A/N: So, here I am, on vacay at the beach and it's been quite...inspiring...as has the new music my friend turned me onto...Erin McCarley. She's awesome! I listened to one song and bought the whole album on iTunes! Her song "Sticky-Sweet" was playing on repeat the whole time I was writing this...and it makes a little appearance towards the end.
Thanks again to the master-beta that is my bestie, gale! you rock, woman! :) i giggle like a 12-year-old girl every time you say "wowie!" heehee
So, let's see...I own the Sam Adams I'm drinking...and the new LuLu's bottle huggie it's wrapped in...I do not, sadly, own Twilight or any of SM's amazing characters.
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Chapter Ten:
I. Am. So. Fucking. Screwed.
Emmett
"Hey! Where are you going?!" I asked. Rosalie had jumped out of bed in a fury- and taken the sheet with her. I knew she couldn't be mad, not after the mind-blowing sex we'd just had.
"I just remembered!" She gasped, picking up her phone and flipped it open, looking at the clock. "I have a dinner meeting! If I don't get moving, I'm going to be late!"
A dinner meeting. With Angela Weber.
"Oh," I said. "So, you know, you never did tell me what's going on with work right now. You wanna talk about it?" I figured it couldn't hurt to know her feelings on the whole buyout scenario.
"Well," she sighed, sitting back on the edge of the bed, looking out the window. "I told you that my father left me his company? Well, some man who's in the business wants to buy me out."
Some man who's in the business? Well, that was a little blow to the old ego. I was the biggest furniture manufacturer in the country, not some Joe Blow that sold couches and chairs.
"Who is it?" I asked, more interested in her response than I should have been.
"Have you ever heard of McCarty Furniture?" She asked, absentmindedly playing with the hem of the sheet she had wrapped loosely around her naked body.
Well, yes, I guess you could say that I have.
"Sure." Technically, that was not a lie. Okay, it was totally a lie, but what was I supposed to say?
"Well, somehow they heard about my company. And they came down here from Seattle to try and buy it from me." Her eyes looked as though she were suddenly somewhere else. "I met with the CEO's assistant today and Peter and I have a dinner meeting with the head of acquisitions."
"Do you want to sell your company?" The question was out of my mouth before I realized what I was saying. What the fuck? Since when did Emmett McCarty ask if someone wanted to sell him any god damned thing? You have it, I want it, I take it. That's how it works. At least, that's how it always had. Until now. Until what I wanted belonged to this amazing creature in front of me. Until I knew that what I wanted was the last thing she had left of her estranged father. But, did I want it? Really? Was it the company that I was thinking about when I showed up on her doorstep? Or was it something else, something more personal, someone....
Shit! I. Am. So. Fucking. Screwed.
I dragged myself out of my own musings to realize Rosalie hadn't answered me. She had that faraway look in her eyes again. I reached up and placed my hand on her face, rubbing her cheek with my thumb.
"What is it, doll face?" I wanted to know what she was thinking. I needed to know what she was thinking. All of a sudden, after years of not caring, not even knowing usually, about the actual people involved in my takeovers, I cared so much about this woman and wether or not she wanted to sell her father's company to me.
Closing her eyes, she leaned into my palm and sighed. "I don't know...I just...I don't know what to do. I guess I figured I had to at least see what they're offering, you know? The truth is, I never saw myself running a furniture company. But, my father left it to me for some reason. Even though I'm an only child, he still could have, probably should have, left it to Peter and Charlotte..." she sighed again, before opening her eyes, the piercing blue shooting electricity through me like they had that first night. "...but he left it to me, and part of me wants to keep it."
Never had I given any thought whatsoever to the people I took a company from. Business was business. It was never personal. I didn't get wrapped up in the intimate details of the owner of a company. They had it, I wanted it, I got it. Done and done. Black and white. Sign on the dotted line and here's your check. But now, I was more than wrapped up in the intimate details of the owner of the company. For the first time in ten years, I found myself caring about the people involved in a buyout. But I couldn't. I was Emmett McCarty. Mr. Ruthless. Mr. Successful Ass. Mr. World's Most Eligible Dickhead. Looking into Rosalie's face as she talked about her dead, estranged father leaving her the only material thing he cared about, his life's work..... I wanted her to have whatever she wanted. I wanted her to be happy. I wanted her....Fuck. I had to say it again....
Am. So. Fucking. Screwed.
