Destiny Undone: The Complete Series Box Set (37 page)

I watched the scene, happy for my sister, but also a little resentful somewhere deep down. I was glad Doug didn’t freak out about Mills’ pregnancy, but it also felt a little like some kind of double standard. The worst trouble I’d ever gotten into was getting drunk one too many times and ending up topless in a couple of tabloids. Surely, that paled in comparison to getting pregnant so unexpectedly.

I knew it wasn’t right, but I couldn’t help but wonder what the scene would have looked like had I been the one crying into his shoulder after such a confession.

I got up quietly and slipped out. The whole thing was too much for me right now. I didn’t stop to look back, but I bet they hadn’t even noticed I was gone.

I hung up the phone and leaned back in my chair. The board had finally signed off on the whale acquisition project and I was stoked. It was done. All we had to do was get the whales transported. I rested my hands behind my head, looked around the room and smiled. Life was good. Sea Lab was good.

I got up and walked over to the window. I saw the tanks below and remembered watching Pepper from this very window, swimming and playing with Singh. She was a natural. There was a soft knock on my office door. “Come in,” I called out. I usually had the door wide open, but that last conference call had needed privacy. I heard the door close but nobody said anything so I turned around and found Pepper leaning against it, wearing a fitted white overcoat and high heels. A smile spread across my face as I drank her in. She looked amazing.

“Hey, babe. What’s with the coa—” I’d started toward her when she locked the door and tugged her coat open. It fell to the floor and all she was wearing was a lacy white bra and panties. “Wow,” was all I could choke out.

She walked toward me with a smile on her face, her heels clicking on the floor. The sound sent my heart racing. “Wow, is right. I thought you could use a little break.”

She nudged me gently against the wall. The phone on my desk rang loudly but I ignored it and set my sights on the drop-dead gorgeous blonde in front of me.

“Pepper, you are one bad girl.”

“Yes, I am. You don’t know the half of it,” she teased. “Now, take off your pants.”

I laughed and started to protest, but she was dead serious.

“If you won’t, I will,” she purred, as she reached for my fly.

I helped her, and soon I was standing with my shirt unbuttoned and my pants and boxer briefs around my ankles.

Pepper leaned over and kissed a hot trail down my washboard abs, setting my skin on fire everywhere her soft lips touched my body. She sank down until she knelt on the floor before me and I sucked in a sharp breath. I was afraid I was going to come from just the sight of her on the floor before me in nothing but her panties and bra, her lips pouted and her eyes sparkling with mischief.

She kissed my thighs and my cock twitched in anticipation. Her fingers ran along it and when she reached the base, she grasped my length in her hands and stroked up and down the shaft. Her movements were slow and seductive as she kept her eyes locked on mine.

“Oh, my God, Pepper,” I groaned as she ran her fingertips over my balls.

She responded by sucking the tip into her mouth and teasing the sensitive skin with her tongue and lips. I moaned as she took more of me in and began a slow, rhythmic pattern. Her fingers stroked my cock, my thighs and worked the patch between my balls and my asshole. I nearly exploded right there.

God, she knew all the spots!

I was about to tell her to slow down when someone tapped on the door. “Shit!” I whispered. Pepper seemed completely un-fazed as she grinned up at me. I put my finger over my lip as if to say, “Shh…”

“Who is it?” I called out.

“It’s Tina, Mr. Gregory. I’m here for our appointment.”

“Give me five minutes, Tina.”

“Okay,” she replied through the door.

Pepper covered her mouth with her hand, suppressing a giggle, before she kissed my lips and hopped up to get dressed.

“Hey, where are you going?” I asked, and reached out to get one last handful of her perfect ass before it disappeared behind the white coat.

“That’s all you have time for today, boss man. I’m going to the locker room to shower and change, and then I’m going to have some play time with Singh. Is that okay?”

I zipped up my jeans and pulled her close to me. “Thank you for the surprise, and of course, that’s okay. He’s been pining for you, anyway. Once I’m finished with this interview, we could have lunch, if you’re not busy.”

“I’d love that… and I love you. How’s my hair?”

“Wild...” I laughed and tried my best to help her fix it. “…but I like it like that.”

“I know you do.” She pecked my cheek and swept out of the room just as I pulled my shirt back on.

