O'Come

by Bridget Midwat

  The conference room door opened again. This time the front desk clerk was showing Edwin inside. The tall, lithe Filipino man with dark hair smiled as he looked at Cynda sitting at the table.

  “Should I have him waiting in the hall for you?” the clerk asked.

  Just as Cynda started to answer, her father said, “Let Edwin in.”

  Cynda furrowed her eyebrows and turned to her father. “How did you know who he is?”

  Donald stared pointedly at Cynda. “He works at Richmond Enterprises. Didn’t you know that?”

  That fact Edwin left out of every one of their conversations. She thought he still worked at a realty company in Florida.

  As Edwin took a seat at the table, Cynda spoke. “Dad, that was karaoke night. I was just having fun. Guests had a great time.”

  “Too bad your general manager didn’t.” Graham showed a picture of Reid with blood all over his face from when he hit his head against the stage.

  “Oh my God.” Donald covered his mouth.

  “He tripped.” Cynda felt her face get hot.

  As though on cue, Reid walked into the room. “I’m sorry for the intrusion. I have something to say.”

  “You’ll have a lot to say to explain these next shots.” Graham clicked something on his phone again and brought up an image of Reid unscrewing the light bulb in the auditorium. The next image showed Reid sitting in the middle of the couch with a suspiciously large bulge covered with a blanket.

  Cynda’s face felt like a torch set it on fire. She’d never been so embarrassed in her life.

  “And let’s not forget how your general manager shirked his duties to go on a carriage ride with your daughter.” The next picture showed Reid and Cynda in the bridge that led to his chalet. Reid had Cynda against the wall in what looked to be an intense exchange. “Who knows what happened when they got behind closed doors.”

  “You bastard!” Cynda stood from the table.

  Donald raised his hand to his child to calm her. “Sit down.” He glared at Graham. “Take those images down at once. What makes you think I would want to see something like that of my child?”

  “I was just trying to show you what poor management has been going on here under Reid’s care.” Graham pushed an option on his phone that stopped the pictures. “I could do a better job than Reid.”

  “To me, it looked like Mr. Weller did exactly what I asked him to do. He made sure my child had a, um, good time here, and he kept her safe.” Donald looked at Cynda adoringly.

  “If you felt that way, why did you send him to watch me?” Cynda pointed to Graham.

  “I never asked Graham to come here. When you told me that on the phone, I was shocked.” He glared at his employee. “I don’t ask people outside of my immediate circle to watch over my family. You were way out of bounds.”

  Graham swallowed hard. “But what about what he did?” He pointed to Reid. “What he did was worse.”

  “Oh really?” Reid countered. “Where did you get those pictures from?”

  Graham raised his head. “I had a guy on the inside. He took the shots for me. Before he posted them on a gossip site, he sent copies to me.”

  Cynda suspected it had to be the guy from the ski lesson. Now she had an even better reason to hate him.

  “So let me get this straight.” Reid put his hands to his hips as he squared off against Graham. “You hired a paparazzo to stalk your boss’s daughter and approved of him to post the pictures on a gossip site. Is that right?”

  Graham started to agree but stopped himself.

  “What’s the answer, Mr. Iler?” Donald pressed.

  “While you’re explaining that, be sure to tell my father how me dating you will straighten me out.”

  After Cynda made her statement, she noticed Reid stepping toward Graham in a challenging fashion. She put herself in between her man and the cretin.

  “Sir, he’s not going to say anything more because I’m guessing at this point he’s realized that by hiring a photographer to take shots of any guest without their permission, especially your daughter, and then posting them to a gossip site is against resort policy and should be grounds for dismissal.”

  Donald stared at Graham.

  “Mr. Richmond, I—”

  “Get out.” Donald pointed to the door. “I don’t know what you hoped by embarrassing my family, but you’ve truly missed the mark. If you think I would ever side against my family, that includes Reid, you’ve underestimated me too.”

  “Sir, I—”

  “Don’t make me call security.” Reid crossed his arms over his chest.

