Running From Forever

by Ashley Wilcox

  “From who?” I quickly questioned. Though I knew that some people were shocked to see him at McShane’s, I hadn’t noticed anyone giving him discriminatory glares or anything.

  “No one in particular,” he blew it off. “Although I will say the bartender looked very perplexed when I arrived standing beside you.”

  “Merrick?”

  “If that’s his name.”

  Mystified, I answered, “I wouldn’t know why. That was the first I had met him.”

  I hadn’t even noticed the elevator skip his floor—not until it opened to mine. We stepped out together, his hand now on my lower back. It felt uncomfortable. Good, but not where I’d like it to be while we’re on ETV property. Sami’s smile was bigger than normal and she winked at the sight of the two of us together as we walked the hallway towards my desk.

  “To what do I owe this pleasure?” I whispered as we walked.

  “Connie is here this morning. I needed to speak to her about something.”

  “Oh.”

  “With you,” he added.

  “With me?” I questioned, looking up at him in panic.

  He left it at that, glancing down quickly with that grin that stole my heart every time, though it was currently scaring the shit out of me. I didn’t know what he was up to and I didn’t have time to find out. Unfortunately, the walk from the elevator to Connie’s office and my desk wasn’t a long one. There wasn’t time for me to verbally react; we were already at her door, walking in, before I could even think to formulate a coherent response.

  “Miles. Kayla,” was all she said, barely looking up from her computer.

  “I’d like to continue the discussion we had over dinner last night with Kayla present, if you wouldn’t mind?” Miles said with a sense of authority and a satisfied smirk on his face. He was amused. About what, I had no clue, but I had a feeling I would very soon.

  Connie looked anything but. Not that I was surprised. I had yet to see the woman smile. I wasn’t sure she knew how to. “Okay. Would you like me to start or you?” she answered, taking her glasses off and placing them on her desk.

  “Here, beautiful.” Miles turned, gesturing for me to have a seat in one of Connie’s chairs.

  My body stiffened in shock. I didn’t like his title for me in this situation. It was personal; entirely too personal for work. My blood was getting more heated by the moment. I wasn’t sure how this impromptu meeting was going to end. Visions of me cleaning out my desk and carrying out a crate of my belongings was dancing in my head—I’d only been here a few days! I couldn’t tell if they noticed my discomfort. Miles was acting cool as a cucumber as usual, and Connie, well, she was being Connie, the consummate grump with a scorned look upon her face.

  Miles took the seat next to mine, falling back comfortably into the chair with one foot crossed and rested on his knee. Connie was still looking at him to answer her question. So was I.

  “Last night your name came up in discussion…” he started, turning his body towards me.

  My heart flatlined at that statement. I was dying. I was sure of it. I gulped. I had no other reply.

  “It was brought to Connie’s attention that you and I were dating.”

  Son of a bitch. Already? We just went to lunch! My eyes went back and forth from his to Connie’s then back to his. They were fucking amazing—both had impeccably straight faces. I couldn’t tell what either of them was thinking.

  “I didn’t have a suitable answer at the time,” he said pointedly, then looked at me, his grin unusually larger than normal.

  It took me a minute to realize that his last sentence wasn’t just a statement; it was a question. He was asking me if we were dating…in front of Connie. Death. I was consumed by it. I wanted to kill him. I wanted him to wallow in the death that was enveloping me. Cocky bastard.

  “I…um…” I started, panicked, running my hands along the arms of the chair, trying to wipe off the perspiration building on my palms. I wanted to run as far away as I could in these stupid heels. I could care less about my dream job or dream boyfriend. I wanted out. I wanted out right then.

  “Not the answer I was envisioning in my head, sweetheart,” he joked, placing his hand on my lower arm.

  I stared at his hand, my heart thumping out of my chest. I didn’t know what to say or who to look at, so I focused on his hand. Though I didn’t appreciate the situation he had me in, his touch gave a tiny bit of comfort.

