Chapter 73

“Fuck! I can’t believe it’s raining again,” Mac swore under his breath. “I’m so sick of the gloomy skies.”

“Come back to bed; I’ll make you forget all about the weather,” Grace said, patting the spot next to her on their mattress.

“It’s nearly 6:00 am. What if the kids wake up?”

“What if they don’t, and we squandered a perfectly good half hour that we could have been enjoying each other?”

Mac paused to consider her question and sighed. “Fine. Let me just lock the door.”

“Good plan.”

He joined her in bed and wasted no time as his hands roamed across her delectable curves. She was soft and warm under his touch and, as he moved his hands down her body, needy and pliant as well. She was right, as usual. He could feel his irritation slipping away as his fingers found their way into her wet heat.

“God, yes! This feels so good!”

“Mmm,” he murmured as he continued to impale her with first two, then three digits, while his greedy mouth captured a nipple between his teeth. Writhing beneath this erotic onslaught, the combination of sensations sent her over the edge. Her hips rocked and lifted; her back arched. Within seconds, she came hard and wild.

“Ohhh, fuck yeah!” she cried as the immediacy of her first orgasm took them both by surprise.

“Someone was already hot for me,” he teased.

“Someone was having a dream that you were ravishing me. And then I was returning the favor.”

“Oh? Well, by all means, don’t let me stop you if you’ve got a hunger for me.”

“I do, indeed,” she said, scooting down to tease him first with her wicked tongue while she fondled his sac. She looked up seductively and said, “In fact, I’m absolutely starving.”

Her tongue swirled around the head of his rigid shaft, gloriously tormenting him. She drew out the teasing for a bit longer before making him disappear in her mouth.

“Oh, fuuuck, baby! Goddd, yesss!”

Grace flashed him a lusty look while she eased him further and further into her throat with each thrust. Soon, he grabbed two handfuls of red hair and pushed himself deeper and held her head there for a brief moment.

Letting her up for air, he realized that if he let her suck his cock for too long, he’d miss out on her spectacular pussy. A quick glance at the clock confirmed that their time was running short. Withdrawing from her mouth, he flipped her on her side and entered her from behind, slipping effortlessly between her slick labia.

“God, you’re so wet, my darling slut!”

“What can I say? Sucking your cock makes my juices flow.”

He grabbed her hips and thrust into her slowly, but deeply. Her soft moans became whimpers of need as each plunge brought her closer to the edge.

“Come for me, baby,” he growled low in her ear.

“Oh, fuckkk!”

Waves of orgasm had her panting and shuddering. God, he loved how intense her climaxes were! She felt so fucking good that he couldn’t help himself.  He began to fuck her relentlessly until she came hard once more and he came right along with her, shooting his load deep inside her.

Once his breathing became less ragged, he playfully nibbled on her ear and said, “This was just what I needed, baby. Thank you!”

“Mmm, just what we both needed. I wish we could just lie like this for a while, but I suspect we’d be pushing our luck.”

“You’re probably right. Do you want to shower first? Then I’ll get in after you. I’d suggest showering together, but we both know where that would lead, and there’s definitely not enough time for a second round.”

He grinned while he waited his turn for the shower. The quickie sex had been just what the doctor ordered; his mood had lifted considerably. She always knew what he needed. And how marvelous that she needed it too!

Deciding not to wait, he opened the shower door and stepped inside.

“What are you doing, Mac?” Grace asked, head tilted.

“I’m just here to wash your back.”

She laughed, knowing full well he intended to do much more… and she let him.

Chapter 74

Grace stared out the window as the kids ate their breakfast and watched the lightning light up the sky. She counted off five seconds before thunder bellowed, meaning the storm was only a mile away. She’d wisely seated them with their backs to the window and did her best to conceal her reaction to the storm. Normally, she didn’t mind a good, hard rain, but this was day three of gloomy, overcast skies and torrential downpours, and she’d had enough.

“It’s good for the plants and trees,” Javier had said on day one. On day two, he brought some of the potted plants inside on the lower level to transplant some that were outgrowing their current homes.

But this morning, Javier was uncharacteristically grumpy. “Assez de pluie!” he grumbled, shaking a fist at the sky.

“Oui, enough rain, indeed,” Grace said, commiserating with the Stewart House gardener.

“Je suis désolé,” he said, tempering his tone.

“There’s no need to be sorry. I think we are all sick of the rain by now. All of this stormy weather is taking its toll on everyone. Even Avery came in feeling cross this morning.”

“Ahh, that is unusual, n’est-ce pas?”

“Oui.”

Grace knew there was no way that she could convince Javier to go home early again today. He felt uncomfortable being paid rain or shine as it was, but three days in a row? Still, there was nothing to do as he’d already taken care of replacing all the indoor plants and tending to the trees in the atrium.

