Blissful Awakenings

by Penny May

  “I’ve honestly got things to do, Daniel. So, tell me why you’re here or leave.”

  The fake smile fell from his face, and he sat back with a huff.

  “I told you, Courtney. I’m here to see you. God! Am I not allowed to miss you now? You’ve been gone for over two weeks! I wanted to see you and talk to you. You look really great, you know? This place has done you a lot of good.”

  Courtney watched him for a moment. Could he really actually have started to miss her? Once upon a time she would have believed him. After all, they’d been happy once, hadn’t they? And maybe he’d been happy the whole time, and it was Courtney who had been the one to lose interest.

  A tiny part of her started to feel bad for leaving, and then she saw his eyes flick to the table of beautiful women again. Her distrust returned.

  She put her arms on the table. “No. You’re not just here to talk to me. You’re here for something else, though I honestly don’t know what it is you think you’ll get from me. You know I’m not rich. You know my being here is just a short-term thing. So, what is it that you’re really here for, Daniel?”

  She lifted an eyebrow as he opened his mouth to lie. She knew his tells, and the way he was bouncing one of his legs under the table told Courtney all she needed to know about what was about to come out of his mouth.

  “Don’t lie to me, Daniel,” she said, cutting him off before the lie crossed his lips. “Why are you here?”

  “Courtney, I really, truly did miss you,” he leaned forward again, and this time reached out to place his hand on her arm. “Please believe me.”

  Lie. Lie. Lie. It was written all over his body.

  How had she ever stayed with a jerk like this?

  She pulled her arm away and stood, gathering her tray with the half-eaten pizza. “I have to go, Daniel. I have an appointment to get to.”

  He stood as well, but his face was screwed down in anger now. “Oh, I’m sorry. Am I keeping you from your new boyfriend? That didn’t take long, did it? Did you even wait until you got here to hop into bed with him, or did he bang you while you were still back in New York?"

  It was such a quick switch of emotion that the heat of his response surprised Courtney into silence. When she recovered, she quietly said, “I have to go,” then turned to make her way over to the dish return section.

  He grabbed her arm and jerked her back to him. The move caused the tray to slip from her hand, sending the pizza plate clattering loudly to the floor. A quick glance told Courtney that everyone was watching them now. She couldn’t help the blush spreading across her face.

  Daniel had never touched her in violence before, but now his face twisted in an ugly kind of anger that made her think he wanted to do more than crush her arm.

  “I said I need to talk to you in private, Courtney.” His eyes bore into hers, demanding that she listen and follow his command. Suddenly, he dropped her arm and stepped back a pace, slipping a smile back into place so quickly Courtney almost thought she’d imagined the threat of violence she’d seen in his eyes. “Look, let’s just go to your room and talk, okay?”

  Did he really think she was going be alone with him after that little outburst?

  “No,” she said quietly, then more forcefully. “No, Daniel. I’m not going anywhere with you. Go home. Go back to New York. We’re done. We’ve been done. I don’t know why you came all the way out here. There’s nothing left to talk about.”

  “Courtney—"

  “I think the lady asked you to leave.”

  The familiar voice felt like a life raft on an unexpectedly turbulent sea. Courtney didn’t have to look behind her to know that Bo was a solid wall at her back. She had to fight the unexpected pull to back into him for protection.

  “Oh wow, Bo Ryans!” Daniel practically chortled. Courtney was having trouble understanding how Daniel could go from such anger at Bo for dating Courtney to suddenly fangirling all over him. “It’s so great to meet you!”

  Courtney took the opportunity to step to the side so that she could see both men at the same time. Bo wore a silvery-grey suit that lent him an even more powerful air. Normally, her eyes might have lingered on him longer, but the air still had an edge of violence to it with Daniel around.

  “You must be Daniel, I presume. Courtney’s…”

  “Ex-boyfriend,” Courtney quickly filled in before Daniel could say otherwise, “and he was just leaving.”

