by Janae Keyes
“Hello, Mr. Bailey. I believe we have a meeting,” I said shyly. I wanted to laugh at myself for being so apprehensive. I for sure wasn’t timid and when it came to business, I was on top of my game.
“Mmhm… yes she is here… I will talk to you later….Goodbye sir,” I heard the voice say. I then saw an arm come from behind the chair. He had the receiver of a phone in his hand which he gently hung up before his chair turned around and I instantly knew what April was talking about.
The man in the chair gave me the sexiest smile I’d ever seen. I watched him stand and run his fingers through his dark brown hair. He had a firmly chiseled jawline and his nose was pointed and strong. My panties went wet in seconds. I cursed myself for having this reaction to this stranger, when I was an engaged woman.
He walked around his desk and came straight to me nearly gliding. Once in front of me he pulled me into a hug. I inhaled his cologne. “Brielle Elliot. Just as beautiful as always,”
It took me a moment. He was talking as if he knew me. I surely didn’t know this guy. I would remember if I’d met him before. He pulled away, his eyes seem to examine my body and take everything in. I wasn’t dressed provocatively or anything, but his eyes studied me like I was a piece of meat or something. I just watched him before I finally found my words to speak.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know you,” I interjected. He gave me a smirk and I couldn’t keep from wiggling as I felt a certain heat between my legs.
“I guess losing 150 pounds, shaving, and getting Lasik eye surgery can make a guy look different,” He said. I stared at him and tried to figure out where I knew him from. I tried to imagine him heavy and with glasses. “Think, Stanford Business School,” he commented and I did my best to think. At once my eyes went wide. He couldn’t be.
“Paddy?” I questioned.
“In the flesh… a lot less flesh,” he laughed as he spoke.
“Oh my God… um, wow!” I now knew who he was. Paddy B was what everyone called him. In school, he was nerdy and chubby, had a beard, but was a boss at statistics and when it came time for exams everyone wanted to be his best friend, and study buddy.
“I guess becoming the stepson of a billionaire can change things. You know, Lasik and a personal trainer. Just the small things,” He laughed once more as he spoke.
“You look amazing,” I said happily to the guy I now recognized as my old friend. “But you didn’t need all of that. You were perfect before.”
“I was okay,” he shrugged. “I got a few girls I guess.” He gave me a soft grin as he spoke. “Though the most beautiful one, she kept slipping through my fingers. I asked her out one day after study group. She blew me off for this boyfriend of hers. Though, she still has her maiden name, so I might have a chance,” He gave me a wink. I remembered the day he asked me out, but I had Keaton… I still had Keaton.
“Well, about that…” I trailed off.
“We have so much to catch up on, come,” He put his hand on the small of my back. I shivered at his delicate touch as he led me to one of the couches.
IT WAS ACTUALLY great to catch up with an old friend after so long. I told him about Keaton’s accident and everything that came with it. He told me that his mom had been dating Gerald Oliver our CEO while he was in Business School and right after he graduated his mom and Gerald married. Gerald took him under his wing right away. Gerald, wanted to mold Patrick to be his heir since he didn’t have any children of his own. Patrick had been the head of a Core Solutions office in Munich, Germany before he got the COO gig here at our San Francisco office.
“So, do you keep in touch with anyone else from school?” Patrick asked me as he watched me intensely. The gaze from his honey eyes was so strong.
“Charles and Yvette got married. They have three kids. Charles runs a franchise of McDonalds and Yvette is a stay at home mom,” I commented thinking of two friends that we’d graduated with.
“Seriously, paying all that money to go to Stanford to stay at home?” Patrick questioned as if I’d told him a lie or spoken some sort of blasphemy.
“Hey, whatever floats her boat,” I commented. I knew with all the student loans I had, it took me forever to pay them off. I was finally debt free and because I had to work so hard to get there, my future was going to be spent working hard. I worked too hard at Stanford and in this company to give this all up. Of course I wanted kids one day, but I also wanted to be a shining example of hard work to them, as my parents were to me.
“I’m surprised you stayed in the field. I would expect you to be a Victoria’s Secret model or something,” he said. I nervously giggled. “I’m for real. You are gorgeous.” I tried my best not to blush at his words.
“Thanks for that, but seriously, we need to talk business,” I interrupted, trying to regain my poised and businesslike composure.
“Yeah, we do. I want to make some big changes to the way things run around here. Gerald has given me the go ahead. I wanted you on board because you are one of the smartest people I know. Gerald did good hiring you,” he explained. I smiled, remembering when I got my first job at Core Solutions. I had applied for an internship and I was surprised to learn that Mr. Oliver was doing the interviews himself. He liked me right away and instead of granting me the internship, he was offering me a real job. He said he was impressed with me and felt I would be a great fit at the company. I’d been here ever since working my way up the ladder.
“Wow, well I am on board for whatever you need,” I answered. I was excited about this. Maybe someone else being the COO wasn’t so bad because I had some of the same ideas and who knows an even better position might be waiting around the corner for me.
