by Keeland, Vi
I picked up my phone and started to text him, but decided to call instead. I wanted to remind him about something else anyway.
Grant picked up on the first ring.
“Are you really Santa Claus or something?”
He chuckled. “Hang on a second.” I heard the sound of the phone being covered and then a muffled “Excuse me for a minute, gentlemen,” before a door opened and shut and Grant returned to the line.
“I’m guessing you got the paperwork from the City.”
“Yes. But how?”
“I have a friend at the building department who owed me a favor. I called it in and asked him to prioritize whatever you needed.”
I shook my head. “I can’t believe you did that. Thank you so much.”
“Can’t have my employees homeless, now can I?”
“Is that why you did it? Because I’m your employee? If that’s the case, I think I overheard Jim in Accounting say his landlord was kicking him out of his apartment so his daughter could move in. I’ll stop over and tell him you’re on it and will be finding him a new place to live.”
Grant chuckled. “Can’t let one slide, can you?”
I leaned back in my chair. “Thank you so much for doing that. It was really sweet. And here I was, thinking it was already Wednesday and I hadn’t heard from you, so you might be blowing me off.”
Grant was quiet for a minute. “Figured it might be best to give you a little space.”
“Is that what you want? Space?”
“What do you want me to say, Ireland? That I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind since the day we met? That I’ve jerked off every day this week to the way you looked when you came on my tongue the other day?”
“If that’s true, then yes.”
He blew out a breath, and I pictured worry lines on his forehead while he raked a hand through his hair.
When he went quiet again, I got up and shut my office door. “Would it help if I shared, too? You aren’t alone in this. I haven’t been able to stop thinking of you either. In fact, I thought of you last night while I was in the bathtub.”
Grant’s voice was gruff. “Ireland…”
“Remember when you told me you thought you could slip your hand into my shorts while we were outside on the boat and get me off while people watched? That I basically couldn’t control myself once we started kissing?”
He grunted a yes.
“Well, I shut my eyes and imagined that. You slipped your fingers in…but since you weren’t around, I had to use my own and pretend they were yours.”
“Ireland…”
“It’s funny—the tone of my voice while I was saying your name over and over last night was about the same as yours is right now. Almost sounds painful, doesn’t it?”
“Fuck….” He let out a loud exhale.
I smiled. “Anyway, I think I interrupted a meeting when I called. I’m sure you’re really busy. I just wanted to say thank you to Santa Claus and remind you about the wedding Saturday. I’ll let you get back to work.”
Grant groaned. “You don’t really think I’m going to be able to walk back into my meeting after you just told me you masturbated while pretending your fingers were mine, do you?”
“Oh.” I giggled. “I guess it is a little easier for me to hide my arousal than you.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
“If you want, I’ll stay on the phone and tell you more about my bath last night while you slip into the men’s room and take care of business.”
“As tempting as that may be, I think I’ll just take a quick walk.”
I smiled. “Okay. Well, thank you again for pulling the strings at the Building Commission.”
“No problem.”
“Have a good afternoon. Hope your meeting isn’t too hard.”
“I look forward to repaying the torture, Ireland. Very soon.”
After I hung up, I sat in my office smiling. I felt better than I had in days. Grant might not have called because he was trying to give me some space, but what he’d done to get my zoning variance told me lack of contact hadn’t stopped him from thinking about us. Not to mention, I was giddy hearing him say he’d done the same thing as I had during his shower.
I left for the day around one, which was technically the end of my workday since I started at five, though I rarely left before three. I needed to pick up my dress from the tailor for Mia’s wedding this weekend and run a bunch of errands. Since my workday ended when most people were heading to lunch, the lobby was bustling. Just as I was about to walk out, Grant’s sister Kate happened to be walking into the building.
Seeing me, she smiled. “Hey. I was going to call you. I enjoyed torturing my brother at the carnival, but I wasn’t kidding when I said I’d love to have lunch.”
I smiled. “I’d like that. When did you have in mind?”
She shrugged. “I’m just coming back from a meeting and haven’t eaten yet. Now, if you’re not heading somewhere else?”
I had a mile-long to-do list, but…I hadn’t eaten anything other than a power bar on the way to the office at four o’clock this morning. Plus, I had so many unanswered questions about Grant, and who better than his sister to shed a little light on the enigma? So, screw it. Why not? The tailor would still be open in an hour or two.
“Sure. Let’s do it.”
***
“So…my brother really likes you, I can tell,” Kate announced.
She and I had made small talk through most of lunch. I was relieved when she not-so-subtly brought our conversation around to Grant during coffee.
I smiled and lifted my cup to my lips. “I like him, too. Though sometimes he can be…”
While I was thinking of the right words—maybe difficult, hard to read, abrupt—Kate filled in the blank.
“A total jackass.”
I laughed. “Yeah, that.”
