Until My Last Breath

by Tiffany Patterson

  “I had another business engagement in Japan.”

  My eyebrows lifted. “Japan?”

  He nodded.

  “Are you working on a merger with a Japanese company?” I couldn’t help but ask, knowing that even if he were he wouldn’t be at liberty to tell me. Things like that were kept private until business insiders were given the heads up. And despite my movement up the ranks within my company, I was definitely not a business insider.

  “No. Nothing like that. Not yet anyway. I just took a chance.”

  I tilted my head. “A chance?”

  He nodded. “I have a suspicion technology will be the wave of the future.”

  “In energy?”

  “In all fields,” he stated confidently. “I want Townsend to be at the forefront of that wave. I am looking to diversify our assets so we’re in position to grow even stronger once the technological changes come about.”

  “You seem confident in your assessment.”

  He leaned forward, forearms pressed against the table. “I have no reason not to be. But I’m not interested in talking about Townsend Industries.”

  “Oh no? What are you interested in talking about?”

  “Us,” came his one word reply, his dark eyes burrowing into mine.

  I nearly choked on the water I’d taken another sip of.

  He’d said it as if there really was an us.

  “There is no us,” I hissed, angrily pressing into the table, my voice going low so no one near our table heard us. The anger I’d felt over the last five years began to rise.

  “You’re angry.”

  My eyes doubled in size at the casual nature of his observation. “You think?”

  He tilted his head and I tore my eyes away from him, hating how great he looked in his obviously tailored suit.

  “Because I never contacted you.”

  It wasn’t a question but I answered anyway. “Yes!”

  “I’m sorry.” It was a simple, albeit sincere apology. But I wanted more.

  “You don’t even know what you’re apologizing for.”

  That was when he leaned across the table, his large hand covering my smaller one. I hated the fact that that sizzle of electricity whenever we touched ignited yet again. His hold on my hand was firm.

  “I’m sorry for rushing off the way I did after our first night together. And for not contacting you afterward.” He paused, glancing around either side of us before moving in closer. “My father had a massive stroke.”

  My eyes widened in surprise and I leaned closer as well. I’d heard all of those years ago that Robert Townsend Sr. had had a minor health issue but the news reports had made it seem like it wasn’t that big of a deal, never going into full details of what the issue was.

  Robert nodded, acknowledging my disbelief and unasked question. “The day before I left. That was what the emergency call was about.”

  “I read about something in the paper but they made it seem like—”

  “We did that on purpose. All types of business snakes emerge from the grass when they think their rival has some sort of weakness. Townsend Industries was under immense pressure at the time, due to the oil crisis. Hell, we still are,” he grunted, anger marring his face. “Anyway, we never wanted to show weakness. So I took over running the day-to-day operations at Townsend while he recuperated. It took nearly twelve months just for him to walk without a cane and talk without a slur. He’s still not back to where he used to be.”

  At that, Robert closed up, evidently not wanting to reveal anymore about his father’s health.

  “I couldn’t get back to campus even though I wanted to. The best I could do was finish our project from afar and get it to you.”

  I gave him a half smile at that. Robert had completed our World Mythologies project and had it especially delivered to my dorm room a week before it was due, saving me an immense amount of time.

  “We got an A on the project, by the way,” I stated, grinning.

  He squeezed my hand. “I know.”

  “You didn’t even make it to your own college graduation.” I’d waited for him at graduation, certain that he would show up. I’d asked a few of his friends for weeks where he was when I didn’t see him around campus. All they’d told me was that he was taking care of family business. That was when my anger started. But even then, I’d waited and looked for him at graduation, hoping he’d show up.

  “My only regret is not getting to see you walk across that stage.”

  Why did his words feel genuine? Why had it been that aside from my own mother and father, my only regret was that he wasn’t there to see me graduate—for us to graduate together.

  “I completed all of my courses from afar. They had to mail me my degree. I was in a meeting with three other heads of energy companies, bargaining for lowered oil prices on the day of graduation. I would’ve loved nothing more than to have seen you in your cap and gown.”

  “You had family to take care of.”

  He snorted. “More like business.”

  I caught the bitterness in his tone but thought better of asking more about it. I’d spent five years rethinking the last conversation we had that night together. He’d shared with me the mistreatment from his own father. He didn’t need to retell it.

  “But I’m not here to talk about business.”

  “Than what are you here for?”

  “To talk about you and I.”

  I pushed out a breath, shaking off the chill that ran through me at the mention of there being an us.

  “There is no us. I told you, I—”

  “Have a boyfriend,” he stated on a flat tone, waving his hand dismissively.

  “Yes.”

  “Then where is he?” he asked, glancing around the restaurant as if trying to find him.

  I gave him a look. “Unlike you, he can’t just take off whenever he wants. Cohen’s working.”

  “Don’t.”

  I wrinkled my brows. “Don’t what?”

  “Say his name again.”

  His voice dropped to that of a warning. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and my nipples hardened. Thank God I was wearing a blazer over the thin blouse I wore to work that day, or else, I’d be in trouble.

