I Need You Forever

by Cynthia P. O'Neill

  She started to open her mouth to ask something, but then seemed reluctant. So I went ahead and offered. “Go ahead, there’s not much that I won’t answer.”

  “I’m just curious about your parents and sister being in the food industry, whereas you’re in marketing. Didn’t you want to take after the family business?”

  I could see her point. It was a question I’d been asked often. “I still help out at the restaurant when they’re short-staffed and offer up marketing ideas to help bring in new business. I don’t ask anything in return for that, but it’s not something I see myself doing day in and day out. My family creates with food as a palette; I use a different medium – advertising and marketing- to create.” I took a deep breath in. “I’m not the only one. I have a little brother that’s following his passion in the world of finance. He finished up his degree and now works for a major financial institution up in New York. My parents don’t agree with his choices, and they’ve had a bit of a falling out. However, I still talk to him; I just don’t let them know.”

  She was deep in thought and chewing on her bottom lip. I moved back over to her table. Now that I was sitting across from her, I couldn’t stop staring at her lips and wondering what it would be like to taste them. Oh crap, I’m doing it again. I’m letting my hormones do the thinking for me.

  I watched as she pointed toward me, “Why is it that you can follow your dreams outside of the food industry, but your brother can’t? I don’t get it.”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “My parents’ argument is that I ‘technically’ deal with food distribution and help with their marketing campaigns, so I’m aiding their business ventures. But they believe my brother, Marcus, has turned his back on the family. He offered to try and grow their money and help invest it back into the business, but they wouldn’t hear of it, even calling him foolish. So when he was offered a position on Wall Street, he took it and hasn’t been back in seven years.”

  She didn’t reply to that, so I took it as an opportunity to press for some details in return. I pointed at her. “Okay, it’s your turn. Where did you grow up, and how did you end up here in Orlando?”

  Robin held her hands up in defeat. “Fine,” she huffed. “I grew up all over the place. My father was also a contractor in building construction. My brother was born in New Jersey, and I was born in Ohio, but we moved all over the place. The last place where we had any kind of roots for longer than a couple years was Austin, Texas.”

  “Who’s we?” I wondered.

  “My dad, my brother, and myself mainly.”

  “And your mother? What happened to her?”

  She shrugged and shook her head. “I don’t know. I went to middle school one day and came home to find my dad crying, my brother mad as hell, and a note in her handwriting. All she’d said was that she couldn’t handle our life anymore and wanted out. Dad was going to surprise her with plans to move to the suburbs and buy a house. My brother and I had been in on it, but we never got the chance to tell her. Afterwards we just kept moving. Why should we have settled and be reminded of what we couldn’t have since she just up and left?”

  I felt my heart hurting for her. No wonder she didn’t trust easily. “Did your dad try to find her? Has she ever been in contact with you?”

  “No.” Her tone was flat and hurt. “Dad hired a private investigator, but she’d apparently hooked up with a sugar daddy. All my dad got were the divorce papers and no known address. She didn’t want anything more than her marriage dissolved. We never heard from her again.”

  Her fists were clenched on top of the table, so I reached out and surrounded one of them with both hands, trying to get her to relax. “I’m sorry, Robin. How about your brother? Do you ever hear from him?”

  Tears began to bridge the rims of her eyes. I could tell she was fighting not to cry in front of me. “He’s in the service, and there’s no way to get ahold of him. I’d left word with his unit that our father passed, but that was three months ago. I haven’t heard anything from him. I don’t even know if he’s alive.”

  Her eyes looked up into mine, “I’m all alone.” The words pierced my heart, and I knew she needed a shoulder to lean on and someone to hold onto. I quickly got to the floor, kneeled beside her chair, and embraced her with as much warmth and love as I could muster up. Her tears came flooding out onto my shirt. I looked up and noticed Brianna headed our direction, but I shooed her away for now.

