Intractable Souls : Book 1 of the Bound for Ireland Series (50 page)

She tries not to laugh at him. “You’re
really annoying.”

“So you’ve mentioned… several times.” He
runs his hands over her body. “I don’t want to argue.“

She nods her agreement. She doesn’t want to
argue either.

“Then if you insist on leaving, kiss me
goodbye.”

“First tell me how you know Nate Ross.”

“Hmm, are you withholding kisses unless I
provide information?” His hands twist in her hair now, twirling it
around his fingers.

“Yes, I guess I am.” She bites her lip and
waits, expecting him to protest.

“Nate and I met when he was in Scotland on
tour. Now kiss me.” He tugs her forward and smashes his mouth
against hers. Her arms hang heavily at her side, a little annoyed
at his sparse answer she doesn’t want to return his embrace. His
kiss softens as his mouth covers hers and her body betrays her,
bringing her hands up to his biceps, squeezing and caressing as she
returns his kiss.

Somehow finding the restraint to ignore the
raging hard on in his pants, he takes her by the hand and walks her
to her car. This day is not about the sex, it’s about so much more,
it’s about the intimacy… the connection. Making sure she’s buckled
in safely, he closes the door. Just before she pulls away, she
rolls down the window and asks. “One more kiss?”

Leaning down, he meets her lips through the
window, gifting her with the hottest, make-your-knees-weak good bye
kiss. It’s so hot, she almost reconsiders leaving. As he
straightens, she puts the car into gear and starts to grin. “Hey,
Ireland.” She says out the open window. “Not that I’m bragging or
anything, but I do believe I just won round three.” She breaks into
the cheekiest smile as she witnesses the look on his face.

“Well.Fuck.Me.” He scratches his head and
looks back at her beautiful smile. “Well played, princess.” A grin
forms on his delicious, kissable lips, as Rachel would call them.
She would be partly right. They are definitely more than
delicious.

The air in the city is heavily burdened with
smog on this humid summer morning. The traffic is at a stand still
throughout the entire downtown core, yet Ethan sits in the
Challenger unaffected by the mess around him. For the first time in
many months he feels rested, recharged even. He might even go as
far as saying he feels content. He scans the radio stations looking
for something that suits his mood and when he finds it, he sings at
the top of his voice, confident that the closed, tinted windows of
the Challenger hide him from view.

The phone rings, forcing him to turn down
the volume before he hits the hands free button on the console.
“Hello!”

“Hi?” John is a little shocked by Ethan’s
casual greeting. Usually by this time of the morning, he’s worked
himself into tyrant mode.

“Hey! How was your weekend? I trust you
found a way to entertain our guest?” He chuckles.

“It was a great weekend, Ethan. Thank you.”
John scratches his head suspiciously.

“I’m stuck in traffic. I’m about 20 minutes
out still. What time is our first meeting?”

“Not until 10am. You have plenty of time. I
thought tomorrow night we could take Shannon to the restaurant for
dinner. I’d like her to see it before she goes home.”

“That sounds like a brilliant idea.
Traffic’s starting to move now. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

John hangs up the phone and looks at Shannon
with an uncomfortable look.

“What’s wrong?” She asks concerned. She’d be
lying if she said she wasn’t a little nervous about meeting Ethan
in person. He has a reputation for being difficult, insensitive at
times, and their reason for meeting today is not under pleasant
circumstances.

“Nothing. He’s in a really good mood.” John
shrugs.

Shannon watches John’s face, noting the
uneasy look on it as he shuffles some stuff on his desk to make
room for her to work there. “That’s good isn’t it? Why do you look
worried?”

“Ethan doesn’t do good moods often,
especially these days. It makes me nervous.” He glances up at her,
catching her watching him with wide eyes, and tries to put her at
ease. “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine this afternoon.”

She nods her head. “I can handle it. You
will be there when I tell him right?” Looking down at her
briefcase, she fusses with the clasp, trying to hide her
anxiety.

“Yes.” Walking towards her, he puts his hand
on top of hers, stilling her movements, then lifting it to his
mouth, he kisses it gently as he reaches down and pops open the
clasp on the briefcase.

