by Sienna Ciles
“Oh, I see,” I replied.
“Not that I mean I don't want to talk about it. Please don't think I mean that,” she said. “I just think that now maybe isn't the best time. When we're both a little more... awake... and when you don't have so much whiskey in your system.” She eased the tension with a smile.
I nodded, and then grinned. “Hey, you have a bit of whiskey in your system. too, you know.”
She smiled. “A little.”
“And didn't you enjoy it?”
“It's the first whiskey I've ever had that I actually enjoyed,” she remarked. “It was quite tasty. I have to admit that I didn't expect that.”
I chuckled. “I told you, twenty-one-year-old single malt. It's amazing stuff, it really is.”
“I believed you. Anyway, I've got to get going.”
“I understand. But we do need to talk about things. And not just... what happened right now between us. Other stuff, too. Look, I just want to say again that I'm really, really sorry about how I've been acting toward you over the past month. Things are gonna change.”
“I'm sorry, too. I'm not gonna place all the blame on you,” she said, “I was guilty of a little bitchiness as well.”
An idea popped into my head and before I could even mull it over, I was blurting it out. “Can I take you out to dinner?”
“Take me out to dinner, huh?”
“Just as friends,” I added quickly, perhaps a bit too hastily.
She nodded. “As friends. I can do that. When do you want to do this?”
“I was thinking maybe tomorrow evening, since you're not working?”
“I did promise my best friend, who I've hardly seen for a month, that I would spend the day with her tomorrow,” she said. “I'm not trying to blow you off or anything but I really owe it to her – and to myself – to do that.”
“How about maybe Friday evening then?”
“Okay. Friday evening it is,” she said with a smile. “Good night, Kain, I really have to get going now.”
I nodded. “You need me to call a cab, give you a ride, anything like that?”
She shook her head. “No, I'll be fine but please promise me something.”
“Sure, what?”
“That you won't drive yourself home tonight. You've had far too much to drink to get behind the wheel of a car – even if you do consider yourself to be an expert driver. Overconfidence combined with alcohol and a car is a recipe for disaster and tragedy, so please, get yourself a cab home, okay?”
“All right, I'll do that.”
“Is that a promise?” she demanded. “Because if tomorrow I find out that you lied to me and drove home, I'll be pissed.”
I held up my hand, the palm of it facing her, and smiled as I spoke. “I'll take a cab home when I'm finished here tonight, I promise. I mean that.”
She nodded, a somewhat serious expression on her face. “I'm holding you to that promise, Kain Williams. You get a cab home. And I'll know if you didn't, trust me on that.”
“Okay, okay, I swear I'll get a cab home,” I assured her with a smile.
“Good.”
“Have a good night, Mandy,” I said. “I hope you get a long, restful night of sleep.”
“I need it, I really do.”
“And you deserve it. Don't forget that.”
She smiled, and once more I was captivated by just how beautiful she was. “Good night, Kain. I'll see you soon.”
“Good night, Mandy.”
She walked out, and then she was gone and I was alone in my office once more. I sighed, and then opened my email account. She was free to go now but I still had a long night of work ahead of me. I poured myself a little more whiskey, and then got to it.
* * * * *
I had offered to pick Mandy up for our “date” but she declined, saying she’d just meet me there. I had to admit, I was feeling a little nervous. I wasn't sure what exactly I was feeling nervous about, though. Maybe simply the uncertainty of it all, and where we would go from this point on. I don't think either of us had been expecting what had happened the other night to happen but in a way, I was glad that it had. It had brought to a head a number of issues and some tension that had been simmering between us for quite some time.
I pulled up outside the restaurant, got out of my Porsche, and handed the keys to the valet.
“I'll make sure I park it nicely, sir,” he said with a smile.
I headed into the restaurant and looked around until I saw her already seated at one of the tables. I stood and watched for a while before she caught sight of me, just staring at her and drinking in her beauty. Man, she was gorgeous. I had to remind myself that I needed to concentrate, remain focused, and not get distracted by how attracted I was to her.
