Closing Costs (11 page)

"Because you are the luckiest girl on the planet, that's why." She scooped her up and held on tight, fighting the urge to agree with her.

Katie sniffled a little. The smiled, putting her hands on Sara's face. "Okay. But I'll bet Uncle Jack would like to go with us to the park. Let's call him."

****

One Week Later

"Hi Mommy!" The sound of Katie's voice made Sara's eyes burn.

"Hi baby! I miss you so much! Are you having fun?" She leaned back in the chair and let herself acknowledge that the week she thought she'd enjoy – one free of any and all daycare drop-off or pick-up, meals that balanced and the necessary laundry to appease Katie's fashion sense –had had the opposite effect. She'd been miserable in the echoing, quiet house.

"I love it so much here! It's sunny and warm and I saw Mickey and had the Princess dinner and have been swimming and water sliding with..."

Sara let the girl's words swirl around in her brain. Finally she interrupted the monologue. "Are you wearing sunscreen and…"

"I know all that, Mommy." The exasperation in the girl's voice set Sara's teeth on edge. "Uncle Jack wants to talk to you." There was a rustling then Jack's deep voice filled her ears.

"Hey. I think it's a raging success. I'm officially a Walt Disney company investor by this point, if money spent at an individual resort is any indication of…"

"God I miss her Jack." He laughed.

"Of course you do dear. She's your daughter. You've been with her for her entire life. Cut yourself some slack."

A loud screech made Sara flinch. "I will assume that is a sound of joy and not terror or pain."

"You can leave me in charge, never fear. Katie, get down off the ceiling fan."

"Jack!"

"I'm kidding. Thanks for letting her come with me. It means a lot to me. I know it was hard for you to agree to it."

"No, it wasn't really. I just wanted you to work for it a little."

"That's my girl. Stubborn to the last. Gotta dash. We have a date with a mermaid or some shit I don't know." Sara smiled.

"Have fun. See you soon."

Chapter Fourteen

By the time Katie returned, Sara had worked herself into a frenzy. Jack had proven true to his word – had forced her to take a hard look at her office's expenditures, threatening cuts and all sorts of crap. The strict, personal hands-off policy he'd adopted regarding Sara made her insane. But the office sales numbers were picking up thanks to her focus.

Of course, it took two to Tango at that you know. You could meet him halfway. It's within your power to change all this. You want to. Step the hell up. Close the gap.

But she wouldn't. The hurt of the past years ran deep and her fear of experiencing it again kept her aloof, matching his demeanor. She re-focused on the spreadsheets in front of her, attempting to justify expenditures that did exceed all other sales offices, by a lot. Management sucked. Her phone buzzed with a text.

"You there? We need to talk."

Jack.

She frowned at the clock. Nearly six-thirty. Julie had agreed to get Katie from daycare and the girl had been hysterical of the idea of a "mani/pedi" with her mommy's new friend.

"Yeah. For a little longer. What's up?"

"I'll be there in ten."
She rolled her eyes at his need to be mysterious but her scalp tingled at the prospect of seeing him again.

Her office offered privacy, not that she thought they'd need any. She made an effort not to apply lipstick, fuss with her hair. God knows he'd seen her at her absolute worst, she wasn't about to go out of her way to primp for him. She buried herself in the cost analysis again to distract from her need to pace, brush her hair, anything to look good for the man. By the time he rapped on her doorframe, she jumped in surprise.

He handed her a double skim latte in a cardboard cup and sank into the chair by her desk before speaking. "Fuck me running. This management thing sucks on so many levels I can't name them all." He ran a hand down his face. She couldn't help but grin as she sipped the perfectly timed caffeine.

"Yeah, and I guess I can thank you for my role in it." She leaned back.

"I want to do more with Kate." She shook her head at the abrupt change of subject.

Narrowing her eyes at him, her natural reaction was to resist his continued insertion in their lives. "What do you mean
more
?"

"Give me some days to pick her up; do the afternoon stuff. Like on a regular basis."

"Well…"

"C'mon Sara, I'm crazy about that kid. I thought we had an understanding." She sighed.

