After the Interview (17 page)

“God, but you’re sweaty.”

C J laughed, “Leave it to you to be so romantic. I give you the most phenomenal orgasm of your life and…” His words were cut short as Zoe kissed him and then spun around and headed for the bathroom.

Stopping at the doorway, Zoe said, “I’m running a bath and I think you need to join me.”

She then disappeared into the room but not before looking over her shoulder and giving an exaggerated swing of her hips. C J, hearing Zoe’s singing coming from the bathroom, knew that was a positive omen. Following her into the room, he stepped into the tub and reclined, watching her struggle to unwrap the bar of soap. When Zoe looked up, she took in C J’s smiling face and tossed the soap his direction. His hand shot up and caught the soap, which had been tossed with purpose.

“Come on in,” C J said, leaning forward to adjust the water’s flow to a slow and steady stream.

Zoe stepped in and sat with her back against C J’s chest. The hot water felt heavenly as it enveloped her body. She wasn’t tired but it felt good to be still and close her eyes. C J blew a strand of Zoe’s hair out of his face and then began to massage her shoulders with his soap covered hands. Zoe sighed and felt her body begin to relax. God, this man almost knows what I need before I figure it out myself, she thought, tilting her head to the left to allow him better access to her right shoulder. When C J had finished massaging her shoulders, he turned off the faucet with his foot and rested his hands on the sides of the bathtub. Zoe was silently praying he would not interrupt this peaceful moment by asking about the future because she knew it was on his mind. C J, feeling happy in the moment, closed his eyes and let the warm water soothe him.

After some time had passed, Zoe decided to not put off the conversation she knew was inevitable. Surprising C J, she slid forward and then swung around to face him with her feet resting against his hips.

“Ok, let’s get this over with,” Zoe said a note of reservation in her voice.

“That might be hard to do with your body pressed against my groin, but then I think that’s part of your plan to distract me,” C J answered, frowning.

Zoe smiled innocently and scooted back just a bit to break contact with his groin and then placed her hands on his legs. C J willed his brain to take control of his body and remain in check but the fact that Zoe’s breasts looked like they were floating on the water’s surface, just in reach of his hands, wasn’t helping much. Raising his gaze to her face helped, and he tried to focus on what he wanted to say.

“I don’t want to leave tomorrow before you understand that I have more than a passing interest in you. Being with you is challenging and fulfilling and I am not just talking about the sex. There is mutual respect and understanding between us and we both appreciate the importance of our work. I need and want more than work in my life and that means you, so I am willing to do what it takes to see you when and where I can,” C J said with conviction.

Zoe looked at C J but didn’t speak immediately. This made him fear she was going to bolt from the attachment a relationship would bring. Zoe, who hadn’t realized she wasn’t breathing as C J had spoken, audibly let out a huge sigh while placing her hands on the sides of the bathtub. She slid forward, pulled his face to hers and kissed him lightly on the mouth.

“I can’t deny my desire to be with you and keep you in my life but I’m so fucking scared of relying on you emotionally that I feel paralyzed, which is not who I am and that frustrates me,” Zoe said almost angrily.

C J’s urge was to reassure Zoe but he knew better than to interrupt, so he let her finish.

“If we do this and you decide you want out of the relationship, promise me you won’t hang on to spare me emotionally,” Zoe said, her voice shaking.

Before he could catch himself C J reacted strongly, “I am not a damned fool Zoe. I would never lie to you. Truth is I have never felt this way about another woman and it’s unnerving for me, but I am willing to take the chance. There are no guarantees but you are worth the odds.”

Zoe leaned forward, tears welling in her eyes and said, “I already miss you and you haven’t left yet. Being emotionally out of control unnerves me. If it was work I could be rational, but it’s not.”

C J sensed that he needed to force the issue or he risked Zoe’s fears taking control.

“Then right now we make plans and decide when and where we meet next. Is there any chance we can see each other before you leave for Paris?” C J asked.

“Two weeks isn’t much time to rearrange our schedules. You’re in Houston but I’m in Boston next week and then back here with a deadline to meet before I head overseas,” Zoe said, a bit deflated.

“How long are you in Paris?” C J asked.

“Ten days, then off to D.C. for an interview at Georgetown with a Nobel prize candidate,” Zoe said, clearly thinking of their options.

“I will meet you in D.C. and then we’ll head to a romantic spot in Virginia I’ll find. Deal?” C J said.

With more confidence than she felt, Zoe said, “Deal, and if the interview in D.C. gets canceled we can meet in Virginia anyway.”

“We‘ve both figured out harder problems, and distance isn’t keeping me away from you. After all, what good is the corporate jet if I never use it?” C J said, standing to grab a towel.

He reached his hand out to Zoe, steadying her as she stood and then wrapped the towel around her body. When she stepped out of the bathtub, he grabbed a towel and started drying himself before following her out of the bathroom.

“Right now, all I need is to be in that comfortable bed with you in my arms,” C J said with conviction.

In answer Zoe walked to the bed, dropped her towel and started tossing pillows aside. C J dropped his towel where he stood and reached Zoe in two strides. He put his arms around her body and then unexpectedly fell onto the bed and rolled with Zoe still in his arms. She just looked at him and shook her head silently but C J could feel that bit of levity had been a good thing. After getting untangled from the bedding that had ensnared them while rolling across the bed, Zoe moved to lie against C J’s side. He pulled her securely in his embrace and Zoe laid her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat slow. In a few moments her eyes closed.

