by Ellie Danes
“No,” Chase responded quickly. “I mean, I haven’t told him, and I won’t. The university has…well, it doesn’t matter. Just know I won’t say anything to him, and you shouldn’t either.” Chase gripped the wheel tightly as he shifted again, mashing the pedal to the floor and accelerating into the curves of the road. “Let me know how I can help the situation at work and whether he gives you any more trouble. Promise me, you’ll let me know if you need anything.”
“Promise,” I said as I looked at his hands on the steering wheel. I remembered his strong hands gripping my body and smiled to myself.
I felt safe around Chase, even though we barely knew one another. He had a way about him that was hard to resist. I wondered why someone had already stolen his heart and made him theirs. He was a one-of-a-kind man and as much as I wanted him, I was sure I was the right girl for him.
I decided I’d let go of the drama of the morning and just escape with him for lunch.
Chapter Nine
Chase
I took a sip of bourbon and pushed my plate toward the end of the bar, clearing the way to just relax. Jamie and I had opted to share a few appetizers instead of a more formal lunch. Marvello’s was known for their small plates and was usually packed at this time of day. Today was no different, and it was good to know the owner and people working the bar.
I sat on the barstool, my legs swiveled toward Jamie, and just smiled. We had spent the last forty-five minutes getting to know one another on a much deeper level. We had clearly connected physically, and there was something about her that drew me to her without really knowing all of the details about her past. It was both refreshing and concerning at the same time.
Even as well as I had known Summer, I didn’t feel as if we had such a close connection.
“Are you and your mom close?” I asked, placing my hand on her leg.
“We were. Once,” she said, resting her hand on top of mine. “Then she met Tom and got married. She tries, but it will never be what it was. So, I’m pretty much on my own. We don’t see each other very often. She’s always asking me to come visit, but I don’t.”
She took the final swig of her red wine and I leaned in for a kiss. A sadness filled her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I shouldn’t have asked. We had avoided talking about our families. I was just curious.”
“It’s fine. I usually don’t talk about them. My father left when I was only five. He keeps in touch every now and then. Mostly on my birthday. I’m surprised he actually remembers.” Jamie squeezed my hand gently as Dez, the bartender, came by to check on us.
“Another round?” Dez asked.
“I actually need to get going,” I said as I looked at Jamie.
“Would you mind if I stayed?” she asked. “I think maybe another drink will help me forget about my shitty family. It’s been one of those days.”
“You’re okay getting home? I feel terrible leaving you here.”
“I insist. I think I could use the time.” Jamie nodded at Dez and he scooted off to pour another glass of wine.
“Dez,” I said, “just charge everything to my account, please. And make sure to leave yourself a nice tip.”
He nodded as he finished pouring Jamie’s wine. “Thanks.”
I stood next to Jamie, turning her face toward me. I kissed her gently on the lips. The taste of red wine reached my tongue as I slowly pulled away. “Stay as long as you like,” I said. “If you need anything, text me. I’m headed to a meeting, but maybe we can meet up afterwards and continue this?”
“I’d love that.”
* * * * *
Leaving Jamie at Marvello’s was the last thing I had wanted to do, but I needed to meet with Jake in order to keep things moving ahead at Velocity Capital. I had decided to allow Jake to handle much of the day-to-day operations of the company. He had been my assistant for years, and even though I called him my assistant, he was so much more than that.
Each and every meeting I had attended, he was there. He was always involved in the planning and discussion of where and how we invested in companies. The only thing that had kept him from really succeeding in the business world was that he tended to be more hesitant in negotiations.
That was something that had all but vanished over the last eight months. Something changed inside of Jake and he had become more aggressive and driven. I liked that side of him.
I arrived at the office a little before two-thirty, and Jake was already sitting in the chair across from my desk. His feet were kicked up on the corner and he was tapping through screens on his phone, answering text messages and doing who knows what else.
“Glad you could make it,” he said in a sarcastic tone. “Let me guess, afternoon quickie with the new girl? What’s her name?”
“Jamie. And no, it was lunch. Nothing more.” I smacked him on the back of the head as I walked by. “And get your feet off of my desk.”
Jake dropped his feet to the floor and leaned forward. “Is it serious?”
“Is what serious?”
Jake shot me a look with his steely gray eyes. It was a cross between a squint and a glare. “Jamie.”
“Jake, I’ve known the girl for three days. How serious can it be? She’s sweet and there’s just something about her.”
“Something—like she doesn’t remind you of Summer?”
“There’s that.” I smiled. “Can we stop talking about her—about both of them, actually?”
“Sure. Business. Let’s hear it.” Jake opened up a folder and flipped to the second page. “I’ve been looking over this little project of yours. It seems like it has a lot of potential. They have an enormous user base, great ideas. Terrible marketing plan, though. They need some serious help.”
I chuckled at Jake’s simplistic approach. “Yes, all of the above. But even more, they have other companies ready to buy them up or steal their ideas.”
“So, what are you going to do?”
