TWO WEEKS' NOTICE

by Whitney G.

Half an hour later, I carried my files and a few bags up Preston’s private elevator.

  The second the doors glided open, my heart sped up at the sight of him standing in the kitchen in a white T-shirt and jeans. He was smiling at Violet, handing her a bag of popcorn.

  “Hey, Tara!” She rushed over to me, spilling popcorn with every step. “You want to watch Frozen with us?”

  “Sure.” I set my files on the couch and looked at Preston.

  “I thought watching it twice in a row would be enough,” he said. “It’s the only movie she wants to watch.”

  I looked around his living room, stunned at how messy it was. Violet’s toys were everywhere, and there was a half-cooked batch of cookie dough on the coffee table. His work table was even messy, and I had to blink a few times to make sure that what I was seeing was real. The Preston I knew would’ve called the cleaning service the second too many papers cluttered his desk.

  Violet spotted the teddy bear logo on my shopping bag and tugged at it as if she knew it was for her.

  “I bought something for you while I was gone.” I pulled it off my wrist and handed it to her.

  Setting down her popcorn, she tore through the tissue paper and squealed as she pulled out the first set of clothes. “New pajamas for Bear!”

  She walked over to Bear without opening the rest, quickly redressing him in his new blue and pink clothes.

  “Thank you.” Preston walked over and kissed me long and hard, gently rubbing his hands up and down my back. He didn’t let me go until I was utterly breathless, and he squeezed my ass before pulling away.

  “You don’t own any TVs in your condo,” I whispered to Preston. “Where are you watching it?”

  “I had to add a new addition a few days ago when I realized how much I was going to need one.” He slipped his hand around my waist, letting Violet lead the way through the halls and to his balcony.

  The second we stepped outside, my jaw dropped. In place of the lavish leather furniture that was once there, he’d installed four rows of custom theater-style seats with plenty of additional leather couches to spare. The glass railing that surrounded his balcony was now reinforced with yellow child-proof bars, and the screen ahead of me looked as if he’d lifted it from a theater and dropped it right onto his property.

  “You know,” I said. “A normal person would’ve just bought a TV.”

  “That’s exactly why I didn’t do that.”

  “How much did this cost?”

  “Less than what I paid for Sweet Seasons at my headquarters.”

  “Six figures?”

  “Seven.”

  I held back a laugh. “What happens when it rains?”

  “A construction crew is building retractable cases for the TV and furniture tomorrow,” he said. “I’m also having one built indoors for the days when she doesn’t want to come out here.” He looked as if his logic was perfectly practical. “I was going to ask you for your advice, but I didn’t want to distract you from your meetings. Is this too much?”

  “Coming from you?” I smiled. “No, not at all.”

  Violet plopped onto a seat in the front row and looked back at us. “Hit play, Uncle Preston!”

  He laughed and pulled the remote from his pocket. Then he led me to the second row.

  I rested my head on his chest as the movie played, and he ran his fingers through my hair.

  “Do you want to go over my notes after this goes off?” I whispered.

  “No.” He kissed me. “We can do that tomorrow.”

  “Shhhh!” Violet turned around and looked at us. “Bear can’t hear the movie when you’re talking. You have to be quiet.”

  We laughed, and she shushed us again.

  The second she turned around, Preston pulled me into his lap and “quietly” kissed my lips for the rest of the film.

  IN THE MORNING, I SHOWERED in his master suite, while he had one of my suits delivered to his front door.

  We shared his town car on the way to his headquarters—each of us addressing our emails and phone calls as Violet slept in her car seat.

  With only a couple of weeks left on our deal, I tried to remind myself that this was only temporary and that when it came time to resign from Parker International, we’d be strangers all over again.

  “Stop thinking like that.” He leaned over and kissed me as if he’d read my mind, erasing every single one of my thoughts.

  Damn.

  We went our separate ways when we made it to his floor, and I told him I’d debrief him on my trip at noon.

  Unfortunately, noon already felt like never since it was my day to sit through more replacement interviews, and I didn’t think I was going to find the one today.

  I took a deep breath and smiled at the third interviewee who sat across from me. “Can you tell me why you want to work for Parker International?”

  “Well, this is actually my second interview for this position, so I’m hoping I’ll make a much better impression this time around.” She looked at her palm.

  “Um...Okay, then. Well, I know you’re currently finishing up a law degree, but it says here you used to work sales at the corporate flagship for Borders Bookstore before they ceased operations. Can you tell me a little about your previous position?”

  “It was a really great job. It’s so sad that they closed, you know?”

  “Yes, but can you give me a few details about what you used to do there?”

  “Um, yeah. Wait one second.” She brought her palm up to her face. “I think this is where I messed up last time. Hold on.” She began reading the words on her hands loud enough for me to hear them. “Say something about sales and units. Don’t bring up names or specifics, so they can’t ask that many specific questions. See other palm for my resume. Don’t look at palms too much.” She put her left palm down, and then she looked at her right one.

  I pinched my arm to make sure this was really happening.

  “Okay, so.” She cleared her throat. “I would love to discuss my previous employment if, and only if, I’m granted a chance for a second interview. At this point and time, my resume speaks for itself.”

