by Anna Albo
“Aren’t you sorry you did?”
“Never.”
They chatted another hour, mostly Allie commiserating with Cate who promised to call her in the next day or two with an answer. If Allie knew her best friend, she knew that Cate was already researching the position and looking at real estate in St. Paul.
Allie flipped on the Falcons game. She knew she’d fall asleep before the beginning of the third period but she watched anyway. Her eyes followed number thirteen until she drifted off to sleep.
CHAPTER 22
Friday afternoon Will returned from his road trip and Cate called from New York. Cate’s call came first.
“Okay, are you going to let me stay with you until I find a place of my own?”
Allie shrieked which caused Kyle to spill his protein drink all over their desk. Allie scooped her tablet and notes out of the way just in time. She put them in her messenger bag and leapt up from her seat. “Of course you can stay with me! You can stay as long as you want. Cate, you made my day!”
“Well, I thought about it for a long time. What do I have going on here? Absolutely nothing. The law firm is full of a bunch of middle-aged misogynists and since the lease is in Andy’s name, I thought I’d saddle him with it for the remaining eight months.”
“Sounds fair to me. When are you coming?”
“I’m giving notice today. I wouldn’t be surprised if they escort me out. It’s not like I have any ties or history with these assholes. I’d need a few days to pack up and I thought I’d go back home, visit with my parents and listen to them blame me for getting dumped by Andy and then start with the Falcons in the new year. I talked to Brian, the guy you put me in touch with. We did the interview online and he offered me the job today. He’s all right with me starting in January.”
“I’m so excited, but I should warn you that I’m not entirely sure the atmosphere here will be any more different from what it is there.”
“The big difference is that I’ll have my best friend with me. Besides, my balls are bigger than any man I’ve ever met.”
Allie laughed. “That’s true.”
“And you’re still going back home for Christmas, right? I better see you!”
“About that . . . can we talk about it later?”
“Wait, you are coming home, aren’t you?”
“Yes, but I have news.”
“You have an audience, so you can’t tell me more.”
Allie glanced over at Kyle and smiled. He was wiping up his protein drink, oblivious to her conversation. “Yes, exactly. I’m going to put you on hold for a second.” She motioned to Kyle that she would be right back. She went into the hallway and took a look around. There was an empty office a few doors down. She slipped inside and shut the door.
“Will and I are dating.”
Cate squealed. “I’m so happy for you. Give me the details.”
Allie ran through them, including how quickly and easily Eddie had found out.
“Eddie wants you to be happy, so he’ll protect you guys. I’m not sure what the problem is. You’re an employee around there; it’s not like you’re the boss.”
“The other players might think he’s getting some kind of preferential treatment.”
“I suppose that’s possible. Regardless, I’m looking forward to meeting him. Tell me, how hot is his body?”
“Hot,” Allie said and giggled. “I’ve got to go. We’ll talk tonight.”
She got back to work, checking her watch what must have been a hundred times. Will’s flight was due after lunch. The team had a meeting in the afternoon then Allie had him all to herself. A whole week had passed and in that short time so much had happened.
He called as she was packing up for the day.
“How are you doing today, beautiful?”
“My day has been great and it just got a lot better.”
“How’s that?”
“My best friend Cate took a job with the Falcons.”
“You mentioned that in passing. That’s great news.”
“I’m happy about it.”
“And everything’s okay on the Eddie front?”
“I think so, but we can talk about it later.”
“Why don’t you come over and tell me all about it?” he said.
“Sure. I’m leaving now.”
She waved goodbye to Kyle and drove to Will’s loft. He buzzed her up and she found him drinking a beer and pacing. Despite her happiness at Cate’s news, she’d all but forgotten about Eddie and their new predicament. Not that she was too concerned about it.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about Eddie. Do I need to be worried?” Will asked.
“No, but I think you should put out the fire with Louis. Tell him I have a boyfriend back home or that I’m a lesbian or that you feel sorry for me because no one likes me. Do whatever it takes. Once he’s off our scent, he’ll let it go. And even if he suspects something, don’t you think he values his job more? And he seems to have a lot of loyalty to Eddie. I can’t imagine he’d ruin that. I’d be more worried if it was one of the guys who had found out.”
“Yeah, I think I can trust Louis.”
“I’m not worried but we should probably nix any future skating lessons at the Stewart Center.”
“Good idea, but I’m still teaching you to skate.”
“I’m getting better at it.”
He set down his beer. “You are,” he said, pulling her into his arms. “It’s too bad I have to keep my girlfriend a secret.”
She kissed him. “It’s kind of fun, though,” she said, unbuttoning his dress shirt. “Sneaking around, hoping we don’t get caught.”
He lifted her effortlessly and set her down on his dining room table. She could feel the cold stone through her trousers even though her skin was red hot. “You’re going to destroy me,” he said, pulling her cashmere sweater up over her head and revealing her new baby blue bra. He clasped onto one breast, releasing it from its confines and squeezing it as his lips found hers.
