She took a sip. Ugh, this is crap. “Thank you,” she offered her fake appreciation.
“So, it would appear that Noble was extremely pleased with the way you represented yourself. He said you painted a clear picture of the company for him. He said you are a very capable and bright young woman with a good future ahead of you. He spoke very highly of you, and I got the distinct feeling he will be making you an offer to remain here with Griffin Publishing.”
“Oh, what makes you think that?” she asked curiously. Her heart raced, and she searched Frank’s face for an indication of what was said between the two about her specifically. She was feeling rather anxious and nervous, afraid he would catch on and suggest that something other than business may have developed between Drake and her. But she trusted Drake would never say anything with respect to what happened between them. At least, she hoped not. She had to admit, she was a little worried that he might have reneged on tabling an offer after what happened between them. It was a relief to see he was still interested in purchasing the company despite the abrupt way he tossed her aside. If this deal went south, she never would have forgiven herself.
“He asked what your intentions are in terms of remaining with the company. I hope you don’t mind, but I told him you didn’t have anything lined up, and you might be open to staying on. He was pleased to hear that and suggested we talk further about that possibility before closing the deal. I didn’t make any promises to the man. I’m not even sure you want to work for him. So I thought I would ask you before I speak with him again. So what do you think? Would you consider continuing your career here with the new owner?”
“I have nowhere else to go right now. Did he happen to mention who would be running the operation?”
“No, I didn’t get into specifics with him, but I offered to share my opinions and agreed to consult for sixty days after the sale. He appreciated the gesture and said he would be in touch within the next few days.”
Meg had to admit she was a little nervous about him showing up. She knew it would be uncomfortable for both of them. “Is he coming here himself or is he sending one of his associates?”
With a frown on his face, Frank replied, “I’m not sure. He mentioned he would try and make it himself, but if not, someone would be here to finalize the deal on his behalf. Meg, are you okay?”
“Yeah, of course, I’m fine, a little tired maybe, but I’m fine.”
Meg stood and turned to walk out of Frank’s office. She couldn’t take this conversation right now, she still felt too raw.
Frank stopped her. “Meg, I would like for you to continue to play a part in closing this deal.” She stopped at the door and turned, forcing a smile on her face, she replied. “Of course. I’ll continue to work through the sale. Whatever you need, Frank,” she assured him.
“Meg, thank you for everything. I really appreciate all the time and effort you put in to this.”
“It was my pleasure, Frank,” she replied before turning to walk back to her cubicle in the corner.
* * * *
With all the work piled up on her desk, Meg stayed at the office until well past eight o’clock every evening for the remainder of the week. By the time Thursday evening rolled around, she was exhausted, lonely, and constantly thinking about Drake.
She checked her cell on her way to the subway when she left the office and noticed she had four missed calls and two text messages. Heart racing, she prayed that one of the calls or texts would be from Drake. Once again, she was disappointed. It was Sarah. Both calls resulted in an abrupt hang up. The first text was short.
Meg,
Call me, it’s URGENT!! We need to talk!
Sarah XO
The second text was even shorter.
Where the hell r u?
Sarah XO
Once Meg made it back to the condo, she fixed dinner and ate rather quickly. Dinner was accompanied by a glass of red wine. Seven Deadly Sins, one of her favorites, it came out twice a year and her boss Frank had a case delivered to her residence each time it hit the shelves. He knew she favored the wine, and he made sure she was fully stocked. After two glasses, she was well relaxed and growing very sleepy. After a long week from hell at the office, she decided to take that nice hot bath she had been promising herself since Monday.
The phone started ringing just when she was about to doze off in the bathtub. She got out of the tub, dried herself off, and wrapped the towel around her hair. She pulled on her favorite cozy T-shirt and cotton pajama pants before going back into the family room. Meg picked up the phone and dialed Sarah’s number. Panic was clear in Sarah’s voice. “Meg, where the hell have you been all day? I have been trying to get you on the phone since two o’clock this afternoon.” Without taking a breath, Sarah continued, “Listen, I had a long talk with John last night.”
“John Lake?”
“Yes, John Lake. Meg, he’s so upset, he’s totally embarrassed and feels like the biggest jerk in the world. He knew you had feelings for Drake and admitted he was jealous as hell. Anyhow, enough rambling, he told me that he did something that he regrets. He said he wasn’t thinking straight. Are you sitting?”
“What is this about, Sarah?” Meg had no idea what Sarah was trying to get at, but hearing Drake’s name made her ache all over again. John just pissed her off for screwing up any chance she might have had with Drake.
“John told me he went to see Drake. He Googled him, and found his office location on Wall Street. Meg, he paid him a visit. Remember the day you got that text from Drake? You know, the one when we were having coffee in SoHo? That same day, John went to his office to see him. Drake came back a day earlier and was planning to surprise you, but John got to him first.”
“Why would John go see him? What the hell’s going on here, Sarah?” Meg felt confused and wasn’t quite sure where this conversation was heading, but she had a bad feeling she wasn’t going to be happy.
“Meg, John was really upset. When he left here that day, he went to the gym and got himself worked up even more when he realized he was losing you. I don’t know what got into him or what he was thinking. But he told Drake to leave you alone and that you two were involved and sleeping together. They exchanged a few heated words. John told Drake that he was in love you and to back the hell off. He told him you two have been sleeping together since that first night you stayed at my place. Drake was pissed and told John he could have you all to himself, that he was through playing games, and then kicked him out of his office. Meg, that’s why he cut you off like that. It’s not that he doesn’t want you, the man thinks you’re in bed with John Lake.”
