Hunter smiled. “I just wish I’d told him, before he passed. How much he taught me.”

  My heart broke for him. “Oh, Hunter…”

  “It’s all right,” he said. “I’ve learned from that mistake. I’ll always tell people how much they mean to me from now on.” He put his hand on my knee, his thumb making circles on my skin. “I couldn’t do this without you, Ally. I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”

  “I should be thanking you,” I whispered, and I was going to say more but then our lips were so close, and then our lips were touching, hesitant at first until he pressed back more firmly; my tongue darted out and teased into his mouth, stroking and caressing in the way that I knew would make him groan into me, move his hand to the back of my neck and press me closer, yes, just like that.

  Back burner, what back burner? Who’d said anything about a back burner? Not this girl.

  His hands slid up my waist to cup my breasts, his thumbs teasing over my nipples, hardening against his touch until I squirmed in my seat. Another slow, teasing circle, and I couldn’t take it anymore, had to clamber into his lap, my skirt riding up to my waist as I pressed my cunt against the thick bulge of his erection.

  I wasn’t wearing any panties, and by the way Hunter groaned and bucked up into me, he could tell.

  I slid down the length of him, blowing a warm stream of air against his fly, making him groan and jerk his head back against the table. I smiled wickedly as I slid his pants down, freeing his hard cock. I stroked him, savoring the length and breadth of him, my pussy clenching tight at the thought that he would soon be inside me.

  “Oh God, Ally, amazing, you’re so amazing, that feels so good…”

  “This will feel even better,” I promised, and I took him into my mouth.

  Now that we weren’t in a restaurant bathroom, I had the luxury of really taking my time with him. I laved the bottom of his cock, my tongue searching downward to flick softly against his most delicate spots before I licked my way back up to the tip and sucked him deep into my throat.

  At the sound of Hunter’s moan, I released him to tease at the sensitive skin under his head, then took him deep again. He groaned as if there were a road’s worth of gravel in his throat, his hand finding the back of my neck and massaging it with grateful fervor, his strong fingers digging into the muscles of my shoulders. I hummed around him, finding my rhythm, savoring the taste of him and the way he writhed under my ministrations, helpless before the touch of my lips and tongue…

  He groaned again, and pulled me away and upwards. “Need you,” he growled against the shell of my ear, pushing me back onto the table, spreading my legs as he clambered on top of me. The papers behind me on the table rustled as he settled his weight over me and thrust his hard cock into my wet, waiting pussy.

  “Oh!” My hands scrabbled at the polished wood as he filled me up, gripping futilely at the edges of the table before coming up to dig into the small of his back. He was still wearing his shirt, why was he still wearing his shirt—I ripped it off, threw it across the room, and pressed myself up against him, wrapping my legs around his hips as my hands explored the planes of his chest and back, that sweat-slick skin, so smooth and perfect—my tongue flicked out, licked a drop of sweat from his neck, and he moaned, thrust harder into me, his head falling into the niche between my neck and shoulder, his breath coming in hard fast pants that made my pussy clench tighter around his dick.

  “Want to sink into you,” he murmured against my skin. “Want to sink into you and be with you always, be strong with you, feel you with me, feel you around me—”

  “I’m with you, I’m with you,” I moaned, biting at his shoulder, clawing at his back, God, I needed him so badly, needed more and more of him and more was never enough—“You feel so good inside me, don’t ever want you not inside me, come in me, Hunter, fuck me hard and come in my pussy—”

  He ripped my nightshirt open, the sweat-soaked fabric sticking to the table as he bent his head further and sucked on my right nipple, hard, his fingers twisting and pinching my left. I yelped, practically levitating off the table as the sensations shot through me. “Oh God, Hunter, oh, Hunter, Hunter, Hunter—”

  He thrust harder, then harder again, and then I felt him come inside me, and that sent me over the edge of my own orgasm, stars bursting behind my eyelids like a thousand galaxies as I came harder than I ever had before.

