Finding Life

by Tiffani Lynn

  I touch it self-consciously. I forgot all about it. “A little scuffle last night. No big deal, I even forgot about it.”

  “It looks painful.”

  “Really, it’s fine. Besides, nothing’s going to stop the smiling today. Colby is home.”

  Her face softens slightly and she says, “I’ve never seen you so beat-up or so happy. I can’t decide if I should be concerned or thrilled.”

  “I’m better than good. Really. Don’t worry about me.”

  “Okay, well I’ll be at my desk if you need anything. I see you have some things piled up for me this morning.”

  “Yes, I’ve had a productive morning.”

  Her smile is the last thing I see before she leaves the room. The morning is quiet and my desk is halfway clear when my phone rings. The caller ID indicates that it’s coming from Mr. Hadensbach’s office, one of our founding partners.

  “Good morning, Mr. Hadensbach.”

  “Morning, Martinez. I don’t see anything on your schedule right now; can you come up to my office?”

  This is highly unusual. Normally, he’ll book a time with my assistant for me to meet with him, but when it comes to the senior partners, the answer is never no. “Yes, sir.”

  We hang up and I quickly complete my task, stand and pull on my suit coat before walking out to Nina’s desk. “Hey, Mr. Hadensbach called me to his office. I’ll be back in a little bit.”

  Her brows pull together. “Is everything okay? That’s not his usual way of doing things.”

  “I have no idea. I haven’t done anything wrong. I’m sure it’s okay. I’ll see you shortly.”

  By the time I arrive on the top floor and am standing in front of Rebecca, Mr. Hadensbach’s stuffy and highly efficient assistant, I’m a little nervous. I was hoping to avoid any of the partners until my face heals up but that isn’t in the cards I guess.

  “Mr. Hadensbach will see you,” she clips, without even looking up from her computer screen. It’s a good thing most clients don’t have to deal with her and her lack of personality or we wouldn’t have any clients to speak of.

  As I enter the office, the beautiful Colorado scenery comes into view through his full wall of ceiling-to-floor windows. It’s breathtaking, but before I can take another second to really appreciate it, Mr. Hadensbach greets me from the left side of his office, and when I turn to return the greeting, I see Jerry Stanton sitting on the loveseat in the corner with his arm resting across the back and his right ankle propped on his knee. What the fuck? The weird look on his face tells me he’s been up here starting shit, so I can’t imagine what I’m about to encounter.

  “Hello, Mr. Hadensbach,” I greet him, and reach out to shake hands.

  His assessing eyes roam my face, pausing briefly on the cut on my lip and the bruise on my face.

  “Did you have an accident, Mr. Martinez?”

  Stanton chuckles from his comfortable location on the couch.

  “You could say that, sir.”

  “Is everything okay?” he asks, and I get the impression that his question is well meaning.

  “Yes, sir. Everything is good.”

  “Probably wouldn’t come to work looking like that if you weren’t slumming it, man.” Stanton’s thinly veiled shot at my girlfriend irritates me and I suck in a deep breath through my nose, doing my best not to blast him here. He’s being very unprofessional and I refuse to stoop to his level.

  “What does that mean?” Mr. Hadensbach asks me instead of Stanton.

  “It means my girlfriend is a mechanic and Stanton’s still ticked off that she turned him down when he asked her out,” I say with a calm I don’t feel.

  “A mechanic? That’s unusual. I only know of one female mechanic. My brother won’t go to any other. Averette, I think is her name. I only take my car to the dealership since it’s under warranty, but not Howard. He swears by her.”

  “Well, sir, that’s my girlfriend. Colby Averette over at Averette Automotive. She is one of a kind.”

  “Hmmm. Is she the reason you’re all scuffed up?”

  I debate the merits of lying to him. I’ve never been a hothead. Last night was a rare moment for me since I left the service, but I decide honesty is best.

  “Yes, sir. She came home from being on the road last night and a stalker showed up at her house. She’s asked him repeatedly to leave her alone. Things got a little heated. I don’t have client meetings for a few days so I didn’t think much about returning to work a little banged up.”

