by Ali Parker
Chapter 59
Elon
When I first woke up in the morning, I thought the entire day before had been nothing but a dream. I couldn’t imagine that my life was that lucky, that the girl of my dreams had walked right back into my arms, and we had made love like we had. But when I opened my eyes, I found her lying there in my arms, sleeping peacefully. She was so beautiful, in fact, even more beautiful than I remembered her being in my mind. Every moment of the day before had been true and real. It had been the amazing beginning of something that I hadn’t expected. I ran my hand down the side of her beautiful, fair skin, watching her sleeping, cradled and safe with me. I could have stayed right there for an eternity and never felt bad about it.
I knew I loved Amanda, before she’d returned to me and the company that day, even before she’d sent that letter with Dalton. Today, though, there was something about my love for her that was deeper and more profound. Just like I could feel my heart breaking before, I could feel it pumping strong and full with her back in my life. I had never felt so intensely for a woman in my life. She was everything that I ever wanted and more. I knew right there in my bedroom, before the sun had even started to come up, that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. It wasn’t something I was going to say out loud just yet, but I definitely knew I would fight tooth and nail to protect her and keep her in my life.
“Good morning,” she said, smirking with her eyes still closed. “You’re watching me sleep.”
“You’re right.” I chuckled. “I am being that creepy guy.”
“Well, creepy guy, do you like what you see?”
“Very much. I’ll be back again later for more,” I laughed, leaning down and kissing her lips.
“What time is it?” she groaned, stretching.
“Early, about an hour before I have to get ready for work.” I smiled.
“I gotta go,” she said reluctantly, rolling out of the bed. “I need to get home before Dalton dresses Mikey for school. He’ll be top fashion until someone beats the crap out of him.”
“Oh, no.” I laughed. “I’m not laughing because of him getting beaten up, just for him walking around like a mini Dalton.”
“It’s terrifying, trust me.” She laughed, pulling on her clothes. “The last time it happened, the principal called to make sure I was okay and not unconscious when he’d left the house.”
“You should have claimed unconscious.”
“I thought about it, but I didn’t want the school to think I was some kind of weird drunk.” She giggled.
“So, what are you going to do with your day after that?”
“Oh, man,” she said, stopping and looking up at me. “I didn’t even think about that. I quit Diamond yesterday, and now I’m pretty much unemployed.”
“No, you’re not.” I smiled. “You always have a place at Truitt. No one even knows you quit, so all you have to do is show up. In fact, you’re still on the payroll. We could really use your help. We have that project due date coming up, and everyone could use a morale boost. Plus, you can see how well Marcus is doing in the company now. He is a beast.”
“I just may do that,” she said, leaning over and kissing me. “I’ll see you later, okay?”
“You better.” I smiled as she walked out of the house.
I stretched, smiling from ear to ear, thinking about how amazing my day had started. I jumped out of bed and showered before getting ready for work. I made a cup of coffee and sat there looking over the city, taking my time since I didn’t have to be in for an hour or so. I thought about my life and what I had sitting in front of me, feeling overwhelmed with thankfulness. After my coffee, I headed to work and sat down at my computer, going through my daily mail. Before long, there was a knock on the door and in came Amanda, looking fresh and bright, ready to get to work.
“You came.” I smiled.
“I did,” she said, sitting down. “I couldn’t turn you down, not after last night.”
“I see.” I chuckled. “I now know your weakness.”
“You do, but I promise, I’m pretty sure I can find yours in two seconds.” She smirked. “So, boss man, what am I doing today? I know there is a new hierarchy around here, so put me where you need me.”
I was about to say something smart and a bit inappropriate, but before I could, Marcus walked into the room. He was looking down at his file and stopped in his tracks, seeing Amanda sitting there. I laughed and waved him in.
“Exactly the man we were hoping to see,” I said. “We were actually just talking about you.”
“If its bad, it’s all a lie.” He chuckled, walking over and shaking Amanda’s hand. “If it’s good, then it’s true.”
“I would never talk bad about my partner,” I said, feigning shock.
“Right,” he scoffed, making Amanda laugh.
“Amanda is back on the team, and she wants to know where you need her the most out there,” I said.
“Well, welcome back,” he replied. “Not that anyone but us knew you were gone.”
“Thank you. I am here to go wherever.”
“You will be fine back where you were before. You can be my right-hand woman,” he said. “It’ll take some of the stress off me, and the team trusts you, so I think it’ll be perfect.”
“Great,” she said, clapping her hands. “Where are we with the project? I know it needs to be finalized by Thursday.”
“Actually, it’s done,” Marcus said. “I sent the final proof to be okayed by the boss this morning.”
“What?” I said, opening my email back up. “I didn’t even see the message.”
“Yeah, I was on the ball last night after the team killed it, and I just went ahead and finished it up,” he said, as I pulled it up on the screen.
“Wow,” Amanda said, walking around and looking over my shoulder. “That is amazing work.”
