Текст книги "All or Nothing "

Автор книги: C. C. Wood

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Текущая страница: 5 (всего у книги 13 страниц)

Chapter Eleven

Present Day

‡

I saved the file I was working on and turned off my computer. Rolling my head around to relieve the stiffness in my neck, I stood up and stretched my back.

“Jena.”

I stopped mid-stretch and looked toward the door to my office. Marilyn, my boss, stood in the hall just outside.

“Hey, Marilyn,” I greeted her, coming around from behind my desk.

“What are you still doing here, sweetie?” she asked. “It’s after six.”

“I had some things I wanted to finish before I left for the day.”

She shook her head at me. “If only my other employees were as dedicated.” Then she pointed at me. “Still, you’re young. You should be out on a date or with your friends.”

I laughed at the thought. I didn’t plan on dating. At least not for a very long while. In the last three years, I’d been burned enough in the romance department for a lifetime.

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Marilyn stated. “Don’t forget that you’re meeting a new client in the morning.”

“No problem. I’ll be here bright and early.”

My boss shook her head as though she were disappointed in me, but I knew that it was in a joking manner.

After she walked away from my office, I packed up my laptop, shrugged into my jacket, and grabbed my bags. I drove home on autopilot, tired and hungry. I picked up a burger on the way and changed into yoga pants and a t-shirt as soon as I got there.

As I settled on the floor in front of my couch, my food on the coffee table, I turned on the TV and tuned to a true crime show I liked to watch. It was a rerun, but I was so exhausted I didn’t care.

In the last six months, my life changed dramatically. Once I left King behind, the next month and a half had been a struggle of putting one foot in front of the other. My grief for Justin had been replaced with a broken heart courtesy of Alaric Sloan. I couldn’t even scrape together the energy to feel guilty over having such strong feelings for King. I should have felt guilty though because Justin loved King like a brother and I never should have let him touch me. Still, I didn’t. Maybe that made me a horrible person, but I refused to dwell on it. I needed to move on for the sake of my sanity.

I knew it was time for a change when I realized how unhappy I was. I needed something to get me out of my rut. The first thing I did was find another job. From the age of twenty-three, I’d worked for Clarence Peretti as his bookkeeper. He had a chain of Laundromats all over Texas. He was a nice older man, very traditional, and forever trying to fix me up with his nephews and their friends. He had all daughters and was firmly convinced that a woman couldn’t be happy without a husband and children.

Clarence, who wanted everyone to call him Larry, had always been nice to me, but I’d glimpsed the asshole beneath the surface. The few times I saw him lose his temper, it was always with the men in his employ, never the women, so I’d never been a direct recipient.

Still, his cursing, raging, and throwing things when he lost it scared me, and I was thankful I was never in the path of his fury.

Larry seemed sad when I turned in my resignation and quit, said the office wouldn’t be the same without me, but he also understood.

“Actually expected this a lot earlier, sweetheart,” he murmured. “You haven’t been yourself for a long time. I think it’ll be good for you to try something new.”

I was appreciative of his acceptance and the little going away party he had his secretary put together for me the last week I was there.

Then I started at Marilyn’s firm. I focused mainly on bookkeeping, but chose this firm because she encouraged her employees to further their knowledge and hone their skills. She even offered financial incentives to those who enrolled in night school or took continuing education courses.

I also loved the environment there. It was a much more relaxed atmosphere compared to working in Larry’s office. Another additional perk being I no longer had to deal with his creepy underlings staring at my ass every time I wore a snug skirt or pants.

In addition to changing jobs, I took up running in the mornings and strength training. The physical activity helped me feel more in control and less depressed. I also liked the changes I saw in my body. I felt strong and I looked better than I had in a long time.

Apart from my change in employment and getting fit, I hadn’t heard from Katie since that night at King’s bar. Actually, I’d heard from her once, via text, in which she told me to fuck off.

I couldn’t give up on her completely. Periodically, I would text her, just to feel her out, but never got a response. It hurt my heart, but I was dealing with my own demons and I knew Katie was as well, so I let it go.

Ashley wasn’t speaking to her at all, but she made an effort to see me a couple times a month. While I missed Katie, Ashley seemed so much more relaxed without her around. I wasn’t sure what had happened between the two of them, but Ashley wasn’t talking.

The buzz of my phone jarred me out of my melancholy thoughts and I realized that I’d been sitting on the floor, staring into space, for half an hour and my food was stone cold. It didn’t matter anyway, because my appetite had disappeared.

