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Authors: Harley Baker
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Nothing Else Matters
About nine in the morning, Lucy smelled coffee, opened her eyes, and looked around. She knew she was in a strange bed, but where? Then she remembered as a smile spread across her face.
"Good morning, beautiful Lucy," Chuck said.
"Good morning, to you, too."
He was sitting at the table sipping from a cup. She wrapped the sheet around her naked body and walked over to him. He spun away from the table and grabbed her and wrapped his arms around her thighs and with the side of his face against her belly, he pulled her as close as he could.
"I have loved you since I first met you," he said.
"Oh, Chuck, that makes me so happy. I love you, too!"
She sat down in the chair next to him. He poured her a cup of coffee and kissed her on the cheek.
"I had a wonderful time last night, thank you," she said.
"No, thank you! The pleasure was all mine!"
"No, I don't think that is true at all."
They heard a knock on the door. He opened it to let room service in.
"I didn't know what you wanted, so I ordered a few different things. If you don't see something you like, I'll get something else."
"No, this is great. Thanks."
She blew on her coffee that was still a little too hot to drink and picked up a blueberry muffin to nibble on.
"What would you like to do today?"
"What are my options?" she asked with a naughty grin.
"You can go anywhere you want and do anything you want."
"All I want is to be with you. Nothing else matters."
She felt a pang of guilt as she claimed that nothing else matters. It reminded her of what she would have to do to her poor employees. She got up and took a shower. As the water pounded down on her shoulders, she weighed the possible outcomes. She would die a bitter old maid if she didn't follow her heart, and her dedicated and loyal employees would lose their jobs if she did.
While she was in the shower, he got on the phone and arranged their activities for the day. When she returned to him, she was a little dejected. He asked her if she was okay. She kissed him briefly and said that everything was great. She would have make sure she did not let him know what she was thinking.
He parked the car at the pier, and they were met by Captain Lloyd and escorted onto his beautiful massive yacht. Lucy had brought her suit thinking that they might swim at the hotel, but she had no idea they might end up out on the ocean.
Captain Lloyd pointed them in the direction of the changing rooms. She came out wearing her cute pink suit with a sparkly cover up. He wore a long loose blue swimsuit. It was a little cool outside for sunbathing, but the hot tub on the deck was perfect. The smell of saltwater was in the air. The waitress brought them rum punch and they kicked back to relax. Every so often, she would feel his toes between her thighs. She would playfully bat them away.
When they got hungry, the waitress brought them luxurious robes to wear inside. They went downstairs. They were served quite an impressive spread of food. They sat at a table and shared a comfortable padded bench.
Lucy was having so much fun with her new man, but while they were eating, she started thinking about her employees and the price they would pay for her happiness.
"Would you like to spend the night out here on the boat?" Chuck asked.
She had to go to work tomorrow. She tried to get the thought out of her mind, but she shook her head no and her eyes teared up.
"What's the matter, Lucy?"
He was so concerned. He threw his arms around her and held her as she cried. She felt so silly for ruining their date. When she finished crying, she pulled away from him to explain herself. Of course, she was a little apprehensive about doing that since she would have to admit to him that she was making long-term plans in her mind with a man she met less than a month ago.
"Oh boy! Here goes nothing!"
"Yes?" he waited patiently.
"I have about 300 employees."
"Okay."
"I care a lot about these people."
"And you should.
He held her hands in his waiting to hear what else she had to say.
"Well, lately, I have been imagining, uh, dreaming, oh boy!"
He looked at her intently. She could see how worried he was and wanted to make it better for him, but she couldn't make the words come out right.
Come on! Do it!
"I've been thinking about our future, and me moving back to Kansas."
His face showed his relief right away.
"Don't be embarrassed. We want the same thing," he said.
"But if I leave, my employees will lose their jobs. I don't think that's fair to them just so I can follow my bliss."
"I'm your bliss?" he teased.
"Very much so!"
"Well, first things first. I will have to ask you to marry me so you will know I am serious about building a life with you.
She was speechless and little confused.
"Then you will have to accept my proposal so that I know you are serious about building a life with me."
Lucy just kept listening to see where this fanciful conversation was going.
"But if I propose and you accept right now, it will upset everybody back home because they won't understand the timing."
Her face drooped. He smiled at her.
"So we can never tell them. I will have to put a big show for everyone, get you a diamond ring, and propose to you the way you deserve. I will even wait a couple of months so it will seem proper. And when I do this, you have to promise to say yes."
He looked intently into her eyes. She could feel every pore in her body tingling. He continued.
"Now, since we will then be committed to each other, it will be my place to help you out when you need it. You can hire someone here to run this place for you and open up another one in Wichita if you want to."
Her lower lip started quivering. That sounded so good to her that it made her cry.
"But what if I don't want to open another one because I will have my hands full planning the wedding of the decade, and then hopefully taking care of our babies when they come along?"
"I told you. You can go anywhere you want and do anything you want. I mean that. I cannot wait to be your husband, so I better get the proposal done," he joked.
