Deceiving Her Boss (18 page)

TWELVE

 
Sean insisted on dropping by the grocery store on the way home from the
jeweler's, remembering Allie's comment from the night before about needing food
in her apartment.  "Come on.  You won't want to go out again later, so
let's just run by the store now, get what you need, and we'll be done with
it."

 
Allie sighed.   "You're probably right.  Look, this may not be my best
idea ever, but would you like to stay for dinner?  We can pick up a couple of
steaks, toss them on the grill...."

 
"I'd love to," he said before she could change her mind.  "I'll
run next door for a bottle of wine," he said when they pulled up at the
store.  "And I'll meet you back here when you're done."

 
Allie moved quickly through the store.  She knew what she needed, and she knew
where everything was, so it didn't take much time at all.  She found a couple
of nice looking steaks, added some potatoes to her cart, as well as a bunch of
asparagus, and tossed in fixings for a green salad.  After adding her staples
of milk, bread, butter, and cheese, she grabbed a tub of ice cream at the last
minute.  Comfort food, she thought.  And she might need a lot of that over the
next few days.

 
When she got back out to the car, Sean was leaning against it, enjoying the
late afternoon.

 
"All set?" he asked as she pulled the cart up next to him.

 
"Yes.  Did you find wine?"

 
"I did.  They have a nice selection. "

 
As Sean helped her load the groceries into the car, Allie had a moment of
wistfulness.  This was what she had always hoped marriage would be - a sharing
of chores and responsibilities.  And she wondered how far off the mark their
marriage would fall when it came to these simple tasks.  Would this be normal
for them on a weekend, or would Sean just do what he normally did, and expect
her to do the same?

 
When they arrived at her apartment, Sean helped Allie carry in the groceries.

 
"It's still early to start dinner," Allie said.  "Do you want to
take a glass of wine out onto the patio?"

 
"Sounds like a really good idea," Sean agreed.  "Point me to the
corkscrew and I'll open the bottle."

 
Allie got out her wine glasses and handed them to Sean, then fished her
corkscrew out of the drawer.  While he opened the wine, she put her groceries
away, and then they took the bottle and glasses out onto the back porch.

 
Before they each sat down in one of the comfortable Adirondack chairs, Sean
pulled the small table that was between them to one side, and set the wine
bottle down on it.  Then he drew the chairs next to each other.  The arms of
the chairs were fully wide enough to accommodate a glass of wine, so this just
let them sit next to each other.  And, he thought, it allowed him to hold her
hand.  He needed to reconnect with this woman on a physical level, he knew. 
They were being too polite with one another.  He needed her to relax with him
again.

 
Pouring them each a glass of wine, Sean sat down in one of the chairs, and
waited for Allie to join him.

 
"Here you are," he said, handing her a glass.  "To our future
together," he said as he clinked her glass with his.  "As husband and
wife."

 
Allie gave him a measured look before taking a sip.  Her eyes widened. 
"Oh, this is really good.  What is it?" she asked.

 
"It's a South African wine," Sean responded.  "One of my
favorites.  I'm glad you like it."

 
"Very much," she said as she took another small sip.  "Tell me
how you discovered it."

 
They talked for the next hour about their various travels and the places they
liked most, and traded travel horror stories as well.   Sean poured them more
wine as they talked, and eventually reached over and took hold of her hand,
holding it lightly in his as they chatted.

 
At one point, Allie went inside to prepare the steak and the potatoes for the
grill, and to make a green salad for their meal.  Sean lit the grill while she
did that, and when she came out with the potatoes, he took them from her and
added them to the rack.  "I'm happy to do the cooking out here, if you'd
like," he offered.

 
"I like this.  I invite you for a meal, and you cook," she smiled. 
"Sure, if you don't mind, that sounds great."

 
They spent the next hour, leisurely moving back and forth between the porch and
the kitchen, talking and sipping wine as they prepared the meal.  By the time
they sat down to eat, things were comfortable between them again.

 
"This is delicious," Sean said as he ate.  "Really really
good."

 
Allie laughed.  "You cooked it," she pointed out.

 
"You got the spices just right."

 
"Well thank you.  That's quite a compliment, especially considering some
of the places you've eaten at."

 
"Sometimes home-cooked food tops anything you can get in a
restaurant."

 
"Like macaroni and cheese," Allie agreed.  "No restaurant makes
that any better than you can make it at home.  Same for oven fries."

 
"Comfort food," Sean agreed.  "All better when made at
home."

 
"But a steak?" Allie questioned with a smile.

 
"On the grill, and with a good wine?  Yeah, this is better than in a
restaurant."

 
Leaning back in her chair, Allie looked at Sean over the top of her wine glass
and changed the subject.  "Are you ready for tomorrow?" she asked
quietly.

 
"I am.  Are you?"

 
"Not even a little bit," she said with a sigh.

 
"I'm in the office all day tomorrow, Allie.  We'll deal with it together. 
And the ring on your finger will be seen early on in the day.  By noon,
everyone will know that we're engaged."

 
She nodded.  "You're not worried about reactions?"

 
"I have good people working for me, Allie.  I think most of them will be
happy for us."

 
Allie hesitated.  "I hope you're right."

 
Standing up, Allie began to clear the dinner plates from the table.

 
"Coffee?" she asked.

 
"Decaf, if you have it," Sean responded, standing up to help her.  He
loaded the dishwasher while she made coffee, and then they carried their mugs
out into the living room.

 
"Come join me on the couch, Allie," Sean requested as they moved into
the room, and as Allie started toward her overstuffed chair.  When she
hesitated, Sean put out his hand, and said, "Don't be afraid of me,
Allie."

