Our quarterly report meeting. Off the bat, I know we did superb last quarter. Today we’ll confirm how much. “Fine.”
“And you have lunch with your son at one.”
Crap. I’d almost forgotten my lunch with Jude. I haven’t seen him since he returned to town from his medical internship at John Hopkins. My son, a neurosurgeon. I couldn’t be more proud of him. I’m proud of myself and Travis, too, for raising such a fine young man.
It hadn’t been easy. Getting pregnant at nineteen and becoming a wife the same year, the stress almost took me out. But he kept me going, my little bundle of joy. Now, he’s a man, breaking hearts everywhere. I hope with all my heart he’d settle down.
But who am I to talk? I haven’t been an outstanding role model, have I? I haven’t had a relationship since my divorce. Still, there’s no time like the present. I'll show him there’s nothing to gain from running around, changing his women as often as his drawers.
Plus, I’m sure that special girl will come along and work her magic.
***
“Oh mom, stop, please.” Jude brushes my hand away as I try to fluff his unruly hair. He looks so much like his dad, with soft blue eyes and thick eyebrows. His light-brown skin is a shade darker than Travis' but lighter than mine, a result of having an African-American mom and an Irish dad. I always say he’s got the best of both worlds; his dad’s handsomeness and my charm.
“You need to quit,” he mumbles as I sit down. “In a grown-ass man. You can’t keep fussing over me like this. Especially in public.”
“I’m sorry, honey.” I reach across the table. “It’s just that I missed you so much.”
His face softens and he places his hand over mine. “I missed you too.”
The server comes with her notepad at the ready. “What will it be, guys?”
“Um…” I trace the menu items with my finger. “I’ll have the chicken caesar salad, please.”
“A salad, mom? What’s gotten into you?”
“I’m almost fifty. Gotta watch what I eat.” I’ve been dieting for a few months now—well, trying to. God knows it’s a struggle to resist carbs. But seeing my flat stomach in the mirror each day is all the motivation I need.
“And here I was, thinking it’s because you’ve met someone.”
“Excuse me? Since when have I ever done anything because of a man?”
“I’m not—” he sighs, then waves his hand. “Forget I said anything.”
“Enough about me. When do you start your new job?” Jude returned to New York with an offer at one of the finest hospitals in the city, which means he'll be nearby once more. I’m thrilled he’s no longer living in Baltimore. With both our busy schedules, the three-hour distance made it impossible for me to see him as often as I wanted.
“Next week. I can’t wait to start earning some actual money.”
“Which will eventually lead to you settling down, I hope?”
Jude smiles. “How about you lead by example, mom? Quit fooling around with those assholes who just want to get into your pants.”
“Hey, watch yourself. And how do you know it’s not the other way around? Maybe I’m the one who wants to get in their pants.”
Jude takes a sip from his water glass with an eye roll. “I find that hard to believe, mom.”
“You think I’m a saint, don’t you?”
He grins. “I’m not stupid. I know you’re not. But I also know none of those men were good enough for you.”
“None will ever be, if you have your way, Jude.”
“Not true. I think there’s a fine gentleman out there waiting for you. Just keep your eyes open and away from these sons-of-bitches.”
“A fine gentleman. Mhm. Why am I picturing an old, crusty, baldheaded man?”
“Not baldheaded or crusty. But definitely a man who’s been there and done playing games. You deserve that, mom.”
It warms my heart, hearing him talk like this. “Don’t worry about me. You’re the one who’s got an entire life ahead.”
“I know, but I worry about you sometimes. Don’t you ever get lonely? Don’t you want someone to go home to at nights?”
Lately, it’s been on the forefront of my mind. “Of course, I do. But the dating pool’s a little crowded these days, you know?”
“I told you; you’re looking in the wrong places. Stop hanging out at the bars and go to church.” He laughs and dodges my attempt to swat him.
“Boy, I don’t know what’s wrong with you.”
