Chapter Twenty
Daisy
I woke up in Brick’s bed alone, but it didn’t stop the wave of happiness that settled over me. It wasn’t the first time that I’d slept there, but it was the first time that I’d slept in his bed with him.
Last night had been intimate. Intense. It was new for me, and I could tell that it was new for him. Something was changing in our relationship, and hope bloomed in my chest.
This wasn’t supposed to happen. I was supposed to be Brick’s mistress for a month and earn Ralph the kind of money that we needed to jumpstart our future. I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with Brick.
And God help me that was exactly what I was doing.
“Surprise.”
Gasping, I sat up and saw that Brick hadn’t left for work after all. Instead, he was standing in the doorway with a cup of coffee. Pulling the sheets up under my armpits to hide my nakedness, I quickly brushed my fingers through my hair. “You’re going to be late for work,” I said huskily.
“After everything that I’ve done to you, you’re going to choose now to be shy?” he chuckled as he sat on the edge of the bed. “And I’m not going to be late for work. I’m not going in today.”
“Why? Did something happen?”
“No. Drink your coffee and then take a quick shower. You’ve got a big day ahead of you.”
Blinking, I obediently raised the cup to my lips. It was surprisingly to my taste. Sweet and creamy. “What do you need me to do for you today?” My thoughts alternated between Brick wanting to spend all day in bed or him giving me a ten-page list of chores. What exactly did he mean by big day?
“Just enjoy yourself. I’ve got a few phone calls to make. Dress to be outside.”
Even more confused by that, I could only stare at him and hope for more details, but he didn’t offer any more information.
Hurriedly finishing my coffee, I showered, braided my hair, and dressed in a pair of shorts and a loose fitting green short-sleeve blouse. I also noticed a new addition to my closet.
A pair of tennis shoes.
With a smile, I pulled them on and hurried downstairs. Brick, looking drop-dead sexy with a well-fitted pair of jeans, was waiting for me at the door. “You look perfect.”
My stomach rumbled. “Are we going to get breakfast?”
“Eventually.”
Eventually? I looked at him in horror. He wasn’t going to start starving me, was he? At the look on my face, he just chuckled and wrapped his arm around me. “Come on. I promise to feed you, but you’re going to have to be patient.”
“I understand, but I don’t think that my stomach does.”
“Well your stomach will thank me. I promise.”
When we got to the car, rather than wait for the driver, Brick opened my door and waited for me to slide in. I tried not to make a big deal out of it as I slipped into the backseat. He moved next to me and immediately placed his hand on my knee.
“So you’re playing hooky? When was the last time that you did that?”
“Never.”
“Never? You didn’t take a day off for a birthday or to go to your friend’s bachelor party?” I asked incredulously. “I find that hard to believe.”
“I’m the CEO of a vast corporation. I don’t have time to take off for a night with cheap strippers,” he said dryly.
“But you’re missing the whole point! You’re your own boss! How can you not take advantage of that from time to time? How do you reward your success if you don’t take the time to enjoy it?”
“Playing hooky is enjoying my success?”
“Absolutely!” I settled back in the supple leather and sighed. “People who work hourly or who live paycheck to paycheck never get a day off, but you? You definitely need to take more time to enjoy life.”
Staring down at me, he just shook his head. “I never really thought of it that way. You’re right. I’ll have to play hooky more often. With you.”
He said that last bit so softly that I almost didn’t catch it, and my heart fluttered. That made it sound like he planned on seeing me for longer than a month.
“What do you do when you play hooky?”
“I fall in the living paycheck to paycheck category,” I told him. “No playing hooky.” It was a reminder of our glaring differences. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
“No because then it won’t be a surprise.”
Surprise. When was the last time that anyone had surprised me? Or that anyone had wanted to surprise me? I snuggled under his arm and tried to ignore my growling stomach as we rode in silence. I was so comfortable with him now. I’d never been comfortable with any man, not even Ralph.