  “The reply I had for Connie was that it didn’t matter,” he continued, looking straight at me when he did, making me look up and our eyes connect. “There’s no company policy intact that says we can’t date, anyway, so what does it matter? Am I right, Connie?” Miles turned to face his sister.

  “There is no such policy,” she confirmed, glaring at Miles as she spoke.

  Miles looked back at me, his grin still displayed. “Therefore, beautiful, there would be no reason for you to worry if people at ETV knew of any relationship between us.”

  I closed my eyes and licked my lips. I was beginning to take notice of what he was doing and what game he was playing. He didn’t like the distance I put between us while on company grounds and he wanted to make it very apparent that our status had no hold on my position at ETV. There were still a million what-ifs that I should still consider—what would others think of me? What would happen if, God forbid, anything should go wrong between us? What does Connie think about this whole situation? They were all things that I should think about but I couldn’t…not with the way Miles was looking at me and the way my heart felt when I opened my eyes and saw his big blue ones taking me in.

  “Well, do you have a suitable answer now?” I asked, nerves seeping from my body and a smirk replacing the fearful look on my face.

  His gaze turned mischievous and incredibly sexy before he winked and answered, “I think I may.”

  I met his stare and felt a zap between my legs. I was turned on, there was no denying it. The next level in our relationship had been reached. We were dating, and by the heat transmitting between us, I had a feeling another level would be reached in the near future. Things were moving…rapidly.

  “Are we finished?” Connie interrupted, her tone less than enthused, making me jump, startled. I had forgotten where we were.

  “I believe we are,” Miles answered, pleased, as he stood, holding out his hand for me to join him.

  Connie’s mood never wavered. In fact, she had already put her glasses back on and went back to what she was doing before I looked back to her.

  “Have a good day, Connie,” Miles said, almost sounding sarcastic, once we reached the door.

  “Uh huh,” was the extent of her reply. She wasn’t happy, this I knew. But she never was, so it didn’t bother me. She wouldn’t be happy about our relationship, but at the moment I couldn’t care less. I took Connie with a grain of salt, and that’s all that I’d continue to do. She was a stepping stone to a career I yearned to have. I’d deal with her while I had to.

  I also couldn’t care less who saw me when I slapped Miles’ arm when we reached the hallway. There were better ways to approach the “are we/aren’t we dating” topic, and in an office, with my boss, wasn’t it. As happy as I was that we had a label attached to us, I was still pissed. I died at least ten times in the twenty minutes that we were in Connie’s office.

  “I do believe that is against company policy,” he joked, following me behind my desk.

  “I do believe I don’t care.” I glared, appearing mad still. “Nothing like putting me on the spot first thing in the morning.”

  He leaned down, sitting on the edge of my desk, facing me, his arms crossed over his chest with an entertained smile. “Would you have believed that Connie didn’t mind if I’d just told you myself?”

  Shit. He had a point. I wouldn’t have. Although, I still didn’t quite believe it. If she didn’t mind, she had a funny way of showing it. She just couldn’t do anything about it if she did. There’s no rule against it.
r />   “And that’s why I did it.” Miles didn’t wait for my reply. He knew he was right.

  “Don’t you have work to do?” I asked.

  He snorted as he stood. “Lunch?”

  “I suppose,” I said, feigning disinterest.

  “I’ll meet you here at noon,” he added, leaning over to kiss the top of my head before walking away.

  I watched as he did, mesmerized by his tall, physically authoritative stature. Miles walked with purpose. He made heads turn and woman gawk. A pleased smile covered my face when it hit me. He was mine.

  I was dating Miles Blackwell.

  The day didn’t get any better. Connie had me all over the fucking city and Sami had some doctor’s appointment, so I was answering the phones until she returned. My lunch date with Miles consisted of Chinese takeout eaten on the fly in his office. Speaking of his office, it was Connie’s times two. Huge. Fully equipped with both a treadmill and bathroom. Apparently running eased his stress, and since the office bore most of it, having a treadmill there for a quick run was essential. Not my cup of tea, but whatever. If it was the reasoning for his body looking the way it did, I had no complaint.

