She smiled at me. “So, where are we going?”
“Andi, there’s been a slight change of plans. My father has requested my presence at lunch.”
Her face fell slightly, disappointment flashing across it before she replaced it with a smile. “Okay. Another time then.”
“No, not another time, this time,” I corrected her. “I want you to come, too.”
“Uh, thanks, but no thanks. He’s like a billionaire, and I’m like a nothingaire. Come to think of it, so are you...‘son of a billionaire.’ I’m sure you have loads of other friends you would rather take to lunch. Someone like Ben?”
“Let’s just set this record straight before we go any further. My father’s money is his, not mine. I earn my own living, here, skydiving. And as for other friends, I can’t say that there is anyone I would rather spend my day with than you.”
She stopped walking, extracting her hand from mine, and ran her open palm up and down my bicep. “You are so sweet, but the answer is still no. Besides, I’m not dressed for going out for a fancy lunch.”
I fought my instinct to grab her by the waist and pull her into me, visions of her hand elsewhere on my body other than my arm. “You look great. The Wine Bar isn’t that fancy of a restaurant anyway.”
“The Wine Bar!” she exclaimed loudly, dropping her hand. She started walking away from me, picking up her pace, calling over her shoulder at me. “No way! That place is five-star. Jeans and t-shirts aren’t gunna cut it there.”
I took several long strides to catch up with her. I pointed at my clothes. “It’s what I’m wearing. I don’t give a shit what the dress code is. Please come.”
“Levi, stop, please.” She leaned up against the door of her Jeep and fished around in her bag for her keys, unable to look me in the eyes. “I can’t, not like this. It’s important to me.”
I looked at her. Slowly, her inner workings were unraveling to me. She was hurting and insecure. She was beautiful and just needed to be shown it.
I lifted her chin so she would look me in the eyes. “Fine, but we are still on for tonight. I will not take no for an answer.”
She smiled. “Deal, you’re on.”
She stuck her hand out for me to shake on it. I took it in mine. She was so soft and warm.
“Deal. Do you want me to pick you up?”
“No, I’ll get a lift there somehow. Where and what time?”
“Come at seven. We’ll be at The Sports Bar. I’ll be waiting for you.”
“Great see you then.” She smiled shyly, hesitating, unsure of herself. “Um, thanks again for the jump. I had an awesome day.”
She leaned in and gave me a quick hug. I was so shocked that I didn’t even have time to hug her back before she backed away from me.
“See you then,” she repeated as she unlocked her car door, then laughed nervously. “I just said that. Okay, I’m going now before I make an even bigger fool of myself.”
“I had an awesome day, too.” I cupped her face in my hand, finally rubbing my thumb across her bottom lip. “And you’re not a fool, you’re friends with me. That’s pretty smart if you ask me. But I will see you tonight. Don’t forget we have unfinished business to attend to.”
Her lips parted slightly under the weight of my thumb. I imagined myself pushing her up against her car and grabbing her by the back of her head, kissing her hard, pushing my tongue in her mouth. There was silence between us as I stared hungrily at her. Her face flushed red under my scrutiny. I should just kiss her, and grind myself up against her body just for good measure, mark my territory. I craved her taste. She was becoming a dangerous obsession for me.
Before I could act out on my impulse, she laughed, pushing my hand away. “Over confident much? See you later, Levi.”
She climbed in her car, slammed the door, and turned over the engine, driving off with a wave.
I couldn’t wait. I was going to give her a night she wouldn’t forget.
Chapter Eleven
Levi
The entire way to meet my father, I thought about Andi, and the emotions she stirred in me. Plus, I still couldn’t shake the feeling I knew her. Impossible—she said it herself. She hadn’t been to LA since she was a kid, and I hadn’t lived there until four years ago. I knew it wasn’t anyone else. Apart from a few recent one-night-stands, there had only been one major love in my life. My high school sweetheart and ultimately the one who ripped out my heart, Taylor Lawson. Hollywood’s current “it” girl. She had been my life.
