Taylored to Perfection (Taylor Made Book 2)

by kj lewis

  “I don’t need saving from anything. Tony’s—”

  “We’re not talking about Tony. We’re talking about you.”

  “You’re saving me from me?”

  “In a sense, yes.” Harry is unapologetic. “Even now, you’re programed to think you are responsible for what happens to others. You have it in your mind that you didn’t protect Addie, and you have it in your mind that you haven’t protected me. What happened with my family has nothing to do with you. They have made their decisions and are learning there are consequences for them. I’m a grown man who has chosen to take care of his daughter’s long term care after she had an accident. And I’m a grown man whose life has been enriched and blessed when my daughter entered it two months ago. You’ve forgiven everyone except yourself. And I won’t let Tony take that from you. Again.”

  Eloise pulls a manila envelope out of her purse and hands it to me. “I think you need to see this more than you realize.”

  I open the envelope and pull out the papers inside. Still sitting on Graham’s lap we lean forward and look. It’s the DNA testing. It indisputably proves I am Harry’s daughter.

  “I’m here. I’ve got you.” Graham soothes me, holding me after I’ve woken us both up screaming from a nightmare. “No one’s going to hurt you, I promise. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “I’m okay,” I tell him. “I think I’ll go for a run.”

  He doesn’t hide his frustration or his disappointment. “It’s two in the morning.”

  “I won’t be long, I promise.” I attempt to extract myself from him.

  “Why don’t you tell me what your dream was about?”

  “Nothing you don’t already know or haven’t heard. I’m not keeping anything from you.” I caress his face. “It’s just talking with this counselor has triggered my nightmares again. Just give it a few days. It’ll settle down.”

  “I trust you aren’t keeping anything from me, Emelia, but you aren’t going running. The whole point of this is to address it and change how you view it. You go running because it’s a way to outrun it. If you are going to have these nightmares no matter what, then we’re breaking the pattern of you running from them.”

  I let out a frustrated breath. Running is my solace.

  “You can lay here and talk. You can lay here and try to go back to sleep, or we can start a new pattern that includes me, you, and my dick.” He says rolling me onto my back.

  “I’m pretty fond of running,” I tease. It still surprises me what a balm he is to me.

  “Keep it up and I’ll put that smart mouth to use,” he says pushing my knees to my chest and sinking into me in one push.

  The sun wakes me the next morning and I’m pleased to realize that I slept the rest of the night—after Graham fucked me to sleep. His stamina is staggering. I don’t know where he gets the energy. He’s left me a note saying that he went for a run. I throw on an oversized black sleep shirt that hangs off my left shoulder before heading into the kitchen to get a Diet Coke. I was able to go back to sleep last night, but I still feel a little off my game. It’s a crisp fall morning, so I push the button to open the doors to the outside. Moving the music stand to the middle of the floor, I position my cello and set out to work on finishing Robert Hamilton’s song. Per usual, I play it through as it is and how the ending sounds in my head a few times before I make notes on the paper.

  Thanks to Graham, the cello has become a fortitude in my life again. A movement catches my eye and I stop playing.

  “How long have you been sitting there?” I ask Graham. He’s sitting on the floor with his back against the wall.

  “About forty-five minutes.” He makes his way over to me. “You’re so sexy.” He kisses that sweet spot by my ear, and just like that, cello time is over.

  “What do you have to accomplish before the gala tonight?” Graham asks washing the conditioner out of my hair after our tryst.

  “Nothing, really. The event team has taken care of everything. Holt and I finished the video about the mentor program yesterday.”

  “I saw it. It’s great,” Graham says, running his thumb across my nipple as I squeeze the excess water from my hair before we step out of the shower.

  “I’m glad you liked it. I saw an email that Charlie approved it, so we’re done.”

  “Have you finished your speech?”

  “No, I’m still toying with the idea of having Reggie do it. I asked him to write something. I think it will mean more. He’s coming over today to read it to me. I thought Holt might introduce him. It really is about the guys and not me. I just think it seems fitting.” I place a kiss over his heart before I dry him off.

  “Do we need to get you something to wear?” he asks.

  “Nope. Jules had made two dresses for someone. I took the one they didn’t choose. She just has to finish letting it out some. It hangs loose over my ass so she didn’t have to do that much for it to fit me.”

  Graham turns back around, his arousal unashamed.

  “I don’t know how you guys walk around with those things,” I mutter.

  “It’s only around you I have no control.”

  “What do you have left to do before tomorrow?”

  “I need to talk to Richard and make sure he has everything he needs for the announcement. It’s not too late to change your mind.” He stands over me, analyzing my resolve in my decision.

  “I don’t want to change my mind. As long as we set it up as we agreed, I won’t regret my decision,” I assure him. “I can guide the company as long as the COO and CFO do all the work. I want to give my best to Jules.”

  “I’m glad you chose what makes you happy.” He watches me in the mirror.

  “Helping people makes me happy, I just don’t want to be in charge of the business side of it. At least not now. I have too much to learn still, and I want to create with Jules for a while.”

