by Tia Siren
“You look stunning,” I told Lexi, smiling. “What did you tell your father ?”
“He was locked in his office when I left,” she said. “He didn’t even notice I was leaving .”
“I’m sorry you have to sneak around like this,” I said, shaking my head. “I don’t want to stop seeing you, but there are a lot of things surrounding this that could hurt us both. Unfortunately, this isn’t a simple thing .”
“I know,” she said, sighing. “But I agree that I want to keep seeing you, too. I want to see where this goes, and I think taking the risk is worth it .”
“I agree,” I replied, taking her hand. “Now, if we could just get your father some young hot thing, he might not even notice .”
“Yeah, right,” I scoffed. “My father is too old school for that .”
“You might be surprised,” I said, lifting my eyebrows. “I personally love the idea of a hot little thing on my arm, and you’re not too bad personality wise, either .”
“Well, what can I say,” she said, laughing. “You look incredibly handsome by the way .”
“Why thank you,” I said, leaning in. “I think you make me look good. Maybe we can look even better out of these clothes later on .”
“Why, Mr. Riggs, is that a proposal of the indecent variety?” She feigned shock and started laughing .
I stared across the table at this beautiful woman and no longer felt guilty for wanting her in my life. She was beautiful, funny, smart, and had the most gorgeous smile of any woman I had ever met. She lit up when she talked to me, and those sultry blue eyes sparkled in the low lights of the restaurant. We ordered some appetizers and sat talking about my company, my day, her day, and everything in between .
Conversation came easy to us, a lot easier than I expected since there was a twenty-one-year age gap between us. Never did I think that at forty-one years old I would be enjoying dinner with a twenty-one-year-old and actually be thinking about more than sex, though that was definitely on my mind. Her pouty lips, covered in bright red lipstick, made me want to take her to the bathroom and feel them wrapped around my cock .
I leaned forward and watched her adoringly as she talked about her time in college and her best friend Mandy. She switched over to talking about the things she was interested in doing with her degree. She was so creative and still had that whimsical outlook on the world that many people lost over the years. She definitely made me feel younger just by listening to her .
“What about you?” she asked. “Where do you want to take your company in the future ?”
“Well, I think that as far as expansion, we’re pretty set being all around the world,” I said. “My biggest goal now is to be on the cutting edge of technology. I want to be one step ahead of these hackers, and by employing the best to work with the most recent technological advances, I definitely think I can take the company to new heights .”
She started talking, and I glanced up at the front door, my smile fading fast as Kam walked in, his face toward the hostess. I froze and stood slowly. Lexi looked confused. She followed my eyes over to the front and then stood quickly, walking to my side. I grabbed the closest server and pulled my wallet out before handing him two hundred dollars .
“Take this,” I said. “Show this lady out the back. She cannot be seen. Do you understand ?”
“Yes, sir,” the waiter replied, looking over at Lexi .
“Lexi,” I said, turning toward her and kissing her on the cheek. “Go. We can finish this conversation later, okay? I will call you after dinner. I’m going to distract your father so you can get out safely .”
She nodded her head, took the server’s arm, and walked toward the kitchen. She looked back at me with worry, and I smiled at her, trying to comfort her nerves. When she was out of sight, I took in a deep breath and headed toward the front, putting my arms up in the air .
“Kam,” I said happily .
“Hunter,” he said, glancing back at the table. “I didn’t know you would be here .”
“Come, sit with me,” I said .
“Sure,” he replied, smiling. “If I’m not interrupting .”
“Of course not,” I said, leading him back to my table .
I walked over to my seat, clearing my throat and catching my breath. My heart was beating a million miles per hour, but I knew I had gotten Lexi out just in time. I couldn’t believe that Kam had shown up on the same night as Lexi and me. I was starting to think that hiding whatever we had going on wasn’t going to be as easy as I’d hoped. I was going to have to watch my back a little bit closer from now on. I realized, though, that bringing her to the Lovehouse, where everyone I knew came to eat, hadn’t been the wisest of choices. In the future, I would either cook at home or find a nice place across town where I knew Kam would never just randomly show up .
I sat down and signaled for the waitress. She walked over and removed the plates and glasses from in front of Kam. He looked at the bottle of wine and then the lipstick-stained glass as she pulled them away .
“I didn’t interrupt a hot date, did I? You always have some hot girl bouncing around you.” He laughed .
“No,” I said. “Sadly, she didn’t quite like my sense of humor and left. All the better. She was a bit of a prude anyway .”
“I could see that happening,” he said. “In fact, I’m surprised it doesn’t happen more to you .”
We laughed loudly, but inside, I felt guilty for what I had said. She had not been just some girl. She was Lexi, with her beautiful smile and bright eyes. I tried to force away the irritation I felt at being interrupted, knowing that Kam was her father and we had chosen to start something we knew could not be made public. I guessed I would just have to settle for having dinner with Kam, hoping that Lexi wasn’t too shook up from what had just happened. I knew she was tough, but I also knew she had a huge heart, and I didn’t want this occurrence to mess up what we had going for us .
