and looked around himself.
“It has been a real pleasure spending time in this cabin.” What a relief that everyone was paying attention to him and not me since I felt heat rise in my cheeks.
He wasn’t talking about us, was he? “It’s very comfortable, and the view would be fantastic if I could see out the window.
” A soft chorus of laughter rose over the management team, and even I had to chuckle.
Still, his smile faded. “However, there are a few weak points. The failure with the plows is only one of them. Of course, there will always be variables we can’t control.
Certainly, our pilot had no idea of a storm heading this way, either.
They might not have been willing to fly us in an hour or two before the storm struck.
But that is our job,” he concluded. “Every single possibility has to be taken into account.”
I looked over the top of my screen again.
This was something I was used to after more than a week of meetings—seeing him look and sound serious, deeply committed.
And, as always, I was torn by it. On one hand, I wanted him to love these properties and the people working here as much as I did.
I wanted it to be worth more than dollars and cents.
On the other hand, I wanted to hate him.
Still, even with all of the lusting and the wanting, and as of this morning, the fucking, I didn’t want to like this man or respect him as a business person.
He was supposed to be my enemy. Somebody who had taken something from me, the only thing besides my father that had ever really mattered.
“If anything,” I added. “This storm couldn’t have come at a better time. It’s a good thing we were the people staying in a cabin and not actual guests, so to speak.”
“I agree.” Clay nodded slowly. “The timing of the storm was perfect.”
All right, now I knew he was talking about us.
Thankfully, we launched into the agenda originally put together for this meeting.
By now, I knew the points of order by heart, having sat through a few of these meetings already.
That gave my subconscious plenty of room to roam while Clay discussed financials and future projections with the team.
The first thing on my mind was the dull ache between my legs after I’d taken the hardest dick I had ever laid eyes on.
Then there was the fact that we were only dressed from the waist up.
It seemed silly to fall back on formalities at a time like this.
There was no reason to put on a dress or a suit.
Under the table, Clay’s thick calf slid against mine. I nudged him aside with my foot, but of course, that only made him more determined to annoy me. This time, it was the side of his foot that traveled up my leg.
I tried as hard as I could to ignore him but finally looked his way, nudging him harder this time. He didn’t react. How did he manage to shut down like that?
He wanted to play games? Fine by me. I could play too. I started by running my foot up the inside of his bare leg while smiling at my screen like absolutely nothing was going on. Clay’s nostrils flared ever so slightly, but that was as far as his reaction went. Clearly, I needed to try harder.
I took my time dragging my foot up to his knee before inching a little further up, then a little further after that, creeping toward his dick. His throat worked, but he nodded at something Ed said.
Wait. What was wrong with me? I never fucked around and disrespected my people like this.
But when I tried to pull my foot away and focus on the meeting, Clay’s hand closed around my ankle and tightened, holding me in place. Fucker. I maintained my composure, but just barely, tugging gently and getting nowhere.
“I have a few ideas about renovations.” The bastard used his other hand to massage my foot, caressing it and digging his thumb into the arch, moving it in slow circles, and basically melting me.
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep a groan inside.
It was way too good. Somehow, he managed to talk about updating some of the fixtures in the cabins and lodge.
A long sip of the water sitting next to my MacBook helped, but not much. Little sizzles of energy traveled up my leg, practically burning my skin by the time they reached my pussy. I was getting dangerously wet, thanks to his ridiculously skillful hands, again.
“I would be happy to introduce all of you to the interior decorator used throughout my hotels,” he offered while driving me insane. “Maintaining a cohesive brand is one of my top priorities through all of this. I promise you, though, you’ll be able to recognize the place once we’re finished.”
And if he didn’t stop soon, we were going to have to replace my chair or at least give it a serious cleaning. That was how it felt, anyway, as the tension built and my clit started to ache.
“Unless Mira has anything she would like to add?” Clay smiled my way, and I was pretty sure I’d have to kill him when this was over. There were knives within reach.
“I don’t think so, at least not at the moment.” I could barely think straight as it was. It took forever to end the call, and I couldn’t have been happier to close my computer when it was over.
“You’re an asshole.” I yanked my foot free, and he let me go, grinning from ear to ear.
“Don’t start fights you can’t finish,” he retorted with a smirk. Folding his arms, he sat back in the chair. “Nothing makes me break. You may as well accept that here and now.”
“You never know.” I stood, rounding the table, unbuttoning my silk blouse as I walked.
No way were we leaving things there, with my body on fire and my pussy drenched like it was.
All of my misgivings, everything I fought against, echoed faintly in the back of my mind.
So faintly, I could pretend I didn’t hear it.
If I had to be stuck in this marriage, I could at least get something out of it.
I draped the blouse over the back of an empty chair, then reached behind me to unclasp my bra.
He turned slightly in the chair, facing me, smiling as I lowered myself to my knees.
“What is this supposed to be?” he asked in a soft voice, watching my hands move up his legs, finally stopping at the waistband of his black boxer briefs.
“If you don’t know, Mr. Manning…” I dipped a hand into his waistband and pulled his thick erection free, stroking him slowly, watching control slip away a little at a time. “I can’t imagine how you’ve managed to run a business.”
“There I was, thinking you would tell me we could never do it again. I’m pleasantly surprised.” He sucked in a breath when I touched my tongue to the underside of his shaft.
“What was it you said earlier?” I asked, licking him again, smiling to myself when he groaned. “What happens in the cabin stays in the cabin?”
The ridge of his head slid past my lips, and he shuddered once, then again when I sucked gently, teasing him the way he had teased me. My head plunged down, taking more of him, and a deep growl rumbled in his chest.
Warmth spread through me when his hand touched the back of my head, fingers sinking into my hair, massaging my scalp until it tingled. He was waking me up to pleasure I had never experienced, all the ways my body could feel good.
It made me wonder how much more there was for me to learn.
“That’s right. Take it all,” he grunted out, applying pressure to my head, but I didn’t need any help. Not when I liked it so damn much, tasting his salty precum, feeling him surge in my mouth.
I looked up to find him staring down at me, his eyes half-closed.
He was beautiful, he was perfect, and right now, he was completely mine.
In my grasp, hanging on to my every move.
I was wetter than ever, aching for him. Knowing we were going to make the most of this storm, I wouldn’t waste a minute if it meant being able to do this.
“Fuck, you’re good at that,” he gritted out, his words clipped thanks to his clenched teeth. “Nice and slow. Let me feel that mouth. Those lips…”
I had always liked giving head, but this was next level. The sensuality, his deep groans of pleasure, and the way his hand moved through my hair. He unlocked a deep craving—a need to feel him inside me, to let him use my body the way I used his.
His eyes opened wider when I let him fall from my lips, but his confusion dissolved when I backed away toward my bedroom.
He didn’t need an invitation to follow me.