Chapter Forty-Five

Grace ate her meal in silence while Mac and Sal talked business, politics, and sports. Sal tried to engage her in the conversation at one point, but he gave up after her one-word answers made it clear she was in no mood to talk.

Mac’s phone rang and, when he excused himself to go answer it, Sal looked at Grace and said, “I’m sorry if I said anything wrong.”

“You didn’t,” she said, trying to keep her emotions in check. “There are just parts of my past that I haven’t fully shared with Mac.”

Sal saw tears welling up in her eyes and said, “Ah, Bella, every girl has secrets. What’s really troubling you?”

Her voice was unsteady. “I just thought I’d finally found happiness, and now I’ve screwed it up.”

“Ah, but around the corner will be another man, and you’ll forget all about McKinley,” Sal said, trying to reassure her.

Grace shook her head. “There will never be another man like Mac,” she said as a single tear escaped the puddle that had pooled in her eye and rolled down her cheek. She took the diamond bracelet off, handed it to Sal, and stood up.

“Please give this to Mac and tell him how sorry I am. I’m going to catch a cab back to the hotel to pack my things. He deserves so much better than a used whore,” she said as the rest of the tears came pouring out like rain upon her face.

Sal was dumbfounded. The Grace Remy he knew was fun and flirty and devoid of the typical barrage of female emotions. He watched her leave and realized he’d been mistaken about her feelings for McKinley.

When Mac came back to the table, his mood was foul. “I’m sorry, Sal, but I’m going to need to cut our evening short. I have some urgent business that can’t wait.”

Sal said, “Before you go, my friend, I think I need to tell you I was wrong.”

“Wrong about what? Where’s Grace? I want to get going.”

Sal handed the diamond bracelet to McKinley and said, “She’s gone back to the hotel to pack. She asked me to give this to you and to tell you that she’s sorry and that you deserve better. She’s wrong, of course. Just as I was wrong about her intentions.”

Mac was furious. “What kind of game is she playing?”

“That’s just it; I don’t think Grace is playing this time. I thought you were another job to her. But I looked into her eyes and saw what I never did when she was with me. I saw a fierce passion and an unselfish love. If she were just in it for a good time or out to get your money, she’d have kept the bracelet and left. She hasn’t been gone long. I imagine you will be able to catch her if you hurry. I’ve got the bill. You just go.”

Mac nodded, put the bracelet in his pocket, and rang for his driver.

When he got back to their suite, Grace had a small suitcase in her hand and was about ready to leave.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked, his voice calm yet stern.

“I’ve only taken what’s mine and a couple of casual outfits that I might need while traveling home. You can take payment for them out of my last paycheck,” she said quietly.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“I’m sorry about Sal and everything else in my past. I think you should contact Alice and ask her to join you for the remainder of your trip. Thank you so much for everything, Mac. I will never forget you.”

“So that’s it? You’re just going to leave me? Do you think so little of me, Grace, that you think I’d want you gone over something so trivial?”

Grace couldn’t speak, or she knew she would start bawling.

“And as for Alice? It would be tough to have her join me considering the fact that I’ve fired her.”

“You’ve done what, now?” Grace asked in utter shock.

“You heard me correctly. I’m a tolerant man, and she’s been a wonderful employee for many years, but she crossed the line with this whole ruse. Getting me to come to Florence to see Sal, hoping to rub your past with him in my face, it’s all too much to forgive this time. Her jealousy of you, and the things I feel for you, have clouded her judgment. It was clear that she would stop at nothing to try to sabotage my relationship with you.”

Mac poured himself a glass of wine and took a huge sip. “So, I told her to clear out her desk; I’ve arranged for my attorney to retrieve her keys.”

He downed the rest of the wine in his glass in one gulp before pouring himself another. Then he poured one for Grace, as well.

“So, unless there is some other reason besides Alice’s vindictiveness that has you pissed at me, do you want to tell me why you were planning to leave me without saying goodbye?”

