The One of Many

by M. Jane Early

  A vibration in my purse grabbed my attention from being pissed. I dug for my phone and pulled it out.

  David: Come here

  I smacked my lips and looked at my phone through narrowed eyes.

  Farren: Excuse me?

  David: Farren, please come see me in my office.

  Farren: What about?

  David: Farren, please. Just come here.

  Farren: I have work to do, David. Let’s see how you handle being ignored.

  I put my phone on mute and set it facedown on the desk. He wouldn’t order me to do shit, especially since he snubbed me for a week.

  A few minutes later, there was a light knock on my door.

  “Come in,” I called.

  David walked into my office, his shoulders slumped and his head down like a kid in trouble with their parents. His off-white shirt, no tie, and navy-blue slacks looked slightly in disarray. His face was worn. He looked older and drained. My heart momentarily broke for him. Whatever he had gone through must have been hell.

  He closed the door and leaned against it, his hands in his pockets, focusing on the floor in front of him. “I know you’re mad. I literally just got off the plane a few hours ago.” He filled his lungs, then looked at me. The dark lines under his eyes were pronounced.

  Relaxing my tense body and attitude, I leaned back in my chair. “You know they have these things now,” I mumbled. “They’re portable and make noises. I think they’re called phones.”

  His mouth twisted into a grimace.

  “They can even send text messages so you don’t have to talk to the person who was worried about you.”

  He pushed off the door and walked towards me. “I know. I wanted to call you.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  “I didn’t know what to say.” He took another deep breath, the lines sharpening in his face. “It won’t happen again.” David’s eyes were darker than usual, matching his mood.

  I stood and walked to where he was, probably closer than I should have while in the office. His shirt wasn’t as crisp or flawless as usual, like it had lived in his suitcase for a few days after being machine-washed. I reached up to his chest and tried to flatten his collar with my hand.

  “I realize you’re new to this whole relationship thing, but you have to talk to me. You’re amazing at communication with the business, you just have to apply that to you and me.” I eyed him.

  “I promise I’ll try,” he whispered. He took my hand from his shoulder and held it in his.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked.

  He looked down at our intertwined fingers. “No.”

  I felt helpless. “What can I do?”

  His lips curled at one side. “Nothing. To be honest, I should have taken you with me.”

  “Oh, we couldn’t do that. Then you’d actually have to tell me what’s going on.” I lifted my left brow.

  He chuckled and rubbed the back of my fingers with his thumb.

  “Will you ever?” I asked with genuine concern.

  “I don’t really have a choice anymore.” He sighed. “But not here.”

  “I get it.” We were hiding not only us, but now also whatever was going on with David’s family. The office was not the place to expand on that discussion.

  “What if I took you back to my place tonight?” he asked. “I could make us dinner. We could talk.” He gazed at me with weary but persuasive eyes.

  “Don’t you need to rest? You look…” I took a breath. “Exhausted.”

  He moved to where our bodies touched, putting his hands on my waist and pulling me to him. “We need to talk,” he whispered. “And I don’t need anything more than I need to be with you.” I searched his face for any sign of ease, but only unhappiness lingered.

  I would take any chance I could to find out what all of this was about. Knowing where tonight would probably lead wasn’t an issue. My body was his, but I wanted his mind in return.

  “Okay,” I said as I placed my hands on his chest.

  David gazed at me with indecision. Whether to lean in and kiss me and have the possibility of the office knowing, or to turn on his heel to leave.

  I decided for him and nudged him back while I stepped away, giving him an apologetic smile in the process.

  He put his hands in his pockets, mildly amused. “We have a meeting in a half hour to go over what happened in Puerto Vallarta while I was gone. I added it to your calendar.”

  I gave him a slight nod. “Thank you.”

  David turned around and walked towards the door but stopped short, hesitating. I waited while he lingered in the middle of the room.

  Suddenly, he turned and closed the distance between us. He brought me closer with his hand on my cheek and kissed me. I wobbled back towards the desk, not ready for the force of his mouth against mine. He steadied me with his hands around my back, never breaking contact. I didn’t realize how much I missed his touch or his kiss until he gave it.

  He tasted like coffee and sugar and smelled different. It was clean but more like hotel soap, not those amazing scents he usually wore. I felt his sorrow and frustration with the motion of his lips. He was careful, but there was an edge. His trip fatigued and upset him, and he needed someone to share all of this with so he could be free of it. I moaned into his mouth, letting him know I wanted to be that for him.

  When he pulled back, his lips were the color of my brick-red lipstick and puffy. I laughed and turned to grab a tissue off my desk, handing it to him.

  “What will the employees say?” I said, then bit my lip.

  He wiped his mouth and chuckled. “I couldn’t care less what they’d say at this moment.”

  “That is a charming color on you.”

  We both chuckled.

  His fingers grazed my cheek, and he stared at me. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.” He leaned in and kissed me again, then turned and left.

  Twenty

  David’s apartment wasn’t flashy. It didn’t appear as if it belonged to a CEO. The walls were bright white with minimal art. The hardwood floors and ceramic tiles looked original but well taken care of. The only furniture in the living room was a white-linen couch, a black metal coffee table, and matching end tables. There was a lot of space, but it was clear David didn’t spend much time here due to the lack of clutter anywhere. Cardboard legal boxes sat against a wall in the living room with S. Powers written in black Sharpie.

