Chapter 14
Aknock at my office door precedes Cade poking his head in. “Got a few minutes?”
I wave him into the seat adjacent to mine. “How are we looking?”
”After last weeks’ meetings, we’ve narrowed it down to three potential firms to manufacture the VR systems.”
He runs through the options: Hanes Robotics, Burke Medical Tech, and Walsh Dynamics. I bristle slightly at the last name. It’s a big firm, with plenty of resources to draw on.
“Walsh would fast-track delivery by six weeks. Likely cutting corners on testing and quality control, if you ask me.”
I mull it over before decisively tapping the files. “Set up site visits and follow ups for all three. I like the timeline Walsh promises, but I want to consider all the options before we make a decision.”
Cade readily agrees, gathering the chosen folders. “Will do. We need a rock-solid infrastructure backbone, and this is starting to look good.”
As we wrap up the meeting with our next steps, Cade casually leans back in his chair. “Now tell me how cohabitating with our darling social media manager is going.” His tone is both playful and insinuating.
“We”re making it work,” I grumble, avoiding his stare.
I don’t tell him that last week, when I saw her in the park shimmying to the groove with a gorgeous, shirtless man her own age, my mind was wiped blank. Watching her dance in scraps of glitter fabric took my breath away. The young man looked like a damn movie star, his six-pack glistening, rivulets of sweat snaking down his chest tattoos, a backward baseball cap revealing golden locks underneath. He never touched her, but his movements mirrored hers as if he was reading her mind. His smile, dazzling and bright, complemented the playful gesture of his hand mimicking a racing heartbeat, a flirtatious eye roll, and the fingers beckoning the viewer to come closer.
Seeing Maddie with someone so effortlessly charming made me realize he would be a far better match for her than my battle-scarred self ever could be.
Still, I lost my mind. I realized there was no world in which I would let Maddie Emerson walk away from me.
She had to be mine.
“So, when are you gonna admit you guys are the real deal?”
I scrub at the stubble on my chin. “Who says that feelings are involved?” I mumble unconvincingly.
“Brother, everyone can see it as plain as day. Even your icy exterior is melting around her lately.”
I huff out a laugh. “She’s terribly young though, don’t you think? But you are right. I can’t help wishing for this relationship to work out. It’s impossible to look away from her.”
Cade studies me thoughtfully. “Well, that seems to be mutual. She looks at you like you hung the moon.”
I sigh heavily, wanting to change the topic. Getting my hopes up this early would be childish.
“Are the VR therapy sessions doing any good for you? How are the nightmares?” Cade asks after a brief silence.
“Haven’t had one in a couple of weeks, actually. Rerouting of the brain responses seems to be the right approach. How about you?”
“It’s been working.” Cade smiles. “I saw Marc last week. He hasn’t woken up screaming for a while either, thanks to the trial software.”
My shoulders loosen, hearing that our experimental PTSD treatment is effective in treating traumatic memories.
“So, hopefully nailing down an infrastructure partner ASAP kicks things into high gear,” Cade adds. “And I’m positive that Marc will walk normally someday thanks to this tech. Many others too. We just need to scale fast.”
I nod in agreement as he stands up. “I’ll leave you to it. Should be able to set up the site visits for early next week. Then we can make the final call.”
* * *
“Right on time.”I grin as Maddie appears in a stunning black dress that hugs all her perfect curves. I take her overnight bag as I reach for her hand that feels small folded in mine as we descend the brownstone’s stairs.
The evening is perfectly planned out. Maddie flashes me an excited smile that kicks my pulse into double time.
I guide her into the town car idling at the curb. Settling into plush leather as the driver pulls away, she fixes me with a delighted yet quizzical look.
“Sooo . . . Where exactly are you whisking me off to, soldier?” Maddie asks playfully, sparkles dancing in her eyes.
I grin, determined to extend the secrecy a bit longer. “Patience, Little Bird.”
Throughout the short ride, I coyly deflect all attempts to deduce our destination, delighting in her theatrical pouting.
The car glides expertly through evening traffic. As we near Chelsea Piers, Maddie”s questions trail off, replaced by her eagerly peering at the glossy buildings outside her fogged window. When I help her to the curb below a sleek white vessel gently rocking in the Hudson River, her soft exhale of thrilled realization rewards me.
“Welcome aboard the Odyssey, Little Bird.”
As we step on the luxurious ship, a gray-haired man in a crisp captain”s uniform appears.
“Mr. Whitmore! Welcome.” He turns to Maddie with a polite smile. “I”m Captain Ames, and I”ll have you both seeing the NYC sights tonight.”
Captain Ames rattles off our itinerary. “We’ll sail south along the Hudson, then around the tip of Manhattan. It’s a balmy and calm night, and if the weather keeps, we’ll cruise into the East River and venture into the Atlantic Ocean for a couple of hours overnight.”
