by Lynn, Sandi
“It’s coming along. I have a couple things left to do, and then the first draft will be ready for you to see.”
“Good. I can’t wait to see it. How about we meet at one o’clock?”
“I’ll put you in my calendar.” She smirked.
“And I’ll put you in mine.” I winked.
She walked out of my office and just as I pulled the muffin out of the bag, my phone rang.
“Grayson Rhodes.”
“Grayson, it’s Conrad.”
Shit.
“Conrad, how are you?”
“Listen, I hear you’re having someone else design the high rise.”
“You’ve heard correct.”
“What gives, Grayson? You know we do all your building designs.”
“I know. I hired a new employee and I’m having her take a shot at it. She had some designs in the back of her portfolio that caught my attention, so I figured why not.”
“Does your grandfather know about this?”
“My grandfather is aware and doesn’t have an issue with it. Listen, Conrad. This is my company and I decide who designs our buildings. If you’re worried about losing our account, then you should be after this phone call. Nobody questions the decisions I make. Understand me?”
“I’ll be talking to your grandfather about this.”
“Go ahead and talk to him. We’re done here.”
I ended the call and threw my phone across my desk. I couldn’t wait until this company was fully mine. Because as soon as it was, Conrad and his company were fired.
Chapter 22
Harper
I walked out of Grayson’s office with the Starbucks bag in my hand and I could see the looks some of the women gave me and I could hear the whispers as I passed by. I ignored them and went into my office. Sitting down at my desk, I smiled as I opened the bag and took out the cranberry muffin Grayson bought for me. The way he made me feel was unlike anything I’d ever felt before. I’d never connected with anyone like I did with him, especially last night. Being with Grayson made me realize that the feelings I had for Kevin were nothing compared to what I felt for him. I wasn’t falling in love with Grayson Rhodes, I already had fallen.
“Whatcha eating?” Curtis asked as he walked into my office.
“A cranberry muffin from Starbucks. Want some?”
“No thanks.” He held up his hand. “I’m not a fan of cranberries. How is the high rise coming along?”
“See for yourself.” I turned my computer screen around.
“Damn. You did all that?”
“Yes. Do you think Grayson will like it?”
“Hard to say. He’s very particular.”
“Listen, when I was walking to my office earlier, I noticed some of the women giving me looks and whispering. Have you heard anything?”
“I know a couple of the women aren’t happy you’re here. They think Grayson is playing favorites and they don’t like it. But don’t let them bother you. They’re just jealous because you’re a beautiful woman and well, they’re them.” He smirked.
“I need to finish this project before one o’clock. That’s when I’m meeting with Grayson.”
“Sure. If you need anything I’m right down the hall.”
“Thanks, Curtis.”
I headed down the hall to use the restroom. As I was in the stall, I heard the door open and two women walked in. I sat and listened as they carried on a conversation at the sink.
“I don’t know why Grayson thinks she’s so special. I don’t even think she’s that pretty.”
“Right? I’m sure he’s using her to his advantage like all the other women. It just pisses me off that I asked him if I could work from home a couple days a week because I didn’t have a babysitter for my kid, and he said no. Then he hires that bitch and lets her do whatever the hell she pleases.”
“Whatever is going on between them won’t last. He’ll get tired of her soon enough like he always does with women.”
I waited until they left before leaving the stall. I would not let what they said get to me because they were nothing but insecure and jealous women.
It was one o’clock, so I grabbed the 3D printout from the printer and headed down to Grayson’s office.
“Perfect timing.” He grinned. “I just got off a conference call. Bring the printout over to the table.” He gestured.
I did as he asked and spread it out. He looked it over as silence filled the room for what seemed like an eternity. I was nervous that he hated it. Shit. What if he did? What if I totally fucked this whole project up? The sick feeling that arose in my belly wasn’t from the baby, it was nerves.
“I must say, this is unique with the scalloped edging. What made you do that?”
“Just like you said, it’s unique. Pretty much all the high rises in this city look the same. I believe if you add a building that stood out amongst the rest, especially an apartment building, it’ll gain attention which is what you want. You want to fill all 260 apartments before they even complete the building. This is a building people will talk about. It’s unique, but classy. The wealthy people are always trying to outdo each other and want to be the talk of the town, and what better way to do that than to buy an apartment in a building that’s so different from everything else and different from what everyone else lives in.”
“You know what, Harper? I think you’re on to something here. I like it.”
“You do?”
“Yes.” The corners of his mouth curved upwards. “The build will cost more than I originally expected, but that’s okay. I'll send this out and have a model made. I knew I made the right decision by having you design this.”
“Thank you, Grayson. Can I talk to you about something?”
“Of course. You can talk to me about anything.”
“There’s been some talk around the office about me and how some employees feel you’re giving me special treatment by letting me only work in the office two days a week.”
“Is there now?” he asked as he brought his hand up to my cheek. “Ignore them and the talk. It’s none of their concern what I do. And if they want to hold it against you, then they’ll be punished for behaving like children. That I can promise you. Okay?”
