Chapter Four
Lucas watched the entire transaction between Amy and his father. He’d waited to see that look of greed in her eyes that all women usually got around his family when money was brought up.
Surprisingly, what he saw in her face was only shock, mixed with gratitude.
Could she really not care how much money his family was worth? He was going to find out. He knew if they went to bed she would turn, like all women and try and take him to the cleaners.
Little did she know that many women had tried and none had succeeded. He was sobered by the thought that she could just be the one woman who could bring him to his knees.
“Come with me Amy. I’ll show you where you’ll be sleeping the next couple of nights,” he said as he took her arm.
Every time that Lucas touched her, fire shot throughout her body and it felt wonderful, which scared her. She didn’t have time for a man in her life. She knew all he wanted was a cheap affair, after which, she would be discarded.
Then where would she be? She would have to quit her job, if he didn’t fire her and she would’ve lost everything. She’d gone long enough without caving in to some arrogant man; she would last a bit longer.
She would just need to teach her body to go along with her mind. Her body seemed to have another idea all together though because she could picture him slowly taking her clothes off and running those extraordinary hands all over her. Then his mouth would follow where his hands had led the way. Her body responded as if he’d already caressed her.
She could feel the desire pooling the more she pictured Lucas’s hands on her. Her nipples were beaded in anticipation of his touch. Her stomach felt as if there were fireflies zipping around in it. The feelings of desire were so strong that she wanted nothing more than to reach out to him.
Stop, she shouted to herself in an internal battle. You will not fantasize about this man. This is your boss, your very generous boss. You need this job. You need these benefits you’ve just learned about. You don’t need a night of passion. It wouldn’t be worth the loss of everything else.
They arrived at the guest house and she was grateful he couldn’t read minds. The house was set several dozen yards away from the main residence. She loved it at first glance. It was a small cottage surrounded by trees and flowers. There was a stone path leading towards the small covered porch.
It was the kind of place she dreamed of owning someday with her own child. She stood there for a moment, visualizing herself sitting in the old rocking chair with a baby in her arms. For a brief time she let the fantasy continue and Lucas was in the picture next to her, with his arm around them both. It was so perfect she actually sighed aloud.
Lucas looked at her quizzically. “Come in Amy. I’ll show you where everything is. My parents had the kitchen stocked up so you will have plenty of food. There’s fresh linen on the bed and clean towels. It’s a small place so I don’t think you’ll get lost. Please help yourself to anything in the house. It’s for guests, after all,” he continued but Amy was too busy oooing and awing over the quaintness of the place.
It was perfect. There was a vase with fresh flowers sitting on the small kitchen table. The bathroom had been stocked with a variety of soaps and bath items. There was a huge garden tub she couldn’t wait to dive into and it even had a soft reading light next to it. She was already anticipating herself in there.
“I’ll get out of your way now so you can relax,” Lucas said before quickly exiting. She wondered if she’d offended him by not telling him how amazing the place was. She pushed Lucas out of her mind as she began filling the tub with water and fragrance. The scent of the bubble bath was delicate and soothing. Her nerves began to calm instantly.
Lucas stopped on the front porch and took a deep breath. If he hadn’t walked out right then and there he would’ve thrown her on the bed and made love to her until they were both incapable of walking. He wasn’t going to wait too much longer. He needed to get her out of his system. He had to so his sanity could return to normal. If she hadn’t kept glancing at him with her own smoldering passion then he may have been able to maintain a bit more of his own control. Her face was an open book, which he was sure she didn’t like at all.
He walked back up to the big house to speak with his father for a few moments. “Did you get Amy all settled in?” Joseph asked.
“Yes dad, she loves the place,” he said, while striving over to the liquor cabinet. He poured himself a triple shot of bourbon and downed the glass in one gulp. He felt his nerves start to calm a bit as the fire burned down his throat and made his eyes start to water. The pain of the drink was well worth it though, if it could calm his frayed nerves.
Lucas didn’t see the knowing grin on Joseph’s face. The boy has it bad, Joseph thought. Things were working out far better than he’d even hoped. He’d figured it would take a little bit longer than a few weeks before he saw that misery on his son’s face. He had to turn away to hide the smile from his son.
“Where did you find Ms. Harper dad?” Lucas asked.
“We had a job fair at her college a few months ago and I got her resume then. I did some research on her and knew that she was perfect for the job. You know it takes someone real special to work for the president of our company,” he answered.
