Dad’s Best Friend

 

Chapter 1

Cole

 

It always felt good to head out to the Hamptons. The stretch of the highway leaving the hustle and bustle of Manhattan felt like freedom—a much-needed break from the shit-show of a week at Crayton, Inc.

I rolled the windows down to enjoy the calm, and the late summer breeze rippled my hair as the road twisted around to the affluent Summers family’s home. The mansion sat on a sprawl of ten acres with a long and guarded driveway and a heated pool along the backside of the house. Rose bushes, Gloria’s favorite white roses, poked out of the iron gate that surrounded the entire property along with large willow and oak trees. It was beautiful, and as I expected, there was a great number of cars parked around the Summers’ property.

I drove up to the gated fence. It was tempting to pull away, back up, and go to my Bayfront mansion a few miles south. My idea of spending Labor Day weekend was sitting alone in my house with a bottle of whiskey, but after turning down every event Gloria and Alan invited me to because of some work conflict or other, I had to deal with it this time. Alan Summers was the only true friend I had left in the world after the past fifteen years of my life. I could deal with all the fake smiles that would greet me.

I pushed the button on the intercom box.

“Summers residence,” a male voice spoke briskly. “Only guests on the list are invited in. No photographers or reporters.”

“It’s Cole Crayton,” I said.

“Please drive in, sir. Mind the gate as it closes.”

The gate buzzed open a second later. I pulled up the paved driveway as the gate swung closed behind me. I stopped alongside Alan’s gold Escalade that was parked in front of the detached garage. The mansion’s door opened as I climbed out of the car. I was glad to be off the hot leather seat after driving for a few hours. I turned to greet Alan with a smile as he walked up.

“I’m glad you could make it,” Alan said. “The drive up here a bitch with all the traffic?”

“It wasn’t bad. Cheryl had me out of the office at a decent time to beat most of it.”

Alan clasped my shoulder tightly. “I’m glad that you’re here. I can’t stand these dickwads that come along with Gloria’s friends.”

I grinned at that. “Hence, why you were in the house when I rolled up?”

“Exactly.” He returned the grin. “There’s a bottle of whiskey with your name on it too, in my study.”

The foyer was polished and clean when I followed Alan inside. The smell of barbecued chicken floated through the air as I trailed Alan up the spiraling staircase to the second floor where his office was. Years ago, Alan had sold his investment firm to another eager CEO. Now, he managed high-end clients from his home in the Hamptons. Most people would be jealous. A home in the Hamptons? Great. A stay-at-home job that pays for the home in the Hamptons? People would kill for that opportunity.

It sounded like a fucking nightmare to me, though. I liked my office in Manhattan. It was separated from my home life, even though I didn’t have much of one anymore. That was one of the main reasons why I declined Alan’s invitations throughout the year. I didn’t want to feel that fucked up sense of loneliness.

A bottle of whiskey sat on the edge of Alan’s desk. I picked it up with a grin and gladly accepted a glass when he offered one. Pouring us both a hefty amount, I clinked my glass against his with a sigh. “To my one and only good friend in the world.”

“Cheers to that,” Alan said, eyes studying me as he took a sip. “How’s business going?”

I let my eyes close in pleasure at the taste. “Fine. I have my VP in charge while I’m away in case there are any emergencies.”

“You need a break. I can see even more gray hair than the last time.” He chuckled.

“Funny,” I said. “I see gray in your hair, too, old man.”

Alan shrugged. “Let’s face it. Women don’t look at us the same way anymore. Fuck. Even Gloria played the diet card on me this morning.”

He patted the slight gut that protruded over his belt. I took another drink to mask my amusement. There was no doubt in my mind that Gloria and Alan were soulmates. They both loved each other with a passion that would make even teenagers blush. It was sickening at times. It also made it much harder for me to talk about the string of women I enjoyed every week, now that my divorce was finalized. That counted as a healthy exercise in my opinion. I needed a good balance between relaxation and work. So far, having a woman in my bed once a week helped lower my blood pressure. I could get through the week without wanting to tear one of my employee’s heads off.

“That woman loves you,” I said. “I wouldn’t worry about your gut too much.”

“I suppose that I shouldn’t,” Alan said, and the depressed tone caught my attention. He offered a small smile. “I guess I’m going through a mid-life crisis. Mansion in the Hamptons. A hot wife. A beautiful daughter who’s an adult now. A business that pays the bills…”

“And you still feel like it’s not enough,” I finished for him, nodding in understanding. “I get it. I’ve been going through it, too.”

“I just miss the way women used to look at me in passing,” he said. “Not for my paycheck.”

“You’ve got a good woman, though, that loved you well before a paycheck that paid for the house here.” I smiled bitterly. “The women that come to me only see the net worth floating over my head at this point.”

“And for other reasons, too,” Alan pointed out. “You don’t look like you’re forty-four. When is the last time you even had something to eat?”

“Two days ago,” I said, shrugging. “I don’t have my chef anymore because my work hours are too crazy.”

Alan gave me a critical look. “Don’t tell Gloria that. You know that she’ll show up to your penthouse with groceries and meals without your permission.”

“She’s welcome to come anytime,” I replied, laughing.

“It’s a good thing that I trust you. I’d have a fit if it were some other man letting her into his penthouse.”

The office door opened. Gloria entered, dressed in a trim white dress, with her blonde locks pulled back delicately from her slender face. Her heels clicked against the hardwood floors as she approached with a wide smile.

“Good to see you,” she said and wrapped me in a quick hug. “I’m glad that you could make it today.” She pulled back with a frown. “You’re thin, Cole. Have you been eating enough?”

“More than enough,” I said. “The party looks great. Thanks for the invite.”

A pleased smile spread across Gloria’s face. She was the type of woman who let strangers into her house to show her wealth. She hosted parties all the time. Celebrities even showed up at times from what Alan told me.

“It’s a wonderful party,” she said, beaming. “You haven’t even come outside to look at the patio and garden. There’s plenty of food and drinks down there for you.”

I gestured at the whiskey on Alan’s desk. “I have good whiskey right here. Your husband knows me well.”

“I also know that the two of you are hiding,” Gloria said. “Please, sweetheart. Come down to join the rest of us.”

Alan smiled indulgently at his wife. “I will, darling. Just give us a minute to catch up in peace without eavesdroppers.”

“Fine,” she said.

“These parties mean the world to her,” Alan said once her heels retreated down the hallway. He set his glass down with a long sigh. “I better go out there. I don’t want to sleep in the guest room again. You’re the lucky one right now.”

“Not really lucky. Just divorced and bitter.”

I swallowed the last bit of whiskey in my glass. Bitter wasn’t even the right word to cover how I felt when it came to Stephanie. Hateful? That wasn’t the right word, either. All I knew was that it felt like a deep and ugly hole that I could never fill with enough alcohol and sex.

“Try not to spiral down too far,” Alan said. “If you need me, don’t hesitate to call. I’ll come out to the city to see you if you need me to. We’ll tell Gloria it’s poker night if she asks.”

I shook my head at him. “No, don’t. I’ll be fine. I have more than enough work and other things to keep me occupied for a while.”

“If you’re sure?”

“Positive,” I said and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “Let’s go before Gloria comes up here again. I’m itching to enjoy some fresh air away from the city.”

Chatter and laughter filled the afternoon air. I followed Alan outside through open doors that allowed the sea breeze to come through. The smell of the ocean, fresh cut fields, and flowers filled the air. Everyone was gathered on the back patio, or on the slope of the green yard and garden area. Waitresses walked through the crowd with platters of food and drinks in their hands.

I didn’t bat an eyelash when Gloria immediately sidled up to Alan, looping an arm through his to lead him in the direction of another couple. Years of friendship told me never to take it personally anymore. Gloria thrived on her reputation while Alan didn’t give a shit if anyone liked him or not. He indulged his wife because he was in love with her.

I grabbed a glass of champagne from a platter that walked by. Parties were never my idea of fun. Sweat gathered at the back of my neck from the sun dipping down in the horizon, blasting the entire backside of the Summers’ mansion in late summer heat. If I had three days off with no real work to get done, then I would need something to occupy my time while I was in the Hamptons. A woman to fight off the stab of loneliness whenever I glanced in Gloria and Alan’s direction as they smiled sweetly at one another.

Sometimes, it was impossible to believe that the two of them had never once broken up or strayed apart through thirty years of knowing one another. They were inseparable. Neither one cheated. Downing the champagne, I signaled a waiter over to order a strong whiskey, since we’d left the bottle upstairs.

Stephanie had told the judge she’d been abandoned throughout the entirety of our five-year marriage. “He’d rather sit in his office,” she’d complained at the time. “We don’t even see each other.”

Not that she didn’t enjoy the endless credit limits or the various men she met while shopping in the city. I didn’t count that as very lonely, but I let those thoughts get chased away by the welcoming sight of a slender blonde woman dressed in a tight tennis skirt in front of me. Her long and tanned legs were perfectly muscled, and her dainty toes had been painted an eye-catching shade of turquoise. Waves of sun-kissed blonde hair bounced against a strong back. That ass was perky and gorgeous. Enough to grab onto and thoroughly enjoy.

My cock stiffened. That was my idea of fighting off loneliness. Much better than a whiskey at this point.

Intrigued, I made my way through the crowd to the blonde’s side and cleared my throat to pull her attention away from the couple she was talking to. She turned to face me, and a blast of ice water crashed over me when I recognized who it was.

“Mr. Crayton?” Violet Summers said, smiling up at me. “I thought that was you. I’m so glad that you could make it out.”

Fuck. I forced that wild surge of lust away. This was Violet—my best friend’s daughter. I should’ve known that she would be here at the party. She’d just turned twenty-two, and she cradled a glass of wine in one hand. She was a younger version of Gloria, from her petite and tight form to her generous bust.

I tore my gaze away from her tanned chest with an inward grimace. I’d done a lot of fucked up things in my life, but touching my best friend’s adult daughter would never be on that list. That was a surefire way of losing my last friend on the planet.

“I figured that I’d need to make it to at least one event,” I said, voice tight with tension. “I just wanted to say hello.”

Violet offered that charming smile again. What the fuck happened? I couldn’t remember the last time I’d even seen Violet. It’d been several years, but she was an adult now. A full-grown and mature woman now.

“Thank you,” she said. “I’m glad you’re here. Mom says you need a break from the city.”

I nodded stiffly. “Work never sleeps. Excuse me. I just remembered something I need to tell your father.”

Not giving her a chance to reply, I walked away from Violet, toward the side gate that led back to the front. I needed to get the fuck away. I needed to forget what had just happened.

Chapter 2

Violet

 

Cole Crayton finally showed up. Words couldn’t describe the rush of excitement that went through me. Not to mention the heat pulsating between my legs. The entire summer had passed without any sign of Cole at one of my mother’s parties, but now this was it. I had my opening. I had my chance.

I watched as Cole beelined it quickly through the crowd, but was stopped by my dad before he could reach the garden gate. The two of them were swept into a conversation with another one of my dad’s friends.

The tense expression on Cole’s strong and freshly shaven face didn’t help the fluttering in my stomach. I recognized that look in his cobalt blue colored eyes. It was the look of pure interest and lust. He had wanted to fuck me, but the second he recognized me, a cold wall had come down between us. I’d expected it, partly. Cole was a gentleman. He would never lay a hand on me, never look in my direction because I’m his best friend’s daughter.

And he had no idea that I wanted him. Since I was fifteen years old, I’ve wanted him. I wanted that fit and muscled body pushing up against mine. I wanted to be one of those women I’ve overheard my parents talking about with my mom. He was filling a bottomless void with alcohol and women from what I gathered since his divorce.

It made my plan that much easier.

“Excuse me,” I said to the couple whose name I couldn’t remember. They lived a few miles down the road in another mansion. Another one of my mother’s “good neighbor” friends that she secretly competed with all the time.

Making my way through the crowd of people gathered on the back patio, I sidled up close to where Cole stood to talk with my dad and a few other men. All summer I had pestered my father constantly about talking to Cole about securing an internship role at Crayton, Inc. They needed help with their expansion. I needed the experience, and it would put me in front of Cole every single day.

I bit the inside of my cheek in aggravation when I caught of Martha Myers also sidling up to Cole. Recently divorced too. Unfortunately, she wasn’t exactly bad looking either, with her dark hair and well-endowed breasts. Cole’s eyes fixated on her as she swept him up into a conversation that I couldn’t hear over the chatter of other people.

Jealousy smoldered in my chest. It took all my self-control not to claw Martha's greedy eyes out. I wanted to tell her that he had looked at me with much more interest than her. But I had too much riding on this to give into the urge.

My father turned to talk to someone else when he realized Martha’s intent. I was seething now, wishing Dad would broach the topic of my internship with Cole. When it came to his best friend, my dad never brought him up, besides a passing comment that he wouldn’t be at whatever party my mother was throwing. He visited Cole in the city too, but I doubted that he ever brought up what I’d asked him to.

“Dad,” I said, tugging on the edge of his shirt sleeve to gain his attention. “Can I talk to you?”

“What is it?”

He followed me away from the rest of the crowd.

“Have you asked him yet about the internship?”

A guilty expression crossed his face. “I forgot, Vi. I don’t believe he has internships open right now anyway.”

“Don’t you think it would be a great experience though?” I asked, trying to keep my voice level. This was my one and only chance to get close to Cole, which was the only place I wanted to be. “My resume would look awesome with an internship at Crayton, Inc.”

“You don’t have to worry about that sort of thing, Vi. That’s why I have worked as hard as I have—so you and your mother won’t have to worry about money.”

“I know that, dad. And I appreciate it, but--” I tried to think of the best way to describe it. I loved my family. I’d grown up with wealth, but I wanted my own life. I wanted the experiences that my parents took care to shelter me from. I’d attended prestigious to private schools. I’d even finished college online because my mother was terrified of me going wild with a little bit of freedom.

I didn’t even want to think about dating because any guy who even came close to me was scared away by the Summers name.

A soft, toned arm brushed against my shoulders. The smell of my mother’s perfume filled the air as she brushed back some of my hair. Her eyes were a bit unfocused and glossy when she looked at me.

“Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea, honey, to let her go for the internship,” she said. “Think of the people she would be meeting too. She’ll be working with Cole, and he’ll keep her safe.”

My father sighed in exasperation. “It’s not Cole that I’m worried about. It’s the other billionaires that he works for that might be desperate for female companionship. That’s what I am worried about.”

“Cole wouldn’t let that happen,” I said. I hoped that he would be the one looking at me. Not someone else.

“I can’t just ask him to take Violet into his company. That’s not my call.”

“Oh, for God’s sake,” my mother muttered, handing me her glass of wine. “We’ve been friends for over twenty years. Do you think that Cole would tell us no?”

“Gloria--”

“Mom. Wait--” I reached for her elbow, but she danced away from the both of us.

“Cole,” she said, loudly enough to gain his attention. “Alan and I have a small favor to ask of you.”

Cole’s eyes flicked over to where I stood rooted next my dad. My cheeks burned hotly under his gaze. This was humiliating, but whatever it took, right? My mother knew how to get what she wanted from people.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Alan has been meaning to talk to you about your internship program,” she said and gestured towards me. “Vi here is wanting some experience in the business field. She’s been looking into your company.”

A strange light flickered in Cole’s eyes. He started to shake his head, but I stepped forward to interrupt him. My heart raced against my ribcage. No matter how many times I had practiced in front of the mirror, it was still nerve-wracking to face him. Cole was a business man. He wouldn’t take me in as an intern if he didn’t believe I would benefit the company in the long run.

“You know that I graduated from college early,” I started, thankful that my voice wasn’t shaky like my nerves. “You know that my dad has taught me everything, but I can help your company. I can help with the expansion.” I locked my eyes on Cole’s unwavering ones. “Nothing will stop me until I prove my loyalty. I’ll do anything that you tell me to do. Whatever you want me to do.”

The rest of the party continued around us. I watched as Cole’s eyes darkened at the undercurrent I hoped he would pick up on. For that wild moment, his eyes were on me, and only on me. Not Martha. Not my parents. He was seeing me for the first time as an adult—particularly as a woman.

“It won’t be easy,” Cole spoke then, the husky timbre in his voice sending a shiver down my spine. “I won’t be easy on you. Just because you’re my best friend’s daughter, I won’t make your job easy. It’ll be challenging.”

I tilted my chin up to meet his eyes bravely. The setting sun cast an orange glow on Cole’s face. I could see the beads of sweat gathered at his dark hairline. The heat between us was consuming me from the inside out.

“I’m not afraid,” I said. “I’ll do anything it takes to give you what you need.”

Cole didn’t reply. His eyes were still focused on me, scanning my face for a long moment.

“Fine,” he said, breaking eye contact finally. “I’ll take you up on your offer. Tuesday morning, you start with the other intern.” He turned to look at my mother who clapped her hands cheerfully. “Don’t ask me for any more favors, Gloria. I don’t hire random people into my company.”

“You know Violet. She’s quick to learn. I’m sure that she’ll fit right in.”

“No more business for the rest of the night,” my father said, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. “Let’s enjoy the weekend before Cole and Violet head back into the city.”

“I am actually going to retire for the night,” Cole said. “It was a long drive, after an even longer day.”

He shook hands with my father, kissed my mother’s cheek, and then stopped in front of me briefly. Sweat gathered in my palms. I could smell his cologne still clinging to his skin from earlier in the morning. Our eyes met, but it was difficult to read him. I couldn’t tell if he was happy, or irritated with the situation.

“I’ll be seeing you on Tuesday morning, then, at 8:00 am,” he said smoothly. “Not even a minute late, Violet.”

I suppressed a tremble at the way my name came off his tongue. I imagined it coming out of his mouth in a different scenario.

“I understand,” I said. “I’ll be there early.”

Cole nodded once before slipping out through the gate that was his original escape plan. Relief flooded me. After all this time, after all this planning, I finally had the opening I needed. That same delicious heat filled me just thinking about it.

I turned to look at my parents who were staring at each other, one happy, the other irritated. My father didn’t look pleased at all, but I didn’t want to stick around to hear his reasons. I already knew them.

“I think I’m going to head up to get a shower,” I said. “It’s been a long day for me too.”

Not giving them a chance to hook me into a conversation, I hurried across the back patio and into the airy living room, outfitted with high-end furniture and expensive decorations. The bottom floor was abuzz with energy, as I expected it to be. There was never a quiet moment in the house anymore with mom busy playing the Queen of the Hamptons. There was always a group of rich friends to entertain over cocktails and lunch.

My room was quiet and cool; I locked the door behind me with a shaky sigh. Every inch of my body was quivering with tension and excitement. The fabric of my panties was already soaked from that dark lustful look Cole had given me before realizing who I was.

I didn’t need a shower. I just need a release, and a quick one so that I could get through the weekend without the ache. Now that I’d landed a spot in Crayton, Inc., I needed to prove my determination.

Delicious pressure built up in me when I slid a hand down underneath my skirt to rub at the aching nub there. Letting the sensation build up, I closed my eyes to imagine that it was Cole standing right there in front of me with that look in his eyes while his hand moved in rhythmic circles. The way he would naturally know how I liked.

It wasn’t long before pleasure burst inside me. I bit my lip to keep myself from crying out too loudly. The last thing I needed was one of my mother’s snooping friends saying she’d heard me. I sagged against the door in relief before pulling my wet fingers away.

Come Tuesday morning, everything would be set in motion. It would all go according to plan because I hadn’t missed that look in Cole’s eyes. He was interested. He just needed some pushing in the right direction, and I was happy to assist with that.

Chapter 3

Cole

 

“Is there a reason why we have an extra intern waiting in the lobby?”

Irritation swept through me as I looked up at Cheryl who stood at the edge of my desk. A frown tugged at her lips, and she seemed completely oblivious to the fact that I was irritated at being interrupted.

“What?” I ground out. “Two interns?”

“Yes,” she said. “Two interns. Michael Foster, who won the position here, and a Violet Summers who says that you hired her over the weekend. Sound familiar to you?”

Fuck! I ran a hand over my face. I had completely forgotten about hiring Violet as an intern to appease her mother. I knew Alan wasn’t too pleased with it. He never wanted his daughter to be in the workplace, but then Gloria had to go ahead and ask in public with everyone at her soiree watching curiously for my response.

And it wasn’t just Gloria who had put me on the spot. In part, it was the bravery that Violet showed during her speech, but also that spark of subtext under all her words. An undercurrent that I was sure I imagined. The kid got her confidence from her father.

That’s right, Cole. Kid. She’s just a kid. Still, Violet was twenty-two years old. Her father is my best friend, but she’s an adult too. An adult capable of making hot-blooded decisions if she wanted too, even though I knew deep down that Alan kept her sheltered. He meant well. He didn’t want to see his one and only child struggling with heartache.

Which was bound to happen if anything ever went down between us. Now, I was stuck in a headache of a fucking situation.

“What do you want to do?” Cheryl asked. “I only have information on Michael Foster. I wasn’t informed of this spontaneous intern.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose in irritation. “That’s because I’m doing my best friend a favor by watching over his daughter while she gets some work experience. What positions do we have open right now that she could fit into?”

“Michael would be good for advertisement or the financial department as we discussed,” she said and handed the folder over to me. “You’re due to tell them what their duties are going to be here. I’ll place them wherever you want me to.”

“And Violet?”

Cheryl shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe a personal assistant would be a good idea? I can use some back up as well. That’s my suggestion at least.”

Putting Violet away from me in the company didn’t sit right even though a rational part of me warned that it’d be a good idea. I still couldn’t get those damn toned legs out of my head, even after that mental cock block I had forced myself into. All I knew was that I had been so horny after a few drinks that Martha Myers, as Gloria had introduced her as, had been the perfect distraction. Wild fucking in the backseat of her Range Rover, my eyes shut because I wanted to picture Violet squirming underneath me in pleasure—not someone else.

The guilt had eaten me raw all weekend, so much so that I had refused to see Alan face to face. We settled on a phone call when I told him about heading into the city early because of a work crisis. ‘Just keep an eye on her,’ he had said. ‘Make sure no one takes advantage of her.’

My throat squeezed itself shut. I didn’t know how to tell him that it wasn’t a random man in my workplace that he needed to worry about. It was me.

“Bring them in,” I said. “I’ll talk to them both and figure out where they are going to go before my next meeting.”

“Right. I’ll go and get them now.”

I waited until Cheryl shut the door to my office. It was on the very top floor of the Crayton, Inc. building. It was as large as a penthouse in all reality. I could move up here permanently if I wanted, but I kept my office spacious and clean of spare furniture. This wasn’t a place I wanted to relax in.

Sighing, I glanced down at the folder with Michael Foster’s name written on it neatly. This was the Foster kid, whose rich family wanted their son to work outside of their business first. On paper, Michael would do good at whatever he wanted to do. Not just in advertising though. He’d be good in the financial department.

That left Violet floating around somewhere. I rubbed my jaw as I thought back over all my conversations with Alan that had included Violet’s goals in life. She was good at whatever she wanted to do. Having a megawatt smile, attractive physique, and flirtatious charm would also help her in whatever I told her to do.

The door to my office opened. I stood up from my chair, grabbing ahold of Michael’s folder as I did. I found my legs rooted to the ground when Violet stepped in. Those long and smooth legs were on display with her pencil skirt hugging slender her hips and ass tightly. Her white blouse was wrinkle free, but I could see a lacy and cream colored bralette through the sheer fabric. Her sun kissed blonde hair was pulled up into a librarian type of bun.

A confident smile spread across her face when our eyes met. The energy around Violet was hard to deny. Even Michael Foster, a well-dressed and sharp-looking young man, didn’t bother hiding the fact that he liked the curve of Violet’s ass too.

Jealousy surged through me. I clenched my fingers around the folder, crinkling the paper briefly before I forced myself to relax. I fixed a stern look on my face as the two of them came to stand in front of my desk.

“Good morning to you both,” I said, nodding. “The two of you have earned your spots here at Crayton, Inc. I want you both to know that I have high expectations here. From the lowest paid employee to the VP of my company, I keep my expectations high. Hard work means a high reward. Sloppy work means that you will have your ass booted out of this company before you even know what’s happening. Got it?”

They both nodded. I found my gaze lingering on Violet as her grin turned into something different. It was a hungry smile, the type of smile that said she was ready to do whatever I wanted. She was ready to please, and that aroused me even more.

“I have specific places for you both here,” I continued, tearing my eyes away. “Mr. Foster--”

“Yes, sir,” he responded immediately.

“I am going to have you in the financial department with the head of my payroll. Any questions or concerns about that?”

“None, sir. Thank you for the opportunity.”

At least his family had taught him to be polite enough despite his wealthy status. Manners were a big deal to me. I couldn’t count how many people I outed just because they were spoiled little brats wanting a free ride.

“Ms. Summers--”

“Call me Violet,” she interrupted, frowning at me. “Ms. Summers is how people address my mother.”

Michael’s mouth fell open in surprise. I stared at Violet as her cheeks burned brightly when she realized what happened.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to--”

“Mr. Foster,” I said, turning to look at him. “Go with Cheryl. She’ll show you the payroll department.”

Michael glanced at Violet, who looked down at her feet. “Yes, sir.”

I waited until he was out of my office before addressing Violet. “I know that we have close family ties here, but this is my business you’re in. Professionalism is key to a good company.”

“I know that,” she said, voice muffled. “I’m sorry. I guess I just don’t like it when people make me feel like I’m my mother.”

“It’s a respect thing. Here, you’re Ms. Summers. All right?”

“I understand, sir. Where would you like me to be?”

The innocent question instantly put my mind in a place that I didn’t want it to be in. I twisted around sharply when I felt my cock harden again. I stared down at the bump in my pants with annoyance. Getting through the work day was going to be a challenge when I was already bothered enough.

“I need a personal assistant,” I said. “Someone to take my messages, write emails, and make phone calls when I’m not able to.”

A pleased smile spread across Violet’s face.

“That would be great,” she exclaimed, shifting in the pair of ankle boots she was wearing. “Thank you for taking me in here as an intern. I know my mom pressured you into it, but I really do appreciate your doing this.”

"You’re welcome. I hope that you’ll like working here.”

“I’m sure that I will enjoy being your personal assistant.”

I stiffened at the sultry undertone. The corner of Violet’s lips quirked up before the door to my office opened again. Cheryl’s head poked in as she gestured for Violet to join her outside.

“Get her a desk near my office door,” I told Cheryl, gladly sitting down to hide the fact that I was throbbing hard. “The usual ID cards and computer access codes along with a company phone for Ms. Summers.”

“I will get right on it,” Cheryl said, and she opened the door for Violet to step out. “Anything else?”

“Make sure to keep an eye on Ms. Summers,” I said. I couldn’t shake the look on Michael’s face as he followed her into my office. I didn’t want any other males in my building looking at Violet in that matter. “That’s my best friend’s daughter. If something happened to her, I’d never hear the end of it. He would never forgive me.”

“Of course.”

Cheryl closed the door. I listened to their voices disappear in the distance as I gripped the edge of the desk willing my body to get back under control. I needed to do something again to get rid of this tension. This was fucking ridiculous. I smoothed a hand through my hair in aggravation. This was my best friend’s daughter that I was lusting after. This was Violet Summers, the girl I had watched grow up with fatherly fondness. What the hell was wrong with me?

“Everything,” I mumbled to myself darkly. “Everything is wrong with me.”

If anyone asked Stephanie, she’d say I was an overworked sexphobic who enjoyed being cold and distant towards relationships. I couldn’t necessarily fight back against that comment because I was in the office from sun up to sun down, or I was in the air traveling to meet new clients from all over the world. I was never home to carry on with a relationship, but when it had come to Stephanie, I had given in to the idea of settling down. It turned out to be the biggest mistake I could ever make.

My ex-wife enjoyed the worst mistake of my life though. Every month, she collected her checks from me with a shit-eating grin that infuriated me for days on end.

I couldn’t argue my character while my cock throbbed hard for Violet. Rubbing at the tense muscles in my neck, I glared down at the hard bulge in pants that refused to go away. Maybe having Violet as a personal assistant wouldn’t be a good thing if I were going to have this sort of reaction every single time she came to me.

I reached inside my pant pocket to scroll through my phone to find a distraction. I’d deal with this the only way I knew how to deal with it. Finding a woman who wasn’t Violet to get all the steam out of me. That would work.

Chapter 4

Violet

 

Cole Crayton’s personal assistant. I couldn’t fight the grin that spread across my face as I took in my large desk across from Cole’s office door. Every single day, I’d be sitting right across from him, and taking notes from the successful business man who’d built Crayton, Inc. from the ground up.

I smoothed a hand over the desktop while waiting for Cheryl to return with our ID access cards and computer codes. In a way, I was being trusted with Cole’s most valuable asset, himself. I got to set up his schedule, meetings, and everything else that he needed done throughout the day.

This was more than I had ever hoped for. Just a chance to work underneath him had been enough. Being near him was a dream come true as I’d wanted him ever since the day I had seen Cole riding one of his beloved stallions shirtless through the Hamptons. I could still picture those toned and cut abs flexing as his hips moved fluidly in time with the stallion’s trot. I had imagined then how it would have felt to have those hips grinding up against mine in the same rhythm before shame crashed over me. How could I lust after an older man? Except, there was nothing old about Cole.

Even at forty-four years old, Cole got up every single morning to run. I’d watched him over Labor Day weekend at 5:30 am, just like clockwork, jog past the fence that surrounded my parent’s Hampton house. He lived a bachelor type of life too. He hosted parties that celebrities attended. He had women flocking to him without even trying. There was nothing old about him. He had a lifetime of experience that I had craved since I was fifteen years old.

It wasn’t until my graduation party at eighteen that everything in me had leaped into overdrive. I had fooled around with the occasional boy who managed to win my parent’s stamp of approval, but that was it. Nothing besides fumbling in the backseat of a car. Sloppy kisses that left me grimacing for days on end. No romance or passion. Just inexperienced hands and lips.

My parents had invited Cole to my party, and to my surprise then, he had shown up with a check for $10,000. “For you, gorgeous,’ he had said, kissing me on the cheek. ‘Don’t spend it all in one place.”

I could still remember how soft his lips were against my cheek. I could still smell that fresh cologne on his skin. Every inch of him had pressed up against me briefly during that encounter, and it had done something indescribable to me. That’s when it hit me then—no one would be able to make me feel the way Cole did.

I had taken one glass of champagne for courage. I was eighteen years old. Surely, he wouldn’t look me as a child anymore. I had followed him out to the driveway with hopes that we could talk. Those hopes were dashed however when Cole suddenly reached into the pocket of his pants to grab his phone. I hid behind a parked car in my parent’s driveway while I listened to that silky deep voice entrance myself and the caller too.

“I’m coming your way, baby,” he had said, voice calm and deep. “Are you ready to be fucked?”

I’d nearly fainted at the question. It was tempting then to pop out to scream, “Yes! I’m ready.” The heat between my legs roared to life. I could feel the wetness coating my inner thighs as I crouched out of sight.

“I’ll be there shortly,” Cole had said, cradling the phone to his ear. “I can’t leave right at this moment, but you better be naked in my bed by the time I get to the house. Understand? Get yourself ready for what is about to happen to you.”

His deep chuckle had filled the hot summer air. My heart pounded furiously against my ribcage. This was the type of lover that Cole was—commanding in bed, confident in himself. No one else ever measured up to the stamina he had. The greatest orgasm I ever experienced was that night. I pretended to be the woman on the phone while naked in my bed, hiding beneath the sheets with my teeth biting into the pillow to keep my cries of pleasure muffled.

“Violet?”

I started in surprise at the sound of Michael Foster’s voice cutting through that memory. That same delicious heat curled in my stomach, wetting the inside of my upper thighs. I clenched my legs together as I turned to find Michael standing directly behind me with a frown plastered across his face.

“Yes?”

“I’ve been saying your name repeatedly,” he said and gestured to the large break room where a few employees were gathered. “Do you want some coffee or anything? They have some nice machines in there that can make different coffee drinks.” He paused to look me up and down with a frown. “Or maybe you need something to eat? Your cheeks are flushed and--”

“Just hot, I am just feeling hot,” I said, fanning myself with an embarrassed smile. “I better go to the bathroom before the day starts. Excuse me.”

My heels clicked against the marble floors in the bathroom. I stood in front of the mirror, taking in my flushed cheeks with a sigh. If this plan was going to work, I had to concentrate. I couldn’t screw it all up by being flustered all the time whenever Cole looked in my direction, or if I got lost in my fantasies all over again. Complete concentration. That’s what I needed to have to be able to get through the days while I worked alongside Cole.

It was going to be so hard, though. His tone of voice during our meeting was stern and commanding—the same as it had been on the phone that one night. He was also dressed in a dark gray suit with a white undershirt and delicate gold clasps at the end of his sleeves. His dark hair that was peppered with a bit of gray now was sleeked back as usual. He looked like a model on the front cover of a magazine. Yet, no other females around the office seemed to pay attention to any of it. They were all focused on their jobs, or whatever Cole’s commands were for the day. If they found him attractive, they kept it to themselves.

“Violet?”

The bathroom door pushed open as Cheryl entered cautiously. She swept a gaze over me with a frown.

“Michael said he thought you were unwell,” she commented. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” I said, forcing a smile on my face. “Just a bit hot, that’s all.”

I could feel Cheryl’s eyes on me as I ran my hands under ice cold water to cool myself back down. Drying my hands, I turned to look back at the older woman whose arms were crossed with a knowing glint in her eyes.

“What’s your story, honey?” she asked. “I’m not blind to the fact that you know Mr. Crayton on a personal level, but what is the story between the two of you?”

“The two of us?” I repeated slowly. The phrase brought a stab of pleasure, but I didn’t let that show. “There’s nothing going on between us. My dad is close friends with him. Mr. Crayton is helping me with some job experience.”

“I know your father,” she said. “Alan Summers. I just want you to know that Mr. Crayton tends to get a lot of attention from the females that walk through the door of this building. This is his business. We don’t tolerate inappropriate interactions here.”

“Like office romances?”

Cheryl nodded. “It’s highly discouraged by Mr. Crayton himself. He doesn’t want that sort of tension in the office.”

“There won’t be any of that,” I said. “I can promise you that. People tend to run the other way after they meet my father.”

Which was the partial truth. Every guy who I did manage to have a brief romance with usually fled in the other direction after he realized the extent of my father’s wealth and power. It was intimidating to face.

“I hope you’re right,” Cheryl said, slowly. “I don’t want to see you get caught up in something that you don’t know how to handle. I have your ID access cards at my desk. Find me when you are done in here. We will go over Mr. Crayton’s schedule and budget.”

“I’ll be there in a minute.”

I let out a pent-up breath the second that Cheryl stepped out of the bathroom. Concentrate, Vi. You’ve gotta keep it chill if you want this to work. I sure as hell didn’t want to bring attention to my plan. I didn’t want someone to tip off my father about what they might have heard or seen.

I spotted Michael sitting on the edge of my desk, waiting for either Cheryl or me to return. He looked up as I approached, and a smile spread across his face again. A thought crossed my mind as I let a smile fall into place too. It wouldn’t hurt to have a cover story as I worked alongside Cole. If everyone thought I was focused on Michael, who was admittedly good looking, they wouldn’t think of anything else going on. It was the perfect ruse.

“Is Cheryl back with our IDs yet?” I asked, leaning up against my desk next to him. “I’m ready to get to work here. What do you think so far?”

“She isn’t back yet,” Michael replied, tucking his phone into the pocket of his pants. “It’s impressive here. That’s for sure. I was stoked when they called to say I got the position.” He gave me a long and curious look. “I have to admit that I didn’t know there was going to be another intern here. I was told there was one internship available.”

“My father is good friends with Mr. Crayton. I asked for some job experience, and well, they figured it’d be better to get the experience here than in some other place.”

“That makes sense. I noticed that Mr. Crayton seems a bit familiar with you.”

The center of my cheeks burned. Not familiar in the way that I wanted him to be.

“Just old family friends,” I murmured as Cheryl approached us. “That’s all that is going on there.”