“Okay.” I softly smiled.
“Good girl.” His lips brushed against mine. “Why don’t you take the rest of the day off? I’ll have Curtis email you a couple projects for you to work on for the rest of the week.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I have a dinner meeting tomorrow night, so how about we get together Friday night? I’d like to see you again.”
“Friday will work.” I smiled as the fluttering in my belly began.
“We’ll have dinner at my place, and if you’re willing, I’d like you to spend the night with me.”
“I’d love too.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” His hand softly stroked my cheek. “I’ll swing by and pick you up after work.”
“I’ll be ready.”
Chapter 23
Harper
Laurel, Charlotte, and I climbed out of the cab, entered the medical building and took the elevator up to the third floor. After signing in, I took a seat next to my best friends as we waited for them to call my name.
“Thanks for coming with me.”
“You know we wouldn’t miss this for the world.” Charlotte smiled.
“Yeah. We told you we’d be with you every step of the way,” Laurel spoke.
“Harper.” I heard my name called.
Getting up from our seats, I weighed in and then we were taken to room three where we waited for Dr. Graham to come in.
“You only gained three pounds. Is that normal?” Laurel asked. “Shouldn’t you have like gained more?”
“I think three pounds is enough right now.” I laughed.
“Good afternoon.” Dr. Graham smiled as she stepped inside the room. “How are you feeling, Harper?”
“I’m feeling gr
eat, Dr. Graham. Except for being tired all the time.”
“That’s perfectly normal in your first trimester. As soon as you hit your second trimester that will subside. Lay down for me and pull up your shirt.”
She grabbed the transducer and pulled the ultrasound machine closer to the table. After squeezing the warm gel on my belly, she placed the transducer on me, pressed down, and began moving it around.
“Here’s your baby, Harper.” She smiled.
Tears started to fill my eyes as I watched the screen and saw my baby for the first time.
“And here’s the heartbeat. Nice and strong.”
Charlotte and Laurel both gave my hands a squeeze as they watched the monitor.
“Ah, look at that little peanut,” Charlotte spoke.
“Everything looks good, Harper. Your baby is growing right on schedule.” Dr. Graham took a cloth, wiped the gel from my belly, and helped me up. “Here are a couple pictures for you and I’ll see you in one month.” She smiled. “If you have any difficulties or something doesn’t seem right to you, call me.”
“Thank you, Dr. Graham.”
As we walked out of the medical building, I couldn’t stop staring at the picture of my baby.
“That was so cool,” Laurel said. “Who’s in the mood for Thai?”
The restaurant was pretty crowded, but we were lucky enough to get a table by the window. After placing our order, I picked up my water, took a sip and prepared myself to tell them I’d slept with Grayson.
“So, Harper, how’s Grayson doing?” Laurel asked.
“Funny you should ask. I slept with him two nights ago.”
“What?!” Charlotte blurted out. “And you’re just telling us now?”
“I know and I’m sorry. I wanted to wait until today to tell you in person.”
“How was he?” Laurel asked. “We want every last detail.”
“It was magical. I can’t even put the experience into words. I’d never felt that way during sex before,” I spoke as I chewed my bottom lip.
“Shit. So now what?”
“I don’t know. I made dinner for him the other night and he brought me a dozen pink roses. Then the next morning, he bought me a cranberry muffin from Starbucks and gave it to me when I got into the office.”
“Isn’t that what you shared the first time you met?” Charlotte asked.
“Yeah.” I smiled.
“That’s so romantic. Sounds like someone is in love,” Laurel spoke.
“I’m going to his place for dinner tomorrow night and he asked me to stay the night.”
“Shit. Seriously? I need to meet this guy,” Laurel said. “It’s not fair that Charlotte already did. I feel left out.” She pouted.
“You’ll meet him soon. I promise.” I let out a light laugh.
“Don’t you think this is happening a little too fast?” Charlotte asked.
“Maybe it is but it just feels right. I think he’s the one. The man I’ve been searching for my entire life.”
“Whoa.” Charlotte put her hand up. “You barely know this guy. The timing just seems weird to me. You decide to have a baby on your own and then suddenly, this guy appears in your life, gives you a job, moves you in to the building his company owns and doesn’t give a shit that you’re pregnant with someone else’s baby. I don’t know, Harper, something is bothering me about this whole situation. Grayson Rhodes is a millionaire, and he’s number one on the New York’s most eligible bachelor’s list. Guys like him just don’t settle down. Especially with a woman who’s pregnant.”
I was growing angrier by the moment listening to her spew her words.
“You sound like you’re jealous, Charlotte.”
“I’m not jealous, Harper. I’m being honest with you. This isn’t like you. Especially after what happened with Kevin. The most important thing in your life is that baby you’re carrying, and that’s what you should be focusing on. Not a man like Grayson Rhodes.”
“Charlotte, I think you should just stop,” Laurel spoke.
“Why? Because I love her enough to express my feelings about this situation. I don’t trust a man like him, and you shouldn’t either.” She pointed at me.