Without bothering to check my phone, I got off the floor, carried my plate into the kitchen, and threw the food away. Then I took a shower and got ready for bed. It wasn’t very late, but I was getting up at five-thirty every morning to get my workout in, so I was going to bed a lot earlier than usual too.

As with every other night, I curled up around my pillow and tried not to remember how it felt to have King there instead.

*     *     *

The next morning, I was at the office bright and early at seven o’clock. The new client was supposed to arrive at eight and his business was so large he would need the entire firm working on his account, which made Marilyn very happy, but also meant we all had to be present at this initial introduction.

I made myself a cup of coffee, looked over the information on Eric McCall’s businesses, and prepped for the meeting. Fifteen minutes before eight, I went into the ladies room to pee and freshen up. Depending on how controlling this guy was, we could be in this meeting for hours, and I didn’t want to have to get up to use the facilities in the middle of it. Some clients were so rigid that they viewed any interruption as rude behavior.

When I came out of the restroom, I walked straight into someone.

“Oof.” All the air left my lungs in a whoosh and I took two stumbling steps back.

The man I bumped into grabbed my arms, steadying me on my stilettos. Brushing my hair out of my face, I looked up into liquid hazel eyes surrounded by long black lashes.

Blinking, I lifted my hands and rested them on his forearms, completely spellbound by his eyes.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

His voice trailed down my spine like velvet and I fought back a shiver.

“Uh, yeah,” I answered, my voice cracking. I cleared my throat before speaking again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bump into you.”

Those amazing eyes became even more enthralling as they smiled. “No problem.” His gaze flicked down my body. “I’m Eric McCall, I’m here for a meeting. And you are?”

“I’m Jena Drake,” I answered. “I’m one of Marilyn Larkin’s bookkeepers.”

He released my arms, but held out a hand. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Drake.”

I took his hand, swallowing hard at the heat that zinged up my arm. “Please, call me Jena, Mr. McCall.”

His smile widened but he didn’t release my hand. “Eric.”

I nodded. “Okay, Eric. If you’d like, I can show you to the conference room and get you a cup of coffee or other refreshment.”

“That sounds great, thank you.”

I managed to extricate my hand from his and gestured for him to follow me, hoping like hell I didn’t trip and make a fool of myself even more than I had when I ran into him.

My pulse still throbbed and I forced myself to take a slow deep breath. I hadn’t responded to a man like this since Justin…and King. I’d almost forgotten what it felt like.

When I showed Eric into the conference room, he insisted on making his own cup of coffee, something that I reluctantly appreciated. I felt like it was my duty to take care of a client, but I also liked that he wasn’t treating me like a lowly peon.

Marilyn came in not long after, as did her other five employees, and the meeting began. Several times during the conference, I would look up to find Eric’s eyes on me. I didn’t blush, but his gaze was openly admiring and he didn’t look away when I caught him staring. No, his eyes stayed on mine and he looked equal parts amused and flirtatious.

Eric McCall appeared to be a man who knew what he liked and he clearly wanted me to know that he liked what he saw.

I didn’t want to enjoy it, but I did.

After the meeting, he walked over to my chair where I was gathering my things.

“Jena.”

I looked up at him and smiled. “Yes, Eric?”

“Are you busy tonight?”

Though my heart picked up speed, I tried to remain casual. Shrugging, I answered, “I don’t know. Depends on why you’re asking.”

He grinned at me. “I was wondering if you’d like to have dinner with me.”

My body went tight. I definitely wasn’t interested in dating right now, especially not a client. I figured that I’d be over my issues with King in time for my thirtieth birthday, which was a couple months away.

Eric was much more observant than I gave him credit for. He lifted a hand. “Or how about a drink?”

“I don’t know. Marilyn frowns on her employees seeing clients socially.”

No sooner had the words come out of my mouth and Marilyn walked back into the conference room. “Oh, Eric, I didn’t know you were still here.”

We turned toward her, and Eric said, “I was just trying to convince the lovely Ms. Drake to go to have a drink with me after work.”

To my surprise, Marilyn grinned. “You don’t let any grass grow under your feet, do you?”

He shook his head. “Nope, but Jena is worried about how you might feel about it.”

“How I might feel?”

I decided to intervene. “I, uh, most businesses have a policy against employees fraternizing with clients,” I pointed out. “I didn’t think it was a good idea to-”

“Oh, Eric’s not your individual client, Jena. If you do go out with him, I’ll just make sure that you don’t work on his accounts.”

