Caught Up In Love

by Parker, Weston

  “Well, we do house other companies, so most of the floors are occupied by the others. Mr. DeVant knew real estate was a great investment, so that’s why he built it, with the intention of leasing out most of it.”

  “Oh, that makes more sense. So, there’s like millions going through this building”

  “Billions,” I corrected.

  “And you were in charge of it all?” She looked like she might be ill, her face going flush, and she tugged at the neckline of her dress which, from what I’d seen, was what she did when she was nervous.

  “Hey, are you okay?”

  “Yeah, it’s just, I think I just realized how wealthy you really are.”

  “It’s just money, Sage. I’m still a regular human being like everyone else.”

  “Oh, I know that. I didn’t mean to be offensive. It’s just private planes, then this? I just didn’t realize.”

  “I like that you had no idea.” I could tell by her expression of shock that she didn’t, and while I’d thrown some money around, I had never been one to say how much I had tucked away.

  “Are we nearly there?”

  “I know. It’s a little long, right? But worth it. It gives me time to do this.” I brought her closer and took her into my arms, kissing her deeply. She melted against me, and soon, I had her up against the rail, her back to the wall as she brought her leg up around mine. I gripped her thigh, moving between her legs so she could feel just what she did to me, and when we reached the top floor, I pulled away breathless.

  “So worth it,” she said, putting her fingers to her pouty lips as we left the elevator.

  As we approached the door, the attendants were leaving, and I gave them each a tip and thanked them. Then I turned to Sage, who had walked in and gone straight to the window.

  “It’s so big,” she said, looking out over the city. “There are so many people.” She walked away from the window and turned to take in the room. “I can’t believe there is a private suite here. It seems out of place in a way. I mean, this isn’t a hotel.”

  “Well, Mr. DeVant had it built in case we had special clients, but most wanted to stay elsewhere, so the place was hardly used by anyone other than him.”

  “Have you stayed here before?”

  “I have.” I wasn’t going to lie, but I could already tell that she had formed her own ideas about what the place had been used for. “But if you’re wondering if I ever brought anyone here, the answer is no. Eric didn’t even use the place for that.”

  “I didn’t say a word. But I do find it hard to believe you never brought another woman here.”

  “It’s true. I had my own place.” And my own office, although I wasn’t going to tell her about all of the occasions where I’d had someone over or under my desk. Those days were behind me, although the ghosts from the past still haunted me now and then, like a grim reminder of who I used to be. I didn’t want to be that anymore. The sad truth of it was that was the loneliest I had ever been. And I didn’t feel that way with Sage.

  I knew it was time to change the subject. “Let’s get settled. We really do have an appointment.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “I’d like to take you to my café downtown, and we’re going to talk to Katrina.”

  She narrowed her eyes and stopped in the middle of the room next to the sofa where she dropped her bag. “Katrina? Why do we have an appointment with her?”

  I figured I might as well tell her. She’d know soon enough anyway, and she’d already had enough of an emotional roller coaster just coming to the city with me. I closed the distance between us and put my hands on her waist. “I wanted to surprise you, but I don’t want to overwhelm you. It’s just that, when I saw your art, I knew that it would be perfect for an idea that Katrina had.”

  “My art?” she asked, giving me a confused look.

  “The resin geodes. The table you made. Even the wall. It would be perfect in the café.”

  “So, wait. This trip is about my art? It’s about business?” Her face fell, a frown suddenly creasing her forehead as she pushed away from me. “You should have told me.”

  All the blood drained from my head. I’d really fucked things up.

  26

  Sage

  I felt like a complete and utter fool. Not only had I misread his intentions of bringing me to the city, thinking it was more about spending time with me than a business deal, but I was completely blindsided.

  The silence stretched out between us, and I stepped away from him and walked back to the window, which I felt like jumping out of.

  “Hey, it’s not a big deal. I just thought you might like to come here and see the art. And when I saw what you do, I thought I’d like to commission some work or maybe sell some of your stuff here. That’s all.”

  “You want me to meet your business partner, and I’m not even prepared. I came here thinking you wanted to get to know me more and show me around the city, introduce me to your friends, but this is suddenly all about me and my art and how it could make money.” He should have told me he only saw my talent as his investment.

  “No, that’s exactly why I brought you, but I thought you’d like to see the opportunity the city could give. And don’t worry about Katrina. She’s a down-to-earth soul too. You’ll love her.” He took out his phone and then turned the screen around. “I snapped some photos of your art last night before I left.”

  I snatched the phone from his hand, and while I was trying not to seem ungrateful, I also felt a bit violated. “You went into my sacred space and took photos?” I wasn’t sure if it would ever feel the same to me again.

  “I want to show Katrina the photos. I wanted it to be a surprise.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief knowing he had the purest intentions, but the entire morning had just been so much. I felt like I was having an emotional overload, as well as being overwhelmed by everything I’d experienced so far. Having a meeting with his ex-girlfriend, who he had recently convalesced, had me on edge.

  “I’m so sorry, Sage. I didn’t mean to upset you.” He walked up behind me, put his arms around me, and rested his chin on my shoulder. “I fucked up, didn’t I?”

