WLUV Box Set: Ignited, Consumed, Burned (11 page)

Wes had Macy exactly where he wanted her, but his promise
stood. She would have to take the lead. It was a Herculean task, not grabbing
her right then as the door shut and taking her up against it. But he wanted to
know she was opening not just her body but her heart to him.

The room wasn’t much more than a small bathroom, a large
king bed, and a little corner table and chairs. Wes draped his parka over a
chair then stripped off a heavy sweater so he was down to a T-shirt and jeans.
Macy stood still, looking like she didn’t really know what to do next.

It was amusing to see her at odds with herself and unsure. Wes
stepped toward her.

“May I?” She nodded silently and he helped her out of her
coat, and then unwrapped her scarf. He looked at her while he did so, and took
a moment to look at his feelings for her. When he’d picked up her scarf the
first time they’d met he was pushing her, flirting with her, seeing if she was
interested. But now for him at least, the feelings he had were different. He
couldn’t help but see how they’d changed as he carefully placed this scarf next
to his parka on the chair.

The feeling was love, no question. His heart beat faster at
this chance just to be with her and take care of her; it meant he loved her, on
top of the lust. If she wasn’t ready for more right now, then he would wait her
out.

Macy didn’t appear to be snapping out of her
blizzard-induced paralysis, even as Wes helped peel off the down-filled top
layers she wore. He turned to put some of her things on the table and when he
looked back, she still hadn’t moved.

“I don’t think you’re quite done.” The tone of Macy’s voice
was unmistakable—Wes had his invitation. He moved toward her in a breath and
encircled her with his arms, but then he stopped himself, thinking of the
promise he’d made her. She’d have to bridge that final inch between their lips.

“You win,” she said, and she placed her soft lips on his. He
returned with a feather light kiss. He would warm her inch by inch. The other
times they were together had been fast and out of control, and she’d robbed him
of the chance to appreciate her in the way she deserved – the way he wanted to
– when she snuck away from the bed the last time.

Now, they had time. And she wasn’t going anywhere.

He pulled his lips from hers and caught her lip in his
teeth. Hearing a little sigh escape from her mouth turned the low flame into an
inferno, but Wes wasn’t rushing this. He wanted Macy to be undeniably his by
the time this night was through. It would require restraint, dedication, and
worshipping every bit of her glorious self.

Wes dipped his tongue into her mouth and he felt her press
into him, searching for a closer connection. His hands moved up her back from
her waist and then plunged into her thick hair. He pulled her head back and
exposed her neck as he trailed his teeth and then his tongue across her silky
skin.

He needed all of that soft skin immediately, and it was a
mighty internal struggle not to rip her clothes off in a frenzy. Even though
she was allowing this, she had the air of a skittish deer, ready to run if he
startled her or pushed her too hard.

Nibbling her earlobe, he whispered to her, “I’m going to get
you naked now. I want to see your fantastic body. I want to see every part of
you, Gorgeous.”

She nodded, surrendering to him a little at a time…That’s
okay, he thought, he’d keep it up until she was beyond ever saying no to him
again. That’s what he was after.

Wes pulled off her heavy sweater to find a tight-fitting
long john shirt. Her erect nipples showed through, and he cupped her breasts.
They filled his hands and he bit through the fabric of her shirt and bra to
feel the hard pebbles beneath. She had a hard time staying still and he knew
she was slowly shedding the inhibitions that had stopped her for the last few
weeks.

He peeled her jeans down and stayed on his knees for a
moment with his hands on her hips. She swayed and quivered as he looked up at
her.  Macy in just panties and a thermal shirt was sexier than anything he’d
ever seen or fantasized about.

“Oh, this is beautiful.” He used his teeth to bite at the
little mound between her legs. Feeling her moist heat, he had to force himself
to stay in the moment and not think about how good she felt, wrapped hot and
tight around him. No, a slow adoration was what she was getting this time. He
didn’t want her to look at or touch another man ever again, and he was intent
on making her want only him.

