The Journey Home(58)
Author: Kelly Elliott

I was so deep into the power point that I didn’t even notice Katrina get up and approach my desk. She placed her hands on my shoulders and I jumped.

“Relax. Let me take all your tension away, Cale.” She messaged my shoulders and brushed her lips against my neck. “I can relax you in so many ways.”

I stood and turned to her. “Katrina, I think it’s best if you leave for the evening.”

She smiled and tilted her head. “Is that what you really want, Cale?”

“It’s Mr. Blackwood.”

She bit her lip. “I do like a man who is in control.”

I stared at her. Was she for real? I picked up my phone called security.

“Good evening, Mr. Blackwood. Is everything okay?”

I shook my head as I watched Katrina start unbuttoning her blouse. I held up my hand to stop her. “Yes. I need you to come to my office ASAP and escort Ms. Miller from the building. She is being terminated as of this moment.”

Katrina’s mouth gaped open as her hands fell to the side. “What? You’re firing me?”

“Yes sir. Sending up Philip now, Mr. Blackwood.”

“Thank you.” I hung up the phone and walked to the other side of my desk. Turning to Katrina, I said, “I need you to gather your things. Security will be here any minute to escort you from the building.

“But…I thought. You’re not interested in me?”

I ran my hand through my hair and shook my head. “I’m very much in love with my wife, and I’m pretty sure I never gave you any indication otherwise.”

She quickly began to button her shirt as she headed out of my office, back to her desk. She stopped at my door and turned to me. “I’m uh…I’m sorry. It’s just that most men don’t turn me down. Not even the ones who are happily married.”

I put my hands in my pockets and looked at her. I felt so sorry for her. She needed to find someone who’d treat her with enough respect that she wouldn’t feel like she needed to throw herself at men.

“If a married man slept with you, Katrina, he was not happy in his marriage, and he had zero respect for his wife.”

She swallowed hard and headed to her desk. I heard Philip walk into the office and ask if she could hand him her badge.

After Katrina cleaned out her desk and gathered up her items, I walked out as they both made their way to the elevator. She turned to me. “What are you going to say?”

“I’m going to send HR the letter of resignation that you sent to me.”

She looked confused, but then it hit her. “Thank you for not…well…you could have said what happened.”

“Nothing happened, Katrina. Besides, it wouldn’t do you or I any good in spreading it around, would it?”

She shook her head and slowly turned away. I returned to my office and picked up my phone. My first call was to James, and my second was to Maddie to tell her how much I loved her.

I LOOKED UP from my book as Cale came into the living room. “Rough day?”

He nodded and threw his stuff down on the chair. “I had to fire Katrina tonight.”

I sat up and set my Kindle down. “Oh my gosh, why?”

Cale sat down and pushed his hands through his hair. Taking a deep, he said, “She came on to me tonight.”

Anger engulfed my body. “She came on to you? Is that why the bitch didn’t tell you I called?”

Cale nodded. “I guess.”

My voice cracked as I said, “What happened?”

“She didn’t bother to tell me you’d called or even that your dad had called. I was so lost in Power Point that I didn’t realize how time was flying by. She ordered dinner and brought it into my office and sat on my sofa to eat it. I took it to my desk and, the next thing I knew, she was massaging my shoulders and she…well, she came on to me.”

I nodded and stood. “What did you do?” I asked as I sat down on the coffee table directly in front of Cale.

“I called security and had her removed from the premises. Then, I called your dad and told him what had happened. Then I called you to tell you I was on my way home.”

I gave him the same look I always gave him when he said something that just tickled me. “And to tell me you love me.”

He grinned and pulled me onto his lap. He placed his hand behind my neck and pulled my lips to his. We kissed gently as I laced my arms around his neck.

“Thank you for telling me what happened,” I said, looking into his emerald eyes. I couldn’t believe how much I loved him. How much I needed to just be near him.

“I’ll always be honest with you about everything, Maddie. Always.”

I sucked his lower lip into my mouth and gently bit it. Then I stood and began to get undressed. “Make love to me, Cale.”

Cale watched as I stripped out of my clothes and walked to our bedroom. He jumped up and tore his own clothes off as he followed me. I lay down on the bed and waited for him to move over me. I cupped his face in my hands and looked deeply into his eyes.

“I don’t want to wait, Cale.”

The smile that moved across his face told me he knew exactly what I was saying. I wanted to try for a baby. I wanted to feel a child growing in my womb. I wanted to feel Cale’s child growing in my stomach. I wanted a piece of him.

Cale took my hands in his and pushed them above my head as he gently kissed me. He teased my entrance, building up my anticipation for sweet relief. He released one of my hands and twisted and pulled one nipple as his lips moved to my neck and slowly over to my ear where he sucked my ear lobe, then lightly blew in my ear. I arched my back to him, whispering his name, as he pulled back and looked lovingly into my eyes.

He leaned down and kissed me gently as his hand explored my body, leaving a trail of goose bumps in its path.

I love this man with my whole heart.

He pushed inside me as I moaned. As he gently pumped in and out of me, we locked eyes. I could feel the love moving between us, and I was overcome with emotion. As a tear slowly made it’s way down my cheek, Cale wiped it away with his lips.

“You’re mine, Maddison.”

I closed my eyes and whispered, “Always.”

“BAH-BAH.”

I smiled at Lily and giggled as I held her bottle up for her to see. “You want your bottle, baby girl?”

It was May, and I couldn’t believe how big she’d gotten. She threw her hands up and down as she got more excited. “Mama! Bah-bah!”

I handed Monica Lily’s bottle and said, “Aunt Monica has your bottle, princess.”