“You bought this so I would know you were thinking of me,” I repeated.
Robert licked his lips nervously. “Yes. That’s why I bought it.”
“Why? Why did you want me to know that?” I challenged, my irritation growing and growing.
Robert was a smart guy, and he knew he was tiptoeing into dangerous territory. “Because we were spending so much time together. And I thought…”
“Thought what? That we were good buddies? Super awesome friends? Or were you thinking we were going to fuck?” I asked.
Robert looked taken aback. “You’ve been angry with me, Sky. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that. Enough with the crap. Just tell me what I did.”
“I thought you liked me,” I finally said.
Robert blinked. “I did. I do.” He took a step forward. “I like you a lot. So much in fact.”
“Yet when we were together and things were leading somewhere, it was you that shut it down,” I spat out.
Robert opened his mouth. Then closed it. Then opened it again. “I was taking it slow, Sky. I didn’t want to rush you—”
“Bullshit,” I all but shouted. “That’s bullshit and you know it. Look, I appreciate the gift. It’s very thoughtful. But I’m not interested in investing in something that goes nowhere.”
Robert looked confused. “What makes you think it would go nowhere? We were only just getting to know each other. I think that’s a bit of a leap.”
“You know about my ex-fiancé. I told you all about it. About how he hurt me. How I was scared of putting myself out there. How I was terrified of my heart being broken again. And you listened to all that and gave. Me. Nothing.”
Robert wasn’t looking confused anymore. He heard me loud and clear.
“Sky. I’m a private guy. I just need my space in some things,” he tried to explain.
“And that’s fine, Rob. I get it. Some people need their secrets.” I noticed his face was decidedly blank, but I kept going. “But I don’t have time in my life for a man who won’t share with me, particularly when I was trying to be open with him. It makes it feel like a very one-sided...whatever it was we had. I’m not in the market for putting time and effort into something that’s not equal. That’s not the same give and take on both sides. We can be friends because our social lives will inevitably intersect. But I think that’s it.” I let out a breath, a little relieved, a little sad, to say all that. “Do you agree?”
Robert was quiet for a while. He just looked at me, his expression unreadable. And that was the problem. I didn’t expect an open book, but I wanted at least Cliff’s Notes version. He seemed incapable of giving me any of it.
“I don’t know what to say,” he said after a beat.
“And I don’t expect you to say anything.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “You’re a nice guy. We get along. We can simply leave it at that.”
“Okay,” he drew the word out slowly.
More awkward silence as we stood there in the kitchen. The only noise came from Edgar drinking water noisily in the corner.
“Again, thank you for the window, but I’ve been out all day and have work to do this evening.” I couldn’t look at him because it made me sad. And I wasn’t in the mood to feel sad about some guy.
“Yeah, okay. I’ll get going then,” he said, his voice sounding strange.
Neither one of us was looking at the other. Robert jingled his keys in his pocket and then after another minute, nodded to himself and headed for the hallway.
I knew I should follow him and see him out at least. But I was tired and done with being polite. My heart was sore and heavy, and I just wanted to cry. I wouldn’t though. That wasn’t the Skylar Murphy way.
I heard the front door open and close with a click, followed the clunky roar of his engine as he started up his car. When gravel crunched beneath his tires as he drove away, I looked up at the gorgeous stained glass window and wondered what my instinct was trying to tell me now.
Because my gut had gone uncomfortably quiet.
Chapter Six
Robert
“What?” I snapped at the sound of someone knocking on my office door.
Adam poked his head around the corner. “Whoa, who pissed in your cornflakes?”
I rubbed at my temples, feeling the beginnings of a headache. I had been in a crappy mood all week. Ever since taking the stained glass window out to Skylar’s.
That had gone horribly, horribly wrong. I had actually thought my gift would mend the rift between us. I had naively thought she’d see the effort I put into getting something for her to express how I felt. That the ice would thaw, and we could go back to that easy, natural way between us.
