A Heart For Business draft 2 Read online

  When at last their orgasms subsided, Vanessa collapsed against his chest and lay there, cuddling against his muscular body while he stroked her hair and their pulses slowed.

  “That was incredible. I love you so much.” Vanessa sighed contentedly.

  “I love you too.” Carter sighed in return. Stay with me like this forever. Now that I’ve found you, I don’t ever want to let you go.”

  “You won’t have to. I’m accepting the job and moving to New York.”

  “Don’t just move to New York, live here with me,” Carter said. It was completely impulsive, and yet he knew it was completely right.

  Vanessa did too. Hugging him tightly, she answered yes with a kiss.

  Chapter Six

  Vanessa and Carter started making plans to move in together the very next day. She arrived at his place with a tape measure and started parceling out the sections where she thought her favorite pieces of furniture could go once they were shipped from Chicago. Carter was amused and delighted with how efficient and dedicated she was. He could easily see why she would make an excellent CEO.

  The move would be the first time either of them had been serious enough about a romantic partner to want to live together. It was a big step, but they both knew it was the right one. They had practically been living together all this time anyway, with Vanessa only going home to her apartment across the hall to sleep at night.

  They already knew how the other liked their coffee in the morning, and what habits and idiosyncrasies the other had. They already knew they were perfect for each other. Now it was just a matter of logistics. Vanessa would meet with Mr. Fields on Friday and give him the happy news that she was accepting the job, and make it a condition of the offer for them to pay to have her possessions shipped from Chicago right into Carters apartment.

  “When are you going to call the building manager and arrange to have me added to your lease?” she asked Carter casually as she studied his closet and wondered if it was big enough to accommodate her wardrobe.

  “Well, actually it’s not that simple.” Carter said. “Just like your apartment is actually leased by the company wanting to hire you, my place is also leased by my employer. Living here is part of my salary as CEO of Gainscorp. I’ll have to get them to add your name to the lease when I renegotiate my contract.”

  “What did you say?” Vanessa’s eyes flew open wide. She couldn’t believe that in all their time together she’d never asked what company he worked for and he hadn’t asked who was looking to hire her. It had never occurred to either of them that she was being offered his job!

  “Renegotiate my contract.” Carter repeated, misunderstanding her surprise. “Since my accident put me on extended sick leave, I’ve actually been in breach of my employment contract as CEO. I’ve been with the company for so long, I’m sure they’ve saved my position for me. It’s just a question of going in and signing a new employment contract as soon as the doctor releases me back to work.”

  “What if they haven’t saved your position and have started looking for someone to replace you?” Vanessa asked cautiously.

  “I seriously doubt that would happen.” Carter scoffed.

  “Maybe it would be a good thing if you didn’t go back. Use this accident as an opportunity to try new things.”

  Carter looked thoughtful as he considered the idea but ultimately shook his head. “My career is at Gainscorp and has been for nearly two decades. If I lost that job it would be like all those years were for nothing and my life had been a waste. Next to you, my career at Gainscorp is all I have and I don’t want to lose either one.”

  “I understand how you feel. I wouldn’t want to lose either one too.” Vanessa said sadly, with tears brimming in her eyes. She turned her back so he wouldn’t see, pretending to be deeply interested in the closet once more.

  Vanessa couldn’t believe how quickly fate had turned. She’d finally found a man whom she wanted to spend her life with, but if she took the job at Gainscorp he would surely hate her for it. He would always blame her for stealing his job, even though it had been offered to her freely. It was the cruelest act of fate.

  Once again, Vanessa would have to choose between love and her career, only this time the choice wasn’t as easy as it had been in the past. She really loved Carter Davis and she didn’t want to lose him, but this position as CEO was the offer of a lifetime and would be the culmination of a lifetime of hard work. For the first time in her life, she didn’t know what to do.

  “I just hope the doctor releases me back to work at my appointment tomorrow, or they might actually start thinking about replacing me. After all, Gainscorp can’t function without a CEO forever.”

  “That’s right!” Vanessa cried out almost too happily before remembering to restrain herself. “You might not even be able to return to work.”

  “You don’t have to sound so excited by the idea of me being permanently disabled.” Carter teased.

  “I just like having you home every day with me.” Vanessa purred and wrapped her arms around his waist. Drawing him close, she kissed his neck and felt an immediate stirring in his slacks.

  “What’s this?” she teased and slid her hands down his body to lower his zipper. His rigid member sprang free and on impulse Vanessa knelt down and licked the tip of it, teasingly with her tongue.

  If tomorrow was going to be the last day he still loved her, she was going to make the most of things today, and make love to him with such passion they could both carry the memory forever.

  Carter groaned with pleasure as Vanessa lavished all her attention on his rock hard cock, licking the tip, then slowly taking it into her mouth and gently suckling him there as she stroked the shaft with her long, manicured fingernails. Then, suddenly, she took the full length of him into her mouth and stroked in and out, drawing him deep into her throat before withdrawing him almost completely to the tip and then back in again. All the while, she used the tip of her finger to caress the sensitive area right between the anus and the balls. The sensation drove him absolutely wild with pleasure and he had to grip the wall to keep from collapsing as he moaned aloud.

