by Ali Parker
I shook my head. “Nope. Talking about life, work and everything in between.”
“But you never thought to mention your current financial woes?”
“No. That isn’t something I want to talk with her about.”
“You don’t get to want to talk to her about it. You have to talk to her and see if she’s willing to be your fiancée. I still think you can leave the fake part out of it. If you two have that deep connection, she may be willing to take it to the next level. Women are like that,” he said as if he had all the knowledge in the world about such matters.
“I know, I know. I will. I’ll figure something out. For now, I want to enjoy the time I have with her.”
I took a drink of the scotch, draining the glass and hoping to drown my worries with the liquor. I felt like I was stuck between telling her and risking her leaving me, which I was pretty sure she would do now that I knew her better, or not telling her and duping her into an engagement. The very thought made my stomach twist into knots.
“So, you really just talk?” he asked, his voice expressing his confusion.
I nodded my head. “Yep. I mean there’s been some kissing, but mostly talking. We go out then usually end up at the beach or walking around the city.”
“I don’t get it. How is that any fun?”
I chuckled. “I don’t know. It is. I mean, it’s strange to share time and space with her if that makes any sense. Sometimes, we just sit and watch the boats out on the water. We went to the zoo last weekend. That was pretty cool.”
“The zoo? With the animals?” he asked, completely baffled by the idea.
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, with the animals.”
“You’re kind of freaking me out. Is this love? I don’t know that I’ve ever seen it before so I’m not familiar with the symptoms. Maybe you’re having a midlife crisis. That would make sense. You have a lot of shit being thrown at you. I wonder if there’s a pill for that?” he mused aloud.
“You’re an idiot. It’s not a midlife crisis. It’s me having an adult relationship with a woman. Not everything has to be about sex.”
He gasped, slapping his hand to his chest. “Now I know you’re not well.”
“Shut up. Here comes our food,” I said, grateful for the distraction.
Thankfully, the steak kept him occupied, and he didn’t give me any more grief for a good thirty minutes.
“You’re in too deep,” he said, putting his fork down and taking a drink from his water glass.
“In too deep?”
“With her. You’re falling for her. It isn’t going to end well.”
“How do you possibly know that?”
He shrugged a shoulder. “She’s a job. She’s a means to an end. You’re getting caught up with her, and it is pretty plain to see you like her. You care about her. You aren’t going to be able to cut ties with her when it’s time.”
“Why do I have to cut ties with her at all?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Okay, let’s play this out. You keep going like you are and a couple months down the road, you pop the question. She says yes. You get your inheritance a couple months after that. You don’t think she’s going to find out what you did? Even if you did love her, do you think she’ll believe you when she finds out what the real motive behind your engagement was? No, she won’t. She’s going to dump your ass.”
I shrugged a shoulder. “Then it would be over, and I’d have my inheritance and my company.”
He shook his head. “Don’t pretend that wouldn’t upset you. It would. I can see it on your face. It’s why you’re holding back with her right now. You don’t want to lose her.”
I sighed. He was right, but I wasn’t going to admit it. I couldn’t. I wasn’t sure what I felt about her. I wanted time. Damn my father for doing this to me!
“I’ll figure something out. I still have a few months.”
He shook his head. “I don’t think you do. You’re into her.”
“Don’t lecture me. I said I’ll figure it out. I won’t lose my company. I don’t even care that much about the money, but I won’t let him sell my company. I still have my lawyer looking into the legality of it all. He says I don’t have a chance, but I’m not ready to admit defeat yet.”
“For your sake, I hope he finds something. Realistically, I think you need to prepare yourself. It isn’t likely to end well for you, and I think you know that,” he said softly.
I drained my second glass and held it up giving the signal I wanted another. I finished the third drink before Zach declared I’d had enough. We shared a car to my place.
“You good?” he asked as I climbed out of the car.
I nodded. “It’s been a while since I drank that much.”
He laughed. “It was three drinks. You’re turning into a lightweight.”
“Good night,” I said before heading for the lobby door where the doorman held the door open for me.
By the time I made it to my apartment, I was feeling pretty good. I had a good buzz going. I wanted to talk to Hailey. I stopped myself from calling her. I wasn’t that drunk. I wasn’t going to drunk dial her. Instead, I headed for the living room, plopping down on my black leather couch and kicking off my shoes before resting my head against the back.
“You’re screwed, Terran,” I said to the empty room, staring at the high ceiling above me.
Zach was right. I was in too deep. The worst part was I didn’t want to get out. I wanted to go deeper. I wanted to keep seeing her. The war within me was making me crazy. My conscience was demanding I fess up, my heart was telling me to shut my mouth for fear of losing her.
I was so screwed. I was going to end up losing everything because I had started to care for a woman. This was why I had always avoided relationships. Damn my dad for meddling in my life and screwing up what had been a perfectly good system.
