by K. L. Prince
“Let me be the judge of that, Dad,” Caden says, wanting to avoid having this conversation with his father. He already knows where it’s going. He’s heard what his father has to say a million times before and he doesn’t want to hear it again.
“Caden, I don’t want you to see this Harper woman ever again. I want you to remember what she did to you and forget that you’ve ever known her. You’re association with her was doomed from the start, as evidenced by situation you’ve found yourself in with her. What I want you to do is get back together with Madison Thorpe and stay there. She is the right woman for you and she is the proper type of woman that you should be with,” his father says like an order rather than a suggestion.
“Dad, Madison cheated on me. I can’t be with her anymore. It may not have worked between Harper and I, but it’s never going to work between Madison and I either,” Caden replies, not surprised that Madison has gotten to his father. Madison is a master manipulator.
“Caden, people make mistakes. Madison is very remorseful. She knows that she’s made a mistake and she wants to make it up to you. She loves you and I know that with time you will be able to love her again. I want you to give her another chance and I expect you do so immediately,” Bill Mason says sternly, laying down the law.
Caden looks across the conference room table at his father. He can tell by the tone of his father’s voice that his father is not just giving fatherly advice. His father is making a demand that he expects to be met and that there will be consequences for disobedience. “Dad, I can’t talk about this right now,” Caden says, pushing back his chair and standing up.
“Where are you going?” Bill Mason asks. “We’re not done here.”
“Dad, I can’t do this right now. We’re going to have go over these figures another time. I’ve have to go. I have something I have to do right now,” Caden says, leaving the conference room before his father can say anything else.
Bill Mason watches his son leave the conference room. He doesn’t bother chasing after him and demanding that Caden return and finish their order of business. It’s clear to him by his son’s behavior that Harper has become a problem. She has her claws sunk deeply into his son and it’s likely that he hasn’t heard the last of her. His son’s behavior is indication to him that getting him back with Madison isn’t going to be as easy as he thought it was going to be. He’s come to the realization that it is going to take so some serious intervention. He may have to make Harper an offer that she won’t be able to refuse to disappear from his son’s life for good.
He picks up the conference room telephone to make a call. From this moment forward, he will be watching his son like a hawk. He will know his son’s whereabouts from this moment forward and he will act if he needs to. He will force Harper out of his son’s life, by force if he needs to. Harper is not going to stand in the way of his plans for the future for his son and for everything that he’s worked for in his life. He is not going to allow for his fortune to fall into the hands of a person that does not deserve it. He has worked too hard to let his empire go to the likes of someone like Harper. He is not going to let his legacy be flushed down the toilet. His goal has always been about growth and expansion, not decline. His son being involved with Harper is a step down, while being with Madison means a step up.
He will not stop until the situation with Caden is remedied.
“Malcolm, I have a job for you,” he says, when his call is answered.
* * * * *
“Honey, I’m so glad to see you,” Harper’s mom says, as Harper lugs her bags through their apartment door. “I thought that you were never going to come home,” her mother says, hugging her daughter and kissing her on the cheek.
“Hi, Mom. I missed you, too,” Harper says, returning her mother’s embrace.
Her mother steps back and takes her daughter in. “Okay, I know that look. What’s wrong? Did something happen?” her mother asks.
Harper tries to hold back tears, but they fall anyway. “Mom, I’ve screwed up,” she says, wiping away her tears.
“Oh, Honey. Come sit down and tell me what’s happened,” her mother says, taking her by the hand and leading her to their old, patched up sofa.
“You know how I told you that I was going to stay at Olivia’s father’s apartment to house-sit?” Harper asks, gearing up to tell her mother the truth, already knowing that her mother is going to disapprove of her behavior, but still happy that she is able to talk to her about what’s happened.
“Yes, I remember. Olivia is out of town, isn’t she?” her mother asks, recalling what her daughter told her.
“Yes, Olivia and her parents are in Italy. She’s going to be coming home in a couple of days. Anyway, what I told you about housesitting wasn’t exactly the truth. The reason that I was staying at the apartment is because I met a guy,” Harper says, taking a deep breath before continuing.
“You met a guy!” her mother exclaims, sounding happy, but then changing her tone. “I would think that would be a good thing, but by the look on your face, it didn’t turn out the way that you had hoped?”
“It turned out to be a nightmare,” Harper says and shakes her head as she recalls the last time that she saw Caden.
“What happened?” her mother asks, taking her hands in hers.
“Well, I met this guy. His name is Caden. I met him at the charity event I went to with Olivia. Well, when Caden and I met, we really hit it off. I mean, we really hit it off. Mom, I’ve never met anyone like him. The way he made me feel was unlike the way that any guy I have ever been with has made me feel. Anyway, Caden comes from a really wealthy family and his father expects him to marry someone that comes from the lifestyle that they do. As you can see,” Harper says, motioning to the surroundings of the apartment, “I don’t come from a wealth, so I lied to him about where I come from. Olivia let me stay in her father’s apartment, so that I could pretend like I came from money,” Harper says and looks at her mother for her reaction.
