by Cee, DW
“How did we end up in bed together?” This was her first question when she tried to get up after having been my blanket all night. I didn’t let her go.
“You don’t remember begging me to hold you last night?” I loved this position we were in.
“I did not beg you for anything last night.” She continually pushed herself off me with absolutely no success.
“I see you’re feeling better if you have the energy to argue with me. You don’t remember confessing your undying love for me last night?” She wasn’t happy with the laughter that escaped me.
“I did not! I don’t love you!”
I let that one go and had us get ready for our day. My first meeting with a potential buyer was in an hour and while I was at work, Delaney would hang out with the mothers.
It was a short car ride to the café and the two moms were all smiles when I walked in holding the unwilling hands of my future bride. I grabbed a pastry and coffee on the run and kissed the mothers good-bye. When I came in to kiss my bride, she had other ideas.
“What are you doing? I told you I’m seeing someone already.”
The more she pushed, the closer I got. “Last night you told me your heart wouldn’t let Michael in because it can’t forget me. I’m right here, Princess. You don’t ever have to try to forget me. After dinner with the family tonight, we talk, OK?” She opened her mouth, no doubt to yell at me, but I took this as an opportunity to give her the kiss I’d desired. I started tentative because I didn’t know how she’d respond. It was anyone’s guess whether she was in love with this boyfriend of hers. In essence, this kiss was a test, and we both passed it with flying colors once I deepened it. She offered no resistance. Instead, she wrapped her arms around my neck, and returned my kiss with an intensity I didn’t expect. This affection between us was a kings’ meal to her starved body. She desired it. She had craved it. I would fill it.
The day was a long one with a surprise visit from Roland.
“What brings you here, Roland? You checking up on me already?”
“These jerks called me yesterday and told me no discussion would take place without my presence. So, I had to haul my ass all the way here.”
“By the attitude I got from these men when I arrived, I don’t think you’ll be selling your firm to the Dutch.”
“I get that same feeling.”
The meeting was a total failure. As expected, these guys had neither money nor interest in buying the firm. I had no idea what game they were playing. Roland was pissed he traveled all the way here.
“I don’t care what anyone says, they must go through you first before they get a face to face with me. What a bunch of arseholes! I wasted precious time.” Roland was fuming as we got in the car to head to dinner with the family.
“Sorry, Roland. I’ll do a better job of screening potential buyers.”
“It’s not your fault. You had no idea I was even coming to this meeting.”
“By the way, your asking price for the firm is way too low.” I couldn’t believe Roland’s asking price. It was almost a fire sale. “Why would you ask for such a bargain-basement price?”
“Donovan, I hardly call that a low price. How much money does this old man need? I just want to be done with the European firm and live a nice long life with my wife.”
“Roland, you’ll sell the firm quickly, but I’m afraid you will devalue your American firm. Europe AAP is worth a lot more than what you’re asking for, and if you devalue the American firm, we may lose our top clients. AAP has caché money can’t buy. It’s not just about winning cases, it’s about the branding, and we can’t lose our designer label. Won’t you reconsider the asking price?”
Roland stayed pensive for a while. Even at the restaurant, he hadn’t answered my important question of raising the sale price of the firm. It was only when the ladies went to view the homegrown garden attached to the restaurant that Roland finally answered.
“You found yourself a smart son-in-law, Henry.” Roland’s praise was unexpected.
“I don’t know that he’s any smarter than my daughter.” Of course my father-in-law had to add that and let me know I was nothing special. I silently agreed with him.
“I tell you what, Donovan. I have a proposal for you.”
“OK...”
“What’s this all about?” The chief asked.
“Your future son-in-law is concerned about my asking price for the European firm. He thinks it’s devalued, and is afraid it will bring down our American standings. And I must say,” he nodded in approval, “I agree.”
“OK.” The chief answered. “So, what’s the solution? You’ll raise the price?”
Roland addressed me. “I will give you the power to decide what you think is a fair price, or even a good price for the firm. Whatever you can get beyond my initial asking price is yours and Laney’s to keep. That should start you off handsomely.”
Shit! Seriously??? “Roland...” I was unsure how to respond to such a generous offer.
“But, you cannot drag out the sale for too long. I want this company sold. So you need to curb your greed and not do anything that will backfire on you. Get a good asking price, but sell the company.”
Damn! The only news that could beat this one would be Delaney telling me that she and Michael were no more.
“Thank you Roland. I’ll do my best and I promise I’ll sell this company for you in good time. I’m speechless.”
“Let’s keep this just between us. I don’t need unnecessary questions and you don’t need unnecessary pressure. You do what you’ve always done for the firm. That should be enough.”
The chief looked pleased for us and thankful to Roland. “Now that you might come into some money, how about negotiating a deal to buy one of the homes on the cul-de-sac?” My father-in-law brought up this fantastic idea. Tonight was turning out to be a life-changer for Delaney and me. “Have you considered living near us?”
“I know my Delaney would love that, but I didn’t realize any of the homes were up for sale. I also didn’t think I could afford any of them.”
