Forever My Love: A Contenporary Romance (The Armstrongs Book 2)

by Gray, Jessica

  “Yes, quite right. Good thinking, Ryan. My new girl will just have to be patient,” the man chuckled at his own joke.

  Ryan was sickened and just wanted the call to end. Now what? A look around his workshop made him see her face and her body everywhere. Her décolleté starring on of his necklaces, a big golden hammered bracelet around her arm, a belly button ring for her piercing. His body instantly reacted to the thought of her naked stomach adorned by his jewelry. Now I'm getting all hard for a woman who doesn't want me. I need something to get her out of my mind. Gonna work on my statue.

  Today however, working on the statue had the reverse effect on his thinking. Kendra dominated his thoughts, and even hammering and heating the bronze didn’t stop that.

  After a few hours, he finally tossed his torch down and threw his work gloves onto the bench top. This isn’t working! Again! You tried that last week already, remember? He needed a different type of distraction. Kendra didn't want him, so it was time to put into practice what he'd thought about earlier. Time to jump back into the dating pool. A non-committal date with casual sex would definitely get his mind off Kendra! He quickly flipped through his phone, stopping when Carla’s name came up.

  Carla had been a casual girlfriend for a while now and they'd been seeing each other every few weeks for months. She was a model in Chicago, with a body to die for and was almost always up for a round of sex with him. Carla was of the same mind he was; no commitment, just having a good time. That’s exactly what I need.

  She answered the phone with her usual hurried voice - she was always in a hurry.

  "Hey Carla, how about going out this week?"

  "Ryan. What a nice surprise. Sure, I really need to have some fun. What about Wednesday?"

  ***

  They were sitting in one of his favorite restaurants and Carla was as charming as always. However, he was having a hard time getting into the spirit of the evening.

  After dinner, she invited him back to her place and he found himself making the familiar drive while she played with his hair and the collar of his shirt. When they arrived at her place, she draped herself over him, kissing his neck and doing all the things that would normally have had him rushing to get her clothes off.

  Not tonight. He wasn’t even turned on. When her hands skimmed down his chest, heading for his waistband, he grabbed them both and then turned them so his back was to the front door. “Carla, I’m not feeling very well tonight. I’m going to have to take a rain check.”

  He felt horrible for the lie, didn’t want to deal with the fallout when she realized he wasn’t even starting to get hard for her! He kissed her on the cheek and then let himself out the door, ignoring the look of disappointment on her face.

  What in the world is wrong with you, Armstrong? She was ready for the taking. Carla’s beautiful. And the sex with her is always good. Ryan was upset with himself and wondering how he had arrived at this point. He'd never said “No” to a sure thing before. Never.

  Chapter 14

  Kendra had gone back to work on Tuesday, having too much work to do to take off any more time. She was still hobbling slightly, but at least she wasn’t using those horrid crutches. A pile of messages was waiting for her, half a dozen from the young woman who had brought in the necklace.

  She sat down at her desk and unlocked the safe on her back wall, withdrawing the necklace and laying it out on her desk. Just looking at the necklace and Ryan was upper most in her mind once again. The way he'd looked at her after their lovemaking, and how hurt he'd been when she'd sent him away. Sighing, she realized she was going to have to push through and get some work done or her bosses would be questioning her commitment to her job.

  She needed to get some answers for Daisy and put that piece to auction. The big problem was, she didn’t want to call Ryan again, but she also didn’t want her secretary to do so.

  Making up her mind, she decided to figure out how do to this without his help. It wasn’t the ideal situation, but she was beyond caring at this point. When she was figuring out what to tell young her direct line rang.

  “Percy's jewelry department. Kendra O’Neill.”

  “Ms. O’Neill?”

  “Yes?” she asked, holding back her sigh. She didn’t have time for whatever the caller wanted.

  “My name is Mr. Carolius and I understand a young woman named Daisy brought a necklace to you to have it appraised for auction.”

