Business and Pleasure (23 page)

“You son-of-a-bitch!” Becca wrenches away
from Mark’s grasp and charges toward Bob.

Bob turns the gun toward her. I jump at him.
The three of us collide, and the gun goes off. Hands pull at me,
lifting me off the ground, off Bob, and I crane my neck to find
Rebecca. Please, please let her be okay. Please let her be okay. I
see her, then, back in Mark’s arms, and I release my breath. She
appears unharmed. The chaos calms as the cops take Bob into
custody, taking his gun and putting him in cuffs. A warm presence
at my back tells me Alex is right here; ready to catch me when I
fall. Good thing, because the minute my mind finishes with that
thought, my knees buckle. He grabs me before I hit the ground.

“Hang in there,” he says softly, his breath
warm against my neck as he leans in close. “It’s almost over. Let
me take you home, okay?”

I look up at him, and then glance over at
Mark and Becca. “Yes. Please. Take us home.”

Chapter Thirteen

By the time we make our way back to my
apartment, it’s well past midnight, and we’re all exhausted. The
police questioned Becca for hours, and we all had to give
statements about Bob and Christina and what we knew about recent
events. Tears fill my eyes for the millionth time since Bob
admitted to murder. I still cannot believe a man I’ve worked with
for years not only killed my parents and held my sister at gun
point.

The five of us—Natalie having come back to
my place—fall onto the couch. I haven’t released Becca’s hand since
we found her, and I give it a squeeze. I am so incredibly happy to
have my sister back. Not only back but unharmed and now we no
longer have to worry about Bob being out there just waiting to kill
any of us. I can go to work in peace without an escort. I went
ahead and told Natalie to take tomorrow off as well as everyone
else at Hamilton and we will resume work on Monday. After all of
this I need a long weekend. Right now I need some sleep as I am
sure everyone does but I really did not want to let go of Becca
however, she looks to be falling asleep on me.

“I think it’s time for me to put Becca to
bed.” Mark talks quietly, so as not to wake my sister, who’s got
her head on his shoulder.

“Poor kid,” I say. “She’s been through the
worst of it, hasn’t she? As difficult as it’ll be to let her out of
my sight, I know you’re right. Go ahead and put her to bed.”

I watch them go, telling myself everything
is okay. The police have Bob, and Becca will be here in the
morning. Thank God for Mark. As best friends go, I know I couldn’t
find any better.

“Hey,” I say, as Mark, holding Becca in his
arms, pauses in the hallway. When he looks back, I tell him, “If
you don’t mind, could you leave the door open? Just for
tonight?”

Mark smiles. “Of course.”

I frown, wondering how he’s carrying Becca
after being shot. Despite having worn a vest, he has to be
hurting.

“Becca’s not the only one who needs some
rest.”

I turn to look at Alex. He’s been silent up
until now, most likely lost in his own swirling thoughts about the
night’s events. He’s been so amazing and so supportive this entire
time. How could I have ever doubted that living with him, building
a life with him, was the right thing to do? He is the only man I
want.

“Take me to bed, Alex.”

He smiles for the first time since this
morning, takes my hand, and leads me to the bedroom. We don’t
bother with the lamp, as the city lights provide more than enough
illumination. I don’t even have the energy to go to the bathroom
and wash my face. I collapse onto the bed, releasing a heartfelt
sigh. My brain is fried, and I’m thankful to put this day’s events
behind me.

Without speaking, Alex walks over to the bed
and helps me get my clothes off. There’s nothing sexual about his
actions. Instead, I sense a calm, quiet strength… I feel cherished
and protected. Once I’m completely naked, he sheds his clothes, as
well, and then climbs into bed next to me. He pulls the covers up
over our bodies and cradles me in his arms.

“You know you did some crazy shit today,
right?” he asks quietly, but his tone is dead serious.

“You call it crazy; I call it necessary.” I
speak the truth. I don’t think one thing I did today was crazy; I
simply did whatever was necessary to get my sister back.

“I almost lost you. Do you have any idea
what that would have done to me? You are my life. Without you, I am
nothing.”

This is the moment. Right now. “Yes.”

“Yes, what?” Anticipation fills his voice,
as if he knows where this is leading.

“Yes, I want to live with you.”

He hugs me even tighter.

“But I want to give it some time. Maybe you
and I can stay here for a week or two, just to make sure Becca is
okay.”

