by Janae Keyes
“I was never good at flying, but working for Core Solutions, I had to get used to it. I find it helps to think about things or people that make you happy,” Patrick said calmly as he held my hand tightly. I gave him a weak smile and closed my eyes once more. “Tell me Brielle, what makes you happy?” I thought about it, but I knew the answer right away.
“My family,” I noted.
“Okay, tell me more about your family,” The way he spoke was so calming and I could already feel my nerves starting to relax.
Keeping my eyes closed I could almost see them. I first thought of my mom. People always said I was my mom’s twin. We had the same shade of milk chocolate skin and I’d inherited her pouty lips and wide hips. “My mom is the glue who keeps everything together. Even when I’m being hard-headed she has a way of getting her message through. She also has the biggest heart of anyone I know,”
“What about your dad?” Patrick questioned. I smiled to myself thinking of my silly dad. “My mom can be very serious and my dad is the opposite. He loves to make everyone laugh. He is so great at it too. He and my mom married young. My dad always wanted to be a comedian, but he had a young wife and children to care for, so he went to work instead. Now that my sister and I are out of the house and living our lives my dad can start to do what he loves. He’s started doing sets in comedy clubs around the Bay and people love him,” I explained thinking of my dad who was tearing up the Bay Area comedy scene. This old guy came out of nowhere and he was making waves.
“So, you have a sister?” He questioned.
“Anam. She’s my older sister,” I commented.
“Anam that sounds very different and not as American as your name. Is there a story behind that?” He questioned rubbing his thumb over the back of my hand. I loved the feeling of having him hold my hand. It felt so natural.
“I’m a fourth Pakistani. My grandmother on my mom’s side married a black man. Her family wasn’t pleased with her and they cut her off. She had four children with my grandpa. My mom didn’t meet her Pakistani family until she was a teenager. My grandma made sure that her children knew both cultures. My mom wanted to name her children more traditional names. She named my sister Anam, but my dad wanted to name me. She got, the more traditional name and I got, the more American name,” I explained to him. My sister and I were so different growing up and we fought like mad. She was a wild child and my parents struggled to control her, but when she met her husband things instantly changed overnight. My sister went from being the party girl to the suburban housewife in the blink of an eye.
“Your family seems interesting and fun,” Patrick commented. I nodded. I loved them all so much and even though they didn’t quite know how to be there for me after Keaton’s accident, they were in the best ways that they could. “By the way, we took off minutes ago,”
My eyes shot open. I looked out of the small round window to find the fluffy white of clouds zooming by. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t realized it. Patrick was right when it came to thinking about those who made you happy. It didn’t hurt that he was there either.
Quickly, I realized he was still holding my hand. I slipped it away without looking at him. Right away, I missed the feeling of him holding it. This infatuation was getting stronger and stronger.
THE FLIGHT WAS long, but very good. We’d enjoyed two meals and some snacks. I slept great and when I awoke we were about an hour away from landing. I’d changed into what I was going to wear for the meeting and did my best to psyche myself up for presenting this project to the board. I’d never attended a board meeting before and just the idea of it made my anxiety stand on edge, but I was doing a remarkable job at hiding it.
My eyes didn’t know where to look. We rode in a chauffeured car from the airport and I was in awe of all that was London. I’d always wanted to visit this city, but now I actually was and I couldn’t be more excited. My eyes widened as I passed by buildings that were familiar to me from photos and movies. The elegance and historical impact of the city seemed to stand out to me. Astonishment was all I could feel at that moment. I’d forgotten about the board meeting, as I was completely enthralled in the city presented before me.
Our car pulled in front of a modern glass building. I looked to see the Core Financial Solutions logo on the front door and knew we’d arrived. I took a deep breath as the driver opened the door and Patrick stepped from the car. Before I knew it Patrick had presented his hand and proceeded to help me from the vehicle.
“It is now or never,” Patrick commented as he placed his hand on the small of my back and began to lead me towards the building. I allowed him to open the door and the two of us walked inside. Right away we were greeted with the smile of a young Asian woman.
“Welcome to Core Solutions London, Mr. Bailey and Ms. Elliot. I’m Mia. I am to be your assistant during your time with us,” She chirped away happily in her thick English accent.
“Thank you so much Mia. Ms. Elliot and I are thrilled to have you assisting us during our business here,” Patrick could turn on his charm in a moments notice and I knew right away it was working on Mia. She seemed to be a bit flustered as her eyes filled with a thirst I knew all too well. Patrick was simply hard to resist, his voice alone seemed to make panties drop.
“Um… I will… um… show you upstairs,” She stuttered over her words as she led us towards the elevators. Meanwhile, Patrick kept his hand at the small of my back. I knew I shouldn’t be allowing him to touch me, but I couldn’t help, but want him to. I shivered at the delicateness of his touch.
Once inside the elevator we were cramped together. Patrick’s hand slipped around my hips, holding me close to him. I took a deep breath, not wanting to draw attention to our situation, as Mia stood in front of us. I turned my head slightly to look at him. His eyes were on mine right away. He pulled me in somewhat closer to him. His cinnamon scent filled my nostrils and I was drunk on him.