  “As long as you aren’t meeting clients looking like a barroom brawler, I can’t say anything about it.”

  “Thank you, sir. Now, may I ask what this meeting is about?”

  “The Scandro file. Jerry’s concerned it’s not being handled properly and although I’ve never had an issue with your work in the past, I felt his complaints were worth looking into. He said he offered to review the file and you declined him.”

  I slide my hands into my pockets and tip my head a little to the side. I want Jerry to know I’m not squirming in the least. “I’ll be glad to give the file to you for review, sir. It will be complete in the next couple of hours. I will not give it to Stanton though. I have an email from the client requesting that Jerry not be allowed to work on her case. She didn’t elaborate, but because her family is a big client of ours, I thought it best to follow her request to the letter.”

  His eyebrow rises. “Can you provide a copy of the email?”

  “Yes, sir. It’s already in the file on the shared drive. I’ll forward it to you via email too when I return to my office, if you’d like.”

  “In the file is fine.” He turns his gaze to Stanton and asks, “Were you aware of an issue with this client?”

  “No, I can’t understand what would be the issue.”

  Jerry glances to me and I grin at him with a silent fuck you. I’m not elaborating as to why they don’t want him working on the case. The email states plainly that the client thinks he’s a creep. I want him to sit on that nervous feeling until Mr. Hadensbach shares it with him.

  “Is that all you needed, Mr. Hadensbach? I’ve got plenty to keep me busy this afternoon. I’ll send the case to you to review once it’s complete.”

  He nods, never taking his eyes off of Jerry. Ha-ha, kiss my ass, Jerry.

  “Martinez,” he calls out as I have my hand on the doorknob, and I turn to him. “Will you be bringing your girlfriend to the mixer Saturday night?”

  “Yes, I think I will.”

  “Good, I look forward to meeting her.”

  I nod and slip through the door, happier than I was even this morning.

  That evening Colby and I are on our way home from visiting with her sister when I ask, “Will you go with me to my company mixer on Saturday night? We won’t stay long but I have to put in an appearance.”

  “I don’t know. My last encounter with your co-workers didn’t go so smoothly.”

  “My boss specifically asked if you’ll be there.”

  “He did? Why?”

  “Apparently, his brother is a client of yours at the shop and has been singing your praises for years. I think his name is Howard Hadensbach. Also, that asshole Stanton said something about us in reference to my face from the fight last night.”

  “Yeah, Howard is a great client. I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about what would be said in your super-snooty office.”

  “Don’t worry. It’s no big deal. I don’t have any client meetings for a few days. I should be fine by then.”

  In my peripheral vision, I can tell she’s started chewing on her fingernail before she asks, “What should I wear?”

  I glance over at her, confused. “I have no idea. I’m not a woman. Let me ask my assistant in the morning and get back to you. Guys don’t think about that kind of thing.”

  “So you’ll just show up in gym shorts and a T-shirt if that’s what you happen to be wearing?”

  “Well, no, I’ll wear a suit. I almost always do for work f
unctions. On occasion, I’ll break out the tux if it’s black tie.”

  “Hold on a moment,” she says as she relaxes against the headrest, closes her eyes and smiles dreamily, “I just had to hold that visual of you in a tux for a little bit.”

  I laugh a little, ready to reply, “I—”

  She grips my arm. “Shhh. I’m still thinking about it.”

  I laugh a little more, letting her have her moment.

  Finally, she turns her head to me with the same smile and says, “Okay. Just let me know what she says. I probably don’t have the proper attire and will need to go digging in my sister’s closet.”

  The thought of her legs in a cocktail dress and high heels leaves me with the same smile she has.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Colby

  I’m dreading this event tonight in the worst way. I can be polished. I can also be polite and carry on conversation about current events and the weather, but I find it all boring as hell. After having to be in the spotlight for the last six months I’m enjoying being myself and just relaxing. I know that these kinds of functions are going to be part of life if I continue with Victor, and there is no sign of that ending any time soon.