After a few moments, I headed over to her.
“Hey!” she said with an enthusiastic smile, standing as I reached the table.
She hugged me, something I didn’t expect. It felt good to have her body pressed against mine again for a while, even if it was for something as tame as a hug. I felt tempted to reach down and give her ass a squeeze but I didn't.
“So,” I began.
“So...” she said as I sat down across from her. We both had to chuckle, and any awkwardness that remained evaporated into the air.
“Did you enjoy your day off the other day?” I asked her.
“I really did,” she said. “Ellen and I went to the beach that morning, then saw a movie, got massages and just indulged in a lot of good food that wasn’t good for us. It was super relaxing, and I really needed it after all the hours I’ve been putting in.”
“Yeah, I know,” I said. “And you really have been working super hard. Trust me, I've been paying attention. The work you did the other night was phenomenal, by the way. Where do you get these ideas for your marketing campaigns?”
She laughed. “Oh, I don't know, they just pop into my head, I guess. I'm glad you're impressed with them.”
“I really am, and I'm not just saying that. You're a real asset to the company.”
She smiled, almost shyly. “Thank you, Kain. I really appreciate that.”
The waiter interrupted the moment, and I asked him to bring us a bottle of wine. Then we continued talking. I think both of us were kind of waiting for the wine to arrive before we got onto the topic of what had happened in my office a few nights ago. Talking about that kind of thing would be a lot easier when we had had a little to drink and our inhibitions were a little lower.
“So, uh, what happened in my office,” I started.
She blushed. “Yeah, that... I knew it was gonna come up but to tell you the truth, I'm not really sure what to say about it.”
“Well, I guess we were both feeling a lot of pressure from work, and there was the tension between us that had been going on for a month,” I said.
Where was I going with this? Was I ready to tell her the truth, that she had been on my mind constantly, that I couldn't get her out of my head, that I thought about her all the time, and that I wasn't able to even talk to another woman? This is what I had been thinking about all day, telling her what I was struggling with, letting her know how I truly felt. But that we were actually talking about it, I was feeling as if I couldn't quite say those things. I didn't know why but this moment just didn't feel like the right time to say it.
“Yeah. There certainly was a lot of tension,” she said. “And I don't think you need to shoulder the blame for that yourself. Like I said, there were times when I think I was being more than a little on edge.”
“I do think it was more my fault, though,” I said. “I was feeling a lot of stress and pressure after taking over the company from my dad, and then there was the um, the awkwardness that arose from how you and I first met, and I acted like a dick. I'll admit that. And I'm sorry about that.”
“I'm sorry, too,” she said. “Well, I guess we can see now why what happened the other night... happened. There was just all this pent-up tension, and that was a way to release it.
”
I nodded, not sure how I felt about the direction in which this was going but feeling pretty powerless to do anything to change course.
“Yeah,” I said. “It certainly was a fantastic way to, uh, to release all of that tension.”
She chuckled and smiled. “It really was.”
A hot stirring of arousal started within me but I managed to keep a level head about this whole thing.
My phone rang just as I was wondering what to say next, providing a welcome interruption in the conversation. It was my dad.
“Excuse me for a moment, Mandy,” I said. “It's my dad, so I need to take this.”
“No problem,” she said.
“Hi, Dad,” I answered, “can you give me a minute to step outside?”
“Sure thing, son,” he said.
I walked briskly out of the restaurant so that I could talk to him with a little privacy.
“So, what's up?” I asked as soon as I was outside.
“Do you remember the conversation you and I had the other day, Kain?”
“Uh, which one?”
“Come on, son, don't play dumb. About the need for you to settle down and clean up this playboy image once and for all. You do remember our conversation about that, don't you?”
I groaned. “Yeah, Dad, I remember.”
“Don't act like that about it. You know your public image is extremely important for the company. Now you're going to have to man up and do this.”
