The clasps on the briefcase closed with a sharp snap that left no doubt that the meeting was over.
Janice was small, and blonde, her hair pulled back in a ponytail that spoke of production and focus. The look in her eyes was one of authority and control. She wasn't mannish in the least, neither was she frilly. She was cold, calculating and businesslike. She lifted her briefcase and shook hands with the men and women in the boardroom. Her high heels clicked their way out of the offices and into the elevator. She sighed deeply as the muzak droned and the numbered lights descended. She had been working on this deal for a long time. Today had been the day, the papers were signed, notarized, and the agreements were in place. She had done her part and now it was up to the others to make everything work. Hers was a job that juggled money in the seven and eight figure range, not small potatoes in anyone's book.
Jan ran her team of executives with an iron hand and they gave her the allegiance she deserved. She brooked no argument or disloyalty. She never had to tell anyone that she was in charge; no one ever doubted it for a second. She was the "Ice Princess" of Toronto's financial district. She was business... all business.
Karl was sitting on the concrete floor of the garage wrestling with the last of the bolts holding the engine into the frame of the old Harley. Pieces were spread out on the floor and bench. He had to do some serious top end work this week, the heads and barrels needed to come off. While he had it apart he may as well just rebuild the whole goddamned thing. He looked up as tires crunched in the gravel driveway. He saw Janice's red Corvette convertible roll in and park.
The miles on the freeway had done their magic for her. The late spring sunshine had been bright and clear. Traffic had been light as it was still early afternoon. She had put the top down and pointed the nose South. Jan had time off now after the deal had been signed. Whenever a deal like this went down she took a couple of weeks off. She could afford it, and her position had a certain amount of perks. Demand of her services was one, and the ability to make her own rules was another. She didn't have to worry about money, and her firm would give her the time off because no one could do the job like she could. They were lucky to have her and they knew it. She had just worked for months in high pressure; she had controlled and guided her people through a thousand pitfalls never once losing sight of the goal. She had navigated the ship to its port and now the money would flow. The stress had been enormous, now it was time for a vacation.
Karl leaned on the doorway of his workshop, actually a garage attached to his lakeside farmhouse. He watched Janice walk up the drive from where her 'vette was parked. He admired her lithe form, the compact, tight little body that ran that powerhouse. She walked up the drive, her business suit in stark contrast with the surroundings; the fruit trees, fences and pasture, the cluttered shop with three bikes inside, and the big greasy-handed man that she approached.
Jan tried not to run to him. Her heart had beaten faster the closer she approached. When she pulled off the highway and wound her way down the lakeshore onto smaller and smaller roads she had to exercise every ounce of control not to floor the accelerator. She could feel the tension, the iron will, and the control shedding off of her like old leaves blowing in the wind. She needed that place and she needed Karl. God how she needed Karl.
Karl was the only man she knew that neither feared nor revered her. Karl was her man, and she was his woman. No one in Toronto knew about Karl, not because she was ashamed, nor because she hid him. He was none of their business. Karl was her refuge and her anchor. No one would understand just how she drew strength from their relationship, and no one needed to. She wasn't sure she understood it herself, but it recharged her and made her whole, so she didn't think she needed to understand anything more about it.
She walked up to him where he leaned on the doorway. He looked her up and down with a frank and admiring gaze. His smile was warm, but his eyes were hidden behind sunglasses. The effect made her shiver a bit. She loved Karl and he loved her, but sometimes he looked... she didn't know... she wasn't scared of him, she trusted him with her very soul... but he was scary in a strange way that never failed to excite her.
She stood there in front of him, suddenly nervous and unsure of herself. He wiped his hands slowly on the rag that always hung from his pocket while he worked. She wanted to throw her arms around him and kiss him, but she was hesitant. He stood leaning there, staring at her until his hand reached out, took her chin in his fingers and tilted her head up. He kissed her then, not the hungry kiss one might expect of a man his size and background, but the lightest brush of his lips on hers. She tried to press her lips to him but he held her chin where it was and whispered "Ooooooh no darlin, plenty of time for that." She whimpered in frustration, but knew she was no longer in command and control, she knew she was no longer the "boss". Her erect, aching nipples and the warmth that spread through her abdomen told her that she CERTAINLY was no longer the "Ice Princess".
Karl gently took her hand and led her into the shop, pressed the button that lowered the big garage door and continued into the kitchen. She looked around the old farmhouse while Karl stripped off his t-shirt and washed up in the bathroom. She could feel the warmth of the wood embrace her; the smells, the little things that made it his domain. She looked out the dining room window onto the lake. She felt his arms wrap themselves around her then, and heard his voice growling in her ear. "So girl, the deal is over and you came out to get away?"