We’d had big plans for our future, but things had changed when she left Sydney for LA following some acting gigs in a few Australian soap operas. Taylor’s instant fame was unexpected. Her agent encouraged her to strike while she was hot, so she left halfway through our senior year. I was to join her in LA following my graduation, but my mom died unexpectedly and I couldn’t leave. Emotionally, I had been wreck. Mom had always been my pillar of strength, my only family. Financially, I was tied as well. I had used all my savings to pay for her funeral and wasn’t about to hit up Derek for a loan. Back then, I refused to acknowledge him in my life. I blamed him for her death, as I still do now.
Even though I wasn’t with Taylor, I had thought of her every day, and when I eventually had enough money to travel over to LA to be with her, she shattered my heart. Alone and stranded in LA, I found myself in a completely fucked up situation. I had no other option, and was forced to dial Derek for a handout. But with Derek, nothing came for free, especially being his son. I had to earn it and agree to his terms. In a nut shell, I may as well have signed my life over to the devil. He called the shots. I hated him, but hated myself more for letting him back in my life.
In a way, though, I owed him my dream job, although I was still far from grateful toward him. I met the owners of LA Flyers at one of the many publishing functions. Perhaps they were looking for favors from dear old dad, but they gave me a job and trained me up. Unfortunately, because of our agreement, Derek was still in my life. Something I aimed to rectify.
Standing at the front of The Wine Bar, I took a deep breath and gave myself a couple of minutes before pushing the doors open. I needed my head clear to deal with dear old dad. The place was empty of patrons, except for Derek, who was sitting by a vast window facing the ocean view, his back to the empty room. I approached his table and pulled out the chair opposite him. He had his ear to his cell phone, barking orders down the line when I sat down.
“Just get it done. What the hell am I even paying you for? I don’t want to hear from you again unless you have the right answer.” Typical Derek behavior.
He disconnected his call, and indicated at a bottle of red on the table. A Penfolds Grange Vintage. “Pour yourself a glass.”
I was more a tequila and beer type of guy, but knew I’d need something alcohol-based to get me through this lunch. I poured myself a glass until it was nearly overflowing and practically inhaled the wine, then refilled. “What’s so important that you need to see me today?” Blunt and straight to the point. Language he understood.
“I thought it time you and I got together and discussed your future with James Publishing.” He swilled his wine glass under his nose and took a sip. “Like this wine, you need to learn to appreciate the finer things in life, son. It’s not all cheap, hard, and fast.”
“If I want advice from you, which I don’t, I will ask for it.” I took another large mouthful of wine just to piss him off. This bottle of wine was worth at least a week of my wages, probably more, but I didn’t care. He was paying. I looked him direct in the eye. “I don’t have a future with James Publishing.”
He pushed a copy of the morning’s local paper across the table to me, front cover side up. On the front was a photo of Taylor smiling, kneeling next to a hospital bed surrounded by balloons and flowers, holding the hand of young child undergoing cancer treatment. It was a total farce. She would have only been there to promote herself. She didn’t have a caring bone in her body.
I pushed th
e paper back to him. “What has this got to do with me?”
He tapped the photograph of Taylor. “This is your future.”
“Do you mean Taylor or the paper?” I tried to keep my voice calm, but I could hear the quiver in it as it started to rise.
“Why choose?”
“Fuck Taylor.” I spat the words at him.
He raised his eyebrows, then went in for the kill. “I want you to take control of the Santa Cruz publishing area.”
“Pass. Not my scene.” I needed more wine. I drained my glass, refilled, and took another mouthful.
He picked up the paper and flicked through the pages before he folded it back on itself and threw it down in front of me with the social pages on display. I picked it up. A large color photo of Andi and me from last night took up a majority of the page. We were both smiling broadly. Her cheeks were flushed pink and her eyes were twinkling. She looked stunning. I remembered her running into me. All I saw were blue eyes.
