Fatal Attraction by Mia Ford, Bella Winters (41)

She giggled. “Jesus, I am a walking stereotype, aren’t I?”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

“Actually, I have six brothers, not twelve, all older than me. Three are cops, one works at the bar with my dad, one is a fireman, and one is a history teacher at a high school in Southie. And all are very protective. They wouldn’t gut you like a deer. They’d just cram you into a garbage can full of cement and drop you in the harbor”

“Is that why you’re living in New York?” I asked. “To get away from your overprotective brothers?”

“Not really,” she said. “I’m not one of those girls who saw the need to run away from home.”

“So, you moved here for work?”

“Yep, pretty much. Yates Hamilton & Booz made me an offer right out of law school. My Uncle Allen was here, so I moved here and never looked back.”

“Do you go home much? To Southie?”

“I go home for Thanksgiving and Christmas,” she said. “And of course, for St. Patrick’s Day. After the resurrection of Christ, that’s the biggest holiday at my house.”

“I’ll bet. Are you going home for St. Patrick’s Day this year?”

“Of course. My dad would have a stroke if I didn’t come home to celebrate at the bar. It’s like a family reunion. We’ll all be there.”

“That sounds like fun,” I said.

“Okay, it’s my turn to as you a question,” she said, giving me the serious eye. “What’s going on between you and Cassandra Leone?”

“How is that relevant to our game?” I asked.

“Hey, you said we could ask anything we wanted,” she said. “So, I’m asking you about Cassandra Leone.”

“Okay, well, Cass and I are friends.”

“And?”

I frowned at her. “And what?”

“And what else?” She shook her finger in the air. “I Googled you last night.”

I put on a horrified face. “OMG, please, don’t say that I’ve been Googled!”

She grinned. “You’ve had quite the colorful life, Mr. McGee,” she said. “So many news reports of your exploits in the business world. And so many images of your… other interests, shall we say… from TMZ and The New York Times. It turns out, you’re a regular on the gossip pages. I feel so silly for not realizing that I was in the presence of a celebrity.”

“Oh, I’m a celebrity, all right,” I said, playing it off. “What would I find if I Googled you, Miss O’Hara?”

“You’d discover that you were with the most boring person in New York City.”

“Come on, I don’t believe that.”

She sighed and spread out her hands. “You’d find me listed on the Yates Hamilton & Booz website, and on a Facebook page that hasn’t been updated in months because I’ve had nothing to tell. Like I said, I’m probably the most boring woman in New York City.”

“And yet, here you are with a notorious celebrity like me.”

That made her smiled. She put a hand on my arm and gave it a squeeze. “Seriously, tell me about you and Cassandra Leone. According to Google, you two have been an item for years. I found an engagement announcement from like five years ago, but you never married that I could find. Why no wedding bells?”

“We just never took that plunge,” I said honestly. “Cass is not the marrying kind.”

“Ah, so she’s the one.”

“Yes, believe it or not, she is the one. I’ve proposed to her several times. She does not believe in monogamy. She would gladly marry me if it was just in name only, but she is not ready to settle down, at least not with me.”

“That’s… sad,” she said, squeezing my arm again. “But you’re still friendly?”

“Oh yeah, we’ve known each other since college,” I said. “We hang out, we go to dinner, we… hang out…”

“Enough said.” She settled back in the seat and turned her eyes toward the road. “She’s very beautiful, but also very intelligent, isn’t she?”

“Cass has one of the sharpest business minds of our time,” I said. “It’s just packaged in a stripper’s body.”

“She was coming on to my Uncle last night,” she said, eyes straight ahead. “Was that just her being flirty, or did you put her up to that?”

“A little of both,” I said. “I asked her to occupy Allen, so I could sass out this hot shot attorney he was bringing to dinner. Of course, that was before I realized that the hot shot attorney was you.”

“I see,” she said tentatively.

“But it worked out well,” I said. “It gave you and I time to get reacquainted.”

“I’ll let you know how well it worked out,” she said, glancing over with a smile. “After the weekend is over.”

Chapter 17: Katie

The trip from my apartment in Manhattan to Conner’s house in the Hamptons on Long Island took about three hours, which was an hour longer than it should have taken.

The traffic wasn’t the issue, as it would have been in the summer. It was February and freezing outside. Nobody in their right mind was heading to the Hamptons for a long weekend. The streets in the town would be deserted, as would the beaches, until the middle of spring.

The trip took so long because of the old clunker Conner decided to pick me up in. The darn thing would barely do the speed limit. He said it was a classic Ford something or other that once belonged to his dad. I just thought it was a piece of crap, although it did have a great heater, thank the Lord.

If he was trying to impress me by downplaying his wealth, he missed the mark. I would have much preferred to travel in the back of a nice, comfy limousine. However, if he was trying to impress me with the sentimentality he held for his folks, he more than succeeded. It was nice to see that there was more to Conner McGee than the man I’d read about on Google. He was what my brothers would call a ‘rich, pussy hound’, but he seemed like a nice guy underneath. Of course, the pussy he was hounding for was mine, so I was probably more than a little biased.

After an hour and a half, we whipped through a McDonald’s drive through for some breakfast; an Egg McMuffin and Diet Coke for me, a McGriddle and large coffee for him. He swore to me that he had not had fast food in years, and had never set foot in a McDonald’s. His condescension quickly disappeared when he got a whiff of the strong coffee and a bite of the syrupy McGriddle. The way he devoured the McGriddle made me smile; like a little kid who had discovered a new form of candy.

We made it to his house on the north end of the island just before noon. I’m not sure what I was expecting, a sprawling mansion, I suppose, but it turned out that his place was a quaint Plantation style house off the main road with a wrap-around porch and its own private beach. Conner said the house was only 6,000 square feet—only, he said—with seven bedrooms and seven baths, a gourmet kitchen, a media room, a gym, a sauna, and a large that looked over the ocean. The nearest house was a hundred yards away.

“It’s beautiful,” I said as I climbed out of the truck and looked around. “Have you owned it long?”

“Only about a year,” he said as he pulled my overnight case and his duffel from the back of the truck. “It was in pretty bad shape when I bought it. I’ve been renovating it for about six months now.”

“You’ve been renovating it?” I looked him up and down with a snarky smile. “You do not look like you’d know which end of a hammer to hold.”

He gave me a sheepish smile. “Fine, I’ve been paying to have it renovated,” he said. “I’m not the handiest man in town.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me. “At least not when it comes to house remodeling.” He nodded toward the wide steps that led up to the front porch. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”

Conner dropped our bags in the master bedroom, then gave me the grand tour. About half of the place had been redone. It was modestly decorated, with overstuffed furniture, masculine colors, and a TV hanging over the fireplace that wouldn’t have fit through my apartment’s front door. The rest of the house was covered in tarps and dust, paint cans and tools everywhere, with plastic hanging over the doors to keep the construction mess contained.

He led me out onto the back deck that overlooked the Atlantic Ocean. It was a crisp day, with a cool breeze blowing in from the ocean, but the early afternoon sun was warm on my cheeks. I lifted my face toward the sky and closed my eyes.

“Why does the sun always feel warmer when you’re out of the city?” I asked. I inhaled deeply. “And the air so much fresher.”

“Because there are no big, obnoxious buildings to block the sun,” he said, standing next to me at the railing with his arm touching mine. “And no cars and buses and taxis billowing obnoxious exhaust.”

“It’s wonderful,” I said with a sigh.

He bumped me with his elbow to get my attention. “Why don’t we freshen up, then I’ll make us a pot of coffee and we can get started going over the contracts. I brought copies for both of us.”

“I already have a copy that I’ve marked up with questions,” I said. “It’s in my briefcase.”

He narrowed his eyes at me. “You’ve already marked up a copy? I hope there are no extensive changes you want made. I can only agree to so much without having my own lawyers have a look.”

I smiled. It was cute, the nervous look in his eye. I tapped a finger to his chin. “Don’t worry, Mr. McGee, there’s nothing major to worry about. Just clarification on a few points.”

“Well then, that’s good to know,” he said with a smile. He held out a hand toward the door. “I’ll put on the coffee and meet you at the kitchen table in fifteen minutes.”

* * *

We spent the better part of an hour going over the contract line by line without any surprises popping up. The red lines I’d made previously were just minor points, wording mostly, things that didn’t require his lawyer’s approval. Uncle Allen had told me that the contract had been hammered out by teams of lawyers from both sides, so I basically read the contract out loud while Conner sipped his coffee and nodded his head.

After a while, Conner started to get antsy. He finished his coffee and propped his chin on a fist. “Can we just cut to the chase?”

“What do you mean?”

“This agreement has been beaten to death by a dozen lawyers,” he said. “Allen agreed to every point, as did I. So why are we really here?”

I pretended to have no idea what he was talking about. “Allen just wanted me to make sure there would be no surprises,” I said. “You know how we Irish are. We are a suspicious lot. And we do not like surprises.”

“I understand that, but this contact has been blessed by both sides,” he said, holding out his hands with the palms up as if showing me he had nothing to hide. “I mean, I’m enjoying spending time with you, but I’m just wondering why that time is being spent beating this horse to death?”

I closed the folder and put the cap on the red pen I’d been using. I set the pen on top of the folder and laced my fingers together. I took a deep breath and looked him in the eye. “Fine, I’ll tell you Allen’s main concern, and you can tell me he has no reason to be concerned. Fair enough?”

“Fair enough,” he said with a nod. “Please do.”

“Allen is concerned that once the dust settles, you’ll somehow take over the board and oust him as CEO, and move the company offshore. Cheaper labor, higher profits, that sort of thing.”

He studied me with his eyes for a moment, then he arched his eyebrows and shook his head. “We have no intention of doing anything like that,” he said. “We want Allen in the CEO’s chair as long as he wants to occupy it. You have my personal guarantee.”

“I have your personal guarantee?”

“Yes, you have my personal guarantee—my word—that after the deal is done, there will be no move on the part of Price Bean & Whitlock, or the board, to ouster Allen Benson as CEO or move the company offshore. That’s never even been discussed.”

“So, manufacturing will remain in New York,” I said. “And Allen will remain as CEO.”

“Like I said, the job is his as long as he wants it,” he said. “Although, I have gotten the feeling on occasion that Allen might be getting tired of the grind of running the company. Does he have any intention of leaving after the deal is done?”

I thought about Uncle Allen’s cancer and his desire to slow down and enjoy the life he had left. I wondered if Conner knew about it, or was he just fishing? I said, “I’m not sure that’s the case. Uncle Allen is dedicated to Benson Digital, and everyone involved.”

“Let me ask you a question, then,” he said. “Is everything okay with Allen? Healthwise, I mean?”

“Why would you ask that?”

“I’m aware of his history with cancer,” Conner said. “I’m just wondering if it’s back. Or if there are other health concerns. If there are, we need to know about it.”

“Would that affect the deal?” I asked.

He shook his head slowly. “Not necessarily, but it might affect his ability to lead the company. If we’re going to need to conduct a CEO search, the sooner we know that the better.”

“I’m sure that if Allen thought his health was going to have a negative effect on the company, he’d let you know.” I tried not to wince at the bad taste the lie left in my mouth. The truth was, Uncle Allen probably would have to step down sooner rather than later, whether the sale went through or not. Everyone involved knew that the company was worth much more with Allen Benson at the helm. I hated to deceive Conner, but Allen needed this deal to happen soon. He was my client. And he was family. My loyalty was with him.

“Well, Allen seems like an honest man,” Conner said. “And as his representative, I expect you to be honest, as well.”

“You have my word that there is nothing wrong with Allen Benson that will hurt this company in any way. He is as dedicated as the first day he opened the doors. He would never do anything to harm the company, its employees, customers, or investors.”

“Then neither of us has anything to worry about,” he said.

I hated to lie to him, but I had no choice.

I pushed the folder away and said, “Then I guess we have a deal.”

“Excellent!” he said. He gave me a big smile and held out his hands. “Now, how about a little fun?”

Chapter 18: Katie

“Well, I promised Uncle Allen that I would call him as soon as I had news,” I said with a satisfied smile. I picked up the folder containing the contract and held it up before putting it back into my briefcase. “Just to be clear, we are good to proceed with the scheduled closing of the deal next week. Friday at noon, Price Bean & Whitlock will execute the purchase of Benson Digital as outlined herein.”

“Goodness, you sound like such a lawyer,” he said with a playful frown. He sat back with his fingers laced behind his head and smiled. “Yes, ma’am, I believe we have an accord. We have dotted all the I’s and crossed all the T’s. The deal is good to go. This time next week Price Bean & Whitlock will be the majority owner of Benson Digital. And Allen Benson will be set for life.”

There was something in the way he said it that made a tiny red flag in my head wave, but I dismissed it. He was a hard-assed business man. I’d been around his kind a lot since coming to New York City. To him, it was all a game, a competition. Even when the deal was win/win, in his head, he had to come out on top.

I forced a smile and slid the folder into my briefcase, then picked up from my phone. “Okay, awesome. I need some privacy.”

“Sure, you can use my study.” He got out of the chair and came around the table with his arm out. “Madam.”

“You have a study?” I asked as I looped my arm through his. “How quaint.”

“Ah, don’t be too impressed,” he said, bumping me with his shoulder. “It came with the house. I’m going to turn it into a game room. Pinball, a pool table, video games, a virtual reality station.”

“You’re such a guy,” I said with a smile. “Aren’t you supposed to grunt like a caveman?”

“Oh, I’ll be doing that later tonight,” he said, growling the words. “Will you be my cave woman?” I felt the crotch of my panties getting warm and wet even as the words left his lips.

“Just don’t drag me around by my hair,” I said playfully.

“Can I pull your hair from behind?”

“You can pull it, but don’t drag me by it.”

“Fair enough,” he said. “Right this way.”