ARRIVING AT HOME I was tired after a long day, but happy with how things went. It was great to catch up with Patrick, though, since our meeting I couldn’t get him off my mind. It was actually driving me insane how much I kept thinking about him. He still had a bright personality, but his looks were so different and so hot. Though, his looks never needed to change. If I hadn’t had Keaton while in school, I might have accepted Patrick’s offer for a date back then. I was going to have to keep my distance as much as possible, though with this new project that seemed as if it would be nearly impossible.
Tonight, I was actually hungry. I changed into my pajama pants and a tank top before venturing into my kitchen. I looked around the room as I entered. This kitchen is what originally sold me on this house. From the moment I walked in I knew I had to have this it. Keaton and I had been all over the Bay Area searching for the perfect place to call home and we’d found it here in this quaint Danville, California neighborhood.
I ran my fingers along the marble countertop as I made my way to the refrigerator. Opening it my eyes searched the Tupperware containers that lined the shelves. Bless my mom’s heart, a few days a week she would come to my house when I was at work and leave me food. She knew I didn’t eat much and she tried her best to get me to eat. I found a new one with homemade macaroni and cheese and decided that was enough.
After warming my food, I sat at my kitchen table alone. I missed the life that Keaton had brought to our house. We’d planned to have children and raise them in this house. We wanted to grow old in this house, together. I took a breath before taking a bite of the delicious macaroni and cheese. My mom always tried to make my favorite foods. As I ate, I let my mind wander to Patrick and his smile. The way he looked at me was filled with electricity. I shook my head. My thoughts were wrong, no matter what I was still engaged. As always, it would be food and bed, alone.
My breathing was hard and rushed. Hands slipped over the most intimate parts of my body exciting me beyond reason. I felt a lust and a need from within. I let out a moan as all the feelings coursed through my body. I was craving all of it at once. Lips were on mine, kissing me with such a great force, and a need as strong or stronger than my own. Tongues were intertwined in a battle of pure unadulterated passion.
The kiss broke and I looked into the honey eyes of P
atrick. He gave me a grin. I could feel his fingertips grazing my body as they made their way between my thighs. I groaned wanting his touch more and more with each passing second. I arched my hips to meet his fingers. I let out a gasp as they slipped into my wetness. I yearned for so much more.
“Mm Patrick,” I moaned out. “Please more,”
“As you wish,” He whispered grinding his fingers into me deeper.
“Oh God… Patrick Yes!” I cried out.
I GASPED, springing up in my bed with a jerk. I couldn’t believe it. I could feel my panties soaked. At once, guilt seemed to flush through my system as I realized for once I hadn’t dreamed about my own comatose fiancé, but of Patrick. I laid back down and clenched my blanket in my hands. I tossed and turned, as I tried to force myself back into a slumber. For once I’d slept, but now sleep was going to be as impossible as it had been before. I was frustrated with myself and sexually frustrated at the same time. I let out a groan.
I gave up on trying to sleep. I needed to wash the guilt away. I dragged myself from my bed and into my bathroom. I slipped my pajama pants and damp panties off and threw them in the hamper. Taking off my tank top I walked to the shower and stepped inside. I turned on the water and jumped at the jolt that hit me, when the cold water shocked my naked body. I hated myself for allowing my body to betray Keaton. I found myself sitting on the floor of the shower as the water hit me. I sobbed into my hands. At that moment, the only thing I could do was cry.
Chapter Three
Patrick
THAT EXACT MOMENT I saw her again was unreal. I hadn’t ever expected to see Brielle Elliot again after our graduation from Stanford, but it would seem fate brought her back into my life. The moment she walked into my office, those feelings I’d felt years ago came rushing right back in. Though now things with her were slightly more complicated. Before she had this boyfriend she always gushed about and now he was her fiancé, but the complication of her fiancé being in a coma was another obstacle.
The rest of the day I tried not to think about her. She was still taken, still beautiful, and still the smartest girl I’d ever met. I didn’t know if I should love or hate my step-dad for hiring her. Being around her today made my heart race and my blood pump, I hoped she couldn’t tell how on edge I was.
It was hard to fully pay attention in our meeting when I wanted to touch her chocolate skin and smell her delicate scent. She smelled of vanilla and hugging her had left me drunk. I’d been in relationships before and I’d slept around a bit thanks to my time in Europe, but I’d never found myself drunk off the pure scent of a woman. Brielle had it all.
I wanted to laugh to myself as I thought about her reaction to seeing me and having me hug her, she had no idea who I was. I seemed to have that effect when meeting people from my past. When I look back at who I was, I’m amazed. I was 150 pounds overweight, had this huge scruffy beard, and I wore the thickest coke bottle glasses imaginable. I wasn’t the guy girls wanted, but I had my fair share of girlfriends even then.
Everything changed when my mom married Gerald, he wasn’t just wealthy, but he had a confidence about him that I was dying for. My mom had dated in the past, but Gerald was the only one who showed interest in me and my life. Right away he took me under his wing and started building me up to be a successful businessman. I now had the money to hire someone to help me eat right and get the exercise I needed, plus with the boost in confidence, I didn’t want to drown myself in ice cream constantly. I got Lasik eye surgery and shaved my beard. I was a new man.