  I stared at her, tempted to say what Preston would say if he were sitting next to me.

  Get the hell out of my office. Now.

  “I’ll be in touch,” I said, standing and offering my hand.

  “Oh my god, really?” She smiled. “I knew I’d get to the second round this time!” She shook my hand and walked out of my office.

  The second the door shut, I crossed her name off the list. With half an hour to spare until noon, I decided to check on another applicant, but I spotted a regretful terms email.

  SUBJECT: THANK YOU for Letting Us Know (AveryCon)

  Miss Lauren,

  Thank you for sending such a thoughtful letter to our job offer. We regret we won’t be working with you for the next stage of your career, but we sincerely wish you the best.

  Max Reynolds,

  CEO of AveryCon

  WHAT THE HELL?

  I never sent them a rejection letter. I started to tell them that they must be mistaken, but another regretful terms email landed in my inbox, this time from the firm I interviewed for last week. It took me all of five seconds to check my sent box to realize what’d happened.

  Ugh! Preston.

  I stormed out of my office and into his, but he wasn’t at his desk. His laptop was open, and his coffee was still steaming in its cup.

  “Preston?” I called.

  No answer.

  Confused, I walked to his private bedroom suite down the hall and saw him sleeping on the bed with Violet softly snoring as she lay against his chest.

  I wanted to thrash him, but I figured it was unfair to do so if he was sleeping, so I hit the lights. I walked over and pulled a blanket over them, and before I could walk away, Preston grabbed my wrist.

  Opening his eyes, he stared at me for a while, and then he slowly stood up.

  “Thank you for the long lunc
h break,” Cynthia said, stepping into the room. She looked at our entwined hands and tilted her head to the side.

  Preston made no move to let my hand go, he kissed Violet’s forehead and whispered to Cynthia that we were about to discuss something important.

  “Don’t call me unless it’s an emergency,” he said.

  He led me out of the suit and to his office, locking the door behind us.

  “I’m pissed at you right now,” I said.

  “What’s new?” His lips met mine within seconds, and my arms went around his neck. Slipping his hands around my waist, he cupped my ass and lifted me against him, carrying me over to his desk.

  “Wait,” I said, pulling back from him. “Why did you hack into my email account to send rejection letters?”

  “For the umpteenth time, hacking implies that I didn’t guess your password.” He smiled, trailing his finger against my lips. “Although I do like your new password, SexwithmyBoss, much better than your old one.”

  “You said you had no problems with me quitting.”

  “I’ve never said that.”

  “You know what I mean...Why would you send a rejection letter to AveryCon without telling me?”

  “The CEO of AveryCon is about to be indicted on serious fraud charges. You don’t need a sinking ship on your resume after working for the best.”

  “What about The H Company? Is Mr. Horford about to be indicted on fraud charges too?”

  “No.” He smiled. “I just don’t like him.”

  “Oh my god...” I tried to push him away, but he held me still.

  “He has a reputation, Tara.”

  “So do you.”

  “Before you, I’ve never slept with an employee, and I’ve never fired someone because she wouldn’t agree to sleep with me either.”

  I said nothing.

  I didn’t send rejections to any of the others.” He looked genuine. “Just those two.”

  “You promise?”

  “Promise.” He kissed my forehead and rubbed his hand against my thighs, rendering me speechless in seconds. Sliding his hands between my legs, he smiled when he realized there were no panties to rip off me.

  Bending low, he slowly pushed my skirt up and pressed kisses against my skin. Then he stepped back and took a seat in his chair. Lowering it, so it was below the height of his desk, he kept his eyes on mine.

  “Sit on my face,” he said.

  “Here?”

  “Yes.” He looked into my eyes. “Here.”

  He didn’t give me a chance to second guess anything. He gripped my hips and pulled me forward.

  “Grab the bookshelf.”

  I obliged, gripping the wood, and positioning myself over him. Without another word, he cupped my ass and held me still as he buried his face in my pussy.

  I moaned as his tongue toyed with my lips. “Oh, fuck...”

  He slowly sucked my clit in and out of his mouth—forcing me to scrape my nails against the bookshelf’s wood.

  Shutting my eyes, I tossed my head back as he kept up his reckless rhythm. I couldn’t focus on anything but the pressure building between my thighs, the feel of his mouth controlling my pleasure.

  “Wait...Slow down...” I felt my pussy throbbing against his mouth. “Preston...”

  He groaned and slapped my ass, not taking my direction at all.

  “Oh...Oh...” I arched my back and tried to hold on just a little longer, but it was no use.

  My orgasm came fast and hard, and I gripped onto the bookshelf as my body convulsed like never before.

  Gently caressing my sides, he waited until I stopped shaking to help me down. Smiling, he set me on his desk—pressing his hands against my trembling legs.

  “Can we go back to your bedroom suite and lay down for a minute?”

  “Of course not.” He smirked. “Now, we’re going to handle the fantasy you told me about on the phone.”

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  Preston

  SEX WITH TARA WAS INCESSANT and out of control. It was also a new part of my daily routine and my new favorite part of the day. Each time was more fulfilling than the last, and although it felt like we were making up for the past two years, a part of me wished we could go back and start over.

