Chapter 20

Julie

When they left the hotel the following morning, Julie felt like she was on top of the world. Nothing was going to ruin how happy she was, not even the ringing and dinging of her phone every few seconds. Between her mom, her dad, her brother, her sister, and most often Jason, she'd had to shut the phone off completely.

“At least let them know you're safe,” Cody said, as he opened the car door for her.

“I'm good,” she said.

“Julie,” he warned, as he leaned down and kissed her. “Text each of them once.”

“Not my dad,” she said, as he pulled back and closed her door.

“Okay, not your dad,” he said, as he got in the car.

Julie brought her phone to life and did exactly as he'd asked. She'd send everyone but her dad a message that said she was fine. Then she turned the phone back off and threw it into her purse.

“Such a smartass,” he said, with a laugh.

She looked over and narrowed her eyes at him.

“My smartass,” he said, as he pulled out of the parking spot and started through the lot. “Is that better?”

“We're really going to do this?” she asked.

Cody stopped the car and looked over at her.

“Yes, we're really going to do this,” he said, before adding. “Together.”

She nodded shyly. Then he took her hand in his and started driving again.

“What are you doing next weekend?” he asked.

“I don't know,” she said. “Why?”

“I have a dinner to go to,” he said. “I want you there with me.”

“At a dinner?” she asked, and he nodded. “What kind of dinner?”

“One of those fancy ass dinners I always complain about,” he said, with a smile.

“And you want me to go?” she asked.

“I do,” he answered.

“I don't know about that,” she said. “I've seen the pictures of you from those things. I'm not into fancy like that.”

“Please go with me?” he asked.

“You really want me standing next to you when they take those pictures, Cody?” she asked.

“I do,” he answered.

“Will my father be there?” she asked.

“Not at that one,” he answered. “It's a charity event, and my company is the one hosting it. A lot of the companies I work with will be there. Your dad and uncle definitely will not.”

“You're sure?” she asked.

“Very sure,” he replied.

“Okay,” she said. “I'll go, but I'm only doing it to see if it's really as boring as you say.”

“You just wait until I get you alone again,” he said. “I'm going to spank that ass hard for ever single one of your sarcastic comments.”

The second Cody pulled into a parking spot, the door to Julie's apartment flew open and Jessie appeared.

“I better go,” Julie said, as she looked over at Cody. “I think I've got some explaining to do.”

“She definitely doesn't look happy,” he said. “Do you need backup?”

“No,” she said, with a laugh. “I'll be fine. She's harmless.”

“I don't know about that,” he said, as he leaned over, grabbed the back of her head, and crashed his mouth down over hers.

When he pulled away, she hurried to catch her breath.

“I'll be over tomorrow with dinner,” he said. “Is that okay? I'll give you two tonight to talk.”

“That sounds perfect,” she said. “I have to plan for my classes tonight anyway.”

Julie grabbed her bag out of the backseat and headed for her sister. Before she even reached the door, Jessie's pissed off look turned into a huge smile.

“You did it,” she squealed. “You had sex.”

“Shut up,” Julie hissed. “We're not teenagers.”

She walked quickly by her sister. Then she turned around to see her sister glaring out at Cody. Julie grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back into their apartment. Then she waved at Cody before shutting the door.

“What the fuck happened?” Jessie asked. “Mom has been calling me all day to see if you're here.”

“It was so much worse than I expected,” Julie said, as she began telling her sister the whole story.

The second she was finished, her sister barked out with excitement.

“How was it?” she asked.

“What?” Julie asked.

“Cody,” Jessie answered, with a shake of her head. “Was he any good?”

“That's what you care about?” Julie asked. “Did you not hear what I said about our father and what an asshole he was?”

“Oh, I heard it,” Jessie said. “Good job on finally standing up to him. Now back to Cody. Is he any good with his tongue? And how is he with his cock?”

“Jessie,” Julie hissed.

