Forever with Me

by Trilina Pucci

  “Sleep now, baby. I’ve got you.”

  I drift into a sleep too deep for monsters and shadows.

  Waking up, I let my body acclimate to the light and sounds. Stretching my limbs out, I slowly open my eyes to my empty hotel room. I look around for Cole and then over my shoulder to see the clock, which reads two p.m. I’ve slept another day away. Geez, I need to get my days and nights straight. I throw my legs off the side of the bed and roll my head around in an attempt to de-stiffen my neck. I slept like the dead and I have Cole’s magic penis to thank for it. I pad out to the sound of the sports network coming from the living room and walk into Cole’s arms for a hug.

  “Hi,” he mouths, pulling his mouth from the phone and kisses my head.

  I smile back, pulling away to go to the coffee. I need the coffee! After pouring a cup, I snuggle on the couch and watch Cole handle his conversation. No matter what the conversation entails, he doesn’t take his eyes off me. I can feel his eyes watch me grab the remote and turn the television to the Food Network. I can feel him watch me fluff the pillows on the couch for a more comfortable spot and I know he is watching when I lick my lips after taking a sip of coffee. Knowing he is watching is making it very hard to concentrate, to say the least.

  “Handle it. I have full faith that you will find the solution and not let this situation turn into a full disaster. What we all need right now is stability and a dose of morale. Our employees need to maintain faith that we will always work in their best interest and that interest is always aligned with company values.”

  My curiosity gets the best of me and I gesture to him to say “what’s up?” I’m really hoping that this doesn’t have anything to do with his arrest, because I secretly harbor some guilt over that, even though I know that I had nothing to do with it. I can’t help but feel bad about his life being so negatively affected by my dumb baggage and the fact that he is so amazing about it makes me feel even worse. I wish he would just be mad at me for a minute. His sainthood will be my demise! Perfect asshole. I laugh to myself at the crazy that exists within my mind.

  “Nothing to worry about,” he reassures, pulling the phone from his ear. “Within any company, sometimes the employees want one thing and corporate wants another. I try to find middle ground. Nobody gets their cake and to eat it too.”

  “Aww, softie, you are a good boss”. I blow him a kiss.

  Smiling, he tosses his phone on the chair and walks over to me, planting a kiss on my lips.

  “Mmmm, you taste kind of like cake. I guess I could have my cake and eat it too?” Biting his lip he draws back to look at me.

  “You are disgusting!” I laugh, swatting at his shoulder. Cole just wags his eyebrows in response.

  “How’d you sleep?” he asks, grabbing my coffee and taking a sip.

  “Amazing, thanks to your magic penis…”

  “Magic penis? So, I’m like David Cockerfield?”

  I spit my coffee out that I just sipped and double over with laughter. Cole joins in and we both have to catch our breath from the laughter.

  “I could do this all day, you realize this!”

  “Yes! Yes, I realize, but before you hold me hostage with all your insane jokes, maybe I could carve out time to see my best friend?” I respond as my laughter slowly dies down.

  “I’ll try to hold the jokes off for a while. Go get dressed and we can get going.”

  Giving him a kiss, I jump off the couch and head back toward the bedroom. Cole follows saying, “I talked to Foster this morning after I put you to sleep and he said Alex is doing well. Still a sleeping beauty, but the swelling in her head has gone down and her body is functioning just fine. The doctors are really optimistic that she’s healing.”

  I listen from the bathroom, holding onto the counter for stability. I cannot even think of the alternative. She has to wake up and get back to business as usual. There just isn’t any other reality I see for her. That girl means everything to me and if she doesn’t wake up, a piece of me will forever be missing.

  Being at the hospital is never fun, but I am acutely aware of everything around me today. It’s like my body is hypersensitive to the sounds of the machines and the silence. I especially hate how quiet it is. Turning on the television, I try and block it out. I don’t know why I am so creeped out, but I am. Even knowing that Foster and Cole are both right outside the door, I spend an hour talking to Alex about anything and everything until my one-sided conversation starts to feel stupid. I sit for a moment, wondering if she can hear me and wishes she could respond, hoping that maybe she will wake up soon.

