We walked down two long halls and passed a few men in suits. This place was a goddamn smorgasbord of Biffys. Another turn and then Kelly stopped at a door. Corner office.
Nice, Princess. She was appreciated here. I felt a sense of pride.
“Hi, Aubrey. I have Mr. Bastardo for you.”
“Thank you.”
Kelly stepped aside so I could enter. My attorney was looking down. She spoke before her head came fully up. “It’s nice to—”
Aubrey froze. I could have sworn there was a flicker of excitement in her eyes for a second. But it was quickly extinguished…replaced by anger. I’d expected her reaction.
“Mr. Bastardo?” She rolled her eyes. “How did I not figure this one out?”
“Because you don’t speak Spanish.” I smiled, but she wasn’t amused.
“Chance. I’m at work. I can’t play your games here. You need to leave.”
I buttoned my jacket. “I’m here on business.”
“Nice try. I’m a copyright attorney. If you’ve gone and gotten arrested for public intoxication or lewd and lascivious behavior, you’ll need to go three doors down to Celino and Barnes.”
“I’m in need of a copyright attorney.”
“Is that so?” She wasn’t believing a word I was saying.
“It is.”
“Well in that case, you’ll need to see another attorney.” She stepped around her desk and folded her arms over her chest. Fuck if her getting tough with me wasn’t the sexiest thing I’d seen in ages.
“I don’t want another attorney.”
“That’s too bad.”
We stared at each other for a moment. Then she smiled. It wasn’t a happy smile, it was an I’m about to stick something up your arse and enjoy it smile. I didn’t care. I liked seeing it anyway. I smiled back—twice as broad.
She huffed and left the office.
A few minutes later, she returned. I’d settled in and made myself comfortable in a chair in front of her desk. I stood when she walked in. A man walked in right behind her. The princess fucker.
Aubrey looked pretty pleased at herself when she spoke. “Richard. This is Mr. Bateman. Mr. Bateman is in need of a copyright attorney, and I seem to be double booked for this afternoon, so I thought perhaps you could take him on.”
The Clark Kent wannabe extended his hand to me. “Richard Kline.”
I nodded. “Dick. Good to meet you.” The squeeze I gave his hand when I shook it bordered on assault.
I caught the clench in Aubrey’s jaw. Then she corrected me. Through gritted teeth, “His name is Richard.”
“It’s fine.” Dick waved her off. “I’m used to it. I don’t usually shorten my name, but my dad was a Richard, and everyone called him Dick.”
I gave Aubrey a little smile.
She seethed.
“Why don’t you come down to my office, and I can see what I can help you with?”
“I’d actually prefer to wait for Ms. Bloom. I was referred to her specifically.”
“I’m not available,” Aubrey snapped.
Dick seemed taken aback by Aubrey’s little attitude. That warmed me for some reason. I liked that she didn’t give him her sass. Save it all for me, baby. I want all your sass and your ass.
“Well.” Dick turned to Aubrey. “What else do you have today? Maybe I can handle one of your afternoon appointments?”
“I’d prefer you handle Mr. Bateman.”
Dick looked at me apologetically then spoke to her, his tone mildly patronizing. “It seems Mr. Bateman wants his affairs handled by you, personally, Aubrey.”
I smiled at Aubrey. “I’ve been really looking forward to you handling me.”
Dick came to my rescue. “Why don’t we step into my office and see what I can do to help clear up your schedule so you can get things started with Mr. Bateman?”
Dick and Aubrey left the office, and Aubrey returned five minutes later, with the receptionist, Kelly. “Have a seat, Kelly.” She’d brought a chaperone.
I was disappointed I wouldn’t be getting quality alone time but far from deterred. Aubrey, on the other hand, was not happy. With a huff, she pulled a yellow legal pad from her drawer and slammed it down on her desk. “What’s the nature of the legal services you need, Mr. Bateman?” Her pen was poised to write and she didn’t look up. Kelly looked bewildered at the entire scene playing out before her.