  “Oh, come on, Courtney,” Daniel practically whined, “I just got here.”

  She turned to him, flailing for how to tell him to leave again before finally realizing that the simple truth was the best option. “I have things to do today, Daniel. Please don’t drop in unexpected again.” She returned to the table and pulled some napkins from the holder there, then picked up the overturned pizza and began to wipe the splattered sauce from the floor.

  “Won’t you at least see me out?” Daniel tried in a last-ditch effort, then pissed away any real chance with Courtney by adding, “Why are you cleaning that up? I’m sure they have people whose sole job here is to clean up after you at a place like this.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Courtney saw Bo’s jaw tighten. She was almost impressed when the next words out of his mouth still maintained a neutral tone. “Actually, this is the staff’s break area. They are expected to clean up after themselves here, though it appears to me that it wasn’t entirely Courtney’s fault that her food wound up on the floor.”

  He lifted a brow at Daniel, and in that one move, it seemed to Courtney that he’d let the other man know that he was playing in the wrong territory.

  Daniel didn’t take the hint. Instead, he plowed on into more dangerous waters.

  “Courtney, you’re eating in the staff area?” He glanced at the table of women now openly watching the show they were putting on. “Like, with the sex workers?”

  Courtney’s mouth dropped open, but before she could say anything, Bo’s voice landed like a hammer.

  “I think you’ve overstayed your welcome, Mr. Clevins. It seems that it’s time for you to go.” Bo’s booming tone brooked no argument. “William?”

  Like magic, William appeared from where he’d been watching from the sidelines of the cafeteria. “What can I do for you, Bo?”

  “Please escort Mr. Clevins from the building. I would hate for him to lose his way during his short visit.”

  “What?” Daniel was finally realizing that his fat mouth had gotten him kicked out. “You can’t kick me out! I’m here to visit Courtney! You can’t keep her locked up here like a prisoner! She wants to see me!”

  He jerked his arm back as William tried to gently lead him away.

  “Courtney,” Bo boomed, “You’re not a prisoner here. Do you want to see Mr. Clevins?”

  Still kneeling on the floor, Courtney dropped the piece of pizza onto the plate that had survived its crash to the hard tile. She looked up at Daniel, giving him a once over. Had she really been with this guy for so many years? Why hadn’t she seen what a slimeball he was?

  She shook her head. “Not particularly.”

  Bo turned back to Daniel. “There you have it.”

  At the same time, Daniel stared daggers at Courtney and practically spit, “You bitch. I always thought that you were useless. Turns out I didn’t realize your real use was as a whore like these other bitches.”

  “That’s quite enough, Mr. Clevins.” Bo boomed. As he spoke, two security guards rounded the corner. Bo nodded to them, then turned back to William. “It seems your assistance won’t be needed after all, William. Frank, David: Please escort this gentleman from my building. And make sure the rest of your team knows that he’s not welcome here again. Ever.”

  The two men approached Daniel, who immediately put his hands up. “Don’t you touch me. I’ll sue you so quick, your heads will spin.” He turned to Courtney before leaving and said, “I’ll see you around.” Then he was escorted out of the cafeteria to Courtney’s immense relief.

  It w
as short-lived though. To her utter embarrassment, tears threatened to spill down her cheeks. Everyone was still staring. She wanted nothing more than to melt into the ground.

  “I’m so sorry, Courtney. He said you two were still together…I just didn’t think about it.” William knelt beside her and began to help her mop up the pizza sauce and grease from the floor.

  Courtney choked back her tears and made her voice steady as she said, “It’s okay, William. You didn’t know.” She tried for a smile but knew as soon as she looked up at the assistant that she wasn’t fooling anyone. “He’s apparently pretty good at deceiving people.”

  “Let me take care of this, will you? It’s the least I can do.”

  “I’m supposed to clean up after myself here,” Courtney sniffed, decidedly not looking up at Bo.

  “I know, but I think it’ll be okay this one time.”