  It was past six o’clock when I was finally able to shut down my computer. Even though my feet were killing me and I had visions sleep dancing in my head, a beer sounded much better. Miles had a late meeting and informed me he wouldn’t be at the bar until after eight. That was fine. I never was the super attached girlfriend, needing her boyfriend all the time. Well, I guess I was never the girlfriend type to begin with. Fairytales just weren’t my thing. As I got older, they didn’t seem so bad; I just would never be that girl, clinging to my boyfriend’s side or at his beck and call whenever he needed me. No man would ever make me, either. Not even Miles Blackwell.

  Since most people had already left, I took a taxi to McShane’s by myself. It gave me a minute to touch base with Leah. I hadn’t been able to talk long last night because I was slapped by rap music in my apartment midway through our conversation. I filled her in on my meeting with Miles and Connie. She found it amusing but still disapproved, telling me “there’s just something about him I don’t like.” I rolled my eyes. Leah was always my careful counterpart. She was cautious with her heart and other people’s. It’s no wonder it took her and Matt so goddamn long to finally admit their feelings for each other. I get protecting yourself, but missing out and letting the what-ifs consume your life wasn’t something I would do. I liked Miles. He seemed to like me. Other than owning half the business I worked for and being my boss’s brother, there were no other obvious red flags flying in my face. I was going to date Miles, get to know Miles, regardless of Leah’s gut feeling, and she knew I would, too.

  By the time I arrived, the bar was already filled with ETV employees, minus one hot executive. My eyes immediately pulled to the bar, but not because they spotted Merrick’s tight black t-shirt, exposing his ripped, muscular body more so than it did Tuesday; no, I was already salivating for a cold beer and shot. It was that kind of day and let’s face it, I was that kind of girl.

  After smiling and saying hello to a few people, including Sami, I took a seat on the open bar stool towards the end of the bar. Merrick met me there with a Mic Ultra already in hand. Apparently my exhaustion was painted on my face.

  “Rough one?” he asked as I nodded my thanks and took a long swig of the beer.

  I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “You could say that.”

  “Then you’ll probably need one of these,” he put a shot glass down in front of me, filling it with Jack.

  My smile grew impossibly larger, enamored that he knew exactly what I needed. He poured one for himself, then clinked it with mine before tossing it back. It was strong but went down wonderfully. It’d been awhile since I’d done one, but it still felt the same. Soothing.

  “Thanks,” I told him after putting the glass back down on the bar. “I definitely needed that today.”

  He winked before putting the dirty shot glasses underneath the bar. “My pleasure. Looked like you could use one.”

  My eyes opened for extra emphasis and I nodded my head in agreement. “Definitely one of those days.”

  “Well, let me know if you need another.” He smiled before making his way down the bar to serving the others waiting.

  I watched as he did. There was no denying his attractiveness. I was with every other female on that. He was built. Not overly huge, but very well-defined. His brown eyes weren’t an unusual shade, but they were big and his eyelashes were longer and thicker than any man’s should be. He was athletic and hot with tattoos galore, everything the old Kayla would be pouncing on at her first opportunity. Problem was, I wasn’t the old Kayla anymore. Going for a bartender that probably drank all night, slept all morning, and spent the remainder of his day at the gym or tanning wasn’t my thing anymore. Even though guys like him were nice to look at and, more often than not, amazing in bed, they weren’t who you settled down with. Only a select few women could tame them and whip them into shape, and unfortunately, I didn’t have that patience.

  It was a little after eight when I felt a smooth hand cup the back of my neck and a charismatic “hello” into my ear. Chills radiated down my spine as a pulse generated between my legs. I didn’t need to look to confirm who it was, but I did anyways. My packaged executive was standing beside me with this cool, heart-throbbing grin. I was already three sheets to the wind by that time, so my eyes were definitely glossed seductively by the time they met his.

  Miles leaned against the bar, placing his card on top as I turned to face him better. His tie was loosened and his breath smelled of liquor.

