“Yes, sir?”
“Longview Services. What do you know about it?”
Mike paused for a moment, pulling something out of his memory. “Local company. Too small to be on our radar, but I’ve seen the fliers. What’s up?”
“Buy it. I don’t care what it costs, I don’t care about due diligence. Just buy it.”
“You got it,” Mike replied. He didn’t even hesitate. “Anything else, sir?”
“When you get it, keep everyone. In fact, give them raises. Everyone but some mid-level supervisor named Tom.”
I could hear Mike chuckle over the speaker. “He’s as good as gone. No problem.”
That’s when I realized just how powerful Luke really was. He was a man that could get anything he wanted. I wonder what else that might be.
...
That night was ruined, but the ones that followed more than made up for it. He allowed me to see a glimpse of his world and, more importantly, a glimpse of him. We had grown accustomed to sharing meals, and it was over dinner one night that I had a realization: I was in love with Luke Miller.
That same night, I began to wonder if a man like him could somehow love me, too. Over dinner, I had my answer. I was telling a story that really wasn’t going anywhere, and that was when he leaned in close and kissed me. The sensation took me by surprise. I had hardly even noticed that he had moved, but very suddenly his warm lips were pressed against mine. I melted into it, giving myself over to him.
“Did you just do that to shut me up?” I teased.
Luke smiled and shook his head. “No. I did it because I haven’t been able to think of anything else since the moment I met you.”
That was true for me, too. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking of him since I first laid eyes on him. I smiled, losing myself in the way he looked at me.
Not a word was spoken. It wasn’t necessary. Everything that needed to be said was found in each other’s eyes.
“Come with me.” He stood and held out his hand, which I took without any doubt or hesitation. I followed him to the one place in the home I had never seen: his bedroom.
His bedroom wasn’t the massive, stately room that I had expected it to be. Instead, it was relatively simple- even spartan. There was a bed, several over-filled bookshelves, two small chests of drawers, and an upright armoire. Other than that, not much else. Luke was a paradox.
He stood in front of me, taking both hands in his. He kissed me again, which was somehow even more intense than the first time.
“Emma...” he began. “I want you.”
“I want you,” I echoed. Somehow, I knew that he would never take me- no matter how badly he wanted me. I could only freely give myself over to him.
He smiled. “Good.” Another kiss. The kiss was deep and passionate, and it made my head swim and my stomach start to flutter.
I took a deep breath, steeling myself for the revelation that I was about to share. “Luke,” I began. “I want you to be my first.”
Luke didn’t appea
r surprised by that. He did, however, look pleased. “I’m afraid I won’t be gentle.”
I looked at him quizzically, but I wasn’t afraid. Far from it.
“I want to show you a part of me,” he explained. “It’s a part that I can’t share with most people. But I want to let you into my world.” For a brief moment, I could see that he was worried about my reaction. Luke Miller was worried.
I nodded. “Whatever it is, I want it.”
I meant it. Ever fiber of my being wanted what Luke was offering to me. If it was a part of him, I wanted it all the more.
He smiled, pleased by my eager acceptance. I wondered if he could see the desire in my eyes. If not, he would certainly be able to feel it in my body. He stepped back, suddenly a very different man. He stood up taller; his voice boomed; his jaw was squared and firm. He had transformed into a different man- a very dominant man, that a previously unexplored part of me wanted to follow.
“Your dress, take it off. You won’t need it here,” he said simply.