  “Like I said. I’m glad you chose what makes you happy.” He goes to kiss me, moaning frustration when he’s interrupted by his cell.

  “Taylor,” he answers brusquely, so I know its business. “I can fly to him.” He listens for a minute more. “No. If they are finally opening their borders, we can’t get held up with bureaucratic bullshit. I’ll be there by 10:30.” He hangs up.

  “I have to go to DC. Not sure how long I’ll be. Some of the countries have opened their borders for the refugees. They need aid and money. Senator Brinks wants to see what help Taylor Organization can give. I’m not sure when I’ll be back. Sometime tonight.” He kisses me before picking up his phone to call George. Listing off the team he wants to meet him at the plane, he hangs up and dresses in his three-piece dark navy blue suit. It’s one of my favorites on him. It’s smart and showcases him as the powerful CEO his is.

  Attaching his cufflinks, he motions for me to pick out a tie for him.

  “What are you thinking?” he asks as I tie it for him. Something he loves for me to do.

  “How to me, you’re Graham. My husband. My lover. My best friend.” I loop the tie through the knot. “But to the world, you’re Graham Taylor. CEO billionaire who influences and changes history.” I slide the knot into place. “I love that I get Graham.” His eyes darken a midnight blue a second before his hands fist in my hair and he pulls me into a kiss so deep I feel it in my toes.

  “Fuck. I gotta go. Save this for later.” He begrudgingly lets me go.

  “I’ll see you tonight, baby. If you get held up, I’ll meet you at the gala.” I kiss him goodbye.

  Since my day has been freed up and I don’t have to meet Jules for a few more hours, I work on the song some more. I don’t have the time to play like I did years ago, but I love days where I can play for a few hours like I used to.

  “Hi, Emme,” Reggie says startling me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. Teague let me in.” He points to Teague who was listening to the music.

  “I have trouble hearing the elevator when I’m playing. Have you eaten?” I sta
nd to hug him.

  “No ma’am. I was hoping you would feed me.”

  “Of course. Teague?” I ask, making my way to the fridge.

  “You know I can always eat.”

  It has turned into a beautiful, sunny day, so we eat outside and then Reggie practices his speech on me and Teague. He’s adorably excited and nervous. He has worked hard on making his own way in the program. I’ve been given wonderful reviews on his work at Taylor, and I’ve already started looking into colleges for him.

  I am excited to see how much we raise tonight at the gala. The gala is an event for Taylor Organization to showcase the charities we support in hopes to raise awareness and money. This is the 3rd year, and so far the first two were record breaking in the amount of money they raised. It’s split equally among the charities represented. Graham explained that there are a lot of companies with money to give, but they don’t want to manage the overhead or time needed to run the charities, so they give it to him because they know it will be run correctly and without corruption resulting in the greatest impact. Basically, the best bang for their buck.

  “Okay, I’m ready,” I direct him.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, and esteemed colleagues. It is my honor to tell you about my life altering participation in the Mentor Today Program.”

  “What started as a seedling of an idea four years ago has grown into a grove of strong young men who never imagined they would have a chance. Never imagined they could learn business skills and later go to college. Never imagined true education was an attainable goal.

  “For years, quality education was the sugared candy in the window that only a few could taste. Children from broken schools, in broken neighborhoods, could be seen pressing their noses against the glass in hopes of catching just the scent of the colorful concoctions. I was one of those kids.

  “Raised by my grandmother and my brother, my grandmother would enter us into the lottery. Every year we would put on our Sunday best, take three trains, and walk several blocks to the school board. We would crowd into the room filled with a mosaic of people and wait anxiously to see if this was our year. Our year to taste the beautiful creations we had only hoped to catch a whiff of. We would watch the kids whose number was drawn and try to understand the mixed emotions of feeling happiness for someone while feeling despair for yourself.

  “Every year, I would watch the hope on my grandmother’s face fade into disappointment and fear. Fear that her grandsons wouldn’t have the skills needed to break our family cycle where three generations of the men have been imprisoned.

  “If you aren’t careful, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking, ‘these kids make their choices and there are consequences for those decisions.’ It’s easy to think, ‘if they work hard enough, they can make it.’ What people fail to understand is that education is the very foundation for building those skills. If your foundation is broken, you will never have a base that can withstand the storm. Without a foundation, you can’t withstand the poverty, the entrapments of the streets, and the suction of being pulled into the cycle in which those before you have loss. It would be easy to think, ‘if Reggie can make it, the others can, too.’ I am the anomaly. The glitch. The variance, if you will.

  “All of that changed when this program came into my life. This program gave me the lottery ticket to know that if I persevere, the foundation I needed to break that cycle, taste the sweetness of the candy, would be made attainable to me. Not as a handout, but as a tutorial in how to lay a strong foundation. How to build a home that will withstand the cycle that threatens to tear it down. For me, this opportunity came with a cost. I lost my brother to the streets. He gave up his hope at a foundation so that I might build one of my own. I owe him everything.

  “I have been working with the Taylor Organization where I have made great strides in learning business trades to further myself. To become a productive member of society. Trades to one day influence change and use education to break down those barriers.