“Pissed at you? I’m not pissed at you; I thought you were pissed at me!”

“Why would you think that?”

“I came back from the ladies’ room, and you had daggers coming out of your eyes,” Grace explained.

He shook his head. “I was furious because Sal told me that he had not changed his mind about selling his company to me. Alice called him and told him I would be in town and that I wanted him to have dinner with my escort and me. Somehow, she must have figured out that you knew Sal. She set this whole thing up so that I would become angry at you and turn to her.”

“Why that conniving…” she stopped short of saying how she really felt about Alice. In a way, Grace felt sorry for Alice. All those years of unrequited love for McKinley couldn’t have been easy for her. That didn’t make her any less of a bitch, of course. But Grace didn’t need to call her one out loud.

Mac motioned for Grace to extend her arm. Then he fastened the diamond bracelet around her wrist and said, “This is yours, no matter what happens between us. Please don’t try to give it back again, or I will be pissed. I love you, Grace. Short of sitting down with you and asking for a list of erstwhile lovers and clients, which I won’t do, I can’t expect to never run into one. When I said you have a right to leave your past behind you, those weren’t just words, baby. I’m happy to listen to whatever parts of your former world you feel you want to share with me. Otherwise, it’s none of my business. But nothing you’ve done could be a deal-breaker for me. That’s how sure I am of our love.”

Grace hugged him tightly.

He soothed her by running his hand over her hair while she rested her head on his shoulder. “I am still beyond angry at Alice for wasting my time, all because of her jealousy. It was an uncharacteristic move on her part, which tells me she’s gone off the deep end. I no longer trust her to make decisions based on rational thought. Which means I need to find someone to replace her. For the time being, I think I will ask Lars to oversee my U.S. offices along with Amsterdam.”

“I’m just stunned,” Grace said.

“You picked it off right at the start. How did I not see that Alice was infatuated with me?”

“You weren’t looking for it. How did she handle being fired?”

“Not well at all. That’s why I came back to the table looking so incensed. Alice started crying and told me that she’s loved me for years and that she was only trying to get me to see that you were flawed so that I would turn to her instead.”

Mac stopped for a moment and shook his head. “Then she started screaming, saying, this was all your fault because you had me under your spell. She said a lot of ugly things and then threatened to sue me for every penny I was worth.”

“Wow.”

“I stayed as calm as I could and told her that she couldn’t love me if she were planning on trying to ruin me. Then I told her that my attorney would be there tomorrow to collect her keys. I changed my access codes and passwords on the ride here from the restaurant.”

“That was smart.”

Mac ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “Grace, do you love me?” he asked earnestly.

“With all my heart,” she answered without hesitation.

“Then don’t ever assume that I’m angry at you. And if I am, stick around and fight it out with me, okay?”

She nodded.

“What’s going on in that head of yours?” he asked as he kissed her on the forehead.

“I’m wondering how to ask you to forgive me,” Grace said honestly.

Mac put his mouth very close to her ear and said, “You could always show me.”

Grace felt goosebumps everywhere. “Oh, and how would I go about doing that?” she asked playfully.

He grinned. “Nothing says I’m sorry like a blow job.”

Grace raised an eyebrow. “Then I guess you better take your cock out for me.”

Mac laughed heartily. “Yes, ma’am.”

Chapter Forty-Six

Grace moved to the floor and got between his legs while he unzipped his pants and pulled his dick out for her. There was something naughty about leaving the pants buttoned and on, just allowing his rigid shaft to come out and play.

The decadence wasn’t lost on Grace. She looked up at him and batted her eyelashes. “Sir, would you like me to suck your cock before or after I finish the filing?” she teased.

“Before. Definitely before,” Mac said as he took his prick in his hand and rubbed it on her beautiful face. “Show me what a slut you are, and maybe you’ll get a promotion.”