  “I want you so much!” he gasped as she withdrew from him before he got too hot and climaxed too soon.

  “Prove it.” Vanessa teased and stood up to stand right in front of him. Now it was Carters turn to pleasure her and he didn’t want to disappoint. With tantalizing slowness he stripped away her clothes, kissing every inch of her silky dark skin as it was exposed.

  He left no part of her body unadorned; massaging, caressing, licking, kissing, and suckling every space on her body while she stood there, moaning with pleasure. His hands were firm, his fingers insistent, and his mouth was hot and wet. Loud gasps of pleasure escaped her throat as he made love to her with his hands and mouth until she was on the brink of orgasm.

  “I want you inside me, now!” Vanessa moaned. She turned around and bent over the nearest chair, gripping the back of it for support. Then she spread her thighs wide, inviting him to enter her from behind.

  Carter gripped her by the waist and plunged into her dripping wet pussy with one solid thrust of his cock, making her scream out in pleasure.

  “Fuck me!” she cried. “Fuck me hard!” Carter stroked slowly at first, then faster and faster as Vanessa rocked back her hips to meet him, driving him more deeply into her than either one of them would have thought possible.

  She loved the way he filled her up inside with his huge cock and he loved the feel of her muscles rippling around him as she climaxed. Within moments they were climaxing together, locked together in sweet rapture as they orgasmed as one. Their cries of pleasure echoing off the vaulted ceilings of the apartment until they finally subsided and collapsed in each other’s arms onto the plush carpeted floor.

  “That settles it. You’re moving with me and there’s nothing the doctor or my job can say to stop us” Carter joked softly, as he cuddled her in his arms. He wore a smile of complete love and satisfaction on his fa
ce as Vanessa wished that his words were true, only she knew they weren’t. This was there last blissful moment together and tomorrow, everything would change.

  Chapter Seven

  Vanessa was quiet and subdued as she rode with Carter to the office of his physician, Dr. Milner. He figured she was just worried about his health and held her hand in a gesture of reassurance.

  “It will okay” he said gently. “No matter the doctor says, it will be okay” but Vanessa knew that wasn’t true.

  After the exam, she talked at length with Dr. Milner about Carter’s physical condition and every conceivable thing that might possible go wrong. If Carter hadn’t known better, he would have thought she was trying to convince the doctor not to release him back to work.

  “It’s quite common for loved ones to be over-protective and cautious when it comes to health issues.” Dr. Milner said casually. “No need for worry though, Miss Imenerse. I assure you; Mr. Davis has recovered from his injuries quite nicely and is fit for all normal activities.”

  “You mean I’m clear to go back to work?” Carter asked, his eyes shining with excitement and relief.

  “Yes. I’ll fill out the forms right now and you can take them with you when leave today. Of course, you’ll need to continue with the physical therapy three days a week and keep taking these prescriptions. I’ll want to check up on you again one month from today, but as far as I’m concerned, you can go back to work any time now.”

  “Thank you so much, doctor!” Carter shook Dr. Milner’s hand so enthusiastically, it rattled his teeth. Then he turned to Vanessa and hugged her with all his might, twirling in the air with joy. “Isn’t that great! All our dreams are coming true!”

  Carter kissed Vanessa with all the happiness and love he felt in his heart. This was the best day of his life! Not being able to work had not only been a detriment to his livelihood, but to his manhood as well. Now he would finally be able to hold his head up high and say that he was making an important contribution to society. Better yet, he’d be able to have Vanessa added to the lease of his apartment and officially live with the woman that he loved.

  “We need to talk.” Vanessa said softly. The look in her eyes was deadly serious and Carter instantly knew something was terribly wrong.

  A knot grew in his stomach as they completed the medical appointment, filling out all the necessary forms. When it was over they went out to the car where their driver was waiting.

  “I think we should walk home. I’d like to talk in private,” she said. Carter dismissed the driver; the knot swirling in his stomach was now a million times worse.

  “Are you breaking up with me?” he asked with a look of pure horror.

  “No! Not at all.” Vanessa said and he breathed a sigh of relief. Looking down at her feet as they walked along the sidewalk, Vanessa took a breath for courage and then just said what needed to be said. She told Carter everything about Gainscorp being the one to make the offer and how she had met with Norman Fields himself. She’d been given a tour of the office and met with the top boardroom members.

  “I don’t understand; how can this happening to me?” Carter asked after a long silence that lasted for several blocks. All the while Vanessa had been barely breathing, waiting for him to process all the information she’d just unleashed on him and wondering what his reaction would be. He whirled on Vanessa and shouted out; “And you! How could you have kept this from all these weeks? We’ve been going together for a month and you’re just now telling me!”

  “I just found out myself. You never talked about your career except to say how you couldn’t go to work because of your injuries. I had no idea you were working for the same company that was hiring me; or rather you thought you were working for them. When Gainscorp let you go they should have notified you.”

