Inseparable: A Second Chance Romance by Mia Ford (30)

“Yeah, Lucas, that is my house.” I was starting to hear a tone in his voice that was quickly rubbing me the wrong way.

“I don’t know about that.”

“Why not? You are obviously desperate to get away from your family.”

“Jenna isn’t my family. You don’t know anything about it.”

“Oh, here we go again, Lucas.” I snapped. “I don’t understand you. I was happy when we did what we did after graduation. It was exciting and fun.” My voice was hushed so my parents wouldn’t hear. “And I really enjoyed yesterday. But I’m not going to drop everything because the poor little rich boy feels like having a tantrum. You have everything, Lucas. Yet you want me to believe it’s so hard for you. I can’t take it. That isn’t what I was put on earth for.”

I waited for a reply but there was nothing.

“You are welcome to come over if you change your mind. But don’t think for one second that I don’t know you think you are better than me because you have more money. Just remember this, I’m not the one looking to get away from my family.”

“I knew you’d bring up money sooner or later.” He hissed.

I laughed out loud.

“Yeah, you did! You’ve got so much of it and it must be driving you absolutely crazy that I don’t want a dime. Thanks for the lift home yesterday and the screw. But don’t think when you see me again that history will repeat itself. You are a spoiled brat, Lucas. I bet that Jenna is a lot nicer than you make her out to be. Mother Teresa would have become a stark raving lunatic if she had to deal with the likes of you.”

I clicked off my phone and sat there for just a second.

That was it. No chance of dating a millionaire now. I was ashamed of thinking that but it was true. I really liked Lucas. Not because of his money but despite it. But I did enjoy that fancy dinner at the airport and the champagne. It would be a long time before I’d be able to afford that for myself. But I would. Someday I would.

“Tilly, cinnamon rolls are ready for the frosting.” My mom called.

“Okay, mom.” I came out of my room after shutting my phone off for good. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. Sandy had several methods to get a hold of me so I didn’t have to worry about her. But there was no one else I wanted to talk to.

“So, who is Lucas?” My dad asked with his voice three levels deeper than usual.

“Lucas Brine. That asshole from high school.”

"Michael Brine's son?" He prodded.

“That’s the one.” I squeezed the frosting all over the cinnamon buns and watched it melt over the sides.

“What did he want?”

“Just to remind me he’s still an asshole and college hasn’t changed him any.”

“You’ll be surprised how many people that will apply to in your life, honey. Your father was an asshole when we were in high school.” My mom teased.

"And you married him anyway." I stated.

Chapter 18 – Lucas

By the time five o’clock rolled around I was losing my mind. Jenna and my father were happily entertaining wave after wave of Jenna’s family and friends. I saw a couple of familiar faces when I ventured downstairs for some food.

“Come and say hello, Lucas.” My father pushed.

“Hi.” I waved. “Glad to see everyone is enjoying helping themselves.” Sure it was a childish thing to say but why not. I was practically a prisoner in my room like any ten year old would be while the grown-ups have their party.

“He’s tired from his flight in late yesterday.” I heard my father say as I walked away.

“Yes, if he would have been rested he would have really given you all a piece of his mind.” Jenna chuckled making the other guests laugh out loud.

“We have two daughters that age.” Some woman said. “We know exactly what you’re talking about.” And they all continued to laugh.

Part of me wanted to dash back down there and tell the bitch to shut her mouth but I didn’t. For some reason I thought of Tilly and her Merry Christmas attitude. It made my insides feel like they were shriveling up.

What did Tilly know? What did she know about anything? She was just an easy lay a couple times of a year. That was it. I’d be willing to bet that if I ran into her again in the spring she’d have her panties around her ankles and her legs behind her ears in no time.

I stopped envisioning that as it made my pants uncomfortably tight. Once I was alone again in my room I flopped down on the bed.

My father and Jenna had bought me a pair of leather gloves, a set of Fonderie 47 cufflinks that run about thirty thousand dollars and a Ziffiro razor that I hate to admit I really like. It cost my father about one hundred thousand dollars. I’ll bet he got one for himself, too.

So I paced around my room listening to the party downstairs. Once again I grabbed my high school yearbook and began flipping through the pages stopping again on Tilly’s photo.

What would she think if I just showed up at her house, that tiny, cramped place with the tacky lights and crooked screen door? I’d have to leave my car out front and how the hell do I know what the neighbors will do to a Ferrari parked on their gravel driveway.

Finally, I decided to make a bold move. I picked up my phone, scrolled through a dozen numbers until I came to what I was looking for. I pressed the green dial button and waited.

“Merry Christmas, bud!” Henry Torrence answered cheerfully.

“Henry. You gotta do me a solid, man.” I blurted out. “You gotta tell me there’s a party going on somewhere that we can go to. Anywhere but I can’t stay here. I’m losing my mind.” I held my breath hoping he wasn’t planning on spending the whole evening at his house.

“Funny you should say that, Lucas. I was just about to call you.”

I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

“My cousin just bought a bar around Addison Avenue and Wells up north.” Henry boasted. “He said he was throwing a Christmas night bash. I think he expected to be the only place within a ten mile radius that would be open on Christmas. He might be right. I was going to get the hell out of this house and check it out. Want to come?”

“I’ll pick you up in twenty minutes.” I barked before he could change his mind.

I was showered and shaved in a new pair of jeans, Italian boots and a fresh shirt within ten minutes. I left through the kitchen escaping down into the garage without anyone noticing me. Not that anyone would have cared one bit where I was going or when I’d be back.

The Ferrari had a full tank of gas and as I sped to henry’s house, almost the only car on the road, I felt like finally I’d be able to shake Telula Grant from my mind.

Henry was out the front door as soon as I pulled up and we were on the expressway heading into the city at about ninety miles an hour. I didn’t feel the need to rush.

“What’s going on at your house?” Henry asked.

I told him about Jenna’s basically taking over the house.

“That sounds miserable.” Henry concurred. “You know, when my parents split and then each got remarried it was a real pain in the ass at first. But my stepmom isn’t all bad. She’s almost twenty years younger than my father but she doesn’t try to be my mom. In fact, we rarely speak to each other except to say hello and good-bye.”

“What about your step-dad?” I asked.

“He’s okay. He leaves everything to my mom to do. I mean, if I want to trade in my new truck that they bought me last year for a sports car he says its all right with him if it’s all right with her. I guess he and I don’t really have too much to talk about either. It works out that way.”

“But you didn’t have this bimbo just sweep in on your dad a few days after your mom died. You know what Jenna is.” I muttered.

“Yeah, she’s about a dozen routes to fuckable.”

“Come on.” I shook my head. “My dad could get that if that was all he wanted. But she’s got her claws in him. From what I could see she isn’t going anywhere, either.”

“That’s really too bad, man.” Henry clapped his hand on my shoulder. “But her. Tonight is about a party. Let’s have too many drinks, scope out the cuties and leave the wolf at the door.”

I nodded my head. That was the smartest thing Henry ever said.

It was true that Foxes was the only bar open for quite a distance. We saw some as we came up Grand Avenue to cut over to Addison but they were in neighborhoods that I wouldn’t leave my car unattended in.

Thankfully, Foxes was high brow enough to have valet parking. I slipped the kid a one hundred dollar bill to leave my car where it was in front and keep an eye on it. He agreed to do so. Of course he did.

You had to walk the bar when you first walked into Foxes in order to get to the intimate dining room in the back. As soon as Henry walked in there were guys and girls behind the car shouting his name. Everyone stopped to look at us the owner, Henry’s uncle Fred planted two separate bar stools right in the center of the bar for us to sit. Before I could say Merry Christmas the shots were lined up, the women were checking us out and the music was thumping.

It was what I’d imagine an old fashioned Christmas party would look like. Guys were grabbing girls asses and they were just giggling as they swiped their hands away. People were laughing loudly and ordering another round before the one in front of them was even half empty.

“This is fun, right?” Henry leaned over to me.

I smiled and nodded my head. A pleasant buzz had settled over me. I was talking with people and flirting with the women who walked by and each one of them smiling back at me, glancing over their shoulders when their dates weren’t looking. I barely gave Tilly a second thought. Not when I knew I could have any one of these ladies in a heartbeat.

“Hey, this girl next to me, she’s been talking to me.”

“Oh yeah?” I smirked. “What she saying?”

“She’s saying she likes me.”

“You’re hard not to like, Henry.” I clapped him on the shoulder.

“She says she likes you, too.”

I looked at my best friend for over four years and arched my eyebrows. Then I peeked behind him to the woman who was sitting there.

She was liquid sex poured into a skintight skirt and a tight, fuzzy sweater that hugged her tits. Her red hair was back in a ponytail that was full and bouncy when she turned her face to look at me.

She smiled and gave me a wink.

Of course, I smiled back. Looking down she wore those slutty thigh-high boots with the high heels. The kind that stupid actress wore when she played a hooker fell in love with a millionaire. What a joke that movie was.

“What do you say, Lucas? Want to kiss her underneath the mistletoe?”

“I’m game if you are.” I was agreeing to splitting this woman with Henry before I realized what I was doing. At first, the idea was titillating. The more shots I drank the hornier I got. Henry had stood up and let her sit between us.

That was how I found out her name was Rachael. She said she was a public relations assistant with the Chicago Tourism Bureau. She also said she always had a fantasy about being with two men.

“So, what makes you think you can handle us?” I asked her with a slight slur in my words.

“I can handle anything.” She bragged, tossing her head back.

She was sexy. There was no denying that. And when she took my hand and placed it on her thigh it was painfully obvious she wasn’t shy.

“You can’t be timid if you want something in life.” She boasted. “When I see something I want I go get it. Or, I make it come to me.” She sipped her cosmopolitan.

“So, Lucas.” Henry draped his arm lazily over Rachael’s shoulder and I saw his fingers brush her left nipple casually. She didn’t seem to mind. “What do you think of our new friend Rachael?”

I looked at her face. Her eyes were glazed from the cosmos but she wasn’t totally drunk. She was just high. She leaned against Henry, scooting her ass back so it would touch his leg. An intentional move to drive him crazy.

“She’s very nice.”

“Now, Rachael.” Henry continued. “Is it true you live just a couple blocks from here?”

“Yes. I just live over on Waterfront along the river.” She bubbled.

“What do you say, Lucas? Should we continue the party at Rachael’s place?”

I looked at my watch. It was already almost midnight. I hadn’t realized so much time had gone by. I looked at Henry who was whispering in Rachael’s ear and she was letting her eyes roll back in her head as she pressed her back closer to listen to him.

“Yeah.” I mumbled. “Let’s go someplace a little quieter.”

As I predicted, Rachael nearly dropped her panties right there on the sidewalk when she saw my car.

“You’ll have to ride on Henry’s lap.” I said as the valet tossed me my keys and I slipped him another hundred.

“That’s okay. It’s not a far drive.” She giggled.

As Henry took a seat I watched from the driver’s side as Rachael eased her ass in first them fell in with a burst of laughter right onto Henry’s lap. He quickly pulled the door shut and within seconds I was following her directions to her place.

Henry was getting her ready. He had one hand around her waist while the other rubbed the inside of her thighs. Back and forth I saw him sweeping across her hot spot just below her skirt. Whether she knew it or not her legs were spreading a little bit at a time.

Breathily she pointed to a tall, gray apartment building. I swerved into a parking spot on the street and everyone piled out of the car. Rachael walked ahead of us, strutting and shaking her ass that she knew we were both watching. Henry especially. She was totally his type. Female.

Since Henry was the typical tall, dark and handsome it wasn’t a surprise that a woman like Rachael, who was a walking traffic violation, wouldn’t find her way next to him. He wasn’t interested in any kind of relationship. His parents were both well off. Not like my father but he was anything but poor. The attention he got over his Rolex and Italian suits amused him. He liked it.

I could tell he liked how Rachael was melting into him.

“Oh my gosh.” She purred. “I almost forgot where we were going.” She tittered as she climbed off Henry’s lap, tugging at her skirt and smoothing her hands down her backside.

She slipped her arms through each of ours and walked into the lobby. Swiping a plastic key like you would at a hotel the glass door opened.

Sitting behind a wide desk was the doorman who looked at us suspiciously.

“Merry Christmas.” Rachael greeted him stupidly as she swaggered past toward the elevator bank. The man did little more than nod his head before going back to the newspaper or magazine he was reading.

We slipped into the elevator together and with a black manicured nail Rachael pushed the button marked seventeen. Then, while wobbling on her high heels she backed into Henry and pulled me in front of her.

“You don’t talk much.” She pouted. Her eyelids were droopy with false eyelashes.

“I don’t have anything to say.”

“She looks good, though, doesn’t she Lucas?”

I nodded my head as I peered down her sweater. I could tell she liked the attention and I had to wonder if this was the first time she’d actually brought two guys home. She didn’t seem the least bit nervous. I’d think a girl who was into getting two guys ganging up on her might be a little apprehensive the first time.

The elevator door pinged and we walked down the hallway.

Her front door looked like all the others.

I’m not sure what I expected when we walked in but what I saw was a cheaply decorated apartment that was not neatly kept. With all the effort Rachael put into making up her face I would have thought her apartment would reflect the same meticulous attention to detail.

“Have a seat.” She motioned toward the front room. “Would either of you like a drink?” She strolled across the carpeted floor toward what I assume was the kitchen.

“I’ll take whatever you’ve got.” Henry smiled and elbowed me in the ribs before he walked over and made himself comfortable on the couch. I took a seat in the single chair across from him.

“Lucas?” She called from the other room.

“I’m good.” I waved off her invitation. The room spun just s a little and I wondered how I had driven so quickly following her directions without sideswiping another car or getting pulled over by the cops. Then I remembered it was Christmas Night and most people were home with their families and friends.

The thought of being home at my father’s house reminded me why I was out to begin with. By now everyone would be having a real swinging time. Jenna was probably going through my father’s wines and champagne like water. Her relatives and friends had probably devoured every bit of food like locusts.

It made me sick to think of.

Just then Rachael came back with two glasses filled with ice and some brown liquid. She handed one to Henry and kept the other for herself.

“Cheers.” She gushed.

“Cheers.” Henry responded before gulping his drink. He set the glass down on a t.v. tray kind of end table and grabbed Rachael by the hand. She squealed excitedly as she fell into his lap.

It was a matter of seconds before they were making out. She was facing me as Henry slid his hand up her skirt and I could see all the way up. She had no panties on. Her sex was completely exposed before Henry’s hand found its way up there.

She moaned as he teased her.

“Have you ever seen anyone so hot, Lucas?” Henry played to her ego. She was all over it, too.

“I don’t think so.” I mumbled.

“Take off your sweater.” Henry whispered in her ear. She eagerly did as she was told. She was wearing a pale pink bra that kept her breasts high and erect. But with a simple slip of his fingers Henry snapped the back allowing her tits to burst free.

“What do you want?” She breathed.

“You know what I want.” Henry replied helping her up off his lap. He undid his pants and pulled out his stiff dick.

I watched as Rachael fell to her knees in front of him. He pulled the band from her hair allowing her bright red locks to fall down around her shoulders. In the meantime she took his member in his hands and began to stroke it up and down. Before he could tell her she slid his hard cock slowly between her lips.

“Damn!” Henry huffed while running both hands through her hair in order to grab it by the handful. He guided her slowly up and down but it didn’t take long for her to push against him.

She pulled her head up gasping and giggling that she just needed to catch her breath. Henry stood up, letting his pants fall to his ankles. Guiding Rachael he sat her down in his place, pushed her legs apart and dove into her bush.

Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she played with her nipples. But there was something odd about the whole scene. Rachael let her hair fall over one eye as her hips rocked back and forth. She spread her legs, still wearing the heeled thigh high boots and her skirt was pushed up around her waist. It was only after a could of seconds of Henry eating her pussy like it was his last meal that I realized she was staring at me.

“Oh, yeah!” She cried. “Don’t stop!”

Her skin began to shine with sweat as Henry worked her over. I watched her push her hips up to him, letting him lick and suck her sweet button until her body began to shake with pleasure.

