Page 28 of Silent Cravings

Dripping wet from the torrential downpour and spread out over my desk, my head between her thighs… licking her sweet cunt, then filling her to the hilt, hitting that spot I know she’s wild for again and again until I pulled every last moan from her lips. Her fingers twisted in my hair as she screamed my name… until she was too weak to stand.Too many filthy thoughts blended one after another.

She wound her damp hair into a bun, then held it in place with a clip she had attached to the hem of the T-shirt. “Okay. Here’s what we’re going to do.” Her voice pulled me back to reality as she picked up her tablet, balancing it on her arm. “I have a diagram of the ballroom here. I need you to read off the RSVPs we’ve received so far, listed on those printed spreadsheets. You’ll see a number in the first column after each guest’s name. Read that number off to me, too, so I can keep track.”

What the fuck had I gotten myself into? “What do the numbers mean?”

“Basically, we broke the guest list down by people who can and should absolutely not under any circumstances be seated together.”

“You’re not serious.”

She looked up at me from her screen, smirking. “Do I sound like I’m joking? There are a lot of people on the guest list and generations worth of bad blood between a few of the families and ex-friends. Everybody’s known everybody forever, and some people don’t know how to let go of a grudge.”

“It does suck when people can’t let go of things that happened a long time ago.” I knew it was a mistake before it was fully out of my mouth. The stiffening of her spine only confirmed it.

“Sometimes, certain things can’t be forgotten,” she murmured, her voice flat. “Though, who knows? If both parties try to make amends, anything could happen.”

“Listen. I’m?—”

She cut me off. “Let’s read off the first name.” When I didn’t hop to it immediately, she scowled. “What? You see how much we have to get through.”

Maybe it wasn’t the time. When would it be? That was the question, leaving my skin hot and itchy as we faced off from opposite sides of the table.

She had closed the door again, shutting me out. I could demand, I could shout and bully, but I knew it would get me nowhere with the most stubborn woman alive. There was nothing for me to do but look at the first of many sheets she had printed. “Anderson. Oh, that’s me.”

Her lips twitched. “I’m guessing we can put you down as a yes?”

“I don’t think I have anything else going on that day.”

She snorted, then dragged her stylus over the screen. “Next?”

“Do you want something to drink?” I asked instead of reading the next line.

“Evan,” she groaned before her head fell back. “We have so many names to get through. And I need to get the place cards printed out in time for the wedding. Please, work with me here.”

“I’m not trying to get you drunk and have my way with you if that’s what you’re worried about.” We both knew I didn’t need to get her drunk to make that happen anyway. “But there’s nothing wrong with a little iced tea or whatever you happen to want.”

Her sigh told me she’d relented. “I could use an iced tea if you have any.”

I knew I would find some in the pantry, stocked up along with a handful of other essentials I liked to keep on hand. Pouring a bottle into a pair of glasses and adding ice, I carried them back to the dining room and handed one to her. “Let’s keep going,” she insisted instead of thanking me.

Did she think I’d let her run away the minute we were through with the seating chart? Did she know me at all? Or was she telling herself what she needed to believe?

A few minutes in, I appreciated her system. After an hour, I appreciated it even more. She had already sectioned the ballroom off into eight distinct areas, so once I read a name and a number, she dragged and dropped names into slots around the tables.

“Where did you come up with this method?” I asked about halfway through the list. There was something strangely satisfying about working together and making progress—like a team.

“The result of years of work,” she explained. “Trial and error. You must know how that goes.”

“It sounds vaguely familiar.”

She set the tablet down for the first time since we started, shaking out her hands. “I doubt you were born knowing how to run a country club, much less how to make them as successful as you have.”

“True,” I agreed, admiring the way her tits swayed gently under my shirt when she leaned over the table to jot a few notes on a spreadsheet. She must have been soaked down to her bra. I wasn’t about to complain. “It takes time, but once you get your system in place, it’s rinse and repeat.”

“How many times do you plan on rinsing and repeating?” she asked, glancing up from the pages and wearing a knowing grin.

“I’ve set a goal of ten properties total within the next two years.” Funny. I hadn’t come out and announced that to anyone. It had always been one of those secret, quiet goals. When she asked, it made perfect sense to tell her.

Her head bobbed slowly. “That’s ambitious,” she concluded, sounding surprised.

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