Chapter Eighty-Five

After a delicious dinner, Mac and Grace joined their hosts, Jeff and Elle Duncan, outside for some homemade apple pie. Mac had been right about how lovely this couple was, and Grace felt far more at ease than she’d anticipated.

“You have a beautiful home,” Grace commented as she sipped the lemonade Elle had served with dessert. “I suppose it gets pretty hot in the summer, though.”

“Oh, yeah, it gets scorching hot. But we have air conditioning and a pool, so we don’t let the heat bother us,” Elle replied.

“It sure beats the cold Michigan winters we suffered growing up,” Jeff added.

“We know all about cold winters,” Mac commented. “It’s why we are visiting our warmer climate offices.”

Everyone chuckled and enjoyed the balmy evening air.

Mac and Jeff began to chat about work while Elle and Grace discussed how kids change a marriage. It was a lovely evening, but the conversation about children left Grace a bit pensive.

When they returned to the hotel at the end of the evening, Mac noticed that Grace seemed quiet.

“Everything okay, baby?”

Grace nodded. “Yeah, I'm just exhausted.”

Mac looked at his wife and suspected it was more than fatigue causing that expression on her face.

“Hey, we are in this together. Talk to me, Gracie.”

“It’s just something Elle said tonight about how having kids changes everything. I love our life. I don’t want to lose any of our passion for each other,” Grace admitted.

Mac felt himself relax. He wasn’t always good at knowing how to make things better. But this was an easy one in his mind.

Walking up behind his beautiful redhead as she took off her earrings, he put his arms around her and planted wet, seductive kisses on her neck. He felt her body language change from pensive to aroused almost instantly.

“We will never lose our passion for each other. We may get busy with work or, eventually, with kids, but we will always make time for each other. I promise you that, Grace. We aren’t your average couple; we need to touch each other like some people need air to breathe.”

He continued kissing down her neck until he reached her right shoulder and gave it a playful nibble eliciting a soft, sweet moan from her luscious lips.

“You always know what to say,” Grace murmured as her eyes fluttered.

“No, not always. But this is something I am sure of, my love. We will never let this need for each other fall to the wayside. We’ll make a pact never to neglect each other’s needs. It might take some creative scheduling once this little one comes into the world. But we won’t become that couple that just exists together for the sake of the kids.”

Grace took Mac’s face in her hands, kissing him passionately.

“Thank you,” she said softly as she broke off the kiss. “Make love to me, Mac. I need to feel you inside me.”

He took her hands and led her to the bed. Then he stripped naked before helping her remove her clothes. Pulling her onto the bed with him, he said, “Ride me, baby.”

“You just want to see my tits bounce while I move up and down on that spectacular cock of yours,” Grace said cheekily as she straddled Mac.

“You know me so well, darling. Mmm, they are quite luscious,” he replied as his large hands captured her breasts before sliding down the soft skin of her body and resting on her hips. He guided her movements as her sweet pussy engulfed his rock-hard shaft. He saw wild abandon in her eyes and sheer passion on her face as she rode him hard until her first orgasm ripped through her like a freight train.

“Holy fuck, Mac!” Grace panted.

Mac grinned and flipped his wife on her back, lifting and spreading her legs so he could enter her again.  Mac’s thrusts were slow and deliberate as he slid into her silky wetness. Grace was panting and bucking her hips, so Mac eventually began to move faster until he felt his own pending orgasm threaten to end this little tryst. So, he backed off, much to Grace’s chagrin.

“What the fuck? Don’t stop now!” she cried out.

“I’m not stopping, baby. I’m just slowing things down, so I don’t cum too soon,” Mac explained patiently.

But Grace wasn’t feeling patient. She was needy and horny, and she wanted more than just the sensual lovemaking she’d asked for at the start.

“I need you, baby! I need…”

The tone of her voice made it clear that she needed him to speed up and take her hard and fast. He was concerned that he might be too rough with her, but it was fuck her the way she wanted or risk having one very pissed-off wife.

Choosing wisely, he picked up his pace, bringing her to a string of intense orgasms before his balls tightened and he exploded inside her.

“Oh, my God! You’re so fucking amazing, Mac!”

His heart was still pounding while he pulled out and snuggled close to her on the bed.

“You’re the amazing one, Grace! God, you make me feel so good!”

They curled up together and fell asleep, not moving again until morning.

Chapter Eighty-Six

Their remaining time in Arizona flew by, and soon enough, they were ready to head off to the California office in Los Angeles. Before they left, they had breakfast with Jeff and Elle.