She tries to smile at him, wishing that
their time together wasn’t coming to an end. “I imagine the news
will end his good mood.”

John touches her chin with his thumb before
brushing upwards across her cheek. He doesn’t care that anyone can
walk in and see them. “Yes, I imagine it will.” Her stark blue eyes
mirror his own and he worries how a future together will be
possible under his current employer. For now, he needs to concern
himself with shielding her from the fall out that will come with
this afternoons news.

Taking a deep breath, she presses her lips
together tightly, reminding herself that she is used to dealing
with tough clients. Ethan O’Connell is not the most difficult one
she has had to deal with. Perhaps it’s his relationship with John
that has made her feel more sensitive to the situation.

John looks at his watch. “I need to go and
make sure he’s ready for this meeting. You make yourself at home
here in my office. Help yourself to whatever you need.”

“Ok I will.” She watches him walk to the
door and feeling a little anxious, she calls his name. “John…”

Pausing, he turns to meet her worried
look.

“Ethan’s going to FREAK… isn’t he?”

He frowns and nods his head in agreement.
“Yes, but don’t worry, baby. I won’t leave you to deal with him
alone.” When he gets to the doorway, he peaks down both hallways
for anyone coming and then blows her a kiss as he pulls the door
shut.

When he reaches Ethan’s office he finds him
already there and sifting through his emails. “Is there anything
you need me to do in preparation for this meeting?” He asks as
Ethan looks up and acknowledges him.

“I don’t think so. I’ve already reviewed the
presentation we worked on last week. Everything looks good. The
agenda went out ahead of time so things should run smoothly. There
is one thing I’d like you to check into for me.”

“Alright, what?”

“I’d like to know if we have any clients… or
potential clients in Nova Scotia. I’m thinking about taking a trip
out that way.”

“I’ll check into it and let you know.”

Ethan stands, and as he passes John, he
grins and pats him on the back. “Let’s get going then.”

John looks at Ethan suspiciously, shaking
his head at his unexpected behavior. Picking up the stack of
handouts and the laptop he follows Ethan down the hall reviewing
and discussing the finer points of the presentation. Ethan’s phone
makes a beeping sound and he quickly checks to see what’s going on
and then looks at John. “The battery is almost dead, do you have a
charger?”

“Not with me, but I know who does. Hannah
has charged mine for me before.”

As they reach the reception area Hannah
stands to greet them, adjusting her breasts as they approach. “Good
morning, Mr. O’Connell.” She says with a flirty smile.

“Good Morning Hannah! I missed your
beautiful smile when I arrived this morning.”

She blushes as she sits down and gazes up at
him. “I’m sorry I missed you, I must have just stepped away for a
moment.”

John flashes Ethan a look that he completely
ignores as he leans against the desk and continues flirting with
her. “I was wondering if you might be able to charge my phone for
me while I’m in my meeting?” He holds it out in front of him,
showing her that the battery is almost dead.

“Of course!“ She beams. “My phone uses the
same charger.” She reaches up and takes it out of his hand, making
sure to touch him as she does. Her eyes never leave his, glazed
over with a hunger, as if she’s been fasting and he’s her next
meal. John is concerned that Ethan seems to have no perception of
the signals she’s sending.

“Any calls that come through the switchboard
for me you can forward to John.”

“ANYTHING for you Mr. O’Connell.” Her words
purposely intended to send a seductive message.

“Hannah, you’re awesome!” He smiles at her,
putting his hand on top of hers, giving them a little squeeze and
winking, not thinking twice about his actions. When they walk away
from the desk, John leans in and expresses his concern.

“Do you think it’s a good idea to encourage
her like that?”

“Like what?”

“Flirting with her like that. It’s a bad
idea.”

Ethan looks over his shoulder at her as she
leans forward and peaks at him around the corner of the desk. When
their eyes meet, Ethan finally realizes what John is talking
about.

“Oh shit! You’re right. Sometimes I don’t
even realize I’m doing it.”

“Well you better dial it down, prince
charming. If you’re serious about Olivia at all, you had better
start thinking about how she would feel if she saw you flirting
with another girl like that? Especially Hannah.”

Ethan stops dead in his tracks and looks at
John as if he has just thrown a glass of water in his face to wake
him up. “Christ, good point.”

