by Sandi Lynn
“I was just getting to that. How is he?”
“He’s pissed, humiliated, and hurt! That’s how he is, and he doesn’t want to talk to you.”
“Okay. Then he doesn’t have to talk to me. I didn’t love him, Dad. I’m sorry to disappoint you, but it’s my life. He didn’t make me happy.”
“No one will ever make you happy, Anna.”
“Did you really want me to marry a man I wasn’t in love with?” I asked in a stern voice.
“Matthew is a good man with a promising future, and you treat him like he’s scum on the bottom of your shoe. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
“The only thing I’m ashamed of is almost settling because I didn’t want to disappoint you.”
“Well, you ended up disappointing me again, Anna, and I’m afraid that I can’t have unreliable people working at my company. Whenever you decide to come back, you won’t have a job.”
I swallowed hard, even though I was prepared for this.
“I’m sorry you feel that way, Dad. But look on the bright side. You lost a daughter and gained a son. I hope you and Matthew are happy together.”
I pushed the end button on my phone and gently set it down.
“Anna,” Wes softly spoke as he reached over and placed his hand on my back.
“Hey, it’s all good. I was prepared for this.” I took in a deep breath as I fought to hold back the tears.
“I’m sorry,” he spoke.
I took in another deep breath and then let a smile cross my face as I leaned over and brought my face to his.
“I’m up for another round if you are?”
“Definitely.” His lips met mine as his arms wrapped around me.
I awoke to someone knocking on the door. When I opened my eyes, I saw Wes wasn’t next to me. Slipping on the hotel robe, I walked out into the living area, where breakfast had been delivered and set up.
“Good morning.” Wes smiled. “I hope you’re hungry.”
“Good morning. I’m starving. What did you do, order the entire breakfast menu?” I asked as I stared at all the silver platters with lids over them.
“I didn’t know what you liked. So I got us scrambled eggs, pancakes, French toast, eggs benedict, bagels, yogurt, fresh fruit, croissants, and coffee and tea,” he said as he lifted each lid.
“Well, to be brutally honest, I like all of it. Let’s dig in.” I grinned as I sat down.
He took the seat to my left and we shared a scrumptious breakfast.
“How long are you staying in Paris?” he asked.
“I’ll be here about a week.” I smiled as I bit into my bagel.
“Are you going to be okay here by yourself?”
“Of course. Why? Do you want to stay and keep me company?” A smirk crossed my lips.
“Don’t tempt me. I would love to, but I need to get back to the States. Work calls.” He picked up his phone and looked at the time. “I really need to go get ready. I have to leave soon.”
He got up from the table and I finished my breakfast. When I was done, I walked into the bedroom and grabbed my clothes and my purse.
“Thank you for dinner, breakfast, and the amazing sex.” I smiled as I stuck out my hand to him.
He stood in front of me and placed his hand in mine. My heart started to rapidly beat.
“It was my pleasure, Anna,” he spoke as he brought my hand up to his lips. “Good luck with everything. I hope whatever your next adventure is, it works out for you.”
I gave him a heartfelt smile as I slowly removed my hand from his and began walking towards the door. I stopped for a moment and turned around.
“It was really nice to meet you, Wes.”
“It was nice to meet you too, Anna.”
I walked out of his room and over to mine. The moment I stepped inside, I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. I’d done the walk of shame plenty of times, but this one was different. I pulled my phone from my purse and facetimed Franco.
“Anna,” he sleepily answered. “Everything okay?”
“I need to talk to you. It’s important!”
He turned on his bedroom light and put on his black-rimmed glasses.
“Oh. Who’s that?” I smiled as I caught a glimpse of a man lying next to him.
Franco got out of bed and went into the living room.
“That’s Thaddeus. We met at the airport. Don’t ask.”
“Oh. So I guess we both did the walk of shame together.”
“What are you talking about? Did you sleep with someone there already?”
“Franco, I have no words. He was the best sex I’d ever had. I had multiple orgasms. I didn’t think it was possible, and he is so sexy.”
“Way to go, Anna banana. Fucking a sexy Frenchman. You make me proud to call you my BFF.”
“He’s not French. He’s American and he was here on business. Unfortunately, he’s on his way to the airport now to go home.”
“And where is home for this sexy American who gave you multiple orgasms?”
“I don’t know. I told him not to tell me. I didn’t want to know a thing about him. I’m storing this as a memory. One night in Paris with a sexy American that I met while I was supposed to be on my honeymoon.”
“Did you at least get his name?”
“Wes.”
“Wes what?” he asked.
“I didn’t want to know that either. It happened, he’s gone, and I’m going to enjoy the rest of my vacation alone. By the way, I talked to my dad. He fired me.”
“What? Are you serious? He can’t do that. You’re his daughter.”
“Good thing I moved my money, just in case.”
“I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry, but you’re better off.”
“I know I am.” I gave him a soft smile. “Listen, go back to your boy toy and I’ll see you in a week.”
