by Amy Brent
She shook her head, a wry laugh escaping her lips. “You really think that? That I'd reject you?”
“You did the first day we met.”
Jillian held very still, thinking back to that first fateful encounter in her office. It was true, she had rejected him. But only because he'd been a patient. Now that he wasn't...
“Jillian,” he said, running his fingers through her hair. “Babe. Please. Don't leave.”
She looked at the door, then closed her eyes and laid her head against his chest. “But what about the money? And the baby? And...”
He stroked her hair, whispering soothing noises into her ear. “Don't worry about that. About any of it. I can take care of you. I can take care of you and the baby. That's all I want to do.”
She held him tight, her tears slowly fading away. “You mean that?” she whispered. She clung to his chest, savoring his warmth. She could feel his heart beating and she held her head against it, listening to the steady rhythm of his life. “You really want me? You want...us?”
“Of course I do.” He tilted her face up towards his. “Jillian, I love you.”
He kissed her, and for the first time when she kissed him back, it was without obligation, without any baggage attached. It was simply two souls uniting in a moment together, sharing the touch, the taste of each other. She held onto him, relief swelling in her chest. Her worries slowly faded, and she knew now that everything was going to be okay. Her baby, their baby, would have a wonderful life, and they would finally be together as a real couple, as a family. And it was more than she ever could have hoped for.
Reed
He took one last drink and made his way back into office with water in hand. He knew what to say, and all he had to do was put it out there. He pushed open the door and turned to face her once more.
“Lydia!? What the hell are you doing here?” He glanced frantically around the room once more.
She stood their hands on hip scowling. “Me what am I doing here what the hell was Miss Piggy doing here? That woman had some nerve, she eluded to having sex with you on your desk can you imagine?!”
“Lydia, I have known you for a very long time and so I am not going to fire you for your mouth, or the way you talk about Tempest. I will, however tell you that this is your one and only warning about how you talk to people. Don’t ever, and I mean ever let me hear you say another cross word about her is that clear?”
She paled and stuttered slightly.” Ye..yes Reed I got it. I’m sorry ok.?”
“As for my sex life that is none of your business, not anymore. We are done Lydia, no more. If you said or did anything to run her off I swear Lydia, you will be on the unemployment line by Monday morning.” He grabbed his jacket and made his way out of the office and into the garage to get his car. I she could run off for weeks and not say a word, surely she could go away again, but there was no way he was letting her go not this time.
He found her apartment complex easily enough. It wasn’t as run down as he had feared, but it was in a rough part of town. He saw her car and he internally sighed with relief. He still had time to make thigs right. He parked his car, jumping out and knocking on her door.
She opened it and after the look of shock came one of concern.
“Reed, what are you doing here?” She crossed her arms and he knew she was upset.
“Can I come in and talk Temp, please just for a few minutes. Then I’ll go if you want.”
He saw her thinking about it and after another moment she opened the screen for him and he went inside. It was small and quaint but meticulously neat. It was seeing that that helped him relax even more. He turned to face her.
“Listen Temp, Lydia and I …we are done there isn’t anything going on there… not anymore.”
“Why are you telling me this Reed, what you do in your personal time has nothing to do with me.”
“What if I want it to?” He waited for her to say something, anything.
“What do you mean?” It was a whisper but he heard it.
“Temp you left, and I didn’t even want to come to work anymore. I don’t know how you did it but I tried to play this game with you to get you in bed, and somehow you turned it on me making me fall head over heels in love with you.”
He waited, letting it sink in. She raised her head to look at him and he saw the tears in her eyes.
“Don’t tell me you don’t feel it Temp, you have to.”
“I don’t know what to say Reed. I came to see you to tell you somethings and when she showed up it just all seemed so clear somehow. Now, your standing here telling me you love me.” She threw her hands in the air, letting the tears fall.
“Why is that bad Temp?” He pulled her close to him, framing her face with his hands. “I never wanted to settled down until I met you. I don’t ever want you out of my life again.”
“Its bad because I don’t know if we want the same things Reed.” She looked up at him.
“I don’t know whether but that’s part of it, finding out more and more about the other person.”
“Reed it’s not that simple.” She pulled away and doing it was breaking them both.
“Why not, damn Tempest your killing me here.” He stood there his heart breaking.
“Because I am pregnant Reed, that’s why.” She stood there and he felt something move inside him.
“What?!” He was unsure he had heard her correctly, and he was afraid no matter what her response.
“I am pregnant Reed. I was coming to tell you tonight. I know you don’t want kids, you made that clear so I was coming to tell you I can do this on my own you don’t have to anything at all. I won’t ask you for anything and you don’t have to…”
She was cut off when his lips met hers. The kiss was hot and searing and full of love. He nipped at her mouth gently as he searched her face then slowly he pulled back, gently placing a hand on her stomach.
“I’m going to be a dad.” He said it incredulously.
“Yes.” She whispered.
“We are a family Temp, I want all of it, you baby and hell…three more for all I care.”
