Inseperable

Book Blurb

She’s meant to be mine, and this time I’m not letting her go!

I’m done with gold diggers,

And growing my business is all that matters to me.

Until…

I spot her at the bar.

She ignites that passion in me…once again!

And I decide to claim her for good.

I’m gonna make sure she moans my name and begs for more.

And when life seems so perfect,

I discover more about her.

I can’t believe she kept secrets from me.

She’s a woman I never meant to hurt.

And now I am faced with a choice:

Do I let go of the past?

Or give our relationship a second chance?

Two lost souls, running from the pain of their pasts, find love, passion, and more than they could have imagined possible, but are they prepared to do the work to have it all?

Chapter 1

Amanda

The waiter glanced at the empty seat across from me at my table as he filled my water glass for the second time. I straightened the fork on the linen napkin in front of me and sighed, putting my hands in my lap. The restaurant was full, and there were people waiting at the front for tables. I felt slightly uncomfortable sitting there without ordering anything, but I wasn’t quite sure what was going on yet. I stopped the waiter before he left my table and requested a glass of chardonnay so that at least I wouldn’t be sitting there empty-handed. I was supposed to be meeting my best friend Lindsey to go over some wedding details.

Lindsey had been my best friend since before I could remember. We had grown up together and continued our lives in the same place, Los Angeles, California. We were LA girls and that would never change. Lindsey had met her fiancé Jordan Smith at a happy hour event at that very restaurant, and it was all history from there. I liked Jordan a lot, and the two of them fit together so perfectly. At times it made me jealous, but then I remembered what kind of assholes that men could be.

In any case, Lindsey was supposed to be there to talk about her upcoming wedding. I was the Maid of Honor, and the big day was only a month away with about a thousand things to get done. I loved her, but sometimes, it was like she thought these things would magically get solved if she just ignored them. The wedding planning had started out with a bang after her engagement, but the closer we got, the more exhausted I could see her getting with it all. We were all at the point where we just wanted the wedding to be there. I reached in my purse and pulled out my phone, which was buzzing wildly.

“Where are you?” I whispered with irritation.

“I’m so sorry, Amanda,” she said. “I have a photo shoot going on, and I thought it would be over, but things are taking way too long. I don’t think I can make dinner today. We will reschedule really soon.”

Lindsey was one of those girls with the perfect body, perfect complexion, and curves in all the right places. She was not just a could-be model but an actual one. She lived a luxurious life, and it always made me giggle seeing her on different ads through the city. She was so goofy in real life but so serious when it came to her job. I sighed and took a drink of my wine.

“It’s alright,” I said. “Call me when you’re done, and we’ll reschedule.”

“Thank you,” she said sweetly. “I love you to pieces. I gotta go. The photographer is coming back.”

I hung up the phone, and my smile quickly faded away. I tried to be understanding, but I was a little irritated. I had been sitting there on my own for over twenty minutes. I looked around, feeling my stomach grumbling and decided why not just eat there. I was already sitting there. I flagged the waiter down and whispered to him.

“My guest is not coming,” I said. “I’m going to stay, but I’ll move to the bar to free this table up for someone else.”

“Very good, ma’am,” he said with a smile and nod. “I’ll have your check transferred over.”

“I’m very sorry,” I said, standing up and grabbing my clutch off the table.

“It’s really no problem,” he said kindly, leading me to the bar. “It happens a lot.”

I smiled and stood to the side as he turned and headed into the back. I shook my head, slightly embarrassed about having to cancel a table like that, but the last thing I wanted to do was sit alone at a table and eat. I walked over to the bar and smiled, hanging my bag over the back of the chair and climbing up to sit down. I placed my clutch on the bar and looked down, doing a double take at the really handsome man sitting two chairs down. He smiled at me, and I blushed, looking back at the bartender as he handed me a menu. As I skimmed down the list of entrees and placed my order, I could see the hot guy moving over beside me.

“Do you mind if I sit down?” he asked.

“Not at all,” I replied, feeling the instant attraction between the two of us.

“I’m Nathan,” he said, reaching his hand out.

“Amanda,” I replied with a smile.

“What brings you here all alone today, Amanda?”

“I was supposed to meet my best friend, but work kept her away,” I said.

“Her loss, my gain,” he replied with a charming smile.

“How about you?”

“Drinking my problems away,” he said with a laugh. “I’m just kidding. I wanted to get away from the crowds, I guess.”

“I can understand that,” I said, laughing.

We sat, ate, drank, and talked through the whole evening. He was really charming, and he happened to own his own tech company, though I wasn’t sure which one. From the look of the Rolex on his wrist and the Louis Vuitton suit he was wearing, I suspected he didn’t do too bad for himself. The drinks were starting to go to my head, but I didn’t mind at all. I was enjoying this unexpected meeting.

“I had to talk her out of floral print for the bridesmaids.” I laughed. “It’s been a nightmare.”

“It sounds like it.” He chuckled, finishing up his drink and looking around the emptying restaurant. “Seems like we might have overstayed our welcome.”

“Oh, gosh,” I said, looking at the time. “Would you like to come back to my place for another drink?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” he said, flagging down the bartender. “I’ll take both our checks.”

“You don’t have to do that,” I said, shaking my head.

“Please, it would make me feel like I was a gentleman.” He smiled.

I laughed and picked up my stuff while he paid the tabs. We went outside, and he waved to a black sedan parked down the block. The car drove forward and stopped in front of us, the driver getting out and opening the door.

“Shall we?” he asked.

“Well, sure,” I said, impressed.

When we got to my house, Nathan instructed the driver that he would call when he was ready. I unlocked the front door and walked inside with him trailing behind. I made my way to the kitchen where I kept the liquor and reached for the whiskey on the top shelf. I froze, though, feeling Nathan’s hands slide around my waist, and his crotch rub against my ass. I closed my eyes as he ran his lips over my neck before turning me around to face him. He cradled my face in his hand and pressed his lips passionately to mine, wasting no time. We both knew this was why I’d invited him back to my place, and I knew I wanted to get him out of those clothes and run my hands through his dark hair.

He picked me up, and I straddled him, my arms wrapped around his neck and my lips still glued to his. He pulled back and looked at me with his big brown eyes, a flicker of a smile crossing his lips. He rested my ass on the edge of the counter and ran his hand up my thigh, pausing after crossing over and lingering under the edge of my short skirt.

“Where is the bedroom?” he asked.

I smiled and kissed his lips. Then I hopped down, grabbed his hand, and pulled him through the living room and down the hall to my bedroom. He kicked the door shut as we walked in. I backed up toward the bed, smiling coyly and pulling my top over my head, and he looked at me with lust.

He walked forward, removing his suit jacket and tie and reached down, unzipping my skirt. I slid it off and sat down on the bed, sliding myself up until my back rested against the headboard. I watched as he undressed, pulling off his shirt and revealing his hard, tanned muscles underneath. He was absolutely gorgeous, and I wanted to fuck the hell out of him.

When he was down to his tight, black boxer briefs, he crawled toward me, grabbing my ankles and yanking me closer to him. I laughed as I slid down and laid my head on the pillows. He slowly pulled my panties off and tossed them to the side. I reached behind me and unclasped my bra, allowing my breasts to bounce out. He smiled and laid down on his stomach, hooking my legs over his shoulders. I ran my hand through his dark hair and closed my eyes as his tongue began to flick against my clit. He pulled my folds apart and licked up through my juices, driving me absolutely wild.

“Turn around,” I moaned.

He turned his body and stopped next to me. I reached up and pulled his boxers down to his knees, taking his big, hard cock out and wrapping my lips around it. He groaned as I twisted to the side, feeling his face dive back between my legs, my head bobbing up and down his pulsing shaft. The feeling of his mouth against my pussy was too much for me to bear, and I sucked hard on his cock before pulling my head back and screaming in ecstasy. My entire body went rigid, my orgasm flowing through every vein and every muscle. He pulled his head up, smiling, and took his boxers the rest of the way off, leaning over the bed and grabbing a condom. I writhed on the covers, my body beginning to relax just as he slid the rubber down his erection and spread my legs apart. He pushed his cock deep inside of me.

I screamed out, feeling him completely fill me with his enormous shaft, pushing and pulling through the flood of juices. He reached up and grabbed my tits, pounding his cock into me over and over, sweat beading up on his firm chest. I bit my lip and pulled him down, swirling my tongue through his mouth and moaning down his throat. He gripped my shoulders and pumped his hips over and over, his eyes dark with passion. He pulled his body up and pumped several more times before pulling out and flipping me over.

I raised up on all fours and gripped down on the covers as he pushed inside of me again. His hand slid up my back and he leaned forward, wrapping the other around me and sliding it over my clit. His fingers rubbed hard on my nub as he thrust into me with heat, our skin slapping hard against each other. I moaned out, feeling the fire in my belly beginning to rise as he grunted deeply, turning me on even more.

“God,” he groaned. “Rub your pussy for me.”

I reached back with one hand and replaced his fingers, rubbing circles around my clit as he sat up, grabbed my hips, and slammed into me over and over again. My moans reached a fevered pitch, and I could feel the fire begin to explode. I screamed out, rubbing faster between my legs before shuddering wildly. I came hard, my body lurching in ecstasy as he thrust deep inside of me and growled, his body pulsing as he came, too. His hot seed filled the condom as my pussy vibrated against his shaft.

When we both had felt the entire course of our pleasure, he pulled out and walked into the bathroom to clean up. When he returned, he climbed in my bed and pulled me close to him, wrapping his big arms around me and letting out a deep sigh. Normally, I didn’t have my one-night stands fall asleep in my bed, but as his eyes shut and his breathing deepened, I found myself too comfortable to move. I let go, falling into a dreamless sleep, wrapped in the arms of this interesting, sexy man.

Chapter 2

Nathan

I opened my eyes slowly, remembering before I did that I was in Amanda’s house and not my own. I looked down at the beautiful girl sleeping on my chest, her long, dark hair wildly strewn around her. I rubbed my hand down her side, feeling the warmth of her smooth skin under my fingers. She moaned slightly and tilted her head up, smiling sweetly, her eyelashes batting over her big blue eyes. She was breathtaking. She yawned and scooted over next to me, stretching her arms over her head.

“Good morning,” I said with a smile. “How did you sleep?”

“Like a baby,” she groaned. “How about you?”

“I don’t think I moved an inch all night,” I said, looking up at the fan and then back at her. “Do you have plans this morning?”

“No,” she said, pulling the sheet up over her. “You?”

“I have a meeting later but nothing this morning,” I replied. “Let me take you to breakfast.”

“Alright,” she said after a moment of contemplation. “I suppose I could use some breakfast after all that liquor I drank last night.”

“Me too,” I said, climbing out of the bed. “Come on, let’s get dressed and go. I know a nice quiet place.”

She smiled and leapt out of bed, exposing the perfect curves of her petite little body. We got dressed, and she gave me a toothbrush to use. When we were ready, we met the car downstairs and headed out to a little diner on the other side of the city. We spent breakfast getting to know each other a little better.

“So, what company do you own?” she asked.

“I own iTech,” I said.

She swallowed hard. “What?”

“Yeah, I wanted to wait to give out that little gem.” I laughed.

“I could see how that might be intimidating to someone.” She laughed.

“Not so much intimidating as finding out that people are only interested in my friendship for my money,” I said.

“Oh,” she replied, scrunching her nose. “I’m sorry about that.”

“And you want to open your own mental health clinic for children,” I stated.

“Yep,” she replied, nodding. “Eventually. I only graduated two semesters ago, so I am still testing the waters.”

I watched her intently as she passionately spoke about her future plans. I found that I really enjoyed being around her. She was interesting and enlightening in certain ways. Sure, she was hotter than hell, with that adorable nose and big pouty smile, but inside, she was driven and wanted to help others, something that you didn’t find in many people these days. She wasn’t the typical LA beach bunny that I found out here. She was a real woman with real aspirations. Listening to her talk gave me that tingle of excitement I had when I first started my own company.

It wasn’t often that I met a girl that made me feel that way. In fact, I hadn’t enjoyed being around a woman like that since before my fiancée and I broke things off. We had been together for years, and she had been there for the money and after it. I thought the relationship was solid, but then I found out that she was cheating on me. Worse than that, she’d been telling her boyfriend how rich the two of them were going to be once she had finished with me. It was heartbreaking and shocking, to say the least, and after I broke things off with her, I had a hard time trusting any woman. I felt like the sanctity of trust had been altered, and I wouldn’t ever be able to trust another woman again.

With Amanda, though, I could feel the excitement and nervousness that I had felt before. I didn’t think it was actually possible for me to feel that way again, and I almost trusted that she was being honest with her thoughts toward me. I had to keep it in the back of my head that she was a woman, though, and that the first period of time with someone was the most dangerous. Hormones were raging, emotions were heightened, and it was easy to make choices surrounded by wants and not the facts right in front of your face. I wanted to stay grounded, but I was finding it difficult to do so.

There was something about this girl that drew me in. I felt like we were magnetic, and I was disappointed when I looked down at my watch and saw that the time had passed by so quickly. I didn’t want to leave this girl. I felt like the separation would be painful. Visions of her sensual body rolling over mine flooded through my head as she talked, and I could feel the heat in my stomach begin to rise once again. Usually if I slept with a girl, it was over that night. No breakfasts, no flirting, and definitely no more lustful thoughts. This was different, though. I wanted to spend the entire day with her, listening to her talk about her dreams and dragging her back into that warm, comfortable bed of hers.