Early in life I’d let myself go, and I knew now that the situation with my birth father contributed to that. My birth father wasn’t exactly father of the year. He’d abandoned my mother when she was pregnant with me and left her to fend for herself. I maybe saw the man twice in my life. I always felt like a loser that nobody wanted except my mommy, but that all changed with Gerald, he showed me so much and I appreciated him, he was my dad.
Turning in my chair I looked out at the Bay. I watched the boats passing the piers and the golden glow over the surface of the water as the sun set. I’d been in my office since 6AM and I was pretty sure I should head home, well what was home for the moment.
Shutting down my computer I slipped my blazer on and headed to the door. I let my mind wander as I walked, seeing Brielle come through the very door I was walking out of. It set my entire body on fire. Fuck, I needed to not think about her like this. I had to work with her and I couldn’t work with the one woman who’d taken my heart unknowingly years ago.
I growled to myself as I walked from my office. My receptionist Layla was at her desk getting her things together. She was a sweet, bubbly girl. Not my type, but she seemed good at her job and didn’t fuck up too much. She turned sharply when she heard me exit the office.
“Have a good evening Layla,” I said sweetly to the young woman who stared me down. Ever since I lost the weight, girls seem to drool over me. I found it funny because before most of these girls would have never given me a second look.
“You too Mr. Bailey!” she bubbled out happily. If I could count on anything to be constant, it was that Layla would be in a good mood nearly all the time, I guess I liked that about her.
“Tomorrow I have a meeting at 9AM with the Sales Manager Lisa Franklin, I’ve heard that she loves pastries from that little French place up the street. First thing in the morning can you order a few things from there for my meeting?” I asked of my receptionist who already had a notepad in her hands scribbling away. I wished the assistant I had in Germany was as efficient as her.
“Yes and done,” she confirmed with a tap of her pen on her pad.
“Thank you so much. Goodnight,” I said before making my way to the elevator so I could leave this office. I liked it here, but I really wanted to be home with a glass of whiskey in my hand.
SLEEP WASN’T HAPPENING at all and it was all because of Brielle. I couldn’t have a single real and rational thought without her popping into my mind. I needed her desperately. I couldn’t wait for the week to pass. Next week she and I had another meeting about our project. I wanted a whiff of her vanilla scent.
Exhaustion was hitting me hard as I quickly made my way up the street from my office to have lunch with my mom. She’d just returned home from a trip from Japan with her best friend, and of course I was the first person she called when she returned.
My mom and I were very close; we were all one another had for 22 years. Things changed when she met Gerald, but one thing remained the same, I was never going to escape being her baby boy.
Walking into the small bistro, it wasn’t hard to spot my mom, who was looking glamorous as always, she took the job of being the wife of a billionaire very seriously. I always joked with her about it, but deep down I knew it was about way more than the money. My mom could care less about Gerald’s money, she truly loved him for who he was without it.
I zigzagged through the tables right to her. You would never know my mom was in her 50s by the way she looked. Her brown hair was long and had a youthful shine to it and her face always glowed.
“My baby!” she squealed out joyfully as she threw her arms around me. She planted a huge smooch on my cheek. I cringed as I saw half the bistro watching us. As embarrassed as I was, I would never give up my mom’s undying love because I loved her back just as much. I knew I wouldn’t be half the man I was without her.
“Hey mom, how was your trip?” I asked right away as I took my seat. She perked right up, ready to tell me about her adventures in Japan.
“Oh, Patrick, it was amazing. Donna and I had the best time. We started in Tokyo, you remember me skyping you from there?” I nodded in response and allowed her to continue. “We visited the best restaurants and these rooftop gardens, it was delightful. Did you get that picture I sent you?”
“Mom, you sent me hundreds of pictures,” I reminded her. My phone was going off constantly with new pictures from my mom. She seemed to have forgotten that we were on different ti
me zones and I was being woken up constantly over the past two weeks with my phone chiming.
She took a sip of her water before whipping her phone out. Right away, she went looking through her photos for the exact one she was trying to tell me about. She landed on a picture of her sitting on the ground with bunnies. I remembered seeing this one and laughing at how adorable she looked.
“There is this island filled with bunnies. They are the cutest things you’d ever see. They come right to you and… Oh, Patrick, we must go back, I need to take you there.” she was beaming with so much delight over her time.
It made me happy to see my mom truly happy and able to put her feet up and do the things that she wanted to do. She’d spent years upon years working multiple jobs to get us by and with Gerald she could finally reap the benefits of her years of slaving away to keep me fed and with a roof over my head.
“I’m glad you had a great time,” I commented before looking down at my menu.
“How’s work?” she asked me. I glanced up at her.
“Great, I like my new position. It is a lot more work, but it has been pretty great.” I loved my new position as Chief Operating Officer, it was the perfect job for me and with this project I was taking on with Brielle, I knew I would be doing what I could to make my mark on the company.
“I’m so glad. I like having you close again anyway. Plus, those girls out there were not good for you.” I wanted to laugh, but cracked a smile instead. My mom wasn’t happy with the dating choices I’d made while abroad. “I’m serious. That last girl, she was up to no good. You need to find a nice girl who isn’t out to use you.”