My future father-in-law was one happy man. “You couldn’t afford it till now. With Roland’s generous offer, you can easily convince one of my brothers to sell their homes. David’s home, which is right next to ours, might be your best option. And if for some reason you can’t come up with the asking price, I’ll help you with the rest.”
Damn. That was an extremely generous offer and Uncle David’s home was the prettiest one on the block. I knew Delaney would be thrilled living next to her parents, but was that what I wanted?
Roland started laughing. “I see his mind working, and he’s wondering whether he wants to live next to his father-in-law. He wants to make his wife happy, but he too wants to be happy and he doesn’t know if living in David’s house will make him happy.” All of us laughed at Roland’s dead-on statement.
“If you’ll give me all of your brothers’ phone numbers, I will call them and see which one is willing to sell. It does also depend on how much I get from the sale of the company. I don’t need to be the owner of three homes and three mortgages.”
“Now that that’s settled, I feel much better about letting my daughter marry you.”
“Well let’s not forget, my granddaughter has not agreed to marry anybody.”
“Trust me. She and I will get married very soon. I thank you, again, Grandfather. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a few phone calls to make and an agreement of marriage to secure.”
Winning over one blonde-haired blue-eyed beauty was no easy task. We fought more than I thought necessary, and she didn’t give in and declare her love for me as readily as I’d believed. Our most serious argument was always about Michael, with the subject of Jane lurking in the periphery. Delaney refused to give up on Michael, and I refused to give up on hearing her tell me she loved me and only me. Bee’s request for us to help her in Paris was a welcome change of pace.
It also worked seamlessly with a meeting I had with our next potential buyer. Delaney and I would head to Paris tonight, with the parents following the next night. I hoped she would feel well enough to talk to me and get everything out in the open so we could progress as a couple.
I booked a private four-person compartment on the train knowing either we’d talk, argue, make up, or sleep. The talk started calmly with me convincing Delaney to give up on Michael. The fact that Delaney was sitting next to me, and so close to me, while her boyfriend was in another country was a good sign. But, of course, things went from good to bad, to ugly too soon. When I felt like I was losing, and losing badly, I brought out reinforcements to help my cause. I showed Delaney the little notes she used to slip into my pockets as a child. I knew these would put her in a better mood.
“You still have these? You’ve kept them all this time?” She read every note several times over.
“I have one more thing.” I took out the diary that was mysteriously mailed to me a few weeks ago. “I assume you know what this is?” I handed her the diary and her eyes popped open.
“What are you doing with this? And where did you find it?”
“Well...”
“DONOVAN TAYLOR! WHY DO YOU HAVE MY DIARY?” Shit. Perhaps I shouldn’t have brought this out. She was happy just moments ago. Now she was back to being pissed with me.
“This is going to sound bizarre, but it was mailed to my house. I got it in the mail with a typed note that said, ‘FYI.’”
“Please tell me you are joking. How did my diary get mailed to your house of all places, and who would do that? And why you?”
“I’m a bit unsure as to why me, but it was, and now here it is.”
“Well, I suppose I should thank you. I’ve been looking for this for months. I tried to remember where I last used it by remembering the last entry, but none of it would come to me.”
“Oh, you wrote about being sad about leaving your home in LA, in your last entry.”
“YOU READ MY DIARY?” Shit, again. She was unhappy! “HOW COULD YOU READ MY DIARY?”
“Well...I only opened it up, first to see what it was. Then I flipped through the pages to find the owner’s name. Then...I read the first few pages to see if I could get a sense of who wrote the journal. And then...”
“Yes? And then...?”
“I got a little sucked into the journal entries.” She was shaking. That wasn’t a good sign for me or us, if there will ever be an us after this fiasco. “You’re a really good writer, I must say.” I tried to stroke her writer’s ego.
“Is that all you have to say?”
“I enjoyed your writing?”
“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh...” She got up and practically ran around in circles in this tiny compartment.
This Delaney right here and now reminded me of the young girl whom I adored. Even at age twenty-three, five feet eight inches of all woman, she acted like the cute little girl who threw up on me and pushed me in the ocean. I couldn’t help but pull her into me and kiss her.
“Mr. Taylor! Donovan Taylor! What are you doing?”
“You, Miss Delaney, are adorable!”
She let me kiss her nice and long, and by the time we were done, I had her on my lap.
“We should stop.” Even while saying this, she came in for a few more kisses. This girl was totally mine.
“Had you really never kissed anyone till I kissed you in Hawaii?”
“I told you back in Grandfather’s car I have never been in a serious relationship with anyone. Where would I have gotten my make out sessions if I haven’t had a boyfriend?”
“Is this good or bad that you and Emily seem to have this virgin thing in common?” Damn. What was I to do if she told me we’d have to wait till we got married? She really was an innocent.
“If you were my boyfriend, it would be fantastic for you because you’d be the one to teach me the Kama Sutra ropes. I don’t have a mother who made me promise to stay a virgin till I got married. BUT, you’re not my boyfriend, so it shouldn’t matter either way.”
