His Eternal Flame

by Valentine, Layla

  “Look,” he continued, “I’m a free spirit. I can’t be tied down. I’ve got too much life to live.”

  By then, he was already shrugging on his shirt. He leaned over the bed until his face was level with mine.

  “Besides, so what if this is our only night together? I mean, was it really that bad?”

  Wordless, I shook my head. I could at least admit that much.

  “Exactly. You even said it yourself. It was pretty amazing.”

  He brushed his lips against my cheek, turned, and walked out. Seconds later, I heard the door close. Tears threatened to escape, but I swallowed and forced them back.

  He was wrong. Our night hadn’t really been that bad—it had been way worse. Yes, I’d pushed aside my insecurities and lived in the moment. And our sexual chemistry had held up in the light of day. But at the same time, it reminded me exactly why, all my life, especially since the fire, I’d been so risk adverse.

  Sure, the adventure felt great for a day, maybe, but afterwards? I always got hurt.

  Several deep breaths later, I forced myself out of bed and into the shower. Yes, it was a night I would always remember, but now…Dustin was gone.

  I won’t let him ruin my happiness with my life. I don’t need him.

  And, no matter how long it took, I would prove to myself that was true.

  Chapter 1

  Samantha

  Five Years Later

  My eyes fluttered open, not quite ready for the day. I’d barely had any downtime over the weekend and I wasn’t sure I was ready for it to be Monday already. But then, I thought of the project. It was, at long last, finished. After months of long hours and minimal sleep, I was done with the beast.

  There was still the official unveiling in a few weeks, but other than that, I just had to get through the presentation later this morning.

  And then I might actually get to go to dinner with the girls.

  I hadn’t had a night out with Maria and Zoe in months. I could absolutely use some drinks with them. We needed to play catch-up, if only because I hadn’t told them in person about all the other drama in my life.

  For now, though, it was time to get ready for work.

  I slid out of my king-size bed—an unnecessary splurge I’d never regretted—and padded across the tile floor. I’d been in this house for over a year, but it still felt new and shiny to me.

  After a cool cleansing under the rain shower head, I hit my closet. Today was a power day for sure. As a senior executive at Cyder Cellular, I had to look my best for the bosses flying in for my presentation.

  I wasn’t fond of the meeting taking place on a Monday, but that’s why I’d spent the weekend perfecting the visuals and my speech instead of taking a much-needed break. I would have plenty of free weekends to come, along with some overdue vacation time. I could give up one more.

  And, if everything panned out, I’d get away from Philly for a long weekend. Even if said time away was work-related, I’d still be on a much less time-consuming schedule, which I definitely needed.

  So, thinking, I hummed to myself as I picked out my navy-blue pant suit with a deep red silk blouse that tied at the neck. With my jacket buttoned, that hint of color always served to lend more gravitas to my look, something needed as I was only 28 and still considered a kid by many of my co-workers.

  That didn’t matter, though. I’d worked hard and earned my spot. I knew my worth.

  As I twisted my hair into a neat bun, I decided to make an appointment with my hairdresser to get it trimmed. It looked much too wild when it was down, but I got headaches from leaving it up all the time. I needed to find a happy medium between professional and hair-down Samantha.

  When I was finished dressing, I added my red leather pumps. They were a little on the tall side, but I figured I needed the extra height today.

  I finished the look with mascara and lipstick before grabbing my briefcase and purse, then headed out. My car gleamed from its recent wash, which I’d managed to squeeze in yesterday.

  I hopped in, and a quarter of an hour later, pulled into my spot at the company lot. It read Senior Executive. The sight always pleased me, even if I still had a long way to go before moving any higher up.

  But that thought was equally exhausting, especially after everything I’d done to get to my current position, so I tucked it away. At five to eight, I strode into my office, accompanied by the hard clicking sound of my heels. I prided myself on getting to work at exactly the same time every day, a routine that offered me a comforting start, no matter how hectic my life became—in and outside of work.

  I turned on the lights and my computer. I was just settling into my chair when my assistant, Debbie, hurried in with my coffee.

  “Good morning, Samantha. Good weekend?”

  “Busy, but not too bad.”

  “Prepping for the big presentation today?”

  “You know me.”

  “And…are you going to be okay with…you know…” Her eyes widened.

  I sighed. I did know indeed. Despite successfully avoiding him over the last week, I knew Alistair was going to be at the meeting, too. Truthfully, I’d been trying to forget he’d ever been a part of my life at all.

  I really needed to unload on Maria and Zoe, ASAP.

  But I pasted on a smile and shook my head.

  “I’ll be fine. Thanks, Debbie.”

  She smiled back and returned to her desk, leaving me alone to stare blankly at my screen. The truth was, although my professional success was at an all-time high, my personal life was at an all-time low.

  Over the past year, I’d been dating Alistair Maloney, a marketing manager who worked a few floors below me. Yes, I’d broken my own rule about dating coworkers, but I’d genuinely thought we were a good match. It hadn’t been the most exciting relationship, but it had been comfortable, and that’s what I’d wanted most. Not one-night stands with hot firefighters.