Wes nudged aside her panties and plunged his tongue inside
her. The sweetness he tasted there was more proof of her need. She moved
against him and made that moaning noise he’d been dreaming about. He probed and
circled and then sucked in all of her.

“Wes, please… I need you inside me now…I can’t hold back.
Please...”

“It’s okay, Gorgeous, you can let go.” When he plunged his
finger inside her, he felt her tighten and grip around him. She twisted his
hair in her fingers and pushed his head into her moving in rhythm to his strokes.
He raked his teeth against her and she screamed in her release.

Her knees were starting to give way so he stood and gently
swept her up and onto the bed. He leaned back just to drink her in and look at
her for a moment. Her eyes were closed, still almost drugged from her orgasm.
But this was just the beginning. Wes had much more in store for his Gorgeous
girl…

**

Macy was done fighting. She was experiencing something she’d
never felt before and her strength to resist it was gone. Phil Strong be
damned, ANCR be damned. She wanted Wes and he wanted her. He’d spent weeks
proving it and now the universe had conspired to have her in his arms. He been
true to his promise and she was now begging him to do whatever he wanted to
her. Life was short and if this ended after tonight so be it--she wasn’t going
to be afraid of it and she wasn’t going to feel shame about it.

She couldn’t in this moment remember why she had stopped Wes
before. As the waves of pleasure that shook her subsided, she opened her eyes
to see him. He still wore the T-shirt and she decided she needed to see him,
immediately. She bent forward and grabbed the T-shirt over his head. His broad
chest had her feeling overheated again, so quickly. They were both up on their
knees on the bed and Wes grabbed her head and kissed her before she could get
him free of his jeans.

“Easy, Gorgeous. Let me help.” Something about the way he
talked to her made shivers ripple down and through her body. None of her other
lovers – not that there were many – had ever talked so intimately to her, and
she found herself loving it.

“Lie back, let me get you naked.” He pulled his own jeans
off and the expensive boxers he wore couldn’t contain him. The length of him
sprang forward and she lifted her hand and curled her fingers around him. He
was huge and hot and she could barely wait. She wanted to feel him.

“If you do that, I’ll be done way too fast, G.” Wes’s palm
was over her heat, his finger tickling her most private spots, “I want to be in
here.”

A little squeak escaped her lips before she could restrain
it. Wes lifted her thermal shirt over her head, leaving her in her panties and
bra. Her breasts were heavy with longing and she arched her back, the slow pace
now making her feel frustrated. She felt herself clenching to have him inside
of her.

As if sensing her discontent Wes straddled her, pinning her
underneath him. He took a finger and rimmed just inside of her bra cups with
it, one then the other. Then he slid her bra down completely, he lowered his
mouth onto her nipple and ran his tongue over it. She felt suspended in
sensation and he pushed his pelvis into hers, the fabric of their clothes still
preventing complete contact.

Wes worked his way back to her lips, leaving a trail of
kisses along her breasts and throat. Something changed in him along the way;
Macy sensed something more intense threatened his control and she decided to
fan his flame. She loved feeling him lose his grip a bit.

She plunged her tongue into his mouth and wouldn’t let go.
If Wes wanted this to be slow and she wanted it to be fast, she’d still do
everything she could to win. They were always at odds with each other and it was
exactly what made them work— the pushing and pulling, it was the friction
between them that created the spark.

“This won’t do, it looks like you’re a little behind,” Macy
pulled down his boxers.

“You’re a naughty thing, Miss Green.”

Wes grabbed her panties at her hips and pulled them upwards
at first, the fabric straining against her soft center. She gasped as the
pressure he created against her pelvis stoked her need even higher.

“I’ll owe you a pair,” he grinned, and with that he ripped
her panties off. “Open up for me baby.” From somewhere Wes produced a condom.

Macy opened her legs and felt her herself stretch as Wes
nudged at the opening that was more than ready. Wes again tried to go slow, but
she started to thrash, grab, and push forward for more.