For a smart guy, I really could be an idiot.
It was obvious I didn’t know Skylar at all. Not really. Because that woman could nurse a grudge, unlike anything I had ever seen. And she was right to nurse it. She was protecting herself. From me.
I felt like the worst kind of an asshole. I remembered all too well when she had told me about her ex-fiancé. I had been infuriated on her behalf. I wanted to rip the jerk’s head off and shove it down his neck. How could anyone treat this amazing woman so poorly? I had concluded that this Mac was a grade A idiot.
What I hadn’t realized was that the whole thing had been a test. Maybe not one Skylar meant to give me, but it was a test all the same. And I had failed. All because of my reticence to open myself up. To share anything about my life. Even if that person was someone I really wanted to get to know.
And I had screwed it all up. I knew from the finality in Skylar’s tone that any idea of a relationship between us was over. I hadn’t realized until she said it that I had been hoping for something. Even if it was completely illogical. Because Skylar was right. How could I have a relationship with someone I could never open up to?
Fear is a nasty, nasty thing.
So since then, I had been a giant ball of thunderous anger directed at everyone and everything. My partners didn’t know what to make of it. They had never seen much emotion from me before. I was even-keeled Robert Jenkins, after all. Bland and boring.
“Did you need something?” I barked at Adam who was gingerly creeping into my office.
He held his hands up. “Man, what is up with you? I have never seen you like this. Not even when you went over par at the golf course.”
I glared at him. “I have never gone over par. Shut your damn mouth, Decate.”
“Okay, okay. I must be mistaken. I guess I was golfing with that other partner of mine named Rob Jenkins.” Adam took another step inside. “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong or can I only assume it’s work-related? Word on the street is your hearing this morning didn’t go so great.”
I clenched my fists, wishing briefly I was the kind of guy who punched stuff. Because man, would I punch something right now.
Adam hadn’t heard wrong. I had a hearing for a custody dispute I had agreed to take on. I didn’t typically handle matters in family court, but Adam’s caseload was high, and he asked me to fill in as a favor. My client, a woman named Natalie Bishop, had filed for full custody because from all accounts her ex was a rotten piece of garbage.
I thought it would be a slam dunk case, but it seemed the garbage ex knew the judge and so now we had another hearing to determine financial status in three weeks. In the meantime, both parents were given joint custody. It had all the makings of a small town mess.
It seemed I was wrong about a lot of things lately.
“Judge Gladstone should have recused himself,” I stated.
Adam nodded. “File a judicial complaint then.”
“And have a local judge gunning for me? No thank you.” I leaned back in my chair, folding my hands on my stomach. “I just need to be more prepared next time. That’s what I get for thinking it would be easy.”
“Robert Jenkins not prepared? Now I really have seen everything,” Adam scoffed, taking our dialogue as an invitation to sit down in the
chair opposite me.
“Even the best have their off days,” I remarked dryly.
The sound of distinct female laughter filtered through the open doorway. “What’s all that?” I asked.
Adam shrugged. “Jeremy and Lena are in with a client. They’ve had the conference door closed for over an hour. I didn’t see who it was when they came in.”
I felt a tingling of warning but pushed it aside. “How are things going with your prep for the Miller trial? That’s scheduled for when again?”
“It would help if John Miller wasn’t such a fuck up. His character profile isn’t ideal. But I’ll pretty him up like a pig at the fair,” Adam laughed.
“I’m sure you will. Don’t forget I’m still ahead though. You’ve got a long way to go before you catch up with my win record,” I reminded him.
“Rub it in, why don’t ya?” Adam joked. “So, we’re good right?”
I looked at my partner in confusion. “Why would we not be?”
“We haven’t really had a chance to talk since you came over for dinner. And you seemed a bit out of sorts after Sky left. You two seemed to have some kind of beef. You should have told me there was something between you two. I would have been a bit more considerate throwing you guys together like that.” He paused. “So, did you guys have a thing going on? Because Skylar is one of my closest friends and you’re one of my closest friends. I feel like I should have been in the know if there was.”
