Kelsey says, “Well, your lack of cooperation last night leaves me very few options.”
I glare at her. “That’s all I needed to know.”
I shake my head as I walk out. Kelsey has to know that we’re going to war now, and I no longer have any reservations about it. She better hope that her team is better than mine.
12
Nolan
I’m sitting in Pete’s office, trying to absorb what he just told me.
“Could you say that again?” I ask.
“Last week, I assembled a team to comb over every single document tied to the ownership and partnership of North Star Holdings. Desmond here…”
“Your ace legal researcher.” I flip a thumbs-up to the young guy in the room.
Pete winks at Desmond. “Why don’t you explain?”
Desmond grins in a self-satisfied way. “Sure… I found a clause that says if an owner was willed a portion of any shares or ownership in North Star Holdings, they can only sell their interest for five percent of the fair-market price to those persons who hold shares or ownership within the entity. This clause does not apply to the following: Nolan Declan Patrick and Liza Barbara Sharp-Patrick.”
“Wow,” I say with a sigh of relief. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to release the pent-up tension in my body. I was readying myself for a fight with Kelsey, but hell, Bill’s already won the war for me. I shake my head. “But did it have to take so long?”
“We had to get aggressive and pull every single document tied to North Star Holdings. I couldn’t believe Bill would leave everything he worked to build that vulnerable.”
“The strange thing was, it seemed like the important ownership documents were hidden,” Desmond said.
I grunt thoughtfully. “Is that so?”
“I had to file several release forms to get information that should’ve been in our files in the first place.”
Two thoughts come to mind. First, John could’ve been involved in hiding the documents; although, he’s slick but not that smart. Secondly, my father could’ve hidden the documents that he deemed valuable. Regardless, they have been found, and now I’m free.
Before leaving, I shake hands with Pete and Desmond. My feet are so light that I feel as though I’m skipping out of the building. There’s only one place to go from here, and that’s to Abby’s house. I get inside my SUV and start the engine—it hadn’t started this easy since before Bill died. I put the wheels to the road, and my car hasn’t driven this smoothly in a long time, either.
Driving through Abby’s neighborhood brings back memories. I look at the spot where the traffic officer halted us. I was forced to park my car at the barrier, and we walked the entire way to her house. The snow was thick and high on the ground. Each step was a struggle for her, and it made me uncomfortable to see her work that hard. I drive slowly past the spot where I asked her to let me carry her. When she took a moment to consider my offer, I knew she was the kind of woman I wanted to get to know better. My heart danced the waltz when she said yes. The scent of her hair and nearness of her face nearly drove me insane with lust. That same feeling washes over me right now as I park across the street from her house and stare at the front door. It’s been over four months since I’ve seen her. I never checked in on her because it would’ve been torture to know she had moved on without me. An attractive woman like Abby wouldn’t stay single for long.
A black Volkswagen pulls up into the driveway. A tall man gets out. He darts to the front door and uses a key to open it. Only for a second do I play with the idea that Abby no longer lives in the house. It belonged to her grandparents, and that meant a lot to her. I can’t see her selling the place. Could the guy be her new boyfriend? He’s back outside and shuffles to his car. He gets inside and continues up the driveway. I can only see the edge of the garage door once it’s fully lifted. I hop out of my car and run across the street. By the time I make it to the driveway, the garage door is inches away from closing, and the guy is inside.
“Damn it,” I curse under my breath.
I stutter-step as I contemplate going around to the front and knocking on the door.
“Hey,” a man says.
I jump. It’s the guy who just drove into the garage. “Hey!”
“Looking for something?” He’s on guard.
“Is Abby around?”
He frowns as if he has to think about my question. “Abby… oh, the house owner.”
I flinch, taken aback. “She doesn’t live here?”
“Not for a while. We’re renting the house. She lives in Chicago.”
I scratch my scalp anxiously. “Listen, I’m her former boss, and I…”
“You want her address?”
I sigh in relief. Today must be my lucky day. Everyone’s making things easy for me. “I would love her address.”
He thumbs over his shoulder. “I’ll go get it.”
I thank him profusely. As soon as I get the address in my hand, I make plans to fly to Chicago.
* * *
I’ve been sitting on a bench outside Abby’s apartment building for three hours. It’s tall and faces a park. I called Liza before I boarded my flight. She didn’t answer because she’s been traveling around Europe for the last few months, but I left a message, asking if she knew where Abby worked. It’s almost six o’clock in the afternoon when my phone rings. It’s Liza.
“Hey,” I say.
“Nolan. I got your message.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m on a yacht in Sardinia.”
I calculate the time difference in my head. “It’s one o’clock in the morning.”
