He laughed and ran his thumb lightly against my cheek. “You’re really taking this girlfriend thing seriously, huh? Already questioning me.” There wasn’t an ounce of annoyance in his voice, and I had to admit to getting a little flutter in my stomach when he said the word ‘girlfriend’. He seemed genuinely mirthful when he dropped a kiss on the end of my nose. “Relax, baby. I come from a long line of powerful men.” The last sentence was said in a mocking voice that I assumed mimicked his father. “It means I’m a trust fund kid.”
“I see. Then why did your father make you move back down here? Not that I’m complaining, we wouldn’t have met otherwise. But, if you have your own money, why does he have any control over you?”
“I imagine you’re an amazing solicitor. And you’ll make an even better barrister.”
“I’m being serious, Bran.”
“So am I. You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.” I folded my arms in front of me.
“I’m the beneficiary and he’s the trustee. It’s my money but he has control until I’m twenty-one. Is that enough information for you, counsellor?”
“I’m sorry. I’ve just been feeling funny about my boss inadvertently paying to date me. I’m trying the make sense of all this before we’re public knowledge.”
Pulling at my folded arms to loosen them, he took a hold of my hands. “Then you should have asked sooner. I won’t lie to you, Cora. Lying is kind of a deal-breaker for me.”
My heart kicked up a beat. I understood why he’d feel that way. Being in the dark side of a deceitful relationship had made me far less trusting than I normally was. What happened to him for it to be his number-one deal-breaker?
At the same time, the comment made me even more nervous over telling him about Jack. Would he consider not telling him something as a lie? Surely not.
I placed my hands on his chest and leaned in. “It’s a deal-breaker for me too. Pick me up tomorrow at seven?” I already knew he wouldn’t be in the office all day because of his exams.
He grinned, pulling me a little closer by gripping my arse. “I’m going to parade you around and show the whole city that you’re mine, mine, mine.”
“We’re really going to do this in the open now?”
“Well, I’m not going to fuck you in the open. I’m far too selfish to share that experience with the rest of the world…”
Slapping him against the chest, I laughed. “I’m being serious. You don’t want to wait until we’ve spoken to your father? Maybe I’ll see him tomorrow and lay this on the table.”
“No,” he said emphatically. “You do not want to do that. It’s better if I talk to him myself.”
“When?”
“After exams. Just, quit worrying, OK? Everything will be fine. I’m sure about us.”
“OK,” I said, releasing my breath. I wasn’t comfortable prolonging things, but felt somewhat appeased knowing there was a plan in place.
He kissed me gently. “Now get out of here before I change my mind about having a University education and follow you upstairs.”
“Till tomorrow then,” I said biting my lip.
Using his thumb, he pulled it free, desire in his eyes. “Until tomorrow.”
28
Walking back into work after a long weekend was always a depressing endeavour, especially when that long weekend was spent lounging in the sunshine of the Gold Coast. I already wanted to go back.
“I’m so glad to be going back to work,” Olivia said, practically rushing to hug the building. Her demeanour was so contrary to mine. “I’m so over agonising and telling Paul that I don’t want to get married. That man doesn’t seem to understand that it is no longer the 1950s, and I’m quite capable of having this kid on my own.”
“Maybe he’s in love with you,” I suggested as we stepped through the entry doors.
“He thinks he is. But he’s too young to know what he’s talking about.”
“He’s older than Bran and Bran seems very clear about what he’s feeling.”
Her eyes went wide. “You two are getting serious?” she asked in a hushed tone. “Does he know about a certain someone with the name starting with J and ending in arse?”
“Not yet. We’re going to get everything out in the open next week when his exams are over. He’ll talk to the director and everything will be fine.” I shrugged. “We’re not technically doing anything wrong. We just have to be careful about how we come out.”
“Jesus, Cora.” She abruptly stopped walking and when I turned to face her, she had her hands folded across her chest and was shaking her head. “You know what? It’s your birthday. I don’t want to call you names and be responsible for ruining your day. So I’m going to reserve my comments about this for another day. Today, however, I’m going to take you out to lunch and feed you as many calories as I can. You look so gorgeous and tan that I can see you wasting away before my eyes.”
“You should take a trip up to Queensland. It’s so relaxing. Take Paul.”
“Paul is not a relaxing man right now.” Obviously not wanting to talk more about him, Olivia sighed and headed for the security door to swipe us in. “I’ll see you at lunch,” she said over her shoulder, and I smiled to myself as I waved her off.
I was only a few steps into my section of the office when the word ‘Surprise’ was yelled and a red velvet cupcake was thrust in my face, with my team of junior solicitors crowding around me.
Penny grinned. “Happy birthday! It’s fresh from Cupcake Central. We got enough for our whole team.”
“Oh, guys,” I gushed, my hand on my chest. “You really didn’t need to do this.”
“Sure we did,” Nick said, reaching out to add a candle. “You put a lot of time into making us better solicitors. The least we can do is something special for your birthday.” Holding out a lighter, he lit the candle. “Make a wish, boss.”
