Nikki lay back down and threw an arm over her eyes. She wanted to do something to help, but she had no idea what.
The smoke was visible from a couple of miles away. Tony felt sick to his stomach, fearful of what he was about to find. But when he pulled up, he was unprepared for the catastrophe that lay before him.
Everything was destroyed. Every piece of equipment was smoldering, as well as the construction itself. Someone had taken one of the earth movers, probably the big dozer, and knocked down the whole structure before setting it on fire. Three months of work, gone. Tony’s mind went straight to the bottom line, and he realized their profit margin for the fiscal year was now shot all to hell unless an insurance settlement came through fast.
He found Clayton talking to Detective Ford. When he walked up and put his hand on his son’s shoulder, Clayton turned, and the look on his face told Tony everything. “Detective, would you please excuse my son and me? We need to talk.”
“Of course. I’ll look around, help the uniforms for a little while. You guys take your time.” As they turned away, Detective Ford winked at Tony out of Clayton’s field of vision, and Tony managed a tiny smile in return.
“Get in the truck,” Tony ordered, and Clayton obediently climbed into Tony’s big F-250. Once inside, Tony turned to the silent young man, who looked genuinely fearful.
“Son, it’s going to be okay.” He put his hand on Clayton’s shoulder. “We’re going to be okay.”
“But Dad, I’m so frustrated. I don’t know what to do.” Clayton turned to look out the window so his face was away from Tony.
“Look at me.” Clayton turned, eyes downcast. “Hey, son – look at me!” Clayton finally met Tony’s gaze, and Tony put both hands on his son’s shoulders. “There’s no script for a situation like this. I don’t know what to do either. But I know this: We’ve got employees to think about. They depend on us; their families depend on us. We’ve got customers; they depend on us. And we’ve got family; they depend on us. So it’s up to us. But we’ve got good people who want to help us, and we need to let them. And we’ve got our family, all of them. Trust me on this one – it’s going to be okay.”
Clayton nodded but didn’t speak. “Look, son, we’ve lived through some pretty bad things.” Dottie flashed through Tony’s mind. “But we’ve made it out the other side. You’re happy with Brit, Annabeth and Katie have each other, and I’ve got Nikki now; we’ve got Nikki now. No matter what happens to Walters Construction, we’re going to be okay. Got it?”
Clayton nodded again, and he looked like he was settling down. Problem was, Tony wished he could convince himself that everything was going to be all right because, at that moment, it sure didn’t feel that way.
Nikki came from the kitchen and answered Tony’s door to find a very tall, very blond Viking of a man standing there. “You must be Nikki!” he drawled.
“Yes. And you’re . . .”
He extended his hand. “Steve. Steve McCoy.”
“Ah, Tony’s attorney! Nice to finally meet you. Please, come in.” Nikki gripped his hand tightly and opened the door wider, then stood aside while Steve’s six foot four frame glided through the doorway. Nikki couldn’t help but think he was one tall, good-looking drink of water. “Tony’s not home yet. Want something? Beer? Tea? Wine?”
“Sure! I’ll take a beer. Wow – something smells wonderful!”
“My meatloaf. One of Tony’s favorites. Could you please stay and eat?” she asked, ever the gracious hostess.
“Oh, no, I couldn’t impose . . .”
“No imposition. There’s plenty. Please stay – he should be here just any time.” Almost as though she’d prompted it, they heard the back door open and Tony strode into the kitchen. He had a worn look to him, and Nikki realized he was still in the previous day’s clothes he’d slipped into at her house that morning. “Hey, baby!” she murmured in his ear as she hugged him. The smell of smoke draped over him like a cloak. After several calls from him during the day, she was painfully aware of everything that had happened and how irritated and dismayed, even discouraged, he was.
“Hey yourself,” he whispered back, giving her a light kiss, then turned and shook Steve’s hand. “Steve, man, glad you could come over.”
“I’ll do anything I can to help – you know that. Come talk to me.” Steve pointed toward the den.
