S is for Second Chance

by Annie J. Rose

  “That’s new,” I muttered, leaving the suitcase but keeping Lizzy on my hip.

  I turned on another light as I walked farther into the apartment. It was big—not Fifth Avenue big, but it wasn’t a hovel. I headed for the short hallway, opening one door and determining it must be my father’s room before turning to the other door.

  “This is it,” I told my daughter, flipping on the bedroom light.

  I scanned the room, empty except for the chest of drawers, a queen bed, and a nightstand. It was relatively toddler safe. “Okay, you can get down, but stay here,” I ordered.

  She wiggled in my arms until I put her on the floor. I walked back into the living room with Lizzy right on my heels. The first thing I did was pick up the empties scattered around the living room and toss them in the trash.

  “What the hell?” I mumbled under my breath as I looked around at the trash.

  My father had called me a week ago, frantic and demanding I drop everything to fly back to New York. He had freaked me out. I had taken a leave of absence from my job, packed up my kid, and hightailed it home. He knew when my flight was coming in and hadn’t bothered to show up at the airport or even send a car.

  “Let’s go look in Grandpa’s room,” I said, trying to make my need to snoop sound like an innocent game.

  Lizzy followed me down the hall once again, getting some exercise in her poor little legs that had been confined for almost six long hours. A shirt that I assumed belonged to my father was tossed on the bed. I opened the closet and saw a couple of shirts hanging, but otherwise, it was empty.

  I walked to the dresser and pulled open drawers. A few leftover articles of clothing from what looked like a rush packing job. I frowned, putting my hands on my hips and looking around. Maybe he’d had an emergency business meeting out of town.

  “Let’s get our suitcase and we’ll get your toys,” I said to Lizzy, who was opening and closing the drawers.

  After unpacking the suitcase and making use of the dresser and empty closet, I went back to the kitchen to see what I could put together for dinner. I had thought he would at least take us out. Clearly, he couldn’t be bothered.

  “Are you hungry?” I asked Lizzy.

  “I want crackers,” she answered.

  I laughed. “Let’s see if we can find something a little more nutritious.”

  I opened the fridge, took a glance, and quickly shut the door. The smell of sour milk nearly made me vomit. I had a feeling the cupboards would likely be bare as well. I had to tamp down my anger. I couldn’t believe he had demanded I come home and then disappeared, leaving us with a filthy apartment and nothing to eat.

  I grabbed my phone and hit the Redial button. I had called when we landed. I called when I couldn’t find him at the airport. I called from the subway, and each time it was the same thing—voicemail. “Dad, it’s me. We’re at the apartment. Where are you?”

  I searched my contact list and found his office number. I almost never called him on the line, preferring to use his cell. The call went to voicemail as well. I didn’t want to leave a message on the company line and simply hung up.

  I glanced around and shook my head. I had no idea where he was or what the hell was going on. If we were close, like we had been before everything happened, I probably would have known earlier that something was wrong. As it was, we talked very little. I had lost a lot of respect for him when he’d essentially forced me to go in and steal information. He’d used the information and cost me everything.

  He didn’t care what the fallout was. And as if being used and lied to wasn’t bad enough, he screwed up a deal that I had helped put together. A deal that had destroyed my life and never made the company a dime. It should have. If my father wouldn’t have screwed it up, he could have made millions. I had seen the projections. I had seen the potential earnings, but he made almost nothing off the deal.

  When he’d called last week, he claimed the company was on the brink of ruin. He begged me to help. I had refused, but he made me feel guilty for leaving in the first place. I shouldn’t have felt guilty, but he had a way of laying it on thick.

  He used his one card—my mother. Whenever he wanted to guilt me into helping him, he brought up the fact that he was all alone in the world. When she died, there had been a huge hole in our lives. It was hard to imagine a single person taking up so much space in the world that when they died, there was a huge vacuum. Her absence had been almost impossible to cope with until I realized I had to be strong for him.