“I told you, Dad, it isn't as easy as all that.”
“That's why I'm going to help you with it.”
“Help me with it?” I asked, wondering what he meant.
“Yes! I've arranged a date for you.”
“A what? A date?”
“There's a girl I know who is just perfect for you, Kain! And you'll be taking her out for dinner tomorrow evening. Write it down in your calendar. It's a date. Tomorrow evening you're going to meet the girl who I’m certain is going to be your wife.”
Chapter 13
Mandy
When Kain went out to take his phone call, I finally had a chance to breathe. I was kind of stressed and really feeling the pressure. Talking about this kind of stuff always made me feel that way.
Ever since Kain and I had slept together – again – I had been finding it hard to focus at work. Even my day off filled with fun, relaxation, and catching up with Ellen hadn't been enough to get him off my mind. It was unnerving, because guys rarely got under my skin like this. It seemed the more I tried to get him off my mind, the more persistently he would pop into my thoughts.
I was fairly certain the last thing Kain wanted was a relationship. Every now and then, it seemed there was something more to the way he was looking at me and talking to me than mere physical and sexual attraction but the odds were that was just my mind playing tricks on me. Kain was not that kind of man.
It was crazy to even think about such possibilities, wasn't it? I mean, this guy was a serious playboy. He and I had met through having a drunken one-night stand. What evidence was there that he had any desire whatsoever to be in a relationship? With me or anyone else. And even if he did, how could I totally trust a guy like him? Thoughts of my ex, Connor, popped into my head. If he was selfish, just imagine how much more selfish someone like Kain would be. Kain had been born into wealth. How could someone like him not turn out spoiled and selfish? It was wishful thinking to think otherwise.
And, of course, there was the fact that I didn't want a relationship myself. I was enjoying being single and had been for quite some time. I had my own things that I enjoyed doing, my own time, and I didn't have to answer to anyone. I liked that, and it worked for me. It worked very well, in fact. On top of that, I had this really demanding, challenging new job that took up a lot of my time and energy. I didn't really think that there was any point in being in a relationship, really, not at this stage of my life.
Despite all this, though, here I was, thinking about... being in a relationship. It was crazy, wasn't it? But even knowing this, I couldn't get thoughts of Kain – and thoughts of me and Kain together – out of my mind.
Interrupting my thoughts, he walked back into the restaurant. I immediately had to wonder what he had been talking about on the phone, because he looked pretty upset about it. He pulled out his chair and sat down across from me, scowling.
“Something wrong?” I asked.
He shook his head. “No, nothing. Just uh... some company stuff. Nothing to worry about though. Let's just forget about it and enjoy our evening.”
He was hiding something but I didn't think this was the time to push him to tell me about it, so I figured I would just leave it. If he wanted to tell me, he could. If not, that was fine.
“Okay,” I agreed.
“More wine?” he asked as he finished his glass.
“Sounds good,” I said.
He topped off both of our glasses and then drank a long sip of his.
“I hope you're not planning on getting wasted tonight,” I said, “because I'm going to stop drinking after this bottle is finished.”
He nodded. “That's fine. I just... I just needed a drink after that phone call.”
Ah, so maybe I was going to hear about what this phone call was about after all.
“Are you going to tell me what it was about?” I asked. “I mean, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. But you did seemed kind of upset when you came back inside and it’s clearly still bothering you.”
He sighed and shook his head. “It's my father. He's just... he's stepping on my toes, ya know? He's always been like that. Overbearing, really pushy. Sometimes, I feel like I'm not even living my own life. I just feel like my life is some sort of weird extension of his.”
I nodded. “I can see how that must be frustrating.”
“Frustrating doesn't even begin to cover it. I know people think I’m a lucky guy. This whole big, successful company was just handed to me on a silver platter, right? Well, if you knew half of it, you probably would want to run away to some tropical island and never come back. I mean, I’ve thought of just that a few times myself.”