Running around her house and tearing it
apart, Olivia looks for her phone again. Sitting on the side of the
couch. she runs her fingers through her hair in frustration. “Geez,
not again.” She worries that Ethan is going to think that she’s
doing it on purpose as an excuse to see him. As if his ego needs to
get any bigger. Deciding not to stress over it, she heads to work,
excited over the news she has to share with Rachel.

Standing at the doorway, waiting for Rachel
to acknowledge her, she can’t hide her smile.

“What are you up to?” Rachel asks when she
finally looks up.

“I just wanted to let you know that Ethan’s
lips are definitely delicious and extremely kissable.” She shifts
her weight back and forth, too excited to stand still.

“Get the fuck out of here! You finally
kissed him?” Her voice is extremely loud and Olivia’s eyes open
wide.

“Rachel! You just said the F word!” She’s
shocked at her reaction, having only heard Rachel use that word on
very rare occasions. She nods her head yes, quickly looking to see
if anyone is close enough to hear.

“I knew those lips were sweet. Details… I
want details!” She waves her hand summoning her into her office.
Olivia laughs. “You won’t believe the night he planned. He cooked
dinner and he set up this beautiful gazebo outside with twinkle
lights and candles and music. Then we danced.” She glows as she
recounts their evening for her best friend, making sure to include
all the pertinent details. “He sang to me.” She says, warmth
washing over her at the memory.

“Are you kidding me?”

Olivia raises her eyebrows and smiles. “He
has almost convinced me that he’s not the arrogant, quick tempered,
man slut that I thought he was.”

“It sounds like a wonderful date. Scott used
to do stuff like that for me.” She reminisces for a moment, not
realizing that Olivia’s smile has faded into a frown and her brows
furrowed.

“It wasn’t a date.” Olivia denies.

“Uh, it sure sounds like a date.”

“Well it wasn’t.” She argues.

“Ok, if you insist. Who cares what you call
it as long as there was awesome sex afterwards!” She wiggles her
eyebrows at her.

Olivia develops a sour look on her face. “We
didn’t have sex last night. We just talked and danced… and
kissed.”

Rachel laughs. “It was definitely a
date.”

Olivia thinks about the night and closes her
eyes, whispering under her breath. “Sneaky bastard!”

Rachel’s smile is a mile wide and she tries
to choke back her laughter.

“It’s not funny.” Olivia snorts.

“Come on, Liv. You have to admit it’s kind
of funny. He found a way to finally get you to go on a date with
him and you didn’t even realize it.” She looks at Olivia’s face and
notices the chagrin. “You’re not mad at him now are you?”

She takes a deep breath and lets it out all
at once. “No, I’m not mad at him. It was a really nice night. I saw
a side of him that I don’t think a lot of people get to see. He was
sweet and gentle and charming in a way that was… genuine.”

Rachel stares at her stunned. “Oh my God.
You’re falling for him.”

Olivia is startled at the words, and her
nerves spasm as if someone had just jumped out from behind the door
and screamed Boo!

“What? No!” Butterflies flutter through her
veins with the realization. “He…I…” She silently concedes, looking
down as if she is ashamed. Son of a bitch!

They both stiffen as a deep voice speaks
from the doorway. “Good morning ladies, discussing your game plan
for the day?”

Rachel looks at Olivia nervously, wondering
if he had heard any of the conversation. “Good morning, Mr.
Dunn.”

He looks between the two of them and then
nods. “I was looking for Olivia.” He passes a folder in her
direction and she quickly stands to take it from him, flipping it
open as she does.

Jeremiah Dunn, Co-Owner of Dunn &
McLennan is short man, in his late 50’s. The dark black rims of his
glasses stand out harshly against his well-manicured white hair and
beard. Unlike his business partner, he seldom wears suits to work.
Casual slacks and sweaters are more in line with his inner geek,
his rounded belly giving hint to the fact that he spends much more
time behind a computer than being active. As far as Olivia knows,
there was never a Mrs. Dunn and she has wondered on several
occasional about his sexual preference. Not that it matters, as
bosses go, he is patient and kind and she enjoys working for
him.