  #

  When we could both walk again, Hunter scooped me up in his arms and carried me to bed—his bed. He laid me out like a work of art on the cool white sheets and kissed the pale skin of my ankle. My eyes fluttered shut as I gave a contented sigh, and his warm lips traveled further up my leg, his tongue stroking along the sensitive skin on the backs of my knees, teasing along the edge of my thigh. I whimpered, pressing upward, needing more.

  “Tell me what you want.” His whisper was a flame licking along my skin.

  “Wait. I—I thought we were putting all this on hold.” I hated myself for betraying my lust, but I didn’t want either of us to have any regrets later.

  Hunter paused. “We can, of course. If that’s what you want.”

  My brow wrinkled in confusion. “I thought that’s what you wanted. So we could focus on the business, and the expo coming up.”

  He shook his head. “I agreed to that because I thought it’s what you wanted.”

  A grin spilled across my face. I didn’t know what to say. We’d been so stupid.

  Hunter climbed up next to me, turning me toward him on my side so we were eye to eye. “Look. I’ve had enough of this tiptoeing around bullshit, all the trying to hide how we feel from each other, the constantly forcing ourselves to ‘do the right thing’ thing. Enough’s enough.”

  His hands reached down to grip my ass tight and he pulled me against him roughly, the line of his cock edging between my thighs. “So tell me what you really want, Ally. Because I want you.” The look in his eyes was dangerous, hungry, full of desire.

  “Lick me,” I gasped, and he did.

  He pressed me back against the sheets and kissed his way down my body, pausing along the way to nip and suck at the sensitive skin of my breasts and belly. When I could barely stand how much I needed to feel his mouth on me, he finally pushed my knees apart and spread me wide open, his broad tongue making a long stroke up the center of my pussy before circling around my clit.

  “God, yes,” I panted. This was exactly what I wanted.

  He dipped low, his tongue plunging into my cunt to stroke its walls, his nose rocking against my clit as his fingers ghosted over my thighs to my waist, gripped tight against my hips, pulled me firmly against his eager mouth so I could ride his tongue.

  I writhed against him, lost in a sea of overwhelming sensations… “Oh, Hunter, please…”

  I could feel him grin against me, the heat of his breath only fanning the flames of my aching need. I felt as though I would burst, my fingers clenching tight around his powerful shoulders. He kissed me even more deeply, his lips soft and avid, his tongue stroking, teasing, demanding—his hand slid around my thigh and his fingers entered me, crooking slowly at first and then more quickly, building to a frenetic rhythm as I bucked against him, whimpering.

  “Oh, Hunter, Hunter, I…” So much I wanted to say, and I couldn’t say it, the words lost in the heat between my legs, the beating of my heart. I pressed up against him instead, whimpering as he nipped at my thigh, nuzzled and then sucked hard enough to leave a hickey. I gasped. “Oh, oh, oh…”

  “Tell me what you want.” His voice was low, harsh with desire. It made me dizzy, made me bold. “Say it.”

  His touch was making my whole world spin, there was only the feel of his skin, the touch of his fingers and lips and the way I opened up to them, only the soft wet sounds of our bodies coming together…

  “You,” I managed. “You, always you, only ever you…”

  He pulled back and flipped me onto my stomach, the cool fabric exquisite agony against my stimulated nipples. He spread my legs, one hand holding me open as the other slid up to cup my breast.

  “You ready to take my cock?” he growled against the back of my neck.

  I nodded, and then he was inside me.

  He thrust into me hard, and I shrieked, the feelings all the more intense for not being able to see him, for having to trust him, for being completely at his mercy as his strong hands held me hostage and his long hard cock slammed into my pussy, again and again, filling me up, stretching me, lighting up my nerve endings and electrifying my veins.

  With a moan I pushed my ass up against him, wanting him deeper still, and the hand on my hip stole around to stroke my wet pussy, his long fingers tweaking my clit as I clenched around his cock. As he rocked into me I let go of everything bad I felt inside, everything that had been hurting me or dragging me down for years. Grinding into his hand, feeling the steady beat of his cock, hearing his gasps of pleasure behind me, the ecstasy pushed me higher and higher, until I found myself falling over the edge.