  “Are you okay?” I smoothed her hair as she leaned against me in my master bathroom. Her leg was wrapped around my waist, and her ass was pressed against my sink.

  “Yes, but I have to go this time,” she said, blushing. “I need to nail this interview tomorrow, and I need to prepare for at least two hours.”

  “This is your sixth interview for an EA position. I thought you wanted to work for yourself.”

  “I do,” she said. “But I have to start somewhere. Somewhere that’s not where you are.”

  “Hmmm.” I kissed her lips and slowly slid out of her, tossing the condom into the trash. “I could help you prepare for tomorrow if you like.”

  “That’s what we were supposed to be doing.”

  “You can spend the night here, then.”

  “I tried that yesterday, and we ended up having sex in your laundry room, Preston.”

  “What’s your point?”

  She laughed and kissed me, motioning for me to pick up her dress. “I’ll come back later if I finish.”

  “If?”

  “Yes, if. I.e., if Preston doesn’t send me a bunch of filthy text messages to distract me from my work.”

  “I won’t start sending them until four hours from now.”

  “Thank you.”

  I clasped her hand walked her to the elevator, giving her one last kiss to remind her to come back. Then I checked on Violet one last time before taking a seat in my office.

  Not wanting to face any work tonight, I picked up my brother’s letter, but I put it down. I pulled out the manila envelope of Violet’s documents instead and spread them across my desk.

  I flipped through her passport and noticed she had four full pages of stamps. France, Britain, Thailand, Australia, Mexico, Japan, and multiple stamps from the Dominican Republic.

  I didn’t know Weston traveled so much.

  I read through her hospital records, saving her birthdate in my calendar. I flipped through a miniature photo book, ignoring the pain in my chest as I came face to face with Weston helping her onto a horse. Him carrying her on his shoulders. Him kissing a pretty brunette as Violet smiled in the background.

  As I was opening my liquor cabinet, I heard the sound of doors opening and closing. The sound of things falling onto my floor.

  Standing up, I headed to the hallway and froze. Violet stood crying in front of my second guest room with Bear in tow.

  “Violet?” I bent down to her level. “What’s wrong?”

  “I can’t find my mommy and daddy.” Tears fell down her face. “Can you help me?”

  I pulled her close as she cried harder. “It’s okay, Violet. It’s okay.” I picked her up and carried her to my room.

  Hitting the lights, I pulled back the covers and tucked her next to her teddy bear.

  “I’m sorry, Violet,” I whispered, wiping the last of her tears away. “I’ll try my best to take care of you, okay?”

  “I know because you live in my bear.” She gave me a soft smile.

  “What do you mean by that, Violet?” I thought she would have stopped saying that strange phrase by now, but she still said it at least once a day. “Why do you think I live in your bear?”

  “I can show you.” She sat up and grabbed Bear, flipping him over and unzipping his back. She pulled out a small blue booklet that read, Violet’s Family: People Who Love Me, and flipped it open.

  On the first page, there was a beautiful picture of my mother and father standing in front of our old home.

  “This is Grandma Rose.” She pointed at my mother and smiled. “I have a rose in my name, too.” She pointed to my father. “And this is Grandpa P. They’re in the clouds now.”

  She flipped through a few more pages of my parents until s
he reached a picture of my brother and his fiancée. “This is my Mommy and Daddy. They’re in the clouds now, too.”

  She flipped to the very last pages of the book where there were two pictures of me, images from my Mister New York covers. “This is my Uncle Preston—you. See? You live in my bear.” She looked at me. “Are you crying?”

  “No.”

  “Your eyes are watery.”

  “They’re not watery, and I’m not crying.”

  “You look like you’re crying.” She hugged me. “It’s okay, Uncle Preston. They’re in the clouds now.”

  TWENTY-NINE

  Tara

  “the bitter end”

  “AREN’T YOU HAPPY YOU didn’t quit your job, hon?” My mother smiled when I met her at the airport a couple of weeks later. “Tell me I was right all along.”

  “What? You were dead wrong. I just told you I quit, and my last day is next Friday.”

  “Well, you’ll regret it eventually, Tara. Nothing good in life ever comes to those who quit.”

  I shook my head and signaled for the town car. The only thing I regretted was inviting her to New York for an entire weekend. Since Preston was flying Violet to Disney World for her birthday and Ava was starting yet another new job this weekend, I thought I would personally show her the one city she had yet to cross off her bucket-list.

  I knew I should’ve waited another couple of months.

  “Good afternoon, Miss Lauren.” Will stepped out of the car and opened the back door for us. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Lauren.”

  My mother smiled and moved onto the backseat first. “Do you have an itinerary planned for us, Tara?”

  “Yeah, but it doesn’t start until tomorrow. I have some things being moved out of my office today, and I need to be at my condo for at least two hours.”

  She stared at me for a few seconds. “Was your boss that bad, hon? Are you sure you’re not just imagining things?”

  “She’s not just imagining things,” Will said, smiling at me through the rearview mirror. “Trust me.”

  I mouthed “Thank you,” to him, and he winked at me.