With a smile so wide it felt like it was touching my ears, I closed my eyes and wished for the impending phone call with my attorney to go my way. Then I blew out the candle to applause. In that moment, there was nothing more I wanted. As long as Jack stayed away, today would be perfect. I was greeted with cake, my best friend was taking me to lunch, and my boyfriend was taking me to dinner, and without a doubt, would also treat me to more than one mind-blowing orgasm. What more could I possibly ask for?
“Thank you so much, guys. You don’t know how much this means to me,” I said, making eye contact with each of them.
“Wait, there’s more,” Nick said, signalling to one of the other guys to hand him something. His eyes glinted mischievously as he held something behind his back. “Since thirty is such a huge milestone, we all pitched in to make you a gift basket to help you in your new phase of life.”
Laughing because I had a fair idea what was about to happen, I held my hands out for the basket. Inside were all things stereotypical for old ladies: a fold-up walking stick, fold-up reading glasses, a tub of Metamucil, Digestive biscuits, hankies and a packet of boiled lollies that were all stuck together.
“Very funny,” I said after going through it to the tune of their snickers. “I’ll treasure it always.” I flicked out the walking stick and used it to hobble toward my office while they laughed. Once inside, I saw that they’d also gotten me a large bunch of native flowers. I called out thank you to them, then dropped the basket onto the visitor’s chair, looking at it with a smile. I was glad my juniors felt comfortable having a joke with me; I spent so much time tearing apart their work that I often worried they hated me. Obviously not.
The message alert went off on my phone, and I dug it out of my bag, smiling even wider when I saw Bran’s name.
Bran: Happy birthday, baby. Check your top drawer.
With my bottom lip between my teeth, I wandered around to my side of the desk and pulled the handle. Inside was all my usual desk supplies, but on top of that was a burgundy box with a gold trim.
Me: Yo
u got me jewellery?
Taking a seat, I set the box on the desk in front of me and ran my hand over the soft fabric casing. You could tell a lot about a man by the jewellery he bought you. Men who paid close attention to their woman’s tastes could pick beautiful pieces time and time again. Then there were men who chose pieces they liked without taking her preferences into account at all. Which one was Bran?
Bran: Put it on. Take a picture. I want to see you.
Opening the box slowly, I saw that Bran was a mixture of both—he’d chosen something that had meaning to the both of us. He’d given me a beautiful pearl necklace. Each pearl was small and delicate, the strand just long enough to rest against my collarbone.
Clipping it on, I held my phone and posed for a picture, my fingers touching the fine strand lightly. I smiled to the camera a very private smile, encapsulating the meaning behind such a gift and the intensity of my feelings toward him. He could turn me on and have me quivering at the snap of his fingers.
Sending the picture through, I added the caption…
Me: Thank you. I love it
Bran: I love the thought of you working all day with my pearl necklace wrapped around that pretty neck of yours.
He was doing it again, making me wet, aching for release, and it was barely past nine.
Me: I’ll wear it for you tonight. Just the necklace.
Bran: And the blue shoes
I smiled.
Me: Deal. Good luck in your exam
Bran: xx
Hugging my phone against my chest, I sighed then touched the necklace again. I loved it, loved that it gave me dirty thoughts about Bran. That man did things to me that I never imagined enjoying. This day was already better than I’d expected. I couldn’t wait to see him later.
29
“This whole not drinking for nine months thing is really screwing with my social life,” Olivia scoffed, closing her menu and handing it to the waiter. She’d ordered soda water with a lime wedge so she could pretend it was a vodka lime and soda.
“I can not drink if it makes you feel better. I don’t mind,” I offered.
“No. It’s your birthday, you get to drink and have fun.” She sighed. “Fun. Are all my fun days behind me now? Am I going to turn into one of those women?” She nodded toward a table where two women sat with small children: one in a pram and the other old enough to sit at the table and eat. They were trying to carry on a conversation while holding pieces of food out for their children to eat. The baby slapped at his mother’s hands and sent the food toppling to the floor.
“I don’t know that being them is a bad thing,” I said with a shrug. The baby giggled then wrapped his chubby hand around his mother’s finger, trying to put it in his mouth. It was pretty adorable. “Kids are cute.”
“I know. They’re fucking adorable.” She made a noise that sounded like she was disgusted with herself. “You know, Paul downloaded this app on his phone; it shows all the stages of development. Right now, at almost twenty-one weeks, the baby is as long as a carrot and she already has eyebrows.”
“Wow. That is adorable.” I loved seeing her smiling about the idea of her baby, loved the sparkle in her eye.
“Paul is totally into research, knows more about this process than I do. He’s a scientist, you know, works at some big lab in the eastern suburbs doing forensic chemistry. I could have done worse for a father; he could have been beautiful but stupid. Now that would have been a worry. I do not want a stupid kid.”
I laughed and reassured her she was going to be the greatest mum on earth. Our drinks were placed in front of us then we ordered our meals.
“Enough about my life, tell me about yours. You spent the weekend away with Bran and decided it was time to bring the relationship out in the open?” Olivia leaned forward on her hands as she spoke. “Things are getting serious.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Are you judging me?”