Jude wipes his eyes as his laughter subsides. “Just don’t be too picky. It’s probably the last man you’d expect, but he’s definitely what you need. When you find him, keep an open mind, will you?”
Again, I think of Nate and his kiss, the demanding strokes of his tongue and his hands touching me. My cheeks grow warm at the thought. Will I ever forget that night? It was one stupid kiss, for God’s sake!
“Mom, you’re blushing.”
“Huh?”
Jude’s brows bunch together as his eyes narrow. “Why do I feel you’ve already found a man?”
My face flooded with warmth again. “Huh?”
“Who’s he?”
“Who?”
“The man who’s making you blush like that.”
I take a sip of water to cool down and allow time to answer. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I wasn’t born yesterday.”
“I’m sure you weren’t.”
“What is it? Think I won’t approve?”
I know you won’t approve. Kissing Nate is a secret I’ll definitely take to my grave. If Jude should ever find out, he’ll never respect me again.
CHAPTER FOUR
Nate
“I’d hoped your first meeting would have been a pleasant one, young Nathaniel,” Gary St. John, Frost & Co.’s general manager and my father’s right hand-man says, opening a folder before him. “But we have some dismal news.”
I recline in my seat at the head of the table in the company’s boardroom, linking my fingers. I don’t know what lit the fire under my ass and pushed me to call the executive meeting this morning. Maybe it’s a stirring guilt that I haven’t given attention to the company since my dad’s passing, or my plan to impress Alison, show her I’m a man, not that teenager she met all those years ago. I’ll take charge, run the company like my father did—no, better. Just like my dad, my name will be on everyone’s lips. Then she’ll take notice.
Whatever the reason for my sudden interest in work, it seems I’m about to receive some unwanted news. Not an impressive start to the day, or my plan. “Go on.”
“Well,” Gary began, looking around at the team, then back at me, “since the first quarter of the year, our profits have been taking a consistent, significant nosedive. The stock price, too. We’ve lost over a hundred million within the month.”
“Holy fuck.” I straighten in my seat as the executives' mouths fly open. “Sorry, but, what the f — what the hell did you say?”
“We barely broke even last quarter. The deal on a new housing development fell through. We saw a sixty percent reduction in our commercial contracts, which, as you know, has been our biggest income earner.”
No, I didn’t know that. But the news still takes me out. My stomach falls like a ripe fruit from the tree. “How?”
“The industry’s more competitive than ever, Nathaniel,” he replies with a casual shrug. “If you’d been around, you could have made a difference. Though, I highly doubt it.”
His snide dig doesn’t surprise me. Gary’s never liked me. The feeling’s mutual. He’s been carrying a grudge since my dad died and left me Frost & Co. After being by my father’s side from day one, Gary thought my father would have signed the company over to him. And he’s not even family. Some fucking nerve.
“Well, I’m here now. How do we fix this?”
Gary looks downright sneaky, as if he’d been waiting for this question all along. “Well… it’s funny that you
asked. Nathaniel, I—we think you should step down as the company’s CEO. We need strong leadership, someone to move the business forward. Unfortunately, that’s not you.”
I stare his smug face for a long instant before laughing. “This is a joke, right? Ok, ok, you got me.”
“It's not a joke. You’re inexperienced. Plus, you have no interest in leading the company.”
“But you are, right?”
“Well, I’m practically running things, anyway. It’s best we make it official.”
“Right… and look at what’s happened under your watch. It’s a freaking shit-show, Gary.”
His lips form a tight line across his face. My comment burned him, I’m sure. Nate, one. Gary, zero.
“Unofficial, Nathaniel. Do you know what that means? My hands were tied. There were decisions that needed your approval, projects that fell through because you weren’t here to sign them off.”
“But—”
“How often do you check your voicemail, return a phone call, drop by the office? Never. You’ve never given a hint you cared about what your father built. But I do, and I won’t stand by and watch you run it to the ground.”