Chapter 16
Hailey
I slid on my favorite ballet flats, pulled my hair into my standard ponytail and grabbed my purse to leave. Mandy and I were having dinner together tonight. She had practically demanded it. I had dropped off the radar, and she wanted to catch up. I had felt guilty about ghosting her as she called it. I didn’t mean to. It was just my schedule and hers rarely matched up, and the few times it did, I had been spending the time with Terran.
I wanted to talk to her and had missed her company as well as her very savvy advice. There was so much happening in my life that I wanted to share with her. I was confused and excited about my relationship with Terran, if I could even call it that. I needed her advice on what to do. She was so much better at these things than I was.
I showed up early to the orphanage on purpose. I wanted to say hi to the kids. It had been a while since I’d seen them. Between work and spending time with Terran, I felt like I had neglected the kids. I waved to the front desk clerk and one of the cleaning ladies as I headed down the hall to the rec room. I peeked through the window and saw the middles busy coloring at one of the big circular tables. I watched them for a second. They all looked so normal and happy. From my view, you would never know the tragedies they had endured in their short time on this planet. In that room, they were safe and could be kids, playing and forgetting about the pain and suffering most of them had to live with on a daily basis.
I quietly pushed the door open, waving to grab Mandy’s attention to ask if it was okay if I went in. She grinned and waved me in.
“Look who it is guys!”
The kids turned, and the usual fanfare ensued with my name being shouted and plenty of hugs to go around. My eyes immediately found Melissa, who hung back but gave me a small smile. I winked at her, hoping she would join the rest of the kids. She chose not to.
I chatted with the kids for a few minutes before it was time for them to head off to dinner. I stopped Melissa before she walked out.
“Hi Melissa,” I said, bending over to get to her eye level.
“Hi. Thank you for the unicorn.”
“Y
ou are so welcome, sweetie.”
“He’s in my bed. I sleep with him every night. He makes me feel better when the bad dreams come,” she said in a soft voice.
I had to fight tears back. I stood, blinking several times. Mandy was looking at me with a sad smile on her face.
“I’m glad he helps. Does he have a name?”
She shook her head. “Not yet.”
“Well, you take your time choosing a name.”
“Okay Melissa, we need to get you to the dining hall,” Mandy said.
“Bye, Melissa.”
“I’ll be right back,” Mandy said walking out the door.
I took a few deep breaths, fighting down the emotions that were threatening to send me into a fit of tears. I heard footsteps and turned around to see Mandy coming through the door.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
I nodded. “I’m good. She really breaks my heart.”
“There’s always one that you get attached to. She’s a very special little girl. She’s going to be okay.”
“Good. She’s doing so much better already.”
She put a hand on my arm. “Thank you for coming by early. Those kids love you.”
“Of course. I love them and have missed them.”
I walked to the table to help her clean up. We finished cleaning up and headed out for dinner.
“So, how’s it been going?” she asked.
I released a long breath, not wanting to get into the dirty details right then. “Great. How about you?”
She shook her head. “Nope. I want to know about you and Terran. This guy has swept you off your feet. Is he treating you good?”
I smiled. “He is. Can we talk about it at dinner?” I said looking around the room.
“There’s no one around here. Come on. Does he make you happy?”
“I am happy. I know I’ve already said it, but he is so different than any of the other men I’ve dated. Believe it or not, he has not once tried to push me to have sex. He backed off after the first date when I shut down the kiss.”
“And you haven’t kissed him yet?” she asked with shock.
“No, we’ve kissed, but not like steam up the windows, rip each other’s clothes off kissing,” I said with a cheeky grin.
She raised an eyebrow. “Um, hon, are you sure he isn’t hitting for the same team? You’re kind of a gorgeous woman. I don’t see any straight man not wanting you.”
I laughed. “I’m absolutely sure. Trust me, I was worried at first, but it isn’t the case at all. He seems interested and willing, but not aggressive about it.”
She nodded her head. “Okay. We’ll assume he’s straight. So, no sex? At all? Not even a little?”
“No! How do you have a little sex?” I asked, wondering if there was something I had been missing.
She was quiet for a second. “Hailey, are you thinking about sleeping with him?”
I shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know. I mean, yes. No. I want to, but I don’t know if I’m ready.”
Mandy’s eyes went wide. “Wow. That tells me you are really serious about this guy. He’s the first one you’ve considered since Jared.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Jared was a slimeball.”
She nodded. “Yes, he was, but you’ve gone out with some other guys that weren’t horrible. Terran is the first one you’ve considered.”
“It isn’t like I can keep this virginity thing forever,” I grinned.
“You could wait until you were married. I thought that was the plan.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I’m not that old-fashioned. It wasn’t about that. It was about waiting for the right man to share it with. A man I felt a deeper connection to then just lust. I thought Jared loved me. He loved who I was and my body—not me.”
“And Terran is different?”
“I think so. I mean, he seems to be interested in who I am inside, not the face and body. If you’d seen some of the outfits I’ve worn, you would kill me. I’m talking an old T-shirt and jeans, no makeup,” I said laughing.
“Does he know your little secret?”
I smiled. “I don’t think so. We haven’t actually talked about it. I don’t think he can tell. I mean it isn’t like I’m wearing a sign advertising the fact.”
