Chapter 10

Nash

I was sitting with my right ankle on my left knee, and my foot was tapping the floor. There was a huge guided mirror in my father’s home office, and I kept looking up at it. My father was a stickler for appropriate clothing, so I was continuously making sure that my tie was in place, that my hair didn’t look messy.

Other than that, only Bonnie Calhoun was on my mind.

Bonnie Calhoun, the one who got away.

In college, she was the demure-looking blonde who had an inner fiery redhead. Long legs, waist-length golden hair, big shapely breasts that she hid under conservative blouses and plaid shirts. She was a worthy contender in class, and a vocal opponent outside. It was plain to see that she detested me, and my friends. She’d turn her nose up if I passed her in the halls. In class, she would make a big show of ignoring my presence in the back seats. And not once did she attend a single game.

Bonnie and her friends never came to Pete’s Pub. And the only time I ever saw her socially was at some classmate’s house party when she remained in the corner, gingerly sipping soda from a glass and pretending to not have fun. When she thought nobody was looking, I caught her slowly swaying to the music.

Bonnie Calhoun was a delight to look at and an even bigger delight to compete with in class. She was right; we were never actually friends. But then, who really is in college?

Throughout our years together, she was always in the back of my mind. Every time I fucked a girl, I imagined Bonnie under me when I came. If I ever spent a night alone, I jerked off to her, picturing her bouncing breasts as she ran to catch the bus. She was my ideal woman. The woman I knew I should never touch or bang, because I was so afraid of proving myself wrong. I would never be able to live up to her expectations. I would never be good enough for her. I was set in my ways, and the best thing to do would be to leave Bonnie Calhoun alone.

I remember that red dress though. The one she was wearing when she walked into Pete’s Pub that night, toward the end of college. I remember it because I had been fooling around with Melissa Meyers, and I knew my fingers still smelled of her. Melissa liked doing things like that, kinky things out in the public. She got some kind of thrill out of it. And I was only too willing to comply. I hadn’t expected to see Bonnie there that night though, not in my natural habitat.

But she was walking away from me. I had always wondered if she saw me with Melissa, if she had caught us in the act. Because Bonnie was weaving through the crowds of people in the pub, like she was trying to get away. For some reason, I decided to follow her. Something in me had snapped that night when I saw her. She looked troubled, lost, confused. I didn’t want to compete anymore, I wanted to throw in the towel in that moment. Confess my feelings for her. I was going to follow her. I wanted to talk to her. Ask her why she had put on that shimmering red dress that made her blue eyes dance.

As I tried to catch up with her, push through the crowds, I could hear Melissa calling out to me, stunned. But I had eyes only for Bonnie, who was fast disappearing out of view. I had an incredible urge to spill all, to confess everything, and tell her how I felt.

But she was getting away. She had burst through the pub doors way ahead of me, and when I finally got out, I could hear her heels clicking on the pavement as she continued to run. And good sense started to finally fill my brain. What was I doing chasing Bonnie Calhoun?

It had been a moment of weakness, and if I had a chance to confess my feelings for her, I would have ruined everything. I would have made it impossible for her to remain my ideal woman. To have her on a pedestal. And I was sure she would have rejected me anyway.

But now I had my chance again. Had I picked her company to buy because I saw her name on the list of partners? I told myself it was pure luck. That chance had brought us together again, but now I was older and I didn’t want to lose my opportunity again.

I knew now that there was no such thing as an ideal woman and that I would be stupid to miss an opportunity to fuck her.

“Hello there, son,” my father boomed in his deep throaty as he walked into the room, and I instinctively stood up, fixing my suit jacket.

Father looked like he was headed to a meeting with world leaders, even though he was retired now and not expected to do anything besides play golf and attend charity events. Sharply dressed in a three-piece suit, with a red handkerchief sticking out of his breast pocket, he walked over to me with long confident steps. We shook hands. He had never been much of a hugger.

“Good to see you, Father,” I said, clearing my throat. He had sort of caught me off guard, dreaming about Bonnie.

Father walked away from me and sat down behind his desk, like he was getting ready to conduct a business meeting. That familiar feeling of nervousness crept up every time I was around him. I was always anxious to please him, but not today.

“I hear that the deal went well?” he asked, unbuttoning his suit jacket.

I took the chair across from his desk and sat down, nodding. I knew he liked to keep himself informed, but I wasn’t sure how in depth his questioning was going to be. I wasn’t in the mood to make conversation.

“It did indeed. They agreed to the offer,” I said with a smile, and Father guffawed.

“Of course they did. What other choice did they have?”

I felt the back of my neck heat. I could picture Bonnie’s disappointed eyes, how hurt she was when she signed the papers.

“And I heard that one of the partners is an old college friend of yours?” Father asked, keeping his clear gray eyes trained on me. I wasn’t sure what he was trying to figure out, but I could see that he was making some assumptions.

“Yes, she is. A classmate,” I answered, shifting in my seat. His steady unwavering gaze was making me uncomfortable.

There was a strange pause in the room, while he continued to stare at me. I tried to avoid his gaze, rage building up inside me. This man had forced me to take over his company and now he was trying to run it from the comforts of his own home. I wanted to stand up and leave. But I had never done anything like that before, and I wasn’t sure what his reaction was going to be.

“I’m glad to see that things are going so well, Nash,” he said, suddenly breaking the silence. He was smiling at me proudly. I gulped, trying to push my anger with him back down my throat.

“Will you be attending the May Fair tonight?” I asked, standing up. I wanted to get out of there. I didn’t want his patronizing approval anymore. I was the one who was running the company, and there was no need for me to report to him any longer.

Father looked up at me and shrugged. “I don’t need to anymore. But maybe I will.”

“I’m bringing Bonnie Calhoun as a date. My college friend whose company we just bought,” I said, buttoning up my jacket again.

Surprise flickered in his eyes. He didn’t think I should be getting involved with her. He was going to say something, but I interrupted him.

“Have a good day, Father. I’ll see you at the ball,” I said and walked out of his office without waiting for a response. I’d had enough of him and his assumption that he could treat me like a puppet. I couldn’t believe how weak I had been all my life, seeking his approval. Some things were going to change around here, starting with my relationship with my father.