Love's Second Chance (Second Chances Series)

by L. P. Dover

  Riding the elevator to one of the top floors of M&M’s Architectural Design, I couldn’t stop the butterflies and nerves from going crazy in my stomach. Why was I so nervous? Failing had never been an option for me, but I was afraid I wouldn’t live up to everyone’s expectations. The elevator opened and I walked into a lobby with a huge desk in the center. A middle-aged woman was staring intently at her computer and typing away. She saw me approach and a huge smile took over her face.

  “Well hello there Mrs. Anders. It’s good to see you again.” She stood up and held out her hand. I clasped it and shook it firmly earning an even bigger smile from her.

  “It’s nice to see you again too, Rebecca,” I said warmly.

  “I knew he could get you here. I got onto him for taking so long to ask you to work for him. You wouldn’t believe the amount of calls we get for people asking about you.” My eyes went wide, but she continued speaking and overlooked my shocked expression. “You are one hot commodity around here.”

  “Oh, Rebecca, we don’t want to scare her on her first day now do we?” I jumped at the sound of Galen’s voice, and when I turned around that devilish smile of his took me away.

  Rebecca waved him off and took a seat back at her desk. “I’m not scaring her,” she said looking at me, but then she shied away when she saw my shocked expression. “Uh oh, well maybe I am scaring her. Well anyway, you two lovebirds have fun working or whatever it is you young people will be doing in there behind closed doors.” She snickered after saying that and I knew my face had turned bright red in embarrassment. I stood there, frozen and speechless, until Galen walked over and grabbed my hand, pulling me into the confines of his office.

  Galen’s work space was not only huge, but he had a wonderful view of downtown Charlotte. It was a good thing I wasn’t going to be spending much time in there, because if I did I wouldn’t get anything done. Galen’s drafting desk took up one whole wall while another desk took up the center. There also happened to be another desk in a private corner off to the side, which I was assuming would be mine. Model houses were on every single surface in the room, and of course I could tell they were all Galen’s designs. He had a specific brand to him, and I could spot them from a mile away.

  “Good morning, beautiful.” Galen greeted me with a hug and a delicious kiss. He tasted like coffee with a splash of hazelnut. I didn’t drink coffee, but I absolutely loved tasting it on him.

  “Good morning to you, too,” I replied sweetly.

  “Are you ready to get started?” he asked. “Or do you need more time to adjust?”

  I laughed. “No, I think I’m good. Tell me what I need to do.” I glanced at the empty desk and then back to Galen, eyebrows raised. “Were you actually serious about me sharing your office?”

  He peered over at the desk and nodded. “Of course I was. Why, do you not want to?”

  “Oh no, it’s perfectly fine. I just thought you were kidding.”

  He shrugged and put his arm around my shoulders. “Well, look at it this way. We can make love anytime we want during the day.” My face blushed crimson at his admission and he chuckled at my expense. Maybe sharing an office wasn’t such a good idea. I couldn’t help but wonder how many days we could go without having sex in there … most likely none.

  Galen searched his desk, and when he found what he was looking for he handed it over. “Here’s the list of all the clients that are begging for you. I’ve spoken to them all and they’re waiting for you to respond. You’ll see I’ve also written notes in there to give you an idea of what they want.” When I looked at him and smiled, he shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. “I did it so you would be prepared. I hope you don’t mind, but I wanted to make sure you weren’t overwhelmed on your first day.” I took a look at the book and opened it to the first page. My eyes went wide at the mile long list of clients. That was going to be enough work to last ten years. Well, maybe not that long, but it would sure keep me busy for a while.

  “I’ve been keeping a list of people that have recommended you for the past couple of years. They were really happy when I told them you were now available,” Galen admitted happily.

  “I don’t know what to say. I can’t believe they’ve wanted me so badly,” I said, completely flabbergasted.