  I rubbed my hand up and down Robin’s back. “It’s okay. You have all these pent up emotions inside of you, and they need a way out so you can heal.” You should take your own advice buster. You’ve held on to all your grief, allowed yourself to wallow in self-pity, and not dared to live for today and hope for tomorrow. Don’t you think it’s time you practice what you preach?

  My subconscious was right. I needed to let go. In fact, that’s what I’d set out to start today. Who knew I’d end up crossing paths with my co-worker who needed help in letting go too.

  It took Robin a few minutes, but the crying finally slowed to a trickle. I leaned back, grabbing one of the napkins from the table to help dot the wetness around her eyes. I’d almost expected to see mascara streaked across her face, which happened whenever my sister cried, but Robin’s thick beautiful lashes had been all her. She was beautiful anyway but even more magnificent when she looked so vulnerable.

  Wanting to know what her tears tasted like, I felt pulled towards her. I’d come close to kissing a few escaped tears along her cheek, but my sister came out. “I’m sorry to do this to you guys, but we’re done cooking in the back. I can get you some to-go boxes and wrap up any leftovers to take home.”

  Robin and I quickly stood, taking our empty plates and paper cups to the trash so my sister wouldn’t have to do it. “We don’t need anything, sis. Your food is fabulous, as always, so there’s nothing left.”

  Dan had wandered out to say hello, give me a bro-hug, and meet Robin. I introduced him as my “know-it-all lawyer brother-in-law”. “Actually, Dan is one of the good guys in the world. He likes to defend and protect the innocent. If you ever have a need for someone to be on your side, he’s the man to call.”

  My brother-in-law was perfect for my sister. She was a bit chaotic and full of spirit. He was fun to be around but helped ground her. They perfectly complemented one another, much like Gabi and I had, much like… Don’t go there man! …much like Robin and I did now.

  WE SAID OUR GOODBYES to my sister and brother-in-law. Robin had walked a few feet away, I thought toward the car, but I soon caught sight of her heading toward home. I quickly got into the car and followed her. Rolling down the window I yelled out, “I told you I wasn’t going to let you walk home alone on these streets after dark. Now get in the car.”

  She shook her head. “How do you think I get home every night after work?”

  This did not sit well with me. I recalled a time or two when she had come into work shaken and sporting a small cut or bruise on her arm or hand. Had she been mugged on the way home from work?

  She turned down a street that didn’t have any traffic to it, so I put the car in park and rushed after her, scooping her up over my shoulder and carrying her fireman style back to the car even though she was kicking and screaming. “Put me down immediately, Jackson!”

  Robin was drawing attention from the few people lingering on the sidewalks and on the stoops of closed shops. Her fists kept slapping at my back, and her feet were coming dangerously close to kicking me in the nuts. I felt my dominant side kick in, and I smacked her across the ass with one sharp slap. “You will stop moving and let me put you in this car to take you to your place, or I’ll be more than happy to slap that perfect ass of yours again.”

  Oh, no. I couldn’t believe I’d just called her backside perfection. That would imply I’d been looking at it for a while now; which in truth, I had. I just never did or said anything about it until now. What possessed me to now?

  She didn’t argue with me, but instead complied with
, “Yes, sir,” before going limp in my arms. She was a submissive. How had I missed this? When I gave an order, she always complied immediately. She had never questioned anything unless I was totally off base with an idea. She didn’t hold eye contact with me unless I forced her to… That explained my pull toward her. I was missing that aspect of my relationship with Gabi.

  Robin sat quietly, looking like a deer in headlights when I’d placed her in the car. She only answered when I asked for the address and programmed it into the GPS. I was surprised to see how the buildings went downhill the closer we got to her location.

  There were several women and men on the streets that looked questionable. I parked my car in front of a building that looked like it should be condemned. “You can’t possibly live here. I’m making sure you get to your apartment. Is it even safe to leave my car out here?”

  She leaned over and whispered, “Do you have any money on you?”

  I nodded.

  “Give me half of what you have in cash, but keep the other half for when you leave.” I reached into my wallet and pulled out a fifty-dollar bill, gave it to her, and then followed her lead.