In my mind, I wanted to ask her if she was feeling the same way, but I didn’t want to be too forward and scare her off. She seemed like a level-headed girl, and although I usually was the same way, I was floating on cloud nine. I kept my mouth shut anyway and watched her as she moved from subject to subject, spilling her story over pancakes and eggs. From the sound of her voice and the way she looked at me across the table, I could tell her feelings were similar to mine. I wondered if this would be our only breakfast or if I would be able to pull her away once again. My thoughts were interrupted at the sound of my phone alarm, letting me know it was time for me to head to my meeting.

I paid the tab and slowly walked Amanda outside. She held tightly to my arm as we strolled toward the car, still talking about the future. She was so sweet, and I was having a hard time not ignoring the texts coming through on my phone.

“So yeah.” She laughed. “That’s my story.”

“And it’s an amazing one,” I said, leaning down and kissing her cheek. “Listen, I’m sorry. I have to get to this meeting. The car will take you home. I’ll grab a cab. Can I have your number? Maybe we can have dinner soon.”

“That would be great.” She smiled, taking my phone and putting her number into the system.

“I’ll call you soon.” I smiled, putting my phone in my pocket and shutting her into the car.

I watched as the car headed down the street and around the corner. Then I grabbed a cab and headed to my apartment to get ready for the lunch meeting I was already late for. I changed quickly and then met the car downstairs, my hair still wet from the shower. I was meeting my best friend and right-hand man, John, and some investors for lunch at a chic little café downtown. I didn’t want to go to a meeting like this on a Saturday, but it was the only time we could meet with these guys. When I got there, they were already starting appetizers, and I apologized profusely for being late.

The guys talked about business, and John rambled on about the numbers and growth from the prior year. I pushed the lettuce around on my plate and focused my thoughts on Amanda. She had infiltrated my mind, and I couldn’t push the electric feeling out of my chest every time I thought about the hot sex we had the night before. It was distracting, to say the least, but luckily, I had John to carry the weight through the meeting. I was usually always on my game, and John nudged me several times under the table to signal me to say something. Luckily, he was the only one to notice, and by the end of lunch, the investors were ready to move forward with the new project we had in the works.

“Thank you, I promise you will not regret this,” I said, shaking their hands.

John paid the check while I gathered the folders from the table, just then realizing we had sealed the deal. I probably should have paid more attention, but my mind just wouldn’t let me. John walked back over and shook my hand.

“That was easy.” He laughed. “Though I felt like I was in that meeting alone. What’s up with you? Where was your head during all of that? You seemed extremely distracted, and I know that means something is going on.”

“Sorry,” I said.

“Don’t be sorry. Just tell me what’s up.” He chuckled.

“I went to Maggio’s last night to get some dinner, a few drinks, and to clear my head,” I explained. “That place is quiet enough for people not to know who I am.”

“Yeah,” he said, walking with me outside.

“I met someone while I was there,” I said. “She’s this adorable little vixen that just knocked my feet out from under me. We ended up drinking and then went back to her place. I took her to breakfast this morning. That was why I was late. I completely lost track of time.”

“Wow,” John said, nodding.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.” He chuckled. “I’m just surprised. That’s all. You swore off women after Tracy screwed you over.”

“I didn’t go looking for it,” I replied.

“I know,” he said. “I just want you to be careful. That’s all. I just don’t want things to end up like last time. You remember last time, right? I told you from the beginning that I didn’t trust Tracy, and I was right. I’m not saying that about this girl—I’ve never met her—but I worry about you. Girls have a tendency to get inside of your brain, and you go blind for a little while. I just want you to keep your eyes open, see things clearly, and make sure that her interest is in you and not your money. It sucks you have to live your life suspecting everyone, but you became a billionaire by the time you were twenty-five. There are downsides to that.”

“It’s not going to end like last time,” I said. “And I know, you pretty much saved me from a sham of a marriage. I owe you forever on that one, and I won’t take your advice for granted next time around. Besides, I don’t even know if I’ll ever see this girl again. I got her number, I told her I’d call her, but I don’t know if I actually will.”

“You should,” he said, shrugging. “I don’t see you get excited about a girl very often.”

“I’m not excited, just replaying the hot sex we had. That’s all.” I laughed, patting him on the shoulder. “Now, go enjoy the rest of your weekend. I’m going to go home and get some sleep, maybe watch the Lakers game on television or something.”

“Alright.” He laughed, climbing in the back of the car. “I’ll see you later.”

I nodded and watched the car drive off before climbing into mine. As we made our way to my place, I thought about what John said, and I was glad I chose to brush things off around him. Sure, what I felt was pretty intense, especially for me, but he didn’t need to know that. I needed to figure it out for myself first, show him that I could judge this girl’s character, and that I had learned from my mistakes. He had been my best friend since college, and my frat brother, and I wasn’t going to ignore his advice without giving it serious thought.

Chapter 3

Amanda

When I woke up on Sunday, I was happy to see that Lindsey had the day free and could meet me for lunch. I had been so caught up in meeting Nathan that I had completely forgotten about rescheduling things with her. I got ready and headed over to a small café uptown, smiling as I climbed out of my car and waved at Lindsey standing on the corner. She was so beautiful, with her long blonde hair, perfect body, and blue eyes that every guy fell for immediately. The entire world wept when Lindsey announced her engagement to Jordan, fantasies of thousands of men crumbling at their fingertips. To me, though, she was just Lindsey, the goofy chick that fell into modeling by accident and just kind of went with it. I wish my life would explode into superstardom without me even trying.

“Hi, love,” she said, kissing my cheek. “I’m sorry again about Friday. It was a nightmare.”

“It’s alright. I kept myself busy.” I felt my cheeks blush as I held open the door and followed her inside.

We sat down and ordered some salads and coffee, and I pulled out my notebook. We were finally getting to talk about all the details that I had been chasing her down about for months. We went through each page, laughing and checking off the choices that she had finally made. We were cutting everything close, but while I was extremely anxious about it, she seemed cool as a cucumber.

“We should have just brought everyone to Tahiti and eloped.” She sighed.

“Yes, you should have.” I laughed. “I could use a tan.”

“Me too,” she said, swallowing her bite of salad. “Did you decide whether you are going to bring a date or not?”

“No, probably not,” I said. “I’ll have too much to deal with as your Maid of Honor to watch over a date, too.”

“You make your title sound like you’re my nanny.” She giggled.

“Am I not?” I asked. “No, I just want to make sure everything is perfect and that you don’t have to worry about a thing. That is my job as your Maid of Honor.”

She went on gushing about the dresses that had come in a couple of weeks before, thanking me profusely for talking her out of floral print. My mind wandered as she spoke, going back to the conversation Nathan and I had over breakfast. He really was an awesome person to be around, and I hadn’t been able to get him off my mind since we parted ways on Saturday morning.

“Uh, hello? Amanda, are you in there?”

“Huh?”

“What’s up?” she asked. “You seem slightly distracted.”

“Truthfully?”

“Duh.” She rolled her eyes.

“I met someone,” I said, realizing I had to get it out.

“Oh, my God, tell me everything,” she said, leaning forward.

“Well, after you canceled dinner, I moved to the bar and met this really hot guy,” I said. “We ate dinner, drank, talked a lot, and then we went back to my place.”

“Saucy,” she said, jiggling her eyebrows. “Who is he?”

“His name is Nathan Roberts, and he owns—”

“iTech,” she blurted out. “Holy cow. You had sex with Nathan Roberts? That is crazy. Jordan works for him in the IT department.”

“That’s who Jordan works for?”

“I told you that,” she said excitedly.

“No, you told me he was VP of technology for some big company,” I said, astounded. “That’s so crazy.”

“Are you going to see him again?”

“I don’t know,” I said, shrugging. “I mean, I think I want to.”

“You think?”

“Okay, I know I want to, but I gave him my number, and I have to wait for him to call,” I said, looking down at my phone.

“Ugh, guys always wait forever to call back,” she said. “Jordan didn’t call me for a second date for like a week. It is so exhausting.”

“We both know they live in their own little world, thinking these crazy things about chasing a girl,” I said. “It’s like they think if they call the same day or the next, they will come off as needy. Personally, if you call me within a couple of days, I know you are really interested and not leaving me as back up because you have something better on the books.”

“Right?”

“Jordan, of course, is the exception because we all know he was head over heels for you the first time he saw you,” I reminded her. “And wasn’t the reason he didn’t call you for a week because he was taking care of his sick grandma?”

“Yeah,” she said, pointing at me. “That’s right. I forgot that.”

“How could you forget that?” I asked. “It’s like the sweetest thing ever.”

“I’m sure he will call you soon,” she said.

“Or not at all,” I replied. “I can’t really expect a lot. I met him at a bar and took him home that night. I gave up the goods right away.”

“That means you know what you want,” she said, shaking her head.

“Or I wanted to get laid.” I laughed. “I think it was a little of both. Anyway, if he doesn’t call, so be it. It’s not like it’s the first time I’ll be disappointed in a man.”

Just as I said that, my phone buzzed on the table, making me jump. I looked down at the screen and saw a number I didn’t recognize. I looked back at Lindsey with wide eyes.

“Is it him?” she asked.

“I don’t know. I don’t have his number, remember?”

“Answer it,” she said.

“Hello?”

“Hey, beautiful, it’s Nathan,” he said.

“Hey,” I replied, shaking my head at Lindsey. “How are you?”

“I am excellent. Did I catch you at a bad time?”

“No,” I said nonchalantly. “Just having lunch with my best friend.”

“The one getting married?”

“Yeah, the one getting married that stood me up on Friday,” I said, sticking my tongue out at her.

“Tell her thank you for that.” He chuckled.

My cheeks immediately went red, and I did not repeat what he said. I couldn’t believe that he had called so quickly. Maybe I should have had just a little more faith in him than I originally did. If he was calling that quickly, that meant I was on his mind, maybe even as much as he was on mine. I definitely wanted to see him again, but I wanted him to be the one to ask.

“Why do I feel like you are blushing right now?” he asked.

“Because I am.” I giggled, watching Lindsey’s face turn to shock at the sound of my girlish laughter.

“I don’t want to keep you from your wedding duties,” he said. “I just wanted to call and find out if I could see you again. I really had an amazing time on Friday, and then again on Saturday morning. Well, actually consecutively. I consecutively had fun that whole time, and I wanted to start that all over again on an actual date where I asked you and you accepted.”

“So, you are assuming I’ll accept? I’m just kidding.” I laughed, hearing his silence. “Yes, you can see me again, I would like that.”

“That is awesome,” he said, chuckling. “What are you doing tomorrow night?”

“Tomorrow night?” I asked, smiling at Lindsey. “Nothing.”

“How about I pick you up at your place at six, and we go have a nice dinner at Iliad’s?”

“Iliad’s? Don’t you have to have a reservation like a year in advance?”

“Usually, but the owner is a friend, so I have a standing reservation,” he said shyly.

“Oh, well then yes, I would love to,” I said, shaking my head.

“Perfect,” he replied. “I’ll see you at six then. And convince your friend to do the whole wedding in paisley. That would be so much more interesting.”

“I will do that.” I laughed. “And I’ll see you at six.”

I hung up the phone and sat there for a second, thinking about what just happened. I had just gotten done talking about guys calling in a few days, and then my phone rang. Did that mean he was interested in me more than just inside the bedroom? I shook my head and looked up at Lindsey.

“So?” she asked.

“We are going to dinner tomorrow night at Iliad’s,” I said quietly.

“That’s a nice place.” She smiled. “That’s where Jordan asked me to marry him.”

“I don’t think I have anything to wear to a place like that,” I said.

“Come over to my place,” she said, waving her hand at me. “I have a ton of stuff for places like that. I can get you all dolled up for your date. You know how I like to do that kind of stuff.”

“Yeah.” I laughed. “Like when you sent me to prom looking like a train wreck?”

“I’ve gotten a lot better since prom.” She laughed. “I’ve picked up a few tricks of the trade along the way.”

“I hope so,” I said, shaking my head.

“Just be careful,” she added. “I saw how much it hurt you when you caught your ex cheating on you.”

“With your sister you mean?” I asked.

“Yeah.” She rolled her eyes. “My sister and four other women. I just don’t want to ever see you hurt like that again. I mean, it kind of turned you into a scrooge when it comes to love, and I thought you would never get over it.”

“Do you ever get over something like that?”

“I hope so.” She smiled. “Because you are too amazing to not be sharing your life with someone else. You have a damn heart of gold, Amanda, and there is a guy out there that will appreciate that. I know it. Maybe it’s Nathan, maybe not, but I am happy that you are taking the opportunity to test the waters more than just the line of one night stands you’ve had since you and the asshole broke up.”

“The asshole? Is that what you call him?”

“I’ve always called him that,” she said, shaking her head. “I just think it’s now safe to call him that around you instead of in conversation when you aren’t listening.”

“Just don’t tell your sister,” I said.

“Of course not,” Lindsey replied. “I don’t really even talk to her. She thought it was a betrayal when I took your side during the whole drama. I don’t know why she would think I would stand by her after she slept with your boyfriend. Blood may be thicker than water, but I consider you my sister, too. She doesn’t need to know about anything going on in your life.”

It was crazy to me that Nathan owned the company that Lindsey’s fiancé worked for. All the past drama aside, I was really excited to get to know him better. Not only did he know Jordan, but he was taking me to the place where they got engaged. I was starting to think that fate was reaching down and playing a hand in all of these things. I pushed that thought down, though, remembering how dangerous it could be to think of relationships like they were designed. You tended to lose track of reality and that was when you missed the things that could be huge red flags. I had done that once in my life, and once was enough.

“I just want you to be careful,” she said, smiling at the waiter as he took her plate. “I’ve heard that Nathan is a bit of playboy.”