Conner escorted me down a long hallway to the study. It was a manly room with a high ceiling, plank floors, dark paneling, rich mahogany and leather furniture, and one wall lined with floor-to-ceiling book cases.

“Wow, you weren’t kidding,” I said, glancing around the room. “This is very manly… so not you.”

“Hey, I’m manly,” he said with a grin. “To prove it, I’m going to make us a late lunch while you make your call. I assume you’ll eat soup and salad?”

“A very manly meal,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“Would you prefer I go trap something?” he asked. “Or take the boat out and catch a giant tuna?”

“No, no, soup and salad are fine,” I said. “No dressing.”

“Yes, madam.” He gave a playful bow and backed out of the room, closing the heavy double doors behind him.

There was a huge mahogany desk in front of the wide windows that looked out over the ocean. The desk was neat and tidy, as if it had never been used. I sat in the high-backed leather chair with my phone between my hands. I pressed the button to Facetime Uncle Allen and waited for the call to connect. He answered on the first ring.

“Hi, there, Katie O’Hara,” he said, holding up his phone so I could just see part of his face. What is it with older people? They never knew how to hold the phone to Facetime.

“I can’t see you,” I said. “Hold the phone in front of your face.”

He moved the phone so his face was somewhat framed in the video, then gave me a big smile and asked, “How is the meeting going?”

“Actually, we’re done,” I said, glancing at my watch. It was just after three o’clock. Our review took less than two hours. I regretted calling Uncle Allen so quickly. I was sure he would think I hadn’t done my job thoroughly.

“Really? You’re done? So soon?” I saw him frown over the video. “I thought it would take much longer.”

“Well, your attorney had done a great job,” I said in my defense, although I did wonder if I sped through the process too quickly in anticipation of doing other things with Conner.

No, dammit, I had been very thorough.

I said, “I pressed him on what happens after the deal is done, and he was adamant that there would be no move to oust you as CEO or move the manufacturing offshore. He said it was not something they had even considered.”

“Those guys can say whatever they want,” Allen said. “It’s what can be enforced legally that matters.”

“He is willing to put that in the agreement,” I said.

“He is?”

“He is.”

“And you believe him?”

“I do,” I said. “And as you say, if it’s in the contract he can’t do much about it. Your job as CEO is safe, as are the jobs of your people.”

“Well, that’s… great.” He said it like he still didn’t believe it.

“He seems very dedicated to your legacy, Uncle Allen,” I said. “I believe he’ll do what he says. If it’s in the agreement, he won’t have a choice.”

“Okay, well, that’s good to know,” he said with a relieved sigh. He took a moment, then frowned into the camera. “Did you mention anything about my health?”

“No, of course not,” I said, glancing at the door. The doors were closed, and I didn’t think Conner would eavesdrop, but I brought the phone closer to my face and lowered my voice. “That’s not my news to deliver. You can offer that news when you’re ready to do so.”

“Do you think I should say something before we close the deal?” he asked. “I mean, I feel a little guilty not telling them that my cancer is back.”

“You’re not dying, Uncle Allen,” I said. “You’re not going to leave them high and dry.”

“No, but it will probably be the end of my reign at Benson Digital.”

I sucked in a long breath. “Honestly, in the spirit of full disclosure, you should say something, but there is no clause in the contract regarding the state of your health or ability to lead the company in the future. Legally, the deal does not hinge on your medical state.”

“So, you’re saying, if they don’t bring it up…”

“You shouldn’t bring it up either,” I said.

He nodded. I watched him bite his lip for a moment. “I hate to not say anything,” he said quietly. “But I’d hate to blow the deal just because the cancer is back. There are too many people counting on this deal going through. If it was just about me, I’d keep things as they are.”

“I understand,” I said.

“So…”

“So.”

He blew out a long breath and rubbed his chin.

“Okay, let’s plan on closing on schedule as planned. I assume that’s still set for next Friday at noon at Price Bean & Whitlock.”

“Yes, that has not changed.”

“Will you be there?” he asked.

I shrugged. “I can be. Your in-house counsel should be there.”

“Jeff will be there, but I’d really like to have a friendly face next to me,” he said. “We can celebrate afterward. Maybe we can hit a McDonald’s for a Happy Meal like the old days, on me.”

Uncle Allen used to take me to McDonald’s for Happy Meals whenever he came home to Boston to visit my mom when I was small. He and my dad were not huge fans of one another. And my dad thought spending money on fast food was paramount to throwing it away.

“That sounds like fun,” I said. “I haven’t had a Happy Meal in a long time. Count me in.”

“Okay, Katie girl, I appreciate you doing this for me.” His eyes narrowed, and he held his phone closer to his face. All I could see was his eyes. “Hey, where are you? I thought you were meeting at his office in the city.”

“I am at his office,” I said, looking around. I realized that he could see the wide windows behind me. I shifted quickly so all he could see was the wall of books behind my head. “I’m in a conference room.”

“Hmm, that looked like the ocean behind you.”

I snorted a laugh. “I wish. Okay, I have to go, Uncle Allen. They’re coming back in now from the break.”

“Okay, I’ll sleep better tonight knowing that my company is safe in your hands, Katie O’Hara.”

I wasn’t sure why, but his words came down on my shoulders like a great weight.

I forced a smiled.

“Take care, Uncle Allen. I’ll call you on Monday.”

I hung up the phone thinking that I had done everything in my power to make sure Uncle Allen was getting everything he wanted from his association with Conner McGee.

Now it was my turn.

Chapter 19: Conner

I closed the study doors to give Katie time to fill her uncle in on our deal. I was walking on air, mainly because the points Katie brought up were minor and not deal breaking, and there was no mention of the patents for the new chips, which was all I really gave a damn about.

I was not feeling the slightest bit guilty. I had not deceived her in the least. In my mind, I had been as open and honest with her as she was had been me. It was a business negotiation, after all. We came at the deal from opposite sides, and both had an agenda for being there.

In the end, she got what she wanted, and I got what I wanted.

No harm, no foul, time to party.

We fully intended to sell off the computer chip manufacturing arm of Allen’s business within a few months of closing the deal. But we didn’t care what happened to the operation after that. Manufacturing could stay in New York City or move to fucking Bumfuck Egypt for all I cared. That would be a fight between Allen—if he hung on as CEO— and whomever bought our interest in the plant.

My guess was that there would be a legal challenge by Allen and his allies on the board, but it would be a moot point.

We would have the votes to support the deal, and every legal right to sell.

There wasn’t a fucking thing anyone could do about it.

In my mind, the only asset of real, long-term value that Benson Digital owned was the patent to its new chip designs. And those patents could easily be cut free of the rest of the company’s assets. If Allen Benson would have just sold us the patents in the first place, we would have let him keep the manufacturing operation because we had no use for it.

I went into the kitchen and rang Reed’s cell phone while pulling the makings of our late lunch from the fridge. Reed never answered his phone. He always let it go straight to voice mail, then he’d decided if you were worth of a call back.

I left a message I knew would make him call me back.

“Hey, it’s me. The deal is done. Call me back if you want a little good news.”

I slid the phone into the back pocket of my jeans and got to making lunch. I had called ahead to have the house manager stock the fridge before we arrived. We were only going to be there overnight, so she just brought in what we’d need for snacks and a light afternoon meal, and breakfast goodies for the morning. Dinner tonight would be catered by the best restaurant on the island.

I took out a head of lettuce and a plastic container of cherry tomatoes and set them on the counter. There was a container of chicken soup the house manager’s wife made for us. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had anything that was “homemade”. I poured it into a pot and put it on a stove eye to warm. I leaned down to take a whiff. It reminded me of the chicken soup my mother made when I was a kid.

As I was about to wash the lettuce and tomatoes, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I turned off the faucet, switched the eye under the soup to Low, and stepped out onto the back deck.

“Why don’t you answer your fucking phone, asshole?” I asked playfully. I glanced toward the hallway door off the other side of the kitchen. No sight of Katie. I assumed she was still in the study on the far end of the house talking to her uncle. I didn’t have to worry about being overheard.

“I was busy fucking your sister, dickweed,” Reed said.

“The jokes on you, ass wipe,” I said. “I don’t have a sister. You must be fucking my brother.”

“Your brother takes it like a man,” Reed said with a laugh. “So, tell me how it went. Are you finished already? That didn’t take long.”

“If it was up to her we’d still be on the first page,” I said, standing at the railing in the cool afternoon air. The sun was high in the sky. Its rays warmed me enough that I didn’t worry about a jacket. The beach was deserted. The only thing I could see on the water was a sailboat a mile or so out. It was almost as if Katie and I had the Hamptons all to ourselves.

“So, she’s a real ball buster, huh?” Reed asked. “I could tell just by looking at her. Probably a lesbian, too. Don’t worry partner. Take her out for drinks and you’ll be in her granny panties by dinnertime.”

“She’s meticulous,” I said, ignoring his remarks rather than laughing at them. “I just told her to tell me what good old Uncle Allen was worried about and we’d hammer out the solution.”

The humor left his voice. “Did she say anything about the patents? Did they come up at all?”

“Not a fucking word,” I said shaking my head. “She’s a contracts lawyer. If it’s not specifically spelled out in the contract, she doesn’t pay much attention to it. She’s not going to do a full audit the way a forensic accountant would.”

“And we buried any mention specifically of the patents the company holds?”

“Yep. And we were smart to do so. We convinced Allen’s lawyer to lump the patents in with the clause ‘other proprietary assets’ so they never even came up.”

“That’s excellent,” Reed said, chuckling. “Then what was Benson so worried about?”

“He’s concerned that we’re going to take over the board and move the manufacturing operation offshore,” I said, rolling my eyes at the man’s stupidity. Allen Benson was a nice guy, but his devotion to his employees was blinding him to what was really important. I didn’t feel a single pang of guilt. He was going to walk away with millions of dollars. That kind of money could assuage a lot of hurt feelings.

“So, let me get this straight,” Reed said. “He’s concerned that we’ll vote him out of office, shut down the plant in New York City, and move the jobs south to Mexico.”

“That’s it,” I said. “He’s a very altruistic fellow, this Allen Benson.”

“Altruistic and gullible,” Reed said. “I assume you put Miss O’Hara’s mind at ease?”

I glanced through the window in the kitchen door. Still no sign of Katie.

“I did exactly that,” I said. “I told her we would be fine adding a sentence or two stating that Price Bean & Whitlock would not take measures to oust Allen from the CEO chair, or shut down the plant and move the jobs offshore.”

“And that would still allow us to sell off the plant and keep the patents.”

“That’s exactly right,” I said with a nod. “There is nothing in the agreement that locks us into ownership for any amount of time. If we wanted to flip the company in an hour we could. And there is nothing that mandates what we can and cannot do with the patents.”

“Fucking awesome, buddy boy,” Reed said. “And we’re still on to close the deal at my office this coming Friday at noon.”

“Yep, Friday at noon the patents will be ours.”

“Great job on this deal, Conner,” he said. “You’ve earned that five-million-dollar bonus I promised you. Now get out of the office and celebrate.”

Katie came into the kitchen and spotted me standing on the deck with the phone at my year. I waved a hand at her and she smiled.

“Oh, I intend to do just that,” I said, feeling my cock twitch at the sight of her. “I intend to do just that.”

Chapter 20: Katie

When I came into the kitchen, Conner was outside on the deck talking on the phone. He held up a hand and smiled. I smiled back, knowing that he was probably filling Reed in on our successful negotiation, as I had Uncle Allen. Now that the negotiations were done, it was time to have a little fun.

“Hey, did you get in touch with your uncle?” Conner asked as she came through the back door. He had a satisfied grin on his face that probably should have sent up a few red flags, but it didn’t. I was so eager to get him out of his clothes and into his bed that thoughts of corporate acquisitions and fair dealings had flown from my mind.

I probably should have known better than to let my desires override my professional duties, but as far as I was concerned, at that moment, all issues had been settled and everyone came out a winner.

“Yes, Uncle Allen is very happy,” I said. “We’re good to go for closing the deal on Friday.”

“Excellent,” he said, rubbing his hands together. “I let Reed know that we were in agreement on all points. He’s happy that Allen is happy. And I’m happy that you’re happy.”

“Making me happy was never the issue,” I said playfully. “Trust me, I have no doubt that you can handle that task very well.”

Conner smiled as he came toward me. I backed into the counter and he didn’t stop until his body was firmly pressed to mine, his hands sliding around my hips and cupping my ass, pulling me toward him. I could feel his cock robbing against my leg.

“Are you hungry?” he asked.

I slid my arms around his neck and pulled him close. “It depends on what’s on the menu,” I said. I kissed him lightly on the lips. “What do you have in mind.”

“Well, I was thinking about a little of this.” I leaned my head back and sighed as he kissed my neck. “And a little of this.” He slid his tongue in my ear and my nipples began to tingle. “And a little of this.” He swirled his tongue around my open lips and stared into my eyes.

“That sounds… delicious,” I said. “Why don’t we skip lunch and take this party into your bedroom.”

“That could be the best idea you’ve had all day,” he said. He leaned down and scooped me up into his strong arms. I laced my fingers around his neck and giggled as he carried me upstairs to the master bedroom.

* * *

Conner gently lowered me onto his bed. It was a giant, king-sized, four-poster bed, so tall that I would had had to boost myself up if he hadn’t carried me in and set me down. I sat on the edge of the bed with my feet dangling over the side and gave him a big smile.

“So, Brad the banker, here we are again,” I said. “So nice of you to drop by.”

“So, Mollie the paralegal. Here we are. Do you mind if I make myself comfortable?”

“It’s your house,” I said, grinning at the look on his face. “You can do whatever you like.”

“Whatever I like?”

I gave him a dreamy look and slid my tongue over my lips. “Yes. Whatever you like.”

“Well, I’ll start by getting out of these clothes.”

“Please do.”

