Sadie's Surrender by Afton Locke Page A

this evening.
    Last night had been as stormy as his time with her. Seeing the lantern of her tiny boat bobbing in the surf had nearly torn his heart out. If anything had happened to her because of what he’d done to her in his cottage, he’d never have forgiven himself.
    What had gotten into him, rubbing himself all over her like that? Soft, dark skin. Curvy, round ass. How could any man resist such a tempting feast? He’d been one breath away from penetrating her. If he’d fooled around with a woman or two once in a while, he probably wouldn’t have acted like such a lust-starved teenager. But no one else excited him so much.
    He sure hadn’t treated his most trusted employee with respect. He could hardly believe she wanted to continue their business arrangement. She must be pretty desperate to escape shucking oysters.
    Unless she planned to get revenge.
    Tonight, he intended to make up for his crude behavior. After tying his boat to a sturdy oak in her yard, he grabbed the sack of papers and the handful of reddish-purple rosebuds he’d picked.
    Not wanting to draw attention to himself by buying flowers, he’d snatched them from the bushes behind Caleb’s old home in Oyster Harbor. If only the town were bigger. Instead, a man couldn’t dine out without everyone knowing what he’d eaten by the next morning. He hadn’t minded until he’d had to join the Klan.
    As soon as he walked through the door Sadie opened, he almost turned and walked back out. Her gaze, cold and dead, stabbed through him.
    “Good evening, Mr. Rockfield.”
    Her voice was even chillier than her eyes. When he held out the roses, he regretted picking them because they looked too pitiful to make up for his behavior.
    “If you put them in water, they should bloom.”
    “Thank you.” Was it his imagination, or did her gaze soften a bit before she drew a cup of water from the bucket on the counter?
    “I want you to know how sorry I am. I made a mistake, and it will never happen again.”
    Her eyes hardened once more.
    “I-it was so late and I—” he babbled.
    But she held up a hand. “Have a seat and let’s get down to business.”
    He was glad enough not to discuss last night because he had no idea what to say beyond his apology. As she opened the ledger and turned the pages, he admired her capable, short-nailed fingers. Imagined them slapping him until his skin turned red. Gripping his cock and making him come.
    When said member rose inside his trousers, he looked away and tried to force it down. All he needed was her mother to walk out and see him in that condition. He fought the urge to hold Sadie’s hand. To kiss her. To tell her how badly he wanted to court her properly.
    But he couldn’t court her under their circumstances. She barely looked at him when she spoke to him. The passionate, angry woman was gone, leaving this cool, dignified lady. He wished she’d yell at him again, but maybe she didn’t want her mother to overhear from the next room.
    His chair scraped as he got up. “I’m going to go outside and walk around.”
    He hoped she fixed his business quickly because he didn’t know how much more cold formality he could stand. Once he got Rockfield’s on the right track, he could forget he’d ever met her. It wouldn’t be as good as his old life, operating the company buy-boat all day instead of sitting in an office, but it would be a damn sight more peaceful than this.
    * * *
    On Wednesday evening, Sadie pulled away from the kitchen table in Henry’s cottage and stretched. At least her eyes still felt fresh. It sure would be nice to have an electric light at home.
    Mama had asked so many questions after last night’s session, she’d thought it best to return here for tonight’s work. Luckily, the Klan had canceled its weekly meeting because the mayor was sick.
    Taking a break, she sat in front of the telephone in a crusty canvas chair that probably used to be part of a boat. The man might as well live on one. He