by Bella Emy
I SPEND THE REST OF my day indulged in paperwork and case files, working on the Johnson case. I haven’t seen or run into Paige, so she must be busying herself as well. She had run out of the office sometime between noon and one when I was on the phone with Mrs. Johnson.
It was a longer conversation than expected, but the poor woman was a damn emotional mess. I felt bad to just leave her hanging. I tried to offer her a few words of solace, but she’s having a really tough time dealing with the reality of the end of her marriage. When I hung up with her, I noticed Paige’s office was dark, and the door was shut.
I could really use her sense of humor and pretty smile right now to take me out of my foul mood, so I decide to text her and see what she’s up to.
Me: Hey, Paige. How’s it going?
Moments later, she texts back.
Paige Allen: Hi, Jax. Just getting some information together. About to call it a night though. I’m tired.
Me: I hear that. What’s up for dinner tonight?
Yeah, I’m going to see if she wants to meet up for a quick bite. I’d really love to see her, spend time with her... possibly more? God, what is wrong with me! Get your shit together, Jackson Fierce!
Paige Allen: I don’t know, but I’m starving.
Me: Same. Want to grab something quick on the Pier? I’m about to head out of here for the night.
I don’t hear back from her ‘til about twenty minutes later.
Paige Allen: Sorry. Was on the phone with Margie. I’m actually going to head home... she needs my help with something. I’ll see you at the office tomorrow. Night, Jax.
To say I’m disappointed is barely scratching the surface. I was really hoping to spend some time with her. I wanted to see her.
Me: OK. No worries. Have a good night.
I take a deep breath and close up for the night. When I grab my things and lock up my office, I see that Jill is already gone. What time is it, anyway?
I peek up at the wall clock hanging above Jill’s desk and see it’s almost seven. Fuck, did I really spend all day working on that damn case and didn’t take a break once?
I GET HOME LESS THAN thirty minutes later and walk straight into my bedroom. I undress and jump into bed. I’m in no mood for anything.
I pass out sometime after that, and when I awake, I have the biggest boner I have ever had in all my life. I had a dream I ravished Paige right in her office. It was evening, and everyone was already gone except for the two of us. I walk right into her office and shut the door. She looks up at me from her desk. I don’t stop, I walk right over to her and pick her up. I smash my lips into hers and tongue her down. Seconds later, I placed her down and spin her around as her hands slam on her desk. I quickly unzip my pants and pull up her black pencil skirt. I run my hands on her ass, which was barely covered by a white lace thong. As I slip it to the side, I slam my hands on her hips and slide my erect cock up inside of her. She moans loudly, begging for me to continue fucking her and how she had been waiting for me to take her for so long. I place kisses on her cheek, as my right hand find its way up her white blouse. It’s the same blouse exposing her cleavage from the previous day. I manage to rip it off her and then slide her bra down. Her breasts spring free and my hand gropes her. God, did she feel amazing.
Then, the alarm rang, and my dream came to an end. Fuck, it felt so real. I can’t believe how much I want her right now.
Shit, is today Valentine’s Day? The day I’m supposed to be meeting this crush of mine? Damn, I really wish it were Paige, now even more so than before.
CHAPTER TEN
Paige
February 14, 2019
“Not only was she over an hour late, which by the way, I was just about to leave, she comes walking in with a teddy bear... like I’m a fucking six-year-old.” Margot has been sitting on my bed, watching me change in and out of a dozen tops, recounting how the meeting with her mother went. Apparently, not well.
Anyway, tonight is the night, Valentine’s Day, and I’m getting ready to head to the pier for the painting event while I wait for Jackson to arrive. I can’t believe this is it. Work went by so excruciatingly slow. I tried my best to keep focused on work, but I couldn’t stop thinking about how tonight would go. My nerves were a mess all day. I have been feeling like I’m going to be physically ill, but I know it’s just because I’m so nervous about tonight. What is Jackson going to think when he realizes I’m his crush? Is he going to flip out? Is he going to be cool with it? Or is he just going to laugh at me? I’m out of my mind for going along with this.