He flicked at the paper in my hands. “I expected more of you than this. I’ve fired the editor and the photographer today for this unprofessional piece of journalism.”
“You what?” I exploded at him. If I remembered correctly, the photographer was a friend of Andi’s.
“Do you think I like to see my son in the social pages with a checkout chick from Costco?”
Now I was pissed. Andi deserved a voice here. “I don’t believe you. You’ve even researched her. Your morals have no boundaries. I don’t care what Andi does for a living. She’s a wonderful, funny girl and she’s got something that you will never have. Integrity.”
Over Derek’s shoulder, a tall blonde walked in the door. And even though I couldn’t make out her features, I would know that gait anywhere.
Angrily, I pounded my fist on the table, shaking the glasses. “What the actual fuck, Derek? You invited Taylor here? What game are you playing at?”
“I thought it time you both sort out your differences and patch things up. She will be perfect in assisting you in your new role in James Publishing. The Bay Herald paper is flailing and I’ve been consulting with Taylor about turning it into an entertainment paper. Give Murdock a run for his money. With Taylor’s connections in LA, we would have access to breaking stories. I’m also currently in negotiations to start an entertainment cable channel, like E!, that will be its sister publication. And a rekindled romance between you both would be perfect to launch the new paper.”
His fat, bloated face was red with too much wine and too much bullshit. I glared at him. He sickened me to the core. “Who the fuck do you think you are? You are MIA for my whole life and may as well have poured the barbiturates down my mother’s throat, given the way you dumped her for the piece of ass that opened her legs for you. I want no part of Taylor and no part of this. Go fuck yourself.” I was done with this conversation. I drained my glass of wine before pushing my chair back to leave.
“Levi, you are too much of a hot head like Rosa.”
I pointed a finger at him angrily. “You have no right to talk about her. She raised me on her own. You left her knocked up with nothing other than a regular check to keep her mouth quiet about your affair. You couldn’t have the hired help tell everyone what you were really like.”
“Sit down, Levi, you’re behaving like a child.” He swilled his wine again and took another sip. “Don’t forget our little agreement.”
Before I could tell him to shove his agreement and that I wasn’t his man-whore, a pair of familiar arms wrapped around my waist and an overwhelming aroma of Chanel no. 5 washed over me. I almost threw up.
“LJ, I’m so glad you came,” Taylor said much too sweetly for her nature, and kissed me on the mouth in greeting.
I didn’t move for a few seconds, stunned. Once I overcame my shock, I grabbed her by her shoulders and pushed her away, scowling at her. “What do you think you are doing, Taylor?”
She smiled sickly sweet at me. “Saying hello, of course.”
“What about Ben? You can’t kiss me like that when you’re with someone else. Old habits die hard, huh?”
“I broke up with Ben last night. He’s not what I want.”
The look on her face brought me back to when we were in high school in Sydney. She used to look at me with that same look, like I was her everything. I would have moved the earth for her back then. But now I knew better.
My fists clenched by my sides. “Cut the shit, Taylor. Your acting has improved, I’ll give you that. I’d say that performance right there is worthy of an Oscar.”
She didn’t drop the look, but instead took my hand and tried to encourage me to sit back at the table.
“LJ, let’s just listen to what Derek has to say. What’s the harm? We have so much history between us. I think we should give us another chance.”
“You know what I think? I think you can both go fuck yourselves.”
And with that, I spun around and stormed out of the restaurant, determined to hit the gym back in the condo complex. There was a boxing bag that had Derek’s name on it.
Chapter Twelve
Andi
I was disappointed about not having lunch with Levi. It was hard to deny that churned-up feeling in my stomach every time I thought about him. I was borderline obsessed. I had to learn to set myself boundaries. Starting...now! New rules. Don’t let myself fall too hard over him. Lust over him only, wait for my obsession to run its course and then move on. After all, I did tend to fall in and out of lust pretty God damn quickly. I honestly couldn’t help myself. There must be a twelve-point program for romance tragics like myself I could enroll in. Hi, my name is Andi LaRosa, and I have x-rated daydreams about hot guys falling in love with me that always end in a happily-ever-after. I needed professional help. I didn’t think I could go cold turkey on this one, not this time.