“I think I am finally in a place where I can handle myself,” I said. “Though I do love you and thank you for being such a great friend.”

“Always,” she said. “So, are we done with all the wedding talk?”

“I think so,” I said, scanning my notes.

“Good, let’s figure out what you are going to wear tomorrow night,” Lindsey said.

Chapter 4

Nathan

When I was done with work for the day, I grabbed my suit jacket and raced out of the office. I had to get ready for my date with Amanda, and I didn’t want to be late picking her up. This was going to be our very first real date, and I wanted to impress her in every way. When I got home, I jumped in the shower and picked out a nice suit to wear to dinner. I smoothed my hair back and made sure that every thread was in the right place. I had to admit, I looked pretty good in a five-thousand-dollar suit, even though I hated paying that much for it. I might be a billionaire, but I was picky about what I spent money on.

As I stood in front of the mirror picking lint off the bottom of my suit jacket, I noticed my stomach churning. I looked up at myself and took a deep breath, realizing that I was a lot more nervous than I thought I would be. This girl had kind of turned my world upside down, and only in the blink of an eye. She was beautiful, smart, ambitious, and sexy in a way that made me hot just by the touch of her hand. Usually, I would wait a week before calling a girl, but with Amanda, I had to see her again right away. I was nervous that she would be put off by my forwardness, but on the phone, she sounded just as excited to see me as I was to see her. Taking her to Iliad’s was a big deal to me because I never took dates there, not that I had very many dates anyway.

I shook the nerves off and finished getting ready, seeing that I was cutting it close on time. I headed outside to the street where the limo for the evening was waiting. The driver opened the door for me and smiled as I climbed inside. I thought it would be a nice touch to pick her up in a fancy limo instead of just a town car. When I got to her place, she came to the door, stunning me in a little black dress that sat off her shoulders. It was tight and hugged all of her curves, sitting right below the knee. She was wearing six-inch heels, and her hair cascaded over her shoulders. She was beautiful.

“You look amazing,” I said, leading her outside to the limo.

“Thank you,” she said, her eyes wide at the car parked outside.

“I thought it would be nice to ride in style,” I said, helping her inside.

“Did you know that my best friend’s fiancé works for you?” she asked. “His name is Jordan.”

“Jordan,” I said, laughing. “It’s a really small world.”

“That is what I said when I found out,” she replied. “Lindsey told me what he did but never the company he worked for, so it didn’t click until I mentioned it at lunch yesterday. I couldn’t help but think how strange it was that we were connected in that way.”

“I am pretty sure Jordan asked Lindsey to marry him at the restaurant we are going to tonight,” I said, thinking about it.

“He did,” she said excitedly. “I mean, I wasn’t there, but when I told Lindsey where we were going, she freaked out. She loves the place.”

“I don’t think I have ever met Lindsey,” I said. “I’ve heard all about her, though. Jordan is head over heels in love, and we all knew she was it when he first started talking about her. She is a model, right?”

“Yeah, she landed her first gig when she was like sixteen and has been doing it ever since,” she explained. “It’s funny to think of her that way, for me at least. I’ve known her my whole life.”

“I’m sure she is an amazing woman,” I said. “Jordan is a hell of a guy.”

“He is, and they are perfect or each other,” she said dreamily.

“I am actually going to their wedding,” I said, laughing. “I hope you didn’t talk them into paisley.”

She laughed. “No, I did not fulfill your request on the paisley,” she said. “There is enough craziness going on with everything.”

“You are doing a lot of the planning with her?”

“You mean for her? Sure.” She chuckled. “I am working closely with the wedding planner and trying to pry decisions out of Lindsey. She made me her Maid of Honor, which was really exciting until I figured out exactly what that meant. Lindsey is like the opposite of bridezilla. The guests she invited are expecting this big shindig, but I am pretty sure she would be happy getting married in her living room.”

“Poor girl.” I laughed.

“No, I don’t think she truly understands everything going on,” she said, rolling her eyes. “She is caught up in this love cloud and just signs the checks. If I weren’t there, we would still be on track for floral, and no one would be eating anything but the lobster rolls she said she wanted there. I really don’t know why she is having food anyway. Half the list is made up of models from the industry. She could have just served lettuce and water.”

“But then I would be hungry,” I said, smiling. “How long have you and Lindsey been friends?”

“Gosh, our entire lives pretty much,” she said. “My mom used to babysit her when she was like two, and we became inseparable after that. I thought when she got picked up for modeling, things might change, but she is the same old girl I used to sneak out of the house with, just with better style.”

“It’s nice to have those kinds of friends,” I said, smiling. “Ones you know will always be there, no matter what is going on in their lives. My right-hand man, John, is that guy for me. We met in college and have been best friends ever since. I don’t know what I would do without him sometimes.”

“He sounds like a great friend,” she said, smiling. “I don’t know what I would do without Lindsey, either. She has kept my feet on the ground for a long time.”

“You seem so level-headed,” I said.

“I am, but I’m still human,” she scoffed. “Making mistakes by the handful as I figure out life.”

“That’s me through and through.” I laughed.

“How long have you known Jordan?”

“Man, I met Jordan at a tech conference in college,” I said, thinking back. “I trusted him right away, and I could see how brilliant he was. It was right before I started the company. He loved the idea and has been on board with it ever since then. As soon as I could afford it, I made him VP of technology, and he is next in line for the President position. My main guy was in place right before I met Jordan, so they are kind of neck and neck for seniority. He is one of my greatest assets professionally, though. He is the mind behind some of the biggest technological creations that the company is known for.”

“Wow, I had no idea,” she said. “I knew he was really smart and successful, but I didn’t know how far that really went. Lindsey doesn’t really understand his job, not that I’m a whizz at it, but it keeps her from really discussing it with anyone. She is very careful with what she talks about since she doesn’t want to be given the ‘dumb model’ label that goes around in her world.”

“I can understand that,” I said. “It’s a smart choice. To be honest, I don’t always understand everything that Jordan does. We are close and work closely together every day, but we aren’t best friends or anything. Sometimes, it’s hard to be that close with everyone in your company. It can mess things up for you. I do know that he is a great guy, though. Oh, it looks like we’re pulling up now to Iliad’s.”

The driver opened the door to the limo and helped Amanda out, with me scooting out behind her. Before we had even reached the door, the hostess had it open, greeting us like old friends. I had been going there since my company had its first stock exchange. Most people would need to make a reservation there at least six months in advance, but since I was who I was, and since I knew the owners pretty well, there was always a table available for me. It was one of the perks that I had grown accustomed to, and I liked how doe-eyed the attention made Amanda. I wanted to impress her, and I was starting to think that I was doing a really good job at it. Either way, I was just happy to be there with her, holding her hand as we walked through the restaurant and over to our table in the corner by the window.

The hostess pulled out Amanda’s chair and pushed it in as she sat. Immediately, we were rushed by servers, prepping the table and bringing my usual choice in wine over. Amanda watched them hurry around us, treating us like we were part of the royal family. One of the servers smiled sweetly at her as she tasted the wine, smiling and nodding her head. I could see by the look in her eye just how excited she was to be there, especially when she reached over and took my hand. The staff lit the candles in the center of the table and retreated, waiting in the wings for when we were ready to order our appetizers.

“Do you like it here?” I asked.

“It’s amazing,” she whispered. “And I think that is Robert Deniro over there, eating dinner.”

I smiled and turned around, waving at him from a distance. He waved back and nodded at Amanda, blushing her cheeks. She shook her head and laughed as she placed her napkin in her lap.

“I can’t believe that,” she said, trying to keep her voice down. “You are crazy.”

After a glass of wine, she began to relax, and we talked about everything from our childhood to my company. She told me the history behind the loss of her mother and how close she was to her father. My heart almost broke when she talked about it, flashes of sadness crossing her face. But then, as if her inspiration returned, excitement burst from her as she explained that it was the reason she wanted to start a clinic for children. I was finding that I really liked this girl, and it wasn’t just infatuation driving it. Everything she said was right on cue with how I felt about the world, and for the first time in a long time, I felt like I could actually be comfortable talking to a woman.

When dinner and dessert were complete, I led her out to the street, watching and smiling as she closed her eyes and breathed in the warm air. We got in the limo and headed back to her house. I walked her to the door, feeling as nervous as I had the first time I took a girl out when I was just a teenager. She turned at the door and smiled at me.

“Do you want to come in?” she asked.

“I would love to,” I said. “But unfortunately, I have a very early meeting, and I think if I come in, I might not be able to leave you.”

“Then we’ll end things like a first date should end,” she said, smiling.

I wrapped my hands around her face and pressed my lips to hers, kissing her gently as the warm breeze blew around us. I could feel electricity shoot through my body as our skin touched, and it was hard to pull away. When I finally did, I looked her in the eyes for several moments.

“Sweet dreams,” I said, turning and walking to the car.

Sweet dreams, indeed.

Chapter 5

Amanda

My day was full, and I didn’t even have a job. This wedding had taken up my entire life, and I was starting to think that I had stumbled into a career change. Then I realized how much I hated being a part of the wedding world and brought myself back to reality. That morning, I was doing a bunch of stuff for the wedding since Lindsey wasn’t able to make it to the meeting with the planner. It wasn’t too bad, though, since I had gotten Lindsey’s choices for things ahead of time. I perused through the selections that the vendors had laid out in the planner’s office, trying to find what Lindsey wanted. Today, we were finalizing the flowers and the centerpieces which was super important to the whole theme.

“This one is perfect,” I said, standing in front of the tall, tiered candelabras with flowers and lights swirling around the shimmering platinum. “The other one just didn’t seem to fit.”

“Great,” the planner said, noting it in her book. “Then, that’s it for the day.”

“Perfect,” I said, looking at my watch. “I have plans for lunch.”

“Please have Lindsey call me,” the planner said. “I need to know if she is happy with the menu choice for the rehearsal dinner. The soon-to-be in-laws picked it, of course, but they wanted her approval.”

“I will tell her,” I said, smiling.

I left the planner’s office and headed over to the deli a couple blocks down. I had called in a to-go order and had to pick it up on the way to meet Lindsey. She was on a shoot that day and would be shooting well into the night. I agreed to grab her lunch so she wouldn’t have to eat from the cart again. She told me that she was going to puke if she ate another blueberry muffin for lunch.

When I got to the shoot, they directed me over to Lindsey’s trailer where she was waiting at the door. She closed the door behind me and plopped down on the couch. I pulled the food out and handed her the chicken salad she requested.

“You’re a lifesaver,” she said, sticking a piece of chicken in her mouth. “I swear they are trying to starve me to death.”

“You are a model,” I said, shrugging. “Just tell them what you want.”

“I wish it worked that way.” She laughed. “I’m the work horse for the brand, not the star. The ridiculous clothes are the star of the show. I’m pretty sure that this fashion week in New York is going to be a paisley nightmare.”

I laughed, almost choking on my sandwich. I thought about the quiet joke that Nathan and I had when it came to paisley. It was like everywhere I turned, the universe was showing me signs that I was supposed to be with him. It was starting to get a little strange.

Lindsey looked at me curiously and handed me a napkin. “How are you and Nathan?”

Immediately, my cheeks felt warm, and I knew that I was blushing hardcore from my forehead to my neck. I tried to control it, but I couldn’t help it. Even just thinking about his name gave me butterflies in my stomach. It was like I was a love-struck teenager all over again, and though normally I would roll my eyes at that sort of thing, I was enjoying every second of it. It was in those moments that I understood the haze that Lindsey had been walking around in for the last couple of years. The feeling of electricity in my chest hadn’t left me since I met Nathan, and I knew that had to mean something. I was fighting myself on it, and that was only natural after what I had been through with my ex, but I was starting to see myself lowering my guard and completely letting the idea of Nathan into my life.

“Wow, look at that reaction.” Lindsey giggled. “I don’t think I have ever seen you in that shade of red before.”

“The butterflies are everywhere.” I sighed. “I can’t even hear his name without getting warm in the face.”

“It sounds like you may have already fallen in love with this guy,” she said.

“I mean, I can’t lie to you; I think that I might have,” I said, realizing it at that moment. “It’s crazy, I know, but my emotions aren’t letting me feel any other way. I’ve tried to keep that wall up, to be cautious and think about everything before I do it, but when I am with him, it all goes out the window. When he kissed me the other night, I swear I thought my legs were going to melt right out from under me.”

“That is so awesome,” Lindsey said. Her phone rang, and she reached for it. “Oh, damnit. It’s my sister. Sorry, give me just a second.”

I nodded my head and stood up, walking to the other side of the trailer. She was the last person I needed to think about at a time like this. She had slept with my boyfriend, and even after knowing I had caught him numerous times before. I couldn’t blame her for the fact that I had forgiven him like an idiot every single time. I was in love and blind to the fact that once he cheated, he would always cheat. I didn’t even know if five was the total count, but that was how many I had actually caught him red-handed with. He was the reason I hadn’t dated anyone before I met Nathan. He left a really bad taste in my mouth when it came to men, and I never wanted to think about him again.

I had forgiven most of the girls, knowing that none of them knew that he was in a relationship when he met them, but not Sarah. Sarah was Lindsey’s little sister and someone who had spent many hours around all of us. She knew perfectly well that he was with me, and the worst part of it all was the fact that she didn’t really have any interest in him. She just did it to make me mad. I didn’t know what her problem with me was, but she had hated me for a long time and even worse now that I stood between her and her sister.

As Lindsey talked to her sister, I did my best to block out the whole conversation and tried hard not to look upset.

