32. Ian
Chapter 32
Ian
I cannot wait until I get home to Mia. She’s been all I can think about and this trip to Seattle came at such a terrible time. At least, that’s what I originally thought. After talking to Randall and going over his plans for getting the division back on track, I have a lot more faith in him. We’ll try it out and see how he does running the division on his own. He promised to reach out to me and my VPs if he has any trouble or needs any advice. I plan to come back out in a month to see how everything is progressing, but Randall seems to have respect from the vendors, the staff, and the city leaders.
My phone buzzes with a text that I hope is from Mia, but it’s not.
Mr. Sutherland: Hey—sorry to do this to you at the last minute, but I want to sign the papers this weekend. Can we make that happen?
Me: Is something wrong? Did something happen?
Mr. Sutherland: Actually, yes. Misty has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Her prognosis is really good, excellent actually, but I want the stress of this merger off my plate so I can be with her throughout her treatment. She starts on Monday, so the sooner we can sign the papers, the better.
Me: I’m so sorry to hear this. I hope everything works out.
Mr. Sutherland: Thank you. We’ve told the family, but I’d appreciate it if you kept this quiet for now. Don’t want the press getting a hold of this until we’re ready.
Me: Of course.
Me: Are you sure you want to do this now? We can always postpone until this is all over with and she’s feeling better. I don’t want you to feel rushed into a decision. I’m not going anywhere.
Mr. Sutherland: No, no, Ian. You’re the right guy to take over Sutherland Park Manufacturing. I know you’ll take good care of my company, the customers, and especially the employees. I have complete faith in you, Ian. I want to do this sooner rather than later. Can you come to New York this weekend? Maybe bring your girl with you?
Me: I have a prior engagement tomorrow, but I can be up there on Sunday. I’ll have to check with Mia to see if she can make it. She’s opening a bridal shop here in Hibiscus Harbor.
Mr. Sutherland: Another business tycoon in the family. I love it. Well, if she can come, bring her. I know Misty would love to see Mia again. Either way, we plan to be at your engagement party next Friday night. Depending on how Misty’s feeling, of course.
Me: Of course. Okay, then I’ll see you on Sunday. Meet at your office around one?
Mr. Sutherland: You mean your new office? Ha Ha One o’clock sounds perfect. See you then, Ian, and thank you.
Me: Thank you for trusting me, Mr. Sutherland.
“Sir. This came for you” the steward hands me a file as I end the call.
“Thank you” I take it from him and open it up, knowing that it’s the information I requested from my security team about any threats against Mia.
As I flip through the pages, nothing really pops out at me except one message that was sent to my office at Hibiscus Island Country Club. Mrs. Wilcox took the message down from someone named Lynn Yates that claims to be Mia’s real mother and just wants to get in touch with her.
I highly doubt that, but Mrs. Wilcox left a note that says that this may be legit; that she sounded genuine. If I’ve learned anything in this life, it’s following Mrs. Wilcox’s gut. She even included a preliminary background check on Lynn Yates.
Mr. Gallo,
Please see the below information on the caller that claims to be Mia McIntosh’s real mother.
Lynn Yates, 51 years old, lives about an hour north of Hibiscus Harbor with her husband of twenty years. She has two grown sons, both in the military, and she works as a clerk for the county where she lives. She went to community college later in life and graduated with her Associates of Arts degree. Lynn’s husband is retired from the military and volunteers at the local food bank a few times a week. They own their own home and have very little credit card debt.
Let me know if you’d like me to order a deeper background check on her or if I should just disregard the message.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wilcox
I look over the message carefully; I’m just not sure if this person is for real. But if I didn’t follow my gut all these years, which sometimes means Mrs. Wilcox’s gut, then I wouldn’t be where I am today.
I email Mrs. Wilcox and ask her to order an extensive background check on Lynn Yates. Time will tell whether she’s Mia’s actual mother or not.
Then the question will be if Mia even wants to know.
As I walk in the door, a sight for sore eyes — a vision — is standing there to greet me.
“Welcome home, Mr. Gallo.” Mia says as she takes my briefcase from me and places it on the floor.
“Come here.” I pull her into my arms and inhale her scent. Now I feel like I’m home. “God, I missed you.”
She wraps her arms around my neck. “I missed you, too. This is a very big house all by myself. How have you lived here alone all these years?”
I lean back to look into her eyes. “I’m rarely home.” My forehead rests on hers. “Can I kiss you?”
“I was hoping you w..”
I don’t let her finish her sentence. All I hear is her giving me permission and my lips land on hers. Once again, she tastes like honey.
We kiss like teenagers for a few minutes until Mia finally has had enough of me. “Okay. We need to stop.” She smiles at me.
“Why?” I kiss the tip of her nose.
“Because I made dinner, and it’s getting cold. Come.” She grabs my hand and starts us towards the kitchen, but very slowly.
“Um. Mia?”
She turns her megawatt smile towards me. “Yes?”
“Why are you walking like a penguin?”
Without missing a beat, she says, “It’s the new thing. Haven’t you seen it online? It’s all the rage. It’s what the kids are doing.”
I watch her waddle as if she doesn’t have knees and I can’t watch it anymore. Swooping her up and into my arms, I carry her to the dining room table and put her in a seat. “Sore from kickball practice?”
“Ugh. Yes, and I have no idea how I’m going to play tomorrow when it took me twenty minutes to get my cleats off my feet!” She drops her head into her hands.
Trapping her to her chair, I lean in close. “Maybe, if you’re nice to me, I’ll run you a bath and then put some cream on your sore muscles.” The excitement between us grows exponentially almost immediately.