After Michael grabbed his ID access card, he went straight to the financial department to shadow. Cheryl handed me a variety of items—a brand new iPhone, an iPad, a leather wallet with the company credit cards and checks, and my ID access cards. She explained that one of the members of the IT department would be stopping by with a computer for me.

“Are you sure that you can handle this position?” Cheryl asked. “It’s been a long time since Mr. Crayton has hired a personal assistant. He likes everything a certain way.”

I set the items down on my desk with a smile. “I’ll be fine. I’ve worked with CEOs my whole life. I know how to handle it.”

Cheryl looked dubious as she opened her mouth to reply, but stopped short when the phone on her desk started to ring. She left to answer it while I took a seat at my desk to wait for my computer to arrive next.

Ding. Ding.

I picked up the iPhone in surprise. My stomach fluttered when I read Cole’s text.

Settled in just fine out there?

I texted back quickly. Just fine, thank you. Anything that you’d like me to do for you?

His response came back a minute later.

Nothing at the moment. Thank you.

I chewed on the inside of my cheek to keep myself from smiling. I could get used to having a daily interaction with Cole. There was no doubt about that.

Chapter 5

Cole

 

 

I had no idea how the fuck I was going to survive with Violet as my personal assistant. My cock was sore from constant arousal no matter what I did. Nothing relieved the tension I felt. It didn’t help either that Violet seemed to be always bending down to pick up things or sending me these flame-eyed looks that sent my heart into damn near overdrive. I was hanging on by my fingernails at this point with my self-control nearly battered beyond repair.

I wanted to bend that sexy ass over the edge of my desk, lift those tight skirts up over her hips, and just slam myself into the sweetness I knew waited there. I wanted to pound myself hard into her. Hard.

Shifting in irritation from another hard erection, I watched the morning traffic in Manhattan blur. Central Park had been a bit chillier when I had gone for my usual morning run, with the summer air starting to fade. I had hoped getting out into the cold air would help with the day ahead, but my thoughts had already ruined that idea.

My driver waited patiently at the steering wheel, sipping his coffee, as the traffic light above remained red. Mine sat between my thighs while I dug through the inside of my blazer pocket for my vibrating phone. I glanced down at the caller ID. Apprehension filled me when I recognized Alan’s number.

“Hello,” I said cautiously.

“Don’t sound too happy to hear from me,” Alan said wryly. “How is Violet doing? I haven’t heard her from her besides an email.”

“She’s doing fine. I placed her as my personal assistant. So far, she seems to be thriving in the position. I have a job meeting today with some Japanese investors that she’ll be helping me prepare for this morning.”

“I’m glad she is getting some job experience. I still don’t agree with her doing this, but whatever makes my free-spirited daughter happy, I suppose. She insisted on renting this apartment outside of Manhattan that I didn’t approve of either.”

I frowned as the building of Crayton, Inc. came into view. “She didn’t want to stay in Manhattan?”

“No. She wanted to be away from Manhattan.” Alan chuckled into the phone. “She knew that I would have people watching her that I knew if she stayed.”

“It doesn’t surprise me. Violet’s a smart woman.”

“My little girl is smart,” Alan agreed with a sigh. “Too damn smart for her own good. At least I know that you’re keeping an eye on her.”

Hot shame filled me. Yeah, I was watching her. I was also fantasizing about bending her over my desk to fuck her wildly.

“Of course,” I gritted out through clenched teeth. “You’re my best friend. I want to make sure that she’s protected. Romances are forbidden in my office anyway.”

“That’s a good office rule. People do their jobs that way.”

“Exactly.”

My driver pulled up to the curb of Crayton, Inc. I grabbed my briefcase from the floorboards, nodding to my driver as I slid out the door to walk up to the lobby.

“I have to get going, Alan. I’ll call you later. We need to do our Poker night.”

“Next week,” he said. “I’ll be in the city visiting Violet then. I’ll call you.”

Violet’s desk was empty when I arrived at the top floor, but her purse and work phone were on her chair.

“Where’s Ms. Summers?” I asked Cheryl, who was typing away on her computer.

Cheryl barely spared me a glance. “I believe she’s getting some coffee from the break room. Her presentation and notes are in your office.”

“Thank you.”

I found Violet’s notes placed in the center of my desk, ready for my approval. A flash drive sat next to the notes. I could smell the faint scent of vanilla and cinnamon lingering in the air. Not willing to get distracted before this meeting, I slid out of my blazer to hang it in the closet. I sat down at my desk to go over Violet’s notes but stopped short when I caught a glimpse of Violet through the open door bending over to adjust the strap of her heel.

Her perky ass strained against the tight fabric of her black pencil skirt. I could only imagine how taut the flesh would feel if my hands ever found their way there. She turned to address someone out of sight, still fiddling with a small strap around the back of her heel. This time, it gave me a perfect view of luscious breasts wanting to spill out from the top of her bra and blouse.

Fuck. I went hard again. So much for not getting distracted.

I watched as Violet fiddled around with the heel strap before straightening up to smooth out any wrinkles in her skirt. She walked out of sight again, but I could hear her voice chatting away with another employee.

Having Violet as my personal assistant had also caused quite a stir with other employees. I caught many lingering stares in Violet’s direction numerous times, but they all looked away when I glared at them. My employees knew how I felt about sexual and romantic relationships with co-workers. I made it a rule because that shit complicated the work environment. I learned that the hard way going through a divorce with Stephanie who used to be a permanent fixture in Crayton, Inc. Now, she was a malicious ghost in the background that took a portion of my income every single month.

I shook those thoughts away as I glanced over the notes and slide presentation that Violet had prepared. I noted that Alan would be pleased to know that his daughter had absorbed his business practices over the years. She was smart. Too smart for her own good.

“What do you think?” Violet asked as she entered my office. She carried two cups of steaming coffee and set one down in front of me. “The investors, from what I researched, are disciplined in their practices…”

One of Violet’s fingers toyed absently with the buttons of her blouse. My mouth went dry as lust barreled through me. I wanted to rip those buttons free of the fabric and suck at the tender skin hidden behind them.

“Cole?”

I cleared my throat when I realized that Violet was staring at me in confusion, a frown tugging at her lips.

 

“Mr. Crayton,” I corrected, a bit harsher than I intended. “Your presentation is good. Thank you for getting this all prepared for me.”

 

“Of course. That’s my job, right? To help you with whatever you need.”

I groaned inwardly at that undertone. I had to be imagining it. There was no way that Violet, innocent Violet, who went to private schools and barely interacted with other people, knew how to be subtle when it came to seduction. It just wasn’t possible. This was all in my head.

“Right. Let’s get to the conference room to get ready for this.”

Violet followed behind me while Cheryl prepared the conference room with snacks, water, and coffee. The investors showed up dressed in nice suits, fake smiles plastered all over their faces. They were like me. They were interested only in making money, even if we didn’t personally like each other.

I talked for thirty minutes with the translator whispering in the background to them. I answered the occasional question when asked, but I found my eyes lingering on Violet as she took notes in the corner.

“Ms. Summers.” She looked up at me in surprise. “Would you please explain your slides to these gentlemen?”

The investors glanced at their translator in confusion. I took a seat at the front of the table while Violet stared at me from across it with a horrified expression. I nodded at her in encouragement as she slowly got to her feet. She knew this was a test. I could see that determined glint enter her eyes as she took a position at the front of the conference room.

For the next twenty-minutes, I studied Violet’s curves while she talked about the various slides. I knew the investors weren’t buying it from their distant looks, but I didn’t care. They would be back next year wanting to make a deal. I wanted to see what Violet could do under pressure. And I was pleased with the confident results.

The translator informed us both politely that they weren’t interested in listening to an intern give a spiel. They rose from the table a second later to walk out of the conference room like I’d expected them to do.

“They didn’t like my presentation?” Violet asked, crestfallen. “I spent the past two days going over this with you. How could they not buy it?”

“They have different standards,” I replied, rising from my chair. “They don’t like listening to an assistant. It’s not how their culture works.”

“Then, why did you put me up here? I just lost you money.”

“They’ll be back,” I said. “I’ve dealt with this investor group numerous times. They are playing hard to get. I wanted to see how you commanded a room.”

Violet trailed her fingers over the conference table as the projector above her turned off. I turned the lights back on a second later. I couldn’t afford the temptation of being alone with Violet in the dark.

“How did I do?” she asked curiously.

“Very good,” I said. “You had complete control.”

She made a face. “Not really if I didn’t convince them.”

I didn’t know how to tell her that not all deals were simple. They never happened overnight, and if they didn’t happen, you had to keep going for the sake of your business. I never dwelled on the deals that never went through.

“Hey,” I said and reached forward to place a hand on her warm shoulder. “Don’t let things like this get you down. It happens. You can’t let every little thing get to you.”

I could feel delicate skin beneath the fabric of her blouse. Sparks of electricity went up my arm when Violet glanced at my hand resting on her shoulder. I jerked my hand back before she could say anything else.

“We need to get back to work,” I managed to say before leaving a startled Violet in the conference room.

My mood didn’t ease up either when Cheryl stepped into my path with an apologetic grimace.

“What is it now?”

“It’s Stephanie,” she said, quietly. “I’ve been trying to get her to call back later, but she says she needs to speak with you.”

“Great,” I snapped, running a hand through my hair. “What does she want?”

“I don’t know. She wouldn’t explain to me what she needed done. I figured it was better to have me deal with her than Violet.”

I offered a tight-lipped smile in appreciation at Cheryl’s gesture. The last thing I needed to hear about was the young personal assistant at my side. Not that it fucking mattered in my eyes. Stephanie found pleasure in whoever dared to dip between her legs.

“What is it?” I asked after I closed my office door to pick up the phone. “I told you that the company phone is not how to get ahold of me.”

“It’s nice to talk to you too, Cole,” Stephanie said. “I just figured this would be the fastest way to get ahold of you. I’m tired of dealing with lawyers. Aren’t you?”

The jovial tone of her voice caught my attention instantly. I reached up to adjust the knot of my tie in aggravation, loosening it.

“What do you want?” I asked, not bothering to hide my annoyance. “I’m busy here. Just say what you want and get it over with.”

“Fine,” Stephanie said flatly. Her cheerful attitude disappeared instantly. “There is art here at the house that you left behind. I’m having it appraised because I want to get rid of it.”

I rolled my eyes. Go figure it was about money. It also happened to be the artwork that she had insisted on keeping through the divorce. Saving myself an even worse headache, I rubbed my eyes tiredly.

“I’ll pay whatever you want for it,” I said. “I’ll have someone stop by the house tomorrow with a check.”

“Pleasure doing business with you,” Stephanie said and laughed into the phone. “Don’t sound so stern, Cole. You’ll give yourself a heart attack by being so serious.”

She hung up before I could think of a reply. I slammed the phone down onto the receiver and stalked over to the windows that looked down on Manhattan. Rage simmered in my veins as I gazed out across the skyline, trying to calm the storm brewing inside of me. However, that storm took an entirely different course when Violet stepped into my office after knocking and shut the door.

Chapter 6

Violet

 

 

Something was bothering Cole. I could see it on his face throughout the rest of the morning and afternoon. A dark shadow fell across his eyes, and he appeared to be brooding over something.

And no one, including me, was excluded from his foul mood.

“Don’t take it personally,” Cheryl told me when I stepped out of his office, blinking back hot tears. “It has nothing to do with today, or even you. It’s his ex-wife.”

I dabbed the tears out of my eyes in embarrassment. “You mean Stephanie, right?”

“Yes,” Cheryl said. Irritation flickered to life in her eyes. “The woman is going to kill him happily one of these days from all the stress she puts him through. Don’t even bother dealing with her if she calls. Send her straight to me.”

“I’m not afraid of her if that’s what you’re thinking,” I said.

I had met Stephanie only once in passing. My mom had been her frenemy from the start. The woman was gorgeous, but having a harder time trying to keep herself youthful in appearance. She had wrinkles around her eyes. She had to dye her hair constantly to keep it gray free. And from what I gathered, she was a gold-digger who gladly tapped into the well of Cole’s bank account. And heart.

My fingers curled into fists at the thought of her gladly playing on Cole’s emotions. Their divorce had been nasty from what my father told me. They’d fought through lawyers viciously before Cole surrendered out of exasperation and frustration, just to end the war. It had played hard on Cole’s health for a few months too. It still was, judging from the dark mood radiating from inside of Crayton, Inc.

“I forget that you are close to Cole,” Cheryl said, shaking her head as she pulled her computer keyboard toward her. “I forget that you are family friends. You know how Stephanie is.”

I nodded as I took a seat at my own desk as well. “Desperate to stay young and attractive, but she needs Cole’s money to do it.”

“That’s the unfortunate truth.”

The rest of Friday afternoon ticked by slowly with Cole refusing to come out of his office. The only thing he did was text out orders to Cheryl and me. Every once in a while, I watched Line 3, his private land line, flicker on for periods at a time. No one called for him, and it spared me the trouble of going in there to face him until he cooled down from his bad mood.

I couldn’t help the concern I felt, though, when everyone in Crayton, Inc. clocked out for the weekend at 5:00 pm. There was no sight of Cole, and his phone line remained open. I pulled out my phone to text him.

Is everything okay?

“Happy Friday afternoon, fellow intern.”

I looked up to see Michael approaching me with a grin. His tie was already loose, draped around his neck casually.

“What are your plans for tonight?” he asked. “Maybe we could get a few drinks this weekend. I know a couple of great places we could go.”

“Not this weekend,” I said and offered an apologetic smile when he looked disappointed. “I have plans already. Maybe another time?”

Michael shoved his hands into his pant pockets. “Yeah, I suppose. Text me if your plans change. We could get dinner too.”

I glanced down at my phone as Michael joined the group of people waiting for him at the elevators. Nothing. Cole was always glued to his phone. He usually texted and emailed back within a minute.

I waited until the floor was motionless and quiet before I got up from my desk. Sucking in a deep breath to calm my nerves, I pushed the door to Cole’s office open. The smell of whiskey reached my nose.

Cole was standing motionlessly in front of the windows that overlooked the entire city of Manhattan. His suit jacket was tossed carelessly on the small leather couch that overlooked the windows as well. He cradled a full glass of whiskey in one hand while the other one was busily scrolling through what appeared to be an email.

“You shouldn’t be here still,” Cole spoke, not even glancing over at me. “It’s Friday afternoon. You should be out of the door already like everyone else.”

The tension radiated off him in waves. I couldn’t walk out of his office without making sure that he was all right. I cared too much about Cole to just shrug it off. I wasn’t just an employee either.

I closed his office door behind me. That earned Cole’s attention as he turned to look at me with a dark frown.

“I was worried about you,” I explained, approaching him cautiously. “You always text back with something. I didn’t see you all afternoon either.”

“I had things to do,” he said coolly. “Private things that needed to be taken care of.”

“Oh, right.”

I twisted my hands together, unsure of how to proceed. Cole never acted distant around me. It was hard to decipher if he wanted me to leave or if he wanted me to stay.

“I wanted to apologize again for today,” I started, breaking the silence between us. “I should’ve pitched differently. I really thought my presentation would’ve won that group over after everything I read about them.”

Cole tipped his glass back to empty out the last bit of alcohol. He wiped his mouth on the back of his wrist as he sighed.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “Failure is a part of being in a business. Don’t let it get to you too much.”

“But, still I--”

“I appreciate you being here, Violet,” Cole interrupted, looking at me sternly. “You did a great job. You are doing a great job here at Crayton, Inc. Everything is organized. I’m getting my messages, and you’re sending out messages when I ask. I can’t complain when this deal wasn’t that important to my business today. It’s not a loss.”

He walked over to the small wooden cabinet in the corner of the office. I watched as he poured himself another drink. He appreciated me being here. That eased a bit of the knot my stomach was in all afternoon.

“Thank you,” I said. “I enjoy working here with you.”

Cole didn’t reply as he took another sip of whiskey. I watched the muscles in his back shift as he walked to the windows. Everything about Cole screamed authority and obedience, but there was a shadow lingering over him.

We were alone for the first time. Utterly alone too. I imagined that a cleaning crew would come through soon, but the entire top floor was motionless. Everyone had left to kick off their weekend.

Temptation pulsated through me.

“Still,” I started, taking a step closer to him, “whatever you need, I’ll do it. Anything that you need, I’ll give to you.”

Cole’s head swung around to fix me with a darkened gaze. He got the message. It was clearly received judging from the way Cole’s jaw worked furiously.

“Violet--” He stopped, shaking his head at me. His face was carefully guarded as he gestured for me to sit on the edge of the couch.

I took a seat on the edge, relishing the cool leather against the back of my thighs. Cole perched himself easily on the arm of the matching leather chair. He looked irresistible with one leg crossed over his knee, and a drink in one hand.

“I really do enjoy working with you, Violet,” he said. “You are a hard worker like I knew you would be because your father is a hard worker. He raised you to be successful and you’re going to be, but you need to understand something. Your father and I have been close friends for a very long time, and while I appreciate these advances--”

A coldness settled in my stomach when I realized where the extent of this conversation was leading to. I held up a hand to stop him before he could continue.

“I realize what you’re trying to do, but you need to understand something too,” I said with more calm and confidence than I felt. “I’ve wanted you for a very long time. Since I was fifteen years old.” His eyes visibly widened at that. “It’s been that long, and while I appreciate the fact that you want to respect my father, I’m also an adult. I’m twenty-two. There’s no reason for us to resist. We can explore this side of things, the side you and I both want.”

Cole’s eyes darkened into something entirely different. I watched the conflict rage there as he weighed out my words, but felt myself sink back on the couch in disappointment when I saw that damn guard of his come shooting straight up.

“You’re a young and beautiful woman,” he said quietly. “I’d be foolish to tell you that I’m not interested or haven’t thought about it, but I’m older than you. I won’t cross this line, Violet. I would never forgive myself for disrespecting your family. It’s not going to happen between us.”

I gritted my teeth in aggravation while I watched that same conflict rage on again in his eyes. He was tempted, on the border of caving in. I could see it in the way that he held himself. His muscles were coiled and ready for action. He just needed an encouraging push to understand that I could handle this even if I were nervous about it too.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Yes,” he replied tersely. “I’m sure, Violet. That’s my answer. Now, please--”

I got up to my feet, reaching for the buttons of my blouse. “Because I really don’t believe your answer. I don’t think you want me to walk away right now.”

Cole threatened to burn holes into me as his eyes followed the path of my fingers and buttons. My heart was racing again. Sweat pooled in my palms while the heat in my legs threatened to consume me. One more push. Before I could part the fabric, Cole stood up abruptly to straighten his tie in aggravation.

“Stop,” he said, flatly. “I appreciate it, but I am your boss. This sort of thing could land me in court.”

“I wouldn’t say anything,” I insisted, hands frozen at the buttons of my blouse. “Cole, I--”

“No. It’s not going to happen, Violet. Get out of my office before someone gets the wrong idea about what’s going on here.”

Tears blurred my sight as Cole strode over the office door. He opened it and looked over at me expectantly. Coldness radiated off him in waves. I fumbled with the buttons of my blouse before clutching my phone tightly to my chest. I could barely contain the tumult of emotions when Cole slammed the door shut behind me and locked it a second later.

I didn’t understand. He wanted me. I knew that he did because I could see the interest in his eyes. He wanted me. He had thought about it for some time too. Gathering my purse from my desk, I hurried across the office to the elevators before anybody could see me. The lobby was also quiet, much to my relief and I darted out into the evening air. My legs felt cold against the warmth that greeted me.

There was nothing that I could do. I had pushed too hard and now I was afraid that Cole would push me away to avoid conflict. He didn’t want to cut ties with my father. He didn’t want to lose that friendship, and while a part of me accepted that, I didn’t care either.

I wanted to be selfish for once in my life. I wanted something to call my own.

Chapter 7

Cole

 

 

Sleep eluded me for several hours after shooing Violet from my office. I had to get her out of there before I snapped on her. Not out of anger though. Out of pure fucking lust. The woman was determined to push my buttons to see how much it would take for me to give in.

I kicked the sheets back with a sigh. There was no sleep with my dick hard from the scenarios that were playing out in my head. I could’ve given in. I could’ve fucked Violet right there and then, but I had listened to my morals. This girl had grown into the woman. So confident. So fucking hot.

I twisted the shower on to blast icy water for the third time tonight. Everything in me ached to do it. That wicked temptation begged my hand to go downwards. Do it. Just get it over with. You know you want to do it.

Twisting the hot water on, I rested up against the side of the shower while my fingers danced across my erection. Pleasure shot up my spine. Yes. I could imagine Violet’s hands on me, stroking me in perfect time, and then feeling those strong thighs clenched around my hips. I could imagine her face contorted in pleasure with her perky breasts bouncing hard in time with my thrusts. I could picture it perfectly. I could feel her inner muscles clenching in___

An anguished cry escaped my lips when my climax crashed down hard on me. I sagged against the shower wall while I tried to catch my breath, my heart pounding furiously in my rib cage.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

I rested my head against the cool tile. Hot water blasted my back as I sucked in deep breaths. Shame itched itself up my spine. I needed to do something before I acted on the fantasies like I had almost done earlier in the evening. I couldn’t bear the thought of Alan’s reactions if he knew the awful truth of how I felt about his daughter. He’d kill me without a doubt. He was trusting me to protect Violet against other men, but I was the one jacking off in the shower to the thought of having sex with her. I was the one taking in those taut curves of hers. I was the one enjoying her company more than I should, and not in an entirely professional way.

And I was the one who had crushed her with rejection. I couldn’t erase the devastated and confused look on Violet’s face when she’d hurried out of my office. I had done that by not making it clear from the start that nothing would ever happen. I left the door open for her to make assumptions.

Sleep evaded me for a few more hours, but finally, I succumbed. I rose after three hours to shower again, drink some strong ass coffee, and hop into my car to drive out of Manhattan. I drove to the outskirts of the Hamptons to what used to be my mansion two years ago. I pushed the button on the intercom because I knew Stephanie would be home.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me,” I said. “Can I come in?”

“Cole? I thought you were sending a check and a lawyer.”

“I’m here to hand you the check myself. Is that okay?”

She didn’t answer. The gate buzzed open a second later. I drove up the driveway to park in front of the house. Stephanie opened the front door as I walked up the stone steps. She leaned up against the door frame, dressed in a pair of tight cotton pants and a simple tank top. Her hair was clipped up in a bun.

“I didn’t expect you to be here,” she said. “I thought you wanted the lawyers to handle everything from now on.”

Irritation swept through me from lack of sleep. I jammed my sunglasses up over my head to glare at her.

“Let’s just get this over with. What is it that you want to sell?”

“No need to get all pissy about it,” Stephanie said, rolling her eyes. “I’d rather you be here than that damn lawyer of yours. Come inside.”

It was strange being back in a place that I used to live in full-time. I felt like a complete stranger following Stephanie through the foyer to what used to be my office. It gave me a small stab of pleasure, to see that while the room was filled with boxes, nothing else occupied what used to be my personal space.

Stephanie gestured to the frames that were stacked against the wall. “Those there,” she said, glancing at her wristwatch with a frown. “Can we make this quick? I have to get ready for a date.”

“What do you want for them?” I asked.

“Nothing. Just take them. The artwork is all yours anyway.”

“This house is still technically mine,” I pointed out, grabbing the paintings by the frame. “What’s the rush? You don’t want your date to see your ex-husband in the house that he still owns while you rent it out.”

“That’s exactly it,” she quipped, glowering. “He’s a young Broadway star. If you’re curious, he has a show this weekend.”

I rolled my eyes at that. “Not interested even the slightest bit.”

“I didn’t think that you would be. That’s all that I had here that was yours. Everything else is taken care off.”

I didn’t wait for Stephanie to lead me out. I walked out with the paintings tucked against my side, trying not to let the anger grow in me. Everything in the house was still the same. Nothing had changed.

It occurred to me then that Stephanie kept everything the same for a specific reason. She wanted to reek of wealth to attract someone to love her, someone who was younger and more devoted to her than I ever was. She wanted satisfaction and went after it while I shied away from anything that reminded me of happiness.

A pang filled me when I turned to watch as Stephanie closed my office door quietly. She caught my eyes from down the hallway. Her expression was distant, but I could see the same thing I felt at that moment. Sadness. Our life together was over, but so were our lives before that too. Our youth was gone, and now we were left dealing with the fact that our best years were behind us. What did we have to look forward too?

And I couldn’t look at Stephanie with anger any longer. I was lusting after a younger woman who wanted to prove her attraction. I wanted to fuck my best friend’s daughter.

There really was no fucking difference between us.

“I hope that you find some happiness,” I said. “Not at my expense, but I do hope you find someone who can give you what you want.”

Stephanie crossed her arms as she stared at me with glittering eyes. “I wanted that from you, Cole. I tried so hard for years to get that from you, but you didn’t want to work at it. You wanted something entirely different.”

“I wanted my business to be the best. That was what I wanted.”

“And that’s why your office is empty here,” she said, sharply. “Please leave. My date is going to be here soon and--”

The sound of car tires on the gravel outside caught both our attention. Clutching the painting to my side, I made my way down the stairs with Stephanie on my heels. She grabbed at my arm desperately.

“Don’t, Cole. Don’t open the--”

I jerked the door open despite Stephanie’s protests. Jealousy wasn’t the word describe it. It was pure curiosity that had me biting my tongue in amusement. A young man stepped out of his brand-new Jeep Cherokee. His pants were cream colored while his blue button up shirt was partially open to reveal his hairless and tanned chest. He was the male equivalent of a gold digger, from the jewelry he wore to the frosted hair. He looked at me with a frown when I turned back to Stephanie, now covering her face in embarrassment.

“Nice,” I said. “Real nice, Steph. No wonder you wanted a check for these paintings.”

“Who the hell are you, man?” the lothario demanded, puffing out his chest. “What are you doing in my girl’s home?”

I couldn’t keep the laughter inside any longer. I stepped past him to my own car, placing the paintings carefully in the backseat. Opening the driver’s door, I slid my sunglasses down to cover my eyes without breaking eye contact.

“I paid for this house a long time ago. It ain’t hers, man. Word to the wise: hide what little bit of money you have because she’ll spend it.”

“You’re such a dick,” Stephanie cried, glaring at me. “Why do you have to do shit like this?”

I slipped behind the steering wheel with a shrug. I backed out of the driveway with Stephanie screaming obscenities. It made perfect sense why she wanted money. I uttered a silent prayer for the poor guy who obviously expected money but didn’t realize that Stephanie wanted the same damn thing.

On the drive back to Manhattan I decided that a stop at the jazz club in downtown was a needed stress relief. I owned a stake in the ritzy place, but I also enjoyed their selection of wines and food, as well as the relaxing music. I was never into the party scene with crazy clubs and bars. I liked the calm.

Plus, maybe the real deal with a woman would help me face Violet on Monday morning after what happened in my office. There was nothing better than the touch of a woman, or the sensation of entering a woman, to chase away the tension in my groin.

I reached the club after returning to my place to shower and change into something more comfortable than the suit I was wearing. The sun had already set behind the towering buildings when I stepped past the bouncer who barely glanced in my direction. A line of people was already wrapped around the building before 7:00 pm. I entered through the dark lobby doors to the small lounge area where a private bar and band played for the VIP guests.

None of the waitresses questioned me. They brought over my usual bottle of wine and appetizer without even asking. The sultry sound of jazz helped the headache that throbbed in my head as I sipped at the dark merlot wine, waiting for someone to catch my eye. It was a Saturday night. Someone was bound to pique my interest.

“Mr. Crayton?”

I looked up in annoyance at Michael Foster’s voice. He stood at the edge of my table, visibly surprised to see me. Before I could say a word, I caught sight of Violet standing nervously a few feet behind him. Her eyes met mine, and something inside of my chest roared to life. I took in the black cocktail dress she wore that gave quite the view of her toned legs and bust. It left little to the imagination.

“I thought it was you,” Michael said. “I didn’t think you’d come here to listen to music. You don’t strike me as a jazz lover.”

I forced myself to look away from Violet, whose anguished face turned from mine to study something else in the lounge.

“I own a stake here,” I replied, trying to keep my voice calm. “What are you kids doing here?”

Anger flashed across Violet’s face at that.

“Getting some drinks,” Michael replied, oblivious to everything. “As friends, of course. I know you have a strict rule about that.”

It didn’t escape my attention that the look in Michael’s eyes that suggested he hoped the night would go somewhere else. Jealousy surged through me hard. My fingers squeezed the stem of my wine glass before I forced myself to let go.

“You’re right,” I said evenly. “I don’t approve of it, so maybe you should take Ms. Summers back to her place.”

“No,” Violet said suddenly. She glared at me. “I can do whatever I want. You’ve made that much clear to me.” She was hurt. Beyond crushed. Fuck me. What had I expected?

She whirled on the edge of her heel to stomp across the lounge and find a table. I rose unsteadily from my seat and pulled out a few hundreds to toss on the table.

“Have a good night,” I said crisply. “I hope you enjoy your evening out.”

I left Michael standing there, baffled by the interaction. If Violet wanted me gone, then that was what she would get. It was better that way anyway.

Chapter 8

Violet

 

 

Why did everything have to be so complicated?

I dabbed some more foundation underneath my eyes in a futile attempt to cover the bags and darkness there. The rest of my face was pale, devoid of color despite the blush and bright red lipstick. I looked like a damn zombie from the lack of sleep all weekend. I’d been reliving what happened Friday evening over and over again, and processing the look on Cole’s face in the jazz club Michael had insisted on going to.

It was jealousy. I knew that look better than anyone else because I had felt it every single time I had heard about the women Cole brought home with him.

Except, nothing had happened. Michael was a good guy, but not someone I was interested in. I had accepted his invitation to get out and have some drinks to forget about what happened. Not to hook up as I had explained on the phone to Michael.

Cole had drawn his conclusions though. I knew it the moment he walked briskly by my office desk earlier without even a good morning or a hello. Instead, he barked out orders for me and texted me furiously with demands that I did my best to follow over the next couple of days. I could see why he never kept personal assistants. They were the ones who personally dealt with his dark moods.

The sound of chatter and phones ringing echoed in my ears as I walked back from the bathroom to where my desk was situated. Cole’s office door was still firmly shut. There were no new messages on my phone either. I cradled my head in my hands, fighting back the tears. What could I possibly say to him now? He was furious with me for making a move on him, but then he was also angry at me for being out with Michael. What did Cole Crayton fucking want from me?

“You okay, honey?” Cheryl asked.

I wiped away the few tears that managed to escape from my eyes to look up at Cheryl who stood in front of my desk with a concerned frown.

“I’m fine,” I said, voice hoarse from crying in the bathroom. “It was just…a rough weekend. I didn’t get a lot of sleep.”

“It has nothing to do with our fearless leader in there, does it?”

I looked down at my desk to hide that it did. “No. It has nothing to do with him.”

“Oh, Violet.”

A hand smoothed itself through my hair, warm and maternal. It brought on another fresh wave of hot tears.

“Don’t let Mr. Crayton’s foul mood bring you down,” Cheryl said softly. “He’s testing you. He’s seeing if you’re able to keep calm under pressure. That’s all he’s trying to do.”

I didn’t bother correcting her. No one would, or could, know what was going on. I wanted to tell her that it had nothing to do with my job as his personal assistant. It had everything to do with our relationship and my wanting to go further. But he was resistant to it for several reasons. Good reasons, if I really thought about it.

My parents would flip out if we ever began a sexual relationship. My mother would raise hell because she knew I was still a virgin, but this was what I’d wanted for so long. A man like Cole knew what to do in bed. I didn’t want that awkwardness. I just wanted that huge moment in my life to be over with already. I had fantasized enough about it, but now I had to figure out a way to get back on Cole’s good side again.

“I suppose it’s a good sign he hasn’t fired me yet,” I remarked, raising my head to look up at Cheryl. “Although, he’s probably keeping me here out of fear of my father’s wrath. Or pity. One of the two.”

“He likes your work, Violet. That’s why he is keeping you here. This is why he is testing you too.”

I sucked in a deep breath to calm my nerves. “Maybe. I need to get focused on the meeting in thirty minutes.”

“Right,” Cheryl said, nodding at me. “I’ll let you get in the zone. Come get me if you need anything.”

“Thank you.”

I glanced down at my notes for the meeting that Cole had sent me via email. I squinted down at the small text, trying to memorize names and numbers. After several long minutes, I looked up from the email with a sigh. There was no doubt in my mind that this meeting would not go well. I could feel it deep in my bones.

“Violet.”

I bit back a sigh of irritation when I heard Michael call out my name. I turned to look at him as he approached with a frown.

“You’re not supposed to be up here,” I said wearily. “You better go back down before Mr. Crayton sees you up here. He’s going to come out of his office at any second.”

That didn’t seem to even phase him.

“I wanted to make sure you were okay,” he said. “Cheryl called me to ask what happened over the weekend. I told her that I wondered the same thing too.”

“You’re a nice guy, Michael. You really are, but there are things that you don’t need to know.”

“If you’re in trouble, or--”

I held up my hand to stop him. “I’m not in trouble, I promise. I was just uncomfortable this weekend.”

“Because I tried to kiss you?”

Guilt filled Michael’s eyes when I nodded at him. That had little to do with what was really bothering me. Michael really was a good guy, a decent date, but I had turned away when he tried to kiss me. There was only one person I wanted to kiss.

“I’m sorry,” he said, sincerity lacing his voice. “I just think you’re a beautiful woman. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“I know. I just have feelings for someone else, and it’s complicated between us.”

Michael seemed to accept the explanation. He didn’t press it any further and didn’t get the chance too. The door to Cole’s office opened. He strode out to stop and look at the both of us. The chill in Cole’s eyes was enough to freeze hell over, but I couldn’t back down just yet. If Cheryl was right, he was testing me to see how well I could handle pressure.

“Back to your department, Foster,” Cole snapped out and stalked off in the direction of the meeting room. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure his message was received.

“Fuck,” Michael said, visibly paling. “I feel sorry for you dealing with that all day. Good luck.”

“Thanks,” I replied, feeling my stomach sink. “I’m going to need it.”

Luck was not on my side, though. Not in that damned meeting room with Cole and three other men in suits glaring at me when I said the wrong names and numbers.

“You’re dismissed from this meeting,” Cole told me, turning his back to me. “Get out of the room.”

I ducked out, barely holding my tears in. I could feel their eyes burning holes through my back as I hurried away to the safety of the bathroom again. Huddling in the stall, I sobbed into my hands while I tried desperately to regain control of myself. What was wrong with me? My internship was on the chopping block, but all I could do was feel wounded and cry that my other plans were ruined.

It wasn’t until 5:00 pm that Cheryl came to the bathroom to inform me that Cole wanted to talk to me privately in his office.

“Be careful,” Cheryl warned me, handing me a tissue. “Cole hates it when females cry. That’s just how it is with him.”

My stomach churned as I stepped into Cole’s dim office. The shades were drawn down over the windows as Cole glanced up from a few documents he was looking over. The stern expression on his face glued my feet to the floor as I let the door fall shut behind me.

“Lock it,” he said.

I reached behind me to lock the door. Before I could even try to explain anything, it was Cole who rose from his desk to walk up to me. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants as he looked down at me with an aloof expression.

“Those clients I lost today were big money for Crayton, Inc.,” he said, voice low. “You realize that, Violet? I thought you would be able to handle this position. You promised me that much.”

“I’m sorry,” I choked out, hands curling up into fists. “I can’t take you acting like a jerk to me every second of the past few days.”

“This is your job. I am your boss. That’s all it is, and if you can’t handle this, then maybe it’s a good idea for us to reconsider your internship here with me.”

“That’s not what I want! I just wanted to explain to you for the past three days what happened over the weekend. I wanted to apologize, but you never gave me the chance to explain anything. You shut me out before I could even explain that it wasn’t what you thought it was.”

Cole’s face darkened as he twisted away to walk over to the windows. It was his favorite spot, I realized over the past two weeks. He liked to stand there when he was brooding.