  I got out of the car and locked it, activating the alarm so that everyone within ear shot could hear. She walked up to a guy who was bald on top, had a gruff looking beard, some tattoos on his arms, and made me instantly think of a gang leader. I heard her say, “Can you do me a favor, Billy?”

  “Sure thing, hot stuff.” I watched as his eyes heated with lustful intents and traveled up and down her body. “Whatcha need?”

  “Here’s a fifty. Keep an eye on his car and don’t let anyone touch it, not even breathe on it. If you do a good job, you get another fifty when he leaves.” Robin handed him the money, but his fingers held on to hers for a little longer than needed. It was all I could do not to grab her, throw her back in the car, and take her to my place.

  Citing that anyone could just walk right in because there wasn’t any type of security system guarding this place, I followed her into the building. My blood went past simmering and straight to boiling.

  She climbed a stairwell to the third floor. The place reeked of pot, piss, and some ungodly odor that I couldn’t identify.

  When we reached her door, I pushed in front of her and discovered I could shove it open without a key. I flipped the light switch on to see clutter everywhere. Was this how she lived?

  She pushed me aside, walked in, and yelled, “If there’s anyone here, you better get the hell out now. I’m calling the cops.”

  My head quickly turned her direction. “Cops?”

  Robin nodded. “Yeah, Jax. Are you blind? My place has been hit again.”

  I pulled my phone out and was ready to dial when her hand halted over the keys. “I don’t want you to call the cops. I only said that to scare away anyone who might be lingering behind.”

  “But…” I couldn’t get the words out before she was already answering.

  “I’ve called before and nothing is ever done. It’s just a waste of my time and the tax payers’.” She started looking around different areas of her studio apartment -- if you could even call this place an apartment. There was only one big room that held what looked like a sofa bed, a small kitchenette, and a tiny bathroom off to the side.

  “Damn it. They busted my father’s watch.” I gazed her direction as she picked up the pieces of the watch from the side table and held it gingerly in her hands. I also noticed she picked up a piece of paper that was underneath it and stuffed it into her pocket.

  She was visibly shaking from the events and wouldn’t call the cops. Why? I didn’t know. I felt protective of her, so I called the next best thing – Derrick and Rick.

  “Hey, man. Sorry to bother you, but I need a favor.” I explained the situation and asked them to hightail it over with their crew to help gather what was needed and assist me in getting her out of here.

  “What the hell are you doing? I don’t need a paper trail, nor do I need to disappear from radar anytime soon.” Her facial expression was pleading for me to back off, but I couldn’t. Everything that I saw told me to rescue her at whatever costs.

  I grabbed her by the arms. “Look at me, Robin.” She kept averting her eyes. “Damn it! I said Look. At. Me.”

  Her body stopped shaking, and her eyes focused intently on mine. “Something’s going on here, and I don’t like what I’m seeing. You make enough money that you shouldn’t have to be living like this. I can’t in good conscience walk out of here tonight knowing that you’ve had your place broken into. I need you to go through it and let me know if anything’s been taken. I also need you to pile all the things you want to take with you on the bed, since Prescott’s security team will be here in fifteen minutes or less.”

  She opened her mouth to speak, but I wouldn’t let her. Instead I silenced her lips with mine, kissing her with the intent on making her mindless for a moment so I could take a look at the piece of paper she’d stuffed into her pocket.

  Her lips tasted slightly of salt, from her earlier crying, and of coffee. I had only meant for the kiss to be a distraction, but I was swamped with sensations that I hadn’t experienced in a long time. I found my hands reaching down to cup her ass and pull her closer to me. The effect must have been mutual because I found her arms around my neck and her legs wrapping around my waist as if I was a life preserver keeping her afloat in an ocean of craziness.

  The moment Robin tried to undo my belt, I snapped back to the present and pushed her against the wall for added leverage. I used one hand to hold both of her wrists. Trying to seek passage into her mouth, I continued to kiss and nip at her outer lips. I managed to slip my fingers into her pocket and sneak out the paper without her even knowing.