Henry sat back and stood in front of her. She eagerly took his manhood in her hands and stoked it before licking up one side of his shaft and down the other while her eyes stayed with me. Her tongue rolled around his cock as her lips sucked it hard. She took more and more of him in her mouth until I was sure she was going to gag or worse, throw up. Actually I would have laughed at that.

I stared at her. At first I thought getting my knob polished would make me feel pretty good. But as I watched Rachael work henry over like she were auditioning for a spot in some amateur porn movie my gut began to sink.

Sobriety slowly began to seep into my head and I noticed Rachael had a blemish on her left cheek. Her nail polish was chipped on the ring finger and her lipstick had smeared mercilessly across her face making her look like a clown.

As she continued to blow Henry I couldn’t help but notice that her carpet had several stains on it and desperately needed to be vacuumed. There were a few cracks on the walls where nails had been hammered in but there was no longer a picture hanging there. Some of the molding was shipped.

The whole place started to look like a worn out whore.

“Oh God!” Henry cried as he held Rachael in place. She sloppily sucked his cock and let him force her head down as far as it would go. “That’s it, Sandy! Don’t stop! I’m almost there!”

She didn’t stop. But she did slow down making Henry gasp with something not quite angry but pleasantly frustrated as she prolonged his climax.

Finally, without warning Henry pulled her up from her knees, spun her around and began fucking her from behind. Her ass jiggled every time he pounded into her and her breasts hung down fully exposed as Henry took hold of them both in his hands and fucked her hard.

She pressed her hands against the sofa and whipped her hair over her shoulders as Henry reached down between her legs. They were slick from his fucking and he found her clit. At a feverish pace he rubbed it in mad circles making Rachael cry out.

“Right there! Yes! Right there!” She panted.

“Yeah!” Henry chimed in. “It’s happening! It’s happening!”

He was oblivious to me being in the room. But Rachael knew I was there the whole time. This was a show she was putting on. She was one of those girls who loved being watched. It wouldn’t surprise me if she rode the bus and flashed her beaver to as many guys as possible on a daily basis.

The thought brought Tilly right back to the front and center of his mind. What was the difference between Rachael and Tilly?

You know damn well what the difference is. Tilly never asked for it and never asked for anything in return. Oh, unless you call being nice asking for too much.

My thoughts wouldn’t take my side.

You know you’d rather be at her house. But here you are on Christmas Night with some slut whose jerking off your best buddy and ready to take you next. Nice.

“Oh my God!” Henry began to laugh as he slapped Rachael’s ass. “That was good.”

“Just good?” She gasped pulling her skirt down and picking up her sweater to halfway cover her breasts.

“Real good.” Henry soothed as he pulled his pants up.

“Just give me a minute.” Rachael winked at me and hurried out of the room to her bedroom I assume.

“My God, Lucas. That is what I call a ho-ho-ho.” He whispered, still laughing. “You go ahead and take your time. I’m going to get another drink. You want something?”

“No, I’m ready to go.” I smirked.

“Ready to go? What are you talking about? That girl is fucking horny as shit. Get some of it. I mean, she’s begging you for it. I could see how she was looking at you before. Do her, man.”

“No. I’m not in the mood.”

“Hey, if you ask her to take a shower and stuff she’ll do it. Hell, she’ll probably ask you to wash her pussy for her. How hot is that?”

“Yeah, I’m just not into it right now.”

“What are you guys talking about?”

Rachael came out of her room wearing a satin robe that barely covered her thighs.

“We’re calling it a night.” I said standing up from my seat.

“What?” Rachael snapped. She looked up at Henry who shrugged his shoulders and finished adjusting his shirt and pants.

“Don’t ask me, sweetheart. I would have stayed for round two.”

“This is fucked up.” She spat. Henry was right. She was horny as shit.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out three hundred dollars and tossed it on the side table next to Henry’s empty glass.

“That ought to make you feel better.” I said and headed toward the door.

“I’m not a hooker, you know.” She scooped the money up and folded it tightly in her hands.

“Then give me that back.” I turned and held out my hand.

Of course, she made no movement to hand over the money.

“No. You keep it.” Henry soothed. “Hey, if you don’t have any plans on Groundhog Day I’ll be back.”

“Get out!” She yelled.

I was already at the door and stepping into the hallway when henry said that. Once he was behind me we heard the door slam shut. I didn’t care. She was three hundred dollars richer and if she didn’t catch anything from Henry I’d say she had a pretty good night.

“I don’t know what’s the matter with you, Lucas. This just isn’t like you.”

“What are you talking about? I just wasn’t in the mood for your sloppy seconds. Very sloppy, I might add.”

“Come on, Lucas. I know you.” Henry insisted. “There was a time not that long ago you not only would have gotten off on that girl but you would have left without lightening your wallet at all. Plus, she was into you. You could have violated her ten different ways and she would have begged for more. You know how chicks are when…well, you know how they are.” Henry shook his head.

“What were you going to say there?”

“Nothing. I’m still a little drunk.”

“No. You’re as sober as I am and that’s sober enough. What were you going to say just now?”

I stopped in front of the elevator and looked at Henry.

“Come on, man. Don’t be like this.”

“Tell me what you meant.”

“You know how chicks are when you’ve got money.”

“That’s what I thought you were going to say.” I pressed the down button.

“It’s not a bad thing, Lucas. What are you getting so upset about?”
I wasn’t sure what I was upset. My whole life I was careful everyone knew how much money my family had. I drove slick cars. No one could touch my wardrobe. I had one of a kind gadgets, the newest of everything and I flaunted it just like Rachael did in those thigh high heeled boots.

But I got mad at anyone who paid attention to the things I had. They were not jealous of me but they were jealous of the things I had. There is a difference. No one wanted to be me. They just wanted to be in my place. The thought made me feel very alone like a man in the desert at night when there are no lights for miles except for the millions of stars in the sky staring down to make him feel terribly small and alone. I needed another drink. I hated what I was feeling.

“Come on, Henry. I’ll take you home.” I huffed.

“Home? Lucas, it’s only about one o’clock. There’s still a lot of action out there.” Henry insisted.

“No thanks. I’m calling it a night.”

“Well, drop me back off at Foxes.” He grumbled. “I’ll stay with my uncle if I can’t get a lift.”

I did just that.

“You’re going to wish you let Susan suck you off as soon as you hit I-294. I just know it. Enjoy your blue balls for Christmas.”

“Her name was Rachael.” I corrected.

“Whatever, man. Just remember she was ready and willing. You aren’t going to get that chance again in a long time if ever. It’s not like girls are just going ot hop in your car to have sex with you.”

Henry got out of the car and slammed the door.

That was all I needed to hear to bring the image of Tilly in the throws of passion in to perfectly clear focus. Why didn’t I go to her house again?

Because you’re too much of a snob and you think you are too good for her. Or maybe your afraid that she’s too good for you? Instead you spent the night watching your best friend get a blowjob. How low can you sink, Lucas?

Henry was right about one thing. When he his I-294 he did think of all those dirty bits but Rachael was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he wondered what Tilly was doing and if he had gone to her house would they have found a way to sneak off together to make love. Would she have wanted to?

If you would have shown up there you can bet your ass she would have found a way. She likes you. Or at least, she did like you. You kind of blew that with your lousy attitude. Nice going genius.

I couldn’t get a break. Henry didn’t understand. I couldn’t find the words around Tilly. I didn’t even understand myself what was happening.

I sped home down a virtually empty expressway. I had driven the route so many times before it was like I was on autopilot.

Henry and I had come downtown for years, sneaking into bars where I usually bribed the bouncers. I did it. I always had the cash. I don’t think I could even recall Henry offering to pay.

The bar tabs were almost always over a thousand dollars that I paid for in cash. We had women all over us and when they saw bottles of Cristal they swooned. Not because they knew what it was but because they knew it was expensive from seeing it in the movies. It was a rare occasion when Henry and I didn’t leave each with a girl on our arm that we fucked in the alley. Once we were done with them

They’d follow us back into the bar where we’d totally ignore them and start chatting up another set of girls. It was like a revolving door. I didn’t take a single one seriously because I knew they were all after my money.

“Any girl that goes along with everything you say is after your money.” Henry said. “Wouldn’t it be nice to find a girl who fights back a little.”
How long ago had Henry said that to me? It felt like years. Millennia even. But he was right. It was the girl that would fight back and argue that was the keeper.

Most guys would feel a rush of relief after coming to this realization. But I didn’t. I had already blown it with Tilly. That made the whole revelation damnable.

Chapter 19 – Jenna

The party turned out to be a smashing success. Surprisingly, with the weather being much more accommodating than it was yesterday almost everyone showed up for a drink or a quick slice of dessert with some very lively conversation.

“I was a little skeptical, Jenna.” Michael whispered to me while one of his partners was entertaining everyone with a story abut his latest trip to Prague. “But you really put together a nice affair.”

“You’re having a good time?” I asked him as I leaned in a little closer.

“Well, there is one thing that I do think needs your attention.” He slipped his hand into mine and quietly pulled me away to the laundry room that was at the other side of the house.

There were guests meandering around everywhere sipping their cocktails and enjoying the massive spread of food we had catered. I received compliment after compliment on the decorations as well as my dress. Of course, it was red, low cut in the front and a little swishy around the bottom so that it flowed and waved when I walked.

No one noticed we had slipped away.

When Michael closed the door and turned the tiny lock I knew what was coming.

“I’ve been trying to keep my hands to myself all night.” He said. “I can’t wait anymore. Did you do what I asked you to?”

“What are you talking about?” I whispered knowing darn well what he was talking about.

“Tell me you don’t have any panties on under that dress.”

“Michael, we have to get back.”

“Come here.”

I backed up against the wash machine and shook my head no. But Michael stepped up to me. His strong, powerful legs only needed two strides to reach me. Before I could slip around him he had his hands around my waist and lifted me up to sit on the white appliance.

Forcing my legs apart with his waist I froze. Holding my breath I looked in his eyes as his hands moved slowly up my thighs. When he reached my hips he smiled devilishly.

“I knew you weren’t wearing any.”

“Michael, we can’t have sex in here. Our guests. They may need us.” I pretended to be worried and tried to close my legs but it was no use. Michael had something in mind and once Michael Prine made up his mind there was no changing it.

“I haven’t given you all of your Christmas presents yet.” He whispered. He leaned forward and started kissing my neck while he stood between my thighs that were getting hotter and hotter by the second. “You’ve been an awfully good girl.” He continued to talk as he kissed down my neck to my tits.

Michael was abreast man. If I wanted something and didn’t want to come right out and ask it all I had to do was wear a tight t-shirt and he’d be offering me whatever I wanted. It was important that I let him think most things were all his idea. But it was worth it. Like now, he was rubbing my nipples making them good and hard through the fabric of my dress and I still wasn’t sure what he was up to.

“Michael, what are you planning on…”

Before I could finish my sentence he pulled my legs toward him, spread them wide and dove into my pussy, kissing it as passionately as he would my lips. I was so shocked I didn’t know what to do. This wasn’t like him. Maybe he had too much to drink or maybe he was just feeling especially generous. But as soon as he started to flick his tongue up and down I my body ignited. I leaned back even further, offering him every bit of me, spreading my legs as he buried his face in my sex.

I wanted to scream but couldn’t. Not with all of our family and friends just on the other side of this thin wooden door. They would know I was having my pussy devoured by Michael. I rocked my hips back and forth as he licked me. Then, before I could stop him he found my clit. I didn’t think I could get any wetter but as he massaged my bud with his tongue, rolling it over and over in circles I felt my stomach tighten.

“Don’t stop.” I begged. “Please don’t stop.”

He shook his head but didn’t stop eating me. The sensation sent rippling waves of pleasure over me. I was riding a wave toward my orgasm and couldn’t wait to crash. I spread my legs even further as my body shuddered.

Michael reached up and took hold of my breast and kneaded it forcefully, flicking my nipple in the same motion he was moving his tongue sending lightning bolts of heat between my legs. My mind stopped working and I would have agreed to anything he said as long as he didn’t stop.

“Michael.” I panted. “Oh yes. Yes.”

Finally, he took my clit between his lips and gently sucked it sending me over the edge. My hips bucked wildly. I couldn’t stop them. My stomach tightened and released and tightened again and released as wave after wave of pleasure rolled over me. He kept me coming until I was exhausted, begging him to let me catch my breath.

Finally, he pulled his lips away and with his hand caressed my sex like he was trying to sooth a overexcited animal. I slowly came down feeling light and sexy and relaxed all at once. With his hands on my waist he helped ease me off the washing machine. My legs were weak and rubbery but I managed to stay standing.

“You keep those panties off.” He ordered. “I might want to do that again.”
Before I could say anything he gave me that devilish smile of his and quickly unlocked the door. He left me feeling satisfied and flushed wondering if anyone noticed we were gone. Not that I really cared.

I waited a few minutes then left the laundry room wanting nothing more than all the guests to leave so I could give Michael the fucking of his life.

But with his partner still rambling on about Prague I was going to have to wait another hour or so. Everyone cleared out by midnight. Our overnight guests had gone almost immediately to bed and the wait staff we had hired had the entire house cleaned up by one o’clock.

They all got paid overtime for working on the holiday plus a bonus Michael insisted we give them. I wasn’t all that happy about that. They did a mediocre job at best. But none of the guest complained so I chose not to to Michael, anyway.

Michael was right that there were a couple more presents he hadn’t given me earlier in the day. He waited until we had an audience before he got down on one knee and proposed. I knew it would happen. Finally, I could breath easier.

Once we were alone in the bedroom I was wound up like a top. With the embers still smoldering between my legs and the excitement of the six karat diamond on my hand I ready to fuck but the alcohol had finally caught up to him. Michael was asleep the second his head hit the pillow.

There was nothing for me to do but go back downstairs and have another slice of chocolate cake from the party. It would mean an extra fifteen minutes on the stair-stepper but it would be worth it. But having a little quiet time to myself was quickly squashed.

“Jeez, Lucas!” I jeered. “Could you make a little more noise? You’re going to wake up our guests!”

“They aren’t my guests, Jenna.”

Right away the little twerp started right in with me. Never mind the fact that he’s stumbled into the house reeking of booze but he’s about as graceful as a bull in a china shop.

“Oh, what’s the matter? Santa didn’t bring you everything you wanted? Well, there’s always next year.”

“Shut up, Jenna.”

“There’s a really witty comeback. Is that what they’re teaching you in college? How to think quickly on your feet?”

I watched Lucas’s face get redder and redder. He tried to concentrate on putting a plate of food together for himself but his hands were shaking and he clumsily shifted from one foot to the other.

“Well, not everyone can take online real estate classes.”

He glared at me.

“Make sure you clean all this up.” I commanded. “You’re making a mess. I don’t want to have to clean this up in the morning when I’m getting breakfast ready.”

“Who the hell are you kidding, Jenna. First, this isn’t your house. Second, you don’t do any cooking or cleaning. We have servants for that. What I mean is, my father has servants for that. You don’t have anything.”

“You know you’re such a little ingrate that even though your father told me not to say anything I think you deserve to know the truth.” I waved my diamond ring at him and watched as the color drained from his face. “I’d just start packing now, junior. Your dad and I had already been talking that you should get your own house in New Hampshire. Your dad has a small office there he wants to grow. You’ll be in charge of making that happen. You don’t need to live here anymore.”

I could have felt very sorry for the little shit had he ever been nice to me. But truthfully, I couldn’t have enjoyed the look on his face any more if I’d tried.

“You’re lying.”

“Your dad will talk to you about it all tomorrow.” I smirked. “Merry Christmas, Lucas.”

Chapter 20 – Tilly

My phone had a pleasant ringtone that sounded like birds chirping. It wasn’t a theme song or an annoying series of beeps and alarms. It was a pleasant sound that woke me from a dead sleep in the middle of the night.

Taking it from my old nightstand in my old bedroom I looked at the screen and didn’t recognize the number.