  Kendra’s attention was one hundred percent focused now. Ryan called his client and gave him my number! I thought he'd forgotten or decided not to, after I kicked him out. Guilt flooded her brain. Ryan was a much better person, than she was.

  Carolius? Off course, he was a very prominent hotel mogul in the Chicago area. He was not only mega rich, but an important part of the Chicago society. Everyone knew of him and the nasty divorce he and his wife were currently going through. A very public divorce with lots of dirty laundry.

  But her voice was completely calm and business like when she answered, “What can I do for you, Mr. Carolius?”

  “I would like to meet with you to discuss the necklace you currently have in your possession.”

  “Off course. Did you have a time in mind?”

  “How about tomorrow evening? Around 7 o’clock?”

  “Well, we close at 5, could you possibly come in…”

  “I will be there at 7 p.m. and not a minute sooner. A man in my position cannot be seen arriving at a place like Percy’s!”

  He can’t be seen arriving at Percy’s? Who does he think is going to be watching? Even though she was angry at his behavior, she kept her voice calm, “Well, I guess I could make myself available.”

  “Good.”

  Kendra stared at the phone receiver when she was greeted a moment later by a dial tone. He hung up on me. What a jerk!

  She stared at the necklace. Now that she knew who had paid for the beautiful piece of jewelry, she almost expected it to take on a bad feeling. The man had known about Daisy, so it was safe to assume that he'd given it to her. That had her wondering what kind of young woman Daisy was to sell herself to a much older man for material things.

  When a co-worker stopped by and invited her to lunch, she put the necklace back in the safe and tabled thoughts of it until the next evening.

  ***

  She'd arranged for the security guard to stick around until the meeting with Mr. Carolius was over - just in case. The guard went a step further – he escorted Mr. Carolius to her office and then stood sentry in the doorway.

  Mr. Carolius wasn’t happy about that and said with a very disrespectful nod towards the guard, “I believe this meeting was to be between us. He can go now.”

  “Mr. Smith is here to observe. It's company policy.”

  “I don’t care. Either he leaves, or I do.”

  Kendra closed her eyes, praying for patience. The man was a prima donna of the first order and too used to having his own way. “Fine.” She smiled at the guard and nodded her head, “You can wait right outside the door.”

  “I’ll be right here, Ms. O’Neill.”

  Once the door was closed, Kendra invited Mr. Carolius to have a seat. “Please,” she gestured towards the chair in front of her desk.

  She waited until he was seated, but before she could speak, he took the reins, “So, where is the necklace?”

  Okay. He's really getting on my nerves now! Kendra handed him the pictures she’d taken of the necklace.

  “What’s this? Where is the necklace? I didn’t come down here to look at a picture.”

  “Mr. Carolius, company policy dictates that I can only show you the pictures at this point in time.”

  “Look, Ms. O’Neill. That necklace belongs to me. The little whore Daisy stole it from me, and I want it back.”

  “I understand this is difficult…”

  “You don’t understand anything, so let me spell it out for you. I paid for the necklace. You have the necklace and I want it back. Now, I would strongl
y suggest you go retrieve it and let me get back to my busy life.”

  Kendra held onto her temper, just barely. Does he honestly think he can intimidate me into giving him the necklace? Try again! “I would suggest you calm down for starters. If, as you have said, Daisy did in fact steal the necklace, then I will have no choice but to involve the police going forward.”

  “No! You can’t do that!”

  “If the necklace is stolen, I have no choice. Percy's doesn't deal with stolen pieces.” She watched as the man struggled to contain his anger. The instant he softened his face and voice, she knew he was going to take a different tact. She had to give him merits for playing the game well, but she'd been the business for too long, she knew all the tricks.

  “Ms. O’Neill, surely we can come to some sort of agreement that benefits us both? What kind of a commission does your company pay you?”

