Chapter Twenty-Five
Spencer
Desmond Rademaker doesn”t move a muscle, seeming not even to blink or breathe. He stares directly at me with such intensity that I need to fight the urge to tell him to say something or sod off. Tabitha seems outwardly calm, but I recognize the way her lids have tightened just enough to create minuscule wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.
”Well, Spencer?” says the man who holds my career in his hand. ”Why should I give you extended leave?”
”You hired me to do a job, and I”ve done it very well. I was the hardest working risk analyst at the London office, which is why I was transferred here. I”ve cleaned up the risk analysis team without firing a single person.”
He goes on simply staring at me.
I resist the urge to loosen my tie. ”If you”re going to sack me, let”s get it over with right now.”
”You”re practically begging for a pink slip, aren”t you?”
”No. And I”m not defending my record either. You must know what sort of job I”ve done here, so I have nothing else to say on the matter. Give me the holiday time or don”t.”
”Why do you want this extra time off?”
I suppose he does have the right to know. ”My brother is getting married, but he seems to be suffering from an anxiety attack about the whole thing. My sister called me a few days ago, begging me to come home and help our brother.”
”You”re close with your family, eh?”
”Very close. We”ve endured our fair share of hardship, but we never let that dampen our spirits.”
Rademaker leans back in his chair, and his stoic expression softens. ”I have a brother too, so I know how you feel. Family is very important to me, as I”m sure it is for you too.””
”I would do anything for my family.”
He swerves his gaze to the woman sitting beside me. ”And you, Tabitha? Why should I grant you extra leave?”
”Because I”m going home with Spencer to help him with his brother and all the wedding preparations.”
”That isn”t part of your job, dear.”
”I”m not going to England so I can see the sights. I want to be there for Spencer and meet his family.”
Rademaker picks up a sheet of paper, seeming to read whatever is written on it. His lips curl into a roguish smile. He holds up the sheet. ”This is a copy of your written statement declaring your desire to have a personal relationship.”
I stare at him the way he”s been staring at me. ”That”s right. We followed human resources guidelines.”
He crumples up the paper and drops it into the wastebasket. ”Don”t you miss the days when you could date your assistant without signing a ten-page waiver?”
Will this bloke ever get to the point? I”m on the verge of grabbing his letter opener and holding it to his throat until he gets to the point.
”I don”t mean to be disrespectful,” I say, ”but you seem to be delaying on purpose to test us or...something. Please, Mr. Rademaker, just make your decision and have done with it.”
”Call me Desmond.” He sets his arms on the desktop again and smiles broadly enough that dimples form in his cheeks. ”I had to test you, didn”t I? You wouldn”t believe how many freeloaders march into my office and demand extra time off for frivolous reasons. One young man told me I should give him three weeks off so he could attend a wild concert at a nudist enclave out in the desert somewhere. I don”t consider that to be a valid reason.”
”Doesn”t human resources handle that?”
”I insist on approving vacation requests myself. I”m the hands-on type.”
”So am I. But you haven”t answered my question yet, Mr. Rademaker.”
”Desmond. I”ll give you my answer once you start calling me by my first name.”
I”m beginning to think Bramson Feigenbaum only hires lunatics for the upper-level positions. ”All right, Desmond. Have you reached a decision yet?”
”Yes, I have.” He grins. ”Go on, fly to England to see your brother. Weddings are stressful for everyone involved, but especially the bride and groom. Tabitha will help you get through it. Everyone tells me she”s worth her weight in gold. And you, Spencer, have earned some extra vacation days.”
”How soon do those extra days start?”
”Right now.” He stands up and walks around the desk to the chair on which I sit. Then he thrusts his hand out to me. ”Glad to have you on the team, Spencer. Now, take this beautiful girl out for brunch and go home as soon as possible. I expect a full report on the wedding when you come back.”
I grasp his hand.
Desmond shakes it so vigorously that I think my eyeballs jiggled. He has a very firm grip. I might need a massage once he lets go of my hand.
Tabitha is grinning.
Desmond releases my hand so he can thump me on the back. ”I”ve kept a close eye on your work, Spencer. You”ve set the gold standard for risk analysis at this company.”