  I had grown up almost overnight, taking care of him. It gave me something to focus on—a way to avoid my own pain. It wasn’t until my world was turned upside down three years ago that I realized he’d been selfish. He’d used me over and over. I had been too naive to see it then, but my eyes were wide open now.

  I didn’t want to see him financially ruined. I didn’t necessarily respect him, but I did love him in a distant way. I had come home to try and help him fix what he had broken, and the guy didn’t even have the decency to be around.

  “Nice welcome home, Dad,” I muttered before flopping onto the couch.

  Lizzy was playing with one of her favorite toys, content with the new surroundings. I watched her play. Her hair was growing darker by the day it seemed. She had started with my pale blonde hair, but it wasn’t meant to stick around obviously. Her father’s genes were stomping all over mine. Even my blue eyes that she’d been born with were gone. They were a pretty hazel color that I loved, just like his.

  I pulled up my Uber Eats app and browsed through my choices. I picked Italian. Lizzy loved spaghetti. It was messy as hell, but she deserved to get a little messy after the long day she’d had. With dinner ordered, I dropped my phone on the couch and headed for the window to check out the view.

  My eyes roamed over the city streets below and the tall buildings lining both sides of the street. A few years ago, I loved the view. I loved the city. Now I looked down and I saw chaos and darkness. Southern California was so much brighter, and not just literally. The sun had a way of making things look cleaner and fresher.

  I reminded myself I wasn’t there to stay. I still had my place back in California. I was only in New York for a little while, until I could figure out what the hell was going on. Then I was out. Lizzy and I could not stay in the city. We were doing just fine by ourselves in Los Angeles. I had been taking care of myself for so long, I didn’t remember what it was like to have someone take care of me.

  “Momma,” Lizzy said, toddling toward me.

  I smiled and turned to face her. “We should change you into something comfy,” I said, scooping her up and carrying her back to the bedroom.

  We had started potty training a couple of months ago, and by some miracle, it worked. I had put her in a pull-up for the flight, but she’d done very well. I was very proud of my baby girl. She was a very smart girl, just like her mommy. And daddy I supposed.

  “All right, kiddo, let’s go get our dinner,” I told her when I heard the doorbell.

  It wasn’t exactly how I envisioned my first night in the city, but then again, it was probably for the best. I was tired and cranky after the long day of travel and didn’t have it in me to deal with my father. Tomorrow I would be ready to tackle the mess he’d created.

  Chapter 3

  Devin

  I exited the black town car, closing the door behind me and tapping the top of the car to let the driver know he could go. I buttoned the jacket of my suit and walked toward the door. A doorman opened it for me. I smiled and walked inside, pulling off my dark sunglasses and putting them in my inside pocket. Then I gave my name to the receptionist and was told to have a seat while I waited.

  The start-up company was doing very well judging by the size and location of the offices. The interior was nice—not as nice as my own offices, but nice, nonetheless. I checked my watch. I was about ten minutes early for my meeting with the owner of the firm I was about to steal out from under Savage’s nose. I had done my h
omework and was confident I had the offer that would seal the deal.

  It would be the final blow to Savage’s company. I almost wished I could see his face when he discovered it was me that had taken him down. I smiled, walking toward one of the chairs and about to sit down when I heard something that made my blood run cold.

  I spun around, my eyes scanning the area. I had to be hearing things. “Fuck me,” I hissed on an exhaled breath.

  Ron Savage had just walked in, and beside him was his scheming daughter, Elly. I couldn’t believe my eyes or my ears. She laughed at something her father said and I watched in horror. Then excitement. Then I felt the familiar desire. My blood was running hot and cold, leaving me feeling very out of sorts.