“You can tell me about it if you want,” I said in as gentle a tone as I could.
He looked up at me, and his eyes were full of pain. It was a deep, lasting pain that seemed to come from a place deep within him.
“I don't know why,” he said, “but I have this feeling, this true gut feeling, that I can trust you. And I felt that the very first time we met. I told you things that night, things that I hadn't told anyone, thoughts that had never passed between my lips. So, I guess I can tell you. But you can keep a secret, right?”
I nodded, being as sincere as possible. “I can definitely keep a secret.”
He suddenly chuckled. “Well, you've kept a few of my secrets already, haven't you? So, I guess I should already know that I can trust you.”
I smiled. “I have kept those secrets. And you can trust me, you definitely can.”
“How do I know that you have kept my secrets, though?” he asked, narrowing his eyes with suspicion.
“If I'd told anyone about your plans to sell of part of the company and let a bunch of people go, do you really think we'd be here having this conversation, Kain? I don't. I think that, instead, you'd be trying to pick up the wreckage of what was left of your company after it imploded.”
His face paled as he realized just how much he had told me when we were drunk – and how much of it I remembered.
“I... I guess I really spilled my heart out, huh?” he managed to stammer.
I nodded slowly. “You did reveal a lot, Kain. It probably wasn't very wise of you – but don't worry, your secrets are safe with me.”
“Thank you.” He looked away and took another long, slow sip of wine. “There's something else,” he said, still looking away. “Did I tell you anything else? Anything about, about... about my brother?”
“You did, actually,” I acknowledged.
&nb
sp; His face grew more pallid.
“But to be honest, I don't remember the details,” I added.
I figured I had to at least admit that much. Whatever this secret was about his brother, it was enough to make him very nervous. I could easily have bluffed and pretended I knew what this secret was and used it as leverage against him but that wasn’t me and it sure as hell wouldn't have been the right thing to do.
He immediately looked relieved.
“You can tell me, though, if it's something that really bothers you,” I said. “I mean, sometimes it's better to let this stuff out than to keep it in. Talking about these things can help.”
“You don't know what kind of secret it is, though,” he half-whispered. “And if you did, you wouldn't be saying that to me.”
“I'm not saying you have to tell me. Not at all. I'm not even saying I want you to tell me. What I am saying, though, is that if this secret is eating away at you inside, talking about it can help. It can help you move on and heal. And you know what? You don't even have to tell me the secret. You can go to a therapist, someone who is legally bound to keep your confidences – heck, a priest even. You know, go to confession or something... if you're Catholic. I don't know. I mean, do you get what I'm saying? Holding stuff in it's just not good for you.”
He looked down, staring at the table in silence. After a deep swig of his wine, finally, he looked up at me. “Like I said before, I don't know why but I feel like I can trust you. Like I can trust you fully and completely. I can trust you, right?”
“You really can, I promise you that.”
“Well, I think I told you before, when we were both totally wasted, so I guess I may as well tell you again. But please, what I'm about to tell you stays strictly between you and me, okay?”
I nodded. “Absolutely. I promise you, Kain, I will never tell another soul. Not unless you tell me I can.”
He breathed in deeply. “My older brother was my only sibling. James was his name, but we all called him Jimmy. He was older than me by six years, and he was your typical guardian older brother. You know, a guy who you can look up to. He never pushed me around, never picked on me – and God have mercy on any kids at school who did try to bully me. If any kid laid a finger on me at school, Jimmy would kick his ass. But he didn't just protect me, he taught me to protect myself. Our dad, he was real busy when we were growing up. I mean, he was running this company, you know, building it up and growing it constantly. He would almost always come home late; sometimes he wouldn't come home for days, because he was doing so much work that he found it easier to just sleep in his office. And yeah, that made him rich. It made us rich. But it meant that I grew up, almost anyway, without a father. So, Jimmy became almost like a father to me. He was my older brother, yes, but he was also my best friend, my role model, my guardian.”