  Her kiss was lighting up my entire body from within. I found myself hard, wanting, needing some form of relief. I hadn’t been this hard since…

  The mood was quickly shattered, when the phone rang. I recognized the ring-tone and knew I had to answer my mother’s call. Leave it to my mother to cock block me.

  Groaning in frustration, I pulled back from the kiss. I leaned my forehead against hers. “I’m sorry. I need to return my mother’s call. She’s probably wondering why I haven’t picked up Nicola yet.”

  Her breathing was labored and her eyes half-hooded, looking like I felt – needy. “That’s okay.” I could hear the disappointment in her voice. “I shouldn’t have let you come up and I…”

  I put my finger on her lips to silence her. “You’ve hidden a lot of things from me, from everyone, and it stops tonight. I know something is going on in your life. It’s obvious by the looks of things that you need help. You should know by now that being part of Prescott International is like being a member of the family; if one person is in need, we all pitch in and help out.”

  She tried to unwrap herself from my waist, but I held her firmly against the wall and pressed my hard length into her belly so she could feel how much she affected me. “Oh,” was her only remark.

  “I know you’re going to try and argue with me. I can see the spirit you have at work popping up right now, but I’m taking charge here. I’m sorry if I come on a bit strong, but I don’t like what I’m seeing tonight. I want to ensure you’re safe. So, you have a choice to make - I can set you up with a room at my parent’s house, a room at Mr. Prescott’s mansion, or I can put you in the guest room at my residence. The choice is yours.”

  She shook her head. “No. I can’t endanger anyone, and I don’t take hand-outs.”

  “What danger?”

  There was a knock on the door. “Hey, Jax. It’s Derrick. Can we come in?”

  I moved back from the wall and helped Robin back to her feet. “Yeah. Come on in.”

  We both watched as Derrick and Rick took in the situation. Rick spoke up. “We heard you say there’s a danger somewhere. Care to elaborate?”

  Robin started getting antsy, hopping from one foot to the other and looking everywhere except at us. I put a hand on her
shoulder. “Listen. We’re not here to hurt you, but you need to tell us what we’re up against so we can figure out what’s at stake and if there’s a way we can help you.”

  The guys pulled out a couple scanning devices and started canvassing the room. One reached under the countertop of the kitchen and pulled out a small black plastic piece. He held his finger to his lips before he lifted his foot and shattered whatever he’d removed. “It’s all clear in here now. You can talk freely.”

  Her face looked puzzled, so Derrick explained what he’d meant. “I just checked to see if anyone had bugged your apartment. You had one old-fashioned sucker under your countertop. We already asked some Billy character downstairs if he’d seen anyone out of the ordinary come or go from the place.”

  “And?” I asked.

  “Negative. He said no one’s entered or exited in the past few hours, except both of you.” Hearing the shuffle of footsteps, Derrick looked around again only to see Tanner and Scott, a couple of the other security detail, show up.

  Tanner spoke up. “I have the other SUV here to help with any boxes you need moved tonight and the equipment you asked me to bring, Derrick.”

  I looked questioningly at him. “Equipment? What are you planning?”

  Rick jumped in to explain. “We thought we’d set it up to look like she’s still living here. We’ll have the lights come on and off at specific times, we’ll position a projector so it looks like there’s movement inside the place, and we’ll set up a motion-activated camera too. Any attempts at gaining entry will buzz us immediately, sending video feed directly to our phones. Hopefully, we can figure out who’s been trashing your place.”

  Rick looked pointedly at Robin. “Are you missing any items, money, or paperwork? Did they take anything in other break-ins?”

  She shook her head. “Nothing’s missing that I can tell, but they destroyed my father’s watch.”

  I took her hand in mine and looked at the watch she continued to hold. “I’ll have Alexander’s jeweler take a look at it and see if he can do anything with it. I’ve known him to work miracles before.”