“Yes, she’s working out much better than I thought she would. She’s a little mouthy, but I’m sure she’ll settle down the longer she’s there.”
The two of them chatted for an hour about the company and things going on in their lives.
“Oh son, Amy forgot to take those papers. Will you run them down to her before you head out for the night?” Joseph asked casually. He’d been hoping his son would have stayed there longer with her in the first place. He may as well get them back alone.
“Sure dad. I’ll do it now. I’m getting pretty tired anyway. Tell mom I love her and will see her tomorrow.” He gave his dad a quick hug before heading back towards the cottage.
Lucas knocked on the door and there was no answer so he checked the doorknob. It was still unlocked. He was going to have to speak to her about that. He stepped in and was about to call out her name when she turned the corner.
Lucas couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She was standing there with nothing on but a small towel barely covering her body. He could see all the way to the top of her milky white thighs. The top was so low that he could see the swells of her breasts. She was still glistening and wet from her bath.
Her smell was drifting over to him. She smelled like some exotic goddess. He could detect some sort of spice, such as cinnamon. It was enough to make him want to take a few bites out of her.
One more inch in either direction and he would be able to see all of her secrets. Lucas didn’t know when he started moving, but suddenly he was in front of her, wrapping his arms around her waist.
He pulled her damp, nearly naked body against his own and suddenly he was devouring her lips.
He felt her stiffen for a moment before she was grabbing him back just as hungrily. He’d never wanted a woman so badly.
For half a second he tried to regain control over his body but when he heard a soft moan escape her lips his control completely snapped. If she would’ve pushed him away, or told him no, he would’ve somehow been able to release her but she was just as hungry for him as he was for her.
With one swift move the towel was gone, letting his hands freely run up and down her body. He caressed her curves from top to bottom. Without breaking away from their kiss he suddenly picked her up and walked into the bedroom. He laid her on the bed, stripping out of his own clothing in record time.
His gaze was drawn down to the perfection of her body, causing his arousal to grow even more, although he didn’t know how that was possible.
Amy’s eyes rounded in excitement and awe as she stared at the perfection that was standing in front of her. Not a single flaw was present on him. His body looked like it belonged to a professional athlete instead of a businessman who sat in his office all day. Her gaze traveled down his form and she couldn’t help the gasp that escaped her moistened lips. He was such a large man that a moment of fear consumed her as she wondered how they could possibly fit together.
Lucas noticed the look in her eyes, feeling fear, because if she changed her mind he would implode. Although taking his clothes off took no longer than a minute, he was already aching to touch her again. He knew after he took her the hunger would diminish. He’d never wanted a woman as much as he wanted her right then. He needed to finish it so that he could purge her from his system and have his life return to normal.
He joined her on the bed, his body covering hers. Together they shared a kiss, before he broke away to move his lips downward. He licked and sucked a path down her neck before slightly nipping at the sensitive skin, causing another moan to escape her lips. They both lost all thoughts and just enjoyed the intense pleasure. She started wiggling under him as her legs spread, inviting him to thrust inside. She was pleading for completion. She needed him to relieve the aching that had overcome her.
He refused to make her his though until he knew she was ready for him. Even though he wasn’t going to last much longer, especially with her moving around beneath him, he would regret it if things ended too quickly. He needed her to feel the same pleasure and satisfaction he was feeling.
When his hands slid over her aching breasts, with his thumbs tweaking her nipples, her back arched off the bed pressing her body closer to his. She wrapped her hands around his head pulling him back to her, needing his lips on hers. His tongue made love to her mouth and she couldn’t hold out much longer. The pleasure was so intense, it was painful. The more his tongue stroked the contours of her mouth, the more she squirmed. The moans coming out from deep within her throat were snapping the last bit of control he had left.
He ended the kiss to explore the rest of her body, causing her to cry out in frustration. Her intense reactions had him ready to spontaneously combust. He could feel the blood rushing all to one area, his own body begging him to end the torture he was bestowing on them both. He was going to sink deep inside of her and make her his. His and only his!
He tasted the soft silk of her stomach, feeling the quivering beneath his mouth. She was so responsive to his every touch that she was continually sending fire through his own system. As he moved his head lower and ran his tongue along her inner thigh, he felt the tremble that went through her entire body. He’d never been with such a responsive woman before and he was finding it harder than ever to maintain any semblance of control.
