Catering to the CEO (18 page)

She was rewarded with a killer smile that she wished he’d use more often. Adam reached a hand out and smoothed the hair away from Cassie’s face, loving the feel of it, the softness.  “You are so beautiful, Cassandra; so damn beautiful.”  His hand roamed around and cupped her nape as he pulled her face towards his to kiss her.  With his mouth lingering on hers, Adam wondered if it was too soon to have her again.

Cassie purred and rubbed and snuggled closer to him.  “So…” she began, “you run your own business, you cook a decent steak, and you’re not half bad to look at…” she teased him with light kisses and Adam found himself wanting to play along.

“Not half bad, huh?  Well, what if I told you that I also had a fabulous dessert planned for us?”

“You mean this wasn’t it?”

“Oh, no…I’m smarter than that.  And besides, that would have been way too obvious.  No, I thought I was going to have to woo you a bit more so I found the best dessert possible.”

“Is there chocolate?”

He chuckled. 
“Baby, it’s chocolate, wrapped in chocolate and filled with chocolate.”

“Okay, that upped your appearance factor…”

“Lucky me.”

Cassie smiled wickedly.  “Any chance of us eating dessert in that swimming pool of a tub you’ve got?”

Adam’s eyes darkened with desire and the thoughts of the possibilities.  “I think that could most definitely be arranged.”  He leaned in and kissed her, deeply, thoroughly.  “Later…”

Chapter Eleven

Cassie was busy supervising the arrival of rental chairs and the set up of lights while Adam sat in the living room talking with Grace on the phone.  He was only half listening to his assistant; he was too enthralled with watching Cassie waltz around the deck as she assisted in all of the commotion.  He was having a hard time seeing how it was all going to come together but Adam was confident that Cassie had it all under control.

Hell, the woman was an expert at being in control. 

Adam thought of all of the ways that Cassie had been in control during the night and had to shift in his seat to accommodate the erection those images had brought on.  While he hadn’t put his original fantasy in to play of making love to her in every room of the house –yet – they had certainly made love in enough places that it would take Adam a lo
ng time before he could come into this house and not see her.

Finishing his call with Grace with instructions for her to contact him as soon as their European clients arrived at the office on Thursday, Adam went back to watching Cassie.  She was shouting orders to the electrician and moving and repositioning chairs that the crew from the rental company had just set up.  She was militant in her details and Adam knew that it was only one of the reasons that he had used Cassie’s company for the last two years.  Every event she had ever done for him was executed exactly as he had wanted; something that was hard to find in any service industry, but Cassie seemed to know exactly how he wanted things and she listened to his needs.

That brought another smile and image to mind and Adam knew that he had to do something to get these work crews out of here soon so that he and Cassie could be alone.  Rising from the sofa, Adam walked out to the deck and stood next to where Cassie was.

“How’s it all going?” he asked, though all he wanted to hear was that the workmen were leaving.

“Great…” she said distractedly before turning her attention to the electrician.  “Jerry, I don’t want the lights so clustered together.  I’m looking for a starry night, something twinkly not stadium lighting.”  Cassie sighed with frustration and then turned back to Adam.  “Honestly, I would like, just for once, that someone understood the difference between romantic lighting and highway lighting.”

Adam chuckled.  “Does it really make a difference?”

Cassie looked at him wide eyed.  “Of course it makes a difference!  If it didn’t matter, I’d go to the store and grab some Christmas lights and just throw them around!  Geez, Adam.”  She took a couple of steps away, leaning over a railing to watch the progress of the lights being strung on the lower level.  Nodding with approval, she returned her attention to Adam.

“I just think that it’s important to create the right atmosphere.  We’re going for the whol
e enticing-them-with-the-beach thing and eating outside to listen to the sounds of the waves crashing on the beach and if you have a spotlight in your face, it sort of takes away from the appeal.  Don’t you think?”

She was being so serious about twinkly lights and all Adam wanted to do was yell at everyone to leave his home immediately.  Walking up to her, he leaned his face against hers and whispered, “I think that tonight, when it’s good and dark outside, we’ll turn off all of the lights in the house and come out here and test out your lighting.”

“Oh, really,” she purred.  “To what purpose?”

“To see if it all meets with my approval, of course,” When she swatted playfully at Adam’s arm he added, “and to see how glorious you look naked under the twinkly lights.”

Cassie sucked in a breath at his words.  Twenty four hours ago she couldn’t have imagined the turn in their relationship.  She had come here fully intending to stick to her guns and be all business.  She was so glad that she had let that go!  Too bad the night was such a long way off.  “I’ll be looking forward to that.”  She kissed him lightly on the cheek and then turned to yell at Jerry for not spreading the lights out properly.

Adam wanted to be annoyed that she was working when he wanted to play but he respected her work ethic; another reason they seemed to click.  Resignation dawned and Adam knew he would have to find something to do so that Cassie could complete her own work without him distracting her. 

Later on he knew that she needed to drive in to town to confirm all of her orders and to do some shopping. He would accompany her, of course, and then perhaps, when she was done shopping they could have an early dinner so that they could simply play when they got home.

The idea had merit and Adam smiled at his plan. Tonight he would like to take her skinny dipping in the heated pool.  After dessert in the tub last night – an image that will never have him looking at a bath the same way again – he couldn’t wait to get Cassie naked and in the water again.  True, their shared shower this morning had been adventurous but his mind was made up about the pool.

Cassie was an incredible lover; responsive to his touch and not afraid to ask for what she wanted.  She gave tirelessly and she was exciting to be with.  It wasn’t often that he found a woman who met his needs in bed so completely or was as insatiable as he.  Adam looked up at the sound of Cassie’s laughter and thought of how well she truly did fit in here, in his world. 