“Come on,” Jessie said. “I haven't gotten any since I got pregnant. Give a girl a bone here.”

Both girls burst into laughter.

“He was definitely good with his tongue,” Julie said. “He was very good at the other thing too.”

“With his cock,” Jessie said. “Come on, just say the word.”

“No,” Julie snapped out, knowing her face was probably ten different shades of red. “We're a couple now.”

“It's about damn time the two of you admit to being together,” Jessie said. “That shit was getting ridiculous.”

“He's not happy about Jason,” Julie said.

“I wouldn't expect him to be,” Jessie replied. “Jason has been in love with you forever.”

“He's not in love with me, Jessie,” Julie said.

“Oh, he is,” Jessie replied. “We'll just leave that one alone though. I'm glad you and Cody have finally gotten your heads out of your asses and committed to each other. Time goes by fast. You can't waste it.”

“So you're all in on team Cody,” Julie said. “You've been hesitant toward him before.”

“I'm definitely team Cody now,” Jessie said.

The baby cried out, and Julie took off to get her.

“She's supposed to be napping,” Jessie said.

“I haven't seen her for a whole day,” Julie said. “Plus I have work to do.”

“On the job you swiped out from under dad?” Jessie asked. “I would have loved to have seen his face when you told him that.”

“About that,” Julie said. “Please don't mention it in front of Cody.”

“He doesn't know?” Jessie asked.

“No, Jess,” Julie said. “He doesn't. He bid on that same job too.”

“Oh shit!” Jessie snapped, as her hand hurried to cover her mouth. “You have to tell him.”

“I will,” Julie said. “Things were so messed up, and I'd just found out before we went.”

“Don't be keeping shit from him, Julie. Don't start out like that. It never turns out good when you do,” Jessie said.

“I won't,” Julie replied. “I'll tell him. He asked me to go to a thing next weekend.”

“A thing?” Jessie asked, letting the subject change, which Julie totally knew she would.

As soon as Julie told her what it was, Jessie was all over it, and all talk about her telling Cody the truth was gone.

Cody came by the next day with dinner. They ate, watched a movie, and talked about coding. Every chance they got, they kissed and snuggled together, but that was it. Julie couldn't decide how she felt about that. Every time he kissed her, she wanted more, but at the same time, she also wasn't comfortable with the thought of being with him with her sister in the next room.

When Cody left that night, Julie knew she wouldn't be seeing him until the next weekend, the night of the dinner he'd asked her to go to with him. Just the thought had her missing him before he was even out of the parking lot. She felt like a teenager with her first crush, as she headed to her room for the night, looking forward to his message that he was home.

The next week flew by. Between classes, working every available moment, and shopping for a dress with her sister and the baby, Julie didn't have a spare moment. Most of Cody's messages and calls came during the day, and she was good with that. Her evenings needed to be used to get the huge project she'd taken on done as far as she could. She'd set a schedule for herself, and if she didn't reach it by Friday afternoon, she knew she'd have to work through a huge part of the weekend. That was something she didn't want to have to do. Even though she knew there was a reason she wasn't talking to Cody at night, he didn't, and she couldn't help but wonder, in the back of her mind, why he hadn't contacted her.

Friday afternoon came, and Jessie dove in to help Julie get ready. Julie wasn't nearly as excited as her sister was. She was more nervous than anything. Meeting the people Cody worked with was a big deal for her, and being by his side for a big event was an even bigger deal. She wasn't sure if people would know who she was or who her father was. If they did, she wasn't sure how they would react. She didn't want to be judged because of someone else, even if it was her own flesh and blood.

Julie took a deep breath as she looked in the mirror. She looked amazing, better than she'd ever remembered looking before. Just as a tear slid from the corner of her eye, Jessie swooped in and dabbed it away.

“Look at me,” Jessie said, as she looked into Julie's eyes. “You are so damn beautiful, and you will not cry. He's going to see you and be knocked off his feet. You will do fine. He's not going to let anyone judge you, Julie. That man cares about you.”

