Candy King

by Christine d'Abo

  He nodded, glancing back over at the computer. “It’s good. Your normal piece.” There was something in the way he said that, not quite dismissive but not exactly impressed. “Have anything else for me?”

  She’d thought hard about what she was going to say to him about the sugar daddy piece on the way over here, had even mentally practiced a few lines ad nauseum. Simone got to her feet and stood in front of Carl’s desk. She opened her mouth to give her rehearsed speech, but instead let out a small sigh. “I quit.”

  It was Carl’s turn to stand. “You what?”

  No, that wasn’t what she’d been planning to say, but Simone knew that it was the right thing to do. The weight that had been pressing down on her for years lifted, and she felt as though she could finally breathe. “I wanted to make sure you had the Williams story, but I won’t be completing the sugar daddy story, and I’m officially giving you my two weeks’ notice. I can put it in writing for you when I get back to my desk.”

  “You couldn’t do it, could you?” Carl shook his head and retook his seat. “I knew it was too much for you.”

  Oh no, we’re not playing this game. “Nope, I did it. Found out the owner’s identity and even wrote the story. It has since been deleted.” The last thing she’d wanted to do was leave any trace of the link between Dylan and the website, so she’d made sure to purge all her research files as well as all her drafts.

  “I don’t believe you.” Carl tapped his finger along the edge of his desk. “Not that it matters. If you were able to uncover the owner of this site, I have no doubt that Mark will be able to do the same, and I’m sure in half the time it took you.”

  “I had a feeling that you might say that.” Simone braced her hands on the side of Carl’s desk and leaned over to stare at him. “I took the liberty of warning the owner that you might do that when you found out I was scrapping the story. They’re now in the process of removing the traces of the information I discovered. By the time Mark gets around to looking, there will be nothing for him to find.”

  She hadn’t said anything to Dylan yet, but there was no way Mark would be able to catfish Dylan into revealing anything. Just to be sure, she’d give Dylan a heads-up and would make sure that all traces of information that could possibly lead back to him were removed.

  For his part, Carl seemed to believe her. “Why? Why would you put all that time into a story and then walk away from it?”

  Her conversation with her dad circled in her head. “Because that’s not the type of reporter I want to be. I’ve been trying for years to become someone I’m not, to write articles that would impress you. But you don’t care about the local shawarma place, or the food truck festival, or the high school swim meet. You simply needed those stories to fill the back pages; they were filler to give you the word count you wanted.”

  Carl shoulders visibly dropped. “You’re right about our needing those stories, but you’re wrong that you never impressed me.” He turned to face his computer and began to type. “I’m not going to talk you out of leaving the paper. I think it’s the best decision for you. However, I have a friend who is looking for a reporter who knows the local food scene. I’m going to send him your information and let the two of you see if there’s something you can work out.”

  Simone straightened. “Really?”

  “It will save him trying to poach Elena from me.”

  “Wow. Thanks.”

  Carl hit one final button before sitting back. “I know I’m not the easiest man to work for. I don’t agree with you discarding the story, but I won’t put Mark on the trail.”

  “Thank you.” That was one less thing she’d have to worry about.

  “Get out of here. I’m sure you’re going to want to spread the news yourself. And make sure that all of your loose ends are wrapped up before you’re done.” He waved her away and turned back to his computer.

  “Thank you.” And without another thought, Simone marched out of Carl’s office.

  Maybe things were going to work out for her after all. Maybe for the first time in her life, she was on the right path to achieving the happiness she’d always wanted.

  And if things with Dylan tomorrow night went the way she hoped, maybe she’d end up with it all.

  Chapter 25

  Music filled the air as a cool breeze blew off Lake Ontario, ruffling the white tablecloth and making the candlelight flicker. Dylan sat playing with his wineglass, swirling the amber liquid, hoping he’d made the right decision.

  More importantly, he hoped Simone would come.

  Yes, he’d made the offer, and he knew she’d seen his message. He hadn’t groveled like that ever in his life, and he still didn’t know if it was enough. If there was a chance that Simone would forgive him and give him a chance to make something work. She owed him nothing, and unlike most other aspects of his life, Dylan knew there was very little he could do to control things. But he was ready to do what needed to be done, to lay things out there and see where they took him.

  For the first time in a very long while, he was ready to put his heart on the line.

  All he could hope and pray for was that Simone wouldn’t crush it.

  When another fifteen minutes passed, he started to worry that maybe things weren’t going to work out after all. He’d just finished refilling his wineglass when the clicking of high heels coming toward him caught his attention. At the first glance of blond hair, Dylan was on his feet, his heart pounding madly in his chest.

  God, she was beautiful.

  Simone was wearing a simple black dress that flared out at the waist into a flowing skirt that swished around her knees as she walked. The neckline plunged to the point of revealing enough cleavage to entice even the saintliest of men. She’d left her hair long and loose, the cascade of gold strands bouncing around her shoulders as she finally came to a stop in front of him.

  She cocked her head to the side for a moment before giving him a little wave. “Hey.”

