Watch Me Walk Away

by Jill Prand

  “What can I do to help, baby? I don’t like hearing you so stressed,” he doesn’t know how much I need to hear him say just that.

  “You are helping just by listening to me. I do wish I could see you tonight though, I am going to miss sleeping in your arms,” I hope I don’t sound as whiny as I feel.

  “Well I could come home with you tonight if you want me to,” he sounds hopeful.

  “I would love that but you know I told Brad it’s just us tonight, of course if you showed up around ten or eleven I wouldn’t turn you away,” I say suggestively. I wonder if he would do that, show up just to sleep with me.

  His voice is suddenly filled with desire, “Baby, I will show up any time you need me. If you want me there at ten then you will see me at ten,” his voice sends a shiver through my body.

  “Thank you,” it comes out in a whisper. Just talking to him has calmed me down and I think I can work now. “Just hearing your voice and you listening to me ramble on has helped. I think I can handle the rest of the day now.”

  “If you need me call me any time, I will always drop everything for you. Are you going to eat? You only had coffee this morning and you should really put something in your stomach.” I love that he is worried about me.

  “I will just have something delivered.” I sigh “I really don’t know what I want.”

  “Arthur will be outside waiting for you at five. You can use your laptop in the car there is a wi-fi card for you to use.” He’s thought of everything.

  “I am going to get used to you pampering me and you will have to do it all the time,” I finally laugh.

  “Baby, I plan on spoiling you for the rest of our lives.”

  “Well I am going to go back to work so I can get out of here on time. I will call you once I get in the car, okay?” I ask. He doesn’t answer me, “Bobby, are you still there?”

  “I’m right here, baby.” I look up and into his smiling eyes. He is standing in my doorway with bags of food that smells incredible. I can’t believe he did this! Holy Shit!

  I stammer, “What are you doing here and what is all this?” I point to the food.

  He puts the bags down on my desk and walks around to my chair. “I knew you wouldn’t eat when I heard you on the phone.” He pulls me up and into his arms. “I had to make sure you didn’t die of starvation.” He kisses me.

  I wrap my arms around him and kiss him with all the love and passion I feel for him. I totally forget we are in my office with the door open until I hear someone clearing their throat. I jerk my head back and whip it towards the door. Thank God it’s only Allison. I give her a shy smile and lean into Bobby. “Allison I would like you to meet Bob Harber. Bobby, this is my right hand, Allison Parker.” Bobby turns and offers Allison his hand and a heart stopping smile. I see Allison blush as she reaches to take it.

  “Nice to meet you, Mr. Harber,” Allison says quietly. Quiet Allison, wow I never thought I’d see that one.

  “Please call me Bob.” He releases her hand. “And thank you for taking such good care of my girl.” He looks down at me. “I’ve brought lunch since I heard you two will be working straight through, please join us.”

  Bobby turns and sits down in my chair and I raise my eyebrows at him. He grabs my hips and pulls me onto his lap and I chuckle. Allison looks at us and turns to close the door. “You will be happy to know that all the bosses are out to lunch.” I think we actually surprised her even though I had told her the G-rated version of what happened this weekend. I guess after being married over twenty years you forget about spontaneity or she just doesn’t approve of bringing personal life into the office. She doesn’t protest too much when she sees Bobby has brought sandwiches from Carnegie Deli. Wow they are huge! I could feed off of one for a week! Corned Beef, Pastrami, Roast Beef and Turkey he brought two of each with all the sides. There is no way he got this done in the time we were on the phone.

  I turn to him. “When did you plan this?”

  “Well you didn’t eat this morning and I wasn’t sure which one you wanted so I figured I would bring two of each.” He shyly smiles. “You can share the rest with the office after we all eat.”

  “So you were going to surprise me even before you heard I was working through lunch?” He nods. “I knew there was a reason I loved you.” I give him a mega-watt smile.

