“It’s a good thing I’m so likeable,” I answer, watching his eyes roll back into his head.
“What’s with the sudden rush to get back? Your meeting not go well?”
I shake my head, wiping my mouth with the linen napkin. “Went perfect. Top of my game. Wish you could have been there.”
“You get the price down where you planned?”
I almost lie, but that’s not how I operate. Life is hard enough keeping track of the truth. I’ve always felt like lying lessened me somehow. I don’t mind being known for being a hard-ass in business and life, but lying feels like a cop-out.
“Paid full asking price. Plus, a little to speed up the finalization.”
Doug nearly spits out the bite of hash browns he just put in his mouth, feigning choking with his hands at his throat. When he recovers, he flattens his palms on the white linen tablecloth on either side of his plate. “You what? You paid what? Did I hear the words full price?”
“I can afford it.”
“That’s never mattered before. I know you can afford it.” He gives me a long, narrow stare. “Does this sudden change in negotiating technique have something to do with why you woke me up at two AM and told me our flight plan had changed?”
I twitch my head back and forth, trying to loosen the ever-present tension in my neck since I opened the door and saw Alice yesterday.
I sniff, knocking my closed fist over my mouth for a beat, then nod. “Maybe.”
Doug’s eyes lose their humor, clouding with concern. “It’s not Linnie is it? She okay?”
He knows how much she means to me. How she’s become the center of my life. Even though deep in my gut I know she now shares that space with the brunette that is sleeping somewhere in my house right now.
The thought makes my dick jerk and I shake my head.
“She’s fine. I just, I have this new babysitter…”
I reach into the inside pocket of my jacket and feel the little box there. I always bring Linnie something back when I travel, and this time is no different, except I’m bringing back two gifts.
“Got it. Hard to trust someone new.” He looks down at his phone. “I’m going to hit the head, then we should get on our way.”
He stands, buttons his blue blazer and the ever-present wild thoughts about Alice intensify. I’m not going to tell her I’m coming back early. That’s probably not the right decision, but truth is, I’m not even sure what’s right or wrong anymore.
The snow has stopped as I pull into the back of the estate and it’s close to five in the morning. I’ve had zero sleep since I woke up yesterday, frantic about not having a sitter for Linnie, but right now, I’ve never felt more energized.
Yesterday morning, the number one priority was securing the land in Australia, buying back the mineral and possessory rights and handing them back to the rightful owners. That’s still important, but...
What a difference less than twenty-four hours can make.
After takeoff on the return flight, I sequestered myself in the small private bedroom in the back of my plane for the two hour hop back here to Michigan. I knew I wouldn’t sleep, but I closed my eyes anyway. All I saw were those pools of liquid blue-green and lips that mouthed my name before slipping around my cock.
I wondered what her small, willowy body looked like under all those loose clothes. Why she seemed so wise and so naïve at the same time.
From there, it was a fury of stroking off. I sought relief three, four, five times, but got none. I could smell her in my waking dreams. Fresh and floral, sweeter than any rose ever grown. I could feel the warm silk of her spread-open pussy on my tongue as her liquid heaven seeped down my throat…
My fantasies were never ending and now, I’m dehydrated as fuck from jerking off. My hand aches and my cock is raw as I sneak in through the back service entrance and drop my briefcase and laptop in my office before heading to the back stairs.
I enter the house in silence, using a special code on the alarm so there’s no notification that someone has opened or closed an entry door. My body is in stealth mode as I walk up the back stairs. As I approach Linnie’s room and poke my head inside, the house feels like it’s vibrating in silence around me.
Linnie’s little body is wrapped in the vintage chenille bedspread and she’s surrounded by the seven pillows she requires, each with its own starched-white pillowcase which she changes herself every day. Her breathing is nearly silent, slow and even, and I blow her a kiss as I close the door and listen for the click of the handle securing it shut.