  We came at the same time, moans wrenching through us, calling out to each other. Finally we collapsed boneless onto the bed, Hunter’s weight like a comforting blanket settling over my body as he tucked me back against him. I reached up behind me to stroke his hair, the smooth skin of his powerful shoulders.

  He pressed a soft kiss to my neck, just below my ear.

  I had never felt so much a part of another person, so connected and together, so warm. I never wanted to leave the safety of his arms.

  “I’m glad you’re here with me,” Hunter said, his words barely more than warm puffs of air against my skin. He squeezed me tight. “You make me strong.”

  I twisted around just enough to press my lips to his jaw. “You make me strong here.” I found his hand, interlaced my fingers with his. “I’m glad we’re in this together.”

  ELEVEN

  The expo was a whirlwind of activity, people embracing and shaking hands as they bustled between tables and booths overflowing with samples of products, jingles, and packaging. The roar of conversation dipped and fell like the waves of an ocean, and the sea of people before us seemed about to swallow us whole.

  Hunter took my hand as we stood off to the side, ran his fingers over my knuckles. He bent to murmur in my ear: “You nervous? Or excited?”

  I chuckled. “Both, honestly!”

  He nodded. “Tell me about it.”

  Unfortunately, we couldn’t spend the whole day joined at the hip. We had to let go of each other—well, of each other’s hands, anyway, and head out to mingle. We were both locked and loaded with flyers and an elevator pitch for our bourbon beer booth.

  “We got this,” I told Hunter.

  He grinned. “I know we do, babe.”

  And we headed out together to conquer the expo.

  #

  An hour later, flushed and exhilarated, we began to make our way back to the booth to pick up more flyers. We’d been picked clean by eager expo-goers who were intrigued both by the new beverage and the fact that Hunter Knox was in the saddle again. Our pockets were bulging with the business cards from potential investors and distributors, and I’d already scheduled interviews for Hunter with three different journalists who’d expressed interest in writing articles about the company.

  And then, like a zit on the face of a supermodel, Chuck appeared on the floor of the expo, strolling through the crowd as if he owned them all, flanked by two serious-looking older men in blue European-cut suits and two women in tailored pastel dresses.

  “Ah, if it isn’t Hunter Knox and sweet little Ally Bartlett,” he greeted us, oozing insincere charm. “How nice to see you here. Holding up nicely? Not burned though all the charity yet?” He laughed like a hyena.

  “We’re fine, thank you,” I said through gritted teeth.

  “So glad we were able to work out a deal,” he said with a malicious smile. “But oh! I’m being rude! I haven’t introduced my companions.” A sweeping gesture indicated the well-dressed men and women behind him. “Still, I’m sure you recognize the Big Four. Don’t you, Hunter?”

  “I do indeed,” Hunter said, not deigning to look at Chuck. He gave a respectful nod to the others, instead, who returned it. I gave them a friendly smile, and we all exchanged handshakes.

  “I’m sure we’ll speak later, Hunter,” said one of the women, gray-haired with a regal profile that reminded me of Viola Davis. “I’m certainly interested in what you’re up to these days.”

  “Nothing much, I’m sure,” Chuck put in quickly. “Not like the exciting things you have going on.”

  The woman forced a thin smile. “Quite.”

  Interesting. They seemed to be tolerating Chuck more than anything. I wondered how quickly the tables would turn if he no longer had something they wanted…

  “I bet you’re wondering what I’m doing with these fine ladies and gentlemen, Hunter,” Chuck said, his grin ever more malicious. “Well, let me put you out of your misery. These are the soon-to-be new owners of Knox Liquors.”

  Hunter raised an eyebrow. “Really? Well, I suppose it’ll be in better hands than yours then.”

  One of the men stifled a chuckle.