I had known Sarah since she was born, and when we were younger, she would hang out with me and Lindsey, trying to fit in with the older girls. As time went by, she grew into her own person and always seemed to resent me in some ways. I tried hard to be part of her life, but after she slept with my ex, I wrote her off. I couldn’t stand to even hear that she was on the phone, and although I knew it was petty to hold grudges and she’d probably done me a favor since I broke up with him after that, I still didn’t want to be anywhere near her. I knew that I would never be able to forgive her for what she did, and I knew that even if I ever could, I would never trust her again.

One of the parts of the wedding that I wasn’t looking forward to was the fact that Sarah was going to be there. However, knowing how important everything was to Lindsey, I was going to handle everything after the wedding, if at all. I would never do anything to ruin Lindsey’s big day, and even though they had their differences and she had betrayed me, Lindsey still loved her little sister. I couldn’t put Lindsey down for that—she was her family—but that didn’t mean that I had to be anywhere near her during the event. Instead, my attention was going to be on the wedding and on Nathan, who I now realized was going to be there with me. I hadn’t thought about that fact until right then. Turned out, I didn’t need to bring a date after all. He was already going to be in attendance. I hoped he hadn’t already asked someone to come with him. That could get awkward fast.

“I know Sarah,” Lindsey said with a sigh. “It will all be fine. Just call Mom and Dad. They will take care of it for you. I have to go. I have to get back to work. I love you, sissy. I’ll see you soon.”

Lindsey hung up the phone, and I turned back around, walking over and sitting down. I acted like there was nothing wrong, just that I was giving her privacy on her phone call. She sighed and put the phone back on the table.

“I’m sorry about that,” she said. “I know that had to have been terrible timing.”

“Leave it to Sarah to interrupt a good moment with a man.” I chuckled. “But it’s not your fault. She’s your sister.”

“Yeah,” she said, looking down at her chicken salad. “So, when do you think you will be opening your clinic for children?”

“Honestly, I haven’t even started planning yet,” I said shamefully. “I know I need to start planning soon because my inheritance from my grandparents will only last me a few more years. I don’t know what my problem is. I can’t seem to wrap my head around putting my dreams down on paper.”

“You’re the therapist. You tell me.” Lindsey chuckled. “Maybe you’re afraid to grow up.”

“I’m not Peter Pan.” I laughed. “I think deep down I’m afraid to fail. I know what it’s like to lose a parent, and these kids will be relying on me to pull them out of that. It’s a big deal, you know? It’s a lot of responsibility, and I want to make sure that I’m ready for it.”

“Your phone is ringing,” she said, looking down at it buzzing on the table.

“Hello?” I said, answering without looking at the screen.

“Hey there,” Nathan said, making me blush.

“Oh, hi,” I said excitedly. “How are you?”

“I’m good. How are you?”

“Good, just eating lunch with Lindsey,” I said.

“Do you guys ever do anything other than eat lunch?”

“Yeah, we plan weddings,” I joked. “What’s up?”

“My company is throwing a party on Saturday night, and I wanted to know if you would be my date?”

“Wow,” I said. “What kind of party?”

“It’s a release to the shareholders,” he said. “We are presenting the new project in its finality.”

“I would love to,” I said happily.

“Awesome,” he said. “I will pick you up at seven then.”

“I will be ready,” I said. “Oh, how formal is this event?”

“It is black tie, my sweets,” he said with a smile in his voice.

“Alright, great,” I replied, feeling a bit of dread. “I’ll see you then.”

I hung up the phone and looked at Lindsey. She smiled and shoved lettuce into her mouth. I laughed and shook my head.

“That was Nathan,” I said. “I’m going to be his date at the party on Saturday.”

“Oh, wow,” she replied with a full mouth. “That’s a big deal.”

“I know,” I said, standing up and grabbing my bag. “It’s a huge deal, and it’s black tie.”

“Well, you better go get a dress,” she said. “I’ll call you later. Send me pictures.”

“I’m on it,” I said, walking out of the trailer.

I wanted to knock him off his feet.

Chapter 6

Nathan

It was always a good feeling when the clock hit quitting time on a Friday. I had a full weekend planned, and though I would have to be CEO the next day for the party, for that night, I could just be me and relax. I straightened up my office and grabbed my briefcase, switching off the lights as I left. I walked down through the halls and took the elevator to the bottom floor. The car was waiting for me on the street, so I hopped in and sat there, thinking about what I had planned.

“Are we going home, Mr. Roberts?” the driver asked.

I knew that I had plans with Amanda the following night. I was taking her to the party for work, but it just felt like too long to wait to see her. I had never just dropped in on someone before, and I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea. Then, as if the universe was trying to tell me something, a bus stopped next to us. The billboard on the side featured Jordan’s fiancée, which I recognized from a photo in his office.

“You know what? Would you take me to Amanda’s house? I want to surprise her. And if you’d stop at the liquor store on the way, I’d appreciate it.”

“Yes, sir,” he said with a smile.

When I got there, I was happy to see that her lights were still on, and her car was the only one in the driveway. The last thing I wanted was to show up when she had company. I was pretty sure we were officially dating, but we hadn’t discussed the details of what that meant, which I was fine with. I got out of the car and told the driver I would be awhile and would call him when I was ready to go.

“I’ll be just down the block, grabbing a bite and some coffee,” he said, nodding his head.

When I got up to the door, nerves started to run through me. I reached up and pressed the doorbell, standing there awkwardly as I listened to her quietly approach. When she opened the door, she was smiling ear to ear.

“What are you doing here?!”

“I couldn’t wait to see you, so I thought I would surprise you,” I said. “I hope that’s okay.”

“Of course, please come in,” she said, stepping to the side.

“I brought a bottle of champagne,” I said, lifting it up. “I thought maybe we could have a couple drinks and just relax.”

“I love that idea,” she said, showing me into the living room.

After coming back with glasses, we sat down and started talking. She was really excited about the party the next night and told me she had bought a knockout dress. I was pretty sure she would look amazing in a trash bag, but I was excited to see her in it.

“I called my dad, and he was really happy for me,” she said. “You know, for finding someone that I felt comfortable talking to.”

“You’re close with your dad, right?”

“Yeah, growing up after my mom died, he was all I had,” she said. “We kept each other afloat, and he always made sure that I was able to be a kid.”

“My parents were always supportive, though I think my father is still a little bitter that I didn’t take over his mechanic business.” I chuckled. “It was never my thing. I tried, but I just couldn’t get into it.”

“You can’t force those things, you know? So, have you been in many serious relationships?”

“Well, actually, I was in one,” I said, feeling comfortable enough to tell her about it. “We met right before I started the company, and after a couple of years, I popped the question.”

Her eyes widened. “What happened?”

“I found texts to another man on her phone,” I said. “She was cheating on me and using me for my money. After that, I pretty much just shut women out. Until I met you, that is.”

“I understand how that feels,” she said. “I was in a relationship for years. He cheated on me five times that I know of, all with different women, including my best friend’s little sister. After that, I pretty much shut men out. Until you, of course.”

“Oh, man that’s terrible,” I said. “Lindsey’s little sister?”

“Yep,” she said, taking a drink of her champagne.

“Is she going to be at the wedding?”

“Yep,” she repeated, her eyes getting big. “But it’s Lindsey’s big day, and I won’t ruin that.”

“That is going to be awkward,” he said.

“Nah, I won’t let it be awkward,” she replied. “I have to be the bigger person, and in the end, she showed me that I shouldn’t be with him anyway, so I guess I owe her.”

“That’s definitely one way to look at it.” I laughed. “You’re the most interesting girl I know. Can I tell you something?”

“Shoot,” she said, smiling.

“I can’t get you off my mind,” I said pointedly. “No matter what I do, all day long, you are floating around in there.”

“That’s really nice to hear,” she said. “Especially since I feel the same exact way. I keep seeing all these signs, and who knows? Maybe I’m looking for them, but it’s almost like the universe is sending me in your direction at every turn. Now, I’m not a mystical person or anything, barely spiritual, but it has been hard to ignore.”

“No, I know exactly what you mean,” I said, scooting closer. “It happened tonight when I was trying to decide whether to just pop in or not. Then poof. A billboard of Lindsey appeared next to me out of the blue, on the side of a bus. I knew I had to come here.”

I reached up and brushed a piece of hair out of her face, watching her close her eyes as my skin touched hers. I pulled up my other hand and cupped her neck, pulling her in and kissing her passionately. She whimpered as I slid my tongue across her lips and tasted the sweet champagne on her tongue. I slid my hand down her side and around to the small of her back, feeling the heat rising in my chest. Just as I moved my lips to her neck, my phone went off, breaking the spell for a moment. I sighed and fumbled to find the thing in my pocket. Without looking at the screen, I hit the ignore button and set it on the table. I dove back in, pulling Amanda close to me, feeling the heaving of her chest against mine.

The smell of her perfume and the bubbles from the champagne had me completely twisted in knots. I wanted so badly to take her right there on the couch, to feel her supple body in my hands writhing beneath me as I pushed her closer to orgasm. However, before I even had the chance to get her undressed, my phone rang again. I groaned, angrily grabbing the phone from the table. She smiled and nodded her head, telling me to answer it. I pulled it to my ear and answered gruffly.

“Yes, what can I do for you?”

“Nathan,” John said in a slightly panicked voice.

I turned and sat up straight, not used to hearing that tone from him. “John, what’s wrong?”

“We have a problem,” he said. “There’s been a security breach. I came right over to make sure it wasn’t a false alarm before bothering you on a Friday night, but it looks like it’s the real thing. I know you’re probably in the middle of something, but you should get over here immediately. We need to get the system under control and fast.”

“Right,” I said, glancing over at Amanda. “I’m on my way. I just have to call the car.”

I hung up the phone and texted my driver, letting him know it was an emergency. I put the phone down and kissed Amanda sweetly on the lips, pulling back and sighing. She smiled sweetly and tilted her head.

“Is everything okay?”

“There has been some sort of security breach at the company,” I said. “I have to get over there and make sure it’s stopped. These things are pretty serious when it comes to the company and our projects.”

“I’m sure,” she said, looking up at the sound of my driver honking.

“I’ll see you tomorrow night, okay?”

I leaned in and gave her a long, deep kiss before standing up and heading for the door. I turned back for just a minute and smiled at her before walking out and shutting the door behind me. Once I was outside, I sprinted for the car and jumped inside, instructing the driver to step on it. This was a serious thing, something that could completely take us off the market for an entire quarter. We had serious steps in place to avoid these types of things, so whoever hacked in was either lucky or really experienced. When I got there, John, Jordan, and half the IT department were standing around different computers, looking at the system.

“Hey, we think we have him stalled,” John said as I pulled a chair up to the main computer and began looking through the system.

We worked for several hours, finally picking up the hacker’s signal and running a trace. Turned out, it was some kid in Idaho playing around with hacking like it was a game. He got lucky and got into the mainframe, but once he was there, he had no idea what he was doing. He was doing little bullshit things like changing some names and highlighting certain things in accounting. He obviously had no idea what he was looking at, or what to do once he was inside. I handed the computer over to Jordan and his team to start cleaning up and went into my office to call the proper authorities. We worked closely with the FBI’s hacker unit, so I gave my contact a call and let them know what happened. Luckily, there was no customer or employee information available on the level the hacker broke into. He was just surfing the regular system like most of our employees could do in the mail room.

“That was close,” John said, shaking his head as he leaned back in the chair. “We need to find the weak spot that he got in through and make sure that never happens again. If he had known what he was doing, he could have crippled us.”

“I know,” I said. “I’m gonna head out. I’ll see you tomorrow at the party.”

“Right on, buddy,” he said.

By the time I got home, it was really early in the morning, and I was dragging ass. Luckily, I didn’t need to be at the party until that evening. I got ready for bed and pulled my phone out to hook it up to the charger. It was the first time I looked at it since I left Amanda’s house. I noticed a missed text, so I pulled it open and smiled. Amanda had sent me a message shortly after I left her house.

“I miss you so much and I can’t wait to see you tomorrow. Thanks for listening to me ramble,” it read.

I sat down on the bed and reread the message probably ten times. I shut the phone off and hooked it up, feeling those same butterflies dancing around in my chest. As I turned the light off and settled into bed, I realized something. Those butterflies weren’t just excitement. They were much more than that. They were all too familiar, and although I hadn’t felt that way in a long time, I knew what it was. I was falling in love with Amanda, and I didn’t want the feeling to end.

Chapter 7

Amanda

I smoothed the hair back on the side of my head. I had pinned one side of my hair up and let the other fall over the edge of my face. The curls bounced around my shoulders, and the makeup on my eyes shimmered against the satin of my dress. I ran my hands down the cool material, happy that I had picked that dress for the event. It was a spaghetti-strapped, satin gown that flowed down over my curves to the floor. The back dipped down low until it reached just above my ass. I knew I was going to stun Nathan with the thing. It was a good thing that I was ready early, too, because as I slipped my earrings on, I could hear the sound of the doorbell.

I smiled and pulled on my heels, walking out to the door and peering through the peephole. He looked nervous, and I found it absolutely adorable. I opened the door and whistled, staring at him in his Dior tuxedo, perfectly pressed, and fitted just right around his tight body. I was a lucky girl to get to go to this party with such a handsome man. He leaned in and kissed my cheek, shaking his head.

“You look absolutely stunning,” he whispered. “I’m sorry I’m early, but I missed you.”

“Aww,” I said, looking at him with love. “I missed you, too.”

“I got us a little surprise,” he said, pulling me in and kissing my neck.

“Oh, yeah? Do we have time for that?”

“Not right now.” He chuckled. “But later we will. I booked the presidential suite at the hotel where the party is being held. Whenever we are ready, we can just slip out the back and go right up to the lap of luxury.”