I come out from the closet in a white bra, holding up a lavender blouse and head over to the mirror attached behind my bedroom door. So far, it looks great with the skirt I’m wearing, but is it enough? I tilt my head from side-to-side, staring at my reflection. I’m not typically a skirt-girl, but this is a special occasion, and I want to make a great impression. “I guess she didn’t know what else to bring you, Margie. She doesn’t really know much about you.”
I turn to face Margot just in time to see a disgusted face. She throws herself down on my bed as she stares at the wall. Flipping over to face me once more, she exclaims, “Doesn’t really know much about me? P, she knows nothing about me! Nothing at all!”
“I know. I’m sorry,” I pout.
Shrugging, she says, “Hey, it’s alright. She’s been out of my life for this long... what made me think I needed her now? I don’t.” Margot brings her arms under her chin, looking down at the ground in front of her. Yes, what she says may be true, but I know this is so sad for her. I know she was hoping to find her mother full of remorse and regret for letting her go. Sure, she had told me Dana had apologized and everything to her, but Margot didn’t believe it.
I go to sit next to her on the edge of my bed and run a hand through her dark brown hair. She has always had such pretty, full locks, and I’ve always been so jealous of her ability to walk out of the shower and just run a simple brush right through her hair without having to add any additional products or blow-drying it straight. She has natural waves. Whenever I’d wash my hair, I had to hurry and brush it quickly to get all the knots out. Then I’d have to apply mousse, just to get those pretty beach waves that came naturally to Margot.
“I know, girlie. You are one of the strongest women I know. But I know how much this meant to you, and I’m so sorry it didn’t go the way you had been hoping for all these years. I’m sorry.”
Margot sniffles. “P, she told me that her parents forced her to get rid of me. They didn’t want their daughter shaming the family name. Then she admitted that she never once tried to find me because I was part of an old life she never wanted back. Plus, once her boyfriend passed, you know, the asshole that impregnated her with me, she knew she couldn’t raise me on her own... she was just fifteen. I told her I don’t give a shit about her excuses. She could have figured something else out if she really wanted me. Or she could have come looking for me once she was old enough and had gotten her shit together. But, by then, she had gotten married and had two other kids... she didn’t want to ruin her little family and tell her husband about her little secret.”
Wow, this was all news to me. Dana had a new family now, and Margot was never meant to be a part of that picture.
“So, she sneaked away to meet you now, or was her husband waiting in the car or something?” I ask.
“Fuck if I know. But I’m guessing the poor bastard has no idea about me still. Can you believe she never told her husband she has another daughter? I didn’t even know I had brothers or sisters out there. But, by then, I was too pissed off, and I told her to go fuck off.” She pauses for a moment and then continues. “I never want to see her again, P. I told her to forget that she ever had another daughter, ‘cause she never really did.”
“Oh, sweetie! I’m so damn sorry!” I lean down and place my arms around Margot.
She lets my embrace comfort her for a bit before taking a deep breath and averting her eyes up at me, then lifting
herself up in a sitting position. “Enough of this crap. You have a date to get ready for. Put that black shirt back on with the low-cut V-neck showing off your goods and get going! You’re going to be late if you waste any more time.”
I shrug. “Well, I was thinking of sta–”
“Oh, hell no you don’t!” She jumps up, cutting me off. She grabs both of my hands and pulls me up off the bed. “We have worked too hard to get Mr. Perfect to notice you for so long. And it never dawned on him once that his Ms. Perfect has always been sitting right across from his office. You are going tonight, and you are going to knock his socks off! When he sees you tonight and realizes that you were the one who’s been his secret admirer, he’s going to facepalm himself.”
I chuckle. “Damn, you’re so sure he’s going to go for it.”
“Of course, he is. He’s been in love with you the whole time. He was just with that ditz who failed to notice what she had.”
