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After a good fifteen minutes, he came out in a pair of gray sweatpants and a t-shirt. “Wow, I really needed that. Thanks a lot again.”
He sat down on the couch and started scrolling through his phone. “It says the storm should stop tonight or tomorrow morning, which is great news.”
Once I got the message from Martie, I started the Zoom meeting and turned the laptop to him as I walked over and sat down. No one said a word, all was silent.
“James, I have something I need you to see on the laptop.”
He sat right next to me, and his eyes lifted to the screen.
“Happy Birthday!” The twenty people who worked in his office, right down to the cleaning lady, had all patched into a Zoom meeting to wish him a happy birthday.
“Happy Birthday boss!” I opened the box and lit a candle, which I quickly placed on the cake. “Make a wish. All these lovely people who work for you are here to celebrate with you. They can’t have the cake, but they can see you make a wish and maybe talk for a minute.”
I was surprised by how touched he was, tears clouding his eyes for a moment. “Thank you, everyone!”
He smiled. “All right, I guess I can make a wish, but you all already know what I wish for right?”
A couple of people commented. One woman — I didn't know her name — mumbled something about expanding the business to Australia, and another carried on about blowing the candles out.
He looked at me, smiled, and then blew out the candle. “There, done. Thank you all. Things are crazy here, everyone. This snowstorm is making it very difficult to do anything. We have been stuck here in this hotel all day and still might be tomorrow. Thanks to Martie, Gwen here has been helping me adjust appointments so I can keep things going, but had I known we would get snowed in, I would have canceled the entire trip for a month or two. Who would have thought?”
I was surprised to hear him talk to his people. There was no rudeness or nasty attitude. He didn't seem miserable or testy. The fuse wasn’t lit, and he wasn’t ready to explode. As I stepped back from the meeting and grabbed a water, I had to wonder if it had something to do with me.
I shoved that to the back of my mind. The sooner I got this done and made it to Connecticut, the sooner I could get on with my life and write my novel.
Chapter Seven
James
Gwenwasasleepbythe time I got off the meeting. It was great to see everyone, even Martie. As I sat there watching her sleep, holding the cake I knew she’d got for me, I realized something. Something that scared me very much, as I felt out of my element. I felt comfortable in my skin, at ease, and peaceful.
I smiled to myself, realizing the hotel's environment had everything to do with this change. I’d traveled all over the world, and nowhere else had I ever experienced the sensation I had that night.
Nothing was bothering me. Everything was fine. I wasn’t angry at anyone, and I felt good. I ate a small piece of the cake and left the rest for Gwen. I wanted so much to climb into bed with her and drive myself deep into her until my name echoed through the halls and shook the snow off the roof.
In truth, I was tired, and the thought of sleeping on the couch again irritated me. There was no way I was going to do that. Slowly, I slid into bed beside her, careful to not wake her with too much movement, and closed my eyes.
The peace of sleep took over as I wondered about the next day. I needed to get back on my game and open at the Chelsea Market. That was the only thing I had on my mind as I drifted off to sleep until I woke up holding Gwen.
My arm was wrapped comfortably around her, her body pressed against mine, the scent of her rose perfume lingering around me. I inhaled sharply, and nuzzled her neck a little, dying to kiss her.
Gwen moved a little, mumbled something, and then tried to roll over. When she did, the sight of her beautiful face held me spellbound for a moment. She was so lovely, and I was caught off guard by how beautiful she looked, content in her sleep.
I leaned in, kissed her lips, tasted the sweetness of sugar on them, and smiled. She stirred again, her eyes fluttering open, then closed, and then open again. Then, her eyes shot open quickly when she realized I was in bed with her.
No movement was made right away, then she smiled, wrapped her arms around me, and leaned in. “Sorry, I fell asleep. I wanted to give you a late birthday gift, but I was too tired.”
“It’s okay. You did a lot for me, thank you.”
Suddenly, I was overcome with emotions. I wanted to please her and do something for her.
“Just lay back and let me.” I shoved the blanket aside and nudged her on her back.
After Gwen did that, I kissed a trail from her nipples to her slit. Slowly, I parted her legs and sunk into the space between them. Her hands were there, either trying to stop me or help me. Lightly, I held them down and pressed my lips to her slit.
She was warm, wet, and velvety. The taste of her was intoxicating as I teased and tempted. I kissed and caressed her lightly. I wanted to drive her mad with need. Using my hands, I pressed her legs to open wide.
“Open up for me, love. I want to love you; I want to make you scream out my name and wake the dead.”