Grace stopped and stood up. For a second, he thought perhaps he’d crossed a line. But before he could apologize, she started stripping off her clothes. Then she straddled him and eased herself down onto his rod.

“Not that I’m complaining, as your pussy is nice and tight, but I thought you were going to suck my dick.”

She leaned in and nibbled his ear. Then she said, “Oh, I’m going to suck it, all right. But maybe I like the taste of pussy and want to lick my nectar off your throbbing manhood.”

Mac moaned loudly. “Oh, fuck, Grace! You’re so fucking hot!”

She climbed down and got on her knees again. Then she licked his shaft from base to tip, making all kinds of yummy sex noises. She swirled her tongue around the head until he couldn’t take any more teasing and pushed his cock all the way into her mouth.

“That’s right, baby, suck my big prick!” he demanded. “Suck it like your job depends on it.”

Grace gave him that seductively slutty look again before she devoured his cock. He grabbed her head and pushed it down until the head popped into her throat. He held it there for a moment before letting her get some air.

“Tell me if I’m hurting you, Grace.”

She shook her head no, then put her hands on top of his encouraging him to push her head down again.

He did so multiple times until his balls rested against her chin. He’d never experienced anything like this in his whole life. It felt so good that he left himself buried to the hilt in her throat until she tapped his leg.

“Need some air, do you slut?” he said as he let her up to fill her lungs with oxygen. “That’s right, take a deep breath. I’m gonna keep fucking your throat because it makes my balls feel like they are going to explode.”

Eventually, he could hold off no longer and felt his sac tighten. “I want to come on your face, baby,” he blurted out.

She pulled back just as he was about to cum. The second his cock popped out of her mouth, his balls let go, and he covered her face with rope after rope of his sticky seed.

He looked at her face, decorated with his semen, and felt a little guilty about how fucking hot it looked to see her like this.

And then she scooped up a fingerful of his jizz and licked it up. Then she took another and smeared it all over her hardened nipples.

“My God, you’re beautiful!” he said, looking into her eyes.

“Thank you,” she said, smiling. “But am I forgiven?”

He laughed and said, “I don’t even remember what you did wrong, but hell yeah, I absolve you of any transgressions.”

Grace held up a finger, indicating that she’d be right back. A few minutes later, she came back with a clean face and her hair pulled back into a ponytail, wearing the emerald-green nightgown with the black lace bodice.

“As much as I love seeing you naked, this is a close second, my darling, Grace.”

“I’m sorry I was foolish. You have no idea how badly I wanted to keep this when I packed my things. It’s what slowed me down. If not for the fact that I recalled your reaction when I tried it on, I might have been gone already. That would have been foolish indeed.”

“Then I am grateful for the fact that I walked in on you that day.”

“I don’t know how far I would have gotten. To be honest, I was so relieved when you walked in before I had the chance to go. I love you, Mac. I just don’t ever want to hurt you or take advantage of you.”

Mac kissed her gently. “You would never do the latter. And the only way you could hurt me is to walk away from me.”

He thought how ironic it was that the woman who claimed to love him was doing everything in her power to pull him in, no matter how much it hurt him. In contrast, the woman who truly loved him was willing to walk away and give up her own happiness rather than have him think she was using him.

Suddenly, Mac had an idea. “I’ve decided you need to be punished.”

Grace tilted her head. “Oh?”

“Indeed. Go into the bedroom and wait for me.”

Grace suddenly felt giddy and aroused. She did what he asked and found herself trembling with desire by the time he came back.

He sat down on the bed next to her, holding a glass of ice. Without saying a word, he slid the strap of her nightgown down off her shoulder and exposed her right breast. The nipple was already hard as a pencil eraser, anticipating Mac’s next move. He took a piece of ice from the glass and held it over her so that it dripped onto her chest and rolled down until it clung to her nipple.

His cock twitched. Despite its recent eruption, it was nearly fully hard again. He took a second cube, this time rubbing it directly on Grace’s nipple. She began to rock her hips as her need was growing stronger.