  God, I had missed her. I had dreamed of her almost nightly. Seeing her in front of me—I wasn’t entirely sure it was real. Ron said something, and she let out another soft laugh. Watching the two of them laugh quickly transitioned my happiness at seeing her into fury. They were thick as thieves. I imagined they were laughing at me. I stepped forward, my jaw set in a hard line. I didn’t know why they were there, but I wanted to take the opportunity to let them both know I had won. I knew my deal was far better than anything they could offer. I was the better choice, and the CEO, Toby Michaels, knew it. The Savages, a name that was befitting of the father-daughter duo, didn’t stand a chance.

  “What are you doing here?” I snapped.

  Elly’s eyes practically popped out of her head as she looked up, seeing me for the first time. Shock crossed her features. Her father stepped in front of her, a shit-eating grin on his face as he looked me up and down. I wanted to knock the smile off his ugly mug.

  “You’re a little too late, McKay,” he sneered. “This deal is mine. You may as well crawl back to your office and tell Daddy you fucked up again.”

  I heard a sharp intake of breath from behind me. I glanced back to see a man with remarkable green eyes wearing a tailored suit staring at Ron and me. The man looked like he was chewing glass. “Mr. Savage, Mr. McKay, thank you for coming,” he stammered.

  “This is a done deal,” Ron said. “It’s mine. Go home.”

  “Sir, we’re still considering offers,” the man said.

  I looked at the man, wondering exactly who he was. “You are?” I snapped, pissed that what was supposed to be an easy close was quickly turning into a clusterfuck.

  He extended his hand. “I’m Toby Michaels, CEO,” he said, his eyes glancing over to Ron, who had stepped forward.

  I shook Toby’s hand and once again found my gaze being pulled toward Elly. She looked gorgeous. She was wearing a skirt suit, tailored to fit her slender body and showing off plenty of leg. Her high heels made her look much taller than she was. I remembered the feel of her petite body climbing over me, rubbing against me, writhing under me.

  Her hair was shorter than it had been when we’d been together. It was cut in choppy waves that were lighter than I remembered. There were subtle differences in her, but other than a new haircut, she was the same Elly that had made me fall for her tricks and schemes. I had to remember that. I had to remember the pain, or I would fall right back into the deep blue oceans of her eyes and find myself adrift once again. Her eyes were purposely avoiding me. I wanted to grab her and yank her into a room and demand an explanation. I wanted to ask her to her face why. Why had she screwed me over and then left without so much as a ‘fuck you’? Once I said the words, or maybe before I said the words, I wanted to push her body against the wall and ravish her.

  My attention was pulled back to Ron’s raised voice. I pushed aside all thoughts of ravishing Elly’s perfect body and stepped closer to where Toby had retreated. “Sir, I have an appointment with Mr. McKay,” I heard him say.

  “Yes, Ron, run along,” I snapped.

  “Bullshit,” Ron hissed. “This is my deal.”

  “Not anymore.” I smiled. “I have a meeting with Mr. Michaels, and I’m certain he and I will come to an arrangement that benefits his company more than you ever could. You should just go home.”

  “I didn’t say that,” Toby quickly interjected. “We are entertaining all offers. I agreed to take the meeting to hear your proposal.”

  I smiled at him. “Trust me; once you’ve heard what I have to offer, you won’t want to waste your time with Savage.”

  Toby looked from me to Ron, clearly uncomfortable. Ron looked like his ears were about to pop off his head. He was apoplectic. His face was red, and there was spittle collecting at the corners of his mouth. “McKay,” he growled.

  Elly stepped forward and put her hand on her father’s shoulder. There was an immediate change in his demeanor. He smiled at me, folding his arms over his chest and taking a subtle step back. Once again, Elly was stepping up to do his dirty work. All thoughts of ravishing her vanished as I stared her down, her hard gaze meeting mine. I knew that look. It was pure determination.

  “Hello, Mr. Michaels, I’m Elly Savage,” she said with a thin smile. “I think you need to consider the fact we’ve been negotiating a deal in good faith. For you to abandon those negotiations and not equitably consider both offers would be a mistake.”

  “I—” Toby opened his mouth to say something, but Elly was in beast mode.

