Mastering Maeve Read online

  When they got back to the hotel, she went off to the private quarters and left him to his own devices. He was grumpy and dissatisfied with how the day had ended up. He would be gone early the following morning and she wasn’t working tonight so he figured they would just have to part on bad terms. On the plus side, at least he wouldn’t be leaving with his judgement clouded. She was too hot for him to handle. He preferred a more tractable woman.

  Like Emily, he thought sadly. He had been dating her for just over a year, and she had been such a sweet, easy-going woman. As Larry hadn’t felt ready for marriage, he thought it was unfair to keep seeing her, but he did miss her company at times. He wondered absently how she would have reacted if it had been her butt he had spanked. She probably would have accepted it without argument. She certainly wouldn’t have continued pushing him, testing his patience, the way Maeve did.

  He took himself off for a run to try and work off his annoyance. The sun was still shining as he took off down the country road. The trees were so full that they formed a canopy of green sheltering him from the heat of the evening. The sound of the leaves rustling in the wind soothed him as he ran and his pounding soon became less aggressive. By the time he had his five miles complete, he was ready to seek out Maeve to see if he could leave on better terms. On hearing a knock on his door as he finished his shower, he quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and t-shirt, shouting he’d be there in a minute. A sheepish Maeve held an open bottle of red wine in her hand. She’d obviously had the same idea.

  “Peace offering… I’m sorry I got so cross,” she said as he opened the door.

  “Do you lurk outside my door just waiting to catch me when I’m having a shower?” he asked with a smile. He felt elated that she wanted to make up. She looked sweet and vulnerable when she came cap in hand to him like that. It made him feel good, and even a little contrite.

  “I’m sorry I took over. Sometimes when I want to get things done, I just don’t think. Come on in.”

  He scrabbled around picking up the sweaty running gear and wet towels, feeling pretty embarrassed at the upheaval around him. Maeve opened the door to the little balcony adjoining his room, took two glasses from the refreshment tray, and made her way outside to enjoy the sea view in the evening sun. The wind was causing her curls to blow around her face and he laughed as she asked him for a biro, twisted her hair into a knot, and stuck the pen in it to hold it in place. It was just so her; improvising with whatever she had to work with, capable. She smiled back, looking more relaxed than he had ever seen her. Her eyes twinkled in merriment.

  “You’re going to have to get used to me, I’m never going to be a silent or biddable partner, but I’m sorry if I annoyed you. I hated the thought of you leaving without making up.”

  “I was going to look for you later too, after my shower,” he agreed. He took the glass of wine she offered, but first wrapped his hand around hers. “I’m glad you came to me first though. And no, I don’t imagine you’ll ever be too silent.”

  He let her hand go, taking the glass from her. He could see her hand shaking as she moved back. He wondered if it was good nerves or bad nerves. His own tummy fluttered with the good ones. He was at a bit of a loss. She was so young, so lovely but so wrong. You should never mix business and pleasure, he knew that. But that knowledge didn’t stop him wanting her.

  He sat next to her on the balcony; space was limited, and he was big. His leg ended up touching against hers. She jolted back. As the wine hit home, they both mellowed a little towards one another. After a little while he noticed their legs were touching again. This time she didn’t pull back. He refilled their glasses as he talked a little about his life, explaining his love of the ranch and the outdoor life and why he had chosen not to pursue a desk career. He liked the way she listened, interested in what he had to say. He noticed she had a cute little habit of tilting her head ever so slightly to the side when she was paying attention, and little lines were visible between her eyebrows as she concentrated. As they were talking, a wasp started buzzing around his head and he flicked it away, spilling some wine on his white t-shirt.

  “Give it to me quick or it’ll stain,” Maeve lunged into hospitality industry mode.

  As he pulled it over his head, he felt her hands reach out to take it, but instead of settling on the t-shirt, somehow they found their way to his chest. He caught his breath at the sensual touch of her soft hands. He dropped his shirt to the ground, the stain totally forgotten by both of them. He backed her towards the bedroom, preferring to keep any amorous advances away from the watchful eyes of other residents.

  “You’ve a great body, you know,” she said.

  He silenced her by bringing his mouth greedily down on hers. Her luscious lips opened slightly to his pressing tongue; she tasted of wine and lipstick. He hadn’t even noticed that she was wearing it. She still smelled of perfume and the sea. He guessed the sea essence was a permanent fixture on her. Plundering her mouth still further, he pulled her in closer. As he pressed against her, he noticed her body was muscular from football but still soft in the right places. Her breasts were pressed against his chest; he could feel her nipples hardened under her blouse. He’d have liked to remove it, but after he’d been so disapproving of her comments earlier, he didn’t dare. He cupped her rounded bottom with his hands, pulling her hips into him until he realised he was virtually stabbing her with his erection, and released the pressure a little. All the while, she was continuously rubbing his chest, shoulders, and back. It felt so good, especially when she moved her hands towards his lower tummy. Damn, he wanted her so badly.

