by Sandi Lynn
“The next important day will be your divorce,” I whispered.
“Right?” Jackson looked over at me with a small smile.
“We are so excited to start our lives together as husband and wife. A union made before God of two people who will love each other for eternity.”
“Until the marriage goes south and one of you cheats,” I spoke in a very low, soft voice.
“And it will happen.” Jackson winked.
I couldn’t help but steal small glances at Jackson as we ate our five-course meal. His comebacks to my snide remarks intrigued me. It was almost as if he felt the same way about marriage as I did. Pulling my phone from my purse, I set it down next to my plate. Suddenly, several dings came through at once with text messages from Brad, Louis, and Daniel. Jackson glanced down at my phone and then raised his brow at me.
“It seems you are very popular with the boys.”
“It seems you are quite nosy.” I smirked.
“Couldn’t help but be when your phone was blowing up and all those little dings were piercing my ears.”
Evelyn left the table to go talk to the bride and Kami left as well to go talk to the groom. I picked up my phone and held it up to Jackson.
“This is the man drama I was talking about earlier.”
“It seems like you have your hands full.” His brow arched.
“I do and it’s exhausting. I’m taking a break from the dating world for a while.”
“Pity. I was going to ask you out.” The corners of his mouth curved up into a striking smile.
“You were not.” I lightly smacked his arm.
“Okay, maybe I wasn’t. I don’t want to add to your man drama.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.” I finished off my wine.
“May I get you another glass of wine?” he asked.
“Sure. I’ll walk with you.”
As we were heading to the bar, it was time for the bridal dance. The bride and groom took their places in the middle of the oversized dance floor and “All of Me” by John Legend began to play. Jackson handed me my wine and with his scotch in his, we stared out at the happy couple as they shared their first dance as husband and wife.
“I bet five years from now, the expression on their faces will totally change,” I spoke.
“I agree. It’s all rainbows and roses now but give it a couple of years.”
“I feel like weddings are a fraud.”
“How do you mean?” he asked as he looked at me.
“Well, people attend, give obscene amounts of money as a wedding gift, and in ten years, the happy couple who pledged their love for each other in front of all those people and made a promise til death do us part end up divorced. Then when you get the news that the happy little couple couldn’t make it work, all you keep thinking about is the money you gave them.”
Jackson chuckled. “I never looked at it like that. I think I like your thought process, and I agree. All your little remarks and comments lead me to believe that you’re a couple hater.”
“I’m not a couple hater. I’m just a firm believer that nothing lasts forever. I don’t believe in long-term relationships or two people becoming one. For god’s sake, you are your own person, but all that goes out the window the moment you decide to hand over your life, emotional control, and identity to another person. You don’t need to be in a relationship to be happy. If anything, relationships wreak more havoc on your life than anything else.”
“Wow. Very insightful and I agree with every word you just said. Relationships are for the weak. They’re for those who seek others so they can feel strong. Besides, people are selfish. They only enter into relationships if they can get something out of it.”
“Truth, Mr. Caine.” I smiled as I clanked my glass against his.
I stood there and listened to Jackson Caine, who had the same exact views on relationships as I did. It was refreshing to finally meet a man whose thought process was the same as mine.
“So, do you have woman drama?” I asked.
“Yes, sometimes I do. It’s emotionally draining,” he replied.
“Right? It’s like what part of ‘I don’t want a relationship’ do you not understand? We can go out to dinner, dance, drink, and have sex, but that’s the extent of it. I don’t want to meet your family. I don’t want to be exclusive. I don’t want to have to answer to you and tell you what I do every five seconds of every day, and I don’t want to have to explain myself as to why I didn’t text or call you back thirty seconds after you called or texted me.”
“Damn, Emily. You have hit the nail on the head.”
“Shouldn’t you be with your date?” I cocked my head.
The corners of his mouth curved into a sly smile. “I’d much rather be in your company right now. The stimulating conversation is very engaging.”
Once the bridal dance was over, fast music started to play and Evelyn ran up to me, grabbed my hand, and dragged me out to the dance floor.
“You’ve been talking to Jackson all night. What’s up?”
“Nothing. We just share the same views on relationships.”
“Great.” She rolled her eyes. “Another relationship hater.”
I giggled and shook my hips to the beat of the music, letting myself get lost and forgetting about the text messages I had yet to respond to.
Chapter 7
Jackson
I stared at her as she danced on the dance floor. Her body was every man’s dream. Five foot seven, long slender legs, lean figure, long, bouncy blonde hair, and beautiful blue eyes. She was as smart as a whip. Strong, independent, and hated relationships as much as I did. She had just become the perfect woman to have fun with when I needed it. She was career driven, just as I was. Anti-relationship, just like me. I’d never met anyone like her before. I took notice of her that day in her shop. She piqued my interest because she was so beautiful. I had thought about returning to the store a few times after that day but decided that I was already dating too many women at once and adding another to the mix wouldn’t be a good idea.