“Hello?” I answered quietly.

“Telula!” Came a loud, harsh voice that was all too familiar.”

“Lucas. It’s go to be past midnight. Are you all right?”

“Yeah, you know I just wanted to call one more time.” He slurred. “You know, I never got a chance to tell you that I really liked you.”

“Lucas, I think you are drunk and you should probably go to bed.” I tried to sooth him but he was having none of that.

“No. You need to let me say this. I thought you were a great lay in my dad’s Bentley. I did. That was a lot of fun.” His words ran almost seamlessly from one into the next. “There aren’t that many girls who would put out like that. I really appreciate it.”

“Good night, Lucas.”

“No! No, wait.” I swear I could smell the alcohol and the sweat coming through my phone. I knew that he was drunk and that anything he said I should probably take with a grain of salt. But I wasn’t prepared for what came next.

“I’m trying to tell you something. Will you listen?”

“Make it quick.” I sighed.

“Make it quick? You’ll sit and listen to me for as long as it takes. What, do you have some episode of Housewives to watch? Just listen to me for a fucking minute, okay?”

I waited and said nothing.

“Are you still there?”

“Yes, Lucas. Please continue.” If there was one thing I hated it was talking to drunk people on the phone. But I was curious what Lucas had to say. Sad as that may have sounded it was true.

“I’m going to have a new stepmother.” He blathered. “My father went ahead and made the dumbest decision in his whole life. He asked Jenna to marry him.”

“Oh, well, that’s got to be hard for you, Lucas.” I tried to amuse him but the pity party was in full swing.

“It’s all over. My dad will lose his money. He’ll give her control and she’ll spend every last dime within five years the old man will be bankrupt.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you, Lucas. You’re a trust fund baby. You won’t ever be poor. Okay, have a good night.”

“Wait! Wait!” He shouted into the phone. “That isn’t all.” He was quiet for a second as he gathered up his words and tried to spit them out in some kind of order. “I’m moving to New Hampshire. For good. My dad and Jenna think it would be a good idea for me to live there permanently. My dad has a small office there that he wants me to help grow. If that doesn’t sound like a load of horse shit I don’t know what does.”

“Oh, gosh. I’m really sorry, Lucas.” I sympathized. “That’s got to feel like you pulled the ripcord on your parachute and nothing but dishes and silverware came out.”

“Very funny. I’m glad you think its funny.”

See, this was why I hated talking to drunk people. They never understand what you are saying and continually look for fights.

“No, Lucas. I’m being sincere. But I’ll bet when you wake up in the morning you’ll feel better and see things more clearly.

“Is that what you think?” he whined. “You just have all the answers don’t you, Telula. Well, I just wanted to tell you that you’ll have to find some other way to get around since using my family cars for your fucking is off limits. Guess you’ll just have to find a motel or a gangway to do all your dirty business.”

“That’s what you called to tell me?” I choked.

“ Well, that is where most hookers to their work, right? When they can’t do it in a car, I guess. But you never asked for any money so I guess you’re not a hooker. You’re just a slut.”

I bit my tongue to keep the tears way back behind my eyes.

I tried to remind my self that he was drunk and guys would say anything and everything when they are drunk. But it was no consolation. He wouldn’t have said any of it had he not thought it in the first place.

Who was I to get angry, really? I did those things. I made it easy for him to put a target on my back and well, I did have sex with him both times I saw him.

If he only knew I hadn’t been with anyone else. If he only knew how I had a secret wish every time the phone rang or I got an email that it might be him maybe he wouldn’t have said these things. Then again, he probably would have. That was how he operated.

“I’m glad you were able to get that off your chest, Lucas. You sure do know how to spread Christmas cheer, don’t you?” I huffed. “I’m going back to bed. Good luck with everything, Lucas. I’m sure you’ll figure out a way to land on your feet or at least make everyone else miserable if you don’t.”

“Wait.” He said. Can you believe it? He wanted me to listen to him talk some more. What did he think that this was a fun conversation? That maybe there was a compliment or kindness mixed in somewhere with calling me a slut?

“No. I’m not waiting. Good luck in New Hampshire. I hope I don’t ever see you again, Lucas. Never.”

I clicked off my phone and then shut the whole thing off completely.

Not that I thought he’d call back but just in case. Drunks had the tendency to dial anyone and the last thing I wanted was to take that chance. In five minutes he’ll forget what he said and call me up telling me the opposite.

There were a lot of guys at school who drank as a hobby. I was terribly cliché not to mention expensive. They’d come up to me and my friends when we were out blowing off steam and try and talk to us. The promises we’d hear were laughable. Some guys were bold and just came right out asking for a blow job or hand job. Other guys would go the seductive route.

I hate to admit that I would go along with their lines like I was really interested just to hear where the conversation would go. It inevitably always circled back to their groins.

But this was not a surprise either. Lucas wasn’t one of the dozens of desperate guys. He could have any woman he wanted if he’d just be nice. But, somewhere along the line he learned he didn’t have to be nice and the women will still put up with him.

I knew what he was thinking. He was wondering how long I’d put up with his abuse. That’s what he was thinking. He assumed I was so interested in his money that I’d let him talk to me that way. How did he ever plan to be happy? This certainly wasn’t a recipe for it.

Just then there was a quiet knock on the door.

“Come in.”

“Hey.” My dad whispered from the dark hallway. “Tell Sandy to get some sleep. She can call you in the morning.”

“It wasn’t Sandy.” I chuckled.

“Who was it?” He asked, leaning against the door jam.

“Just some guy.”

“Lucas Prine?”

“Yeah. Don’t say it so loud.”

“What does he want from you?”

“I don’t know, Dad.”

My old man came in. His silhouette was all I could see but it was familiar and the same as it had been my whole life. He sat down on my bed.

“He doesn’t seem to be too good at making you smile.”

“He’s not. I mean, he can be but he’d rather be a big baby about everything. How can you whine so much when you’ve got everything you could possibly imagine?”

“Obviously, he doesn’t have everything. You’ve got something he wants and since he can’t get it he’s going to continue to be an asshole.”
I chuckled.

“I’m sorry I was never that much of a go-getter like Mr. Prine to give you and your mom everything you wanted. You either have a knack for it or your born into it. I was neither.”

“I’m not sorry, Dad. Besides, where can you drive a Ferrari around here? How stupid would that look going to the grocery store?”

My dad laughed but I could tell he was a little sad.

“We did our best. Now, we’ve got a daughter on her way to law school all the way in New York. I’d say we pull out all the stops at the end.” I felt his hard, thick hand brush across my face.

“Someday, dad, you won’t have to worry about a thing. You and mom will come live with me and you won’t have to worry. Well, maybe not with me but next door or down the block.” I joked.

“When you’re a parent you never stop worrying.” He said, leaning down to give me a kiss on the forehead. “And if this Prine character can’t get his billion dollar ass in line he’s no good for you.”

“Thanks, dad. I think you’re right.”

I was glad the lights were out so he couldn’t see me crying. He stood up from the bed and headed out the door.

“Good night, Tilly.”

“Merry Christmas, Dad.”

Chapter 21 – Lucas

“Brilliant.” I muttered in the darkness. The only light I had on was small lap at my desk on the other side of my bedroom room. The alcohol and the seedy events of tonight had settled into a sour pool in the pit of my stomach and were churning over and over. I new I’d feel better if I threw up but I hadn’t thrown up from too much alcohol since my freshman year in high school. I wasn’t going to take a step backward.

Telling Tilly what for was supposed to make me feel better. I was supposed to see her real colors. She was supposed to try and stop me from talking to tell me how much she cared about me. I called so many girls way worse things than a slut and they came trotting back for more like trick ponies. They weren’t supposed to wish me well and just hang up. That’s what…

That’s what real women did, Lucas. You blew it with this girl and you know it. Now pull yourself together and deal with it.

I stretched out on my bed but couldn't get comfortable. The room wanted to shift when I closed my eyes and I should have never eaten that whipped cream and cherry thing that Jenna had tucked back in the fridge. I could tell the way she had it back there she was trying to hide it for herself. I took a big scoop out of it and shoveled it in my mouth. Now it was swimming around in the muck already in my stomach waiting to come back up again.

I tried to stick it to Jenna and ended up making myself literally sick.

"Lucas. What is happening?" I looked at the clock. It blinked 2:53 a.m. at me. “Why did you call her now? Why didn’t you wait until the morning? Or even a week from now?

A wave of nausea rolled over me and I felt myself turn sweaty and cold all at once.

"I've had more to drink than I did tonight and been able to stroll in at six in the morning without any problems," I grumbled, rubbing my stomach. "Maybe I'm coming down with the flu."

Maybe your body is sick of your mouth too and would like to get away?

Just then I heard it.

“No. Please God. Anything but that.”

I held my breath as my stomach continued to fold over and over itself as if building up momentum.

But there was no denying that what I was hearing was Jenna and my father.

She was doing this on purpose. I know she was. Part of me wanted to go kick the fucking door down and drag her out by her hair. How could my father be so blind?

But another part of me, the part that was continually reminding me I shouldn’t have eaten that cherry thing and that I better just make my way to the bathroom because the inevitable was going to happen sooner or later. That part of me was saying let it go. Dad had made his choice.

Without warning everything I had consumed tonight lurched up my throat. I sat bolt upright on the bed, swung my legs over the side and clamped my hand over my mouth. In four long strides, I was in my bathroom, on my knees in front of the toilet letting everything out.

My body constricted painfully as everything was thrown into reverse. My throat burned and for a few paralyzing seconds, I couldn't breathe. I felt the sweat flooding my armpits and dripping down the center of my back. The burning in my throat and nose made my shoulders hunch up and my eyes watered terribly, blurring my vision and making my bathroom look like nothing more than wavy lines of white and dark blue.

Finally, after gagging and coughing and flushing the toilet half a dozen times to get the image and the smell of vomit out of the room I sat back. I was on my knees like I really was praying to the porcelain god and rested back on my haunches. Panting, I took in great gulps of air as sobriety quickly seeped in and I thought of what had happened this whole night.

“If I only would have gone to Tilly’s house.”

You might have had a really nice time. You might have found a good friend. Not like Henry. Not like Monica. But a genuine person. And you blew it.

“I didn’t blow it. I could stop by her house tomorrow and make things right.”

Did you forget you are leaving to go back to New Hampshire? You’re going to get the boot from your own father while Jenna stands behind him, her arms folded over her fake tits and that smirk on her face.

"I won't give them the chance," I said out loud. My voice echoed in the little room and bounced back at me.

Are you not going to say goodbye to your own father?

“He never says anything to me. He doesn’t ask me anything. He just tells me. Lucas, I’ll be in Hong Kong for two months. Lucas, the New York office is a mess. Be back in a week. Lucas, I’ve been working so hard I’m taking Jenna on a vacation. What the fuck?”

Why didn’t I tell Tilly what I wanted to tell her? Why didn’t I tell her that I needed her right now? I just wanted to talk to someone who had sense, someone who would just listen. Why did I say those things to her?

Now I had no family, the girl I liked hated me and I was being shipped back to school to await orders from my new step-mother about the life she and my father had picked out for me.

They only picked it out for you because they think you are too much of a fuck-up to do it yourself. They’re right, aren’t they?

I didn’t want to hear my own thoughts. I didn’t want to hear Jenna and my father either. Pushing myself up off the floor I looked at myself in the mirror. I didn’t recognize me. My skin was a sickly gray. My eyes were bloodshot and my lips were red and chapped from the acid that tore over them. I looked like a punk kid who tried to run with the big dogs but proved he’s only good enough to sit on the porch.

I shuffled out of the bathroom and flipped on every light. For a second the harshness stung my eyes but I quickly blinked it away.

In my closet was my Globe-Trotter James Bond special edition luggage set. I had only used it twice on a trip to Aruba with some buddies. Yes, it was to show off completely. The second time was a trip to my grandmother’s house in Virginia. That was my mother’s mother. She had no idea who I was and died about two months later.

This luggage cost $12,800. If I had a garage sale I'd be lucky if I got $200 for the whole set. Not because they had fallen in value. But no one would pay $12,800 for second-hand luggage. I chuckled.

It was sharp stuff. Sleek black leather with pristine, shining silver hinges and locks. I rubbed my hand over it and wondered why I hadn’t used it to take to school.

Because you were having a hissy fit with Jenna, remember? You showed her. You went to New Hampshire with nothing but the shirt on your back. Got held up by TSA at the airport because you looked so fucking suspicious. Had to buy new everything that day paying extra for delivery. Yeah, you really showed her.

I didn’t want to hear it but I couldn’t escape my own thoughts. What was wrong with me? Was I cracking up? Was there a strain of insanity in my family that maybe I was starting to show symptoms of?

"No, Lucas," I muttered. "You're just a jerk."

I grabbed the largest suitcase and began to pack. I would clear out my room as much as I could. I popped in my earbuds and blasted some Social Distortion to drown out my thoughts and any other gross sounds that might seep through the walls from down the hall.

By the time the sun started to come up I had all my clothes and a couple of keepsakes packed up tightly and ready to go in four of the six suitcases. The last thing I grabbed was my high school yearbook.

I sat down on my bed and felt my legs cry out in relief. I’d been standing almost the whole night walking back and forth and stretching and bending. I hoped most of the poison I had drunk was out of my system and I looked forward to a hot shower.

But it had become a compulsion. Every time I touched my yearbook I had to look at Tilly’s picture. We all had a quote we had to add to our picture. The instruction was something that captured our personality. Mine was YOLO. It stood for you only live once. Clever, right?

Tilly quoted Star Wars. “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for.” Funny, right? I remember her saying she was going to quote Star Wars and everyone thought it would be THE Star Wars quote “May the force be with you”. Then she pulls out this goofy shit and surprised everyone.

I remember being bothered that she did that. I didn’t even know her. This was before meeting at graduation and certainly before she came to my house. I thought she was odd-ball. Just a whack job chick because she didn’t notice me. It didn’t matter that I didn’t notice her until she parked her crappy neon next to my Ferrari. That was only once.

But the fact she fooled me and was unpredictable made me mad. That is the sure sign of a lunatic. I looked at her picture and my heart twitched. Pulling out my earbuds I looked at my phone. The little blue light didn't blink. That meant I didn't have any messages. No one called me, not even Henry.

I never felt this lonely. I never thought I would. I never thought I’d cry about it either. But I did.

Chapter 22 – Tilly

“Sandy, the last time you tried to fix me up with one of Brian’s buddies I ended up consoling him over his divorce. The guy cried over a song on the radio in the car. That isn’t normal.” I sipped my coffee on my front the front porch of my house. The weather in Minnesota was similar to that in Illinois. Today it was a beautiful cloudy day and the smell of fall was in the air.

After accepting the third offer that came from the law firm of Gray & Stein in St. Paul, Minnesota I packed up everything and rented a small house on the outskirts of the big city that turned out to be only twenty-three minutes from Sandy's house where she lived with her now-husband Brian and their two kid, Jacob who was two and Mary who was 6 months.

This wasn’t the most glamorous job I could have had. I was offered one job in New York and another in New Jersey but I declined them both. I had spent enough time on the east coast to last me a lifetime. I wanted the calmer and, quite frankly, more rational temperament of people from the Midwest.

“Yeah, I suppose I should have waited to introduce you two.” Sandy concurred.

“How is Tyler these days?”

“I think he checked into a sanitarium right after you guys went out.”

“That’s comforting.”

“Not because of you, Tilly.”

“Let’s hope not.” I took another sip of my coffee and propped my feet up on the railing. “I think I might go buy some pumpkins today. It’s a nice day to go to a pumpkin patch.”

“That would be a fantastic first date. I’ll call Karl and tell him to take you.” Sandy interrupted.

"No. Sandy," I whined. "I don't want to go to the pumpkin patch with Karl. I like my solitude. If I can't hang around you and your family then I prefer to be alone. What is that quote if you can’t stand your own company your not fit company for anyone else? Isn’t that how it goes?

“Yeah. That creepy psycho in the movie Misery said that exact same thing.”

