Chasing Destiny

by Nikki Rittenberry

  He closed the ring box and placed it back in his nightstand and in a moment of weakness picked up the phone and began dialing Cassie’s number. He wanted so badly to hear her voice; he needed to know she was alright. Jacob paused for a moment, finally coming to his senses and then launched the phone across the room. It shattered into an array of tiny pieces as it struck the exposed brick wall. “Damn it!” He shouted angrily. He ran his hands through his black hair and let out a deep sigh. He couldn’t call Cassie. The decision had already been made; he had to let her go. He vowed from that moment on to stay out of her life. She was far too good for him.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  FIVE YEARS LATER

  Jacob placed his hands on the back of his head, leaned back into his executive leather office chair and observed the view from the large window in his Lower Manhattan high rise office. He reflected on how successful his career had been since his arrival five years earlier. He had a natural, god-given ability to not only transform a blank canvas into something extraordinary, but he also possessed a natural proficiency in communicating his ideas to developers and investors alike. These attributes just couldn’t be taught.

  His irreplaceable skills helped him climb the corporate latter quickly, earning him the honorable position as Herman Anderson and Ken James’ star pupil. He was in the midst of one of the biggest proposals of his career. In fact, veterans of the architect profession could work their entire lives and still never confront an opportunity of this magnitude.

  Still staring off into the Manhattan skyline, Jacob reached into his bottom desk drawer and retrieved a small picture of Cassie. It was worn and creased from handling it over the years. He thought of her periodically, although not as often as he used to. It had been so long since they last saw each other and when he closed his eyes he could no longer remember the sound of her voice, her scent, or the way she felt in his arms. Tanner kept him informed about how she was doing from time to time. Last he’d heard, she was teaching incoming physical therapy interns at the Denver Therapy Institute. Jacob advised Tanner that he didn’t want any updates on her personal life. The thought of her in love with another man still weighed heavy on his heart, even after all this time.

  Two loud, distinct knocks startled him from his trance as the door swung open. He quickly stuffed the picture of Cassie back into his desk drawer and adjusted his tie.

  “Well hello there, Jacob. How’re you doing on this fine afternoon?” Herman Anderson asked. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything?”

  “No sir. I was just about to call you to let you know I just finished running through all of the numbers, if you want to take a look?”

  “Sure thing, Jacob—on second thought, can you have your secretary scan it and email it to me? Larry Folsom ran into an unexpected obstacle with his presentation down in Miami. I have to catch a plane in just a bit to try and personally attend to it. I can read the email from my phone on my way to the airport.”

  Larry Folsom was a fellow lead architect from down the hall who seemed to run into trouble a lot these days and Jacob wondered how many times Mr. Anderson was going to have to rescue him before he realized that Larry wasn’t cut out to handle the pressure.

  “No problem, sir. I’ll have her do that in just a moment.”

  “Good. Listen, I wanted to give you a heads-up on your presentation in Chicago before I head out. This real estate developer is probably one of the toughest in the business. He knows what he’s looking for and won’t settle for less. He’s a real nice fellow, though. In fact, he’s a lot like you—very charismatic and a sensational businessman. Just use your usual tactics to reel him in and get us that contract, okay?”

  “I’ll do my best, sir.” Jacob offered his hand and Mr. Anderson shook it firmly before finally vacating his office. Jacob buzzed his secretary and requested that she quickly scan the documents Mr. Anderson needed and then email them to him immediately. A few minutes later his secretary, Ava, appeared and scurried out of his office to complete her given task. She promptly returned twenty-five minutes later with the documents neatly stacked and placed them back into Jacob’s briefcase. He watched her hips sway from side to side as she withdrew from his office and he wondered why on earth he hadn’t pursued any individual time with her yet.

  His flight was scheduled to leave early the next morning for Chicago. He spent the next hour or so looking over his drawings and other pertinent documents needed for his presentation with Landon Woods the following morning and then carefully packed it away. On his way out he stopped at Ava’s desk and asked if she wanted to join him for a drink. Her eyes seemed to grow with anticipation. She eagerly stood up, turned off her computer and reached for her purse. He offered her his arm and escorted her to the elevator.

  Ava was an attractive twenty-two year old brunette, fresh out of college, and had only been with the firm for about four months. She was pretty good at her job, he didn’t really have any complaints, but he knew her looks probably had more to do with her being hired than her secretarial abilities. After munching on some tapas and consuming an abundance of martinis, Jacob took Ava back to his SoHo loft. She was notably impressed with the place—virtually every woman he brought home was. Yes, he had certainly come a long way from his first tiny apartment. There were wall-to-wall windows overlooking the fast-paced city below. The kitchen was top of the line with sleek, black granite countertops and stainless steel commercial-grade appliances. The living room and bedroom were separated by an endless sea of white silk drapes held up by a silver suspension cable hung from the aerial ceiling.

  Jacob opened a bottle of red wine and poured them both a glass. He offered it to her, reached for her hand and led her to his bedroom.

  “So, this is where all of the magic happens”, she uttered seductively.