  “He’s not here because he’s not relevant. To you or to me.”

  I shook my head. “Don’t say things like that.”

  He parted his lips but paused once our waiter brought our food to the table. I glanced down at the bowl of split pea soup I’d ordered with slices of the restaurant’s freshly made baguettes on the side. It all smelled divine, but sitting across from Robert had done something to my appetite.

  My appetite for food, at least.

  “You’re not eating,” he stated, nonchalantly.

  I suspected he knew exactly the thoughts that were running through my head.

  Just to spite him, I picked up my spoon and began eating my soup with gusto. But when I lifted my gaze to peer across the table at him, the smirk on his face read, again, that he knew he was getting to me.

  “It wouldn’t work.” I shook my head.

  “It’s already working.”

  “We haven’t even seen each other in five years. We could be completely different people. You practically ran a multi-million dollar corporation.”

  In our time apart I’d done some thinking. I’d finally settled on the conclusion that Robert and I weren’t meant to be. Yes, we’d shared a beautiful night together, but that was where it should end. We came from two entirely different worlds. For a woman like me, living the life I was living, making the money I was with the position I had in my company was practically a miracle. Few people ever made it off the mountain. Hell, I’d had a hard enough time adjusting to my life in Palo Alto and then again in Williamsport. There was no way I was ready or even willing to take a chance and enter Robert Townsend’s world.

  “Stop thinking that way.”

  I lifted my eyes to his again, surprised by the command i
n his voice. And turned on by it.

  “How do you know what I’m thinking?”

  “It’s written all over your face.”

  I frowned. “Most people can’t read my facial expressions.” I wasn’t particularly expressive. I knew it because I’d been told more than once at my job that it was one of my professional assets. In a corporate workplace where women were often still seen as too emotional, some of my male colleagues thought it was a compliment to commend me on not being like them.

  “To others. But not to me. Just one look and I know what’s going on in your head. I also know you’re thinking bullshit about not belonging in my world.”

  “You don’t know me.”

  He grinned. “Tell me I’m wrong and I’ll get up and walk away for good.”

  “Really?” My heart rate increased.

  He actually chuckled. “Fuck no. But I wanted to see what you’d say.”

  That elicited a giggle from me before I rolled my eyes at my own self. “We come from two different places.”

  “But we’re in the same place now. It wasn’t an accident that we ended up on the same college campus, being partnered together during our senior year, and living in the same city five years later. Mistakes like that just don’t happen, princess.”

  I lowered my gaze, the butterflies in my belly fluttering from the term of endearment. Swallowing, I placed my spoon down next to my now empty soup bowl and took another sip of water while peering over the rim of the glass at him before responding. “Than what is this?”

  “Fate. Destiny. Karma for something I did well in a past life. Whatever the hell you want to call it.”

  Pushing out a breath, I pressed my palms to the edge of the circular table, sitting back against my chair. His gaze, his words, his entire demeanor were all so intense. I tried to fit as much space between us as I could. Not because I didn’t want to be near him. The opposite reason, actually.

  “I have to get back to work,” I finally stated. I was at a loss for words. Mostly, I was so perplexed on how a man I hadn’t seen in half a decade could come in with one lunch and a few words and make me feel like he was turning my entire world upside down.

  “This isn’t over,” he warned.

  I didn’t say anything as he stood and then moved around the table to hold the chair out for me.

  Robert didn’t hesitate to place his arm at the small of my back as we exited the restaurant once he paid the bill. And while a twinge of guilt formed in the pit of my stomach over the mounting feelings for Robert, at that moment, it felt good to not have to think about footing the bill for lunch. To not be chastised for wanting to enjoy a nice meal at a five-star restaurant every now and again.

  “Thank you for lunch,” Robert said as he helped me out of the back of his chauffeured car.

  “I should be thanking you.”

  He shook his head. “I need your phone number.”

  Surprised, my head jutted backward. He hadn’t formed it as a question. It was an order. I really should’ve been turned off. Instead, I took the pen and notepad he held out to me and wrote my home phone number down.

  He took the notepad with my number on it and stuffed it in the inside pocket of his suit blazer. Moving closer to me, he lowered his face to mine, but just before he made contact with my lips, he pivoted his head, moving closer to my ear.

  “I’ll see you soon, princess.” And with that, he pressed a kiss to the spot just beneath my earlobe.

  My entire body tightened. He’d remembered one of the most sensitive places on my body.

  As he stepped back, allowing me to pass by him toward the entrance of my office building, I fought hard to wipe away the thoughts of how after two years of being together Cohen still hadn’t bothered to get to know my body as well as Robert had after just one night together.

  Chapter Twelve

  Then

  Robert

  “Keep your guard up!” Buddy shouted from the side of the boxing ring.

  I went to cut my eyes in his direction, and was almost knocked the hell over by a blow to my ribs. If I hadn’t of pivoted at the last moment I would’ve easily had a bruised rib.

  “Motherfuck!” I cursed, narrowing my eyes at my opponent, Thiers.