  With his head down, Graham walked out of the room.

  “I really thought you had sent him to watch me.” Cynda kept her gaze down to the floor.

  “Honey, believe it or not, I don’t hate you. I may not agree with every choice you make, but that’s a father’s right.” He reached across the table and held her hand. “And I protect you, not because of your condition.” He brought his gaze up to her hair before regaining eye contact. “I do it because you’re my child and I love you.”

  Cynda swallowed a lump forming in her throat. “I didn’t know. We always argue.”

  “That’s because we’re both strong-willed. Nothing wrong with that either.” Donald turned his daughters hand over and kissed the back of it. “Why did you call Edwin instead of me about your business plans? I could have helped you.”

  “You know why, Dad.” Cynda leaned back in her chair. “You don’t trust me. You think I’m a screwup. You think I’m so fragile because of what I’ve gone through.” She hadn’t told Edwin about her condition, and she didn’t feel the need to share that piece of information with him now.

  “All of that not true. You don’t think that I get that you’re trying to pack a lot of life in what you think may be a short amount of your lifespan? I get it. What I don’t understand is why you feel the need to distance yourself from us, from me.” Donald smiled. “I love you, Cynda. I want you home with me not because I think you’re weak and can’t take it. But because I miss you. I’m so proud of the things you have accomplished. You started your own perfume line when you were sixteen.”

  “What?” Reid asked.

  Donald broke his attention from his daughter to look at Reid. “Cynda developed the perfume called Sin. So she could live normally, she allowed her mother to be the figurehead and handle her money, but it’s all Cynda’s idea.”

  Cynda wanted to turn to Reid to catch his expression.

  “See, honey, I don’t doubt you have a head for business. You must since you called one of my best employees to talk about building a business. I just think it may be too much for you. I think you need to pace yourself and give yourself time.”

  “No, Dad, what I need is—”

  “Respect,” Reid said, cutting her off.

  Cynda directed her attention to him.

  “You want to be heard, to be taken seriously. It’s what we both need. Neither of us is getting it.” Reid took off his jacket.

  His argument must have already made him hot.

  “Cynda, I didn’t understand your need to make your name in the world with your own resort, but now I get it. Now I understand. You’re tired of living in the shadows of other people.” Reid slipped off his tie and put it on top of his jacket. “I feel the same way. Mr. Richmond, I truly appreciate everything you’ve done for me growing up and with this job. Since I’ve gotten here, I feel invisible. I try to give my input on something and you shut me down. Like a good employee I smile and take it. I can’t take it anymore.” Reid kicked off his shoes and removed his socks.

  Cynda didn’t know what he was doing now. She stood from her seat to watch him.

  “Cynda felt her time was running short. All of our time is. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow.” He looked at Cynda. “Honey, I kind of agree with your father on owning a resort. That’s not you.”

  Cynda felt her blood boil as she prepared to argue with him on his assessmen
t.

  “What you should do is have a traveling service where you go to different resorts to teach. Your gift is you. You shouldn’t stay in one spot. Contract your services and go to resorts to teach skiing or snowboarding or ice skating or even cooking. You were absolutely right, baby. Life is short.” Reid removed his shirt.

  “Reid, what are you doing, son?” Donald now stood from the table.

  “Living life like today is my last day. Checking things off my bucket list.” Reid started unfastening his pants.

  “Making a fool of yourself on your bucket list?” Donald asked.

  “No.” Reid stared at Cynda. “Showing the woman I love that I believe in her and will support whatever she wants to do is.”

  Cynda’s face hurt from smiling so much. Although her father may not understand, she never felt so close and so connected to a man before. Reid understood her like no other.

  “I’m also giving you my two-weeks’ notice.” Reid turned to Cynda. “If you’ll have me, I would love to work for you in this new venture. What do you say?”

  Cynda walked up to him. “I love you so much, Reid Weller.” She kissed him, not caring what her father thought or even with Edwin may think. She felt something falling on her feet.