It was only a matter of time before Bev and Stephen married and then they would all be family.  Adam knew that he was not the marrying kind but he also felt a strange ache at the thought of there coming a time when that was all Cassie would be, a distant relative that he saw on holidays and the occasional family get together.

Eventually this relationship would end and he would move on and so would Cassie.  Adam imagined she would eventually get married and have children and…that thought did
not
sit well with him.  How could he possibly sit around the Thanksgiving table and watch Cassie and her husband sharing a laugh or a kiss knowing exactly what it was like to do those things with her?

He supposed it didn’t matter because no matter what, this relationship would end and he would have to deal with it.  Cassie came sprinting into the house and
then up the stairs; her jean clad legs taking the stairs two at a time.  “Everything okay?” he yelled out.

Stopping on the stairs she yelled back down to him, “No, it’s all fine.  I have some sketches for the layout that I need to get.  It seems Jerry is more of a visual guy and I can’t seem to explain to him exactly what I’m going for.  I’ll be right down.”

That was the difference between the two of them, he supposed.  If he were out there dealing with Jerry the electrician, the man would have been fired by now.  How hard could it be to string a set of damn lights?  Cassie was being more than fair with the man but if he didn’t get his act together soon and finish up, Adam was going to step in and politely
suggest
that the man send someone who knows what they are doing if he wanted to get paid.  Of course Cassie would have a fit at that so, watching as she sprinted back out to the deck with a poster board in her hand, Adam decided to go down to the lower level and play a game of pool to distract himself for a little while.

It took almost two hours but finally all of the workmen were gone and Cassie strolled down to the game room where she found Adam. “It is done,” she said as she dramatically dropped into a chair and put her head back.  “What kind of an electrician whose specialty is working with the party rental people, doesn’t know how to string lights?”

“Did he finally figure it out?”

“No!  I ended up doing it while I sent him to help with the torch lights.”  She let out a little growl of frustration.  “I believe that the party rental people and the electrical company will be getting a letter of complaint from me when this weekend is over.”

Adam wanted to argue with her that she should have fired the man and refused to pay them but this was her deal and he was remembering to treat her not as an employee, but as his lover. 

With that thought in his mind, Adam took advantage of Cassie’s position of having her head back and eyes closed to put his cue stick quietly back on the rack and then walk over to her.  Kneeling down in front of her, Adam gently placed his hands on her knees and then ran them up her thighs.  Cassie smiled but didn’t lift her head or open her eyes. 

“I think you’ve worked enough for today,” he murmured; his hands now traveling upwards on a quest to unbutton her blouse.  “You deserve to take it easy the rest of the day.”

Cassie moaned with delight as Adam released the last button and moved the fabric aside so he could cup her breasts.  “Take it easy?  I don’t know about that.  There’s still a lot to do.”  Her words were raspy as she struggled for breath under Adam’s masterful touch.

“Well, maybe I can help you to take a relaxing break then,” he suggested.

Now Cassie raised her head.  “If there is one thing I learned about you last night, it’s that nothing that we did was relaxing.”  That being said, Cassie leaned forward and initiated the kiss that she had been craving for hours.  Adam let her take control and he rose up slightly on his knees to bring them level with one another.  She wrapped her arms around him and when Adam banded his arms around her waist, he pulled Cassie to the floor with him. 

Clothes were dispersed quickly and as Cassie rose above him, poised to take him in, Adam knew without a doubt that he could never tire of this; of her.  He made a promise to himself the moment she tightly wrapped her wet folds around him that he would no longer think or plan for tomorrow because he wanted to enjoy Cassie without the worry of when he would have to end it. 

Chapter Twelve

At eleven a.m. sharp Friday morning, Cassie spotted the limo pulling into the drive and was well into event planner mode.  She had risen before Adam this morning so that she could get her work done without him tempting her back into bed.  Looking around the main floor of the house, she was surprised that she had gotten it all done while spending so much time tangled around Adam!

Walking over to the intercom, she called down to Adam in his office that his guests had arrived.  While Adam went out to greet everyone, Cassie busied herself with placing platters of fruit and cheese and crackers around on the breakfast bar.  She wiped her hands with a cloth and straightened her apron and ran to give herself a quick look in the bathroom mirror before anyone walked in.

There was a running checklist going through her mind:  each of the bedrooms being used had been stocked with gift baskets for the wives which included chocolates, fragrances, cosmetics and every essential they might need for the weekend along with brochures on all of the places Adam had booked for them.  In each bathroom were spa robes and slippers as well as champagne and small platters of fruit with gourmet cookies.  As Cassie had left each room earlier, she couldn’t help but be impressed by what Adam had done; his home now rivaled the most elite of spas.

Lunch had been prepped already so that by the time Adam was ready to have them all sit down to eat, assembly would go swiftly.  He had asked Cassie if she had wanted Debbie here with them during lunch but she had waved him off; confident in being able to do it all herself and hoping that she could beg off being part of the meal itself.

Greetings were made as Adam introduced Cassie,
with no other title other than Cassandra and she was relieved to find that they all spoke English, although each with slightly different accents.  Nigel and Camille Rhodes were a lovely French couple, Martin and Elizabeth Chapin were in their thirties and very British.  Finally, the slightly less British Max and Danielle Chamberlain.  Cassie knew she’d like them the most.  Both smiled brightly and focused on her during the introductions and when they heard that Cassie would be preparing all of the meals, Danielle just about pulled free of her husband to start talking recipes with her!  The youngest of the three couples, Cassie felt relief that she would have something in common with at least one of the wives.