  “Well eat up and then I have another surprise for you before you get back to work.” I grab for the corned beef, Allison chooses turkey and Bobby takes pastrami, we don’t talk much as we eat and we are all soon full. I only got through a quarter of my sandwich.

  Allison cleans up the left overs and says she will put them out in the lunchroom for anyone who wants them and Bobby and I both thank her as she closes the door. I turn sideways in Bobby’s lap so my legs are over the armrest. “Thank you for lunch.” I give him a kiss which soon turns carnal. I wish we could just go back to his place but I know I need to get work done. “Ugh you are going to have to leave or I will never get any work done, you are way too distracting!”

  “I will go in a few minutes but I have your other surprise first.” He grins. “You remember in the car this morning you told me you liked Hunter Hayes?” I nod, “Well we are contracted to do his security at the Barclay’s Center show and I called his manager today and got us VIP tickets and back stage access.”

  I squeal and hop up and down on his lap causing him to grunt. “Oh I’m sorry,” I say but it doesn’t sound sincere with the huge smile on my face. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” I accent each with a kiss.

  He pulls out the tickets from the inside pocket of his jacket. “You can hold the tickets, the passes I’ll get with all the other security passes the day before the show.” I look at the tickets and we are in the second row floor! I have never been this close to the stage before, well not at a huge concert like this.

  I beam at him. “I can’t believe you got these. We’re gonna have so much fun!” I kiss him again and this time I make it deep, penetrating his mouth with my tongue, tasting him, savoring him, loving him. My breathing is getting labored and so is his, I can feel him swelling beneath my butt and I grind into him. He moans into my mouth then pulls away and putting both hands on my cheeks. “Baby if we keep going like this I am going to take you right here in this chair.”

  I lean my head against his shoulder and just breathe him in while waiting for my heart to stop racing, “Remind me that I normally love my job and I don’t want to get fired for having sex with my boyfriend in my office.”

  He laughs. “Baby, you love your job, you’re good at it and you would miss it if you got fired. I of course wouldn’t mind if you lost your job because then I could keep you naked and waiting for me all day.”

  I look up at him and smack his chest. “And why can’t you be the one naked and ready for me?”

  “Oh I’m always ready for you, the naked part well we could work on that.” He kisses me lightly. “Now I really have to go, we both have work to do. Remember, Arthur will be waiting for you at five.” He stands up taking me with him then lowers my feet to the floor while kissing me one more time. I sigh as he pulls away and walks to the door.

  Then he is gone and Allison comes storming back in, “Where the hell did you say you got that man? Can you clone him and make one for me?” I giggle like a school girl. Damn my life is good!

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  I got through the rest of the day riding the high Bobby left me on. I did research and planned for the meeting the following day with gusto towards my work that had been missing for a while. It is amazing what having the right man in your life can do for you.

  At five I packed up my notes and my laptop telling Allison I would see her after the meeting and telling her I would call her beforehand. Then I sent her home too, she had worked just as hard as I did and I told her she could put off anything else until tomorrow. She looked at me strangely but started to pack up her desk. I don’t think Allison had left before six-thirty since I started work
ing there, she was due for a night off.

  Arthur was waiting at the curb for me, leaning against the car looking fierce. He opened the door for me and handed me the Wi-Fi card. I settled into the seat and opened my laptop, it should take us a little more than an hour to get to my house and I was hoping to get my notes summarized so I wouldn’t have to work after dinner. I knew I wouldn’t be working once Bobby got there. I was in the middle of the second company when my phone rang. “Hey, beautiful. How are you doing?” I love the sound of his voice.

  “I’m much better than this morning, babe,” A huge smile on my face. “All I have left is to write out my summaries and I’m done. I think I can have it complete by the time I get to my house.”

  “Well I guess I should let you get back to it then,” he says, “I will see you around ten if you still want me to come.”

  My voice turns seductive, “Oh I’ll make sure you cum, babe.”

  He clears his throat. “I guess that’s a yes then.”