  “Hey, I have that interview the day after tomorrow. Wish me luck. I feel like I’m losing them. I will mention I have a friend in a coma and maybe they will take pity and hire me.” I wait for a second, hoping she will open her eyes and point out my sad sense of humor, but she doesn’t, so I stand to leave.

  Cole and Foster decide at that moment to walk back in, exchanging sympathetic glances at me. I’m not trying to hide my sadness, I can’t. It’s just on me and I can’t escape it. Foster walks past me and pats my shoulder as he does, taking his post at Alex’s side. Cole reaches out to me and I happily walk into his arms, letting them wrap around me. We all just stay quiet for a few minutes until Foster interrupts the silence.

  “Hey, Mia, the nurse gave me a bag of Alex’s stuff, but I am just staying here, will you take it back to her place or yours. You know how she is with her phone.” He laughs. “She would kill us if it isn’t charged when she wakes up…” His voice drifts off at the end as he looks at her, brushing her hair from her forehead.

  Walking around, I grab the plastic bag from him and tuck it under my arm.

  “Yeah, I’ll take it back to our hotel and hook it up. Have you made any headway in finding Alex’s mom?”

  “No, the woman is a ghost. It’s sad really because I thought Alex was always being dramatic when she said she was abandoned.” Foster shakes his head as if to rid himself of the disappointment.

  “No, it was always crazy growing up. Her mom was always with the guy of the month, chasing a lifestyle, and Alex was on her own a lot, we spent most of our time together.”

  “People don’t cherish the privilege of becoming a parent,” Cole interjects.

  I just nod my head in agreement, because that really was the gist of Alex’s story. She was abandoned. I met her when I began going to public school. I remember begging my mom to let me go to a public high school the year before my freshman year. I was looking to escape the snobby ridiculous fauxcolites that attended my private school. Alex was the first person I met, we both thought P.E. was an extreme waste of our time, so we basically bonded over our laziness. It was perfect, from the day we met we were bonded for life. My mom was always welcoming to Alex hanging out, probably because she was happy I made a friend. Regardless, we took advantage of the allowance and spent many a night giggling in my room and dreaming up our perfect lives. Alex always knew she wanted to work in print. Which was perfect because she adored the fantasy that fashion provided and who doesn’t love the quizzes in those magazines? Plus, she was great at putting a spin on almost everything. That trait came in handy for the both of us in high school.

  I laugh under my breath at the memories of our shared mischief and try to regain my focus, bringing me back into the conversation with Cole and Foster.

  “Ready to head back, sweetheart? I have to drop by the office for a bit, I can drop you at the hotel. Give me Alex’s bag and I’ll have everything taken to the penthouse to be boxed up.” Kissing my forehead, he takes my things, literally removing the stress I feel.

  “Yeah, that’s fine.” Frankly, I just wanted to crawl back into bed. I was feeling exhausted by my sadness.

  I know there is so much to be grateful for, Alex is showing signs of improvement, but I think the weight of our reality is starting to take its toll. I just need to keep my focus and prepare for my interview in two days. I need to keep myself positive and pushing forward. For m
ine and Alex’s sake, she doesn’t need a friend wallowing and mourning her when she is getting better.

  The next two days go by in a blur between hospital visits and making sure that I get my schedule back to normal. I have managed to pull myself into a pretty good rendering of a professional. Sitting in the lobby of the advertising firm, I remind myself to take deep breaths. I have been looking forward to this day before this week from hell. I was super stoked to have this piece of the puzzle fit in its place. I pull my phone out of my purse and check the messages, re-reading my last message from Cole.

  Good luck baby, remember that if you don’t want this, don’t take it. I happen to know of a pretty amazing company that would hire you to run their public relations department… just sayin’.