Biting her bottom lip, she wracked her brain for a solution that would make everyone happy. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head.

“Javier, since this rain doesn’t look like it is going to let up any time soon, what would you say to teaching the littles about planting seeds? Claudette will help, of course.”

“I’ll help with what?” Claudette asked as she entered the breakfast nook to pick up the children from Grace.

“He hasn’t said yes yet, but I’ve asked Javier to give DJ and Mimi a gardening lesson.”

“Of course he’ll say yes,” Claudette said, raising an eyebrow in Javier’s direction.

“Bien sûr,” Javier agreed, nodding. “What a fine idea, Madame Grace.”

“Believe it or not, I have been meaning to do a planting activity with the littles for some time now. So, I happen to have some little gloves, pint-sized gardening tools, and seed packets. Claudette, they are on the top shelf in the play area. Would you mind grabbing them? I’ll get the kids cleaned up and ready.”

Claudette nodded and headed out of the nook.

“Just let me get your sticky little paws cleaned up from the pancake syrup,” Grace said, laughing. “Then you can go with Monsieur Javier and Nounou Claudette to learn about gardening. But you must both be good listeners, understand? No fooling around with the tools, or Nounou will take them away.”

“Yes, mama,” the littles said in unison.

Javier chuckled. Grace had such an easy demeanor with her children. Even though they were both quite active and spirited, he wasn’t worried about them behaving. They were incredibly bright and loved to learn new things.

When Claudette returned with the tools and little aprons for the kids, they were cleaned up and ready to go.

“Merci, Grace, for finding something constructive for me to do today. I don’t like to take advantage of your generosity. I like to earn my wage,” Javier said.

“You always do more than earn your salary, Javier. Merci for taking on a new challenge today. I sort of threw this idea at you last minute, and you didn’t blink an eye.”

“It will be my pleasure to spend time with les petits enfants.”

Grace smiled and headed up the stairs to the business center. She figured Claudette and Javier could take things from there. Next on her list was to see if she could find something for her admin, Avery, to do to help improve his mood, too.

As she approached his desk, she grinned. She had just the thing!

She greeted him with a cheery good morning and was met by his atypical grumble.

“Is it though?” he asked rhetorically, scowling.

She raised an eyebrow at his grumpy demeanor, but let it go.

“Avery, I need information on a little company that I think is going to be up for grabs,” she said with a mischievous look.

Avery frowned and tilted his head. “What do you mean, up for grabs?” 

“For sale, Avery. On the market. Available to purchase.”

“You mean like to acquire?”

“Indeed, I do. I’ll send you the info. Then I need you to use your mad detective skills to dig up whatever you can—financials, branding, growth patterns, employee retention, the whole nine yards.”

“Where is it?”

“Chattanooga, Tennessee.”

Avery’s lips curled up in a smile. “An untapped area for Stewart Enterprises.”

Grace grinned widely. “Absolutely.”

“How did Mac find out about it?”

“He didn’t. I discovered this little gem. Before I get him excited about it, I want us to do our homework. I was going to look into all of this, but I have a perfectly capable admin who enjoys that kind of digging and needs a project to be excited about.”

Avery laughed. “You’re very clever.”

“So I’ve been told. Keep this between us until we have some hard data that shows this is something worth pursuing further, okay?”

“Will do. Thanks for giving me something to distract me from my foul mood this morning.”

She nodded. “Foul mood? I wouldn’t go that far. You’re a little cranky today, but…”

He laughed. “I’ll get right on this.”

“While you’re at it, see what new and exciting lodging is available in that area for a couple of nights, should we decide to look in person.”

“With a king bed and a Keurig coffee maker, right?”

“And foam pillows.”

“I’m on it.”

“Of course you are,” she acknowledged as she stepped into her own office and turned on her laptop.

Avery followed her with the morning agenda. “Lunch in again today, I presume? Will Claudette have time to whip up something for us, or do we need to order in?”

“I’m going to suggest we order carryout since she’s going to be busy helping Javier teach the children how to plant things.”

“Clever way to keep Javi happy.”

Mac poked his head into Grace’s office. “Grace keeps everyone happy,” he said in a chipper voice, wiggling his eyebrows at his wife.

Avery laughed and blushed a little. It was obvious that his bosses had a reason to be in such good moods. “Send me that information you mentioned, and I’ll get right on it,” he said as he made a hasty exit.

Mac grinned and slipped his arms around his wife’s waist from behind. “Thanks again for this morning. You were right, as always. Making time for each other is a wonderful way to start the day.”

“It certainly is. Thanks for round two in the shower. I’ve never felt so clean and yet so dirty at the same time.

He laughed and turned her to face him and said, “Hey, some time back before things got hectic and crazy, Bentley and I were discussing something that we’d like to do for you. I keep meaning to talk to you about it, but I get busy, and then I forget to bring it up.”

