Present
I sit at the table trying to concentrate on the business meeting.
It’s impossible.
I need to take care of things, and my mind has questions that require answering. How the fuck did this happen? Out of all the places in the world, she’s here, in New York City, eating Japanese with him, whatever the fuck he is. I have to wrap up the meeting. I need answers now.
“Mr. Klein, the numbers you have shown meet our profit expectations. Have your business plan ready for me before I leave on Monday.”
“Of course, Mr. Edwards. It was a pleasure doing business with you again,” Klein responds.
We all stand, shaking each other’s hands. I sign the check and grab my phone, immediately dialing Kate’s number, asking her to meet me at the hotel.
Outside the restaurant, I’m greeted by the warm breeze. How long has she been in Manhattan? She was all dressed up—fucking hot, actually. I wonder what her profession is? Fuck, I need answers. My mind is scattered, and I’m unable to process anything in my normally controlled fashion.
I hail a cab, not being bothered to call my driver to come pick me up. The cab pulls into the traffic, only to be met with red lights as soon as we turn the corner. Pulling out my phone, I scroll through my contacts until I find his number. Bryce Callahan was recommended by a close business associate and came at a high price. I never asked questions about his background, knowing that his line of work wasn’t exactly legal.
“Bryce, it’s Edwards. I need you to look into someone for me.”
“Yes, Mr. Edwards.”
“Charlotte Olivia Mason. She resides here in Manhattan, I assume,” I tell him, only realizing this mission could be a needle in a haystack. She could reside in Brooklyn, Long Island, and the possibilities are endless with a state this large.
Bryce asks a few more questions, including her date of birth. I answer everything I can, desperate for anything on her.
“I need this information today. Anything you can get,” I demand, not willing to waste any time.
“Yes, Mr. Edwards. I’ll call you as soon as I find something.”
I end the call, my mind still reeling from the events. Charlotte was angry, and I understand that I left without giving her an explanation, but then again it was nine years ago. I thought she’d be happy to see me, like two long-lost friends, except we weren’t two long-lost friends. I promised her things. I promised her a future, and then I had no choice but to walk away, or at least I thought so at the time.
It’s just after two when I arrive back at the Waldorf. The cab ride didn’t take as long as I expected. Kate’s already in the suite typing away on her laptop. As soon as I walk in, she stands to greet me. “Good afternoon, sir.”
“Kate, nice of you to be early,” I sarcastically respond, considering I’m the one who’s actually late.
So, I sound like a prick, but I’m fucking going crazy.
This isn’t like me.
I’m always in control.
What has she done to me?
And all this by just seeing and talking to her.
Removing my jacket, I throw it onto the couch and pour myself a bourbon. I don’t normally drink during work, but today is different. I could easily down the whole bottle in one gulp if Kate wasn’t standing there.
“What’s the schedule for next week?” I ask, praying I can stay here.
“Tomorrow night is the charity ball. Your sister will be meeting you here at five o’clock sharp with your tux, and apparently your… um… date, Brooke.” She clears her throat, continuing, “On Sunday morning you have another meeting with Mr. Klein to go over your expansion of After Dark. Two o’clock will be another inspection of the new office. Then on Monday morning we catch a red-eye back to London.”
I’ll have no time to find her or even spend time with her. I pour myself another glass, the first one obviously not doing the trick. The first thought floating through my head is to cancel going to the charity event.
Yes, I’ll cancel that.
At least I’ll have all Saturday night free to find her.
“Tuesday at eleven is the stakeholder meeting. That’s expected to run until five. The Hilton conference room has been booked for the event.”
It has taken us months to organize this meeting. I know I can’t get out of it. I grit my teeth as she continues on and based on the schedule she reads out, I won’t be back in Manhattan for three weeks.
Pacing the room in short spans, I scrub my hand over my face willing the impending headache to stop. I’m starting to feel like a lovesick teenager except I’m thirty-fucking-four, a successful entrepreneur with money to do whatever the hell I want, which proves absolutely pointless at a time like this.
My phone starts to buzz—it’s Bryce—so I make my way into the bedroom and close the door behind me.
“Bryce.”
“Mr. Edwards, I have some information regarding Miss Mason.”
“Go on…”
“Her current employment is at Mason & Romano where she’s a partner in the firm.”
“Firm?”
“Yes. She’s a lawyer here in Manhattan. The boutique firm is located on Madison Avenue…” he advises, pausing while I listen quietly. “She graduated with honors from Yale.”
So, she was in New Haven all that time? Her mother gave me no inkling of that when I went to look for her. I try not to focus on the regret starting to creep in at not finding her and telling her how sorry I was. Why didn’t I try harder? Why didn’t I continue until she was in my arms again?
“Her status is showing single. Never registered as being married.”
For now. Anger is boiling inside of me at the thought. Images of the ring flashing before me, my grip on my phone tightens as I try to remain calm to process anything else he has on her.