“You don’t owe me an explanation,” he said. “It’s none of my business. Michael is a fine young man. I wish the both of you luck in your relationship. I can let this relationship slide because I know the family Michael comes from. Your mother would like them. Your dad would too if I told him about the Fosters. Just promise me to keep your romance out of sight of my other employees. I don’t want to deal with the questions.”

Fury rose in me then. For days, he’d acted like a jealous ex-boyfriend, and he had the nerve to wish me the best. It was as though he thought he was doing me a favor by permitting me to be with someone else.

“I don’t need luck,” I said, fueled by the anger now brewing in me. “I need YOU! I need your cock. And no one else. Yes, that’s what I need.”

Cole’s spine stiffened visibly at those words. He turned sharply around to look me point blank in the eye.

“It’s not going to happen,” he snapped. “Forget it, Violet. I already told you that it wouldn’t happen, and I have a lot of reasons why we can’t be together.”

“I know that you want me,” I said. He turned away at that, proving my observations even more. “I know that you want me. All I need is one night. That’s all I need. That’s what I’ll take. No one will find out either if you’re so worried about it.”

“I can’t do that,” Cole said, gruffly. “You know that I can’t do it, Violet. It’ll ruin us both. I’m not a good man to be involved with.”

Boldened by the cracks I could see in his defense, I slowly slid my arms around his tight waist. He smelt heavenly, of fresh soap and cologne. I could feel those muscles in his back clench through the fabric of his shirt. His hands went to where mine were joined at the top of his stomach.

“I don’t think so,” I whispered, ignoring the way his fingers tried to pull my hands away. “I think you’re a good man who is punishing himself by resisting something that will make him feel good for once.”

“Violet--”

I didn’t heed the warning in Cole’s voice. Standing on tip toes, I pressed my lips against the back of his neck. Goosebumps erupted there. A stab of satisfaction went through me. The blood in my veins surged as a hazy and heart-pounding desire crashed over me.

Cole whirled around in my arms, breaking my hold on him. His hands were clenching my wrists to the point that it was almost painful, but I didn’t care. It was now or never time. I was going to kiss him, damn the consequences.

I leaned forward to press my lips against his own. Sparks went up my spine at the sensation of his mouth pressed up against my own, firm and warm. I could feel the resistance crumbling beneath my fingers as Cole’s hold lessened. I kissed him again with a breathy moan.

That’s when a groan escaped Cole’s lips. A groan of pleasure and defeat. I found myself whirled around to be pressed up against the glass windows with Cole’s mouth hard and hungry on mine.

Yes! I screamed inwardly in elation as Cole’s hands ran down the sides of my body, feeling every single curve. My stomach fluttered wildly. I couldn’t believe that this was happening after so long, after the past few days of shit. I never thought the day would end up the way it did, but there was a least one thing I was glad that I had done now, ever since I started working at Crayton, Inc.

At least, I thought with a pleased smile as Cole kissed me hard again, that I had continued to take the time to wax my legs and private area for his pleasure and enjoyment.

Chapter 9

Cole

 

 

I knew how Eve felt when she took a bite of that damn red apple. That apple tasted sweet with sin and pleasure. That was how Violet tasted when I swept a tongue in through her eager lips to taste her, to finally give myself what I wanted most.

Gone was that rational voice telling me to keep my distance. To push her away as far as she would go.

Fuck it all.

Her hands were running through my hair, kissing me back with just as much wild passion as I felt building up in me. If this was going to be what sent me to hell, at least it would finally feel good to let go of all control.

Soft pants were escaping Violet’s mouth as her body pushed up against mine. I could feel every single inch of her. She tasted sweet on the tip of my tongue as she battled for dominance, but not for long. I knew what she wanted. She wanted me to take charge, and that was exactly what I fucking planned to do.

Tearing my lips from hers, I took in her flushed face and bruised lips. Her lipstick was smudged against my mouth. Her eyes were already dark and intense with desire as she stared at me.

“I hope you know what the fuck you’re doing,” I growled out, cradling her slender hips in my hands. “I’m not going to be gentle here.”

Her hands gripped the fabric of my shirt. “I don’t want you to be. Fuck me. The door is locked, like you asked.”

We were utterly alone too. Everyone had gone for the weekend. We had at least twenty minutes before the cleaning maids would come through for their usual weekend rounds of cleaning the building. I didn’t need twenty minutes though. I only needed a few to get us both undressed.

Violet tugged me forward for a kiss that I gladly accepted and then took charge of. Her tongue twisted up against mine, tracing my lips lightly, leaving my body tingling with sensation. I could feel my cock hard and press up against the fabric of my boxers and pants. I ground it against her upper thigh to let her feel what she’d wanted to feel for so long.

She broke the kiss with a surprised gasp. I took advantage of the break to trail my lips down the curve of her neck while my hands ripped at the buttons of her blouse. They popped through the air, landing on the floor in various places. She gladly shrugged out of the fabric while I made quick work of the lacy bra she wore.

“Shit,” I groaned, looking at those perfectly mounded breasts with pink and delicate nipples. I let my fingers squeeze the liquid flesh there which earned a throaty response in return. “I’ve wanted this for so long, Violet. You’re fucking gorgeous.”

“I’ve wanted you too,” Violet whispered, hands moving to the buttons of my own shirt. “Since I was fifteen I imagined you inside of me. That’s all I want to feel right now.”

I dipped down to capture a nipple between my lips. Violet nearly collapsed against the window as she let out a cry of pleasure. I sucked there gently while her fingers worked on the buttons of my shirt. I let the fabric fall to the ground carelessly before bending down to scoop her up into my arms. Our bare chests touched, and it sent electric currents through me as Violet wrapped her legs around my waist at my prompting. I grabbed her ass cheeks, letting out a groan when the heat of her core settled over my throbbing erection.

Our lips attacked one another in a deep kiss of dominance. I sank down to the leather couch and settled between Violet’s legs. I smoothed a hand around to the back or her skirt to pull the zipper down. My dick throbbed so hard it hurt as I pulled the fabric of her skirt and panties down her legs. I pulled off her shoes to leave her bare ass naked in front of me—the exact image of my fantasies.

She was toned and curved in all the right places. I smoothed my hands down the front of her breasts as she looked up at me with darkened eyes before I let my hands and eyes go to the one place I truly wanted to be. The wetness of her lips there surprised me, and her hips jerked up in pleasure.

She didn’t need foreplay. We’ve had weeks of it. She’d had years of it. I didn’t think I could hold myself back for very long.

“You’re already wet,” I whispered huskily. “In this case, we can skip pretenses and get right down to the main event.”

Violet sat up to reach for my belt. Her fingers trembled as she then undid the clasp and unzipped my pants. I let my eyes fall shut as her hand swept along my erection, coaxing it out into the open. The sensation of her hand on my dick was exquisite. I nearly lost myself, but it was her whisper, “Good lord,” that brought me back to reality.

Her eyes were wide as she looked up at me. “You’re so big. I don’t know if we will fit right.”

“We’ll fit,” I assured her while I kicked away my pants and boxers. “Do you trust me?”

“Of course,” she said immediately. “Come to me. I’ve been going crazy waiting for you to fuck me.”

I braced myself over her. The first touch of her moist and hot flesh against the tip of my cock nearly undid me. It was through a blind haze that I remembered my condoms were back at my apartment.

“I don’t have a condom,” I ground out, resting my head against her shoulder in frustration. “Do you have one? Please tell me that you do.”

Her hands smoothed along my back. “I’m covered. Please, just do it.”

“Violet, we can’t--”

Her fingers dug themselves into my ass cheeks. She nudged me forward, and the tip of my cock slid into the sweet heat I’d been thinking about for so long. All reason and logic escaped me. I buried myself into that delicious tightness without a second thought.

The pressure. The agony of her muscles clenching around me. I couldn’t think past it as I cupped Violet’s ass cheeks in my hand to hold her in the perfect position, her thighs tight against my hips. It felt so good. Violet was impossibly tight against me.

I reached down blindly as bright spots flashed in front of my eyes to rub at the bundle of nerves between her legs. I was met with an enthused cry followed by her inner muscles twitching with a pending release. Our sweat-slicked skin slapped against each other.

“So close,” I panted into her ear, rubbing harder at the bundle. “Are you close, baby?”

I was met with a throaty scream that echoed through the office. I lost the sense of reality when those muscles squeezed down upon me in the most intense way, milking every inch of my release.

We laid there for a long time in a tangle of limbs before it hit me. I’d just fucked my best friend’s daughter. In my office. The one rule I had told myself I would always adhere to, I broke.

I pulled back before Violet could say anything. I could feel her heart racing wildly against me, but I forced myself to pull out and away. I couldn’t bear to look over at her face as I quickly gathered my clothes from the ground.

“The cleaning crew is coming soon,” I said. “We need to get out of here before they show up. I don’t want this going around the office.”

Violet didn’t reply, but I felt her move to gather her clothes as well. I dressed with my back to her while I tried to gain control of the panic I could feel surging in me. I had given into temptation so willingly. Violet was just a young woman. She’d been a little girl not too long ago.

Shame poured through my body, replacing the satisfied glow of great sex. I had violated her in a way she would never understand.

“Cole--”

I shook my head at her quiet inquiry. I could hear the emotion in her voice, but I couldn’t turn around. I didn’t want the attachment.

“You better go first,” I said. “That way no one sees us leaving here together.”

The silence stretched on for a few minutes before I heard the office door open. I looked over my shoulder then, still catching my breath to see the tears trailing down Violet’s face. She gathered her things from her desk before disappearing out of sight. I waited to gather my own things until I heard the elevator doors open and close.

The cleaning crew entered the office right as I pushed the elevator button. I nodded to them as they greeted me with cheerful smiles before I stepped into the elevator. My hands were shaking when I pushed the button for the lobby. There was no doubt that Violet had heeded my words and took off before anyone could see us.

Guilt chewed on my heart. I shouldn’t have sent her away the way that I did, but I couldn’t bear being the subject of office gossip. Not after the bullshit with Stephanie. I couldn’t risk word getting back to Alan either.

My face burned, thinking of my last friend on the planet. I had completely betrayed his trust and disrespected a family that had for so long treated me as one of their own. They were my family. My parents were buried in the hard ground. I had no siblings. They were all I had.

I stopped by the gym on my way home. I needed to burn off my anger before I thought of getting a hold of Violet to make sure she was okay. I spent the next hour running hard on the treadmill before stepping into the hot shower.

That was when I realized with a sinking jolt the reason why Violet had been so quiet at the beginning. There was blood on my thighs.

“Fuck,” I cried out, slamming a hand into the shower stall. I heard someone jump a few stalls down.

Not one word. She’d never mentioned a word of pain, never hesitated. Her confidence would have never seemed like a nervous virgin’s first time.

I let the scalding water burn my face. I had to make this up to her somehow. I had to do something to make it right since I had taken advantage of her in my office. Not exactly the romantic first-time girls dreamed about.

I found clean clothes in my locker and dressed quickly before leaving the dirty ones in the hamper for the gym to get rid of. I couldn’t look at them ever again because I’d think of the guilt, and at the same time, I’d remember how it had felt to finally have Violet. Which made it all feel even more fucked up and shameful.

I picked out some roses from the flower shop before driving twenty minutes to the apartment Violet was renting. It wasn’t a high-class apartment building like those found in Manhattan, but it wasn’t as bad as Alan had led me to believe. I found the button that said Summers before pressing it. If I had any luck, Violet would be back here already, and not out somewhere in the city.

“Who is it?”

My heart beat in relief. “It’s me. It’s Cole. I was wondering if I could come up to talk to you about a few things.”

“Sure. It’s 4A.”

The door buzzed open. I stepped inside to follow the stairs up to the fourth floor, then found the apartment door on the west side of the building. I took a step back after knocking on the door, bracing myself for what was about to come.

Chapter 10

Violet

 

 

It was a strange feeling. I couldn’t quite place it when I came back from Crayton, Inc. with the smell of Cole’s cologne still clinging to me. Tears were burning my eyes, but I didn’t feel upset. Shell-shocked. That was the appropriate way to describe it.

And it felt strangely empty, now that I had gotten what I’d wanted for so long. I didn’t know whether to laugh with the victory or to cry that Cole had turned so cold so quickly. I had asked him for at least one night.

That was exactly what he’d given me. One night of amazing pleasure, after the initial sting and pain had gone away. It was worth it. That was my reasoning, and I planned to stick with it even though it complicated everything. I didn’t know what to expect come Monday morning, now that we had crossed that threshold of no return.

A buzz filled my tiny living room. I stared at the intercom near my apartment door, waiting for whoever it was to talk. It buzzed again.

Sighing in annoyance, I got up to my feet with a grimace. The soreness between my legs and backside was evidence of how much I had enjoyed it at the time. I pushed the answer button with the pad of my thumb.

“Who is it?” I asked, grumpily.

“It’s me. It’s Cole. I was wondering if I could come up to talk to you about a few things.”

I debated on sending him away, but this was what I wanted. I wanted him here. He was the only person who could help me sort this tumult of emotions in me.

“Sure,” I said. “It’s 4A.”

I pushed the open button for a few seconds, long enough for him to open the door and get in. Smoothing my tangled hair back, I wiped at my tear-stained cheeks in annoyance. I looked like a fucking mess. I knew that I did because I could feel the swelling in my eyes. As soon as I heard the knock on the door, I opened it with a relieved sigh to see Cole dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

He held out a bouquet of roses. “These are for you. I thought you might like them.”

My heart swelled at the sweet thought. I opened the door fully to accept the flowers and to let him come inside.

“Thank you,” I said, smelling one of the roses with a smile. “These are beautiful. I’m going to put them in the water right now. Make yourself at home.”

Cole shut the apartment door behind himself as he looked around with a guarded expression. I filled a vase full of water before placing the roses in the center of my little dining room table for them to get full sunlight. Nerves crashed over me again when I sat down next to Cole on the couch. Everything felt so different now. I couldn’t put my thumb on what had changed, but I could feel the gentle shift between us. It was subtle but noticeable.

He sat there with his hands clasped loosely between his knees. An hour ago, I had caught sight of those chiseled muscles and tanned skin. His face had been contorted in sheer pleasure too. It was a strange new intimacy.

“I wanted to make sure that you were okay,” Cole said and turned to look at me closely. “Are you okay?”

I kept my face as carefully guarded as possible because I didn’t know what to say exactly.

“I think I am okay,” I said. “Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

Cole looked at me with a long, hard stare. “Because I know that you were a virgin. You didn’t tell me it was your first time.”

I turned my head away at the disapproval in his eyes. This was the last thing I needed to deal with: being lectured.

“Does it matter if I was?”

“Yes, it does. You have to be honest with your partners about everything. If I had known that you were--”

“You wouldn’t have let yourself be with me,” I finished for him. “I know that you would’ve pulled away even if I told that I was fine with it. I don’t have regrets over what happened.”

“None at all?”

I turned to look back at him with a smile that felt shaky and wavering on my lips. “None at all. I don’t regret having sex with you. It felt great, Cole. It was everything that I hoped it would be.”

“You’re only twenty-two years old, Violet. You have no idea what sex is about, or what to expect. I have a hard time imagining that you pictured it the way it happened.”

He had a point there. I had been so lost in the desire steadily building in me to even fully comprehend that we were in his office. It wasn’t romantic, wasn’t the way I had pictured it taking place, but I refused to let that take away the pleasure I had felt.

“No, you’re right,” I said. “I didn’t imagine it going down like it did, but I’m not going to let that change my mind about how I feel.”

Cole dropped his gaze to focus on the shaggy cream-colored rug that I loved to bury my bare toes in.

“I should’ve treated you the way you deserve to be treated,” he whispered, and the guilt in his voice was unmistakable. “You have to understand that, Violet. You didn’t deserve to have your first time with someone like me on an office couch.”

I reached around to cup his face in my hands, gently drawing him back to look at me. Our eyes met. The heartache in his gaze nearly broke my own heart. He felt horrible over what happened, and while I felt confused over everything, I didn’t want him to feel ashamed. I knew what I wanted. I wanted Cole, and here he was—sitting on my couch with sagging shoulders.

“I’ve wanted you since I was fifteen,” I said firmly. “I thought for the longest it was a school girl crush. I told myself that it was, but then at my graduation party, I heard you talking to a woman on the phone. You were telling her what to do before you got back to your house.”

Cole’s eyes were fixated on me as he listened intently. “I realized right there and then that I could be the woman you wanted. I wanted to be the woman you wanted at the end of the day. I could still be if you let me in.”

The last part came out in a whisper. Cole’s jaw worked furiously, but it was hard to read anything on his face. I started to tremble as I stared at him desperately. Did he not get it? I was baring my entire soul to him. Why wasn’t he saying a word?

“You’re trembling,” Cole said quietly. “Have you taken a shower yet?”

I blinked at the observation. I glanced down my legs that were trembling with nerves, and let go of Cole’s face to stare at my hands.

“No,” I said, confused by the question. “I just got home. Why?”

Cole stood up from the couch, offering me a hand. “Come with me. You need to take a hot shower and relax.”

I didn’t argue against his logic. A hot shower with tons of soap did sound good, but to my surprise, Cole undressed alongside me. I took the time to appreciate his taut ass cheeks. They were nice to look at as Cole leaned in to turn the shower on. He let the steam build up before ushering me in with a gentle nudge, and then squeezed in behind me into the small space.

“This is tiny,” he exclaimed, every inch of him pressed up against me. “How do you shower in here without any issues?”

I burst out laughing before tears started to flow again. Seeing them in my eyes, Cole wrapped his arms around me tightly. I rested my head against his wet and hot shoulder while the water sprayed over us. It felt good to be held tightly.

“I wish we were back at my place,” he sighed, cheek resting against my head. “A bath would be much better for you.”

“How so?” I let my eyes close in pleasure when I felt Cole’s hands massage the tension in my lower back.

“Because it’d be easier to soothe you. Let me get you all washed up so you can get some sleep.”

I didn’t protest the attention. It felt good to have Cole’s dexterous fingers lathering bubbles in my hair, or smoothing a bar of soap along my back. He did all this wordlessly, and not once did I feel him harden with arousal. This was entirely different from the previous times we had touched.

This was comfort. Much needed comfort that Cole had picked up on. I could feel sleep barreling down on me hard and fast under the gentleness of his fingers.

Cole reached around me once every single bubble was washed away to twist the shower off. The tension in my muscles was gone. That ache between my legs was practically gone now when Cole helped me out of the shower to wrap us both up in a towel. He led me in the direction of my bedroom where the light was spilling in through my bedroom window from the street lamp outside.

Wordlessly, Cole pulled the covers and sheets back after fluffing up a pillow. I climbed in without an argument, my legs heavy with exhaustion. Cole sat down next to me on the edge of the bed. He smoothed a hand over my damp hair before leaning in to press a kiss on my temple.

“I’m sorry for how I treated you afterward,” he whispered. “I should’ve walked out with you and made you feel safe with me.”

A hot tear escaped my eyes. Before I could swipe at it in annoyance, Cole brushed it away with the pad of his thumb. I was tired of the tears when I didn’t even know why I felt like crying.

“It’s fine,” I whispered back and curled up on my side with the hope that I’d feel Cole climb in next to me. He didn’t. Instead, I felt him straighten the covers around me before pressing another kiss to my cheek.

“Take the rest of the week off,” he said. “You need the rest, so don’t even bother arguing with me.”

“Where should I go then?” I asked.

“Go home to the Hamptons,” Cole said and pressed one last kiss to my cheek before getting off the bed. "I have to meet with a client. Get some rest, and then we will talk after you get back. You can call me if you need me.”

I do need you. I need you now. Those words echoed in my head, but I kept them to myself while I listened to Cole get dressed before I heard the apartment door open and then close. I rolled over onto my back to stare up at the shadows dancing on the ceiling. I didn’t know what to make of Cole’s intentions anymore. He’d come to make sure that I was okay, to take care of me, and now he was gone to take care of business.

Still, those red roses on the dining room table told me that I could be optimistic. I didn’t sense a reproach in him tonight. He hadn’t launched into a lecture about how it shouldn’t have happened, or that it wouldn’t happen again. He’d come over because he felt the entire situation wasn’t good enough for me.

A week away did sound good, even though I would have to deal with my mother’s pestering. It would give me some time to sort out my emotions a bit.

Cautiously optimistic. That was how I felt as I drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

Chapter 11

Cole

 

 

It was not fucking possible for me to concentrate. Monday morning had come way too fast for my liking. I had gotten up for my usual morning run around Central Park, but that hadn’t eased any of the tension brewing in me since leaving Violet’s apartment outside of Manhattan. I felt mechanical and detached from my own body while I moved about my office with an iPad in my hand.

Violet’s desk was empty. A part of me was relieved to see that she had followed my advice on taking the rest of the week off. The other part of me squirmed uncomfortably. I fucked my best friend’s daughter in my office. I fucked my best friend’s adult daughter who was a virgin of all things. What sort of person did that make me?

A shitty one. A real fucking shitty one. I deserved that special place in hell if there was any for men like me.

Nothing was going to make this easy. My cock ached at the memory of that tight and unpenetrated heat surrounding me. She had moaned so hard in my ear. Her fingers had clenched into the muscles of my arm. Even if I felt guilty as hell for what happened, I still couldn’t erase that possessive fire burning in me. Violet had been untouched until me. Smugness filled me before I stomped that away with an agitated sigh.

“Don’t go there,” I muttered to myself, rubbing an angry hand over my face. “Don’t you ever fucking feel proud about this shit.”

So far, I hadn’t received any angry phone calls from Alan yet. I know that Violet had returned to the Hamptons for a break, but then again, I know Alan wasn’t the type of man to confront others on the phone. He confronted them face to face.

I would let Violet down gently when she returned. Maybe moving her to a different position would be the best option to spite that possessive fire in me, wanting her to stay with me all the time. She was so young, though. Twenty-two years old, and maybe she had no idea of what she wanted in life. I had no idea what the fuck I wanted at twenty-two years old, but this was Violet. She was determined, ambitious, beautiful. She knew what she wanted. It occurred to me then that Violet had planned on getting close to me for a long time, and now that she was close enough, I didn’t know if I could let her go.

“Mr. Crayton?” Cheryl asked.

“What?”

“Have you heard a single word that I have said?’

I turned around to face Cheryl who stood near my desk with a paper pad propped on her knee. Her pen was poised, ready to write down whatever my answer should’ve been. Her lips stretched into a concerned frown.

“I’m sorry,” I said, snapping back to reality. “What did you say?”

“I asked if you wanted me to move your morning appointments around,” she said. “You don’t look well. I can move some of those meetings to Wednesday if you need the time off.”

“I don’t need time off,” I said.

Cheryl arched an eyebrow at me. “You don’t? You’ve been walking around your office all morning like you’re a zombie. You’ve lost all the color in your face. Is there something you need to tell me, boss?’

I reached up to wipe the cold sweat that covered my brow. “I guess that I don’t feel very well today. I might be coming down with something.”

Coming down with a case of Violet. I grimaced at that thought. Loosening my tie, I walked over to grab my cup of now cold coffee from my desk. I avoided Cheryl’s eyes the entire time.

“And what about Violet?” she asked. “I got your rather hasty email this morning that she is going home to the Hamptons for the week.”

My stomach churned at the mention of Violet. It was a good thing that I was facing the other direction so Cheryl wouldn’t see the emotions playing on my face.

“She isn’t feeling well, either,” I managed to say in a calm voice. “A bit homesick I think. She misses her parents, so I told her to go visit them for a week.”

“In the busiest week we have here at the office?”

“Meetings can be rescheduled,” I said, turning to look at Cheryl who sighed in irritation. “Don’t look at me like that. I pay you enough to deal with things like this.”

“I suppose that you do.” She rose from her chair, tucking her paper pad under her arm. “I can see that something is going on, boss. I don’t know what it is, but other people here in the office are talking about it.”

Shit.

“If there is anything going on,” Cheryl continued, leveling a long and hard look at me. “I suggest you think hard about what you are doing here, Mr. Crayton. While Violet is a grown woman, she is still very innocent.”

My throat went dry, and hot guilt flooded through me again. There was no telling what Violet what was thinking now that I had encouraged her to go home for the week. Unable to stand the silence in my office, or the sight of Violet’s unoccupied desk, I took my coffee mug to the break room to freshen it up. I needed something to get me through the rest of the day.

The break room was empty when I stepped inside, away from the chaos of ringing phones and chattering employees. I couldn’t even remember a time anymore when it was quiet at Crayton, Inc. The past ten years were a surreal and numb blur of various events and people that came and went. The Summers were the only steadfast friends throughout my entire life.

And I had violated their sense of trust in me in every way imaginable.

I poured myself a cup of hot coffee before taking a seat on the leather couch with an exhausted sigh. Sleep had been evading me, no matter how much I tried to drink myself into oblivion, but now, I had to deal with the upcoming work week without Violet around to help.

She really did make a good assistant. She was attentive. She could hit deadlines without any issues. The only problem the both of us had at this point was letting our personal emotions get tangled up in one another. How was I supposed to look at Violet after telling her that evening in my office was a mistake? It would crush her.

I knew that much about virgins. Their emotional stability often went off-kilter because it was a big deal. After twenty something years of sex, I could turn anything off inside of me without a problem. Violet didn’t have that ability just yet.

Which made the idea of pursuing a sexual relationship even less likely. I had to end it before anything went further. For Violet’s sake, but also for my sake. I pulled out my phone with the intention of finding her work number, but the break room door opened before I could even think of what I could possibly say to make things easier. My mood only worsened when Michael Foster stopped short in surprise when he saw me sitting in the break room.

“I’m sorry,” he said, hesitating near the door. “I didn’t think you took breaks in here.”

“I own this building,” I remarked, coolly. “I can take a break anywhere I want to. What are you doing taking a break so early in your shift?”

He held up his own coffee cup. “Just getting a quick refill, sir. The rest of the department said that I could come in here to get a quick refill whenever I needed to.”

“That is what scheduled breaks are for,” I said. Irritation swept through me as I got to my feet. I needed silence to think, and with Michael in the breakroom, I couldn’t be alone with my thoughts. “Get back to work, Foster. I’m not paying you to have coffee breaks.”

Michael scrambled to where the coffee pot was. “Of course, sir. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that I couldn’t come down here for refills.”

“Everyone would be down here if they needed refills,” I said, pouring my cup out into the sink. I needed something stronger than a cup of coffee to get through the rest of the day. “I’ll let this one slide, Foster. Don’t let me catch you in here again.”

The color in Michael’s face drained. Stepping out of the break room, I strode up to Cheryl’s desk where she was reading over a document with a frown. She looked up when I approached, unbuttoning the front of my jacket.

“I think I’m going to take that suggestion of yours,” I stated, clearing my throat. “I might need some time off to get my head screwed back on right.” Like that would help, given what happened.

Cheryl set the paper down on her desk and pulled her keyboard close to her. “I can reschedule your entire week if needed. Just say the word, Mr. Crayton.”

“Do it.”

Her fingers danced along the keyboard but stopped when I leaned down to look at her with a small and relieved smile that only she could see.

“Thank you,” I whispered. “When I come back, make it a point to take some time off too, Cheryl. You deserve it after all the work you have done for me.”

Cheryl smiled up at me. “Anytime, sir. My job is to make your life easier here in the office.”

“You’re doing a good job of it.”

I locked up my office a few minutes later. Lifting a hand to wave goodbye to Cheryl, I took the elevator down to the private underground garage to find my driver already waiting for me.

“Where to, Mr. Crayton?” he asked and opened the back-passenger door. “Any meetings we need to attend to or—”

“Just to my place,” I replied, sliding into the cool leather seat. “I’m taking the week off, so consider this your vacation, too.”

“You don’t need me to drive you around at all this week?”

“I’ll call you if I need you to drive me anywhere.”

He didn’t question it any further, but I could see the relief on his face. My employees and staff worked hard right alongside me. They never questioned any personal time off because it happened rarely for me, let alone them.

Manhattan was busy as I expected it to be, and it took twenty minutes for us to arrive at my penthouse suite on the very top floor of the building. The housemaids had already left for the morning. I stepped in through the front door with a relieved sigh. Everything was scrubbed clean from what I could see, and the dry cleaning had been placed in the closet without question.

Everything around me moved seamlessly. Nothing was out of place.

I took a long, hot shower with thoughts of Violet in my head again before dressing in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I scrolled through my phone to settle on Violet’s work phone, but it went straight to voicemail when I called. I didn’t expect her to take work calls on vacation, but my heart still clenched anxiously. My fingers were heavy with dread when I dialed the Summers landline. It was the only way I could check on her since Violet wasn’t answering her personal or business phone.

It was Gloria who answered cheerfully on the third ring.

“Summers residence. This is Gloria.”

I swallowed the nervous bulge in my throat. “Hi, Gloria. It’s Cole. I just wanted to see if Violet made it back to the Hamptons without any problems.”

“Oh, yes. She arrived yesterday evening,” Gloria said. The tone of her voice didn’t suggest anything was amiss, and I let out a pent-up breath. “She said that you had told her to take some personal time off to come see us. I appreciate that you gave her some time off. The poor girl looks like she didn’t sleep well.”

Because of me.

“It’s the job,” I managed to say in an even voice. “It can be hard to adjust to the office because it’s so busy. That’s why I wanted to make sure that she got some time off with you and Alan. A refresher.”

“Well, it’s much appreciated. I’ll make sure that she gets some sleep while she’s here. Although, we do have a nice party coming up here. I found a very nice young man that I think would make her happy. Violet is so picky when it comes to any man who's interested in her.”

That jealous fire burned my chest again, but I cooled it quickly. That was what Violet needed. A man her age. She didn’t need someone like me. I had no idea if I even had the ability to love anyone after Stephanie. The hole in my heart seemed bottomless despite how much I tried to stuff in there.

“Good luck with that, Gloria. I just wanted to make sure that Violet got back okay.”

“I will pass the message on to her. Thanks for calling.”

She hung up without waiting to see if there was anything else. I left my phone to charge in my suite before heading down to walk my usual jogging route through Central Park. The park was abuzz with various activities while I walked along with my hand shoved deep in the pocket of my jeans. My sour mood only worsened when I replayed the short conversation with Gloria in my head.

I needed to let Violet go. I had to let her go. It was for the best, but something told me that my dick wouldn’t let it go very easily. That carnal part of me wanted to explore this further, despite what my head urged me to do. Even my own heart didn’t agree with my head.

“Just let it go,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair. “Let it go, Cole. Let it go before you break the poor girl’s heart.”

Chapter 12

Violet

 

 

The landline rang cheerfully from within the kitchen. I didn’t bother reaching for the handset in my own room because I knew my mother would pick it up quickly. No one in the house needed to worry about picking up the phone. My mother refused to have a cell phone for friends or neighbors to call. She wanted them to call the landline as a way to remind every one of her status in the Hamptons.

I returned my attention back to Cole’s social media page. He wasn’t active like my mother’s Facebook profile. The last time Cole had even posted anything was a picture of a sunset over three weeks ago.

No phone calls. No text messages. At least, on my personal phone. I had been so desperate to get out of my stifling apartment in the city to keep myself distracted that I had left my work phone sitting on the charger. Still. Cole had my personal number. He knew how to get ahold of me.

Fear shot through me before settling icily in the pit of my stomach. Cole never once struck me as the type of man to turn into a ghost when it came to relationships. He had promised that we would talk when I returned to Manhattan.

He told you to leave, Violet. He told you to spend some time away. If that doesn’t scream rejection to you—

I squeezed my eyes shut with a watery sigh. It didn’t matter if that was his purpose by sending me away. I saw that look in his eyes. I couldn’t get it out of my head, no matter how hard I tried to forget. It was the look of a man completely wild with lust, but also with guilt, torn between what I wanted, and the conflict raging in Cole’s heart.

There was only one way to settle it. I grabbed my phone to find Cheryl’s phone number at Crayton, Inc.

“Crayton, Inc,” Cheryl said cheerfully. “This is Cheryl. How may I direct your call?”

“Hi, Cheryl,” I parroted, holding the phone tightly to my ear. “It’s Violet Summers. I just wanted to call to check in on work.”

“Oh, I’m glad to hear that you got home okay. Mr. Crayton said you weren’t feeling well, so he gave you the week off.”

My throat squeezed tightly. “I was just a bit homesick, that’s all. I just wanted to make sure that everything is okay at the office.”

“Everything’s fine here,” Cheryl said. I could hear the frown in her voice. “Are you okay, Violet? You sound like you want to ask me something.”

“No, nothing. Well…” I hesitated for a moment. I didn’t want to raise any more alarm bells in Cheryl’s mind, but I was dying to hear Cole’s voice. “Is Mr. Crayton in the office? I actually do need to talk with him.”

“You’d have to try him on his work cell. He left the office this morning after telling me he was going to take a week off of work as well.”

“He’s taking some time off, too?”

“That’s what he told me,” Cheryl said. “I imagine you’ll be here next week, right? Mr. Crayton mentioned I could take the next week off.”

Relief washed over me at that. At least I still had my spot as his personal assistant if Cheryl was planning to take the next week off. I still couldn’t erase the uneasiness in my stomach.

“Yeah, I’ll be there next week.”

A knock echoed in my room. I turned in my chair to find my mother opening my bedroom door with a smile.

“I have to go, Cheryl,” I said, reading the excited expression on my mother’s face with an inward groan. “I’ll try Mr. Crayton on his cell if he is out of the office.”

“Have a good week. Get some rest, honey.”

“What is it?” I asked after putting my phone down on my desk. “You look way too excited for something. Who was on the phone?”

Mother perched herself delicately on the edge of my bed with her tan and smooth legs crossed at the ankles. She waved a flippant hand.

“No one important,” she said. “I have a proposition for you, actually. That’s why I came up here.”

I tensed warily at that. “What sort of proposition?”

“A day in the city doing some shopping.” She smiled at me. “Maybe some new clothes will cheer you up out of this strange funk you came home in.”

“I’m not in a funk, Mom. I told you that I’m just tired, nothing else is bothering me.”

“Baby, you’re pale as a piece of paper. There are bags underneath your eyes. Something is going on with you.”

“Nothing is going on with me,” I said, defensively. I reached up to touch the puffiness under my eyes. “I’m just stressed with work, that’s it.”

“That brings me to my next point. I’m hosting a party this weekend that I think you would be interested in.”

“What’s different about this one?”

“There is a young man named Ryan who—”

“No,” I interjected, shaking my head adamantly. “No, Mom. Don’t play matchmaker, please. I already told you that I’m not interested in dating anyone right now.”

Not anyone besides Cole.

“I don’t understand what is going on with you,” Gloria said. A puzzled frown spread across her face. “When I was your age, honey, I was at all the social events I could go to with your father. It’s important that you find someone who can provide for you, who can keep you financially secure. Ryan Collins’s father is an oil tycoon who is now single. Imagine your future with someone like him. You wouldn’t have to worry about a day in your life, Vi.”

Ryan Collins happened to be one of the biggest douchebags in the Hamptons. He hosted endless parties with his friends, drank all day, and cheated on any girlfriend he managed to rope in. He was attractive, with his chiseled body and sandy blonde locks, but I still grimaced at the thought of sleeping next to a guy who didn’t understand the concept of loyalty.

“Ryan is a tool bag,” I said. “You know how many girlfriends he has had over the past year?”

“That’s beside the point. His inheritance solely relies on Ryan getting married so—”

I got up from the desk chair with a noise of disgust. “Why is me marrying someone like that so important to you?”

“I just want to make sure that you are going to be secure in the future,” mother said, startled by my reaction. “Honey, we’re in a different class than most of the population. Your father worked very hard to make sure of that.”

“And that’s why you shouldn’t be pawning me off to some guy who cheats on everyone he’s with.”’

“This is the twenty-first century, Violet. Don’t be so dramatic over it. I can’t force you to marry someone you don’t like.”

“You can sure as hell pester me,” I muttered, sliding my feet into a pair of flip flops next to the bed. “Why do you keep bringing this up?”

“Because I know how hard it is to have nothing. Your father and I weren’t always rich, Violet. We had our utility bills disconnected so many times that I still couldn’t count for you.”