  “Shit, Korinne, you’re the best and they all know it. I’m honored that you said yes to come work for me, but I think my charm might have worked on you some, too.” He smiled, and that smile could get anyone to fall at his knees.

  “I’m glad I said yes, too. Maybe your charm did help out a little bit as well,” I admitted whole-heartedly. Looking at the long list in my book, I figured it was time to start calling people. “I guess I need to get busy,” I announced. Galen pulled me into his arms, and I melted in his embrace. Oh yes, it was going to be very difficult to keep my space from him in that office.

  “I’m here to help you if you need anything,” he said warmly.

  I nodded against his chest. “I know, and thank you for helping me. I can’t wait to get started.” We broke away from the hug and Galen went to his desk while I went to mine. Staring mesmerized at the open book, I took one giant breath before marching into the challenge and calling the first person on the list.

  The two clients I saw first had mapped out all of their plans and waited on my replies and suggestions. They were both really excited when I threw in the twists of my own ideas. It felt amazing to open my mind again and create imaginative settings for people to enjoy. Looking at the clock in my car, the time was now four in the afternoon and I was just then returning to M&M. I hadn’t spoken to Galen yet, so I was excited to share with him the good news. Rebecca was at her desk and waved at me before I went inside Galen’s office, or better yet, our office. Galen had his back to me, standing at his drawing desk, when I entered. Slowly advancing to his side, I peered over his shoulder to see what he was working on. The sight before me was astounding.

  “Wow!” I belted out. His sketches were absolutely beautiful.

  Still looking down at his work, he laughed. “I’m assuming that was a good wow?” He moved aside to let me see more closely.

  “Yes, you’re amazing,” I murmured in awe.

  Galen took my hands and pulled me to him. “How was your day?” he asked.

  “It was spectacular. I met with two clients and already have the rest of the month scheduled. It doesn’t look like I’ll be spending much time here though.”

  Galen pouted his lip, and it took all of my restraint not to reach up and grab it with my teeth. “Well then I guess we need to christen this office today since you won’t be here much.” He paused and glanced at each desk. “Your desk or mine?” he asked playfully. Was he serious? I wondered. When I didn’t answer right away, he answered it for me by taking my hand and pulling me over to his desk. “My desk it is then. And look, you made it easy for me by wearing a skirt.”

  “You’re too much, you know that?”

  “Oh I know, but you love it.” Indeed I did, I said to myself. Galen slid the papers on his desk to the corner, and lifting me up by the waist, set me down.

  “What if someone comes in?” I asked.

  He grinned. “I was prepared and had the door on auto lock as soon as you shut it.”

  “You are so sneaky,” I teased.

  “I have a meeting in fifteen minutes so we don’t have long, but I think we can manage, don’t you?” He glided his hands up my thighs and pushed the skirt up to my waist, not waiting on an answer. Fifteen minutes was fine with me. I was already turned on and ready to go. He loosened his pants quickly and they fell to the floor, revealing his well chiseled thighs and his already hard cock that would be devouring me soon.

  Galen pulled me closer by gripping my thighs and sliding me across the desk. Removing my underwear, he wrapped my legs around his waist. Wasting no time in the matter, Galen entered me hard and swift in one deep thrust. As much as I loved going nice and slow sometimes going hard and fast could be way more pleasurab
le. The grip he had on my body was constricting as he held me down on the desk, but I loved feeling the closeness to him as he pounded away his desires into my body. He groaned quietly in my ear while I gritted my teeth together to keep from screaming out the pleasures I was feeling. I really didn’t want Rebecca hearing what we were doing in there. When the orgasm hit I could feel Galen pulsating and releasing his seed inside of me. Breathing hard, he kissed me on the lips before pulling out and lifting his pants. Smiling apologetically at me, he handed me a box of tissues. He pulled a couple of them out and helped wipe up the insides of my thighs.

  “I’m sorry about that,” he said softly, looking down at the sticky mess between my legs.

