by Kelly Harper
There are five missed calls from Declan and a single text message. But I can’t bring myself to check the messages just yet. I am impossibly late for my big first day, but yet I can’t bring myself to think about anything besides Isaac. The farther away from him we get, the more awful I feel for treating him like that. He’d been nothing but sweet and charming to me from the moment I met him, and now his bike was stolen, or towed, or God-knows-what, and I can’t help but feel partly responsible.
It isn’t rational.
It’s not like there is anything I can do about it. He’s an adult and he was the one that decided to leave it parked on the street. It’s not my fault that he’s now stranded on my street corner, right?
But still, did I have to be such a bitch to him?
Finally, I read Declan’s text message. My heart sinks as I imagine how worried he must be.
“Where are you? Are you okay?”
No. I am not okay.
This is not the way I wanted to start the rest of my life.
Chapter 9
Declan’s eyes widen when he sees me enter the lobby of the Barnes Media Group. He’s been waiting there ever since I texted him and told him I was a few minutes away. He rushes up to me and throws his arms around me, squeezing me into a tight hug. The fabric of his expensive suit is soft against my face as he pulls me into him, nearly crushing the air from my lungs.
“Good morning to you, too,” I manage, despite barely being able to breathe.
He releases me and his brow pulls together as his intense, blue eyes search me up and down.
“Are you okay? You had me worried sick about you.”
I fix him with my most reassuring smile.
“I’m totally fine.”
“What happened? You were supposed to be here an hour ago.”
I grimace, hoping my cheeks don’t burn too bright red with my embarrassment.
“It was stupid. Just one thing after another.” I let out a sigh as I give him an exasperated look. “I don’t even want to get into it, but I promise it won’t ever happen again.”
He gives me a hard look and I’m already ashamed by what he must be thinking of me. It is my first day on the job and I’m already making a horrible first impression. I know Declan had high expectations of me, and letting him down is the last thing I want to do.
“Next time pick up the phone and call me. I was worried sick about you.” He shakes his head. “If anything ever happened to you…” His voice trails off as he squeezes my shoulders gently.
The way he’s looking at me makes me nervous. He’s always been like a big brother to me, but there’s something different in his crystal blue eyes that I haven’t seen before.
“I’m fine. Really. Nothing is going to happen to me.”
“You’ve got to be careful. New York isn’t like that sleepy little college town you’ve been living in the last four years.”
I give him a playful slap on his arm and am surprised to feel the taut muscle beneath it. Declan has always been slender, but I’d never before wondered how muscular his build might be beneath the expensive clothes he wears.
“Cambridge isn’t quite the sleepy little town you seem to think it is.”
His eyes narrow for a second, and then a smile breaks across his chiseled jawline. All of the nervous tension that had built between us dissipates in an instant, and the old Declan I knew is standing in front of me again.
“I’ve been all over the world and, trust me, every city is sleepy compared to The City.” He puts emphasis on the last part. A New Yorker through and through. He tilts his head toward a door behind the receptionist desk. “Let’s go. Time for you to see your new home.”
My heart skips a beat as a smile spreads on my face.
Barnes Media Group is my new home. It’s everything I’ve been wanting for the last four years.
I follow Declan as we walk through the offices of Barnes Media Group. This is my first time in this building. The company used to be in a different one, but a few years after my dad passed away Declan moved into this office space on the Upper East Side. I have to admit, it looks like quite an improvement.
There are rows and rows of cubicles in the middle of the spacious floor with people looking busy, answering the phones and working on their computers. Surrounding the inner area is a line of offices, all with their lights on and doors open.
“This place is beautiful,” I say.
Declan gives me an appreciative smile.
“It’s all about the image. I tried telling Bill that but he never listened.”
My step falters as I hear the name. Declan realizes what he’s said at the same time.
“Sorry,” he apologizes, quickly. “Your father taught me a lot of things. I’m forever in his debt. But we didn’t see eye to eye on everything.”
“No need to apologize. I know you and Daddy were close.” I give him a weak smile, then add, “Besides, it’s your company now, not his.”
“Correction: it’s our company. And as long as you’re around, he’ll be around with you.”
The smile on my face widens and my pulse slows with my breathing.
It’s strange talking to someone who not only knew my father and my whole situation, but who was also actually close with him. Declan wasn’t just another one of my father’s employees, he was a confidante. He was the man my father trusted enough to turn the company over to when we found out he was sick. There is no one else like Declan. There will never be anyone else like him.
For the first time, I realize that my father truly had been right about Declan all that time. Looking around, it’s obvious that he has really taken ownership of the company and is beginning to make something of it. For some backwards reason this fills my heart with pride. Not because my father had been right, but because Declan had upheld his end of the bargain.
Declan leads me through a few hallways until we come to two closed, oak doors. He gives me a sly grin as he pushes them open, revealing the most gorgeous office I’ve ever seen.
“Wow,” I say, looking around the spacious interior.