  Panic hit him like a thunderbolt. This was all wrong, what the hell was he thinking? Larry knew he had to stop it before it went any further. He pulled away and grabbed a fresh shirt. He saw her eyes search his face, hurt and humiliated, but before he had a chance to explain she ran from the room. He tried to follow her, but she’d had too much of a head start. He knocked on the entrance to the private quarters; when she didn’t answer, he then tried her cell phone but got no reply. He was leaving before breakfast and he realised with a jolt he wouldn’t have a hope in hell of seeing her before he left. He wouldn’t get to tell her his fears, or how much he wanted her but needed to take it slowly, or even to explain about his recent split with Emily and how it made him distrust his judgement. All the things he should have said went through his head… too late.

  “Nice going, jerk,” he admonished himself as he terminated the call after leaving her an urgent message to contact him.

  Chapter Four

  Maeve died a death as she left his room. The humiliation of the rejection was even worse than the shame of being spanked. What the hell had possessed her? She had never made a move on a man before and the one time she did, she picked the wrong one. She must have completely misread his signals. He had touched her so many times today that she had thought he was coming on to her, but was nervous because she had warned him to keep his hands to himself. What a stupid fool she’d been. And she really cringed when she thought about the personal stuff she had shared about her parents. Maeve heard her mobile phone ringing, saw the American prefix, and put it on silent. She couldn’t bear to talk to him now. Thank God he was leaving early in the morning. She cried herself to sleep, a mixture of shame and hurt.

  Morning came round all too quickly for her. Maeve’s eyes were puffy and her face blotchy from the night’s tears and lack of sleep. She tried to disguise it as well as she could with makeup. But not well enough to avoid Bridie’s beady eyes. She left her phone on silent in her bedroom so she wouldn’t be forced to take his call, but not to be deterred, Larry called the main switchboard number and Bridie took the call. Maeve shook her head to indicate that she wouldn’t talk to him.

  “Yes, she’s here, Larry, son, but it seems she doesn’t want to talk to you. She has a face on her like a smacked arse, all red and blotchy, have you two been fighting?” Maeve heard her say into the receiver. She would have cheerfully choked Bridie at
that moment. What was she playing at?

  “Ok, I’ll pass on the message, you have a safe journey,” she almost cooed into the phone. “Right, what exactly is going on, miss?” she accused as soon as she hung up.

  “Not here,” Maeve objected. “It’s too public.”

  “Fine, kitchen then, and Mary can cover reception.”

  She made a pot of tea, well known in Connemara for its restorative powers, and they both sat down at the huge table. Maeve started at the beginning, how she had begged Larry to reconsider his stance after their row, how he had punished her, then the change of mind about the money to buy her silence. She explained about how she had come to like working with him and then the mixed messages yesterday, culminating in her making a fool of herself. By the end she was crying again. And it really didn’t help when Bridie started to laugh.

  “The smacking was my fault, I encouraged it because you badly needed someone to put a bit of manners on you and I’m not fit to give it. You need to grow up, Maeve. I let you get away with too much because I felt sorry for you about your mam and dad. Well, well… I didn’t think he’d have the nerve… I’ll bet that’s half the reason you fancy him now.”

  Maeve looked askance at the older woman. While she was really indignant about her laughter, she was stunned at Bridie’s perception of why she was interested in Larry. She didn’t get a chance to interrupt though because the old woman was on a roll.

  “And even if he finds you as sexy as hell, some Americans are much more conservative in their outlook to sex than you youngsters, and good on them. Irish lassies are in too big of a hurry to drop their drawers if you ask me. Sure you probably scared the pants off him.” She was snorting with laughter now and it was infectious. Maeve ended up laughing too, in between her tears.

  “How the hell do you know all this? You’re bloody seventy and I’m twenty-four and clueless. Do you really think I scared him? That’s funny. I was shaking in my boots, but couldn’t help pushing it.”

  “My advice to you, which I’m sure you’ll ignore as usual, is to leave well enough alone for now. Keep him at arm’s length. If he’s man enough, he’ll make the next move; if he’s not, then he’s a small loss as you’ll have no respect for him in the end anyway. I can’t be doing with these girly boys; a man’s a man. To hell with being in touch with their so-called feminine side. Now go and wash that face and refresh the makeup and put the bright side out.”

  Maeve rose to do what she was told, but on her way out she kissed her old granny.

  “You drive me nuts, but you’re pretty wise at times. Thanks. Now if the bugger rings again, tell him I’m out but he can email me.”

  “That’s my girl. Go down fighting.”

  He did call again, and Maeve had the satisfaction of hearing Bridie pass on her message. She could picture him fuming, but pity about him. He bought the Smartphone; he might as well put it to good use.

  From: [email protected]

  To: [email protected]

  Subject: Last night

  Damn, Maeve,

  Why won’t you give me a chance to explain in person? Email is no way to talk about this. I’ve written and deleted about twenty mails so far and sooner or later I’ll send one.

  You’re a beautiful young woman, of course I wanted you. Who wouldn’t? I’m totally flattered by you but it’s all wrong for so many reasons; I’m too old, we’re in business together, I live in a different country, and you’re too wilful for me. We could have been intimate last night, but then this morning we would be full of regrets. While I regret upsetting you, at least we didn’t wake up this morning ruing what we had done and we can still work together. Could we have done that if we’d slept together?

