by Lacey Black
“I guess I’ll just head back downstairs. Call me when you’re ready to leave,” Steven says before getting up. He doesn’t even look back as he heads towards my door, out into the front to see Carly.
I stay until eight o’clock. Carly left hours ago, and I sent Steven home not long after that. My plan is just to work until I can’t see straight, and then crash in the apartment upstairs. The problem with my master plan is that I can’t seem to concentrate on a single word of anything in front of me. Blue eyes and blond hair fill my mind on repeat. Dani is still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in that simple way. She doesn’t need to be done-up in tons of makeup or dress to impress. Even sitting in my office in her simple black dress slacks and purple ruffled tank top, she’s the most stunning woman ever.
I decide to just head upstairs since work is fruitless at this point. Stepping onto the only elevator that goes up to the top floor, I remove my jacket and loosen my tie before it even makes it up to the next floor. Once inside the apartment, I instantly notice the scent of cleaning chemicals, which is a huge relief. I’m not so sure that smelling some other woman’s perfume right now wouldn’t completely send me straight over the edge of insanity and to the liquor cabinet for a very tall drink.
Instead I decide to order take-out and hop in the shower, hoping that the scalding water will burn her image from my mind. After a quick call down to the security desk to let them know that food is being delivered, I strip down and jump in the shower. Her big blue eyes are more vivid now than ever. Resting my forearms against the cold marble, I let the burn of the water wash over my head and down my body. Unfortunately, it doesn’t rinse her memory away with it. In fact, if the hardness of my dick is any indication, her memory is more alive now than ever before.
Ignoring the throbbing between my legs, I turn off the water. Maybe what I need tonight is a hard workout. Working out has proven to help distract me from whatever ails me. Maybe a little Metallica and an hour of heavy weights or a few miles on the treadmill is just what the doctor ordered.
After making a quick call downstairs with instructions to bring up the food and put it in the warmer, I slip on mesh shorts, an old t-shirt, and my running shoes. No one is in the building at this time of night, so I know that blasting heavy metal as loud as I can stand won’t bother anyone. Though even if someone was still in the building, I don’t think I’d give a shit about the volume of my music.
Two hours later, I’m dripping with sweat and exhausted. I opted for both lifting and running since my traitorous mind wouldn’t stop replaying the scene from my office. There are so many different ways that the scene should have played out, so many things I should have said to her. Apparently, my subconscious is a cruel bastard, because two hours later and she’s still all I can think about.
Even though my stomach is growling and I’m fatigued, I opt for another quick shower before dinner. The smell of Italian food fills the open kitchen as I stroll in butt naked. I never wear clothes at this point in the night. It’s pointless. I’m either entertaining a guest where clothing isn’t ideal, or I’m getting ready for bed, again where clothing isn’t tolerable. I prefer to sleep in nothing but the soft sheet.
After inhaling whatever dish I ordered from the menu and chugging a bottle of water, I slip into my bedroom. The bedding has been changed thankfully, leaving the air clean and crisp. As I settle between the sheets, my mind goes right back to the subject I’ve been trying hard to forget tonight.
Why did Dani show up at my office? And why the fuck was I so rude to her? I know exactly why. I had just signed my life away, and her walking into my life changes everything. I panicked. I needed her gone so that I couldn’t dwell on the fact that I just changed the direction of my life forever.
The company. Acquiring Bravado Resorts makes me one of the largest independent businessmen in North America. Between my properties and estate, and that of Bravado, it puts me at the very top of the list for net worth. And I just turned thirty. The sky is the limit for me and for Hunter Enterprises.
Yet, why do I feel like doing anything but celebrating?
Without even thinking, I grab my cell phone and summons the first speed dial.
“Yes?” Steven asks sleepily.
“How do I find her?”
“She’s already found, Reid. Her name is Dani Whitley.”
I take my first real breath since she walked into my office this afternoon. Dani Whitley. I finally know her name. Now I just need to find her.