“Jeff and I enjoyed having you both in town. It’s great for the staff to see the big bosses now and then, and you’re both delightful company. Next time we will make sure the kids are home so you can meet our brood. To be honest, we sent them to visit their grandparents because we thought we’d have to entertain you more. But you aren’t at all pretentious, Grace. Mac was right; I really like you!” Elle said as she hugged Grace goodbye.

“I really like you, too. Both you and Jeff are doing a fabulous job running the Scottsdale office. We’d love to meet the kids next time.”

Mac shook Jeff’s hand and then took his wife’s arm and led her to Jason’s car for their ride to the airport.

As she got in the car, Grace frowned.

“What’s the matter, baby?” Mac asked.

“I get why you had drivers while we were in Europe last year, and having a driver in New York is much easier than driving, but why do you use a chauffeur instead of getting a rental car when you go to branches of the company within the U.S.?” Grace asked.

“That’s simple. It’s easier to have someone else drive in an area where I might not be familiar with directions or traffic flow. It gives me time to think, answer emails, conduct business, and relax. And it’s nice to be able to interact with you and not worry about keeping my eyes on the road,” Mac answered.

“But we rented a car in Chicago.”

“I grew up in the Chicago area. I like to drive when I know I am in familiar surroundings. I used to drive myself when I first moved to New York. But once I grew the business, it seemed silly not to pay for a driver when I could well afford one.”

“We’ll need to be careful with how we raise this baby,” Grace said.

“Okay, now I’m just lost,” Mac replied. “How did we go from me using a driver to being careful about how we raise our baby?”

“I’m just worried that this child will grow up thinking that money is no object.”

Mac chose his words carefully. “Money is no object, Grace. However, I agree that our child needs to learn the value of money and not just be given everything it wants. When the time comes, we can set up an allowance program with chores to do if that sounds okay to you.”

Grace was relieved. She had thought Mac would be harder to sell on teaching their kids about the importance of earning and saving. It felt good to be on the same page.

“It sounds like you’ve done a lot more thinking about this than I gave you credit for. Yes, chores, allowance, the whole nine yards, it all sounds good.”

Mac patted his own back in his mind for his quick thinking. Then he turned his attention to checking his emails on his phone.

Once they arrived at the airport, they checked their luggage and made it through security with relative ease. Then they headed to the airport lounge to wait for their flight.

“When we get to L.A., let’s check into the hotel and freshen up quickly. Then Miguel, our driver, will pick us up and take us to the reception that Daniella has planned for us,” Mac said, sipping his sparkling water.

“Reception?” Grace asked. She’d been secretly craving a nap, and now that seemed unlikely.

“In honor of our marriage. Daniella thought it would be a nice way for our employees to meet you in a casual setting. It’s just a light food selection and cocktails. I don’t think it’ll take more than a couple of hours.”

Grace’s heart sank.

Nope, no nap on the horizon.

“Why didn’t you tell me this was planned?”

Mac looked confused. “I just did.”

“No, I mean ahead of time. I feel like you’re springing this on me kind of last minute.”

“Grace, it was really thoughtful of Daniella to plan this. And I would have told you sooner, but I just got her email a few minutes ago,” Mac explained.

Grace sighed. “I just think it’s a little bit presumptuous of her not to consider if we already had plans or not.”

“Do we have plans?” Mac asked, frowning.

“Well, no, but…”

“So, what’s the big deal?”

“Nothing. Nothing at all,” Grace replied. “You’re right. It was very thoughtful of Daniella to plan something within an hour of us landing in L.A.”

Mac felt irritation creep up his neck, but it was time to head to the gate for boarding.

Grace told herself to stop being snarky and try to get some sleep on the plane so she would feel more up to a party with tons of people she’d never met before. She had hoped to meet this west coast staff when she was well-rested and fresh. But it was clear there would be no getting out of this party.

Much to her chagrin, however, the man behind her was loud and kept bumping the back of her seat. She looked across the aisle at a mother and her son, who was behaving more appropriately in first class at roughly ten years old than the buffoon behind her. Mac had his earbuds in and was dozing.

So much for me getting any sleep on this flight.

LAX was crazy and crowded, but they were able to get their luggage reasonably quickly and were soon on their way to Hotel Bel-Air.

“Grace, this is our driver, Miguel. Miguel, this is my wife, Grace Stewart.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Stewart. Sorry, but there is a lot of traffic today. GPS says it will be about forty-five to fifty minutes till we reach the hotel.”