I laugh again. “Margie, I think you’re getting a little ahead of yourself. He’s never been in love with me. He hardly notices me on a good day.”
She smirks, tilting her head to the side and placing a hand on her hip. “P, wake up and smell the coffee. He loves you. I’ve known it since you first told me about him. Why do you think he chooses to talk to you at the office and not someone else? ‘Cause he enjoys your company? Fuck, he enjoys looking at you, that’s for sure. He’s a guy, so of course, he didn’t realize it. You just watch. Tonight is going to be magical. Then you’ll come strolling in through that door tomorrow evening, thanking me for pushing you to go tonight.”
“Tomorrow evening?” My eyebrows furrow.
“That’s right. Tomorrow evening,” she confirms.
“Care to elaborate?”
“Certainly. Tonight, when he realizes just how much he loves you, he’s going to sweep you off your feet and make sweet, passionate love to you into the wee hours of the morning. You won’t get back here before tomorrow evening.”
My eyes widen. “Oh, Margot. I hope I don’t disappoint you when I come home after only an hour of being gone, letting you know he turned me down.”
“Not a chance, Paige. Not a chance.”
Well, at least my bestie has some confidence in me that tonight is going to go well. I, on the other hand, am not so sure.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Jackson
I walk across the wooden pier with twenty minutes to spare. I’m carrying a large arrangement of white and pink flowers, but honestly, I don’t even know if I was supposed to pick them up or not. I just know I’d feel kind of weird showing up empty-handed. After all, this secret admirer of mine had gone through the trouble of setting this all up.
I still haven’t a clue as to who it could be, but sooner rather than later, I’ll be finding out.
I continue walking until I reach a small table. It’s laced with a pink and red tablecloth, holding little cards. I look and find my name on one of them. I pick it up and see that I’ve been assigned to table number two. It’s funny how the restaurant that Paige and I would sometimes go to was hosting this event. I have to say that I’m a bit surprised I hadn’t heard anything about it beforehand.
Usually, the tables here accommodate up to four people, but tonight, they have been replaced with smaller ones, allowing for couples to sit. They have been decorated with a colorful assortment of candies and chocolates in heart-shaped boxes in the middle. In front of each seat sits a medium-sized easel with a set of paints to the right.
Anyway, I’m one of the first ones here. There’s one other guy waiting patiently for his date for the night to arrive. You can tell he’s nervous by the beads of sweat dripping down his forehead. He flashes me a small, nervous smile. Poor guy. He looks like he’s about to toss his cookies.
At a nearby table, one of the couples is sitting staring into one another’s eyes; I guess this was a match made in heaven. Both of them look pretty smitten with one another.
I quickly adjust my tie–yes, I settled on a black three-piece suit–and continue walking ‘til I find the table with my number on it. I place the bouquet of flowers down gently on the table before sitting down and taking in my surroundings once more. Another guy, looking as nervous as the first, walks past me to get to his seat. Slowly but surely, the guests are beginning to arrive. Each time I see a woman walking over, my heart speeds up, wondering if she’s my date for the night. And just as quickly as that happens, I realize I have no idea who the woman is, and she must be here for someone else.
I wonder what Paige is up to right now. She looked exquisite once again at the office today, but unlike every other day, she had seemed a bit... off? Actually, come to think of it, the last week or so she had seemed off. I’m not sure what’s going on with her, but something is definitely up. She’s not the same. I just hope she’s all right and knows that she can talk to me about anything. Maybe I should text her now?
No, no. Probably not a good idea. What if my date shows up now, or what if she’s on a date or something with some guy? It is Valentine’s Day, after all, and just because she hadn’t told me she had plans tonight doesn’t mean that she doesn’t. Fuck, I really hope she’s not out with some other guy right now. Shit, what am I saying? I’m being a little hypocritical. I don’t want her dating, yet here I am, waiting on my secret crush to come reveal her feelings for me. Damn, I wish more than anything that Paige was the one who I’m waiting for.