As I was watching her, Kami walked over and hooked her arm around me.
“Are you ready to go?” she asked.
“Not yet.” I continued to stare at Emily, as she had my full attention.
“Are you staring at that blonde that was sitting at our table?” she asked.
“And what if I was?” I glanced over at her. “We aren’t in a relationship. We both are unattached. It’s not a crime to stare at another woman.”
“No, it’s not a crime. It’s just rude and disrespectful. You know what? I’m tired of these games with you. I’m leaving.” She stomped away in a huff.
I sighed, and as the song ended, Emily walked over to me.
“What’s wrong with Kami?” she asked.
“She got mad at me and left.”
“What did you do to her?”
“Nothing. That was her problem.”
“Poor girl.” She smirked. “Evelyn and I are going to go. It was a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Caine.” She held out her hand.
“The pleasure was all mine, Miss Wade.” I placed my hand in hers and brought it up to my lips. “I hope you get your man drama sorted out.”
“That’s my goal.”
I watched as she walked away and out of the ballroom. I would let her sort out her man drama, and when the time was right, we’d reconnect, and I’d take her to my bed.
One Month Later
Emily
“I just wanted to let you know that I think I’m going to take a break from dating for a while. It’s nothing against you, I swear. I just need some time to focus on me. Have a nice life, Emily.”
“YES!” I shouted as I raised my hands in the air and did a little dance in the store.
“What’s that for?” Katie asked as she glanced over at me.
“Bruce doesn’t want to date me anymore.” I grinned. “The last of the man drama and now I can put them all behind me.”
“He wasn’t taking me seriously when I told him I didn’t want a relationship. I had no choice. I couldn’t stand his text messages anymore with him telling me every move he made. Waking me up at five a.m. to let me know he was going running. Texting me at six thirty to let me know he was getting in the shower and then again at nine to inform me that he arrived at the office. OH MY GOD, I thought I was going to rip my hair out. And when I told him that I didn’t need to have a play by play of his day, he just laughed and said I was too cute. I’m over it. I’m taking a long break from dating.”
“I think that’s a good idea. But I still think you should seek therapy. You find flaws with everyone you meet. You always have. Just like your mom did,” Katie spoke.
“It’s not that I find flaws with them; it’s just they want more and can’t seem to respect my decision about relationships.”
“To be honest, and I’ve told you this before,” Katie hung the last dress on the rack and walked over to me, “your views on relationships suck.”
I shrugged.
The past two weeks were some of the most relaxing weeks I’d had in a very long time. I wasn’t dating and only focused on my shop and the online fashion boutique I wanted to start up. My phone was silent and, after a long day at work, I retreated back to my apartment, took long hot baths, cooked dinner for myself, drank wine, and binged watched Netflix. Life was good and I was enjoying my non-dating life.
It was Friday morning. I stopped at Starbucks for my usual on the way to work morning coffee, opened up the store, and began going over yesterday’s sales. Noelle, my other sales associate, strolled in ten minutes late.
“Sorry I’m late, Emily. The cab I was in on the way here got into a fender bender.” She sighed as she set her purse down behind the counter.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I just got out and walked the rest of the way.”
“Well, if you start to feel any post-accident effects, let me know.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“We got a shipment of new jewelry in last night before we closed. Can you price them and put them out?”
“Sure. I’ll get right on it.” She smiled.
As I was sitting behind the counter with my laptop, the door chimed, and I looked up. My heart skipped a beat when I saw Jackson Caine step inside my shop.
“Good morning, Emily.” He grinned as he walked towards me with his hands tucked neatly in his pockets.
“Good morning, Mr. Caine. What brings you in my store today?” I casually smiled back.
“I was in the area and decided to drop by and see how you were doing. Actually, to see if you got your man drama straightened out.”
“I did. Drama free and loving every minute of it.”
“Good to hear. How would you like to have dinner with me tonight? No man drama from me, I can guarantee you.”
I sat there for a moment, staring at his intoxicating sexiness in his dark gray tailored designer suit. I wouldn’t lie and say I didn’t think about him and our conversations at the wedding that night. There was a connection between us. I felt it and I believed it was because our thought processes about relationships were the same. We had something in common and I took comfort knowing that. A nice dinner with him and great conversation wouldn’t hurt. I found him interesting and actually wanted to get to know him better. Not only was he handsome as all fuck, but I was also attracted to his personality.
“I would like to have dinner with you tonight. Thank you for the invitation.” I smiled.
“Excellent. If you’ll give me your address, I’ll pick you up around seven.”
“You pick the restaurant and I’ll meet you there. Is that okay?”
“That’s fine. May I have your phone number to keep in touch in case something happens?”
“You’re not going to text me your daily activities, are you?” I asked with a twisted face.
