Mr. Always & Forever

by Ashlee Price

  It occurred to me that Mary had been out of the office a lot. I took it as a blessing that she was not worried about me like she was last week. Now I wondered if she was going there to see Erin. How long had she been sabotaging me with Erin?

  “She has been acting on her own for a while now.”

  Brandon kind of chuckled, and I could see that he already understood what was going on. I don’t know why it took me so long to see it myself. “I told you to keep it out of house. If you have to see them every day, they are going to see you when you get another one.”

  He was crude, always had been, and I could tell that he was already hitting the bottle today, but Brandon was right. I had made a mistake with Mary and I was going to pay for it now. If things went the way they were going, she would be the reason I wasn’t with Erin. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to deal with that. It was the first time that I realized that I was actually going to have to get rid of her. I didn’t think that a severance package was going to be enough to cut it with her. I should have taken Brandon’s advice from the start.

  “Well, you were right, my friend. I shouldn’t have taken her, but now I’m stuck with her.”

  “Get rid of her. I’ll take her off your hands.”

  While his offer was tempting, I knew that she wasn’t property that I could just give away. On the other hand, it seemed only right, because they were perfect for each other in so many ways.

  “I will see if she is ready for a new opportunity and send her your way. I am firing her today.”

  Brandon chuckled again and said that he didn’t mind taking my cast-offs. It was not the way I would have worded it, and I felt guilty about how relieved I was, but that was as far as it was going to go. There was still the fact that while he hadn’t worded it quite the way I would have, Brandon was right.

  Chapter 3 – Rose Woods

  It was the last meeting of the week before I went back to South America for a little while. Erin was still camped out on my couch and I would be blind to not know and see that it was because of the very man that I was supposed to be waiting for. When I had first seen Drake, I’d seen him as a handsome man. It was impossible not to. But I didn’t know he would go on to break Erin’s heart. I felt protective of her, and in a way I felt guilty for even finishing his job. But with the iron-clad contract that he’d had me sign, I didn’t have much choice.

  So I waited for him as composed as I could be. He had wanted me to come into his office, but I had chosen a place that both of us would be unfamiliar with. The coffee shop wasn’t far from my apartment, and I liked the idea of such a wealthy man coming to my side of town. I had liked Drake at first, but after what he had done to Erin, I knew that he was not the type I would do business with in the future. I had learned my lesson, one way or another.

  When I heard my name, my thoughts were on everything else but what I was supposed to be doing. He smiled down at me and I invited him to join me. I had gotten him a coffee, but I didn’t know how he liked it, so I kept it black. I had liked Drake, working with him was nice, but after I had heard about what he did to Erin, it was hard not to give him a dirty look. When he started with the compliments on the photo shoot and talking about how he wanted me to take care of another PR event that he had in mind, I just kind of shook my head no. The offer took me off guard, and while I needed the work, I knew that I had to refuse because of Erin and what had happened with her.

  “I am sorry, Drake, but I must decline your offer of more work. I don’t think that we are supposed to work together. There is a conflict of interest, and I think it is best that we part ways.”

  It was hard for me to say it out loud. Drake paid very well, enough that I could finance another long-term trip if I took it. He pressed me and I just shook my head again, telling him that I just couldn’t.

  “I don’t understand, Rose. Is my rate not high enough?”

  I kind of smiled at him and disagreed. “No, your offer is quite high, but I just can’t.”

  “So why then? I would at least like to know why you won’t work with me again, Rose.”

  “I can’t because of Erin.”

  “Erin?”

  His ears perked up and it seemed like he was listening then. I should have known that Erin was wrong about Drake. It was clear to me that Drake was into her. I started to wonder if everything was just a misunderstanding. I knew that she would be mad about it if I told her, but I had to press for more from his reaction. “Yeah, you and Erin know each other well from what I hear.”

  “You have seen her?”

  I kind of shrugged and really looked at the devastatingly handsome man in front of me. He was filled with emotions and I couldn’t help the pang of jealousy. No one ever looked at me like that. I wished someone did, but even my boyfriend wasn’t as into me as Drake was into her. That much was clear, and I knew that I had to do something to get them back together. By the look in his eyes, they were meant to be together.

  “Yes, we are best friends, and that is why I can’t work for you again. I don’t think that Erin would like it very much.”

  “Is she that mad at me?”

  Drake looked hopeful and I was surprised once again that he was showing that kind of emotion. I knew that everything was strange between them, but I was starting to think that it really was just a lack of communication.

  “Well you promised her that you would keep the museum running and she had to find out from some vile woman that you had lied about everything. That is going to make someone mad, especially if they have already fallen for you.”

  “She has fallen for me?”

  I knew then that I had said too much. I wished that I had just kept my mouth shut. It wasn’t like I was trying to make it worse, but I was positive that Erin would not appreciate that last slip. She wouldn’t want him to know that she cared, because she wanted to pretend that nothing had happened. She was going to pretend like he didn’t exist. I knew my best friend quite well.