He repeated the sensual torment on her other peak until she was moaning. Then he said, “Lie back, Grace.”

Again, she did as Mac directed. He lifted her nightgown until it bunched around her waist. Then he took another cube and traced it along her inner thighs until it melted. He used his middle finger to check her wetness and was not surprised to find a pool of her honey ready to drip.

The next ice cube was held directly about her clit so that, as it melted, it was depositing icy blasts of liquid that caused her to gasp as they landed.

He dug into the glass for two more frozen cubes. He slid one inside Grace and used the other to rub circles on her hard, swollen nub.

Grace was bucking when Mac finally took the last piece into his mouth and held it there while he feasted on Grace. He kept her teetering on the edge of climaxing for what seemed like forever until he eased his chilly thumb inside her tight ass and pushed her over the edge into a mind-blowing orgasm.

Moments later, he pushed her legs open and entered her with the raging hard-on that teasing her had caused. He managed to hold off cumming for a good twenty minutes, being the second round, and had her cumming again, begging and screaming.

When he finally came, he took Grace over with him one more time. Then he collapsed on the bed next to her.

She curled herself up into him and said, “You can punish me any time you like. Even when I’ve done nothing wrong.”

Mac laughed, “Christ! Is it any wonder that I am madly in love with you?”

“I love you too, Mac,” Grace said wistfully.

“Shall we rest up for round three?” he teased.

“I’m about a dozen or two orgasms ahead of you, Mac. I don’t think I could cum again if I tried.”

A half-hour later, Mac proved her wrong.

Chapter Forty-Seven

Since they had a day to kill in Florence before heading to Barcelona, they decided to play tourists again. Mac booked an all-day trip to the Cinque Terre. They took a motor coach from Florence to La Spezia. Once they arrived there, they would be taking a train to Manarola. Since the bus ride was two hours long and most of the other passengers were wearing headphones to listen to the tour guide talk about the famous views and villages along the way, Grace thought this might be as good a time as any to come clean with Mac. It was time to take that leap of faith and fully trust him. If he could change his mind about her now, well then, they just weren’t meant to be.

“Hey, I’m sorry about you needing to replace Alice. I feel sort of responsible.”

“Don’t be ridiculous…”

“Hear me out,” Grace interrupted. “She would never have gone to the lengths she did if she hadn’t been concerned about my intentions with you. And she had every right to be. I have been a whore, and I certainly have taken advantage of wealthy men.”

“What are you talking about?” Mac asked.

“After I came back to the States, I struggled with finding my way. I did some computer work, but I was barely making ends meet. A friend of mine was making great side money as an escort. She did mostly weekend jobs, but the pay was fabulous.”

Mac nodded.

“She told me there was a need for someone who’d be willing to take on week-long jobs, sometimes longer, and I decided that the extra cash would be worth it. So, I got to play wife, girlfriend, secret lover, and whore for some very wealthy men. All very discreet, all paid in cash. Soon, it was my full-time job. I traveled and lived well until I saved up enough for a house in L.A. and decided to put down roots. I gave up that life and found a job as an event planner. I arranged extravagant parties and conferences for wealthy clients, and I didn’t have to sleep with any of them. It was all going quite well for a while.”

She took a sip of the water bottle Mac handed her before continuing.

“Then, about five years ago, I got a very lucrative offer from the CEO of a firm for whom I’d done some event planning. He was looking for an interpreter who could speak several languages and was willing to travel. It was the perfect job, and things were going great until last year. One of the men who attacked me in Cote d’Ivoire spotted me while I was in Morocco with my boss and associates. The guy had fallen on hard times financially and saw that I was living quite well. He threatened to expose me to my very conservative employer unless I paid him to keep my past hidden.”

“So, what did you do?” Mac asked patiently.