The thought of Ralph made the pit of my stomach drop. He’d actually called when I was in the shower this morning. A few times. I’d missed them, but he’d left messages. He wanted details about me and Brick, and what we were doing at night. Each message had been more explicit than the last, but he swore that he just wanted to make sure that I was doing my job.
I didn’t tell Brick. I was afraid of what he’d do to Ralph and erased the messages without even calling Ralph back.
“Are you okay?” Brick asked suddenly.
The car stopped, and I peered outside. Immediately, all thoughts of Ralph fled. “Oh, I am great.”
We were at Battery Park. I only knew of it because sometimes, when my mother was sober, she took me to the park to play when I was kid. It was years ago, but it was still such a happy memory for me.
Huge tents and tables had been set up, and people were already milling around. A familiar aroma wafted through the air, and I smiled with delight. “Is that bacon?” I whispered.
“It’s a bacon festival,” he chuckled. “I told you that patience would be a good thing.”
I launched myself at the door handle and jerked it open. His laughter followed as I jumped up and down like a child. “Hurry up,” I said, waving my hands at him. “Come on.”
His arms wrapped around my waist, and he pulled me close. “You’re not going to miss out on anything, baby. I promise.”
The day was amazing. I spent it under the sun, basking in Brick’s touch, and sampling every bacon recipe. There was candied bacon with brown sugar and whiskey. Bacon wrapped scallops. Ice cream sundaes with bacon bits sprinkled on top. Bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches. Bacon and cheddar fries. Bacon and cream-cheese jalapenos. Bacon chips. Bacon wrapped chicken wings. Bacon brittle.
I was beyond full within a few hours, but we weren’t even through half of the vendors. Brick walked me around the park and bought a Frisbee off one of the kids. We played and laughed and built up an appetite.
He was patient when the lines got long, and never once lost his temper or demanded anything from anyone. It was more surprising that the outing itself, this rich man who didn’t expect the world to grovel at his feet because of it, but waiting patiently with everyone else.
I was so in love with him.
The sun was dipping over the horizon when we finally headed back to the car. I was so full and tired. Brick pulled me across his lap and held me as the driver headed home. “Did you have fun?” he whispered in my ear.
“More fun than I’ve had in a long time,” I admitted, snuggling into his neck. “Did you have fun?”
He was quiet for a minute, and I listened to the sound of his beating heart. He stroked my hair gently. “More fun than I’ve had in a long time,” he echoed.
“Does this mean that you’ll play hooky more often?”
His chest rumbled with laughter. “If it means days like this, then yes.”
“Brick?” Opening my eyes, I stared at him. I thought about this warm man before me and the sterile home we were heading back to. “Why don’t you have any pictures up? Of family or friends?”
His body immediately stiffened, but he didn’t release me. “I don’t have any family, and I don’t need to put up pictures of my friends. I don’t have many, and I see them when I want to.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I know what it’s like to not have your family around anymore.”
Brick regarded me closely. “Are you asking for a specific reason, Daisy? Digging into my past and hoping to find a reason to explain the way that I am?”
He had that look in his eye. The look that threatened to run. Reaching up, I stroked his cheek to soothe him. “I’m not digging, Brick. I’m just asking a question. And I don’t need a reason to explain why you are the way that you are.”
“Why not?”
“You think that you’re a bad person, don’t you? I see it in your eyes when you’re with me, but you’re not and you don’t need to be explained.” My heart ached when I thought about how he saw himself.
“I bought you, Daisy.”
“What you did was strange and a little degrading, but you didn’t mean for it to be. You saw something that you wanted, and you bought it. But you never kept me locked up like a prisoner or a slave, Brick. I could have walked away at any time. Still could. I don’t feel trapped with you, Brick. For the first time in forever, I actually feel free. A person isn’t just defined by the things that he does. Sometimes, he’s also defined by the changes that he’s made.” I smiled, leaning up to kiss him.
