Mastering Maeve (6 page)

“Lord, you didn’t think I’d be saving myself ‘til my wedding night, it’s 2013.”

“Not exactly, but surely it should mean something.” His cheeks were feeling decidedly flushed, mostly from anger, but he hoped she’d mistake it for embarrassment.

“Larry, I’m nearly twenty-five, it’s my body and I will do what I like with it. You only get to comment on my working life,” she warned.

“Sorry, you’re right of course, it is none of my business. I’m just surprised. I thought Irish women were more restrained, shall we say.”

“More controlled by the church, you mean, and yes we were, for way too long. But now it’s changed, and I’m glad it has. You know what misery our old ways brought your grandmother; you can hardly lament the loss of that order.”

Damn, that was rule number two. And he was not going there, especially not as he was a regular church attendee; he felt they would certainly end up at loggerheads on this one. “So, what do you do in your spare time?” He swiftly changed the subject, continuing the pattern they had formed of dodging sensitive topics. Her face showed her confusion, but she took the hint.

“I enjoy lots of things, but my favourite pastime is playing or watching football…”

Larry nearly choked on his praline. “Play football? That figures…” He could visualise her giving it hell on a football field. No wonder she looked so strong. And boy, had she the temperament for it.

“What’s wrong with that?” Maeve retorted. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those chauvinist men who think women can’t play football?”

“Don’t you
ever
think before you speak, Maeve? I do think that Irish football is very rough, and no sport for a woman, not because she can’t but because she’ll likely get hurt.”

“God save us, I play with other women, for heaven’s sake. Not that I’d object to a mixed team, might be fun, but they don’t encourage it for some reason. So what do you do then? Knit?” she asked with a cheeky grin.

“I don’t have much time for leisure activities but I do enjoy water sports, especially water-skiing.”

“Water-skiing, that sounds like fun, I’d like to try that. What else? What do you like to read?”

“Lots of things—history, biographies, thrillers, educational books, just whatever catches my eye.”

“That figures too,” she grinned. “I bet it’s heavy on the world of politics and economics.”

“I guess it is a bit. Now let’s go and purchase your Smartphone before the store shuts.” He didn’t like the slight taunt in her tone.

He led her into the first phone shop they came across. Without thinking to consult with Maeve, he asked for the latest iPhone, had her old cell phone number switched over, told her to sign on the dotted line and then she was operational. She had a face as long as a wet weekend in Galway when they left the shop.

“What are you so sulky about?” he asked. Sheesh, he was beginning to wish he hadn’t promised not to spank her again. She was really asking for it.

“I have a mouth, I can speak for myself, I don’t take kindly to being railroaded. I’m going to be using the phone, do you not think I might have had a say? I may be a woman, but I think if you look up those educational books you read, you might find they discovered that women have a perfectly functional brain, somewhere towards the end of the 19
^th
century.”

“And I read somewhere else that their asses are perfectly shaped for spanking,” Larry spat back. The day trip was over. Neither felt like going to the cinema now. It seemed he was destined to leave on an argument tomorrow, which saddened him. He was sorry he had intimidated her as it only drove a deeper wedge between them, but hot damn, she had been asking for it for the last hour or so.

When they got back to the hotel, she went off to the private quarters and left him to his own devices. He was grumpy and dissatisfied with how the day had ended up. He would be gone early the following morning and she wasn’t working tonight so he figured they would just have to part on bad terms. On the plus side, at least he wouldn’t be leaving with his judgement clouded. She was too hot for him to handle. He preferred a more tractable woman.

Like Emily, he thought sadly. He had been dating her for just over a year, and she had been such a sweet, easy-going woman. As Larry hadn’t felt ready for marriage, he thought it was unfair to keep seeing her, but he did miss her company at times. He wondered absently how she would have reacted if it had been her butt he had spanked. She probably would have accepted it without argument. She certainly wouldn’t have continued pushing him, testing his patience, the way Maeve did.