If Kama Sutra is what she wanted, I’d study it till the cows came home. “That’s a challenge if I ever heard one.” She tried to move away from me but I followed her and glued myself to her. “When are you going to break up with Michael?” I’d been with this woman for several days now, but I was nowhere closer to becoming her husband, much less her boyfriend.
She drove me crazy with her silence. I was about to ask again when she confessed, “I tried earlier today, but he wants a face-to-face before any decision is made. I need to go back to London as soon as possible. It isn’t fair to Michael that there’s so much uncertainty in the air.” Yes!!! I could hear our wedding bells. “But that doesn’t mean you and I are in the clear. I still don’t believe your intentions, and you have a few more confessions to make, I believe.” Shit. Wedding bells would come soon enough.
“You’re here!” An excited Bee almost knocked Delaney off her feet.
Our talk last night ended without a resolution. Delaney looked exhausted so I had her sleep in my arms, instead. When we arrived at Roland’s apartment in Paris, she didn’t put up a fight about the sleeping arrangements. We slept in a tiny full-sized European bed and some body part constantly touched one another. We couldn’t get enough of each other. I wanted so badly to make love to her but I knew she wasn’t ready and our status wasn’t in the clear. We needed all of our problems resolved before I could make her first sexual experience a beautiful one.
“When will you be done with her? I want to take her somewhere later this afternoon.” I asked Bee.
“We should be done by lunch.”
“I’ll be back around one.” Before I leaned in for a kiss, Delaney was already there waiting for me. It was the greatest feeling knowing her heart was beating in tune with my own.
“Bye.” I whispered between kisses.
“Bye yourself,” she whispered, not letting go of my kisses.
It was damn difficult to leave for work. Bee helped by kicking me out of the way.
BTW, the wedding dress is done.
Bee texted right before my meeting began.
Already?
Already! Your bride will be gorgeous in it.
She’s gorgeous regardless.
Yeah, whatever. You need to do me a favor in return.
What is it?
I have a Cinderella’s Prince costume secured for you. I need you to come model it.
Hell no! I’m not modeling.
Fine. I’ll get one of the other male models to walk down the “aisle” with your bride in her wedding gown.
Damn you, Bee. I don’t want the dress to be seen, and I don’t want Delaney on another man’s arm.
Then come be her prince.
All right. Just know, I’m not happy about this.
I need to sell my clothes, Nephew! I have a captive audience. I’m going to parade the wedding gown.
I will be there. Just tell me when. I’ll schedule my meetings around it.
So good of you to be accommodating.
Bye. I’ve got to go work.
Good-bye, Nephew.
I couldn’t concentrate on work. The thought of taking Delaney away in this city of love was too tempting. The two meetings I had were quick, so I told my assistant to schedule only one meeting for tomorrow, and I left the office as soon as I could. If Roland saw what was happening with his European company, he’d waggle his finger and shake his head. I wasn’t doing my job very well even though I had more incentive to get this company sold. Roland was a brilliant man for offering me a piece of his pie. I needed to sell this company if I wanted to start our married life with a leg up.
I was almost to Delaney when my phone rang.
“Hey. How’s it going?” Jake was calling. “You and the family moved here without any problems?”
“It was a bit harried getting on the plane, but once on, all was good.
We thought we might have issues with the time change, but the kids have had no problems adjusting. They are happy as can be.”
“How’s the mama?”
“Beautiful as ever.” Delaney was right. I could learn a thing or two from my best friend. “How are you? Is it easier to charm your woman or sell the firm?”
“I think I could sell ten firms before I can convince one woman to marry me.”
Jake busted up in laughter. “Remember all the crap I went through to secure my wife’s hand? And don’t forget what you put Max through before he could convince my sister that you were not the one for her.”
“You calling to harass me, Asshole? I get enough of that from my wife-to-be.”
Jake was still laughing. “I’m calling to offer you a phenomenal opportunity to butter up your woman.”
“And what opportunity would that be?”
“I just secured six tickets to the Andrea Bocelli concert in Lajatico, Italy. This is one of Emily’s bucket list items I’m going to cross off while we are here in Europe. You want to bring my cousin?”
“You are the best!”
“I thought I was an asshole?”
“You’re the best asshole, ever!”
“Stop!” Jake sounded like a blushing bride. “You’re embarrassing me.” I was truly grateful this guy was my best friend.
“I assume Max and Jane make five and six?”
“They sure do.”
“Might I offer to pay for these concert tickets?”
“Nope. I need to do this for my wife. You may not take any credit for this.”
“You’re a damn show-off.”
“I am.” Jake sounded smug. “I assume you and your soon-to-be are in? You can take care of the flight to Florence?”
“I can, and we are. Thanks, Buddy! Once Delaney and I are settled, I won’t forget all that you and Emily have done for us.”
“You better not, especially if we’re going to be neighbors.”
“Damn, news travels fast on that cul-de-sac.”
“There are no secrets here. We hold morning roll-call and announce all the latest gossip.” He chuckled while making life on the cul-de-sac sound like summer camp.
