You and Only You

by Young, Brooke

  “Seriously? You’ve never eaten in here?” she exclaimed surprised. “I suppose your house is rather large for one person, but then again,” she flirted, “everything is large about you. It’s a Texas thing, right?” She blushed at her own ‘large’ inference.

  They started to eat and as expected the ribs fell off the bone, extremely tender and moist. Everything was delicious.

  “All holiday events were held back in Austin at my parents’ house. When my mom came to visit and help decorate, we always just ate at the kitchen table in the nook,” he then reflected, “she loved sitting in the rocking chair you were in this morning, drinking her coffee every morning. When I saw you doing the same, it reminded me of waking up and seeing her sitting there… it was a great memory,” he smiled fondly at Berkleigh.

  She smiled softly with genuine sympathy in her eyes, “You really miss her, don’t you?”

  “More than you can imagine,” he was looking down at his plate surprised he was talking about his mother; he never did so with anyone, though he thought about her almost every day. “She was such a wonderful person. Perhaps that’s one reason why I never invited a woman here. She was the only one who had ever stayed here. I guess unless I thought I would’ve been willing to introduce a woman to my mom, had she still been alive, there was no reason to invite them into the most private part of my life. I’m not sure that makes any sense?” he laughed nervously and looked up at Berkleigh.

  With sympathetic eyes, she replied, “Of course that does. But you invited me only after a couple of days of knowing me. What made you so sure that you wanted to invite me into the most private part of your life?”

  Jack shrugged, looking her in the eyes, “I don’t know how to explain it. When I met you on the elevator in Hawaii, there was just something electric between us, I’m not talking just sexually. I wanted to get to know you better. When I did, it was almost immediately that I knew I was falling for you, but I had to play it cool. I dreamt about you,” he laughed as his memory recollected, “that night we almost kissed outside your room, but my phone rang. You tortured me in my dreams…but in a good way! I’m just glad you were open to getting to know me despite your cranky attitude when you first arrived.” His eyes smiled as he teased her.

  “You were the only factor that made it bearable and beyond. It was incredible. Can I confess something to you?” she asked as her cheeks reddened.

  “I’m up to taking your confession if I get to determine your punishment,” he said with desire in his eyes.

  “After our ‘almost kiss’ that first night after Duo, I went into my room and um…” she paused as her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red, “played with my battery-operated buddy…while thinking about you.”

  “Really?” he asked emphatically. He leaned forward with mischievousness in his eyes, “Do tell.”

  “Well, it was extremely unlike me to feel that kind of heat…electricity…like you said… but there was something about you,” she blushed as she recalled what kind of effect Jack had on her immediately after meeting him, “I was glad of all the people that could’ve been put in the room next to me that it was you. Of all the luck, right?” She laughed shaking her head.

  “So, you were thinking of me while playing with yourself, huh?” Curiously with his eyebrow arched, intrigued, “What were you thinking about?”

  “I couldn’t get over my initial response to you when we met in the elevator. I was turned on! I thought about your touch, smell, and smile. Your James Bond way about you, you know? I mean seriously everyone notices you everywhere we go. You’re handsome, mysterious and smooth, it was pretty much just everything about you, Jack, that got to me instantly,” she commented admiringly. She then admitted, “It didn’t take long to satisfy my hunger, for you, if you catch my drift.” She had a sparkle in her eye. “Your ribs are delicious, by the way.”

  “Don’t change the subject, Berk,” he teased her. He liked hearing that he had been the center of her desire immediately after they had met, “but thank you. I’m glad you are enjoying them.” He put his hand on her cheek, she leaned her face into his hand.

  “I suppose we never stood a chance of not being together, the universe or something wanted us together,” Berkleigh said thoughtfully.

  “I wanted us together that’s for sure,” Jack stated emphatically.

  They finished dinner, cleaned the dishes and decided to lay by the fire for a little before retiring to the bedroom. Jack turned the volume up of the smooth jazz in the family room and lit the fire as he talked to Berkleigh, “I updated this whole house and could’ve converted this to a gas fireplace, but I just couldn’t get myself to do it. I love the smell of real wood burning. Plus, I have such a large lot, therefore, an endless supply of firewood.”

  She had enough beer at dinner that she was feeling slightly buzzed. Taking a seat and leaning against a recliner near the fireplace, she spread her legs, so Jack could lay against her; she wrapped her arms around his incredibly strong build and took in his scent.

  “I have loved being here, Jack,” she whispered in his ear.

  He leaned his head back and said, “I have loved having you here. I don’t want you to leave.”

  “Me either, the time has gone too fast,” she responded, sad that she had a late afternoon flight to catch the next day.

  “Stay longer,” he pleaded quietly. He was still laying on her chest, so he did not see her that tears had welled up in her eyes.

  “There’s something I need to tell you,” he noticed a change in her voice as it cracked, he sat up to face her.

  Wiping a tear that had already escaped and was running down her cheek, “What is it?”