Nikki interrupted, hands on her hips. “Not just yet.” She looked at Tony. “Dinner’s about fifteen minutes out. Honey, you really need to shower, put on some fresh clothes. Take a break. I’ll keep everything warm until you’re done. Steve will help me out in here, right, Steve?”
“Yeah, sure!” Steve grinned. “I get to spend time with the pretty girl instead of the grumpy old guy!” Tony glared at him and stalked out of the room, the smell of smoke following him like an angry viper.
“So what do you have in mind?” Steve and Tony had settled into the leather seating in the den. Steve had a beer; Tony had poured himself a bourbon. Nikki was cleaning up the leftovers of the delicious meal she’d served them. Steve couldn’t help but think what a lucky man Tony was, at least where Nikki was concerned.
“This whole thing feels like a personal attack to me. I think we need some protection. I want a security company to take over our sites, including the office. And I want my house, Nikki’s house, and Clayton and Brittany’s place all covered, too. Plus I want somebody specifically on Nikki, twenty-four seven.” His hand shook as he raised the glass to his lips; he was exhausted, and it showed, not to mention how frightened he was for her safety.
“Doable. I don’t have enough people to watch all of the sites, but we can mobilize your workforce for that. Find some people who are willing to do it and we’ll do a little training for them. And I guess you want the guys following her to be, um, invisible?” Steve asked, tipping his head toward the kitchen. She didn’t strike him as a woman who would want someone shadowing her.
“Absolutely. Matter of fact, I’m not planning to tell her.” Tony swirled the bourbon in his glass.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Steve asked. “I mean, invisible is one thing, but without her knowledge? Once she finds out, and she will find out, she’s going to be really, really pissed. Sure you want to deal with that?”
“No, but I’ll take my chances to keep her safe. If she knows about them, she’ll go into evasive mode. She’s all about being independent, taking care of herself.” Tony stopped for a second, then said, “And see what you can find out about this GoGreen bunch. The cops haven’t had any luck, but I know you have your ways . . .”
“Say no more, big guy. I’ll see what I can do.”
“In the meantime, I’m going to arm her, make sure she knows how to use a gun. And make sure Clayton is carrying his too. I already know Vic’s armed.”
“Good move,” Steve agreed, polishing off his beer. “And you realize that until this thing has played out, you’ve got to be careful when you’re out in public.”
“Yeah, I’d already thought about that.” Tony sighed. “I’m thinking more about where I go and what I do these days.”
“Good. See if you can instill that mindset in Nikki and Clayton. By the way, let me ask you this: Do you have any disgruntled employees? Or former employees?”
“I’ve thought about that,” Tony answered, “but no, no one. I’m really at a loss here.”
“What about Bart? Anybody bothering anything of his?”
Tony shook his head. “Not that I’m aware of, and I think he’d call and tell me if that was the case. So I don’t think it’s the family; I think it’s just me. I mean, I want somebody watching Clayton and Brit because of his ties to the company, but so far even he hasn’t seemed to be a target; he doesn’t have anything to do with the Lexington office. So I feel like it’s personal, just against me.”
“Angry, jealous woman?” Steve asked with a smirk.
“Only Dottie, and she’s always wanting money, so I don’t think she’d sabotage h
er only possible bank roll.”
“See her much?”
“Nope. Not unless she wants something.” Tony got a distant, wistful look. “Come to think of it, she’s been really quiet lately. Must be lying in wait to strike,” Tony said with his own smirk, the closest thing to a smile he’d come up with that evening.
“Like a big ol’ bear,” Steve growled. Tony nodded, looking down into his glass. “Or a big ol’ elephant. You know they never forget.” Steve’s sarcasm was a welcome comic relief, and it made Tony chuckled. I should invite him over more often, he thought with a smile.
After Steve left, making sure to thank Nikki for dinner, Tony and Nikki walked arm in arm to the bedroom. While Steve and Tony had talked, Nikki had turned down the bed, run Tony a tub of hot water, and lit a couple of scented candles. Tony smiled when he saw the trouble she’d gone to for him.
