But as Travis had learned with Mia, his gut never lied. When he knew, he knew. He could say why he found Ivy attractive, but he couldn’t really say why he found those particular aspects attractive. They just… were. It was like trying to explain why a human being needed to breath oxygen. To survive, sure, but why oxygen? It was best not to think too much before the question became too overwhelming to comprehend.
And now, he had lost her. He wasn’t ready for her.
He sighed.
Travis, it’s going to take a while for you to get past this one.
There was no point in pretending that he would suddenly wake up one day and be over her. There was especially no point in thinking that that day would come anytime soon. He could be friendly with her, yes, and he could do things like congratulate her on the new job. But it would always carry the sting of regret that they could not have made it work.
“Ahh, Mr. Travis Dunn.”
Travis whirled around to see Richard standing with his wife, beaming. His wife personified the difference between hot and beautiful—in her youth, she probably had all the boys lusting after her hotness. Now, though, she had one man admiring her beauty. With her long black hair, her strong eyes, her tanned skin, and her professional but exotic dress, she played the part of an older woman who knew how attractive she was and didn’t bother to try and hide.
And as Travis admired her grace, her elegant stroll, and her body that held up better than anyone could have expected for her age, he couldn’t help but wonder if, in twenty years, he and Ivy would be the ones going to meet some new hot shot young CEO..
“Good evening, Richard,” Travis said, displaying none of the inner turmoil that plagued his mind at that moment. “It’s delightful to see you here.”
“The pleasure is all mine. Travis, this is my wife, Caroline.”
Caroline extended her hand and shook it with ease with Travis, who kissed her hand as a gentleman should.
“Caroline and I go back some thirty years,” Richard said, his voice losing its professionalism and gaining unwavering joy. “She is my rock and my light and pretty much eighty percent of the reason Logic Designs has grown as large as it has.”
“Oh, stop it,” Caroline said. “Bless your heart, but you know that just ain’t true.”
Of course, Travis could see that there was no way that it was true. Caroline was his wife, not his Chief Operating Officer.
But on the other hand, it made sense. Her support enabled Richard to climb to heights that he had perhaps only dreamed of. If he managed to get to that point with her, then perhaps she really had played a role.
“Caroline likes to play it low key, but we all know that without her, I’m nothing,” Richard said. “Come, we don’t come to restaurants to stand.”
“Indeed,” Travis said.
He realized how stiff he must have looked next to the married couple. In retrospect, while he didn’t regret not asking Ivy, he realized that it would’ve made him more relaxed and put him more at ease if he had had Ivy or even just a casual date. Certainly, Richard had dropped the authoritative and confident demeanor he possessed in favor of a friendlier more casual voice. Travis realized perhaps he should do the same.
A waiter guided them to the table and sat them down. Travis examined the menu, though he did so only not to look odd. He’d already done his research and knew he wanted the prime rib with asparagus and other vegetables.
“Any drinks tonight?”
Travis hadn’t even seen the waiter come over. He intended to decline the invitation—Travis hardly ever drank in public, preferring to have the privacy of his home, and even then, only in very small amounts—but before he could say a word, Richard beamed up.
“Manhattans with your best scotch for all of us, please,” he said.
“Right away, sir,” the waiter said before taking his leave.
Travis must’ve given something away, because Richard said, “What?” casually.
“You are not here to negotiate anything, Travis,” Richard said. “You are here to celebrate. The business is over. The celebration can begin. Have a drink, enjoy yourself, and relax for the evening.”
“Very well,” Travis said, giving a rare smile in a setting like this.
“So Travis,” Caroline said, and Travis could tell by the way that she spoke that she intended to ask some question relating to the romance in his life. “What’s your story?”
Huh. I suppose she’s nicer than to jump into that so quickly.
“I was born in Minnesota,” he began. “I grew up in a relatively poor family. When I graduated, I got the chance to go to college on an ROTC scholarship which I accepted. I went through, did a tour in the Marines, got out, had some trouble adjusting to reality, and eventually decided that if I was going to make a name for myself, I had to do so literally. I couldn’t depend on the employing by others to help me succeed.”
“True words,” Richard interjected.
“And so I started Dunn Inc using the skills that I have. Fortunately, it’s gotten me to where I am.”
“That’s great!” Caroline said. “You seem like a truly happy person, if not a quiet one.”
Travis gave a short throaty laugh, which seemed to only confirm and reinforce Caroline’s impression of him—which wasn’t exactly wrong.
“I think the truly happy people,” he said, trying to switch the subject around. “Are you two.”
“Oh, well, having a good wife helps,” Richard said.
“Oh, darling.”
It would have seemed overly hokey and sentimental in the previous few years, but now? Travis wanted to soak it all up. Someday, he would have something like that. Someday, that would be his.
And someday, he wouldn’t have to regret those that he had lost over the course of his life, whether through tragic or just normal life circumstances.
“Let me ask this,” Travis said, his curiosity and, for a rare moment, his emotions guiding him. “What’s your story?”
He made it clear with his eyes that he meant how the two of them had met, not their individual upbringings. Travis had read enough about Richard to know his background—Ivy League, son of a senator, the usual successful checkboxes—and he felt it was rude to inquire about Caroline’s story with her husband right in front of her.