Mia stares into my eyes and nods.
“You need to use your words, sweetheart.”
“Yea, um… yes. That sounds lovely.”
We stare at each other for a few moments. “Are you hungry?” she asks me.
Shaking my head, “Not for food.”
“Me, either.”
That’s all I needed to hear. I pick her up again and carry her up the stairs and into my bedroom. As I plop her down on my bed, I point at her. “Stay here.”
She nods as I go into my master bathroom and start the water. Mia hasn’t been in the master bathroom, at least I don’t think she has, and if she thinks the bathtub in her suite is big — wait until she sees mine.
My bathtub, I mean.
It’s huge.
I smirk at my own pun.
“Okay. In you go.” I urge Mia into the bath that I’ve drawn up for her. The salts will help with her sore muscles. At least that’s what my trainer tells me. I’ve not tried them yet.
I watch with bated breath as Mia undresses in front of me and it takes all my strength not to touch her. I have to keep reminding myself that she’s sore. Instead, I collect her clothes and deposit them in the hamper and then grab the lighter and start lighting candles.
“Oh, Ian, this feels so good.”
She has no idea what she’s doing to me saying that. I know she means the bath, but fuck me, she sounds like the other night when we had sex. I need to get out of here. “Glad to hear it. Enjoy the water and I’ll be back in a half hour to check on you.”
Her voice rises. “Where are you going? Aren’t you going to join me?”
With my back to her, I stop in my tracks and turn to face her. “Do you want me to?”
Her eyebrows raise and she looks around the room and then back to me like I’m the dumbest thing on the planet. “Ah. Yeah. Duh.” She sounds like a surly teenager. “Get your sweet ass in here, Mr. Gallo.”
She does not need to tell me twice; I’m naked in less than ten seconds. “Scoot forward a bit. Let me sit behind you.”
The water is hot on my skin as I sink into the tub. Pulling Mia back against my chest as we both just sit there and enjoy the water as it penetrates our sore muscles, but I cannot hide how I’m feeling, having her ass up against my cock. He’s hard as a rock.
“Whatcha thinkin’ back there.” Mia wiggles her ass against me.
“Don’t do that or this bath won’t last very long.” I chastise her but secretly love it.
She laughs at me. “Okay, fair enough. Tell me about your trip. How’d it go with the new guy? What’s his name? Randy?”
“Randall and it went much better than I expected. He seems eager to do the job and has the respect of the other staff, customers, and city leaders. We’ll see how it goes. Sawyer’s gong to fly out there in a couple weeks to check on him and make sure everything is going in the right direction.”
She’s waving her hands through the water as I stare down at her nipples that are standing straight up at attention. I pull on one of them. “What’s this? Are you cold?” I watch Mia’s legs bend at the knees, back and forth as I tease her.
“Not cold.” She murmurs as she places both hands on my knees. She’s having trouble sitting still.
“What about this one?” I grab the other nipple and I’m twisting and pulling them up out of the water? “Is this one cold?” I can see her pulse in her neck as she’s trying so hard to sit still. “You can move around, sweetheart. Touch me.” I whisper into her ear as I nibble on her earlobe.
Her hand snakes behind her back, and she grabs me at my base and starts stroking me. “Fuck, sweetheart. That feels good.”
My hand releases one of her nipples and floats down to her perfectly trimmed pubic hair. “I want to touch this.”
“Yes.” She pants as her hips rise up, trying to get to my hand.
I slowly and softly circle her nub, barely touching her. She keeps lifting her hips trying to gain some traction, but I don’t let her. “No, no. Let me do it.”
“Please, Ian.” She begs.
I have pity on her and create more pressure on her nub as I enter one and then a second finger into her core. “Like that?”
She pants as her hands are now both wrapped around my cock and she’s stroking me.
“Or like this?” I curl both fingers and I have to hold her down in the tub as she moans. “Oh, I’m thinking that’s what you want, isn’t it?”
She nods as I keep rubbing her clit with my thumb and pumping my curled fingers, hitting that one spot that drives her crazy.
Mia’s breathing starts to increase as her moaning starts to get louder and louder. “Let me hear you, sweetheart. Scream for me. That’s it. Fuck my hand.”
“AH!! IAN!!!” she yells as water splashes all around us and onto the floor.
I feel her channel milk my fingers and I’m ready to be inside her. “I want you, Mia. Let me get a condom.” I try to stand up, but she’s still got my cock firmly in her hands.
“I want to feel you, Ian. Not the condom. I’m clean and on birth control.” She turns to face me with nervousness in her eyes.
“Are you sure? I’ve never not used a condom.”
She turns her whole body towards me, putting a knee on each side of my hip. “I’m definitely sure. Are you?”
I sit up straight and pull her to me. “Very sure.” I say in between kisses. Angling my cock to her entrance, I slowly pull her down over me and she feels ethereal. “Fuck, Mia.” I whisper as I lay my forehead against her breasts. “You feel amazing.”
Mia has her hands wrapped around my head as she slowly starts to ride my cock. I grab her by her hips and help raise her up and down as my hips try to meet hers.
I look up at her eyes, and she’s smiling at me. “You fill me up, Ian. You feel so good inside.”
I watch her eyes close as I hit her clit with my thumb. “Open your eyes, Mia. Let me see you.”
She opens her eyes and I can see the climax as it takes over her body and I can’t hold back anymore as I shoot everything I have into her; slamming my hips up into hers. I have to hold her still as I jump over that cliff after her.