  “Maybe they did.” Carter said, suddenly shifted from angry to defeat. “I never opened all the mail you brought me that first day we met. There was so much of it and my head was still swirling from the pain pills I was on. I just threw most of it away. I’d been gone for six weeks by then and you’d already received the job offer. Hell, they’d probably been waiting an opportunity like this just to let me go!”

  Now Carter was back to being angry again. Vanessa listened supportively as he complained about the company, the job, the board members, and everything else he could think of, but when his anger turned on her again, she had to step up and defend herself.

  “I knew you were too good to be true! I should have known you were hiding something all along! This whole romance was probably just a set up so you could learn how to take over my job and steal it from me!” he ranted.

  “Hold it right there! I never hid anything from you and I didn’t steal your job. My love for you was a hundred percent genuine, and thought you felt the same way about me. I’m sorry you lost your job, but I’m not the one responsible for that. Gainscorp let you go; I had nothing to do with that. They’ve offered me a position as CEO and up until this minute you thought I should take the job and that we should live together.”

  Carter listened to all she said with a silent glare in his hardened eyes. Then she ended her speech by saying softly, “Have you changed your mind?”

  Carter gulped against the lump in his throat and thought long and hard about her question. Just an hour ago he’d been the happiest man in the world. He had a great career, a great apartment, and the love of the world’s greatest girl. They were going to live together and perhaps even get married someday. It was the perfect life that he’d always wanted. Now, suddenly, everything was crashing down around him. He’d lost his career, most assuredly he had to move out of the apartment as soon as the leasing year was up, and now he was losing the girl too. It was too much to process! He couldn’t deal with it.

  Without answering her, Carter waved down a passing taxi and climbed into the car, leaving Vanessa standing alone on the side of the road with tears streaming down her face.

  “I guess that’s my answer,” she muttered. Her worst fear had come true. Carter Davis hated her. She had lost him forever.

  Chapter Eight

  Vanessa walked slowly home, climbed right into bed and cried herself to sleep. It was a fitful night, filled with tossing and turning and endless nightmares as she kept hoping the phone would ring and it would be Carter calling, but he never did. She hadn’t heard one word from him since he’d just turned and left her on the sidewalk the day before. It was clear that things were over between them. He hated her and never wanted to speak to her again. There was no reason for her to stay in Manhattan. Her dream had ended in heartbreak and it was time to go home Chicago with her tail between her legs.

  As soon as the clock struck nine the next morning she called Gainscorp and asked to speak to Norman Fields. There were dark circles under her eyes, and they were puffy from crying. She was just glad no one could see her and tried to make her voice sound confident and strong, despite the emotional mess she was in.

  “Miss Imenerse!” Norman said happily as he came onto the phone. He sounded as giddy as schoolgirl and Vanessa hated to be the one to ruin his day, but she supposed she should be used to crushing men’s dreams by now. Norman was saying “I’m so glad to hear from you. You’re calling a full two days early. I’m not scheduled to meet with you about our offer until the day after tomorrow. I hope this means you’ve decided to stay.”

  “I’m sorry Mr. Fields, but after careful consideration of your offer, I’m afraid I must decline the position. I appreciate it more than you know, but it’s just not going to work out. I need to return to Chicago immediately.”

  “Why, what happened? Is there anything I can do to change your mind? If it’s a question of salary I’m sure that can be negotiated. A better apartment perhaps?” Norman sounded flustered and heartbroken. Vanessa felt bad for the dear little man, but there was nothing she could do.

  “No. Nothing like that. The job offer is perfect. I’m afraid this has to do with personal reasons. Please send the car s
ervice to pick me up. I’m flying home to Chicago on the next available flight.”

  “Okay, Miss Imenerse, but I’m coming along. It wouldn’t be appropriate to send you off without a proper escort. I welcomed you to our city and I’ll make sure you get a proper farewell. Besides, maybe I can find a way to talk you into staying on the drive to the airport.”

  “No, don’t come over! I’m a mess. I haven’t gotten dressed yet or taken a shower and I still need to pack all my things!”

  “Well, don’t worry about a thing. We here at Gainscorp care about your every need. I’ll help you pack! I’ll be there in one hour!”

  “No! Don’t!” Vanessa called into the phone, but it was too late. The line had already disconnected and he was probably already on his way. She was going to miss that sweet, quirky little man. It would have been nice to have worked with him, but there was no way she could take the job at Gainscorp after everything that had happened with Carter Davis. Even though it wasn’t her fault that he had lost the job and it had been given to her, he had blamed her anyway. She’d never be able to be happy in the position knowing that it had cost her the love of her life. She was better off returning home to Chicago. This had all been just a crazy fantasy anyway.

  Vanessa hopped in the shower, got dressed in jeans and a tee-shirt and twisted her damp hair into a thick braid. She was folding all her clothes into her suitcase when the doorbell rang.

  “That was fast.” She said, expecting to find Mr. Fields, but when she opened the door she was surprised to find a bouquet of thirty gorgeous red roses that was so huge it completely hid the face of the delivery driver.

  “Delivery for Miss Vanessa Imenerse,” came a familiar voice from behind the massive arrangement and Vanessa knew right away it was Carter.