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Rosalie left for the meeting with Angela, and I decided it was time to call Alice again. She assumed I was back home in Seattle by now. I didn't plan on telling her any different. But I needed to smooth things over with her. She might have been a pain in the ass, but she was my baby sister and she did mean well. I picked up my phone and hit her speed dial, hoping to catch her before she went into the meeting.
"What?" Alice answered, sounding beyond pissed off. "I'm on my way to this meeting, you know, so make it snappy."
Good, I'd caught her in the car.
"I'm sorry, Al," I said. Starting with the apology was always a good thing with Alice. "Really. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."
"No," she said cooly, "you shouldn't have. We really need to talk about this, Emmett. I need to tell you something....Something about my vision. Something I didn't tell you before. It wasn't fair of me to keep it from you, I know that, but I just didn't want what I saw to get in the way of how things were supposed to happen."
"What is it, Alice?" I asked, rubbing at my temple with my free hand. "What didn't you tell me?"
"Well..." she began. Alice then told me that the day we landed in Austin, when I thought she got lost behind me, that she'd had a vision. She said she could see me and Rosalie, married with children, at the family's annual labor day picnic football game. That's when she knew the real reason Hale's Angel had been sent to us.
I couldn't speak. I couldn't even think. Knowing about what Alice had seen made her reaction to "Lily" make sense at least. I wanted to be mad at her for not telling me, but I knew that the decision to keep it from me must have been hard on her. I knew she took her visions very seriously, we all did. I must have been silent for too long, because I heard Alice, ask in a rather sheepish voice, "Emmet?"
I brought my thoughts back to my sister. "Yes, Alice, I'm here. I'm just a little...stunned, I suppose."
"I'm sorry, Emmett, really. I should have..."
"Stop it, Alice. It doesn't matter now." I said, trying to wrap my brain around the information. Alice's visions were always right. Unless something happened to change them. Something that changed the course someone was one. If someone changed their mind, or if something unexpected happened, things could change. She would sometimes have a new vision. "Alice, is this the only vision you've had? I mean, has it changed?"
"No," she said. "But I'm a little worried, Em. I mean, when Rosalie finds out, and she will, what then?"
She was right, I knew that. Rosalie finding out would be the one thing that could change what Alice had seen.
"I'll deal with that, Al, don't you worry about it, okay? You just stay in Austin with Weber until the deal is done." I was about to say something I had never said before in my professional life. "And, Alice, I want you to do something for me, okay?"
"Sure, Em, anything," she said, a smile in her voice.
"I want you to double the offer we were going to make them, okay? And Peter and Charlotte, they get to stay as long as they want. In fact, tell Weber to offer Peter the COO position, okay?" Alice was silent. Never before in my thirty-one years of being Alice's brother, had I ever known the little pixie to be speechless. "Um, Alice, are you there?"
"Yeah,um...I'm here...just a little shell shocked I guess."
"Just do it, okay?" I said. "And I'll see you back home when it's done, alright?"
I ended the call with Alice and went to get dressed. I needed to find a market. I needed wine and flowers and whatever else I could think of for the night I had planned. It was way too soon to actually tell Rosalie how I felt or who I really was, but I planned on doing some serious wooing tonight. If I couldn't tell her the truth, I was sure as hell going to show her.
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Rosalie
I arrived at Hudson's, and gave the hostess my name. She led me to a table in the back where Peter and Charlotte were already seated.
"Hey, Uncle Peter," I said as he stood. I leaned over and kissed his cheek before taking my seat and turning to my aunt. "Hey Aunt Charlotte."
"Hey there, sweetie," Charlotte said. "How are we feeling tonight?" She smiled a sly smile.
"Fine," I replied. "No alcohol for me tonight. The nerves are better, though. My lunch meeting with Mr. McCarty's assistant went well today. She's really sweet, Alice. I like her."
"Good, dear," she said. "I'm glad."
"So, Rose," Peter chimed in, "have we given anymore thought to the offer they're making?"
I took a deep breath. "Well," I said, "I've been thinking, and part of me wants to keep Hale's Angel. Dad left it to me, for whatever reason. He should have left it to you, but he didn't, I don't know why..."
Peter cut in, "Because you were his only child, Rose, and he knew you would take care of it. Do the right thing, whatever that may be."
"So," I asked, "what do you think? Do you think we should sell?"
"I think we should hear the details from this Ms Weber first. She'll have to give us some time to discuss it. Think it over. Let's not make up our minds until she lays out their offer, okay?"