  Jacob turned to face her and chuckled softly under his breath. Magic? If magic is what she wanted, he wasn’t going to disappoint her. He reached for her waist and pulled her closer against the hard plane of his chest. He tucked her hair behind her ear and moved his mouth over the sweet spot just below her earlobe. “Abracadabra”, he whispered.

  * * *

  He awoke early the following morning and quietly tip-toed to the shower, as to not wake Ava. After getting dressed and carefully placing the last few essentials he needed for his business trip in his bag, he knelt down beside her and rubbed her back. She raised her head slightly and smiled.

  “Hey, sleepyhead”, he whispered.

  “Good morning.”

  “How’d you sleep last night?”

  “Very well, thanks. What time is it?”

  Jacob glanced over his shoulder at the alarm clock on his nightstand. “Five o’ clock. Listen, I’m heading out to the airport. You can go back to sleep, if you want. I’ve got some bagels and coffee in the kitchen. Feel free to help yourself when you wake up. Just make sure to lock the door on your way out.”

  “Ok, thanks.”

  “I’ll see you when I get back in town.” Jacob kissed the top of her head. He gripped his luggage and journeyed downstairs to the awaiting taxi.

  * * *

  “Good morning ladies and gentleman, this is your captain speaking. We are moments away from making our final descent. Please return to your seats and be sure that your seat belts are securely fastened. The flight attendants will make a final trip down the aisle to collect any garbage that you may still have in your possession. It is currently seven thirty-two, central time, and the temperature in Chicago is sixty-six degrees…”

  Jacob folded The Wall Street Journal and placed it back into his briefcase just as the redheaded flight attendant approached his row.

  “Is there anything else I can get you, sir?” She braced her hands on the back of the seats and leaned toward him. Judging from her body language and the seductive undertone in her voice, she wanted to service his needs—and not just professionally.

  Jacob nodded and reached into his coat pocket for his wallet. He retrieved one of his business car
ds and offered it to her. “You sure can, sweetheart. The next time you find yourself in New York City, give me a call.” He flashed a suggestive smile as his eyes lowered to her plump pink lips.

  She took the card from his grip and read it silently. “It was a pleasure to have you on board this morning, Mr. Nelson.”

  “You can call me Jacob. Oh—and the pleasure was all mine…” Her smile echoed his as she slid the business card into her vest pocket and turned to walk away. He watched as she retreated down the aisle, her curvaceous bottom briefly shifting his mind away from the reason he was aboard the flight in the first place. He blew out a puff of air as he shook his head. Get a grip, Jacob. You’re here for business—not pleasure.

  The aircraft landed fifteen minutes ahead of schedule and once he collected his luggage, he traveled to the car rental counter to inquire about his reservation. Living in New York City certainly had its perks. He didn’t own a car; instead he relied on public transportation via taxis and trains to get him where he needed to go. Now that he was doing more traveling for work, he enjoyed getting behind the wheel and out on the open road in a dashing sports car. Jacob gave the rental car attendant his license and credit card and requested the hottest ride they could conjure up. She handed him a receipt and asked him to see the gentleman outside. After gathering his belongings, he displayed his receipt to the gentleman and a few moments later, a black Mercedes SLK Roadster emerged from a nearby lot. Jacob did his best to stuff his luggage into the miniature trunk and then sat behind the wheel.

  The first item of business on his agenda was to locate the building that housed L Woods Development, Inc. The four-story brick building wasn’t hard to find and because he was roughly an hour early, he decided to make a mental note of the location and proceed with his joyride. This was his first visit to The Windy City and he was thoroughly enjoying himself thus far. He admired the statuesque buildings on either side of the road, fully appreciative of the hard work and creativity it took to conceive the ideas and fabricate them into existence.

  He was nearing the hospital when suddenly he caught a glimpse of a beautiful woman walking toward him on the sidewalk. As his car approached her more closely, he placed his thumb and forefinger over his closed eyes and applied gentle pressure in an attempt to clear his vision.

  Was it? No it couldn’t be. After she passed, Jacob turned his head; looking back for one final glimpse. His car continued through the intersection, running the red light. He didn’t see the large SUV barreling toward him and by the time he turned his head back around, it was too late. He slammed on his brakes but the SUV was unable to avoid his path. The hefty vehicle crashed into the driver side door of the Mercedes. Jacob felt an immediate surge of pain radiate through his torso and down his left arm. The horn sang loudly as the car came to a halt. Jacob was pulled from the car and placed on the ground nearby, surrounded by small mangled metal fragments and shattered glass. He seemed to slip in and out of consciousness, his vision unquestionably impaired from hitting his head upon impact. The last thing he remembered was seeing an apparition of Cassie frantically hovering over him.

  * * *

  “I’ve been thinking about you.”

  “You have?” Jacob asked. “What have you been thinking about?”

  Cassie slowly walked toward him and straddled his lap. She loosened his tie and gave it a firm tug, causing his upper body to thrust forward toward her. Her voluptuous pink lips were inches away from his when she spoke. “This”, she whispered as she finally pressed them against his. She held on to his tie, preventing him from pulling away. She devoured him with hungry, aggressive kisses and then gently bit his bottom lip before leaning back.