She smiled warmly. “He doesn’t often bring women around, not casually anyway. He’ll bring a date to something formal that requires one, but it’s been years since I saw him with a woman while he was dressed in a pair of jeans. It’s like women became necessary companions for social functions and, well, I’m sure for other purposes we don’t need to discuss unless you want to see my lunch all over this table. But they aren’t really a part of his life anymore.”
From what Grant had told me about his dating, his sister’s assessment was on point. He kept women very separate and distant from the things that mattered in his life. But while Kate’s comment wasn’t a surprise, I hoped she could shed light on why he was that way.
I nodded. “When we’ve talked about his previous relationships, that’s pretty much what he alluded to. Actually, he didn’t allude. He came right out and said he was upfront with the women he’s dated the last few years—he wasn’t looking for a long-term relationship.”
Kate frowned. “You two seemed pretty relationship-y on Sunday. Something’s different than the way I’ve seen him with other women. He’s warm, not cold. I watched you guys walk out to the parking lot; he even took your hand.”
“He’s trying. But we take a step forward, and then he retreats.”
Kate sighed. “My brother has trouble letting people in.”
I wasn’t sure I should be discussing the things Grant had confided in me about his marriage. But I knew that had to be the root of all his cynicism on relationships. He’d been burned badly and was afraid to get too close to the fire again.
“His marriage obviously had a profound impact on who he is today.”
“Has he…opened up to you about his marriage?”
“Somewhat. He’s told me about Lily’s mental health issues.”
Kate was quiet for a moment. She seemed to be debating something or lost in thought. Finally she said, “Did he…go into detail about how it ended?”
“Not really. It was more general, I guess.”
Kate nodded. Again she was quiet as she considered her words. Then she reached across the table and c
overed my hand with hers. “My brother is like an oyster. He’s shut tight, and he might never open, or you just may be the one who pries him loose. If that happens, I promise you’ll find a pearl waiting for you.”
***
On Thursday morning, Grant called and said he was taking an earlier flight home than expected and asked me to meet him for dinner. He said he would come straight from the airport because he knew my routine included being in bed by eight o’clock on weeknights.
I agreed to meet him at a restaurant not too far from my house, and when I arrived, I found him already seated at the bar. A woman in a tight green dress stood next to him, talking, and her hand rested on his back as she spoke.
“Hey. Sorry if I’m a few minutes late,” I said as I approached.
Grant stood and kissed me on the lips. “Flight landed early. You’re not late.” He kept his hand on my back, and the woman stood there waiting to be introduced.
Grant cleared his throat. “Ireland, this is Shannon. She’s the hostess here. She used to work over at the steakhouse next to our office.”
I smiled. “Nice to meet you.”
Though she showed me her pearly whites with a full, plastic smile, the quick drop of her eyes to assess me said a lot. When a woman is standing with a man and another woman approaches, she sizes her up for one of two reasons—to see who her competition is or to see who the man she’s lost has moved on to. I wasn’t sure which this was.
“You, too,” she finally said. She reached out and touched Grant’s arm. “I’ll check to see if your table is ready.”
When she walked away, Grant buried his face in my hair. He took a deep breath in. “Mmm... I missed you.”
“Really? It seemed like you had good company…”
Grant arched a brow. “Do I detect jealousy?”
“Do I have a reason to be jealous?”
He shook his head. “Not at all. But full disclosure, Shannon and I did go out a few times.”
I frowned. “Did she visit your apartment?”
Grant looked down. “I know you didn’t think I was a virgin. Though if I’d known she worked here, I wouldn’t have picked this place.” His eyes rose and locked with mine. “I get it, though. I wouldn’t be happy in the presence of anyone you’ve been with.”
His not belittling how I felt made me feel better. Besides, I was being silly. We both had pasts. I shrugged. “It’s fine. I’m a big girl.”
Shannon walked back over to us. “Your table’s ready.”
After we followed a woman he used to sleep with back to the table, it made me realize we’d never spoken about seeing other people. The thought of him with anyone else made me crazy. Though, I suppose technically, we both had the right to do it.
Grant pulled out my chair, and once we were both seated, Shannon said she’d send the waiter over to take our drink order. I shook out my cloth napkin and laid it over my lap.
“We’ve never spoken about seeing other people.”
Grant had picked up a glass of water and froze with it halfway to his mouth. “I assumed we were exclusive at this point.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“The thought of you with another man makes me feel irrational.”
I smiled. “I feel the same way.”
He leaned across the table. “I’m glad we’ve had this talk. I thought it was torture to be near you and not know what it feels like to be inside you. But apparently there are way worse things than not fucking you, such as imagining that someone else is.”
I laughed. “Well, put that thought out of your head. How was your trip?”
Grant shook out his napkin. “Productive. We’re buying a building on the east coast and going to relocate a few of our smaller businesses’ headquarters around the city into one building. It’s a good time to buy.”
“Oh, that’s exciting.”