I stared at her and sighed. Oblivious to the havoc she wreaked, Marilyn gave us both a little wave and a wide smile. “See you tomorrow, Jena.” She undoubtedly thought she was playing matchmaker and envisioning that I would fall madly in love with Eric.

After she disappeared, Eric turned to me. “Well, your boss is okay with it.”

“It would appear so,” I responded.

He lifted a hand. “Look, have one drink with me. If you decide within that hour that I’m not a serial killer or a closet polygamist, then we can have dinner. Sound good?”

Just like that, my hesitance was gone. I laughed. “That sounds very nice.”

“Great. I’ll pick you up at six-thirty.”

“Um, I’d prefer to meet you.” It was Safety 101. Don’t give strangers your address. Although I liked that he was the kind of man who wanted to pick a woman up for a date.

He immediately seemed to understand and nodded. “No problem. How about Mi Cocina at six-thirty?”

“I love the margaritas there,” I answered excitedly.

Eric grinned again. “Great. Well, give me your number so I can get in touch with you if I need to.”

I nodded and we exchanged numbers.

After that was done, he stuck his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “It was really nice meeting you, Jena,” he murmured.

“Likewise.”

My breath caught in my chest when his hand lifted and he lightly touched my chin with his index finger. Okay, maybe I was ready to date again after all.

“See you later tonight.”

“Later,” I whispered.

I watched him turn and saunter out of the room, shocked at how attractive I found him. Since the night I walked away from King, men ceased to exist in my world. He’d burned me and he’d done it badly.

No, I’d burned myself by letting my guard down for a man who couldn’t or wouldn’t do the same for me.

Considering I hadn’t heard a peep from King since I left him standing in the center of his bar, I knew I’d made the right choice. He didn’t care enough to even call or attempt to change my mind. Not that I wanted him to. Not really.

But I wouldn’t have minded if he had proven my suspicions about him to be incorrect.

With a sharp shake of my head, I put thoughts of King out of my mind. I ended things. He let me. End of story.

Chapter Twelve

‡

I walked into Mi Cocina at six-thirty and noticed that it was quiet despite the fact that most of the tables were filled. It was an excellent choice for a first date. Not too private yet quiet enough to get to know one another.

I immediately saw Eric sitting at the bar and headed straight for him. He rose to his feet, meeting me halfway.

“Hi, Jena. You look pretty.”

“Thanks.” Seeing the admiration in his eyes, I was glad I took the time to run home and change into a different outfit.

We moved to the bar and I ordered a margarita. Eric had a beer in front of him. Despite my initial reticence to accept his invitation, I found that I was enjoying myself. He was funny, smart, and direct.

It seemed I had a type. I liked that candor, because it was very clear that Eric McCall was the type of man who wouldn’t play games. Just like Justin.

After a forty-five minute chat, Eric asked, “Have I convinced you I’m not a psycho?”

I grinned. “Not quite.”

He chuckled. “Well, do you think you could decide over dinner?”

I considered him for a moment, tilting my head to the side. Now that we’d had our drink, I was hungry and I was having a good time. Dinner would be fun.

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

Eric motioned to the bartender and asked him if we could get a table. A few moments later, the hostess came over with menus and guided us to our seats.

As we exited the bar area, which was separated from the rest of the restaurant by walls that were a mixture of glass and wood, my stomach bottomed out.

Sitting in a booth against the front window, facing me, was King Sloan.

All it took was one look for me to know that he’d been sitting there for a while and I hadn’t noticed him. There was an empty plate in front of him and a bottle of beer. Though the booth partially hid her, I could see the arm and shoulder of a woman as well as a half empty margarita glass. There was a plate in front of her with a half-eaten salad.

I managed not to trip or stop moving. Instead, I forced my eyes away from him and followed the hostess. I was immensely grateful for my luck when she led us around the corner and to a table in the back room, which was out of King’s line of sight.

As I walked away from him, I could swear I felt the heat of his eyes on my back, burning my skin. I wondered when he first noticed me and how long he’d been watching.

Eric pulled out my chair for me, which I appreciated in a vague way, and I tried to calm my racing thoughts. I had to pull myself together. I couldn’t dwell on the fact that he’d obviously just had dinner with another woman.

Hell, it had been six months and there was no way King was celibate. He was insatiable and I’d walked away from him. Of course he’d moved on. I was the one who was pathetic, not dating, hiding in my apartment and moping.