“We met in college,” Richard said. “It was the first week of orientation, and I laid eyes on her, and boy, let me tell you, I fell in love with her immediately.”
Travis smiled, but he felt a bit uneasy and queasy. For him, the story brought a rather sickening amount of deja vu and memories.
“We wound up dating within a month of the school year starting and, well, we’ve been together ever since.”
“Lovely,” Travis said.
At that moment, the drinks came. Travis held up his.
“To you, Richard,” he said. “For agreeing to work with me. I believe that we will take this to new heights.”
“Indeed,” Richard said. “To all of us. For reaching this point in life.”
Travis clinked glasses with the Thomas’ and had a sip of his drink. He followed the amount that Richard drank, which pushed him past his normal comfort zone, but he knew he needed to loosen up some. He needed to relax, something he felt like he hadn’t truly done in ages.
“Have you ever had someone like that, Travis?” Caroline asked.
Well, I suppose I couldn’t hold off the question forever. Might as well address it and get it out of the way.
“At one time, yes,” Travis said. He bit his lip momentarily, debating how much to reveal. He decided that while he wanted to be more honest than normal, he didn’t want to be totally honest, for that would ruin the atmosphere and special feeling of the night. “We also met in college. But it didn’t last.”
“I’m sorry, bless your heart,” Caroline said. Her Southern accent had come out in full force. It made Travis smile. It also made him suspect that it allowed Caroline to get away with saying a lot more than most women n
ormally would have. “How come?”
He almost let it escape that Mia had died, but instead, he just said, “Death came… to a lot of my friends in the Marine Corps. I didn’t handle it well and it drove her away. I don’t blame her at all. I still think of her fondly.”
It was as close to the truth as he would get for that night, and even that left a raw knot in his stomach.
“Aww, I’m sorry,” Caroline said, and to her credit, she sounded genuine. “That is tough. But maybe you’ll meet someone else who reminds you of her?”
Travis almost laughed. As a matter of fact, he had.
And guess what? The same thing had happened. She had disappeared from his life. He didn’t handle it well and he had driven her away. He didn’t blame her at all, and he still thought of him fondly.
“Maybe,” he said, leaving it at that.
“If you ever do, Travis, don’t let it go,” Richard said, drawing a surprise look from Travis and a big gulp of his drink. “Money will come and go. Fame will forever feel like a curse. But love? That is a thing to hold on to when you get the chance. Especially when you have someone as beautiful as her!”
“Oh, Richard!”
Travis laughed as the two bantered, but the words stuck with him. It was one thing for him to try and ration his way either into or out of his tango with Ivy. He was good at it, in fact.
But hearing it from a man he respected…
The waiter came back and orders were taken. The conversation of love soon ended, and the words flowed to funny business stories, gossip in the city, and tales of travel. But Richard’s words never quite left Travis’ mind, and he had a feeling they wouldn’t even when they left the bar.
As the night progressed, food got engorged, drinks got imbibed, and tongues got loosened. By the end of it, though Caroline and Richard were not drunk, Richard had certainly had enough that he was swearing a tad more than normal and Caroline was looking mighty embarrassed.
And then Richard threw a suggestion out there that made Travis almost laugh.
“You should come with me to a nightclub tonight!”
With enough alcohol in his system, Travis actually laughed out loud. The nightclub scene didn’t faze him, but with Richard and his wife? What was he going to do, pound Manhattans until 11 p.m. and go to bed early?
“I’m not utterly convinced that that is what we should do, you know.”
“Oh, give it a rest!” Richard said. “You’re too young to be lame but also have too much going for you to celebrate tonight alone! No, Travis Dunn, let’s go. We’ll get bottle service and we will find you a woman. Do you agree?”
“I—”
“I’m just kidding, it’s on me, you don’t get a say!” Richard said with a boisterous laugh.
Travis sighed. Well, he wasn’t seeing anyone. Ivy was gone. He didn’t owe her anything. He couldn’t say that he felt great about it, but what was the harm? He could always say no to girls, and if he felt uncomfortable, he’d find a way to say no.
“I suppose I cannot decline an invitation like that,” Travis said with pursed lips.
Richard pounded the table and Caroline leaped back, laughing.
“Now that’s what I call a celebration!” he said. “Come, let’s go!”
He pulled out his phone, texted someone, and within minutes, Travis, Caroline, and Richard were on the elevator down, heading to their limo. The couple snuggled and flirted on the elevator while Travis stood in polite silence, as if on patrol, having to observe all that surrounded him to ensure that nothing bad happened.
When the doors opened, they found themselves in a busy hotel lobby. They moved briskly through the lobby, and Travis noticed more than one woman dressed in a tight cocktail dress observing him. While he had to admit that the sight of beautiful women admiring him never failed to make him feel good, it did also immediately after remind him that he had lost something much more valuable than a girl in a cocktail dress and it didn’t matter how good they looked.
“Travis!” Richard said, whistling. “You should ask one of these girls to join us! I would be they’d be quite willing to have a spot with you in our foursome!”