  “No, you’re sweet. I’m just not used to being in the spotlight, and when I am, it’s not a good light. It’s because I’m not fitting in.”

  “You fit in there more than you think, and trust me. The ways you think you’re an alien back home? You’re on the mother planet here. Everyone fits in here, Sage. It’s magical that way. And I wouldn’t have brought you here if I thought you weren’t going to love it. And I wouldn’t want to introduce you to my friends if I thought that you’d be uncomfortable and not fit in with us. Trust me.”

  “I’m excited. I really am.” I wiped my eyes, realizing that I had tears and that I was being a big baby. He turned me around to face him, bringing his lips slowly down on mine.

  He broke away much too soon and looked down into my eyes as his thumb brushed away my tears. “I wanted you to like where I came from. It’s what made me. And I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to eat, and Katrina had a special treat she’s dying to share with us.”

  “I don’t want to hold us up. Let’s go.” I grabbed my handbag, and we took the long journey back down the elevator, where this time, things weren’t as hot and heavy as they had been the last few moments of our trip up. But when we got to the private car outside, which was another surprise, I’d encouraged things to go a little farther, and that resulted in us making out like two horny teenagers in the backseat, with the driver just on the other side of the privacy glass.

  I straightened my lipstick as we got out of the car, and he tugged the cuffs of his suit, which he’d worn from Camden and somehow managed to keep perfectly pressed while I felt like a wrung-out rag.

  When we arrived at the café, I wasn’t surprised to see the name on the door, and I had to admit, I felt a little jealous. “Grey Kat?”

  “It was Cassie’s idea. She’s the masterm
ind behind all of this. They dragged me into it, and I jokingly said she had to name it after me.”

  “I like it. Jasper would approve.”

  “Well, that’s what I live for, impressing Jasper.” He chuckled, leading me inside the crowded front lobby where people were lined up to get inside. “You’re going to like it here.” He pushed past the crowd, and it felt strange that no one stopped us or asked who he was.

  The café was not what I expected and nothing like anything we had in our oceanside town. There was a traditional café feel, but it was more contemporary, but with a mellow vibe, although it was packed. “This is really nice.” I glanced out around the crowd and wondered which one of the girls was Katrina.

  “Thanks,” he said, but before he could say anything else, a girl with bright red hair and a body like a goddess came out of the back. She had a little bruising around her hairline, and I realized it had to be Katrina.

  “Hey, Greyson!” She weaved through the busy tables and didn’t stop until she was in Greyson’s embrace.

  He pulled away, but they certainly had the crowd’s attention. “Katrina, I want you to meet Sage. Sage, this is Katrina.”

  The woman, whose hair wasn’t naturally red like mine, looked me up and down. “Now I know why he came home with a permanent grin on his face the last time I saw him. There I was with a knot on my head, stitches, and a concussion, and all he would talk about is you.”

  “Really?” I had no idea he’d liked me like that.

  “Oh, yeah, really.” She gave him a teasing look. “He’s got it bad for you.”

  “Come on, Kat. We’re starving.”

  She gave me a wink. “He hates when I pick on him. You two come on in and make yourself at home.” She led us through the crowd and brought us to a cozy table in the back. “I’ll get the chef on your food. I’ve prepared something a little special. I hope that’s okay.”

  Greyson gave me a look as if I should answer. “It’s nice. Thank you.”

  “I’m sure we’ll be happy,” said Greyson. He turned his attention to me as she walked away. “I hope it’s good. She’s been trying new things on the menu.”

  “So, we’re her guinea pigs?” I hoped she didn’t have strange tastes. I didn’t think I could eat something disgusting and keep a straight face.

  “Yeah, I guess we are, but I’m sure it’s fine. The food is great here. I helped with the menu.” He gave me a wink, and then Katrina returned to the table with drinks.

  “I took the liberty of bringing out our signature drink. I hope you approve. The order will be out soon, so I figured now was a good time to talk.” She looked at Greyson for his agreement and then took the seat across from me.

  Greyson had apologized repeatedly on the way over, and I had told him not to worry. As long as things were laid back, I was okay talking to Katrina about the art. But that didn’t stop him from asking me one last time. “Are we good?”

  “Yes, of course.” I smiled at Katrina, who looked excited to have us there.

  Greyson took a sip of his drink and then eased back with his hand on the back of my chair. “We’ve talked about how to expand our business many times and even considered doing more with the upper floor, but one of the things Katrina has always wanted to do was include art as a part of our atmosphere.”

  “Greyson is actually the one who shut that idea down.”

  “Mostly because I didn’t want to deal with that as we were opening and because I wanted to make sure that the art actually meshed with what we’re doing.” He took out his phone and turned it on. Then he passed it to Katrina. “I think you’ll see that what she’s creating would be the perfect fit for our style.”

  Katrina took the phone, and her eyes lit up. “Woah, these are nice. Is that a tabletop?”

  “Yes, I use countertop resin, so I thought I’d make a table.”

  “Countertop resin? So, it’s actually something that is durable enough to be used on our tables or perhaps even a bar?”