“You see the good in everything, don’t you, Daisy?”
“I see the good in you.”
The car pulled up to the penthouse. I moved to get off Brick’s lap, but he held me close. “I’ve got you, Daisy.”
To my surprise, he lifted me easily and carried me from the car to the elevator. His warmth enveloped me and I closed my eyes. When was the last time that I’d felt this safe? In just the span of a few weeks, he’d gone from the stranger that had terrified me to the man who carried me when I was too tired to walk.
In his room, he slowly lowered me to the bed and undressed me. His touch was sensual but not erotic. It brushed lovingly over my skin as he pulled the coverlet up and over me. Soon, he slid in next to me. His erection pressed against my body, but he just wrapped me in his arms, and soon, I fell into a deep and peaceful sleep.
* * *
Brick only left me once that weekend to go to work. He had a conference call that he had to take in his office, and he promised that he wouldn’t be gone for more than a couple of hours. I took that opportunity to take a shower. We’d screwed ourselves silly that morning, and I desperately needed to bathe.
My phone rang as I toweled off. Thinking that it might be Brick, I hurried to answer it.
“Daisy. You’ve been too busy to call your boyfriend back,” Ralph said in a nasally voice. My heart dropped in my stomach. Why hadn’t I looked at the caller ID? His voicemails were getting more and more nauseating and I’d avoided returning any of his calls.
“Ralph, I’m not supposed to be talking to you,” I said, and took a deep breath. “You know that. You want your money, don’t you?”
“Relax. I know Brick isn’t there. I’m here at work, and saw him come in. He had that smile on his face. That smile that said he got something dirty and wet this morning.”
My stomach rolled. “What do you want, Ralph?”
“Don’t take that attitude with me, Daisy. I know what’s going on. You think that Brick Langston is going to be your ticket to the good life, don’t you? Are you trying to sweet talk him out of paying me? We have a signed contract. You try to use that pussy of yours to cheat me out of what’s mine, and I’ll tell everyone that Brick Langston had to buy his new sex toy.”
Was he drunk? At work? God, he sounded drunk. “Ralph, there’s no need to do that. I’m not trying to convince Brick of anything, and I have no fantasies.” I swallowed hard. “Someone like Brick is never going to actually want someone like me.”
“Damn right, he’s not,” Ralph spat.
“I’m just doing what you told me to do. Making him happy so he pays us the money.”
“Good girl. Your future is with me, and don’t you forget that. If this goes well, Daisy, we might be on to something here. Imagine all the money that we could make.”
Horror gripped me. “Selling me?” I whispered. “You want to do this again?”
“Don’t worry, Daisy. I only have your best interest at heart,” he said soothingly. “You still trust me, right? You still love me?”
“I…” I squeezed my eyes shut when the words didn’t come. “I’ve got to go, Ralph.”
“Daisy,” he suddenly growled. “Tell me that you love me. Make me believe that you aren’t trying to rip me off, or you won’t like what happens.”
“I love you,” I said quickly, afraid Ralph really might cause trouble for Brick if I didn’t.
“Good girl. I’ll call you later.”
He hung up, and I sighed with relief as I collapsed against the wall. How had this whole thing gotten so messed up?
I wasn’t in love with Ralph. I was never going to be in love with Ralph, but Brick? Even in my wildest fantasies, I didn’t see Brick confessing his love to me.
The best that I could hope for was to take the cut that Ralph promised me and start a life on my own. No Ralph…but also no Brick.
True independence and freedom. It wasn’t something that I’d ever had before, and I wasn’t sure if I would be any good at it.
My heart broke at the prospect of living a life without Brick, but I knew that it was for the best. Believing that a friendship might develop into love like with Ralph had ended up with me as a sex toy to a billionaire, but giving in to the chemistry and passion of love with Brick would leave me with a broken heart. It would leave me broken.