“I have two, actually.” I opened the folder I was carrying, took out a large manila envelope and slid it across the desk to her side. “I’ve received an offer from a company who would like to use some photographs of me in their ad campaign.
She snickered. “Oh. That’s right. You’re an ass model.”
I ignored her. “Anyway. The company that wants to use the photographs in their campaign wants the exclusive rights to the photo, and there’s an American company that is using the photo on their website without permission. I need to send them a cease and desist letter to remove it before I sign the contract.”
“Fine.”
“And I’d like the contract reviewed as well.”
“Anything else?”
“Perhaps you’d like to discuss the terms of the contract over dinner?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Breakfast?”
“Get out, Mr. Bateman.”
I stood. I’d pushed pretty hard, and I didn’t want to test my limits. “You know how to reach me when you’ve had an opportunity to look over the documents?”
“Yes.” She finally looked up at me. “Apparently, now you’re available all the time.”
She was pissed. But somehow, her being pissed gave me hope. If she didn’t care, she would have eased up by now. “Thank you for your time.”
“Kelly. Show Mr. Bastardo out, please.”
Over the next three days, I stuck to my routine. Well, mostly to my routine. I arrived on Jefferson Street at my normal time, only I went inside Starbucks in the morning and read the paper while I had my morning coffee. Each day I paid for Aubrey’s coffee and added a little something to the order. Yesterday, it was a banana nut muffin. Today, I decided on chocolate chip coffee cake. I ate the same thing and drank the same coffee. It was as close to having breakfast with Aubrey as I could get right now.
Melanie, my barista, and I were becoming fast friends. She handed me my latte. “She smiles when I tell her you paid, you know.”
“She does?”
Melanie nodded. “She tries to cover it up quick. But I see it.”
She had no idea she just made my day. “Thanks, Melanie.”
She leaned over the counter as if to tell me a secret. “We’re all rooting for you.”
It was sweet. But they didn’t know what I’d done to Aubrey.
At eight o’clock, I went back into my pick up truck. I wanted to be near her but not piss her off by being completely in her face. She didn’t acknowledge me, but she knew I was there every morning.
Like clockwork, at nine thirty, Aubrey walked into Starbucks. A few minutes later she walked out. With her coffee and chocolate chip coffee cake in hand, she took two steps toward her office, then stopped, surprising the shit out of me when she headed right for my truck.
I rolled down the window.
“Could you at least make my breakfast lowfat in the future?”
I had to stop myself from saying what I really wanted to say—that I would make her whatever she wanted every morning at her place. Instead, I said, “Sure thing.”
She nodded and turned away but halted after only two strides. She didn’t turn around when she spoke. “The princess flowers bloomed this morning. They’re beautiful.” Then she was gone for another ten hours.
I went to the gym and spent a few hours at Home Depot picking up the supplies I’d need for my next project at Aubrey’s. When I originally decided to drive down to Temecula, I had taken my pick up truck rather than the motorcycle so I wouldn’t be as easily recognizable. Turned out, the truck was coming in handy.
It was a scorching hot afternoon, and I took off my t-shirt to wipe the sweat that was dripping from my forehead. I had unloaded eight trips worth of cedar into Aubrey’s backyard in the ninety-degree heat. As I closed up the rear gate to my pickup, a woman who passed by frequently stopped to speak to me.
“Hi. I’m Philomena.” She had on one of those short white tennis skirts, knee high rubber rain boots and a skin tight, low cut tank top. The sky was blue, and it hadn’t rained for days. My eyes dropped to her cleavage; you couldn’t help but notice. She had some major knockers.
“Chance.” I nodded.
She lifted her hand, which was in a cast, to gesture down the street. “I live down the block, Chance. I’ve been watching you out here for a week. I was wondering if you’d like to do me?” She was propositioning me to mow something, but it definitely wasn’t her lawn. It had been two years; looking was a given, but I had zero interest.
I caught her eye. “Thank you. But I only do Aubrey.”