“I like the sound of that.” I giggled as he kissed me hard on the neck.

“For now, though,” he said. “We have to get going. They’re going to want to see me there before the huge crowd descends. Are you ready?”

“Let me just grab my bag,” I said, walking into the kitchen and yelling back at him. “You said this is for your shareholders?”

“Well, not exactly,” he said, smiling as I walked back toward him.

“What do you mean?”

“I didn’t want you to be nervous, so I just told you that.” He laughed. “It’s actually the company’s anniversary party. We have one every year to mark when I first started the company. Everyone thinks it’s silly, but I think it’s super important. Everyone comes to work every day in this empire, but they seldom think about the company I started from a small shop in West LA, with no employees but me, Jordan, and John.”

“Oh,” I said, looking nervous. “So, there will be press and stuff?”

“A little,” he said. “What is even more important than the press is the fact that this night is dedicated to everyone that works for me, from the mail room to the Vice President. We take this night and honor the hardest workers in the company, give them bonuses, and remind them just how important they are to the inner workings of the company. Employee morale is everything in this world, and I want to make sure they know how important they are to me.”

“That is really amazing,” I said in awe of his generosity. “You continue to surprise me every day.”

We headed out to the event, chauffeured in style in a shiny new limo. When we got there, we went in the back entrance to avoid all the photographers out front. Nathan ushered me to a seat at the head table, and I sat, watching him prepare for his speech. When everyone was seated, the lights went down a bit, and a spotlight came up. The crowd cheered for Nathan, and I watched the charisma that just shined through his every movement. He was amazing to watch and to listen to, and I could tell that the people in that room really adored him as their boss and their friend. That was the kind of business owner I wanted to be, someone that was in touch with the heart of the company.

“I am so glad that everyone could make it tonight,” he said during his speech. “And we all should take a moment and send some good vibes to Mrs. Burlington from accounting who had open heart surgery last week. We hear she is doing amazing and is recovering as we speak. On that note, I want to remind you guys yet again of how important you are to me and this company.”

I sat there smiling, watching as he locked eyes with me several times during his speech. The intensity of his stare made my heart skip a beat, and I could feel myself falling in love with him with every passing moment. I was surprised at how easy it was for me to let go with him.

The whole night was turning out so wonderfully. His speech ended, and he got a standing ovation, and I could see the pride beaming from his face. He came down and sat next to me, holding my hand tightly in his as the awards were handed out. He clapped and cheered for every single person that crossed that stage, and I wondered if he actually knew all of them.

When the awards were done, we sat at the table enjoying dinner and drinks, laughing with the other couples around us. He was so attentive to me the whole time, never leaving me alone for more than a couple of seconds. After that, we mingled through the crowd, meeting some of the new employees and finding ourselves engrossed in conversation with several of the lower level employees. He talked to them the same way he talked to the upper management, with grace, respect, and dignity. I met so many people, I was losing track of all the names and departments they worked for. As we turned around to get a drink from the bar, I spotted Lindsey coming through the doors on Jordan’s arm, waving wildly at me. They weren’t supposed to able to make it, but I was so excited to see them both there.

“Hi,” I said excitedly, hugging Lindsey tightly.

“You look amazing,” she said, taking my hand. “I love that dress.”

“Thank you,” I said proudly. “And so do you!”

“So, this is the famed Lindsey,” Nathan said, shaking her hand. “I’ve heard so much about you. Between Jordan and your best friend, I feel like I already know you.”

“Everything they say is true,” she said, swirling her hair. “Unless it’s bad, and then they are liars to the end.”

“They speak nothing but the best about you,” he said as we all laughed.

“So, are you two having fun?” she asked.

“I always have fun with this amazing woman,” he said, squeezing my side.

“I’m so glad you’re dating.” She giggled. “Are you going to be coming to the wedding together? That would be so great. I could totally put you two at the same table. Would you want to sit next to each other?”

“Lindsey, take a deep breath,” I said, laughing. “You are overloading again.”

“She talks a mile a minute when she gets excited.” Jordan laughed. “It’s adorable.”

“Lindsey, I would love to sit next to Amanda,” Nathan said, smiling. “And I want to take a second and brag to you about your fiancé. We had a little security breach last night, and your fiancé was a badass, excuse my language. He jumped right in, tracked the hacker down, and reported back to me this morning that everything had been all cleared up. He even fixed the hole in the system that allowed the guy to slip through into the mainframe.”

“I don’t know what you just said, but I am very impressed,” she said, laughing. “Good job, baby.”

“Why, thank you,” Jordan said, beaming.

“I’m so glad that the two of you were able to come tonight,” I said, grabbing Lindsey’s hand.

“Me too,” she said. “I was able to reschedule the shoot they wanted to do, and we threw on some clothes and headed over.”

“What shoot were you doing?” Nathan handed her a glass of champagne and winked at me.

“An ad for the new Dior perfume coming out in the fall,” she said. “The photographer was being a grumpy ass anyway, so the company decided to move shoots and reschedule for next week. His equipment was being crazy, and he wasn’t getting the right lighting.”

“I don’t know what you just said, but we are glad to have you here,” Nathan said, trying to make her feel comfortable.

“Aww,” she cooed, taking the bait. “Well, we’re glad to be here.”

I beamed at Nathan, mouthing “Thank you,” to him and taking his hand as he pulled me out onto the dance floor. Lindsey smiled at me from across the room, and I swirled around into his arms. The rest of the night was just so wonderful. Everything seemed almost picture perfect. I hadn’t had that much fun in a really long time, and I knew it was because of Nathan.

We danced for quite a while and then resumed greeting people. He showed me off but not like arm candy, rather like something he cherished and adored. He even introduced me to everyone as his girlfriend. I thought it would throw me for a loop hearing it, but when I did, it seemed to fit just right. The first time he said it, my cheeks grew red, and I was almost tongue-tied. He smiled big, catching my reaction, and I melted right there on the spot. After the couple had walked away, he kissed me on the forehead and squeezed my hand tightly, pulling me toward the bar.

I felt like I was a princess at a ball, being waited on hand and foot, respected by so many people that didn’t even know me, and watching my boyfriend beam at me with pride. I was enjoying myself so much that I didn’t even realize how late it was getting until people started collecting their things and leaving for the evening. The party would probably keep going for the next few hours, but I could feel my feet starting to throb from my shoes, and I was pretty anxious to see what else the night was going to bring. I could tell by the way Nathan’s eyes moved over my body that he was thinking the same thing.

After we had said goodnight to a few people, we snuck out the side door and made our way up to the penthouse. He slid the card key in and opened the door, watching as I walked in before him. I stopped inside and looked around, completely in awe of the place. There was dark rich wood covering the floor and the edges around the ceiling. The furniture was ornate and beautiful, and there was a fresh bouquet of roses on the table. I took off my shoes and set them down, walking over to the floor-to-ceiling windows and looking out over the city. It was beautiful.

Nathan walked up beside me, and I turned to him, dropping my purse on the table next to me. He stared at me with intensity, and before he could say a word, I pulled the straps down over my shoulders and allowed my dress to fall to the floor. He smiled and ran his hands over my perked nipples, walking in close to me and pulling my body forward. He pressed his lips hard against mine, and I leaned into him, allowing him to completely envelop me. It was erotic and passionate, and my body yearned for more of him. This was going to be a really good night.

Chapter 8

Nathan

The way her body looked in the lights from the city, standing in front of me in nothing but a pair of lace panties, made my cock hard as a rock. I could feel her body tensing as my fingers trailed over her skin. I backed her up into the living room, and she pulled away, untying my bow tie and helping me out of my coat. With each button of my shirt, she became more and more frenzied, pulling at my belt as I took my shirt the rest of the way off. She unzipped my pants and let them fall to the floor, looking into my eyes as she pushed her hand down into my boxers and grasped my shaft in her palm. I groaned, stepping out of my pants and pulling my shoes and socks off. She kept her hand firm, waiting until I was completely undressed.

I stood up straight and watched as she tossed a pillow on the floor and pulled me over to the couch. I sat down, watching her kneel before me and pull my boxers completely off. My cock sprang free, waving back forth until she leaned forward and caught it with her lips. She kissed the tip and raised herself back up, running her hands up and down my thighs. I was so turned on at that moment, pent-up from being cut off on Friday, that I wasn’t even sure what to do with myself. I leaned my head against the couch and calmed my breathing, watching as she lowered her head down and pulled my cock into her mouth. She swirled her tongue around the mushroom tip, sucking hard as she pulled up. She reached one hand up, grasped the base of my cock, and leaned forward again, opening her throat and sheathing her teeth.

I groaned loudly as her mouth slipped back over, sliding down my shaft until her lips touched the base of my dick. As she slowly pulled back up, the suction almost mind-numbing, she grasped onto the erection and tightly slid her hand up behind her mouth. I reached my hands down and grasped onto the couch cushion as she did it again, this time picking up the pace. I watched her dark hair wildly shake back and forth as she deep-throated my cock. I pressed my hand down on her head and grabbed her hair gently, guiding her down the length of my rod and groaning as I felt her suck hard at the back of her throat. Her warm saliva dripped down my cock and over my balls, and the feeling of the cool air hitting my wet nuts sent a shiver up my spine.

I watched as she slowly slid back up, her eyes contacting mine and her mouth quivering at the top. I wanted to taste her, to feel her come before I gave in and fucked the hell out of her. I leaned down and grabbed her under the arms, pulling her up on the couch next to me. I slid down on the floor and pulled her panties off, running my hand down her stomach. She groaned as I pulled her legs apart and watched her pink pussy glisten in the light. I continued moving my hand downward, stopping and pushing her lips apart.

My fingers pressed down on her clit, rubbing in circles as I scooted over in front of her and sat back on my heels. She whimpered loudly, her head moving back and forth and her tongue gently licking her lips. I pulled my other hand up and pushed two fingers through her juices and inside of her, watching her body writhe with ecstasy. Immediately, I started to push them in and out, twisting them as I exited and then pushing them deep, flicking the end of my fingertips inside of her. She moaned louder, grabbing tightly to the cushion underneath of her.

“You like that?” I asked.

“Yeah,” she moaned in a high-pitched voice, making my cock twitch.

“You gonna come for me?”

“Oh yes,” she groaned.

I pushed faster and harder, finger-fucking her and listening to the sounds of pleasure escaping her throat. She gripped tighter until her knuckles were white and she pushed her head back against the cushion. Her body began to tense until suddenly, she shook in my hands, her voice echoing through the penthouse. I could feel her pussy convulsing around my fingers and pulled them out, diving my head down and licking the juices as they exploded. I wanted to feel it again, greed spreading through me like fire.

Immediately, I started flicking my tongue against her clit, watching her body immediately tighten before the other orgasm had even finished. She grabbed onto my head and screamed out, picking up her hips and grinding herself against me. I could feel her want, her need for more, and I began to finger her once again while I licked and lapped at her hard nub.

“Oh God,” she screamed. “I’m gonna come again. God, don’t stop.”

I smiled, sucking her clit into my mouth and releasing, rubbing my tongue hard against it. She pushed down on my head with her hand, screaming loudly above me. I could feel her body beginning to tense again, and I groaned as she rolled right into another orgasm. As she came, I moved my mouth down, licking her up and through her folds. She moaned, her breath shallow and fast as she moved through the waves of pleasure that were surging through her body. I pulled my head back and watched as she began to relax back into the couch, her teeth biting down on her bottom lip. I gave her a minute to recover, rubbing her clit gently as her breath began to regulate.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and giggled, pulling me up toward her and kissing my lips. She ran her tongue over my mouth, and I opened, pulling her inside, allowing her to taste the sweetness of her own juices. She moaned as she kissed me, the vibrations of her tone moving down into my chest.

“Fuck me,” she whispered, pulling her head back slightly.

I smiled and picked her up, wrapping her legs around me as I carried her to the bedroom. I laid her down on the bed and crawled up between her legs. I lifted both of her legs up and over my shoulders, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her toward me. I held tightly to my shaft, wasting no time as I pushed it through her juices and slowly inside of her. She gasped, reaching back and grabbing the pillow with both hands. I steadied myself and began to thrust, pushing deep inside of her and backing out slowly, watching her body move beneath me. I leaned into her, feeling my cock fill her up and the silky-smooth texture of her pussy massaging my shaft. I gripped tighter to her waist and started to move faster and faster until I was pounding into her. I let go of my inhibitions and gyrated my hips in a short, fast motion.

She screamed out, feeling me enter her over and over again. I groaned, wanting more but knowing I needed to slow down. I pushed deep and hard, pulling out and pushing back in as her legs rested on my shoulders. I turned my head and kissed her leg before slowly pulling out and putting them down. I flipped her over on her stomach and pulled her legs straight back behind her. I spread them apart just slightly and straddled them, guiding my cock between her thighs and into her tight pussy. She grabbed onto the edge of the mattress, and I leaned forward, using my feet to push me in and out of her. The feeling her already-tight pussy, combined with the way my cock moved through her thighs, was incredible.

I reached down and grabbed her ass, squeezing her cheeks tightly as I moved into her slowly and steadily. I could feel every inch of her pussy, and she was wetter than hell, dripping down my cock every time I pulled out. I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes, focusing on the sensations moving up my cock and over my balls as they trailed across her legs. I moved back and spread her thighs apart, pulling her up on all fours. I slid back and inside and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her forward and back, watching as my cock slid in and out of her tight hole.

“Faster,” she moaned, gripping to the bed.