  Please reply ASAP, I can’t stand this silence.

  Larry

  Maeve was furious. Flattered? The cheek of him! And how dare he call her wilful? The way she saw it he had been toying with her all day, touching her so much. If that was the way he wanted it, two could play at that game.

  From: [email protected]

  To: [email protected]

  Subject: re Last night

  Dear Mr Williamson,

  Of course, you are quite right. Please forgive my inappropriate behaviour. I can’t think what came over me. We’re totally unsuited for all those reasons you listed although I might argue my so-called wilfulness. Somehow or other I misread the signals and took your friendliness to mean more than it did. I apologise. It’s my turn to promise to keep my hands under control. I can assure you it won’t happen again. Naturally, I will keep you abreast of any business issues you might need to be aware of in your absence.

  Yours sincerely,

  Maeve O’Reilly

  McNamara’s Hotel

  He could put that in his pipe and smoke it!

  From: [email protected]

  To: [email protected]

  Subject: re (2) Last night

  Maeve,

  What happened to Larry? Please, let’s not go backwards.

  Larry

  From: [email protected]

  To: [email protected]

  Subject: re (3) Last night

  Larry…

  If that makes you feel happier. Now if you’ll please excuse me, I have a hotel full of guests needing attention.

  Maeve O’Reilly

  McNamara’s Hotel

  She hoped that would make her point and it seemed to, as she didn’t hear from him again for a couple of days. She had a vague sense of victory. As Granny said, she would go down fighting. Somehow it made her feel better.

  From: [email protected]

  To: [email protected]

  Subject: Contract

  Hi, Maeve,

  My lawyer has completed a draft contract, as attached. May I suggest you bring it to yours and ensure it is acceptable to you and also under Irish law? Please confirm receipt and if you have any concerns.

  Hope you’re keeping well. I’m hoping I might be free within a couple of weeks to come back to sign if your lawyer is happy. I’m looking forward to seeing you again. Dad sends his regards.

  Larry

  Maeve forwarded the contract on to her solicitor, with a note asking for an appointment the following day as she was anxious to get everything up and running before the bank started harassing her. She still found that side of managing the business stressful. She missed having Larry around to reassure her on the financial issues. It was amazing how much she had learned to rely on him. Maybe it was a good thing he left when he did, as she had to learn to stand on her own two feet sooner or later. For the most part she was coping with the business and grateful for the distraction it brought.

  She wondered what their relationship would be like if he did come back within a few weeks as he had suggested. Would she be able to work as closely with him now? Or would it be too awkward? She would just have to try to keep it as impersonal as possible and hope that the embarrassment would pass.

  From: [email protected]

  To: [email protected]

  Subject: re Contract

  Hi, Larry,

  Received the contract and the solicitor has approved it. Can sign whenever suits you. Please give your father my best wishes.

  I have gone ahead with your suggestion and interviewed some part-time staff to cover meal times and wish to hire. I trust this is ok.

  Maeve

  The correspondence followed a similar vein over the following ten days. She saw Larry trying to break down her barriers but she carefully kept them in situ; once was enough to make an ass of oneself. There was no way she was going to leave herself open to his ridicule again. He made no further mention of his return so she assumed his business was taking longer to sort out than he had expected.

  Finally she had staffing in place to be free to take a night and morning off and she arranged to meet up with Sean. S
he badly needed some fun and he was, as always, more than happy to oblige. They attended an open air concert, stayed with friends, and they all went out for a late breakfast. It was noon when she arrived back at the hotel. She and Sean went in linking arms and giggling happily. She got a hop to see Larry sitting in the foyer reading a newspaper.

  “Hello, Larry, I wasn’t expecting you. You never said you were coming… Do you remember Sean?” she asked, remembering her manners.

  “Hello again, Sean,” he said coolly. “No, I was on stand-by so I couldn’t give you advance notice. Obviously you weren’t expecting me,” he said, pointedly looking at Sean and his watch.

  “I had a scheduled morning off; you may check the staff roster if you wish,” she replied. “Or are you just looking for another excuse to exert your will on my behind?” she whispered just loud enough to be heard if Sean had been really listening. Luckily he wasn’t, but Larry was raging. She was deliberately goading him, making him out to be some sort of monster.

  “You’re the manager; I trust you made sure the staffing levels were adequate. I don’t need to check. When you resume working I would like to make an appointment to review what happened in my absence.”

  “Two p.m. would suit me,” she said with false sweetness. “Can I organise some refreshments for you, Mr Williamson? Have you been shown to your room?”

  Maeve was momentarily embarrassed to recognise that Sean seemed to feel the tension, because he quickly pecked her on the cheek and said:

  “Gotta run, Maeve, catch you later. Nice to see you again, Larry.” He didn’t hang around for their goodbyes. It was poor professionalism on her part, she knew.

  “I believe I’m in the same room and my bag has been taken up. I was waiting here in the hope I could see you.”