He took himself off for a run to try and work off his annoyance. The sun was still shining as he took off down the country road. The trees were so full that they formed a canopy of green sheltering him from the heat of the evening. The sound of the leaves rustling in the wind soothed him as he ran and his pounding soon became less aggressive. By the time he had his five miles complete, he was ready to seek out Maeve to see if he could leave on better terms. On hearing a knock on his door as he finished his shower, he quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and t-shirt, shouting he’d be there in a minute. A sheepish Maeve held an open bottle of red wine in her hand. She’d obviously had the same idea.

“Peace offering… I’m sorry I got so cross,” she said as he opened the door.

“Do you lurk outside my door just waiting to catch me when I’m having a shower?” he asked with a smile. He felt elated that she wanted to make up. She looked sweet and vulnerable when she came cap in hand to him like that. It made him feel good, and even a little contrite.

“I’m sorry I took over. Sometimes when I want to get things done, I just don’t think. Come on in.”

He scrabbled around picking up the sweaty running gear and wet towels, feeling pretty embarrassed at the upheaval around him. Maeve opened the door to the little balcony adjoining his room, took two glasses from the refreshment tray, and made her way outside to enjoy the sea view in the evening sun. The wind was causing her curls to blow around her face and he laughed as she asked him for a biro, twisted her hair into a knot, and stuck the pen in it to hold it in place. It was just so her; improvising with whatever she had to work with, capable. She smiled back, looking more relaxed than he had ever seen her. Her eyes twinkled in merriment.

“You’re going to have to get used to me, I’m never going to be a silent or biddable partner, but I’m sorry if I annoyed you. I hated the thought of you leaving without making up.”

“I was going to look for you later too, after my shower,” he agreed. He took the glass of wine she offered, but first wrapped his hand around hers. “I’m glad you came to me first though. And no, I don’t imagine you’ll ever be too silent.”

He let her hand go, taking the glass from her. He could see her hand shaking as she moved back. He wondered if it was good nerves or bad nerves. His own tummy fluttered with the good ones. He was at a bit of a loss. She was so young, so lovely but so wrong. You should never mix business and pleasure, he knew that. But that knowledge didn’t stop him wanting her.

He sat next to her on the balcony; space was limited, and he was big. His leg ended up touching against hers. She jolted back. As the wine hit home, they both mellowed a little towards one another. After a little while he noticed their legs were touching again. This time she didn’t pull back. He refilled their glasses as he talked a little about his life, explaining his love of the ranch and the outdoor life and why he had chosen not to pursue a desk career. He liked the way she listened, interested in what he had to say. He noticed she had a cute little habit of tilting her head ever so slightly to the side when she was paying attention, and little lines were visible between her eyebrows as she concentrated. As they were talking, a wasp started buzzing around his head and he flicked it away, spilling some wine on his white t-shirt.

“Give it to me quick or it’ll stain,” Maeve lunged into hospitality industry mode.

As he pulled it over his head, he felt her hands reach out to take it, but instead of settling on the t-shirt, somehow they found their way to his chest. He caught his breath at the sensual touch of her soft hands. He dropped his shirt to the ground, the stain totally forgotten by both of them. He backed her towards the bedroom, preferring to keep any amorous advances away from the watchful eyes of other residents.

“You’ve a great body, you know,” she said.

He silenced her by bringing his mouth greedily down on hers. Her luscious lips opened slightly to his pressing tongue; she tasted of wine and lipstick. He hadn’t even noticed that she was wearing it. She still smelled of perfume and the sea. He guessed the sea essence was a permanent fixture on her. Plundering her mouth still further, he pulled her in closer. As he pressed against her, he noticed her body was muscular from football but still soft in the right places. Her breasts were pressed against his chest; he could feel her nipples hardened under her blouse. He’d have liked to remove it, but after he’d been so disapproving of her comments earlier, he didn’t dare. He cupped her rounded bottom with his hands, pulling her hips into him until he realised he was virtually stabbing her with his erection, and released the pressure a little. All the while, she was continuously rubbing his chest, shoulders, and back. It felt so good, especially when she moved her hands towards his lower tummy. Damn, he wanted her so badly.