  Courtney paused, and when she did, Bo’s hand entered her field of vision. He was offering to help her up. After a split moment of hesitation, she took his hand and let herself be pulled up to a stand beside him. Some masochistic notion made her glance around the cafeteria. Most people had gone back to eating but were still glancing up to watch what was left of the show.

  “William’s right,” Bo said, following Courtney’s gaze around the room. Curious eyes suddenly found other things to look at. Bo turned his attention back to Courtney, still holding her hand. “I think everyone will forgive you for not cleaning up a mess this one time.”

  His smile helped to lift her spirits a little, but it was his strong hand around hers that gave her a sense of safety.

  She nodded, and Bo led her out of the cafeteria and into the elevator. They were both quiet, and he continued to hold her hand as the elevator began its smooth ascension. Courtney wondered if Bo felt that same underlying pulse of interest she did when the elevator doors closed with just the two of them inside.

  She was surprised when they didn’t stop at her floor.

  Instead, the doors opened on a small octagonal foyer that was decorated in muted hues of beige and olive green. There were two doors, one on either side of the small room. Bo gave Courtney a small almost secret smile and led Courtney, still holding her hand, to the left door. He swiped his access card, and the door popped open.

  It was Bo’s apartment.

  Weirdly, it felt like Courtney had entered the TARDIS. Everything seemed bigger than it should be in here. The ceilings were vaulted with skylights to let in the natural light. A huge sectional couch broke up the open floor plan and provided ample seating around a fireplace that Courtney was sure must be electric. There was a big kitchen with an industrial size stove and a huge island with extra seating to break up the living room from the dining area.

  The most breathtaking part was that instead of walls, everywhere she looked were windows, giving them an amazing view of the city around them.

  “This is...amazing, Bo. This is your apartment?” It was a stupid question, but she felt like she had to say something as he just stood there, clearly waiting for some sort of reaction to the place.

  He cleared his throat a little, as if embarrassed at the opulence of his home. “It is. I mean, not that I’m usually here much. To be honest, I usually spend most of my waking hours—as well as some sleeping ones—in the office next door.”

  She spotted a shelf full of books and was almost sorry to pull her hand from his to go look. It was probably a bad (not to mention nosy) habit to look at what kind of books people read, but she couldn’t help it. As an avid reader herself, she felt like the books people chose were like a window into their very souls.

  Too bad I didn’t bother looking at Daniel’s soul. Might’ve saved me a lot of trouble. The thought rose unbidden, and she had to tamp it back down so as not to get emotional while standing in the middle of Bo’s living room.

  His books ranged from philosophy to thrillers. There were a few titles in there that she felt perfectly summed up his public persona like The Art of War and How to Win Friends and Influence People. But then there were a few revealing gems like Man’s Search for Meaning that suggested there was a lot more to this man than she’d gotten to know yet.

  “I’m really sorry he was able to get into the building and bother you like that.” Bo watched Courtney as she perused his library. He liked that the books were the first thing that drew her attention. “It won’t happen again,” he promised.

  “It’s okay.” She glanced back at him. “Really.” Then gave him a slightly watery smile. “Besides if we keep talking about it, I might start really crying, and that would just be embarrassing for both of us.”

  “Why? You’re allowed to have emotions, Courtney.”

  She turned her back on him, afraid if she kept looking into his dark eyes that she’d either be drawn into that vacuum of need she felt pulling on her or that she really would start crying. With a sigh, she said, “Can’t we just talk about something else? I’d rather continue pretending that Daniel never happened.”

  “Okay.” Bo said, watching her delicately pull a limited-edition Mark Twain from the shelf. If it had been anybody else, he would have warned them of its value and asked—okay, demanded—that they put it back.

  She gave him a quick glance and proffered the book. “This is a limited edition…I’m surprised you have it just out with the other books where anybody can pick it up.”

  “With the exception of you, people don’t usually pick it up.” He watched her ears and neck turn red as she carefully slid the book back into its place on the shelf. He cleared his throat again. At the sound, she turned fully around to face him

  Why does she make me so nervous? He wondered.