“What do you guys do if you’re not doing that? You’ve been spending a lot of time together.”
I released a long sigh. “We talk. We walk. We eat. We just sit quietly together. It’s all very G-rated.”
“That’s it?” she asked, her voice high-pitched.
“We kiss here and there, but it’s all very innocent. He doesn’t push. We’ve had some pretty hot make-out sessions, but he always stops before it gets anywhere without me saying anything. Honestly, I’ve been bummed more than once by his lack of interest,” I admitted.
“Maybe he can sense it,” she offered.
I laughed. “I hope not. That’d be weird.”
“Do you think this could lead somewhere, like a long-term relationship or even marriage?” she asked.
I shrugged a shoulder. “I honestly don’t know. We’ve never talked long-term. I don’t even think we’re technically in a relationship. I don’t know how you know when you’re exclusive. Can I call him my boyfriend? I mean, when do you know?”
She giggled. “I think that’s something you need to talk to him about. Guys have their own way of judging these situations.”
“He is such a gentleman. At first, I thought it was a ploy like he was trying to pretend to be someone he wasn’t. I don’t think that’s the case though. He’s never slipped up. He is really that nice. He always opens the doors for me, tells me when I look nice and walks me to my door every time he drops me off,” I explained.
“He sounds like a great guy. I do want to meet him. He sounds too good to be true. I need to make sure he isn’t a figment of your imagination.”
I grinned. “He is very real. Trust me.”
“Okay, let’s go back to the sex thing,” she said, leaning across the table and lowering her voice.
“What about it?”
“Well, are you ready? Like, ready?” she said, stressing the word.
I raised my eyebrows, not following her. “What are you talking about? I’m sure all the parts work.”
She cleared her throat. “Condoms? Do you have some in your purse?”
I smiled. “I’m on the pill. I have been for a while.”
“I don’t care. You make him suit up—especially him. I did some checking on your white knight. He is a notorious womanizer. You have to protect yourself. Don’t let him tell you it’s okay.”
“I don’t think those rumors are all true. I mean, yes, he has dated a lot of women, but I don’t know if he slept with all those women.”
“Doesn’t matter. Be smart about this.”
“Yes, Mom,” I groaned.
She grinned. “Good.”
We finished our dinner before saying our goodbyes. I wasn’t mad at her for warning me about him. That was Mandy. Always looking out for me. I checked my phone and was bummed I hadn’t heard from him. There was nothing saying I couldn’t call him.
I grabbed my phone and slid my thumb over his name.
“Heeyyyy,” he answered.
I smiled at his enthusiastic greeting. “What are you doing?”
“Oh, sitting here.”
His words sounded a little jumbled. “Are you drunk?”
He chuckled, and I had my answer. “No. Yes, a little. I went out with Zach for a couple drinks. It’s been a while since I drank.”
“Oh, a drunk Terran. Are you a nice drunk or a mean drunk?”
“I’m a very nice drunk,” he drawled.
“I won’t keep you, but I wanted to see if you were free on Thursday.”
“I will be even if I’m not,” he mumbled.
I laughed at his answer. It didn’t make a lot of sense, but I got the gist of what he was saying.
“Great. Dinner at our normal time?” I a
sked, debating whether or not he would even remember the conversation.
“Yep. I’ll pick you up.”
“I’ll see you then,” I said.
“I miss you,” he blurted out.
I smiled at the sweet words. “I miss you. Drink a glass of water and go to bed.”
“I will. Good night.”
I hung up, smiling at his confession. It was very romantic. It was hard to imagine a big, suave guy like him being a big softie, but I knew behind that smooth exterior, he was a kind, caring man. I felt very lucky to be one of the few people to discover his true colors. He had told me he had never been in a real relationship and certainly never opened up to anyone like he had me. I was pretty sure it wasn’t a line. He was very genuine, and it wasn’t like he was lying to get in my pants. He hadn’t tried.
My gut feeling told me he was exactly who he presented himself to be. That’s what I was going to continue to believe.
Chapter 17
Terran
I strolled through the lobby of the talent agency, smiling at people as I passed. I recognized a few faces from the movies.
“Hello,” I greeted the woman sitting at the tall black desk in front of the talent agency’s large logo.
“Hi, do you have an appointment?” she asked, barely looking at me.
“Yes. With Gabriel.”
She looked up and smiled. “Oh, Mr. Maddox, I presume?”
“That’d be me.” I winked.
She pushed a button, talked softly into the microphone attached to her headset before telling me to head down the hall to his office. I had been to the office a few times before and knew my way. I knocked once out of courtesy before entering the office.
“Hey!” Gabriel said, getting up from behind his desk.
“Gabriel, thanks for seeing me on such short notice.”
“Of course. Come in, sit down. What can I do for you? If you’re thinking of getting into the business, I have to be blunt with you—you’re a little aged.”
I laughed. “Aged like fine wine. No, seriously, though. I’m not here about me. I’m here on behalf of a friend.”