“I’m not in that position,” I said. “My job at Crayton, Inc makes sure of that. Why can’t I find someone to love on my own?”

Her eyes narrowed at me curiously. “Is there someone that you love? Because that would explain a lot of things about your behavior since you’ve been back.”

I kept my face carefully expressionless, despite how my heart rushed at the truth of it. Was it even love? Or just lust at this point? I didn’t even know what to think of my feelings for Cole.

“That’s not the case,” I said, and her face slipped into disappointment. “Do you want to go shopping or not?”

The next three hours ticked by in a haze of various stores. When we got home, I dumped all the bags on my bed and pulled out the clothes for the house staff to take to the dry cleaners. I held up the small cocktail dress that my mom insisted I should wear for the party, just to cheer me up.

I rolled my eyes as I tossed it on the bed. I couldn’t remember a time when the social class didn’t matter to my mom. Growing up in Manhattan put me in a special class that everyone wanted to be in, where money wasn’t an issue. It also felt suffocating at times.

The house felt oppressive in particular at the moment. Grabbing my phone from my purse, I snuck down through the back stairway to head in the direction of the beach. It was still warm out and the last bits of summer still clung to the coastline. It would be cold, but fiery and beautiful with the change of Autumn around the corner.

The beach was empty when I reached the gate. I slipped out of my shoes and pushed the gate open to bury my feet gladly into the hot sand. The spray of sea water filled the air as waves crashed down on the sandy beach. The ocean stretched on endlessly into the horizon. Cold water rushed up to touch my toes while I walked along at a slow pace, trying not to reach for my phone.

I didn’t want to appear clingy, but I missed Cole’s voice. Spending the past few weeks with him every single day had solidified the fact that I enjoyed his company. There were things about Cole that the rest of the world didn’t know about, and those were the things that I wanted to keep to myself. Like his favorite brand of whiskey, or how he took his coffee first thing in the morning. Intimate details.

A shiver went up my spine that had nothing to do with the cold sea water. I still remembered how it felt to be filled completely from the inside. How close Cole had felt to me with his bare and sculpted chest mashed up against mine. The way he had breathed so hard and jagged into my ear in pleasure. And those hands. Those wicked hands that rubbed me in all the best ways. He had overwhelmed every inch of me in the best way possible.

My stomach fluttered at the memory, but now I felt empty with the silence. Cole never struck me as the type of man who would take care of a woman the way he had taken care of me at my apartment. I knew that he had slept with many women over the years, but that was different. I had overheard that conversation with my dad one time after Cole’s divorce.

“It’s just nothing to me,” Cole had told my dad at the time. “I don’t even go to their place. They come to mine, and I tell them to leave before they fall asleep.”

Cole didn’t say to leave permanently. He knew that I needed the time to process what happened. That was the only reason why he had done that. It was foolish reasoning, but I chose to stick by it to get through the weekend without my mom pestering me the entire time about why I didn’t sleep or eat the way I normally do.

I stopped a mile down the beach when my phone buzzed in the back of my jeans. Heart thudding wildly, I pulled my phone out to read the text message on the screen.

Are you wearing denim jean shorts that expose those sexy ass legs of yours? Or that white tank top that I can see your black bra through?

I frowned down at the unknown number. Panic shot through me as I looked up to scan the beachline to settle on the parking lot where a black SUV was parked facing my direction. The passenger door opened, and my heart leaped up through my chest when I saw Cole give me a wave. The relief going through me made me weak and wobbly as I jogged up the sandy beach, flip flops in hand. I ignored the hot asphalt on the soles of my feet as I jogged up to where Cole was standing beside the SUV.

I didn’t care if there was anyone that we knew looking at us. I wrapped my arms around him in a tight hug, relishing the feel of his strong body against my own as he carefully cradled me against him. He smelled of fresh cologne.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, pulling back to look up at him with a breathless smile. “I’m so glad you’re here! Cheryl said that you weren’t in the office today and—”

“I needed to take some time off, too,” Cole said.

“Was this you that texted me?” I asked and held up my phone to show him the message. “Or do I need to worry about some stalker in the distance?”

Cole reached into the backseat of his SUV to pull out two iPhones. He handed the unopened box to me with a small smile.

“I got us new phones,” he said. “They aren’t connected to work, so we can talk this way freely without it being on a company phone. Or your phone, too.”

My heart refused to slow down from the excitement bubbling in me. After years, and I mean years, of waiting for this, it was finally here. I looked up at Cole as he flipped up his Ray Bans to smile down at me.

“Does this mean what I think it means?” I asked.

“It means exactly what you think it means,” he returned with a grin. He held up a finger though before I could burst with energy. “We have to keep this quiet though, Vi. Can you do that?”

“Absolutely. I’ll do whatever you want as long as I have you at the end of the day.”

“Good. Now.” He took a step back to gesture for me to hop into the passenger seat. “Why don’t we go somewhere private to talk before someone on the beach sees us and tells your parents?”

“Where are we going?” I asked, my body already thrumming with anticipation.

“My house. If that’s all right with you?”

“Yes.”

I swallowed thickly as I slid in the passenger seat. Cole slid in next to me, and it took all of my self-control to not lean over and kiss him like I wanted to. I didn’t care where we went. I just wanted to be with him.

Chapter 13

Cole

 

 

My cock was already hard when I directed my driver to pull along the beach after catching sight of Violet walking along by herself. Those denim cutoffs showed off her long and tanned legs that I wanted to be wrapped around my waist. Her simple white tank top hugged her breasts and midriff. I just wanted to rip her clothes off right there on the beach and take her, but that feeling dissipated a little from the happiness in Violet’s eyes when she saw me.

It’d been so long since I could remember someone being so happy to see me. Stephanie had never looked happy to see me, but with Violet, it had been pure happiness.

And it nearly killed me not being able to embrace her the way I wanted to when Violet had wrapped herself around me with a shaky sigh of relief. I didn’t trust anyone in the Hamptons to mind their own business. Particularly the women who did nothing besides gossip all day about the latest rumors.

A relationship with Violet Summers would be an outright scandal if we didn’t play this right. If I didn’t play this right.

I still didn’t know what the hell I was thinking when I called my driver back to take me out to the Hamptons, but I stopped by the cell phone store to pick up two phones and lines unconnected from everything. I half-expected something to strike me down from the sky for choosing this route.

Violet had little experience with handling real and mature relationships. She still didn’t know how to process the intimacy of sex, and judging from the bags underneath her eyes, sleep had evaded her for the past few days.

“To my house,” I told my driver before turning to look at Violet. “You haven’t been sleeping very well.”

Violet reached up to touch the bags underneath her eyes. “No, but I’m fine. I’m just so happy to see you.”

“We can talk in private at my house,” I said. “Do you have any plans for the rest of the afternoon?”

“Nothing important that can’t be rescheduled.” Violet pulled out her other phone from the pocket of her jeans. “Let me call my mom though. She’ll send people looking for me if I don’t come home in an hour.”

I diverted my attention to look at the beach as we pulled back down the road in the direction of my house. Violet’s leg brushed up against mine as she shifted in her seat, and it sent lust spiraling through me all over again. I didn’t come out to the Hamptons to jump her. No, I wanted to take care of this the best way possible, even though I had no idea how I planned to do it.

It was hard, though, when I glanced over at Violet as she made up a story of running into an old friend from high school. Her pretty blonde locks were pulled up in a messy bun. A few strands framed her tanned and freckled face that was free of makeup. Her breasts jiggled slightly when the SUV pulled back up to the main road. My mouth watered at the thought of nibbling there as I had done in my office.

Fucking cool it. This is an innocent woman still. You didn’t come out here to jump her bones.

“I bought us a night,” Violet said, lowering her phone with a grin. “My mom has no idea that you’re even here. You must’ve snuck into the house without alerting the usual people.”

“Different SUV,” I replied, and allowed my hand to reach out to touch Violet’s bare knee. Her soft skin was damp from the sea water. “Your mother invited me to some sort of party this weekend, too.”

“Don’t go to it. I don’t plan on going.”

I arched an eyebrow at that. “How are you going to escape your mother on that one? I know how she is about parties and reputations.”

“I’ll figure something out,” Violet said, chewing on her bottom lip in contemplation. “How long are you going to be here at the Hamptons?”

“For the weekend.” I curled my fingers around her knee, trailing up to feel the muscles of her thigh clench. Goosebumps erupted underneath my fingers. “I should head back tomorrow afternoon, though. I have a lot of work to catch up on since my assistant took personal time off.”

Violet’s lips curved up into a devious smile. The touch of her hand on my knee caught me by surprise. I jerked before looking up to find my driver focused on the winding road ahead of us. We were only a few seconds away from pulling up through the back gate that was private. It allowed me to come and go without alerting all the neighbors in the Hamptons that I was home.

Her fingers trailed up my thigh lightly before they brushed up against the hard bulge in my pants. I bit back a groan at the touch. She rubbed there boldly. It was hard sometimes to believe that Violet had never done any of this before.

She leaned in to whisper, “You can punish me later for taking time off. I’ll gladly take whatever punishment you see fit.”

My eyes slipped closed at those seductive words. I opened them abruptly when the SUV came to a stop at the edge of the driveway. I looked over at Violet as the SUV pulled up through the thick hedges that obscured curious eyes. Desire sparkled brightly in her eyes.

Fuck talking about keeping our relationship quiet. There was no way in hell that I was going to be able to sit through a conversation.

I took Violet’s hand away from my throbbing dick. Lacing my fingers through hers, I squeezed her hand tightly as the SUV pulled up to the back door of the kitchen. I opened the door before my driver could even put it into park and helped Violet slip out after me.

“I’ll text you when I’m ready tomorrow,” I said before shutting the door behind me.

The kitchen door was open like I left it. The house staff was gone, too. Complete and utter privacy like we needed. I pushed the door open to let Violet step inside before locking it behind her.

Violet gazed about the spacious kitchen with a smile. She turned to look at me, setting her phones down on the kitchen island.

“Beautiful kitchen,” she said. “What was it that you wanted to talk about?”

I tossed my wallet, keys, and phones onto the kitchen island next to her things. I was so hard that it was almost painful.

“We can talk later,” I growled, taking three large steps to gather her into my arms. “I can’t think of anything else right now.”

“Thank God for that,” Violet murmured against my lips before I swept her up into a hot kiss.

I kissed her long and hard as we stumbled blindly through the kitchen, knocking things down in the process. I didn’t care, though. All I could care about was Violet’s mouth on my own and her teeth nipping at my lower lip. Soft moans escaped her into my mouth as our tongues battled against one another’s for dominance.

I needed this. Fuck. I needed her badly.

The back of a couch caught me by surprise. Violet took the opportunity to push me back into the couch cushions. I fell back into them without too much protest when she climbed up on me, straddling my hips with a happy grin. Her blonde hair had fallen out of her bun. It tangled wildly around her flushed face, and her lips were swollen from our kisses already.

“You missed me,” she whispered, one hand trailing down my chest to the band of my jeans. “I can feel it. You missed me, huh?”

Her fingers reached in to give the tip of my cock a wicked squeeze. I sucked in a harsh breath when she reached in further to stroke me teasingly. My hips jerked upwards to grind up against that sweet heat I could feel coming from the center of her legs.

“More than you’ll ever know,” I groaned out, clasping onto her hips. “You’re not sore anymore, are you?”

“Not anymore.”

My fingers flexed against her hips. “Good, but I’m going to make sure it feels even better than the last time.”

“How so?” she asked, giving me another squeeze. “I don’t think you’re going to last very long here.”

I sat up quickly to knock her hand away. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I lifted her easily to toss her back onto the couch cushions this time. Violet let out a startled cry as she looked up at me with wide eyes that were vibrant with excitement and anticipation.

“You’ll see, sweetheart. You’ll see.”

I wasted no time in tugging her tank top up to toss it on the ground, followed by the lacy bralette she was wearing. I buried my face in the valley of her breasts while nipping at the sensitive skin there. She arched up against me with a throaty moan when I took a nipple into my mouth, teasing the little pink bud with the tip of my tongue.

“Cole,” she panted, writhing underneath me. “Please. Just take me now. Don’t tease me.”

“It’s called foreplay,” I corrected against the heat of her skin. I pressed a kiss above her belly button before reaching the hemline of her jean shorts. “You feeling good, baby?”

“More than good. Please.”

She propped herself up on her elbows to gaze down at me pleadingly, but I had no plans of letting her get up easily. Even if the soreness was gone, I wanted each and every time to feel better. We had all the time in the world without the fear of someone walking in on us. I planned to make the time count.

I pulled her jean shorts down the smoothness of her legs, followed by her underwear. She laid back, hands tugging at my shoulders, but I pushed them down into the couch pillows. The smell of her arousal only added to the ache in my loins. I wanted so badly to bury myself into that sweet and tight heat again, but I resisted it for the moment.

I kissed the apex of her thigh.

“Cole.” Violet sat up again with a desperate look. “Please, just fuck me. Don’t—”

Her head tossed back in pleasure when I sucked in the bundle of nerves begging to be touched. I sucked and licked until I felt her inner thighs quiver with a pending orgasm. Her fingers clawed at my hair desperately as she tried to stay rooted to reality, but she gave in a minute later when her body lurched off the couch. A scream tore past her lips as she bucked wildly in the throes of an orgasm.

Hot juices spilled out over my fingers as I cupped the quivering flesh there to feel her ride out the waves. Her chest was flushed bright red from the intensity of it as she looked down at me with wild eyes.

“Told you,” I said smugly. “Ready for another, baby?”

“Yes,” she said. “Please, Cole.”

I tugged my shirt off, tossing it to join the rest of the clothes on the floor. Violet sat up to help me with my belt and pushed the fabric of my pants and boxers down to free my erection. Hot lips sucked on the tip of my cock before I could push her back down to the couch cushions. She sucked hard again which earned a groan from me.

That sweet mouth on me was nearly my undoing. I couldn’t last long with Violet sucking on me the way she was now, or how her hands gently stroked in time with each suck. One of these days, I would let myself indulge in this type of release, but for now, I wanted to be buried deep in her to feel those tight muscles clenching with pleasure. I gently threaded my fingers in her hair to pull her head back. She let go with a reluctant smack of her lips. She looked up at me in confusion when I motioned for her to lay down.

“Lay down,” I told her. “I’m not letting you get me off that way.”

“You got me off that way,” she pointed out but stretched back with her legs wrapped around my waist. “What’s the difference?”

Slick flesh and heat surrounded my cock when I pushed inside of her. I kept one eye trained on Violet’s face for any sign of discomfort. Her lips thinned slightly as she blew out a hot breath, forcing her body to relax against me.

“Relax,” I murmured, resting on my forearms to kiss her forehead. The pressure on my cock was nearly too much to handle, but I forced myself to go slow. I didn’t want to hurt her again without knowing it. “Just take a deep breath, baby. This feels a million times better, coming inside of you.”

“It does?” She breathed against my ear.

I dug my fingers into the sides of the couch. Sweat was dripping off the both of us now. Her fingers grasped at the back of my shoulder blades.

“Fuck yeah,” I groaned out, grinding up against her. “You have no idea how good it feels.”

I felt the tension in Violet’s body slowly give way. Her eyebrows furrowed into a completely different expression as I rotated my hips back for a deeper thrust. She didn’t wince when I thrust hard again. She wrapped her legs around my waist tightly, thighs squeezing in a wordless encouragement.

“Harder,” she whispered. “Faster.”

I didn’t need more encouragement than that. Grasping the back of her thigh, I propped her leg up on my shoulder. The new angle gave a deeper penetration, and that was when I went crazy.

Chapter 14

Violet

 

 

The sting of sex was starting to lessen into something far more pleasurable. Each thrust sent my senses spiraling in a million different directions it felt like. The first time had felt good. There was no mistaking that. The pain had only lasted a minute or so, but this time, it only lasted a few seconds before it gave away to something far more pleasurable than before.

Cole’s face was contorted in pleasure. His fingers were digging into the back of my thigh so hard that I knew there would be bruises there I would have to explain, but I didn’t care to stop it. He was here with me. He was here making love to me the way I always desired it—passionate and wild to the point that I could barely hang on to his writhing body.

Another orgasm came barreling down on me. It stretched every single one of my senses as it burst in my stomach. That rush of pleasure was intoxicating as I clung to Cole’s arms to keep grounded. I wanted to see that look on his face.

Sweat dripped down his temples. His eyes were clenched shut as he went jagged against me with a loud groan. I felt him release inside of me while his face collapsed in sheer pleasure. The both of us clung to one another for what seemed like hours with the sunlight shifting throughout the living room.

Exhaustion finally took me. After spending the past few nights worrying over Cole, I could finally sleep knowing his answer. His answer was lying next to me on the couch with his arms wrapped around me while we soaked up the silence together.

I woke a little while later when I felt Cole scoop me up in his arms. I opened my eyes to find him smiling down at me.

“Sleep,” he said quietly. “I’m just taking us up to my room.”

I didn’t protest. I slept long and hard to wake only two times in the night to find Cole’s arms wrapped around me tightly. It wasn’t until the bright morning light came through the bedroom windows that I finally felt rested.

Warm breaths puffed up against the back of my neck. Cole’s arm was heavy and secure against my waist when I sucked in a deep breath, unwilling to move just yet. Every inch of him was pressed up against my back. The blankets and sheets were tangled about our legs.

It felt so good to be here in his bed. A smile tugged at my lips while I mentally went over the previous day’s events. After wondering for days if Cole would turn into a ghost, I got my answer by him showing up at the beach. I got my answer from the way he had made sure that every inch of our love making felt even better than before.

I didn’t care if I had to lie to my mom again. If I could spend the rest of my day and Saturday night in Cole’s arms, it would be worth the constant pestering.

I shifted beneath Cole’s arms slowly to look over at him. My heart swelled with warmth at the sight of his face, utterly peaceful in his sleep. The dark shadow of a beard covered his strong jaw and cheeks. This was the man of my dreams, and I finally had him.

Unable to lay still any longer, I managed to slip out of bed without disturbing Cole as he wrapped his arms around my pillow instead. I found a spare shirt in the walk-in closet filled with fancy clothes and shoes to slip into before finding a guest bathroom further down the hall. Cole’s Hampton home was much more spacious than the one my parents owned. There was no doubt about that.

I found our clothes and my underwear downstairs in the living room from the afternoon before. Shimmying back into them, I went into the kitchen to look through the fridge for breakfast. My stomach growled loudly when I found pancake batter and fresh milk and eggs.

“Yes,” I said, pulling everything that I could find out. “Sex really does make you hungry.”

Especially sex with Cole. I probably burned at least a few hundred calories from yesterday. A giddy giggle left me at that as I measured out a couple of cups of pancake batter in a bowl. I started a pot of coffee, too, while I waited for the frying pan to heat up.

“Do I smell coffee?”

I looked up at the sound of Cole’s gravelly voice. He entered the living room, dressed in nothing but a pair of boxers. His hair was still ruffled from sleep and the afternoon before. A smile tugged at Cole’s lips when he took the sight of the bowl filled with pancake batter.

My stomach fluttered happily as he rounded the kitchen counter to walk up to me.

“I just made some,” I said, and gladly stepped into the circle of his strong arms.

I pressed my cheek up against his upper chest. A couple of chest hairs tickled my nose, but I wouldn’t change this feeling for anything in the world. It felt so right to be in the kitchen on Saturday morning, cooking breakfast for the both of us after an afternoon filled with great sex. Mind blowing sex that only seemed to get better every single time now.

Cole’s arms loosened around me as he pressed a kiss to the top of my head. He reached around then to grab two mugs from the kitchen cabinet to pour us both a cup of coffee.

“I haven’t had a woman make me breakfast in a long time,” he said, handing me a cup with a smile. “Besides for my house staff, that is. It’s nice having that again.”

That warmed my heart as I poured some pancake batter into the frying pan. I was making a good dent a least in Cole’s life.

“I’m glad that you are good with me being here,” I said, picking up my mug of coffee. “What are your plans for the rest of the day?”

Cole took a drink of his coffee. “What are yours?”

“I have none really. I’m not going to my mom’s party tonight, so my schedule is free for you.”

“I have to head back into the city by the evening,” Cole said. “How about we eat some breakfast, take a shower, and then enjoy a nice boat ride on the ocean before it gets to be too cold to do anything?”

“Anything you want to do,” I replied, flipping a pancake easily in the frying pan.

Strong hands cupped my breasts suddenly. I let out a startled gasp as heat immediately pooled between my legs at the bold touch. Cole’s lips pressed up against the column of my neck, leaving behind a trail of hot kisses that made me squirm with pleasure. I could feel something hot and hard press up against right ass cheek.

“I’m never going to want to stop having you,” Cole whispered into my ear, squeezing my breasts seductively. “You know how sexy you look standing here in one of my shirts. Are you wearing any underwear?”

I bit my lip meekly when one of Cole’s hands dipped down to cup me between my legs. His fingers pressed up against me teasingly and then retreated before I could fully enjoy the touch. The smell of burnt pancake drew us both out of the haze surrounding us as Cole grabbed the frying pan to dump the burnt pancake into the sink.

“It’s probably a good idea if we wait until after we eat,” Cole said, chuckling. “What do you think?”

I forced my body to cool back down to a normal temperature. “Might be a good idea. Don’t want to burn your fancy house down. You’d have to explain to everyone what happened.”

“That wouldn’t be a very pleasant explanation,” he said and grimaced. “I’ll get the pancakes ready. Think about it if you want to take the boat out with me for a picnic on the water.”

“You already know the answer to that.”

I paused when I caught sight of my phone spinning in a circle on the kitchen island. Sighing, I picked it up to see that I had three missed phone calls from my mom already this morning. Shit. I tapped a finger against my phone while I debated on calling her back with Cole standing alongside me. If she heard one thing that alerted her to where I was, it’d be over. Everything would be ruined before I could enjoy it.

“I have to call my mom really quick,” I said. “She’s called me three times.”

“Might be a good idea. She’ll send the police after you if you don’t call her back.” Cole glanced over his shoulder at me with a spatula in his right hand. “You can use my office if you want to talk privately to her.”

“Thanks.”

I walked up the stairs to Cole’s office which, in my opinion, was more like a large library with tons of books. He rarely used it, judging from the fine layer of dust on his desk.

“Where have you been?” Gloria asked, exasperated. “Vi, you can’t just take off on me like that. I know that you said you were with a friend, but it’s not like you to not answer your phone.”

“I’m sorry. We just got caught up talking this morning, that’s all.” I took a seat in Cole’s office chair, folding my legs underneath me as I gazed out the window that overlooked a large pool. “I haven’t seen her since college, so I’m going to stay here in the city with her for a little bit longer.”

“Where are you exactly?”

“Manhattan,” I said. The lie slipped out surprisingly easily. “We drove back to the city last night to have a few drinks, and we had too many to come back. We’re going to do some shopping here for the afternoon. I’ll be home later.”

Gloria sighed into the phone. “I suppose that’s fine, Vi. Find a nice dress to wear to the party tonight because—”

“I can’t come to the party tonight,” I interrupted, wincing at the irritating noise my mother made in the back of her throat. “I’m sorry, but Cole asked me to come back into the city to look at things for work. We have a big meeting in the city.”

“I swear that Cole is working you too hard.” My cheeked burned at that while the heat between my legs flared. “I’m going to speak with him about using you too much as a personal assistant. I think the job is starting to wear you down.”

“Don’t, Mom. I’m honestly fine. I have to go, so I’ll see you before I leave this afternoon.”

I hung up before she could say anything else. A small bit of guilt bubbled in my stomach, but I knew there was no way that I could be honest with her about my feelings for Cole. Or what had happened, either, over the past two weeks. My parents would never want Cole around again, and then they would pressure me to leave. It was just too much drama to deal with.

A fresh stack of pancakes was waiting for me when I came back down the stairs. My heart swelled with love when Cole looked up from the newspaper he was reading with a mug of coffee in hand.

“My afternoon is officially free,” I said, taking a seat next to Cole at the dining nook he was seated at. “I’m ready to go boating. My mom thinks I’m in Manhattan at the moment.”

Something flickered in Cole’s eyes at that. I could see that small bit of guilt eating at him, too, the guilt for lying to his close friends, but I leaned in to press a kiss to his lips to chase that away. I didn’t want our time ruined this weekend. I didn’t want to think of the consequences of anything just yet.

We spent the next three hours boating around the shores of the Hamptons. Cole brought a blanket for us to lay down on along with a picnic basket of various sandwiches and finger foods. With the gentle rock of the ocean waves against the boat along with Cole’s body propped over my own, his lips pressed against mine whenever we weren’t talking, it was hard to think of anything else besides the sunlight and the taste of Cole on my lips.

“I don’t want to go,” I said after kissing Cole for the fifth time at the bottom of his private driveway. The hedges were thick enough that Cole felt comfortable enough with kissing me goodbye down here. “Can’t I come with you now?”

Cole smoothed his hands over my shoulders. A fond smile tugged at his lips.

“I wish that you could,” he said. “I do have work to concentrate on when I get back to the city. I can’t afford to have any pleasant distractions like I’ve had all day.”

“I suppose you’re right,” I said.

Cole chuckled at the pout on my lips. “Don’t be so disappointed. You’ll see me in two days.”

“That’s a bit too long in my opinion, but I won’t be one of those clingy girlfriends.”

I winced when the word slipped off the tip of my tongue. The last thing we had done was talk about the status of our relationship, and I didn’t want to put a label on anything before talking to Cole.

“I’m sorry,” I rushed out. “I didn’t mean to let that slip out. I’ll see you on Monday morning, right?”

“Keeping your job does count on you being there by 8:00 am,” Cole said, dryly. “Keep out of trouble, Vi. Call me if you need anything.”

He pressed one last kiss against my lips before clicking the gate open. I stepped out after checking for any passing neighbors and turned to wave at Cole as the gate swung shut. He lifted a hand in goodbye.

The sound of sprinkles clicking in the distance filled the late afternoon air. I walked along with a dreamy smile permanently attached to my life. I was happy. Happier than I had been in a long time.

Chapter 15

Cole

 

 

“Mr. Crayton?”

I tore my gaze away from the sinful sight of Violet’s ass from where she was bent over, rifling through a filing cabinet. My dick was hard and throbbing. It was a good thing I was seated behind my desk because the bulge in my pants was noticeable. Very noticeable.

“What?” I quipped, irritated and horny as hell. “What were you saying, Cheryl?”

Cheryl tapped a finger impatiently on a file she set on my desk. “I said, these contracts need your signature and approval before I go to FedEx. I need to get there in the next hour to make it on time.”

“Oh, right.”

I glanced down at the contracts in the file for a group of new clients on the west coast. They were estimated to bring in an extra million a year. I scribbled my name down on the bottom of the contracts before handing them off to Cheryl.

“Make sure they get there on time,” I said and ignored the exasperated sigh. “It’s nearly lunch time, too. Can you pick up the floor some food?”

Cheryl’s jaw dropped in surprise. “You want me to get lunch for the entire floor?”

No. I just want some time alone with Violet.

I gritted my teeth as I pulled out my wallet and tossed the company American Express to Cheryl. She picked it up with wide eyes.

“You all deserve some lunch,” I said. “Just pick up whatever you think is easy to bring back here for everyone.”

“If you’re sure,” Cheryl said, pocketing the card. “I don’t know what’s gotten into your sudden generosity here, but I like it. Whatever is making you happy, I hope you keep it around.”

She winked at me before disappearing out of my office. Our conversation from two weeks ago played in my head again. There was talk, I was sure, over the nature of Violet’s position as my personal assistant. She stayed late with me over the past few days, but I was careful to leave after her departure to head straight to her apartment outside of Manhattan. We ordered in food. We made love every single night.

I was happy. Maybe even generous as Cheryl noted. I felt young again and careless, even though I was still cautious. I didn’t know where this was going to go, but for once in my life, all I wanted to do was enjoy what I had now.

“Mr. Crayton?”

I glanced down at my phone at the sound of Violet’s voice. She was twisted around in her chair, looking at me nervously.

“What?” I asked.

“My father is on line two,” she said. “He said he needs to talk with you right away. I tried to tell him you were about to step out for lunch.”

“It’s fine,” I said. “I’ll take the call if you can shut the door.”

“Of course.”

She rose from her desk to shut the door, closing out the busy sounds of the office behind her. I stared down the flashing light for a few seconds. It wasn’t possible that Alan found out about Violet spending the weekend at my house in the Hamptons. As strict as Violet’s parents were, they didn’t keep close enough tabs to know that Violet had spent the night at my house— in my bed.

“Fuck,” I groaned, rubbing my face in aggravation. I still needed to have a very serious conversation with Violet about where this was going. The last thing I wanted to do was put myself between her and her parents.

I just couldn’t let go. No matter how much I told myself to let this go, to let Violet enjoy life as a twenty-one-year-old young woman, I couldn’t let her go. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her that this needed to be over before one of us fell for each other.

I didn’t like the sick feeling in my stomach, either, when I picked up the phone and pressed line two with a heavy sigh.

“This is Cole Crayton,” I said, briskly. “What can I help you with?”

“Since when do you sound so fucking normal on the phone?” Alan asked.

His teasing tone immediately eased the tension out of me.

“Since the day I built this business from the ground up,” I said. “I assume there’s a reason why you are calling me in the middle of the afternoon?”

“Look, I didn’t want to call and bother you, but Gloria is asking me to talk to you about Violet.”

“Okay,” I said, slowly. “What does she want you to talk to me about?”

“It’s her schedule. Gloria is worried that Violet is getting ill, or unable to deal with the stress of being your personal assistant. She came home upset this weekend, but wouldn’t tell either one of us what was going on.”

Guilt burned the back of my throat. She was upset because of me, Alan. I fucked her, and then messed up by telling her to leave. I shook those thoughts away.

“She hasn’t mentioned a word to me about feeling upset or tired,” I managed to say in an even voice. “I’ll make sure to talk to her about having a good balance between work and life. I don’t want her to feel stressed out.”

“That’s what I told Gloria, but she insisted that I talk to you about it. I know that you don’t have any kids, but Violet is our baby. Even if she’s all grown up, we still worry about her.”

My skin felt hot and itchy as I rubbed at the back of my neck with a sigh. “I understand. I’ll make sure to have a talk with her. If she doesn’t say anything, then there isn’t anything that I can do.”

“I understand that. Just promise to keep an eye out on her. Make sure she’s eating and sleeping.” Alan sighed into the phone. “If you don’t, then you’re going to have to answer to Gloria. You and I both know how that will go down.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on her.”

I let the phone drop back in the cradle. What the fuck was I doing? That sense of peace no longer felt peaceful. Guilt bubbled in me bitterly as I got up from my desk to gaze out across Manhattan.

“Cole?”

The office door opened. I turned to watch as Violet popped her head in through the crack. She looked over at me in concern before stepping inside fully and then shut the door behind herself.

“Mr. Crayton,” I reminded her crossly. “We’re in the office, Violet. You can’t address me so personally here.”

Violet’s eyes widened at my tone. “Everyone has left for lunch break. Cheryl said that you gave her the company credit card to get everyone lunch, but I wanted to see what my father wanted.”

“He wanted to make sure that you were okay.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it,” I echoed, and walked over to the small cabinet I kept whiskey in. It was tempting to pour myself a drink even though it was the lunch hour in the middle of a work day. I needed something to take the edge off after that conversation. “Violet, I don’t know how much more I can—”

“Don’t.”

The harshly spoken word caught me off guard. Violet’s eyes were shimmering brightly with an indescribable emotion. It was a mixture of frustration and lust that instantly set my blood ablaze.

“I’m twenty-two years old,” she started, approaching me with confident steps. “I can have a relationship without anyone’s approval—including my parents. They don’t control what I do, or who I chose to do.”

Alarm bells went off in my head as Violet rounded my desk, but I couldn’t force myself to move away. A part of me squirmed anxiously to see where this was going to lead. My cock was still hard and begging for another release. That was the enticing power Violet had over me. She appeared so innocent, so quiet, but when pushed to the limit, a new side of her emerged. A confident and sexy young woman who refused to take no for an answer.

“You don’t understand the position I’ve put myself in,” I said. “I’m your father’s best friend. We’ve been friends for a long time, and I know he will never agree to this sort of thing happening between us.”

Violet’s fingers hooked onto my belt. “Any other excuses you can think of?”

“I’m your boss,” I said as Violet’s deft fingers undid my belt. I reached down to halt her progress, but Violet’s hands batted mine away impatiently. She could feel my arousal straining for her touch. “This isn’t appropriate. You name it, Vi. Do you know how people are going to look at us if this keeps going?”

“I don’t care how anyone else looks at us,” Violet said. “You shouldn’t worry about it either. Who’s to judge? Everyone has had a relationship that no one else approves of, and yet, they are still happy with who they are with.”

She had me there. What arguments I had left disappeared the second that Violet’s hands dipped down to stroke me with confidence. My eyes slipped closed as I gave into that carnal desire that had been clawing at the back of my mind for the past few days in the office. It was unbearable having Violet working in the office so close to me. There were times that the temptation to bend her over my desk, to hike those tight skirts she wore up, and fuck her wildly was so strong that I had to go for long walks outside to calm down.

Violet’s lips were hot and needy on mine when she leaned up on tiptoes to kiss me. I kissed her back, taking over easily as I wound my arms around her tiny waist. I grasped her ass cheeks firmly in both my hands and coaxed her to wrap her legs around my waist. Our tongues tangled aggressively as I stumbled blindly to the couch near the window before sinking down with Violet underneath me. I nipped and sucked at the column of her neck desperately while I worked at the buttons of her blouse.

“Wait a moment,” Violet whispered, pushing my hands away from her breasts. “Sit up for a moment.”

I reluctantly leaned back to sit down as she ordered. I eyed her suspiciously as she smoothed out her blouse before leaning in to kiss me again. Before I could deepen the kiss, she pulled back with a mischievous giggle.

“I’m in charge this time,” she said. “Sit back and relax.”

There was no relaxing, though. Violet bent over my lap then, and hot lips engulfed my hard shaft. She sucked and licked me greedily until my senses were utterly frayed from the pleasure of it. My fingers clenched at Violet’s hair as I debated on whether or not that I wanted to finish like this. Coming inside of Violet was the best sensation, but this whole new sensation of Violet’s mouth was topping it. Her previous attempts at oral pleasure felt good but were always timid and unsure. Right now, the confident sucking was completely different, and it was unhinging me in all the right ways.

My peak came hard and fast. My world went black with pleasure as I grabbed a hold of Violet’s head with a guttural cry, pounding into the wetness of her mouth without a care if it was choking her. I released into the back of her throat before pulling back quickly with a jagged breath.

“Violet?” I panted, smoothing her blonde hair back from her head. “Are you okay?”

She leaned up to sit on her knees, wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand. Her pale cheeks were flushed a bright red while her lips and mouth were swollen from our arduous activity.

“I’m fine,” she said. “Was that better than before?”

My heart was pounding wildly in my chest as I looked over at her in surprise. “It’s always been amazing. Where did you learn to do that?”

“I did some research on the internet. I wanted to make sure it felt good for you because you’ve always given me the best pleasure before letting yourself go.”

“It was amazing,” I said and leaned into peck a kiss on her lips. “We better get cleaned up before everyone comes back from lunch.”

Violet smoothed her rumpled clothes the best she could before helping me do the same. She leaned in to kiss me one last time before opening my office door, pausing to catch my eyes with a smile.

The second Violet walked out of my office, I sat down in my office chair with a sigh. I could at least get through the day now without a hard on, but it didn’t replace the uneasiness now lingering in my mind. Walking away from Violet was going to be impossible. Our sexual chemistry was something new to me. The previous times had been meaningless—even with Stephanie, it had become routine. None of it ever felt this exciting, or even comforting. Just the one weekend alone with Violet had solidified the fact that I enjoyed spending my free time with her. There was more to Violet than being Alan Summer’s daughter. She was quick in the office, level-headed when it came to decisions, and did her job without a single complaint. She was eager and curious to learn everything, something that I inwardly loved about her.