He lifted her in his arms and held her close, once more reveling in the feel of her body molded to his. There was nothing more perfect than they were in that moment.
“I love you Tempest, now let’s go home.”
“I love you too Reed.” He looked down into her eyes, glistening with unshed tears, albeit this time happy ones.
“Well it’s about time you said it back.” He grunted and she swatted at him playfully before he sealed their love with a kiss.
CLIMBING HIS CORPORATE LADDER
Chapter One – Megan
She paced the floor, lost in thought. She was usually very reserved; it took more than a little bump in her plan to cause her to worry. Sadly, this bump was much bigger than she expected. She paused once, turning on her heel as she paced in the opposite direction. So much had been riding on this promotion, and now she would have to start all over again. She never missed a day of work either, until today, and until she needed some time to process the blow to her ego she had received.
With a sigh, she had to wonder if it had anything to do with her appearance. It wasn’t that she was unattractive, in fact, her caramel colored skin and green eyes were what made her stand out. Her hair was simple, yet elegant, twisted copper curls, an asset she had inherited from her mother. Unfortunately, that was the only thing she had inherited. She turned once more, spinning around and catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror. At 25 it was true she was thick, she wasn’t pencil thin, or perfect by model industry standards. What she did have was curves, hips and confidence. She smiled, putting her hand on her hip for emphasis.
She was more than happy with herself. Rarely did she find herself lacking for dates, in fact being a big beautiful girl was all the rage sometimes, and for a brief moment she had been very popular indeed. Now, in the corporate world, she was often looked at as though somehow she was lacking, something
that she refused to let her get down.
With a shrug, she went back to pacing. Now was not the time to focus on how she looked, now was the time to figure out what had gone wrong. She had interviewed for the assistant position, and she had aced that interview. If there was anything she knew, it was how to interview for a job. Growing up in a rough neighborhood, she had been taught at a very young age that the only way to make, it was to get out of the neighborhood, as soon after high school as you could. She had seen so much negative activity around her cul-de-sac, she had needed no further prodding.
She hated the idea of letting herself get emotional over this situation, but she was lying if she didn’t fight back tears a time or two. She had climbed the ladder too long, and too hard. The Director had all but told her it was in the bag two weeks ago, and she had planned on it. Sadly, now she was left scrambling to fix everything she had changed. Had she known, she wouldn’t have taken on a car note. She would have stuck with her little beat up cavalier a couple more years, instead she sold it. Using that money to buy her a new and improved wardrobe to go along with her new title. Now she was stuck with a car she couldn’t afford, and clothes she didn’t need.
She slumped down in the chair with a sigh. It wasn’t fair, not even a little. She wasn’t the type to get discouraged, but today just seemed to be bringing her down. Alice, from HR had called her an hour ago and she had done nothing but pace the floor since then. To ask about any other positions would be fruitless, that much was for sure. She had followed the job postings closely, always waiting to jump on this one when it had opened. She tapped her chin lost in thought for a moment. Maybe she had done something wrong? She furrowed her brow, thinking about it at length. She couldn’t think of anything, but then nothing would be a surprise really.
She sat up quickly, what she needed was an inside scoop on what had happened. If she couldn’t get straight answers, then surely she could ask her co-workers, especially Debbie. Debbie Burrows had the inside knowledge about everything in the office, no matter how small or how big. She hated even getting this ball rolling, but it had to be done, plain and simple. She dialed the number quickly, chewing on her lower lip as she did.
“Hullo, this is Miss Deb.” The happy voice on the other end answered cheerfully.
“Hey Deb, its Megan…”
“Oh, hayyyy girl. I can’t believe they didn’t give you that position.” She cut off her hello.
“Yeah, I was really hopeful about that.” Wow, news certainly did travel fast.
“I know girl, I heard that old man Rutledge gave control over to his son William, and he brought in his nephew for the job. Something about a family crisis or something. Still, I know you earned that job fair and square.”
“Well, I was just calling to see if you had heard anything at all.” She frowned just saying the words.
“Just what I told ya honey. I hope you will be ok, I know it is a blow.”
“I'm fine, thanks Miss Deb.” She flicked the screen, ending the call a frown on her face. A nephew huh, well she would go find William Rutledge herself and ask him how any of this is fair.
She had to think twice about it as she headed towards the door. It was a Tuesday, hopefully he was still in town. He was somewhat of an enigma. William Rutledge was the only son of Mr. Rutledge, the senior and the owner of the corporation she was working for. She had never met him, only seen his signature from time to time on correspondence as it came through the office. She knew he was known to be ruthless, arrogant and a bit of a womanizer. Either way, she would give him a piece of her mind, even if it meant losing her job.
With a sigh, she recanted that last bit, she couldn’t lose her job, despite this issue. She had to have some money coming in. She slid into the seat of her car, her wonderful “new to her” car. She would likely have to give it back, unless something happened and so on. She set off for her building, hoping to get there before everyone left for the day.