"I don't know. I'm sort of surprised that's all. You didn't want to have anything to do with her for so long. I don't want to confuse her with another "uncle." She's already…" She stopped not willing to let on what sort of affect he'd already had on Katie.

"That's my fault. And yours. But I told you I wanted to play a bigger role. Now I'm here to sort out the details."

Sara put her feet up on her desk. "Lucky girl."

"Well, you made that call for yourself, my dear." He mirrored her, propping his own feet up on the opposite hers. They sat in silence. "Offer still stands."

"Oh Jack you are .."

"Persistent? Incredibly talented? Madly in love still?"

She laughed. "Stubborn?"

"Hello, kettle this is pot…" he grinned over his cup at her, setting her nerve endings jangling. "I miss you Sara." Those simple words, said countless times before, had a different effect on her today. She stood and walked around to face him, leaning on the desk. He merely looked up at her. The space between them crackled with energy. She took one step past him and shut her door, then stood, hands on hips.

"Okay, persistent. That's fair." Putting her hands on the arms of the chair, she leaned in and touched her lips to his. He stayed completely still; let her lead. She licked his lips, parted them with her tongue, their only contact by mouth but with more than enough between them to fill a book. She sighed when he yanked her down to his lap, forcing her to straddle him, digging his fingers into her hips.

He fisted his hands in her hair, pulled hard, making her gasp. When his lips and teeth touched her neck, she had to hold back a yelp of pleasure.

"I need you so much. I…Oh God," She gasped as his hands roamed up and down her back, tugging her skirt up and cupping her ass. The hard bulge of his arousal beneath her made Sara want to whimper. But she couldn't seem to find words that adequately reflected her convoluted feelings.

"What do you want from me, really?" His words were muffled, his mouth stayed pressed to her neck then down between her breasts. "Because I can give you this," He clutched her ass, ground his cock into her clit. "And this," his hands moved up, tugged her hair again, bringing tears to her eyes. "And definitely this," He yanked her blouse up, freed one breast, ran his thumb across her nipple. "But," his hands cupped her face, making her look into his eyes. "It's not enough for me anymore. I need more from you." He pushed her up, confusing her as her body continued to thrum and pulse with the kind of anticipation only Jack could ever provide. He stood, put his hands in his pockets.

Sara caught her breath, and in a split second had herself wrapped around the tall, strong body she still dreamed of, covered the firm lips she continued to fantasize about to that very day. He groaned, met her half way and the world drowned in her sea of lust, frustration and something deeper. She forced that aside. Their teeth clicked, tongues tangled with urgency as he pressed into her. She cupped the hard ridge of his cock, breathless, her ears buzzing with need.

"Dear God, Sara, I," he hissed when she slid his zipper down, reached in to grasp him. The smooth velvety skin covering the rock hard steel of his need made her groan, as her pussy pulsed in anticipation. The fact that he seemed utterly undone by her, unable to maintain total control as he usually did, made her body clench.

"Stop," his voice growled in her ear. He put a hand over hers, took it off his cock and leaned back to face her. "I need to be inside you, to taste you, fuck you, to own you like I did once. I need it so badly I can hardly fucking breathe. But just…stop." She could hear the strain in his voice.

"No," she whispered. "You don't really want me to." The small sound he made in his throat told her everything. She squirmed against him, and had to bite down a squeal when he gripped her hips and forced her to turn around, pushed her down over the desk.

"No, baby, I don't want you to." He yanked her skirt up, dipped his fingers inside her already dripping walls, pressing high, aiming right for her sweet spot. He kept running his cock against the skin of her ass, making her want to arch up, to receive him inside her body. "Now, come for me Sara. Now." He thrust inside, spreading her fast, making her gasp at the sensation. She'd forgotten how exquisitely they fit together. His low moan and thrusting body brought her orgasm roaring up and out, and she had to clap a hand over her mouth to keep from yelling his name.

"That's it. That's how my Sara comes. Oh Christ," he pounded into her, bringing stars to her vision, and edge of pain to the extreme pleasure. Taking her like this, without preamble or finesse, their bodies acting in a primal way, meeting and connecting and bringing physical satisfaction – it made her come again, and again, coating her own thighs with her juices. Made her moan, whisper his name, grip the edge of the desk to keep from flying off into the atmosphere.