“Lucky woman. You’ve really…added some curb appeal to the place.”
I looked back at the once drab bungalow. It was looking pretty good now. “Thanks. They’re princess flower bushes.”
“I wasn’t talking about the gardening.”
I tried to change the subject. “Hope you didn’t injure your hand too badly.”
“I tripped over my pig in the middle of the night. It’s just me and him. He’s the man of the house.” She winked, walking away and tossed back over her shoulder, “If you change your mind, my house is number 41. Stop by. Anytime.”
Later that night, I was recapping my day to Carla Babes when my phone vibrated on the bar. I had texted with Adele earlier and expected the text to be from her again. I was thrilled as shit to find it was from Aubrey.
Aubrey: Your photograph was removed from the website today. I also negotiated compensatory damages.
Chance: Wow. That’s great. You’re good.
Aubrey: I’m good at my job. You’ll need to sign a release. I also have some changes to suggest on the contract.
Chance: Where are you? I can come by now.
Aubrey: Come by my office tomorrow at 9:30.
Chance: I’ll bring our coffees.
The vibrating stopped, and I thought it was the end of our conversation. A minute later my phone danced on the bar, and my heart danced right along with it. It’s pretty amazing what can give you hope when you’re desperate to find some.
Aubrey: Are you building a pen for Pixy?
Chance: I am.
Aubrey: He’s going to love it.
My phone went quiet after that, but I didn’t give a shit. I had a date with Aubrey in the morning.
Chapter Nineteen
Green was my new favorite color. It was obvious Aubrey fancied it herself, seeing as it was the second time she’d worn a green blouse since I started my stalking routine. The dark color made her skin look creamy, and the green in her eyes reminded me of Peridot—my mum’s birthstone. It was a double hit, thinking of Mum and realizing I’d missed two of Aubrey’s birthdays.
I cleared my throat and spoke, “You look beautiful.”
“Did you hear a word I said?”
I hadn’t actually. I was too busy undressing her with my eyes to concentrate. God, what I wanted to do to her. The desk was making it impossible to focus. She was sitting behind it, but all I envisioned was her ass on top of it with my head buried between her legs. Our eyes locked, and she saw what I was thinking.
“Don’t.” Her eyes were pleading, and she held up a hand. But I needed to push today.
“We need to talk, Aubrey.”
“No. We don’t. I’m at work, and this is a business meeting. That’s why Kelly is here.” She motioned to the receptionist who was again sitting next to me. If Aubrey thought I was above spilling my guts in front of Kelly, she misjudged my level of desperation.
“So see me after work. See me for breakfast. See me at two in the morning. I don’t give a shit where or when. Just see me, Aubrey. We need to talk. We both need to set things straight.”
“I’m already straight. And I’ve decided our time together will be limited to this office.”
We stared at each other for a minute. The only one to flinch was poor Kelly. She fidgeted in her seat like she needed to go to the bathroom. Finally, I broke our standoff. “Alright, Aubrey. Then you leave me no choice.”
“What are you taking about?”
“We’re going to have our conversation right here and right now then.”
Aubrey stood and folded her hands over her chest. “We are not!”
I rose and joined her, mimicking her posture. “Yes. We are.”
Kelly’s voice was apprehensive. “Would you like me to leave?”
Aubrey and I answered at the exact same time. Only I said yes and she shouted no.
Kelly stood, then sat back down when Aubrey glared at her.
“Where shall we start then, Aubrey? Since Kelly here doesn’t know the whole story, maybe we should start with the last time we were together with a desk in the room?”
Aubrey’s eyes flared.
I turned to speak to Kelly. “Have you ever been to Las Vegas? There’s a hotel on the—”
“You can go, Kelly.” She didn’t need to be told twice. Kelly darted out of the room and closed the door behind her. I’d need to remember to thank her for that on my way out.
“Why are you doing this, Chance?” She tried to keep stern, but her voice cracked.
“I just need you to hear me out. I’ll leave you alone if you want me to after that. I give you my word.”