Chapter 5
Wes
My trip was pretty boring until I met Anna. Figures we’d meet on my last night in Paris. At least we shared one night together. A night I wouldn’t forget any time soon. She captivated me, and it had been a long time since any woman had done that. I’d slept with a lot of women. Women who only seemed to care about my money. Anna didn’t seem that way, but then again, she didn’t know who I really was. After I landed, I went home to my Park Avenue penthouse and set my suitcase on the bed. When I opened it, I found a pair of Anna’s panties with a note pinned to them.
“Just a small reminder of our one night together. Thank you. Sincerely, Anna.”
A smile crossed my lips as I held them up. My cock started to twitch, so I tucked them in my drawer as a reminder of her. Damn it. I should have stayed another day or two, but I couldn’t. I needed to be back for an important meeting, one I couldn’t afford to miss. Plus, why make things more difficult.
The next morning, as I approached my office, I could tell something was off with Chrissy, my personal assistant.
“Welcome back, Wes. I need to speak with you.”
“Of course. Come into my office.”
I walked in and set my briefcase down while Chrissy took a seat across from my desk.
“What’s going on?”
“I don’t know how to say this, so I’m just going to come right out with it. I’m giving you two weeks’ notice.”
“Why?” I asked with surprise as I cocked my head at her.
“Now that Tom and I are divorced, I decided to move back home to Seattle to be with my family. I really hate doing this to you, but I can’t stay in the same state as him any longer.”
“I understand.” I folded my hands. “Do you have a job lined up there?”
“No.” She looked down. “I’m going to look when I get there.”
“You were a great personal assistant and it’s going to be very hard to fill your shoes. I can make a few calls to my contacts in Seattle and see if I can get you a job.” I smiled.
“Really?” She looked up at me.
“Yeah. Give me a
day or two and I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks, Wes. Again, I’m sorry to do this to you.”
“Don’t worry about it. You have to take care of you. I understand why you have to leave.” I gave her a small smile as I got up from behind my desk and walked over to her. “It’s going to be very hard to replace you.” I gave her a light hug.
I felt bad for her. She was a woman in her mid-forties and an attractive one at that. She had been married to her husband for twenty-one years before she found out about his mistress and the affair that had been going on for the past three years. I didn’t blame her for wanting to move away, not one bit. I sighed as she walked out and shut the door. Picking up my phone, I called down to human resources to let them know and to find me a replacement for when she left.
“Welcome home, Wes.” Christopher, my friend and vice president, grinned as he walked into my office.
“Thanks, Christopher.”
“How was Paris?”
I stared at him with a wide grin splayed across my face.
“What?” His eye steadily narrowed at me.
“I had the best one-night stand of my life my last night there.”
“Do tell.” A sly smile crossed his lips.
“Her name is Anna and she is the most beautiful and sexy woman I’ve ever met. She was staying in the suite next to mine. We had dinner together and then spent the night in my room.”
“Did you get her number?”
“Nah.” I leaned back in my chair. “I’ll never see her again. She was on her honeymoon.” I smirked.
“Wait. What?” He lightly shook his head.
“She left her fiancé at the altar. Took one look at him walking down the aisle and then bolted and flew to Paris.”
“Damn, Wes. Sounds to me like she has some problems.”
“Maybe.” I shrugged. “At least she knew what she didn’t want. You have to give her credit for that. She called her father while we were together, and they had a huge blow-up. I couldn’t quite hear what he was saying, but it was something about her disappointing him again.”
“She sounds like a rebel to me,” Christopher spoke.
“Perhaps. I have no idea where she’s from or where she’s going to go. But the one thing I can tell you is that I can’t stop thinking about her. I haven’t felt this way in a long time.”
“It was probably best you left it the way you did. You didn’t tell her who you were or what you did, did you?”
“No. She only knows me as Wes.”
“Gotta love those one-night stands. Sometimes they can really leave a mark on us. Well, you had a night of great sex and fun. At least you don’t have to worry about her using you for your money and status.” He smirked.
He left my office as I turned my chair around and stared out into the busy streets of New York City and thought about the little gift she left me in my suitcase.
Chapter 6
Anna
I landed in New York City, and when I went to get my luggage, I saw Franco standing there waiting for me with a smile on his face.
“Bonjour, Madame.” He held out his arms.
“It’s so good to see you.” I smiled as I hugged him.
“How was Paris besides fucking the sexy American?”
“It was nice. I did a lot of shopping.” I grinned.
Franco grabbed my luggage and we headed to his car. When we arrived at his Tribeca apartment on West Broadway, he took my luggage upstairs and into my bedroom, the one he had designated mine since the day he moved in, and the one I stayed in every time I came to visit him. I threw myself on the queen-size bed and he lay next to me, grabbing my hand and holding it tight.
“I’m so happy you’re here to stay, Anna.”
“Me too.” I glanced over at him with a smile.
“I hate to ask this, but have you talked to Matthew at all?”
“No. I haven’t.”
“You know that you need to put closure on this situation,” he spoke.