“Slow down.... I don’t want either of us to forget a moment
of this.”

“No…now.
Now
please. Take me.” Wes gave in, plunging
in, sliding almost all the way out, and then in again. Macy was splayed flat as
he did it again and then out, and she grabbed the headboard to brace herself
while he pummeled her.

She clenched herself around him over and over and felt him
lengthen all the way into her core at the same time. He was deep inside her,
the sensations so vivid she was starting to see white spots, like stars, when
she shut her eyes. When he rubbed his fingers against her at the same time, all
was lost. 

Macy screamed as he pulled almost all the way out again, and
then in, and in again. They were locked together. She was coming apart and it
did something to Wes.

“Fuck,” he growled into her ear.

He fell over her and crushed her, thrusting hard and fast
into her while she squeezed her eyes shut and saw stars. The pressure finally
unleashed and she went over the edge with such force it rocked her from her
core to her toes, her nerve endings sizzling and then exploding.

Fireworks.

They stayed that way for a while; she was in a kind of blissful
haze and nearing sleep.

“Wow, Gorgeous. Just wow.”

This time, Macy wasn’t planning to run, not by a long shot.

**

Wes had won Macy over, totally. Finally. She awoke to the
early morning light peeking through the blinds with a smile on her lips. The storm
was over, but the highway was still closed. She and Wes probably had another 24
hours together, stranded, and it was music to her ears. That fear of alone time
with Wes was now her complete joy. Macy tried hard not to bust out into a goofy
smile, or Wes was likely to think she’d lost it completely.

Sipping her cup of coffee, she called to check in on the station.
Shelby and Gary had gotten back just under the wire the night before, and they
were already on track to handle all the angles needed for their Saturday coverage.
They gave her reasonable assurances that all was well, and so she promised them
she would only be a phone call away, but stuck just the same. She flipped on
WLUV’s coverage for a few minutes, studying the way an executive producer that
she’d been grooming stepped up and directed the daytime slot.

Macy had completely lost all inhibitions when it came to
being around Wes. He’d overwhelmed her senses and made her forget her modesty.
As she made her calls to WLUV, he kissed her, ran his hands over her shoulders,
and playfully aroused her. It was like nothing she’d experienced in her entire
life. Wes seemed to cherish her. His touches were rough and demanding at some
moments, gentle and reverent at others. She reluctantly admitted that somehow,
he made her feel…loved.

“So, are you going to tell me why you resisted me so long?”
Wes wanted her body and she knew he wanted her heart as well.  Not knowing what
it really meant, not knowing if what was happening could possibly last, and at
the very least Macy owed him her honesty.

And so she told him that she’d fallen in love with Phil, or
thought she had, and how he not only betrayed her with Kirstie –  in public – 
but also how she lost everything she’d ever worked for because of it.

“He chose a brighter star and so did they. And I learned how
to be on guard again, more than ever. I’d lost everything when he was really
only using me to further his own agenda. When someone else could do more for
him, I was out.”

“Well, he didn’t really love you. I do. There is no one else
out there in the world like you.” Wes put it all out on the line. “You don’t
have to say anything back. You just need to trust in me. I won’t hurt you.
Look, Phil is an idiot…but the fact that you were here, I was here, this…
happened—
we
happened, is because it was supposed to. When it was
supposed to.”

“Wes, I can’t...” Wes put a finger to her lips.

“You don’t have to say anymore. Now I know why you were so
afraid and I don’t want you to feel pressure. You’ll say what you want and feel
how you feel when you’re supposed to. Just let me love you.” And so he did.

Wes drew Macy onto his lap and they made love again in the
morning, at noon, and again, all night. She’d lost count as the plows began to
clear a path to their cheap motel room Wes cleared a path to Macy’s heart.