  The man makes me happier than I’ve ever been, even before my father’s death—and that’s saying something. I’ve never met any man who is nurturing and loving while still tough and masculine like Victor is. My dad was a great example of a good husband; he had an undying love for my mother, but like Jeff, his masculine side often outshined his sensitive side. You always knew the love was there, but the communication and sensitivity weren’t always visible. It seems to me that Victor has the whole package.

  I smooth my hair over my shoulder and check my lipstick one more time before I turn off the bathroom light and head to the living room to wait for him to pick me up. “You are strong, you are beautiful, you are smart, and you are a badder bitch than any of those women,” I chant to myself out loud over and over again. When I told Shaunda about my concerns for the mixer tonight while stealing a little black dress from her earlier in the week, she grabbed me by the shoulders and said those words to me. Then she made me repeat it to her a few times. At first, I felt silly doing it, but then I realized it’s what she really thinks of me and I of course started crying.

  “Don’t cry. If I could be anyone in the whole wide world besides me, I’d want to be you. Don’t let any of those mean-ass women make you think less of yourself. You are amazing. Look at all you do and what you have accomplished, all while being the most beautiful woman I know.”

  We hugged and cried for 10 minutes until Wyatt burst through the door yelling about something his brother was doing, interrupting our little moment. When I left Shaunda’s house, I felt like all the things she told me I am and I continued feeling them for the rest of the week, until the nerves started creeping up on me this morning. I’m not a fan of confrontation and I’m not sure how to handle anything unpleasant without making things rough for Victor at work. I don’t want to be the cause of any issues for him and it’s making me anxious.

  The knock at the door stops my chant and I open it to find a ridiculously sexy Victor standing with his hands in his pockets. His hair has been styled with gel and is a little more sleek than usual, his face is clean-shaven and his navy suit fits like a glove over a white tailored shirt. Sheer male perfection. Yum.

  Victor’s eyes heat instantly as he takes me in from head to toe. He steps inside the door and closes it behind him, his eyes lock with mine and surprisingly he turns me around, pushes me a few steps forward and bends me over to brace myself on the small entryway table so I’m looking at myself in the mirror that hangs on the wall there. If this were anyone else I’d be concerned by the lack of greeting, but his eyes are so expressive. They are practically smoldering with carnal heat as he takes me in from head to toe before moving me to this position.

  Behind me, I can see his head bent, watching his hands as they smooth down over my back and hips to the curve of my ass. He squeezes my cheeks through the fabric, groaning a little, and leans into me. Still without a word of any kind, he refocuses on my reflection in the mirror before he swipes my hair over my left shoulder. The look he’s giving me through hooded eyes should be outlawed. It’s as potent as any drug on the black market. I’d do almost anything to have him look at me like that again. Then he places two tender kisses on my neck. Each one sends a chill along my skin and a flash of pulsing heat to my core. My lips part and out of pure instinct I press my hips back into his and feel his desire, rock-hard between us. He takes a small step back and squats down, starting his hands at my bare ankles and running them all the way up, oh-so slowly, as he returns to a standing position, pushing the hem of my dress over my hips.

  Thongs are uncomfortable so I chose to go commando tonight and I’m thanking God for this when he slips two fingers down between my legs and whispers along my exposed neck, “All week long I’ve dreamed about your legs in a cocktail dress, all week long I’ve dreamed of burying myself in you while your dress is pushed up like this. I planned to wait until we get home, but now I know your pussy is bare and it’s slick, ready for me, so I can’t wait. Bend over further and put your elbows on the table.”

  By far, that’s the hottest thing anyone has ever said to me. I shiver with anticipation, sink to my elbows and lift my head to catalogue his expressions in the reflection as he undoes his pants and slides them down to his knees. Within seconds I hear his wallet hit the floor next to us as he tears the condom wrapper and slips it on. I’m so wet for him right now that it’s likely I’ll explode as soon as he’s inside me.