“I know and I tried to call him, but he blocked my number. So then I went on his Facebook page and he blocked me there too. I called his office phone and Sam, his secretary, told me that he told her if I called, she is not to put me through. You’re the only one who will understand why I did what I did. You’re the only family I have left.”
Franco Stiles and I had been best friends since the moment we laid eyes on each other in the ninth grade at boarding school. His six-foot stature, perfect black hair, and dreamy brown eyes captured my attention. I greeted him with flirty eyes, and right off the bat, he told me he was gay. Of course he was. After we graduated, we both attended Harvard University, where I obtained an MBA and he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Art. He was born with a gift and talent for fashion and was now the proud owner of Stiles Designs.
“Oh, by the way, I sold your dress.” He smiled.
“You did?”
“I had a client come over and she took one look at it and had to have it. I only had to do a few alterations.”
“You didn’t tell her how the dress ditched the groom and ran away, did you?”
He let out a light laugh. “No. I told her I made it for a friend and the wedding got cancelled. So any idea what you’re going to do now? Technically, you don’t have to work, but I know you and you get bored very quickly.”
“I was thinking about getting a job.” I smiled. “Something simple.”
“Like?”
“I don’t know. I’ll have to look online.”
Franco looked at his watch.
“Shit. I have to run.” He kissed my forehead before climbing off the bed. “I have an appointment at the studio. I’ll be back later, and we’ll order in.”
“Sounds like a plan. I’m just going to get settled.”
After he left, I unpacked and put everything away. I felt as if my life was in shambles, but at the same time, I felt free as a bird. I knew eventually this day would come. The day that my father would disown me. I tried to please him once I entered into adulthood, but when the bond between a father and daughter is never established, it’s quite difficult. He would tell you that my little stunt at the wedding was just another cry for attention. I had done some pretty shitty things to get his attention back in the day and that landed me at boarding school in Connecticut, all the way on the other side of the country. So far out of his hair that he didn’t have to deal with me anymore. I accepted it and was now grateful he sent me away or else I never would have met Franco. And from that day on, I never underestimated my father again.
I plopped myself down on the comfy black leather reclining couch, and as soon as I opened my laptop, my phone rang, and it was Franco.
“Hello.”
“Thank god you answered. I got so swept up with you being there, I forgot my design book in my office. Would you be a doll and bring it to me? My client will be here in five minutes.”
“Of course. I’ll be there soon.”
I grabbed my coat, put on my knit hat, grabbed his design book, and hailed a cab to his studio. When I walked inside, Franco was standing there talking with a woman who appeared to be in her early fifties.
“Thank you,” he sighed as he kissed my cheek.
“And who is this lovely young woman, Franco?” The woman smiled.
“This is my best friend, Anna. Anna, I would like you to meet Jules Warren. I’m designing her wedding dress. One that is simple yet classy.” He grinned.
“Nice to meet you, Jules.” I smiled as I extended my hand.
“It’s lovely to meet you, dear. I don’t mean to be pushy or rude, Franco, but I’m on a bit of a time limit.” She heavily sighed.
“What’s wrong, Jules?” Franco asked as he flipped open his design book.
“I’m having trouble finding someone who’s a perfect fit for one of my clients. His personal assistant is moving out of state and he isn’t dealing with it very well. Her last day was today and his company hasn’t found a replacement yet, so he calle
d me to send someone over temporarily.”
“Anna here is looking for a job and temporary is her thing.” He smiled.
I shot him a look. Jules brought her index finger up to her lips as she looked me up and down.
“Hmm. Do you have corporate experience, darling?”
Franco walked over and hooked his arm around me.
“Are you kidding? Anna was the personal assistant to Clyde Baker of Baker Industries for years.”
“Really?”
She seemed highly impressed.
“Yes. I was.” I smiled through gritted teeth.
“Why did you leave?” she asked.
“Well—I’ve been wanting to move to New York for a while, so I took the plunge and here I am.”
She reached into her purse and pulled out her business card.
“Here is my information. Email me your resume and references tonight and I’ll be in touch after I receive them.”
“I will definitely do that.” I nodded.
Chapter 7
Anna
As soon as Franco walked through the door, I walked over and slapped him on his chest.
“How could you do that to me?”
“What? You said you wanted to get a job and the opportunity presented itself. Besides, it’s only a temporary position. When you’re done with that job, you can take some time off and then look again.”
“How the hell am I supposed to provide a resume? The only company I ever worked for was my father’s!”
“It’s already taken care of, doll. I called my cousin, Lars. He’ll be here in a while.”
“Lars, the criminal?” I cocked my head at him.
“He’s technically not a criminal.” He rolled his eyes as he walked away and into the kitchen.
“Yes he is! He makes fake documents, IDs, passports, and god knows what else.”
There was a knock at the door. Sighing, I walked over and opened it to find Lars standing there.
“Anna, baby. It’s good to see you.” He grinned as he lightly planted a kiss on each side of my face.
“Lars. Nice to see you. Come in.”