“Oh my God, these are from my favorite bakery!” She grabs a chocolate cronut that is filled with sweet cream and takes a bite, her eyes closing in pleasure as her moans echo throughout the conference room. I bite the inside of my cheek to contain my groan and will my dick to refrain from getting any harder than it already is. She pulls the donut away from her lips, a little bit of white cream on each corner of her mouth and my mind goes into overdrive of another type of cream being all over her lips.
“Thank you, Rowan, but how did you know these were my favorite?” She eyes me suspiciously and I can’t help but chuckle at how she doesn’t remember posting a photo about them on Instagram.
“I have my ways, Angel.” I bend down and kiss the top of her head, the scent of her fruity shampoo doing nothing to deflate my erection. I lean in closer to her ear and whisper, “I really love the fact that you enjoy cream so much.”
Her cheeks turn crimson and she smacks me in the arm. I laugh and don’t miss the sight of her lips curving into a quick smile before she puts her business mask back on. My girl might look prim and proper, but I have a feeling she’s anything but, especially in bed.
“Rowan, can I see you in my office now?”
So lost was I in Valerie that I completely forgot about Wes’ presence. Valerie takes a sip of her coffee, avoiding my gaze as she looks down. I stand up straight and nod to Wes, indicating I’m ready to follow him out. He gets up from his chair and walks toward the door.
“Eat lunch with me today?” I ask her before I leave. She looks into my eyes and hesitates before answering.
“We’ll see. Now go, I don’t want you getting in trouble.”
I give her head another kiss and walk out of the conference room and down the hall to Wes’ office.
“Shut the door,” he commands when I enter. I do as instructed and take a seat. Wes regards me silently before shaking his head at me in mock disbelief.
“Rowan, I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but it needs to end. She can sue us for sexual harassment with the shit you’ve been saying to her.”
“Wes, the only game I’m playing is the one for her heart.”
“Row, if you’ve done something, just tell me. Are you seducing her in hopes she doesn’t find something in the books that might’ve been an accident?”
My mouth drops open in shock, not believing what he might be implying. “Are you fucking kidding me right now? You’ve known me for how many years and think I would steal from one of my best friends? Not to mention, intentionally use and hurt a woman?”
Wes rubs his eyes before raking his hands through his hair. “I don’t know what to think, Rowan. You haven’t been acting like yourself since she arrived. Kyle came to me this morning with his concerns and when I heard you talking to her, it just didn’t make sense. I’ve never seen you like this before.”
“Did you ever think that the reason I’m acting like a crazy person is because I’ve found my boom?” I ask incredulously, still reeling that he actually thought I could do something so vile to him and Valerie. Why didn’t Kyle tell Wes what I told him yesterday about my intense feelings for her?
Realization dawns on Wes’ face and he relaxes his shoulders as my words sink in. “Fuck. No, I never even considered that.” He studies me a moment longer, disbelief still lingering in his eyes. “Are you sure?”
“I’ve never been more sure about anything in my entire life,” I tell him confidently. “Don’t you remember what a crazy, possessive bastard you were when you met July?”
Wes was almost unbearable to be around that first month of his relationship with his now wife. Thank God July felt the same way about Wes, otherwise we would’ve all quit if we had to deal with his grumpy ass for much longer.
“I’m still a crazy, possessive bastard over my wife. That’ll never change,” Wes says, softness entering his eyes at the mere mention of her. “How has Valerie reacted to you so far?”
“She’s freaked out, but that’s because she feels it too. As long as I know she feels the same way, we can work through her being scared.”
Wes nods in agreement with me. “I can ask July to come for lunch one day and get to know Valerie. Maybe her telling our story will help Valerie recognize her feelings.”
“I’d appreciate that, Wes.”
We stand up and Wes comes around his desk to give me a hug. “I’m happy for you, man. You don’t know how relieved I am to hear this as it now makes sense as to why you’ve been acting like a crazy fucker,” he laughs, slapping me hard on the back as we exit his office.
“Ain’t that the truth! I feel like a crazy fucker!” We continue to laugh and make our way back to work.
Much to my disappointment, I don’t get alone time with Valerie at lunch. She and Wes work though lunch, with Wes ordering pizza for the whole shop. When I go to check on her in the afternoon, the conference room door is shut, indicating that they are in a closed door meeting. I go back to my work station, but my mind is occupied with thoughts of her. When it is 5 p.m., I put everything away and head back to the conference room to ask Valerie to eat dinner with me again, but to my surprise, Wes and Kyle are the only ones in the room.
“She had to leave early today. Said something about her sister’s wedding food tasting,” Wes says when I ask where she is.
“Row, want to grab some grub after work?” Kyle asks while shuffling some papers back into a pile. It looks like Wes and Kyle are packing up for the day. I really am in no mood to eat with Kyle, but I feel a tad guilty brushing him off these past couple of days.
“I need to get a quick workout in since I missed it this morning. If you want to stick around, we can grab a bite to eat afterward, but if you already have plans this evening, then I understand.” I try to sound nonchalant, but I’m hoping he has other plans as I totally plan on going to Valerie’s place and waiting for her to come home since I was the dumbass who didn’t get her phone number last night.