He took a step back and kicked off his shoes and socks. He pulled the black sweater over his head to reveal his rock-solid body underneath. Honestly, on New Year’s Eve I was so drunk and horny that I barely noticed his body. Well, most of his body. There was one part I remembered well and dreamt of often. But the man standing before me now took my breath away.

He looked like a Greek god or some dude out of a magazine.

I silently thanked the man upstairs for the bounty I was about to receive.

Conner had told me that he was a runner and a fitness buff, and his body showed it. There was not an ounce of fat on his lean frame that I could see. His shoulders and arms rippled with muscle. His hairless chest was round and firm, his nipples pink and hard like little pebbles. He had a six-pack and his sides cut into a vee that disappeared into his tight jeans.

“Holy crap, you look like you’ve been Photoshopped,” I said with a giggle, recalling a favorite line from a movie I’d seen. I put my hand to my chest and pretended that I couldn’t catch my breath. “You look so… hard…”

“You ain’t seen anything yet,” he said with a devilish grin. I held my breath as he unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his jeans. I could see the thick bulge of his cock in the front of his jeans. When he hooked his thumbs in the waist of the jeans and pushed them down his legs, his long, thick cock sprang free and bounced in the air for a second.

“You like my little friend?” he asked as he wrapped his fingers around his cock and slowly slid his hand back and forth. “Because he certainly seems to like you.”

“Oh… my… goodness… I like your little friend… very much…” I said, licking my lips. Conner’s cock was ten-inches long, veiny and thick, like a big sexy sausage. The head was crimson and moist, like a ripe plum. Flashbacks of sucking his cock that first night in my foyer flashed through my mind. I had not taken the time to appreciate his size that much. Tonight, however, I planned on taking all the time in the world to appreciate every inch that he had to offer.

“Now you,” he said, his hand moving back and forth, his chest slowly rising and falling with every breath. “Get out of those clothes. Show me what you’ve got.”

I slid off the bed and kicked off my shoes. I pulled the sweater over my head and tossed it aside. Conner sighed happily when he saw my big milky tits in the tight black bra.

“You love my little friends?” I asked.

“I do love your friends, though I would never call them little,” he said. “Keep going. Get rid of that fucking bra. Now.”

I reached around to unhook the bra and my tits bounced free. My nipples were red and swollen, aching for his touch and his lips. I pressed my arms against the sides of my tits and stuck out my chest for him. “How’s that? Do you like what you see?”

“Oh yes… very much… Your tits are… amazing…”

“Thank you,” I said playfully. “They can’t wait to meet you up close.”

“Get rid of those pants,” he said, his breathing growing heavy. “Strip them off. Show me your beautiful pussy.”

I giggled at our dirty talk. I had only been with a few guys and most of them were the “wham bam thank you ma’am” types who grunted a lot, but didn’t talk. Just to hear Conner say the word “pussy” made my waterworks start to flow.

I did as commanded. I slid the jeans down my legs, then the panties. I stepped out of them, and kicked them aside. I stood naked before him now, which was weird for me. I was not shy or ashamed of my body, but I had never flaunted myself in front of a man before. At work, I dressed like an old librarian. Even at the beach I wore a one-piece and a floppy hat. But standing naked in front of Conner was different somehow. I felt free. I felt sexy. I wanted to do things that I’d only done in dirty dreams.

I cupped my tits in my hands and rolled my thick nipples between my fingers and thumbs. My pussy was shaved clean for him. I could feel the juices flowing heavy from deep inside me.

“You are beautiful, Katie O’Hara,” he said, taking a step closer. “Just beautiful.”

“You’re pretty fucking beautiful yourself, Conner McGee,” I said with a breathy smile.

“Get back on the bed,” he commanded.

I put my palms on the bed and hefted myself up. I sat on the edge of the bed and spread my legs wide for him. “Now what, my lord?”

“Now, touch yourself,” he said. His hand slowly milked his long shaft, but he had not touched me. “Touch your clit. Finger your pussy.”

I hesitated for a moment, then did as he wished. I leaned back on one elbow and slid my right hand down my stomach and across my shaved mound. My clit was pink and swollen. The breath caught in my throat when my fingers slid over it.

“That’s it… get your fingers wet… touch yourself…” Conner’s eyes were glued to my cunt, wide with anticipation. He opened his mouth and ran his tongue over his lips. His hand kept moving over the shaft of his long cock.

I dipped my fingers between my moist pussy lips to lubricate them, then rubbed the juices into my clit hood, which plumped at my touch. I started breathing hard as I rolled my fingers back and forth over the little nub hidden underneath.

“Pull back your clit hood,” he said, his hand moving faster now. “I want to see the little man in the boat.”

I used two fingers of my left hand to pull back my clit hood, exposing the pink little knob of my clit. It was glistening and hard. I wet my fingers again and slid my finger around the nub. Intense shockwaves shot through my body. I gasped for air as my pussy gushed with hot juices.

“Keep going,” Conner said, stepping closer now, but still not touching me. “Finger your pussy. Rub your clit and fuck your pussy.”

“Yes…” I opened my mouth to breathe as the first waves of an orgasm rolled through my body. The fingers of my left hand massaged my clit as the fingers of my right hand slid between my folds and into my tight hole. My pussy was so hot and wet, my juices like hot oils seeping from deep spring.

“Fuck…” I stared at his hard cock as I fingered myself. “I’m going to make myself… fuck… I’m going to… cum… oh… Conner…”

“Make yourself cum, baby,” he said, his hand milking his cock in time with my fingers. “Cum for me… cum…”

I curled my toes and gritted my teeth as the orgasm swept through my body. My nipples stood on end. I squealed as I came, gushing juices over my hand. The room filled with the scent of my sex. I plunged my fingers deeper inside me, in and out, in and out, as I rolled my thumb over my clit.

“Oh… fuck... fuck… fuck…” I gasped for breath. My body bucked for a moment on the bed as my fingers pushed me over the edge. I fell back with my eyes closed and my mouth hanging open. When I opened my eyes, Conner was still milking his long cock. And smiling at me like a cat about to eat a canary.

Chapter 21: Conner

I watched with wide eyes and bated breath as Katie’s body shivered and rumbled as the orgasm rumbled through her like an earthquake. She fell back on the bed with her toes curled and her eyes tightly closed, every muscle tensed. She sucked in a quick breath and gave a little squeal as she came. It was almost enough to make me blow my load in my hand, but I managed to hold back at the last moment. I wasn’t ready to cum, not just yet. There was still so much I wanted to do her now that we were alone. So much that I had been anticipating for days now. My dirty dreams were about to become a dirty reality.

“Oh… my… god…Conner… oh… my… god…” she moaned. She threw her head back and clutched her breasts, squeezing so hard they turned red. “That was… holy shit… pretty damned good… if I do say so… myself…”

“Now, it’s my turn,” I said, moving to stand between her legs at the side of the bed. “I need a little taste before we go any further.”

“I hope you like hot oil,” she said slyly, smiling at me with her eyes. “I made somewhat of a mess.”

“I love hot oil. And I don’t mind a mess at all.”

“Then taste away,” she said with a sigh. She closed her eyes and massaged her breasts, enjoying the afterglow of her orgasm.

I got down on my knees so that my mouth was level with her pussy. I leaned in and took a deep breath. The scent of her filled my nose and made my mouth water. Gently, I parted her pink pussy lips with my fingers and flicked her clit with the tip of my tongue.

“Oh…” Katie sighed as her body went stiff. She moaned as my tongue swirled around her plump clit. I pulled the skin back and blew a hot breath on the little hard nub.

“Oh… fuck… Conner…” Her fingers were clutching her breasts now, kneading them roughly. Her nipples swole with desire. Her eyes were closed. Her lips were open. Her tongue darted in and out.

I smiled as my lips gently planted little kisses over her clit. My fingers parted her folds and slid into her hole. Her pussy was hot and oily. It suctioned to my fingers as they slid in and out.

“Oh my god…” she moaned. “Yes… that’s… yes…”

“You taste delicious,” I said as my tongue slid up and down her cunt, from her ass to her clit. Her oils coated my cheeks and chin. She gushed onto my tongue with every lick. Then, the tip of my tongue found her hole; tight, soft, juicy. I put my hands under her ass cheeks to lift her up. With my thumbs holding open her folds, I stiffened my tongue like a little cock and fucked her with it. I have a long tongue. It probed deep inside her, making her gush hot juices all over my face and into my mouth. It didn’t take long before she started to moan my name. She was cumming again, this time into my mouth. The thought just made me work faster.

“I’m… cummmmmingggg… oh… fuck…”

Katie bucked her ass in my hands and I pressed my mouth to her cunt with my tongue swirling round and round and in and out. She gushed into my mouth, like drinking from a bubbly hot spring. Salty. Tangy. Delicious. As she flounced on the bed I held on firmly and licked up every last drop.

“Oh… shit…” she sighed, her body going limp in my hands. “I’m… holy shit…”

“Did that feel good?” I asked, leaning up with a big wet smile on my face.

“Good… would be an… understatement…” she sighed. She smiled down at me with her hands out and fingers wiggling. “Now… fuck me…”

“Yes, ma’am,” I said. I wiped my mouth on the back of my hand and got to my feet. My cock was so stiff it hurt. It felt as if it was about to pop like an overinflated balloon. I quickly got to my feet. I knew I couldn’t hold back anymore. It was time for me to get a little relief.

Katie reached for my cock as I moved in between her legs at the side of the bed. She sighed happily as her fingers wrapped around the long shaft.

“You’re… so long… and hard…” she said, pulling me closer until the head of my cock touched her hole. She sucked in a couple of breaths, then pulled me forward until the head disappeared inside her.

“Oh, shit…” she sighed. “And big… you’re… so... fucking… big…”

“And you’re so fucking tight,” I said with a smile. I put my hands on her waist and took another step, impaling her inch by inch. Quickly, I was six inches inside her and I felt the tip of my cock hit her inner wall.

“Oh… Conner… now… fuck me… Conner… fuck me… slowly… slowly…”

I dug my fingers into her milky tits and started swaying my hips in and out, in and out. I stared down to watch my cock sliding in and out of her shaved cunt. Her pussy suctioned to me, like it didn’t want to let go. I would almost pull completely out of her, then slide back in. The sensation of it webbed through every fiber of my body. Every muscle tightened. Every nerve went on end. I didn’t know how long I’d be able to hold back.

“Shit… Katie… fuck… I’m… I’m… I’m gonna…” I was just muttering words now as my brain started turning over control to my cock. My fingers dug into her tits. I rolled her hard nipples under my thumbs.

“Faster now… Conner… fuck me… faster…” she moaned, bringing up her knees and wrapping her legs around my waist. She pressed her heels into my ass to prod me along.

I put my hands back on her hips to hold her steady, and sped up the pace, pummeling my cock into her tight box. I slid my hands under her ass and lifted her up to get a straighter angle. When I did, I slid even deeper inside her and I felt my entire body heat up all at once, as if I’d touched a live wire. My balls tightened as the orgasm started building toward a crescendo.

“I can’t… oh shit… I can’t… hold back… Katie… I’m… going to… cum…” I started jackhammering her cunt, slamming into her so hard the bed started to shake beneath her. The headboard slammed into the wall. Katie nudged me with her heels at my ass and gripped onto my arms for support.

“Yes… yes… yes…” she yelled, eyes closed, head back. “Fuck me hard… Conner… fuck me harder… oh… shit… Conner… oh… fuuuuuuuuuuck…”

I growled like a wild animal as I shot my load deep inside her. I pushed in as far as I could go and clenched my teeth as every muscle in my body went hard as rock. “Katie… I’m… ohhh…”

We jerked and moaned and twisted and groaned for what seemed like a full minute, then she went limp and so did I. My hands were still under her ass. I gave her a little squeeze and smiled.

“Wow, Katie the lawyer, that was fucking amazing,” I said, panting like a dog with my tongue hanging out. I guess I must have looked silly because Katie glanced up at me and smiled.

I asked, “What’s so funny?”

“That is what we call in Boston a proper Irish fucking,” she said.

“Funny, that’s not what we call it in New York,” I said, leaning down to press my lips to hers.

“Really? What do you call it in New York?”

I squeezed her ass and growled.

“In New York that’s called ‘Round One’.”

Chapter 22: Katie

Conner had planned a wonderful dinner, catered by The Wharf, a local restaurant that he claimed had the best seafood on the island. After tasting their food, I had to agree with him. They brought everything to his house and set it up in the dining room.

We feasted on fresh Maine lobster and New England crab that had been caught and flown in that morning. We had steamed veggies and a bottle of expensive white wine, followed by a decadent Tiramisu that literally melted in my mouth.

After dinner, we put on our warm coats and went down to the beach. Conner built a fire in the sand while I spread out a blanket. He had brought along a thermos of hot chocolate and he poured us both a cup after we settled in. We cuddled by the fire and watched the moon rise over the Atlantic.

“This is lovely,” I said, cupping the hot chocolate between my gloved hands to take a sip. The air was cool, but the fire gave off a warm glow that, along with Conner’s arm around me, kept me toasty warm. “I’ll bet it’s even lovelier in the summer time.”

“You’ll have to come back and see,” Conner said. “The water is like a warm bath in August and September. And this is a private beach, so we can swim and run around naked and make love on the sand without worrying about getting arrested.”

“I’d love to come back in the summer,” I said, watching him from the corner of my eye. “Do you think we’ll still be friends by then?”

He gave me a sideway glance. “Friends? Is that what we are, Katie O’Hara? Just friends?”

“Friends with potential,” I said. He gave me the smile that made me tingle on the inside. He looked so handsome in the glow of the fire.

“Friends with potential,” he said, scratching his chin. “I like that.”

“Can I ask you something?” I asked.

He took a sip of his hot chocolate and sighed. “Sure. You can ask me anything.”

“What’s the deal between you and Cassandra Leone?”

He watched the fire rather than look at me. “Who said there was a deal between me and Cassandra Leone?”