  Cynda broke the kiss long enough to look down and see Reid’s pants pooled around his feet.

  “Streaking through a high-end resort. Check!” Reid pulled down his underwear and ran out of the conference room screaming at the top of his lungs, “She loves me!”

  Cynda couldn’t stop laughing.

  “Are you proud of yourself?” Donald looked through the opened door and down the hallway. “You drove a sane man crazy.”

  “He makes me crazy too. I love him so much.” She looked up at her father. “He gets me. He truly gets me.” She turned to Edwin. “Before I make any decisions about my future, I think I had better sit down and think about all my options. What Reid proposed actually doesn’t sound like a bad idea. I’ll still get to travel and do what I love.”

  Josie ran into the conference room with her hand over her heart. “That boy is running around here naked! What did you do to him?”

  “He’s going to make me call security on him.” Donald glared at Cynda.

  “What?” Cynda shrugged. “I can’t call him and tell him to stop. He doesn’t have his phone on him.”

  As though she did call him, Reid came back to the room, gathered his clothing, and held them in front of his body.

  With wide eyes, Reid danced around Cynda. “You know what? As crazy as that was, it felt really good. I’ve never been so free.”

  “Despite your lapse in judgment, I’d like to keep you on as the manager. If not here, I have a place in Williamsburg that you can run.” Donald put his hand on Reid’s shoulder, probably to still the man.

  “I’m afraid I’ll have to turn you down. But there is someone here who would be perfect for the job.” He turned to Josie. “She knows this place as well as I do.”

  Josie smiled and didn’t disagree.

  Donald made another offer. “I know you wanted to do some of Graham’s duties. Now that he’s gone, you can take his spot. What do you say?”

  Reid looked down at Cynda.

  “It’s what you wanted, to be challenged and taken seriously.” She smiled at him, proud that he asserted himself, even naked.

  Reid beamed. “I have to weigh my options.”

  “Are you waiting on me to make you an offer?” Cynda tried hiding her smile.

  “No. But let me make you an offer.” Reid dropped down to one knee. “I love you so much Cynda Hilary Richmond. Would you do me the honor of being my wife?”

  Cynda tried holding back her tears but couldn’t. “What about—” She trailed off and touched her head.

  “I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

  “I may not be able to have children. Could you live with that?”

  “I know I can’t live without you. If we end up just getting a dog, I’ll be fine with that. But if you walk out that door and leave me again, I would die. Please marry me.” He held her hands, dropping his clothes to the floor again.

  Cynda nodded. “Yes, you crazy, naked man. I will marry you.”

  Reid stood and wrapped his arms around her. He swung her around like a rag doll.

  “Monkey, would you please put some clothes on?” Josie held up Reid’s pants and shoved them at him.

  Reid placed Cynda back on her feet. “What do you think? Clothes on or off?”

  She smiled. “Off, of course.”

  Reid shrugged. “Have to listen to my future wife.” He picked up Cynda.

  As he carried her out the door, she said, “Merry Christmas, Dad!”

  Cynda didn’t care about the stares people gave as Reid carried her. She even pulled off her wig and tossed it on the floor.

  “Get the room key out. I’m so ready for you.” Reid kissed the side of her head.

  “I’m so ready to live with you. I love you.”

  With Reid by her side, Cynda could conquer the world. Today would mark her best Christmas ever.

  About the Author

  Best-selling author of interracial BDSM erotic romance, Bridget Midway has been published since 2005 with more than over seven different small press and electronic publishers including Phaze Books, Parker Publishing, Loose Id, Liquid Silver Books, and Whispers Publishing. The multi-award winning and award-nominated author has found her niche with readers with her scintillating interracial BDSM erotic romance including the EPPIE Award finalist, Love My Way, and Romance Slam Jam Steamy Novel of the Year finalist, Corporate Needs. With more than 21 published short stories, novellas, and novels under her belt, she shows no signs of stopping. For more information on Bridget Midway, go to her website at http://www.BridgetMidway.com/