“At first, I cried. I’d already paid dearly with my body to have my past buried. Now, here was someone who could ruin everything I had built for myself. But I had no choice; I gave him ten thousand dollars to leave me alone.”

“You did what? Grace, you’re an intelligent woman. Surely you knew that he wouldn’t stop there.”

“He left me alone for a while. But it wasn’t long before he came back wanting more money. Long story short, I paid him monthly until I had next to nothing in my bank account. I told him I was done paying and that he couldn’t ruin me because I’d ruined myself. I quit my job, sold my house, and moved across the country. I haven’t heard from him since. I was nearly broke when I found your posting for an escort.”

Mac wanted to hold her and throttle her at the same time. But he took a deep breath and let Grace finish.

“I told myself I could do it again, spread my legs for money until I could get back on my feet. However, I discovered it was harder than I thought to sell myself that way. Then you threw me for a loop by taking sex off the table and offering me a legitimate job. Of course, I fell hard for you and ended up in your bed anyway. But, because you’re a good, decent man, I did so by my choosing. I will always cherish knowing that you gave me a choice.”

Mac looked at Grace and kissed her softly on the cheek.

“Thank you for trusting me, Grace. I know that wasn’t easy for you,” he said. He inhaled sharply, knowing what he had to do. “Since you’ve poured out your soul to me, I feel it’s only fair that I share something with you. I just hope that you won’t change your mind about me.”

“Nothing you could tell me would change my mind, Mac.”

Mac prayed she was right; he couldn’t bear the thought of losing Grace. He thought he had been in love with Louise, but he was certain, right down to his core, that he loved Grace and was meant to be with her for the rest of his life. He took a deep breath, hoping she would not judge him.

“I told you a bit about Rebecca, the last escort whom I employed who wasn’t very bright. But what I didn’t tell you is that she left her carry-on bag in the ladies' room at the airport during the trip out west to visit my California and Arizona offices. When we were about to board the plane, she realized she didn’t have it and went back to retrieve it. Of course, it wasn’t there, and no one turned it in.”

“Okay,” Grace acknowledged what Mac was saying but was unclear as to his point.

“Her birth control pills were in that bag, but Rebecca neglected to tell me this. Later she told me that she meant to get a new script when we got to LA, but she forgot. Long story short, I got her pregnant and was a complete dick about it. I berated her for being stupid, the whole nine yards.”

He searched Grace’s eyes for some sign of reaction. When he saw none, he continued.

“I was angry. The last thing I wanted was to be a father, and I surely didn’t envision spending the rest of my life with Rebecca. I offered her an obscene amount of money to end the pregnancy, and she refused. She cried and said she wanted to keep the baby. So, I doubled the amount and said I never wanted to see her or hear from her again.”

Grace’s jaw dropped. This just didn’t sound like the man she was in love with.

“So, you have a child out there somewhere?” she asked, trying hard to keep her tone neutral.

“No, as it turns out, she miscarried. She came to my office and tried to return some of the money. Said she didn’t earn it all because she’d lost the baby. I had to watch her cry all over again, as she was devastated. I felt like the biggest asshole in the world. So, I held her while she cried. I told her to keep all of the money as a way to ease my conscience, I suppose.”

Grace sat silent. She wasn’t sure what to say. She struggled to comprehend that the callous man who tried to use his wealth to ignore his responsibilities was the same man who had given her his heart.

“I should add here that I was still under the delusion that somehow Louise and I would figure out how to make things work again eventually. But that’s a poor excuse for treating Rebecca as if she were just a body to fuck, consequences be damned.”

Grace took a deep breath. “That’s not the man you are anymore, Mac.”

“How can you be sure, Grace?” he asked.

“You said you didn’t want to be a father, but how would you react if I said I was pregnant?”

He looked at her as if he were trying to discern if the question was rhetorical or not. “I sure as hell wouldn’t send you away,” he answered honestly.