“Yikes. That must be where I heard it.” I mumbled.

“Okay, I won’t suggest Karl take you to the pumpkin patch. Go ahead and search for the Great Pumpkin on your own. But you’ve lived here now for over a year and I think I’m the only person you know.” Sandy’s voice was full of concern.

“Did you talk to my mom?” I snapped.

“She’s just worried about you. She is afraid that you’ll turn into a spinster.”

"That term went away with the Victrola record player and handlebar mustaches." I griped. "Besides, spinsters usually aren't lawyers. They're librarians or school teachers. You guys need to read a book once in a while.”

“Okay, I’ll tell her you’re doing fine.” Sandy conceded.

“Thank you.” I grumped. “Are we still on for coffee on Wednesday?”
"Yes. The little monsters are with their dad all morning. It is Take Your Runts to Work Day and they just love going to the recruiting office."

“They do? How can you tell?”

“I can’t but I tell Brian that and he swells up all proud and then starts to cry.”

“He’s a Marine. I’ve never heard of a Marine crying as much as he does.”

“It’s the kids. He can’t believe he helped make something so cute and huggable.” I could see the smirk on Sandy’s face. “The problem is that he usually stares at them while they are sleeping. He rarely gets home in time to see the psychotic episodes that take place before they exhaust themselves.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“But let me tell you a little bit about Karl. I really think you’ll like him.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Stop rolling your eyes and listen to me. He’s never been married. He has a farmhouse in Moline. That’s only about an hour away.”

“How do you know him?”

“He’s in Brian’s Civil War reenactment group.”

“Oh, Lord.”

“Just listen. He knows how carpentry and makes his own furniture. That bench on our front porch, that he made.”
"That thing is lovely," I said sincerely.

“Right? Now there is one thing.”

“What?”

“It’s a little weird but really no big deal.”

“Spit it out, Sandy.”

“He has polythelia.”

“What the hell is that?”

"Well, it's commonly known as a triple nipple."

I waited for the follow-up giggle or chuckle to indicate that Sandy was joking but there was nothing.

“You’re joking. Brian told you to tell me that.”

“No. He’s seen it.”

“Sandy, is it Minnesota? Have all the oddities of the country just moved here because I don’t remember there being this many weirdoes in Chicago.”

“Just remember you moved here.” She replied quickly.

“I’m not going out with a tri-nippled guy. It ain’t happening.”

“It’s not like he’s got it on his forehead.”

“Sandy.” I laughed. I just don’t think I’m interested in dating anyone. Extra nipple or not. I’m just not interested.”

“Well, what about being interested in making a friend.” She pleaded. “You don’t have to marry the guy. But maybe he’ll end up being a good buddy. Someone you can call over to kill a spider or change a light bulb you can’t reach. IS that so bad.”

I sighed.

“No. That isn’t so bad.”

"Then maybe I can tell him you'd like to meet for a drink or something some time. I'll tell him you're just a nice person. Because you are, Tilly and more people should know that."

“Well, I’m pretty sweet on you, too, girl.” I looked at my watch. It was only nine-thirty on Saturday morning. I had the whole weekend free for the first time in over a month. My job kept me busy and I just wrapped up two back to back trials. One turned out well and the jury awarded the plaintiff next to nothing. The second went completely sideways and we were told to pay double what we’d offered to settle for.

“It happens.” my boss told me. “They can’t all be winners. You’ll get them next time.”

If I had the exact same outcome in New York or New Jersey they would have me walking the plank. That’s how those places operated and why they could pay so much. Because they knew they had a revolving door and in the long run they were getting the most work for the least amount of money. No job was worth getting an ulcer over.

“So I can give Karl your number?”

I let out a deep breath.

“Yes. But wait a while. Don’t call him right this second and tell him to call me immediately. Just tell tri-nips in a couple days, okay? Can you do that for me?”

“Yes. That I can do.” I could hear the smile in Sandy’s voice.

“Have you ever seen it?” I asked.

“No. Gross. What do I want to see a guy with three nipples for? Is the circus in town?”

I nearly passed my coffee out my nose as I started to laugh. Shaking my head I promised to call her later. I pressed the red disconnect button and slipped the phone into the pocket on my tacky green terry cloth robe. My fuzzy bear claw slippers had my feet sweating but that was okay.

“Oh, there you are.” I cooed. “Think you can just show up now after I’ve already had breakfast and coffee alone. You might just have to go hungry.”

“Meow.”

The calico cat slinked up the front steps like he were the most popular cat in town. His head was high, as was his tail that tickled the railing posts as he passed by. His eyes were gold and stared up at me while I slowly rocked on my porch swing.

Once I lowered my arms, that was the signal he could jump up in my lap. His motor instantly began to run and I received an affectionate head-butt on the chin.

"Yeah, all right. Did you have fun out here all night?" I scratched behind his ears. "I don't see any gifts. No dead mice or birds for mama?" He purred in my face. "Typical male." I squeezed him to me as I stood and went to the house locking the door out of habit behind me.

"You won't believe it, Spike, but Sandy wants me to go out with a guy who has three nipples," I said as I carried the big bundle of fur into the kitchen. I set him down on the counter where he posed nobly. "What do you think.”

He blinked lazily.

“Doesn’t impress you, huh?”

I poured his dry food into a tiny bowl and then gave him a splash of milk in a saucer. He raced to the saucer first.

I wasn’t sure what to do with myself now that I had nowhere to rush to. No motions to write or briefs to get filed or witnesses to prep or depositions to take. I could sit in front of the television all day. Order pizza to be delivered.

“Spike, I think it would be a nice day to light the fireplace, don’t you?”

He looked at me licking his chops.

Even though Sandy was my best friend I’d never tell her that I really was lonely. I joked about the guys she tried to fix me up with but a part of me way deep down inside was always optimistic. Stranger things had happened than a blind date actually working out, right?”

But even after all these years I still thought of Lucas. I remembered the way his hair curled over his forehead. I remembered the way his hands felt. I remembered that first wild kiss after graduation at his house. That seemed like a century ago. It was fun to reminisce every once in a while. Like now I would imagine what I’d tell him if I happened to bump into him someplace.

"I'm sure he's married now with some supermodel as his wife who had in-vitro-fertilization in order to have perfect babies who'd be raised by a slew of nannies," I told Spike. "She'd probably have to sign a prenup."

I walked into my living room. It was small and rustic with a wood burning fireplace and etched glass in each window on either side of the brick chimney.

My high school yearbook was in the corner of the bookshelf. I grabbed it took a seat on my country patterned couch. Flipping through quickly I found Lucas Prine. His quote was YOLO.

"That is so nerdy," I smirked. Then I flipped over to my page and nearly screamed.

“Ugh. Did you have enough hair poofed out?” I was embarrassed. “No wonder you did get any dates in high school. These aren’t the droids you're looking for. What a genius.” I spat sarcastically, reeling from the stupidity that came with being a teenager.

I did a lot of dumb things. Right now, taking this humiliating stroll down memory lane was one of them. Still, I flipped back to Lucas’s picture and smiled.

“Yeah, if I happened to bump into him someplace I’d pretend I didn’t remember who he was. Then I’d let him do all the talking. You look great, Tilly. I'm in town on business. I'm staying at the Four Seasons. Of course, he would be." I looked at Spike who had stretched out on the floor with a full belly. "Then I'd say Great. Gotta go. And just walk away. I wouldn’t look back or say anything mean because that would be exactly what he wanted. Nope. Just Gotta go. Keeping it classy, girl.”

That was what I thought of as I got dressed in a pair of comfy baggy blue jeans and a flannel shirt. I needed to collect some firewood. It was going to be a fabulously cold night tonight.

Chapter 23 – Lucas

When I woke up it took several minutes to figure out where I was. I knew it wasn't my apartment. There were hot pink, sheer curtains hanging over the windows doing nothing to keep the morning sun from blasting me right in the eyes. There were melted candles on the nightstand next to me that gave off a headache-inducing smell like gardenia or peony or some other sickeningly sweet flower.

"Good morning." I heard her voice and looked to my left. She was pretty, even with leftover mascara smudged underneath her eyes and bits of dried lipstick around the corners of her mouth. I had no idea what her name was.

"Good morning," I mumbled.

“Would you like some coffee?” She offered.

“Yeah.” I rubbed my eyes and scooted away from her. “That would be great.”

“I’ll be back in a minute.” She leaned over and forced her lips against mine awkwardly.

She was completely naked with a tramp-stamp tattoo across her lower back. It said something stupid I remember like Carpe Diem or Carpe Noctem with swirly scrolls around it. Her body was good though.

In a flash, everything came back to me. Everything but her name.

China Club was a trendy warehouse converted into a club. Of course, there was a line of people wrapped all the way around the corner. I pulled up in my new Ferrari that I had bought here in New Hampshire rather than paying the fee to have my old car transported all the way from Chicago.

I walked right in after slipping the doorman a hundred dollar bill. Once I was inside I let the thump-thump-thump f the club music flood all rational thoughts out of my head. I was in a hurry. I wanted what I came here to get and I saw her standing next to the bar with two other girls. She was wearing a black nylon blouse over a black bra that looked at least two sizes too small for her breasts. Her skirt was white leather and her legs were bare until they came to her stiletto ankle boots.

I went to the bar and ordered a shot of Jack Daniels. Then another. Then another. All the while I watched her. I stared at her face then let her see my eyes grope her breasts. She liked it, I could tell even though she rolled her eyes at me. But it didn't take long for her friends to find someone to dance with while she held their spot at the bar. She wasn't really holding their spot. She was waiting for me to come over. But I wouldn't. So she came to me. In the span of no more than twenty minutes we each did two shots of tequila.

It didn’t take long for her dump her friends and come with me out in the alley.

I liked how she kissed. I reminded me of when I was younger. Her lips were soft and she flicked her tongue delicately at my lips like she was too shy to totally French kiss. But she wasn’t too shy for me to slip my hand up her skirt.

I pressed her against the brick wall of the club. The music could still be heard outside but what I wanted to hear was her panting. She kept kissing me, letting little groans escape her lips every time I brushed her clit.

She wasn’t shy either. Her hand quickly slid down to my crotch and she massaged my hard cock through my pants. I couldn’t deny I was stiff and at attention but I wanted to make it last. I didn’t want to think about anything but fucking for a long time.

With her thighs slick and her body nearly ready to snap I spun her around and pulled her ass up against my crotch. With one hand I reach down between her legs and found her sweet clit again. With the other, I rubbed her breast that had bust loose from the bra but was still trapped behind the nylon shirt. Her nipple was hard and with every pinch and tweak, she gasped, pushing her ass into my crotch.

“Do you want to get out of here?” I whispered in her ear. Eagerly she nodded her head.

I lead her by the hand to my car parked in front of the line of people waiting to get into the club. I could tell by her face that she enjoyed getting into my Ferrari as much as she did having me tease her clit.

Before the engine was on she had her head in my lap and my zipper all the way down.

My hard dick nearly ripped through my Jockeys as her pretty red lips parted. She licked the tip like she was taking her time with an ice cream cone. I was going crazy.

“I live at 42 Pullam. Do you know where that is?” She breathed while brushing the tip of my member against her bottom lip.

“Yeah. I do.” I said. Just as I turned to head in the direction of Pullam she swallowed my cock whole.

“Oh God!” I could barely stay on the road. She slowly sucked up my shaft to the very tip before sliding all the way back down again. Over and over she did this as I drove almost thirty miles over the speed limit to get to her place.

Finally, I parked. I was ready to pop right there but she stopped and leaned back in the seat.

“Want to come upstairs?” She asked, her breast still peeking out from her bra.

From the car to her apartment was a blur but once we were inside behind her locked front door she had her top off and her panties down with her skirt hiked all the way up on her hips.

We were in her bedroom.

I had fallen onto the bed and pulled her on top of me. We kissed and sucked her fantastic tits while she stroked my throbbing member.

"I want to taste you," I whispered to her. Without letting me up, she brought her wet pussy to me and gently eased down over my hungry lips. I wrapped my hands around her ass and guided her movements up and down as my tongue slid over and over her clit. I could feel her body stiffen as she began to writhe and pant even heavier as her orgasm approached. But I didn't want her to come. Not yet.

“Please don’t stop.” She panted.

“No. No. You’ve been a bad girl.” I whispered. “I’m going to fuck you all night.”

“Yeah?” she pleaded. “Please fuck me.”

“Everyone is going to know you had your pussy rode on all night. They’re going to know how much you loved getting fucked.”

She must have never had anyone talk dirty to her because before I knew it she had slipped down over my thick cock and was riding me hard.

Her tits bounced beautifully as her pussy worked my dick. I put my hands gently on her ass, feeling it jiggle beneath my fingers. She must have liked that because each time I gave her a little squeeze her hips bucked faster.

Finally, I knew I couldn’t hold it much longer. I reached down to her clit and teased it with quick flicks of my finger sending her into a wild fit of desire. She bucked and bounced like a fish out of water and her voice climbed higher and higher.

“Oh! Oh! Oh!” She screamed. “Right there! Don’t stop!”

I couldn’t stop. She was milking my dick dry and just when I thought she was done she’d start again as her body trembled and rocked with wave after wave of pleasure tearing over her.

“I can’t stop!” She panted in my ear. “It feels too good!”

That it did. But before she could come again I slipped out of her, flipped her over on her stomach and entered her from behind. She cried out in pleasure and pushed her ass into me devouring my whole cock.

I reached between her legs and within seconds her body tightened around my dick. I fucked her good and hard, my balls slapping happily against her ass, my fingers teasing her button that was plump and juicy until I felt her floodgates open and her body rock back and forth, back and forth, back and forth until we both collapsed totally spent.

I pretty much passed out after that.

Once she was out of the room I rubbed my face and quickly sat up. My pants were draped over the end of the bed. Quickly I climbed into them, zipped up and buckled my belt. It was then that the news that pushed me over the edge came flooding back to me. My dad had called. He and Jenna had been married for four years. Nothing had gotten any better between us except the proximity of where we lived. I was in New Hampshire and they were in Chicago.

Sure I went home for holidays and my birthday but as soon as I stepped in the door Jenna would already have an excuse as to why I couldn’t stay for the full week I was supposed to.

But it wasn’t a visit that sent me to the nearest club to drink myself into the bed of some strange party girl.

“Lucas?” The girl called my name from the kitchen. What was her name? I couldn’t remember.

“Yeah?”

“Do you want cream or sugar?”

"Black is fine," I answered. I pulled on my Dolce & Gabbana t-shirt and could smell the cigarette smoke all over it. That meant my Charles Tewitt dress shirt probably also smelled like an ashtray and would need to be dropped at the dry cleaners. I saw my socks but couldn't find my shoes. I had to have them. I had to get those on before whats-her-face came back in here. Where the hell did they disappear to?

“Here you go.” She handed me a mug plain white mug. She took a sip out of a pink mug with the words This may very well be filled with wine written on it.

"That was quick," I muttered.

"Why have you dressed already?" she pushed her naked body past me making sure to rush one breast against my hand as she did so.

“I’ve got to get going.” I lied. “I’ve got a lot to do today.”

"Like what?" She crawled on top of her bed, slowly and carefully still holding her coffee cup. With her free hand, she pulled up her sheet but barely covered her naughty bits with it. She looked ridiculous in the light of day.

Sure she was pretty and built but it was Saturday morning and I had a whole mess of mess on my mind that needed to be sorted through.

“A lot of stuff I tried to forget last night. Thanks for giving me such a nice distraction. But I’ve got to go.”

“Fine.” She looked up at me with puppy dog eyes while biting her lip. “See you around.”

I knew what she was doing. She was trying to make me feel the way I was making her feel. The truth was that I really didn’t care how she felt. Hell, I couldn’t even remember her name.

“I’ll give you a call.” I lied again.

"Whatever." She snapped and loudly sipped her coffee. Her attitude was starting to make me mad. I looked at the floor.

“Where are my shoes?” I griped.