Not making excuses for or anything—okay maybe just a little one—this crush seemed different. Levi made me feel different, special somehow. Previous unsuspecting recipients of my affections never really paid me any attention. Guys like Ben, for example, would always look straight through me. Not Levi. He wouldn’t just look at me, but really look at me. Ha! Talk about a tragic. All of this was really just silly high school thoughts and writings straight out my romance novels. Not real life.
I couldn’t allow myself to entertain these unrealistic emotions. It wasn’t good for my anxiety or me. Perhaps I was hormonal. Yes, that was it, I must be mid-cycle. My boobs felt bigger than normal, and I was sure that had nothing to do with the bag of peanut butter M&Ms I ate a few nights ago. Come to think of it, I actually cried during a Simpsons re-run the other night, for heaven’s sake. Although, in my defense, it was the one where Bart got the psychiatric patient who thought he was Michael Jackson to sing Lisa a birthday song. Got me every time.
Deep down, I would have loved to spend the whole day with Levi, but all things considered, there was no way I could have met his father dressed the way I was, looking the way I did. My hair currently resembled something a bird would nest in, and my clothes were at least a size too small and two years old. While looks weren’t everything, you first had to have the looks to appreciate their value. I wanted to make sure I was appropriately dressed for a man of his stature. Levi didn’t care—he’d made that much clear. Then again, I got the feeling he didn’t give a flying fuck what his dad thought of him, or anyone else for that matter. How refreshing that would be. To do something, anything, and not care what other people thought of you. To not feel like you were being judged on what you wore or what you ate, or what size pants you had to squeeze into.
Speaking of which, I had to pop the top button in these pants. The waist had been cutting in all morning. They had been the only clean jeans in my closet. I guess a trip to Mom and Dad’s was in order again today, so I could pick up my freshly laundered jeans for Phil’s party tonight. I intended to make more of an effort tonight and actually do my hair and try a bit more makeup. In the whole grand scheme of things, it couldn’t
hurt.
It was a bitch Lili wasn’t talking to me. She would have enjoyed playing hair and makeup with me. God knew my minimalist sense of style sometimes made her want her to slam her head against a brick wall. I really hoped she was talking to me. Living with the silent treatment sucked big time. I could only hope that whatever had crawled up her ass last night had been shit out, because I couldn’t handle another verbal attack like last night. Besides, I beat myself up enough about my pitiful life. The last thing I needed was my best friend joining in on my pity party.
As I pulled in at the apartment complex, my cell dinged through a text message. I waited until I had parked before reading.
When are you going to give me deets? Call me!
Crap. I had forgotten about Char. I quickly sent through a reply.
Just got home. Call you in five.
I’ll be waiting.
Smiling, I gathered my belongings in my arms and climbed the steps of our apartment two at a time. At least one of my friends was keen to hear about my latest crush.
Lili was sitting on the couch when I walked in, resembling nothing short of a train wreck. She was still in her pajamas, plus her hair was worse than mine, and I had just jumped out of a plane!
“Hey.” She sniffed dramatically as I shut the door behind me.
Her eyes were red and puffy, and her face blotchy. She had either been crying or had had a major allergic reaction.
“Are you okay?”
“Scotty dumped me.” She wailed loudly as tears started pouring and she dropped her face into her hands. Her shoulders shook with every ragged breath she took.
Throwing my purse on the spare couch, I went to her and knelt by her side, rubbing her back comfortingly.
She looked up at me. “I can’t believe it. I thought he loved me.” The pain and desperation in her voice ripped straight through me.
Freefall (Santa Cruz Skydivers Book 1) Page 10