Bitterness took over and Meg was immediately filled with anger. “Sarah, are you sure? Why would he do something like this?” she yelled into the phone. No longer able to hold back the tears of resentment, she let them fall, wiping at them furiously with the back of her hand. “How could he deceive me and betray me like this, Sarah? I will never forgive him. I can’t fix this, and he’s ruined any chance I had with Drake. What the hell was he thinking?”
“Meg, he’s really upset with himself. He said he’s willing to go back and tell Drake the truth. He regrets what he did and wants to fix it. He doesn’t want you to be unhappy and upset with him, and after having some time to think about what he did and how you feel about Drake, he said your happiness is more important and that he can’t force you to be with him.”
“He’s ruined everything, there’s no going back.” Meg was shaking she was so upset. Sarah was quiet for a moment, and Meg could tell how badly she wanted to fix this for her.
“Meg, please listen to me. If you really want this, I don’t think it’s too late. He’s willing to eat crow and walk back into Drake’s office tomorrow and tell the truth.”
A silence fell between them momentarily. As much as Meg wanted to see Drake again, she didn’t think he would believe what John had to say. And she sure as hell didn’t think he would be interested in being with her anymore after all that’s h
appened. Things were far too complicated now. “Well, isn’t that big of him. Tell him not to bother. The damage is already done, and he can’t fix this. Tell him forget it, oh and Sarah, tell John I said ‘Thanks a fucking lot.’”
“Meg, please, let him make this right.”
“No, Sarah. It’s too late. What’s done is done.”
Sarah sounded so far away, and Meg needed her here. Her words alone weren’t comforting enough. “Meg, I’m so sorry,” she said.
“It’s not your fault, Sarah. Forget it. It just wasn’t meant to be, I guess.” Tears continued down her cheeks as she thought about what Drake must think of her. She couldn’t believe John would stoop so low. He was the last person she suspected to betray her.
“John said he’s moving back to Door County. His mom is sick, and he’s not happy here.”
In a cold voice, Meg replied, “That’s nice. I mean, I feel bad for his mom, but honestly, Sarah, the way I feel right now, he better hope like hell that I don’t run into him again.”
“Meg, please, he feels terrible. He’s so sorry.”
“Whatever, Sarah. I have to go. Good night.” Meg felt bad ending the call so abruptly. But she knew Sarah of all people would understand how she was feeling and wouldn’t hold it against her. Anger reared its ugly head, and Meg felt like punching something. What was he thinking? She couldn’t even imagine what Drake must have thought when John told him she was sleeping with him. What she didn’t understand was why he would still want her to work for him after the lies John told him.
Too upset to think any longer, she went to bed, desperately feeling the urge to call Drake and explain. But she knew full well, that even if he did believe her, he would always question the truth. Meg refused to contemplate going into a relationship with that hanging over her head. That night, she said good-bye to Drake Noble and decided if she ever ran into Lake again, he would feel the sting of her hand across his face.
* * * *
Meg tossed and turned throughout the night, both lamps burning in her bedroom. The light took away some of her insecurities and made her feel safe. She needed to feel safe again, from the dark and the hurt. Her mind drifted back to that night with Drake on the balcony of the nightclub. He had given her the most pleasurable experience she had ever had. She relived that evening down to every last detail. But she still couldn’t stop thinking about the tall dark figure that entered her bedroom unexpectedly, taking with him her innocence. Every dream started off nicely until the memories of that night came back to haunt her.
* * * *
The past week had been nothing but depressing, and after her conversation with Sarah the night before, Meg wanted nothing more than to lock herself in her bedroom and weep. Friday morning at work seemed to drag on forever. The hours went by slowly, but thankfully she managed to finally get caught up on her backlog of emails and shitload of paperwork. Meg found she finally had some time on her hands, and she reluctantly logged on to Google and decided to do a little research. Drake Noble was ranked one of the most successful business men globally. She wasn’t at all surprised but had no idea of Drake’s accomplishments and self-worth. He was far richer that she had ever imagined.
It certainly explained his lifestyle and exquisite taste for expensive restaurants, wine, clothes, not to mention, his very own chauffeur and private jet. Oh, and that little black dress with the diamond shoes. Meg left the dress at Sarah’s and asked her to courier it back to Drake after she left NYC. She made a mental note to follow up with Sarah. Drake Noble was incredibly rich, and as she read on, Meg realized that if John hadn’t interfered the way he did, Drake was way out of her league. But they were simply material things to her, none of that mattered. It was the man himself that she wanted. He captured her attention in every way and would have had her heart in the palm of his hand had they continued. Maybe it was for the best, she tried convincing herself. It was simply too good to be true.
As she dug further, she perused news articles on his most recent success stories. She didn’t find anything from his younger years or his family. No indication that he was married or in a relationship. One article referred to him as one of New York’s most prominent bachelors, and she could certainly see why. Hunched over her desk, she let out a long sigh and reviewed picture after picture of Drake Noble. He was incredibly breathtaking, and Meg smiled at the memory of them together. Her hand moved up to the computer screen where she traced his lips with her finger. God, how I miss you. I wish things could have worked out differently for us, Drake Noble.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Felisha Goulding grew up in a small town in the heart of Newfoundland, the most Eastern part of Canada. Just out of High School, she left for Toronto with $68 dollars in her pocket and an old beaten up yellow suitcase.
Currently residing in the City of Vaughan, Felisha is a dedicated mother of two beautiful boys and has worked full time at the same company for the past twenty-five years.
With a passion for writing, she finally sat in front of the computer and started her first manuscript. Burning the midnight oil well into the late hours of the night after work, and then working 10 to 12 hours on weekends, a story unfolded and came to life.
Felisha comments, “This has been a life-long dream of mine for many years and this journey has been truly amazing. By far, this has been one of my biggest accomplishments. I look forward to writing many more...”
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