“Well, I don’t mean to pry, but…”

He smiled. “But you will.”

I bumped him with my shoulder. “It’s just that, well, according to Google…”

“Ah, according to Google,” he said, shaking his head. “My favorite words. I miss the good old days before Google wasn’t around to track my life or provide fodder for the tabloids.”

“Sorry, I’ll shut up,” I said.

“No, no, finish your thought, Katie O’Hara,” he said. “You’ve opened the can of worms. We might as well fish with them.”

“You sound like my father.”

He gave me a sideways grin. “That’s something my old man says.”

“Ah, all Irish dads must pull from the same cliché pile,” I said.

“Anyway, go ahead. According to Google…”

“According to Google, you and Cassandra Leone were engaged once,” I said.

“On that point at least, Google is correct,” he said, the cup poised at his lip. “We were engaged. Once. A long time ago.”

“What happened?”

“Google didn’t tell you that?”

“Google was somewhat vague on that point,” I said.

He shrugged with his eyes. “Let’s just say that Cassandra is not the marrying kind,” he said. “She prefers to play the field rather than commit to one specific team.”

I stared at him, trying to catch any hint that he wasn’t being honest with me. He seemed sincere. I said, “So, you wanted to get married, but she didn’t?”

“Something like that,” he said. He glanced over and shrugged. “Do you find that too hard to believe? That the man would want the commitment while the woman wanted to remain free? Not all men are afraid of commitment, you know. And not all women are looking for Mr. Right.”

“Let’s just say that it’s been my experience that it works the other way around,” I said. “Usually, it’s the woman wanting a ring and the man wanting to play the field.”

“Yep, usually, but not in this case,” he said seriously.

“So, what happened?”

“We had dated for a couple of years. My parents loved her. Her parents loved me. We moved in together. We got along very well. So, one day I proposed, and she accepted.”

“And then?”

“And then her feet turned into solid blocks of ice.”

“So, she backed out of the engagement?”

He nodded with the cup at his lips. He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and looked up at the moon. “Without warning, she gave me back my ring. She said she would rather be honest with me up front rather than do something stupid later. She was simply not the monogamous kind. She loved sex. And she loved men. Plural. She didn’t think it was in her to love just one man.”

“Wow,” I said quietly. “That’s just… wow.”

“Yes, that is just wow.” He poured himself another cup of hot chocolate from the thermos and took a careful sip. “But, it was for the best. She would have ended up cheating on me, and I probably would have done something completely stupid like killing them both in my bed.”

I giggled inappropriately. “That wild Irish temper would have gotten the best of you?”

He smiled. “Yes. Anyway, we split up, but somehow managed to remain friends and it worked out for the best.” He leaned his head onto mine. “I’m here with you now. That might not have happened if I had married Cassandra. I’d probably be embroiled in a bitter divorce and flat broke now.”

“Well, thank goodness she was honest with you,” I said. I thought about the way they acted around each other at dinner. One more thought kept gnawing at my mind. “Do you still sleep together?”

He frowned at me. “Did Google tell you that, too?”

I smiled. “No, but your body language the other night at the restaurant. You two seem very… chummy.”

“Chummy?” He grinned behind the cup. “Yes, we have remained chummy, but it’s very casual, and very occasional. We are not involved, if that’s the point of your questioning. I am but one in a long list of former beaus on Cassandra Leone’s dance card. Trust me, it’s not something I dwell on anymore.”

“So, you’re just fuck buddies now,” I said. I smiled and held out my empty cup for a refill.

“That’s enough about me,” he said as he refilled my cup. “Let’s talk about you and your fuck buddies.”

“I have no fuck buddies,” I said with a snort. “I’m a good Irish Catholic lass, remember?”

“Were you a good Irish Catholic lass a few hours ago?” he asked with a devious grin. “Come on, Katie O’Hara. Regale me with tales of your deviant past. Don’t make me Google you.”

That made me laugh. “If you Googled me you’d just get a blank screen with the word LOSER in big black letters,” I said. “Trust me, I’m not nearly as notorious as you.”

“Okay then, tell me something about you that I don’t know.”

“Like what?”

“Well, let’s see. I know that you’re a good Irish Catholic girl from South Boston. You come from a big family. You have a dad who owns a pub, and lots of brothers who would probably kill me if they knew what I was thinking right now.”

“That’s about all there is to know,” I said. “I’m pretty boring other than that.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“It’s true. There is no more boring an ass on this beach than me.”

“Tell me about your first love,” he said.

“My first and only love was in the tenth grade,” I said. “I let him feel me up behind the bleachers during a basketball game and he told all his buddies about it. They all called me a slut, so I kicked him in the balls and moved on. End of story.”

“That’s not a very romantic story,” he said.

“It’s the best romantic story I have.”

He huffed. “Katie O’Hara, are you seriously telling me that you’ve never been in love?”

“Never,” I said.

“Not even in college or since you’ve been in New York?”

“Nope. Not even.”

“Christ, girl, have you been hiding under a rock? How have you never been in love.”

“I’ve been in extreme like,” I said. “But no, I don’t think I’ve ever been in love. I’ve been too busy focusing on my career.”

He nodded slowly, as if he wasn’t quite sure whether to believe me. After a moment, he said, “Do you like being a lawyer?”

“I do like being a lawyer,” I said. “Do you like being an investment banker?”

“I do, but we’re talking about you now,” he said. “What do you like most about your work? And why did you go into contract law? Why not litigation or criminal defense? No offense, but contracts make my eyes go crossed.”

“I love contract law because everything is so cut and dried,” I said. “I thought about going into corporate litigation and criminal defense, but I didn’t like the kind of people that I would have to deal with on a daily basis. And I couldn’t defend anyone that I knew was guilty of a crime.”

“You mean like Bernie Madoff or Jordan Belfort?” he asked. “White collar criminals. Crooked bankers. Shady investment types like me.”

“Well, not exactly like you,” I said with a smile.

“You know what I mean.”

“Yes, I could not defend someone who would willingly break the law and just lie about it with a straight face.” I sipped the hot chocolate and shook my head. “People will say or do anything to get what they want. Even lie under oath if they had to. I couldn’t represent someone like that, no matter how much money was involved.”

“You couldn’t or wouldn’t? Not for any amount?”

I frowned at the question. “Not for any amount. I mean, money is great and all, and I would love to have a lot of it, but not at the expense of my own dignity or at the expense of someone else. Or if it meant lying through my teeth or cheating someone to get it.”

“I see,” he said, nodding.

I kept ranting. “Before I graduated from law school I clerked for a divorce attorney one semester. Oh my god, talk about liars! Everybody lied! I could not wait to get out of that place and into something that would not keep me up at night.”

He nodded and went quiet for a moment. “So, you went into contract law.”

“Yes. At least in contract law, everything is spelled out in black and white. There are no gray areas. And if you lie in a contract, there is a clear legal recourse. You’d have to be an idiot to try to pull a fast one over on a good contact law attorney.”

“I guess you’re right,” he said quietly. He finished his hot chocolate and put the cup away. He stared at the fire and didn’t say anything for a minute or two.

“You okay?” I asked, watching the shadows dance across his handsome face.

“Why do you ask?”

I snuggled up next to him and rested my head on his shoulder. “You just seem to be running out of steam. You’ve gotten quiet on me.”

He chuckled and pulled me into him. “I’m just tired, I guess. It’s been a long day. Are you ready for bed? It is getting pretty late.”

“Do you mean am I ready to go to sleep?”

“I didn’t ask that,” he said, leaning over to press his lips to my forehead. “I asked if you were ready for bed.”

“Yes,” I said, feeling myself heating up from the inside again. “I am ready for bed.”

Chapter 23: Katie

Come Sunday night, Conner and I had to leave our cozy love nest in the Hamptons and return to the real world. He dropped me off at my apartment just before midnight. He walked me to the door, kissed me like a gentleman, gave my ass a squeeze for good measure, and went on his way. I stood on the sidewalk waving goodbye like a lovesick girl. I even heard myself sigh as I watched him drive away.

I ignored the judging stare of the doorman as I skipped across the lobby and got onto the elevator. This was no walk of shame. To the contrary, I was proud of myself. Little Katie O’Hara had finally come out of her shell. And holy moly, did she have a good time!

Within ten minutes of walking into my apartment, I had stripped off my clothes and collapsed on the bed, totally content and exhausted. I slept like a rock, even with dirty dreams of Conner McGee dancing in my head.

I dragged myself out of bed around seven and took a long, hot shower to help wake myself up. I dressed quickly and put on enough makeup to cover the dark circles beneath my eyes. I made it into the office on time to find Monique sitting in the chair across from my desk with a large cup of black coffee waiting for me on the desk.

“Well, good morning, Miss O’Hara,” she said with a sly grin on her face. “How was your working weekend?” She made air quotes around the word “working”.

I smiled at her as I took off my coat and hung it on a hook behind the door, then walked around the desk and pulled out my chair. Naturally, I had filled her in on meeting Conner McGee the week before, and discovering that he was Brad the banker, my one-night stand. I was shocked to discover that she already knew who he was, but never bothered to mention it. She had spent the night with his old college pal on New Year’s Eve. After screwing his brains out, he spilled all.

“I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me who he was,” I said as I slid into my chair and pulled the cup of coffee in front of me. It was steaming hot. I held it between my hands and lowered my nose over the cup. I took a deep breath. Steam settled under my eyes as I took a careful sip.

“I didn’t expect you to ever see him again,” Monique said. “I didn’t see the need to tell you that you had spent the night with one of New York City’s biggest pussy hounds.”

“In other words, you didn’t want to let me down because I was just another notch on his very long belt.”

“Something like that.”

“Are you saying that I couldn’t get Conner McGee’s attention on my own?” I grinned at her from over the cup. “Because I can assure you, my dear Monique, that is not the case.”

“I’m sure it’s not now.” She took a sip of her coffee and dabbed her lips with one finger. “So, how was it?”

“How as in what?”

“Your weekend with the pussy hound?”

“It was a working weekend,” I said. “And he was a perfect gentleman.”

“Oh, I’m sure he was.”

“He was. Seriously.” I set the cup aside and tapped the space bar to wake up my computer. I had not had a chance to check my email this morning. I had no texts from Conner, but he had told me Monday morning was always super busy for him, but he’d text as soon as he was free. I picked up the cup and waited for the screen to come up.

“Oh, I’m sure you worked all weekend,” Monique said. “Come on, don’t leave a girl hanging. How was it? Is he as good in bed as he looks like he’d be?”

“Well, after we hammered out the fine points of the contract, we spent the weekend hammering each other.” I heard myself giggle and put a hand over my mouth. I leaned into the desk and lowered my voice. “Oh… my… god… Mo, I am such a slut!”

Monique cackled so loudly that I was afraid the whole office would hear. I got up to close my door. “Shhh… not so loud. I’d prefer to keep my sluttiness to myself.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, waving a hand in front of her face. “I just never thought I’d hear you say something like that. You’re usually such a tight-assed, little Irish girl.”

“Hey, I’m not tight-assed,” I said. “As a matter of fact, my ass is pretty loose. Hang on, that didn’t sound right. Oh hell, you know what I mean.”

“Give me a break. After that one-night stand on New Year’s Eve you felt so guilty you went to confession every morning for a week.” Monique narrowed her eyes at me. “You are the least slutty girl I know. Trust me. I now. I’m an expert on the topic.”

“Whatever.” My computer dinged. I turned toward the screen and smiled. I had an email from Mr. Conner McGee. The subject was: Benson Digital. I tapped the mouse to open the email. I bit my lip as I read his words.

“Don’t keep me in suspense,” Monique said. “What does it say?”

I made a show of clearing my throat, then read the email out loud.

“Dear Miss O’Hara… Thank you for a VERY productive weekend. I think all parties will be very satisfied by the outcome. I know I certainly am… Yours truly, Conner McGee.”

“Whooo-eee,” she said gleefully. She clapped her hands like a little kid about to get ice cream. “Girl, you are either one hell of a lawyer or one hell of a great lay.”

I wiggled my eyebrows at her. “Actually, I’m both.”

Chapter 24: Conner

Reed strolled into my office a few minutes after 8 AM on Monday morning. I had been at my desk for nearly an hour already, sipping the strong coffee my secretary had waiting for me and checking my email.

As was the norm, my inbox was crammed full of emails that had arrived over the weekend, which was a really stupid time to email someone like me because I didn’t even turn on a computer on the weekends.

There were over two hundred emails from clients, investors, the news media, random entrepreneurs looking for funding, random nonprofits looking for donations, and invitations to attend a variety of business meetings and social events.

My secretary would handle most of the inquiries, sending canned replies to those that warranted them and ignoring the rest. The ones that needed my attention she would prioritize and flag in the email program and I’d get to them after lunch.

Reed came in without a word and went to the bar to pour himself a cup of black coffee from the silver service. He tried not to slosh the coffee as he sat in one of the leather chairs on the other side of the desk. He smacked his lips and gave me a tired smile.

“You look like hell,” I said.

“You should see it from this side,” he said with a groan. Reed spent most weekends drinking and partying and looking for wife number five. He lacked the ability to be faithful to one woman, but believed that men with wives were more credible in business than men without. Whatever. I think he just liked having a woman to go home to after he was done whoring and partying.

“Another rough weekend, Reed?” I asked, giving him a sideways smile. He grunted something I didn’t understand and sipped the coffee while I finished typing an email to Katie. I read over it once more in my head.

Dear Miss O’Hara… Thank you for a VERY productive weekend. I think all parties will be very satisfied by the outcome. I know I certainly am… Yours truly, Conner McGee.

Very professional, yet filled with innuendo.

Perfect. I tapped the key to hit Send.

“Tell me about your weekend,” Reed said. “It was very productive, I assume?”

“You would assume correctly, sir,” I said. I leaned back in my chair and laced my fingers around the coffee cup. “The Benson deal is done. Legal is reviewing it this morning, but I anticipate no more bumps in the road. We close the deal this Friday at noon as planned.”