His mouth finally tasted her, causing her hips to arch off the bed as she cried out in pleasure. Her moans of pleasure gave him the strength to keep going. He tasted her sweetness, feeling her tremble beneath him. She suddenly tensed up and then her entire body jerked and she cried out as release washed through her. She was shaking beneath him. He flicked his tongue against her moist heat one last time and then slowly made his way back up her body.
She was slightly limp in his arms as he began kissing his way up her stomach. He couldn’t seem to get enough of the taste or scent of her. He felt like he could worship her body for an endless amount of time. He made his way back up to her swollen breasts and gently took one of her tight nipples back into his mouth. She once again started to shake, as her body stirred back to life. He took his time moving from one sensitive peak to the other until he had her crying out for him again. He moved up her neck, sucking on the sensitive skin, feeling her pulse jump beneath his mouth. Then he moved back so that he was lying over her waiting body.
His mouth took hers again as his hand slid down to check if she was ready for him. He flicked his fingers over her swollen womanhood and then slipped them inside her warmth. Suddenly her whole body arched up again, as she groaned in pleasure. “Please!” She cried out. He knew that she was ready for him.
Lucas could take no more. He broke contact with her mouth. “Open your eyes. I want to see them when I make you mine,” he whispered to her. Slowly, as if weights were holding them down, her eyes came half way open.
In one thrust he was buried deeply inside of her. He almost exploded with that first contact. She was so wet and tight. He felt her body stiffen and a sound of pain escaped her lips as she adjusted to him. Her eyes snapped wide open, while her mouth formed a look of shock.
Lucas’s whole body stiffened as he realized she was a virgin. How did a woman, especially as attractive and sexually alluring as her, reach the age of twenty eight, still a virgin? The shock was bringing back some of his control for a moment. He had to stop. He didn’t sleep with women who didn’t know the score. He wasn’t a ‘happily ever after’ kind of guy, which meant virgins were strictly off limits. He was about to pull out of her body when her face relaxed into pleasure once more and she sighed in ecstasy as her body adjusted around him.
He knew he should do the right thing and stop but when her hips moved up, gripping him even tighter, he once again lost all traces of control. He began to move in a steady rhythm but as her breathing became heavier and he felt her body quivering around him he couldn’t take any more and started thrusting quickly. Her hips pushed up to meet him and she tightened in pleasure, sending him over the edge. His body started spilling into her. He shook with the release that washed over him. He’d never felt this connected to another woman. He didn’t want it to end. He wanted to start from the beginning and do it all over once more. He wanted to keep them connected.
He lay there on top of her, not moving for a few moments, trying to bring his breathing back to normal. Realizing he was most likely crushing her he finally shifted and turned over, taking her with him. He didn’t know what to say so said nothing and just laid there rubbing her back until he heard her steady breathing, indicating she’d fallen asleep.
He stayed there for another hour watching her sleep peacefully in his arms. In sleep, she couldn’t seem to get close enough to him. Her leg was wrapped around his lower body and her head rested on his chest. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen and she was his.
Suddenly Lucas’s head snapped up. He’d been just about ready to fall asleep when the realization he hadn’t used protection hit him. What had he been thinking? He’d never had sex with a woman without wearing a condom. He wasn’t so stupid as to get caught in the baby trap.
His thoughts ran in a million different directions. He knew that there was no way she could’ve planned on the unprotected sex. How could she have known he was coming back to the cottage that night? There was no possible way she could’ve faked her reactions to him. He’d been with women who’d simply gone through the motions and he’d quickly walked away. He wanted a woman to be hot and willing when in his bed.
He was angry at himself, but turned that anger on her. He in no way wanted to be forced into marriage but if their night of passion led to a child then there was no way he’d walk away.
Family was everything to him. He glared at her for a moment, feeling trapped and then got up and dressed himself.
Lucas stepped out of the cottage, walking away, though what he really wanted to do was climb back into bed next to her. He had to get out of there and cool down. He’d remain professional and the next day when he took her out on company business, he would be back to his normal self. He could put the night behind him and move forward, while still making sure his recklessness didn’t have consequences.
Amy woke up some time in the middle of the night and stretched. Ouch, she was sore. It took her a minute to fully waken and as she became more aware, it only took seconds for her to be sitting straight up in bed. What had she done? She’d slept with her boss. She’d slept with her boss! How stupid could she have been? Did he now think she would be at his beck and call anytime he felt like getting his needs met? He probably thought he would just come around, have sex with her and then slink off in the middle of the night.