Chapter Five – Unexpected Visitors
Dani
“He basically told you to leave?” Trysta asks from her seat across the table from me.
After my crying spell, I made it home just as Trysta was serving Ryan dinner. I know she could tell instantly that the meeting had gone horribly wrong, but once I reassured her that we would speak about it later, she let the subject go. There was no way I was talking about this in front of Ryan.
Now it’s later, and she’s anything but letting the subject go.
“Pretty much. I mean, I know I interrupted his workday and that he was probably busy, but I wasn’t expecting him to be so upset to see me. I don’t know what I expected, Trysta, but him dismissing me wasn’t even a thought.”
“How did you expect it to go?” she asks, concern filling her gorgeous features.
“I guess I thought he’d be happier to see me. Maybe it would have hurt less if he hadn’t remembered my name. But when I walked into his office and he said my name, it gave me hope that we’d be able to reconnect for Ryan.”
I take several calming breaths before continuing. “When I sat down, his face practically transformed right before my eyes. He was shocked, sure, but he was softer at first. Then, suddenly, he turned hard and brash, and basically told me that we had nothing to talk about.”
“So you didn’t tell him the reason for your visit?”
“Of course I didn’t, Trysta. How could I? He didn’t want me there anymore than he wanted to visit the dentist to have a tooth pulled.” Except I’m sure Reid Hunter has never had to visit such a doctor to have any sort of work done. The man is a walking God; all trim and lean with hard lines and tight muscles. Even though he was in a suit, I could tell that the years have been good to him.
“So what’s next?” she asks before taking a sip of her red wine.
“I wish I knew. I guess we go on the way it has always been. I’ve survived eight years without Reid or his help, I’m sure I can manage the rest of my life.”
“But what about Ryan? You don’t think he deserves to know his father?”
I wish I had the magic answer to her question. “Of course I think he deserves that, Tryst. I just want his father to be worthy of the kind of love Ryan will offer. I want him to know how rare and wonderful that kind of love is, and give it back to him willingly. After seeing Reid today, I don’t think he’s capable of the kind of love Ryan deserves.”
And that thought breaks my heart.
“When Ryan is older, I’ll tell him who is father is. I’ll let him make the choice of whether he wants to meet him or not. He can choose to contact Reid, and I’ll support his decision one hundred percent.”
“If that’s what you think is best,” Trysta says.
“I do.” Especially after the way he treated me today. Again, I didn’t expect him to welcome me with open arms, but I did hope he’d be a little receptive as to my reason for being there. Hell, I thought for sure he’d be a little curious at least.
After checking on Ryan, I slip into my own room and get ready for bed. What an emotional day today was. I’m drained from the roller coaster ride I was taken on. But as I snuggle between my sheets, sleep doesn’t find me. My mind tosses and turns as it recounts the events of today: learning that Reid is in Vegas, deciding to go visit him to tell him about his son, and being dismissed out of his office without so much as a backwards glance.
Sleep definitely isn’t my friend tonight. I just pray that exhaustion eventually sets
in enough to pull me into a welcomed slumber.
* * *
“We’re going to have a test tomorrow morning, so don’t forget to review your math facts tonight,” I tell my students as they gather up their backpacks and schoolwork. As soon as the bell sounds, they erupt into chaos as they file out of the classroom and out of the school.
Wednesday is my day for morning duty, so I’m free to enjoy the post-school quiet without having to go outside and make sure everyone gets to their designated rides home. I leave my door partially open so that Ryan can get in easily when he’s done saying goodbye to his teacher and friends. It’s hard to believe that he’s going to be in the same grade that I teach next school year.
Erasing today’s notes from the chalkboard, a heavy knock pulls my attention towards the door. I’m stunned speechless as Reid Hunter hesitantly walks into my classroom. The air around me crackles with awareness unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. Even after all this time, my body still hums to life when I see him.
“Uh, hi. I hope you don’t mind me stopping by,” he says as he takes a few steps closer.