  “Mr. Carolius, I’m not for sale.” Kendra was digging her fingernails into her palms to help remind her to keep her cool no matter what. He was trying to make her feel cheap and she hated it. He was the stereotypical rich guy who preyed on younger, less fortunate women, throwing his money and power around and expecting everyone around him to bow low and kiss his feet. Wrong girl, buddy!

  “Why don’t we make a phone call to the police station? I’m sure they could break someone away to come out and take your statement…”

  “That will not be necessary.” Mr. Carolius stared across the desk at her and then shook his head resignedly. “Look, I don’t need any more publicity right now. And this situation couldn’t have come up at a worse time.”

  “Is there ever a good time?” she murmured.

  He looked at her and then continued, “I do not want the police becoming involved in this situation with Daisy.”

  Just as I thought. She didn’t steal it. He was making that up to try and convince me to give it back to him. Kendra wanted to kick him out of her office, but she had to think about Percy’s and Daisy first.

  “The way I see it, either the necklace has to go up for auction, or has to be purchased for a price that will satisfy the seller.”

  “You expect me to purchase the necklace a second time?” he asked incredulously.

  “I don’t see that you have another option. If you don’t purchase the necklace, I will have to continue doing the appraisal and it will go to auction shortly. It will be advertised both online and in our monthly magazine as it is sure to bring a hefty sum, which will please my employer greatly.”

  “Fine. I’ll write you a check tonight.”

  “Sorry. But you are welcome to make an offer and I will run it by my boss in the morning and get her approval to present it to the owner.”

  “Daisy will agree. Just remind her that she doesn’t want me as an enemy. Not unless she plans on moving out of the Chicago area.”

  “I will present her with your offer. Let me get you the paperwork to fill out.” Kendra reached into her desk and pulled out the necessary forms. She sat back and watched him as he quickly filled out the dollar amount he was willing to pay to get the necklace back. It was about half the price she thought it was worth.

  As he handed the forms back, he intentionally let his fingertips graze her wrist, “Now that this ugly business is past us, shall we have some dinner?”

  Kendra tried not to make a face of disgust. He’s hitting on me? Does he really think I want to be one of his throw-away conquests? A few minutes ago he was trying to intimidate me! This guy is ridiculous.

  “You’re much prettier than my wife and Daisy combined together. Oh, the things I could show you. You deserve to be a star!”

  Kendra tuned him out as he continued to talk badly about his soon-to-be ex-wife and his current and past lovers. She was thoroughly grossed out and just wanted him to leave. He’s not even attractive. In fact, the thought of him trying to kiss me makes me want to throw up!

  “I don’t think so. If our business here is finished…”

  “Who do you think you are to turn me down? Do you know how many women would give their right ovary for a chance to date me?”

  “Mr. Carolius, maybe you misunderstood me. I already have other plans for this evening and I’m running a little late due to our meeting.” She turned on her best smile and held it even when her skin began to crawl as he ogled her over.

  “Well then. What about tomorrow?”

  “No, I believe it is I who am missing out. Even if I wasn’t otherwise committed, company policy forbids me from dating a client while they are doing business with Percy’s. I’m very flattered by your offer, and under different circumstances…”

  Kendra trailed off, letting him fill in the blanks. She held her breath hoping her answer would suffice him and he'd finally leave! Her ploy worked and he excused himself a moment later, reminding her that he'd be waiting to hear from her.

  She sat at her desk, long after he was gone. When Mr. Carolius had been hitting on her, she'd realized that the only man she wanted to be with was Ryan. You told him you didn’t want to see him, remember?

  That depressing thought stuck with her on the drive home. She wanted to see him, but she couldn’t just show up at his place. Call him! Now! Hearing his voice would be better than nothing.

  That decision took root and she was determined to do just that when she opened the door to her apartment. She retrieved his number and then waited with fidgeting hands while the call was connected.

  “Hey, you’ve reached Ryan. I’m not home right now, so leave a message and I’ll call you back in a few. Bye.”