"That's what I was thinking. I was talking to someone today about it, and I think the best thing to do is to hear her out. Then decide." I agreed.
"Talking to who?" Charlotte asked. "This mystery man you've been seeing?" She eyed me, trying to coax information out of me.
"Maybe," I smiled.
I was saved from further interrogation by the lilting sound of Alice's voice.
"Why, hello there!" She chimed. "It is so good to see you all again."
Peter stood and made introductions. Alice introduced Angela Weber to us before they took their seats.
"So," Alice started. "As you know, Mr. McCarty had to return to Seattle on business, so he's sent Ms Weber here to work out the details with you. She is our Vice President in charge of acquisitions. She has all the information here, for you to look at." Alice handed each of us a folder with papers inside detailing the workings of such a buy out.
"As you can see," Ms Weber spoke, "McCarty Furniture could greatly increase the reach of your line of furniture. We would incorporate them into our showrooms across the nation and abroad, as well as creating their own niche market boutique showrooms in similar cities. As for the specialty bedrooms division, well, we could make that an even bigger profit maker than it is now. Of course, we would not in any way decrease the integrity with which your furniture is made. We would stick to your established standards and methods, using your plans for existing lines."
I looked over the papers in my hand as she spoke. She seemed sincere and I alrady trusted Alice to be fair and honest with us.
"We are offering you, Mr. and Mrs. Hale, your current positions, with substantial raises, of course, if you so choose. In fact, Mr. Hale, Mr. McCarty has authorized me to offer you the position of Chief Operating Officer, should you choose to stay on."
I nearly choked on the water I had just sipped into my mouth. Charlotte's jaw dropped open and Peter just looked stunned.
"Really?" I asked. "That's so generous of you."
"Well," Alice piped up, "my boss is intent on keeping as much of Hale's Angel together as possible. He likes to buy companies, not tear them to pieces."
We sat in silence for a few moments, processing what they had said. I glanced over the papers again, noticing an obscene number at the bottom of the last page.
"This," I said, pointing to the number. "Is this...?" I couldn't bring myself to finish the question.
"That is your compensation for allowing us to buy your company, Ms Hale," Ms Weber stated, matter-of-factly.
I felt all the air rush out of my lungs. Was she kidding? That number was twice what the company was worth. I was expecting a much, much lower number and would have been happy with it, probably. I could take that money and start my own design firm like I'd always wanted. I could buy a house, a car, a boat....
"Rose," Peter asked, breaking me from the spell that the number had cast over me.
I shook my head a little, "Yes," I said, "I'm sorry. I just...wasn't expecting it to be such a large amount..."
Ms Weber smiled and said, "Yes, well, apparently Mr. McCarty wants your company pretty badly and he authorized me to make you such a substantial offer."
Alice was grinning from ear to ear. "Yes," she said, all pixie like and happy, "Mr. McCarty wants to make sure that you are more than fairly compensated for your assets. He understands how important this company is to you, Ms Hale, and he wants to make sure you know how much we plan to take care of it. Should you agree to sell it to us, of course."
Again, I was stunned. I couldn't believe how much money they were offering. I couldn't believe they wanted to keep Charlotte and wanted Peter to stay on as COO. I couldn't believe any of it. It was just so insane.
"How much time do I have to decide?" I asked. I needed to talk to Peter and Charlotte about it. And I wanted to talk to E, too.
"I plan to stay in town through the end of the week," Ms Weber said. "I would like to do a walk through of your factory and the distributions center as soon as possible, as well."
"Of course," I said. "Alice can call my secretary, Joan, in the morning and set up something."
"Great," Ms Weber said, closing her folder and placing it inside her bag. "Now that we have all of that out of the way, let's order and just get to know one another? How does that sound to everyone?"
Relieved to have the hard part of the night out of the way, I gladly closed my own folder, as did everyone else, and we picked up our menus.
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When I pulled up at my building two hours later, I was still a little woozy from thinking about the amount of money they were offering me. I couldn't wait to get inside my apartment and tell E about it. I jumped in the elevator and hit the button. When I pulled the grate open into my apartment, I was shocked speechless for the second time of the night.
The lights were off, save the dim lights above the bar. There were what looked like a million candles all over the place, on every steady surface. There were bouquets of wildflowers in at least ten vases around the room. There was music playing, it was soft, but sexy. In the middle of the room, my furniture had been cleared away and there were four enormous brown pillows on the rug. In front of the pillows was a small tray with a bottle of wine and two glasses sitting on it.