He lifted his cup and gave me a knowing grin. “Well done, my boy. And kudos to you for putting in the extra work over the weekend. Your dedication will not go unrewarded.”

“Oh, I enjoyed the extra work immensely,” I said. “I found it to be quite… pleasant.”

“Miss O’Hara did not disappoint then,” he said. “Will there be further negotiations between the two of you after the Benson deal is done?”

I shrugged. “I hope so, but that depends.”

“On her reaction after she learns that you are booting her dear Uncle Allen out of his company?”

“I’m not booting him,” I said. “The board will.”

“I’m not sure Miss O’Hara will see it that way,” he said. “You know how women are.”

“I do know how women are,” I said. “I guess we’ll just have to see how she reacts to the news. Hopefully she’ll understand it’s the best thing for everyone involved.”

“You can hope,” he said, nodding.

Katie’s smiling face flashed through my mind. I forced it to go away.

Reed asked, “So, how soon after we sign the contract do we put our plan into motion?”

“The plan is already in motion,” I said. “We have a potential buyer already lined up to take the manufacturing operation off our hands for more than we’re paying for the whole shebang. We will keep the computer chip patents and license the fuck out of them. They’ll generate hundreds of millions of dollars over the next ten years until they expire.”

Reed was grinning like a Cheshire cat because a nice chunk of those millions would go directly into his pocket as a senior partner. I’d make millions off the deal, too, but nothing like he would. He sipped his coffee for a moment and pondered the numbers in his head, adding to the list of expensive things he would buy, not because he needed them, but because he could.

He asked, “And how big of a shit fit do you think Allen Benson is going to throw once we have taken over the board and voted him out?”

I shrugged, because it was a moot point. “He can throw as big of a shit fit as he wants, but that won’t help his cause. He’s cashing out with a ton of dough, so he’ll have no right to bitch about anything. And no legal recourse.”

“Because the deal was blessed by his own niece,” Reed said with a sly grin. He lifted the cup again. “That was a convenient turn of events. You banging her on New Year’s Eve, then her turning up a couple of months later to be Allen Benson’s niece slash lawyer.”

“Yes, I guess it was.” I picked up my cup and started into it for a moment. The realization that I was not just betraying Allen Benson’s trust started to gnaw at me. I was betraying Katie’s trust, as well. Or at least that was how she would see it.

Ordinarily, that would not have bothered me. It was, after all, just business. And nobody was really getting screwed here. Allen Benson would walk away with millions and his beloved employees would get to keep their jobs. Probably. It wasn’t my fault that he was too stubborn for his own good.

“Feeling a little guilty, are we?” Reed asked after a moment of silence.

I didn’t see the need to lie.

I said, “Yeah, a little. Maybe.”

“You really like this girl?”

“Yes. I think I do.”

He shook his head. “She has no right to be upset, you know.”

“I know.”

“I mean, it’s not like you used her.”

I held up my hands. “I know.”

“She reviewed the contract in good faith, and you responded in kind.”

“Yes, Reed, I know.”

He kept pressing the point, thinking it would make me feel better about what I’d done. He said, “If she had raised the topic of the patents you would have spelled it out for her. Right?”

“Yes. Right.”

“It’s not like you were hiding anything to screw anyone over.”

“For fuck’s sake, Reed, I know all that.” I held up my hands to shut him up. “Enough already. It’s just business. Period. End of story.”

He narrowed his eyes at me. “And yet, you still feel a little shitty.”

“A little.”

“Well, you did nothing wrong as far as I’m concerned,” he said. He took another sip of coffee and grinned at me. “The fact that you banged her all weekend had nothing to do with the deal.”

“She probably will not see it that way,” I said, frowning into my cup. “In fact, I’m pretty sure that she will see it as a betrayal. She’ll accuse me of using her and probably never want to see me again.”

“Oh well, that’s her loss then, isn’t it? It’s not like you don’t have women lined up around the block, Conner. And Cassandra Leone on speed dial. Christ, if I had that woman I’d never want another.”

I gave him a little nod, even though I was starting to feel more like a heel by the minute. I knew that the moment Katie heard that Allen Benson was being booted off the board and the manufacturing operation being sold; our little romance would probably be over.

I had four days to enjoy her company.

After that, all bets were off.

Oh well. That was how things worked in my world.

It was just business.

Keep telling yourself that, a little voice in my head whispered. You fucking asshole.

I ignored what my heart was saying.

It had never made me a dime.

Chapter 25: Katie

Conner was busy Monday night with some business dinner he had already committed to, but we spent Tuesday night together at his penthouse in Manhattan. The sex was even better and hotter than the weekend before, if you can believe that. We were getting to know one another’s personalities and quirks. We were figuring out each other’s bodies. What we liked. What curled out toes. What buttons to push. What sent us over the moon.

We spent Wednesday night together at my place. It was nothing like Conner’s penthouse. His master bedroom was larger than my entire apartment. But he said he loved the “coziness” of my little place and loved snuggling in my bed, which was half the size of his.

Thursday night we went back to his penthouse after dinner and spent the evening making love. I drifted off to sleep around midnight lying in his strong arms. I was happier than I had ever been in my life. I knew that it was silly of me to be thinking such things so quickly, but I was starting to imagine my life being Mrs. Conner McGee.

Before Conner left for the office on Friday morning, he seemed a bit on edge. Ordinarily, he was laughing and joking and doing his best to get me out of whatever clothes I had managed to put on. Friday morning was different. He didn’t say much when we woke up. Or while we showered together. Of course, neither did I. It was hard to talk when you had your mouth full.

He got out of the shower first because he said he had to get to the office, so I finished up while he toweled off and got dressed. I was standing in front of the wide bathroom mirror doing my makeup when he can in to say goodbye.

“Are you okay, Con?” I asked as I stared at him in the mirror with the makeup brush paused at my cheek. “You seem a little edgy this morning.”

He adjusted his silk tie and smiled at my reflection. “A little edgy?”

I turned and put my arms around his neck, careful not to dust him with makeup from the brush. He was already dressed in a blue Armani suit, white shirt, and matching tie, so I didn’t hug him too tightly. His dark hair was swept back, and he had just a hint of stubble on his chin. He looked like he had just stepped out of a magazine ad.

“Are you nervous about today?” I asked.

We had not talked about the impending purchase of my uncle’s company. We had been so busy getting to know one another and having a good time in bed that business never came up. Besides, that was none of my business. I had looked over the contract as a favor to Uncle Allen. That was the extent of my involvement. As my pops would say, “I had no dog in this fight.” Besides, I trusted Conner. He was as good as his word.

He cocked one eyebrow at me. “Nervous? Why would I be nervous?”

I pulled my arms from his neck and smoothed my hands over his lapels. The firmness of his chest beneath my hands made me sigh. I said, “I don’t know, maybe because you’re buying my uncle’s company today and you’re a little nervous because of me.”

“I’m not buying the company,” he said quickly, defensively. “Price Bean & Whitlock is. And it’s Reed’s deal. I just handled the financial details for him.”

His reaction made me frown as I stared into his eyes. It wasn’t like Conner McGee to give credit to others for his hard work. I said, “Of course, Price Bean & Whitlock are footing the bill, but none of this would have happened if not for you.” I kissed the tip of his nose. “You made this happen. I’m very proud of you.”

For a moment, I thought I saw a look of sadness in his dark eyes. Then, he gave me the smile that melts me in my panties, pecked me on the lips, and turned to leave.

“Will I see you tonight?” I asked, holding onto his hand as he tried to back out the door.

He gave me a little smile that looked like it took a great deal of effort and said, “Yes, of course, if you still want to.”

He was gone before I could ask him what the heck that meant.

If I still want to?

Why on earth would I not?

Chapter 26: Conner

The deal was done at exactly 12:27 PM on Friday afternoon.

The shit hit the fan exactly two minutes later.

We were gathered around the long table in Reed’s mahogany-paneled conference room putting signatures to the contracts that would formally make Price Bean & Whitlock the majority shareholder in Benson Digital, Inc.

Price would own fifty-one percent of the company stock and hold three board seats. Allen Benson would retain a ten-percent stake in the company, as well as his seat as CEO, and the rest of the stock was owned by current shareholders.

Reed and I were on one side of the table with Vincent Simms, our corporate attorney and his paralegal, Pam, who was taking notes. Directly across the table from us sat Allen Benson and his in-house attorney Jeff Chase. Lined up next to Allen were the three existing board members of Benson Digital. Sitting next to me were the two new board members Price Bean & Whitlock had appointed before the ink was dry.

“That about does it,” Vincent said, snapping the top on his expensive Monte Blanc pen and tucking it inside his Brooks Brothers suit. He gathered up all copies of the agreement and stuck them neatly into a blue folder and slid it over to Pam.

Allen Benson started to push himself up from the table, but Reed cleared his throat and held up a finger to stop him. “Before you go, Allen, we need to take care of some pressing business.”

The color started to drain from Benson’s face as he lowered himself back into the chair. Poor guy. He looked like a deer in headlights. His eyes darted between Reed and myself. He asked, “What sort of pressing business?”

Reed gestured to the two new board members who had already been sworn in. They knew what was coming. Everyone did except Allen. I almost felt bad for the guy. Almost.

“Since we have the entire board here I thought we could address a couple of things,” Reed said. “You’re chairman of the board, Allen. If you’ll be so kind as to call the meeting to order.”

Allen Benson stared at Reed for a moment, his eyes going narrow and dark. He growled the words. “This meeting of the board of Benson Digital is hereby called to order.”

Reed had taken one of the three board seats as Price’s representative, so he got to his feet to run the meeting. His assistant, Carla, who had been sitting quietly in one corner, got out of her chair and went around the table passing out a single sheet of paper to each board member. It was the formal tinder offer from Amalgamated Industries to purchase Benson Digital’s computer chip manufacturing operation.

“What the fuck is this?” Allen asked, scowling at the paper. “You can’t be fucking serious.”

Reed ignored him and addressed the board. “Members of the board, we have received an offer to purchase the manufacturing operations of Benson Digital at an immediate return of fifteen-percent.”

“This is bullshit, Reed,” Allen said, wadding up the paper and tossing it in Reed’s face. He looked at me and gritted his teeth. “You cannot do this.”

“Actually, they can,” Vincent said calmly. “There is nothing in the agreement that prevents the board from selling off assets as it sees fit. So long as a majority of the board approves the sale, it’s perfectly binding and legal.”

Allen realized at that moment that he had been blindsided. He turned to look at the three existing board members that he had brought into the game. Old pals who now sat with their heads down and their hands clasped tightly together on the table. He turned to glare at his oldest friend and lawyer, Jeff Chase.

“Did you know about this?” Reed asked, teeth gritted. “Goddammit, Jeff, did you know?”

Before Jeff could answer, Reed interrupted. “Gentlemen, you see the offer before you. I suggest we take a vote and approve it before we adjourn.”

“Over my dead body,” Allen said. “You’re not selling my fucking company.”

“It’s not your company anymore, Allen.” Reed looked him dead in the eye and spread open his hands. “You have one vote. I assume it is a nay.”

“You’re goddamn right it’s a nay,” Allen said. “For the love of God, Reed, if we sell off the manufacturing, what’s left?”

“The patents, old boy,” Reed said as he eased back down into his seat with a satisfied look on his face. “Benson Digital will keep the computer chip patents, which we will license to every manufacturer in the industry. We will make hundreds of millions of dollars before the patents expire.”

“The patents…” Allen Benson blinked for a moment, like a man waking up from a long nap. “This was about the patents all along. You never gave a damn about the manufacturing operation or all those people who work there. You just wanted the patents.”

“Yes, Allen, that’s right,” Reed said. “It was all about the patents. That’s your most valuable asset, not the fucking manufacturing operation.”

“Why buy my entire company?” Allen asked, shaking his head. “Why not ask me to sell you the patents?”

“Allen, would you have sold us just the patents if we had made you an offer?” I asked.

He didn’t bother to say anything because we both knew the answer.

“Very well, then,” Reed said, leaning in to look down the table at the other board members. “Now, gentlemen, we all have things to do, so let’s get this done. All those in favor of selling the manufacturing arm of Benson Digital, Inc. to Amalgamated Industries please say aye.”

Everyone said “aye” except Allen Benson.

He didn’t say a word.

He just got out of his chair and calmly walked around the table.

And broke Reed’s nose with a single punch.

Chapter 27: Katie

I felt like I was sitting on pins and needles as I waited in my office for Uncle Allen to call with an update. By now, the papers should have been signed and he was a wealthy man, certainly the wealthiest man I ever knew to come out of South Boston.

I glanced at my watch for the tenth time in as many minutes. It was nearly two o’clock, and I had not heard a word. I was starting to get nervous. I had a sinking feeling in my chest that I couldn’t explain. Perhaps Reed Helstrom had broken out a bottle of champagne to toast the deal and they were all getting snockered. I was sure Uncle Allen would call soon.

Then, like a ghost in the night, Uncle Allen appeared at my office door with a sick look on his face. I knew immediately that something had gone terribly wrong.

“Oh my god,” I said, rushing around the desk to greet him. His face was red and sweaty. His tie was askew, and the front of his shirt was stained with blood. He was holding his right hand in his left. The knuckles of his right hand were scraped and bloody. “Uncle Allen, what happened? Are you hurt?”

“They stole my company,” he said, shaking his head.

“What? Who? What are you talking about?”

“That fucking Reed Helstrom and Conner McGee. They stole my fucking company.”

* * *

Thankfully, it turned out that none of the blood on his shirt was Uncle Allen’s. It all belonged to Reed Helstrom. It came from his nose when Allen slammed his fist into it.

I had Monique get Uncle Allen an ice pack for his hand and a glass of scotch for his head. He sat in the chair in front of my desk with gritted teeth, telling us both the story of how they had stolen his beloved company.