There was more to it than sex. I could feel it every time Violet looked over at me with that soft smile on her lips. I was falling for her one day at a time. There was no doubt in my mind about that, but for now, I had to figure out where this was going to lead. I couldn’t afford to let any of this come out just yet. Not before I talked to Violet, and certainly not before I talked with Alan.

Chapter 16

Violet

 

 

The taste of Cole was still prominent on the tip of my tongue when I hurried out of his office to get back to my desk before everyone returned from the lunch hour. Smoothing a hand through my tangled hair, I closed Cole’s office door before turning around to stop in sheer surprise to find Michael Foster standing directly in front of me.

There was a strange glint in Michael’s eyes as he peered at me with a frown tugging at his lips. His eyes settled on my blouse that was still rumpled with two buttons undone. I could feel the heat of Cole’s kisses still on my neck, and there was no doubt in my mind that there were red patches there.

We stared at each other for a long time. I tried to read the expression on Michael’s face, but it was carefully guarded.

“What were you doing in Mr. Crayton’s office?” he asked.

The rest of the floor had yet to return from lunch. I struggled to find a reasonable excuse, but I was drawing a blank. My mind was still thick and hazy from the pleasure of being dominant over Cole for the first time.

“I was—” I reached up to wipe at my mouth, unsure of what to say that wouldn’t arouse anymore of Michael’s curiosity. “I was going over some work documents with him for the meeting in a few hours. What are you doing up here?”

“I was going to see if you wanted to get some lunch with me,” Michael said, arching an eyebrow. “You weren’t at your desk, so I thought I would sit here and wait for you to come back.”

“You’ve been sitting here the whole time?”

“Yes,” he said.

Panic filled me when Michael crossed his arms with a knowing smirk on his face.

“It’s not what you think,” I started, but he grabbed hold of my arm.

“Come with me,” Michael said sharply. “It is what I think. You’re fucking Cole Crayton. I know it.”

He pulled me in the direction of the copy and printing room. Closing the door behind us, he turned to look at me with a sneer.

“I knew something was up when you showed up here without any experience at all. Everyone in the office suspected it too, despite Cheryl saying that you are just a family friend.”

“I got this internship because I asked for the job experience,” I said which was partly true. I had asked for the internship to get close to Cole also, but Michael didn’t need to know that. He already suspected it. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Michael. Nothing is going on between Mr. Crayton and me.”

“Really?” he said, scoffing. “I heard the both of you in his office. I heard Mr. Crayton groan out your name.”

My cheeks burned as I gripped the printer to keep control of my panic. I didn’t care if Michael or anyone else knew, but this was Cole’s business. He didn’t want anyone else to know about it or have his reputation as a businessman questioned.

“That’s now what you heard,” I managed to say. “I don’t know what you think is going on—”

“Just admit it, Violet,” Michael said flatly. “You’re fucking Cole Crayton. You’re fucking the boss, and that’s the only damn reason why you got this internship. You earned this through his dick, not through your head. You earned it by a favor while I had to work my ass off to be placed in a role I didn’t want to even be in!”

I winced at the onslaught of Michael’s angry words. He stood in front of me with his fists clenched. His face was patchy red as he gazed at me, waiting for me to say something when words were lost on me. Panic was building up inside of me quickly, and I didn’t know how to respond if Michael had heard us.

“That’s right,” Michael spat, shaking his head at me. “You’re disgusting, Violet. I never thought you’d be the type of woman to sleep your way up the ladder, but apparently, you are.”

He ripped the door open when someone knocked on it. Another employee stood on the other side and drew back in surprise to see Michael’s furious face. He strode past the employee without sparing either one of us a second glance.

“Excuse me,” I mumbled, ducking my head to hide my burning eyes.

I hurried out of the printer and copy room back to my desk. Knocking on Cole’s office door, I opened the door without waiting for a reply to find that his was office was empty.

“He left for a meeting,” Cheryl said. She frowned when I whirled around to face her. “What’s going on, Violet?”

“Nothing,” I choked out quickly. “I just need to talk to him about something, but if he’s already gone for the afternoon, then it doesn’t matter.”

Cole was going to be furious. He was already so touchy about us carrying on in a relationship, but this would send him over the edge. I knew it. Anger filled me as I glanced across the office to where Michael was angrily pounding on a calculator. He looked up sharply when he felt my gaze on him.

“What’s going on?” Cheryl asked, watching the exchange with a concerned frown. “Is there something going on with you and Michael that Mr. Crayton needs to know about?”

It’s the other way around, Cheryl. There’s something going on between Cole and me while Michael knows about it.

“It’s nothing,” I said.

My stomach gave a nauseating lurch at the smell of the chicken wraps that Cheryl had brought back from lunch. I needed to get out of the office before I gave anything else away, or before Michael said something. I had no idea if he would tell anyone else, but Cole needed to know first.

“Do you think it would be okay if I go home for the rest of the afternoon?” I asked. “I’m not feeling too good, to be honest with you. I feel like I might get sick.”

My coffee from earlier this morning threatened to come back up just thinking about my stomach. A headache pounded in my head.

“Of course,” Cheryl said. “I’ll tell Mr. Crayton if he returns before five that you aren’t feeling well.”

“Thank you,” I said gratefully. “I owe you, Cheryl. I know this was supposed to be your week off.”

Cheryl waved a hand airily. “Oh, please. I’m like Mr. Crayton. I wouldn’t be able to handle being away from this place for very long, either. A vacation wouldn’t be a vacation for me.” She shooed me away with a flick of her wrist. “Go on now. Get some rest.”

I shut my computer off before grabbing my purse. After bidding Cheryl goodbye, I took the elevator down with my phone clutched anxiously in my hand. I waited until I was out of the building before texting Cole.

Something came up that you need to know about. Come to my apartment right after your meeting. It’s urgent.

I took a cab back to my apartment knowing that Cole wouldn’t look at his phone until he was done with his meetings in a few hours. My stomach refused to let up with the queasy feeling throughout the rest of the afternoon. I took a long and hot shower before running to the supermarket to grab a few things for dinner. I needed to do something to distract myself from the anxiety that burned in my chest.

It wasn’t until the intercom buzzed from below that the tension in my stomach released. Cole stepped in through the apartment door. His face was stretched into a concerned frown, and he hadn’t even bothered going back to his place to change.

“What’s going on?” he asked when I embraced him with a shaky sigh. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes and no,” I said and took hold of his hand to lead him to the couch. “There’s a problem that I wanted to tell you about before someone else told you. I don’t know if he’d say anything, but—”

Cole’s eyes narrowed. “Who are you talking about?”

“Michael Foster,” I said. “He knows what’s going on, Cole. He heard what happened in your office today during lunch. He was sitting on my desk the entire time. I didn’t know until I walked out to find him there.”

Just as expected, Cole jerked his hand back to run it through his hair as he always did whenever he was aggravated or nervous. His eyes darted back and forth while he took in my words.

“Shit,” he said. “What did he say?”

“He told me that he had suspected something was going on because of the internship. He accused me of sleeping up the ladder basically, but he knows about us, Cole.” My shoulders trembled as I gazed at him through tears in my eyes. “I don’t know what he’s going to do, but please don’t freak out over this. I don’t want to lose you.”

“He accused you of sleeping your way up the ladder?” Cole repeated, his voice hardening. He yanked angrily at the knot of his tie to loosen it. “That little shit. What the hell is he thinking?”

I blinked in surprise at the fury in Cole’s voice as he tossed his tie at the coffee table with more force than necessary. Every inch of Cole’s body was coiled up tautly, ready to spring at any moment. He was utterly pissed.

“I don’t think he’s thinking of anything right now,” I said. “He didn’t demand anything. He just confronted me.”

Cole turned to look at me. “That’s my point. He should’ve come to me first, not you.” He pulled out his phone from the pocket of his pants. “He’s fired. I don’t care if his family begged me to give this internship to him. The bastard is fired for talking to you that way.”

“Cole,” I said, alarmed by his anger. I rested a hand on Cole’s forearm to stop him from calling Michael. “You can’t just fire him. You know that it would draw too much attention. Plus, it would make Michael say something out of spite.”

“He already knows about it now,” Cole said. “What’s the difference if I tell him he’s fired tonight?”

“You’re not an irrational business man. Think about what you’re doing here.”

The anger in Cole’s eyes didn’t lessen. He stared down at his phone with a cold gaze. Not willing to let Cole ruin his reputation out of anger, I pushed the phone down from his hand.

I straddled Cole’s lap before he could say anything else. A part of me was inwardly thrilled that he felt this protective over me. Every girl dreamed of having a man feel this way toward them, and I tilted Cole’s head back to kiss him thoroughly.

The kiss quickly escalated as I felt his anger shift into something else. It felt needy, even a bit possessive from the way Cole’s hands wandered along my thighs. His hands clasped my ass cheeks as I reached between us to free the hard bulge in his pants.

His fingers went to the knot of the robe I had slipped into after showering. He let out an appreciative growl when his hands cupped my naked breasts. I hadn’t even bothered putting anything on after showering.

Not willing to move, I eased myself slowly down along his hard erection as he filled me to the hilt. A shaky sigh left my lips at the different sensation. Cole’s hands went straight to my hips as he encouraged them to roll up and down. His jaw clenched when I picked up the pace. Our gasps and moans were muffled through the heated kisses as the both of us dashed close to a climax.

I shuddered when my release finally came swiftly under Cole’s fingers rubbing against my core the entire time. Sucking in deep breaths, I rode Cole’s bucking hips as he finally went over the edge into a body shuddering climax as well. His fingers dug into my thighs, leaving little bruises there before he collapsed on the couch with a groan.

“This is what gets me into trouble,” he panted, head resting against the back of the couch. “I know that I shouldn’t be doing this, but damn it, Violet. You feel too good to let go of.”

I wrapped my arms around his strong shoulders. Pressing a tender kiss to the bottom of his chin, I pushed back a sweaty strand of hair from Cole’s forehead when he looked at me.

“Don’t let go of me,” I whispered. “I don’t care what happens, or who knows. Just don’t let go of me.”

That conflicted expression crossed his face again. He was still torn between guilt and wanting me.

“I can’t let go of you,” he whispered back, hands rubbing my thighs tenderly. “That’s the fucking problem. I can’t let go of you, and I don’t want to, either.”

“Then, don’t worry about anything. Everything will be fine in time.”

Cole didn’t respond. We spent the rest of the evening making dinner in my small kitchen and eating together as we talked about whatever came to mind. It was moments like these that I could feel the love growing between the two of us. I got the feeling that Cole knew it as well from the times I caught him gazing at me with a puzzled look on his face.

It wasn’t until we were laying in the dark of my bedroom, listening to the city traffic through my cracked bedroom window, that I realized with a jolt that I had fallen deeply for Cole. Deeper than I ever imagined.

I felt Cole’s breath even out eventually from behind me. Reaching down to grab his hand from my hip, I pressed a tender kiss to his knuckles. Everything was going to be okay. Despite what we eventually had to face together.

Chapter 17

Cole

 

 

Michael Foster was on my radar when I walked into the office shortly after a morning meeting across Manhattan. I greeted Cheryl with a quick hello before settling on Violet, who was focused on something on her computer. She looked up when I walked by, and I paused briefly to scan her pale face. Her eyes shimmered anxiously as she glanced over to where Michael was sitting with an iPad, but I wasn’t fooled when I looked over at him.

His eyes darted immediately back down to the iPad. Little bastard wants to play coy.

I nodded to Violet before stepping into my office. There was no chance that I could keep Michael in my business if he knew, and then already harassed Violet for it. I had to think of a way to get him out or to silence him up permanently. The last thing I wanted was to have word run around the office that Violet and I were sleeping together. It wouldn’t stay internal for very long, either. It would be leaked to the press eventually, and they were always hungry for another Cole Crayton mistress to put in their headlines.

Violet didn’t deserve to have her reputation smeared across the public court of opinion. It was my fault for caving into temptation in the office after spending the past ten years of my life forbidding my employees from engaging in romance around the office. I didn’t want Gloria and Alan to find out through the tabloids that their daughter was no longer a virgin because of me.

I had a whole thirty days before I let Michael go without raising any issues in the HR department. I’m sure that if I dug hard enough that I’d find some reason to fire him.

Tapping my fingers against the window, I came up with an idea then. I stepped out of my office to call Cheryl in.

“Something you need, boss?” she asked.

“Yes,” I said. “Do me a favor, will you? I need to have a conversation with Michael Foster over his performance here at Crayton, Inc.”

Cheryl frowned at me. “Okay? Do you want me to bring him in here or—”

“I’m inviting him to dinner,” I said. “Tell him that I need to speak with him at Jordan’s right at 5:30 in the VIP room.”

“Do I need to make reservations?”

“Just call to tell them when I will be there,” I said, turning to look out at the bright morning lingering over Manhattan. “They’ll know to save that room for me. Could you bring in Violet too, please?”

“Of course,” Cheryl said, and left to go get Violet.

I waited for Violet to enter my office before shutting my office door. Violet swept an anxious glance at me.

“What are you doing?” she asked. “I thought you didn’t want to bring more attention to us since Michael—”

“I’m letting you know that I’m going to give Michael the opportunity to keep his mouth quiet,” I interrupted with one hand on the door knob to keep it shut. “Has he said anything to you at all this morning?”

Violet shook her head as she leaned in to give me a quick kiss on the lips. It was too quick for anything to spark between us. Which was a good thing. I didn’t need another repeat of yesterday, at least not the part with Violet telling me about Michael. A blowjob did sound fucking nice, though.

I cut that thought out before it could go any further. I let Violet step back out of my office to return to her desk. The rest of the morning and afternoon passed by in a quick blur. The office emptied out quickly as I expected it to on a Friday afternoon.

“I’m going to go,” Violet said when she handed me the last few documents I wanted her to look over. “Do you need anything else before I leave?”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I’ll text you if I do.”

I caught her eyes as she nodded in wordless understanding. I had other things to deal with now that Michael Foster was planning to blackmail me. I closed my office to find that Michael was already gone. He had clocked out thirty minutes ago, according to Cheryl, to get ready and meet me at Jordan’s.

Twenty minutes later, my driver pulled up to the curbside of Jordan’s. It was an upscale restaurant and lounge that I enjoyed whenever I was looking for something to entertain myself for the night.

“Mr. Crayton,” Jordan Fitz called out, greeting me at the VIP entrance with a wide smile. “My staff told me you were coming in tonight. I was beginning to worry about you.”

I held out a hand for Jordan to shake. “Just been a bit busy this past couple of weeks and months. Is my room ready?”

“All setup and ready,” Jordan said with a smile. “I placed a good bottle of whiskey in there for you, too, as a compliment on my lounge.”

“You just want me to get drunk here and spend money,” I said with a laugh. I clasped Jordan on the shoulder, though. “Thank you, my friend. I appreciate it. I’m sure my guest will appreciate it, too.”

I walked through the small lounge that only the rich and celebrities were allowed to mingle in. The restaurant was open to the general public, but the VIP lounge was for men like me who wanted privacy about their personal lives. I entered the small wooden room with a table and chairs to pour myself a drink while I waited for Michael to arrive.

It was 5:32 p.m. when the waitress arrived, with Michael following behind. He was dressed up in a nice navy suit with a pink button up shirt beneath it. My blood boiled as he sat down on the edge of his seat across from me, not bothering to shake my hand. A sign of pure cowardliness in my opinion.

“Care for a drink?” I asked.

“A beer is fine,” Michael told the waitress. “I don’t want anything to eat, either. Something tells me that I won’t be very hungry.”

The waitress left the room in a hurry as the tension grew. I waited patiently while Michael shifted nervously in his chair for the waitress to return with a beer.

“So,” I started, taking a sip of my own drink. “I wanted to have an opportunity to talk to you about a few things in the office.”

Michael seized his beer with a trembling hand. He took a large gulp before looking across the table at me. Sweat beaded along his forehead.

“What do you want to talk about?” he asked bravely. “Because there is something that I’d like to talk to you about myself.”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at the guts of this kid. Blackmailing me was the last thing I was worried about. I was more worried about him harassing Violet with their coworkers around to witness it. I didn’t give a flying fuck to what people said about me.

“How about your internship?” I suggested slyly. “I’ve heard glowing reviews about how well you are doing in the financial department. Might just keep you around for all your hard work.”

Michael’s eyes narrowed at that. “That’s great, sir. I’m just happy to earn my position then, unlike some employees of yours that seem to get special attention from you.”

My fingers curled into fists. It was tempting to lean forward and smack that smug look off Michael’s freshly shaven face. I managed to stomp my temper down before it could get out of control. I had to remain calm now.

“Special attention you say?”

“Yes,” Michael said. “Special attention to one specific assistant of yours.”

“I’m afraid that I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I replied smoothly as Michael’s face reddened. “Cheryl happens to be married and—”

“I’m talking about Violet Summers,” he blurted out loudly. “I saw her coming out of your office yesterday. I heard what the two of you were doing.”

“I don’t think you heard right,” I said coolly. “Do you think it’s wise, boy, to make up rumors about your boss and his personal assistant?”

“Oh, please,” Michael sneered at me. “I know why you gave Violet an internship. I don’t blame you for fucking her. I would’ve done the same thing too if she wasn’t so focused on you.”

I smacked my fist down onto the table. “Don’t talk about Violet in that disrespectful tone, Mr. Foster. You don’t want to go up against me. I can assure you of that.”

“I see that you aren’t denying that there is something going on between the two of you,” Michael continued, oblivious to my rising blood pressure. “You know that everyone in the office thinks the two of you have a thing? The girl looks at you like you walk on water.”

“Violet earned her place because she knows how to do her job,” I said and leaned forward to gaze coldly at Michael. “You listen to me. I’m not behaving inappropriately with Ms. Summers. It’s my word against yours. You understand that, right?”

“I want a raise,” Michael stated, not backing down quite yet. His eyes were darting all over though, a sign of nerves. “A good one, too. If you want me to keep quiet—”

I held up a hand to interrupt him. “Let’s get one thing straight here. I don’t care what others say about me, but I do care about you sharing gossip about Violet to other people. You want a job in the financial sector, so here’s my advice to you.” Michael shrank back in his seat as my voice grew sharp and loud. “If you say one word, or threaten to tell anyone about what you think you saw, I will bring you down quickly. Getting blackballed from Crayton, Inc will destroy your career before it even begins. I don’t care if I go down defending myself because I have money in places you could only dream about, kid.”

Michael opened his mouth to close it quickly. His face drained of color, and he reached up to wipe away the sweat on his forehead.

“And if you harass Violet again,” I started and caught his eyes when they darted back to me. “I will tear you limb after fucking limb. Got it?”

“Got it,” Michael said thickly. He set his half-full beer down on the table and rose to nod at me. “Have a good rest of your evening, sir. I’ll see you at work on Monday morning.”

He fled the room before anything else could be said. I sat back in my chair with a satisfied smile, even though the knot in my stomach was still tied strongly. This was just the beginning of things getting more complicated, but I didn’t want to let go of Violet just yet.

It made feel like a selfish middle-aged man going through a mid-life crisis, but I didn’t care what others thought about me. I had spent a lifetime ignoring what others said about me. Being one of the wealthiest bachelors in New York and Manhattan had a tendency to make me a target for gossip.

Jordan entered the small room after knocking a few times. He glanced at the dark scowl lingering on my face before taking a seat across from me.

“That bad of a night, eh?”

“It’s taken care of now,” I said, taking a sip of whiskey. I gestured for Jordan to pour himself a glass. “When did business and our personal lives get so complicated, Jordan? My personal life is a mess.”

“The divorce has been pretty hard, huh?”

“Harder than you can imagine,” I said, even though that wasn’t the reason for my bad mood. I diverted the subject, though. “How’s business going here? I haven’t checked my interest here for a while, so that must mean I trust you.”

“Busy as usual,” Jordan said as he poured himself a drink. “You can look at the reports yourself when you get a chance. I barely see you down here anymore.”

“Work has kept me in the office.” And so has Violet.

I patted my pants pocket for my phone. There were no new messages besides for a few work emails, but I needed to call her to assure her that everything was fine. Her face had been pale all morning with apprehension. I don’t know what else Michael had said to her, but it had stuck to her.

Anger scorched me again when I thought of Michael’s sweaty, childish face sitting across the table from mine. I didn’t feel an ounce of regret tearing that boy’s balls from him. I had no time to let some young guy think that he could boss me around by dangling Violet in front of me.

“I hear you on that,” Jordan said, letting out a long sigh. “I can’t remember the last time I even went on vacation.”

“Years ago?”

“Years ago,” he repeated with a grimace. “I need to enjoy this money before I’m too old to remember how to even wipe my own ass. I can’t even remember what I had for breakfast this morning.”

“Cheers to that,” I said with a laugh. “Remembering how to wipe our own asses before we forget how much money we have in the bank?”

Jordan clinked his whiskey glass against mine with a grin. “Well, whatever you’re doing that is making you feel so young, I want it for myself. What’s the secret?”

I took a long drink of whiskey before looking up at Jordan with a tense smile.

“If I told you,” I said. “Then your wife would want a divorce. Let’s put it that way.”

Chapter 18

Violet

 

 

I tried my best to not check my phone anxiously throughout the evening, but it was hard not to. I had no idea what Cole planned on doing to Michael Foster, but it was clear that he planned to shut him up. Whether that was through him getting fired or pure intimidation, I had no idea. Cheryl was even confused when she divulged to me that Cole had asked to make reservations at Jordan’s for Michael and him.

It wasn’t a good sign, and it made me sick with unease as I paced about my apartment with my phone in hand.

My other phone buzzed on the kitchen counter. I glanced down at the caller ID with a sigh. Of course, my mom would be calling on a Friday night. She wanted to know what important people I was hanging out with. At least it would be a distraction from wondering what the hell was going on with Cole. Dinner with Michael would have ended almost three hours ago, but I didn’t want to risk calling him in the middle of their talk.

“Hi, Mom,” I chirped out in a forced cheerful voice. “I’m surprised to see you calling on a Friday night. Don’t you have a party to attend?”

“Not until tomorrow, darling. What are you doing home? I thought you would be out and about tonight.”

“I’m just taking a night off to rest,” I said and frowned when my stomach gave a painful lurch. “To be honest, I actually don’t feel too great. It’s been a very long week.”

“Your father was supposed to talk to Cole about working you too hard,” she said with an angry sigh. “What is he thinking? You’re not his slave to do all the work he doesn’t want to be bothered with.”

I’d gladly be his slave for the rest of my life. A shiver went up my spine at the thought of being dominated by Cole every day. My head throbbed when I thought of Cole coming over later. Not because I wasn’t happy to see him. This was a different type of unease and headache. I had felt it first thing this morning after Cole woke early to get back to his place to get showered and ready for the day.

I couldn’t place my finger on it, even though I wanted to believe it had everything to with Michael Foster blackmailing me.

“He’s not working me hard. I’m home on a Friday night when I could be in the office still with him.”

“I suppose that’s a good thing to hear. I still don’t understand why you wanted to go work at Crayton, Inc.”

“Work experience, Mom. We already talked about why I wanted to come here. Dad said it would be a good idea, well before you even knew about it.”

“I just miss having you here with me. It’s boring in this house when your father is out doing his business deals.”

“I’ll come visit soon. I promise.”

The line beeped. I heard my mom fumbled around with the phone to check the caller ID.

“I better go, sweetheart. It’s one of our neighbors.”

“Have a good night,” I said.

She hung up without a reply. Rubbing at my stomach, I sat down on the couch to pull my computer close. I checked through a couple of emails before Cole called shortly before nine.

“Hey,” I said, relief flooding through me. “I was worried that I would have to report you to the police for a moment.”

“More like it would be Michael Foster you’d have to worry about,” Cole said wryly. “I got caught up with a few friends in the city here. I didn’t realize it was this late until I stepped out to call my driver.”

“It’s honestly fine,” I said, smiling. “I’m so glad to hear your voice. Now, tell me what happened.”

“I made it clear that it was his word against mine. Who has the more powerful voice here?”

“Obviously, you are the one who does.”

“Exactly. He’ll finish his internship out as long as he keeps his mouth shut for the meantime. He doesn’t want me as an enemy right now.”

“No one does,” I agreed because having Cole Crayton as an enemy in the business world was not a great idea. “I’m glad it’s taken care of, though. I can sleep good tonight knowing that he won’t say anything.”

“In the meantime though, no more sex in my office,” Cole said. “So, don’t come in wearing those sexy skirts of yours.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, despite my queasy stomach. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to find something else to wear that won’t be so eye-catching to you.”

“You could be wearing a cardboard box, darling, and I’d still want to bend you over. What are you doing right now?”

“Sitting on the couch in my sweat pants,” I said. “Sounds sexy, right?”

“It is. Sweatpants are easy to get off.”

I bit my lip to keep myself from smiling like an idiot, even though I was completely alone. These were the times that I truly loved Cole—when he was relaxed and happy.

“Do you want to come over here for the night?” Cole asked. “I can whip us up some dinner or order in. Whatever you like, darling.”

A part of me was sorely tempted to put aside my stomach and exhaustion to just go see him, but the idea of driving to Cole’s penthouse drained what energy I had left. I also didn’t want to puke with Cole close by.

“I’m actually not feeling good,” I said, rubbing at my flushed neck. “I think I stressed out a bit too much over Michael today. Plus, you’re starting to wear me out a bit.”

“I’m wearing you out?” Cole repeated skeptically. “You’re kidding, right? I’m older than you.”

I giggled. “I know. I just don’t feel very good. So maybe tomorrow. I think I just need some sleep.”

“Then get some sleep if you really don’t feel good,” Cole said, his voice thick with concern now. “Call me if you need anything, but don’t worry about Michael. That’s taken care of.”

“I’ll call you tomorrow. Maybe we could have some breakfast in the city?”

“If you’re feeling better, then I’m fine with that. I’ll see you in the morning.”

My stomach and head had other ideas throughout the night and early morning hours. It seemed like every hour my stomach had to empty itself of water, or just even dry heaving. Every inch of my body ached. Even my own head throbbed dully, no matter how much Tylenol I consumed.

I managed to get in the shower shortly before 8:45 a.m. when Cole called to ask about breakfast.

“You’re still not feeling good?” he asked, the concern even stronger than before now. “Maybe you should go to the doctor or something like that. I can drive you if you need.”

I grimaced at the thought of puking in front of Cole. That was the main reason why I had declined seeing him the night before.

“No, I’ll be fine,” I said. “I’m just going to lay low this weekend until it passes. I’m sure it’s just some sort of flu bug going around. It’s that time of the year.”

“I suppose you’re right. If you feel better, call me. I’ll be here in Manhattan all weekend.”

The nausea didn’t lift. Saturday night, I slept on the floor of the bathroom while Sunday morning, I didn’t even bother showering. Something wasn’t right. I could feel a change somewhere, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. After assuring Cole that I didn’t need to see the doctor, I pulled up Google to type in my symptoms to see what came up for the stomach flu.

“The stomach flu,” I read out loud, scrolling down the list. “Food poisoning, regular flu, early pregnancy—”

I stopped at those two words. Pregnancy. Heart pounding, I read through the rest of the symptoms. Sickness. Headaches. A dull ache in the pelvis. I sank to the bathroom floor with a shaky breath.

“Fuck,” I whispered, cradling my throbbing head. “It can’t be. I can’t be --”

Cole never uses a condom.

I gathered myself off the floor to grab my purse and keys. Sweeping my hair up into a messy bun, I didn’t even bother trying to look presentable. I hurried across the street to the corner convenience store to buy a three-pack pregnancy test.

My fingers trembled as I tore the plastic open to pee on the stick like the instructions said to do. Setting the stick on the edge of the sink, I opened the bathroom window to suck in deep breaths to calm my queasy stomach.

I couldn’t be pregnant. It wasn’t possible. It didn’t happen that fast.

Seven minutes passed. I picked up the pregnancy stick staring down at the giant plus sign with a sinking stomach. Pregnant. I was pregnant with Cole Crayton’s baby.

A torment of emotions washed over me as I sat down on the edge of the toilet to cry and laugh at the same time. This wasn’t happening. A part of me didn’t want to believe it, but that pregnancy stick proved it was real. I was pregnant with a baby. Cole’s baby.

And now I would have to explain to him how it happened.

I’m fucked. That was all I could think of when I texted Cole to tell him that I would be late coming into work Monday morning.

Your stomach isn’t feeling any better? He texted with a frowny face.

I texted back a puking face.

Not yet. I’ll be in as soon as I see the doctor. Oh, and I might be pregnant, too.

I deleted that last part of the sentence with a sigh. I had to tell Cole in person, but I needed to make sure through the doctor that I was actually pregnant.

Which meant that I would need to tell Cole that I lied about the birth control pills. It hadn’t even occurred to me throughout the past few weeks that we needed to be on birth control. It was the last thing on my mind—getting pregnant.

I chewed on the pad of my thumb nervously. I took the remaining two pregnancy sticks later in the afternoon. Pregnant. There was no doubt if there were three positive pregnancy tests.

What now?

The thought plagued me throughout Sunday night and the commute to the doctor’s office Monday morning. We were only a few weeks into a relationship, and Cole was already skittish enough about it. I filled out the paperwork in the crowded office before peeing in another cup in the small bathroom.

It was the doctor who came in to congratulate me with a large smile.

“It does appear from your blood work and urine test that you are pregnant,” he said. “Congratulations. You’re only a few weeks on, I’d say. Very early on in the pregnancy.”

“Thank you,” I said numbly. “What do I do?”

“One of the nurses here will explain everything to you,” he said, oblivious to what I was really asking. “Make sure to have your boyfriend fill out his side of the paperwork. We need a full history on him as well.”

I took the paperwork and bottle of prenatal vitamins in my purse to work. I had no idea how I was going to get through the day without giving away what I knew to Cole. I didn’t want to tell him in the office.

“Morning,” Cheryl said, and she frowned instantly when I looked up at her. “Oh, Vi. You still look sick. Why are you here?”

“I need the paycheck,” I said. “I’ll be fine. The doctor gave me some medicine for nausea.”

Which worked wonders thankfully. It just didn’t do a damn thing about the headaches.

“What did the doctor say?” Cheryl asked, setting a glass of water down on my desk. “I hope it isn’t the flu. I would hate to have you here and getting everyone else sick if that was the case.”

“He said it wasn’t the flu,” I said and sat down in my chair. “I’ll be fine. Where’s Mr. Crayton?”

“He had a meeting at eight this morning,” Cheryl said. “He hasn’t returned since, so I’m assuming the meeting ran late. I’m sure he’ll be here soon, though.”

“Right.”

I glanced over to find Michael’s desk empty. A small part of me felt a stab of smugness to see his chair and desk empty. I know that Cole had moved him somewhere else for my comfort, but also because he didn’t want to look at Michael every single day.

It helped a little knowing that Michael wouldn’t be watching our every move from now on. Not if he wanted to have a good job in the future once his internship at Crayton, Inc was over.

I took a small sip of water to ease my nerves. Michael wasn’t the one I was worried about, though.

My eyes caught sight of Cole coming through the elevators with a group of businessmen surrounding him. His dark hair, peppered with gray along the hairline, was slicked back as usual. He donned a much more casual outfit today. A pair of nice slacks and a loose white sleeved shirt that was rolled up to his elbows.

Cole stopped briefly at my desk while the line of businessmen went into his office. He glanced at the bottle of nausea pills on my desk.

“Are you feeling better?” he asked.

“Sort of,” I said. “They gave me something for my stomach.”

“Good.” Concern lingered in his eyes for a moment, but he glanced in his office to where the group of men was waiting. “I have to wrap this meeting up. We’ll talk after that, okay?”

“Okay,” I said, even though my stomach threatened to get rid of everything all over again at the thought of telling Cole the truth.

Chapter 19

Cole

 

 

Getting to talk to Violet alone didn’t happen for the rest of the morning or the afternoon. The day slipped by me quickly, meeting after meeting. I saw little of Violet who was either at her desk or helping Cheryl in the copy room.

After spending an entire weekend alone, I was seriously reconsidering that no sex rule in my office during work hours. My cock was hard the majority of the day whenever I did manage a quick glimpse at Violet, but it was pent up tension. I already could imagine how great it would feel to finally release a load when I got Violet alone.

And it wasn’t even just the amazing sex that I missed. I missed her company, too. I missed hearing her voice in the background of my day, or just being able to reach out and hold her hand.

My heart constricted when the realization washed over me that my feelings were starting to shift into something different than sexual attraction. It was caring. I was falling in love with her—harder than I ever thought. Falling in love with Violet complicated everything, but I was utterly powerless to it at this point.

I craved for privacy throughout my last meeting but forced myself to remain engaged. I couldn’t afford to let my thoughts stray anymore. It would have to be tonight since I didn’t have the chance to talk with her alone for more than thirty seconds in passing.

The color in Violet’s cheeks was finally returning when I managed to swing by her desk without anyone to overhear our conversation. She looked up at me with a strange expression that I couldn’t quite decipher.

“Are you feeling up to dinner tonight?” I asked quietly as I handed her a file to put away in the cabinet.

Violet’s fingers brushed up against mine. It sent electric shocks up my arm, but to my surprise, she pulled away to open the cabinet.

“Where do you want to eat at?” she asked.

“My place,” I said and looked up to see Cheryl approaching from the printing and copying room. “I’ll text you the address. Are you sure that everything is okay?”

“Everything’s fine,” Violet said, offering a small smile. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll see you for dinner tonight in a few hours.”

I nodded in acknowledgment before taking the elevator down to the floor below to check on Michael. It took all my self-control to keep myself from smiling when I caught sight of his sour glare through the cramped office I had placed him in to be supervised. He shot me a dirty glare before twisting around in his chair to face his computer.

Chuckling, I talked with employees in HR before heading back up to the top floor to get ready for the end of the day. Violet’s desk was already empty when I walked by to find Cheryl packing up as well.

“That poor thing needs to take some time away from here,” Cheryl told me, slipping on the strap of her purse. “She’s so young, Cole. Twenty-two years old, and she’s about to have a nervous breakdown before either one of us.”

“Did she say anything to you about what was going on with her stomach? I know she was sick all weekend and—”

“How did you know that she was sick all weekend?” Cheryl asked.

I clicked my jaw shut when I realized what I had let slip out. Cheryl gave me a long and penetrating look, but before she could put the pieces together, I rushed out, “She called me this morning to ask if it would be all right to be late for work. She told me that she had been sick all weekend.”

“Right,” Cheryl said slowly. “Is there something that I need to know, Mr. Crayton?”

“Nothing,” I replied smoothly. “Have a nice evening, Cheryl.”

I didn’t give her the chance to reply. I hurried across the office floor to retreat into my own office. Packing everything up, I called down to the Italian restaurant I knew that Violet would enjoy. Dinner would be delivered by six. Perfect. I texted Violet the directions to my penthouse next.

Use the service elevator. There are media that hangs around the building sometimes.

Violet texted back quickly.

Got it. I’ll see you in a few hours.

I resisted the urge to tell her not to even bother putting on any underwear. She wasn’t going to be wearing them for very long, given the last time I had any sort of release was last Friday.

Calm it down. She hasn’t been feeling well.

I sucked in a deep breath to calm the swell of lust building in me. I stopped by a small floral stand five minutes away from my suite to purchase some flowers before finding a swarm of media people in front of the building doors. Sighing, I tucked the flowers beneath my blazer to hide them from view. That was the last thing I wanted to see in the papers.

Cole Crayton buys a bouquet of flowers for a new woman?

Then, Gloria would be calling out of curiosity on who the new mystery woman was. I ignored the questions tossed at my back as I entered through the lobby doors to take the elevator up to my suite.

The entire place was spotless and clean as usual, thanks to my housemaids who knew to keep it clean for me. I wasn’t a messy person by any means, but I hated clutter and dust. They were always good about coming first thing in the morning to clean up, run errands, pick up my dry cleaning, and then disappear by the time I arrived home. They knew how much I valued my privacy, too.

