Chapter 8
Darren
Mariah wasn't only the sexiest woman he'd ever encountered, but the cutest as well. After bringing her to orgasm on the table, she curled up on her side and drifted off to sleep while he cleaned himself up. The night wasn't meant to hold anything more than him offering her a bit of pleasure, which was fine by him. He could take care of himself later. He wanted her to fly high and experience his willingness to do anything she needed for him to bring her to orgasm. The only shame was that she only got to come once before she fell asleep.
He tucked her in his bed and curled up behind her, not quite sure if she would be okay with waking up in his bed alone, but not caring too much. He wanted to feel her thick curves against him all night, to touch her intimately as they slept.
Tucking himself up behind her, he rubbed his cock over her soft rear and licked at her neck, wanting inside of her so fucking bad, but forcing himself to wait. She would let him in soon enough, and he wanted to revel in the moment when it happened.
The only issue was his desire to penetrate more than just her body.
***
After taking a quick shower the next morning, Darren dressed in his chef uniform and made his way to the office. Traffic wasn't at all an issue, but it was five in the morning. Most sane people were still sound asleep. He needed to get in early to try a few new items that kept buzzing through his head as he tossed and turned throughout the night. A good night of sleep was coming soon, but it would be after making love to his woman.
"My woman?" He rolled his eyes and turned into the parking lot of the incredible new restaurant he'd constructed. His morning would be well spent in the belly of his kitchen, trying a few things that his muse had planted deep inside of him. His muse. Mariah.
It had to be her. He'd begun feeling so depleted a few weeks back, and honestly had considered pulling back on his goal of opening a new restaurant every year, but now... Now he was ready to face it again.
Is this what it's like? To find yourself again because of someone who pulls passion from you without even trying? I love it. I want her beside me. For good.
He rolled his eyes at his wayward thinking and unlocked the back door of the kitchen. After washing up, he began to work on a few things while she played along the edge of his thoughts. Knowing that she was from meager beginnings only made him admire her more.
It wasn't just that she was everything physically that made his blood boil, but her personality and past delighted him as well. He licked his lips, catching a subtle hint of her arousal still on him. A growl left him, and one of the chefs beside him stiffened, as if preparing for a classic ass chewing.
"What?" He glanced toward Parker, his sous chef.
"Nothing, Chef. Just wasn't sure what you were growling about." The guy shrugged and went back to chopping onions.
"I think I'm in love, but I can't truly be sure," Darren blurted out, surprising himself a little at the confession.
Being in lust was more appropriate, but it was bigger than that. He'd been looking for someone who tantalized all of his senses for so long that having found her left him wanting to rush forward. Being slow and methodical belonged in the bedroom, not in starting a relationship with her. She was the perfect match for him, but did she feel the same? Her life and business were in Martha's Vineyard, and his was in Italy. She was right about him having to go back home shortly. The majority of his restaurants were there. He couldn't ignore that. Not even for her.
"Really? Anyone I know?" Parker asked a few minutes later.
"No. She's the owner of my maid service." He kept his eyes on his task and let the conversation die down, not entirely sure why he even started it. Sharing his personal information had never been something he would do.
The woman was his muse, no doubt, but she would be the inciting of a lot of change in his life as well if he wasn't careful. He wasn't sure he was okay with that, but he tucked the thought away, not willing to entertain anything else for the moment.
The rest of the day was spent training new staff, working on the new recipes that he'd dreamt up, and going over a few spreadsheets that needed his attention. By the time the afternoon sun had moved to the far edge of the sky, he was itching to get home to Mariah.
The wind was cold and beat against him as he jogged to his car, tugging his coat closer. A storm was headed in and the sky was darkened beyond what it should be as the sun began to set. Something about the deep blues and dark grays saddened him.
He was thrilled to get home to her, and yet he only had a week or so left in Massachusetts before he returned home. How in the hell was he supposed to leave and not take her with him? Their relationship was just starting to bud, to grow. Excitement like he'd never felt swirled in his core during the day when he thought about her, and if he couldn't reach her... then what?
The rain started in the middle of his drive home, and by the time he got there, his heart ached. He needed to tell her that he wanted her to come with him. It was selfish and he was a prick for asking, but he needed her. He could make it a business arrangement if she wanted. He had enough money to buy her company a thousand times over. Maybe he could offer her something that would have her saying yes to him.
How ridiculous is this bull-headed woman going to think you are when you tell her that you think you're falling in love with her? It's been a week. That's just plain stupid. He let out a long sigh and jogged to the door as rain dripped down from his hair and tickled his face.
"Darren?" The sound of her voice alone caused need to resurrect deep inside of him. The remembrance of her moans filled his head and it was all he could do not to pounce on her the minute she walked out of the kitchen. He'd never be able to look at his kitchen table without seeing her spread out for him, her large breasts on display and sexy legs spread wide open. He stifled a groan and tugged off his jacket.
"I'm right here. There is a storm coming in. Looks nasty." He pulled off his T-shirt too as she walked toward him.
Something was off about her expression, and tendrils of worry danced about his insides. Was she lamenting over letting him taste her the day before? Regretting having ever come to work for him? Was there another man she hadn't told him about? He realized he didn't know nearly enough about her, and it left him wanting to be defensive.