My face burns. Shame fills me. He’s right; I didn’t give a shit about Frost & Co. since dad’s death. But it wasn’t intentional. It just hurt too much to dwell anywhere that reminds me of him. I haven’t even been to the family home since the funeral. My mom’s been begging me to visit for months.
I wish someone would understand what I lost.
“Why don’t you stick to partying and drinking, it suits you. Let me take over and run the business, like I’ve been trying to do.”
Fuck, no. Yeah, I’ve neglected my responsibility for a long time but I’m here now. And I’m going nowhere.
Pushing up from the table, I give them the darkest glare I can muster. “You want my company? How about you pry it from my cold, dead hands? Because that’s the only way you’ll get it.”
“Not according to the company bylaws,” Edith, the company secretary chips in.
“The what?”
Gary chuckles. “You aren’t ready for the big leagues, boy. But according to the bylaws, the board has the authority to give a no-confidence vote and get you out. All they need is proof. That won’t be a problem.”
“Do you think that’s what my father would have wanted?”
“Your father would have wanted the company to keep making profits, not careen off to the deep end.” He rises, giving me a pitiful look. “Go on. Live your life, have fun. Leave the company to me. When I win, you’ll win.”
I want to flip him the bird so bad. But it will only prove his point. “No thanks. My father wanted me to lead and I will. Late or not, I’m taking over.”
“Come on, Nathaniel. Be reasonable. Do you have what it takes to turn the company around? I don’t think so.”
“Watch me.” I grab my iPad from the table and turn to go.
“A chip off the old block you’re not, Nathaniel,” Gary says, his voice coming at me like a whip, cutting me. As if I need another reminder that I’m nothing like my dad.
Guilt, heavy like a wet cloak, follows me to my dad’s old office. He’s probably turning in his grave right now. I’ve failed him and the legacy he worked so hard to build.
It’s not the first time, disappointing my dad. For years he’d wanted me to learn the business, but I had my hands full with living it up, being wild and free, thinking we had forever. At fifty-six, my father was still as healthy as a young horse. I didn’t expect he’d leave so soon; until that fateful afternoon when his car got ran off the road by a trailer, forcing me to grow up.
Only I didn’t. I wanted to party and screw my grief away, and that’s what I did. I paid no attention to the company. Now, I’m paying the price.
Damn it to hell.
I storm into the office and close the door with a curse. Already, a pounding headache wreaks havoc. There’s no way the board can vote me out, right? I have no clue. I know nothing about the company bylaws.
Well, I need to learn, fast.
I talked a big game in the boardroom but I have no plan to steer us from the red. Where do I start? How?
The scenery outside my office window is like a blur as I press my forehead against the glass. Think, Nate, think. Dad’s legacy depends on it.
I’d rather lose my hair than ruin what he worked so hard to achieve after leaving Denmark in his early teens. He came to the States with my grandparents in search of the American dream and he found it, starting from the bottom and working like a horse to build Frost & Co.
My mind flips to the discussion in the board room. Did Gary really think I’d hand him the reins? Whatever he’s smoking, he needs to stop. Now.
So much to fix. I’m kicking myself for my carelessness. How could I allow the business to deteriorate like this?
Well, as dad would always say, it’s never too late for a shower of rain. No time like the present to right my wrong. I’ll make him proud.
All I need is the first step.
Moving from the window, I sink into my dad’s old chair. I remember swiveling in it as a kid. Oh, how he loved the chair with the stripping faux leather and the creaky sound. It was the very first piece of office furniture he owned, and even after he made his millions, he refused to part with it.
My father meant the world to me. Still does. Despite how busy he had been while I grew up, he was always around; football and basketball games, graduations, you name it, he never missed it. He taught me to drive. Gave me my first pack of condoms at sixteen and showed me where to hide them so my mom wouldn’t find them.
I lean against the seat with a sigh. I miss him. There are no words to describe how much.
It’s barely midday and I’m exhausted. The early rising for work, definitely not my favorite thing to do. Sleeping in, waking up to a new woman in my bed—now, that’s a great way to start the day.
