by Coco Miller
I miss her already.
Chapter Eighteen
“Chance, everything is good to go on the vote next week,” Senator Denkirk’s voice booms through the phone.
I exhale what feels like the heaviest breath ever and run my fingers through my hair.
“That’s great news, Senator. Great news.”
“How’s that new fiancee of yours?”
“She’s been great.”
“A great sport about things?”
“Definitely.”
“I know I put a lot of pressure on you, Chance, but sometimes these guys down here in DC can be annoying little pricks. Having said that, you can let the lovely lady off the hook if you need to. I think we’re good for the vote.”
My stomach drops. I wasn’t anticipating this.
I thought Erika would have to pose as my fiancee for at least a few more weeks if not months. I think…I was counting on it.
“Uh, ok, Senator. Thank you. Let me know if you need anything else. We are also coming up with a backup plan, just in case.”
“Just in case what? Don’t worry, Chance. The bill will pass.” He laughs.
“I know. I don’t doubt you. It’s just, Bennett felt better if we covered all our bases.”
“Yeah, that Bennett—always the thinker. Okay, I’ll let you go, and we’ll get together soon.”
Senator Denkirk clicks off the call, and I place the receiver down. As soon as the phone hits the receiver, and before I can process what he just said, it rings again.
“Hello,” I say, expecting to hear Denkirk’s burly voice again but was surprised when I hear Erika’s sweet lilt instead.
“Hi there.”
“Hey…” I almost stutter. “I’ve been thinking about you.”
“You have? Would those thoughts include dinner?” she asks in a sexy voice. I don’t think I’ve ever talked to Erika on the phone (we usually text), and if I have, she’s never sounded this sexy before.
“With you? They absolutely do. Give me another hour in the office, and then I will pick you up. Where will you be?”
“I’m still at work, so I’ll go over some more numbers and then meet you in your office in an hour. Sound good?”
“Sounds better than good,” I answer.
For the next hour, instead of working like I’d planned, I think about Erika. I think about how I can’t wait to see her again, hold her again, but then I think about what Denkirk just said.
After a few days apart, because I was away on business, the two of us have been spending a lot of time together since I’ve returned. We are becoming quite comfortable with each other, and it feels like I’ve known her for years. We’ve settled into a nice routine, having dinner most nights, and then either I stay at her apartment, or she at mine.
A calmness comes over me whenever she is near. The rough tides of my heart and senses fall into harmony whenever she speaks. Even her honeysuckle scent works like aromatherapy for my aching body.
Of course this was all under the pretense of us being in a fake relationship. We make excuses for all the time that we were spending together as a pleasant byproduct of this “act” we were putting on. But since I’ve learned that I don’t need to keep the act up, what am I going to do now?
When Erika enters my office, my face lights up just from seeing her. Dressed in her fitted business attire, which turns me on more than I could ever admit, she sweeps into the room and plants a kiss on my forehead.
“Ready to go, baby?” she asks.
“Yes, let’s get you fed. I know how ornery you get when you’re hungry.”
She widens her big eyes and smile. “I do not get ornery,” she chastises.
“Oh, maybe it’s horny then… I forget.”
She swats me on the arm playfully as I flick the office lights off for the evening.
We arrive at a fancy Italian restaurant that I know is one of Erika’s favorites, since we’ve dined there before. Everyone in the restaurant stares at us as we make our entrance, and I feel as if we are on center stage, performing a show just for them.
I pull out Erika’s chair as she sits and then make my way to the opposite side of the table. The ambience is nice: low-lit candles, soft classical music, and a smell of garlic that floats through the air.
Erika radiates beauty out of every pore and is the focus of attention for every man in the restaurant. Of course that’s nothing new. She turns heads wherever we go. The funny thing is that she thinks that’s what happens to most women. She’s so delusional. So fucking cute.
She grabs the menu and glances over it. “Mmm, everything looks so good,” she purrs.
“I know what I want isn’t on the menu.”
“What’s that?” She drops the menu and finds me staring at her. Her cheeks blush as she drops her head. “Oh,” she says, chuckling softly.
“Erika, I want you so bad right now. I can’t contain myself.” I reach across the table, taking her hand in mine. Maybe it’s what Denkirk said earlier, but I find myself wanting her in the worst way. I don’t want to let her go. I’m not ready.
The waiter appears, and I jerk myself away from my dirty thoughts and order for us both. Erika cocks her head to the side and stares at me. “I guess by now you know what I like.”
“You’ve eaten the same thing the past few times we’ve been here, so yes, I took a guess. You didn’t want something different, did you?” I search the restaurant for the waiter, ready to call him back.
“No, it’s actually what I want.”
“Good.” I say, laughing.
As our food arrives, I glance to Erika as she lifts the seafood pasta to her lips.
“There’s been something that has been weighing heavily on my mind I’d like to ask you,” I say.
Her eyes pop up and she squirms in her seat. “Okay, fire away.”
“The night by the lake, you said someone special used to take you there. I was wondering who?”