  “What are those?” I pointed to the white boxes.

  He stared at them as if they held some secret he’d just discovered and hated. “Files from the company. Medical records. Just stuff I had to go through.”

  “What for?”

  He glanced at me. “In due time.”

  He rolled the sleeves of his wrinkled shirt to his elbows as he walked to the refrigerator. The open kitchen with blueberry walls broke the monotony of the blinding white in the living room. The white, gray, and matching blue backsplash tiles lining the bottom of the island fit well with the stainless-steel appliances.

  “Did you want something to drink?” he asked.

  I laid my jacket down on the white sectional in the living room. “Sure, whatever you have.”

  I continued to look around the first floor and walked to the end table that held an array of photographs in frames. A boyishly handsome man with jet black hair and eyeliner appeared to be his punk rock star brother, Ricky. He and David wore the same smile and had the same striking eyes. A photo with David and a blonde woman, who again shared his same features, must have been his sister Allison. Then an older woman, who looked about my height, with light brown hair and gray roots, leaned into him and had her hand on his abdomen. Her smile was wide and happy.

  He walked towards me with a wineglass extended in his hand. “Chardonnay okay?”

  “Perfect, thank you.” I took it from him. “Is that your mom?” I pointed to the older woman.

  “Yeah,” he whispered and looked at the photo with kindness in his eyes.

/>   “She’s beautiful.” I continued to stare at the picture.

  “Thanks.”

  I turned over my shoulder and watched him.

  “She’s the kindest person I know,” he whispered with a smile.

  “Where is she?” I asked.

  “Florida,” he answered as he went back into the kitchen and pulled groceries from his fridge.

  After giving his mother one last glance, I walked into the kitchen and sat at the counter on a high swivel chair in front of the island. I set my wineglass down. David began washing off fresh Brussels sprouts in the sink.

  “So, what’s for dinner?” I mused.

  He smirked. “How do you feel about lamb?”

  “I like lamb.” I smiled at him.

  He stared at me, then nodded once, continuing to wash.

  I marveled at how David worked and moved around the kitchen. He looked so comfortable and efficient, not hesitating once while preparing the meal. The rosemary was fragrant while he seared the lamb chops, and the Brussels sprouts sauteed on the second burner. He kept to himself, concentrating on the food, but his face was bothered. He had said nothing since he began cooking, as if he’d forgotten I was there.

  “Where did you learn to cook?” I asked, breaking the silence.

  “My mom and sister.” He glanced up at me. “They refused to let me go through life on ramen noodles and sandwiches. By the time I was 15, I was making four-course dinners for the entire family.” His eyes softened at the memory.

  “It’s an excellent skill to have. I imagine it helped with all the dating you were doing.” Nothing sexier than a man who can cook.

  He smiled without looking at me. “It definitely didn’t hurt.”

  I shook my head and watched him set the lamb on a cutting board to rest. He continued to toss and stir the Brussels sprouts until he turned off the burner and moved them away from the heat.

  “What would you do with these women?” I asked, taking a sip of my wine.

  He looked at me. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean your lineup. What would you do together?”

  He put the pan in the sink and let the water run over it. “I suppose you’re looking for a more interesting answer than sleep with them?”

  I lightly jerked my head back. “Wow.”

  He stopped the water, then put his hands on his hips. “We’d go out. Dinner, plays, movies. Normal things, but there wasn’t any spending the night or commitment.”

  “Like you did with Aurora Gianelli.”

  He took a sip of his wine and nodded.

  I paused. “Why didn’t you sleep with her the night I saw you?”

  He looked at me incredulously.

  “Not that I wanted you to sleep with her,” I clarified. “I just wondered why you didn’t.”

  He turned into a statue, staring at me. “Come on, Farren. You’re smarter than that. You know why.”

  I darted my eyes to the side of the island. “I don’t, actually.”

  “It’s not really appropriate to have sex with someone while thinking of someone else.” He set down his glass.

  I winced. I did, I thought.

  His sexy smirk appeared as he sauntered around the island and turned the chair for me to face him. He leaned one hand against the white marble stone counter, the other on the back of my chair, his face inches from mine. I could smell the collection of aromas from the food on his clothes.

  “You really think I would’ve been able to sleep with her after just seeing you. Especially in that black dress?” he whispered.

  The chardonnay that hovered in my nose from his breath was too much to take. His intense eyes watched me closely. My lips parted as I gazed at his face, tracing it from his nose to those delicious lips I wanted to taste.

  I let out a breath, feeling the temperature rise between us, and said, “We have to talk first.”

  He moved my hair off my shoulders. “Are you sure? Putting you on this counter and making you come sounds like a much better idea to me.” The apex of my thighs came to life. He leaned in, his lips resting on my cheek, then kissed along my jawline and back towards my ear.

  I grabbed his shirt, wanting to pull him closer, but instead, I pushed him away. He stared at me as I tried to catch my breath, giving him a look of warning. He smirked again, then moved back to where our dinner lay with resignation.