  But our relationship had imploded a few weeks before, and we’d officially called it quits. Turned out Alistair hadn’t just been comfortable as my boyfriend—he’d been pretty bored by it, too. In fact, he’d probably barely thought of himself that way at all. At least, given all of the other women he’d also been with, he sure didn’t define ‘boyfriend’ the same way I did.

  The thing is, I might’ve forgiven him messing up once. But…six different women? And not just once, no. He’d slept with them on and off over the course of five months. I was only grateful that we’d always used condoms, in addition to me being on birth control.

  More than anything, I hated that I knew all the details of his affairs. I would’ve loved to be spared them, but two of the women he’d cheated on me with had turned out to also work at Cyder Cellular. And, when he’d broken it off with the last one, she had decided to tell me most of the horrible details.

  He may have kept a lot of specifics secret from me, but he’d sure told the other women all about his…lifestyle. So that they wouldn’t have expectations, apparently. I guess I’d asked for too much, expecting him to be faithful and all.

  What a jerk.

  But I wouldn’t let any of that distract me from getting through the meeting. We wouldn’t even be seated near each other. When it was over, I could safely avoid him until the next big meeting, which probably wouldn’t be for a few months. For now, I had to focus on my presentation.

  My team had just finishing perfecting the prototype for Cyder Cellular’s newest smartphone, and I was going to demonstrate all of the new features that morning. In three hours, to be precise. I needed to remain focused.

  I ran through my slides and made sure the three phones I had available were fully charged. I set each of them to showcase a specific function—HD camera, facial recognition, and AI capabilities—and packed up the extra hardware.

  We’d also created various shells showcasing color options: copper red, navy blue, rose gold, charcoal, and ivory. I knew the bosses would be impressed, by my team and their trust in me to lead
the various staff that worked under me.

  All in all, I was pretty proud of how everyone had come together to finish the project in such an efficient manner. Now, I only had to show off our results.

  At half past ten, I was ready. I headed to the conference room and set up my slides and the samples I had. Shortly after I finished, everyone arrived, including my immediate boss, Mr. Gantry, and the company president, Mr. Jacobson.

  In short order, the meeting started. After immediate business chit-chat was taken care of, it was my turn to speak.

  “Please go ahead, Ms. Blissett,” Mr. Gantry said.

  I stood and began. After so much practice and preparation, I spoke with ease, extolling the virtues of Cyder Cellular’s latest model and how each feature worked. In fifteen minutes, I was done and the room was filled with applause.

  Though I wanted to jump with joy, I kept a professional smile on my face and merely nodded my thanks. Anything else, and they might’ve remembered my age.

  As Mr. Gantry and Mr. Jacobson conferred, I returned to my place at the conference table. Fortunately, as predicted, I sat facing away from Alistair, so it was fairly easy to pretend he didn’t exist.

  Thank goodness for small mercies.

  “Ms. Blissett, we’re extremely satisfied with the work that you and your team have done. We’re happy to give you the opportunity to unveil our new smartphone at the Cellular Tech Innovations Conference in Los Angeles this year.”

  Excitement rushed through me.

  “I would be honored, Mr. Jacobson.”

  He smiled and looked around the room.

  “Then it’s settled. Ms. Blissett and Mr. Maloney will be representing Cyder Tech this year.”

  My jaw nearly dropped open in shock. He couldn’t be serious, could he?

  “Now, if that’s all—oh, yes, Ms. Blissett?”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t think I heard you correctly. Did you say you want Mr. Maloney there as well?”

  I refused to glance at Alistair as I waited for an answer, but I could practically feel him smirking in my direction.

  “Well, he’s one of the marketing heads for our newest product, and as you two have worked well together in the past, we thought that he would be the best choice to accompany you and take care of the marketing side. Unless you think otherwise?”

  The tone in his voice indicated he did not care for my disagreement, and I hastened to reassure him.

  “Oh, no, no. I just wanted…clarification, that’s all. I’ve been so caught up in the project, I haven’t had much time to even think about the unveiling.”

  “Well, young lady, you better get to work, because the event is in three weeks.”

  “Right. Of course, sir. You can count on me.”

  I didn’t dare look anywhere else, but I was pretty sure Alistair had a satisfied grin on his face. Despite nailing the presentation and getting offered the chance to fly to LA and unveil the new model at a huge conference, my Monday was shot. No, the whole week was shot.

  But I’d had other setbacks before. I would just have to grit my teeth and get on with the job. I wouldn’t let that asshole get to me. I would be my most professional.

  Still, when my lunch break came a half hour later, I found myself retreating to my car, where I had to take several deep, calming breaths.

  Work well together? Are they kidding? Didn’t they get the memo?

  Of course they hadn’t. Relationships had to remain strictly professional while in the office, so only a few people knew the breakup had even happened. And even if they did, that still didn’t mean I wasn’t professional enough to not be able to work with my ex.

  After all, Alistair and I had given two presentations together before, with him focused on marketing while I focused on the tech. Both times, we’d succeeded in getting more investors in on the project. But, in reality, any of the marketing execs could’ve done the presentation with me. I’d only requested Alistair because we’d been dating and it had been easy to prep together.

  And now I have to spend an entire weekend with him.