  He wasn’t ready for the kiss to end. He chased her mouth, but she was out of reach. She got up and stood across the room from him, slowly unbuttoning her blouse. Her red lace bra was barely visible and he wondered if the panties she was wearing underneath her skirt matched it. “Don’t tease me”, he pleaded.

  She raised her hands and unfastened the bun on the back of her head. Her long, golden locks unraveled and he felt an overwhelming urge to run his fingers through it.

  “What’s wrong, Jake? I thought you liked to play games.” She bit the tip of her index finger and then slowly lowered it, tracing an imaginary line down her neck and finally stopping between her firm breasts.

  “I only like to play games that I’m confident I can win”, he groaned.

  “Well, I guess the next logical question is—” she removed her blouse and toyed with the clasp of her red lace bra “—how confident do you feel right now?”

  He hooked his index finger and motioned for her to come closer. “Come here and let me show you, baby…”

  Jacob opened his eyes and let out a faint groan; hospital beds were torturous. His eyes glided across the room. “Damn it… She was just a dream”, he mumbled softly. He quickly turned his head when the door suddenly swung open.

  A seasoned nurse entered the room and scurried to the window, twisting the rod to open the blinds. She took a few steps toward him and began checking his vitals and recording the results in his chart while she spoke. “Good morning, Jacob. I’m going to be your nurse for the next twelve hours. My name is Maxine. You’ve managed to ding yourself up pretty good.”

  “Yes ma’am, it appears that way.” He tried to push his hands against the mattress in an attempt to maneuver his body up further on the bed, but he was too weak.

  “Watch it, young man. I don’t want you fidgeting around. You sustained some pretty serious injuries during the accident. Your left shoulder was dislocated, you have three broken ribs, and you suffered a concussion. As bad as it sounds, you were very lucky. It could have turned out much worse. There must have been an angel watching over you.”

  Jacob immediately remembered seeing Cassie’s face before he’d lost consciousness after the accident. “You have no idea, Maxine. Um… where are my clothes?”

  “They’re over there in the corner in that plastic bag, but I wouldn’t worry too much about getting dressed just yet. Dr. Jenkins wants to keep you one more night for observation.”

  “I’m here in Chicago for a very important business meeting. Is there any way you could hand me my wallet? I have the gentleman’s business card inside. Do you think maybe you could give him a call and let him know that I’m here?” Maxine walked to the corner of the room, opened up the bag and retrieved the wallet from the inside pocket of his business jacket. She moved toward him and placed it in his uninjured hand. Jacob opened it, dislodged the card from the wallet and handed it to the pleasant, elderly nurse.

  “I’ll give him a call right now.” Maxine headed for the door. ”Now you get some rest. I’ll be back in just a bit to check on you. If you need me before then, just push that big red button on the inside rail of your bed.”

  Jacob did the best he could, adjusting himself on the lumpy hospital mattress one last time. The pain medication the doctor prescribed dulled most of the hurt; although they also made him exceedingly drowsy. He tried fighting it to no avail; within minutes exhaustion defeated him and he fell into unconsciousness.

  * * *

  Cassie stood in front of him wearing a black pencil skirt that hugged her perfect curves like a second skin and a red lace bra. She shook her head from side to side and waved her index finger in unison. “Not so fast, Jacob. This is my game—which means we play by my rules.”

  “Rules were made to be broken”, he assured her.

  Cassie flashed a seductive smile and then reached for the chair that was wedged in the corner. She placed it at the foot of his bed and took a seat. She crossed her legs and reached down toward her ankles. Her fingers gently caressed her legs as they slowly worked their way up her thighs. “Rule number one: no talking.” Her hands journeyed up her ribs and grazed her perfectly round breasts. She tugged on the lace and revealed a glimpse of her pink nipples. “Rule number two: you can look, but you can’t touch”, she mumbled breathlessly.

 
Jacob swallowed hard. “I don’t like this game.”

  “Shh…” Cassie reached for his chart lying on the table beside her and opened it. She quickly glanced over the information and then met his sleepy gaze. “It appears as though your doctor ordered therapy… the physical kind…”

  Jacob smiled. Maybe this game wasn’t so bad after all. “Well, you’re the professional… what do you recommend?”

  “Why don’t we start by you pointing out where it hurts the most?”

  He licked his suddenly dry lips and then cupped his hot, bulging erection. “Right here… this is where I’m hurting the most right now…”

  Jacob opened his eyes and gazed across the room in utter astonishment, skeptical as to whether he could trust his sight. Cassie was sitting in the visitor’s chair with her legs crossed, his chart opened on her lap. She was wearing a black pencil skirt and her ivory blouse was completely buttoned—no visible sign of her red lace bra in sight. Her hair was different; still long and golden blonde, although now she wore it straight. He’d had another erotic dream about her. Part of him wanted to try to fall asleep again to experience what was going to happen next, but he ultimately decided against it.

  “So it really was you that I saw before I blacked-out.”

  Jacob startled her. She quickly closed his chart and laid it on the small table beside her. She uncrossed her legs, rose from the chair, and took a few steps toward him; finally ending up by his bedside. “How are you feeling this morning?” she asked.