H unter

I laced up my golf shoes and stretched out my shoulders, but my mind strayed to Lexi. It had been two weeks since we’d started seeing each other, and although it had become easier to not get caught, keeping our secret was hard on me. We spent almost every day together, and I had gotten to the point where I was leaving work to meet up with her. We had a blast together, and not just from the hot, steamy sex, but from trips to the park, late-night walks in the city, dinner at some of the strangest places in New York, and anything else we could think of to do that would keep us under the radar. I stopped fighting it when Kam would ask me to go golfing or to dinner. Resisting would only make things look suspicious. Maybe it was good that I got closer to Kam. Maybe then when he did find out about everything, he would be a bit calmer than I was anticipating .

In reality, I didn’t know what I was doing, but I knew I wanted to be around Lexi. We made it work the best we could, and I ended up paying off the guy that ran the elevator most mornings. He had seen Lexi leave my apartment early in the morning several times, and although the workers were known for their discretion, I wanted to make extra sure. It had become almost a production line with the staff of the Avalon, keeping them happy to keep us happy. I knew it was only a matter of time until everything came to light, but I couldn’t help but really enjoy this time with her. It was private, personal, and we could spend our time worrying about each other instead of what everyone else thought. If every relationship started in such a private way, there would be fewer breakups. You really figured out who a person was when you were with them and only them, and I loved who Lexi was .

The locker room door opened, shaking me from my thoughts. I looked up as several guys came walking in, talking and laughing loudly. Kam was waiting for me at the bar, but I needed a minute to myself to gather my thoughts before going out on the course with him. He wasn’t being his normal, happy-go-lucky self, and I could tell something was bothering him. I just hoped it had nothing to do with Lexi and me. I stood up, straightened my shirt, and walked out to the bar. Kam was sitting there, watching the news on the television and drinking a Bloody Mary. I grabbed my beer and chugged it before setting it back on the bar .

“You ready?” I asked, looking at my watch. “Our tee time is in five minutes .”

“Yeah.” He groaned, standing up from the bar. “I suppose we should get out there .”

We went through the first hole pretty much in silence, taking in the early morning sun on the course. By the time we got to the second hole, I felt a bit better, and Kam was starting to loosen up to his normal, chatty self. As we rode through the course on the golf cart, he leaned back and let the wind hit his face .

“So, how’s work?” he asked. “It’s been a while since we’ve caught up on business .”

“Man, I tell you, we hit the top five on the Fortune 500,” I said. “We have a new investor, are finishing our new recruitment program, and by next year, we will have a technological department on the rise. I’m planning on us being number one on that list within the next two years .”

“That’s impressive,” he said, nodding his head. “You know your shit when it comes to that cyber stuff. I’m happy for you, though. It’s impressive enough to get in the top hundred on that list, but to be in the top five? That’s extremely hard to achieve. At the same time, you’ve always been that guy, motivated to keep moving forward .”

“I have to be in this business or I’ll get left behind,” I replied. “Everything is changing so fast in technology that by the time you implement a new objective, you have to add another on top. I need more hackers who are able to transition with ease and agility. It makes all the difference. So, how are you doing in half-retirement mode ?”

He laughed. “I guess I don’t work as hard as I used to, but the company just kind of runs itself these days. My mind is on other things anyway .”

“Like?”

“Lexi,” he said grumpily. “I just don’t trust that she’s not seeing someone .”

A lump developed in my throat, and I coughed to try to clear it. My palms got sweaty, and I gripped the wheel of the cart. This was not the conversation I wanted to have with him today .

“What makes you think that?” I asked .

“Intuition,” he said. “I don’t know. I’ve told that girl that if she is wasting her time with boys, she is going to have to figure out how to navigate her life herself. I am not going to support her for the rest of her life. I didn’t raise her to just look for a husband like so many of the fathers in our circle did. I taught her to make something out of herself like her mother did. I’m not going to keep supporting her if she thinks working at the café is enough and she can just spend the rest of her time with some guy. It’s a distraction she doesn’t need. I don’t know; do you think I’m being too hard on her ?”

“Kam, you know I don’t have good insight on these things,” I said, unsure of what to add to the conversation. “I think she’s going to do what’s in her nature regardless, so it’s really up to you how much strain you want to put on that relationship .”

“You talk about kids like they’re wolves,” he said, laughing .

I sat there and watched as Kam floated off into his own thoughts on the subject. I could see the stress and strain written all over his face, and immediately, guilt crept in. I had made my choice out of complete selfishness, something I didn’t normally do. Lexi was amazing, and I was blinded by that fact, not truly thinking about my life, my friendships, and the things that really mattered. I didn’t want to hurt Kam, and I knew I should probably think about breaking things off with Lexi. Kam had been there for me since we were in our early twenties, pushing me along, helping me, and being an all-around good friend. When I was down, he picked me up. And how had I repaid him? I had shacked up with his daughter and been carrying on a relationship with her behind his back .

This was so tricky in so many ways, but I knew I really valued my friendship with Kam—something I hadn’t thought about before I’d started all of this. There was something about Lexi that drew me right in without even thinking about it. She was amazing in a way that was different than any woman I had ever dated before .

We had such a good time together. We joked, laughed, ran around like kids, kissed in the rain, made love just about anywhere, and were just happy to be with each other. There was no arguing and there were no expectations of each other, and I was starting to feel strange when she wasn’t around—something I knew was dangerous but I ignored. It was so difficult, though, especially when I was with her. That smile would just light up my life, and her heart was so huge, I couldn’t bear even thinking about breaking it. It felt like an impossible situation, something I couldn’t wrap my head around, but I knew I had to do something about it .

No matter how much I wanted to deny it, I knew what I had to do. There was little hope of this working out the way I wanted it to. I had started to get some pretty intense feelings for Lexi, and I knew I shouldn’t. I needed to cut things off in a way that was easy for both of us. I needed to protect her, Kam, and myself before this went so far that everyone got hurt. Lexi’s heart was on the line, Kam’s feelings and his relationship with his daughter were on the line, and for me—well, everything was on the line for me. I would have a broken heart, a tarnished reputation, and I would lose my best friend, all in one fell swoop. It was starting to look like nothing I could do would save what we had .