“So, let me get this straight. You met a guy that is rich and to impress him, you told him that you were rich, as well?” her mother asks.
“Yes,” Harper says and grimaces. Hearing her mother say out loud what she did sounds much more horrible to her than it sounds in her own thoughts.
“So, you lied to him?” her mother states more than asks.
“Yes,” Harper says and nods her head.
“Harper, what have I told you about lying? You know that nothing good comes when you tell lies. I’ve been telling you that since you were a little girl and you’ve experienced for yourself over the years the truth in that,” her mother says, looking at her and giving her a look of disapproval but mixed with understanding.
“I know, Mom. I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I just liked Caden so much and I wanted to spend time with him. I wasn’t really thinking about the consequences of my actions. I was just so caught up in the moment,” Harper says, trying to rationalize her actions, but knowing that there is no excuse for what she’s done.
“So, he ended up finding out, I take it?” her mother asks.
“He found out and he broke up with me,” Harper says, feeling the acute pain of her breakup with Caden all over again.
“Harper, I understand why you did what you did, but I don’t blame Caden for breaking up with you. I’m sorry to have to say that to you, because I love you dearly, but you can’t expect to lie to someone and expect him or her be okay with it. Honey, you can’t treat people like that, especially people that you care about,” her mother says and squeezes her hands.
“I know, Mom. I don’t blame Caden in the least for breaking up with me. I expected that he would when he found out what I’d done, but at the same time, I was hoping that his feelings for me would be strong enough that he would forgive me,” Harper says, tears falling from her eyes.
“I’m sure that you did. You apologized for what you did, of course?” her mother asks, reaching out and wiping her daughter’s tears away.
“I did, over and over again, but it wasn’t enough. He couldn’t get over the lies that I told and called things off. I have tried calling him, but he won’t return my calls. He doesn’t want anything more to do with me,” Harper says, in between sobs.
“It’s going to be okay, Honey. Before Caden found out about you lying to him, what was your relationship like?”
“I can only go by what he said to me, but I think that Caden really cared deeply for me. I think that when he found out that I lied to him, that is why he was really hurt and couldn’t get over what I did, but I don’t know,” Harper says unsurely.
“Well, if what you say is true, give him some time to think. Don’t bother him with calls. Give him some time to process everything that’s happened. There is the possibility that after he’s cooled down, he could forgive you and come back,” her mom says.
“Mom, you should have seen the look on his face. He was devastated. I would really like to think that he might come back, but it doesn’t seem probable,” Harper says and shakes her head. She doesn’t want to get her hopes up and then have her heart broken all over again if Caden doesn’t come back. She just wants to accept what’s happened in reality and not exist in the fantasy that Caden will return to her life. It’s just too painful.
“Well, if Caden doesn’t end up coming back, take what’s happened as a lesson and learn from it. Don’t make the mistakes you’ve made with Caden ever again. That’s all you can really do,” her mother says and hugs her.
“I know, Mom. That’s what I intend on doing. Like you’ve said, what else can I really do? I think I’m just going unpack and lay down for a while. I haven’t been sleeping that well and I need to get some rest. I have an early shift tomorrow at the restaurant,” Harper says, returning her mother’s hug and getting up from the sofa to gather her things at the front door.
“Okay, Hun,” her mother says, watching her gathering up her bags. “Harper, I know that what’s happened is very upsetting, but don’t be too hard on yourself. You’re not a bad person, you’ve just made a mistake. You’ve learned your lesson and you’ll be a better person from it. We all make mistakes in life, Honey. I hope you know that what’s happened is not the end of the world,” her mother says, sounding concerned.
“I know, Mom. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine,” Harper says, before disappearing behind the closed door of her bedroom.
She knows that everything that her mother has said is the truth and she wishes that she could believe it wholeheartedly, but her broken heart is speaking louder and more truthfully. She can’t fully accept that what’s she’s done is simply normal human error and doesn’t make her a horrible human being.
She just wants to go to sleep and wake up forgetting everything that’s happened, but that would mean forgetting Caden and she doesn’t want to do that. She will accept the pain, if it means that she can keep the memories that she has with Caden alive. She flops down onto her bed and is immediately asleep.
* * * * *
Caden sits behind the closed door of his office. He’s cancelled all of his business meetings for the rest of the day. He just can’t concentrate on work these days. Making decision regarding the business is like pulling teeth and the ones he does end up making turn into disasters. His concentration is shot. His head is just not in the game at the moment.
The only thing that is on his mind is Harper. When he looks at business reports, he sees her face. When he looks at business associates and employees, he sees her face. When he stares into his bowl of cereal and his cup of coffee in the morning, her sees her face. She is everywhere.