I took a cold shower to resist the urge of easing the ache in my groin. Not when I knew that Violet would be coming over to help me with the ache. She arrived shortly before six, dressed in a modest black skirt that hugged her hips tightly and a polka dot blouse that dipped low on her breasts. Her blonde hair fell about her shoulders in gentle curves while she smelt of vanilla and soap.

“Hi, beautiful,” I said and pulled her in from the elevator.

She responded eagerly to my kiss when I swept her up in my arms. She pulled back after a few minutes to take a deep breath.

“I missed you this weekend,” she said, quietly. “I missed all day today, too.”

I couldn’t place it, but there was something different about Violet that I couldn’t quite place. She looked jittery, even a bit pale again.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, rubbing her shoulders in concern. “Are you not feeling well again?”

Violet shook her head as a smile spread across her face. “No, those pills help me feel better. You said we were going to dinner?”

“Well, dinner will be here shortly. I ordered some Italian food for us at a place that I like. They have good garlic bread.”

“Sounds wonderful,” Violet said, and she looked around the living room with wide eyes. “I never thought your penthouse was this big. You can’t tell how big it is from the ground.”

“I own this entire floor,” I told her with a smile. “My ex-wife thought it was a waste of money, but it was just cheaper to buy the place than rent out during the week when I was in the city doing business.”

“That makes sense. Any famous celebrities that live here, too?”

I shrugged my shoulders indifferently. “Eh, I don’t know. I don’t really talk with my neighbors.”

“You could have Brad Pitt living beneath you,” Violet said, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “How can you not know who your neighbors are?”

“I make more money than most of them,” I said, laughing. “That’s why I have the very top floor to myself.”

The food arrived twenty minutes later. We sat together in the small kitchen nook, eating spaghetti and garlic bread as we talked about anything that came to mind. It amazed me how easy it was to talk to Violet without looking at her as Alan Summer’s daughter. I was looking at her as Violet Summers, a young woman who had a life and mind of her own.

It brought a smile to my face when Violet looked up at me with a bit of spaghetti sauce on the corner of her lips. Her eyes were bright with joy when she caught my stare.

“I’ve been doing some thinking about what you told me,” I said, wiping away the sauce with the pad of my thumb. “About letting this relationship carry on without worry about what others think?”

Violet lowered her fork to her plate. That same apprehensive look crossed her face again.

“Right,” she said. “I have to tell you something first though, Cole, before you continue.” She looked down at her lap nervously. “There’s something that we need to talk about.”

Those words felt like a punch to my face. Alarm bells started to ring in my head when Violet shifted nervously in her seat next to me. Those words never meant anything good, and I felt defenses soaring up to protect myself from whatever Violet was about to say.

“What is it?” I asked cautiously. “Is it something bad?”

Violet shrugged her shoulders. “It depends on how you look at it, I suppose. I’m not looking at it as a bad thing, so hopefully, you won’t look at it as a bad thing.”

The pit of my stomach twisted into knots. I couldn’t stand that nervous look on Violet’s face. Something was off and had been all weekend. It wasn’t like her to be so nervous around me.

“What’s going on, Violet?” I asked. “Does it have something to do with your doctor’s appointment this morning?”

“Yes,” she said, nodding. “It does. I’m, well—” She swallowed thickly, and I could feel my heart beating wildly in my chest. “I’m pregnant, Cole.”

I reared back in shock. My fork clattered to the plate, spilling sauce on the both of us. I could hear the pounding of my heart as I gazed at Violet in utter surprise. Tears were quickly filling her eyes.

“What?” I whispered, lifting my arm from her shoulders. “What did you just say?”

“I said that I’m pregnant, Cole. That’s why I’ve been sick all weekend. I just found out this morning when I went to the doctor to confirm it.”

Panic surged through me, and I scooted out from the dining nook to pace in front of Violet. “I don’t understand, Violet. You said that you were on the pill. Did you miss a pill and not tell me?”

“I was never on the pill,” Violet said quietly.

That softly spoken admission sent me into a rage. I grabbed one of the plates from the table and tossed into the wall with a shout of fury. Violet drew back in her chair with wide eyes as she looked at the shattered pieces of plate on the ground.

I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t want to believe it. Violet wouldn’t lie like that to me, not so recklessly.

“I’m sorry, Cole,” she burst out, tears flowing down her cheeks. “I just wanted to be with you so much, and I thought at that time the risk would be worth it. I never thought you expected to carry on with me, so I didn’t even think of the pill again.”

Fury rose through me again. It took all my strength to not pick up another plate from the table. I ran a trembling hand through my hair in aggravation as I stared down at her in disbelief. A baby. We were bringing a baby into this fucked up situation before we could even talk to anyone else about the relationship. Including Violet’s parents.

“Why did you lie to me?” I asked, a headache beginning to pound in my head. “Damn it, Violet. How could you be so irresponsible about this?”

“It’s not a bad thing,” Violet said. She started to rise from her chair, but I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t want to hear about how having a baby, a baby of all things, would be okay.

“This is a bad thing,” I spat and turned to look away from Violet’s tear-stained face. “You lied to me, Violet. You trapped me into something that no one should be trapped in. Do you understand that?”

“I wasn’t trying to trap you.”

“And now you have to explain to your parents that you’re pregnant with my child. How do you think that is going to go down?”

“Please, Cole. Don’t be like this.”

I jerked away from her hands when she grabbed the back of my shirt.

“Get out. Get out before I lose control.”

“Cole—”

“I said to get the fuck out of here, you lied to me, trapped me and that is all that I can think of at this time,” I shouted and turned to glare at her. “Get the fuck out, Violet.”

Violet’s chin quivered before she let out a harsh sob. She pushed past me without sparing another glance or trying to reach out to me. Anger burned through me, but so did panic. A baby. A fucking innocent little baby being born into a messed-up situation.

All because I wanted to know what Violet tasted like. All because I gave into that temptation without thinking of keeping the both of us safe and protected against this sort of thing. I grabbed hold of a bar stool in front of the breakfast bar.

“Fuck!” I shouted, tossing it at the wall.

Wood splintered everywhere. I stared down at the pieces with my chest heaving while I tried to control my emotions. Nothing would fix this now. I was royally fucked, and I had no other choice but to explain it to the people I trusted the most in the world—Alan and Gloria Summers.

Chapter 20

Violet

 

 

The tears refused to stop, no matter how hard I told myself to stop crying or to be the bigger woman here. I was twenty-two years old. I was old enough to know when it was time to stop crying, but I couldn’t get over that cold and angry look on Cole’s face. I couldn’t get over that look of sheer desperation and panic, similar to an animal that was trapped in a cage with a pending death.

That hurt the worst.

I ignored my mother’s worried phone calls for the next day. I didn’t care if she showed up unannounced at this point. The nausea never stopped, along with the tears. Nor did my fingers as they texted Cole for the hundredth time this afternoon.

I’m sorry, Cole. This was the last thing that I wanted to deal with too. This baby doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Please get that.

I was overwhelmed again by a bout of nausea. Throwing my phone down on the couch, I ran into the bathroom to throw up the small breakfast I had managed to keep down for at least an hour. There was no way that I could walk into Crayton, Inc feeling this way, and not drawing any more attention to myself. It was going to be hard enough trying to face Cole after what happened in his penthouse suite.

I returned to the living room to curl up on the couch to call Cheryl again for the second time.

“Are you sure that you don’t need someone to take you to the doctor, honey?” Cheryl asked worriedly. “I’m worried about you staying hydrated with all this throwing up you’re telling me about. Are you sure you don’t want me to come by? I am on my way out. It’s honestly not a problem.”

“I just want to get some sleep,” I said, rubbing my stomach with hot tears pouring down my face. “I’ll be okay. I just wanted to let you know that I’m going to stay home for an extra day. I texted Mr. Crayton, but—”

“He wasn’t even in the office today,” Cheryl said. “I’m not sure what happened, but he called in to reschedule his meetings for the week. He hasn’t been in the best of moods.”

My heart clenched. Because of me. I’m having his baby, and he’s freaking the hell out. I bit my lip to keep that from coming out, though. That was the last thing that I needed to come out.

“Right. Well, I just wanted to let you know that I’m staying in today. I don’t know about tomorrow, either.”

I didn’t know, period, if I was ever going to be able to go back to Crayton, Inc to face Cole and everyone else. There was no way in hell that I was going to give this baby up or end the pregnancy. I wanted nothing more than Cole’s arms around me right now, telling me that it was going to be okay.

A baby was the last thing I had expected to happen, but a small part of me had wanted it. I wanted the whole enchilada when it came to Cole—a picture perfect family that loved one another. There was no doubt in my head that Cole loved me, but he was fighting it. He refused to look past the guilt of lying to my parents. He was too concerned about what others would think of him or what the tabloids would say about us.

I didn’t care about any of that. I was carrying Cole Crayton’s baby, and that was all that mattered to me. Nothing else.

“I’ll let him know if he comes in tomorrow,” Cheryl said kindly. “Take care of yourself, honey. Get some rest, and if you need anything, don’t hesitate to call me on my cell. I keep it on me at all times.”

“Thank you, Cheryl. I’ll let you know if I need anything, but I’m sure that I’ll be okay.”

I left my phone to charge before taking a hot shower, followed by a dreamless nap that stretched well into the evening hours. When I awoke, the evening sunlight was coming through my living room windows, and I had another missed call from my mom. Nothing from Cole.

Tears filled my eyes again as I sank down on the couch with a watery sigh. Why did things have to be so complicated? I wasn’t a naïve young teenager in a relationship with an older man. I was an adult in a consenting relationship with a man that I loved, but everything now felt forbidden and empty after what Cole said.

I tried to call Cole’s phone again, but it went straight to voicemail. Again.

That’s how it was going to be. He didn’t want anything to do with me or the baby anymore. He wanted our relationship to stay casual, commitment free, but I never wanted that. I wanted Cole to myself. Falling in love with another man didn’t even seem remotely possible to me. Not now with Cole’s baby growing in my stomach with each passing day. Everything had changed with that positive pregnancy test.

And I had no idea what I was going to do if Cole refused to talk to me.

My phone buzzed again. I glanced down at the caller ID with a grimace when I saw that it was my mother calling. I had to answer it. I had to tell someone what happened, but it wasn’t going to be my mother. It could not be my mother. I had no doubts about her reaction to everything if I told her. ‘We raised you to be smarter, Violet. How could you be so fucking stupid when it came to this sort of thing?’

Love and lust blinded me. That would be my answer to everything.

“Hi, Mom,” I said, blankly. “I’m sorry I haven’t picked up your calls.”

“Or returned them,” Gloria pointed out. “What’s going on with you, baby girl? I can hear that you’ve been crying.”

I rolled my eyes at the understatement. “I just haven’t felt well. I’ve been sick to my stomach for the past few days, so I’ve been in my apartment sleeping as much as I possibly can.”

Freaking out, too. I was doing plenty of that while trying to get a hold of Cole in between trips to the bathroom to puke up anything that I consumed.

“Oh, honey. You should’ve told me you weren’t feeling good. I could’ve come to the city to take you to the doctor.”

“I’ll be fine, Mom. I’m going to the doctor in a couple of days if I don’t feel better anyway.”

“Are you sure?” Gloria asked, concern thick in her voice. “We have a party this weekend. I don’t want you looking like death warmed over in front of everyone.”

There it was again. My mother was obsessed with reputation and images. If anyone in the Hamptons found out the truth of what was going on between Cole and me, there would be an uproar of scandal and gossip with my mom spearheading all of it. She was not the one to keep secrets.

“I’m not going, Mom,” I said moodily. “I don’t want to go if I feel like shit now. That’s only a few days away, and I don’t want to leave the city for one party that doesn’t mean a damn thing to me.”

“Ryan will be here at this party, Vi. Remember that you promised to give this a try?”

“I never promised you anything. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The buzz of the intercom surprised me. I rose from the couch on wobbly legs to look out the living room window, but I couldn’t find anyone standing out on the street as they normally did to catch someone’s attention. The intercom buzzed again.

“I have to go,” I said. “Someone’s buzzing the intercom. I’ll call you next week.”

“Wait—”

I tossed the phone down on the couch. My mood was already bad enough with dealing with my mother’s shallow concern, so I pushed the intercom button with more force than necessary.

“Look, asshole, you don’t need to push the button repeatedly to get anyone’s attention around here.”

“It’s me, Violet. It’s Cole.”

My heart skipped a beat at the sound of Cole’s voice, but anger quickly built up inside of me. I pushed the button back to reply. “I’ve been trying to call you for the past two days, Cole. What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to talk,” he buzzed back. “Will you let me in so we can talk in privacy?”

Something was off about his voice. I couldn’t place it. For a moment, I hesitated in letting him come up. I had no idea what Cole was thinking, but from the grave tone of his voice, it wasn’t going to end well for me. I clung to hope still. He showed up. That was a start compared to the past two days of complete silence.

“Fine,” I said. “The door is unlocked. You can let yourself in.”

I pushed the button again before taking a seat on the couch. My stomach churned nervously as a minute stretched by before Cole opened the door to the apartment. He looked like hell too from the shadow of the beard on his jaw along with his messy hair. Dark bags circled his eyes as he closed the door behind himself. Neither one of us said a word as he took a seat next to me on the couch with a gap of space between us. That gap felt like the Grand Canyon. Cold waves radiated off of Cole as he stared down at the shag rug beneath my coffee table.

I didn’t know what to say, so I waited anxiously for Cole to say something first.

“Have you told anyone about the baby yet?” he asked, quietly.

“No,” I whispered, shaking my head. “I, um, made an appointment though, for next week. I read that’s what you’re supposed to do.”

Cole nodded sharply. “That’d be a good idea to go. You still aren’t willing to give this baby up, are you?”

“I don’t think so,” I said, twisting my hands together to get rid of the chill in my fingers. “I don’t know, Cole. I just never thought that this would happen, or that I would ever have to think about what I would want to do in a situation like this.”

“You lied to me about the pill, Violet. That’s part of being responsible when it comes having a sexual relationship with someone.”

Hurt filled his voice. I reached out to touch him on the shoulder, but Cole drew back as though I slapped him. The gesture stung deep. I let my hand fall uselessly between us.

“I know. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you. It’s just like I said. I didn’t think it would happen. I know that doesn’t make sense—”

“It doesn’t make sense to me at all,” Cole blurted out and turned to look at me with angry and exhausted eyes. “You’re a smart girl, Violet. What were you thinking? That having unprotected sex wouldn’t ever get you into trouble?”

Tears finally slipped from my eyes as I stared at him desperately. “Of course not! I just wanted you so much that I wasn’t thinking straight about birth control. I don’t know what I was thinking besides that I loved you. That was all I cared about at that time. That’s all I care about now.”

“This is going to destroy us,” Cole said. “You get that, right? Your parents are going to flip the fuck out once they find out the truth about this baby, or what has been going on behind their backs.”

“I don’t care about that,” I cried, shaking my head. “You don’t get it. I just want my own life away from them. I want a life with you! This could be a good thing if we really think about it.”

“Do you honestly want a baby at twenty-two years old, Violet?”

I grimaced at the question. “No. I didn’t want.”

“That’s my point. Having a baby is a huge responsibility.” Cole shook his head as he looked at me with a blank expression. “I’m sorry for how I reacted the other night, Violet, but you have to understand what this is going to do to both of us.”

“What would that be?” I asked angrily. “I’m tired of being told that I’m too young to understand what it means to carry on a relationship with you. I’m not that young.”

“You are young compared to me,” he corrected grimly. “I’ve been through a lot with women. You are just beginning that adventure, and I don’t want to be responsible for ruining the rest of your life.”

“You aren’t going to ruin my life, though. Why can’t you see that?”

“Because I see that I’m going to. You don’t even know if you want to keep this baby yet. I can see it in your eyes. You don’t know what you want to do, and that’s perfectly fine at this time in your life.”

Nerves grated from the lack of sleep and puking my guts out for the past few days, I caught Cole’s eyes to stare him down. I poured every ounce of my feelings into that stare, but he didn’t back down. His guard was up, higher than normal, and that’s when a voice told me to brace myself for what he was about to say. I could feel it through the pounding of my heart when Cole finally looked away with a resigned sigh.

“I don’t think this should go anywhere further,” he said quietly. “It’s already gone too far, Violet. We need to stop seeing each other before anything else happens.”

My whole world came crashing into me. It was like I had been stabbed a thousand times and would now never be able to get up.

Chapter 21

Cole

 

 

Sobs tore from Violet’s beautiful lips. Hurt flashed in her eyes as she bowed her head to cry into her hands.

It broke my heart to see it, but I had to distance myself now. I had no other fucking choice. Violet was pregnant with my baby, and now I would have to explain to her parents that I was the father. I was the one responsible for their daughter’s sleepless nights as she tried to navigate through the confusing emotions of our relationship.

Relationship. The word tasted bitter on my tongue now. Violet was only twenty-two years old. She was just beginning to experience the world, and now we had a baby being born in the middle of this fucked up mess that I never should’ve let happen.

“I’m sorry,” Violet sobbed, curling up in a ball next to me on the couch. “I’m sorry that I lied to you about the pills, Cole. I just—I just wanted to be with you. You have to understand that.”

Those words clawed at my heart in the worst way possible. I was still numb with the thought of having a kid. I never pictured myself as a father, either. That had been Alan’s calling when he told me about Gloria’s pregnancy twenty-one years ago. I never wanted kids. Neither did Stephanie, so we never tried to expand our family. It was a mixed blessing with our divorce. We were the only ones left to deal with our bitterness and resentment, but it was lonely at the same time.

Nonetheless, a baby being born in this type of situation was not a good idea. Not when I knew how Violet’s parents were going to react, or how everyone else around me at the office would react. We were treading on thin ice that was ready to collapse from beneath us.

I couldn’t take any more of Violet’s heart-wrenching cries. It occurred to me that while I felt frightened at the prospect of having a kid unexpectedly, I could handle everything financially. My job had nothing to do with my personal life. I had security for the future at the cost of my personal life, but I could deal with a bit of gossip. I’ve dealt with it before, but Violet wouldn’t survive it.

The only financial security she had was her parent’s wealth, and there was no doubt in my mind that Gloria would rip that away because of the scandal. Gloria cared about her reputation so much that she put it above her own daughter’s well-being at times.

Reaching forward, I stroked Violet’s tangled blonde hair back from her pale face. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy when she looked up at me through her fingers. She was utterly devastated and terrified. I could read it on her face as she sat up to look at me with a small glimmer of hope which made me feel even more guilty. I had rehearsed what I wanted to tell Violet on the drive to her apartment.

“Whatever you decide to do, I will support you,” I said. “The baby, too. I won’t turn my back on my own kid if you decide to keep the baby.”

“I-I-I don’t know what I’m going to do yet,” Violet said, pulling herself up into a sitting position. “I honestly never thought that this would happen, Cole. Please believe me.”

I stared into her sincere eyes, but I couldn’t bring myself to fully believe that Violet didn’t think about birth control. Everything was moving lightning fast between us, and I had a feeling that she had gotten caught up in her own fantasies. This was a reality, though. I was twice her age with a multibillion dollar business underneath my belt, along with other investments. I was divorced and bitter from everything that happened.

“You have a little bit of time to think about what you want to do,” I said. “How far along do you think you are?”

“Maybe only a couple of weeks at the most.”

“You have some time to think about what you want to do. I have some time to think about it too, but let me get you something just in case you do decide the alternative.”

“What alternative?” Violet asked.

I pulled out my checkbook. I scribbled my name down on the bottom. It felt as though someone was digging a knife into my gut as I handed the blank check over to Violet. This was the one thing I had prided myself on for the past year that I never once had to do, but now it was staring me straight in the face.

Violet took the check with a frown. “What is this for?”

“If you decide to end the pregnancy,” I said, and she looked up at me sharply. “Whatever the amount is, or wherever you go, I’ll cover it. I can afford to do it.”

“Fuck no,” Violet spat viciously. She tossed the blank check back at me. “How can you be so cold about this, Cole? I didn’t even consider this as an option.”

Frustration tore through me. My tumult of emotions was getting the best of me again.

“What do you want to do, then?” I demanded, taking the check back to stuff it in my wallet. “What’s your plan here, Violet?”

Violet’s eyes filled with tears again, but this time, they were angry tears. She wiped at the edge of her nose with the sleeve of her sweater as she glared at me.

“I’m keeping this baby,” she said firmly. “I don’t care what people think, or what my family is going to think. I love you, okay? I want to have this baby with you.”

“Violet—”

“That’s my answer to your question. You wanted to know what my plan is. There you go. I’m keeping this baby, and I refuse to see it as a bad thing. No matter what you tell me, or what anyone else tells me.”

“Calm down,” I said, running a hand through my hair in aggravation. “If you’re going to keep the baby, then I’ll help you with the baby. I didn’t know what you were wanting to do.”

“Is that the only reason why you came here tonight?” Violet asked bitterly. “To see if I was going to keep the baby, or to check up on me to make sure I didn’t go tell my parents?”

I gritted my teeth at her petulant attitude. Hormones. She was hormonal, but also afraid of the reason why I was here. No matter how much of a defensive front she put up, I knew at the end of the day, she cared about what her parents thought. The three of them were close and had been Violet’s entire life.

“I wanted to make sure you were okay, but you know why I’m here, too.” Violet turned her head to stare down at the floor to hide her tears again. “I just think it’d be a good idea for us to stop seeing each other until we figure things out. This a situation where we can’t just jump into it blind, you know?”

“I guess,” Violet muttered through her tears. “You’re going to end this now, aren’t you? That’s why you came here.”

“I don’t want to end this,” I said. My heart was already shattered in my chest. I didn’t want to think about leaving Violet here all alone with our baby growing in her stomach, but this was for the best. We both needed the time to think. “You need the time to think about what you want to do. Not what I would want.”

“You’re saying that we should stop seeing each other?”

I reached forward to place a hand on her bent knee. Her leg tensed beneath my touch, but she didn’t pull away, either.

“That’s what I am saying,” I said quietly. “I don’t want to hurt you anymore, Violet. I’m not good at relationships. My last relationship ended up in divorce.” Her shoulders quivered.

“And no matter what you tell me,” I said. “I know how much you care about your parents. I care about them, too. This entire thing isn’t just about us. I know your father is going to be very angry over this entire thing.”

“They’d have to get used to it eventually,” Violet whispered. “I’m pregnant. There’s nothing that is going to take that back. Not even how furious my parents get with you.”

“You’re right, but for now, I think it’s a good idea if we take some time away from each other. Take the rest of the week off to get some rest.”

“What about my job, though?”

“I’ll arrange for working from home option for you so that you can work from here for some time,” I replied, squeezing her knee. “You really do need to stay here and take care of yourself, Violet. I can see that you don’t feel good. When’s the last time you were able to keep food down?”

Violet shifted her knee away from my hand. “I haven’t been able to eat at all. I throw it all up.”

“Try to keep yourself healthy as much as possible.”

My phone buzzed from inside of my pants pocket. I pulled it out to read the text message from my driver waiting outside of Violet’s apartment.

“I have to go, Vi,” I said. “You can call me anytime that you need me to do something.”

“I need you to stay here with me right now,” Violet said, desperation clinging to her voice. “Can’t you just stay here with me? We could talk some more?”

I rose from the couch, despite my heart urging me to sit back down. If I stayed, I would never be able to leave. Just staring down at Violet with her blonde hair tangled, eyes puffy and blood-shot with fear, tugged hard on my heart strings. I definitely had to leave. Just kiss her goodbye before you fuck something else up in the process.

“I have to go,” I said. “I missed work today thinking about what to do. I have a few meetings to get to back at the office.”

Leaning forward, I pressed a kiss on Violet’s forehead. She didn’t try to reach for me like I expected when I pulled away. For some reason, that stung worse than watching her curl up in a ball again to cry. I forced myself to open the door to her apartment and turned to look at her one last time before saying, “I know this feels fucked up, but I’m doing this to give you some time to think. I need the time to think too. Both of us need it to make a rational decision here.”

Violet didn’t respond. She rolled over to her side, grabbing hold of a blanket folded on the couch to drape it over herself. I shut her apartment door with a heavy sigh.

Manhattan was buzzing with energy for a Tuesday night when I told my driver to pull back into Crayton, Inc’s private parking garage. I took the elevator back up to my office to find the cleaning crew already there for the night. They waved to me as I passed by them before I opened my office.

The silence felt good when I closed the door behind me. A headache pounded furiously in my temples as I clicked the lights on before heading to my desk for some aspirin and a glass of whiskey. Four meetings tomorrow morning, and all I could think about was Violet back at her small apartment terrified and upset because of me. All because of me.

“I’m the biggest fucking dick in the world,” I growled, slamming the palm of my hand down on the desk.

Pain shot up my arm. I had to bite that damn apple to see what it would taste like, and I had liked the taste too fucking much. We were both stuck in a fucked up situation that I had no idea how we were going to navigate through.

If Violet did decide to keep the baby, I knew what would happen. Her father would want to kill me the second he laid eyes on me when he realized that he had trusted the wrong man with his daughter’s well-being. Then, there would be the gossip that spread like wildfire throughout the lonely housewives of the Hamptons before it reached the tabloids. Everyone would know then that Violet Summers had been knocked up by me.

I ran a hand down the side of my face as I poured myself a glass of whiskey. Gloria would be the one behind all of the gossip and rumors because attention was attention. I never told Alan my dislike for Gloria’s obsession with social stature along with maintaining a sparkly image. Her obsession put pressure on Violet, who in return, turned away from anything like that.

I didn’t know what was going to happen. A part of my heart belonged to Violet. That much I knew for sure, but it was a first for me to be in a situation that I didn’t know how to handle. My phone buzzed on my desk, and I picked it up reluctantly to read the text message from Violet.

I don’t need to think about what to do. I’ll be in the office first thing in the morning to get my things. If you want to join me, which I think you do, I’m going to take the day off. And then resume work again. That is if you want me to.

“Damn it, Violet,” I muttered, tossing my phone down on the desk. “Why do you have to make this even more fucking complicated? Why can’t you just follow what I’m trying to tell you?”

I knew it was pointless trying to tell her to stay clear of the office tomorrow. She had something in mind, and there was nothing that I could say to change it.

Chapter 22

Violet

 

 

I had the worst week of my entire life. I could hardly eat or function. It was as if I was moving through jelly. Trying to move forward and move on with my life, but not really being able to. Everything seemed so bleak and hopeless. I wasn’t hungry at all, but I knew I had to eat for the baby’s sake. So, I forced myself to eat. I knew it wouldn’t be good for the baby if I starved myself.

I woke up, went to work, came home, and slept. That was my daily routine. That seemed like all I knew how to do. There was a giant hole in my chest, leaving me to feel hollow. I knew this whole thing was my fault, but that knowledge didn’t make things easier for me.

I couldn’t help the pain and the guilt that filled me. I had lost everything I had ever wanted through my own decision to lie and my own stupid choice. I wished that I had never ever opened my mouth and said anything at all.

I woke up on Saturday morning. I wanted to get out of the house, but other than going to work, it had been so hard to get myself to do anything at all. But I woke up with this deep need to just get out of the house and do something. Anything at all. Even if it was just a walk.

So that’s what I did.

I forced down some breakfast and got dressed. Then, I walked out of my house and began my walk. I walked just aimlessly down the street, taking whatever way I felt like. I had no planned course, and fifteen minutes later, I ended up near Central Park.

I walked through the park, mindlessly strolling along a path. The fresh air and scenery should have helped me think more clearly, but all that it did was bring Cole back to the forefront of my thoughts. Thinking of him made me want to cry, scream, and punch something. The emotions pulsing through me were more than I was able to handle.

I wanted things to be okay. I wanted them to be fixed, and I wanted to be able to talk to him again. I wanted to be able to open up and tell him everything. I just wanted to feel his arms wrapped around me and to hear his strong, confident voice to tell me everything was going to work out somehow.

As I left the park, I saw a coffee shop and decided to stop in and get some. I could have one cup per day while pregnant, and I hadn’t had any today. I desperately needed the caffeine, and I needed something to keep my mind off Cole.

As I was waited in line to order my coffee, someone came in behind me. I turned to look and felt sick as soon as I saw who it was. Michael Foster. He was there in the same coffee shop as me at the same time as me. In a place where I hardly ever came. And the first place I had really gone to in a while.

If it wasn’t for bad luck, I wouldn’t have any luck at all.

I wasn’t prepared for this. I didn’t want to have to talk to him ever again. Now we were shoved inside this little coffee shop together. I tried my best to ignore him, but it was like a big slap in the face. My stomach felt sick again.

“Hello, Violet,” he said.

His voice reminded me of a villain from a movie. The way he said, “Hello Violet.” It was creepy and just rubbed me the wrong way.

I had to fight the urge to throw up everywhere. I swallowed hard and tried my hardest to ignore him.

“You can’t even say ‘hello’ now?” he asked in a snarky tone.

I cringed. “Hi,” I said, not holding back my attitude.

I didn’t want to talk to him, but I didn’t want him to cause a scene, either. I didn’t want to play these childish games with him. And I really didn’t want to sit here and have to associate myself with him anymore. I was beginning to plan my exit.

He laughed. The fucker actually had the balls to laugh at me. The pregnancy hormones were making it very hard to stand in front of him and not just punch him in the face.

The line began to move forward, and I moved with it. Hoping that he wouldn’t talk to me anymore, I kept my attention focused in front of me. I stared up at the drink menu, even though I already knew what I wanted. It helped to keep me distracted.

“I haven’t seen you around recently,” he said in an almost whisper.

I clenched my fists. I wasn’t in the mood to play games with him. Hell, I wasn’t even in the mood to be within the same 500-foot range of him. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm myself down.

And then he said something even worse. Something I hadn’t been expecting and something that caused me to hold everything in so that I wouldn’t splash hot coffee in his face the moment I got my order. He wasn’t worth wasting three dollars on.

He leaned into me closer and said, “Seems like the boss man gets tired of his floozies pretty quickly since you’re clearly out the door.”

I turned slowly and looked him dead in the eye. “Go fuck yourself,” I said and rushed out of there.

I could get coffee somewhere else. I wasn’t going to stay anywhere near where he was. It wasn’t worth it. It was putting more stress on me and my baby than I needed right now.

I walked quickly back home. I tried to fight the tears the entire way. I didn’t want to be that girl. The one that everybody sees crying on the streets of NYC. No one wants to be that girl. I sure as hell didn’t want to be her. And I wasn’t going to allow myself to be her.

My heart was bleeding already, and it felt like Michael had taken a fistful of salt and rubbed it in the wounds. Making it hurt more. Making it feel even more real. I wanted the world to end so the pain would go away. I wanted Cole to speak to me again, dammit.

I rushed into my house and shut the door behind me. And tears came quickly after. I was alone and could allow myself to cry at least for a moment. As long as I didn’t have to see or talk to anyone, I was going to be okay. I could cry and no one would know. I wouldn’t even have to feel ashamed. At least, that’s what I was hoping for. But as soon as the tears really started coming down, my phone started to ring.

I looked down at it in surprise. It was my mom. It was almost as if she knew when something was wrong with me. It was kind of bothering me that I couldn’t just be left alone for too long. I wiped my eyes, even though I knew she wouldn’t be able to see them, and I blew my nose. I answered the phone right before it went to voicemail.

“Hey, Mom,” I said, trying hard to keep my voice from cracking.

She did not need to know that I had been crying. It wasn’t going to get us anywhere at all. She pried too much, and it wasn’t out of concern for my well-being. She didn’t care about my feelings. All she cared about was her image. I didn’t want to have to talk to her about anything. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to tell her I was pregnant.

“Violet,” she said. There was a hint of bitterness in her tone, and I didn’t quite know what that was about.

“What’s wrong, Mom?” I asked.

“One of the nurses told her friend who lives in the Hamptons who told someone else, who told… Anyway, that doesn’t matter. What matters is it got back to me, and I was the very last person to even find out about it.”

“What is it, Mom?” I asked.

I was trying to hide the irritation in my voice, but I couldn’t help it. I hated that my mom always felt the need to play mind games with me. To drag me along some “you-know-what-you-did-but-I’m-not-saying” path. I hated it. When she didn’t respond, I cleared my throat and asked her again. “What is it, Mom? What did you hear?”

“That you’re pregnant!” she yelled through the phone.

Oh shit, I thought. I was fucked. I hadn’t had a chance to figure out how I was going to tell her. I had no idea what I was going to say to anyone really. And now, she found out through other people. This was going to be bad.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” she yelled.

“Mom, calm down,” I said. I wanted her to just listen to my story. I wanted and needed her to be a real mother for once. I desperately wanted to talk to my mom about the way I was feeling. And she wouldn’t let me.

“How can I calm down? I’m humiliated. Do you know what it’s like for me to find out that my daughter is pregnant from other people? From a long list of other people?”

She was livid. I could tell. And I really didn’t want to get third-degree from my mother about my choices as an adult.

After the week I had, I didn’t want to deal with that at all. Especially not after the Michael fiasco at the coffee shop just an hour ago. It was all too much. I didn’t want to deal with her screaming and yelling at me anymore.

“How the fuck did this happen, Violet? I demand to know what you were thinking.” Her voice was cold, and I hated that she even found out.

“It was someone at work,” I said. “I don’t want to talk about it, Mom.” There was a bite to my words, but I didn’t care.

“You will talk about it. You will tell me right now who it is!” She was angry, and I didn’t think she had any right to be this angry or upset with me. She knew nothing of my life. She refused to get close to me or let me get close to her for that matter.

And that was when I had had enough. I hung up on her. She called me back immediately, and I hit the “reject” button. I didn’t want to talk to her. I didn’t really want to talk to anyone at all. This whole thing was only making me feel lonelier and more isolated.

When my mom called back for the fifth time in a row, I shut my phone off and threw it across the room.

I trudged my way over to my bed and crawled into it. I felt so ashamed and empty. I curled up under the blankets desperate to block everything out. I wanted to lock myself away from the world and not have to worry about or deal with anything anymore. I was officially done at that point.

My mind instantly went to Cole. I wondered what he was doing and if he was thinking about me, too. Did he miss me? Did he want to figure things out? Did he hate me? It hurt my heart so much that I couldn’t just pick up the phone and call him. I let the tears fall down my face, streaming and not slowing down. I just let myself cry. And I cried the rest of the day away. I couldn’t help it. I had never felt so lost and alone before in my life.

Chapter 23

Cole

 

 

It had been the worst week of my life. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Violet. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the way I left her.

I constantly wondered how she was. Did I make the right decision? Was she still sad? Was she sick? Was she happy? Was she scared? What pregnant woman wasn’t scared to have their first child? But I was worried about her nonetheless. No matter how much I tried to reason with myself, I still felt shitty.

I missed her more than anything I had ever missed in my life. I had been thinking about her constantly. She was stuck in my head, and no matter what I did, I couldn’t seem to get her out of there.

I hadn’t been able to eat or sleep. My entire life seemed to be consumed with thoughts and worries about her. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could actually go on like this. It was as if a giant piece of my heart was missing, and half the time, I couldn’t even seem to breathe properly.

On Sunday, I left my building, needing to burn off some of this restless energy. My swirling thoughts had me feeling like a caged animal. I needed to do something, or I was going to lose my fucking mind.

I walked down the street with no conscious destination in mind. I just walked straight and turned, walked straight and turned. I wasn’t sure where I was headed to or what I was going to do when I got there. But when I stopped, I realized exactly where I was and what I was going to do.

I was outside of Violet’s apartment. This had been my goal the whole time, even though I hadn’t been able to admit it to myself. I buzzed her apartment.

“Yeah?” she called through the intercom, and my heart just about leaped out of my chest.

“It’s me. Can I come up?” I said into the speaker.

She didn’t respond, but I heard the familiar buzzing sound and the door clicked open. I stepped into the lobby, went to the elevators, and pressed the button for her floor.

My palms were sweaty, and I mostly knew what I was going to say to her. But I was still nervous as hell. I didn’t know how she was going to react or what she was going to say. Or even what the hell she was thinking. But she let me up, and I had to hold onto that as a little glimmer of hope in our sad and shitty situation. When I stepped out of the elevator, I walked to her door. I took a deep breath and then knocked. The door opened within a matter of seconds, and she pulled me in.