  “Hey yourself.”

  “I got your message. Sorry I’m a bit late. Traffic was heavier than I’d expected.” She bit her lower lip for a moment before looking the place over. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen this place empty before.”

  “Park owns this restaurant as well. When I told him how I’d screwed up and needed to do something amazing to try and apologize, he offered to rent the whole place to me for a night.”

  Simone’s eyes widened. “Shit, that must have cost you a small fortune.”

  “It’s only money. And besides”—he reached out and took her hands in his—“it will be worth every penny if it has the desired result.”

  “What’s that?” Her voice had gone a bit breathless, and he could feel a tremble in her hands.

  “It would make me very happy if you could find it in your heart to forgive me. I…it feels like a cop-out to say that I’m an idiot or a fool for not having known what I had with you. I’m not going to do that to you, and I’m not going to deny what I did or how I felt. Not when my words and actions hurt you. To simply brush them away wouldn’t change the fact that I was wrong and what I said wasn’t right.”

  Lifting her hands to his mouth, he kissed her knuckles. “I’m sorry that my words hurt you. I was so mired in my own bruised ego that I’d forgotten to stop and see that the world had moved on. I’d planted myself in the ground and had forgotten to grow, to live my life and realize that not everything in the world is about me. That love for its own sake, no matter where the relationship goes, is worth the effort.”

  The entire time he spoke, Dylan was terrified to look up at Simone. He knew that with a glance she could shut him down, send him on his way to lick his wounds, and there wasn’t a thing he could do about it. Tonight was his one opportunity to make amends, to prove to them both that he was capable of being a good partner.

  That he was a good match for Simone.

>   But when she didn’t say anything, Dylan knew he couldn’t hold back any longer and looked her in the eye. She wasn’t crying, but there was something in her expression that had softened. “That was quite the speech.”

  “I’ve been practicing all day.” He’d even rehearsed it in front of Jonathan and Sarah, who were both thrilled that he’d finally pulled his head out of his ass and decided to put his heart on the line. “Can I tell them that I nailed it?”

  Simone turned his hand in hers and laced their fingers. “Maybe.”

  “Maybe?” God, he’d somehow fucked everything up. “What can I do to turn that into a yes?”

  “It will depend on how you answer this.” She took a deep breath before she looked him straight in the eye. “What happens if I say no?”

  His stomach bottomed out, and for a moment, he thought he might be ill. Excuses and arguments flooded his mind, ideas to try and convince her to give him a second chance. But when he really looked at her, he realized that she hadn’t said no, but was instead asking him what he would do if she did. What would he do if Simone wasn’t in his life?

  He swallowed, hoping it would ease the sudden dryness of his mouth and throat. “I don’t know. I’d be upset, but if that was your decision, I wouldn’t chase or harass you.”

  “No, I mean…would you date someone else?”

  “Do you mean, would I go back to being the Candy King? Would I cut off the chance for love because I was rejected by you?”

  “Yes. Exactly.”

  Would he? It wasn’t honestly something he’d really thought about, but now that she’d put the possibility before him, he knew he owed her an honest response. “I didn’t mind being single, and I still don’t think I need to pin my happiness on having a relationship with another person, but I wouldn’t actively shun dating the way I did before.” He let go of her hand and cupped her cheek. “I’d rather not have to find out if I have any say in the matter.”

  Simone smiled, chuckling in that low, throaty way that she had. “You don’t. But you might be able to convince me to stay with a good meal and some wine.”

  “Well, I have a chance then.” He led her over to the table, pulling out her chair for her and draping a napkin across her lap once she was settled. “Wine?”

  “Yes please.” Simone smiled up at him, her eyes sparkling the entire time. “I have another question for you.”

  “Shoot.”

  “If we were to date—and I’m not saying that we will. But if. Things started for us…differently than most relationships. We were up front, which is great, but you were very clear about how far you were willing to take it.” She looked down at her hands and let out a soft huff. “What you said to me back at your apartment hurt. I can’t do that again. I need to know that this time would be different.”

  “Let’s fix that right now. Our sugar daddy relationship is over. It was mutually beneficial and came to its natural conclusion.” Dylan reached across the table and gave her hand a squeeze. “I’d much rather have a relationship with you where we’re on equal footing. Where we’re simply two people who care for one another, who spend time together for no other reason than that they enjoy one another’s company. This isn’t the Candy King and his Sugar Tart. This would be Dylan and Simone, seeing where they can take things.”

  By the time he’d finished speaking, there was a smile fixed on her face and unshed tears in her eyes. “That sounds perfect.”

  Dylan sat back then, feeling as though he’d finally done the right thing.

  Simone cleared her throat before taking a sip of wine. “So my parents? Dad came by my apartment after he’d shown Mom the development. He wants to be put on the waiting list.”

  “We already have a room set aside for him. There was no way we were going to not give our consultant a place to live. I’m glad he’ll be with us. I know Jonathan and Sarah are as well.”