I sat down in my seat across from Jake and pulled out the notes I had been working on the last few weeks. “Here,” I said, holding out the profit and loss statement from the company. “They’re bleeding money. Actually, they’re throwing money away. I’m all for motivating employees, but the things they spend money on are a waste. Ten thousand on a team building retreat, another five thousand have lunches catered, the list goes on and on.” I leaned back in my chair. “They need leadership and a bit of a reorganization, but even more, they need someone to take this and run with it.”
I slid a piece of paper across the desk that laid out a mobile application that Derrick and his team had worked on and then discarded. Jake picked it up.
I continued, “If they actually did something with this, it could turn the company’s financials around completely.”
Jake stared at the piece of paper as a smile creeped across his face. “Now I understand why you’re so hell bent on focusing on this.”
“Exactly. I’m going to find someone to help with the marketing aspect of this, while I do a little restricting and getting them to focus.” I grabbed the piece of paper back from Jake and stared him directly in the eyes. “I need you to keep things going here. I know you can handle it, but you’re going to need to keep Alyssa unaware of some things. She’s ambitious, but also very opinionated. I also don’t want her getting wind of what I’m working on. I can’t afford for anyone else to know right now.”
Jake nodded in agreement. “Business.”
“Business,” I said, glancing down at my phone that had just lit up. I instinctively hit the decline button and continued. “I’m meeting with them in a few days to start talks, so I’ll be out of the office a bit.”
“No problem. I have this,” Jake replied and then grabbed his ringing phone. “I should probably take this call.” Jake tapped his phone and walked toward the window. “Jake Widler…hi…yes. I’m just wrapping up a meeting, can I give you a call in about twenty minutes?” He paced back and forth in front of the couch and then ende
d the call.
“It was her, wasn’t it?”
“Yes,” Jake said, looking down at the floor. “I’m sorry, but she’s been calling all week and I’ve been avoiding her calls. I figured I’d just get it out of the way and see what she wanted.”
“Jake, I’m not going to tell you what to do, or who to talk to. But I want nothing to do with Summer Farris. Ever.”
Chapter Ten
Jamie
I swirled the glass of wine, pretending like I had some idea what I was doing. I was far from a connoisseur of anything, especially wine. To me, all wine tasted good after the first glass. I figured I was going to need a few before I could head home and face the mess Kay left behind.
Kay’s mess and my life were sort of the same. I didn’t have control over either one.
I took another swig, finishing the glass. Then I nodded at Dez to bring another.
My stress should have been relieved given the mountain of cash at the apartment. I could pay my bills and a good portion of my classes for the semester. Instead, I felt more stressed than ever.
My phone vibrated on the bar top, making enough of a noise for the people around me to all check their phones and then look around to see who was getting a call or message. I flipped over the phone, hoping it was Chase.
Instead, it was a message from my anonymous man.
Keep up the good work. Remember our arrangement.
I shook my head as a cold veil of anxiety covered me. Arrangement. Funny how that word sounded. As if I had really agreed to anything. Then again, I guess I had, initially.
It should have ended there.
The realization of what I’d done and had been asked to do sank in. Was I hired to get close to Chase? Is that what this was about?
That night at the bar, the man had pointed to the two men in the corner. Grant and Chase. Which one was he talking about?
This person was going to blackmail me by releasing the photo of Chase and me. None of it made sense.
Dez slid the glass of wine across the bar, taking my empty glass. I could already feel the alcohol affecting my head and possibly my judgement.
I stared at the text, contemplating what to say in response, if anything. I could feel the rebellious side of my personality coming out. I wanted to lash out, tell the person they could have their money back and to leave me the hell alone.
I’m not doing thi–
“So, this is what you do when you’re not serving drinks or papers?”
I stopped mid-text and quickly turned off my phone, looking up toward the mirror at the back of the bar. Grant’s voice was instantly recognizable, but I needed a visual validation that he was actually standing behind me at the very same restaurant where Chase and I had just finished lunch.
“You got me,” I said, spinning on the stool to face him. “Are you following me?”
Grant chuckled. “It sure looks like it, doesn’t it?” He rested against the stool where Chase had been sitting. “But, no. Just a coincidence.”
My phone buzzed again and I wanted to look at the message. I was positive I knew who it was from. His threat rang in my head as I stared at Grant.
“Want to join me?” I forced the words from my lips. The conversation was awkward enough, but I needed to figure out whether all of this was about Grant, or Chase.
“I wish I could, but I’m here for a business meeting. Maybe if you’re still here when I finish.” Grant stood up and touched my shoulder. “Enjoy your wine. See you later, maybe.”
Grant walked away and I immediately grabbed my phone and read the message.
Leave. Now.
My heart raced as I spun to look for Grant and where he had gone. He had turned the corner and disappeared to the back part of the restaurant.
I wanted to see who he was meeting with, but wasn’t sure whether the text was an order because they didn’t want me to talk with Grant, or if they didn’t want me to see who he was meeting with.
It didn’t matter, I needed to find out. I took a huge gulp of wine and thanked Dez. I gathered up my pursed and walked in the direction Grant had gone, being cautious to not be seen.