  I lift my ass a little higher as he guides himself inside me. My moan is guttural as he sinks all the way in. Clenching tight around him, my whole body starts to shake. I’m close already and we just started. His hips move slowly at first, pressing hard against me when he’s buried deep, and I grip the little table, moaning loudly as it knocks into the wall in a steady rhythm. The sound adding to the sexual heat between us.

  “I love your ass.” He smacks it as if to emphasize his statement. “I love your sexy legs.” He pauses mid-stroke to run a hand reverently down my thigh. “I love your perfect tits, even though I can’t get to them right now.” He grips my breasts over the dress and I arch my back to give him more. Both of his hands then roam to my hips, gripping tighter, and his breathing increases as his thrusts grow harder and faster.

  “I can’t hold on!” I yell above the banging of the table and the smacking of flesh between us.

  “Let go, baby. Give it to me,” he growls. Almost as if his words are the finger on the trigger of release, I let go and the taut cord of tension burning in my core snaps and whips through me, raising me to a level of beautiful euphoria.

  “Victor!” I scream his name as he finds his release soon after. He collapses forward on to my back for a few seconds while we try to catch our breath. My legs quiver a little and he must feel it because he stands and removes the condom before tugging his pants back up and guiding me to the living room. He plops onto the couch and pulls me onto his lap to rest. With my head against his chest, I’m able to listen to his heart rate as it slowly returns to normal. He moves my hair gently out of the way and asks, “Can you wear that once a week just for the hell of it?”

  I can’t help but laugh.

  “Glad you like it. Now that I’ve had sex in it, my sister won’t want it back, so I can probably accommodate your request.” I giggle and he holds me tight.

  “I know you didn’t want to go tonight, but it means a lot that you are. I’m going to be the luckiest guy in the room with you on my arm. Beautiful, talented and smart. Triple threat,” he tells me as he kisses my neck one last time. “Come on, let’s get going so we can get this over with and get back to the good stuff.” We both laugh a little as we stand and fix our clothes and hair.

  By the time we arrive, I’m fully relaxed with no more need to chant my sister’s words in my head. I’m even able to ignore the
upturned noses of some of the females at the party as we walk past. Victor’s smile and his arm around my shoulders every time he introduces me to someone new helps to keep me mellow for most of the night.

  As I’m in a stall of the ladies’ room, two women enter and their conversation stops me before I can open the door to my stall and come out to wash my hands.

  “Why would Victor bring the blond bimbo here?” the first woman asks in an annoying nasal voice.

  “I don’t know. We don’t see him for years with a woman, but we all know he’s fucking Miriam in his office after hours. Maybe she pissed him off; men can be vindictive as hell.”

  The second woman chimes in. “Miriam must have screwed up pretty bad for him to bring another woman here and rub it in her face.”

  “Well, she is a bitch; I’m surprised it took this long,” the first woman says.

  “True, but did you see the just-sexed look the slut on his arm is wearing? Damn, what I wouldn’t give for a piece of that action. Maybe if he’s done with Miriam, I can stay after hours for a little bit of Victor overtime.”

  They both laugh hysterically, but instead of being hurt and humiliated, I’m pissed. I don’t know what’s happened with Miriam, but I won’t believe these office rumors without talking to him, and frankly, their assessment of me is off. I push the door open and step out to face the catty bitches head-on. Their expressions are priceless. What I wouldn’t give to have a picture of their apparent shock.

  I address them casually as I reach out to put soap on my hands and wash. “Sorry, ladies, Victor won’t be available for Victor overtime this week or next, and probably not for the rest of the year. He’s got plans.” I pause as I dry my hands and look at both of them with their mouths hanging open. “He’ll be making sure I have this sexed-up look on my face,” I gesture to my face for emphasis and continue, “for the foreseeable future, and I don’t share.” Flashing them a perfect savage smile I end the encounter with, “Have a good night, ladies. Good luck finding someone as hot as Victor.” I strut through the door with my head held high and my blood slightly boiling. My sister and Dana will be so proud when they hear about this.