  “You didn’t hear that from me, Drake, but you hurt her. I am not going to say that she was in love with you, she didn’t tell me, but what I do know is that you hurt her and I don’t like that. She has been my best friend since college and I don’t think I ever remember her being like this, so whatever you did to her is not okay with me.”

  He sat back and kind of grinned for a moment until he saw the way I was looking at him. “Sorry, this is not funny. I just don’t understand what happened. We were having a great time and then she just disappeared.”

  “That is what girls do to lick their wounds. They go to their friend’s house and drink, talk about their problems.”

  Drake didn’t get it, that much was clear, and I still wasn’t one hundred percent sure that I wanted to help him get it. What he had done to her had hurt her. I had never seen my friend so distraught before, and I hated to think that it was all going to be for nothing. If it was all for nothing, it seemed to make everything worse.

  “I didn’t mean to hurt her, Rose. You have to believe me. I just couldn’t stop the deal. Too many people are depending on the profits, and the place is perfect for my new club.”

  I just kind of shrugged. I knew that he had a point, men like him always did, but it didn’t seem like he was going to get how that had made her feel. I wondered if he even cared. It looked like he did.

  “If that were the case, you should have never struck up a deal with her. If you knew that you were going to buy it and tear it down anyways, why would you make such a deal with Erin?”

  I wasn’t going to pull any more punches with him. I had to let him know that I knew more than just a little bit about what had happened between them. I knew what he had said and I knew that he had taken advantage of my friend. Not that Erin didn’t need someone to give her life a little spunk, but it didn’t make sense for it to be a man like him who was going to hurt her in such a way.

  “She told you?”

  I kind of nodded. “Who do you think she came to? So I know quite a bit
about the two of you, and I know what you did. That is why I can’t work for you, Drake.”

  He didn’t know what to say, but he tried several times to tell me that he had not meant it. In the end, though, the truth came out. “It was the only way that she would go out with me, that’s why. I would have never agreed to anything if I didn’t have to. Do you know how many women have told me no?”

  “Not enough. Erin is different.”

  Drake shook his head that he knew and paired it with a sigh. It didn’t seem like he was so happy about the fact that she wasn’t like all of the rest. “I know she is different. That’s why I can’t stop thinking about her and that’s why I need to see her. I need to tell her that it is all wrong and I was wrong. I don’t want to go on anymore without her, because I just can’t.”

  It was a moment of weakness, and I felt for him then. I knew it was hard for a man to admit such feelings, and especially to do it with the emotions that he had. It was hard not to melt a little inside for Erin and wish that someone would say the same thing about me.

  “She is staying with me, but if I told you where she was, I don’t know if she would be able to forgive me for it. You would have to do a good job of convincing her to forgive me.”

  “Your secret would be safe with me. All I want to do is see her. I can make it right.”

  I wasn’t sure if he could, but it felt like both of them needed a second chance. It seemed a shame that a man who loved her as much as Drake seemed to would walk away. I shouldn’t let that happen to Erin. She was stubborn because she had been hurt before. I didn’t want this to be one of those times and I finally gave in and gave him the address of my apartment.

  “I am going to stay gone a couple more hours, so if you are going to convince her, you need to do it now before I get back and she is mad at me. Then she won’t listen to either one of us.”

  “Do you have any advice for me?”

  I kind of smiled at him and got up from the table. I had a lot of advice, but most of it, I was not going to be able to say out loud. How was I supposed to tell him what to do when I knew that she was hurting so bad? “Whatever it was that made her fall in love with you, Drake, that is what you need to do.”

  The man had a devilish grin on his face and it was contagious. Again I felt the same pang of jealousy that went through me as when he was talking about her before. I could imagine what had come into his mind, and I hoped that Erin took the bait. Drake was gorgeous and really loved her. What more could a girl want?

  Chapter 4 – Erin

  I was packing up my things. I had been at Rose’s almost two weeks, but she was about to leave for a couple of months and I was going to have to get myself together. I knew that there were a lot of things that I could have been doing, like getting the museum ready to close, but I had basically quit that job. I hadn’t been back to my apartment, knowing that I was going to have to find somewhere else. I had done none of the things that I was supposed to do. What I had done instead was mope around and feel sorry for myself.

  Now it was time to move on and I still wasn’t really sure what I was going to do to fix it all. It was hard to think of a solution when one just didn’t seem to materialize. I had thought about Drake and my situation for some time, but nothing was really jumping out at me. It had been nice to live with Rose again, and it made me realize how lonely I was there by myself. I missed my father and the rest of the people who had drifted off through the years. More than that, I missed Drake and all of the open possibilities that had come with him and me together.

  I told myself I was just dreaming. He wasn’t some knight in shining armor and I wasn’t a damsel in distress. Well, the first part was true, anyways. That had to count for something.

  I picked up the small suitcase and wheeled it in next to the door. I wasn’t able to get anything else into it, so I searched for an extra bag to put in the clothes that Rose had forced on me. She was going more traditional, and I fit into most of her clothes that were a little more risky. It wasn’t my style, but if I had learned nothing more in the last couple of weeks, I had learned that the way I was doing things just wasn’t working. I needed to do something new, and as I turned around in the mirror, I thought that a new little black dress was the way to go. This time I wouldn’t let it get me in trouble.