“We are spending the night on the boat? Oh, very exciting!” Maddie winks at me.
The captain lets out an amused chuckle. “I’ll make sure you experience some gentle cruising while you relax.”
Right on cue, a man arrives bearing a bottle of champagne on ice. “The table is ready whenever you are.”
“We’ll call you when we need you,” I dismiss him. He nods as he turns away to leave.
Maddie joins me at the polished teak railing, the engines rumbling as we ease away from the Chelsea Piers dock. Her eyes shine like stars taking in the city lights glittering around us.
“I feel like a princess.” She stares at me with wide eyes. The Manhattan skyline is lit up against the sun setting into the Hudson, offering a stunning backdrop.
“Then let’s get you into some trouble, princess.” I chuckle and grab her at the small of her back, pulling her in. Her body is warm underneath the thin fabric of her dress. My heart is thundering in my chest as I greedily slash my tongue over her lips, her mouth parting and welcoming me.
She gasps, not having expected the onslaught. My hand lands in between her legs, the wet heat of it making me heady, her hips bucking into me.
“You feel needy, Little Bird. I can get you what you want.” I grin, rubbing her pussy. “Did you take care of birth control?”
“I-I got an implant,” she stutters as she shamelessly continues to grind against my hand. “But the chef could come back. The . . . the captain. Someone could see us,” she whispers, panting heavily.
“Good. Let them see me fuck you,” I growl in her ear, leaving a trail of kisses against her neck. I pull down the top of her dress, cupping one breast in my hand and leaning in to twirl my tongue around a pebbled nipple. She presses her body closer into me, but I twist her around, so she faces the water. Her hands are gripping the railing as I lift her dress up and rip off her panties, letting them fall into the bubbling Hudson waves.
I trail my hand against her slick folds, then push a finger into her. “You take my hand so nicely.”
The Statue of Liberty glides past us, illuminated in the twilight.
I unbuckle my pants and take my cock out, pressing it against her bare ass. She is panting, arching her back, trying to get more friction. Nothing else matters in this moment except Maddie, breathless and pliant under my touch. I wrap an arm around her and hold a heavy breast as the wind catches flyaway strands of her chestnut waves.
“Jack, this is so good.”
“Happy you like your onboard experience,” I tease as my hand slaps her ass cheek. She doubles over with a gasp.
“More,” she moans.
“So eager.” I nip at her neck. “You walking around the office in those tight skirts is the end of me, do you know that? You look like fucking Aphrodite. Almost six feet tall in those blasted heels, prancing around while I’m stiff as a brick. All I can think about is when will be the next time I get to have you bouncing on my dick.”
“Fuck me now, Jack,” she gasps. “Please . . . Just fuck me hard.”
“I love it when you ask for what you want.”
I push into her in one thrust, eliciting a moan. She engulfs me, tight and hot. But I can’t stay still for long.
“And the way you take my dick, it’s divine,” I croon as I push even deeper inside her. A scream escapes her. “Scream louder, Little Bird. I want everyone to hear you’re mine.”
I wrap an arm around her waist, with the other holding her breast possessively.
Letting her adjust to my size, I rock against her gently, nipping at her neck and ear. But then I pinch her nipple and start slamming into her harder. She cries out while I fill her, thrust after thrust. As I fuck her, my hand slides down her stomach and cups her pussy, letting my fingers play with her clit.
Her face is illuminated by twinkling towers sliding past. I press a kiss into her wind-cooled hair. A raging inferno builds, and I force her to turn her head to me,swallowing her scream with my kiss. Pleasure builds in my center, and then an orgasm roars through me. I spill myself into her as she convulses around me.
Her body is shaking when I slip out of her, and the soft dress falls back down over her hips. I pull the top back over her breasts, giving them one last possessive caress before doing so. She continues to hold on to the railing tightly as she turns toward me, looking filled and sated. Just the way I want her to be. Full of me, my come dripping out of her center.
“My legs are jelly.” She giggles while I pull my pants up, the sound light and innocent, reminding me once again of how young she is.
“Let’s sit down.” I smile and gesture to the table set inside the yacht cabin.
As we approach it, I grab a napkin, dropping to my knees and lifting her dress back up to wipe her.
“I like kneeling in front of you,” I say as I gently brush her legs with the cloth, cleaning the sticky liquid.
“And I like having your come all over me,” she says while she trails her hands through my hair.
Once I stand up, I pull out a chair for her. She glances up at me slyly. “This was an unexpected start to our date. Do you think the crew saw us?” she whispers, rosy flags staining her cheeks.
I offer a wink, picking up the champagne bottle. “Probably.”
“Do you do this often?”
“Fuck women on my yacht? Or let the staff watch?”
She looks away, embarrassed. “I shouldn’t have asked, I apologize.”