“What’s up?” Grace asked inquisitively.

“We were wondering if you’d like to have some kind of memorial to honor your parents since you never got the chance to do so when they passed away.”

Grace got quiet; her eyes took on a misty sheen, and she bit her bottom lip. When she felt like she could answer without crying, she said, “That’s such an incredibly wonderful thing to suggest.”

“I’d love to take credit for it, but it was Bentley who thought it might be something you’d find comfort in doing.”

“Let me give some thought as to what I’d like a memorial to look like. I definitely want to do something. I just need time to figure out what.”

“Take all the time you need, darling Grace.” He took both of her hands in his, brought them to his lips, and gave them a soft kiss. “But now, I need to get back to work. I’ve got several meetings, but I should be able to break free for lunch around noon.”

“Text Avery what you want around 11:00 so he can order for us. Claudette is busy with Javier, keeping the Littles occupied with some gardening lessons.”

“Your idea, I’m assuming?”

“Yes. But I was amazed at how quickly Javi was on board with the idea.”

“Javier thinks you walk on water, darling. He’d do just about anything you asked.”

“You’re exaggerating, but he is definitely a very agreeable fellow. We’ll see how he feels after a few hours with our rambunctious toddlers. He might regret being so amenable.”

Chapter 75

After enjoying lunch in the formal dining room with several members of the house staff, Grace went to check on the kids. She found them having a picnic on a large blanket on the kitchen floor with Claudette and Javier. The laughter was contagious and filled her heart with joy. Rather than interrupting, she backed away quietly. No sense in disturbing a perfectly lovely indoor outing.

Instead, she went back to her office and, looking at her watch, decided to text Franz Huber rather than call. Now that he had a lady friend, she thought it best to send a message rather than assuming he had time to chat.

Hallo, Franz, wie geht's dir?

A few moments later, he answered by calling her rather than texting.

“Hallo, Grace. It’s lovely to hear from you, mein Liebling. Things are wonderful here. How are you and Mac doing? And the children?”

“Hallo, Franz. We are all fine, thanks. A little sick of all the rain we’ve been having, but otherwise we can’t complain.”

“And how are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling fine. You don’t need to be a worried Papa. It was a bit of a struggle getting past the miscarriage, but things couldn’t be better now. Truly.”

“I like hearing that. We both do.”

“How is Nadja? How are the wedding plans coming along?”

“She’s well, thanks for asking. We haven't made much headway on the wedding plans yet, but we are not in any rush. She’s been busy preparing for a visit from Johanna and Sal next week. They are staying for a few days to celebrate our engagement."

“Wow, I’m so pleased to hear that they are making time to come see you.”

“You mean surprised, and trust me, I am just as shocked. But I’m delighted they will spend a few days with us, so I am trying to be gracious and not suspicious of what Johanna might want.”

“Maybe she just wants to visit. You never know.”

“Perhaps. But I think Johanna is bucking for a role in the wedding. I guess we will have to see how my daughter gets along with my future wife.”

“She got along with me.”

“Ja, but you and Johanna are very different people. I’ll keep my fingers crossed. Anyway, what can I do for you, mein Liebling?”

Grace hesitated for a moment, then let it all spill out. “If I plan a memorial for my parents, will you and Nadja come, provided I give you enough lead time?”

“What a lovely tribute that will be. And yes, we wouldn’t miss it. You tell us when and where, and we will be there. I take my fatherly duties quite seriously. I promised to stand in for Jordan Remy, and I meant it.”

Grace felt a little choked up, both at hearing her father’s name and by Franz’s kindness.

“I’ll let you know. I have a meeting in a few minutes, so I need to let you go. But thanks, always, for being mein Papa.”

She ended the call before she ducked into her bathroom and allowed a few tears to fall. Then she wiped them away and looked in the mirror. There she saw the reflection of her father’s eyes and her mother’s smile. It eased some of the ache she still felt after all these years as an orphan.

Pulling herself together, she sat at her desk and called Virginia Becker, hoping it wasn’t too late in the evening in Munich.

Chapter 76

That evening, Mac offered to put the kids to bed so that Grace could indulge in a bath in their jacuzzi tub. Not one to turn down an offer like that, Grace promised him that if he didn’t take too long with his parental duties, he could join her.

Twenty minutes later, he was hastily removing his clothes. When he stepped into the water, it was still hot.

“Holy hell, Grace! Just how hot did you have the water for it to still be this temp by now?”

“You know I like the water ridiculously hot. But also, someone managed to handle bedtime in record time. Did you skip over some pages as I do sometimes?”

Mac grinned sheepishly. “I was feeling guilty; I didn’t know you skipped over some pages during story time. And here I thought you were the perfect mother,” he teased.

“Be nice, or I won’t let you wash my back.”

“If I’m extra nice, can I wash your front too?”

“That sounds fair.”