  Shit! She left a message and hung up. Hearing his voice had been nice, but she had worked up her courage to talk to him and then he wasn’t home. Now what?

  Chapter 15

  Ryan arrived home after his disastrous date with Carla, sad that he’d led her on, but also feeling a new burst of hope. He’d managed to get out of Carla’s apartment without her completely dissolving into hysterics. She’d accused him of having his mind on another woman, and he’d been unable to deny it. She wasn’t furious with him, but she also didn’t want him to call her again. Ever.

  He’d tried to sneak out without a confrontation, but she had followed him to the door and demanded an explanation. He had owed her that much, and the only good thing to come from that encounter was his knowledge that the only woman he wanted to be with was Kendra.

  He pondered that as he entered his luxurious apartment. Kendra had sent him away. Again. And it hurt even more the second time around. He'd tried to follow his heart, but after what had happened at her apartment, he wasn’t quite sure what to do next.

  When he grabbed a beer from the fridge, he noticed the light blinking on his message machine. He pushed the play button as he looked for a bottle opener.

  “Ryan. Hi, it’s Kendra. I was hoping to talk to you. Could you call me when you get home? I’ll be up for a while so…well, please call me.”

  Ryan turned and looked at the machine, waiting for her voice to say something more. He glanced at his watch, it was twenty minutes before midnight. Much too late to call her back. I’ll call her tomorrow.

  He sat down on his couch and drank his beer while he tried to figure out what she could be wanting. He’d contacted Mr. Carolius for her, and now the rest was between them. She’d kind of made it clear that she didn’t want a relationship with him. Maybe she’s changed her mind? That thought caused his pulse to race. Just hearing her voice had the disaster of the evening fading to the background. For the first time in a long while, he slept peacefully and awoke rested and happy.

  ***

  He waited until 7:30 a.m. before returning her call. When she told him about the visit from Mr. Carolius and the man’s tactics, Ryan became furious.

  “How dare he! I hope you called the authorities on him.” The mere image of another man asking her out had him seeing red. She’s mine! He clenched his fists and wished he was at the gym with a punching bag nearby. The urge to pummel something was overwhelming.

&nb
sp; “I’m sorry you had to deal with him.”

  “I’m glad he left when he did. He’s not a very nice man.”

  “No. He’s not.”

  “So…uhm…I was thinking, maybe if you’re not busy, we could get together this weekend and do some roller blading?”

  “What about your ankle?” he questioned, while his lips formed a smile and his heart did happy jumps.

  “It’s much better, and I’m tired of sitting around. I need to get out and do something.”

  “Well, I guess I have to come along. Keep you from overdoing it.” Kendra chuckled and he thought it was the sweetest sound he’d ever heard. “How about I pick you up Saturday morning around 10?”

  “How about I meet you at your workshop just before noon?”

  Ryan smiled, he would have agreed to just about anything as long as it included them spending time together, “Sounds good. Have a good rest of the week.”

  “I will.”

  The smile didn't leave his face as he got ready for work. He was receiving a new shipment of gemstones this morning and he was excited to see them. There was a fantastic ruby in this order, one of the finest he'd ever seen.

  The armored truck arrived with his shipment, and he locked the doors to the workshop, ensuring he’d have plenty of time to unpack and catalog the contents of the box.

  He pulled various containers of stones from the box, and then finally, he pulled the crème de la crème out of the box. A ruby to rival any he’d ever worked with before. It was almost two carats in weight, and the brilliance was phenomenal. It cost a fortune. And there was only one woman in the world who'd be the perfect owner for that stone. Kendra!

  Ryan touched the stone, running his fingers over every surface in a sensual way. The smooth facets reminded him of her soft and silky skin. Her beauty and brilliance. The dark red color of the ruby would look beautiful against her skin tone. His brain raced and he fell into a trance-like state. That state, where he did his best designs, when he tuned out the entire world and was one with the precious stones. I’m going to make something out of this stone just for her. A surprise to rival any surprise she’s ever received.