ℓ

Zoe opened her eyes, and they adjusted to the darkness in the room. She could hear C J’s heartbeat, and her head moved with the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. She realized he was now the man in her life and that she would not be the same when he was gone. Running her hand over his chest and then down his abdomen, she had expected to encounter a relaxed C J. Instead her hand found his penis erect, and she began to stroke it as she kissed his chest and then took his nipple into her mouth.

C J stayed still but Zoe definitely noticed a change in his breathing. When she moved to lie atop him and then slid her body onto his penis, he sighed and moved to accommodate her weight. Zoe slowly sat up and began to ride his penis in long drawn-out graceful movements. When she reached back with her right hand to cup C J in her palm, he responded by arching his hips and reaching to tease Zoe’s nipples with his fingers. Fighting to keep her slow and easy rhythm, Zoe drew out each stroke of C J’s penis as she moved on his body. Her orgasm began to build and suddenly overtook her, causing Zoe to grab C J’s waist and lean over his body. Zoe’s hands pressed on his abdomen as her body continued to shudder with pleasure. C J came when he felt the contractions of Zoe’s orgasm begin to apply pressure to his penis, as if she was coaxing him to explode within her. Moments later Zoe moved off of C J and laid on her side with her back to him. C J moved behind her and molded his body to hers. Neither one of them said a word.

ℓ

Zoe felt a kiss brush her forehead and saw C J standing by the bed dressed and ready to leave.

“Stay in bed and get some more sleep,” C J whispered, “I’ll call you later today when I get to Houston.” Before she could respond he picked up his bag and was out the door. Zoe squeezed her eyes shut and rolled over in the bed to seize C J’s pillow. It was cool, but his familiar scent lingered on it. Fighting hard not to start sobbing, Zoe mouthed the words “I love you.”

Chapter Twelve

C J headed from the airport to his office and knew that nothing was going to ruin this day for him. He felt elated to know that his life had purpose beyond contracts and negotiations. Distance wasn’t going to be his ally and Zoe’s schedule posed more problems than his did, so he would be flexible and go to her. The security guard at Marshall Petroleum glanced up to see C J enter the building with a huge smile on his face.

“Hello George,” C J said as he walked across the lobby to the bank of elevators. “I’ve just got to grab some paperwork to take home this afternoon.”

C J heard George’s response as he reached the elevators, raised a hand in acknowledgment and pulled his cellphone out of his pocket. Zoe answered on the third ring.

“Just checking to see if your day is going as great as mine is,” C J said immediately after Zoe said hello. “Despite my sleep being disturbed last night, I feel pretty great.”

Zoe laughed and said, “Your disturbed sleep is probably why you feel so great and it’s going to have to last you for almost a month. I’m up to my eyeballs in work to edit, but nothing new there.”

“When you get a chance, email your schedule for Georgetown and I will work on Virginia,” C J said.

“Will do,” Zoe said. “Sorry, but I’ve got to be in a meeting five minutes ago, so I’ll call you later.”

“It’s Sunday,” C J said questioningly.

“Yes, and my edit deadline is tomorrow at noon, so Jeff wants to go over your interview and the Rostanov interview,” Zoe responded.

“Understood,” C J responded as he heard Zoe say goodbye and end the call.

Zoe placed her cellphone on the desk and smiled. It felt good to know C J cared and willingly let her know it. She headed out of her office and down the hall to meet Jeff. She was going to have to tell him about her relationship with C J and hope he didn’t blow it out of proportion.

ℓ

A month, C J thought to himself. Hell that’s a long time. Well, I think I’m going to have to shorten that timeframe. The perfect solution is Paris he thought. I’ll fly to Paris for a few days and then meet Zoe in Virginia as planned. Someone in Zoe’s office will know where she’s staying and I’ll surprise her.

Monday morning C J hit the office determined to make the trip to Paris happen.

“Margie, we’re going to be busy today. I’m headed to Paris in two weeks and that means you need to help me move my appointments and meetings once we decide the priorities. First, send out an email to all department heads, letting them know what is up and to contact me with any immediate concerns. Then come into my office and let’s go through paperwork to find out what I can give to Mark to follow up on.”

Margie, used to his relentless work ethic, was left breathless. C J also had her booking flights and finding a hotel on top of rearranging his schedule to get three weeks of meetings crammed into the next two weeks. This was proving difficult considering he was cementing the Hercules sale and negotiating another contract.

C J, growing frustrated with progress, decided to contact Jeff Thompson to get a hotel recommendation, find out where Zoe was staying and get the lowdown on her schedule. His was typing out the email to Jeff and C J suddenly halted. What the fuck am I doing? Am I a fool to chase her to Paris and show up unannounced for the second time in a month? Does she need space and do I need to cool off? Not used to doubt, C J sighed heavily and then hit the send button. If I go down in flames, it will be spectacular and I will know I followed my heart. Jeff, as C J suspected, had answers for him on all three points. C J took the hotel chore off of Margie’s list, booked his own reservation and in general felt like things were coming together well.

By Wednesday, C J felt Margie had accomplished the impossible. She had either canceled or rescheduled any meeting that was three weeks out. C J was pleased but no less driven. He and Margie were logging some long days, which prompted C J to promise her a week off while he was gone. C J knew Margie was curious about this abrupt trip to Paris but she never asked him for details and he appreciated it.