I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up as a soft, warm breath caressed the skin there, "Welcome home, doll face." E was standing behind me, sliding my jacket off my shoulders and taking my bag from me.
"Wow," I breathed, still unable to fully speak. "What is all this?"
"Just thought you might need a little R and R after your meeting, that's all," he said in a whisper that matched mine.
He took me by the hand and led me over to the living area and sat me down on one of the giant pillows. I fell into it, letting my head rest against the back, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.
"So," he said, "how was your meeting tonight?" I could hear the wine being poured into the glasses.
"It...was...unreal..." I said. There was no other word to describe that meeting, and the terms of the offer I'd received. Peter and Charlotte had agreed to let me go home and think about it before we discussed it in detail.
I opened my eyes to find E sitting in the giant pillow beside me, smiling, holding out a glass to me.
"Well," he said, a question in his voice, "do you want to talk about it?"
"The offer they made me....it's just...wow...it's really unbelievable."
"Really?" He asked, sounding strangely unsurprised. "How so?"
"Well," I said, "they just offered me...so much. Like twice what the company is even worth. And they want Charlotte to stay. And they offered Peter the COO job if he wants it, with his current job if he doesn't. There's all the other details, too, like putting our stuff in their showrooms on top of adding stand alone showrooms. It just blew my mind, really." The offer still sounded like a dream, even though I'd gone over the folder a million times in my head.
"It sounds to me like this guy really wants your company, babe," he said, taking a sip of his wine and reaching for the bottle to top of our glasses. "What are you going to do?"
"I honestly don't know...it's almost too good..." I sighed. "You know, what, though, I don't wanna think about it anymore tonight. Peter and I are going to meet tomorrow to talk about it."
"Whatever you want, doll face," he smiled at me. That damn panty dropping smile, all dimples and eyelashes. I'd be dropping mine tonight, no doubt. Well, metaphorically anyway, since I technically wasn't wearing any. I leaned over to the tray sat my wine glass down. I sat up on my knees so I was kneeling in front of him. Reaching down to the hem of my dress, I pulled it up and over my head, leaving me in nothing but the black stilettos I had worn to dinner. E handed me his wine glass, and I sat it on the tray as he started to unbutton his shirt. I sat the glass down quickly and swatted his hands away from his chest. Taking his shirt in my hands, I jerked at it, sending at least a few buttons to the floor.
Surprise and lust in his eyes, he pouted, "What exactly do you have against Armani?"
"Nothing in particular," I said, running my fingers on the waistband of his khaki shorts, taking no time to get the button on those undone as well. He lifted his hips just enough for me to slide the shorts down his legs and off his feet. I tossed them onto the floor with his ruined shirt.
I left him there, on the giant pillow, and walked to the stereo. I put in my new Erin McCarley CD and set it to play my favorite song, "Sticky-Sweet" on repeat.
Here's to who you are to me
No wishing well could ever bring
You celebrate my smile
You color my depressive mood
From gray to the most brilliant blue
Shape every tear into a candy sky
I walked, almost stalking, back to where E sat, staring at me from his seat. Kneeling down in front of him, I put my hands on his knees and spread them just enough to fit myself between them. Leaning up, pressing my breasts to his bare chest, I place feather light kisses on his torso, leaving a trail all the way up to his mouth. His lips were pouty, soft and waiting. I lightly ran my tongue across his bottom lip.
Take me home to your secret
Take me home to your wild sanctuary
I don't wanna hold off
Because you're sticky, you're sticky sweet on me
I don't wanna hold off
'Cause I'm inspired by your offbeat dreams
You make me never forget
How it feels to be that fortunate someone
I don't wanna, no, I don't wanna, I don't wanna hold off
You're getting to me
Running my hands up and down his thighs, higher and higher, I took his lip between my teeth and looked him dead in the eye. The intensity with which he stared back at me was breathtaking. I could feel my insides turn to mush, and not just for the wild lust that was slowly taking us over. I'd never felt so strongly about a man before, certainly not after such a short amount of time. I couldn't help myself, though. I felt like I was falling in love.