I ordered a whiskey with Kam, and we had dinner and drinks until late in the evening. When he got up to use the restroom, I texted Lexi to make sure she was okay. She texted back with a smiley face emoji, and I imagined her lying in bed, texting me. Tonight had been a definite close call, too close if you asked me. I wanted this to go smoothly and without issues. We would have to sit down and talk about things and make sure we didn’t have another night like this one. I didn’t know if I could take it all over again .
Chapter Six
L exi
A fter my shower, I got out and stared at myself in the mirror, looking at the remnants of the red lipstick that still stained my lips. I put my hands down on the sink and shook my head, taking in a deep breath. I had slept in since I wasn’t scheduled to work on Wednesdays. It was a busy day, and they put their more experienced barista, Gabby, on the schedule to handle the crowds. I was more than happy to get some extra sleep and take my time easing into the day, especially after the night before .
Everything had been going so perfectly with Hunter. We had been laughing, telling stories, and had both decided that whatever was going on between us was definitely worth exploring further. I couldn’t believe that we’d almost gotten caught by my father. Everything could have turned out so badly for both of us. I could see it playing out in my head like some terrible scene from a movie .
My father would have marched over, grabbed me from the table, pulled me to my feet, and screamed at me. The entire restaurant would have stopped and stared. Then, knowing my father and his pride, he would have screamed at Hunter, letting everyone know how old he was and how young I was. Not only would my father have embarrassed the hell out of both of us, but he would have completely cut me off. Then there would have been the issue of everyone knowing who Hunter was, considering the clientele of the restaurant. My father would have made Hunter out to be some kind of pervert for dating someone who was young enough to be his daughter. Hunter’s reputation would have been ruined .
Ugh, it was such a terrible thought, and I definitely knew we
needed to sit down and talk about how to do this safely the next time .
I pulled on some clothes and walked out to the kitchen to scrounge around for some fruit and a bottle of water. My father was down the hall in his office, where he worked from home several times a week. Being the CEO of his own billion-dollar company had its perks, and he always hated being in the office. I leaned against the breakfast bar and ate my banana, thinking about how I did not want to talk to my father this morning. Of course, as if he could read my mind, he called for me from down the hall. I threw my peel away and took a drink of water as I turned the corner, heading for his office. I stood in the doorway and smiled, feeling my nerves twisting and turning in my chest .
“No work today?” he asked .
“No. It’s my day off,” I said .
“Good. Those are important,” he said. “Any plans ?”
“Yeah. I was thinking about going down to Fifth Avenue to do a little shopping,” I replied .
“Wonderful. Have fun,” he said, looking back down at his computer .
I turned to walk away but froze when I heard him call my name again .
“Lexi,” he said, taking off his glasses and looking up at me. “I missed you last night. I was going to see if you wanted to join me for dinner. Where were you ?”
“Huh?” I turned back around and smiled. “Oh, I went to hang out with Mandy .”
“Oh, okay,” he said, staring at me as I walked away .
As soon as I was out of sight, I rolled my eyes and let out a deep breath, my heart beating wildly in my chest. I wasn’t used to lying to my father. We had always been honest with each other. I didn’t necessarily feel bad, but I definitely didn’t enjoy lying to him. I thought about his expression as I’d told him where I had been, and I felt like there had been something strange about it. Maybe it was just my conscience, but for some reason, I felt like he hadn’t believed me when I’d told him where I had been. That was silly, though. He hadn’t seen me leaving the restaurant, and he’d been locked in his office when I had left .
I shook my head, trying to get the paranoia out of my mind. I forced myself to believe that I was making it up in my head because I was terrified that he was going to find out about Hunter and me. Besides, if he knew, he would have said something to me about it. That wasn’t a secret he would just keep to himself .
I walked into my room, shut the door, and leaned against it, letting my heart slow down. I needed to get it together, and I needed to talk to my best friend. She would know what to say, and even if it were negative, I would feel better about getting this off my chest. I walked over and picked up my phone to dial Mandy’s number .
“Hey, girl,” she said, yawning. “What’s up ?”
“Meet me at the Avalon,” I said. “I want to go to Fifth and do some shopping. And I desperately need to talk to you .”
“Okay,” she said. “Be there in thirty .”
I got myself ready and headed out, kissing my father on the cheek before leaving. Once I made it to the elevator, I let out a deep breath, glad he hadn’t asked me any more questions. Mandy was standing in the lobby, happily chatting with George, the older doorman, when I walked up to them. She finished her conversation and then we headed out, deciding to walk since it was so close. Fifth Avenue had some of the best, but most expensive, shopping in all of New York, but I didn’t plan on buying much. I just wanted to get out of the house .
“So, what is this news you have,” she said as we walked along the Avenue .
“It was terrible,” I said. “I met Hunter for dinner last night, and everything was going so perfectly. We both said that we wanted to see where this was going, and we were talking and laughing. Then it happened .”
“What? Did you spill your wine in his lap or something ?”
“No,” I said, laughing. “My father walked in .”