But, not anymore. It’s time to face the responsibilities my dad left me.
Reaching for the phone, I dial the extension for my dad’s old assistant, Cecily. “How soon can I have the company bylaws on my desk?”
I hang up after her response as a knock sounds on my door. I spin the chair to face the doorway as a woman sticks her head in with a smile.
Olivia Stockhausen. Our marketing manager, a woman I’ve banged on her office desk more times than I can count. She’s a stunning red-head and a firecracker when I’ve been between her thighs.
“Heard you were around. Had to come see if it’s true.”
“Hi, Olivia.” I wasn’t in the mood for company, former lovers included.
She closes the door and makes slow steps towards my desk. I watch her with a guarded look as she sits on the edge and cross her legs.
“Olivia—”
“Brings back memories, doesn’t it?” she runs her palm across the space before me. “Do you ever think of those days, Nate?”
Oh, I remember… Olivia on all fours, me fucking her from behind on this same desk, the thrill of the risk heightening the moment. At any minute, my dad or Cecily could have entered and found us. I was too caught up in her tight heat to care.
But that was years ago. And now’s not the time for what she clearly has in mind. She’s rocking her hips, licking her lips, giving me a fuck-me stare.
Nah. I won’t bite. I’m not even tempted to. “Don’t you have work to do?”
“I’m on my lunch break, silly.”
“Well, then, go eat.”
She giggles and stretches her foot, tracing up my leg. “I’m hungry, but not for food.”
I shift my eyes from her exposed thighs. “Great. I’m sure your husband will love to hear that.”
“You’re no fun.”
“And you’re not single.”
“So what? No one has to know.”
I enjoyed our fling while it lasted, but now that she’s married, I wouldn’t touch Olivia with a ten-foot pole. Married women are definitely off limits. I’
m not interested in that karma, thank you very much. “I’m not interested.”
She scoffs and slides off the desk. “Keep lying to yourself. You know where to find me when you come to your senses.”
I don’t reply, just watch her go, my mind already returning to the issues before me. I’m on the verge of losing my company and I need help, not pussy.
At least, not Olivia’s. There’s only one woman worth thinking of.
Alison.
She’s playing hard to get. Since our kiss on Saturday night, she’s been ignoring my calls. And my texts. Plus, she returned the roses I sent to her apartment. I’m still racking my brain on another approach. What I need is a miracle.
And just like that, a lightbulb goes off. Alison’s the help I need. The miracle worker, they call her. I’ve seen her turn companies around, many times. She’s what Frost & Co. needs.
Yes!
Plus, hiring Alison will give me an excuse to get close to her. She wants to resist my charm, but she won’t refuse my money, which gives me a foot in the door. That’s all I need to seduce her. She won’t stand a chance when I’m through with her.
I pump the air with my fist, feeling lighter than I have all day. I don’t know if it's the chase, but I’ve never yearned for someone this much. The more Alison ignores my calls, the deeper my desire for her. It’s crazy, I know. She’s Jude’s mom. Forbidden. But I can’t help it. I want her, and I’m going to have her.
I know she’ll be a tough nut to crack. I expect a magnificent challenge. But I’m going to enjoy breaking down her wall. Victory will be so sweet when I take her. Again and again, I’ll have her until she screams, no more.
CHAPTER FIVE
Alison
Finally. Dreaded Monday has ended and I’m settled in my favorite place; my bathtub, with lavender-scented candles, soft music and a bottle of my favorite wine. I live for moments like these; in my world, taking my time to rejuvenate.
But as the soapsuds die, so does the euphoria, and the loneliness descends. Regardless of how I try to amp it up, this isn’t enough. I want company in this bathtub. Someone to share my day with, the victories and the failures. Someone to rub my feet until I fall asleep with the water surrounding me.
Falling for My Son's Best Friend: An Age Gap BWWM Forbidden Romance Page 2