“What’s this really about?” I asked. “Are you implying that I’m not good enough for someone like him? That I’m only destined to date assholes?” I voiced louder than I should have.
“That is not what I’m saying. I just don’t want to see you get hurt again. You’re trusting way too quickly, and I think you’re not using your head when it comes to Grayson Rhodes.”
“No!” I stood up from my chair. “You’re just jealous because you can’t find a decent man of your own. You’re just a lonely hairstylist who keeps getting ghosted from every guy you meet up with. I’m not hungry anymore. I’m going home.” I walked away.
“Harper, wait!” Laurel exclaimed, and I ignored her and left the restaurant.
I was furious with what Charlotte said. How dare she? She’d always been honest and opinionated but this time she took it too far. I went home, threw my purse down and started the water for a bath. I was hurt. So hurt by my best friend’s actions.
The last time I’d heard from Grayson was last night when he texted me goodnight. I felt the need to reach out to him, so I sent him a text message.
“Can you talk for a minute?”
A moment after I sent that text message, my phone rang, and it was him.
“Hello.”
“Hey. I only have a few minutes. I’m on my way to a meeting. Are you okay?”
When I heard the sound of his voice, the anger I’d felt went away.
“Yeah. I just wanted to talk for a minute.”
“I can tell by the sound of your voice something is wrong. Talk to me, Harper.”
“It’s silly. I just had a fight with Charlotte, and I said some things I shouldn’t have.”
“What did you argue about?”
I couldn’t very well tell him that the argument was about him and how Charlotte didn’t trust him.
“It was really nothing. I’m sorry to have bothered you with this. I just wanted to hear your voice.”
“Don’t apologize. You’ll work things out with Charlotte. She’s your best friend and the two of you can’t stay mad at each other for very long. Listen, I just got to my meeting, so I have to go. Are you going to be okay?”
“Yeah. I’ll be fine. Thanks for calling.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll call you later tonight.”
“Okay.”
I ended the call, climbed in the bathtub and then changed into my pajamas. It was only four o’clock, but I didn’t care. I was tired and I just wanted to be comfortable. Plus, I wasn’t going anywhere the rest of the night, and I had projects to work on that Curtis sent me.
Chapter 24
Grayson
I shook my head and placed my phone back in my pocket. Girl drama. I rolled my eyes. After I left the office, I met Julius at Edward’s in Tribeca. He wasn’t there yet, so I grabbed us a table and ordered us a couple beers.
“Sorry I’m late,” he spoke. “Traffic is a bitch and the cab I was in almost got in a fucking accident.”
“Traffic is always a bitch, my friend. You know that. We’ve lived here our whole lives. Besides, I’ve been telling you to get your own driver. I’m sure Yasmin would love you for that.”
“She already loves me. Besides, I’m not extra like you.” He smirked as he picked up his menu. “Thanks for the beer, bro. I really need it today.”
“Bad day at the office, dear?” I smiled.
“Just a shit show. I had to fire one of my employees for incompetence. He mixed up someone’s sperm samples and the woman who came in to get inseminated almost ended up with the wrong sperm. It’s a good thing Cassie noticed it first. So, I’m afraid to ask. How are things going with Harper?”
“I slept with her,” I spoke with an arch in my brow as the corners of my mouth curved upward.
“Why am I not surpr
ised.”
“She’s mine now. She’s all in and everything is going perfect according to plan. My grandfather wants to meet her as soon as he gets back from his trip. Once he does and I show him I’m in love with her, all that nonsense about signing the company over to Alfie will disappear.”
“And you’re not developing any feelings for her at all?”
“No. How could you even ask that? You know me, Julius, and you know where I stand with women and relationships. Harper already called me today all upset because she had a fight with one of her best friends and she wanted to talk.” I sighed. “It’s that kind of shit I can’t stand.”
“I hope you were nice to her about it.”
“Of course, I was. I listened and offered her a piece of advice. I have to play the concerned boyfriend, don’t I?”
“Oh. So now you’re official?” His brow raised as he took a sip of his beer.
“Not yet. But we will be before my grandfather gets back. I’m having her over tomorrow night for dinner and I’ve asked her to spend the night. Of course she was more than happy to accept.” I smirked.
“You, my friend, are a cold-hearted bastard. I’m not sure why I even associate myself with you.”
I rolled my eyes as I picked up my beer.
“You seem to have forgotten that you were exactly like me at one time. The only difference is I’m not stupid enough to fall in love.” I gave him a wink. “I was thinking that maybe the four of us can have dinner Saturday night at Per Se. Are you and Yasmin available?”
“Yasmin left for Chicago this morning and she’s going to be gone for about a month. Her aunt is very ill and she’s going to take care of her. I’m going to fly there and spend the weekends with her starting next weekend.”
“Then it’ll just be the three of us.”
“Bro, I don’t know. I know you said she won’t recognize me, but what if she does?”
“She won’t. And whatever you do, don’t tell her you’re the director at the cryobank.”
“So you want me to lie to her as well?”