He went down on one knee.
"Lucy, since I met you, I have felt alive for the first time in a very long time. Will you keep me alive by marrying me?"
Through tears, she said, "Yes."
The Billionaire's Plumber
(Erotic Romance, BBW, HEA)
Harley Baker
Copyright
2013 Harley Baker
Wild Charm Publishing
Amazon Edition
Table of Contents
Awakenings
As Toni Becker tucked her kids in for the night, she thought about how much she still had to get done before she could go to sleep herself. She was always tired these days.
Johnny, her five-year-old, looked up at her with those beautiful green eyes and long eye lashes. She brushed back strands of his light brown hair with her fingers and caressed his tender cheek. Her heart swelled with love and pride. He was the very image of his father, his wonderful daddy who he would never know. She kissed him.
"Mommy loves you! Sweet dreams."
"I love you, too, Mommy, sweet dreams."
And then she climbed up the bunk bed ladder to where her twelve-year-old daughter, Fiona, waited patiently for her turn with Mom.
She favored her mother more, but Toni thought she favored John as well. Fiona smiled with her beautiful brown eyes as she hugged and kissed her goodnight.
"I love you, too, Baby Girl! Sweet dreams."
"I love you! Sweet dreams!"
She descended the ladder and went back to the kitchen, so she could finish the laundry and dishes. She marveled at how long she had been surviving on her own, but she was never sure how much longer she could go on.
She remembered thinking she would die from the sadness when her dear husband had been killed while she was pregnant with Johnny. But she had somehow made it through.
She had two sisters and a half-brother, but they were all in the military, so she never got to see them as much as she would like. And they were all too far away to help her much.
John had been her high school sweetheart. They started dating sophomore year. Junior year she got pregnant. Even though the timing was terrible, they had still been happy to meet their first child. They got married, he finished high school, but she dropped out.
Her husband had been a plumber's apprentice who was right on the verge of getting his journeyman's license. They had always agreed that kids do best when one parent could stay home and take care of the family while the other one earned a living, but for a long time, they had not had that luxury, so Toni had needed to wait tables to make ends meet. They were very much looking forward to John being able to bring home enough money that Toni would not have to work.
When she had Fiona, she had to go back to work when the baby was four-weeks old. Oh, how she had hated that! Leaving her sweet baby girl every day to go wait on a bunch of strangers just did not make any sense to her. But with the new baby, she was going to be able to do what felt natural, stay home and take care of her babies.
When John died, Toni's parents were no help to her at all. They were divorced when she was young, and continued making everyone's lives miserable. They fought constantly and moved around a lot. And the last thing she needed was more people to care for and worry about.
John had worked for a terrific man,
Joe Pedrotti. Joe really had a lot of respect for John, and took it upon himself to look after Toni and the kids. His wife, Betty, was a nice lady. She was a great cook and would often invite them over for home cooked meals on Sunday. Toni enjoyed her hospitality, and the kids liked going there, too.
Joe knew that Toni could not make enough money to cover living expenses waiting tables, plus the schedule would be sporadic. That would make things much more difficult for her raising the kids alone, so he gave Toni a job as a plumber's helper. And even though he got called out at all hours, he would only let her work Monday through Friday during business hours.
When her baby was born, Betty baby sat Fiona and took good care of Toni and baby Johnny. She was always willing to pick them up from daycare or school when they were sick. That had been very helpful.
She was grateful to have the
Pedrottis in her life. She cringed when thought about where they might be now without them.
When she finally finished up, she went back into the bedroom. Both children were sleeping. She stood for a moment and thought about how angelic they looked when they were asleep and how much she loved them. She crawled into her own bed. Well, she did not really have a bed. It was more like just a twin-sized mattress on the floor, but it did not matter to her what it looked like as long as she got some well-earned rest on it.
After dropping the kids off at school, Joe and Toni pulled up outside an enormous new house that had just been built. They were here to finish the installation that they had started before the house went up. Toni liked new installation much better than fixing old broken pipes. She ran her hands along the counter in the bathroom. She thought about the cost of the fixtures. It amazed her to think about how much rent she could pay with that much money. She could outfit her children until they graduated from high school.
The usual characters were coming and going. The electricians and rock work guys were the same ones that she knew from other jobs. Surprisingly, she did not have to put up with much macho nonsense. She was pretty sure that Joe had threatened to tell their wives or mothers. Maybe he even threatened to kick their asses. He was damn strong for an old man. Every now and then a new worker would join a crew. It was easy to spot them because they all would try hitting on her. She never looked at them or spoke. She did not have to. The other guys would reel them in and make them behave. Everyone looked out for her like a sister.
At lunchtime, Joe ran errands, so Toni explored the house looking for the best deck. She sat down alone outside to enjoy the view. The fresh air was nice to breath when the house was full of glue fumes and dust. There was no furniture, so she sat on floor. She thought about how impressed her kids would be if they could see this house. She would be sure and tell them all about it.