  For the millionth time, I open the text box to respond but close it without replying. I’m so torn. It would be amazing to work with Cole, after all, it is our company. Although, I don’t really feel any kind of ownership over it. Cole worked his ass off to get where he is, and he has an empire to show for it. I want the same, without handout or favoritism.

  I’m deep in thought when I hear, “Miss Parker?” I look up and quickly place my phone back into my purse.

  “Yes,” I answer as cheerily as I can and follow the sharply dressed suit into the office.

  “Please have a seat,” motioning to a chair in front of her desk. She reminds me of a school teacher from an 80’s movie. Dark suit, hair in a tight bun, with an attitude just as closed off. Fantastic, I think to myself, this should go well. Clearing her throat, she begins flipping through some paperwork looking for something in particular, it seems.

  “Ah yes, I guess my first question would be addressing why there seems to be a large gap in your work history. Would you like to explain the history?”

  I guess we are diving right in. This lady isn’t the kind to beat around the bush. Hmmm, maybe I do like her.

  “Well, I had an accident and needed to recover.” The details and truth are way beyond this interview.

  “I see. I trust you are healed and will not be looking for any additional time off?”

  Fuck, she’s the devil. I almost laugh out loud at her curtness, but manage to keep it together. I respond, “I am ready to get back to work, no additional time needed.”

  “Great, let me give you some details regarding what we are looking for…” As she begins to speak, I start to realize that I am not being interviewed but hired. Holy hell, I know I’m new at this, but I figured any company would want to at least get a feel for me before hiring me. I’m stunned by the quickness, but then a nagging feeling starts to creep in and I wonder if Cole has made a call on my behalf. If he has, I will kill him. He knows how important it is for me to regain my life myself.

  When the schoolmarm finishes, I smile sweetly saying, “I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but am I being hired for the position?”

  “Well, you were initially called in for an interview, but we received a very high recommendation from the higher-ups, so yes, you are being hired. Frankly, I am surprised that you didn’t join the marketing department seeing as how much they backed you. Have you worked with Sam previously?”

  “Sam? Forgive me, but I don’t know who that is.”

  “Sam Johnson is the head of the marketing department, it was because of that memo that you owe your new position. If it were me, I would send a thank you note. There were a lot of candidates for this position.”

  “Yes, yes, I will definitely do that.” I barely remember anything else she says, because I am boiling. Cole is going to get it when I get home. I’m sure my lovely husband is acquainted with Sam Johnson. Son of a bitch!

  After getting all my paperwork together and agreeing my start date would be Monday morning, I walk out of my new building with a bittersweet feeling. On one hand, I’m excited to get going, but on the other, I feel robbed. I’m not sure if I could feel successful knowing that I didn’t really do anything myself. Fuck, Cole. Ugh, why did he have to interfere? I pull out my phone to dial Cole.

  “Hi, baby, how’d it go? Did they hire you on the spot, because they would be fools not to!”

  Seriously! Is he fucking mocking me?

  “Are you kidding right now? Cole, I know what you did. Don’t be a dick.”

  “Whoa, what the hell are you talking about? The only thing I’m being is supportive, and you are beginning to make that difficult.”

  “I’m making it difficult? Me? I’ll kill you, or maybe you can sleep over at Sam Johnson’s house, since you two are besties,” I snark.

  “What the fuck are you talking about, Mia. Is this code supposed to make sense and who the fuck is Sam Johnson?”

  “Wait… what? Why are you acting like you don’t know what I’m talking about?” I ask calmer and frankly more confused.

  “Are you on drugs, Mia. I DON’T know what the hell you are talking about,” he yells. Oh shit, now I’ve poked the bear for, what is apparently, no damn good reason.

  “Okay! Calm down and don’t yell. I’m coming home, we can talk when I get there.”

  “I’m at the office, come here,” he spits before ending the call.

  Well, great! Clearly, Cole doesn’t know who or what the hell I’m talking about and I have just started a fight with my husband for absolutely zero reason. This day is the best.