 
Allie shook her head.  "I'm not afraid so much as wary."  She sank
down onto the edge of the chair facing him.

 
Sean placed his coffee cup on the table in front of him, then leaned forward
and rested his elbows on his knees.

 
"Have I ever hurt you?" he asked quietly.

 
Allie smiled gently.  "I know you wouldn't hurt me, Sean.  Not
intentionally.  But I've worked with you for a long time now, and I know a lot
about you.  You're ruthless when it comes to winning."  She placed her mug
on the table next to his and looked down at her hands.   "I'm just not
sure what that means for me in this relationship.  Or when this relationship
ends." 

 
Sean opened his mouth to tell Allie that he had no intention of ending the
relationship, but she just looked up at him and shrugged.  "You go through
women so quickly, Sean.  I know better than to think that it will be different
with me."

 
"You don't have much faith in me," Sean observed grimly.

 
"I know how many women you've dated since I started working for you,"
she answered with a wry grin.  "And it's a lot."

 
Sean stood up then, his eyes narrowed as he walked toward the chair where Allie
was sitting. "I'm marrying you," he pointed out.

 
"Under duress," Allie reminded him.  She stood up, then, feeling at a
disadvantage when she was sitting and he was standing over her.  But this
didn't help much, she thought, trying to move away to put some space between
them.

 
Sean reached out and gently grasped her neck with one hand, and threaded his
hand through her hair with the other.  Holding her steady, he moved closer to
her and slowly lowered his mouth to hers.  He kissed her lightly, carefully
holding his need for her in check.

 
"Let me show you how much duress I'm feeling, Allie," Sean whispered
as he lightly kissed his way up from her mouth to the sensitive spot behind her
ear and back down to her throat.   He felt Allie tremor beneath him and reach
out to clutch his shoulders with her hands.   As she rolled her head back and
moaned, Sean's mouth moved back to hers, and this time, he let Allie see the
strength of his passion.   His hands on the back of her head, his tongue moved
into her mouth, seeking her response, seeking to set loose her own unbridled
passion.  He walked her backwards, until he had her backed her up against the
nearest wall.  He pressed into her, feeling her softness along the entire
length of his hardness, but his hands were free to hold her steady for his
kiss.  Until that wasn't enough.

 
With one hand still cupping her face and holding her carefully positioned for
his kiss, his other hand dropped, skimming over her neck, her shoulder, and
down to the side of her full breast.   His hand eased between them, caressing
her breast through the soft material of her t-shirt.  When her nipple hardened
beneath his fingers, Sean drew back and peeled off her shirt, leaving her
exposed before him in a lace-lined satin bra.  He stopped, then, his legs still
pressed between hers, but he just looked down at her, stroking her breasts
reverently, his breathing shaky with need. 

 
"I want you, Allie.  I want to strip you naked and bury myself inside of
you.  I want to make you so crazy that you can't think of anything or anyone
but me.  I want to feel you wrapped around me, pulling me closer, crying out my
name.

 
"But we're stopping now," he continued as he slowly drew back,
holding her gently in his arms as she caught her breath and fought back her own
need for him.  "It is nobody's business whether you and I have slept
together, and I don't expect anyone to ask.  But I want you to have a clear
conscience when you are talking to people, and you won't have one if we sleep
together tonight.  So as much as I want to take you right here, against the
wall of your living room, I'm going to wait.

 
"But there's one thing that you need to get straight in your head, Allie,"
he added seriously, his hands framing her face. "This isn't a game to me. 
It's not a temporary diversion.  That ring on your finger shows the world that
you're mine, Allie."

 
"And are you mine?" Allie managed to ask quietly, her voice shaking. 
"Or do I need to get used to sharing you with others?"

 
Immediately, Sean's eyes grew cold.  He stepped back from her, reaching down to
pick up her t-shirt, and handing it to her.

 
"Sean..."

 
"Put your shirt on, Allie."

 
Allie took it from Sean and slid it over her head.  When she was covered again,
she turned to look at him.

 
"You didn't answer me," she pointed out.

 
In seconds, Sean was looming over her, but he didn't touch her.   "It was
an insulting question," he pointed out.

 
"Why?" Allie asked, refusing to be intimidated.  "If you loved
me, and were marrying me for real, I'd never ask such a thing.  That
would
be insulting.  But you don't, and you're not.  This is largely a business
transaction.  So I need to know the parameters.  I need to know what to
expect."

 
"This part of our relationship is anything but business, Allie."

 
"So... what?" she persisted.  "Discrete affairs?  One-night
stands?"  Allie knew that she was infuriating Sean, but she badly needed
to know.

 
When he answered her, his voice was steely, his eyes cold, and the anger in his
stance was visible.  "Do not push me, Allie.  You will be my wife.  There
will be no affairs, no one-night stands, nothing.  Do you understand me?"

 
But Allie needed more.  "For both of us, or are you talking to me
again?"

 
A muscle in Sean's face twitched as he sought to contain his fury at the
thought of Allie with another man.  She was his, he thought.  He would never
let anyone else touch her.   And he wanted to touch no other woman.  The
thought of making love to a woman who wasn't Allie left him cold.  Slowly, he
let his anger slip out of him and he looked down at the woman beside him and
nodded.  Once.  Firmly.

 
"Both of us," he said.

 
Allie's eyes searched his.

 
"Are you sure?" she asked softly.

 
"Yes," he responded.  One word.  And Allie believed him.

 
"OK," she sighed, looking down as she gathered her emotions.  She
felt Sean's fingers gently lift her chin, and watched as he bent down to kiss
her tenderly.  As he lifted his head, he pushed her hair back behind her ears
with a gently stroke.