  “I will be attending college in January with the financial help of this program, and the money I will earn at Taylor Organization. I will be the first person in my family to have that privilege and I promise you, my brother will be the last life my family loses to the streets. Thank you.” He finishes his speech and waits for our comments.

  “Reggie. I think it’s perfect. It says what the program means to you, and that is what people need to hear.”

  “I hope I can make it through without stuttering. You know how it is when I’m nervous or in a crowd.”

  “Just imagine them naked. Works for me when I’m nervous. Reminds me they’re as vulnerable as I am.”

  “My boss is pretty hairy,” Reggie muses, to which Teague and I laugh.

  “You have the tux I had sent over?” I ask him before he gets on the elevator.

  “Yes ma’am. I will be looking fine.” He does a silly move.

  “Yes you will. I’ll pick you up at 7:00. Be ready,” I remind him just before the doors close.

  As expected, the dress Jules made is beautiful. It’s a long, pale blue full-skirt dress with a boat neck and three-quarter length sleeves. The belt cinches the waist while the pockets allow for comfort. There are large watercolor screened flowers that circle the skirt about two feet from the hem of the dress. It’s simple yet stunning.

  “I know you don’t like to make gowns, Jules, but you have a knack for it. This is stunning.”

  “I was lucky that the screen print took to the fabric like it did. Have you looked at the drawings for next fall’s line?”

  “Some, not all. I’m making notes as I go. I hope to have it to you next week. I should be able to spend more time on it when the gala is done.”

  “How are things going with the counseling? Does it feel like it’s helping?” She helps me slide out of the dress.

  “It does. It’s been hard because it has kick started my nightmares again, but I hope that will fade in time. Just talking about it again, in such deep measures, brings everything to the surface. I have always felt like I had a handle on things, and I did for the most part, but I used it to ignore addressing the harder areas. She is helping me walk through those things. Really, she’ll ask a question or two, but I do most of the talking. I highly recommend it.”

  “Have you heard from Graham?” She hangs the dress before taking a seat on the couch.

  “Only that they got there. He isn’t sure what time he’ll be back, so there’s a chance that I’ll meet him at the gala. Do you want to ride with me if he and Adam aren’t back?”

  “I’m going to ride with Ruth and Lucy. They wanted you to ride, too, but I told them you had plans to get Reggie before.”

  “I am. He gave me his speech today and it’s great. I hope he can keep his nerves under control and say everything he wants to say. I’m so proud of him. I swear you might need to let the dress out more because my chest will be swelling!”

  “I’m proud of Reggie, too. What did he think about being an uncle?”

  “He was so excited. You would have thought he was the proud father. I think he knows he will make sure Olivia has the chances growing up that he and Terrance didn’t. He’s all about changing the cycle.”

  “Smart boy. So what do you think about Lucy and Holt?” she asks, sipping her coffee.

  “I like Holt. I think he has his head on straight. I know he lost his way a couple of months ago, but they’re both young. They have plenty of time.”

  “I had dinner with her last night. She’s thinking about sleeping with him.”

  “And what did you tell her?”

  “That she is too young and she needs to give it some more time. She asked how old I was when I lost my virginity, so be prepared for her to ask you.”

  “Oh my goodness. Graham will have a stroke. He might actually put his hands on Holt.”

  “Well, make sure he doesn’t. I didn’t tell Adam yet for that very reason. According to Lucy, Holt wants to wait. She’s the o
ne who thinks they’re ready.”

  “Ready? At seventeen? I don’t think so. She needs to talk to Ruth about birth control.”

  “She did last year, and Ruth started her on it already.”

  “I’m with the boys on this one. This topic makes me a little nauseated.” I make a face and Jules laughs.

  Teague and I walk Jules to her place where Myles picks us up and takes us the few blocks back home. We’ve spent the afternoon lollygagging around and now I’m pressed for time. The dress really is stunning, so it doesn’t take much for me to look beautiful. A sleek ponytail with a little mascara, gold powder, and a bolder lip than I normally wear and I’m ready just as I hear the elevator.

  “Teague?”

  “Yep.”

  “Can you come here please?”

  “I’d rather not.”

  Rolling my eyes, I exit the bedroom. “I can’t get the zipper to move. Can you zip me, please?”

  “Fine.”

  “When did you turn into a seventy-year-old man?” I turn to face him.

  “When another man put a ring on your finger. You don’t mess with another man’s property.”

  “How did I become property?”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “You better hope Joy does.”

  “Don’t you worry about Joy. She’s perfectly content with how things are.” He escorts me onto the elevator. There are a few paparazzi outside the vestibule. I suppose in hopes to get a different shot than the ones at the gala.

  Myles has the car waiting and we start the trek to get Reggie. The gala is on the Upper East Side and Reggie, along with the other guys in the program, lives on the east side closer to downtown.

  I can feel my phone vibrating in my pocket.

  “Hi babe.”

  “Hi sweetheart. We’re about to leave DC. Have you left the house already?”

  “Just did. Do you want me to go back and get your tux?”

  “No. It won’t take me long to change. Adam, Dad, and I will ride over together. Are you with Mom and the girls?”