Fire and Ice

Moonlight poured through the expansive wall-to-ceiling windows and softly illuminated the darkened room. The man stood looking down below, like a warrior God surveying his latest conquest. The light cast a soft glow on the man's hard-chiseled profile, softening his granite features. It was after two o'clock in the morning and the city below was still alive with activity and nighttime revelry. On the 37th floor of the Metropolitan Building, Ethan Stone looked down at the San Francisco skyline, his handsome features, an unreadable mask. No one looking at him at that moment would have known that, just a few hours ago, he had just finalized the biggest merger in InnoTech Global's history, changing the landscape of AI technology, and by extension, the world. With a stroke of a pen, ITG's value more than doubled, no doubt to the delight of company shareholders. It was a monumentally huge move for the start-up that only a few years ago was struggling to remain relevant in the increasingly competitive and cutthroat market of Artificial Intelligence technology. Then Ethan Stone stepped in and, in less than three years, he was able to turn the tide around and do what many detractors would say was the impossible. The news, of course, would be plastered all over the major media outlets by morning. But it was just the latest feather in the cap of Silicon Valley's newest superstar. Behind him, the sound of rustling sheets broke the silence and snapped him out of his quiet musings. "Darling, come back to bed," said the beautiful blonde as she invitingly lifted the sheets indicating for him to join her. When he didn't move, Hannah Ashton raised a perfectly arched brow and sighed in exasperation. Whereas men would usually bend over backwards to do her tiniest bidding, it seemed to her that Ethan Stone was immune to her considerable charms. In fact, it felt like she was the one who was constantly trying to get his attention and keep it. She gazed at his shirtless six-foot, 3-inch frame, his broad back tapering into a V at his slim waist, disappearing underneath his silk pajamas. She had to admit he was an extraordinarily handsome man, and she had been giddy with excitement and anticipation when he had first noticed her two months ago. He emanated raw masculinity and power -- a combination that she found intoxicating. He was like a drug to her. The more she experienced pleasure in his arms, the more she craved. Ethan could easily command a room full of powerful and influential people with ease, and that certainly added to his undeniable allure. Hannah was no stranger to men of power and influence. At 25, she had dated rockstars, movie moguls and men who ran huge corporations with equally huge bankrolls. The men she dated before were considerably older than Ethan, who at 36, was one of the youngest billionaires in Silicon Valley. She was a modern woman after all, used to the convenience and the benefits of casual hook-ups with her rich suitors. Those arrangements were always beneficial, either financially, socially or both. With Ethan, she could have all that and also have the physical combustion that was so lacking in her previous dalliances -- that raw s****l heat that only he could stoke in her. She wanted him, and she wanted to keep him for more than a few months. Yesterday, she strengthened her resolve when she witnessed him in action with the merger. He commanded that boardroom with ease as he negotiated one of the biggest mergers in Silicon Valley history. Men looked at him with admiration and a bit of fear. While the women looked at him appreciatively with lust. Imagine if she could be the one that captured the elusive Mr. Stone.... just the thought gave her the chills. But she wasn't naive enough to think taming Ethan Stone would be easy. There was the well-circulated gossip that Ethan was the consummate playboy, who dated beautiful women and left before the sheets were cold. The rumor was that his dalliances had a 3-month expiration date. She was on month 2 so she had better act fast. As if sensing her intense gaze, he finally turned and looked at her. Deep blue-gray eyes, crystalline and piercing, regarded her with quiet intensity. "Tell me what you want," his voice was deep, seductive. She shivered in anticipation. She closed her eyes, savoring the feeling, her body already anticipating what he would do next to stoke the fires beginning to heat up inside her. He moved lithely towards the bed until he was looking directly down at her prone body, naked underneath the sheets. "I want you," she purred silkily. "I need you inside me. I need to feel you Ethan. Touch me. Please...." As if in silent invitation, her hand slipped beneath the sheet. She touched herself and found she was already damp with desire. "Take it off," he commanded. As if on cue, she did as she was told, sliding the offending fabric away from her supple curves, her hazel eyes never breaking away from his gaze. She proudly lifted her chin. His eyes lazily roved up and