She gasped. “Oh my god. Did he see you ?”
“Luckily, no. Hunter tipped a server, and he snuck me out the back door. But it was so humiliating. I felt bad for leaving Hunter there as a diversion .”
“Dude, that is crazy,” she said, shaking her head. “I mean, what would happen if your father actually found out ?”
“I mean, he would be so hurt,” I replied. “But mostly he would be pissed. He would definitely cut me off completely. I don’t know if he would kick me out right away, but there would be no more slow transition into life for me, and definitely no more money in my bank account from him .”
“He’s that against Hunter, huh ?”
“It’s not just Hunter,” I said. “He made it very clear to me that he didn’t want me dating anyone at all. He wants me completely focused on my future, and he thinks any guys in my life will be a distraction. Mostly, I’m worried about what it would look like to the rest of the world if they found out Hunter was dating a twenty-one-year-old .”
“I never even thought about the fact that he is pretty well-known,” she replied, shaking her head. “I mean, he was the most eligible bachelor in Time Magazine one year, wasn’t he ?”
“Yeah.”
“So what would you do if the news came out that the two of you were seeing each other ?”
“I don’t know exactly,” I said, shaking my head. “I mean, I would definitely stand by him no matter what. I would do whatever he needed me to do to make things easier for him .”
“Even if that meant not seeing him anymore?” Mandy asked .
“Yeah,” I said, taking a deep breath. “I guess so. I mean, he has so much more than me to lose .”
“What would you do without your father’s money ?”
“I don’t care about the money,” I said. “I know you think I would die without shopping sprees and dinners at the best restaurants, but I would be okay. I mean, I don’t really care if my father cuts me off and I have to work three jobs and live in a one-room apartment in Brooklyn. I made a choice, and I have to be willing to accept the repercussions of it. Believe it or not, I actually gave this some thought .”
“I know you did,” she said. “And, Lexi, I know you would be just fine without your father’s money. If I had that, I would shop all the time, too .”
“I know,” I said, smiling. “In the end, my biggest concern would be standing beside Hunter. Hopefully, though, it won’t come to that anytime soon. I don’t want him to look like some kind of dirty old man, and I’ll go out of my way to make sure that doesn’t happen .”
Chapter Seven
H unter
“T his investor could be huge,” I said, standing at the head of the table and talking to the board. “They have the ability to put the money where it matters most, and for us, that is into the technology and the recruitment of new talent. Those are the two biggest things our competitors can pass us by on, and I don’t want to see that happen. We need to be recruiting, and not just from the States, but from around the world—wherever the talent is. We also need to be reaching for the highest and newest technological advances at all times. Those two things combined will send us right up the ladder with this company .”
“I couldn’t agree more,” George, one of the board members, said, tossing the new Forbes out onto the table. “This company is rushing forward full speed, and there is nothing that should be holding it back. That is the new Fortune 500 list, and let me tell you, we are in the top five right now. With your ideas and the financial backing of this new investor, there is no reason we shouldn’t find our name at the top of that list come next year. Number one is our goal, and we can’t let things like recruitment and technology be a hindrance to our success .”
During the meeting, we decided to go with the new investor and start an entirely new recruitment program. We spoke about working in a technology sector of the company but decided to pick back up with that discussion at our next meeting. It was the end of the day, so I gathered my things and headed out of the office, glad to be free for the weekend. When I walked out of the lobby and onto the sidewalk, I stopped, staring at my e
x-partner, Patrick. Great. Just what I needed to end my day, a visit from that piece of shit. I took a deep breath and shook my head, trying to walk past him without talking. He reached out and grabbed my arm, turning me toward him .
“What?” I asked, yanking my arm from his grasp .
“You think you have it all figured out,” Patrick said slyly. “You think that by pushing me out, you now have sole control over the company .”
“I’ve always had sole control over the company,” I replied. “Now I just don’t have to split the revenue with you .”
“That’s bullshit,” Patrick said. “You know you would be nothing without me. I built that company right by your side, and you betray me like this. What the fuck, Hunter ?”
“I really don’t have time for this,” I said .
“You’ll have time when I ruin your precious little company,” he said angrily. “I’ll make sure that when it crumbles, it falls straight down on your head .”
I was tired as hell of hearing him run his mouth, and I didn’t give a shit about his attempts at intimidation anymore. He was nothing, and it terrified the shit out of him. He had no power with anyone, and when word had leaked out about why he was pushed out of the company, no one else would give him a job. Sure, he had all the money he would ever need from the severance package we gave him, but he was obsessed with the power, a power that had been yanked right out of his little sniveling hands. I pushed past him, shaking my head, and hopped into the car waiting for me. Looking back at him to see him staring at me, I realized how shitty he looked with a half-grown beard and wrinkled clothing. It was a shame he had turned out that way .
I turned my attention away from Patrick and back onto the progress the company had made that day. I loved days like this, where everything just seemed to fall right into place. Growth was imminent. I had spent most of my life building this company into what it could be, and though I didn’t feel we had reached our full potential yet, I knew we were really close to it .