She found the buckle of his belt and tugged at it until it unlatched. She maneuvered her hands and undid the top button of his jeans, then his zipper. Before she could do anything else, he had her on her back pulling off her pants, then her matching blue panties. He slid her to the edge of the table then got down on his knees and gently forced her legs open. She gasped. Blake had never done this before. Not even close. She closed her eyes as he kissed her inner thighs. He parted her other lips, a finger gently caressing her. Then his lips and tongue explored her. She thought she’d lose her mind.
“Will, I’m going to come,” she protested.
It was like he didn’t hear her or didn’t want to. She tried to move, to get free of his grasp for reasons that escaped her, but he held her in place. She was no match for his strength, and when her body climaxed with a fury, she cried out. Never in her life had she had an orgasm so intense and before she could gather her thoughts, Will was on top of her, inside her, his thrusts building to her second orgasm. She wrapped her legs around him, pushing into him, urging him deeper. She couldn’t hold back any longer and her insides constricted around him. With a few final thrusts, he came too.
“You’re going to destroy me,” she whispered in his ear.
He kissed her forehead and smiled. “At least we’re in it together.”
CHAPTER 23
Allie compromised with Will for the holidays. She’d spend Christmas Eve with him and fly home first thing the next morning for the Stewart Christmas dinner.
“What’s for dinner?” she asked, wrapping her arms around him. She’d worked a half day, packed quickly then brought her luggage to Will’s. He’d given her a key to his place, and while things were moving quickly, it didn’t scare her off. If she could, she’d spend every second with him.
“I made a traditional Italian Christmas Eve dinner on a much smaller scale. We’re having baccalà, pasta, a fresh green salad, homemade bread, green beans, rapini and some breaded shrimp. I wanted
to make you my dad’s traditional fried eel, but I figured it was more of an acquired taste.”
“Fried eel? Thanks for passing on that. What’s baccalà?”
“Salted cod. When I was a kid, every time Jason and I did something stupid, my mom would call us a baccalà. I don’t know why, but when I see it, I think of her.”
Allie rubbed his back. “You miss her around the holidays?”
“I think about her a lot, especially around Christmas. She made a big deal about it. Her last Christmas with us was pretty special. Looking back, she probably knew she was terminal, so she made the most of it. Presents were piled high around the tree, all our family came, even the neighbors. Every table was filled with food. Who knew she’d be gone four months later?”
“You’re making me feel bad for leaving tomorrow.”
“Don’t feel bad. I’m hanging out with some of the new guys. I do that every year. I invited them all over for dinner. Probably the only decent meal they’ll eat all season.”
“That’s sweet of you.”
She poured wine and set the dining room table. Every time she looked at it, she blushed. Falcon players would be eating on it tomorrow.
Will plated the last of the food and they sat down to eat.
“Do you miss dinner with your family?” she asked.
“I haven’t spent Christmas with my family in years. Sometimes I can work it into my schedule, but most of the time I can’t. When I go back home in the spring, we make up for all the lost time. We’re all very close. And when my career is over, I’ll have tons of family dinners.”
“Did you adjust well to your stepmom?”
“I did. She’s a wonderful lady. She never expected us to call her mom, so at first, we didn’t. It took a year or two until we did. When my mother was alive, we called her Ma, so when Jason and I were comfortable with our stepmom, we called her Mom. She isn’t Italian, so Mom seemed appropriate.”
Allie sliced into her baccalà with a knife but quickly realized she didn’t need it. It fell apart into juicy flakes. She took a bite and moaned. It was delicious. “Did your mom have to learn all these Italian dishes?”
“Of course. My nonna taught her everything. At first Nonna wasn’t thrilled that my dad remarried, but she couldn’t help but fall in love with Mom. She’d never replace her daughter, but she was a pretty good substitute. Nonna’s living with my parents now. She’s frail and refuses to go into assisted living. I think that’s an Italian thing.”
“It’s nice that your dad maintained a relationship with her.”
“His parents went back to the old country when I was young so Nonna and my Zio Gino are all the family he has here.”
“I envy your family. Mine was always so disjointed.”
“That’s because you’re not Italian.”
Allie laughed. “Maybe that’s it.”
She ate everything put before her and helped with the dishes. They spent the rest of the evening watching all the Christmas movies Allie had never seen. Will couldn’t believe she’d never seen Miracle on 34th Street or A Christmas Carol. After the first movie, Will made coffee and plated some tiramisu.
“You would have made a great househusband,” she said, taking her steaming mug of coffee. “If you made this dessert, I’ll marry you right now.”
“Do you have a ring for me?” he joked.
“You made this! What can’t you do?”
“I’m not good at decorating cakes. My big hands get in the way.”
She playfully punched his arm as she spooned some tiramisu. Like everything else, it melted in her mouth.
“I know we said no gifts, but I couldn’t help myself,” Will said, pulling out a small package he’d hidden under the sofa.
Allie was mid-bite and gaped at the carefully wrapped, long gold box. She set down her dessert and gingerly took the box. “I figured you’d get me something. I have something for you too.” From her purse she produced her own small silver box. “Don’t worry, it’s not a ring.”
He smiled shyly. She loved that smile. It gave him a boyish quality. “And here I thought I was going to surprise you with my gift.”