I smiled and began to thrust my hips back and forth, watching the waves move up her perfect ass. She moaned loudly, rocking back and forth, meeting me in the middle. I pulled out and fell to the side, laying on my back and looking up at her face. She bit her lip and sat up, grabbing onto her tits and massaging them as she moved over top of me. It was like she knew what I was thinking. She pulled her legs over me and scooted up over my cock, reaching down between her legs and holding tightly to it as she slid her juicy pussy down onto it.

She moaned, lowering herself down and back up again. She rode me slowly for a while, rubbing her hands up over her tits and whimpering. I watched her sexy body slide up and down, her head back and her eyes closed as she pushed herself toward another orgasm. I couldn’t wait to feel her come, to feel the pulsing sensation of her pussy. I pushed her down to the bottom of my cock and began to move her hips for her. She smiled and put her hands down on my chest and began to grind. She gasped, feeling her clit rub across my skin, my dick deep inside of her.

Second by second, she grew more and more restless. Her body moved quicker with every swirl of her hips. She moved her body forward and back, her mouth open as she sang out in pleasure. The bed creaked beneath us, and I gritted my teeth, watching her pull herself to the edge of ecstasy. I looked up and grabbed her tits, squeezing the tightly as she looked down at me.

“I’m gonna come,” she screamed, immediately exploding into orgasm.

I growled, grabbing her waist and slamming her up and down on my shaft. The hot juices exploded around my dick, and her pussy tightened, pushing me over the edge. I pushed her down one last time and thrusted my hips upward, feeling the waves of pleasure wash over me. My cock pulsated inside of her as it erupted with hot seed. She sat there twitching over top of me for several minutes, our bodies finishing coming at the same time. When we both had relaxed our muscles, she fell to the side and pulled herself up next to me. I grabbed the covers and pulled them over us, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her head up onto my chest.

“That was amazing,” she said, still breathless.

“You are amazing,” I said, looking down at her. “I am falling in love with you, Amanda.”

“Really?” She looked up at me and smiled. “I’m falling in love with you, too.”

I smiled big and lifted her chin up, bending forward and gently kissing her lips. She rolled over to the side and pulled my arm with her, wrapping it around her tightly. I kissed her on the cheek and relaxed my head into the pillow, breathing in the sweet smell of her perfume. We fell asleep like that, wrapped up in each other’s bodies, feeling the emotions that we had been holding back swirling around us. It was the first time in my life that I felt completely content.

Chapter 9

Amanda

The sound of the birds outside my window and the bright streaming sunlight coming in roused me from my sleep. I hadn’t slept that well in a really long time, and I wasn’t even surprised that the clock read noon when I looked over at it. It was Sunday, so there was no rush to get up, and Nathan had made sure to pay for two nights so we could sleep in and not be bothered. I rolled over on my back and stretched my arms over my head, yawning. Nathan propped himself up on his elbow and looked over at me, smiling.

“How long have you been awake?” I asked.

“Just about five minutes before you,” he said, pulling me into him. “You were so sweet in your sleep that I wanted you to wake up on your own.”

“Thank you,” I said, kissing him on the cheek.

“I love you,” he said, nuzzling my neck with his nose.

“I love you, too,” I said with a big, excited smile.

I couldn’t believe that we had both gotten to that place so fast. I was head over heels for this guy, and he had broken through all of my walls, forcing me to open up to him without much effort at all. I didn’t know why, but I just trusted him. It was crazy.

“I can’t believe how fast I fell for you,” he said.

“I was just thinking that,” I said, laughing. “You are reading my mind.”

“I wish,” he said. “Women would be so less complicated if that were possible.”

“I just never expected to fall in love again,” I said, sighing. “When my ex and I broke up, I was done, and I stayed like that for a long time. Then I met you, and it has been a whirlwind. I was totally going to leave the restaurant that day, but I was starving and had nothing else to do on that Friday night.”

“I’m glad you were starving,” he said. “I’m glad that both of us were content to be at that bar, scooting close to one another, and then letting go of our inhibitions. I knew the moment I started talking to you that you were different.”

“Me too,” I said. “I knew you were trouble.”

“You figured me out,” he said, laughing. “Let’s get up, get dressed, and go out on the town for the day.”

“In my evening gown?”

“I had the hotel send up some clothes for both of us,” he said, smiling. “They are in the living area.”

“You are too sweet,” I said, shaking my head.

We got up and went out in the living room, checking out the clothes that were sent over. I pulled on the cute pink panties and bra and then put on the jeans. They were low-rise with rips in the thighs. I liked the style, and I nodded in approval as I pulled the grey t-shirt over my head and sat down to slip on the Chuck Taylor’s. I stood back up and turned around, facing Nathan. We laughed, looking at each other’s outfits. Someone had a sense of humor because we were dressed almost identically, only his was the manly version.

“I guess we are twins today.” He chuckled.

“It’s not so bad. At least you look hot.” I smiled.

“So, do you,” he said with a smirk. “Like, wowzer hot.”

“Wowzer hot? Where does that fall on the scale?”

“Like way over the top,” he said, measuring it with his hand.

We went down to the lobby and hopped in the car waiting for us. We spent the entire day together, exploring places in the city I never knew existed until that day. Nathan wanted to show me all his favorite spots. Most of them were outside of the city on the outskirts of Los Angeles. We talked about his childhood and how he grew up in a middle-class family, his father owning the mechanic shop and his mom staying home with him. He had a really normal upbringing which I didn’t expect to find in a billionaire. Most of them came from money and then moved right into their own fortune. He was down to earth, which made me feel comfortable with him, especially since I didn’t grow up in a rich household, either. The whole day was fantastic, and I really enjoyed spending time with him and learning more about his life and how he became the man that he was. It was interesting not feeling like we had to rush, like we had the rest of our lives to learn about each other.

When it was time for dinner, he had the driver take us back into the city to a little Italian joint off the main streets. We pulled up out front, and he took my hand, walking up to the door and opening it for me. As I walked inside, I stopped, staring over at the counter where Sarah was standing. She turned and looked at me, a smirk floating over her lips. I couldn’t believe that out of all the restaurants in LA, we ended up at the same one as her. Immediately, I grabbed tightly to Nathan’s hand, and he looked down at me slightly confused. Sarah pranced over, stopping and looking at me for a moment.

“Oh, look, she found a new boyfriend for me to fuck,” she said, throwing her head back and laughing. “Good luck with this one.”

I gripped tightly to Nathan’s hand, and he cringed. I looked up at him with angry tears in my eyes, not knowing what to say. He had heard what she said, but she had no idea who she was. Nathan turned toward me and looked down into my eyes.

“I don’t know what is going on, but let’s find another place, okay?”

I nodded my head, totally not wanting to fight him on this. Either I left, or I would explode on her, and I didn’t want to lose my cool, especially in front of Nathan. I didn’t care about my ex, but I cared that Sarah was such a bitch. How dare she make a snide comment like that to me? She was the whore in this situation.

I let Nathan pull me out of the restaurant, turning away as we passed Sarah. Once out on the sidewalk, he kept walking, taking me down the block and to a park down the street. I sat down on the bench and took in a deep breath. Nathan sat across from me, patiently waiting for me to talk to him. I felt like an asshole, allowing myself to get so irritated and upset over Sarah. It was a good thing I saw her for the first time again tonight, and not at the wedding. I would have had an issue getting away from her there, and I didn’t want to make a scene in front of everyone at Lindsey’s wedding.

“That’s one of the women that my ex cheated with,” I said, trying to get through the emotions. “That’s Sarah, the one I told you about. She knew I was in a relationship with him and slept with him anyway, just to spite me. She has always had it out for me for years. I don’t understand what I ever did to her, but she just doesn’t like me.”

“Oh,” Nathan said, shaking his head. “I figured it was something like that. I heard what she said, and I want you to know, I am not a cheater. I would never in a million years’ cheat on you, no matter what, and definitely not with a nasty woman like her. I could tell just by looking at her that she had no self-respect whatsoever. I don’t want that to be a worry in your mind. I know that’s easier said than done after having your last boyfriend betray you like that, but I want you to know that I won’t hurt you like that.”

“I know.” I sighed. “I was just thinking about how I trust you already. I don’t have any fears with you.”

“Good,” he said, scooting around to my side and wrapping his arms around me. “That girl looked really familiar. Tell me who she is again.”

“She probably looks familiar because she is Lindsey’s little sister,” I said. “They are like twins, only Sarah is a bit younger than Lindsey. If you know Lindsey, then Sarah will definitely look familiar.”

“I’m sure that’s it,” he said. “And now I get it. She is Lindsey’s little sister, the one you told me slept with you ex. Okay. And she’s going to be at the wedding?”

“Yeah,” I said. “And she will probably try to be the center of attention. She will most definitely hit on you, too, now that she knows we are together.”

“She might not want to try me,” he said. “You may want to keep the peace, but I will embarrass the hell out of her in front of everyone. I give no shits.”

“You’re silly,” I said, hugging him. “But I appreciate your support. It really means a lot to me to have you there and understanding that this is something that is really sensitive to me. It’s not about my ex. I don’t give a shit about him. It’s about her and what she did.”

“I don’t blame you at all,” he said. “She has known you her whole life. It is really messed up that she would go and do something like that to you. I don’t know anyone in my life that would betray me like that. There is something wrong with her if she thinks that kind of behavior is acceptable. Are you going to tell Lindsey what she said?

“Maybe after the wedding,” I said. “I don’t want to upset her or cause any turmoil before her big day. I want her to have an amazing wedding and be happy and joyful, not worry about whether a cat fight is going to break out on the dance floor.”

“You’d win if it did,” he said, chuckling. “Just go for the hair and then straddle her and smack her around a bit. I’ll bring the camera and get it on tape. I’m sure we could make some serious dough off of that.”

“Shut up,” I said, laughing and slapping him on the chest. “Besides, that would only work if we were naked. Nobody will buy a regular cat fight.”

“Just let a nip slip or something,” he said, laughing.

I dried my eyes and laughed hard, feeling the stress rise up off my shoulders. I felt better just being next to Nathan, but having him there to talk to was even more comforting. I was leaning on him, and I had never done that with any man in my life. He was there for me, and I was okay with that, feeling like I could give him my problems and let him help me sort them out. There was a connection there that went beyond sex or love, and it was pretty intense. I knew that seeing Sarah had made me emotional, but this was something different. I breathed deeply, not wanting to think too much about it.

“Why don’t we try this again and go get some food somewhere?”

“I like that idea,” he said. “I was starting to think about eating out of the park trashcan, I’m so hungry.”

“You are gross,” I said, standing up and shaking my head.

“Oh yeah?”

He stood up and started chasing after me, growling as I ran away. I giggled loudly, shrieking as he caught me in his arms and turned me toward him. I looked deep in his eyes and smiled, leaning in and kissing him on the lips. He was exactly what I needed.

Chapter 10

Nathan

It was only Tuesday, but I felt like I was going insane not having Amanda by my side. I had just seen her on Sunday, and now, I was sitting at work with her running through my mind. I had texted her several times that day, sending cute messages back and forth, but it just wasn’t enough for me. I had never been this wrapped up in a girl before, and I was starting to feel the repercussions from it. Even when I was with my ex, I didn’t crave to be with her, to see her, to touch her, but with Amanda, I did all the damn time. I wondered if this was how Jordan felt about Lindsey because if it was, I needed some pointers on how to function in day to day life.

Spending time with Amanda had become my favorite thing to do. I was always thinking about ways to see her sooner. It was an interesting feeling to be that close to someone, that attached to someone, even though I’d only known her a short while. It felt like we had forever to get to know one another, and instead of that being a daunting thought, I was excited about the prospect. I didn’t give a shit about giving up my dating life or spending my free time with her instead of out with the boys. I wanted to plan my days around our meetings. Lying in bed, talking all night long, and making love whenever we wanted to. You would think as the owner of a major corporation, I would be able to do those things, but instead, I was sitting in a meeting at work, not listening to anything they had to say.

Work had become a bother to me, and the meetings were hard to get through. The one I was currently in was something about internal marketing we were going to be doing. It was pointless for me to be there since I had already signed off on everything, but it was expected of me to be there and be present. Well, I was there, but I definitely wasn’t present. I looked down at my phone and smiled as a text popped up from Amanda. She had sent me a picture of herself making a funny face. I sent her a message back saying I was in a meeting, with about ten skulls after it. We conversed back and forth for a minute, and then I put my phone down.

There were people at the front of the room doing a presentation, but their voices had faded to the background as I stared out the window at nothing in particular. Thoughts of Amanda ran through my head, and I started planning out our next date. I wanted to take her somewhere out of the city, somewhere we could relax without worrying about running into people like Sarah. As I made a checklist in my head, I was pulled back into the room.

“Hey,” John whispered. “You still in there?”

“Yeah,” I whispered back. “Sorry.”

“At least try to pay attention,” he said. “These people worked really hard on this, and they are looking for your approval. You don’t even look like you’re inside of your body.”

I pulled myself up in the chair and tried to focus in on the rest of the meeting. John was right. Whether I liked it or not, I was leading these people, and they were looking to me for input and guidance. I might not have liked it at that moment, but that was the way I built the company. When the meeting was over, I talked with the group for a little while and gave them the sign off on the project. They all seemed excited that their hard work was being noticed. I knew I needed to at least try to be present for these people. I went back to my office and sat down behind the computer, opening up my email. Before I could answer anyone back, though, John walked in, sitting down in front of my desk.

“Where is my secretary?” I asked.

“She went to lunch,” John said. “Why do I know that, but you don’t?”

“I’m not sure,” I said, rubbing my face.

“What is going on with you?”