“I don’t know. Where’d you leave them?” She replied smartly.

"Look. I'm not playing some kind of game with you. Here's the deal. I'm not going to call. I'll probably never be in that club again. You and I were nothing more than a casual thing. So now that you know the truth can you tell me where my fucking shoes are so I can get the hell out of here?"

The look on her face was enough to scare sobriety into me. She whipped the sheet off her body, stood up for the bed, slipped on an oversized t-shirt and stomped past me elbowing me along the way.

I carefully followed her out of the bedroom hoping she wasn't heading toward the kitchen to retrieve a carving knife. In the little front room, she scooped up my shoes and held them in her hand.

"Thanks," I mumbled. But she wasn't picking them up to hand them to me. She walked to the front door, opened it up and stepped out into the hallway. I was sure she was just making sure I got her point. Take your shoes and get the hell out of my house. But that wasn't all she wanted me to know.

The clank-clang of a heavy metal door opening echoed down the hallway. Outside the Exit sign was the fire escape. Whats-her-name dangled my shoes over the edge.

“Wait! No!” I barked but it was too late. She dropped them down six stories into the alley. Without another word she slid past me, her elbow painfully finding my ribs again, then went back into her apartment slamming the door behind her.

Thank goodness my keys and wallet were still in my pants.

I can't blame her for being mad but she didn't have to throw my shoes away. I'd probably have to get a tetanus shot after walking in stocking feet in an alley. Besides, I wasn't the one playing games. She thought she had me fooled like I was going to get all blue-balled and frustrated because she pretended not to care if I called her. If she knew I didn't even remember her name she probably would have tossed me off the fire escape. I chuckled a little at that. But as soon as I made it downstairs I wasn't laughing. Half a dozen people were staring at me as I shuffled barefoot across the cheaply decorated lobby.

I don't know if it had rained sometime during the night or not but the sidewalk and alley were wet. Now I was pissed off.

The whole reason I even went out last night was because of my conversation with Jenna. She called yesterday leaving half a dozen messages like she always does that I needed to call back. Everything with her was important. I had to drop everything I was doing just because she called. I can tell you how many times that actually happened. Never.

Why should this time be any different?

But when my dad called and left a message demanding to know why I didn’t call Jenna back I knew something was up.

“Lucas?” Jenna asked when I answered the phone.

“Yeah, Jenna. What is it that’s so important?” I grumbled.

“Lucas. Now isn’t a good time. I really wanted to talk to you earlier but you insisted on ignoring my calls. I’ll have to call you back.”

“Jeez, Jenna.” I huffed. “Why does everything have to be a drama with you? I’m here, on the phone. Just tell me what the hell was so important.”

"Your father is going in for an emergency coronary bypass. We're at the hospital right now. I'll call you when it's all over."

She just hung up. Can you believe that? That she had just hung up after telling my dad was having his heart operated on. Who does that?

Quickly I dialed her number again but it went right to voicemail. I’m sure the bitch was just looking at my number and laughing to herself. I waited all day for her to call me back. When she finally did all she could tell me was that my dad was in his room and resting and that she’d call me tomorrow. That was yesterday.

I didn't know what to do? So I did what I always do when things get too intense. I went to a bar and spent my money like the fountain could never dry up and picked up whats-her-name to fuck for a couple hours.

I finally found my shoes. One had fallen into a puddle of God knows what. The other had fallen dangerously close to the dumpster but thankfully whats-her-name's aim wasn't that good and it just landed on the sidewalk.

I slipped it on and walked back to my car.

I sat down in the driver's seat and pulled out my phone to see there were still no calls or messages. I ground my teeth and dialed Jenna's number again. Finally, she picked up.

"Lucas your father will be going home at the end of this week," Jenna said without saying hello.

"Well, that's good to know. I'll catch a flight out there on Thursday so I can…"

“Catch a flight out here for what?” Jenna snapped.

“To see my father.” I shook my head in disbelief.

“Well, your father and I already talked and decided it wasn’t necessary for you to come all the way home.”

“What?”

“Yeah. I mean, really, what would you do here, Lucas? It isn’t like you have any kind of nursing skills or anything that might help.” Jenna laughed. “Besides, your dad and I were discussing his business and…”

“You and my dad were discussing his business. You with all your worldly real estate knowledge?” I snapped.

“Your father’s office in Minnesota isn’t doing all that great and he wants you to take what you’ve done in New Hampshire and do it in Minnesota.”

I didn’t say a word.

"It'll be a hefty pay raise, of course, and Ned Miles is retiring in a year so you'll be head of the region. I think it's a great opportunity and it would really help your father breath easier and just focus on getting better if you would agree to do this."

What could I say? My whole mouth dried up but my eyes started to water. My dad was recuperating but didn’t want to see me? He and Jenna decided I should go to Minnesota? Don’t come home? I swallowed hard but there weren’t any words I could say. My mind was a total blank.

“You can’t be selfish at a time like this, Lucas.”

“When does he want me to go?” I asked.

“He thought as soon as possible would be best. So I can tell him you’ll do it?” She pushed.

"Yeah," I muttered. "I'll go to Minnesota."

Chapter 24 – Tilly

All I could think was that I was going to kill Sandy when I saw her. Not only was Karl too touchy-feely but his choice of topics for light conversation was highly questionable. Plus, I think he was a borderline drug addict and alcoholic.

“Man, I did so much coke last night.” He said after introducing himself to me at the bar. “I just wish I could lay in bed. Did you ever feel like that? You just want to lay in bed?”

"Yeah," I replied. "I've had days like that."

“Let me ask you if you could lay in bed all day would you wear panties or nothing at all?”

I tilted my head as if I were a dog hearing a high-pitched noise. Yes, Sandy was going to get a beat down when I saw her again.

Thankfully she agreed to meet Karl at a place that was closer to her house than his. Felix’s was a fairly upscale restaurant and bar that I’d been in a couple times with clients and some of the partners from work. When Karl mentioned meeting me here I assumed he had been here before and that was an encouraging sign to me.

But as soon as he opened his mouth I could smell the liquor. His eyes were red around the edges and although he wasn’t ugly his initial impression was not a good one. Not to mention he gave my breasts quite a bit of attention. If eyes left fingerprints my tits would be covered with them.

“You know, I need to use the ladies room. I’m not feeling all that well.”

“Really?” He looked genuinely concerned. “Maybe you’d like to go back to your place. I’ll be happy to give you a back rub. I know that always makes me feel better.”

“Ha.” I chuckled. “I don’t think that will be necessary.”

“Come on.” He insisted. “Maybe you’d rather have a foot massage. There are some places where that is considered the ultimate foreplay.”

"I'll be right back," I said as I scooted my stool away from the bar. As I walked to the hostess podium I looked back. Karl was not looking at me but was instead ordering another drink for himself.

If you walked out of the bar area you could go to the left to the main dining room or you could go to the right where the entrance was. I went to the right.

I stood behind the pretty girl with the tight blond bun and black dress so I couldn’t be seen.

"Hi," I whispered. "I've been here a couple,times for lunch."

“Yes, I recognize you. You’re usually with Gray & Stein. It’s nice to see you again.”

“Aren’t you sweet to remember.” I smiled. “I need your help.”

The woman leaned in closer to me suspiciously.

“I’m on an absolutely horrible date. I mean, the worst you could ever imagine. I’m going to leave and I was hoping that you or maybe the manager could tell that guy at the bar that I’ve left after about five minutes.”

The hostess turned around and looked at Karl.

“The guy in the white shirt and tie?” She confirmed.

“Yeah, that’s him. He’s drunk so maybe if there is a male manager around or one of your bigger waiters they could pass the message along. I don’t think he’d start any trouble with them. But you’re a pretty little thing. I’d hate for him to do anything stupid.”

“I have a brown belt in karate.” She whispered. “I can take him.”

“Well, I don’t think you’ll need to use it but it’s good to know for future reference.” I slipped her a twenty dollar bill and smiled.

“Hey, do you have a business card?” She asked. I pinched my eyebrows together and nodded my head yes. “Drop it in the bowl. I’ll make sure you get a free lunch. I’d hate to think you didn’t at least get a meal out of your date.”

“Aren’t you the sweetest thing?” I gushed. Quickly I pulled out one of my business cards and dropped it in the fishbowl. “Thanks again and I’ll see you soon.” I winked. But as I turned to push my way out the revolving doors I stopped in my tracks. I didn’t know whether to laugh, cry or run.

“Tilly?”

I stiffened my back and squared y shoulders like I was getting ready for a twelve round boxing match.

“Lucas Prine?” I said the name like it tasted bad in my mouth. “This has got to be the unluckiest night of my life.”

“I can’t believe this. What are you doing here?” he looked happy and handsome and I could smell his cologne that was still spicy and warm and inviting and it made me madder by the second.

“I’m trying to leave. What does it look like.”

Out of the corner of my eye, the hostess's head went from the bar to me to Lucas back to me and back to the bar again like she was watching some bizarre tennis match.

"Well, wait. Have you eaten? Maybe you'd just like to have a drink. It's just too weird running into you like this. Are you here for business or vacation?"
I couldn’t believe all the questions. Who did Lucas Prine think he was? I knew exactly who he thought he was. He thought he was the cat’s ass. Well, I had news for him. I wasn’t the same girl he knew in high school. This wouldn’t end well for Karl or Lucas Prine.

Chapter 25 - Lucas

When I stepped out of my car I had the feeling that something was happening around me. I couldn't put my finger on it. The city seemed to be moving at its normal pace. But my gut sensed a shift in the air and as soon as I walked into Felix's Restaurant I saw her.

Tilly Grant was talking fast to the hostess. Her arms were waving her face was animated and something had her very excited. Her hair was shorter cut in a sexy bob with bangs but her body had remained perfect in every way. This was not the same girl I knew in high school. This was a woman who looked like she had everything.

Whatever was going on it was obvious she was happy. Maybe she just had a really great dinner or maybe she knew the hostess and they were friends. I couldn’t tell. All I could see what that it was Tilly and she was right in front of me. In Minnesota. I didn’t believe in signs but it would be pretty hard to deny the coincidence staring me in the face.

It never occurred to me she could be on a date or maybe married. She might have had half a dozen kids waiting for her at home. All I thought of was myself, as usual. That inevitably brought the past into focus.

For a split second, I remembered our last conversation those years ago. Maybe not each and every word but I remembered the gist of it. That explained why her smile fell away so quickly when she saw me. I tried to act casual but she wasn't having any of it. What had I done?

“If you’ll just step aside I’d like to leave.” That was her only response to my dinner invitation.

“Tilly.” I choked. “Can we talk? I’m so shocked to see you right now.”

She pushed past me and out the revolving door. I followed right behind her and heard her grunt in disgust.

“What do you want?” She barked.

“I just want to talk to you.” I put my hands in my pockets like a kid being scolded for breaking a window with a baseball. Except the comparison made me realize I broke more than that. Only a woman with a broken heart could have so much hatred in her eyes. Still, I wouldn’t look away from her. I couldn’t.

“Talk to me? Like you did six years ago on Christmas? Did you really think I’d forget that? How many people have you spoken to like that in your life? Too many for you to count, I’m sure.”

“Tilly. So much has happened.”

“That’s right. So much has happened." She stomped up to me and for a moment I thought she was going to slap me. Still, I didn't flinch. I was ready for it, almost hoping for it. But, like everything Tilly did, she surprised me. She had tears in her eyes. "I could go into it and tell you how different things are for me. I could brag. I could try and one up a billionaire spoiled brat but I'm not going to. You don't get to know anything about me."

“Tilly, if you’ll give me a minute. Sixty seconds to explain.”
"Explain." She laughed. "Sixty seconds. Go." She folded her arms in front of her pushing her beautiful breasts up high. I didn't let my eyes stay there. I looked into her eyes that were red but still so beautiful.

“It’s hard to know where to start but I’m here in Minnesota to run my dad’s office. He just had heart surgery and Jenna told me not to come and visit. Can you believe that? She said she and my father thought it would be best if I just got to work. There was no need for me to come back to Chicago. That’s what they think of me.” I stood there and waited for her response.

“So you’re dad and Jenna are still together?” She asked quietly.

"Yeah. They got married four, five, six years ago. I don't remember."

“Were you at the wedding?”

“No.” I chuckled bitterly. “They had a small ceremony with just her family. I was supervising a major overhaul at our New Hampshire office and couldn’t get pulled away.”

“I’m sure you complained about that to anyone who would listen, didn’t you.” She patronized. “Did you tell them how Jenna is only after your dad’s money? How she can’t be trusted? Did you tell them how much you hate her?”

I stepped back.

“It’s funny.” She continued. “I’ll bet you could take those three sentences and substitute your name for hers and find out what she is telling all of her friends. Lucas is only after his dad's money. He can't be trusted. I hate him so much." She started to laugh.

I watched her face and she looked like she was really enjoying herself.

“My gosh, Lucas. You and Jenna are exactly alike. Exactly!” She nearly doubled over laughing. “No wonder you can’t find a way to get along. You’re two peas in a pod.”

The suggestion was horrifying. I was nothing like Jenna. She was a bitch who used people like my father to get what she wanted.

“Look. I’d love to stay and make fun of you some more.” Tilly handed a ticket to the valet standing at a small wooden podium who instantly took off running. “But one pathetic date at a time. No worries, though, Lucas. I don’t want your money.” She pointed to my Ferrari that was parked right in front of the restaurant. I was suddenly embarrassed it was there. That had never happened before. “I never did. I only wanted you. But now I don’t even want that.”

A cranberry-colored Lexus pulled up where we were standing. Tilly stomped around to the driver's seat, handed the valet a tip and climbed in. She couldn't get out of there fast enough. With screeching tires, she pulled into traffic and sped out of sight.

The valet stood staring at me.

Without thinking I went into the restaurant but as I looked around I suddenly didn’t feel very hungry.

“Can I help you?” The hostess chirped.

She was a beautiful girl. Up until ten minutes ago, I would not have thought twice about seducing her and bringing her back to my apartment to fuck and then toss out as soon as the sun came up, if not sooner. But not now.

Like I had said there was a shift in the air.

“The woman who just left?” I approached her hoping that my good looks were enough to get her to help me. “Did she have a reservation? Would you happen to have her number on it?”

“Even if I did I couldn’t give it out. I’d get fired for that.”

"Are you sure you couldn't help me out?" I reached into my pocket and pulled out two hundred dollars. I was feeling especially generous.

“I don’t know. You could be a stalker or a lunatic or something. To be honest she didn’t look too happy to see you. Poor thing. Such a pretty girl who seems to have terrible luck with guys.”

“Why would you say that?”

“She was sneaking out on the guy at the bar.” She jerked her head to the left. “White shirt and tie.”

“Did she say why?”

“She didn’t have to. The guy came in loaded to the gills. I can only imagine what he was saying to her.”

“I really could use your help.”

“I don’t think so.”

I slyly took her hand and slipped the two hundred dollar bills into her palm.

“I’m not a stalker. My name is Lucas. I own…I mean, I work for Cambridge Logistics. I can promise you that the last thing I want to do is hurt that girl. I’ve done that enough. I muttered shamefully.

The hostess looked around then leaned forward.

"I can't give you her number. But she dropped her business card into the bowl." She nodded toward the giant fishbowl with business cards in it to win a lunch or free cocktails or something. I gave the girl a wink, peeked over the top and saw the name Telula Grant on the card lying on top.

Without hesitation, I reached in and pulled out the business card and read it.

Senior Associate Attorney. The Gray & Stein Law Firm.

“Thank you.” I think it was the first time I ever said thank you in my whole life. The hostess smiled.

“You’re welcome. Good luck.” The hostess smirked.

Before I could leave the guy in the white shirt and tie came up to the hostess station. He was good looking but not nearly good enough for Telula.

“Hey, did you see a woman with short brown hair and a tight skirt, big boobs walk past here?”

“Yes. She asked me to tell you she left.”

“What?”

“She left.”