A man she had never met came out on the deck. He greeted her casually then stood by the railing looking out at the mountainside and the river than ran through it. She was not sure whether she should get up or not. She started gathering her things, but he told her to stay put, so she relaxed and went back to her sandwich.
He is not wearing work clothes. Who is he?
His Latino accent was very strong, almost indiscernible. He had really thick dark hair and a dark complexion. He looked to be nearly six feet tall and built really well.
"You are the prettiest plumber I ever met."
She was caught a little off guard by his comment, but she still laughed.
"That's not much of a compliment, but thank you anyway."
Then it was his turn to laugh. When she finished eating, she gathered up her things and went inside. He stayed out on the deck for a good long while. She had no idea who he was, but he was one sexy man! She made a mental note to stay away from him. She had to stay focused on taking care of her kids, so there was no room in her life for a man. Not even for one that sexy. Especially not for one that sexy!
While the kids worked on their homework, Toni put a frozen casserole in the oven. She tried to help Fiona with her math, but it was too confusing. It made her feel very inadequate. Lots of things made her feel that way. At least she was able to help Johnny with his alphabet worksheet.
She told them all about the house she was working in.
"It is just like something you see on TV."
Johnny's eyes got big. She described the deck she sat on and everything she could see from there. Johnny wanted to know if there were any bears in the woods. She just smiled and shook her head.
"If there are, I hope they stay in the woods," Fiona said.
"I would karate chop that bear!"
Johnny held up his little hands not looking quite as scary as he hoped he would. Fiona rolled her eyes. Toni let her thoughts roam to the man standing on the deck. He was so different from other guys. What was it about him that got her attention? She had not been even slightly attracted to anyone since John died. Then it occurred to her how long it had been, nearly six years. She thought even if she had nobody in her bed for 20 years, all that mattered was her kids health and happiness. And besides, between the baby and the depression, she had gained a lot of weight. She was not interested in showing her fat body to anyone ever. The smell of her food in the oven heating up made her stomach growl.
The next day at work, she headed to the deck to eat. When she got there, she was a little taken aback by the table and chairs that were there. She cautiously looked around and then sat down. The view was much easier to see from the chair than it had been from the floor. It was absolutely breathtaking!
A few minutes later, the man came out, said hello, and sat down across the table from her. She instantly felt her cheeks go red. She waved since her mouth was full. He was more attractive today than he had been yesterday, if that were even possible. His grey and burgundy sweater fit his form nicely. She thought it made his nearly black eyes stand out.
"How are you, today?"
She nodded and smiled still chewing.
"It is a lovely day, don't you think?"
Finally, she swallowed.
"Yes, it is. Thank you for the table."
"Oh think nothing of it! I was going to put one here anyway."
She took another bite. T
his must be his house.
Just then, Joe appeared.
"Hey, you alright?" he asked eyeballing the strange man.
"I'm fine, he's okay."
Joe nodded his head, held eye contact with the man, and slowly walked away.
"You have a good boss."
"I know. He is great."
"My name is Victor Herminio Maximiano."
She could barely figure out what he had just said. He noticed she was trying and helped.
"My name is Victor," he said more slowly.
She smiled and thanked him for repeating it.
"I am Toni, pleased to meet you."
"I am also pleased."
He told her that he was the Brazilian Ambassador to the United States. She was a little embarrassed that she did not even know what that meant.
I'll look it up later.
"But enough about me, please tell me about you."
She told him all about her kids, her late husband, and the Pedrottis. The thrill in her voice spoke volumes about how much she loved her little family. When lunch was over, she went back to work . It got increasing more difficult to keep her mind on what she was doing. His deep sexy Spanish voice was so out of the ordinary. It was exotic and charming. And titillating.
On Sunday, Toni, and her kids went to eat dinner with the Pedrottis. As they walked in the house, delicious aromas met them at the door. Betty made a pot roast and really enjoyed having someone who she could spoil rotten. After a yummy bowl of peach cobbler for dessert, Toni and Fiona washed the dishes. When everything was nice and tidy, they went outside to enjoy the nice weather.
The kids ran around and played in the backyard while Toni and Betty had a chance to visit. Toni could tell from the expression on Betty's face that she had something important she wanted to discuss.
"So, Joe tells me Mr. Maximiano is interested in you. Is that right?
"Maybe. What did Joe say?"
Betty patted Toni on the arm.
"Well, he told me about him hanging out where you were and getting you a table. Now, you tell me your version!"
Toni told every detail including how sexy he was and asked her if she thought it was possible that he had romantic intentions seeing how he was so far out of her league.
"Now, don't run yourself down, honey. The world will do that enough for you. If this man has any sense at all, he finds you very attractive."
"But I don't even understand what his job is."
"It's not all that hard to understand. He is an ambassador from Brazil. He lives here and helps Brazilian citizens when they are here and have a problem."
"That doesn't sound complicated."
"It's not. Now, don't you let yourself feel intimidated! You hear me?"
"Yes, ma'am. I hear you."
"Now, if you need a babysitter, who are you going to call?"
"You, of course."
They shared lots of laughter that day.