Macy spent the next three weeks of her time at WLUV tweaking
the performances of her on-air staff and then training the producers. As she
worked to breathe life back into the station, her enthusiasm was contagious.
Wes’s newfound belief in the little station had transformed his previous cold,
corporate existence into a kaleidoscope of news, people, deadlines, successes,
and failures. He scrambled to convince advertisers to hang on; he bolstered his
sales team and convinced them that they really did have a better product, something
that was worth fighting for and investing in.

They were a beat down crew and he was there to let them know
the news product was going to rebound. Just like Macy reviving the news
department, he worked to revitalize his sales team.

He and Macy found places and times to corner each other in
hidden closets, storerooms, and edit bays. He practically lived at her hotel at
night. It was incredibly hot, always, and as much as she gave him, he wanted
her even more right after. Wes had to force himself to stay on the other side
of the building before deadlines so they could both work.

But he didn’t pressure her into saying she loved him; she
would when she could. He wasn’t sure what held her back but it was okay, he
could wait.

He’d made it a ritual to come down to the newsroom and watch
each evening’s newscast with her. Other than their stolen moments it was the
highlight of his day. It was a “news family” affair, though, and Macy always
invited anyone who had a spare moment to watch with them.

On this particular day, as he walked down the hall he saw
her through the glass of the news director’s office in the arms of a gigantic,
scruffy-looking man.  The guy looked disreputable and dangerous and handsy. He
had Macy in his arms and off the ground!  Wes saw the stranger’s rough hands
encircle his woman and nearly broke out into a run to get in that room.

Then the man put her down. Wes’s hands were balled into
fists.
Who the fucking hell was this, his hands on her?
But he
remembered the last time he’d made a scene in the newsroom—he’d lost her for a
week over it. He restrained himself but barged into the room nonetheless.

When she saw him, and the fire that was probably quite
visible in his narrowed eyes and clenched jaw, Macy stepped towards the door
and explained, with a warm and inviting smile, “Wes, I’d like you to meet one
of my oldest friends. This is Ray Macmillan—“Mac.” Mac is one of the best
photographers in the country. We’ve made it through a few tight spots
together.”

Wes glanced at the hand still on Macy’s back. Clearly she
had affection for the man, but she stressed the word “friend.”

Macmillan stepped back a bit from Macy and removed his hand,
easily sensing that Wes was less than thrilled to find Macy in the arms of some
guy who’d looked like he’d just flown in from a war zone.

Wes got his shit together but remained on edge, “Nice to
meet you.” The two men shook hands. Macy made a strange face at Wes and then
turned her attention back to Macmillan.

“Look, I want you to think about what I said, Mac. Hang out
a bit and take a look around. We’ll talk some more.”

“Okay, but you know I only came out here is because you
asked. I wouldn’t have even taken calls from anyone else.” Mac stood up and
headed for the door to the office.

“I know. We need you here, Mac. And I think it would be good
for you, too.” Macy looked worried as she finished her conversation with her
old friend. Wes knew there was something he wasn’t catching.

“I’ll take a look around the joint and catch up with you
later.”

“Great. Make yourself at home.” Macy turned to make sure her
TVs were on and ready to go, and when Mac was gone, she said, “He’s the best
there is, but he’s hurting... I’m not even sure he’s ready to work. I made him
an offer, though, so we’ll see. WLUV could do a lot worse.”

Wes didn’t press her. He had more than a few questions about
Mac. The vision of Macy in someone else’s arms had turned his stomach. He was
startled by the ferocity of his reaction but tried not to let Macy in on it.
They’d have that conversation another time, in private.

As if reading his thoughts, Macy said, “I’ll tell you the
whole story some other time. Let’s watch the news.”

They watched together, and Wes let Macy know he’d be by the
hotel for dinner at seven. He needed to finish up some things in his office
though now he was still distracted by this Macmillan character.

The other problem was that the end of February was coming.
It was a marker that he and Macy hadn’t really talked about, but they were
approaching a crossroads in their relationship, and fast. Wes wasn’t going to
waste a minute. As he walked to his car at the end of the day, he ran into Mac
again.

