by Parker, Ali
Dammit. I was desperate to spend more time with her. I had probably freaked her out. She was likely thinking I was a stalker or a guy looking for a one-night stand with a girl from out of town that he would never have to see again. That couldn’t be further from the truth. I wanted to see her again and again. And other things. I wouldn’t lie. I did want to do other things with her. I definitely wanted to kiss her again and get my hands on those perfectly plump breasts.
Richie was still a little miffed at me for my lack of availability all week. I felt a tiny bit guilty for running away during a time I needed to be totally focused on making the deal go through. Despite telling myself I needed to focus, I couldn’t stop thinking about her.
My phone beeped, indicating I had a text message. I reached for it, expecting another complaint from Richie. It wasn’t him. It was her! I quickly pulled it up and read it, smiling big like a young boy getting a message from his crush. She wanted to know if I was busy.
I’m in my office. Stop by if you have time.
I was hoping she would take me up on the offer. I waited to see what her response would be.
Be there in a few.
I straightened my tie, used my fingers to comb my hair back, and did a quick breath check. I was good to go. I was surprised when there was a knock at my door about two minutes later.
“Come in,” I called out.
A bellboy opened the door. “You have a guest,” he said nervously.
“Thank you,” I said, rising to greet her.
She came in, looking absolutely beautiful and casual and so perfect. “Hi,” she said with a small smile.
“Hi, I’m glad you came by,” I said, closing the door behind her.
“I hope I’m not bothering you. I know you have a ton of stuff to do.”
“You are not bothering me,” I told her. “I’m glad to see you.”
“I won’t stay long,” she said with a bright grin, handing me a small bag. “I just wanted to come by and give you this.”
“What’s this?” I asked.
She giggled. “It’s a gift. You got me a gift, and I wanted to return the favor.”
I immediately felt bad that she’d spent her money on me. My gift to her had been something I wanted to do for her.
“You didn’t have to do that.” I gestured for her to have a seat on my couch, taking a seat beside her as I held the bag in my hand.
“Trust me,” she said, her eyes staring into mine. “It is nothing extravagant. I saw it, and I knew I had to get it for you.”
I nodded and unwrapped the tissue to find a pretty amber blown-glass figure that looked just like Leia. It made my heart sing. “Thank you. This is awesome!”
I could see the joy on her face and wasn’t about to tell her I didn’t need her gift. As it turned out, I did need it. I wanted it more than anything in the world simply because she gave it to me.
“I know it’s small and cheesy, but I saw it in one of the little shops we visited last night, and I immediately thought of Leia.”
“It is a striking likeness,” I said with a laugh. “Leia is going to be very proud of her statue.”
“She should be proud. She’s a beautiful girl and deserves to be worshipped.” She laughed.
I turned the glass figure in my hand. It was kitschy. It would always remind me of her. She had seen it and thought of me, which told me I had been on her mind. That was more than I could have asked for. I had just been worried she wanted nothing to do with me, and here she was, buying me a gift.
“I’m going to put it on my desk here,” I said, my voice low. “That way, I can look at it and think of her. And you.”
“That’s sweet,” she said with a soft smile. “I don’t expect you to display it.”
“It’s a display for me, and it’s perfect. I absolutely want it where I can see it all the time.”
I put the figure on the coffee table and reached for her, giving her a hug and thanking her again. I didn’t scoot back to my seat on the couch but stayed close to her, my thigh touching hers. I took her hand in mine and rested it on my leg.
“Did you get caught up on your work?” she asked, her voice soft and breathy.
I nodded. “Most of it. I don’t think it ever ends, but I have enough done that I’m not worried about it.”
“Good,” she said. “I really did have a great time yesterday. I told the girls all about our hike, and they were totally jealous, which made me totally happy.”
“Did you think about my offer for dinner?” I asked hesitantly. She hadn’t mentioned it, and I had told myself I wasn’t going to press, but being with her made me forget all about those promises.
“I have,” she said with a very large pause.
“But?” I questioned.
She sighed. “I had mentioned it to Khloe and Julia and indicated it would just be you and me. They asked if you mentioned them, and I couldn’t lie, but I really wanted to lie.”
I chuckled. She wanted to be alone with me. That made me very happy. “And?” I pressed.
“And they would like to go. They said they’d like to learn a little more about you. I’m sorry. They can be very, um, I don’t know, bossy, and they think they have to protect me. They are worse than my dad.” She harrumphed.
“They seemed all right to me. In fact, I got the impression they were totally fine with us spending time together. It was Khloe who promised to keep Julia occupied while I stole you away.”
She rolled her eyes. “Matchmaking is their specialty.”
“I think they’re good at it,” I said with a grin.
“I’m just going to apologize now for what they might say or do tonight. They can get mouthy, and they have embarrassed me on more than one occasion. They are truly like my parents. I love them for it, but it is a lot to take in.”
“I’m glad you have a couple of people looking out for you,” I commented. “I bet your dad is happy about it as well.”
She scoffed. “My dad has only met Khloe a handful of times. His words to describe her were flighty and energetic. My mom called her a bundle of energy, which is basically code for crazy.”