  I have to laugh because I know I caught him off guard. “I will see you later, now let me get back to work, you are just too distracting.”

  “Bye, baby,” and he hangs up. Oh now I’m all hot and bothered again but it feels great!

  I get my work done by the time we pull in the driveway. I thank Arthur and he says he will have Bobby here later and I smile at him. Jodi is frying up the chicken as I walk in. “Almost ready for you here,” she calls out.

  “Great! I am going to change and be right there.” I go to my room and change out of my dress and into linen shorts and a Police t-shirt. It is actually an old shirt from a concert Brad and I went to in high school, my dad had gotten us backstage passes and we had met Sting, Stewart and Andy, well met isn’t exactly right, more like they said Hi as they passed. I want to remind Brad that we can still have fun together as friends. I brush my hair back into a pony tail, easier to deal with when I’m cooking and touch up my make-up.

  When I get back to the kitchen, Jodi is just cleaning up the frying pan. A glass Pyrex dish is filled with breaded chicken fillets just waiting for me to make the alfredo sauce. I grab a glass out of the cabinet and get out a Cabernet from the fridge. “Do you want some?” I ask Jodi.

  “Yes please.” She dries her hands. “When is Brad getting here?”

  “He should be here in half an hour,” I tell her. “You will never believe the day I had.” I proceed to tell her all about the calls from Stuart and the mega amount of work for the meeting tomorrow while I make the sauce. Then I tell her about my lunch and my mouth blooms into a smile.

  “Shit I’m impressed! He is really trying isn’t he?” she exclaims.

  “I don’t know if it’s him trying or if it is just him. Remember in high school when he would run out and get me lunch so I wouldn’t have to eat the slop from the cafeteria? He was always doing nice things like that,” I remind her.

  “It’s hard for me to remember anything nice about him,” she says, “All I remember is how broken you were and how long it took you to come back to the land of the living. I never want to see you like that again.”

  “It’s not going to be that way this time, he’s here and not going anywhere,” I assure her. I am feeling secure in this now.

  The sauce is done and I pour it over the chicken after putting shredded mozzarella on it first. I pop it in the oven and start on cutting up the broccoli to steam. “Can you get the lettuce out for me?” I ask Jodi. I put two stalks aside to add to the salad. I drop the broccoli in the pot, cover it and turn to start the salad.

  By the time I am done getting the salad together John walks in to grab a beer. “Smells great in here! When are we eating?”

  “Soon,” I say slapping his hand away from the salad. “You just need to wait, or better idea, be helpful and cut up the Italian bread.” I hand him the bread knife.

  He takes a swig of his beer scowling at me. “I come in for a beer and get put to work.”

  Jodi laughs at him. “At least all you have to do is cut up bread.”

  We continue to banter back and forth until Brad shows up ten minutes later. He walks in and hands me a bottle of wine, kissing my cheek. “Hey it smells great! When do we eat?” We all start laughing and Brad looks at us like we lost our heads.

  John finds his voice first, “I said the same thing a little while ago and got put to work cutting bread.”

  “And he bitched about it the whole time,” Jodi teases.

  “Well I don’t mind working for my dinner.” He smiles at me.

  “Oh no not you too!” cries John, “Bobby had them going this morning and I will not be goaded into doing anything different then I normally do just because you guys want to make good impressions.” He grabs another beer from the fridge and stomps into the living room. Jodi and I laugh at his retreating back.

  “I better go let him know that I love him just the way he is.” She follows him out.

  “You look great,” Brad says. “Did you have a good day at work?”

  I smile at him. “Actually it was a bitch but there were definitely high points.” I know I sound cryptic but I don’t know how much I should tell him about me and Bobby, I don’t want to hurt him.

  “So Bobby stayed here last night? Does that mean you are officially together?” His face has dropped and I know that it doesn’t matter what I do I am about to dash his hopes. How do I make him understand that I still want him in my life as my friend and there has been a hole in my heart that was filled once we started talking again.