Thoughts of her fill every single moment of his life and his day, despite his efforts to try and forget her . She enters his mind and she stays there. Sometimes he hears her voice in the silence that surrounds him or he hears her laugh. Sometimes when no one is around, he can smell her perfume in the air and he longs to touch her. He was at the grocery store and he thought he saw her in the crowd and went to seek her out, but she wasn’t there.
Thoughts of her are starting to drive him crazy. He hates to admit it to himself, but there are times when he really misses her. He’s tried to chalk her up as a no good liar and harden his heart towards her, but he can’t. There are moments when he wants to see her face and hold her again and those moments are becoming more and more, as well as faster and closer together.
He hates to admit it to himself, but he wants to forgive her. He wants to tell her that everything is going to be okay and forget about what she’s done to him, but his pride is still in the way. If he forgives her, what does that say about himself? He wonders if forgiving her makes him some kind of sucker or makes him a weak man. Does forgiving her mean that he has given her free reign to walk all over him whenever she feels like it? He can’t help but wonder what will happen if he does forgive her. Will she keep treating him the way that she has and break his heart again in the future?
He is so confused about how he feels and doesn’t know what to concretely do. He decides that there is no use remaining at the office. The way he feels about what’s happened between him and Harper has rendered him completely useless at the office. He’s become a useless waste of space business-wise and he mine as well spend time being useless at home.
He decides that he will go home and clear his head. He will go home and find a way to get over Harper and get back to the man he used to be before he met her and allowed her to come into his life. He can’t keep doing what he’s doing. People, especially his father, are starting to notice the change in him and have started to comment negatively. If he continues down the same road, nothing good is going to happen. He needs to regroup and get himself back together, before he digs himself a hole that he can’t get out of. The last thing he needs is his father on his back because he’s made some poor business decision that’s cost them money.
Thoughts of his father makes him start to consider what his father’s reaction will be if he decides to forgive Harper and get back together with her. His father has made it very clear how he feels about Harper. His father has made it very clear that he does not approve of his relationship with Harper and that he wants Madison to be the woman in his life. He knows that if he gets back together with Harper, his father will be nothing short of furious and his father’s fury is nothing to take lightly. If he brings Harper back into his life, he has to consider what his father will do. He will have to consider if his and Harper’s safety would be in jeopardy and what he is prepared to do to keep them safe. He has to consider whether being with Harper will be worth the cost of going against his father.
He has so many things that he has to think about. He decides being in the comfort of his own home and nursing a cold beer is where he will be better off making these crucial decisions. He needs to decide what he wants for himself and where his heart stands. Inside he knows that the only way that he will only be able to find out the real answers to all of his questions is to act them out, but he still wants to think about things and play them over in his mind.
He grabs his keys and locks up his office. He’s going to go home and decide what he wants for his future and he’s not going to leave until he is completely sure what he wants to do. It’s a relief to escape the confines of his stuffy office and head home to his place, but he doesn’t look forward to what is going to come of his decisions. He knows that whatever he decides, someone is most likely going to get hurt or be angry. It might be Harper, it might be his father, it might be him, or it might be a combination.
* * * * *
Madison unlocks the door to Caden’s condo. She has several copies of the key to his condo, because she was always in fear of losing the original. She knows that Caden is going to be mad that she made a copy of his key, but she is sure that he will get over it once he sees the surprise she has waiting for him.
She was excited when she received a call from Bill Mason and he told her to do something nice for Caden because he was sure that Caden would be very receptive to her advanc
es. She literally jumped up and down when she received the call and she realized that the moment had finally arrived for her to get her chance to get Caden back. She expected Caden’s father to be fast, but she didn’t expect him to be this fast. She’s not complaining though, she would have waited an eternity.
She immediately came up with a plan to secure Caden’s place in her life and it all surrounds the bed in Caden’s bedroom. She believes that once she is able to get Caden into bed, he will be hers forever. He will never leave her again once he remembers how good it feels to be inside of her. She can’t wait for Caden’s strong body to be on top of her and she can’t wait to feel his hands all over her body, touching every inch of her.
She’s missed the intimacy that they once shared. Caden has always pleasured her like no other. He has no rival when he comes to the things that transpire in the bedrooms of adults. He’s gentle, but rough, and he definitely knows the right things to do to a woman’s body to make her feel pleasure.
She sets up candles all around the condo and lights them. She pulls out the sexy lingerie that she bought especially for this moment and admires it. Caden has always liked when she wore lingerie for him.
She puts the negligee on and loves how the silky material feels against her skin. She admires herself in the mirror to make sure it still looks as good as it did in the store. She is convinced that she fills out the lingerie quite nicely and there isn’t a man alive that will be able to turn her down. She is satisfied with the way that it looks, but she is going to like it even better when Caden takes it off and it is lying on the floor next to his bed.
She doesn’t have to wait long for Caden to come through the door. When he is inside the apartment and sees her, he doesn’t say a word. He just stares at her. She’s become so used to his rejection that she expects him to kick her out, but he doesn’t say anything. She becomes more excited. Bill Mason was right. Caden is ready to take her back.