  Chuck was thrown, but to his credit he shook it off and kept plowing forward. He’d gotten one over on us, and by God, he was going to grandstand about it, current evidence to the contrary be damned. “Without your shares we couldn’t sell,” he sneered. “But now the playing field is clear. Knox Liquors is mine to sell to the highest bidder. And so I shall.”

  He was so busy gloating, he didn’t notice the looks that crossed the faces of the four people behind him.

  “One moment,” said one of the men, balding with blue eyes. “Did you just say Hunter Knox has left the company?”

  “Yes, yes,” Chuck said impatiently, “which means that now we can move forward—”

  “But this changes everything,” the man said.

  “Agreed,” said the second woman. “With the way sales are dropping, the only reason we were considering a takeover was with Hunter’s management. He knows how to lead the business with the best interests of the company legacy in mind.”

  Chuck scoffed. “Mr. Knox’s business practices have driven the company straight into the mud.”

  The Big Four narrowed their eyes, furrowed their brows. Chuck’s face paled as he realized the implications of what he’d just said out loud to them.

  “I mean,” he backpedaled, “Not such that we can’t recover! We’re recovering as we speak! Now that he’s gone we’re moving forward stronger than ever before, and if you’ve seen the new ad campaign you’ll agree that soon enough the younger demographic will more than make up for the sales that the older customers’ve—”

  The regal woman scowled in disdain. “We’ve seen the ads. Appalling, really. Clearly a misstep, and one which we’re looking to correct if we move ahead with this plan, which seems increasingly unlikely given the…recent changes in management.”

  Her colleagues nodded in agreement.

  Chuck looked around like a drowning man searching for something to grab on to. “But—but—well, I’m sure we could work something out, I could invite Hunter back, offer him a consulting position—”

  “That won’t be necessary,” Hunter said. His voice was quiet, but commanding; everyone stopped and turned to him. He went on: “I have no interest in working at the same company as Chuck ever again. So I’ve left. And I’ve set up a new brand.”

  And like a stage magician, he pulled out one more flyer.

  The Big Four immediately clustered around him like flies around honey.

  “Tell us more—”

  “—the stock options for early investors—”

  “—and in terms of marketing, how are you planning to account for—”

  “—flavors does it come in?”

  Hunter and I swept them away, answering their questions as we guided them towards our booth.

  We left Chuck behind, the smirk wiped off his face, gaping like a fish left stranded on the shore.

  #

  We thought the booth had been busy before, but as we neared it now, we saw Martha’s arms windmilling in a blur, desperately trying to keep the booth stocked in the face of the mob that had descended upon her, desperate for the free samples and only slightly less interested in the business plan. People spotted us and began to push towards us, shouting to make themselves heard above the rest:

  “I run a small distributing company with good connections in the Georgia area, I can—”

  “—completely free all week if you’d like to speak about a substantial investment—”

  “—I’d like to stock this in my supermarkets, if you’ll just meet with the board—”

  Meanwhile, another mass of people couldn’t have been pried away from the table of free samples with a crowbar. I passed a journalist, caught a glimpse of some notes she’d dashed off on her tablet: bold yet earthy, full-bodied, flavorful, sweet.

  Someone else shoved a microphone into Hunter’s face: “Mr. Knox! How are you planning on staffing this new venture? Will it continue to be a one-man operation?”

  “Well, it hasn’t been a one-man operation for quite some time now,” Hunter said with a friendly grin. “In fact, you folks wouldn’t be enjoying this fine beverage today if it weren’t for the efforts of a small team, foremost among them these two ladies here.”

  He indicated Martha and me with a sweep of his arm, and Martha threw a hand on her hip and flashed a megawatt smile at the camera, probably imagining her future fame as a bourbon-beer goddess and all the pretty new boys it would bring her.

  “But to answer your question, no, this won’t remain a small operation for long. I’ve recently come into some money—” he winked at me—“that will allow me to rehire my entire team from Knox Liquors, should they wish to join me in this new venture. Nobody will be losing their job today!”

 

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