by Jessica Wood
“Does she mean that much to you that you’re actually thinking about giving up this opportunity for you and your firm? Do I need to remind you of how much is at stake here?”
What’s at stake here? I wondered. What is Trent trying to do here?
“No. Don’t waste your breath trying to remind me.” There was a short pause. “And to answer your question. Yes. She’s really that important to me. If you really must know, I didn’t know how I felt about your sister before. But when you made me the offer that day, you forced me to confront my deepest feelings, the ones I’ve buried and locked away inside me for almost ten years. I didn’t know how much I actually cared for her until you forced my hand. But because of you, I now know the truth. She could possibly become one of the most important people in my life. She makes me feel more alive and happy than I’d remember ever feeling. I would never do anything to hurt her. So thank you for making me face this reality.”
Tears streamed down my face as I digested Ben’s words. I had wanted to believe that he had genuine feelings toward me, but a part of me wouldn’t let myself believe it. But now, hearing his words, his real feelings were confirmed, and I felt a surge of happiness grow inside me.
“You’ve really disappointed me, Ben. I thought you had the potential for greatness. But you’re just another pussy-whipped fool. Now get the fuck out of my office! Tell your partners at the firm that after this acquisition deal is said and done, don’t ever expect another piece of business from us.”
I heard Ben storm out of the office.
“Fuck!” Trent screamed as a pile of papers flew across the room. Then he picked up his phone. “Jane, cancel all my meetings today. I’m taking the rest of the day off and heading to the golf course. I need to get away. You can take the rest of the day off too after you’ve cleared my calendar.”
***
I waited an extra thirty minutes after I heard Trent leave before opening the conference room. I walked past Jane’s cubicle, which was in front of Trent’s office, and found that she had also left for the day.
Against my better judgment, I opened Trent’s office door and snuck inside. After that conversation I had just overheard between Trent and Ben, I knew there was something Trent wasn’t telling me, and I was going to find out what it was. I needed to know why he had tried to recruit Ben to sleep with me.
I began to rummage through every drawer and cabinet, looking for something—anything—that’d tell me what Trent had against me.
Just as I was about to give up, my hand hit a large envelope in the back of the bottom cabinet of his credenza. I immediately pulled the envelope out. It was a letter-size interoffice manila envelope that was closed with a red string. The only thing written on the envelope in bold was “Trent Parker.” I knew that I was invading Trent’s privacy, but after everything I’d overheard just moments ago, I knew I needed to get to the bottom of things. I needed to find out the truth. That was the most important thing to me at that moment.
Before I could change my mind, I opened the envelope and took out its contents. There were only a few documents, but the two that caught my eye was a letter and a birth certificate.
I looked at the birth certificate first.
“What the hell?” I whispered.
My father’s and Beth’s names were listed under “Parents’ Names” and March 12, 1983 was listed as the “Date of Birth.” This document looked like it was Trent’s birth certificate, except there was one problem.
Under “Sex” on the birth certificate, it didn’t say male. It said female.
What does this mean?
Confusion and shock whirled inside as I flipped to the other document that caught my eye—the letter. It was a handwritten letter from Trent’s mother.
My dearest Trent,
By the time you read this letter, I will have already left this world. Please do not be sad for me. Know that I will always love you. Know that ever since you were put in my arms that day you were born, everything I’ve done have been for you. There’s no one else in this world that I love more than you. Please do not ever forget that. Please try to remember that as you read through this letter.
There is a secret I’ve been hiding from you.
I hope you can understand how difficult the situation was for me, and I really hope you do not hate me for keeping this from you. It is a secret that I’ve kept since you were seven. It was the last thing a mother wanted to hear and I had to make a choice, and I chose you. It is a secret that a part of me wanted to take with me to my grave. But after a lot of thought, I realized that you deserve to know. You have the right to know the truth.
Your father doesn’t know the secret. We were already divorced and living apart by that point and he was too busy with Parker, Inc. and his new daughter Blair to care. I am telling you now through this letter because I want you to know. I am also leaving it up to you to decide what you want to do with this information. Whatever you decide to do, know that I’m behind you 100%.
Trent, when I was in labor the day you were born, there were complications and I had lost a lot of blood. I had to be rushed into surgery immediately after I gave birth. They were also short staffed that night at the hospital and my nurse was delivering two babies at the same time. In all the chaos, she made a huge mistake. It was a mistake that changed our lives forever. When you were born, she put the wrong tag on you. She told us you were my baby. But it wasn’t until you fell off your bike when you were seven and needed surgery that they discovered an inconsistency in your files. After some digging, the hospital told me that you were not my son. They told me that you were switched at birth and belonged to another family. I was in shock and was beyond devastated by the news. They gave me the number to the other family. I waited several weeks before calling that family and after many long discussions over the phone, we made a choice. It was a very hard choice, but I believe it was the right one. We each decided to keep the child we’d been given, the child we’d loved for the seven years, the only child we knew of. We decided to keep it a secret and keep it from you and the other child. The hospital sent us the corrected birth certificate as well as documents with the other baby’s information. I’ve included both documents with this letter in case you ever wanted to reveal this secret.