“Go soak. I’ll be here when you get out.” She picked up her book and settled in the bed. Tony shuffled into the bathroom, stripped off, and dropped into the tub. God, the hot water felt good, and he was so shot.
When the water was tepid, Tony let it out, toweled off, and walked naked into the bedroom. He was at half-staff, and Nikki patted the bed beside her.
“Baby, I’m just not sure I’ve got it in me tonight,” he groaned, trying to relax into the mattress. “What can I do for you?”
“Nothing. Not one thing. I want to do something for you, nothing in return.”
“Oh, no, I can’t let you . . .”
Nikki had always appreciated Tony’s “she comes first” attitude, but not tonight. “You can and you will.” Nikki stripped off her gown down to nothing but her panties. “My pleasure – literally. Now, lie back and close your eyes. Do not open them. And no matter what I do, the operative word here is ‘relax,’ okay?”
“I’ll try.” Exhaustion was so plain on his face that she couldn’t understand how he could not relax.
She positioned herself between his legs. “I want your legs bent. Knees up, feet flat on the bed.” He pulled his legs up. “A little more. That’s good,” she said as he moved his feet closer to his hips. Gripping his already-stiffening cock, it grew and hardened in her palm, and she went to work. Once he was agonizingly rigid, she took the head into her mouth and got busy. She found him delicious, musky and sweet-smelling and kind of savory, like fresh grass warmed by sunlight.
She stopped for a second. “I’m about to do something that’s going to feel weird, but remember, relax, okay?” Tony nodded. “Keep your eyes closed, baby,” she repeated.
She went down on him again, but she was doing something with her hands too – he couldn’t tell what. He heard a snapping sound, then something chilly dripped down below his balls. Her hand was moving around and he knew the cold sensation was lube. She pressed something lightly against his entrance, and he tensed.
“Relax, baby. You’re going to love this if you’ll give it a chance.” Tony took a deep breath, and Nikki rimmed the ring of muscles, then pressed firmly into the center. He remembered Cinda and her friend and tensed again. Her finger slipped in gently, then stopped to give him time to become accustomed to the stretch. The sensation was unnatural to him, but not really painful. Relax, he kept telling himself, she won’t hurt me. She gently pulled her finger in and out until he had relaxed the muscles completely.
“Oh my god,” he blurted out. “Your nails . . .”
“I told you, relax. Condom. I’m not going to hurt you,” she answered. My girl, he thought.
Then she pressed her finger farther in, several inches, and he felt her doing something, moving her finger somehow. He wasn’t sure what it was but, at first, it felt somewhat weird and uncomfortable. Then something odd happened – he felt himself getting harder, painfully so. Something knotted in his belly, and he recognized it as the tension of an orgasm building, but it didn’t feel like it usually did. It had an urgency and power he couldn’t have expected and hadn’t experienced before. Nikki continued to suck and lick his cock, and she stroked inside him at the same time. It suddenly hit him: She was stimulating his prostate, and he tried to relax and enjoy the sensation. The longer she did it, the more he realized it wasn’t really unpleasant, just unfamiliar, and the intensified arousal he felt was unexpected but damn welcome. It was more than her mouth on him; something erotically delicious was happening to him, and he felt warm all over. The vortex deep in his core started to double on itself, and he moaned out loud and wound his fingers into her hair, then held her head and began to fuck into her throat.
“Oh god, Nikki, I’m coming,” he whispered hoarsely, then cried out again, “Oh, god, I’m coming!” Just as he felt his balls tighten and draw in, Nikki took her mouth from him and cupped her hand over the head of his cock, stroking his shaft just beneath it with her fingers as she rubbed her palm in a circular motion over its head.
Tony’s whole body stiffened; his back arched, and he shook all over. “Ohhhhh, my god, ahhhhh!” he screamed, feeling a strange but wholly satisfying sensation as he felt pure liquid heat shoot from his cock. He gripped the headboard with both hands, and every muscle in his body hardened and strained. It felt like his cock would never stop pulsing.