“Not at all. I’m genuinely interested. You’ve spent the last eleven years of your life with fork-tongued Jack-Arse and now you seem…happy.”
“I am happy.” I smiled, reaching forward to take a sip of my wine, the cool crisp taste washing over my tongue. “In the beginning, all I could see were problems—his age, the fact I’m his boss, how my boss would react, what effect that would have on my career…” Placing my glass on the table, I shook my head. “But the last week or two, I’ve started to realise that none of that matters as much as I thought it did. There’s always a workaround. Honestly, Liv, I have never felt this good, never felt this wanted. I don’t want to let go of that.”
Looking at me with wise, assessing eyes, she took a breath then sat up straight in her chair. “You really didn’t listen to a single bit of my advice on the single life, did you?” she teased. “You seem to be attracted to long-term relationships like moths are to flames.”
“Says the woman who is pregnant and on the verge of closing the deal with husband number three.”
“I am not marrying Paul. I need to set my limit somewhere. He can move in. But, marriage needs to stay on the no pile.”
“He’s moving in?” I smiled, something about the way she spoke told me she didn’t really mean it. I estimated that she and Paul would either marry just before the baby was born or shortly after. He would win her over.
She waved her hand dismissively. “He was always at my place anyway. It’s silly paying rent on his own place when I have enough room.”
“When Jack and I split, I really couldn’t perceive a time when I’d even consider wanting to get married again, but I don’t know”—I lifted my glass to my lips—“it could happen.”
“You think you’d say yes if Mr Buns-of-Steel asked you?”
“Not yet. We don’t know each other well enough. Plus, Jack and I aren’t even divorced yet, so—”
“How are things going with Jack-Arse? Any progress in counselling?”
“He admitted to sleeping with nine women during the course of our relationship.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Nine? Wow. How could he ever think you’d be on board the reconciliation train after that bomb hit it?” This is why I loved Olivia. She totally got me.
“Exactly. That’s why he was holding the intervention order over my head, and why he tried to blackmail me when that stopped working.”
“Blackmail how?”
“His lawyer had some PI following me. There’s photographic proof of Bran and me together.”
Her expression stayed calm while she took a sip of her soda water. “I’m guessing Bran doesn’t know about this? Are you planning on telling him?”
“Yes. As soon as his exams are over. I don’t want to upset the balance before he finishes.”
“And what are you going to do if Jack uses that information before then?”
“My attorney issued a stop order threatening legal action. When I spoke to her earlier, she said the folder was delivered to her office this morning and he’d agreed not to use any of that information against me.”
She narrowed her eyes. “What’s the catch? Does he want more of the estate now? More counselling sessions?”
I shrugged. “Nothing yet, but time will tell. That man always has an angle. Personally, I’d rather he went chasing after some other woman. I’m obviously not enough for him.”
“Don’t ever talk about yourself that way. You’re more than enough for any man. Jack-Arse is not a man. He’s a piece of shit. From now on, make sure you tell him you’re recording every interaction with him. If he slips up again, we’ll slap his wrists so hard that his hands won’t be capable of holding on to his dick for a wank.” Just as the last syllable left her mouth, our food arrived.
“Actually, recording things is a good idea. I’ll be sure to do that,” I said when we were alone again.
Pulling a corner off the grilled sandwich in front of her, Olivia twisted it between her fingers thoughtfully. “You don’t think Jack would try to hurt Bran, do you? I mean, the guy went to great lengths to try to
make you desperate enough to take him back. Now that none of that has worked, and he’s been legally blocked from doing anything to you, I worry Bran might become his next target.”
I picked up my fork and poked at the melted cheese layer of my chicken. “What could he possibly do to hurt Bran? If he gives any information to Adrian, he’s also acting against me. I don’t see what he could do that would subvert the stop order.”
“I don’t know. I just know Jack isn’t one to give up when he hasn’t gotten his way. Remember that time we booked a cruise and he threw a tantrum until you agreed not to go?”
“How could I forget.” The cruise had been for three days of pampering to reward ourselves after winning a massive case. He’d made my life hell, accusing me of not caring about him enough and calling me selfish, until I decided the girl time wasn’t worth it and cancelled.
“I’m sorry, honey,” she said, reaching across the table to give my arm a squeeze. “It’s these hormones. They’re making me horribly moody and when I’m moody, I get really cynical. I just worry about you in the middle of all this. But, I’ll stop, it’s your birthday. We can worry about this stuff tomorrow.”
“It’s OK.” I smiled as I compiled a mouthful of crumbed chicken, salad and chips. “Just know that there’s a plan in place, and I’m feeling happier than I’ve ever been.”
“Then we should toast,” she said, holding up her glass. “To young men and turning thirty, may all your days be better than the ones before.”
“Thank you,” I said, tapping my glass against hers.
“Happy birthday, you gorgeous human being.”
“Is this party just for two, or can anyone join in?” A familiar soft rumble filled my ear, just before he came into view.
Never Again Page 20