Panic hit him like a thunderbolt. This was all wrong, what the hell was he thinking? Larry knew he had to stop it before it went any further. He pulled away and grabbed a fresh shirt. He saw her eyes search his face, hurt and humiliated, but before he had a chance to explain she ran from the room. He tried to follow her, but she’d had too much of a head start. He knocked on the entrance to the private quarters; when she didn’t answer, he then tried her cell phone but got no reply. He was leaving before breakfast and he realised with a jolt he wouldn’t have a hope in hell of seeing her before he left. He wouldn’t get to tell her his fears, or how much he wanted her but needed to take it slowly, or even to explain about his recent split with Emily and how it made him distrust his judgement. All the things he should have said went through his head… too late.

“Nice going, jerk,” he admonished himself as he terminated the call after leaving her an urgent message to contact him.

Chapter Four

Maeve died a death as she left his room. The humiliation of the rejection was even worse than the shame of being spanked. What the hell had possessed her? She had never made a move on a man before and the one time she did, she picked the wrong one. She must have completely misread his signals. He had touched her so many times today that she had thought he was coming on to her, but was nervous because she had warned him to keep his hands to himself. What a stupid fool she’d been. And she really cringed when she thought about the personal stuff she had shared about her parents. Maeve heard her mobile phone ringing, saw the American prefix, and put it on silent. She couldn’t bear to talk to him now. Thank God he was leaving early in the morning. She cried herself to sleep, a mixture of shame and hurt.

Morning came round all too quickly for her. Maeve’s eyes were puffy and her face blotchy from the night’s tears and lack of sleep. She tried to disguise it as well as she could with makeup. But not well enough to avoid Bridie’s beady eyes. She left her phone on silent in her bedroom so she wouldn’t be forced to take his call, but not to be deterred, Larry called the main switchboard number and Bridie took the call. Maeve shook her head to indicate that she wouldn’t talk to him.

“Yes, she’s here, Larry, son, but it seems she doesn’t want to talk to you. She has a face on her like a smacked arse, all red and blotchy, have you two been fighting?” Maeve heard her say into the receiver. She would have cheerfully choked Bridie at that moment. What was she playing at?

“Ok, I’ll pass on the message, you have a safe journey,” she almost cooed into the phone. “Right, what exactly is going on, miss?” she accused as soon as she hung up.

“Not here,” Maeve objected. “It’s too public.”

“Fine, kitchen then, and Mary can cover reception.”

She made a pot of tea, well known in Connemara for its restorative powers, and they both sat down at the huge table. Maeve started at the beginning, how she had begged Larry to reconsider his stance after their row, how he had punished her, then the change of mind about the money to buy her silence. She explained about how she had come to like working with him and then the mixed messages yesterday, culminating in her making a fool of herself. By the end she was crying again. And it really didn’t help when Bridie started to laugh.

“The smacking was my fault, I encouraged it because you badly needed someone to put a bit of manners on you and I’m not fit to give it. You need to grow up, Maeve. I let you get away with too much because I felt sorry for you about your mam and dad. Well, well… I didn’t think he’d have the nerve… I’ll bet that’s half the reason you fancy him now.”

Maeve looked askance at the older woman. While she was really indignant about her laughter, she was stunned at Bridie’s perception of why she was interested in Larry. She didn’t get a chance to interrupt though because the old woman was on a roll.

“And even if he finds you as sexy as hell, some Americans are much more conservative in their outlook to sex than you youngsters, and good on them. Irish lassies are in too big of a hurry to drop their drawers if you ask me. Sure you probably scared the pants off him.” She was snorting with laughter now and it was infectious. Maeve ended up laughing too, in between her tears.

“How the hell do you know all this? You’re bloody seventy and I’m twenty-four and clueless. Do you really think I scared him? That’s funny. I was shaking in my boots, but couldn’t help pushing it.”

“My advice to you, which I’m sure you’ll ignore as usual, is to leave well enough alone for now. Keep him at arm’s length. If he’s man enough, he’ll make the next move; if he’s not, then he’s a small loss as you’ll have no respect for him in the end anyway. I can’t be doing with these girly boys; a man’s a man. To hell with being in touch with their so-called feminine side. Now go and wash that face and refresh the makeup and put the bright side out.”