“Nothing is wrong with me,” I said. “Everything is right with me, and I can’t get it out of my head.”

“Would you like to try explaining that to me without speaking in riddles?”

“I can’t stop thinking about Amanda,” I blurted out. “I’ve fallen head over heels in love with her.”

Normally, after telling your best friend that you fell in love with a girl, you would be greeted with applause and happy comments. However, as I sat there waiting for John’s response, his face went from concerned to unhappy. It was the same face he gave me when he told me about my ex, and I didn’t like what was happening at all. Why was it that I couldn’t have my best friend be there and happy for me, and what was so bad about me being in love? I shifted in my chair and tapped on the desk, grabbing his attention.

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing,” he said, shaking himself back into reality. “I’m happy for you. I am.”

“But…”

“But I want you to be careful,” he said. “I don’t have a good feeling about her. I have been thinking about that since I met her at the party, but I didn’t want to say anything because you looked so damn happy.”

I sat there for a minute, trying to soak his words into my head. I felt like I was having deja vu, especially since this whole scenario had happened with my ex. How could he feel that way about the only two women I had ever fallen in love with? Sure, he was right about my ex, so right that sometimes it stung, but what were the odds that I found another woman that was the same exact way, and John caught on to it? It was impossible.

“You might have been right once, but you won’t be right again,” I said with a slight chuckle. “You are freaking out about my love life more than I am. Amanda is an amazing girl, and you haven’t said more than two polite words to her in your life. How in the world could you come up with that conclusion after watching me with her for a few hours? Do you have these feelings about all of your friend’s girlfriends?”

“She is your girlfriend now?”

“Yes, she is my girlfriend now,” I said. “Why is it so hard for everyone to believe that I just might be happy with one girl? I let go of all the shit from the past. Now that I have, my best friend has become some kind of relationship Buddha. You really should open up a shop and start doing psychic work.”

“I’m serious,” he said, leaning forward. “I’m not trying to ruin anything for you. I want you to be happy. What would it do for me if you were unhappy? Yes, I might have only spent a few minutes with her, but that was enough for me to know that there was something off about her.”

“Maybe there is something off about you, John,” I said, irritated. “This is the most ludicrous thing I have ever heard. I know Amanda better than you think I do, and there is nothing wrong with her or our relationship.”

“You’ve known the girl five seconds,” he said. “How can you know anything about her in that little bit of time? Do you really think she would stop and go, ‘Hey I’m using you.’ Come on, man. Open your eyes, and at least think about what I am saying. If I’m wrong, then great, but I really think you are being blind right now.”

“And I think that you are being paranoid as hell,” I said. “Look, we both have a ton of work to get done. I don’t have time for this right now.”

“I’m sorry, Nathan,” he said, standing up. “I am just trying to be a good friend. You told me you never wanted me to hold back on any of this ever again, and I’m not. I came to you to tell you what I thought. Don’t shoot the messenger.”

I looked up at him and sighed, watching him leave the office and walk down the hall. I got up and walked over to the door, slamming it shut. John had taken something perfect in my life for the first time ever and ripped the rug right out from under me. The last thing I needed was for someone to start putting those kinds of thoughts in my head. I felt completely pissed, not even knowing what to do with myself. I couldn’t talk to Amanda about it, she would forever feel weird around John, and I really had no one else to confide in. I had a hard time believing that she would be that close to Jordan and Lindsey, and he wouldn’t tell me if something odd was going on.

I walked over to the window and looked out over the city, trying to calm myself down. It wasn’t often that I got mad, but when I did, it completely clouded my judgement. John’s warnings were doing exactly what he wanted them to do, plant a seed of doubt in my mind so that everything started looking suspicious with Amanda. I was not going to let that happen. I cared about her way too much for someone else to affect us like that. I knew that John didn’t mean to be malicious, he was just looking out for me, but he was being irrational. It might be out of his character to act that way, but people really had a good way of surprising me when I least expected it.

I walked back over to my desk and picked up my cell phone. I scrolled through the messages from Amanda, and it helped to ease the stress. I wanted to see her, to find solace in her arms and words. I scrolled down to her number and pressed send, pulling the phone to my ear.

“Hey,” she said, answering on the second ring. “Shouldn’t you be working?”

“Yeah,” I sighed. “I should be, but this cute little vixen keeps running through my mind, distracting me from my work.”

“You should tell her you have a girlfriend.” She giggled.

“Can I come by tonight and see you?” I asked. “I really want a kiss.”

“Aww, I do too, but I’m doing things for the wedding with Lindsey tonight and tomorrow night,” she said. “We can get together on Thursday night, though. I really miss you, and when this wedding is done, I will have all my nights reserved just for you.”

“Alright,” I said with a sigh. “Thursday night, it is.”

“Okay, baby,” she said. “I have to go. We are going in to see the planner. Call me later.”

“I will,” I said. “Love you.”

“Love you, too,” she said.

I hung up the phone and set it on the desk, staring down at it. I was disappointed, but I understood. She was Lindsey’s right-hand man for this wedding, and she was determined to make it a special day for her. That was commendable and showed that she was a good friend. Still, John’s words were rattling around in my brain, and I wanted to see Amanda face to face to make me feel better about it. I would just have to deal with waiting until Thursday, hopefully dodging anything to do with John for a couple of days.

Chapter 11

Amanda

“Wait, what do you mean?” Lindsey asked with anger boiling in her tone. “I want you to repeat yourself, but slowly.”

“We don’t have your catering list on file anywhere,” the girl behind the counter said. “There is no way that we could put it together under such short notice. I’m sorry about this, but there is nothing I can do here; my hands are completely tied. You say you put in the order, but there is neither a file in the cabinet or a record of it in the computer. Did you pay a deposit?”

“Of course, I did,” Lindsey yelled. “My wedding is looming here, and you are telling me that you have no way to feed my guests?”

I put my hand on Lindsey’s shoulder, trying to calm her down. She was livid, angrier than I remember seeing her in a very long time. Neither of us could wrap our heads around why something like this would happen. We had spent hours and hours with these people, finalizing the perfect menu for Lindsey’s big day. Even the event planner was under the assumption that everything was on track and there wouldn’t be any issues. All we had to do was come down and sign off on it before all the food was ordered. There was no way anyone else could pull this together in that short amount of time. I completely understood why Lindsey was so mad.

We stood there for over an hour, arguing with the people at the catering company. The girl turned the monitor around on the screen and typed everything in just as Lindsey spoke it, but still, there was no record of her order. We were completely perplexed.

“I need you to call the manager,” Lindsey said. “Mary is the one we worked with, and she was personally handling this because it was a multi-thousand-dollar order.”

“We can’t call her,” the girl said. “She gave explicit instructions that she didn’t want to be bothered on her day off.”

“No, that is not acceptable,” Lindsey said. “By signing a contract with you people, I gave explicit instructions to not screw up my wedding day, but you are going back on the deal.”

“Do you have the contract?” the girl asked.

“No, it’s in my binders back at the house,” Lindsey said. “I shouldn’t have to have the contract. You should have it. How does something like this just completely disappear? I know it didn’t grow legs and walk out of your store.”

“I’m going to go in the back and check again,” the girl said, obviously not knowing what to do at that point.

When she walked away, Lindsey threw her arms up in the air and looked at me. I smiled sympathetically and shook my head. She paced back and forth for a few minutes before walking over to the desk and setting her purse down. She crept quietly around the desk, and I watched with wide eyes. She grabbed a binder that was labeled as the “Employee Book” and flipped it open. There was a tab at the back for phone numbers, so she went there, found Mary’s number, and pulled out her cell phone. She typed the number in her phone and put the binder away.

“I guess I will have to do this myself,” she said, shrugging as the phone rang in her ear. “Hello? Mary? This is Lindsey. I am standing in your catering store, and we have a huge problem.”

I looked up as the girl came back to the front, stopping and listening to her conversation. Her eyes got really big for a moment, and then she walked back into the back. I kind of felt bad for the girl. She wasn’t even working there when Lindsey set everything up. Still, it was the catering company’s job to make sure everything was being handled.

“Fine,” Lindsey said, hanging up the phone and turning to me. “She will be here in a little bit. I just can’t fucking believe this.”

I watched as she sat down in the waiting area, pulled out her phone, and texted furiously. I could only assume she was texting Jordan, letting him know what was going on. I felt terrible for her that she had to deal with all of this when her wedding was coming up so quickly. There was nothing I could do, though, and yelling at the girl at the front was obviously not helping the situation. When Mary finally got there, Lindsey had worked herself up into a complete meltdown. She was so upset that she had to walk outside to cool off and collect herself. I figured I should probably handle this.

“What happened?” Mary asked.

“They say they have no record of the order,” I explained. “Not even a paper trail.”

Mary turned and walked into the back, immediately talking loudly to the girls back there. I turned and paced, trying not to listen to what she was saying. When she came back, she took in a deep breath and straightened her jacket.

“There is a record,” she said. “It’s on my desk. The order wasn’t supposed to be given until tomorrow, but they screwed up.”

“So, what do we do now?” Lindsey was calmer as she walked back in.

“I will personally make sure that your food is ordered as specified,” Mary said. “The food company will extend this courtesy since it is such a large order. I will also now be catering your wedding with a fifty percent discount due to all the trouble that you have been put through. I am glad you came in and caught this mistake, and I am terribly sorry that you had to go through all of this. It is not like us to make a mistake of this proportion. We are known for our excellent service and quality products. You have my deepest apologies.”

“Thank you,” Lindsey said. “I really appreciate you doing all of this. I am sorry that it got so mixed up, but you coming in on your day off and straightening things out for me makes up for that. It shows me that I can trust that I will have everything in order on my wedding day.”

“Absolutely,” she said. “And feel free to call in as much as you want to ease your mind. I will send you an email with the invoice after I have placed the order, which I am going to do once we are done. Again, I am terribly sorry for this misunderstanding.”

I could tell that Lindsey was happy with this, and she nodded her head and turned to leave. We walked down the street to the Irish pub and pulled ourselves up to the bar. We decided to get a drink to celebrate the fact that everything was pretty much put together and ready to go for her wedding. It had been a long year planning, worrying, and freaking out over all the details, but the caterer was the last thing. Luckily, it was also the only thing that we had a near disaster on. As I sipped my beer, my phone started to buzz on the countertop. I looked down and smiled, seeing Nathan’s face pop up on the screen. He knew I was handling wedding stuff and normally didn’t call when I was out with Lindsey.

“Hey,” I said, picking up the phone.

“Hey,” he said. “Are you busy?”

“I’m just getting a celebratory drink with Lindsey,” I said. “We finalized the last thing for the wedding.”

“And it was almost a disaster,” Lindsey yelled in the background.

“That’s great,” he said. “Listen, I desperately want to see you. I have a proposition for you. Is there any way that you could meet me at my house?”

“What kind of proposition?” I asked.

“I’d rather talk to you about it in person,” he said.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, it’s nothing like that.” He chuckled. “I’ve just been thinking about it all day, and it is driving me insane.”

“I don’t know if I can come right now,” I said, glancing over at Lindsey who was staring at me. “I mean, we just got to the pub, and I don’t want to leave Lindsey by herself after the disaster we just skimmed by.”

“No, no,” Lindsey said, interrupting. “It’s fine. Go. Jordan is supposed to be meeting me here shortly. I am fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” she said. “Go.”

“Alright, well Lindsey said Jordan is meeting her here, so I’ll be there in about twenty minutes,” I said.

“Perfect,” he replied. “Do you want me to send the car?”

“No, I drove over here today,” I said. “I have my car right outside.”

“Okay, see you soon,” he said.

I hung up the phone and sat there for a second, thinking about his call. I had no idea what his proposition could be, but I was really excited to get to see him a day early. I turned to Lindsey and smiled.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Go before I change my mind,” she said with a smirk. “I’ll be alright.”

“Love you,” I said, kissing her cheek and grabbing my bag. “I’ll call you later.”

I ran out of the bar and down the street to the parking lot where my car was parked. I jumped inside and took off toward Nathan’s house, super excited to see him. There wasn’t that much traffic on the road going my direction, so I was lucky enough to get to him fairly quickly. I got out of the car and jogged up the walkway, smiling as he opened the door and took me directly into his arms. He kissed me passionately, pulling back and shaking his head.

“I can’t stand to be away from you,” he said.

“I feel the same exact way,” I replied, leaning up and kissing him again.

He let me go and stood to the side as I walked into the house. He shut the door and took me by the hand, pulling me excitedly into the house. I giggled, never seeing him so jolly before. I sat down on the couch and watched him disappear into the kitchen, coming back a few seconds later with two glasses of wine. He handed me mine, and I took a big sip, finally relaxing from the stress I had just been through.

“So, what’s up?”

“You are constantly on my mind,” he said. “I can’t seem to go ten minutes without thinking about you. Does that sound crazy?”

“No.” I laughed. “I am the same way. I don’t quite feel right without being by your side.”

“Yes,” he said, pointing at me animatedly. “What if we get married?”

“Wait, what? Are you serious?”

He let out the air in his lungs and relaxed his shoulders, walking over and sitting down next to me. He took the wine, put it on the coffee table, and took my hands into his. I was shaking, knowing what I wanted to say but not believing that he was actually serious.

“I am dead serious,” he said, staring deeply in my eyes.

He leaned forward and pulled me close, pressing his lips against mine. I could feel the passion between us exploding and the energy in my chest bubbling over. As he pulled his lips away, he ran his hand down my cheek. Out of nowhere, though, I started to feel sick. He looked at me and tilted his head.

“Are you alright?” he asked. “You just went as pale as a ghost.”

“I don’t feel so hot,” I said, holding my stomach.