  “Of all of the people in my life, my mom, dad, brother, best friend and therapist only know this,” she hesitated. “I’m trusting you by telling you this. When I was seven, my parents hired a babysitter, a male, because they tended to interact with us better than the girls who seemed to be only interested in talking on the phone and ignore us. It was late, I was wearing a long nightgown, my brother had already gone to bed. The sitter came into my room,” she paused. She didn’t have to finish, he could finish the story based on what he heard but she continued. “He started to kiss me, at first I said nothing, I didn’t know what to do,” tears were streaming down her cheeks like a raging river. “I silently cried and then quietly asked him to stop. He told me that it would be over soon.” Behind blue eyes that shone brightly beneath tears reflecting off the glow of the fire, “He stopped only after he molested me. By the time that started, I was crying harder and pleading for him to leave me alone. My brother, who was only eight, woke up and heard my pleas. The sitter had locked my door and my brother was banging on it screaming to leave me alone. After that night, men terrified me. I’m not an easy person to get close to and I fear betrayal more than anyone I know. That’s why our deep connection surprises me so much. It’s one thing to have casual sexual encounters but the closeness I feel to you in such a short time is definitely rare for me.”

  Jack felt like someone punched him in the gut, he thought he was going to be sick. Had he known this, he would’ve insisted his company figure out a different avenue to obtain the critical information. He flashed back to the first night in Maui and understood the fear in her eyes when Stan trapped her.

  “Oh, Berk,” he said gently, “I’m so sorry that happened to you.” He embraced her tight in his arms. He kissed her head, then tilted her chin up so he could look into her eyes. “I know it’s soon, like real soon, but, I love you. So much. I love everything about you.”

  She was completely surprised at his confession, but returned the emotion genuinely, “I’ve fallen so deep for you, Jack. I love you, too.” He wiped her tears from her cheek. “Thanks for not looking at me like I’m a freak or have a lot of baggage.”

  “It wasn’t your fault, Berk. You are beautiful inside and out.”

  His reassurance was what she needed to know her past was just that. They confessed their love
for one another and it was time for the present and hopefully their future…together. She felt liberated having shared that dark memory as it had always prevented her from getting close to the men she had previously dated.

  Jack lay down on the plush rug on his side and motioned for Berkleigh to join him, she willingly obliged. He held her in a tight embrace, both staring quietly at the fire, she had never felt safer than in that moment lying in his arms.

  After a while, he helped her stand and they went upstairs to catch a couple of episodes of Burn Notice. Jack had remembered her telling him, back in Hawaii, that it was one of her favorite shows, so they watched it together. They assumed what was starting to feel like their routine sleeping position of Berkleigh lying on Jack’s chest and his strong arms wrapped around her. Once again, the steady beat of his heart put her to sleep.

  22

  Sunday morning streamed sunlight into Jack’s room way too early to their dismay causing them both to stir. He held her tight, their warm bodies entangled in one another, neither wanting the moment to end.

  “When do you think we will see each other again?” he asked.

  “I don’t know, hopefully soon. Before we head to the airport, how about we put something on the calendar?”

  “That sounds good, or just don’t leave…ever,” he insisted.

  She lifted her head from his chest to look at his handsome face and pleading eyes, “Ever?”

  “Ever,” he replied matter-of-factly then kissed her forehead.

  Berkleigh laid on his chest for another half an hour thinking that the beat of his heart was the most soothing sound in the world. After some time, she decided she should probably start getting ready and pack her bag. They would enjoy lunch together and then Jack would reluctantly have to take her to the airport.

  They made their way downstairs for breakfast and Berkleigh logged onto her laptop to check in for her flight. She checked email out of habit and found a message flagged important from the CEO of her company.

  From: Adam Nicholson

  Sent: Sunday, March 30, 2014 6:14 AM (EST)

  To: Berkleigh Woods

  Subject: Important- need you at corporate

  Berkleigh,

  Sorry to bother you on a Sunday morning. I will call in a bit but didn’t want to disturb you so early. IT identified some abnormal activity and an attempt to download unauthorized reports from your laptop. We need you and your computer here as early as possible tomorrow. Please look at flight availability and get it booked. Let me know when we can expect you. We need to ensure a breach has not occurred.

  Regards,

  Adam Nicholson

  CEO

  Titan Global Systems, Inc.

  Email: anicholson@tgs.com

  Office: 1.888.792.9001

  “Oh my god,” Berkleigh said out loud, surprised, which caused Jack to look up from the pancakes on the griddle that he had just flipped, “I received an email from our CEO that there is unusual activity on my computer. They want me at corporate tomorrow.”

  Jack’s eyes flashed with guilt, though it went unnoticed. He and John both knew there was a strong likelihood that TGS’ IT people would immediately detect the unauthorized activity.

  Berkleigh wasn’t worried about being in trouble as she had not attempted to access any reports that she shouldn’t. She was more than willing to help corporate in any way possible with their concern as a breach could be detrimental to TGS and their clients. If anything, someone must’ve hacked into her laptop remotely and her company just needed to determine if any sensitive information was compromised.

  “Jack,” Berkleigh said with a smile, “it would be easier for me to head to my corporate offices from here. Would it be okay if I stayed one more night and you take me to the airport tomorrow?”