I take a deep sigh and continue waiting. At five minutes to seven, one of the waiters from the restaurant walks out and begins talking on a microphone.
I chuckle to myself, finally recognizing him. It’s Don. He had served coffees to Paige and me back when we were working on the Martinez case. Damn.
Don clears his throat and begins. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Don, and I’ll be your host for this evening. In about ten minutes, we’ll get started with our singles event. We’re just waiting on a few more guests to arrive, but while they do, please feel free to dive into the goodies spread out across the table. We hope you’ve come hungry because we’ve also got a three-course meal coming your way!” he exclaims.
There’s going to be food, too? Geez, I don’t know if I can eat while I feel like this. I’m too anxious to meet whoever this crush of mine is. I spin my head around and, before I know it, I’m greeted with the most beautiful angel making her way toward me. I blink and have to do a double-take because I can’t believe my eyes.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Jackson
“Paige?” I whisper. She’s absolutely breathtaking and stunning as she removes her coat; I can see her wearing a black low-cut V-neck silk blouse and a tight black pencil skirt reaching her mid-calves. Like the one in my dream... I swallow hard. God damn, she’s so sexy.
Her gorgeous, golden blonde locks bounce with every step she takes, and all I want to do right now is run my hands through them and inhale her scent. I know she smells amazing; she always smells wonderful.
As she reaches me, sporting a small nervous smile, she looks down and takes a seat at my table. Our table. “Hi, Jax.”
Paige is my secret admirer? She’s the one who has the crush on me? How can it be that I had never realized it before?
“I don’t get it... you’re my secret admirer? You like like me?”
Her ocean-blue irises look up at me as she shrugs. “Surprise.”
I smile, probably bigger than I had wanted to. I can’t believe Paige is the one who has a crush on me. Damn, I can’t wait to tell her how happy I am it’s her.
“These are for you,” I say, handing the bouquet of flowers to her.
She smiles, grabbing the bouquet. “Thank you.” She takes a breath, inhaling their scent and then places it down on the table.
Before I have a chance to let her know how I feel, Don walks back out and explains to us that we’re supposed to be painting the scenery before us as we eat the treats spread out across the table. After an hour, they will take the easels from us to set t
hem to dry while we enjoy the meal they prepared for this event.
“Chocolate?” I offer Paige, picking up one wrapped in a gold wrapper out of the heart-shaped box. I’m nervous and anxious; I don’t know what to do.
She giggles softly. “Oh, thank you.” She takes it out of my hand, and I swear, I want to hold on to it. She quickly retreats before I have a chance to do so.
“I guess we should start,” I say, picking up a paintbrush and dipping it into the water-filled cup next to the paint set. I feel like an idiot. We always find conversation so easily, but now that it’s come to this, I have no idea what to say to her. I probably should reassure her how glad I am it’s her because lately I’ve come to realize I want her, too, but I can’t form the words. I don’t know how to start. Fuck, I’m a lawyer, I always know exactly what to say. Why is this so difficult right now?
“Listen, Jax,” she begins saying. That beautiful smile of hers is gone, and she looks sorry. “Margot set this whole thing up... this isn’t my type of thing, but, well... I don’t know. She has watched me pine over you for so long, that I guess she just wanted you to notice me, but, oh shit, I’m rambling now. I’m sorry.”
I want to chuckle because she looks so cute all worried and shit. Before I can stop her, she continues talking.
“Look, you don’t have to stay.” Her eyes drop to the table in front of us. “You can go if you don’t feel the same way. Huh, listen to me... if. Of course, you don’t. I was crazy to go along with this. Anyways, you can go... or we can leave and I can go home so we don’t look like losers, leaving the other one stranded here, and, oh... shit. I... well, you don’t have to stay...”
“Paige!” I exclaim, stopping her before she continues talking any more.
“Huh?” she asks, finally blessing me with those gorgeous eyes once more. Damn, she’s fucking beautiful and even more so when she has no idea of it.