“I thought it was. Though I’m realizing how much time I’m going to have to spend out there to get it done. I like New York, but it’s a long trip.”
“I haven’t been there in years. I’d like to go at Christmas. I’m sure it’s touristy, but I think it would be nice to skate at Rockefeller Center and wait in line to see the windows at Bloomingdale’s.”
“You sound like Leo.”
“He wants to go to New York at Christmas?”
Grant nodded. “Maybe we’ll take him.”
I got that warm, fuzzy feeling in my stomach again. He didn’t hesitate when he spoke of things in the future, like it was a given we’d be together.
The waiter came over to take our drink order. I loved that Grant remembered the wine I liked, yet looked to me for approval when ordering it. I also really loved the five o’clock shadow lining his masculine jaw, and the blade of a nose that was his profile when he handed the wine menu back to the waiter.
I’d been hesitant to mention that a bunch of us had booked hotel rooms down the block from Mia’s wedding. It would be odd to not stay in the same room, and yet I hadn’t been sure I was ready for that. Though we’d just confirmed we were in an exclusive relationship and were talking about plans a few months away, so what was I waiting for? God knows desire wasn’t the problem. I only had to look across the table to get my feathers all ruffled.
So when the waiter walked away, I decided to go for it. “Umm…this weekend… Most of the wedding party is going to stay at the Park Place Hotel down the block from the restaurant. This way everyone can indulge and not have to worry about getting home. And Mia is having a brunch the next morning at the hotel restaurant. I have a room booked, if you would want to stay.”
“Is that really a question?”
I laughed. “I guess not. But I wasn’t going to assume.”
“Let me make it easy for you in the future. If the invitation involves you and the potential of you being naked, count me in.”
What had started as an awkward arrival with the green dress now turned into a fun and comfortable dinner. Shannon passed by a few times, and I could honestly say Grant didn’t notice. He had a way of making me feel like the only woman in the room without even trying. I felt all of his attention, because I actually had it.
I needed to use the ladies’ room, so I excused myself after Grant ordered a slice of cheesecake for us to share with a wink. When I finished up in the stall, I opened the door to find Shannon lining her lips in the mirror. Her eyes slanted to mine in the reflection. She wasn’t surprised to see me.
“How long have you and Grant been together?”
I stepped to the sink to wash my hands. I had no desire to chitchat with this woman, or any woman Grant had slept with. But a sadistic part of me was curious.
“Not too long.” I tilted my head and flashed an insincere smile. “He mentioned you two were…friendly.”
“Is that what he told you? That we were friends?”
I dried off my hands. “No. But I thought it sounded nicer than fuck buddies.”
She squinted at me. “We were together for about six months.”
That surprised me. Though I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of seeing it. Instead, I followed her lead and started to line my lips in the mirror. She watched me in silence.
I blotted and looked at her pointedly. “Did you want to tell me something else?”
“I thought I’d give you a little woman-to-woman advice. When he tells you he’s not cut out for a relationship, believe him. He says one thing and acts another way. It’ll make you think you’re different than the rest. He’s very convincing. I remember one time my car had gotten towed, and I asked him if he could take me to grab it after work from the impound lot. When I walked out of work, my car was parked in my usual spot in the parking lot. He’d even gotten it washed for me. He’s very sweet when he wants to be. Took me a year to get over him.”
Even though my insides were freaking out, I kept my face stoic. I dropped my lipstick into my purse and walked behind her. Catching her eye in the mirror, I said, “Thanks for the advice. But you’re fooling yourself if
you think it took a year for you to get over him. Obviously, you’re still not.”
I walked out of the bathroom and stopped in the hall to catch my breath, feeling completely rattled. Clearly, the woman was still hung up on Grant and wanted to shake things up between us. Oddly, that isn’t what upset me. It was what she’d said about him getting her car for her. For the last few days, I’d been feeling like everything with Grant was good, feeling the first sense of security that maybe he wouldn’t rip my heart out. And why? Because of the simplest thing—he’d done something thoughtful by taking care of my problem with the Building Commission.
Not all that different than getting Shannon’s car out of impound, was it?
Chapter 23
* * *
Grant
Something was off with Ireland. I’d sensed it the other night during dessert, but chalked it up to her being tired since she got up so early in the morning. Yesterday I’d texted to ask if she wanted to catch lunch, and she didn’t respond until long after she was home, claiming she’d been swamped at work. Now today, I could see she had read my message, and yet an hour later, still no response.
So against my better judgment, I walked my ass across the street and took the elevator up to the News floor.
Ireland was standing while talking on the phone when our eyes caught. The change in her expression confirmed my suspicion that something was off. She hung up just as I entered and closed the door behind me.
“I don’t like to come over here because I don’t want to make things difficult for you at work.”
She forced a smile. “I appreciate that.”
“But you leave me no choice when you avoid me.”
“I’m not avoiding you.”
I made a face that said she was full of shit.
Ireland sighed and sat down. “Fine.”