There's music in my head
Of heart shaped melodies in red
And if this is just the start I can't wait to hear the end
The hours come and go
As we lay wrapped up tight in your silver glow
I've never been this content to be
Reaching between our bodies, I took him into my hand, slowly rubbing up and down his hardened length. I watched as his eyes fluttered closed and his head fell back, his mouth slightly open, a slight moan escaping. Without removing my hand, I sat up and grabbed his hair with my free hand and pulled his lips to mine. Crushing my lips to his, my tongue sought entrance into his mouth and he opened up to me. We kissed- wildly, passionately, and without restraint. I released him from my grasp and our hands sought out one another's bodies. He grabbed my breast in one hand and my hair in the other. I ran my long fingernails up and down his leg and grabbed at his shoulders, pulling him closer to me. His lips left mine and took purchase along the sensitive skin at my collarbone, sending shivers over my entire being.
Take me home to your secret
Take me home to your wild sanctuary
Prying myself from his hold, I stood, holding up one finger and whispering in a throaty moan, "Stay."
He nodded and smiled at me as I walked toward my bedroom. I reached into my bedside table and pulled out a sting of condoms. I folded them into my hand, smiling to myself thinking about the man waiting for me in the other room. My heart was fluttering, and again the feeling seemed to be more than lust. Turning on my five-inch heels, I walked back into the living room. I stopped just in front of E, grinning slyly and letting the strip of condoms fall from my palm, holding the top one with two fingers.
"Ahh," he moaned, "someone's got grand plans for the night."
I ripped one condom from the strip and opened the package with my nails. Letting the wrapper fall to the floor with the rest of the strip, I fell also, to my knees and positioned myself once again between his legs. I slid that condom onto him and then reached around to take off my shoes.
Leaning up to grab my arm, he smirked, "Don't you fucking dare." He shot electricity through my veins as he looked at me.
Grinning, I nodded and pushed myself up so my knees were on the giant pillow beside his thighs. Slowly, I lowered my body onto his, sheathing his hardness inside of me. I grabbed onto his shoulders, needing to steady myself from the rush of finally being bound together again. Looking into his eyes, I rocked my hips as I reached for his lips again. Kissing me with unbridled passion, he rocked his hips along with mine, thrusting up and I came down.
Can you hear the angels singing
While you lay your hands on me?
Can you feel the bells are ringing?
Oh, I surrender all of me, all of me
I don't wanna hold off
Because you're sticky, you're sticky sweet on me
I don't wanna hold off
'Cause I'm inspired by your offbeat dreams
Placing his hands on my sides, he flipped me onto the floor, onto the soft rug that lay beneath the giant pillows. Taking my right ankle in his hand, he bent my leg, placing his hand on the floor so his elbow was holding my knee in place. His other hand sat beside my head as he climbed over me, thrusting into me once again. I could feel the goosebumps rising over my entire body again, causing me to arch my back to meet his wild thrusts.
For a long time, we didn't speak at all, just stared at one another as we moved back and forth together. His thrusts were hard and fast, quickly bringing me to the edge. Sensing my impending release, he would slow down and make his movements softer, keeping me from finding what I needed most. He released my leg, moving his hand that had been holding me in place to rest on the other side of my head.
I don't wanna, no, I don't wanna, I don't wanna hold off
You're getting to me
I don't wanna hold off, you're sticky sweet
Sweat was running down my chest, in between my breasts, and he leaned down, licking it from my skin, leaving instead a tingly trail when he blew his warm breath over the same line.
He pulled away from me, leaving me feeling empty with the loss of him from inside me. He snaked his hands around my waist and made to turn me onto my stomach. He led me, on my knees, to lay face down on one of the giant pillows. He situated me just where he wanted me, and I let him. He entered me from behind, sending a jolt of energy straight from my core right out the top of my head and the tips of my toes. I grabbed the sides of the giant pillow and dropped my face over the back side, moaning loudly as the hard and fast thrusts from earlier returned. I threw my head back and he grabbed a fistful of my hair, pulling hard as he drove into me again and again and again. Soon, we were both breathless as we found release together once...and again...
I don't wanna, no, I don't wanna, I don't wanna hold off
You're getting to me
I don't wanna hold off, you're sticky sweet
The waves of our climax calming, he rested his forehead on my back for a minute before leaving my body and rolling us onto the pillow to our right. The feelings I was feeling earlier had not subsided. No, they were stronger now. I heard the words in my head.
I am so in love with this man.
Quickly followed by the thought that were I to voice what I was feeling, he would most likely be out of the door before I could see it happen, I thought to myself...
I. Am. So. Fucking. Screwed.
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End Notes: Yeah, they're both in deep!! And it's gonna get sticky before it gets sweet! haha
Review and we can get to the sweet faster!! :)