  “Yeah, we’re together and I love him. I want to, no I need to see how this plays out because he makes me feel alive and loved and cherished.” I see the pain shining in his eyes. “But I don’t want to lose you, Brad. You are just as important to me in a different way. You’re my confidante and rock, you are who I go to when I’m confused or hurt and I need you in my life. Can you be those things for me and deal with me being with Bobby?”

  He moves to lean against the counter and look at me. “I will try, Lisa, because you have always been the most important thing in my life. But if he hurts you again I will kill him.”

  I give him a wry smile. “You won’t have to do that, I trust him.” I move next to him and bump his shoulder with mine. “So you going to help me set the table? Dinner is done.”

  He puts his arm around me and hugs me to his side. “I guess it’s the least I could do since you are feeding me.” I know that he’s not happy but I also know he wants to stay in my life.

  Dinner is great, the four of us get along well and the conversation flows. John and Brad decide that the food was good enough that they will do the clean-up. Jodi and I go into the living room to let them at it. I glance at the clock and see it is just before nine and I smile at the fact that Bobby will be here in a little over an hour. Jodi sees the change and cocks her head. “What has you looking dreamy?”

  “Bobby is coming at ten.” I smile. “He’s staying the night.”

  “Aren’t you moving awfully fast here? What happened to the girl who was going to wait and take it slow? And don’t think I didn’t see what you are wearing.” she is frowning at me.

  “I can’t help it, Jodes, it just feels so natural with him, like I’m right where I should be.” I know I am moving fast and yes I wanted to take it slow but I feel like I have no control when I see him or talk to him. I just have to be with him. Yes it’s crazy and I should probably take a night off but I am craving him like an addict craves drugs.

  The guys come out of the kitchen and John says, “So what are we doing for the rest of the night?”

  Brad comes up and stands next to me. “I was going to take Lisa to Carvel to thank her for the great dinner. You guys are more than welcome to come with.”

  Jodi is shaking her head. “No way, not after that calorie filled dinner we just had. I will have to spend an extra two hours at the gym as it is.”

  John looks like he really wanted ice cream. “John would you like us to bring you something back?” His fa
ce lights instantly.

  “Yes please, I want butter pecan, two scoops.” He starts to reach for his wallet.

  “I got it,” Brad says and starts walking me towards the door. “We’ll be back soon.”

  All the way to Carvel I try to think of a way to tell Brad that Bobby will be here soon. We get the ice cream and start our way back, me licking on a cone and him drinking a chocolate shake. I look at the clock and it is ten to ten, we are cutting it close. “Before we get back I wanted to tell you something.”

  He looks at me. “Why do I get the feeling I’m not going to like this?”

  “It’s nothing bad,” I tell him, “Bobby’s coming over at ten.”

  “So your boyfriend is coming at ten and what you want me to leave?” his voice is like venom.

  “No I don’t want you to leave, I just wanted you to know so you wouldn’t be surprised.” I put my hand on his arm. “My day was shitty until he showed up with lunch and then he sent his car to take me home so I could finish my work and not have to do it tonight. I just want him here.” I know I am rambling a little and justifying myself but do I really need a reason to see my man? Yes I had invited Brad over before Bobby and I were officially together but I have spent most of the night with him and now I just want to be held. “What’s the big deal, Brad?”

  “The big deal is as much as you say that you still want to be my friend and spend time with me your actions are telling me a different story,” he’s practically yelling.

  I turn to him in my seat. “I do want to stay friends with you and I do want to spend time with you but what is the big deal about Bobby coming over now. We’ve spent the whole night together, truth be told after the morning I had all I really wanted to do was crawl in bed but I came home made you dinner and spent time with you because you are my best friend. Now my boyfriend is coming over and you are throwing a hissy fit.”

  “You’re right, it’s not fair. So does he know about us?” He looks straight into my eyes.