I opened my mouth to answer him when Jeremy waltzed in. “Hey, you two. Hope I’m not interrupting. I have someone I’d like you two to meet. Though, Jenkins is an old friend from what I’ve just learned.”
Adam and I shared a look. Something dark and worrisome unfurled in my gut. I could hear Lena talking to someone in the hallway. Then more laughter. Suddenly a woman entered the room and I almost blacked out.
My hands went cold. My face grew hot. I felt clammy all over.
What the absolute fuck was she doing here?
“Adam, I’d like to introduce you to our number one client, Tiffany Hardwell. You can thank Ms. Hardwell for that down payment on your new holiday home,” Jeremy introduced with his trademark grin.
Adam got to his feet and held his hand out for the gorgeous older woman to shake. I hadn’t looked at her face yet. I was still in a state of frozen shock behind my desk.
“It is so nice to meet you finally, Ms. Hardwell. I had no idea you were coming into town today otherwise the firm would have taken you for lunch,” Adam was saying. Lena, Jeremy, and Adam were all smiling, making small talk, having no idea they were speaking to the woman who could blow my whole life apart.
What the hell was I going to do?
I tried to swallow but my throat was bone dry.
“Hi, Robbie.”
Her voice hadn’t changed. If anything, it had gotten sexier. This was a woman who wielded everything in her arsenal with fatal accuracy. My body reacted to that voice as if by rote. She had conditioned it to.
I realized I hadn’t responded, nor had I looked up at her yet. I also realized the other people in the room, my partners, and friends, were looking at me with concern, not understanding what was wrong with me.
To them, I may be boring, but I wasn’t rude.
Slowly I got to my feet, my eyes carefully making their way to her face. Our eyes met and I felt instantly cold from the inside out. Any momentary desire I had felt was gone as fast as it had appeared. This wasn’t a woman I wanted in any way, shape, or form.
She had aged, but well. She was still one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen, and she knew it. She tossed her long hair back behind her shoulders and pushed her ample breasts out. She expected me to take her in. She longed for it. She’d never get anything from me again.
“Hi, Tiffany,” I said, my voice cool and unwelcoming.
Jeremy cleared his throat and came to my rescue for once. “Ms. Hardwell here came by to sign the closing paperwork on the Carmichael place. She’s moving in this weekend, is that right?” he asked her.
Tiffany nodded, not taking her eyes off me. “That’s right. Though I closed on my place in the city last week. I decided to come on down to Southport and get to know the place.” She finally turned back to Jeremy and the others, her smile oozing in charm. “And I must say I love it. I think I’m going to be very happy here.”
My hands curled into fists, the nails biting into flesh.
“Ms. Hardwell was just telling us that she knew you from law school, Rob. Says you worked for her for a while. You never mentioned that’s how you knew her,” Lena said.
Tiffany put a hand on her arm. “Oh sweetheart, please call me Tiffany. Ms. Hardwell makes me feel positively ancient.” She laughed and at one time I would have practically come in pants at the sound. Now I just wanted her to get the hell out of my office.
But Tiffany would take her time. She was used to things happening on her terms. This was a woman who got what she wanted. In all things.
Which most likely explained why she was here.
Because I was the one thing she hadn’t been able to control.
**
“Robbie, what are you doing here?” Tiffany opened the door wearing a see-through robe, her tits on full display. Who had she been expecting?
“I need to talk to you.” I braced myself against the doorframe. I had walked across town. My hair was plastered to my forehead from the rain, my clothes were drenched, but I didn’t care.
Because I was pissed off.
Tiffany, as if sensing my mood, opened the door, letting me in. “Can I get you something to drink? A beer? Some wine—?”
“Why did you go to my mother’s house?” I demanded, cutting her off.