I laughed, having to slightly agree with the parents’ evaluation. “And Julia?”
“Julia is a little softer and more serious, but she is just as bouncy. The two of them are always going fast or faster. I don’t know why they hang out with me.” She genuinely looked confused.
“Because you’re the Yin to their Yang. You bring a sense of calm and reason to the trio. You ground them. They need you as much as you need them. In the Army, it was often like that in our troop. You have to have people that are different enough to work well together. Can you imagine if everyone was the same?”
“No, definitely not,” she said. “I get it. I love them, and I am always grateful they let me be a part of their little group. Although I guess it’s one of them that is part of the group. I’m the common denominator.”
We were silent for a few seconds. I was just taking her all in. I felt like there were so many layers to her. I wanted to know them all. “What time are you available for dinner?”
She shrugged. “We’re on vacation. We can eat whenever. What works for you?”
“Can we shoot for seven?”
“Yep, that works,” she said, her cute little nose all wrinkled up. “Are you sure you don’t mind the girls coming along?”
“I don’t mind. They can interrogate me all they want. I have nothing to hide.” I looked her straight in the eye.
“Okay, fair warning, they can get kind of personal,” she said.
“I’ll bring Richie,” I said, grinning. “He can act as my buffer.”
“Great. I’ll let you get back to work.” She got to her feet.
I stood as well. I wanted to hug her and decided to go for it. I reached out and grabbed her when she made a move to step around me. I pulled her close, inhaling the scent of her hair. “Thank you for the gift.”
“You’re welcome,” she said, h
er arms going around me.
I didn’t want to risk freaking her out and stopped myself from kissing her. I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before stepping away from her. “I’ll have my driver out front at seven.”
“Great. Thank you. You really are a good sport.” She smiled and walked out the door.
I breathed a sigh of relief. I had gotten myself worked up earlier, worried she was tired of me and looking for someone younger. She hadn’t. She had actually bought me a gift.
I grinned, picked up the glass figurine, and ran my thumb over it. I couldn’t remember ever getting a gift that was so special. It meant a lot. It came from her heart. She could have drawn me a picture, and I would have cherished it just as much.
I walked to my desk, placed the figurine on it, and relaxed a bit. Now, I could focus on the mountain of paperwork that needed to be gone through for the acquisition. I was scheduled to visit the property next week. I had pushed it back from this week. I didn’t want to miss a single chance of hanging out with her. I liked being in the hotel, knowing she was close.
I remembered I needed to ask Richie. When I said ask, I meant tell. I knew he wouldn’t turn down the chance to have dinner with two eligible women. Sade was not available.
She was mine.
Chapter 18
Sade
Me and the girls walked through the lobby, and all I could think about was Charlie’s Angels, the newer version. I was Drew, Khloe was Lucy, and Julia was Cameron. I could practically feel my hair blowing back as I walked. We all dressed casually after getting a text from Trent, saying nothing fancy. It was warm enough to wear shorts, which we had all opted for. I wore one of the new blouses I had picked up on our shopping trip the night before. It was pale pink and flowy, and made me feel pretty.
“That’s him,” I said, pointing to the car with Bentley waiting out front.
“If you marry this guy or even if you officially date him, I’m going to have to ask for a stretch limo,” Khloe said.
I laughed. “I’ll get right on that.”
“Any idea where we’re going?” Julia asked, getting in the backseat.
“Nope, but he said casual,” I answered.
I had been incredibly relieved when I got the text from him. I had been a little nervous about a fancy dinner at a steakhouse or something equally expensive. I knew he had money, and I knew he was used to the finer things in life, but I wasn’t, and I wasn’t totally comfortable with the trappings of a fancy place. I liked to laugh and talk and enjoy a meal. I did not like worrying about what I was eating because I had never eaten it before or worrying about which fork to use.
The car stopped not too far from the hotel at a pizza place. Julia looked at me, raising an eyebrow. “Pizza? You’re dating a billionaire, and he’s taking us out to pizza?”
I slapped her thigh. “Stop it. No one said he was actually buying. Maybe he was thinking of us.”
Khloe scoffed. “He’s buying. He’s the kind of man who would insist on it.”
“Be nice,” I hissed, climbing out of the car. “Do not embarrass me, or I swear I will absolutely kill you both.”
Julia scoffed. “We would never.”
“Liars,” I hissed, walking into the pizza place and immediately spotting Trent on the back-balcony area.
I took a moment to appreciate just how damn good looking he was. He was smiling. His profile was perfect. Absolutely perfect. Julia grabbed my hand and started dragging me outside.
“You can’t just stand there staring all night,” she hissed.
“Can’t I?” I asked.
“Come on. Let’s go see what Mr. Sexy has in store for you.” She giggled.
We stepped onto the outdoor area. Trent turned to look at us. His smile grew bigger, and his eyes actually lit up. That was not the reaction I had expected, but it was awesome. I loved how happy he was to see me. It gave me the confidence and reassurance I was constantly searching for. He did like me. I knew he did, but when I saw him from afar, I just couldn’t believe he was truly into me. Out of all the women in the world, it was me who made his face light up. That was a pretty amazing feeling.
