Shane Michaels. It couldn’t be. That was a common name, wasn’t it – Shane? She knew tons of Shanes!
Okay, no she didn’t.
But Michaels…Michaels certainly came up often in the phonebook. There’s no need to panic, she tried to tell herself as her heart raced, it’s not him. Besides, her Shane wasn’t a contractor. He never mentioned that he wanted to be one; she would have known if he did.
Except that they hadn’t spoken since the court hearings nine years ago.
Samantha sprang out of her horrified trance and opened a new internet tab on her computer. She punched out the letters of his name in the Google text field and pressed ‘search’, holding her breath.
584,000 results.
She clicked a link near the top: ‘Bay Design Construction adds award-winning contractor to team…’
The link took her to the Bay Design Construction website, a sleek, professional looking page with photos of construction projects and important-looking people. The full article from the Google search was published, and Samantha read it quickly.
Bay Design Construction (BDC), New York’s leading builder, today announced award-winning New Jersey contractor, Shane Michaels, has joined BDC as Principal – Project Development. Michaels will oversee Business Development in the tri-state area and drive Design-Build and Pre-Construction services.
“This appointment is a great addition for Bay Design,” said Greg Brock, Senior Vice President, Bay Design Construction. “Shane is young and ambitious, but has already secured a reputation for excellence in planning, programming design and construction administration, and we are thrilled to add him to our team.”
Shane Michaels has a Master of Environmental Design Degree from the School of Architecture, University of Pennsylvania. Past accolades include Honorable Mention as “Architect of the Year” by the New Jersey Chapter of Associated General Contractors and an “Excellence in Masonry Honor Award” by the New Jersey Masonry Guild for the Newark Adult Center.
It was dated six months ago. Samantha furrowed her brow, trying to figure out the timeline. This Shane Michaels apparently had expertise in the field, and she couldn’t see how her Shane, the Frat boy from NYU, could be a knowledgeable, serious award-winning contractor.
For one thing, he was too young. He was a year older than she was, so he was thirty-one now, and that just didn’t seem like a reasonable age for a sought-after big-shot contractor. Although the vice president in the article had mentioned that he was young and ‘ambitious’…
Okay, she thought, but it just wasn’t his thing! She knew him in college after all, when he would have been studying for this sort of thing – what had he majored in, again?
Architectural Design, Samantha remembered, her heart sinking like a rock.
This was ridiculous – how could she find out for sure if it was him? Samantha began to search the website, looking for a Contact Us link. But what exactly was she going to do when she found his information, she wondered, call the guy up and ask if he knew her? “Hi, my name is Samantha West and I was just wondering – are you the Shane Michaels who cheated on me ten years ago? You are? Great, thanks, have a nice day!”
Even in her head the words sounded stupid.
Fortunately, she didn’t have to make a fool of herself over the phone – there were no personal listings in the contact directory.
Staring anxiously at the screen, she noticed a tab for contractor profiles in each company division. She clicked the east coast link. A new page opened, photographs loading on the screen. Heart pounding, she scrolled down.
“Shit,” she whispered, as the exact image she was dreading came into view. The text next to his smiling picture labeled him as ‘Shane Michaels – General Contractor, New Jersey’.
Though her blood boiled at the sight of him, her stomach contracted, and her skin went clammy, she couldn’t tear her eyes away. He hadn’t changed one bit – as far as looks, anyway. He still had those captivating, dark blue eyes, that gorgeous smile, that small birthmark above his lip that she had always found adorable. He still had that slightly cocky look about him – a sense of success and pride – which she figured had only gotten worse now that he was such an acclaimed businessman.
Samantha finally couldn’t take it anymore. She quickly closed the page, leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. She had to tell somebody about this. She’d explode if she kept it to herself.
She found her fingers automatically dialing James’ cell number. It rang several times before voicemail picked up, and Sam didn’t feel like leaving a message. She pressed the receiver and dialed Alex back, only to get voicemail again. She paused before she dialed Richie’s cell – she hadn’t told him about Shane yet, and this certainly didn’t feel like the right time to do so.
“Fuck!” she growled. She had spent so many years trying to get over him, and the very image of him messed her up. She didn’t need this right now – not when she was involved with Richie and finally trying to move on.
One thing was for certain, she thought angrily, there was no way in hell they were doing the story now.
__________________
Richie was in great spirits as he cruised along the streets of Jersey toward Jon’s place. The band was meeting up at his place for a run-through of set lists to prepare for tour kickoff; they were flying to Denver in two weeks, and Jon and Richie needed to fill Tico and Dave in on Samantha’s guest performances. But Richie wasn’t even thinking about touring or singing or even guitars…as he pulled up outside Jon’s mansion, his mind was on Samantha, the beautiful, sexy, amazing woman he had become crazy about.
The four men reunited inside, and Dave and Tico both loved the idea of Samantha singing onstage with them.
“She’s got a fantastic voice,” Jon said as he took a pull from his beer. We haven’t decided which song – or songs – she’ll do, but she’s not starting right away. I want her to debut at the Garden.”