“Honey, how about we have Miguel take us directly to the reception and then drop our bags off at the hotel?” Mac suggested.

Grace raised an eyebrow and said nothing.

“Or, we can just go to the hotel as planned,” Mac said, realizing that Grace was not a happy camper. “But we will have to get ready quickly, so we aren’t too late.”

“It’s a shame Daniella didn’t consider giving us more time to settle in,” Grace said, annoyance dripping from her words. “But no worries, I will do my best to get ready quickly.”

Miguel kept his thoughts to himself and looked for an alternate route that would get them to the hotel faster. It wouldn’t give the clearly tired Mrs. Stewart time for the nap she so obviously craved. But it would give her time to get ready and feel less annoyed about attending the impromptu gathering. He’d been annoyed by the last-minute arrangements too. His girlfriend had a rare evening off work, and he wanted to take her out to dinner and maybe get lucky. Now he would be lucky to fit in a meal between dropping the Stewarts off at Matteo’s Italian Restaurant and picking them back up later. And he had been imagining burying his face between his girl’s spectacular tits. Ah well.

“What is the suggested attire for this reception?” Grace asked, trying hard not to sound irritated.

“I don’t know. Probably casual,” Mac replied, his attention more focused on scrolling through his emails.

“I’m not taking any chances on being underdressed. I will wear a cocktail dress and keep the hair and jewelry simple,” Grace decided aloud.

“Whatever you want, babe.”

Mac missed Grace’s perplexed facial expression, but Miguel caught it in the rearview mirror. Rumor had it that Mr. Stewart was head over heels smitten with his wife. But at the moment, it didn’t appear to be the case. Misery swam in the eyes of the pretty redhead in the back seat, and Miguel felt powerless to do anything about it. He looked at the speedometer and figured he could safely drive a smidge faster and did his best to get the Stewarts to Hotel Bel-Air as quickly as possible.

Upon arrival, Miguel helped Mac with the bags and said he’d find a spot close by to wait until they were ready to be driven to Matteo’s. He felt compelled to speak.

“You’re a lucky man, Mr. Stewart. Your wife is quite lovely.” He nodded and quickly returned to the car and drove to a nearby lot to wait.

Mac looked at Grace and saw the fatigue he hadn’t noticed before. He suddenly felt shitty and wished there was a polite way to bow out of the reception.

Once in the room, Mac said, “Grace, if you’re not up to this…”

“I’m fine,” she interrupted curtly. “If you want me to be ready on time, please just let me be.”

Mac nodded and swore to himself he would make things right before the night ended.

Chapter Eighty-Seven

When Miguel picked them up forty-five minutes later, Grace Remy Stewart was nothing short of stunning. She wore a tea-length navy blue cocktail dress that showed just enough cleavage to make every woman envious and every man drool. Her hair draped over her shoulders in loose waves and looked sexy as fuck. Her eye makeup was subtle but made her blue eyes seem to pop, their earlier sadness no longer apparent.

Miguel was pleased to see that Mr. Stewart seemed to be much more attentive to his wife now. He wasn’t sure why it mattered to him; he barely knew the woman. But someone with her beauty and sophistication deserved to be cherished. He made a mental note to not rush through his own dinner, even if it meant not having time for a tumble with his own sweet Maria. He was grateful he’d remembered to make a reservation so he could treat her to a nice meal. Being a gentleman might get him farther than not, he laughed to himself.

Mac took Grace’s arm as they entered the banquet hall at Matteo’s.

“Thank you for doing this tonight. It didn’t occur to me that it would feel so rushed, and I’m sorry you didn’t have time to rest at all,” Mac said, feeling a bit guilty that he hadn’t considered her feelings in all of this.

Grace smiled sweetly and said, “It’s fine, darling. Later, you can make it up to me by massaging my feet and brushing my hair.”

Mac smiled sheepishly. “Will there be time for dessert after that?”

“If by dessert you mean sex, I guess that depends on how long you make us stay at this shindig.”

Mac kissed her temple and inhaled her perfume. God, the scent of her made his cock tingle.

“I promise we won’t make it a long evening, but we do need to stay for a while and be cordial. I appreciate this. So much so that I will throw in a shoulder rub as well.”

“And here I was prepared to hold a grudge all night and have a good old-fashioned married squabble with you later. You make it impossible to stay mad at you. I appreciate your apology. Just keep your end of the bargain and get us out of here at a decent time, and you might just get lucky.”