“Then there’s your answer. McKinley Stewart might have been careless with a woman’s heart, but Mac would never walk away from a situation simply because it was inconvenient. He would stick around and figure it out.”

When he continued to watch her intently, she said, “I’m not pregnant, Mac.”

He gave a relieved smile. “Just know that if you were, I’d take care of you.”

Grace sighed, “I know.”

Chapter Forty-Eight

After walking around Manarola with its plethora of grapevines, they took another ten-minute train ride to Vernazza. It was a quaint little waterfront town with a picturesque harbor with fisherman hauling in their catch for the day. The tour included additional stops at Monterosso and Riomaggiore, with its pastel-colored buildings and cobblestone streets.

Upon returning to the hotel that evening, they decided to order room service and enjoy one last night in Italy by sitting on their terrace, gazing at the stars, and holding each other. He sat in the lounger with Grace’s back resting on his chest and his arms around her waist. His hands moved across her abdomen, and he fantasized for a moment about having a baby with Grace. That the idea didn’t scare the shit out of him was surprising. He felt a pang of remorse for what happened with Rebecca, grateful now that he didn’t have a child out there somewhere that he’d abandoned.

“I hear that brain of yours in action again, Mac,” Grace teased. “What are you thinking about?”

“What our kids might look like someday,” he blurted out unintentionally.

Grace laughed, “The boys will all be strong and sexy with thick dark hair, and the girls will be sassy little redheads.”

Mac hugged her tight. “With blue eyes that can stare into a man’s soul and capture his heart.”

“Maybe Alice was right about you being under my spell.”

“If that’s true, I’m a lucky man.”

The flight to Barcelona the following day wasn’t particularly long, but it was very turbulent. Grace was fighting air sickness, and Mac had a raging headache. He hadn’t had one since early on in their time together, and he’d forgotten how unpleasant they were.

By the time they got to their hotel, El Palace Barcelona, all they wanted to do was lie down for a while. Grace handed Mac some Ibuprofen and took some Pepto Bismol. Then she set the alarm so they wouldn’t sleep through dinner, and they climbed into bed.

When they woke up, they both felt better but opted to order room service rather than dining out. While they were waiting for their food, Grace started reading about the suite they were staying in.

“Did you know that Ronnie Wood from the Rolling Stones selected the art deco and the paintings for this suite?” she asked. “It says here that the restored Wurlitzer 1900 Jukebox has been filled with all of his favorite albums.”

“I think he actually stayed here,” Mac said.

“Well, that’s pretty damned cool!”

After dinner, they reviewed the week's schedule and were about to dig into tailoring Mac’s presentation for the Barcelona group. Grace looked at Mac and asked, “How’s your head?”

“Much better, just a dull thud now. How’s your stomach?”

“I still feel a little off, but nothing like I did on that plane.”

“Well enough to go back to bed with me?” Mac asked, raising an eyebrow.

Grace laughed, “We have some work to do today to get ready for the week.”

He pulled her onto his lap and nuzzled her ear. “I promise this won’t take long. I just have a strong urge to make love to you.”

“Well, if you insist,” she teased.

He’d intended on a quickie but discovered his craving required more time and attention. Once he had Grace in bed, he couldn’t help wanting to draw things out for her. He kissed her neck and whispered decadent things while his fingers played among her wet, pink folds.

“You have the most amazing pussy,” he said in a low, sexy growl.

“Mmm, I feel the same way about your dick,” she said as her hips started rocking. “God, you’re making me so hot, Mac.”

“Good, that’s the idea, Gracie.”

Mac played with her until her back arched, and she drenched his hand. He slid his throbbing manhood into her sweet nectar and fucked her hard and deep until she came again. Then, he let go inside her and filled her with his seed.

As he held her afterward, he thought about how being able to tell Grace about his shameful misstep with Rebecca had been so liberating. And how refreshing it was that he could open up to Grace in ways he had never done with anyone else. He was, indeed, a lucky man.