“How did you find me?” I ask as I watch him stroll towards me. My feet are rooted in place, and I’m sure my mouth is gaping open in a very un-lady-like fashion.
“It wasn’t that hard, Dani,” he says with a smile. The smile that I remember. This smile reaches his eyes, and gently touches my soul. This is the smile that I’ve been dreaming about for most of my adult life.
“Wh-what are you doing here?” I ask, suddenly a little panicked with the realization that Reid Hunter is standing in my classroom.
“I felt bad for the way I treated you yesterday. I wanted to apologize.”
Okay. I wasn’t expecting that one.
“There’s no need to apologize, Reid. It’s been a long time. I shouldn’t have just stopped by like that,” I state. His eyes draw me in like a moth to a flame, and all I can do is stand there and wait for the burn.
“No, you didn’t deserve to be treated so poorly like that. I’m sorry for the way I reacted to you,” he says. We both stare at each other for several seconds while my heartbeat pounds relentlessly in my chest.
“It’s okay,” I respond finally.
“I see you finished school and became a teacher,” he says with a smile. “You said that you really wanted to teach. What grade is this?”
“Third. It’s the perfect age for me. Not too young, but not old enough to have completely horrible attitudes and manners,” I reply with a chuckle, recalling the time I was a student teacher for sixth graders.
His smile practically lights up the room. Perfectly straight, white teeth shine back at me through those full lips. Lips that my body remembers if the shudder raking through me is any indication.
Reid seems to notice my sudden reaction to his presence. His smile turns serious and his eyes seem to dilate into black orbs of night. My eyes are glued to his Adam’s apple as I watch his throat, which appears to be working overtime just to swallow. Abruptly, the air in the room seems to crackle with sexual tension that only Reid seems to be able to create. Without even realizing what is happening, we’re both taking steps towards each other. My body is reacting entirely on its own since my paralyzed mind seems to have forgotten how to send any sort of signals to my extremities.
When we’re standing close enough to touch, Reid slowly lifts his hand towards my face. “Dani -” Reid starts, but is cut off when the door to my classroom flies the rest of the way open and bangs off the wall.
“Mom, guess what Jason said to Mr. Foster,” Ryan yells as he runs into the room at Mach Ten.
“Ryan!” I exclaim; jumping back from Reid as if I was a teenager just busted by my parents with a boy in my bedroom.
“You have a son?” Reid asks at the exact same time that Ryan asks, “Who’s that?”
My mind goes completely numb. Even if I were able, I wouldn’t know whose question to answer first. Reid’s steel gray eyes bore into me so intently that I suddenly lose my ability to breathe. I gape widely as my eyes volley back and forth between my son and his father. The connection neither of them realize.
The resemblance is uncanny. Ryan is tall for his age with a lean build that screams basketball player. His gray eyes and dark brown hair match that of the man who stands next to him. His chin has the slightest cleft, and his cheekbones are well defined and strong. The only semblance that our son has to me would be the few sprinkled freckles on his nose. He’s Reid’s mini-me, and I’ve never been more blown away at the likeness than I am right now, at this moment, as they stand next to each other, sizing the other one up.
“Ryan, why don’t you run down to the gym and see if Mr. Phillips is still here. I bet he’d let you shoot a few hoops while I talk to my friend,” I tell my son.
Ryan appears leery to leave for several moments. I can see the questions in his eyes as he looks Reid up and down and then back up again. He opens his mouth to possibly argue with me, but I shut him down before he has the opportunity to speak up. “I’ll only be a few minutes. I need to speak with Mr. Hunter about something really important. When we’re done, we’ll order a pizza, okay?” I say to my seven-year-old. I know it’s the easy way out, but offering to order pizza for dinner is a sure-fire way to get Ryan to do what I need him to do.
And right now, I need him to leave my classroom.
“Okay,” Ryan says before heading towards the door. Before he leaves though, he turns around and looks once more at Reid. Ryan’s little eyebrows are furrowed in a look of concentration. My little man is thinking awfully hard about something. “Bye,” Ryan says to Reid.