  “Rough meeting?” I asked, loosening his tie some more. It wasn’t something that needed to be done, but something I had always wanted to do.

  He licked his lips while surveying my face. I felt my breathing becoming constricted as he did. It was hot and seductive and got my entire body’s attention. Miles leaned in closer, our cheeks almost touching. My breathing stopped. I couldn’t handle him that close.

  “Rough dinner,” he whispered in my ear before kissing my cheek.

  “Drink for you, sir?”

  I heard Merrick speak, but I couldn’t look. I was still numb, intoxicated by Miles’ heated breath against my skin. I could only watch Miles, mesmerized. There would be no way my mouth wouldn’t taste his tonight. It’d been four days of imagining how it’d feel. Four days too long for me.

  Miles ordered his typical gin and tonic then ushered me to a nearby high table away from the congestion of the bar, our chairs much closer than Tuesday. We were facing each other, my legs crossed just to the side of his with our faces only a few feet apart. His thumb caressed the top of my thigh while he told me about his dinner. I tried to pay attention and seem intrigued by his work, but my mind kept wandering to his touch, focusing on each circle his thumb painted through my skirt, getting turned on even more with each pass it made. I was ready to explode.

  “I’d like to take you to the gala tomorrow,” he added, getting my attention.

  I looked at him, confused. What is he talking about now? “Gala?”

  He chuckled. “Were you not listening?”

  I shook my head, snapping out of it. “No, I’m sorry. I must have missed that. You want me to attend a dinner with you?” I asked.

  “A gala, though there will be dinner,” he said with a smile. “And yes, if you’d like. ETV hosts the Love With Words gala every fall. I’d love to have you as my date.”

  Warmth filled my heart. He wanted to bring to me to a business event. One that you get all dressed up and fancy for. I’d only seen those things on movies; I’d never been to one. I’d never even gone to prom. Only dreamt.

  “I’d be honored to,” I happily agreed, my smile wide and excited.

  “I should warn you,” he started with an eyebrow raised, “I’ve never escorted a date before. I’m predicting there may be some glares.”

  I leaned in close, our
cheeks almost touching, as my hand rested on the top of his thigh, whispering, “I think I can handle it,” into his ear.

  Miles eyes narrowed as he wet his lips again, staring at me in bewilderment as I leaned back into my chair. “Have I told you about the view from my place?” he asked, taking a hard sip of his drink.

  I shook my head, matching his glare. “I don’t believe you have.”

  His grin appeared, this time mischievous as he stood and took my hand. “I’d love to show you, Ms. Reynolds.”

  “Kayla.”

  He snickered. “Yes, my apologies,” he smirked, amused, “Kayla.”

  With that, I took command, hopping down from my chair and taking his hand in mine. His smirks, his grins, and his all-around presence had brought my every craving to the surface. I wouldn’t be able to hold any longer. I needed to have more of Miles Blackwell. I needed to feel what his body felt like above mine. I was caving. Very, very quickly.

  ***

  The elevator ride up was atrociously long; especially when I had Miles Blackwell’s thumb and finger stroking the back of my neck. Yes, he’d done it before, but this time with different meaning. It was a filler. It was an “imagine these fingers somewhere else” gesture. And I did. Over and over again, on every inch of my body, just waiting for the damn elevator to stop.

  When it finally did and the doors opened straight into his home, my breath hitched. His apartment was breathtaking. The colors throughout screamed single bachelor—dark mahogany hardwood floors, white walls covered with neutral colored décor, and I’m sure there was a man cave or a game room somewhere. What caught my eye and left me speechless, though, was the wall of windows standing before me. It was right out of a magazine; you could see the whole city below you.

  “Stunning, isn’t it?” Miles asked, coming beside me with a glass of wine in hand for both of us.

  “Incredible,” I answered, accepting the glass and taking a sip. It was delicious. I was more a beer drinker than anything else, but the wine was enjoyable, the perfect amount of sweet and dry.