by Lacey Black
The drive to Hunter Enterprises is nerve-racking, to say the least. I almost turn the car around at practically every intersection I pass. But the thought of Ryan being able to have a father in his life is too great of an opportunity to pass up. God, I just pray I’m making the right decision here.
I find a parking garage down the street from the building I’m looking for. When I reach the front of the glass building, my heart is practically beating out of my chest. I’m afraid I could stroke out at any moment or that I’m going to have a panic attack right here in the middle of the business district. Somehow finding my inner courage, I open the massive heavy door.
Inside, the building is masculine. Beautiful tile floors and white marble for as far as the eye can see. A security counter with two well-built men stationed behind it sits just over to the right. Three elevators are situated on the back wall, but before I can make my way over to one of them, a voice draws my attention just over to the left of me. “May I help you?”
A young secretary sits at a reception desk in the middle of the lobby. Her dark hair and makeup is as perfect as can be, as if she just stepping off the pages from one of Trysta’s fashion magazines.
“Uh, hi. I am…I was hoping to speak with Reid Hunter,” I tell the fashionable brunette.
“Do you have an appointment?” she asks with a raised eyebrow. The look on her face is clearly one of utter annoyance. She must get strange women stopping in to see Reid often.
“Uh, no.” I’m almost embarrassed by my lack of proper talk. It’s as if just by being here, I’ve been robbed of any ability to properly form adult sentences.
“You can’t go up without an appointment,” she says briskly before turning her attention back to the computer in front of her.
“If I can just steal a few minutes of his time, I’ll be out of here before you know it,” I tell the woman.
“Listen, honey. Mr. Hunter doesn’t see anyone without an appointment. Unless you can produce a name that’s on my schedule for this afternoon, you’re going to have to leave,” she replies with a clipped tone.
Great, I make it all the way to his building and I can’t even get past the first obstacle. How in the hell am I supposed to see a man who won’t talk to anyone without an appointment? And how in the world am I supposed to get one of those? Call up his office and say, “Hi, I’m a girl he slept with eight years ago and we share a son. Can he squeeze me in at three p.m. today?”
I give it one last shot. “I’m an old friend of Reid’s. I really won’t take up much of his time if you’ll just let me -” I start, but am cut off.
“Not happening, sweetheart. Do you know how many old friends of Reid’s show up here every day to speak with him? No one, not even you, gets in without an appointment.”
It takes every ounce of politeness I possess not to stick out my tongue. Instead, I give her a polite smile. As I turn to walk out the way I entered, an older man along the security counter catches my attention. He’s staring at me, question clearly written all over his handsome face. I stop in my tracks as he starts to approach me. Great, just what I need now. Security.
“I was just leaving. You don’t have to escort me out,” I tell the gentleman.
His eyes are soft and the lightest shade of blue as he gives me a smile. It’s then that I notice he’s wearing a suit, not a security uniform like the other two guys at the counter. He doesn’t scream security, but has that fatherly feel to him. My racing heart instantly starts to calm down a bit.
“I’m not going to escort you out, Miss. I’m Steven,” he says as he offers his hand. His hand is warm, yet a bit rough as I place mine within his.
“Dani Whitley.”
“Did you say you knew Reid?” he asks, as he leads me away from the nosey secretary. I can’t help but notice that her interest is piqued as she watches Steven and I converse.
“Yeah. Well, I haven’t seen him in years. I met him a few years ago, and I was hoping to have a quick meeting with him.” Honestly, I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. Do you think he can see it written all over my face?
He must be able to because he leads me over to the sofa along a sidewall back by the elevators. “You said your name was Dani?” he asks with a curious look.
“Yes.”
Something changes in his demeanor. He suddenly stands up and looks down at me like he’s seeing a ghost. “I see. How about I take you upstairs to see Reid?” he offers, his face softening again as he gives me another friendly smile.
“Really? Are we going to get in trouble?” I ask, looking over at Miss Snippy over at the front desk.
Steven chuckles as he notices where my eyes have settled. “No, we won’t get into any trouble. If you need to go up and see Reid, then I’ll take you up there.” Steven extends his hand towards me, assisting me up from the couch.
“Miss Whitley needs a visitor’s pass,” Steven tells the brunette at the counter.
“Sir?” she asks, clearly not happy with the fact that Steven is going around her and taking me upstairs.
“This is Reid’s friend, Dani. I’m taking her upstairs to see him.”
“I need to call Carly first,” she said in a clipped tone as she reaches for the phone on the desk.
“I’ll take care of Carly. No need to call upstairs,” he says as he helps secure a visitor’s badge around my neck.
As we walk towards the elevators, Steven places a friendly hand on my back. It’s a gesture that instantly calms my racing heart. He uses the keycard in his pocket and ushers me inside of the far left elevator. This one only has buttons for two floors. Steven pushes the first button and we suddenly start our smooth ascent towards Reid.
My breathing is suddenly labored again. I can’t believe I’m about to do this. As if sensing my internal turmoil, Steven reaches over and squeezes my wrist. “Don’t worry, Dani. He’ll be happy to see you,” Steven says, offering me another friendly, fatherly smile.