“Aw, yeah, baby! That’s it!” Nikki cried in encouragement. When his muscles finally stopped contracting, she gently drew her finger out of him and stopped stroking him with the other hand. “Honey, look. You’ve got to see this.”
Tony looked down at his belly, and he was shocked – a puddle of cum lay in the middle of his six pack. He realized it probably wasn’t as much as it looked like, but at first glance it seemed like a quarter of a cup or more, and it was still dripping from the palm of her hand. “Oh, fuck, did I do that?” he asked, astonished.
“Yeah, baby, you did!” Nikki looked very proud of herself. “How did that feel?”
“Amazing. Weird, but totally amazing. Where did you learn to do that?”
“From Randy’s urologist. He said it’s very good for men. It’s called milking the prostate. Randy would never let me do it.” She wiped his stomach with the towel. “Pretty good, huh?” He nodded. She crawled across him and pulled out a couple of the wipes he kept on his nightstand, then wiped his stomach down and cleaned up her hands. “And now,” she ordered, throwing the wipes away, “you go to sleep. I hope I’ve managed to help you relax. This was my early Father’s Day gift to you, baby. I want you to get some rest; I’m worried about you.”
“Don’t worry about me, princess. Just be here with me.” Until that moment, Tony hadn’t let himself admit how exhausted he was. “And that had to be the best Father’s Day gift I’ve ever gotten,” he whispered. Nikki turned off the light and curled up against him. In less than five minutes, he was out like a light.
She felt it building, building, building, until it finally broke, hitting like a tsunami. Wave after wave, the orgasm took her down, down, down . . .
Nikki’s rocking pelvis woke her, and a tiny gasp escaped her lips. That didn’t happen very often, but it was scrumptious when it did. She wondered what time it was, and opened her eyes to find Tony staring at her, a wide grin lighting up his face in the darkness of the bedroom.
“What are you doing awake?” she asked him, stroking the side of his face.
“You woke me up making some kind of sound. Did you just have an orgasm in your sleep?” he asked with a look of shock and delight.
“Yeah,” she answered, sweeping his hair out of his face.
“I didn’t know women did that.” He started peppering tiny little kisses on her lips.
“Yeah. It. Happens. Sometimes. Not. Very. Often. But. Sometimes,” she managed between kisses.
“Wow. I knew guys did that, but not women. That was very cool.” He gave her his sexiest smile and added, “And I suppose it would be okay, since your portion of the show is over, if I gave you the grand finale?”
She gave him a sweet little kiss. “That would be awesome. Hey, what time is it?”
“Doesn’t matte
r. It’s just whatever time it is. Actually,” he told her, pulling her to him, “I think it’s time to fuck you, baby.” They lay on their sides, and he drew her legs up and around his waist, then slid ever-so-gently inside her like silk on water. His strokes were slow and gentle, and she felt like she was being caressed from the inside out, so tenderly that she almost couldn’t feel him moving. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her close, her breasts pressed against his chest, his arms wrapped around her tightly, and she could feel the possessiveness in his embrace. They passed tiny, warm, lovely little kisses back and forth between them like raindrops falling onto pebbles. She’d never felt safer or more loved, and he’d never loved anyone more in his life. They rocked against each other until they both came in a solemn, reverent swelling of desire, and then lay peacefully, his cock still inside her, until they fell back to sleep.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“Honey, did you hear me?” Tony’s blank stare was fixed on something outside the window, and Nikki’s voice brought him back.
He spun around in the desk chair and looked at her. “I’m sorry. What did you say?” he asked.
“I said, do you know where the receipts are for your trip to Owensboro in February? I found the entry in your planner, but not the receipts. They’re not in with everything else, and I don’t know where to look.”
He rifled through his desk drawer and pulled out a folder. “Here.” He handed her a wad of cash register receipts. “They were in with the information on the location.”
She shook her head. “You were a thousand miles away. You okay?”
“Yeah.” He motioned for her to come to him, then took her by the waist and pulled her onto his lap. “I’m just concerned. About you.”