  “Watch your back!” He chuckled as he hopped from one foot to the other, still on guard, his gloved hands raised in the air.

  “You’re unfocused,” he stated, lowering his hands.

  I pushed out a breath and grunted.

  “Let’s call it for this round, Buddy,” Thiers, one of my closest friends, called to the owner of the boxing gym.

  “You sure?” Buddy questioned.

  I nodded.

  “It’s your money.” He shrugged. Buddy was the youngest gym owner in the city of Williamsport. He’d become well known after his father, a famous trainer, opened the gym and he began working here as well. Eventually, he took over ownership after his father died, and he’d become even more successful than his father in a short period of time.

  “What’s going on?” Thiers questioned, tapping me on the arm as we stepped out of the ring and over to the metal folding chairs against the wall.

  I sat, picking up the plastic water bottle I’d brought with me, and squirted water into my mouth, swallowing before I answered.

  “These fucking leaks,” I finally answered, gritting my teeth at just thinking about the problems occurring at work.

  “That’s still going on?” Thiers questioned.

  “I just got a fucking call this morning from a reporter at the Williamsport Gazette. He asked about my trip to Japan last year that nobody outside of the company was supposed to know about. And then he asked about the health of my father.”

  Thiers sat back, whistling. “That’s some shit. You all kept a tight lid on your father’s condition for years now.”

  “It’s somebody inside of the company. I can feel it. I just don’t know who.” I punched my fist into my hand. It was driving me a little stir crazy to go into an office day after day and not know who could be trusted.

  “You know, I have more than one contact who could handle this whole thing for you. Get rid of your little problem and do so quietly.”

  I turned, looking into Thiers’ dark eyes. Sweat glistened off of his dark, wrinkled forehead. He was completely serious. I’d known Thiers for years. His father had been my father’s long time driver, along with a few other things. While Thiers never went on to become a driver like his father, he did take up the less legal side of his father’s business. He had his hand in a little bit of everything. If he said he knew people, I was sure they were legit.

  Briefly, I considered it. That’s how pissed I was becoming over the constant leaks within the company. But I shook my head.

  “I won’t go down the same road as my father. I want to be as legit as possible.”

  Thiers, whose actual first name was Gary, made a disapproving noise with his mouth. “No one gets to the top of the food chain without getting a little dirt on their hands.”

  I nodded, conceding. But then turned to fully face Thiers so he knew how serious I was. “I want as little dirt on my hands as possible. Because when I do get my hands dirty I won’t leave anyone breathing.”

  He nodded his head slowly. “I hear you. Now tell me about your woman.”

  And despite the dark mood that had begun to cover me at thinking about my work troubles, a lightness that I only felt when my thoughts turned to Deborah Tate made its way through the darkness.

  “She’s coming around,” was all I said.

  It’d been a week since I’d taken her out to lunch. The only reason I hadn’t shown up at her office to take her out every day since was because of all of the problems at Townsend Industries. However, I made sure to call her every night. And each time she picked up. It wasn’t lost on me that her so-called boyfriend was hardly ever around.

  “Hey, careful with that.”

  I glanced down to see what Thiers was warning me about, only to notice
that my grip on the water bottle had tightened so much, water had splashed out of the top. The thought of another man so much as breathing the same air as Deborah was too much.

  “I need to go,” I stated, standing.

  “Go? We’ve still got another hour here.” Thiers held out his hand to the empty boxing gym. We’d paid Buddy a nice amount for a private gym session. We did these sessions weekly. I worked hard to maintain my physique. No longer did I have as much free time to do all of the outdoor sports I loved as a teenager and in college. So now, I took it upon myself to make time when and where I could to get in a good sweat. Not only did it help in keeping me in shape but it aided in reducing stress and keeping my mind sharp.

  “You take the hour. I’m going to go see my woman.” I was tired of playing games. Five years of separation had been long enough. And it’d taught me a couple of things. First, it taught me that what I’d dreamt that night at the ski lodge wasn’t just a dream. It had been a glimpse into my future. Me, Deborah, and our four sons.

  It also taught me that we likely both needed that time apart. We’d been young, too young, to truly pursue what I knew was our future. We weren’t children any longer. Boyfriend or no boyfriend, Deborah Tate was mine.

  ****

  Deborah

  “What the …” My question trailed off, as I peeked through the peephole of my apartment door. I’d only gotten in from work an hour ago after another long day of meetings. And just as I’d gotten settled into a pair of sweatpants and I started warming up a can of Campbell’s tomato soup to have along with the grilled cheese sandwich I planned on making, a loud knock sounded at my door. At first I thought it might be Cohen, but as soon as I glanced through the peephole, I knew I was wrong.

  “What are you doing here?” I questioned as soon as I opened the door for Robert.

  He didn’t even answer as he pushed past me, entering my apartment and taking it upon himself to shut the door, locking it.

  “Break up with your boyfriend,” he insisted.

  “Well, hello to you, too.” I folded my arms over my chest.