Chapter 10 - Carter

I went home after informing Vivian of the trip, feeling a little bad that I had told her so last minute. I had meant to do it over dinner but she kept turning me down, so I had to go to her apartment. I was surprised to see her with a little boy, not expecting that at all.

I thought about him as I walked through the front door and frowned. He was a cute kid and looked familiar somehow, though I couldn’t place it.

I went into my room to pack, placing my Louis Vuitton suitcase on the bed. I walked to the dresser and grabbed socks and briefs, tucking them in before I added some t-shirts and a pair of worn jeans. I walked to the closet and found a couple of suits. I’d pack them now and have the hotel staff prepare them for me later.

I couldn’t get Vivian out of my mind. She had looked so surprised to see me, holding her son’s hand. I frowned as I tried to guess his age, feeling something deep down that bothered me. My parents never told me she had a child. Come to think of it, Vivian hadn’t even mentioned his name tonight. No introduction or barely an acknowledgment of me before she shuffled him inside. I just knew that he liked hot chocolate since he asked for some.

I finished packing and put on some shorts to rest in bed, watching a little television, but I soon got distracted. I couldn’t put my finger on what was bothering me. I had an early morning and I needed to get some rest. This was a legit trip and we’d be going to lunches, dinners and presentations.

There would also be a hotel room that we’d be sharing for two nights. I used the excuse of the fiancée to get a nice suite with a living room, massive bedroom with king-sized bed, kitchen and bathroom. We’d be sleeping together if she didn’t insist on sleeping on the couch or worse yet, kick me out. I looked forward to being that close to her, hopefully finally touching her and getting to feel her again.

My cock hardened as I thought about it, playing the fantasy through my head. Fuck. I wanted her so bad and I reached down to slide my hand in my shorts and grip myself firmly. I couldn’t get enough of jerking off when I fantasized about Vivian. I started moving my hand as my eyes dropped closed.

I grabbed a tissue when I came, wrapping it around my cock to catch most of the mess. I hoped that I wouldn’t need this in LA tomorrow night. I was hoping for the real thing.

I went to the kitchen for some water before returning to bed. I saw my phone lit up on the comforter as I sat back down. It was Shane. He was being a dick about the fact that I hadn’t slept with Vivian yet. He knew that he might win the bet but I had one more night plus a luxurious hotel room to push her over the edge. It had worked wonders in the past.

I answered the call and Shane immediately asked if I’d hit it yet. This was getting old because Vivian was more than just a warm pussy to me. I hadn’t said that to Shane yet though. I held in my annoyance and tried to sound casual as I leaned back. “Close, but we’re going on a business trip together tomorrow. That will definitely do the trick.”

“I think that you’re losing your touch, Carter. You’ve had women faster than this in the past. Is she a prude or is she just not that into you?” His words were like a punch to my face. I hated him in this moment but tried to hold in my racing emotions. I took a deep breath to steady myself.

“She is. There’s no doubt about that.” I said blandly. “We work together. That’s what’s holding her back.”

“Uh huh. Haven’t you slept with colleagues before?” Of course, I had. But Shane wouldn’t understand that Vivian was special. He didn’t know the meaning of the word.

He told me about his latest conquest, who was a waitress at a local bar. She was in an estranged marriage. I warned him not to get involved, but Shane was tunnel minded when it came to women. He wouldn’t listen when I told him that one of these days, some jealous man was going to kick his ass. I asked him to give me a call when that happened so that I could make popcorn and watch the scene.

I ended the call with the excuse that I needed to get to sleep and dropped the phone onto the floor. I didn’t want to see it again tonight. The alarm for the next morning was already set.

I settled comfortably in the pillows and watched an interview with a new singer. I was feeling tired and drifted off to sleep, only to continue my fantasy in my head.

I needed to work her out of my system. I needed to act professionally during the trip and get the deal done.

I slept fitfully until the alarm went off in the morning. I rolled over to grab the phone and hit snooze. I made coffee and showered before dressing in jeans and a button up shirt. I wanted to be comfortable and casual before the suits needed to come out. Ned was going to pick me up and then we’d get Vivian. I was looking forward to seeing her again and tossed some toiletries into the suitcase as I hummed a song that was playing through my head.

Oddly enough, it was a song that played at my high school hockey games and it reminded me a great deal of Vivian. It was stuck in my head and I allowed myself a moment to think back in time.

I mentally kicked myself for not treating her better in high school. I thought back to the other girls and cringed, realizing how hurt she must have been. I could only chalk it up to being young and stupid, and I wondered whether she’d give me a second chance.

What if this was more than a bet?

I locked the door to my apartment before I rolled the luggage to the elevator. I approached the limo with my bag and greeted Ned as he stepped out to load it for me.

Vivian’s son came to mind again and I wondered why he looked so familiar. There had been an uncomfortable feeling in my stomach since I saw him. I assumed that Vivian was raising him alone. How hard must that be? She was doing it all on her own and I hated the guy who abandoned her for a second. No wonder she was so scared of losing everything by making one wrong move. I was going to assure her that nothing like that would happen. Through all my seduction efforts, I noticed that she was a good PA and did her job well. Worst case scenario, she could transfer within my huge company or seek employment elsewhere with a glowing recommendation.

I slumped in the seat at the thought of her not being a part of my life and vowed to make her mine this weekend. We pulled away from the curb and I reached for the radio controls to get the fucking song out of my mind, settling for some easy jazz to soothe my soul. I didn’t like where my mind was taking me and I tried to shake it off. I never worried about women leaving me. I worried about them staying and wanting things that I couldn’t give them.

This time, though, it seemed like I wanted a woman to stay and I wondered what was happening to me.