“Nah Bro, it’s cool. I can wait for you. In fact, I’ll just workout again to pass the time.”
Damnit!
“Okay, see you there.” I walk out and head outside to the gym, hoping that the time goes fast until I get to see my girl again.
Chapter Eleven
VALERIE
I look at the clock while driving toward the Belle Meade Plantation, dread filling me as navigation shows I’ll be late to my sister’s food tasting for her wedding. I’m not used to dealing with traffic since I live close to my office, so I didn’t anticipate that it would take me an hour to get from Murfreesboro to Belle Meade. I voice message a text to Aly, telling her I’m on my way and will be fifteen minutes late. Normally I plan better and check how long it would take me to get to an unfamiliar place, but when my mind is not consumed with the audit, it’s filled with thoughts of Rowan.
I hated that I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to him, especially now that I realize I don’t have his phone number. But five o’clock came quick and I knew I had to race out of there. Besides, if I went to seek him out, it would’ve been hard for me to leave. I actually missed him when he wasn’t around me today. It’s like his presence makes me feel alive, energized.
How the hell can I miss someone I barely even know?
I tossed and turned all night long last night, his words from dinner streaming through my brain until the wee hours of the morning. I finally got out my vibrator and only after I made myself come with images of him doing explicit things to body was I able to finally go to sleep.
Tonight is going to be long and while I’m excited for my sister and to eat delicious food, I’m dreading having to be around my father. All he will ask me about is work and while I usually engage in conversation with him to get his attention, I just don’t have the energy to be fake with him.
I shouldn’t have to be fake with my own Dad.
My thoughts go back to Rowan and I wonder if he’ll be mad that I didn’t say goodbye to him. It really was quite rude of me not to, especially
since he went out of his way this morning to get my favorite donuts. No man has ever done something that nice for me. I couldn’t figure out how he knew and it was only when I went to stalk him on social media did I remember that I posted about the bakery on my Instagram account.
Well played, Rowan.
My stalking efforts turned up pointless because he has no social media accounts, which actually made me happy. I don’t need strange woman all over the World Wide Web lusting over my man.
Gah, I just admitted he was my man!
I can’t have these kinds of thoughts. What if once the audit is over and we aren’t together every day, he gets bored and moves on? I work late hours and unless one of us moves in with each other, there’s no way we will see one another every day.
This. Is. Crazy. Talk!
I welcome the distraction of the sight of the plantation as I drive through its long driveway to the carriage house where the reception will be. I park my car and am escorted by their staff to the room where the tasting is being held. As soon as I enter, my eyes meet the glare of disapproval oozing out from my father. I sit in the empty seat next to my sister and lean over to kiss her cheek.
“I’m so sorry I’m late,” I whisper in her ear, only caring about if I hurt her feelings with my tardiness.
“Nice of you to make an appearance, Valerie,” my father sneers loudly for everyone to hear. Everyone being not only my mother and sister, but Gavin, his parents, and the wait staff. The room fills with awkward silence following his words. I look down at my hands in my lap, my cheeks burning from mortification. I’m prepared to just ignore my father, but Alyson doesn’t believe in that.
“She’s fine, Dad. We just started. They brought out three salads for us to choose from. Here, try mine.” She hands me her plate that has three different samplings of salad and winks at me. Aly will always and forever come to my rescue against our dad.
The rest of the tasting carries on, with plate after plate of food being served. I tasted everything and enjoyed them all. After three hours of taking votes on who liked what the best, Gavin and Aly make their final selections. The staff cleared our plates away and served us coffee and biscotti to sit and relax with.
“I hear from Emma that you have something to tell me about this new audit that you’re doing?” Aly asks softly and I could kill Emma for even mentioning it to her.
“Another time when we have privacy,” I say to her, seeing our father attempt to read our lips to get in on the conversation. Aly nods in understanding and tries to change the subject. “And when might that actually be?”
“I’ve been working late, so maybe we can meet up for dinner sometime next week?” It’s a little white lie as having dinner with Rowan is not considered to be working, but she doesn’t need to know that right now.
“There’s always the phone. Emma indicated that I need to talk to you ASAP.”
“Of course she would,” I sarcastically comment, drawing a smirk out of Aly. “I’ll call you in the morning on my way into work.”
“Valerie, dear, how is work going?” my mother innocently asks. She knows I have a new audit, but she doesn’t know what type of business I’m auditing.
“Work is good.” I keep it vague, praying that my father doesn’t chime in and ask more questions.
“How long do you think the audit is going to last? I need some time with my baby girl.” Even though I’m her eldest child, she still calls me her baby. If it wasn’t for our mother’s love, I seriously don’t know how Alyson and I would have ended up. Probably as cold and heartless as my father.
“I don’t have an exact deadline date for this audit. I’m hoping to have it completed in two weeks.”
“Speaking about dates, Valerie, I have secured Sutton Wakefield as your date for the wedding. He would like to take you to dinner sometime next week to have a formal introduction. Here’s his card.” My father flicks his card in my direction and I just stare at it as the room grows silent. So silent that all you hear is the second hand ticking on the wall clock.