I watched the man stand there stunned. Without saying another word he strolled back to the bar and ordered another drink. Within a few seconds after downing a shot of some brown liquid he was on his phone. I was sure it wasn't a backup date.

It may not have been the best idea but I decided to have seat at the bar.

When I sat down I could hear his one-sided conversation.

"I don't even know what to say. But I thought we had a good connection here. I didn't know you were a stuck up bitch."

The words made me wince. Not because this drunk was saying them but because I had done the same thing.

Mr. White Shirt and tie rattled off a couple more insults that any high school boy could come up with then hung up. He looked over at me and clicked his tongue.

“Rough night?” I asked innocently.

“You have no idea.” He replied. “I just got stood up.”
"No," I smirked.

“Yup. She snuck out on me. Just now. Not five minutes ago. Left me with the tab, too.”

“She just left here?” I acted shocked. “Not that tall brunette. Short hair.” I put my hands in front of me to measure her breasts. The guy nodded enthusiastically. I continued to play dumb. “That was who you were on a date with? Wow.”

“I know, right.”

“How did you meet her?”

“A buddy of mine fixed us up.”

“Really? A girl like that doesn’t get many dates. That ought to tell you something.” I waved down the bartender and ordered myself a Manhattan and a round for my new friend.

“Thanks, man.” He nodded. “Cheers.” He raised his glass and tossed back the shot of Jack Daniels. Before I could ask another question he scooted over to me.

“My buddy told me that she hadn’t been on a date since high school. She was all work, work, work. That she never dated.” He leaned closer to me and I was nearly struck blind by the heavy alcohol on his breath. “You know a woman with a body like that doesn’t just sit at home with her cat. She’s doing something.”

“What do you think that is?” I sipped my drink.

“She’s probably one of those freaks that answers ads for dominatrix’s or has wild, random sex with strangers.” He scoffed.

“But if that were true why do you think she met up with you?”

“I don’t know. But I knew that I was going to get a taste of that no matter what. I still might.”

“What do you mean?” Lucas’s mouth suddenly went dry.

“I know where she lives. I might just have to show up there tonight and finish what we started.”

My stomach tightened.

“Yeah? Does she live far from here?”

“Just about half hour away. My buddy said she rented a house somewhere around Brightwood and Burr Oak Lane.

“You don’t want to get yourself in trouble for that.”

“I don’t know. You saw her. I might be willing to do jail time to say I had that.” He chuckled drunkenly.

“Naw. There are dozens of women who would find you attractive. Hundreds even.”

“Yeah? You think?” the drunk rubbed his chin.

“Sure. You don’t ever need to take a woman down the way you’re talking.” I clapped him on the shoulder. “I’ll bet if you just hang around here a while you’ll find a lady willing and able. Just be patient.”

“Yeah, but to stand a guy up that way. After getting him all torqued up, promising an evening…” He pulled his mouth down at the corners. “She’s got no right.”

“Well. Think about it, pal. Everyone that works here knows what happened. I know. If anything happens to that woman, who you said is a friend of a friend. Well, you’d never get away with it.”
I waved the bartender over and got him another round. It was my thinking that this guy wouldn't be going anywhere to commit any felonies if he were drunk enough. But all the same, I arranged with the bartender to have him stuffed in a cab and sent home when he was drunk enough.

“But look.” I offered. “I suggest you stay here and let my friend, excuse me.” I called to the bartender who was a huge muscleman with a well-manicured beard and the name Tina tattooed on the knuckles of his left hand. “What is your name?”

“Terry.” The giant said.

“This is my good friend Terry. He’s going to take care of you. When you’re ready to go he’ll have a cab waiting to take you home.”

“Really? No, man. I can’t accept that. It’s too much.”

“Nope. I insist.”

“What? I can’t believe it.” I swear tears came to his eyes. “That’s a beautiful gesture, man. It really is.”

“Terry. Take good care of my friend here.”

I slid off the barstool, shook both Terry and Mr. White Shirt and tie's hands and walked out of the restaurant. I still hadn't eaten but for the first time in a long time, I felt good.

My Ferrari sat out on the curb like a tacky hooker. After I climbed in I decided I wanted to trade it in for something else. Maybe a truck. No. Who was I kidding? There were still some things that would never change. I didn’t have to drive a Ferrari. A Hummer might be more practical. I’d figure that out tomorrow.

Tonight I decided to head off in the direction Mr. White Shirt and tie said was where Tilly lived. It was a one in a million shot I’d find her place. But I couldn’t bear the idea of not checking on her after a drunk threatened to rape her and perhaps do worse.

If Luck was a lady she might not be on speaking terms with me. But as I drove around making a few turns here and there I thought of what Mr. White Shirt and tie had said. It led me to Burr Oak Lane. With just a couple of houses on it, I thought I spotted the silver Lexus in the gravel driveway of a yellow house that looked like a rustic dollhouse.

Flipping off the lights I came to a stop just down the road a piece from the house and cut the engine. I just watched and waited.

Chapter 26 – Tilly

"Spike. I'm never going on another date. That's it for me." I hustled into my house through the back door that led into my kitchen. My cat sat on the circular woven rug that I had placed in front of the stove. He stretched then yawned and then finally slinked up to me to rub on my leg and quickly slip outside. "Fine, ungrateful. Go on and enjoy yourself. Why should I be the only one who has a lousy evening?"

My phone had started ringing in the car but I didn’t answer it. If it were Karl I had nothing to say to him. If it were Sandy, well, I’d have a discussion with her about standards later.

And if it were Lucas?

“It can’t be Lucas. He doesn’t have my phone number.” I threw my purse on the kitchen table, kicked off my heels and stomped up the stairs to my bedroom on the second floor. Slipping into a pair of sweats and my bear claw slippers I washed my face, pulled back my hair with a headband and decided on a glass of wine on the porch.

What was I supposed to do now knowing that Lucas Prine was in my city? That’s right. MY city. I was here first.

I thought of the times Lucas and I were together. Of course, I did. They were amazing and wild but they were also a long time ago. He made it perfectly clear what he thought of me that last time on the phone. This was just another attempt to get me to feel bad for him.

“That’s the thing!” I shouted after my first sip of merlot. “I never felt sorry for him! He is the last guy anyone should feel sorry for.” I paced around my house. “What the hell! Who cares if his stepmother doesn’t like him? Who cares if his father doesn’t love him. It isn’t like he’s related to Leona Helmsley. He’s set up for life. He’s got everything and yet still can find things to complain about. Who does that?”

I know my shadow against the closed curtains had to look like a woman either gone mad or running for office. Those two things were the same thing. But I was more upset about running into Lucas than I was Karl’s bad behavior. That could be chalked up to nerves.

Lucas actually had the nerve to give me some song and dance about how bad things are for him. So bad he had to buy a new Ferrari. Right.

From upstairs I heard my phone go off. Like an idiot, I dashed down to grab it before it went to voicemail. It was Sandy.

“What were you thinking?” I answered.

“What? I didn’t go well?” She sounded genuinely shocked.

“Karl showed up already drunk.”

“No!”

“Yes. Oh, Sandy and he was one of those drunk dirty-talkers asking so what’s your favorite sexual position or do you sleep in the nude or just panties.”

“No! No!” Sandy started laughing and sadly, so did I. “Tilly, I’m so sorry. He obviously isn’t like that around me. I thought he was a decent guy, I really did. Maybe he was nervous?”

“I thought that but come on. It was just a date for drinks I wasn’t reading the results of his colonoscopy.”

Sandy cracked up.

I could hear Brian in the background asking her how my date went.

"He showed up drunk and asked her about her panties," Sandy repeated. As if I weren't humiliated enough Brian's howls of laughter drove home the piteous state I was in.

“So, how did the evening end?”

"I snuck out," I stated proudly.

“You know, I’ve fixed up other friends on dates and you are like my Achilles Heel. My one and only disappointment. My problem child. Why is that?”

“Oh, because you find weirdoes for me and normal people for your other friends. Pretty simple. Either that or your other friends are blind, crippled and crazy and will take whatever they can get.”

“That’s about right.” Sandy giggled.

"But that wasn't all." I sighed. With my phone pinched between my ear and shoulder I pulled down one of my favorite long stem wine glasses and set it on the counter. With all the class of a trailer park queen, I went into my freezer and grabbed two ice cubes. I dropped them in the glass, pulled the wine bottle from the corner of my counter and filled the glass almost all the way to the top.

“I don’t think I can bear it, Tilly.” Sandy joked.

“Are you sitting down?”

“I am now.”

“As I was making my getaway who was walking into Felix’s? I’ll give you one guess.” I took a sip and let the dry wine drown my taste buds before swallowing it.

“Uhm. James Woods?”

“I wish. No. Lucas Prine.”

“Who?” Sandy asked.

“Lucas Prine from high school.”

"That is a name I haven't heard in some time," Sandy said somberly. "Did he see you?"

“Yes, and came right up to me telling me he wanted to talk to me.”

“Talk?”

I rolled my eyes and tried to bite my tongue to keep the strange well of tears that had bubbled up from spilling over my eyelids. I wasn’t sure why I wanted to cry. But I cleared my throat instead.

“That’s what he said. Sandy, why is he here?”

“Did you ask him?”

“No.” I chuckled bitterly. “I gave him a piece of my mind and drove off.”

“Well, that had to feel good.” She encouraged.

“You’d think so. Truthfully, I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut. Everything is all tied up in knots.”

“I’m going to go out on a limb here, Tilly and say something you might want to punch me for.”

“What is it?” I shuffled to my front door, pulled it open and stepped out on my porch to sit in the swing and prop my feet up along the railing.

“Do you have feelings for Lucas?”

I nearly choked.

"The only reason I'm asking is that he's the only guy you've ever had any real experience with. I don't think you can count losing your virginity to Todd Fetcho junior year. That was more like an accident than an experience."

“Talk about a name I haven’t heard for some time.” I clicked my tongue.

“Don’t change the subject. Is there anything about Lucas that you do like? Besides the backseats of his cars.”

“Ouch.” I pouted.

“I’m sorry.” Sandy continued. “I’m teasing you. But seriously. What is it about him that pulls you to him?”

“I don’t think anything pulled me to him tonight. I told you I really told him off for good.” I stated proudly.

“I believe you. But you haven’t seen him in a couple years.” Sandy’s voice was soft and I could tell she was trying to be kind. “You could have just walked past him and said nothing. I saw Shelly Pinkowski at a WalMart once. Sure, I would have loved to go up and punch her in the face. But when she waved at me I just looked at her like she was crazy and walked away. It was just as satisfying and yet I kept it classy. Do you see what I mean? So, let me ask you. Did you have to talk to him or did you feel pulled in by something?”

I couldn’t believe it. The words sixty seconds just clanged through my head.

"Lucas asked for sixty seconds to explain," I answered meekly.

“And you gave it to him?”

“Yup.”

“I’m not saying you’re a bad person, Tilly. On the contrary, I think you are a great person. You are the complete opposite of Lucas Prine. I think that might be why there is this connection between the two of you. He’s probably too stupid to realize it. And you…”

“What?”

“You are too stubborn.”

I knew she was right but the words stung.

"So you didn't get to see the triple-nipple?" She asked sadly.

"Thank goodness, no."

Sandy and I chatted a little longer. When we finally hung up my head was swimming. It might have been the wine. It was a fantastic fall evening. The sun was already deep on the horizon, the stars were out and the smell of someone having a bonfire or burning wood in their fireplace filled my nose. I had placed a couple of pumpkins on the porch. Their orange color popped against the white steps and banister.

"I did have feelings for him," I mumbled. "But he made it clear that was not important to him. I wasn't good enough for him back then. He's not good enough for me now."

I finished my glass of wine and just as I stood from my swing and was about to go inside an all too familiar vehicle slowly drove past my house.

“I don’t believe this.” Any compassion or hope that I had suddenly started to feel vanished. I was angry. “Hey!” I shouted as I stomped down the porch steps to the edge of my gravel driveway. The car hit the brakes. The red taillights lit up the street and I heard the gears shift into park. The driver’s side door opened and Lucas stepped out.

“This is just great.” I spat. “What the hell? How did you find my house?”

“Look. I know you’re mad. I don’t blame you. But that guy you left at Felix’s was pretty pissed.”

“So. And how would you know?”

“Well, I went and spoke with him. You see I saw…”

“Funny.” I hissed. “What did you do? Give him some pointers. Tell him what I like and what I don’t like. You’re just a gentleman all around, aren’t you, Lucas.”

“No. You’ve got it all wrong.” He tried to walk up to me but I backed up.

"You see that line there. That is what separates the public property from private property. Cross over onto my private property and I'm calling the cops. Don't think I won't."

“If you’d just listen to me for a minute.”

“I gave you a minute before and I can’t get that back. Your time is up.”

“No, Tilly. This is important.”

“I’ve had it.” I turned around and headed back to my front door with 9-1-1 dialed on my phone.

“Tilly, please.”

"Hi. My name is Telula Grant. I'm at 471 Burr oak Lane. There is a guy here on my property and he will not leave. Yes, I know him. His name is Lucas Prine."

“Tilly, are you kidding me?” Lucas yelled.

"He's trespassing," I reported.

The emergency operator asked me a few other questions. Was I inside or outside my house? Was the man inside or outside my house? Did I think I was in danger?

"I don't think so," I replied honestly. If the operator thought I was wasting her time or overreacting it didn't come out in her voice. She told me a squad car was on the way.

"Ma'am, can you make it to your front door?"

“Yes. I can.”

She instructed me to go inside and wait for police.

“Tilly, this is serious. Fine. You know what? I’m glad you called the police!” Lucas shouted. “That’s exactly who we need right now! I swear, Tilly, you are the most stubborn person I’ve ever met!”

There was that same word Sandy had used to describe me. Before Lucas could say anything else I went to my house and slammed the front door shut, snapping the deadbolt into place.

"I'm inside," I told the operator.

She talked to me while I watched out the front window and had me describe Lucas as best I could. I didn't dare tell her how I really saw him, devastatingly handsome after all these years. He'd grown into a man at least physically. Instead, I gave the operator a generic portrait. About six foot two. One hundred seventy-five pounds. Black hair. Drives a Ferrari.

“Well, that out to be easy to spot.” The operator replied.

Finally, the blue and red lights of the patrol unit arrived. I thanked the operator and watched out the window as Lucas walked right up to the squad car.

“He’s talking to the police.” I hissed. “I don’t believe this. He’s chatting with them.”

Two officers got out of the car and shined their flashlights on Lucas as he handed over his wallet. I know it’s a horrible thing to think but why couldn’t these two guys be a couple of those bad cops that are reported in the news all the time? Why couldn’t they shake him down, rough him up and send him on his way?

Okay, my emotions were getting the best of me. I didn’t want to see that. There was no reason for two perfectly good cops to get their uniforms messed up over a guy like Lucas.

“What the heck is going on? I’m the one who called. I’m the one who needs help. I’ll bet they don’t even come and talk to me. He’ll slip them some money and they’ll forget all about this call. I can see that happening.”

But I was wrong. The second officer headed toward the house. When he knocked on the front door I opened it up and blinked nervously.

“You called about a trespassing?”

"Yes, Officer." I remained calm. This would not be footage played on an episode of COPS where the police arrive and the lady of the house starts screaming about her "common-law" husband who she has a restraining order against even though his name is on the lease.

“No, Officer. I live here alone. I rent this house by myself.”

“Well, we got a very different story from Mr. Prine.”

“Oh, I’ll bet you did.” I folded my arms across my chest.

“Were you at Felix’s restaurant tonight?” The officer suddenly seemed very concerned about where I was and what I was doing earlier tonight.

"Yes, I was. Mr. Prine first approached me there. Then he found out where I lived and….

"Were you there with someone?"

"Yes," I answered quietly. "I was supposed to have a date. It didn't turn out too well so I left."

“What made you leave the restaurant?”

"It was the first date and he showed up drunk. I was uncomfortable. So I snuck out before things could get out of hand."

“Mr. Prine knew this man?”