“She currently owns an apartment in the Upper East Side as well as a home in Connecticut.”
“What’s the connection in Connecticut?”
“I haven’t been able to get a connection yet.”
“Thank you, Bryce. Please update me as soon as you find anything else.”
I hang up the phone, a little more at ease now because I know more about her. Yale, wow. I always knew she was smart, but she never mentioned anything about wanting to be a lawyer. Our last conversations revolving around college was her trying to stay close to home, and after our relationship became more involved, a huge part of that was to stay close to me.
My curiosity piques—all of this is very unlike her.
She always walked away from drama, even at school. Being a lawyer and arguing for a living seems very left of field as her chosen profession. Financially, she appears to be well off, but this house in Connecticut keeps bugging me. It isn’t the type of area you would invest in, so why would she own property there?
I walk over to the window, watching the city pass by. All I can think about is the fact that she has become this beautiful woman.
Her attire is another thing I wouldn’t have expected—she always hated heels and dressing up. The glasses—oh, fuck me sideways. I stir at the thought, my cock hardening. I need a release, but Kate is outside, and even I have my boundaries. Adjusting my pants, I walk back into the living room.
We spend the afternoon on conference calls with Human Resources regarding the recruiting of the Manhattan office. If all goes according to plan, we’ll have a fully functional office in less than two months. Now, more than ever, I want this office up and running, giving me an excuse to spend more time in the city.
By six, I’m done. Kate left to spend the night with a friend she had met in the city, so I decide to go down to the bar in the hotel lobby. It’s busy for a Friday night, the usual business crowd letting their hair down after a stressful week. A few young girls are dancing. I sit at the bar and order a scotch. One of the brunettes from the dance floor walks up to the bar, stopping beside me.
“Bartender!” she yells, chuckling while intoxicated.
The bartender stands at the end of the bar, trying his best to chat up another girl. Young people, honestly. If he were under my watch, I’d have fired him on the spot.
“Oh, c’mon, excuse me!”
The bartender looks up, reluctantly walking over to serve the brunette.
“Can I please get another Cosmo?”
She’s pretty hot, maybe early twenties. She has long brown hair tied up in a high ponytail while wearing a short, black skirt with a low-cut gold top. Tackily dressed, but she has a nice pair of tits. She waits at the bar before turning my way. Licking her lips, she looks me up and down, not at all ashamed she has made it so obvious.
“Alone tonight?” she asks, her body moving closer to mine as her hand rests on my thigh.
“That depends if you’re going to walk back to your posse or stay and drink with me.”
I know I sound like a cocky motherfucker but I have this one in the bag, and I need a release after what happened today.
“You’re not from around here? I love a man with an accent.” She smirks.
Don’t all American women? She looks at me, smiling, her lips covered in bright red lipstick. Jumping off the bar stool, she grabs my hand and drags me through the bar to the restroom at the back. Slowly looking around, she opens the door, pushing me inside. What a little firecracker. She grabs my pants, unbuttoning them quickly. Pulling them down, she releases my cock.
“Damn, you’re one fine specimen. And this…” she says as she wraps her hand around my cock, “… needs to be in my mouth right now.”
I look down, watching her take in all of me until I feel it tap the back of her throat. Hmm, great gag reflex. I close my eyes, remembering when Charlotte would do the same, her long brown hair covering me. I grab the chick’s hair, lusting over the brown strands, watching her, but all I can see is Charlotte, all I can feel is Charlotte. It doesn’t take me long before I need to blow, the girl pulling me out of her mouth as she jerks me off in her hand.
Quickly, she stands then washes her hands as I pull up my pants.
“Well, there’s a first time for everything,” she says, sounding pretty confident.
I’m amused these young girls think giving head makes them powerful. Quite the opposite. I didn’t have to beg for it, darling. Fuck, I didn’t have to do anything.
She smiles one more time then exits the bathroom. I walk over to the sink, washing my hands and splashing my face with cold water. What was I thinking? It isn’t like this hasn’t happened before, but I’ve never allowed myself to think of Charlotte when I was with someone else.
I exit the bar without saying goodbye as I walk past and head back to my suite. I’m so fucked, I need to forget. Why can’t I forget? Making my way to the bathroom, I turn the shower onto scalding hot, desperate to wash away what happened downstairs.
I climb into bed, trying to shut down my mind, but I can’t. I grab my phone off the nightstand and succumb to what I have put off doing for the last nine years—I type her name into a search engine.
There are random photographs of other girls, but no one who looks like her. I scroll through, desperate to find anything. It must be around the sixth page where I find a small picture. I click on the thumbnail linked to a Yale class website. There’s a picture of Charlotte with a guy, Finn. I recognize him immediately. She’s smiling, she looks happy.
Were they together after I left?