  I let out a shaky breath. “Tell me what’s going on.” I didn’t want to scare him back into that secluded place he lived in when I got too personal about his family, but I had come here for answers.

  He exhaled and distributed the food onto two white plates in front of him. The rosemary still hung thick in the air.

  He stopped moving. “My father has dementia.”

  I closed my eyes and shook my head. “David, I’m so sorry.” The feeling of wanting David’s body left me in a split second. I wanted to comfort him instead.

  He kept his eyes on the plates and gave a minimal smile, searching for the next thing to say.

  “He’s the reason you’ve been leaving?” I asked.

  He nodded.

  I thought for a moment. “The news reports about this being a hostile takeover have all been bullshit then?”

  “No, it’s basically true. Those boxes were for the conservatorship hearing to give me the company because of his health.” He looked at me, and I furrowed my brow. “He didn’t want to give up the company, but more, he didn’t want to give it to me.” The sadness in his voice felt enduring, like it had come from another time in his history.

  “Why not?”

  The indent between his eyes and the lock of his jaw indicated how much he hated talking about this. “My father and I haven’t exactly been on speaking terms for the last thirteen years.”

  “If you weren’t speaking,” I wondered, “then why would you take over his company? Try to make it better?”

  He locked eyes with me. “Because this company is all he has. His name, his legacy, is Imperium. If it dies with him, then everything my family’s been through will be for nothing.” The passion in his voice was a warning. There was nothing warm about it. As if I were about to cross a forbidden imaginary line.

  He relaxed his intensity and shook his head. He picked up the plates and brought them around to where I was sitting, then sat. He turned towards me and took my hand from my lap. “I’m sorry. I’m not used to being this open.”

  I watched him. “You didn’t talk about yourself at all with these women, did you?”

  “My lineup?” He smiled.

  I nodded.

  “They weren’t interested in any of that. I made sure they weren’t interested.” He looked down at our hands. “The complexity of my family was not anything I wanted to share. With anyone. I just wanted to have a good time, be the bachelor everyone expected me to be. It was actually freeing. Not having to give up any information…because they didn’t care.”

  More questions surfaced. “So why now? Right in the middle of all this, you want something more? And don’t misunderstand, I’m glad—thrilled—that you’re willing to open yourself up to me. But are you ready for this?”

  “Farren, I…” He rubbed his forehead while trying to gather his thoughts. “I’m just like my father. In so many more ways than I want to be. And I have to break that cycle. I want to be different. I want to be better than him.”

  I could see the unrest in his face and, again, I wanted to take it away. I didn’t understand everything that was going on, but for tonight, this was enough. David needed to trust me more in order to tell me everything that plagued him about his past. Pushing him there wouldn’t make it happen sooner. I had a feeling it would do the opposite.

  I stood between his legs as he peered up at me. Leaning in, I grazed his lips with mine. “You don’t have to give me anymore. Whenever you’re ready—I’m here.”

  He put his hands on my hips and pulled me into him, melding our lips together voraciously. His hand traveled underneath my hair to keep me l
ocked in place. His tongue grazed mine and made my insides burn.

  After a few moments, he broke our connection. “Dinner can wait.” He stood and kissed me again, pushing me towards the living room, then against the back of the couch. “Upstairs or right here?” he whispered. “It’s your choice. But either way, I don’t plan on letting you sleep tonight.”

  I stood panting while he looked at me like I was dinner, and he hadn’t eaten in days.

  “I’ve thought about nothing but being right here.” He put his finger to my lips, then lightly ran it down to my right nipple. “And here.” He circled it until it was rigid. I threw my head back and breathed his name. He moved to the next one. “Here.” I tried to place my hands on his shoulders, but he pushed them away, forcing me to concentrate on his touch. He watched me as his finger went down my belly, then to the top of my slacks, landing on the button. He tilted his head to the side and undid it, then unzipped my pants, showing my pink thong. His bright hazel-green eyes found mine, then whispered, “And here.” He reached over my panties and found my clit, feeling the silkiness and how much I wanted him. He pushed his fingers inside as I grabbed the back of the couch for support.

  I threw my head back. His palm rubbed against me, and his fingers sank deeper inside. My legs felt like they were about to give way. I gripped the couch harder, feeling my climax approaching. David’s other hand held the back of my neck as my moans became louder, and my mouth dried. He forced me to look at him, holding my head steady.

  “Come for me, Farren. I need you to come,” he commanded.

  And I did, gladly. My entire body let go. The tall ceilings carried my voice through the house. He finally let me wrap my arms around him as my orgasm subsided, and I caught my breath. My forehead laid on the crook of his neck, and he removed his hand to pull me tighter.

  I leaned back and looked at him as the tips of his fingers ran down my cheek. “Round one.”

  DAVID’S HANDS WERE ON my breasts as I rode him. I placed my hands over his, not wanting him to let go. It was two in the morning, and he had kept his promise—he wasn’t letting me sleep. He filled me completely as I increased my movements. His hands moved to my hips, pushing me down to cause more friction against his pelvis. I grabbed his headboard, trying not to rip it from the rest of the bed.