I take her hand. “Neither of those, Little Bird. I came back from deployment only last year. I haven’t had a lot of opportunity to regale myself like that.” I smirk. “But now that you gave me a taste of it, I consider this to be a fine way to spend an evening.”
She slaps my arm jokingly. “Tell me, any wild stories from your Navy days you could share, soldier? You never talk about your time overseas. How was that, serving?”
I chuckle. “Well, missions are classified, but maybe I’ve got a couple of good memories I can share with you.”
Her eyes flash excitedly. “Oh, tell me! I bet you have all kinds of badass black ops secrets.”
I laugh, shaking my head at her dramatics but launching into a selective account of squad drama during my first deployment in Yemen. I entertain her with stories of silly pranks the squad would pull in between brutal training sessions, like the time we switched out Johnson”s foot powder for glitter dust. Maddie howls hearing about our scowling sergeant glowing like a twilight vampire for days. I embellish only slightly for her amusement, avoiding any mention of the darker moments.
As the moon casts a golden haze over the waters, our chef reemerges from the galley, balancing two steaming plates. My nose fills with rich aromas of cedar plank salmon, grilled asparagus and garlic rosemary roasted potatoes.
Maddie”s eyes grow wide as the food is placed before us. “You weren”t kidding about that gourmet meal.” She smirks as she carefully unfolds her navy cloth napkin to place in her lap, beaming with delight.
I lean back while the waters slowly rock us. “To a splendid night, Little Bird.”
Maddie beams radiantly, toasting after me and taking a long first sip. Soon, we launch into easy stories and laughter as we savor the delicious food.
“Mm, I don”t know if it”s the wine, the earth-shattering orgasm, or the water rocking us, but that was the best meal I”ve had in ages.” She dabs her lips and bats her lashes. “So, what do you say, soldier, feel like giving me an exclusive tour? I bet it beats your typical hotel room.”
“You could say that.” I smile as I guide her toward the polished walnut door leading below deck to the sleeping quarters. Inside, low ambient lighting reveals a decadent California king draped in Egyptian cotton sheets. Flickering faux candles cast the cozy space in a romantic glow, echoed by real stars visible through the skylights strategically angled for stargazing from the bed. Her overnight bag rests on a chair.
Maddie gives a dreamy sigh, running fingers over the intricate carving of the headboard as she toes off her pumps.
“Now this is way better than a standard issue Airbnb.”
* * *
I wake up disoriented,heart racing and explosions still echoing. The Arabian Sea is churning violently under our inflatable dinghy, darkness surrounding us.
It was supposed to be a quick, eight-man SEAL op apprehending an Al-Qaeda target docked nearby. But the insurgents are waiting, militarized fishing boats concealed before swarming us. Our heavily armed squad is clearly outmatched. Johnson takes a missile straight on, granting the rest of us milliseconds to realize we are outgunned.
Through the smoke, I watch Alex get pierced with rounds as he tries to radio for backup before our craft capsizes, blood pluming out into the bubbling blackness. Hands grab at me roughly, and I fight back. Angry yelling surrounds me as they try to rip my hands off an insurgent.
Breathing hard, I register Maddie frozen under me, her eyes saucers as she gasps my name, gripping at my hands wrapped around her throat.
“Jack, it’s me. Jack! Stop!”
I jolt awake, realizing what I’m doing. NYC high-rises are visible through the porthole as I catch my breath. She sits up in bed, terrified, taking in my frenzied state and rubbing at her neck in confusion. Immediately, horror washes over me as I realize I could have killed her in my delirium.
“Hey, I”m sorry,” I rasp, cautiously reaching toward where she sits rigidly, looking like she is ready to bolt. “In my mind, I was back to being captured in Yemen waters, watching my squad mates get killed, helpless to stop it,” I grind out through the bile clogging my throat. “I’m sorry I frightened you.”
Maddie blinks warily like a doe prepared to flee.
Seeing fingermark imprints on her slender neck fills me with shock and self-loathing.
“Maddie . . . I could have really hurt you,” I say hoarsely. Nausea churns at the thought of my hands, trained to quickly maim in close combat missions, wrapped angrily around her delicate throat. It”s profoundly disturbing realizing my subconscious could mistake her for the enemy.
Tears are pooling in her eyes. I punch the mattress in frustration and anger at myself for exposing her to this darkness.
She reaches for my clenched fist, ready to comfort me despite being the one who was endangered. But I can”t meet her eyes.
“I thought I was okay, but clearly that’s not true. I can”t risk this happening again. Your safety has to come first.”
Straightening my spine, I finally meet her wide hazel eyes, shattered with the harsh realization of what I’m about to do. With a small broken noise, she lunges at me, fiercely wrapping both arms around my waist, as if clinging to me tighter could sway me.
I gently remove her hands. Then shoulders squared, I turn my back on her muffled pleas as I put on my discarded clothes and walk out.