At first, I refused to believe it. There was no way Conner—my Conner— could be a party to such a devious plan. Who would buy a man’s life’s work only to sell it out from under him? But deep down, I knew he was part of the plan. This was Conner’s deal. He was the mastermind behind it. He knew all along how it was going to turn out because he was the one orchestrating it. And he had played me for a total fool.

I knew now that nothing between us was real.

Monique was right all along.

Why would he be attracted to a Plain Jane like me when he could have a woman like Cassandra Leone in his bed?

Conner wasn’t falling for me.

Christ, he probably didn’t even like me.

He was just fucking me so I wouldn’t find out about him fucking over my uncle.

He kept me busy all week to make sure that I wouldn’t uncover his plan.

He had seduced me and I had made it so easy for him.

I had gone along willingly.

Like a lovesick little girl.

Oh my god.

What a fucking fool I was.

“I’ll talk to Ed Ridgely, our senior partner, and see what we can do,” I said hopefully. “He’ll know what to do. Maybe we can halt the deal somehow. Get an injunction. Or charge them with fraud.”

“It’s no use, Katie,” Uncle Allen said quietly. He finished the scotch and held out his glass for more. Monique poured another glass and glanced my way.

“I’m going to let the two of you talk,” she said, heading toward the door. The hard look on her face told me exactly what she thought. I had to tell Uncle Allen about my relationship with Conner. I had no other choice.

“Don’t bother calling anyone,” Uncle Allen said, shaking his head at me. “It was all perfectly legal. All on the up and up. They didn’t do anything against the law.”

“Maybe not legally, but—”

“There’s no but to it, Katie,” he said, blowing out a long breath. “I was a fool. I let them do it. It never occurred to me that all they cared about was the patents. I was blinded by the money. And this damn cancer… Christ, how could I have been so incredibly stupid?”

My phone was lying on my desk. It buzzed with an incoming call. I didn’t have to look at the screen. I knew who it was. Conner calling to explain or gloat, as if there was a difference at this point. I had no desire to talk to him. I silenced the phone and set it back on the desk.

“I feel responsible,” I said quietly. “You asked me to look over the agreement. I should have dug deeper. I should have gotten a full list of all assets. I should have—”

“This wasn’t your doing, Katie girl,” he said, mustering a sad smile for my benefit. “You had no idea what these bastards had planned. Christ, asking you to meet with Conner McGee was like asking a lamb to enter the lion’s den. I’m sorry I ever got you involved. Can you ever forgive me?”

My phone buzzed again. This time, I turned it off and shoved into a desk drawer. I watched Allen drink the scotch for a moment, me feeling guiltier with each swallow. I finally couldn’t stand it anymore. I had to tell him what I had done.

“Uncle Allen, I have to tell you something. And I just hope that you can someday find it in your heart to forgive me.”

Chapter 28: Conner

After that Friday, Katie refused to take my calls, answer my texts, or come to the door when I showed up multiple times at her apartment. I knew that Allen Benson would run to tell her his version of what had happened, how Reed and I backstabbed him, and “stole” his company away.

Fuck that.

We didn’t steal anything.

He made tens of millions of dollars off the deal, and retained a ten-percent stake in the company that owned the patents. He would have made a hundred times more if he had just closed his mouth and gone along with our plans.

Reed and I just did what made the most sense for our company, and his. We did what he should have done all along. It wasn’t our fault that he was shortsighted and dedicated to a bunch of employees that sucked him dry.

Allen Benson was a decent guy, but his priorities as a business man were fucked. We had made him wealthy. Rather than breaking Reed’s nose, the guy should have been kissing his feet.

I dropped by Katie’s office a few times over the next couple of weeks, but never got past the receptionist, who looked at me like I was the Devil himself. Obviously, the news travelled fast at Yates Hamilton & Booz. Do not let the wolf back into the hen house…

I knew that things would be rocky between us after we pulled the rug out from under Allen, but I didn’t think Katie would just kick me out of her life. I figured that she would show up at my office or my penthouse to cuss me out in person. I would let her rant and rave for a bit, then I could turn on the charm and give her my side of the story. An hour later, we would be in bed and all would be forgiven. Katie was smart. She would understand why we did what we did. I desperately wanted to explain things to her, to make her see that I did not use her, at least not on purpose. She wouldn’t even give me the chance.

After Allen Benson came around the table to break Reed’s nose, he stormed out of the conference room with his attorney in tow, whom he promptly fired in a very loud confrontation on the elevator as they rode down.

Before the day was done, we’d been contacted by Ed Ridgely, the senior partner at Yates Hamilton & Booz, who just happened to be Katie’s boss. He and Reed were old golfing buddies, but unlike Reed, Ed was incorruptible.

He informed Reed that his firm had been formally retained by Allen Benson, and he had filed an injunction with a judge to freeze the deal to sell Benson Digital’s manufacturing operation to Amalgamated Industries, at least until both sides could present arguments to the judge.

It was just a tactic to buy time until they could come up with a better plan. Fine, I wasn’t too worried about it. Our contract with Benson was iron clad, and Price Bean & Whitlock owned a good chunk of Amalgamated, so they wouldn’t pull out of the deal. It would just delay things a bit. The judge would see that we had done nothing wrong. It might take a few weeks to sort it out, but in the end, the deal would go through as planned.

One week went by with no contact from Katie, then two. I was surprised at how much I found myself thinking about her at all hours of the day, and especially late at night, lying in bed alone.

It was crazy because we had spent a sum total of four nights together. It wasn’t like we were long time lovers or an old married couple. Still, the thought of her kept gnawing at my brain. And I felt like a total dick because I knew that my actions had hurt her, and embarrassed her in the eyes of her beloved uncle.

“Penny for your thoughts, young man,” Reed said, staring at me from across the lunch table at the Roxie. I was picking at a steak and potato. He was devouring a plate of crab cakes like they were going out of style and working on his third scotch.

“I would bet that you haven’t had a penny in your pocket in decades,” I said, forcing a smile. “Even if you did, you wouldn’t get your money’s worth paying for what’s going on in my head.”

Reed grinned as he chewed, despite having a Band-Aid going across the bridge of his nose and two black eyes. Funny, I thought Reed would stay in his office until his wounds healed. To the contrary, he wore the fact that Allen Benson had broken his nose like a badge of honor. He could hardly wait for people to ask him what the hell happened, so he could tell the tale of the big deal that led to his nose getting mashed to his face.

“Okay, then, tell me for free.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “Let me guess, you’re still thinking about that girl.”

“That girl has a name,” I said with a sigh. I set my silverware on the plate and pushed it away, then signaled for the waiter to bring me another martini. “It’s Katie. Katie O’Hara.”

“Right. Katie O’Hara. I take it you haven’t spoken to Miss O’Hara since the Friday free-for-all.”

“The Friday free-for-all?” I smiled as I took a sip from my drink. “I have not spoken to her, but it’s not for a lack of trying. She won’t take my calls, answer my texts, or come to the door. And apparently I am persona non-grata at her office.”

He shrugged as he sliced a bite from my steak and shoved it into his mouth. “So? What’s the problem? Come on, Conner. It was a fling. It was fun while it lasted. It’s not like she was the one you wanted to spend the rest of your life with.”

I nodded slowly for a moment, then said, “Who knows. Maybe she was.”

Reed stopped chewing and frowned at me. He winced as his swollen nose pulled against the Band-Aid. “Excuse me? Maybe she was the one? Seriously?”

I picked up the fancy napkin and wiped my mouth with it, then tossed it aside. “What if she was the one, Reed? What if I totally fucked up the one relationship in my entire life that wasn’t based on bullshit.”

“You cannot be serious right now,” he said. He picked up his scotch and scoffed over it. “She’s just some girl, Con. For the love of God, you have Cassandra Leone on speed dial. Why the fuck are you acting like a lovesick puppy over this Plain Jane lawyer?”

“You can be a real dick sometimes,” I said, mainly because that was all I could think of to say. I couldn’t explain to him the feelings I was experiencing at that moment. The fact that I felt like I had a hole in my chest he could shove his fist through would be a foreign concept to him. The only time a woman ever made Reed Helstrom cry was when she had a divorce lawyer sitting beside her.

He was right about one thing; I had Cassandra on the string, along with dozens of other gorgeous girls who would jump at the chance to spend time with me. Why, then, was I pining away over Katie O’Hara?

Why?

Because I was in love with her, that was why.

Shit. I had fallen in love. And now she wouldn’t give me the time of day. And I really couldn’t blame her. I was as big of an asshole as Reed was. He was just much prouder of it.

“Why don’t you just show up outside her apartment or her work if you’re that hell bent on seeing her?”

“I’ve tried that,” I said, head shaking. “She refuses to come out when I’m there. She has the doorman threaten to call the cops. And then there’s this fucking injunction that Ed Ridgely filed. That’s just fuel to the fire.”

“We’ll beat that,” Reed said confidently. “I’ve talked to Ed. He knows it’s a losing battle. He’s just buying time to give Allen Benson a chance to cool down.”

“Yeah, I know. But that is the nail in the coffin as far as Katie is concerned.” I leaned back and blew out a long breath. “Goddammit, why did things have to end up this way?”

“Because that’s how business works, my boy,” Reed said, hands spread over his empty plate. “Somebody wins, somebody loses. That’s the way it works.”

I began to nod slowly as a small light flickered inside my brain. “What if it doesn’t have to work that way?” I asked. “What if we actually did a deal that was win/win for everyone involved?”

“That would be a first,” he said. “What do you have in mind?”

Chapter 29: Conner

I called my old college pal, Andy Whitlock, to ask him the name of the beautiful black girl he had been with on New Year’s Eve. She was Mollie the paralegal’s —Katie’s— best friend. Katie had mentioned her name a time or two, but I was not the best at paying attention to small talk. I found it hard to focus when Katie was in the room. I would watch her lips move, then my brain would just shut down as the blood drained to more pertinent parts of my body.

Monica, was her name, I thought.

Or Monique or…

Anyway, Andy would know her name. She was an old flame, or so he said, and probably the most beautiful girl he had ever been with. Maybe she could help me get a message to Katie. If my plan worked, Katie would be thrilled to hear from me and give me the chance to make things right. At least that’s what I kept telling myself.

“Her name is Monique Griggs,” Andy said with a hint of irritation in his voice. I had caught him leaving his office and he was talking to me while trying to find his car in the parking garage. “Why do you want to know? You run out of other girls to charm, old pal? Now you’re trying to horn in on my ladies?”

“Nothing like that,” I said. “I’m actually trying to get in touch with the girl I went home with that night. She said her name was Mollie. Anyway, it’s a long story, but I need Monique to help me track her down.”

“Why do I get the feeling that you’re not telling me everything?” Andy asked. “Come on, old buddy, give it up. What’s going on? Did she leave you with a raging case of crabs?”

I had forgotten what a dick Andy could be.

I said, “Nothing like the case of crabs your sister gave me, thank God.”

He chuckled. I heard a car door slam. The car dinged as he stuck in the key to start it up. “Then why do you need Monique to help you track her down?”

“Look, Andy, I don’t want to waste your time with boring details,” I said. “Do you know where Monique works or not?”

“Sure, she’s an associate at Yates Hamilton & Booz right there in the Big Apple, probably a few blocks down from your office.”

I rolled my eyes at my own stupidity. She was Katie’s best friend. Where else would she work?

I said, “She’s an associate at Yates Hamilton & Booz? I’ll be damned.”

“Yeah, so why do you need to talk to her?”

“I can’t talk right now, Andy,” I said. “Text me the next time you’re in New York City and I’ll buy you a beer.”

“Okay, pal, take care.”

I hung up the phone and leaned forward to tell my driver where to go.

Fifteen minutes later I was standing on the sidewalk outside of Yates Hamilton & Booz waiting for Monique Griggs to emerge.

* * *

I didn’t have to wait long. I had called Yates Hamilton & Booz on the way over, and asked to speak to Monique Griggs. I told her who I was, and she told me to fuck off and die. Monique had quite a colorful vocabulary for a young attorney.

“Look, Monique, if you care about Katie’s happiness, you need to come outside and talk to me. Please. Just give me two minutes of your time. Please.”

She was silent for a moment, then sighed and said, “Fine. I’ll be down in ten minutes.”

Though New Year’s Eve was now just a blurry memory, I recognized her immediately when she came out the front door and headed across the sidewalk toward my car.

Monique Griggs was a beautiful black girl, statuesque, with long legs and a voluptuous body, and eyes that shot darts into my face as she approached. I opened the car door and stepped aside to let her slide into the back seat.

“You have two minutes, asshole,” she said after I slid in after her and closed the door. She held up her left wrist and tapped the crystal of her watch with a long fingernail. “Starting now.”

“That’s more than enough,” I said, sitting in the seat sideways to face her. “I need to talk to Katie. I need to explain.”

“So, talk to Katie. Why are you bothering me?”

“Because she won’t talk to me,” I said.

“Can you blame her?” She cut her eyes at me and wrinkled her nose like I was a bad smell. “You’re a backstabbing asshole. You stole her uncle’s company and used her to do it. She doesn’t want anything to do with you.”

“I did not steal her uncle’s company,” I shot back. I took a deep breath and forced the anger back down. “Look, that’s now what happened. But regardless, I can make things right if Katie will give me the chance.”

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “How are you gonna make things right? You fucked her, and you fucked her uncle. You used her to get what you wanted and once you got it, you just expected her to go on like nothing happened.”

“That’s not entirely true,” I said. “I knew she would be mad, but I thought—"

“Of course, she would be mad, you idiot,” she said, frowning, shaking her head. “Look, you got what you wanted. Why don’t you just leave her alone?”

“Because I didn’t get what I wanted,” I said desperately. “I didn’t get what I wanted.”

She blinked at me for a moment. “What does that mean?”