Richie nodded. “I think that’s a good idea – she’s busy with work anyway, so we can’t pull her away from the magazine to travel.”
Jon flipped open a red folder on the coffee table – the U.S. itinerary. “We’ve got June 3rd, 4th, and 5th at Madison Square Garden. You wanna ask her if any of those dates are good for her? We also have multiple nights in Atlantic City, but since she lives in Manhattan, the Garden is first choice, I’m guessing.”
For the rest of the afternoon, they organized dates and set lists, deciding which songs to do and which to leave off, and most importantly, laid out the default song order for the shows. It was near seven o’clock when Richie, the last one to leave, finally made his way to the door.
“Don’t forget, Rich, the studio this Saturday,” Jon reminded him. They needed to bring Samantha to the recording studio to work with professional equipment and tune it for her voice; the sound crew would need to know when and where to bring it all.
“Got it, man – see you later,” Richie climbed into his car just as his cell rang. It was Samantha.
“Hey baby,” he answered, smiling. “We were just talking about you.”
“Nothing bad, I hope?”
“Would I really have told you were talking about you if it were bad?”
Samantha smiled. “Nope, I guess not. Where are you?”
“Just leaving Jon’s place,” Richie said as he pulled out of the driveway. “Why, want some company tonight?”
“Well, yes actually, if you don’t mind the drive.”
Something in her voice concerned Richie. “Is everything all right?”
“Yes, yes, everything’s fine, I just got off work early and wanted to see you.”
“Well, I’m on my way, darlin’. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
They hung up and Richie turned up the radio, though not as good-spiritedly as he had before.
___________________
Samantha changed into a pair of jeans and a sweater for the evening, trying to forget about Shane. No matter what she did, though, she couldn’t get the image of his gleaming white smile and blue eyes out of her head.
She hated lying to Richie, but she really needed his company tonight to ease her troubled mind. And she had gotten off work early, and she did want to see him, that part was true, but she still felt guilty for asking him to come over because she was too messed up to have the self-control to forget about an old flame.
He arrived over an hour later, carrying a takeout bag from her favorite Chinese restaurant. “I thought we’d be fancy tonight,” he smiled, and suddenly Shane’s face disappeared from Sam’s mind.
“God bless you,” she breathed. She was ravenous. They tore into the food, fighting off Tommy and Gina as they did so, but ate in silence for awhile before Richie spoke.
“Sam, are you all right?”
Samantha did her best to maintain a level of normalcy. “I’m fine, Rich, why?”
“Well, you just seemed a bit distant on the phone. And you aren’t very talkative tonight,” he pointed out.
Samantha shrugged. “I guess I’m just tired. It’s been a long week.”
Richie looked at her. “It’s Monday.”
Samantha froze. Oh yeah.
“Is it? Damn, that tells you something!” she forced herself to laugh, but Richie didn’t.
“You aren’t acting like yourself, Sam. You’re starting to worry me.” His voice was serious, and Samantha looked up to see concern clouding his dark brown eyes. Her heart melted, and she sighed apologetically.
“Oh, Rich, I’m sorry. I really am. I’m just tired and have a lot on my mind…”
Richie didn’t look assured. He hesitated before speaking again, “This doesn’t have anything to do with Friday night, does it? Do you regret what happened between us…?”
Samantha shook her head vehemently. “No, no, a thousand times no. That’s not it at all. I promise you, Rich, I don’t regret a thing.” She looked straight into his eyes, hoping to show him that she was sincere.
He looked at her carefully, and then smiled softly. “Good. I would never want you to do something you’d regret, and I’d hate myself if I made you do it.”
Samantha got up from her chair and moved across the room to sit next to him on the couch. He put his arm around her, and she snuggled up against his body, comforted by his warmth.
“I know you wouldn’t. And that means more to me than you know.” She reached up to kiss him, and her lips met his softly. He turned toward her and ran his free hand through her hair, kissing her lightly and making her groan softly. She pulled away before things got too carried away, and kissed his fingers.
“I’m exhausted,” she whispered. Richie nodded. “I know it’s a real kicker to spend the night with your girlfriend and have to keep your pants on, but would you mind staying the night with me anyway?”
Richie chuckled. “Of course, baby. Will you take your pants off, though?”
Samantha laughed. “No, I’d get too cold,” she winked.
She stood and went into the bedroom to change, leaving the door slightly open behind her. Richie fought the urge to go in there, and cleaned up the dinner mess instead. When he knocked on the door, she answered wearing a pair of plaid pajama pants and a plain white tee, and all he could do was think of how beautiful she was.
“I’m afraid I don’t have any men’s clothes,” she said. “I don’t usually have men over.”
Richie smiled. “That’s all right, I can sleep in my boxers.”
Samantha pouted. “Now that’s just not fair.”
She crawled into bed and Richie followed, pulling her close. Samantha curled into him, grateful for his company and compassion. She felt another guilty pang for making him worry about her, but she knew she couldn't tell him about Shane. Not yet.
"Thanks for staying with me tonight," she whispered.