The carpeting is plush and soft and there is even enough room for a pool table in the corner. One wall houses a floor-to-ceiling bookcase with a ladder that extends all the way to the top.
I grin and nod at the pool table.
“Got a lot of free time around here?” I tease.
He gives me an embarrassed grin. I can’t help but see that boyish look in his face, it’s the same look I remember from when I was in high school. The same look that always managed to drive me wild.
“It helps me clear my head when I’ve got an important decision to make.”
He shows me to his huge, oak desk and gestures to one of the leather chairs sitting in front of it. I take a seat as he sweeps around to the other side. He unbuttons his suit jacket before falling into his leather chair, and I can’t help but notice his trim waistline. He looks like he belongs on the cover of GQ.
“How are you getting settled into the new place?” he asks.
“It’s a work in progress,” I say. “But I didn’t bring much from school.”
His crystal blue eyes glint as he gives me a knowing smile.
“I bet things are a lot different now that your trust has kicked in.”
Heat tinges my cheeks, despite the sinking feeling I get every time I think about the money I’ve been using to support myself over the last few years.
“It’s nice, but it doesn’t define me.”
Declan drums his fingertips on the desk, his cufflinks are bright gold, expensive.
“Still, it must be comforting to know that you’ve got a seven figure safety net.”
I frown as my gut twists itself into an even tighter knot. He’s referring to the trust my father setup all those years ago. He made sure that I would be taken care of, but there were strings attached to it. I had enough money to go to college and to live on modestly. But now that I had graduated I had access to the full amount. It’s h
ow I can afford my swanky apartment, and there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t consider donating every last penny of it to some charity.
“I try not to think about it,” I say, honestly. My chest rises and falls with the few deep breaths I take. “Just because I don’t have to work doesn’t mean there aren’t things I want to accomplish for myself. I want to be a part of something. I want to make something of myself.”
Declan fixes me with that glinting, bright stare of his. His lips pull into a thin smile.
“I see a lot of him in the woman you’ve become. He would be proud of you.”
My heart leaps and pulses. “Thanks,” I manage, softly.
I’d forgotten what it’s like to be around someone that knows me so well. I don’t have to pretend. I don’t have to explain. Declan understands what I’ve been through, and he understands what is important to me. It’s a little thing, a simple thing, but as far as my life has gone the last few years it means the world to me.
He smiles at me for a few moments while my heart tries its hardest to beat a way straight out of my chest.
“You lucked out this morning,” he says, finally. “You came dangerously close to missing the big surprise I had prepared for you.”
My brow perks up as a slight jittery sensation rushes through me. I had totally forgotten that he’d planned something for my first day.
“What is it?” I ask, excitedly.
He grins at me while he makes me wait in anticipation before answering.
“Europe,” is all he says.
He waits a moment to let the word sink in, and when it does my heart redoubles its efforts to beat straight through my sternum.
“Tell me you’re joking,” I say.
His grin widens just a fraction before he gives a single shake of his head.
“We have a meeting with the distributor setup. The final papers are already printed, and if everything goes according to plan, we should have fresh ink on the page by the end of the day.”
It’s almost impossible to believe what I’m hearing.
Distribution in Europe was the one thing that Daddy always wanted but was never able to get. He was always a forward thinker, and he knew exactly what the digital revolution would mean for the paper publishing industry. He had been convinced that he was too late to the game with the Barnes Media Group, and that he would never have international print distribution. He had died thinking it was impossible.
“Declan, I don’t know what to say. That’s so amazing.”
He waves a hand, nonchalantly.
“You don’t have to say anything. All you have to do is show up to the meeting. I want you there when it becomes final.”
I clasp my hands together in front of my chest. My smile has spread from ear to ear and I’m shaking my head in shock and something approaching reverence.
“I wish Daddy could see what you’ve done with this place. To say he would be proud of you would be an understatement.”
Declan’s eyes dip down for just a second, and if I didn’t know him as well as I do I probably wouldn’t have caught the subtle sign of embarrassment. When they reconnect with mine, they’re beaming.
“Coming from you, that means the world to me. More than you know.”
My breath hitches in my chest when I hear the last part. It’s rare that Declan says something in such a vulnerable way, and it instantly takes me back to that girlhood crush I had on him.
But I quickly push thoughts like that aside. He’s my boss now, and I’ve already had enough distractions lately to last me for quite some time.
“So what happened to the meeting this morning?” I ask.
“Apparently something urgent came up and the meeting had to be pushed back to after lunch.” He fixes me with a devious smile. It’s one I’ve seen on his face many times. “Which means that you have time for the other surprise I have for you.”
My brow rises.
“Another surprise?” My mind races, wondering what it could possibly be.
He nods, slowly.
“Your new office.”
Chapter 10
“It’s gorgeous,” I say, clasping a hand to my mouth in shock.