Trent, I love you very much. Please believe that. No matter where you came from, I will always be your mother, and you will always be my child.
Love always,
Your mother
Beth Preston
I reread the letter three times before the words finally sunk in.
Trent wasn’t my half brother. We weren’t related at all. Now everything seemed to make sense. That day at the funeral—that day when Trent and my relationship changed, that day when he became a complete stranger to me—that was the day when he found out the truth about this secret about his life. Was this why he’d been so cold to me since her death? Was this why he’d been trying so hard to get rid of me?
“He was switched at birth,” I whispered.
My body tightened as I flipped through the remaining papers and found the document I was looking for: the document containing the other baby’s information. An audible gasp escaped my lips as I read the document.
I didn’t have a half-brother after all. I had a half-sister.
“I have a sister.” My voice came out in a soft whisper, and it sounded foreign to me.
I felt a mixture of shock, excitement, and happiness as the idea of having a big sister sunk in. A wistful smile spread across my face as my eyes focused on the birth name listed on the document. This was my sister’s name.
Katherine Fox.
The Chase
Volume Three
PROLOGUE
Ben
Fate is a twisted, unexpected son of a bitch.
When I met her, I thought I finally had it figured out. I thought I finally understood what I’d been searching for. I thought I’d finally taken back control of my life.
But Fate stepped i
n to remind me who was in control.
It threw me a curveball when I least expected it. It made me question everything. It made me realize that what I had thought was within my grasp was only an illusion—just Fate’s sleight of hand to delude me into believing that I could find happiness. But like any illusion, when you got too close to what it was you thought you had, it vanished into thin air.
When the Blonde Bitch broke my heart ten years ago, I vowed two things:
One: I would never waste my time on loving someone again.
Two: I would never have anything to do with the Blonde Bitch again.
When I met Blair Parker, my 736th notch, I broke that first vow. The minute I saw her, the second our eyes met, the microsecond I tasted her in my mouth, I knew that this was the one vow I had no choice but to break. But the second vow, that one I would keep. That vow I had no doubts about. That vow I had control over. That vow I would take to my grave.
But I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Fate had other plans in store for me. Fate was in on a cruel joke, and I was its target.
Everything I knew was about to crumble down on me. Everything I wanted was about to slip away from me. And the one relationship I cared the most about would never be the same again.
CHAPTER ONE
Ben
I had gone into Trent’s office feeling a sense of dread. I had worried that I’d leave his office full of regret for what I was about to give up.
But I had been wrong. As I left his office, all I felt was an unusual jubilation—almost like a drunken high that coursed through every fiber of my body. To my surprise, I was relieved. A heavy weight had just been lifted from my shoulders and I could finally breathe again.
Giving up the chance to become the youngest partner at William & Sutter LLP had been a difficult decision to make. But I knew it was the right one. It may have been an opportunity of a lifetime, but I knew it wasn’t one I could take. If I had gone through with Trent’s wishes, it would have taken things from me that I knew I could never get back: my integrity, my self respect, and any real chance I may have with Blair. As much as I wanted to be made a partner at William & Sutter LLP, I wanted to make it on my terms and based on my hard work. I didn’t want to be another man’s puppet.
I walked passed Blair’s office and looked inside. It was empty. I reached for my phone and dialed her number. It went straight to voicemail.
I glanced at my watch. 9:49 a.m. Where is she? She should be here by now.
I pulled up my phone and did a quick search and found her personal email address and sent her an email.
To: Blair Parker
From: Ben Chase
Subject: Surprise
Miss Parker,
After the way you “opened up” for me, I’m sure you don’t mind that I took the liberty of finding your personal email. While you previously indicated that you’d like to keep contact at a minimum and formalities intact, I believe those eight hard inches you had so much fun with last night must have changed your position on that, no? ;) Plus, I must insist that we make our contact more informal and more often. After all, my cock’s found a home in a tight, warm place owned by you, and I’m afraid that if it can’t be at home more often, it’ll go crazy.
I’m sorry I had to leave this morning before you woke up. But when I saw you sleeping there, you looked so peaceful, and oh so very hot, I just knew I shouldn’t wake you. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t even that I was being nice. It was more that I knew that if I did wake you up, I’d be an hour late for my appointment because I wouldn’t be able to resist being inside you again. And as you know by now, what my cock wants, it gets.
Now that my meeting’s over, want to make it up to me? ;)
Ben & Homeless Cock
P.S. I hope you enjoyed the breakfast I’d slaved over this morning for you. I imagine that it was the most amazing home-cooked breakfast you’d ever had. Welcome to Chase Café.
I refreshed my inbox several times in the next few minutes, expecting her usual lightning-speed response. But to my surprise, nothing. As the minutes turned into hours with no reply from her, I began to wonder if I had read everything all wrong. Was she really not that interested in me? Was she about to blow me off again like she had before?
