Thanksgiving with Dad's Boss: An Older Man Younger Woman Romance (A Man Who Knows What He Wants Book 84)

by Flora Ferrari

  “How about Scrabble?” he says.

  I’m not sure if I want to open my mouth to laugh at what he did or to say, “Oh my god.”

  Trevor definitely has a bit of a jealous streak, and no question is he possessive. At one point I practically thought he was going to bite into that picture and tear it apart like a pit bull shredding a stuffed animal that got too close to its teeth.

  I feel like boys my age are pretty apathetic when it comes to most things these days, and life in general.

  The girls at school used to complain that you can’t get them to commit to anything and here Trevor is committing to me so fully, completely, and without question.

  I have to admit it turns me on to know my man is totally invested in us. And even though some high school neighbor boy who I went to prom with just as friends is just that, a friend, it’s exciting to watch Trevor react to him in that way. If only Trevor knew that he has more masculinity in his little toe than that boy does in his entire body.

  “Scrabble sounds good. I subscribe to the Word of the Day app so it will be good to see if I can put it to use.”

  Over the next few hours we have the funnest game of Scrabble I’ve ever played, but as we near the finish line the game gets more challenging.

  At one point I’m trying to form a word when suddenly I see a solution.

  I spell out orphan on the board and then look up at Trevor, waiting for him to congratulate me on being able to put together a word just before I ran out of time.

  But he doesn’t congratulate me. He doesn’t even look at me. He just stares at that word and it’s then I realize it has more meaning than I could have ever imagined.

  “Let me see if I can come up with a different word,” I say and I reach for my letters to remove them.

  Before I can put my fingers on the tiny wooden squares, Trevor’s hand comes down and wraps around my wrist, reminding me just how much bigger and more dominant he is.

  “No. It’s a good word. Well played,” he says.

  I look up at him and I’m not sure if I should just go with a thanks or give him a chance to talk through what’s obviously bothering him.

  “Are you okay?” I ask, opting for the latter option.

  “Never better,” he says, but his fingers are still wrapped around my wrist.

  A good ten or twenty seconds of complete silence pass and then he suddenly blinks and shakes his head from side to side. He looks down at his hand and releases my wrist. “Sorry,” he says.

  “Trevor, you have to tell me if something’s bothering you. I don’t like this…this…not communicating. It’s not good for our re-…what we have.”

  He just looks up at me and I fear I may have gone too far. I may have pushed him at a time when I should have relaxed and let him come to me if he wants.

  “You’re right,” he says. “You’re absolutely right.”

  “It’s okay, we don’t have to talk about it,” I say.

  “No, we do. These last few minutes have made me realize some things about myself…and about us.”

  “About us?”

  “Since I saw you everything has been about us. Everything led up to our coming together this Thanksgiving weekend. It may not have seemed like it back in the summer, it may have just seemed like lust or passion, but it was always more. Always. And now that we’re here, that we have each other, we have to have each other entirely. And that means you should know what you’re getting into with me.”

  I just sit still realizing he’s about to open up entirely. I like that he sees the benefit in it and I especially like that he’s going to allow me in emotionally, versus just the physical stuff which we’ve been taking advantage of up to this point.

  “My parents passed away in a car crash when I was young. It made me mad at the world. I thought the world was unfair. But it also showed me I have to live each day like it’s my last. I took that energy and channeled it into building something…something that could take my mind off the pain, something that could have made my parents proud if they could have been here to see me, and something that could change lives.

  I tried to secure funding and failed. Most people looked at me with curiosity or pity, when all I wanted was to be respected for my work and not looked at as someone to feel sorry for.

  I wasn’t able to convince anyone to loan me a dime. Looking back it wasn’t my inability to pitch my idea. That was solid. I know now it was because they must have sensed my underlying anger. For me it was what drove me, but to them it was a big red flag.

  That just drove me more. I became obsessed with learning about business and growing my company, and I did.

  But in the meantime the loss of my parents and the non-acceptance of the business world turned me off of people for a long time.

  My dream to change lives manifested in me only seeing people as cogs in the wheel…a big spinning wheel that I created and that practically printed money.

  But all the money in the world is useless unless you can truly enjoy it.

  I thought I could, with the toys and houses and trips, but sitting in a room overlooking the Eiffel Tower by yourself isn’t a way to live. Neither is scuba diving off the coast of Australia or Mexico and seeing sharks, but having no one to turn to and simultaneously raise your eyebrows to and show that you’re both scared, but together you’re strong.