There was no way in hell he was going to use her and discard her. How was she going to handle it? She had a couple of options. She could make a big scene, yell at him and quit her job, though that didn’t sound appealing. Her other option was to pretend as if nothing had happened. She liked that option a whole lot better. She would just make sure she didn’t place herself in any more compromising positions. She wouldn’t have him in her place alone, ever.
She discovered that one touch from him made her forget all rational thoughts. She just couldn’t allow herself to be in positions where he would be touching her.
She would make up a boyfriend. That would stop him from thinking he could take advantage of her. She would just tell him she was in a long term relationship and that she’d slipped up. She felt a little bit of regret knowing she wouldn’t get to repeat that experience.
For her first time making love, it had been amazing. She had no idea a person could feel so much. Her body was sore but it had been oh so worth it. She’d read that sex for the first time wasn’t a good experience. Those people must not have been making love to someone like Lucas Anderson.
She had to smile a little bit at the irony. The man looked like a Greek God, had more money than anyone needed and made love like every girls fantasy come true. Oh well, one mistake wasn’t going to change her life’s plans.
Amy went into the bathroom and cleaned up. She was laying back down when it finally hit her that they hadn’t used protection. She bolted upright in bed again. She was dismayed to think of the stupidity of having unprotected sex. She was in no way prepared to be a mother at that moment. She’d always dreamed of having her own child but not made this way. She wouldn’t give the child up if she did get pregnant, but how would she be able to manage it all?
She would have to sleep on it and figure it all out later. She didn’t know anything yet. She was most likely over reacting. They’d only had sex one time. The odds were unlikely that she would make a baby the first and only time she had sex.
Amy slept fitfully the rest of the night. She dreamt she’d just delivered the most beautiful little girl. She was holding her close to her chest, bonding with her newborn. The baby was perfect in every way. Suddenly Lucas stepped into the room with three men, all in expensive suits.
They started speaking all this legal jargon and suddenly she looked down and she was no longer holding the baby. Lucas had her. Then, in walked a tall, blonde bombshell of a woman and he handed the baby to her. “Here you go sweetheart. I told you I would get a baby for you.
Anything you want is yours,” he said and then they walked out, leaving Amy crying for her baby in the cold hospital room.
Amy woke up in terror. The dream had seemed so real. She was surprised to find real tears falling down her cheeks. She considered herself a very strong woman but there was one thing that could bring her to her knees. She couldn’t make it if someone were to take away the family she so desperately wanted.
Amy gave up on sleep and got out of bed to fix herself some breakfast. She tried to read for a while but couldn’t concentrate on anything. She supposed she would just take a walk around the grounds and enjoy the beautiful, clean morning air.
She was wandering around for a couple of hours when Joseph snuck up on her and nearly made her jump out of her own skin. “How are you doing young lady? I hope you slept well,” he said.
She wondered how such a larger than life man could so easily sneak up on a person.
“I slept very well,” she automatically replied. The circles under her eyes gave away her lie. He was a gentleman and didn’t call her on it though.
“You seem a little stressed about something this morning. If there’s anything I can help with, all you need to do is ask.”
“Everything is great, Mr. Anderson. I’m just thinking about the move and work. You’ve been far too kind already and I don’t want to take advantage of that,” she replied. “I really don’t mind getting a hotel room tonight,” she tried, knowing he wouldn’t hear of it.
“Now Amy, don’t hurt my feelings. I thought the cottage was pretty comfortable. I’ve slept there myself a time or two when my wife got sick of my attitude,” he chuckled, thinking of his wife fondly.
“Oh no Mr. Anderson, I love the cottage. It’s just really hard for me to take hand outs. I do appreciate a place to stay and I have to tell you I’ve already fallen in love with the cottage. It’s perfect in just about every way,” she quickly responded.
“Katherine’s still sleeping. She must get her beauty sleep,” he chuckled. “Please come join me on the terrace for some breakfast. I love having a beautiful young woman to eat with. It makes the food taste so much better.” He then held his arm out for her, which she took and then they walked to the main house.
They were laughing and eating breakfast when Lucas walked in. He was instantly on alert. She was getting pretty cozy with his father. What was she up to now, he wondered? “Good morning dad,” he said while sitting down. “Ms. Harper, I hope the accommodations were to your liking,” he added formally.
Amy looked up at him for a moment, trying to figure him out. It took her about ten seconds. The man had already gotten what he wanted and now he was letting her know it was back to business and nothing more. She already knew this was how he was, so why was she hurt so much by his attitude?
Well, she thought, two could play the game of ‘cold as ice’. “I slept perfectly, Mr. Anderson.