  I was just about to go to my car – my hand was literally on the door – when I heard a knock. It scared me a little, and I backed away from the door. I figured it was Rose back from her secret meeting, and I wanted to see her before I left. I’d told her that I was leaving today, but I hadn’t told her where I was going because I didn’t even know.

  “Hey, girl…”

  I stopped when I realized that it wasn’t Rose looking for her keys, but Drake standing at the door. I was speechless for a moment and didn’t know what to do. What in the world was he doing there, and why was he looking at me like that?

  “What do you want, Drake?”

  There was contempt in my voice. I couldn’t help it. I didn’t know if I really wanted to anyway. There was something about him that threw me off, and him standing there now was not helping me at all. I wanted him to tell me what he wanted so that I could go on about my business without him. I had to fight the melting that was going on inside of me and figure out a way to pretend that I didn’t care. It was hard to do, though, when I cared too much and my heart was pounding in my chest.

  “I want you, Erin, and since you won’t answer your phone, I had to come down here to see you.”

  I didn’t know how he knew where I was or what he was doing there. It seemed a little too late for everything, and I needed to get away.

  “Well, I don’t want to talk to you, so why don’t you just go and save us both some trouble?”

  I moved to slam the door in his face. It was because I was mad, but also because I couldn’t think of anything else to do. All I knew was that I needed him out of my sight. I wasn’t going to be okay with seeing him. How could I be when I knew that the only reason he was there was because of some guilt that he felt? I didn’t want to make him feel any better about what he’d done. I didn’t think I was ever going to feel any better about it.

  But he wasn’t going to have that from me. He stopped the door from closing with one of his beefy hands against the hard wood. He pushed himself in and then I shut the door behind him. There was nothing to do but to talk to him. He was the type that always got what he wanted, and if he wanted to talk, then I was going to give him just that. I was sick of hiding, and it wasn’t like I had done anything wrong. He was the one who had lied and used me to get what he wanted.

  All the bravado left me when our eyes met, though. I had never really been able to tell him no, and looking at him now I knew this was not going to be the first time. He was handsome and in one of the suits that I remembered so well. My heart was already racing and my body remembered him fondly. Everything that I’d told myself was a lie, and he was there in front of me again.

  “Erin, I think that it is time that we finally talked.”

  He moved towards me but I skirted around him and moved deeper into the apartment. I needed space between us or I wasn’t going to be able to think clearly. If he got his hands on me, I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to tell him no on any account. There were things that I would like to say; I just needed a little space to say them.

  “What do you want to talk about, Drake? I heard about the sale and the demolition. I was told everything that I needed to know and more.”

  “Mary.”

  He didn’t ask it as a question, so I figured that he knew it was that rude woman who had told me everything. She certainly hadn’t spared me any details. She’d been clear about what was going on. What I didn’t know was why he was in front of me now or why he had sent her and couldn’t have just told me himself.

  “Yes, Mary. Your little assistant was a nice touch. I could have done without that, but I guess that is how businessman like you are, aren’t you?”

  Dr
ake tried to take another step towards me, but I didn’t want anything to do with any close proximity with him. I didn’t want him near me. I put my hand up like it would shield me from his touch. “Just stop, Drake. I get it, okay. I know what you wanted, and you got it, so I get it.”

  I turned away from him because I knew that my voice and face were going to give away my true emotions. I wasn’t supposed to care, that is what I told myself, but it was a lie through and through.

  “I didn’t know you then, Erin. I didn’t know I was going to feel this way.”

  I stopped him before he could say more. Turning around, I really looked at him. Our eyes finally met, and for once I was not going to be meek. I had spent too much time being afraid of my own shadow, but I was finally drawing the line somewhere. He was too much and what he had done to me was too much.

  “So it was okay when I was just a woman that you wanted to get in bed?”

  Drake was full of audacity, and I knew that it was because of how he was raised. I was almost sure then that he had never been told no in his life. When I’d told him no, I just unwittingly became a challenge. It made me wonder if I was still a challenge to him. Was that why he was still pursuing me?

  He grabbed my shoulders and moved to kiss me. I turned my face and got out of his grasp. There was no way that I was going to be okay with that, and I didn’t want him to even try.

  “You have to forgive me, Erin. I will do whatever you want me to do.”

  I just shook my head. I had gone from turned on, to mad, to furious, and now I wasn’t even sure what all I was feeling. There were just too many emotions, and his touch wasn’t helping any of them.

  “You should have kept up your end of the bargain, Drake.”

  He stopped moving towards me and I could see something new in his depths. “Is that really all you are worried about, your job?”

  I had to bite my lip to not give him all of what I was thinking. “I am not worried about the job. That is the only home I have known, Drake. My father raised me there, and now that he has passed, that is all I have left of him. Then you come around and want to buy it up, tear it down and make it into another club where mindless people can dance around mindlessly.”