My alarm went off at six-thirty, just like it did every morning. I geared up for my run and hit the streets of downtown Manhattan. I always ran the same route every day; I had for over a year. Today, though, something was different. I was noticing little things that I usually blocked out or overlooked. For instance, I ran past a couple jogging with a stroller. I wished more than anything that it could be Jules and me one day. I wondered how badly the scarring was, and if there was any kind of procedure available to increase our chances.
Today was also my meeting with Robert. I was hoping that he would go easy on me. I hadn’t let Jules know how worried I actually was. When I got back to the condo, I showered and dressed in a navy blue suit. After running some pomade through my hair, I took one last glance in the mirror before heading down to the lobby. Segundo, my driver, was out front waiting for me. I climbed in and tried my best to keep calm. We were about halfway there when my phone vibrated. Looking at the screen, I smiled.
Morning handsome! Thinking of you. Let me know how you make out. <3
Good morning, beautiful girl. I will call you when I’m done. ILU
As we came to a stop in front of the building my anxiety began to skyrocket. I exited the car and headed to the same glass doors I walked through every day. I said good morning to Helen, the receptionist, and wondered if today would be the last time I would do this. It almost felt like an out of body experience. Slowly, I walked to the elevator and headed to the forty-fourth floor. I exited into the offices of Collins, McMillan, Oliver, and Pratt, the place I’d busted my ass to be. The firm boasted a mile long list of high profile clients, which made it a great place to work. Particularly since there was always something going on, and I got to learn all different areas of law.
I strolled towards the back of the building where Robert Collins’ personal office was. He was sitting behind his desk, reading a paper and drinking his coffee. I knocked lightly on the doorframe.
“Mr. Sinclair, please come in.” He gestured.
Mustering up the bravest face I could manage, I took a seat in one of the brown leather seats in front of his desk. He was a rotund man in his mid-fifties, with salt and pepper hair and rosy cheeks. Needless to say, while Carrie and I had dated, Robert and I had had the opportunity to get to know one another on a more personal basis. That could either hurt or help me right now. He also had a reputation for being merciless and cutthroat in the courtroom. Hence, the main reason I was worried about sitting in this very chair.
“Mr. Collins.” I offered my hand, since he was being formal. We shook.
“I’m sure you know why I called this meeting.” He looked at me sternly. I nodded. This is not looking good. “As you already know, I have put a sizable amount of money towards a wedding that no longer seems to be taking place.” He glared at me. “Now there’s got to be a reason behind it, so I would like to hear from you why you called it off.”
“Sir, if it’s about money, I can pay you back, every cent. I’ll have it wired directly to wherever you’d like.”
“Noah, I’m not worried about the damn money. You had better just hope you have a damn good reason for breaking my little girl’s heart.” He motioned for me to proceed.
“I can’t say you will find it to be a good reason, sir. Here’s what happened. While we were at my bachelor party last week, I saw someone I used to know. Actually, not just someone. She was my childhood best friend. Coincidentally, she was also my first girlfriend. We were together for a long time before she was forced to move to New York with her mother. Things happened that were beyond our control, and we lost touch. When I saw her, all those feelings came back, stronger than ever. Carrie doesn’t deserve to be hurt while I figure this out. Honestly, this is going to sound harsh, and I don’t mean it that way. If Jules would agree to marry me right now, I would book the first flight to Vegas and marry her with no hesitation at all. But we’re just taking things slow for now.” I sucked in a breath and waited for his reaction.
“I see. So you’re leaving my daughter for a stripper.” He didn’t seem amused, and I could only imagine what Carrie had told him.
“Robert,” I started before remembering this was supposed to be a somewhat formal meeting, “Sir, I mean no disrespect, but she only does it to pay for school. She’s very intelligent. She said she knew you.”
I cringed, hoping I hadn’t hit a nerve. We didn’t talk personal business inside the workplace and mentioning that I knew he frequented Double D’s was bound to cross some kind of line.
“What’s her name?” he asked, intrigued.
“Julia Kline, but her working name is Felony.” I saw his face light up. Okay, I wasn’t expecting that kind of reaction, but it is Jules we’re talking about. I crossed my fingers.
“From Double D’s?” He raised an eyebrow.
I nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“I’ve actually had the pleasure of having some conversations with Ms. Kline during some client meetings. She’s the whole package. Smart, kind, funny, and stunningly beautiful. Hell, son, if I wasn’t already married, I’d want to marry the girl myself and I’m old enough to be her father.” He laughed.
“So, you’re not mad?” I hesitated.
“I can’t say that I’m not disappointed that I won’t get you as a son-in-law.” I braced myself for what was coming. “But I’m hoping that I can settle for having you as a partner at the firm. You’re a damn good lawyer, Noah. You’re tenacious, strong-willed, and you remind me of a younger version of myself. I’d hate to lose you to another firm.”
“What about Carrie?” I asked apprehensively.
“She’s my daughter and I love her dearly, but she’s a bitch. I know that. Oh boy, do I know it. I think it’s partially my fault. I may have over compensated too much… with indulging her, among other things. I wasn’t around very much when she was younger. After her mother and I split, she didn’t really like wife number two, or three, so she didn’t come around much. It didn’t help that her mother was on a head-trip. She used Carrie against me in any way possible to get what she wanted. Unfortunately, she was the one to suffer. As I said, I’m disappointed, but I do understand. The heart wants what the heart wants."
I let out the breath that I didn't realize I was holding in and looked at him. He was waiting for me to say something, or did he want to say more?
"Thank you, Robert. I hope that I can continue to learn from you and become a better lawyer."