"You're welcome," he whispered back, tracing his fingers along her smooth skin until they both fell asleep.
________________
Richie woke early the next morning and smiled as Samantha slept on, her lips slightly parted and a strand of hair moving up and down in front of her mouth as she breathed. He silently slipped out of bed and made for the kitchen, starving. The egg rolls from the night before hadn’t done much to fill him up.
Tommy and Gina followed him, tails wagging, as he rustled around looking for food. He finally settled on some coffee and a bagel, and ate silently in front of the window. The sun was low on the horizon, streaking the sky with that light, airy glow that promised a beautiful day.
He finished his breakfast and made his way to the bathroom, wanting to shower. He closed the door and found a towel in the drawer beneath the sink, but had barely turned the water on when he heard Samantha’s voice.
“Are you done yet?” she called. “I need to take a shower!”
Richie called back through the door. “Sorry, babe, haven’t even started yet. I’m still just in my boxers.”
Samantha felt herself tense. “Oh really?”
“Yes, really,” Richie said, opening the door. Samantha drew in her breath sharply at the sight of him. His arm muscles flexed as he held the door, and his flat stomach was hard as rock, rippling with every breath he took. He was indeed wearing nothing but his boxer shorts, and as her eyes traveled down to their hemline, she felt the crazy urge to rip them from his body. She felt the blood rush in her veins, and she looked at him huskily.
“You’re ridiculously sexy, you know that?”
Amusement flashed in Richie’s eyes as he watched the emotions that overcame her. Her hazel eyes burned, and her breathing had quickened, the tell-tale signs of what was going on in that head of hers. She was adorable: no makeup on, her hair tousled and messy…if truth be told, he wanted her as much as she wanted him.
“I take it you’re not tired anymore?”
“All rested up,” she answered slyly.
He crossed over to her in two strides, and took her face in his hands, his mouth finding hers in seconds. They kissed each other hungrily, and he flicked his tongue in and out of her mouth, teasing her, until she grew impatient and forced her own tongue into his. He moved his mouth away from hers and kissed her jaw line, leaving a trail of wet kisses toward her ear. He kissed her neck and shoulder, then licked and nipped his way across her collarbone to the hollow of her throat. Samantha breathed heavily, feeling his hot tongue on her skin, and she writhed inside.
Richie pulled at her waist and slammed her against him tightly, running his hands up under her shirt before ripping it off. She was bare-chested beneath it, and he immediately started kissing her breasts, licking and sucking at the tips, eliciting a loud groan from her.
“Hang on,” she gasped for breath. “Richie, I can’t do this now.”
Richie looked up, aghast.
“I have to go to work,” she groaned, making a face. “I don’t wanna.”
“Then don’t,” Richie said simply.
Samantha laughed. “I have to, baby, I’m the editor.”
Richie responded by marking a slick trail between her breasts and down her abdomen. “Stay with me, Samantha,” he said huskily. “They can go without you for one day.”
Samantha surprised herself by agreeing, and Richie smiled mischievously.
“You said you had to take a shower?” he growled in her ear. She nodded, out of breath, and he wrapped an arm around under her backside, pulling her up onto him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and hooked her ankles behind him, pushing him closer into her. She could feel him growing hard against her, and her blood raced through her veins as desire overcame every fiber of her being.
Richie stumbled backward into the bathroom and kicked the door closed, and as Samantha kissed his neck, he bent sideways to switch on the faucet in the tub. Hot water gushed from the showerhead, and tendrils of steam snaked into the air. They felt its warmth wash over their bare skin almost instantly, and Samantha unhooked her ankles so she could stand upright. She barely left contact with his body before Richie grabbed the waistline of her shorts and tugged them down, revealing the thin black lace of her panties, and with one swift movement he tore them from her body.
She ran her fingers down his chest and abdomen toward the hemline of his shorts, and slid two fingers beneath the elastic band. Pulling it up and away from his body, she slid it down his waist, running her fingers along the outside of his thighs as she did so. Richie impatiently kicked the shorts off and pulled her against him. Their mouths met again in a passionate and desperate display of affection, and they sidestepped into the shower, feeling the hot water as it cascaded down on them.
Richie pressed her firmly up against the wall, and as she spread her legs, she felt his warmth against her instantly. He moved between her thighs and entered her, making her breath catch in her throat as he slid inside her easily. She grabbed his shoulders and clawed his back, digging her nails into his skin tightly as he moved within her. She shut her eyes tight and stifled a scream as he began to slide in and out, slowly at first, then gradually faster and faster until he was pumping into her as fast as he could. Her legs buckled and she slid down slightly; he grabbed her around the waist and held her up so she wouldn’t slip. Her body shuddered violently, and she cried out his name as she went over the top. They were both out of breath when he finally emptied into her, and he pulled out slowly, willing his heart to slow down. Samantha stood trembling, trying to catch her breath, and Richie wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close as their bodies calmed beneath the hot water.
“Jesus,” she whispered into his shoulder.
“I know…” he whispered back. “I know.”
1 comment:
Wow, nice way to start the morning! :)
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