I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “Look, Monique…”

“Don’t bullshit me now,” she said. “Shoot me straight or open that fucking door.”

I held up my hands in defeat. “It means that what I really want is Katie. I don’t care about anything else. Just her. And I need you to help me win her back. I can make things right if she’ll just give me the chance.”

“Don’t expect me to play on your team,” she said warily. She folded her arms across her large breasts and wrinkled her nose at me again. “I doubt there’s anything you can say or do to win her back at this point.”

I said, “I think you’re wrong. I have a plan that will make everyone happy. Katie. Allen Benson. You. Me. I just need your help to make it all work.”

She narrowed her dark eyes and bit at the inside of her lip.

“You really like her, don’t you?”

“I do.”

“Well, I’ll be damned.”

“Will you help me?”

“That depends” she said, turning in the seat to face me. She tapped a long fingernail playfully to her chin and narrowed her eyes at me. “Tell me your plan, then I’ll tell you if I can help.”

Chapter 30: Katie

Saturday, March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day

Boston, Massachusetts

 

I had to get out of New York City before Conner McGee drove me completely bonkers. It wasn’t bad enough that he had screwed over my Uncle Allen and broken my heart. Now he wouldn’t leave me alone.

He kept calling and texting.

I ignored them all, finally blocking his number from my phone.

He showed up at my apartment two or three times.

I refused to open the door.

When he wouldn’t go away, I had to get the door man to throw him out and threaten to call the cops if he returned.

Then he showed up at my office, but since Yates Hamilton & Booz had filed an injunction against Price Bean & Whitlock to block the sale of Benson Digital’s manufacturing arm, he was politely told he shouldn’t be there and escorted out of the building.

I had to give it to him.

He was a persistent son of a bitch, but that wasn’t going to get him back into my good graces. I didn’t care how good looking he was, or how good he was in bed, or how amazing he made me feel, I had no use for Conner McGee.

I would go out of my way to never see or speak to him again. And deep inside, that killed me. My heart was broken into a million pieces, but my Irish pride would never let me show it. Or let Conner back into my life.

Thank God for St. Patrick’s Day.

When my dad called to make sure that I was coming home for what was considered my family’s biggest annual celebration, I didn’t have to think twice. I was on the next plane to Boston, and back behind the bar where I belonged.

I put on an apron and a silly green party hat, and worked behind the bar with my dad most of the night. O’Hara’s Pub was packed to the gills with Irish revelers and others who were Irish for one night a year.

The Irish music was provided by a four-piece band led by my oldest brother on banjo, all dressed in green suits and hats. Even their hair and beards were dyed green. By midnight, they were almost as drunk as the crowd. Even though their musical skills got worse with every green beer they drank, they played as loudly as they could, and everyone sang along as the green beer flowed like the water into Boston Harbor and the shots kept lining the bar.

I kept myself busy all night, pulling drafts and pouring shots, delivering baskets of wings and burgers from the kitchen, but Conner McGee remained at the back of my brain, buzzing like a pesky gnat that refused to go away.

“You okay, Katie girl?” my dad asked each time we crossed paths behind the bar.

“I’m fine, Mr. O’Hara,” I said with a smile. He had no idea my heart was broken, both for Conner and my Uncle Allen, who was oddly absent from the party. My dad told me that Allen had called earlier in the day and said he was coming to the party, but so far, he was a no-show. I just assumed he’d reconnected with one of his old Boston flames. You could imagine my surprise when I saw him walking into the bar with Conner McGee at his side.

My hand froze on the tap and I overflowed the beer mug I’d been filling. I watched Uncle Allen and Conner work their way down the bar as I wiped off the mug and set it in front of a patron.

“Katie girl, we need to talk,” Uncle Allen said, leaning across the bar to yell in my ear. He was smiling with Conner at his side. What the hell was going on? Had I fallen asleep behind the bar and ended up in a strange dream? Had I fallen down the rabbit hole where everyone was insane? As Monique would say, “What the freaky fuck is going on here?”

“What’s going on?” I asked, yelling back over the music. I gave Conner a hard look. “And what’s he doing here? Why aren’t you pounding him into the floor?”

“Can we go someplace quiet and talk?” Conner asked.

“Fuck off, asshole,” I growled. I focused my eyes on Allen. “Uncle Allen, what’s going on?”

“Come with us for two minutes,” Allen said, holding up two fingers. “Meet us out back in the alley, please. You need to hear this from me.”

I blinked at him for a moment, then muttered, “Okay…”

“Who is that with your Uncle Allen?” my dad asked, sliding up next to me with a rack of clean beer mugs between his meaty hands. I watched Allen and Conner disappear in the crowd. I turned to my dad and tried to put on a happy face.

“It’s… a friend of his from work,” I said. I picked a rag and dried my hand with it. “I need a break, Dad. Do you mind taking over for a bit?”

“Course not, dear, take a break. Your brothers and I can handle this crowd.”

I gave him a peck on the cheek, then came from behind the bar and worked my way through the crowd toward the back door that led out into the alley.

My mind was going ninety to nothing, trying to figure out what the heck was going on. I almost expected Allen and Conner to be duking it out in the alley when I came through the door. If that was the case, I hoped Uncle Allen wiped up the concrete with Conner and dropped his carcass in the dumpster.

When I pushed through the door I could not believe my eyes.

Uncle Allen and Conner McGee were laughing and talking like old friends.

The words came out of my mouth without my brain having to send them.

“What the fuck is going on?”

“I have my company back,” Uncle Allen said with a broad smile. At first, I thought he was snockered. But his eyes were clear, and his speech wasn’t slurred. He put his hands on my shoulders and gave me a squeeze. “Did you hear me, Katie girl? I have my company back!”

“I don’t… I mean… I don’t understand.” I glanced at Conner, who was standing behind Allen with a satisfied grin on his face and his hands tucked behind his back. “Conner, what’s going on?”

“We worked out a compromise,” Conner said, nodding at Allen. “We redid the deal.”

“Redid the deal?” I shook my head to make sure I wasn’t imagining things. “What does that mean?”

“Tell her, Conner,” Allen said, punching him in the arm like they were old pals. “This was all your doing, so you tell her.”

“We re-signed the acquisition of Benson Digital’s manufacturing arm to Amalgamated so the ownership goes back to your uncle and the original shareholders,” Conner said. “Since all we were really interested in was licensing the patents, we decided to work a deal that gave us the rights to license the patents, but let Allen retain ownership of the company and the manufacturing arm.”

“And Reed went along with that?” I asked, not believing his words. I thought they were putting me on. “And the partners at Price?”

Conner smiled and gave me a nod. “Reed and the other partners were only interested in the long-term gain from the patent licenses. Since we were going to resell the manufacturing operation anyway, this is win/win for everyone involved.”

“Win/win?” I said. I had to smile. “Wow, have you ever worked a deal that you didn’t come out on top? I thought the Conner McGee mantra was ‘win and fuck the other guy’.”

Conner shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets. He said, “That did not have to be the case here. And the result is the same. Allen retains his company and gets a huge payout for the licensing. And Price profits from brokering the licensing deals.”

I stared at Uncle Allen for a moment. He seemed truly pleased.

“You’re okay with licensing the patents?” I asked.

“I am,” he said, nodding. “I was hesitant at first. Then Conner showed me the math. It was a no brainer.”

I put a hand on Allen’s arm. “And the cancer? I thought you wanted to take a break.”

“I can still step away from the company to get treatment,” he said. “I have a great team in place that’ll keep things going while I’m away.” He looked at Conner and smiled, something I never thought I would see. “It truly is a win/win deal.”

“Win/win,” Conner said.

“Wow.” It was the only thing I could think of to say. So, I said it again. “Wow.”

“And now, you two need to talk,” Allen said, putting his hands on my shoulders and leaning down to look me in the eye. “I’m very happy with the way things have turned out. I want you to be happy, too.”

“I’m happy,” I said, lying badly.

“You’re not as happy as you could be,” Allen said. He glanced at Conner, then back at me. “I’m gonna go help your old man behind the bar. You kids talk. Work things out.” He turned to Conner. “And remember, son, she has six, very large brothers inside that bar. And I’m betting they’re all drunk and looking for a fight about now. Don’t give them one.”

“Don’t worry,” Conner said with a smile. “I’m a lover, not a fighter.”

“Remember that,” Allen said to me as he headed for the door, I felt Conner’s hand on my back. A wave of passion swept through me that I hadn’t felt since the last time we touched. I turned to look at him with tears in my eyes.

“You did this?” I asked. “You made this happen.”

“I played a part,” he said.

“But why? I don’t understand. You had everything you wanted. You had won.”

“I decided to do the right thing,” he said. “I felt terrible about the way things turned out. That’s not what was supposed to happen. You must know that I never meant to use you in any way. The fact that you were Allen Benson’s niece, it was just a strange coincidence.”

“It was?”

“I had thought about you ever since New Year’s Eve. When I saw you in that conference room sitting next to Allen I knew it was fate. Or the luck of the Irish. Whatever you want to call it. You make me feel things that I’ve never felt before. And after the deal was done, and you wouldn’t talk to me, wouldn’t give me a chance to explain… well, I knew I had to do something to prove myself to you. You make me want to be a better man, Katie O’Hara. I…”

“You what?” I asked.

He looked deeply into my eyes and said the words we both felt in our hearts.

He said, “I love you.”

He held out his hands and I put my fingers into his palms. When his fingers closed around mine, I felt little tingles web up my arms and all across my body.

“You love me?”

He smiled and squeezed my hands. “I do.”

“Well…”

“Well what?” he asked with a pouty face.

“Well, I’m kind of fond of you,” I said with a devious smile. “Wait a minute… How did you know I was here? How did you make this happen?”

“Your friend Monique told me you came home for the holiday,” he said. “It’s St. Patricks’ Day. It was sort of a no brainer.”

“She’s such a blabbermouth,” I said.

“Well, at first she told me to fuck off and die.”

I giggled. “The girl does have a way with words. But how did you convince Reed and the partners to restructure the deal? I still don’t understand.”

“I simply pointed out that pissing off Allen Benson was not the smart thing to do. Allen’s a brilliant chip designer. If we made him mad enough, he would just design another chip that would make ours run like an old Radio Shack computer. It was like trying to steal the light bulb from Edison, just a stupid thing to do. It was always about the patents for us. The manufacturing operation was never a concern.”

“Well, you were right. Uncle Allen would have buried you guys. One way or another. He is all Irish, you know. And he has six very large nephews and one very pissed off niece.”

“She said with great pride.” He smiled and bobbed his head. “Anyway, after Reed convinced the partners to approve the restructure, I got Allen on the phone and pitched him the new deal. At first, he also told me to eat shit and die, then I got him to listen to reason, and he realized I was trying to make things right. We’ll sign the papers on Monday back in New York, but it’s a done deal.”

“Promise?” I asked, kissing him softly on the lips.

“You have my personal guarantee as a good Irishman. Your Uncle Allen is going to be a very happy, very wealthy man. And hopefully, so will I.”

“That’s just… amazing,” I said, sighing the words as Conner pulled me into his arms and pressed his lips to mine. We stared into each other’s eyes.

“Do you forgive me, Katie O’Hara?”

“I forgive you, Conner McGee,” I said. “Just don’t ever do anything like that again.”

He smiled and rubbed his nose to mine. “You have my word, lassie. The word of a good Irishman.”

Epilogue: Katie O’Hara McGee

Conner’s house in the Hamptons had become my favorite place on Earth, maybe because that was where my love for him first caught spark. Admittedly, there was no love between us the first time we slept together. We didn’t even know each other then. I was Mollie the paralegal and he was Brad the banker.

Neither of us thought we would ever see the other person again. Maybe that was what made it so exciting, so incredible. We both went into it with abandon and recklessness. I did things with him that night that I had never done with any man before or since, at least until we reconnected as Conner and Katie two months later.

That first night was an incredible experience, and one I do not regret in the least. But it was supposed to be a one-night stand, all about the spontaneity and the excitement of having sex with a total stranger. I loved the experience, but at that time I didn’t love the man because I didn’t even know who the man was.

Now, I knew him intimately, inside and out, with no mystery or pretense.

I had never imagined loving someone so much.

By the end of our first weekend at the Hamptons house, I could feel a little spark for Conner McGee igniting in my chest—and in other places. I could make myself wet just by thinking of him. And he could make me cum with a single touch. The electricity between us, the animal magnetism, was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. It was truly magical in so many ways.

When we were alone, he was not the pompous, rich, cut-throat, playboy I initially thought he would be. Beneath all the wealth and trappings and bravado was a good man with a heart of gold.

We were like Beauty & the Beast, with me being Beauty, of course. And like the Beast, once the spell of his own reputation and ego was broken, a wonderful man emerged from underneath. That’s why the Hamptons house was so special to me, because I considered that the birthplace of our love.

We travelled to the Hamptons house every weekend that we could get away in the spring and fall, and spent long weekends there in the summer when the weather was hot, and the ocean was warm.

We had our own little stretch of private, secluded beach away from the rest of the islanders. I can’t tell you how many hours we had spent lying on the sand, lounging naked in the sun, and skinny dipping in the ocean.

We always ended up making love at the end of the day. Sometimes I found sand in the strangest places. It always made me smile.

Conner kept hinting that we needed a bigger Hamptons house where we could bring up a large family, i.e. kids, but I disagreed. We lived together in his spacious penthouse in the city, and he had humongous houses all over the world: Paris, London, Madrid, Malibu, Vegas, and Aspen. We did not need a larger place in the Hamptons.

I did not disagree with the big family part, of course. I was a good Irish Catholic girl. I wanted a houseful of kids. To not have them would have been considered a sin in my family. My father and brothers would have never let me hear the end of it. But for me, this house was plenty big enough for a brood of Irish lads and lasses. And the memories we’d made in this house over the past year were ones I’d cherish for the rest of my life.

