Chapter Seventeen
Zack
Friday
“Never again.”
I smiled to myself as I remembered Olivia’s parting words to me as she left my apartment at about two a.m. this morning. She kept telling me never again, she continued to insist that it wasn’t something that she wanted, but somehow she kept coming back for more. She continued to come to my apartment in the middle of the night, to rock my world, then she would scamper off again. It had only happened twice, but I could hardly remember a time when I didn’t spend a lot of the night hoping and waiting for that knock on my door.
Fuck, the memory of her riding me last night, free, without any inhibitions, was the sexiest thing alive. Her pale skin, her bouncing, perfectly-round breasts, her face contorted in pleasure…it was the hottest thing I’d ever seen in my life. I hadn’t ever had a woman so gorgeous before, and I wanted to keep on having her. I wanted to have her at every damn angle, and I hoped that she kept coming around for long enough for me to have that. I couldn’t wait for the opportunity to take her from behind, so I could see that perfect round ass while we did it. It made my blood run hot at the mere thought of her like that.
Oh God, I was starting to sound like a horn dog. My brain was absolutely filled with sex, and I needed to stop it before I got hard again. I had a lot to do today, and unfortunately, none of it involved Olivia.
As I pushed myself into a standing position, I noticed a flash of purple lace on the floor. With furrowed eyebrows, I picked the item up, but that expression relaxed as soon as I realized that it was just the skimpy piece of underwear that Olivia tugged from her body in the heat of the moment last night. Her sexy little G-string that barely covered anything. I rubbed the material between my fingers and smirked to myself. I pictured myself stalking over there and handing them back to her, all while demanding that she get in her bed for me to take her once more.
But I wouldn’t. I couldn’t because of Meghan. It was inappropriate.
Still, I wanted her to know that I was thinking about her, so without even planning it, I grabbed a brown paper bag, and I put the panties in there before scribbling a note to go alongside it. I hoped it would excite her rather than offend her. I didn’t exactly believe her when she said she wouldn’t come round in the middle of the night again, but I didn’t want her to know that I assumed she’d come again.
“You left these behind. I’d much rather see them on you again, Z.”
I snuck out quickly and pushed them through the mail slot on her door. If Olivia were working today, then she wouldn’t have gone just yet. I wanted her to pick up the parcel, not the babysitter. That would be embarrassing for everyone involved. Olivia would probably never speak to me again if I let someone know that we were hooking up, even if I didn’t mean to. She was very strict about her rule to keep us a secret, and since my dad told me that it meant we were important to her, I didn’t want to wreck that.
Hmm… Maybe I shouldn’t have delivered the underwear. Maybe that was a silly mistake. Still, it was too late now; there wasn’t anything I could do to take it back. I couldn’t exactly reach into that letterbox and pull the parcel back out. It was done. I just had to hope that the plan turned out as sexy as I had it all planned out in my mind.
I turned and hobbled back home because I needed to have a shower. I had to look good today, nicer than usual because my father and I were meeting today to look for office space. I had to be in the right frame of mind for it because this was a hugely important day. This was the first day of my charity – the first day of the rest of my life – and I needed it to go well.
***
My hand shook a little as I pulled the mug of coffee up to my lips. I wasn’t sure why, but I felt incredibly nervous at the idea of starting all of this. When it was an idea in my mind, the charity was completely under my control. Nothing could go wrong, there wasn’t any way that I could be exposed, but as soon as it started getting legs and became real, I would become incredibly vulnerable.
I needed it, but it scared the hell out of me at the same time. That was why I needed a time out at my favorite café.
“Hello there, Zack, you look nice,” Lark teased me. “It’s nice to see that you’re finally becoming an adult. Creating a charity, spending big bucks on an office. All in a suit, as well. Color me stunned!”
I rolled my eyes to myself. I didn’t like talking about money in public, especially after winning that lottery money, but I suppose it would have to be done today. This was a day that needed a cash-related conversation at some point. I didn’t want the world to know that I had all that money available to me, but people were going to learn that I had some when I could pay for an office building with ease.
“Yeah, I am looking forward to it,” I replied carefully. “But I am a little freaked about it all. It’s crazy.”
“You’ll be fine.” He patted me on the back. “Plus, you have your dad helping you. He sure as hell knows what he’s doing even if you don’t.”
“Do you want to come with me today?” I asked him on impulse. “I know it might be a bit boring looking around office spaces with my strict ass father in tow, but I’d like your opinion, too.”