  “It’s okay, I actually like that we can do this. It’s more intimate,” I said softly.

  Galen looked down at his watch and his eyes went wide. “Shit, I have two minutes to get to the board room. Go home, be careful, and I’ll call you tonight.”

  “All right,” I said, smiling while fixing my skirt.

  He kissed me on the cheek and whispered softly in my ear. “I love you, Kori.”

  “I love you, too.”

  My phone rang on the way home, but it was in my purse and I refused to go digging for it while I was driving. I’d see who it was when I got home. All I wanted to do right then was take a nice, hot shower and cuddle on the couch with a bowl of cheddar popcorn. Maybe I’d watch the Lord of the Rings again. Or better yet, I needed to start unpacking my boxes. I couldn’t live out of them for the rest of my life now could I?

  As soon as I got home I headed straight for the shower. For about thirty minutes I relished in the feel of hot water spraying over my skin. I wondered what it would be like to make love to Galen in the shower. That would need to be something I mentioned to him the next time I saw him.

  Once my shower was done, I decided on the popcorn dinner and a movie. I didn’t know how long Galen was going to be in his meeting, but it worked out perfectly. Having some Korinne time right then was what I needed. As I settled on the couch I heard my phone beeping in my purse. I had completely forgotten I had a missed call. Surely if it was important they would have called back. The number was not familiar to me, but they did leave a message. After dialing voicemail, a man’s voice that I didn’t recognize came over the line.

  “Good evening, Mrs. Anders, I’m Richard Carmichael. I believe we have met before, but in case you don’t remember I was a friend and colleague of your late husband, Dr. Carson Anders. I’m head of the trustees over at the hospital and I’m calling because I wanted to invite you to a special reception in honor of Carson, along with some of our other valuable doctors. The reception is next Thursday night at seven o’clock. We really hope to see you there. Take care, Mrs. Anders.”

  Dropping the phone, I sank onto the couch and tried desperately to suck in a good breath. I couldn’t believe this was happening again. Grief washed over me, and just when I thought I could move on I got reminded again of what I’d lost. The tears came at their own accord and I let them flow. I was beginning to feel happy and I thought those feelings were genuine. Was it just a mask that had me believing that I was happy? A delusion, a mask of delusion that covered up everything that I’d left unfinished in my life. I still hadn’t been to mine and Carson’s home or even to the graveyard where he was buried. The realization that I still hadn’t come to terms with my grief felt like a knife straight through my heart. By no means was I weak woman, but putting off my past was not going to help my future. Until I could deal with my past, how could I ever fully move on?

  Galen had been a wonderful distraction, but he wouldn’t be able to fix what was broken inside me, only I could. I needed to find the courage and deal with my problems on my own. If I kept putting it off it would keep coming back when something reminded me of Carson. Would Galen understand if I needed time alone to figure this out and get my affairs in order? I just needed him to understand and give me some space while I got things taken care of.

  My mind felt like a whirlwind of emotions. I loved Carson and I knew I always would, but now I was in love with Galen. Carson would’ve wanted me to be happy, but I couldn’t seem to keep the guilt at bay. It kept coming back like I was doing something wrong. Galen wanted to be there for me and he’d also been patient in letting me cope, but to move on I needed to do it myself. Please let him understand, I thought.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Rebecca, has Korinne called or left a message?” I asked.

  “No, is something wrong?” she responded.

  I checked my phone again to make sure I didn’t just miss the call and that I was overreacting, but looking through the calls she wasn’t there. “I hope not. I called her several times last night and she never answered.”

  “Well, maybe she was asleep?” Rebecca assumed. Thinking about last night it was a possibility since it was really late when I called. The meeting ran over and I had no chance to call her sooner.

  I nodded, hoping my reasoning was right. “That’s probably what it was,” I agreed. Rebecca looked at me like she didn’t believe my words, and truthfully, I didn’t think I believed them either. Something felt like it was wrong, and I didn’t think I would be able to last long not knowing if she was okay.