  It’s those emotions in life that I never had, that I missed out on because I was so focused on one emotion and one emotion only.”

  “Anger.”

  “But when I saw you that all changed.

  I saw light to my dark. I saw clear skies to my clouds. And I saw a bright future versus my reign of terror.

  And this morning when I kind of hung out with your dad, I saw what real family life could be like. Partly because I never tried, but most importantly because of you.

  If you would have asked me if I could be friends with your dad before I came over here on Thanksgiving I would have told you you were crazy.

  Why? Because I wasn’t the kind of guy to have friends.

  But now I see how much I’ve been missing and I don’t want to miss it anymore. I want you and I want everything that comes with you. I want every piece of you and I want you to have every piece of me, because that’s exactly what I’m giving you.”

  I uncross my legs and stand up, moving around the board and wrapping him up in a hug.

  Tears stream down my face and I kiss him hard.

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “Thank you, but it’s okay now. I’m good.”

  “Thank you for sharing. Thank you for letting me in,” I say.

  “Always, beautiful. My heart and my mind are always an open door for you.”

  “As are mine.” I take a deep breath and pull my face back from his, my chest heaving. “My mother passed away when I was young. My dad’s been doing this parent thing all by himself for a long time now. He had to be the dad and the mom, trying to figure it out as he went. And I have to say he’s done an amazing job.”

  “Yes he has,” Trevor says. “Because he raised the most incredible daughter in the world.”

  Suddenly the front door comes flying open and my dad’s eyes find us immediately. I’m crying and Trevor’s holding me tight in his arms, our faces only inches apart.

  “I knew it!” my dad says. “Getting me out of here was just a way to get my daughter alone. Get the fuck out!” he yells, charging at Trevor. “Out!”

  I’ve never seen my dad so angry or aggressive in my entire life. He wears pastel sweaters to work sometimes for Pete’s sake.

  But apparently the thought of someone trying to take advantage of me, or take me from him, brings out the masculine side of him that I knew was buried under there somewhere.

  “It’s not what it looks like, Thomas,” Trevor says.

  “What this looks like is you out that front door right now before I call the cops and have you arrested for trespassing!”

  Trevor turns and looks at me. “Everythi
ng will be okay, but I should go now. Let things cool off for a minute,” he says.

  “Stay,” I say.

  “No! He goes!” my dad says.

  Trevor stands and gathers his sports coat and button down. It seems like time stands still when he slowly puts on his shoes, but the minute he walks out that door time completely stops.

  “Asshole,” my dad says as I hear his car engine turn over.

  The car idles for a minute as it warms up and then I run to the window and watch the sight of him pulling out of our driveway, his car practically wobbling it’s so low to the ground and there’s still snow on the road.

  “He doesn’t have anywhere to go, dad. The road to his house hasn’t been cleared of snow.”

  “He can catch a flight to Timbuk-fucking-tu for all I care.”

  “Dad! No.”

  “Yes. I hate nothing more than a wolf in sheep’s clothing and that’s exactly what he is. Hell, I may even quit my job. I can’t work for a prick like that.”

  “Dad!”

  I’m so angry I can’t concentrate on anything.

  I run up the stairs and lock myself in my room, wondering how this went downhill so quickly.

  I need to come up with a plan, but right now I can’t. I’m too emotional, especially after what we just shared.

  And if my dad has anything to say about it we’re through.

  “I’ll sell the house and we’ll move to another state!” he yells from downstairs.

  If Mr. Pastel Sweater is making threats like these then I know this is real, and I’m really in danger of losing the only man I’ve ever loved.

  Yes, I love him…and this can’t be happening.

  CHAPTER 13

  Thalia

  The next day

  Almost as soon as Trevor left, yesterday the snow picked up which in turn knocked the Wi-Fi out.

  So now, even though I was able to get one of his business cards as a souvenir of sorts, I can’t call him.

  And with my dad sitting downstairs watching football and eating leftovers I have literally no one to talk to.

  I’m in my room lost in my thoughts for what’s been way too long now.

  Suddenly I hear my phone beep and grab it.

  The phone network is back up and I have some missed text messages.

  The first one is from him.

  At the hotel downtown. Can I pick you up?

  And then hours later another.

  Are you there? Talk to me, beautiful.

  Damn! He thinks I’m ignoring him or that my dad has my phone. And how did he get my number?