When the elevator opens, I can instantly hear the voice that has haunted my dreams for eight years. Reid is standing behind his desk, addressing someone on the phone in a not-so-friendly manner. Hearing the elevator open, he slowly turns towards me. As I take a few shaky steps into the room, our eyes lock for the first time. The electricity in the room crackles to life, and I can’t stop the audible gasp that slips from my dry throat. Those steel gray eyes are locked on mine so intently that I’m afraid I’ll never be able to speak again.
“I’ll call you back,” he says abruptly into the phone receiver in his hand before placing it down on the carriage without even looking.
Steven places a hand on my back and encourages me to take another step into the room. White spots dance before my eyes again and I realize I’m not breathing. I suck in a huge gulp of precious air before taking my eyes off Reid for the first time. I turn to look at Steven. Why? I have no clue. Maybe for a little direction? Maybe for an acknowledgement for his sudden support. Maybe just to give myself a few moments to collect myself before I look over at Reid again. I offer him a small smile in silent thanks.
“Dani?” Reid whispers in the hushed room, drawing my eyes back to his.
“Hi,” I mumble as I study the man before me. He reeks of power and money. While the Reid I knew eight years ago permeated the same, this Reid is so very different. He looks almost…angry.
“I found this little lady down in the lobby. I thought maybe the two of you could use a moment to say hello,” Steven says. When I turn back to him, he’s smiling again. It’s as if he knows more than he’s letting on.
Then, he turns and walks back towards the elevator. I want to grab ahold of him and beg him to stay. Suddenly, the idea of not having this stranger’s support is unnerving. The thought of being left alone with Reid is terrifying.
“You got this,” he mumbles before slipping inside the elevator and disappearing from sight.
I turn back around and find those deep, soulful eyes focused on me once again. Neither of us speaks as I slowly take a
few shaky steps towards his desk. I step around and lower myself into one of the chairs before his desk. I’m not sure how much longer my legs could support me anyway.
When I sit down, Reid slowly sits down in his massive leather chair. His mouth opens and closes a few times like a fish out of water. I know he’s wondering what the hell I’m doing here–in his office. I wish I knew the right way to do this. I’ve wondered about having to tell him about his son for years, never really thinking that I’d have to do it. Now, I stare at the very reason I have a seven-year-old son.
“I’m sorry for just dropping by like this. I’m sure you’re a busy man,” I start.
“What are you doing here?” he asks as he runs a hand through his dark hair.
“I, uh…I just needed to stop by and thought that -” I suddenly stop talking. I have no freaking clue what to say to him. Do I make small talk for a few minutes, or do I just blurt it out? God, I wish Steven were here. I could use a reassuring look from his kind, blue eyes right about now.
Reid’s eyes darken, but not in the way I remember from that night. They look intense, sure, but almost filled with fury. “I have a very busy afternoon. I need to call back the gentleman that I just cut off. Is there something you need today? Otherwise, I’m going to have to cut this reunion short.”
I almost slink down into my chair from his rudeness and clear dismissal. Out of all of the ways I thought this could go down, him not wanting to give me the time of day wasn’t really one of them. I thought he’d at least let me get out my news before he kicked me out of his office.
Suddenly, this feels all wrong. Do I want my son to have a father who’s this brash and abrasive that he won’t even give me five minutes of his time? His eyes hold nothing but annoyance and anger at this moment, and abruptly, telling him that he’s a father seems like the worst thing in the word to say.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disrupt your afternoon. I just wanted to say hello. I see you’re a very busy man, and I won’t take any more of your time.” I get up out of the chair and make my way towards the elevator.
I push the button repeatedly to go down, all the while feeling Reid’s gaze on my back. He doesn’t say anything, and neither do I. It takes hours before the elevator arrives in his office. Okay, in reality it’s probably about ten seconds. I slip inside without turning around, fearing that if I turn around and see that dismissal in his eyes again, I’ll break down.
The elevator doesn’t move. Clearly needing to push the button to descend, I turn around and find that magic button. When I hit it, I lift my eyes and see him. He’s standing behind his desk again, watching me. I can’t tell what his eyes are saying this time. It’s part confusion, part anger, part longing. At least that’s what it appears to me.
As the elevator door starts to close, I whisper, “I’m sorry,” once more as a single tear slips unchecked down my cheek. This was not how it was supposed to go. I wasn’t supposed to chicken out this way.
Just as the door gets ready to close, Reid takes a step forward. “Dani,” he says, the look of pure angst filling his beautiful features. The look on his face in this moment will forever haunt me. I will never forget today for as long as I live.
And then the door closes…
I step out into the marble foyer and find Steven leaning against the security counter. When he sees me, his smile instantly falls. He rushes towards me as I move on autopilot towards the doors. All I want to do now is leave this building. I need to get away from Reid’s unexpected anger at seeing me. I know I left him in the morning without a goodbye, but I didn’t expect him to be so upset about my appearance. Hadn’t we agreed it was just one night? I made the wrong choice in coming here.
“Dani?” Steven says as he grabs ahold of my upper arm, as if to help keep me upright.
“I’m sorry. I need to go,” I tell him quickly as I pull my arm out of his gentle grip.