Declan grins at me as I take everything in. The office he led me to is on the adjacent corner of the building from his own. And it’s beautiful. It’s nearly the same size as his and is furnished with a tiny meeting nook, consisting of four chairs facing each other, and with a similar floor-to-ceiling bookcase, though still void of books. Near the far wall is an oak desk that matches Declan’s, with an expensive, leather chair on the other side.
“This is too much,” I say. “It’s only my first day on the job, I can’t have an office like this.”
“Nonsense. You basically own this company and there’s no reason you shouldn’t have an office befitting your position.”
I try to suppress my groan. He’s right, technically. I do own a significant percentage of the company, but that’s really only on paper. It’s not like I’ve done anything to earn it.
“I know that look,” he says. His fingers brush along the bottom of my chin, lifting my eyes to his. The sudden feeling of him touching me sends chills through my body. “You can’t blame yourself for what’s happened.”
“I don’t deserve any of this,” I say. “I’m only barely a college graduate. I don’t know the first thing about running a place like this.”
He fixes me with a look.
“You’re not just a college graduate—you’re a Harvard graduate. And you’ve got your father’s blood running through you. That means you’re able to handle anything you set your mind to.”
Out of nowhere, my thoughts return to Isaac and everything that happened since I met him in the bar last night. If I was truly able to handle anything I set my mind to then I would have been able to keep my wits about me and resist his advances. He’d made disarming me look like the easiest thing in the world. I wonder if he is still standing outside of my building, stranded.
My body shudders when I think about the possibility of Isaac still being there when I get back home. Warmth spreads down my legs as I picture his muscular frame stretched out on my bed, waiting for me.
Declan must sense something too, because the smile on his face lingers a while longer. If he knew that I’m thinking about someone else he would probably freak out.
Once before, I mentioned a guy I dated back in Cambridge. Declan had instantly turned into the jealous older brother that I’d never had. Part of it had been endearing, and part of it had been downright surprising. I’d never felt the need to tell him about any of the other guys I’d dated since then. For his own good as much as theirs.
I give him a soft smile.
“Thanks. Hopefully I won’t let anyone down.”
“I don’t think you’re capable of it.” He takes a deep breath as he scans me up and down. “How about we do lunch to celebrate your first day? Something expensive and luxurious. My treat, of course.”
“Thanks, but maybe some other time. I’d like to get settled in, if that’s okay?”
His chest puffs up as he gives me a big, confident grin.
“You really are your father’s little girl.” He studies me for a second longer, his eyes filled with pride. “Take all the time you need to get situated. I’ll have my secretary, Lilith, swing by and make sure you have everything you need.” He moves to the door, then adds, “Don’t forget about the meeting after lunch. It’s going to be a big day around here.”
I fix him with a huge smile, shaking my head. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
I shut the door behind Declan and take a few deep breaths, steadying myself. When I turn back around, I can't help but feel overwhelmed, and overjoyed, by everything going on in my life.
The office is absolutely gorgeous. But more importantly, it's all mine. I'm finally getting on with my life, finally doing what I've been wanting to do for the last four years. I'm overwhelmed by so much emotion that I can feel heat rushi
ng to my cheeks. It's like my dreams are coming true so fast that I don't know how to keep up with them.
I spend the next few hours getting settled into my new space. I admire the plants that Declan has had brought in, and a skinny brunette with short hair swings by to make sure I've got all of the office supplies I could possibly need. Lilith says that it's good to have me around, that Declan hired her soon after he took control of the company and that he's had nothing but good things to say about both my father and me. I thank her for her kind words, feeling even more certain that life is finally where it's supposed to be. All of the years of hard work at Harvard are about to begin paying off.
Maybe one day I’ll actually deserve half of the things that have been handed to me on a silver platter.
It isn't long after Lilith leaves that my thoughts stray back to Isaac. My body quivers again when I think about him. Memories of the night before and of earlier that morning flash in my head. Thin beads of heat break out on my forehead as I lean back in my chair.
I can't help but wonder about how long it's been since I had been with a man. I'd had a few boyfriends at Harvard, but cut the last relationship off when he started getting too serious. That had been halfway through my junior year, and felt like a lifetime ago. I wasn't looking to settle down with anyone anytime soon. There were more important things that I needed to focus on.
But now that I'm out of school and living in the city, would it really be so bad if I started dating again? Nothing serious, of course. I still have a long list of things I'd like to accomplish. But Isaac had awoken something inside of me, something that I'd kept tucked away since I'd ended it with my last boyfriend so long ago. He'd reminded me that I'm a sexual creature, too. He'd touched me in such a way that let me know I wasn't going to be able to go long before I let myself get touched again.
My body aches at the thought of him touching me right there in my office. Before I realize it, I'm settling deeper into my chair and my legs are lolling outwards. My fingertips glide up my thigh, beneath my dress, until they find the steaming center of my panties. I'm already impossibly wet after thinking about Isaac so much. Even though I'll never see him again, my body craves him.