Her eyes drop for a moment and then water as she answers. “My mother.”
“Oh.” It wasn’t the answer I’d been expecting, but by asking her I feel that I’ve hit something emotional hidden behind her deep eyes.
“She died when I was sixteen, and she used to take me there all the time,” she whispers.
“I didn’t realize. I’m so sorry. You don’t have to talk about it.”
“No, it’s okay. She was an amazing woman. She had high hopes for me and my father, but after she died, he and I grew apart.”
“How?” I ask, leaning my hand across the table to comfort her.
“He just never seemed to have time for me, or maybe it was that I reminded him of her. He died a few years ago, and although I miss him, I feel almost like he was always a stranger.”
“How did you mother die?”
“Cancer. It was a long battle and very sad to watch her slip away from me. I don’t think I could ever go through pain like that again. Watching someone you love die right before your eyes…” She raises the linen napkin and catches a few tears as they streamed down her face.
“Baby, I’m so sorry.” I didn’t know what else to say to her. I wanted to take away her pain. Her sadness struck a chord deep within me, and I wanted to ease her suffering. Erika is never sad. She’s always so positive. So happy. That’s how I want her to stay.
“Oh, look at me. All crying and everything. Sorry, let’s change the subject. I’m being a Debbie downer.” She chuckles painfully, trying to hide her emotions of heartache.
“Okay.” I am unsure which direction to take the conversation until she shifts her eyes to me.
“Have you ever lost anyone?” she asks.
“No.” The answer falls from my lips before I can even register what I’ve said. Had I lost someone? I wasn’t sure. Most of my life is a mystery, and many parts of my past are clouded with doubt about events that may or may not have happened.
“Well, you’re lucky.”
“No, I think you are. At least you have sweet me
mories to hold close to you at night. I can’t even remember my parents,” I say, as I swirl my spaghetti on my plate. Watching the noodles swirl in funny shapes makes me smile. Lost in my memory of no memories, I decide it’s time to take Erika out of here.
“What do you mean?”
“My parents left me when I was young. They left me on the side of the street, and a stranger took me in. I didn’t even know my last name, which is why I just go by Chance Parker.
“It’s not your name?”
“I had a thing for Spiderman and as you know his name was Peter Parker. So when I was asked what my name was, that’s what I told everyone– Chance Parker.”
“How awful. Did you end up living with the stranger who found you?”
“No. I mean I did for a while, but then I was turned over to the state.”
“I’m so sorry.” She appears to be even sadder now, and I have to hide my eyes from her. What is she doing to me? I never open up like this. Bennett barely knows this story, and he’s my closest friend.
“It’s okay. You hear stories about kids in foster care who were beaten or neglected. For me, it wasn’t too bad. I always felt like an outsider, but nothing horrible happened.”
“Outsider how?”
“The family I lived with already had a son, and sometimes I just never felt loved by them, but hey, it happens. They still gave me three hots and a cot.”
“Did your real parents ever try contacting you?”
“Nope, and I’m glad they didn’t.”
“Why?”
“I’m sure, if they knew who I am or what I am worth, then they would just want a handout.” The waiter stops by and offers dessert. After we both decline, he brings the check. “And I’m not doing that shit. I can hold a grudge.”
“I think you are a good person, Chance. I’m sure you would help them. I wish I could be more like you.” She drops her head and stares at her hands in her lap.
“What are you talking about? You are one of the best people I know.”
“Hardly, but thank you.”
After I pay the bill, we stand to our feet.
“Home now?” she asks as we leave the restaurant.
“The night is still young, and there is still so much I want to do.”
“Chance, you know I need to wake up early tomorrow.” She laughs as she pulls me into a hug. “The man I work for demands that his employees get to work on time.”
“Fine,” I say, relenting. I don’t want her to go just yet, but I need to respect her schedule.
I hug her a while longer as she nestles her head against my chest. “How about we stroll for just a little while?” I ask.
“Okay, just for a little bit. That sounds nice.”
We set out down the street, hand in hand. The moon holds the sky together, and with the city lights shining brightly, no stars are visible.
“Why do you think you aren’t a good person?” I ask her as we round a corner, heading toward downtown. “Are you an axe murderer or something?” I jest.
“Umm, I may have overstated things. It’s just when I went to Columbia, I studied too much and never really had time for anyone.”
“Oh, and by anyone do you mean a boyfriend?”
“No, I mean my father. I could have tried harder with him.”
“Oh.” We continue walking into the evening as we hold each other’s hand.
“After I left Columbia, I moved in with a boyfriend, and got wrapped up into that relationship. Still didn’t make too much time for my father.”
“What happened to him?” I knew it was a little immature, since it was so long ago, but I hated hearing the word “boyfriend” come from her lips.
“I told you, he died.”
“No, the boyfriend.”
“Oh...we broke up. He wasn’t a nice guy.”
I don’t want to harp on the boyfriend; I’m just glad he’s out of the picture and that is the end of that.
“So, Columbia, huh? You never mentioned that was the school in the city you went to. Nice school.”