There was no hesitation. Our mouths found each other right away. Our tongues were entangled. It was hot. She was only wearing a pair of lacy black panties and a t-shirt. I wanted her, but more than that, I wanted to talk to her.

“Wait,” I said and pulled back. I looked down into her gorgeous eyes. The ones that I could get lost in again and again. And that’s when I realized just how much I really missed her.

“What?” she asked, looking a little worried.

“I’m so sorry for what I said. I’ll forgive you for just about anything. I forgive you for this, but do you forgive me? I’m so sorry. I made a mistake, and I want nothing more than for you to be mine once again. I miss you, Violet.”

Her eyes filled with tears, and I thought she was going to break down crying and shaking again, but she didn’t. Instead, a single tear fell down one cheek, and she grabbed my face and kissed me. The kiss was hotter and more intense. I could taste the sexual desire there between us. It was strong.

She stopped kissing me for one minute and mumbled one little word. “Yes.”

Then we went right back to kissing. I started to kiss down her neck and felt her squirm some. I stood back and grabbed her shirt by the hem. She lifted her arms up as I lifted her shirt up and over her head.

I stared at her in front of me with a smile on my face, admiring her almost naked body. The only thing she had on was her panties. I grabbed her and pulled her into me, kissing her hard on the lips. I went back to trailing light kisses down her chin, neck, and chest. I stopped at her breasts.

“Can I play?” I asked. I knew pregnant women had sensitive tits, and I didn’t want to bother her if that was the case. I didn’t want to ruin the moment by accidentally hurting her.

She nodded her head, and I took her right nipple into my mouth. I sucked gently on it. It was darker than normal, but it was still sexy and perfect. I moved my mouth to her left nipple, sucking it into my mouth. I rolled her right nipple between my thumb and forefinger, and she moaned.

She grabbed my hand and led me back to her bedroom. I could watch her walk in just panties all day every day and I would die a happy, happy man. She had the most perfect ass I had ever seen on anyone before in my life.

She was so fucking hot. It was hard to keep my hands off her while we walked. I just wanted to grab her and shove my dick inside of her. Everything about her sexy little body made my dick twitch. It made me want her more and more.

When we got to her room, we sat on the bed and went right back to kissing. It was hot and needy and rushed. I paused to take my shirt off, and she started to undo my pants. She pulled my dick out and dropped to her knees in front of me. It was so fucking hot to see her like that.

I looked down at her as she made eye contact with me. She bit her lip, and I felt a tingle in my dick. Then she opened her mouth and placed it around the head of my cock.

“Oh fuck,” I moaned. It felt good. Even though it was just the tip of my dick in her mouth, it still felt fucking good. She started to lick it. Just across the tip and then around the edge of it.

I moaned again. The way she worked her tongue around my cock was heaven.

Then I felt her begin to fully take my dick into her mouth. I felt it hit the back of her throat, and she gagged. She was so fucking good at that. Better than I had ever felt in my life. I smiled and placed a hand on the back of her head. I helped move her head up and down along my cock. Making her take it all the way in and then out of her mouth. It was hot and turning me on so bad.

I wanted to feel her pussy. I wanted to feel her come. I wanted to fill her with my come. We didn’t have to worry about pregnancy since she was already pregnant. So, it made me feel a lot more relaxed.

I grabbed her hair and pulled her head back. “I wanna feel you,” I said.

I was far too horny to fuck around with too much foreplay. I just wanted to be deep inside of her pussy.

“Are you sure?” she asked, rubbing her hand along the length of my cock.

I nodded my head. “If you want me to fuck you that is.”

I was getting antsy waiting for her reply. I wanted to pick her up and bend her over and just start fucking her. I had never had a woman turn me on as bad as she did. Fuck, I just wanted to get inside of her so badly.

She nodded her head and quickly rose to her feet, almost as if she had been waiting her whole life to have a chance to get fucked by me. She got onto the bed and removed her panties, shooting them in my direction. I caught them and smiled at her. I dropped my pants and boxers and climbed onto the bed.

“Are you ready?” I asked.

She nodded her head.

“Good, I’m going to fuck you so good,” I whispered to her.

Her legs were spread, and I was between them, getting ready to slide inside of her. I put a hand up to her pussy, rubbing her clit with my forefinger and middle fingers. She wiggled her hips against me and moaned. It was so fucking hot.

I slid a finger down and inside of her tight pussy. She was so wet already. Her pussy was so warm and tight, and I couldn’t get enough of it. I loved feeling the inside of her. Though it was driving me crazy that my cock wasn’t already shoved up inside of it.

“You’re so fucking wet,” I said.

She nodded her head. “I’m always wet for you,” she said, panting.

I lined my dick up with her hole and pressed gently, sort of teasing her. I didn’t press in so that I slid inside of her. Instead, I grabbed my dick with my hands and began to massage the tip of it along her clit. She writhed her body and moaned softly.

“Fuck me,” she said. Her voice was so hot and needy. It made my dick twitch.

“What was that?” I asked.

“Fuck me,” she said. “Please fuck me.”

“Alright,” I said and then lined my cock up with her hole again. I could feel her wetness on the tip of my dick, and I was ready to start fucking her tight pussy. I pressed hard and fast and slid right inside of her. I pressed further so that my entire dick went up inside of her pussy.

It was so tightly wrapped around my cock, squeezing it. I thrust in and out of her, going harder and harder. Her pussy felt so fucking good that I just couldn’t help myself. I began to thrust harder and harder, faster and faster.

“I missed your tight little pussy,” I said as I grabbed her legs and put each of them on my shoulders. I was ready to get after it. To go hard and fuck her brains out. I wanted to drive her wild with my cock. I wanted to make her scream and beg for more.

“I missed you and your cock,” she said in a moan.

I reached a hand down and began to massage her clit with my thumb. I moved it back and forth in a fast motion. Matching the pace at which I was beginning to fuck her. She moaned louder and louder and began to move her hips along with me.

I could feel myself on the verge of coming already and couldn’t believe it. I didn’t want it to go this fast. Especially since she hadn’t even come yet. I paused and pulled myself out. I had to stop for a minute. To slow myself down. To make myself last longer for her.

I wanted nothing more than to come inside of her. Right then and there. I wanted to just let it go and fill her up. But where was the fun in that? I had never been a fan of quickies. It went by way too fast, and this girl deserved more than that. She deserved to have multiple orgasms. She deserved to have her legs feel like they were jelly.

I rubbed my cock on her clit some more. I was going crazy, but I wanted to make her come. I needed to watch her eyes light up as she rode my cock.

Chapter 24

Violet

 

 

I was lying there as Cole’s dick was out of me. He had pulled out, and now, he was just teasing me with the tip of his dick again. It wasn’t fair, but I figured that he was just trying to prolong things. That he might have been a lot closer to coming than I was. And I thought it was sweet that he always wanted to make sure I got mine first.

“Do you want me to fuck you any other way?” he asked.

I nodded my head. “Let me get on top,” I said.

“That’s exactly what I was thinking,” he said and moved so that he could lay down on the bed.

I moved so I could straddle him, swinging one leg over him. I slowly lowered myself down, and I reached behind me and grabbed his dick, holding it up. I aimed my pussy right for it. I slid down right onto his cock, feeling it fill me, stretch me.

It felt so good. I moaned, and my breathing hitched. I held my breath as I began to move my pussy on his cock. It was so huge and was shoved so deep inside of me. It hurt but in a good way.

Fuck, this feels so good. This feels better than the last time we fucked. I began to move my body, rolling it as I rode him.

He grabbed my hips, and I started rocking them back and forth. I went slowly at first, grinding into him as I did so. I felt every single inch of him shoved inside of me, and it was so fucking hot. I started to pick up my pace, and he helped move my hips in the same motion. Over and over. Back and forth. His dick was shoved so tightly into my pussy.

“I love this. I love your cock,” I moaned. “It feels so fucking good.”

“I love your tight little pussy,” he said back to me.

I smiled at him, leaned forward, and grabbed onto his arms with each of my hands. I started to bounce myself up and down on him, taking him hard and deep inside of me. It felt so good. He put his hands up and reached for my tits. He grabbed onto them. They were a little sensitive, so I cringed a bit, but it wasn’t bad.

He pulled on my nipples while I moved my body up and down on his cock, faster and faster. It felt so good, and I felt like I was going to go crazy. I wanted to come already. I was so close.

“Are you going to come for me, baby?” he asked. His voice was low and husky. It was full of lust and so fucking hot.

I moaned again.

I moved my body a little faster, up and down, back and forth, grinding into him hard. I worked his cock hard and fast, and suddenly, I felt myself hitting that perfect spot. The one that pushed me over the edge and caused me to feel like I was flying, floating through the air. My toes curled, and I closed my eyes.

“Oh, fuck,” I moaned. “I’m fucking coming.”

“Come for me,” he said, grabbing my hips and moving me on him harder. Making my orgasm just a little better, a little more intense. My clit was throbbing hard, and my body felt numb. It was such a rush.

As I came down from my orgasm, Cole wrapped his arms around my back and pulled me forward on him, so our chests were touching. He began to fuck me hard, thrusting his cock in and out of me.

“Oh my God,” I whispered in his ear. “That feels so fucking good.”

He started to thrust harder and faster. His cock slid in and out of me at a fast pace, rubbing against my special spot. I was starting to get close again.

“Oh my God, fuck me harder,” I moaned. “Fuck me harder. Make me come again. I’m so close.”

But he stopped, and suddenly, I was on my back, and he was on top.

“Roll onto your stomach,” he said.

I did as he asked. I laid on my stomach, and I felt his cock pressing into my pussy from behind. I started to get onto my knees to give him a better angle, but he pushed me back down.

“Like this,” he said. “I want to fuck you like this.”

I relaxed my body and turned my head to the side, propped up on a pillow. I felt him begin to enter me. It felt so fucking good. My pussy felt so much tighter in this position, and he felt a lot bigger, too. His cock was stretching me, threatening to tear me open. It was the most amazing feeling in the world.

“Oh my God,” I moaned.

“Holy shit, you’re so fucking tight like this,” he said as he began to thrust in and out of me.

My pussy was gripping onto his cock. I could feel each and every inch of him sliding around inside of me. It was mind blowing. My eyes were rolling back in my head, and I was soaking up every second of this feeling of him shoved inside of me.

Oh, my God. It felt so good. The width of him. The length of him. Everything about him was perfect. My legs were pressed together. The feeling was driving me wild. He started moving in and out of me, faster and faster.

He grabbed my ass cheeks, squeezing hard, and I let out a soft moan.

I laid here, letting him fuck me senseless. I didn’t dare move because I was so focused on how amazing everything felt, and how I wanted him to fuck me more like this.

He leaned down near my ear. “You like when I fuck you like this?” he asked.

I nodded my head because I couldn’t speak. It felt so amazing that my brain couldn’t tell my mouth what words to say. I just wanted to lay here and focus on his cock until he made me come. Until I felt him come.

I was getting into it, feeling him sliding in and out of me a little faster, a little harder, and he stopped again.

“Holy shit, I’m going to come,” he said.

“Then come,” I said, finally able to speak again because I didn’t have the feeling of his cock shoved so deeply inside of me to distract my mouth from actually speaking.

“No, not until you come again,” he said. “Get back on top.”

I felt him pull out of me. I wanted to whine at the feeling of loss. This had felt so amazing, and I hadn’t wanted him to stop. But he had. He laid back down on his back, and I climbed back onto his cock. I shoved him inside of me before he even realized what I had been doing. I couldn’t wait anymore. I was so close. Two times I had been about to come and he just stopped. He pulled me into him again, like we had been doing, and he started fucking me, moving his cock in and out of my pussy.

He’s so fucking good at this, I found myself thinking. I never wanted to go more than a day without feeling his cock inside of me. I loved the feeling of our bodies pressed together like this, entangled with one another, and the extreme pleasure that his cock brought me.

He started fucking me harder and faster. I could feel every bit of him sliding around inside of me. He went harder and harder, and it felt better and better. Suddenly, we were both over the edge - together. Floating through the air, our bodies pressed hard into each other. My clit throbbed again while his cock was throbbing inside of me.

“Oh my God,” I moaned. I was loud, but I didn’t care if my neighbors heard or not. I was really enjoying the amazing makeup sex we were having. I was really enjoying the second orgasm I was currently having. Moaning loudly helped me enjoy it more. And I knew it made Cole happy when I got loud. Because then he really knew how good I was feeling. He would know that he gave me another amazing and mind-blowing orgasm.

An orgasm that felt better than any I had ever had through masturbation. I loved his cock so fucking much. I wanted to feel it shoved inside of my pussy all of the time.

When we both came down, I rolled off of him, and we laid there together on our sides, just staring into each other’s eyes.

“I’m glad you’re here,” I said, smiling at him.

“Because you came twice?” he asked with a smile.

I lightly hit him in the arm. “No, because I really missed you.”

We didn’t speak for a few minutes. We just soaked up the feelings that were flowing through us. We stared into each other’s eyes, and I felt myself growing even more attached to him. I was finally feeling happy for the first time in over a week.

All I ever needed was him.

He was all I had ever wanted in my life. Even if I had never noticed it.

“I’m sorry, again,” I said.

“Don’t be. Now that we are together again. None of the bullshit matters anymore. Just know that I’m here for you, no matter what. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” I said, scooting closer to him.

He shifted himself and was angled in a weird way. It took me a second to realize what he was doing and that’s when I laid flat on my back and then he put his lips to my stomach.

He did it again, leaving a few small kisses over my skin. They were gentle and the single sweetest thing I had ever experienced in my life.

“I’m excited for the baby,” he said. “For our baby.”

I was still feeling the effects of my orgasm. The afterglow. And maybe it was the hormones, too, but tears were threatening to break through. They were happy tears, but I didn’t want to cry right now. I was far too exhausted. Plus, I didn’t want him to think that he did something wrong.

I smiled at him as he laid his head down on my stomach. He pressed his ear to it, and even though I knew he couldn’t hear anything, and I figured he also knew this, it was still so sweet. He was being so affectionate toward not just me, but our unborn child.

He placed his hand on my stomach. “I’m going to be here for you and our baby. I’m not ever going to go anywhere. I want you to know that. I love you with all of my heart and this baby, too.”

I looked at him, staring into his eyes, and I could feel that he was telling me nothing but the truth.

“That means so much to me,” I said and began to rub his head with my hand. I did truly love this man and everything he stood for.

Things might have been a little rough between us, but I knew that if the lies stopped and I started being up front and honest with him, things would only become better and better between us.

“I’m so glad you came over tonight,” I said.

“I am, too,” he said. And his smile told me just how much he really believed that was true.

It filled my heart with so much joy, to be here with him like this. To know that we could work through everything and make it all work out. We were good together, and I knew we could raise this baby perfectly together.

Chapter 25

Cole

 

 

It was Friday night. Violet and I were in the car on the way to her parents’ house, and I just couldn’t seem to keep my hands off of her. She looked so beautiful in the white cocktail dress she wore. She looked drop dead gorgeous. It was going to be a little weird since they had no idea about her and me. But it was time to let them know what was going on.

Since she was pregnant, I noticed a beautiful glow about her. She was the most beautiful pregnant woman I had ever seen.

We were headed to have dinner at her parents’ house. They had invited me there to thank me for something, and I had to admit how nervous I was. After she told me about the conversations she had with her mom the previous Saturday, I couldn’t help but be a little worried about what was going to happen between her family and me. Especially between Alan and me. We went back so far. We had always been good friends.

“You look gorgeous,” I said to her as I stared at her. I soaked up this moment. I soaked up every moment I had alone with her. Every moment I looked at her.

I wanted to really look deep into her eyes and study all the features of her face. Those were my favorite moments.

She smiled. “You look very handsome,” she said.

“Thanks,” I said.

She seemed nervous, too. Now, I was wondering what she could be thinking about. Was she worried about her parents? Did she want to tell them? Did she not?

“What’s wrong?” I asked her, taking her hand in mine and kissing the top of it.

“They don’t know you’re the father,” she said.

We were sitting in the back of a town car. I wanted to ride this way so I could touch her and comfort her. I found I couldn’t keep my hands off her much these days. It wasn’t a bad thing. But I knew it could be a major distraction if I was trying to drive like that. In fact, my mind was filled with things that I wanted to do to her in this very back seat. Things that I was going to do to her as soon as we left her parents’ house.

“You didn’t tell them it was me?” I asked. I wanted to make sure I heard her right. I wasn’t sure how to feel or what to think. I thought she might have told them. I thought we could have been past this point. I knew it was going to be hard for me to be around Alan.

“They don’t know who it is. I only said it was someone at work and that I didn’t want to talk about it. I don’t want them to know.” She was looking down at her hands, avoiding eye contact with me.

“But I think we should tell them. The baby will be here soon enough, and I’d rather get this whole thing with them figured out before the baby arrives.”

She put her hands on mine and stared me in the eyes. Her big round eyes looked absolutely gorgeous.

“Please. I’m not ready to do that just yet. I promise we’ll talk to them. We’ll tell them and get it all figured out before the baby gets here. But not tonight. Please.” She was pleading with me, and it tore at my heart strings. I couldn’t make her do something that she didn’t want to do.

“We won’t tell them,” I said. And then I pulled her into me more. We rode like that, not talking, but it was comfortable until we got to her parents’ place.

I was nervous, even though I knew they had no idea we were together and that I was the father of her baby. I wasn’t really sure why they had wanted us to both come for dinner. I thought for sure that they might have known about me. But that didn’t seem to be the case anymore since Violet made it clear she didn’t want them to know. This was going to make this dinner so much harder.

When we walked up to the door and she knocked, the door opened to reveal her mother and father. Both already had drinks in their hands. I hoped that was a good sign as to how the evening was going to go. From the looks of it, her mom had a martini and her dad had a brandy because we were having dinner together. He always had a brandy when there were guests over for dinner. It occurred to me that I knew a lot about her father. Maybe even more than she knew. And I started to feel a little guilty that he had no idea what was going on between us.

They invited us in, and I shook Alan’s hand. “Hey, Alan. How have you been? Thank you for having me over for dinner.”

He shook it and looked me right in the eye. My heart rate picked up, and I felt like he was searching my eyes for something. Some sort of answer to an unasked question, perhaps? I wasn’t really sure and just went with the moment, not letting him see that I was sweating, or that I was freaking out on the inside. Maybe he knew because he knew me too well.

“Thank you so much,” he said when he finally spoke. “Thank you so much for getting our baby girl this internship and writing the amazing report on her. It really means a lot to us that you did that for her.”

I felt a weight get lifted off my shoulders. That was all this was about. I started to feel a little better, even though I had to push away the thought of confessing to him what was going on.

“You’re welcome,” I said. “Your daughter is a very hard worker. I wish there were more people with her work ethic around there.” I smiled at Violet. She smiled back and so did her mom. “Besides we go back far enough.” I winked at him, and he laughed.

“Dinner is in a few minutes,” Gloria said. “Let’s go sit down.” The four of us walked into the dining room and sat down around the giant table.

There were far too many seats at the table for such a small party, but we all sat closely together. I tried to calm my nerves down. But I didn’t realize how hard it would be for me to be around Alan with his pregnant daughter, the one I got pregnant, in the same room as us.

“It really is lovely what you’ve done for our Violet,” her mother said, just as the housekeeper came around with water glasses for the four of us.

“Thank you,” I said. “But seriously, it’s not a big deal. I’ve known you guys so long. And she really is a hard worker, just like her dad.”

The housekeeper handed me a glass of ice water. I was hoping for something stronger because there was no way I could get through this dinner without a little encouragement. I took a sip of my water and then continued talking. “Like I said, she’s got an amazing work ethic that’s really hard to find in workers. I have had far too many people with half-ass attitudes. More than people who actually care about their job. So really, it’s my pleasure to have her there.” I was rambling now, and I hoped more than anything that I wasn’t giving myself away. Calm down, I told myself.

The chef came out with a couple other people. They were all carrying silver trays with covers. They set them down on the table in front of us and lifted the lids.

There were lamb and veal, along with a selection of different sides. It all smelled amazing.

“I’m just so sorry she had to go and get herself knocked up,” her dad said as we were beginning to eat.

I grabbed my water and took a few gulps. I didn’t know how to respond or what to say. I was at a loss for words. I promised Violet I wouldn’t say anything, but it was hard not to.

“It’s someone at work,” her dad continued. “There’s some asshole at your company that likes to go around knocking women up. I know I’m semi-retired, but maybe I need to come back full time, so I can make sure things like this don’t happen anymore.”

I almost choked on the bite of lamb chop I was currently chewing. It was getting harder and harder for me to keep up this ruse. To keep this piece of information hidden away from her family. They didn’t deserve to be in the dark. Especially, Alan, my long-time friend.

Her dad finished the glass of whatever he was drinking, and then he looked at me, hard. “What kind of people do you hire there?” he asked.

The weight of the lie was starting to wear me down. It was taking over my every thought. It was becoming too much. I knew I should keep my promise to Violet, but the secret was beginning to crush me. It was pressing down on me, making it difficult to breathe. They needed to know the truth. They deserved to know the truth.

I cleared my throat and placed my hand on Violet’s. I watched her dad’s eyes narrow at it. And then I think realization dawned on him before I even said a word.

“We have something to tell you,” I started.

Both of her parents froze, looking at me like I had three heads. It was hard to do this, but I needed to. I knew I was going to be hurting Violet by telling them, but she’d see how they needed to know the truth. Things would get better from here, and we could move on with the pregnancy and with our relationship, without the lingering fear of her parents finding out. This was going to be best for everyone.

“Don’t,” Violet whispered.

“It’s time,” I said.

She shook her head, but the looks from her parents told me that I really needed to say something.

“Your daughter and I are in love. I am the father of her child.”

Her dad spit his food out of his mouth and swallowed the rest of his drink. He slammed the empty glass down on the table. He seemed to be thinking for a moment. Her mom didn’t move. She was staring at me. Not talking, not doing anything other than staring at me. Or rather, she was staring through me.

Alan stood up and swung at me from across the table. I leaned back, pushing my chair back with my legs as I did so. He went to swing at me one more time, and I evaded it once again. Only this time, I fell over my chair just as he fell onto the table, causing everything to fall all over the floor. Violet came running to me while her mom went running to her dad. They were both checking on us to make sure we were okay. I got up from the floor and went over to help her dad.

Alan was livid with me, and rightfully so. I knew this was going to happen, but I felt a weight had been lifted off my shoulders in a way. The secret was out, and now we could properly move forward with our lives and with planning for the baby’s arrival.

“You need to leave,” her mom said to me while holding her hand up, stopping me from coming any closer.

I nodded my head. “Thank you for dinner. I’m sorry it got ruined, and I hope you guys will come around, at least for your grandchild’s sake.”

Chapter 26

Violet

 

 

I couldn’t believe he just told them. Did he not care about my feelings? Did he not care that maybe I had a plan on how I wanted to bring it up to my parents? When I realized he was okay after falling backward, I could feel my blood begin to boil.

My fists were clenched, and I felt angry. I wanted to tell them in a different way, and even though he promised he wouldn’t say anything, Cole told them regardless. He told my parents that we’re in love and he’s the father. I couldn’t believe it. He wasn’t supposed to say anything at all. I didn’t want him to, and this was the reason why. My parents overreacted to everything that wasn’t in their little life plan for me. I hated it.

And now I was upset with Cole, too. Call it hormones or whatever, but I knew it was because he betrayed me. I had wanted to have a private talk with my dad. I didn’t want him to find out this way. I wanted to ease him into the idea of Cole being the dad and us being together and in love. Now that shot was ruined, and he hated Cole. I was growing more and more agitated.

“Get the fuck out of my house,” my dad yelled at Cole.

I didn’t want him to leave, but at the same time, I did feel upset that he had done this. He dropped this bomb on them like this. I wanted him to leave so that maybe I could get everything under control. Maybe I could get my parents to calm down and think about things rationally. I could explain what happened, and we could work through this.

We had to work through this. I wasn’t a little girl, but a part of me hoped my parents would support my pregnancy. What child doesn’t want their parents’ support when they are about to have a child of their own?

My mom went completely pale. I didn’t know if I’d ever seen her that way before, but I felt like this was the look she had on her face when she was on the phone with me last weekend. It was probably also the look when she first found out for herself.

“Get out of my house!” my dad yelled again.

I cringed at how loud he was. The noise level would have been so much worse in my studio than it was here. But then again, the closest neighbors were at least an eighth of a mile away.

“Okay,” Cole said. “I’ll go, but I’m still going to be there for Violet and for my child. I will do right by them. You have my word.”

He kissed my cheek and then showed himself out. Part of me wanted to grab onto him and make him stay because maybe I did need a little moral support here, but I knew my parents would never listen to me if he was still standing there. If he still stood in their home.

I knew then that was the end of their friendship. It broke my heart because they had been friends for so long, and now, here I was, ruining their friendship by getting knocked up. But I loved him. I loved him so much, and I couldn’t help it.

“How the hell could you?” my mother started to say.

I looked at her. “What Mom? What did I do now?” I was tired of the way she made me feel.

“You slept with a man that’s old enough to be your father, not to mention a serial womanizer. Or the fact that he’s your dad’s friend. I know his reputation, and I don’t even know how you could want to be with someone like that, let alone be reckless and get yourself knocked up by him!” My mom was starting to yell, and I cringed. I felt like a child, not like an adult, and I hated it.

She was making Cole out to look like some sort of evil person. It wasn’t fair.

“He’s not a serial womanizer,” I said, sticking up for him. Even though I was still upset at what he had done, I felt I couldn’t just stand here and let my mom attack him this way. He deserved to have someone stick up for him.

My mom’s eyes filled with tears, and as she began to speak, I could hear her voice crack. I didn’t understand why she was being so dramatic. I guessed that was just her thing, though. She always freaked out. Even over the smallest of incidents, she would lose her shit.

I remembered a time when I was five years old. Our housekeeper, Marie, had given me a cup of grape juice. My mom specifically lectured me on how not to spill it on my white dress because then it would be ruined and would have to go in the trash. She went on and on about how she had special ordered it for me and that it would completely break her heart if I ruined it.

I promised her I wasn’t going to spill it, and then as I took a sip, a very small drop slid down my chin and landed right on the top of my dress. It was minuscule and more than likely; no one would even realize it was there. But my mother lost it. She took the cup from me and poured the rest down the sink. She told me I couldn’t have juice or nice dresses ever again because I wasn’t responsible.

“I had plans for you,” she said.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down and choose my next words carefully, but it was hard.

“You had plans for me?” I asked her. “What the fuck does that mean? What about what I wanted?”

She looked at me as if I was dumb and didn’t actually know what I was saying.

“What you wanted was not best for our family,” she said, her voice still raised more than it should be.

Her sentence knocked me off guard. I didn’t know how to respond to that without telling her to shut the fuck up. Because it was bullshit that she could even think she had the right to plan my life out for me. I wasn’t a child anymore, and I desperately wanted her to know that.

“Now who will want you? You’re the girl that the billionaire knocked up. Do you really think he will stay with you when that baby gets here? You think he wants to be tied down? You think he is going to stick around and play happy family with you? No, he isn’t. Wake the fuck up, Violet. And get your shit together.”

“We are in love! He will stand by me, Mother!” I yelled back at her. I was tired of being treated like a child. I wasn’t a child, and she was really making my blood boil. I didn’t want to be here anymore. I didn’t want to have to deal with any of this. I just wanted to go home and hide under a rock. I wanted to hide away from the world.

My mom laughed, and I clenched my fists. I was getting so angry. I knew it wasn’t good for my baby, but why would my mom care? It’s not like she would want to make sure my unborn child, her grandchild, was okay. She just wanted to belittle me. To make me feel like a child she could control again.

My dad was staring at me. I could feel it. I wouldn’t turn to look at him because even out of the corner of my eye, I could see how disappointed and sad his eyes were. Why would I want to look at him and remember him looking at me like that?

They were treating me as if I had just committed some sort of crime. Like I had just murdered someone and told them about it. I had never ever been in trouble with the law, and I had always been very obedient. I had always listened to both of them and followed their strict rules.

Cole had been gone for just fifteen minutes, but I wished he was still there. I couldn’t handle this, my parents and the way they were treating me. The housekeeper brought my dad another brandy. I didn’t think he needed another drink, and I was not sure I wanted to stick around to see how he was after that one.

“How could you do this to your father?” my mom asked. The question knocked me off guard. It made my blood boil. I did not even look at her. I walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. I grabbed my purse from the coat rack and walked out of the front door without pausing or looking back. I didn’t need this. I didn’t need them. I kept thinking how I could do this with Cole. We could do this on our own, and we didn’t need their condescending voices breathing down our necks. We just needed each other. We needed to have faith in only each other.

It was dark, and I had no real way home, but I didn’t care. I needed to walk. I needed to clear my mind and try to get my feelings under control.

My whole life, people told me I should feel so lucky to have parents who cared about me, but if only they realized that my parents only ever truly cared about the image I set up for myself. Anything I did wrong was never discussed at home other than, “Do you understand the sort of reputation you are building for yourself? Do you understand what the tabloids are going to say?” It was endless lectures on how to do the right thing, or how I can make choices differently to be a good adult.

All I ever wanted was the type of parents I could talk to. I saw my friends in high school had that. They were close to their parents. Their parents were open books. I envied them. I had people tell me they wished they had my perfect life. But I wished I could have shown them what really went on behind closed doors.

I walked, and I walked until I couldn’t walk anymore. But by that point, I was standing outside of Cole’s house. I hadn’t realized I was headed this way until I was already at the front door. I wondered for a second if he was even here. Because there could have been a chance that he went back to New York. He could have gone back to his penthouse. But we were in the Hampton’s. So there had to have been a chance that he would still be there.

I rang the doorbell and waited. It took him thirty seconds to answer the door. And when he did, I practically leaped into his arms. I felt relief flood my body. But that relief quickly turned into sorrow and all I wanted was for him to hold me and tell me that everything was going to be okay.

“Violet, what happened? Why are you here?” He pulled me into his arms tightly.

But I couldn’t respond. I was too busy sobbing. The sounds of my cries filled my own ears, deafening me. I couldn’t even think straight. I just wanted to waste away and forget that tonight ever happened. I wanted to get away from everyone and everything.

He pulled me into his house and closed the door behind him. I tried to get a grip on my emotions, and I tried to calm down so that I could talk. But I just couldn’t seem to do that. He didn’t tell me I needed to stop crying. Instead, he soothed me, making me feel better and telling me that no matter what happened he was here for me.

Chapter 27

Cole

 

 

Violet was crying in my arms, gripping me hard, like if she were to let go, she might just fall to pieces like a broken vase. Her makeup was smeared from her tears. I helped her walk over to my couch, and we sat down together. I wanted her to quit crying so she could tell me what was going on and what happened after I left. But she continued to cry, and I figured it was best to just let her.

She must have walked from her parents’ house to mine. There were no signs of any car dropping her off. She looked exhausted.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. “You’ve got to tell me what’s wrong.” I held her close to me, feeling her body shake against me. Her body heat was rising, and I knew it was from how upset she was.

I was growing a little concerned about our baby. How much stress could a mother endure without hurting the child? How much stress was too much for the baby? These questions rushed through my mind while I waited for her to answer me. Or for her to at least calm down. But her body continued to shake.

I didn’t ask any more questions. I just let her be. I let her have her moment and figured she needed it. I knew it wasn’t good to force someone to not have any emotions. Which was something that I figured her mother did to her often. The woman was very cold-hearted, and I knew they were never close.

I regretted telling her parents because of the stress it now put on her, but I figured she would have been just as stressed if I wouldn’t have told them. If they wouldn’t have known who the father was or that we were in love. That would have also put a lot of stress on our relationship. Maybe so much so that we would have never lasted.

She took a deep breath. I grabbed her a tissue off the table in front of us, and she used that to wipe away the wetness on her face from her tears. She was starting to calm down, and I was hoping we could talk now. I repeated my question for her.

“What’s wrong, Violet?” I asked. “Tell me. I’m a great listener.” I wiped some of the hair away from her gorgeous face.

She took another deep breath, her body trembled, and she looked at me. Her eyes were red and puffy from her hysterics. “Why did you do it?”

I cocked my head to the side. It was a small and simple question, yet I didn’t know what she meant by it. “Do what?”

“Tell him. Tell them. My parents. Why did you tell my parents?” The sentence was barely out of her mouth when she began to cry all over again, and guilt rushed through my body. I had done this to her. I had caused her to be this upset.

I tried to explain it to her as nicely as possible. “Because I didn’t want any more secrets. He needed to know. They deserved to know the truth. I think our lies and half-truths have already done enough damage. We didn’t need anymore. Especially with a baby on the way.”

I grabbed her face in both my hands. I needed her to understand that I wasn’t trying to hurt her. I needed her to know that I was doing this for both of us. That in the long run, things would work out and be okay. We just needed to get through this rough patch, and we would be okay.

She didn’t respond. She just cried harder. Her body shook from the sheer power of her sobs. It seemed like the harder I tried, the more she cried. Another wave of guilt swept over me as I desperately tried to think of something, anything, to say to make her feel better. To make her realize how much I really did love her.

“Violet, I love you. I want to build something between us. I don’t want there to be anymore destruction because of lies. Don’t you get that?”

She looked at me, and something flashed in her eyes. In an instant, the tears were gone, but her eyes were now piercing through me. She was looking at me as if I were the last person on the planet she wanted to see, and I felt a piece of my heart break again. Things had just been going so good between us, and now I could feel that I was on the verge of losing her once again.

“But I didn’t lie to them!” She yelled at the top of her lungs. “I told them that someone at work is the father of my baby. That’s true. Someone at work is the father of my baby.” She was so angry, so hurt. “I wanted to be the one to tell them. I wanted to sit down with them and calmly talk to them. Without you there and before the baby got here. I was going to tell them, but you didn’t let me.” She sounded like she was getting more and more furious with me.

But she just wasn’t realizing what I was trying to tell her. We couldn’t have these lies in our relationship. Not even the white lies. They were sometimes the worst out of all the lies.

“Don’t you remember the little lie that you told me?” I asked her. I needed her to remember that there had already been some pretty big lies, so a white lie wasn’t going to be any less damaging.

“You already forgave me for that!” she yelled.

She wasn’t understanding. Maybe the age gap was really starting to show. She was still so young and naïve. She thought that lies were the better option. But I knew that was wrong. I knew that any sort of lie could be very damaging. I was growing frustrated with her not listening to me, and I didn’t think before I spoke.

“You’ve got a pattern of behavior. Are you going to continue to lie our entire relationship? What kind of a role model will you be for a child if you continue to lie like this all the time?” But as soon as these words left my mouth, I knew I had fucked up.

I didn’t have time to process it before her hand came in contact with my face, but I figured I had pushed it a little too far. I had crossed the line with what I had said, and therefore, I deserved the slap. The sound echoed through my living room. I put my hand up to my cheek. It was a good one, and I was sure there was going to be a red handprint there.

I watched her as she slipped onto the floor in a crying heap. I got down beside her and placed my arms around her. I picked her up with the full intention of taking her upstairs and tucking her in. I wasn’t going to try anything. She obviously needed some rest. I started walking toward the stairs and then she told me to stop. So I did.

“I want to go home,” she said between sobs. I put her down, and we walked out of the house and over to my town car.

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

She nodded her head.

“Please just stay here, and we can talk in the morning,” I said. “You’re just tired and need some sleep.”

“Don’t you dare tell me what I need,” she said. “If you don’t want to take me, I can walk.” She started to walk down my driveway.

I grabbed her gently by the arm. “Okay, I can take you home,” I said.

I called my driver who had been in the house. I told him not to worry about driving us. I was going to do it myself.

I helped put Violet into the car. “Do you want to go to your parents’ place or yours?” I asked her.

“My parents,” she said.