  A huge grin overcame Jack’s face, “I don’t know, let me think about it…. hmmm, I guess if I have no other choice than to hold your beautiful, sexy body one more night then I suppose it’s fine,” he teased and winked at her. He pulled out two New York strip steaks to thaw for dinner.

  Berkleigh searched flights to Boston and found one that left at 11:15 am the next morning putting her in Boston close to 1:00 pm. She could be at the office by 2:00 in the afternoon. She paid for her flight with her corporate card, then responded to her boss.

  From: Berkleigh Woods

  Sent: Sunday, March 30, 2014 8:44 AM (EST)

  To: Adam Nicholson

  Subject: Re: Important- need you at corporate

  Hi Adam,

  No worries about emailing on a Sunday. I have booked a flight that will put me at the office around 2:00 pm tomorrow. I can’t imagine what it could be, but, I am more than happy to assist to get to the bottom of this. I understand how serious a security breach could be for our clients. I will be staying off the intranet until I can get my computer turned in so if you need to get a hold of me, please call my cell phone.

  Thanks,

  Berkleigh

  While she took care of business, Jack removed the pancakes from the griddle, put them on two plates, buttered and poured hot syrup over them, something his mom always did for him even as an adult. He grabbed forks and napkins and took them to the nook. He went back and grabbed two glasses of milk out of the freezer, another tradition his mother started when he was three.

  Berkleigh logged off and put her computer away since she did not intend on using it until she turned it into her IT department, so they could conduct research on the alleged downloads.

  “Jack, do you mind taking me to the mall? I need to go by Macy’s or something and get a couple of business suits and shoes. Everything I brought was intended for a casual weekend.”

  “Not at all, they open at 11:00 so we can head out around 10:40 or so,” he reflected, “it sucks that happened, but I’m glad I get another entire day with you.”

  “Yeah,” she smiled, “me, too.”

  “I pulled two steaks out of the freezer to thaw. I thought we could have those, mashed potatoes and salad tonight for dinner with a bottle of red wine. Tonight, you pick which bottle, okay?”

  “That sounds perfect!”

  She cleared their plates from the table once they were finished and went into the kitchen to clean up. She appreciated Jack cooking while she took care of her flight, so she wanted to return the favor and clean up afterwards.

  While Berkleigh did that, Jack sent a text to John, “Boss, TGS contacted her. They noticed unusual activity coming from her computer. There’s no way to undo what we’ve done. She’s heading to corporate tomorrow to turn her computer into IT. I imagine they will know something was downloaded to her USB port and therefore an external device. I’m predicting she will figure out it was me by tomorrow night or Tuesday morning. It’s going to devastate her.”

  The immense guilt he felt was overwhelming.

  Almost immediately John responded, “Check your email. Our suspicions are spot on. Don’t say anything to her yet but I have a feeling we are going to need her help. Hopefully, she will cooperate even if she learns you tapped into her computer. BTW, you are scheduled to be at TGS headquarters Wednesday. Will she be gone by then?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t ask her how long she planned to be there. I will check my email.” Jack put his phone back in his pocket right as Berkleigh emerged from the kitchen.

  “Kitchen’s clean, would you like me to make a couple of cups of coffee and we can sit out back since we have some time until the mall opens?”

  “That sounds terrific, Berk.”

  She met him out back in the screened-in porch, handed him his cup and sat in the rocking chair that had become ‘hers’ over the last couple of days. His and hers rocking chairs she thought smiling.

  “You’re not worried about your job, are you?” he asked without causing any suspicion.

  “No, not at all. I haven’t attempted to access anything I shouldn’t, so I’m not worried about me. Just the company since a breach of any kind could compromise our reputation and
affect our business,” she replied.

  “I’m sure they will get it resolved. How long are you planning on being at corporate?”

  “Through Thursday as of now, longer if need be,” she said.

  “Maybe you can fly back here for the weekend,” he suggested, hoping she would not discover he was the one who breached their system. He knew if she found out, it would be the end of them which made his heart hurt just thinking about. Unless John allowed him to apprise her of the situation at hand, maybe, just maybe she will understand and be willing to forgive him.

  “I’d consider that. It’s not like I have any pets at home or anything that need tending to. I will see how this week goes and let you know-if that’s okay.”

  “Works for me.”

  They talked for a little about the weather in Virginia and when it would warm up, then he got up, kissed her, and took her mug to make another cup of coffee for the both.

  “I like seeing you in my other rocking chair. It’s been waiting for someone like you…or you specifically,” he flirted.

  23

  Berkleigh found everything she needed for her meetings at corporate, so they decided to get lunch at a new restaurant close by that boasted authentic Cuban food. Lunch was delicious, the music even better. Berkleigh offered to pay, but Jack insisted otherwise.

  After he settled the bill, they went home and relaxed on the back porch while enjoying a couple of beers. Conversation became easier between them as each day together passed.

  Early evening approached, and Jack went into the kitchen to season their steaks, Berkleigh followed. She offered to peel the potatoes and place them in the boiling water while he prepared the mixed green salad. He opened a 2008 bottle of Twomey merlot- that Berkleigh had chosen- and poured it into his decanter. Jack swirled it around, so the wine could breathe and then poured them each a glass to enjoy while they prepared dinner together.