  Including travel times, that amounted to five days in a row. I wanted to scream.

  Instead, I took several more calming breaths. I’d just earned myself a spot at the unveiling. No, I’d been given the opportunity to lead it, and I wasn’t going to back out. I would just have to make the best of the situation. Sure, there would be several meetings and probably a dinner or two, but the rest of the time, I would simply stay away from Alistair.

  And hey, I’d never been to LA before. Maybe I’d visit Hollywood, see the stars on the Walk of Fame or check out Madame Tussauds and enjoy the wax figures. Wait a minute—did anyone ever really enjoy looking at people made out of wax?

  Shaking that thought away, I squared my shoulders and prepared to head back inside. Either way it turned out, I would plaster on a smile and do my job. I would make it work.

  Chapter 2

  Samantha

  Three weeks later, on late Thursday afternoon, the shuttle finally pulled up to the hotel in Los Angeles. I was extremely grateful for its arrival, wanting nothing more than to get as far away from Alistair as I possibly could.

  The company had provided first-class tickets, but we’d still been forced to sit next to each other on the full flight. I’d decided I would tough it out, thankful I was next to the window and had a convenient excuse to window-gaze. After all, it was my first trip to the West Coast and I wanted to see everything I could.

  But Alistair had other plans.

  “Hey, Samantha,” Alistair greeted as he slid into the seat next to me.

  I amended my thought. I wanted to see everything I could, except for him. The guy who would, apparently, be sitting next to me for the next six or so hours. I turned and glared at him.

  “I’m not ready to talk to you,” I replied curtly.

  He shrugged. “So…what? I’m supposed to ignore you?”

  “That’s what I was planning to do with you,” I stated firmly.

  He shook his head. “That’s not nice.”

  I sighed.

  “You’re right. I’m sorry. But there are some movies I was planning to catch up on, and seeing how I haven’t had much free time lately…”

  “Movies? Here I was, thinking we could review our…presentation.”

  He trailed his fingers across the top of my hand. Incensed, I snatched it away.

  “How dare you!” I hissed.

  “Oh, come on, Sam.”

  “Don’t call me that.”

  “Fine. Samantha. Seriously, you’re not still upset with me. I mean, come on. We gave it a go, and it was pretty good, but we just didn’t work out. That doesn’t mean we can’t be, you know, friendly.”

  His voice insinuated that friendly meant he was open to being a lot more intimate than a normal friend. My anger instantly rekindled.

  “You cheat on me with half a dozen women—two from our office—and I’m supposed to pretend that we’re friends?” I demanded through clenched teeth.

  “You know what? I don’t even know why I try.” He lifted his hands in the air.

  “Then stop.”

  In a huff, I crossed my arms across my chest as Alistair leaned away and signaled for the flight attendant.

  “Double Jameson on the rocks,” he told her.

  “For me, too,” I added.

  She nodded and turned to make our drinks.

  “Since when do you drink whiskey?” Alistair asked.

  “Since you decided to talk to me on this flight.”

  That annoyed him and he turned away.

  To be honest, my heart wasn’t broken in the least by our breakup, but I was still hurt that he’d lied to me for so long.

  If there was one thing I couldn’t stand, it was a lack of honesty in a relationship. That’s what I found myself unable to forgive. And if Alistair thought we could just be normal, then he was about to find out the hard way that I was not ready for that.

  Thus, every time he att
empted to talk—which he did, especially after a few more drinks—I shut him down as quickly as I could. This pattern of bickering and stony silence continued throughout the entire flight. By the time we landed, I had a pounding headache.

  Fortunately, I was able to pull away in the press and rush of disembarking from the plane. It was only after I reclaimed my luggage and went outside that I found Alistair again. He was standing at the shuttle pickup for our hotel.

  Unfortunately, when it arrived, it was also extremely full. This left Alistair and me to sit together once again. The seats were much closer together, but I tried to ignore his leg pressing against mine. Instead, I pulled out my phone and checked the agenda.

  Thursday

  5:00 p.m. – Reception

  7:00 p.m. – Dinner

  8:00 p.m. – Unveiling Presentation

  Wow. Whoever had scheduled this evening, they hadn’t much thought about the fact that Alistair and I were on Eastern time. By the time the unveiling presentation happened, it would be midnight for my body.

  Well, there wasn’t much to be done except get through it. The official unveiling would happen first, and then tomorrow, the meetings would start. Yes, I’d have to deal with Alistair, but at least I could get away after.

  Unfortunately, traffic was almost at a standstill. Though we left the airport at three, we didn’t get to the hotel until just before five. There was no time for anything except heading straight into the reception.

  Okay, I’ll just freshen up before dinner.

  Fortunately, I’d chosen a black jumpsuit to wear on the plane ride, and it was just a matter of slinging on my cropped blazer to turn it into business-casual attire. It would do for the reception.

  When we arrived, an attendant took our bags while a manager ushered us directly into one of the smaller ballrooms. The conference had officially begun.

  Fortunately, only a few people had arrived so far—the rest were all probably still stuck in traffic. This gave me a chance to stretch after sitting for too long. But as I walked around the room, Alistair stayed on my heels.