“So you’re the guy who’s finally gotten to Macy, eh?”

“She told you?” Wes asked, surprised. He figured Bernie had
long ago deduced what was up, maybe even before the two of them even had, and
Mrs. King probably knew. Plus anyone staying on either side of Macy’s hotel
room, but they hadn’t told anyone.

“Yeah, like she said— we go way back. She really must have
it bad for you to turn down that network reporting offer.”

Wes had no idea what Mac was talking about, and he said as
much.

“Well, I don’t know about that.” Wes decided to let this
play out to see just what Macy was keeping from him.

“The head of the investigative team for her former
competition, based in NYC. It’s a pretty sweet gig. I know the old Macy would
have killed for it.”

Wes felt a spike of fear enter his heart.  His chest
tightened.

Macy had turned down her dream job. For him.

Didn’t she know that he loved her and wanted what she
wanted? Her last relationship ended because Phil and her employer, pretty much
everyone in her life, put themselves before her. If he stood between Macy and
her dream job, her dream life, eventually he’d be Phil Part Two in her mind.

In the seconds he’d spent talking to this old friend of
Macy’s, this remnant of her old life, he realized what he had to do. It was
going to tear him apart.

“Well, I hope you consider Macy’s offer. Good to meet you.”
With that, Wes headed to his car and flipped open his phone.

Then he made the move that would wreck him, but Wes was
going to put Macy first…

**

A few days later Wes called the entire station together. The
last night of sweeps was over and he had an announcement.

“The overnight ratings are in from our February ratings book.
As you know, it was the make-or-break book for WLUV.”

Wes paused and looked around the room for dramatic effect.

Macy was towards the rear of the group, watching all of
them. She’d begun to think of all of them as her staff, her family really, and
this was their moment. They’d done the work and hopefully they’d see the
result.

“You did it!” Wes yelled. It was like he announced they’d
won the lottery. “For the first time in 15 years WLUV is number two!”

There was applause and high fives between all of them, and
Wes distributed some champagne in little plastic cups for everyone.

“Not in every newscast
or
in every demographic, but
in enough demos and time periods to be worth celebration.” Wes continued as the
staff hugged and congratulated each other for their hard work over the last
month.

It was a huge victory. Macy hadn’t seen the data from Wes
but since the station was a metered market, they were able to see pretty
quickly that they’d moved the needle. They weren’t number one, but attention
and hard work had pushed them out of the basement. Macy couldn’t be any prouder
of the people at WLUV.

She thought it was odd that after the presentation Wes
didn’t come down to her, uh, the news director’s office. They usually made plans
together, but today she couldn’t wait to see him and celebrate the station crossing
this milestone. She tried not to worry as she glanced over to where he normally
sat next to her. The empty chair had her feeling sad, and she hoped nothing was
wrong. It surprised her, how much she’d grown accustomed to having Wes at her
side. He had been there when she needed him, and with her throughout her time
as WLUV’s de facto news director.

Macy didn’t want to crowd him, though, and assumed there was
a good reason he didn’t come down, as was their ritual. She looked at a few
resumes that ANCR had forwarded to her when she asked for news director
candidates. She’d promised to help Wes find someone good for the job, and that
was up next, along with getting Mac locked in for the photography staff— even
as chief, if she could get him to take it.

Well, if Wes wasn’t coming down she’d head up. Macy put the
resumes back in their file and closed her laptop. She smiled to think how much
she, well… she loved him. Okay, she could say it to herself. Now she just had
to find the courage to say it to him.

Macy blushed at how brave she’d become when it came to Wes. She
made a mental note to close his office door behind her.

Wes was on the phone, as usual, when she found him. But when
he hung up she knew something wasn’t right. She could feel his distance even
before he spoke, it was palpable. Instead of the usual magnetic force field
between them, there seemed to be some sort of wall.