I spent the rest of the morning in my office trying to lose myself in work. That usually kept my mind busy and off everything else. But even that didn’t help. I couldn’t seem to concentrate on anything for longer than a few minutes before checking my email to see if she had responded.
It wasn’t until early afternoon when I went across the street to Peet’s Coffee & Tea to grab my afternoon coffee that her response finally appeared in my inbox. I nearly spilled the coffee on myself as I stared at my phone in shock. I immediately opened her email to read her response.
To: Ben Chase
From: Blair Parker
Subject: Do I need to file for a restraining order?
Mr. Chase & Homeless Cock,
I realize that I might have underestimated you. I thought I had seen you at your cockiest. But now I stand corrected. Your cockiness is seriously without bounds.
Also, I hate to burst your bubble—especially as it appears to be so grandiose and imaginative—but you’re wrong. Those “eight hard inches,” as you put it, have not changed my position on things. In fact, your cock should really refrain from claiming something as its home before it has actually secured the keys to the front door. Perhaps this is why it’s, as you put it, homeless.
:)
BUT something else has indeed changed my position on our predicament. It was something I heard this morning.
Now, you seem to be a man of many talents—one of which appears to be your ability to stalk. Quite honestly, I never knew a stalker would be so incredible in bed. Do your stalker capabilities extend to obtaining phone numbers too?
Blair & A Home Up For Grabs
P.S. Thanks for the breakfast. It was indeed the most amazing home-cooked breakfast I’ve ever had.
I read the email several times with a huge grin on my face. Does this mean she’s willing to spend more time with me and see where things go? And what’s this thing she heard? Just as I was about to pull up a web browser on my phone to try to find her number, a voice interrupted me from behind.
“Excuse me? Do you mind moving a little to the side? You’re taking up half the cream and sugar stand.”
“Oh.” I blinked and realized I had lost track of where I was the second I had received Blair’s email. “Of course. Sorry.” I grabbed my coffee from the counter and walked out of the coffee shop. As I walked back toward my office, I began to search for Blair’s number on my phone.
I found it after a few minutes, listed on her LinkedIn account. I smiled as I called the number, anxious to hear her voice.
“Hello?” she answered after two rings.
“Now how about those keys to the front door?”
I heard her giggle on her end. “Wow, you’re good.”
“You make it too easy, baby. So, are you impressed now?”
She laughed. “Of course not. I’m not easily impressed. Should I be?”
I smiled at how much I enjoyed her feistiness. “Yes, you most definitely should be. In fact, you should be so impressed that you insist that I deserve an award for my efforts.”
“An award? Please elaborate.” I could hear the relish in her voice as she played coy.
“I was thinking something more informal and in-person.”
“And private?” she asked with amusement.
“Baby, I don’t need it private. My cock can find its home anywhere.”
I heard her quick intake of breath and I knew she wanted me.
“So when can I see you again?” I asked when she didn’t respond.
“Well, actually, there was something I wanted to tell you and I’d like to do it in person.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. Are you free for some coffee?”
“Ba
by, after how many times I’d made you come last night, you know I’m always free for some coffee.”
She laughed. “Ben, get your mind out of the gutter. When I said coffee, I meant coffee.”
“Oh.” I felt a bit deflated.
“Yup,” she continued, “like the dark, tiny brown bean kind…not the long, thick, and deliciously pink kind.”
My cock immediately perked up as a smirk spread across my face. “Fuck, I’ll be honest here. That long, thick, and deliciously pink kind just got a whole lot longer, thicker, and deliciously juicier.”
“I’ll bet,” she taunted, and I could almost see the satisfied smiled on her face.
I chuckled. “How about this? Let’s compromise: let’s grab both kinds of coffee. You name the time and place, and I promise you that we will both come in more ways than one.”
She let out a barely audible gasp. “Could you be ready to meet in half an hour?”
I looked down at the growing bulge below and threw my untouched coffee into the nearby trash bin. “I’m ready now.”
“Oh.” She paused. “So am I. I’m home now, so do you mind meeting me at the Blue Bottle Coffee in Hayes Valley?”
“I’ll be there in ten.” Just before I hung up on her, I spotted something. “Wait!”
“What?” I heard the alarm in her voice.
I smiled. “What is your favorite kind of flower?” I walked over to the flower stand in front of my building.
“Why? Are you getting me flowers? I never pegged you as a flower-giving type of guy.”
I snickered. “No, you wish. They’re not for you. I just remembered that it’s my secretary’s birthday today and I still need to get her something. Thought since you’re a woman, you probably can pick out better flowers than I could.”
“Oh.” There was a brief silence. “Right. Well, I think roses get too played out. I personally love a bouquet of wild flowers. Many florists will have a selection of them. I love how different and unique they are.”
“Great. Got it, thanks for the tip. I appreciate it.”