Tiffany opened up the small cocktail refrigerator beneath her bar and pulled out a small bottle of vodka and poured some into a glass. “Is that why you’re here? Come on now, it’s nothing to be so upset about.”
“I told you I wanted out and you decide to go visit my god damned mother, Tiffany! That’s a huge fucking deal” I was shouting, I couldn’t help it. “She was asking me questions I sure as hell couldn’t answer. So, I’ll ask you again, why the hell did you go see her?” I was shaking with fury. I wasn’t sure I could hold it together. I had been working for Tiffany for the last year. Over that time, I had been able to buy my mom a new house and pay Sam’s residential fees. But I had also had to lose a part of my soul in the process.
As time passed and I became more and more entrenched in Tiffany’s world, the more unhappy I became. Tiffany kept all her ‘boys’ on a tight leash, but it seemed I was different. Because while she pimped me out to the highest bidder, she still wanted me for herself. And it was that emotional minefield that I couldn’t handle.
In the beginning, I thought I loved her. She taught me how to use my body to make her feel intense pleasure and she gave me her body in return. She showered me with gifts. She bought me an apartment only a street away, so we were always “close to each other” she said.
She demanded all of me. My heart. My body. My soul. I had nothing left for me.
I came to a breaking point last week when she asked me to take care of a “friend” of hers. She said this friend deserved only the best, and she knew I’d be perfect. Tiffany fucked my brains out then sent me off to fuck her friend. Somewhere from point A to point B I had a Come to Jesus moment. I didn’t want to do it anymore.
It was one thing to take my clothes off at The Landing Strip. I still enjoyed the adoration from women when they saw my body. It filled me with a confidence I couldn’t get anywhere else. It was a high that I would always be chasing.
It was the sex that was destroying me. Because I couldn’t reconcile the fact that this woman I had grown to love was sending me out to screw other women. It wasn’t empowering. It was debilitating.
I had lost control of my life. Of my body. Of my goddamn feelings. And I knew Tiffany didn’t give a shit about any of that. This wasn’t about me. Or her and me together. This
was Tiffany Hardwell’s show, and I was merely a player.
Those days were over.
So, I told her I wanted out. That I didn’t want to sleep with other women. It was then I saw a side of her that I had never seen before.
“You don’t get a say in that, Robbie,” She had snarled, gripping my neck with her hand, her long nails piercing my skin, drawing blood. “You will do what I say. Don’t think you have a voice here. You belong to me. All of you.” She had kissed me then and because I was a horny idiot, I let her shut me up with sex.
But then she went to see my mother. She told her she was my boss and that she was worried about me. That I was talking about walking away from a great opportunity and that she thought she should talk to Mom so she could talk ‘sense’ into me. She told my mother that the job was how I paid for the house and for Sam’s care. My mother had been confused and upset, thinking something was wrong with me. Tiffany never outright told my mother what I did for money, but she made it clear, by visiting my family, that she would if I crossed her.
She had overstepped the line and I wasn't putting up with it.
My mom had called me just as I was leaving my new apartment to go to my next ‘date.’ But when I heard the worry in her voice, I decided I wasn’t going to the date. I wasn’t going on any ‘dates’ ever again.
I went straight to Tiffany’s. I was done with her games and machinations. She had held me under her thumb long enough. Once you messed with my family, you were done.
Tiffany slinked toward me, using her body to full advantage. She was expecting me to succumb to her charms as I had every other time before. She wrapped herself around me, kissing my chin. “Baby, I just wanted to know you mother. To tell her I was worried about you. Because I am, Robbie. I’m so worried about you.” She went on her tiptoes and kissed my mouth. Normally this was the part where I’d let her have her way. I’d pick her up and carry her to bed.
Not this time.
I pushed her away. “I’m done, Tiffany. This is over. Leave me the fuck alone.”
Say You're Mine: An Enemies to Lovers Romance (Southport Love Stories Book 4) Page 10