“I know, but I’m wide awake. Anyway, got your message, and I just spoke to Abby. She’s on a date.”
“A date? With who?”
“She didn’t say, but they’re going to the Tavern at the Park.”
I’m a little anxious about the fact that she’s out with another man. Maybe I’m too late. I should hop a flight back to Minneapolis and leave her to her new life. She seems to be doing well for herself. Lake Shore East is a real posh neighborhood.
“Nolan?” Liza says.
“Yep.”
“Get out of your head and go get her.”
I guess it wouldn’t hurt to give it the old college try. The Tavern at the Park isn’t that far away. “Okay,” I say.
Liza yawns. “Let me know what happens.”
“I will.”
I tell her to stay safe then end the call. I race through the park and up the hill to Randolph Street. As I’m walking toward Michigan, I’m lucky to catch a glimpse of Abby sitting on the patio. I can only see the back of the guy’s head, but his shoulders and hair look familiar. I walk back up to Columbus Avenue and cross. I find a spot on the outskirts of Millennium Park that has a better view of them. I feel awful for spying on her, but I can’t help it.
“And what the…” I whisper.
Her date is Lance Tobolowsky. I didn’t even know they knew each other. Abby’s drinking wine and laughing at something Lance said. It looks like she’s enjoying herself, and I’m sour about that. I want to go over there and interrupt them just see how she would react to my being here. I wonder how long they’ve been dating and if they’re an item.
Lance turns to take the check from the waiter. Abby looks off as if she’s distracted for a moment. Her gaze falls toward my direction, but she doesn’t see me.
A few minutes later, they leave the restaurant. I expect them to head toward the apartment building, but they don’t. Damn it. I want to follow them to wherever they’re going, but I’m sick and tired of playing the role of a creepy stalker, so I head back to her building and sit on the same bench I sat on earlier.
* * *
I check my watch. I’ve been sitting here for almost an hour. I wonder where they went. My eyes are tired and burning from watching the lobby so intently, but I’ve come too far to give up. I’m preparing myself to wait another hour when, lo and behold,
I see Abby and Lance. They walk right past me on the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street. I shoot to my feet and follow at a discreet distance. They go inside the building, and I wait on the steps because I’m not quite sure what to do.
I stand outside for a few minutes, wondering if he’ll spend the night. Maybe I should call Liza and ask her to call Abby to feel out the situation. I take some deep breaths. The anxiety streaking through my body is driving me insane. I’m about to take my phone out of my pocket when Lance walks out of the lobby with his hands shoved in his pockets. I’m flooded with relief. My streak of luck continues.
I walk inside and right past the doorman with the confidence of someone who lives here. Abby lives on the twenty-fifth floor in apartment 2507, and I’ll be seeing her very soon.
13
Abby
“Can I get you a drink?” I ask.
The air in my apartment has never felt so thick, trapping us in this moment of total shock and disbelief.
“No,” Nolan says. He looks so deflated sitting on the edge of my couch. He rubs the cushion. “Is this the same sofa you had in Minneapolis?”
“Yes.” I want to make light of the fact that I had my grandparents’ couch shipped to my new address because I have a thing for holding on to relics, but now is not the time to lighten the mood. “Why are you here, Nolan?”
“To see you.”
I’m distracted by the intense way he’s looking at me. “You said that already, but aren’t you and Kelsey—you know—together?”
He flinches. “No way. Why would you think that?”
I shrug. “The way you two were at the funeral, I guess.”
Nolan scoffs. “I guess Liza was right.”
“Right about what?”
“She said Kelsey’s behavior may have made you think that there was something between us, but there isn’t anything going on between her and me.”
I study his frown then give a sigh of relief. What is it about this man that makes me keen to the idea of running away with him and ignoring all of my responsibilities and commitments?
“Listen, Abby… I know I left you hanging high and dry, and I wish I didn’t have to do that.”
I shake my head. “That doesn’t make sense.”
He pats the empty space beside him. “Can you sit, please?”
I guess me lording over him makes him uncomfortable. I cross my arms. I have to think about conceding to his wishes. I want to be over Nolan Patrick, and I thought I was. Only a fool entertains a man who screws her then tosses her out like yesterday’s trash.
“Are you here for sex? Because we’re not doing that ever again,” I say.
His eyebrows furrow as if what I just said offended him. “I just want to explain, Abby. Just sit. Please.”
As soon as I put one foot in front of the other, I get the strange feeling that I’m giving him all the power. I sit, but not too close, and I keep my arms folded. “What?” My tone is tetchy.