“It sure fucking is,” I said, shaking my head. “I have to admit, this is beyond anything I could have imagined. You’ve been here two days.”
“Well, I can’t take all the credit,” he said. “While you were preoccupied, Dalton really kept the team on track, and when I came in and added the technical stuff, they took it and ran with it. The team are the true heroes here.”
“Man, I’ll have to give them a bonus or something,” I said.
“I think you should call the client and present the finished product tomorrow, really establish that credibility with him and show that his project was priority,” he said. “From what I know about this guy, he’s a real stickler, very rarely surprised by people, so I think this could be a huge win for us for the future, especially with the rates he’s paying for these ads.”
“I agree,” I said, sitting back. “I’m blown away by all of this. I will get this sent over to the printers and go ahead and have Dalton put together the virtual presentation. I’m happy with the whole thing. Good job, Marcus, and thank you.”
“Not a problem.” He smiled. “I’m enjoying this job more than I thought I would. I don’t even care about the company I left behind. We’re going to drive this home and give the board no reason to ever doubt you again.”
“You’re right,” I said, shaking Marcus’s hand. “But thanks for picking up the pieces.”
“No problem. That’s part of my job now.” He laughed.
“He is golden,” Amanda said after he walked out of the room. “That’s even better than the Cartier ad.”
“That it is,” I said, smiling. “Guess I should give old grumpy a call.”
I picked up the phone and dialed his office, waiting on hold to speak to him. I stared over at the picture, shaking my head, amazed at the work Marcus had pulled out. With him on my team and Amanda back, we were going to become unstoppable.
“Elon,” the owner said, sounding irritated.
“Sir.” I sat up in my chair. “I’m sorry to disturb you, but I wanted to run something by you.”
“Is there a problem with the ad?” he asked.
> “No, sir, no problem at all.”
“You’re calling me four days before the final presentation, and there’s no problem?”
“No, sir, I was actually calling to let you know we finished the project and are currently putting together the presentation. It will be ready to go by the end of the day,” I said.
“Really,” he said, sounding surprised. “That’s three times faster than any normal project your company does and four days earlier than my deadline. You’re sure you’re finished?”
“Completely done, sir,” I said. “We have a tight-running team over here, and they put everything they had into this ad. Not only is it done early but also I’m pretty sure you’re going to be blown away by the results.”
“I have to say, I’m impressed,” he replied. “I didn’t think you would even be completely finished by my initial deadline. If your quality is as good as your punctuality, then you and I are going to have a very long and very prosperous future together, Mr. Truitt.”
“That’s what I’m hoping for, sir,” I said. “We take your business very seriously and did a lot of research on this project before starting. I’m sure it has every aspect of what you were looking for and more.”
“So, when will you be ready to present?” he asked.
“We could be there tomorrow morning if you have time,” I said. “We want to get this to you and rolling as soon as possible. We know this is an important project for you, and we also know you have a lot of really good projects coming up in the future that we would like to be a part of.”
“Well,” he said. “I can juggle a few things around. If you can be here by eight, we can knock this out. And you’re right, there are a lot of projects on the list, and if you can do this one the way I’m hoping, I’ll be handing them all over to you.”
“That sounds fantastic, sir.” I smiled, giving Amanda the thumbs-up. “We’ll be there at eight and get it done so you can go on with your schedule. Thank you, sir.”
“Thank you,” he said, hanging up the phone.
I hung up the phone and clapped my hands together, turning and sending the team a message. This was going to be the biggest close in the history of Truitt, and I was so proud of the people who worked with me. Now, all we needed was a stellar presentation to push it over the top.
“I have an idea,” I said. “The presentation is at eight tomorrow morning. Why don’t you come with me and give it another go? You’re fantastic with the no bullshit, and you know this guy likes no bullshit.”
“Well, as long as he’s still okay with the ‘lesser employees’ speaking in his presence, I’m all in,” she said with a wry laugh.
My day just kept getting better and better. Amanda was back to work and back in my life, and I was about to sell that old man on a huge income boost for my company. Life felt like it was finally evening out.
Chapter 60
Amanda
I had to admit, waking up in my bed left me feeling lonely, wishing I was opening my eyes to Elon and feeling his arms wrapped around me. It had only been one day, but I couldn’t stop wanting to be with him. It was different than before, stronger, more secure, and I was allowing myself to open up to him in a way I had never opened up to another man. I was waking up not thinking about all the stressful things in my life but, instead, thinking about how I would be seeing Elon in just an hour or so. It put a smile on my face, one that was hard to hide, so I didn’t even try.
I got Mikey up and ready for school and sent him out the door with the babysitter. He didn’t remark on my good mood, but I could tell he noticed. He was all smiles, even more so than when something special was going on. Maybe there really was something to a happy disposition affecting everyone else around me. I got dressed, putting on my best skirt suit, rolling my hair into curls, and putting on some makeup. I didn’t know if I was doing that for the presentation or for Elon, but either way, I wanted to look as nice as I could.