The restaurant was packed as I scanned the tables, hoping to recognize Grant. I inched forward to look around the corner, hiding behind the large potted plant.
Shit! My heart thumped as I saw Grant and I immediately stepped backwards, afraid of being seen.
Something large pressed against my back, then tottered. I turned, already holding my hands out to help the person keep their balance. It was a passing busboy carrying a tray full of glasses. He went off balance and his tray tottered. I lost my balance just as his tray fell on the floor. Glasses shattered and spilled liquid everywhere.
I fell on the other side of the wall, thankfully out of view of Grant, but in plain view of everyone else.
Awkwardly I stood up, my face feeling hot as I looked around. Every available set of eyes was fixed on me. The busboy apologized and asked if I was okay. A man dressed in a black suit and tie rushed to my side. “Ma’am, I’m so sorry. Please, come, sit. Let me check on you.”
I bit my upper lip and waved him off. “I’m fine, thank you.”
Then I spun on me heel and rushed out of the restaurant. So much for not attracting attention.
Chapter Eleven
Chase
I spent the afternoon getting things organized for Velocity Capital. I wasn’t going to ever completely remove myself from the company, but I wanted to focus on this next project. I’d seen other mobile application companies go public and instantly be worth billions.
With the right direction, these kids could become millionaires or billionaires, making me even richer in the process and allowing me to slow down and focus on the next big venture.
Work was always a huge part of my life. It was how I was brought up. Hard work was ingrained in me and there was no amount of money that would ever stop me from working. I was already a billionaire. More than the money I made, I enjoyed making other people money.
Raincheck on this afternoon? How about meeting me at my office around 8?
I sent the text to Jamie without a second thought. I wanted to see her again. I wanted to pick up from where we had left off and learn more about her.
I thought about all of her qualities. She seemed hard working, driven, ambitious. That and she was sexy as hell.
Jamie had those great traits, plus so many more than my previous girlfriends. My past always seemed to catch up with me. In business, I would have learned my lesson by now. With women, I wasn’t sure I ever would. Hannah, the first student I had ever dated, used me. She blackmailed me. And I allowed it to happen. Not because I had to, or I thought it was right. I’d allowed it to happen because I knew she needed the help. She needed the money, the direction.
I viewed myself as a philanthropist to an extent.
I laughed at the thought. Allowing myself to get into those positions.
Allowing.
I focused on the word. I’d seen all of it coming with Hannah. She was easily impressed. She loved the lifestyle I had.
Unlike Summer.
Summer was the one that got away. I hadn’t allowed it. She didn’t want anything from me. It was the opposite with her. She gave. She protected me as much as I had protected her. That relationship was supposed to last.
A wave of disappointment washed over me as I thought of her and how we’d left things. How I had finally blocked her out of my mind and my life. I would have never thought it possible to be hurt by someone like her.
I had let my guard down. I’d fallen in love and expected to take care of her forever. But that wasn’t what she wanted. Summer was strong on her own. She didn’t need someone like me, which was the reason she left.
It had taken the last six months to realize she would be better off in her own world. It had taken just that long for the hurt to finally stop.
The night I had slept with Jamie—that’s when the pain ended. She was a combination of both Hanna
h and Summer. Smart, elegant, sassy, and strong.
I wanted to test her, to see how far this could go, but I wasn’t willing to allow her to take over my life like I had once allowed Summer to do.
A few minutes later, Jamie texted back that she would be here, and for the rest of the day my mind drifted between work and her.
* * * * *
The office was quiet. I reached into the desk and pulled out the bottle of bourbon and poured myself a drink. I needed to settle my mind and get out of work mode before Jamie arrived. Work had consumed me the last few days and Jamie had been a nice escape from my normal routine.
However she had ended up in my life, she was a welcome distraction.
Most everyone had already left for the evening, except for a few of the interns who wanted to make a good impression. Never leave before the boss, no matter the time. I believed that was the motto.
I had spent much of the afternoon and evening sorting through files and researching everything for my follow-up meeting with Derrick and his team. It wasn’t until I finally gazed outside that I realized it was way past my normal quitting time.
“Mr. Kerns?” a meek voice said from just outside my doorway. “Sorry to bother you, but someone is here to see you.”
I nodded at the intern who stood in the shadows as Jamie walked into my office.
“This is amazing,” Jamie said as she walked in to the office. “Your office is bigger than my entire apartment.” She laughed. “And it has more furniture.”
I got up and walked around the desk, giving Jamie a hug and pulling her close.
She had changed her clothes since lunch and was now wearing a tight black dress that stopped mid-thigh. The black dress made her strong, tan legs seem ever tanner, and her heels accentuated her calves. I could feel the blood pulsing through my body as my hand rested on the small of her back.
I leaned away and looked into her eyes, giving her a gentle kiss on the mouth. “Well, there are days I’ve slept here and felt like this was a second home.” I grabbed my drink off of my desk and took another sip. “Can I get you something.”