“Do you need a ride somewhere?” he offers. The softness in his eyes and the tenderness in his tone break me. Several tears start to slip from my eyes as I stumble backwards towards the exit.
“No, thank you. I’ll be fine,” I tell him as I stagger out into the May afternoon sun.
I don’t turn around for fear that Steven will be following me. I make my way as quickly as possible towards the parking garage where I left my car. Once inside, I can have my breakdown. Right now, I need to just make it to my car.
Finally slipping inside of my car, I don’t even put the keys in the ignition. My hands go up to my face as the dam breaks and the tears fall. I cry hard. I cry at the thought of Ryan not having his father. I cry at the recollection of Reid’s clear resentment at my presence in his office. And I cry for the memory of our perfect night together that’s now tainted.
After several minutes, the tears start to ebb. Placing my key in the ignition, I turn over my car and wipe my face. It’s time to go home. Go home to my son. Go home to my life and push the memory of Reid Hunter as far from my mind as possible.
I only wish it were going to be easy.
Chapter Four – Dreams and Nightmares
Reid
I stand there for maybe ten minutes? Ten of the longest damn minutes of my life as I stare at the elevator door, praying that it opens again and that Dani is standing before me once more. I’m painfully aware of her lingering presence in the room, not only smelling the familiar scent of her perfume, but my dick is so damn hard, I could jackhammer concrete. It blows my mind that my body remembers her so vividly, so perfectly.
When the elevator opens, I pull in a deep breath. Unfortunately, the door reveals my driver, Steven, and I instantly want to punch a puppy. I watch as he strolls into the room like he owns the place and sits down in the seat across from my desk. His blue eyes, which remind me so much of the woman’s who just ran from my office, are studying me intently.
“So, that was Dani?” he asks quietly, though it wasn’t really a question.
Unable to form words for maybe the second time in my life, I give him a head nod in confirmation. The only other time I’ve been incapable of speaking was when I first saw her sitting in the dirt eight years ago.
“And I take it by the way she ran out of here crying that your reunion wasn’t a happy one?” Instantly, my gut tightens and nausea sets in. She was crying?
Closing my eyes, I’m haunted by the look on her face when I was so rude to her. She completely caught me off guard this afternoon. One minute I’m signing the documents to take over Bravado, which put me in a fouler mood than I expected, then the next minute Dani is walking in. That changed everything. I was ready to throw that damn contract straight out the window, and that thought pisses me off. I’ve worked for months on this damn deal, and the fact that I actually contemplated walking away, even after the papers were signed, left me completely unsettled.
But, damn the look of hurt in her eyes…
“What brought her here after all these years?” Steven asks as he casually crosses his arms across his chest.
Steven’s the only one besides Jon that knows about Dani. Jon was there that night eight years ago, but never brings it up. When I woke up alone in the tent, I felt like my heart was cut out of my chest. I looked for her around the campsites, including the one where her douche of an ex was sleeping, but never saw her again.
Steven caught me in a weak moment not long after he started driving for me six years ago. He had waited for me outside of some woman’s apartment while I tried to fuck away her memory. Of course, it didn’t work.
When I got back into the car, he gave me that pointed look that told me how disappointed he was in me. He didn’t even have to say anything. It was written all over his face. But for the amount of disappointment he felt in me that night, it didn’t hold a candle to how disappointed I was in myself. I ended up spilling my guts about the one girl who got away. The one that I was prepared to change everything for. The one girl that I could actually see falling in love with.
That’s also the last nigh
t Steven drove me as I met up with women. Driving my own car may not have been able to hide the distress I felt in myself, but at least I didn’t have to see it on his face anymore.
Now, I’m witnessing that same look from the man who is practically the only father I have left. He’s staring at me from across my desk, waiting to hear what I have to say. The thought of disappointing him leaves me troubled, especially since disappointing my real father was the furthest thing from my mind.
“I don’t know what you want me to say. She didn’t have an appointment,” I tell him, doing everything I can to keep my gaze neutral.
“Really? That’s the card you want to play right now? She didn’t have an appointment?”
“It’s not a card, it’s a fact. I was on the phone with a potential new client, and I cut him off rudely. Now I have to call him back and pray he doesn’t take his business elsewhere.”
“Screw that client, Reid. And screw you if you think her showing up here–now–isn’t a sign. I saw the way you looked at her. So what the hell happened between the moment I left you here and the moment she came running downstairs crying?”
Taking a deep breath, I know there’s no way the old man is going to let me get back to work without giving it up. For the sake of the remainder of my workday, I start talking. “She didn’t say what she wanted. I might have been a little rude to her.” The look Steven gives me has me squirming in my chair. “I panicked when I saw her, Steven. I just signed the Cruz deal, and suddenly, there she was. Why me? Why now?” I ask more to myself.
“Now I guess you’ll never know, will ya,” he states matter-of-factly.
I’m quiet, as I consider never seeing her again. The next phase of my life is all set–typed out in Times New Roman, size 12 font, with my signature and that of Douglas Cruz’s on the bottom line. I’ve never backed out of a deal, and I’m not about to now.