Finding a spot in the massive garage, she slipped out of her car, straigtening her skirt as she went. She would approach this with a no nonsense kind of attitude, and be as sweet and as charming as she could be. She glanced around the lot almost empty which suited her just fine. The last thing she needed was the rumor mill turning, and it's attached to her name in any way. She hit the button on the elevator and made her way into the lobby. She smiled at George the attendant, giving him a wave and she moved down the long corridor towards the south elevators. Her phone ringing, she fished it out of her purse only to feel herself being knocked against the wall, causing her to drop her bag entirely.
Chapter Two- William
The place was a mess, and one he didn’t relish the idea of fixing up for his father. Sure, he loved the old man with everything he had, the problem was much more complex than that. In fact, he would have to spend the better part of the year living in the city to try and make sense of things. Rarely did he find his way into the smaller cities that the company had operations in. He far preferred the fast pace of New York or Miami. No, sadly he was stuck, at least for the foreseeable future in Chicago. Not that he disliked the area, in fact, there was some city structures and charm that made him feel much more relaxed than some of the other places. Glancing down at his watch he realized it was later than he thought. He would have to come back tomorrow and wrap this latest set of paperwork up.
He stood glancing out of the floor to ceiling mirror that gave him an overview of the city. If there was anything he loved more about this office, it was this room. He, had the advantage over his father in height. At 6’2 he was able to see more of the view than his father had, and yet that’s where the differences in them stopped. Broad and blonde, William had an easy way about him, never dealing with stress, or allowing it to take over his life. He also had the same clear blue eyes, much like his father. The only resemblance to his mother that he had was the dimple in his left cheek. Something his father reminded him of often.
Even now he felt a twinge thinking of her. She had been a wonderful woman, full of life and excitement. She had been gone only two years, cancer taking her quickly from them. It seemed like only yesterday more often than not. He had been fortunate to live 28 years before losing her, and his 30th birthday was fast approaching. If she had been here she would be pushing him towards finding a wife. Something he had no intention of doing any time soon.
It wasn’t that he didn’t like women, he did. In fact, that was the real issue, he liked them too much. He was careful to keep out of the news, never flaunting any one woman more than another. He was discreet and careful, something he had learned at a very young age. He smiled even now, thinking of the petite blonde he had met only yesterday. Quietly he had given her a compliment or two and left her with a number to call him. They had plans this weekend, and he would find a way to charm her, winning her over and into his bed.
It was almost boring these days, his endless parade of beauties. There was no challenge in any of them. If they weren’t impressed with his car and money, they wanted him because of his looks. Never conceited, he thought he was just an average guy, though he tried to take care of himself. He glanced at his reflection in the glass, his blond hair short and wavy on top, he didn’t see it, but it left him never being alone. That was something he enjoyed most. He hated the silence, the simplicity of being alone. No, he would always prefer to eat, drink and have good conversation with a woman over solitude. He heard his phone buzzing and glanced down at it with a scowl. His nephew Jackson.
It wasn’t that he didn’t care about the boy, he did. In fact, he had given him a position in the company, in hopes that he would be content. Every day there was a call about something, asking him 100 questions about the job and whining over where his office would be. He knew that the job had been promised to someone else, but he had given his aunt Gertie his word he would find him a place, and not in the Mailroom. It had simply been the only one open at the time. He gave a glance at the stack of boxes still waiting to be unpacked by the door. He would h
ave to hire an assistant too. So much to do and so little time to do it. He slipped into his jogging suit, hoping to get a run in while out and made his way to the door hoping to find some early dinner. Some of the staff would be here until 6, so he would come back and be there until they all left, a tradition his father had started, and one he would strive to continue. He walked out of the elevator, heading towards the garage when his phone rang again. Grabbing it, he sighed, seeing Jacksons number once more. What he didn’t see was the person he was walking into.
“Damn.” He cursed. “I am sorry; I didn’t even look up.” He held a hand out to her, helping her find an upright position once more. He grabbed her bag finally meeting her eyes.
Hazel, green… some variation of the two. She glanced up at him, brushing off her skirt, doing some cursing herself. He couldn’t help but grin slightly taking her in. She was nothing like the women he found himself with. She was tall, but not overly so, curvy, but in all the right places and her caramel skin gave the appearance of being kissed by the sun. She took care of herself, and her body language made that very clear.
“If you're finished looking at me, I’ll take my bag back.” She gave him a look, brows arched as she held out her hand.
“Sorry.” He thrust it out to her, a little at a loss for words. He watched her strive to put herself back together.
“Oh man, seriously?” She sighed, rolling her eyes as she pulled the two ends of her shirt together. It was obviously ripped, and beyond fixing. With a huff, she slung her bag over her shoulder. “You should really watch where you’re going. This outfit cost me a fortune.” She gave him a once over taking in his causal clothes.
He crossed his arms amused. “Your right, I should, I’d be happy to cover the cost of your shirt….” He trailed off, and she glanced up at him once more before looking down at the shirt once more.
“Megan… my name is Megan.”