“But,” Julie began, but her sister cut her off.

“But nothing,” Jessie said. “That man walked into mom and dad's house for you. He did that without ever looking back. Do you think someone that didn't care about you would do that? You will do this for him, and you will be fine.”

“I want people to see me for me and not for dad,” Julie said.

“And they will,” Jessie replied. “You'll make damn sure they do. Pull up your big girl panties and get your ass moving. You are not dad, and you are not Uncle Ethan. You are Julie, the woman that outbid them all. Own that shit. Do you hear me? And tell that man of yours.”

The second the knock came at the door, Julie stood tall and pushed her worried feelings down as deep inside of her as she could. When she pulled the door open, she knew her eyes went wide. Cody was standing in front of her in a tuxedo, and he looked sexier than he'd ever looked before. The pictures she'd seen on the internet of him dressed up had nothing on the man in front of her.

“You are so damn beautiful,” he said, as he stepped forward, grabbed the back of her head, and covered her mouth with his.

“Back off, pal,” Jessie said, from the spot she'd quickly found beside them. “You will not ruin her makeup until after the event.”

“Jess,” Julie snapped, and Jessie laughed.

“Here,” Jessie said, as she held a bag out toward Julie. “Now get out of here.”

“What's in there?” Julie asked.

“Just some things you're going to need,” Jessie answered. “Have a great time. I'll be pumping you for information the moment you get home.”

“I don't doubt that,” Julie said, as she grabbed the bag with one hand and Cody's arm with the other. “Let's get out of here.”

Cody laughed, as they walked arm in arm toward the parking lot.

“Where's your car?” she asked.

“Right here,” he said, as he walked them over to a very sexy, red sports car.

“This is yours?” she asked, with a huge smile on her face.

“It is,” he said, as he opened the door for her to get in.

Julie couldn't remember the brand or name of the car, but she'd seen one just like it on Jason's social media page, and she knew it had cost well over a million dollars. Then she opened her mouth without thinking.

“Jason would love this.”

As soon as the words flew out of her mouth, she regretted them. A growl came from deep in Cody's chest, but he didn't speak. Instead, he closed her door, walked around the car, and got in.

“Cody,” she said, as he backed the car up and pulled out of the lot.

“I'm having a hard time with this whole guy best friend thing, Julie,” he said, in a rough tone. “Bringing him up isn't helping.”

“I'm sorry,” she said, as her hand moved across the car, and she rested it on his lap. “I didn't mean anything by it.”

She really hadn't. Julie had heard from Jason more in that week than she had in months. He had an opinion of Cody that was just as strong as her father's, but she didn't care, and she'd told him that several times throughout that week.

“I get it,” he said. “Doesn't mean I like it, baby.”

“You look so handsome,” she said. “A million times sexier than the pictures of you online, and those are pretty damn sexy.”

“Nice way to change the subject, but thank you,” he said.

“I wonder what my sister put in that bag,” she said, more to herself than to him.

“I asked her to pack it,” he said.

“You did?” she asked, and he nodded. “Why would you do that? Wait! When did you do that?”

“I called her earlier,” he answered, as if it were nothing.

“How did you do that?” she asked.

“I got her number and gave her mine when she was in the hospital having the baby, remember?” he answered.

“Oh yeah,” she replied. “I'd forgotten about that. I guess I thought you would have deleted it by now.”

“I left it in my phone without thinking about it,” he said. “When I realized it was still there, I called to see if she'd pack a bag for you.”

“So, what's in the bag?” Julie asked, knowing she was crazy for being jealous over something so tiny.

“Clothes and stuff,” he said. “Whatever you'll need for the weekend.”

“The weekend?” she asked. “Why the weekend?”

“Because you're going to be with me, at my place,” he said.

“Cody,” she said, with warning in her tone.