Erika’s educational history wasn’t on her resume. At this point in her career, managers like her only put relevant career experience on their professional resumes.
“Uh, yeah, I liked it. And just look, it led me to a great career. I really enjoy working for you at Parker Enterprises,” she says, as her eyes flash to mine. “I like both jobs you’ve hired me for.”
“You’ve been a great employee. I’m happy we found you. I’m happy I found you.” I stand gazing into her beautiful eyes. I was so happy I’d found her. I was so lucky that I’d found her.
She giggles as I say that, and normally I don’t like women who giggle, but hers is like music to my ears. Every sound she makes is like a melodic symphony to me.
Fuck, I’m screwed.
I lean in closely to her lips as she smiles. Moments later, I kiss her. On the street corner of a city gone mad with people, we stand kissing while people bustle all around us.
After our tongues meet, the people in the background fade away, and all I feel is her. Her soft moans awaken me, her hands around my neck ignite my passion, and her lips do a number on me.
“Please come home with me?” I beg, breaking the kiss to stare at her.
“I want to. Really. But my boss has me scheduled with so many meetings tomorrow…” She laughs as she lightly pushes me away.
Laughter rises in my throat, and I chuckle too. “Your boss sounds like an asshole.”
She dips her nose and flashes a grin at me. “Yeah.”
After her admission, I raise my hands beneath her ribcage and tickle her until she breaks out into fits of laughter.
“Not an asshole now, huh?” I question her teasingly.
“No, no.” She pushes my hands away, as she can’t contain her laughter much longer.
I stop my tickle attack on her and lead her down the street, back toward the restaurant where Spencer is waiting with the car.
After I drop her off, I make her promise to spend next weekend with me. I didn’t want to plan anything, just spontaneously let the weekend take us where it would.
I was looking forward to it.
Chapter Nineteen
The next weekend, I pace my apartment as my body throbs with anticipation. Anna has been called to ensure I won’t be disturbed for the evening. Although I was excited to see Erika again, I was also scared about the emotions she was stirring up inside me.
It’s clear as day; I am falling for her.
I have never felt this way about a woman before but Erika is different. She is easy to get along with, like we’ve known each other for years. I am my best self when I am around her. I haven’t even stressed about Fox or the vote over these last few weeks at all, and I know it’s because of her. She’s like the best anti-anxiety medication ever.
I look down at my tattoo, which glows in the fluorescent light of the bathroom. I run my hand across the barcode and trace the letters written on my wrist. I press my lips together and tightened my fist. Tapping my foot along the bathroom tiles, I wait for her to arrival.
I pace from the bathroom to the living room and sit down on the sofa. Where is she? Had she changed her mind? I massage my temples as I inhale a sharp breath.
Fuck, what is this woman doing to me?
I grit my teeth as I run my fingers through my hair, upset and annoyed that she might not show up. I am well on my way to becoming unhinged when the doorbell chimes.
I rush to the door and open it. There she stands in a beautiful red dress. It hugs her upper body tightly and flares out at the waist. Red is my girl’s fucking color.
“Hi. I thought I would dress up for you,” she says almost seductively as she steps inside.
“I love it. You look gorgeous as usual.” I run my hands along her hips and trace the satiny material under my fingertips.
Her hair falls along one shoulder revealing one side of her delicate neck. I kiss her exposed skin and shut the door behind her.
> She giggles as my lips make contact with her skin and she shrugs her head to her shoulder, blocking my access.
“Does it tickle?” I ask, lifting my head to stare at her reaction.
“Yes.”
She is holding a small overnight bag, and I take it from her hands and place it beside the door. Fuck, she smells so good. Like honeysuckle. I want to eat her up; to taste everything she has to offer.
I move her into the living room, and she sits on the couch. I stand in front of her and watch her closely. She crosses her long legs, and I shift myself to control the situation.
“I want to try something with you,” I say in an even tone.
Her eyes grow wide, and she shifts nervously in her seat. “What do you mean?”
“You make me want to try things I’ve never done before with any woman, ever.”
She bites the inside of her lip as she stares up to me. “Okay, like what?”
“Do you trust me?”
She shifts again and drops her eyes to the floor. I reach my hand under her chin and lift her gaze to me. I stand above her, tall and firm, while she sits on the couch gazing into my eyes.
“Well…do you trust me?” I ask again.
“Umm, yes,” she whispers.
“I want you to give yourself to me this weekend. All of you. I want to do things to you I have only ever imagined. Things that will give us both immense pleasure.”
“Like whips and stuff?” she asks in a worried voice.
“No, I don’t want to hurt you, Erika. I want to control you. All of you.”
“I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”
She leans forward and uncrosses her legs. I reach my hand down and offer it to her. She places her tiny hand in mine and stands from the sofa.
“You will,” I say, as I lead her out the front door. “And you’ll love it.”
Chapter Twenty
I lead Erika down the hallway and through a door at the end.
“Where are you taking me, Chance?” she asks as she hesitates.
“You’ll see.”