When I got to work, Elon was there waiting for me with coffee for me in his hand. We were the first ones there, and he leaned forward, kissing me on the cheek. I could feel the warmth rising in my face, and I giggled, stopping myself when I realized what I was doing. This guy made me do things, like giggling, that I never imagined I would. I always knew without a doubt, I would be fine on my own. I had been on my own for years and had managed to get further than most mothers I knew who weren’t single, much less caring for multiple people. However, as I stood there sipping the coffee I had forgotten to stop and get for myself, I thought about how nice it was having someone like Elon by my side. If I could let go of that stubborn nagging thought, I would actually better myself with him there. The fear that I had felt before, thinking about relying on someone else, was quickly starting to fade away, and in its place, was a comfort with another person that I never knew I could have.
As much as it gave me butterflies in my stomach, I knew that morning was no time to disappear into cloud nine. We had a presentation to make, one that could easily send Elon’s company into a new era. I walked into his office and looked at the boards he had gotten from the printing department. They looked fantastic, and so had the virtual presentation Dalton had put together for him. Everything was looking on the up and up.
“You ready to head over? I don’t want to be late.” He smiled.
“Yep,” I said. “Let’s go wow this asshole and get paid.”
“That’s my girl.” He laughed, picking up his bag and grabbing the boards. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
“You mean this circus?” I laughed, following after him.
“Precisely,” he said, looking back at me.
We packed everything into the trunk of the car and headed over to the jewelry store. Elon scooted in close to me and put his arm around me, kissing me gently on the lips. I looked at him and smiled, seeing a love in his eyes I hadn’t noticed before.
“What?” I asked.
“You look beautiful today,” he said. “You look beautiful every day, but today, you look less stressed, less tired, more you.”
“Yeah?” I chuckled. “It’s really good makeup.”
“No,” he said. “I know the look because you do the same thing to me.”
“Well, then we better keep it together because all that stress was starting to age me prematurely.”
“You have a deal,” he said.
We pulled up at the studio and got out, collecting our things and heading to the elevator. I had a tingle of nerves in my belly, and I started to tap my foot. Elon looked over at me and smiled reassuringly.
“Don’t be nervous. We got this,” he said.
“I’m not,” I protested.
“You’re tapping your foot, which means you’re nervous.” He chuckled.
“I have a tell? Well, shoot,” I said. “I’m going to have to get sneakier around you.”
“Or more open.” He smiled as the doors opened up.
I shook my head and followed him out of the elevator and toward the receptionist standing at the front. She was a different woman this time, brunette and perky, but as built as the last. I pulled down on my jacket, feeling slightly self-conscious. What did I care? Elon thought I was hot. I chuckled to myself as we walked into the owner’s office, straightening my face as he stood up and shook our hands. I went to work setting everything up and draping a black cloth over the board for extra drama during the presentation.
“It’s good to see you,” Elon said, shaking his hand. “We’re excited to be here to unveil your new ad.”
“I’m pleased to see it done so early,” he said without much facial expression.
When I was done, I took a seat to the side and let Elon have the floor. I would talk when the initial presentation was done, but he would get everything going on a positive note. I had to admit, we made a really good team when it came to things like this.
“So, without further ado, here is your new ad,” he said, pulling the cloth off of it.
I watched the owner’s face stea
dily, trying to find any kind of reaction, but he kept a straight face, looking to Elon for an explanation. Elon didn’t skip a beat. He went right into the explanation, telling him everything about the process and why he thought the ad was the perfect solution to their campaign. There was a fire in his eyes when he was presenting the ad, something I had seen in him only a couple other times, something that had been lacking when we weren’t together or when we were fighting. It was just another reason to know how much he cared about me. I lit a fire under him the same way he did for me.
There were so many things that made Elon attractive to me. He was smart, ambitious, and he was able to take a step back and listen to what others said. It was difficult when I’d first met him, but he’d quickly opened up, showing me he was capable of much more. That fire that I was watching was one of the first things that had attracted me to him. It was the same look he had in his eyes after he got to know the team and talked about the Cartier account with them. It was a passion that couldn’t be stifled, one that brought this crazy kind of motivation behind it. Anyone who saw it could see what he was doing, what he was thinking, and it was hard not to feel some part of that passion seeping into you.
He had done that for me, pushed that passion and need into me in a way that was inescapable. I hadn’t realized until that moment that it beat inside of me like a second heart. He beat inside of me, only in a way that made me never want things to change. Watching him in his element was almost beautiful, artistic in a way, and I soaked it in while I sat there. He could have said anything at that point, and the owner would have soaked it up, because he just had that charisma that so many wished they had but could never achieve. I was proud to work beside him, and I was proud to be the woman who walked by his side. If he put even a quarter of the passion into our relationship that he put into that presentation, he would never lose me again.