Travis wasn’t sure if Richard had meant the word “foursome” metaphorically or sexually, but the idea of it being erotic left him shuddering. He smiled and waved his hand.
“We have places to go, Richard,” Travis said. “Besides, I am not the type of person to multitask.”
“I suppose that’s another reason why you’ve got as much going for you as you do!” Richard said, laughing. “Come, come, sexy, into the limo.”
The three of them jumped into a limo. Richard leaned forward and greeted the driver as if it was a long-time friend he hadn’t seen in five years.
“Let’s make our way to Liquid!”
Travis smirked as he thought of Liquid. He knew the place well. It was a rather exclusive club—people couldn’t even bribe the bouncers to get in. You either had to know someone, pay an exorbitant membership fee, or have looks that made every man on Earth drool with excitement. In Travis’ case, he knew he and Richard had enough pull that getting in would not prove difficult.
On the drive over, although Richard mostly behaved himself, his hands never strayed far from his wife. Travis merely noted the sight, and then found himself wishing Ivy were here. How would she fit in? How would her and Caroline interact? How would their conversations go?
What did it matter? Richard and Caroline could hate Ivy, or they could love her, or they could not care about her. He would still have her.
But he didn’t, and he couldn’t change that. Although…
No, it’s too late. At least don’t think about it tonight, Travis. Just have fun and see where the night goes. Who knows? Maybe Ivy opened up the path for someone else to walk in and be with you.
I mean, we know that’s not going to happen, but…
“We made it! Yes!”
Richard laughed like a school kid on a field trip who had just arrived at the coolest location ever. He got out as if he was about to escape the teacher’s supervision and stood by the doorway. A bouncer stood, sunglasses on. Richard turned, said a few words, and moments later, the bouncer moved to the side.
“Just like that,” Richard said with a wink.
The three of them walked in and were greeted by a waitress with cleavage that was so obvious, it was half an inch away from popping out. She would have looked like a stripper if not the Liquid uniform.
“Travis Dunn,” she said.
Do I know her? I don’t. Oh well. Just go with it.
“Fancy having you here.”
The way she eyed him, Travis knew he at least had her if no one else. He just smiled and said, “Happy to be here.” She smirked, as if this was an elaborate game, and then asked the three to walk with her.
Moments later, they found themselves at the prime table in the nightclub by the dance floor. They had two bouncers guarding the table, and already a bottle of Ace of Spades awaiting them.
“Now this is the good life!” Richard said, laughing. “Never say that we didn’t do things big here!”
Travis just shrugged, smiled, and looked at Caroline as the reasonable one between the two of them. She hugged her husband from behind, and it almost looked like the scene from the Titanic, except with strobe lights and loud music.
Travis poured himself a drink and sat down.
“Hey now.”
Travis looked up at a Southern voice. When he did, he saw that it was not Caroline who stood before him, but a blonde-haired, busty woman with sharp curves and a thick but beautiful body.
“You’re going to have a drink and not pour one for me?”
Travis laughed, and the woman laughed with him.
“I’m just here to celebrate a business deal, ma’am,” Travis said.
“Oh, bless your heart,” the woman said. “You should celebrate with some company.”
She sat beside him and placed her hand on his thigh. Travis’ heart ac
celerated, but the feelings began to become confusing. He found her attractive, yes, but he kept thinking about Ivy… but Ivy wasn’t in the picture, so… but if he kept thinking about her, was she really out of the picture?
“What’s a handsome man like you doing by yourself here?” she said, leaning forward, her breasts nearly spilling out onto his crotch.
“I choose to be single,” Travis said, doing his best not to make eye contact with her. He looked for Richard and Caroline, but they had moved somewhere to the dance floor. As far as he was concerned, he was now on his own for tonight. He would not see either of them again except by chance, and there were decent odds that Richard would get so drunk that he wouldn’t remember Travis the next day. Well, we do deserve it. And we have nothing to do tomorrow then.
“Oh, one of those,” the woman said, her hand on him closely. “It’s OK, I can play with those types too, you know.”
“Play?” Travis said.
He scooted back a bit, but this only seemed to delight the woman further, who scooted even closer to him.
“I think you know what I mean,” she said, her eyes narrowing and her intent coming into focus. “I like playing, you know. Playing can be fun.”
“It can be,” Travis said.
But when he spoke, he thought of the fun that he had with Ivy. How he had taken her to his room, made her his, and done whatever she wanted with him. That was fun. Just thinking about that made him hard.
But the idea of fun with this girl? Whose name he didn’t even know? Whose name the girl probably didn’t want him to know? Travis had a better chance, he knew, of getting as drunk as Richard tonight than he did of “having fun” with this girl.
And no matter how hard he tried to use logic as a reason for sleeping with this girl, it was inescapable.
He liked Ivy too much.
No, he dared to say he might have even loved her.
Too much? Maybe. But it definitely wasn’t too much to say that he cared about her, and that even if what he was doing in that club wasn’t cheating—since there wasn’t anyone to cheat on or a relationship to cheat on—it still felt wrong in some fashion.
His Royal Majesty : A Royal Wedding Romance Page 41