“A girl is always prepared.”
“You open yours first,” he said.
Allie gently tore away the paper to reveal a blue box. When she flipped it open, she saw the gold necklace with a diamond pendant. “Oh, this is beautiful.” She faced him. “This is way too much.”
“I didn’t think so. Besides, it’s only money. Let me put it on you.” He took it from its box and she pulled her hair out of the way. He clasped it around her neck and she looked down at it. She couldn’t imagine how much it cost him.
“My gift is going to look paltry in comparison,” she said.
“It wasn’t a competition.” He opened the box and stared at the cufflinks. He then looked at Allie. “How did you know?”
“Know what? I guessed with all the suits you have to wear that a new set of cufflinks might be a nice change.”
“Right, never mind. I lost some cufflinks recently. These will be a nice replacement. Thank you.”
He kissed her then pulled her into his arms. Allie rested her head on his shoulder. “It’s going to be a long three days,” he said.
“We’ll talk every day. It’s not like we don’t go long stretches all the time, but this is Christmas. I want us to be together.”
“We’re together right now.”
“I guess so,” she said.
“With your friend coming to town, you could move in here? Or, at the very least, stay here more often. I wouldn’t mind that.”
“Won’t people see us?”
“They won’t know. This building has the best security.”
“I’d hate to leave Cate on her own the second she gets here, but it’s something I will consider.”
“We can talk about it more when you get back.”
She couldn’t help but wonder if they were moving too fast, but at the same time she didn’t care.
CHAPTER 24
Eddie had a car pick Allie up from the airport and take her to his house, the house she’d grown up in. For a gazillionaire, Eddie lived modestly. He’d never upgraded from his Bridle Path home. He easily could have torn it down and built something more grandiose, like all the other neighbors had done over the years, but twelve thousand square feet had served him well. Aunt Eileen redesigned it many times with renovated bathrooms, a brand-new kitchen, the tennis court and pool, but not once had a move been considered.
Allie walked through the front door and the vast assortment of Christmas decorations hit her first. That’s something the Stewarts spared no expense on. As garish as many of them were, Allie remembered most of them from her childhood, especially the wooden carolers that looked like leftover props from a horror movie. They still gave her a jump twenty years later.
Molly Stewart came running from the living room, glass of spiked cider in hand. She set it down and threw her arms around her daughter. “Honey, I’ve missed you so much.”
“Merry Christmas, Mom.”
“We were wondering when you’d get here. We wanted to wait to open presents, but Eddie’s grandchildren were too excited. All your presents are up in your room.”
Allie took a long look at her mom. Pushing sixty, she’d managed to keep a youthfulness about her. Perhaps it was her dyed platinum hair or her super skinny frame, but up close, the hard years of partying, drinking and pills had taken their toll in every line on her face.
Allie had been an oops, or that’s what she’d always assumed. From what little information slipped out from her mother and Aunt Eileen, Molly Stewart had been infatuated with a musician she’d met at one of the bars she frequented. Patrick—he hated when anyone called him Patty—fell into a relationship with Molly. As her Aunt Eileen told the story—and only after Allie begged to know more about the man who donated his DNA—Patrick and Molly partied a lot, but Patrick also wanted to be a respected musician, and he wanted Eddie’s hel
p with that. Allie put two and two together and figured she was his ticket to stardom. Eddie would never turn away the father of his niece, or so Patrick thought. He hung around a few years after Allie was born, but then disappeared. Allie assumed he’d never found his superstardom. But sometimes she wondered if she had a brother or sister, or if Patrick was even alive. Not enough to want to try to track him down.
“Thanks, I’ll open them later.” Allie didn’t care about the slight. It happened all the time.
“Everyone’s gone home and Eileen is taking a nap. Something about breakfast being a carb overload. Billy is here. Would you like to meet him?”
Allie couldn’t avoid her mother’s latest boyfriend forever so she chose to dive right in and get it over with. She set down her luggage and followed her mother into the living room. Billy was sprawled out on the sofa, his greying hair matted to one side and a look of prescription drug–induced serenity on his face.
“Billy, this is my girl Allie.”
He lifted his head from the edge of the sofa and half-waved. “Hey.”
“Hello, Billy.”
“Billy is an artist. He is the most brilliant painter I’ve ever met. He painted you something for Christmas.”
Allie tried not to roll her eyes. Her mother’s boyfriends were always the best at something. In Allie’s opinion, the best at being bums, moochers and losers.
“Oh, that’s nice.”
“He sells a lot of his work at craft shows and bazaars. This was his best year yet.”
“Congratulations.”
He grunted something.
“I was his muse. I also helped him market his pieces. Eddie thinks he might be able to get Billy his own gallery show.”
“Fascinating. Where is Eddie?”
“He went for a walk.”
“I think I’m going to go get changed and settle in. I’ll come down for lunch.”
“Okay, honey,” Molly said. “We’ll be here.”
Allie chuckled to herself. There was absolutely no chance Eddie would secure Billy a gallery show. As usual, he was paying lip service to his little sister in the hopes that her latest lover wouldn’t last long. By the looks of him, Allie gave the relationship two or three more months.