“Whatever you need, my love. Now sleep.”

And I do. Amazingly fast, I drift off to
sleep in the arms of the man I know I will be with forever.

* * * * *

The next two weeks seem to fly by. The
Friday evening after we get Becca back, the police call to tell me
that they found a ton of information about my parents, my sister,
and me, in a filing cabinet in Bob’s home office. Apparently, he’s
been gathering these items and plotting his vengeance for a long
time—the cops say some of the articles they find dated back years.
At the moment, I’m not worried about him, though. He’s been in
custody since they caught him, and I don’t expect he’ll be getting
out of jail any time soon.

Finally, moving day is upon us. The last
couple weeks have helped me come to terms with the fact that my
sister is going to be okay. She’s probably looking forward to me
moving in with Alex—she and Mark are spending a lot of time
together, and they’re really doing well. I’m sure they’ll love
having the place to themselves. I still have a few minor
reservations about leaving Becca, but Mark will be with her, so my
anxiety is down a few notches. When he isn’t at work, he’s here
with her, and I’ve enjoyed their company. In fact, I don’t know how
I’m going to adjust to having unlimited “alone time” with Alex.
He’s been patient and understanding the last couple weeks, knowing
I needed time with my sister. He’s one of the most amazing men I
have ever met…probably
the
most amazing, next to my
father.

Natalie’s been around now and then, too. She
returned to work the day after the police caught Bob…a little on
edge, but otherwise just fine. I’m sure it helps that Bryan was
there. I smile as I recall going into the office and finding him
there. I’d called Alex to tell him I didn’t need a babysitter
anymore, only to find out that Bryan wasn’t there for me. He’d come
to see Natalie. The two have been seeing each other ever since. He
even goes and hangs out with her at the office now and then.

I’ve taken the day off to pack and move
boxes. I tape the lid on the last box and look around the room. My
beautiful room… Poor thing looks so empty now. We pulled my sheets
off my bed and replaced them with some extras I had in the closet,
and we have my chairs, books, rug and everything on the moving van.
We packed up all of my clothes and loaded my dresser into the van,
too. Alex doesn’t think we’ll need it, but I know better. An extra
dresser always comes in handy. I place the final taped-up box on
the floor, and then look up at the sound of running footsteps on
the stairs. Alex and Mark…back for more boxes. Those two have been
downright hilarious, making the whole “moving thing” into a
competition, seeing who can lift the heaviest boxes, who can get
them loaded the fastest. Must be a man thing; women are smart
enough to have someone
else
do all the heavy lifting.

Alex, Mark, Becca, and I grab the last of
the boxes, took them downstairs, outside, and loaded them up.
Everything’s ready, except for my laptop, which I left open on the
big desk in my home office inside. I run in to grab it, stuff it in
its bag, and as I engage the little clasps.

I look around, thinking of all the work I’ve
done in this room, with Becca right down the hall, blaring her
music or entertaining someone. I’m really going to miss living here
and having my sister around all the time. I’ll miss our late night
talks, and the impromptu slumber parties filled with popcorn and
cheesy movies.

I swipe at the tears filling my eyes.

“Oh, stop getting so emotional,” I chide
myself. “It’s not like we won’t ever hang out again…hell, we’re
practically neighbors.”

Alex’s house is only fifteen minutes away. I
may not see Becca every day, but it’s not as if I’m moving to the
other side of the world. Plus, there’s always phones and email. I
glance out the window. Alex is loading the last of my stuff into
the van. He must sense me watching him, because he turns and looks
straight at me. The smile he gives me reaffirms my decision. I take
a deep breath, grab my bag, and then I head back outside.

In the driveway, Alex puts an arm around me
and presses a kiss to my temple. Mark and Becca are standing side
by side with their arms around each other. My eyes start stinging
again. God…this is hard. Much harder than I thought it would be.
With tears in my eyes, I walk over to Becca and wrap my arms around
her which is still a little difficult with my arm still hurting
from the gun shot. We are both sobbing like little girls, our faces
pressed against each other’s shoulders. Alex and Mark give each
other one of those one-armed, half-hugs guys always do.

“Alright,” Becca says, and pulls back, “Time
for you to go home. Don’t worry about me. Mark and I will be fine.
I’ll text you later. I love you, sis.”

I nod and wipe away my tears. “I love you
too, Becca. I’ll talk to you later.”

I turn to give Mark a hug goodbye.