“Excuse me?” I whisper in disbelief, not believing that my father would arrange a date for me. I know of Sutton Wakefield and have met him before at some high profile charity event. He’s tall, with blond hair and green eyes and lean build. He’s been one of Nashville’s most famous eligible bachelors. Some women might think he’s attractive - if you like that sleazy, scumbag kind of look. He certainly acts the part.
“Father, Valerie doesn’t need to have a date for the wedding. Right, Mother?” Aly looks over at our mom for confirmation. All our mother can do is nod her head, anger blazing out of her eyes and robbing her of her voice.
“Nonsense. This is a high profile wedding, Alyson. People from Gavin’s industry and my industry will be there. We don’t want people questioning why Valerie is alone at the wedding,” my father drawls out in his Southern charm as he smiles at Gavin’s parents.
“Why would anyone be questioning that?” my mother asks and I instantly know I’ll not like his answer.
“Because people know that her future husband is the heir to our family business. Our firm is one of the most elite firms in the entire state. We can’t just have anyone running it after I retire. With Valerie being the eldest, she should be marrying first, not Alyson. Sutton Wakefield is a prime candidate for the role as husband and future CEO of my firm.”
“Sutton Wakefield is an asshole and how dare you not even consider your own child to inherit the family business!” Alyson yells, standing up out of her seat in anger, her hands balled into fists at her sides. I watch in a daze as Gavin reaches for her and starts to rub his hands up and down her forearms to help soothe her.
“Don’t use that tone of voice with me, young lady! I have given my whole life to my business, so I’ll be the one who decides who’s worthy to have it!” my father snaps harshly at her. Alyson sits back down and I immediately feel guilty that her evening is being ruined all because of me.
I wipe my mouth with my napkin, throw it down on my plate and rise from my chair, making my intentions of leaving evident.
“Thank you for your concern, Father, but I already have a date for the wedding,” I say coldly as I rip up Sutton Wakefield’s business card. I walk around the table to my father and throw down the remaining shreds of the card in front of him. I hold my head high as I leave the room, my back burning up from the heat of everyone’s eyes watching me walk away.
“Valerie!” my sister yells after me. “Val, wait!” I hear her footsteps running after me, but I don’t stop. It’s only when I reach my car door that I take a deep breath and let the tears I was holding in spill down my cheeks. I turn around right when my sister grabs me into her arms and holds me tightly. I cry out all my anguish in her arms, not understanding why my father doesn’t love me.
“He’s not worth your tears, Val. They’re too good to waste on him,” she says in her soft and soothing voice. She always knows the right things to say to me, the right words to make me feel better. Even though I’m the older sibling, she has been my caretaker, my protector. Our mother was and is too meek to stand up to our father. It’s as if Alyson was born knowing I needed protection, because even as a child, she was the one comforting me or trying to distract me when I craved his love and attention. She never showed any signs of being upset by his indifference toward us. Instead, she always acted content and happy with the love and attention my mother and I gave her.
I pull away from her and wipe at my eyes, my mascara smearing all over the place. I dig in my purse for a tissue to try to fix myself. “Why does Mom even stay with him?” I grumble, not understanding how my sweet mother can even stand him. How sad is it that I wish my parents would divorce?
“Who knows,” Aly says with a shrug. She grabs a tissue from my pack and starts wiping my cheeks for me. “Maybe she stays for the lifestyle?”
“That’s just sad.” Our parents got married straight out of college, so our mother is still young. She’s beautiful, smart and takes go
od care of herself. I have no doubt that she would find a man who treats her like a queen. “She deserves better.”
“That’s her decision to make. We can’t control who our parents are,” she sighs, grabbing my arms and squeezing them in encouragement. “Val, you know you don’t have to bring a date to my wedding, right?”
“I know, but I actually spoke the truth. That is if we’re still dating by that time.” I give her a sad smile at her questioning stare.
“So Emma was right when she said you met someone? I’m going to murder you for telling her first!” A hint of jealousy sparks in her eyes, making me laugh at how adorable my sister is with her love and loyalty.
“I didn’t mean to tell her first. She just happened to call at the right time when things were happening.” I take a deep breath, smiling as thoughts of Rowan’s handsome face appear in my mind.
“His name is Rowan and he works at the motorcycle shop. One look from him and I knew he was something special. I think he’s what you would call my shazam.” My voice stutters with hesitation at even speaking that word while Alyson squeals in delight. She grips my hands and starts jumping up and down with glee, her grip so tight that I have no choice but to join her. Her excitement is infectious and for the first time in forever, I actually believe that this might be happening to me. That Rowan may actually be my forever.
“But Aly, Father would never approve of Rowan and I feel that if I bring him to the wedding, he’ll make a scene,” I say, worry making me gnaw at my bottom lip with my teeth. I have no doubt my father would kick Rowan out of the wedding, not caring if he causes a scene.
Until Valerie: Happily Ever Alpha World Page 6