I stare at the doorway that my son just departed through. Once again, I’m left completely unprepared and confused about the conversation I’m about to have. Do I just blurt it out? Is there even a way to ease into the blow I’m about to deal Reid?
“You have a son?” he repeats, drawing my attention back to him and away from the empty doorway.
“Yes,” I tell him quietly, wringing my hands together in front of my stomach.
Reid finally turns his attention to me and away from the entrance. His eyes are blazing with something. What? I’m not sure. I watch as his eyes drop down to my hands. He searches them fiercely as if looking for the answer to an unheard question. A wedding ring, I’m assuming.
“I don’t even know how to start this conversation,” I finally say out loud, though I didn’t mean to actually say it.
Reid walks over and stands directly in front of me. His eyes blaze with fire. His stare is almost my complete undoing. “How old is he?” he croaks out, as if his throat is dry.
“He’s seven. He’ll be eight in a few weeks,” I confirm, raising my chin up a little.
Reid’s legs seem to wobble as he reaches forward and places his hands on my desk next to me. I can hear him struggle to catch his breath as he drops his head to his chest. After a few tense minutes, he lifts his head and pins me with a look. “He’s mine?” he asks, though if Reid got a good enough look at Ryan, he already knows the answer to that one.
“Yes,” I whisper.
Reid pushes off my desk and starts to pace around like a caged animal. The anger rolling off him is enough to keep me from stepping any closer. “And this is why you came by to see me yesterday?” he asks, the hardness evident in his voice.
“Yes,” I confirm again.
Reid stops pacing and glares at me. “And you just thought that now was the time to share that little piece of information with me, Dani?”
He’s clearly angry with me for the live grenade I just dropped in his lap, but surely he can see what choice I had. My own anger starts to rise as I consider his assumption. “How, Reid? I didn’t know your name! I didn’t know where you were from. I had no clue how to find you,” I seethe back at the man in front of me.
Closing my eyes and taking a few calming deep breaths, a technique I perfected when Ryan was only a toddler, I take a moment before continuing. “Look, Reid, I u
nderstand this is shocking to you. I wasn’t trying to disrupt your life or anything, but for the first time in eight years, I found out your last name. I always told myself that if I had the chance to find you, I’d tell you about Ryan.”
My heart is beating right out of my chest. Reid’s gaze is so fierce that I’m afraid he can see everything in my soul–my fears, my hopes, my dreams. I don’t know if I should continue or give him a moment to process.
“I have to go,” he finally says, breaking the quiet and answering my question.
“Go?” I ask when I realize he’s about to bolt out of the door.
“Yes, I have to go,” Reid says as he turns and heads towards the door with purpose.
He hesitates when he gets to the threshold, but doesn’t turn around. Instead, he walks right out the door.
Right out of our life.
Again.
After giving myself about ten minutes to calm down my racing heart and my labored breathing, I gather up my bag and lock up my classroom. At least Ryan wasn’t in the classroom when his father found out about him…and then walked out the door.
* * *
“Hey, Mom! Watch this shot,” Ryan exclaims as he tries a jump shot from the corner of the free throw line.
“Great try, Ry,” I holler as I watch it teeter around the rim and bounce off without going through the hoop.
“Is Aunt Trysta going to eat pizza with us?” Ryan asks after he returns the basketball to the ball bin at the back of the gymnasium.
“Maybe. I think she’s working tonight,” I tell him, ruffling the dark brown locks atop his head.
“Can we get black olives and bacon on the pizza?” he asks, his entire face lighting up. I can’t help but laugh at his choice combination of toppings. I’m not sure where he came up with that combination because I’m more of a plain sausage kinda girl.
“Are you prepared to listen to her complain?” I ask with a smile.
“She got her gross veggie pizza last time and made me eat it. This time, I’m getting extra bacon and tons of olives,” he says as he throws his backpack over his shoulder. “Can we invite Grandpa?”