“You better take care of my little sister,”
I tell him, my voice filled with mock severity. “Love you.”

He places his hand on my head and hugs me.
“You know I will. Lord knows I don’t want to risk ticking you off.
I’m so happy for you. Go and enjoy your time alone with Alex.”

I step back, look at two of my favorite
people in the world, and then turn and grab the hand Alex holds out
for me. He helps me into the passenger side of the van, and as we
pull away, I wave out of the window, saying bye to my family. Once
I can no longer see them, I sigh and face forward, ready to meet my
new life with this amazing man head on.

* * * * *

Fifteen minutes later, we arrive at Alex’s
apartment on the Upper East Side. When we step inside, I realize
I’m just as much in love with the place now as I was before.

Unloading the truck takes a lot less time
than it did to pack and load it. Of course, it’ll probably be weeks
before I get everything out of the boxes. For now, we’ve just
stacked them in a corner of the living room.

“Ugh. I hate unpacking.” I kick one of the
boxes I know holds pillows and a throw blanket.

“How do you know? You’ve only done it what?
Once?” Alex begins laughing.

“Okay, so you have a point…let’s just say I
instinctively know I’m going to hate it.” I stick out my tongue at
him, and then turn toward the boxes with dread. “Ah, well. Guess
I’ll get start—”

Without warning, Alex comes up behind me,
grabs my hips with both hands, and spins me around.

“If you’re going to stick it out, dear, why
not use it?”

He gives me a wink, and my breath catches.
There’s a fire in his eyes. Those beautiful eyes that are full of
want and need…for me. His hot stare makes my body go to mush.

“Get naked,” he says and nuzzles my
neck.

“Here?” I pull back and eye him carefully.
Is he serious? We’re standing in the living room, which has a wall
of floor-to-ceiling windows, none of them covered. Despite how high
up we are, I still feel exposed.

“Honey, we’re fifteen floors off the ground.
No one will be able to see you. Now…
get
naked
.”

He is so bossy, which I find
so
freakin’ sexy. I’ve always loved a man who knows how to take
control in the bedroom.

“Yes, Mr. Preston.”

I take a step and begin unbuttoning my
blouse. After I have my shirt open about half way—which is plenty
far enough to show off most of my cleavage—I leave off there and
start working on removing my pants. I pull them down and slide them
off my legs, dragging my panties right along with them. I then
unhook my bra and slide it off my arms, leaving me standing in
front of him wearing just my black shirt.

“You’re teasing me,” he says, his voice
rough. “That’s not very nice.”

“Oh? I have to disagree with you, Mr.
Preston. I believe it is
very
nice.” I flash him what I hope
is a seductive grin. “Yes…very nice, indeed.”

Before I can blink, he’s in front of me,. He
reaches beneath my shirttails and grabs my ass, and the noises he’s
making are wild and…filled with lust. He kisses me, but this time,
there’s nothing slow or gentle in his manner. No…this time, it’s
all about need—his and mine. The desire we have for one another has
been building up for weeks.

“I can’t believe we’re finally alone,” Alex
says. He lifts my shirt up and over my head, and drops it to the
floor.

“
I
can’t believe I’m standing here in
the middle of the day, in front of a wall of uncovered windows,
stark-ass-naked for the entire world to see.” Talk about
risky…especially considering what happened to me last time. I sigh.
The girl I was before ceased to exist that day. I’d been much more
carefree, that’s for certain.

“We’re safe,” he told me. “Bob and Christina
are both in custody. Nothing will happen to you; I promise.”

I suppose he’s right. My life is no longer
in danger, so why not have some fun with this? I cross the room to
stand before him, and while holding his gaze, I lift his shirt over
his head, and then unbutton his pants. I drag them down, going to
my knees in the process. I finally glance away from his face, only
to turn my attention to his gloriously hard cock. My heart racing,
I lean forward and take him into my mouth. He moans, obviously
satisfied, and my God, his reaction is almost as wonderful as an
orgasm. The sounds he’s making, deep in his throat, spur me on;
encourage me to take him deeper. I run my tongue from base to tip,
and look up gauge his response. His head is tilted back, his mouth
hanging open. I feel so powerful, in control of his pleasure and
mine. The sensation is amazing. He moves his hand to the back of my
head, urging me to move faster, to take him deeper. He pumps his
hips at the same time, and the head of his cock bumps the back of
my throat.