“What?” He chuckled.
“Like that you’re leaving the office. You arrived home. You’re getting in the shower. You’re eating a snack.”
“Good god, no. Do men actually do that?” He arched his brow.
“Unfortunately.” I looked down.
“I can promise you that I would never do that. If I’m going to text you, it’ll be because I want to say hi or I have information for you, such as the name of the restaurant for dinner tonight.”
He pulled out his phone and added me to his contacts.
“I’ll text you later. Have a good day, Emily.”
“Thanks, Jackson. You too.”
He gave me a wink and began to head towards the door. Before opening it, he turned and looked at me.
“By the way, I love your store.”
“Thanks.” I smiled.
Just as he walked out, Evelyn walked in.
“Was that Jackson Caine?”
“Yes, it was.”
“Did he buy another one of my designs?”
“No. He came to ask me to dinner.”
“And you said?”
“I said yes.” I gave a small smile.
“What happened to taking time off from dating and man drama?”
“He’s different. Remember, he’s just as anti-relationship as I am.”
“You two should get along really well, then.” She laughed.
Chapter 8
Jackson
After leaving Emily’s shop, I headed to the office.
“Good morning, Mr. Caine. Mr. Windsor is in your office waiting for you.”
“Thank you, Audrey, and good morning to you too.”
Walking into my office, I found my best friend and vice president, Samuel, sitting in the chair across from my desk.
“Where have you been?”
“I had to make a stop on the way in. Remember that girl I told you about? Emily? The one who owns the shop where I bought Jules’ dress for her birthday?”
“Yeah. Wasn’t she the one you ran into at that wedding?”
“Yes. I asked her to have dinner with me tonight.”
“Good for you, bro. Now the two of you can bash relationships all night. Speaking of which, I’m breaking up with Steph tonight. Wish me luck that she doesn’t go all psychotic.”
“I wish you all the luck in the world, man. That girl is a bit unstable.”
“I know.” He shook his head. “Anyway, we need to go over the market analysis for the condo project.”
After my meeting was finished, I asked Audrey to come into my office.
“Yes, Mr. Caine?”
“Please call Jean Georges and make a reservation for two at seven o’clock tonight. My usual table.”
“Yes, sir.”
Picking up my phone from my desk, I sent Emily a text message.
“Jean Georges at seven o’clock. Trump Hotel. I’ll be waiting for you outside.”
“Nice choice. I will see you then.”
I smiled and set down my phone. She intrigued me, and she was one woman whom I wanted to get to know better. Things felt natural with her that night at the wedding. I enjoyed her company and I wanted more of it. I wanted all of her. But I’d have to play that very carefully or I’d run the risk of never seeing her again. The other women, I didn’t care about. And even though I only spoke with Emily for a few hours that night, I instantly knew that I needed to see her again.
“I seriously can’t believe you’re going out with him after you’re on a dating hiatus,” Katie spoke as she lay across my bed.
“This black dress or should I go red?” I held up both dresses in front of me.
“Go red.”
“I have a good feeling about him. I know he won’t be a problem.”
“For both your sakes, I hope not.” She sighed.
After slipping into my dress, I ran the brush through my long blonde hair one last time, dabbed on a scarlet r
ed lip color, slipped into my heels, and Katie and I walked out together.
“Have fun tonight. Are you coming into the store tomorrow?” she asked.
“Yes. I should be there around eleven-ish.”
“Okay. I can’t wait to hear all about your date. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” She smirked.
The cab driver pulled up to the curb of the Trump Hotel and I saw Jackson standing outside waiting for me. Upon opening the door, he walked over and held out his hand.
“You look very lovely.” He smiled as he took hold of my hand and helped me from the cab.
“Thank you. You look quite handsome yourself.”
When we approached the hostess desk, a brunette greeted us and immediately walked us over to our table.
“Have you ever eaten here?” Jackson asked.
“I’ve been here a couple of times.”
“With your other men, I presume.” He smirked.
“Yes. And one of them forgot his wallet at home and I ended up paying the bill.”
“I can assure you that you won’t be paying the bill tonight.” He winked.
As we were looking over our menus, the tall skinny waitress came over to take our drink order.
“We’ll have a bottle of champagne,” Jackson spoke.
“Very good. As soon as I bring that, I’ll take your dinner order.”
“What are you going to have?” he asked as he looked up from his menu.
“I think the beef tenderloin.”
His brow arched as he smiled. “Ah, a girl who likes meat.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “The women you date don’t eat meat?”
“They mostly eat lettuce.”
“Well, I like my meat.”
“That’s something I like to hear.” The corners of his mouth turned into a sly grin and I could feel my face redden.
The waitress brought over our champagne, poured some in each glass, and then proceeded to take our order.
“So,” I picked up my glass and took a sip, “tell me about Jackson Caine. I want all the dirt.” I smiled.