  Her tone was firm and a little on the icy side, a contradiction to the smile on her face. “You see, if you decide to jump ship at this point in the negotiations, I’m afraid our only recourse would be to make it known that your word doesn’t stand for much. No one will be investing in your company. Your potential IPO will be in jeopardy.”

  Toby’s mouth fell open, fear filling his eyes. I almost smiled. She was good—too good. I couldn’t help but be impressed by the woman. She was cutthroat. A trait I would normally admire, when we weren’t on opposite sides of the fence.

  “I think I have a solution,” I offered.

  Toby looked at me, silently begging me for help. It wasn’t a great solution, at least not quite as easy as I would have liked, but it would give me the satisfaction of thoroughly kicking Savage’s ass.

  “You’ll withdraw and go away?” Ron sneered.

  “Not going to happen,” I spat. “I propose a representative from each of our firms sit down with Toby here and go over the offers. We’ll work together to come up with something that is best for Toby’s company.”

  Ron was practically drooling at the idea of getting in a room with me. I could see it on his face. He actually rubbed his hands together. “Perfect.”

  “I think Elly should be the representative,” I said with my own satisfied smile. “She has a much cooler head, and the negotiations won’t be derailed by flared tempers.”

  Ron’s face returned to tomato status and once again, I feared his ears would blow off his round head. Elly put a hand on his forearm. “I can do this,” she told him in a quiet voice. Part of me was jumping for joy at the chance to spend some time with Elly, while the other, rational side of me was kicking my own ass. I had no business going into a room with the woman. She was dangerous—toxic even. I was a strong man, I told myself. I could keep from falling under her spell.

  “Great, then it’s settled. Toby, does that work for you?”

  He cleared his throat. “Um, yes, I suppose. It’s unconventional, but if it keeps me out of the papers, I will do it.”

  “Dad, go ahead and take the car back,” Elly said, turning to face her father, her back to me.

  I had to look. Her ass, perfectly round and high in the tight skirt, threatened to pull me under her spell. I fought it and turned away. She turned back to face Toby and I with a smile on her face. “Ready?” Toby asked.

  “Yes,” Elly and I answered at the same time.

  I gestured for her to step in front of me as we followed Toby into the conference room. I had to check out her ass one more time. It was too good not to look at it. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Ron watching us. I grinned, letting him know exactly what I was doing. The anger on his face was satisfying.

  I
turned back around and followed them into the conference room. Toby closed the door, gesturing for us both to take a seat. At that moment, the flight-or-fight sense took hold. I looked at Elly and realized I had to be some kind of crazy to put myself in a room with her again. It was stupid and reckless and threatened to destroy everything I had worked for.

  I took a deep breath, calming my inner thoughts. This was a chance for me to exorcise the demon that was my desire for her. It would be my chance to be near her on my own terms.

  Maybe, just maybe, it was the resolution I needed to the ordeal, and I would be able to move on with my life once the deal was done. Once I had finished off the Savages and ran them out of the investing business, I could finally move on with my life and never think about those pretty blue eyes again.

  Chapter 4

  Elly

  My guts felt watery. Devin McKay was the last person I thought I would see. I knew he was in the city, but it was a really big city. I did not believe for one second our run-in was a coincidence. The man was smart and calculating. I had a feeling he had something up his sleeve. I had to find out what before things got ugly.

  My first thought was; did he know? Did he know my secret? Was that what had brought him to the meeting? My first instinct was to run back to the apartment to check on my little girl. I had used a nanny service for the emergency babysitter situation. The woman came highly recommended and I felt safe enough leaving Lizzy with her, but I was still anxious. He couldn’t know, I told myself. My secret was safe.

  I turned my focus on the situation at hand. I knew Devin’s company had the means to buy an entire team of lawyers that would drag out a court battle for years. He would have the best lawyers in the country working for him. My dad’s lawyers, if he even had any, would not be able to compete. Devin would win. I glanced over at him, trying not to look directly at him. Looking at him was like looking at an eclipse.