“Right you are on the packing. Wrong on the busy. You have an appointment at five for a wedding dress. I called the shop you bought that wet dream at and they sent it over to the bridal dress place, they have your size but not your measurements. Which might be good, just in case.” His hand lingers over my stomach and I kiss him with all the love I’m feeling at his tender touch.
Drake breaks off the kiss and we’re both gasping for air as I rest my head on his shoulder. I can feel him hard under me and when I move he groans. “I’m sorry, it’s just, you just keep surprising me and every surprise is an amazing and good surprise. Also, it isn’t likely last night had any results, I’m too close to my period in three days. We don’t have time but I do.”
I slide down on my knees, undoing his jeans as I move. Drake helps me, and my mouth is greedy on him. When I had woken him with my mouth on him, he’d shown me a few more things to please him, I’d gotten wet just having him in my mouth. When he had apologized for needing a minute before he could move, I told him not to worry and just how wet I was at having him in my mouth. He’d rolled over and onto me to find out the truth of my words. With a moan of approval he had taken me over the edge. Moaning along the length of him, I hear him swear before he floods my mouth again. I take all of him and clean him completely before I allow him to fall from my mouth. Watching him work to take in air, the power I didn’t know I had when it came to this man is highly intoxicating and I feel drunk from it. Standing over him, I kiss his cheek, “You have five minutes before the bus drops him off.”
Going into my bedroom, I pull out the lone suitcase I have. Packing all of my small valuables and underwear that I would be too embarrassed to have anyone touching. Feeling his eyes on me, I look up to find him leaning against the open door.
“Don’t look so smug, I’m going to pay you back tonight.” At his smile, the front door opens and I hear Justin greeting Drake excitedly.
Drake turns and I hear them talking about the move. I finish packing my suitcase and zip it closed. From the living room, Justin has his door open and is frantically throwing his prized possessions on his bed as he keeps talking to Drake.
“Drake, are we taking my bed? Should we take my bed?”
“It’s up to you, all the rooms have beds. They aren’t used often, if you love your bed we can take it. If you don’t, we can send it for donation and if you don’t like the other bed you pic
k we can buy you a new bed. Remember, we won’t be there long and the furniture will stay. We’ll be buying new furniture when we move to Boston, most likely.”
“Right, right. When are we moving to Boston though, like, right away or just sometime in the summer?”
“It will depend. I had thought of Italy or Paris for our honeymoon but after looking and talking to all my contacts in Boston, it looks like it will be Boston. We’ll go up and house hunt, while taking in the sights. It will depend on how quickly we can close. I had hoped we could just find a few online and fly in and look but the real estate agent says property moves too fast for that.”
“Is that what you were doing on the computer?” I ask, and shaking his head, he pulls me back into his lap.
“No, I was looking at the project I’m working on right now. I’m letting Leo take over and I was checking on what he has done today.”
Happiness fills me, “You mean the project you said you couldn’t leave? You’re actually letting someone else take over?”
His smile makes it clear he knows why I’m happy. “Yes, that project. If I’m going to be leaving for Boston then I’m going to have to trust in Leo to handle the projects I’m leaving behind. I’ll probably do something similar when we get to Boston, to keep me busy.”
“So, you won’t ever go back into the market, even though you did so well in it?”
“No, going back to the market isn’t something I’ll ever do.” The look on his face is hard and sad. Feeling guilty, I lean into him.
“I’m sorry if I brought back bad memories.” I whisper into his neck.
“It’s not you sweetheart. It’s all me, I knew what the market was doing. The whole thing seemed like a big game. Do you know many of the same terms used in gambling are used in the market? None of it seemed real, it was all numbers on a screen. I knew the CMO’s were garbage, I wouldn’t let any of my clients invest or my people sell them. All I cared about was my reputation.
When it fell out from underneath itself, the losses I suffered were nothing compared to everyone else, because all I cared about was myself. I could have said and done more but I didn’t.”
“Drake, you can’t think like that. Would you have really been able to stop people from buying and selling something like that? From what I read, they were the next big thing since junk bonds, it was their risk to take.”
“That was the whole problem, they didn’t know how big the risk was. They were selling grade A when they knew it was more like junk than A. I wasn’t the only one who knew, if more people had said something, then it might not have been so bad.”
“I love you, you know that. You’re so damned smart, and arrogant, but you couldn’t have stopped it. There were others who tried to say something and don’t you remember someone even testified on it. Please stop thinking that way. Not even the Dragon of Chicago could have stopped it from happening. The market has cycles and it had been up for way too long, it was inevitable. Those were things I heard just going about my day in the city, so you, of all people, have to know that.
Please, let the guilt go. Is that why you do all you do with your properties? Practically giving a few condos in buildings and other properties to families in need.”
Sighing, he nods. “Maybe, all I knew was after everything that happened I’d never go back into the market. Real estate seemed a hell of a better option, my great-grandfather was huge into real estate. I liked the idea, something to touch, something people had and needed. I like what I’m doing now and really enjoy taking something and building it back up.
Yes, guilt played a huge factor in giving properties at greatly reduced or practically free to people who need help. I gave up the running of the foundation to the lawyers long ago, so doing something for others and seeing it up close has been more fulfilling than I ever thought it could be. Chicago isn’t an easy place to live in, and if I can help others then I want to.”
“The Dragon doesn’t breathe fire after all, who knew?”
“You knew, the whole time, don’t act like you didn’t. Now, sweetheart it’s time to get you moving. The wedding planner, Jane, will meet you at the bridal place. She needs an invitation list from you, we’re keeping it small. Even small they’ll need to put the order in at a rush. A word of warning, she’s acting as if she’s moving heaven and earth for us. When you’re done there, you’ve got the florist, they already know your favorite flowers and colors. Tomorrow we’ll do the food together and pick out a cake. Justin, do you want to go with your sister to pick out a dress?”
“Ugh, no way. Besides, my stupid teacher gave us enough homework for two weekends not one. I need to start on it now if we’re going to do the tuxedo thing on Sunday. Do I really have to wear a tuxedo?”
“Oh, you would look so good in a tuxedo! Justin, why don’t you want to wear one?”