  Relief was evident on her face. “I was going to ask if that was an option. Dad would never ask for special treatment, but I have no issues asking for favors.”

  “And I have no issues granting them.” He took his seat beside her, taking her hand the moment he was settled. “I hope you’re hungry. We have quite a menu that’s been prepared for us.”

  “I love food.” Her grin could power a small country. “I have a bit of news myself.”

  “You’ve turned in your stories, and that idiot boss of yours has given you a promotion?”

  “Nope. I quit.”

  Dylan’s head snapped up, and he gave her hand a squeeze. “What do you mean you quit?”

  “Just that. I quit yesterday.” She took a drink of her wine, not giving him any further details until the waitress set their appetizer in front of them. “Oh, I love crab cakes.”

  It took all his effort not to shake the rest of the story out of her while she bit into the crab cake. Simone moaned as her eyes rolled practically all the way back into her head. Dylan couldn’t hold back a smile of his own. “You’re going to further inflate Park’s ego with reactions like that.”

  “I’m totally okay with that as long as he keeps feeding me.” She wiped her mouth with a sigh. “Right. So I quit. But I’m not unemployed.”

  “Even if you were, I have no doubt that you’ll figure something out.”

  “But I’m not. I realized that you were right. I was trying to be someone I wasn’t, do something that my heart wasn’t quite in. I thought being a serious investigative journalist was what I wanted. Until I sat down and starting writing the story. I hated it. Hated how it made me feel. All I really wanted to do was talk about the positive parts of the sugar daddy site, and I knew that Carl would want me to be hard-hitting. I was trying to do this for all the wrong reasons. Not that it wouldn’t be good, but it would eventually eat away at me.”

  Dylan knew every word she said was true as relief washed through him. “What are you going to do then?”

  “Be a food critic for a Toronto-focused website. I handed in the Williams development story; don’t worry about that. But it will be my last one for the Toronto Record. Starting next week, I get to eat my way around the city, including cultural festivals and special events. I even suggested doing a story on food at the baseball game! It’s going to be awesome.”

  “What about the website?”

  She shrugged. “The world doesn’t need to know about the Candy King. The people who need your services seem to be able to find them on their own. Besides, I’m discovering that I have a bit of a possessive streak. I don’t want to share you with anyone else.”

  It was amazing seeing the spark in her as she talked about something that she was clearly excited about, something that she loved. Dylan’s heart pounded as he squeezed her hand again. “I love you.”

  Simone sucked in a breath, her eyes widening. “Really?”

  “Yes. I think I’ve loved you for a long time now, though I was trying to fight it. Yes, I know I’m an idiot. But I’m a changed man now.”

  This time a tear did escape the corner of her eye. “I love you too.” Simone wiped the tear away with a chuckle. “I hope you’re not changed too much. There are a few things that I’d like a repeat performance of. I still have some special equipment back at my place that I’d like to use again.”

  And just like that, his cock went hard. “I’m sure we can arrange that.”

  They continued to talk, laugh and drink as the food was brought out. Dylan knew that this was only the first of many nights like this for them. And if, sometime in the future, things between them were no longer working, he wouldn’t retreat back into his shell of isolation and loneliness. Simone had broken the carefully constructed shell that had been around him, keeping him safe from emotional harm.

  Never again. He was ready, willing, and more than able to open up his heart to love. To take what Simone was offering. To build a life, no matter what that looked like, wi
th her.

  She’d just finished taking a bite of sea bass when he realized that he needed to hold her, kiss her. Shoving his chair back with a heavy scrape, he stood and lifted her to her feet as she gave a small squeak of protest.

  “What are you doing?” But she didn’t pull away as he swept her into his arms.

  “Dancing.” He bent his head and kissed her hard on the mouth. “And kissing.”

  “What about eating?” She placed feather-light kisses on his lips. “Did I mention that I love food?”

  “It’s not going anywhere.” Park had been given fair warning that if things went the way Dylan was hoping, they might need to pack up the food to take home with them. “And the night is too beautiful to waste.”

  With her in his arms, they swayed to the tune of a silent rhythm, bodies pressed together. Dylan knew things were never going to be the same, not with this fantastic, beautiful, and charming woman now in his life.

  “I love you,” he said again, his mouth pressed to her temple. “I can’t wait to show you how much every day for the rest of your life.”

  Simone pressed her face to his chest, the warmth of her tears reaching his skin. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “Making my fantasy a reality. For talking to me that first day through the app when you had no reason at all to do so. For seeing the real me.”

  “How could I not see the real you? You’re like walking sunshine on a cloudy day. Everyone who comes close to your orbit can’t help but smile. I should be the one thanking you. I would still be stuck in the darkness of my own making. You helped me see that there is more to life than work and sex. That being in a relationship isn’t just about love, but also friendship and silliness. And I’ll always be grateful to you for that.”

  Tipping her chin back, he kissed her lips softly, breathing in her scent and memorizing everything he could about her. While he didn’t need to be in a relationship to have a full and productive life, having someone like Simone with him was going to be amazing.