I darted my eyes away from him, but didn’t move my body. I knew this was wrong, but I wanted to fall deeper into his trance. The doors of the elevator opened and his hand left my hip as we followed Mia into a large waiting area.
“Over there is the conference room where the board will be meeting,” She pointed out a glass room with a large table surrounded by executive chairs. “Over here,” She began to walk and we followed her to a door. “This is the office that has been reserved for the two of you. I am always here if you need me. Don’t hesitate to call on me,” She gave us a kind smile.
“Thank you again, Mia,” Patrick remarked to the young woman who blushed.
Patrick opened the office door and motioned for me to walk in first. It wasn’t a small office, but decent sized. There was a desk in front of a window at one end. I walked over to the glass and gasped at the view. I had thought the view from Patrick’s office in San Francisco was amazing, but this was something else. I was looking right out at the Thames River and the Houses of Parliament. This was simply a dream and I for one was not ready to wake up from it.
I felt a presence behind me and before I could react I felt arms wrap themselves around me and lips against my neck. He couldn’t keep doing this to me. I was trying to fight his spell, but he was making it very hard when my body seemed to want him in every way, while my mind tried to fight him off.
“Patrick,” I breathed out.
“Brielle, I can’t fight how I feel about you. I’ve had feelings for you since Business School, but you were taken and as school ended we went our separate ways. It has to be fate that brought us back together. I know you want me just as much. You may deny it, but your body language speaks volumes,” I gulped at hearing his words. His lips were once pressed to the skin of my neck. I fought to keep myself from moaning.
I took a deep breath and pulled my body away from his and turned to face him. I was no longer going to allow this wizard to keep me spellbound. I had Keaton and he would wake up one day. I couldn’t be weak. I needed to be as strong as I’d been every day for the past two year
s.
“I don’t know what you are trying to start, but it isn’t happening. Patrick, you are a great guy, but I’m engaged. I can’t allow you to keep pursuing me this way. I know I’ve led you on in some ways with a little flirting and what not, but that is done. I need to be faithful to my fiancé. Yes, he is in his current state, but I have faith he will wake up and I need to be there strong and faithful as I told him I would be. I made the promise to be his wife one day and I will,” I spoke strongly and sternly. I needed Patrick to know there wasn’t a chance of anything between us.
“So, you just, wait?” Patrick questioned. He seemed puzzled by my decision.
“I just wait,” I answered plainly.
“I can’t describe how strong my feelings are for you, but I guess I can respect you for taking your stance and standing by the man that you love even if he is in his current state. You’ve spent two years loving him this way to the moon and back. If he wakes up, do you think he could ever love you as much as you’ve loved him?” Patrick questioned as he stepped towards me. He was right at me. I could feel his breath on my face as his hands were once more on my hips, pulling me closer. “I know I could love you that much and so much more,” He whispered, his last words as he placed one of his hands on my shoulder and it slid up my neck, to my cheek. His thumb stroked along my cheekbone lightly as it had done the other night in my office.
“Patrick… I…” I had no words for him.
“Shh… Baby,” he whispered, bringing his lips just to mine. Before they could touch, the door to the office opened. I jumped away from him instantly.
“Fuck,” I whispered to myself. I hated the way he made me feel, only because I wanted him so badly it hurt, but why? Maybe because he made me feel a way that Keaton had never made me feel. It was like an electric current arcing between us, it felt impossible to shake off. I needed to get my head on straight and fight this.
“There they are. My dream team!” Came the voice of Gerald Olivier our CEO and Patrick’s stepfather. I forced myself to give the man with graying hair a kind smile. For his age, he still looked great and was the life of the company. He’d started this company from the ground up and now it was a financial powerhouse.
“Good afternoon, sir,” Patrick said proudly to his stepfather.
“Are you two ready for this?” Gerald asked, looking from Patrick to me.
“As ready as we will ever be. I’m sure Brielle will charm the board. She’s charmed me for sure,” Patrick cooed giving me a lopsided smile.
“I only hire the best,” Gerald proclaimed.
“I should use the restroom before we get started,” I said finally speaking up. I rushed out of the office as fast as I could. I needed to get a leash on my emotions. I looked around before I found the sign for the toilets and followed it to nearest the ladies’ room. I hurriedly locked myself inside of the nearest stall, putting the lid down on the toilet and collapsing onto it, my face in my hands. Patrick knew how to get to me. He was pulling me in and I was having the hardest time crawling out. Once this trip was over I needed to keep my distance from him before I caught myself in a position that I didn’t intend to be in.
Chapter Seven
Brielle
THE MEETING WENT much better than I anticipated it to go and the board was eating the plan up. They gave us their approval right away and we were now off and running. I tried not to say much to Patrick as we rode in the car to our hotel. I just wanted to take a hot bath and relax. I figured tonight I might be able to catch a show and tomorrow, after the morning meetings we had scheduled, I would explore all that London had to offer. I was going to be here with some free time and I was going to use that time wisely.
“Here we are,” The driver said as he pulled in front of the hotel. He jumped from the car and was opening the door before I could blink.