“I just want to congratulate you for what you’ve done here.
I’ve just talked to ANCR and let them know that as well.” Wes was being polite
and professional. He was treating her like a valued employee. “I’m sure they’ll
be happy to have you back for the next assignment.”

“My next…Yes, I guess we have to talk about this. I was just
sort of avoiding it.” She walked around the desk to sit on Wes’s lap, trying to
bridge the physical gap between them. No matter what happened with the next
ANCR assignment, she wanted to be with him. However, they could figure it out.
She wanted him to know that

When she reached him and sat down, Wes stiffened like he was
made of cardboard instead of the man who’d been like her second skin the last
few weeks. Alarm bells were going off in her head. Her last moments with Phil
had played out in this exact same way.

But this was worse, one-thousand times worse.

Wes cleared his throat. “I think it’s best if we end this
now. I loved every moment we’ve had together, but ANCR needs you. I appreciate
all you’ve done for us here at WLUV, and for me, but—”

“What the hell is this?” Macy scrambled off his lap and
stood up.  He had pulled the rug out from under her.

“I let you in, I trusted you and you’re—you’re really
telling me that now that my consultant contract is up so we’re up?”                       

The tears began to sting in her eyes. All the fears she had
about Wes, the ones he’d told her not have, were spot-on accurate. Macy had
been played by a man again, used for what she could do, and now, just like with
Phil…once she’d helped advance his agenda in bed and at work, he was casting
her aside. She felt like blood was rushing to her ears, drowning out sound. She
heard Wes’s words almost as if she was under water and he was whispering from
the surface as she sunk.

“Look, you’ve done great here, amazing, really. I have grown
to really appreciate WLUV and because of you I’m not going to sell it. In fact,
I’m probably going to stay here for a while, and I owe this all to you and your
work.” Wes stood up and flipped on a few of the TV screens, muting the volume.

His eyes passed over the different monitors indifferently,
and he continued, “But you’re not supposed to stay here, Macy. What you’ve got
going is bigger than WLUV. You’ve been hiding long enough behind this
consultant job. I know you got burned, but I think you’re tough enough to
handle the big time again.”

Macy was transfixed, watching this cold-hearted businessman
mechanically flipping through a stack of mail. “I’ve had my fill of the fast
lane,” he shrugged, “I’ve had my shot at the big city and I’m happy to be here
for a while. But you still have a lot to give, a lot to prove. I’m sorry, Macy,
but I think it’s best if today was your last day.” 

He didn’t even look at her when he said it.

“You mean you’ve had your fill of
me
.” Macy couldn’t
speak after that. She wanted to rage at Wes, but she wasn’t even sure she knew
who this man was. There was nothing but pain filling her chest, burning her
throat. She flung the file of news director resumes at his desk.

Here she was about to come in here and tell this man she
loved him, and he was done with her. He’d turned off the switch, just like
that, and she was out.

Macy snatched up her things and headed towards the door. Of
course, she lost her footing and nearly fell as she entered the hall.
Couldn’t
the universe at least let her salvage some dignity?

She grabbed the door frame and willed herself to stand
upright. He wouldn’t have the satisfaction of seeing her fall to pieces. He’d
turned into a cold and distant person she didn’t know; she was nothing to him. That
was what he’d explained to her. He may as well have said that she was just a
tool he used to get his business on the right track, and for a little fucking
on the side.

It took her less than three hours, but somehow Macy made it
to her car, to her hotel, and to the airport. . She was falling apart and
didn’t want to be in the room where everything reminded her of Wes, she had to
get out.

You let your guard down, at work, again!
She couldn’t
believe she’d made the exact same mistake. At least this time she wasn’t fired.
For all she knew ANCR had no idea that she’d acted like a complete whore.
They’d made her travel arrangements, getting her on a last-minute flight to New
York, so she figured she was still under their employ.

So maybe she had learned a little. This time, her heart was broken,
but at least she wasn’t out of a job. It was hardly a comfort.