“Your word?” she scoffed.
“Fifteen minutes. That’s all it will take.”
“Ten.”
That sass. I couldn’t help but smile. “Fine. Ten. Can we sit?”
Reluctantly, Aubrey sat down. I’d been waiting for more than two years for this moment, yet suddenly I didn’t know where to begin. So I started where the story did.
“Do you remember I told you about my sister, Adele?”
She nodded.
“I told you she went through a rough patch. But I left out just how rough things really got.”
Her face softened slightly. I blew out a rush of air and raked my fingers through my hair. There was a burn running from the pit of my stomach up through my throat. Time didn’t ease what had happened one bit. I could have been having this conversation with the detective two years ago. The words were just as hard to get out. “Adele was raped.”
Aubrey’s mouth dropped open, and her hand flew to her chest.
“I wasn’t there for her. She got mixed up with a bad crowd.”
“I’m so sorry. Is she okay?”
I smiled thinking of my sister the other day. Wearing a damn bun in her hair. “Yeah. She’s doing pretty well now.”
Aubrey nodded. “So that’s why you left?”
“Yes. But there’s more.”
“More?”
“It’s a long story. But the police were having trouble finding the guy, and I did some things.”
“What kind of things?”
I held her eyes as I spoke the next part. “I beat a man until he told me where I could find the guy who’d attacked my sister.”
One of the biggest fears I had was that my admission would scare her. But Aubrey didn’t flinch. That’s my girl. Fearless. Her reaction gave me the courage to go on. “I injured him badly. I had to pay for what I’d done. The afternoon after I left you, I began a two-year prison sentence.”
Aubrey stared at me. I gave her a minute to digest everything I’d just said. Then I finished what I’d come to say. “I got out the day before I showed up here in Temecula. I never planned on meeting you before I went in. I tried everything I could to keep my distance on our trip. But I couldn’t.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because you deserved better. I didn’t want you waiting around for two years. You had just dumped one loser and were re
ady to move on. I couldn’t saddle you with anymore baggage.”
“So instead, you broke my heart?” The question wasn’t asked meanly; she was trying to make sense of it all.
I nodded. And mine, too.
We were both quiet for a long time. She was staring down at her hands folded on her desk. I had one more thing I needed to say, and she needed to hear me. I shifted in my seat and leaned forward, covering her hands with mine. “Can you look at me?”
She hesitated, but did.
“I’m sorry, Princess. For everything. For hurting you. For leaving you behind. For not being there when you woke up. For not being there every day since then.”
Aubrey closed her eyes. There was a look of pain on her face, and I hated that I put it there. I wanted to wrap my arms around her and hold her so badly, but I didn’t. I’d pushed enough and anything more was selfish. My heart was pounding in my chest and when she finally opened her eyes again, she was staring at our joined hands—at the ring I was still wearing on my finger. My wedding band.
Her eyes watered.
The silence was torture. “I’m sorry you and Adele had to go through that,” she finally said, her voice hoarse.
“Me, too. I just want to put it behind me and move on.”
Another bout of silence. “I was finally happy. Richard makes me happy.”
That fucking hurt.
She continued, “I need time to process. I’ve spent the last two years hating you.”
“I understand.” Let me make it up to you, Princess.
“How long are you staying in town for?”
Until you’re mine again.
“I don’t really have a plan yet. But I’m sort of in the middle of a project.”
That caused the corners of her mouth to twitch up a bit. Although she was quickly serious again. “I need some time,” she repeated.
It had been two long years, but I’d finally said my peace. Now I was going to have to wait to see what would bring Aubrey hers.
I’m not sure what I thought I would feel after finally getting to tell Aubrey everything, perhaps a sense of relief. But the reality was, I felt even more anxious than before. Before, we had unfinished business. But now…what if, knowing everything that happened, she forgave me, yet she still had no interest in being with me? We’d either just opened a new door or finally given each other closure.
Cocky Bastard Page 14