We had talked about getting married at the Hampton house, but my dad quickly kiboshed that idea. There was no way he and my six brothers, and their large, extended families, could all travel to the Hamptons for what he called a “fancy-shmancy rich asshole’s wedding”. The rich asshole was, of course, Conner. He and my father were still not the best of friends and probably never would be, but they got along well enough for my benefit, which was all I could ask of them.

Naturally, Conner wanted the wedding to end all weddings, the bigger the better, sparing no expense of course. And he wanted it to be a spectacle on par with his reputation and bank account. He wanted to invite the cream of New York society to the house, the richest men and women in the country, and fly in Lady Gaga to perform on a stage setup on the beach. And have the Cardinal of New York City—supposedly a close friend of the Pope himself—to perform the ceremony. When I ran those plans past my dad, he nearly went through the roof of his bar.

“You’re a South Boston girl, Katie O’Hara, and you’ll be married in Boston or it’ll be the death of us all.”

“But, Dad…”

“Your poor mother, thank Jesus, Joseph, and Mary that she is not here to hear you talking out of your head like this.”

“But, dad…”

“No, stop, no more,” he said, holding up his meaty hands like he was pushing back an evil spirit. “You’ll be married here at St. Pat’s, in the church your mother loved so dear.”

“You mean the church that you haven’t set foot in since mom died?”

“Well… maybe it’s time I got back to going,” he said, a look of shame on his ruddy face. “Maybe if I went to church more you would not have gotten involved with the Devil himself.”

“Dad, Conner is not the Devil,” I said, rolling my eyes as I stood behind the bar stacking dirty beer mugs and shot glasses into a rack that I would carry into the kitchen to wash. I’d flown in to spend the weekend with him and break the news of my impending nuptials. Spending time with Sean O’Hara meant being shoulder to shoulder with him behind the bar slogging beers and shots for rowdy customers.

“If he’s not the Devil, he’s a damned close relative,” Dad said, shaking his head. “What he tried to do to your Uncle Allen was just shameless. I can’t believe you give him the time of day.”

“He made things right with Uncle Allen,” I said firmly. I reached across the bar and put my hand on his. “And I’m going to marry him, Dad, no matter how big a fit you pitch or how many threats you make. I love him, and he loves me. And that’s all that matters. That’s all Mom would have cared about.”

He scrunched up his nose and worked his mouth back and forth. “Dammit, Katie girl, he’s just not good enough for you…”

“I’m not Katie girl anymore, dad,” I said, giving his hand a squeeze. “I’m a woman now. And I’m in love with Conner McGee. I’m going to be Mrs. Katie O’Hara McGee, and there’s nothing you can do to stop our plans, so please, give me your blessing and be happy for me.”

“You’re breaking me heart, Katie O’Hara,” he said dramatically. “I had such high hopes for you.”

“Dad…” I came around the bar to stand beside him. I leaned over and rested my head on his shoulder. “Is Conner perfect? No. Do I want him to be? No, not really. I love him just the way he is. And if you would give him a chance, you’d learn to love him, too.”

He cut his eyes at me and shook his head. “I’ll never love that man,” he said in a huff. He turned to face me, and stared deeply into my eyes. With his hands on my shoulders, he worked up a smile. “But, I reckon it’s okay if you do.”

“Well, that’s good to know,” I said with a relieved smile. My eyes welled with tears. “Because I am going to marry him, Dad. And give him lots and lots of adorable little Irish children.”

His features softened at the prospect of more grandchildren, adding to the twelve he already had by my brothers. “Fine, I will give you my blessing, but the wedding must be here in Boston. If you won’t do it for me, do it for your brothers. They don’t have Conner McGee’s money, nor will they accept his charity. They are hard working men with families. They can’t take time off to come to some rich ass—I mean, well, hell’s bells, Katie girl, you know what I mean.”

“Fine,” I said with a nod. “We’ll have the wedding here, in Boston, Dad, but you are not paying for it.”

“It’s a father’s duty to pay for his daughter’s wedding,” he said with a frown. He could frown all he wanted. My dad barely made enough money to get by. There was no way he was going to pay for my wedding.

“Dad, I’m marrying one of the richest men in New York. And I make a very good living at my job. I’ll have the wedding in Boston, but only if you agree to let Conner and I foot the bill.”

“Fine, but can we have a big party here the night before?”

“Fair enough,” I said. I held up my hand and spat into it, then stuck it out to him. “Shake on it to seal the deal.”

So, we shook on it and the wedding was held at St. Patrick’s in Boston two months later. Conner was not thrilled about having to cut the guest list down by half, but a little favor on my part quickly got him to change his mind. Remember that, ladies, a quick blowjob can change a man’s mind faster than a long argument.

After the wedding, which was beautiful, by the way, we had a large reception in the church basement. I wore my mother’s wedding dress (we were the same size, thank you, Jesus) and Conner wore his best tuxedo. Reed was Conner’s best man and Cassandra was Reed’s date. I was glad they had all made up. Good friends were hard to find, even slimy ones like Reed. It would have been a shame to lose them over something as sinful as money.

The service was quick, and the applause was loud, just as I had hoped it would be. The attendees gave us a standing ovation as we walked down the aisle for the first time as husband and wife.

My entire family was there, including Uncle Allen, who was back running his company, Benson Digital. He was still battling cancer, but he looked healthier than he had looked in a long time. He even stood up and toasted me and Conner at the reception.

We had come a long way since the fight in Conner’s office, thanks in large part to Conner strong-arming Reed into not pressing charges and letting Uncle Allen buy back the manufacturing piece of Benson Digital.

The truth was, Uncle Allen wasn’t concerned that Price Bean & Whitlock would keep the patents for the chips. He was a designer. He would have a new chip design in the patent office by the end of the year. And he would protect this one with his life.

“Here’s to you, Katie and Conner,” Uncle Allen said, lifting his glass high. “To a long and healthy life. May your prosperity be surpassed only by your happiness and love for one another. As they say in mother Ireland, ‘Sláinte mhaith’ everyone. To your health.”

* * *

“That was a wonderful day,” I said, lying in the crook of Conner’s arm with my head on his chest and my hand resting on his stomach. We were at the Bridal Suite of The Four Seasons in downtown Boston. It was after midnight and we’d just undressed and collapsed on the bed after our reception.

Conner was drunk.

I was drunker.

“Aye, a wonderful day indeed, lassie,” he said, mocking my father’s Irish brogue. “It wasn’t the Hamptons, but what the hell.”

“Yes, what the hell,” I said, snuggling in close, pressing my breasts to his warm, naked body. I wrapped my legs around his thigh and pressed my crotch to his leg. “And now…”

“And now what, Mrs. McGee?” he asked playfully. His arm was round me. He took my ass in his hand and ground my cunt harder to him. My pussy left a wet spot on his leg.

“And now, the marriage must be consummated,” I said, kissing his jaw as my hand slid down his stomach to find his cock hard and ready. I kicked back the covers and let my hand go to work, slowly sliding up and down, squeezing the shaft until he was fully erect. He moaned in my ear with each stroke.

“Please consummate the fuck out of me,” he said with a drunken smile. “Then I’ll consummate the fuck out of you.”

“Yes, sir.”

I rolled on top of him and held his cock in my hand as I straddled his hips. He put his hands on my sides to steady me.

“I’m a bit drunk,” I said. “You might have to hold me steady.”

“Me, too,” he said. “Ain’t it great?”

I lowered my pussy onto his cock. The bulbous head took my breath away as it slid inside me, followed by the thick shaft. My pussy stretched and suctioned around him for a tight fit. I eased myself down until I felt the tip of his cock hit my cervix, then I put my hands on his chest and started drawing my hips slowly back and forth, my pussy sliding over the length of his shaft, stopping when I felt the head of his cock at my hole, then I slid back on again.

Conner’s hands on my hips helped set the rhythm. “Mmmm… that feels… amazing…” he sighed. “Your pussy… is so fucking… tight…”

“Maybe because you… fill it up…” I said, leaning down to press my lips to his. His tongue darted out like a hungry snake. It swirled around my lips. I wrapped my lips around his tongue and sucked it into my mouth. It made him groan like an animal.

My body was suddenly on fire, from the tips of my curling toes to the top of my head. I pushed myself up and kept my hips going. Conner’s hands found my breasts and he squeezed them hard, like I liked it. My long nipples plumped and turned red as he tweaked them between his thumbs and forefingers.

“Oh… Conner… fuck…”

“Yes… yes…”

The orgasm was building quickly inside me. I felt little tingles of electricity shooting through me, as if I’d touched a live wire. I put my hands on his chest again and looked him in the eye.

“I’m ready… to cum…” I said. “You… ready… cum… with me…”

“Yes… ma’am…” He dug his fingers into my sides and sucked in a quick breath. He started lifting me up and slamming me down hard on his cock. The head rammed against my cervix. My pussy clenched tightly around the shaft. I dug my nails into his chest and moaned.

“I’m… cumming… oh… Conner… fuck… I’m… cumming…”

I screamed his name as I came, gushing my hot juices over his cock and balls, drenching him with my hot oils. Conner ground his teeth together and arched his hips to shove his cock in as deep as it would go. I felt the heat of him cumming inside me, filling me with the milky, hot, white seed that one day would give us the big family we both desired.

After a moment of vibrating and bucking up and down, our bodies gave out and I collapsed on top of him, our bodies mashing together. We were both sweating like pigs, and panting like sled dogs.

“Fuck, that was… amazing… Mrs. McGee,” he said, his lips at my ear.

“You’re amazing, Mr. McGee,” I said. I pushed myself up and kissed him long and hard, then rolled off him to catch my breath. In less a minute, I heard his breathing grow slow and deep. I put my hand on his chest as it rose and fell. My new husband had passed out with a smile on his face.

As I lay there thinking about the past year, how far we had come, I smiled.

The future was bright for Mollie the paralegal and Brad the banker.

For Conner and Katie McGee.

We loved each other deeply.

And we had the luck of the Irish on our side.

There was no way we could lose.

Bonus Scene

Conner ran ahead of me and flopped down in the sand on his back. When I caught up to him, I could see the bright moonlight dancing in his eyes, the whiteness of his teeth as he grinned up at me like a wolf ready to devour a willing sheep. His dark hair was wringing wet. The curls on his chest and over his long cock glistened with droplets of warm salt water.

He was completely naked; tall, lean, tanned, lying with his hands behind his head and long legs crossed at the ankles. I was naked, too, as usual during our late-night jaunts on the beach. It was nearly midnight and the beach in front of his Hamptons house was private and secluded. We often swam and sunned in the nude there. And did other things, of course. Sometimes I found sand in the oddest of places.

I wrung the water out of my long blonde hair and let my eyes go over his body, illuminated by the light of the full moon. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on Conner McGee’s solid frame. His shoulders and chest flexed with muscle. His stomach sported a six-pack that would have made a fitness model jealous. I couldn’t wait to run my tongue across his hard nipples and down his perfectly-chiseled abs toward the hard prize that waited further south.

“God, you have an amazing body,” he said, smiling up at me. He took himself in his right hand and began to slide his hand up and down. “I love your tits.”

“And my tits love you,” I said. My tits were not huge, but they were natural and firm and more than a handful. Conner loved to kiss them and play with my nipples. I playfully cupped my tits in my hands and held them up for him to see. I ran my thumb over my nipple and we moaned playfully at each other.

Conner’s cock quickly grew hard in anticipation of what we both knew came next. When he lay back with his fingers laced behind his neck, his cock stood up like the mast of a great ship. I felt myself getting warm and wet. I couldn’t wait to climb aboard.

I fell to my knees on the sand beside him. I wrapped my fingers around his cock, ten-inches long, so thick and veiny. He growled like an animal at my touch, which made me gush like a river. I slowly slid my hand up and down the shaft, round and round, as I pressed my lips to the blossoming head.

I toyed with the tip of his cock for a minute, letting my tongue slither beneath the round head, flicking little kisses up and down the shaft from balls to tip.

“Fuck me, baby,” Conner said. “Fuck me now.” I glanced up with his cock still at my lips and grinned. He was reaching for me. Wiggling his fingers. He wanted me as badly as I wanted him.

I straddled his hips, mounting him like the great stallion that he was. He put his hands on my hips and slowly lowered my wet pussy onto his rigid cock.

As his cock pressed to my hole, spreading it open, forcing himself inside, I closed my eyes and blew out a long breath to relax. Then, when he was inside me, I opened my eyes and impaled myself down upon him. The massive eruption of nerves going on end sent shudders throughout my entire body. I heard the breath rush from Conner’s lungs as my pussy sucked him in and squeezed tightly around him.

I pressed my hands on his chest and dug in my nails.

I lowered my hot, hungry mouth to his.

His lips were wet and warm.

His tongue darted into my mouth and I sucked on it like a fleshy candy cane.

Conner’s hands immediately went to my fleshy tits, as they always did.

He loved the feel of my natural boobs in his palms and the thickness of my nipples between his fingers.

He kneaded my breasts as I set the pace, riding him up and down, back and forth, lifting myself until I felt the tip of his cock at my opening, then sliding back down until he hit my inner wall.

It didn’t take long before Conner was moaning and calling my name. He grabbed my hips and started to pummel me up and down on his long cock.

I bit my lip and dug my fingers into his chest.

“God… Conner… you’re going to… make me… cum…”

“Cum with me… baby…” he gasped. “Cum… oh… with… me…”

Within seconds we erupted together, as we usually did.

I could feel Conner filling me with his hot, milky cum.

The muscles within my womb tightened around him, milking him for every wonderful drop he had to give.

After a few moments of grunting and gyrating, I collapsed on top of him.

We were a wonderfully sweaty, gooey mess.

I nestled in close and rested my head on his chest.

Looking up at the full moon, we both sighed.

It was another perfect end to a perfect day with my perfect man.

I truly had the luck of the Irish on my side.