Jack's brain shut down and his body took over, bringing him what he needed so badly, had needed for so long from her. Her gorgeous ass, tilted up to meet him blinded his vision. He pressed a finger against the sweet rosebud of her tightest hole, knowing this would send her over the edge. Her hips bucked faster. The tight clutch of her pussy clenched, pulsed and pulled him over with her.

Leaning over her back, he fisted a hand in her hair and pulled, riding her, owning and filling her with all he had until his vision darkened and his cock swelled and released. He tried hard not to make noise but the grunt of release sounded sweet to his own ears. The amazing sounds she made as her body continued to pulse around his forced him down and over, draping his body over hers. They stilled, their breathing calmed, and he pulled out, suddenly furious with himself and with her.

She stood back up and grabbed some tissues to clean up, but wouldn't meet his eyes. She felt it too; goddammit he knew it. "Hey," he cupped her chin. "Nice workout. But …" She held up a hand but he grabbed her wrist, brought his lips near hers. "No, you can't stop me. I will have my say and you will listen to me. I know that's my daughter in your house and I want to be a part of your lives. If you want me to fuck you every now and then to take your edge off, that's fine. But I'll be damned if you keep me from her. Do you get me?" Rage and the onset of post-orgasmic letdown made his voice rough.

She glared at him. "Take your hand off me." He released her, zipped up his pants and stepped away. His chest tightened, words unsaid between them that needed release, but neither would let them fly. He'd said his peace, repeatedly. He'd grown, matured, and he didn't seek instant physical gratification at every turn anymore. He knew what he fucking wanted and it stood right in front of him. The anger in her eyes did not bode well for his cause, however.

"Fine." She tugged her clothes back into place. "You can have Tuesday and Thursday nights."

"And weekends." He kept his voice calm. Negotiation was one of his many strong suits.

"What are we doing here, fighting over custody? You
think
you know, but the fact is we don't." He watched her jaw clench and it took everything he had not to reach out, to run his finger across it, ease her, just like he knew he was meant to. He took a step backwards. "She's my daughter and one of you is her father. I don't give a damn who, and so as far as you are concerned it was an immaculate conception. The man who fathered her was too concerned about winning a prize. I won't be thought of that way. Nor will I have Katie between us like some kind of trophy. Period."

Jack went on, although his body had chilled at her words. "I want her to stay at my house too." Sara clenched her eyes shut, obviously fighting an inner war of some sort. "I'll fix up a room for her. It'll be fine."'

"How do I explain that to her?"

"I don't give two shits how you do it. You can keep calling me an uncle or whatever you do to delude yourself about me, but I will have this." He ran his fingers through his hair, but his knees shook so hard he had to sit back down.

The look in her eyes made him more frustrated than the combined sum total of their years together. And that was saying something. "Okay, but the whole 'fucking me to take an edge off' thing? No thanks. Go find someone else Jack. I won't be what you need me to be, ever. We will do nothing but frustrate each other to the point of homicide. You make me better and worse all at once. I can't take it." She looked out her window, not realizing how fully she had broken his heart. He took a breath, then stood. "You should move on."

"As long as you realize you only have to tell me that once." He left before he said something colossally stupid. Something he couldn't take back.

"Wait!" He heard her call out, and he stopped, closed his eyes a moment. Then opened them and kept walking.

No. No more. I've tried enough. She's right. I gotta find something else, maybe even someone else. But, in the meantime
... He smiled at the thought of Kate's face when he told her she got to decorate her room anyway she wanted. His daughter; he knew it. She'd be happy with him, would love him unconditionally back. That's all he needed.

Sara slammed the door shut behind him, not caring who heard or knew what they'd done behind it. God damn the man to hell and back. How did he do it? Bring her such exquisite ecstasy and bone-grinding anger within minutes. His fucking possessiveness had obviously translated over to her daughter now and while part of her wanted it – craved it even – a bigger part of her resisted it, hard. So hard, in fact, she feared she might have just alienated him forever with just the turn of a phrase.