Daniella Armstrong was there to greet them with two glasses of champagne.

“Thank you, Daniella,” Mac said kindly, “But we aren’t drinking tonight.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, McKinley. This is a party to celebrate the two of you,” she replied, feeling irritation creep up her spine. She’d gone to a lot of trouble to get the type of champagne she knew the boss enjoyed, and it hadn’t been cheap. Then again, she was charging everything to the company, so she told herself it wasn’t a big deal.

“And we appreciate it very much, Daniella. But we’d love some sparkling water if you have any,” Mac said, smiling.

“Don’t tell me you’ve let married life turn you into an old fuddy-duddy!” she quipped, snapping her fingers at a waiter and barking the command for sparkling water for the guests of honor.

“I thought you said I would like Daniella,” Grace whispered to Mac.

“I don’t know what’s going on with her,” Mac whispered back. “She’s usually quite charming.”

When Daniella turned her attention back to Mac and Grace, she said, “Honestly, if I had known you would be such a party pooper, I’d have never ordered so much champagne.”

“Not a party pooper or a fuddy-duddy, Daniella. Just a man who’s trying to be supportive of the mother of my child.”

Daniella nearly spat out her champagne. “You’re pregnant?” she asked Grace incredulously.

Grace smiled sweetly. “Yes, and we are very excited.”

Daniella looked Grace up and down as if scanning her body. “You must be four minutes pregnant. Don’t women usually wait a bit to share the news in case something goes wrong.”

Mac frowned, but Grace laid a hand on his arm and smiled. “I’m sixteen weeks as of yesterday. The baby and I are both perfectly fine. But thank you for being so concerned.”

Daniella smiled back. “Well, I hope everything continues to go well. And, lucky you, you don’t look pregnant at all. Just a little bloated and gassy.”

“Wow, how many glasses of champagne have you had, Daniella?” Mac asked. But he didn’t bother to wait for her reply. Instead, he grabbed the two glasses of sparkling water and whisked his wife over to meet the rest of the L.A. crew.

“She’s perfectly awful,” Grace said. “You thought I would like her?”

“She’s never been like this before. I think she’s drunk. I didn’t want to make a scene here. We’ll make the rounds and dip out early. Then tomorrow morning, we will have a private conversation with Daniella.”

Grace raised an eyebrow but allowed Mac to usher her over to a group of people who seemed anxious to meet her.

Chapter Eighty-Eight

Fortunately, everyone else was very polite and seemed genuinely pleased that Grace was Mac’s partner both in the company and in life. It was a large group of employees to meet all simultaneously, but she was delighted at how friendly and welcoming they were. Grace managed to ignore Daniella for the rest of the evening.

Shortly before they left, a man with shoulder-length sandy blond hair entered the room. He walked in Mac and Grace’s direction with the clear intention of introducing himself. Daniella caught this out of the corner of her eye and headed over to join the group.

Grace sighed and reminded herself that Mac wasn’t the only boss in the room. As the COO, it would be well within her right to put the rude manager in her place if it was necessary. Though she sincerely hoped it wasn’t.

The man extended his hand to Mac in a warm greeting. “Hello, McKinley, it’s great to see you! And this must be your lovely partner in crime.”

He released Mac’s hand and reached for Grace’s. “I’m Ian. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Daniella interrupted the greeting much to everyone’s chagrin.

“Ian, I didn’t think you would be here tonight,” Daniella said curtly.

“You made it clear that it was required,” Ian answered.

“Well, I appreciate you taking the time to come.”

“I’m not here for you; I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to meet the new boss.”

At that moment, Grace recognized the misery swimming in Daniella’s eyes. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that there had been something between her and Ian. Grace would have bet money that there was a recent breakup and a tinge of sympathy tugged at her heart.

Thinking quickly, Grace spoke up. “There you are, Daniella! I was hoping I’d get the chance to thank you for putting together such a lovely reception for us, especially on such short notice.”

Daniella was taken aback by Grace’s kindness. She managed to smile and keep her tears at bay. “Well, it’s lovely of you both to come to visit our branch of the firm. I look forward to spending more time with you tomorrow. If you’ll excuse me, I’m needed elsewhere.”

Daniella turned abruptly and walked away. Ian raised his eyebrows and blew out a breath. “Sorry, Dani and I called it quits last night and it was rather ugly. Shitty timing right before the visit from big bosses, I suppose. But it was long overdue. I assure you, though, we can continue to work together. We know how to be professionals.”