“No,” he replied, with even more warning in his. “I'm not doing this, Julie. I'm not having you avoid my life outside of you. It's not happening. You are coming to my place for the weekend, and I will drop you back off at your apartment on Sunday.”

“But,” she began, but he cut her right back off.

“No but,” he said. “I've missed you so damn bad this week. I'm going to have you with me. That's it.”

That's it, she thought. Who the fuck did he think he was? How was he going to tell her how things were going to go?

“Put that shit out of your mind right now,” he said. “I'm so happy to have you here with me. We are about to have an amazing evening together. When the evening is over, I'm going to take you home, to my home, and I'm going to have you beneath me, calling my name, until you can't keep your eyes open. Then I'm going to keep you in my bed, while I wait on you hand and foot, all weekend long.”

Julie couldn't stop her mind from wandering to his place, his bed, and being beneath him. She was looking forward to each thing he'd just said. Her mind was so deep in thoughts of being with him that she hadn't even noticed his car stopping.

“You ready to do this?” he asked, with a nervous tone in his words. “Ready to be next to me for all the world to see?”

“I am,” she said, and before he could reply, her door was being opened, and a hand was reaching in to help her out.

Cody quickly met her on the other side of the car. When he held his arm out to her, she linked hers through it and looked over with a smile on her face.

“It's show time,” he said, as he smiled back.

They walked up the sidewalk and through the big door in front of them. When they stepped inside, Julie was amazed. The place was absolutely beautiful. It looked like a place royals would frequent. Even the decorations were elegant, contributing wonderfully to the ambiance. It was perfect in every way.

Before Julie even had a chance to comment, someone had already walked up to them, requesting Cody's attention.

“Mr. Williams,” the man said. “Your company has outdone itself.”

“Thank you,” Cody replied.

Mr. Williams, Julie thought, and she couldn't help but smile. Cody was only a few years older than her, and a man much older than him was speaking to him with such regard. She thought back to a time she'd heard people speak to her father in that way, but it was different. He'd been a husband and father. Cody was a young man just a few years into his journey in the business world.

“I'd like to introduce you to my date Miss,” Cody began.

“Julie,” she blurted out, cutting him off. “It's nice to meet you.”

When the man walked away, Cody turned to face her.

“What was that about?” he asked.

“I'm not a Miss anything,” she said, with a shakiness to her voice. “I just want to be Julie.”

“Nobody will judge you, Julie,” he said. “Your father is a big name. Don't be ashamed of that.”

“Oh, I'm not ashamed,” she said, in a defensive tone. “I'm not here as his daughter. I'm here as your date, and I'd like to be me. Is something wrong with that?”

“Not at all,” he said, as he leaned in and claimed her mouth with his.

Just as her body relaxed against his, she heard the snapping of a camera and quickly moved to step back, but he held her tight.

“Would you like a drink?” he asked.

“Definitely,” she answered.

“You'll get used to this, and before long, they'll leave us alone,” he said, as he took her hand in his and walked toward the bar.

“That man spoke to you like you were an old man,” she said, and he burst into laughter.

“An old man?” he asked.

“Well, much older than you are,” she said. “I guess I'd forgotten who you really are.”

“I'm just me,” he said. “The man you know.”

“What would all these people say if they saw the way you sit on the floor and play with Jackie?” she asked. “Would they find all your silly noises as awesome as I do?”

“I'm not so sure about that,” he said, as he laughed again. “That's something we should probably keep between us.”

Julie laughed, and before she could respond to what he'd said, a very beautiful woman walked up and began speaking to Cody. She was younger than most of the women Julie had seen there yet, and she made sure to completely ignore Julie as she spoke. Instead, she reached out and grabbed both of Cody's arms in hers. Then she leaned in and whispered something in his ear. She pulled away with a smile on her face, and he looked over at Julie. When he introduced her that time, he only used her first name, and again the woman ignored her.