“You would?” Lark appeared a bit taken aback by my request. “I don’t know anything about charities and business, though.”
“Nor do I! We can be clueless together. You’ve been on this whole journey with me; it wouldn’t feel right to do this without you.” I glanced at my watch, noticing that time had ticked by much faster than I expected it to. “But we better go in a moment, you know what my dad is like for being on time.”
“Oh God, can I change my mind?” Lark laughed and rolled his eyes. “Maybe I don’t want to come after all.”
“You have to now.” I tugged on his arm. “Come on. We need to get to the subway station.”
“Okay, fine, but I expect you to tell me all about what’s going on with you and the beautiful redhead from across the hall on the way. If I have to suffer a day at looking at buildings, it’s the least you can do.”
“Nothing is really going on…” I tried to brush him off, but he wasn’t about to take that. Lark had eagle eyes and a really sharp brain, which was how he managed to be such a successful gamer. The fact that this was the most exciting thing to happen to me in ages meant that he wasn’t about to let it go however much I wanted him to.
“Oh come on! The way you two look at each other, it’s as if you’re already in love! I keep waiting for you to tell me that you’re getting married, or that you’ve already eloped.”
“Don’t be such an idiot,” I hushed him. “It isn’t like that. I can’t get involved so deeply.”
“Why not? Because of Meghan? Why would she stop you?”
I gave him a terrible look. “Lark, you are always the one warning about getting involved with single moms. You cannot honestly tell me that you’ve all of a sudden changed your mind on that?”
“Have you met Meghan?” He shrugged his shoulders in a blasé manner as if this complete 180 wasn’t something to totally shock me. “She’s too cute for words. If you’re going to take on a child, she’s the perfect one.”
I didn’t know what to say to that; I was totally blown away. Instead of trying to form some sort of answer, I fell into silence and pondered on that. If Lark had changed his mind, then maybe there could be something to consider here.
Not that I was falling in too deep.
***
“I think I like this one best,” I decisively nodded as I announced this to everyone. It was the third office space that we’d been shown, and it felt like the right one. “I like the side street, the brick façade…”
“But it doesn’t have a storefront,” my dad interjected. He had been doing this all day long, finding fault every time I liked something. This time, though, I didn’t want to follow him blindly.
“I know, but it does have had a big open space on the first floor and three offices on the second floor. There’s even a small kitchen in the back of the first floor for staff to make their lunches and stuff.”
“I know, but you need a storefront…”
“Surely that’s something that can be put in later?” Lark interrupted, playing the mediating voice like he’d been doing all day long. Bringing him along was a really good idea. I didn’t even realize how much of a peacekeeper he could be. “It seems good for now, doesn’t it?”
Dad and I didn’t say anything, which gave Lark free reign to keep on speaking. “There are enough offices to run both branches of the charity. You can be separate but in the same building here, which is what you want, isn’t it?” I nodded. “You need to worry more about things such as Internet and power supply for the moment. The storefront can come later.”
“You’re right.” My dad bristled as he admitted defeat. “Lark, it’s a good job that you’re here. I’m looking too much at the bigger picture, whereas you can see the things that we need to concentrate on right now. Will you help me make a list of things that we need to organize?”
While they sat down to create their list, I wandered through the building proudly. Yes, some things weren't perfect about it, but it felt right. I could see myself here, creating the charity just as I wanted to. Seeing my vision bought to life. I couldn’t wait to bring Olivia here and to show her what I was going to achieve…
Damn it!
Every time I tried to stop thinking about Olivia, she popped up into my brain regardless. Ever since Lark had given me the speech about taking on Meghan, my fantasies about being with Olivia for real had really taken legs, and I couldn’t stop picturing it. I kept imagining things becoming more than just sex, and it was an idea that excited me. Of course, I’d have to actually take her out on a date rather than just hook up with her, but I didn’t mind doing that. Olivia intrigued me, and I wanted to get to know her better.
I wanted her to be mine.
“So, what do you think?” Lark asked me quietly. “Like this place?”
“I do,” I nodded as I answered. “I like it here. I can see it all happening here.”
“Yeah, me, too.” We both glanced over at my dad who was in deep conversation with the real estate agent. “I think your dad is happy, too, now that we’ve sorted through everything that needs to be done. It looks like the beginning to me.” He patted me on the shoulder. “Good luck, Zack!”