“I see,” said Grace.

Ian suddenly looked uncomfortable. “I’m assuming that our dating wasn’t an issue. After all, you not only dated the boss, but you also married him. And now you’re the COO.”

Mac laughed inwardly and watched his wife’s face as she spoke to the cocky young man. He said nothing; Grace was more than capable of handling this herself.

“Are you implying that I got my promotion by sleeping with the boss?” Grace asked incredulously.

Ian turned pale. “Well, no, not necessarily. But you have to admit; the timing was rather interesting.”

“You know what I find interesting, Ian? The fact that I’ve heard all about Daniella from McKinley, but he never mentioned you. I’m guessing he didn’t feel your position was important enough to mention you by name.”

Ian’s jaw dropped, but no words came out.

Grace raised an eyebrow while Mac secretly enjoyed the show.

“Let’s talk tomorrow about what it is you do and see if you can convince me of your importance to the firm,” Grace said as she nodded at Ian. Then she turned to Daniella and said, “I’m so glad to have finally met you. I’m looking forward to spending time in the office this week. I hope you don’t mind if we cut out a little early.”

“Not at all, I understand. Thanks for allowing me to throw this little party for you and McKinley. I’m looking forward to getting to know you better this week,” Daniella replied.

Once they were back in the car, Mac’s phone buzzed.

Please thank your lovely wife for putting Ian in his place. And let her know that I am sorry. You know me, I’m not usually so bitchy and snarky. It’s been a rough day. I promise to be much more professional at the office. I won’t disappoint you, McKinley.

Mac showed Grace the text and his reply.

Your behavior was not at all characteristic of you. I’m sorry that you and Ian broke up, but I’m glad to know there was a reason for your snarky attitude. That being said, don’t fuck with my wife, Dani. She’s a force to be reckoned with and every bit qualified for her position. I expect your A-game this week, despite whatever is going on in your personal life.

Grace smiled. “There’s the man I adore. Thank you.”

“So, shoulder rub, foot rub, hair brushing, and rock-your-world sex?”

“Nope.”

Mac sighed. He could hardly blame her for turning him down.

“I think we should start with the sex; then you can pamper me with all the rest and let me drift off to sleep.”

Mac’s face lit up. What had he done to deserve such a wonderful woman?

“I love you, Grace.”

“I love you too, Mac.”

As exhausted as Grace felt, she was craving Mac’s touch and stripped off her dress instantly upon returning to their suite.

“Someone is horny,” Mac laughed.

“You don’t know the half of it. Now, show me how much you appreciate my putting on a dress and heels when all I wanted to do this afternoon was lay down.”

Mac wasted no time taking off his clothes and scooping Grace up in his arms. Depositing her gently on the bed, he let his hands roam over her body while capturing a perky nipple between his lips. Grace moaned as he alternated between sucking and nibbling until her back arched and she came hard within seconds.

“Holy shit, Grace, I barely touched you!”

“I know. What can I say? I told you I was needy.”

He treated the other nipple to the same delicious torment and moved his fingers down her body, tracing erotic circles on her smooth, bare mound.

“Fuck! You make me so hot, Mac!”

“Mmm, good to know,” he murmured as he brought her to another quick orgasm with his fingers and thumb.

As her body was still trembling, he brought his drenched hand to her lips and felt his cock throb as she licked her juices from his fingers.

He wanted to hold off a bit longer, but his own need became so powerful that he moved Grace’s legs apart and rubbed the head of his shaft against her sopping wet pussy.

Mac could tell she didn’t mind his urgency by the sounds of her moans. He entered her slowly but couldn’t hold back very long. The pace of his thrusts matched the movement of Grace’s hips. They moved together in perfect rhythm, panting and moaning.

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Grace screamed as her back arched, and her climax shook her entire body.

“Holy fuck!” Mac shouted as his balls let loose, and he flooded her with his seed.

He collapsed on the bed beside her, and she curled up into his chest. They lay there like that until their hearts stopped pounding and their breathing returned to normal.

“Which would you like first? The foot rub or the shoulder rub?” Mac asked softly, tracing a finger down her arm.

But there was no response. His exhausted wife was sound asleep. He would have to make good on all his promises of pampering tomorrow night.

Mac’s arm was trapped, but he managed to pull the sheet over them both. He couldn’t reach the lamp, but it didn’t matter. He snuggled up against his pretty redheaded wife and joined her in her slumber.