“Here, turn and put your feet up,” he said, standing up.

“I think maybe I have food poisoning or something,” I said, feeling the room begin to spin. “It just hit me out of nowhere.”

“I ask you to marry me and you get sick.” He laughed. “That is not a good sign.”

“And yes, I think that’s a great idea,” I said, closing my eyes. “The best idea you’ve ever had.”

Chapter 12

Nathan

Another long day at the office had crept into my plans, forcing me to try to be present when it came to handling business. I had been doing better with it since my talk with John during the last meeting and had stayed in the loop with everyone. John had avoided me the day before, and I was glad because I didn’t want to argue with him anymore. I wasn’t sure if he was having a bad day that day or what, but I wasn’t interested in his opinion anymore, even if he was just trying to be a good friend.

Amanda was on my mind as usual, only this time, it was a bit different. I was worried about her, having woken up to her still complaining about being sick. I had insisted that she stay the night with me when she started to feel ill, and I carried her up and put her to bed in my room. She tossed and turned all night, and when she woke in the morning, she wasn’t feeling any better than before. I made her some toast and brought it to her in bed, which seemed to help a little bit. I insisted that she go to the doctor, but she just wanted to go home and go to sleep. I understood not wanting to go to the doctor. I never went myself, even when I was dying from the flu. So, I got ready for work and took her home like she asked me to. I took her inside and set her up in her bed with ginger ale and movies to keep her busy. I felt terrible about leaving her there on her own, but I had an extremely important meeting that I had to get to. It was about the hacker, what they had found out, and what kind of charges they would be pressing against him. I had to be there to make a statement for the trial.

Speaking of the meeting, I had to get over there. I left my phone on the desk and headed over to the conference room, nodding my head at John and Jordan as I walked in. The agent from the FBI was sitting at the end of the table, shuffling through some papers. She looked up as I entered and stood, shaking my hand.

“Thank you for meeting with us,” I said. “As you can imagine, the hacker really shook us up.”

“I’m sure,” she said. “None of the damage to your system is out of your capabilities to fix. All of the sensitive information was hidden, and the hacker didn’t have anything saved on his computer. Nonetheless, these attacks are becoming more prevalent, and we are taking them very seriously. We will be prosecuting the perpetrator for internet crimes.”

“Good,” John said.

“Do you think he is a threat to other entities?” I asked.

“Well, he is pretty reckless, so we think he is in his infancy with hacking, but if he could hack your system with limited knowledge, we can only imagine what he could do with lessons,” she said. “For that reason, we are searching out the maximum sentence for this crime. He is facing sixteen years in prison and the inability to ever work on the internet again, without facing serious consequences. We want to nip this in the bud before it happens again.”

“Understood and appreciated,” I said, nodding my head. “I’ve given the list of damages to Jordan, my VP of IT, and his team is already working on fixing the issues. If nothing else, this kid gave us a good view of where our weaknesses are. I’m just glad he was caught. This could have been very bad for our customers and our clients.”

“We will be reaching out to you in the upcoming months for statements from everyone who was involved,” she said. “That will include all staff that came in to help get the system back on track. Those statements can be done in writing with a notarized signature at the bottom. We will give you all the details when we have our next meeting.”

“Absolutely,” I said, shaking her hand. “We will give you any cooperation that we can.”

The agent cleaned up her things and shook John and Jordan’s hands before leaving. I turned and looked at the guys, smiling since everything was finally getting resolved. Jordan got up and tapped his folders on the desk while John avoided eye contact.

“Jordan let me know when everything is corrected,” I said.

“Will do,” he replied.

I walked out of the room and down the hall to my office. I sat down at my desk and looked at my phone, wondering what Amanda was up to and how she felt. I didn’t want to bother her if she was sleeping, so I put the phone back on the desk and watched as John walked in, sitting at the chair in front of me.

“My secretary is at lunch,” I said with a smirk.

“I’m glad to see that your head is back in the game.” He chuckled. “Listen, I wanted to come in and tell you that I was sorry for how I acted the other day. It was out of line to talk to you like that about your own decisions. You are a grown man, perfectly capable of sniffing out foul play on your own. I should have been more supportive and voiced my concerns in a less offensive manner to you. So yeah, I apologize.”

“I appreciate that,” I said. “I know that you were just being a good friend. It is difficult when you are so happy about something and your closest friend is not, but at the same time, you have always looked out for me. Though I don’t share your sentiments about Amanda, I did think about what you said. I just want you to know that I heard you and I took it into consideration. In fact, it was the whole reason that I came to my final conclusion.”

“I’m glad that you can see that I am only trying to protect you,” he said. “I really want you to be happy, but not for just a short time, for a really long time. I want you to have someone that loves you as much as you love them.”

“And I do,” I said, smiling. “In fact, I’ve decided that I want to marry her.”

There was something satisfying about watching John’s mouth drop down to the floor. I knew that shock was going to be part of everyone’s reaction when I told them, but I was prepared for it. I understood that I hadn’t been with Amanda that long, and I knew that people were going to look down on us for that, but it was my life and my decisions. I didn’t need a babysitter or a big brother. I needed a supportive group of people that could accept Amanda the way that I had.

Just as I had expected, John was completely shocked. He sat there in his chair for several minutes, just staring down at the desk. I smirked to myself and picked up my phone, scanning through my pictures as I waited for him to come to terms with what I had just said. I wanted to marry Amanda, and though it was shocking to everyone else, it just made perfect sense to me. I loved her, I couldn’t be away from her, and I wanted to share my life with her. It was simple in my eyes, though I could tell it wasn’t so simple in John’s eyes. He looked almost panicked.

“I’m sorry, but what did you just say? You said you are going to marry this girl?”

“My connection to Amanda is incredibly powerful,” I said. “I don’t feel okay or at home until she is by my side. Every time we are away from each other, it feels like an eternity. I have never felt this way about anyone in my life. Marrying Amanda feels like the right thing for me to do. I want to grow old with her, to experience life with her, and maybe even start a family one day. When you know, you know, and what I know is that I love her and don’t want to be without her ever.”

“There is a difference between loving someone and getting to know them, and jumping into marriage, Nathan,” he said. “Have you really given this thought, or did you jump in feet first because I told you it wasn’t right?”

“I know this may be hard to believe, John, but not everything revolves around what you think,” I said, irritation brewing in my belly. “I know her enough to know that I want to spend my life with her. Sure, we could wait until we’ve been together the allotted, appropriate time, but I know for sure that we would still be getting married. I don’t want to wait.”

“You are making a mistake,” he said pointedly.

“Please, tell me why,” I said.

“Because you don’t know this woman,” he said loudly. “It is a huge mistake, and I don’t understand why you are making it.”

“I feel like the only mistake I have made thus far is confiding in you,” I said angrily. “Apparently, you weren’t sorry for how you acted at all. I am not a child under your care. Telling me you are sorry does not negate all the things you are continuing to do.”

“I was sorry for bringing it up the way I did, not for telling you the truth,” he said. “I have always told you the truth, and this was the first time I had to apologize to you. Maybe you should think about that. Maybe clear your head a little, and look at things objectively. I mean, how do you know that she isn’t some sort of gold digger? Did you check out her history or her past? Do you really know this girl like you think you do?”

“There you go, acting too big for your britches again, assuming any decision I made was going to be the wrong one,” I said. “I can promise you that Amanda is not a gold digger. She has never once given me pause about my money. My ex gave me red flags all over the place. I just refused to see them. Believe it or not, my eyes are open wider than they have ever been. She is not with me for my money. She was interested in me even before she knew who I was.”

“Nathan, think about it for one damn minute,” John pleaded. “You barely know this girl at all. You have spent a small amount of time with her. You don’t know what she is after at all. I think you are just as blind as with your ex, if not more. At least when you were dating her, you checked into it, ultimately finding that I was right. With this girl, you won’t even take two seconds to listen to an outside opinion.”

“Probably because outside opinion has no place inside of a relationship,” I said angrily. “Look, just go. I don’t want to talk to you about this anymore.”

“Fine,” he said, standing up and marching out of my office.

Who the hell did he think he was? He came into my office, talking about my personal life, and he hadn’t even given Amanda a chance. I was starting to think he liked to watch me struggle, having zero faith in the fact that I could make my own choices. I was fuming mad at that point, and I knew I couldn’t depend on John to be there for me anymore. I was going to have to make my own choices.

Chapter 13

Amanda

I laid there on the couch, having moved from the bed halfway through the day. The only thing I could assume was that I had the flu. It was going around, as usual, but it had been a long time since I’d caught anything. Maybe I was due for a sickness. Either way, I knew that I felt like total shit, not even being able to keep water down for very long.

I knew Nathan wanted to take care of me all day, but I was glad that he didn’t. I didn’t want him to see me huddled over the toilet puking my guts out. I still felt nauseated as hell, I was exhausted, and I couldn’t get comfortable in my own body. One minute, I was freezing cold, and the next minute, I was burning alive. I had taken my temperature, and it wasn’t much more than normal, which shocked me since I was totally expecting to be sporting a pretty bad fever with whatever viral plague had entered my body. All I wanted to do was sleep, but my stomach was so upset that it wouldn’t let me rest for even a couple of minutes.

Just as I calmed my mind down from all the sick thoughts, I heard the door open and shut. Nathan walked around the corner carrying a bouquet of flowers and a case of ginger ale. The man knew exactly how to get to my heart. I smiled and gave him my cheek as he leaned over to kiss me.

“You feel warm,” he said, sitting down on the edge of the table.

“I took my temperature twenty minutes ago, and I only have a slight fever,” I said.

“Well, I came over to help take care of you and to make sure that you were doing okay,” he said. “I have been worried about you all day. I’m glad to see you got out of bed and made your way to the couch.”

“I had to have a change of scenery,” I said. “I was staring at the fan going around and around, and it was only making me feel worse.”

“Can I get you anything?” he asked, standing up. “I’m going to go put these flowers in water and put your soda in the fridge.”

“No, I’m okay,” I said. “I am trying to get that water down before I drink any more soda.”

“Good,” he said, smiling. “I’ll be right back.”

Nathan was extremely worried about me, and although it made me feel bad for him, I appreciated that he was there to look out for me. He was showing me just how good of a husband he was going to be. I had been thinking about his marriage proposal all day, and normally, all that time would have changed my mind, but not with Nathan. I knew that I wanted to marry him and to spend our time together living life. I finally knew what Lindsey felt when she met Jordan. I was pretty sure she would have married him after a week if he had asked her.

“So, I was thinking,” I said as he walked back in. “We should just get married at the courthouse. You can tell me if you feel differently, but I really don’t want a big wedding. I always thought they were so overblown and ridiculous. We are getting married because we love each other, and I want it to be about us.”

“I think that is a fantastic idea,” he said, smiling. “I don’t want a big wedding, either, though I would do it if it was important to you.”

“It’s not,” I said. “What’s important to me is being with you.”

“Me too,” he replied, kissing my forehead. “I don’t think anyone else really understands our relationship anyway. I don’t want people there that have doubts in their mind. It takes away from what the real purpose of all of it is.”

“I agree, though I haven’t told anyone yet,” I said. “I’ve been dying on the couch.”

“You are so cute when you get melodramatic,” he said, laughing.

“Wait fifty years, and see if you still feel that way.” I laughed.

“I will feel that way five hundred years from now,” he replied. “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too,” I said. “I would go to the courthouse with you tonight and get married.”

“I would do it right here and right now if we could,” he said.

“We should,” I replied, pulling myself up. “We should get me dressed and just go do it now. I want to be married to you.”

“As much as I love your enthusiasm and feel the same way, I think that we should wait until you are feeling a bit better,” he said with a kind smile. “We don’t want you puking on the Justice of the Peace in the middle of the ceremony or anything.”

“Yeah,” I said, rubbing my belly. “And sadly, that would be a real possibility.”

“That might put a damper on our plans.” He chuckled. “I don’t want our marriage license to smell like puke and plague.”

“Me neither.” I sighed, laying back down.

As much as I wanted to fight him on that point, I knew he was right. I could barely make it to the kitchen, much less get dressed and get married. I knew that I could be patient. He wasn’t going anywhere, and neither were our feelings for each other.

“I want you to make me a promise,” he said. “If you aren’t feeling better by Monday, I want you to go to the doctor. I’m serious. If nothing else, you could be getting way too dehydrated, and that will make you sick in itself.”

“I promise,” I said. “I don’t want to keep feeling like this. It’s absolutely miserable.”

“I know,” he said, pulling out his phone. “Sorry, hold on for one second. What’s up, John?”

I laid there and stared up at the ceiling as Nathan talked to John on the phone. It sounded like something was going on, and I felt bad that Nathan couldn’t seem to catch a break these days. There was always someone on his back about something, even if it had to do with work. I just wanted him to be able to relax. He hung up the phone and sighed, looking over at me.

“That was John being cryptic as usual,” he said. “He says it’s really important, so I have to go. I’ll call you when I’m done with him and see if you need anything.”

“Okay,” I said, smiling. “Be safe driving.”

“I will,” he replied, kissing my forehead.

I watched as Nathan left, looking more than annoyed that he was called away. I realized that I needed to tell Lindsey about getting married. She was my best friend, after all. I picked up the phone and dialed her number, pulling the phone to my ear.

“Hey, girl,” I said.

“Hey, how are you feeling?”

“Like death.” I laughed. “How are you?”

“That’s a complicated question,” she said.

“Uh oh. What’s wrong?”

“I’m in the area,” she said. “I’ll swing by.”

“Alright, I’ll be here on the couch,” I said. “The front door is unlocked, so just come in.”