”Thank you, sir---ah, Desmond.”
He steps back and waves toward the door. ”What do I have to do to make you youngsters get the heck out of the building? Go, scram, skedaddle.”
I clasp Tabitha”s hand as we hurry out of Desmond”s office.
We grin and laugh the whole way to the lift, then grin and laugh some more inside the car. Four other people ride with us, and they seem to think we”re barmy. Well, maybe we are. If insanity feels this good, I never want to go back to the sane way of life.
After a quick trip to my office, so Tabitha and I can retrieve whatever personal items we might need, we hop onto the elevator once more. This time, we”re alone.
”Better call Duane,” Tabitha suggests. ”He might have gone out for coffee and a croissant.”
”Yes, he does love that.” I fish my mobile out of my pocket and ring our driver. ”Duane, are you anywhere near the building? Tabitha and I are leaving the office early.”
”Are you guys faking a sick day so you can paint the town?”
”No. Desmond Rademaker approved our joint request for unscheduled time off. We”re flying to England as soon as possible.”
”That”s great!” Duane laughs heartily. ”You and Tabby deserve a vacation. And I”m sure you”ll straighten out your brother in no time. I”d be honored to drive you to the airport. And I”m already in the parking garage. Got my coffee and croissant to go this time.”
”We”ll be there in a moment.”
The lift has just reached the parking level, so I end the call. The second the doors glide open, Tabitha and I race over to the car where Duane waits for us. He has just stepped out of the vehicle and opens the back door for us. We can”t stop giggling like children.
I have never been this excited to go on holiday. I”m bringing the woman I love with me this time.
Did I actually just think those words? The woman I love.
Once Duane has climbed into the driver”s seat, he turns to look at us. ”Whose place are we going to? Yours or Tabby”s?”
”Spencer”s.” Tabitha snuggles up to me. ”And close the partition, please.”
Duane smirks. ”I”ll drive a little slower this time.”
Then he raises the privacy partition.
And Tabitha climbs onto my lap. She hikes up her skirt, revealing the fact that she wears no knickers. ”The fun starts now, Spence.”
”You do realize that, although the privacy partition is up, someone might be able to see us through the windows.”
”Don”t care. Do you?”
I hesitate for only the space of two heartbeats. ”I don”t give a toss either.”
Her sensual smile makes my cock wake up. She removes my belt, tossing it away, then undoes the button on my trousers and unzips them. Her chest begins to heave as she pulls my growing erection out and starts stroking it briskly. Bloody hell, I”ve never gotten hard this fast, but my body loves the feel of her straddling my lap and the scent of her desire wafting through the air.
I let my head fall back against the seat.
She strokes me until I begin to tense up and my breathing grows heavier. Then she stops.
My head pops up. ”What are you doing? Fuck me, Tabby.”
”This is just the beginning. The end won”t come until we do, together, in your apartment.” She shimmies closer until her groin lies directly over my cock. As she rocks her hips in a figure-eight motion, my ability to breathe and think normally drops to nearly nil. ”I love how hard you get and how good it feels when your dick is rubbing against my folds. I”m so wet for you, so ready for you to take me to heaven and back.”
A groan resonates in my chest. ”Are you trying to drive me mad? It”s working.”
She slides a finger between her folds and lifts it to my mouth. ”Taste me, Spence.”
I swallow her finger, sucking hard, lapping up every bit of her cream.
Duane knocks on the partition.
Tabitha hops back onto the seat beside me, tugging her skirt down.
I struggle to zip up my trousers but finally manage to do it without injuring my most important limb. ”Yes, Duane, you can roll down the partition.”
He does that immediately and grins at us. ”We”re here.”
”Where?” After what Tabitha just did to me, I can”t remember my own name much less where ”here” might be.
Duane chuckles. ”We just pulled to the curb at the front door of your apartment building.”
”Oh. Yes. That”s what you meant.”
Before I can tell him not to bother, Duane leaps out of the car and opens the back door on Tabitha”s side. Like a true gentleman, he offers his hand to help her climb out of the vehicle. I nearly trip over my own feet when I try to step out, but fortunately, I don”t need our driver”s assistance. That would be too bloody humiliating.