“Not that I’m aware of. But I don’t know what he’s telling you.” I felt my blood boiling and my eyes starting to sting with tears. “Because if he’d told you the truth he would have told you that when I ran into him I said I never wanted to see him again. Well, maybe not those exact words but that was the gist of it.”

Here I was defending myself to this big, burly member of the Fraternal Order of Police and Lucas was probably out there in the yard making jokes about me. Guys like him always had connections to the police. There was probably a guy in Chicago who was buddies with Lucas’s father. Just one phone call was all he’d need to make to have these guys drive away. If he says anything about the backseat of a squad car I’ll kill him with my bare hands.

“Miss Grant?” The officer snapped me out of my daydream.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Mr. Prine said he spoke with the fellow you left at the restaurant. He felt the man might be a threat to you.”

"That's absurd," I replied. "Why would he even suggest that? I don't understand where he's coming from. I'm telling you this is just a ruse to come over here and try and talk with me."

“He told my partner that the man you stood up was angry and told Mr. Prine he was considering coming to your home.”

I held my breath. I wasn’t sure if I should believe anything Lucas says but one thing he never did was he never lied to me. He may not have communicated his feelings very well but I can’t recall him lying to me.

“Karl was a joke.” I squinted my eyes and looked at the officer. “He was drunk and you don’t take a guy like that very seriously. I can’t imagine he’d say something like that.”

“But you did say this was your first date. You don’t know much about him.”

I shook my head no.

“Okay, Miss Grant, if you’d have a seat here on the porch. I’ll be right back.” The officer closed the little notepad he’d been scribbling in and slipped his flashlight back into the loop on the side of his huge utility belt. I sat down on the swing and looked around. The neighbors had come out to gawk. That was embarrassing.

Like a guilty child who knew they were busted Spike came slithering up the front porch steps sticking closely to the shadows.

“I don’t know what you did but you look guilty. Get in the house.” I ordered. Spike did as he was told and snuck in the front door.

I looked everywhere but at the police and the squad car and Lucas. I didn’t want any more excitement. I just wanted them all to leave.

Finally, I peeked up and saw Lucas stomp to his car, get in and drive away. My whole body sagged with relief.

But the police weren’t done with me.

“Miss Grant, we’re going to have a squad car circle around here a couple times tonight. We don’t want you to be alarmed if you see one. From what Mr. Prine told us we believe he was telling the truth.”

“Telling the truth about what? That he showed up here all stealthy-like and tried to…”

“He tried to warn you. He went about it the wrong way. He should have called us first. But we have his word he won’t be bothering you the rest of the night.”

I folded my arms over my chest.

The police gave me a quick rundown of what to do in case Karl does show up. They reminded me to lock all my doors and just be aware of my surroundings. If I needed them, just dial 9-1-1.

"Thank you, Officers," I mumbled after they wished me a pleasant night. Once inside my house, I shut and locked the door then leaned against it.

“What a night.” I looked at Spike who was sitting patiently in the hallway by the kitchen.

“Meow.”

Chapter 27 – Lucas

"I don't know who else to talk to about this." I sat in Ned Miles office. It was a large room with mostly windows on the corner of the third floor of a four-story building. His desk was an immense block of oak because Ned was an immense man.

I wasn't sure what to expect almost three months ago when I arrived here. My father, with the help of Jenna I'm sure, made all the proper phone calls to inform Ned and the other high-level managers that I'd be arriving to help streamline the business. The VP of this branch, Dan Depew, immediately quit since he had banked on taking over Ned's job when Ned retired. A handful of others did, too. That was a common enough occurrence when these kinds of transitions took place. To be honest, it saved me a good bit of tears and arguments from the staff if people left on their own.

I got the same treatment from the staff as I always did. The secretaries made doe eyes at me as I passed by. The middle managers either smiled brightly or had permanent scowls on their faces because the news was great or it could be better. Isn't that how all of life is?
I was surprised that the place I liked the best, besides being in my own office at the other corner of the third floor was in the shipping department. The guys didn't like me down there. The chatter and banter would cease as soon as word spread that I was on the floor. Loud rock music that seemed to me to consist mainly of the Rolling Stones, John Segar and Heart played almost constantly.

Maybe it was the noise. Maybe it was the fact that these guys didn’t care what I thought of them. I couldn’t tell. But I liked coming down here.

But I couldn't talk to any of them. There had to be a division between them and the guys who made the rules. Otherwise, they'll start to think they were on equal footing with me. Maybe down at Rose's Pub, we were equals. But in the Cambridge Logistics offices, I was the boss. There would never be any doubt about that.

"This looks serious," Ned replied. His face and neck bulged over the crisp white of his collar. I never saw the guy wear casual clothes. It was always a suit with cuff links and a tie.

“It’s really not. I mean, it’s a personal issue.” I grumbled.

“Have you thought to talk to your father?” Ned said with unflinching eyes and his baggy jowl firmly clenched.

"With his heart and all the recuperating, I've found it difficult to get a hold of him. When I do he's usually only got a couple minutes before he's got to rest or deal with the nurse or take a conference call. You know how it is."

"I do," Ned replied, his eyes still studying me.

“So, I’m going to come right out and say this. It’s about a girl.”
I told Ned what had happened with Tilly over the past several years. I didn’t go into detail. I kept her reputation private. But I was brutally honest about myself.

It was easy to tell Ned all of this. Some guys were just easy to talk to. You knew that if you said anything they’d keep it to themselves. Plus, Ned had about two more months before he stepped aside. I had heard him on more than occasion making plans to go fishing in Aruba and off the coast of Maine. He and his wife of over forty years were planning a cruise and with over a dozen grandkids he figured he’d be kept busier at home than he ever had been in the office.

It was funny. I knew Ned's salary. He made seven figures a year. But the guy brought a lunch from home every day. He spent on his suits but he drove last year's car and it was a Chrysler to boot. He would also take the day off every once in a while. He couldn't be more, unlike my father. That's probably why the Minnesota office needed a little help. At least that is what I told myself. Truthfully, after looking at the files and finances the place was running in the black but could have been doing better. I couldn't help but think my father thought the Minnesota office might be just enough rope for my leash. I'd be far enough away to be out of his sight but close enough for him to reign me in if he thought I needed it. I wasn't really in charge I was just standing in for my father.

Ned listened to me prattle on but before I could finish he interrupted me.

“Do you love this woman?” He asked bluntly.

“I don’t know?” I stammered. “We don’t even really know each other. All I know is that when I’m with her…”

"When you are with her you feel good. You feel safe. You feel special. A dog can make you feel the same way." He snapped. "But do you love her? That is, would you lose everything you've got to start over from scratch to be with this woman?"

I felt like I had been slapped.

"I've never done that for anyone," I answered back smartly.

"I know that." Ned balked. "That's why I'm asking the question. You said when you heard that man threaten he might hurt her something in you shifted, it snapped like a switch was flipped and you wanted to protect her. Since when? From the sound of it, you were the one she really needed protection from."

“I never wanted to hurt her. I just didn’t know how to trust her. Ned, you know what it’s like when you’ve got money.” I confided like we were old frat brothers. “Women can do some pretty unscrupulous things. Am I right?”

He said nothing.

“I mean they see the kind of car you drive, the clothes you wear, the kind of watches or sunglasses you own and they are all over you.”
Still nothing.

“My house in Chicago is a mansion. I don’t even think I’ve been in every room. When people know that is where you live they immediately start thinking of ways to get their hands on it.”

“So who told you to drive that Ferrari back and forth to work? Who told you this job required you tell time with a Cartier watch? You don’t want anyone to know you are wealthy but you throw it in their face every chance you get?” Ned cleared his throat. “I told my sons and daughter that they are not rich. I was rich because I worked hard. They could be too if they worked hard. I’m sorry your father never told you as much.”

Part of me wanted to stand up and tell Ned he didn’t know anything about it. He saw my father once a year at the company golf outing at Turtle Beach. What the hell did he know? But the other part of me knew he was right and that part of me coiled up inside my gut, writhing and bubbling miserably like a seething volcano.

“So what do I do about Tilly?” I asked feeling like I’d just gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson.

“What do you think you need to do, Lucas? I can’t tell you. Only you can figure that out.”

I sat in front of him for a few more minutes. I asked him about his children since he’d brought them up. His daughter was a teacher at one of the most high-brow high schools in the state. His oldest son was a dentist. His youngest ran the Cambridge Logistics branch in the Philippines. I commented on how fantastic that location was doing especially with the strict shipping codes and trade rules. Of all the offshore branches the Philippines handled a third of all worldwide shipments and performed in the black for the last six years.

Although Ned’s face barely changed I could see the pride in his eyes.

Finally, I stood up and shook his hand thanking him for the talk. He assured me of my talents in business and that was nice to hear. But he said nothing more about Tilly except one thing.

“If she’s gotten to a man like you, Lucas, there must be something there.”

A week had passed after my discussion with Ned. I still hadn’t done anything more than thinking about Tilly. Her business card was firmly tucked inside my wallet. When I pulled it out my heart began to race.

I dialed her number but a secretary answered.

“Telula Grant’s office.” She chirped.

“Yes, may I speak with Miss Grant please?”

“May I tell her who is calling?”

I cleared my throat.

“Lucas Prine.”

“One moment.”

The line clicked and classical music began to play while I was on hold.

Finally, the secretary came back.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Prine but Miss Grant is in a meeting. Would you like her voicemail?”

“No. Please tell her I called an I’ll call back later.”

This went on for a week. Every time I called I got the same reply. She was in a meeting. She was in a deposition. She was in court. She was at lunch. Trying to go through the front door wasn’t working.

"Come on, Lucas," I grumbled to myself. "What else can you do? You just need one good idea?"

Then it came to him.

Chapter 28 – Tilly

I was on the phone when my secretary, Kayetta, knocked on my office door. I waved her in and set the phone to mute.

“I’m on the phone with Dawn Williamson.”

“Again?” Kayetta asked. “Well, better you than me.”

"Thanks," I whispered, rolling my eyes. Dawn Williamson was one of our most wealthy and most needy clients. She was passed over to me after two of the partners and another senior associate decided they'd had enough. She sues people for a living. Since her husband died leaving her a hefty insurance policy she decided to hoard that money and instead use the judicial system as a source of income.

She was suing The Drake Hotel for over two million dollars for slipping and falling on the marble steps in their lobby. You see I said she fell ON not DOWN the steps. She did slip. She did fall. She did get hurt. A sprained ankle and a torn dress. But she’s going to fight them tooth and nail to get every penny she can. This had been going on for over a year now with no progress.

“Uhm, when you are done with all this you need to come to the lobby.” Kayetta wrinkled her nose. “It’s kind of serious.”

“What is it?”

“You’ll just have to see for yourself.” Kayetta closed the door quietly before I tapped the mute button and listened to Dawn rattle on about her medical bills.

It was another fifteen minutes before I emerged from my office. Everyone was looking at me, smiling, giggling.

"Is my slip showing? Did my blouse go see-through on me?" I whispered to Kayetta who was typing away at her desk.

"Honey, please just go help the receptionist. She's having a freakout."

As I approached the lobby I heard several girls talking and chit-chatting like hens in a henhouse. As soon as I came through the door I saw why.

“Yikes!” I smirked. “Who died?”

There were seven stunning bouquets of flowers on the receptionist’s desk and two more on the floor. Most of them were roses in pink and red and white. But there were also tiger lilies and carnations and some strange exotic bird-looking things that were brilliant orange and yellow colors.

“These are all for you.” The receptionist said.

“What?” I choked.

“Yup. Every one of them is for you.”

I walked up to the red roses. The cool, sweet smell hit me before I could even touch the card tucked inside.

The little note read “I’m Sorry” with a crying teddy bear. “Please talk to me” was scribbled on the card and it was signed Lucas. Not Lucas Prine. Just Lucas.

The rest said similar sentiments.

Once all the flowers were brought to my office it looked like I’d opened up a florist shop. I could barely move around.

The phone was ringing. I noticed my email had popped up with several more requests from the partners for status on my caseload. Three files had fallen to the floor and were spread out sloppily. I was so pissed off I couldn't take it.

“Tilly?” Kayetta held the phone up with her hand over the mouthpiece. “It’s Lucas Prine.”

“Send it in.” I grit my teeth and slipped on my headphones. “Telula Grant.” I barked.

“Tilly. Thank you for taking my call.”

“Listen to me, Lucas. Flowers are what you give to someone when they are dead. Just consider me dead, okay. Because this doesn’t fix anything. It doesn’t change anything. Stop bothering me.” I growled through clenched teeth then hit the disconnect button.

The flowers are pretty.

"It's a scam," I muttered. "A sick joke to sucker me in again. I won't fall for it." My eyes began to sting so I kept my door shut for the rest of the afternoon and tried to push Lucas out of my mind. It was hard with every kind of flower sent from him staring back at me for the next several days.

"Hi, mom," I said into the phone. Normally, I called my parents every couple of days from home. They weren't too friendly toward the personal phone calls at Gray & Stein. My mom knew that so two weeks after the flower incident you can imagine how shocked I was to hear from her. "Is something wrong?"

“No. Nothing is wrong.”

“ You sound funny.”

“Well, a young man stopped by the house. He and your father have gone to Duncan Donuts for coffee.”

“What are you talking about?”

"He pulled up in a Ferrari. Your father made sure I knew it was a couple years old but still pretty cool."

I clenched the phone until my knuckles where white.

“Are you kidding me?”

“He brought me a bouquet of yellow roses.”

“Mom, listen to me.” I breathed and rubbed my face with my free hand.

“He wants to stay for dinner. I told him sure if he didn’t mind meatloaf.”

“What?”

“Very handsome, fellow. Says he’s known you since high school and that you won’t talk to him anymore.”

“I’m going to fly to Chicago and kill him.”

“Now, I know you didn’t have a lot growing up, honey, but I never taught you to be mean to people just because they have money.” My mom said in a sing-songy way like she was speaking to a kindergartener. “Rich people are people, too.”

“You did not just say that!” I rolled my eyes and looked out my window. The city was bustling with people and cars stopped and started with the traffic lights. It was really beautiful to watch when you weren’t seeing red.

"I did and the reason I'm calling is that Luke asked me to and tell you to just talk to him. He has something to tell you."

“Luke? Did you just call him Luke? His name is Lucas Prine and he’s up to something. Now he’s got you people involved. Dad is with him you said?”

“Yup. They’re probably at The Duncan right now.”

For some reason, my parents insisted on putting the word "THE" in front of everything. The Dunkin, The Netflix, The Pinterest. You get the idea.

“Mom, could you have dad call me when he gets back?” I asked as politely and quietly as I could.

“Of course. Oh, and he said he sent you some flowers too. Were they nice?”

“Yes, mom. They were nice. Everyone was laughing at me because my office looked like a funeral parlor there were so many.”

“That’s just jealousy. Trust me on that.”

“Mom, trust me. Lucas Prine is a spoiled brat. I don't know what he wants from me but I don't want anything to do with him. Can you get that message across to me? Can you help?"

“What don’t you like about him, honey?” My mom’s voice sounded worried. I worried her. My panicky, paranoid, alarmist ways made her nervous and now she was going to worry. That was the worst thing to do to my mom especially when she was far away from me.

“I don’t know, mom.” I stopped. “He’s not that bad. It’s just that we are too different. Way too different.”

“Well, I’ll tell him what you said. But Tilly?”

“Yeah, mom?

"I get the feeling this guy isn't going to give up so easily. He reminds me of your father."

“What? Oh my God! I can’t hear any more of this. Dad wasn’t an asshole.”

My mother let out a whooping laugh and it was directed right at me.

“Honey.” She guffawed. “You have no idea.” She squealed as if laughing about my father, her husband, was the most fun she’d had in had in years.

My whole body slumped as my mom gave kisses on the phone and then hung up.

“You can’t do anything from here, Tilly. Dad will feel him out and see right through him. That will be the end of things. Dad will handle it.”

"Tilly, I don't know what you're getting all worked up about." My dad said over the phone almost three days after Lucas had been to their house.