I nodded my head at her and then drove on toward her parents’ house. It wasn’t that far away, but the car was filled with a deep silence. One that was killing me. I wanted to talk to her. I wanted to figure everything out, and I wanted her to know how sorry I was, but I just couldn’t figure out what to say to her.

She had her head pressed into the window and was looking outside at the world. She was still crying. They were small, almost silent sobs, but I could just make them out. The way the street lights shone on her slightly shaking body also helped give it away.

I hated that she was crying so much. I wanted nothing more than to take her pain away. The pain that I caused her. I wasn’t going to blame this on the hormones like some men might. I was ready to take full responsibility. She wanted to tell her parents herself, and I took that from her. I shouldn’t have, and now everything was completely and totally fucked up, and I was probably about to lose the best thing that had ever happened to me.

I reached my hand out and placed it on her lap. But I quickly took it back when she turned her body more toward the door and away from me. She didn’t want me to touch her, and I got that. I didn’t like it, but I had to respect it.

When I pulled up outside of her parents’ house, she got out and went inside. Neither of us said anything at all, and I instantly regretted not just grabbing her and making her stay in my car. Making her stay here with me until we figured things out. I was madly in love with this girl. And things were all fucked up again.

Was it possible that our relationship was doomed? Could it have been doomed from the start? I was her dad’s best friend. I was old enough to be her father, and here I was, knocking her up and falling in love with her. Maybe our relationship was never going to be stable. Things might not work out for us and that honestly scared the shit out of me.

I drove back to my house. My big, empty mansion in the Hampton’s. The place I just had to own. The giant house on the beach that would tower over everyone else’s. The one I just had to have. The one that now made me feel even more lonely.

I pulled into the driveway and went inside. I walked up the stairs and went right into my bedroom where I laid in my big, empty king-sized bed. I laid there for hours thinking about how bad I had just fucked up and how much I had hurt the one person that actually meant something to me. How could I ever make this right? Things between us had been so up and down.

I thought about calling her and told myself that maybe I shouldn’t. Maybe some time apart might do us some good. Then I thought about last week when we were both hurt and apart. But we figured it out. We made things work out. But here we were, fighting again. My head was so confused, and my heart hurt more than it had the last time. A sinking realization dawned on me that that might have been the last time we talked to each other. The last time we saw each other.

It took another twenty minutes of my brain over thinking about everything before my eyes finally became heavy, and I was rescued by sleep.

Chapter 28

Violet

 

 

When I woke up in the morning, my heart instantly broke all over again. I was not really sure where Cole and I were headed. Maybe this was all just some sick fairy tale that I made up in my head because of a crush I had on him when I was younger. Maybe that’s all this really was. Besides me getting pregnant, of course, but that was a different thing. That wasn’t on purpose. All I wanted was to fuck Cole. And fall madly in love with him. The two of us riding off into a sunset together, our lives becoming one, but that was clearly not what was going to happen here.

I laid in my bed most of the day. I skipped breakfast and by one in the afternoon, I felt sick. I knew eating would make me feel better. Besides, I couldn’t not eat. I was pregnant, and I knew that was hurting my unborn child. Part of me was also avoiding seeing my parents. I didn’t want to look at or talk to either of them.

I walked out of my room. The one I had spent so much time in before getting my studio in the city. I walked down the stairs, bracing myself for a run-in with my parents. I didn’t want things to blow up and the three of us to start fighting again. The drama was really starting to tear me apart.

I walked into the kitchen, and both of my parents turned to look at me.

“There she is!” my mom says in a cheery voice. “We heard you come back in last night. We’re so glad you came back home.”

I already didn’t like where things were going. And I wasn’t surprised that she wasn’t apologizing to me. She never had before. Why would she start now?

I poured myself a bowl of frosted flakes. I wasn’t that hungry, even though I had not eaten all day, but a bowl of cereal sounded good. And I knew it would be light on my stomach.

My mom clapped her hands together, and I turned to look at her. “So, I have a plan,” she started to say.

I refrained from rolling my eyes at her, but I was already irritated beyond belief. I didn’t want to have to face them. But I obviously had to. I was in their house and not my apartment after all. My apartment that I desperately wished I was in. Far away from them and any of this bullshit drama. I wanted nothing more than to be back there and to crawl into my own bed.

“What is your plan?” I asked as I made my way over to a bar stool so I could sit down and eat, semi-far away from either of them. It didn’t feel right to sit down and eat my meal with them. I don’t know why but it felt so wrong.

“I know how we can spin the news.” Her smile told me that she had been planning this for quite some time, and now she finally felt like she was in control.

I turned to face her. “Excuse me? ‘Spin the news’? What exactly do you mean by that?”

I didn’t like where this was going at all. Usually, when she said things like this, it usually would end in some sort of press release being sent out to make our family look good and the other person look bad. But would she really do that to Cole? The friend of my father’s for so long? The owner of the company that made sure my dad was paid good so we could be well off?

“Well, news of your pregnancy is bound to spread soon.”

I bit my tongue to hold back an insult. I was sure she was going to be the one to release the info, and she was going to do it in whatever way made her look good. It didn’t matter about me or the baby to her anymore. This was strictly about her own image. My stomach turned, and I stopped eating my cereal, silently telling my baby I was sorry and that I would try again later.

“What are you planning, Mother?” I couldn’t hide the iciness in my tone. I didn’t understand why either of them was trying to talk to me right now. Though, I noticed my dad hadn’t said a word. I figured he probably wasn’t ever going to talk to me again. And that was fine. That would be his decision to not get to know his grandchild.

I realized just how awful the last couple of weeks had been for me and Cole. It was so stressful. Going from being okay, to fighting, to wondering if things will ever even be okay between us. I was starting to doubt they were.

“We can tell everyone that the older man took advantage of you. He could have had you at twenty-three, and he would be your father. You realize this, don’t you?”

I bit down on my lip, staring into my bowl of frosted flakes. The flakes were becoming soggy, and I was losing my appetite more and more. I pretended not to hear her. I couldn’t face her. I couldn’t say anything to her. It would just make things worse, and right now, that wasn’t what I needed.

“Sure, I mean, it might look bad, but you won’t have to take all of the blame. Once that kid is out of you, we can start showing our faces to the public again, and you can use the sympathy to get started working on new prospects.”

My mother sounded absolutely delighted over this little scheme she came up with. It sounded like she had every little detail planned. She was ready to take on the media with this and flip the story so that Cole looked awful and I looked like this poor, innocent victim. But then I would also be known as the girl that let an older guy take advantage of me. I’d be looked down upon as another dumb rich girl. I didn’t want that for Cole or me. It wasn’t going to make our baby’s life any easier, either. To be born during some media frenzy crisis.

“Shut up!” I finally yelled. I had enough of what she was saying. I didn’t care about her stupid plan to win the media over. I didn’t care what her plan was to make me look good. I didn’t even care about my image because I never really gave a shit what people thought of me anyway. I wasn’t a child anymore, and she needed to know this.

“I am not a baby, Mother. I am twenty-two years old. I am ready to be with Cole, and he is ready to be with me. We are going to work things out, together. Without yours or Dad’s help. I’m not interested in being with anyone else other than him. And if he leaves me, then oh well. I just will be single for the rest of my life.”

My mom’s mouth was open, and she was staring at me in shock. She went to say something, but I cut her off. I didn’t want to give her any more opportunities to speak. I couldn’t stand the things that came out of her mouth.

“My child will be well-cared for. By both me and Cole. So, if you want to cut me off, that’s fine. I don’t really care. And I don’t need you.” I walked away.

I didn’t look back, but I assumed I left her speechless because there wasn’t another word out of her mouth. I walked out of the kitchen door, onto the back patio and down the stairs. I walked across the lawn to the edge of the water. I needed some fresh air. I didn’t want to be around people who couldn’t support me.

It made it so much worse that it was supposed to be my family. My parents. Who seemed to just not give a shit what happened to my child. Their grandchild. Did family mean nothing to these people, unless it came with a price tag?

A couple of minutes passed, and then I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to look and came face to face with my dad. He wrapped me in a hug, and I almost started crying from his embrace.

“Listen, I’m very sorry for how I behaved last night. I’ll always love you. No matter what. I don’t approve of what’s happened between you and Cole, but if Cole makes you happy, then I’m happy for you. I understand you are an adult and not a child anymore. I respect your need for privacy. Which between you and I, the only reason I wanted to come here was so that I could talk to you.” He gave my shoulders a squeeze.

I wiped the fresh tears that were falling out of my eyes. I never thought my dad would forgive me for this. “Thanks, Dad,” I said and turned to give him another hug.

“But if he hurts you, all bets are off, and I will singlehandedly kill him,” my dad said.

I laughed. It was funny. But it was also probably very true, and I had to avoid picturing my dad’s fist in Cole’s face.

“Well, I don’t think we have to worry about that,” I said.

“I was thinking of taking the sailboat out this afternoon,” he said. “Would you like to join me?”

I nodded my head and looked out toward the water. “Sure, Dad,” I said and gave him another hug.

We stood and walked back into the house so we could gather things to go sailing. My mom was back, sitting down at the table and staring at her phone. I was sure she was probably googling her own name to make sure there wasn’t any bad press on her today. It was something she did almost every day. I had caught her more than a dozen times. She always said it was so she could handle any bad press right away, but I figured it had more to do with making sure no one was trashing her name.

“We’re going on the sailboat,” my dad said to her.

She looked up at us. “Okay,” she said.

It was strange for my mom not to have much more to say. I wasn’t used to it and was going to ask if she was okay, but I didn’t need to hear her reasoning if it turned out she wasn’t okay. I didn’t want to fight with her anymore. I didn’t want to fight with anyone anymore. I was exhausted.

I helped my dad gather everything to get the boat ready. I hadn’t been out on the sailboat for a while, and I had missed it dearly. I loved being out on the water. My dad always teased me that maybe my mom had had an affair with a merman. I would point out that he loved the water, too, and that I was just being a daddy’s girl. I think he liked hearing me say things like that.

We got the boat ready and set sail. It was a wonderful afternoon, and I felt so much better. I knew that I would have both my parents on my side. Because as soon as my dad talked to me today, that meant my mom could no longer try to control the situation like it was some sort of media issue. My dad hated when she did that just as much as I hated when she did that.

“You know, I’ll always support you, no matter how upset I might get at first,” he said as we were heading back to the dock.

“I know, Dad, and I appreciate you not making this into an image thing like Mom.”

He gave me a half smile. “She only wants what’s best for you.”

“You and I both know that she only wants what’s best for her,” I said.

He nodded in agreement, but that’s all he said. He never really talked bad about her, even when she was in the wrong, and I always really respected him for doing that.

Chapter 29

Cole

 

 

It was a week after my confession at Alan and Gloria’s house. One week since Violet’s family found out I was the father of her child and that we were in love. One week since my last fight with Violet. I couldn’t stand not talking to her. I couldn’t stand the idea of her hating me. It was tearing me apart. Once again, an entire week went by that I couldn’t sleep and I couldn’t eat.

I was tired of going through this. I hated myself for how I behaved at her parents’ house, and then, how I had treated her when she had walked all the way to my house. She didn’t go home to New York. She was trying to find refuge with me, and I hurt her. This only hurt me more. But I knew I deserved it.

I told myself that if she showed up today, that would be a sign. A sign that things between us were going to work out, and we were going to be okay in the end. And if she didn’t show up, I was going to have to make sure we worked something out for our child’s sake. I just hoped on everything that she showed up.

I felt nervous as I pulled up to the Crayton, Inc.’s Family Day Celebration. It was weird to think about, but next year, I would have a child with me. Would we be a complete family? Or would we even still be together? It was hard telling since we had not really spoken.

It was a beautiful day out, but I couldn’t help but feel that it could have been much better, had she been right by my side.

I stepped out of the car, fixed my clothes, and looked around. There were rides and games for the kids, a pumpkin patch, entertainment, and plenty of food. It was set up exactly how I hoped it would be set up. It looked exactly like I had envisioned, but I guess it had been just right the previous year as well. And the year before that.

I looked around the crowd at all the smiling happy faces. The families were laughing and talking. They were having a good time. The children were playing and yelling. I just hoped that one day, I would be half as happy as these people looked when I was part of a family. I searched the crowd for that one face. The one I so desperately wanted to see.

“Hello, Cole,” Cheryl said to me, causing me to stop looking for Violet.

“Cheryl, how are you?” I asked her.

“I’m good,” she said. “How are you?”

“I’m doing alright. It’s a beautiful day out, isn’t it?” I looked through the crowd again.

“It really is,” she said.

I wasn’t trying to avoid having a conversation with her. I liked Cheryl a lot. But I was too distracted to pay that much attention to her. I didn’t want her to think that I was being rude. I turned back to look at her.

“Where’s Violet?” Her question caught me off guard, and I eyed her carefully. My heart rate picked up just from the mere mention of her name.

“What do you mean?” I tried to make it seem like I had no idea what she was talking about.

She smiled at me. “You think I don’t know? Because I’ve seen the way you look at her. And she at you. I know what’s been going on between the two of you. Anyone with half a brain could figure out just how head over heels you are for her.”

I laughed. “You’ve always been a lot smarter than others,” I said to her. “That’s why I hired you.”

“Not only do I know what’s going on, but I can tell just how much you both are in love.”

“It’s weird, isn’t it?” I asked, fully expecting her to lecture me on being with someone half my age.

“No. You know, Cole. Stranger things have happened than a couple being twenty years apart.” She said this with a smile. One that told me she approved of our relationship, even if the rest of the world didn’t quite approve of it yet.

“Thank you, Cheryl,” I said. “That really means a lot to me.”

“If you love her, you’ve got to just go for it. I support your decision to be together. In fact, you’ve been so miserable the last few years, it’s really nice to see you so happy.”

“Thank you, Cheryl. I trust your opinion. So, your support for our relationship means a lot.”

I scanned the crowd, and my eyes landed on her face. I was relieved that she had shown up. I had sent her an invitation and told her that I planned to give all of the interns a certificate of completion. She was an intern, and she deserved her certificate. But that wasn’t the only reason why I had wanted her to come today.

She looked absolutely beautiful standing there in a yellow sundress, the sun shining brightly in her hair. But her face didn’t look as glowing as it had the last time I saw her before the dinner fiasco. She was here, and I knew I had to at least take a chance to try and fix things.

I realized how much I really, really missed her, just by staring at her from across the field we were standing on. I wanted her so badly. I wanted to hug her, I wanted to kiss her, and I couldn’t help when I felt my dick starting to twitch. She looked fucking gorgeous, and I wanted to rip her dress from her and ravish her body.

I had been feeling insane over the last week, with not being able to talk to her. It had been driving me absolutely nuts. I wasn’t sure where we were headed in life. Our relationship had seemed especially bleak the last couple of weeks. I didn’t want to have to go through this anymore. My heart hurt constantly. I had never felt this way before. Not even with my ex.

I started walking over toward her. Her eyes caught mine, and I smiled. She gave me a sad smile, and it made my heart hurt. I wanted nothing more than to walk over and hug her. I wanted to tell her it was all going to be okay and that we were going to get through this.

As I made my way over to her, I was interrupted. I heard my name get called by the DJ, and I had to go up to the stage. The DJ told me it was time to address the crowd and hand out the intern’s certificates. I was disappointed that I couldn’t talk to her right this second, but I knew I was about to be able to talk to her. I was about to be able to do what I had been needing to do for a little while now.

“Hello, everyone. And welcome. If you don’t know who I am, then you should probably leave.” I laughed and so did a few others. “Bonuses for the ones who laughed.” More people laughed this time.

I was trying to be funny, but that was because I was feeling nervous. I didn’t usually feel nervous before a crowd, but I didn’t usually have my twenty-two-year old pregnant, possibly girlfriend in the crowd either. And I knew a big part of this was so that I could show off to her. Show her that I could be down to earth and that I had a good sense of humor. I wasn’t Mr. Serious all the time.

“Seriously, though. I’m Cole Crayton, CEO. I’m sure there are people here I haven’t met before. I want to say thank you to every one of you for coming out here today. And thank you to my faithful employees that help keep this business afloat.” Everybody clapped. “I really couldn’t do this without you. So, this family day is for you.”

“Today, I’d also like to recognize the interns that I’ve had. They’ve all been pretty amazing and have helped keep this place afloat, too. I mean, if we didn’t have coffee refills, how would we be able to get through the day?” A few more laughs. “Seriously though. They’ve all done fantastic. And today, I’m here to honor them. So, I’ve whipped up some certificates for those of you that interned at my company. This is for you.”

People clapped again, and I started calling names. I would say a few nice things and then shake their hands and hand them their certificates. I was proud of most of them. That is, except for Michael. But that had more to do with personal reasons and not work reasons. Other than Violet, he was a damn good intern.

I was getting closer and closer to calling out Violet’s name. It was making me more nervous than I had been in a while. I loved this girl with all of my heart, and no matter what, I just needed her to know that. Whether it was now, here in front of all of these people, or in private later, I needed to talk to her.

If we didn’t get things figured out soon, I thought I might lose my mind. I might go crazy. I needed this girl in my life, and I needed to fix things. First with her and then with her father.

“This next person is a guy I hope will make a good name for himself out in the business world. He did a fantastic job at getting my coffee.” A few more laughs. “No, really. He did a fantastic job at his job. And I appreciate all the help he gave me. Michael Foster thank you for all of your help.”

I decided to leave out that he was a complete asshole because it didn’t seem like that would sit well with the media.

He walked onto the stage, and I shook his hand and handed him his certificate.

“Thank you, sir,” he said.

“You’re welcome, and thank you for all of your hard work,” I said this into my mic. I really wanted to tell him what I really thought of him, but I knew that wouldn’t be good. He could make a scene, and I had way more important things to do today than worry about this scumbag.

I was sure he knew what I really truly thought of him. There was no way he didn’t know. The way I put more on him at the office and the way I treated him. He thought that he had me under his grip. He didn’t realize that I knew just what his little game was. I figured it all out way before he ever realized that I knew.

The last remaining certificate was for Violet. I looked at the piece of paper and then at her. I got closer to her. It was now or never.

“Violet Summers. Now, she was an amazing intern. Will you come over here, please? I have a special recognition for you.” It was partially the truth, though no one was expecting me to do what I was about to do.

Violet stepped forward. She looked nervous like she wasn’t exactly sure what she was getting herself into. But she smiled brightly, and it lit my heart up. I loved this girl more than anything on the planet and now was the time that I needed to tell her exactly how I felt. To tell the world exactly how I felt. I knew deep down that if I didn’t take this chance right now, I might never do it.

I took a deep breath, and then I took a couple of steps toward her. It wasn’t what I had done with the other interns. But she wasn’t just an intern. I turned and faced her. I took another deep breath, the confusion growing on her face. I smiled, she smiled, and then I took another step toward her.

Chapter 30

Violet

 

 

I was a nervous wreck, standing up here on this stage, waiting for Cole to hand me this stupid certificate. We hadn’t spoken in a week, and it had been tearing me apart. I hated feeling this way. But I knew I had to give him his space. I had to let him be and clear his mind. I couldn’t have crowded around him or seemed needy because there was a chance it could push him further away. And right then, I didn’t even know what he was thinking or feeling.

I just hoped that we would get to talk after this stupid ceremony. I almost didn’t come today. I figured it might have been best if I just stayed away, but he had sent me an invitation. He even hand wrote that he really wanted me to be there to receive my certificate. So, it made me assume that he wanted me here.

I almost hid out. Maybe he could have just sent the certificate in the mail. It wasn’t like I would be able to do anything with it. It was just going to be a constant reminder of what I almost had. But something deep down inside of me told me to come today. Something told me I needed to show up and face my fears. I needed to face him.

Now it was my turn to get the certificate. I watched him take a few steps toward me and then he stopped in front of Cheryl. I was a little confused when he handed her the piece of paper. It made no sense. Maybe he had decided that I wasn’t actually going to get a certificate. Maybe I read it all wrong and he really just wanted me here to humiliate me. I felt my heart rate pick up.

“Violet Summers,” he said and took another step toward me. But I watched as he got down on one knee. My heart was beating faster, and my breathing increased.

My hand went to my mouth. I couldn’t believe what was going on. Right here, in front of everyone. Right here, where people could tell the whole world what was happening. I was trying to fight back the tears. I didn’t want to start crying again because if I did, I was afraid I was never going to stop.

I didn’t take my eyes off of him, though. I stared at his handsome face. The one that was staring back at mine. He was searching my eyes, maybe to make sure this was okay. I smiled at him so he didn’t think I didn’t want this. Because I did. I wanted it more than he could ever fucking know.

“I love you,” he said. “I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone. I’ve fallen madly and deeply in love with you over the time we have spent together, and I couldn’t imagine my life going any other way. I hope you will have forgiven me for everything that happened. I want you to know that I can’t picture my life without you now. I can’t get you out of my head. When you aren’t around, I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. I want nothing more than to hold you and be near you.”

I still didn’t know what to think. I was frozen still. The crowd was staring at us. There were people mumbling. I felt weird, almost like I was going to pass out. I couldn’t believe what was going on. Tears started sliding down my face. Big, fat, happy tears. They were coming out in streams. I couldn’t stop it. And I didn’t want to, either. These weren’t broken-hearted tears. These were happy tears that were full of love and happiness. Tears that told me that my life was about to change in the most amazing way.

“I hope that you will forgive me for all of my faults,” he said. “I’ve said some things I didn’t mean to. I’ve done some things I didn’t mean to. I hope you can forgive me, and we can get past this. I’ll always be here for you, and I’ll always give you anything you ever need or want.”

I watched as he reached into his pocket, and just as I expected, he pulled out a little box. He flipped the lid open and looked up at me, staring into my eyes.

“Violet Summers, will you do me the honor of making me the happiest man on this planet and marry me?” he asked.

I was crying so I couldn’t talk. I nodded my head instead. I couldn’t get my mouth to form the word ‘yes.’ I held my left hand out for him. He took it and slid the gorgeous solitaire diamond ring on my finger. My hand was shaking, and he had to hold it still. I looked down at it just as he began to stand, and he pulled me into him. I knew in that moment that I had nothing left to worry about. Things were going to look up for us. We were going to get married and things were going to continue to get better for us.

A loud applause broke out as he began to kiss me. Our mouths collided. Our lips worked together. I missed the feeling of his mouth on mine. I missed the feeling of his body pressed into me. I missed the feeling of him just looking at me. And now I’d never have to miss another one of those feelings again because I was going to be his wife.

We pulled apart, and I looked down at the crowd. I knew there were some people who were clearly still shocked, but I tried not pay attention to them. I didn’t want or need them to ruin this or any movement for me. I was happy and content.

“She said yes!” he yelled out at the crowd.

I laughed while the crowd started to go crazy. People were screaming and cheering, and it was a little overwhelming. But it was also endearing. I was engaged to Cole now. We were going to get married and live happily ever after. The two of us with our little one.

I noticed he didn’t make that announcement, and I was happy for that. That would give me time to figure out how to tell the world. Plus, I didn’t want too many people to know, just in case something happened with the pregnancy.

That was when I looked over and saw Michael’s astonished face. I couldn’t help but laugh at him. Seeing him with that look on his face after he made those comments to me, it was everything to me.

I grabbed onto Cole a little tighter. I felt happy, content, and complete in this moment. I had Cole, who I was going to marry. We were going to be together forever and raise our child together. This was everything I’d ever wanted, so it was hard for me to wrap my head around it all.

“I love you so much,” Cole said as he stared into my eyes. “I’m never going to hurt you.”

“I love you so much, too. I’ll never hurt you, and I promise I’ll never lie to you again.”

We kissed one more time. The crowd lost it in another round of applause, and I was smiling against his lips because this was something I never thought would actually happen. At least, the going public portion of it.

We walked off the stage when the crowd’s applause died down and we ran to his car. We got inside and started kissing. It was hot and rushed. I knew we wouldn’t do anything here because there were so many people around, but that didn’t mean that I didn’t want it. That it wasn’t on my mind.

“I wanted a moment alone with you before the questions start,” he said to me.

I kissed him again. “I love you so much, Cole.”

“I love you, too. I’m so sorry for what happened last week. You were right. I should have waited, and I should have let you tell your parents. Is everything okay between you and them?”

I nodded my head. “Yeah. My dad and I spent last Saturday sailing. He actually said he’ll support us.”

He lifted an eyebrow and looked at me like I was crazy. Like he had no idea what I was saying. “It’s weird. But it’s true. I never thought he was going to forgive me. To forgive us, and yet he told me that he will support us if it’s what we really want.”

Cole kissed me. “That’s great news! But what about your mom?”

“My mom’s opinion doesn’t count. She’s always just been concerned with how she looks or how the family’s image together looks. It’s not okay. So, if she doesn’t support us, then I don’t care. I also don’t care if the media finds out that I’m pregnant. Because everyone is going to find out in like a month. My clothes are getting tight, and I’m not even sure where to start shopping for maternity clothes. Sorry, I’m rambling.” I added that when I noticed he was just staring at me.

“It’s okay. You can keep talking. I’m just enjoying it. I missed you. So much. My heart hurt all week. I couldn’t eat, and I couldn’t sleep. All over again. I don’t ever want to feel this way again.”

“Me neither,” I said.

He leaned in and kissed me again. His mouth felt so amazing against mine, and I was savoring the feeling. I wanted to remember this, in case anything ever happened again.

“I’ll always be here for you.” He put his hand on my stomach. “And our little one. I’ll never leave either of you. Or hurt either of you. I want you to know how serious I am.”

I held up my hand. “I think I figured that out with this.”

“I guess we better get back out there,” he said. But he was dragging it out. Almost like he didn’t want to be here anymore. But I didn’t either. I wanted to go back to his place. I wanted to make love to him now that we were engaged. I wanted to lay in bed with him and hide from the world. The two of us soaking up our private little moment together.

I nodded my head, and then we both opened our doors. He came around and grabbed my hand in his, and we walked back toward everybody. He held my hand tightly.

“Are you ready?” he asked me.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I said.

It didn’t take long before people saw us coming and made their way over to us.

Cheryl came up and gave me a hug. “Congratulations. I knew there was something really special going on between you both.”

“Thank you, Cheryl,” I said and hugged her back. She asked to see my ring so I held it out to her, and she admired it. She talked about the cut and the clarity and how beautiful it was.

She wasn’t the only one, though. We were swarmed with people, and even though there were so many people, I looked over at Cole and it felt like we were the only ones here. The only ones left. We were alone together in a crowd.

And when everyone finally left us alone and we had another moment to ourselves, he held me close.

“Just imagine it,” he said. “In one year, we’ll be here with our own little one for the family day. Just the three of us.” He smiled as he said this, and it melted my heart.

Things felt good, just like they should. We were going to be okay. And we were going to grow old together. I was excited to see what life was going to bring us, and I was happy to know that we were going to get through anything that was thrown at us together.

Epilogue

 

Six Months Later

Violet

 

The patter of a steady rain filled the nursery. Sleep tugged at my brain as I adjusted Olivia in my arms when I felt her finally drift back off to sleep. Her tiny little body was curled up happily in the crook of my arms. She smelt of fresh baby soap and fabric softener. My heart soared as I pressed a kiss to her little cheek before reluctantly rising from the rocking chair. It would be easy to fall back asleep with Olivia in my arms on this rainy Sunday afternoon, but I had a fiancé in the next room waiting for me to come back to bed.

Fiancé. Cole Crayton. Mrs. Crayton.

A shiver went up my spine at the titles. Years ago, I had only imagined what it would be like to say those type of things out loud. It still seemed like a surreal dream to say them with confidence.

I settled Olivia back into her bassinet with a smile. She remained steadfast and asleep with the sound of rain. I tip toed out of her bright pink nursery to leave the door cracked open. The distant boom of thunder in the distance filled the entire house as I walked softly down the hallway in the direction of the bedroom.

Settled on his side of the bed, Cole looked up from the newspaper he had been reading through to keep himself occupied while I fed Olivia. My body thrummed in anticipation when I took in his bare and sculpted chest with a patch of hair in the center. He was naked beneath the sheets too from our earlier foreplay before Olivia’s piercing screams had echoed throughout the house.

“Did Olivia fall back asleep?” Cole asked. He tossed the newspaper back onto the bedside table after folding it. “It seems like once we get one schedule down, it all gets changed again.”

“I know,” I said, loosening the silk belt around my waist. “She keeps us on our toes. She also keeps us up all night.”

Cole chuckled at that as I came around to his side of the bed. The silk fabric of my robe parted to give Cole an eyeful. His eyes immediately latched onto the valley of my swollen breasts. A hungry fire filled his eyes all over again.

“Shall we resume what we were doing?” I murmured.

A tent appeared in the sheets between Cole’s legs. He gladly pulled the sheets back to reveal the rest of him. I shrugged out of my robe to let it pool at my feet before climbing back into bed to join him. Our lips met in a hard kiss full of pent up sexual desires from earlier. It was moments like these where we had to make the best of it. We had to absorb every bit of time together in between Olivia’s short lived naps.

Cole insisted on helping too. Which thrilled me to no end. If I stayed up all night, he was up with me helping change Olivia in the dark. He was there to rock Olivia asleep at night while humming a lullaby. There was nothing sexier than watching a man utterly dote on his child.

Blood rushed through my veins while our legs tangled in the process of Cole rolling me back onto my back. Cole’s lips made quick work down the column of my neck to kiss around my swollen breasts tenderly, mindful that they were sensitive with breastfeeding. He cupped them softly before trailing a hand down to the center of my legs. I stifled a moan with my hand as those magical fingers started to rub the way he knew that I liked.

Sex had been a terrifying thought after Olivia was born. For eight weeks, I had settled on pleasing Cole in other ways until we were given the thumbs up to carry on in the bedroom. The first time had been just as heart pounding as the day I had lost my virginity to Cole in his office back at Crayton, Inc. It was going to hurt. I had been so sure of it until Cole made it the best damn sex to remind me what it had felt like eight weeks prior to Olivia’s birth.

I clenched my teeth when I felt my release drawing near under Cole’s steady fingers. This was what I loved about him. He knew how to make it feel amazing every single time. Nothing about our relationship changed either.

“Cole,” I whispered, clutching his broad shoulder with another hand. “Please. Just get inside of me.”

Cole’s fingers lifted immediately at that. He positioned himself happily between my legs, nestling against me intimately. He entered me in one deep thrust. I wrapped my legs tightly around his waist to pull him in even deeper. The heat between us roared to life. It pulled me back down into that fiery oblivion of pleasure that I couldn’t imagine my life without. Being touched by Cole was being tainted in a way. Nothing ever compared to the sounds of his ragged pants in my ear, or the way he gripped me as he went over the edge to his own peak. Everything about it was utterly addicting, and it would never get old either.

A familiar tingling sensation started in my toes as it shot up through my legs. I dimly felt Cole’s fingers grip my hips in response to what I’m sure he felt was my own release. Not clinging to reality any longer, I let my eyes slip shut as my release came in a crashing wave that left me breathless and blinking back tears. Good tears. The type of tears that come from the rush of endorphins entering your system.

I forced my eyes open to watch Cole’s face contort in pleasure as his own release came crashing down upon him as well. A vein throbbed in his right temple before he went still before shudders wracked through his body. Tangled together, I savored the sensation of his hard body pressed up against mine while his heart pounded furiously inside of his chest. The sheets and blankets were tangled about our sweaty bodies while we listened to the sound of rain patter away outside. It was quiet and motionless in the Hamptons with the rain storm coming through. It was so peaceful that I dreaded going back to the constant sound of city traffic. Even if Olivia had obviously grown accustomed to the noise and needed it to sleep.

“I don’t want to go back to the city tomorrow,” I said.

“We have to though,” Cole said. He collapsed on the mattress next to me with a sated sigh. “I have meetings to attend to on Monday morning.”

I smiled at the lack of enthusiasm in his voice. “The CEO never gets a day off these days it seems, does he?”

“I should complain about my lack of vacation days, huh?”

“At least you got some time off with Olivia. That was a plus even though you did Skype meetings.”

“The boss can be a dick sometimes.”

We both fell into a fit of laughter while the boom of thunder filled the house again. Cole sat up on the bed with a reluctant sigh. “I suppose we should get up and shower before heading to your mother’s rained in party.”

“I’d rather stay here like this,” I said, sighing. “You know, I love my parents, but I still hate going to these parties. I feel like a bug under a microscope.”

“It’ll eventually dwindle down,” Cole said. “The housewives here will find something else to gossip about.”

He rose from the bed to pad into the bathroom. I watched his taut ass cheeks flex as he walked before disappearing behind the bathroom door. The shower turned on a minute later, but I still couldn’t find it in me to escape the nice wrap of blankets and our life away from the public eye.

Our engagement had made the headlines six months ago. Front page on several newspapers and tabloids. There had also been an internal investigation into Crayton, Inc. for how Cole handled his relationships with employees at one point, but he never backed down from our relationship. He didn’t care what people said about us.

I wished that my mother would take a page out of his book.

This rained in party was all about show as usual. She accepted Olivia with open arms, but I kept her distant from our wedding plans. Cole and I had it all under control. We wanted our private autumn wedding upstate with a few close friends and family. That was it. Nothing more, nothing less. I didn’t want my mother to manipulate the situation in any way possible to save her reputation. The only thing that kept my mother at bay anymore was my father who encouraged her to accept that Cole and I were getting married. We were going to be husband and wife with a beautiful family.

I grabbed the baby monitor from the bed stand to bring into the steamy bathroom. I set it on the vanity before slipping into the large shower with Cole as he washed away soap from his body. He arched a suggestive eyebrow at me. Heat surrounded me all over again, and none of it came from the hot water.

“Is Olivia still asleep?” He asked.

“It appears so,” I said, and closed the glass door behind me. “Should we make the most of this quiet moment again?”

“You bet, baby.”

He leaned in to kiss me when my stomach gave a surprising lurch. I held up a hand to still Cole as I sucked in a deep breath to keep myself steady on two feet.

“What is it?” Cole asked, eyebrows furrowed in concern. “Violet? You look pale.”

I didn’t know what to say besides that my stomach felt like it was about to turn itself over from nausea. “I think I just need to sit down for a moment.”

Cole pushed the shower door open to make sure that I sat down on the vanity chair without slipping on the sleek tiles. I stared at myself in the foggy mirror. It was a strange thing how one minute I had felt perfectly fine, but now I felt sick to my stomach and cramped up. The last time I had felt this way was when—

The realization slammed into me then. I gripped the edge of the vanity as I mentally counted down the last time I had even had a period. We have been given the clear a few weeks ago to have sex, but neither one of us had made the conscious decision to use birth control. I had trusted that breast feeding lowered the odds of getting pregnant.

“Cole,” I called out, heart pounding. “I think we need to have someone grab a pregnancy test from the store.”

“Pregnancy test?”

“Yes,” I said. “I-I-I think I’m pregnant. Again.”

The shower turned off immediately as Cole stepped out of the shower to wrap a towel around his waist. He took one sweeping glance at me before pressing a wet and warm kiss to my forehead.

“I’ll get one myself. Be back in ten minutes.”

I managed to shower properly with cold water blasting my hot skin. Another baby. The thought made me feel dizzy with joy and shock. When I stepped back out wrapped up in a thick towel, I found Cole in the bedroom with a cooing and happy Olivia in his arms. He nodded to the box on the edge of the bed.

“You might be a big sister soon,” Cole told her, grinning down at Olivia. “Yes. You might be a big sister.”

I paced the steamy bathroom anxiously for a few minutes before grasping the pregnancy stick to read it. Positive. Must be 3-4 weeks.

“Holy shit,” I breathed, fanning a hand over my face. “Cole, it’s positive!”

Cole pushed the bathroom door open a second later. Tears glittered in his eyes as he looked at the stick in the palm of my hand. With Olivia smooshed between us, he leaned in to press a long and passionate kiss to my lips.

“Our happy family,” he said.

I pulled back with tears in my eyes too to smooth a hand through the soft fuzz of Olivia’s hair.

“Yes,” I said. “Our happy family is getting bigger. We are blessed.”

“Very blessed.”