I can feel the anger brewing again, but I know I have no right to feel this way.
Knowing I have made the situation even worse for myself, I switch off my phone. Why the fuck can’t I just let this go? There’s too much history between us, and I need her to know how much I regret my actions. At the time I acted like a timid little coward, and I should’ve followed my instincts. I should have followed my heart.
For nine years, I’ve buried what we had and drowned myself in my work.
Yes, it paid off, but is it worth it in the end?
“Lex, hold still, or I can’t get it in.”
Inside my hotel suite, my sister, Adriana, is fussing all over me. The bow tie she bought isn’t cooperating, and as usual, it’s the biggest emergency ever. My attempt to cancel was foiled by Adriana giving me a list of clients who will be attending and therefore dubbed the event as a huge business opportunity.
I loathe these damn events.
They are just a parade of people showing off who has the biggest checkbook. Fair enough, it’s for charity, but these leeches donate so their businesses will be all over the media. I’d have happily donated the money and not attend, but when you’re related to Adriana Edwards there’s no such luxury.
“Okay, done.” She stands back, admiring her work. “You scrub up well, big brother. Thanks to me.”
“If it weren’t for the suit, I’d have no hope in hell with the ladies.” I smirk, but quickly, my expression turns serious. “Listen, Adriana, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”
“Is it an apology for how you hurt my feelings and left the restaurant in a huff?”
“Uh, no… but I am sorry. Look… you know that wedding bullshit is too much for me.”
“Not to anger the beast again, what is it you want to talk to me about?”
I have been putting it off ever since it happened, but now is the time to bring it up. My head is still a mess, and only Adriana knows the whole story. If anyone can make me understand what the hell is going on it’s my sister, Charlotte’s former best friend.
“What is it?” she repeats, distracted as she fixes herself in the mirror. It’s a beautiful navy gown, Valentino, I remember her saying. Like I give a shit, but she still looks good in it.
“I saw Charlotte.”
She stops adjusting her dress, her eyes meeting mine in the mirror before she abruptly turns around. “Where and when?” Her voice is anxious. I know what Charlotte meant to Adriana. Their friendship was a big part of her life that I screwed up for her. Another person caught up in the shitstorm I had created.
“I had a lunch meeting the other day. She was there at the restaurant with a guy.” I clench on my words, desperately thinking of ways to get rid of him.
“Oh my God, Lex. Seriously? Out of all places, here? Did you speak to her?”
“Yes, I did,” I croak, still feeling the sting from her words. “She was angry. I wasn’t expecting her to be after all these years. I wanted a chance to explain, but she said not to bother, it was just a high school fling.”
“But, Lex, it wasn’t just a high school fling…” Adriana trails off, lowering her gaze. “So, you didn’t get a chance to explain to her what happened with Samantha and the baby?”
“No, I didn’t. She was quick to run off to her… fiancé.” I grit my teeth almost spitting out the words.
“Fiancé? How do you know?” I can hear the hope in her voice. Adriana, ever the optimist. “Maybe it was just a friend?”
“The huge ring on her finger was a dead giveaway. I asked, and she angrily answered that he was her fiancé.”
“Lex, why did you do that?” Adriana raises her hands in frustration. “You know if she’s anything like me, you probably pushed her closer to him.”
“Oh gee, thanks, sis. What a wonderful thought to have in my head.”
Pacing the area in front of us, I rub my hands over my face, regretting my actions once again. Did I really do that? Push her further toward him? They’re engaged for Christ’s sake! How much further can I push her? Fuck, this spiral of thoughts is making it all worse. I sit on the couch, bowing my head as I run my fingers through my hair.
“How did she look?”
Staring at the carpet, I try to calm down. My gaze moves upward until my eyes meet Adriana’s. “Beautiful.”
Our conversation is interrupted as Elijah, Adriana’s fiancé, walks in the room followed by an attractive blonde woman.
“Brooke, please meet my brother-in-law, Lex,” he introduces, forcing me to stand. “Lex, this is Brooke.”
She’s beautiful, short blonde hair, blue eyes—I’m not interested.
There’s only one woman I want now, but I act like the gentleman my mother raised me to be.
Leaning in, I kiss Brooke’s cheek with a welcoming smile. After a quick chat, it’s time to head out. I linger behind her as my sister quickly pulls me aside.
“Lex, I know you’re hurting. I promise we’ll talk more about this later,” Adriana whispers, patting my shoulder as we leave the room.
Hurt?
Is that what this is?
First, after I saw her, I wanted to apologize more than anything. Second, I wanted to fuck the living daylights out of her, feel myself inside her just like I had a million times in my head.
But now, I’m torn as my emotions wreak havoc within me.
I don’t know what to do, but for tonight, I’ll do what I do best—act like the arrogant CEO I’m known for. Better than a sad, pathetic loser pining for his ex.
