Page 85 of Wrapped with a Beau

“I don’t want to talk anymore,” she says hoarsely. “I just want you.”

“Elisha,” he begins to say, but she cuts him off, surging up for a kiss. They both have morning breath but she doesn’t care, letting the sheets puddle on the tile floor. Realizing that she doesn’t want him to feel anxious about it, she bends and scoops up the sheet, haphazardly folding it.

“Leave it,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck like he’s embarrassed. “I just want you.”

“Shower with me?” she asks, stepping behind the glass sliding door. She’s trying to distract herself as much as him. “Rough and fast,” she says when he steps out of his underwear.

Perfect, she thinks two minutes later as he bends her at the waist to brace her palms against the tile. Perfect, she thinks when he digs his fingers into her hips as he positions himself behind. Perfect, she thinks as his thrusts pick up speed, driving them both to the hard finish she craves, eradicating every single thought from her mind that she wants a whole lot more from him than just sex.

The thought becomes harder to deny afterward, when he takes such good care of her. Ves drags a sudsy washcloth across her trembling body, grazing tender nipples and quivering thighs, diving between them and hitting that bundle of nerves that makes her curl into his palm with a keening cry.

When he lathers her hair with his shampoo, piles it high on top of her head and massages her scalp, combing out the tangles. When he tenderly wraps a towel around her and gives her those soft, heated eyes, like she’s everything he could ever want. When she lets the towel fall, water droplets still clinging to glistening skin, and lets him show her that rough and fast can be fun, but sweet and gentle can sate them both, too.

Chapter Forty-Two

Elisha

I’m so glad you could take this meeting, Elisha,” says Veronica Fox, throwing back her martini at lunch later that day. At sixty-five years old, Veronica’s unlined face and black cherry lipstick are exactly as flawless as Elisha remembers. “It’s terrific that we were both in New York City at the same time.”

Someone else might chalk their aligned schedules up to a stroke of luck or a sign from the universe. But Elisha’s former boss from Atlanta doesn’t believe in either of those things—only in hard work.

“I don’t know if you’re still in touch with anyone from our old office,” says Veronica, running a hand through her sleek silver layers. “But you may have heard that I left to go out on my own.”

This is Veronica to a T. When other people might be looking forward to retirement, she’s taking her lifetime of experience to start her own company. Just another one of the reasons why Elisha admires the woman so much. “No, I hadn’t, actually. But wow, that’s so exciting!” Elisha sips at her cranberry gin fizz before asking, “Are you based here now?”

“Secured the premises last week. Just a few blocks away.” Veronica flashes her a smile full of perfect whitened teeth. “And you know me, I poached all the best before I left. With one notable exception, of course.” The curve of her lips is all fox now. “So, how’s that little hometown treating you?” she coos.

Oh, it is so obvious where this is going. Not the quick little catch-up chat Veronica’s email intimated, after all. Friends don’t take meetings with friends. This is a job offer.

Or at the very least, an interest check. This place certainly has the vibes for it. The kind of spot where someone takes out a client or does a deal. Elisha casts an eye around the room; the dimly lit wood-paneled Lower East Side restaurant is filled with young professionals in thousand-dollar suits poring over the well-curated wine list.

Elisha wants to impress her boss, prove that resigning from the Georgia Film Office was the right move for her. That she isn’t in the career standstill Veronica clearly seems to think she is. “You may have heard about the Sleighbells sequel?” Elisha’s vindicated by the surprise registering on the older woman’s face. “It was a slow start, but we’re gaining some real momentum now.”

Her momentary victory goes downhill quick.

“Ah. You mean that’s the only interest you have so far,” Veronica says dismissively.

Elisha crumples the cloth napkin in her lap. Goodbye festive tree fold, hello ball of crushed fabric. She frowns. “That’s not what I—”

“Don’t bullshit me, dear. I know what ‘gaining momentum’ means. You have jack squat except one movie and the hope that it will lead to more opportunities, am I right? I know I call you the fairy godmother of film, but even a magic wand can’t turn Pokey Peaks into something it’s not.”

“It’s Piney Peaks, and I’m not trying to change it into anything. Our local history is exactly why we deserve to be a filming destination again. I’m just taking us back to our roots.”

“Our, we, us.” Veronica sighs. “Can you really tell me that you see a future there?”

“Of course I—” Elisha sets her jaw, staring Veronica down. “I love my job and my town. With the right investment, Piney Peaks could be exactly the kind of success story that gets other towns to follow in our footsteps. And even if it’s not yet the trailblazer that I believe it can be, the mayor went out on a limb to make me a position in the Chamber of Commerce. I made promises that I have to see through, and even if it doesn’t work out, I have to try.”

“That’s very... sentimental, Elisha.” Veronica’s nose crinkles like she’d rather use another word. The rest of her face doesn’t, a testament to her excellent Botox. “And I understand and admire your tenacity, to an extent. But to inject that kind of investment into their economy, well, to be perfectly frank, I just don’t see it happening. Don’t think me heartless, my dear. I’m only thinking of you!”

Elisha looks at her askance.

Veronica, indefatigable as always, says, “You’ve somehow got Damian Rhys, but this discount-Hallmark production is a one-off between his big-budget movies, I guarantee you. Don’t throw away a very promising career to molder away in a place that would never allow you to grow.”

When Elisha says nothing, Veronica reaches out to pat her hand. “I’m sorry to give you a dose of realism, dear. But if nothing else, it would appear that my offer comes at an opportune time for you.”

Elisha hears her out without interruption. It’s definitely flattering to be thought of, but it’s tough to choke down the mushroom ravioli that, ordinarily, she’d find delicious.

Veronica is smart, passionate, and driven, all characteristics that will serve her as well here as they did in Georgia. Traits that Elisha acknowledges they have in common, unwillingly impressed by the spiel. Neither of them likes to quit, which is why Veronica will keep at her until the dessert menu arrives.

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