Sweet Fortune

past, longing only to please and be pleased, to satisfy and be satisfied.
    She slitted her eyes briefly when she became aware of Hatch's hand gliding down the length of her, lifting the hem of the nightgown. Then his fingers were on the insides of her thighs and she sucked in her breath.
    He parted her, moistening his fingers in the sweet, liquid warmth he had drawn forth. His lips found her nipples through the fabric of the gown as he touched her intimately. When she lifted herself against his hand and cried out softly, he groaned.
    “Touch me,” he muttered. “Yes. There. Hold me. God, Jessie. Yes .”
    He was naked beneath the sheets, his body heavy with arousal. She curled her fingers around him and felt the drop of moisture at the broad, blunt tip of his manhood.
    “Hang on.” He took a deep breath and pulled away from her, groping for something on the nightstand. “Give me a second. I've got it here, somewhere.”
    She opened her eyes again and saw the stark need on his face. Lightly, wonderingly, she touched his cheek. “You said you wanted children.”
    “Yes. Damn. Yes . Jessie, are you sure?”
    “I'm sure. I think, with a little practice, you would make a very good father, Hatch.”
    He stopped groping for the condom and pushed her flat on her back once more. His mouth captured hers in a kiss of searing need as he surged heavily into her warmth.

    Hatch lay awake for a long while after Jessie fell asleep in his arms. One hand crooked behind his head, he watched the patterns on the ceiling and thought about the future.
    He was not in the clear yet and he knew it, even if Jessie did think everything was tied up with a neat pink bow. Hatch understood that the potential for disaster still loomed. It was his way to calculate the odds and to take risks when the time was right. He had learned the hard way to do it in his personal life just as he did it in business.
    He knew he had done a good job of cementing his future with Jessie by deliberately linking himself to Benedict Fasteners and the entire Benedict clan. He had been as thorough as possible about the task. Jessie was devoted to her family and he was rapidly becoming a part of the family. Everything was under control so long as nothing forced Jessie to have to choose between him and the rest of the clan.
    The last thing Hatch wanted was for Jessie to ever have to make such a choice.
    Hatch did not kid himself on that score. He knew that if Jessie were ever placed in a position where she had to choose between him and her family, the odds were not going to be in his favor. For Jessie, family would always come first.
    And the family was bound by Benedict Fasteners .
    The control of the company was the key .
    Hatch turned the problem over in his mind a few more times. He did not like uncertainties. This was not the first time he had contemplated a method of getting Jessie out from under the responsibility she faced. He was definitely vulnerable as long as she had the long-term duty of looking after the firm for the rest of the family.
    Hatch examined the plan he had been working on for the past few days. It was almost time to implement it. There was some risk involved, but he was fairly certain it was minimal now. With every day that passed he was more in control of the company and of his relationship with Jessie. With every passing day he was more certain that Vincent Benedict trusted him.
    Hatch knew it was time to make the final move in this high-stakes game he was playing with his own future.

    It was nearly dawn when Jessie stirred in the depths of the tangled bedding. She brought her elbow, which had somehow gotten caught in an awkward position above her head, down by her side. She collided with something solid.
    “Oooph.” Hatch winced.
    “Sorry.” Jessie propped herself up to look down at him in concern. “Did I hurt you?”
    “That's supposed to be my line.” He touched his side with tentative fingers. “But since you ask, I think I'm going to survive. Damn. Is it morning already?”
    “Afraid so. I wouldn't worry about it. We've got a while yet before everyone heads downstairs for breakfast.”
    “Good. I need some more sleep. I've had a very hard night.”
    She chuckled. “Yes, I know.”
    He looked offended. “I was speaking in the literal sense.”
    “So was I.”
    Hatch sighed. “For the record, I would just like to point out that the worst hours I have ever worked in my life were the ones I just put in for Valentine