"I'm worked up because this guy is trying to put you and mom against me."

“Honey, your mother and I were already against you. Luke had nothing to do with that.”

“Very funny.” I chucked despite my frustration.

“It’s true. We were always secretly hoping you’d fail so you’d move back home. Then your mom would have the maid she’s always wanted.”

“You’re a riot, dad.”

“Seriously, Luke and I had a real man-to-man. He told me some things that happened between you two and I told him if he ever spoke to you that way again I’d beat him within an inch of his life.”

“Oh, dad.” I sighed.

“He sounds a lot like me when I was trying to get your mother’s attention.”

“I’m feeling lightheaded.” I flopped down on my couch and pulled my feet up underneath me. “Were you mean to mom when you were dating?”
“I didn’t mean to be mean.” He muttered. “I thought I was being cool. You know, playing hard to get.”

“I thought that was the girl’s job.”

"Yeah, I think that's why it didn't work out too well for me."

“So how did you win her over?”

“I apologized. Then I went to her father and apologized to him.”

“Really? What did grandpa say to you?”

“The same thing I said to Luke.”

I snorted then started to chuckle.

“What do you think I should do? Luke, I mean Lucas keeps leaving me voicemail messages at work and every once in a while I see his Ferrari in town and I know he doesn’t live around me. He’s too high brow for this neck of the woods. Stop at a Piggly Wiggly for milk and Doritos? I think he’d rather cut off his own hand.”

“I’m not going to tell you what to do, honey. I will say this. I’m not convinced he’s good enough for you. But I don’t think he’s hopeless either. It’s up to you to decide.”

I let a couple days go by and just lived life. I didn’t talk to anyone about Lucas. Sandy had stopped by more than once bearing gifts of apple pie and chocolate chocolate-chip ice cream to make up for the disaster that was my date with Karl. I couldn’t blame her. She thought she was doing me a favor, getting me out and possibly making a love connection. How was she supposed to know the night would turn into a carnival freak show.

Then, after talking with my father I felt more confused than ever. But tonight was going to be all about me. It was the weekend, after all. Sandy invited me over for dinner and some hot cider but I was ready to lock my front door and stay put. Maybe all weekend. I decided to treat myself to a little pampering. The rain and wind officially brought fall to my doorstep. The idea of a nice hot bath, the fireplace crackling and an old black and white movie on television sounded perfect.

"I don't even care what the movie is," I said to Spike as I passed by him on my way up the steps. I wanted to stop thinking about Lucas and my parents and just have a quiet night. But that wasn't going to happen.

My phone started to buzz with a 312 area code phone number that I’d never seen before. I let it go to voicemail and continued upstairs to take a bath.

When I came back downstairs there was a message. As I listened to it I nearly dropped the phone and fainted. Her name was Jenna Holstom-Prine. She was calling about Lucas Prine.

Chapter 29 – Jenna

I didn’t even know how to start the conversation. I couldn’t believe I was making a call to a strange girl on behalf of my stepson. I hated calling him that. He was a grown man, for heaven’s sake, and I had no part in raising him.

But, he called me. It was the first time he ever called me on his own.

“What is it, Lucas. I’m getting my nails done.” I was at Jillian’s Day Spa for a manicure and pedicure. Thankfully my girl hadn’t started on my fingernails yet or I wouldn’t have answered at all.

I heard him take a deep breath on the other end of the phone and grew increasingly annoyed that he hadn’t said anything yet.

“What is it?”

“Jenna, I know you are going to find this shocking but I need your help.”

You’re damn right I found it shocking. I was sure it was some kind of set-up.

“What could you possibly need my help with, Lucas? And truthfully, what makes you think I’d help you. I don’t owe you a thing.”

“I know.” He mumbled. “That’s why it can only be you.”

So I told him I wasn't going to leave my appointment. Michael and I had an event coming up where he was being honored for some philanthropic project he was involved with. What did I know or care about that? My nails had to get done and then I needed my hair highlighted.

"Well, is there anytime within the next couple of days where your primping and preening will be finished that we can talk?" he snapped.

“Do you want to tell me what this is about?” I snapped back.

“No. We need to discuss it in person.” He insisted.

“Look, Lucas, if you are trying to get to your father to tell him what a big mistake he made marrying me that ship has sailed. We’re married. Your father is finally getting his health back and he’s feeling better than ever. The last thing he needs is to hear your complaints.”

“Jenna, if you’d calm down and come off the ledge you’d have heard me say that I need to talk to you, not my father.”

"Fine. When are you coming to Chicago?"

“I’m already here.”

That shocked me.

“So who’s minding the store, Lucas? You are supposed to be running the Minnesota branch. Ned is stepping down in just a few more weeks and your father hasn’t received one report that indicates you’ve got the place ready. Is that what you need to talk to me about?”

The Minnesota branch will be operating like the trains in Germany. I'm meeting with Alison White while I'm here in Chicago. She's the COO of Logistar and a little bird told me she's looking for a fresh start. So, I am handling the Minnesota branch." Lucas sounding all grown up for the first time ever. "Now, can we fucking meet for coffee tomorrow morning?"

I agreed to meet him near the hotel he was staying at. He didn’t come to the house anymore. His room was transformed into my office where I continued my real estate business on the side, just for those extra niceties like a trip to Cartier or maybe a weekend at the spa.

I liked the Starbuck’s on Howell Street. It was in the middle of a huge shopping area. The weather was cool but not cold. I wore my Toga Pulla Elvis boots with my Row cable knit sweater that Michael had bought me after we’d had a fight about my hiring an assistant. I don’t get the assistant but I’m the envy of the neighborhood with my four thousand dollar Row sweater.

So sat outside with a hot caramel macchiato people watching and counting how many people stared at my boots as they walked past. I was up to nine when Lucas arrived.

He looked healthy and well dressed but even though I wasn't a mother I could tell something important was on his mind. He didn't say hello as he took a seat across from me and it was several awkward seconds before he looked me in the eyes. It was upsetting to see this. That normal snobby brat that I had come to know as my husband's one and only child was not there. It was almost like I was looking at a stranger and it made me slightly nervous.

“Are you sick, Lucas?” I prodded before he had a chance to tell me anything. “Are you in trouble? Do you owe anyone money or something like that?”

“You watch too many Lifetime movies, Jenna.”

There it was. The sarcasm I had been missing. I took a sip of my drink and leaned back in my chair.

“What do you want?”

“I want to apologize.”

Needless to say, I was floored.

"What?" I looked around expecting to see some bloke with a camera hiding in a trashcan or something. "You're joking, right?"

"No." Lucas gulped like he was swallowing two-day old cold spinach.

“Well, what are you apologizing for?”

“Everything.”

I couldn’t find any words. Mainly because I thought the little twerp was full of shit. There had to be an angle. He was up to something.

“I’m not up to anything.” He replied as if he were reading my mind. “Did you ever just wake up and think what the heck am I doing?”
"At least three times a week," I admitted.

“I met a girl after high school graduation. She had been in my class all four years but I never knew her. Then we ran into each other and I instantly liked her.” He stopped talking for just a second.

“What was it about her that you liked?”

“She didn’t care about the money. Not one bit. Don’t get me wrong, she was beautiful and built. Just the way I like them.”

“Of course.” I rolled my eyes.

“But she was funny. I laughed when I was around her. Do you know how hard it is to find a woman who is funny?”

I shrugged my shoulders. I left funny to the comedians. But I didn’t interrupt.

“She acted like she really liked me. Not the heir to Cambridge Logistics. Just Lucas Prine.”

“Okay, so you’ve met this dream woman. What’s the problem?” I watched Lucas wince and I knew exactly what the problem was. “Oh, I see. You treated her the way you’ve treated me.”

Those words just tumbled out of my mouth. As much as I wanted to get angry at Lucas the short fuse just wouldn't light. Instead, my eyes teared up. I had never cried in front of Lucas ever. There were times his words cut so deeply I did run and hide in a restaurant or a boutique. He was the only child of the man I truly loved and he hated me. I had to prove to Michael that I was none of the things Lucas said I was. That was why I started working again as soon as Michael had gotten sick. That was why I kept my home in Forest Park that I was renting now and making quite a pretty penny on.

But Lucas didn’t know these things. Why should he? It is really none of his business, right?

Quickly, I wiped the tear from my cheek away and sniffed while straightening in my seat.

“So basically, you’ve blown it with this woman.”

“I hope not, Jenna.”

“I still don’t know what any of this has to do with me?” I couldn’t help him, I thought. If he were looking for a character reference he wasn’t going to get a glowing review from me.

“I thought if you could call her and tell her that I’m not that same person she’d believe you. You are the only person I think that she would believe.”

“Why is that? I’ve never met this girl.” But then the switch flipped.

“You’ve told her about me. Or should I say, you’ve told her your opinion of me.” MY voice was just above a whisper. I licked my lips and nodded my head. Now it all made sense. Typical Lucas was as sweet as pie when he wanted something. He couldn’t go to his father for this. Michael’s opinion of his son didn’t matter. His friends, his fitness trainer, his doorman, none of them would say anything bad about Lucas because they barely knew him. But I knew him. I knew how awful he could be.

“If you thought I changed then I think I might have a chance with her.”

"If I told her that," I added.

“Yes.”

“So, if I call your girlfriend and tell her what a great guy you are and that she should give you another chance and you dog her again then what? How do I know she really means something to you? I know you’ve been around the block a couple times, Lucas. I wasn’t born yesterday. I won’t be an accomplice in some game you may or may not be playing with this girl’s head. Or worse, her heart.”

I watched Lucas's face and was ready for the barrage of insults and swears that would be hurled at me. But instead of a verbal beating, he just nodded his head.

“I understand, Jenna. I thought it was worth a try.” His shoulders drooped and he pushed his chair back. “But I did mean it when I said I was sorry. My dad hasn’t been this happy since my mom died. Even with his heart problems and the stress of work when he comes to see you he’s happy. I don’t know what you do for him. Quite frankly, I don’t want to know. But whatever it is, keep it up. He deserves to be happy. So do you.”

That was it. Lucas pushed his chair back, stood up and walked away. I was floored. My head was spinning as I tried to comprehend what had just happened. He didn't raise his voice. He didn't swear. He didn't stomp off in a huff. It was as if a completely different person had taken over Lucas's body.

I finished my macchiato and watched the gray sky float by overhead for about another half an hour before I called Lucas.

“What is her name?” I asked after Lucas picked up the phone.

“Telula Grant.”

“Telula? Is she an exotic dancer?”

I swear I heard a chuckle on the other end of the line. It made me smile.

“No. She’s a lawyer. Her friends call her Tilly.”

"A lawyer, huh? Well, I'm going to call her Tilly because if you screw this up I am going to become her BFF and we will stick pins in a wax voodoo doll made in your image. I'll pay top dollar for one. You know I will."

“One more thing, Jenna.” Lucas took another deep breath. “Did you suggest Minnesota to my dad? When you decided I should take over the shop there was that your idea? It’s okay if it was because I wouldn’t have found Tilly again. But was it you?”

“No, Lucas.” I soothed. “I didn’t suggest your father send you to Minnesota. It was his idea. He thought it would be good for you. I suggested the Philippines. Obviously, your father was spot on.”

He laughed again and so did I.

After Lucas gave me Tilly's information I called her right away and got her voicemail. The message I left had to make her think I was some kind of a spaz. But she called me back and that was all that mattered.

Chapter 30 – Tilly

"I'm really glad you reached out to me, Jenna," I said. "I'll admit I was shocked when I got your message. "

“You were shocked? Try to imagine how I felt." She laughed. I wouldn't say Jenna would be nominated for any stepmother of the year awards but there was a quality about her that was likable. "I know what I've told you is a lot to take in. And I wanted you to know the truth about Lucas. That is what he asked me to tell you. He isn't the same person, Tilly. He's just not. If after everything I've said you still feel like he's more trouble than he's worth I know he'll respect that."

“I appreciate that.” I nodded as if she could see me over the phone. “I’ll be honest. I don’t know what I’ll do. But I’m glad we talked.”
“Good luck, Tilly.”

“You, too, Jenna.”

I hung up the phone and sat there for a while. The fire was crackling nicely and a wind had kicked up outside whipping the leaves around and howling through the chimney. Spike had found his place on the window ledge, his tail hanging down lazily curling at the end.

“What do you think, Spike?” I asked him.

His motor began purring but he didn’t even lift his head.

I thought of calling my mom and talking to her but I wasn't a teenager anymore. I was a grown woman who had a man going to extreme lengths to prove to me that he cared about me.

"Let it sink in," I told myself. "Sleep on it. Everything will be clearer in the morning." I stood up and went to the kitchen. Crazy as it sounded I was looking forward to a bologna sandwich with potato chips and red wine for dinner. The idea of even boiling water seemed like too much work. As luck would have it there was a Humphrey Bogart movie on the classic movie station. I'd push everything out of my mind and watch Sam Spade solve some murder then I'd go to bed and see what tomorrow brings.

I actually made myself two bologna sandwiches and brought them into the front room to watch television and eat. But just as I was getting comfortable my doorbell rang.

Carefully, I tiptoed to the door and looked through the beveled glass to see a familiar silhouette. Without hesitation, I opened the door.

“So what, did your stepmom just call you to tell you she hung up with me?”

"As a matter of fact, she did." Lucas looked at me from beneath his thick eyebrows like he was afraid I might take a swing at him. "Am I interrupting you? You look like you're in for the night."

I was wearing my comfy sweats, my bulky terrycloth robe, and my bear claw slippers. I peaked around him and saw a white pickup truck parked at the end of my driveway.

“What in the world is that?” I choked.

“The Ferrari just wasn’t sending the proper message.” He thrust his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and shifted from his right leg to his left. “I thought this might be a little more practical.

“It suits you.” I nodded.

He grinned like that was what he was hoping I’d say.

“So, uhm, were you planning on staying in?”

“Yeah. I am in for the night. But I just made myself some supper. Would you like to join me?” This would be interesting.

“Are you sure?” He straightened. “I’d love that.”

“Well, come on it.” I stepped aside. “Please, wipe your feet. I like to keep my house clean.”

“You have a beautiful home.”

"It's not a mansion." I snipped. "But it's mine."

Lucas looked at me nervously.

“What are we having for dinner?” He asked.

"Bologna sandwiches and potato chips," I replied proudly.

“My favorite.” He grinned slyly, taking one of the sandwiches off my plate and sitting down on the couch.

I sat down at the other end and left a good deal of space between us. We ate in silence as Humphrey Bogart was visited in his office by Lauren Bacall to help stop a man from blackmailing someone else.

“Tilly?”

“Yes, Lucas.”

“I love you.”

I kept my eyes on the screen.

“But I don’t have any money, Lucas. I’m not the girl for you.”

"Yes, you are." He insisted.

“How do you know?”

“Because I’d be willing to leave it all behind if you’d just say you’ll give me one more chance. I’d leave it all.”

I looked at Lucas and saw his eyes red with tears.

"I've hurt you so bad. I don't blame you for being skeptical. But if it takes five years, ten years, a hundred years I don't care. I'll prove to you that my love is true. There will never be anyone but you, Tilly."

I sat stone still and stared at the television. Before I could move Lucas scooted closer to me. He took my hand in both of his and stroked it gently, holding it to his cheek then squeezing it before looking again at my face.

When I turned to him I smiled. I couldn’t help it. But I didn’t say a word.

“But there is one thing that we need to do.” Lucas wouldn’t let my hand go.

“What’s that?” I whispered.

“Well, I’ve been such a jerk that I’ve never asked you out on a real date.”

“You’re right.” A smirk crept across my lips. “Airport food doesn’t count.”

"No, it really doesn't." He agreed. "Tilly, I was wondering if you'd like to go with me to a movie and maybe grab a burger or something to eat afterward."

“What, no caviar and champagne? No steaks and lobsters?” I teased.

“No. I think we’ll save that for our honeymoon.”

“Really, you’re that sure of yourself?”

“No. I’m that sure of us.”