Mac sank the rest of the way into the water and pulled Grace onto his lap, kissing her passionately.

When he let her up for air, she moaned softly. “Mmm. If you do that again, you can wash front, back, and sideways.”

“We seem to be making a habit of my washing your body,” Mac teased. He kissed her again, drawing it out, making her sigh.

“Mmm, you always know how to make me feel loved and desired.”

“You’re so easy to please, my darling.”

“Well, then, let your fingers do the walking…”

His hands worked their magic and brought her to several orgasms before she begged to be fucked. He slid inside her and watched her eyes roll back in her head.

“Oh, God, Mac. You feel so fucking good inside me.”

He teased her ass with his fingers while he impaled her again and again. Her entire body was on fire as he worked her into a frenzy. Her luscious breasts brushing against his body with every delightful bounce brought his own desire to a fevered pitch.

“Fuckkk, Grace! You feel so fuckin’ good! I need to fill you with my seed!”

“Cum, baby! Cum with me!” she cried as they both went up and over the edge.

Hearts pounding loudly, they slumped against each other and felt the immense pleasure of release. When he could speak again, Mac said, “I love you so much, Grace.”

“I love you too, Mac. Let’s clean up and climb into bed. I want to hear about your day and tell you all about mine.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

While he waited for Grace to join him in bed, Mac reviewed his day in his mind. When she climbed under the covers, Merlin made a mad dash for the bed and meowed relentlessly until Grace scooped him up and scratched him under his chin. He rewarded her with exceptionally loud purring, making Mac laugh.

“There you go again, making everyone’s day better,” he teased.

“Not everyone’s,” she replied thoughtfully, “but I did pretty well by all accounts today.”

“I saw the little pots on the windowsill in the kitchen. Looks like the kids had fun planting with Javi today. And whatever project you gave Avery seems to have perked him up quite a bit. Not to mention starting and ending the day with some mind-blowing sex, which seems to have put both of us in a good mood.”

“You’re not wrong. So, besides fucking your wife, what did you accomplish today?”

“I spent time going over the finishing details of what needs to be done for the new LA office. Brendan suggested that we lease the building we’ve been operating out of rather than selling it outright once we move to the new complex.”

“I agree.”

“I also got a call from Andre Boivan. He is killing it in Paris and has discovered he enjoys the feeling of success. We were discussing the influx of accounts from the St. Denis area and how he needs to hire some additional staff. I gave him permission to do so, but I asked him to call Brendan in on any interviews. He thanked me again for not giving up on him. He also said that your advice helped save his marriage and that I am fortunate to have such an intelligent wife.”

“Wow, he was laying it on pretty thick, huh?”

“He’s right, you know. The combination of your business acumen and your ability to read people is pretty fuckin’ powerful.”

“And to think, all you wanted was a pretty face who could schedule meetings and warm your bed at night,” Grace teased.

“I got way more than I bargained for. I won the fuckin’ lottery with you, Gracie,” Mac said as he gently tucked a red curl behind her ear. “Now, tell me about your day.”

“I called Franz and asked if he would come to a memorial for my parents when I decide what I want to do. He said yes, of course. He also mentioned that Johanna and Sal were planning to visit for a few days next week. He seemed really happy.”

Mac brought her hand to his lips and softly kissed it. “Anything else exciting in your day?”

Grace bit her bottom lip and hesitated. “I talked to Virginia Becker today.”

“Oh? That’s cool. How are she and Max and the kids?”

“They are great. Max has been busy at work, but he’s taking a long weekend off next weekend so they can go visit her mother in Reims.”

“Good. Max works hard, so I’m glad to hear he is making time for family. I’m assuming you called her about the memorial?”

“Not exactly. I had some questions about how to stay sane when the kids outnumber the parents.”

Their eyes met and, for a moment, nothing was said. Then Grace smiled mischievously.

“Grace, are you pregnant?” Mac asked, his eyes getting misty.

“Oh, gosh no. I mean, not to my knowledge. However, anything is possible since I never made that appointment to have my IUD replaced. I just wanted you to know that if you’re ready to try again, I’m ready.”

“Seriously?”

“I wouldn’t joke about something like this.”

“Well, shall we start right now?”

“Well, we’ve already been having unprotected sex, and we’ve had sex twice today, McKinley.  I think we’re good.”

“Nuh uh, I think three times would be the charm.”

“Well, if you insist,” she giggled.

“I absolutely do.”

“Need any help getting hard again?” she asked playfully.

“Grace, just thinking about fucking you makes me hard.”

“I know,” she purred. “And that makes me wet.”

When his people started bouncing, Merlin gave a look of indignation and jumped off the bed in a bit of a huff.  He’d go back once the noise had stopped. For now, he helped himself to a spot on the chair in the adjoining dressing room, turning around a few times and settling down till the coast was clear.