I stepped into the hall and saw a woman standing there waiting. “Hey, Tina. Come on in.”

“Geesh, should I go home?” she said. “ If she’s here for the job, I’m sure she got it already. She’s beautiful.” Her eyes followed Pepper’s departing silhouette and I couldn’t help but smile as my chest puffed with pride. “I feel like I know her from somewhere,” Tina added as she turned her eyes back to me.

“That’s my girlfriend. She rides the dolphins. You’ve probably seen her perform here.”

“Oh, wow,” she followed me into the office and I invited her to take a seat. We went through the formalities of an interview, but halfway through I’d already decided to hire her as my new receptionist. Paul had been great but he’d moved out of the area and I needed someone who could step into the job without a whole lot of training.

I was making some notes on the interview sheet when she blurted out, “I know where I know her from—that’s Pepper Anderson! Oh, my goodness—I can’t believe that’s her. She’s been on every magazine. Why isn’t she modeling like her mother? She could be a supermodel!”

Rats, I couldn’t hire someone who has a thing for celebrities.

“Do you think I could get her autograph?” Nope. Couldn’t do it. I closed her folder and smiled politely at her.

“She’s probably not in the building now. Sorry about that.” I got up and extended my hand to her, subtly signaling that the meeting was over. “I’m sure we’ll be making a decision soon. Someone will call you and let you know one way or another.”

“Great! Thanks, Mr. Gregory.” She got up smiling and I walked her to the door. She was a nice girl but I didn’t think she’d be right for me, after all. I picked up the phone and called HR to let them know I wanted to interview more candidates the coming week. They agreed and I walked to the big, glass window to watch Pepper and Singh. She was in the big tank swimming around with him. He was spinning and splashing, not letting her ride yet. He was obviously excited about seeing her and I couldn’t blame him. I shut down my computer and walked down to see her in action.

Bobbie Jo and some other workers were sitting in the bleachers, watching Pepper work with Singh. He remembered most of the moves but he still refused to let her ride. She smacked the water and he responded, pulling up beside her, but then sped off. She laughed at him. He was playing and he probably had a little grudge because he hadn’t seen her in a while. Dolphins were smart animals and some experts argue they’re smarter than dogs. Even as an adult, Singh was just as playful as any puppy.

“He’s having some fun with her,” Bobbie Jo commented with a laugh as I approached. “Is she coming back? He’s been missing her.”

I sat down next to her. “She’s been talking about it.”

Pepper tried again and again but Singh refused to give her a ride. Thirty minutes later, she climbed out of the pool and tossed him some fish as a thank you.

I called down to her, “Hey, dolphin girl. Are you getting hungry?”

“Yes, I am! It’s a lot of work trying to apologize to Singh! Did you see him acting up?” She was smiling so I knew she wasn’t too fazed by it. I laughed, and launched off my place on the bleachers and went to her.

“Ah, he’s just a little mad at you. You’re his girl and he hasn’t seen you in a while. I can’t blame him.” I lowered my voice and stared down at her as we met halfway between the bleachers and the path to the locker room. “I wouldn’t give you a ride, either, if you came around after not seeing me for a few weeks.”

Pepper laughed then popped up on her tiptoes to kiss me. “That’ll never happen, and even if it did, I’m pretty sure I could change your mind,” she winked, and I had to admit, she was right.

“Go get changed. Can we eat here, at the park? I’d like to do a walkthrough the facility. The boss needs to be seen occasionally during the lunch hour.” I handed her a towel.

“Sure, Gabe. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Bobbie Jo joined us as Pepper strolled towards the locker room. “Looking good, Pepper! I’d love for you to come back on a regular basis. Singh is getting fat and you can see he’s stubborn. He won’t play with anyone but you.”

“That’s kind of you, Bobbie Jo. Thank you. That would be awesome to come back a few times a week.” Pepper beamed at the compliment. Bobbie Jo didn’t offer those too often, especially when it came to Pepper and I couldn’t help but smile.

“I’ll be back in a minute.” She squeezed water from her hair with her towel and left us alone to talk. We chatted about new employees, an upcoming event for the kids’ camp and the animals. It was an easy conversation, which Bobbie Jo and I didn’t have too often. It was nice not to be bumping heads, for once.