  “Yeah,” I said with a shrug.

  Greyson smiled. “She did a wall in her house. We could do the same here. The natural look is something that ages well, and if we were to do the expansion, we could also incorporate this into the walls, tables, and the upstairs bar.”

  “You have a bar upstairs?”

  Katrina smiled. “We will. That’s our next adventure. I’ve been heading up the project, and while I’m taking my time, I’m hoping to open around the fall or the new year. I can’t make up my mind.”

  “That would be determined by how much time it would take to fill the order for the tables, and the bar would have to be ready too.” They suddenly both looked at me with anticipation.

  “Wait, you mean I’d make the tables and the bar. How many tables are we talking about?”

  Greyson shrugged. “I’d say at least fifty tables. The bar top would be the challenge. It’s probably going to have to be done in sections and shipped.”

  “Wait, you realize I just do this out of my house for fun, right? I don’t have a studio I work from or anything. I mean, I’m pretty crowded as it is.”

  Katrina leaned forward. “You’ll have enough money to rent a space big enough. Our goal is to have something unlike any other place. We’re willing to go big.”

  I wasn’t sure I could handle it, and suddenly, I felt such a rush that my head was left spinning. “It’s a lot.”

  “We’re overwhelming her,” said Katrina, who gave me a sympathetic look as she reached across and put her hand on mine. “Just like you and Cassie overwhelmed me.” She gave Greyson a look. Then she turned her attention back to me. “Hey, I know it’s scary, but you have a great talent, and if you’re interested, I’m willing to not only hire you to do this job, but I’ll set up your other art in here as well. You can be our feature artist with your geode line. I’ll even give you creative freedom for future lines. You’ll sell. Once people come here, they will want to take a piece of it home. Think it over?”

  I took a deep breath and gave her a nod. “I will.”

  It was then that our food came out, and while I was expecting some prissy-ass plate full of garden herbs, I was pleased to see a nice thick burger with chips on the side.

  Greyson smiled. “You did the burger, after all.”

  “I did,” said Katrina, who looked at me as mine was placed in front of me. “Greyson suggested a fun food. Something that would be filling, not a dessert, but would attract people.”

  “It’s a donut burger.”

  “Not just any. It’s a brown sugar and bacon with cheese donut burger. Guaranteed to fill you up and give you a sugar buzz.”

  “I’m not sure I need a bigger buzz, but it looks amazing.” I looked over, and Greyson was digging into the food.

  “This is heaven,” he said. “Best lunch ever.”

  “Don’t overdo it. Cassie is having you guys over for dinner, remember?”

  I hadn’t heard that, so I decided to take my time on the meal. I took a bite, and while I was not sure about it at first, it was divine. “Wow. That’s the best thing I’ve eaten in a while.” I didn’t think it got much better than Paddy’s burgers. But that wasn’t the only treat Greyson had in store.

  27

  Greyson

  After leaving the café, we didn’t have a lot of time to go to the museum, but I wanted to make the most of our day and show her some of our culture.

  As the car brought us from Grey Kat to the museum, I could tell Sage was much more at ease. “So, how’d you like your first meal in New York?”

  “It’s not what I expected. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it was delicious, but it seemed so laid back. I guess I expected it to be too fancy for me.”

  “I’m sure the Greyson burger cured that assumption.” It wasn’t the most sophisticated thing she could have served up, but it was so worth it. I only hoped that Cassie wouldn’t expect me to stuff myself at her table.

  “Yeah, I’m not sure I’ll be too hungry later. And Katrina said she�
��s not calling it the Greyson burger. It was The Carnival, remember?” Despite my failed attempts to get her to, she had not been convinced.

  “And here you are, taking her side. I knew you’d like her.” Katrina was one of those people who could get along with anyone, and I guessed that was why we managed to remain friends after dating.

  “She’s amazing. And so friendly. But I don’t know if I can pull off that order you guys want. Even if I rented a space, I wouldn’t know how to go about it, and then there’s my job at the lumberyard.”

  I didn’t think she understood just how much money was involved with our proposal. “You’d make enough money you could focus on your art full time, Sage. You could focus on art school or anything else when you were done.”

  “That has always been a dream, but it’s a lot of work, and it seems impossible. Where would I even find a space big enough?”

  “Well, if all else fails, by the time you would need a space, I’ve got a large shop. But if we look around, I’m sure we can rent a space for you. And then, of course, there’s always Christian’s proposal.”

  “Christian?”

  “Yeah, he wants me to build boats. I’m not sure I’m in yet, but if I do take it on, I’ll have a bigger workspace, and I’ll make sure there’s enough room for you to have your own studio space.” The car arrived at the museum, and as our driver got out and opened our door, she slid across the seat behind me.

  “It’s going to take more than a studio,” she said with a weary tone as she got out of the car. “Wait, you’d give me a part of your studio?” She stood on the busy sidewalk, gripping my arm. “Why would you do all of this?”

  “Because I believe in your talent.” I took her hand. “Come on. Let’s show you your first museum. One day, maybe we’ll go in and find your art on the wall.” She smiled, but I could tell my offer was still firing away in her brain.