“Ladies,” he greeted, coming toward me and giving me a quick kiss on the cheek before greeting Julia and Khloe. “I’m glad you two could make it.”
“We wouldn’t miss this for the world,” Khloe answered.
“Great. I’d like you to meet my friend Richie.” He moved back toward the large round table where his friend was sitting. “Richie, these are the beautiful ladies I told you about.”
Richie offered a boyish smile that matched his blonde hair and blue eyes. He looked like he would be a mischievous guy and a womanizer. The way he was eyeing Julia and Khloe told me he was very interested in both. It wasn’t unusual for that to happen.
We all took seats at the table before being served a round of red wine. It helped calm my nerves, but I promised myself no more than two glasses. I did not want to be feeling aftereffects tomorrow.
I could see Richie studying me, and in my mind, I decided he was probably trying to figure out why his friend chose me out of the three. That was my own issues coming to a head. I pushed them down, put my shoulders back, and reminded myself it was me and that was all that mattered.
“How long have you two worked together?” I asked Richie, diving right into the conversation.
Richie and Trent looked at each other, smirking before it was Richie who looked back at me. “Since he got kicked out of the Army. But I’ve known him since he was a snot-nosed little brat.”
“You were just as snot nosed as I was,” Trent said.
“Kicked out of the Army?” Julia questioned. “What did you do?”
I had avoided asking the question, suspecting it was likely due to the knee injury. I tried to kick her under the table, but it was too late.
Trent shrugged a shoulder. “I got myself shot.”
Both girls gasped.
“Seriously?” Khloe asked.
He nodded. “Yep. Right in my knee. Had a couple of other minor wounds, but it was my knee that took me out of the game. A soldier that can’t walk isn’t much good to the Army.”
“Oh, wow, I’m sorry, I had no idea,” Julia mumbled, looking properly embarrassed.
“It’s fine,” he said nonchalantly. “I don’t mind talking about it. It happens over there.”
I knew his nonchalance was likely his way of protecting himself from the memories. I didn’t blame him a bit for wanting to forget those parts of his life.
“And when he came crawling back home, literally, he discovered he was mega-rich, and we got this harebrained idea to go into business together,” Richie said. “He couldn’t do this without me. I’m the brains, and he’s the money in this duo.”
We all laughed. Trent seemed very at ease with his pal. “Keep telling yourself that. Ladies, I don’t know about you, but when I eat pizza, I need cold beer. Anybody want a beer?” He pushed the half-drunk glass of wine away.
We all eagerly agreed. I had accepted the wine because when dining with a billionaire, you did as they did. I didn’t want to be the redneck ordering a beer while everyone else enjoyed wine. I just hoped to God he didn’t eat his pizza with a fork and knife.
“Did you take care of the stuff you needed to for the new hotel?” I asked him.
He smiled. “Not all of it, but I did delegate some of it to Richie.”
Richie made a face. “Yes, while you’ve been playing hooky all week, one of us had to actually work.”
“Sorry about that,” I answered, feeling a little guilty.
“Don’t be sorry,” Richie said. “It’s good for the old fart. If he wasn’t with you, he’d be at home with that damn drooling dog of his.”
“Leia does not drool,” Trent replied in a haughty tone. “She has excess saliva.”
We all burst into laughter.
“I think Leia is awesome,” I said. “She’s a good girl.”
“She’s a slobbering girl,�
�� Richie said with a laugh. “It’s about time he found a woman that won’t drool on him.”
“If you’re referring to me, I do tend to get a little drooly after a few drinks,” I joked.
“She isn’t lying,” Julia said dryly.
“Hey!” I protested.
She shrugged a shoulder. “You said it.”
“You could have said I didn’t, like a real friend,” I said with a playful scowl.
Trent was looking at me with that intense gaze that made me feel all squirmy inside. “I noticed no drool, and even if there had been drool, I wouldn’t have minded.”
There was a moment of pure heat between us. The table was silent for a beat before Richie jumped in and cooled things down. “Exactly, because you spend most of your time with Leia. You’re used to the drool.”
It was enough to break the tension, and everyone burst into laughter. I couldn’t shake the feeling of him mentally touching me and kissing me. I had seen it in the way he stared at me.
He ordered several different types of pizza and another round of cold beers for the table. We spent the next hour talking about our time at school and their plans for the new hotel.
I didn’t want the night to end. We had overstayed our welcome, or at least, if we were anyone besides the party with Trent Gilroy, it would have been unwelcome, but because it seemed everyone in town knew who he was, no one bothered us.
“Thank you, ladies, for hanging out with a couple of old guys tonight,” Richie said at the end of the night.
He very casually and easily hooked one arm around Julia’s arm and another around Khloe’s and led them away, leaving Trent and me alone on the patio.
“Thank you for tonight,” I said. “I hope Khloe and Julia weren’t too hard on you.”
“They weren’t. Not at all. I had a good time tonight.”
“So, did I. It was nice and comfortable, and it was good to laugh.”
“It was a nice night, but I think I’d like at least one night alone with you, just you and me,” he said, his eyes gazing into mine. “Would you be up for that?”