  “Maybe we could...talk about tonight?”

  “Okay.” Courtney stepped away from the bookshelf and pointed at one part of the sectional. “Mind if I…?”

  “No, please. Go ahead.”

  She plopped down on the couch, and he couldn’t help but feel like she somehow belonged there. It was a weird feeling. He almost never spent time in this apartment because, despite the natural light and warm tones, it always felt cold to him somehow.

  Now, though, he realized it wasn’t the room but rather who was in the room that made the difference. And having Courtney in the space gave it a warmer, more homey feel than he’d ever experienced when Kitty had lived in the suite.

  He chose a spot a few feet from her, careful not to get too close but not so far away that he couldn’t reach out and touch the warm, smooth skin he ached to caress. “I think Olivia filled you in on tonight’s event, yes?”

  Courtney tilted her head a little in thought, and he wondered if she even realized she was doing it. “She did. It’s a charity event, right?”

  “Yes, but there might be…” he paused, searching for the right words to describe what he expected from the evening.

  “Drama from an ex?” Her smile was the exact right touch of sardonic.

  He let out a bark of laughter before schooling himself, though he couldn’t quite suppress a grin. “Yes. That’s one way to put it.”

  Courtney shrugged. “I’m apparently no stranger to that. Though I’ll admit, I didn't realize he was like that until today.”

  “Sounds about right.” Bo’s tone was dry and for just a second, he had this lost look about him before it was suddenly gone again. Tamped down under some innate need to be the strong alpha male. “You think you know a person, and then they show you their true nature.”

  Courtney remembered the story about his ex, Kitty. Compared to that, Daniel seemed like a walk in the park. She tried to bring the conversation back on track before she gave in to a sudden desire to close the distance between her and Bo. She wanted to erase that lost look from his face forever.

  Instead, she shifted the topic. “Speaking of knowing a person, what changed your mind about...this.” Courtney gestured between them.

  Bo’s expression turned wry. “I…I really like you, Courtney. I still want something that’s exclusive, bu
t…” He paused as he struggled to find the next words. In an uncharacteristic gesture of nervousness, he smoothed a hand over his perfect hair and fell silent.

  When Courtney couldn’t take it any longer, she finally prompted. “But…?”

  He blew out an almost explosive breath and stood to pace the room, putting space between them. “But, my PR team says you’re...good for my image.” He glanced over at her as he said this to gauge her reaction.

  The excitement in the pit of Courtney’s stomach suddenly turned sour. So, Bo hadn’t asked her to the charity event because he wanted her there. He’d asked her because it would make him look good to have her there on his arm. Not even really eye-candy, but more like social media bait.

  “Oh.” Courtney wasn’t sure what to say other than that.

  “I’m sorry. I feel like an asshole even asking you—"

  “I mean, technically, you didn’t ask me. Olivia did. Though she didn’t tell me the real reason.” Courtney was somewhat impressed by her own cool tone. It wasn’t cold. Just carefully neutral.

  Bo stopped pacing and gave Courtney his full attention. “I do want you there, Courtney. By my side.”

  “But only for outward appearances.”

  Bo hesitated, so Courtney pushed on.

  “You only want to date me if I’m not dating anyone else. But you’re okay with letting the public think we’re dating when we’re not.” She wasn’t so much making a statement as just feeling out what was going on here. It felt weird and almost hypocritical that he was okay with purposely putting out a false narrative to the public.

  “I wouldn’t be with anyone else while I was with you. I’d expect both of us to be exclusive.” Annoyance tinged his voice. “I don’t think I’m asking too much here, Courtney.”

  Courtney took a deep, steadying breath, then stood. “You’re not asking too much, Bo. But you’re asking for more than I’m willing to give anyone right now. I don’t want to be one of those women who can’t stand on their own two feet for five minutes without jumping back into a relationship. I’m using my time here to figure out who I am and what I like.”