“I’ll go in and get our keys. We were checked in already and our bags are here,” Patrick explained to me. I simply nodded in response.
It didn’t take too long for Patrick to come back out. He gave me his hand and helped me from the car. I was quick to take my hand away once my feet were planted firmly on the ground again. I didn’t want to linger too long, but I wanted to let him know I wasn’t going to be caught under his spell any longer.
“We are in room 724,” He told me as he handed me my key.
“Wait, we are sharing a room?” I questioned right away thinking of what my bank account looked like because I was going to march right into that hotel and reserve my own room.
“It is a two-bedroom suite,” Patrick was quick to say. “We each have our own room inside of the suite. I hope that is okay,” I shrugged. I guess as long as I had my own space to stay away from him, I would be fine. “Come on. Our bags were delivered earlier.”
HE WAS RIGHT about the room. We had a large shared common space with a bar, sitting room, and television, while we each had our own separate rooms on opposite sides of the suite. I was happy to be changed out of my office wear into something more comfortable. I’d changed into a red, sleeveless, fit and flare dress that I paired with a white cardigan. Walking into the sitting area I spotted Patrick at the bar with a glass in his hand that contained a brown liquor.
“Drink?” He asked as I took a seat on one of the couches. I shrugged. “To celebrate our victory today,” he prodded, looking at me hopefully. I let out a sigh.
“Sure, why not?” I said. I watched him pick up a clean glass and fill it with the same brown liquid that he’d been drinking before. He picked up my glass, followed by his own and made his way to where I was. “Thanks,” I said, accepting the tumbler from his outstretched hand.
“Cheers,” He raised his glass and I followed suit. I took a sip of the fowl tasting liquor and instantly coughed. “Great whisky, right?”
“Um… sure,” I commented as I sat my glass on the coffee table. I did my best to not look at him. I was doing my best to fight his pull, but it was so damn hard. “I should go get a cab. I got tickets to a show.”
“Fun. What are you going to see?”
“Wicked,” I smiled proudly. I’d seen the show before when it had come to San Francisco and I was very excited to see it again. One of the first things I did when I settled into my room was called down to the concierge to get myself show tickets. “What is the schedule like tomorrow?”
“As you know we have one meeting in the morning, but after that we are relatively free,” Patrick commented. This pleased me because I wanted to explore London as much as I could. I’d found a few things I wanted to try and visit and the concierge was going to see about getting me some passes for those things. I thought of Keaton and how by now he would have a full itinerary planned out for the two of us.
“Great. I’ve got some exploring I want to do in the afternoon,” I chatted.
“I did forget to tell you. Gerald would like us to join him and my mom for dinner tomorrow night,” Patrick informed me.
“That’s fine,” I remarked as I stood. “Don’t wait up. Have a good evening,” I was trying to be as friendly as possible without crossing any lines. I was hoping that he would see that I just wanted to be co-workers and possibly friends, but nothing more than that. My body could want more, but I needed to use my brain as I’d tried to do for most of my life. I will admit that plenty of times I followed my heart and my body, but this was not the time for that.
“You too… Brielle,” He seemed conflicted and maybe upset. I wasn’t going to fall into his trap though. I put the strap of my purse over my shoulder and gave him a wave as I left the room with no words.
AS EXPECTED, THE show was amazing. I loved every single moment of it. It was a show I could see over and over again, and it would not get old. When I returned to the room Patrick must have been asleep because I didn’t see him at all. I was slightly disappointed, but I quickly shook that feeling. I took a warm bath and had a beautiful slumber in my hotel room bed.
The next morning Patrick was gone, but a note was waiting for me o
n the bar telling me he’d already gone to the office and I could meet him there. I changed into a sky blue, white, and black color blocked sheath dress. I paired my dresses with a pair of black flats that would be comfortable to explore the city in, and pulled my wavy black hair into a ponytail.
I arrived at the offices of Core Solutions after a short taxi ride and went right inside. Finding my way to the right floor I spotted Patrick instantly, he was speaking with the secretarial assistant Mia. She was flirtatiously giggling as he spoke. I tried my damndest to not roll my eyes as I approached them.
“Good morning, Mia and Mr. Bailey,” I spoke kindly to the two of them.
“Good morning, Ms. Elliot. I trust you enjoyed your show yesterday and slept well,” Patrick said, his voice laced with formality.
“Yes and yes,” I answered.
“Mia, thank you for the coffee and the chat. I have a meeting with Ms. Elliot to attend to,” Patrick informed the young assistant who stared at him with an enamored gaze, hanging onto his every word.
“Yes, um… I will see both of you later. Inform me if you need me to order lunch,” Mia squeaked out with a wave before she scurried away.
“Ms. Elliot,” Patrick intoned as he placed his hand on the small of my back. I allowed him the lead me into the office. He closed the door behind us and I found a seat at the chair in front of his desk.
Crossing my legs, I smoothed out my dress before watching him take his own seat. He didn’t say anything right away, but appeared to be in deep thought. I watched his facial expressions as it seemed he was attempting to find the right words. He went to open his mouth, but then retracted.