“What would you like to drink, Cody?” Julie asked, feeling completely uncomfortable with what was happening in front of her.

“Cody,” the woman said, with a laugh.

“If you'll excuse us, we were on our way to the bar,” Cody said, as he took Julie's hand in his and they walked away from the only woman Julie had honestly ever wanted to punch in the face. It didn't matter how dressed up they were. “Please ignore her. She's the wife of a very large donor and client. While she is a total pain in the ass, I have to put on a happy face and listen to her rattle on.”

“I get it,” Julie said, even though she wasn't the least bit happy about it.

Before long, there were beautiful women everywhere. Some were on the arms of men their age, and others were on the arms of men much older than them. Most of the men were older, but there were a few handsome, younger ones there as well.

After about an hour, people had quit walking up to Cody, and Julie was relieved. In that short amount of time, over a hundred people had made their way over to Cody, and he knew each and every one of them, or at least he made it seem like he did.

When dinner was served, they made their way to their table. He pulled her chair out like a true gentleman, something he did every time they went out. Once they were both seated, he turned to her.

“Other than giving one speech,” he began, “I'm all yours. Thank you for coming with me.”

“There's nowhere else I'd rather be,” she said.

“Don't lie. They're not all like this,” he said. “Some are a little less boring than others. This is the first one I've actually been excited about.”

“Oh yeah,” she said, as she took a bite of her food and moaned slightly at the amazing flavor. “This is delicious.”

“It better be,” he said. “These people write some big checks. The food and alcohol is how we get them in the mood.”

“If the food is how you do it,” she began, “then you've done it right. I can't believe how good this is.”

“I'm glad you like it,” he said, with a smile on his face. “You're the one that matters the most.”

Just as dinner had ended, Cody was introduced. Julie watched as her confident, brilliant man headed to the stage to give his speech. By the time he was done, so much emotion was filling her, and she was more proud than she could ever imagine being of calling him her man. He wasn't at all the horrible man her father had made him out to be. Instead, he was caring, selfless, and absolutely perfect in every way, and not a damn thing was going to change her mind.

When he walked down the stairs that would bring him back to her, she stood and clapped along with everyone else. He didn't stop to talk to anyone. Instead, he walked right to where she was. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tighter than ever before.

“You are an amazing man, Cody Williams,” she said, with a smile wider than she'd ever smiled before.

“You're pretty amazing yourself, just Julie,” he said, as he laughed. “Would you like to dance?”

“Of course,” she answered, as he took her hand in his and headed for the dance floor.

One dance turned into two and two into three, and before she knew it, they'd danced for ten songs straight. The evening had turned out better than she'd thought it would, especially after they'd first walked into the place.

“Would my lady like a drink or to continue dancing?” he asked, just as the eleventh song began.

“Your lady needs to use the little girls' room,” she said, with a smile, “or she's going to explode.”

Cody let out a laugh, as he took her hand in his.

“Let me show my lady where it is,” he said. “We can't have you exploding out here on the dance floor.”

He leaned in close so only she could hear.

“I do however plan to have you exploding in every room of my house,” he whispered, just before his teeth scraped against her ear, and she couldn't help the shiver that ran through her.

When Julie walked into the bathroom, she knew she had a smile on her face bigger than she'd ever had before. She also knew her cheeks were flush from just the thought of what the weekend would bring. So excited, for the first time, at the thought of going to Cody's house, a place she'd done everything she could to avoid before. She hurried through her business, washed her hands, and had just begun to pull open the door that would lead her back to her man, but she stopped frozen when she saw him talking to another man around his age. It wasn't seeing them but what they were saying that stopped her.

“I see you're here with Gavin's daughter,” the other guy said.

“I am,” Cody replied, with his back to Julie.

“How's that going?” the other guy asked with a laugh, as he looked right by Cody to Julie. “The last time I saw you, you'd met her at the college and were planning to work her for info on her daddy.”

“Listen,” Cody began.