Tabitha and I race into the lobby and don”t stop until we”re ensconced in the elevator. Another couple rides with us, but they get out on the second floor. Now, Tabby and I are alone again.
And it”s time for a bit of payback.
I back her up to the wall and kiss her. She melts for me with a soft moan. While our tongues dance a sensual tango, I sneak one hand under her skirt and push her thighs apart. Then I cuff her wrists above her head with my free hand and pet her drenched flesh with my fingers. Her breaths turn into soft panting. She might come any second.
So, I pull away.
Tabitha gives me a playfully annoyed look. ”Turnabout, hmm? I like this side of you.”
”Being with a free spirit like you has loosened me up.”
The doors open, and we sprint down the hall to my apartment. I try to unlock the door but cock it up several times before I finally succeed. Sexual arousal and fine motor skills don”t mix well. Once I fling the door open, before I”ve even shut it behind us, Tabitha leaps on me. She wraps her legs around me and showers kisses over my face while grunting like a wild animal. Oddly, that makes me even randier.
I stumble toward the sofa and trip, which makes me drop her on the sofa rather unceremoniously. She”s in a heap on the cushions.
Tabitha scrambles to her knees on the sofa, grasps my shirt with both hands, and rips it open. Buttons fly, ticking on the coffee table.
My mobile rings.
For a few seconds, the sound doesn”t register in my mind. Then we both freeze.
”Better get that,” Tabitha says breathlessly. ”Might be your sister.”
”Uh, maybe.” I nearly tear my trousers while trying to extract my mobile from my pocket, but at last, I see who”s calling. ”It isn”t Bindy.”
Tabitha”s brows wrinkle. ”Who, then?”
I answer the call just before it could go to voice mail. ”Hello, Dane. I didn”t expect to hear from you.”
”The American Wives Club British Branch is in full meddling mode. I”m sending my jet to pick up you and Tabitha right away.”
”What?” I”m still suffering from a throbbing erection and can”t think clearly. ”I don”t understand anything you just told me.”
”Rika is my wife. Elena is Chance”s wife. They”re married to my brothers. Does that ring a bell?”
”I”m still confused. Why are you sending your private jet for us?”
”We can explain that to you and your girl once you”ve arrived at Sommerleigh. For now, pack your bags and wait for one of the pilots to ring you with directions to the airport.”
I rub my eyes but still can”t sort out the words he spoke. ”Ah, Dane, this is all rather confusing. An explanation would be helpful.”
”Oh, yes, sorry. Duane rang your sister who rang Rika who pulled me out of a meeting with investors, telling me it was an emergency.” He pauses, and I hear papers shuffling. ”I need to get back to my meeting. But the gist is this. We all know Kendall needs your help, so we”ve arranged everything so you and Tabitha can fly to England right now.”
Duane rang Dane”s wife? I”m never going to sort out all this rubbish on the phone.
”Just pack and go downstairs. Duane will be waiting for you at the curb in twenty minutes. Cheers, Spencer.”
Dane hangs up on me.
Even if I try to explain to Tabitha everything that Dane said, I wouldn”t be able to make any sense of it. Instead, I give her the important bits. ”My mate Dane Dixon is sending his private jet so we can fly to England immediately. Let”s pack as quickly as possible.”
She doesn”t even balk. ”Okay. I”m great at fast packing for a trip.”
The woman does not lie. She gathers everything she needs in ten minutes while I”m still trying to figure out what type of clothing I should take with me. Tabby pitches in, realizing I”m suffering from packing paralysis.
With her guidance, we step out of the building precisely on time. Duane opens the car door for us. Within a minute or two at most, we”re on our way to Reagan International Airport where Dane”s jet will be waiting for us. Flying private means we can skip the usual security rubbish. Duane says goodbye to us on the tarmac as one of the pilots emerges to usher us onto the jet.
I expect the pilot to shut the door, but he leaves it open. ”Is anything wrong? I thought we would”ve taken off by now.”
”Just waiting for the other passengers, sir.”