I felt steel fill my spine. I’d made my choice. It was time to put on my big girl panties and quit the internal whining about it. So my last two relationships hadn’t ended well. I was relatively young, healthy, and I made good money. Things could be a lot worse.

As the hostess gave us the menus, I thanked her and looked at Eric, who was studying me closely. “You okay?” he asked after she walked away.

Since I appreciated his directness and his attentiveness, I decided to give him the same.

“I will be. I, uh, just saw a ghost from the past out there.”

“Ghost from the past?”

I shrugged. “Ex-something. I haven’t seen him since the day it ended and it took me by surprise.”

He nodded and then gave me an incredibly thoughtful offer. “Do you wanna go somewhere else? I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

The tension inside me evaporated. “No, I’m fine. It was over six months ago. It threw me because I wasn’t expecting to see him. We don’t exactly spend time in the same sort of places.”

“I understand.”

Determined to put it aside, I changed the subject. Then we ordered, ate our meal, and lingered over dessert and coffee. It was a great first date. One of the best.

After Eric paid the bill, we walked out and, to my relief, the booth where King had been sitting was empty. He insisted on walking me to my car, his hand wrapped lightly around mine.

I unlocked the car and stopped by the driver’s side door. Looking up at him, I stated, “This was great, Eric. Thank you for dinner and drinks.”

He smiled down at me. “Does that mean you’ll go out with me again? I promise that all my wives won’t resent it if we start dating.”

Laughing, I nodded. “Yes, I’d like to do this again.”

“How about dinner again on Friday?”

Two days away. Eric definitely wasn’t wasting any time. I appreciated that. “Sure. Friday sounds good.”

“I’ll pick you up at seven. Text me your address.”

This time I didn’t hedge. Maybe that was a mistake, but it was a risk I was willing to take.

“Okay.”

Slowly, Eric leaned down and brushed his lips against mine. It was a light kiss that set my lips to tingling in a pleasant way. I’d forgotten what those tingles could feel like. With King it had been fire and dizzying ups and downs of anger and passion, but never the warm tingles of attraction.

Opening my door for me, Eric helped me into my car and shut it once I was inside. He also stood in the parking lot as I pulled through the empty space in front of me and drove away.

When I got home, I went through my usual routine of dumping my bag and keys by the door and kicking off my shoes immediately. Before I could make my way to my bedroom to change into my lounging clothes, there was a knock at the door.

I put my eye to the peephole and froze. For the first time in six months, King Sloan was standing at my door.

I shook my head in disgust and turned away. No way in hell I was talking to him. Not a word for six months, then he sees with me with another man and suddenly he comes over? I didn’t think so.

King pounded on the door again. “You either open the door and talk to me or I’m coming in.”

I glared at the wood, wishing that I were a larger man so I could toss his ass down the stairs. I knew he meant every word he said. King would find a way into my apartment if I didn’t let him in myself.

Leaving the chain on, I cracked the door. “What are you doing here, King?”

Jesus, he looked amazing. His skin was tanned, as though he’d been spending a lot of time outside, and his hair was a little longer. His biceps were stretching the sleeves of his t-shirt to the breaking point. He’d bulked up in the last few months.

“I wanna talk to you.”

“Tough. I’m not interested in talking to you.” I shut the door.

He knocked on it sharply. “Open the door, Jena.”

I did, but didn’t remove the chain. “Seriously, King,” I said softly, “There’s nothing left to say. It ended six months ago and I haven’t heard from you since.”

“How is it, darlin’, that you’re the one who walked away from me yet you’re acting like the injured party?”

I was done with this conversation. Done. “King, I’m not acting like the injured party. I just don’t want to talk to you. There’s nothing left to say. Now, it’s late and I’m tired. So you have two choices; either leave or I call the cops.”

King scowled fiercely at me. “Jena-”

“I mean it,” I stated, my voice vibrating with intensity.

Apparently, I got through to him, because his face cleared. “Jena, we’re gonna talk. If you won’t talk to me tonight, then you’ll have to deal with me at a time and place of my choosing.”

Considering I was only ever at work or home, I doubted he’d have much choice.

“Whatever, King. Good-bye.”

I shut the door in his face a final time and flicked the deadbolt and the lock on the knob. It was time to put an end to being lonely. I lost Justin through no fault of my own and I left King, but I was ready to move on. I wanted a husband and family someday, and I would never have those if all I gathered around me were memories.