“It must be working. I hope you got enough to put that fucker in his place. He's been comfortable in the top spot for way too long,” the other guy said, cutting Cody off. “She's definitely a hot piece of ass, bro. I hope you at least hit that before you dump her to the curb and take what's yours.”

“Stop!” Cody snapped.

“Yeah, Stop!” Julie snapped out, as she watched Cody's entire body tense. “I think we get the point.”

“Julie,” Cody growled out, as he turned to face her. “It's not.”

“Don't,” she said, as she walked out of the bathroom and put both of her hands up in front of her to stop him from continuing. “Don't bother.”

“No,” Cody said, as he took a step toward her.

“Do not take one more step, Mr. Williams,” she said, in a stern tone. “I was wrong, so damn wrong about you.”

“Julie,” he began, but she shook her head, as tears filled her eyes.

“He was right,” she said, more to herself than to him. “I can't believe it. He was actually right. All those things he said, I thought they were wrong. They couldn't be true. I'd told him that. I'd told him he was wrong. I'd told them all. Shit! I brought you home. I defended you in front of my entire family. I fucking told him he was wrong, but he wasn't. He was right. I hurt my own father because of you, and he'd been right all along.”

Julie felt the sadness that was filling her quickly turn to anger.

“You asshole,” she snapped out, her voice rising with each new word. “How could you? How could you do what you've done just to get ahead? What kind of person are you? How could I have been so dumb? I believed you. I thought you cared about me. I slept with you. What the fuck is wrong with you? I knew better, I really did. I knew not to take my guard down, but I did it anyway. Months, Cody. You've been stringing me along for months just to get shit on my dad. I feel so stupid. How could I? How could you? Look at everything you've done here. I was proud of you. I thought you were a good man. I thought you were different. I fucking loved you.”

“Julie,” Cody whispered. “Please.”

When he stepped forward again, she yelled.

“Stop!”

“It's not what you think,” he said, with sadness, that made no sense, in his words.

“It's not,” she growled out. “Really? So you weren't talking to me to get something on my dad? When you showed up at that bar, had you done it because of my father?”

“Julie,” he said.

“Answer me, Cody,” she yelled out. “Was it because of my father?”

“Yes,” he answered, “but.”

“No,” she snapped, as she stepped toward him. “There is no but, Cody. That was all I needed. I'm done.”

“Wait!” he snapped out. “Please.”

“No!” she snapped back. “You had me fooled, but that will never happen again. I'm through with you, Cody Williams. My father and my uncle have worked their asses off for years to get where they are. I will not have some little piece of shit, that thinks he's better than everyone else, push them out of the way by using shady measures. Earn it like a man. Do you hear me? If you want that top spot, you need to earn it. Since I'm not like you, and I earn what I get, I will let you in on a little secret. It's not you that's going to take them out. It's me.”

Julie stopped for a second to let all of her words sink in before she continued.

“I will be the one to take that top spot. Remember my name, because you're going to be hearing it a lot, Mr. Williams. I'm going to pass you up, and then I'm going to knock them both out of there. Me, not you. Better get used to the idea, because not one shitty thing you do is going to stop me.”

Julie turned and took a few steps away from Cody, who was standing there with his mouth wide open in shock. Before she turned the corner, she stopped and turned back to him with a huge smile on her face. She was hurting worse inside than she'd ever hurt in her life, but she wasn't about to let him know that.

“Oh, you know that job you thought my dad outbid you on, the one you were brooding like a baby about on our drive to his house?” she asked, and he nodded slightly. “It wasn't him that outbid you, Cody. It was me. Do you hear me? That was me. I outbid every single one of you, and I got the job. I hope whatever you got on my dad was worth what you put me through. Goodbye, Cody.”

Without another word, Julie turned and walked away. Every single bit of her hurt, and it only got worse with each new step she took away from him. He'd torn her heart apart, and she had no idea how she was ever going to put it back together again.