The beginning of the night I had this bad nausea and a nasty headache but then it went away and the rest of the night was perfect,” she said in a voice even colder than his.
His eyes turned into slits and if eyes could kill, she figured she would be a pile of ashes. She decided she would push her luck just a bit and smirked at him before turning away and ignoring him completely.
Joseph watched their little byplay, which they both thought they were being so sly about and wondered what had gone on last night. It looked to him like the kids may have gotten close and now were both running scared. Well, he wasn’t going to let them avoid each other.
“Eat up Lucas. You have a very busy day today. You need to take Amy out to get her car and shop for the apartment. You need to get an early start so it will be all ready for her to move into tomorrow.” He then looked at Amy, “I think you will be very happy there.”
“Mr. Anderson...” she began, when he stopped her.
“Now Amy, you are a guest in my home, don’t you think it’s time you started calling me Joseph.
I would really like that,” he added so she had no other choice.
“Um, okay, Mr. I mean Joseph, I was thinking Mr. Anderson,” she nodded towards Lucas, “was really busy and I don’t mind doing this stuff on my own. If it’s a matter of a signature they could fax you the paperwork. I could just take a cab to the car lot. I really, really don’t mind,” she pleaded with him.
Lucas hadn’t wanted to spend the day with her but her trying to get out of it just plain ticked him off. How dare she not want to be with him. They had some talking to do and she was damn well going to spend the day with him.
“Of course I’m not too busy to take you out, Ms. Harper,” he said with venom in his voice.
“Why don’t you go ahead and get ready so we can take off right away,” he said looking her up and down. He knew she was already dressed for the day.
How dare he look down his nose at her? She was fighting to keep her emotions in check. She looked just fine and she wasn’t trying to impress him anyway. She would go with him, just to show him she could be in his company without being affected by it.
“I’m ready Mr. Anderson,” she said in a voice of honey, dripping with vinegar. “You may want to clean that jam off of your face though,” she added with satisfaction. He simply glared at her, then got up from the table and walked into the house without another word. She quietly chuckled, enjoying the fact that she’d won that little battle. It felt kind of good to knock the all powerful Lucas down a notch.
“Well, you kids seem to be getting along rather well,” Joseph said with complete sincerity. She couldn’t tell if he was serious or not. He seemed to be. Maybe the two of them hadn’t been so obvious after all. She figured you could’ve sliced the tension between them with a knife but it was good that Joseph hadn’t noticed.
“He’s a great boss,” was all she said before looking down and picking at her breakfast. She didn’t see the amused grin on Joseph’s face.
Lucas came back out and stood there impatiently so she took a few more bites of food as slowly as she possibly could. She noticed him glancing at his watch a few times as she sat there taking her time.
“Now Lucas, quit being so impatient. It’s never polite to rush a lady,” Joseph spoke up.
“We have a lot to do today, Dad. I just want to get going since I have a date to get to tonight,” he added. He noticed Amy tensed up a bit in her seat. Good, he thought. She wasn’t as unaffected as she wanted him to believe. He was surprised with how good the thought made him feel. He didn’t take rejection well, even if he didn’t want the woman. He’d been completely wrong in thinking one time with her would be enough, because he couldn’t stop thinking about her. He still wanted her, even more now than ever before.
She finally got up and grabbed her purse off the back of her chair. “I wouldn’t want to make your young lady wait on you,” she said in a perfectly calm voice. “Thank you so much for breakfast Joseph. It was really good. Your company was even better,” she said and then followed Lucas out the door.
“Have a good time kids.”
“Joseph Anderson, what are you up to now?” came the voice of his wife.
“Good morning beautiful. I was just having some breakfast with a beautiful young lady and your grumpy son,” he said in all innocence.
“Now, we both know that’s bull. You’re match making and from the look of things between those two, it’s going very well,” she said with disapproval in her tone. “When that boy figures out what you’re up to he’s going to stop speaking to you,” she added.
“By the time he figures it out, he will be very much in love with his wife and thanking me,” Joseph came back with. He certainly hoped that was the case. Because otherwise his wife would be right and his son would be none too happy with him. It was a risk he was willing to take.
“Let’s go for a drive,” he said as he got up and gave Katherine a kiss.
Was it so wrong for him to want his sons to have a love of their own, like he had with his Katherine? He didn’t think there was anything wrong with that. He decided today was going to be a great day. It had started off wonderfully with Lucas and Amy on their way to a passionate relationship.