  Who cares. My fingers move quickly over my phone screen.

  Yes! I’m here. Please come and save me my white knight.

  Okay, it’s a bit over dramatic, but after the way he left and how I’ve felt all night it’s a lot closer to being an accurate representation to how I feel than not.

  On my way. Meet me a block down in twenty minutes?

  My breathing spikes even more.

  Definitely! xoxo

  I get dressed in something nicer and walk down the steps and to the front door where I get ready. I put on my boots and unlatch the deadbolt.

  “Where are you going in this weather?”

  “Out.”

  “With who?”

  “Whoever I want,” I say shutting the door behind me and walking out.

  I make my way down the block not even caring if my dad is watching out the window or not.

  When I arrive at the corner a minute or two later there’s no sign of his Ferrari, but there is a black SUV.

  The passenger side window rolls down and I see him smiling at me.

  I run to the car and jump in and we quickly pull away.

  I can’t help but wrap my arms around his as he moves the stick shift through the gears. The first red light we come to he throws the car in park and hugs me tight while kissing me hard.

  “How did you get my number?” I ask.

  “Your dad’s emergency contact on his employee paperwork.”

  I smile.

  “I was about to drive this thing through the front door if you didn’t answer in a few more hours.”

  “Really?”

  “No, because I’d never do anything that might harm you or put you in danger, but I was going to come by and pay a visit…in order to get my woman.”

  I hug him again as the SUV rolls away from the light.

  “Is this yours?”

  “Rental,” he says. “Way easier to navigate in this weather.”

  “But you haven’t been home?”

  “Nope. Still at the hotel downtown.”

  “Which one?”

  “The only one that’s elegant and beautiful enough to deserve what I need to take from you, claim from you, in the presidential suite.”

  A smile creeps over my face.

  “No more waiting?” I say.

  “I’m done waiting. We tried that and it got us nowhere. Now it’s time to make you mine…forever.”

  CHAPTER 14

  Trevor

  “These boot shoestrings are always coming untied,” she says as we get out of the SUV and walk up to the hotel.

  “Let me get that for you,” I say releasing her hand as I prepare to bend down and help out my princess with her modern day Cinderella slipper…at least one that’s appropriate for these conditions.

  “No! I’ve got it,” she says somewhat aggressively, confusing me.

  She steps off the sidewalk and into the snow but as she does I realize her shoelace wasn’t even untied.

  What in the…

  And right then as I straighten my back I feel a snowball nail me right in the chest.

  She takes off across the snow watching me, laughing her sexy little ass off.

  “Oh no you didn’t!” I say, packing up a handful of snow and lobbing it her direction.

  She bats it out of the air as it nears her and then prepares another, throwing a fastball right at me.

  I try and dodge it but she’s too good.

  “Got ya again!” she says.

  “You little devil,” I say chasing her down.

  But the moment I get my hand on hers she slides out of her mitten and escapes me once again.

  We’re running around like two little kids, or high schoolers falling in love, right in front of this nice hotel.

  And when I finally do catch her we share our nicest moment in the snow yet.

  She falls on her back, taking me with her. Immediately she starts doing snow angels and all I can do is roll over onto my elbows and watch her.

  “How do you like my angel?” she asks.

  “You’re my angel…always, angel,” I say.

  She giggles and I lean in and claim her mouth in front of all the guests having coffee and hot chocolate inside.

  They must think I’ve lost my mind.

  And they’d be right.

  I’ve completely lost it for her, and now it’s time to get lost inside her.

  I scoop her up off the snow and she continues flapping her arms and I continue wondering how I got so lucky to find this amazing creature.

  I carry her inside much to the shock of everyone there and we go right to the elevator and up to the top floor.

  “I’ll draw you a warm bath,” I say.

  “Oh my gosh, that would be perfect,” she says. I was thinking the same thing, but perfect for me.

  I want to wash her as we can finally have the romance we deserve in complete relaxation. The calm before the storm. The connection before another kind of connection.

  The one I want more than anything.

  Once the bath is good and warm I grab a couple candles from the main room, light them, and bring them into the bathroom where I turn out the lights.

  “The tub is fit for a queen,” I say. “My queen.”

  “The queen found her robe,” she says as she moves into the doorway from the other room.

  The soft amber glow of the candlelight makes her blond h
air even more golden, and the skin of her face shine.

  She unhooks the towel belt and rolls her shoulders back allowing the entire towel, and my jaw, to hit the ground.