  The day dragged on and still nothing from Korinne. I called her client for the day and they raved about how they were really happy with their meeting with her. She obviously was doing just fine, which made me wonder if she was avoiding me. Hastily picking up my phone, I decided to call her again. That made probably the tenth time I’d called her since last night. The phone rang and rang, but no answer. When her voicemail picked up, I made the decision to leave a message. Once the beep sounded I started recording my message. “Korinne, I’ve called you numerous times and I really wish you would call me back. I need to know that you’re okay and that I haven’t done anything to upset you. Whatever is going on, you have to know I’ll help you through it. I don’t think I deserve being put in the dark. Please call me back.”

  I slammed the phone shut and sat it on my desk. If she didn’t call back by that night I was going to pay her a visit. I didn’t want to come off as being overprotective, but I had no idea why she’d be avoiding me and I wanted answers.

  The rest of the day passed by in a haze, and with my thoughts and feelings being everywhere I couldn’t concentrate on anything. I decided to head home early and work out my frustrations in the gym by giving my punching bag a brutal beating. Needless to say, my knuckles were bruised and bloody after that workout.

  After showering and getting ready for dinner, the call finally came. When I saw it was Korinne calling I let out a sigh of relief even though I was pissed from her ignoring me. “Korinne, what’s going on?” I barked out.

  She sighed, her voice sounding sad and distressed, “I’m sorry I didn’t call you earlier.”

  “Are you all right? I’ve been worried about you. Did I do something wrong?” I asked hesitantly.

  “No, you didn’t do anything wrong, Galen. I just need some time,” she said.

  I shook my head, not understanding at all. “What do you mean by that? I thought things were going great. Are … are you leaving me?” I asked incredulously. Her silence hit me square in the gut. How could she do this to me after everything we’d shared? “Answer me, Korinne,” I demanded.

  She let out a shaky breath. “I’m not leaving you, Galen, but there are some things I need to sort out first before I can completely move on with you. Don’t you see? I realized I’ve been hiding behind you and not fully dealing with my problems. When I’m with you I can forget, but as soon as I’m alone I’m hit with the grief and loss once more. I need to put that grief to rest before I can be fully happy again. It’s not fair to you or this relationship.”

  Her cries erupted over the phone and all I wanted to do was comfort her. I understood what she was saying, but giving her space was not something I wanted to do. “I love you, Korinne, and I want to be there for you. Please don’t shut
me out.”

  “I’m not shutting you out,” she cried softly. “I have things that need to be taken care of, and I need to do them alone. I love you too, but please understand that I have to do this.”

  I sighed heavily into the phone. “The only way I’m going to let you go is if you promise me something. Promise me you’ll come back and I’ll give you the space you need. I told you I wasn’t going to let you go, and I’m going to hold onto those words.”

  Korinne didn’t take promises lightly because once she promised to do something she always did. That was one thing I’d always loved about her, she could be trusted. “I promise I’ll come back to you,” she whispered. Those were the last words she spoke into the phone before the line went silent.

  The days felt like years. I’d been working nonstop for the past few days, and I’d even slept in my office the past two nights. It had been five days since the last time Korinne had spoken to me. It killed me not to be able to hear her voice every day.

  “Mr. Matthews?” Rebecca called over the intercom.

  “Yes, Rebecca.”

  “Richard Carmichael is here to see you.” I groaned and placed my head onto the desk. This day was not a good one to have visitors. After pushing the blueprints I’d been working on aside, I tried to straighten my wrinkled clothes that I’d slept in last night. Doing the overnighters was starting to wear on me. I could barely keep my eyes open.

  “Send him in,” I said. A few seconds later the door opened and Richard walked in. He did a double take before laughing and taking a seat across from me.

  “Damn, son, you need to get some sleep,” he stated awkwardly.