down her body, like he was assessing her features as a jeweler would a fine gem. She was beautiful, Ethan thought wryly. And just like a gem, hard, cold and sharp. In many ways, they were so alike. The corner of his mouth lifted in amusement at the irony. He liked that about Hannah; she was experienced, direct and had no silly school girl notions of hearts and happily-everafters. A brief flicker of remembrance crossed his face, and it was then he saw her -- a dark-haired sprite, eyes bright with amusement and a smile that lit up a room. And just like that, the fleeting image was gone. He shook his head. He hadn't allowed himself to think about her for what seemed like a lifetime, and he wanted to keep it that way. He focused his gaze instead on the blond beauty spread out before him. Reflexively, his body responded to the enticing picture she made. Desire mixed with the beginnings of anger clouded his eyes. "Come here." He rasped as he grabbed her hand and forcefully tugged her naked body against his. Her full breasts pressed against his rock-hard torso. She moaned in anticipation, and he greedily took her mouth in his. He hadn't thought about her in a long time, but during unguarded moments, she would sometimes slip through, like a dream haunting him during his waking hours. He shoved the unwelcome image out of his mind as he forcefully shoved himself into the tight warmth of the woman beneath him. He allowed the physical pleasure to overtake his senses, his mind sinking blissfully into darkness. **** Amanda Maxwell stood up from her workstation and looked at the clock on the wall. It was almost 10pm, and she had been working on the latest project for the past 8 hours. She stretched her aching back and absently rubbed her neck and sighed. She was going over the same programming code, trying to figure out the possible glitch, with no success. It was probably best to call it a night since she wasn't getting anywhere. As she was about to turn off her laptop, her phone rang. With a quick glance at the caller ID, she saw it was her older brother, Alex. "Did you happen to catch the news today?" he asked without preamble. "Hello to you too..." she smiled at her brother's no-nonsense approach. Alex was always direct and to the point. "What is so important that it couldn't wait until morning?" she teased. There was a lengthy pause before he answered. "InnoTech Global took over IntelCom today." Amanda felt like she was punched in the gut. The deafening silence was palpable. On the other line, her brother's voice chimed in with concern, "Hey, are you ok? You don't have to see him if you don't want to. Let me and Tyler handle any communication that needs to be done with that asshole." Her older brothers always protected her for as far back as she can remember. Alex was 8 years older and always the protector even when they were growing up. Tyler was 6 years older and loved following in his older brother's footsteps. She adored her brothers, but sometimes they were too overprotective. She felt she was being suffocated most of the time. It was only natural that Alex took the leadership role. When their parents died in a car accident when Amanda was 10 years old, 18-year-old Alex took over the parenting of his siblings instead of having them live with relatives or go to foster care. Alex was the dependable, steady anchor she needed then. Tyler, on the other hand, was a little bit more reckless and hot-headed, but dependable all the same. Amanda leaned on both of them for strength back then and then 10 years ago when she thought that her heart and her world would break into a million pieces. At the time, she didn't think she could have ever survived it, but she came out strong and vowing never to let a man completely take over her heart. It took awhile, but eventually life moved on and he and the past became a distant memory. She even started dating again. She knew that she had to face her own demons and fight her own fight. She was no longer the naive and gullible 18-year-old who fell for a few sweet lines and a pretty face. It's been ten years, and it was time to finally face him and close this chapter for good. "I can handle him," she said simply, almost matter-of-factly. "Our partnership with IntelCom is progressing well and ahead of schedule. We can finish this project on time and on budget. Our contract is with IntelCom, not with InnoTech." "Look, Amanda, please let me and Tyler take care of this. Maybe we can reassign you to AIHub? I hear they're looking for a good project manager and programmer....." She interrupted him before he could finish his sentence. "I am not abandoning IntelCom. I'm going to see it through to completion. And that is final." When Alex didn't respond, she looked up at him. A heavy frown stretched across his forehead, worry evident on the line of his face. "I am not afraid of Ethan Stone, Alex. He is dead to me." And with that, Amanda firmly closed her laptop shut, banishing any further thoughts of Ethan Stone out of her mind.