"About that," he looked at me hesitantly. Here it comes, I thought to myself. "I'm thinking we should we change the name to Collins, McMillan, Oliver, Pratt, and Sinclair? That is if you're okay with sticking around?”
“I’d like that very much, sir. I won’t let you down.”
“I know you won’t.” I stood up and shook his hand. As I was about to exit, he called after me. “All that stuff that I just disclosed doesn’t leave this room, understood?”
“Of course.”
“Very well. I’ll have Mary Beth draw the papers up when she gets in. Why don’t you take the rest of the day off and celebrate? I had Nick clear your schedule, in case I needed to fire you.” He laughed, but I knew he was serious.
“Thank you again, sir.”
I walked out of the room at a little after eight and called Segundo to come pick me up. Holy shit, I’m glad to have that behind me! It didn’t go how I was planning at all. It went about a thousand times better. I had Segundo stop so I could pick up bagels before we headed to Amityville. I wanted to surprise her since she didn’t have class until eleven. At a quarter after nine, we pulled onto the street. I had him stop at the corner so I could call her.
“Hey, sexy,” she answered cheerfully.
“Hey.” I tried to sound glum.
“Oh no! What happened?” She gasped.
I grabbed the bag and started walking up the street. “He wasn’t happy to lose me as a son-in-law.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Noah.” I knocked on the door. “Hold on, someone’s here. It’s probably UPS for Ellie. I swear she orders more stuff from Amazon than anyone I know.”
“Surprise,” I said while smiling and holding up bagels.
“You’re looking awfully happy for someone who just got fired.” She tapped her foot, still holding the phone.
“He didn’t fire me. He was disappointed to lose me as a son-in-law, but he hoped I’d settle for being a partner at the firm.” She looked completely bewildered. “I accepted.”
She squealed and threw her arms and legs around me. “I’m so proud of you, Noah. That’s amazing! It’s what you’ve always wanted.” I held her tight and consciously sniffed her hair like a weirdo. “It’s Philosophy’s frosted animal cracker shampoo.” She laughed.
When we were teenagers, I used to mow lawns just so I could buy her banana shampoo. It was weird, but I loved the way it made her hair smell. This stuff just wasn’t the same. I made a mental note to pick up some banana.
“I like it, but I still like banana better. Now, are we going to eat these bagels? I’m famished.” I’d been so nervous this morning that I’d skipped breakfast; now I was starving. I even ate a Taylor ham, egg and cheese sandwich on the way over.
“Yeah, yeah, hand them over.” I handed her the bag as she pulled out the bagels and she started putting cream cheese on them.
“So… while I’m here, I wanted to talk to you about something. I was thinking we could go away, maybe next weekend? Jackson’s family has a house upstate and I think we could both use a break…”
“I’ll have to clear it with Adam and get back to you, but it sounds nice.” I walked up to her and lifted her chin so I could kiss her. I love her so much. “I thought you were starving.”
“I’m hungry for something else right now.”
I carried her to what I hoped was her room. Opening the door, I laid her down on the bed. Sliding off her pajama shorts, I dropped down to my knees and kissed my way up her leg until I reached pay dirt. I got to work savoring every inch of her. Our first time she wouldn't let me go down on her and for years I fantasized about what she tasted like. She tasted better than I could have imagined. Shy Jules was gone and in her place was the most incredibly beautiful, sexy woman. Sitting up on her elbows, she lifted her tank top above her head exposing all of herself to me. Gliding two fingers into her heat, I began a slow assault savoring each passing second. I committed each sound and expression into my brain as I watched her unravel. Quickly stripping out of my suit, I positioned myself between her soaking wet pussy and lined myself up. As soon as I was inside her, I was in paradise and she was my heaven. I never wanted it to end. I made love to her, each deliberate movement bringing us both closer to euphoria. Kissing her cheeks, lips, and neck, I was doing my best to make her feel the love I had for her. I held out for as long as I could but when her walls closed down around me I was done. Thrusting into her, I came. Hard.
We finally managed to pry ourselves apart because she needed to get ready for school. I put my suit pants back on and headed to the kitchen to grab our bagels and bring them into her room. When I came back in she was in a pair of leggings, which in my opinion are the bacon of pants, and a pair of knee-high black leather boots. I made a mental note to have her wear them in the bedroom one day.
Wanting to have a few more peaceful minutes before we had to get back to reality, I climbed into bed and motioned for her to join me. We sat in content silence as we ate our bagels. On our way out the door, I kissed her, told her I loved her and that I’d see her at dinner. I was more determined than ever to get her back.
Once back in my car, I asked Segundo to take me to the mall so I could do some shopping. There was a really nice, big mall about forty minutes north so we headed there. Even though he was my driver, he was also my friend. I begged him to help, and he begrudgingly agreed. First, I picked up her banana shampoo. Then I decided, since I was already there, that I would pick up a couple necessities for her to leave at my place, for when she stayed. I went to Victoria’s Secret; Segundo refused to go in. Not knowing which ones she'd like, I bought every matching bra and panty set I could find in her size.
Next, we headed to Nordstrom. I bought her an entire wardrobe so she wouldn’t have any excuse not to stay. I got jeans, t-shirts, hoodies, sweaters, sneakers, boots, heels, sandals, flip-flops, sweatpants, yoga pants, pajama sets, lingerie, a couple dresses, skirts, blouses, and a new Burberry winter coat with a scarf and purse to match. I even picked out an array of cosmetics. I swear the sales lady looked at me like I was insane, and for the total cost, I may as well have been.
I needed to make one more stop before I was done. I headed for Tiffany & Co.