“For the record, I hope she does come back. I was wrong about her. She’s a good kid.”

I laughed. “She’s hardly a kid, Bobbie Jo.”

“You just don’t want me to say that because you two are getting it on and don’t bother denying it. It’s obvious you’re crazy about her. I feel sorry for Sophie but I like Pepper. I approve, if that matters.”

I smiled, not willing to divulge any further details. Bobbie Jo and I had never really talked about anything so personal before. It was unnerving so I switched the topic while we waited for Pepper to return.

Fifteen minutes later, she emerged from the locker room, wearing her white coat and a rush of excitement ran through my body as I remembered our steamy office encounter—although, hopefully this time she was wearing something besides just her underwear underneath. Otherwise, our lunch options were going to be pretty limited.

“You ready? I’m starving!” She’d pulled her damp hair back in a ponytail and put her earrings back on. Tina was right, she did look like a supermodel. “Let’s go eat something unhealthy, like fries.”

“Anything you want,” she said. I took her hand and we strolled through the park together. I stopped occasionally to talk to workers and guests. Everything seemed to be moving smoothly and everyone seemed happy.

We decided on one of the food vendor sheds and ordered fries to share, hot dogs and drinks. We snacked in the shade of an umbrella at a table near the walkway. “How’s your sister doing?” I asked, once we settled into our meal.

“She’s okay. Dad took it well.” I noticed the subtle frown lines that appeared on her forehead.

“You don’t look happy.”

She munched away and took a sip of her drink before she answered. “I’m happy for her, but…” She tossed a piece of hot dog bun to a seagull that swooped down to snatch it up.

“But what?”

“I don’t know. I guess I got to thinking about it all and it seems like a double standard. A few photos of me land in a magazine and it’s the end of the world. My sister gets pregnant and he doesn’t say a negative word. I mean, I’m glad he’s being so good to her, and I know Evangeline’s impending meltdown will be more than enough punishment. I know I should just be supportive, but I can’t help wondering why she gets the kid gloves. It makes me think it’s because I’m not really his…” She dropped the thought, but I easily filled in the blanks.

I took her hands across the table. “I can see why it would be frustrating, but maybe you’re thinking too much. Doug’s not a bad guy and I don’t think he gives two figs about where you came from. I’ll never forget Doug Anderson standing in my office, begging me to give you a chance. He was desperate to help you. He was so sincere, I didn’t have the heart to send him away. Whether you’re his by blood or not, he loves you just the same—that I know for sure and so do you.”

“I know. I really do, but I can’t help that I feel this way. I know I’ll work through it eventually. And thanks, by the way. Being here at Sea Lab has changed my life. I’d never have known I had hidden skills like dolphin wrangling if not for you—and my dad, I guess.” She looked over her shoulder at a pack of kids wandering by.

I stayed silent and let her work out her thoughts. The situation was fragile at best, and I didn’t want to do anything that would hurt her or hinder her healing process.

“I wonder why he came here?” she said, more to herself.

“What do you mean?”

She turned back to face me, her face twisted with confusion. “Well, you said he came to you begging for help. Of all the places he could have sent me, I wonder why he came here to ask you to help him and not someone else. Maybe it was fate.”

“I’m not going to argue with that.” We smiled at each other and the charged emotions settled between us. “Speaking of fate, don’t forget you’re having dinner with my parents tonight.”

“I haven’t. I’ll be there. I probably should wear something besides my coat, then, huh?” She wiggled her eyebrow playfully in my direction.

I laughed and kissed her. “Yeah, but you can bring it along for dessert.”

After I left Sea Lab, I drove up Destiny Beach to meet Aven at her house. Fallon was there, looking bleary-eyed and embarrassed. Apparently, his way of coping with the news about the baby was to go get drunk. You could tell he wasn’t feeling too hot anymore, but I didn’t feel sorry for him at all.

Aven started, and it became clear the whole thing was a bit of a set-up. “Thanks for stopping by, Pepper. Fallon has something to say to you.”

“Okay.” I crossed my arms and waited. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to end up with another hand mark on the other side of his face.

Fallon cleared his throat. “I didn’t mean what I said to you and I sure didn’t mean what I said to Mills. I really do love her. I just got off the phone with her. We decided to make it work. I know we can.”