Nolan takes one deep breath, anxiously messes up his hair, then commences to tell me a strange story about how Kelsey blackmailed him into cutting off our relationship. He even updates me on why John and Misty conspired to move the deeds out of the basement.
I fall back and press my hand to my chest. “Goodness.” I take a moment to let all the information sink in and organize itself in my head. “I’m not surprised John tried to steal Liza’s inheritance, but what he did to Bill?” I shake my head. “He’s even more despicable than I thought.”
“So now you understand why I had to cool things with you?”
“Well, of course. I totally understand.”
Nolan is staring me in the eyes. I shift uncomfortably.
“I know we haven’t known each other that long, but I liked what was happening between us. I would’ve never brought an end to us if Kelsey hadn’t been so nasty.”
I bob my head. “Right. I know.”
We stare longingly into each other’s eyes. Being near him feels so awkward. For a second, I feel as if our ship has sailed. In the next second, I want to devour that sexy mouth of his with a kiss. During the final second, I’m pretty angry that he broke my heart, and now he’s back to explain why, which causes me a world of confusion and inconvenience.
I scoot to the edge of the sofa. “Well, thanks for stopping by to let me know what happened and why things went the way they did.”
I stand, and Nolan stands, too. Now we’re face to face.
“How was your date with Lance?” He cracks a tiny smile.
I gulp nervously. “How did you know?”
“I saw him walk in with you. So, how was it?”
Does he mean the kiss or the date? “You mean the date?”
He chuckles, amused. “Yeah.”
“It was fine.”
“Are you seeing him again?”
Jeez. I’ve become intoxicated by the scents emanating from him. I half snap out of a daze. “Yes, tomorrow, for breakfast.”
“Can I ask you to break that date and hang out with me?”
“Um, I don’t know. Isn’t it kind of too late for us?”
Without warning, Nolan’s soft lips touch mine. Our gazes are connected.
“I miss being this close to you,” he says thickly.
“Me, too,” I say without caution.
Suddenly, we’re kissing. His tongue, lips, and the taste of his mouth are a mesmerizing elixir. My body floats up against his as my hands tangle into his hair. It’s as if we can’t get close enough. And his hard-on against me makes me want it inside.
“Okay,” I break the kiss to say.
“Yeah…” He’s breathing heavily. “Okay what?”
“I’ll cancel my breakfast.” Our lips peck each other. “I mean my date…” We kiss again. My head is spinning like a top. “My breakfast date.”
“You do that,” he says.
Nolan picks me up off the ground. My legs are clamped around his waist. My sweet spot throbs for attention from that hard lump between his legs. Our kissing is out of control at the moment. We will swallow each other whole if we keep this up.
He breaks mouth contact. “Which way is the bedroom?”
I point behind me. “That way.” I draw back. “But wait.”
“Wait?”
“What are your intentions toward me, because I finally have my life together?”
He frowns. “Me, too, Abby. I’ve been through a lot since my dad died.”
“Right,” I say empathetically. “So am I just a feel-good moment for you?”
“Would I come all the way to Chicago just for a feel-good moment? I want you.” He starts walking me to the room.
“Wait,” I say.”
He stops. “What is it, baby?”
“But I live here, and you live there.”
“I have a place here and in a better part of the city. I’ll take you to see it tomorrow.”
“Really?”
“Abby, I want to see how far we can go. My instincts tell me that we can go pretty far, if not all the way. I’m asking you to take a chance with me. Will you?”
Oh, dear God, my heart is overflowing with a foreign emotion. Earlier, I was adamant about not starting a relationship with Lance because he lived so far away, but I don’t have the same hesitation when it comes to Nolan. I can’t speak; all I’m able to do is nod and hold back the tears. Nolan’s eyes are glassy, too. We don’t break eye contact as he walks me to my bed, spreads me on top of it, then repeats making love to me like he did the first time our bodies, souls, and spirits were intertwined. Only this time, the sex is better because Nolan Patrick, my ex sexy boss, is mine! All mine!
* * *
The End.
The Sexy Series
Welcome to The Sexy Series! This contemporary romance novel series features stories, starring sexy male professionals and the women who fall for them.
* * *
The Sexy Series is written by authors T.R. Bertrand and Z.L. Arkadie (Author of the Parched an
d LOVE in the USA series). They have a lot more books planned so if you want to know about future releases sign up here for The Sexy Series mailing-list. Also, we encourage you to like The Sexy Series Facebook page, which will have extra information and updates about the series.
Also by T.R. Bertrand & Z.L. Arkadie
The Sexy Series
The Sexy Boss - Sedition (Book 1)
The Sexy Boss - Sedition (Book 2)
The Sexy Boss - Sedition: Book Two Page 10