Tears filled her eyes, and his heart constricted in his chest. She'd been crying.
Damn. It's worse than I thought.
"Baby, what's the matter?" He knew he shouldn't use endearing words when referring to her, but he simply couldn't help himself. Moving toward her, he pulled her into a tight hug, grateful for her letting him.
Her white sweater was loose and soft, her tights underneath black and deliciously fitted to her toned legs. The chances of her bitching at him for not having his shirt on already where high, but he almost wanted to hear it. Knowing that he physically got to her left his pride swelling.
"I'm just being sensitive." She pressed her face against his chest and breathed out as a tiny sob left her.
"Well, be sensitive then. Tell me what's wrong. Did I do something? Were you upset that I put you in my bed last night? I didn't take advantage of you, Mariah." He moved back and took her pretty face in his hands, loving the way she looked when she had her guard down.
"No. I'm glad I was there. I just wish you would have been there when I woke up." She pushed his arms back, releasing herself from him and turned to walk back into the kitchen. "I'm making a stew my mother made for dinner a lot when I was a kid."
He breathed in deeply and followed her into the kitchen, his eyes moving down the slope of her back to the swell of her rear. How badly he wanted to put her on her knees on the bed and drop to his on the floor, to taste her again... all of her.
"Why are you crying, Mariah? Talk to me." He moved into the kitchen and stopped by the refrigerator, pulling out a pitcher of tea.
"I just have a situation at the office I'm trying to deal with." She glanced over her shoulder as she wiped at her tears. Her dark hair was pulled up into a messy bun, and he had to work hard at not pressing himself to her back and tugging at the thing a little. She was upset and all he could think about was making love to her.
Fucking chill out.
"Tell me about the situation. Maybe I can help you work through it. I've dealt with a lot of shit in my day. I'm old, remember?" He chuckled and moved up beside her, sliding his hand over the small of her back before wrapping his fingers around her side in a hug.
"Lyndsay is relatively new, but she was accused of stealing today. When I talked with her, she said that the client tried to force himself onto her, and she refused him. He was pissed and simply tried to get rid of her by claiming that she was a thief." Mariah shrugged and sniffled again as she continued to stir the large pot on the stove.
"Do you believe her?" He moved back as a timer went off.
"I do, but I'm not sure if I have the power to stop the guy from pressing charges. I swear, the minute you get one foot up in life, it gets kicked out from underneath you." She opened the oven and bent over, pulling a pan of what looked to be perfect cornbread from the oven.
He'd only had it a few times in his life, mostly in his travels, but seeing her cook in his kitchen gave him the mother-load of all hard-ons. His timing was piss poor, but there was no stopping his body from its wayward reactions. Mariah was his drug, and he was far past losing himself in her.
"I think you just need to be very strategic about how you combat this." He moved to the counter and pulled out two bowls before serving them a big helping of the beef and potato stew. "Come on. Let's sit down, and we'll talk it through."
"I don't want to bother you with it, Darren. You've been at work all day and the last thing you need is your maid dumping her shit on you." She cut the cornbread and balanced a plate of it and the tub of butter in a way that would make most of his servers jealous.
"You might clean up my house because of our arrangement, but I don't at all think of you as my maid, Mariah. At least not the way you're making it sound." He turned and waited until she set her items down to pull her into a hug. He leaned down and kissed her softly several times, taking his time to show her how he felt.
She pressed into the kiss, obviously needing his comfort, which he was more than ready to supply in any way she wanted it. She broke the embrace and took her seat, nodding at his chair and smiling through her tears.
"Sit down and stop being so damn nice. I'm going to keep crying if you keep it up." She picked up her spoon and stirred her soup slowly as she worked to cool it. "I really do believe she's innocent."
"Good, then take her statement and get an investigator to look into the stolen item. Trace her steps with her and document everything. Have the investigator or an independent third party get involved. You're capable of beating this, Mariah. You're incredibly intelligent and have worked your way up from nothing. This guy is just being a dick because he didn't get his way." Darren took a bite of the stew and paused. "Damn... this is delicious. If we keep adding things that you can do to the list of your attributes, we're going to need an extra pad of paper."
She chuckled. "I guess you're right. I'll look for an investigator tomorrow. I need to meet with the client in the morning, but I think I'm going to do that by myself."
"I don't like the sound of that. If he felt like he had the right to try to hit on your staff, what would stop him from hitting on you? You’re the owner of the company and by far the hottest woman I've been around in years." He took another bite, loving the simplicity of the flavors that burst across his palate. "I'll go with you."
She laughed. "No, you're not, but thank you for making me feel better. I'll work through this like I do everything else. I hate that I have to deal with it, but it's not the first time something has come up, and it's probably not going to be the last."
He reached out and touched the side of her face. "There you go. Find your center and hold tight to it. You'll get through this, and I'll be right here to help you with anything you need from support, to money, to kicking this guy’s ass halfway across the room if you want."
"Don't make me fall in love with you, Darren. You're leaving me soon." She glanced down to her soup, and he let the conversation die out.
What could he say? She was right, and he hated it immensely.