  I let the driver know where to head even though I’m positive he knows where Cole’s office is. I’m still trying to get used to having an entire security detail with me everywhere I go. I know Cole said it was just until we figure out Alex’s attack, but a part of me wonders if this is just my new reality. As we pull up to Cole’s offices, I stop and look at the top of the building, wondering if the king of this castle is about to lose his shit on me. I laugh to myself knowing that I have really stepped in it this time.

  As I walk into the waiting area for his office, his assistant smiles at me and tilts her head toward the door letting me know to go on in. I push the door open and see him standing, looking out the window. He’s dressed down in a pair of jeans and a crisp white collared shirt. This man is a sex god. Part of me wants to just go over and climb up his body, but when he turns around, the look on his face halts me.

  “Hi,” I smile as sweetly and contritely as I can.

  “Would you care to explain why you have been hurling insults at me and being a ‘dick’ to me… not me to you, as you so sweetly called me, but you to me.”

  Aww shit, I’m in trouble.

  “Okay, listen. They did, in fact, hire me on the spot. However, they were basically told to hire me by an upper-level executive and I assumed—”

  “You assumed that I wouldn’t actually care about your feelings and I would completely disregard your need for independence, because I am a control freak that treats you like my property?”

  “I mean, when you put it that way, it makes me sound like a real asshole, so let’s compromise and say, ‘I assumed maybe you weren’t taking me as seriously as I was hoping for.” I smile at the end hoping he softens.

  I see his smile crack through, “Don’t do that anymore, don’t assume I would ever treat anything you say to me with disregard. Plus, if I was going to interfere I would make sure you didn’t get it… I’m actually a selfish asshole.” He walks forward and grips my waist and pulls me to him.

  “So, should we celebrate, I mean since this is bad news for you, but great for me?” I laugh.

  Smiling down at me, he licks his lips, “Let’s celebrate naked in our bed for the whole night.”

  “Oh, my favorite kind of celebration.”

  Cole squeezes my ass and leans down, crushing me with a kiss that leaves me breathless.

  “When are you done?” I ask between moving lips and roaming hands.

  Pulling away, he looks at me like he’s in a haze, a trance that neither of us can break. Moving his hand slowly up my back, he pauses when he reaches the top of my dress and my insides start to ignite making the zipper sound like the actual crack
le I feel internally. Never breaking eye contact, I can see just how much he wants me. I feel lightheaded, giddy even, knowing what’s coming next. I jump right out of my skin at the sound of Cole’s assistant’s voice interrupting us over the speaker.

  “Fuck.” He groans as I cup my hands over my mouth to stifle my yelp and then my laughter. Walking around to his desk, he presses the button saying, “Thanks, tell the team to give me five minutes.”

  “Sorry,” I grimace, still giggling.

  “Come here,” smiling as he sits down in his chair. I walk over to him, struggling to zip up my dress. When I get to his chair, he turns me around and pulls me onto his lap, pulling the zipper back into place and adding a kiss on the nape of my neck.

  “Okay, Mrs. Parker, you are all set. I want you naked and ready in two hours. I’m leaving early and I plan to bury myself in my gorgeous wife.”

  Leaning back into him, I respond, “I like the sound of that. Good luck getting rid of that chub in the three minutes you have left.” I wiggle my ass against him as I start to stand. Gripping my hips, he pulls me back and grinds hard into my ass and I grip the desk in front of me letting out a small moan, “You are going to be late.”

  “They can wait,” he barks back.

  Fuck, I love when he’s all CEO caveman.

  The speaker buzzes again with an interruption and I’m pretty sure that his assistant is wishing she never buzzed after Cole snaps at her.

  “Be nice,” I chastise, standing and looking over my shoulder, only to catch him checking out my ass.

  He smiles and winks at me, knowing he’s been caught.

  “I can only be so gracious when it seems everyone is trying to cockblock me.”

  I laugh at his ridiculousness and walk to the couch to grab my purse. “I’ll see you in a couple of hours. Naked and wanting,” I purr, blowing kisses to him.

  “Let me walk you out. I have to go that way for my meeting.”